Thursday 28 February 2013

DVD review: Demon Resurrection (Video 2008)


Something's wrong with Grace (Alexis Golightly) and her friends are worried. Ever since she moved in with her new boyfriend, she's been behaving strangely and looks ill. Is she on drugs? Fearing the worst, the friends decide to stage an intervention at the couple's isolated house. But when they arrive they realize they've made a potentially lethal mistake... Grace isn't on drugs but she is in terrible danger. Her condition is the result of something horrible that was done to her during the brief time she was a member of an obscure cult headed by a mysterious man named Toth. The friends learn that Grace's boyfriend rescued her from the cult but that Toth is intent on getting her back and has picked that very night to lay siege to the house, using all the supernatural powers at his disposal. Why does he want her so badly? The friend's must struggle to find the answer while the evil cult leader summons up the very forces of hell against them! Demon Resurrection is written and directed by William Hopkins. The acting is solid, kudos to Alexis Golightly who is great in this. It´s nicely shot and edited. The soundtrack is very good. There are several really nice moments throughout the movie that oozes with atmosphere. The pacing is good. Gorehounds should be pleased as it´s pretty gory with disembowelments and much more and it´s all goodlooking practical fx. Toth´s army of undead look nice, the Fulci-esque zombie fx design is very nice. There is gratuitous nudity from Alexis Golightly.
This review is based upon the region all (region 0) DVD release from Featura Resources.
Support independent filmmaking and buy a copy from the official website here .
Rating: 7 out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot, it makes the most of its low budget and succeeds being a well made and entertaining horror flick. It´s a nice blend of zombies and occult horror. Highly recommended so make sure to check this one out!

/JL

Monday 25 February 2013

"Saturday night special": Humanoids from the Deep (1980)


A race of scientifically created half-human, half-salmon monstrosities lay siege to a Pacific Northwest fishing village. In horrific fashion, the mutated creatures kill the men and mate with the women in order to reproduce. Can the Humanoids From the Deep be stopped before they destroy mankind as we know it? Humanoids from the Deep is written by Frank Arnold, Martin B. Cohen and William Martin (as Frederick James). It´s directed by Barbara Peeters and Jimmy T. Murakami (uncredited). The acting is pretty good, it´s professionally shot and edited. The soundtrack, composed by James Horner, is very good. It is fast paced and you never have to wait long for the next attack by the monsters. It ain´t a gorefeast but I´m sure that gorehounds will be pleased with carnage on screen. It´s practical fx and two of the highlights are a head being ripped off and a torn up face. The creature fx design wonderful, it´s a man in suit design and it looks great! The fx in this are excellent which is hardly a great surprise as Rob Bottin, Kenny Myers and Chris Walas worked on this. There is gratuitoius T & A, plenty of female topless nudity and two sequences where nude women are being dragged off and raped by the Humanoids. The rapescenes isn´t particulary graphic but might be disturbing to watch for the squemish. There are even more nudity in the deleted scenes which are included as Bonus Feature.
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Shout Factory.
Rating: 7 out of 7. Humanoids from the Deep is one of my favourite creature features! It is  unbelievably entertaining, it got monsters, a fair amount of gore, there is a nice amount of female nudity and sleaze. Highly recommended!

/JL

 
 


Saturday 23 February 2013

Review: Lake Noir (2011)


A group of friends head off for a secluded getaway and encounter more than they bargained for. "Nothing good happens at this lake," warns Ol' Mr. McAvoy to a group of unsuspecting campers looking forward to a sex- and alcohol-fueled romp at a secluded lake. Little do they know the lake's sordid past, horrible atrocities, and the resident of the lake who does not take kindly to visitors. Lake Noir is written by Abel Marinez Jr and is directed by Jeffrey Schneider. The acting is pretty decent, the camerawork and editing is good. I didn´t like the rock n´roll soundtrack. The pacing is quite decent but beware that it does take some time before the killings start. There is some gore, we get both off screen and on screen kills. In the more graphic kills I think there is a mix of both practical and computer rendered gore fx as it looks "weird". Although a couple of the kills are quite violent they lack any real punch due to the fact that the scenes are poorly staged. The killers fx design wasn´t very good (won´t go into details due to spoilers). There´s T & A,  there is gratuitous topless nudity in this, courtesy of Jessica Fulks, Cindy Millan and Nina Tomica. There are a couple of sexscenes and a rapescene. Sorry to say but the very cute Angela Valdez (as young Diane Hennly) keeps her clothes on.
This review is based upon a passwordprotected online screener provided by Brain Damage Films.
Rating: 3½ out of 7. With Lake Noir we´re in familiar slasher territory, the crazy old timer warning the young, a haunted place, gratuitous nudity and fairly decent bodycount. The only thing I´d like to have seen being done differently are the kills, they could have been much more graphic and better arranged. And why going the route with off screen kills? Recommended to fans of the slasher genre. 

