International Walnut

The Aeriel (La Antena)

2008-01-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

"In Year X in the City Without a Voice, a fascist media regime keeps the population forcibly silent. Plots and counter-plots ensue in this alluring allegory that, ironically, employs the language of silent film to salute the power of free speech. A stunning amalgam of comic books and ’20s-era science fiction."

Trail of the Screaming Forehead - Official Trailer

2008-01-11T15:46:00.000-08:00

"Who can sleep with brows on the prowl?!!" Another Z-movie spoof from the creator of The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. Filmed in the new screen miracle of CraniaScope, Trail of the Screaming Forehead also boasts animated extraterrestrial foreheads courtesy of legend Ray Harryhausen!

The Best Hospital Ever

2008-01-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

The trailer for an upcoming horror-comedy about a deranged nurse with a very deadly bedside manner.

The Best Hospital Ever - Watch more free videos

BBC Sunday Night Theatre: 1984

2007-10-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a version of Orwell's 1984 that was broadcast live in 1954, starring the incomparable Peter Cushing. It also features Donald Pleasence, Andre Morell, and was adapted by Nigel Kneale.

Dario Argento's La Terza Madre (Mother of Tears)

2007-09-02T18:41:00.000-07:00

The conclusion to Dario Argento's Three Mothers trilogy, Mother of Tears, will premiere this Thursday at the Toronto International Film Festival.

La Terza Madre is set in Rome and involves a student named Sarah Mandy (Asia Argento) whose art studies at a museum are put on hold when the seal of an urn is broken and the terrifying powers of Mater Lachrymarum are unleashed. The Mother of Tears, who along with the Mother of Whispers and the Mother of Darkness, comprise the legendary Three Mothers, is believed to be the most beautiful, but also the most merciless of all. As death and chaos surge through Rome, Sarah discovers that a powerful book may hold the secret to silencing the Mother of Tears and ending her unholy reign of death and destruction.

Below are a couple of posters, a few film stills, as well as the trailer for what fans hope to be a fantastic and fitting finale to Argento's famed trilogy.

The Pinky Violence Collection Continues!

2007-08-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Pinky Violence fans rejoice!

As mentioned last year, a second set of films were set to be released as part of The Pinky Violence Collection by the now defunct boutique label Panik House. However, as with this month's much-anticipated release of Teruo Ishii's Horrors of Malformed Men and Nobuo Nakagawa's Snake Woman's Curse, Synapse Films has thankfully stepped in to release the next installment of The Pinky Violence Collection.

The first three films will be released on November 13th as the Legends of the Poisonous Seductress series. Here are the DVD covers as well as brief descriptions of each film.

The stunning Junko Miyazono stars in the first entry of the LEGENDS OF THE POISONOUS SEDUCTRESS series as Ohyaku, an innocent actress wrongly sent to prison and pushed by her tormentors to the point of no return. With a demon tattoo across her back and a sword in her hand, she embarks on a crusade of vengeance against all those who have wronged her, laying waste to man and woman alike in her quest for bloody retribution. More than just a swordplay classic, FEMALE DEMON OHYAKUs relentless cruelty, scenes of graphic torture, and unique mix of sex and sadism mark it as the first true Pinky Violence film, and highly influential on later sexy action series from Toei Studios throughout the 70s, such as the Sukeban and Female Convict Scorpion movies. Co-starring the legendary Tomisaburo Wakayama (LONE WOLF AND CUB).

Junko Miyazono returns as QUICK-DRAW OKATSU, the daughter of a swordmaster who takes on a power-hungry magistrate, in the second entry of the LEGENDS OF THE POISONOUS SEDUCTRESS series, directed by master filmmaker Nobuo Nakagawa (Jigoku, Snake Woman s Curse). Joined this time by Rui (Reiko Oshida), a wild young swordswoman, the two sexy avengers embark on a blood-soaked quest for revenge after Okatsu is raped and her father slaughtered by one of his assistants. Okatsu and Rui slash their way through dozens of evil men in order to settle the score with those who wronged them in this swordplay classic which features some of the best fight scenes of the series. Mixing a standard revenge plot with a healthy dose of modern-day sex and violence, the film proved to be a primary inspiration for some of the best female revenge sagas of the 1970s, including the Female Convict Scorpion and Lady Snowblood series. Co-starring the legendary Tomisaburo Wakayama (LONE WOLF AND CUB).

In the final episode of the LEGENDS OF THE POISONOUS SEDUCTRESS series, Junko Miyazono appears one final time as beautiful swordswoman Okatsu the Avenger, but this time seeking Judayu, a corrupt merchant responsible for the death of her parents. Betrayed by her fiancé, Okatsu finds herself aided in her quest by a handsome stranger (yakuza film star Tatsuo Umemiya) who happens to be as handy with a sword as she is! What is the reason for his kindness, and will Okatsu be able to prevail against Judayu, now a powerful businessman with scores of allies in high places? Whatever the end may be, the restless spirits of her murdered parents drive OKATSU THE FUGITIVE along her crimson-colored road of vengeance. Master filmmaker Nobuo Nakagawa (Jigoku, Snake Woman s Curse) brings audiences the stunning end of the trilogy that inspired countless imitators among Toei s Pinky Violence films of the 1970s.

In addition to these DVDs, sometime next spring Synapse will release the Wandering Ginza Butterfly films - Gincho wataridori (1971) and Gincho nagaremono aka Wandering Ginza She-Cat Gambler (1972) - starring Meiko Kaji and directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi (Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess).

Without a doubt, fans of Japanese cult cinema have a lot to look forward to!

Movies of the Week!

2007-08-21T22:40:00.000-07:00

Here at the Walnut we’re going to dust things off a bit by introducing a new “movie of the week” feature. Essentially I’ll be posting my selections for the two best movies I’ve seen over the past week – one on DVD and another theatrically.

Today we’ll kickoff with my favorite DVD from the past week, Ace in the Hole (1951).

Recently released to DVD by the Criterion Collection, Ace in the Hole was directed by Billy Wilder just after the success of his classic, Sunset Boulevard. However, unlike Sunset Boulevard, Ace in the Hole was a critical and box-office flop. It’s a tough, unflinching film that holds an unwavering mirror up to media sensationalism and our morbidly curious society’s penchant for rubbernecking at personal tragedy.

Kirk Douglas gives an excellent tough-as-nails performance as a has-been reporter who is willing to risk everything, even another man’s life, for the chance to write a big news story. It’s a truly excellent film that is given the top-notch DVD release it deserves by the Criterion Collection.

Here's a scene from the film.

My favorite movie of the past week, currently in theatres, is 2 Days in Paris.

Directed by actress Julie Delpy, the story involves Marion (played by Delpy) and her boyfriend Jack (portrayed by the funny and under-used Adam Goldberg) as they spend the last part of their European vacation with Marion’s parents in Paris. Things between Jack and Marion begin to get a little shaky, and really funny, when the couple run into a succession of Marion’s ex-boyfriends while touring Paris.

The film has a loose style, both narratively and visually, in some ways recalling Linklater’s Before Sunrise and Before Sunset - both of which starred and were co-written by Delpy. Also like those films, 2 Days in Paris is more interested in characters than narrative, and both Delpy and Goldberg do fine work in their respective roles. That being said, Adam Goldberg really stands out as Jack, a role that showcases his impeccable comic timing.

2 Days in Paris is a funny and thoughtful movie that I hope more people will get a chance to see.

2 Days In Paris - Trailer

See ya next week!

The Brute and the Beast a.k.a. Massacre Time (Tempo di massacro)

2007-08-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

The Brute and the Beast (1966)

Preceding his string of celebrated, gore-drenched horror films by roughly a decade, director Lucio Fulci first delved into the western genre right as the Italian variation on this predominantly American cinematic tradition was beginning to draw attention, both from film critics and filmgoers. Armed with visual audacity, a formidable cast of rough-and-tumble characters, ironic humor, a heap of cynicism and no shortage of violence - Spaghetti Westerns were both a tip of the hat to their American forerunners as well as a significant act of cinematic revisionism.

Lucio Fulci's The Brute and the Beast is an ideal example of the paradoxical fusion of unorthodox traditionalism displayed by many Italian Westerns. At the center of the film is Tom Corbett, played by the charismatic Franco Nero arriving fresh off the success of Sergio Corbucci's influential and highly-entertaining, Django. We are first introduced to Nero's character as he pans for gold, an occupation immediately identifiable with the old west, which in turn posits Tom Corbett as a passive, archetypal western figure. While The Brute and the Beast is, like other Italian westerns, filled with an abundance of western motifs, as the film progresses it becomes clear that Nero's Tom Corbett is out of step with the ruthless world of this particular western, and seemingly out of touch and incompatible with the majority of the characters in the film. Furthermore, once Tom Corbett is thrust into a frontier colored by malice and ultra-violence, both the film, and the conventional introduction to the character, begin to take on their true significance.

That being said, one of the more difficult aspects to The Brute and the Beast is the way in which the film's protagonist, Tom Corbett, conducts himself. He has a traditional sense of honor and wants to play by the rules, however, unbeknownst to himself he's become embroiled in a realm ruled by the dishonorable and unruly. Because of this, he is wholly ineffectual throughout much of the story, and there are times when, at a glance, the protagonist's futile attempts become a bit exasperating. Nevertheless, Tom's drunkard, violence-prone brother Jeff, excellently played by George Hilton, serves as a type of intermediary between the world of Tom's antiquated values (that seem a holdover from classic westerns) and the recently vicious, ultra-violent world that permeates the film. Indeed, it's only after his unscrupulous brother agrees to help that Tom achieves any sort of success. To be certain, like many of Fulci's films, nihilism suffuses The Brute and the Beast - yet by film's end the overriding pessimism and sense of anarchy give way to a gesture of order and (albeit blunted) optimism.

There are other characters in this western that, like Tom Corbett, also might be seen as traditional, or classic western archetypes. However, they are also similarly incompatible with the chaotically violent world of the film and usually meet with a bad end. For example, Mr. Scott, played by Giuseppe Addobbati, is perceived to be the tough guy in charge of the film's primary locale, Laramie Town. Yet, the viewer ultimately learns that Mr. Scott merely functions as a figurehead while his maniacal son, Jason Scott, is in fact the one controlling the region with his volatile brand of bloodthirsty injustice. Mr. Scott appears disturbed by the mindless violence committed by his son, but his traditional notions of authority and lawfulness are at odds with the madness and brutality that reign freely. In short, Mr. Scott shares a kinship, both literally and figuratively, to Tom Corbett - a typical western character caught in an atypically brutal landscape in which he appears to be ineffectual and helpless.

In addition to the parallel that exists between Tom Corbett and Mr. Scott, Jeff Corbett and Mr. Scott's son, Jason, are also characters that mirror each other. Both are impulsive, eccentric and pretty unhinged and, to a large degree, characterize the bulk of the film. Whereas Tom and Mr. Scott (and a few other minor characters) seem out of their element, the violent, unruly behavior of Jason Scott and Jeff Corbett are completely in tune with the film's proceedings; they are the titular Brute and Beast. Additionally, they are arguably the film's most entertaining characters, and classic examples of the traditionally unorthodox personas that embellish and personify the spaghetti western.

The screenplay, by the great Italian director Fernando Di Leo, is an exceptional interweaving of classic western motifs with the imaginative and violent extravagance that would distinguish the Italian western. Working with cinematographer Riccardo Palottini, Lucio Fulci's The Brute and the Beast is a visually elaborate film that beautifully complements the story, and deserves and rewards close attention. Claims that it lacks the visual prowess or inventiveness of Fulci's later films are erroneous, if not completely beside the point (the visual approach to a horror film, a western, or any genre of film being completely dissimilar). The Brute and the Beast is a thematically and truly visually sophisticated film that questions the genre even as it advances it.

Lucio Fulci was proud of this film, it's one of his finest, and if you haven't seen it I highly recommend searching it out.

This DVD can be purchased from Xploitedcinema.com

7th Festival of Fantasy, Horror & Science-Fiction

2007-07-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

The American Cinematheque, here in Los Angeles, is having its annual festival of fantastique cinema, and this year looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. Here are the details!

7th Festival of Fantasy, Horror & Science-Fiction 2007

In collaboration with scienceplusfiction, Trieste International Science Fiction Film Festival, Italy

You won’t find a better place to indulge your appetite for spine-tingling entertainment THIS SUMMER!
Only our super air-conditioned theatres are more chilling!

Legions of flying brains, a secret society of degenerate bloodsuckers, saber-toothed canines, giant scorpians, bloodthirsty vampire breasts, murderous severed hands, a hideous fur-covered claw, mutants born of botched experiments, human-hating apes, evil alien foes, blind zombie slaves, lesbian vampires, werewolves, body snatchers and a sensual blonde engine of vengeful destruction are just a few of the diabolical characters perpetrating all manner of macabre shenanigans onscreen at the American Cinematheque in August!

The festival tributes the work of late author Kurt Vonnegut and director Curtis Harrington (WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH HELEN) with individual Memorial Tribute Screenings. Vonnegut will be remembered with a double feature of film adaptations of his SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE and the rare HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WANDA JUNE (the title character is deceased and plays shuffleboard with Jesus in heaven). GAMES, Harrington’s 1967 pop art tale of sinister parlor games starring Simone Signoret, James Caan and Katherine Ross will be presented on the Egyptian’s giant screen - in the theatre where Cinematheque member Curtis spent many nights watching films himself!
If you like your horror and sci-fi with a British accent, you won’t want to miss these hard to see devilish delights from the 1960's - 1970's, including the rare THE PROJECTED MAN starring the founder of Janus Films(!); HORROR HOTEL, for which the phrase “Ring for Doom Service” was coined; DEVIL DOLL, the creepiest of evil puppet movies; Ken Russell’s sex and satan blashphemy THE DEVILS (not on DVD!) with Oliver Reed; QUATERMASS AND THE PIT, a brilliant fusion of apocalyptic sci fi and supernatural mystery; a restored, uncut print of Hammer Films’ atomic age parable,THESE ARE THE DAMNED directed by Joseph Losey - and don’t forget, NEVER TAKE SWEETS FROM A STRANGER!

European terror lurks! Some new, including the Los Angeles premiere of Lamberto Bava's latest, GHOST SON (not the only film in the fest to feature some serious “sex with the undead”); Swedish vampire flick FROSTBITE, steeped in Goth terror during an eternal Lapland night; French mockumentary, OUR EARTHMEN FRIENDS; and some retro: Roger Vadim's dreamy, lesbian vampire classic, BLOOD AND ROSES, Mario Bava's last feature, SHOCK, Pupi Avati's frightening ZEDER, Jess Franco’s VENUS IN FURS, a bewitching ghost story with a jazz rock fusion score, inspired by the tragic life of jazzman Chet Baker, and more!

Made on American soil, where sci-fi proliferated in the atomic age, these 1950's drive-in masterpieces will scare you silly! Watch out for the pod people in the classic INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS and marvel at the plot ingenuity behind the absent-minded professor contaminated by poisonous prehistoric fish blood that turns him into the MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS!!!, Plus, the extremely rare WORLD WITHOUT END (the first science fiction film to be shot in Cinemascope and color!), screening in a gorgeous new 35mm print!

Treat yourself to three of the best Jules Verne adventure adaptations ever -- JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND and 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA projected on the Egyptian’s big screen! Not to mention Peter Lorre classics and new Science Fiction and Horror short films with many of the filmmakers in attendance.

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Japanese sensation, Ultraman with the Los Angeles Premiere of ULTRAMAN MEBIUS AND THE ULTRA BROTHERS and last, but not least, the Los Angeles Premiere (and limited engagement) of TRAPPED ASHES, the anthology horror opus produced and written by former American Cinematheque programmer, Dennis Bartok. Flip this page over to see the in-person guests brave enough to enter our theatre of terror!
At the Aero, you’ll see Charlton Heston abused by civilized apes in the original PLANET OF THE APES, screening with its sequel, BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, an In-Person Richard Donner double bill of LADYHAWKE and THE GOONIES and new films (Jim Hemphill's BAD REPUTATION, Takashi Okazaki's AFRO SAMURAI and Erik Nelson's documentary-work-in-progress, DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH about legendary science fiction scribe Harlan Ellison - with Mr. Ellison In-Person!).

http://www.americancinematheque.com

Horror of the Malformed Men Update

2007-05-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

Here is the DVD cover and a press release for Teruo Ishii's little-seen but highly anticipated Horror of the Malformed Men.

Press Release - Cult film fans around the world can finally rejoice, for the greatest hidden treasure of cult cinema is coming in a fully uncut, completely re-mastered edition. Director Teruo Ishii's astonishing Horrors of Malformed Men, long suppressed in its home country, is making its worldwide home video debut in a supplement-laden DVD from Synapse Films. After escaping from an asylum, young medical student Hirosuke assumes the identity of a dead man in order to solve the mystery of a weird doppelganger whose picture he sees in the newspaper. Traveling to faraway Panorama Island, he discovers a mad scientist surgically remaking normal human beings into misshapen monsters but that is only the beginning. Hirosuke soon learns the horrible truth about the island and his own family's shameful past, and finds himself plunged into the depths of incest, murder, and madness.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
- New, fully restored anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) transfer mastered in High Definition
- Japanese language with newly-translated, removable English subtitles
- Audio commentary by film critic and 2003 Ishii retrospective programmer Mark Schilling
- New documentary featurette on the film, featuring interviews with cult film directors and Ishii fans Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo the Iron Man) and Minoru Kawasaki (The Calamari Wrestler)
- Ishii's video introduction from the 2003 Far East Film Festival
- Original Japanese theatrical trailer
- Teruo Ishii and Edogawa Rampo biographies, plus poster galleries and trailers from other Ishii and Rampo films
- Reversible cover with original Japanese poster artwork
- MORE Extras TBA!

ITEM# SFD0064
SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE: $24.95
STREET DATE: AUGUST 28, 2007

Horrors of Malformed Men

Jiri Barta: Labyrinth of Darkness

2007-04-01T18:22:00.001-07:00

Jiri Barta: Labyrinth of Darkness

Best known for his celebrated stop-motion adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Czech animator Jiri Barta and his films have remained largely unknown in the United States. Nevertheless, KimStim and Kino (as they have with the short works of fellow Czech animator Jan Svankmajer) have aimed to rectify this with the release of all eight Barta films on the DVD, Labyrinth of Darkness.

At first glance it is easy to see that Svankmajer has been an influence on Barta visually, and to an extent, thematically. However, after watching Barta's films it's just as easy to appreciate how vastly the style of animation and the overall aesthetic approach to filmmaking dramatically shifts. All eight films are remarkable, as the filmmaker employs a number of stunning animating/filmmaking techniques, each perfectly suited to their narrative. Rather than appearing inconsistent, however, it seems that Barta is simply comfortable exploring the medium and consistently uses it to great advantage.

As the shifts in visual style indicate, the storytelling is also equally varied, ranging from silent era-influenced vampiric horror (The Last Theft) to a whimsical sketch of cinema's history starring an ensemble of gloves (The Vanished World of Gloves). All eight films are wondrous and delightfully entertaining, but in addition to the two films I've just mentioned, The Club of the Laid Off, and Barta's The Pied Piper of Hamelin (boasting a miniature set that recalls both M.C. Escher and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) are truly spectacular.

The Club of the Laid Off tells the story of a family of discarded mannequins living in a dilapidated apartment, whose routine existence is infringed upon by an assemblage of "modern" mannequins that like to party, and come equipped with a television. It's a great short film reminiscent of Svankmajer, with superb animation and an atmosphere of decrepitude that is both palpable and exquisite. This clash between the past and the present, and the inevitable permutation of the two, is again explored in my favorite of Barta's films, The Last Thief.

In this film, a would-be thief sneaks into a mansion filled with furs and other valuable goodies, only to discover that the place is home to a family of vampires who turn the tables on the thief and, with fangs bared, steal what the thief values most. The Last Theft is an exceptional short film (probably the best short horror film I've ever seen) that uses monochromatic tinting and hand coloring techniques from the era of silent film, in addition to subtle animation to shade expressions and change mood. Gothic atmosphere saturates the film - the art direction is impeccable, it's beautifully photographed and the editing is truly exceptional. To be sure, this film alone makes the DVD worth checking out.

That being said, the DVD is lacking in terms of image quality. It's difficult to say how much, if any, restoration was performed, but several of the films look rather rough - The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Riddles For a Candy, and Disc Jockey being the noticeable exceptions. Furthermore, there are no extras, and given that so little is known about Jiri Barta and his films, some supplemental material would have been welcome. Still, the quality of the films surpass these drawbacks, making Labyrinth of Darkness required viewing for fans of animation, as well as viewers with an appreciation for filmmakers who continue to break through the boundaries of popular cinema.

* A Ballad About Green Wood
11 minutes, color, 1983
* The Club of the Laid Off
25 minutes, color, 1989
* The Design
6 minutes, color, , 1981
* Disc Jockey
10 minutes, color, 1980
* The Last Theft
* 21 minutes, color, 1987
* The Pied Piper of Hamelin
55 minutes, color, 1985
* Riddles For a Candy
8 minutes, color, 1978
* The Vanished World of Gloves
16 minutes, color, 1982

Who Can Kill A Child?

2007-03-25T16:00:00.000-07:00

At long last the Spanish horror film, Who Can Kill A Child (Quien Puede Matar A Un Nino ?) will be released on DVD (June 26th) by DarkSky Films. This is a chilling and highly regarded film that I first read about, roughly ten years ago, in the book Immoral Tales.

The story concerns a man and his pregnant wife vacationing on an island that, while remote, is nevertheless mysteriously absent of people. As the couple make their way through the seemingly deserted town, they discover that a group of odd-mannered children appear to be the island's sole inhabitants. As the mystery of what happened to the adult citizens and fellow travelers quickly unfurls, the couple find themselves trapped - their fate in the tiny, murderous hands of the children.

In addition to Panik House's Horror of the Malformed Men, the release of Who Can Kill A Child? is sure to be one of the most exciting cult DVDs of 2007.

Amazon product link:

Who Can Kill A Child?

The Hellbenders

2007-03-18T16:06:00.001-07:00

The Hellbenders (1967)

Fueled by the success of his bloody, bullet-ridden classic, Django, director Sergio Corbucci made his fourth Spaghetti Western, The Hellbenders, starring the great American actor Joseph Cotten as Jonas, a vengeful Confederate officer unwilling to concede the defeat and surrender of his beloved Confederacy. Hellbent on reassembling the Confederate army and resuming the war against his foes to the north, he and his ragtag regiment attack a convoy of Union soldiers transporting a million dollars. After annihilating the unsuspecting convoy, Jonas and his three sons hide both the fortune and their futures in a coffin, and under the pretense of transporting the body of a fallen Confederate officer, embark on the dangerous trek back home.

Made in 1966 - the same year in which Corbucci directed both Django and Navajo Joe - The Hellbenders again reveals Sergio Corbucci to be a filmmaker of exceptional talent, armed with a keen understanding and admiration for the mystique of the Western. Often cited, alongside his friend and colleague Sergio Leone, with being the progenitor of the wildly entertaining variant popularly referred to as the Spaghetti Western, Corbucci had much to do with the genre's distinction, working with varying degrees of success from the dawn of the Italian Western right up until its demise a little more than a decade later.

While his Westerns are not quite as visually dynamic as Leone's, many of Corbucci's films tend to exist somewhere between the unrestrained Italian approach to the genre and the classic American-made Western - The Hellbenders serving as a good example of this combination. To this extent, viewers hoping for the Grand Guignol violence that sets many Spaghetti Westerns apart from their American counterparts might find The Hellbenders lacking somewhat in this regard. However, despite the lack of over-the-top violence, the action in The Hellbenders, while perhaps not plentiful or gruesome, is well shot and nicely choreographed, and suits the film's narrative rather than distracting from it. In terms of the story, The Hellbenders is tightly scripted and pretty straightforward, and though it may lack the epic depth of Leone's Westerns, the film still has more than enough conflict and tension, as well as some nice twists and turns, to keep the viewer engaged throughout.

Joseph Cotten leads a decent cast, one standout being Brazilian actress Norma Benguel (Bava's Planet of the Vampires) as a gambler who gets duped into joining and helping Jonas and his Hellbenders reach their final destination. The characters are basically Western archetypes, pitting those motivated by greed and revenge against characters in search of freedom and a better way of life. As with the story, the characters are by no means complex or multifaceted, and yet there is enough depth to draw the viewer in and perhaps inspire multiple viewings. Also of note, the score by Ennio Morricone, working under the name Leo Nichols, is quite good and should please fans of the composer's work.

Anchor Bay's release of The Hellbenders has been a long time coming, and those who have patiently awaited its arrival should be pleased with how the film looks. Overall, the image quality is great with only a few shots looking a bit grainy, and in some cases underlit. The audio features the English language track and is without any major faults. However, the disc is far from perfect with only two extras - a trailer and a short director biography - both of which are fine, but will definitely leave most viewers unsatisfied. This quibble aside, The Hellbenders is a very good Western from a great director, and though the DVD is a bit wanting, fans of the film and the genre as a whole will certainly want to pick this one up.

Related and recommended products:

The Hellbenders
Once Upon a Time in Italy - The Spaghetti Western Collection
Django
The Great Silence

Blind Woman's Curse

2007-02-22T21:43:00.000-08:00

Here is the cover for the upcoming (4/24/07) DVD release of Blind Woman's Curse from Discotek.

Female Prisoner #701 Scorpion: Beast Stable

2007-02-19T05:02:00.000-08:00

Instead of writing a review for this great film, I'll let it speak for itself. So, here is a slide show for the third film in the Female Convict Scorpion series, Beast Stable, starring Meiko Kaji. Enjoy!

Kill Baby Kill Special Edition

2007-02-18T01:51:00.001-08:00

Dark Sky Films have officially announced their release of the Mario Bava classic, Kill Baby Kill! Click here for more information on this exciting Special Edition DVD.

For now here's a screenshot, compliments of Tim Lucas!

Horror of the Malformed Men Update

2007-01-18T23:40:00.000-08:00

Here is some good news from the gents over at Synapse Films on those batch of exciting DVD titles they are working on with Panik House!

