13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally...FINALLY...Hollywood Boulevard is here on DVD, May 9, 2001
This film is one of my all time favorite slices of cheese. It's from the heyday of Roger Corman's New World Pictures and features many of that stock company, like Paul Bartel, Dick Miller, Mary Woronov, etc.
Two guys from Corman's trailer cutting department, Joe Dante and Allan Arkush, had a great idea: Cut action scenes from various New World Productions, add some comical footage, T&A, action, slasher mystery and a song by country rock legends Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, mix and stir and you have a wildly entertaining film. It's also one of the cheapest features ever produced by New World.
The story concerns an aspiring starlet, played by the beautiful Candice Rialson, who arrives in Hollywood to seek fame and fortune. After a blundering robbery attempt by buffonish thieves who tricked her, she meets agent Walter Paisley (Dick Miller, using the same name as his character from Corman's classic, A Bucket of Blood), and becomes a stuntwoman for Miracle Pictures ("If it's a good picture, it's a miracle"), a thinly disguised parody of Corman's low budget grindhouse production company, New World. She then becomes a Miracles big star, and wacky filmmaking ensues. Not to mention a behind-the-scenes killer, adding mysterious spice to the events.
This film is a lot of fun, worthy of many repeated viewings. At least for me. There are lots of industry in-jokes and gentle satire aimed at Roger Corman himself. It's never taken too seriously and every scene of it is delightful fun, especially for fans of Corman's particular brand of guerilla movie making. My only complaint is that Hollywood Boulevard 2 isn't included on the same disc. It's just as funny and entertaining as the first one. Here's hoping it will be among the next releases by Corman's New Concorde Home Video.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Commentary Junkies Get Out Your Cash, August 5, 2001
If you've seen this film you know that it's not great but it sure is fun. I was surprised to see Hollywood Boulevard get better treatment on DVD than some better quality films (As of this writing Citizen Kane has not been released on DVD) but that just makes this release all the more fun. The 3-way commentary by Joe Dante (Gremlins), Allan Arkush and Jon Davidson is what DVD commentaries are all about. They're funny, informative, and quite forthcoming with their feelings towards the film. An interesting passage occurs during Candice Rialson's rape scene. Everybody gets quiet. Clearly all were embarrassed by the scene. So much so they didn't know what to say except that all films of this nature had the obligatory rape scene. The stories about Paul Bartel and Roger Corman are a hoot. The disc looks and sounds as good as can be. If you're a fan of low budget fun this disc is worth your cash.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
R.I.P. Candice Rialson, June 4, 2010
"Hollywood Boulevard" star Candice Rialson sadly passed away in 2006 having never known she had a significant fan base out there. This can be largely attributed to the fact that most all the films she starred in during her brief career in the '70s are either hard to find on DVD or not available at all. Candice deserved better, and so did her films. Luckily, this release of "Hollywood Boulevard" (and Code Red's special edition of "Pets") is presented looking fantastic and contains extras (including commentary by director and film historian Joe Dante) that give us some insight to the sort of actor and human being Candice was. Of all her performances, "Boulevard" is second only to the ultra-rare "Chatterbox" in terms of displaying this woman's abilities. Gifted as both a comic and dramatic performer, she steals every scene and exudes a good-natured, girl-next-door quality no matter what wild and bizarre things the script requires.
Candice was truly one of a kind. And the movie isn't half bad either.
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