Tiny Wells Movies

This in-name-only sequel to the mediocre H.P. Lovecraft adaptation The Curse is a slight improvement on its predecessor, eschewing any trace of Lovecraft in favor of a standard nuclear-mutant-beast plot but imbuing this theme with a menagerie of brain-damaged setpieces. When the protagonist and his girlfriend stumble across an abandoned atomic test site, he's bitten on the arm by an irradiated snake-monster; in a creative but excessively grotesque twist, only the venom-infected arm begins to undergo the inevitable transformation into a fanged beast (sort of a reptilian variant on Bruce Campbell's rebellious demonic hand in Evil Dead 2), which leads to some unpleasant quirks in the young couple's relationship. Before long, the poor guy becomes a veritable snake-factory, churning out baby serpents at an incredible clip. The performances are quite good and the makeup effects (by Screaming Mad George) deserve credit for their disgusting audacity. Very weird but more fun than its predecessor, this is probably the film that Sssss! wished it could have been. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Penelope Spheeris, director of the infamous documentary The Decline of Western Civilization may well have given the world its first punk-rock Western in the form of Dudes, a sort of Suburbia meets High Noon meets Deliverance. Three East Coast punks (Jon Cryer, Daniel Roebuck, and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) opt to leave behind the filth and gloom of New York City to become modern-day pioneers on the trail to California; that is, until a gang of redneck road warrior-types led by Lee Ving (of the punk band Fear) waylay the trio and kill Flea in a fashion brutal enough to justify the inevitable retribution. After their pleas to the local sheriff fall on deaf ears, Cryer and Roebuck decide instead to follow the law of the West and serve their own brand of justice as what appear to be a bondage-oriented cowboy and a squirrel on steroids. While the plot seems contrived and asinine, the violence often gratuitous, and the characters paper-thin, Spheeris nonetheless manages to create a likeable and highly watchable -- if often silly -- film. Cryer and Roebuck do the best they can with the material, Ving plays an adequately loathsome villain, and Flea lends a glimpse of his acting ability by offering a convincing portrayal of a dead body. Nowhere near being the time capsule that is The Decline of Western Civilization, Dudes still offers some insight into the punk subculture of the '80s. Spheeris later directed the hugely successful Wayne's World as well as The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

An exciting climax at a gymnastics competition highlights this sports-themed drama. Steve (Olympic champion Mitch Gaylord) finds his hopes for a successful career are in doubt when his family relationships suddenly fall apart. He and his father are continually at odds while his younger brother and mother can do nothing about it. Gymnast Julie Lloyd (Janet Jones) arrives on the scene and a romantic liaison with Steve is in the works. A big championship competition looms ahead on the horizon as both Steve and Julie prepare for a final challenge. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In a fast-paced teen comedy by Pen Densham, Ben Vereen stars as a former boxer who graduates into a failure as a nightclub owner. The club is called the "Zoo" and a group of homeless waifs want to rent it to start their own profitable business. The trouble is that this group of teens is opposed by a local gang, out to shut down their enterprise. The ex-fighter, known as Old Leather Face, agrees to the teens' deal and then gets further involved by the minute. The final showdown with the gang carries some heavy artillery: thumb tacks and staples. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Prominently displaying red-white-and-blue title colors, this subtly patriotic fact-based movie about kids who succeed is dated by the fact that all these daring youngsters are white, without any discernible ethnicity. Dickie (Scott Schwartz) is an enterprising kid on a ranch in southern California who puts his business tendencies to practical use in several successful ventures, aided and abetted by his siblings and other friends. When Dickie & Co. become too successful, they are taken to court by their adult business rivals, but they refuse a lawyer and defend themselves. The kids win their case against their adult competitors and their lawyers, leaving the courtroom to cheers and upraised fists from a sea of youngsters outside. Three years of law school at exorbitant costs, plus a two-year internship and years of moving up a densely-runged ladder -- just to lose to an 11-year old, amazing. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Used Cars is one of Robert Zemeckis' pre-Roger Rabbit and pre-Forrest Gump efforts starring Kurt Russell is a devious car salesman who goes to work for affable but monumentally unsuccessful used car dealer Jack Warden. Warden's principal rival is his more prosperous twin brother, also played by Warden, who schemes to take over the "good" brother's lot. After a series of raunchy vignettes, the film boils down to an every-man-for-himself price war between the two Wardens, which rages on even after we're one Warden short. The supporting cast of Used Cars is populated by such reliables as David L. Lander, Michael McKean, Al Lewis, Dub Taylor, Dick Miller and Betty Thomas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? has been presented often as a stage play by amateur theatrical groups. Evangelist-turned-actor Marjoe Gortner plays Teddy, a cracked Vietnam vet who holds the denizens of a Texas roadside diner hostage at gunpoint. Candy Clark plays Cheryl, his zoned-out hippie girlfriend. After nearly two hours of tension, Gortner is overpowered and things return to normal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A quick-shot rifleman with a tragic past seeks refuge in a God-fearing Arizona town, only to discover that there's no running from the way of the gun in directors Hagen Smith andRichard Robinson's bullet-riddled Western. It was self-defense when Frank Woods killed three drunken hoodlums in a moment of desperation, but he knows as well as anyone else that he'll be heading for the hangman's noose if the law catches on to him. Though the citizens of the small religious town to which Frank has relocated welcome the even-handed newcomer and his commendable quest to clean the town of corruption, the criminal element doesn't take kindly to his presence and soon sets out to bring Frank down once and for all. Once again backed into a corner from which the only escape is to start shooting and pray that luck is still on his side, Frank fights for his life the only way he knows how -- with plenty of gunpowder and a fistful of bullets. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In this action film, trucker Carrol Jo Hummer (Jan-Michael Vincent) borrows money to purchase a truck of his own, only to discover that part of his "payment plan" includes smuggling goods on his trips. When Carrol refuses to participate in the underhanded scheme, a group of thugs threaten his wife, leading Carrol to fight back with a vengeance. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide