So after a few "Django" movies yesterday I decided to start today with a movie starring the real Django, Franco Nero. That would be the 1981 Cannon Films cheesefest ENTER THE NINJA. Franco Nero is a man who has just completed "ninja school" and goes to visit his old war buddy when he discovers that he and his wife are being terrorized by local oil tycoons for their land that is a veritable goldmine. As the baddies ramp up their game from running off the couple's plantation workers, despite their pleas and high wages, to kidnapping Nero steps in to help out his friends, which turns to revenge in a final showdown with a ninja from his past who isn't a fan of his. This flick was pretty good. It had a lot of fun moments and the cast for such a flick was actually really decent from Nero to the co-starring Susan George. It didn't quite get to that special level of entertainment that many Cannon Films do but it was a fun little romp.
To my delight the quasi-sequel to ENTER was also on demand for free and that is REVENGE OF THE NINJA from 2 years later. Now this one does reach that special place that its predecessor did not. Having nothing to do with the previous installment in this trilogy, REVENGE is about a man who loses his entire family in Japan except his mother and his baby son at the hands of a clan of ninjas. 6 years later he is in L.A. and trying to lead a normal life when a friend of his uses him without his knowledge to help distribute heroin and puts the man's family in further danger. When he finds out what it is going on, well... it is time for the ninja to get his revenge. This flick is ridiculously awesome. With everything from heroin dolls to a grown woman attacking a small child with a metal pole, an old ninja granny to shooting stars through the eyes, blood fountains and extended rooftop fight scenes it really is endless entertainment from start to finish. Good stuff.
Since the final installment of the trilogy wasn't on demand with them I had to take another route for today's viewing and it led me to one of the more bizarre pieces of cinema I've ever seen... and that says a lot. Take Michael Jackson's Thriller, orgies, weird werewolf electric drill cocks, Richard Nixon fucking girls with his big nose, and black magic throw them in a time portal blender and you'll begin to understand exactly what DRILLER from Wild Eye Releasing is all about. This is an adult spoof of MJ's Thriller video and just fucking weird and hilarious. The Richard Nixon character is the definition of movie insanity and the rest of the film isn't far behind. And yes, there are dance numbers. Of course there are dance numbers.
The night closed with a giallo I'd never seen before, THE IGUANA WITH THE TONGUE OF FIRE from director Riccardo Freda. Made in 1971 this was an earlier entry into the explosion of the genre but unfortunately it feels more like a later entry that is just going through the motions. The story is bland, the characters are standard and the killer reveal isn't much of a surprise at all. There are a few really nasty kills and a well staged chases scene through a foggy town and drawbridge but in between these moments the investigation scenes there isn't much to latch on to. The entertaining bits and a solid score from the always reliable Stelvio Cipriani kept this one from being a total loss. It is a shame it wasn't better because it has one of the best giallo titles ever.
Today's Rundown
Enter The Ninja - 6/10
Revenge Of the Ninja - 7.5/10
Driller - 5/10
The Iguana With The Tongue Of Fire - 5.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment