Cuba Gooding, Jr.--finally diminished to direct-to-video status after years of turkeys like RADIO and BOAT TRIP stinking up the multiplexes--stars as Secret Service agent Alex Thomas, who is wounded trying to protect the President (Jack Scalia, who got a promotion after playing the head of Homeland Security in last year’s RED EYE) during a successful assassination attempt.  The assassin is gunned down by other agents, and Thomas’ boss Vaughn Stevens (James Woods) places Alex on medical leave.  Not a very quiet one, however, as he partners with a reporter, Kate Crawford (Angie Harmon, formerly of LAW & ORDER), to snoop out a conspiracy which may involve half of Washington, D.C., up to and including a mysterious retired Army general (Burt Reynolds) and the widowed First Lady (Anne Archer).

Millennium is an off-shoot of Nu Image Films, which made a name for itself during the 1990s with an impressively vast production slate of DTV action movies with titles like CYBORG COP III, OPERATION DELTA FORCE 2 and dozens of movies about killer animals:  SPIDERS, CROCODILE, SHARK ATTACK, OCTOPUS et al.  In recent years, Millennium/Nu Image has made an effort to amp up its budgets and production scope, and END GAME appears to have been intended for theatrical release.  It instead went directly to DVD earlier this month, even though it compares favorably with something like THE SENTINEL, the Michael Douglas film that likely cost four times as much to make, but contains a story and action setpieces no more impressive.

Indeed, Cheng does handle a couple of END GAME’s chases pretty well, including an interesting car chase in which the fleeing heavy attempts to distract Gooding by shooting at passing vehicles.  The story by Cheng and J.C. Pollock is muddled--I’m not entirely sure what the conspiracy was all about--but the veteran cast, which also includes a welcome character turn by DARK SHADOWS’ David Selby, makes it somewhat believable.  Even Harmon--my least favorite “L&O” ADA--settles into a relaxed performance.

END OF DAYS (1999)--Directed by Peter Hyams. Stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gabriel Byrne, Robin Tunney, Kevin Pollak, Rod Steiger. A loopy supernatural thriller with its own sense of logic, END OF DAYS features a good number of action scenes, explosions and (mostly fake-looking) special effects, but is too dopey to be taken seriously. The screenplay by Andrew W. Marlowe (AIR FORCE ONE, an equally unbelievable action movie in which the President of the United States singlehandedly staves off a terrorist attack) asks us to believe that once every 1000 years, a baby girl will be born who, twenty years later on New Years Eve in the hour just before the new Millennium, if she is impregnated by Old Scratch, will eventually give birth to the Anti-Christ and bring about the destruction of the world, or the end of days. The girl is Christine (Tunney), who is unaware of her importance in the grand scheme of things, and has been under constant surveillance by the Vatican since her birth. One faction of the Church wants to kill Christine (the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few, you know), while another, represented by priest Steiger, believes that murdering an innocent girl isnt a very godly way to save the universe. Her guardian angel turns out to be a suicidal, alcoholic ex-cop named Jericho Cane (very biblical), played in his usual manner by Schwarzenegger in his first action lead since 1996's ERASER. Satan (Byrne) takes the form of an important New York businessman (about whom we know nothing) whose life is saved by professional bodyguard Cane. The assassin is a homeless priest who has cut out his own tongue, and is later found crucified on the ceiling of his hospital room.

Hyams' films, which include CAPRICORN ONE and TIMECOP, have never relied on strong characterizations or tight scripting, and END OF DAYS is no exception. The action scenes don't even work too well, since Hyams chose to shoot them too close and edit them too quickly, so we don't get to see whats going on. Pollak gets all the best lines as Arnold's sardonic partner, Byrne makes for a marvelously charming Prince of Darkness, Tunney is cute (and performs a completely gratuitous topless scene) but lifeless, while Arnold is...well...Arnold, albeit a slightly more ambitious one.

