Search - Starlite Drive-In Theater: A Dusk Til Dawn Marathon on DVD

Not great, but not bad

Canuck in WA | Vancouver, WA | 07/07/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Not a bad set to own if you like crappy movies in a weird sort of way (Like MST3K does). I found the movie "The Van" by far the best one of the lot, and "Van Nuys Blvd" to be second best. "Pom Pom Girls" would be good if they showed more "Pom Pom Girls" and less John Carradine. After those 3 though, most were very forgettable unless you want a nostalgic trip looking at old products and signs of the 50's, 60's & 70's. One nice surprise though were the cartoons and snack bar ads before the movie. Definitely was a plus. A bit of trivia, on "Hustler Squad", the one real dish of the movie (Anna) was a former Miss Finland in 1974 and runner up in Miss Universe. Watch the movie with the volume off unless you want to hear some really awful sound effects."

A month's worth of Friday night double features

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 10/13/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Yes kids, here are the double-features some drive-in theaters actually ran back in the 60s and 70s-- movies designed as background for those private activities of automobile date nights all over America. Ask anyone who attended some of these what the films are about and you may get a vague reply like, "I dunno... I was busy."

BCI's STARLIGHT DOUBLE FEATURE discs have one title per side and include such extras as cartoons, vintage intermission ads and promos of upcoming features.

SYNOPSES--

DEVIL'S HAND-- Robert Alda (Alan's dad) has nightmares (not about being in a bad movie!) which eventually lead him to a doll shop that's front for a satanic cult. Watch for Roger Corman's favorite fat man, Bruno VeSota.

HUSTLER SQUAD-- Amateurish Philippino quickie stars John Ericson, who was in the same class as Grace Kelly, Jack Palance, Don Murray and Don Rickles at the Amer. Acad. of Dramatic Arts in NYC. (Wha' hoppened, Johnny?)

LAURA & JOHN-- Filmed in So. Florida when it was still a paradise, it's based on the true story of a gang that ran rampant there in the 1920s. This epitome of summertime drive-in fare stars Fabian, Karen Black and a bunch of local amateurs.

MADMEN-- No-name cast in nowhere story that was eventually recut as "They Saved Hitler's Brain." Bronson Caves and L.A.'s Griffith Park are used as a tropical island in a zero-budget bomb. (Remember, they weren't designed to be watched!)

POM POM-- When not food fighting in this high school frothfest, football players pair up with cheerleaders. Call it a "backseat primer."

THE VAN-- With its CB rig, fridge, toaster, shag carpets, racing stripes, captain's chair, mirrored ceiling, waterbed, quad 8-track and TV, this vehicle has far more personality than its recent high school grad owner, who is a creepy little horney toad. (Watch for Danny DeVito in a minor role.)

VAN NUYS-- A kid migrates west to cruise the famous strip and gets involved with bikers, topless dancers and drag racers.

WILD RIDERS-- Two sociopathic bikers kill a girl, break into a mansion and rape the women inside. They murder a neighbor and then hang out until one gal's husband comes home. Sordid stuff, this.


For similar fare, MILL CREEK's low-priced DRIVE-IN MOVIE CLASSICS contains 50 quite unusual works that hardly anybody saw the first time around.


PROGRAM (Parenthetical numbers preceding titles are 1 to 10 viewer poll ratings found at a film resource website):
DISC ONE--
(4.9) The Pom Pom Girls (1976) - Robert Carradine/Jennifer Ashley/Michael Mullins/Lisa Reeves/Bill Adler/James Gammon
(3.8) The Van (1977) - Stuart Goetz/Deborah White/Harry Moses/Marcie Barkin/Bill Adler/Danny DeVito

DISC TWO--
(1.4) Hustler Squad (Philippines-1976) - John Ericson/Ramon Revilla/Karen Ericson/Crystin Sinclaire
(5.6) Wild Riders (1971) - Alex Rocco/Elizabeth Knowles/Sherry Bain/Arell Blanton/Ted Hayden

DISC THREE
(2.7) Madmen of Mandoras (1963) - Walter Stocker/Audrey Caire/Carlos Rivas/John Holland/Marshall Reed
(4.4) The Devil's Hand (1962) - Linda Christian/Robert Alda/Neil Hamilton/Gene Craft/Bruno VeSota

DISC FOUR
(4.9) Van Nuys Blvd. (1979) - Bill Adler/Cynthia Wood/Dennis Bowen/Melissa Prophet/Kansas City Kings Glitter Girls
(2.8) Little Laura and Big John (1973) - Fabian/Karen Black/Ivy Thayer/Ken Miller/Paul Gleason"