For a 70's B-movie, it doesn't get much better than this. The gorgeous Candy Rialson (probably my favorite B-movie starlet), stars as Candy, a fresh face in Hollywood that wants to be a starlet. She soon runs into an agent (Dick Miller) who helps her get her first job after she proves herself as a stunt woman by unwittingly driving a getaway car in a real-life bank robbery. Her first Hollywood job involves working on a movie for Miracle Studios where she has to be scantily clad and fire a big gun. Also on this set are Paul Bartel as the director, Mary Woronov as the spoiled star, and Tara Strohmeier as a co-star. I almost forgot, there is also a killer on the set knocking off the starlets. Fans of Roger Corman will absolutely love this as there are references to many of his films, scenes from "The Terror" and the phallic monsters from "Battle Beyond The Sun", and the cars from "Death Race 2000" are featured in the climax. This is by far my top pick for this update and I am going out buy it again on the recently released special edition DVD featuring commentary by directors Joe Dante and Allan Arkush. Dante went on to direct "The Howling" and "Gremlins" and Arkush went on to make "Rock & Roll High School". One of the co-stars, Jonathan Kaplan, also became a director and went on to make "The Accused" and "Brokedown Palace". I wonder what ever happened to Candy Rialson...
This is the best low budget horror anthology that I have seen in a very long time. In fact, I think this is the most entertaining low budget anthology that I think I have ever seen. The wraparound story's premise involves conversation between an executioner (Gunnar 'Leatherface' Hansen) and an inmate facing the chair within hours (Debbie Rochon). The inmate, Tara, tells the executioner that she has written stories as the prison walls "talk" to her. The first story has Susan Smith tones as we are introduced to a woman who has murdered her children by drowning them in a lake. Similarities to the "Something To Tide You Over" story in "Creepshow" are obvious as Susan's fate draws closer. Even though we can see these similarities, the story still manages to stay interesting and creepy. The next story is a totally original tale of a trailer park abusive relationship that results in the battered wife visiting a local witch to try and put an end to the beatings. Again, this mixed elements of black comedy and the supernatural to result in another very entertaining tale. The last story involves a biker gang and an annual ritual involving a dead biker babe named Big Rhonda. I think I liked this story the best and the inclusion of J.J. North playing the title character certainly did not hurt. I do not know what has happened to J.J. as this appears to be her most recent role to date. She has made a number of movies including "Attack Of The 60 Foot Centerfold" and "Vampire Vixens From Venus" but seems to have just dropped out of the film industry. Anyways, director Paul Talbot has delivered another fine horror anthology and a vast improvement from his previous work. I look forward to his next film. "Hellblock 13" has been re-released by Troma..
This was an amazing Hong Kong action movie that takes place in Tokyo and has more action than I have seen in any recent movie! Tony Leung ("Hard Boiled") stars as Lin who knows kung fu and has some James-Bond style gadgets such as glue bombs. He meets up with Yung (Ekin Cheng) who also knows kung fu and is trying to protect a woman named Macy (Kelly Chen) who is looking for her fiancée Takahashi (Toru Nakamura). We are also introduced to Lin's gang which is comprised of attractive females namely Cecilia Cheung and Kumiko Endo. There is also a jittery, yet cool, mobster type named Ito who is cleverly played by Kan Abe. Enough about the cast though, the action and fighting in this film is phenomenal and I have not been this blown away by action scenes since I first saw Jet Li in "The New Legend Of Shaolin" or Chow Yun Fat in "Hard Boiled". There are many amazing kung fu fights as well as a motorized skateboard chase, a battle on a moving trailer loaded with cars, and a speedboat chase thorough the Tokyo waterways. I cannot rave enough about the action, characters, and the fact that this film manages to weave a decent and clear plot through all of the eye candy. Check this one out at all costs. Directed by Jingle Ma who has a history of directing Jackie Chan flicks and was behind such classics as Chan's "Drunken Master II" and Jet Li's "Fong Sai Yuk".
I figured this would be a decent little horror flick when I spotted it in a smalltown flea market and it was decent. The acting was bad, the dialogue was weak, but man, the spiders were cool. William Shatner (the only one crazy enough to take the lead in this) stars as Rack, an animal doctor in a small town in Arizona who is investigating the death of a local calf. It turns out that the calf was bitten by spiders and they are now threatening the town. That is about it for plot but we all know that this is all just a setup to creep out the viewer with scenes of spider mayhem. The little guys come out of chimneys, air ducts, and doorways and will attack you no matter where you think you are safe. I must commend the actors in this one because it is obvious that they used real tarantulas throughout the movie and this realism sure adds to the creepiness. There are big-ass tarantulas crawling all over everyone even going to far as to cocoon some of the actors. All I can say is that I would have been mighty pissed if I has been an extra on this one. Co-stars include Woody Strode ("Spartacus") and Hoke Howell. This was directed by John 'Bud' Cardos from "Satan's Sadists". This is a perfect movie if you are looking for some great 'bad movie' laughs mixed in with some creepy spider action. I love how Shatner gets paged in the middle of the desert near the beginning of this film and it is great seeing him play the smalltown, down home, playboy part that he has been given. The flirtation scene with the visiting scientist is classic.
I have heard a lot about this one and it kicked ass! This is a super stylish, action packed, and bloody movie that involves a group of bank robbers, a heist, and a cop intent on taking them down. The leader of the gang is Dobermann (Vincent Cassel from "Hate") and his gang includes a group with very distinct personalities. There is Dobermann's sexy mute girlfriend, there is a trigger happy lunatic, a big guy named Pitbull who loves his dog, a killer priest, a perverted cousin, and a transvestite. The cop that is after them is very sadistic and will stop at nothing including murder and baby abuse to find Dobermann and his gang. The pace of this film is very fast with some very cool set pieces, dialogue, and no holds barred cinematography. Although the plot is not the most original, the film is a total blast to watch and a must see if you are a fan of action movies. Believe me, you will not be disappointed. Seek this one out!
