Payback Time Triple Feature Blu-ray Review - Mill Creek (Blind Fury, Silent Rage, White Line Fever)

Release Date: May 16, 2017
Region A

The new triple feature Blu-ray from Mill Creek features a trio of action thrillers from the 70s and 80s making their North American Blu-ray debut. First on the bill is 1989's BLIND FURY from director Phillip Noyce in which a blind Vietnam War veteran (Rutger Hauer) returns home to America after many years to find and forgive his old war buddy but finds he is being held hostage and used to cook drugs while his family is in immense danger. After rescuing the man's insufferable son he sets out to find his old friend and what ensues is a bloody, violent sword fight mess in the vein of Zatoichi The Blind Swordsman. The film is cheesy and entertaining, never dragging or lingering too long on any one scene. While it is far from the Zatoichi films it is heavily inspired by it remains an entertaining piece of 80s action largely thanks to Rutger Hauer's charismatic performance.

If BLIND FURY was influenced by the Zatoichi character and series, SILENT RAGE blatantly and shamelessly rips off John Carpenter's seminal slasher Halloween, recreating most of the major scenes in the film and even moments from the sequel that would be made just a year before SILENT RAGE. Replacing the Dr. Loomis character played brilliantly by Donald Pleasance with Chuck Norris as a hard hitting, karate kicking sheriff gives the film a different vibe but rest assured it is absolutely Halloween through and through. The villain is a disturbed man on a rampage killing his family when he's shot down only to be revived by an experimental medicine that gives him super human healing abilities that make him almost totally unstoppable. It would have been hilarious to see Donald Pleasance fighting Michael Myers with karate kicks but it certainly wouldn't have looked as legitimate and intense as Chuck Norris is here in a mostly restrained performance that keeps the film away from being overly campy. Even the score hits the same beats and cues as Carpenter's original using the same (albeit lesser quality that will never be iconic) pulsing, pounding synth to add the sense of fear and dread to the picture. SILENT RAGE won't go down as Chuck Norris' best picture or his most memorable performance but it really is an entertaining ripoff of a classic horror film that steers the vehicle a bit more towards the action realm.

Rounding out the set is the oldest film included, WHITE LINE FEVER from 1975 starring Jan Michael Vincent as Carrol Jo Hummer, a big rig owner who comes to blows with the corrupt trucking industry that runs the show and has it out for Hummer and his pregnant wife. A series of chase scenes featuring multiple tractor trailers, shootouts and fight scenes make this one my favorite of the bunch. The country music soundtrack is a nice compliment to the sweaty, tough guy aesthetic of the film. Supporting roles from L.Q. Jones, Martin Kove, Slim Pickens and Dick Miller make sure the acting is up to snuff. This is the most personal film of the bunch and easily the one that will have you cheering on CJ's quest for revenge and justice against the despicable bigwigs and their henchmen.

Mill Creek has released these three films on a single 50gb Blu-ray disc and the films seem to fit comfortably with no compression issues thankfully which is possible in part because the release is bare bones when it comes to special features without so much as a trailer for the films. That's okay because the transfers range from pretty good to great, skewing towards the top end of that range. BLIND FURY looks the worst of the three films but still looks fine with good detail and colors. The issues with it are a bit of a noisier and softer look than the other two films. SILENT RAGE and WHITE LINE FEVER each have a warm look with strong detail levels and sharp colors. There's no issues with DNR. The anamorphic widescreens presentations are exactly how the films should be shown and there's no doubt these transfers all stand head and shoulders above any previous DVD releases. The lone audio track for each film is a HD Dolby stereo mix that sounds very good with no damage or background noise to interfere with your listening. English SDH subtitles are included.

It's an easy recommendation for the Payback Time Triple Feature from Mill Creek as it is a package of three films that rate high on the entertainment scale and a technical presentation that beats the bargain bin price tag.

