Movie Review: The Baby (1973, Blu-ray)

Directed by Ted Post


Movie Review by Greg Goodsell

Social worker Ann Gentry (Anjanette Comer, The Loved One) is assigned to a most unusual case: The Wadsworth family is composed of ruthless Mother Hen Mrs. Wadsworth (Ruth Roman, Strangers on a Train) and her two voluptuous daughters, Germaine (Marianna Hill, Messiah of Evil) and Alba (Suzanne Zenor) and their son … Baby (David Manzy). Baby just goes by the name of Baby, appears to be at least 21 and acts in the manner of a two-year-old. The Wadsworth family showers lots of love on Baby, and the occasional touch of discipline: cue cattle prod. Proudly displaying Baby in toddler clothes and oversized playpen in their front yard, Mrs. Gentry suspects that something is “not right” with the arrangement. After a lengthy tug-of-war Between Mrs. Gentry and the Wadsworths over the well-being of Baby, things quickly degenerate into a bloodbath … and it’s revealed that there’s a very special reason as to why Mrs. Gentry wants Baby all to herself! 

This scintillating slice of Seventies sickness, seen frequently on daytime TV with a few edits, is enjoying a renaissance in the digital age. It’s recently got the Blu-Ray treatment from Severin Films, and cult film fans are lining up to watch what many describe as a “film you CAN’T unsee.” Seeing as every slasher film is written off as “misogynist,” The Baby offers up a particular worldview where every woman is a predatory monster bent on the subjugation of males. This reviewer has long thought that the Wadsworths would be the deadly trio of femme fatales from Russ Meyer’s Faster, Pussycat! Kill, Kill (1965) if they managed to survive hightail it to the suburbs.

Movie Review: Blood Ties (2014)

When hearing about a potential film I will be watching one of the worst words for me to hear is a film is generic. I would rather take awful, because I know with awful different people may have different opinions, but more than likely when people say generic and they know what they are talking about, it usually is the case. Guillame Canetâs, who I remember liking his 2006 gem Tell No One, has created a beautiful looking film, the film is sleek and slick. The production of this film puts the viewer in the 1970's; they paid attention to every little detail about the era. This film does so much background work that it forgets the important part, the script and acting. Clive Owen's accent is horrible, his Brooklyn accent was eye-rolling and very nails to the chalkboard bad. This film has plot holes that you can drive a truck thru. When you look at the movie cover, see the actors in this film and think why this wasn't in the movie theater, you pretty much get what this film is all about.

Movie Review: Tourist Trap and Demonic Toys (Blu-ray)

Charles Band and his company Full Moon Features has had a history that that dates back into the 1970’s. While it wasn't until the late 80’s the actual Full Moon brand was conceived, the director, producer, writer had his stamp on genre films with movies like David Schmoeller’s thriller Tourist Trap. Tourist Trap has just made its debut in the High Def arena as well as his Child’s Play rip-off Demonic Toys and they certainly should garner some attention from horror fans both young and old. My first of Tourist Trap came at a very young age on video and it scared the shit out of me so it's nice to see this one again after so many years.

A jeep full of college-age vacationers breaks down in the middle of nowhere near an old wax museum run by a recluse named Slausen (Chuck Conner, The Rifleman). Here the kids get to know Slausen and even experience the interesting sites of the many dummies in costume at the museum. What they don’t know is that there is a danger among the shadows and the myriad of dummies occupying the whole residence. The group begins to shrink as each perishes at the hands of some large figure with telekinetic powers that has a striking resemblance to ol’ Slausen. Could it be Slausen or his twin brother? Or is the place just haunted. Schmoeller and his crew pile on an appropriate amount of brooding atmosphere to make Tourist Trap one of the creepiest and most underrated horror films to come out of the 1970’s.

Movie Review: The Ong Bak Trilogy

Review By: Jimmy D.

The Ong Bak films really took Thai films to new levels and help break thru the martial arts market. In an era where stunts are down with wires and thru computers the Ong Bak films really impressed me by how real the action in the films was. Ong Bak opens with a tree-climbing contest to capture a red flag on top of a tree. While getting up the trees, people were kicking and shoving their opponents off the limbs. Just watching these guys falling off those high trees was such a remarkable feat in itself. Tony Jaa and this film took the martial arts world by surprise and shock. Like what Raid Redemption is doing right now, in the early 2000’s Tony Jaa was doing with the insane stunts that were real, the fresh camerawork and dynamic feel of each fight sequence. The two films that followed and are also in this collection, I feel pale in comparison to the original. Watching part 2 made me scratch my head did we really need a sequel? If you already have the blu rays, the only difference this time around is they come in this box, but there are no slim cases or special features that if you are a fan you have not seen before.

Feel the "Rage" from Cage this August!!

IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS

RAGE

Starring Nicolas Cage

Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download on August 12, 2014

Los Angeles, July 21, 2014 – Image Entertainment, an RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE) brand, brings you the heart-stopping thriller Rage, available on Blu-ray and DVD on August 12, 2014. Directed by Paco Cabezas (The Appeared, Neon Flesh) and written by Jim Agnew (Giallo, Game of Death) and Sean Keller (Giallo), the film stars Academy Award Winner Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas, The National Treasure films), Rachel Nichols (Star Trek, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), Danny Glover (the Lethal Weapon films), and Aubrey Peeples (ABC’s “Nashville”).

Rage tells the story of Paul Maguire (Cage), a respectable businessman and loving father living a peaceful life, until his violent past comes back to haunt him. When his teenage daughter is taken from their home, Paul rounds up his old crew to help him find her by any means necessary. His search for justice leads Paul down a dark and bloody path of revenge, betrayal and long buried secrets.

