Monday 28 October 2013

Review: Super Task Force One (2013)


First I´d like to thank Steve Rudzinski for providing me with a screener
15 years ago, the Super Task Force Six were shut down in secret by The evil Emperor Zagel. Since then, he has been working on a super weapon powered by all six armors. When a former Enforcer realizes this plan, he risks his life to steal Unit Green and passes it off to a completely unprepared Jason (Steve Rudzinski). Can Jason keep Unit Green out of Zagel's clutches? If the Super Task Force Six couldn't beat Zagel, what hope is there for the Super Task Force ONE? Super Task Force One is written and directed by Steve Rudzinski. The acting is decent, it´s tounge in cheek. The camerawork and editing is ok, again you can spot obvious influences from japanese anime. There´s action but there´s most of all a lot of comedy as Jason tries to come to grip with being a superhero, it actually made me think of the tv-show The Greatest American Hero (1981 - 1983) starring William Katt. The effects are cheap but this was made on a micro budget of just $2 000. We get cheap rubber masks, some cool suits, computer rendered giant robots and enviroments during the final battle. I know it will probably annoy the crap out of some but in the context of the flick it fits in perfectly and in the few scenes I´ve seen from Mighty Power Rangers (which is one if the inspirational sources for this flick) the fx was also cheap-looking, cheap masks and so on. There no gore in this, there´s no T and A in this and it shouldn´t be, it´s a frickin kids movie for gods sake. :-)
This review is based upon a online screener provided by the director.
Rating: 4½ out of 7. First of all I must point out that I ain´t too familiar with the source material that Super Task Force One is playing homage to so I´m reviewing it from that stand point, sure it looks cheap but this is the independent flicks blog and that can be expected, I do appreciate that Steve Rudzinski approaches the subject with an obvious affection for it and he does the most of the limited budget at his disposal. Super Task Force One is a pretty entertaining ride, even if I ain´t familiar with the genre, and I imagine that if you´re a fan of Power Rangers and Guyver you´ll probably like this.

/JL

Saturday 26 October 2013

DVD review: Don't Go to the Reunion (2013)

 

Scott Rantzen (Brady Simenson) is a horror movie loving misfit who is teased by the popular students in school. When a date with the very popular and very beautiful Erica Carpenter (Stephanie Leigh Rose) backfires, he feels as though his life is ruined. Ten years later, the gang reunite for their class reunion. Little do they know that someone is waiting for them and ready to see that they pay for what they did. Is Scott back for revenge and will the old gang survive to tell the tale? It'll be more gore for Class of 04. Don't Go to the Reunion is written by Kevin Sommersfield and is directed by Steve Goltz. The acting is good, the camerawork and editing is good and the soundtrack is excellent! There is a nice and familiar feel throughout the flick, there are a couple of scenes that are excellent (don´t wanna go into spoilers). The pacing is good. There´s humour in it but it never forgets that it is a horror flick. There is a multitude of references and homages to other movies in the slasher genre. There´s brief gore, Don't Go to the Reunion isn´t a gorefeast but the set pieces, the kills, are set up and shot in true slasher fashion (it´s evident that Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz love the genre). There brief female topless nudity and some male ass on display.
Support independent horror and buy your copy from http://www.slasherstudios.com/ .
This review is based upon the region all (region 0) DVD release from Slasher Studios.
Rating: 6½ out of 7. Don't Go to the Reunion is a loveletter to the slasher genre and it features all the ingredients, I like it, I liked it a lot and it is evident that the Slasher Studios crew are sharpening their skills, they´ve earlier made short movies such as the excellent Teddy which has been reviewed on this blog. The only thing I´m kinda missing in this otherwise excellent feature is some gory set pieces, yeah I know, it´s the old gorehound in me speaking....  

/JL

DVD review: Welcome to Deer Creek (2009)


First of all, I have to thank my good friend and fellow reviewer Dave James Parker aka Mr Parka on youtube for helping me getting a DVD of this seemingly hard to find flick. The town of Deer Creek is just a sleepy little, country community. Until an act of revenge results in a morbid battle for survival against an onslaught of murderous rabid freaks. Welcome to Deer Creek is written and directed by Jim Roberts and he also plays one of the main characters. The acting is so and so, there is good camerawork and editing. The soundtrack is nice. The pacing is fast and furious. There are moments of humour in this and it works. Welcome to Deer Creek is very violent and very gory and it´s all practical fx. The make up fx is ranges from decent to very good. No T and A in this.
This review is based upon a DVD provided by a good friend who has contact with the director.
Rating: 7 out of 7. I loved Welcome to Deer Creek! With this, and Tonight You Die which I reviewed earlier this month, Jim Roberts shows that he is a very talentend director/filmmaker. I sincerely hope to see more from this incredibly talented indie director. Welcome to Deer Creek is highly recommended but it might be hard to locate a copy as it hasn´t gotten wide spread distribution yet, someone should try to pick up these titles for distribution ASAP!

/JL

Review: Legend Of The Hillbilly Butcher (2012)


First I´d like to thank Joaquin Montalvan for sending me a screener.
In a lonely backwoods shack, Carl Henry Jessup spends his time drinkin' and thinkin' bout dem good ole days with only his halfsister Rae Lynn and his friend Billy Wayne to keep him company. He lives an isolated existence - that is, until folks start tresspassin' on his property, and Carl gets off his ass and becomes the Hillbilly Butcher. Legend Of The Hillbilly Butcher is written by Eunice Font and Joaquin Montalvan who also is the director. The acting is pretty good, the camerwork and editing is good, the flick has been manipulated to look older than it really is and even if I ain´t the biggest fan of that technique it works in this, it looks good! The soundtrack is very nice. The pacing is a bit slow, in parts, but that´s not necessarily a bad thing. There´s some practical gore fx, especially a decapitated head in the beginning of the flick looks really good. There no T and A in this.
This review is based upon a screener provided by Joaquin Montalvan.
Rating: 5½ out of 7. Legend Of The Hillbilly Butcher is a bit uneven but it´s certainly one of the best tributes to the grindhouse era that I´ve seen and a very nice addition to the backwoods genre.  It wasn´t as violent or graphic that I was expecting especially considering the title. If you´re a fan of the backwoods horror genre or appreciate the new era grindhouse flicks you should make an effort to check out Legend Of The Hillbilly Butcher!

