Reviews

Schlocktober 2024 #8: Thanksgiving (2023)

(7/10): Eli Roth proves that there is a bit more to him than just gore.

Thanksgiving is about a group of teens who, one year ago manage to sneak into the local store during the most intense time of the year, the Black Friday riots, and unintentionally cause the store to be stampeded by customers injuring and killing dozens, and they of course have a video posted all over social media of a recording of the incident. Now the store is reopening its big Black Friday deals with extra security but, someone isn't very happy about it and begins dressing as a pilgrim and targeting specific people who were involved in the tragedy of last year's events and every one of them are on his list.

SPOILER TERRITORY IF YOU STILL HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET

So I find that this was very satisfying in the gore department but also it did have me surprised with the mystery elements thrown in, and I wouldn't have guessed who the killer actually was.

It has a decent amount of twists within the plot of the film that kept me interested throughout.

But with anything helmed by the famed gorehound, the kills were the highlight.

We get a woman getting her face burned on a grill, a head annihilated by a parade float, broken arms, a woman literally basted and cooked like a turkey and much more nasty gore courtesy of Eli Roth.

The costume design for the killer is simple but very effective and the sets are very well designed.

With the film having a decent number of twists it has solid tension throughout its runtime.

It's got an atmosphere that feels rather carefree but also festive and suspenseful at the same time.

The Killer is really smart with how they approach their grand plan and the mystery adds a slight giallo feel to it as well.

Really recommended for the Thanksgiving holiday, and is a welcome addition to the small group of Thanksgiving themed horror films.

Schlocktober 2024 #7: Dave Made A Maze (2017)

(8/10): A Testament to the Power of Creativity!

In all seriousness this film is extremely imaginative, original and visually brilliant.

Dave Made A Maze is simple, a woman gets back from her weekend away to find her apartment living room with a cardboard fort in it and her boyfriend claiming that he is stuck inside and can't find his way out.

She is told not to wreck it and every time she tells him to come out he says that he can't.

She contacts a friend and eventually word gets out and their apartment is filled with friends and even a camera crew.

He warns them not to come inside but she goes in anyways to rescue him and pretty much everyone follows.

They are then amazed that the cardboard maze is absolutely huge on the inside but they are soon faced with the fact that they are now trapped as well and there are traps and even a Minotaur that is now pursuing them.

Once they find Dave they are told that the maze isn't finished yet and that it also has taken on a mind of its own and it is expanding.

The only way to get out alive is for them to finish the heart of the maze and then ultimately destroy it.

The film is simple in concept but brilliant with how it lends itself so well to creating wildly creative situations and visuals with the basis only being cardboard.

It is filled with with killer paper birds, traps that kill intruders and cause red confetti to spray from their wounds, a slide that on the other end turns them into paper bag puppets, and much more amazing and intelligent art direction that is based around its arts and crafts foundation.

The film is less a horror film than it is more a fantasy, adventure and comedy with some lighter horror elements thrown in.

The acting is pretty solid across the board and although the story may get confusing sometimes, it was never designed to make a whole lot of sense and was meant more for telling a creatively driven narrative with wild and vibrant visuals.

I don't have much more to say about it, but I cannot emphasize enough how imaginative this film is with so little.

It won't be for everyone but for those looking for a different kind of film experience, this should be more than serviceable.

Son of Schlocktober 2024 #5: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

(7/10): SPOILER WARNING!

Well done for a legacy sequel to a childhood favourite, but not without some bumps.

First thing is first the Original Beetlejuice is a movie that I have always loved and is one of my favourite films of all time, so I do want to say that this is gonna give you that fix for more mayhem but in my eyes it just couldn't live up to the original.

THIS IS SPOILER TERRITORY, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

The film is set years later and Lydia is now a fully grown adult and host of a show that has her as a medium and helping solve people's problems with the spirits of the afterlife haunting their homes.

Lydia is still experiencing some trauma as she sudden visions of the Ghost only known as Betelgeuse. She receives a call from her mother informing her that her father has passed away, Lydia attempts to contact her distant daughter, Astrid, who doesn't believe in ghosts and believes that her mother chose ghosts over her.

Reluctantly she eventually comes with Lydia, Delia, and Lydia's Manager, Rory, who Astrid despises, and they go back to the old house in Winter River for the funeral.

Meanwhile in the afterlife, an old flame of Betelgeuse, Delores, has managed to escape entrapment and piece herself back together and is now pursuing Betelgeuse. She also finds some other souls on her way to help her regain her power. Delores is what the dead call a Soul Sucker, a powerful being that is able to take the remaining life force from the deceased, permanently killing them.

Once Betelgeuse finds that the Deetz family is heading back to the old house he sees a unique opportunity to be broken free of his current situation, at first Lydia is very reluctant to cave in and summon Betelgeuse but once Astrid is taken to the afterlife by a new boyfriend of hers and is about to unwittingly trade her life for his, Lydia sees no other option but to summon Betelgeuse in order to get her daughter back at any cost.

Eventually she manages to get Astrid back but is forced to marry Betelgeuse granting him access to the living plane of existence but authorities from the undeed world and also Delores track them down and they are forced to get rid of both Betelgeuse and Delores for good.

The film is right in line with the original but does suffer from being made, frankly, too late.

It doesn't hit nearly as hard as the original and suffers also from the presence of digital effects, granted they used as much of the original practical effects as they could but the digital effects still stick out like a sore thumb.

The humour and overall charm of the film also feels lacking. It's got pretty much everything it needs but it still falls victim to sequelitis, which of course is that the further a series of films draws on for the more each subsequent sequel becomes more and more lacking. It fell decently hard too, but not enough for it to be a bad movie, thankfully.

Three of the original cast members return: Michael Keaton, who is ultimately the star of the show, Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara also return and are great standouts as well. While we get some new faces like Jenna Ortega, who is great as Astrid, Monica Bellucci who is, as always, stunning, Willem Dafoe who is a solid addition to the cast and does not disappoint and even a little bit part by the one and only "TRASHMAN" Danny Devito as a Janitor who is the first victim of Delores.

The score is handled once again by Danny Elfman and he does a wonderful job and the soundtrack even has a little nod in the finale to Weird Al Yankovic which took me forever to figure out as all the lyrics were altered and I only had the instrumental to go off of.

The visuals are fantastic as the Afterlife always looks so creative and colourful despite the darker color palette.

Overall I still would recommend this film, even though it has some shortcomings versus the original, it's still a great time.

Son of Schlocktober 2024 #4: Freddy vs. Jason (2003) (Friday the 13th)

(8/10): The Crossover that was a legend in the making! It only took a decade for them to finally get it out!

