Movie Review: The Truth About Emanuel (2013, Blu-ray)

“You can’t handle the truth!” And if by truth you mean that the title character in this movie is not the whiny little bitch you think but actually a deeply caring and vulnerable young girl then yeah, I can’t handle it. Mostly because I don’t buy it.

The Truth About Emanuel stars Kaya Scodelario as Emanuel, a brooding 17-year old girl who considers herself a murderer because her mother died while giving birth. She spends her days being all intense and dark. And each year, as her birthday approaches, she turns the annoying brat-o-meter up to 11 by making her father retell the story of her mother’s death. Minute by agonizing minute.

What an asshole.

But this year is a bit different. A mysterious woman, Linda, moves in next door and she just happens to look a lot like Emanuel’s dead mom. Naturally Emanuel is drawn to her and becomes her friend, basically replacing something she’s never had with a doppelganger. A demented doppelganger but I move too soon.

Because of this blossoming relationship, Emanuel seems to come out of her shell a bit. She’s nicer to her coworkers, reaches out to a cute boy on the commuter train and starts dating him but don’t worry. She still manages to maintain her spiteful angry attitude toward her step-mom. Because remember, she’s all dark and avant-garde and unique.

What. An. Asshole.

Movie Review: Battle of the Damned (2013)

Reviewed By: James

Dolph Lundgren meets Resident Evil, 28 Days Later, Pacific Rim and World War Z. We start the film off with the infection threat. Dolph is on a mission to go with his crew and rescue a very important scientist’s daughter in a city that holds very few survivors but a ton of zombies. A military blockade surrounds the city and no one is allowed to enter it or leave it. So, Dolph who plays Major Max Gatling is going thru this city looking for his daughter named Jude. The first ten to fifteen minutes you get the fast running zombies who destroy all of Dolph’s team except him. After the opening credits which happen around the 15 minute mark we meet Jude who is a pretty badass fighter and zombie killer herself. When Dolph rescues her, is when we learn that Jude is part of a survival group that is led by Duke. The film goes into story mode with us learning about all the survivors and watching Max try to get Jude to leave with him. There is just one catch; Jude wants all of them to leave together not just her. Which fumbles the plan of Max because he knows her father is going to burn down the whole city and everyone will die. The robots come into serious play around the 50 minute mark, and I will admit it was not as hokey as I thought it would be.

Movie Review: The Black Torment (1964)

By Greg Goodsell

Directed by Robert Hartford-Davis

Buy Black Torment on DVD

Eighteenth-century aristocrat Sir Richard Fordyke (John Turner) returns to his country estate in Devon with blushing bride Elizabeth (Heather Sears). They are met with an extremely chilly reception, as the nearby villagers are dealing with the rape and murder of farm girl, which with her dying breath declared Fordyke as her killer. This simply can’t be true, as Fordyke has just spent the last three months in London with his new wife – but skeletons, literally and figuratively begin to emerge from the family’s closet. Elizabeth learns that her husband’s previous wife, Anne, leapt to her death from a high window as a mysterious ghostly woman in white is seen haunting the grounds, chanting “murderer!” Even more illogical things begin to occur around the newlyweds. A leather craftsman comes forward to insist that Fordyke ordered a new saddle in person while he was ostensibly in London, with his dead wife’s name stitched upon it. Is our hero mad, or being haunted from malevolent spirits from beyond the grave? Bodies pile up, and the truth is shockingly revealed.

Franco's DEMONS and More Coming Soon From Kino and Redemption Films!

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 9, 2014 - Kino Lorber and Redemption are proud to announce the release of Jess Franco's THE DEMONS in its complete, uncensored cut on Blu-ray, newly mastered in HD from the original 35mm elements, and THE BLACK TORMENT, a Gothic horror film by Robert Hartford-Davis that will be released on DVD, mastered in HD from 35mm archival elements.

