Bits and Pieces (1985)

So much average

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The director, Leland Thomas, taught film-making at the film school I went to for a few years, and the entire first quarter of school he teaches new students a basics of production class, and the entire time he tells all his students that at the end of the quarter he'll show everyone how not to make a movie, and eventually, sometimes grudgingly, shows Bits and Pieces. He even admits it's a grandly terrible film, but for his students and the people that know Lee, this movie is fantastic. Sure, it was made for the sole purposes of making money, and eventually cut down by the producers so the cut that is circulating (not sure where, he said it might get a DVD release someday soon) is devoid of pretty much all the gore they shot for the film. Not that gore would save this mess of a film, but if you know Lee and the type of heartfelt guy he is, you can't solely blame him for making this movie terribly. Still, when I finally saw it, it was a funny movie, and I enjoyed watching it, if only for the reasons stated above, and it's a lot better when you're told for 3 months how terrible it is going to be, and all the reasons why. Definitely a great learning experience I must say.

This was pretty pathetic. A loser nutcase abused by his mom goes nuts and kidnaps women and kills them. There is virtually no gore in this so-called slasher film. There is no on screen violence at all. There are some close ups of womens breasts while they're tied up before he kills them, that's about the only worthwhile thing I can say about this waste of time.

What else could you want in a slasher flick than naked people, laughs and gore? You can just tell that this crew had a ball making this film, "Bits and Pieces" is a cult 80's classic. After his mother tortures and torments our lead psycho, he grows up to torture women and leave them in bits and pieces in the dumpster. This film is a great ride. Who will survive, and who will be chopped up into bits and pieces? Find out for yourself and catch Leland Thomas's wonderful gorefest!

Here comes your average psycho, traumatized by his mother (yawn) who picks the wrong victim. This is ugly, badly acted, badly made. See "Maniac" or "The love butcher" instead.