Vanity

The Last Dragon

Get ready for some seriously big hair. The Last Dragon--or, to call it by its full title, Berry Gordy's the Last Dragon--is a stunning example of 1980s camp cinema. One-name kung fu wonder Taimak plays Leroy Green, a.k.a. Bruce Leroy, a humble student of kung fu who has achieved the highest level of skill, but hasn't yet found his inner master. Wandering through the streets of New York in a Chinese peasant outfit, he accidentally becomes the protector of nightclub hostess/video jockey Laura Charles (played by former Prince protégé Vanity, who also costarred in the trash classic Action Jackson). She's being threatened by a height-challenged mobster who wants her to play his girlfriend's video (the girlfriend is something of a Cyndi Lauper look-alike, played by Broadway star Faith Prince). Meanwhile, a man who calls himself Sho'Nuff, the Shogun of Harlem, wants to kick Leroy's ass and prove himself the baddest kung fu master in town. Add to this Leroy's smart-mouthed brother Richie (who calls Leroy "the chocolate-covered yellow peril"), a dregs-of-Motown soundtrack (DeBarge is a high point), ninja battles, pseudo-Eastern philosophical babble, and a jaw-dropping club performance by Vanity, and you have a hilarious example of why we're all so very glad the '80s are over. Featuring a bit role by William H. Macy (Fargo, Magnolia). --Bret Fetzer

Terror Train

A fraternity masquerade party aboard a chartered train turns deadly when a psychotic classmate sets out for murderous revenge.

52 Pick-Up

Adapting Elmore Leonard's novels for the big screen has often proved to be a hit-or-miss proposition (Get Shorty and Jackie Brown are notable exceptions), but director John Frankenheimer is mostly on the mark with 52 Pick-Up. Leonard also co-wrote the screenplay, which stars Roy Scheider as Harry Mitchell, a businessman whose life is turned upside down when he's videotaped in flagrante delicto with his very young mistress (Kelly Preston); he's then approached by three bad guys (John Glover as vile ringleader Alan, Clarence Williams III as menacing gunman Bobby, and Robert Trebor as sweaty, nebbishy Leo), who demand big bucks from Harry in return for the tape. That's the plan, anyway. But Harry fights back. He confesses all to his long-suffering wife (Ann-Margret, fine in an underwritten part) and refuses to go the cops in order to protect her burgeoning political career; he's also unwilling to hand over the money, choosing instead to take on the villains, whose own mistrust of one another makes Harry's mission easier. All the elements one might expect are on display (including kidnapping, murder, and blackmail), coated with a patina of sleaze that features ample nudity (the bad guys also happen to be pornographers), profanity, and fairly graphic violence. Still, for all its arch tone, pithy dialogue, and a plot twist here and there, 52 Pick-Up lacks the full measure of subtlety, tension, and excitement that would make it really good, instead of merely serviceable. The DVD includes no bonus material. --Sam Graham

Action Jackson

Jericho "Action" Jackson is a Detroit police sergeant who was demoted from lieutenant for almost tearing the arm off of sexually violent sociopath Sean Dellaplane whose father is Peter Dellaplane a major car manufacturer. But Dellaplane himself is violent as well. Dellaplane kills his wife Patrice by shooting her. And then he plants her body in Jackson's apartment framing Jackson. Dellaplane won't miss Patrice very much because he has a drug-addicted mistress named Sydney Ash. He keeps Sydney hooked with a free supply of heroin. Jackson suspects Dellaplane of masterminding a murder spree against local officials from the auto workers' union. Dellaplane's mission is to gain a political power base and choose the next president of the United States. Because of what happened to Dellaplane's son Sean Dellaplane has taken a particular dislike to Jackson. Jackson gets Sydney's help in going after Dellaplane.Running Time: 97 min.System Requirements:Starring: Craig T. Nelson Sharon Stone Vanity Carl Weathers Running Time: 1 hrs. 36 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating:  UPC: 012569081628

Having built a name for himself playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies, Carl Weathers hoped to launch his own action-hero franchise as the wishfully named Action Jackson. But this first film never took off and it turned into a one-movie series. Weathers plays Jackson, a police sergeant so nicknamed because he always seems to be where the action is. He runs afoul of an evil auto magnate (Craig T. Nelson), who promptly sets about putting Jackson in the middle of a jackpot for murder. Jackson springs himself from jail and goes on the run, aided by junkie-with-a-heart-of-gold Vanity, before bringing Nelson to justice. Weathers is an impressive specimen but an indistinct personality (though he can handle a one-liner), and he's overmatched against fire-breathing villain Nelson. --Marshall Fine

Tanya's Island

Tanya (Vanity), and her lover, Lobo escape to the solitude and tranquility of a deserted tropical island. Soon, Tanya begins to explore her new found paradise. During one trip into the jungle, she discovers and eventually befriends a gorilla-like creatu

The Last Boy Scout / Dead-Bang / Action Jackson

Da Vinci's War

This time it's closer to home. Frank Da Vinci is an ex-Special Forces operative who heads a mission for homeless vets. When his sister, Angie, does not show up for a dinner party one evening, Da Vinci goes to her home, only to find his brother-in-law dead and Angie at the hands of a ruthless assassin named Mintz. Unable to provide him with the information he seeks, Da Vinci witnesses Mintz mercilessly killing her before his eyes. Now Da Vinci is Mintz's next target, but Da Vinci--with the help of his friends--is determined to take on the corrupt CIA agents and avenge his sister's death, taking his own war to the rogue agents and their army of hired assassins.

Dangerous Action: The Bronx War/Dangerous Relations

Action Jackson/Tango and Cash

Intense Thrillers, Vol. 2: Laser Moon/Night Caller