Vicious Lips (1986)
Dir: Albert Pyun
"They're lost and loose in outer space."
Rock n' Roll space babes (what more do you need?)!!!
Small-time band manager/big-time loser Matty Asher has a problem: he has one day to get his all-girl new wave band, the Vicious Lips, across the galaxy to play the Electric Dream nightclub before all-powerful booking agent Maxine has him killed (or worse, ruins his career). When Lips lead vocalist Ace Solo suddenly dies, Max recruits high school talent show contestant Judy Jetson (copyright infringement?) to become the new Ace. As they make their way across the starstream to the Dream, Matty and the Lips are forced to deal with in-fighting, bad space drugs, asteroids, a desert "passion" planet, zombies, vampiric aliens and an escaped Venusian serial killer.
Writer/director Pyun (The Sword and the Sorcerer, Cyborg, the 1990 Captain America), treats the entire film as if he's directing an 80-minute Thomas Dolby video; quick cuts and green lighting abound. He makes the most of his (barely existent) budget, dressing up obvious sound stages with lots of Shop-Vac tubes and exposed air ducts. Homages/ripoffs of then-recent sci-fi films abound; characters are named "Solo" and "Lucas" and some Giger-inspired alien corridors appear. An alien warthog/elephant/human hybrid is a visual effects highlight. The performers are all stock Empire pictures players, but take to their roles enthusiastically. Best of all, the new wave soundtrack is pretty great (the Lips can wail; they remind me quite a bit of the undervalued Scandal). "Lunar Madness" in particular kicks ass! Take note: this movie played the three-titted space hooker gag four years before Total Recall.
Enter...If you dare!
Big thanks to "Diamond" Dave Wheeler for the bitchin' logo!
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