Horror of the Malformed Men etc

Horrors of Malformed Men

Trilogy of Terror

2006-08-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

Trilogy of Terror (1975)

After watching this 70s made-for-T.V. movie, you will come away with this starry gem: nothing is as it seems. That's right - just as this innocuous review is actually a rousing critique of society, and peanut butter is really where grandma went after her "long rest" - nothing is what you'd expect it to be. Unless, of course, you've seen enough movies to know that "nothing is as it seems" is a pretty reliable plot twist, and you're just waiting for it to happen.

Enter Trilogy of Terror, where the unexpected is their specialty...or their ketchup. Featuring three short films based on Richard Matheson tales rolled up into one seventy-nine minute burrito of thrills, the Trilogy stars the inimitable (and purportedly difficult to work with) Karen Black. The first set-up, entitled "Julia," places Ms. Black as a dowdy professor embroiled in a studly student's obsessive sexual goals. Will the professor find a way out of her naughty student's games, or will she merely give him an "A" at the end of the quarter? The second short flick, "Milicent and Therese," has Ms. Black working overtime as both sisters Milicent and Therese. When the their father dies, good girl Milicent decides to stand up to her Satan-worshipping, good-time sister Therese once and for all. After warning off Therese's boyfriend about Therese's wicked ways, Milicent next attempts other, harsher means (Satan comes into this) to get rid of the bitch...against the local doctor's orders. Lastly, we have "Amelia," which pits Karen Black against a birthday present she bought for her boyfriend. The present, an "innocent-looking" Zuni doll that is supposed to contain the soul of a deceased hunter, proves to be a regular ankle-biter once Amelia opts to spend the night in. The lesson being: always go out on a Friday night, of course!

"Julia" and "Amelia" are the most interesting of the three tales - if only due to the fact that they contain sexual blackmail and violent figurines. Ms. Black's acting is believable, and the stories are easy enough to view in a mindless sort of way.

The problem with the tales lies in their predictability, and thematic similarity. While the acting is fairly strong overall, some directorly no-nos make it an agonizing ordeal - especially at one point early on in "Amelia" where Ms. Black interacts with not one, but two actors entirely over the phone - resulting in the monologue that just wouldn't die. "Milicent and Therese" faces the problem of being entirely too long, especially since there is little action, much talking, and the ending is clearly broadcast within the first five minutes of the film or so. The ending, which is supposed to be unexpected, would only be found so if the viewer is exceptionally tucked away from society and film-viewing at large. Perhaps a child raised by hobos, or hideously strict parents with an aversion to "talkies," would be surprised. Personally, I was surprised that a general practitioner was clearly giving psychiatric advice to Milicent. I had no idea that he was so qualified, and I really can't think of anything better than a psychiatrist that takes your blood pressure and gives you a lollipop at the end of the session.

Although most of the films are shot in a very visually straightforward way, some nice cinematographic touches do come into play. In "Julia," a shot of the furious bespectacled professor with flames reflected in her lenses comes off nicely, while in "Milicent and Therese," amid a flurry of annoyingly low angles, comes one brilliant one that seems to put a halo around goody two-shoes Milicent's crown. The musical theme, with stings aplenty, created by Robert Cobert, is also memorable and fun.

This made-for-T.V. movie comes in a very watchable print brought to you by Dark Sky Films. The DVD also comes with a feature-length commentary with Karen Black and writer William F. Nolan, a "Three Colors Black" featurette, and a "Richard Matheson: Terror Scribe" featurette. Both featurettes include horrormeisters Karen Black and Richard Matheson denying that Trilogy of Terror has anything to do with the horror genre, despite evidence to the contrary. Apparently Matheson prefers to be thought of as a Terror writer, and as for Black, she makes herself look terribly silly by claiming that Trilogy of Terror is a work of Science Fiction! Apparently horror is a dirty, dirty, word (perhaps due to the homophone "whore" that matches the first syllable of "horror"), and Black tries hard to come clean from the grime that still, apparently, clings to her soul a la Lady Macbeth.

For fans of the film Dark Sky's release makes a decent upgrade - and for those who haven't seen it - if you've got nothing to do on a Friday night, and want to risk the danger of staying in, you could do worse than watch Trilogy of Terror.

Upcoming Reviews

2006-08-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

I'll have some advance reviews next, next week (Sept. 28), including a look at Dark Sky's upcoming release for Trilogy of Terror! However, until then feel free to peruse my reviews of these dandy titles.

Slither

The Pinky Violence Collection

The Devil's Sword

Virgins from Hell

La Mala Ordina

Don't Deliver Us from Evil

Panik House to Release Chained Heat

2006-08-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

Panik House prepares to make W-I-P fans weep - read o n!

Open Letter to the Evening News

2006-08-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

Open Letter to the Evening News (1970)

A group of friends and colleagues, all of whom belong to Italy's political left, get together for a little ping-pong, a lot of sangria, and ultimately, some fierce ideological debate. A phone call is received and it's announced to minglers and debaters both that a major newspaper has requested the group share its opinion regarding the war in Vietnam. Believing that their radical and dissentious views on the subject won't actually be published, a letter is written in which the leftists volunteer to fight alongside the Vietnamese against U.S. military forces. When, much to their surprise, the letter is published in another newspaper, those who drafted the letter are confronted with their own political beliefs, and must determine if the powerful political reverberations of their words, in reality, are nothing more than a hollowness of intentions.

Director Francesco Maselli's film, Open Letter to the Evening News, reflects not only the political climate in Italy during the time in which it was made, but also holds up a mirror to the beliefs and actions of the extreme political left, which Maselli was, and continues to be, aligned with. The film is both brave and uncompromising in its scrutiny of political beliefs (in this case Italian Communist ideology) and it's rare that an individual, let alone a director making a film, is willing to question and analyze his or her own ideals with such an unwavering gaze. The film is indeed provocative, so much so that when it was released in Italy it created a genuine stir that, for a time, appeared to be verging on scandal - in art, almost always a sign that you've done something right.

While Open Letter to the Evening News sparked debate for its subject matter, Maselli's cinematic approach to the material was, for some, also controversial. Having already made several documentaries - even assisting Michelangelo Antonioni on one of his own - with this fictional film, Maselli also employs a visual language which most would identify with documentarians. Of course, by 1970 cinema-verite was nothing new; however, Maselli goes beyond trying to approximate documentary/newsreel footage. Shooting on 16mm reversal, the director chose to over-expose the majority of the film (by 3 stops) resulting in bright, high contrast images that frequently blow out. The harsh results are by no means attractive, and yet, the brightness, that at times borders on blinding, perfectly suits the film and its unrelenting "interrogation" of its subjects and subject matter.

The roaming, hand-held camerawork featured in Open Letter to the Evening News also lends to the overall aesthetic of realism. However, Maselli's approach to editing contrasts with this, in part, by being highly stylized rather than merely "straightforward". The entire film is visually and narratively fragmented, and rather than easing one into its irregular tempo, from the outset the viewer is thrust unceremoniously into what is often a jarring and complex cinematic experience. Not surprisingly, given the intricate editing techniques that were used and the vast amount of footage that was shot, Open Letter to the Evening News took a year and a half for Maselli to edit.

This complexity extends to the characters, of which there are several, and their stories, which continually converge, split away, and rejoin. The actors do exceptional work giving completely believable, fully realized performances that register as realistic and unrehearsed. Complementing this, Open Letter to the Evening News is set in stark locations that accentuate the film's successful attempts at realism, in addition to its general visual austerity. To be certain, Open Letter to the Evening News is a difficult film that will not suit all viewers. That being said, it is also a rewarding film that asks provocative questions, contains ever-relevant themes, and is sure to evoke thought and discussion.

NoShame's new DVD release of Open Letter to the Evening News reaches their normal standards of distinguished excellence. The film was restored using the 16mm vault negative, but as mentioned, Open Letter to the Evening News was shot on Kodachrome reversal, resulting in a grainy, over-exposed image. This may bother some viewers, but ultimately this was the "rough look" Maselli strove for, and achieved, with this film. The Italian DD Mono track is also without problems and is accompanied by optional English subtitles.

The array of extras begin with an introduction to the film by director Francesco Maselli. Following the film, viewers can delve into an interview with Maselli titled, Open Letter From A Comrade, during which Maselli details his involvement in leftist politics, and his fascinating, but expensive, approach to making Open Letter to the Evening News. Next is another interview, this time with Maselli and the mayor of Rome, Walter Veltroni. The last extra on the disc is a series of experimental photographs from Maselli, which he introduces.

This special edition release also comes with a second disc that features a full-length historical documentary Francesco Maselli made in 2005 titled, Fragments of the Twentieth Century. This award-winning film is Maselli's controversial look at Italian history, and is an amazing addition to the generous amount of extras already gracing this excellent NoShame release.

The Witch's Mirror

2006-07-31T01:17:00.000-07:00

The Witch's Mirror (1960)

First, imagine a film that combines elements of Hitchcock's gothic melodrama Rebecca, Georges Franju's haunting Eyes Without a Face and Karl Freund's fiendish classic Mad Love (just to name three). Next, throw in witchcraft, a burning bride, a sexy ghost on the loose, and enough fog to choke a Londoner with a pipe penchant, and you've got an inkling of what the Mexi-horror classic The Witch's Mirror has in store. Recently resurrected on DVD (alongside The Curse of the Crying Woman) by CasaNegra, The Witch's Mirror is a fun-filled fright film, awash with eerie, shadowy atmosphere, highly detailed, luxuriant set designs, and to top it off, features some supremely beautiful and evocative black and white cinematography.

The film's story is simple but effective, and as mentioned, bears several references to other films. Despite this, or because of this, the combinations tend to create unusual and enjoyable results, not merely through juxtaposition alone, but also because director Chano Urueta brings his distinct style and creativity to the familiar material. The Witch's Mirror revolves around the battle between a mad, femicidal surgeon and a witch seeking revenge for the killing of her adoptive daughter. It is interesting that the witch operates as the film's moral center, and the surgeon (who was also the husband of the deceased) is the film's primary "monster" - attempting to right one wrong by committing a slew of other atrocities as he works to restore his new wife's former beauty. In many horror films simply using the "witch's revenge" storyline would be sufficient; however, The Witch's Mirror does a nice job of combining its myriad elements to often interesting, but always entertaining, effect.

Complementing the story of The Witch's Mirror are some truly striking visuals. In all, the cinematography fully exploits the vast gradation of light and shadow that can be achieved with black and white film, creating images that have wonderful texture and tactility. Especially memorable is a scene in which a woman swathed in surgical bandages moves like a phantom through a bedroom, while nearby a witch summons her powers in an attempt to raise the dead. The shots of the bandaged woman in the bedroom are a haunting and beautifully realized sequence of images that would make any filmmaker proud. Add to this, clever, low-budget effects that, more often than not, elevate the film rather than make it look cheap or silly, and you have a splendid, visually arresting horror film that's essentially a lot of fun to watch.

As with their release of The Curse of the Crying Woman, CasaNegra has done a spectacular job bringing The Witch's Mirror to DVD. The newly restored print looks fantastic and it's unlikely that the film has ever looked quite this good before. The remastered sound is presented in Dolby Digital Mono, and for those who don't speak Spanish optional English subtitles are included. The DVD also features a handful of nice extras including, audio commentary with Frank Coleman (founder of IVTV), another one of those neat CasaNegra Loteria game cards, an essay entitled Chanovision: The Films of Mexican Cult Moviemaker, Chano Urueta, cast bios, and a poster and stills gallery.

Suffice it to say, for fans of classic horror films The Witch's Mirror and Curse of the Crying Woman are easily two of the best DVDs to be released in 2006 thus far, and are well-worth adding to your collection. Enjoy!

Roma Citta Libera

2006-07-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Roma Citta' Libera (1946)

Marcello Pagliero's little-seen Roma Citta Libera is a film that is rather difficult to classify. Made in an era of Italian cinema characterized by neorealism, Pagliero's film has elements which are recognizably Italian neorealist (desperate, impoverished working class characters, a story dealing with the hardships of life in postwar Italy, an overriding sense of hopelessness) and yet, the film does not fit snuggly into this categorization. Instead, Roma Citta Libera integrates these neorealist details into a story that has more in common with Rene Clair's Le Million than with Roberto Rosselini's Rome, Open City.

The harsh realities of life in Italy following the war are integral to Roma Citta Libera, both visually and narratively. However, throughout the film what begins as pessimism fed by day to day hardships, is eventually tempered by a prevailing sense of hope which often arrives by mere chance or folly. For example a man, who is both broke and brokenhearted, decides to commit suicide, but is saved at the last moment by a petty thief who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time.

The element of chance also ties the various characters and storylines together by way of a valuable pearl necklace that repeatedly changes hands - eluding the criminals and policemen who realize the necklace's true value, but falling into the hands of penniless characters who believe the pearls are fake and the necklace of little value.

The film's story is fueled with these little ironies. In fact the trajectory of the two main characters is very much in keeping with this central concept of chance happenings and ironic, hopeful, and somewhat playful conclusions. In the beginning the film's main characters are both neighbors who have never met; however, while separately searching for the same thing, money, they find each other, and in the process, something much more rare and valuable.

Several talented people were involved with the making of Roma Citta Libera. The cast features Valentina Cortese who appeared in such films as Mario Bava's The Evil Eye, Jules Dassin's Thieves' Highway and Federico Fellini's Juliet of the Spirits. In Roma Citta Libera Cortese plays a typist who is unable to pay her rent, and facing eviction, believes prostitution her last resort. Her character is complex and well written, and Cortese gives a quietly powerful and expressive performance. In addition the film features Andrea Checchi (also of Mario Bava fame) as a suicidal ex-soldier who returns from the war to find that he has lost everything, and Nando Bruno as the thief who takes the ex-soldier under his wing after saving his life. Also in a smaller, but no less memorable role, is Vittorio De Sica who does a wonderful job playing a wandering amnesiac, who may or may not actually be an important and powerful individual.

The director of Roma Citta Libera, Marcello Pagliero, wrote the script with several screenwriters who went on to work with some of Italy's most prominent directors - writing films like The Bicycle Thief, Nights of Cabiria, The Leopard and 8 1/2. The cinematography for Pagliero's film was ably handled by the talented Aldo Tonti, who worked as the cinematographer on many movies, including Fellini's Nights of Cabiria and Sergio Sollima's Violent City. Lastly, the score for Roma Citta Libera was composed (and later reused in Fellini's excellent I Vitelloni) by the great Nino Rota, best known for his work with Fellini and for his indelible score to The Godfather, and The Godfather: Part II.

NoShame Films brings Roma Citta Libera to DVD with an excellent transfer derived from "the original 35mm vault elements." There is some very slight wear visible during a couple of shots, but apart from this the film looks absolutely outstanding. The mono audio track, which is clear and sounds good, is accompanied by optional English subtitles. The disc's extras include an introduction to the film by screenwriter and assistant director Luigi Filippo D'Amico, who also returns for an interview entitled, A Life in Movies. There is a second interview with film historian Oresto De Fornari, in addition to the original theatrical trailer, and a collectable booklet with biographical information and liner notes. Overall it's a nice presentation for a lovely film that I'm sure many viewers will be happy to discover and revisit.

Curse of the Crying Woman

2006-07-24T04:22:00.000-07:00

Curse of the Crying Woman (1961)

A rickety carriage rattles its three passengers through a desolate, fog-swept woodland populated with shadowy, skeletal trees resembling ragged claws thrust from ancient graves. In the distance a spectral figure dressed in black awaits the arrival of said carriage - a meeting that does not bode well for the weary, and increasingly wary, travellers.

Not all travellers in the region fare so poorly however. A lovely and charming young lady named Amelia arrives safely at the lonesome, fog-sequestered gothic mansion of her widowed Aunt Selma, with whom Amelia plans to celebrate her birthday. Despite her plans however, shortly after crossing the mansion's threshold Amelia enters into an unfurling, phantasmagoria-filled mystery replete with witchcraft, diabolical discoveries, murder most foul and the ghastliest of birthday surprises.

Mexican filmmaker Rafael Baledon's Curse of the Crying Woman is gothic horror at its most deliriously melodramatic, visually arresting and entertainingly spectacular. The film is a sheer pleasure to watch - with its sensational black and white cinematography, and rich, detailed sets - nearly every frame of the film is lavished with the type of lush textural visuals that fans of gothic horror will be quite happy to luxuriate in.

Fans of Roger Corman's classy, fun-filled Poe cycle, or Mario Bava's gothic chillers The Whip and the Body and Black Sunday - a quintessential horror film which Baledon gladly tips his hat to with this movie - will surely have a great time delving into Curse of the Crying Woman. Despite its familiarity however, Curse of the Crying Woman is never trying or tedious, and includes an eerily effective flashback sequence that was printed in negative (think of E. Elias Merhige's Begotten as an example) that really stands out as a touch of originality. It could be argued that in some ways this flashback recalls the "fantasy sequences" that were a hallmark of many of Corman's Poe films, yet Baledon's hallucinatory, nightmarish montage has a decidedly distinct character that genuinely sets it apart.

Again like Corman and Bava's films, Curse of the Crying Woman is also a low budget endeavor that, at times, exceeds its budgetary limitations with some low-tech movie magic that is both imaginative and ingenious. There is the occasional hokey effect, but the movie is most successful when it employs tried and true Meliesian trickery. The movie's makeup effects are also quite good - although black and white film is rather forgiving in this regard - and Baledon doesn't shy away from violence which at the time must have been considered quite graphic.

The film's story and plot are engaging throughout, with archetypal gothic elements piled higher than a stack of dusty rubber bats in a cobweb-strewn, rat-ridden torture chamber set. The Curse of the Crying Woman is also highlighted by a riveting, if slightly protracted, finale that's more fight-filled than fright-filled. Nevertheless, it's a fitting end to an excellent film that has long been championed by a small group of admirers, and fully deserves to find a new legion of fans with this recently released DVD.

CasaNegra, which is an offshoot of Panik House that focuses on Mexican cinema, has re-mastered the uncut version of Curse of the Crying Woman using "restored vault elements" and the film looks absolutely wonderful. Curse of the Crying Woman is such a treasure to look at, so it's great to have a DVD with pristine image quality that allows viewers the opportunity to fully appreciate the film's exceptional visual splendor. Thankfully the DVD presents the film with the original Spanish audio track with optional English subtitles. However, those who might want extra cheese with their gothic horror can listen to the K. Gordan Murray English dub, which CasaNegra has been kind enough to include.

Special features include, bilingual menus in both English and Spanish - the DVD sleeve is also reversible with the English title, Curse of the Crying Woman on one side, and the film's Spanish title, La Maledicion de La Llorona, on the other - commentary with authority on Mexican cinema/vice president of Panik House and CasaNegra, Michael Liuzza, an illustrated color booklet about the legend of La Llorona (minor elements of which are incorporated into Curse of the Crying Woman) written by Entertainment Weekly writer Peter Landau, an essay about director Rafael Baledon written by film historian David Wilt, cast bios, a poster and stills gallery, and a really cool "loteria game card" that features paneled artwork from Mexican horror film posters. With the generous extras and the high quality restoration, this is an exceptional DVD release for this classy, cult horror film which I gladly recommend.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Electric Dragon 80000V

2006-07-12T05:56:00.000-07:00

Electric Dragon 80000V (2001)

A young boy perched near the top of an electrical tower gets electrocuted, receiving a high voltage zap that damages the "reptilian" area of the brain controlling emotions and desires, thus awakening the dragon lying dormant within. This initially exhibits itself via some pulverizing electro knock-out punches that the kid delivers to the chins of would-be bullies at various stages of his childhood. After this the inevitable career in boxing quickly ensues, and just as quickly ends, with one electrifying punch in the ring (which KOs his opponent) and several outside the ring aimed at any and all within range of Dragon Eye Morrison's (as he is now called) high-powered punches.

(click images for larger view)

Due to his fury of flying fists and lack of self control, things don't look to be going too well for Dragon Eye Morrison; that is, until he discovers his savior... the electric guitar! Now able to pour his superabundance of energy and emotion (not to mention a few thousand volts) into the musical instrument, things quickly start to take shape. Using his newfound ability to communicate with reptiles, Dragon Eye Morrison thereafter transforms himself into a rock n' roll reptile investigator, helping people locate their lost lizards in the jumble of modern Tokyo (who more qualified than one who has rediscovered his inner dragon?). However, little does Dragon Eye Morrison know, he has an archenemy! An electrician in a metal suit going under the name Thunderbolt Buddha sets out to destroy everything Dragon Eye Morrison holds dearest, as a means of luring our hero in for a super battle to the death, and, for ultimate electrical supremacy!

With his film Electric Dragon 80,000V, director Sogo Ishii returned to the hyperkinetic style of cinema he launched his filmmaking career with, and which would prove so influential to contemporary Japanese filmmaking and many of its most talented modern day practitioners. Like Ishii's punk rock movie Burst City, Electric Dragon 80,000V is another high voltage, eye-bursting movie with flurries of indelible imagery set to hard edged musical dissonance, and plenty of cinematic style and flair to spare.

The movie was shot in beautiful black and white and it is really visually mesmerizing - featuring crisp, detailed close-ups, dynamic/high-contrast cinematography, time lapse photography, super impositions, febrile camerawork, animated intertitles and credits, and great editing - with Ishii's hyper-stylized aesthetic sensibilities electrifying every frame. The film's visual strengths elevate what is again a rather scant story (the film clocks in at a mere 55 minutes); however, it's filmmaking at its most pure, relying heavily on visuals to tell the story rather than an abundance of dialogue.

Actors Tadanobu Asano (Ichi the Killer) and Masatoshi Nagase (Suicide Circle) play the super hero-like duo of Dragon Eye Morrison and Thunderbolt Buddha, respectively, and both prove to be very game for their over-the-top roles, turning in a couple of fun and entertaining performances. Like the performances, the film is also quite playful and rather funny, proving to be a very approachable and entertaining piece of experimental cinema that fans of the Sogo Ishii and newcomers alike should enjoy.

Discotek's limited edition double-disc release of Electric Dragon 80,000V features an excellent anamorphic widescreen print of the film presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 (with optional subtitles) and the DVD is loaded with extras. They include a feature that isolates the film's finale (allowing for instant access), the Electric Dragon 80,000V theatrical trailer, staff and cast profiles, press conference footage covering four days and featuring stars Tadanobu Asano, Masatoshi Nagase and director Sogo Ishii (all of whom discuss the film and its making), special effects footage (with commentary), an insert written by Tom Mes, a sequence with illustrations and information regarding the dragon tattoo used in the film, filming snapshots, title designs, and best of all, a second disc featuring the film's soundtrack by Mach 1.67. In all another exemplary DVD release by Discotek for another little-seen Sogo Ishii film.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Convoy Busters

2006-07-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

Convoy Busters (1978)

In Convoy Busters, Maurizio Merli (Mannaja, Violent Naples) pours all of his trademark tough-guy charisma into the role of Inspector Olmi, a cop who's anything but by-the-book, preferring to doll out expeditious, draconian punishment to any scumbag criminal that happens to find themselves caught in Olmi's unwavering gunsight - or at the very least, within range of one of his jaw-shattering man slaps. Olmi's excessive police tactics garner him some unwanted attention, but with corruption and well-connected crooks stanching the flow of justice, Olmi has to break a few rules, and a few noses, in an effort to ensure that punishments are meted out and that justice is served (often in a pool of blood).

Even so, as Olmi works his way up the criminal food chain, he gets too close to a "big fish" at the top, is subsequently demoted, and must resume his crime-busting, body-littering ways working for "Rome's emergency squad." Determined to bring in his man, Olmi is once again stymied by a crooked judge, and makes a terrible judgement of his own when he mistakenly shoots at someone he believes to be a hit-man, but who is really just an old-man, who rides a bicycle, and is therefore not a hit-man (I guess). Olmi requests a reassignment to a police unit outside of Rome, in a small, quiet town near the ocean where there is less crime, and perhaps fewer old men with bicycles. He receives his wish, but his hopes of solitude (and a surprise seaside rendezvous with a schoolteacher) are quickly quashed when Olmi discovers that the port is actually being used to harbor more than just boats!

Director Stelvio Massi's Convoy Busters is a fun little Italian crime movie that uses some familiar archetypes (as opposed to the unfamiliar variety of archetype) and well-worn police-procedural rigmarole to altogether satisfactory and entertaining results. Unlike its protagonist, the film is rather by-the-book in most respects; however, its story structure (also known as plot in some circles) is somewhat atypical. The film is really broken into two stories, one set in Rome for roughly the first half of the film, and the latter half taking place along the Adriatic coast. The shift is initially somewhat jarring as the film and story seem to be heading in a definite direction. And yet, for this same reason it is a rather refreshing alteration, as the direction in which the film and story were headed seemed a bit stale. So, while it might not be an entirely successful story-telling device, ultimately it worked and made Convoy Busters a little more interesting.

Contrasting with the film's plot, visually Convoy Busters is more straightforward and, for this reason, less impressive than NoShame's other recently released Italian crime film, Colt 38 Special Squad. With a few exceptions, the compositions are second-rate - capturing the action, sure, but oft-times the movie features cinematography that is not very dynamic or interesting to look at. Also, the movie is not bursting with a lot of dazzling action, but there is enough going on to keep the movie from becoming stagnate - one standout sequence being a nicely photographed and edited shootout between Olmi, in a helicopter, and some escaped criminals on the ground.

As mentioned, Maurizio Merli's performance showcases his charismatic screen presence and the role of Inspector Olmi requires an abundance of no-nonsense toughness, which Merli certainly exudes. However, his role as Olmi, like his performance, is not merely one-note. Merli does a good job of revealing his character's "lighter" side, specifically in the scenes he shares with Olga Karlatos, as the schoolteacher/love interest, and with his fellow police officers. Overall Olmi is an interesting and likeable protagonist, and Maurizio Merli displays enough variation in his performance to make him more than just merely watchable.

For their release of Convoy Busters, NoShame has once again done an outstanding job bringing this film to DVD, and have packed it with plenty of in-depth extras. The film's transfer looks good, without any damage or noticeable problems, even if the movie's visual merits are not abundant. There are two audio tracks, one in Italian and the other in English, and optional English subtitles are included. The bulk of the extras come in the form of five separate interviews with family (Merli's son), friends (journalist Eolo Capacci and actor Enio Girolami) and colleagues (directors Enzo G. Castellari and Ruggero Deodato), all of which shed light on Maurizio Merli's life, both on and off-screen, and will be of great interest to fans and admirers of Merli and his films.

