Customer Reviews

Bad Movie Police: Crimewave! (5-Pack)

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This five-pack of "Bad Movie Police" movies is a treasure trove for lovers of B-movie (or cheaper) cinema. The five films, made in and around Mogadore, Ohio in the early 1990's are the work of largely the same group of people led by uber-cheap cinematic genius J. R. Bookwalter. To say that I am a fan of these grade-Z cheapies is something of an understatement. I have always been fascinated with low budget filmmaking from the days of Ed Wood; Bookwalter and his regulars elevate the concept to its pinnacle here getting some of these out the door for less than $2500. (That's not a typo: two thousand, five hundred dollars...) The films are laughably cheap but ingenious in their economy, and are far, far more entertaining than most multi-million Hollywood pictures.

The first three of the series were filmed with wraparound segments featuring the "Bad Movie Police" while "Zombie Cop" and "Maximum Impact" share a disc as a double feature. I would love to see the series extended, but, unfortunately, there are a limited number of "Mogadore" releases. In all cases the commentary tracks are much funnier than the actual films themselves. I especially enjoyed the commentary for "Galaxy of the Dinosaurs" featuring Bookwalter and star James Black. Look out for my favorite scene in which Tom Hoover accidentally backs onto a triceratops horn while wearing the ugliest pants in the history of the planet. The "Chickboxer" commentary is also wonderful, especially listening to Bookwalter discuss the karate school scenes and the screen presence of star Julie Ann Suscinski.

By far the most entertaining of the set are "Chickboxer" and "Galaxy of the Dinosaurs" which also feature numerous extras, all of which are highly recommended (think of a Criterion DVD on a budget). "Humanoids From Atlantis" is weaker (and shorter) but has a great commentary about the grand (and ludicrous) plan to shoot a movie in a lake in Ohio in the winter. "Zombie Cop" and "Maximum Impact" are not as campy and are significantly darker, though not without their charms.

If you have ever wanted to see the ultimate in low budget filmmaking, this set is a must. I highly recommend this series, and hope to see all of the "Mogadore" films ultimately released in the "Bad Movie Police" format.