The VHS Strikes Back

Whatever Entertainment
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  • Film Reviews
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Nostalgic movie review show hosted by Whatever Entertainment team, Dave and Chris. The guys go back in time to review some wonderful and truly awful movies from the days before streaming and even DVD's and had to go to the video store to pick up the latest entertainment. If you want to email the show please contact us on: thevhsstrikesback@gmail.com

  1. 2d ago

    Starship Troopers (1997) | Paul Verhoeven’s Cult Sci-Fi Satire Nobody Got in 1997 | VHSSB

    Dave takes his turn in the chair this week with Starship Troopers, Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 sci-fi war film. It began life as Edward Neumeier’s own script, Bug Hunt at Outpost 7, until producer Jon Davison noticed it looked a lot like Robert A. Heinlein’s novel and TriStar bought the rights. Verhoeven found the 1959 book “militaristic, if not fascistic” and set out to make “a movie about fascists who aren’t aware of their fascism”. On a budget Box Office Mojo puts at $105 million, the bug planet Klendathu was shot at Hell’s Half Acre in Wyoming with around 300 local extras, while Phil Tippett, the man behind RoboCop’s ED-209, filled the screen with arachnids. Starship Troopers opened at number one in the US on 7 November 1997 but finished with $54.8 million there and about $121 million worldwide, not helped by a Washington Post review calling it “spiritually” Nazi. It was nominated for the Oscar for visual effects, losing to Titanic, and today sits at 72% on Rotten Tomatoes. In 2025 Sony confirmed a new version from Neill Blomkamp, closer to the book. Verhoeven, for the record, gave up on that after two chapters “because it was so boring”. TRAILER GUY PLOT SYNOPSIS In a world where citizenship must be earned... one young man is about to earn it the hard way. Johnny Rico has the looks, the girl and the trophy. What he doesn’t have is any idea what’s waiting out there. Across the galaxy, an enemy without mercy is multiplying by the billion. They don’t negotiate. They don’t retreat. And they have a lot more legs than you. This November... the only good bug is a dead bug. Starship Troopers. Would you like to know more? FUN FACTS For the Starship Troopers co-ed shower scene, Paul Verhoeven and cinematographer Jost Vacano stripped off too, after one cast member said they would only get naked if the filmmakers did. Verhoeven pointed out that Vacano was born in a nudist colony. With the bugs added later, Paul Verhoeven played them himself. Denise Richards remembers him jumping up and down with a broom, and Clancy Brown remembers him on a bullhorn shouting, “I’m a big f**ing bug! I’ll kill you!” Denise Richards turned down a topless scene Paul Verhoeven added for Carmen, saying she didn’t see the point of it. Paul Verhoeven says nobody spotted the Nazi imagery in Starship Troopers at the time, and he thought putting Neil Patrick Harris in an SS-style uniform might clear it up. It didn’t. When studio executives finally saw Starship Troopers, they complained that the Federation’s flag was a Nazi flag. Paul Verhoeven told them it was completely different colours. Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon both auditioned for Johnny Rico, but Paul Verhoeven wanted “the prototype of blond, white and arrogant” and found it in Casper Van Dien. Steven Ford, son of US President Gerald Ford, plays Lieutenant Willy, who tells the troops to kill “anything that has more than two legs”. The Golden Girls star Rue McClanahan plays the biology teacher who dissects a giant bug in front of the class. Wyoming extras playing corpses at Hell’s Half Acre were hosed with fake blood from bug sprayers between takes, while Paul Verhoeven kept shouting, “I want more blood!” SUPPORT THE SHOW If you enjoy the show and would like to support us, we have a Patreon here. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leaving us a 5-star review (and a short comment) really helps more people discover the show. It’s quick, free, and makes a huge difference. Referral links also help out the show if you were going to sign up: NordVPN NordPass thevhsstrikesback@gmail.com https://linktr.ee/vhsstrikesback

    Starship Troopers (1997) | Paul Verhoeven’s Cult Sci-Fi Satire Nobody Got in 1997 | VHSSB

  2. Nov 4

    Face/Off (1997) | Nicolas Cage & John Travolta Swap Faces in John Woo’s Action Classic | VHSSB

