Nam Angels (1989, directed by Cirio H. Santiago)

Posted on July 1, 2025 by Jedadiah Leland

During the Vietnam War, an American patrol is captured by a German (Vernon Welles) who plans to sell them to the VC. Only their commanding officer, Lt. Vance Calhoun (Brad Johnson), manages to get away. When he’s told the the Army can’t spare any men for a POW rescue mission, he instead recruits a group of Hell’s Angels who just happen to be hanging out in Vietnam. When the Hell’s Angels learn that there’s gold hidden in the caves near the POW camp, they hop on their motorcycles and heard on out.

You might wonder why the Hell’s Angels were in South Vietnam to begin with. The easy answer is that they were there to raise Hell and spread the legend of their motorcycle club. The truth is that they were there to win the war for America. Like many Vietnam films released in the 80s, the main message of Nam Angels is that America could have won if not for the cowardly officers who weren’t willing to rescue our POWs. America should have listened to Vance Calhoun and the Hell’s Angels. Meanwhile, the real-life Hell’s Angels sued the filmmakers for trademark infringement. It doesn’t get more American that!

As for Nam Angels, it has all of the explosions and motorcycles that are promised by the title and, as always, Vernon Wells is a good villain. Considering the premise, it’s disappointing that Nam Angels proves itself to be a typical straight-to-video war movie but it still features all of the action, torture, and tough talk the fans usually want from these movies. It ends with a quote from John Milton that doesn’t really have anything to do with the film that we just watched.

This was one of the 104 films that Cirio Santiago directed over his career. Reportedly, Steven Spielberg was a fan of this one, casting Brad Johnson in Always on the basis of his performance in Nam Angels. Make good movies because you never know who might be watching.

Holiday Film Review: Little Miss Millions (Dir by Jim Wynorski)

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Lisa Marie Bowman

A Jim Wynorski Christmas movie!?

Yes, there is such a thing. First released in 1993, Little Miss Millions tells the story of a cynical but good-hearted private investigator named Nick Frost (Howard Hesseman) who is hired to track down a 9 year-old runway named Heather (Jennifer Love Hewitt, making her feature debut at the age of 12). Nick is hired by Heather’s stepmother, Sybil (Anita Morris), who only wants Heather back because she’s worth several million dollars. After Sybil hires Nick, she also decides to frame him for kidnapping Heather so that she can both get back her stepdaughter and get out of having to pay any reward money. Soon, Nick has two federal agents (played by James Avery and Robert Fieldstell) on his trail. For her part, Heather just wants to find and live with her birthmother, Susan (Terri Treas).

It’s a pretty simple film, one that borrows heavily from It Happened One Night (minus the romantic element, of course) and every single Christmas film that has ever been made. This is one of those rather corny family films where you will pretty much be able to guess everything that is going to happen before it happens but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s a holiday film and no one watches a holiday film to get depressed. They watch holiday films for the sentimental moments and the heart-warming comedy and the moments that create an idealized portrait of life during the holiday season. For all of the violence to be found in them, both Die Hard and Die Hard 2 end with John McClane being reunited with his wife for the holidays. As dark as It’s A Wonderful Life occasionally is, it still ends with that bell ringing and Clarence getting his wings. Miracle on 34th Street never answers for sure whether or not Kris Kringle is who he says he is but Natalie Wood still gets her house with a tree in back. A Christmas Story‘s Ralphie does not shoot his eye out. Lethal Weapon‘s Riggs finds a new family. And don’t even get me started on Santa Claus Conquers The Martians. We watch holiday movies for holiday cheer and, in its unpretentious way, Little Miss Millions is full of that cheer.

Of course, it’s still a Jim Wynorski film. So, while this is definitely a family film without many of the things that are typically associated with the Wynorski brand, Little Miss Millions still finds time for a sudden rainstorm that leaves everyone drenched. And, of course, Nick and Heather stop off at a biker bar that is inhabited by Rick Dean, Toni Naples, and wrestler Queen Kong. Peter Spellos, who played the much-abused Orville Ketchum in Sorority House Massacre 2 and Hard To Die, shows up as a bus driver. It’s still a Wynorski film but it’s also a sweet-natured film, featuring likable performances from Howard Hesseman and Jennifer Love Hewitt. It’s not a holiday classic but it’s diverting enough for those looking for something with which to pleasantly pass the time.

From the Direct-To-Video Film Vault: Naked Obsession (1990, directed by Dan Golden)

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Jedadiah Leland

Franklyn Carlysle (William Katt) is a fine, upstanding city councilman, with a rich wife (Wendy MacDonald) and a bright future. Carlysle wants to be mayor and he’s come up with the perfect scheme. He’s going to work with a developer to renovate Dante’s Square, the city’s notorious red light district.

One night, while Franklyn is driving through Dante’s Square, he’s carjacked. Someone knocks him out before stealing both his car and his wallet. When Franklyn comes to, he discovers that he’s being watched over by Sam Silver (played by Rick Dean). Sam is apparently a homeless philosopher, who tells Franklyn that he’s been taking life too seriously and that sometimes, you just have to yell, “Fuck this shit!” at the top of your lungs. When Franklyn asks where he can find a phone so he can call the cops, Sam leads Franklyn to the Yin Yang Club. It’s there that Franklyn sees Lynne (Maria Ford), a dancer to whom he is immediately attracted. Suddenly, his missing car and his stolen wallet no longer seem that important. With his marriage already in trouble, Franklyn returns to the club the next night.

Franklyn soon discovers that Lynne has a thing for being choked during sex. Even though Sam keeps telling him things like, “Nothing wrong with the dark – you spend half your life in it – trouble is, most people keep their eyes closed,” Franklyn is worried that his affair with Lynne will derail his mayoral ambitions. However, when Lynne shows up dead, Franklyn finds himself dealing with a much bigger problem. He’s now the number one suspect in her murder. Things just get stranger as Franklyn discovers that he wasn’t the only one cheating, meets a masked, gun-wielding stripper, and discovers that Sam might not even be of this world.

William Katt and Rick Dean in Naked Obsession

It can be said, without fear of hyperbole, that Naked Obsession in the Citizen Kane of Roger Corman-Produced Straight-To-Video Maria Ford-Stripper movies. This is largely due to the performance of the late, great Rick Dean in the role of Sam. Sam’s not just just a homeless drunk with a motormouth. As played by Dean, he’s a philosopher king and, the film hints, much more. He comes across like an angel of the devil and he’s exactly what Franklyn Carlysle needs to liven up his too safe life. Maria Ford, who specialized in playing troubled strippers in Roger Corman films, gives one of her best performances and, in the role of Franklyn’s secretary, Elena Sahagun, has some great scenes too. Finally, William Katt classes up the joint, giving a real performance as Franklyn instead of just sleepwalking through the film. Dan Golden’s direction emphasizes the surreal and, by the time the end credits roll, Naked Obsession will leave you wanting to spend a night or two at Dante’s Square.

Like so many classic films from the golden age of late night Cinemax. Naked Obsession has never been released on DVD or Blu-ray but it can be found on YouTube.