An unlikely candidate for a franchise, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, as goofy as it is, spawned three sequels, a cartoon series, a video game, and a toy line during the 1980s and 1990s. Long-since dormant, it’s wild to think that at one time an amateur spoof movie with a budget of less than $100,000 had the potential for other things. Shepherded by director John DeBello and writers and producers Stephen Peace and Costa Dillon, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes isn’t necessarily a film that you’d try and defend as some kind of a masterpiece that’s been misunderstood. No, even its creators know exactly what it is, but they, like many other people, embrace it and continue to wave its flag nearly 40 years after its initial release.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes always eluded my tiny child mind way back in the 1980s. I remember seeing it on the shelf at a video store and being not quite sure what to make of it. Was it scary? Was it funny? Was it a cartoon? In actuality, it’s none of those things. It’s a really dumb movie, through and through; juvenile to its very core, but in a way that’s charming. It’s as if a group of high school students with decent filmmaking abilities put on a local production. Even the folks behind it had only ever made a handful of Super 8 short films, which is where the idea for the film originated in the first place.

Although it’s a fourth-wall breaking romp with little on its mind other than zaniness, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is oddly delightful. In all honesty, I don’t know if you could take this premise and make something serious out of it. Who would be able to take a movie about killer tomatoes invading the nation seriously? And whether they’ll admit it or not, the film did have an influence on future filmmakers. Look no further than the plot of 1996’s Mars Attacks, directed by Tim Burton, in which invading aliens can only be subdued by awful music. If that’s not a nod to Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, I’ll eat my hat.

Now available as a part of the MVD Rewind Collection, this Special Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of the film comes armed with a newly remastered 4K transfer of the film. By its very nature, it has never been a film that’s ever really looked that good, especially if you saw it in the VHS era when it looked rather dark and dingy. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case. In fact, it’s remarkable how good the film now looks. With even grain levels (aside from the stop-motion animation scenes), high amounts of fine detail, and a crispness to the presentation that was otherwise absent before, it’s never looked better. Color is also improved with more striking hues while black levels are deep with (likely) inherent crush. Contrast and brightness levels are excellent as well. There isn’t a whole lot of film damage leftover other than some staining and there doesn’t seem to be any digital anomalies on display. It still looks and feels like the period that it was shot in, but it’s miles better than any previous release. The lone audio option to go with it is an English 2.0 mono LPCM track with, unfortunately, no subtitle options. The film contains a variety of dialogue elements (including the obvious overdubbing of the Asian scientist, for instance), as well as pre-recorded musical numbers and location sound during crowd sequences. I didn’t notice any distortion, clicks, or pops – only one minor dropout during a scene transition. However, everything comes through clearly with decent fidelity and some minor LFE.

This release also contains quite an extensive and almost complete set of bonus materials, including nearly everything from the 25th Anniversary DVD release. This consists of an audio commentary from writer/director John DeBello, writer/co-star Steve Peace, and creator Costa Dillon; Legacy of a Legend, a brief featurette containing interviews with John DeBello, Costa Dillon, film critic Kevin Thomas, fans Kevin Sharp and Bruce Vilanch, and actors John Astin, Stephen Peace, Jack Riley, and D.J. Sullivan; Crash and Burn, a brief discussion about the film’s famous helicopter crash; a set of Super Duper 8 Prequels: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, the original 8mm short film with optional audio commentary from DeBello, Peace, and Dillon, and Gone with the Babusuland, another 8mm short film with non-optional audio commentary, also from DeBello, Peace, and Dillon; Famous Fowl, which covers the San Diego Chicken as seen in the film; 3 deleted scenes in standard definition; Killer Tomatomania, which contains interviews with random people about the film; Where Are They Now?, which checks up on what the cast and crew are currently up to; We Told You So!, a tongue-in-cheek look at the real-life horrors of the killer tomatoes; a set of Sing-Alongs (Sidewalk Sing-Along, Main Theme, The Mindmaker Song, Tomato Stomp, Puberty Love, Love Theme); Slated for Success, a discussion about the film’s slate girl; the original theatrical trailer in SD; 2 radio spots; a trailer for D.O.A.: A Right of Passage; a DVD copy; and a fold-out mini-poster of the main artwork. Also included on the disc is an Easter egg. On the first page of the “Chapters” menu, highlight “Next”, press down, and a tomato will appear on the left side of the screen, which will lead you to their Super 8 version of an intermission. Not included from the 25th Anniversary DVD release is Tomato Mode, Tomato Trivia, the Killer Stuff photo gallery, the Production Design photo gallery (which is mentioned on the back cover of this release, but ultimately not included), and the two previous Easter eggs featuring Lloyd Kaufman and the aforementioned San Diego chicken.

