Summer blockbusters all trace their origins back to one movie; JAWS. Not only did JAWS make a shit ton of money, but it made more money than anyone ever thought possible. That part you know, but do you know the part about all the knock off movies that came out after JAWS?
Thanks to Rob Hill and his BAD MOVIE BIBLE YouTube channel, you can learn all about awful, but still entertaining movies that took all the best parts and made a bad movie.
I’m back with another of Rob Hill‘s “The Story Behind” series, but in this case, it’s “The Unbelievable Story Behind The Empiricist.” I wish I could add something to make this video better, but it speaks for itself.
Awhile back, I wrote about Rob Hill, his Bad Movie Bible and the videos he puts out on YouTube. I know there is a large number of us out, the people who just love watching terrible cinema bad “B” movies, awful horror flicks. But there is a small breed out there that who goes forth to document and terrible these films, and Hill does it with an encyclopedia level of knowledge, and an amazing dry wit.
All his videos are great, but his “The Story Behind…” series are especially good. Below is Rob Hill’s behind the story of Ninja III: The Domination.
(If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the shower…)
For those who know me, and for the other four people who read this, you know that I love the show Mystery Science Theater 3000, and bad movies in general. As soon as I got a Blockbuster card as a teenager, I was renting only the best of the really awful movies, usually to watch with friends on Friday or Saturday nights in junior and high school. (I was a popular cool kid, if you couldn’t tell.) That was a happy time in my life, and when I have a rough day, an episode of MST3k, or an awful movie hidden deep in Amazon Prime Video (they really do have the schlocky-ist of movies) will quickly get me back on track to a better mood. About a month ago, The Great God Algorithm of YouTube decreed that I needed to start watching the videos of The Bad Movie Bible, which is created and hosted by Rob Hill. (I thank Thee, Great God of the Algorithm, for this gift!) Hill is a hilarious encyclopedia of awful movies, and with his dead pan delivery and spot on editing of clips, he has created some of the best and funniest videos detailing specific genres of bad movies. My favorite series he has are the “Borrowing Blockbuster” videos that go into detail on all the knock off movies that came out to cash in on the success of huge hit movies – like Star Wars, Jaws, Die Hard, etc.… I respect Hill’s commitment to movies that most people write off, and at the same time I am amazed at his stamina to handle what must feel like an unending onslaught of awfulness.
Today, I did the Alt Side Parking dance of moving the car. No big deal, went as normal as all the other days that I do it. But as I walked home, it started to rain. I didn’t know it was supposed to rain early today; I was told this afternoon. And as such, I had no raincoat or umbrella. I was a guy caught out in the rain, a few blocks from home. So, I walked in the rain and got soaked. It occurred to me that I haven’t been caught in the rain in a long time, like ten years maybe. Once I accepted that I was going to get soaked, it was a rather enjoyable experience.
My wife and kid got me a Tottenham Hotspur t-shirt, and supporter’s pin for Father’s Day. That made me very happy.