Honestly, I don't think I can actually fully grasp the feeling of having to wait an entire decade for a crossover that was teased to finally happen but I can surely say that the end result is actually kinda awesome.

Firstly I don't know where this film fits in the chronology of both the Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises or if it's technically included as a part of either series but rather a one off event film. Personally I think this falls into both franchises and skips a film that came out between the initial teaser for the crossover in both series, I think that chronologically it is after the events of Jason goes to Hell in Friday the 13th and I think it's common knowledge for fans of the Nightmare on Elm Street series that New Nightmare was more like a meta reimagining of the first film that is really just an outlier of the series that is really in its own chronology.

I feel like it's not actually a one off event film as it seems to be taking place after the events Jason goes to Hell as it's the film that teased the crossover and in this film he rises up from the ground instead of the Lake where he is always resting and after the events of Freddy's Dead in the Nightmare series as it makes the most sense.

Again this was a first time watch for me so I just feel like I need to break it down on how it fits in with both franchises.

Anyways enough of technicalities of what is really just a couple of slasher series, on with the actual review.

The story is of course about a group of teenagers, but specifically focusing on one girl who has been living on Elm Street for a while now and only recently has been experiencing strange and horrific nightmares about a burnt man with striped shirts and a worn hat with a clawed glove that is attempting to kill her, yet failing.

As she tries to find out what is going on others begin to look at her strangely as she talks of this man, she then remembers a name, Freddy, Freddy Krueger.

People start cutting her off as she tries to mention that name, meanwhile the killer himself, Freddy is beginning to realize that he is too weak and that the fear of his name is not strong enough. He begins to think of a way to re-instill fear in the minds of the residents of Elm Street and he then thinks of a brilliant plan to enter the dreams of the now dead and resting Jason Voorhees posing as his mother to encourage him to rise from his grave and punish the Elm Street kids.

As Freddy begins entering more dreams of the Elm Street kids while Jason runs rampant in the real world killing residents of Elm Street and once again creating fear he becomes more and more stronger but is now facing a new problem, Jason is taking the lives of his victims before he can.

While a brewing feud between the two killers is brewing we see two teens in a psychiatric ward who see breaking news about killings happening on Elm Street and are convinced that Freddy is responsible.

The two manage to escape the ward but are now pursued by police. They manage to make their way to the school where one meets the girl who was having these nightmares as they are actually brother and sister and soon after they meet he is determined to help her with Freddy but also has to prove his innocence to her as she is convinced he murdered their mother long ago, all while trying to stay away from the officials.

All plots begin to come together as Freddy invades Jasons dreams and learns he fears the water, a officer who is relatively new in town finds that the law enforcement is attempting to keep Freddy away by locking up everyone who has survived him in the psychiatric ward that the father of our brother and sister works with in an attempt to cover up that he actually killed their mother. The officer who believes that the law is corrupt finds our group of teens aiming to help them with the problem of the growing danger of Freddy as he grows tired of being second fiddle to Jason and starts striking at more people who are catching onto his plan.

While it revealed that Freddy was actually the cause of their mother's death as he gained control over their father's body in order to frame him and finally the teens and officer break back into the psych ward in order to get the experimental drug that represses dreams so they can try outlast Freddy and find out how to stop him.

The plan is eventually botched as Jason follows them to the ward and they lose most of their doses of the drug but in a twist of fate they end up injecting Jason with the drug and they find that the only way they can stop Freddy is with Jason but as it only rids them of one unstoppable killer they take the sedated Jason back to Crystal Lake in an attempt to bring Freddy out of the dream world into reality and then use both of their newly discovered weaknesses against them as they are distracted by their rage towards each other.

Kill Freddy with fire and Jason with water.

Jeez that was a mouthful for what is essentially just an excuse to have two of the most iconic slasher villains, whose franchises even were rivals, fight one another.

So what are my thoughts? It's pretty freaking awesome that's what!

Directed by Ronny Yu who previously reignited another slasher with a more modern approach in Bride of Chucky, this movie is at its core just straight fun.

The film is filled with a lot of great kills, like stabbing a dude multiple times in his bed before then folding the bed therefore folding the guy into a V shape, a violent swing of the Machete missing his target and smashing a control system electrocuting Jason who then grabs the cop and electrocutes him to death, another cop crushed by a metal door, a soon to be Freddy victim who passed out in the cornfield being impaled by Jason in the real world causing her stomach to explode blood right in Freddy's face before disappearing but is elevated by the fact that a drunk guy was attempting to force himself on her unconscious body also being impaled by Jason and then sent flying backwards and also a guy sleepwalking into the bathroom greeted by his dead brother who was killed by Freddy in the tub but labeled as a suicide, having the blood from the overflowing tub then form small tentacle appendages and stabbing his feet and ending with him slashed in the face by an invisible Freddy glove and having a message then burned into his back as he dies.

The film has some solid stunts with the Fire Stunt with Jason in the cornfield for what was over I believe 70 metres long and attacking tons of teens at the party nearby which the stuntman was actually barely able to see so had to be guided on what to do by a small radio under his mask being a highlight.

Robert Englund returns as Freddy and even gets an introductory flashback before he was burned alive by the Elm Street parents, it really stands out as it wasn't often we saw Englund as Freddy in a scene without the iconic makeup.

The film has some straight up awesome scenes with the two killers facing one another, the Pinball scene where Freddy toys with Jason is rather silly but pretty fun, but the last two fights at Crystal Lake are where it just goes all out. Jason grabs Freddy and shoves him through a window and just drags him through the long window at the burning canteen building and the construction site and docks just gives us everything we wanted from the two facing off. Jason gets hit by a projectile propane tank, impaled by a bunch of rebar and then Freddy hangs from a crane slashing Jason before they get hit by a cart and sent flying onto the dock. They then slash, stab and dismember each others limbs and use each other's weapons against one another in what is just a satisfying final showdown.

The final note that I would like to end this on is that the soundtrack goes hard as hell; Featuring artists like Ill Niño, Killswitch Engage, Spineshank, Mushroomhead, Hatebreed, Slipknot, Seether, Sevendust, Stone Sour, Sepultura, Devildriver, Powerman 5000, In Flames, Type O Negative and Lamb of God among others! Truly a soundtrack of its time but practically all bands I grew up listening to with my dad, Especially Slipknot, Mushroomhead, Seether and Sevendust.

