Movie Review: Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (Blu-ray, Twilight Time)

More often than not, when the late Sam Peckinpah casted actors for his films their personas emulated the tough and rebellious attitude that the director was known for. These guys (and gals) had some grit! Whether it’s Steve McQueen in The Getaway, L.Q Jones, Ernest Borgnine and William Holden in The Wild Bunch or Dustin Hoffman in Straw Dogs, machismo was never in doubt for any characters. Okay, I was kidding about Hoffman.

Bring Me the Head of Afredo Garcia star, Warren Oates, is definitely towards the top of the Peckinpah tough guy regulars. Here’s a man who probably ate nail sandwiches, slathered in dirt and would wash them down with motor oil -- all with a smile on his face. Even with a very slight stature Oates is so believably bad-ass. His portrayal of the lead character of “Bennie”, a hard-on-his-luck bartender looking to cash in on the bounty of the head of a dead john is truly one of the finer performances in the actor’s career (until he passed away at at 52 in 1982). Twilight Time has taken the Peckinpah classic and given a very deserving Blu-ray release with all the fixins'.

Movie Review: Cannibal Holocaust (1980, Grindhouse Releasing)

...ah, yes!! It was a sweltering mid-80's summer sizzle, when this viewer, per chance, received an updated mail-order flyer from one of this ardent collector's numerous bootleg 'connections' (...my favorite, at the time, was the exclusive and 'rare' bootleg offerings from published & respected horror auteur and spokesperson, Chas. Balun); it was a time, genre-wise, on the final gasp of gutsy theatrical releases...those films, daring not to adorn themselves with one of those pish-posh MPAA ratings...wearing instead, the seductive banner, sternly reading, "...there is no explicit sex in this picture; however there are scenes of extreme violence, which may be considered shocking. No one under 17 will be admitted". And an eye-rolling 'ya-dada, ya-dada, ya-dada...'. George Romero called it out, inaugurally, with his zombie masterpiece from 1978, "Dawn of the Dead", and of course, anything produced by Italian goremeister Lucio Fulci, post-"Psychic", was domestically labeled as such (..."Zombie", "City of the Living Dead/The Gates of Hell", "The Beyond", "House by the Cemetery", et al.). The quirky 1982 Spanish slasher, "Pieces" wore that badge of proudly shameless honor, as did the gory 1985 domestic splatter classic, "The Mutilator". And of course, later, in what was considered the 'year of the living dead', so did 1985's "Re-Animator", and the George Romero classic, "Day of the Dead"...with some of these aforementioned 'unrated' titles, wimping out, by quickly being pulled from theaters, and later re-released by 'hard R' versions...

...and yet, despite regular engagement of such deliciously visceral, higher-profile theatrical genre fare...for this ardent devotee of the crimson-drenched macabre, as probably was the case for most people of similar ilk, there was always that underlining desire to push that visceral threshold even further, and at the same time, a veiled and hesitant-to-admit apprehension to do so. Now, admittedly around this time, this viewer had indeed been 'hovering' over an at-the-time-only-available-underground title...intriguingly, albeit graphically entitled, "Cannibal Holocaust"; it compellingly and daringly claimed that this one was the 'one that goes all the way!!' Oh, really?? Considering the exploitative breakdown of the title...we're talking 'cannibals', and a 'holocaust', right...as well as the suggestive banner, describing how far the film supposedly goes...well, that's an impressive boast...oh hell, I'm game!!...

Movie Review: The Bunny Game (2010)

There were a lot of things about The Bunny Game that I loved, and there were just as many things about it that didn't resonate with me at all, so before we start dissecting, lets do a quick plot review. Warning: I'm going to spoil the ending for you.

The film begins by giving us a glimpse into the life of Bunny (played by Rodleen Getsic), a truly tragic character, and a hopelessly drug addicted prostitute. Her life is spent in a cocaine-induced haze as she splits her time between aimlessly staggering through the streets and being used and abused by random strangers for money that is only used to fuel her drug use. Not long after being robbed by one of her customers, she stands on a desolate street corner smoking a cigarette and it is then that a semi truck & trailer pulls up next to her. Without thinking twice she jumps into the cab and there she meets Sticky Fingers (played by Norwood Fisher), a creepy old guy who she assumes is looking for sex. After sharing her drugs with him, Sticky Fingers soon makes it quite clear that he’s not interested in just a blowjob, and after a short scuffle Bunny ends up unconscious and Sticky Fingers is headed out onto the open road, with his new prize in tow.

Movie Review: The Victim (2012)

Michael Biehn's has always put on some very solid performances as an actor over his 25 year plus career. Most notable in his supporting roles in numerous James Cameron classics (Aliens, Terminator and The Abyss), the genre has taken to directing recently. First, with his debut The Blood Bond and now with the backwoods thriller, The Victim, starring Jennifer Blanc-Biehn and the always lovely Danielle Harris (Halloween 4, Hatchet 2).

When a couple of promiscuous party girls hook up with some crooked cops in the woods for some blow and sex, things are bound to end badly. For one girl, Mary (Danielle Harris), it does. During some rigorous screwing next to some rocks, one of the said cops, Harrison (Ryan Honey), decides to snap her neck mid-coitus. Was it accidental or something he's done before? Mary's friend, Annie (Jennifer Blanc-Biehn) witnesses the aftermath and decides to take a run through the forest away from the two men.

Movie Review: Sword of Desperation (2010)

Directed by Hideyuki Hirayama

Starring Etsushi Toyokawa, Chizuru Ikewaki and Koji Kikkawa

A local lord of a small clan is bewitched by the charms of his first mistress, Renko, and allows her to exert her will over the governing body of the clan. Her cruelty and selfishness begins to cause financial strain on the lord and the local peasants are on the verge of rioting. After an afternoon dance show at the lords palace, Sanzaemon, (Etsushi Toyokawa) a low-level samurai employed by the lord decides it is his duty to assassinate the lords concubine for the good of the clan. He approaches her upon her leaving and plunges a sword into her chest and then surrenders himself, leaving his fate to the mercy of his lord. Certain he will be beheaded for this deed, he is shocked to find the lord has decided his punishment will be only a year of house arrest and a reduction of his pension.

Buy Sword of Desperation on 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

Movie Review: Little Deaths (2011)

I love a good anthology. I just watched and enjoyed Image Entertainment's recent Chillerama and well folks, we have yet another called Little Deaths. This film is a completely different animal than the playful, humorous Chillerama. Little Deaths, pure and simple, is a take-no-prisoners taboo-busting horror movie. Some of the best horror anthologies come from Britain, which is exactly where our feature here was produced, written and directed. Genre stand-out, Simon Rumley (Red, White and Blue) is joined by Sean Hogan and Andrew Parkinson to create this sinister trilogy.

Buy Little Deaths on DVD or Watch It Instantly

Movie Review: Nude Nuns With Big Guns (2011)

Growing up Catholic and being enrolled in Catholic School until the ninth grade, I naturally had many experiences both positive and negative with nuns. Most of which were unfortunately the latter. These sisters weren’t the easiest on the eyes, as most resembled Robbie Coltrane's drag portrayal from Nuns on the Run. Joseph Guzman's Nude Nuns with Big Guns doesn't have the fugly nuns that I grew up with on display, but it does offer more than enough gratuitous skin and gun-toting, revenge-seeking nuns.

Buy Nude Nuns With Big Guns on Blu-ray and DVD