Bud Cort Movies
Inasmuch as there was already a Wally Cox, American actor Walter Edward Cox chose the stage name Bud Cort when applying for his Equity card. Straight off the stage, Cort was cast in the small role of an intern browbeaten into tears by Robert Duvall in M*A*S*H* (1970). This brief appearance was enough to encourage M*A*S*H director Robert Altman to entrust Cort with the lead in his next film, Brewster McCloud (1971), a Vonnegut-like pastiche about a flying boy. Cort was not "standard leading man" material, thus many of his roles were in the offbeat vein of Brewster McCloud, even in more down-to-earth material like The Strawberry Statement (1971). Thus Cort was in many ways perfect for the suicidal teen protagonist of Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude (1972), whose life would be turned inside out (and back on track) by septuagenarian "free spirit" Ruth Gordon. It wasn't that Cort quit acting after Harold and Maude; it's simply that many of his subsequent films tried too hard to emulate Harold and Maude's cult status, and fell so short of this goal as to be forgettable. The later Cort films in this "midnight movie wannabe" vein included Electric Dreams (1984), Invaders From Mars (1989), Love at Stake (1991), and Ted & Venus (1992), a charmingly outdated "crazy for love" opus which Cort also directed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
- R
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The first effort from director Wes Anderson since his critically beloved The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou finds the filmmaker re-teaming with a number of familiar faces, including Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, and Seymour Cassel. Murray plays Steve Zissou, an eccentric and renowned oceanographer who has decided to seek out and enact mortal revenge on a shark that ate one of the men on his team. Along for the ride is Ned Plimpton (Owen Wilson), a young man who has joined Zissou's crew after showing up claiming to be the seaman's long-lost son and Zissou's co-producer (and estranged wife), Eleanor Angelica Huston. As the expedition ensues, the two bond and Plimpton falls for a female journalist (Cate Blanchett) who is writing a piece on Zissou. The crew meets a host of obstacles on their journey, including pirates, kidnapping, and bankruptcy. Adding a flair of whimsy to the film's aesthetic, the sea creatures and underwater scenes in the film have been created using stop-motion animation under the direction of Henry Selick, the man behind The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. The ensemble cast also includes Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, Noah Taylor, and Bud Cort. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, (more)
A guy looking for easy money gets a lot more than he bargained for in this noir-flavored independent comedy. John Person (Jon Favreau) is a struggling actor living in Los Angeles who is starting to buckle under the pressure of his own failures. With no acting jobs coming in and a massive credit card debt to pay off, John works part-time as a courier but needs a big payday if he's ever going to get back on his feet. Out of the blue, a strange man in the neighborhood makes John an offer that seems too good to be true -- in exchange for delivering a suitcase to a man in Baker, CA (midway between L.A. and Las Vegas), John will receive $27,000 in cash. John's first tip off that something odd is going on comes when, along with the suitcase, he's given a loaded gun and instructions to defend the package with his life if necessary, but he's just desperate enough to go along. However, things become more complicated when John misses his connection in Baker; he's suddenly followed by a number of threatening eccentrics, is informed by an FBI agent that his benefactor in L.A. has become the victim of a grisly murder, and incurs the wrath of Cowboy (Sean Bean), the ominous trucker who was supposed to pick up the suitcase. The Big Empty features a stellar supporting cast, including Kelsey Grammer, Melora Walters, Daryl Hannah, Joey Lauren Adams, and Rachael Leigh Cook. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Favreau, Joey Lauren Adams, (more)
