Film Reviews · Backpex

Title	Overview		Toggle columns Title Overview
Major Payne	Major Benson Winifred Payne is being discharged from the Marines. Payne is a killin' machine, but the wars of the world are no longer fought on the battlefield. A career Marine, he has no idea what to do as a civilian, so his commander finds him a job - commanding officer of a local school's JROTC program, a bunch of ragtag losers with no hope.
They Knew What They Wanted	When visiting San Francisco, Tony Patucci, a ageing winegrower from the Napa Valley, sees waitress Amy Peters and falls in love. Returning home, he persuades his foreman Joe, an incorrigible womanizer, to write her a letter in Tony's name. Tony's courtship by mail culminates with a proposal, and when she requests a picture of him, he sends one of Joe. Amy accepts and goes to Napa to be married. Although horrified to discover that her prospective husband is the portly Tony, she decides to go through with the marriage. However, while Tony is in bed after an accident, Amy and Joe has an affair. Two months later, as Tony plans the wedding, she discovers that she is pregnant. Upon learning this, Tony pummels Joe, who leaves the vineyards. but forgives Amy, and insists that they still be married, But she is unable to forgive herself, so she leaves with the priest who's come to marry them, while Tony looks on, hoping that she will return one day.
If I Were King	In 1463, Paris is besieged by the Duke of Burgundy, arch-rival of the king, who is content to sit tight while the poor starve. But there are traitors in Paris, and King Louis goes undercover to find one, thereby meeting Francois Villon, poet, philosopher and rogue. By chance Villon kills the king's traitor and is ordered to replace him...as Grand Constable of France! But there's a catch.
Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader	Aspiring college cheerleader, Cassie Stratford consumes an experimental drug that grants her beauty and enough athletic ability to make the cheer squad. The drug has an unforeseen side effect — Cassie starts to grow and grow and grow!
Too Many Ways to Be No. 1	This arty triad flick from Wai Ka-Fai and Johnnie To is as good as genre pictures get in this era. Lau Ching-Wan is Kau, a small potato in the triad world who must make a fateful decision to discover who he is. With that decision, his life can diverge in two paths, each leading to an ultimate fate.
Rimini, Rimini: A Year Later	Funny, entertaining comedy with a few storylines. All of them have one thing in common - a resort town of Rimini in Italy.
The Woman in Black	When a friendless old widow dies in the seaside town of Crythin, a young solicitor is sent by his firm to settle the estate. The lawyer finds the townspeople reluctant to talk about or go near the woman's dreary home and no one will explain or even acknowledge the menacing woman in black he keeps seeing.
City of Angels	When guardian angel Seth -- who invisibly watches over the citizens of Los Angeles -- becomes captivated by Maggie, a strong-willed heart surgeon, he ponders trading in his pure, otherworldly existence for a mortal life with his beloved. The couple embarks on a tender but forbidden romance spanning heaven and Earth.
Playing for Keeps	An ambitious trio of inner-city high school grads tries to hit the big time by turning a run-down country hotel into a rock & roll resort with around-the-clock music and live entertainment. Standing in their way are fearful townsfolk, unscrupulous businessmen and the tax collector, all threatening to bring the curtain down on the teens' aspirations. But this is one threesome who refuses to give up on their lifelong goal without a fight — and a song.
Landscape No. 2	The burglars Sergej and Polde steal a valuable painting, Landscape No.2. By coincidence Sergej also takes a mysterious document dating back to the end of the World War II. Instructor is ordered to recover the stolen painting and the document, which triggers a diabolic mechanism of the past.
The Paper Will Be Blue	Out of enthusiasm, a Militia soldier abandons his platoon and decides to fight for the cause of the Revolution. His Lieutenant and the rest of the crew look for him during the confused night of 22-23 December 1989.
They Came from Beyond Space	A group of scientists are possessed by a alien force when they investigate a meteor shower in a rural field.
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again	Amos and Theodore, the two bumbling outlaw wannabes from The Apple Dumpling Gang, are back and trying to make it on their own. This time, the crazy duo gets involved in an army supply theft case -- and, of course, gets in lots of comic trouble along the way!
Looking for Lenny	In-depth documentary that uses Lenny Bruce's legacy to explore the present condition of the fear of words and expression.
Behind Locked Doors	Behind the locked doors of a mental institution resides crooked politico Judge Drake (Herbert Heyes), free from prosecution so long as he pretends to be crazy. To get the goods on Drake, private detective Ross Stewart has himself committed to the asylum as a patient. Meanwhile, reporter Kathy Lawrence (Lucille Bremer), posing as Stewart's wife, acts as his liaison to the outside world.