/JL

Review: New Order (2012)


The year is 2033, three years after an unknown bacteriological attack wiped out almost 80% of the global population. Cities are no longer a safe place to live as rotting corpses are spreading new diseases. A city called New Birth City was set up by what's left of global government and military, a place where humanity could survive and search for a cure. Two Oxford professors headed the research, and two years after the outbreak one of the professors died leaving Dr. Cornelius Van Morgen (Franco Nero), a world renowned biologist to continue the research. Dr. Cornelius Van Morgen chooses five people from among the survivors and puts them up in an old country house where his deceased colleague had set up a research laboratory. Working with the notes his research partner has left behind and observing the five survivors, Dr Cornelius Van Morgen continues his desperate search for a cure or vaccine... New Order is written and directed by Marco Rosson. The acting is overall pretty good but Franco Nero is, as usual, very good. The camerawork and editing is good but I´m not too fond of the heavy use of PoV camerawork (in this case explained by the fact that the characters has small cameras attacked to their heads). The soundtrack is good. The biggest problem I have with New Order is the pacing and the pacing is so slooooooow. I found it to be quite boring due to the fact that there isn´t much happening for much of the running time. There is no gore in this. There is T & A provided by one of actresses in this.
This review is based upon a passwordprotected online screener provided by Midnight Releasing.
Rating: 2 out of 7. New Order is painfully sloooooow and quite boring even if it´s well made and has a a-list star like Franco Nero. There are a couple of nice moments, a couple of nice ideas but they come to late and are too few to save this flick.

/JL


Wednesday 20 February 2013

Review: Leaf Blower Massacre (2013)


First I´d like to thank Anthony Cooney for sending me a screener.
At a early age Martin has an eye for blood 20 yrs later it turns into his passion. Leaf Blower Massacre is a short film written by  Josh Stephenson and Anthony Cooney who also is the director. The acting is decent, the camerawork and editing reminds me of the Shot on Video movies of the 1980s. The pacing is good, it makes the most of the limited running time. As you might reckon this is not a straight horror movie, it is first and foremost a comedy.  The look of the killer is a homage to The Nail Gun Massacre (1985) which is one of the great unintentionally funny horror movies, we get the clothes, the bikershelmet and the voice but instead of a nailgun our killer carries a leaf blower, as weapon of choice.   Leaf Blower Massacre is very tounge in cheek but towards the ending it suddenly takes on a more sinister tone. No gore, no T & A in this.
This review is based upon a screener provided by Anthony Cooney.
Rating: 5 out of 7. Leaf Blower Massacre is different and fun, check it out!

/JL

New DVD giveaway: The Sky Has Fallen(2009) Limited edition


To celebrate that Independent Flicks recently passed the 80 000 registered visitors mark I will now have a new giveaway. The prize is one copy of The Sky Has Fallen(2009) Limited edition.

Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world, a new disease wipes out almost all of mankind within a couple of hours. Trying to avoid infection, people flee to remote locations, but they start seeing mysterious, black figures carrying away the dead and experimenting on them. Now, Lance and Rachel, two survivors determined to fight back, must kill the leader of these creatures before the rest of humanity disappears.

In order to win send a email to independentflicks@hotmail.com as soon as the blog passes the 81 000 mark.

First come first served..

/JL



DVD review: Zombies: The Beginning (Video 2007)


Sharon (Yvette Yzon)  survived the attack of the zombies on a desert island, but no one believes her home the story of bloodthirsty undead. Only Barker (Paul Holme), representative of a pharmaceutical company believes her. With a small private army both return to the Isle of Dread, to solve the mystery and to search for the team at that time. Fast flowing first blood when they collide with the zombies, but soon you get an even worse secret to the track: A horrible new generation of zombies the noose draws ever closer ... Zombies: The Beginning is written by Antonio Tentori and Giovanni Paloucci (but honestly they should have given writing credits to James Cameron and screenwriters of Aliens (1986 ) as this is that movie with a few alterations) and is directed by Bruno Mattei. The acting is bad and dubbing is of course hilarious, the camerawork and editing is decent. The setting and costumes are pretty good, the private army looks good with matching outfits and their equipment and guns look like the real stuff (although I must say the flamethrower looks like a toy) and not like those airsoft guns that populate most low budget features nowadays. Bruno Mattei is well known as a filmmaker who often used footage, music and plots from other movies and I will be reviewing a few of them in the future. Zombies: The Beginning is gory, people are ripped apart or eaten. There´s a lot of squibs and a lot of zombies get their heads blown off. The make-up design for the zombies and the new generation of zombies is pretty decent (they´ve got fangs and so on).There´s no T & A in this.
This review is based upon the german region 2 DVD release from KSM Gmbh, it´s uncut and english audio is available.
Rating: 3½ out of 7. Zombies: The Beginning is another shameless and hilarious Bruno Mattei flick, they have more or less copied the script for James Cameron´s Aliens (1986) page for page, it´s like they have used a freaking xerox machine!! Seriously, Cameron and company could have sued their asses off. Zombies: The Beginning delivers lots of action, lots of zombies, lots of carnage and a lot of hilarity, it isn´t very good but it´s very entertaining. I realized that this is the sequel to Island of the Living Dead (2006) which I have in my collection but haven´t seen yet so you can expect a review of it soon. Highly recommended if you're a die hard fan of Bruno Mattei the uncrowned king of plagiarism.

