Tape 56

Vampire's Kiss (1988)
Comedy/Fantasy/Horror
Rated R, 103 minutes
Directed by Robert Bierman

So Nicolas Cage plays a publishing exec who believes that a vampire, Flashdance star Jennifer Beals by the by, has bitten him and he is therefore on the path towards becoming a creature of the night. That's about it.... Notable for the fact that Mr. Nick at one point eats a cockroach and apparently chose to do it for real rather than substitute a prop one. This was before hundreds of meathead frat boys started doing it weekly on Fear Factor. Also notable... sorta... for featuring future Frasier co-star David Hyde Pierce as "Theatre Guy." At the time the movie was the first to get Cage some notice for being "brave with his choices." Which is Hollywood speak for "This guy will do some weird shit that may work in some movies, but the problem is he'll also do it in movies where it's wholly inappropriate and less seasoned directors won't know how to make him stop being a shithead... and he'll ruin their movies as a result."

Replacement status: not replaced, no intention to replace.

...All the Marbles (1981)
Action/Drama/Comedy/Romance
Rated R, 113 minutes
Directed by Robert Aldrich

Peter Falk manages a couple of female wrestlers in small markets, negotiating his/their way through sleazy promoters and questionable choices (mud wrestling in a county fair, for example) to get them a shot at brighter limelight. This was Aldrich's last movie (he did The Dirty Dozen and The Longest Yard most notably), and perhaps not a great career capper. That said it was a lot less exploitative and more realistic than you might think... partly because the whole WWF/E juggernaut hadn't begun it's ascension... and because you get the sense the studio was looking for a "female Rocky movie with a little jiggle." While it isn't exactly on a par with Aronofsky's The Wrestler, it holds its own.

Replacement status: not replaced, keeping an eye out for DVD, currently oop.