/JL

Monday 21 October 2013

DVD review: Bikini Monsters (2010)



In a secluded laboratory just off the Florida coast,a scientist works feverishly to complete a bold yet grisly experiment.Known by local transients only as the “The Beach Bum” He has dedicated his life to creating the ultimate expression of mythic beauty;a mermaid.Yet in the wake of his dark obsession lies a trail of test subjects,abandoned in his all consuming lust for biological perfection.They are horrifically twisted and mutated abominations the likes of which mankind has never seen…until now. As the experiment continues, Detective Elizabeth Wayne (Sara Maas) opens an investigation into the disappearance of several local women.her mission is to discover the fate of those missing is as strong as insane passion driving The Beach Bum,her skills and resolve being tested at every twist and turn.Aided by marine-biologists Craig Hoffman (Brad Guerrie) and Mike Shelton (Anthony Wayne), Detective Wayne must play the final gambit to lure her nemesis from hiding and use herself as bait. Bikini Monsters is written Erica Heflin and Terence Muncy who also is the director. The acting is bad,  the camerawork and editing isn´t good, there is frequent use of black screen when they shift scene/setting. The soundtrack is decent. The pacing is pretty bad and the flick is borderline boring. There´s not a shred av tension or horror in this. There is no gore in this and the creature fx is limited to body paint, eye lenses and dentures. There´s no T and A in this but there are a couple of women in bikinis (as indicated by the title).
You can order your copy from http://horrorwastelandflix.com/ ,
This review is based upon a DVD-R (yup, it isn´t a proper DVD) from Horror Wasteland, it´s labeled as a Unrated Edition.
Rating 0½ out of 7. O boy, this is bad if not terrible. It´s bad, both acting and the production values. I must mention that labeling the release as Unrated is a frickin joke, there´s is nothing in it that merits the use of it, it´s just a marketing trick so beware.

/JL

Sunday 20 October 2013

Review: Tonight You Die (20??)




First of all, I have to thank my good friend and fellow reviewer Dave James Parker aka Mr Parka on youtube for helping me getting a screener for this. The sun rose on the campsite, shedding light on the hellish carnage. A young woman’s lifeless body was slumped against a tree, slashed open. Her husband lies near by, in a mutilated heap. The fire flickers, revealing the charred remains of their unborn child. Who would commit such an atrocity? The police are clueless, but someone knows the truth. Fueled by a savage lust for revenge and a brutal appetite for death, they set out to find the killer in a blood drenched quest for retribution. Tonight You Die is written and directed by Jim Roberts. The acting is so and so but Tonight You Die makes up with it by its fast and furious pacing, good camerawork and editing, a nice soundtrack and unrelenting violence. Oh boy, this is one violent little flick and most of the stuff is of the realistic nature, gun shots, stabbing, being beaten to a pulp and much much more.This is gloriously gory, some stuff do happen off screen but there´s a lot happening on screen. The make up fx is ranges from decent to very good. There no T and A in this.
This review is based upon a screener provided by a good friend who has contact with the director.
Rating: 7 out of 7. Wow! Holy shit, I didn´t know much about Tonight You Die before putting it into my DVD-player and it blew me away. It´s a very entertaining, violent and bloody ride with a few twists thrown in for good measure. Highly recommended but it might be hard to locate a copy as it hasn´t gotten wide spread distribution yet.

/JL

Saturday 19 October 2013

Review: The Ballad Of Skinless Pete (2013)


First I´d like to thank Dustin Wayde Mills for providing me with a screener.
Brilliant oncologist Peter Peel (Brandon Salkil) discovers a possible cure for skin cancer in the belly of an exotic parasite. When he tests the cure on himself his world is shattered and a monster is born. The Ballad Of Skinless Pete is written by Brandon Salkil and Dustin Wayde Mills who also is the director. The acting is good, especially from Brandon Salkill who shows that he can handle comedy (there are some), handle emotional scenes and be truly frightening. Erin R. Ryan does a good job as Peter Peel´s science partner and love interest and so does Dave James Parker even if he has a smaller role compared to the other two. The camerawork and editing is good, the soundtrack is nice. The pacing is excellent. Somehow The Ballad Of Skinless Pete succeeds bringing us on a rollercoaster, there are some funny moments in the beginning (showcasing the relationship between characters) but after that it becomes a scary science gone wrong flick and to pull this off succesfully isn´t the easiest thing to do. There is quite a bit of T and A in this, including full frontal female nudity but it isn´t overtly gratuitous as it serves a purpose. It´s gory, we get greatlooking practical fx, acid burns, creature fx and more.

This review is based upon an online screener provided by Dustin Wayde Mills.
Rating: 7 out of 7. The Ballad Of Skinless Pete is another triumph for Dustin Wayde Mills, I  can´t stop being amazed by what he and his crew can put on screen considering the limited means he has at his disposal. The Ballad Of Skinless Pete is in the territory of more famous body-horror flicks such as The Fly and Thanatomorphose and even if Dustin Wayde Mills barely has a shred of the budget of those movies he is a truly creative and imaginative filmmaker. I´ve said it more than once, Dustin Wayde Mills is one of the big stars of independent horror.

/JL