/JL




Monday 18 February 2013

DVD review: Kickboxer: The Fighter, the Winner (1991)


The world of illegal kickboxing is a dangerous jungle! The fighters are surrounded by prostitution, loan sharking, drugs and guns. Even before they enter the ring, outside influences forced by two vicious crime lords are tearing these backstreet gladiators apart. The main event is set.. Two fighters.. One winner! Kickboxer: The Fighter, the Winner is written by AAV Creative Unit, Andrew Chan and Alton Cheung and is directed by Albert Yu also known as Godfrey Ho. The acting is really bad and there´s plenty of hilarious dialogue and dubbing. The camerawork and editing is pretty decent. This is of course another example of Godfrey Ho´s inventive filmmaking technique, shot some new cheaplooking footage (with Caucasian actors) and then use footage from some asian movie that hasn´t had a wider release or been laying on the shelf for many years. I reckon the newer footage make out approx 15 minutes of Kickboxer: The Fighter, the Winner running time and as usual we get an inept and very confusing flick. Bad, boring and ineptly staged fightchoreography in the asian footage that seems to be taken from some unknown filipino gangstermovie. Although the fightchoreography is a little bit better in the newer footage it made me laugh out loud several times, especially when watching the main character Buster (yup that´s his name) fight. There is a lot of shootouts (remember the filipino footage). There´s no gore in this, although there is a couple of squibs. There´s no T & A in this, there is a rapescene that is amongst the lamest ever.
This review is based on the region all (Region 0) DVD release from Eden Entertainment.
Rating: 1 out of 7. Kickboxer: The Fighter, the Winner is yet another Godfrey Ho atrocity. The DVD cover art and synopsis is very misleading as there is hardly any martial arts in this, the main plot is about rival gangsters and they mainly use firearms. Honestly I got problems explaining the plot of this flick as it just too confusing. This flick is very bad but yet strangely enjoyable if you know what you´re getting into... I think I´ll rewatch that final confrontation between Buster and the main bad guy soon, it was so funny I cracked up...

/JL

DVD review: Manborg (2011)


It is the future and Nazi demons led by the nefarious Count Draculon and his minions rise from the bowels of Hell and take over the planet. A ragtag group of rebels is fighting back but their rebellion is effectively crushed, leaving nothing but scorched earth on which the Hellions plan to build their new world. After a personal confrontation with the Count, a soldier is blasted into oblivion only to awake in the dark future to find most of his body replaced with cybernetic enhancements. A mysterious inventor has turned his bloodied remains into Manborg, cyborg of destruction. Manborg is written by Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski who also is the director. A self-aware pastiche, a homage to Sci-Fi's of the 80s and 90s with lots of references to the movies and videogames of that era.The acting is intentionally over-the-top bad with cheesy dubbing and corny dialogue. The camerawork and editing isn’t pretty to look at. Most of the film is shot on green screen, the set pieces and decors look terribly cheap and amateurish but has a charm. The pacing is high, the film only runs 60 minutes. It´s violent and it´s pretty gory. The stop motion animation work (claymation) is impressive, there are some bad computer rendered fx (yet again, an intentional move).
This review is based upon the region 2 UK DVD release from Rockstone Films.
Rating: 5½ out of 7. Manborg is very silly but in a good way. It´s 60 minutes of goofy, hectic and often-hilarious fun. It´s hard to disapprove of the enthusiasm and the nice cheesy charm it shows. Astron-6 (who are also behind Troma-released Father’s Day) delivers again and knowing that this was made in the director’s parent’s garage and the basement of a store, using found materials for set decoration and models all for about $1,000 it is quite an impressive achivement. Manborg isn´t for everybody but fanboys will probably love it. Make sure you check it out.
 
