Time Burst: The Final Alliance (1989)

 

Time Burst: The Final Alliance (1989)- *1\2

Directed by: Peter Yuval

Starring: David Scott King, Michi McGee, Douglas Harter, Richard Rogers, Gerard Okamura, and Beano

A guy inexplicably named Urbane (he's not) (King) is on the run. One minute he's in a plane crash with a bigwig antiques dealer named Rush (Rogers), and then a woman named Jane English (McGee), who is from 'The Agency' picks him up. Then there's a samurai swordfight from hundreds of years ago between a Japanese man and a mustachioed white guy who they call "White Man". It seems that some gangsters and baddies want "The Tablets", which contain the secret to immortality. The Master (Okamura) is the keeper of said tablets. Confusion ensues. Will Urbane and English accomplish whatever it is they've set out to accomplish? And, better question, will you care?


Oh Highlander (1986), what hath you wrought? First it was The Swordsman (1992), then, without explanation or warning, Gladiator Cop: The Swordsman 2 (1995), and now this. Just because Highlander did it doesn't mean YOU have to have immortal people with swords too. It's not just that the Highlander films had budgets behind them and this doesn't. It's more that Time Burst: The Final Alliance has a confusing and messy plot structure, no likable characters or development, and a lackluster "meh" quality to it all. This leads to a less-than-satisfying viewing experience. By the 'time' it was over, it felt like four hours had passed.



What exactly is a "time burst" anyway? Did anything burst in this film? I'm trying to remember. After you watch it, all recollection of having done so drains down the memory hole of your brain. For that matter, was there a "final alliance"? This title is just a melange of random words meant to trick you into renting it at the video store in the late 80's or early 90's.


The one positive we can point to here is the presence of Gerald Okamura and his voice. Any time he talks, things pick up. But that's just not enough to save a 93-minute jumble. Oh, and Douglas Harter's cameo. That was good too. Of the Peter Yuval films we've seen, Dead End City (1988), Firehead (1991), and this, Time Burst is definitely the weakest. Unlike Firehead, there's not even a Special Operations Computer Bank on hand, never mind Chris Lemmon. If you're familiar with AIP, the whole thing has an Armed For Action (1992) vibe - but, yet again, no Joe Estevez or even Rocky Patterson to liven things up.



TB:TFA has serious pacing problems. It's rarely clear what's going on, and the characters don't hook you in enough for you to really care. There's no one, central baddie to hiss at. Someone like Eric Roberts would have breathed much more life into the Urbane role. They couldn't afford Eric Roberts, but they could afford Beano. So, there's that.


The only reason to watch this film is if YOU are immortal and have lots of time to kill. For everyone else, it may be wise to steer clear of this particular Burst.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Invasion Force (1990)

Invasion Force (1990)- * * *

Directed by: David A. Prior

Starring: Richard Lynch, David "Shark" Fralick, Renee Cline, Douglas Harter, and Walter Cox

A film crew – an AIP film crew, no less – is shooting their latest action movie in the woods around Mobile, Alabama. Sure, there are some of the typical squabbles that go on, but jokes are being told and pranks are being played in the crew’s off hours, so all seems to be going as normal. That is until a paramilitary organization led by Michael Cooper (Lynch) parachutes into the area with his goons. This INVASION FORCE plans to take over a city (presumably Mobile) as part of their dastardly plans. 



They take the director, Ben Adams (Cox) hostage and begin shooting people with machine guns. The film crew only has their prop guns, explosions, and tanks to fend them off, so they’re going to have to use their wits to foil the plans of the baddies. Thankfully, Joni Marshall (Cline), the lead actress, and Douglas Harter (presumably playing himself), the weapons expert, have some tricks up their sleeves. In this battle of film crew versus the bad guys, who will come out victorious? And will there be a final twist to this AIP movie-within-an-AIP movie?


A lone, shirtless meathead stalks the forest. He begins shooting two machine guns at the same time and blowing up various huts. It’s a promising start. Soon enough, the director calls cut and lead star Troy (Fralick) whines that the aforementioned Joni stepped on his foot. What AIP mastermind and writer/director David A. Prior seems to be implying is that these action stars might not be so tough after all. 



