Vicious Lips

"Vicious Lips" is set in the far future, where a band finally gets the opportunity for That Breakthrough Gig -- if they can make it to an "in" club on another planet in time...

Given that the plot features no major twists, turns or surprises, given that the set is extremely trashy, the number of locations limited and the choice of them not overly inspired, Vicious Lips seems like a longish episode of the original Star Trek sans the familiarity with the characters we all know and love -- so whatever persuaded me to rate it "excellent"?

I'm a sucker for Big Hair, and The Music of the Eighties, both of which the movie has plenty of, since the all-girl band's guitar-and-synth sound is vaguely reminiscent of the early Kim Wilde's, if both "rockier" and catchier (and a lot like that of "Radioactive Dreams", another Albert Pyun-movie of that era with a more coherent plot, but no big hair). Last but not least, the general air of ultra-trash somehow utterly fails to be annoying, lending a certain charm to the movie instead, soon turning the initial impression ("Hey, I could do that!") into a burning desire to phone up all your friends:

"Let's make a movie!"

Given what I would imagine was a limited budget with access to a limited talent pool, the movie has its moments. Albeit some of them are so bad it hurts to watch, there are a lot of really odd and entertaining scenes based on an interesting premise of galactic rock bands touring the universe. The acting is subpar verging on bloody awful and its funny bad. Yet, somehow the quirky 80's sound track and dubious music are a character of their own and help support the open failure at the thespian art. It's pretty telling when a movie isn't released in any form for 25 years after it was made. Man it's bad but worth a view especially if you're an affionado of B movies.

Doing a little research on "Vicious Lips", I unearthed the fact that the movie never got a home video release in North America until more than twenty-five years after the movie was completed (though the movie was released on video in other countries.) Watching the movie, it becomes clear why apparently no North American video company was eager to distribute the movie. The fact that it was written and directed by Albert Pyun (for some reason billed as "Albert F. Pyun" here) should give a clue. This is an AWFUL movie. It's a real cheap production, often looking like it was filmed in basements as well as abandoned buildings, and often with the camera zooming in very close to the actors to hide the cheapness and to have stuff happen out of camera range so no expense has to be spent to actually show it. The movie is broadly acted so that every character comes across as a dimwit. The songs are very forgettable, and would have been considered that even back in the 1980s when the movie was made. But the worst thing about the movie is the screenplay. The characters are really thin, and there are huge chunks of the movie when little to nothing is happening. Not only that, in the last ten minutes there is a surprise twist that will have you throwing your remote at your television. All of which makes this movie one of Pyun's worst efforts among the countless bad movies he's made.

Vicious Lips is like a wild but bad trip - without doubt the movie is one of a few but the reasons why you should watch this movie are not the story nor the acting or that wild mix of a story (a little Rocky Horror Picture Show shining through): watch this wonder if you want 80s hairstyle galore, listening to 80s rock music a la Heart (the band who got some fame in the 80s) and 80s fashion with all its unique but terrible taste. Last but not least, director Albert Pyun is responsible for this "gem" - I know and like mostly his post-apocalyptic trash gems like Cyborg (van Damme!), Omega Doom (Rutger Hauer) and Radioactive Dreams (Michael Dudikoff). My exact rate for Vicious Lips is 3 + 1 for all those happy memories of the 80s evoked by this work of trash and the few moments of horror added.

This is essentially a rock 'n' roll fable set in a sci-fi environment, as the title band vies for fame and fortune. A gig on a distant planet could be their ticket to the big time, but first they have to get there. Next, they have to learn to start getting along. Judy (Dru-Anne Perry) is brought in to replace the original singer, and Judy has to struggle to be accepted. The balance of director Albert Pyuns' script deals with the girls' being marooned on a desert planet after a near accident in space.

The problem for this viewer was that there really wasn't a strong enough story, or characterization, to latch onto and draw him into the movie. The movie is a curio, to be sure, but for too much of the running time, things are rather dull. Most of the gals in the band are interchangeable, although they are indeed a good looking bunch (gotta love that huge 80s hair!). Perry does her best to create a somewhat engaging character. The best value in "Vicious Lips" comes from the look of the movie, with appropriately trashy and colourful production and costume design. The songs are certainly catchy. There are some fun makeup effects courtesy of Greg Cannom, and John Carl Buechler and his team, and one major creature role, "Milo", played by Christian Andrews. Milo creeps on board the ladies' spaceship and sneaks around, but it takes too long for him to actually interact with any of them. The names of these people are fun; lovely Pyun regular Linda Kerridge ("Fade to Black") plays a band member named "Wynzi Krodo". Mary- Anne Graves seems to be having a good time as rock promoter Maxine Mortogo, but Anthony Kentz is simply annoying as Vicious Lips manager Matty Asher.

A late-in-the-game plot twist is groan inducing, but the resolution creates some good vibes as Vicious Lips rock the joint with a ditty dubbed "Lunar Madness".

Five out of 10.