Terminal Exposure

A whiskey stream of consciousness review.

80s screwball hardy boys murder mystery. Has moments of good 80s nostalgia. But most of it is cringe. The script shamefully steals a number of scenes and lines from its predecessors in the genre including a classic Better off Dead quote. Part Scooby Doo, yes there is a villain who completely spills his beans and part bad Pink Panther slapstick via the chase scenes, there are still some redeemable elements. The actors seem to be having fun with it and writer director Nico Mastorakis is able to set up some decent sequences which keeps some interest. There are very few lessons learned from the film however, so although fun, it doesn't have enough memorable moments to wanna share with friends over a bourbon.

Underwhelming like with my Willett pot still bourbon.

There are two categories of BAD movies. 1. Being the funny bad movies that you get together with your buddies and heckle (ie. plan 9 from outer space, Eegah etc.) Then there are just plain BAD BAD movies that shouldn't have been made. I believe with all my heart that this movie falls into the second category. This film has it all...poor acting, dialogue, sound, lighting, story, acting, plot...the makers of this film failed to get one thing right. This film is also a type of spin off of that John Travolta movie called "blow out" where he captures a murder by accident with his camera.

I chuckled a few times during the film where I just couldn't believe that something as bad as I was watching had made it to video release. There are also some moments in the film that come out of left field. For example, in the first 20 mins of the film, the director thinks that it would be cool to all of a sudden make all the action slow mo..."yeah that'll look great!!!guys love slow mo of cheezy, frizzy haired girls playing volley ball" And the soundtrack...don't even get me started.

If any of you are into film making, and feel that your stuff is not good enough, rent this picture and you will feel 400 times better about your material. In fact, I recommend this film to all who watch movies all the time and maybe have a hard time finding the true gems...this will certainly make the next few movies you watch feel like pure genious.

Out of 5 stars, I give this film 0, as I feel that even one star is positive in some way. Those that made this film should be ashamed.

My review was written in January 1989 after watching the movie on HBO.

Nico Mastorakis' "Double Exposure" is an oddball comedy-thriller focusing on the a in "t&a". Pic had a brief theatrical run in Miami in fall 1987 and is now cablecast by HBO.

Mark Hennessy and Scott King portray two aimless guys in Venice Beach, California, who decide to take photos of the lovely derrieres paraded daily by beach bunnies in order to come up with a salable photo montage or calendar (film originally was titled "Terminal Exposure") . In homage to the classic film "Blow-Up" they accidentally photograph a murder, with the clue being a rose tattoo on the posterior of a woman holding a gun.

Antics of the duo trying to solve the murder involve mafia hitmen, a wild bachelor party and endless rear end-themed puns. The emphasis is toward comedy rather than thrills, but it's okay (if a bit fetishistic) light entertainment. Amoral attitude is emphasized, especially in film's payoff.

Two lead players are pleasant, abetted by Playboy magazine model Hope Marie Carlton as their beautiful prime suspect. Joe Phelan as a hitman in a black van bears strong facial and vocal resemblance to his brother Martin Sheen.

Two best friends in SoCal (Mark Hennessy and Scott King) accidentally capture evidence of a murder on camera and seek a blonde with a tattoo on her derriere (Hope Marie Carlton). Ted Lange plays a literal beach bum and Joe Estevez a grim shady man.

Shot in August-September, 1986, and released the next year, "Terminal Exposure" is a comedy/crime misadventure with focus on youths chasing beach beauties à la "Private Resort" (1985).

I thought the two leads made for an entertaining duo despite being unknowns. Meanwhile Hope Marie is lovely (along with a few other females) and the misadventures are fun. But, like "Private Resort," there's a little too much sleaze in the air for my tastes. Yet this is mostly limited to the first act and the flick drives home the importance of finding the right mate and the corresponding faithfulness despite the guys' obsession with T&A.

The film runs 1 hour, 40 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area, as well as Las Vegas.

GRADE: B-

...but unfortunately, for me, it is not.

However, I did find this movie very intriguing, very interesting, and totally different from any other beach movie I have ever seen (think 60's beach blanket bingo here, people!!!!!): especially the plot is strange enough: a photo leading to an adventure. Ha!

"Terminal Exposure" shows us not only that being on the beach can be fun; it can also lead up to something very exciting on the way. By sitting through this film, you can actually see it all happening so quickly! It may not be an award-winning type of movie, but it's definitely worth watching! 10 stars!