Hyams, one of the few Hollywood directors who serves as his own cinematographer, achieves a decent look, with an OK score by John Debney and too-frantic editing by Steven Kemper. Stan Winston's briefly-seen creature design seems to indicate he's been watching a lot of SOUTH PARK, since his Satan closely resembles the one displayed in one of that series's episodes. Also with CCH Pounder, Renee Olstead, Linda Pine and the great Udo Kier.

ENEMY (1990)—Directed by George Rowe.  Stars Peter Fonda, Tia Carrere.  Fonda closed out the “tough guy” portion of his acting career with this decent Vietnam War actioner filmed in the Philippines.  From this point on, he moved gracefully into character roles in bigger, better films, such as ULEE’S GOLD, which earned Fonda his only Academy Award nomination as an actor.

More commonly seen on Media’s VHS as FATAL MISSION, ENEMY stars Fonda as Andrews, an American agent who assassinates a North Vietnamese official using a gun hidden inside a newsreel camera.  The helicopter assigned to pick him up from the jungle is destroyed by Mai (Carrere), a beautiful Chinese agent, who takes Andrews prisoner, but not before receiving a nasty bullet wound in the shoulder.  As the two enemy spies traipse on foot through the perilous jungle towards civilization, the realization hits both that they’ll have to work together to make it alive, as the elements and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of Viet Cong soldiers work against them.

It’s sort of an ENEMY MINE/DEFIANT ONES riff made cheaply but competently.  For some reason, it took six screenwriters (including Fonda) to cobble together one of the simplest scripts I’ve ever seen.  They may have been working against each other, rather than together, because ENEMY occasionally hints at more complex plotting involving a CIA plot to kill Andrews, but the whos and whys aren’t very clear, making the shock ending something of a dud.

Director Rowe (BLACK MAMBA) shoots the action with little flair, but plenty of squibbing.  Cameos by Mako, Ted Markland, Joe Mari Avellana and Jim Mitchum (with whom Fonda starred in Cannon’s MERCENARY FIGHTERS) add appeal, and the young Carrere is fine, whether acting in Chinese or English.  Fifteen years later, she and Fonda would reunite in the TV-movie SUPERNOVA.

THE ENFORCER (1976)--Directed by James Fargo.  Stars Clint Eastwood, Tyne Daly, Harry Guardino, Bradford Dillman, John Crawford.  Dirty Harry (Eastwood, natch) returns to take on hippie terrorists who kidnap the mayor (Crawford) of San Francisco.  More humor and a female partner (Daly) for Harry set THE ENFORCER apart from DIRTY HARRY and MAGNUM FORCE.  I think it’s the most briskly paced Dirty Harry movie; Clint can barely twitch a lip muscle without running into somebody who needs chasing, shooting or hitting.  The basic storyline is fairly weak, but Fargo’s knack for setting up exciting action sequences in interesting locations, as well as Eastwood’s laconic charisma, make THE ENFORCER very entertaining.  Daly’s character—a rookie inspector who gradually earns Harry’s respect—is not so surprisingly progressive when you compare her to other Eastwood pictures.  The only Dirty Harry picture not scored by Lalo Schifrin benefits from Jerry Fielding music that is just as effective.  Also with DeVeren Bookwalter, Jocelyn Jones, Albert Popwell, Michael Cavanaugh, Dick Durock, Samantha Doane and Joe Spano.  Fargo’s debut as a director; the former Eastwood assistant went on to direct Clint again in EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE and Chuck Norris in FORCED VENGEANCE.

ENSIGN PULVER (1964)--Directed by Joshua Logan. Stars Robert Walker, Jr., Burl Ives, Walter Matthau. Despite the absence of Jack Lemmon, Henry Fonda and James Cagney, this follow-up to MISTER ROBERTS is a fairly pleasant comedy about World War II hijinks. Look for some familiar faces in small roles including Tommy Sands, Jack Nicholson and Larry Hagman.

