MODEL HUNGER - Wild Eye Releasing (DVD Review)

USA/2016
Directed By: Debbie Rochon
Written By: James Morgart
Starring: Lynn Lowry, Tiffany Shepis, Brian Fortune
Color/85 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: July 12, 2016

The Film
When a new younger couple move in to the neighborhood they find that the elder residents are pretty boring but the town has a growing list of young women who have gone missing. Eventually suspicion turns to Ginny, a sweet southern lady who loves to share her cooking with the neighborhood.

MODEL HUNGER is the directorial debut of former scream queen Debbie Rochon. Rochon made her name in such films as Slime City and Troma cult classics like Tromeo & Juliet and Terror Firmer. The time spent in front of the camera doesn't necessarily translate to skill behind it and while Rochon is in no way shape or form a virtuoso behind the camera she seems to have picked up enough know-how to put together a competent production. Working with a veteran cast including Lynn Lowry (I Drink Your Blood) in one of her better and more charismatic performances of her career and Tiffany Shepis who is not stranger to B-horror and has worked with Rochon on a number of occasions certainly makes things easier on a rookie director but Rochon never trips up and proves she can helm a horror movie.

That veteran cast does exactly what you'd expect, giving sturdy and believable performances. Lowry is definitely the star of the movie as she piles on the southern charm before becoming brutally psychotic over and over again. MODEL HUNGER will satisfy most gore hounds with plenty of blood on a fairly high body count. It also has a few gross out moments that will have you squirming and laughing. Along with the graphic violence, MODEL HUNGER also has an underlying commentary on the entertainment industry that frankly plays second fiddle to the more extreme aspects of the picture. You don't have to dig deep to find the commentary but it's easily brushed off and forgotten about as it seems the script never wanted to be too headstrong with it. There is an inherent weirdness to MODEL HUNGER that I appreciated as a popular topic within the film is an infomercial for bizarre, sexy and downright weird clothing. Imagine if John Waters ran QVC and you're heading down the right track.

MODEL HUNGER is flawed, rough around the edges and obviously from a first time director but everybody is fully on board with the project and gives everything they have to make the best horror movie they can and I feel they turned out a successful independent production that will get more and more positive attention as audiences discover it.

The Audio & Video
Wild Eye Releasing gives MODEL HUNGER a home on DVD that appropriately translates the digital photography to a solid 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The picture quality is good with relatively good sharpness and clarity. The overall look of the disc is nice and natural. The English audio is loud and clear with stable levels in a pretty strong mix that is free of any distortions.

The Extras
-Audio commentary with director Debbie Rochon
-Deleted Scenes
-Music Video
-Voltaire Interview
-Babette Bombshell short film
-Trailers
-Easter Eggs

The Bottom Line
Is MODEL HUNGER perfect? No, but it is quite entertaining with a raw energy brought to us by one of the most notable scream queens that shows she's still hungry to make fun horror movies.

MODEL HUNGER is available HERE

THE PERFECT HUSBAND - Artsploitation Films (Blu-ray Review)

Italy/2014
Directed By: Lucas Pavetto
Written By: Lucas Pavetto
Starring: Bret Roberts, Gabriella Wright
Color/85 Minutes/Not Rated
Region A
Release Date: July 26, 2016

The Film
Nicola and Viola are recovering from a miscarriage of their first child and decide to take a trip to a family cabin in the woods to rekindle the flame of their marriage and work through some issues but the weekend quickly turns into a violent, paranoid blood rage that will leave both husband and wife fighting for their life.

THE PERFECT HUSBAND is my first exposure to Italian filmmaker Lucas Pavetto and I hope I run into his work again soon if it's up to par with THE PERFECT HUSBAND. The film is in English and the production features actors from English speaking backgrounds but it is quickly apparent that Pavetto's first language isn't English. While there's no major issues with dialogue there are little things throughout that just don't sound like how native English speakers would talk. It's not a major issue however, and that is one of my biggest problems with the movie. Otherwise I think the acting is very good with strong performances from both Gabriella Wright and Bret Roberts. Roberts giving an especially raw performance that channels his inner Jack Nicholson from The Shining.