“Caesar and Otto” create first fully interactive Indiegogo.com Campaign!

               

          

From Fourth Horizon Cinema comes Writer/Director Dave Campfield’s newest  popular “Caesar and Otto” series, “Caesar and Otto’s Paranormal Halloween”. Se t up with a campaign through Indiegogo.com, with perks like associate producer, your own commentary, get eaten by the  beloved fan favorite Piggyzilla, autographed dvds and more, the goal is set to raise  a portion of the funding through the fans.  Campfield aims to make this the biggest release to date! But the most unique aspect of Campfield’s campaign is bonus short film he calls fully interactive. Fans by lines of dialog for actors like Sleepaway Camp’s Fellisa Rose, rocker Deron Miller, or scream queen Brinke Stevens. And in this interactive event, the sky is the limit. Once completed, the fan driven film will be featured on the DVD with the feature film and other special features.

         

Cinema Head Cheese: Podshort! - Oldboy vs. Oldboy

After watching the original Korean film and the American remake, Kevin compares and contrasts both versions of the revenge thriller Oldboy.

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"Space Raiders" and "Short Eyes" Debut on Blu-ray from Scorpion Releasing and Kino Lorber this August!

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 22, 2014 - Kino Lorber and Scorpion Releasing announce the release of Roger Corman's sci-fi adventure SPACE RAIDERS, starring Vince Edwards, and Robert M. Young's prison drama SHORT EYES, starring Bruce Davison, in limited edition Blu-rays, available on August 1st exclusively at kinolorber.com.

SPACE RAIDERS streets on September 2nd, with a SRP of $29.95, in a limited edition of 2,000 units. SHORT EYES streets on September 16th, with a SRP of $29.95, in a limited edition of 1,500 units. Both titles will also become available on DVD with individual SRPs of $19.95.

SPACE RAIDERS

1983 Color 84 Minutes Anamorphic (1.78:1) Rated PG Science Fiction

Join a pint-sized boy for a giant-sized space adventure! On the distant planet of Procyon III at a time far into the future, 10 year-old Peter Tracton (David Mendenhall,Over the Top) is innocently trying to catch a pesky space bug when suddenly the warehouse he is playing in is attacked by outlaw Space Raiders, and the boy is whisked off on an incredible adventure beyond his wildest dreams. Vince Edwards (TV's Ben Casey M.D.) stars as Col. C.W. "Hawk" who discovers Peter hiding the hull of the of the cargo ship that he and his raiders have just hijacked. While under attack by Hawk's arch nemesis, the alien Zariatin, Peter risks his life to help with the repair of a damaged engine, enabling the Raiders to a make a safe escape. With exhilarating echoes of the movie Star Wars, Hawk and his crew reward Peter's courage by promising to return the little boy safely to his home planet. Together they embark upon a thrilling odyssey across millions of miles of outer space. Directed by veteran cult director Howard R. Cohen (Saturday the 14th).

Movie Review: Zombie Lake (1980)

You know, the French love to act and think they’re above the rest of us. With their snooty cuisine and upscale museums and nudie ‘art’. Well I’m here to tell you they’re just a bunch of big pervs, like the rest of us, because 50% of this film could have been used in my Jr. High sex ed classes. My evidence? I submit to you: Le Lac de Zombie.

Zombie Lake is about a quaint little town in France. I don’t remember the name and honestly, do you really care? A young woman stands in a gazebo, possibly waiting for her lover. More likely just standing in weird postures so the camera can get a great angle of her tits and ass. She decides to go skinny dipping in a lake where a sign is posted with a giant skull and cross bones as a warning of some kind. But what does she care for rules? She eez franch. When she is killed by a one-eyed zombie that rises from the lake, we all point and laugh.

Halloween COMPLETE Blu-Ray Collection from Anchor Bay!

Anchor Bay Entertainment and Scream Factory proudly announce the bonus features and technical specifications for the September 23rd HALLOWEEN Complete Collection Blu-ray set.  This new set boasts a wealth of NEW bonus features including 7 brand NEW featurettes, 3 brand NEW commentaries, 4 brand NEW interviews – with many of the participants sharing their thoughts about the franchise for the first time -- and NEW transfers and audio specs on selected titles.

Movie Review: Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)

Directed by Henry Koster

Movie Review by Greg Goodsell

Mr. Hobbs (Jimmy Stewart) yearns to take a romantic holiday with his gorgeous wife (Maureen O'Hara). However, a vacant beach home on the Northern California coast proves too good to resist, and so the Hobbs bundle up their youngest daughter Katey (Lauri Peters) and only son Danny (Michael Burns) along with their Finnish cook (Minerva Urecal) and head out to later join their two older, married daughters and their husbands and children at the cottage. Said “cottage” turns out to be a Victorian ruin that makes the Bates Mansion in Psycho (1960) look positively inviting. Straight away, troubles ensue. Katey is far too self-conscious with the braces on her teeth, and dear old Dad must pay the boys at the yachting club to dance with her. Everything works out and Katey begins a chaste romance with beach bum Joe (teen idol Fabian Forte). Mr. Hobbs drags son Danny for a boating adventure that almost turns tragic – but turns into a bonding experience for both. The older daughters' families seethe with neurosis, one long unemployed son-in-law abandoning the home to seek work. Landing a job offer, it is up to Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs to entertain his prospective employers (John McGiver and Marie Wilson). Things go disastrously, but everything turns out alright in the end.