The PAYBACK TIME TRIPLE FEATURE Blu-ray is available HERE

April Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge 2016 Days 1 & 2

To kick off an exploitation movie challenge I don't know if there's too many better places to start than with a Bill Zebub movie. He's made his name making movies filled with schlock, nudity and some off beat humor all on a micro budget. HOLOCAUST CANNIBAL was no different as we watch a group of Nazis struggle to survive the jungles of Argentina, which looks more like the woods behind your house than any exotic South American location. The Nazis have to deal with cannibal natives, sexy women, giant spiders and snakes. They continually get their ass kicked in slow motion. I rather enjoyed the film but found the constant slow motion editing and use of German metal for the soundtrack to become tedious. Nevertheless I'm a fan of the film and it was an appropriate way to kick things off.

ALLEY CAT is a film that I've wanted to see for quite a while as it is a rape/revenge film in the vein of Ms. 45 and Savage Streets - I knew ALLEY CAT would be right up my... ahem... alley. What I didn't get was a film nearly as mean or depraved as either of the films it is compared to. What I did get was a cheesy, karate filled revenge film with a prison shower scene that takes place in the smallest shower I've ever seen. Oh, and it's still got a good bit of that exploitative goodness to keep it just mean enough. It's not the cult classic that Savage Streets is and it isn't the masterpiece that I find Ms. 45 to be but it's damn entertaining and a really solid watch.

The final film of day one came from Frederick Friedel - BLOODY BROTHERS. This film takes Friedel's two feature films Axe and Kidnapped Coed and edits them together into a film of it's own in an attempt to make soe money from his movies after being swindled by producer Harry Novak on those films. Taking two separate films and managing to make an even somewhat cohesive third film by smashing them together is a commendable feat and Friedel manages just that. It's an interesting watch because it includes footage not seen in the final cuts of the film, notably in Axe where the market scene is longer. BLOODY BROTHERS isn't as good as either Axe or Kidnapped Coed but I respect what Friedel was able to pull off by making a presentable film.

Two movies for the second day and we start with PIGS. I'll be reviewing the brand new Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray of this title so I won't be going too in depth with it here but I really really liked PIGS and loved that it wasn't at all what I expected.

I finished things out with Larry Cohen's feature film directorial debut, BONE. This was a tense, mean, funny and uncomfortable commentary on race and class featuring an incredible performance by Yaphet Kotto who gives the most chilling lesson on smashing roaches that you'll ever see. The writing in this film is interesting and goes unexpected ways and really draws the viewer in and the cast as a whole pull off some nuanced performances that carry the script to a massively successful place. The film is flawed but it proves that exploitation films can be both poignant and smart.

Today's Rundown
Holocaust Cannibal - 6/10
Alley Cat - 7/10
Bloody Brothers - 5/10
Pigs - 8/10
Bone - 7/10

Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge 2015 - Days 4 and 5

The fourth day of the challenge started with a pair of movies on a double feature DVD that Troma has recently released called FROM ASIA WITH LUST Volume 1. Both films are from Japanese director Ainosuke Shibata whom I am not all familiar with. Interestingly enough I couldn't find any information about either of these films online while trying to research them a bit so I can't discuss anything other than what I saw... The first movie, CAMP, is a rape/revenge movie about two sisters who wreck their car and take solace with a young man at his home nearby. All hell breaks loose when the man's friends stop by and it is apparent that the entire group are recovering sex addicts of some sort and begin to brutally torture and humiliate the girls by punching them, tying them up and even going as far as forcing them to urinate so they can drink it. One of the sisters is able to escape and runs into a strange woman who turns out to be some kind of vigilante and teaches her to use a crossbow to hunt her captors and take revenge on them.

CAMP was certainly a roughy. It has some of the meanest content I've seen in recent years but falls apart as soon as the vigilante woman comes in to play as it all feels incredibly hokey and cheap afterwards. There's nothing terrifying about a cheap plastic crossbow that looks like it cost $20 at Wal  Mart and can barely get the arrows 15 feet to a practice target. There's even less to be intimidated by when the vigilante woman can barely hold or control her own weapon, a long bow. A weak twist finishes out the movie falling apart from something decent to something ultimately forgettable.

Then there was HITCH-HIKE, a remake of the film from 1977 that starred Franco Nero, where a bank robber is picked up while hitchhiking and ends up taking the couple in the car hostage and on a long terrifying road trip in search of an escape from the law hunting him. This remake is pretty bland and misses the ability of Nero and numerous other aspects that made the original something special, not least of which was a score by Ennio Morricone. It wasn't terrible but nothing special.

