Without a doubt, one of the finest 'pinky-violence' flicks out there. Norifumi Suzuki knew how to totally knock it out of the park when it came to immensely entertaining girl-torture sleaze and "School of the Holy Beast" is nothing short of a nunsploitation-'pinky' classic.
Upon joining an abbey, a young woman finds herself neck-deep in repressed nun madness and scandal amidst their irrationally cloistered, sex-hating environment. Turns out, she's trying to uncover some truths about what happened to her mother there, years ago... And it's not good. Shit gets pretty grim along the way with whips, rose thorn torture, rape, incest and forced urination on religious objects...
The look of this one - as well as the story - is top-notch for this kind of Japanese 'exploitation'. It's never too plot-heavy, nor is it just all debauched sleaze and no substance. There's a terrific balance of many components that makes for a quality film of this wonderful genre. There are several artistically stylized scenes that bring a strange, aesthetic beauty to certain depictions of harsh cruelty, which is helped by some pretty damn great atmosphere, strong performances and cinematography. For those looking for a standout example of Jap-exploitation, check this one out. Also check out Suzuki's other works, such as the yakuza-action flick, "Sex & Fury", and the rape-filled pinker, "Star of David: Hunting for Beautiful Girls".
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Dread (2009, Anthony DiBlasi)
"Dread" is a pretty decent Clive Barker adaptation. Not extraordinary by any stretch, but does some things well.
Three college students team up to conduct a study on fear for their school project. They interview people in an old, abandoned-looking house and prod them about traumatic experiences from their past. As their research goes on, the one guy starts becoming obsessed with physically exposing people to their deepest, most severe fears due to ongoing nightmares of his own childhood anguish...
"Dread" is more of a character-driven 'psychodrama' than really a straight-forward 'horror' flick, or at least, that's what I got out of it. The overall tone is nicely bleak - which I would expect nothing less from something based on a piece of Clive Barker literature - and it's quite well shot for the most part. It IS kind of slow in much of the lead-up, but the final 30 minutes are pretty gripping as it all comes together in a rather strange, mean-spirited way. It's also got a stylishly shot axe murder scene that is rewind worthy. Could've used a little "tightening" as far as the script goes, since it DOES tend to drag a bit at times, but "Dread" is still an enjoyably dark film, overall.
Three college students team up to conduct a study on fear for their school project. They interview people in an old, abandoned-looking house and prod them about traumatic experiences from their past. As their research goes on, the one guy starts becoming obsessed with physically exposing people to their deepest, most severe fears due to ongoing nightmares of his own childhood anguish...
"Dread" is more of a character-driven 'psychodrama' than really a straight-forward 'horror' flick, or at least, that's what I got out of it. The overall tone is nicely bleak - which I would expect nothing less from something based on a piece of Clive Barker literature - and it's quite well shot for the most part. It IS kind of slow in much of the lead-up, but the final 30 minutes are pretty gripping as it all comes together in a rather strange, mean-spirited way. It's also got a stylishly shot axe murder scene that is rewind worthy. Could've used a little "tightening" as far as the script goes, since it DOES tend to drag a bit at times, but "Dread" is still an enjoyably dark film, overall.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Violated Angels (1967, Kōji Wakamatsu)
Though it's not my favorite of his works, pinku pioneer Koji Wakamatsu's "Violated Angels" is another example of the film-maker's groundbreaking proficiency for misogynistic sleaze. That said, this film just so happens to 'flow' with an undeniable artistry, as seen in his other earlier films, such as "The Embryo Hunts in Secret" and "Go Go Second Time Virgin".
The idea here is obviously modeled after the Richard Speck murders - a dorm full of nurses find a guy lurking around outside at night and decide to drag him in to peep on two of the lesbian girls going at it. This is a strange and implausible decision, but who am I to judge the questionable generosity of a bunch of young, naive bitches... Unfortunately for the girls, seeing sensual lesbian passion pushes him over the edge, so he snuffs off the rug-munchers and tortures the rest of the terrified girls for the rest of the night...
If you're cool with an 'arthouse' approach to violent exploitation, then I don't think you'll have any problems with this one. It's pretty damn mean for it's time - featuring some relatively 'disturbing' depictions of rape and some torture and mutilation (though mostly implied, but we're given a shot of the aftermath). The most 'graphic' moment being a scene in which a luger is jammed in a chick's ass and fired. "Violated Angels" is not Wakamatsu's best or most 'offensive' film, as far as I'm concerned, but for those into pinku cinema it definitely helped to lay the foundation for this type of genre. It's a very bleak and harsh film, especially by 60s standards.
The idea here is obviously modeled after the Richard Speck murders - a dorm full of nurses find a guy lurking around outside at night and decide to drag him in to peep on two of the lesbian girls going at it. This is a strange and implausible decision, but who am I to judge the questionable generosity of a bunch of young, naive bitches... Unfortunately for the girls, seeing sensual lesbian passion pushes him over the edge, so he snuffs off the rug-munchers and tortures the rest of the terrified girls for the rest of the night...
If you're cool with an 'arthouse' approach to violent exploitation, then I don't think you'll have any problems with this one. It's pretty damn mean for it's time - featuring some relatively 'disturbing' depictions of rape and some torture and mutilation (though mostly implied, but we're given a shot of the aftermath). The most 'graphic' moment being a scene in which a luger is jammed in a chick's ass and fired. "Violated Angels" is not Wakamatsu's best or most 'offensive' film, as far as I'm concerned, but for those into pinku cinema it definitely helped to lay the foundation for this type of genre. It's a very bleak and harsh film, especially by 60s standards.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Butcher Boys (2012, Duane Graves/Justin Meeks)
Seems like Kim Henkel only surfaces these days to come up with half-baked "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" sequels/throwbacks. As much as I love the classic 1974 original, it just goes to show that Tobe Hooper and his crew were pretty much a pack of one-trick ponies that got lucky during one hot Texas summer, 40 years ago. That film continues to live on, while those involved in it's inception have arguably petered out over time (give or take a few mediocre efforts). "Butcher Boys" - which Henkel served as a writer on - is actually more idiotic than his 1994 quasi-remake shitfest, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation".