It's a very metal centric soundtrack with an emphasis on Nü Metal, and I know that the soundtrack had some input from Ronny Yu cause Bride of Chucky had a killer soundtrack with the Debut of Rob Zombie's solo career being included on it's soundtrack.

I loved it and it's easily one of favourites in both franchises despite all its flaws.

Son of Schlocktober 2024 #3: Jason X (2001) (Friday the 13th)

(7/10): While it is not the greatest entry in the franchise, it has its moments.

Jason X is the tenth entry in the legendary Slasher franchise and it starts with a government operation that has managed to capture Jason and has attempted several methods of trying to kill him to end his murderous pursuits that have resulted in a massive amount of innocent lives lost.

After all the attempts on his life have failed they have succeeded in chaining him down to prevent him from causing more harm.

When the plans to suspend him in cryostasis until a solution can be found, the higher ups plan to take him into custody to experiment on as he may hold the key to eternal life, however the plan goes awry when he manages to escape and pursue the woman who has been keen on the cryogenic freeze plan which ends with him being frozen but in breaching the stasis chamber to make an attempt on her life she gets frozen as well.

When a search team arrives at the scene in over a century in the future they manage to recover both the woman and Jason's bodies. They manage to heal her fatal wound but they are soon faced with the problem of Jason having woke from his stasis and then hunting them down on the ship.

The plot is essentially just an excuse to get Jason in Space, which sounds fun, and it is but it feels more like a series of ups and downs, which is fun at times.

The biggest thing that I have mixed feelings on is the digital effects, they have aged pretty poorly, it's most noticeable in the virtual reality game that is played by two crew members in the middle of the film.

It also has some slower parts that drag a bit sprinkled throughout the movie.

However the kills are rather cool at times, the highlight kill is easily where Jason takes a girl by the back of the head, dunks her face in a liquid that freezes her face solid, lifts her up and smashes her frozen face on the counter.

There is another one though towards the end where they create a hologram of Crystal Lake with two hot girls looking for some fun instead getting their sleeping bags (with them inside) bashed together and against a tree, it's just ridiculous.

There is the new look Jason gets, but the film draws out to the last ten to fifteen minutes before he gets his big upgrade.

But there is a pretty badass fight scene with what is essentially a female version of Bishop from Aliens, getting an awesome skin tight black latex suit complete with tons of weapons for her to just go crazy on Jason with.

The movie starts solid enough, kinda loses some steam in the middle but then picks up again towards the end. It's a decent enough watch, and also makes up for it's flaws with some solid practical work (disregarding some of the early 2000s CGI), some solid kills, a pretty awesome final act and Kane Hodder as the titular icon and even Horror Legend David Cronenberg making an appearance.

Son of Schlocktober 2024 #2: Age of Demons (1992)

(8/10): Don't let the poster fool you, this movie not as good as that, but if you're in the mood for some serious low budget fun, you may just be in for a treat.

Age of Demons follows a fairly simple plot; A group of cultists preform the final sacrifice needed to bring upon an Age of Demons but the power from their final sacrifice happens to find its way into the body of a Punk who is trying to make it big with his band.

The Cultists manage to summon one demon to create chaos and destruction while they send their henchmen to seek out the Punk who is now the vessel of the remaining energy they need to carry out their plans.

Once our Punk protagonist becomes aware of this cult and their goals, he and his friends from school must team up together to stop an impending apocalypse.

Written, Directed and Starring Damon Foster, who is a self proclaimed satanist, Age of Demons is a straight up balls to the wall, ode to Punk music, Kung Fu, Tokusatsu (Specifically Ultraman) and just fun, silly DIY filmmaking with some Satanic Panic themes and big boobs thrown in for good measure.

The film is dumb as hell when you look at the humour and it kinda reeks of nineties culture.

It really doesn't waste any time getting into the fun stuff which is always much appreciated with lower budget films like these.

The effects are crude but the costumes and ideas at play, while simple are pretty creative for a low budget film.

The movie also features some rather cool intro credits and definitely some interesting transitions considering its budget.

The film goes from more horror oriented to then diving into more action and sci-fi with light horror undertones.

Which given what they had to work with the fight choreography was actually pretty solid.

There's a fight scene nearing the end where they call upon a Ultraman like character and the fight scene is just so so great, I mean it's trash but it's fantastic, the lasers that are fired look like they were drawn in google paint.

The movie attempts some humour that could be hit or miss for certain people but the level of creativity and enthusiasm that is portrayed by the crew is great, it's always better when the cast are giving it one hundred percent in a shot on video film, it makes it more fun than the potential of it just meandering around.

Overall it's worth a watch if you can get past the inherent flaws in the picture quality of the film and the other things I mentioned above. However it's rather obscure so it's really only available through a physical release and potentially a rip or something uploaded to YouTube but if you can find it and you don't mind the budgetary based problems it's worth watching.

Son of Schlocktober 2024 #1: Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1992)

(8/10): Off to a solid start this year, but it did take me a bit to get back in the groove of things.

I think I should start off by saying that I have been meaning to get back into the habit of reviewing films, as stated above, even though it wasn't the films fault this was a two nighter watch, it was just me trying to ease myself back into it.

But enough of that, how does the movie fare?

Firstly, Auntie Lee's Meat Pies is about a woman who lives in a small town with her four beautiful nieces and her handyman Larry who lives on the ranch with them.

A private eye working on the trail of a missing man passes through town and ends up being brought to the ranch by one of the nieces but, what he doesn't know is that they pretend to be playmates to lure in passersbys so they can kill them and Auntie Lee can grind them up into their famous Meat Pies.

Now with a victim now having the chance of being traced back to their operation they eventually get the local sheriff, unbeknownst to them, on their trail as they start offing more and more men.

First and foremost the cast for this has some great cult actors behind it, Auntie Lee is played by Cult Actress Karen Black, the Sheriff is played by Pat Morita who made a name for himself as Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid Films and lastly the Handyman is played by none other than Pluto himself, Michael Berryman in what is perhaps one of my favourite roles of his.

The first little bit of the film is a bit slower I find as it felt like setup for the latter end of the film, which totally makes it worth the wait.

The kills are pretty solid with a Decapitation, eye gouging, death by meat hook, stabbing to death in a pool and one that plays very much into another major plus of the film.

The set design is the latter half is surprisingly well made.

We have Baby's room with a giant crib and dolls scattered all over the walls with straps and cuffs like some weird twisted sex dungeon .

One of the girls rooms has a stone bed in the center of some kind of Stonehenge structure with fog just enveloping the floor of the otherwise empty room.