Popular country & western singer and well-regarded character actor Dwight Yoakam steps behind the camera for this revisionist Western, his first effort as a director and screenwriter. Valentine Casey (Yoakam) is the sheriff of the town of Los Tragos in the Arizona Territory. Valentine, an orphan, was raised as a child by Leland Henry (Luke Askew), a notorious outlaw, but while Henry's sons Taylor (Vince Vaughn) and Arvid (Paul Reubens) have followed their father into a life of crime, Valentine dedicates himself to putting Henry and his gang behind bars. But when the Henry gang knocks over a bank, Valentine and his posse are hopelessly outnumbered (and intimidated by Leland's Gatling guns). Years later, word has circulated that Valentine died while fighting in the Spanish-American War, but he mysteriously appears in an Arizona border town, winning the affections of a visiting actress named Adalyne (Bridget Fonda) and attracting the wrath of Brigadier Smalls (Billy Bob Thornton), Adalyne's beau and a mysterious figure with a troubling secret. South of Heaven, West of Hell also features supporting performances from Bud Cort, Michael Jeter, and Bo Hopkins. Dwight Yoakam also wrote the film's original score, in collaboration with his longtime producer and sideman Pete Anderson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dwight Yoakam, Vince Vaughn, (more)
Legendary filmmaker Wim Wenders returns to the screen with this loosely structured murder mystery. The Million Dollar Hotel unites Wender's obsession with cool music, lost souls, and American trash culture. Set in 2001, the film opens with Tom Tom (Jeremy Davies) taking a flying leap off the roof of the Million Dollar Hotel, an ironically titled dive in the seedy section of L.A. Told in an extended flashback, Tom Tom recounts the murder investigation of a down-and-out artist and son of a media mogul, Izzy Goldkiss (Tim Roth), who also fell off the hotel. FBI special agent Skinner (none other than Mel Gibson), sporting a neck brace, looks into the death only to discover that the building is teeming with weirdos and losers. There is Vivien (Amanda Plummer), who claims to be the fiancée of the rock star; Geronimo (Jimmy Smits), a huckster trying to make a buck by selling Izzy's abstract painting; Eloise (Milla Jovovich), a burned out prostitute with a passion for intellectual literature; and Dixie (Peter Stormare), who swears up and down that he is the fifth Beatle. As the film progresses, Skinner proves to be just as much of a freak as the hotel tenets -- he was born with a third arm that was surgically removed from his back. Just as in his Until the End of the World (1991), Wenders features a fantastic soundtrack including songs from Bono, Daniel Lanois, and Brian Eno. The Million Dollar Hotel opened the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Davies, Milla Jovovich, (more)
Artist Jackson Pollock revolutionized American painting in the 1940's with his exciting abstract canvases that used dripped and splattered paint in a manner at once excitingly physical and structurally intelligent. While Pollock became a heroic figure in the art world, his private life was nothing to envy, and this biography looks at both his professional triumphs and personal tragedies. In 1941, Pollock (Ed Harris) was a bitter and struggling painter when he met Lee Krasner (Marcia Gay Harden), a fellow artist with whom he was appearing in a joint gallery show. Krasner was intrigued by Pollock, and immediately sensed the importance of his work; they quickly became lovers, and as Krasner realized his superior talent, she began devoting herself to promoting Pollock's work. When Peggy Guggenheim (Amy Madigan) agreed to present a show of Pollock's paintings at her Art of This Century gallery, his name was made, and a profile in Life magazine solidified his reputation as one of the art world's most important figures. But success did not bring Pollock peace of mind; while he long had a taste for alcohol, his new fame sent his drinking out of control, and his infidelity with numerous women (including Guggenheim) eventually destroyed his relationship with Krasner. Pollock was the first feature directed by actor Ed Harris, who also plays the title role; the cast also includes Val Kilmer as artist Willem de Kooning and Jennifer Connelly as Ruth Kligman, one of Pollock's lovers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden, (more)
Would you believe that the last living descendent of Jesus Christ is a woman working at an abortion clinic in Illinois? And that she's been sent on a holy mission with two minor characters from Clerks and Mallrats as her guides? Prepare to suspend any and all disbelief as you watch the religious satire Dogma, the fourth film from writer/director Kevin Smith. Bethany (Linda Fiorentino) has been disappointed in life and has found her faith severely tested after her husband leaves her when she discovers she cannot have children. So Bethany is all the more puzzled when she's approached by Metatron (Alan Rickman), a grumpy angel. Metatron wants her to help him stop Bartleby (Ben Affleck) and Loki (Matt Damon), two fallen