review: THE CRY BABY KILLER

Buena Vista  //  Buy from Amazon.com THE CRY BABY KILLER: Don't miss a young Jack Nicholson, one of Hollywood's most enduring and celebrated icons, as he makes his screen debut starring in this Roger Corman classic. Seventeen-year-old Jimmy Wallace (Nicholson) is a jilted teen with a big chip on his shoulder. In a brawl over a girl, Jimmy grabs for a gun, shoots and panics, thinking he's killed one of the punks. Jimmy accidentally involves three hostages, who include a mom and her baby, by ducking into a storeroom. Despite the best efforts of the police, Jimmy is too scared to surrender. A media circus develops, adding more pressure to a wild standoff. THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS: Enjoy back-to-back Jack with this chilling cult classic, THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Shot in just two days, this beat-era favorite packs plenty of inspired lunacy. Seymour, the inept assistant florist, saves his job by nurturing a man-eating plant to health and drawing customers - and more than a little blood. As the chorus of "Feed me, FEED me!" coming from the talking plant reaches a crescendo, Seymour is forced to find more victims. Jack Nicholson's breakout moment comes in his comic turn as a masochistic dental patient who gets giddy over the prospect of having his teeth pulled! To be completely upfront & honest, I'm not a fan of old movies, nor am I especially partial to black & whites - I like movies made at least in the late-70s, and also like me some color. That being said, both "The Cry Baby Killer" and the included bonus feature "Little Shop of Horrors" did intrigue me, as these were both early films of The King of B-Movies, Mr. Roger Corman, as well as some of the first roles played by a strapping young lad named Jack Nicholson. So, I braved the black & white and sat through the pain of very old movies just for you, dear readers, and the end result is that while I wasn't overly enthralled by either, I was mostly amused through most of both. So that's saying something. Everyone knows the story of "Little Shop," so I won't really comment on that one, but "Cry Baby Killer" had a sort-of 1950's "film noire" vibe to it... sort of. Not as dark as you might've expected from the title or box cover, yet also nowhere near as cheesy as you might expect from a 50-year old film. As a historical record of the early work of 2 true icons, it's interesting, and worth checking out if you're a fan of either. Video Delivered in a fullframe aspect ratio, the picture quality of this DVD is not bad, but it's also nothing spectacular either. A bit of murkiness, a tad soft at times, but still definitely watchable and probably the best this film has ever looked. Audio Mono mix is good & decent. Nothing special, but not terrible either. Middle ground is good. Extras colorized version of the original "Little Shop of Horrors" introductions by Roger Corman Closing Thoughts Really only of interest for those interested in early Corman or Jack, or if you want to own a color version of "Little Shop"