A group of teens are driving through San Antonio when they get into a skirmish with a gang of pretty-boy cannibal thugs...
That's it. The movie is mostly comprised of a long foot chase, peppered with pointless cameo appearances from since-inactive cast members from the first two TCM films. The victims here are given zero personality or character development and are mostly killed off in a matter of minutes while the aggressors are equally as dull and non-menacing. It's packed with tons of references to TCM, of course, but it's all just so meaningless and unamusing. And, aside from one scene of raw flesh eating, there's no notable gore to speak of so it really couldn't even deliver on ANY level. Being such a die-hard for the original Hooper film, I wanted to like "Butcher Boys" at least a little bit, but it's just so incompetently made - pacing, acting, attempts at humor, etc. All just terrible. They couldn't even make the cameos fun. Avoid this piece of shit.
A group of teens are driving through San Antonio when they get into a skirmish with a gang of pretty-boy cannibal thugs...
That's it. The movie is mostly comprised of a long foot chase, peppered with pointless cameo appearances from since-inactive cast members from the first two TCM films. The victims here are given zero personality or character development and are mostly killed off in a matter of minutes while the aggressors are equally as dull and non-menacing. It's packed with tons of references to TCM, of course, but it's all just so meaningless and unamusing. And, aside from one scene of raw flesh eating, there's no notable gore to speak of so it really couldn't even deliver on ANY level. Being such a die-hard for the original Hooper film, I wanted to like "Butcher Boys" at least a little bit, but it's just so incompetently made - pacing, acting, attempts at humor, etc. All just terrible. They couldn't even make the cameos fun. Avoid this piece of shit.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Annabelle (2014, John R. Leonetti)
I'm gonna keep this one relatively short cuz there's really not much to say. "Annabelle" is pretty much what I expected from the usual bland, 'mainstream' American horror movies to come out these days...
Taking place a year or so before the events in "The Conjuring" - a young, clean-cut couple who are expecting a baby, move into a new house where they are barged in on by a pair of murderous hippie cult members. The pregnant wife is stabbed before the one intruder is gunned down by cops while the other slashes her own throat, thus bleeding onto a doll. The doll is then used by some demon to steal the soul of their newborn child.
Absolutely nothing new is done here. This movie relies on every cliche in the book that is used to cobble together these incredibly stagnant, uninspired supernatural-horror retreads. Of course, it's virtually bloodless and plays everything very safe, inoffensive and familiar. I guess the ever-so undemanding public still isn't sick of this kind of supernatural/possession bullshit, so it's safe to say it's not going anywhere anytime soon. "Annabelle" is completely boring, dime-a-dozen garbage...
Taking place a year or so before the events in "The Conjuring" - a young, clean-cut couple who are expecting a baby, move into a new house where they are barged in on by a pair of murderous hippie cult members. The pregnant wife is stabbed before the one intruder is gunned down by cops while the other slashes her own throat, thus bleeding onto a doll. The doll is then used by some demon to steal the soul of their newborn child.
Absolutely nothing new is done here. This movie relies on every cliche in the book that is used to cobble together these incredibly stagnant, uninspired supernatural-horror retreads. Of course, it's virtually bloodless and plays everything very safe, inoffensive and familiar. I guess the ever-so undemanding public still isn't sick of this kind of supernatural/possession bullshit, so it's safe to say it's not going anywhere anytime soon. "Annabelle" is completely boring, dime-a-dozen garbage...
Visiting Hours (1982, Jean-Claude Lord)
For some reason, this one slipped past me during my early teen years of rampant slasher fanaticism. I don't think it's one that's ever gotten much attention in the genre, since it came around a really busy time for films like these, but after finally seeing "Visiting Hours", I gotta call it out on being a very underrated flick!
A women's-rights female journalist is attacked in her home by a psychotic opponent of her strong social viewpoints, landing her in the hospital after she's rescued just in time. Unfortunately for her, the police and nursing staff are no match for the determined lunatic who intends to finish her off - killing whomever gets in his way...
It should come as no surprise that Michael Ironside is fucking awesome in this. His performance as the killer, Colt Hawker, ultimately transcends that of the basic 'masked phantom' slasher antagonist - giving him a darker and more 'fleshed out' quality than just the more traditional faceless killing machine-type of character. It makes it a bit more effective when he's running around, severing old women's breathing tubes and brutalizing bimbos in his dingy apartment. Also, Bill Shatner pops up a handful of times, bringing absolutely nothing to film other than name recognition and an appetite for hospital sundaes. So, there was that... Gotta say, overall, I was pretty surprised by "Visiting Hours". It's not heavy on the gore or nudity, which is a definite 'con', but I'd say the 'pros' outweigh it for the most part, in this case. Ironside rules and there's some good suspense and tension. Little slow here n' there, but I gotta give it a pretty hearty recommendation for those who haven't given it a shot yet.
A women's-rights female journalist is attacked in her home by a psychotic opponent of her strong social viewpoints, landing her in the hospital after she's rescued just in time. Unfortunately for her, the police and nursing staff are no match for the determined lunatic who intends to finish her off - killing whomever gets in his way...
