3:15 THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.
Posted on May 5, 2026 Leave a Comment
Happy 40th anniversary to the best movie that no one is talking about.
3:15 THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
The year is 1986. The place is Lincoln High School. The most viscous street gang in the city are the Cobras – a switchblade-wielding bunch of shit-bums who rule the school with a reign of terror. Routine violent crime and organized drug trading has become the norm of a typical school day. Each member of the Cobras wears a single-dangly-dagger earring and a cheap, vending machine-looking snake tattoo. They have names like Cinco, Whitey, Smiley, Chooch and…Jeff.
Jeff Hanna was once the most feared member of the Cobras, but now Jeff is sick of fighting so he leaves the gang for good. Fast forward a year later and Jeff has new friends, he’s on the basketball team and he’s turning up the heat with the most righteous babe in school. But suddenly after a drug raid at the school, his old gangbanger compadres are threatening to kill him. They even brutalize his new girlfriend via support from their sister gang ladies who look like Mötley Crüe “Looks That Kill” MTV video rejects. Jeff has had enough and now it’s time for one more fight. At 3:15.
This is one of those movies that remains somewhat underground and I never hear people talking about, which is headscratching because of how good it is. It’s up there with all the great high school exploitation movies that all seem to take place in Southern California’s valley towns. I’ll admit this movie is my #1 even next to classics like Tuff Turf and Class of 1984. Beyond all the clichés and hilarious stereotypes including the Asian high school gang practicing karate at recess, the strength of 3:15 is the fast-paced, no-nonsense energy in this movie that grabs you by the throat in the first ten minutes of the film and doesn’t let go.
I love movies that waste no time. Once Jeff abandons the Cobras, there’s a nervous, pulsating energy that kicks immediately into gear. It’s the dreadful fear of what’s going to happen to Jeff (Adam Baldwin, My Bodyguard) and his girlfriend Sherry (Deborah Foreman, Valley Girl) and just how far Jeff will go when he retaliates. The two young lovers are believable and cool, instead of their characters being so over the top on a cartoonish level which can be a common trope in teensploitation films. This isn’t West Side Story, Grease or even Stand and Deliver. Jeff is just a regular dude who just happens to be one tough son of a bitch. You get the impression that he can beat up both the punks and the jocks. Sherry on the other hand is a hot little number but they didn’t paint her to be the most popular girl in school or a goody two-shoes cheerleader.
3:15 is also filled with fun little moments that if you blink you might miss. Below are some of Uncle T’s favorites.
Gina Gershon! – Expect quite a few brief cameos like the always spicy Gina Gershon who plays one of the ‘Cobrettes’.
Black militant high schoolers! – Here’s a character who sadly they didn’t explain anything about and he’s played by Mario Van Peebles. His gang is called “The M-16’s”. I would really like to know what sort of high school experience this dude was having.
BMX Bandit! – With all the gangland activity happening at virtually all minutes of the hour, it’s cool that a kid doing tricks on his bike like he’s Cru Jones is completely unfazed. No tattoos, cigarettes or weapons. Just a neon-pink shirt and his bike.
Familiar dirtbags! – Yes, if this kid looks familiar it’s because he played the same character in the high school terror classic Tuff Turf just one year earlier. Looks the same, acts the same…it’s the same character.
Karate kids! – Of course all the Asian boys in school naturally have to be ninjas and practice karate at recess. Their gang is called “The Tams”.
Innocence of youth! – In the middle of all this warfare and drug dealing, these two random kids are seen playing “hot hands” (or is it “Pat A Cake”?) while smoking cigarettes. Good, clean fun.
Contraband weapons! – One thing I miss about high school is all the trickery and innovative ways to be a scumbag. Take for instance coming up with weapons like a lipstick knife or a metal hair braid. The ‘Cobrette’ on the left swings her braid around to knock people in the face during a fight!
Unreleased soundtrack! – Going into this movie I had a feeling the soundtrack was going to be a ripper and my prediction was right. There are a bunch of tracks by soundtrack regular Chris Farren (Night of the Comet, Girls Just Want to Have Fun) that need to be unearthed and cleaned up for future TNUC mixtapes! The only song that appeared somewhere else was Shriekback’s “Lined Up” which also appeared on the group’s 1983 album, Care. The song plays during the drug raid at school, right before all hell breaks loose!
It’s time for one more showdown after the school day ends. It’s time for someone to die. It’s 3:15 THE MOMENT OF TRUTH.
40 years after this movie came out and it definitely deserves more attention. TNUC highly recommends you find it!
ON MY OWN.
Posted on April 13, 2026 1 Comment
Some songs are just built for 4am. The other late night/early morning I was coming home on the train after working a late shift in the city. It was that eerie hour between night and day when everything looks bluish. Not really dark but not light either. There’s a quietness in the air that can be very calming or the exact opposite — completely creepy. Just as I passed by the neon-lit, damp streets of Chinatown, the following song started playing.
The music seemed to soundtrack every move around me. The usual bustling city streets were now empty. Trains shuffle by with no passengers inside. Low-traffic lights are blinking yellow. A lone, city newspaper van is out getting an early start. Bums hover around burning barrels. Bits of trash blow like tumbleweeds down sidewalks. Billowing steam arises from sewer grates. A man wearing a trenchcoat wanders out of a back alley.
