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Pieces of Darkness
USA 1989
produced by George Bonilla (executive), Robert Joe Carr (executive), Robert Chris Goodin (executive) for Commercial Entertainment Group
directed by George Bonilla (segments The Bootmaker and Choice Cuts), J. Johnson jr III (segment That's Showbiz)
starring segment The Bootmaker: Steve Lobertini, Robert Joe Carr, Kitt Hoffman, Richard Gibson; segment Choice Cuts: Earl N.Black, John Mayer, Tammy Moody, Aurora Stevens; segment That's Showbiz: Danial Reams, Andy Yates
written by Thomas R.Wilson, Langley Goodin, George Bonilla (The Bootmaker); Steven E.Terrell (Choice Cuts & That's Showbiz)
review by Mike Haberfelner
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The Bootmaker: Richard (Steve Lobertini) has saved his friend
Michael's (Robert Joe Carr) life back in the 'Nam, but since, Michael has
led the life Richard thinks he has deserved and married the woman, Susan
(Kitt Hoffman), Richard is still in love with. So when Richard starts
having nightmares about his dead comrades from the 'Nam telling him to
kill Michael, he is only too happy to comply, killing Michael and makeing
it looks like he has disappeared - only to then play the
understanding friend to Susan when she needs a shoulder to cry on after
her husband hasn't come back from wherever for days. But then her son
finds daddy's boots in Richard's basement ... Choice Cuts:
Butcher Herb (Earl N.Black) thinks his brother and employee Hymie (John
Mayer) is the biggest idiot ever born (even though Herb himself isn't
exactly what you would call a genius), so when Hymie suddenly shows up
with a beautiful girlfriend (Tammy Moody), he is surprised on one hand, on
the other wants to take over from his little brother. When the girl fends
him off, he accidently kills her, but when Hymie finds that out, he kills
his brother (not so accidently), then sells his bodyparts as choice cuts
in the butchery that is now his. That's Showbiz: A long time ago,
Roger (Danial Reams) launched his acting career by pushing a colleague he
was the understudy for in front of a truck. Now, at an audition, he finds
himself reading the exact lines he spoke with his colleague shortly before
killing him - and that's not surprising, because the producer of the play
he's auditioning for is the devil. Cheaply made, shot-on-video
horror anthology - and neither lack of budget nor video as medium of choice
are necessarily indicators for a film's (lack of) quality. But that said, Pieces
of Darkness still is a piece of shit, it's badly directed, atrociously
acted, unimaginatively shot, and the three stories have all been told
better elsewhere. Actually a minor disaster of a movie you should avoid at
all costs.
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