ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY!!

That's right it's that time for our anniversary! I think it's time that me and this site go steady. Thanks for everyone that reads my strange ramblings and observations on all things that are bad to most but great to me. My goal is to keep the site up with more movies and just awful pop culture. Here's to the next month of greatness. Got to run and watch Solarbabies or should I watch Ghoulies, don't know maybe both.

The cake looks great!!!

Why did this get canceled?! Episode 1

Herman's Head (1991-1994)

Created by Andy Guerdat and Steve Kreinberg

To celebrate the one month anniversary here at Video Junkie, I thought I would change things up and do a new format. That's right I am going to do a show that should still be on TV. So first up is Herman's Head, from the early '90's that aired on FOX.

In '91 FOX only had a few shows that were any good and even those were suspect. They had Married with Children and The Simpsons and maybe you can include '21 Jump Street. I always loved Parker Lewis Can't Lose, but what do I know. This little jem of a show came out and was totally original, that's why it was canceled. 

Herman's Head is about...well a guy named Herman and the stuff that goes on in his head. This was the official plot of the show:  Research assistant Herman Brooks works in the fact-checking department of a major magazine publisher. In his personal life and interactions with his boss Paul Bracken and co-workers Louise, Heddy and Jay, his decisions and actions are dramatized with a "Greek chorus" style dramatization of his thought processes.

The show stared, the amazing and under used to this day, William Ragsdale as Herman. Hank Azaria as his smooth talking friend Jay, this is one of Azaria's best roles. Jane Sibbett, you might know her as Ross's ex-wife from friends, plays Heddy the love interest of Herman. The second Simpson cast off in the show is Yeardley Smith who plays Louise, the sweet office nerd. To round out this Taxi like cast was the great Jason Bernard who played their boss Paul. Good old Bernard is no longer with us he passed away in '96, his last roll was as a judge in Liar Liar. I really recommend checking him out in anything he has done.

Inside Herman's Head are four characters that help him through his daily life. They are played by: Ken Hudson Campbell, Molly Hagan, Rick Lawless, and Peter Mackenzie. These for actors really played off each other well. Campbell really stood out for me from this show. When ever I see him in anything all I can think of is Herman's Head. These four actors did all their scenes in an attic of memories in Herman's Head, hence the name of the show.

This show got no love when it aired. The only thing this show is known for is for being the first broadcast show to air a condom commercial. That's fantastic! They really need to release this one on DVD. I mean there are only 3 seasons! I for one would buy this in a heart beat. With out this show there wouldn't be...hold on I'll think of something...damn...ok maybe Newsradio. I just wanted to mention that show because it was awesome. Don't you just love Bill.

Where was I? I use to really like this show, granted I  was a kid and what the hell do kids know. There should be a rerun channel that shows strange shows like this. You know the ones that were on for a few years but got no respect.

Check out my next Why did this get canceled?! when I will be talking about Just the 10 of Us! Till then...

Bucket-O-Fries real or make believe?!

 

Does anyone remember McDonald's Bucket-O-Fries? 

The story of the Bucket-O-Fries is like the myth of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster or John Travolta's career. Only a few people I know remember them and very few remember even eating them. I for one remember them and remember eating them...a lot back in the day. Now when people remember them no one seems to get the time line correct as to when these awesome death sticks came out. I want to say this was early 2000 if not late 90's. But I hear everyone say different times and location of the mysterious Bucket-O-Fries.

Some people say they came in a big bag and not a bucket. Some say a large bucket like a child would play with at the beach. Others say that it came with a strange cheese sauce, that was not very good. I remember that they came in a bucket and I sure as hell don't remember cheese sauce. I've done some research on this subject. When I say research I mean I looked it up on Google for like 10 seconds.

