(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Once a lone bounty hunter, Mandalorian Din Djarin and his apprentice Grogu embark on an exciting new Star Wars adventure.”
 
Yes, I’m part of the generation that grew up watching Star Wars – the original Star Wars – the Star Wars that was conceived by George Lucas and not the Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm under that tragic reign of Kathleen Kennedy – on the silver screen.  I think it’s important that I establish that reality right up front because – like it or not – it does feed into my overall impressions of the film along with the current state of the franchise.  So if you’re uninterested in what I have to say at this point entirely because of – ahem – the wisdom I’ve gathered over the years, then – in the words of Mark Hamill who came to fame in the guise of Luke Skywalker himself – “Go Force yourself.”
 
However …
 
Unlike a great percentage of the fanboy and fangirl regiments who exist and traffic heavily over the Information Superhighway, I can still admit to the fact that some of what’s happened in that galaxy far, far away since Lucas sold the property to “the white slavers” (his words, not mine) has been good-natured fun.  Though I absolutely loathed what came to pass in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) and Episode IX – The Rise Of Skywalker (2019), I did think that Episode VIII – The Last Jedi minimally possessed a return to theatrical form, meaning that writer/director Rian Johnson grasped an understanding of the visual elements necessary to seriously compete with the likes of what Lucas had achieved before.  Now, his story was thematically all wrong for the universe; and his take on the characters was about as ill-founded as it could’ve been.  But at the very least, Star Wars – for a brief time – felt like a carnival thrill ride again even though the twists and turns lacked the proper Midichlorian Count to make for the spectacle that Luke Skywalker’s return to the silver screen should’ve had.
 
Similarly, when The Mandalorian first premiere (behind a pay wall) on Disney+ (the MouseHouse’s vastly overrated streaming service), I was glad to see some modest signs of life with the franchise.  Granted, some of these signs were fleeting and – ahem – surprisingly short-lived; but Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni had marginally come up with an idea which almost felt like I was being transported once more to the Outer Rim territories.   Yes, the show chiefly relied on ratcheting up the viewership’s fondness for the Original Trilogy what with the endless array of costumes, props, and locations that helped to call up the proper wave of nostalgia; but that’s exactly the kind of sins in entertainment which are forgivable.  “If you build it, people will come,” and I personally thought that – while the Mando show was still largely imperfect – it was an at-times impressive sideshow worth its ticket price.
 
Like so many, I was hugely disappointed when the show morphed into something akin to Bantha poodoo in its third season, an unmitigated disaster of cosmic proportions.  Every bit of goodwill that Favreau and Filoni had earned from a discerning audience was – pardon the expression – absolutely shit on by the two as they delivered something that practically unraveled the substance that compelled us to invest in the show in the first place.  Gone was the heroic male lead; in its place, the creators shoehorned the predictable girl boss whose influence even threatened to steal young Grogu’s attentions right out from under his surrogate father.  Heck, Mando never even seemed like the star of the show any longer (Filoni even suggested he was no longer ‘The Mandalorian’ of the title); and the audience was deluged with bloated mythology filler that sidelined narrative cohesion over pretty visuals.  And … actors Jack Black and Lizzo as royal guest stars in some cartoon world?
 
What were they thinking?
 
Well …
 
It would seem ‘the lack of thinking’ has become the norm as Filoni and Favreau have now pushed their spectacular failure onto the silver screen as The Mandalorian And Grogu has undergone only a name change in the transition from streaming to the cineplex.  To their credit, the two kinda/sorta dumbed it all down even further (if that were possible) by kinda/sorta resetting their world in what’s meant to be a standalone adventure introducing their dynamic duo to what they hope will be a growing audience.  It’s all rather small scale – with no galactic stakes whatsoever – and it sadly goes nowhere that this once beloved franchise has been before, making it about as clinically safe and equally uninteresting motion picture turned out since Walt Disney took over stewardship of the galaxy.
 