/JL




Sunday 17 February 2013

DVD review: The Millennium Bug (2011)


When the Haskin family seeks refuge from Y2K hysteria in the isolated forests of the Sierra Diablos mountains, madness and terror find them there. Abducted by a vicious hillbilly clan, the Haskins fight for survival, but neither they nor the hillbilly Crawfords can comprehend the monstrous nightmare about to erupt from the bowels of the earth. The Millennium Bug is written and directed by Kenneth Cran. The acting is good,  it´s professionally shot and edited and looks freaking fantastic, most of it is shot indoors in a large warehouse. The soundtrack is great! The pacing is good, it pretty much goes non-stop. The sets are fantastic, atmospheric and creepy. The hillbilly clan are a great, incestous and nasty family. I loved their sick and demented family.There are a couple of twists and turns, sure I knew the plotline but wow, I just loved it!  It´s gloriously gory, very nice practical gore fx. The creature fx design is incredibly inventive and ambitious and it is all practical fx. The minature fx work left me stunned and I had to pick up my jaw from the floor several times. Fantastically good stuff on screen here! There is some brief topless female nudity and it´s not of the good kind (you´ll se what I mean).
This review is based upon the region 1 DVD release from Green Apple Entertainment, Inc.
Rating: 7 out of 7. Fantastic!! The Millennium Bug is incredible, an unbelievable achivement by filmmakers working on a small scale budget. This looks fantastic! This just blew me away, the combination of backwoods survival and creature feature is a big winner (I love both genres). I totally convinced that The Millennium Bug will be on my Top Ten of the best movies I´ve seen during 2013 when the time comes to compile that list. This gets my highest recommendations, it´s a must see!

/JL




DVD review: Scared to Death (1980)


The killing begins on a hot summer night when co-ed Jamie Richter is attacked. Police investigator Lou Capell (Jonathan David Moses) finds that the only clue to the killing is a web-like substance that clings to the walls of the ransacked house. Joining forces with his old partner, Ted Lonergan (John stinson), they draw a blank until investigating a killing in an underground parking Here they are approached by a young research assistant who tells them of secret research to create the "perfect soldier" by synthetic genetic engineering - the experiment was abandoned, but not before some frightening consequences were discovered. Time is running out and the creature is stalking their every move! Scared to Death is written by Robert Short and William Malone who also is the director. The acting is pretty decent, the camerawork and editing is pretty good and has a pretty nice gritty feel too it. I like that the hero doesn´t look like the typical Hollywood hero, instead he´s more reminiscent of a average joe. I can imagine that some will have a problem with the pacing which is kinda slow but I liked it. The sewer setting is pretty creepy and claustrophobic. The violence is lame and there´s no gore in this. The creature fx design is cool and I love that it´s a man in suit design. There is topless nudity during the opening-scene.
This review is based upon the region all (Region 0) DVD release from Retromedia.
Rating: 3½ out of 7. I enjoyed this, it´s very watchable but the lack of carnage in a movie where the creature goes about ripping apart and sucking the spinal fluid out of his victims is a huge disappointment..

/JL






DVD review: Camp Death (2006)


Tension is high at a long deserted summer camp where an independent slasher movie is being filmed.  With the clock counting down and very little time for re-shoots the cast and crew are at each others throats. Literally! What began as minor on-set differences becomes grounds for a unscripted bloodbath. No need for special effects when there is a machete wielding psychopath around. Camp Death is written and directed by Shaun Tisdale. The acting is bad, this flick is shot on a tight shoestring budget and it shows. The image is murky and dark, plenty of shaky camerawork and so on. It isn´t pretty! The minimalistic instrumental soundtrack is effective and creepy. The pacing is furious, the running time is 39 minutes and there ain´t a dull moment. It´s violent, there´s some gore but the image is for the most part too dark and murky to make out any details.  There is gratuitous T & A, there is prolonged girl on girl action in the beginning of the flick and later on there is a prolonged sexscene.
This review is based upon a product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media.
Rating: 0½ out of 7. Camp Death is made on a tight budget, which is very evident, from the script to the production values. It has all the necessary slasher trademarks, there's nothing new here but it does have some nice moments, for instance the soundtrack and the pacing. The image is sadly so dark that it’s incredibly hard to tell what’s going on. I can only recommend Camp Death to die hard slasher fans.

/JL



Saturday 16 February 2013

DVD review: Resonnances (2006)


A perfect getaway for a group of friends turns into a nightmare in this amazing French micro-budget horror/sci-fi film! Thomas, Yann, Vincent and three female friends hop into their cars and travel to the French mountains for a relaxing weekend trip.  On their way, a dangerous psychopath escapes from prison and there’s even talk of a ghostly female apparition haunting the area.  After picking up a suspicious hitchhiker, a thick fog envelops their cars and sends them all over a steep cliff!  Barely surviving the fall, they soon discover something even more horrifying.  An ancient creature lives under the ground… listening and waiting.  It’s ready to devour anyone and anything in its path and this group of friends is very much on tonight’s menu! Resonnances is shot, edited, produced, written and directed by Philippe Robert. The acting is pretty good. It´s professionally shot and edited, the cinematography is very good. Great setting, love the vast spooky French forest, and atmosphere, the scene with the a crap yard graveyard of discarded cars and bodily remains is chilling and very nice. The soundtrack is very good. The pacing is decent. It´s very ambitious when it comes to the special effects. There´s quite a bit of computer rendered visual fx, including the subterranean creature, which looks pretty good but I freakin love the miniature sets. The creature design is cool!  There is a little bit of gore and no T & A in this.
This review is based upon the region all (Region 0) DVD release from Synapse Films, it has french audio and english subtitles.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. I enjoyed this a lot! It´s an entertaining low-budget sci-fi horror worthy of admiration. The visual effects are good for a independent production shot on such a tight budget. Philippe Robert is certainly a director to watch for. Recommended.

