I don't really know what else to say about this movie than "wow"! I was down at my local video store looking for something cool to watch and I just grabbed the first movie I saw that had promise and brought it home. I sat back on the couch and was immediately drawn into this tale of gangsters, double crosses, and obsession. David Amos stars as Michael Moore, a small time gangster who works as a henchman-type for his boss Leo (Keith David). He works along with Shot (Gene Mitchell), Hooker (Shant Benjanian), and Dennis (Paul Klar). They spend the first half of the film shaking people down and doing deeds for their boss. The rest of the movie is spent deriving a plan that will change all of their lives and launch them into the big time. The film is told through the eyes of a cop named Billy who tells the story and remains a very complicated character until later in the film when everything begins to make sense. The film was directed and written expertly by Gene Mitchell who also produced the film with David Amos. Phenomenal acting abounds with Amos, Mitchell, and Keith David giving standout performances and this movie is not afraid to take chances and tell a great story that kept me glued to my seat throughout. I wish that more of the so-called Tarantino influenced films could turn out as good as this one. If you have a chance, rent it. Highly recommended!
Natural Born Killers Director's Cut (1994)
I loved this movie when I saw it in the theatre. I was completely blown away by the look of it with all of the quick cuts and uses of different mediums of film. Then I rented it on video. I was not blown away anymore but annoyed. Last year, NBK was released again as a widescreen director's cut with restored footage and let me tell you, check this movie out again. Even if you hated it the first time, I honestly believe that when given another chance, this movie could turn out to be one of the best movies of the 90's. Once you have seen it and know the story, you can see more and more facets of Mickey and Mallory Knox. The director's cut also helps reveal some plot points that were previously confusing especially with the characters of Scagnetti and the indian. With a cast of some of the most daring actors around including Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, and Tommy Lee Jones, you can't really go wrong. My respect for Oliver Stone has also gone up immensely after seeing this cut of the film. Give it another chance.
Jayne Mansfield stars in this drama about a group of thieves who rob banks, armored cars, and the like. A robbery is botched when the character who has the money is caught after stashing the money and sent to prison. Five years pass and he is released to a world of people who want the cash. His old gang are threatening him to share the money as are the police who are still trying to bust the gang. Eventually, the gang kidnaps his kid and the clock is ticking before the kid is killed. I found this movie to be quite entertaining and I was not staring at the VCR counter saying to myself "end...end...end". I was curious as to what would happen to the kid and who would double-cross who. Mansfield is excellent as the gang leader named Billie and plays her role very well as the bad girl with a heart.
Now here is a great movie that seriously kicks the ass of "Outbreak". Sam Waterston stars a Cal Morse, a sheriff in a small US town that happens to have a research facility where they are developing turbo plant food. In reality, they are developing a germ warfare weapon that turns people into raving homicidal maniacs by stimulating the part of the brain that houses the emotion of rage. Who is they?... the government of course. All hell breaks loose when there is an outbreak at the facility and it is sealed off so the virus cannot escape. Cal's wife, Joanie (Kathleen Quinlan), is inside the facility and Cal must decide whether to let the government deal with the problem or go and save Joanie himself. What do you think he does? This was a creepy movie in that you are worried for the safety of Joanie in the compound while at the same time, you are not sure whether Cal should try and help her because if the virus escapes, the results would be disastrous. Waterston is excellent as usual and although his character is similar to his characters in "Law And Order" and "The Great Gatsby", it is the subtle differences that make him such a fine actor. Yaphet Kotto ("Alien") co-stars as the government official in charge of the containment protocol. Also has an early appearance by Rick Rossovich ("Top Gun").
Great little horror anthology from the hood. Starring Clarence Williams III ("Purple Rain", "The Mod Squad") as Mr. Simms, a mortician who tells the twisted stories of the corpses to three young gangstas who come to the funeral home to collect some "shit". There are stories about racist cops, abusive parents, racist politicians, and racists in general. I don't mean that to sound lippy but it is the truth. This has some eye opening social commentary mixed in with the horror elements. It was like "Creepshow" or "Tales From The Crypt" with a conscience. One of my favorite performances in the movie was from Corbin Bernsen as a racist politician who lives in a cursed plantation house. I really liked this movie as it was a pretty good horror movie in a time when that is becoming harder and harder to find.
