xREL.v3

asphyx

-+ FLAiR RISES FROM THE GUTTER TO BRING YOU +-

Ratboy.1986.VHSRip.XviD-FLAiR

INFO

Release

Title  [ Ratboy

Release  [ 2013-02-17        Source  [ Retail VHS
Retail  [ 1998-09-01        iMDB  [ 3.8/10 (352)
Runtime  [ 104 mins          Size  [ 702MB / 50x15MB
Genre  [ Drama/Mystery

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091827/

Encoding

Audio  [ 112kb/s VBR Mono
Video  [ 512 x 384 @ 804kb/s 23.976fps

PLOT

A failed window dresser named Nikki (Sondra Locke)
overhears of a mysterious Ratboy named Eugene (Sharon
Baird) while dumpster diving at a dump. After finding
and befriending him, Nikki makes several attempts at
exploiting his uniqueness to the public. At the same
time, Eugene wishes to avoid public attention.

RIP NOTES

The 80s were the heyday of a different kind of
creature movie. Moviegoing audiences had learned firmly
in the 50s and 60s that creatures different to ourselves
(typically a guy in a monster suit) were to be feared
and conquered. In the 80s we learned that creatures can
have a heart, become your best friend, and will
frequently upstage the human lead. Some films within
this subgenre have become widely loved pieces of
cinematic history (see E.T., once the most profitable
movie ever), while many of them have been universally
panned and ridiculed (Mac and Me, anyone?). Suffice it
to say, Ratboy belongs firmly in the second category,
despite Rick Baker's always excellent makeup work.

Then-girlfriend of Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke had
been acting for two decades when she decided to direct
her first film, and make herself the star, a performance
for which she was Razzie nominated. She got Clint's
production company to produce, and presumably also
finance her vanity project. Her novel idea to have a
rat (well, sort of) be the creature the audience should
symphatize with was both a bold and a failed idea.
Ratboy was released the same year as An American Tail,
but she failed to realize that a cute cartoon mouse
named Fievel Mousekewitz stands a better chance than a
freakishly hideous real life rat-like creature named
Eugene. It wasn't until many years later a rat would
become a bona fide movie star, and it took all of Pixar
to do it.

Eugene the ratboy was in fact not a boy at all, but
rather female Sharon Baird, a diminutive tap dancer and
former mouseketeer. She was credited as S. L. Baird to
hide this fact. Neither her nor Sondra Locke had much of
a career after this flop. Sharon would retire and never
act again. Neither would Sondra, save from two STV
appearances in 99, and her directing career didn't fare
much better, with Warner Bros reportedly rejecting more
than 30 scripts she submitted.

We bring you this career-breaking atrocity in all its
splendor. Enjoy!

WHO WE ARE

Since 2003, FLAiR has been dedicated to preserving
the neglected titles of an entertainment era long gone.
A time of classic kids flicks, painstaking hand-drawn
animation and countless cheesy low-budget horrors. A
time when pop had a King, and rock had a Queen. A time
when special FX wizards ruled, and CGI was just one of
their many tools.

Driven by nostalgia and memories of better days, we
seek to relive those times, and share those memories.
While our belief is that the 80s represent the very
pinnacle of pop culture, we will not limit ourselves
to one decade, or any single genre. We will not ignore
the movies considered insignificant or even embarrassing
by the studios. We will not disregard a timepiece just
because it is dated.

Whereas most groups rely solely on digital sources,
there are still thousands of rare and out of print
titles, many of which have no planned digital release.
We've made it our mission to dig these out, clean them
up using the best hardware and techniques available to
us, and share them with the world. Be it VHS, Laserdisc
or more exotic formats, we're here to bring you the best
(and worst!) of decades past. So sit back and enjoy as
we uncover and pay tribute to an age of cinema we will
never get back.

THANKS

To everyone that has supported us over the years and
managed to keep this fun!

AEN  AEROHOLiCS  SChiZO  FLS  SiCK  BLooDWeiSeR

FiCO  TheWretched  VH-PROD  HUMANiSM  BLooDLiTE

EPiSODE  VoMiT  ALLiANCE  FRAGMENT  SAPHiRE  xV

nFO: asphyx