Lastly there's another girls room where she keeps her pet snake as well as a giant almost throne like structure that is made of giant snake statues but it's actually more like a sacrificial chamber as the top jaw of a statue bites right down sinking it's fangs right through the body of her victim.

The cast, gore, sets, eye candy and inventiveness behind some of the kills makes it a pretty solid slasher. It's also one of the few that actually more follow the killer(s) and it even comes equipped with a pretty great ending.

Overall I'd totally recommend this one for anyone that is interested in any of the points mentioned directly above.

Remembering Roger Corman #4: It Conquered the World (1956)

(7/10): We're starting to pick up steam here now, best one so far.

It Conquered the World is about Earth sending out a large satellite into space, after a smaller one had mysteriously vanished.

A scientist warned against doing so yet they proceed, a few months later the satellite is dragged out of orbit and then back again and the government plans on bringing it back down to examine it to determine why it suddenly went out of orbit and then just returned like nothing happened.

The scientist who was warning against the satellite has now established contact with an alien life form that is now on the satellite and is convinced that the alien is here to benefit mankind.

Despite what his wife and best friend says to try and convince him that the alien is a threat, he is so trusting of the creature that he is assisting it in the assimilation of mankind and by doing so is not even realizing that he has become the enemy.

Can his wife and friend have him question the aliens motivations? Or will he lead humanity to their own zombification?

This is still not a good movie but it is elevated by the presence of some more notable actors.

Lee Van Cleef, who is known for his work in various Spaghetti Westerns such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, The Big Gundown, Day of Anger and various others plays the lead scientist, and while it's not what he is known for he does a solid job in the role.

Dick Miller who is a regular collaborator with Corman makes his first appearance on the retrospective in a bit of a smaller role but he is still charming as always.

Finally, Charles B. Griffith who also has worked with Corman on many occasions makes his first appearance in a minor but appreciated role nonetheless.

The creature has a larger focus even if not onscreen always as it is constantly communicating with the lead and the idea of the film seems somewhat like a bit of a better budgeted version of the idea from The Beast with a Million Eyes with some plot tweaks here and there to make it feel more original, and I like that.

The Creature effects do still show their budget as it looks goofy and cheap but it still has a decent amount of screen time, despite not always being shown completely.

I feel like this one is actually more worth your time even if it's not great, Lee Van Cleef's performance is pretty convincing at times so it definitely feels more engaging plot wise.

Would I recommend it? Maybe, it all depends on if you don't mind the bad effects, so I'll keep it to Corman & B-Movie Aficionados.

Remembering Roger Corman #3: Day the World Ended (1955)

(6/10): Better than the last film but not by much.

Day the World Ended is about a group of people who are trying to survive a post apocalyptic world that was brought upon by a nuclear attack. They all seem very wary of the outside world and some even are conspiring against others. Soon they are faced with the threat of how the radiation has affected animal life but eventually they find themselves against the effects of the radiation on other humans.

This was both directed and produced by the B-Movie Maestro himself and its not one of his best films but it has some slight cheese value towards the end but it does take a bit to get there.

The characters are interesting enough for a while but I don't feel like it's going much of anywhere until the final twenty minutes or so. I found that the film had some padding to fill its runtime as we don't see the creature on the poster until the last ten minutes and it dies in such an anticlimactic manner.

The film seems to focus more on the humans than it does the monster and even though it's held back by a budget, I don't find that the characters can really carry the film.

On the plus side the monster looks incredibly goofy and is the highlight of the film even if it dies so easily.

I can only recommend this one for anyone who is a fan of Corman or is a Atomic Age enthusiast.

Remembering Roger Corman #2: The Beast with a Million Eyes (1955)

(6/10): A small step down from the previous but has a unique look at the universe.

The Beast with a Million Eyes follows a farming family that lives out near the desert with a mute man who lives in the shed whom they found and they call Him, as he wasn't able to tell them his name.

The family and the nearby town's peaceful lives come challenged when there is an extra terrestrial that lands in the nearby desert and begins to emit a buzzing sound that, if heard by another lifeform, puts them in a state of hostility toward others.

The family must now find a way to destroy the creature before it can take hold of their daughter and destroy the world.

This film is somewhat lacklustre as it is a big victim of false advertising as the "so-called" Beast with a Million Eyes on the poster never appears but instead is just a small UFO.

However it is one of the earliest examples of Existentialism in film as I found that the Beast with a Million Eyes is somewhat more similar in idea to what a more modern and popular example of Futurama's Beast with a Billion Backs, where they aren't so much actually part of the Beast itself but rather become assimilated as it gathers a Million Eyes in this case.

The lack of an actual Beast is due mainly in part to the lack of a budget and the budget also makes its presence known in other areas as well.

The film has mediocre acting and at least one instance of a terrible jump cut edit, but it also had to make use of some rather impressive music choices as they had no money to obtain rights to much, so we instead get a collection of public domain classical compositions which is actually rather nice.

Originally the film was produced by Corman but as he became unsatisfied with the results he took over Directing duties uncredited, so it's got an early Corman charm to it.

It's not great but still worth checking out for Atomic Age, B-Movie and Corman enthusiasts, so to those groups I would recommend this one.

Remembering Roger Corman #1: Monster from the Ocean Floor (1954)

(6/10): From Humble Beginnings they all say, and this is no exception.

Monster from the Ocean Floor is one of the earliest Corman Produced films and while not good, it does have a little unique charm to it.

It has a simple story, Julie, an American on vacation in Mexico begins hearing strange stories from the locals of a demon that lives in the ocean and on a full moon comes out to seek food. Many people have lost family members to the demon but, she doesn't fully believe until she begins hearing more and more stories from them and eventually coming face to face with the creature.

During her time there she encounters a marine biologist whom she starts developing a relationship with but even upon her conviction that the demon is real, he remains unconvinced, that is until she manages to fish up a part of the creature. She has it sent to him where he finds that it is unlike any creature known, that is except for one, an amoeba, yet it is huge compared to the microscopic amoeba that we know, unless it was mutated.

He then becomes convinced and turns back to help her fight the demon.

The film clocks in at just over an hour so it doesn't overstay its welcome and it keeps things rather simple plot wise.

The acting is decent in some respects but some people aren't very good in their roles.

However one thing that did strike me as noteworthy was that during a blink and you'll miss it appearance, Roger Corman himself has a brief cameo and man does he look young.

The film does take a little bit to get going but it eventually gets to the monster stuff.

Speaking of the Monster, let's take a look at the effects. The Monster is portrayed as somewhat tall with many tentacles and one eye, the effects are rather bad and make it look charmingly goofy.

