THE BANANA SPLITS MOVIE
REVIEW PENDING PARTNERSHIP WITH WARNER BROTHERS
CRUISING
I watched this film nearly a week ago and and I continue to ruminate various thoughts regarding it.
Throughout the first act of Cruising, writer/director William Friedkin appeared to be constructing a taut, although pretty standard undercover cop story, and then at about the midway mark he blindsided me with a swift u-turn that went a new direction entirely. I was enjoying the film to a certain extent at first, but when it begins to tread down a very dark path and unloading only slight reveals about the serial killer preying on the underground homosexual club scene in New York City, I was strangely transfixed. It's easy to see why the film was controversial and downright trashed upon its originally release 34 years ago, but I feel all of that was wrongly placed. I think it's fair to assume that most didn't have the patience for it or they wanted Friedkin to neatly tie things up with a nice ribbon and spell the mystery out for them, but he goes for total ambiguity in the third act and ultimately that's what makes Cruising a terrific piece of work that will demand repeat viewings in the future.
It's one of Friedkin's most under-appreciated films, and easily one of Al Pacino's most under-appreciated performances. And that final shot: phew. Great work.
ALICE SWEET ALICE
The most downbeat American interpretation of the giallo possible, Alice Sweet Alice sets and impressive standard for simmering urban-domestic terror. Early in the film, young Karen Spages (Brooke Shields in her feature film debut) is murdered at her first communion, sending her family into their own personal voids of psychosis and destructive behavior. Linda Miller gives an uncontrolled, hysterical performance--befitting a Cassavetes ensemble if not for its camp--as Karen's mother Catherine Spages, and Paula Sheppard (who will go on to appear in Liquid Sky) plays with bent enthusiasm the morbid, mask-wearing Alice, seemingly prime suspect in her younger sister's death.
Director and Paterson-native Alfred Sole paints New Jersey as a desperate freak-show, wracked at the core by destructive Catholic shame and fringed by loathsome eccentrics. Every frame of the film seems ground with dirt, a sickly color scheme smearing primary reds and yellows across rotten earth-tones. While the film is violent (all performance and editing), its true source of horror is in its cataloging of human suffering, as it structures its narrative around not kills (though there are several such set-pieces) but personal hardship and loss. Catherine is not comforted by her family after her daughter's horrible death but agitated, her sister Annie (Jame Lowry) constantly screaming at her, and her ex-husband Dominick (Niles McMaster) inattentive and selfish.
Sole's attention to detail engenders a unique urban, Catholic gothic, with dolls, masks, knives, liturgical ritual and cockroaches as repeating motifs. Simple environmental costume choices are not only iconic but also logical, with Alice's mask and raincoat combination not only horrific but altogether mundane. While the film betrays itself slightly in its third act by becoming too genre and risking overextension, great performances and an affecting, thematically resonant climax forgive this minor error in judgment. Alice Sweet Alice, over 35 years later, is still tough, and singular in its attentions and idiosyncrasies.
TRAPPED ALIVE
Arrow release an '80's slasher film? Even one I've never heard of before? Fucking sold. Goddamn you, Arrow. Truth be told this is a real oddity - it has so much of the '80's tropes we all know, love and expect. Just not necessarily in the right amounts......
It starts exactly as you expect - two girls en route to a party are stopped by a trio of escaped convicts who then decide to wait out the ensuing police hunt in an abandoned mine. Where something just happens to live. And is hungry.
So expectations have this as something like an '80's The Descent meets My Bloody Valentine. Except the 'something living in the mine' elements is woefully undercooked. It's central hook (literally) is a huge set of calipers that descend from the ceiling like a beastly version of the claw in Toy Story to scoop up unsuspecting prey. Which is just plain fucking silly quite frankly.
The fact that what's on the end of it looks like a slightly tired and old Grizzly Adams also doesn't help instil the fear of God in this antagonist. So I suppose we really should be thankful he only gets about 4 minutes of actual screentime then.
The rest of the film is more a bog standard thriller as the convicts bicker, a Sheriff's Deputy joins them at the half way point and there's something a little fishy about the saucy housewife who lives near the mine who gets her kit off the instant her husband falls asleep in the next room.
Its got that wonderful '80's tone to it though so even without the promise of underground beasties being fulfilled, I still got a kick out of this. An odd mix of '80's thriller and high concept genre feast, monster fans will be disappointed, whilst general '80's fans sure as shit won't be.
THE RUNNING MAN
SOME SPOILERS
You know, I'd completely forgotten that Paul Michael Glaser had directed this. Not a cardboard box in sight though.
It's been absolutely years since I'd seen The Running Man, so long in fact that I had actually forgotten as well that Yaphet Kotto is in it. It's not really the right kind of role for Yaphet, in all fairness, all this running around shit just didn't suit him at all. Plus it doesn't seem to suit his bespectacled computer nerd chum either. Who the hell was that guy anyway?
As sidekicks go, Arnie's had stronger and things perk up when Maria Conchita Alonso, long before she started bothering Sean Penn in airports, gets chucked in the game as well. But aside from Arnie, who is as Arnie is in this, this film is all about the villains.
SUBZERO! Looks like a fat version of Oddjob from Goldfinger, but instead of a killer titfer, he's got a razor-tipped hockey stick. Does alright for himself before HE GETS IT IN THE NECK.