/JL




Thursday 14 February 2013

DVD review: Night of the Demon (1980)


Professor Nugent and his students embark on a journey to locate Bigfoot believed to be responsible for countless deaths. They disturb a Black Magic ritual and eventually uncover the truth about Bigfoot, and his offspring, but who will believe them? Night of the Demon is written by Jim L. Ball and Mike Williams and is directed by James C. Wasson. The acting is pretty bad and at times unintentionally hilarious, the camerawork and editing is a bit crude but I like it. This is a Bigfoot movie that feels like a slasher, the pacing is good and there´s hardly a dull moment. The bodycount is huge, not much time is spent on character development as most of the kills appear in flashbacks as the characters talk about the killings. The flick has a nice and creepy atmosphere, the crude cinematography actually helps. It´s gory, the gore fx is cheap but work quite well.  There are some nice kill scenes, the bodycount is high with lots of deaths in the flashbacks. We get castration, dismemberment, stabbings and disemboweling and much more and it is shown in slow motion. It´s all unapologetic and gratuitous stuff. The Bigfoot make-up fx design is a traditional man in suit design and looks pretty good (it´s no secret that I love the man in suit concept). There´s gratuitous T & A in this, there´s some sleaze and then there are the prolonged scene where Bigfoot rapes a fifteen year old girl which is kinda disturbing.
This review is based on the region all (Region 0) DVD release from Code Red DVD.
Rating: 7 out of 7. I thoroughly enjoyed this! I loved it! Admittedly the acting, dialogue and cinematography are pretty crude but Night of the Demon is no holds barred fun made on a tight budget. I had a very good time watching it, it´s violent, gory, sleazy and has a downbeat ending which is my cup of tea. Some of the make-up fx (Bigfoot design and gore) are very well done for such a tight budget. It get my highest recommendations so make sure to check out Night of the Demon and you´ll be in for a treat




DVD review: Code Name: Operation Black Thunder (2010)


An F.B.I. Counter-Terrorism Team is the last hope to stop a Terrorist Group that will deploy a biological weapon in NYC within 40 Days. Federal, State and Local Authorities are compromised. The Terrorist Group has infiltrated all levels. In order to maintain secrecy, the FED's have no choice but to hire 7 dirty cops to execute the mission. Among the dirty cops an unconventional Super Hero will rise and discover a plot within. Code Name: Operation Black Thunder is a short film written and directed by Edgar Jimz but Pablo V. Chirinos and Aldo Di Avila have both gotten credit as collaborating directors. The acting is decent, it´s nicely shot and edited. The soundtrack is good. The pacing is good and it kept my interest. There is also a few nice plot twists. The action set pieces are good but I must say that the climax, the final confrontation, is something of a letdown. There is no gore in this except squibs as people get shot. There´s no T & A in this.
This review is based on the region all (Region 0) DVD release from S.W.A.T.S. Films.
Rating: 3 out of 7. Code Name: Operation Black Thunder has huge potential from the start, after the initial shootout I looked forward to see the rest, it has some nice moments, decent acting and production values but yet fails to follow up after such a strong opening. 

/JL

Wednesday 13 February 2013

DVD review: Legend of Hell (2012)