    Chris has picked this week, and he has gone for Face/Off, John Woo’s 1997 action thriller in which John Travolta and Nicolas Cage spend most of the running time playing each other. Mike Werb and Michael Colleary wrote it in the summer of 1990, hoping to sell the next Die Hard, and it then sat at Warner Bros. on a $125,000 option until Paramount picked it up. It went through three directors and more than thirty drafts before Woo signed on, and moving the story from the future to the present day trimmed about $20 million, leaving a final budget of $80 million. Face/Off opened in the US on 27 June 1997 at number one, ahead of Disney’s Hercules, and went on to take $245.7 million worldwide. It holds 93% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, earned an Oscar nomination for its sound effects editing, and lost that to Titanic like everybody else that year. A sequel has been in development since 2021, presumably waiting for the right faces. TRAILER GUY PLOT SYNOPSIS In a world... where plastic surgery has gone far too far... one FBI agent will do anything to stop the man who destroyed his family. Even if it means looking at him in the mirror every morning. Sean Archer has a new face, a new voice and a cell in the most secure prison on Earth. Castor Troy has a coma. It should have been simple. But somebody is about to wake up in a very bad mood, with a very good idea. This summer... to catch him, he must become him. And he has left his own face lying around. Face/Off. FUN FACTS The first draft of Face/Off was set a hundred years in the future, with flying cars and chimpanzees doing all the manual labour. John Woo turned that version down.Face/Off was written with Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in mind. Michael Douglas and Harrison Ford, and Alec Baldwin and Bruce Willis, were also considered before John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.John Woo’s famous birds nearly got cut. Producer Barrie Osborne told him, “John, you can’t have pigeons in the scene,” then gave in on condition that Woo didn’t wait around for them to perform.The Face/Off shootout set to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was not in the script. John Woo added the child in headphones during filming and promised the producers he would still finish on time.John Travolta added the jokes about his own “ridiculous chin”, reasoning that Castor Troy would hate being stuck with John Travolta’s face.John Woo, director of Face/Off and Broken Arrow, has staged some of cinema’s biggest gunfights, yet said in 1997 that he had never fired a real gun.Face/Off screenwriter Mike Werb traced the idea to an acquaintance whose face was removed and rebuilt after a hang-gliding accident, and to an aunt who used to say she had to “take her face off”.The Face/Off speedboat chase took four weeks to film, and the crew sank a boat in the first couple of days.Castor and Pollux Troy are named after the twins of Greek myth who became the constellation Gemini.Face/Off was composer John Powell’s first film score. Hans Zimmer was too busy, recommended Powell, and promised to fix it himself if it went wrong. It didn’t.SUPPORT THE SHOW If you enjoy the show and would like to support us, we have a Patreon here. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leaving us a 5-star review (and a short comment) really helps more people discover the show. It’s quick, free, and makes a huge difference. Referral links also help out the show if you were going to sign up: NordVPN NordPass thevhsstrikesback@gmail.com https://linktr.ee/vhsstrikesback

    Face/Off (1997) | Nicolas Cage & John Travolta Swap Faces in John Woo’s Action Classic | VHSSB

  3. Oct 28

    Cape Fear (1991) | Robert De Niro & Martin Scorsese’s Terrifying Thriller Remake | VHSSB

