Movie Review: The Island (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

Peter Benchley's always seemed to have a hankering for the horrors of the sea. It also helps that he was damn good at constructing a story that’s riveting to readers. Whether it's creatures with Jaws and The Beast or with diamond thieves in The Deep the scribe did superb work using the dangers of the ocean to his advantage. In The Island he takes pirates and does pretty much the same thing with some twists here and there. Michael Ritchie (The Bad News Bears, Fletch) did the honors of directing this horror/action hybrid film adaption that's now being released for the first time ever in a Blu-ray and DVD Combo pack from Scream Factory.

Michael Caine (The Hand, The Dark Knight) plays the role of reporter, Blair Maynard, who has been investigating the mysterious deaths of vacationers and fisherman out in the Caribbean. Maynard takes it upon himself to grab his son and go to the "mysterious" area and find out exactly what's going on. Of course, it's not that easy for Blair as his plane crash lands and he becomes stuck on an island that may just be the point of trouble.

Movie Review: An American Hippie in Israel (Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack)

With just a handful of companies putting out Laserdiscs in the mid 90's, Grindhouse Releasing (headed by Bob Murawski and the late Sage Stallone) stepped to the plate to deliver some kick-ass titles, namely one of my favorite cannibal flicks in Cannibal Ferox.  From what I had known then up until recently was that Stallone and Murawski had just been working on films around that time. I was wrong. In the late 80's Murawski started his work on bringing one of the most bizarre, jaw-droppingly ridiculous films ever made to cult film audiences. Thought to be lost forever, 25 years later Amos Sefer's An American Hippie in Israel has made its debut on Blu-ray and DVD in a loaded three disc combo-pack and, well... it is a sight to behold.

After seeing the hilarious trailer for An American Hippie in Israel on previous Grindhouse Releasing discs, I must say that my anticipation for whatever the hell this thing was, was  at an epic high. The story is simple with our main character, Mike (Asher Tzarfati) has taken his free-loving ways thousands of miles from America, to a country he hoped to travel from end to end, Israel. When he arrives he hitchhikes with an attractive non-hippie named Elizabeth (Lily Avidan). Before Mike can put the moves on her the duo are stopped by a couple of creepy looking mimes. These guys have cock-blocked Mike before so he gives them an earful. Naturally, they don't respond...but that doesn't mean they won't continue to fuck with Mike while he's on his trip.

Movie Review: The Cemetery (2012, DVD)

Review By: Rob Sibley

It seems like lightning does strike twice once in a while. When you team up Adam Ahlbrandt & Natalie Jean you automatically have a winner. They are a winning combo indeed. Hot off the success of the gory slasher gem Cross Bearer. The folks at Adversary Films reunite for a new tale of terror. This time tackling a film which deals with demonic possession and a bunch of sexed up Ghost Hunters getting offed in various fun forms of slaughter.

While Cross Bearer was a fun but bleak slasher picture, The Cemetery is the polar opposite. Yes you still get buckets of blood, hot tattooed women and some nice camera work. But this time around you get a film that has it's tongue placed firmly in it's gory cheek. The film know what they are making and that they are treading on familiar ground. But they have a lot of fun and the sheer creative energy and enthusiastic performances elevate the film.

Movie Review: TerrorVision (1986) / Video Dead (1987)

by Peggy Christie

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is, of course, a double-feature DVD. Due to a hilarious series of events, the review begins with TerrorVision and then concludes with The Video Dead. Yeah. Hilarious. - DH

As I started to watch this cheese fest, bits and pieces seemed familiar. About five minutes in I realized I had actually watched this movie back when it had originally spewed out into the world: the 80s. As I didn't remember much from it, it's a good thing I had the DVD to refresh my memory.

Or perhaps it was better that I'd taken an SOS pad to my brain. Sure it erased my ability to eat hot soup for a while but it had also removed the synapses responsible for retaining the images of this pile o' crap.

Movie Review: "The Name of the Game...is Kill" (Fanfare Films/VCI Entertainment, 1968)

...there's no doubt, director Alfred Hitchcock's terrifying classic 1960 horror/thriller, indelibly left it's mark on world-wide cinema. Since the film's influential inception, and well into the inspired horror, terror & thriller-flavored productions of today, the multiple-personality, schizophrenic psycho killer...given twistedly skewed and underlining motivations, as well as often deceptive and compelled appearances & visages...these bad boys (...and sometimes, bad gals) seductively draw in the unwary and unsuspecting, taking them to the point of no return...no escape...and without warning, strike with maligned intent, knowing little of what is right or wrong...often, not even caring about the two...the cold-hearted, alluring spider, drawing in the flies. Mad & maniacal 'mickey mouse' role call...sound off, now: 1961's "Homicidal"...1980's "Silent Scream"...1964's "Strait Jacket"...1973's "Sisters"...1982's "Pieces"...1992's "Raising Caine"...2012's "Maniac"...1980's "Dressed to Kill" (...notice the obvious emphasis on director Brian de Palma)...1976's "Schizo"...1980's "Fade to Black"...and so many countless others...both prominent and obscure...it might be understandable that something worth noting...something almost forgotten, though no less inspired and powerhouse, in it's presence...something razor-edge terrifying...something under-the-skin creepy...something...something like...