It should come as no surprise that Michael Ironside is fucking awesome in this. His performance as the killer, Colt Hawker, ultimately transcends that of the basic 'masked phantom' slasher antagonist - giving him a darker and more 'fleshed out' quality than just the more traditional faceless killing machine-type of character. It makes it a bit more effective when he's running around, severing old women's breathing tubes and brutalizing bimbos in his dingy apartment. Also, Bill Shatner pops up a handful of times, bringing absolutely nothing to film other than name recognition and an appetite for hospital sundaes. So, there was that... Gotta say, overall, I was pretty surprised by "Visiting Hours". It's not heavy on the gore or nudity, which is a definite 'con', but I'd say the 'pros' outweigh it for the most part, in this case. Ironside rules and there's some good suspense and tension. Little slow here n' there, but I gotta give it a pretty hearty recommendation for those who haven't given it a shot yet.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Club Satan: The Witches Sabbath (2007, Shaun Bugbee)
There's not really much to dislike when it comes to just straight-up satanic porn and that's precisely what we're talkin', here. Light on plot, heavy on blasphemous XXX-smut...
A Catholic schoolgirl is having a plethora of sexually deviant fantasies involving incest, violence and Satan. Because of this, she is kicked out of school, but finds acceptance with a devil worshipping cult lead by Satan, himself.
Although it kinda drags a little bit at the end during the big, bloody gangbang - the sacrilegious 'edge' is what gives "Club Satan: The Witches Sabbath" it's entertainment value. Lots of vaginal crucifix abuse, Satan getting his ass eaten, some piss/blood drinking, jerking off on Jesus statues and some brief footage from a Dark Funeral concert tacked on at the tail end (their music is featured throughout the metal-packed soundtrack). Generally, it has a pretty straight-forward porno 'style' to it in the way that it was obviously suppose to be 'whack worthy', so that's a definite plus. However, it's more enjoyable for the 'outrageous' satanic content. Worth checking out for non-Christian smut hounds.
A Catholic schoolgirl is having a plethora of sexually deviant fantasies involving incest, violence and Satan. Because of this, she is kicked out of school, but finds acceptance with a devil worshipping cult lead by Satan, himself.
Although it kinda drags a little bit at the end during the big, bloody gangbang - the sacrilegious 'edge' is what gives "Club Satan: The Witches Sabbath" it's entertainment value. Lots of vaginal crucifix abuse, Satan getting his ass eaten, some piss/blood drinking, jerking off on Jesus statues and some brief footage from a Dark Funeral concert tacked on at the tail end (their music is featured throughout the metal-packed soundtrack). Generally, it has a pretty straight-forward porno 'style' to it in the way that it was obviously suppose to be 'whack worthy', so that's a definite plus. However, it's more enjoyable for the 'outrageous' satanic content. Worth checking out for non-Christian smut hounds.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
The Class (2007, Ilmar Raag)
I really wanted to like this one more, but it left me a bit torn. On one hand, "The Class" (a.k.a "Klass") is a very solidly acted and well shot Estonian 'school shooter' flick, while on the other, it just seemed too over-the-top for me to fully buy into it's 'message'...
A large collective of high school dickbags decide to single out one of the quiet, reserved kids whom they deem a "freak" and make each school day a hell on Earth for him. One of the lead bully's pals begins feeling his conscience getting the better of him and goes against the pack in order to protect the helpless victim. This basically causes a war between a classroom of sadistic tormenters and the two oppressed outcasts.
Maybe this kinda thing goes on in Estonian schools in the name of Euro-trash "honor", but the extent of the cruelty depicted here didn't seem very believable. At the beginning it states that the film is based on "true stories", so maybe it's just an assemblage of true bullying tactics strung together and inflicted upon just two characters for the sake of creating one of the most grueling high school experiences ever captured on celluloid. Then again, who HASN'T been held at knife-point and forced to blow their friend in front of a unified body of snickering peers? I dunno, it just seemed a little 'much', but when vengeance is delivered, it's definitely warranted. Perhaps the whole point of "The Class" was to completely justify school shootings. If that be the case, than they succeeded in making the most recrementitious and indulgent movie about adolescent bullying and retaliation. Not to say it's BAD, cuz it's certainly not. Like I said, it's shot nicely and well acted. However, I'd recommend Gus Van Sant's "Elephant" or "Zero Day" if you're looking for better films on the topic of school shootings which is, primarily, an American problem and I don't feel the Estonians captured it all that accurately.
A large collective of high school dickbags decide to single out one of the quiet, reserved kids whom they deem a "freak" and make each school day a hell on Earth for him. One of the lead bully's pals begins feeling his conscience getting the better of him and goes against the pack in order to protect the helpless victim. This basically causes a war between a classroom of sadistic tormenters and the two oppressed outcasts.
Maybe this kinda thing goes on in Estonian schools in the name of Euro-trash "honor", but the extent of the cruelty depicted here didn't seem very believable. At the beginning it states that the film is based on "true stories", so maybe it's just an assemblage of true bullying tactics strung together and inflicted upon just two characters for the sake of creating one of the most grueling high school experiences ever captured on celluloid. Then again, who HASN'T been held at knife-point and forced to blow their friend in front of a unified body of snickering peers? I dunno, it just seemed a little 'much', but when vengeance is delivered, it's definitely warranted. Perhaps the whole point of "The Class" was to completely justify school shootings. If that be the case, than they succeeded in making the most recrementitious and indulgent movie about adolescent bullying and retaliation. Not to say it's BAD, cuz it's certainly not. Like I said, it's shot nicely and well acted. However, I'd recommend Gus Van Sant's "Elephant" or "Zero Day" if you're looking for better films on the topic of school shootings which is, primarily, an American problem and I don't feel the Estonians captured it all that accurately.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Black Magic with Buddha (1983, Lieh Lo)
"The Black Magic with Buddha" is one of the better I've seen in a line of early HK horror films revolving around sorcery and demonic shit. Frankly, in the past I've found these types of flicks typically dull, poorly paced and drawn out. And while there's not much exception here, this one contains a few bits of cheezily, weird entertainment.