Next, a trailer for an upcoming Italian crime film titled Cop On Fire (which didn't spark my interest) starring Merli's son, Maurizio Matteo Merli, is included, along with the original trailer for Convoy Busters, and a poster and still gallery. Last, and my favorite of all the extras, is a sixteen-page comic book entitled Milano Criminale: The De Falco Solution, written and drawn by two popular Italian comic book artists, Diego Cajelli and Maurizio Rosenzweig, that is inspired by the Italian crime films of the '70s and is also designed in the style of Italian comic books from the '70s. It's a cool addition that rounds out this excellent NoShame release quite nicely.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Burst City

2006-06-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Burst City (1982)

Influential Japanese cult director Sogo Ishii's Burst City is supercharged cinema anarchism at its most visually hyperkinetic and explosively chaotic. Rapid-fire editing, frenetic camerawork, blistering punk rock music, with the aesthetic fuck-you attitude to match - Burst City is the art of rebellion, a torch to tradition as a means of setting fire to the imagination and blazing new filmic pursuits.

Set in the future, with Tokyo in an utter state of dystopia, a nuclear power plant, under construction, serves as the catalyst for an escalation of protests led by a pair of dueling punk bands and their violence-prone devotees. When yakuza become involved and a gang of angry construction workers, aided by a couple of mutant bikers gussied up in Mad Max metal-wear, retaliate against their employers, riots ensue, with punk rock music leading the cacophonous charge.

Released in 1982 by a then young up-and-coming Sogo Ishii, Burst City was released by Toei studios, and unleashed upon a largely unsuspecting public, leaving its mark on Japanese cinema forever, and ultimately influencing many of today's most cutting-edge Japanese filmmakers - Takashi Miike and Shinya "The Ironman" Tsukamoto among them.

Burst City's episodic narrative is very loose, and to be honest there isn't much to it. Regardless, when viewing the film it becomes abundantly clear that traditional storytelling was not one of Ishii's pursuits with Burst City. Instead we get a complex sensorial experience that is equally hypnotic and overwhelming, magnetic and repelling. Much of the film has a rhythmic visual musicality that shifts and changes tempo rapidly as scenes pass and the film zigs and zags ahead towards its discordant ending. It's an approach that will not appeal to all viewers, but those open to movies that experiment and attempt to expand the medium as an art form, and explore the infinite possibilities of cinema, will find a lot to appreciate with Burst City.

The film's finale is a full-on melee in which a vast multitude engage in frenzied protest. Fueled by the fury of punk music erupting from two stages, its the violent surge the film has been escalating towards and an explosive final chord to a film that is, above all else, a blood-smeared, fist-flying punk rock manifesto.

Discotek's brand new DVD release of Burst City presents this classic film in anamorphic widescreen, and the image quality is exceptional throughout. The disc features the Japanese audio track in Dolby Digital 2.0 with optional English subs. Extras include the theatrical trailer for Burst City, in addition to other Discotek releases, a rare black and white stills gallery, informative text on the history of Burst City and the Japanese punk bands involved, soundtrack lyrics, an insightful insert written by Tom Mes, and a text essay about the See Saw label and rock festival that helped usher in many of Japan's most prominent punk bands (which are also featured in Burst City). While not heavy on the extras, a commentary would have been welcome, Discotek has done a great job bringing Burst City to DVD, allowing those anxious to see this rare film the opportunity to do so with a really great-looking release.

Colt 38 Special Squad

2006-06-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

Colt 38 Special Squad (1976)

Director Massimo Dallamano's poliziotteschi, Colt 38 Special Squad, begins with a bullet-blazing gun battle between the police and a band of bad guys armed with high-powered artillery and big, bristly mustaches. Shortly after the shootout, police captain Vanni (Marcel Bozzuffi) receives an ominous phone call threatening his family. Rushing home, Vanni discovers that his wife has been brutally gunned down, right in front of their son, by a baddie operating under the mellifluous monicker, Marseillaise (Ivan Rassimov).

After his wife's funeral Vanni is ready to turn in his bullet-beaten badge, but when he receives the okay to form a covert squad of cops armed with Colt 38s, not to mention a couple of non-regulation mustaches of their own, Vanni's short bereavement comes to a sudden end when he responds with, "Now we're getting somewhere." (Oh poor Vanni, if only your wife had been murdered by that mean old Marseillaise sooner.) Now bearing 38s, some kickass motorcycles, and a license to shoot bad guys in the kneecaps, Vanni and his rogue police force are all set to rid the city of its recent crime wave, and give that old Marseillaise (now mustache-less) what for!

Director Massimo Dallamano, who directed the classic gialli What Have They Done To Solange?, and What Have They Done to Your Daughters? was a very fine director and an excellent cinematographer, working in this capacity on Leone's classic Westerns A Fistul of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More - both of which are Dallamano's most well-known contributions to cinema. Unfortunately, Dallamano's directorial output was fairly small as he died in an auto accident shortly after making Colt 38 Special Squad. I wish I could say that his final film was a great end to a notable career, but unfortunately it's pulp cinema at its most run-of-the-mill.

Colt 38 Special Squad looks quite nice - interiors oozing with '70s chic, good cinematography etc. - features a fun and funky score by Italian maestro Stelvio Cipriani, has some great chase sequences, stunning stunts, nifty action setpieces, more flavor savers than you can shake a Bic with an aloe moisturizing strip at, and even a Grace Jones cameo! But alas, Colt 38 Special Squad is sorely lacking in the area of story and character. Both are beyond simplistic, lacking any depth or color, and neither of these key elements hold up over the film's hour and forty-three minute running time. Dallamano's final feature is also surprisingly bereft of any real conflict beyond its initial setup, and the film is just largely uninvolving, with a few highlights here and there to keep one from completely falling off the couch and into a drool-induced state of slumber. At its best, the movie is moderately entertaining, looks great, and has a truly astounding car chase during its finale, but apart from this, to put it frankly, Colt 38 Special Squad just ain't that special.

You wouldn't know it by looking at NoShame's DVD cover, which only features the title Colt 38 Special Squad, but there is a second disc featuring a long-lost film by director Luciano Ercoli called, La Bidonata. The release of this DVD marks the first time La Bidonata has been released anywhere. Actually, the film never received a theatrical run either because the producer of La Bidonata was kidnapped (somewhat ironically, as the film deals in large part with a kidnapping).

Apart from the fact that both titles represent the final films from their respective directors, it's interesting that NoShame chose to include Ercoli's film with Colt 38 Special Squad, as La Bidonata is a caper comedy rather than your standard crime film. The story centers around a guy named "Shiny Shoes" Renalto and a couple of his buffoon-like buddies trying to pull the "heist of a lifetime." It has some funny bits, and the characters are more memorable than those in Colt 38 Special Squad, but it's a mediocre film that will surely disappoint viewers hoping for a second helping of Italian crime cinema. With his super-fun gialli Death Walks On High Heels and Death Walks at Midnight, Ercoli proved to be a talented director who infused his films with a lot of energy and style, but unfortunately, La Bidonata lacks Ercoli's usual visual flair.

Despite the fact that neither film impressed me very much, NoShame continues to amaze with their dedication to releasing Italian genre films in really spectacular fashion. Their DVDs are always top-notch, and the double-disc release of Colt 38 Special Squad and La Bidonata is no different. The uncut and restored print for Colt 38 Special Squad looks fantastic, and the film is presented in both Italian and English mono with optional English subtitles. The print for La Bidonata, which was derived from the original camera negative, lacks the vibrancy of Colt 38 Special Squad, and though not faring quite as well, is still without any major flaws.

Extras on disc one include the interview "Always the Same 'Ol Seven Notes" in which composer Stelvio Cipriani discusses his career, working with Massimo Dallamano and Grace Jones, and meeting Ray Charles. A second interview, titled "A Tough Guy" has editor Antonio Siciliano recalling the projects he worked with Dallamano on, and what a great director, cinematographer and human being Dallamano was. In addition to these two interviews the first disc also includes the original theatrical trailer for Colt 38 Special Squad. The only major extra on disc two is a short interview with Sergio D'Offizi, the cinematographer who worked on La Bidonata, who discusses his dismay at the film being shelved, and his much happier relationship working with his friend Luciano Ercoli.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

The Descent

2006-06-26T02:16:00.000-07:00

The Descent (2005, U.S. 2006)

After losing her husband and young daughter in a horrific and grisly automobile accident, a young woman named Sarah attempts to climb out of the pit of despair she has been languishing in for over a year, by joining a group of her close female friends on one of their annual adventure-seeking expeditions. Sarah’s friend Juno, the unofficial leader of the sexy sextet, has arranged for the group to go spelunking in a remote cave hidden deep in the Appalachians.

Staying the night in some rented cabins, the group of women set off the following day for their distant destination - which Juno assures them will be both exhilarating and challenging. Unbeknownst to the others, Juno, in an attempt to up the adventure quotient, is leading them into an unmapped and unnamed cave system. Initially, this seems of no major consequence for a group whose motto is, “If there’s no risk, what’s the point?” However, the danger-laden cave will indeed test the mettle of these risk-takers, and moreover, something with a taste for human flesh, alive and lurking in the cave’s dank darkness, might very well claim their lives.

Having already been released throughout Europe to great acclaim, The Descent is a horror film that fully deserves its lauded status, and unquestionably establishes writer/director Neil Marshall as one of horror cinema’s best and most promising new directors. At the screening I attended, the audience collectively, and repeatedly, jumped and gasped throughout the film - especially throughout The Descent’s unnerving last half. Without a doubt, the Descent is an uncompromisingly tense, heart-bursting exercise in horror filmmaking that should also make a big splash on this side of the pond.

In addition to the film’s visceral visual assault, the script (written by Marshall over a two year period and numbering over ten drafts) is a compact but wholly satisfying horror yarn with some decently written characters that pull you into the story and their terrifying plight. At times six characters seems perhaps two too many, yet, overall the script fleshes the main characters out pretty well, giving them story arcs which eventually payoff. It’s also worth mentioning that the story takes its time setting itself up - in fact, the “horror" dimension of The Descent doesn’t bare its blood-soaked fangs until nearly forty minutes into the film. Nevertheless, The Descent is rarely boring or tedious and makes good use of its “slow” build, escalating tension as it creeps its way towards the memorably fright-filled, gore-strewn second half.

All of the actresses turn in some nice, truly physically demanding performances. The film’s protagonist, Sarah, played by Shauna Macdonald, goes through the biggest transformation over the course of the film - at one point recalling a blood-spattered Sissy Spacek in Carrie, and the next, proving to be more of a Ripleyesque badass, a la Sigourney Weaver. The character Juno, played by Natalie Mendoza, is the closest thing to a “human” antagonist in The Descent, as she is both deceptive and self-serving, and has an agenda that is ambiguous at best. Lastly, another standout is Nora-Jane Noone who plays Holly, a headstrong and humorous extreme sportswoman.

The Descent is also a prime example of a horror film that works wonders despite its modest budget. Primarily the movie was shot at Pinewood studios in England using six mock-up caves, miniatures and some matte paintings. If I hadn’t read this, however, I would be none the wiser because the caves certainly look like the real deal. It’s of additional interest to note the way in which director Neil Marshall and his DP Sam McCurdy (who also shot Marshall’s debut, Dog Soldiers) work within the parameters of having a film set in a cave. The Descent is lit to look as though only natural light sources are being used - flashlights, flares, and glow sticks - which really adds to the reality of the cave setting, and accentuates the claustrophobic feel that is prevalent throughout many parts of the movie. One clever addition in this regard, was giving the group a camcorder with a night vision function, which is used to maximum fright effect at one point when Sarah is separated and lost in the cave’s all-encompassing darkness.

Another of The Descent’s exceptional elements are the creatures dwelling in the cave, which the director has dubbed "The Crawlers." They are truly frightening creatures, emerging from the darkness unexpectedly, hanging from the walls and ceilings of the cave, only to viciously pounce and shred their victims into rags of red pulp and naked bone. The makeup effects are fantastic, and go a long way toward proving that traditional effects, if used properly, are often more compelling and eclipse their CGI counterparts. The sound design that accompanies the Crawlers is also sure to breed goose bumps, especially the chilling, high-pitched shriek that the creatures emit prior to attack. In total, a lot of good scary stuff that should have most audience members logging in some substantial ass-on-edge-of-seat time.

One major complaint I have with The Descent however, is its ending. Actually, it’s with the U.S. alternate ending. Two different conclusions were shot for the film, and for some reason Neil Marshall chose to use the alternate ending, not used in the European release, for the film’s release in the United States. Suffice it to say, it’s basically a disappointing, tacked on final shot that is a major misstep in what is an otherwise excellent horror film.

Despite this, The Descent is truly a frightfully exhilarating cinematic experience that I wholly recommend you see in a theater with an audience. And I dare you not to jump.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

The Deathless Devil / Tarkan Versus the Vikings

2006-06-20T03:24:00.000-07:00

The Deathless Devil (1973)
Tarkan Versus the Vikings (1971)

From the bizarre world of Turkish pop cinema our friends at Mondo Macabro have uncovered, polished up, and released to DVD a couple of real doozies that should leave viewers equally bewildered and delighted.

First, let's start with my favorite film from this demented double feature, the delirious epic that is, Tarkan Versus the Vikings!

Hidden beneath a ridiculous matted mop of a wig, our hero Tarkan, with his two trusty wolves (who are actually just dogs) escorts the fetching Hun princess Yorka to a lightly guarded Hun fort. Shortly after their arrival, Tarkan starts with the crazy talk when he says, with a piercing stare, "Water sleeps, the enemy doesn't," Which begs the question; is something afoot, or is Tarkan's wig merely one size too small? Although the latter might be true, Tarkan's cryptic non sequitur proves prophetic when an army of be-wigged Vikings storm the Hun's fort. Thus begins a battle in which dogs are hurled through the air before latching viciously onto meaty Viking throats or unsuspecting ankles, and, amidst the clashing of weapons, women, children, and even infants meet their fate in a deliriously over-the-top fashion.

Tarkan is wounded during the battle, but is revived by one of his wolves (Kurt) only to discover that his other wolf (Kurt's father) has been brutally killed by those damned Vikings. But which damned Viking? Henceforth Tarkan vows to find the Viking who killed his dog (which will be tough since the Vikings keep reusing the same wigs whenever one of them dies) and avenge his death! Oh, and slightly lower on Tarkan's to-do list, our hero also plans to rescue the kidnapped Hun princess - if it's not too much trouble that is. Of course, over the course of the film trouble comes in many guises, some of those being: deadly snake-pits, a Chinese seductress, a face-eating falcon, a giant rubber octopus, not to mention an orgy wherein sweat and blood flow as abundantly as the tangled tresses of an orange Viking wig.

Tarkan Versus the Vikings is the kind of movie I can attempt to briefly describe, but which you must simply experience for yourself. Although the film does borrow freely from multiple sources (listen for the musical themes from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Once Upon a Time in the West to pop up in weird places - which would be any frame in the film ) everything is haphazardly tossed into a Turkish blender, resulting in a transcendently harebrained, but singular, concoction. Though at times repetitive, the film is quite action-packed and filled with the kind of whacky violence that is most likely to garner a lot of chuckles. The film's many shortcomings, which are also chuckle inducing, are more often charming than annoying and really add to the overall oddball nature of the film. In short, Tarkan Versus the Vikings is just a lot of fun, and should prove quite enjoyable for fans of trashy Turkish pop cinema.

The second feature, The Deathless Devil, while odd in its own right, is not quite as enjoyable as Tarkan Vs. the Vikings. At the beginning of the movie, the film's protagonist Tekin should be stunned to learn that his father was actually a famed, lame mask-wearing crime fighter named Copperhead, who was killed by his arch nemesis, Dr. Satan. However, never one to let a shocking and silly revelation get him down, Tekin appears rather nonplussed by the news, and quickly dons his father's silly mask, along with the name Copperhead, and picks up where his father left off - doing battle with the evil mustachioed one.

The Deathless Devil features some nifty stunt work, a truly annoying and "clueless" sidekick (who thinks that he's Sherlock Holmes and that he's funny), bad dialogue/acting, horrendous art direction, crappy costumes, a ludicrous story (I'm not even sure the word story really applies here) and a big cheesy robot. All of this might equal fun, and there is a good time to be had, yet I felt The Deathless Devil was lacking in comparison to Tarkan Vs. the Vikings, and simply wasn't quite as entertaining. Nevertheless, it makes a decent double feature, and leaves one hoping that Mondo Macabro will continue to dig up some more of these Turkish delights!

All things considered, Mondo Macabro does an admirable job bringing these two ultra-obscure films to DVD. In addition to the two short Pete Tombs essays that accompany each film, and the Mondo previews trailer, the disc includes a really nice documentary entitled "Turkish Pop Cinema" which highlights films and filmmakers from Turkish cinema's abundantly interesting past. Also, the DVD menu is structured to look like a comic book page, with scenes from both films playing in each panel; a great idea that perfectly captures the essence of these two wild films.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Bollywood Horror and Other Upcoming DVD Releases

2006-06-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

Bollywood Horror - pt1

Here is part one of a featurette that will be included in Mondo Macabro's forthcoming Bollywood Horror Collection. The first volume will feature the films Bandh Darwaza (1990), and Purana Mandir (1984) and will be released in September. You can also view part two of the featurette here.

Next, on September 12th Takashi Miike's The Great Yokai War will be released on a double-disc DVD from Tokyo Shock. You can check out the English language trailer at YouTube and the film's official Japanese site is also worth visiting.

Last, Paramount is finally going to release Let's Scare Jessica to Death on DVD, which is great news for the many fans who have been eagerly anticipating this film's DVD debut.

Land of the Dead

2006-06-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

Land of Dead (2005)

Here's a review of Romero's Land of the Dead that I wrote last year after attending an advance screening.

It was with some minor trepidation that I entered the theater for an advance screening of George A. Romero’s fourth installment to his now classic series of zombie films, and the legendary director’s long awaited and much anticipated return to the big screen. My own anticipation, amplified by my sincerest hope that the film would be good, and of the caliber of Romero’s best work during the prime years of his career, was the main cause for my trepidation. Well, that and the movie’s trailer.

To be honest, after first seeing the trailer for Land of the Dead a few months ago I was rather underwhelmed, feeling that the best parts of the preview were the clips taken from Romero’s previous films and inserted into the trailer rather than the flashes of new footage. Now I’ve seen plenty of good trailers for bad movies and good movies with bad trailers, so I’m usually leery of making any snap judgments based on these rapidly edited collisions of seat-rattling sound and celluloid. Despite the fact that the trailer did little to boost my confidence in the film or assuage my trepidation, I’m genuinely glad to report that shortly after the lights went down in the theater, and the indelible black and white Universal logo of yesteryear flickered across the screen, as odd as it may sound, a great deal of boosting and assuaging began to take place.

Land of the Dead is set in a period defined simply, and somewhat bluntly, as Today. As the title of the film might suggest, the world of today is a grim, gray, desolate place, populated by humans who might be described in similar terms, and overrun by hordes of flesh-munching zombies. The humans are split into a basic hierarchy of the haves and the have-nots. The haves live in a high-rise dubbed Fiddler’s Green, the inside of which is a kind of mall-nirvana (which I’ve dubbed mallvana) overseen by the the dictator-like Kaufman - played by an unusually low-key Dennis Hopper. From inside his plushly furnished penthouse Kaufman plays puppeteer to the population living forty-stories beneath him (the literal and figurative lower-classes) with all manner of vice and distraction - including a kind of zombie blood sport in which one can bet on ravenous zombies as they combat over various fleshy foods whether it be cats, dogs or Asia Argento (as a prostitute named Slack).

Eager to escape this lifeless existence and take his chances by moving north to Canada is the character Riley ( Simon Baker) and his scar-faced comrade-in-arms Charlie (Robert Joy). Riley’s foil is Cholo (John Leguizamo) an enterprising and aspiring social climber who has his lower-class eyes and heart set on an upscale pad inside the Fiddler’s Green high-rise. When his dreams are dashed by Kaufman, Cholo attempts to escape from the societal cage by illegally commandeering a heavily armed and armored zombie combat vehicle humorously called Dead Reckoning. Cholo threatens to turn Dead Reckoning loose on the “living” unless his demands are met. Riley is sent out to track down Cholo and bring back the combat vehicle before Cholo makes good on his threats. Along for the ride are Riley’s sharp shooting chum Charlie, Slack, and some uninvited but heavily armed guests.

And then there are the zombies. While the living are splintering into groups and fighting against each other, their undead enemies are assembling into one large gutchomping legion led by a zombie named Big Daddy( Eugene Clark) . Under his tutelage, the zombies look to be learning a few new tricks, or are remembering a few old ones, and are quickly evolving as they slowly shuffle their tattered forms towards the boundaries of the city and its unsuspecting populace.

I hoped that Land of the Dead would be a good film, but it turns out that Romero has created what is quite honestly a fantastic and exhilarating, blood-drenched piece of horror cinema. It is without a doubt a George Romero movie and it is a real joy to see the great director in such fine form. Universal has given the neglected horror auteur his first modest budget in years and he has done wonders with it, creating the kind of intelligent and entertaining horror film that he is known and admired for by fans and critics alike.

While there are a number of “psychological horror films” and directors who specialize in such, George Romero could be described as a master of the sociological horror film, and for anyone interested, Land of the Dead is teeming with social critique. There are occasions in Land of the Dead when Romero has a tendency to be a little too on the nose, and drives the point home maybe once too often and too hard, but to a great extent the social commentary only enriches the film. Also, for anyone who finds Trotskyist, Marxist ideologies a snooze, fear not, the movie is crawling with enough zombies and blood-spattered action scenes to balance and complement the social commentary.

The film looks great. The cinematography and overall visual feel of the movie is appropriately dark and gloomy and at times remarkably atmospheric. The zombie makeup is wonderful, and it is apparent that Romero and makeup effects supervisor Gregory Nicotero, and costume designer Alex Kavanagh, went to great lengths to make sure each zombie had a distinct look. The special effects are, well, effective and except for a couple of instances the CGI that is used looks pretty good and blends with the rest of the film.

Oh, and the gore. Well I’m glad to say that Romero douses the audience in brimming buckets of it; viscera vomits profusely from bodies and zombies greedily gorge on slimy red intestines and dripping hunks of flesh. At times the bloodletting in Land of the Dead seemed like a gorified union between the comedic carnage of Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive and the face-ripping, tendon-tearing bloodlust of Lucio Fulci’s Zombie.

The script itself has no fat on it, coming in at a very lean 88 minutes. Initially I was slightly concerned that this seemed a little short, but I left the screening feeling that the running time felt just about right. Romero manages to pepper scenes and the story with subtle touches, and throughout most of the film the writing is of a high caliber. That being said, I would have liked a little more character development in a couple of instances and once or twice we lose characters for longer than we should. I also felt that the film would have benefitted from dwelling in the city and its stratified makeup a little bit longer, but Romero does do a good job of giving you an overview of, and overall feel for the city in a remarkably short time.

The dialogue is quite good and is often suitably humorous, and the acting, which sometimes seems a little weak in Romero’s films, is actually pretty damn good as well. The only real quibble I had in this area was that Big Daddy’s inarticulate rage did begin to wear on me after a while. Finally, some viewers may want a little more conclusion to their endings, but I thought the ending for Land of the Dead worked. It’s also apparent that Romero has given himself a road to travel down if (fingers crossed) he should make another zombie film.

Like most people, I like to cheer for the underdog, and with a career that appeared to be lurching away like a rotting zombie towards the sunset, it was my hope that Romero’s return to what originally brought his career to life, zombies, might also be the very thing that could bring the great director’s career back from the dead . With Land of the Dead I believe that it has.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

The Devil's Sword

2006-06-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

The Devil's Sword (1984)

A flame-lashed, smoke-tailed meteorite crashes to earth, setting aflame the rural area, and the mind of an aged, gray-bearded fellow who finds the fiery space rock glowing hotly and beeping quirkily nearby. Perhaps wizened, but by no means unwise, the sagacious elder (beset by a blustery wind and a collapsing hut) transforms the smoldering meteor into a longish, unwieldy-looking sword. However, this is not your average longish, unwieldy-looking sword. No friends, this instrument of death is indeed the one...the only...longish, unwieldy-looking Devil's Sword!

In a local village, a man who looks both sleepy and bored is sacrificed to the infamous Crocodile Queen. (Note: Sacrifice meaning he dives into the water and swims to the Croc Queen's cavernous underground lair, where he is then greeted and fitted for a brightly colored headband. This, apart from that rather distressing headband, may explain the sacrificee's lack of concern.) Amidst a throng of women, the Crocodile Queen, dressed like the lone survivor of a disco ball accident, luxuriates on her toothsomely canopied bed and bids her headbanded harem of men, come hither. Thus ensues the most torrid, garishly-costumed gang-smooching I've ever witnessed (Spring Sing '87 be damned), but one which I simply haven't the stomach to relate.

Back at the village, a wedding ceremony is rudely interrupted by the impromptu arrival of an evil warrior riding a giant floating boulder, laughing maniacally - more a comment on his mode of transportation, I believe, than any evildoing that may transpire. The warrior has been sent by the Crocodile Queen to stop the wedding, so a-stopping he must do. Consequently, a battle quickly ensues between the entire village and the warrior.

The village gets its ass kicked.

Yet, all is not lost, for in the distance a good warrior named Mandala, sitting atop a hill and astride his trusty horse, (in lieu of an airborne boulder I suppose) has looked on patiently while the village below has taken a profoundly thorough shellacking. At last, however, Mandala arrives fashionably late and confronts the evil warrior, first with a stern lecture and then with a discourse comprised of punches, kicks, and an abundance of swordplay. With Mandala having the clear upper hand, the evil warrior summons a group of crocodile men, who burst from the earth and mercilessly attack Mandala. At last, the evil warrior manages to kidnap the groom, delivering him to the Crocodile Queen, who is eager to press her hot, royal lips to some newly acquired man-chest.

When Mandala discovers later that his master is dying from "poison of fire snake"(symptom: profuse bleeding from kneecaps - cure: lopping off legs) and that a band of evil warriors who attacked Mandala's master are trying to get their grubby hands on the legendary Devil's Sword, Mandala's mission grows increasingly difficult, exceedingly dangerous, and yes, even more convoluted.