With the Rebel Alliance’s victory at Endor (seen in 1983’s Return Of The Jedi), the Galactic Empire has fallen into some disarray.  Instead of maintaining some central grasp of control over the various star systems, rogue Imperial warlords have stepped in – as dictators, chiefly – to continue the royal policy to protect and serve, all at a cost.  In the Outer Rim territories, the New Republic tasks Colonel Ward (played by Sigourney Weaver) to see all of these nefarious evildoers taken down; and she’s conscripted The Mandalorian (voiced by Pedro Pascal) and his Force-sensitive sidekick Grogu to bring ‘em back alive (if at all possible).  In fact, the flick opens with a particularly good set-up as Mando (again, only voiced by Pascal) and his ‘Baby Yoda’ taking down a particularly vile Imperial baddie over the course of several stunt sequences that – taken independently – sense of a return to the old-style motion picture Flash Gordon serial format once championed by Lucas.  (Granted, it makes zero sense why or how anyone conceived of using massive Imperial walkers to scale a mountain with a frozen tundra – for logic’s sake – but who are we to quibble? Isn’t this meant to be fun?)
 
Sadly, the film kinda/sorta falls apart shortly thereafter.  The colonel has set her sights on a new target – Commander Coyne (played by Jonny Coyne) is so wanted and notorious she can’t even provide a location much less a picture (???) – and she sends our glorious twosome off on a quest to rescue Rotta the Hutt (voiced curiously by Jeremy Allen White with absolutely zero inflection whatsoever) and deliver the oversized worm back to his equally oversized worms of an aunt and an uncle.  If this sounds a bit convoluted then rest assured it is: the Hutt twins know the ‘secret’ location of Coyne, and they’re willing to give it up with the return of their nephew.  The truth here is that they secretly wish to kill Rotta so that they can take control of his father Jabba’s criminal enterprise now that he’s been taken out of play by the Rebel Alliance.
 
Well – ahem – the problem herein is that Jabba the Hutt’s criminal enterprise was already taken over by Boba Fett as seen in the oft-maligned Disney+ streaming series, The Book Of Boba Fett, a few years ago.  How is it that the Hutt twins are entirely unaware?  Even more damning, how is it that Filoni and Favreau – the two masterminds behind all of this at Lucasfilm – are equally unaware?  Are they ignoring their own established continuity here, or are they relying on the ignorance of newcomers to simply ask no questions?  Perhaps all that the Hutts desired was a chance to move in on Fett and his minions, and maybe they felt it would be prudent to remove Rotta from the playing field?  But … hasn’t Rotta already removed himself from the playing field by running away and renouncing his – erm – Huttship?  There’s no escaping this massive plot-hole anywhere in this two-hour-plus movie, and that’s really only the beginning of its shoddy foundation.
 
Given the fact that Grogu has already been established as a Force-user, Filoni and Favreau rather conveniently ignore the use of the critter’s powers throughout the picture.  When a simple Force-push could’ve resolved a rather elementary problem, the screenwriters instead have Grogu scaling a wall, crawling through a window, and sneaking through a veritable lion’s den to open a door so that Mando can gain entrance to a facility.  How is it that this big guy – one of the most venerable bounty hunters in all the galaxy – ever got by without the existence of his cute and cuddly companion … especially if he can’t even open a locked door without assistance?  The vigilante’s reputation would easily be questioned by viewers just stumbling into the theater for this premiere adventure; and they’d likely leave wondering how it was that the grown man insisted on taking a proverbial infant into one mortally dangerous situation after another.  Does the man have no decency?  And just who granted him custody?  Surely, there must’ve been someone more paternal available.
 
Unfortunately, there wasn’t; and The Mandalorian And Grogu evolves to the point wherein the most dangerous man in the universe captured by a competing bounty hunter once the Hutt Twins realize they’ve been duped.  With his mortal life in jeopardy, Mando is forced to endure a bit of wholesome torture – and near digestion by a massive dragonsnake elsewhere in the galaxy – while young Grogu joins forces with a puppety clan of mechanics to attempt his father’s rescue.  Not since the days of Gerry Anderson and his 1960’s cult adventure classic Thunderbirds has the silver screen been lit up with so many lifeless marionettes stuttering and puttering their way through oversized set constructs.  And to think: I was maligned by my fraternity brothers for even knowing that the Thunderbirds existed much less came to life (well …) in SuperMarionation.  (Google it: I’ll wait.)
 
