Episode 118 - Under Cover (1987)

Cannon released quite a few thrillers back in the day. Some of these thrillers were baffling (Down Twisted), off the rails (Tough Guys Don't Dance), or even quite great (A Cry in the Dark), but they always managed to have more character than the basic genre film of the time. Even the recent Naked Face that we covered did as much.

However, Under Cover is not one of those. It's competently made and shot, with competent acting, and competent storytelling, but it manages to not feel very Cannon-like at all. Instead it feels like completely interchangeable. How do you do this with a concept like 21 Jump Street in a Cannon production? See how in today's episode.

Randy's Score: 2/5

JD's Score: 2/5

Up Next: Journey to the Center of the Earth [Revisited]!

Episode 117 - The Naked Face (1984)

No, this isn't a repeat episode. The Naked Cage was a similarly titled movie with a much different plot to it. This week we take a look at Roger Moore's The Naked Face, a twisting thriller about a man having his life pulled apart by psychopaths and needing to find the truth.

Unlike some of the other thrillers we've covered from Cannon, this one does a good job of keeping you on your toes and has turns that make sense. It also features quite good performances from all the actors involved. It might have a few too many lazy logic moments, but it's never dull. That is what made it fun to watch for this episode. 

Excuse my cough, however. I was having some bad allergy reactions around the time this was recorded.

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

Up Next: Under Cover!

Non-Cannon ~ Episode 89 - Samurai Cop (1991)

Here is one of the big ones! We decided to watch the early '90s b-movie cult favorite Samurai Cop, one of the most bizarre low budget action movies ever made. For those that know exactly why this one is so weird, well, you know what to expect from this. For those who have no idea what you're in for? Be wary when watching today's episode. It doesn't get more offbeat than this.

That said, it's no Miami Connection. There are quite a lot of off-kilter moments in this that detract from the action instead of contribute. To see just what that means, I recommend tuning in to today's episode. There isn't much like Samurai Cop. That is both a good thing and a bad thing, for many, many, many, reasons.

Also, please note that I had a bit of a cough in this episode. I apologize for any annoyance that might cause. It wasn't the best weather to record this one in.

Randy's Score: 2/5

JD's Score: 3/5

Up Next: The Naked Face!

Episode 116 - Alien Contamination (1980)

An early Cannon horror movie we were unable to cover until recently, Alien Contamination (or just "Contamination" depending on where you live) was in many ways the last hurrah of an older breed of creepy adventure flick. It's much different than the more 1980s flavor that even early stabs of the genre like Schizoid, New Year's Evil, and Hospital Massacre / X-Ray, were. To be honest, this does help it stand out a little more, especially in the chilling early scenes.

Despite the Italian led direction and effects, the film is much too slow for its own good, lingering too long on things it doesn't need to. When it works it works, but as a whole its a bit too ropey and inconsistent to be a successful experiment.

Nonetheless, it remains an interesting try at an early attempt in the genre for Cannon Films. They didn't make anything else remotely like it.

JD's Score: 2/5

Randy's Score: 2/5

Up Next: Samurai Cop!

Episode 115 - The Graduates of Malibu High / The Young Warriors (1983)

One of the movies we missed the first go around, The Graduates of Malibu High (or The Young Warriors) was a bizarre attempt at a genre mash-up. This was a try at stirring Death Wish and Animal House together into a gumbo of the kind that hadn't been made before. It is surprisingly ambitious.

Unfortunately, despite having many good points, it is stifled by bad pacing and incongruous genre elements that are jarring to what each half of the movie wants to be. It isn't a total loss, and deserves the cult audience it has, but we did have to dock it points for fumbling crucial elements that could have been done better with tighter editing. Nonetheless, it isn't a half bad watch. We talk about it more in depth in the above episode.

JD's Score: 2/5

Randy's Score: 2/5

Up Next: Alien Contamination!

Episode 114 - Alien from L.A. (1988) [Revisited]

We are back once again with another re-watch of an old Cannon flick. This time we decided to pick the 1988 subterranean comedy, Alien from L.A., straight from Albert Pyun.

This one is more than a bit infamous as we covered in the last episode on it. However, watching it now has changed our opinions on it a good deal. What was once one of the worst has actually turned out to be a lot more fun and lot less obnoxious than we remember. Perhaps time heals all wounds, but it really is better the second time around.

Find out how in today's episode!

JD's Score: 3/5

Randy's Score: 3/5

Up next: The Young Warriors!

Non-Cannon ~ Episode 88 - Tammy & the T-Rex (1994)

Now here is a movie we had trouble defining. It's a bizarre comedy and horror mash-up filmed in a short period, giving you exactly the problems with the movie that you'd think. From tonal issues to baffling plot turns, Tammy & the T-Rex has it all.

There is also not quite anything like it. For a movie that could only be made in the early '90s, it fulfills a lot of the tropes you'd expect it would. Despite everything, it somehow manages to remain engaging the entire way through.

Our full opinions can be heard in the episode above!

Randy's Score: 3/5

JD's Score: 3/5

Up Next: Alien from L.A.!