Continuing its releases of the best in European horror in newly-mastered editions from original film elements, Kino Lorber and Redemption are pleased to bring these two films to horror fans on April 29th with special features including interviews that give new insight into the creation of these stylish and atmospheric films. 

THE DEMONS is the latest of Kino Lorber and Redemption's digital restorations of the films of Jess Franco, including such critically-acclaimed releases as FEMALE VAMPIRE, A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD, and the Rondo Award-nominated THE AWFUL DR. ORLOF.

Movie Review: L’immortelle (1963, Blu-ray)

Movie Review by Greg Goodsell

Directed by Alain Robbe-Grillet

How can one accurately review a film that is inherently beyond criticism? The screenwriter behind the prototypical art-house snoozer Last Year at Marienbad (1961), Alain Robbe-Grillet bravely goes beyond mere cinematic syntax to drag the viewer through a series of tableaux that are by themselves beyond comprehension. Seeing that this probably wouldn’t have sold tickets, Robbe-Grillet had the good sense to hire the frostily beautiful Françoise Brion and hinge the story on “kind of, sort of” sexual acts. 

A morose-looking professor (Jacques Doniol-Valcroze) arrives in Istanbul. He’s glum and forlorn, a Stranger in a Strange Land. Aforementioned pretty lady (Françoise Brion) gives him a lift. He informs here that he is in Istanbul for the next two years. They go to a party. The camera drifts over several people, they get and leave, the camera is obscured by people walking in front of it, etc. We learn that the professor’s name is Andre. Not knowing anyone, he asks his newfound female friend to translate Turkish. “I don’t know a word of Turkish,” she says, and then turns around and uses perfect Turkish to a tour guide. The professor confronts her and she says something to the effect of “I don’t know Turkish, I only know how to speak Turkish when I talk to the Turks.” I have no idea.

Shower of Blood (2004) Movie Review

I bought this film a few years back at a horror convention because it was from Brain Damage Films. They don’t always deliver great B-movie fare but I was willing to risk $5 on it because I enjoyed Hell’s Highway so much. Little did I know that our own David Hayes was one of the screenwriters. That’s the only good thing about this flick.

Shower of Blood opens with a quick scene of some poor woman being attacked in the woods. Apparently, there has been a series murders in a local forest and she is the latest victim. Cue the opening credits scrolling over a naked woman rubbing blood all over her tithes.

Next we see a group of friends on their way to visit the one girl’s uncle’s house. I don’t know why and I certainly don’t care. But here’s the character breakdown: Lisa (ball-buster) and Kurt (douche nozzle), Heather (virgin) and Terry (moron), and Megan (drunken slut). Lisa’s Uncle Marty, whose house they are traveling to, isn’t home when they arrive but since she’s family she can let them all in to crash and raid the fridge.

Movie Review: The Eddy Duchin Story (1956, Twilight Time Blu-ray)

Review By: Rob Sibley

Twilight Time is becoming one of my favorite labels. They continue to release everything from Peckinpah classics to Bruce Campbell B-movie shlock fests and even the classics. "The Eddy Duchin Story" starring two legends of the silver screen, Tryone Power & Kim Novak. With such legends as the great James Whitmore in supporting roles.

I personally felt ashamed that I never saw this film because it's that good. I consider myself a huge Tyrone Power fan. Even in films with weak screenplays his performances were always top notch. He never pay-checked it even when he was in a turkey. Then we have Kim Novak another legend. A woman who starred in two of my favorite films of all time. "Man with the golden arm" the grim Sinatra classic and Hitchcock's Vertigo (My personal favorite).

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #135 - You Go Now!

Kevin gets into an all comedy movie lineup. He talks about How to Be a Man and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. He then goes into a whirlwind of stand-up specials that include Ben Stiller, Mike Myers, Seth Meyers, Tom Segura, Bob Saget, Amy Schumer, Tom Papa and more.

He also talks about the passing of Mickey Rooney, John Pinette and The Ultimate Warrior, as well as David Letterman's pending retirement.

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

You can always email us at cinemaheadcheese@yahoo.com or tweet us @CinHeadCheese.

