Roller Boogie - Roller Skate or Die

For my contribution to Blair Week, I've chosen to upload the soundtrack to the Roller Boogeying classic Roller Boogie from director Mark Lester (Class of 1984, Firestarter, Commando). I had never seen Roller Boogie before, but for the sake of Blair Week I sat down and checked it out so I'd have a little something to talk about here.

In Roller Boogie, Linda is Terry Barkley, a floutist turned competitive roller disco fanatic who, along with her retardedly hot friend Lana (Kimberly Beck aka Trish Jarvis from Friday the 13th IV) get sucked in the wacky, and kind of stupid world of dancing on roller skates.

Despite being a musical prodigy on her way to Juliard with supremely wealthy parents, all the semi-bi-polar Terry wants to do is skate at the boardwalk. During one of here boardwalk skates Terry catches the eye of Bobby, local Olympic roller skating hopeful (???). After a good deal of effort on Bobby's part the 2 develop a relationship while Bobby trains Terry to skate as his partner in an upcoming roller boogie competition.

Everything is fine for the new couple for about a 20-minute stretch of the movie. Of course, we need some kind of plot to make this an actual movie and that's where rink owner Jammer comes in. Seems Jammer (who would let their kids go to a place owned by a guy called Jammer?) owns the last establishment a group of mobsters need to purchase and demolish before they can build their mall. He refuses to sell, but Jammer, despite being a former roller derby champion, turns into a real pussy when a gun is pointed at his face, so he decides to sell. It's up to the kids to figure out a way to save Jammer's or else they'll have to skate at one of the 20 other roller skating places at Venice Beach in 1979.

Featuring a colorful cast of characters with names like Phones (head, not rotary or pay), J.D. The DJ, and Complete Control Conway Roller Boogie is every bit as corny as it's title would make it seem. However, if you can get through the absurd amount of roller skate themed padding, there's actually a fairly fun late 70's teen comedy here.

Of course, you'd expect a roller skate movie from the 70's to have a pretty bitchin' soundtrack, and this one delivers the bitchin-ness

Hell On Wheels - Cher

Good Girls - Johnnie Coolrock

All For One, One For All - Mavis Vegas Davis

Boogie Wonderland - Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions

We Got The Power - Ron Green

Top Jammer - Cheeks

Summer Love - Bob Esty

Takin' Life In My Own Hands - Ron Green

Elektronix (Roller Dancin') - Bob Esty & Cheeks

Cunga - Bob Esty (Instrumental)

Evil Man - Mavis Vegas Davis

Lord Is It Mine - Bob Esty

Rollin' Up A Storm (The Eye Of The Hurricane) - Bob Esty

The Roller Boogie - Bob Esty

Love Fire - Bob Esty & Michele Aller

Bonus Tracks

Git Down (Guitar Groupie) - Cher

Hell on Wheels (12 inch version) - Cher

Night Dancer - Jean Shy

Our colleagues are bringing fresh Linda related content all week long:

Monday May 10:

Lost Video Archive - Savage Streets
Satan's Hope Chest - Chained Heat and Savage Island

Tuesday:
Camp Movie Camp - Grotesque
The Horror Section - Hell Night
Full Moon Reviews - Bailout

Wednesday:
Illogical Contraption gets Repossessed
Lines That Makes Things drops original Linda inspired artwork
Breakfast In the Ruins - Exorcist II

Thursday:
B Movies and Beyond - Summer of Fear
Camp Movie Camp - Nightforce

Friday:
The Manchester Morgue - Roller Boogie
Happy Otter - The Chilling
Ninja Dixon - The Witchery

Saturday:
Lost Video Archive - Born Innocent
Unflinching Eye wraps it up with a look at Linda's fall from grace.

Blair Week Schedule

In collaboration with a selection of the finest film blogs the infranet has to offer The Manchester Morgue is proud to contribute to Blair Week, a six day extravaganza expounding on the virtues of Linda Blair and her legacy of quality motion pictures.

Our colleagues are bringing fresh Linda related content all week long:

Monday May 10:

Lost Video Archive - Savage Streets
Satan's Hope Chest - Chained Heat and Savage Island

Tuesday:
Camp Movie Camp - Grotesque
The Horror Section - Hell Night
Full Moon Reviews - Bailout

Wednesday:
Illogical Contraption gets Repossessed
Lines That Makes Things drops original Linda inspired artwork
Breakfast In the Ruins - Exorcist II

Thursday:
B Movies and Beyond - Summer of Fear
Camp Movie Camp - Nightforce

Friday:
The Manchester Morgue - Roller Boogie
Happy Otter - The Chilling
Ninja Dixon - The Witchery

Saturday:
Lost Video Archive - Born Innocent
Unflinching Eye wraps it up with a look at Linda's fall from grace.