    Lucky LouLou Green has us checking the locks this week with Cape Fear, Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake of the 1962 thriller, itself taken from John D. MacDonald’s novel The Executioners. The project began at Steven Spielberg’s Amblin with Robert De Niro attached as Max Cady, before Spielberg and De Niro talked Scorsese into directing. Filming began on 19 November 1990 in South Florida, standing in for North Carolina, with Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange and Juliette Lewis as the Bowden family. The houseboat climax was shot last, in a purpose-built ninety-foot water tank, and took four weeks instead of two. Made for a budget usually given as $35 million, Cape Fear opened at number one in the US in November 1991 and took $182.3 million worldwide, making it Scorsese’s biggest hit to that point. De Niro and Lewis were both nominated for Oscars, and it holds 77% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes. A TV series version with Javier Bardem arrived on Apple TV in 2026, proving you can’t keep a good stalker down. TRAILER GUY PLOT SYNOPSIS In a world... where justice is blind, and occasionally looks the other way... one man has had fourteen years to think about his lawyer. Max Cady has read the law. He has read the Bible. He has had a fair amount of it tattooed on himself. And now he has a lot of free time. Sam Bowden has a beautiful home, a loving family and one very small professional shortcut he hoped nobody would ever notice. Somebody noticed. This autumn... he’s not breaking the law. He’s just standing very near it. Cape Fear. Counsel is advised to run. FUN FACTS Steven Spielberg handed Cape Fear to Martin Scorsese and took back Schindler’s List, which Scorsese had been attached to. Spielberg’s explanation for passing on Cape Fear: “I wasn’t in the mood; it’s as simple as that.” When Steven Spielberg was developing Cape Fear, he had Bill Murray in mind to play Max Cady. Somewhere there is a very different film. Martin Scorsese wanted Harrison Ford as lawyer Sam Bowden. Ford would only sign on if he played Max Cady and Robert De Niro played the lawyer. De Niro declined. Nick Nolte won the role of Sam Bowden by turning up to the Goodfellas premiere in a blazer and tie, to prove to Martin Scorsese he could pass for a lawyer. Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Martin Balsam, stars of the 1962 Cape Fear, all appear in the 1991 remake. It was Gregory Peck’s final cinema role. The Juliette Lewis and Robert De Niro school theatre scene was filmed without rehearsal, and the first of three takes is the one in the film. Lewis did not know what De Niro was going to do with his thumb. Max Cady’s tattoos took an hour and a half to apply. Make-up artist Ilona Herman chose the Bible verses with Robert De Niro, and a jailhouse-tattoo specialist advised on the lettering. The Cape Fear score is Bernard Herrmann’s music from the 1962 film, reworked by Elmer Bernstein, who admitted Herrmann “would have killed” him for it. Martin Scorsese hated the Cape Fear script the first three times he read it, and had screenwriter Wesley Strick write twenty-four drafts. The Simpsons episode “Cape Feare”, with Kelsey Grammer’s Sideshow Bob stalking Bart, was pitched after writer Wallace Wolodarsky saw the Scorsese film. For many people it is now the definitive version. SUPPORT THE SHOW If you enjoy the show and would like to support us, we have a Patreon here. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leaving us a 5-star review (and a short comment) really helps more people discover the show. It’s quick, free, and makes a huge difference. Referral links also help out the show if you were going to sign up: NordVPN NordPass thevhsstrikesback@gmail.com https://linktr.ee/vhsstrikesback

    Cape Fear (1991) | Robert De Niro & Martin Scorsese’s Terrifying Thriller Remake | VHSSB

  4. Oct 21

    She's Gotta Have It (1986) | Spike Lee’s $175k Debut That Gave Us Mars Blackmon | VHSSB

    Susan sends us to Brooklyn this week for She’s Gotta Have It, the 1986 comedy-drama that launched Spike Lee. He wrote, directed, produced and edited it, and it only exists because his previous project, a bike-messenger film called Messenger, collapsed in 1984 when the money never arrived. So he wrote something he could afford: twelve days in the summer of 1985, on $175,000, with a non-union crew and no permits or insurance. Tracy Camilla Johns stars as Nola Darling opposite Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell and Lee himself, who played Mars Blackmon because there was no money to pay an actor. She’s Gotta Have It won the Prix de la Jeunesse in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes before Island Pictures opened it in New York on 8 August 1986, in a single cinema. It went on to gross just over $7.1 million in the US, holds 91% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and in 2019 joined the National Film Registry alongside Purple Rain and Clerks. Lee remade it as a Netflix series in 2017. Not a bad return on twelve days’ work. TRAILER GUY PLOT SYNOPSIS In a world... of brownstones, bicycles and very large beds... one woman has made a decision. Nola Darling will not be tied down. Not by convention. Not by expectation. And certainly not by any one of the three men currently leaving their belongings in her bathroom. Jamie has devotion. Greer has cheekbones. Mars has a bicycle, a pair of Air Jordans and absolutely no off switch. Each believes he is the answer. None has stopped to ask what the question was. This summer... three men, one woman, and a Thanksgiving dinner nobody should have agreed to. She’s Gotta Have It. They’ve just gotta deal with it. FUN FACTS Mars Blackmon got his name from Spike Lee’s grandmother. Stuck for a name, Lee asked her, and she said: “I had a crazy uncle named Mars.” The same grandmother gave him the seed money for She’s Gotta Have It, saved from 50 years of Social Security cheques. The Michael Jordan and Mars Blackmon Nike adverts began with She’s Gotta Have It. Wieden+Kennedy’s Jim Riswold and Bill Davenport saw the trailer, then the film, and rang the number listed for Spike Lee in the Brooklyn phone book. Lee thought it was a wind-up. What sold Nike’s ad men on Mars Blackmon was that he keeps his Air Jordans on in bed. The first Spike Lee and Michael Jordan commercials aired in February 1988 for the Air Jordan III. She’s Gotta Have It is in black and white except for one colour sequence, Nola Darling’s birthday dance, which Spike Lee called a homage to The Wizard of Oz. The MPAA gave She’s Gotta Have It an X rating three times. Spike Lee pointed out that Body Double and 9½ Weeks had both been rated R, and kept cutting until he got one too. Spike Lee kept it in the family: his father Bill Lee wrote the score and plays Nola’s father, his sister Joie Lee plays Clorinda, and his brother David Lee took the stills. Law & Order star S. Epatha Merkerson made her screen debut in She’s Gotta Have It as sex therapist Dr. Jamison. To research Nola Darling, Spike Lee circulated a questionnaire among 35 women. One question asked whether all men are “basically dogs”. The film suggests he got an answer. The end credits of She’s Gotta Have It proudly announce that the film contains no Jerri curls and no drugs, and thank Nike, Reebok and H&H Bagels. SUPPORT THE SHOW If you enjoy the show and would like to support us, we have a Patreon here. And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leaving us a 5-star review (and a short comment) really helps more people discover the show. It’s quick, free, and makes a huge difference. Referral links also help out the show if you were going to sign up: NordVPN NordPass thevhsstrikesback@gmail.com https://linktr.ee/vhsstrikesback