This was the first of Stuart Gordon's sci-fi movies after his trio of horror films which were "Re-Animator", "From Beyond", and "Dolls". Gordon moves from being a decent low budget horror director to a decent low budget sci-fi director with the help of his usual producer Charles Band. This was decent for a film about giant robots that do battle on huge fields with men inside them manning the controls. Think of that contraption that Sigourney Weaver gets into at the end of "Aliens" and cross it with Transformers and Imperial Walkers. The story was nothing too original with our hero being the champion robot jock but wanting to stop competing after an accident that left 300 people dead. He quits and is brought back into things when he discovers that his replacement is going to be this girl that he likes. There is also the issue of the not-all-there rival and of course there is a spy floating around who is giving weapons secrets to the enemy. Decent for a rainy day but don't expect too much. The model work is quite good and I was also very happy because there is not an obscene amount of CGI. Look for "Re-Animator" actors Robert Sampson and Jeffrey Combs in supporting roles.
Finally, a horror movie that makes it ok to go the the movies again. After the steady onslaught of horror crap that has invaded theatres ever since "Scream" came out, "The Forsaken" makes it safe to go to a horror movie again even if the cast consists of hip young stars. In this case, although the stars are popular up and comers (Kerr Smith from "Dawson's Creek", Brendan Fehr from "Roswell", and Izabella Miko from "Coyote Ugly"), they still can act and are more than just pretty faces. In addition, the director of this film, J.S. Cardone, comes from a background with movies ranging from B-movies ("Shadowzone") to clever thrillers ("Outside Ozona"). The problem in recent years is that instead of putting talented actors in a movie with a director who is trying to actually make a horror movie, the studios are putting actors looks only in movies who are created in a boardroom for the sole purpose of cashing in. I found that J.S. Cardone has managed to make a great vampire movie without compromising too much (other than a few silly one-liners that do not detract from the overall mood). Kerr Smith stars as Sean, a young studio (um, Troma) employee who is set to drive a car from L.A. to Florida to attend his sister's wedding. Along the way, he runs into a drifter named Nick (Brendan Fehr) and a girl named Megan (Izabella Miko). The trio soon cross paths with a group of vampires headed by Kit (Johnathon Schaech from "The Doom Generation") and a chase ensues across some incredible landscapes culminating in a creepy roadside attraction owned by a woman and her dog named Buster. This movie had one of the creepiest opening minutes in recent memory as well as some very gory bits and great characters. I especially liked the character of Nick and think than Brendan Fehr is headed for great things if he keeps on the same path (as could Kerr Smith). Although this is not the greatest movie ever made, it certainly begins the CPR on the dying genre that consists mainly of bad remakes ("Dracula 2000") or bad sequels to already bad movies ("Scream", "Urban Legend", etc.) Also, although there will be the inevitable comparisons to "Near Dark" at least that is something better that today's movies can start aspiring to be.
The days of b-movies like this one seem to be over unfortunately but here is a classic from when the genre was in full swing. Linnea Quigley and Ginger Lynn Allen return as a couple of rookie vice cops who continue with their shenanigans as does Jayne Hamil as Miss Devonshire. This time the girls are trying to stop a wannabe super villain named Spanish Fly who issues a ransom demand and threatens to taint the water supply of America with spanish fly if her demands are not met. It may not sound like a bad idea but when you see what it does to Miss Devonshire and think of the realities of the situation, you too would want this plan to be foiled. Anyways, our heroes Linnea and Ginger are out to apprehend Miss Fly by going undercover at her lair (a strip bar) while also having to deal with a conceited fellow cop and a "Bimbo Cop" played by Teagan from Fred Olen Ray's "Alienator". This is just a good old fashioned fun b-movie that fans of this genre will appreciate. No heavy plot lines here, just some silly jokes and some lead actresses that are not hard on the eyes and who can make the world not seem like such a bad place for 90 minutes. I love these movies! Director Sloane has now made parts one through six of the series but Linnea did not return and Ginger left after part three. I believe Jayne Hamil and Jay Richardson are in all of the sequels. Check this one out for a good memory of the heyday of these silly and innocently entertaining flicks!
This one had me hooked from the first minute. An intense and terrifying look at a home invasion and how a daughter must try and survive and avoid capture by a trio of thugs who break into her home and torture her mother, father, and brother. Stephanie Jones stars as Lori Beth, the older sister of the family who awakens in the middle of the night to discover some intruders in her house. Things turn worse when the intruders capture and tie up her family and Lori Beth must try and protect her younger sister while trying to find a way out and save the rest of her family. This has the intensity of some of the better exploitation films of the 70's as well as the horrific aspects of what could happen that most recent films tend to shy away from. This is a movie that succeeds in retaining these horrific aspects without relying on graphic violence and instead successfully leaving the most brutal imagery to the imagination. The fact that the brutal events do exist in this movie also results in an uneasy tone as we are shown early on that the filmmakers were not afraid to do certain things. This in itself builds suspense because this is a film in which anything can happen. No cheesy one liners and no unreal heroics in this one. Just how one girl would react in a truly frightening situation and an awful, yet realistic, lead villain played by Muse Watson that really ups the ante for independent horror films. Don't pass this one by if you liked films like "Last House On The Left" or "In Cold Blood". A truly excellent thriller so please don't let the cover fool you and check this one out.
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