ENTER THE DEVIL (1972)—Directed by Frank Q. Dobbs. Stars Joshua Bryant, Irene Kelly, David S. Cass, John Martin, Carle Bensen. Who is killing deer hunters in the West Texas desert? Deputy Jason (stuntman Cass), anthropologist Leslie (Kelly), and innkeeper Glenn (TV guest star Bryant) trace the killings back to a freaky religious cult that wears red robes and sacrifices its victims using rattlesnakes and crucifixion. It isn’t exactly what you’d call rapidly paced, but this independently produced chiller is worth your while if you have the patience for it. The sun-baked cinematography, great locations, and moody score add a touch of class, and the screenplay by Cass and director Dobbs offers a couple of delicious surprises. Sunset International, which usually released foreign imports, hopefully made a penny or two on this one in Southern drive-ins. You won’t be surprised to learn Pearl Beer was a sponsor. Also with Wanda Wilson, Linda Rascoe, Ed Geldart, Happy Shahan, and Willy Gonzalez. Both Dobbs and Cass made pretty good livings working together on made-for-TV movies in the 1990s and 2000s. It’s no unsung classic, but I’d call ENTER THE DEVIL a curious sleeper. Filmed in Terlingua, Texas.

ENTER THE DRAGON (1973)--Directed by Robert Clouse.  Stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Jim Kelly, Shih Kien, Bob Wall, Angela Mao Ying, Ahna Capri.  Lee was dead by the time this big-time Warner Brothers martial arts movie was released.  It was supposed to be the film that made him a true international movie star—and it did.  Too bad he wasn’t able to enjoy it.  Michael Allin’s comic-booky screenplay turns Lee into a government agent who accepts an invitation to a martial arts tournament in order to investigate the event’s sponsor, Han (Shih), a ruthless millionaire who runs a busy narcotics and prostitution ring from his private island.  Kelly and Saxon play Vietnam War buddies on the run from racist cops and Mafia loan sharks, respectively, who join Han’s competition, but become sickened by their host’s corruption.  Lee’s climactic battle with Shih and his detachable metal hand is a classic, but Clouse and Lee (who choreographed the fights) provide other memorable action scenes too.  Much credit goes to Lalo Schifrin for composing one of his finest scores, adding much gusto to the kicking and punching.

ENTER THE NINJA (1981)--Directed by Menahem Golan.  Stars Franco Nero, Sho Kosugi, Susan George, Christopher George, Alex Courtney, Sachi Noy.  This Cannon exploitation film shot in the Philippines more or less kicked off the short-lived "ninja" craze of the 1980s.  Not only did Cannon and other low-budget filmmakers rip off ENTER's success, but NBC even tried a television series co-starring Kosugi with Lee Van Cleef titled THE MASTER. 

EPICENTER pales next to Pepin's wilder films for his company, PM Entertainment, which are notable for slicker production values and more outrageous stunts than demonstrated here.  One problem is that Pepin, instead of staging his own action sequences, decided to buy them instead; in addition to the METRO chase, stock footage from SPEED and MONEY TRAIN also pop in.  The earthquake scenes were also probably taken from another production, but I didn't recognize which.  In addition, both Lords (billing herself as "Traci Elizabeth Lords") and Daniels are miscast; Gary only has one very brief martial arts moment, while Traci, with her puffy cheeks and pouty lips, is never convincing as an undercover agent.  Fahey, a veteran of these things, is wryly amusing in his brief screen time.

EQUALIZER 2000 (1986)--Directed by Cirio H. Santiago.  Stars Richard Norton, Corinne Wahl, Robert Patrick.  After the apocalypse, a bunch of rebels fight a bunch of bad guys.  Both sides want badass Slade (Norton) on their side, but what Slade wants is the Equalizer 2000, a big gun that blows stuff up real good.  Despite wall-to-wall action, this film is quite dull--as many Santiago films are--and doesn't even bother to strip Penthouse Pet Wahl, who thankfully went au natural in AMAZON WOMEN ON THE MOON.  Patrick plays Deke, a redneck in a Confederacy cap.

