Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills

Last updated
Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills
Directed by Philippe Mora
Written byPhilippe Mora
Produced byBruce Critchley
Starring Beverly D'Angelo
Aron Eisenberg
Barry Humphries
Brion James
CinematographyWalter Bal
Edited byRoss Guidici
Music by Roy Hay
Production
company
Distributed byTroma Team Video
Release date
  • January 24, 1996 (1996-01-24)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills, made by Ptereo Pictures Inc. and Troma Entertainment in 1995, is a live-action farcical horror film, written and directed by Philippe Mora. The film stars Beverly D'Angelo, Aron Eisenberg and Brion James. Australian entertainer Barry Humphries has a cameo, playing three parts in the same scene: a grocery store clerk, the store manager and a "lady shopper" who is clearly his stage character Dame Edna Everage. [1] The film had a limited cinematic release in January 1996 and was released on video by Troma in 1997.

Contents

Plot

Paleontologist Dick Chandler (Brad Wilson) discovers a dinosaur egg, prompting an eccentric witchdoctor named Salvador Dalí (Brion James) to put a curse on Chandler's wife, Pixie (Beverly D'Angelo), causing her to slowly and intermittently transform into a pterodactyl. After Pixie lays an egg, Dick tracks down Salvador Dalí and apologizes, and the curse is lifted. [2]

Cast

Music

The film's music was composed by Roy Hay, the guitarist/keyboardist of British band Culture Club.

Critical reception

Critics panned Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills for being dull and unfunny. Variety magazine's review declared "all the actors ... are defeated by the drab material". The film was also criticized for being a "classic case of a title in search of a movie", unable to decide whether it seeks to spoof Los Angeles lifestyles or the science fiction genre. [3]

Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C- and noted that "silly isn’t necessarily funny, and after an hour and a half of Bev’s squawking and stooping, you may find yourself wishing this species of movie were extinct." [4]

The Dinosaur Filmography book describes the film as "a wildly uneven hodgepodge of sight gags, satire, and silliness, with just enough cleverness and intelligence to avoid laying an egg." [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvador Dalí</span> Spanish surrealist artist (1904–1989)

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work.

<i>The Toxic Avenger</i> (1984 film) 1984 American superhero black comedy splatter film by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman

The Toxic Avenger is a 1984 American superhero black comedy splatter film directed by Michael Herz and Lloyd Kaufman and written by Kaufman and Joe Ritter. It is the first installment of The Toxic Avenger franchise. The film was released by Troma Entertainment, known for producing low budget B-movies with campy concepts and gruesome violence. Virtually ignored upon its first release, The Toxic Avenger caught on with filmgoers after a long and successful midnight movie engagement at the Bleecker Street Cinema in Greenwich Village in late 1985. It is now regarded as a cult classic.

Troma Entertainment American independent film production and distribution company

Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them play on 1950s horror with elements of farce, parody, gore and splatter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Humphries</span> Australian actor and comedian

John Barry Humphries is an Australian actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film producer and script writer, a star of London's West End musical theatre, a writer, and a landscape painter. For his delivery of dadaist and absurdist humour to millions, biographer Anne Pender described Humphries in 2010 as not only "the most significant theatrical figure of our time … [but] the most significant comedian to emerge since Charlie Chaplin".

Kent Smith American actor

Frank Kent Smith was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theatre and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Mowbray</span> British-American actor (1896–1969)

Alan Mowbray MM was an English stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood.

<i>Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers</i> 1995 film by Joe Chappelle

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is a 1995 American slasher film directed by Joe Chappelle and written by Daniel Farrands. The film stars Donald Pleasence in his final film appearance, Paul Rudd and Marianne Hagan. It is the sixth installment in the Halloween film series, and concludes the "Thorn Trilogy" story arc established in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. Set six years after the events of Halloween 5, the plot follows Michael Myers as he stalks the Strode family, cousins of Laurie Strode, in order to kill his last surviving relatives, while Dr. Sam Loomis pursues him once more. The film also reveals the source of Michael's immortality and his drive to kill.

<i>The Golden Child</i> 1986 American film

The Golden Child is a 1986 American dark fantasy comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie. The film stars Eddie Murphy as Chandler Jarrell, a Los Angeles social worker who is informed that he is "The Chosen One", and is destined to save "The Golden Child", a kidnapped Tibetan boy with mystical powers who is said to be the savior of all humankind. Alongside Murphy, the film's cast includes Charlotte Lewis and Charles Dance.

Hazel Court English actress (1926–2008)

Hazel Court was an English actress. She is known for her roles in British and American horror films during the 1950s and early 1960s, including Terence Fisher's The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959) for Hammer Film Productions, and three of Roger Corman's adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories for American International Pictures: The Premature Burial (1962), The Raven (1963) and The Masque of the Red Death (1964).

Philippe Mora is a French Australian film director.

Daniel Thomas Cosgrove is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Scott Chandler on All My Children, Matt Durning on Beverly Hills, 90210, Bill Lewis on Guiding Light, Christopher Hughes II on As the World Turns and Aiden Jennings on Days of Our Lives.

Kathleen Barr is a Canadian voice actress. She is best known for voicing Marie Kanker and Kevin in Ed, Edd n Eddy and Trixie Lulamoon and Queen Chrysalis in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. She also voiced Henri Richard Maurice Dutoit LeFevbre in Liberty's Kids, Dot Matrix in ReBoot, Kaiko Nekton in The Deep, Wheezie in Dragon Tales, and Gelorum in Hot Wheels: AcceleRacers.

The Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor is an award presented by the Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association. It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role.

Curse of the Swamp Creature is a 1968 American-made for television horror science fiction film directed by Larry Buchanan. Although Buchanan was producing low-budget 16mm color remakes of American International Pictures sci-fi movies for television distribution around this time, he claimed this was an original even though it bears more than a few striking similarities to the 1957 AIP film Voodoo Woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis X. Bushman filmography</span>

This page is devoted to the film and television work of Francis X. Bushman. They encompass the years 1911-66.

<i>Mob Boss</i> (film) 1990 American film

Mob Boss is a 1990 direct-to-video Mafia-themed comedy film directed by Fred Olen Ray and starring Eddie Deezen, Morgan Fairchild, Teagan Clive and William Hickey.

Woman on the Run: The Lawrencia Bembenek Story is a 1993 American drama film written and directed by Sandor Stern. It is based on the 1992 book Woman on Trial by Lawrencia Bembenek. The film stars Tatum O'Neal, Bruce Greenwood, Peggy McCay, Colin Fox, Kenneth Welsh and Catherine Disher. The film aired on NBC in two parts on May 16, 1993, and on May 17, 1993.

References

  1. Paul Matthew St Pierre (30 September 2004). A Portrait of the Artist as Australian: L'Oeuvre bizarre de Barry Humphries. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. pp. 284–. ISBN   978-0-7735-7162-4.
  2. 1 2 Mark F. Berry (16 August 2005). The Dinosaur Filmography. McFarland. pp. 336–. ISBN   978-1-4766-0674-3.
  3. Harvey, Dennis. "Review: 'Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills'". Variety Media. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  4. D'Ángelo, Mike. "Video Review: 'Pterodactyl Woman From Beverly Hills'". EW.com. Time Inc. Retrieved 23 June 2017.