Movie Review: Camp Blood: First Slaughter (2014, MVD Visual)

...in our childhood, we all had hamsters, at one time or another, right?? Cute little buggers, weren't they?? Running around their little cage, grabbing a glug of water over here...occasionally stopping nervously, to see who's looking...snagging a little morsel of food over there...again, stopping and looking around...maybe even, just to show off, grabbing more morsels of food, and stuffing it in their cheeks, until they look like furry little roadsters (...always good for a little chuckle). And then, they scurry over, climb up on the wheel, and away they go, go, go. And after the novelty wears off, one cannot help but watch that cute little rodent, working that wheel with great vigor, and wonder...does it know that it's putting out all that effort, and not really going any place?? And we watch...and watch...and watch...possibly even fantasizing that the little bugger, all too well knowing that it has our full attention, will suddenly dismount the wheel, quickly don a top hat & cane, and break into an impromptu well-choreographed and animated Busby Berkley number, a la Michigan J. Frog. But then, reality hits, and we come to realize that, yes...that spry little hamster is just gonna continue going round, and round, and round...and getting nowhere. Alas, that is the relevation which most will resign themselves to, after engaging the ho-hum, beat-by-beat, by-the-numbers slasher-film throwback, "Camp Blood: First Slaughter"...a lackluster follow-up to a rather surprisingly successful and prolific micro-budgeted, direct-to-video horror film franchise...

Book Review: Hell Chicks by Ed Wood

by David Hayes 

Hell Chicks details the story of a band of girl bikers who terrorize the countryside. The group of them are insatiable nymphomaniacs, each with their own specialty. Hell Chicks marks Wood’s (writing as N. V. Jason) turn to truly hardcore pornography. As far as a story goes, there really isn’t much of one. The gang travels around, has sex and is finally tracked by the police and killed (for the most part). What Hell Chicks does have, though, are the patented quirky characters that only the mind of Ed Wood could devise.

The gang itself is made up of some of the worst sexual deviates in the world and all of them have names based on their particular specialty. Flame, the leader, has red hair—everywhere (wink, wink), Hot Lips is the finisher whose fellatio is beyond comparison, Pisser is a, well, she likes urine, Boobie has big, uuh… boobies, Syph has syphilis, Ankles grabs hers, Fingers uses hers, Sissy is one and Cherry doesn’t have one. That, dear friends, is the roll call of the roughest bunch of nymphos that ever straddled a motorcycle. They lived for sex, drugs and sex…in that order.

Movie Review: Under the Skin (2014, Blu-ray / DVD)

Reviewed by: Jimmy D.

In Hollywood, when any actor/actress goes outside of their comfort zone two things usually happen: 1. They create art and win Oscars. 2. They run back to their comfort zone when they flop. I respect Scarlett Johansson as an actress who likes to take chances, but I feel this film she was trying a little too hard. Ghost World was that quirky film that put her on the map, almost by accident. After all it was a Thora Birch vehicle after she got people talking in American Beauty. Scarlett was just that also-ran in Home Alone 3, who somehow got people talking and put her in the A-list. That being said, if this was the film that was supposed to put her on the map, I feel Thora would now be the star.

Movie Review: The Invoking (2013)

Reviewed By: Jimmy D.

When did horror have to be so dramatic and over-written to be effective? The Invoking is that film that I feel people who love horror, and I mean truly love horror will not get. This film is for those Roger Ebert types or people who are in horror to make a paycheck and have no care or passion about the genre or what they recommend to the people who follow them. The Invoking is a 88 minute film that uses every cliché we have seen in indie films in the last two decades. I am not going to say the film is a total waste, it does have its moments that are quite effective, but I will say what you have to endure to get to those moments is unfair. Unfair especially if you see the cover and the quotes and think this film is going to deliver a satisfying horror experience. The plot is simple enough; you have Sam who along with three of her friends go back to the house she grew up in. When they arrive there, they meet a guy who has been taking care of the house who lives a little past it. This film goes into a realm of what is real or unreal, when Sam starts to see visions and her friends acting odd. We learn as the film goes on that Sam's parents who once lived there were not kind to her, it is like she is watching her friends reenact memories from her childhood.

Movie Review: Ravenous (Blu-ray, Scream Factory)

Reviewed By: Jimmy D.

I hate to admit this but this is the first time I ever seen Ravenous. I remember in the age of the video store that I rented this once or twice, but never got to watch it and had to return it back. Ravenous is a very atmospheric horror film that is centered on an epidemic of flesh-eating and how it empowers people once they taste the flesh. The film takes place during the Mexican-American War, Col. Ives who seems to be on the verge of death makes his way barely to an isolated outpost. Once there he goes into the fort with this story of what brought him to this place.

The story is about some travelers who battle starvation. They ate all the livestock and animals first, and then stuff like belts and shoes. When one of the people dies, they decided to eat him. Thus, they started to eat other people as well. Well the commander sends out a group to investigate this story. Ravenous is bleak, it is cold-blooded and just all out cruel. The blood and gore is only half the fun of the film, the other half is just the tremendous acting by all involved. Directed by the late Antonia Bird and starring one of her regulars Robert Carlyle, this film like her earlier film Priest really shows that she thinks outside of the box and knows how to really capture the desperation of mankind. This film has so many creepy moments and all-out surprises and revelations that I feel this film really thought outside of the horror realm and wanted to create a multi-layered film that was just more than your simple cannibalism horror film.

Cinema Head Cheese: Podshort! - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Kevin talks about the ape movie that everyone's been waiting for.