EQUINOX (1970)--Directed by Jack Woods.  Stars Edward Connell, Frank Bonner, Barbara Hewitt, Robin Christopher.  If you were a horror fan growing up in the 1960’s and 1970’s, you were undoubtedly aware of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND.  A monthly magazine published by Warren, FMOF enchanted kids with wonderfully evocative articles and stills from science fiction, horror and fantasy movies past and present.  Much of it was written by its editor, Forrest J Ackerman (sic), in an inimitable “punny” style that clicked with a young audience fixated on monster movies and special effects.  It’s no exaggeration to say that FMOF influenced a generation of future filmmakers.

In 1965, a trio of young “monster kids” who had met through the FMOF classifieds decided to join forces and make a movie just like the ones they enjoyed watching on late-night TV.  Greatly influenced by KING KONG and the special effects wizardry of the legendary Ray Harryhausen, the three lads--Dennis Muren, Mark McGee and David Allen--created EQUINOX on weekends over the course of two years on a budget of only $6500.  Muren is a name many genre fans recognize immediately.  He’s an Oscar-winning visual effects technician whose credits include E.T. and JURASSIC PARK, just to name a handful.  Muren was still a teenager when he co-directed his first movie, along with McGee (who went on to write several films for Roger Corman) and Allen, who, like Muren, became renowned for his work in visual effects, specializing in stop-motion animation.

Three years after EQUINOX was finally completed, Hollywood producer Jack H. Harris bought the picture and hired Jack Woods to write additional scenes and reassemble the cast to direct new footage.  EQUINOX played across the United States and found an extra life in TV syndication and home video.  Criterion has released it in a sumptuous 2-disc DVD that includes not only the theatrical cut, but also--for the first time ever--the original 77-minute version from before Harris and Woods got hold of it.

Both versions have slightly different storylines, but the basic premise remains the same.  Four youths--David (Edward Connell), Susan (Barbara Hewitt), Vicki (Robin Christopher) and Jim (Frank Boers, Jr., who later changed his name to Frank Bonner and became famous as sleazy sales manager Herb Tarlek on WKRP IN CINCINNATI)--hiking through the woods to the cabin of Professor Waterman (fantasy author Fritz Leiber) encounter a crazy old man in a cave who hands them an ancient book.  This tome opens a doorway between Earth and a haunted dimension that unleashes a bevy of murderous creatures against them, including a green giant, a Harryhausen-like “Taurus” and a winged demon.  The Woods/Harris version attempts to flesh out a story that doesn’t need it by adding a spooky park ranger, Mr. Asmodeus (Woods), who warns the kids away from the woods, but also takes the time to mesmerize and make out with the two girls in scenes that appear to exist solely for the actor/director’s gratification.

Neither EQUINOX is what I would call “good,” but both are interesting in terms of their admittedly crude special effects.  It’s fun guessing how the budding filmmakers pulled off their ambitious vision without much money.  A lot of it was done “in the camera” using forced perspective, mirrors or matte paintings on glass that mingle perfectly with the real background.  The paintings were done by another “monster kid,” Jim Danforth, who was already a Hollywood professional on films such as THE 7 FACES OF DR. LAO.  The stop-motion scenes were mostly directed by Allen using front and rear projection techniques that seem impossible on $6500.  I particularly admire the cave set, which is one of the best I’ve ever seen.  It was basically a 40-foot cave wall constructed in Muren’s backyard, but, combined with exteriors filmed at Bronson Canyon and another Danforth matte painting, is indistinguishable from a real cave.

I’ve barely mentioned the performers, which is fair when discussing EQUINOX.  It’s difficult to accurately measure their work, since EQUINOX was shot without sound using a 16mm Bolex camera, and the voices were post-dubbed later.  The cast are inexperienced, but likable; it’s unsurprising that Bonner comes off best.  The performances are definitely hurt by Woods’ recutting, which eliminates nearly all the character buildup and backstory, turning the protagonists into teenage ciphers, rather than people we become invested in.