Movie Review: Drive-In Collection: Death Force / Vampire Hookers

The world of Filipino exploitation film extraordinaire Cirio H. Santiago is a place anyone in love with cult films has to visit. Chances are even if you don't know who Santiago is, the odds are high, you've seen one of his films. Be it his work with Roger Corman or other productions made in his native Philippines, the director has a huge filmography. It's unfortunate though that he doesn't pop up in the same discussions that other cult filmmakers are brought up in. Hopefully this will change. Thanks to the up- and-coming genre distributor Vinegar Syndrome we are getting some of his offerings in handy-dandy drive-in double bills with The Thirsty Dead / Blood Thirst and this fine little package, Death Force and Vampire Hookers starring a pimped out John Carradine.

Movie Review: The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951, Twentieth Century Fox)

The Day The Earth Stood Still (Twentieth Century Fox, 1951)

Directed by Robert Wise
Starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal and Hugh Marlowe
Run Time- 92 minunes
Rated-G

The term "Classic" gets thrown around quite a bit in the coarse of conversation, in regards to movies and film. And as any fan of film knows, the term is quite subjective. In the realm of the science fiction/alien invasion genre for instance, movies like The Thing From Another World, War of the Worlds and Invaders From Mars are almost always the first to be mentioned in this regard, and rightfully so. They are all magnificent examples of the "Cold War Era Mentality" that sci-fi film makers of the 50's were so heavily influenced by. All aliens from space were evil, they lusted for our resources, craved our blood or wanted to take over the bodies of our parents. They were to be destroyed at all cost, usually by a clever combination of military might and scientific know-how. That's just how we rolled back in the 50's. The first film to buck this trend (ironically, even before there was a trend), was Twentieth Century Fox's- The Day The Earth Stood Still.
An unknown object is discovered to be orbiting the Earth at 4000 miles per hour. Nations from around the globe are tracking it and radio stations reporting on its every movement. A quiet unease quickly turns to fear and panic as the object, a large flying disc, eventually makes its landing in a park in Washington D.C.

Movie Review: Cross Bearer (2012, DVD)

Review By: Rob Sibley

Cross Bearer is a dark, violent and sleazy film that's packed to the brim with plenty of in your face gore and nudity and you know what? I loved every single minute of it. What's refreshing about Cross Bearer is that it knows exactly what it is and what it's audience is looking for. It's also a step above most low budget slashers. So many slasher films these days use the tired old excuse of “throw back” to cover up shoddy acting and even worse camerawork. Cross Bearer on the other hand is filled to the brim with talent both behind and in front of the screen. Director/Writer/Producer Adam Ahlbrandt knows his way around a camera and is clearly a fan of the genre.

The cast is made up of a group of gorgeous tattooed women (Always a plus in my book) and what sweetens the deal is all of them can act. Especially the lead Natalie Jean who surely will become a major scream queen if she continues to pursue the horror genre. Which is likely since she also has the excellent The Cemetery under her belt along with Punk Rock Holocaust 3. She has the looks, naturalism, instant likability and sheer raw talent that is rare these days. 

Movie Review: Skip Trace 2 (2012, Digital Playground)

Review By: Rob Sibley





Director: Robbie D

Company: Digital Playground

Robby D. veteran director for Digital Playground is back yet again with "Skip Trace: Episode 2". Which has an all-star cast of adult film stars, the two big names being Jesse Jane & Riley Steele. You also get Charley Chase and Jynx Maze joining in on the action.  The plot is simple if you can call it that is rather simple (Surprise!). Jesse Jane and Riley Steele are still running and gunning in a wild ride of adventure that keeps them hot and wet. As a pair of beautiful bail bondswomen working for the always sexy Tommy Gunn, the bad-ass blondes work hard and screw harder. When an old acquaintance (Keiran Lee) needs help on a case the girls sex up, suit up and are ready to take down bad guy, Nacho Vidal and his deliciously veiny cock. Horny hotties Jynx Maze and Charley Chase also get caught up in the XXX action!

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #114 - Blossom's Bohemian Bush

Jeff and Kevin discuss Jeff's new baby, Mayim Bialik's body scents, Dave as a village idiot, places in the Midwest that suck and porn preferences. They get into the recent AIDS outbreak in porn and Penn Jillette's crowd funding venture.

They also talk about Orange is the New Black, The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse, Breaking Bad and more.

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Movie Review: Marvel Knights: Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk (DVD, 2013)

Review By: Rob Sibley

Marvel Knights: Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk is another installment in Shout Factory's line of motion comics. I had previously reviewed the Wolverine: Origins motion comics and was happily surprised with results. So the big question is, does lighting strike twice or is this just a useless cash in? Luckily, the results are excellent. Written by Damon Lindelof of Lost & Prometheus fame and illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu (Silent Dragon) and Dave McCraig (New Avengers). Wolverine Vs. Hulk is one of the more violent stories, if this was a live action film it would easily earn an R-rating considering the opening shot features Wolverine torn in half, climbing up a mountain with his intestines dangling out... more on that later. What about the story you ask?

Well Dr. Bruce Banner was presumed dead since his public execution for his rampage through Manhattan as The Hulk. But when several reports of unexplained incidents linked to a mysterious creature start cropping up around the globe, Nick Fury enlists the help of the one man he can trust to investigate: Wolverine. And Wolverine's more then happy to get the job done.