BUZZSAW! Complete with motorbike and chainsaw, he has a double-pronged attack to launch on Arnie and his chums. His bike comes a cropper before too long before an ending he NEVER SAW COMING.
DYNAMO! A big unnerving opera-singing bastard, he zaps the fuck out of nerdy fellow and puts Maria under for a bit before Arnie upends his souped-up golf buggy and then lets him go! Pah! A sprinkler system SPARKS HIM OUT later on though!
FIREBALL! It's Jermaine Jackson in a jump suit with a flame-thrower! He doesn't last very long with Arnie though getting blown up good and proper. FLAMIN' HELL!
CAPTAIN FREEDOM! He can't even be arsed to fight him! Booooo! No BODY can believe it!
KILLIAN! There will be no Mutoid Man along to help you out this time, sunshine! He gets blown up at the end. I'LL FRY THAT FOR A DOLLAR!
I'm sorry.
ANDROMEDA STRAIN
I’ve loved The Andromeda Strain since I was a kid. I’d eagerly await it showing up in the TV schedule, and would make a point to re-watch every time. I haven’t seen in probably two decades, so a rewatch was well overdue. I was a bit worried, as other favs from that day have diminished in my older eyes upon rewatch.
I first read Crichton’s book back in my teens, and I immediately became a fan. I loved his highly technical stories, and his style of spanning the tale over a short period, in almost real-time fashion, and delineating by days of the week. I was so fascinated by how well screenwriter Nelson Gidding adapted the book that once I read the book and watched the movie simultaneously. It was amazing. The screenplay is almost a page for page translation.
At its core, The Andromeda Strain is a techno-thriller, but a very special kind … a reasoned techno-thriller. Right off the top it sets up the crisis to be solved, in this case the mysterious death of almost the entire population of the small town of Piedmont. We quickly find out that Piedmont has recently had a new visitor .. one that came from the stars via an equally mysterious US space probe. At this point, the hook is firmly sunk. The audience is immediately invested, and full of questions. Wise further ratchets up the mystery and suspense by calling up a team, one by one, to the further mysterious ‘Wildfire’. In short order, when some of the team are dispatched to Piedmont, we’re handed the clue. While everyone in the town died virtually in their tracks, two have survived. An aging rubby and an infant. We’re now fully invested, and it prepares us what’s to come, like stored energy.
This is where Andromeda Strain takes the turn. This is where it becomes reasoned. Instead of lambasting us with continuing action and adventure, it slows down. It clinically dissects all of the reasoned steps necessary to solve this mystery. The stakes are high enough, as we know this mysterious killer is not yet contained, that tension remains, but, instead of hysterics we’re taken through the laborious steps to solve the puzzle. The forty or so minutes spent on the ‘descent into Wildfire’ would be an anathema to today’s action pictures, but here it works. There is enough dramatic tension built up ahead of time, and it carries this very procedural sequence. I liken it to Dave Bowman’s rescue of Frank Pool in 2001. It’s not fast, there are no ‘wooshes’, it’s real, and real-time. I love this.
When we arrive at the labs, there is enough steady progress made to keep the momentum up. Of course, it’s a thriller after all, there has to be a monkey wrench or two thrown into the works. At the moment the ‘breakthrough’ happens, simultaneously and symmetrically another, this time unwanted, ‘breakthrough’ occurs that sets up the finale. And what a finale it is. ‘The Race’ is one of the best thriller drama sequences I’ve ever experienced. The timing is perfect, the action economic, the beats right on queue. The ‘hazy’ view our last hope character has as he attempts to reach his critically important goal was simple, yet incredibly effective. A perfect crescendo to the arc of the film.
The script and the sets are the star of the show here. Wise, wisely, keeps the cinematography and sound design from getting in the way. Douglas Trumbull’s effects are appropriate and believable for the pictures 1971 setting, with just enough ‘wow’ to keep the audiences of the day enthralled, and enough forethought and taste to not look dated, but rather authentic. I love the mixture of Trumbull’s ‘high tech’ visualizations, and the ‘low tech’ teletypes that were commonplace in the day. I also loved that one of the monkey wrenches was a problem so low tech that high tech minds couldn’t find it. The acting isn’t much above TV drama, but it doesn’t matter. It’s the story. One thing that struck me while watching is that the central conceit is exactly the same as Alien. Just a very different approach.
The Andromeda Strain isn’t without flaws. While some will throw pacing, I don’t agree with that for the reasons I’ve stated in the review. I don’t know enough about biochemistry and the plausibility of life forms based on crystalline structures to comment, but I bought it. Where the real holes are is in the technology itself. The problem lies squarely with Crichton. Surely a computerized analysis system as advanced as proposed could lock onto the desired result when it comes up, rather than depending on humans to watch it’s every test. Likewise, the final core scene, surely there would have been an ‘off’ button for the defences. These are quibbles, though. The audiences of the day probably wouldn’t have given them a second thought. This is 42 years later. I imagine we’re a bit more techno-savvy now.
I’m absolutely amazed how well The Andromeda Strain holds up. It’s as exciting, riveting, thought provoking, original, and enjoyable as I remember from all those years ago.
SCARED STIFF
That was some mighty fine 80s horror damn! Totally enjoyed this one and I'm glad I did a blind buy. This thing just oozes 80s shennanigans out of every pore. Tacky fashion, neon colours, lo fi computer graphics, gnarly FX, overly dramatic and dorky actors, a vaguely guided voodoo/possession plot, big hair, weirdo doofus kid and much more!
