Phil's Cult Classics: Phil reviews UHF (1989) from MGM-January 23, 2013

UHF DVD Cover (2002)

UHF
Starring: "Weird Al" Yankovic, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards, David Bowe, Fran Drescher, Gedde Watanabe, Emo Philips, Billy Barty, Stanley Brock
Written by "Weird Al" Yankovic & Jay Levey
Cinematography by David Lewis
Produced by John W. Hyde & Gene Kirkwood
Co-produced by Kevin Breslin
Associate produced by Joe M. Aguilar & Becki Cross
Executive produced by Gray Frederickson
Directed by Jay Levey

Welcome to another installment of Phil's Cult Classics! Today's film bombed when it was first released but it's now one of the greatest cult classics from the late 80's! Starring the King of Parodies "Weird Al" Yankovic, the film UHF is as funny then as it is now!

In the film "Yankovic portrays daydreamer George Newman who becomes the new station manager of Channel U-62, a struggling UHF station that his gambling uncle Harvey Bilchik (Brock) won in a card game. He along with his best friend Bob (Bowe) begin to turn the station around with hilarious and unconventional programs such as Wheel of Fish, Town Talk, Raul's Wild Kingdom, movies such as CONAN THE LIBRARIAN and GANDHI II, and the popular Stanley Spadowski's Clubhouse, starring a pre-Seinfeld Michael Richards. However, George makes a powerful enemy in the form of R.J. Fletcher (McCarthy), the evil head honcho of the rival VHF network station Channel 8. Soon it's up to George to help save his TV station from Fletcher and also get back his girlfriend Teri (Jackson).

The movie was written by both Yankovic and his manager Jay Levey, who also directed the film. The idea was to create a platform in which "Weird Al" could do parodies of television shows, movies, videos, commercials and such. The duo were able to capture lightening in a bottle with their parodies of popular films and TV shows.

The cast were another key ingredient in making the film so lovable. Yankovic proved that he was a solid comedy actor and could carry a movie on his shoulders. The lovely Victoria Jackson was a cast member of Saturday Night Live at that time and was the perfect love interest Al's George. Kevin McCarthy was a living legend, having starring in the original INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. His performance in the film was perfect! He was evil, vicious, diabolical and just fun to hate! The big breakout star of the film was Michael Richards, whose comedic timing made him so much fun to watch. And if you look closely, you can see some of his Kramer signature moves, even though the movie was made way before Seinfeld.

Original Theatrical Poster (1989)

When film distributor Orion Pictures test screened the film to a focus group, it received some of the highest ratings ever since their 1987 film ROBOCOP. There were talks of sequels and other "Weird Al" projects. The film opened on July 21, 1989, however it was not the big hit that Orion was expecting. The summer of 1989 was one of the biggest blockbuster summers in cinematic history. That summer saw the releases of BATMAN, GHOSTUSTERS 2, DO THE RIGHT THING, HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS, LETHAL WEAPON 2, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, and WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S. The film was completely lost and after only one month of screenings, UHF was pulled from theaters.

The film was released on VHS in North America as well as in Europe, but because it made so little money at the box office, it soon fell out of print. However, because it became out of print, the film developed a huge cult following, and fans began searching desperately for a copy of it. Prices skyrocketed, ranging from fifty to a hundred dollars or more on eBay. Yours truly was able to obtain a VHS copy at my local mom and pop video store for only $10!! Years went by with fans demanding it to be re-released. Soon their demands were answered when in 2002, the film was released on DVD from MGM and in its debut week it became a top ten bestseller in Variety. The DVD contains numerous extras including the UHF music video, a commentary track featuring director Jay Levey and Yankovic himself (with surprise guest appearances by costar Michael Richards and Emo Philips and a phoned-in appearance by Victoria Jackson), and a deleted scenes reel with Yankovic's commentary.

Almost 25 years after its original release, UHF is now beloved by millions of fans worldwide. Yankovic and his friends have created a cult classic that will entertain generations to come. The film is proof that sometimes even the underdog can come out a winner. 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

UHF is available on DVD and can be purchased at your local retailer. It's also available on the Amazon website at www.amazon.com. For all you "Weird Al" Yankovic fans out there, make you check out his official website at www.weirdal.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 30: Phil reviews KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE (1988) Blu-Ray from MGM-October 30, 2012

KILLER KLOWN FROM OUTER SPACE
Starring: Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson, John Vernon, Michael Siegel, Peter Licassi, Royal Dano, Chris Titus, Irene Michaels, Karla Sue Krull
Written by Charles Chiodo and Stephen Chiodo
Produced by Charles Chiodo, Edward Chiodo, Stephen Chiodo
Directed by Stephen Chiodo
A Chiodo Brothers Productions
Originally released by Trans World Entertainment
Distributed by MGM

Only two days left people so let's jump in Day Thirty! Throughout the 100+ years of cinema history, clowns have not only made us laugh, they have terrified us. OK let's face it, clowns are scary. They're just so damn scary and creepy and unerving. So when I first saw KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE on VHS back in 1988, I didn't know whether to be scared or laugh! Up until then, I have never seen a movie quite like this before.

So wrap your head around this synopsis: A spaceship - looking like a circus tent - lands in a field near a small town, signaling the attack of deviant, red-nosed, balloon-twisting psychos from another world who plan to annihilate mankind - by turning people into cotton candy! Luckily, the town's teen citizenry decides to fight back and teach the cosmic bozos a lesson. But these klowns are no klutzes, turning popcorn, peanuts and caramel corn into playful - but deadly - weapons of madcap destruction and mayhem!

Theatrical Movie Poster (1988)

Sounds more fun than shoveling elephant shit, huh? Well it is a then some! The Chiodo brothers takes the idea of clowns being eerie and frightening, and fuses it with the common theme of aliens coming down from space; thus giving us aliens that look like clowns. For what it is, the film is actually quite inventive; and while much of the action is clichéd and/or samey, it's the little things that ensure it doesn't get boring.

This was the only film that the Chiodo brothers ever made but they have worked on many other projects in other roles, such as producing and visual effects. One of the locations they used for the film was the famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California (which was were THE LOST BOYS was filmed at). The film was released to theaters on May 27, 1988. The filmed went on to earn a total of $43,625,095 worldwide. Not too bad of a return from an estimated $2,000,000 budget.

The MGM Blu-Ray comes loaded with special features: Audio Commentary from the Chiodo brothers, Five Featurettes, Deleted Scenes with Director's Commentary, Bloopers, and the film's original trailer!

KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE is a true original cult classic that will now entertain a whole new generations of genre fans. So next time you and your date are bored and have no idea what to do, bust open a bottle of champagne, light some candles, pop this film in your player and watch the sparks fly! 4 1/2 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE is currently available on Blu-Ray at your local retailer. You can also purchase a copy at the Amazon website at www.amazon.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the screaming!