EFFECTS was next, a Pittsburgh based horror film from 1980 that was never released on home video before Synapse put it out in 2005. The film stars Joe Pilato and Tom Savini and is about a low budget horror film being made that is a front for the director actually making a snuff film out of the whole thing. I really enjoyed the last 30 minutes or so but the first 2/3 of the movie bored the piss out of me. It just takes too long to get going.

I switched gears for a bit and popped in an old favorite to end day 4. THE TOXIC AVENGER is the first movie of the challenge that wasn't new to me and it remains as incredibly campy, offensive, funny, and exciting as it ever was. I love the entire series to death and always will. This was the second movie of the month in which a pet dog is murdered... I wonder if that will become an unintentional theme going forward.

Day five started with another re-watch as I got to watch my new Blu-ray of EXTERMINATORS OF THE YEAR 3000. If you can't figure it out, this is Mad Max style exploitation. Post-nuke cheese where a guy named Alien helps a kid with a bionic arm find water for his group of survivors while Crazy Bull and his band of dirt bike riding baddies battle them in fantastically fun fights, chase scenes that are packed with explosions and action. This release is so much nicer than the old Code Red disc.

And the last movie for this post was EVE OF DESTRUCTION. I had pretty high hopes for this to be trashy sci-fi action but I have to say I was a bit let down. Gregory Hines stars as a military man assigned to track down and destroy an android type robot that is on a bit of a rampage. Little does he know that it's a nuclear weapon and in 24 hours will self destruct, taking 30 city blocks with it. Hines is good and the movie really isn't bad but slow moving and aside from 3 or 4 scenes it is pretty light on the action. Lower expectations would have left me with a better impression of this one.

Today's Rundown
Camp - 4.5/10
Hitch-Hike - 4/10
Effects - 4/10
Toxic Avenger - 8.5/10
Exterminators of the Year 3000 - 7/10
Eve of Destruction - 6/10

Zarra's Law (DVD Review) - Arc Entertainment

USA, Finland/2014
Directed By: Juha Wuolijoki
Written By: Joseph Scarpinito, Charles Kipps
Starring: Tony Sirico, Brendan Fehr, Erin Cummings
Color/79 Minutes/R
Region 1
Release Date: January 13, 2015

The Film
Tony is a retired cop who is infuriated when the man that murdered his brother is getting out of prison after serving only two years. Along with his nephew Gaetano, who is a military hardened lawyer, Tony busts down the doors of the city's organized crime family while Gaetano brings his hard ass stance in the courtroom to protect a wife and son of one of the mob's top guys before joining his uncle in a literal blaze of glory shootout.

ZARRA'S LAW is a crime thriller in the vein of countless others and ends up being little more than run-of-the-mill. It is an easy watch and a fast moving film. Too fast, perhaps as the 79 minute run time doesn't allow the story to reach the depth that it really needed to fully resonate with the audience. There's too many storylines and subplots going on to be more than briefly grazed over leaving any emotional sentiment to go by the way side.

ZARRA'S LAW is not a bad film as it features decent production values from top to bottom and the cast does a good job. Unfortunately it seems satisfied with being average and a rather typical example of the genre.

The Audio & Video
Arc Entertainment delivers ZARRA'S LAW on DVD with a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that looks good overall. Clarity and sharpness are solid for a standard definition presentation while the picture is clean and free of any damage. Black levels are handled better than I expected them to be with very little crush or compression issues. The 5.1 Dolby audio track sounds nice with a crisp mix that is stable and doesn't fluctuate. The mix between dialogue and score is complimentary and there's no background noise to speak of.

The Extras
Bare bones.

The Bottom Line
If you enjoy films based around organized crime or those seeking revenge ZARRA'S LAW is worth checking out via rental but don't expect to be blow

ZARRA'S LAW is available HERE

Rage (Blu-ray Review) - Image/RLJ

USA/2014
Directed By: Paco Cabezas
Written By: James Agnew, Sean Keller
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Rachel Nichols, Max Ryan
Color/98 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: August 12, 2014

The Film
Paul Maguire is a man with a violent past having spent his younger years in organized crime. When his wife was diagnosed with cancer he cleaned up his ways to make sure someone would always be there for their daughter. Now Maguire is on the hunt for the people responsible for kidnapping and murdering his teen daughter. It doesn't take Maguire long to fall back into his old ways and to contact his old crime family who help him track down all of their old enemies in order to find out who is behind the killing and why.

