"Dogs of the Week" Movie Reviews Part 6 (1980) - Sneak Previews with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel

[@xdmaster7888]

One of Roger's funniest line readings ever at 7:17 regarding WALK OF THE DEAD: "I don't even know what country this movie is from!"

[@johnmcintyre1965]

I saw Mother's Day & The Exterminator in the movie theater on the same day back in 1980 when I was 14. We accomplished that by movie hopping inside the theater.

[@orbison]

2:05 So, Tom Hanks' first movie was in a movie that "borders on being evil." Fun Fact: He was supposed to be killed off in that movie, but he, in that Tom Hanks way, charmed everyone on set, that producers decided not to let him die.

[@sha11235]

Some of these dogs I remember because Roger had written a review that appeared in his movie home companion, like The Exterminator and Mother's Day.

[@XenIsWhen]

SISKEL: “He Knows You’re Alone” is the most offensive thing ever. EBERT: I just saw “Caligula”.

[@acholl980]

AKA Hold my beer.

[@orbison]

EBERT: Caligula is the worst movie ever ME: Wait until you see I Spit On Your Grave.

[@XenIsWhen]

@@orbison Oh, he sure did.

[@Frederick-t8t]

I own it.

[@JohnLouisBishop84]

I'll give "Alligator" a little more respect because at least, like "Piranha" (one of their inaugural dogs of the week), it had the benefit of John Sayles as a scriptwriter as well as playful performances from character actors, in this case Robert Forster and especially Henry Silva. It stands out among this crowd like seeing Tom Hanks in "He Knows You're Alone."

[@kevint1719]

Alligator is great. Well worth seeing for anyone who likes monster flicks.

[@xdmaster7888]

John Sayles would crank out horror and B movie scripts that were better than the norm and paid him handsomely, and then use that money to fund his powerful independent film dramas. He was an awesome dude (in the movie business, the past tense isn't about his life as he is still with us).

[@kdohertygizbur]

I agree with you on that, Alligator and Piranha were very much tongue in cheek films that both had strong lead actors and colorful supporting ones as well

[@fletchkeilman2205]

Alligator is a damn fine film. Looking back, I wonder why anyone took their reviews seriously.

[@kdohertygizbur]

@@fletchkeilman2205 because they were popular and great at what they did. Does that have to mean I have to agree with every review, of course not, just like you will have different views on certain movies with your friends and family

[@Hellraiser0601]

Bob "Gussiony" 😂 Ebert definitely didn't take Italian in college.

[@kencoakley3959]

"The Exterminator" is one of my all-time favorite Exploitation movies. The first time I saw the film it was playing on a double bill at a 4 screen drive-in with "Escape From New York". I was totally blown away by the movie and loved how they used Steve James' character as a red herring to make the viewers think that Ginty was going to be the victim and Steve James "The Exterminator". I thought fhat Ginty did good acting job as a PTSD stricken Vietnam veteran who snaps and wages war against criminals in New York.

[@todd3563]

It's funny how the dog sits behind the guys focusing on the trainer.

[@CR41489]

I remember when “The Mountain Men” was in theaters. I’ve never met anyone including myself who has seen it.

[@connorbrennan4233]

@@BarnabasCollinsXIII It ended up on Siskel and Ebert's Dogs of the Week for 1980.

[@lw3646]

I've seen it, it's very old fashioned in its cinematography which is very static and the music, very bombastic and dated. The story had some good ideas and there are some fun moments.

[@tammymism]

"This old picture's going to ruin your entire night!" 😄

[@kdohertygizbur]

The Day After Halloween does seem interesting after hearing Siskels review

[@jessecoffey4737]

*The Invincible Devil:* "This is the first film ever made in stereophonic sound." Dolby Sound Technician: "I'd like to have a word with you . . . " [I have a Korean DVD of *Alligator,* a movie my cat would agree with Ebert in selecting as one of his "Dogs of the Week" as with various other movies about monsters that could gobble up cats.-Ed.]

