Ferris Bueller's Day Off

If you, ya best mate and ya rather foxy girlfriend (Mia Sara) could wangle a day off school, nick off with a classic Ferrari and live THE life in Chicago...wouldn't you?!

Plot: As above. More detail? Ferris (Matthew Broderick) is a bit of a cheeky fella. He decides that rather than actually attend school and study, he's going to fake being sick and take his best mates out to the city where-in they will drive a Ferrari, dine at a swanky restaurant, dance to Twist & Shout on the main street parade (he really did this), take in the sights (Museums/Wrigley Field) and get back home, all before his folks and anyone else find out. The only problem being, he has to avoid his suspicious headmaster and his miffed older sister- Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing).

This film encompasses all the joy and revelry an anarchic teen could wish for.

Budget: £5,800,000

Gross: $70, 136,369

Fun Fact: Cameos come from Charlie Sheen and Kirsty Swanson. Broderick and director-John Hughes stayed in touch and talked over the possibility of a sequel set in college, but neither really fancied it.

No Blade of Grass

Adapted from the novel of the same name, No Blade of Grass is one of the original apocalyptic films with an  ecological message.

Plot: A deadly virus spreads rapidly throughout China and the rest of the world, destroying the planets capacity to grow grass. As a result, animals die, crops fail and widespread starvation flourishes. Following the mass genocide implemented by China against it's own nation (not enough grub for everyone), the British government continues to broadcast that they have more than enough food reserves for the country. Ex-army fella- John Custane (Nigel Davenport-Phase IV) has the inside track, a bloke he knows is working on a cure, but the government are nowhere and they decide to flee the city and head north to Scotland, where Custane's bruv has a farm. En-route, our band of refugees encounter mass looting, angry locals that nick ya stuff, have to shoot a pair of army road blockers and run a fowl of a few rapey fellas.

Sadly, this film lacks conviction. Surprising that it got made at all, given the content. This film well deserves a remake.

Budget: $1,500,000

Gross: $?

Fun Fact: EastEnders fans can keep an eye out for a flirty Wendy Richards.

The Sentinel

Michael Winner strikes! He managed to take a multitude of talent, pick the wrong ones to star and forget entirely about the script. Nice work.

Plot: A model moves into a converted mansion type building and quickly makes friends with a rather odd fella in a tuxedo (Rocky's coach), a pair of ballet lesbians (yep, really!), a group of demented/elderly women and a black and white cat. While living in the house, she swiftly realises that the inhabitants are in fact all ghosts (I'm not ruining this for you, I'm really not) and starts getting major migraines. In an effort to help her, her boyfriend- Chris Sarandon (The Princess Bride), who's a very successful lawyer, investigates the history of the building- which happens to be owned by the Catholic church.

Long story short (and by God I wish I'd read a few reviews prior to watching this disaster of a film), it sucked. The ending is tapped on to simply finish the film. I'd have been happier if the film just stopped.

Yep, I didn't like it.

Funniest part of the film: Jeff Goldblum's dubbed voice.

Budget: $3,700,000

Gross: $?

Fun Fact: This film could have been excellent, if only the director had stuck to an ad-libbed script and used the future star power at his disposal- Jeff Goldblum (The Fly, Jurassic Park), Christopher Walken (True Romance), Tom Berenger (Major League), Beverly D'Angelo (National Lampoon's), Oscar Winner- Ava Gardener (The Night of the Iguana) and Eli Wallach (every Clint Eastwood western ever made).

The Warriors

With names like the Gramercy Riffs, The Rogues, The Turnbull ACs and The Warriors...can you help but be enthralled by this gangland warfare film?!

Plot: While attending a meeting of the gangs at Van Cortlandt Park, the host of the party suggests a truce- so that they as a combined gang can rule the city. Sadly for our revolutionary, the leader of The Rogues disagrees and shoots him dead, framing The Warriors for the assassination. It's now up to the nine attending members of The Warriors to trek, traverse and high tail it from one end of the city to another, dodging police, rival angry gangs and 'hit's sent out over the radio.

All the scuffles, shootings and stabbings one might ever want from a true cult film.

Written and Directed by legend- Walter Hill (The Driver).

Budget: $?

Gross: 22,490,039

Fun Fact: There was a spin off TV show called The Renegades, they even had action figures. Tony Scott is rumoured to be considering a remake.

Savage Streets

A real missed opportunity here. 80's brutality, mixed with substandard writing and even worse acting...I give you- Savage Streets!

Plot: Linda Blair (The Exorcist, Hell Night) stars as the big breasted sister to a deaf teenager who is brutally attacked and raped. In her quest for vengeance, she dons a zip-up black cat suit, buys a variety of bear traps, brandishes a crossbow and sets about hunting down the gang responsible- The Scars. The poster would have you believe that she and her crew of bad-ass bitches group together and get revenge. Sadly, it's just Linda and her tragically bad performance that seek to instil the fear in this film.

Line of the film: 'Go F*** an ice berg!'

Budget: $1,200,000

Gross: $?

High light of the film must go to the completely unnecessary girls shower, fight scene.

Fun Fact: Linda Blair was nominated for Worst Actress at the Razzies in 1986 for this performance.

The Amazing Spider-Man

What can you say about a 1970's TV series about a fella in blue and red pyjamas?

Plot: Peter Parker (Nicholas Hammond) gets bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes Spider-Man. At some point, he becomes amazing. In this made for TV adaptation (the first of the TV episodes-two seasons), Spidy fights ninjas and confronts a demented and diabolical criminal Guru who threatens to make a few New Yorkers commit suicide if he doesn't get paid. Sweet.

I was lucky enough to find a couple of the TV movies a few years back. They sit happily in my closet...collecting dust. Fun and ridiculous.

Look out for the 1970's themed music.

Budget: $? Probably all went on the PJs.

Gross: $? TV ratings led to a second season- must have done moderately well.

Fun Fact: The movie and TV series were shot in L.A, despite being set in NY with the studio considering an Incredible Hulk team up.

Mannequin

What teenage boy never dreamed of his own, tailor made woman?!

Plot: In ancient Egypt, Emmy (Kim Cattrall) is betrothed to a dung dealer and rather than marry a man who smells of manure, she prays to the Gods to save her. Her prayers are answers as she is transported through time and reincarnated as a mannequin in an up-scale department store. Meanwhile, the designer (Andrew McCarthy) who created the plastic body Emmy now resides in, becomes obsessed with her. One night, while the pair are alone, Emmy comes to life, startling the designer. The pair strike up a great working relationship, wherein every morning, the ailing stores front is re-imagined and draws more and more people to shop there.

Love, strife, playfulness and a touch of magical romance...what's not to like?

Look out for 'Captain Harris' from Police Academy as a disgruntled security guard and an early turn from James Spader (Stargate).

Budget: $6,000,000

Gross: $42,721,196

Fun Fact: The film was based on Marketing principles, judging casting and storyline via tests with the target demographic-girls. The film also beat Stallone's Over the Top on it's opening weekend.