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The Stuff

The Stuff

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Are You Eatin' It...Or Is It Eatin' You?
Review: One thing can always be said about the movies from writer/director Larry Cohen: They are both quirky and entertaining. And his 1985 flick THE STUFF is no exception. As with most of Cohen's work, THE STUFF is not meant to be taken seriously. Though it is a sci-fi/horror film, it's not all that scary. The superficial science-fiction and horror elements really only serve as a skeleton on which Cohen can grow a body of irony; the true muscle and flesh of THE STUFF is satire. Cohen's "plot" is intentionally campy and absurd, churning out blatantly wry comments on the obsessive consumerism and capitalistic opportunism prevalent in Western Culture.

The story: A new dessert has captured the attention, as well as the pocketbooks, of the American consumer--The Stuff. The Stuff tastes great, is low in calories, and is apparently chock-full of all the nutrients the human body needs. Indeed, some folks have started eating it exclusively, much to the chagrin of the manufacturers of other desserts and food products. So the disgruntled competitors deploy their secret weapon: David "Mo" Rutherford (Michael Moriarty), an industrial spy and saboteur with a reputation for getting results. With the aid of Advertising Exec Nicole (Andrea Marcovicci) and cookie mogul "Chocolate Chip Charlie" Hobbs (Garrett Morris), Rutherford sets out to steal the secret ingredients of The Stuff. But when he and his cohorts learn that there is something at work more devious than just aggressive marketing tactics, Rutherford and crew take on a more noble pursuit as they work to destroy the addictive hold The Stuff has on the public and expose the product's evil, self-serving manufacturers and distributors.

The wonderful cast deserves a lot of credit for helping Cohen to realize the raw, biting satire of his script. Michael Moriarty gives a hilarious performance as smarmy but good-hearted industrial saboteur "Mo" Rutherford. His earnest but glib delivery of often absurd lines helps the audience to accept the character at face value. And Andrea Marcovicci does an affecting job as the Ad Exec who wants to help right the wrongs to which she's contributed. But best of all is the performance of SNL alum Garrett Morris. He is delightfully over-the-top as cookie mogul Chocolate Chip Charlie (an obvious send-up of real-life 1980s cookie peddler Famous Amos), a dethroned dessert king bent on revenge.

True, THE STUFF is not likely to go down in the annals of great speculative science fiction or classic chilling horror. It's too outrageously camp. But as satire or social parody, it's top-notch cinema. Cohen's tongue-in-cheek screenplay mercilessly hammers away at real-life problems like corporate expediency, cut-throat commercial competitiveness, less-than-honest product marketing and advertising, questionable health and nutritional information...and just about every other unethical practice associated with Western economics and consumerism. Though Cohen's basic premise is a bit off the wall, and though some of the film's special FX are a bit cheesy, the film works because it is peopled with three-dimensional characters that react plausibly to the outrageous situations in which they are placed. That, and it's just so damn funny.

The DVD, from those wonderful folks at Anchor Bay, offers a great-looking anamorphic widescreen digital transfer of the film, along with the requisite theatrical trailer. In addition, there is also a very informative and entertaining feature commentary with writer/director Larry Cohen himself! A disc that is well worth the reasonable price.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The CULT classic!
Review: Remember the scary trailer of this movie? Its not very scary now, but its my favorite movie (along with Yor) for a good laugh. Give thanks to Anchor Bay for bringing this classic to DVD (anamorphic too). The DVD is also sporting a commentary with Director Larry Cohen(It's Alive, Wicked Stepmother). I can't wait! Check out Londonmay for the Unofficial website!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: yum!
Review: Strange white glop in the form of a popular treat (like yogurt or ice-cream) takes over the minds and bodies of society. A cool, slick film that doesn't take itself to seriously. Not scary in the least but interesting. Theres a few memorable scenes such as when one of the characters, in "thing" like fashion, reveals himself to be an agent of "the stuff". Its a jaw-dropping experience. You'll know it when you see it. Pretty decent acting in this one. Not the usual tripe we have come to expect. The effects are decent. Still, something is holding this film back from being above average. oh well. Its different. Worth picking up for the right price.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Continuing special effects: then & now.
Review: The acting was good to great and the dialog corny and funny with special efforts on Scott Bloom, Michael Moriarty and Garrett Morris' part/role to keep it funky & lively. The storyline carried this flik, partially, with focus on good overcomes evil in the fad food market in spite of continuing foul-ups on lead & supporting actors ideas and often hambone lines. A fun movie that requires limited viewer attention to be entertained and laugh at set-up scenes that bordered on rediculous to incredible. The creative special effects held my interest to the happy ending. Definitely a good movie to kick back, relax and enjoy. I would like to have this collectors item in my video library.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This movie is the greatest
Review: The only people in my town to of seen this movie was me and my best friend. I love it. I can't wait for Amazon.com to come out with it. I WILL be buying this movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Stuff ... there's never enough!
Review: The stuff is an alien substance of sorts, found bubbling out of the ground in small towns across the United States. It looks like ice-cream, tastes great, but ... once it takes hold of you, it becomes addictive and deadly. But what is its secret ingredient?