The movie might move a little slow for some but I actually loved how they would give you a little bit of wackiness at a time slowly building up to that epic ending. And there's so much 80s charm and unintentional humor in the slower parts that it never feels dull.
There's so many vibrant visuals and mind boggling pieces of dialogue that you get hooked by all the nonsense. Whether it's the 80s hunk David wiling out, the doofus kid being weirdout or the ultra 80s mom singing her little heart out there's always something silly going down. How many times have I said 80s so far yeesh!
And let's talk about that ending...pure fever dream funhouse spectacle of madness. The endless foggy hallways, animated corpses and non stop gooey demon action kept me on the edge of my seat. An onslaught of great practical FX and 80s magic.
I'm so happy that these forgotten gems are being ressurected and given the treatment they deserve. I'll be revisiting this again soon and probably giving it four stars. Giddy up!
BLOODY BIRTHDAY
I thought I had never seen this but then everything seemed ever so slightly familiar and usually that means I did in fact see it before but in a drug and/or alcohol induced haze so if that’s the case then this really counts as a first watch. And I like it!
Kids are just awful, huh? I mean, imagine kids as they are but then also having absolutely no moral compass and basically being like “oh i don’t like you so I’m going to kill you”. If I wasn’t one of those kids I would have never survived childhood and if I was then pretty much all the kids my age would be dead so there you are.
This also has 80’s Scream Queen lite Lori Lethin in the starring role and I really noticed here how incredibly pretty she is. We really don’t talk enough about her contribution to horror so we? It’s also got Billy Jayne who would go on to become Parker Lewis’s sidekick and I always had a crush on him. Anyway, this is just mean spirited enough to be fun and I kinda really dug all the things that are “borrowed” from Friday the 13th which came out a year earlier. It really shows just how much influence that movie had on the whole genre. Good stuff!
INOPERABLE DVD
The premise: Danielle Harris(from the Halloween franchise) is somehow trapped in a time paradox that keeps her from leaving a creepy and hellish hospital – plus....more? It goes REALLY off the rails from there. Christopher Lawrence Chapman sends us through a bloody, gutsy roller coaster ride that ends with a splatter at the bottom of each hill. I for one am OK with it. We hang on, but just barely.
Harris is Amy Barrett, a hospital patient who is awaken by a hurricane. In a seemingly abandoned hospital she is supicious that this is more than it seems. She is ignored by any human that she can locate and then BAM! back to the start. A cop Ryan (Jeff Denton) arrives and another girl Jen (Katie Keene). it is discovered that the storm opened up a portal that allows no one to leave unless they are killed and even then they just start this horrible nightmare over.
Fans of the Twilight Zone looking for a more extreme adventure will be pleasantly surprised with this film. Just release yourself from any preconceived notions that any of these characters ever know what theyre talking about when it comes to science. If you get hung up on that, perhaps I can show you an entry into the portal that allows you to also live in this hospital/hell reality. This is bullshit, sci-fi, horror, torment fun, and thats it. This film DARES you to not get caught up in the details and just enjoy the ride – until the very end when shit gets real.
Billy Wilder made SUNSET BOULEVARD, SOME LIKE IT HOT, SEVEN YEAR ITCH, STALAG 17 and THE APARTMENT is another tremendous piece of work. What cant he do?
I can relate to many of his films because of the cynical outlook on our society, and The Apartment is no different, with the American workplace as the backdrop. CC Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is an office worker at an insurance company. He allows several company execs to use his apartment for their extra marital affairs. This garners him a promotion for the same favor for his boss, Sheldrake(Fred McMurray). However, Sheldrake’s mistress Fran (Shirley Maclaine) quickly becomes the only object in Baxter's mirror.
The revolving door at baxter's apartment begins to raise the ire of his neighbors and he gets sick from standing in the rain while his coworkers canoodle in HIS abode.
One of the joys of the movie was the connections I made between films that came before and after, as a result of the resounding permanence of its themes. Fred MacMurray’s Sheldrake is the kind of amoral womanizing predator one feels his character Walter Neff from Double Indemnity may have become had he lived, scarred and twisted from his experiences with Barbara Stanwyck’s Phyllis Dietrichson. Baxter himself feels like a spiritual forebear of Lemmon’s Shelley Levene in Glengarry Glen Ross, if he allowed the corporate machine to grind him down for another three decades.
Lemmon and Maclaine steal the show with a natural on screen chemistry, that doesnt seem forced in the least. The film was daring in its frankness about infidelities for the time and there is a nihilism to Baxter under his eager-to-please public face that stops him from becoming a potentially less caring character above water.
I prefer the likes DOUBLE INDEMNITY or SUNSET BOULEVARD, but The Apartment is a smart, funny and uplifting film with great performances from an excellent cast.
ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES DVD
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! Tomatoes are attacking a lot of really dumb people, and when they're not making some of the best brain-dead expressions ever printed to celluloid, they are trying to defend themselves against the most dangerous of shade fruit.
Before you even get through the opening credits this film wears its absurdity on its sleeve and theres no second guessing that it will not be taking itself seriously for even ha second. Jokes galore, admittedly many of them arent funny but they will always make me laugh. The best being, probably the secret military meeting that had to be held in a tinyl conference room. Years before the classic Upright Citizens Brigade sketches. Other standouts include a hitman who manages to gun down everyone but his intended target and a female who eats steroids like cereal.