Here is what I found...not a damn thing. I got people from every which way saying everything from they never existed to they had them the other day. One funny thing is I found no real pictures of them anywhere. It's like Ronald himself erased them from the world. I mean you can find any picture you want online... anything. You name it you get a picture. For some strange reason you don't get a real picture of the Bucket-o-Fries. Maybe I'm putting myself at risk by just talking about these Bigfoot of the food world. 

After talking to a few friends and it turns out that they all have the same answers that I found. No one knows a damn thing. Two people I know for sure remembers these evil fries. One is my friend Dennis and I know for sure that we have eaten them together on many outings back in the day. The other is my wife who also had long nights of drinking and eating these wonderful man made treats. Dennis and I would drink and the Bucket-O-Fries was the food of choice at the end of the night. This is us after those long nights!

So to wrap up my expose on the mystery of the Bucket-O-Fries, which I feel like something bad will happen now that I brought this to light. I come to the conclusion that we still don't know anything about the fries. Everyone has their own memory and story of the Bucket-O-Fries. I for one remember them and know that they were real. Maybe no one remembers them because everyone drank when they ate them; I feel that might be the reason for the memory block.

Next time I'll break down the mystery of why this isn't real yet?...or is it!?

Till next time...

My son will save me?

 

Iron Eagle (1986)

Directed by Sidney J. Furie

What if I told you there was movie that was just like Top Gun but really different and very poorly done but it has a much more kick ass name? Well Iron Eagle is almost like the pre crazy Tom Cruise movie, it's just missing the sex scene, Ice Man, Goose dying and the all around good feel of Gun. But Iron Eagle does have a bad ass sound track and a punk kid that steals a fighter plane to save his dad. This just shows how lax the security is at an air force base. It was the 80's and when kids wanted to get even they would just break into shit.

Back in the hay days of the 80's these movies were everywhere. You know the ones where the kids fight the evil bad guys around the world, in a funny way of coarse. This movie is no different than the other crop of 80's communist ass kicking films.

This one is about Doug Masters played by the wonderful Jason Gedrick, from such flicks as The Heavenly Kid and the first five seconds of Iron Eagle II. His dad is a great fighter pilot that gets shot down behind enemy lines, okay so maybe he isn't that great. The air force in all their wisdom decides to let good old dad rot rather than save him. U - S - A!!! This is where Doug, he looks 35 by the way, decides hey I'll go get him, I've flown a simulator before.

Off we go on one hell of a ride to rescue dad. This is where Louis Gossett Jr. comes into play, he plays Chappy the old and wise ex-fighter pilot. After some begging Chappy decides,"hey it is a good idea to steal a plane and save your dad!" 

So Doug heads off to train and learn to become a fighter pilot in the span of like 3 montages I would say. Just enough time to learn to be the best. Doug gets his scrappy group of friends together to break into the base and get a plane and maps and the whole chicken. Thank god for smart underachieving kids. Some of the kids in the movie, and I use the term "kids" very loosly. Larry B. Scott, from Space Camp* and Revenge of the Nerds plays Reggie, the black kid. He looks like he has two kids in this movie. We also have the very hot Shawnee Smith, she plays the girl of the group and is hot. I had a very big crush on her when I was a kid, an actually kid not some 40 year old kid.

This movie has it all action, adventure, old looking teenagers and Lou Gossett. For those of you who haven't seen it, please do, you will not be disappointed. For those of you that have, watch it again, just buy the damn thing. Great music and a very 80's feel to it with a great fuck you to communist around the world.

Till the next forgotten classic...

7/10

Video Junkie Extra:

Tim Thomerson plays the elder Masters in Iron Eagle. You might be saying to yourself, "who the hell is Tim Thomerson?" He is a legend of the B movie world and a pretty good actor. He is a lesser Bruce Campbell, and if you don't know that name just shoot yourself. Go ahead I'll wait...... Good. Thomerson was in such movies as Trancers, Near Dark, Cherry 2000 and Who's Harry Crumb. So please look this guy up and enjoy his flicks.

 *Check out my review of Space Camp