angels who were ejected from paradise, have escaped from exile and are heading to New Jersey. If they are able to pass through the arc of a certain church, it will prove God is fallible and the world will come to a swift end. Bethany has no idea what to do or why she's been given this project, but she heads out anyway, with her assigned assistants Jay (Jason Mewes), an appallingly rude former dope dealer and self-styled ladies man, and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith). Along the way, Bethany picks up more helpers, including a celestial muse named Serendipity (Salma Hayek) and Rufus (Chris Rock), who claims to have been the 13th apostle and that Jesus owes him 12 dollars. Boasting a huge supporting cast -- including George Carlin, Jason Lee, Janeane Garofalo, Bud Cort, and Alanis Morissette (as God) -- Dogma proved to be highly controversial even before its release. Miramax Pictures, owned by Disney, financed the film, but several weeks before Dogma's world premier at the Cannes Film Festival, they announced they would not release the picture and intended to sell it to another distributor (which would turn out to be Lions Gate Films). Director Smith, however, has always contended that Dogma is a film about the importance of faith, if not organized religion. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Affleck, George Carlin, (more)
In this satire, parents who are worried that their children might not be walking the straight and narrow path discover a rehabilitation camp designed to curb alternative lifestyles. Megan (Natasha Lyonne), a high school student and member of the cheerleading squad, seems like an ordinary enough teenage girl, but her habit of honestly expressing herself and lack of romantic enthusiasm for her boyfriend convince her very repressed parents, Peter (Bud Cort) and Nancy (Mink Stole), that Megan is becoming a lesbian. So Megan is shipped off to True Directions, a camp for gay and gay-leaning teens, where Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty) attempts to deprogram kids with homosexual tendencies. The first step in the process is to get each teen to admit to their homosexuality, which Megan is loath to do, since she doesn't believe she's a lesbian -- or at least she didn't think so before she met her new friend Graham (Clea DuVall), who seems quite sure that she likes girls. Meanwhile, Mary's son Rock (Eddie Cibrian) may be exempt from the camp's activities, but he turns more than a few heads among True Directions' male inmates. Noted female impersonator RuPaul appears as a camp guide, and Julie Delpy has a cameo as a "lipstick lesbian." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natasha Lyonne, Cathy Moriarty, (more)
Drug user Jane (Samantha Mathis) lives on the streets, but Jane's addiction puts her in the hospital after she overdoses. A doctor determines she's HIV-positive and plans tests, but she slips away and returns to the streets. She's followed by sick teen Tony (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who sees her as a substitute mother. The two assist each other and use stolen cash to move into a nice hotel. However, Jane is helpless once Tony begins dying of AIDS. Shown at the AFI/Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samantha Mathis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (more)
- 1997
The closer she gets to her wedding day, the more a bride-to-be suffers from the title afflictions. Though she has loved her future husband for years, she is afraid that becoming a wife will cause an identity crisis. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joely Fisher, Brian Wimmer, (more)
Whoopi Goldberg headlines this youth-oriented comedy fantasy set in a near future where scientists for some reason have genetically resurrect dinosaurs. This time, the revitalized reptiles are intelligent and equipped with humanoid articulatory tracts so they can speak. They also wear shoes. Goldberg plays a leather-clad smart-alecky detective who is assigned the odious task of teaming up with Teddy Rex, a dino-detective. Naturally lizards and leather don't mix and the two constantly bicker their way into buddyhood as they investigate the death another dinosaur, a death that turns out to be linked with a crazed scientist's nefarious, chilling plot. Goldberg (to her credit) attempted to back out of making this film soon after production started. Were it not for the threat of major legal retaliation by the studio, she may have succeeded. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Armin Mueller-Stahl, (more)