Despite the amazing covert art to this film the tomatoes are nothing more than regular tomatoes, rolling around and making pissed off noises as bystanders scream and run in fear. It is just as hokey as it sounds and I love it!
If you are here for character development or drama, please allow me to show you the door. The characters range from fucking crazy to brain dead. Several padding moments, including song and dance numbers that are ill placed and uneccessary just provide even more B-movie fodder to load into this 90 min cannon of fun.
A beautifully redone package from our friends at MVD round out this great "MVD Rewind Collection" release for 2018! MVD Rewind is a platform that will celebrate “cult classics and more from the video store”, by releasing the B-schlock classic or twi each month. The Blu-ray was released on January 23rd, 2018
This is by no means a competent or pretty film. The story is almost non-existent and things happen at random. Maybe I have incredibly low standards when it comes to comedy(and horror for that matter), but this movie made my day, and that is its purpose.
Punk rock flows through my veins, punk rock used to keep the lights on, punk rock is why I exist, so when the seminal, classic and reclusive doc D.O.A - A Right of Passage showed up on my doorstep, it went right into the Blu Ray player! From the opening chords of "Anarchy in the UK" I was ready to pogo around my apartment, breaking everything in sight.
The destruction is necessary. Teens, punks, mods, freaks, weirdos, they are all part of the genesis of punk and appear on screen, possessed by wild energy, always an unpredictable spectacle.
The highlight of the film takes a nice bit of editing and forethought, as some cranky old British biddies and buddies yammer on about the wastes of spaces they claim that punks are as Johnny Rotten sings the Pistols greatest song LIAR over and over - youre a LIAR!
Capturing an important time in both the history of music and the history of the world (see the Sid and Nancy interview, Sid cant be bothered to stay awake), Lech Kowalski does a great job of juxtaposing conflict, contradiction, energy, spunk and the spirit of anguish of the times. This film illustrates the struggle between generations in a way that makes you feel alive again. Remember being alive?
RUBY BLU-RAY
"Christened in blood. Raised in sin. She's sweet
sixteen, let the party begin."
Ruby is a remarkable stab into the annals of horror
cinema. While it contains many of the same tropes as many horror films of the
time, it stands on its own as an innovative movie. The highlights in this film which I have seen many times
are: Piper Laurie of Carrie fame playing a crazy ass mom...again, a character
wearing a "Death Records" jacket, a score that reminds me a bit of
Goblin's Suspiria and something that I was not expecting was similarities to a
film that I recently reviewed called J.D.'s Revenge. Ruby is about a 1930s-era gangster who is killed by his
fellow gangsters, resurrected in the early 1950s through his mute daughter,
Leslie, as a vessel to get revenge for his death. Ruby the namesake of the film
is actually his pregnant girlfriend, the mother of Leslie. A lot of people always
associated the name Ruby with the girl on the cover, but the girl you're
looking at is actually Leslie, Ruby is played by Piper Laurie.
Ruby is now the owner of a drive-in movie theater, which is
maintained by the killer of her boyfriend. The drive-in makes for an amazing
setting for such a film and provides the ambiance needed for spookiness to
ensue.Not too many horror films like Ruby exist. A bunch of previously detailed ideas and concepts swirl together and work pretty well. It has some obvious Exorcist tendencies but it's also a slasher and an old fashioned ghost story plus so much more. Taking place mostly at a drive-in theatre, it has a fun exploitation feel but it's classed up by the presence of Piper Laurie as the lead. The whole thing walks a fine line between camp and horror. MUST SEE.
ATTACK OF THE KILLER DONUTS DVD
A chemical spill turns donuts into bloodthirsty killers! Stop right there, YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION! Now it's up to Johnny (Justin Ray), Michelle (Kayla Compton) and Howard (Ben Heyman) to save their city and friends from Killer Donuts. Im not looking for a high brow art film, Im not looking for something to change my view of the world, I am looking for something fun to watch, I think it's impossible not to love these kinds of films. This one in particular proves that it’s really a thing of the past; how much money you have to make a film, if you have a good idea, an even better name and filmmakers with some clue what makes us happy, you win! Movies like this keep the hope alive and are why I will give pretty much any film a shot. This is a goddamned gem and keeps me living! (Brandon Harrod)
J.D.'s Revenge Blu Ray
A chemical spill turns donuts into bloodthirsty killers! Stop right there, YOU HAVE MY ATTENTION! Now it's up to Johnny (Justin Ray), Michelle (Kayla Compton) and Howard (Ben Heyman) to save their city and friends from Killer Donuts. Im not looking for a high brow art film, Im not looking for something to change my view of the world, I am looking for something fun to watch, I think it's impossible not to love these kinds of films. This one in particular proves that it’s really a thing of the past; how much money you have to make a film, if you have a good idea, an even better name and filmmakers with some clue what makes us happy, you win! Movies like this keep the hope alive and are why I will give pretty much any film a shot. This is a goddamned gem and keeps me living! (Brandon Harrod)
J.D.'s Revenge Blu Ray
When J.D.’s Revenge showed up in my mailbox I could not
contain my excitement. I live to unearth peculiar b-movie gems especially ones
that astonish with uniqueness and subtle power.
