Stephanie Hodge Movies

For fans who thought the stakes couldn't be raised any higher and the bar couldn't be lowered any further, the original cast and crew of the stunt comedy sensation that swept the globe return for another round of jaw-dropping feats that are guaranteed to have viewers wincing through their laughter. Jeff Tremaine directs, and Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Ryan Dunn, and Jason "Wee Man" Acuna return to the screen to endure more pain and humiliation than ever thought possible on the big screen. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This commendable horror effort from Tibor Takacs is a stylish and more entertaining follow-up to his directorial debut The Gate. Employing a novel twist to the story-within-a-story convention, the plot involves meek but intense bookstore clerk Virginia (Jenny Wright), who develops an overpowering affection for the works of the late pulp horror author Malcolm Brand. A deranged murderer who removed parts of his body as offerings to his unrequited love, Brand had once claimed to his publisher that the bizarre supernatural tales in his books were purely autobiographical. After plunging into Brand's final novel I, MADMAN, Virginia soon becomes convinced that elements from the book are haunting her in the real world. It turns out that's only the half of it: it seems Brand himself (played by Randall William Cook, who also designed most of the effects for the film) has apparently returned to life to pursue her, believing her to be the woman who once jilted him. Pulp horror elements dominate this atmospheric and clever film, which boasts fine performances from Wright and Clayton Rohner as her detective boyfriend, and features a genuinely creepy villain. There's even a bit of excellent stop-motion animation, depicting one of Brand's ghastly storybook monsters, which tears its way into the real world for the ultra-violent climax. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Paul Reubens's followup to the box-office hit Pee-Wee's Big Adventure is just as outrageous and cartoonish, though not as good. This time, child-man Pee-Wee runs a colorful farm, chock full of talking animals and outsized produce. On the morning after a tornado of Wizard of Oz dimensions, Pee-Wee awakens to discover that a travelling circus has been deposited in his back yard. Befriended by circus owner Kris Kristofferson, Pee-Wee takes an acrobatic job, hoping to impress lovely trapeze artist Valeria Golino--thereby incurring the jealous rage of his hometown sweetie Penelope Ann Miller. When the circus is faced with bankruptcy, Pee-Wee comes up with a brilliant idea: why not stage a three-ring spectacular celebrating the wonders of agriculture? A partial takeoff of such earlier sawdust-trail flicks as Martin and Lewis' Three Ring Circus and Disney's Toby Tyler, Big Top Pee-Wee is generally entertaining, but goes off in too many directions at once, leaving a lot of loose plot ends and underdeveloped characters. Also, Pee-Wee's overactive libido (at least in this film!) is not all that suitable for his younger fans. Even so, there are plenty of hilarious set-pieces. Big Top Pee-Wee was produced and cowritten by Paul Reubens. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi