The man who brought us Tim Thomerson
August 13, 2013 7:28 PM Subscribe
If you rented VHS horror and sci-fi in the late eighties and early nineties, then you’ll recognize the name of Charles Band.
Band directed and produced a great deal of straight-to-video genre movies back in the day. And though he was responsible for some acknowledged classics like "Re-Animator", he is mainly known for such cheese as "Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn". He also ended up getting a great deal of traction from titles such as "Dollman", "Trancers" and "Puppet Master", which spawned a great number of sequels.
Yet even in this era of SyFy and Asylum, Band and his production company Full Moon are still going strong. Earlier this year, Full Moon embarked on the VOD market with "Ooga Booga", featuring Karen Black in one of her very last roles. You can also pay a visit to Full Moon's official YouTube channel where they have some of their classic films free and available for your enjoyment. And if that isn't enough to get your Charles Band fix, Full Moon will mark the 15th anniversary of "Kraa! The Sea Monster" with a screening in Los Angeles this Saturday night.
Band directed and produced a great deal of straight-to-video genre movies back in the day. And though he was responsible for some acknowledged classics like "Re-Animator", he is mainly known for such cheese as "Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn". He also ended up getting a great deal of traction from titles such as "Dollman", "Trancers" and "Puppet Master", which spawned a great number of sequels.
Yet even in this era of SyFy and Asylum, Band and his production company Full Moon are still going strong. Earlier this year, Full Moon embarked on the VOD market with "Ooga Booga", featuring Karen Black in one of her very last roles. You can also pay a visit to Full Moon's official YouTube channel where they have some of their classic films free and available for your enjoyment. And if that isn't enough to get your Charles Band fix, Full Moon will mark the 15th anniversary of "Kraa! The Sea Monster" with a screening in Los Angeles this Saturday night.
Re-Animator is the movie I watch whenever I have an epically bad day. It never fails to cheer me up.
I'm so excited about the Full Moon youtube feed. They appear to have more Puppet Master movies up than I could possibly want, and I've meant to watch those for years and never got around to it. Thanks!
posted by darchildre at 7:47 PM on August 13, 2013
I'm so excited about the Full Moon youtube feed. They appear to have more Puppet Master movies up than I could possibly want, and I've meant to watch those for years and never got around to it. Thanks!
posted by darchildre at 7:47 PM on August 13, 2013
One of the amazing things about Full Moon is how much they operate like a studio, in the sense of the word that Daryl Zanuck or Sam Goldwyn would understand, even as that model is increasingly antiquated. They go back again and again to the same stable of filmmakers, the same actors, the same effects teams, the same sets...
Whatever else you can say about Band productions--and you can say plenty that isn't flattering--Band and his team have a certain base level understanding of what monster movie loving nerds who read Fangoria want, and they have a way of delivering against that base level with a certain dogged persistence and reliability that is very charming and winning, even if the films seldom rise above these minimal expectations.
And like Brocktoon said, everyone seems to be having a blast making moves for Full Moon. There's something to be said for that.
My favorite Full Moon flick, hands down, is Puppet Master III, which turns the villainous little puppets into anti-Nazi avengers. It's online, too.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:50 PM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Whatever else you can say about Band productions--and you can say plenty that isn't flattering--Band and his team have a certain base level understanding of what monster movie loving nerds who read Fangoria want, and they have a way of delivering against that base level with a certain dogged persistence and reliability that is very charming and winning, even if the films seldom rise above these minimal expectations.
And like Brocktoon said, everyone seems to be having a blast making moves for Full Moon. There's something to be said for that.
My favorite Full Moon flick, hands down, is Puppet Master III, which turns the villainous little puppets into anti-Nazi avengers. It's online, too.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:50 PM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
Ahhh, the OTHER kind of Lovecraft fandom - sometimes lit fans are sniffy about all the zombies and such but I find it perfectly fun.
posted by Artw at 7:54 PM on August 13, 2013
posted by Artw at 7:54 PM on August 13, 2013
He's a producer on From Beyond as well of course.
posted by Artw at 8:13 PM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 8:13 PM on August 13, 2013 [1 favorite]
Trancers is a hell of a thing. It's such a beautifully perfect piece of 80's action sci-fi cheese, no ironic parody can come close.
posted by jason_steakums at 8:14 PM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 8:14 PM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
My favorite Full Moon flick, hands down, is Puppet Master III, which turns the villainous little puppets into anti-Nazi avengers.
Another genre flick that Tarantino stole from?
posted by TimTypeZed at 8:22 PM on August 13, 2013
Another genre flick that Tarantino stole from?
posted by TimTypeZed at 8:22 PM on August 13, 2013
Nonononononono... THIS is what "brought us Tim Thomerson"... and this. I was SO dismayed his comedic chops did not make him a major star in the '80s... (In The Associates, he actually stole scenes from Martin Short... how high a level of difficulty is THAT?)
