Brian Harris

Brian Harris is the owner of Wildside Cinema & CineKult and the author of "Filmbrawl" & "Gimp: Volumes.1-4." When Mr. Harris isn't working on a new book project he can occasionally be found reviewing for Hacker's Source Magazine as well as other websites as a freelance critic.

Film Review: Never Forget Stryker’s 1st Commandment,’Thou Shalt Not Kill…Except’ (1985)

Action, B. Harris, Crime, Revenge, War No Responses »

Apr 132012

Thanks to a bad call by a wet-behind-the-ears commanding officer, Sgt. Jack Stryker and his team are overcome during a mission to take a Viet Cong stronghold. Forced to retreat with only a handful of injured survivors, Jack earns himself a first-class ticket back to the states with an Honorable Discharge and a limp.

Reunited with his dog Whiskey and some old friends, Jack begins to settle back in to civvy life but it doesn’t take long before the war is back on for him and his buddies when a group of bloodthirsty cult members descend upon the Continue reading »

Interview w/ Filmmaker Brett Pierce (DeadHeads)

B. Harris, Interviews No Responses »

Feb 282012

Thanks for dropping by to check out the interview I did with one half of The Pierce Brothers filmmaking duo, Brett Pierce. Their film DEADHEADS is on its way to disc so Brett and I settled in for a few and informative interview. – Brian Harris

Wildside Cinema: The past few years have been good indeed to the zombie sub-genre and perhaps hundreds of films have been made and saw release. The painful truth though is that only a handful has really been enjoyable. What made you decide to throw your hat into the ring now that zombie cinema seems to be in a cooling-off period right now?

Brett Pierce: Honestly, when we started working on DEADHEADS things were not so crowded in the zombie genre. ZOMBIELAND was in the pipeline but outside of that we didn’t really know of much else we would be competing with down the line. What made us decide on doing DEADHEADS was we were Continue reading »

Film Review: Richard Powell’s Short Film ‘”Familiar”‘ (2012) Gives Voice to Insanity and a Shape to Pure Evil

B. Harris, Horror, Short Films, Thriller No Responses »

Feb 212012

John Dodd is living the normal, idyllic life of a hard-working American family man; two car garage, white picket fence, working wife and teenage daughter. Like most, they deal with everyday stress, but beneath the surface of John’s calm exterior though lies the seething soul of a man on the verge of collapse. Disgusted with his wife and her dinner plate conversations and fed up with the parasitic symbiosis of his offspring, an idea begins to form, a seed that promises to sprout into true freedom from a mundane existence. He doesn’t have to continue putting up with it all, there’s always another way.

When John’s wife informs him that she’s expecting, the fragile divide between sanity and the darkness of absolute insanity is shattered, leaving him with an unthinkable solution. As ideas begin taking hold, the voice within his head grows stronger, demanding he relinquish control Continue reading »

Staff Picks: Brian Harris 2/12

B. Harris, Staff Picks 1 Response »

Feb 192012

Magic Cop (Qu mo jing cha – 1990) – When a big city crime is found connected to walking corpses and black magic, country cop Uncle Feng joins in the investigation. All clues point to a nefarious Chinese/Japanese black magic sect and only Uncle Feng’s amazing Taoist magic can hold back the tide of the walking undead! Oh shit, Magic Cop! Seriously what can I say about this film expect that it is insane, from beginning to end! Black magic, legendary actor Lam Ching-Ying, martial arts, HK slapstick, it’s all in there. I love this film and I promise you will too. Seek it out! Continue reading »

Film Review: The Pierce Brothers Deliver Big Laughs with Delightfully Gory Horror/Comedy ‘DeadHeads’ (2011)

B. Harris, Comedy, Horror, Zombies No Responses »

Feb 192012

One fine evening Mike awakens in unfamiliar surroundings to discover the area overrun by flesh-eating zombies on a rampage. With no other option but to run and take cover, he stumbles into a guy named Brett hanging out in the forest. As if a zombie outbreak wasn’t bad enough, it becomes abundantly clear to Mike that he and Brett share something in common…they’re both dead as well.

What else are two self-aware zombies to do with themselves when they’ve no taste for the flesh of the living? Why, hit the bar for drinks of course! During their beer buddy convo, Mike realizes that he’d never taken the opportunity to tell his high school sweetheart how he felt before he passed on and with Continue reading »

Box Set Beatdown: Grindhouse Experience Vol.1 – ‘Savage Man Savage Beast’ (Ultime grida dalla savana – 1975)

B. Harris, Box Set, Cannibals, Documentary, Exploitation, Extreme, Italy No Responses »

Jan 302012

Those of you unfamiliar with Mondo may want to take note that it is most certainly not going to be everybody’s cup o’ tea as it is typically filled with bizarre rituals, nudity, sex and graphic, bloody violence from around the world. Often overflowing with gruesome sequences depicting mutilated animals and the human casualties of war, execution and accidents; watching a Mondo film is like settling in for a night of National Geographic edited by sadistic perverts. It cannot be stressed enough that while many Mondo films feature facts of zoological and anthropological interest, they’re still exploitation films and should never be mistaken for anything remotely educational. You’d think most would know that but some folks might be tempted to see this thinking they’ll learn something of worth. Trust me, you’ll not Continue reading »

Is Exploitation Cinema Right for Me?