There's actually quite a few things that remind me of Stanley Kubrick's classic film that was adapted from a Stephen King novel. Lucas Pavetto's use of a secluded setting to isolate a couple that isn't in the best mental state, all the way down to Nicola's wardrobe and appearance consisting of a plaid shirt, disheveled hair all while creating mayhem with an axe. The strong psychological element is also present however in a different way.

THE PERFECT HUSBAND is a violent film, with lots of blood spraying around and thankfully the majority of the effects are practical. There was only one moment that stood out as poorly rendered CGI blood. At times it can be an uneasy viewing experience from several viewpoints. On top of the bloody violence there's also rape, physical abuse that doesn't hold back and the broken psyche of a couple on the edge of a total breakdown. Throughout the majority of the film there's never a true protagonist as both Nicola and Viola have plenty of moments where the audience is given plenty of reason to find them quite unlikeable and at fault for at least some of the problems this marriage is faced with. Then the finale hits and reveals the truth which sort of flips the film on its head. I found the ending to be a bit hamfisted and clunky, perhaps on future viewings knowing it is coming would make it a bit smoother but on this first time viewing it hits like a bout of turbulence in an airplane - It comes out of nowhere, it's shaky and thankfully it didn't ruin the journey. It works but it could have been much smoother.

The Audio & Video
The Blu-ray from Artsploitation Films is gorgeous. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio transfer is sharp with vivid colors, including deep crimson reds and inky blacks. Detail is strong in everything from textures of clothing to surfaces such as the wood in the cabin or the rough rocks at a waterfall. There's no damage or excessive DNR to this very nice looking disc. The English audio is handled with a 5.1 surround sound mix that has a sparkling crystal clear mix. Dialogue and music never compete for the foreground as they compliment each other as they should. The audio is free of distracting background noise or any distortions.

The Extras
Extra features include the original short film, a behind the scenes featurette and a selection of trailers.

The Bottom Line
THE PERFECT HUSBAND is well made, bloody violent and carried by great performances. Well worth your time.

THE PERFECT HUSBAND is available HERE

SHARK EXORCIST - Wild Eye Releasing (DVD Review)

USA/2015
Directed By: Donald Farmer
Written By: Donald Farmer
Starring: Angela Kerecz, Bobby Kerecz, Alaine Huntington
Color/70 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: June 28, 2016

The Film
After a nun makes a sacrifice to Satan a local lake is under attack by a demonic shark which is leaving bloody bodies washing up on the shore. The danger spreads to land as one of the shark's victims survives but becomes possessed by evil forces. It's up to a local priest and a local co-ed to exorcise her friend's demons and send the demon shark back to where it came.

There has to be a certain mindset going into a movie with the title of SHARK EXORCIST. In fact, at this point cheesy shark movies have become so prevalent that the mindset is almost second nature. You have to turn off a certain critical part of your brain to enjoy these movies of giant sharks with multiple heads, or sharks that have mutated with other creatures, or sharks that attack inside tornadoes or in this case are possessed by Satan. They're not meant to be high art and often they're not even meant to be taken seriously. They're meant to laugh at and with whle giving you that campy entertainment that only a giant 3 headed killer shark octopus monster from hell in a tornado could give you. Am I mixing up movies here?

SHARK EXORCIST is a very low budget independent production centering around a highly publicized CGI shark in a lake doing all the killing. This movie would pretty much not exist if people didn't keep tempting their luck and going into this lake where they know a shark is lurking, though nobody questions how a shark made it into a lake. This is where me turning off the critical part of my brain just didn't work.