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Movie Review: Brannigan (Blu-ray, Twilight Time)

Reviewed By: Hal Astell

In 2006 Sylvester Stallone made Rocky Balboa and people wondered if he could still do the job at 60 years of age. In 2008 he made Rambo and the same question got asked, with only the age being different. The question will be back again very shortly with Harrison Ford who will be 66 when Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull comes out, but it isn't a new question. I'm sure people asked the same question when John Wayne made Brannigan in 1975. He was 67, in bad health and wearing a toupee but he enters the film by kicking down a door and playing hardball with a forger.

But he's still John Wayne and he's still the tough guy, even though the people behind the film are second generation: the executive producer is his eldest son, Michael Wayne, and the writer is Christopher Trumbo, son of Dalton Trumbo. The Duke only had two films left after this one, Rooster Cogburn and The Shootist, and he looked even older in both. As always he has a gun and a badge, but unlike those films he isn't in the old west, he's a Chicago cop in London.

He's there to pick up a mobster being extradited back to the States, one he's been chasing for a long time and who has put a contract on him. He's in the hands of Scotland Yard but after he's kidnapped, it's up to Brannigan and his English compatriots to find him again. Beyond the Duke, there are a number of other major names here to ensure that things are done right. Larkin the mobster is played by John Vernon, always excellent as a powerful but amoral thug, and Fields, his sleazy lawyer, is Mel Ferrer. Scotland Yard provide Richard Attenborough as Cmdr Sir Charles Swann and the always delightful Judy Geeson as Brannigan's caretaker.

Movie Review: Radio Days (1987, Twilight Time)

Reviewed By: Hal Astell

Woody Allen pretty much always wrote stories about himself, though he tweaked the truth so none are actually autobiographies. This one is about him as a young Jewish kid in Rockaway when the radio was on all day every day and all he ever wanted was a Masked Avenger ring with a secret compartment. He's played by someone you wouldn't expect on the face of it to be believable as a young Woody Allen, here called Joe, let alone appear in a Woody Allen film, but Seth Green does a solid job. He's really young here, long before Buffy the Vampire Slayer let alone Robot Chicken, but he looks exactly like a really young Seth Green.

The script is really nothing but a dramatized collection of reminiscences, and as you'd expect from such a setup some are better than others. The biggest challenge of all is to make it hold together as a single entity. It works best as a box of treats to dip into whenever we feel like it, so unlike most films, catching five minutes here and there while channel surfing roughly equates to watching it in an 85 minute stretch. You could probably even watch it backwards, scene by scene, and it would still make about as much sense.

The first reminiscence is a peach and sets the stage very nicely for all the rest. It has two crooks breaking into a house when the phone rings. They answer it to avoid waking everyone up and end up winning the grand prize on a game show called Guess That Tune. Mr and Mrs Needleman arrive home the next morning to find their home robbed but no end of goodies arriving in the place of their own stuff. It's hilarious but ludicrous at the same time, and quite a few of the other reminiscences fit the same bill. There's a sports story show that involves a baseball pitcher with heart, even though he loses a leg, an arm and his sight. There's even a radio ventriloquist.

Movie Review: "Captain Kidd" (1945; United Artists/Cheezy Flicks)

...there's an old saying, about 'truth' being 'stranger then fiction'; often we hear about stories, related to certain historical figures or celebrities, which we'd come to accept as the norm, and yet, when one digs deeper amidst the common pleasantries, one finds that there's a lot more to the story, than originally related. As much as we want ever so much to forever remember and recall the best and most significant deeds and behavior of a famous person, we are also drawn toward the underlining controversy, as far as the true nature of the person...and often times, that 'true nature' isn't hardly what we expected, or perhaps would rather not have known about. And then, there's the opposite side of the matter...a matter which suggests that this historical figure or famous personality has proven to possess a relatively interesting background...but not in Hollywood's terms; and when that happens...well, our fine and fettered Hollywood writers & filmmakers, just can't help but deftly and creatively weave greater interest and intrigue, for the fascinating, albeit less-than-charismatic character...fiction, yes, but fiction deftly woven into fact. It's happened countless times in the magically embellishing realm of Hollywoodland, and such is the case with one of Cheezy Flicks recent additions to their spansive selection of films; indeed, from a historical point of view, one definitely won't come across any new revelations about Captain William Kidd, in the daring pirate adventure excursion from 1945, United Artists' "Captain Kidd", but what the filmmaking powers that be, have come up with, herein...on an anemic shoestring budget, no less...is still a whole heck of a lot of fun to watch...

Cinematic Hell: The Pink Angels (1971)

Director: Larry G Brown
Stars: John Alderman, Tom Basham, Henry Olek, Bruce Kimball, Maurice Warfield and Robert Biheller

When I started my Cinematic Hell project, the aim was to watch (or rewatch) some of the worst movies of all time and try to build a primer into who, what and why. Much of my planning was on including a suitably wide range of titles, genres and key names to take care of the 'who' and the 'what', but over time the 'why' of it all took over. I became fascinated about why films like these were made, why anyone ever thought they might have been a good idea. Perhaps inevitably at that point, the scope morphed a little from bad movies to inexplicable ones. After all, there's a huge crossover between the two, and most of the films I'd covered fit both categories because the more inexplicable a picture is, the more likely it is to be really bad too. Yet The Pink Angels is something of an exception. While it's certainly no great cinematic achievement, it's capable in so many ways that it escapes the usual levels of badness. Yet it remains wildly inexplicable.

Movie Review: Countess Dracula (1970, Blu-ray / DVD)

What do you get when you mix blood, murder, virgins, and a selfish, manipulative, homicidal crazy who doesn’t want to get older? Elizabeth Nádasdy, aka Countess Bathory. Hammer Films brings us Countess Dracula, a campy little vehicle perfect for the sultry beauty of Ingrid Pitt, our luscious little noble.