Movie Review: Fernando Di Leo - The Italian Crime Collection Volume Two (Blu-ray)

To many Italian action enthusiasts, Fernando Di Leo is the best when it comes to crafting the perfect polizia or crime film. Raro Video released the popular box-set on Blu-ray with Fernando Di Leo: The Italian Crime Collection - Volume One a little over a year ago. Naturally, there had to be another release with more films as this master of Italian cult cinema had some other gems in his filmography, most notably, Naked Massacre, The Kidnap Syndicate and one of his finest creations, Shoot First, Die Later.
 

Shoot First, Die Later centers on Domenico Malacarene (Luc Merenda, Torso) a not-so squeaky clean cop who lives slightly better than his fellow officers because he accepts money from the city's crime syndicate. Outside from a little corruption here and there, Domenico actually seems like a regular guy who likes to spend time with his girlfriend, Sandra (Delia Boccardo, Massacre in Rome). The only problem here is he gets way in over his head. His father also works in the police department but doesn't quite dabble in these illicit affairs.

Movie Review: Everyone Must Die (2012)

If the title of this movie refers to those responsible for its creation, then yes, I wholeheartedly concur (those people being mostly Steve Rudzinski and Derek Rothermund, co-writers, with Steve also directing, and both of them acting).

In EMD, a seemingly unkillable killer is hacking and slashing his (or her) way across the country. When he (or she) kills Kyle's sister, Kyle demands satisfaction. When the police prove less than helpful, and hardly intelligible, Kyle vows to catch this killer on his own. Even though his sister's boyfriend ran over the psycho’s face with a lawn mower, Kyle just knows the killing isn't over.

With a conveniently helpful exposition scene, the local news reporter explains that the high body count tallying up across the country is the dirty work of the same person who killed Kyle's sister. And this nut job will keep killing even if he (or she) has been chopped into hamburger.

Movie Review: "Cockneys vs. Zombies" (2012, Bishop Rock Films Limited/Scream Factory)

...the cross-melding of movie genres and situations, if one really considers it, it very much like dating; in the onset, there might be an alluring amount of initial novelty to the pairing, but unless there's good chemistry between the seemingly ideal, albeit possibly unconventional match...well, the melding might be hard-pressed to adhere and work. However, when that good and amiable chemistry does take place, it often amusingly turns the associated genres and situations on their ear, and becomes a matter of the sum of the parts being very much greater than the singular parts themselves. Nothing could be closer to the truth, when it comes to playing the genre-matching 'what if' game with zombie movies. Zombie comedies...zombie romances...zombie westerns...zombie babies...zombie surfers...zombie chickens...vegan zombies...zombies vs. vampires...zombies vs. strippers...zombies at Christmas...zombies vs. Lincoln...and so on. One might ask, what hasn't been explored?? Once again, as this viewer has pointed before, it remains enlightening that each and every time one has coined the 'zombie' genre tired, worn out, shot in the head, dead and buried, someone manages to breath new, undead life into the cinematic living dead. And with the outrageously irreverent and zany 2012 zombie comedy, "Cockneys vs. Zombies", this time it's the working class 'everyman', as well as the surprisingly able-bodied geriatric, who take on the living dead...with an approach and attitude, which might just seem inspirationally familiar, in a surprisingly refreshing way, to those closely privy and devoted to the genre...

"Amerikan Holokaust" Gives Everyone A Little Something To Puke To! Available Now!

A couple months back before the official release of the vile psycho-sicko flick Amerikan Holokaust we got a chance to dive deep into this disgusting no-budget nugget. I must say that even for how jaded we are that we were pleasantly surprised had how depraved it is. Listen to our rave review on Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast - http://cinemaheadcheese.blogspot.com/2013/07/cinema-head-cheese-podcast-103-black.html.

Movie Review: ThanksKilling 3 (2012, Gravitas Ventures)

...(...stepping up to the mic, into the solo spotlight glow, reading the handed script) "...uh, Thanks...Killing 3"...

...(...a dead-quiet hush falls over the vacant-eyed crowd)...

...(...clearing throat, and emoting louder) "Ahem!! THANKSKILLING 3!!"...

...(...the deafening silence and disbelieving stares continue)...

...(...throwing out three fingers, and tapping the mic, before speaking...slight feedback reverberating) "...uh, ThanksKilling THREE!!!"...

...(...dead air continues, then a faint, questioning 'gobble' from the back)...

...(...looking out and about to speak again, pausing a moment in disbelief, in re-reading the script) "...ThanksKilling...3?? Really?? I mean, ThanksKilling THREE??"...

...(...turning and leaving in disgust and disbeief, heading stage right, sending script pages flying rampantly in the air, the question repeated, fading off-stage with the speaker) "...ThanksKilling 3?? You're kidding, right?? I mean, ThanksKilling THREE?? ThanksKilling THREE.....??"...

Movie Review: The University of IIllinois vs. a Mummy (2006)

Was The University of Illinois vs. a Mummy poorly acted? Yes. Are there technical difficulties? Of course. Does it the film scream out ‘student production’? Yes, because it was. But, is the film inspired and funny? A loving homage to the days of reckless college abandon where co-ed coming of age stories are always brought to a head by the supernatural? Hell yes! I loved this movie, despite its flaws! Granted, I have a fondness for Big 10 schools, but that doesn’t matter… The University of Illinois vs. a Mummy is ridiculous, goofy and, above all, honest. It is readily apparent that director Chris Lukeman, along with his cast and crew, are having a great time not only poking fun at genres, but at campus life in the 21^st century. 