Prior goes on to postulate what might happen if one of his small film crews, who normally are so expert in rigging up explosions and providing actors with ammunition, came up against the real thing in real life. How would they handle it? Interestingly, this same ground was covered in Contra Conspiracy (1990) that same year. It would be an interesting double feature of low-budget meta mayhem.


While certainly not a behind-the-scenes documentary of AIP, Invasion Force might be as close as you’ll get. The movie takes the time to show everyone in the crew, from the chef on down, interacting with each other. AIP mainstays like Doug Harter and Sean Holton (as Joey) are engaging and very likable. The director, Ben, bears a strong resemblance to – and should have been played by – Brian Benben. Coincidence? 



There’s a crew member who looks exactly like Andy Richter who has to help fight the baddies as well. Lower-tier fan favorite and Frank Zagarino competitor David “Shark” Fralick has some fantastic outfits and is well-cast as the musclebound hero. While most of the men in the movie have mullets, we think the bandanna he wears is to cover up his thinning hair on the front of his head. But it’s just a theory. Of course, Richard Lynch is the “Lynch-pin” that holds it all together. (Heh heh). But it’s true.


Could Invasion Force be one big ego trip for Prior and his band of AIP stalwarts? The idea that they could fight against a paramilitary group with real guns and ammo in real firefights? Maybe, maybe not, but it's a good idea for an 83-minute direct-to-video action movie. 


Even still, Prior and the gang managed to fashion something modest, yet entertaining, on a rock-bottom budget, which is impressive. Imagine Red Dawn (1984) meets Invasion USA (1985) meets Mankillers (1987). And they even thank the Piggly Wiggly, among other chain stores like Krispy Kreme and Home Depot, in the closing credits. It's blue-collar, homespun filmmaking all the way and therein lies the charm.

Comeuppance review by: Brett and Ty 

Rapid Fire (1989)

Rapid Fire (1989)- * * *

Directed by: David A. Prior

Starring: Joe Spinell, Douglas Harter, Dawn Tanner, Ron Waldron, Michael Wayne, and Del Zamora











When the evil terrorist Mustapha Ahmed (Zamora) and his sidekick Eddy Williams (Wayne) escape military imprisonment and steal a high-tech, high-powered gun (See cover on the left), all hell breaks loose. Hansen (Spinell) calls in his best agent, a man named Mike Thompson (Waldron) to bring Ahmed and Williams to justice. 

Thompson initially balks at the assignment, but when he sees his chance to get revenge against Williams - who he served with in Vietnam (?) and who wronged him then - Thompson jumps at the chance. To complete his mission he teams up with Corie Parker (Tanner, whose only other credit is fellow AIP vehicle Center of the Web), a pretty government agent, as well as Pappy, a not-so-pretty mercenary with a larger than life personality and joie d’vivre. Will the three heroes rise to the occasion and stop the baddies? Find out today...

1989. Will the wonders birthed in that magical year never cease to issue forth? Here, the classic AIP team of David A. Prior, William Zipp and David Winters bring us Rapid Fire, not to be confused with Rapid Fire (1992). This Rapid Fire stars not Brandon Lee, but one Ron Waldron as Mike Thompson. Somehow, we can see the excitement on your faces. Waldron tries for Clint Eastwood in his speech and mannerisms, but comes off as a confused cross between David Heavener and Robert Hays (both no strangers to AIP, interestingly. Prior must have a type he’s looking for). 

He almost gets into a barfight in perhaps the same bar as seen in Hell on the Battleground (1989). Thompson has a truck named Rollin’ Thunder, and, as if that wasn’t enough, his license plate is “FLEX”. His vehicle contains a lot of text. But even with all that firepower, he can’t compare to Pappy.

Unquestionably, Douglas Harter as Pappy steals the movie. It obviously belongs to him. A longtime AIP mainstay, here he finally gets some time in the sun, and he clearly relishes it. Luckily, so does the audience. Pappy is a large, robust man who is bald but has a long beard. He’s usually wearing sunglasses and smokes cigars. His favorite activity is hanging out in his pool, drinking cans of Miller Lite while surrounded by bikini-clad babes. He has great taste in casualwear, and he doesn’t take life too seriously. Yet, he always gets the job done and you can depend on him. We really grew to love Pappy. There needs to be more people like him not just in movies, but in real life.