The Devil's Sword might very well be the brightest jewel in Mondo Macabro's treasure box of decidedly warped Indonesian cinema. The crackpot story and goofy characters are endlessly amusing, the acting, if it can be called that, is deliciously ridiculous, as is the dubbed dialogue. For example lines like, "Hear this: you'll regret this, you polluted bitch hound!" abound in a film that is chock-full of supremely silly scenes and nonsense at its most loonily entertaining.

The fight sequences are The Devil's Sword's "finest" attribute. Curiously choreographed and verging on chaotic, these are martial arts sequences quite unlike any others I've seen. Strange stances, midair combat that looks more like footsies in flight, fountains of arterial spray, limb-lopping weapons, wind-hatching parasols, black magic, and decapitations aplenty, all add up to spawn some insanely zany action set pieces. Add to this a low-budget action sequence "inspired" by the famous opening to Raiders of the Lost Ark (substituting the giant ball of stone for a giant stone cyclops) and you'll be wondering if the pervasive smoke that accompanies many scenes can be attributed solely to a fog machine.

Star Barry Prima has a nice screen presence, made all the more exceptional by the extras that populate the screen and appear to be thinking solely about what they're going to have for lunch. It's also good fun to watch Prima as the long-maned (surely the envy of his trusty steed) hero, throw himself wholeheartedly into the role, do battle with a bunch of crazily costumed foes, and still have time for some sweet, sweet loving with that kiss-crazy Crocodile Queen.

To be sure, this everything and the kitchen sink approach makes The Devil's Sword a hilarious, off-the-wall classic that should have fans of bizarre cinema salting their popcorn with tears of joy.

Mondo Macabro's restoration of the film, using the original negative, is absolutely outstanding, especially considering the obscurity of The Devil's Sword. The film is dubbed in English, horribly, which in the case of The Devil's Sword really adds rather than detracts. Also, as usual, Mondo Macabro has included some excellent extras to accompany the film. They include three text essays, one on the film, another concerning star Barry Prima, and the last details the historical significance of swords - as it turns out, swords fashioned from meteorites are actually historically accurate. The most prominent, and entertaining extra is an interview with the purportedly reclusive Barry Prima. Prima is a difficult and unforthcoming interviewee, to say the very least, but it's interesting to watch, in a rubbernecking sort of way (though I felt bad for the interviewer who makes a valiant effort). However, I'm glad Mondo Macabro chose to include the interview as an extra on what is truly an excellent DVD.

So be sure to grab a copy on July 27th, and bask in some of that potent, muscle-bound "Prima Power"!

Related and recommended product links:

The Devil's Sword
Lady Terminator
Virgins From Hell
Dangerous Seductress

Also, if you haven't already, be sure to take a look at my review of Mondo Macabro's Virgins From Hell!

Jan Svankmajer's Food (Part One - Breakfast)

2006-06-03T02:07:00.000-07:00

Jan Svankmajer's Food (Part One - Breakfast)

Here is the first segment, entitled Breakfast, from Surrealist filmmaker/animator Jan Svankmajer's short film Food. Pull up a place mat, tie on your bib and dig in!

If you still have an appetite here is Lunch and Dinner.

The Uninvited

2006-05-31T13:56:00.000-07:00

The Uninvited (2003)

Aboard a subway and on his way home, Jung-won dozes his way through several stops, at last startled awake as the train rumbles to its final destination. Collecting himself, the weary traveler exits the train and notices two young girls seated across from each other, apparently asleep and unattended. Still befogged by the residue of sleep, and the surprise and confusion of finding the two children, Jung-won is uncertain what to do and can only watch from the platform as the subway train speeds away, plunging into the darkness with the two little girls still aboard.

With a successful career as an interior designer and a loving, if somewhat domineering, fiance, Jung-won appears to have a stable and comfortable life. However, when he learns later that the children on the train were found dead, he becomes haunted by the two girls, whom he finds seated, much as they were on the train, in his kitchen. Frightened he flees his apartment, but to little avail as the dead girls haunt his dreams and ultimately stir up horrific memories that Jung-won had long-ago buried.

As the delicate threads of his life, sanity and future continue to unravel, the puzzling fragments of Jung-won's past begin to fit together after he meets a young woman named Yun who suffers from narcolepsy and is susceptible to psychic phenomena. With Yun's help Jung-won is able to at last unearth the past that haunts him - but as it turns out, some memories, like those on the train, are perhaps better left undisturbed.

The Uninvited is the type of horror film that, rather than conforming to any strict definitions that dictate the genre, illustrates what a varied and expansive genre horror really is. I'm certain many viewers would not even consider The Uninvited a horror film. However, as I see it, those viewers have cast the genre into a rather strict definition that restrains and limits horror cinema's inherent potential and scope.

These limitations seem to be more staunchly enforced by viewers of horror films than say, readers of horror literature (even when these people are one and the same). Horror literature is extremely varied and wide-ranging, and enjoys a far more liberal definition than its filmic counterpart. In this regard, The Uninvited has more in common with the elegant horror stories of Shirley Jackson than it does with the majority of movies that, for many today, define horror cinema.

In The Uninvited, ghosts serve as the catalyst that propels the main character into his own past - a childhood scarred by a series of haunting and disturbing events that, as a common survival mechanism, he has blocked from his mind. As with many great ghost stories, the main character is haunted by what appear to be both literal ghosts, in the form of the girls on the train, as well as the figurative ghosts from his tragic childhood. To a large extent the film successfully weaves the two together, leaving the viewer to decide if the ghosts are real, allegorical, exist solely due to the character's mental state, or perhaps even all of the above.

The film's story is filled with a lot of interesting ideas and subtle touches, and the writer/director of The Uninvited, Su-Yeon Lee, does an admirable job creating a compelling and sophisticated film that visually complements the material. In particular, Lee, with the help of cinematographer Yeong-gyu Jo, excels at creating images and composing shots that mirror and make visible the inner workings of his characters. The somber and somewhat austere look of the film also serves this function, in addition to creating a convincing and palpable atmosphere.

A foreseeable problem for some viewers will be the film's pacing. The Uninvited is rather slowly paced - some might even go so far as to call it downright sluggish. However, the interesting and compelling story, bolstered by strong performances and first-rate filmmaking, should be enough to carry thoughtful viewers through some of The Uninvited's slower passages. In fact, the deliberate pace of the film actually lends a startling contrast to those moments which are punctuated by some truly unsettling and horrific imagery. In and of themselves, these scenes are quite strong, however, that the film slowly builds to these shocking moments makes them all the more effective.

The dedicated people at Panik House Entertainment have brought The Uninvited to DVD in what is being called "the world definitive edition." Given the packaging, presentation and immensity of extras, it would indeed be difficult to argue with this claim. The film has been digitally remastered and the DVD features the uncut version of the film. Special features include, a behind-the-scenes featurette that documents the making of the film, an interview with the stars of The Uninvited, Ji-hyun Jun and Shin-yang Park, an abridged fifteen minute version of the film titled The Uninvited Condensed, two commentaries (one in English, the other in Spanish), a trailer for the film, poster and still galleries, production notes, an essay on Korean horror written by Art Black, storyboard comparisons, bios, soundtrack samples, and lastly, a collectible sticker.

In short, The Uninvited is an admirable film that rewards careful viewing, and which will hopefully find a wider audience now that it is being released on this excellent DVD from Panik House.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

42nd Street Forever

2006-05-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

Long gone are the halcyon days of stumbling into a dingy, rundown movie theater and being treated to a diverse selection of equally unwholesome films, ranging from trashy sleaze-fests with titles like "The Three Dimensions of Greta" to bizarre hybrids like the biker film / monster movie oddity "Werewolves on Wheels." Sure, afterward you might have to disinfect your clothing and take a long hot shower in an attempt to wash away all the foreign bacteria and guilt - but of course, no matter how vigorously or liberally you applied that bar of Ivory, there was just no chance of washing those damn coming attractions out of your head! So sooner, rather than later, you would find yourself once again seated in the same soiled seat, ogling that cinematic sleaze with a big grin smeared across your face.

Unfortunately, as usual I have no idea what I'm talking about, but this is how I imagine it might have been going to see movies in one of those theaters for which 42nd Street in New York City was so well known. However, the clever lads over at Synapse films have seen fit to give us a tempting little taste of this bygone era by releasing their first volume of exploitation trailers entitled, 42nd Street Forever.

This nifty compilation DVD really runs the gamut and gives the viewer a good idea of the eclectic mix of exploitation films that graced the screens of many a seedy theater. Sexploitation, science fiction, mondo cinema, crime films, horror, martial arts, blaxploitation, Japanese monster movies, thrillers, and even a sword and sandal epic are all present and accounted for. As anyone who has watched some of these films knows, more often than not, the film's trailer usually far surpasses the film itself - so it's good fun to be able to just kick back and watch a bunch of these sleazy cinematic snapshots one after another. And what's more, that pesky post screening shower is now purely optional.

Synapse films has compiled nearly 50 trailers for your viewing pleasure, and thankfully they are presented in all their scratched up, gritty glory, thus retaining their nostalgic value. There are no extras (perhaps a documentary on the 42nd Street theater scene, or something along these lines would have been welcome) however, with 128 minutes worth of trailers, there is enough to keep most exploitation junkies happy until Synapse releases Volume 2.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

CasaNegra Entertainment

2006-05-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

Here is some information about a new division of Panik House Entertainment called CasaNegra that will focus on Mexican cinema. As with Panik House, CasaNegra is endeavoring to give films that are largely unknown outside of their native country the deluxe re-mastered, bonus-brimming DVD treatment, for today's movie watchers in search of little-seen cinematic delights. Thus far 19 films have been secured for distribution by CasaNegra, the first 4 of which are horror films. So, here is the info on these four forthcoming releases, with images and a couple of trailers. Enjoy!

Curse Of The Crying Woman (1961, Mexico)

Based on the Mexican legend of La Llorona, The Curse of the Crying Woman After a phantom figure attacks her horse-drawn carriage in the woods, young Amelia (Rosa Arenas) flees to the gothic mansion of her Aunt Selma (Rita Macedo). Soon thereafter, Amelia uncovers dark family secrets, including rumors of torture, murder and witchcraft! Each sinister revelation exposes a more diabolical mystery. Whose charred corpse lay buried in the family crypt? Why does Aunt Selma cast no reflection? And finally: What terrors will be unleashed by The Curse of the Crying Woman?

CasaNegra Entertainment is proud to present Curse of the Crying Woman in an all-new world definitive edition. Digitally re-mastered, uncut and uncensored.

EXTRAS:
• Completely Re-mastered Picture & Sound from Newly Restored 35 MM Vault Elements
• Original Un-cut Spanish Language Version
• Optional English Subtitles
• Bilingual Menus in English & Spanish
• Audio Commentary Mexican Cinema Expert Michael Liuzza
• Full Color Booklet: The Legend of Llorona by Entertainment Weekly’s Peter Landau
• Six Newly Designed Loteria Cards from CasaNegra’s Exclusive Mexican Horror Film Set
• Essay on Legendary Actor, Filmmaker Rafael Baledon by Film Historian David Wilt
• Exclusive “No Strings Attached” Re-digitized Version of the Film
• Cast Biographies
• Poster and Stills Gallery

Film Info
1961
80 Mins.
B&W
Not Rated
1:33 Aspect Ratio

Technical Info
Region 1-NTSC
Spanish Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Optional English Subtitles

Curse of the Crying Woman trailer

The Witch's Mirror (1960, Mexico)
"Chano Urueta's The Witch's Mirror is an exercise in pure cinema, in which countless allusions to previous movies and a virtual catalog of special effects techniques are used to illustrate a delirious tale of witchcraft vs. mad science." - Mexican Film Historian David Wilt

A benevolent witch (Isabela Corona) enchants a magic mirror to protect her adopted daughter Elena (Dina de Marco) from her cruel husband (Armando Calvo). When the incantation fails and the girl is murdered, the witch vows revenge using every unholy principle of the supernatural that she can conjure. An unforgettable foray into black magic, high spookery and dazzling storytelling, CasaNegra is proud to present The Witch’s Mirror restored and re-mastered for the first time on DVD in a brand new transfer – including the blasphemous resurrection of the slain Elena!

CasaNegra Entertainment is proud to present The Witch’s Mirror in an all-new world definitive edition. Digitally re-mastered, uncut and uncensored.

EXTRAS:
• Completely Re-mastered Picture & Sound from Newly Restored 35 MM Vault Elements
• Original Un-cut Spanish Language Version
• Optional English Subtitles
• Bilingual Menus in English & Spanish
• Audio Commentary by IVTV founder Frank Coleman
• Essay: Chanovision: The Films of Cult Filmmaker Chano Urueta.
• Six Newly Designed Loteria Cards from CasaNegra’s Exclusive Mexican Horror Film Set
• Cast & Crew Biographies
• Poster and Stills Gallery

Film Info
1960
75 Mins.
B&W
Not Rated
1:33 Aspect Ratio

Technical Info
Region 1-NTSC
Spanish Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Optional English Subtitles

The Witch's Mirror trailer

The Black Pit of Dr. M (1958, Mexico)

Misterios de Ultratumba
“A Masterpiece! Plain and Simple....”
~imdb.com

By day, Dr. Mazali (Rafael Bertrand) runs an insane asylum. By night, he lashes out at the veil between this life and the next, desperate to contact his former partner, Dr. Harrison Aldeman (Jacinto Aldama), who was executed for a crime he did not commit. What follows is madness, tragedy, agonizing violence and the unrelenting horror of infinite damnation.

The Black Pit of Dr. M is a masterpiece of gothic filmmaking punctuated by shocking jolts and beautiful imagery that render it years ahead of its time. It is also a major accomplishment in chilling tone, unsettling atmosphere and wildly inventive storytelling.

CasaNegra is proud to present this much sought-after classic digitally remastered and uncut for the first time on DVD.

Special Features:

* Original Uncut Version
* Completely Re-Mastered Picture & Sound from Newly Restored Vault Elements
* Bilingual Menus in English & Spanish
* Photo Essay: Mexican Monsters Invade the U.S.
* Exclusive Black Pit of Dr. M Rock Video composed by 21st Century Art
* Biography on Director Fernando Mendez By Film Historian David Wilt
* Audio Commentary by IVTV founder Frank Coleman
* Exclusive CasaNegra Loteria Game Card
* Cast Biographies
* Original Theatrical Trailer
* Poster and Stills Gallery

FIlm Info
1958
82 Mins.
B&W
Not Rated
1:33 Aspect Ratio

Technical Info
Region 1-NTSC
Spanish Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Optional English Subtitles

Brainiac (Mexico, 1962)

El Barón del terror
“A landmark in cult film history.”
~Rob Craig - Kgordonmurray.com

CasaNegra Entertainment presents Mexico's all-time horror classic Brainiac.

The year is 1661. Baron Vitelius (Abel Salazar) stands accused of consorting with the devil. The penalty: death. Cursing his inquisitors as they burn him at the stake, the Baron’s revenge comes 300 years later, in the form of a horrifying fork-tongued incarnation of the Baron, hellbent on devouring the brains of the descendents of those who killed him. As bodies pile up, the police become mystified. Who is draining the skulls of local call-girls and well-to-do banquet-goers alike? And, more importantly, how many flamethrowers will it take to stop him? Brainiac is the supernatural cult classic that has been beloved for decades by fans of spook-show matinees and late-night monster movie marathons.

Famously imported to the U.S. by exploitation icon K. Gordon Murray in the 1960s, Brainiac is at once lurid and loony, unnerving and uproarious, spellbinding and surreal.

CasaNegra is proud to present this milestone of Mexican cinema digitally remastered and uncut for the first time on DVD.

Special Features:

* Original Uncut Version
* Completely Re-Mastered Picture & Sound from Newly Restored Vault Elements
* Bilingual Menus in English & Spanish
* Essay: Keep Repeating, It’s only the Most Bizzare Horror Film Ever Made. By Casamiro Buneavista
* The Official Brainiac “Interactive” Press Kit
* Audio Commentary by Kirb Pheeler, Creator of the Brainiac Interactive Press Kit
* Original 1969 U.S. Theatrical Release Radio Spot
* Exclusive CasaNegra Loteria Card Game
* Cast & Crew Biographies
* Poster & Stills Gallery

FIlm Info
1961
77 Mins.
B&W
Not Rated
1:33 Aspect Ratio

Technical Info
Region 1-NTSC
Spanish Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Optional English Subtitles

The Black Pit of Dr. M and Brainiac will be released on August 29th. Until then The Curse of the Crying Woman and The Witch's Mirror can be purchased at Amazon.

Synopses, images and trailers courtesy of CasaNegra Entertainment

MirrorMask

2006-05-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

MirrorMask (2005)

Review by Michelle Lopes

In 2005 a brilliant illustrator co-wrote, designed, and directed a live action film of unspeakable beauty and an inscrutable nature. Mirrormask, directed by Dave McKean and co-written by his colleague Neil Gaiman, is a treasure worth unburying and taking a good close look at. The wealth of this film, uncommon in a world of straight-forward plots and images, does not lie in a story that is easily digested, but in its plethora of metaphoric storytelling and the emotional impact raw symbols can carry - if well-crafted. Every symbol in Mirrormask is deliciously honed - a treat.

The general plot the film uses is very simple, but deceptively so: a girl (Helena) just blooming into adolescence quarrels with her mother and speaks the fatal wish - that she wants to be the death of her mother, literally. Her mother is soon after rushed to a hospital, where it is discovered that she has a brain tumor. The night before the operation, Helena falls asleep and enters a world that she has created in drawings previously. While in her dream-state, she embarks on a symbolic quest to cure her mother and come to terms with her encroaching age. During the quest Helena encounters flying books, toothsome sphinxes, orbiting giants, betrayal, and creatures and plants of considerable imagination and beauty. Whether she will succeed in her quest, or whether the dream world will fully impact and change the course of the real world, is the driving question.

However, the story the film engages in is not nearly as simple as the naked structure of the plot. The story is rich with mystery, obfuscation, and symbolism; much of which is purely a delight to mull over. Interestingly enough, the differences between story and plot are reflected in the very design of the film’s art direction - where simple lines and flatness is often projected onto three-dimensional surfaces that are either animated, or part of costume and set design (i.e. masks, walls, and other props).

What is important about this film is not to lose yourself in the film’s obfuscations, but to enjoy being lost. Space in Mirrormask’s dream world is often indistinct, floating, both spatially flat and deep. So too are multiple, smaller stories often given in the course of the tale - a creation myth for the dream world, for example, is told to Helena by a librarian - acting as an indistinct component that may never become completely clear, but adds to the film’s atmosphere. Small stories overlap and pull the mind into a heavy state of symbol upon symbol that can often be explained by themes. For example, duality, which is liberally found in Mirrormask, is evidenced very simply by the dream world’s geography - it has two halves, light and dark.

Accordingly, it also has two Queens - light and dark. Both of the Queens are played by the girl’s mother, and indeed do represent two aspects of the mother character. The light Queen is the girl’s incapacitated mother who lies still in the hospital, who she hopes to save by curing her with the mythic object she must quest for. The dark Queen is all of the negative aspects of the girl’s mother - she is the possessive caricature that Helena created when she quarreled with her mother before she fell ill. When the light Queen falls ill and the dark Queen scours the dream world with darkness in pursuit of a lost daughter, the dream world is threatened with destruction.

The dark Queen’s lost daughter, a dark Princess as it were, is the fulcrum for the chaos in the dream world. At her disappearance, the dark Queen becomes distraught. The dark Princess, or Anti-Helena as the credits dub her, is really Helena’s evil doppelganger. With Helena trapped in the dream world, Anti-Helena wrecks havoc in the real world. What is most delicious is that Mirrormask is ultimately a coming-of-age story, and the two Helenas neatly represent the warring factions adolescence evokes. The “good” Helena can only watch helplessly through windows at Anti-Helena’s bad behavior, perfectly illustrating the adolescent feelings of futility and disembodiement as hormones and emotions take over the body, forcing the ego to temporarily surrender to chaos. As Helena watches Anti-Helena yell at her father, Helena cries out in frustration: “Dad that’s not me! I’m right here!” And Helena is indeed “here,” inside the thoughts and therefore the body of Anti-Helena, but unable to stop herself from inflicting her growing pains on her parent.

The quest itself, appropriate as it takes place in a dream world, is rife with dream-logic. One image leads to another image, and clues are merely reflections of past images, unpredictable and yet fluid. The mythic object that Helena quests for is a Mirrormask, something that reflects and yet hides, and will grant her every wish. That is because the importance of the quest lies not in some easily discerned riddle, but in the conscious realization of her quickly changing body and desires. Early on in the story she scorns kissing and sexually defining forms of dress, but as Anti-Helena embodies these actions and modes of sexuality, Helena must acknowledge their encroaching presence. This is a story about self-discovery, too, and encountering the fear that as you grow up, you endanger the worlds of thought you created as a child. It is up to Helena, then, to literally and figuratively save her own world, to preserve her own self despite the onslaught of growth and all the traits a growing girl will come to possess, willingly or unwillingly.

In the tradition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Tetsuo: Iron Man, Mirrormask is a stylistically conscious combination of animation and live action. Often the world the characters inhabit is completely created within a computer, and to handsome effect, with few exceptions. Particularly disappointing were the flying schools of fish, which were too perfectly shaped - resembling the Jesus fish found on the bumpers of Buicks with bad transmissions - and would have been benefitted by mimicking the illustrations of fish that Dave McKean obviously drew and photographed on Helena’s wall. In fact, the weakest points of the film lay in a lot of the 3D animation, but overall it’s not so distracting as to provoke any real dismay. One 3-dimensional character, a sort of quilled platypus lackey for the dark Queen, is extremely well animated and comes across as not only believable, but very well-acted. A lot of the texturing was quite good, and obviously slaved over in Photoshop, and looks great. The lighting, equally embellished in the world of the machine, is delectable.

The most damning, and hideous aspect of Mirrormask, is the godawful music. For the majority of the film you are trapped in some musack-y nightmare that would force jazz fans to excuse themselves for a brief trip to the restroom before the first fifteen minutes were over. Any good filmgoer, however, can easily tune bad music out when forced to - as you will be if you watch Mirrormask. If you want to sacrifice the beautiful foley and other sound design elements, you could always watch it subtitled, but the rest of the sound composition really is quite good, so that would be a shame. No, better to face the demon in the eye and give it a good slapping. You won’t be scarred for life, just for the length of the film.

Pacing in Mirrormask is slow, but delicious. It is slow in the sense that thinking is slow and growth is slow - the film deliberately gives you time to relish the spirals each new symbol can send you down. Impatient viewers who do not enjoy getting spatially and intellectually lost will encounter problems with the pacing because they are not throwing themselves into the nature of the film. Mirrormask is, easily, more art than diversion.

Lose yourself within a rare genre - that of the stylistically emphatic live action/animated film - a personal favourite, and a fine way to spend an evening or two. The DVD offers a commentary by Dave McKean and Neil Gaiman, and some really interesting interviews with the duo as well as the Head Henson at Jim Henson studios. You will only regret you didn’t see it in the movie theater.

Reviewed by Miss Meat

Funny Man

2006-05-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

Funny Man (1994)

The term cult film, just like the label independent film, has been co-opted by major media pimps who have used it so much and so often that it's now just another loose, meaningless advertising slogan. In fact, nowadays when I hear the term cult film, I'm reminded of a 48 year-old hooker named Ruby from Carson City, Nevada - the only thing either of them can arouse are my suspicions. It's fair to say that in either case, I'm just not feelin' it anymore.

How many times have you heard silly advertising quotes like, "a cult classic in the making, or "a certifiable cult classic," for crap movies that have just been released, or worse, haven't even come out yet? Seriously... whoever's doing this certifying in advance should simply have their wrists broken. That's all I'm sayi... uh, hold on just a sec while I check something...

For a film to gain any kind of cult classic status, it would seem that perhaps the movie should at least be released so people can watch the damn thing first! After this important step, let the film's small group of devotees jig in the theater aisles, and with prescient tears streaming down their faces proclaim, "By God friends, I believe we have a cult classic on our hands!"

Or even more important than this, it seems necessary that a film be around for a few years before it's dubbed a classic of any kind. After this, if the film has aged well - unlike our friend Ruby - and has gained rather than lost its appeal, then by all means, let the classic-christening commence.

Which at last brings us to the end of my finger-wagging and to the film in question, Funny Man.

From what I gather, Funny Man is something of a minor cult classic, particularly in its country of origin, England. The film, which was released in 1994, and therefore does have a few years under its belt, has had a sketchy release history in the United States. However, the cult-classic-loving cineastes over at Subversive Cinema have set out to change all of that with a snazzy, extras-packed, uncut DVD release of the movie.

So is Funny Man deserved of the label cult classic? Well, I suppose that depends on the viewer, really. It has what some might consider "cult classic" ingredients; a small number of devoted fans, an offbeat humor and sensibility, outlandish characters, winks and nods aplenty, cartoonish violence, a willy-nilly narrative, plenty of camp value, and an appearance/cameo by horror/cult icon Christopher Lee. And so, with all these elements in place it should be a done deal, right? Um... not so fast. Put it this way, I have just about everything I need to make Baked Alaska in my kitchen, but there isn't a frozen prayer's chance in Hell I can make it.

To put it more clearly, and without the clutter of a baking or hooker analogy - if the Funny Man is a classic, I simply don't belong to its cult.

The set-up for Funny Man is extremely run-of-the-mill: a not-so-funny man and his family enter a strange house with a secret (which in this case, said man has won playing high-stakes poker) and bad things (in the form of said secret) befall the family.

The good thing about the Funny Man is the film takes this mostly pedestrian premise and does some unlikely things with it. Make the father a record executive with a fiendish cocaine habit; kill off the rest of the family real quick-like; incorporate some snippets from Alice and Wonderland and have Christopher Lee read them; introduce a batch of new, outlandish characters - for example, record exec's wanna-be rock star bro, a woman dressed exactly like Velma from Scooby Doo named Thelma, and an afro-coiffured psychic with commando skills, a mutating hand and lots of Jamaican jargon - and let the fun times begin. (I think after that sentence I either owe everyone an apology, or a complementary bookmark. Your choice).