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Interracial Sex Havoc Part #3: 1975

We continue our journey through interracial sex in the movies, and this time we’ll take a look at films from 1975. Not all films included here are pornographic, but they had to have at least one interracial sex scene in order to qualify. For this chapter I wrote about plenty of golden age porn [one including legend John Holmes], a couple of art films [one by Pier Paolo Pasolini] and more. So, enjoy!

La bête (1975)

This English, French, Italian co-production is set in France and it concerns the adventures of the title’s beast which is raping women in the woods. Bestiality you say, but all I see is a man in a suit. There are a lot of horses fucking each other in this film too. I wish I was making this up.

The director’s name (Walerian Borowczyk) says a lot to some people, but I am not a fan of his work. Anyway, this exploitative “art” film contains several interracial sex scenes between a sexy white girl and a black servant [Hassane Fall]. Those are always interrupted and the poor girl has to masturbate afterwards, but said scenes don’t seem pornographic when compared to the sequences described in the above paragraph. The humour is also lame, and the icing on the cake is a disgusting masturbation scene that involves a rose. I’m grossed.

Count the Ways (1975)

Cunt the ways! I always wanted to write that. Now, on with the film... It was written and directed by Ann Perry and when it doesn’t focus on hardcore sex scenes, it looks like a decent exploitation movie from its era.

The story revolves around a teacher who loves his poetry, but above all loves young flesh (well, not so young judging by the apparent age of the female stars). The first (rather quick) sex scene happens between him and one of his students. They start to make out in soft-core fashion, then the shot goes out of focus, then in focus again and the thing becomes hardcore.

The second sex scene happens in the back of a van between a moustached man and a hot girl. It’s actually hot and impressive considering how risky it was to film it as the van’s windows were open and the vehicle was driven in the middle of a busy highway. You can see other cars passing by, whilst obviously their drivers had no idea they’d become part of classic smut history. It’s amazing how this film doesn’t stick to cheap interiors, unlike much of the era’s crap quickies.

Anyway, a bit later, the van’s student couples go in a cabin where they fuck each other’s brains out, whilst the moustached guy wears Super-Man underwear. And here we have the film’s only interracial scene of interest: it happens between a white guy and a black girl.

The film’s hottest scene though happens between a black man and a black girl who get it on in a bathtub. Her breasts are gorgeous beyond belief.

And there’s also a scene in which the teacher is fucking a student in the snow. I’m not sure how he managed to get a hard-on in such a freezing environment, but he did. I’m sure they got pneumonia from the stunt though.

The last scene is quite arty and it reminded me of the late-night ‘90s soft-core TV movies, only this is hardcore.

Lingerie Fighting Championships: Leather Vs. Lace Coming to DVD April 22nd from Wild Eye Releasing

New York, NY - Wild Eye Releasing is bringing home a look at world's first all-female MMA league.  Following a successful debut on Pay-Per-View, Lingerie Fighting Championships: Lace vs Leather will be available to own on DVD April 22nd.   The Lingerie Fighting Championships were founded by Roni Taylor after seeing two ring girls get into a fight at an MMA event and realizing the audience was more interested in that fight than any of the real fights. She runs the league with an iron fist and recruits only the hottest girls to fight for her.  Lace vs Leather is the first match of the wildly successful series.
     
Lingerie Fighting Championships: Lace vs Leather features the world's most controversial MMA league where beautiful mixed martial artists, dressed only in lingerie, train and do battle.  Starring Lingerie Football star Michelle "Scrapper" Blanchard and ex-pro wrestler Arik Loegen, go behind the scenes for an action-packed mix of combat sports, drama and humor in the tradition of UFC and WWE.

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: The Front (Blu-ray)

Review By: Mike Heenan

With all the recent media attention and personal attacks on Woody Allen from his crazy ex, it’s hard to remember that at one time he was actually a respectable filmmaker, writer, and in the case of The Front, an actor.  It was the first film that he didn’t have any control over writing or directing and was simply just an actor.  Allen was quoted as trusting director Martin Ritt as Ritt had survived the McCarthy years of the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee), as did co star Zero Mostel.

