Lovedolls Superstar (1986)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Slam Punk

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

David Markey made the greatest Super-8 film of the 1980s with Desperate Teenage Lovedolls, produced for about $250. Two years later, he made this sequel for $10,000, and in many ways it's a far superior, far more watchable film. Now Markey has given us his "fully realized" version, which was transferred directly from the film elements to a new DVD and mastered with fresh, new audio. The great soundtrack really sparkles now, and tunes from Redd Kross, the Meat Puppets, Sonic Youth and the Dead Kennedys virtually explode from your speakers. The members of the Lovedolls (who split up in the previous film) reunite: Kitty Karry-All (Jennifer Schwartz) has become a wino and Patch Kelly (Janet Housden) has become the leader of a religious cult made up of former Lovedolls fans. Several actors from the first film return as twins, mothers or ghosts. The band does a cover of "It's a Sunshine Day," and their fans turn into a murderous Jim Jones-like cult. A possessed KISS doll tells one fan to murder Bruce Springsteen ("who's the boss now, motherfucker?"). In the end, the President (Jello Biafra) loads the band onto a "spaceship" for an intergalactic tour. Lovedolls Superstar has more in the way of enthusiasm and imagination than it does execution or talent, but anyone in the mood for something different should see it.

DVD Details: The DVD, from Music Video Distributors, comes with a commentary track, extended scenes, and footage from a recent premiere party.