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The Troma Team and Lloyd Kaufman have been on a roll ever since the 1997 release of Tromeo and Juliet. That film spawned a second golden age of Troma which gave us Terror Firmer, Citizen Toxie, and Poultrygeist. These are all some of the very best, most inspired films that the famed independent studio has put out in its nearly 40 years of existence. This golden age might have come to an end with Return to Nuke 'Em High Volume 1.

This remake (I guess?) of Troma's 1986 Class of Nuke 'Em High certainly has all of the signature Troma elements in place. Gore, gross-out humor, gratuitous nudity, and social satire are present in abundance. Something seems to be missing this time around, however. Perhaps the writing is not as sharp this time. I can't quite put my finger on it. The film is also noticeably slicker than Troma's usual efforts. Lloyd Kaufman is a noted devotee of 35mm film and all of his previous directing efforts were shot on film. I'm not sure about Return to Nuke 'Em High. It almost looks like it was shot digitally. There are also a number of CGI effects this time around, which I think is a first for Troma. The cast was quite good and the actors did their best with the uneven script. I liked the soundtrack quite a lot also.

To sum up, Return to Nuke 'Em High Part 1 will not rank among Troma's best. It does not compare to The Toxic Avenger, Terror Firmer, Citizen Toxie or Poultrygeist. It just didn't knock my socks off like those films did. However, it is an entertaining film with a few moments of brilliance. It is certainly better than Class of Nuke 'Em High Parts 2 and 3. Here's hoping that Part 2 is an improvement. The trailer looks promising.

David Cronenberg's The Brood is not without its moments. Oliver Reed stars as a cutting-edge psychologist attempting to treat his patient, Samantha Eggar, with his radical technique "psychoplasmics." Concerned father Art Hindle attempts to remove his daughter from the clutches of Reed and Eggar. As much as I love early Cronenberg, The Brood would not rank among my favorites. I enjoyed it less than Rabid, Scanners, Shivers, and The Dead Zone. The story is intriguing, but does not generate as much suspense as I would have hoped. I found stretches of the film to be a bit dull. Several Cronenberg trademarks are on display: particularly the medical/scientific setting and elements of body horror. Cronenberg manages some genuine shocks particularly in the climax. The disgusting climax is in fact the most memorable part of the film. I do wish that Cronenberg hadn't saved most of the good stuff for the end. Much of the middle of the film gets bogged down in dialog and drama and the pace tends to lag as a result.

Be warned, that The Brood is a very, very strange movie. Most likely anyone who would watch The Brood is somewhat familiar with Cronenberg's work and would know what to expect. His films only got better in the 80s, peaking with two masterpieces, Videodrome and The Fly. Be sure to see those before The Brood, however I would consider all of Cronenberg's 70s and 80s output to be essential for horror/science fiction fans.