Made with nothing more than passion by a group of amateur filmmakers, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes might be described by its fans as a guilty pleasure. I’d actually go so far as to label it the very definition of the term. It’s not so bad that it’s good, but it’s an enjoyable diversion with honest intentions. MVD Rewind’s treatment of it is to be commended and is the definitive release from here on in and fans will definitely want to eat it up.

The post ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES: SPECIAL COLLECTOR’S EDITION (BLU-RAY REVIEW) With Fun Bonuses From Fans Bruce Vilanch And Many More Surprises first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Upon meeting a legendary Hollywood personality it’s only fitting that we meet in a legendary Hollywood establishment. Musso and Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard. Since 1919, stars from Rudolph Valentino and Charlie Chaplin to Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall have been sipping martinis in its old worn leather booths or throwing back scotch in its infamous back room – a watering hole for some of the finest writers including F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, and Raymond Chandler. I arrive and Bruce Vilanch greets me as ‘Nick Hardcore’.

A regular here, Vilanch is instantly recognisable wearing his signature bright coloured glasses and a t-shirt with a cartoon image of Liam Neeson and the slogan ‘Carpe Liam’.

He has had a long and colorful history in show business and Hollywood. A six time Emmy winner, Bruce has also won a number of awards for his support of LGBTQI and HIV/AIDS charities.

He has written for the Oscars for 23 years as well as the Tonys, Emmys and Grammys. He has contributed to many Broadway shows including Peter Allen’s first, Up in One, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical. He is currently penning a new show based on the music of Petula Clark. He has been a long time gag writer for Bette Midler, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, as well as having worked with the late and great Elizabeth Taylor, Robin Williams and Joan Rivers. Whether he set out to be or not, Bruce Vilanch has been a pioneering gay voice in the entertainment business.

A New Jersey native, Vilanch spent five years in Chicago where he wrote for the Chicago Tribune and occasionally did stand-up comedy. There he met Bette Midler in the mid ’70s. He thought that she was “funny and should talk more on stage” so he wrote some new material for the rising star and they’ve been working together ever since.

When he relocated to Los Angeles, his first gig was on a late night show called Midnight Special in 1978. There were many people who had appeared on TV before Bruce Vilanch who were gay of course, as well as gay characters in shows like All in the Family and even Australia’s Number 96, but you would be hard pressed to find an openly gay man who discussed his experiences on air before Vilanch did.

“I was completely open from the word go. It was very novel because it was one o’clock in the morning. But being openly gay on TV hadn’t become my schtick yet. I just never denied anything.”

“I was completely open from the word go. It was very novel but because it was one o’clock in the morning. But being openly gay on TV hadn’t become my schtick yet. I just never denied anything.”

Considering the cultural climate at the time, it was a bold move. In 1976 Elton John announced that he was bisexual in Rolling Stone and he was immediately removed from the playlists of many the major radio stations. “Those regional stations were where you broke records. So if some minister comes in to the local radio station in Kansas city and says you can’t play that cock sucker Elton John’s records anymore – you’d better believe he’s getting dropped off the playlist! Elton’s career was pretty much over there for a while – you can understand why it might have just been easier to say nothing.”

“So there was a lot at stake. Although no one ever told me that I couldn’t be out on TV. What they all did say was that I need to be sure. ‘Is this what you want to be known as? Because there are consequences – there will be no working with children and no big money endorsement deals and there certainly won’t be leading man parts because you can’t kiss the girl.’ But I got to be myself.”

