The Rocky of Arm Wrestling Movies

Over the Top (1987)

Directed by Menahem Golan

This is one time where a title of the movie really describes how the film feels. Today's forgotten classic is the much underrated Over the Top; the arm wrestling classic that starred Mr. Stallone. This movie did for arm wrestling what No Holds Barred did for Hulk Hogans movie career. I don't know about you but you but I am still a big arm wrestling fan. I go to all the hole in the wall bars and watch my favorite truck driving arm wrestling heroes like Aaron Lengyel.

Over the Top was directed by Menahem Golan, this guy has directed or producer countless movies. Let me name some; Cobra, Superman 4, all the Death Wish movies and Cyborg. The list goes on and on. So right there we are dealing with a legend of Hollywood. Combine Golan and Stallone with a dash of arm wrestling, my friend you have box office gold.

The amazing Robert Loggia, star of every damn movie ever, plays the evil father in law. This actor is very scary and I would not want to meet him on a bad day. Playing the role as the shit head son is David Mendenhall. His career really took a shit after this role. I take that back he was in Going Bananas with Jimmy Walker. I am sorry Mr Mendenhall.

This is a heart warming story of a dad that left his family in the lurch to make money as  a truck driver. Some dad's make all the right choices. He is gone for ten years and misses out on his child growing up. He could have gotten a job any where. Was there a deal at the truck driving school by the house? His wife or ex-wife what ever; well she's dying and wants Hawk, that's Stallone, to pick up their son and get to know him. After ten years of being gone it takes his dying wife to ask him to get to know him. So starts the road trip with Hawk and his son Mike - the asshole.

Colorado to California is the road trip these two crazy guys go on. Mike - the asshole hates his father and Hawk doesn't know how to get through to his son. So Hawk decides to teach his dick of a son how to arm wrestle. Now the movie really picks up. We learn that Hawk has a dream to get his family back, that is to enter a arm wrestling tournment and win $100,000 and a new truck. I'm sure his wife, who by the way comes from a wealthy family, would just creak out about $100,000. Good plan Hawk!

As the movie moves along like a freight train the boys learn to be friends till the mom dies, I think it was when she found out how much Hawk could bring home in winnings. Mike - the asshole blames Hawk for missing out on his mother's final days. I hope they work out their problems by the end of the picture.

The movie is great with some awesome music and great arm wrestling scenes. Some of the best I have ever seen caught on film. So check out Over the Top for the first or for the 100th time. Till the next forgotten classic...

6/10

One word...Boobies!!!

 

Just One of the Guys (1985)

Directed by Lisa Gottlieb

This film as real Soul Man kind of feel to it. But this time it is a girl pretending to be a boy. Just One of the Guys was way ahead of it's time. Sure a slew of role reversal movies followed, like Little Sister and Just One of the Girls. It's not racist like Soul Man was but damn this movie is a good time.

This movie goes up there on the HBO repeat viewing list. Just One of the Guys was on at least once a week. It is very 80's and very much trying to cash in on the John Hughes movies. The film was lacking in great scenes and funny moments but beyond that it is just like a Hughes flick.

The movie stars Joyce Hyser as the girl/boy Terry, very convenient name if you ask me. Why not name her Chris, or Sam, even Dawn/Don; that one would have been great to have for the credits alone. She was one of the hot girls in Valley Girl. Also in the movie is Billy Jayne as her over sexed up brother Buddy, another great name. Mr. Jayne is from a little TV show called Parker Lewis Can't Lose, where he played Mikey. Some guy plays the love interest to Terry, because that is the perfect time to find love is when you are playing a boy. This is where Sherilyn Fenn kicked off an amazing unknown who cares career. She then moved on to *The Wraith.

Rounding out this Shakespearean cast is William Zabka as the bully Greg. Who might be asking yourself who the hell is William Zabka, well I'll tell you he played Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid. He really has played a wide range of characters in his career like the bully from Back to School and the shitty boyfriend from the second Vacation movie. He can play it all!

This stellar movie is about a girl that wants to be a reporter but she can't because the teacher tells her she is a boy. So she decides to go against what he said and science and changes to a boy. No teacher can tell me what to do. I hate when teachers would try to tell me and my friends what sex we were and try to hold us back.

Lucky for our hero Terry her parents are going out of town so she can change to a boy and change schools. Apparently in the 80's you can change schools with no I.D. or any kind of proof you exist. This is when the funny happens because she doesn't know how to be one and gets picked on. Funny stuff people. 

There are many twist and turns that this rollar coaster ride of a movie takes before we reach the ending. This is a good movie to view on a boring Friday night; if it was 1985. 

Check out Just One of the Guys today it is great fun. Come on, watch the movie so Zabka can get some money. Another forgotten classic done today. Till next time...

5/10

Video Junkie Extra:

This movie holds a special place in my heart and many guys hearts from this time period. Due to the fact that the main girl flashes some great breast near the end of the film. It was a turning point in many boys life back in the 80's.

*Read on my review of The Wraith!

What are nards?

 

The Monster Squad (1987)

Directed by Fred Dekker 

I want to start by saying that the years of '85 - '87 were some of the best years to love movies. Most of them from these years will end up on this page eventually. Today my fellow Junkie's is a good day because I give you The Monster Squad. This by far one of my favorite movies of all time. My friends and I searched for years to obtain this film on VHS, this is video tape before DVD. Kind of like a tape deck player, that was before CD's. This one only came out on DVD a few years back for their 20th anniversary. Next to my daughter being born that was the best day of my life.

After Space Camp, read my review in the previously viewed section, the studio got together and said, "Hey what other trouble can some spunky kids get into?" - They chose monsters from the 30's. 

The Squad was directed by Fred Dekker, from such movies as Night of the Creeps and the dreadful Robocop not 1 or 2 but the 3rd one. I never mention the writer of these classics but today he gets mentioned. Shane Black, writer of Lethal Weapon, Last Boy Scout and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, pulled this movie out of his mind. He was the first screenwriter to make over a million dollars for a screenplay, I know you don't care but I can't keep that stuff in my head. The film stars a bunch of unknown kids and some semi-known adults as the monsters. 

The films is about a group of feisty kids that have a club devoted to monsters, they love the shit out of some monsters. Their club house is a bad ass tree house in the back yard that looks like it's in the swamp land. One day their dreams come true and they find out that monsters are real and that they are hell bent on taking over the world. So the Squad has to stop them.

The monsters include Dracula, the Wolfman, Gillman, the Mummy and Frankenstein. Gillman is really the creature from the black lagoon, but who really wants to say that all the time. 

Out of the kids Rudy stands out because he is a bad ass at the age of 12. He has a bmx and a smoking problem with a complex for the greaser look. Then we have Horace, or the fat kid as they call him, running around playing the fat kid. Why do these movies always have the fat kid or the loser kid, they should all be Rudy and kick ass and smoke a pack a day.

With the help of the scary German guy the kids set off to take out these screen legends.

This is a very well made movie for kids or adults. The violence gets intense sometimes but who cares let the kids watch and get desensitized like the rest of us.  The make up on the monster is very well done by Stan "the legend" Winston.

This is very high up on the list of Forgotten Classics for me and for many people my age. Watch and enjoy again or for the first time.

10/10

Video Junkie Extra:

In this film the Army gets involved to help fight off the monsters. But before you go, "so what" let me add that the reason they are there is because a little girl boy no older than 6 wrote the Army a letter in crayola. I'm gonna get my little girl to write a letter and see if the Army shows up. This is all they need to go on, a crudely written letter by a little girl. Got to run and get that letter started. 

*Thanks Aaron!