The quality that I admire the most about J.D.'s Revenge is
that it has an incredible lived in the 70’s quality. Like your favorite pair of
corduroys, it is unkempt in all the right ways, presenting characters that are alive
in their own way. It isn't a hipster foray that is trying to be something, it’s
not. The characters aren't the epitome of anything or stereotypes. Ike is a
young law student who finds himself susceptible to demonic possession after
volunteering to undergo hypnosis during a night out with friends. He begins to
experience headaches, flashbacks, hallucinations and blackouts as the influence
of the spirit of J.D. Walker, a vicious 1940's gangster, slowly begins to take
over Ike's conscious life.
This is responsive horror on a certain level. Ike, who is trying
to build a different life for himself through hard work, now finds he is unable
to avoid a life where J.D. takes over. He seemingly can't even remember what
happens when J.D. takes over. There is no digging through a library for news
reports of J.D., no finding a wise man who can tell him what to do because he
doesn't know or understand. Even the doctor he meets with is clueless. The best
advice he receives is: "Maybe meditate. Smoke some weed". Weed does a
lot of things but doesn’t exactly rid your personality of a killer possession.
Just like an illness, Ike has to suffer through it for however long it lasts.
J.D.'s Revenge isn't a movie about finding answers and expressive
characters. It is about possession. Being and not being in control of what you
were given and how to conquer those qualities. It is hard not to see something politically
charged in this film, especially in this day and age. This is not a film about
gaining insight but about losing it, waiting for the tragedy to happen and
dealing with its after effects. This is a shocking and REAL look at race in
America, not race relations, but race itself: what it means to carry cultural
baggage and social expectation. You don’t have to make up your mind on anything,
you just have to experience it.
The Devil’s Whisper follows 15 year-old Alejandro Duran, who comes from a religious Latino family and aspires to one day be a Catholic priest. But when Alex discovers a mysterious box he unwittingly unleashes a demonic spirit bent on possessing him. Alex must find a way to defeat this ancient demon, which has been tormenting children since the dawn of man, before it destroys him and everyone he loves. At first glance, Devil's Whisper is a supernatural horror film about demonic possession but contains a lot of the elements that would allow me to categorize it as a psychological thriller about repressing one’s memories, childhood suffering and the cycle of abuse that children and families go through. Writing this off as just another exorcism movie would be a mistake, it shares a lot of the qualities of such but it is so much more. The portrayal of Catholicism in the film firmly sets into place the feeling of this but it has many other laters that will set this film apart. Devil’s Whisper compiles a lot of feelings and emotions into a film that is more repetitive thank I would like but it does not detract from the overall piece, this is to be expected with most low-budget horror. Propping the film up are some really great visual effects that are quite inspiring for this category of budget horror. Overall I enjoyed the flick simply because it give alternate angles to look at a story that has definitely been played before. Since, we are just coming off of a major pile of horror, exorcism, ghost stories I am in a muck when it comes to these films but this stands out on top of the heap. (Brandon Harrod)
RED CHRISTMAS BLU RAY This was a likeable even if slightly flawed effort. The premise here is simple: arriving for a family holiday, a group in a creepy remote mansion for a get-together find themselves stalked by a homicidal madman intent on punishing them for their beliefs against abortion and must fight to save their Christmas from the deluded psychopath.
One of the better aspects here is the film’s rather strong and enjoyable concept of the holidays where one finds plenty to like. Taking place in Australia instead of out in the countryside has plenty of what I would gather are familiar celebrations to focus on, from the way the food preparations are given to the way the house is decorated which manages to really let the holiday flavor really sink in. That also helps with the later slashing antics and this film features some very creative scenes. The opening ambush on the hospital carrying out the service provides an excellent action-oriented start, the initial opening scene on the house manages to feature some rather decent stalking with the killer moving through the various areas of the house and makes for some tense confrontations out in the backyard or through the kitchen. Once it gets to the killer chopping through the family members this one gets incredibly fast and frantic with plenty of nice scenes featuring the family continually trying to avoid his advances as the brawling throughout the house and outside generates the kind of solid action that makes for an enjoyable, loveable, killer romp here, as well as letting the excessively brutal and graphic kills generate some solid scenes. The film manages to convey everything that it is going for,as well as, leaving all of its beauty marks and flaw on the line. The main disadvantage is the fact that the film has way too many connections to the abortion which grows pretty tiring quickly. The fact that this one ties that into the reasoning and motivation make no sense as the people said to have that condition are far and away completely different from that mindset and wouldn’t have any kind of impetus to go on this rampage and while a little cheesy, I feel that goes against the important message it’s trying to make with that storyline. While trying not to expect too much here, the killer himself is a joke with his hobbled and bent-over appearance not in the slightest invoking any kind of fear due to the fragile nature of his physical form, and that large number gathered together with weapons would have no problem ganging up to overpower and subdue him, especially in his physical state which doesn’t in the slightest look capable of inflicting that type of intense trauma on people. The last issue is the rather awkward finale that goes on way too long and seems like it lasts too long to get it up to a respectable length, rather than flowing naturally. These here are all that really hold it back. I'm not one to nit pick a great slasher to death but those elements take me out of it a little. I enjoyed this and will probably watch again as the Christmas holiday rolls around, just because I am a sick weirdo like that! (Brandon Harrod)