The film does have a bit of some solid atmosphere with the scenes building towards an appearance of the monster, centred around the monster or portraying that the monster will or has been there.

There really isn't a whole lot more I can think of to say about it, I mean again it's just over an hour long so it doesn't have as much of a length to show more as well as the fact it just stuck to being straight to the point and simple.

I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in Atomic Age Sci-Fi, Corman (Obviously) or fans of B-Movies.

Corman has both produced and directed better but it's still worth checking out to see where he started.

Cult Cuts Volume 54 (Return to the Video Store: Wanted: Dead Or Alive Part One)

#4/4: Outland (1981)

(7/10): Western in space, not the only film to do so but probably one of the better films of that kind.

Outland follows an officer who is working on an investigation in a mining colony on one of Jupiter's moons. He is finding that workers are beginning to act strangely and die under mysterious circumstances. His wife angrily abandons him going back to earth with their son and he is forced to continue this fight alone as he soon discovers that the mysterious deaths are circling back around to company itself as they now begin to tell him to stop his investigation.

Led by Bond himself, Sean Connery, the film is an oddity in both genres it corresponds with, Science Fiction and Western, yet remains one of the best examples of that genre fusion.

The set design is slightly reminiscent of that of the ship's made by Weyland, the company from the Alien Franchise, but specifically for the first two entries of the series.

Connery also carries the film, channeling much more his honourable side than the Suave and charming characteristics that he utilized during his run as Bond, but enough with 007, back to the actual film in question.

I believe that the reason the film remains such a great example of the science fiction and western genre blend is that it doesn't go very heavy on the western elements, it just uses moreso as much as it needs. It doesn't really shove anything that looks like it was directly lifted from a western, more just balancing its character tropes and implementing them as need be.

The atmosphere is much more science fiction oriented than western, but retains just enough of your typical western to more often than not, work.

The ideas that are presented here aren't all particularly new, but it's more in the manner of how they are presented, while still delivering a satisfying whole.

I would recommend this one if you're looking for some different style sci-fi and/or western films.

Cult Cuts Volume 54 (Return to the Video Store: Wanted: Dead Or Alive Part One)

#3/4: They Call Me Trinity (1970)

(7/10): A bit more of an underrated gem of Buddy Comedy Western that is worth your time for sure.

When Slacker Cowboy Trinity rolls into town he eventually teams up with the large bulking Bambino to help save peaceful Mormons from the Land Hungry Major Harriman and his crew of bullies. However instead of using violence they use more slapstick humour to defend the Mormons and their fertile valley.

It's a simple story but it's backed by solid humour and a great main cast of duo of Trinity and Bambino.

With Trinity played by Terence Hill and Bambino played by Bud Spencer, they make for such an excellent comedic duo that have even better chemistry than how well they do their comedy.

The personalities of the two leads are completely different with Bambino being the more bulkish and aggressive type and Trinity being so laid back that if it wasn't for him pulling out his gun to threaten the bullies every now and then I don't think he would've done anything, cause I don't remember him doing a whole lot. Trinity is also very snarky and sly even a bit, moreso in how he carries himself and in his personality.

The costumes and scenery are all very nice to look at and the score is pretty solid as well but if I had to say anything about this film that makes it a cut above your average western, it's the two leads, they are the reason, at least in my opinion, that this movie works as well as it does. If either of the actors were to have been replaced with someone else, there's a solid chance I wouldn't even be talking about it.

Overall it's a great buddy comedy western with really charismatic leads and some great slapstick humour. Definitely one I'd recommend.

Cult Cuts Volume 54 (Return to the Video Store: Wanted: Dead Or Alive Part One)

#2/4: Django (1966)

(8/10): Even though Sergio Leone Kicked Off the Wave of Spaghetti Westerns in 1964 with A Fistful of Dollars, two years later Sergio Corbucci gave us the definitive and quintessential Spaghetti Western in Django.

The story follows a lone wandering gunslinger who drags a coffin behind him, he saves a runaway prostitute from a group of White Supremacist soldiers which started a fued that followed them back to town. Once the leader of the Supremacists, Major Jackson's sworn enemy, General Hugo Rodriguez, who leads a group of Mexican Revolutionaries enters the mix, Django is faced with not one but two armies. Can Django defeat both armies and live to tell the tale?

Led by Franco Nero as the Titular Wanderer, Django is a strong western when viewed on its own merits.

Nero delivers a solid performance in the role of Django and the supporting cast does a decent job with their roles as well.

The film has one of the greatest Themes for any western I've heard, composed by Luis Bacalov.

The action sequences deliver a powerful punch with a high point being army the supremacists run into town and Django is just out in open with the town look on and questioning him, and then he opens up his coffin and pulls out a fully automatic light machine gun and mows down nearly the entire army.

The cinematography and locations are fantastic as they both portray a sense of beauty yet convey the feeling that Django is fighting alone, as it gives a barren and empty atmosphere with the sunset being the small ray of hope that he has as he is set to fight his own personal war atop this fight for his life.

The film is also very good in its costume department, with Django having a look that aerates a sense of him being a lone wolf that is doomed to wander in search of purpose.

The film is overall a defining film in the Western Genre and one of the best Spaghetti Westerns ever filmed, no question, I do definitely recommend this film.

Cult Cuts Volume 54 (Return to the Video Store: Wanted: Dead Or Alive Part One)

#1/4: The White Buffalo (1977)

(7/10): This was an interesting little known Western that has a bit here going for it.

The White Buffalo is the story of a man in the old west who is haunted by nightmares of a the large white buffalo that has come through towns and destroy the place, he is so traumatized by the nightmares that he keeps his guns on him when he sleeps in case he is actually attacked and also causes him to lash out with violence such as firing his weapons at nothing.

He arrives at a small town off the train where he meets a local who he ventures out into the countryside to pursue the last remaining buffalo as he begins to hear, see and even eventually discover that someone has supposedly seen one.

The two soon cross paths a Native American man who is on a one man suicide mission to find and kill the beast as it came through his village during the night and destroyed everything and killed his loved ones in the process.

The two form a temporary truce as they have a common enemy, despite the one local hunter that joined him initially being reluctant to do so, but they take on the beast to both avenge and protect their people.

If you haven't already gathered, this is actually a western take on the story of Moby Dick, and while it isn't perfect it does have aspects that make a worthy watch for any western fan.

First is it's cast; led by the great Charles Bronson who has previously appeared in a handful of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, including the renowned Once Upon a Time in the West and also appearing in films such as Death Wish and The Mechanic. He is backed by a supporting cast of Jack Warden from the acclaimed 12 Angry Men, Will Sampson from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Outlaw Josey Wales, Clint Walker from The Dirty Dozen and The Night of the Grizzly, and finally beloved Genre Actor, John Carradine who has appeared in countless films over the span of his career.

