Cut (2001)
We’ve all made mistakes. My mistake for the day was watching Cut. Yes, I know. It’s a slasher flick, so of course it probably won’t be good, but the problem was this one almost worked, which made it all the more infuriating. It played on the idea of a slasher movie being haunted by someone that doesn’t want the film being made. The problem with that is…we’ve all seen it before (and, by we. I mean horror fans that tend to watch whatever’s being thrown our way).
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Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
This is the follow up to the blocker 2007 film Transformers. Self proclaimed “awesome” director Micheal Bay is directing once again, and the main cast from the first film also returns. Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Peter Cullen(voice), Hugo Weaving(voice), etc. Optimus Prime and the Autobots are set to battle the Decepticons, and once again…The fate of the Earth is at stake.
The Uninvited (2009)
This is an American remake of the Korean psychological horror film, A Tale of Two Sisters. The film opens with a girl(Anna) on the beach making out with her boyfriend, and after he gestures her for sex, she runs off into the woods. On her way to the woods, her sister (Alex) asks if everything is OK. While running through the woods, she encounters three trash bags, and when one of them spills over, there is a dead girl. When Anna takes a closer look, the dead girls head snaps back and warns her not to go home….When she arrives home, she hears the bell her sick mother uses to summon for help, coming from the boathouse. She checks on her mother, and when she leaves the boathouse…it explodes.
Anna then wakes up, from her apparent dream, in a mental institution, which she has been in for quite some time. The loss of mother had done some major psychological damage. But, she is about to be released to go home where she finds her dad has a new girlfriend, Rachel, who was one of her mothers care nurses. Upon her return home to the lake house, she also sees her sister Alex, who has been at home since the accident. Alex tells Anna about how Rachel has pursued her father, and how she is taking over the house. While on the dock they receive a grocery delivery, and the delivery boy happens to be Anna’s ex boyfriend, Matt. When Rachel sees the two of them speaking, she quickly jestures Matt to leave. The next day, Rachel and Anna go into town and Rachel catches Anna speaking to Matt. At that time, Rachel tells Matt that he no longer needs to make deliveries at thier lake house. While Matt and Anna were talking they plan to meet up later that night….Matt never shows and he is found dead in the lake. This furthers the girls suspicions of Rachel and figure her for their mothers and Matt’s murderer. As the girls attempt to delve into Rachel’s past, they think she has a secret past and has killed before…..But has she really?
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Gidam aka Epitaph (2007) – DVD Review
This film is a Korean horror/drama and is written/directed by the Jung brothers (Bum-Sik Jung and Sik Jung). The film follows a series of events that take place in a Korean hospital in the 1940’s. The film starts with Park Jeong-nam(a doctor) looking through and old photo album, that was given to him, from a hospital that is scheduled to be destroyed. In the first event, Jeong-nam is a young intern at the hospital and gets forced into morgue duty. While in the Morgue, he becomes fascinated with a, young, dead woman who is in the morgue. He draws the woman’s face, and something very mysterious happens….The second event revolves around a girl named Asako, who is the sole survivor of a car crash that killed her parents. She is unable to speak, because she is riddled with guilt. The third event is centered around a husband and wife(both surgeons) who are working together on autopsies of the victims of a serial killer, who kills only soldiers. By working together they find the killer, who is not at all what they seem.
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Moon Child (2003) DVD Review
There have been plenty of movies that have blended multiple very different genres seamlessly. Brotherhood Of The Wolf combined horror with a martial arts epic and was better for it. Moon Child tried to do this but couldn’t quite pull it off. It reached just a bit too far. It’s a vampire movie, it’s a gangster movie, an action movie, a romance, and a little bit of everything else as well. It’s also sort of a jumbled mess because of it. The movie showed flashes of brilliance from the cast and crew but there was some incredibly uneven moments as well. Not the greatest movie I have seen but there was enough going for it that I will seek out the directors and main cast’s next projects.
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Valentine (2001)
This film is directed by Jamie Banks, and hit theaters in 2001. This slasher is centered around a young man getting revenge on a group of friends that had slighted him at a school dance in 1988. Little Jeremy Melton asked four of the friends to dance, and he was rejected harshly. He asked a fifth girl to dance and she accepted, then they proceeded to make out underneath the bleachers. When the “cool” kids catch them, the girl totally denies it, and they begin to ridcule and beat Jeremy.