[@kdohertygizbur]

Gotta love Spot, Sparky and Zeke the Wonder Dogs, although Zeke only had like 2 episodes

[@melissakillough4836]

Mothers Day is awesome

[@jimmyl324]

He knows you’re alone is excellent

[@Al_NERi]

Wow, S&E reviwed a Paul Naschy film (Walk Of The Dead). I could've told Roger where it came from- Spain. It's a reissue title made to piggyback on the success of Dawn Of The Dead, original title Vengeance Of The Zombies (73).

[@davebooshty299]

Good Editting on this Video. Sidenote : I Love Mother's Day and Alligator.

[@kdohertygizbur]

I did enjoy Alligator as well

[@lw3646]

At least Mothers Day is memorable.

[@bareknuckles2u]

Gene's point at the end was interesting. I started thinking about how the "dogs of the week" seemed to be getting more and more depraved. I was actually wondering if Siskel and Ebert started considering stopping this feature on their show. Honestly, I couldn't handle watching any of these sick and demented movies, let alone one a week.

[@119Agent]

It's sad when you realize all three of these guys are dead. Spot for over 35 years.

[@stevecattani9545]

I know! I thought the same thing. RIP, Spot. What a little sweetie.

[@davisphillips993]

“Caligula.” Sounds like a brand name

[@computerpurple]

Yeah a lot of these movies are indeed a dog. But there are 2 movies mentioned here that i do like "He knows you're alone " & New Years Evil".

[@forrestlesak4385]

Last week I saw an Alligator movie in the theater

[@sha11235]

How many people were in there besides you?

[@forrestlesak4385]

@@sha11235 IDK

[@forrestlesak4385]

I watched Alligator last night and I thought it was pretty good

[@gittes98]

and how it got into the theater, I'll never know

[@ReverendBenzo]

Was it Crawl?

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

IF YOU DON'T STOP IT YOU'LL GO BLIND was followed by CAN I DO IT TILL I NEED GLASSES? (Robin Williams had a small role in it, so it got re-released after MORK AND MINDY made him famous.)

[@reneedennis2011]

Wow!

[@brittoverbaugh4035]

5:03...I believe this one had two sequels ....

[@reneedennis2011]

I watched Alligator on This. It's actually halfway decent. 😁

[@Frederick-t8t]

I saw it over 40 years ago. I kinda liked it.

[@rdoyle29]

"Walk of the Dead" is the Spanish film "Vengeance of the Zombies"

[@sleuthentertainment5872]

So funny to see these guys destroying little grindhouse movies that were screened in drive-ins and not only big failed mainstream films, as they would do from the 80s

[@jafl2183]

The exterminator...wow...only watched that in the theatre...lol

[@loganbeywilf274]

Saw Mountain Men at the drive in!! Thought it was stupid then, really think that now!! Caligula sucks, but Helen Mirren looked hot in it!!

[@Frederick-t8t]

I want to hear Spot talk.

[@TheNameisPlissken1981]

Battle Beyond the Stars was written by John Sayles and is actually a good movie from Roger Corman!

[@whyyyyou]

Siskel & Ebert put down a number of perfectly great horror films (like FRIDAY THE 13TH) but sometimes they were right and they were right about NEW YEAR'S EVIL. It's a crummy no talent BLACK CHRISTMAS wannabe. The film's silliness (Stan Laurel mask, dumb script, dumb villain who looks like an evil male fashion model) offended me more than the graphic violence.

[@TexRabbit]

I agree with you on New Years Evil, and I can understand why some people enjoyed Friday the 13th, but Friday the 13th's pacing and its similar plot to Halloween are probably the reasons why they didn’t appreciate it.

[@felicity4711]

_New Year’s Evil_ wasn’t bad. The plot is increasingly depressing as it moves along but the opening is so great that it takes most of the movie to descend to where I’m not feeling good any more.

[@kdohertygizbur]

It is a bad movie, but the gore is not as graphic as some of the other slasher films, but it's plot is plain dumb and showing the killer doesn't give it any suspense at all, it's mostly boring

[@cheddarcheese7928]

Little did they know when they were ripping into "He Knows your alone".Calling it almost evil?.yikes!.That the movie had the future critics king of Hollywood Tom Hanks in it with a tiny role..

[@jessecoffey4737]

. . . that I am pretty sure Hanks himself has been in the business of forgetting ever since.

