Knightriders (1981)

Some people that rate this are very harsh, "IGNORANCE IS BLISS" Many people today do not know how hard it was to film in the 80's with 100 pound cameras that film only once! editing nightmares! sound nightmares in the 80's going from mono to stereo quality was epic but today its in 7.1 Dolby. Things are much easier today because today you can go buy 5 go pro cameras and have them film all at once and edit it on the fly then show it within hours while back in the 80's it took months to film, a year to edit and finally 3 years later it shows up on the big screen. This movie is a historical movie, first it shows the vehicles of that era, it shows the end of the Hippie revolution which honestly this was filmed in 1978 and 1979 then look at how they talk, how they move, The background and the way things were done back then. Life was hard in the 80's, If you want to have fun watching a movie for historical purpose give this a shot, The emotions and the bad acting helped some of these would be actor to grow and flourish.

This is a great film after the first time seeing it and then watching it twice. When you realize that the entire plot is about a man dying and coming to terms with the fact that his days, hours and minutes are numbered. When I first saw this, Ed Harris, although an excellent actor, annoyed me, but it really was his character, "Billy", who annoyed me since he was so melancholy and took himself so seriously and was such a primadonna to the other riders whom he was the chosen "King". But then I realized something; "Billy" is a man who knows he is basically dead (in a matter of speaking) (which fits being that it's a Romero film) and he must come to terms with letting go of his title, and his troupe. He is not trying to regain anything, which is what it seems like at first; he's trying to give it up gracefully. Tom Savini's "Black Knight" character is the opposite; he is very much alive and knows he won't die but he has to learn to not only humble himself, but to prove worthy of inheriting the king's title, not only through the motor-joust but through his attitude. It was nice to see a few "Dawn of the Dead" alumni, especially Scott H. Reiniger whose character "Roger" is one of the best horror films characters of all time, but we needed more of him. Some other actors came and went without much story but the main characters held everything together. This is an excellent movie, possibly one of the most underrated, and definitely the most ambitious movies ever, ever made. A true labor of love, it is one to watch again and again... because the more you see it, the more you'll get out of it. Watch for Stephen King in a very brief cameo as a hillbilly local who is watching the first jousting match in Bakersfield.

This, quite possibly, may be my favorite of Romero's films. I adore Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, but this one is quite special and is a complete surprise, even to Romero's hardcore fans. I remember renting it a while back because it was by Romero (and it is pretty long, 145 minutes, and I love long films). Many reviews simply stated that it was "a change of pace" for Romero, and yes, this is true, but they missed the depth and substance that this film has. It is Romero's most moving film, completely heartfelt and sincere, one that, should I say this, stirs the soul. Romero elicits incredibly naturalistic performances from his cast. It's made up of Romero regulars, including Ken Foree from Dawn of the Dead, and Tom Savini, makeup artist extraordinare and a surprisingly good actor here. It also stars a then unknown Ed Harris, who Romero discovered. Ed shows his intensity and power early on. You really feel like you're watching real people and their traveling show. Nothing feels phony, smug, or "ironic" here. The final 20 minutes is the most stirring thing that Romero has ever done (with the best scene in a school where Ed Harris gives his sword and helmet to a young school boy he met earlier in the film. The kid's performance is wonderful in a film filled with them). So, this film is much more than just a change of pace for George A. Romero. It's a deeply moving, sad film, one that should be appreciated not only for its change of pace (which Romero succeeds wildly), but for its deep, humanistic message. A wonderful piece of film-making....

When a troupe of Motorcyclists, who are members of a traveling renaissance fair. They move town to town with great audiences each time. They are the perfect medieval jousting tournament group. The rule of the game, if someone of the opposite team lead by Arthur (Tom Savini). If his team wins, Arthur will become the new King of Camelot. If Arthur doesn't win, Billy (Ed Harris) will always stay King of Camelot. But Billy almost believe too much about the real world of today society of Camelot is being renewed. While they are getting national attention much to the dismay of the current King of this Camelot. The members of this medieval jousting tournament group asked themselves, why they are here doing and what they loved being in the first place.Written and Directed by George A. Romero (Creepshow, The Dark Half, Monkey Shines) shows a unique style and flair to the extremely well made unusual film. It was a flop in theaters but the film received an cult following on video. Harris gives an terrific performance in his first lead role. The film has an nice supporting performances by Amy Ingersoll, Gary Lahti, Patricia Tallman, Christine Forrest Romero (The filmmaker's wife), Warner Shook, Brother Blue, Martin Ferrero, Ken Foree and Scott Reiniger.DVD has an fine anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and an clear Dolby 2.0 Mono Sound. DVD has an entertaining commentary track by Writer/Director:Romero, Make-Up Artist/Actor:Savini, Film Historian:Chris Stavrakis, Brief Comments by the director's wife and a few comments by actor:John Amplas. DVD also gas a silent behind the scenes featurette, theatrical trailer and a collector's booklet. While this film is not for all tastes but it is still an interesting film. Great music score by Donald Rubinstein (Bruiser, Martin). Watch for Novelist:Stephen King and his wife:Tabitha King in Cameos. (****/*****).