Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Hot Moves Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 22, 2018

Jim Sotos' "Hot Moves" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with director Jim Sotos, actors Michael Zorek and Adam Silbar, and writer/co-associate producer Peter Foldy; and additional video interview with cast and crew members. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Spectacular technology

I don’t even remember the last trip I made to my local theater to see a teen comedy because quite some time ago I realized that Hollywood became very comfortable rehashing just two particular types of ‘funny’ teen films: the vulgar type and the unbearably vulgar type. Neither the first nor the second interest me, so I very rarely even look at the theatrical listings anymore. If I feel like watching something a bit more colorful that does not immediately require I lose ten IQ points, I usually open up my catalog and choose one of the popular ‘80s comedies that are already out on Blu-ray. Over the last couple of weeks, I have revisited Rafal Zielinski’s Screwballs (this film definitely needs to be remastered so that there is a proper release of it), Hy Averback’s Where the Boys Are '84 (it has a great release from Scorpion Releasing), Mark Griffiths’ Hardbodies (which could look better, but the current master is quite nice), and John Hughes’ Weird Science (which needs to be redone from scratch because the current release is astonishingly poor).

However, earlier this month during the long holiday weekend, we had some guests and a decision was made to see “something new and funny”, and much to my surprise Kay Cannon’s Blockers turned out to be the winner. I had seen a few of the trailers that Universal had for this film and promptly suggested a replacement with one of the oldies from my library, but my offer was very quickly turned down. Let me fast-forward here. I probably endured a little more than half of Blockers and then walked out to have a cup of coffee alone. Frankly, the vulgar, which once again was just plain gross, wasn’t even one of the top three bad things about this film. How about just making sure that there are at least some decent exchanges? It is pretty remarkable that a professional writer was actually hired and paid to deliver a script for Blockers. It is also pretty sad, because even some of the very small ‘80s comedies that I could have pulled from my library would have offered a vastly superior entertainment.

A couple of days ago, I was able to prove that I was right, but in front of a slightly different audience. So this time I selected Boaz Davidson’s The Last American Virgin and Jim Sotos’ Hot Moves, which I had just recently received. The former is a minor genre classic and one of my favorite ‘80s teen comedies. It is a bit spicy but never offensive, very funny but also surprisingly thought-provoking, truly among the best of its kind. The latter is one of those very low-budget teen comedies that are just right to simply waste an hour and a half with when you feel nostalgic for the '80s but do not want to revisit any of the era's big classics. It is about a couple of good friends trying to get laid during the long summer break and having all sorts of exciting experiences that leave them with great memories. You get a bit of vulgarity with this film as well, but it isn’t of the ugly type that instantly turns contemporary comedies into painful endurance tests. It is of the harmless and, gasp, occasionally hilarious type.

Here’s one last thing that I wish to mention about older teen comedies. Right now, even the really small ones, like Hot Moves, instantly look better because they avoided the smartphone craze. You can call me old-fashioned if you wish, but I just think that there are a lot more opportunities for teen actors to be funny while being out in the real world, as opposed to trying to impress while having conversations on their fashionable phones.

Hot Moves Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jim Sotos' Hot Moves arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Code Red.

The master that was used to produce the release is very recent and it shows. I don't know what elements were scanned to create it, but the density levels are such that it is very obvious that it was at least a generation away from the OCN. Either way, while there are some minor fluctuations, scratches and blemishes, and even a few traces of fading, this is a vastly better presentation of a catalog title that you would typically get if you a label uses an older master that was struck by a major studio like Universal a decade or so ago. In fact, on a larger screen the visuals hold quite well and in some cases depth ranges from good to very good. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments, so this is a major positive as well. The color grading is very good, though ideally overall balance should be better. Image stability is good, but some very light unevenness can be spotted before or after transitions. All in all, this is a fine organic presentation of the film that makes it quite easy to enjoy. (Note: This is a Region-Free release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Hot Moves Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable and quite nicely rounded. I noticed some unevenness during one particular segment where there is slightly longer use of music, but it isn't anything that could have a negative impact on your viewing experience. Also, I could tell that the film was shot with a small budget because some of the street chatter and noise was simply left as it is. The important thing is that there are no technical issues to report.

Hot Moves Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - this surprisingly good audio commentary was recorded by director Jim Sotos, actors Michael Zorek (Barry) and Adam Silbar (Michael), and writer/co-associate producer Peter Foldy. There is a lot of very nice information not only about the production history of Hot Moves, but the LA scene during the '80s and some interesting cultural trends. Also, there are good observations about the transition to digital filmmaking and what was lost in in the process. If you know and remember LA that is captured in the film, listen to the entire commentary as it is quite informative and entertaining.

• Video Interviews - presented here are four video interviews with director Jim Sotos, co-writer/producer Peter Foldy, and cast members in which each interviewee recalls his/her work on Hot Moves and explains how the film impacted his/her career. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Jill Schoelen (28 min, 480/60i).
  2. Michael Zorek (14 min, 480/60i).
  3. Jim Sotos, Peter Foldy, and Adam Silbar (8 min, 480/60i).

• Trailers - a galley of trailers for other Code Red releases

Hot Moves Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I had no plans to write a review of Hot Moves and my decision to do one was inspired by my recent experience with Blockers, which is hands-down not just the worst comedy, but the worst film that I have seen this year. (Actually, I did not even finish it, it was that bad). It seems like now that political correctness has just about made it impossible for writers to deliver quality scripts without deeply offending someone and comedians do their job and be entertaining, Hollywood is simply doubling-down on straightforward vulgarity and working hard to legitimize it as the new 'funny'. It is an absolutely awful trend. I recognized its emergence quite some time ago and simply tuned out, so Blockers was just another confirmation that things were as bad as I thought. Hot Moves is a very low-budget teen comedy from the '80s that does not belong in the same category with Bachelor Party, Weird Science, or even Zapped!, but it is a vastly superior alternative to Blockers. Take my words for granted, even if you don't find the entire range of experiences that its horny characters have outrageously funny, you will enjoy the atmosphere and be able to relax. So if you have a soft spot for these types of films and are looking to add more variety to your collection, pick up a copy of Hot Moves while you still can. Code Red's recent Blu-ray release of the film is sourced from a nice remaster and has some pretty good archival bonus features as well. RECOMMENDED.