Customer Reviews

It Came From Hollywood [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This really is a fun little movie. If you love those great 50s sci-fi gems this is a must for you. Done in a tongue-in-cheek style "It Came from Hollywood" is a compellation of some of the funniest (unintentionally) scenes from some of the cheesiest movies ever made. Absolutely hysterical, especially for fans of the genre. Highly recommended.
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Sadly this was never released on DVD. Various DVD websites have indicated that it was cancelled before it was released. Martin Blythe of Paramount confirmed it in a post at DVD Talk. Paramount took this off of their July 2002 schedule because of those dreaded "clearance problems."

On a down note, through recent correspondence with Paramount I asked if they were planning on revisiting a release of this title sometime in the future and was told "no plans - clearances would be impossible". C'MON PARAMOUNT - NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!

A miriad of characters played by Dan Ackyroyd, cheech and chong , and the late greats John Candy & Gilda Radner take us on a journey through some of filmdom's most forgettable movies. The journey they take us on is some the campiest, schlock filled, exploitation films we thought we could forget. Well, at least should forget. I first saw this late one night and instantly fell in love. This movie introduced me to a world of movies I never new existed.

For those who don't know, this film (released in 1983)is a compilation of clips of Z-grade movies compiled into segments hosted by SNL/SCTV allumni. They are:

1.Gorillas (Gilda Radna)
2.Aliens (Dan Ackroyd)
3.Giants and Tiny People (Cheech and Chong)
4.A Tribute to Ed Wood (John Candy)
5.The Brain (Dan Ackroyd)
6.Musical Memories (Gilda Radner)
7.Technical Triumphs (John Candy)
8.Troubled Teens (Dan Ackroyd)
9.Getting High in the Movies (Cheech and Chong)
10.Monsters (Gilda Radner)

At a mere 81 minutes this beer swillin', politically incorrect video manages to pack an in an incredible ammount of stuff. I've watched the video several times and I still pick up stuff I've forgotten or missed on previous viewings. Having sat (and yawned) through a few of the films from which this video is compiled ("The Hypnotic Eye" for example) I can say with confidance that excising the most ridiculous bits does no disservice to the originals. This is the best way to see 100 Z-movies in the shortest time. As to the commentary: the red-herring jokes meld perfectly with the red-herring dialog of the clips. Forget nay-sayers, this video is worth it.

When you consider that both John & Gilda are now gone, this makes this compilation even that more precious. This is a wonderful and hilarious collection of vintage clips interspered with filmed clips of these wonderful comedians to create an excellent comedic scrapbook featuring some of our most treasured humorists.

It is indeed a shame this has not been reissued on DVD because it is certainly worth it. Those of us needing to have this on DVD will just have to purchase the VHS and re-record it at home on DVD for better preservation.

But the gems are the classic bits from a stalwart comedic ensemble - of course all of the skits don't hit the mark - but this is because one is unable to see the forest for the trees.

Besides, the very last clip with the guys getting in the car says it al...comedy classic to be sure!!!

I hiiiiiiiiiiiiiighly recommend!!!!!!!!!

I don't know if I would buy this but it's definitely worth renting if you like the wit of the old SNL cast. Gilda Radner is great as well as John Candy, even Dan Akroyd is good even though he usually bothers me for a reason I still can't figure out. Cheech and Chong are very, very funny and I didn't even like them in the old days so that says something - somebody obviously held them back just a little bit (but not too much) and in this film it really works - there are some very funny parts. As for the clips of the various B movies they are GREAT - not too long but not too short. They give you just enough of each of these horrible movies without you getting bored (ever sat through the entire Killer Tomatoes?, if so you'll know what I mean). In retrospect I really can't complain about this film at all. I think they did a really good job of it and it's definitely worth a watch.

I saw this film when I was a child on HBO. My siblings and I used to watch it multiple times, we loved it! It isn't high art but the clips are silly and the scenes inbetween them are a blast. The late John Candy, and Gilda Radner are both hysterical. I could see why this movie may not have made it on the big screen, it isn't really suited for that type of venue. But it is a campy video delight. If you like watching bad movies for fun, they you will love watching bad movies spoofed by some of the funniest people in comedy.

This movie is full of snippets from partly hard-to-find movies like "Prince of Space", "Fire Maidens from Outer Space", "I married a Monster from Outer Space", "From Hell it came" or "Battle in Outer Space" e.g. So far I can only recommend it. But you have to get through the very lame jokes from Aykroyd, Candy and Co who want to be funny in between. But on the other hand there is always the possibility to press the fast forward button on your video recorder :-)

This movie was loosely based on the Medved brothers' book "The Golden Turkey Awards" which lampooned some of Hollywood's worst movies. Nowadays Michael Medved is best known for being the "family values" movie critic; but in the 1970's he and his brother, Harry, were among the pioneers who ushered in the bad movie lovers phenonmenon with a couple of hysterically funny books ripping some really awful movies to pieces. "It Came from Hollywood" was an attempt to capitalize on the growing cult of bad movie lovers by actually showing clips of some of the worst movies ever put on celluloid and having commentary done by big name comic actors.

Unfortunately, the movie is mixed a bag. It made the HUGE mistake of actually mixing footage of good movies in with the real horrors. Also the comic skits by Ackroyd, Candy, Radner, and, Cheech and Chong are mostly hit and miss. However, the film clips that illustrate such cinematic disasters as "Horror at Party Beach," "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," and the work of Ed Wood are for the most part hilarious.

"It Came from Hollywood" was a finacial disaster. It disappeared from movie theaters in record time which prompted one writer to quip, "It Came. . .and it went!" The Medved brothers, who worked as consultants for the movie, would continue to write about bad movies. In the ultimate irony they placed "It Came from Hollywood" in their book on the filmdom's greatest flops- "The Hollywood Hall of Shame."

How bad are some movies? Pretty bad. And, thanks to this brilliant compilation, viewers get a pretty good look at some of the worst. My favorite section is the "teens in trouble" segment. Ackroyd's commentary is perfect.

When I Was 8 years old my dad rented this film. I remember all the in-side jokes, SNL cast and of course Cheech& Chong. It became a staple of my pop culture world, I lost track over the years and now 20 years later I now go back the the place in my head. Most kids my age never saw or heard of this film, well I love Star Wars too, but I went beyond that. In 1982 Bill Paxton's Fish Heads video and It Came From Hollywood were my cult favorets at 8 years old, amazing how some things never change.