Using Joe Pantoliano's words from this film, this movie was totally fresh. Fresh meaning that it was original, exciting, and a joy to watch as I truly did have no idea what would happen next. So much in fact that I do not really want to give away any of the plot other than that the main characters, Max and Tiger, are struggling screenwriters who decide that it would be a great idea to follow a real live serial killer around (with the killer's permission) and then make his life story into a movie. I completely loved this movie and highly recommend it to everyone who is as sick as I am of all the boring and contrived "formula" output that Hollywood has become over the last decade. The amazing cast contains Arye Gross ("Soul Man") as Max, Tom Wood ("Ulee's Gold") as Tiger, Joe Pantoliano ("Bound") as a movie producer, Ron Perlman ("City Of Lost Children") as a landlord, Kristy Swanson ("Buffy The Vampire Slayer") as a movie director, and the late David Dukes ("Dawson's Creek") in one of the best roles I have seen in recent years. The great thing about this movie is that it takes ideas that have been good in other movies and revamps them so that they are done totally right while also throwing in so much originality that you truly never know what to expect. I look forward to writer/director Tony Spiridakis' next film.
Totally insane rock and roll zombie movie featuring Japanese punk rock band Guitar Wolf as a trio of zombie slayers looking out for their friend Ace. This was a hell of a lot of fun with a number of performances from Guitar Wolf (complete with flaming microphones) and a number of exploding zombie heads. There is also an evil club owner man with bad hair who runs around in hot pants and some renegade zombie slayer babe wearing a really tacky jumpsuit (except for her shower scene where she pull a gun from out of nowhere to blast some zombies). We also have the obligatory annoying tagalong and his annoying girlfriend as well the hilarious sudden appearances of the singer of Guitar Wolf whenever Ace needs advice or is losing his faith. I thought this movie rocked and had lots of cartoon gore to satisfy gore hounds, lots of zombies, and lots of punk rock to make this an awesome experience with a couple of beers and some pizza. My favorite scene was the montage of Ace wasting zombies intercut with his love interest walking along the street with the totally amazing song playing overtop. You will know it when you see it. Director Tetsuro Takeuchi does not have any plans to make another film as of now but I sure hope he does because we are sadly lacking good, fun movies like this one.
Dee Snider's Strangeland (1998)
The former singer of Twisted Sister has decided to make a new horror icon for today's stale genre. Although I agree with the fact that there are no more real horror icons, I don't think that Captain Howdy is quite on par with Jason or Michael Myers. What I will say about Captain Howdy is that I think that Dee is on to something and it would be nice if we did have a new icon that invaded out nightmares and gave this genre a much needed kick in the ass. On the DVD version of the film, Dee is saying that there are going to be many more films involving this character and I say that if they are done properly, Dee may be able to succeed in his vision that I say could be promising. On the other hand, I think that one thing that has destroyed many of out past horror icons is overexposure and not enough care being taken to move the genre forward. The character of Captain Howdy is scary and has a scary premise and I think that the mind that came up with him could come up with something just as good if not better the next time around. Anyways, the premise of "Strangeland" is that there is this sadistic body pierced and tattooed 'modern primitive' named Captain Howdy (after Regan's ouija buddy) who likes to go into internet chat rooms and lure young victims to his house where he can proceed to torture them. When cop Mike Gage's daughter is taken by our pierced pal, Mike takes it upon himself to save his daughter. This happens pretty quick and Howdy is put away and declared insane. Four years later, he is released but thanks to a gang of local rednecks, he is soon up to his old hobbies and once again policeman Gage is out to put a stop to Captain Howdy. Like I said, this had a good story with some very disturbing scenes, some heavy tunes, and decent acting. I think it could have been more and am looking forward to seeing if I am right but for now, "Strangeland" is worth checking out. Stars include Kevin Gage ("Heat") as Mike Gage, Elizabeth Pena ("La Bamba") as his wife, Brett Harrelson (Woody's brother) as his partner, Amy Smart ("Road Trip") in a small part as a family friend, Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) as the redneck leader, and Dee Snider himself as Captain Howdy. The concept was based on a couple of songs from the "Stay Hungry" album by Twisted Sister.