Sure, my post isn't for another 4 days, but I wanted to post this now so everyone can get the most out of this week of Blair related posts.

Army of Darkness - Ashes 2 Ashes

Okay, here's the Ashes 2 Ashes series. Sorry about switching up the order there.

Download

On an absolutely completely unrelated note, while looking through some older files on my computer I found the Savage Streets CD cover I had made after I posted the soundtrack. So here's a look at that, if anyone needs it for whatever reason.

Terrible Slasher Movie Insult of the Week - Part 1

I've heard some terrible insults in my time, but there are few sources of terrible insults greater than the Slasher film. This is the first in a series of possibly a couple of posts dedicated to some of these terrible insults. 

The Movie: Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter

The Actor/Actress: Lisa Freeman 
The Terrible Slasher Movie Insult: "Axl, you are the Super Bowl of self abuse!"

 
I've seen this movie probably 10 times, I still have no idea what the hell this insult means. Frankly, after uttering a sentence that stupid, I think she had this coming:

 In fact, this insult is so terrible it's also directly responsible for her death in Savage Streets the following year.

Bazillion Points Books Presents HEAVY METAL MOVIES: Guitar Barbarians, Mutant Bimbos & Cult Zombies Amok in the 666 Most Ear- and Eye-Ripping Big-Scream Films Ever!

Wow, that's got to be a book title length record, doesn't it? This isn't out until May, but this looks like it should easily be the most entertaining movie-related book to come out all year. Get a look at this cover, then check out the line-up of movies featured in the book, shit, this looks amazing.

HEAVY METAL MOVIES: Guitar Barbarians, Mutant Bimbos &
Cult Zombies Amok in the 666 Most Ear- and Eye-Ripping
Big-Scream Films Ever!; Mike "McBeardo" McPadden's Book
Now Available for Pre-Order; Ships May 2014 w/Artisan Barf Bag!

Bazillion Points Books is proud to announce the May 2014 release of HEAVY METAL MOVIES, by Mike "McBeardo" McPadden [ISBN 978-1-935950-06-6]. Lavishly illustrated, gruesomely executed, and featuring well over 1000 of the most intense and headbanging movies ever produced, HEAVY METAL MOVIES is the ultimate guidebook to the complete molten musical cinema experience. Pre-orders are now available, and will ship in May with bonus fabric patch and artisan barf bag!

http://www.heavymetalmovies.com/

Years in the making, HEAVY METAL MOVIES is an apocalyptic overview of a century of loud, inspiring, groundbreaking, taboo, revolutionary, disgusting, and uplifting cinema fused at the roots to the DNA of heavy metal and its million offshoots. What began as a simple quest to identify the 666 heaviest films of all time exploded in the hands of Mike McPadden (Esquire, Penthouse) into an overwhelming bible of apocalyptic slasher festivals and full metal worship.

The final masterpiece weighs in at 576 pages, complete with color section and original cover artwork by Andrei Bouzikov. As always, we have created exclusive bonus treasure for pre-orders, in this case a color fabric patch (for your denim movie vest) and a super-powerful hand-crafted artisan barf bag for your protection against the shocking secrets of HEAVY METAL MOVIES. Please pre-order today, for May 2014 delivery—and thank you for spreading the word and letting everyone know about our latest metallic literary creation!

http://www.heavymetalmovies.com/

“Heavy Metal Movies is the head banging-est, ear bleeding-est tribute to the world’s two finest inventions: heavy metal and the movies!”—John Fasano (Zombie Nightmare, Black Roses, Rock ‘N' Roll Nightmare)

Exploding with over 666 of the most intense movies of all-time, featuring:

Headbanger classics: This Is Spinal Tap, Heavy Metal Parking Lot, Trick or Treat, Black Roses, Black Sabbath, The Decline and Fall of Western Civilization 2: The Metal Years, Rock ‘N Roll Nightmare, The Dungeonmaster, River’s Edge, Gummo, Lord of the Rings, Over the Edge, RoboCop, Saw, Savage Streets, The Toxic Avenger, Hard Rock Zombies, The Phantom of Paradise, Airheads, Evilspeak, Evil Dead, The Devil’s Rejects, Monster Dog, The Wicker Man…