The bad thing about the Funny Man is that it's just not that funny, man (those doubting my qualifications to judge "the funny" have just been properly chastened I believe... zing!). The film has its fair share of smiles and chuckles, and one line that made milk come out of my nose (and I wasn't even drinking milk!!) but unfortunately, a lot of the humor just isn't very humorous. All the same, the film is somewhat amusing and diverting enough, and is continually unpredictable - all of which helps hold one's interest, of course.

The film also deserves some additional credit. There is no shortage of imagination, even if the scarcity of a budget sometimes detracts from some of the film's more creative aspirations. However, overall the filmmakers were quite inventive and resourceful and managed to make a film that, at least in terms of its visuals, surpasses what one might expect given the monetary limitations with which the film was bound.

As for the titular terror, the Funny Man is a demonic jester that kills off characters in some entertainingly elaborate and moderately ghastly ways. The Funny Man's shtick does wear rather thin at times, and some of the jokes might very well leave you groaning and feeling like the victim, but his murderous methods are often comical, and at the very least, amusing. Think of the Leprechaun, slightly taller, but with a sizeable codpiece. Add to this some well-done low-tech special effects, and it all combines to make for a decent amount of fun.

The Funny Man actually began as a short film which approached the material in a far more serious manner. A demonic jester as the baddie seems more than a bit silly, so perhaps it was a good idea to play it all for laughs. Nevertheless, the DVD contains the original short, so viewers can judge for themselves.

This addition is kind of a mixed blessing however, because honestly, in terms of story, the feature length film doesn't add much to the short film. Rather, it uses the same story and then merely incorporates the outlandish characters which allows the killing spree to be extended for over an hour. Considering that the film doesn't become a complete bore is certainly something, and yet, anyone looking for a good story or plot might want to look elsewhere.

Subversive Cinema has proven to be another exceptional DVD company that takes a great deal of care with its under-the-radar releases, and the Funny Man is a fine example of their dedication. The film, which looks very good, is accompanied with an optional commentary track with writer/director Simon Sprackling, and the Funny Man himself, Tim James. Additional extras include a featurette entitled "Sorting the Funny Man" which gives viewers an eye-opening, humorous look at the making of the film, and includes interesting facts, such as the filmmakers wrangling their way into using the village set for Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein at Shepperton Studios, repainting it in primary colors, and then nearly burning the whole thing down!

As mentioned, the DVD also includes the original short film, as well as a short interview with Christopher Lee, a "Pop Promo" in which the Funny Man makes merry at the Cannes Film festival (set to a silly tune that has Christopher Lee and a chorus of children singing about that silly ol' Funny Man), the theatrical trailer, a trailer for the short film, and a seriously funny 8-page production diary that the director kept during the making of the film.

In all its a special edition DVD that should have fans of the film bowing at the altar of Subversive Cinema, and allows those curious to see the movie an opportunity to finally view the Funny Man in all his codpiece-thrusting glory.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

For Your Height Only

2006-05-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

For Your Height Only (1979), Challenge of the Tiger (1980)

The third volume in Mondo Macabro's "Dick Randall Collection" trumpets the arrival of Weng Weng as Agent 00 in the whacky spy spectacular "For Your Height Only." As a second feature, the DVD also includes the Bruce Le vehicle "Challenge of the Tiger." Although the DVD is humorously touted as being a "Low Kicking, High Kicking Double Feature," the emphasis seems slightly more focused on For Your Height Only (as is this review), and rightfully so, as this movie proves to be a truly zany, ridiculously funny piece of filmic absurdity.

For Your Height Only opens with a group of thugs kidnapping a doctor whose plane has just recently touched down in the Philippines. The panic-stricken doctor pleads for his release, reminding his vicious captors that he is merely a guest in their country - but alas, the doctor protests too much. See, these men are not simply rowdy street rascals! Rather, they are members of a crime syndicate led by the mysterious Mr. Giant who is bent on doing stuff that is really bad and oft times equally mean.

Thus enters Weng Weng as the dapper white suit-wearing, "small" talk-hating, three-foot-tall ball-smashing secret agent known as 00. When he's not proving to the ladies that "size doesn't matter," or shaking his moneymaker at the local dicotheque, Agent 00 attempts to bring the syndicate to its knees (usually with a swift kick to the testicles) so that he can then rain a barrage of tiny bitch slaps upon any fool who crosses him in his search for the aptly named, Hidden Island. Perhaps outnumbered, but never outsmarted or outclassed, Agent 00 breaks bones without breaking a sweat, leading him closer to his inevitable showdown with Mr. Giant, and leaving his bruised and battered foes to wonder whether they'll ever manage to get their hands on that slippery little Weng.

Anyone attempting to watch a movie about a midget spy titled For Your Height Only and expecting "great cinema" will surely be disappointed. However, if this is the case, you're obviously not the smartest dress in the shop window and certainly all too familiar with the sharp sting of disappointment. For the rest of you, this is some really sublime stuff. The numerous fight sequences are silly, but fun (there's enough crotch violence to give even Bob Saget pause) and are usually highlighted by Agent 00's many gadgets (boomerang hat, x-ray glasses, mini jet-pack...) and his very unorthodox fighting "technique." Suffice it to say, if you think the only thing worthwhile to ever come out of Manila was envelopes, then you're in for a small surprise named Weng Weng and a really fun time with For Your Height Only.

As mentioned, the disc also includes the Bruce Le (one of the many Bruce Lee knockoffs) in Challenge of the Tiger. The film teams Le up with costar Richard Harrison as an unlikely couple of globetrotting agents attempting to retrieve a stolen formula designed to kill human sperm, and save the world from a madman who's attempting to "blackmail the human race!"

Despite the whacky premise, Challenge of the Tiger is a far less entertaining than For Your Height Only and I had a hard time staying interested. The fight sequences are fairly pedestrian (apart from an early scene in which Bruce Le faces off with an angry bull) and for the most part, are photographed and edited in a really lackluster fashion. While this film probably doesn't deserve its own DVD release, it's nice that it is included as a second feature (with no major price increase) and I'm sure there are those who do, and will, enjoy the film.

Mondo Macabro does another great job bringing these two curios to DVD. Both films have been digitally restored and remastered in widescreen, and feature stills galleries and bios, in addition to the ever expanding Mondo Macabro trailer highlighting their past and present releases. So if you haven't already, be sure to check this disc out for big laughs from cinema's original little bad-ass, Weng Weng.

Originally published at: Horrorview.com

Recommended links:

For Your Height Only
The Deathless Devil/ Tarkan Vs. the Vikings
Lady Terminator
Virgins From Hell

The Italian Connection (La Mala Ordina)

2006-05-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

The Italian Connection (1972)

Inside a plush New York high-rise office, a bald-headed bigwig sips at a J&B on ice, while nearby a couple of equally cold-countenanced mafia hit men are chilling between killings. More than a social call, the dour duo tune in as their high-rise higher-up gives them the lowdown on a dirty-rotten double-crosser from Milan named Luca Canali. It’s believed Canali swindled the mafia on a major drug deal, so the hitmen are sent to Milan to kill Canali in gruesome grand fashion, sending a message that, lest anyone forgot, the New York mafia is not to be trifled with.

As it turns out, Luca Canali is really just a small-time pimp, his lack of wealth and lowly status compensated for with a heart of gold. Shortly after visiting with his little daughter and estranged wife, Luca is plucked off the street by a couple of mustachioed mafioso who are full of tough talk and taunts. Little do they realize however, Luca knows how to use his fists in addition to his head, literally, as the prince of pimps makes quick work of his adversaries (and a telephone) with his patented cranium-shattering head-butt.

A slightly bruised and deeply bewildered Luca soon discovers that in addition to the local mafia, a couple of mysterious men from New York are after him - but for what, he has not a clue. With bad guys and bullets chasing him down every street in Milan, clues begin to fall into place, and Luca discovers that he has been set up to take the fall for a mafia drug deal gone shady. No mere pushover pimp, Luca Canali proves to be much more than just the lowlife peddler-in-poon everyone thought by fighting back, hard, and with a bloody head-butting vengeance.

Made in 1972, and known under multiple titles including La Mala Ordina, Hit Men, Manhunt in the City, and most bafflingly, Black King Pin, the film remains a lean, high-powered action picture brimming with energy and electrifying entertainment. Directed by Fernando Di Leo with plenty of gritty gusto, the film marks the second in the director’s “Milieu Trilogy” that began with the excellent Milan Calibre 9 (Milano Calibro 9) and ended on an audacious note with The Boss (Il Boss). Of the three, however, The Italian Connection is simply superb and the very best in the trilogy.

As per usual, Di Leo is credited with having written the bulk of the screenplay for The Italian Connection, which is an exceptional, airtight exercise in running a protagonist through a nerve-splintering gauntlet. A common screenwriting analogy for this equally conventional approach to heightening conflict, is to put your protagonist in a tree and then hurl rocks at the poor sod - which in the case of The Italian Connection is more like Di Leo lobbing grenades at Luca Canali and trying to blow the analogous tree to tiny proverbial pieces. In all, the director’s no-holds-barred story and aggressive filmmaking techniques add up to an exciting film that escalates relentlessly towards its memorably ferocious finale.

To be certain, one of the film’s finest moments is a beautifully executed, seven minute pressure cooker chase sequence wherein Luca Canali wildly pursues one of the mafia’s goons. The energy and rage actor Mario Adorf, who plays Canali, exudes during this pursuit is truly extraordinary and powerful, packing a real visceral wallop. The chase itself is a crackling, car-mangling, windshield-shattering set piece replete with frenetic camerawork, potent editing, and a score by Armando Trovajoli that intensifies the mounting action. The entire sequence is a highlight of not only this film, but Italian genre cinema in general, and is an unforgettable example of bravura filmmaking at its breath-stealing best.

The Italian Connection features genre faves Henry Silva and Woody Strode as the two nefarious New York hit men, but as Luca Canali, this is undoubtedly Mario Adorf’s movie. With a lengthy career, that still continues to this day, Adorf was often featured in smaller roles. However, in The Italian Connection, given the rare opportunity to play the lead role, he seizes fortune by the throat and never lets go, giving an accomplished, winning performance, full of honest intensity. This extremely likeable character is the heart of the film, and it’s thrilling to see a neglected actor transform the part into the role of a lifetime.

I was fortunate to see The Italian Connection in a theater with a packed crowd, which by film’s end, was all abuzz. Although the movie loses some of its impact and power when viewed on a television screen, the film stands up extremely well today. Not currently available on U.S. DVD, Raro Video has an excellent PAL O Region two DVD collector’s edition spawned by the film’s recent revival at the 2004 Venice Film Festival - which was also aided by the support of Fernando Di Leo devotee Quentin Tarantino.

Featuring an uncut version of the film, with its original title, La Mala Ordina, the DVD’s digital transfer is exceptional, restoring the crisp, saturated colors and Franco Villa’s skillfully understated cinematography. In addition to a fine presentation of the film - which for English speaking viewers can be viewed with either its original Italian soundtrack and English subtitles, or in an English dubbed version - the Raro DVD’s extras include a documentary about the film (which is in Italian and quite frustratingly does not include any subtitles), a photo gallery and a Fernando Di Leo filmography.

While it’s not a flawless film, The Italian Connection does completely deserve its reputation as one of the finest Italian crime films of the seventies. It’s an undoubtedly great piece of pulp cinema I highly regard, enjoy, and wholeheartedly recommend!

Here is the chase sequence.

This DVD, along with the other titles in the trilogy, can be purchased at Xploited Cinema.

Recommended and related products:

Milano Calibro 9
Il Boss
Slaughter Hotel
Gambling City
Almost Human
How to Kill a Judge
The Big Racket
The Heroin Busters

The Proposition

2006-05-01T13:18:00.002-07:00

The Proposition

Australian director John Hillcoat's new film, The Proposition, erupts in a burst of bloodshed and bullets as a gang of "bushrangers" engage in a shootout with a raggedy band of policemen led by British law officer Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone). It's Stanley's job to rid the region of all good-for-naughts and he has his blazing gun-sights set on the notoriously brutal Burns brothers, who are recently most wanted for the ghastly rape and murder of a local pregnant woman.

After weathering the hail of bullets, Charlie Burns (Guy Pearce) and his fourteen-year-old brother Mikey are forced to surrender to Cpt. Stanley, who ultimately offers Charlie an intriguing proposition: if Charlie finds and kills his savage and elusive older brother, and leader of the Burns Gang, Arthur (Danny Huston) a pardon will be given to Charlie and Mikey. However, if Charlie fails to kill Arthur, on Christmas morning Mikey will be removed from the jail, ensuring that on that day - much to the delight of locals hungry for revenge - more than just mere stockings will be hung.

That's the basic setup for The Proposition - a film that is fueled more by brutal realism than nostalgic romanticism, and is simply the best Western to come down the pike in many a moon.

Director John Hillcoat has fashioned a Western that, while specific to the Australian Outback of the 1880s in which it is set, is also rooted in the Western traditions which many moviegoers, and you can count me among them, are yearning to see stirring up dust on the big screen once again. The Proposition is not merely a retread however. The film scripted by singer/songwriter Nick Cave (in a purported three weeks no less!) is an unabashed throwback to classic Western archetypes and themes, but the material has enough imagination and originality that it never feels tedious, or simply redundant. Without giving away details which might compromise the film, suffice it to say, at times the story also seems to use familiar setups as a way of playing with genre stereotypes and audience expectations, which it then slightly subverts, to somewhat surprising, if not altogether "rousing" effect.

As mentioned, Cave and director John Hillcoat seem to have approached the material with a focus on realism over artifice, or any old-timey romantic notions about violence. The Proposition is an often brutal and ugly film. All the same, the jarring in-your-face bloodshed is not poured on for entertainment value, but rather, as the grisly and unsettling outcome of men destined to clash in an awe-inspiring yet unforgiving landscape ruled by ruthless brutality.

The look of the film complements the story perfectly, balancing the oft-times beautiful and harsh elements that are prevalent to both the Outback, and the story in which it is set. Cinematographer Benoit Delhomme does an excellent job capturing the glorious beauty of a multi-hued sunset, or a sparkling, star-dappled night sky against a silhouette of naked tree branches. He then contrasts such eye-catching imagery with the deadly, rippling blaze of the sun, or an immense buzzing cloud of flies - an omnipresent harbinger of death that crawls into mouths and literally covers people's clothing. In addition to this, the radiating heat of the desert is almost tangible throughout The Proposition - the fiery eye of the sun seemingly unrelenting as it beats down on the film's sweat-soaked, grime-caked characters.

Thematically the film makes good use of the contrast between the emerging civilization and the "uncivilized" violence that is a result of that burgeoning community's attempt to tame an "untamed" land. To be sure, much of the film's conflict relies on this balance, which proves to be anything but harmonious. As refinements of modern civilization tend to give way under the strain caused by the harsh desert locale, a clash with primitive survival instincts emerges, and violence appears to supersede any notions of civility.

The character Arthur Burns, an intelligent, educated man who is also perhaps the most savagely violent character in The Proposition, is also the one person who appears to have reconciled the two, attaining a personal balance by embracing his primitive violent tendencies with the cultural refinement he obviously possesses. The fact that many of the Aboriginal tribesmen in the area believe that Arthur is a man that transforms into an animal underscores this concept.

In relation to this, the characters Cpt. Stanley, a civil authority, and Charlie Burns, a criminal, might appear to be at opposite ends of the struggle between civil order and barbarous acts, but both epitomize this conflict for balance, their parallel story arcs mirroring each other, and effectively dovetailing by film's end. Overall, this conflict at the heart of the film and its characters is an intriguing aspect of The Proposition, and one which enriches the overall viewing experience.

Another of the film's highlights is a truly remarkable cast. Apart from the lead actors already mentioned, and who all do great work, Emily Watson plays the role of Emma - Cpt. Stanley's genteel British wife who has been transplanted to the inhospitable Australian desert environs, and whom Cpt. Stanley struggles desperately to shield the violent realities of his occupation from. Also, the great John Hurt appears as a grizzled bounty hunter named Jellon Lamb, patiently biding his time in an attempt to eventually nab the elusive, verging on mythical, eldest Burns brother, Arthur. Last, David Wenham, most famous for his role as Faramir in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, does an outstanding job playing Cpt. Stanley's despicable, bloodthirsty superior, Eden Fletcher.

To be certain, The Proposition is obviously not for moviegoers hoping for light entertainment, nor does it aim to be a feel-good shoot 'em up crowd-pleaser. Also, Western fans hoping for lasso tricks and campfire sing-alongs simply need not apply. Instead, The Proposition offers a really well-made, engrossing film, with interesting and believable characters, and some excellent performances. The subject matter is dark, at times verging on nihilistic, and the filmmakers are unflinching in their approach to the material and violence without being excessive. While I don't foresee the film doing a "dough-si-dough" at the box-office, The Proposition is a damn fine movie that will hopefully find an audience. For fans of the Western genre's more uncompromising films, it's a movie not to be missed.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay

2006-04-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay (1971)

The film opens with a buxomish belle enmeshed in velvety bondage. Serving as her audience a gaggle of elderly women listen somewhat cheerfully as a churlish dwarf reads the edicts of the bound beauty's sentence. To this our captivating captive defiantly responds: "Punish me, beat me! Take away my perfumes!" This plucky act of rebellion segues into a jaunty tune accompanied by an image of a small car weaving its way up a serpentine mountain road. Bouncing along inside the car are two lesbians on a road trip, a dirty blonde and her equally dirty brunette friend, their destination unknown - perhaps Belgium?

In need of wetting their whistles, the delightful duo pull off to the side of the road and park in front of an antediluvian pub. The salty patrons within aptly mirror the pub's exterior. Hunched over their beer the gang of oldsters ogle the ladies as if they were dressed in pretzel costumes. After the tantalizing twosome peruse some mulled wine, the barkeep turns the tables and offers them a tip, warning them in a hushed voice to stay away from the village; all of this transpires under the watchful eye of the ubiquitous dwarf.

On the road again, heedfully steering clear of the village, our trusty travelers quickly become lost on the endlessly repeating forest road. Finally, they see a barn in the distance and pull over to rest their weary heads, (and possibly experience an illicit roll in the hay?). Once situated inside the barn, pillow talk is soon smothered by a pair of lustful libidos. Later, Francoise wakes up startled to find Anna missing. Outside the dwarf emerges from the forest, beckoning Francoise to follow him, as he claims to know of Anna's whereabouts. Never one to doubt a dwarf, Francoise soon finds herself traipsing through the hinterlands behind her diminutive guide.

Before breaking a sweat the pair stumble upon the shore of a mysterious lake - a castle its crowning jewel. On the beach there's a small boat festooned with greenery, which floats Francoise towards a shore equally festooned with nightgown-clad women. Once inside the castle Francoise is bathed and coddled and soon meets the magnanimous Morgana Le Fay. All the while the dwarf, whose name is Gurth, bemoans his servitude and plots to usurp his Fairie Queen. With Anna's safety foremost in her mind, Francoise is relieved when it is revealed that Anna is also being indoctrinated into Morgana's slavegirl cult. Ultimately Francoise and Anna must decide whether to return to a life of freedom and uncertainty (Belgium?) or become one of Morgana's minions, achieving immortality, eternal youth - and perhaps along the way discovering how much wine a castleful of lesbians can actually consume.

Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay is more erotic fairy tale than horror fare. But it is nevertheless effective and makes for a fine viewing experience. The eroticism could best be described as quaint rather than titillating (although they do try to put the "tit" in titillating), and the nudity reaches its climax during a feast bearing a bevy of supple female flesh that might leave audiences wistful for erotic cinema of the 70s dabbing their moist eyes tenderly.

The cinematography will also make viewers with an eye for the picturesque quite happy. To be sure pleasures of the flesh are not the only subjects of lovely imagery as the film was shot with an eye for atmosphere and elegance. The locations serve the story rather well and help link the film to its Arthurian origins. As one might imagine and possibly hope for, given the title, the cast is primarily filled with attractive young women, who all avail themselves quite well in various stages of undress. Less attractive but equally memorable is the fully-clothed dwarf played by Alfred Baillou.

While the plot is relatively bereft of twists, the story has elements which retain the viewer's interest, and will probably serve as more than just a mere night's entertainment for fans of Jean Rollin's films. The film's seductive imagery and languorous pace might spell boring for many viewers (especially those unable to spell languorous), but those willing to check short attention spans at the door might find themselves rewarded.

Once again, Mondo Macabro has proven to be on the forefront of releasing obscure and deserving cinema to a wider DVD audience. In addition to presenting a virtually flawless, anamorphic widescreen, Eastman color print, expect a very graceful menu that reminded me of a naughty doily. And as if this were not enough, special DVD features include deleted scenes, an exclusive interview with director Bruno Gantillon, the trailer, a bonus Bruno short, extensive background information written by Pete Tombs, a large still and poster gallery, and the always enticing Mondo Macabro previews. Enjoy!

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Recommended and related products:
Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay
Satanico Pandemonium
A Virgin Among the Living Dead
Venus in Furs
Living Dead Girl
Lips of Blood

Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy

2006-04-18T23:50:00.000-07:00

Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (1974)

One of the most fascinating phenomenons in film is the animated cartoon: elastic, threatening, inanimate yet agitated - the cartoon is an art form with very few parallels. What can seem confounding, however, is when live action films seek to imitate the cartoon. How can “real” actors emulate the raw madness, the infinite potential for everything imagined, that a drawing can possess? For drawings are unique in that they are directly connected to the brain; and as this art form adjoins the brain, nowhere else can art be so directly connected to potential madness in all its sensual splendor. The only possible filters or censors are the ego and ability of the artist, and later on the nerve of the distributor or producer. This is why animation can seem so terrifying - nowhere else is reality so thin that a character can tear its own head off, then laughingly discourse with its torso while its legs ripple hideously. If this does happen in live action, it’s usually due to the touch of an animator, or with the sinewy puppetry of animation’s inbred cousin, special effects.

So it is rare when films come along that seek to emulate animation’s dynamic quality, and pull it off successfully. It is even rarer when the tricks they use to do it are limited to in-camera devices and the physicality of the actors alone. In this respect, Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy (or Rupan Sansei: Nenrikichan Sakusen) from 1974 is quite a find. Based off of Monkey Punch’s famous manga, Lupin III, the film finds its charm in broad slapstick, stunts, and contrived situations that are generally done without use of the special effects department. All of Melies’s tricks are employed here: split screen, double exposure, and jump cuts are all used to comic effect. But the treats this film conceals are not limited to camera tricks alone.

The basic plot of the film is that Lupin III, a naughty trickster raised in a Catholic orphanage (who spent much of his time peeking up nuns’s skirts and boosting the sacramental wine), has fallen in love. With an extremely greedy thief named Fujiko who seems pretty ambiguous when it comes to Lupin III’s attentions, and forgoing the usual candy and flowers, wants Lupin III to pull off a big heist for her. To complicate things, Jigen, a gunslinging mafioso footsoldier, arrives to inform Lupin III that his father, Lupin II, had a huge mafia empire stretching across the globe that now needs Lupin III’s guiding hand. Lupin III’s not interested, but Jigen stays close to the kid’s side, loyal to the Lupin genetics. To further complicate things, the Maccherone mafia family (pronounced “macaroni”) wants to off Lupin III so that the Lupin mafia stays noncompetitive. To further further complicate things, an incompetent cop named Zenigata is determined to arrest Lupin III at any cost, despite the fact that he has no physical evidence that Lupin III has committed any crime. And that’s just the first act - or just about.

What follows is a lot of great pratfalls, bonks on the head, popcorn spit, jokes bashing Lupin III’s sexual orientation (many of which pose Lupin III as the “feminine” type, with police officers acting as his “masculine” counterpart), and very little psychokinesis. In fact, the title Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy barely seems to make any sense - just the source of a few jokes where Lupin III brags about his “psychokinetic” powers (which primarily seem to be used for opening safes and doors...and involve his hands) to Fujiko - until the third act. Then the object of everyone’s desire is an artifact that was made by aliens and possesses psychokinetic powers, which we don’t see used in any way, but must exist based on the fact that the Maccherone family is suddenly hot for the doll, and half the police force are sent to protect it.

As you can probably guess at this point, the plot is pure nonsense. But you don’t watch films like this for the plot, you watch it for the gems buried just underneath the skin.

Some of Lupin III’s pratfalls, as performed by Yuki Meguro, are an art unto themselves - with a completely stiff, still body he falls straight back like a cartoon cat recently hit by an anvil. Pure genius. Jigen, played by Kunie Tanaka, is the perfect blend of badass gunman (he packs an entire arsenal underneath his coat, despite the lack of wormholes or other dimensional rifts in the area) and frustrated ninny. But by far my favorite moment in the film is an entire non sequitur - for no reason whatsoever, Lupin III encounters a group of nuns walking the street at night. Perhaps reminded of his youth, he stops to check out the nuns, who lo and behold strip off their habits and break into song. But these singing nuns don’t stop there - nuns, as we all know, don’t fight fair, and these ladies soon surround Lupin III to begin some serious butt-kicking. But Lupin III, breaking all rules of honor in physical combat, parries their kicks and punches with tickling, kisses, and gropes. I watched that part twice. It was truly as amazing as it sounds.

The cinematography in Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy is, for the most part, fairly ordinary, with one extraordinary exception. In one scene, while Lupin III and Jigen chat in a concrete drainpipe yard, Zenigata and his men attempt to sneak up on them. The result is a beautiful composition with three levels of action, all of which are connected by the swooping, curved lines of the pipes. But alas, where this film could fair well by taking a card from Mario Bava’s color palette a la Danger: Diabolik (a superior film in the genre of comic book adaptations), the colors in Lupin III: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy are often quite bland.

Overall, this is a film for fans of 70s films, particularly fans of Japanese 70s films. The wacky weirdness and fun, though not as spontaneous or potentially frightening as animation, work well. For viewers who enjoy physical comedy and cartoon-style silliness, this film is a gem. However, I would not recommend this feature to genre first-timers, as the story is a bit slow, and somewhat episodic feeling. Unless, of course, they just want to fast forward to the nun fight.