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:00 PM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:00 PM on August 13, 2013 [2 favorites]
I had never seen either of those TV shows so I had no idea about that part of Thomerson's career. I'll have to check them out.
And as for his comedic chops, absolutely. I was actually watching "Metalstorm" on Netflix while I wrote the post and got a kick out of his doing a pretty fair impression of Harrison Ford on some of the line reads.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 9:06 PM on August 13, 2013
And as for his comedic chops, absolutely. I was actually watching "Metalstorm" on Netflix while I wrote the post and got a kick out of his doing a pretty fair impression of Harrison Ford on some of the line reads.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 9:06 PM on August 13, 2013
>Whatever else you can say about Band productions...Band and his team have a certain base level understanding of what monster movie loving nerds who read Fangoria want, and they have a way of delivering against that base level with a certain dogged persistence and reliability that is very charming and winning, even if the films seldom rise above these minimal expectations.
And that's not only fine with me, it's great; if I'm watching crap, I want it to be good crap, entertaining crap. That's why I hate The Asylum, purveyors of made-for SyFy dreck like Mega-Shark Vs Giant Octopus and hatewatching craze du jourSharknado. With a title like Mega-Shark Vs Giant Octopus, I expect...well, a mega-shark vs a giant octopus. Not an hour and a half of Tiffany catfighting with Debbie Gibson (something I would have been interested in around 1987) followed by about five minutes of half-assed CGI.
With a Full Moon feature, you know you're in for a delicious smorgasbord of unrelenting, unapologetic crap, just the way I like it.
posted by mgrichmond at 11:01 PM on August 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
And that's not only fine with me, it's great; if I'm watching crap, I want it to be good crap, entertaining crap. That's why I hate The Asylum, purveyors of made-for SyFy dreck like Mega-Shark Vs Giant Octopus and hatewatching craze du jourSharknado. With a title like Mega-Shark Vs Giant Octopus, I expect...well, a mega-shark vs a giant octopus. Not an hour and a half of Tiffany catfighting with Debbie Gibson (something I would have been interested in around 1987) followed by about five minutes of half-assed CGI.
With a Full Moon feature, you know you're in for a delicious smorgasbord of unrelenting, unapologetic crap, just the way I like it.
posted by mgrichmond at 11:01 PM on August 13, 2013 [4 favorites]
Teh Asylum: BEST OF (TEH WORST MOVIES) OF METAFULTAR.
Full Moon: The Best Of The Worst of Metafilter, with PASSION.
With a Full Moon feature, you know you're in for a delicious smorgasbord of unrelenting, unapologetic crap, just the way I like it.
This is acurate
posted by Mezentian at 3:38 AM on August 14, 2013
Full Moon: The Best Of The Worst of Metafilter, with PASSION.
With a Full Moon feature, you know you're in for a delicious smorgasbord of unrelenting, unapologetic crap, just the way I like it.
This is acurate
posted by Mezentian at 3:38 AM on August 14, 2013
Ah, the Charlie Daniels Band is now the Charles Band.
posted by Servo5678 at 4:32 AM on August 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Servo5678 at 4:32 AM on August 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
Band's company may have "brought you" Re-Animator, but it was directed by the great Stuart Gordon. (Whom I have met!)
posted by Dr. Wu at 7:13 AM on August 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Dr. Wu at 7:13 AM on August 14, 2013 [1 favorite]
The studio also produced the better-than-usual-for-Full-Moon zombie picture The Dead Hate the Living, which includes more zombie flick references (including a "Fulci Lives!" bumper sticker) than you can shake a stick severed limb at, and Jamie Donahue playing the most wholesome Goth girl ever to appear in film.
posted by Gelatin at 8:06 AM on August 14, 2013
posted by Gelatin at 8:06 AM on August 14, 2013
Well, I actually met Charles Band back in the 80's when he was trying out making commercials. Interesting guy.
posted by Samizdata at 8:13 AM on August 14, 2013
posted by Samizdata at 8:13 AM on August 14, 2013
Neat post!
Thomerson's best line, to me was:
"I'm gonna kill ya. I'm gonna skin ya, and I'm gonna use yer shin bone for a pencil box!"
(Volunteers....I think.)
But Dollman...now THERE was a fine flick...
posted by Thistledown at 10:14 AM on August 14, 2013
Thomerson's best line, to me was:
"I'm gonna kill ya. I'm gonna skin ya, and I'm gonna use yer shin bone for a pencil box!"
(Volunteers....I think.)
But Dollman...now THERE was a fine flick...
posted by Thistledown at 10:14 AM on August 14, 2013
I'll say it - dry hair is for squids.
posted by lon_star at 10:37 AM on August 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by lon_star at 10:37 AM on August 14, 2013 [2 favorites]
The episode that Servo5678 references is available on youtube.
posted by jonbro at 11:38 AM on August 14, 2013
posted by jonbro at 11:38 AM on August 14, 2013
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posted by Brocktoon at 7:37 PM on August 13, 2013