A successful career criminal considers getting out of the business after one last score, while an obsessive cop desperately tries to put him behind bars in this intelligent thriller written and directed by Michael Mann. Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) is a thief who specializes in big, risky jobs, such as banks and armored cars. He's very good at what he does; he's bright, methodical, and has honed his skills as a thief at the expense of his personal life, vowing never to get involved in a relationship from which he couldn't walk away in 30 seconds. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) is an L.A.P.D. detective determined to catch McCauley, but while McCauley's personal code has forced him to do without a wife and children, Hanna's dedication has made a wreck of the home he's tried to have; he's been divorced twice, he's all but a stranger to his third wife, and he has no idea how to reach out to his troubled step-daughter. While McCauley has enough money to retire and is planning to move to New Zealand, he loves the thrill of robbery as much as the profit, and is blocking out plans for one more job; meanwhile, he's met a woman, Eady (Amy Brenneman), whom he's not so sure he can walk away from. The supporting cast includes Val Kilmer as Chris, one of McCauley's partners; Ashley Judd as his wife Charlene; Jon Voight as Nate; Hank Azaria as Alan Marciano; and Henry Rollins as Hugh, who is beaten up by Hanna. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, (more)
- 1994
- R
Erika Eleniak and William McNamara star as a couple of young lovers on the run in this breezy road movie, based on James M. Cain's novella The Enchanted Isle. Mandy Baker (Erika Eleniak) is a bored 17-year-old looking for adventure outside of her small hometown of Paint Rock, Texas. She finds it at a bus station, as she is set to head out for Corpus Cristi. There she meets Rick Davis (William McNamara), a handsome and narcissistic dude in a cowboy outfit, whom Mandy lends $17 for a one-way ticket to the lay-over stop of Utopia. The two get familiar on the bus and, upon arriving in Utopia, she tags along with Rick as he meets his Uncle Pal (Michael Lerner), a two-bit crook, and his weird cohort Bud (Bud Cort). The three hatch a plan for a $5,000 bank robbery, and Mandy is talked into going along with them. The robbery itself is a failure, but Rick and Mandy manage to take off with the money, with Pal and Bud chasing after them. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erika Eleniak, William McNamara, (more)
The late journalist Randy Shilts' best-selling book on the burgeoning AIDS crisis was adapted for cable TV by Arnold Schulman. In 1981, researchers begin discerning a mysterious new disease that apparently affects only homosexual males (or so they thought at that time). Working independently, and with marked hostility toward one another, an American and a French research team manage to identify and name the dreaded HIV virus. The long-range effects of AIDS is experienced through the first- and secondhand experiences of several unfortunates, including a choreographer (Richard Gere) whose character is said to be based on Michael Bennett. The all-star cast (most of whom eschewed their usual high salaries) includes Lily Tomlin as San Francisco health official Selma Dritz, Matthew Modine as Centers for Disease Control researcher Don Francis, Alan Alda as NIH official Robert Gallo (who emerges as the villain of the piece), Ian McKellan as gay activist Bill Kraus, and Glenne Headley, Steve Martin and Anjelica Huston in cameo roles. And the Band Played On debuted September 11, 1993, on HBO. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- R
Bud Cort's directorial debut is a dark comedy about a romantic obsession that leads to tragedy, featuring a wide array of cameo performances including James Brolin, Carol Kane, Rhea Perlman, Martin Mull, Andrea Martin, Woody Harrelson, Timothy Leary, and Gena Rowlands. Cort is Ted Whitley, a local poet celebrity in Venice Beach, California, who spends his time drifting along the boardwalk and delivering his beat poetry inspirations at a local dive. As he sits on a pier composing his latest art work, a vision of incredible beauty --Linda Turner (Kim Adams)-- strolls by in a bikini and Ted is immediately smitten. Linda turns out to be the manager of the agency that Ted has used to try to find a new apartment. He flatters her with his attentions and his poetic rambles. For her part, she likes Ted but doesn't consider him romantic material. Ted misinterprets Linda's friendliness for amorousness and when Linda tries to back off from Ted, Ted cannot be stopped. His out-of-control obsession for Linda turns Linda's once-friendly demeanor into one of terror. But Ted continues stalking her until tragedy strikes. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Cort, James Brolin, (more)