Nicolas Cage stars in this film written by the pair who wrote Dario Argento's weakest effort Giallo. Their names will forever be etched into my mind. Anyways, on topic, director Paco Cabezas delivers a pretty decent action thriller in the vein of Taken. Cabezas' direction adds a level of excitement to many of the action scenes, though he falls into the "shaky cam" trap a bit too often. Nic Cage's acting is surprisingly good throughout. He doesn't ham it up too much except for one rooftop scene where he delivers one of his signature freakouts. I tried not to laugh, but a Nic Cage freakout is usually hilarious. And there's even a role for Danny Glover, who is okay too.

RAGE isn't going to change the genre or blow you away but it manages to be a pretty decent and entertaining violent thriller in the mold of countless movies that have come before it.

The Audio & Video
Image/RLJ deliver an attractive Blu-ray for RAGE. The anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 transfer features great levels of detail and clarity. Skin tones are natural and fleshy while colors pop. The DTS-HD 5.1 audio track is robust and full bodied. The mix is excellent and there's no audible hiccups. 

Note: Screen shots taken from DVD copy.

The Extras
-The Making of RAGE
-Deleted scenes
-Alternate ending
-DVD copy of film

The Bottom Line
If you're looking for a new thriller filled with action or something new from familiar names you can do worse than RAGE. It isn't a perfect film but it was a pleasant surprise.

RAGE is available HERE

2014 Exploitation/B-Movie Challenge - Day 5

Day 5 began a viewing of THE TRAMPLERS, a spaghetti western directed by Albert Band and featuring Gordon Scott, Joseph Cotton, and Franco Nero. Quite the impressive cast. If only the movie was as impressive. THE TRAMPLERS is a pedestrian effort. The story is a family drama affair, which does lend a bit of excitement with the blood feud. There is nothing special about this film however, it doesn't set itself apart. If you're a big western fan it is worth checking out but if you're looking for the best examples of the genre you can skip this one. 5/10

Then came OUTPOST: RISE OF THE SPETSNAZ, this is the 3rd entry in the series and is a prequel. This is actually the first film I've seen from the series and I was surprised to find a decent action/horror film based around the Nazi zombies. I'll be reviewing the DVD in full so I'll just leave this one be. 5.5/10

The new Blu-ray of MS.45 has been calling my name for a few weeks since I got it. It's awesome. If you've never seen this film then stop reading and go watch it! It's a violent, mean, and nasty rape/revenge film where Thana, a mute seamstress in NYC is raped (repeatedly) and goes vigilante on men across the city. It is a damn near perfect piece of exploitation filmmaking from Abel Ferrara. 9/10

The night closed with DEMON RESURRECTION, a typical indie horror movie. Not bad, not great. It featured some cool design for the monsters and some nice boobs. There isn't a ton to say about it right now since I'll be reviewing this DVD as well. 6/10

Big Bad Wolf (DVD Review) - Horizon Movies

USA/2013
Directed By: Paul Morrell
Written By: Sydney Corpuscle
Starring: Charlie O'Connell, Natasha Alam, Marie Bollinger
92 Minutes/Color/Not Rated
Region 1

The Film
Huff (Charlie O'Connell) is a maniacal, bible obsessed stepfather to three girls who he abuses every way possible. Their mother is too weak to do anything to protect them. Huff makes his living dealing drugs, he has planned a major deal that will make him enough money to retire with his lover to Mexico. Huff rapes the eldest of his stepdaughters, which finally snaps the mother into being a bit of a mother. While Huff is gone she packs all of the drug money into backpacks for the girls and tells them to run and not look back. When Huff finds out that his money is gone and that he won't be able to pay off his cartel debts before the big deal he snaps and goes on a rampage killing his wife and hunting down the girls to get his money back, while the people he has terrorized have had enough and crave vengeance.