This is a very very depressing tale about a bunch of interconnected people in Los Angeles in 1977. The stories revolve around a character names Carroll Barber (Keith Carradine), a songwriter who is brought back to L.A. because his songs are being recorded by a famous musician named Eric Wood (Richard Baskin). When Carroll arrives, he is shown his new house by a realtor (Sally Kellerman) who is in an unhappy marriage with an interior designer (John Considine). Carroll then goes on to catch up with his millionaire father (Denver Pyle), his woman (Lauren Hutton), and his assistant (Harvey Keitel). Keitel's character is married to a depressed and somewhat odd woman named Karen (Geraldine Chaplin) who rides around L.A. in taxis cataloging the streets and cabs that she has ridden in. We also meet up with Carroll's agent (Viveca Lindfors) and his housekeeper (Sissy Spacek) who likes to walk around and vacuum topless. Through all these people we are shown various addictions, failed marriages, false smiles, loveless relationships, adultery, prostitution, and basically the fact that beneath all the glamour and attained dreams, there is just depression and emptiness. I must say that I did not feel very great after sitting through this but it was well acted, well written, and generally well done. This was produced by Robert Altman and directed by Alan Rudolph. It was weird to see Uncle Jesse from "The Dukes Of Hazzard" as a rich guy in a suit. You may remember Viveca Lindfors as Aunt Bedelia from "Creepshow". Also, I hated the music but don't let that distract you from the film.
I really want to be nice but there is not excuse. Tobe Hooper has come a long way from the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and it has been a steady downhill slide. If this was just some first time director making a silly little horror movie, I would probably say that I dug the movie for what it was but this is not a first time director. This is a horror legend who has clearly decided that he does not give a damn anymore. The plot (yeah yeah) involves a group of dumb kids, a houseboat, and a giant crocodile. Now this may have been scary if it wasn't for the computer geek and the fucking public who decided that fucking lame-ass CGI shit effects were acceptable and that crocodiles can fly through the air. This stupid shit just ruins these movies for me and I am getting tired of being let down like this time and time again. Frankly, I am really REALLY pissed off right now because there are a whole bunch of new creature movies out including "Python" and "Octopus" that I really want to see but I know that they are all going to have these awful CG-graphics that just fuck up the whole experience for us all. I mean what was wrong with the KNB animatronic model. Why, Tobe, why did you have to use CG??? WHY???? To all those who wonder why this genre is dying, take a good look at these stupid graphics and realize that they are NOT scary, they are just laughable and are making a mockery of the horror genre. Please go back to making character and plot driven horror pictures that have a little bit of suspense. And the freakin' public is just as guilty with half the people who have lost their imaginations due to crap like "Crocodile" who are going around saying that the "Blair Witch Project" was NOT scary. What is wrong with you people?? Anyways, on a final note, fuck this new shit, I'll take Lewis Teague's "Alligator" any day!!!!!
This was an entertaining little direct to video action film involving a hijacked airplane. I know we have seen this all before in films like the "Airport" series and in "Passenger 57" and the like but I still enjoyed this one. Maybe it is just that I have a thing for disaster movies. James Russo ("Donnie Brasco") stars as Nick Halton, a jaded cop who has been obsessed with catching bad guy Jeremy Barrett for years. He finally gets Barrett and puts him on a plane under the care of FBI agent Ice-T. It doesn't take long for Barrett to take control of the plane and it is up to Halton to board to plane in mid-air and bring the plane and it's passengers down safely. There is not much more to say but I liked the film for what it was but don't expect anything spectacular. If you are just looking to turn off your brain for a couple of hours, this is a pretty safe bet. Co-stars include Brittany Daniel (Eve from "Dawson's Creek") and Michael Harney from "NYPD Blue".
This may be seen to many as a late 60's biker/revenge flick but for cult movie fanatics, this is known as the first Billy Jack movie. I liked this movie quite a bit and a pleasant difference in this one is that in most biker flicks (as in most 90's horror films), all the good stuff happens in the first two thirds of the films and then the viewer is left waiting for the end. "Born Losers" was not like this as it kept me interested right up until the end credits rolled. The basic premise is that a biker gang called the "Born Losers" rolls into a small California town. Soon the gang has beaten people up and raped some of the local women. The law is afraid of the gang so it is up to the coolest of the cool (Billy Jack) to take matters into his own hands and inflict a little vigilante justice. I would recommend this to all fans of biker flicks, Billy Jack, and cult movies as this was a really good one. Tom Laughlin (who plays Billy Jack) also directed, co-wrote, and co-produced the film. Most of the bikers used in the film belong to actual motorcycle gangs. Check out the DVD for an interesting commentary from Laughlin and his wife and co-producer Delores Taylor.