    She's Gotta Have It (1986) | Spike Lee’s $175k Debut That Gave Us Mars Blackmon | VHSSB

  5. Oct 14

    Secretary (2002) | Cult Dark Romantic Comedy Review | VHSSB

    Blake’s choice this week is Secretary (2002), a film you probably wouldn’t have rented for a quiet evening with your parents. Directed by Steven Shainberg and written by Erin Cressida Wilson, it stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader. This independent production had a reported $4 million budget and was filmed in Los Angeles, with carefully designed interiors giving it that slightly strange, almost dreamlike look. Secretary won Sundance’s Special Jury Prize for Originality and helped put Gyllenhaal firmly on the map. Roger Ebert praised the lead performances and its handling of difficult subject matter. Its mix of awkward humour, tenderness and discomfort has kept people talking ever since, earning it a cult following well beyond its original release. TRAILER GUY PLOT SYNOPSIS In a world… where a fresh start comes with a typing test… Lee Holloway is looking for a job and a little independence. What she finds is a lawyer with exacting standards—and an approach to staff development that really should have been mentioned in the interview. As the paperwork piles up, an unusual attraction takes hold. She wants direction. He likes giving orders. Neither is quite prepared for where this working relationship might lead. This time… taking dictation is only the beginning. Secretary. A story of longing, control… and an HR department conspicuous by its absence. FUN FACTS Secretary began as a short story in Mary Gaitskill’s 1988 collection Bad Behavior. On the page, the main character is called Debby Roe. Her boss is never named beyond “the lawyer”. Angelo Badalamenti, a regular David Lynch collaborator, composed the score. That might explain why this office never feels entirely ordinary. Listen out for Leonard Cohen’s “I’m Your Man” and Lizzie West’s “Chariots Rise” on the soundtrack. Shainberg and production designer Amy Danger spent two years planning the office spaces. Quite a commitment to getting the workplace right. My Beautiful Laundrette inspired Shainberg’s approach to presenting an unconventional relationship as something natural. The bent-over figure on the famous theatrical poster is a model, not Gyllenhaal. Wilson picked up the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay for her work on Secretary. SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you enjoy the show and would like to support us, we have a Patreon ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leaving us a 5-star review (and a short comment) really helps more people discover the show. It’s quick, free, and makes a huge difference. Referral links also help out the show if you were going to sign up: ⁠⁠⁠NordVPN⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠NordPass⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thevhsstrikesback@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/vhsstrikesback⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Secretary (2002) | Cult Dark Romantic Comedy Review | VHSSB