BIG BAD WOLF, originally titled HUFF, is an okay piece of revenge exploitation that was popular during the 70s. The main difference is that BIG BAD WOLF doesn't have the balls that films had decades ago. It seems the film makers wanted to make this film but were afraid to go too far with it as to not offend too a portion of the viewing audience. Paul Morrell's direction is adequate, never venturing far from comfort of standard framing and angles. He does manage to get some good performances out of the younger members of the cast, including the three stepdaughters and one boyfriend. Charlie O'Connell's performance in the lead is uneven, bouncing back and forth from menacing and sick to over the top and hammy. Unfortunately he spends more time in the latter. BIG BAD WOLF can best be summed up as an appetizer, or the training wheels on an exploitation film bike. It isn't enough for a main course and it doesn't give you the full exciting ride that films such as I Spit On Your Grave, Last House In The Left, or Night Train Murders do.

The Audio & Video
 Horizon Movies gives BIG BAD WOLF an attractive 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The image is clean and features strong detail levels. The audio stereo audio track is clear and steady, no background noise.

The Extras
Extras are limited to interviews and trailers.

The Bottom Line
BIG BAD WOLF barely whets the appetite but if you can find a good price on the DVD it isn't terrible and would be worth checking out if you're wondering if this type of film may be for you before you get into harder fare.

BIG BAD WOLF is available HERE

Punk Vacation (Blu-ray Review) - Vinegar Syndrome

USA/1990
Directed By: Stanley Lewis
Written By: Lance Smith, Harvey Richelson
Starring: Sandra Bogan, Stephen Fiachi
Color/93 Minutes/Not Rated

The Film
By 1990 the vigilante revenge film had dozens and dozens of entries and more than a few became legitimate cult classics. From Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey in the Death Wish series to the wonderfully gritty Exterminator, PUNK VACATION was a late entry into the popular genre that helped close the door on it. 

When a young motorcycle riding punker is pissed off that a soda machine doesn't have orange soda and then eats his money without giving him his drink he begins unleashing his rage on the machine. The owner of the diner where the machine sits comes out, immediately shoving a shotgun into the youth's face, telling him to leave. The punk returns shortly, bringing his gang with him and they begin to torture the diner owner's young daughter and end up murdering the man. When the cops show up the leader of the gang, our extremely tight wound orange soda fan, is injured in the incident and brought to the hospital to heal while being watched by the police.

After trying to get revenge for her fallen father, the diner owner's older daughter is kidnapped by the gang and tortured. This is where the movie really gets its meat and potatoes from as the small, tight-knit town tries to recuse one of their own as the gang of punks tries to do the same. It is a bit of cat and mouse from the punks and the desire for cold blooded revenge for the town which culminates in a wild shoot out climax in the hills of California. 

PUNK VACACTION is an entertaining enough revenge story but never goes far enough to make it a must-see in the genre. The small town setting is never utilized as the punks stay out in the hills and woods outside of town. This is a missed opportunity as seeing them confront other townsfolk in their shops, restaurants and neighborhoods could have made for a more exciting and tense viewing experience. From a technical standpoint this was Stanley Lewis' only directing credit and he does a fair job at the helm of the film, but there are a few instances with awkward framing and poor focusing of the camera. The cast is a bit hammy at times, especially the punks early on in the film, who come across as more of a bickering group of teens than a vicious group of outlaws. They do eventually come around to become a nasty bunch, thankfully. 

A bit fun, a bit violent, PUNK VACATION doesn't go the distance into exploitation classic but it does manage to be an overall decent and entertaining flick.


The Video 
This Blu-ray/DVD combo pack is region free on both discs courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome and is another knock out for the company. The 16:9 anamorphic widescreen transfer is taken from a 35mm print and looks pretty damn good from start to finish, with flesh tones looking nice and natural and colors of the punk's wardrobe and makeup being vibrant but not too hot. There is a bit of dirt and debris throughout the film but it doesn't take away from the quality of the transfer. I didn't notice any nasty mess-ups with the transfer such as excessive DNR or edge enhancement.

Please Note: Screenshots taken from DVD copy of the film

The Audio
The audio portion of the disc also fares very well with a DTS-HD track that is free of any pops, crackling or hissing.