As long as I’m going back in time, let me also mention that 1970’s evening television was in its absolute heyday with producers being able to cast some once marquee names in guest appearances in the latest whodunnits.  These former stars and starlets were never asked to do much more than show up, deliver a few lines, and use the breadth of their celebrity to add a bit of clout to festivities.  Largely, that’s what Sigourney Weaver does here, her presence never amounting to more gravitas than if she read lines off of cue cards being held by some intern just off-camera.  Frankly, I’ve eaten oatmeal with more flavor; and the same could be said for Pascal’s stupefyingly dull line-reading on Mando’s behalf even during the heat of conflict.  Practically no one in the Mando movie possesses a sense of urgency; and – so far as I know – that’s a requirement to making even bad schlock like this work.
 
Now, I’ll stop short of stating categorically that the Force is no longer with us.  After all, we’ll always have the Original Trilogy; and that Prequel Trilogy – the one that’s endured its own highs and lows – is looking vastly superior to anything that Disney has even attempted to assembly on its own.  I didn’t hate Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and Rogue One (2016) works well to fill a gap no one knew needing filling in the days leading up to A New Hope.  There were also bits and pieces of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch which I found interesting.  Star Wars Rebels – as much as others enjoy it – just never worked for me; and even though the Kenobi series never really had a chance it still had a familiar face that got me through my grief.  Don’t get me started on just how painful Ahsoka’s first season played out, or you’ll have me tearing the ears off a gundark.
 
But if The Mandalorian And Grogu is meant to represent a path forward for the galaxy far, far away, then the Mouse House and Lucasfilm and anyone else involved in it are going to have to get accustomed to doing it at a creative and profitable loss.
 
This, most certainly, is not the way.

Alas ... only Mildly Recommended ... and even then with severe hesitation.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m thrilled to disclose that I’m beholden to absolutely no one for my review of Star Wars: The Mandalorian And Grogu (2026) as I viewed the picture entirely on my own dime at the theater.

​-- EZ

(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Irene Kelly travels through parallel universes, repeatedly killing her daughter's murderer. As she becomes consumed by vengeance, her humanity hangs in the balance.”
 
Over the years, there have been a good number of theatrical releases whose fortunes were shortchanged over the fact that admittedly the studio marketing departments didn’t quite know what to do with them.
 
Perhaps the single greatest example of this Hollywood phenomenon remains 1990’s Tremors.  The Ron Underwood film was the birth of one of Science Fiction’s lesser franchises – while not possessing the narrative clout to compete alongside Star Wars or Star Trek, the property still produced an incredible number of direct-to-video sequels – and remains a small juggernaut to this day.  But at the time of its release, those folks chiefly tasked with creating an advertising strategy for a film that was equal parts Science Fiction, Horror, and Comedy failed to come up with a hook to draw viewers into theaters.  The picture mostly languished in obscurity; and it wasn’t until Tremors was released on home video that – seemingly out of nowhere – audiences embraced it, recommending it to friends and families everywhere.  This ‘little engine that could’ went on to become one of the biggest fan favorites ever; and yet hardly anyone could claim to have seen it on the big screen.
 
Dare I suggest that 2025’s Redux Redux might suffer the same fate?
 
Written and directed by the team of Kevin and Matthew McManus, the film tells the story of Irene Kelly (played by Michaela McManus), a woman who tragically lost her teenage daughter Anna (Grace Van Dien) to serial killer Neville (Jeremy Holm) in some unimaginable act of violence that we’re thankfully never shown.  But in her attempt to process her grief, Irene has tapped into an underground network of technology traffickers who’ve perfected the use of devices which allow users to hop from one parallel universe to the next.  Essentially, she’s committed herself to locating Anna still alive in some other reality, though there’s never any clear explanation as to what she’ll do when and if she finds her daughter living and breathing.
 
Therein lies the central problem with Redux Redux: it’s void of any tangible and/or relatable mission statement.  Naturally, the assumption is that Irene intends to locate a facsimile version of her daughter and perhaps lure her back to her original reality; but without any authentic explanation of the woman’s intent the script instead invests almost entirely in Irene slaughtering every iteration of Neville she can.  She shoots him.  She cuts his throat.  She suffocates him.  Instead of offering up a theory as to why our heroine never simply arrives in a new continuum and seeks out Anna, the McManus’s are intent on exploring the gratuitous lengths Irene is willing to travel to extract a personal vengeance.  Such glorification might be understandable for a time, but it grows a bit tiresome when that appears all the woman’s interests could be.
 