Fastforward to the year 2001, and all the friends are grown up: Shelley (Katherine Heigl), Kate (Marley Shelton), Dorothy (Jessica Capshaw), Ruthie (Hedy Buress), and Paige (Denise Richards). Around Valentines day, they all start to get deranged Valentine cards and gifts, threatening their lives. When the freinds start getting mysteriously killed by a masked assailant. The clues all point to Jeremy. With the help of Det. Leon Vaughn (Fulvio Cecere) and Kate’s boy friend Adam (David Boreanaz), the girls try to find Jeremy before all of them are dead.
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El Ray De La Montana (2007)
I didn’t go into Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego’s 2007 thriller with very high expectations. It sounded like your typical done-a-million-times story of humans being hunted in the woods. These are usually enjoyable but don’t stand out in any way. A few things in this movie bothered me but the good far outweighed the bad and led to me having a pretty enjoyable hour and a half movie experience.
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Thunderbolt Fist (1972) – DVD Review
January 9, 2009 by Mike C
Filed under Martial Arts, Review
I’m a little sad (and embarrassed) to say this is my first Shaw Bros movie. I claim to be a martial arts movie fan and have missed some of the biggest movies out there in the genre. I took me a while to watch this one. It kept getting pushed back for other movies but I wish I had gotten to it sooner as it was pretty damn entertaining. Read on for the full review.
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Seeding of a Ghost (1983) – DVD Review
Seeding of a Ghost is yet another smut-filled roller-coaster of an exploitation film, that doesn’t try to be anything more than what’s printed on the back of the DVD case. That, coupled with the snazzy looking DVD cover is sure to grab some poor schmuck’s attention as he wanders down the rental isle at his local store. Is Seeding of a Ghost worth checking out? Well, the answer is yes and no.
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The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (1962) – DVD Review
The Tale of Zatoichi Continues (which is actually the name of the second film in the Zatoichi series) is pretty much a continuation of the first film (as is stated in the title). The blind swordsman is back and this time at action is amped up. Shintarô Katsu is back as the title character, and in this sequel secrets are about to come out regarding his past and it may just come back to haunt him.
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Not a trailer, but one of the many beat-downs Zatoichi hands out.
Motel Hell (1980)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Psycho would be the best way I could describe Motel Hell. This little gem of an exploitation film is quite a quirky little piece. What I thought would play out as a simple “There’s something in the basement film” or a “welcome to the mysterious motel where you check in but never check out film” was actually a much more sinister ride. The characters are generic, as are the motivations, but how they get there, well…that’s a different story completely.
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The Teacher (1974)
December 28, 2008 by Mikey B
Filed under Review, Sexploitation
Coming of age stories usually make for rather interesting films. The audience can instantly relate with the protagonist as they fight to overcome the awkwardness of growing up. These guys couldn’t leave their adolescent fantasies back in their teenage years. Oh, no. The Teacher is a film about “what if” one of those fantasies you had came true.
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Pieces (1982)
As a kid that grew up on slasher films you start to notice that they’re all pretty much the same thing with a different hook. Boobs, gore, weapon of choice, etc. Well, that said, some slashers still have a place in my heart as films that I can watch over and over. Whether they are put together well, and actually have some effort put into them or terribly made yet are released for some ungodly reason, slashers have always been a sub-genre that I will check out whenever a new one comes out. Pieces falls into the latter category. It’s poorly written, horribly acted and so full of plotholes that Michael Bay looks like an Oscar-worthy director. However, it’s one of the funniest films I’ve ever seen. I love it.
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Black Christmas (1974)
Some films just stand the test of time better then others. Black Christmas is one of those films. Made in 1974, this film still has one of the most terrifying series of phone calls I’ve ever heard, and really set the standard for pushing tension to the limit. From the opening credits Black Christmas grabs you by the balls, and doesn’t let go until the screen goes black.
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The Tale of Zatoichi (1962) – DVD Review
The Tale of Zatoichi, aka Zatôichi monogatari, is one of many samurai films to come out of Japan. Only this one was a little different. It inspired over 25 sequels and “upwards of 100 TV episodes” (says the back of Zatoichi box set I have). That’s pretty impressive for any genre. Enough about everything that followed it, the focus here is on the first film in the series, and, what a great way to open it. We’re basically treated to a different version of the Yojimbo story where a wandering swordsman (Zatoichi) enters a village and finds himself in the middle of a feud between two rival gangs. What makes this so different? Zatoichi is blind and kicks more ass than most men with sight ever could.
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Yes, it’s subtitled in Spanish. Sorry about that.
Prophecy (1979)
There’s something to be said for great “nature run amuck” films. They may not be the best acted, written, or edited films ever and they may suffer from piss-poor special effects, but I’ll be damned if many of them are not funny as hell. In the vein of Day of the Animals and, to a lesser extent, Razorback and Alligator we get Prophecy. Wow. If you thought the stupid hippies in 28 Days Later were dumb, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Prophecy, while not a good film per se, is an excellent comedy that had me in stitches and owes its amazing-ness to a certain oversized skinless bear. That’s right, but I’ll get to him in a bit.