EQUINOX is perhaps the unlikeliest member of the vaunted Criterion Collection, which, according to its Web site, is “a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films“ and “dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world.”  I’m not certain EQUINOX qualifies on those counts, but there’s no denying the film’s impact on a select few individuals who went on to create some of Hollywood’s greatest fantasies.

ERIN BROCKOVICH (2000)--Directed by Steven Soderburgh. Stars Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart. Although this crowd-pleasing star vehicle placed surprisingly high on several year-end Top Ten lists, ERIN BROCKOVICH, starring wide-lipped Roberts as a potty-mouthed activist, is nothing more than a solidly performed and directed Hollywood melodrama. Erin, a single mother of two younguns struggling to find both a job (her bank balance stands at $74) and a babysitter (to watch her kids when she finally lands that job), talks her way into a position file-clerking for local attorney Ed Masry (Finney). Masry unsuccessfully represented Erin in a civil suit after she was injured in a car accident. Her wiseass attitude, vulgar vocabulary and boob-baring wardrobe makes it difficult for her officemates to warm up to Erin, but Masry, in a fit of guilt and pity, agrees to take her on anyway, and assigns her to a faraway office. Her enthusiasm gets the best of her when she begins investigating a pro bono case on her own, one in which several people seem to have been poisoned by Pacific Gas & Electric, which allegedly dumped a toxic chemical into the local towns drinking water. Although Masry is initially annoyed at Erin's immersion in the case, he soon realizes that there's more to it than meets the eye, and eventually, with Erin's legwork and dedication, agrees to pursue a third-of-a-billion-dollar class action suit against PG&E.

The sort of David-meets-Goliath drama that Hollywood loves to produce, ERIN BROCKOVICH suffers from its similarity to 1998's A CIVIL ACTION, another true story about a colorful attorney who pursues a lonely pollution lawsuit against a major company. That movie, which starred John Travolta as New England lawyer Jan Schlichtmann, did a nice job showing the frustration of going up against an opponent with the power to bankrupt and destroy anyone who threatens its capitalist goals. ERIN is simply a feel good movie with plenty of one-liners and too few obstacles in our heroine's way. Need a babysitter? No problem--the unemployed nice-guy biker next door (Eckhart) is eager to help.

Roberts, who won a Best Actress Academy Award, is fine as Erin, but she's just coasting here, doing most of her acting with her cleavage and her smile. It's the work of a movie star with great charm, but hardly Oscar-worthy. On her behalf, it isn't easy making a character like Brockovich someone to root for, since she appears to make her own brand of bad luck. Instead of clucking our tongues at Erin for antagonizing anyone who attempts to help her or coming into work in outfits more fitting to Julia's PRETTY WOMAN character, we're supposed to be aroused by her sense of individuality. I thought she was more stupid than brave. Finney, on the other hand, delivers his most vigorous performance in years, while familiar faces Peter Coyote (E.T.), Marg Helgenberger (C.S.I.) and Conchata Ferrell (E/R) turn in nice support.

Also with Tracey Walter, William Lucking, Mimi Kennedy, Gina Gallego and the real Erin Brockovich as a waitress. Music by Thomas Newman. Writer Susannah Grant also penned the trite Sandra Bullock-in-rehab drama 28 DAYS. Danny DeVito was a producer. Soderburgh earned DGA, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for this and TRAFFIC the same year; he won the Best Director Oscar for TRAFFIC.

ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ (1979)--Directed by Don Siegel. Stars Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Roberts Blossom, Fred Ward. Clint and two colleagues plan to become the first convicts to break out of the legendary maximum-security prison on Alcatraz Island. McGoohan is good as the slimy warden. The escape sequence is tautly directed, and there are many other good action scenes along the way. Script by Richard Tuggle.

