NIGHT FLIGHT QUICKY DVD REVIEW

Maniac Cop (1988)

"You have the right to remain silent. Forever."

Starring:

Tom Atkins as Frank McCrae (The Fog, Night Of The Creeps, Halloween III)

Bruce Campbell as Jack Forrest (Evil Dead 2, Bubba Ho Tep, Army of Darkness)

Laurene Landon as Theresa Mallory

Richard Roundtree as Commissioner Pike (Shaft)

Robert Z'Dar as Matt Cordell aka Maniac Cop

Directed by William Lustig

Rated: R

Widescreen; Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Studio: Synapse Video DVD

Release Date: November 14, 2006

Run Time: 87 minutes

DVD Features:

Commentary by writer/producer Larry Cohen, director William Lustig, and actor Bruce Campbell, Featurette with Robert Z'Dar, Additional scenes filmed for Japanese Television broadcast, Trailer and TV spots

Quick Review:
Let me just start by saying Maniac Cop, great movie. A trashy, tongue-in-cheek blend of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, '80s cop/action films, and slasher movies. I now plan to name my second born "Maniac Cop" ("Hector Mendoza" was all ready taken for my first born).

"Cop" sports one of the creepiest versions of New York City since THE WARRIORS. The city is almost empty during most of the action scenes, making for great urban horror. Atkins is great, as always, as the only cop in-the-know. And Bruce "the chin" Campbell, well you can't go wrong with Bruce. Look for Campbell's out of the blue roundhouse kick used to disarm Maniac Cop. The movie is just fast-paced and lots of fun.

The Special-Edition DVD looks great; probably better than it ever has before. I highly recommend renting or buying. Perfect "movie night" with some friends and a few beers.

Trivia

Although the film is set in New York City, it was only shot there for three days.

Sam Raimi (Director of the Evil Dead and Spider-Man movies) makes a brief cameo as the parade reporter.

William Lustig (director of Maniac Cop) makes a brief cameo as a motel manager.

Spawned two sequels, Maniac Cop 2 (1990) and Maniac Cop 3: Badge of Silence (1993).

The Official Maniac Cop Fans Site. http://www.maniaccopfans.com/

Some paintings...ewww Pop Surrealism

We dig into the archives for the first art post.

Here's a few paintings from artist Matt Haney's spring 2005 galley show in Little Rock, Ark.

"The Circle K Dies Screaming", acrylic on canvas, 2005

"Super Fighting Robot", acrylic on canvas, 2005

"Breakfast with Krankor", acrylic on canvas, 2005

"Happy Hour", acrylic on canvas, 2005

A little background on the artist...
Matt writes:

I'm heavily influenced by: Pop culture. Particularly comic books, animation, science fiction and horror films, as well as Japanese monster movies and superheroes.
I into: Pop Art, Surrealism, Expressionism, Ash Can School, classic comic art and pulp illustration.
Artists that have influenced and inspired me are: Francis Bacon, Jack Kirby, Egon Schiele, Max Beckmann, Daniel Clowes, Edward Hopper, Bruce Timm, Alex Toth, Steve Rude, John Kricfalusi, Jack Davis, Bob Clampett, Frank Miller, Jim Woodring, Tex Avery, Chris Ware, Johnny Ryan and Dave Cooper.

"Welcome to Geektarded" or "My first post on a blog"...

Hey and thanks to stopping by. You are are hip deep in Geektarded, a little challenge to myself to get off my ass and be more productive.

My goal is to regularly post some "Moments of Deliciousness" comics, paintings, drawings, along with dvd, toy and comic book reviews. I'll also wax nostalgic on cartoons, toys, TV, bygone retailers/restaurants, and whatever else I run across. And hopefully, in the near future, there will be some talented guests making appearances around here. We'll keep things simple and fun and hopefully you'll see something cool or have a few laughs.

So, turn down the lights, take off your pants, put on your Hulk Hands, put your pants back on and enter Geektarded!