Disturbing documentaries: Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, Some Kind of Monster, Paradise Lost, Faces of Death…

Bulging barbarians: Conan the Destroyer, Clash of the Titans, The Sword and The Sorcerer…

Satanic shockers: The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, The Devils, House of 1000 Corpses…

Splattery slashers: Maniac, Halloween, My Bloody Valentine, Sleepaway Camp…

Post-nuke dystopias: Mad Max, Blade Runner, The Road Warrior, Megaforce, Zardoz, Land of Doom, Death Race 2000, Planet of the Apes…

Carnivorous chunk-blowers: Cannibal Holocaust, Cannibal Ferox, Bloodsucking Freaks…

Undead gut-munchers: Zombie, Dawn of the Dead, Burial Ground, Dead/Alive…

Midnight mind-benders: Eraserhead, The Holy Mountain, Caligula, The Warriors, Repo: The Genetic Opera…

Concert films and cameo performances: Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, White Zombie, Alice Cooper, Helmet, Cannibal Corpse, Kiss, Powermad…

Plus witches, werewolves, bikers, aliens, lesbian vampires, and vengeful vikings galore!

Follow @bazillionpoints

Hitting Shelves 7.9

Today's a pretty expensive day for new releases. So much good stuff out today, here's a bunch I recommend picking up.

From Shout!

Shout! follows up their great 4-Movie Action Marathon set with the Sci-Fi Movie Marathon [4-Film Feature], another collection of 4 lesser known (but still awesome) films from the MGM vaults. The films in the set are as follows:

ARENA – 1989 / PG-13 / 97 min / Full Frame (4x3)
 Far in the future, on a distant world, the best fighters in the universe compete in a gladiator-like sport called "Arena." Steve Armstrong is the first Earthling good enough to be a contender, but an extra-terrestrial crimelord seeks to end Steve's career for good.


ELIMINATORS – 1986 / PG / 95 min / Full Frame (4x3)
A mandroid, part man and part machine, seeks revenge on the evil scientist who created him. Enlisting the help of a beautiful woman and a mysterious ninja, he pursues the scientist in hopes of stopping him before he can cause further harm to humanity. Andrew Prine (The Town That Dreaded Sundown) and Denise Crosby (Star Trek: The Next Generation) star in this fast-paced actioner.

AMERICA 3000 – 1986 / PG-13 / 94 min / Full Frame (4x3)
In this strange new world of 2890, many years after the apocalypse, savage but beautiful Amazon warriors rule the wasteland and enslave the male population in labor and breeding camps. This inventive re-envisioning of the future stars Laurene Landon (Manic Cop, Hundra).

THE TIME GUARDIAN – 1989 / PG / 89 min / Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) In the year 4039, as the human race nears extinction under the rule of beast-like creatures, an entire city travels through time in hopes of evading capture and forever changing the future. Tom Burlinson (The Man From Snowy River), Carrie Fisher (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) and Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap) star in this science-fiction epic.

Also from Shout! this Tuesday is Bruce Lee: The Legacy Collection, this box set includes four of the films that would make Bruce Lee one of the most important martial artists ever to grace the screen. The set includes The Big Boss, Fist Of Fury, Way Of The Dragon and Game Of Death, all on both DVD and, for the first time, Blu-ray. Also included are three DVDs containing two documentaries, Bruce Lee: The Legend (and the original version Bruce Lee: The Man, The Legend) and I Am Bruce Lee, plus over two hours of bonus content exclusive to this set. Get ready to witness the legend of the dragon...

From Vinegar Syndrome:

Punk Vacation
A peaceful California town is shaken after the brutal murder of diner owner by a gang of vicious punks. When the daughter of the slain man attempts to avenge her father’s death, she’s held hostage by the gang resulting in an epic battle between punks and rednecks.
Directed by Stanley Lewis
1987 / USA / 93 min / 1.85:1 / color
Features Include:
+ Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack | Region Free | 1.85:1 AR | MONO
+ Restored in 2K from a 35mm answer print
+ Video interview with Producer, Stephen Fusci (DVD)
+ Video interview with Stuntman, Steven Rowland (DVD)
+ Bonus feature: NOMAD RIDERS (DVD)