SHARK EXORCIST only runs 70 minutes total, and only an hour of that is the actual movie, the rest is end credits and following a very minor character around a gift shop filled with aquatic gifts including stuffed shark plush toys that she loves. The last ten minutes drag as much as the actual movie. The 60 minutes of SHARK EXORCIST feel twice as long. For a movie that barely qualifies as a feature length movie there's a ton of filler that doesn't need to be here and could have been cut. I won't fault the film for being low budget and having special effects that amount to little more than red food coloring being splashed around but I will fault it for being an absolutely dreadful script by Donald Farmer. Farmer's writing has no depth or real purpose and ends up being a mess of trying to mash up two classic films into on B-movie idea. SHARK EXORCIST might have been silly fun had Farmer went full bore on ripping off Jaws and The Exorcist instead all we get is some vomiting and a half assed attempt at an exorcism where someone says "We're going to need a bigger cross."

Ultimately SHARK EXORCIST will simply exist in a universe of shitty shark movies and it won't have a real identity to it. It's a poorly made movie with choppy editing, amateur performances that don't get any help from their director who also wrote the piss poor script that they're destined to fail with. I'll admit that I'm ready for this self aware B-movie shark love fest to be finished. So-bad-they're-good  movies are entertaining because they genuinely try their best to make a good movie and the shit that ends up being made organically has a real charm to it. These intentionally bad and ridiculous movies have run their course and the well has run dry. It's apparent that it's now little more than an excuse to make a shitty movie.

The Audio & Video
Wild Eye Releasing's DVD of SHARK EXORCIST looks good. Colors are lifelike and vivid with and overall crisp look to the anamorphic widescreen transfer. The 2.0 English audio is clear with a well done mix between dialogue and soundtrack levels. The audio is free of any distortions.

The Extras
A collection of trailers for other Wild Eye films is included as the lone extra.

The Bottom Line
Turning the critcial part of my brain off failed here. SHARK EXORCIST was awful and has little to no redeemable or enjoyable qualities to it. I always try to point out the positives within any film I review even if I hate the movie but sometimes it's better to just cut it off.

SHARK EXORCIST is available HERE

THE CANDY TANGERINE MAN/LADY COCOA - Vinegar Syndrome (Blu-ray Review)

USA/1975
Directed By: Matt Cimber
Written By: Mikel Angel
Starring: John Daniels, Lola Falana
Color/183 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: July 26, 2016
Blu-ray/DVD

The Films
By 1975 Matt Cimber was no rookie when it came to making exploitation films. The veteran of sleazy, sexy and offbeat cinema released a pair of blaxploitation films that are wildly entertaining examples of the genre.

THE CANDY TANGERINE MAN was released first and to put it bluntly, is one of the finer pieces of blaxploitation I've seen. John Daniels plays The Baron, a pimp who cruises around town in his tangerine and cream colored Rolls Royce. Unlike most pimps The Baron is living two lives with a family back in the suburbs who don't know about his time spent on the city streets. The Baron uses his earnings from his pimping to give his family the best life he can but that all comes to a halt when one of his rivals mutilates one of his girls and leaves him with no business. The Baron doesn't take kindly to this, or the two cops that constantly harass him or anyone that is trying to screw him and he decides to handle the last of his business before hanging up his pimp hat and parking his tangerine Rolls for good.

THE CANDY TANGERINE MAN hits on all of the key notes used in exploitation films - from the charismatic and memorable lead, to the sense of style, violence and nudity it's all here and in droves. That's why we love these movies and that's why I love this one. And we can't overlook the catchy theme song performed by the funk band Smoke. Matt Cimber takes THE CANDY TANGERINE MAN and pushes it passed the surface level entertainment that most exploitation films are satisfied creating. The Baron is our protagonist and could easily be viewed as a grimy criminal who is exploiting women - he is a pimp after all. The Baron is more than just a pimp, he's a caretaker, not just to the family he has back in the suburbs but to the troubled women that work for him. He pays them well and if they don't belong working the streets he tells them so and tries to get them to get far away from the slime that walks the streets at night who would gladly use them up until they're nothing, like one of his rival pimps who says "Man, this gal is gonna make me ten thousand big ones before she wears that slot out!" - Easily one of the sleaziest things I've ever heard in a movie and while I love the line, The Baron's reaction to seeing this girl hooking gives us an immediate glimpse into who the man really is.