Selma (Karen Breece), an archaeologist, 38 years old, discovers during excavations in Morrokko a 5000 year old Portal, which door is locked from the inside by a strange mechanism. She also finds an ancient card, written in a secret language which isn’t spoken since over 3000 years. A short time later, Gabriel Moses (James Matthews), a pretended art dealer wants to buy the ancient card. An argument between him and Selma escalates and Selma gets killed in a shootout. Suddenly, she finds herself in medieval time and fortuitous gets one of three secret amulets which she is losing quickly again to one of Moses’ thugs. Selma gets killed again. From now on, the world seems to change rapidly in a supernatural way. She finds herself in the astral world, a dimension in the beyond. Horrifying creatures appear and try to kill Selma again, the landscapes seem to change more and more unrealistic until a dark skinned man appears, leading her away from those monsters to the guides Elias (Daryl Jackson) and Luise (Martina Ittenbach). He explains, that Selma returned to her first earthly life, to close the door to hell. She gave her amulet to Moses. In her second life in 2009, she found the portal – the door to hell. David himself lost 2600 years ago one Amulet to Moses and also did Luise in early medieval time. Moses became invincible. The card tells, that those three amulets are building a key which can unlock the gate to hell. Selma has to find the reminding on her life, she was living in the year 2009 and where she hides the card. A long way leads them through the precipice of hell to arrive at the place where card is hidden to destroy it. The closer they get to their destination, they have to realise that Moses already opened the gate to hell….. Legend of Hell  is produced, written and directed by Olaf Ittenbach. The acting is pretty bad, the camerawork and editing is pretty good. Legend of Hell is a bit confusing, some scenes simply do not make any sense, and at times it is quite boring. There are violent swordplay and gory shootouts but the fight choreography isn´t very good. And the shoot outs are a bit too exaggerated, I mean sure I like big juicy squibs but here we see how shotgunblasts make skulls explode even from more than 50 feet away. The soundtrack is good. Of course there is beautiful gore fx here and there, as can be expected when Olaf Ittenbach is at the helm but I should mention that there are some real lousy computer rendered effects (especially the demons) in this flick. The visual fx, there are a couple of scenes when they use green screen, look cheap and do not work. There´s no T & A in this.
This review is based upon the german region 2 DVD release from LFG, it´s uncut and it´s german language only.
Rating: 3 out of 7. Legend of Hell is a ambitious new effort from Olaf Ittenbach but unfortunately it isn´t very good but I  give it points for the ambition, some of the visuals and the bloody battles which are the clear highlights of the flick.

/JL




Monday 11 February 2013

DVD review: Blutnacht 2 - Die Rückkehr des Dämon (2002)


20 years after the horrific bloodbath of Tiefental the events seem to be forgotten ... Until that night when a Satanic cult conjures up evil. Several days later, Alex and his friends goes on a camping trip. Thanks to an accident, they are forced to spend the night in the dark woods. There, they tell the legend of a demon that 20 years ago were on the loose in those same woods and indiscriminately slaughtered everyone that came in its path. No one believes the warnings by a mysterious stranger. But they don´t seem to be alone in the woods of Tiefental! For the six friends begins an ordeal of madness for which there is only one way out ... Blutnacht 2 - Die Rückkehr des Dämon is directed by Jochen Stephan. The acting is so and so.... The camerawork and editing is decent. The pacing is good and we are in familiar slasher territory here. There is too much silly comic relief which is, in my opinion, is a misstake. It´s very gory, there are several graphic kills and most things happen on screen. There is also several prolonged scenes of bodily dismemberment, by chainsaw, ax and knife. Actually it becomes a bit repetitive after a while and somewhat boring.  There is no T & A but we get semi-nudity, two scenes of oral sex and necrophiliac rape....
This review is based upon the german region 2 DVD release from Splatter-Pictures, it´s uncut and german language only. It´s a DVD-R.
Rating: 2 out of 7. Blutnacht 2 - Die Rückkehr des Dämon restores my faith in german independent movies after viewing some really shitty efforts lately. It´s quite enjoyable and delivers the gore, sleaze and has semi-nudity in it. But why o why did they include that comic relief in this? I would (personal taste) have prefered a darker more serious tone.
I will now try to locate the Blutnacht - Die Rache des Dämonen DVD.

/JL



DVD review: Avogardo - Murmansk Mutation (2008)



The sex drug turns addicts to mutated beasts. The druglord and his gang are fighting for power and world domination. The Labordoc is making abominable experiments with the drug where side effects such as cannibalism, sodomy and mutated genitalia must be taken into account. Soon everything gets out of control. Avogardo - Murmansk Mutation is directed by Siggi Sick. Lots of seriously bad acting, it´s badly shot and edited. Plenty of padding in an effort from the filmmakers to reach a running time of a tedious, excruciating 90 minutes. My DVD stopped working when it was approx 10 to 15 minutes left of the flick. Which, when I come to think about, is kind of a blessing in disguise....  Avogardo - Murmansk Mutation might be one of most boring, most tedious and painful viewing experiences I´ve had. I don´t think they even had a shoestring budget when they shot this, for instance the characters have hilarious wigs from hell (bought at a nearby novelty shop) and the wardrobe is also hilarious, they obviously had problems finding proper/fitting clothing for the characters. Some pf the actors/actresses seem to try to compensate their lack of talent by yelling out their dialogue. It´s gory but it´s very amateurish practical fx. No T & A in this.
This review is based upon a DVD-R manufactured and distributed by the filmmakers. it´s uncut and german language only. As mentioned earlier my DVD stopped working when it was approx 10 to 15 minutes left of the flick.
Rating: 0 out of 7. Avogardo - Murmansk Mutation is a boring, messy, inept attempt to cash in on the wave of german independent horror and it fails miserably. It´s about as enjoyable to watch as if you´d pierce your eyes with needles...  Don´t spend your money or time on this... 