Written by MissMeat

Recommended and related products:

Lupin the 3rd: Strange Psychokinetic Strategy
The Castle of Cagliostro
Lupin the 3rd: The World's Most Wanted
Danger: Diabolik

Last eXit

2006-04-18T01:05:00.000-07:00

Last eXit (2003)

The ever-approaching digital revolution is considered by many to be both a blessing and a bane. For the sake of brevity I'm going to simplify a complex topic and say basically there are those who applaud the fact that digital filmmaking, with its affordability and flexibility, will ultimately "level the playing field" allowing a greater number of aspiring filmmakers access to filmmaking tools, thus, creating a larger variety of films for an equally diverse moviegoing public. While this is certainly a positive outlook, on the opposite end of the scale there are also those who warn that the accessibility of digital filmmaking equipment will merely result in a flood of really shitty films. With all the pitiful dreck that is churned out by movie studios it is hard to imagine that things could be too much worse, but then again, until recently I hadn't yet watched a little, independent, low-budget, digital turd called Last eXit.

If you're still reading, Last eXit isn't really a horror movie (wait... hold on, come back) in the traditional sense, but at many times, and in many ways, it is truly a horrid movie. Okay, anyway, so there's a character named Nigel who lives in Copenhagen and likes him some Danish porn (go protagonist, it's your birthday!), while his lonely girlfriend has a thing for drugs of the intravenous variety. While a marriage counsellor might be in order, the most pressing matter is a lack of money. Much to his wife's bemusement, Nigel manages to find out about a possible job opportunity from an eye patch-clad lad getting blind drunk at a local groggery.

Following this dubious lead, Nigel makes a clumsy phone call and is soon ushered in for an equally clumsy interview with a bald and blase = badass type hombre everyone simply refers to as The President (okay, imagine you're in Denmark... now how tight is that!). Unlike myself, Nigel's idiocy is put on hold as The President and his cronies excuse themselves in order to torture some fink in an adjacent room. Meanwhile, a real life sexpot bumps and grinds in front of Nigel so that the filmmakers can cut between glee and violence, because that against the grain Reservoir Dogs type shiznit is just about as keen as spelling Exit "eXit," or using the word shiznit.

Apparently, The President is in need of a nincompoop to fill an important capacity within his badass hierarchy, and thus hires our beloved Nigel to handle a valuable shipment of mysterious boxes. As an incentive Nigel then gets to walk around Copenhagen with the aforementioned sexpot, whose name is Tanya, and buy her ice cream on a stick (lest we forget she's sexy) before ultimately heading over to Tanya's digs for the type of action Nigel is used to paying a rental fee for. Despite the fact that Nigel reminds both Tanya and himself that he is a married man (lest anyone else forgot), he can't help but fall ass over ankles for the pot-smoking, money-grubbing, pork & beans-eating little minx that is Tanya. This of course ushers in the ubiquitous downward spiral, wherein Nigel dives headfirst into a pile of contrived shit and attempts to climb back out of it in an equally contrived manner, without anyone realizing that like the movie, he's both stinky and stupid.

Last eXit was shot for a mere $1,800 over just a paltry 18 days; suffice it to say, it shows. I imagine the time spent writing the script, which is populated by a bunch of hackneyed characters, was also equally brief. If not, I offer an apology. I've worked on a handful of low-budget quickies, and a couple of short films of my own, and feel that I'm speaking from a position of empathy and understanding when it comes to no-budget filmmaking. However, Last eXit is reminiscent of a caliber of filmmaking I'm familiar with from my days in a video production class in Junior College. While it might deserve an A for effort, it is quite simply an amateurish and shoddily made film. The movie is poorly lit (appearing to rely solely on insufficient natural light), horrendously photographed, and as mentioned, poorly written. While budgetary constraints can prove problematic for a production, there is really no excuse for bad writing. Yes, your imagination and scope must be kept in check, but for starters - uninspired dialogue, weak plotting, and cliche characters and story cannot be blamed on budgetary limitations.

I am all for expanding the cinematic language, breaking rules etc... but I have a strong suspicion that the director and cinematographer on Last eXit are unfamiliar with some of the basics. Use some of that $1,800 on a light meter and a couple of cheap lights with a c-stand (if you don't believe in light meters when shooting digital, at the very least get someone to show you how to use the "zebra stripes" feature on your camera). You might have to downgrade to a slightly less-sexy stripper (FHM magazine names this multitalented saucebox one of the 100 sexiest women in the world) but at least I'll be able to see your movie. Gritty aesthetic you say? Well, I'll just go ahead and let someone else take that doubtful leap. Also, eyelines are important, as is framing. Generally cutting off half of an actor's face, or an entire head with the top of your frame is a bad call. If you're attempting to add something by doing this, or perhaps create a sense of unease in the viewer, okay, but when it happens during banal conversations and idle strolls through the park it might create the wrong kind of unease, and it certainly doesn't engender confidence in the filmmaker's abilities.

Fight scenes are also tricky, but are made even more so when shot outside during a sunset. Allow for a second day if necessary, because a fight that takes less than one minute's screen time looks peculiar when it appears to end a couple of hours later and it's suddenly dark outside. Sure you're on a tight shooting schedule, but usually people who have given 18 days of their life to a project are not opposed to putting in 19. These little touches I've listed are also equally appreciated by those who have given 1 and 1/2 hours of their life toward viewing your little low-budget endeavor. While I'm tempted to say that there is not anything remotely good about this movie, there is however a scene wherein a character is beaten with a can of pork & beans that made me smile. In addition, some of the acting is palatable, and it's always nice to see a no-budget film where all the characters are not being played by eager twenty-somethings.

Heretic films does an exceptional job bringing yet another no-budget film to DVD. Also, as usual the DVD is brimming with extras including deleted scenes, a behind the scenes featurette, commentary, extended and alternate scenes, and a trailer.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Blind Woman's Curse Coming to DVD

2006-04-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

This is some fantastic news from the fine folks over at Discotek (Zero Woman: Red Handcuffs) who will soon "officially announce" plans to release Blind Woman's Curse - directed by Teruo Ishii and starring Meiko Kaji. Currently a new print is being telecined and the DVD should be released at the end of this year!

In other good news, on June 27th Discotek will also be releasing two highly anticipated films by Sogo Ishii, Electric Dragon 80,000V (2001) and Burst City (1982). Other upcoming Discotek DVD releases include Mikadroid (1991) with an August release date, Sars Wars ( 2004) on July 25th, War in Space (1977) on April 25th, Bye Bye Jupiter (1983) in September, and of definite interest to Miyazaki fans, Puss n' Boots (1969) will see the light of DVD on May 30th.

To view trailers for many of these upcoming releases simply click on the film's title.

Source: DVD Maniacs

Product links:

Electric Dragon 80,000V
Burst City
War In Space
Puss 'n Boots

Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41

2006-04-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 (1972)

Another exceptional exploitation classic from Japan’s infamous Toei Studios, Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41, stars Meiko Kaji as a tight-lipped toughie named Matsu. A notoriously tenacious and deadly convict, Matsu is more infamously, and aptly, known as Scorpion among the hardened female prison populace. Thrown and locked away alone inside a dark and exceedingly dank underground cell for nearly a year, Matsu lies on the cold stone floor, the thick metal cuffs cutting and chaffing at her pale wrists and ankles.

With defiance in her eyes and a metal spoon clenched between her teeth, Matsu repeatedly scrapes the eating utensil across the floor, wearing away the spoon’s rounded edges. Above Matsu the door to her hellish cell bursts open and her arch adversary, a diabolical one-eyed prison warden, who lost his other peeper at the lethal hands of Matsu, peers down at his pitiful-looking prisoner. Believing he has finally bested and broken Matsu, the warden begins berating and threatening her before nearly drowning poor Matsu with a lengthy high-powered water hosing.

It turns out that an official prison inspector is soon to arrive and the warden is up for a big promotion. The prison warden parades his prisoners for the inspector who seems altogether pleased with the prison and the warden’s performance. Unbeknownst to the warden however, Matsu, aka Scorpion, still has some sting left as she strikes at the warden, trying to scoop out his one good eye with her sharp metal shiv. Shocked and frightened, the inspector soils himself and a prison riot erupts soon thereafter.

Narrowly escaping Matsu’s wrath and total blindness, the warden “sees” to it that Matsu is given a proper humiliation by having her brutally raped by a rabid gang of goons in front of the female prisoners who lionize her. However this soul-crushing debasement utterly feeds Matsu’s silent rage, propelling her and a ragtag group of female prisoners toward a blood-spattered trail of ruthless revenge that gives new meaning to the word manslaughter.

Like Toho’s popular Lady Snowblood films, which also stars the talented Meiko Kaji, Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 was inspired by a popular Japanese comic book. Due in part to this, the film is a hyper-stylized action yarn full of vivid imagery and a ferocious amount of imagination. Oscillating between horrific butchery and poetic beauty, the movie is an exquisite eyeful of cinematic virtuosity that excels within, and exceeds, its exploitative origins.

As the character Matsu, Meiko Kaji gives a great, mostly silent performance (in total I believe she has two lines of dialogue). The character is a classic, stoic bad-ass that Kaji manages to bring to life wonderfully, conveying everything with her eyes, facial expressions and body language. In addition to Kaji, another standout among the great cast is Kayoko Shiraishi as Oda, an infanticidal madwoman. Oda serves as the Judas to Matsu, who is at times portrayed as being a Christ figure - a popular parallel often drawn in ‘70s Japanese exploitation films, especially when the heroine is being ruthlessly tormented and tortured.

With Jailbreak 41 director Shunya Ito, who directed the first three Female Convict Scorpion films in a series comprised of six, has made the best WIP (women in prison) movie I have ever seen. Surprisingly bereft of the usual plethora of nudity, the film is nevertheless brimming with enough violence, action and murderous mayhem to please even the most hardcore genre fans. Incorporating some artistically inventive storytelling techniques and a veritable feast of visual thrills, Female Convict Scorpion: Jailhouse 41 is cinema at its most astounding and an undeniable trash-art masterpiece.

The Image DVD - which unfortunately is currently out of print, but can still be found and is well worth hunting for - presents the film in its 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio. Ignoring some minor scratches and speckling, the film looks very good, highlighting the movie’s beautiful and rich cinematography. The original mono Japanese soundtrack is the only audio option, but it sounds reasonably good, and the English subtitles, though a little soft as they are burnt onto the film, are easy to read. The only extras are the film’s theatrical trailer and liner notes written by Chris D. - author of the excellent Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film. Despite the dearth of extras however, this unmissable movie makes the DVD an extremely attractive, must-find purchase.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Recommended and related products:

Scorpion: Female Prisoner # 701
Scorpion: Female Prisoner # 701 - Grudge Song
Scorpion: Female Prisoner # 701 - Beast Stable
Lady Snowblood (collector's boxed set)
Stray Cat Rock: Sex Hunter

Slither

2006-03-29T07:33:00.000-08:00

Slither (2006)

The new horror-comedy Slither, written and directed by James Gunn, quickly sets the tone, revealing both its intentions and influences with an appropriately traditional opening shot that recalls many a sci-fi/monster movie.A meteor hurtles through outer space, while in the big, black void beyond, we see the planet Earth, spinning like a bright blue bull's-eye... the perfect target for space debris of the traditionally villainous variety. Meanwhile on Earth, in the small town of Wheelsy, a seemingly dim-witted police duo whittle away the evening inside their police cruiser as, unbeknownst to them, the smoldering meteor suddenly blazes across the night sky, crashing in the not-too-distant distance.

It's the dawn of deer hunting season in Wheelsy, and Wheelsians young and old are ready and raring to reassert their rightful place atop the old food chain high above their antlered inferiors. Coincidentally, sexy school teacher Starla Grant (Elizabeth Banks) is busy discoursing on Darwin's theory of evolution. Being a young and attractive woman, it's not surprising that Starla's distracted students are far more ardent in their amour for their curvaceous teacher than they are for any of that dusty old Darwinism, of which Starla seems the sole devotee.

Sharing in her student's lustful sentiments is Starla's oldster hubby Grant Grant (Michael Rooker), who is very much devoted to his wife. All the same, it becomes clear that things are not all rosy and racy at home when later that evening, Grant attempts to give vent to his passions with a suggestion of sex, and Starla rebuffs his advances, apologizing for not being in the mood. Withered and woebegone, Grant wends his way towards a tavern to give his sorrows a proper Pabst Blue Ribbon beer bath.

Seated in the bar and hunkered behind a bunker of beer bottles, Grant is approached by a fellow lonely-heart named Brenda. Soon thereafter the lovelorn twosome are traipsing and tripping through the woods when Grant stumbles upon a strange, goo-strewn pod. After engaging in some tried and true backwoods science by prodding the pod with a carefully chosen stick, something erupts and shoots from the pod, and appears to enter Grant's body. Confused, but believing he is okay, Grant hurries home to his beloved Starla.

Despite his beliefs, over the next couple of days Grant's appetites continue to grow and expand, and his insatiable voracity begins to emerge in the form of bodily mutations. With small town life suddenly spinning out of control, an unimaginable horror continues to evolve, adding a new link to the food chain, and ensuring that before long hunters will become the hunted, now that humans are on the menu.

Horror-comedies are indeed a tricky lot. The tightrope walk between what is frightful and what is funny often proves too precarious a permutation, sending movies that aim to have audiences scream in terror one minute and shriek with laughter the next, rapidly plummeting in a fiery heap to their blazing box-office deaths. Even so, there are those occasions when the balance between horror and hilarity is just right. This result can be a unique film hybrid that succeeds in evoking two of our most basic human responses, and combining two popular movie genres, that on the surface, seem completely dissimilar.

Certainly, there are plenty of horror movies that briefly utilize humor for comic relief, or at the opposite end, films like Young Frankenstein or the Scary Movie franchise which are strictly comedies spoofing popular horror films. Still, neither of these "types" are horror-comedies in the truest sense. With this in mind however, for the perfect example of a film that truly does fit the bill, one need look no further than James Gunn's monstrously funny fright-film, Slither.

When watching Slither, Gunn's directorial debut, one can sense the pure joy and adoration the director/screenwriter has for horror movies as throughout the film Gunn proudly displays his numerous inspirations like a badge of honor. Whether its David Cronenberg's '70s shockers, Shivers and Rabid, low-budget sci-fi horror like The Deadly Spawn, or Frank Henenlotter's humorous '80s horror hybrids, Slither is a blood-drenched, slime-covered love letter that gives horror film enthusiasts something to celebrate. At the same time, one need not be a "horror buff" to enjoy Slither however, as it is just a fun, highly likeable movie in general, and as such, should prove an entertaining, and possibly disgusting, viewing experience even to audience members unfamiliar with the film's predecessors, or who may miss the various winks and nods.

Although Slither's basic story cannot be lauded for being innovative, necessarily, it is really quite clear that this was not one of Gunn's concerns, nor apparently, an aspiration. Rather, he has managed, quite handily, to rejuvenate some rather worn-out horror movie concepts and conventions with an abundance of wit, humor - and yes - originality. For this reason Slither never feels stale, or like the slimy "creatures featured" in the film, sluggish. This is of course a breath of fresh air in a genre that, truth be told, has begun to feel as imaginatively stagnant as someone who uses phrases like, "a breath of fresh air."

In his director's chair debut, James Gunn does an exceptional job bringing his ideas to life onscreen. Visually, the film is not overly extravagant but nor is it boring, and the somewhat restrained, deceptively simple approach benefits the film overall. The special effects are a successfully effective melding of the traditional variety with state of the art CG, and what may have perhaps looked like cheesy, hackneyed hokum in another film, actually works quite wonderfully here.

The cast does a very fine job in Slither, and the major characters that populate the film, while not profound or multilayered (which they need not be), are really nicely written. Despite numerous recent examples, and plenty of opinions to the contrary, Slither also proves that characters in horror films, even if they are simple, can be likeable. Unlike their multi-tentacled, slime-coated, blood-quaffing counterparts, the main human characters that the audience is supposed to relate to, or at the very least get behind in Slither, are engaging, oft-times funny, in some cases moderately intelligent, and for all of these reasons, decidedly human and easy to root for. Thankfully Slither also employs the classic monster movie tradition (think of the well-known Frankenstein monster for an example) wherein those aspects of the creature that are identifiably human still manage to emerge from beneath all of the deformities and ugliness, thus making the "monster" a somewhat sympathetic and ultimately tragic figure.

Apart from perhaps a couple of very brief lulls in Slither, the film is without any major problems. In all it is simply a very lively, highly-entertaining, tightly-scripted, out-and-out funny horror movie that should have some audience members squirming in their seats. Fans of recent horror-comedies like Dead & Breakfast, or Bubba Ho-tep should also have a lot of fun with Slither - a movie that is truly the best laugh-filled fright film since Shaun of the Dead and a gruesome gut-buster bound to become a horror-comedy classic. Now don't let my slutty quote whoring hinder you - just get to the theater and have yourself a bloody good time!

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Panik House to release Horror of the Malformed Men

2006-03-25T23:38:00.000-08:00

Here is some amazing news I came across while perusing the DVD Maniacs forums. The following quote is from the president of Panik House, Matt Kennedy:

"I just picked up another handful of Toei titles. I listened carefully to what some of you had to say, and I decided to sign a couple of complete series. I didn't feel it was feasible to do this with the Sukeban films, because I felt that those films are wildly uneven in terms of quality from one film to the next, but with the two series I recently acquired, I am proud to say that each film is excellent. Each can easily stand alone, and each is an extremely fulfilling viewing experience. The two series I selected are proto-Pinky Violence films; these are the films that actually launched the genre.

The Yoen Dokufuden trilogy which starred Junko Miyazono is the series that actually ushered in the Pinky Violence genre. Sex & Fury was a take-off on the popularity of this series and Reiko Ike had won a contest to replace Junko in an as yet unnamed film back in 1968. These types of star-making contests were just as popular in Japan in the late 60s as they appear to be now in the USA, and many of the entrants would go on to star in their own series. Two were helmed by master director Nobuo Nakagawa, who was every bit as important to the evolution of the Pinky Violence film as Teruo Ishii and Norifumi Suzuki were, but Nobuo didn't have to wait decades for his acclaim. He was heralded as a genius back then, and remained popular throughout his career without compromising his artistic vision. He is perhaps the closest thing to a Kurasawa that one could find in the genre of female yakuza cinema at Toei during this era.

I've also acquired the two Meiko Kaji Lady Yakuza films known as Gincho Wanderer, which were the films that made her a star at Toei, and you'll know why when you see them. These films paved the way for Lady Snowblood, and just about every other film that would soon follow. It's no big secret that Reiko Ike is my favorite actress, but when it comes to full-on Iconoclast, Meiko Kaji is the original. She was the single most influential force in Japanese culture, fashion and music in the late 60s and early 70s, and was an outspoken feminist who helped usher in the social changes taking place at that time. Studio Voice ran an article a few years ago on the impact she had on the fashion industry in Japan back in her heyday, and the article caused a complete resurgence in her popularity that has lasted through today. There's a reason why Quentin Tarantino has named her his favorite actress, and she can be heard singing on the soundtrack to both Kill Bill films.

I also picked up a couple of Pinky Horror titles. The two most important, actually:
Horror of the Malformed Men & Snake Woman's Curse (which is known by so many different titles that this one might change by the time I release it).
The first is among the most notorious films in Japanese history. More controversial upon it's release than Battle Royale and Audition combined and multiplied. It is an often discussed and rarely seen film, and it is without a doubt Teruo Ishii's masterpiece. It was his favorite of his own films, and contains his signature Grand Guignol style taken to levels heretofore unseen. In short, it is a masterpiece in the cinema of transgression whose only peer is perhaps El Topo.
Snake Woman's Curse is another Nobuo Nakagawa classic that takes horror film conventions and turns them on their head. An eerie masterwork on par with Eyes Without A Face, it is a very jarring film experience, and will make a great companion to the release of Malformed Men.

There will be even more to come as I negotiate with the studios on still more titles. I haven’t set any release dates for these, as I’ve yet to receive the materials, but I’m confident that 2006 will see the release of at least two of them.

In the meantime, look forward to two more Teruo Ishii titles in July:
Screwed & Blind Beast Vs. Killer Dwarf, which will continue to push the envelope of Asian Cinema as only Panik House can."

Horror of the Malformed Men is an incredibly rare film that I have been desperate to see for a while. Knowing Panik House, they'll do an awesome job giving Malformed Men its first official video release. Whether it comes out in 2006 or 2007, for fans of Japanese cult cinema, this could easily be the DVD release of the year!

Horrors of Malformed Men

Don't Deliver Us From Evil

2006-03-24T06:58:00.000-08:00

Don't Deliver Us From Evil (1970)

Someone once wrote: Cruelty in the young is like arthritis in the elderly - it's in their bones. I remember first reading this ridiculous generalization when I was a teenager and it made me so angry that I immediately set to picking on cripples and tripping old women whenever possible (activities I'm proud to admit I still engage in regularly, even if the arthritis creeping into my knees has slowed me down just a smidge). The controversial French film, Don't Deliver Us From Evil reminded me of this quote as it deals, in part, with the seductive power of human cruelty and the influence it can produce on young, impressionable minds. If this last bit sounds like you, take heed, for to continue reading this review will surely be at your own eternal detriment and damnation.

Anne and Lore are best buds at a convent for young girls. At night they enjoy hiding under the blankets with a flashlight and reading sordid stories with a nun sternly patrolling the row of beds nearby. Anne and Lore also like faking crude confessions because it's fun to flabbergast priests who are prone to turning pink. In addition to rectorial arousal, the carnal compatriots enjoy peering through keyholes at naughty nuns, and, as written in Anne's journal, have also renounced Christ and dedicated themselves to lives of dirty deeds - which means lots and lots of sinning for Satan!

Whatever Lore and Anne might get up to at the convent pales significantly when compared to what the young lassies do at home on the weekends. Whether it's taunting and teasing a simpleton with their naughty nubility, setting haystacks all aflame, or poisoning the gaping gardener's beloved birds, behind their innocent faces and flower-print dresses, what began as a blossoming friendship has deteriorated into a ghastly pact of cruelty and evil most vile.

Don't Deliver Us From Evil was inspired by the true story of Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, two teenage murderesses who shocked all of New Zealand in 1954 - a story which subsequently became known to modern movie audiences when Peter Jackson successfully adapted it into his 1994 film, Heavenly Creatures. Unlike Jackson's film however, any possible success that Don't Deliver Us From Evil may have enjoyed upon its initial release was not to be had. The film immediately ignited controversy, due in large part to its blasphemous depictions, and as was often the fate of such films , Don't Deliver Us From Evil was ultimately banned.

Even today it's easy to see why the movie might have created such a stir - especially with all the recent controversy over religions being depicted negatively in the media. More than being merely an exploitative film, the director of Don't Deliver Us From Evil, Joel Seria, derived much of his antipathy towards the Catholic church from negative personal experiences he had growing up. This repellency for the strictures that religion enforces, as well as its inherent contradictions, is felt strongly throughout Don't Deliver Us From Evil, and is the fuel for some of the film's blasphemously startling sequences and most memorable moments.

The rebellious and cruel nature of Anne and Lore, and the movie itself, make a strong impression and are a major part of what makes the viewing experience distinctively memorable. To an extent, these anarchistic aspects of Don't Deliver Us From Evil also verge into the realms of surrealism, but not necessarily in terms of any specific visual execution (except for perhaps the radical use of violence). Rather, there seems an almost ideological kinship - a revolt against false reality and the supressive, moralistic constructs which shape and structure much of our existence.

Lore and Anne seems to operate within a constructed reality of their own, where they derive pleasure from cruelty and are not bound by social mores or ethical restrictions. The film does not appear to be interested in either condoning or damning their actions, but instead, presents their story without judgment, thus, leaving any judgment-making up to the viewer. It is interesting however, to contrast the way in which the film portrays Anne and Lore as being aware and alive, whereas those around them seem somewhat less so, as though they are trapped in some kind of hypnotic haze. Take for example the humorously blank reactions of a congregation absentmindedly listening to a sermon, and at the end of the movie, a theater audience that seems equally entranced but unable to fully comprehend what they are hearing and seeing. To put it more clearly, it is as if the roles have been reversed and the actors are in the audience watching reality unfold onstage.

The link to surrealism is further solidified during a scene in which the girls read from Maldorer, written by Le Compte de Lautreamont, an author championed by the surrealists, and from whom was derived the famous quote used to "describe" surrealism, "beautiful as the chance meeting on a dissecting table of a sewing machine and an umbrella."

As far as the technical elements of the film go, Don't Deliver Us From Evil was Seria's directorial debut, and quite a debut it is. The film is nicely photographed, nothing complex or too showy, but it is rarely boring to look at. In fact, as the movie progresses and the story becomes more "lively" the visual approach also seems to follow suit, matching the narrative with some slightly bolder visual strokes. The film's story and characters are well written, even if they may be unpalatable, or to some, downright repulsive, and the actors, both experienced and amateur, do some exceptional work. For certain viewers the movie may also move a little slowly at first. However, those who exercise patience will find the film to be at least engaging, if not wholly entertaining, and without a doubt, Don't Deliver Us From Evil does deliver a staggeringly powerful ending that will resonate in the mind long after the film is over.

Yet again, the crew at Mondo Macabro have done an exceptional job resurrecting another long-lost, largely unseen beauty, uncut for the first time, and making its U.S. debut. Considering how obscure the movie is, and its sketchy history, Mondo's restoration of the film has ensured that, apart from a few noticeable imperfections, Don't Deliver Us From Evil looks just about as good as one could possibly hope. The film is also presented in French with optional English subtitles.

This special edition disc comes with some great extras that are a fine accompaniment to the movie. First is a featurette entitled Hellish Creatures, in which English writer Paul Buck discusses the movie and the impact it had on him when he first saw it while still in art school. Next, there is an interview with the film's director, Joel Seria, who talks a little about his past, offers insights into his movie, and discusses the production of Don't Deliver Us From Evil. In addition to this, there is an interview with the film's lead actress, Jeanne Goupil, an essay on the film written by Pete Tombs, an art gallery, and finally, a trailer highlighting Mondo Macabro's ever-expanding catalog of movies.

In every way this is a superior release of a significant film that should be vital viewing for fringe film fanatics. Highly recommended!

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Recommended and related product links:

Don't Deliver Us From Evil
Heavenly Creatures
Immoral Tales
Mondo Macabro
Maldoror

The Pyjama Girl Case

2006-03-19T23:05:00.000-08:00

The Pyjama Girl Case (1977)

As one of the lesser-known giallo titles, soon to be released to DVD by those purveyors of delectable cinematic delights, Blue Underground, The Pyjama Girl Case is also an atypical entry in this most distinctive of genres. For example, the film is based (quite loosely) on an actual unsolved murder committed in the 1930s, that to this day is still enveloped in deception and mystery. Much of the film was also shot in Australia, where the murder took place, removing the film from the typical and familiar Euro locales for which gialli are so well-known.

