Vibes is one of those movies that I wish I had seen as a child, because I would have LOVED it. I love it even now! I had never even heard of it despite having multiple stars I like - Cyndi Lauper, Jeff Goldblum, Peter Falk! But it appeared on Amazon Prime and I jumped on it, and was lushly rewarded.
Plot: psychics are real. At a scholarly testing of psychic phenomena, two psychics meet - Jeff Goldblum (who can sense the histories of objects just by touching them) and Cyndi Lauper (who has a spirit guide that informs her). She likes him, but he is wary. They are approached by the rather sleazy Peter Falk who asks them to come to Ecuador and help find his "missing son." Turns out it's a missing business partner, and what he really wants is the location of a golden city. Psychic chaos ensues, and it turns out they aren't the only ones looking for the lost city.
The movie is surprisingly funny, in three different ways: Lauper brings an earthy humor, Falk is full of great timing and verbal jokes, and Goldblum drips with irony and provides good physical comedy. It's a great movie, highly recommended.
Speaking of Jeff Goldblum, he plays a role on the opposite side of the spectrum in Transylvania 6-5000: a skeptical reporter, sent (along with partner Ed Begley Jr, who is GREAT) to find out if Frankenstein is real. This movie is funny as hell, for me. I loved every character, large part or small. Maybe my favorite was Michael Richards, who plays a butler who is constantly trying to impress the reporters with his comedy routines. Jeffrey Jones as the town mayor is also fabulous.
Of course, Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolfman, are all real... but they aren't quite what you think. The movie is silly, and somewhat stupid, but it's light-hearted and clearly made in the spirit of easy fun. Recommended.
Plot: Frank Dux (Van Damme) is trained from a very young age by a Japanese martial arts master. When he comes of age, he leaves for Hong Kong to try his chances in the kumite - a full contact tournament where fighters from all over the world hope to make their fortunes. Dux befriends Ray Jackson, a hairy giant also from America, and also meets a lady reporter along the way. Then Dux must go up against the evil karate master who is (literally) slaughtering the competition: Chong Li.
This is super violent by its nature, and isn't for everyone. But if you're interested in martial arts films, this is a must.
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