/JL

Sunday 10 February 2013

DVD review: 'Gator Bait (1974)


Louisiana steaming bayous hide countless secrets in their Murky, Snake-infested Swamps. One is the beautiful Desiree (Claudia Jennings), whose Animal Magnetism drives men wild and Untamed Cajun Poacher as Savage as the Alligators she traps. The corrupt Sheriff wants her in jail, but his kin have more Lustful Plans. Will thet get her first? Or will Desiree get them? 'Gator Bait is written, produced and directed by Ferd & Beverly Sebastian. The acting is pretty good, the camerawork and editing is good. The backwater/swamp locations are great!  The redneck family are a truly unpleasant bunch of  incestuous and trigger-happy characters. The pacing is fast and furious and there´s hardly a dull moment. It´s not gory but there are some scenes that are pretty unpleasant and one or two that are brutal. Most of the violence is implied and is not graphic. There´s T & A courtesy of  Janit Baldwin and there is two attempted rape sequences.
This review is based upon the region all (Region 0) DVD release from Panama Video.
Rating: 4 out of 7. I´m a sucker for many of the things in this flick, backwater survival, inbred hicks, rape/revenge but I must admit that I was a bit disappointed as it didn´t live up to all the hype and rumours.  It isn't as sleazy as I hoped for but it´s pretty good, it´s shameless good fun. There are a couple of good scenes and a very nice aura of low budget/exploitation charm. Recommended to fans of the exploitation genre.

/JL


Saturday 9 February 2013

Review: Cell Count (2012)


First I´d like to thank Todd E. Freeman for providing me with a screener.
Russell Carpenter (Robert McKeehen)  reluctantly admits his wife Sadie (Haley Talbot) into an experimental treatment facility for her life threatening disease. While locked in this prison like surrounding they, along with 6 others, are unknowingly subjected to a cure that might just be worse than the disease itself. Cell Count is written and directed by Todd E. Freeman. The acting is decent, the camerawork is good and editing is decent (some of the editing is so and so). I loved the soundtrack. The pacing is somewhat slow but I liked it as it builds up the tension, the setting is excellent and helps to add to a creepy atmosphere, it has a bizarre almost David Cronenbergesque feeling.  There are a couple things that I´m not so pleased with but I won´t go into any details due to potential spoilers but it has nothing to do with technical aspects of Cell Count. There is some gore, nicelooking practical fx and some decent computer rendered fx but I won´t go into any details as I´m then at risk of delivering spoilers. There´s no T & A in this.
This review is based upon password protected online screener provided by the director.
Rating: 5½ out of 7. I enjoyed Cell Count but in my opinion it could have been even better if the filmmakers had chosen to do some things a bit differently but this is of course a matter of personal preference. Cell Count is well worth checking out and a sequel is on the way.

/JL

DVD review: Forgotten Heroes (1990)


A group of young marines are sent into Cambodia on a special mission to bring out Russian general Gregoi Zelenkov (William Smith), who´s going to defect to the USA in the search for liberty. Forgotten Heroes is written by Larry Duhart, Bud Fleisher and Jack Marino who also is the producer and the director. The acting, camerawork and editing is decent. The production values are pretty good when looking at clothing, equipment and they even managed to get a helicopter or two. The fact that the actors use blankfiring guns instead of the airsoft guns that nowadays are so popular in independent features is great, it adds to the realism. I will say that I loved the helicopter gunship in the beginning of the movie, something we don´t see too often in independent flicks. The americans are all clean cut/heroic stereotypes (akin to the characters in John Wayne´s The Green Berets) so you won´t find any drug addicts, murderers or rapists in this. It´s just too polished to be realistic but knowing that outspoken purpose of the flick is to celeberate the american soldiers who fought in the Vietnam war (it´s clearly stated on the website) it´s hardly surprising that the darker aspects of war isn´t touched upon at all. The action set pieces is pretty decent, we get lots of shooting and explosions. There is even some swordplay as a marine and a russian commando fight it out with machetes. There is only brief gore in this and a surprisingly few squibs. The gore fx highlight is a scene when they find a american who has been partially skinned. There´s no T & A in this but this being a warmovie that shouldn´t come as a big surprise, there hardly any women at all in this.
This review is based upon the region all (Region 0) DVD release from Marino Film group. You can buy a copy here at http://www.forgottenheroesthemovie.com/ .
Rating: 2½ out of 7. Forgotten Heroes is pretty enjoyable if you´re looking for one of those easygoing non-complicated war movies where everything is black and white, you know who the good guys are and you know who the bad guys are (vietnamese and russians in this flick). I would recommend this to fans of the movies directed by Cirio H. Santiago where the americans get to win the Vietnam war, where heroism and patriotism is celeberated. If you want something more realistic check out Click (2003) which undoubteldy does have it´s flaws but is very good in some parts.