Buy it HERE!

TV on Blu-ray Review: The Walking Dead - Season III (2012, 2013)

I've always really had a soft spot of for the zombie sub-genre but unfortunately over the past ten years we've seen an influx of zombie movies to the point where just can't appreciate the rotting creatures. It's been almost an epidemic of poor quality, horribly written garbage that's been an embarrassment to what George Romero essentially created 40 plus years-ago with 

Night of the Living Dead. Even Romero has himself sunk into the cesspool of bad zombie movie-making. Have you seen Diary of the Dead or Survival of the Dead?

I really thought there was no hope for the struggling genre, until of course I got to experience the visceral rollercoaster that is, Robert Kirkman's surprise hit of 2010, The Walking Dead. Now after a solid season two, Kirkman and his team have taken the show to some new equally terrifying places which can now be seen in the comfort of your own home thanks to the folks at Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Movie Review: Deadly Blessing (1981, Scream Factory)

Before Wes Craven went on to become one of the supreme auteurs of the horror genre with films like Nightmare on Elm Street and the Scream series, the filmmaker grabbed enough cult status to keep his name relevant with Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes. These were great films - visceral, nasty and both as unrelenting as anything produced in the 1970's.

In 1981, Craven's approach for the Amish themed thriller Deadly Blessing takes a more restrained but still includes many of his classic touches fans have been able to see in his work over the past 40 years. Scream Factory has just released the Collector's Edition of Deadly Blessing, and folks, it's pretty special because this is the first time it's ever been released on Blu-ray and DVD in the US.

Movie Review: The Toxic Avenger - The Japanese Cut (1986)

Troma’s classic The Toxic Avenger really needs no introduction – it’s a classic. Not only is it one of the best cult films ever made but it's a special film that truly put Troma on the map after about 15 years of churning out horror and exploitation. 

You know the story: Melvin, the 90-pound weakling, falls into a vat of toxic waste and instead of melting, turns into a limb-ripping, head-splattering superhero. It’s politically incorrect and has something to offend everybody. That’s the charm, and the reason it appealed to folks all over the world - including the people of Japan who embraced this film like a Kaiju. Troma has now released a rarely seen alternate Japanese version so fans can enjoy a little extra Toxie.

Movie Review: Blood Thirst/The Thirsty Dead (1971/1974, Vinegar Syndrome)

...taking the relatively clever and creative 'good', with the deliciously outrageous 'bad', there's a certain irresistible and alluringly exotic appeal to the eclectic roster of genre films, produced by domestic filmmakers, having chosen the Philippine Islands as their filming locale. Given the sense of mystery, danger and intrigue, which this sometimes unstable location has to offer, it is understandable why, during a certain window of opportunity, spanning a period of time, say from about the early 60's, to the mid '70's, the Philippines seemed perfectly ideal, from an exploitation point of view, for staging and producing some of the most eclectically bizarre cult and genre films, ever set to celluloid, during this time (...a kind understatement, to be sure; for an alternate take on this observation, that's outrageously beyond the fringe, this viewer most assuredly recommends the wildly out-of-control 2010 documentary, "Machete Maidens Unleashed"). Sex-starved prison bound babes. Mighty midget secret agents. Kick-ass kung fu cavaliers. Vivacious vampire vixens. A veritable onslaught of beasts, breasts and blood, as one Joe Bob Briggs once coined. And those monsters...oh yes, those drippy-drip, pasted-on, rubber faced monsters. Even from the very beginning, there was a certain level of outrageousness in these films, which was progressively built upon, eventually culminating in repeated, hapless viewer wide-eyed looks of '...sheesh!! You gotta be friggin' kidding!!' To a degree, such is the case with the first of these films, one of which the fine folks of Vinegar Syndrome have kindly paired up, in their most recent 'Drive-In Double Feature' selection...the exotically film-nourish, albeit tongue-in-cheek horror flick, 1971's "Blood Thirst"...

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #113 - Pod 9 From Outer Space

Dave and Kevin talk about everything but movies for most of the show. They talk about Dave's role in the musical version of Young Frankenstein, Kevin handling some fantasy football bullshit, hecklers on the website and some other nonsensical crap.

Oh, Kevin eventually tells you how good Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empire are this season without actually saying anything of substance.

Click here to listen or right click and choose "Save Link As..." to download.

You can always email us at cinemaheadcheese@yahoo.com or tweet us @CinHeadCheese.

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Movie Review: Sadako 3D (2012, Blu-ray)

Review By: Rob Sibley

If I learned anything over the years of watching dozens of J-horror films, it's that you can't keep a good ghost girl down. The most interesting thing about Sadako 3D is it's not a sequel to Ring 2. This is actually the “official” sequel to “Rasen”. If Rasen doesn't sound familiar let's do a quick history lessen shall we?

Rasen was originally intended to be the sequel to Ring 2, it was based of the novel “Spiral” by Koji Suzuki. A very prolific J-horror author who also penned the original novels for Ring, Spiral and Dark Water. His short story “Dream Cruise” was adapted into an excellent episode of the short lived Masters of horror series on showtime. Now The Ring & Rasen were both released in Japan at the same time but the thing is The Ring did box office bank. But Rasen bombed, so producers pretty much ignored the film and made The Ring 2. So the film became forgotten. 

