Steve Rabiner Movies

Unreleased to the general public and infamous for its poor quality within geek circles, this Roger Corman adaptation of the Marvel Comics supergroup is an interesting cult item that ranks up there with the dismal Captain America feature and the cheap Hulk TV movies. The story of the film goes back to the late '80s when Marvel Comics were licensing out their characters for mild profit in a time when the comic industry was failing. Enter a German company called Neue Constantin and producer Bernd Eichinger, who held the rights for almost four years before their contract was about to run out. In order to retain the rights to future remake/options and get out of paying a five-million-dollar fee, Neue were forced to put something to film, so they made a deal with Roger Corman's New Horizons studio to make the film quick and on the cheap for $1.5 million. Once the film was finished, Eichinger bought out Corman's interest, then turned around and sold it to 20th Century Fox, who were then prepping a $50 million adaptation with director Chris Columbus. The film then dove into virtual obscurity, save for the comic convention bootlegs and later through the internet. The storyline follows the basic framework of the comic, with the exception of a few minor details, including the introduction of a new villain, The Jeweler, who directly becomes responsible for the team's mishap in space and takes liberally from another one of the comic's famous villains, The Mole Man. In reference to its underground popularity, Corman now regards it as his most profitable film that never saw release, while Marvel president Avi Arad reportedly burned Fox's only print. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

This lightweight horror movie is geared towards younger audiences as it follows the exploits of a little boy who is firmly convinced that the woman his father plans to marry is really a horrible monster in disguise. It all begins when his rather dull architect father George, as compared to young Todd's highly imaginative and much-loved grandfather, takes a job designing the immense country home for the seductively beautiful Denise. In time, Todd begins believing that scaly green monsters called tropopkins, are living in the forest near her house. Suddenly, his mother mysteriously vanishes and Todd is sent to live with his grandparents while his father completes his job. Six months pass and George returns with Denise, his new fiancee in tow. Things happen that cause Todd to suspect this step-mother-to-be is the leader of the tropopkins. No one believes him and Todd is sent into therapy. He remains convinced though and continues trying to postpone the wedding until he, his grandfather, his older sister and her boy friend Phlegm and can figure out how to destroy her. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This 1991erotic thriller revolves around a politician caught in a sexual cover-up that is reminiscent of the real-life 1987 Gary Hart/Donna Rice scandal. After city-council member Franklin Carlyle (William Katt) is mugged and stranded while checking out a redevelopment project in a downscale neighborhood, he is befriended by an alcoholic (Rick Dean) who introduces the politician to a local strip-bar. Carlyle becomes sexually involved with one of the dancers at the club (Maria Ford). This liaison horribly backfires when the woman is discovered murdered the morning after. As councilman Carlyle tries to hide his one-night stand with the slain stripper, the alcoholic begins to assume an increasingly menacing aspect. Interspersed with erotic dream fantasies and strip scenes, the thriller continues onward to its final--and cinematic--climax. This is the first release of director Dan Golden. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Marcus De Leon directed this standard erotic thriller for Roger Corman's Concorde Pictures. Sexy Julie Carmen stars as Teresa Bozman, wife of Jake (Guy Boyd), a sadistic bar-owner in East Los Angeles. When a handsome singer named Tony Montero (Robert Beltran) is hired, his music boosts the club's business and steals Teresa's heart. Together, they plot to kill Jake and live happily ever after, but the usual complications ensue. A mostly Latino cast and authentic locations give this film more credibility than Dan Golden's tiresome redneck remake (also for Concorde), Saturday Night Special (1994). ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

This sci-fi actioner is set in a future that is ruled by technology and gigantic corporations. It centers on a woman's attempts to solve the puzzling murder of her husband, a prominent engineer who has found out far too much about a company that has been dealing in valuable human body parts. To assist her search, the wife hires kick-boxing "cyberon" (the former android police force that guarded the corporations) bounty hunter Walker to help her. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This is the final entry in the "Deathstalker" series of sword and sorcery adventures. This time the hunky hero takes on a queen's enormous army of statuesque warriors. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi