The Nico Mastorakis Collection Blu-Ray (blu-ray boxset review).
‘The Nico Mastorakis Collection Blu-Ray’ was brought to my attention because it contained a SF film, ‘The Time Traveller’ and although the intention was only to review it, I received the entire boxset and if that is the way you’re going to get it, I would also have to pay attention to the rest of the contents as well.
Nico Mastorakis is a Greek producer/director and writer of B level movies. Nothing wrong with that as we’ve seen a lot of good material out of such people. If anything, ‘The Time Traveller’ is an anomaly because the other five films here are comedies. Give Mastorakis his due, he makes the most of his budget whether he was in the Greek islands or when he moved to the USA.
The Time Traveller (1984)
145 minute film.
cast: Keir Dullea, Adrienne Barbeau, Jeremy Licht, Peter Hobbs and others
I thought it was starting to drag out toward the end, but Mastorakis still managed to deliver some surprises, so persevere until the very end to reap the rewards.
‘Ninja Academy’ (1989) runs at 93 minutes. A ninja sensei’s top students pass gold nunchakus to the winner, but he refuses to hand them over, citing a lack of compassion. According to IMdB, Nico Mastorakis was only going to produce this film, but the opening days were bad, so he took over.
In another scene, we witness seven stereotyped individuals perusing advertisements to enrol in the Ninja Academy, only to discover their ineffectiveness after only a week of training. I should point out that this is a comedy. I particularly enjoy the scene where the mime pays the taxi driver in mime currency. Basically, it’s a martial arts ‘Police Academy’, which I’m not a particular fan of. There’s even a rival academy. Join the dots. Although I wish the students had learned something from their experience instead of a dream sequence, it’s predictably watchable and bad enough to endure until the end.
There is a 16-minute interview piece about the film with Nico Mastorakis, actor Gerald Okamura, and composer Jerry Grant. Actor Gerald Okamura also contributes 15 minutes, elaborating on the topics briefly discussed in the first interview.
‘The Naked Truth’ (1992), running around 104 minutes, is more in the ‘Aeroplane’ comedy frame with a little touch of ‘Some Like It Hot’ in terms of cross-dressing at the start and ‘Casablanca’. It was produced in the USA and has a significant American cast. According to IMdB, this film killed director Nico Mastorakis’s career, making only one more international film since. Upon reviewing his own entry, I discovered that he went on to work on numerous TV series. Robert Caso and Kevin Schon, the two main actors, share the same surname, Frank. Garcia (actor M. Emmet Walsh) conceals his evidence in one of the Franks’ suitcases, which they find in the airport loo. Actor Brian Thompson portrays Bruno, the key tracker/killer. They are disguised as women and participate in a female pageant. Bruno is on the bus because he has to work out which of the ten women—two more if you include the Franks—has the drug details notebook. Should I mention that Rupert Hess (actor Herb Edelman) is in charge of both the pageant and the drug lord? Fortunately or unfortunately, two female FBI agents quickly uncover the truth about Rupert Hess’s involvement in the drug trade, despite their desire to remain anonymous. They need to figure out how Hess is smuggling the drugs into the USA, even though the real plan remains classified.
The actors play it straight much of the time. There’s limited nudity, which I supposed is better than unlimited nudity. There are numerous brief appearances that add to the game’s fun factor. It’s not as bad as the IMdB makes it, but at least watchable with some interesting visual gags.
There’s a 20-minute interview with director Nico Mastorakis that covers the making of the film and how he got so many guest cast members by having cameos done in a day.
Terminal Exposure (1987) is the first disc and one of the more recent of the films. 144-minute movie. Lenny Hartigan (actor Mark Hennessey) and Bruce Greene (actor Scott King), two beach bums in Venice Beach, inadvertently record a murder on film. It’s only upon processing the film that they realize what they’ve captured. The only evidence they have is a photo of the woman who committed the murder, which shows her with a black rose tattoo on her bum, prompting them to begin their search for her. Another beachbum, Fantastic (actor Ted Lange) and drunk, points them in the direction of Helga (actress Christina Cardan). Don’t ask. How difficult is it to track down such a woman? They don’t know someone is after them, and at the point of a knife, Fantastic gives their names. Lenny’s obnoxious brother Skip, played by actor Steve Donmyer, identifies Christie, played by actress Hope Marie Carlton, as someone he has already met and who has traveled to Las Vegas. When a black van picks them up, their hitch-hike takes a turn for the worse, as the driver also seeks their destination, a fact they remain unaware of. Do you need any more cast names? Determining who is guilty and who isn’t is a matter of opinion. They find Christie; she isn’t the murderer, but other people think they are. Did I mention that the boys inadvertently obtained drug money to travel back to Los Angeles? Look out for a young Danny Trejo in the final crowd scene.
It’s not as bad as IMdB makes it out to be. The cast primarily consists of unknowns, with the exception of actor John Vernon, who briefly plays the villain. Nico Mastorakis, producer/director/co-writer, has a hand in everything, and what money he had is certainly on the screen. There’s an occasional smile, leading you to believe that bushes can walk or squat. The design does not aim for serious interpretation.
A 12-minute interview with director Nico Mastorakis explains how he can make movies on the cheap. Composer Hans Zimmer did the soundtrack and is more famous for soundtracks for the likes of ‘Gladiator’ amongst other hit films.
The final film, ‘Glitch!’ (1988), runs at 90 minutes and has a couple actors I recognise. Actors Steve Comyer, Dick Gautier, and Ted Lange were in ‘Terminal Exposure,’ and Julia Nickson (who plays Michelle Wong) was later to appear in the first season of ‘Babylon 5’ as Jeffrey Sinclair’s amore.
Two thieves, Todd (actor Steve Comyer) and Dim Bo (actor Will Egan), are in the process of robbing an expensive house when its owner Julius Lazar (actor Dick Gautier) is away. They inadvertently dislodge the thieving gardeners, prompting another guest, bodyguard Brucie (actor Dan Speaker), to misidentify them as the owner and prepare them for a casting party. Michelle tells them she’s not keen on their cheap films and doesn’t bother to audition. Hypnotist Mookie (actor Ji-Tu Cumbuka) hypnotizes Bo, leading him to believe he’s intelligent until someone knocks on the door or anything else.
Things get shook up when DuBois (actor Ted Lange), a hitman for the mob, and his goons arrive looking for Lazure because he owes them a lot of money. From that point on, the plot revolves around action, involving spoilers, police, and the use of statutory cross-dressing to evade capture.
Should I mention that there is limited nudity and some joking? Oh, and pay attention to all of his films’ credits. Who here wants to be a bra wrangler? Oddly, there is actually some decent acting in there.
In the 17-minute extra, director Nico Mastorakis explains how to create a successful ‘B’ movie without making it appear cheap. I didn’t realise Marjean Holden was among the ladies. That’s two B5 luminaries. He liked bringing back actors who did well in his previous movies.
Considering the collection as a whole, ‘The Time Traveler’ stands out, with all the other films being low-budget comedies. From the geek side, we’re used to seeing independent publications, and contrary to IMdB comments, they are watchable.
Give director Nico Mastorakis his due; he’s got a nice eye for filming. He also found amusement in their use of a translation watch and their frequent errors.
GF Willmetts
July 2024
(pub: Arrow Films, 2024. 3 blu-ray disks 6 films with extras – time details above. Price: £59.99 (UK) down to £45.00 (UK) on their website.
check out website: www.arrowfilms.com/blu-ray/the-nico-mastorakis-collection-limited-edition-blu-ray/15359278.html
