gbill-74877

"Now here come two words for you: shut the f*ck up!"

There are a lot of movies like this so there is definitely some Hollywood formula mixed in, but this one is a lot of fun. It's elevated considerably be De Niro and Grodin, as well as storytelling with never a dull moment. It's not surprising it's one of PTA's favorite action movies, and in that chase out in Arizona, I felt a whiff of One Battle After Another.

This is a pleasant enough romcom and the hairstyles are peak 80's, so it has that going for it too. Melanie Griffith stands up for the people on the bottom rungs of the corporate ladder everywhere, and I liked both her character's pluckiness and her solidarity with her fellow secretaries. Unfortunately, the opportunity to explore sexism in the workplace dies on the vine, as the manipulative boss she competes with is a woman, the dealmakers who are kindest to the secretary are men, and both women in the story sleep with someone they're doing business with, all of which was rather conflicting. I burst out laughing when Griffith's character says the line "I have a head for business and a bod for sin." Then you have the title of the film too. This is a Cinderella story that takes a half step forward in that the character uses her brain and determination to move up in the world, but there's also essentially an evil stepmother and Prince Charming too. It's light Hollywood fare, but just don't think about it too much.

Horny, raping zombies, the movie. Well, they're actually more like the pod people from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, as those infected haven't actually died first, they're just carrying a parasite that causes them assault anyone around them. The parasite has been developed intentionally by a doctor who thinks that people "think too much," so he's come up with "a combination of aphrodisiac and venereal disease that will hopefully turn the world into one beautiful, mindless orgy." It's a bonkers concept but a reasonably entertaining low-budget horror film, though obviously beware if you may be triggered by it.

The setup shows a swanky apartment complex with all of the latest amenities, but early on we see cut aways to a young woman being attacked and murdered. It's one of the themes of the film, that underneath the surface of the people living in this posh place are hidden desires, and they're simply brought out by the parasite. There's a doorman who reads trashy books ("Nurse in Arabia"), a nurse who lusts over a doctor (stripping for him when he's too busy for her), and a woman who reclines sensually in a hot bath (Barbara Steele). In one of the better moments, a slimy parasite oozes towards the latter's vagina while she lays back, legs spread. Another is when the zoned out husband has a parasite ooze out of his mouth. The special effects aren't going to win any awards by today's standards, but it didn't matter to me. There is a creepiness to amplified sexual desire that creates something far from the beautiful world envisioned by the scientist, and along with the clear reference to STD's, gives the film meaning.