If you’re someone like US Army captain and American ninja Frank Dux, this is the ultimate song for reflecting. That’s right, this classic track from 1988’s Bloodsport soundtrack is one I thought could never be touched. Believe me, I’m probably the last person to say that a cover is superior to the original. You can’t replicate the emotions in these songs especially when your memory is tied so strongly to the movie scene it was pulled from. However, there are exceptions.
The strange magic of 4am in the city must have really got to me when this song hit at just the right moment. Nightdriver’s cover of the the Stan Bush timeless ballad ‘On My Own – Alone’ breathes a whole new level of emotion with that soaring vocal and emphasis on the synths. It takes the original recipe and almost slows things down to dissect every slice of power.
MUTINY AFTER MIDNIGHT.
Posted on April 1, 2026 2 Comments
Before you mutter the two words ‘country music’ – add these 5 words to that train of thought; disco, rock, saxophone, boogie and basslines. Now relax, pour yourself a blood orange mezcal margarita and cue up Mutiny After Midnight – the new record from Johnny Blue Skies & the Dark Clouds.
I just want to get this out of the way. I don’t “know” country music nor do I have any interest in country music.
“Johnny Blue Skies” is the alias of musician Sturgill Simpson, a country artist who I was completely unaware of until I looked him up after seeing the album artwork and knowing that I need to hear whatever this was. Shiny disco balls and drippy blood seem to have that kind of effect.
After a little research, evidently the only way to hear the album was to buy the physical release on vinyl, CD or cassette! That’s right, NO STREAMING PLATFORMS. At this point my intrigue shot through the roof because in our current attention-deficit, streaming world of sometimes convenience over quality — this was a promising and refreshingly different thing to hear. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I for one could benefit from getting off the gluttony of devices and enjoy some newly released music by the intimate limitations of strictly my living room. So I ordered the record and it arrived yesterday. I’ve been playing it all week and am happy to report that it’s a fun ride.
Rather than doing a track-by-track album review — because getting off the computer and hearing it is all that people should do — Uncle T has a quick list of thoughts that came to mind when listening to Mutiny After Midnight.
#1 Wade Garrett!
I’ve come to a crossroads in life where I find myself wandering aimlessly and asking, What Would Wade Do? (WWWD). It’s during these pivotal moments that I summon the spirit of the best cooler in the business. The sandy mulleted, warrior of the wind who looks down on us from heaven while he guzzles Miller Genuine Drafts and shows his silver happy trail to the angels above. WADE GARRETT.
While listening to this album I can’t help but think that Wade Garrett would absolutely CHERISH these songs. This music feels like it was born for black jeans, cigarettes and traveling the dusty highway, looking for the next watering hole to beat up some “bad elements”. Even as a seasoned ‘vet, Wade Garrett could stay up drinking warm beers until sunrise with still enough energy to provide some horny small talk. Additionally the lyrics are textbook Wade. “You look as fine as a hundred ninety-nine tooth comb…Want you to keep me up until the cows come home.”
#2 Little River Band – The Night Owls!
The bygone era of country-tinged, ’70s rock that Johnny Blue Skies conjures up on this album reminds me of this absolute slab of gold from Little River Band. With all due respect to Johnny’s vocal performance in his songs, I sort of wish he dropped some of the country twang in place of a smoother, less buried approach. Just listen to the mystical crooning in “The Night Owls” and tell me it doesn’t make you want to shuffle your snakeskin boots across the nearest dancefloor while wearing a pair of blue pleated trousers.
#3 Wood-paneled Bars, Lounges and Bowling Alleys!
I was recently hanging out in a 1953 “candlepin” bowling alley which is still in operation and by the looks of it, hasn’t changed one iota since 1953. The wood paneled walls, ashtrays, creaky floors, carpeted steps, wooden ball return and NO electronic scoring (paper and pencil only)! The place defined the word charm. These places are sadly dying off but really need to be preserved. I believe this is was the same sort of magic Johnny Blue Skies and the Dark Clouds tapped into with this record. Lounges, cocktail bars and bowling alleys with dark interiors. Moody lighting. Avocado-green tables. Brass railings. A bowl of peanuts. Cash only. The jukebox still works. Leather booths so cozy that you could fall asleep/pass out in.
#4 Honky Tonk House Bands!
Lastly, if I didn’t know and had to guess who made this music, I would say it was one of those honky-tonk house bands from bar scenes in so many movies. Everyone knows what I’m talking about. The bearded singer with the aviators, the guitarist with a moustache bigger than Texas, the shirtless drummer sweating out beer and the black bassist wearing a purple bandana. The dancefloor in front of the stage is always full of smiling people getting down…to everything from boogie-rocking numbers to a tender tune for a slow dance. *Watch the video above!
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES: 1-900-740-DUCK.