ALL THE SINS OF SODOM/VIBRATIONS BLU RAY
ATSOS: I was worried this was going to be another T&A movie disguised as a high-brow Art Movie. Although there is a seemingly weak story in the midst of the sexiness, this is more than a wild display of beautiful women posing without much in te way of clothing. Other reviewers and those with big mouths alike fail to mention the respite from fake movie actresses that these types of films provide. I appreciate the quality of the 4K transfer but there are a few detractions in the way of low quality in the digital copy in some places. Overall a great watch and I enjoyed although this is not the type of film I usually align myself with. (Brandon Harrod)
VIBRATIONS: Before watching this double feature I was not familiar Sarno, this would have to be my favorite of the two because it is just so distinctive. I had heard Sarno’s work referred to as sex noir, but did not get that from All The Sins of Sodom, this being the director’s best work(that I have seen mentioned in various sources). The films are set apart by their powerful use of black and white videography and a weirdo central character. Sarno also seems to lean on the central character to strain our sense of morality challenged by just who or what is good and bad, and you know, a little sexiness. I found this to be super graphic considering the censorship of the time. OOOh glorious 60s men with hairy backs! The plot here is 2 sisters; the bitchy one and the sweet one want to repeat the sexual games of their childhood, the sweet one is an aspiring poet. Meanwhile, next door a couple of buxom blondes go to town on an exploratory couple and a 50 year old vibrator. I am assuming Sarno got around all this bawdiness by weaving in exterior shots of the older folks walking around in New York. Providing a dismal and soaking wet view of New York City, which really only make us eager to get back to the sex. That really is objective numero uno for sexploitation, right?! (Brandon Harrod)
BLOODFEAST DVD REVIEW
A love letter to the horror genre written in blood well
before Charles Manson or even the JFK assassination made such messages
redundant. The inconspicuous story is as follows: a fiery cocktail of gore and
dismemberment that masquerades as good clean fun. I love the cheap, antiquated scenes
that are set in this film, and the way it mixes with the dollar store/dime bag blood is such a textbook time capsule
capturing a moment in horror that needs to be perfectly written on the wall. The
fact that this movie unintentionally hatched an entire cinematic-cultural
movement that now spans generations is almost unbelievable, given how puerile it
is – but we don’t bite the hand that feeds especially in low budget, cut rate
horror. Very rarely do you not only get to see a movie that started a genre,
but find it exceed your expectations. Piling on my love of the Italian
godfathers of gore and my research into them, it was only a matter of time
before I traipsed across this gem from the American godfather of gore. Mind
blown. (Brandon Harrod)
It used to be only once in a blue moon that movies would blow me away as much as DON’T TORTURE A DUCKLING did. This film is crazy gory and ghastly much like films by other Italian horror masters, being prepared for it as I have come off of just recently viewing Beyond The Darkness I am surprised that I was affected so much by the film. Another stunning and well-constructed Giallo that works on every level. Much like the previously viewed Suspicious Death of a Minor this is not your typical Giallo, it would be more closely compared to The House With The Laughing Windows. The film is a whimsical tale that develops and matures organically. Yes there are some twists and a small amount of expected Giallo tropes, but they aren't as expected as you would come to think. Every character plays a very significant role in the murders that act as the catalyst for the story. Your first mistake would be to believe everything you see and take it for the truth.
The film is exquisitely twisted and keeps the viewer involved from start to finish. The film deals with politics, narrow-minded ignorance and religious paranoia. Fulci may be known as the splatter king and I applaud him and allow him to wear his medals with honor, but none of his stories can hold a candle to Don't Torture A Duckling. I had no expectations goin into this film and that is usually a recipe for a satisfying experience. (Brandon Harrod)
THE SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A MINOR DVD REVIEW
The
Suspicious Death of a Minor is a fanciful Sergio Martino directed Giallo that proves
to be a different kind of film from all of the other conventional Giallo, in
that it's more of a crime/drama thriller following an astute police detective (Claudio
Cassinelli) who is investigating the murder of a frizzy haired juvenile prostitute
who leads him and his partner to a human trafficking ring that accommodates to affluent
officials, with several people getting killed along the way. The film goes
through a numbing amount of innumerable scenarios with its plot and storyline
without fear of leaving us behind in the dust and elucidates that both the
detective and his partner are no better than the criminals that they are tailing,
making the viewer completely unaware upon where the film is going or how it'll
end. The fact that it very rarely glimpses upon the Giallo subgenre that it is
placed neatly within is not in the least bit unwelcome. The film includes
appearances by Barbara Magnolfi of SUSPIRIA fame and Mel Ferrer from EATEN
ALIVE. 3 ½ Stars (Brandon Harrod)
Being that, Joe D'Amato is one of my favorite Italian Filmakers,
BEYOND DARKNESS was a welcome sight in my mailbox one dark and dreary day. I
always appreciated his touch on horror films. A few of them were so abhorrent
and bawdy they became very highly sought after during the VHS trading explosion
of the 90s.
Beyond The Darkness is the
story of Frank. Frank is a taxidermist who's wife has just died from a serious
yet cryptic illness. The illness turns out to be a voodoo curse put upon her by
a creepy housekeeper, who Frank is boning. Frank still love his dead wife, so
much he digs her up so he can stuff her, he is a taxidermist, after all. We aren’t
dealing with Sesame Street here. He also wants to have sex with tons of women
and killing them is the obvious next step. Luckily Iris (his houskeeper) has no
problem helping him.