Two Times Square classics from the vaults of New York’s oldest surviving producers of underground sexploitation and sleaze — Distribpix, Inc.
THE VIXENS OF KUNG-FU (1975)
After being brutally assaulted by a group of men, a young prostitute is taken in by a secret sect of beautiful female kung-fu masters, who teach her about the erotic side of martial arts.
Director: Bill Milling
70 minutes / Color / AR: 1.85:1
ORIENTAL BLUE (1975)
Madam Blue runs an underground white slave trade operation in an apartment beneath a Chinese restaurant. Her evil henchmen kidnap nubile women off the city streets and subject them to the most unspeakable acts of pleasure.
Director: Bill Milling
85 minutes / Color / AR: 1.85:1


From Synapse

 

Hands of the Ripper

An infant girl watches in horror as her father, the infamous “Jack the Ripper”, brutally murders her mother. Years later, young Anna (Angharad Rees) is now under the care of a fake psychic and has been forced into prostitution. At the end of a séance one evening, a woman is mysteriously killed. Dr. John Pritchard (Eric Porter) suspects Anna is the murderer but cannot understand how she could do this unspeakable act. Using new Freudian psychoanalysis techniques, Pritchard experiments on Anna and discovers a shocking secret. The spirit of the “Ripper” is alive and well, and may be possessing his own daughter! Can this evil be stopped before it’s too late?

Completely restored in high-definition and released uncut for the first time on Blu-ray in the U.S., HANDS OF THE RIPPER is a film widely recognized as one of the most gruesome Hammer horror films ever made. Get it from Amazon.

Street Trash

In the sleazy, foreboding world of winos, derelicts and drifters in lower Manhattan, two young runaways – eighteen-year-old Fred (Mike Lackey) and his younger brother, Kevin (Mark Sferrazza) – live in a tire hut in the back of an auto wrecking yard.  Life is hard, but the most lethal threat to the boys is the mysterious case of “Tenafly Viper” wine in Ed’s liquor store window.  The stuff is forty years old… and it’s gone bad.  REAL bad!  Anyone who drinks it melts in seconds, and it’s only a dollar a bottle!

The subversive cult classic/horror comedy STREET TRASH rode the last wave of super-gore films in the late ‘80s before cinema entered the era of safe R-Rated horror and unoriginal remakes.  Beautifully re-mastered in high-definition, STREET TRASH will melt your eyes and ears with stunning picture and sound. Get it from Amazon.

From MPI

Would You Rather

What would you do if a millionaire offered you a chance to solve all your life s problems? After the tragic death of her parents, Iris (Brittany Snow, Pitch Perfect) is desperate to make ends meet while caring for her terminally ill younger brother. When seemingly philanthropic aristocrat Shepard Lambrick (Jeffrey Combs, Re-Animator) expresses an interest in helping them by inviting her to an exclusive dinner party that offers the chance at untold riches, Iris finds herself in a group of similarly desperate individuals all looking to make some easy money. But the guests soon find themselves trapped in Lambrick's mansion and forced to play a sadistic game of Would You Rather, where only the winner will get out alive. As the game progresses, Iris must decide how far she will go to save her brother... and herself. Featuring a terrific ensemble cast that includes Sasha Grey (The Girlfriend Experience), Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (Army Wives), Eddie Steeples (My Name Is Earl) and Charlie Hofheimer (Mad Men), WOULD YOU RATHER is an edge of your seat horror thriller that invites you over for a quiet evening of murder.

The Blu-ray is currently very decently priced at $12.99 on Amazon.

Occasionally I leave a cool title off this list, last week that title was a new British film from Shout! called Tower Block. It's a tense claustrophobic thriller that will really keep you on the edge of your seat for most of the running time. Which is all the more impressive given that about 80% of the film takes place in an apartment building hallway.

A young man is tragically beaten to death on the top floor of a nearly empty, soon to be condemned apartment building. Fearing for their safety nobody in the tower block will talk to police. A short time after an unknown assailant in a building across the way beings shooting into the building, attempting to pick off everyone in the building one by one. The tenants who aren't killed during his initial assault must band together to escape the booby trapped building before the shooter kills them all. 

While it falls squarely in the Thriller genre Tower Block plays a bit like a slasher film, only with an impossibly quick sniper instead of a hulking maniac wielding a machete. Strong performances from the leads and some very sudden and shocking deaths make this one well worth a look. It does manage to screw the pooch in the last couple of minutes - the motive for why the shooter killed several innocent people, including two little girls and an old woman is a real groaner. Despite the letdown of an ending, I still recommend the film. The misstep in the final minute doesn't ruin the 89 minutes that preceded. Check it out. You can pick it up on Blu-ray or DVD here.