Countess Dracula is the story of Elizabeth Bathory and her horrific crimes committed against the young and nubile ladies in her neighborhood. We open with the funeral of the Countess’s husband and how she ogles Imre, the son of her husband’s best friend. I have to admit he is pretty but I’ve always been a sucker for a cleft chin.

At the reading of the Count’s will, Fabio, the castle Historian (who knew there was such a thing?) and Imre are very happy. But Captain Dobi dislikes inheriting the armory and the Countess is pissed she has to share her estate with Ilona, her and the Count’s daughter. Just because you can have kids doesn’t mean you should. What a bitch.

Movie Review: Race War: The Remake (2013)

From the start, I could tell that Race War: The Remake was going to be a low budget mess. I know this, because I have been a part of many low budget messes in my time. At the same time, I knew it could be fun, because based on the opening credits, I knew there was no way the people involved in this movie took themselves seriously. How did I know this? After an epic narrative that scrolled across the screen to set up the story, lead actor Howard Calvert, who plays a drug dealer named Baking Soda, dances in a forest preserve behind the opening credits.

The forest preserve is a familiar scene in the micro-budget horror world. So is a warehouse / storage facility that doubles as the storefront of something else. Add poor lighting and on and off room tone, and this a a late '90s or early 2000s c-movie masterpiece. I know you think I'm dumping on Race War, but I'm not. Movies at this level are what they are. They're usually silly, and they usually look a little crappy in spots. That's fine when you know what you're going into. There is one very important element that every movie at this level needs in order to be enjoyable. Fun. It has to show that the cast and crew had fun. After watching Race War, I can tell you that there's no way anybody involved didn't have a great time, and it shows.

"Wonder Years" Complete Series Coming Soon!

Before there was Modern Family, That '70s Show or Freaks and Geeks, there was The Wonder Years -- a nostalgia-inducing take on the traditional family sitcom -- and one of the most beloved sitcoms of the past thirty years.  Debuting in 1988 following ABC's broadcast of Super Bowl XXII, the affectionate look at growing up in the late '60s and early '70s in suburban America was unlike anything else on television.  And, for the next six seasons, America tuned in to follow the exploits of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage), as he navigated adolescence in the most memorable of ways.  Never before released on DVD in its entirety, THE WONDER YEARS COMPLETE SERIES will be presented as a 26-disc collector's set featuring all 115 episodes housed in a replica metal locker, along with a host of extras including 15 hours of specially-produced bonus programming ---featurettes, an incredible cast reunion 16 years in the making and never-before-seen outtakes, including all takes of Kevin and Winnie's first kiss from the pilot episode. THE WONDER YEARSCOMPLETE SERIES will be available exclusively online, available now for pre-order at TimeLife.com/WonderYears for $249.95.


It was 1968 -- the year of Nixon and space walks and Mod Squad and Vietnam.  Enter Kevin Arnold (Savage), a sixth grader at Kennedy Junior High School.  Set against the suburban backdrop of Anytown, USA, Kevin sought to minimize his teenage angst while dealing with an older, noogie-happy brother Wayne (Jason Hervey), a rebellious sister, Karen (Olivia d'Abo), distant, workaholic father, Jack (Dan Lauria) and doting housewife mother, Norma (Alley Mills).  Add to the mix Paul Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano), his nerdy, allergy-riddled best friend, a potential love interest in winsome girl-next-door Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) and narration by an older, wiser, wittier Kevin (voiced by Daniel Stern) to add perspective to the nostalgia, and you have the perfect recipe for TV greatness.

Movie Review: The Final Terror (Blu-ray / DVD, 1983)

There have been several sub-genres that have spawned from the glorious slasher film craze of the 80’s.  We've seen the school slasher, abandoned house slasher, the religious slasher and other varieties of genre films thrill moviegoers looking for some good ol’ fashion bloodshed in there horror. The “backwoods” slasher was another fun form that brought the unforgiving aspect of being alone in the wild with a maniac killer. For a good stretch of time this seemed like a great way to scare the pants off people. Some of the more popular of that ilk would include James Bryan’s Don’t Go in the Woods…Alone, Rituals, The Forest, Just Before Dawn, Geek, Back Woods and Scream Factory’s Blu-ray release of Andrew Davis’ The Final Terror.

When a group young hikers (including Rachael Ward, John Friedrich  Adrien Zmed and a and a pre-Splash Daryll Hannah) take a bus trip into the wilderness for a good time things become extremely difficult for the kids when one of the group member pisses off their bus driver and guide, Eggar (Joe Pantoliano, Risky Business, The Sopranos). Now it’s up to them to find a way out of an area they know nothing about. After one of the hikers is found dead after getting machete while doing the naughty things get pretty serious. Oddly enough, instead of going separate way like similar horror films this band of pals stay together and choose to seek out the psycho.

Movie Review: Jess Franco's The Demons (Blu-ray)

European cult cinema has produced many undeniable talents over the past 50 years: Dario Argento (Suspiria, Deep Red), Mario Bava (Black Sunday, Bay of Blood), Jean Rollin (Living Dead Girl, Grapes Of Death), Walerian Borowczyk (The Beast, Behind Convent Walls) and Lucio Fulci (City Of The Living Dead, The Beyond) are just a handful of names that have contributed numerous memorable features. And then there's Jess Franco. A highly skilled and talented filmmaker in his own right, Franco has been brilliant with films like Venus of Furs and Succubus but has also unfortunately churned out unwatchable shot-on-video sludge like Marie Cookie and the Killer Tarantula and Tender Flesh. The directors mentioned earlier are far from perfect but seem to have a tad more consistency than the Spanish filmmaker.