Of course, there’s another variable which gets introduced that alters Irene’s trajectory: on one trip, our vigilante discovers Mia (Stella Marcus), the next victim in Neville’s private killing spree who hasn’t yet succumbed to her injuries.  By freeing the young woman and attempting to return her home, Irene slowly begins to realize just how much of her humanity she’s sacrificed on her own vendetta.  This single act of mercy puts her in the unique position of questioning why she’s done all that she has; and although she’s not yet willing to give it all up and return home to live out her days in peace Irene discovers that there’s still the capacity to care for someone or something new – i.e. Mia – which also might help her come to terms with her untethered anger.
 
Now, none of this is handled with any hugely significant scenes.  The McManus’ largely use their screen time propulsively, going from one tense sequence to another.  The action does slow down a bit to allow for Mia’s introduction and the late-breaking development involving Irene’s world-hopping machine to blow its power source; but a great deal of Redux Redux maintains a fast space.  That’s a shame because, frankly, I thought the actioner worked better when it strayed into quieter and gentler territory.  It may not perfectly handle everything it introduces, but Redux Redux still works as a modest character study for its leading lady.
 
Still, I can’t help but wonder how an advertiser’s inability to market the picture may’ve affected its box office potential.  I recall it playing briefly in theaters near me; and the scuttlebutt I’ve read regarding it online strongly suggests that it’s a time travel thriller even though nothing could quite be further from the truth.  While there is a small element of time to the plot, the truth is that this is a picture entirely invested in the theory of multiple worlds: anyone showing up thinking that Irene was traveling back in time to prevent the murder of her child might’ve been a bit disappointed with what unfolded as nothing like that ever takes place.
 
What there is is a pretty compelling story of how one woman chose to deal with her heartache.  Granted, she could’ve had a better mission statement – or, minimally, something explaining what it is she hoped to accomplish as a long-term provision to her game plan – and I’m left a bit at a loss as to make of the film’s closing scenes.  Did Irene finally find peace?  Or did she realize that perhaps the peace she sought was no longer attainable?  I’m never one who likes to make up my mind about another’s intended takeaway; and I would’ve preferred a bit more closure than what the McManus’s provide.
 
But … maybe that’s the point.
 
Redux Redux (2025) was produced by Mothership Motion Pictures.  DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Saban Films.  As for the technical specifications?  While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the provided sights and sounds are quite good throughout: there’s a limited amount of (mostly) practical effects that work quite well, adding to the general mystique of the world-hopping process.  Lastly, if you’re looking for special features?  Alas … not a single one … and I would’ve liked something.
 
Recommended.
 
For those really interested in the mechanics of film advertising, I find it important to stress that Redux Redux is most certainly not a time travel flick as a great many outlets have spoken about it online.  What the McManus brothers have attempted here is to bring to life a multiverse of Earths – each with minor differences to one another (as opposed to what Marvel and other properties have done) – and I can’t help but wonder if the preponderance of online chatter suggesting this is a time travel story resulted in some confusion that may’ve hurt its box office potential.  That fact aside, what remains is a reasonably heartfelt quest of one woman seeking a kind of spiritual closure to what’s missing from her life.  It’s well-told and competently delivered … and yet it still feels a bit flat with its resolution.  This isn’t to suggest that it doesn’t work: rather, it’s only to say that the finale didn’t mean as much to me as it might to others.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Saban Films (via Allied Vaughn) provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Redux Redux (2025) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review.  Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

​-- EZ

(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or character.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“The cop test pilot for an experimental police helicopter learns the sinister implications of the new vehicle.”
 
On the 2006-produced commentary track for Blue Thunder, director John Badham laments his film largely being considered as ‘science fiction.’  His argument to those who considered the super-high-tech aerial assault vehicle a vision of tomorrow was the fact that all of the technology on display in the picture was both fully available and in use at the time of the flick’s theatrical release, nullifying the central premise of the helicopter being some ‘flight of fancy’ (snicker snicker).  The truth remains, however, that the general viewing public – along with the cadre of critics employed by reputable organizations of their time – didn’t know that nor very likely had access to the same level of information; so the likelihood that they saw this thunderous machine as some instrument of the near-future likely never impacted the film’s reception one way or the other.
 
