Saturday Night at the Movies! 6/18/11

Who cares what picture we see?


James Best very well might, and since he's been busy lately, there's good reason to check this one out!

    Wow that is a truly wicked awesome poster! This is a movie I never saw as a kid, finally catching up to it right after college on local television. Being a huge Dukes of Hazzard fan (something I haven't acknowledged on this blog - an oversight of epic proportions!) I enjoyed seeing James "Rosco P. Coltrane" Best himself playing a boat captain trapped with several others on an island full of mutated outsized rodents with big sharp teeth.
    The movie has suffered a lot of ribbing over the years, and even got zapped by the Mystery Science Theater 3000 gang - but you know what? I reviewed the movie for my old Mad Mike newsletter back in 1990 or so, and what I said then still stands - this is not a bad old flick, and the effects are really pretty cool until the shrews get shown too much towards the end of the movie.



    And there's a double reason for making it tonight's movie choice - not only is it well worth a watch - a sequel just wrapped filming!! And it's got James Best in it, reprising his role as Captain Thorne Sherman! That's an incredible fifty-two years between original movie and sequel - which has got to be the new world record!



    Director Steve Latshaw and I have almost known each other for years now - which is probably news to him - but he and I were both knocking around Southern Illinois University in Carbondale Illinois in the mid 80's, and we've been online acquaintances through director Fred Olen Ray's late lamented Retromedia Forum site for the last few years before Mr. Ray closed the cyber doors earlier this year. Steve Latshaw went on from Southern Illinois to become a successful writer/producer/director of movies like Dark Universe, Jack-O, and Vampire Trailer Park. He also recently wrote the Dolph Lundgren action flick Command Performance, which is bound to turn up here sooner or later in review form.
    Latshaw has assembled a hell of a cast for the new Killer Shrews movie - in addition to Mr. Best, there's a mini Dukes reunion as both John Schneider (Bo Luke) and Rick Hurst (Deputy Cletus Hogg) are on hand to battle the toothy menaces. The movie also features a guy who knows a thing or two about killer rodents - Willard himself, Bruce Davison! These veterans are supported by some fresh young faces who've appeared on several popular TV shows like Zoey 101, Desperate Housewives, and Monk.



Here's a look at a possible poster for the new movie:

Isn't that just awesome! I am super excited to see this new movie - while we wait for the release, you can check out the movie's website:

http://www.killershrewsmovie.com/index.html

They also have a Facebook page, and there are several other website links available through the movie's site.



And in the meantime, the original 1959 movie sits ready to spin on DVD in my video vault, and we could be watching that one as soon as...tonight! If you care to drop by, that is!



Til next post, you Can Poke Me With A Fork, Cause I Am Outta Here!