[@quintonmoad4418]

Imagine being so fragile in 2021 that you clutch your pearls over cheesy, inconsequential garbage like Mother’s Day and The Exterminator. Lol I thought those days were over but evidently, they’re not. This comment section has been very illuminating.

[@kdohertygizbur]

Mother's Day is a sick movie , I watched it twice, but Good Lord is it an abysmal movie , I did commend the 3 girls, they were credible as friends

[@jenniferpetti859]

Mothers Day (1980) is my absolute favorite movie

[@jenniferpetti859]

@Dean F. Lol. I'm proud to love my garbage movies.

[@kdohertygizbur]

@@jenniferpetti859 well at least you know it's garbage

[@cliffordshafran9250]

Sadly, these dogs stopped being funny when they were inundated with all these low grade slasher movies. It prompted their controversial "Women in Danger" special. They were really nothing more than "Halloween" ripoffs.

[@sha11235]

They had done that already. Roger mentioned it in one of the clips.

[@steveprice2718]

Didn't He Knows your Alone feature an up and coming actor named Tom Hanks?

[@kdohertygizbur]

Why would he care , a shit movie is a shit movie

[@dannydaniel6017]

@@kdohertygizbur He still does care about it. He saw one of his co-stars from the film while he was on The Actor's Studio with the late James Lipton who he fondly remembers and she started blushing in the audience. At least he didn't die in it and mainly because the producers and the director liked him way too much just to do that and that's another reason why Hanks remembers it.

[@kdohertygizbur]

As far as Caligula, you HAVE to ask how so many talented Actors starred in this movie Obviously money, but that movie was just Terrible

[@ericcrawford3453]

The Mountain Men was a good movie!

[@errolbourgeois8230]

Watch it again it is awful

[@ericcrawford3453]

@@errolbourgeois8230 I've watched it 3 or 4 times I love the movie albeit you should wacth it again!

[@markmywords2840]

Interesting to note, from week to week, the increasing frequency with which Gene Siskel criticized films for their racism or misogyny. As we currently live through the Dystopian nightmare that is "wokeism", I'm thinking those racist, misogynist filmmakers knew something we didn't.

[@Emmathelady]

0:47 Charlton Heston in a racist movie? That must have been a huge stretch for him. 🤦‍♀️

[@fletchkeilman2205]

Always hated Roger Ebert, yet watched this show every weekend. Ever since the review of Godzilla 85...where he hated it....I never took his word for a film again. Sure I was three at the time, but Godzilla movies are sacrosanct, in my opinion.

[@balkanesequalk]

That dog is cute and it's nostalgic to see Siskel & Ebert but man their highbrow snobbery and moralizing really comes out in a holier than thou way. So many of these films are awesome, as so-bad-they're-good, exploitation and grindhouse classics. Sometimes I think Ebert was too influenced by the crowd he saw a film with (such as his review of I Spit on Your Grave), although seeing a movie with a crowd is totally different than seeing it alone (and I miss it!). It's ironic how intolerant these two bozos are to things outside their comfort zones or tastes.

[@kdohertygizbur]

@A.A. V exactly, snobs...for giving dogs to completely crap movies, I only disagreed with Alligator which I kinda liked with very good performances

[@acrovader]

Enough with the virtue-signaling, Gene.

[@edmund184]

1980 wasn't a very good year for movies was it.

[@samsunggalaxyj3prime889]

depends on your taste. I love slasher films, so I disagree

[@lw3646]

It was a superb year, Raging Bull, The Elephant Man, The Shinning, Friday the 13th, Tess, Ordinary People, The Empire Stikes Back

[@xdmaster7888]

It had big ups and huge downs.

[@twikirobot6897]

Mother's Day is a classic. 10/10

[@kdohertygizbur]

@Dean F. Lol

[@errolbourgeois8230]

Mother's Day is a bad and horrible takeoff on I Spit on Your Grave.

[@Mondomeyer]

"If a woman doesn't do what you want, rape her, slap her around. She won't fight back." Um, isn't the hero almost always a woman who fights back, and aren't the people stabbing women the villains? And don't they always end with the woman fighting back, hence the 'final girl' cliche?