  6. Oct 7

    Convoy (1978) | Rubber Duck, Rebel Truckers & 70s Road Movie Chaos | VHSSB

    Dave’s pick this week is Convoy, Sam Peckinpah’s 1978 trucker movie starring Kris Kristofferson as Rubber Duck, alongside Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine, Burt Young, Madge Sinclair and Franklyn Ajaye. Filmed largely across New Mexico, the production rolled badly over budget, ultimately costing around $12 million — more than twice its original estimate. Behind the camera, things were almost as unruly as the convoy itself. Peckinpah shot roughly 800,000 feet of film and struggled to bring his cut below three-and-a-half hours before the producers took control of post-production. Reviews were mixed, but audiences turned up: the film earned about $45 million in the US and Canada, becoming the biggest box-office hit of Peckinpah’s career and later developing a cult following TRAILER GUY PLOT SYNOPSIS In a land of speed traps, CB radios and deeply questionable law enforcement… one trucker has finally had enough. Rubber Duck and his fellow drivers hit the highway with Sheriff “Dirty Lyle” Wallace on their tail. But what starts as a roadside feud soon becomes something much bigger, as one truck becomes ten… ten become fifty… and America discovers that truckers are considerably harder to arrest when they arrive as a small industrial nation. This summer, keep the hammer down, the CB switched on, and whatever you do… don’t get between the Duck and the open road. FUN FACTS The film was inspired by C.W. McCall’s 1975 hit song “Convoy”; McCall recorded a revised version referencing characters created for the movie. Kris Kristofferson’s concert commitments caused filming to pause for around 11 days. Several “Jesus freak” bus passengers were played by members of Kristofferson’s touring band. Peckinpah appears briefly on screen as a sound engineer. Rubber Duck’s main rig is represented by a 1977 Mack RS712LST, with other Mack trucks used as doubles. Burt Young’s truck carries the name “Paulie Hauling,” a nod to his Rocky character. The climactic bridge location near Needles, California, was a temporary structure demolished later in 1978. Convoy became a major hit in the Soviet Union, selling a reported 35.9 million tickets. The end credits include a few shots not seen in the finished film and roughly run backwards through the story. SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you enjoy the show and would like to support us, we have a Patreon ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leaving us a 5-star review (and a short comment) really helps more people discover the show. It’s quick, free, and makes a huge difference. Referral links also help out the show if you were going to sign up: ⁠⁠⁠NordVPN⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠NordPass⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thevhsstrikesback@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/vhsstrikesback⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Convoy (1978) | Rubber Duck, Rebel Truckers & 70s Road Movie Chaos | VHSSB

  7. Sep 30

    The Living Daylights (1987) | Timothy Dalton's Gritty James Bond Debut | VHSSB

    Chris takes the controls this week with The Living Daylights, the 1987 James Bond adventure that introduced Timothy Dalton as 007 following Roger Moore’s retirement from the role. Directed by Bond veteran John Glen and produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the film had an estimated $40 million budget and paired Dalton with Maryam d’Abo, Jeroen Krabbé, Joe Don Baker, John Rhys-Davies and Art Malik. Filming took the production from Pinewood Studios to Gibraltar, Vienna and Morocco, with Dalton throwing himself into the action and performing a surprising amount of the stunt work himself. Released in the summer of 1987, The Living Daylights earned roughly $191.2 million worldwide, comfortably keeping the Bond machine rolling into its fourth decade. Dalton’s harder-edged, more serious interpretation divided some contemporary critics: Roger Ebert felt the new Bond lacked the humour the series needed, while other reviewers welcomed the return to a more grounded, Fleming-inspired 007. Over the years, Dalton’s brief two-film run has developed a strong following among Bond fans, with The Living Daylights increasingly remembered as an interesting bridge between the larger-than-life Moore era and the tougher Bonds that followed. TRAILER GUY PLOT SYNOPSIS When a Soviet general decides he’d quite like to defect without acquiring any additional ventilation holes, 007 is sent to make sure he reaches the West alive. But when Bond spots a beautiful cellist holding the rifle that’s supposed to kill his man, something doesn’t quite add up. Mainly because James Bond has apparently discovered the revolutionary espionage technique of asking, “Hang on... does any of this make sense?” FUN FACTS The Living Daylights takes its title from Ian Fleming’s James Bond short story, first published in 1962. The opening portion of the film retains the basic idea of Bond protecting a defector from a sniper before the movie heads off into an original adventure. Norwegian band a-ha performed the title song, with Bond composer John Barry also involved in its production. The collaboration was reportedly not always harmonious, but the resulting track became one of the unmistakably '80s entries in the Bond song catalogue. This was John Barry’s final James Bond score, ending a remarkable association with the series that stretched back to Dr. No and his arrangement of the James Bond Theme. The Pretenders also feature heavily on the soundtrack. Their song Where Has Everybody Gone? is repeatedly associated with Necros, while If There Was a Man plays over the end credits. Kara’s legendary cello-case escape was achieved using a specially constructed fibreglass case fitted with skis underneath and handles that allowed it to be controlled. Finally, an instrument case with a Q Branch specification sheet. Timothy Dalton performed a number of his own action sequences, including stunt work on top of a speeding Land Rover during the Gibraltar opening. Apparently simply turning up, saying “Bond, James Bond” and collecting the cheque wasn’t adventurous enough. SUPPORT THE SHOW If you enjoy the show and would like to support us, we have a Patreon ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leaving us a 5-star review (and a short comment) really helps more people discover the show. It’s quick, free, and makes a huge difference. Referral links also help out the show if you were going to sign up: ⁠⁠⁠NordVPN⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠NordPass⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thevhsstrikesback@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/vhsstrikesback⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    The Living Daylights (1987) | Timothy Dalton's Gritty James Bond Debut | VHSSB