/JL

Friday 8 February 2013

News update: Official Poster and First Details for To Jennifer



Press Release: Official Poster and First Details for To Jennifer directed by James Cullen Bressack. 

James Cullen Bressack makes a surprising return to the found footage sub-genre after his last film Hate Crime, which was also a found footage film that met much critical acclaim and received many awards.  He promises his new film, To Jennifer, will offer something different for the genre.  This will be the first feature film in history to be Shot, Edited, and Distributed all on the Iphone 5.  Details at this point are scarce but Bressack promises the entire film will be available directly to your phone.  "We are working in conjunction with some great companies to deliver the first film directly tailored to mobile devices." Bressack states.  The film stars Chuck Pappas, Jody Barton (Hate Crime), James Cullen Bressack, among others and features a cameo from American Mary's Tristan Risk.  The film is being produced by James Cullen Bressack, Chuck Pappas, and Jarret Cohen under the Psykik Junky Pictures umbrella.

Here Is the official Synopsis for the film:
Synopsis: "Joey suspects his girlfriend of two years, Jennifer, is cheating on him. He is so convinced that he enlists the help of his cousin Steven to create a Video Dairy of his attempt to catch her in the act as well as to document the heartbreak she is putting him through. He intends to give this tape to her after catching her, in an attempt to make her feel guilty."


The Tagline for the film as featured on the poster is "Don't Tell Anyone...."
Bressack Guarantees this will be one that you want to make sure you see EVERY second of and don't ruin the film for others.

DVD review: The Falkland Man (Video 2001)

 
Ex-special forces operative Hector Riviera (Hector Echavarria)  has put the blood and thunder of his military years behind him and now lives a quiet life with his family. But when his best friend Tomas is murdered, the old soldier immediately reverts to his old ways and vows to take his revenge. This means only one thing: Hector must track down and confront the dreaded serial killer who took Tomas' life. The Falkland Man is written by Jonathan Davenport and is directed by Paul Schultz. The acting is pretty good, Hector Echavarria makes a good and likeable hero and sure gets to show off his martial arts skills in this. I must also mention that is was very nice to see Bill Wallace although he only has a small role as a bartender but he does get to show some of his moves. I wish that he had gotten some more screentime. Michael Qissi is good as the bad guy, he´s best known as the evil Tong Po in Kickboxer (1989). The camerawork and editing is good. The pacing is good. The highlights in this flick are undoubtedly the fightscenes and I want to point out that the fightchoreography is excellent. There´s no gore in this. There´s no T & A in this.
The Falkland Man is also known as Final Assault (alternative title in Italy / USA), Der schlafende Wolf (DVD title in Germany), Los Bravos (alternative title in Argentina / USA) and The Day of the Dragon Soldier (DVD title in UK).
This review is based upon the german region 2 DVD release from Best Entertainment AG, I believe it is uncut (even though the running time of the DVD release is just 77 minutes, according to IMDB this is the correct running time) and english audio is available.
Rating: 5½ out of 7. I enjoyed The Falkland Man, it´s well made, has good pacing, lots of action and fights are impressive. If you´re a fan of actionmovies and especiallly martial arts flicks you should check this one out.

/JL







Thursday 7 February 2013

DVD review: Bad Boys - Bad Toys (2007)


Ferdinand (Michael Angenendt ) is in trouble: He happens to fall love with his boss's daughter, and then he get involved in a weapons deal. The police suspects him and he takes a daring decision. With a red Ferrari and a MIG fighter jet he takes on the Russian mafia and their evil leader. His mission: to save the company and his life and find a way to win the heart of his beloved. A grueling battle to the death begins ... Bad Boys - Bad Toys is directed by Jochen Taubert. The acting is bad, but a lot of it is a intentional move of the filmmakers. The camerawork and editing is fairly decent, there is heavy use of stock footage and for the first time ever I got to see footage from a flight simulator computer game (check out the airstrike..) used in a feature movie. This movie is labeled as action but it´s a comedy, there are plenty of pure slapstick comedy on screen. The fightchoreography is intentionally bad and the fights are damn funny, or I´m at least hoping that they´re intentionally bad because otherwise this flick would quite possible have the dubious honour of featuring some of the worst fightchoreography I´ve ever seen. There is very brief and lame gore. There´s gratuitous T & A in the beginning of the movie as several characters are at a strip club/brothel. Some of the women are very attractive and I started wondering if they haven´t shot the beginning at a real stripclub. There isn´t one but two male rape-scenes in this, one featuring the use of a bottle. But don´t worry the scenes are quite lame.
This review is based upon the German region 2 DVD release from Maximum Uncut Productions, it´s uncut and german language only.
Rating: 1 out of 7. It sure isn´t good but it sure does have quite a few funny moments. Some succesful slaptstick comedy, the hilariously bad fightchoreography and the use of stock footage from a flight simulator computer game sure did put a smile on my face.

/JL