EXCESSIVE FORCE (1992)--Directed by Jon Hess.  Stars Thomas Ian Griffith, Lance Henriksen, Charlotte Lewis, Burt Young.  This looks like a straight-to-video release, but it actually played in theaters.  Black belt Griffith (who also wrote the screenplay) plays Terry McCain, a tough Chicago cop obsessed with nailing mobster Sal DiMarco (Young).  So tough that he's been known to use "excessive force" a time or two when bringing bad guys to justice.  Unfortunately, this time he goes too far, and when DiMarco is arrested during a drug deal gone badly, a judge releases him on a technicality.  Even though it's McCain's own damn fault, he continues to harass DiMarco--a situation that grows more personal after the Don's gang starts killing Terry's partners.  It seems $3 million of DiMarco's drug money has disappeared from the scene of the bust.  He thinks one of the arresting officers "confiscated" it and intends to get it back, one bullet at a time.

In 1949, Merrin, a faithless ex-priest who left his collar behind on a cobblestone street in Nazi Germany, is hired to investigate an archeological dig in Kenya where a centuries-old Catholic church has been unburied--years before one should have existed there.  Along for the ride are beautiful doctor Sarah (GOLDENEYE Bond girl Scorupco) and young Father Francis (D'Arcy).  There among the sand and the wind and the restless natives, Merrin discovers plenty of blood and mystery, including a young African boy who may or may not be possessed by the demon Pazuzu.  Unconvincing CGI effects, silly monster makeup, startling gore and a surprising amount of violence towards children do little to add class to Harlin's torpid film, which is too dour to be effective as exploitation or unintentional comedy.  It looks nice and Trevor Rabin's score booms and hollers during the many juvenile false scares (during one scene, Skarsgard stumbles upon three false scares in about 20 seconds, a sure sign of desperate filmmaking), but even John Boorman's riotous misfire EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC holds more entertainment value.  Also with Ben Cross, Alan Ford and Remy Sweeney.

THE EXOTIC ONES--See THE MONSTER AND THE STRIPPER.

EXPERIMENT IN TERROR (1962)--Directed by Blake Edwards. Stars Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, Ross Martin, Stefanie Powers. Bank teller Remick is informed that her younger sister (Powers) has been kidnapped by Martin and is being held for ransom. FBI agent Ford investigates in this taut thriller directed by a man better known for his slapstick comedies i.e. the PINK PANTHER series. Movie is enhanced by moody black-and-white photography and a creepy performance by Martin, soon to find TV stardom as Robert Conrad's sidekick on THE WILD, WILD WEST. Music by Henry Mancini. Filmed on location in San Francisco.

THE EXPLOSIVE GENERATION (1961)—Directed by Buzz Kulik.  Stars William Shatner, Patty McCormack, Lee Kinsolving, Billy Gray.  United Artists released this independently produced drama, which is basically forgotten today, despite the fact that it’s both a surprisingly sensitive take on a potentially exploitative subject and William Shatner’s feature debut as a leading man.  Bill plays into Kulik’s understated style quite well as Mr. Gifford, a high school English teacher who encourages his students to think outside the box and speak freely.  When his class expresses an interest in a frank, open, intelligent discussion about sex, their repressed middle-class parents freak out and force the school to suspend Gifford.  The student body, having to this point felt safe in their sheltered world, support the likable Gifford, and now must decide whether or not to demonstrate for a right to be heard by school officials, even if it means a potential expulsion.

Shatner has the lead role and top billing, but Kulik’s film is really about his students, namely two couples—Dan (Kinsolving) and Janet (McCormack) and Bobby (Gray) and Marge (Suzi Carnell)—whose conflicted emotions revolve around a night they spent together after a party.  Whether they “went all the way,” we don’t know, but the events of that night prey in the mind of Janet, who sets the plot in motion when she suggests to Gifford that the kids write questions about sex anonymously to be read and discussed in class the following Monday.  Writer Joseph Landon’s sensitive approach is revealed in the character of the principal (GET SMART’s Ed Platt), who sympathizes with Gifford somewhat, but knows his job entails protecting the school from angry parents as much as protecting his teachers.  A pat ending and Kinsolving’s shaky performance let the film down a bit, but THE EXPLOSIVE GENERATION deserves to be seen, if only to observe that some American attitudes toward sex haven’t progressed in the five decades since.  Also with Beau Bridges, Jocelyn Brando, Steve Dunne, Arch Johnson, Stafford Repp and Virginia Field.  Composer Hal Borne uses an instrumental version of Bobby Rydell’s hit “Swingin’ School” as source music.