The film opens on a beach where a young girl clutching an umbrella and a doll wends her way up the sandy, picturesque shoreline. Nearby, motorbikes race through the crashing surf as the girl sits next to an abandoned wreck of a car. Suddenly the little girl screams as a charred, lifeless arm falls from the mangled wreck, and rests its twisted hand on the doll's head. Once removed from the wreckage, it's discovered that the corpse is that of a woman whose face is so disfigured that the yellow pyjamas which she is found wearing serve as the major clue to her mysterious identity.

While busy spritzing the orchids in his glorious greenhouse, a semi-retired Inspector named Thompson receives a phone call from one of his colleagues about the unidentified woman's body, and the murder mystery surrounding it. Eager to trade in his flower mister for a flowering mystery, Thompson goes gum-shoeing once again in his search for both the identity of the woman, and her vicious killer(s).

This is a film that may leave those who possess a strict definition of what defines a giallo a little disappointed. In addition to the aforementioned departures, The Pyjama Girl Case does not feature a string of bloody, carnage-crazed murders and a faceless killer dispatching undressed damsels. Rather, there is only one murder, which serves as the catalyst for the film, and the ensuing investigation. Also, whereas the police are often on the periphery of many gialli, in The Pyjama Girl Case they are on the forefront, the results of which are a film that is more police procedural than gore-gushing, mayhem-filled murder mystery.

In addition to familiar faces like the debonaire Mel Ferrer, and the fetching Dalila Di Lazzaro, the film features the acting talents of Academy Award winner Ray Milland as the over-the-hill Inspector Thompson. Milland turns in a nice, and surprisingly spry performance as the curmudgeonly Inspector who everyone thinks is long past his prime, and whose unflagging desire to investigate is merely tolerated by his peers due to his decorated past. In part, the role Milland plays mirrors his own career as an actor whose best years, and most highly regarded roles, were far behind him.

In addition to Milland's performance, Thompson's storyline really anchors the film and his investigation is far more interesting, and substantially more bizarre, than that of his humdrum fellow investigators. Unfortunately, the storyline for Inspector Thompson, shopworn it may be, is mishandled quite badly as the film progresses, and as a result, The Pyjama Girl Case ultimately suffers for it.

The film was directed and co-written by Flavio Mogherini, a veteran Production Designer and Art Director who worked in that capacity on many films, including Mario Bava's eye candy spectacular Diabolik. Far less remarkable, The Pyjama Girl Case meanders a little too much - take for example a lengthy strolling sequence featuring lawn bowling, archery and lawn hockey - and is beset by a lot of cutaways that oft-times seem silly and unmotivated. Not all is bleak, however, and for the most part the film looks nice, even if it isn't always impressive. As part of this Spanish Italian co-production, both Carlo Carlini (The Big Gundown, Death Rides a Horse) and Raul Artigot (who worked with the likes of Jess Franco and Amando de Ossorio) are credited with the cinematography. There are some memorable images in the film, a favorite being Inspector Thompson inside his lush, brightly-lit greenhouse at night, which is set against a drab, decaying facade in the background.

Although there are problems with the film's story and the characters, the actual narrative structure is easily one of the Pyjama Girl Case's highlights. The plotting seems fairly standard and straightforward for the majority of the film, but its simplicity is indeed deceptive as it only serves to emphasize a great surprise narrative twist. To modern movie audiences it's a somewhat familiar narrative subversion, but it still works and I imagine it will please and surprise a lot of viewers.

Unfortunately the film's synthesized score and some odd musical cues tend to undermine the proceedings. The musical bungling continues as The Pyjama Girl Case also features two songs sung by Amanda Lear (the aptly titled "Yellow Pajama" and the somewhat befuddling "Look at Her Dancing") whose Nico-esque vocal stylings are not nearly as interesting as the fact that she was once romantically linked to David Bowie and was a protege to Salvador Dali.

Though it is not a classic giallo, and despite its numerous shortcomings, The Pyjama Girl Case is a worthwhile diversion and is certainly worth a look for fans of the genre. Blue Underground does a wonderful job in restoring and bringing this little-seen film to DVD. The remastered print looks great, with vibrant, saturated colors in some scenes, and rest assured, you can now enjoy all of those swanky and skanky 70s interiors with almost nary a blemish. The film is presented with a mono English language track, and while I would usually complain and ask for the Italian track and English subs, in this case it's preferable to be able to hear Milland's voice.

The DVD, which isn't exactly bursting with extras, does include a thirty minute documentary titled The Pyjama Girl Mystery: True Story of Murder, Obsession and Lies, in which the author of a book about the real pyjama girl murder mystery discusses the historical details and facts surrounding the case. It's an interesting bonus feature that complements the film nicely. Further DVD extras include the original theatrical trailer, and an 8 page graphic novel, The Pyjama Girl by Eddie Campell - the comic artist best known for illustrating From Hell.

Recommended and related product links:

The Pyjama Girl Case
The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion
The Black Belly of the Tarantula
The Fifth Cord

Night Watch Interview

2006-03-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

Here is my interview with the director of Night Watch, and the upcoming Dusk Watch, Timur Bekmambetov.

B: When watching your film I was really blown away by how visually bold and imaginative Night Watch is. With a relatively small budget that equates to around 4 million dollars, you made an eye-catching, effects-filled epic that looks like it cost more than twenty times that amount. How did you and your collaborators overcome the budgetary constraints to accomplish this?

TB: My experience with Roger Corman gave me a sense of what filmmaking is. His secret of how to be creative is to imitate the budgets of bigger films - meaning to get the maximum value from acting, style and story. (Note: In 2000 Timur made Gladiatrix {aka The Arena} which Roger Corman produced).

B: Night Watch gives the audience a complex world that balances the real and the unreal by integrating the imaginary and fantastic with the realities of everyday. The film's success of bringing to life the fantasy elements relies predominantly on CG effects, but you seemed willing to employ traditional make-up and prosthetic effects as well. What can you tell us about your approach to special effects as a filmmaker's tool?

TB: That was the most interesting part of the work. You create a world that isn't really there, but the audience believes in it, because it captivates. We developed and produced most of the CGI in Russia and Ukraine. About 100 professionals were involved, from over 20 different freelance studios. During the making of the film they were temporarily united into one unit, working towards the same goal, with all communications taking place over the internet. We created a unique "pipeline," and now that the second film is in the making, we have developed software that allows us to control this complex system. This was the only way to bring these peopletogether without actually bringing them together, physically, and without disrupting their work at the studios; instead, each one sets aside part of one's time for the project. This approach proved very cost- effective.

B: This juxtaposition between that which might be termed the "unreal" and "real" seems to reach towards a type of surrealism that is prevalent in many horror and fantasy films. What can you tell us about this element in Night Watch?

TB: Night Watch mythologizes everyday life. Everything in the movie is truthful. Every element, every character, every location... An unfulfilled dream, a secret fear, an all-but-forgotten childhood memory, a toy you suspected to contain some living thing in its hollow inside... The film is full of objects, concepts and images that have a history, things that surround us in reality and that are, for me, THE reality - not the objective reality, but my own, the way I see it. The doll "Mashenka" stands for a whole era in Soviet Russia, when every little girl played with this kind of doll, and didn't have much else to play with. The yellow "ZIL" trucks have the same degree of significance for the Russian audience as, say, the yellow cab for the American viewer.

B: There's a line in Night Watch, and I'm paraphrasing, that says, "To destroy the light in himself would be easier than to fight the immense darkness that exists all around him." Would you elaborate on this a little in relation to its importance to the film and your philosophical approach to the material?

TB: Everything in the world is interconnected, even if we can't see it. A man can change the world's history. This thought makes me excited.

B: Night Watch has a fairly straightforward premise, but the actual story and its plot are somewhat complex. With this in mind, when working on this epic trilogy, how do you as the director, for the sake of consistency and coherency, balance the larger picture and the smaller intricacies without becoming too overwhelmed by the immense scope of it all?

TB: I guess, like the master-schemer characters in the film, one has to know where one is heading, figure out all the steps to get there - and then sort of forget about it for a while and have fun along the way.

B: Someone once said (and I'm paraphrasing again) that an artist is never truly done working on a particular piece of art, but rather, at some point they are merely required to stop. It's not uncommon for a filmmaker to want to make changes to his or her film after they have stopped working on it. Was there anything that you wanted to change, either by adding or subtracting, and were able to alter after Fox acquired the rights to release Night Watch?

TB: I refuse for as long as I can to give in to reality which dictates that all creative imagination must stop after the filming is over. As long as editing continues, our creative team keeps throwing in ideas, we try to make it better. A lot of things become clearer only when the final product is more or less put together. Fortunately, with editing and CGI (and an occasional re-shoot) a lot can be achieved.

B: Thankfully the U.S. release of Night Watch is subtitled rather than dubbed. The subtitles are integrated in a truly innovative and effective way that actually complements the film rather than distracting from it. Whose inspired idea was this?

TB: We created these subtitles with our editor Dmitriy Kisilev. It's very important figure in the film. It's separate hero, leading the viewers through the whole movie

B: I imagine those who see Night Watch will be very curious about the next two films, Day Watch and Dusk Watch. At the risk of asking too much, what can you tell us about the next two films? Also, according to what I have read, the third film, Dusk Watch, will be filmed in English. How will this transition between the two Russian language films be achieved while maintaining continuity?

TB: The second movie Day Watch - is the end of the story that begins in the first movie. It is more ironic, a little bit sentimental, full of special effects. Dusk Watch - we're in pre-production. It'll be quite different from 2 previous films. We made a movie about Russia for a Russian audience. American movies in Hollywood style, Russian and French, commercials, computer games - we joined everything together but we made it especially for Russian people. It was local. But then I understood that local means unique, and it is interesting for everybody. I don't know the mechanism of transition yet, I simply enjoy entertaining people.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Female Yakuza Tale

2006-03-14T20:42:00.000-08:00

Female Yakuza Tale (1973)

The lovely Reiko Ike reprises her role as the gambling, pick-pocketing, limb-lopping Ocho in this outlandish sequel to the aptly titled exploitation gem, Sex and Fury. Female Yakuza Tale quickly reintroduces Ocho and reestablishes the tone of the previous film with a slow motion, rain-soaked title sequence wherein our heroine takes on a dozen male assailants armed with only sex appeal and a deadly, bright red umbrella. One by one the men lose their lives, while their executioner loses only her clothing.

Following this, Ocho arrives in Kobe via a steamship and is greeted by a quiet, young woman who leads her to an awaiting rickshaw. The rickshaw drops her off at a dimly-lit building, but before Ocho can even say howdy-do, she is chloroformed by a group of men who then string up her limp body before relieving Ocho of her troublesome kimono. After she is revived with a series of slaps across the face, a chubby, effeminate man - who constantly licks his lips in a lasciviously, grotesque manner - violates Ocho with his fingers. It turns out that in addition to being a creep, the man is actually searching for something, and is surprised when he finds nothing hidden inside Ocho. Realizing they have the wrong woman, the men (who also understand that oft-times apologies are more difficult to make than escapes), knock the still kimono-less Ocho unconscious...again.

A blurry-eyed, groggy-headed Ocho wakes up, but of course, the nightmare continues -Ocho finds a bloody knife clutched in her hand, a dead woman laying next to her, and herself framed as a suspect in a recent string of gruesome deaths dubbed "The Crotch-Gouge Murders." Ocho vows to exact revenge on the men who have defiled her and set her up as a murderess...by murdering them. While in pursuit of the men however, Ocho uncovers a drug smuggling operation, stumbles into the middle of a Yakuza power struggle, and forms an alliance with an ass-kicking nun and her posse of enslaved prostitutes, all of which dovetails into an out-of-this-world finale full of blood, bullets, boobs and gelled lighting.

Female Yakuza Tale is a really entertaining, action-packed, violent piece of sexploitation cinema. Director Teruo Ishii (Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf) created a film bursting with energy, humor, originality and visual flair. For example, where else are you going to see a mustache get shot off one man's face only to land on some other guy's upper lip? Or for that matter, thirty nude women eviscerating a roomful of mobsters - in heels? In addition, the overall production values are really good, featuring some extremely fantastic cinematography, great locations and costumes, and a large talented cast. Female Yakuza Tale's funky 70's score is also a lot of fun and overall really complements the film, while at times elevating the weirdness.

The script juggles a handful of storylines and characters, but is really quite cohesive and balanced throughout. My only complaint in this area is that the Sister Yashima character is given a great introduction, but is then absent for long stretches and is ultimately never as promising an addition as she initially seemed. However, the focus is on Ocho (the lack of which was one of the problems I had with Sex and Fury) and Reiko Ike is a charismatic screen presence who gives a great, and probably physically taxing, performance.

Panik House presents the film "uncut, uncensored and totally restored from the vault elements " and it looks absolutely flawless. Special features include - audio commentary by Chris D. (author of Outlaw Masters of Japanese Cinema), director and star bios, the original theatrical trailer, a poster and stills gallery, production notes, a special insert sticker, and optional English subtitles. This is a really great DVD release of an equally excellent and exceptional film that you would be wise to watch.

Here's a link to a trailer which a fan made that combines moments from this film, Sex and Fury and The Pinky Violence Collection.
(Contains some nudity)

Originally published at Horrorview.com

The Hills Have Eyes

2006-03-10T00:17:00.000-08:00

The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Inarguably, the 1970s was a very good decade for cinema. For many horror film fans it is also a decade distinguished by the release of some of the horror genre's best and most influential films. From what I can gather, for a lot of these fans, Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes falls somewhere into this category of 70s horror classics. All the same, I must confess that I've never been entirely certain what all the hullabaloo was about. In defense of the film and its many shortcomings, The Hills Have Eyes has often been cited as being influential. Regardless of these claims, it really seems to have been more impressionable, following most closely, and clearly, in the sizable footsteps of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Consequently, when I heard that The Hills Have Eyes was going to be regurgitated for what some are terming “today's cinematically illiterate audiences,” I just rolled my own eyes (which is the cinematically literate thing to do of course) and figured this was just a sign that the remake-rabid studio monkeys were steadily climbing their way towards the proverbial bottom of the barrel.

Believe it or not, and despite all of my bellyaching, when going to see this new version of The Hills Have Eyes, I had a pretty positive outlook. First, if Wes Craven (who is one of the film’s producers) is okay with his movie being remade, then really, who am I to bewail the decision? Second, I actually liked High Tension quite a bit and was curious to see what that film's director, Alexandre Aja, was going to do with material which I didn't exactly hold in high regard anyway. This being said, there will be more bellyaching later.

A family traveling through the dirt and dust of the desert with San Diego as their destination stops at a rickety, rundown gas station to stretch their legs, empty their bladders, and fill up their fuel tank. The grizzled old owner of the gas station chats with Bob and his road-weary wife Ethel, while their hormonally-saddled teenaged children, Bobby and Brenda, bicker in the distance. One of the family's dogs - there are two, Beauty and Beast - runs inside the gas shanty and Bob and Ethel's eldest, Lynne, chases after the dog. Last but not least, there is Doug - Lynne's husband - and thorn in Bob Sr.'s side - who tends to his and Lynne's infant child (and never mind the damn baby's name).

Finally catching up to her canine on the loose, Lynne finds the dog sticking its nose where it doesn't belong - namely inside a suspicious-looking tote bag. The gas station owner startles Lynne when he finds her inside, and believing she has seen the bag, becomes watchful of her. Lynne apologizes for the dog and hurries back to the motor home. As Bob Sr. starts up his vehicle, the gas station owner knocks at the window and suddenly suggests the family take a shortcut onto a less-traveled road that winds its way through the desolate desert hills. With everybody ready to get the hell out of the desert, Bob decides to accept the old man's advice, taking a short cut that will eventually cut short his family's travel plans... and maybe even their lives (cue diabolical laughter)!

The "new" version of The Hills Have Eyes is remarkably similar to the old. Ignoring the film's third act, the plotting is basically the same - although this version manages to smooth over a few of the rough spots in Craven's original - and some of the dialogue (which wasn't very good in the first place) is even repeated verbatim. Many might thump their chest and proclaim that this is being faithful to a classic, but I felt it was completely redundant, reducing nearly two-thirds of the film to nothing more than a flashier, bigger-budgeted imitation.

This largely paint-by-numbers affair exists at the opposite end of the remake spectrum from a movie like Cronenberg's The Fly. The latter is a prime example of a remake which takes a premise and then inventively re-imagines it and possibly improves on it; the "new and improved" The Hills Have Eyes is basically an example of artless appropriation, recycling, and expensive repackaging. Like the original, the remake may feature monsters with a hunger for human flesh, but unlike its predecessor, I think the movie’s real cannibals can be found eating their own tails at a bank near me.

So, what is new? The film features a brand new, violent, bloody opening that really grabs your attention - even if this is its sole purpose. The drawback of this opening is that it creates expectations which are never realized, and also makes the many redundancies that follow all the more laborious to watch. Nevertheless, as previously mentioned the final third of the film again takes us into some unfamiliar "territory" by incorporating a new locale into its final act - a place aptly described as being "like something out of the Twilight Zone." The addition of this eerie location was an inspired idea, and the one element I liked most about the film, so I'll leave it at that and let those who still want to see the film (ensuring that more crappy remakes are greenlighted, unfortunately) discover it for themselves.

As for the characters, I went to the trouble of mentioning all of them in my synopsis simply because with a large cast of characters, certainly there must be a likable one in the bunch. Yet, somehow this is not really the case. Sadly, if it were not for the cheap inclusion of a baby and a dog, there would really be no one to care about.

In keeping with the original, the family is essentially still lame and annoying - although some slight alterations and a few less than subtle additions alter the family dynamic a little. Anyone who has seen Straw Dogs will notice that the character Doug is now more than just a little reminiscent of the protagonist David Sumner in Sam Peckinpah's vastly superior film. The Hills Have Eyes has always had at its center the notion of a macho male, protector ideal - even the family's dogs reflect this - so it's easy to see how Aja could be tempted to fashion Doug in the mold of David Sumner and his eventual rise to violence. As a tip of the hat to Straw Dogs, this inclusion seemed okay, but its benefits to the film and the character were rather dubious as Doug's character arc, though now more clear and pronounced, is basically consistent with the original. As for those pesky cannibals, Aja and his partner in screenwriting, Gregory Levasseur, have elaborated on a backstory for the "hill people," which turns them into a clan of mutant miner cannibals. Despite how silly that may sound, I liked the changes Aja and Levasseur made here and felt it benefitted the film overall.

Apart from being more bland than their desert surroundings, the main characters also do things that should have audiences scratching their heads. For example, Doug makes it clear he isn't gun crazy like his in-laws, yet when he goes after the “hill people” who have slaughtered his wife and kidnapped his baby, he does so armed solely with a baseball bat. Now if Doug was the big, tough-guy type, this might be kind of fun. However, the fact that he’s just a nebbish cellphone merchandiser, makes it all seem just a little bit goofy. Prior to this, Doug also tells Bobby, the teenaged son with a gun, that they should only go after the hill people and attempt to rescue the baby once they have a plan. Despite his calm and collected response to little Bobby, there is never any planning, and I can only guess that a Louisville slugger is the extent of Doug’s strategizing abilities.

Furthermore, in the original the cannibals steal all of the family's guns and ammo, so Doug is forced to make do without. In the new version Doug doesn't take a gun because he doesn’t like guns and it goes against his principles, I guess. Okay, fine. But, this is also the transitional point in the story where Doug’s character embraces violence as a means of survival anyway - so in addition to finding it hard to believe that a person (even if they have issues with guns) would not arm themselves in such an extreme situation, it would also have made sense in terms of the character's arc for Doug to just take a damn gun with him.

Don't worry, it gets worse: Bobby, who's itching to say bye to the B and the Y that are standing between him and manhood, is left with the gun, and like his retired detective father, doesn't seem to know how the hell to use it. Instead of utilizing the gun to kill those who are trying to kill him and his sister, in one sequence, he shoots aimlessly at his assailant, as if to lure said attacker with bullets toward the elaborate trap he and his sister have conjured up. Of course if used properly... say like a gun, the firearm would have ultimately had the same result as the silly trap they’ve built. So, apart from a desire to let the kids whoop it up with their little MacGyver moment, this made absolutely no sense. Additionally, the fact that these characters love guns and yet appear to have no idea how to really shoot one, is the closest the film comes to making a clear political statement (albeit unwittingly), which in this case would be a shotgun-hoisting cry for gun control.

It probably goes without saying that a film does not "need" to have political commentary or an agenda to be good. Even so, this new version of The Hills Have Eyes evidently yearns for some depth in this regard, but ultimately and pitifully flounders about in its muddled attempts. Aja's version of the film amplifies the nuclear testing angle hinted at in Craven’s original, commenting on the U.S. Government's willingness to sacrifice innocent citizens for the sake of nuclear science. However, the film really stumbles over what seemed like its initial approach to this material when it mutates into what looks like a violent advertisement for patriotism, and then thusly, falls flat on its disfigured face.

To elaborate, when "our hero" stabs one of the mutant miners - who serve as the film’s embodiment of, and warning against, a governmental lack of concern for its citizenry - with a U.S. Flag (planting it in its aesthetically challenged head I believe) it’s unclear what response this is presumed to evoke. Should I stand up and salute the screen, clap my hands approvingly, or just laugh at the silliness of it all? (I chose the latter) Surprisingly, by this point what was apparently one of the film’s themes (if I may be so bold) has been completely sabotaged.

Also, around this point, the film's score also suddenly loses any of its subtlety by becoming laughably over-the-top. If the film took itself a little less seriously, I wouldn't be reluctant to say instead that all of this was simply tongue-in-cheek; or, even that Aja is perhaps using a heavy-handed and over-the-top approach to, paradoxically, sneak in some subtly, subversive commentary. Personally, it would require a rather dubious leap of faith for me to wholeheartedly make or accept such a claim. In instances such as this, I think it's often easy to confuse complexity with what is in truth nothing more than an unfortunate lack of clarity.

Although Aja's previous film, High Tension, received many a mixed reaction, most would agree that the young director exhibited a visual prowess that belied his relative lack of experience. The Hills Have Eyes demonstrates that, at least in terms of the film's visual merits, Aja's early success was not merely a fluke. Collaborating again with cinematographer Maxime Alexandre, the film, though at times a little too "shutter-happy," has some striking compositions, and Aja makes good use of the drab desert locale. In addition, the great effects work by the ubiquitous KNB illustrates why they are in such high demand, and the film’s action and gore set pieces should please fans of the same. Nevertheless, despite the usual proficiencies and the film’s all too brief flashes of interest and originality, it should be clear that I did not like the film. While I’m certain it will have a following and might possibly please fans of the original, to put it frankly, if this remake of The Hills Have Eyes is seen as being a good movie, then thankfully, I must be blind.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

KatieBird: Certifiable Crazy Person

2006-02-28T02:09:00.000-08:00

KatieBird: Certifiable Crazy Person (2005)

There are enough serial killer movies out there making a kerfuffle of video store shelves everywhere that, after looking both ways of course, I think it’s safe to venture forth and say that over the years, and with the accumulation of titles, a film sub genre has emerged. Most of these movies feature male killers, and more often than not, female characters inhabiting the role of the prey. As the title of the movie in question perhaps intimates, KatieBird: Certifiable Crazy Person is not one of those films. Rather, KatieBird has more in common with two other recent movies which serve as exceptions to this male killer stereotype, Audition and Monster, simply because all three revolve around a serial murderess that preys exclusively on male victims - in some surprisingly savage and sadistic ways.

KatieBird Wilkens meets with her therapist Dr. Richardson inside a dimly lit apartment. I doubt I need to clarify that Richardson is not a therapist of the physical variety, but even so, their ‘session” does turn quite physical rather quickly. Evidently KatieBird is very familiar with Dr. Richardson’s unorthodox bedside manner however, and seems willing to go along for the ride - so to speak. Regardless of how things may initially appear, it soon becomes abundantly clear that it is actually KatieBird who is in control of the situation, as she takes Dr. Richardson by the throat and leads him kicking and bleeding on a violent and hellish trip down memory lane.

Despite its somewhat silly title, KatieBird: Certifiable Crazy person is an excellent example of quality low-budget filmmaking - and no that is not a paradox. This is not to say that it is in anyway flawless, but even so, it exceeds its budgetary constraints, and given its limitations, excels in almost every respect.

Of all the film’s elements, easily the strongest are its visuals. The film’s director/writer/producer/editor, Justin Paul Ritter, employs an interesting and daring visual approach by using a split screen, multi-paneled image throughout the entire film. Sometimes the image is split in half, horizontally, then vertically - then reduced to thirds, appearing as strips, or blocks, both staggered and symmetrical. Occasionally with its fragmented visuals the film even resembles and attains the quality of a page torn from a comic book. I have no doubt that some viewers will find this element of the movie to be merely distracting or possibly unbearable, and while I didn’t feel that it worked all of the time, I never felt it was confusing or overly gimmicky. Rather, more often than not, it energized the film and heightened the overall viewing experience. Furthermore, it’s also in accord with the film’s subject matter and actually accentuates it quite well.

First time cinematographer Josh Fong does an exceptional job with the cinematography. His compositions are often dynamic, seizing your attention while fully complementing the story and drawing you into the world of the film. The movie’s overall image quality is really quite good. It’s difficult to say if Fong lit this digital movie as one would if shooting on film, or if it was some post production tinkering on the image, (or perhaps some of both) but this digital feature comes closer than most low-budget endeavors to emulating the depth of image tonality and range of visual quality common to film stock.

In terms of its visual merits, KatieBird also features some pretty damn good, old- fashioned effects work. The movie is exceptionally brutal and bloody, featuring two lengthy torture sequences in which KatieBird slices and dices her way towards ecstasy. It should please viewers who love it when their television screen drips with blood, while those who are squeamish might want to give KatieBird a wide berth.