Major Payne

Major Benson Winifred Payne is being discharged from the Marines. Payne is a killin' machine, but the wars of the world are no longer fought on the battlefield. A career Marine, he has no idea what to do as a civilian, so his commander finds him a job - commanding officer of a local school's JROTC program, a bunch of ragtag losers with no hope.

They Knew What They Wanted

When visiting San Francisco, Tony Patucci, a ageing winegrower from the Napa Valley, sees waitress Amy Peters and falls in love. Returning home, he persuades his foreman Joe, an incorrigible womanizer, to write her a letter in Tony's name. Tony's courtship by mail culminates with a proposal, and when she requests a picture of him, he sends one of Joe. Amy accepts and goes to Napa to be married. Although horrified to discover that her prospective husband is the portly Tony, she decides to go through with the marriage. However, while Tony is in bed after an accident, Amy and Joe has an affair. Two months later, as Tony plans the wedding, she discovers that she is pregnant. Upon learning this, Tony pummels Joe, who leaves the vineyards. but forgives Amy, and insists that they still be married, But she is unable to forgive herself, so she leaves with the priest who's come to marry them, while Tony looks on, hoping that she will return one day.

If I Were King

In 1463, Paris is besieged by the Duke of Burgundy, arch-rival of the king, who is content to sit tight while the poor starve. But there are traitors in Paris, and King Louis goes undercover to find one, thereby meeting Francois Villon, poet, philosopher and rogue. By chance Villon kills the king's traitor and is ordered to replace him...as Grand Constable of France! But there's a catch.

Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader

Aspiring college cheerleader, Cassie Stratford consumes an experimental drug that grants her beauty and enough athletic ability to make the cheer squad. The drug has an unforeseen side effect — Cassie starts to grow and grow and grow!

Too Many Ways to Be No. 1

This arty triad flick from Wai Ka-Fai and Johnnie To is as good as genre pictures get in this era. Lau Ching-Wan is Kau, a small potato in the triad world who must make a fateful decision to discover who he is. With that decision, his life can diverge in two paths, each leading to an ultimate fate.

Rimini, Rimini: A Year Later

Funny, entertaining comedy with a few storylines. All of them have one thing in common - a resort town of Rimini in Italy.

The Woman in Black

When a friendless old widow dies in the seaside town of Crythin, a young solicitor is sent by his firm to settle the estate. The lawyer finds the townspeople reluctant to talk about or go near the woman's dreary home and no one will explain or even acknowledge the menacing woman in black he keeps seeing.

City of Angels

When guardian angel Seth -- who invisibly watches over the citizens of Los Angeles -- becomes captivated by Maggie, a strong-willed heart surgeon, he ponders trading in his pure, otherworldly existence for a mortal life with his beloved. The couple embarks on a tender but forbidden romance spanning heaven and Earth.

Playing for Keeps

An ambitious trio of inner-city high school grads tries to hit the big time by turning a run-down country hotel into a rock & roll resort with around-the-clock music and live entertainment. Standing in their way are fearful townsfolk, unscrupulous businessmen and the tax collector, all threatening to bring the curtain down on the teens' aspirations. But this is one threesome who refuses to give up on their lifelong goal without a fight — and a song.

Landscape No. 2

The burglars Sergej and Polde steal a valuable painting, Landscape No.2. By coincidence Sergej also takes a mysterious document dating back to the end of the World War II. Instructor is ordered to recover the stolen painting and the document, which triggers a diabolic mechanism of the past.

The Paper Will Be Blue

Out of enthusiasm, a Militia soldier abandons his platoon and decides to fight for the cause of the Revolution. His Lieutenant and the rest of the crew look for him during the confused night of 22-23 December 1989.

They Came from Beyond Space

A group of scientists are possessed by a alien force when they investigate a meteor shower in a rural field.

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again

Amos and Theodore, the two bumbling outlaw wannabes from The Apple Dumpling Gang, are back and trying to make it on their own. This time, the crazy duo gets involved in an army supply theft case -- and, of course, gets in lots of comic trouble along the way!

Looking for Lenny

In-depth documentary that uses Lenny Bruce's legacy to explore the present condition of the fear of words and expression.

Behind Locked Doors

Behind the locked doors of a mental institution resides crooked politico Judge Drake (Herbert Heyes), free from prosecution so long as he pretends to be crazy. To get the goods on Drake, private detective Ross Stewart has himself committed to the asylum as a patient. Meanwhile, reporter Kathy Lawrence (Lucille Bremer), posing as Stewart's wife, acts as his liaison to the outside world.