To me, Blue Thunder capably represented another addition to a relatively newly-established sub-genre of Science Fiction: ‘Tech Noir’ was still a year away from being coined as a kinda/sorta aesthetic to be watched on the silver screen (his 1984 vision The Terminator serving as the prime source), but Thunder – alongside such other entries as George Lucas’s THX 1138 (1971), Donald Cammell’s Demon Seed (1977), and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) – showed that storytellers were fascinated with the crossroads wherein human abilities and technology intersect.  In these universes, machines were telling us which drugs to take.  A.I. was already flirting with its own ideas of conception.  Even intimate companionship was no longer limited to merely flesh on flesh.  Into this reality, a wartime aircraft – not yet with its own mind – was being tested as the next phase for law and order; so I believe that Thunder’s glance into the very-near-future definitely fueled dark fears of what the future could hold.
 
LA police helicopter pilot Frank Murphy (played by Roy Scheider) and his partner Richard Lymangood (Daniel Stern) find themselves tasked with flying test runs of the military-style aircraft in the skies of California, a vehicle primed as a means of crowd control for the city’s forthcoming sponsorship of the Summer Olympics.  Slowly, the two realize that there’s an insidious potential for Blue Thunder to be put to widespread use (and abuse) by the machine’s government handlers, including U.S. Army Colonel F.E. Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell).  Murphy and Lymangood gather evidence suggesting the movers and shakers were behind the assassination of a local government official – a development that leads to Lymangood’s untimely death – leaving our hero with no other choice but to steal Blue Thunder from the authorities in order to place the program in certain jeopardy.
 
Badham’s direction is solid throughout the film, bridging a great number of smaller and quieter scenes of Murphy’s introspective moments (he’s mildly obsessed with maintaining active control over his senses, a phobia which gets demonstrated several times with a stop watch) to some of the finest aerial stunt photography captured on film.  There are even a few chase sequences on the ground – Murphy’s squeeze Kate (Candy Clark) trying to outsmart the police; Lymangood’s flight from his assassins; etc. – which work chiefly because the director grounds them more in realism as opposed to getting lost in theatrical technique.  Once the picture sets the stakes in the first half, everything shifts into high gear; and Badham never lets up until Thunder’s closing scene, a vignette wherein Murphy is forced to do the only thing he can to keep technology from falling into the wrong hands.  As a man who constantly questions what a breakdown would mean to his sanity, his choice demonstrates that he's finally no longer fearful of the consequences.
 
If there’s any weakness to the Oscar-nominated flick, then I’d have to point fingers at McDowell’s casting.  Without going into a full autopsy as to what works and what doesn’t, I’ll simply leave it at the man – while incredibly talented – never felt as if he was giving his best work here.  His performance vacillates between wry and cynical, mostly; and he never quite musters the menace his supposedly decorated military veteran hints at.  Now, the supplemental materials go to great length to underscore that the actor was frightened to death of flying; knowing that, it’s easy to, say, give him a bit of breathing room for a few small inconsistencies with his work.  Still, an actor is paid to act; and I just never felt that he effortlessly imbued Col. Cochrane as anything more than a government shill who found himself in the right place at the right time to capitalize on a good career opportunity.
 
Blue Thunder (1983) was produced by Columbia Pictures and Rastar Pictures.  DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Arrow Films.  As for the technical specifications?  While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure readers that the disk boasts the highest quality sights and sounds: the limitations of night-time filming being what they are, some may still find a few sequences a bit difficult to see.  Lastly, if you’re looking for special features?  The release boasts a few carryover bits – i.e. a 2006 audio commentary and whatnot – along with a few newly-produced extras that are nice.  The interview with actor McDowell is quite good – frankly, I don’t think I’d ever heard him speak on the project, so it was informative – so fans should be pleased generally.
 
Highest Recommendation Possible.
 
Even decades later, Blue Thunder (1983) remains a prescient story about the dangers of both unchecked authority and technology.  I’ve always considered it one of those rare ‘perfect films’ which manages to entertain and educate viewers without any measure of political drum-beating in the background, leaving its message accessible and debatable by anyone who discovers it.  Scheider is brilliant as its flawed leading man who fears the loss of his own humanity not so much under control of the state as he does the unstoppable progress of growing old.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray copy of Blue Thunder (1983) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review.  Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

​-- EZ

On this day in 2009 (in the U.S.), Ghost Month (aka The Offerings) enjoyed its big screen debut.  Written and directed by Danny Draven, the film starred Marina Resa, Toonyun, Akiko Shima, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A housekeeper drawn into a terrifying world of vengeful apparitions. According to the Chinese calendar, the seventh month of every year marks the time when the spirits of the dead break free from the gates of hell to mix among the mortals."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

​Ghost Month (also known as The Offerings) is a 2009 American independent horror film directed by Danny Draven.