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1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982)
December 14, 2008 by Mikey B
Filed under Apocalyptic, Review
Apocalyptic films were all the rage back in the exploitation heyday, and don’t really stand the test of time today, but I’ll be damned if they don’t fall in the “So bad, it’s good” category. 1990: The Bronx Warriors is one of the many films that fell into this category, and what a cheesy fun ride it was. The first thing anyone today would notice is that the film is set in 1990 and apparently New York has gone to shit. Well, that clearly hasn’t happened, in real life (or has it?) and right off the bat you know this film’s going to be cheesy goodness, and it doesn’t disappoint.
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Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008)
Resident Evil: Degeneration is the full length CGI movie by Capcom and Sony Pictures based on the Resident Evil video game franchise. With closer ties to the game then the live action films Degeneration takes place seven years after the original Raccoon City incident with the T-Virus infection. Claire Redfield is part of group to support those affected by bio-terrorism and medical disasters and now she’s at the Havardville Airport as another outbreak begins to spread. Zombies are on the loose, again! For those who are big fans of the game series you’ll definitely appreciate the nods to the original source and if you’re just a zombie fan you’ll still find some entertainment.
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Wanted (2008)
Wanted is directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Nightwatch/Daywatch) and stars James McAvoy(Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, Last King of Scotland), Agelina Jolie (c’mon, you don’t know who she is?), and Morgan Freeman (worse than not knowing Jolie). The film is about a normal, everyday accountant that gets himself mixed up with a band of assassins. He in turn, joins said group and all hell breaks loose.
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Zombie Diaries (2008)
This is a British Zombie film. This is a “mockumentary” about an virus outbreak that has yet to hit England, but rest assured, it does. It is set in present day. The film itself is shot to look like it was filmed with a camcorder. These are also the traditional “Romero” Zombies and not the modern running zombies. Its a bit of an anthology, but read on for more……
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Ricki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)
November 30, 2008 by Mikey B
Filed under Martial Arts, Review
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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JCVD (2008)
Jean-Claude Van Dame the Muscles from Brussels! He is the action hero of the 90’s who brought John Woo to Hollywood with Hard Target, traveled through time in Time Cop and beat up Powers Boothe in a hockey rink while a helicopter came crashing through the roof in Sudden Death. Now he’s making a come back and never could there be a better time to see this whole other side of Jean-Claude as a regular guy in JCVD.
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The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The Hulk is Bruce Banner, a scientist that had one of his experiments backfire on him, resulting in him turning into a large green monster with incredible size and strength. Banner would only turn into The Hulk by being angered and having his pulse rate heightened. This film is a reboot to the 2003 film Hulk, starring Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly, and was one of Marvels lowest achievements. For this rebooted version, they have replaced Bana with Edward Norton and Connelly with Liv Tyler. Personally I like Bana and Connelly, but they did take a step up with Norton and Tyler. One question still remains…Will we like Ed Norton when he is angry?
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Foxy Brown (1974)
November 23, 2008 by Mikey B
Filed under Blaxploitation, Review
So, many of you have read enough of my reviews (hopefully) that you’re getting a feel for the exploitation genre as a whole (hell, I hit enough subgenres anyway), and sometimes it may feel as if the women are just in the films to add some breasts and get killed. That’s not (always) the case. No, no. In fact, Jack Hill (Coffy, Spider Baby) had one of his most well known films with blaxploitation goddess Pam Grier (Coffy, Black Mama, White Mama, Scream Blacula Scream) called Foxy Brown. If you haven’t heard of this flick before, or haven’t ever seen a blaxploitation, this (or, Coffy) would be an excellent place to start.
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The House on Sorority Row (1983)
I tried watching House on Sorority Row once before and turned it off about halfway through. I was so pissed. It’s a slasher, so give me what I’m looking for. Well, The New Beverly Cinema had an all night horror marathon and this was the second film shown that night. Not wanting to miss any films in the show, I decided to stick it out, and boy, was I glad I did. Yes, the beginning is a bit slow, where they try to set up an actual story, but when the acting is this bad you should stick to the simpler things, like blood and boobs. And, they did just that. Right after the film passed the point where I had stopped it earlier the action picked up and the cheesy 80s slasher goodness began to flow.
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That looks like one of the dumbest movies of all time!! That trailer puts it in at... - 
I must admit I’m not to sure about this casting bit, Downey seems... - 
Wow. I’m digging it. Fucking love PA movies - 