Enter Michael Moriarty ('Troll', 'Courage Under Fire'), who is hired as an industrial saboteur by representatives of a food company to discover just what makes the stuff so addictive. As the stuff becomes more readily available, the people selling it are no longer content to merchandise through the smaller outlets. They begin to advertise it nationwide.

David 'Mo' Rutherford (Moriarty) tracks the stuff across the country with the help of Nicole (Andrea Marcovicci) and a young boy, Jason (Scott Bloom), witnessing its effects on the population. During their efforts, they are assisted by Col. Malcolm Grommett Spears (Paul Sorvino) and the wacky cookie entrepreneur, Chocolate Chip Charlie (Garrett Morris, 'Saturday Night Live'). As the film progresses, it becomes impossible to know just who to trust, and resisting the stuff becomes increasingly difficult.

Larry Cohen has become a hero to those whose interests are in cult horror/sci-fi films, having turned out classics like 'A Return to Salem's Lot', 'The Ambulance', and 'Q: The Winged Serpent'. This is his fourth collaboration with Moriarty and it is well worth the money. 'The Stuff' contains comedy, action, science fiction, and horror - a combination of 'The Blob' and 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', with Cohen's crazy sense of humor thrown in for good measure.

Also stars Brian Bloom, Danny Aiello, and Patrick O'Neal.

Bonus features on this edition include an informative audio commentary with director, Larry Cohen, TV Spots, original theatrical trailer, and widescreen presentation.

Buy it! You'll be addicted.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: One of the best bad movies
Review: The stuff is poorly edited, but a great story. Horror, humor, and low production quality combine to make a great bad science fiction movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome and Funny
Review: The Stuff, what an awesome and funny film this is. Though there are some funny parts to it, this B-film presents itself with some gore to it. All of the actors did a good job in this low budget film. While this isn't your typical big budget film, I highly recommend it to enjoy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good 80's B-movie fun.
Review: This 1985 Sci-fi Horror comedy from Larry Cohen is about a mysterious White-Goo that bubbles from the Earth, but it also taste kind of sweet and is being selled as a Ice Cream-like product that people are eating. Michael Moriarity plays a Agent
who is trying to find the secret ingredient to the successful
dessert but discovers that it is a Alien Organism that takes over your body and makes you into a Zombie. It's a really
goofy but fun film that gained a cult following since it was first relased, it's basically a combination of " Day of the Dead", " The Blob", " Lifeforce", " The Toxic Avenger", " Re-Animator", and " Fist of the North Star" all rolled into one.
It's worth renting though, if your in the good mood for a goofy fun horror comedy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Stuff--My Favorite B-DVD
Review: This is my favorite "scary" movie to watch when I am just a little traumatized by too much gore, action, and special effects. The story remains fresh and topical, with just enough sly references to the past decade (or so) to give adults a smile. The performances, especially by Moriarty and Sorvino, are outstanding--one of those rare occasions when it's actually great fun to watch actors obviously having fun! There is a light-heartedness about this film, a gentle acceptance of the foibles of human nature, that will lure you in and make you (against your better judgement?) watch it more than once.


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