D. Foster | Wildside Cinema

Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men (2009)

May 102010

Book Review

Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men will introduce you to an exceptional and humble man that made cinematic history, give you a taste of what his life was like and finally take you on a tour of some of his most fantastic cinematic accomplishments.

The first section covers Ishiro Honda’s lifeline, both personal and professional. We get a fly on the wall perspective, yet it still feels like an intimate visit with a cinematic legend. Allot of research went into this and it left me feeling like I knew the man behind Godzilla. To be quite honest, this portion of the book only takes up about 1/5 of the pages and I would have really enjoyed it to be a bit longer.

Moving on the the second portion, we continue Continue reading »

Lunacy (Sílení – 2005)

Animation, D. Foster, Fantasy No Responses »

Feb 142010

DVD Release

Climb into the mind of a lunatic and stay for a while. Jan (Alice) Svankmajer will take you there and drop you off in this relentless test of judgment and sanity. Borrowing heavily from two tales by Edgar Allan Poe, the master of the macabre, Lunacy just might make you a bit uncomfortable. The first half, based on Poe’s The Premature Burial, introduces us to the grieving lunatic and the mad man determined to help him. It delves into the most beautiful scene of blasphemy, which will be indelibly branded in your memories. The second half is based on Poe’s The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether. Chickens run wild, meat has a mind of it’s own and the patients enjoy their freedom within the walls of an asylum. But alas, our lead lunatic learns of Continue reading »

Little Otik (Otesánek – 2000)

Animation, D. Foster, Fantasy, Horror No Responses »

Feb 142010

DVD Release

Unable to bear a child of her own, the desire to parent becomes an obsession for Bozenka Horak. Everywhere she looks she sees mothers and children, which only adds to her torment. While clearing some newly acquired land, her husband Karel digs up a small stump that resembles a baby; he cleans it up and presents it to Bozenka and so becomes Otik. Apparently her passion somehow transfers to the hunk of wood to give it life. If you’re familiar with Jan Svankmajer’s work, you’ll know of his fixation with food and eating; Little Otik is no exception. This little guy steps up to the plate with an insatiable appetite that soon has the authorities making inquires about all the missing people. The stop motion animation of Otik is creepy as hell Continue reading »

The Secret Adventures Of Tom Thumb (1993)

Animation, D. Foster, Fantasy, Sci-Fi No Responses »

Feb 142010

DVD Release

This is not the children’s story, but rather a nightmarish vision that borrowed the theme of a well known tale. A fly gets trapped in the clockwork of an artificial insemination factory, causing the “Super-Seed” machine to malfunction. The fly doesn’t make it, but the result of its poor flight plan is the birth of Tom Thumb. A mixture of stop motion animation, live action and an obscure imagination guide you through the birth, kidnapping and escape of this little adventurer as he fights his way back to his dear papa. This little gem should keep your attention, as there are plenty of interesting characters and always some sort of creepy crawly making its way across the screen. There is very little dialog but the few lines there are, are sure to generate a chuckle.

Invasion! (Top of the Food Chain – 1999)

Comedy, D. Foster, Horror, Sci-Fi No Responses »

Feb 142010

Theatrical Poster

Welcome to Exceptional Vista, a town where nothing exceptional has happened since the nut factory closed it’s doors. That’s all about to change. Hungry interstellar visitors have come to town and are not only depleting the population but disrupting the TV signals as well. This is a character and dialog driven movie, and it gets along just fine without the big budget stuff. It’s lean in the effects department, but the few you get vary from satisfactory to impressive. The fly on the wall perspective of this small town life is actually quite twisted behind the facade. There are tons of hilariously memorable lines and the sexual innuendos fly, ranging from bestiality to incest. Topping it all off are the brutal mutilations that are shoved in you face when you Continue reading »

7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)

Classic Cinema, D. Foster, Fantasy No Responses »

Feb 142010

Promo Artwork

A dusty little western town receives a visit from a very special man and his traveling circus. Dr. Lao, a Chinese magician of great powers and many faces, has a lesson for each and every person and some very interesting way’s of conveying those lessons. In a small tent (it’s much bigger inside) on the outskirts of town, you’ll encounter Merlin the magician, a yeti, Apollo and Pan, a giant talking serpent, Medusa and a very small sea monster. Impressive make-up, fantastic costumes, interesting characters and feats of captivating magic are sure to keep your attention. Tony Randall steals the show playing Dr. Lao and numerous other characters; his performance is extraordinary and his Engrish alone Continue reading »

Godzilla, King Of The Monsters (1956)

