P. Escott | Wildside Cinema

Film Review: HK Action Star Donnie Yen “Wows” in ‘Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen’ (2010)

Action, Asian Cinema, Drama, Horror, Martial Arts, P. Escott No Responses »

Dec 132010

Theatrical Poster

Donnie Yen really has come into his own during the latter half of the noughties, starting with his lead role in Kill Zone (Sha Po Lang) in 2005. It’s been a long time coming too, ever since 1992’s Once Upon a Time in China II in which he played a villainous General pitted against Jet Li’s legendary Wong Fei-hung, all the way through to his attempts at cracking Hollywood with the likes of Highlander: End Game and Blade II to finally landing some good guy roles in the likes of 2002’s acclaimed Hero (once again duking it out with Jet Li). Even his production company, Bullet Films, failed to bring him wide-scale international recognition the likes of which Jackie Chan and Jet Li enjoyed. However, turn to 2010 and all of Yen’s Continue reading »

Film Review: Philip Ridley Crafts an Original Urban Horror Film with ‘Heartless’ (Revisited – 2009)

Drama, Horror, P. Escott, Thriller No Responses »

Sep 192010

Poster Artwork

It’s a tight rope to walk when trying to create a fairytale for adults. Sure we’ve had some attempts that have managed to pull it off effortlessly, who can deny the power and beauty of Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth? But for every Pan’s Labyrinth we also have Snow White: A Tale of Terror or Rumpelstiltskin to contend with. As fun and cheesy as Rumpelstiltskin is, it fails to have the desired effect of all fairy tales; that of caution and distrust. Philip Ridley however has made a welcome return to film-making with a triumphant new fairytale that hits it’s marks perfectly and gives us yet another gripping adult fairytale that ranks as horrific and affecting as anything in Pan’s Labyrinth Continue reading »

Film Review: Never Underestimate the Yoof of ‘Cherry Tree Lane’ (2010)

Crime, Drama, Horror, P. Escott, Thriller No Responses »

Sep 192010

Poster Artwork

Paul Andrew Williams has been a director to watch for British cinema fans since his powerful debut in 2006 with London to Brighton. Dealing with such pleasant acts as child prostitution and drug addiction, it was the perfect introduction for a no-holds barred director such as Williams. Two years later he returned with The Cottage, the complete opposite to his debut. The Cottage, by comparison, was a throwaway horror comedy about a couple of would be kidnappers whose choice of hideaway really couldn’t have been worse. It was no-brain horror goodness that shocked fans of his debut, but now he’s back with Cherry Tree Lane and he’s giving audiences another horror film with the social realism Continue reading »

Convoy Busters (1978)

Action, Crime, Drama, P. Escott, Poliziotteschi, Thriller No Responses »

Jun 122010

U.S. DVD Release

“Macho, macho man! I want to be a macho man!”

The ‘Poliziottesco’ genre couldn’t have asked for a more fitting song. With big tough men, often sporting gloriously oversized mustaches and even bigger guns, strut around most major Italian cities making their own laws and following their own rules. It’s a genre that contains more immorality than a whorehouse in Mexico, and that’s just the Police force!

Tough guys like Franco Nero, Maurizio Merli and Fabio Testi made a killing off of these types of characters. It’s not hard to see why this genre was so big in Italy in the 70’s: what with all the Red Brigades blowing shit up and political corruption causing many a headache. The ‘every-day man Continue reading »

A Man Called Magnum (1977)

Action, Crime, Drama, P. Escott, Poliziotteschi, Thriller No Responses »

Jun 122010

U.S. DVD Release

More Euro crime-slime from those lovely folks overt at NoShame, it’s a rather odd release. It’s not exactly a classic, or even a cult item, but they have felt fit to unleash it onto the market for fans of Italian B-cinema too lap up! The fact that it also features the awesome talents of Luc Merenda (Sergio Martino’s Torso) pretty much guarantees there’ll be a few interested fans out there eager to catch a film with him on leading man duty.

Inspector Dario Mauri (Merenda) is a top Milanese cop who is sent down to the dirty-south of Naples to help lower the ever growing mob activity. Too bad then, that two rival gangs are about to go to war over a stolen shipment of Continue reading »

The Last Round (1976)

Action, Crime, Drama, P. Escott, Poliziotteschi, Thriller No Responses »

Jun 122010

U.S. DVD Release

Here’s a novel idea. Update Sergio Leone’s classic spaghetti western A Fistful of Dollars for the politioztechi crowd, so it will feel like the Wild, Wild West… with flares. What’s not to love about that, right? And the answer is nothing what so ever. No Shame has saved this title from obscurity and there are going to be many, many fans rejoicing once they pop this beauty into their DVD player.