Kino and Redemption Films are back yet again with another addition to their line of Jess Franco films on heels of the fine releases of The Awful Dr. Orloff and Virgin Among the Living Dead with Jess Franco's Demons. Not to be confused with Lamberto Bava's Demons, Jess Franco's The Demons takes a page out of Ken Russell’s popular and very controversial The Devils with this deliciously blasphemous tale of horny nuns, possession and nasty inquisition sadism. The story surrounds the torture and subsequent execution of a witch who makes her presence known in the after-life as a demonic spirit possessing innocent and very hot nuns.

Movie Review: Rigor Mortis (Blu-ray)

Reviewed By: Jimmy D.

Rigor Mortis is a film going into it I have to admit I was really hyped up. I read all the glowing reviews and some of my blogging buddies went on and on about how this film is going to change the vampire genre. First time director Juno Mak has very high expectations with this film and he really works hard to create something unique but I just feel this film I was really expecting it to be better than it was. The actors for the most did a very good job, and the CGI stuff was really effective as well, but this film really had some bad pacing issues and it really takes its sweet time to really get going.

The mood of this film is dreary and depressing, which I felt for the most part was fairly effective at getting the message out, but I would have loved for this film to maybe interject something of a comic or light element, because as the film goes on it just seems that this film really was far more serious than fun. The film opens with an actor who tells us his career has went downhill and he is wondering how he is left in this shit. His wife has left him, took his son with her and now he is depressed. He moves into this rundown hotel and he hangs himself. The problem is while he is hanging he starts to see ghostly images, and before he breathes his last breath a man comes in and cuts the rope saving him. This near-death experience has made him a portal to two sisters who are ghosts to enter his body.

Movie Review: McCanick (2013)

Directed by Josh C. Waller

Movie Review by Greg Goodsell

Featuring the final film role of Cory Monteith, the star of TV’s “Glee” before he died of a heroin and alcohol overdose at the far too young age of 31 in 2013, the cop melodrama McCanick received scathing reviews when first released. This reviewer walked into the film totally unprepared and was highly entertained. While a “bad” film in many respects – trashy and sensational, a bit simplistic, McCanick has quite a few aces up its sleeve.

We’ve all had disappointing birthdays, but chances were that they were a lot better than McCanick’s (David Morse), a crusty Philadelphia policeman. He’s set on having dinner with his estranged son that evening when he learns that Simon Weeks (Monteith), a penny-ante drug dealer and hustler who he fingered in connection with a politician's murder has been recently released from prison. Taking his young, rookie policeman partner Floyd Intrator (Mike Vogel) on a stakeout to nail Weeks, they pull up to an upstairs ghetto drug party -- when it suddenly becomes apparent to Intrator that McCanick has told him a big, fat lie. The situation deteriorates, and McCanick mistakenly shoots Intrator directly in the chest. Intrator is rushed to the hospital clinging to life, and McCanick then tells his superiors an even BIGGER lie: he says that Weeks did it!

Movie Review: The Man Who Lies (1968; Kino Lorber/Redemption Films)

...what's that old saying?? Something about a 'tangled web one weaves, when one practices to deceive'? Consider the pathological liar: The tales rendered, often outrageous and dazzling...even manipulative...though with an element of truth, which genuinely supports the fantasique fervor of the story told. Favorable focus on the storyteller...even to the point of 'superhuman' empowerment, or an incredibly sheltered naivete; they are the hero in their tales, or perhaps the hapless, unknowing victim. The surprisingly keen ability to weave a fantastical, seemingly supportive tale, right on the spot, given the clear urgency of the situation...though, that's where that aforementioned 'tangled web' comes into play, when the story becomes so convoluted with falsehood, it begins to fray, and come unraveled. And of course, there's the motive...the 'hanging carrot' clockwork reasoning that drives the recipient listener of the complex and intricate fabrication into potentially believing the manipulative teller of the tale...

...in director Alain Robbe-Grillet's brazenly artful, enigmatic and self-telling 1968 mystery/drama, "The Man Who Lies"...a joint French/Czechoslovakian production...does the film's mysterious and manipulative protagonist, rightly fit the definition, as suggested above?? Or is there method to the ensuing madness, as enigmatically depicted in the following 'tangled web' proceedings??...

Movie Review: Bloody Birthday (1981, Severin Films)

Thinking about having a kid? Want to expand your family so you can have more love in your life (and a lot of snot and poop from what I’m told)? That’s cool. Just don’t give birth on the night of a lunar eclipse. That’ll fuck your plans up but good.

Bloody Birthday begins with a trio of families birthing unto the world three kids - two boys and a girl. It’s also the night of a lunar eclipse. Isn’t that fascinating? Not really. And you’ll find out why.

The story jumps ahead ten years later to a young teenage couple making out in a cemetery. Um, what? The gal is worried about being seen “doing it” out in the open. Really, sweetheart? That's what you’re worried about? The boyfriend is nothing but accommodating so he leads her to an OPEN FUCKING GRAVE where they can bow-chicka-wow-wow in private. And then promptly die.

After the murders, the local Sheriff thinks discussing the travesty openly and honestly with a bunch of 10-year olds is the best thing to do. To be fair, a broken jump rope handle was found at the scene and personally I think they all look like they could have done it. And it soon becomes apparent that three of these kids are responsible.