Allen stars as Howard Prince, who works as a cashier in a diner and is a bit of a con artist and gambler. One day one of his old friends Alfred Miller, played by Michael Murphy, stops by to tell Howard that he’s been blacklisted from his industry, of which Howard assumes to mean he has some sickness.   Over a game of chess, Miller comes up with a scheme to present to Howard that apparently has worked in the past, which is a “front”.  The blacklisted writer would write his scripts, but use an unknown person to be the public writer of the script.  Howard easily accepts his cut of 10% of the sales due to his many gambling debts.

Movie Review: Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)

There’s an STD joke in here somewhere…

I’ve always enjoyed the Edgar Allan Poe movies of the 1960s directed by Roger Corman. But I realized I haven’t seen more than a small fraction of RC’s work, particularly the sci-fi monster movies from the 50s (with the exception being The Wasp Woman - that shit was awesome!).

And so I’ve rectified my terrible short comings by taking a gander at Attack of the Crab Monsters. The opening credits alone scream cheese ball as they’re hand drawn and look how Ariel’s world would have ended up if Ursula had succeeded in defeating King Triton.

There is a lot of talking in this flick because I can only guess the available money went to pay for the actors and that’s about it. So not as many action shots as there are looooong minutes of explanation as to why the people are on this particular island, and one character actually tells us (via random naval crew guy #2) the names and occupations of every fucking person.

Basically a crew of scientists and Navy guys need to search a little spit of an island for a research crew that disappeared from there earlier. And wouldn’t you know it but people start dying two minutes in: random crew guy #4 falls out of the dinghy and is pulled back up without his head. That’s less than optimal.

Movie Review: Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher (2014)

“Based on a true story.” Are you fucking kidding me?

Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher begins with a grandpa and his three grandkids during story time. He thinks The Bouncy Bunny is lame piece of shit and decides to tell the little half-pints the story of the Hillbilly Butcher. Because nothing says family bonding like sharing tales of murder, mayhem, and cannibalism with children under 10 years old.

Carl Henry Jessup grew up in the backwoods of...does it matter? It’s the backwoods. His parents owned a butcher shop and the local rumors swirling around told tales of long-pig being served up from that establishment. Grandpa says the meat was rather tasty but let’s skip over that part, and the granddaughter’s “what the fuck” face, and let us gentle viewers know that Carl’s parents were killed and he now basically lives like a hermit on the family land.

And let me tell you. He don’t like folk on his land. There are three things you need to know about Carl:

1. The law ends at his property line.

2. No hunting on his property.

3. No fucking on his property.

Movie Review: The Medusa Touch (1978, Hen's Tooth Video)

...the late, great Richard Burton...mentioned in the same breath as this titular webpage...Really?? Come on...really?? That might well be the reactionary consensus of most run-of-the-mill mainstream film fans; however, for those of us devoted cinemaphiles...the loyal disciples of the film fantastique...those who embrace the odd, the strange, the misfit, the unconventional...well, heck, Richard Burton, despite countless revered, praised and respected performances...a classical renaissance actor, to be sure...is hardly out of place, in the cult film genre. "Where Eagles Dare"..."Night of the Iguana"..."Cleopatra"..."Anne of a Thousand Days"...Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"...not to mention, his many grandeur contributions to Shakespeare, both film and stage...really, shall we go on?? However, surprisingly enough, his contributions to cult films, has definitely proven somewhat lacking, as far as the more arcane, sinister and diabolical, in the sense of the more easily dismissed 'junket' type of films, for lack of a better word. Time and time again, one sees and hears of actors, past their prime...still being sought for what might be considered 'less than desireable' roles; and yet, for good or for bad, Richard Burton never really let such a thing restrict himself from taking on roles, which he perhaps might have found interesting, and yet which for the status quo masses, might be considered unusual and wholly unexpected, in assuming...like this quaint and sinister little ditty of a thriller...a melding of the classic 'disaster' movie, with the paranormal...

