Movie Review: 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982; Deaf Internacional Film/Blue Underground)

...funny thing, about the passing of time; it has a way of affecting, re-affecting and de-affecting certain things. 'Certain things', as far as how the general masses see them. How one looks at a certain thing, one day, and then years later, see that very same thing in a different light. The old story of how time is kind to some things, and not so forgiving on others...the old adage of some things aging like fine wine, and for other things...well, they turn to vinegar. And so, considering the particular subject matter at hand, as the classic pop song lyric so succinctly goes, "...if you think you know where all this is heading..."...yeah, we're talking Italian trash cinema, with the moniker of 'trash' not only being poignantly applicable to this specific film review, but also, as an endearing token of affection, with regards to this rather eclectic brand of cinema...

...in as much as this reviewer has very much embraced and appreciated Italian cult film cinema, regardless of all of it's ever-shifting, ever-changing, even ever-mimicking incarnations, stemming back to the early '60's, and reaching up through the years, to...say, about the late '80's. The gothic-flavored horrors of the '60's...the tense, visceral giallos of the '70's...the gore-soaked zombie & cannibal buffets of the '80's. And all of the war-sploitation, shark-sploitation, prison-sploitation, Rambo-sploitation, Star Wars-sploitation and post-apocalyptic future-sploitation flicks, prolifically sprinkled amidst it all. And it's one of those latter categories, and a specific film therein, that we're gleefully jumping all over, in this focus...

Movie Review: Hardware (1990)

South African born director Richard Stanley has really done some fine work - the only thing about this genre film specialist that’s odd is that he doesn't have a huge resume to show off his talents. I loved Dust Devil and also dug Stanley’s entry in the bloody anthology film Theatre Bizarre (Mother of Toads), which was stylish and a stand-out amongst the other short films.  Even the panned remake of The Island of Dr. Moreau - that he was later replaced on – had its charms.

His first film Hardware was raped by the MPAA upon its initial release in 1990 but now you can, in the comfort of your own home theater view it uncut with all of its wonderful truncated sex and gore thanks to the folks at Severin Films.

Movie Review: The Collapsed (2011)

Directed by Justin McConnell

Starring John Fantasia, Steve Vieira and Anna Ross

In the wake of the end of the world, a family of four is on the run and the name of the game is no longer to live but to simply survive. Their goal: escaping the city and traveling to the rural community they once called home. As the constant threat of a violent death forces them to stay as far away from civilization as possible, they take to the forest, only to discover the danger posed by other survivors is the least of their worries.

Soon after entering the forest, things start to go horribly wrong for the family. Strange noises and shadowy figures are never far away. The world they once knew is gone and their idea of reality is collapsing around them and as they are soon to find out.....things are about to get much much worse.

Movie Review: The Divide (2011)

Review: The Divide (2011)

Directed by Xavier Gens
Starring Lauren German, Michael Biehn
and Milo Ventimiglia

Doomsday scenario movies are nothingnew, but very rarely are you going to find one as thoughtfully made and well acted as Xavier Gens' The Divide. It is scary, tense and ultimately vicious and heartless in its portrayal of the human animal when placed under the most straining of conditions. As the movie opens, Eva, (Lauren German) is staring dumbfounded out her apartment window. What she sees is almost beyond belief, nuclear missiles are raining down from the sky in all directions like deadly comets. In a panic, she runs out of her apartment looking for escape, along with scores of other residents from the building. With the walls coming down around them,a small group of people, including Eva, are lucky enough to maketheir way into the buildings basement. There they find temporary safety from the mayhem above, where they soon discover they are not only in the basement but in the domain of the buildings unstable“doomsday-prepper” superintendent, Mickey (played by the near-legendary Michael Biehn). He makes it quickly known that he is in charge and if any of them want a shot at survival, his word is law.