A couple of guys track down, unearth and extract the living brain from a mummy that apparently grants wishes. One of them takes it back home where he uses the slimy, pulsating brain to help him achieve a high level of wealth that will allow him to fit in with his fiancés snobby rich, unsupportive relatives. After a few more wishes - and some brain-related demises on his behalf - he becomes successful and gets married, but ultimately forgets to send the brain back, via some kind of holy water ritual. This pisses the brain off, causing it go berserk on everyone...
It's ridiculous and definitely drags in spots, but this one held my interest a bit more than other movies of this ilk, such as "Eternal Evil of Asia", "Centipede Horror" and "Devil Fetus". The guy getting swarmed by blood-thirsty, breathing brains in the bathtub was funny (Although, I don't think it was suppose to be...) and the ending is very chaotic and somewhat amusing, I'd say. Still, like I said, these type of HK 'black magic' movies aren't really my thing. "The Black Magic with Buddha" is very disjointed and tiringly schlocky, but still manages to be 'okay'. They also blatanly lifted some of the score from Don Coscarelli's "Phantasm". Bastards...
A couple of guys track down, unearth and extract the living brain from a mummy that apparently grants wishes. One of them takes it back home where he uses the slimy, pulsating brain to help him achieve a high level of wealth that will allow him to fit in with his fiancés snobby rich, unsupportive relatives. After a few more wishes - and some brain-related demises on his behalf - he becomes successful and gets married, but ultimately forgets to send the brain back, via some kind of holy water ritual. This pisses the brain off, causing it go berserk on everyone...
It's ridiculous and definitely drags in spots, but this one held my interest a bit more than other movies of this ilk, such as "Eternal Evil of Asia", "Centipede Horror" and "Devil Fetus". The guy getting swarmed by blood-thirsty, breathing brains in the bathtub was funny (Although, I don't think it was suppose to be...) and the ending is very chaotic and somewhat amusing, I'd say. Still, like I said, these type of HK 'black magic' movies aren't really my thing. "The Black Magic with Buddha" is very disjointed and tiringly schlocky, but still manages to be 'okay'. They also blatanly lifted some of the score from Don Coscarelli's "Phantasm". Bastards...
Monday, October 13, 2014
Mr. Bricks: A Heavy Metal Murder Musical (2011, Travis Campbell)
Well, this was an incredibly uncomfortable experience. It's about as awkwardly douchey as you would imagine a 'heavy metal musical' being and more. Even to hardcore metalheads (which I am), this is cringe-inducing...
A hooker is kidnapped and raped by Mr. Bricks - a bulky reprobate with a solid black gladiator helmet tattooed on his face and bald head. She is rescued from his warehouse dwelling and he is shot in the head in the process, but survives and sets out searching for her. Turns out she's also got a 'fling' going on with another married cop who wants Mr. Bricks dead.
Throughout this agonizingly boring movie are painfully generic, poorly recorded musical breaks that try to resemble something along with lines of 'metal'. These 'songs' consist, primarily, of lots of forcibly angry and despairing lyrics along with headache-inducing camera work and music video-style editing accompanyment. It's all the more pathetic that they did not have a budget that was conducive to pulling this "style" off, adequately. At certain points, there's this terrible fucking fire graphic that appears on screen that looks like it just a feature on the camera they were using. And as for the plot, nothing really happens... It's all redundancy and bland, hollow characters that have no developement, whatsoever.
For anyone spotting this title and thinking that a 'heavy metal murder musical' sounds "cool", it's actually the furthest thing from that, imaginable. Just total fucking cheapass garbage.
A hooker is kidnapped and raped by Mr. Bricks - a bulky reprobate with a solid black gladiator helmet tattooed on his face and bald head. She is rescued from his warehouse dwelling and he is shot in the head in the process, but survives and sets out searching for her. Turns out she's also got a 'fling' going on with another married cop who wants Mr. Bricks dead.
Throughout this agonizingly boring movie are painfully generic, poorly recorded musical breaks that try to resemble something along with lines of 'metal'. These 'songs' consist, primarily, of lots of forcibly angry and despairing lyrics along with headache-inducing camera work and music video-style editing accompanyment. It's all the more pathetic that they did not have a budget that was conducive to pulling this "style" off, adequately. At certain points, there's this terrible fucking fire graphic that appears on screen that looks like it just a feature on the camera they were using. And as for the plot, nothing really happens... It's all redundancy and bland, hollow characters that have no developement, whatsoever.
For anyone spotting this title and thinking that a 'heavy metal murder musical' sounds "cool", it's actually the furthest thing from that, imaginable. Just total fucking cheapass garbage.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
The Peeping Tom (1997, Kai-Ming Lai)
Balls-to-the-wall CATIII sleaze-ertainment, here. If the glamorization of rape bothers you, than this may not be for you...
A serial killer/rapist with a rabid leg fetish is running amok around HK, sexually violating women and lopping off their 'stems' for his collection. He ends up getting fixated on a female cop and begins stalking her, breaking into her apartment when she's gone and, eventually, going after loved ones in a sociopathic attempt to win her over.
"The Peeping Tom" wouldn't rival truly quality HK shit like "The Untold Story" or "Red to Kill", but it DOES certainly pile on the sadistic AND sexy 'action' that keeps it rolling along nicely. The scenes of rape and murder are pretty strong and the maniacal antagonist is well played. There's also countless scenes of chicks undressing as well as a gratuitous shower masturbation scene thrown in for good measure. In all, I can't say that this flick is ever boring or slow, due to it supplying a terrific blend of drama/action/serial killer/sleaze elements that all work well together. I'm definitely putting it in my CATIII top-5.
