ASSAULT OF THE KILLER BIMBOS (1988)

I remember renting Assault of the Killer Bimbos years ago and watching it late at night after my parents had gone to bed. Sure, the acting is terrible and the dialogue is, at most times, absurd. But ironically, this movie sort of paved the way for Thelma & Louise, one of my all-time favorite films. The plot is fairly similar. Two girls, in this case go-go dancers, go on the run to Mexico after they are framed for the murder of their boss. The car is even similar to the one in Thelma & Louise.

As far as B-movies go, this is one of my favorites from the 80's. Maybe it's just my obsession with road movies. Check out this classic episode of At the Movies, as Roger Ebert gives his thoughts on the flick. I should also mention that this movie was directed by a woman, Anita Rosenberg, who was coincidentally one of the writers of Modern Girls.

IMDB rating - 4.2

Here's the trailer...

MODERN GIRLS (1986)

"Never stand in line. Never buy your own drinks. Never stand next to a dweeb."

Modern Girls is not a great movie. But it is a great time capsule of the year 1986, capturing the styles, trends, music, and attitude of the time. The film marks an early stepping stone for Oscar Nominee Virginia Madsen and features 80's staples Daphne Zuniga and Cynthia Gibb.

Amazingly, Modern Girls is still not available on DVD and the VHS version is relatively expensive if you can find it. Also hard to find is the awesome soundtrack. It features tracks by Depeche Mode, Jesus & Mary Chain, Club Nouveau, and Toni Basil. The movie still has a devoted fanbase, just check out this tribute website.

Feel like stepping back in time to 1986? Watch the film in its entirety (via clips) right here!



Enjoy the first ten minutes of Modern Girls...

BLOOD DINER (1987)

Blood Diner is another horror film I remember vividly from the late 80's. A remake of the 1963 classic Blood Feast, Blood Diner is a disturbing ride, but I always found it very funny in an extremely dark sort of way. Jackie Kong, once a budding female director from Merced, CA, has unfortunately not done much since. Her previous credits include Night Patrol (1984) and The Underachievers (1987).

IMDB rating - 3.5 (kult klassic rating 7)

More about Blood Diner here.

Enjoy the first five minutes of Blood Diner...

CHOPPING MALL (1986)

Chopping Mall only has a 4.7 rating over at IMDB.com, but this is one of my favorite horror films of the late 80's.

The movie was originally released under the title Killbots and it bombed. Later, the flick was re-released as Chopping Mall and subsequently found a kult following. The infamous mall seems to be the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, though the interiors were apparently shot at the Sherman Oaks Galleria in the San Fernando Valley.

Chopping Mall has various versions floating around, but essentially it's a low-budget horror film about horny teenagers trapped in a mall that is being terrorized by security robots. Hell yeah!

More about Chopping Mall here.

Chopping Mall - original trailer

MIRACLE MILE (1988)

Miracle Mile is a quirky thriller about the pending apocalypse in Los Angeles. The film stars Anthony Edwards (ER) and Mare Winningham (St. Elmo's Fire) and features a great score by Tangerine Dream. Director Steve De Jarnatt had previously helmed Cherry 2000, another 80's kult klassic.

What makes this flick special is its unusual pacing, its bizarre sense of humor, and the apocalyptic third act, which is still kind of terrifying.

SLAVES OF NEW YORK (1989)

Based on her book of the same name, author Tama Janowitz adapted Slaves of New York into a screenplay for Andy Warhol. When Warhol died in 1987, Merchant-Ivory bought the script and produced this quirky and loveable film. Bernadette Peters stars in the film, which also features Steve Buscemi, Mercedes Ruehl, Chris Sarandon and Mary Beth Hurt.

Slaves... was not a hit and didn't fare too well with critics, but has lodged itself into Kult Klassic status over the years, largely due to its gay following. Check out this great scene, featuring a drag trio doing The Supremes in the streets of New York...

VIDEODROME (1983)

Videodrome has always been one of my favorite David Cronenberg films from the 80's era. With its trippy LSD-like effects and completely whacked plot, this film is Cronenberg's twisted take on the chaotic future of media - a world we are now basically living in.

With James Woods and Debbie Harry, Cronenberg created a sci-fi/horror classic that may be more relevant now than when it was originally released.

DOWNTOWN 81 (1981)

Downtown 81, formerly known as New York Beat, is a cinéma-vérité style film that follows the legendary NY painter Jean Michel Basquiat around Lower Manhattan in 1980-81. The film is an excellent slice of life from the early 80's NYC art/music scene, featuring appearances by the great art rock band DNA, as well as Debbie Harry, Clem Burke (Blondie), Kid Creole & the Coconuts and The Plastics. A great piece of NY art history.

BODY DOUBLE (1984)

A seduction. A mystery. A murder.

Body Double is a great Brian De Palma voyeurism thriller from 1984. A bit cheezy, yes. But the first time I saw it, it really gave me the chills. The flick also marks the follow-up to De Palma's 1983 hit Scarface and features Melanie Griffith in an early performance.

Further watching:

Dressed to Kill (1980)
Blow Out (1981)

SMITHEREENS (1982)

Smithereens is such a great movie. A film that captures a raw portrait of the art/rebel life in early eighties Manhattan with a stellar soundtrack that is anchored by The Feelies, with contributions by Richard Hell & the Voivods, ESG, and Singers and Players.

Smithereens is the directorial debut of Susan Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan, Looking For Mr. Right) and stars Susan Berman, Brad Rinn and Richard Hell. Read the original New York Times review here.

TIMES SQUARE (1980)

Times Square is the perfect early eighties rebel film, preceding the brat pack and wearing its undeniable coolness like a cloak. The flick was directed by Allan Moyle and stars Robin, Johnson, Trini Alvarado, and Tim Curry. The killer new wave soundtrack features Gary Numan, The Ramones, The Pretenders, Roxy Music, Patti Smith, The Cure, XTC, Lou Reed, Talking Heads and Suzi Quatro.

This marks the first post in a series that explore the films of the past that may not be masterpieces (some may be downright bad), but for some reason remind me of when (pre-digital) film was an easier format to explore. Those great video store days. Here's to Kult Klassics.