Madison Clarke Movies
- 1995
- NC17
"I'm gonna dance," Nomi Malone (Elizabeth Berkley) insists in the opening scene of Showgirls, and dance she does. In this quasi-update of All About Eve, Nomi is a drifter whose sole ambition is to headline the "Goddess" topless dance show at the Stardust in Las Vegas. Of course, even Nomi must pay her dues, and she does so at the Cheetah, grinding poles and lap dancing her way to a future. Fortunately, her roommate, Molly, works at the Stardust and invites Nomi to see the show, where she meets Crystal Conners (Gina Gershon, in the Bette Davis role), with whom she immediately forms a love/hate relationship. Nomi soon learns what she must do to get ahead, and the rest of the film documents her cat-like crawl up the showgirl ladder of success. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, (Robocop, Basic Instinct, The Fourth Man), Showgirls was conceived as the first big-budget "adult" film since 1977's Caligula, and the first such production to wear the NC-17 rating; its failure at the box-office discouraged further attempts at large-scale adult productions. ~ Dylan Wilcox, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Berkley, Gina Gershon, (more)
- 1963
- Add The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies to QueueAdd The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies to top of Queue
For all of its inexplicable weirdness, this monster musical from cult filmmaker Ray Dennis Steckler is not only the director's best-paced film, but also his most entertaining. Visiting a carnival with friends, happy-go-lucky Jerry (Steckler appearing as "Cash Flagg") is hypnotized by evil gypsy fortune-teller Madam Estrella (Brett O'Hara) and turned into a zombie murderer. Surprisingly, the most competent parts of this film are the dance numbers at the carnival's nightclub, The Hungry Mouth, with pretty showgirls and flashy costumes, some good singing, and a fun strip act by Erina Enyo. Estrella scars her victims with acid and keeps them in a cage, but they break loose, strangling her and her ugly assistant Ortega (Jack Brady). Jerry, now a scarred killer, escapes to the beach where he is shot by police. Cult-film regular Titus Moody (Pit Stop) appears as a hobo, and rumor has it that James Woods is in the film somewhere as an extra. Steckler's leggy erstwhile wife Carolyn Brandt, who stars in most of his films, plays Marge, an alcoholic dancer who gets so drunk that she falls down during her routines. Incomprehensible Greek actor Atlas King and co-screenwriter Gene Pollock also appear in this odd film, presented in "Hallucinogenic Hypnovision." When it was re-released as Teenage Psycho Meets Bloody Mary, men in zombie masks ran through theaters trying to scare people. Among the cameramen on this cheesy, but exceptionally good-looking production were such luminaries as Joseph V. Mascelli, Vilmos Zsigmond, and Laszlo Kovacs. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cash Flagg, Brett O'Hara, (more)