- 1991
- PG
In this Navy spoof, a mismatched bunch of sailors are sent to sea as the incompetent crew of the U. S. S. Substandard, a faulty, unfinished submarine. Little does the crew of the Substandard know that the government doesn't intend for them to make it back to shore, as they encounter all kinds of crazy problems. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Brain Dead was based on a script by Charles Beaumont, leading some obtuse fans to hail the "return" of that frequent Twilight Zone contributor. Actually Beaumont has been dead since 1967, so this cookie spent a long time in the oven. Stalwart supporting actor Bill Pullman is given star billing as a brilliant brain surgeon who agrees to perform an operation on a psychotic mathematician. This surgery, ostensibly, is to "adjust" the patient's attitude--and, incidentally, to unlock the corporate secrets secreted within the patient's brain. But as Pullman probes about, he begins experiencing first-hand the psycho's fevered, paranoic dreams. Pullman drifts farther and farther from reality, and the audience is implicitly invited to do the same. Bill Paxton also stars in this Roger Corman-style thriller, produced by Corman's daughter Julie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Pullman, Bill Paxton, (more)
- 1988
- R
In this suspense thriller with a few humorous touches, an employee of a phone-sex service (Lynn Danielson) is being stalked by a clown-masked psychotic killer (Cameron Dye) who has already murdered a number of her colleagues. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cameron Dye, Karen Black, (more)
The independently produced Chocolate War marked actor Keith Gordon's directorial debut. Adapted from the popular novel by Robert Cormier (I Am the Cheese), it functions as a political allegory set in a curricular context, in the same vein as Rene Daalder's Massacre at Central High (1976). In War, Ilan Mitchell-Smith plays Jerry, a new enrollee at the exclusive Catholic prep school St. Trinity. He attempts to fit in by joining the football team, but immediately runs head-first into Brother Leon (John Glover), a ruthless academician striving for a promotion to headmaster, and The Vigils, a underground student gang that wields a massive amount of power within the school. The abusive Leon attempts to goad as many students as possible into selling chocolates for the school fundraiser, but Vigil leader Archie (Wally Ward) has Jerry publicly refuse to sell any for ten days, as one of the annual 'hazing' rituals that the Vigils dole out to freshman enrollees. Jerry agrees, which turns him into a rebel hero among his fellow students, but he then extends his refusal beyond the week-and-a-half limit imposed by Archie, which puts him head-to-head with both Leon and the Vigils. However, instead of turning into an underdog story at that point, The Chocolate War remains realistic and cynical.
~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Glover, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, (more)
John Moffitt directed this silly Canadian comedy about a falsely accused Salem witch (Kelly Preston). Terry Sweeney's script seems to find most of its humor in sex, drugs, and bathroom jokes, none of which are very amusing. Genre devotees will be quite pleased, however, with a cast featuring Barbara Carrera, SCTV member Dave Thomas, Bud Cort, Stuart Pankin, and Anne Ramsey. Dr. Joyce Brothers makes one of her obligatory cameo appearances as well. Preston appeared in another witch film, Janet Greek's Spellbinder, the following year. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Cassidy, Kelly Preston, (more)
- 1987
This busted TV pilot film is set in the sinister family-operated motel made infamous by Hitchcock's Psycho. Former mental patient Bud Cort inherits the motel from its cross-dressing owner Norman Bates (played in Psycho by Anthony Perkins, who wisely passed up this TV film). With the help of runaway teen Lori Petty, Cort renovates the motel and hopes to re-open for business. Unfortunately the joint is haunted, thus it attracts only devotees of the Supernatural. Bates Motel was aimed at teenagers, who turned away in droves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Cort, Jason Bateman, (more)