THE EXTERMINATOR (1980)--Directed by James Glickenhaus.  Stars Robert Ginty, Steve James, Christopher George, Samantha Eggar.  This Avco Embassy release is one schizophrenic picture and is almost an exploitation classic.  It plays like two different films spliced together, as if Glickenhaus had already finished the film, and then received word from the studio that it had retained Christopher George for ten days of work and could you please create a part for him in the movie, thank you.

BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP supporting player Ginty makes his exploitation debut as John Eastland, a Vietnam vet who stalks the streets of the Big Apple, tracking down the street scum that paralyzed his best pal, Army buddy Jefferson (James).  Glickenhaus, who also wrote the screenplay, has a firm grip on the tackiness and despair that permeated 42nd Street at that time, and captures the worst aspects of New York City with his camera, shooting in locations squalid enough to make Andy Warhol vomit.  He also stages some shocking action sequences, including a prologue set in Vietnam that opens with an exploding body vaulting off the top of a hill and Eastland’s merciless revenge against a mobster by lowering him into a meat grinder.

Unfortunately, nearly half the film is taken up by George’s character, a cop named Dalton assigned to investigate the serial killings, which the media have attributed to a vigilante called “The Exterminator”.  As much as I like George, Glickenhaus gives him very little of substance to do, and, in desperation, tacks on a superfluous romantic subplot between George and a nurse played by Eggar (THE BROOD).  These scenes are so pointless and dull that they make Ginty’s scenes seem more interesting than they actually are when Glickenhaus cuts back to them.  Late in the game, the film also throws in a CIA conspiracy and a bummer ending that serve little dramatic purpose.  George’s novel method of roasting hot dogs is funny though.

THE EXTERMINATOR plays much better on Anchor Bay’s DVD, restoring the film to its original cut with crucial moments of gore that provide the film with extra kick.  Stan Winston and Tom Burman provided the bloody squibs and makeup effects.  Music by Joe Renzetti.  Also with Tony DiBenedetto, Stan Getz, Irwin Keyes, Dennis Boutsikaris and George Kee Cheung.

EXTERMINATOR 2 (1982)--Directed by Mark Buntzman. Stars Robert Ginty, Mario Van Peebles, Deborah Geffner. New York vigilante Ginty returns to wreak more vengeance on street punks. He's spurred to action this time after his girlfriend's (Geffner) legs are broken by muggers. Ginty kills many with an armor-plated garbage truck, but gets gang leader Van Peebles with an electrified subway rail. Look for Arye Gross and John Turturro. Directed by the producer of the first EXTERMINATOR.

THE EXTERMINATORS IN THE YEAR 3000 (1983)--Directed by Giuliano Carnimeo (as Jules Harrison).  Stars Robert Jannucci, Luca Venantini, Alicia Moro, Luciano Pigozzi, Fernando Bilbao.  Perhaps the most blatant ROAD WARRIOR ripoff of all the early-'80s Italian post-apocalyptic knockoffs, this one copies pretty much the whole plot, substituting water for gasoline.  Alien (Jannucci in his only film appearance), driving through the desert in his super-powered "Exterminator", a car equipped with bulletproof shielding, video camera and other gadgets, is waylaid by a couple of guys posing as cops and left to die in the desert.  There he meets young Tommy (Venantini), whose father was murdered trying to bring back water from a secret underground spring.  Teaming up with Tommy, grizzled Papillon (Pigozzi) and old flame Trash (Moro), reluctant hero Alien agrees to drive a tanker truck to the water and return it to Tommy's settlement before his people die of thirst.