The film has a decent enough pace to it and is held up by the performance of its cast, however a make or break aspect of the film for many can be the quality of the effects on the Buffalo, which I personally thought was better than what I was expecting but it still wasn't anything overly impressive, it still manages have a certain charm to it in spite of it.

The costumes are pretty solid overall and they did put out a standard but still well produced score, with some exceptions of course.

All in all, The White Buffalo was a unique western with a strong cast that is worth watching if at least once.

Return to the Video Store #36:

The Beyond (1981)

(9/10): What I consider and what many other fans to be Lucio Fulci's Magnum Opus, is a great example of early eighties Italian horror.

Part of what is now called the Gates of Hell Trilogy, all loosely related by a central theme of the end of the world and Hell reclaiming the earth The Beyond is about a woman who inherits an old mansion and begins to slowly see things as she has the mansion fixed up and people begin to start dying in strange accidents.

She meets the blind woman who lives in the house across the street who warns her of the evil that she is tampering with if she doesn't leave. It is eventually revealed that the mansion was built atop one of the seven gates of hell and that hell is soon to be awakened.

What results is the awakening of multiple corpses that turn into flesh craving zombies that, if the gate is not closed, will consume the earth.

The film is not directly about the shock value and it does not move fast, it's got an ominous atmosphere that looms over the entire film as it builds to a dread filled final act.

The film has excellent visceral gore effects that drive home the intensity of the horror that the film delivers.

The score is phenomenal and complements the film's overall dread and doom filled atmosphere beautifully.

It starts slow and slowly amplifies its pace as it moves toward the finale where it lets loose as it unleashes all of its power in a sea of hopelessness as it descends into an abyss of despair.

The set design is fantastic and aerates a dark, dank and decrepit feel in the mansion and even though the town has citizens it always feels strangely quiet and barren which adds to the foreboding sense of an apocalypse.

The design of the blind woman's eyes are also very dead and even lifeless to where one might see her as evil upon first watch, but they do have a beauty to their lifelessness that compliments the mood of the film very well.

The film is also an example of how Fulci worked his way around studio demands; The Studio wanted more Fulci Zombie Movies after the success of Zombie AKA Zombi 2 AKA Zombie Flesh Eaters which was his cash-in on the success of Romero's Dawn of the Dead, but Fulci wanted to do something different, so you could say he caved in and gave the studio what they wanted but I like to say he did the best of both worlds as it was a moody Zombie film that had elements of both Gothic and especially Cosmic Horror.

Fulci films aren't really for the squeamish but if you can handle a some nasty gore in your face you will be treated to quite the atmospheric horror gem.

Return to the Video Store #35:

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

(8/10): A fun time capsule of a movie that established itself as one of the best and most memorable parts of the cars, trucks, CB Radio fad in the mid to late seventies leading into early eighties, alongside the TV Show The Dukes of Hazzard.

The plot is fairly straightforward; A Race Car Driver is hired to transport an illegal beer shipment across the Texan/Atlantan border in under 28 hours, but he is pursued by a slightly overweight and clumsy Officer and his deputy. Along the way "Bandit" as he is nicknamed picks up a reluctant bride-to-be and they eventually fall in love as they have her officer father in hot pursuit of the two in a race against time to cross the border.

Helmed by the charming and charismatic actor, Burt Reynolds and having Jackie Gleason as the dimwitted officer, the film moves along at a nice brisk pace and is still highly entertaining.

The soundtrack is full of great country and trucker music that complements the tone exceptionally well.

There are some great moments of physical comedy spread throughout that keep a very free flow and fun loving spirit to the film.

The car stunts are all very satisfying and even silly at times to keep the tension from getting too high and instead keeping it the proper balance of tense and easygoing.

To say that Reynolds was at what could be considered the peak of his career in this film is an understatement, this is the quintessential Burt Reynolds film for a Damn Good reason, he brought his A-Game to his role.

It's a classic example of how to make a great action/comedy and also a car film, the old-fashioned way always hits different and I mean that in the best way possible.

Road House (2024)

(6/10): To be honest I wasn't completely behind the idea of this remake but that being said it isn't god awful, it's okay but I don't think it's anything special neither.

The idea of the bouncer being ex-UFC and is essentially keeping the bar from being ploughed by a rich snob who wants to build a resort is a good little twist on the plot. It keeps the basis of the bouncer being hired to help maintain the peace at a chaotic bar but switching it up just enough that it doesn't feel like it is exactly trying to copy the original. That being said the film would have been better if they had either altered the title to suit more of a side story or origin or just something related that isn't necessarily a remake or just removed all connections altogether, it would have functioned much better as it doesn't have to live up to original by being labeled a remake. Now don't get me wrong, the original isn't high end stuff but it does make fans put on nostalgia goggles when watching, not to mention it does still have a certain charm to it as well as having Sam Elliott in a supporting role.

Anyways the aspects I liked; Jake Gyllenhaal is no Patrick Swayze but he is decent in his role as Dalton and I did also enjoy the character of Knox played by Conor McGregor, he has such an animal like personality that makes him more interesting to watch as he is more unpredictable. The soundtrack was also decent and that's where I think my positives stop. Now I have very mixed feelings about the fight scenes in the film, they really do rely on CGI for the fight scenes. I get it that you want stuff to be exaggerated and that you are aiming for some kind of style to it but also really rubs me the wrong way as you could just do real fights with some good choreography and some decent fake blood, it's been done a plethora of times before and is much more effective and actually moreso achieves the illusion that what is happening onscreen is real as, to a large extent, it is, just cutting off at the point before people get hurt. There is some sequences in certain fights that are less reliant on digital effects than others and they look better.

Now the bad, I don't have much I strictly didn't like, the villain was kinda throwaway and most of the attempts at humour didn't land for me and that's about it.

I did actually forget to mention that I did like, even though it's cliche, the whole main character being pushed to their limits part of the plot in the third act and it really does establish it quite fast and well, in what felt almost jarring in a change in character for Dalton. He just punches a man in the neck with a lot of force and he explains that he's probably broken his hyroid bone and collapsed his trachea and he then just pushes him in the pool as he proceeds to drown.

The best fight in the movie is the last fight with Knox, and I think that the fact that McGregor is a former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion, really helped him in his fights as they were more convincing than any of the other fights in the film, again being as he's had a history of fighting for a living.