I must admit that I have been putting off watching this one for a very long time. It was sent to me from a friend in the States for reasons unknown and has been sitting in my closet for well over a year. Then it occurred to me: Charlie Sheen is in it. Charlie Sheen is an actor that is constantly laughed at and thought of as one of Hollywood's failures. I hate to disappoint everyone but the guy has a pretty good track record. "Platoon" is one of the greatest war movies ever made. Charlie carried the film. "The Arrival" is one of my favorite sci-fi movies from the last couple of years. Charlie carried that one as well. The point is that the guy generally makes decent movies. This is no exception and I enjoyed it for what it was, a cool little action movie. Charlie plays a skydiving instructor who gets involved in an espionage plot with a KGB agent named Chris Morrow (Nastassja Kinski). If you like action movies along the lines of "Drop Zone" and "Point Break", check this one out. Forget about the Heidi Fleiss crap and the bad boy image. He's a good actor.
This is a dirty little film that is a lot like "Psycho" except it that it leaves nothing to the imagination. I hate to say it but I don't understand why this is such a horror classic in some people's worlds. I mean it was a grimy slasher film but I wouldn't put it up there with "The Shining" and "Halloween". The film stars Joe Spinell ("The Last Horror Film") as a crazy guy named Frank Zito who has a need to scalp women for his dead mother. This guy is really out there and he is hearing voices all the time and his apartment is filled with mannequins that are wearing the scalps of his victims. Frank eventually gets involved with a photographer named Anna (Caroline Munro) whose sole purpose in the movie is to live. I don't know, Spinell put in a really convincing performance and it is always great to see Munro in a movie, I just don't see what the big deal is. The makeup effects are by Tom Savini who also has a small role. This movie also has the most disgusting gunshot wound this desensitized geek has ever seen on film. Check it out and let me know what the attraction is... did I miss something? I must say, however, that it certainly had mood (a really psychotic one).
Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943)
Seeing as I was just at Universal Studios, I figured that I might as well review one of the Universal Horror Classics. This movie is pretty straight forward for anyone who is familiar with the old "Frankenstein" or "Wolf Man" movies and plays like a sequel to the original "Wolf Man". Lon Chaney Jr. reprises his role as Lawrence Talbot as does Maria Ouspenskaya as the gypsy named Maleva. Talbot seeks Maleva's help in getting rid of the curse that has been put on him and together they go on a quest to find Dr. Frankenstein. Unfortunately for Talbot, the doctor is dead but Talbot's personal doctor decides to try and find Frankenstein's journals and cure Talbot himself. Soon they run into Frankenstein's monster who is played by Bela Lugosi (who actually doesn't look bad in the make-up). Talbot's doctor soon gets visions of grandeur and decides to make Frankenstein and The Wolf Man more powerful than they already were. I liked this movie as Lon Chaney Jr. was so great at the part of the neurotic Larry Talbot. It is just a shame looking back at the old horror movies and thinking how creepy they were back in the day with such minor effects. These days, filmmakers can't seem to make a good horror movie no matter how much they spend. Jack Pierce did the make-up.
This was pretty good for what it is: a direct to video erotic thriller. Unlike most from this genre, this emphasized the word "thriller" more than the word "erotic". Tane McClure stars as Amanda, a housewife with bad dreams. We are introduced to a number of characters like her husband (Myles O'Brien), a lovesick student (Wendy Schumacher), and a weird couple (Andrew Stevens & Mina Dillard). I didn't really understand how all of these characters related until later in the film and there are some nice plot twists to keep you awake. Andrew Stevens (one of the kings of the erotic thriller) also produced this. Not bad for a genre that is filled with crap; this was like finding a needle in a haystack.
Fantastic little exploitation cinema from the director of "Caligula". This movie stars Teresa Ann Savoy (also from "Caligula") as a woman who is drafted by the Germans during World War II to work in a whorehouse owned by Kitty and extract information from officers who are visiting. This information is planned to be used to blackmail Hitler by the army official who has organized the whole plan. The performances and cinematography are very commendable although the subject matter is not for everyone. There are some unsettling scenes involving people with deformities and the way the women are treated is not, shall we say, politically correct. Nevertheless, the film is an interesting portrayal of the goings on in Nazi Germany and makes for an entertaining and curious view.
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