Arriving in Milan from an unspecified southern city, Marco Russo (Carlos Monzon) looks like he has a score to settle. Arriving with a rucksack and music box, containing the picture of two women, he sets out to complete his mission. Meeting two hermits Wis (short for wisdom) and a blind girl Continue reading »

Suspected Death of a Minor (Morte Sospetta Di Una Minorenne – 1975)

Crime, Gialli, Horror, P. Escott, Thriller No Responses »

Jun 062010

R2 DVD Release

When faced with a Sergio Martino film, you can usually rely on it being a very well produced exploitation movie. Be it The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh or Mountain of the Cannibal God, you’re going to be entertained! That is what Martino does best, and he knows it. During the early 70s he was producing some of the best Gialli of the era, in fact it could be said that he brought the sleaze and OTT violence to the genre. Before he got his grubby hands on it, it was still respected (critically) as a genre. When he released Torso on the unsuspecting Giallo fans, you can just imagine their reaction. He had finally taken the plunge and made the violence on screen overly sexual. The genre was never the same again Continue reading »

Tormented (2009)

Comedy, Horror, P. Escott 1 Response »

Apr 262010

R2 DVD Release

Justine is the head girl of her school, and as part of the role she is called to give a speech at the funeral of fellow student Darren Mullet; who has recently committed suicide. Jason, Darren’s only friend, is outraged as Justine didn’t actually know him and has an outburst during the ceremony and is violently tossed out by the schools PE teacher. After the ceremony the ‘it’ kids decide to throw a party, Alexis has a crush on Justine and decides to invite her along – she agrees.

At the party, all of the in crowd receive media messages containing insults from Darren’s phone, they assume its Jason and plan on getting him back. It transpires Continue reading »

The Frightened Woman (Femina Ridens – 1969)

Erotic, Exploitation, P. Escott No Responses »

Apr 132010

R2 DVD Release

A journalist, Maria (Dagmar Lassander – House by the Cemetery) gets into way more than she bargained for when she interviews a wealthy philanthropist by the name of Dr. Sayer (Phillipe Leroy – Mother of Tears). You see, this twisted doctor believes that men have been oppressed by woman for far too long and in order to save society, something must be done about them. When she accepts a drink from him, she soon finds her self captive and so begins this perverted tale of one man out to crush womankind!

Femina Ridens is a movie that could only have been made in 60’s Italy. As soon as you glimpse the décor and hear the lounge-jazz soundtrack you’ll be swept up Continue reading »

Thirst (2009)

Asian Cinema, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, P. Escott, Park Chan-wook, Thriller 2 Responses »

Nov 152009

Wildly Original!

The vampire genre, as we all know, has arisen from its coffin once again – thanks, some may say, to a Mormon. Though I don’t see Twilight as the savior of the genre, I like to think Alan Ball and his excellent adaptation of Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series, True Blood, is the saving grace behind the re-birth. It’s the anti-Twilight in everyway, and everything vampirism should be; dark, brooding, dangerous and sexual – not sparkly and fluffy! Regardless of which side you root for, the genre is truly alive and kicking. So when news broke that Korean mega-director Chan-wook Park was to make a vampire film; it was a guarantee that Continue reading »

Terror Express (1979)

Crime, Gialli, P. Escott, Thriller No Responses »

Nov 152009

R2 UK DVD

When Wes Craven released a low-budget slice of sadism upon the world in 1972, few would have thought that it would inspire a whole slew of knock-offs across the globe, mostly from that gloriously little country – Italy. Last House on the Left is responsible for it fair share of great exploitation flicks, without it we may never have had Night Train Murders, Last House on the Beach, or even Last House on the Edge of the Park! That, my friends, would be a sorry, sorry world to live in. Ferdinando Baldi may not have the reputation of the film’s writer, George Eastman, but boy, oh boy he knew how to make a sleazy little movie!

Three thugs hold-up a carriage Continue reading »

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Horror, P. Escott 1 Response »

Nov 152009

R2 DVD Artwork

Slasher films have been known to court controversy, but one film caused more than it’s fair share when it was release by Tri-star Pictures. Silent Night, Deadly Night suffered the wrath of nearly every faction of society upon it’s release, Schools and the PTA protested, while film critics openly attacked the people behind the production in their reviews – it seemed that Santa Claus was still very much cared for by Americans, who saw the film as an insult. The film was pulled from theaters, and was not heard of again until it was released on VHS. In the UK it has never received an official release… until now.

Billy Chapman has had a pretty rough life, he’s only 18 years-old but he’s witnessed Santa Claus murder his father, then off his mom after she put up a fight while he tried to rape her. Then he was put into an orphanage that was run by a brutal Mother Superior Continue reading »