A serial killer/rapist with a rabid leg fetish is running amok around HK, sexually violating women and lopping off their 'stems' for his collection. He ends up getting fixated on a female cop and begins stalking her, breaking into her apartment when she's gone and, eventually, going after loved ones in a sociopathic attempt to win her over.
"The Peeping Tom" wouldn't rival truly quality HK shit like "The Untold Story" or "Red to Kill", but it DOES certainly pile on the sadistic AND sexy 'action' that keeps it rolling along nicely. The scenes of rape and murder are pretty strong and the maniacal antagonist is well played. There's also countless scenes of chicks undressing as well as a gratuitous shower masturbation scene thrown in for good measure. In all, I can't say that this flick is ever boring or slow, due to it supplying a terrific blend of drama/action/serial killer/sleaze elements that all work well together. I'm definitely putting it in my CATIII top-5.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Bad Milo (2013, Jacob Vaughan)
I can't say "Bad Milo" was as bad as I was expecting, based on some of the scathing reviews I had read. Not to say that I liked it or found it all that amusing, but I was pretty much braced for purely insufferable shit.
An over-stressed yuppie is afflicted with crippling stomach cramps and agonizing diarrhea spells as his day-to-day life seems to consume him with burden. Eventually, he begins anally birthing a vicious little creature that runs around, killing those who encumber him with mental strain...
The whole time I was watching this, I couldn't help but wish that it had been made by Troma. A movie with this kinda premise should've been total off-the-wall, politically incorrect, ultra-splattery craziness. It's none of that. There's no denying that a movie about a guy that shits a flesh-eating creature should be exceedingly offensive, but they somehow managed to avoid that little pitfall. Instead, it really just comes off as a very traditional 'whacky' comedy with some poop jokes and melancholy humor. It's kind of an "Office Space" meets a Frank Hennenlotter film, only an incredibly stripped down and infantile Hennenlotter film without the sleazy, 'all-out' style. The gore factor is sparse - consisting of mostly just blood-splattered walls and one brief cock chomping. The 'Milo' creature is an evil-but-ironically-cutsie mix between a Joe Dante 'gremlin' and the baby from that 90s sitcom, "Dinosaurs". Nothing all that special, in terms of it's design. Overall, "Bad Milo" is bad, but it's not irritatingly bad like many other recent horror-comedies like "Chillerama". It's an easy watch if you're curious about it for whatever reason, but I can't recommend it.
An over-stressed yuppie is afflicted with crippling stomach cramps and agonizing diarrhea spells as his day-to-day life seems to consume him with burden. Eventually, he begins anally birthing a vicious little creature that runs around, killing those who encumber him with mental strain...
The whole time I was watching this, I couldn't help but wish that it had been made by Troma. A movie with this kinda premise should've been total off-the-wall, politically incorrect, ultra-splattery craziness. It's none of that. There's no denying that a movie about a guy that shits a flesh-eating creature should be exceedingly offensive, but they somehow managed to avoid that little pitfall. Instead, it really just comes off as a very traditional 'whacky' comedy with some poop jokes and melancholy humor. It's kind of an "Office Space" meets a Frank Hennenlotter film, only an incredibly stripped down and infantile Hennenlotter film without the sleazy, 'all-out' style. The gore factor is sparse - consisting of mostly just blood-splattered walls and one brief cock chomping. The 'Milo' creature is an evil-but-ironically-cutsie mix between a Joe Dante 'gremlin' and the baby from that 90s sitcom, "Dinosaurs". Nothing all that special, in terms of it's design. Overall, "Bad Milo" is bad, but it's not irritatingly bad like many other recent horror-comedies like "Chillerama". It's an easy watch if you're curious about it for whatever reason, but I can't recommend it.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Felidae (1994, Michael Schaack)
"Felidae" is definitely a rare breed of animated film (in terms of this movie, that's actually a pun, so I'm gonna roll with it...), having a pretty substantial budget for the time, but completely indulging what you could consider an intellectually astute adult fan base... With talking cats. And unlike the culturally satirical works of Ralph Bakshi (i.e. "Fritz the Cat"), "Felidae" is a totally straight-forward, heavily involved, neo-noir murder mystery.
After having moved into a rundown shithole house with his literary - yet slovenly - owner, a savvy cat gets himself caught up in a curious string of cat killings popping up around the city. It's thought that the culprit may be linked to an enigmatic lab-cat, used for grotesque and torturous experiments...
That's basically the short-form rundown on this flick, as I must admit, it's extremely hard to follow. From what little I've looked up on this, it's based on the first of a series of novels about murder and cat vs. human drama. Now I didn't hate this movie at all, despite how incredibly convoluted it is - though, in my defense, I think the German language element might've tripped me up a bit, as far as my relatively loose grasp on the whole plot went. There's apparently a scientist trying to form a new breed of cat, an evil cat cult who worships electric volts, humans becoming cats (I think), a cat prophet and more.
Based on it's visual merits, "Felidae" is a VERY cool animated flick. The animation - while not up to Disney standards or anything - is fluid, detailed and full of a unique charm. There are a few crazy dream sequences that are hypnotically hellish and gruesome. Speaking of which, this is a fucking violent flick! We're talking cats ripped to shreds - one of which is shown with a litter of fetal kittens spilled out of it's eviscerated mid-section. Another has it's brain melted with acid. Badass.
So, yeah, overall I wouldn't go so far as to call this film is "brilliant" like a lot of other people have raved - mainly because the plot goes so deep that it ended up kinda losing me. However, it's a great looking piece of animation and is definitely much darker and more 'graphic' than some other notable animated films with a politically driven narrative, such as "Watership Down" and the 50s "Animal Farm" adaptation.
