Movie Review: Colour Correct My Cock (2015; Vagrancy Films)

…the whole lot of genre movie trailer compilations, much like the trailers themselves, has always been a mixed bag of sorts, as far as the really good ones, intermingled with the ho-hum ones. Invariably, the best ones out there, are the few and far between which genuinely go the extra mile, as far as special…even unconventional presentation, for lack of a better term, rather than merely juggling the same old mix of weathered, well-worn and oft-seen trailers. When this reviewer, and long-since devoted genre movie trailer collector, first succumbed to the collector’s allure of those eye-popping, albeit quickly digestible movie condensations…often which were cleverly edited, in so much as the trailers, in most cases, was genuinely better than the full-length feature films themselves…the prime go-to source for these eclectic compilations was the likes of people not unlike that of the late Mike Vraney’s Something Weird Video, with their enticing and exploitative trailer collection titles (…liberally rendered in a sort of random, hither-tither, maverick junk-food fashion, including some deliciously psychedelic VHS box art, to boot), including the ‘Dusk ‘til Dawn Drive-In Trash-o-rama Show’…the ‘Shiver and Shudder Show’ (…Ooooo!! Ske-e-e-elly!!)…the hippie-crazed Johnny Legend-hosted ‘Bikers, Blondes and Blood’…the equally insane, dy-no-mite & ‘outta sight’ rapper/hipster/gangsta’ meanderings of host Rudy Ray Moore, in ‘Afros, Macks & Zodiacs’. And who couldn’t possibly keep from salivating uncontrollably over the down ‘n’ dirty prospects suggested in Vraney’s over-the-top ‘Blood-o-rama Shock Show’, featuring a promised ’50 Brain Slurpin’ Guts ‘n’ Gore Movie Trailers from the ‘60’s & ‘70’s…Oh, yum!!!...

Movie Review: Sushi Girl (2012, Magnolia)

...before gleefully and dutifully engaging this review, let's start off by saying that this viewer is a sucker for a good movie trailer. Beyond the generated hype & publicity of a movie, the advance viewing & review by critics, the suggested star power & creative hand...both behind & in front of the camera, the leaked footage & behind-the-scenes video commentary...it is a stand-out, well crafted movie trailer that quite literally grabs me by the shirt collar, slams me resoundingly up against the wall, and insistently commands my utmost attention. Granted, as does happen from time to time, some movie trailers DO exclusively feature what is best about a specific movie, with the movie itself, on a whole, proving to be something less than what the trailer promised; that's part of the gamble, I suppose...the nature of the beast...when one gets irresistably and invariably pulled in by the suggested content of the movie trailer, and as the result, committedly lays down one's hard earned samolians for the feature film, itself. However, when a movie carried through on the promise...'walks the walk', rather than merely 'talk the talk', via it's intendedly influential and compelling movie trailer, one cannot help but praise that artfully creative little two-to-two-and-a-half minutes of tease...that eye-and-mind-catching vanguard of great things to come...in the same light as the film itself proves to be...the trailer, being merely a tantilizing taste at the bottom of the shotglass...and the film, harboring the numbing contents of the whole bottle...

Movie Review: Crimewave (1985, Embassy/Shout Factory)

...this viewer, like many of you out there, without a doubt, harbor an undeniable cherished spot for the early Warner Brothers 'Looney Tunes', and the classic MGM Tex Avery-produced cartoons. Those hilariously senseless and maniacally frenzied little snippets of animation, which once graced the sandwiched intermissions of many a theatrical double feature, and eventually relegated to Saturday morning kiddie viewing fare. Without a doubt, it had often been suggested...and at times, genuinely attempted...to translate such frenzied insanity and hilariously bent wackiness to live action motion pictures (...see 1966's "The Great Race" and 1980's "The Villain", just to name a couple). How unexpected is was, for fledgling director Sam Raimi...having just dismounted the cult cinemania whirlwind, with his campy, over-the-top horror entry from 1981, the now-classic "The Evil Dead"...only to throw HIS hat into the arena, as far as flying his own 'screw ball' banner, and taking on such unconventional material...'unconventional', as compared to "The Evil Dead", that is. And the result?? As notoriously patchwork, scattered and uneven, albeit outrageously nutty as 1985's wacky "Crimewave" is (...originally conceived as "The XYZ Murders"), it remains an intriguingly curious and odd little comedy ditty, which is inexplicably hard to turn away from, once engaged...a flavorful bit of comic film noir, that's seems missing a questionably undetermined ingredient, yet remaining equally questionable, as to why it's oh-so damn irresistible..