Movie Review: Psycho III (1986, Universal/Scream Factory)

...ya' know?? Horror film franchises are very much like that old game played around the campfire, on a crisp and chilly night...you know, the one where one person makes up a scary story, introducing characters and situations, and forging a few lines of imaginatively wrought creeps and scares. Then, the story is passed onto the next person, who weaves further development and intrigue into the initiated proceedings, taking the characters and situations into...depending upon the person...equally imaginative directions. And of course, the story is carried forth by the next person...and the next person...and so on...until the last person in the circle, who hopefully takes everything that's been literarily place onto the table, and ties everything together, into a reasonably gripping finale. Again, given the level of creativity and imagination amongst the participants of this little game, the story may well have it's share of embraceable high points, as well as it's lackluster low points. We, the devoted purveyors of horror cinema, have engaged many a chapter in numerous movie franchises...as far back as the Universal monster classics of yesteryear, up to and including the contemporary horrors of today (...the Freddy's, the Jason's, the Leatherface's, and so on)...which utilize this very method of storytelling, with similar high and low points, depending upon the storytellers involved. And without exception, considering that ONE certain horror movie franchise, genuinely contributed in the inception of those aforementioned, as well as laid the seed, in which a certain splattery sub-genre in the horror film realm was eventually conceived...well, my fine folks, shall we look no further than ol' Norman Bates himself, in examining such hand-over-hand storytelling evolution...hmmmm?? Come on...let's go around the corner, just over there...where it's dark.....

One Of The Most Shocking Films Of The Year Debuts On DVD and VOD! "Hidden in the Woods" Arrives September 17th!

---

PATRICIO VALLADARES' DESCENT INTO VIOLENCE

HIDDEN IN
THE WOODS

DEBUTS ON DVD AND VOD TUESDAY SEPT 17, 2013!

THE FANTASIA AUDIENCE FAVORITE INVADES YOUR HOME ON DVD FROM ARTSPLOITATION, VOD, AND ON VHX HD VOD, TUESDAY, SEPT. 17! 

“The screenplay is the best thing about the film as a work of perverse art…Valladares and Andrea Cavaletto admirably avoided falling into the clichés of this kind of flick. I never knew where things were heading, and that kept the material, as well as the film’s power, constantly fresh…” - Roy Frumkes, Producer and Writer ofStreet Trash and Document of the Dead

One of the most controversial horror films ever to emerge from Latin America, Hidden in the Woods is 21st century grindhouse horror cinema at its most shocking.

Deep in the Chilean countryside, Ana and Anny live with their deformed brother and are subject to their father’s perverse and sadistic whims. After a dispute with the police leaves a wake of death and mutilation, they flee and find refuge in a remote cabin hidden from society. Meanwhile, a crime lord, convinced they have stolen the massive stash of drugs their father was hiding, sends a violent pack of thugs to find them.

Based on a bizarre true story and not for the faint of heart, Hidden in the Woods (currently being remade by actor Michael Biehn [The Terminator, Grindhouse] in the U.S.) features extreme violence, prostitution, sexual assault, buckets of blood and even cannibalism.

Hidden in the Woods tramples your way on DVD and VOD on Tuesday, Sept. 17. For those craving their terror in HD, this descent into terror will be available via VHX
at: http://www.hiddeninthewoodsfilms.com. Fans buying this online, DRM free download will also have the option to access all the wonderfully grisly bonus features included on the DVD and a special, exclusively online bonus feature: Toro Loco, Patricio Valladares' raunchy and grimy grindhouse flick.

Movie Review: Frankenstein's Army (Blu-ray, 2013)

In watching the countless genre trailers that flood the internet on various sites and the obligatory coming attractions sections of Blu-ray and DVDs, I see plenty of titles that look damn good in a three minute, compacted nugget – but end up being the same old routine shite.  Richard Raaphorst’s found-footage, mad doctor, zombie mash-up, Frankenstein’s Army was easily one of the most impressive recent trailers that I’d come across in sometime. The distributor for Frankenstein’s Army, Dark Sky, has done quite well with their choices for independent genre releases, but I had to see for myself and I must say, simply put, this baby delivers the goods.

When a group of Russian soldiers start coming across some odd things surrounding a village, they do what all good soldiers do, investigate. It couldn’t be all that bad, as it’s quiet, with no enemy soldiers around but that makes what’s about to cross their path that much more frightening.