I wouldn't exactly call this a good movie, but I had a pretty good time.  Carnimeo certainly throws in just about every connection to THE ROAD WARRIOR he can think of and even adds a few more odd twists, like furnishing Tommy with a bionic arm (!) and forcing Alien's character to jump haphazardly from good guy to bad at a moment's whim.  He does stage several pretty good car crashes and stunts, however, which are the best reason to see this movie.  It's hard to judge the acting by the dubbed performers, but no one really seems to stand out, and Jannucci is pretty laughable with his wimpy curly hairdo and headband.  New Line Cinema released it in the U.S.

THE EXTREME ADVENTURES OF SUPER DAVE (2000)—Directed by Peter Macdonald.  Stars Bob Einstein, Dan Hedaya, Gia Carides, Steve Van Wormer.  MGM sat on this slapstick comedy for over a year before finally slipping it out on home video in January 2000.  I’m not sure the world was waiting for a Super Dave movie, but here it is.  “Super” Dave Osborne is the spoof of Evel Knievel dreamed up by actor/writer Einstein (formerly Officer Judy on THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR) and partner Allen Blye on an old John Byner variety series—a character Einstein still gets laughs with 35 years later.  However, as funny as Einstein and Super Dave are in short bursts, the singular gag of Osborne screwing up his stunts and absorbing immense physical punishment like a Looney Tunes character doesn’t work as well in a 90-minute feature.

Super Dave (co-writer Einstein takes no acting credit) considers retirement after a New Year’s Eve 1999 stunt goes horribly wrong (culminating in the big ball crashing down on top of him).  However, broke after his business manager embezzles his fortune, “Supe” returns when a boy who idolizes him needs money for a heart operation.  Urged on by the boy’s mother (Carides), Dave reluctantly takes on an incredibly dangerous new stunt masterminded by oily promoter Ruston (Hedaya) and Dave’s evil young rival (Van Wormer), a former protégé who took the name “Super Dave, Jr.”

Awkwardly rejiggered in post-production to lower the rating from a PG-13 to a PG, resulting in some language gags that no longer make sense with the profanity removed, THE EXTREME ADVENTURES OF SUPER DAVE may well work as a live-action Daffy Duck cartoon for kids, the natural audience for the countless scenes of Dave getting smashed, crushed, set on fire, and banged in the ‘nads.  The gravel-voiced Einstein plays well off his long-time co-stars Don Lake, Mike Walden and Art Irizawa, and adults may find amusing the cameos by Billy Barty, Evander Holyfield, John Elway, Peter Tomarken and Ray Charles.  Mike Connors (MANNIX) plays Dave’s grandfather, Super Danny Osborne.

EXTREME HEIST (1999)--Directed by Koichi Sakamoto & Makoto Yokoyama.  Stars Johnny Yong Bosch, Jason Narvy, Motoko Nagino, Michael Hexum.  The great Alpha Stunt team, which worked on the great DRIVE, produced its own HK-style action movie featuring cast and crew from MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS.  The stunts, fights, chases and action sequences are fantastic, but are wasted among the tired story, amateurish cast and especially the ugly digital cinematography and lighting.  Two thieves, Billy Ray (Bosch) and Guile (Narvy), swipe a notebook from bank robber Michael (Hexum) that contains access codes to bank accounts that Michael has been stealing from electronically.  He and his goons chase Billy Ray and Guile all over the desert, even after the two have teamed up with undercover FBI agent Kim (Nagino).  Luckily, HEIST realizes that the amazing stunt choreography is its bread and butter and doesn't spend a lot of time on dialogue or characterization.  However, it needs more than it has, and its leading men are not strong enough actors to care about.  It's a real shame that the Japanese directors chose to shoot cheaply on digital video, a grainy process that makes their marvelous stunt work look cheesier than it really is.  Mike Verta provides a dull score, and "name" actor George Kee Cheung (STARSKY & HUTCH) plays Kim's boss.