Intense, vivid murders,
torture, sex, skin eating, disembowling, this one has it all. Throw in a score
from Goblin and you have a film that would turn Lucio Fulci on his side.This
one is despicable to say the least and not for everyone. Severin Films has put
this out for the first time fully uncut and uncensored on Blu-ray and layered
it with special features
Highly reco for Horror and gore
fans. (Brandon Harrod)
BAG BOY LOVER REVIEW
Bag Boy Lover places itself in my lap as a punctured Valentine with a bloody, still beating heart inside to the grungy, dust laden New York City of the 1970s, and the films that emerged from it. An outsider relishes in his deepest, darkest desires through chance meetngs with a photographer who hires him for a position that he was born to play. This fresh out of prep school boy becomes a paintbrush that splatters the town with a trail of confrontational art and neurotic tendencies. Andres Torres directed a film that is properly foul in its portrayal of a disdainful creature in a city full of people unable to connect to much more than their phones. While this film hits a little to closely to home with some scenes it is also darkly funny in its take on how those who pursue their 'art' most passionately discover their place in the world. (Brandon Harrod)
Female Fight Squad, to start, is a fantastic throwback to the Straight To Video Martial Arts films of the 90's that flooded the mom and pop video store shelves where Cynthia Rothrock essentially had her own space carved out for her.
Female stars Amy Johnston as a former mma fighter named Rebecca, who after making some bad choices, is turning her life around studying to become a veterinarian assistant. We learn that her father, played by Dolph Lundgren took the rap for a murder she committed and is now imprisoned for it. Things are going great for Rebecca untill her friend becomes involved with a shady underground fight promoter who has her put in the hospital for a debt she is him. With that Rebecca is drawn back into the world she left behind to save her friend.
A familiar plot, which is fine, is brought to life thanks to Johnston who is amazing in this roll. Her martial arts skills are absolutely amazing, and her good looks and acting take it to another level. Sure we have seen mma women in films but none with the complete of a package.
Dolph Lundgren has a few great fight scenes as well proving he still has what it takes. In fact the entire supporting cast does a great job. Fans of MMA and action in general should head out and pick this up. It's action packed fun from beginning till end
WARLOCK COLLECTION BLU-RAY
Lionsgate continues to knock it out of the park with there Vestron Video Series, and the new title may be the best release yet. Warlock the complete 3 movie set has now been released on Blu-ray and it's loaded with special features.
For those of you unfamiliar with the Warlock trilogy let me give you a breif synopsis of the films.
Warlock stars Julian Sands who gives a fantastic performance as The Warlock. He's trust into modern times by Satan from the sixteen hundreds to assemble the Gran Grimoire. It's a book that when assembled will reveal God's true name. When that name is spoken the world will end.
Luckily enough a Witch Hunter who followed the warlock in the past has jumped through Satan's time portal and is here to stop that from happening.
The film is considered a cult classic for a reason. Fun, creepy, and over the top. A must watch for any horror fan and a well rented titled back in the video store days.
Warlock II The Armageddon again stars Julian Sands as the warlock, this time battling Druids. He this time is reborn durring an eclipse. In what can only be described as different a grown woman gives birth to him, he fully grows to adulthood then simply murders her. The woman in question has one of the sacred Moonstones. He now must find the other five so he can summon Satan to earth.
This time a decendent of a Druid Warrior is on the case and he and his girlfriend do battle with the warlock to stop this from happening.
Played over the top by Julian Sands this is a a very well done sequel which also was quite a hit durring the video rental boom.
Warlock III The End of Innocence this time stars Bruce Payne as the Warlock. This is more of a cut and dry slasher with satanic overtones. This time the warlock is stalking a group of young people in an old house. He wants the main girl, Kris, as she is the "Child of the Caul" and has with blood in her. Through her he can begin fathering a race of satanic demons.
Though not as fun as the previous entry, primarily because of the loss of Julian Sands as the title character this is an acceptable entry into the slasher genra.
As I said this set is part of the Vestron Collection so aside from. Watching these on a spectacular transfer you get a lot of special features for each film. They are as follows
WARLOCK:
NEW Audio Commentary with Director Steve Miner
NEW Isolated Score Selections/Audio Interview with Author Jeff Bond
NEW Interviews
"Satan's Son" with Actor Julian Sands
"The Devil's Work" with Director Steve Miner
"Effects of Evil" with Make-up Effects Creators Carl Fullerton and Neal Martz
Behind-the-Scenes Footage
Vintage Interview Segments with Cast and Crew
Vintage Featurette with Make-Up Effects Creators Carl Fullerton and Neal Martz
Vintage Featurette with Visual Effects Supervisors Patrick Read Johnson and Robert Habros, Animation Supervisor Mauro Maressa, and Matte Artist Robert Scifo
Theatrical Trailer
Video Trailer
TV Spots
Still Gallery
WARLOCK II
NEW Audio Commentary with Director Anthony Hickox
Vintage Making-of Featurette Behind-the-Scenes Footage
Extended Vintage Interview Segments with Actor Julian Sands, Director Anthony Hickox, and Actress Paula Marshall
Theatrical Trailer
TV Spots
Still Gallery
WARLOCK III
Behind-the-Scenes Footage
Vintage Interview Segments with Cast and Crew
Trailer
Video Sales Promo
Still Gallery
A must own set for horror fans.