Movie Review: The Life After Death Project (2013, Yellow Hat Productions)

...funny how the strangest of incidents in one's life, drive one towards the strangest of directions...and in the interim, the determinant wrought of that unswerving drive proves pretty much negligible and unrevealing, albeit resignedly procuring a level of speculation which has long since become 'air of mystery' commonplace amongst those privy of the seemingly paranormal and supernatural 'unexplained'. Point in case: An inexplicable and unexplained ink smudge on a piece of paper...a smudge, blotting out some words, which reportedly was not there, when writer/director Paul Davids place the paper down, and walked away from it, for only a moment. Amusingly enough, given certain parables in this particular incident, Paul eventually concluded that the mysterious paper smudge, considering what the smudge was blotting out, was a 'message' from beyond the grave...from none other than genre philanthropist and once-magazine publisher Forrest J. Ackerman...yes, THE Forrest J. Ackerman, of the renowned horror/sci-fi/fantasy publication, which the more seasoned of us grew up with, namely 'Famous Monsters of Filmland', who regrettably passed away some five years previous. In the end, Paul Davids wound up engaging a pursuant study of the paranormal, porting the resources of experts and celebrities, in a chronicle he would moniker as "The Life After Death Project"...which again, in the final analysis, really doesn't provide any answers, per say...merely, that often explored air of speculation and mystery amongst an exclusive fold of 'believers', with shared experiences in ghostly matters...and at the very least, it proves an arcane glimpse at an endearing look at a famed genre celebrity, who according to those who reportedly bore witness to 'strange, bizarre and inexplicable' incidents, is amusingly guilty of carrying on his trademark impish personality...from beyond the grave...

Movie Review: She Cat (1983, DVD)

Review By: Rob Sibley

She Cat aka Meneko is my second fore into the world of Nikkatsu roman pornos. The first was Fairy In ACage, which I wasn't the biggest fan of. Sure that film was heavy on the political subtext but just featured way too much BDSM for my tastes. So I went into She Cat with a bit of worry. Was I in for the same experience, just packaged differently? Luckily not, I wouldn't even call this a Roman Porno. Sure it features a helluva lot of nudity, showers scenes, rape scenes and everything else you'd expect from an 80's Japanese exploitation picture.

But luckily this film is more plot based then I expected. It's also more then anything else a sleazy Yakuza film.Now anyone who knows me, knows that Yakuza films are my favorite genre of films from Japan. Everything from early Fukasaku to the bat-shit crazy Dead Or Alive films from Miike (before he went Mainstream) to all the J-video films starring the likes of Riki Takeuichi, Sho Aikiwa and my personal favorites the Seijun Suzuki/Jô Shishido classics like Youth Of The Beast & Branded To Kill. Or Suzuki's Yakuza art house classic Tokyo Drifter. My point is, if a film deals with the Japanese mafia I will more likely then not watch it. No, I didn't forget all the wonderful Kitano Yakuza pictures but this is a review of “She Cat” not a 12 page essay on my obsession with Japanese gangster culture. So lets move on... shall we?

Movie Review: Dead Ball (2012, Blu-ray)

Well Go USA has given admirers of Asian cult cinema a myriad of films with the always growing variety of interesting flicks in their library. The films produced by Sushi Taiphoon are a personal favorite of mine because, well, most are just bat-shit crazy and usually fun to watch because they are so out there.  Director Yudai Yamaguchi has made a few films (Battlefield Baseball, Meatball Machine and Yakuza Weapon) that could very well be in the "bat-shit" variety. He takes a lot of what made his previous films enjoyable and rolled them into his own tasty, blood-drenched comedy/action/ horror flick in Dead Ball.

Baseball is without a doubt America’s number one pastime. It’s also right up there for the Japanese. Jubei is one of the many youths who love the sport. His father and him go out often to play – that is until Jubei cracks open his pop’s cranium with a devastating fast-ball that would make Randy Johnson quiver in his size 16 cleats. Jubei has a special gift in his 200 mph flaming pitches, he also has some anger issues that arise as he grows into a teen, but it isn't against the innocent - he takes it out on the slime of city.

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #112 - Ted Nugent Shaves the World

Dave explains the difficulties he had with electronics on his North Carolina work-cation, and he blames karma for his knowing all of the words to Ted Nugent's Fred Bear song. That kicks Kevin and Dave off on a crazy tear through the song, Nugent's dentures and a movie that has to be the worst thing ever created.

Kevin actually brings up a few movies, including the Marx Brothers gem A Night in Casablanca, Star Trek Into Darkness and World War Z.

Before closing the show, Dave brings up an incident from the NFL opening weekend, and he and Kevin get into a few fines that will or won't be incurred.

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Movie Review: Quest For Fire (1981, Blu-ray)

Review By: Rob Sibley

I remember watching Quest For Fire when I was just about six years old. I remember staying up late one night and popping in the VHS with my older brother. The film completely captivated my imagination. So twenty years after first seeing the flick on VHS I finally got the chance to revisit it courtesy of Second Sight Pictures on glorious Blu-ray. I tackled the film with great trepidation, you know films you see as a kid and love then you watch them again years later and they lose that magic. Luckily this wasn't the case with Quest For Fire.

I found myself engrossed in the world from frame one. Think about by all means QFF should be a cheese fest. Were dealing with sabor tooth tigers, cave men, ape men and all sorts of things that are recipes for cheese. But director Jean-Jacques Annaud pulls everything off by playing it completely serious. The film is drenched in a rich atmosphere thanks to cinematographer Claude Agostini who usually worked on French comedy's. The locations and costume designs are just spot on and help draw you in. 

