Time Square Grindhouses thirty years ago

By Jack Brummet

Just some of the movie theaters then in Times Square.  On the bill that day:

Cine 42: I: Critters / Deadly Blessing; Theater II:  The Toxic Avenger/ Bloodsucking Freaks
Harris: P.O.W.: The Escape / Exterminator 2/ Delta Force
Liberty: Make Them Die Slowly/Savage Man, Savage Beast / King Dick
Empire: Shaolin Kung Fu/ Shaolin Vs. Lama /Shaolin Red Master 

---o0o---

42nd Street, 1986

By Jack Brummet
NYC Metro Editor

Not long before the Times Square cleanup began, there was still a thriving grindhouse row on The Deuce, a/k/a 42nd Street.  Here are some double and triple features that ran on 42nd Street 25 years ago.

42nd Street (North)

Rialto:  Basic Training/Madman
Victory: "3 Adult Hits"
Lyric: Police Academy 3 / The Protector
Times Square: April Fool's Day / Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Apollo: Eyes of Fire / Hell Night
Selwyn:  Band of the Hand / The Last Dragon

42nd Street (South)

Cine 42: I: Critters / Deadly Blessing; Theater II:  The Toxic Avenger/ Bloodsucking Freaks
Harris: P.O.W.: The Escape / Exterminator 2/ Delta Force
Liberty: Make Them Die Slowly/Savage Man, Savage Beast / King Dick
Empire: Shaolin Kung Fu/ Shaolin Vs. Lama /Shaolin Red Master

---o0o---

Hobo With A Shotgun, starring Rutger Hauer: movie poster and trailer

By Jack Brummet, Genre Film Editor

 Hobo With A Shotgun is a second movie spun off from the fake Grindhouse trailers (Machete was the first). This movie opens today in Austin and NYC, and will open slowly elsewhere around the country. Judging from the trailer, it looks like a fine movie in the grindhouse tradition of sleaze. Nuns With Guns is also supposed to be in production. . .

The best part: Hobo With A Shotgun stars Rutger Hauer.

"A train pulls into the station - it's the end of the line. A Hobo jumps from a freight car, hoping for a fresh start in a new city. Instead, he finds himself trapped in an urban hell. This is a world where criminals rule the streets and Drake, the city's crime boss, reigns supreme alongside his sadistic murderous sons, Slick & Ivan. Amidst the chaos, the Hobo comes across a pawn shop window displaying a second hand lawn mower. He dreams of making the city a beautiful place and starting a new life for himself. But as the brutality continues to rage around him, he notices a shotgun hanging above the lawn mower... Quickly, he realizes the only way to make a difference in this town is with that gun in his hand and two shells in its chamber."

---o0o---

Nuns with guns trailer

Nuns with Guns Trailer from PJ Collins on Vimeo.
---o0o---

Machete, the movie: Don't miss it

Robert Rodriguez's movie Machete was funny, insane, over the top, stupid, and just great. The cast and acting was awesome, the score perfect, and a timely story about a giant mess. I think I liked this best of all of RR's movies--probably better than either of the original Grindhouse movies (which I really like). Trejo, DeNiro, Steven Segal, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba, Don Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Steve Fahey, Cheech Marin...all pretty wonderful. Lohan and Cheech were just bent in their parts...wonderful. And, then, there's the mind bending machete work and all the rest of the pretty much nonstop action. This Mexploitation flick is a perfect corker for summer.  I like it so much, I saw it twice this weekend.
---o0o---