Hologram Man (1995)

Slash Gallagher. That’s the name of the bad guy in Hologram Man (1995), a sci-fi action techno-thriller from PM Entertainment Group. No doubt direct-to-video upon its release, watching it on a YouTube rip now, the film looks like television, yet has enough budget for multiple explosions and equipment to launch stunt people into the air against a wall of flames in the background. Now Slash Gallagher (played by Evan Lurie who also cowrote the movie) is a dreadlocked megalomaniac (resembling a buff Jonathan Davis from Korn) who in the opening of the movie takes his army of goons to assassinate a US senator as part of his “revolution.” In Slash’s way are by-the-book cop named Decoda (Joe Lara) and his partner (John Amos). After one action sequence that smashes up and detonates multiple cars on an inner-city main road, there’s now a vendetta relationship between Decoda and Slash, particularly when Slash is captured and sent to hologram prison. Flash forward five years, and now LA is even more futuristic with space-ship cars and eco-domes. Decoda is no longer by-the-book but a long-haired, rule-breaking maverick and Slash has broken out of the matrix and turned into a powerful electron based force… a Hologram Man if you will.

Demolition Man is a clear influence here (and the film’s title is even name-dropped by a character) along with action sequences that recall moments from Robocop and Terminator 2 (the cocaine factory shoot-out and the truck freeway chase respectively). This is fun cyberpunk video trash that has it all: a VR training sequence that feels like a demo for a PC simulator, a corrupt corporation called CalCorp (short for “California Corporation”), character actors like William Sanderson and Tiny Lister as Slash’s henchmen, Michael Nouri from The Hidden as the power hungry governor, and Tron level effects that turn our muscular stars into video-effect body-suit wearing pixelated “holograms.” Lara resembles Nic Cage in Con Air but if he traded the white singlet for a yuppie suit, and Lurie has a haughty, over-the-top energy that is memorable. Directed by the king of PM cyber-action flicks, Richard Pepin (Cyber Tracker and T-Force) Recommended.

T-Force (1994)

T-Force (1994) is right in the pocket of 1990s VHS-era sci-fi action movie trash that I’m into, particularly anything with a cyberpunk element. PM Entertainment productions seem to have a lot of video covers where the hero – in this case Jack Scalia as a cop named Jack Floyd – holds up a gun as big as their head. It’s a true blessing how many of these flicks have been uploaded onto YouTube to watch for free.

The first 20 minutes of T-Force is another Die Hard rip-off where Vernon Wells (Mad Max 2, Commando) leads a gang of armed terrorists into a Los Angeles corporate building and says stuff like “Good to see you, Mr. Ambassador.” Then our hero cop Scalia rolls up in an open-top cool-guy vintage convertible, and assists a team of government approved Universal Soldier type “cybernauts” called “Terminal Force” who sweep in to save the day. Unfortunately when a few hostages are taken out in the crossfire, the cyborgs are set for “retirement.” Except they decide to turn rogue, talking about “self-preservation” and that the “law is corrupt.” Scalia is given the Blade Runner assignment to hunt them down, and also overcomes his Alien Nation style prejudice against robots by being partnered with the one cyborg – Cain (Bobby Johnston) – who upholds the law (and can rock some faded denim jeans).

A grab-bag of popular sci-fi action movie clichés with enough explosions, 90s ponytails, and Terminator-style cyborg-claw SFX to make it a fun time. Also, contains wacky bits of business such as an exotic dancer needing a battery recharged in the middle of their act, or the hunted cyborgs finding a porno mag in the deserted factory they’re hiding out in and decide to give “procreating” a try (cue sax solo). Recommended, if you’re into VHS action movie trash.

Future Kick (1991)

H Y P E R D R E A M

Objectively, Future Kick (1991) is one star direct-to-video trash. Yet this is right in the pocket of a low-rent cyberpunk vibe that I’m very much into. I love The Terminator, Robocop and Total Recall so much, that to see a cheap knock-off from the 1990s is a joy, for how they replicate moments on a lower budget. Usually there are practical sets and special effects, and if there’s any CGI, it’s going to be on the level of a CD-ROM video game.

In the “future” of Future Kick, wealthy people live on the moon while the Earth has become a Blade Runner type ruined metropolis, all overcrowded police stations, streets with fire drums, and illicit night clubs always cutting away to a stripper performing a dance. Meg Foster (They Live, Masters Of The Universe) is searching for her missing VRS programmer husband (VRS is “Virtual Reality Systems” as he helpfully explains to her) in the sprawl. Eventually she teams up with a sunglasses-at-night bounty-hunter cyborg played by Don “The Dragon” Wilson (his championship titles as a martial artist are given underneath his name in the opening credits). I loved how his opening narration explains that a new line of cyborgs were created to crack down on corporate crime, but they found out the corporations were responsible for too much crime, and a special task force of corporate police were created to hunt down and terminate the cyborgs (info given in the space of two minutes). There’s also a serial killer (who has a pouty Chris Sarandon Fright Night aura) with a three blade knife who rips out people’s hearts and sells them to a New Body rejuvenation corporate business on the body organ black market. And there’s also Chris Penn as a robot who does kickboxing, no doubt waiting for Reservoir Dogs to shift him out of the Best Of The Best era.