Movie Review: Edward Lee's Bighead (2013)

We all know that I am a fan of Ed Lee. The visionary, hardcore horror novelist with titles like Goon, Flesh Gothic and Header has been on the cutting edge of terror fiction for many years. Often dismissed as a writer into gore for the sake of gore, his work is definitely unique but behind the grue there are messages and themes that resonate with the reader. Oh, and those messages and themes are stirred together with various bodily fluids and a healthy disregard for decorum and political correctness. That is what makes this particular film so surprising. After reading The Bighead I thought one thing: unfilmable. Not that it couldn't happen, it just wouldn't. No actor in their right mind would tackle this. I was wrong. These folks did and it was revolting, just like it should be.

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Movie Review: Broadway Danny Rose (Blu-ray)

Review By: Mike Heenan

Perhaps it was the use of black and white film stock or the natural lighting of the recently deceased cinematographer Gordon Willis, but in many ways Broadway Danny Rose feels like a classic 70’s Woody Allen film. I’ve always believed his decline began around the time of the Soon Yi scandal, and he’s never really recovered the early magic of his 70’s output since, with the exception of a few films like Small Time Crooks and Midnight in Paris.

The film begins with comedians in a deli reminiscing over the olden days and agent Danny Rose, played by Allen, comes up in conversation.  They all trade stories about their dealings with him, and one comedian (Sandy Baron who you all may remember from Seinfeld as Jack Klompus), tells the “ultimate” end all story of Rose.  Rose is a loveable agent, the kind who sticks up for the underdog - the one who’ll never truly make it anywhere, just like Rose himself.  Rose takes to representing washed up crooner Lou Canova, a one hit wonder in the 50’s.  Rose gives Lou his everything in terms of representation and truly believes he’s on the cusp of a major comeback.  When Lou has money issues, Rose offers to defer his salary.  He also constantly gives Lou pep talks and bolsters his confidence.

"Worm" Wiggles it's Way to DVD this August from Synapse Films!

WHAT'S THAT RUSTLING BETWEEN YOUR EARS? MAYBE IT'S...

WORM
SQUIRMING YOUR WAY ON DVD AUGUST 12!

A WIGGLING NIGHTMARE!
In a future where we no longer have the ability to dream, people have turned to 'Fantasites,' genetically engineered worm-like parasites, for sleep relief. Delivered right to your door, these “worms” allow you to experience your wildest nocturnal fantasies by just dropping one in your ear canal right before bedtime!
Charles (John Ferguson), a socially awkward young man, begins using this new miracle dream aid hoping it will bring excitement to his mundane life and get him closer to the girl of his dreams. Soon, things squirm out of control for Charles and his friends, when the Government bans the product and people seek the addictive ‘Fantasites’ through underground illegal means...

Movie Review: "Two Rode Together" (1961; Columbia Pictures/Twilight Time)

...often times, even without the grapevine sensationalism, those privy to the behind-the-scenes 'making of' stories, hear tell about how difficult this or that star was to work with, or how difficult this or that director was to work with...even situations and productions where the performers and filmmakers genuinely went out of their way to actually make things difficult,,,make things uneasy and unpredictable. And yet, despite such difficulties, some absolutely wonderful films have been derived...a testament to the overall professionalism of those in front of the camera, as we as behind. Such was the case, with regards to the actors and filmmakers, whom have had the initial displeasure, then ultimate satisfaction with working with famed and renowned filmmaker, John Ford. Antagonistic. Keeping his performers out of the loop, as far as letting them know what he wanted, or what he expected...taking his frustrations out on his performing entourage...making those under his direction, uneasy, wary and suspicious of each other...this was his style, and despite such erratic instability of direction, the best of classic Hollywood nonetheless flocked to work with him...actors, like John Wayne, Henry Fonda and James Stewart...the latter of which collaborated with Ford on three of the greatest westerns set to celluloid...1964's "Cheyenne Autumn", 1962's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance", and the slightly lesser, though no less compelling, sweeping 1961 western drama...their initial pairing..."Two Rode Together", which herein is given the exclusive 'Twilight Time' treatment...

Movie Review: Bloody Moon (Blu-ray)

                                               Review By:
                                               James D.





Jess Franco's Bloody Moon is his stab at the slasher film genre. Our main character, Miguel, we learn early on that he was sent away for murdering a woman who was turning him on. Well, years pass and he seems that he is healed and is set free from the asylum. He comes back to the scene of the crime which now is a resort his family owns and soon after he is back as you can guess, the body count starts to rise. Is Miguel truly healed, or is something worst going on? Bloody Moon is not Franco's best work nor is it anywhere near his worst, this film lies somewhere in the middle. It seems that when Franco goes away from his comfort zone as in films like this, he does try to resort to some of his old tricks which make this film really shine above your standard 80s slasher.

Movie Review: Mirage Men (2013)

Directed by John Lundberg, Roland Denning and Kypros Kypriano

Movie Review by Greg Goodsell

People desperately want to believe in life after death, that their pets love them, and that there is life on other planets. In doing so, they construct elaborate ideologies that have no basis in hard fact or logic – saying that such trivialities have no bearing on their hard-won belief systems. Into this vacuum, Richard C. Doty, former special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations appears. He frequents UFO conventions and the like and appears as a sympathetic, articulate advocate for those who believe in Unidentified Flying Objects. Doty, of course, has a secret agenda – widely spreading disinformation involving flying saucers and alien greys in order to throw people off an even more sinister trail about the U.S. government.

One of the major characters in the fascinating documentary Mirage Men is retired military man Paul Bennewitz. Manipulated by Doty into believing the Earth has had visitors from another planet, poor Bennewitz is eventually led to the laughing academy as a result. What’s remarkable is that these seemingly normal, even gifted people can be led astray with stories that have no basis in fact or logic. As presented in “Mirage Men,” a very trumped-up report involving American astronauts visiting the inhabited worlds of Saturn doesn’t bear scrutiny, even on a subpar “science-fiction for young readers” level, and yet many people believed in it.

Movie Review: Wolf Creek 2 (2013, Unrated Version)

Reviewed By: Jimmy D.

I remember 9 years ago seeing the first Wolf Creek film in an empty theater on opening weekend. That film had me grabbing the arm bar and looking behind me constantly. Well our favorite serial killer Mick Taylor from the Australian outback is back after a long absence. For people who assume this is going to be the same formula and kills as the first film, you may be half right but Mick Taylor this time takes a more Freddy Kruger approach. John Jarratt you can just tell is having a good time with this character, and this time out it seems he is on a kick with the one liners and bad campy humor that Nightmare on Elm Street gave us.

The film starts off with these two police officer that decide to try and fuck with our outback terror in the form of pulling him over going 97 in a 100 lane. They pull him over when he clearly knew he did not break the speed limit and lets our two cops get their little rocks off harassing him and giving him a ticket. When they pull away and think it is all over is when he gets his revenge. Where the first film could be seen as more patient, this film is an adrenaline rush. You get some pretty intense kills with the police and then the film goes to a young couple who is backpacking and decides to camp out in the park. Things at first are ok; till they meet Mick Taylor who the female just knows the start something seems odd about him. The film from there is a cat and mouse game, which involves a guy who drives by in a jeep later in the film to help the girl escape.

The 80's Slasher Classic "Prom Night" Debuts on Blu-ray this September!

SOME WILL BE CROWNED.
OTHERS WILL LOSE THEIR HEADS.

PROM NIGHT
SLASHING YOUR WAY ON BLU-RAY AND DVD SEPTEMBER 9!

GET YOUR TUXEDOS ON!

Jamie Lee Curtis (HALLOWEEN, THE FOG) and Leslie Nielsen (THE NAKED GUN, AIRPLANE, FORBIDDEN PLANET) star in this celebrated slasher classic.Four Hamilton High seniors are hiding a terrible secret. What happened to Robin Hammond six years ago was a game that turned into a horrible tragedy, and someone saw what they did… someone waiting for gruesome revenge! Wearing a black hood and wielding an axe, a killer brutally slaughters the teenagers one by one at their high school prom.  As the spotlight falls on the newly crowned prom king and queen, the psychopath will show everyone his new favorite game to play…

Are you ready for a bloody night of
“Disco Madness”? Synapse Films is proud to present PROM NIGHT in a beautiful new version, remastered and restored in 2K from the original 35mm camera negative with an all-new 5.1 surround mix.

Movie Review: Runaway Nightmare (Blu-ray, 1982)

It seems these days more than ever one of the prime go-to companies for exploitation, sexploitation and other assorted off-the-wall film oddities from the past is Vinegar Syndrome. Recently, Vinegar Syndrome has decided to handle some of their more obscure titles differently than much of their library with doing a very limited run of just 1000 total discs to be had for anyone quick enough to get their mitts on what could be a trashy collectible. Mike Cartel’s Runaway Nightmare is the most recent in the limited edition runs and I must say it really defies an explanation… but I will try my best.

A couple of dopey denim-wearing worm farmers named Ralph and Jason (Mike Cartel and Al Valletta ) witness a young woman being buried in the middle of the desert. Naturally, the two gentleman decide to jump to her aid. They dig her up and carry her back to their manor house on the worm farm where she eventually comes back into consciousness. What the fellas don’t know is that she has some friends waiting. This gaggle of sexy gals have a plan to take Ralph and Jason captive and make them their slaves.

Movie Review: Scumbag Hustler (2014; Full Circle Filmworks)

...from a filmmaker's point of view, one might imagine that going into films that spotlight drug addiction (...or any type of addiction, for that matter), and stirring in a measure of comedy, in the midst of the film character's catering to, or dealing with the addiction, is a fairly tricky tightrope to transgress. The balance has to be amiable; indeed, one doesn't want to patronize the viewers, in exploiting the addiction facet, to the point where one is basically saying, in a 'politically incorrect' way (...damn, I hate that term), 'hey, lookie here...join the party; this is the in thing to do!' And yet, with too much comedy inter-spliced...in a slapstick sort of way, ironically enough, the same thing seems to happen. Fortunately, for the most part, the lead dudes behind the camera, as well as the hungry, scribbling writers, have for the most part, genuinely managed to assume that proper balance (...off hand, this viewer cannot recall any film, immediately to mind, that otherwise doesn't do this), making that tightrope seem as easy to trod upon, as if the rope itself is three feet wide, and flat. The window of range is so wide, in fact...well, for the indiscriminate, everyman 'tourists', there's the almost countless cinematic antics of Cheech & Chong, or Jay & Silent Bob. But, for the more eclectic tastes, the devoted naysayers reach for cult oddities, like Terry Gilliam's eccentric road pic "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", Gregg Araki's wacky and cartoonish "Smiley Face", David Cronenberg's macabre-flavored dark-humored & surreal "Naked Lunch", or even the recent toke of deliciousness from director Adam Mason...the wildly, albeit darkly comical "Junkie". And to that respectable lot...can we conceivably add tag-team director Sean Weathers' and Aswad Issa's newest production, "Scumbag Hustler"...a quirky and episodic, inner-city staged look at crazed desperation...and appetite never sated...and yes, addiction wildly out of control...to the point where our hapless protagonist, herein, is quite willing to...well, let's take a peek, shall we??...

Movie Review: Patrick (1978)

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