Posted on March 18, 2026 1 Comment
The year is 1991. You’re up late and half-asleep, catching sleazy 1-900 commercials in between the 2 a.m. showing of Child’s Play 3. That half-comatose, hazy feeling in the middle of the night on the couch can be a strange time. Your mind drifts in and out while the low volume reverberates and the brightness of the television is the only light in the room. Suddenly in the middle of one steamy commercial after another, a duck wearing a trench-coat and sunglasses emerges alongside the sultry ladies for the hotline 1-900-740-DUCK. Now you’re wide awake. The next few hours are spent tossing and turning as you can’t shake the image of this killer pimp stuffed animal duck.
At least that’s what happened to Uncle T during that fateful night of March, 1991.
Some might argue that “DUCK” is just another word for the other letter of the alphabet that just happens to be the same number on your touchtone phone while dialing the 1-900 number.
Others might allege that these hotline vixens were just huge fans of the movie Howard the Duck, which would have come out five years prior to this commercial. The world will never forget when Lea Thompson’s character has an actual sex scene with an anthropomorphic duck.
As much as I respect those theories, I don’t buy any of it. Something about that 1-900 “DUCK” just rubs me the wrong way. Watch the commercial again and look into his eyes.
What do you disciples think? Is TNUC over-analyzing? Or are you too frightened by a smooth-talking, trench-coat wearing , fuzzy duck who arrives in the dead of the night while you’re half awake and should be nestled softly in bed…
SAX FOR LOVERS.
Posted on February 18, 2026 1 Comment
When it comes to levels of sensuality in music, everyone on the planet knows that no instrument comes remotely close to the saxophone. It’s not even up for debate and this will never change. It’s the undisputed, undefeated champion of throbbing instruments.
So instead of people trying to compete with guitar tricks and fancy synthesizers, they should take a knee and thank the higher powers for the saxophone. Nothing hits like a rip-roaring sax lead or solo within a song. Many align the sound of the instrument to a lion’s roar and others suggest the feeling of a euphoric-climactic moment with a loved one. This goes for all genres and walks of life as we don’t discriminate when it comes to the sax. Jazz, rock, blues, classical, funk, soul, promiscuous sax, unadulterated sax, late night sax, barely legal sax, unprotected sax….it all reigns supreme in the musical landscape.
When I came across the ‘Sax for Lovers’ collections in both cassette and CD format, I obviously purchased them both immediately with no questions asked. I mean, who wouldn’t? Look at that artwork. No…really look.
Now while we just proclaimed that all forms of sax are treated equally, that realistically isn’t the case. I wish I could say that 1994’s “Sax for Lovers” volumes 1 – 3 contained the type of late-night rhythms to enhance even a mundane car ride into the office, but I’m ashamed to report that it just doesn’t deliver. The songs presented here are a collection of saxophone “covers” of sleepy songs from The Bee Gee’s, Peabo Bryson, The Beatles, Albert Morris and others. Talk about a total snooze-fest and also a missed opportunity. Aside from the stunning artwork, “Sax for Lovers” is pretty limp.
What’s surprising is this exact recipe worked so well with The John Tesh Project’s series of three CDs “Sax By The Fire”, “Sax On The Beach” and “Sax All Night” released during the same era, between 1994 to 1997. If you’re looking to fire up the furnace for an erotic evening, stick to these.
That 6-foot-6, big blonde bastard really had a gift for pulling together the best sax performances out of musicians. These albums are all you need!
THE LOVE ROCK.
Posted on February 4, 2026 Leave a Comment
When people ask me where I’d like to settle down in my old age — when all the partying, debauchery, camp counseling, mud wrestling tournament judging, skydiving naked, car crashes and public indecency allegations start to slow down, the easy and obvious answer is the town of Mortville.
Known as the divorcee capital of the world, Mortville is a small but colorful community of horny maidens trying to make a decent living. For a guy like Ben Healy and his adopted, little redheaded, asshole child who was voted most popular orphan at the orphanage two years in a row, Mortville seemed like a perfect place to start over for a father and son. I mean, just look at the above photo of all the women in the neighborhood lined up to welcome Ben to town, with homemade casseroles and pies, acting like they haven’t seen a man in decades.
The Love Rock is Mortville’s crowning historical landmark. The imposing monument dates back to the earliest settlers of the town who stole the rock from the Natives, who at the time claimed the rock had magic powers. Make a wish at The Love Rock and it will come true…
I can’t think about The Love Rock without humming the words to the song which plays during the end credits in Problem Child 2. Of course we’re talking about Rik Emmett’s “Saved By Love”, which was also featured on Rik’s final studio album Absolutely in 1990. Rik is best known as the vocalist, guitarist and founding member of the Canadian band, Triumph.
In the words of Junior Healy, let us all recite back these lyrics in honor of The Love Rock while listening to the song:
Mighty Love Rock,
we come to you today to ask a big favor.
We got two parents and we want them
to fall in love and get married
so I don’t get stuck with that bitch LaWanda.
I hope this isn’t asking too much,
but you’re a magic rock
so you’re probably used to these things.
Please help us.
Since the song isn’t very easy to find via the motion picture soundtrack or Rik’s album, here’s a free download courtesy of Uncle T:
Rik Emmett – Saved By Love
uncletnuc.com 