Movie Review: Devil's Express (1976, Code Red Releasing)

...Horror films. Martial arts films. Two eclectically varied and widely spectrumed movie genres, which...for the purpose of this particular review's focus...have embraceably engaged a wildly exploitative reign in the infamously grungy and promotionaly hawking, inner city grindhouses of bygone past. Each genre, garnishing their own individual appeal and intrigue, among the cult-film embracing masses...their own brand of mystery, albeit one of a more exotic and dynamic kind, and the other...well, much more chilling, shocking and terror-inducing. It almost seems inevitable that both of these genres would one day collide and meld...Reece's peanut butter cup style...in the imaginative minds of filmmakers...initially and primarily of Asian production origin...sometimes garnishing unintentional laughs...and wholly proving that such a provocative, unconventional and totally outrageous merging of genres, actually works...or to quote a famous Bundy family line...horror movies and martial arts movies go together...uh, like 'Thanksgiving and pizza'...duhhh!!...

Movie Review: Slices (2009)

You know how much I love anthology movies? In case you haven't been paying attention, I adore them. I think it's an MTV short-attention span generational thing. And thanks to David Hayes, I got to watch one to wile away two hours as the subarctic temperatures raged across the Midwest. I'm not saying the flick kept me warm with its awesomeness but it did keep me distracted at least.

Slices is about a man who can't sleep and decides to spend the wee hours of the night watching a Creepshow-esque show on television, Theater of the Macabre, replete with giggling something-wrong-with-that-guy host, Lucius Phibes (sorry, had to do an eye roll at that). And Lucius brings us 5 horrifying tales to help pass the time.

Movie Review: Piranha-man Vs. Werewolf-man: Howl of the Piranha

This movie...I just can't...seriously, I lost enough IQ points watching this movie that it's difficult to...I'm at a loss...what a stupid poopy flick.

Our story centers around Lexi Glass (oy vey), a news reporter that first broke a terrifying story: two blonde women have been savagely murdered. Despite the fact that two does NOT make a pattern, she reports the women as victims of a serial killer and his "Baby Doll Murders". Never mind that's the most ridiculous name, considering the women aren't babies or dolls or look like either nor are babies and dolls left at the scenes. The witnesses she interviews on camera claim they heard howling, like a large dog or wolf, near the crime scenes.

Lexi’s boss accuses her of sensationalism (from a news reporter? The hell you say!) and gives the story to Dirty Diane. Can you guess why she has that nickname? *winkwink* Lexi is pissed but continues to follow the story and look for clues. During all of this, Lexi's dreams are quite disturbing: she is at each of crime scene and witnesses some kind of wolfman attacking the women. In between those gruesome visuals, she makes out with some random guy in the woods.

After a bunch of other people are murdered (not all perky blondes, by the way), Diane dons a blonde wig to bait the killer. When it works really really well, Lexi is there to report. Too bad the killer is still around because her cameraman is the next victim while Lexi passes out. In her unconscious state (which I realized it was after the back story is thrown up all over us), a man in a wrestler's mask explains her origins. Her father didn't die in a place crash! Her mother didn't die while birthing her! Her whole life has been a lie!

Movie Review: King Of The Streets (2012, Blu-ray)

Review By: Rob Sibley

Northern China, the present day. After accidentally killing an opponent at the age of 16, and serving eight years in prison for manslaughter, street fighter-cum-martial artist Yue Feng (Yue Song) is released and finally gets a job with a removals firm. Hearing that the grandmother (Liu Ming) of the man he killed is an impoverished street hawker, he anonymously buys food from her stall to help her. While doing a removal job for a privately run orphanage, he finds one of the staff is Yi (Becki Li), whom he'd previously helped when she was mugged in a backstreet. As he was also an orphan, Yue Feng starts helping her out in his spare time, and learns the orphanage head, Zhou (Wang Zaihe), is under pressure to sell the land at an unfair price to a ruthless businessman, Li Shao (Yang Junping), for a resort development.

Yue Feng finally tracks down his boyhood friend, Hai (Hou Xu), who is now working as an underworld fighter for hire. He invites Yue Feng to join him but the latter refuses. After Yue Feng fights off all the heavies who come to threaten Zhou, Li Shao agrees to settle the dispute with a fight between one of his own men and Yue Feng. On the day, however, Li Shao breaks the rules by fielding several opponents, including Yue Feng's best friend, Hai.

Movie Review: "Dead Before Dawn 3D" (2012, Wango Films)

...oh, how this viewer misses the good ol' days of late-night cable TV...that bygone era of wildly eclectic, after-hours television broadcasting cache of movies 'til dawn, which generously stretched from the stroke of midnight, up to the crack of dawn, on Friday and Saturday nights. Y'all remember those times, right?? An out-of-control, rable-rousing night of partying, culminating into a quiet, deadened and lethargic evening in someone's darkened living room, wherever the party might have been, that night (...now, now...you have your familiar post-party drunken scenario, I've got mine...if you please, just read on, OK??). If you weren't lucky enough to pair up with someone cuddly, in one of the assorted house-party bedrooms...and had not yet passed out from the varied and undescriptive alcoholic concoctions, which were being liberally passed around...you and whoever might have also been conscious at the time, probably found yourself on a beaten, battered and smelly living room couch, surrounded by the 'corpses' of passed-out partiers, with nothing but the cathode tube glow of the television, emitting a flickered eerie light, all about. Nursing a warm, half-bottle of...of whatever was closest, picking up the remote, and giving it the old 'click, click, click', you scan the channels, until...whoa!! Yeah!! USA Up All Night!!! Now, we're talking!!! Horror Flicks...Teen Sex Romps...Boobies...Dim-Witted, Monster Hunting Teens...Slimy Sci-Fi Space Junkies...More Boobies...Action-Filled Atrocities...And More Boobies...The Cheesiest of the Cheesiest B-Flicks Ever Made...with occasional, sometimes groan-inducing, sometimes genuinely knee-slapping commentary by...depending upon the night...Rhonda Shear or Gilbert Gottfried. Those movies...oh, those movies...titles like "Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-o-rama", "The Pink Chiquitas", "Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death", "Revenge of the Teenage Vixens from Outer Space", "Chopper Chicks in Zombietown", and countless others ; clearly, only a certain breed of film genuinely qualified for the haplessly respectable place of being broadcast on USA Up All Night...some of which proudly...or shall we say 'shamelessly' wore badges of respectability amongst undiscriminating cult film devotees (...for myself, I remember seeing USA Channel-truncated versions of "Day of the Dead", "Frankenhooker", "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" and "Basket Case"). Heck, even when trimmed for content, the hilariously scathing commentary by our illustrious hosts made up for content-restrictive editor's hand...we're talkin' the type of films that shamelessly defy criticism...that cross the line of being coined 'bad', and well into the arena of 'embraceably ludicrous'...yes, THOSE kinds of films...films like...well.....

