DARK SKY FILMS DOUBLE FEATURE DISCS

Posted by Canfield at 1:56pm.

Posted in DVD News .

ASSASSINATION IN ROME/ESPIONAGE IN TANGIERS
Drive-In Double Feature
SEARCH AND DESTROY/THE GLOVE
Drive-In Double Feature
Dark Sky Films

As noted in my review of Naked You Die! A large part of Dark Skys charm is the effortless way they move between releasing definitive editions of classics like Texas Chainsaw and Magic while still maintaining a firm foothold in the world of enormously entertaining Saturday afternoon time wasters like the sort that make up a large part of their line. Like most fans of bad movies I always find myself explaining to people that just because a film is bad doesn’t mean I think it’s good. Of course I’m using the word good interchangeably here to mean fun. Most bad movies are boring, badly paced, they don’t try to be anything and feel as if everyone involved couldn’t care less. But when I come across a real bad movie gem like Night of the Lepus, Robot Monster, or Riki-Oh The Story of Riki, I rejoice. These films aren’t boring at all. They are twonky, whimsical, light entertainments that make you feel twelve years old again. They make you want to call up your friends and play spy, pirate, or toughguy in the backyard. They make you want to turn your basement into a haunted house. These movies are for everyone who has ever thrown a fake karate chop.

Of all the films Dark Sky has given me for review lately my favorite bad gem is The Glove. John Saxon is a bounty hunter trying to track down a mysterious assassin killing former prison guards with a five pound lead and steel riot glove. Along for the ride are a host of highly recognizable characters including Bladerunners Joanna Cassidy, Keenan Wynn , Joan Blondell, Jack Carter, and Aldo Ray. Saxon gives voiceover narration that makes this cheesefest even cheesier. I no sooner saw Rosey Gier, who plays the assassin, destroy an automobile simply by bashing it with the glove then I started checking Ebay to see if I could find a replica of the glove or even a real one. No luck but I might just keep looking. I liked The Glove that much. I can take or leave Search and Destroy but it does have a manic sort of Starsky and Hutch energy as it tells us the story of two war vets tracking down the killer of their soldier buddies.

Espionage in Tangiers and Assassination in Rome offer stolen rayguns, empty-headed easily-bedded femme fatales and a healthy dose of exotica on the cheap. Think James Bond gone to seed or Charade with less class and even less budget but all the pretensions. One improbably but goofily entertaining moment leads to another but I’m betting you’ll file these under guilty pleasure. But that said it should also be noted that guilty pleasures can be some of cinemas most engaging and worthwhile ways to enjoy the medium. Just make sure you take your kids out in the backyard afterwards to run around and play cops and robbers.

Each disc comes with vintage drive-in styled content that includes concession ads and trailers. You have the option of viewing the films separately or with the drive in content. As such all four of these films and the extra content on these discs are well worth your hard earned expendable income.