The Plot

Fleeing her abusive ex-boyfriend, a young woman named Alyssa takes a job as a housekeeper for a wealthy Chinese family in a secluded desert home. Her arrival coincides with the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, a sacred period where the gates of hell open and restless spirits are allowed to roam the mortal realm. Alyssa’s employers perform strict nightly rituals to appease the dead and warn her of taboos—such as never whistling or turning around if someone calls her name. When she accidentally disturbs sacred offerings, she begins experiencing terrifying visions and uncovers the dark mystery surrounding the family's missing former housekeeper.

Key Details

• Release Date: The film was released on May 26, 2009.
• Director: Danny Draven.
• Starring: Marina Resa (as Alyssa), Shirley To (as Miss Wu), and Akiko Shima (as Aunt Chen).
• Production: Produced by Cosmic Creations and Darkworld Pictures, and distributed by Barnholtz Entertainment.

On this day in 2006 (in France), Skinwalkers graced the silver screens of the Cannes Film Festival.  Directed by James Isaac from a story by James DeMonaco, Todd Harthan, and James Roday Rodriguez, the film starred Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra, and others.  

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A 12-year-old boy and his mother become the targets of two warring werewolf packs, each with different intentions and motives."

-- EZ

On this day in 1975 (in the U.S.), the big city of El Dorado, Arkansas played host for the big screen theatrical premiere of Wheeler (aka Psycho From Texas).  Written and directed (in part) by Jim Feazell, the film starred John King III, Candy Dee, Tommy Lamey, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A drifter/hitman is hired by a local business man to kidnap the local oil baron. The hitman had been reared in squalor, suffering the abuses of his whoring mama. When the baron escapes his assistant must chase him while the hitman takes care of a few loose ends."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

Psycho from Texas (originally released as Wheeler) is a low-budget 1975 American crime-horror film directed by Jim Feazell and Jack Collins. It follows a knife-wielding, mother-obsessed drifter who is hired by a local businessman to kidnap a wealthy oil baron, ultimately spiraling into a chaotic, sleazy grindhouse thriller. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Plot
​
A local businessman hires an unhinged, rootless drifter named Wheeler (John King III) to kidnap a wealthy retired oil baron named Bill Phillips for ransom. Driven mad by childhood abuse from his mother, Wheeler is a sadistic killer with a penchant for attacking women. The kidnapping goes awry when the baron escapes, leaving his dimwitted associate, Slick, and the erratic Wheeler to track him down while tying up other deadly loose ends in the town. [1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Production & Style

• Budget and Filming: Shot on a tiny budget, the film features regional "hicksploitation" aesthetics, choppy editing, and erratic acting. It was primarily filmed in and around El Dorado, Arkansas, and Louisiana.
• Influences: The movie bears elements of a true-crime story, loosely drawing from an uncredited 1967 kidnapping of a man in El Dorado, Texas.
• The Linnea Quigley Connection: The film features one of the earliest screen appearances of cult B-movie actress Linnea Quigley. A few years after the initial 1975 release, an extended scene was filmed and added for VHS/rerelease, featuring her as a barmaid.
• Promotional Stunt: When the movie premiered in New York City, the filmmakers utilized a loudspeaker-equipped truck plastered with massive banners, rolling through Times Square to shock unwary pedestrians. [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

Key Details

• Release Year: 1975 (originally titled Wheeler)
• Directors: Jim Feazell and Jack Collins
• Starring: John King III (as Wheeler), Herschel Mays (as the oil baron), and Tommy Lamey (as Slick) [1, 7]

To read the full cast, crew list, or dive into user reviews for this cult classic, you can check out the IMDb Page for Psycho from Texas. [2]

AI responses may include mistakes.
​
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_from_Texas
[2] https://www.reddit.com/r/badMovies/comments/19b8bsj/wheeler_1975_aka_psycho_from_texas/
[3] https://www.grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/Psycho_From_Texas
[4] https://bandsaboutmovies.com/2021/10/29/psycho-from-texas-1975/
[5] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082955/
[6] https://letterboxd.com/film/psycho-from-texas/
[7] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082955/fullcredits/
[8] http://www.dvdexotica.com/2019/08/controversial-blus-psycho-from-texas.html
[9] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082955/parentalguide/