  8. Sep 23

    The Proposition (2005) | Brutal Australian Western | VHSSB

    Patreon Herb sends Dave and Chris into the Australian Outback with The Proposition, John Hillcoat’s 2005 revisionist Western, written by Nick Cave. An Australian–UK co-production made for a reported budget of around $2 million, the film was shot around Winton in Queensland, using the harsh Outback landscape rather than trying to make Australia look like somebody else’s Wild West. Guy Pearce leads an impressive cast alongside Ray Winstone, Emily Watson, Danny Huston, John Hurt and David Wenham, with the unforgiving conditions becoming almost as important to the film’s atmosphere as the actors themselves. The result was a grim, unusually thoughtful Western that earned strong reviews rather than disappearing into the dusty corner of the video shop marked “Australian period drama.” It currently sits at 86% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes and earned multiple Australian Film Institute honours, helping establish The Proposition as one of the standout modern Australian Westerns and strengthening the creative partnership between Hillcoat and Cave. It may not have been blockbuster territory, but its reputation has only grown since release. TRAILER GUY PLOT SYNOPSIS In the unforgiving Australian Outback... where the sun is relentless, the flies are organised, and absolutely nobody appears to be having a nice afternoon... one outlaw is offered an impossible choice. Charlie Burns has nine days. One brother is in custody. Another is somewhere beyond civilisation. And Captain Stanley has made Charlie a proposition that makes your average family disagreement look like an argument over who forgot to put the bins out. Now Charlie must ride into a landscape filled with violence, vengeance and men whose conflict-resolution skills largely involve firearms. This Christmas... family comes first. Unfortunately. FUN FACTS Nick Cave reportedly wrote the screenplay for The Proposition in just three weeks after John Hillcoat asked him to tackle a fictional story about Australian bushrangers. Hillcoat originally approached Cave about providing music for an Australian Western before the idea developed into Cave writing the entire screenplay. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis composed their first feature-film score together for The Proposition, reportedly creating much of the music in only around four days. That Cave and Ellis score went on to win the 2005 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Original Music Score. Guy Pearce has repeatedly named The Proposition as his favourite film from his own career, even when comparing it with films such as Memento and L.A. Confidential. The costumes were created with an obsessive eye for period detail, with IMDb's production trivia noting that even the buttons were handmade. The film's period firearms were replicas, with its production trivia crediting gunsmith Buck Merry with crafting the weapons used for the shoot. Acclaimed Indigenous Australian performers David Gulpilil, Tom E. Lewis and Leah Purcell all appear in supporting roles. Before its Australian release, the film received a hometown screening at Winton's open-air cinema, with local residents who had helped with the production turning out to see the finished movie. SUPPORT THE SHOW If you enjoy the show and would like to support us, we have a Patreon ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠.And if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leaving us a 5-star review (and a short comment) really helps more people discover the show. It’s quick, free, and makes a huge difference. Referral links also help out the show if you were going to sign up: ⁠⁠⁠NordVPN⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠NordPass⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thevhsstrikesback@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/vhsstrikesback⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    The Proposition (2005) | Brutal Australian Western | VHSSB
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About

Nostalgic movie review show hosted by Whatever Entertainment team, Dave and Chris. The guys go back in time to review some wonderful and truly awful movies from the days before streaming and even DVD's and had to go to the video store to pick up the latest entertainment. If you want to email the show please contact us on: thevhsstrikesback@gmail.com

Information

  • Creator
    Whatever Entertainment
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    391
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Whatever Entertainment
  • Show Website
    The VHS Strikes Back

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