Asian Cinema, D. Foster, Kaiju No Responses »

Feb 142010

U.S. DVD Release

American reporter Steve Martin, played by Raymond Burr, makes a stop in Tokyo while traveling abroad. His timing is perfect because he’s about to witness the biggest story in the history of news, the awakening of Godzilla. “Well, it’s big and terrible!” Steve reports to his editor; and indeed it is. This is more of a re-mix than an original movie. A few vital story driving scenes, along with the special effects shots from the original Gojira were almost flawlessly edited together with new shots and the narrative of Raymond Burr and a dubbed English track. Although still tragic and disastrous, the result is a slightly more lighthearted and optimistic monster flick; what future Godzilla movies seem to have been patterned after.

Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)

Asian Cinema, D. Foster, Kaiju No Responses »

Feb 142010

U.S. DVD Release

Giant monsters attack, and the damage in this round is not limited to Japan; the entire planet suffers their wrath, but before things get too bad, aliens appear and dispel the monsters. The aliens warn of an imminent impact between the Earth and the planet Gorath, offering their help and advise for the impending crisis. Are the Xilians true allies or is there an ulterior motive? 50 years and 28 movies later the big “G” is still going strong. Godzilla himself has evolved many times over the years and the millennium version is quite the vicious looking beastie. There’s plenty of giant monster action in this most recent addition to the franchise. Final Wars brings back Gigan, Rodan, Mothra, Angurius, King Caesar, King Ghidorah, Minilla, the CG American Godzilla Continue reading »

They Live (1988)

Action, D. Foster, Horror, Sci-Fi 3 Responses »

Feb 142010

DVD Release

A drifting construction worker discovers some very special, eye opening glasses and the rebel organization that manufactured them. Wearing the glasses exposes severe, subliminal programming and the creatures responsible for it, both of which are everywhere. Now he just needs to convince a befriended co-worker into seeing things his way so he’s not alone trying to save the world; what should be a simple task (just put the damn glasses on), leads to a most memorably, brutal, six-minute fight scene. The social commentary in They Live is very prominent, but it doesn’t take away from the story; if anything it enhances it. Grotesque bad guys, plenty of action, good story, good special effects, and some great one-liners make this highly re-watchable.

The Stuff (Revisited)

Comedy, D. Foster, Horror, Thriller No Responses »

Feb 142010

DVD Release

A couple of old miners discover a creamy white substance oozing out of the ground; it turns out, the stuff is tasty, sweet and highly addicting. An aggressive marketing campaign shortly has The Stuff in every household being devoured by the masses. It’s all a good tasty time, until The Stuff starts moving on it’s own and consuming it’s consumers. Think Invasion Of The Body Snatchers meets The Blob, add some camp and you’ve got The Stuff. The special effects, for the most part, are quite simple but also very creative and well done. There’s lots of funny dialog and the characters are goofy and likable. The Stuff is a tasty treat that will have you coming back for seconds and thirds.

The Amazing Screw-On Head (2007)

Animation, D. Foster, Fantasy No Responses »

Feb 142010

DVD Release

It all starts in the Museum Of Dangerous Books And Papers, with a kidnapping and the theft of an ancient scroll. Our hero, a sentient, metal head with the ability to screw itself into various robotic bodies, is called upon by Abe Lincoln to assist with this crisis. The mission at hand churns up some personal history for Screw-On Head and gives us some insight to all the characters involved. In turn we realize that this is no ordinary mission, but a personal vendetta for the hero. In just 22 minutes you’ll experience encounters with a werewolf, a vampire, a zombie, cannibals, a crowned monkey and a dead dog on wheels. The art style is remarkable and will be easily recognized by fans of Mike (Hellboy) Mignola. Short but decadently sweet, this animation packs one hell of a punch and the one-liners are sure to leave you smiling.

Night Of The Lepus (1972)

D. Foster, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller No Responses »

Feb 142010

Theatrical Poster

The rabbit population has grown out of control to such extremes that man has declared war against the lepus. This war will be lost unless science can intervene with their breeding cycle. Before the affects of an experimental serum can be verified, an infected specimen is accidentally loosed into the wild; the result is disastrous. It seems that somehow the mutation spreads instantly to the entire local population, because in no time at all, giant, genetically mutated rabbits are on the loose, and they’re hungry! Extreme close-up’s, slow motion shots and some impressive miniature sets are the primary special effects, but my favorite over all is the guy in a rabbit suit. Red paint seems to fancy itself as blood and apparently, there’s no shortage of Continue reading »