GamerTab That was an excellent one.

PodBill Just what I expected

ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!

Candida It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Mark Turner Ed Wood's name is synonymous for bad movies. It's not that he didn't try or even that all of them were intentionally bad. But most of them ended up that way with his film PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE being hailed as one of the worst movies ever made. But Wood had a passion for film (and for cross dressing in angora sweaters) that pushed him to make movies in whatever way possible.And so it is that AGFA (American Genre Film Archive) is now releasing THE VIOLENT YEARS to blu-ray. AGFA is making a name for themselves releasing movies that are not on the most watched list, not on the most wanted list and not on the best movie ever made list. What they've done is saved movies that have a historic value to film lovers, restoring them and offering them in the best format possible. It doesn't matter if the movie is a stinker, all movies deserve to be preserved for history's sake if nothing else. And in the end there is a certain fan base out there who will clamor to pick up a film like this, reveling in just how bad it is.The story here, as in most Wood films, is fairly flimsy. Paula Parkins is the once bright and shining teen who, due to neglect and no attention from her parents, turns down the wrong path. She leads a pack of degenerate girls into a gang doing things like robbing a gas station, pajama party orgies (if you can call them that) and eventually murder. If it weren't for the bad writing and terrible dialogue you might think this was one of those government films from the 50s warning of the dangers of girl gangs. Instead it's just a low budget movie that was probably a filler at some point.Just to be clear Woods didn't direct this film. Instead he was the writer on the film and that dialogue I spoke of becomes clear with each second of film that runs on screen. With such memorable lines as "I shot a cop. So what!" be read by actors in need of acting lessons it's easy to see why this film garners laughs today.If that weren't enough there's a second feature on this disc as well. Count them, two for the price of one! What a bargain! Well it would be if it were a good movie. Instead it's another movie along the same lines as the first. This time though we have a young man whose brother is a condemned killer sent to the electric chair causing him to seek vengeance on those who sent him there. More bad acting, bad dialogue and weak production values makes this a perfect companion piece to the main feature.To show the dedication AGFA has for movies like this consider the extras and work put into this release starting with the fact this is a 4k scan from the original 35mm camera negative. You'll also get a commentary track with filmmaker Frank Henenlotter and Ed Wood biographer Rudolph Grey, a collection of trailers from Something Weird, a memorabilia scrapbook and more.The honest truth is that most will not want to add this to their collection let alone watch the movie. But from a historical aspect it does make for a somewhat interesting viewing. Fans of all things Ed Wood will not want to pass this one by. Lovers of bad movies will want to have it on hand as well. All others be warned in advance.

Michael_Elliott The Violent Years (1956) *** (out of 4) As our film opens, a judge is putting down a couple parents for their lack of skills when it came to raising their child. When then flashback to what led to these events and we're introduced to four females who are on a crime spree.Please don't let my three star rating fool you. THE VIOLENT YEARS is not a good movie. It's poorly acted, poorly directed, it was written rather poorly and on every technical level it is pretty bad. With that said, if you are a fan of bad movies then there's so much good stuff here that you'll certainly have a great time with the movie. This certainly fits the term "so bad it's good." In case you're not aware, Edward D. Wood, Jr. wrote the screenplay to this film so there's the outrageous, silly and at times pathetic dialogue that his fans have come to love. There are some really silly lines throughout the short running time so that's one fun bit. Another fun thing is just how silly the entire story was and especially these four girls trying to act tough. The poor acting just doesn't make it that believable so you'll be laughing at how "tough" they are and especially during one sequence where they rape a man (off screen of course).If you're familiar with the exploitation movies from the 1930s and 40s you'lll be somewhat shocked that the stories weren't updated in films like this. No, it's the basic "blame the parents" routine and it's rather funny that after a couple decades people were still pointing their fingers at the parents and trying to play the criminals up as victims. Either way, THE VIOLENT YEARS is a really bad movie that manages to be a lot of fun as long as you know what you're getting.

mark.waltz The wretched acting gets a longtime companion with Edward D. Wood Jr.'s writing the moment that mom goes to write a check, simply tapping the check with her pen and hands it to her daughter. The young girl has made an effort to converse with her very busy mother who is too busy with charities to spend time with her. How about dad? He is working too many hours at his newspaper. So what is a girl to do when moms and pops are too unavailable? Rob gas stations, that's what. Yes, there is a history of rich kids turning to crime. I know... I had it happen to me twice, and I could tell that these delinquents were at least upper middle class. What causes kids with money to do such things? Drugs perhaps, maybe just the thrill of seeing if they can get away with it.Now if this D grade drama made any effort to explain why, perhaps it would rank a 4 instead of a 2. These buxom females are obviously older than the supposed 18 years. With angora sweaters covering their bullets over Broadway, they are one dimensional and unbelievable. At times, there is some little bit of intelligence, but I believe that was strictly by accident. A prologue concerning the parents in court is a finger-wagging moment that is up there with the rock musical where a long-haired old fuddy duddy smashes a record and shouts "Rock and roll has got to go!"I had seen the opening footage of the four nasty females approaching a blackboard and sneering at its attempts to show them values. None are present here. The same year's "The Bad Seed" gave logical reasoning to why sweet little Rhoda was a sociopath, but this shows none. They are animals, pure and simple, and not the kind that one would use the word to describe them... outside of a kennel.I waited ten minutes before deciding what fate I wanted for each of them. These girls would be approximately my mother's age now, and I have seen her high school yearbooks. Not one is her supposedly tough school looked like these bullies with breasts. Even John Waters created a more realistic tale with his expose "Female Trouble" where Divine at least had the motive of not getting cha cha heels for her life of crime.Today's teens can be just as bad with their selfish motives hidden by passive aggressive behavior. So if Wood was looking into the future, he got everything right but technology. "What did you expect them to throw back, powder puffs?", one of them asks when the police open fire on them. They mourn the sudden death of one of the quartet for a minute. An older woman whom they hide out with is their fairy godmother from hell. Watch for the obvious wretchedness in the amateurish acting and the ridiculously badly clichéd script. It's the only way to make it through this without gagging on your finger.

bletcherstonerson This film was written by Ed Wood, visionary, artist and social commentator, In this film, Ed shows us the rise of the feminine self empowerment and how it collapses without the guidance of the male species to provide foundation. What Ed and the director were trying to say is, hot chicks have two choices, become bored housewives, or embark on a life of crime wrought with hedonistic pleasures. What the film so effectively shows the viewer is the road less traveled is really exciting, but only leads to a dead end.With unusual and many layered cues, the film shows us that the girls attire speak for them on a subconscious level. The tight sweaters over the pointy coned brazier make the statement, these are weapons and you will poke your eye out if you get too close.My only complaint is that for this film really reach me, we needed more" Sapphoistic " actions by the girls, because let's face it, it never enhances a storyline, or adds to an unseen depth of the character. It's just hot. This is a week sister of films like Faster Pussycat, and any chicks in chains prison flick, but it is pretty good on a rainy Saturday afternoon.