Chopping Mall (1986)
A group of teenagers that work at the mall all get together for a late night party in one of the stores. When the mall goes on lock down before they can get out, the robot security system activates after a malfunction and goes on a killing spree. One by one the three bots try to rid the mall of the “intruders.” The only weapons the kids can use are the supplies in other stores, or if they can make it till morning when the mall opens back up.
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As Good As It Gets
Admirable film.
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
One of Jim Wynorski's best, this is one of the better B's of the 1980's. Starring a who's who of basically nobodies, Kelli Maroney and Barbara Crampton are the names that stand out. A great fun little film about Robot Security that runs amok (of course, otherwise there wouldn't be a movie. The original title was Killbots) killing a bunch of teens who stayed overnight to party. Pay close attention to Suzi Slater. A bot chases her and blows her head entirely off (great effects shot) yet everytime we see her body later, the head is back. The movie has two of the best easter eggs ever - The Blands from Eating Raoul, and Walter Paisely (Dick Miller) who costared in many of Corman's movies. Really, just get popcorn and turn off your brain. It's that kind of fun movie.
Weirdly, the title and plot of this movie are the only things about it that really make any sense, even though no one gets chopped. A guy has created robots to protect a mall and of course they go haywire. They are loud as hell yet they have no problem sneaking up on people. The have a base that is at least 4 feet long and they have no problem riding an escalator. The most interesting thing about the movie is the ridiculous stores. It really makes you wonder if the internet really killed malls or was it stores like House Of Almonds and Her Scent? Maybe having house paint stores and places that sell machine guns in a mall is why they are dead? I could point out all the stupid things in this movie all day but no one is even reading this so why bother. As bad as this movie is, I have seen much worse. Not a total waste of time.
"I guess I'm just not used to being chased around a mall in the middle of the night by killer robots."I loved this movie. It's a sci-fi/horror movie where futuristic mall security robots go rogue after a lighting storm and start killing teens partying in the mall after hours.It literally is a movie that only could be made in the 80's. There is awesome fake lighting bolts, cheesy blue and green lasers and terrible acting that some how make the movie even better.
Chopping Mall (1986) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Fun low-budget mix of action and horror has Alison Parks (Kelli Maroney) and her friends inside a mall after closing hours when a new form of security is introduced. This security is three robots who are trained to apprehend the bad guys but the computers go crazy and send them after anyone moving.Jim Wynorski is a master when it comes to low-budget movies. My favorite films of his are BIG BAD MAMA II and SORORITY HOUSE MASSACRE 2 but there's no question that CHOPPING MALL is probably his most famous movie and it's really easy to see why. After all, malls were such a big part of the 80s that most people would be okay watching a movie about people being trapped inside of one (see also DAWN OF THE DEAD) and fighting against some futuristic robots (before ROBOCOP).What makes the film work so well is the director and his ability to get everything out of a scene that he can. This was obviously shot on a very low-budget but that never hampers the film and in fact I'd argue that the film works better because it caused everyone to use their imagination and of course they had to limit themselves to what they had. This really makes the film seem rather fresh and original and there's no doubt that it remains entertaining throughout its short running time.The special effects certainly aren't the greatest but they're at least fun and keep the viewer entertained. The performances certainly aren't the greatest that you're going to see but at the same time the cast is more than entertaining and they at least hold your interest throughout. CHOPPING MALL certainly isn't a masterpiece but it's a fun "B" movie that shows you don't need a lot of money to be creative.