Movie Review: The Guillotines (We Pictures/Well Go Entertainment)

...being a devoted fan of martial arts cinema...from '70's old-school chop socky...to slick, action-driven, dramatically infused modern period pieces...this viewer often found himself particularly drawn to the quite imaginative, dynamic and exotic, albeit quite deadly weaponry, sometimes even more so than the prerequisite and choreographed hand-to-hand combat, in these films. The more exotic and constructively practical the weapon was, the more this viewer felt compelled to study it's historic use even further, even going as far as to verify whether or not the weapon was genuinely used by ancient warriors past, or was merely the imaginative product of the writers and filmmakers. Such was the case with the dreaded 'xuedizi'...a term literally translating into 'blood dripper', but to fans of chop socky cinema, this device was better known as the 'flying guillotine'. Amazingly enough, ancient history reveals that during the Quig Dynasty, covering a large era of time, from 1644 to 1912, the flying guillotine was indeed reportedly used by skilled Tibetan assassins...a skill which clearly involved amazingly keen and sightful precision (...the movies tend to make use of this weapon, look soooooo easy). The jaw-dropping level of dynamics, with regards to early martial arts films, was invariably raised, with the inclusion of this deadly and gruesome piece of precision weaponry, with the classic 1976 martial arts epic, "Masters of the Flying Guillotine", being the most famous, in featuring the fatal head-chopping tool. As visually compelling as the weapon was, it genuinely surprises most fans of martial arts cinema, that the flying guillotine wasn't utilized more in the movies; that disregard might well have seen long-overdue cessation, with the recent 're-invention' of the fatal bladed weapon, in 2012's visually striking, albeit heavily dramatic, and overly muddled martial arts epic, "The Guillotines"...

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #111 - Three Men and a Baby

Kevin goes it alone this week as Dave deals with computer problems and Jeff takes the week off to see the birth of his son. Priorities, people. Kevin updates his viewing of House of Cards and revisits the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. He also talks about the weirdness of Adventure Time before sharing his excitement for the return of NFL football and Boardwalk Empire in the same weekend.

He also leads us into a clip of David Hayes on his weekly visit to the Mike & Jon in the Morning radio show in Michigan, where he brings his weekly Celebrity Crapaoke segment. You can hear the weekly segments in the Abnormal Entertainment Megafeed.

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Movie Review: Back to 1942 (aka Yi jiu si er, 2012)

Directed by Xiaogang Feng

Movie Review by Greg Goodsell

With the world officially plunged into war back the winter of 1942, a village in the Henan province in Mainland China decides to flee the grinding famine brought on by drought. While wealthy landlord Master Fan (Zhang Guoli) has enough to feed the village and his family, bandits arrive to burn everything down to the ground. Piling up his rickshaws with personal belongings, food and his daughter, wife and daughter-in-law, Fan joins a great exodus heading west. Things get worse and worse and worse, as their fellow travelers lash out and kill for a mouthful of food …

It’s been an interesting year for film criticism. We have had the Lianne Spiderbaby debacle, with her merrily cutting and pasting the works of Internet scribes who write for love, not money, for her own personal fame and fortune. There has also been the recent controversy concerning critical warhorse Rex Reed. Said persnickety critic was seen storming out of a screening of the anthology horror film V/H/S 2 to which he wrote a scathing review. People called him out on it, saying he had no right to condemn a film he hadn’t seen all the way through.

Movie Review: Mara (2012)

Oh you big bouncy blonde beautiful Swedes. You try so hard, don't you? But where Let the Right One In succeeds, Mara fails.

Mara starts off with Jenny sitting in the police station, covered in blood, while she tells her story to the cops. About 90% of the film is in flashback so here it is: five young people are at a home out in the middle of nowhere partying hearty (red flag #1). Jenny, her cousin, Cissi, and Cissi's former schoolmates Jacob, Stina, and Phillip. It's also the home where Jenny's mother murdered Jenny's father 10 years earlier (red flag #2). So why would Jenny ever agree to go back there? Though Cissi's mom owns the house now, Jenny can legally inherit (since it belonged to her parents first) so she needs to revisit the place or some inane reason that really doesn't matter here anyway.