Metal Storm – The Destruction of Jared Syn (First viewing f.o.c.) – 7.5/10
Okay, this is another B-movie from my video days that I didn’t get to see, but I’ve always remembered this as a cool 3D sci-fi adventure.
Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, the story tells about a roving lone ranger named Dogen (Jeffrey Byron) who finds a lovely young woman Dhyana (Kelly Preston) alone and terrified outside a mining cave. After knowing that her father, a scientist, was killed by a raving mutant named Baal, he vows to avenge her father’s death. So, who is Jared Syn and why must he be destroyed?
It turns out that Syn (Mike Preston) is the father of Baal, and he is some sort of a messiah-like priest who is planning to control the surviving nomadic tribes that roam the barren wastelands and enslave them. Not being able to locate this mysterious messiah, Dogen seeks the help of a down-and-out alcoholic mercenary Rhodes (Tim Thomerson – TRANCERS, ZONE TROOPERS), who happens to know Syn’s whereabouts. Together they seek for a mask that will help them find and destroy Jared Syn.
I’ve always admired the Band family (Albert, Richard, and Charles) for their creativity as a producer, composer or director, especially their short-lived Empire Pictures production. There are always some things unique in their low budget films, and this is one of them.
This old-school 3D sci-fi adventure needs a 3D blu-ray release!
Desert Warrior (1988) [First viewing; YouTube] – 5.5/10
This is a B-movie post-apocalyptic adventure, produced in the Philippines (Silver Star Films), about two clans – one civilized and hi-tech while the other is rather barbaric and lo-tech – fighting for survival in the deserts of what was once called Earth. For such a boisterous action adventure film, the epilogue is so foolishly romantic that it's fully accompanied until the ending credits with a soppy love song sung by a duo!
Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk TV series) and Shari Shattuck (The Naked Cage, Dead On) star. Not on DVD.
The Manhunt (1984) – 6/10
This Italian production comes from Fabrizio De Angelis a.k.a. Larry Ludman, the same director responsible for rip-offs as: Cobra Mission (Operation Nam), Thunder, Thunder II, and Thunder III. It's not just an ordinary manhunt, it's "
The Manhunt" and that's what's shown on screen.
The plot of this B-movie action drama is utterly ridiculous but that doesn’t stop you from being “mildly entertained”: a naive young man (Ethan Wayne) buys two racing horses at an Arizona race track, pays in cash but does not get a receipt (because he is so naive and does not think it’s a must have
). Later, this negligence becomes a very serious problem. He is accused of stealing the two horses by a wealthy horse rancher (Ernest Borgnine) and is then sentenced to imprisonment. In prison, he is mistreated and abused by a stone-faced warden (Henry Silva). He escapes, is recaptured, and escapes again to track down the man who sold him the horses. Chases and shootouts in the town ensue and all these happen for the sake of getting a sales receipt!