The Extras
Along with an extensive still gallery, there are a pair of video interviews with actor/producer Stephen Fusci and Steven Rowland (producer's assistant and stuntman). Both men provide some insights into shooting the film.

Oh and if that isn't enough there is a bonus feature film, NOMAD RIDERS. I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but hell yes, what a great special feature. 

The Bottom Line
If the entertainment value of PUNK VACATION wasn't enough, the high quality package that Vinegar Syndrome has put together should be. Oh yeah, the fact that you get a bonus film in the special features makes this one a no-brainer.

PUNK VACTION is available HERE

Exploitation/B-Movie/Drive-In Challenge 2013 - Day 16

First up was MS. 45, the infamous film from Abel Ferarra (Bad Lieutenant, The Driller Killer). I have finally seen it and it was absolutely worth the wait. The film starts out not unlike other rape/revenge films, Thana is a young mute girl, working as a seamstress when she is viciously raped twice in one day. That is the seediness of New York City in the 70s and 80s for you, what a town. While Thana's first attacker gets away her second attacker meets the business end of an iron and then stuffed into the refrigerator to be disposed of slowly. Thana begins to not just take revenge on the men who attacked her, but any man who even looks at her in a breathtaking climax, this. This is what separates MS. 45 from the various other rape/revenge flicks that came before and after this. Thana wasn't out for revenge by the end, she had totally snapped and all men were a target. I want to write more on it but I'll save that for my next viewing.

Enzo G. Castellari's STREET LAW was next, starring Franco Nero as an everyday working man who is running errands when he is beaten and kidnapped during a violent robbery. When the police fail to do anything about the case and find his attackers Nero takes matters into his own hands. First he manages to make underground contacts and set traps for the assailants to get arrested but when that doesn't work and the violence continues he is forced to fight fire with fire alongside his new friend in a nice staged finale inside a giant garage/hangar. I expected this to be more of a Death Wish styled revenge flick but it was more than that and was a nicely paced and well written thriller for the majority of the film.

Today's Rundown
Ms. 45 - 9.5/10
Street Law - 7.5/10

ASSASSINS - Michael Bonomo

There is an up and coming director by the name of Michael Bonomo that is in the pre-production stages of his debut feature film, ASSASSINS. Michael Bonomo recently launched his website that contains news, updates and everything else you'd ever want to know about his projects along with his music videos, trailers and short films that have played in film festivals throughout the world. The link to the website can be found under the Pages of Interest section to the right, or simply click here.

Like all independent films, funding is necessary and sometimes difficult to come by, ASSASSINS is no different in that fact. ASSASSIN has a donation page at IndieGoGo with some seriously cool perks if you donate certain levels, but anything you can afford is accepted and graciously welcomed. I have no personal investment in this film other than wanting to help out a director with a lot of promise get a project with just as much promise to be the best it can be. Sometimes as horror, cult movies or independent film fans we have to help each other out in getting a project to be all that it can be. This is a personal post about a director I'm excited to see more from, and a film I think can be really great. Even if you can't donate right now, check out the project because it is something I think you will all enjoy.

ASSASSINS

Synopsis: Life changed for Chris that Thursday evening. The brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend has left him shaken. More than that, he is haunted by the face of a man he doesn’t know, just a stranger Chris saw walking down the street moments before he opened the door to his ex-girlfriend’s apartment. Moments before a large part of his world came crashing down.

And it is not about to get better.

Only a week later, Chris finds himself faced with yet another stranger, a man who claims to know who his ex-girlfriend’s killer is. The stranger’s name is Simon and the explanation he gives to Chris makes his blood run cold. The man who murdered his ex-girlfriend is an extremely dangerous man, a contract killer, and the fact that Chris has seen his face can only mean one thing: he will be coming back around to make sure Chris doesn’t share what he knows.

He will be coming soon to kill him.

Simon, a bounty hunter who has been tracking the mysterious killer for nearly a decade, has a plan. As he has never laid eyes on the killer, Simon will lure him out into the open so that Chris can identify him. Then he will take him down. But Simon might not be as helpful as he appears to be and Chris quickly finds himself becoming a pawn in a very deadly game of retribution between two savage men willing to do whatever it takes to see the other man dead.

