Meurtre dans l'objectif

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-

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.

...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!

There's a few funny lines in the movie, but on the whole, it's not a very involving or entertaining flick. "Terminal," in the Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California slang of this movie means "bitchin', cool" (as one of the characters tells us), but the negative connotation suits it better.

Joe Estevez' voice is similar to his brother Martin Sheen's, but his acting, particularly his last scene, is pretty dreadful in this movie. John Vernon plays his usual character. Hope Marie Carlton, a Playmate, does get nude briefly, as do some other minor characters, but there as not as much gratuitous nudity as one might expect in an R-rated '80s comedy.

The two male leads apparently never acted in a film before or since, which is never a terribly good sign.

It's apparently out of print on video, and has never been released on DVD. If that situation stays the same, it would not be a shame at all.

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.