VICIOUS LIPS is a mess. The poster promises the intergalactic adventures of an all-women rock’n’roll band. The final result is a disorienting half-finished nightmare. It’s got a great premise: The up-and-coming rock band The Vicious Lips must race across the universe to make it to their first big gig, but instead of going on a goofy galactic road trip, their spaceship instantly crash lands on a desert planet, and we spend the rest of the film watching the unenthused band…

There's something endearing about a long-gap sequel to an EVIL DEAD rip-off that takes its characters so dead seriously and is 120 (!!!) minutes long. The acting is leaden and the direction isn't particularly inventive, but things chug along, and the climactic gore is mighty satisfying.

I'm not sure why this one burrowed deep into my psyche when I saw it years ago. It probably has something to do with the lengthy build-up that features a bunch of doughy adults…

John Woo's MANHUNT is the craziest film he's made since Hard Boiled. In terms of style, it may be the Wooiest thing that ever Wooed, a throwback to the kind of films he would toss off as a lark in the 80's, distilled to its barest essence, with a script seemingly made up as they went along (in classic Hong Kong style). The fact that it looks like every other crummy digital Chinese blockbuster, and is filled with badly accented…