After having moved into a rundown shithole house with his literary - yet slovenly - owner, a savvy cat gets himself caught up in a curious string of cat killings popping up around the city. It's thought that the culprit may be linked to an enigmatic lab-cat, used for grotesque and torturous experiments...
That's basically the short-form rundown on this flick, as I must admit, it's extremely hard to follow. From what little I've looked up on this, it's based on the first of a series of novels about murder and cat vs. human drama. Now I didn't hate this movie at all, despite how incredibly convoluted it is - though, in my defense, I think the German language element might've tripped me up a bit, as far as my relatively loose grasp on the whole plot went. There's apparently a scientist trying to form a new breed of cat, an evil cat cult who worships electric volts, humans becoming cats (I think), a cat prophet and more.
Based on it's visual merits, "Felidae" is a VERY cool animated flick. The animation - while not up to Disney standards or anything - is fluid, detailed and full of a unique charm. There are a few crazy dream sequences that are hypnotically hellish and gruesome. Speaking of which, this is a fucking violent flick! We're talking cats ripped to shreds - one of which is shown with a litter of fetal kittens spilled out of it's eviscerated mid-section. Another has it's brain melted with acid. Badass.
So, yeah, overall I wouldn't go so far as to call this film is "brilliant" like a lot of other people have raved - mainly because the plot goes so deep that it ended up kinda losing me. However, it's a great looking piece of animation and is definitely much darker and more 'graphic' than some other notable animated films with a politically driven narrative, such as "Watership Down" and the 50s "Animal Farm" adaptation.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Freakshow (1989, Constantino Magnatta)
"Freakshow" is a somewhat obscure anthology flick that tries to go for some horror-comedy elements, but fails on every conceivable level. It's probably one of the worst of it's kind I've seen.
It's starts off with a down-and-out former usher gunning down movie-goers outside of the cinema he was recently fired from. His mass-murder is followed by his suicide and the soulless, on-scene media coverage. The hot female reporter's cameraman apparently has a strong moral stance against exploiting tragedy for news ratings and tells her to get a cab home (cuz apparently news camera guys call the shots). As she's trying to get a ride home, she comes across the owner of some kind of freakshow exhibit, where the highlight attraction is a jarred mutant with mind control capabilities. This causes her to visualize four pointless stories - the first one about a junkie who kills his dealer for a bag of dope, only to have a poodle run off with it, leading to a big, goofy chase. Second is about a dorky pizza delivery guy who is sent to a 'spooky' address full of hot, demonic nymphos. Third is the old gag involving a paralyzed-but-conscious person presumed dead on an autopsy slab. Fourth and final is about two gravediggers who are hired by a slutty widow to steal cemetery dirt for her ex-husband's swanky golf course. This obviously enrages the dead...
None of the segments are even the least bit clever or amusing. If I had to pick, I'd say the dirt dealers story was the best, but that's like picking a favorite hemorrhoid. It's all just so pointless and corny that I honestly can't even understand why/how this movie was ever made. And it's easily got the most idiotic wrap-around story ever used in an anthology flick. Terrible piece of shit movie.
It's starts off with a down-and-out former usher gunning down movie-goers outside of the cinema he was recently fired from. His mass-murder is followed by his suicide and the soulless, on-scene media coverage. The hot female reporter's cameraman apparently has a strong moral stance against exploiting tragedy for news ratings and tells her to get a cab home (cuz apparently news camera guys call the shots). As she's trying to get a ride home, she comes across the owner of some kind of freakshow exhibit, where the highlight attraction is a jarred mutant with mind control capabilities. This causes her to visualize four pointless stories - the first one about a junkie who kills his dealer for a bag of dope, only to have a poodle run off with it, leading to a big, goofy chase. Second is about a dorky pizza delivery guy who is sent to a 'spooky' address full of hot, demonic nymphos. Third is the old gag involving a paralyzed-but-conscious person presumed dead on an autopsy slab. Fourth and final is about two gravediggers who are hired by a slutty widow to steal cemetery dirt for her ex-husband's swanky golf course. This obviously enrages the dead...
None of the segments are even the least bit clever or amusing. If I had to pick, I'd say the dirt dealers story was the best, but that's like picking a favorite hemorrhoid. It's all just so pointless and corny that I honestly can't even understand why/how this movie was ever made. And it's easily got the most idiotic wrap-around story ever used in an anthology flick. Terrible piece of shit movie.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Cabin Fever: Patient Zero (2014, Kaare Andrews)
I always thought the first "Cabin Fever" was a decent enough debut effort from a relatively 'hack' horror film-maker and I wound up digging the sequel for the most part, despite it's heavy flaws. Now the series continues with this third installment - dragging what was already a not 'great' franchise into completely second-rate shit territory.
A remote island research facility off the Dominican Republic has obtained 'patient zero' of the devastating flesh-eating virus outbreak and is containing him for a potential cure. While this is going on, a boat-load of douchebag bachelor partiers show up, thinking the island is the ideal secluded party spot. After two of them go snorkeling and find a cluster of dead fish remains, they become infected with the highly destructive strain of skin-melting bacteria that promptly puts the kibosh on their party plans...
This thing is just completely standard, boring horror retread garbage. The amount of cliches featured in this shit is staggering and the plot is so full of holes that it's pretty much impossible to get into. Of course, the infected people are starting to act like undead zombies. It was only a matter of time before they went that route and the whole 'twist' ending was overly convoluted and dumb - giving a sense that this movie was taking itself a bit too seriously. Also, there were way too many people pronouncing certain unattainable consonants without fucking lips which bothered me, as well as an impossible gun-related demise that is too annoyingly cartoonish and ridiculous to let slide. The only redeeming moment was someone getting their skull caved in with a huge, black dildo. Oh, and "Rudy" is in it so... that's cool, but it doesn't make up for the lack of Giuseppe Andrews' 'party cop' character. Overall though, "Cabin Fever: Patient Zero" sucks a dick.