Countering the ebullience of Pappy, there is a sad undercurrent to Rapid Fire, as it was fan favorite Joe Spinell’s last movie. There are credits honoring his memory both before and after the film. Unlike Operation Warzone (1988), he does stand up here, so it’s not solely a sit-down role, thankfully. Spinell was a great talent and will surely be missed. He brought uniqueness, life, and interest to every role he played. It truly is a shame he left us before his time.

But back to the silliness at hand, the main baddie, Williams, resembles noted pervert and scumbag Anthony Weiner. At least towards the beginning of the movie. Somehow, after repeated flashbacks and paranoid dream sequences, he goes more towards the Heavener side of things, confusingly, just like our hero Mike Thompson. I guess the Heavener look was big back in ‘89.

As usual with AIP, it seems a lot of time and care went into the music. The great Steve McClintock handles it once again, and he delivers some radio-ready songs that were as good as any of the hits of the day. His “C’Mon (My Hometown)” out John Cougar Mellencamps John Cougar Mellencamp, and Bob Harvey’s “The Shack”, well...it out Bob Segers Bob Seger. The songs enrich the movie and ignore the low budget. Sure, there’s a lot of shooting, car stunts, Prerequisite Torture of the hero and whatnot, and even the heartbreaking passing  of Joe Spinell, but we can always go back to “My Hometown”. That seems to be the message, and it seems to fit.

Featuring a very bizarre, totally out-of-left-field denouement, Rapid Fire is more AIP madness you have to love and enjoy.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty 

White Fury (1990)

 White Fury (1990)-* *

Directed by: David A. Prior

Starring: Deke Anderson, Sean Holton, Douglas Harter, Chasity Hammons, Christine Shinn, Michael Kaskel, and William Berg

Danny (Holton) is a champion snowboarder who loves nothing more than being a radically awesome dude with an attitude. His idea of a perfect life would undoubtedly be jumping out of a helicopter on his snowboard and “slamming” a can of Mountain Dew. He takes his girlfriend Christine (Shinn) and his pals Greg (Berg) and Lesley (Hammons) to a remote cabin in snowy Colorado.  They think they’re going to get some nice rest and relaxation, but something goes awry...

Tyler Bennett (Anderson) and his accomplice Marcus (Kaskel) are amoral bank robbers on the run. To escape from the heat of their latest job, they head out to the country and somehow find the aforementioned cabin. They hole up there and generally terrorize the four young adults. But they didn’t count on one thing: a “bounty hunter outta Detroit” named Martin Towers. This grizzled, bearded man is relentless and has been tracking Tyler for years. Armed with a missile launcher and his own determination, will Towers finally get his man...?

This one was pretty junky, even by AIP standards. It’s a fairly basic hostage drama, married with some shreddin’ snowboards. The main problem with White Fury is that its very simple idea overstays its welcome. Due to its pacing issues, when it seems the movie is going to end, it just keeps going with no new ideas to sustain it. Its threadbare plot is running on fumes. And having a wildly overlong snowmobile/snowboard chase/gunfight - which could have been a lot cooler had it been handled differently - doesn’t really help matters. The same song playing over and over again in the background during the scene is kind of a red flag that it might be going on too long. Plus there are plenty of “gaffes” throughout the film that give away its no-budget status. So it’s hard to shake the feeling that you’re watching some bare-bones boring crud.

On the bright side, there are some great late-80’s fashions on display, and most of the cast does their absolute best under trying circumstances.  Have you ever seen Ben Stiller's impression of Tom Cruise? That seems to be the acting style of Deke Anderson as the main baddie Tyler. Much of the rest of the cast seem to be non-actors, so no harsh criticism is coming their way, at least not here. Plus, there might be more subtext here than you might think. Due to some subtle clues, there might be a chance that this is actually a story of the forbidden love between Martin Towers and Danny. Truly one of the great star-crossed love stories of our time, I tell ya. If you ever watch the movie (or see it again if you already have), just take note of the dialogue and interactions between Martin and Danny. You’ll see what we mean. Maybe it’s not so far-fetched.

While we wouldn’t recommend it be the first AIP movie you ever see, if you can’t get enough of that AIP style, you’ll find some familiar entertainment in White Fury.

Comeuppance Review by: Ty and Brett