Fudoh: The New Generation (1996)
Here we have another crazy Japanese flick from those folks at Tokyo Shock. This time around we have some gangsters in a private school trying to become the new leaders of the mafia. The leader of the gang is hot shit young guy who knows his martial arts. He is joined by a big strong guy, a girl who knows how to use guns, and a girl who has an amazing talent for shooting darts out of her vagina. There are may scenes of excessive gore involving acid, beheadings, and just plain gunshot overkill. All in all, this was another very odd pleasure from the folks that brought "The Story Of Ricky" and "Zero Woman" to the masses. If you want to see something pretty different that I'm sure you would have trouble comparing to anything else, check out this flick.
Gore abounds in this classic Italian horror movie from director Lamberto Bava. I have not seen this film in a number of years and actually forgot how much splatter this film contains but this one delivers in a big way. Passes are given to a bunch of people to attend a screening of a new film at the "Metropol" theatre. As these people are watching the horror movie, some problems arise when a girl becomes a demon and starts spreading the demonism in a big (and bloody way). The demons are zombielike in that if you are scratched, bitten, or killed by one then you become one yourself. The theatre is also locked away from the outside world and it is up to the remaining moviegoers to try and find a way out while battling the growing number of demons. The monsters are quite frightening with claws, bad skin, and sharp teeth and they undergo quite the transformation from human to demon starting with a giant green pus filled boil exploding. There are many standout gore scenes including a bare handed scalping, eyeball pushing, throat ripping, many beheadings, blood puking, and much more fun stuff. There is also an entertaining black pimp character, a creepy blind man, punks, and a killer soundtrack featuring 80's metal bands such as Accept, Motley Crue, and The Scorpions. Another great Italian director Michele Soavi ("Dellamorte Dellamore") makes an double appearance as the creepy guy with the mask at the beginning and as one of the actors in the movie that is playing in the theatre. The makeup was done by Sergio Stivaletti who has done effects on many Italian genre classics. The script was co-written by the great Dario Argento who also produced. Argento's oldest daughter Fiore co-stars as the chick who get covered in demon blood puke and who crawls through the air vents. This is a must have for gore fanatics and a pretty cool claustrophobic horror flick for everyone else. If you are the type who is going to question how realistic the plot is or if you care about why a helicopter would fall through the roof of a movie theatre for any reason other than the fact that it looks cool and that it gives Stivaletti a reason to make a gore effect of a helicopter blade chopping up a demon then this probably is not the flick for you.
I've had this one sitting around for a few years and never got around to it until now. Well, I just discovered that it has been re-released widescreen on DVD and I am planning on buying it again because I really liked this one. Trini Alvarado ("The Frighteners") stars as Pamela Pearl, the young daughter of a New York politician who feels misunderstood and alone until she finds an outlet in a wild girl named Nicky Marotta (the amazing Robin Johnson). Pamela and Nicky take off from a psychiatric facility (to the tune of "I Wanna Be Sedated"), steal an ambulance, and find a place to live in an abandoned building by the water. Their friendship grows as they experience a lot of fun together and Pamela has a taste of being her own person and forming her own opinions. A local radio DJ named Johnny LaGuardia is following their lives as he is aware that Pamela was not kidnapped (as her father has suggested) and he becomes their ally in helping them stand up for what they believe in. This newfound fame begins to take it's toll on their relationship as Nicky begins to get addicted to the attention and their friendship is threatened. I must say that I really enjoyed watching the two main characters on the screen and I was very interested in how their relationship grew and how they were both affected by their experiences. The performances were both excellent and completely drew me into their world and their line of thinking. Killer soundtrack too!! Director Allan Moyle went on to make "Pump Up The Volume" and "Empire Records"; two more films about standing up for what you believe in and thinking for yourself. I wouldn't necessarily classify this a a "punk rock movie" but I can definitely see the influence. Sleeze Sisters forever!!