At this point our conversation takes a slight deviation into ‘little people porn’ and ‘feeders’ but I assure him that the details are entirely off the record. I order another martini.

Vilanch’s mainstream profile rocketed when he became a regular panelist on the long-running game show ‘Hollywood Squares’ from 1998 – 2002, with his old friend and client Whoopi Goldberg. He says that this was the only time that he ever came under pressure about his sexuality on television.

“And that was only because I was graphic. I had to really fight to get some of my lines across,” he explained.

Producers would insist that there were other ways to get the laughs, and that Bruce should ‘go easy on the gay’.

“But this was coming from the same people who would say to Whoopi, ‘Go easy on the black. You don’t have to be so street’. The notes were always back-to-back. They never said to Gilbert [Gottfried] not to be so Jewish.”

At this time, Vilanch was becoming somewhat of a gay icon and it put him in a position to be able to counsel other LGBTQI people in the media. “I tell other famous people who come out that you really have no idea the affect you are having on young people who are unsure or conflicted – it gives them hope.”

He recalls a young man telling him that he used to watch Hollywood Squares with his grandmother and would be inspired, thinking, “Look at him – he’s so unafraid.”

Vilanch cites Ellen DeGeneres as another great example of that fearlessness in spite of the potential consequences. “When Ellen came out on her sitcom she was very courageous, but she was very smart. She said once she came out that they should cancel because now they would have to go in to storylines that the audience probably won’t like.

“The network thought the numbers were great, but sure enough the southern states cancelled the show and because she wasn’t being seen on the same amount of stations the numbers dropped and the show got cancelled. It took a while for Ellen to really come back from that.”

“I tell other famous people who come out that you really have no idea the affect you are having on young people who are unsure or conflicted – it gives them hope.”

But the landscape was starting to change, albeit, slowly. Will and Grace in particular became a huge hit. According to GLAAD, (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), a US non-governmental media monitoring organisation, by the time the show had aired its final season in 2006 almost 2 per cent of regular characters on prime time broadcast TV were gay. While it was certainly not a fair representation of the population, it was a sign of positive change.

Now in 2016 more than 4 per cent of regular characters on prime time are identified as LGBTQI. Guest characters and LGBTQI personalities in non-scripted television are also starting to be represented in more significant numbers. In the last year alone the number of regular LGBTQI characters counted on cable increased from 64 to 84, while recurring characters increased from 41 to 58. In 2015 for the first time, GLAAD counted LGBTQI characters on original series that premiered on Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix and found 43 series regulars and 16 recurring queer characters across 23 series.

In 2016, Vilanch says that it’s much more difficult to say if someone’s sexuality really affects their media career as much as it did in previous decades, as each case is individual. “There’s still no leading man action hero who has come out and said he’s gay. We’ve had a few pro sports people but no huge major figures. When that happens maybe things will really change because we’ll finally have an example where the audience will have to believe whether say, James Bond is still James Bond when the actor playing him is openly gay. Can they buy him shagging Pussy Galore when they know he wants Balls a Plenty? That hasn’t been demonstrated yet.

“We have people like Neil Patrick Harris, Lance Bass and Melissa Etheridge and Portia de Rossi, who are big stars doing great things – but it’s unlikely you’ll see them as action heroes.”

At this point Vilanch accidentally spills come creamy salad dressing right on Liam Neeson’s cartoon face on his t-shirt. Make of that what you will.

As talent, humour and fame can be powerful aphrodisiacs for some people, I finally ask Vilanch if he thinks that being on TV has increased his sex appeal.

“I was only ever a lust object for creepy people– chubby chasers,” he replies.

When I insist that humor is the sexiest quality in any person, he cuts to the chase, “I would love to say it’s the case… but I find that they’ll laugh with you, but they’ll go home and fuck someone else. But humour sustains in a way that physical beauty doesn’t… at least I still have my card to play. ‘Snap!’”

The post Hollywood History With Bruce Vilanch By Nick Hardcastle first appeared on We Got Bruce!.