The Playground of the Mind: An Overview of Shaun Costello's HOT DREAMS

Reviewed By: Heather Drain

Movies have been one of the strongest forms of escapism since the days of the beautiful, ghost like image of famed belly dancer Little Sheba tantalizing/horrifying curious viewers on a Nickelodeon. Art is the safest way to explore facets about your own humanity and all of its murky little corners. With this, it only make sense for numerous directors working in the 70's and 80's to incorporate themes of adult fantasies in film. This concept is front and center in Warren Evans aka Shaun Costello's 1983 film, HOT DREAMS.

Lisa (the great Sharon Mitchell) seemingly has it all. She's beautiful, lives in a nice and roomy loft in New York City and is a successful beefcake photographer. The problem? She's married to a total schmoe, in the form her of her businessman husband, Bob (Michael Bruce). The film opens with the two in bed, all lovingly framed and lit, including some nice, tight composition. Soon, Bob starts rubbing her side, initiating what I like to call “the international sign of your partner waking you to get nookie” maneouver.) She's very receptive but just as things start getting good for Lisa, Bob finishes without making things equal. Even worse, his neglect is excused with him saying he has to get ready for work but then takes, like, 15 minutes to shave his non-facial hair. What?

This is My Fist to Your Face Style: The Best of Kung Fu Movies, Volume One (2011)

There are few things in this life that bring me happiness like a good trailer compilation. It's like a Valentine's box of candy, except in lieu of chocolate truffles and sugary goo, you get bite sized samples of cinema! Now, like any box of sweets worth its salt, there has to be some sort of loose, unified thread of commonality. Most do not want peanut brittle mixed with that filled chocolate with the mystery pink center. In the small but growing categories of trailer compilations, Southern DVD, a small company out of South Africa, has released BEST OF KUNG FU MOVIES VOLUME 1. While the kung fu sub genre has been somewhat represented on a number of fine compilations, it has rarely if ever gotten its very own disc. That is, until now. So what's being served on the cinematic buffet tonight?

Movie Review: Norwegian Ninja (2010)

The “Ninja” film was a pretty popular subgenre during the mid 1980’s. Something about the mysterious shuriken-chucking, sword-slashing men in black captivated action film audiences. Sho Koshugi (Pray For Death, Revenge of the Ninja) along with Michael Dudikoff (American Ninja) were probably the biggest names to put on the garb of the ancient Japanese assassins. Now, you can add the name Mads Ousdal to the mix of actors to play a ninja. He isn’t like any of the other ninjas that you’ve seen – he’s a Norwegian Ninja!

Buy Norwegian Ninja on DVD or Watch it Instantly

Ousdal plays real-life Cold War traitor, “Arne Treholt” in writer/director Thomas Cappalen Malling’s oddball spy/ninja/Cold War feature, Norwegian Ninja. Let me tell you folks, Norwegiean Ninja is unlike any ninja film I’ve ever seen. This is a good thing though, as it’s actually a very clever and humorous little film. Malling’s movie is a fictional account of Treholt where he’s a "master ninja" who trains and leads a group of ninjas known as the “Ninja Elite Forces” .

Sex Kitten with a Whip: Nico B.'s Bettie Page: Dark Angel

The black-bob bangs, kittenish sexuality and near-perfect figure that was Betty Page is an image that has become iconic for multiple generations and alternative groups. Rockabilly retros, hipsters, punkers, S&M enthusiasts and pin-up fans alike all love Betty and really, who couldn't? A delight on screen and print, jubilant no matter how weird or absurd the set up, her story is one that has been shrouded with some degree of mystery. Who was really the girl behind the red lipped smile and black cone bra?