[@kdohertygizbur]

Ummm not after 55 poor women are slaughtered first , your comment doesn't hold up

[@Mondomeyer]

@kdohertygizbur Here are a few things to consider. Numero Uno: Point out any movie, horror or otherwise, were only women die. Dos: The number of dead women doesn't make the villian heroic. If anything, it makes the villian all the more villainous. Trio: As hard as it is to comprehend, female characters can, and have, also died in other genres. Fouro: Horror is the first genre in American cinema to consistently employ female protagonists. Five: There is no fith point. This is just filler. Sixo: The majority of horror fans I've met myself have been women. The majority; scratch that, the ONLY people I've known to criticize the genre based on imaged misogyny have been men trying to curry favor with women. Don't worry about it. Just keep beating the same drum; it will start making sense eventually.

[@kdohertygizbur]

@@Mondomeyer actually it will not because I will disagree I'm tired and have things to do, but I'll give you my breakdown on your 4 points since 5 and 6, by your own admission, doesn't mean anything

[@Mondomeyer]

@@kdohertygizbur Read six again. Five was the only gag-point. Humor, ar-ar!

[@crystalshaw8744]

@@Mondomeyer Point five was your strongest.

[@derekp308]

"Satan's Playthings"-Yes, it sounds like a fake title indeed. "The Mountain Men"-Charlton Heston was still making B-movies well into the 80's and even the 90's. Anything for that paycheck he went for "He Knows He's Alone" was Tom Hanks first movie. "Caligula"-You need to wonder if this movie got someone decent to direct it, it would be very different from what we got instead. "Nightmare"-How many movies got that name? "Bloody Friday"-Sounds like typical Eurotrash. "Schizoid"-Generic title, but at least Klaus Kinsky was in it. "The Exterminator"-I actually watched this on cable years ago. "The Day After Halloween"-It's Aussie title was titled "Snapshot", and the American distributer decided to turn it into a fake sequel. "Cheerleaders Wild Weekend"-Gosh, I don't even think that ever aired on cable. "Walk of the Dead" was an Italian movie I believe. "Battle Beyond the Stars"-Oh come on, it wasn't mean tot be taken seriously. I don't think they saw "Star Crash", the zaniest "Star Wars" rip off of them all. "Alligator" was a clever B-movie. "If You Don't Stop You Would Go Blind"-The title might be worse than the movie. "The Immortal Bachelor"-Cinemax late night fodder. "Mothers Day"-Well the scenes where the brothers debate over weather disco or punk rock is better was the closest this movie came to being entertaining. "Invincible Devil"-Sounds like goofy Kung Fu stuff. "New Years Evil"-The idea was good, but it was still slasher garbage.

[@digmacdiggydoo]

He Knows Your Alone has Tom Hanks in it.

[@reneedennis2011]

Yup.

[@patrickriley674]

He was one of the few positives in that film...

[@ryanheather4309]

Expect no one knew who Tom Hanks was in 1980.

[@dannydaniel6017]

@@ryanheather4309 Not true. Bosom Buddies premiered that year and was a hit show in the Fall of 1980 and almost practically made him a star. This film also got him an appearance on The Love Boat also during the same year. So his star was really rising. Splash being a hit in 1984 and add Bachelor Party to that are the films that really made him a breakout star.

[@ryanphilliesphan]

Wait....these are the best movies from 1980.

[@adamquiles2468]

Didn't like any of these movies myself they all looked like exploitation flicks

[@sixtythreekraft2608]

I don't think that they actually see all of the movies. That would take an incredible amount of time. I think they have assistants see some of them and some of the info gets lost in translation. Ebert totally missed certain facts from Exterminator. I remember also that Siskel really blew it trying to explain what happened in the original Terminator movie (not on this vid).

[@FloraWest]

Well, it was their full time job. I think it would be a serious breach of ethics for them to review a movie they hadn't seen. I can certainly see why they'd forget some details when they see so many movies in a week.

[@jessecoffey4737]

They try to see all the movies that they can see. It's their job to do so.

[@rdoyle29]

That's really stupid, man. They watch movies and write about them for a living.

[@kdohertygizbur]

Remember, these are 3-4 minute descriptions and for the dogs of the week, they don't get into fuller details because they were dogs of the week