Movie

[valarltd]

So tonight, for the first time in ages, I exercised Mom-privilege and booted the kids out of the front room so I could watch an R pic.

Midnight Ride is worthy of a verse in the "Mark Hamill Fan Lament."

He's fabulous! Starts by trading on the "Adorable+harmless" image, ends by getting these orgasmic looks when he kills people. (Very sexy, very disturbing)

Plot: one big freakin car chase. Ok, taxi, police car, bus, ambulance, etc, chase.

Seriously Squicky Moment : He presents his lady driver with a special present: a key ring he's made for her. Out of lanyard and someone's eyeball. Later, sucks on the eyeball rather absently.

Robert Mitchum has seen better days and better roles. Pity. He was pretty convincing as the shrink. David Warner would have been better and creepier. With him, we'd wonder if he'd contributed to the insanity. ("Of course it's an evil asylum when David Warner is your shrink and John Glover is answering phones at the front desk." --review of In the Mouth of Madness)

As a B movie, I give it 4 stars. It's not Slipstream but it's almost enough to take the bad taste of Laserhawk out of my mouth.
Definitely worth 2 hours.

Now where's my screencap software...


(Speaking of Mr. Warner, I went and ordered Body Bags where he and Debbie Harry run a hair clinic. I understand Stacy Keach's breakdown in something to watch. Besides which, mostly naked Mark in another segment.)

Comments

[jkb.livejournal.com]

Not only is "Midnight Ride" worthy of a verse in the Mark Hamill Fan's Lament, I think it may be the one that inspired me with the idea. It epitomizes the chorus, "The movie's no good but Mark Hamill is great." A review on Rotten Tomatoes says, "Hammil is the flick, and not just 'cause it's fun to see him slumming in this sorta Euro-trash. His maniacism bubbles just below the surface and when it pops out he really steals the show. No wonder he excelled as villains on THE FLASH and BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES." I think you nailed it -- He's fabulous! Starts by trading on the "Adorable+harmless" image, ends by getting these orgasmic looks when he kills people. (Very sexy, very disturbing) And he's funny, too. *g*

After Alex and I had spent a week in Zine Hell, on her last night here we drank beer and watched great moments in Midnight Ride and Black Magic Woman, neither of which she'd seen before. My favorite part is on the bus, when he says, "This is your captain speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts -- there may be a little turbulence." Alex and I were cracking up at that.

You forgot to mention though that the eyeball on the lanyard that he puts in his mouth is, at least, a glass eye. Not sure that makes it a whole lot better, but it might.

This may be my favorite of Mark's B-movies.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

See, i didn't get that it was a glass eye. which is why I went EWWWWW!

My favorite bit is
when Dudikoff says "You can tie me to the hood of a taxi again and we'll drive some more."
The utterly hopeful puppy dog face he gives as he says "Promise?" just makes the scene.