Before I get into the review I want everyone to know that the Stendhal Syndrome is actually a real thing, in fact here is what Wikipedia has to say on the matter
"Stendhal syndrome, Stendhal's syndrome, hyperkulturemia, or Florence syndrome is a psychosomatic disorder that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to an experience of great personal significance, particularly viewing art."
Turns out famous Giallo Director Dario Agento actually experienced this when he was a child While touring Athens with his parents young Dario was climbing the steps of the Parthenon when he was overcome by a trance that caused him to become lost from his parents. Years later he read La Sindrome di Stendha which became the basis for this film
It stars Dario's daughter Asia Argento who plays a detective chasing a serial killer. She follows him into an art museum and is stricken with stendhal syndrome and the killer is able to evade her.
Unfortunately for her he also learns of her condition and triggers her Stendhal Syndrome so he can kindnap, rape, and torture her. She escapes but is soon kidnapped again. This second time however she manages to shoot the killer and escape.
Believing him to be dead she resumes her normal life and even falls in love. However people close to her begin getting murdered, which leads to on fantastic twist of an ending you want see coming.
This is considered one of Dario's best films and for good reason. Fantastic acting by the entire cast, and a great menacing tone he'll to captivate the viewers. Throw in a fantastic moody score and you have a great film. And now it is finally getting the treatment it deserves from Blue Underground on a 3 disc limited edition release.
This is a must own for fans of cinema. It's captivating from beginning to end. I highly recommend
VIOLENT SHIT COLLECTION DVD REVIEW
Back in the late 80's and early 90's censorship in horror films was becoming quite an issue. In fact many people out there, myself included would often search out the import Japanese laserdiscs so we could see the gore fx that were cut out in our American VHS Releases.
Now it wasn't just American that had these issues but Germany did as well. But luckily they had a horror director there named Andreas Schnass who created Violent Shit. A hybrid shaser gore feast about Karl The Butcher. Soaked in cheap, but effective over the top blood and violence the film became an underground sensation to millions of horror and gore fans out there. It was so poular that he created 3 of them.
The first, Violent Shit, introduces us to escaped killer Karl The Butcher who has weird demon like flashbacks. He goes around killing people with a meat cleaver. He's a bit messed up on account of dismembering his mom with a meat cleaver.
In part 2, Violent Shit II: Mother Hold My Hand we meet an old woman and her son Karl Jr. Yes he's the son of the original killer from part one. His mom has been raising him to carry on his father's legacy so he basically just goes around murdering people, which makes his mom extra happy in lots of wrong ways.
Then we have part 3, Violent Shit III: Infantry of Doom. This one centers on a group of guys who wash up on a island that is ran by Karl Jr and Karl Sr. Turns out he's not dead. They have a zombie like army of followers and kill everyone who comes on there island.
Then let's not forget Violent Shit IV Karl vs Axe, as Karl Jr comes back from the Dead to battle a new serial killer who roams the now desolate wastelands of the future named Axe
It's true, these make little to no sense but they are lathered in blood and gore which is what the target audience was searching for. Now the folks at Synapse have unless this series to us on DVD in a big box of shit.
They even included bonus features and even a bonus movie
Bonus Feature: ZOMBIE ’90: EXTREME PESTILENCE
Shot for a reported $2,000 between the filming of VIOLENT SHIT 1 and 2, ZOMBIE ’90: EXTREME PESTILENCE follows two bumbling doctors as they investigate a zombie outbreak. After a military plane crash releases strange chemicals into the German countryside, the dead rise to attack the living! Can they be stopped? Transferred from an original PAL 1” master provided by cinematographer Steve Aquilina.
You can't pass this must buy set up. Add it to your collection today
Even though I am a huge film collector I must confess that Nurse Sherry escaped me all these years. Not that that's a bad thing it nearly meant I had something new to watch last night.
Nurse Sherry is the story of a nurse named Sherry who becomes possessed. See the film opens durring a cult ceremony where the head cult guy sacrifices himself. Don't worry it's part of the plan as the resident cult necromancer is there to bring him back to life to finish the ritual. Things unfortunately turn south as the Necromancer has a heart attack mid spell.
He's rushed to the hospital but the Dr's are unable to save him and he passes away. It's not all bad as he's able to come back as an angry spirit and possess one of the nurses there, Nurse Sherry. It's through her he has he go and start killing the hospital staff that let him expire. Lucky though one of that patients there realizes Sherry is possessed and uses his knowledge of evil spirits and voodo charms to save her.
This film is loaded with corny dialogue and a suprising amount of sexual screens. In fact I never realized how much sex goes on in a hospital. Is the movie good? Yes, in a good dumb fun way. It been released by our freinds at Vinegar Syndrome and they have done a great job on the transfer. They also loaded it up with special features.
• Region free Blu-ray/DVD combo pack
• Newly scanned and restored in 2k from 35mm original negative
• Commentary track with Producer Sam Sherman
• “Nurses’ Confessions” – featurette with co-stars Jill Jacobson and Marliyn Joi
• Alternate feature length ‘exploitation’ version (dvd only)
• “Then and Now” – locations featurette
• Promotional still gallery
• Original trailers
• Reversible cover artwork
• English SDH Subtitles
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