It's that link back to human decency that makes The Baron one of the most memorable and most likable characters in all of exploitation cinema in my opinion and raises THE CANDY TANGERINE MAN from an awesome and frankly pretty well made movie to a true classic.

LADY COCOA is not THE CANDY TANGERINE MAN. I am a fan of LADY COCOA, I think it's a well made movie with a gorgeous lead, some fun and interesting locations and a nice little twist ending but it is not the film that CTM is. That isn't to say you should sell it short because while the film takes a little bit to really start rolling once it does it's one mother of a good time.

Cocoa is an inmate who has been granted a reprieve from prison in exchange for testimony against her mobster boyfriend. Cocoa uses her freedom to get dolled up and go to the casino with her undercover police escorts but unfortunately some hitmen are a step ahead of her and create trouble around every turn.

Lola Falana stars as Cocoa, a gorgeous woman with a voice that takes a bit to get used to. Nobody's perfect. Much of the early film is Cocoa bickering with her police escort about just what she is and is not allowed to do. There's quite a bit of sexual tension building and eventually he gives in and lets her go down to the bar and dance and drink with another couple but there's more people on the mob's payroll than they bargained for and eventually business picks up, bodies pile up and engines rev up with fights, shoot outs and a car chase that goes straight through the casino!

LADY COCOA starts out a bit slow while building the story but your patience will pay off with a funky little film that hits all the right notes for a good time with some popcorn and a 40oz.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome gives this double feature of Matt Cimber films their HD debut. Sadly the negatives were disposed before Cimber evre had a chance to get them back. The 35mm print used for CTM was obviously worn and damaged but it was all there. The 2K scan makes this Blu-ray the best possible presentation of CTM that we're going to get and thankfully it looks good. There are plenty of flaws with scratches and speckling but there's also solid detail in textures and surfaces and great color reproduction from the vibrant car to fleshy and healthy skin tones. There's no sign of crush in the black levels which are nice and deep.

LADY COCOA fare better and looks crisp and sharp. Everything that was good about CTM is even better with COCOA. Skin tones are even nicer, and while the production certainly wasn't as lush as CTM the colors are vivid and strong. Both films feature anamorphic 16x9 widescreen transfers. The audio on each film is handled with a DTS-HD Master Audio mono track that are clear as crystal. There's no background noise, or damage and it's free of any wobble, popping or hiss. English subtitles are included.

The Extras
A commentary track on LADY COCOA with director Matt Cimber and actor/director's assistant John Goff along with a video introduction for THE CANDY TANGERINE MAN are included as the on disc extras. The cover art is reversible to prominently display either film based on your preference.

The Bottom Line
Exploitation film fans' collections just got better with this release of two great blaxploitation flicks. Highly recommended.

THE CANDY TANGERINE MAN / LADY COCOA is available HERE

SUN CHOKE (2015)

USA/2015

Directed By: Ben Cresciman

Written By: Ben Cresciman

Starring: Sarah Hagan, Barbara Crampton, Sarah Malakul Lane

In Theaters August 5, 2016

VOD/iTunes Release Date: August 2, 2016

Sarah Hagan stars as Janie, a young woman who is recovering from her latest violent psychotic episode with the natural holistic treatment of her nanny Irma (Barbara Crampton). Janie's progress takes a turn for the worse when she develops an immediate obsession with another young woman named Savannah (Sarah Malakul Lane). Janie's longing for freedom from Irma and her new found obsession drive Janie to an increasingly violent and damaging place that she may not be able to return from.

