Shogun Assassin 3: Slashing Blades of Carnage (1972) – DVD Review

Shogun Assassin 3: Slashing Blades of Carnage sure as hell lives up to its name. From the opening sequence, to the finale, Shogun Assassin 3 is the most brutal of the first three Shogun Assassin films, as well as the fastest paced. Ogami’s honor is put to the test and his son is used as a tool to lure the great swordsman into a battle bigger then anything he could have ever imagined, and what a visual treat it is!

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Ricki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)

Everyone enjoys a good action flick. I don’t care if you’re a gorehound that loves watching zombies tear the flesh off of nubile women while they try to get their freak on with the dumbass boyfriend that was hired to simply lay under the actress while she gyrates in every direction. Maybe you like when the totally undeserving waste of life jerk figures out that his life is meaningless without the simple, small-town girl, that he just bailed on for a night of anal with the hookers down the street. In either case, you enjoy action films once and a while. That brings us to the topic of this review, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky. That’s right. The film’s so badass that they used the main character’s name twice in the title (thanks Edgar Wright for pointing that out). And, while the title may not exactly let the audience know what they’re in for, I can tell you that once you’ve seen Ricki-Oh, you’ll never be the same.

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Lucio Fulci Triple Feature In L.A.

The Silent Movie Theatre is screening three Lucio Fulci movies tonight! The gore begins with Zombie, Gates of Hell, and The Beyond.

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Humanoids from the Deep (1980)

When I hear the words “Exploitation Film” the first thing that pops into my head is Humanoids from the Deep.  This film had pretty much every convention of an exploitation film including: nudity, gore, horrible acting, destruction, death, cheesy dialogue, a generic story, and terrible effects.  Humanoids from the Deep fails on so many levels that anyone with any common sense would know to stay away, but I don’t.  This movie is easily in my top 10 exploitation films and after seeing a print on the big screen I can honestly say that if you think you’re an exploitation fan, you need to see this film.  Immediately.  I know this may be difficult since the damned thing is out of print and goes for a mint on eBay (anyone that finds a good retail copy – under $30 – shoot me an E-mail).

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The Machine Girl (2008)

According to Kill Bill, revenge is a dish best served cold. According to The Machine Girl, revenge is a dish best served with a prosthetic arm that’s a machine gun. Directed by soon-to-be cult hero Noboru Iguchi, The Machine Girl is a riotous, ridiculously entertaining homage to Grindhouse cinema that is sure to make any and all exploitation fans wet their pants with joy.

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Bohachi: Clan of the Forgotten Eight (1973)

Over the weeks and months to come, any readers here that don’t already know me will surely soon realize I have a real enthusiasm for Japanese cinema. This was probably instilled in me before I even realized it was happening, with everything from Nintendo and Sega, animation like Robotech, Voltron, and The Adventures of Unico, and my fascination with badly dubbed giant monster films like Godzilla and Rodan that played on the weekend afternoon Creature Feature’s when I was growing up. There’s just something I get from watching Japanese cinema that I don’t find anywhere else.

Two genres you won’t find anywhere outside of Japan is the samurai film, and a breed of exploitation dubbed Pinky Violence. Yes, there are other films from all over the world that stem from the same idea behind the Pinky Violence genre (girls kicking ass or getting revenge), but no one else can do it with the same style and panache as the Japanese can. These two genres are arguably my favorites from the Land of the Rising Sun, so the idea of putting them together makes a grown man like myself giddy with joy. Thanks to Bohachi: Clan of the Forgotten Eight, directed by exploitation legend Teruo Ishii, that idea has become reality.

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Frontiere(s) (2007)

Much like the J-horror boom a few years back, it seems like France is the new hotspot for kick-ass horror films. Films such as Haute Tension, Them, and Inside take extreme, harrowing horror to a whole new level, and I personally loved all of them (Them to a lesser extent than the other two though). So it was with much anticipation that I awaited the release of Xavier Gens Frontiere(s), and that anticipation only grew larger when After Dark Films postponed the films October release due to not being able to garner an R rating from the MPAA. This baby couldn’t be compromised, and they wanted to release it in its full, uncut glory. Clearly, this must mean it’s just as effective and in-your-face as its French horror brethren, right? Well, just like we found out with J-horror, they unfortunately can’t all be winners.

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