October 31, 2021

Cynthia Rothrock: Irresistible Force




If you ever wished there was a made for TV movie starring Stacy Keach and Cynthia Rothrock set in a mall that was a knock off of Die Hard, then do we have good news for you! Irresistible Force (aka Power Cop) is precisely that, and it delivers about as ridiculously as you'd expect.

Plot unfolds something like this: Harris Stone (Stacy Keach) is a cop nearing retirement who's looking for as little action as possible to close out his career. So when faced with suddenly choosing a new partner, he decides Charlotte Heller (Cynthia Rothrock) is the safest bet. Why? Well because she's a woman, obviously! Unfortunately for Stone, this particular woman is looking to flex her martial arts skills, and with terrorists attempting to take over the local mall, hilarity is bound to ensue.

Oh misogyny, up yours!: This movie relies pretty heavily on punchlines regarding Rothrock being a lady and kicking ass. However, what this movie does that too many of her other films do not, is highlight her incredible range of martial arts skills. She dispatches mall terrorists in various impressive and satisfying ways. And as a bonus for the viewers, there aren't men standing around telling her she can't do something for these scenes! Ugh.
Well I'll be: This movie's subplot features a kidnapped kid who's extremely cocky, and extremely annoying. His character is a habitual shoplifter at this mall (who we meet while he's playing his freshly stolen 1993 Gameboy) so his knowledge of the mall and it's security often comes into play. But while digging into the cast of this movie, we learned that the young actor playing this obnoxious role is Michael Bachall. He would go on to write the screenplays for Scott Pilgrim vs The World, and the 2012 21 Jump Street.  

But how do we really feel?: If you are in the mood for some decent early 90s action., this movie is surprisingly very watchable, and as we mentioned, it highlights Rothrock's skills where other films drop the ball. Also the whole thing is on Youtube so it's easy to find too!

One last hilarious thing: While trying to gain access to the mall, Stacy Keach attempt to climb up a garbage shoot and falls repeatedly for what feels like 20 mins. 









October 29, 2021

First Clue: November's Mystery Movie

Clue #1: This month we are screening a Cynthia Rothrock movie! This one comes from earlier in her career.





Tape Freaks Presents: November's Mystery Movie at the Trylon Cinema, November 3rd @ 7:00pm, only $5!