Director/Co-Writer: Michael Bonomo
Story By/Co-Writer: Dave Grant
Producer: Ann Nguyen
Cinematographer: Noel Maitland
Composer: Kristen Baum
Sound Designer: Joe Iemola
Make Up Effects: Amber Skowronski
Sound Engineer: Tyler McDonald

Starring:
Bill Oberst Jr…..Nathan
David Pesta……..Christopher Collins
Andre Tenerelli….Detective Berger/Simon Orano
Dove Benari……..Tommy Collins
Katie Molinaro…..Erin

In A Glass Cage (1987)

That was draining.

Klaus is a former Nazi doctor who found a fetish for loving, torturing and killing young boys while serving under the Swastika. His sickness continues into his isolation until a failed suicide attempt leaves him paralyzed and dependent on an iron lung. His wife Griselda and daughter Rena live with him and care for him while a maid handles the housework. One day Angelo comes to the home offering his services as a nurse for Klaus. Griselda immediately dislikes the man and tells him to leave but Klaus insists on him staying, even after it becomes clear Angelo has no medical training.

It is soon revealed that Angelo was a boy Klaus tormented. Angelo stole the diary that deeply detailed the crimes Klaus committed, and is now reading the stories back to Klaus and recreating the events. Angelo is set on punishing Klaus for his crimes but is obsessed with becoming the same man Klaus was. Angelo slips deeper and deeper into his childhood tormentor's mind until he finally believes he is Klaus and sends Rena into his own role.

Tras el Cristal, or, In A Glass Cage is a beautifully crafted film from director Augusti Villaronga. It is filled with images that will stick in your mind long after the credits roll. Horrible images. Beautiful images. And more often than not, a bizarre mixture of the two. The cast is more than convincing in bringing the great script to life.

This is much more than a horror film. In A Glass Cage will push you and challenge your personal limits. It isn't a fun movie, and never claims to be. You won't sit down with a big bag of popcorn or some Sour Patch Kids and have a blast while watching this. If you do decide to watch it you'll find something strangely beautiful, made with great skill and artistic vision. This is a great film.

9/10

The New Kids (1985)

What do you get when you put Aunt Becky from Full House, bad 80s music, too many montages and a pack of small town high school drug dealing gang members together? THE NEW KIDS.

When Loren (Shannon Presby) and his sister Abby (Lori Loughlin) lose both of their parents in an accident they move to a small town in Florida to live with their aunt and uncle who have just purchased a run down amusement park to fix up. All seems well as the siblings help their aunt and uncle and attend their new high school until the local trouble makers, lead by Gordo, place a bet on who can go to bed with Abby first. After several unpleasant encounters which don't lead any of the hooligans to the sack and hurt their ego and light their temper the gang decides to vandalize the newly renovated amusement park and their prized Cadillac. After a few nastier and more personal encounters Loren decides to end it and beats up one of the gang in the school parking lot to cheers of his friends and classmates. It is this moment that causes Gordo to go over the edge and want blood. Abby is kidnapped during a school dance and tortured by the gang until the final bloody showdown inside of the amusement park's walls.

Director Sean S. Cunningham, best known for popularizing the slasher film with 1980's Friday The 13th, gives us a somewhat nasty thriller that is really a story of two halves. The first half is a decent set up but we are required to really believe that these redneck teenagers are some major threat to the town and are dangerous without seeing to much to make us believe that at all. Five or six hick kids with shotguns in the back of a pickup truck just shooting into the air isn't all that frightening. Eventually we get to see their nastier side before the finale which was an important save. The soundtrack is as 80s as it gets, and not in a good way. Every time there is a montage, and there are plenty, we get a song that really really wishes it was in any better 80s movie. When we aren't being treated to such soothing songs of empowerment and triumph we get to listen to an ill-fitting score. The thing that keeps THE NEW KIDS from being more of a stand out 80s movie is the weak first half and that it feels like a movie wanting to be an 80s movie.

For all of its flaws and the fact that it is certainly dated THE NEW KIDS succeeds moderately as a revenge thriller.