Ilsa, She Wolf Of The SS (1974)
It is not very politically correct of me to be even reviewing this but what the hell. "Ilsa" is probably the most famous of the Nazi sexploitation flicks of the 70's and has it's moments that could offend even the most jaded viewer. There is no real premise other than Ilsa is a very sadistic woman who runs a Nazi camp that conducts medical research. Ilsa is also conducting her own research trying to prove that women can withstand more pain than men (or something like that). Ilsa also has an insatiable sex drive that results in her castrating men who cannot satisfy her. It is not until she brings one of the workers named Wolfe into her quarters that she can finally be satisfied as Wolfe has a mental switch that can be switched to a "never" mode that drives Ilsa wild. Basically all of this is just an excuse for endless scenes of nudity, torture, gore, and rape that are just not very fun to watch. For all I have heard about the "Ilsa" films I was hoping for something a little more campy but this was just plain disgusting and offensive. Cult movie fans know that this is a cult classic for pushing the envelope and star Dyanne Thorne certainly hams it up in the title role but all in all this was not really my cup of tea to watch over and over again. Some of mayhem includes a woman forced to stand on ice during a Nazi dinner who will be hanged if she slips off, someone being boiled in hot water, the infamous electric dildo, topless whipping, a lesbian Nazi saying "me first then all of you", toe mashing, a face that slowly succumbs to syphilis, Ilsa peeing on some Nazi, and the destruction of the "Hogan's Heroes" sets during the final escape attempt. Co-stars include Buck Flower as the male doctor and an uncredited Uschi Digard. Make-up effects were done by Joe Blasco who also did David Cronenberg's "Shivers" and "Rabid".
It is so hard to review movies that are already deemed as classics because everyone already knows how good they are. Mario Bava's directorial debut is no exception and has now become my favorite of the gothic horror genre. The film opens with a woman named Princess Asa and her brother/lover named Prince Vajda being punished for being vampires. They are surrounded by cloaked figures which condemn them and then bury them. Before the burial, however, they both have masks of Satan nailed to their faces. The story progresses a few hundred years and soon our evildoers are resurrected from the grave to wreak more havoc. Horror icon Barbara Steele stars in the dual roles of Asa and the innocent Katia and she has a tremendously exotic look that is captivating whenever she is on screen (no doubt partially due to Bava's mastery of cinematography). The real star of the show is Bava's direction as, in the words of my friend Scott, "every shot is like a painting". I could not get over how amazing this film looks and some of the images will remain with me for a very long time: Katia at the front of some church ruins holding two huge dogs, Vajda standing by a black carriage with black horses, and an extended 360 degree tour of Asa's tomb come to mind. Nearly every shot in this film is expertly thought out and pulled off in one of the most flawless displays of use of the beauty of the setting to create a mood. I highly recommend this to anyone with a love for horror and filmmaking and it is essential viewing for fans of classic horror. Pick up the DVD for an insightful and interesting commentary from Bava expert Tim Lucas.
Twitch Of The Death Nerve (1971)
Here is another Bava film that has been recently rereleased and is again essential viewing for horror fans and especially those of the slasher genre. This was the original "body count" movie that has scenes that were nearly directly lifted for films in the "Friday The 13th" series and was probably the inspiration for the original in that series. Bava's film, however, does not consist of some nutjob in a hockey mask making sure that teenagers do not have sex again. Bava's murders are driven by greed and weave into a story that provides for an interesting murder mystery as well. I don't want to get into the plot as there are too many surprises to mention. All I want to say is that Bava succeeds in creating a very creepy mood within the first five minutes and delivers thirteen gory and disturbing murders that will probably still succeed in shocking you a bit. This is not my favorite Bava film but is definitely one of the more influential ones. This is also known as "Bay Of Blood".
I rented this one on recommendation from a friend as he told me that I would really dig the two main characters. This was totally true as I became involved in the lives of these two "Bonnie and Clyde" disciples. John Dall and Peggy Cummins star as a couple named Bart and Annie who are very good with guns and are driven into a life of crime as they are adrenalin junkies of the 40's. I also loved the way that their relationship changed from their first memorable meeting at a carnival to the climax of the film in a swamp. As our two heroes became more involved in a life of crime, it was very interesting as what began as fun times turned into more of a job as did their relationship it seemed. I found this to be a very realistic take on the dynamics of a situation like this rather that the glamorization of the same situation that we see in many Hollywood films. I think that are heroes were so caught up in the fantasy of the situation that when they realize the position that they are in, they are actually scared and are not as cool in their ways as they had been previously in the film. This, to me, made them even cooler. Look for a young Russ Tamblyn as young Bart. Tamblyn went on to many a cult movie including Al Adamson's "Satan's Sadists" as well as a number of Fred Olen Ray flicks.
Back To: