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.

Movie Review: Cocaine Cowboys: Reloaded (Blu-ray, 2006)

Drug addiction and the incredibly lucrative drug trade have been a huge part of some serious societal issues in the states over the past few decades. Importing and selling cocaine during the late 1970's and 80's in Florida is the hot topic of the Billy Corben’s thoroughly engaging documentary Cocaine Cowboys (2006). Magnet and Magnolia entertainment has been no stranger to provocative films and hard-hitting documentaries so recently they have put out a longer cut of the film you may have first caught on cable in a longer edit and titled it Cocaine Cowboys: Reloaded on Blu-ray.

The film contains interviews with dealers, lawmen and even one of the most vicious hitmen (now serving time on death-row) to ever be involved in crimes in the Florida and Miami / Dade County area. We start from the ever brutal beginnings in 1978-79 when many Cuban immigrants came to Florida thanks to a maybe too friendly gesture by then president, Jimmy Carter. When the cocaine trade was at its peak in the 1980's, the demand for illegal narcotics caused blood to flow frequently in the streets.

Movie Review: John Dies at the End (2012)

by John Beutler

There have been a good number of 'fan-fav' cult genre film directors, who regrettably have seemed to have lost a good measure of their 'mojo' over the years, and have turned out some pretty lackluster, albeit mildly entertaining productions in their later years, as compared to their peaked and reveled heyday (...regrettably, George A. Romero and Dario Argento, for instance...just to name a couple). On the opposite side of this eclectic coin, there have been similarly embraced cult film directors, who have genuinely stood the test of time, endured through the years, and like a fine wine, have actually gotten 'better' (...read: comparatively and delightfully more weirder, more bizarre and more twisted, then they have, in their initial onset). Producer/director Frank Henenlotter would definitely be one of the prime examples, in this case (...those who have merely seen his "Basket Case". "Brain Damage" or "Frankenhooker" have seen nothing, until having partaken of his latest, from a couple years ago...an over-the-top, nasty little ditty, called "Bad Biology"...Definitely look THAT one up!!). However, ol' Frank's varied and eclectic filmography will have to be a tale told at a later time. 

Movie Review: Hobo With a Shotgun (2011)

The main purpose of any movie should simply be to entertain. Story, acting, direction and soundtrack are all pieces that combine to create this experience. The most important element is pure fun. Hobo With a Shotgun has an excess of all of these things.

Buy Hobo With a Shotgun Blu-ray or DVD.

A hobo comes into town hoping to start a new life mowing lawns. When he gets to town, he realizes that he would serve the citizens better with a shotgun. With the help of a hooker with a heart of gold, he does some serious damage to the criminals in town.

Movie Review: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2011, Blu-ray)

The hillbilly and redneck/backwoods horror subgenre has been around for literaly decades. Deliverance is a good choice, but you can go as far back as the 1960's when HG Lewis and David Friedman brought us the original 2000 Maniacs. Since then there have been numerous entries (both good and bad) that include - Don't Go In the Woods, The Final Terror, Just Before Dawn, The Forest and most recently the Wrong Turn series. Much of what these films thrive on is for us to fear a dirty fellow in overalls. This is precisely why Eli Craig's comedy/horror film Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil works.

Buy Tucker & Dale vs. Evil Blu-ray or DVD

Movie Review: The Hunter (2012)

Thylacine is an animal that presumably went extinct in the early 1930s. Also known as the Tasmanian tiger, it was a small dog-like marsupial that survived in Australia and Tasmania. Thousands of sightings have been reported since its extinction, but none have been confirmed. The search for the last remaining Tasmanian tiger is the basis for The Hunter.

Martin David (Willem Dafoe) is the best mercenary money can buy. You get that from a simple transaction that takes place in the beginning of the film. He is sent to the Tasmanian jungle to hunt down the last Tasmanian tiger for a very secretive biotech company. He stays a room in a house occupied by a depressed woman and her son and daughter. Martin sticks to business, but not for very long.

Movie Review: God Bless America (2012)

Back in the '80s, I watched a ton of goofy comedies. Let's face it, we all did. That was about half of what was thrown at us. A major staple of the era was the Police Academy series. I would never have guessed at that time that one day that Zed guy would be my favorite filmmaker. I can't think of another writer/director right now who makes movies that are as thought provoking as Bobcat Goldthwait. Yeah, Bobcat. The guy who used to scream and mumble all at once in movies and on stage. He's extremely creative, and after watching God Bless America, I'm already excited to see what he does next.

Joel Murray takes the lead for the first time as Frank, a guy with a gloomy life and a bad disposition toward the state of today's society. His daughter is a brat, his ex-wife is marrying a young attractive guy, he just got fired, he hates his neighbors and on top of it all, he finds out that he has a brain tumor that's going to kill him fairly soon. He holds a gun in his mouth as a sweet sixteen reality show plays on his television screen. After realizing that his own daughter is turning into this televised spoiled bitch, he decides to put his bullets to better use.

Movie Review: Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (2012)

I can't wait for all of the hate mail and complaints I get for this one. I know, I know, alternative comedians can do no wrong. If I don't like something they do, I'm just stupid and I don't get it. They are the geniuses of all genius and should be revered as such. I should immediately bow down before I go get some skinny jeans, an ironic ALF t-shirt and Buddy Holly eyeglass frames. Sure, that could be the reality of the situation, but it's not. I do get it, and it just isn't funny. Here's the thing. I like "alternative" comedians. I like David Cross, Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis and Sarah Silverman as stand-up comedians. I like Mr. Show, The Benson Interruption and Todd Margaret. I even liked King of Queens and Just Shoot Me, which featured some of the pillars of alt comedy. Sometimes, though, the comedians you love so much will do some shitty things. Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie was definitely one of those shitty things.

Movie Review: Goon (2012)

Why, oh why do I love biopics so? While I do know that they are often factually imperfect, they're still a great way to learn a little about someone. I also think it has something to do with the fact that they are usually inspirational. I can almost always root for the main character. I can't tell you how much I rooted for Doug Glatt while watching Goon. Based on the biography of the same name by former minor league hockey player Doug Smith, Goon is not only inspirational, but fun and funny, and it builds your anticipation for an ending that anyone can predict and everyone can hope for.

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #49 - Sex, Thugs and Comicon

Jeff and Kevin talk about the experiences they had at Phoenix Comicon, including Jeff's battle with the Captain.

Kevin reviews the latest from Magnet Releasing. He gets into Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie and the hockey biopic Goon. Jeff reviews the rape revenge movie Crack Whore, and for this week's Blue Cheese, he shares his thoughts on Hillbilly Sex Clan.

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You can always email us at cinemaheadcheese@yahoo.com.

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Movie Review: Playback (2012, Blu-ray)

Directed by Michael Nickles

Starring Christian Slater, Ambyr Childers and Toby Hemmingway

Nearly 20 years after a family is massacred in their home, a group of high school kids decide to do a class project based on the murders. In the process of uncovering information on the event they unwittingly release the evil spirit of the murderer who has been imprisoned in the video tapes of the crime. Once set loose, the spirit hops from teenager to teenager, with the help of hidden cameras in the girls locker room, and students bedrooms, leaving a trail of dead bodies in its quest to find one particular soul to take over. That soul belongs to Julian (Johnny Pacer) and as the movie progresses Julian discovers not only how the evil spirit is able to take over those who watch the images on film but also discovers his own disturbing link to the murders.

Movie Review: Mandrill (2009, Blu-ray)

Fans of eclectic film distributor Magnet Releasing may just continue to get spoiled with their output with such consistency in quality acquisitions. With superb releases like I Saw the Devil, Hobo with a Shotgun and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil some of their lesser known releases like the film I'm reviewing today, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza's Mandrill, without proper attention could fall by the wayside. If you're up for a frenetically paced action flick that doesn't want to let you up for air, this may be it.

Mandrill is a pretty simple story of revenge, only this revenge film has some of the most magnificent, jaw-dropping exhibitions of gravity-defying martial arts fight scenes ever put on screen. You can thank Marco Zaror for the majority of dynamic ass-kicking.

Movie Review: Melancholia (2011)

Directed by Lars Von Trier

Reviewed by Greg Goodsell

Anyone familiar with the films of Lars Von Trier and his Dogme ’95 buddies knows well enough not to expect light-hearted entertainment. Von Trier fearlessly pokes his handheld cameras into the darkest recesses of the human condition, as Breaking the Waves (1996) and Dancer in the Dark (2000) will attest to. Turning his attention to the horror genre with Antichrist (2010), Von Trier then tackled the sci-fi doomsday drama with Melancholia, with the expected devastating results.

Buy Melancholia on Blu-ray or DVD

Movie Review: Bronson (2009)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I love biopics, and I'm loving everything that comes out of Magnet Releasing. When you put those two things together, I'm definitely in. We live in a world where the anti-hero is king. He's not always a villain, but he's usually a mess of a human being. Sometimes his intentions are good, but he just makes the wrong choices. We feel sympathy for his mistakes, but probably because we make mistakes ourselves, and we hope to be forgiven. Charles Bronson is sort of like that, but his intentions are generally not very good. He's just an insane criminal, and that's part of why he's England's most notorious inmate.

Buy Bronson on Blu-ray or DVD

Movie Review: Outrage: Way of the Yakuza (2011)

Takeshi Kitano’s illustrious film career has seen many notable contributions to Japanese cinema, both as actor and director. Many folks in the states or outside of Japan were not introduced to the man’s talents until the late 90's and early 2000's until films like Boiling Point, Fireworks, Brother and Kinji Fukusaku’s masterpiece Battle Royale bursted onto the scene. Magnet has just recently released the Yakuza thriller Outrage: Way of the Yakuza and it seems very certain that even in 2012 the 65 year-old actor hasn’t lost a “Beat”.

Buy Outrage: Way of the Yakuza on Blu-ray or DVD

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #32 - Pleasantly Surprised

Jeff talks about his recent date night with the wife and his surprise enjoyment of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. He also brings up Magnet's Outrage, Night Train Murders and the campy horror film Pork Chop.

Kevin has a pleasant surprise of his own with Bradley Cooper's recent film Limitless. He also talks about the British series Merlin and the terrible drama Lost Everything.

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

Click on any of the links above to purchase at Amazon.com and support Cinema Head Cheese and Abnormal Entertainment!

Movie Review: Blackthorn (2011, Blu-ray)

Much of actor/writer Sam Shepard's career has been back and forth between writing plays, screenwriting and occasionally getting in front of the camera for a wide variety of independent and big budget films. In Mateo Gil's Blackthorn the talented actor takes on the role of the iconic bank robber, Butch Cassidy.

Buy Blackthorn on Blu-ray or DVD

Magnolia Pictures (and Magnet) have been on a roll as of late with the excellent releases of Hobo with a Shotgun, The Last Circus and I Saw the Devil - now they tackle a western that puts a new spin on the continuation of Cassidy's life. Thought to be dead by many, in this story, Cassidy has taken on the name of James Blackthorn, started a new life with his young love in a secluded Bolivian forest and began to live a life of simplicity and peace. Blackthorn decides it's time to head back to America to see is long lost son. The journey proves to be complicated as Blackthorn has to deal with a violent posse out for his head and a young robber, Eduardo (Eduardo Noriega) who he meets along the way.

The First Annual Cheesies - The Best of 2011

While many sites are running down their lists of best films of the year, as we did, we also thought it would be a great idea to acknowledge some specific accomplishments that we saw in 2011. For an explanation of the awards listed, please check out Podcast #29. Our complete list of Cheesies is below. First off, we get to the top blu-rays, DVDs and short films this year.

Best Blu-ray Releases in 2011

In A Glass Cage (Cult Epics)

The Blood Trilogy  (Something Weird Video/Image Entertainment)

Intruder (Synapse Films)

The Women in Cages Collection (Shout! Factory)

Deep Red (Blue Underground)

Funhouse (Arrow)

Zombie (Blue Underground)

The Exterminator (Synapse Films)

Battle Beyond The Stars (Shout! Factory)

Holy Mountain (Anchor Bay)

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #29 - The First Annual Cheesies and Best of 2011

Kevin and Jeff give out the first ever Cheesies to the best in film for 2011.

Kevin gives his MVP and Rookie of the Year to two very deserving recipients.

Jeff delivers his top DVD, Blu-ray and short films for the year, and the duo agrees on the best film of 2011.

We also induct the first member into the Cinema Head Cheese Hall of Fame.

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Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #24 - Jeffy Goes to Hollywood

Jeff takes a different turn this week and heads into some mainstream comedies. He talks about Super, The Change-Up and Our Idiot Brother.

Kevin digs straight into horror with Insidious, Peeping Blog and Bite Marks.

The duo professes their love for Magnet Releasing and dives into the Korean revenge film I Saw the Devil.

Jeff's Blue Cheese segment involves the classic parody The Texas Dildo Masquerade. A slight technical malfunction then disrupts his look at the latest release of Tinto Brass' Monamour and Kick the Cock.

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

Click on any of the links above to purchase at Amazon.com and support Cinema Head Cheese and Abnormal Entertainment!