Anyone who thinks low-budget movies and bad acting are inevitably linked, need not worry in this case. The actors do a fine job with material that is not without its difficulties. The cast features seasoned actors like Helene Udy (My Bloody Valentine, The Dead Zone) as the adult KatieBird, as well as newcomer Taylor M. Dooley who does a splendid job playing KatieBird as a teenager. Suffice it to say, the casting is really good and not the usual weak spot many have grown accustomed to, and wary of, when watching a low-budget movie.

If I have a major complaint however, it is with the film's story. There just simply isn’t enough story to constitute or propel a feature length movie. There is about an hour’s worth of material here, tops, but the film stretches this simple story out over 100 minutes. Consequently, the movie becomes a little thin in places, and despite its kinetic visuals, tends to lag now and again. In addition to this, at times the film and its characters had an offbeat tone that I liked, for the most part, and yet there were instances when the way characters responded to situations seemed artificial and the story began to feel slightly repetitive. Still the good outweighs the bad and KatieBird: Certifiable Crazy person is definitely worth checking out, and certainly recommended to adventurous viewers who like their horror movies bloodstained, extreme and willing to push at the boundaries of cinema.

Heretic Films does KatieBird justice by giving it a nice DVD release. As mentioned, the image looks good, with bright, saturated colors and only a few very minor imperfections. DVD extras include a commentary with the director and stars Helene Udy, Taylor M. Dooley and Lee Perkins, liner notes by the director, trailers for the film, a Heretic promo reel, and some DVD Easter Eggs. The DVD also has a featurette titled “Movies NOT Excuses” which could have been more aptly titled “Justin Paul Ritter: Certifiable Crazy Person.” I appreciate the director’s passion and go-getter attitude, but he comes off a bit like a crazed Tony Robbins for film industry wannabes. The last extra is an additional disc that features the film’s somewhat effective (barring the goofy growling) soundtrack.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Satan's Blood

2006-02-20T17:03:00.000-08:00

Satan's Blood (1977)

Which is sexier - Satanism or the 1970s? Yep, ignoring the un-sexiness that was 1978, it's a tricky question that once sparked many interesting debates and was responsible for more than a few Mensa meltdowns, I'm afraid. Thankfully however, and with the threat of another think tank riot looming, some prescient individuals foresaw the sexiness inherent in each of these elements, and like mixing chocolate and milk, had the genius idea of combining this most delicious of duos. Despite ongoing debate along the Canadian border, Satanic cinema henceforth became synonymous with the 1970s, and thus, this somewhat futile quandary was quashed forever. So why mention it and run the risk of rekindling the flames of this once-fiery debate? Because the posse of cineastes over at Mondo Macabro are releasing a sex-filled, Satanic-seventies romp from Spain titled Satan's Blood, that in addition to allowing me to write an S-filled sentence, should provide more answers, and perhaps quell any unrest that might require some much needed quelling (you know who you are).

The film opens with a Satanic ritual in which a group of men wearing black (surprise!) converge around a seemingly unconscious woman clad in a white, translucent gown. A grizzled man with a beard emerges from the pack of Satanists, unveils the woman's milk-white breasts, and begins mauling her mammaries with the gusto for which those who dabble in the dark arts are renowned. This devilish bit of groping is accompanied by what sounds less like organ "music" and more like the convulsive nightmare of a virtuoso using the organ's keys for his pillow. Amidst this orgy of nightmarish notes, the circle of Satanists watch as their lecherous leader pulls out a long dagger to penetrate and dispatch their long-legged sacrifice to the devil.

Following this attention-getter, we meet Ana and her fuddy-duddy hubby Andres. It's the weekend and Ana is bored silly, Spanish-style. She wants to go out dancing, but Andres who evidently doesn't and is running low on excuses, reminds Ana that she is pregnant and that dancing might harm the baby. Before Ana can perhaps quip that it is only her feet that risk being harmed, Andres lights up a cigarette, adding to his already doubtful smokescreen. Nevertheless, the young couple paint the town red - and even if dancing isn't part of the evening's palette, Ana and Andres appear to have a pretty good time driving, walking, smoking and drinking coffee like only two lovebirds uncaged really can.

However, all of this brakes to a screeching halt when stopping at a stoplight, Andres notices a male and female in the next car staring over at them. Andres forfeits the title to "stoplight staring contest champion" when he looks to his wife and asks if she knows the couple. Ana doesn't. However, the friendly mystery man claims to be one of her husband's old school chums. Thusly, Andres and Ana decide to join the couple at their remote and ominous country house with the slightly less ominous prospect of some wine and cheese in their future. True to their word, the hosts ply their guests with appetizers, but when the hosts themselves do not partake, it becomes quite clear that they are saving their appetites for the unsavory Satanic delights that the film's title blatantly promises.

While Satan's Blood isn't going to have anyone's head doing 360s, it is a decent little, largely unseen low-budget affair that's worthy of adding to the pantheon of Satanic seventies cinema. The story relies on an old formula that while shopworn, does manage to work fairly well, and Satan's Blood provides enough of a variation to keep things interesting - moderately speaking. In general, Satanic cliches most certainly abound, yet, it's all part of the fun for today's viewer and probably seemed slightly less stale in 1977 (or at the very least in Spain, due to that country's prior governmental constraints on cinema).

The characters are from the run-of-the-mill, dime-a-dozen variety, but are perhaps because of this, for the most part, serviceable. Logic is rarely something that troubles the film's protagonists, so viewers who are willing to follow their lead and let reason slide will have a better time than those who nitpick over the often willy-nilly nature that "characterizes" this type of film. To be honest, the film's labored attempts to keep the couple from leaving the house become somewhat farcical towards the end, but to take such things too seriously would be beside the point I think. To nitpick a little, however, there are ominous characters who exist at the edges of the film and its story, yet this is where they remain and I would have liked for them to have been integrated into the film proper at some point.

The large house in which much of the film and its action takes place works quite well. The trees that border the house seem to be vomiting an excessive amount of dead leaves into frame, but that's really neither here nor there (or is it?!?). The interiors are adequately atmospheric, and are decorated with the odd skull, Ouija board and creepy doll, which lend an unsettling air to the proceedings. The film is lit effectively, bolstering the eery atmosphere, and the camera work, which is understated but never stagnant, is also rather good.

While not overly violent or gory, Satan's Blood features a couple of nice moments in this regard. The film also has a decent dose of sex and nudity, my only caveat being that after witnessing it, I had to question whether I really ever wanted to see the participants bereft of clothing after all. Which brings us to the "scary" aspects of the film. There is no doubt that Satan's Blood is a horror film, but I would be hard pressed to call it a horrifying or scary film. There are a few creepy bits here and there and the film evokes a disturbing mood at times, but its entertainment value exceeds any chills and thrills it may have originally elicited.

Mondo Macabro does another excellent job with this release. Satan's Blood is presented using a "new Hi Def digital master" and with only a few minor exceptions, the film looks exceptionally good. The DVD comes with both English and Spanish language options and English subtitles. Additional features include a short Pete Tombs essay which describes the film and puts it into the context of the Spanish film industry of that time, and a very interesting documentary titled The Devil's Disciples, in which Gavin Baddeley (an expert on the subject of Satan worship, who is himself a Satanist) talks about the history of Satanism, and its place in many of the horror genre's most popular films. It's an engaging addition, thanks mainly to the intelligent and effusive Baddeley, and is far from just a throw-away extra.

Originally published at Horrorview.com

The Pinky Violence Collection

2006-02-14T08:09:00.000-08:00

The Pinky Violence Collection

The first film featured in Panik House's sensational Japanese 1970s exploitation film collection, Delinquent Girl Boss: Worthless to Confess, opens appropriately enough with a bunch of rough-looking delinquent girls watching a movie inside the less-than-cozy confines of their reformatory. Within minutes a requisite girl riot ensues after the principal has the screening stopped, and the aforementioned authoritarian soon finds himself the target of a roomful of unfocused adolescent anger, in addition to a well-aimed pair of pink panties. This type of unruly behavior requires a proper chastening of course, so before you can say Marco Polo, the giggling gals are sent off to avail themselves of all inhibitions and clothing, before frolicking in a hot, steamy bath.

The following day the film's heroine, Rika, encounters an old man wandering outside the reformatory's chain-linked perimeter. Rather than being a pervert on the prowl for some of that sweet delinquent girl loving, he turns out to be the worried father of a girl named Midori, who refuses to see him. The old man hands Rika a childhood keepsake to give to his daughter, but when Rika attempts to fulfill the old man's request, Midori angrily and mysteriously refuses to accept her father's gift.

Months later, after being released from the reformatory, Rika struts her stuff (like only a delinquent fresh from the stir can), and wards off a group of gangsters with her patented dose of tough talk and sass, before finally arriving at Midori's father's house to say hi and return the keepsake. The old man learns that Rika is without a place to stay, so he kindly offers her a vacant room in his humble home, as well as a job in his busy auto repair shop.

After this everything is all lug nuts and laughter until Rika learns Midori, who was also released from the reformatory some time ago, is continuing to run slipshod on her poor old father's lonesome heart. It turns out that his absentee daughter's boyfriend is accruing some pretty substantial gambling debts, and out of love for Midori, the old man is paying off the gangsters who are keen on collecting. Having become something of a surrogate daughter, Rika wants to help the old feller, but as she becomes more involved, danger steadily escalates until it's only a matter of time before Rika trades in her tire-iron for a samurai sword, and we find out why exactly it's worthless for a delinquent girl boss to confess.

Japan's notorious Toei studios released a series of four Delinquent Girl Boss films (which fall into a genre known as Sukeban) at the dawn of the 1970's directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi and starring Reiko Oshida. Worthless to Confess is the final, and according to the DVD, finest film in the series. Although the film features more melodrama than mayhem, it is an entertaining film capped off by a violent, nicely "executed" climax that should satiate those ravenous for some bright red bloodletting. In contrast to this, Worthless to Confess is sturdily anchored by a familial kindness and sentimentality that juxtaposes and complements the violence inherent to the genre, making the eventual eruption of onscreen violence even more potent.

The film features a fairly large cast of characters, but apart from a few exceptions, most remain memorable, and there is little confusion to be had for viewers who pay attention, and who are not prone to unscheduled lapses into unconsciousness (if you've made it this far, pardon the redundancy). The story and its plot are cohesive, if at times slightly unbalanced, and while by no means overly sophisticated, the narrative is interesting and amusing enough to amuse and interest.

Like the violence, the film, on the whole, is also more restrained in its visual approach, again letting loose during the denouement. However, at points in the film, especially in the cabaret sequences, a Pop art influence is evident in the bright primary colors that are employed and which grab, or depending on sensibilities, possibly repel, the viewer's eye. There is a garishness that, while not as pervasive in Worthless to Confess, is a staple to the visual scheme found in Japanese exploitation films from the 70s, and while terms like garish and melodramatic are often connotatively stigmatic, these are the very cinematic attributes which distinguish and elevate many of these films, and make for a comparatively sublime viewing experience. So in short, while DGB: Worthless to Confess didn't knock my metaphorical socks off, it is a good film, well worth a look, and is an good, if atypical, introduction to The Pinky Violence Collection.

The second film in the collection, Girl Boss Guerilla stars Miki Sugimoto as Sachiko, the sexy but severe boss of an all-girl motorcycle gang. Sporting matching red helmets and red scarves, the group of girls, who call themselves the Red Helmet Gang (possibly because the much tougher-sounding Red Scarf Gang was already spoken for) travel from their hometown to the nearby city of Kyoto, making only one brief stop along the way to give a pack of easy riders the thorough drubbing they deserve. Shortly after arriving and realizing they're hurting for money, the girls waste no time in shaking down the Kyoto citizenry, whether it be luring lonely men in for sex, stealing from fundraisers, or overcharging bewildered young couples for having their pictures taken. When the Red Helmet Gang notices a local girl gang with a yen for yen rivaling their own stealing from a group of high schoolers, Sachiko confronts the local gang's leader and demands that they hand over the money. This confrontation sets off a fingernail-splintering series of fights between the ladies full of flying fists, torn tops, and bared breasts.

After the dust has settled, and the makeup is reapplied, Sachiko and her Red Helmet hellions emerge victorious. Usurping her nemesis, Sachiko becomes the new Kyoto girl boss, combines the local gang with her own, but in the process also takes on the unfortunate responsibility of answering to a powerful and greedy local chapter of yakuza. Being hot-tempered, headstrong and unwilling to share her gang's spoils, Sachiko finds herself in a constant struggle against the demanding yakuza. During one such struggle in an alley, a burgeoning boxer steps in to lend a fist or two in Sachiko's defense. In no time a love-struck Sachiko is down for the count, and mixing it up beneath the sheets with her deadly but dashing pugilistic paramour. The next day Sachiko and her girl gang escape to a seaside resort where Sachiko's boxing beau is training. However rain clouds in the form of vengeful yakuza soon gather over the idyllic locale, and Sachiko and her gang of ferocious femmes are forced to employ both toughness and trickery in an attempt to stay alive by at last destroying their meddlesome male oppressors.

Despite its many fine qualities, Girl Boss Guerilla flirts with being an excellent exploitation film, but upon its conclusion reveals itself to be merely a very good one. There are several sequences deranged enough to leave rabid exploitation film viewers rapturous, but a few snags in the plotting equal lags in the film, and a somewhat mediocre conclusion pales when compared to the trail of exploitative audacity leading up to it. This aspect is all the more disappointing since oft-times films of this ilk steadily whip themselves towards a frenzy-filled finale. Nevertheless, Girl Boss Guerilla is still a very entertaining entry in the realm of 70's crackpot cinema and is definitely worth watching.

Director Norifumi Suzuki (School of the Holy Beast, Sex and Fury) again proves that his reputation as one of Toei's most provocative talents is not unwarranted. In addition to the delirium of sex and violence, Suzuki peppers the film with his familiar prescription of blasphemous portraitures, which in Girl Boss Guerilla are more along the lines of humorous high-jinks than inflammatory religious indictments. Comedy is a primary ingredient in this film, and more often than not it works, inducing chuckles instead of groans - which is something that does not hold true for a lot of Japanese exploitation films from this period. The cast is again quite good featuring familiar faces to the genre, including Miki Sugimoto, Reiko Ike and Toru Abe. As with the other Toei films that I've seen, Girl Boss Gorilla belies its relatively small budget with a film that is also visually captivating thanks to some topnotch filmmaking.

The next film, Terrifying Girls' High School: Lynch Law Classroom, gets things off to a rollicking start with a torture sequence inside the science lab at an all-girls school. Clad in bright red surgical masks and gloves to match, a group of schoolgirls tie up a fellow classmate, who now struggles with more than just her grades as her assailants lacerate her exposed breasts with a glinting scalpel, and then begin slowly draining blood from her arm, into a bulbous glass tube. Believing she is on the brink of certain death, the captive girl breaks free of her restraints and flees to the roof, only to learn that death is indeed certain, and comes dressed in a cute Japanese schoolgirl uniform.

Officials at The School of Hope (an institute that prides itself on turning wayward girls into good wives and daughters) pad the pockets of local authorities who in return report that the death of the girl, whose name was Michiyo, was an unfortunate accident. Following this, three new delinquents are transferred to the school: a swinging sexpot named Kyoko Kubo, a toughie named Razor-blade Remi, and a crucifix-carrying girl boss named Noriko Kazama, aka The Boss with the Cross. Immediately this troublesome trio is butting heads and exchanging bitch slaps with the school's disciplinary squad - a clique of schoolgirls who are paid to terrorize and torture anyone who crosses them, or is foolhardy enough to run afoul of the school. When Noriko discovers that her chum, and once-lovable lieutenant in her girl gang Michiyo was murdered, she makes it her mission, however perilously torture-filled it may be, to destroy the kill-happy cuties and fiendish faculty members responsible for Michiyo's death.

Again, Norifumi Suzuki was at the helm on this picture, leaving one to speculate on the number of cinematic treasures littered amid his filmography that have yet to be experienced by Western audiences. The film boasts some indelible, nightmarish imagery and arresting compositions, elevating its stature to that of a formidable work of exploitative art. In this regard, it's interesting to note that the trailer for the film features some eye-catching moments (for example, over fifty schoolgirls wielding clubs and charging at each other in a dirt lot) that are absent from the film itself. While these expurgations are a mystery, the already over-the-top film has plenty of maniacal material to feast upon however, and should leave most viewers more than satisfied.

In addition to Suzuki, the regular suspects are present, most notably the seemingly ubiquitous Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto. Both inhabit roles similar to those they've already played in other films, however, both are a lot of fun to watch, bringing with them a couple of tough, charismatic screen presences that benefit the film. In all, Terrifying Girls' School: Lynch Law Classroom is brimming with the kind of eroticism, unbridled sleaziness and demented violence that will leave some mouths agape, and have exploitation fans all agog. Mix political overtones amidst a schoolgirl riot into this already heady concoction, (not to mention the funky 70's score) and I believe it's fair to say the film approaches exploitation nirvana.

The final film in this glorious girls-run-amuck collection is titled Criminal Woman: Killing Melody. The film stars Reiko Ike as Maki, a tough girl with a revenge-fueled grudge against a pack of local gangsters who kill her drunken, drug addict dad. As unnecessary as adding salt to a margarita made out of tears, the pack of hyenas then gang rape poor grief-ridden Maki, thus stoking the white-hot embers of her fiery vengeance. Unfortunately, when Maki, armed with a her aforementioned vengeance and a big knife, tries to eviscerate one of the gangsters at a strip club, she is outnumbered and winds up getting tossed into the slammer.

Now behind bars and with her thirst for revenge unquenched, Mika quietly bides her time, waiting for her release and retribution. Perhaps too quiet, several of Mika's fellow prisoners question her, but when she remains mum, the other gals find this disrespectful, which results in Mika fighting the toughest of the bunch, Masayo (Miki Sugimoto). With a tether between their teeth and long, jagged shards of glass in their hands, Mika and Masayo are encircled by the prison populace who watch with glee as the two pummel each other mercilessly. Mika loses the fight, but wins the respect of everyone by not giving up and fighting till she passes out. Soon thereafter, Mika gives up her silence however, choosing to open up about her past. This results in some girl bonding behind bars, and when finally released, Mika and her comrades in tight pants go after the gangsters who did her wrong.

Criminal Woman: Killing Melody is a great one-two punch of Japanese girl power that rounds out the collection quite nicely. It combines elements of both the infamous women in prison genre with the somewhat lesser known (in the West anyway) Sukeban, to make for an enjoyable, action-packed movie hybrid. Director Atsushi Mibori does a great job staging some compelling action sequences, and though his visual approach is less dynamic than Norifumi Suzuki's, his presentation of the material is not bereft of inventiveness and is rarely boring.

The only complaint I have is that the tough girl characters at the heart of the film are left out of many of the action sequences in the second half of the movie. This is due to a story element wherein the girls ignite a yakuza war between two rival gangs by tricking and fueling the paranoia of the unwitting gangsters. This inevitably puts the female characters on the periphery and makes it difficult for the girls to enter into the fray until later - which was slightly disappointing, even though the gang battles are a lot of fun. The film also features some funny moments, including a bizarre gangster who spits chewing gum with pin-point accuracy, and at a deadly velocity. The prerequisite torture sequences also run the gamut from using nipples as ashtrays, to the threat of a chain saw mastectomy. To put it simply, Criminal Woman: Killing Melody is yet another low-down and dirty high point in this superlative collection.

The four films come in a nifty and slick hot pink package that includes a twenty-four page booklet written by Chris D., author of Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film. The packaging is really nice, and I also liked the booklet - although some of the narrative details were incorrect. In addition, a CD entitled, Reiko Ike Sings! (which could be more aptly titled, Reiko Ike Moans While Someone in the Band Strangles Balloons) is included, and is sure to have you shaking a tail feather (or at least raising your eyebrows).

Each of the films are presented in beautiful anamorphic Widescreen prints, with optional English subs. Informative commentaries are included with each film and feature the likes of Chris D., critics Andy Klein and Wade Major, Panik House president Matt Kennedy and columnist Wyatt Doyle. Additional features for each disc include actress and director bios, original theatrical trailers (all of which have been re-mastered), poster and stills galleries, production notes, and the box set also comes with an insert sticker that is the same as the box set's cover. So with four films ranging from good to great, and a bounty of fine extras, this limited edition set is really a fantastic treasure chest of exploitation gold and I give it my highest recommendation!

This is a link to a trailer that a fan made which includes moments from films in the Pinky Violence Collection.
(Contains some nudity)

Originally published at Horrorview.com

Red Cockroaches

2006-01-29T17:54:00.000-08:00

Red Cockroaches (2003)

Adam Zarrasky is a paunchy thirty-something working as a bartender in a colorfully lit, but not heavily patronized bar somewhere in the Big Apple. Life for Adam appears to be fairly humdrum until a mysterious, and slightly androgynous femme in a subway tunnel rocks Adam to his inner core with nary a word. However, before Adam can offer even a friendly howdy-do, the love of his life disappears, leaving only a tooth behind, which our lovelorn bartender squats down to pick up. Of course, the tooth is hot (silly fool) and Adam burns his curious little digits, if only slightly, before finally managing to pocket the mystery molar.

Immediately thereafter Adam sits down to break bread with his girlfriend, but before anyone can so much as pass the butter, Adam astonishes her by suggesting they end their relationship. Now single and sassy, Adam is busy lounging on the couch when a prospective roommate arrives to take a look at the apartment. Of course, the prospective roommate is none other than the girl from the subway (you silly fools) and, she has a French accent to boot! The mystery girl reveals that she has a name to go with the accent, Lily, after which she and Adam proceed to engage in awkward conversation highlighted by Lily's deft, rhythmic fingering of a rose.

Much to Adam's chagrin the vexing vixen disappears a second time, only to reappear at a graveyard (much to Adam's...opposite of chagrin), where they smoochy smooch among the tombstones. Later, when Adam visits his mother he is startled yet again when the ubiquitous sex-pot makes another surprise appearance. However, the cake is truly taken when Adam's mother introduces Lily, to a now flabbergasted Adam, as his sister who has been in a coma (in France) for the last nine years.

Initially shocked and repulsed by this news, Adam quickly warms up to his sister, and being the good brother that he is, invites her to stay with him in his apartment. This time Lily accepts her big bro's invitation, moves in, and without blinking an eye, resumes her seduction of Adam. Late one evening Adam brings home some burgers, but unable to resist Lily's charms any longer, the brother/sister duo christen their unwholesome desires in the kitchen, resulting in a scene that is like a Carl's Jr. ad gone horribly wrong. Then, as if incest were not already challenging enough to a relationship, a nosy ex girlfriend, a horny landlord, acid rain, a surprise visit from mom, a murder by keys, and mutant cockroaches all threaten to destroy Alan and Lily's taboo affair.

Red Cockroaches was directed, photographed, written, edited, and produced by twenty-eight year old Miguel Coyula for a paltry 2,000 dollars. Considering this, and the fact that the film was shot over weekends for a year and enlisted actors who were willing to ply their craft for free, the film does exceed its no-budget origins. While no one gives an award-winning performance, the acting is suitable and Coyula proves at times to have a good eye for composition. The digital effects duties also fell on Coyula's shoulders (he spent another year in post production on the film) and again, all things considered, the look of the film surpasses its 2,000 dollar budgetary limitations.

The script, while problematic, also reveals that Coyula has some intriguing ideas and is not bereft of imagination. He does a fine job of presenting mysterious elements which keep the viewer's attention and also has a knack for infusing his story with a sense of "dream logic." Yet, it should be noted that often it feels as though Coyula has littered his story with mysterious, dreamlike elements but is unable (or unwilling) to use them in a completely satisfying way. In a sense, they are there merely for the sake of being there. This is fine within certain contexts, but if you are attempting to use said elements as narrative devices, then it seems unsatisfactory to just let them lie fallow. For example, the tooth. I was reminded of the tooth which Roman Polanski finds embedded in a wall in his superlative film The Tenant. While the tooth, at its most basic, adds an element of mystery to the film, The Tenant is a narrative horror film, and thus the tooth eventually serves a satisfying narrative function. In Red Cockroaches just as the tooth seems to be taking on a greater importance, and is being used for a narrative thrust, it is abandoned completely. However, if this, and other abandoned ideas are going to be answered in subsequent films (Coyula has a trilogy planned) then fine, but one (meaning me) can't help but feel unsatisfied with all the disconnected dots in Red Cockroaches.

Apart from some of the writing, I also had a bit of a problem with the special effects. To pick on the "quality" of the effects would just be bullying, and despite my enormous strength and my unrivaled fighting skills, I am no bully. The problem is this, they serve no real function other than effects are cool, I guess. The film is set either in the future, or as the director terms it, "an alternative reality." Thus, there is acid rain, mutant cockroaches (that serve no other purpose than to be mutant cockroaches), mutant people (which to my knowledge are only talked about), ships flying overhead at all hours of the night and day, and all of this adds up to nothing. If the idea was that it would make the film more marketable and more visually interesting, I can dig, but integrate these things into your story. I have the same problem with 100 million dollar movies, so when I see it in a 2,000 dollar movie... kudos for trying to exceed limitations, but if it's all for naught, it is just not for me.

Lastly, the title. If you are going to call your movie Red Cockroaches, then Goddamnit, why not give the people some red mother fu#*in' Cockroaches? You know that's what we all want - that's why the film is called Red Cockroaches, right? Yes, every once in a while we see a cockroach (not even sure they were red now), perhaps to remind us of what we are watching, but that is simply not enough. Again, like the other "big-budget" elements, the cockroaches remain on the periphery, frustrating me with their untapped potential. Seriously some more apt, and possibly more interesting, titles for the film would be "Dirty Burger," or my favorite, "Sexual Ketchup" (see above incest food scene, or don't if ketchup used as a lubricant gives you the willies). Again, if the cockroaches, like many other things, will play a larger role in the two following movies, then I tip my hat to those films. Or, maybe I am just a bully.

Red Cockroaches (or Sexual Ketchup, if you prefer) is presented on DVD in excellent fashion by Heretic Films. In addition to a nice transfer of the digital movie, there are a handful of bonus features, including a trailer, a making-of featurette, audio commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, storyboards, and a short film by director Miguel Coyula. It is very cool that Heretic is a company that appears to be interested in finding new talent and giving them wider recognition, while at the same time giving audiences an opportunity to watch and experience a greater variety of films. To learn more about them and their ever-growing film library check them out at www.hereticfilms.com.

Originally published at Horrorview.com