6/10

Hobo With A Shotgun (2011)

For the past few years fans have been eagerly awaiting the finished product of co-writer and director Jason Eisener's film that some of us first got a glimpse of as a faux trailer during the theatrical run of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse. Four years later and we have the actual feature film of HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN and it doesn't disappoint.

Rutger Hauer stars as the title character who rides into a city best known as "Scum Town" on the rails (as any hobo would) and quickly finds that the town is controlled by a criminal known as The Drake (Brian Downey) and his two sons Slick (Gregory Smith) and Ivan (Nick Bateman). The cops are dirty, the people live in fear and the homeless community is constantly exploited for money or dirty deeds. With little more than a dream of buying a lawnmower to start his own business Hobo sees just how nasty the city really is. Sticking up for a young prostitute named Abby (Molly Dunsworth) that is being harassed by one of The Drake's sons, Hobo throws himself into the middle of the dirt and corruption the city is filled with. After the cops help attack him to get revenge for his act of defiance Abby offers him a bed to sleep in for the night and friendship.

After Hobo gathers enough money to buy a mower from the pawn shop he becomes a victim of a hold up while in the store. When the masked men threaten to kill a crying baby Hobo has had enough and grabs a shotgun from the shelf and quickly ends the situation, then turns his attention to cleaning up the city. When no criminal is safe there is plenty of bloodshed and it all leads to a showdown with Drake and The Plague, a duo of heavily armed and armored bikers who look like they came straight from an 80s Escape From New York rip off (love it) and drag coffins behind their motorcycles much like Django.

Where do I even start to sum up my thoughts? From top to bottom the movie is spectacular. It captures the feel of the movies it is an homage of perfectly and gives winks and nods to many genres and specific films. Eisener's direction is great, with a rich color palette throughout and using the few locations in the movie to make it feel much larger than it actually is. The synth driven score is aided by a couple of well placed songs that feels like it was straight from the 70s or 80s. The effects are so over the top at time its ridiculous, but never in a bad way. They're well done and will have you laughing and cheering. Pacing is spot on as well, clocking in at a brisk 85 minutes there isn't much time for a lull in the action or story. This is what Machete should have been. This is closer to 42nd St. in New York during the 70s than Grindhouse could ever hope to be, and I love Grindhouse.

I don't know what else to say except that HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN is a fun fucking movie but serious in tone so it never borders on being hokey. It was worth the 4 year wait and will have endless replay value. It amazes me that this movie was made in 2010 and is getting a wide(ish) release. When it comes to a theater near you, go see it. When you see it on demand on whatever cable provider you have, order it. Buy the DVD or Blu Ray. Just see it. It is worth your time and money.

8.5/10

The Grindhouse Experience Chapter 6: The Executioner Part II (1984)

When you think of a movie that is so bad it's good what do you think of? Troll 2? The Room? Pieces? A large portion of Troma's library? Well... Its time to add The Executioner Part 2 to that list.

Director James Bryan (Lady Streetfighter, Don't Go In The Woods) delivers this action/exploitation film about a Vietnam vet who is fed up with the crime in his neighborhood and takes action to fix it. This is a story we saw throughout the reign of the drive-in and gritty grindhouse theater. It is violent, obscene and tries its hardest to be nasty. It just never reaches the level of "nasty". It is an obvious cash in on more than a couple movies of its time. It has a pretty hilarious Rambo monologue scene ripoff and countless scenes of violence that are done far more effectively in hundreds of other movies. The charm of this movie comes in its entire package. You'll recognize almost everything that happens from one place or another. Even if you can't put your finger on where it came from you'll know it.

The Executioner Part II sounds like a sequel, right? Well, there is no part 1. That's right, this movie is titled 'Part 2' for a reason, but not because it is a sequel. Don't ask me why, because I have no idea. It is just one of the reasons it has such an entertaining charm to it. Actors voices change in the middle of sentences, laughably underacted scenes, surprisingly overacted scenes... you name it. Its fun. I'd be willing to bet all of my worldly possessions it wasn't meant to have this charm but it does.

The poster shows what would have made this move and instant cult classic, laser guns, exploding helicopters, an entire city on fire in the background... As it is this is a movie that seems to be (very) slowly building it's place in history as a cult classic for being so bad its good.

Just don't forget the beers.