The Plot:
Extreme Prejudice is the story of tough as nails Texas Ranger (Nick Nolte) and his fued with a drug kingpin (Powers Boothe) who just happens to be his childhood best friend. The feud is complicated when an army of supposedly dead mercenaries come into town and it’s unclear where their loyalties lie.

The Cast:
Prejudice is chock full of 80′s movie icons and bit part players. The supporting cast includes: Michael Ironside, Tiny Lister Jr., Rip Torn, William Forsythe, Clancy Brown, Larry B. Scott, Matt Mullhern, and Maria Conchita-Alonso, it’s a smorgasbord of 80′s goodness.

Best Line:
Powers Boothe as Cash Bailey has the classiest line of the film when he tells Serita Cisneros (Maria Conchita Alonso) to quit whining and “show us some tit if you want to be useful”.

Bottom Line:
This is more than your typical 80′s action flick. It’s a bloody bullet filled homage to Sam Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch”, and it’s a damn good one. In the final showdown between Cash and Jack, Hill makes his most obvious nod to Peckinpah and he does so with amazing style. His action sequences spurt blood and break bones with lightning speed. The cast, particularly Rip Torn, turn in great performances. It is the film’s story that is its weakest point. Every twist and turn is telegraphed, but by the end of the film you’re having such a good time watching Benteen dispense justice to baddies that you won’t care. Extreme Prejudice, despite it’s minor flaws, holds up as a fantastic action/western that shouldn’t be missed.

Upon choosing No Blade of Grass for this week’s Forgotten Films I had an argument with a good friend about what it is that defines these picks as “forgotten”. She insisted that to be forgotten you would first have to know about the film. Perhaps she is right. So let me redefine this segment for all of you. The films that I bring to your attention during these weekly segments are those that are overlooked, lost, hard to find, and yes – sometimes forgotten. You’re welcome Heather.

Based on John Christopher’s novel of the same name, No Blade of Grass is a post-apocalyptic tale about a strange new virus, which only attacks strains of grasses such as wheat and rice, and the world is descending into famine and chaos. Architect John Custance, along with his family and a handful of friends, is making his way from London to his brother’s farm in northern England where there will hopefully be food and safety. Along the way they encounter hostile soldiers, biker gangs, and all manner of people willing to kill them for food.

Director Cornel Wilde’s bleak locales and deliberate pacing help bring out the desperation that is inherent in the story. Wilde also does a good job of putting very moral characters in difficult situations and while, at times, it can seem a bit heavy-handed, he never crosses the line. If you find you like this film, also check out Wilde’s “Beach Red” and “The Naked Prey”.

No Blade of Grass is a solid post-apocalyptic drama that, while sometimes self-indulgent and dated, is still a great watch. If you’re a fan of such movies as “The Quiet Earth”, “Panic in Year Zero”, or “A Boy and His Dog”, I suggest you check this film out. Since it’s not currently in print, No Blade of Grass can be found here at Cinema de Bizarre or if you’re really nice perhaps I’ll burn you a copy and send it to you.

Most of us know John Carpenter for giving us classic films like The Thing and Halloween, among others, but 1987′s Prince of Darkness remains one of his often overlooked films. Prince is the second film in what Carpenter calls his apocalypse trilogy which also includes The Thing and and In the Mouth of Madness. The story revolves around a research team that, with the help of a priest, must study a canister stored in an abandoned church. The canister is full of a strange liquid that may be Satan himself. While conducting the research odd things begin to happen and the team finds themselves trapped inside the church surrounded by a mass of zombies. Over the course of the night they must fight against dark forces for the fate of the world. The cast is full of Carpenter regulars including Victor Wong, Dennis Dun, and Donald Pleasence. Also present is Jameson Parker, best known for his role as A.J. Simon in “Simon and Simon“, and Alice Cooper as one of the zombies. The film is definitely a hodgepodge of ideas and theories that end up a bit of a muddled mess, but Carpenter’s atmosphere and pacing keep this film afloat making it a very creepy experience. The film’s effects are a bit dated. Particularly the scene in which the character of Frank Wyndham warns the trapped research crew to “pray for death” as he opens his coat to reveal a swarm of beetles. Ultimately, the film’s successes are greater than its failures and it remains a film that is certainly worth watching especially for fans of horror.

Film flaws and other oddities:
1. We see the new moon very close to the sun (though showing far too much crescent for such a small angle). A few scenes later, Brian Marsh is looking at a full moon, then a few more scenes later, we see the new moon again near the sun. That night, we see the full moon again.
2. The scene in which Donald Pleasence’s Priest character throws the axe at the mirror we never see him pick up the axe.
3. The student radiologist Susan Cabot says she has been “carbon dating the corrosion on the lid” of the cylinder, and “we’re talking about 7 million years”. Carbon dating is used to determine the age of materials, usually organic, containing carbon, not metal corrosion substances, and is only useful for about 60,000 years.
4. The theme of science and religion working together is an odd one for John Carpenter to explore as he is devout atheist.
5. Executive Producer Shep Gordon is also Alice Cooper’s manager. Cooper recorded a song for the film that can briefly be heard through Etchinson’s headphones but it was not actually released until nearly 2 years later.
6. Cooper’s character impales Etchinson with a device usually used in his stage show.

In 1990, two years before he would make the classic Glengary Glen Ross, director James Foley made a small film called After Dark, My Sweet. Sweet stars Jason Patric as Kevin “Kid” Collins an ex-boxer-now-drifter after having escaped from a mental hospital. Collins runs into a widow, Fay Anderson, (Rachel Ward) who convinces him to stick around and help with the neglected estate her ex-husband left behind. Both Collins and the Fay are duped into a kidnapping plot by Fay’s Uncle, played to slimy extremes by Bruce Dern.

Foley is a masterful director of actors and this is a perfect film for him. A low-key film noir that relies solely on the performances of its small cast to carry its weight. Patric’s performance alone is worthy of viewing. His portrayal of Collins is both depressing and heroic. The final 90 seconds of this film in which Collins steps a few feet away into the desert to “sort things out” are probably the most heartbreaking of moments of the film. Dern is particularly loathsome as Uncle Bud and Rachel Ward plays the confused and lonely Fay to perfection. Some may have issues with the Sweet’s deliberate pacing, but it only adds to the film’s sense of doom and loneliness giving it the necessary atmosphere. Sadly the film only grossed 3 million in its box office run and to this day still has yet to find much of an audience. Nearly 20 years later After Dark, My Sweet remains a nearly perfect film in every aspect and is a must see.