Customer Reviews

Riders of the Storm [VHS]

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

 

 

This is one of the great "brain-candy" films of the 1980's. It's crazy, irreverent, and just plain fun. Start off with Dennis Hopper as the Captain of a B-29 which hasn't landed in 20 years. Add in a crew of out of time misfits, highly trained in Psi-Ops. Then give them a target: A presidential candidate who is not all she (?) seems. This is definately not for those who cannot suspend disbelief and just have a good time. Grab some popcorn and just have fun!

Oh Captain, my Captain, where are you now?

I'm not talking 'bout poetry here, I'm talking about a movie. But it's a little more than a movie, at least right now and to me. If you haven't seen it then you should, and if you have then you should see it again. It's Riders of the Storm starring Dennis Hopper. It's crazy and a little silly, but it's also about something we really need right now-an independent, renegade media force to unmask the political bull and to tell the truth. Maybe it's late and I'm a little crazy for going on about this, but I think there's a lot that's relevant, mixed in with the weird, considering the state of America today. Maybe this administration's lies aren't as obvious as the one told by the pro-war candidate depicted by the movie, but they add up to being a heck of a lot bigger and one sure as heck of a lot more evil. So give this movie a look.

While searching for some other films on Amazon, I found this little gem. It is from the mid-1980s (1986) and featuring veteran actor, the late Dennis Hopper, in his usual odd-ball glory. The story itself is a bit hard to follow (for some) if you're not paying attention, but basically it's about anti-establishment types who fly around in a B-29 bomber, which coincidentally has not landed in 20 years (yes, suspend that belief here). (It is NOT about The Doors, as the title might lead some to believe, although it does maintain that era's mentality.) Plenty of goofy chatter and dialogue, with some clever lines. It is apparently only available in VHS tape format, but that is fine for me (until it ever, if ever, is released on DVD). Fun flick.

The premise for Riders of the Storm is engaging nonsense: A bunch of misfit Veit Nam vets run a pirate radio from a B-29 bomber, avoiding arrest by never landing for 20 years. Hilarity ensues. Plenty of camp, sight gags, and belly laughs, but a choppy story line, bad editing, and paper-thin characters are all proof: you shouldn't make movies when you're high. Better toke up if you want to overlook the holes in this plot. Hopper and Pollard are as credible as possible. You'll enjoy this upbeat farce if you don't expect too much, but don't try it when you're straight.

I truly wish this was on region 1 dvd. I only remember snippets of the picture, but one scene is burned into my brain- flying over a political rally dropping leaflets while Alice Cooper's Go to Hell plays at megadecibels! Why I thought of this crazy eighties classic this morning is anybody's guess. Some pictures just don't go away

The reason this classic film remains in obscurity is obvious:few of us can handle the truth. The message is clear, concise and in this election year right to the point! Hopper is brilliant as the captain and his motly crew anything but stereotypic sidekicks. The ludicrous game of American electioneering and corrupt political practices is exposed in all its ugliness in this ageless satire. Disbelief is willingly suspended in the enjoyment of this entertaining and enlightening film.

Tired of the MEANINGFUL stories, the unhappy endings, the thought and angst provoking films.

Tired of the mayhem that wholesale owns the screens.

Look back to a film like this. Cannes enjoyed it, so it can't be all bad.

Campy.. get out the marshmellows this one goes to the extreme.

This is a comedy classic. My husband got me into it, and it is entertaining. A group of people disenchanted with modern politics fly around in a plane and highjack the airways with their own pirate broadcast. It is a strange group of characters. This is just lighthearted fun.