Movies: Starstruck, Zorro's Fighting Legion

Starstruck (1982)

Plot synopsis from Blockbuster.com: Star Struck is a light, frothy pop-culture musical comedy from Australia, where Jackie (Jo Kennedy) dreams of becoming a singing star and her cousin Angus (Ross O'Donovan) thinks he has what it takes to be a successful manager. After a spot at the hip club in town (wearing a kangaroo suit) fails to win Jackie any paying gigs, Angus enters her in a major talent competition to be held on New Year's Eve. If Jackie wins, her career is assured, and the $25,000 grand prize will help keep her parents' cafe open. But can Jackie stand the pressure? Will the band get it together in time? And will Angus ever get a girl? Star Struck plays like a mid-1980s "New Wave" variation on an old "Let's Put On A Show!" teenage musical, with tunes by Phil Judd and Tim Finn of the popular New Zealand band Split Enz. Keep your eyes peeled for a bit part played by Geoffrey Rush, 14 years before he would win an Oscar for his work in Shine. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Remember all those corny MGM musicals with Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney and the “come-on-gang-let’s-put-on-a-show-and-save-Uncle-Jasper’s-farm” storylines? Now imagine them transported to the New Wave counterculture of early 1980’s Australia. Can you imagine that? Good. Now you don’t have to see this movie.
In all fairness, though, the movie’s just meant in good fun, and it accomplishes that. Mostly. The music’s not bad (considering it was the 80's), and the choreography will make you giggle.
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Zorro’s Fighting Legion (1939)

Plot from IMDb.com: The masked hero leads a fighting force to fight a villain who plots the conquest of The Republic of Mexico.

This 2-DVD set contains all 12 parts of the early Republic Pictures serial starring the (literally) tall, dark, and handsome Reed Hadley as the masked avenger. This, too, is just pure entertainment. There’s lot of daring stunts, shoot-outs, horse chases, and, of course, sword fights. (Though there only appear to be a few skilled swordsmen in the film. The rest look like they’re having a slap-fight with sticks.) The hero is dashing, but the metallic villain, Don Del Oro, looks like he may have been the inspiration for the Rock’em Sock’em Robots game. Don’t look for much depth, continuity, or logical plot progression here. This is simply a western swashbuckler featuring the legendary Zorro.