SUN CHOKE is very much a film that relies on its central performances due to its rather minimalist nature. There's not much in the way of special effects, fancy camerawork or sweeping landscapes to take the viewer's attention away from the characters. Sarah Hagan and Barbara Crampton are entirely responsible for this film's chance at being successful and they come through with flying colors. Crampton is perfectly overbearing, giving a smothering performance repeatedly ordering Janie to perfect various mental and physical tests with a stern and more than slightly disturbing force to her show of love. Hagan reminds me of a younger Jennifer Connelly and I'm a big fan of Jennifer Connelly. Hagan's performance is mentally distant and cloudy, as she is near perfect in her portrayal of the mentally damaged young woman who seems to never see her actual family. The more that is revealed about Janie the more depth Hagan brings to her performance and that all comes to a head when her attraction to Savannah drives her to what is perhaps her craziest. Sarah Malakul Lane is only in the film sporadically until the finale but she gives a brave and desperate performance as a genuinely beautiful person who is dragged into a nightmare scenario. The trio of females really make the script work. I never question their dialogue or emotion, it all feels genuine and damn near flawless. 

While there's nothing especially flashy about SUN CHOKE that doesn't stop it from grabbing the audience with some gorgeous photography. Plenty of tight closeups and interesting exposures and lighting give the film an artistic flair that raises it up another notch to match the screenplay and performances. Writer/director Ben Cresciman has created a really fantastic film from top to bottom and deserves immense praise for writing a simple yet deeply effective script and pairing it with an equally effective visual presentation. 

SUN CHOKE is a tight production that is down right chilling at its core and is absolutely worth your time.

MASKS - Reel Gore Releasing #2 - Sales Sheet/Info

HARLOT / TIJUANA BLUE - Vinegar Syndrome (DVD Review)

USA/1970, 1971
Directed By: Howard Ziehm
Written By: Howard Ziehm, Frank Cozart
Starring: Fran Spector, Marsha Bishop, Bill Pruner
Color/156 Minutes/X
Region FREE
Release Date: May 31, 2016

The Films
This double feature fro director Howard Ziehm is an interesting pair of early 70s smut that takes us to opposite extremes of the early days of porn. HARLOT plays out in an almost episodic manner, following the sexual exploits of best friends Mary and Melody as Melody plays catch up to her far more sexually open friend. We see each adventure get a little crazier than the last, including a scene where a man carries her around in powerbomb position (non pro wrestling fans should Google what a powerbomb is) while eating her out. I can't say in good faith that I'd never thought about that but seeing it played out was as ridiculous as I had pictured.

TIJUANA BLUE adds a rougher and dirtier element to the double feature, as we follow a man named Jamie on his quest to complete a drug run to earn money to pay for an abortion for his girlfriend but gets caught up in much seedier and violent things in the underbellies of Tijuana and Los Angeles. There's some serious hot and heavy action going on mixed with a competent story that adds a certain grit to the sticky feeling beneath your shoes. It's a mix of everything exploitation films can offer.

The Audio & Video
Vinegar Syndrome has restored and scanned both films in 2K from original 16mm vault elements. They're still rough around the edges at times with speckling and scratches but both films have a nice quality overall that is fitting for porn from the era. I can't say the image is pristine or that it shines but I'm more than happy with how things look in the 1.33:1 full frame transfer. The Dolby Digital English mono audio tracks sound fine as well despite some slight instances of background noise. Otherwise the tracks are perfectly listenable and mixed well.

The Extras
Director Howard Ziehm provides audio commentary for both films.

The Bottom Line
This entry into Vinegar Syndrome's Peekarama Collection is an unassuming double feature that gives us a wide range of sexy fun and entertainment from the light hearted to downright dirty and mean. There's something for every fan of vintage X rated fare.

HARLOT / TIJUANA BLUE is available HERE