Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Here is a movie that creeps into my mind every now & again. It is a film called Tuff Turf, which was released around at this time back in 1985. I even saw this in a theatre! I was only six years old. My family – they were a little lax to say the least. At the time I found the movie to be very entertaining. It is basically a Romeo and Juliet type of story. Boy and girl fall in love, despite her menacing boyfriend. It was romantic, suspenseful, and even slightly humorous. There are two distinct scenes that have always come to mind whenever I think about this movie: one scene is when Kim Richards and a friend were sitting at a table located outside of a fast-food joint and they were running late for something. Her friend was slowly eating her lunch (kinda like me; I'm a slow eater too) so an anxious Kim Richards grabbed her burger and just shoved it in her face. I thought that scene was quite funny. Another memorable moment was the violent climactic end, which was very drawn out. The showdown took place inside some abandoned warehouse. I remember being particularly frightened by that scene because the bad guy just would not die. No matter how hard James Spader fought, the guy would not go down. There is also some cheesy eighties song at the end of the movie, which is kinda catchy. It goes: "T-U-F-F. You're so tough..." Something like that. I have actually seen this film only that one time, but it is something I still kind of vividly remember. I give it a B- I think it's pretty good. Probably somewhat dated now. Also, Robert Downey Jr. is in this. It's one of his earlier roles. Decades before playing Tony Stark.

I suppose that if both your parents are teachers, being in a film with a misspelt title is a pretty good way to rebel. IMDb says that both of James Spader's parents were teachers, and he left school in the 11th grade, so ... well, make up your own mind. To make up for the possible lack of difficulty in playing a rebellious New Englander, this role is all singing, all dancing, all cycling ...... well, I think he sings the line at the start of the film, but the song he sings seems to be dubbed (despite the credits failing to clarify this point either way). And there is absolutely no attempt made to make it seem he is really playing the piano.Spader has never been in anything musical since this, but I will say that his dancing is very good.This is a cross between a rather sweet romantic comedy and one of those films that is unbelievably, mindblowingly idiotic. I particularly liked the line, "This is the 80s!" No kidding! So that would account for the outfits and the hairstyles.amazon.co.uk deleted part of my review (without my knowledge or consent) because I noted that Kim Richards's hair was unusually long. But it was: especially by the standards of the 1980s. Nor did Amazon like my comment that Spader looks as if he is wearing eyeliner during the fight scene at the end. But he does. With his flicked fringe and apparent eyeliner, he resembles the late Princess Diana, IMHO.Most of the songs are ones that aren't played much now, but "People That Died" was used in a retrospective on the drama series "Six Feet Under". It was played during a montage. Amazon didn't want that in the review either.I recommend this to all of Spader's fans. You'll laugh, you'll lust, you'll cringe with embarrassment.It was the 80s.Very much so.

Director Fritz Kiersch made the drab "Children Of The Corn". Fortunately, this is anything but drab. James Spader is terrific as a rebellious youth whose family moves from Connecticut to Los Angeles. He gets himself embroiled in some very nasty trouble almost right away when he inadvertently tangles with local sociopath Nick Hauser, played with creepy authenticity by Paul Mones. The fact that Spader has an eye for the stunning girlfriend of Mones, Kim Richards, doesn't help his situation, either, but it's a great set-up for a violent, fast-paced teen flick.After this little gem, Spader starred as one of the screen's greatest miscreants, Eddie Dutra, in Sean Cunningham's incredible "The New Kids" (see my review). Then, "Sex Lies and Videotape" gave Spader's career a big shot in the arm and took him miles away from roles like this, at least for a decade or so."Tuff Turf" has a mean streak and isn't afraid to lather on the violence and bloodshed. Kiersch's direction is energetic and tight, and he is ably assisted in the atmosphere department by composer Jonathan Elias, who delivers a pumping, moody synth score. Kim Richards, with her long straight hair and sexy wardrobe, personifies a teen lust object, and injects her role with more than a little subtlety. A very young Robert Downey Jr. has a subordinate role as Hauser's only friend and acquits himself well.The film's climax, set in a warehouse, is brutal and bloody, and the sequence in which Spader's bicycle is destroyed demonstrates virtuoso cutting, sound design and cinematography. This is a very well made movie with plenty of "attitude" and lots of style.

the movie starts off really well..with James Spader(morgan hiller) looking at his best and kim richards looking even better. what's frustrating about the movie though is that our supposedly tough guy(morgan) gets thrashed and humiliated by the bad guy all through the movie and and he(morgan) just keeps his cool. had it not been form kim the bad guy had almost gotten him(morgan) down as all our hero has in his defence is a dart gun. (while anybody who is watching the movie would want him to pick up a real gun from a nearby store and shot the bad guy down after what he had done to his father, him , his g/f and his to be father-in-law) kim has a great role, looks FABULOUS and yes she should have gotten more films. i think good looks run in their family(no wonder she is Paris hilton's aunt).