Overall I might have cringed at the effects a handful of times but it wasn't bad enough to say it was a bad movie, but it again really shouldn't have been made into a remake, if they really wanted to do something with the property, just take it a different direction than remake, that's mainly it.

Return to the Video Store #33:

Up in Smoke (1978)

(8/10): Cheech and Chong, I finally got around to watching a film of theirs and yeah it's still pretty enjoyable today.

Up in Smoke follows two stoners who meet after a series of mishaps and the two bond over their love of getting high and music.

The two of them then are eventually pursued by an incompetent police sergeant as they unknowingly are smuggling a Van completely comprised of marijuana from Mexico to L. A.

It's low on plot but high on everything else, literally.

The movie is a total product of the seventies with fur covered vehicles and hippie and stoner culture at the forefront.

If I'm being completely honest I didn't even realize that they were driving a van made of pot until I looked it up after watching, but that doesn't hurt the experience in the slightest.

With both Cheech Martin and Tommy Chong at the centre of the film who also both wrote the film, they have a unique and compelling chemistry that makes them just vibe with one another. They both bounce off each other with ease.

The soundtrack is also very good with Low Rider and the theme song Up in Smoke which was preformed by Cheech and Chong themselves along with the rest of the soundtrack with the exception of Low Rider which was previously released by War.

Overall it's a fun time capsule and the quintessential Stoner Comedy that, if I'm not mistaken spawned a genre, and if not it sure as hell revolutionized it.

Cult Cuts Volume 53 (Return to the Video Store: The Undefined Part Three)

#4/4: The Incredible Shrinking Woman

(8/10): A Well Meaning Sci-Fi Comedy with a fun concept to boot.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman is about a housewife who tests her husband's new perfume brand that he is going to try and sell to his company.

She starts to slowly shrink in height and eventually becomes a nationwide celebrity but with all the attention coming towards her family and her growing inability to do even the most basic of household duties she starts becoming a second wheel.

She is eventually so small that their housemaid thought that she had accidentally killed her in the food grinder in the sink.

She in fact is alive but taken hostage by a company that is using her as a Guinea Pig for a new bio weapon that shrinks people down to such small heights that they are unable to fight back.

She finds out about the plot and has to find a way out of captivity and find a way to warn the public before they release it or she shrinks into nothing.

Directed by Joel Schumacher, yes Justice League Schumacher, this film is a heartwarming and fun little film that was another standout film on the shelves of the local video store.

The Film is carried by its lead in Lily Tomlin and all the fun special effects that portray her stages of shrinking.

The movie has a very feel good nature to it that makes it also just a joy to watch but it also delivers on some more dramatic scenes as well.

It also has one of the most fun escape sequences I've seen in a while where our tiny heroine rides an ape through the lab complex and the Ape has just such a lovable personality.

The movie isn't perfect but it's still better than you would think it is, good enough that I would totally recommend it.

Cult Cuts Volume 53 (Return to the Video Store: The Undefined Part Three)

#3/4: Alley Cat (1984)

(7/10): Female Vigilantism that while not perfect, isn't that bad either.

Alley Cat follows a woman who has her tires stolen by some thugs tied to a larger group of criminals in her city, they also attacked her grandparents which leads her to take the law into her own hands despite facing various legal issues related to trespassing and unlicensed firearms. She has to deal with corruption both in and outside the law as even though she saved a woman from being assaulted she is arrested anyways.

The film has decent fight choreography but is still not as good as it could've been.

The Film deals with some more interesting ideas as it gets into the corruption of the justice system and the sleazeballs abuse their power and use certain laws as sneaky tactics against our protagonist making them still be seen as a felon despite doing the right thing.

Outside of the crooked police and prosecutors we do get some fun eighties cheese and some nudity in there as well.

It's not the greatest but it does stand out from the crowd with a more grimy, murky look and a different look at vigilantism than many other films at the time.

Return to the Video Store #32: Remembering the Video Store

Be Kind Rewind (2008)

(8/10): Here's an odd one for this retrospective but I find that even though it is after the years of the video store, it captures the spirit of them very well.

Be Kind Rewind is about an old video store rental shop owner who is facing the potential loss of his business and home if he doesn't get his building up to code and get his business more modernized, so he plans a getaway, leaving his now foster son to watch the store under the guise that he is on a trip to meet with family and friends in memorium of Fats Waller's death.

The whole town has known now for the longest time that famous Jazz Musician Fats Waller was born in that video store, so he has been an idol for the both of them for years.

Mike, now in charge of the store is trying to decipher a message that Mr. Fletcher left him just as the train was taking off with him in it, but neither him or his friend Jerry can figure it out.

Jerry lives down the road in a trailer at the local landfill next to the power plant and manages to convince Mike to help him sabotage the power plant later that night but, halfway into the operation Mike finally managed to make sense of the message that was left for him, Keep Jerry Out, and then he leaves him to sabotage the plant himself.

The next day Jerry shows up at the store and was brought in after puking outside of the store, after cleaning the mess Mike then finds Jerry perusing the shelves touching pretty much every tape and then he is forced to leave after he gets into an argument with a customer.

The next day two customers return their tapes complaining that they are completely blank, which then gets Mike to test every single tape in the store only to find that they are all blank. Mike talks with Jerry about this as he is losing his mind over it and then Jerry puts his hands in front of the television and it begins to react to him and then he finds out that he's been magnetized and he erased the tapes.

After a local lady returns her movie and attempts to rent Ghostbusters and she finds a mess in the store and the two of them wrestling she says that she can tell Mr. Fletcher about it as he calls her every night.

After several attempts to find another copy of Ghostbusters on VHS Mike has given up hope, until he gets the bright idea that both him and Jerry can just re-record their own version as she hasn't seen it before.

Quickly out of wanting to keep business going the two of them begin filming several of their own "Sweded" versions of films and business begins to grow exponentially but as they are caught under fire for plagiarism and copyright infringement so they make one last attempt to save the store by coming together as a town and filming their own film about Fats Waller's life to hopefully raise enough money to save the store.

From Michel Gondry, Director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind comes this highly enjoyable, under appreciated and loving tribute to the era of the Video Store.

Starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow with some bit parts by Matt Walsh and Sigourney Weaver this is a pretty stacked cast but the charm relies on the two leads Jack Black and Mos Def as they have such a dysfunctional dynamic but they also seem to care about each other a lot and they just have great chemistry.

So some of the charm comes from the two leads but the rest of the charm comes from its diy movie making and tributes to classic films.