On this day in 1979 (in West Germany), audiences were off and running, heading to the nearest cineplex to take in the gory delight that was Spare Parts (aka Fleisch).  Written and directed by Rainer Erler, the film starred Jutta Spiedel, Wolf Roth, Herbert Herrmann, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A honeymooning couple stay at a hotel in New Mexico. It all seems normal until an ambulance pulls up and takes the husband away. The wife, with the help of a truck driver, finds the awful secret to the hotel and the ambulance service."

-- EZ
​

From Google.com:

Fleisch (internationally released as Spare Parts) is a 1979 German science-thriller directed by Rainer Erler. The cult classic follows a newlywed couple on their honeymoon in the American Southwest whose trip turns into a terrifying fight for survival against an international black-market organ harvesting ring. [1, 2, 3]

Key Details & Plot

• The Premise: German students Monica (Jutta Speidel) and Mike (Herbert Herrmann) check into a dirt-cheap motel in New Mexico. Shortly after, Mike is mysteriously abducted by two men posing as paramedics in an ambulance.
• The Investigation: Monica narrowly escapes and, fearing the local police, teams up with a good-natured truck driver named Bill (Wolf Roth) to track down the ambulance.
• The Twist: Their cross-country pursuit leads them to New York City, where they uncover a sinister conspiracy operating in a "clinic" that uses young, healthy abducted victims as living organ donors for wealthy clients. [2, 3, 4, 5]

Cultural Impact

Written by Erler himself, the film is considered a trailblazer for the "science thriller" genre in Germany. Despite being a made-for-television film, its release coincided with an acute shortage of donor organs in West Germany. The film’s dark, highly provocative subject matter sparked a fierce public debate across the country upon its release. [2]

Reviews and Legacy

While it has sometimes been criticized for its slow pacing, the film is praised for offering a unique, neo-western visual take on the United States through a foreign lens. It has since gained a loyal cult following. [1, 3, 4, 6]

You can find more information or explore the film's production history via the IMDb Profile or review the historical screening notes on the Berlinale Program Page. [2, 7]

AI responses may include mistakes.
​
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleisch_(film)
[2] https://www.berlinale.de/en/2025/programme/202516822.html
[3] https://filmblitz.org/fleisch-1979/
[4] https://eofftvreview.wordpress.com/2019/10/14/spare-parts-1979/
[5] https://outnow.ch/en/Movies/1979/Fleisch/Review/
[6] https://www.imdb.com/fr/title/tt0079160/
[7] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079160/

Readers, I've said before that one of the downsides to trying to keep my fingers on the pulse of All Things Genre is having to report on the fact that one of our collective heroes has passed.  I do so entirely in hopes that shining a bit of light on those who've come before pushes each of us to go back and look at some of these older and sometimes forgotten shows and movies.  There's an incredible catalogue of stuff out there just waiting to thrill and chill you if you're willing to look for it, and that will always be the position of SciFiHistory.Net so long as I'm the guy in charge.

In that regard, I just noticed word reaching the World Wide Web on the passing of actor Michael Keating.  For those who didn't know him, Keating played the role of 'Vila Restal' aboard the BBC's Blake's 7 from back in the day; while I personally have only seen bits and pieces of the program, I've been assured by a great many fans that it's something I should definitely keep on my bucket list of shows to re-discover.  Hopefully, the property will get a reasonably-priced US release at some point in my lifetime so that I can do so as I'd love nothing better.

Keating's resume is a bit slim.  IMDB.com reports just over thirty different screen roles.  Still, I've noticed in a quick glance that a solid number of them are in subjects that tickle my fancy.  I see stuff like Doomwatch and, of course, Doctor Who in there -- along with a great stretch of voice acting toward the latter half of his career -- and that tells me that the actor arguably found a niche ... and that niche was most certainly in the Realms of the Fantastic that excites so many of us.  If nothing else, that also informs me that we lost one near and dear to genre circles in many ways.

Our warmest prayers are extended to the family, friends, and fans of Michael Keating.

May he rest in peace ...

​-- EZ