Articles, B. Harris 2 Responses »

Jan 242012

Over the years I’ve crossed paths with many people interested in becoming exploitation/cult cinema fans, as if one could “choose” to be such a way, and I’ve done my best to point them in the direction of beginner fare before leading them into the real ugliness. A few (very few) have remained, the rest faded away when they realized that it isn’t at all the campy fun of MST3K or their local horror host. Certainly exploitation and cult cinema can be campy fun but, generally speaking, it’s sleazy and offensive; the lowest common denominator served up on a nudie girl plate by a horny black girl named Nubia. It stinks, it’s sticky and ugly, and it grates on your ears like the sound of a million chalk boards being clawed at. You don’t become a fan of exploitation cinema for the “fun” of it, you become one because Continue reading »

Staff Picks: Brian Harris 1/12

B. Harris, Staff Picks 5 Responses »

Jan 162012

Enter The Ninja (1981) – This film is so fun it should have been titled “Django vs. Mega Ninja!” Legendary Italian bad ass Franco Nero goes toe-to-toe with legendary Japanese martial artist/actor Sho Kosugi in this entertaining flick from MGM. Now available on DVD thru their limited edition MOD (Manufacture on Demand) service, Enter The Ninja is must-see Ninjasploitation packed with talent, action and hilariously bad sequences; a true Cannon classic. Grab it now. Continue reading »

BEST OF 2011: Brian Harris

B. Harris, Staff Picks 1 Response »

Dec 282011

Drive – There’s a good reason why Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive has made so many favorites lists on and offline this year and that’s because it was one of the best damn films to hit theaters in 2011. Incorporating the stillness of art house drama with shocking bursts of graphic violence, Winding Refn has crafted the kind of film that reeks of cult status and walks with an Oscar-winning swagger. Throw in a stunning performance by Albert Brooks and a soundtrack that almost surpasses the film in style and you’ve got cinematic gold. Continue reading »

Film Review: Nishimura’s ‘Helldriver’ (2010) Drives Levels of Splatter & Comedy to New Heights

Action, Asian Cinema, B. Harris, Comedy, Exploitation, Extreme, Horror, Japan, Sci-Fi, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Zombies 1 Response »

Nov 222011

After a meteorite makes impact with Japan, it sends alien spores into the atmosphere, infecting humans with a virus that mutates them into flesh-eating fiends with little horns protruding from their foreheads. Japan, as the world knows it, ceases to exist and in its place is an island nation divided into two parts by a massive wall, effectively separating the living from the infected (read: zombies). To make matters worse, the horns of the dead are being illegally harvested, dried, ground up and sold on the black market as a new drug.

Factions within the current Japanese government are intent on halting the advance of the horde by putting together a special team, lead by Kika, and sending them into the infected zone. Their mission Continue reading »

Film Review: Full Moon’s ‘Savage Island’ (1985) is a Chopped-Up, Wipped-Out Sleaze Fest

Action, Adventure, B. Harris, Crime, Exploitation, Full Moon, Italy, Revenge No Responses »

Nov 172011

When the gorgeous Daly makes an appointment to see a shady jewel dealer named Luker (as in filthy?), she has no intention of purchasing precious gems, she’s out for cold-hard revenge. Armed with righteous fury and a machine gun, Daly weaves a tale of terror on a jungle island that Luker will never forget!

Let’s be upfront here, this isn’t a “grindhouse” film, despite the label being slapped on the front of the DVD case. These days pretty much everybody uses the words “grindhouse” and “cult classic” for whatever the hell they please, almost to the point of stripping the words of any real meaning. It was bound to happen, there’s no sense whining about it as, eventually, the trend will burn itself out. Until Continue reading »

Film Review: Benny Chan’s ‘Shaolin’ (Xin shao lin si – 2011) is a Strong Return to HK Cinema’s Glorious Heyday

Action, Adventure, Asian Cinema, B. Harris, Drama, Hong Kong, Jackie Chan, Martial Arts No Responses »

Nov 172011

A darkness falls upon China when warlords and their armies clash in bloody combat and the noble Shaolin temple’s warrior monks find themselves caught in the middle. Intent on remaining separate from the violence of the outside world, yet willing to offer a helping hand to all those in need, their way of life is put to the test when a fallen general seeks medical help, and eventually enlightenment, from the very same monks he offended.

To those who doubt the Hong Kong film industry’s ability to continue Continue reading »

Older Entries