The great thing about Future Kick is that its 76 minutes long and moves at a clip, with ADR exposition papered over edits between scenes, and producer Roger Corman recycling sets and stars from other films, even footage (the space scenes I believe are from Battle Beyond The Stars) to make it to the finish line as a releasable movie. It still has enough William Gibson rip-off shit (there’s even an underground death game called Laser Blade) to make me love it, alongside other VHS cyberpunk knock-offs like Mutant Hunt, Cyber Tracker and Virtual Assassin.

Available to stream on Tubi (of course). Recommended (if you like your direct-to-video detritus).

Heatseeker (1995)

Heatseeker (1995) brings together two current interests of mine when it comes to movies. It’s a mid-1990s cyberpunk movie, something I’ve been searching for, ever since rewatching The Lawnmower Man earlier this year. And it’s directed by Albert Pyun, who passed away recently at the end of 2022 and left behind a back catalogue of direct-to-video action flicks. Set in the future, Heatseeker envisions a world where martial arts fighters upgrade their abilities with robotic enhancements, and corporations bankroll tournament competitors, the outcome of fights determining the company’s stock market value. All of this sounds more compelling than the film actually is, which is basically another Bloodsport knock-off with some William Gibson shit in there.

A champion all-human fighter named Chance O’Brien (Keith Cooke) is blackmailed into participating in a corporate mega-tournament where everyone else is a cyborg; the fighter’s wife and manager (Tina Coote) has been kidnapped by a duplicitous, power-hungry promoter (Norbert Weisser). The low budget is clear with reused shots and locations (for example, there’s a montage of the corporations walking into their VIP boxes for the tournament, and its basically the same room with the corporation’s sign swapped out for each shot). Apparently filmed on a tight shooting schedule with limited time for choreography, the fights were shot with multiple cameras, often favouring a distant view that leaves everything feeling a bit flat. The main cyberpunk edge is that whenever a fighter is injured or knocked out, they cut to a close-up of a knock-off T-800 robot puppet shorting out.

Still, I enjoyed Heatseeker enough and Pyun’s clear sense of style is evident despite the production’s limitations: spotlights are used in the fight scenes while boardroom meetings seem to be lit with ring-lights, so everything has a soft, bright white glow. The hero (Cooke) looks like a ripped Justin Long, DTV staple Gary Daniels is good quality as the blonde British cyborg with green eyes and a vocoder effect on his voice, and Pyun regular Weisser makes the most of his scenery chewing villain. 1990s fashions abound with baggy mustard or green shirts, and maroon suits. Also features Tim Thomerson (of Trancers), Thom Matthews (of Return To The Living Dead) and even a young role for stuntman Chad Stahski (future John Wick director). Great throbbing synth score by Anthony Riparetti that adds to the atmosphere. HD copy available to stream/download from Rarefilmm. This is not objectively good, but Pyunheads and video-era martial arts fans might get something out of it. Recommended to them.

Looker (1981)

Looker (1981) is not a perfect film or maybe even objectively a good one, but if you have an appreciation for the aesthetic and vibe its throwing out there, it becomes a memorable experience. Directed and written by Michael Crichton, there’s a familiar sci-fi set-up with a mysterious corporation hiding a dark secret, and the incorporation of advanced technology of the here and now (by which I mean 1981) that is quite prescient about advertising, digital trickery and image-based control. Contemporary viewers have also described Looker as having “Vaporwave” aesthetics, which I have to agree with; I can imagine this playing silently with throwback synthwave if Barry DeVorzon’s own synthieser score wasn’t so compelling (Com Truise even cut-up Looker for one of their music videos). California beachfronts, private medical offices, sleek corporate hallways, commercial TV sets and pixelated computer visuals; Looker is a mix of era-appropriate fashions and older special effects. This is a movie where the hero protects himself from harm by wearing a pair of wrap-around reflective shades. Albert Finney plays Dr. Larry Roberts, a successful plastic surgeon who notices that several patients – all models – are asking for specific measurements. When they start mysteriously dying, Finney finds a connection to an advertising firm called Digital Matrix with ties to a billionaire played by James Coburn. Protecting one of the newer models, Susan Dey, Finney investigates while being chased by corporate henchmen. When the “light-gun” is introduced, a new weapon that hypnotises a person and causes them to lose time, this kicked the movie up a notch, particularly some great sequences involving its deployment. Finney is a bit miscast – you can imagine a Michael Douglas at this time being more suitable – but he does ground things with his commitment and seriousness, boxy haircut and all, similar to what he did in Wolfen. The climax, set in an early version of a green screen studio as characters fire at each other through televised TV commercials, manages to be goofy, eerie and captivating all at once, particularly powered by DeVorzon’s mounting synth score that sustains the tension. While it never reaches the height of other conspiracy techno-fear corporate body horror thrillers like Videodrome or They Live, and remains a destined to be forgotten curiosity, there’s still something here for sci-fi fans, particularly if you’re happy to soak in the vibe it produces. Rented on iTunes. Recommended.