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Crack House (1989)
9/10
This film is a crackup
25 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This film essentially contains all the elements of a great 70's exploitation film, except it was done in the late 80's for the direct to video market.

You have a young couple in love, but the whole world around them is involved either in crack dealing or gang violence. When the boyfriend goes to jail, the girlfriend ends up vulnerable to all the criminals, who are everyone in this movie except for the cops. First she gets hooked on crack by a dealer and then because he owes drug lord Jim Brown money, she becomes Brown's property. Then she's basically enslaved in a military style crack house that the movie is named for.

As if this isn't enough reason to see this movie, you also have Anthony Geary playing a seemingly conservative school guidance counselor, but he's really a major crack dealer. In a sleazy yet hilarious scene, he demands sexual favors from the heroine because she has no money for a fix. In an earlier scene it was established that he is her counselor. That scene and another where Jim Brown forces her to take a scalding hot shower because she stinks are hysterical. Lead actress Cheryl Kay was really good in this film. Tarantino, bring her back.

It's not surprising to me that someone mentioned in another review that Tarantino is a major fan of this. It has just the right blend of comedy, action, sex, romance, and yes a central message to stay away from drugs. Jim Brown's villainous turn here deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as another great 80's B villain, Wings Hauser in Vice Squad. Sometimes I think there should be a b movie Oscars where performances like this could be acknowledged. In the meantime let's hope that the modern straight to DVD filmmakers learn learn to use this same type of tongue in cheek humor.
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9/10
I recognize the era
6 January 2006
Similar to the movie, my Mom had a group of friends in the 70's that she'd go to the lake with. They weren't river guides, but they'd get naked, drunk, and sing Jerry Jeff Walker, just like in the film. Watching it I recognized the era and the setting immediately and I recalled the general feeling of that time, when I was still a kid. I also found myself contrasting the middle age live's of these people with my Mom's life as she got older. In my Mom's case, the drugs and alcohol became permanent, so there were more problems than just settling into middle class life and aging. Like Robb Moss though, she kept a couple of old photo albums of her lake trips and looked back with fondness. She would always say it was more fun to be young back then. It was probably the only time it felt normal to be naked with your friends.
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9/10
Small plot but good
10 February 2004
Not a whole lot happens, in fact it almost seems like a day in the life of GQ, but it's fun to watch because all the characters are likable and the music is good. Watching it I was wondering how much of it was based on GQ's real life. He is really talented and I would like to see what he could do with a bigger budget. Jaclyn DeSantis is also talented and gorgeous.
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Bellyfruit (1999)
10/10
Good movie for teen girls
22 December 2002
Director Kerri Green, who you might remember as the pretty redhead from Lucas, does a great job of directing Bellyfruit on a small budget. The film deals with teen girls having babies even though they're still kids themselves. The film shows why the girls get pregnant, which usually has to do with immaturity and broken homes, and it also shows the enormous consequences. The cast which seems to be newcomers are all believable in their parts. I bought a copy of this film for my Goddaughter who is a teen and she's watched it about 20 times.
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