Invaders from Mars, horror-film director Tobe Hooper's remake of the classic 1950's science fiction film, directed by William Cameron Menzies, centers on a young boy named David (Hunter Carson) who tries to stop an invasion of his town as aliens take over the minds of his parents George (Timothy Bottoms) and Ellen (Laraine Newman), his teachers and the townspeople. With the help of the school nurse (Karen Black), the boy enlists the aid of the U.S. Army to help save the world. With makeup effects supplied by Stan Winston and visual effects by John Dykstra, Invaders From Mars is a wild sci-fi feast that hearkens back to the 1950's invasion films, made popular by the original film and others like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karen Black, Hunter Carson, (more)
- 1984
Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky's first American film is a romantic tale about an American war veteran whose dreams of his childhood sweetheart are countered by a less sunny reality. John Savage stars as Ivan Bibic, who has returned home to a small town in Pennsylvania, having suffered a nervous breakdown as a P.O.W. During the war, he would dream about his fiancee back home, Maria Bosic (Nastassja Kinski), imagining their forthcoming perfect marriage. At one point, Ivan is told, "You dreamed about her too long. She lives in your dreams, not in your body." And it's true -- his dreams do not equal his reality. Maria and Ivan marry, but Ivan finds that he cannot make love to the flesh and blood Maria. Knowing she was actively pursued by men in town during the war, Ivan courages her to take lovers. Maria does so, having affairs with another GI, Al Griselli (Vincent Spano), and a passing drifter named Clarence Butts (Keith Carradine). But after spending the night with Clarence, Maria becomes pregnant, and Ivan's love for her is sorely tested. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nastassja Kinski, John Savage, (more)
- 1984
- PG
Supposedly focusing on the life of Sigmund Freud by means of a fictional secret diary, this attempt at satirizing the man from his childhood through his first forays into psychoanalysis is weak on laughter, especially since it is difficult to tell whether a scene is serious or not. Freud (Bud Cort) is portrayed as being too nauseated by blood and physical anatomy to make it through medical school, and because he misunderstands what practicing medicine is all about, he accidentally starts psychoanalyzing his patients. His Ultimate Patient (Dick Shawn) provides him with the theories that would make him famous. Presented as a series of nearly disconnected vignettes, this story about the relationships between Freud and a nurse (Carol Kane), and his mother (Caroll Baker) and a doctor, are meant to be funny, but are not quite. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Cort, Carol Kane, (more)
- 1984
- PG
Dweebish architect Miles Harding (Lenny Von Dohlen) is hopelessly in love with neighboring musician Madeline (Virginia Madsen). He soon learns that Madeline already has an ardent suitor: Harding's own computer (voiced by Harold and Maude star Bud Cort)! When the electronic device, nicknamed Edgar, begins composing love songs dedicated to Madeline, Harding passes the tunes off as his own. At this point, the envious Edgar really goes to town, taking over all the electrical appliances in Harding's house--and dangerously meddling in its owner's life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lenny Von Dohlen, Virginia Madsen, (more)
- 1983
- PG
During the peak of the slasher-movie boom of the early '80s, there were numerous attempts at Airplane!-style horror parodies, all of which fell considerably short of their comic targets and vanished into cable-TV obscurity. Hysterical, an abortive vehicle for the questionable comic talents of the Hudson Brothers, is perhaps the weakest of the lot. Bill Hudson plays Fred Lansing, a writer vacationing at a rustic lighthouse in the deceptively idyllic Oregon fishing town of Hellview, where he is tormented by the apparition of Venecia (Julie Newmar), a local woman who killed herself one hundred years ago. The lovelorn Venecia wishes to use Fred's body as the vessel for the spirit of her dead husband, Captain Howdy (Richard Kiel, once again typecast as a great big guy), and isn't particularly interested in Fred's opinion on the matter. When Howdy apparently grumbles to life, several townspeople are subsequently murdered in ghastly ways, leading a pair of bumbling detectives (Mark Hudson and Brett Hudson) to investigate the horrific history of the Hellview lighthouse and generally make nuisances of themselves. Filled with insipid puns, tired sight gags, silly musical numbers, and unfunny cameo appearances from the likes of Bud Cort and Charlie Callas, this inept spoof has perhaps three genuine laughs scattered throughout its ninety-minute runtime, amounting to only one decent joke per half-hour of wasted film. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Hudson, Mark Hudson, (more)
