NateWatchesCoolMovies The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension. There's a title, eh? The film lives up to it too, and is simply one of the most unique, bizarre and original sci fi flicks out there. It's the very definition of cult to its abstract bones, filled to the brim with eccentricities and idiosyncrasies. For me it represents a certain genre niche that's nestled squarely in goofball mode, splayed out across the borders of science fiction, comedy and farce, without a care in the world and not an iota of self consciousness or any fvcks given. Call it Buck Rogers meets The Avengers meets Bonanza doesn't even scratch the surface. Peter Weller, that eternally cool bastard, plays Buckaroo Banzai, who is somewhat of a renaissance man. He's a neurosurgeon, a rock star, a scientist and above all a lover of adventure, always sporting Weller's unmistakable deadpan charm. Buckaroo and his band are also a crime fighting team called The Hong Kong Cavaliers, and include roughneck but lovable cowboy Rawhide (Clancy Brown) and slick New Jersey (Jeff Goldblum). Buck has perfected a device called the oscillation overthruster, which allows him to travel through solid matter and on into the eighth dimension. Only problem is, the red lectroids, an alien race from planet 10, want to steal the device for their own. They are led by an unbelievably funny John Lithgow who gets the spirit of the film and then some. Buck also finds romance with the adorable Penny Priddy (Ellen Barkin), whisking her off into super sonic adventure with him and the Cavaliers. It's beyond silly, super arbitrary and random, and I love every glorious unfiltered minute of it. This type of wantonly bizarre stuff is my cinematic bread and butter, especially when it's done with such pep in its step, as well ass love and commitment to being an oddball venture. The cast is huge and all in that loopy sleep deprived state where everything is funny and strange organic creation comes from the abstract. Watch for Dan Hedaya, Lewis Smith, Pepe Serna, Vincent Schiavelli, Jonathan Banks, John Ashton and Christopher Lloyd too. A wacky gem with a style all its own, constantly tapped into a well of creation, humour and fun.

Scott LeBrun Writer Earl Mac Rauch and debuting director W.D. Richter (himself a writer of such things as the 1978 version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers") present to cult movie lovers a rollicking and memorable tribute to and send-up of the Saturday matinée serials of decades past. It has its heart in the right place while maintaining a completely irreverent attitude, a fair amount of invention, and a goofy unpredictability (even while telling what is ultimately a time-honoured tale of alien invasion). The movie features one of the most eclectic casts you'll see in this sort of thing, right down to the small roles. It's got fun alien makeup (by the Burman studio), an appreciable amount of cheese, some choice bits of dialogue, and a colourful bunch of cool characters.Peter Weller stars as the Buckaroo Banzai of the title, a celebrity and jack of all trades: he's a neurosurgeon, physicist, government troubleshooter, jet car test driver, and rock star all in one. He works with a dedicated team of fellow scientists and musicians dubbed The Hong Kong Cavaliers. They find that it's up to them to save the day when extraterrestrial villains called Lectroids start acting up. Among the newest members of Buckaroo's team are the troubled Penny Priddy (an appealing Ellen Barkin) and jovial "New Jersey" (Jeff Goldblum); the nemesis is Lord John Whorfin, who's taken over the body of a scientist named Emilio Lizardo (both roles are played by John Lithgow, who's in peak hammy form).You know you're in for some good times when you peruse the cast list: Christopher Lloyd, Lewis Smith, Rosalind Cash, Robert Ito, Pepe Serna, Ronald Lacey (the Nazi torturer from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" playing the President of the United States here!), Matt Clark, Clancy Brown, Carl Lumbly, Vincent Schiavelli, Dan Hedaya, Bill Henderson, Billy Vera, Jonathan Banks, John Ashton, and none other than Yakov Smirnoff playing the National Security Adviser! Everybody is fun to watch, with Weller thoroughly engaging as the game-for- anything Buckaroo, a man destined from birth to be something special. There's some poignancy here and there, but cast & crew commit to mostly keeping an upbeat spirit while the insanity of this movie plays out.This viewer is glad there is an audience for stuff like this (it *does* have a following); this is the kind of thing that ought to get encouraged more often.The end credits with Buckaroo and buddies marching through an aquaduct is irresistible and ends the proceedings on a true high note.Eight out of 10.

SnoopyStyle This is one of the craziest movies around. It's either inspired movie-making or convoluted B-movie mess. Quite Frankly, it's a bit of both. Buckaroo Banzai is a rock star, brilliant scientist who invented the oscillation overthruster which allows him to travel into solid matter since most solid matter is simply empty space. The evil Red Lectroids from Planet 10 are after this device. Buckaroo can see the aliens and must stop them with his group The Hong Kong Cavaliers and various people and alien along the way.John Lithgow is playing a weird alien the leader of the Johns. Ellen Barkin plays the damsel in distress. Peter Weller plays this seriously as Buckaroo. Jeff Goldblum is dressed as a cartoon cowboy. The whole thing is super crazy played with a straight serious face. I don't know to laugh at it or shake my head.

BaronBl00d I get it. I really do. I get the creativity. I get the whole snappy dialog and outfits. I get the big 80's style hair. I get the bizarre story about an adventurer who is also a neurosurgeon/martial arts expert/physicist who can break the speed of light and travel into a dimension hitherto unbeknownst to mankind. See. I get it. I even get why this film has attained some sort of cult status. What I don't get it why? I watched, I sighed, I yawned, I looked at my watch, I looked at my watch again, I sighed - then I went to bed after the first 45 minutes and watched the remainder the next day with basically the same regimen. Look, this is a thick slice of 80's cheese to be sure, and I do respect the producers and director for trying something totally new. But, for much of this film, it is just silly. Peter Weller is a wooden hero surrounded by men with weird names and outfits who are going to help him save the world from aliens. There are two alien factions and I really do not want to investigate that any further as I stifle a yawn about to erupt. Weller and crew are lackluster with the exception of a very young Jeff Goldblum as "New Jersey" and a rather appealing Ellen Barkin as Buckaroo's former love's twin sister(?). Yeah, a lot was done with that storyline too! (NOT!) Saying "bigboote" fifteen times does not a good film or even great film make. This one is borderline for me. I admire the moxie it took to make it. The attempt to do something that had not been done before. The chutzpah(?) the writers had to make their hero all of those things without any former knowledge by the audience OR an attempt to look into the background with any depth whatsoever. The set pieces, the costumes, and that hair are wonders even for the 80's!. John Lithgow chews up scenery better than almost anyone even though he wildly over-does it in this even by Lithgow standards. But with all that said, the end result ultimately was unsatisfactory. The inane dialog, the cheesy special effects, the wooden, low-key performances, that ludicrous end credits with people bobbing their heads up and down, and a convoluted story. This movie flopped and clearly it should have. By no means is it horrible, but rather very, very, very pedestrian.