Movie Review: Nurse Girl Dorm: Sticky Fingers (DVD,1985, Nikkatsu)

Review By: Rob Sibley

Ah, Nikkatsu.... you can never really go wrong with anything from this company can you? A Japanese company that specialized in producing erotic films shot on 35MM. Every-time I review a Nikkatsu film I'm never sure on what I'm going to get. It's like the prize at the bottom of a cracker jack box.

"Nurse Girl Dorm: Sticky Fingers" despite the lurid title is maybe the most tame film from Nikkatsu. Now that's not a bad thing, in fact now and then Nikkatsu is a bit much for me. But this film is a straight up sex-comedy. You could easily replace the Asian cast with an American cast and you'd feel like your watching Porky's. My guess is American sex comedy's were big in Japan in the 80's and Nikkatsu wanted part of that. So we get Nurse Girl Dorm.

Cinema Head Cheese: The Podcast! #134 - Let It Go

Kevin and Jeff talk about Kevin's experience with Frozen and racism in Disney movies. They go into a few series including BET's Real Husbands of Hollywood, the horror anthology Monsters, and the web series The Guild. Kevin talks about the Buck Angel documentary Mr. Angel, and they talk about the passing of GWAR's singer Dave Brockie.

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

You can always email us at cinemaheadcheese@yahoo.com or tweet us @CinHeadCheese.

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Movie Review: We Are What We Are (2013)

I think because I had built this movie up so much in my mind I ended up somewhat disappointed. Don’t get me wrong - it’s a good flick. I may even watch it again in case I missed any little nuances. But I wasn’t blown away like I expected. I also discovered it’s yet another remake so I’m interested in seeing the original Mexican flick to do a comparison.

We Are What We Are is about a backwoods small town family, The Parkers. The movie opens with the mom’s death. It’s clear she’s been sick for a while: hand tremors, grey pallor, coughing up blood. You know, the usual.  Now the distraught father, two daughters, and one son, are left behind to pick up the pieces.  And carry on the tradition (dun dun duuuuuuuun!).  Apparently that begins with the first day of Abstinence (not from sex - that would have been an entirely different flick): no solid food for 3 days. When the little boy, Rory, tries to sneak a paltry raisin, dad nearly tears his arm off.

Fright Nights: Horrorant Film Festival, 2014 – Part 4: Melissa Mira interview!

Horrorant International Film Festival, in its 1^st year is holding screenings both in Athens (13^th to 19^th of March) and Thessaloniki (20^th to 26^th of March). The screenings are superb when it comes to image and sound quality. Each feature is accompanied by a short. We are talking about 19 features and 18 shorts. All of the films are Greek premieres and four of them are European premieres as well. Horrorant is the only European Film Festival happening in two major cities. I tried to watch as many films as possible from Horrorant’s program and reviewed them exclusively for Cinema Head Cheese.

One of my favorite films was Pinup Dolls on Ice (2013) and I think many will agree with me that its balance of violence and humor was excellent. I had the opportunity to exchange e-mails with director Melissa Mira. Here’s what she had to say. Enjoy!

Movie Review: Brutalization (AKA Beware of the Cats, 1973)

Movie Review by Greg Goodsell

Directed by Fons Rademakers

The exploitation never ends! Featuring a graphic of a naked, humiliated brunette crouching in a corner, the title Brutalization in stark lettering, one is led to believe that this is yet another outing in “torture porn.” Those tricked into renting or purchasing this film will find a 40-plus-year-old exploitation chestnut from the Netherlands/Belgium, Because of the Cats. Then again, maybe no one will complain. In the very first ten minutes a group of male teenagers in suits and ties, their faces obscured with nylon stockings, gang rape a 40-year-old woman while her husband watches. It’s really brutal in the way it’s filmed: casual, no shock cuts, just straight up and ugly.