A remote island research facility off the Dominican Republic has obtained 'patient zero' of the devastating flesh-eating virus outbreak and is containing him for a potential cure. While this is going on, a boat-load of douchebag bachelor partiers show up, thinking the island is the ideal secluded party spot. After two of them go snorkeling and find a cluster of dead fish remains, they become infected with the highly destructive strain of skin-melting bacteria that promptly puts the kibosh on their party plans...
This thing is just completely standard, boring horror retread garbage. The amount of cliches featured in this shit is staggering and the plot is so full of holes that it's pretty much impossible to get into. Of course, the infected people are starting to act like undead zombies. It was only a matter of time before they went that route and the whole 'twist' ending was overly convoluted and dumb - giving a sense that this movie was taking itself a bit too seriously. Also, there were way too many people pronouncing certain unattainable consonants without fucking lips which bothered me, as well as an impossible gun-related demise that is too annoyingly cartoonish and ridiculous to let slide. The only redeeming moment was someone getting their skull caved in with a huge, black dildo. Oh, and "Rudy" is in it so... that's cool, but it doesn't make up for the lack of Giuseppe Andrews' 'party cop' character. Overall though, "Cabin Fever: Patient Zero" sucks a dick.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Nymphomaniac (2013, Lars Von Trier)
I'm pretty much on the fence when it comes to Lars Von Trier's films, as they've been sorta hit-and-miss with me. I've only seen a few of his flicks - "Antichrist", "Dancer in the Dark" and "The Idiots"; "Antichrist" being my favorite, however, I don't think his 'style' is really my kinda thing, I guess. I'm always left with the feeling that his movies are just missing something important that keeps them from leaving much an a lasting impression on me. "Nymphomaniac", volumes 1 and 2, is Von Trier's attempt at an "epic" done with his usual 'flair' for more 'graphic' sexual sequences and themes...
It starts with a woman being found by an older man in a back alley after having been severely beaten. He brings her home to allow her to recoup, which leads to the divulgence of her story about how her rabid nymphomania destroyed her life. From her younger days of competing with her friend to see who can fuck more guys on a train, to coincidentally reconnecting and building a life with the guy who casually took her virginity as a teen. Her sex addiction eventually leads to her covetous relationship with an S&M 'specialist' and, oddly enough, her involvement in mob-tactic debt collecting...
My rundown is pretty general, seeing as how this is a 4+ hour film as a whole, but that's about it - the life and times of a nympho. Now, anyone familiar with Von Trier's films would have to certainly agree that the guy makes a hell of a good looking flick and "Nymphomaniac" is no exception. It's a beautifully shot film with great cinematography and a dark elegance to many of it's symbolic visuals n' whatnot. There's no doubt that Von Trier is right on the money when it comes to his films' visual nature, as it typically stands out to me as the overall strong point of his work. Where this movie just didn't "hit" with me was the story. And it's not that it was completely boring or overly long (which, it IS fucking long!), but more of the fact that it always just seems that Von Trier is relying primarily on gimmicks and taboo's that are common in "underground" NC-17 films these days. It's the whole pretentious ''art film' masquerading as potential 'smut'' (or the other way around, perhaps) that other film-makers such as John Cameron Mitchell and Vincent Gallo have since imitated. Of course, these are the 'non-porno' films that contain scenes of more 'hardcore', unsimulated sex that garner large hipster followings for the fact that they get to argue the aesthetic merit that apparently overrides the 'graphic' content to those who apparently don't understand, in turn, making them play out their faux-cinema expertise dickheadedness. Not that certain movies can't contain 'harder' sexual material that accompany a noteworthy storyline or any other good qualities. Hell, it's no mystery that I adore films featuring 'explicit' shit and will usually do whatever I can to seek out the most fucked up examples of that brand of film. However, these types of movies - "Shortbus", "9 Songs", "Intimacy", etc. - seem based on conceitedly "blurring that line" between 'porno' and 'art' that it just gets distracting. I can't speak for everyone, but, personally, I'm not SHOCKED by a 'mainstream' movie showing unsimulated sex scenes. And in the case of "Nymphomaniac" and shit like Gallo's "The Brown Bunny", it doesn't make the movie any more interesting, as far as I'm concerned. Either go BIG with the shocking sleaze or just simply focus on the plot.
Anyway, now that I got that long-winded bullshit out of the way... "Nymphomaniac" isn't a bad flick, by any means. I know Lars Von Trier has his following and I know that I don't really fit into that category, though I gotta give him props on his terrific style and all of the performances for being pretty stellar. Again, the 4 hour runtime is a little... MUCH and shit doesn't really get "good" until Volume 2. Von Trier fans will surly jizz themselves over this and, while I thought it was well shot and acted, it really didn't do much for me. Kudos for making one of the longest NC-17 flicks out there, but it was neither sleazy enough, nor able to hold my interest enough. The Uma Thurman scene and the African DP scene were funny, though.
It starts with a woman being found by an older man in a back alley after having been severely beaten. He brings her home to allow her to recoup, which leads to the divulgence of her story about how her rabid nymphomania destroyed her life. From her younger days of competing with her friend to see who can fuck more guys on a train, to coincidentally reconnecting and building a life with the guy who casually took her virginity as a teen. Her sex addiction eventually leads to her covetous relationship with an S&M 'specialist' and, oddly enough, her involvement in mob-tactic debt collecting...
My rundown is pretty general, seeing as how this is a 4+ hour film as a whole, but that's about it - the life and times of a nympho. Now, anyone familiar with Von Trier's films would have to certainly agree that the guy makes a hell of a good looking flick and "Nymphomaniac" is no exception. It's a beautifully shot film with great cinematography and a dark elegance to many of it's symbolic visuals n' whatnot. There's no doubt that Von Trier is right on the money when it comes to his films' visual nature, as it typically stands out to me as the overall strong point of his work. Where this movie just didn't "hit" with me was the story. And it's not that it was completely boring or overly long (which, it IS fucking long!), but more of the fact that it always just seems that Von Trier is relying primarily on gimmicks and taboo's that are common in "underground" NC-17 films these days. It's the whole pretentious ''art film' masquerading as potential 'smut'' (or the other way around, perhaps) that other film-makers such as John Cameron Mitchell and Vincent Gallo have since imitated. Of course, these are the 'non-porno' films that contain scenes of more 'hardcore', unsimulated sex that garner large hipster followings for the fact that they get to argue the aesthetic merit that apparently overrides the 'graphic' content to those who apparently don't understand, in turn, making them play out their faux-cinema expertise dickheadedness. Not that certain movies can't contain 'harder' sexual material that accompany a noteworthy storyline or any other good qualities. Hell, it's no mystery that I adore films featuring 'explicit' shit and will usually do whatever I can to seek out the most fucked up examples of that brand of film. However, these types of movies - "Shortbus", "9 Songs", "Intimacy", etc. - seem based on conceitedly "blurring that line" between 'porno' and 'art' that it just gets distracting. I can't speak for everyone, but, personally, I'm not SHOCKED by a 'mainstream' movie showing unsimulated sex scenes. And in the case of "Nymphomaniac" and shit like Gallo's "The Brown Bunny", it doesn't make the movie any more interesting, as far as I'm concerned. Either go BIG with the shocking sleaze or just simply focus on the plot.
Anyway, now that I got that long-winded bullshit out of the way... "Nymphomaniac" isn't a bad flick, by any means. I know Lars Von Trier has his following and I know that I don't really fit into that category, though I gotta give him props on his terrific style and all of the performances for being pretty stellar. Again, the 4 hour runtime is a little... MUCH and shit doesn't really get "good" until Volume 2. Von Trier fans will surly jizz themselves over this and, while I thought it was well shot and acted, it really didn't do much for me. Kudos for making one of the longest NC-17 flicks out there, but it was neither sleazy enough, nor able to hold my interest enough. The Uma Thurman scene and the African DP scene were funny, though.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Pray (2014, Claudio Ellovitch)
Pretty cool experimental short film out of Brazil that follows some kinda Christ-like guy as he wanders through a hellish city full of devastation and deformity. Along the way, he has a deep religious experience as he is whipped by some evil old guy (again, in a very Jesus-y kind of manner) and is approached by a loving, angelic woman before he is beheaded by the old dude...
As a 15-minute short, "Pray" is a stylishly 'trippy' film that offers up some cool, morbid visuals and some decent effects, from what I could make out. It reminded me quite a bit of the films of Andrey Iskanov and Karim Hussain. Overall, a good 'arthouse'-horror short.
As a 15-minute short, "Pray" is a stylishly 'trippy' film that offers up some cool, morbid visuals and some decent effects, from what I could make out. It reminded me quite a bit of the films of Andrey Iskanov and Karim Hussain. Overall, a good 'arthouse'-horror short.
Water Power (1977, Shaun Costello)
Easily, "Water Power" ranks as one of the finest samplings of XXX-"roughie" filth out there. I'm also convinced this is the best 'story' idea ever shaped into a film...
A voyeuristic degenerate hits up a sex club one night where he is, at his own request, familiarized with the process of administering a colonic. He takes an immediate liking to the whole practice and perception of cleansing a woman's "dirty" insides. Once equip with his own enema kit, homeboy takes to the streets - determined to flush out those nasty "whores", starting with his neighbor, whom he sees getting boned by her boyfriend. Following this violating water-rape, the cops are on the trail, but the Enema Bandit isn't done. He spots two sisters eating each other out and decides to help 'em out by filling their bowels with fluid at gunpoint whilst subsequently getting his rocks off...
Plenty of blow jobs, some full-on sex, and of course, rectal water-spray! None of it is arousing in ANY sense, but I assure you it's all so ludicrous that it's hard not to laugh at. Jamie Gillis plays the insane, sleazy, misogynist enema-obsessed nut job exceptionally well and needs to be commended for being able to spank his monkey in bathtubs of brown water... That's legendary, if you ask me! Check out "Water Power" if you want a ridiculous and nasty 70s horror-porno oddity...
A voyeuristic degenerate hits up a sex club one night where he is, at his own request, familiarized with the process of administering a colonic. He takes an immediate liking to the whole practice and perception of cleansing a woman's "dirty" insides. Once equip with his own enema kit, homeboy takes to the streets - determined to flush out those nasty "whores", starting with his neighbor, whom he sees getting boned by her boyfriend. Following this violating water-rape, the cops are on the trail, but the Enema Bandit isn't done. He spots two sisters eating each other out and decides to help 'em out by filling their bowels with fluid at gunpoint whilst subsequently getting his rocks off...
Plenty of blow jobs, some full-on sex, and of course, rectal water-spray! None of it is arousing in ANY sense, but I assure you it's all so ludicrous that it's hard not to laugh at. Jamie Gillis plays the insane, sleazy, misogynist enema-obsessed nut job exceptionally well and needs to be commended for being able to spank his monkey in bathtubs of brown water... That's legendary, if you ask me! Check out "Water Power" if you want a ridiculous and nasty 70s horror-porno oddity...
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