The film revels in its core concept and also portrays it with a lot of sincerity. Backyard, no budget filmmaking was rampant in the age of the video store and when you take it and just ask yourself "what would it look like if big budget Hollywood films were made with practically no budget?" Well you get your answer right here.

The film has a great soundtrack filled with many jazz numbers as well as some other songs from the movies that are featured in the film.

Jack Black steals the show for me as he is just so out of touch, juvenile and even unintentionally racist. He has plays into this unpredictable character quite well.

I also love the additional touches put on the film, mainly during the day after the sabotage, when Jerry walks in the store the movie is edited to look like it's statically warped, it's a small detail that goes a long way towards making it feel all the more loving.

I also must mention the fact that the film that they made in the end was actually shot black and white style and designed to look like a very old film which really captures the essence of the B/W era of film and has it be just as much of a tribute to that era as it is with its video store era.

If you haven't seen this or have, I highly recommend it as it is a lovingly crafted tribute to cinema that is deserving of its cult status.

Cult Cuts Volume 53 (Return to the Video Store: The Undefined Part Three)

#2/4: Mutilations (1986)

(7/10): Short, Sweet and to the point.

Mutilations is quite simply about a astronomy teacher who takes his students to a town that has been experiencing strange phenomena, including mutilations of the local farmers cattle. They soon find themselves trapped in the home of a local man who knows exactly what is happening, Aliens have invaded and they just trapped them all in the house so they can kill them and eat them.

This is a movie that is not about professionalism, you have to appreciate the little things, like independent film making spirit of just average people. They can't act, edit, direct or do much of anything that makes a high quality film but they do it for the love of it and because they want to share their love for movies.

The teacher composes himself like he is almost staring off into space, at least that what I would compare his tone and demeanour to.

The rest of the characters aren't too much better.

So what makes this movie worth watching if all I've been doing is pretty much picking out flaws? The Aliens and the effects, they are just so fun to look at, the practical work here is pretty solid for a low budget, homemade movie and the fact they did stop motion atop of that is the icing on the cake.

It's not for everyone, but clocking in at just over an hour long it's a great way to spend a night with your friends.

Cult Cuts Volume 53 (Return to the Video Store: The Undefined Part Three)

#1/4: Unmasking the Idol (1986)

(8/10): So I'm going to start with a extremely simple idea of what is in store for you if you watch this movie; A Discount James Bond who works with Ninjas gets assigned to a mission that has him recruit his own little A-Team of G. I. Joe's to stop an evil terrorist and go treasure hunting with him and his Baboon Sidekick.

If that doesn't sound like a great time I don't know what is.

Secret Agent and expert ninja Duncan Jax and His Baboon sidekick, Boon, are assigned to stop the evil terrorist Scarlet Leader from gaining access to nuclear weapons and initiating another World War.

Jax has to recruit some old colleagues who are not necessarily into the idea of having to work with him again but with his quick wits he manages to convince them to do so, whether they like it or not as the fate of the world rests in his hands.

He takes his team to the island where the Scarlet Leader resides as there is a big exchange between them and another terrorist with enormous amounts of gold and treasure that will be traded for the weapons.

Jax and his team must find a way into the Scarlet Leaders lair and stop them from bringing about World War III but Jax knows of something else that is in their lair, an Idol of Priceless value and he also intends to take that back with him.

So this is taking a ton of different crazes of the Eighties and throwing them in a blender; James Bond, Shinobi-Geddon, Indiana Jones, The A-Team and G. I. Joe. And you would think it wouldn't work as well as it does but it does.

While not a great film by any means it blends all of its crazy ideas quite well and has some great charm to go with it.

It is well paced and has a charismatic performance from the lead actor who, along with Boon, make for a very entertaining ride.

The locations and sets are all well done and are great to look at, and considering it's budget that's a admirable achievement, especially when the costume design is also very solid with sleek suits, well done black and also red ninja suits, a mini suit for Boon, explorer outfits, etc.

The fight scenes are pretty good as well, not the greatest but still good all things considered.

It's a fun film that, if you're open to it, can take you back to your childhood with some great goofy characters and a wild story that only the Eighties could've produced.

Cult Cuts Volume 52 (Return to the Video Store: Post-Apocalyptic Warriors and Intergalactic Adventurers Part One)

#4/4: 1990: The Bronx Warriors (1982)

(8/10): Dumb, yes, but a lot more easy to follow than Raiders of Atlantis.

1990: The Bronx Warriors is about, Trash, a gang leader of one of the several gangs in The Bronx, which has been deemed "No Man's Land".

Trash finds a young woman, Ann, who has fled her rich life in Manhattan as she is being controlled and forced into situations that she doesn't want to be in by her family, who he vows to protect.

Her father soon has a hired gun go in after her to retrieve her and kill anyone who tries to get in his way, however he has ties with the Bronx and is also known for being a one track minded chaotic man who just wants to destroy everything so after he falls through her father sends a squadron in after her.

Trash now having formed an alliance with The Ogre, another gang leader, must battle their way through a group of armed soldiers to protect Ann and escape with their lives, but will they succeed?

The first in a trilogy of cash in films on Escape from New York as well as also probably taking some notes from the Mad Max movies as they were another film that started the wave of Actionsploitation films that mainly stemmed from Italy. This first effort is actually pretty solid.

Directed by Enzo G. Castellari and even having cult actor Fred "The Hammer" Williamson as The Ogre, this film has a fair bit going for it.

I don't want to compare but, Raiders of Atlantis is pretty much the only reference point I have on these films thus far, so yeah it's tough not to.

The biggest thing here is that the action is more well executed and the story is especially much easier to follow and even believable than Raiders. The addition of Fred Williamson is just bonus points at this point.

The action sequences are much more fun as we have a Decapitation, The Ogre has a female cohort that has a whip, we also get flamethrowers, and a satisfying final blow with a grappling hook shot right through our antagonists stomach.

The costumes are also very fun, we get some of the typical post apocalyptic punk looks but then atop of that we also get flashy glam versions of the top hat and cane look from A Clockwork Orange, The Ogre looks more like he's in the Disco Era, The Ogre's female cohort, or Witch as she is aptly titled, has black leather getup with knee high black boots and a black silk cape giving her a bit of a dominatrix look to go nicely with her whip, there's some nice almost shinobi like red and black, sword wielding thugs and flamethrower police officers on horseback. Needless to say there's a solid amount of variety in the costume department.

The character of Trash, while not stellar, he does pull a solid and believable character arc and the actor does a suitable job at portraying him.

It's a strong start to a trilogy that, when boiled down to its core is just a cash in, so it being as good as it is for what it is, is worth a recommendation.