agneepath Bollywood has started 2012 with a vengeance, literally, with Agneepath, a remake of a 1990 film. It includes everything you would expect from Indian cinema; romance, action, elaborate dance sequences, and lush colors, only this film has so much more violence and heartache.

As a child, Vijay’s father tries to talk the townsfolk of a small island off the coast of Mumbai out of loaning their land to Kancha, who wants to grow coke in their salt fields. Kancha will stop at nothing to get the land, so he has a little girl raped and murdered and sets Vijay’s father up, leading to mob justice and the father’s death. Vijay and his mother move to Mumbai where he comes across Rauf Lala, Mumbai’s top drugs dealer and human trafficker and becomes a member Continue reading »

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the-eternal-evil-of-asia The Eternal Evil of Asia is another wonderfully produced category III horror/voodoo/sex/comedy romp produced by legendary Wong Jing. Being one of the most prolific filmmakers in Hong Kong, anyone who knows what Wong is capable of, will have an inkling as to what they should expect in this hilarious tale.

Four friends travel to Thailand on a bachelor party excursion, but the trip goes awry when they befriend a local wizard and accidentally kill his sister. They return to Hong Kong, but the wizard follows and begins picking them off one by one. The wife to be has to decide to make a personal sacrifice to save the man she loves and her brother Continue reading »

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adam-chaplin My first encounter with this movie was through this trailer which at a first glance (well, the first minute of it at least) looked kind of cheesy, that very particular cheese that so many low budget shot on video gore movies tend to be full of. You know, just a movie without ever reflecting on narrative etc, just pour on the gore. This can be good in itself but very straining on your patience. But then came a couple of really striking scenes and I knew I had to have this. I hopped on the filmmaker’s website and about five minutes after watching the trailer I had ordered it. It arrived yesterday (a bit smashed up due to the fucking post office but working just fine) and I popped it into the DVD player to hopefully get an entertaining experience. And by God it is!

Adam Chaplin might actually be one of the best comic book movies I have ever seen. It is not based on a comic but the story, the visuals and most importantly – the violence, are all as if torn Continue reading »

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black-magic-with-buddha I’ve learned something today. Evil Thai mummy brains aren’t something you should mess about with; it’s as simple as that. And if you do feel like keeping them for your own personal gain, make sure you feed them regularly. They tend to get rather mad if they are hungry. Like any other pet really. That’s something the protagonist of low budget Hong Kong sleaze Black Magic with Buddha learns when he goes to Thailand, takes home a brain with magic powers to use for his own personal gain. You see, our hero is somewhat of a looser. Only somewhat though, for a CAT III hero he is actually fairly likeable. He means well I suppose, he just doesn’t seem to think of the consequences of what he is doing, and the fact that it kills his sister and his wife’s family, well, he never seems to care that much about it. He comes off as Continue reading »

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savage-island 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 »

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cut-throats-nine I can imagine the filmmakers having a meeting before the shoot, before a script is presented. They want to make a western, that has been decided, but the writer is seething with anger. He has probably just gotten through a nasty divorce and is angry. They want a movie without heroes. They want everyone that dies to die in the most brutal way possible and the mood should be uncomfortable and filthy.

Boy did they succeed.

A group of soldiers are on their way to a fort with a number of chained Continue reading »

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Theatrical Poster

While I was waiting outside the theater waiting to be let in for the Las Vegas PollyGrind Festival screening of Dear God No!, a hairy, drunken, tattooed biker detached himself from a large group of hairy, drunken tattooed bikers and staggered over to me. He threw his arm around my shoulders and slurred, “You’re a beautiful man. Just a…beautiful man.” Unsure of the correct Emily Post-approved response in this particular social situation, I smiled politely and replied, “Thanks.” He then leaned in closer and declared, “What is it with glory holes these days? There are no glory holes anywhere any more…not even in Vegas. What’s with that shit?” It was at that moment that I thought to myself, Am I about to be raped by a biker?

My fear was slightly diminished when he continued with, “I’m gonna Continue reading »

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Theatrical Poster

Never forget where you came from.” The words spoken to Cataleya (Zoe Saldana) by her father when she was a child, resonate throughout Colombiana with each bullet fired by the revenge fueled heroine.

At the tender age of nine, Cataleya witnesses her parents massacred by her father’s partner in crime’s men. Before the men arrive, Cataleya’s father gives her a computer chip that he says is her passport to the US if she can get to the embassy. In a very exciting sequence running through the slums being chased by men on foot, dirt bikes and cars, she escapes her parent’s Continue reading »

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George Rossi (Demetri Kallas) is a Vietnam vet who lives in Astoria Queens, and is the super of an apartment building that has been in his family for over 40 years. It’s a station he’s proud of, and he treats his tenants with respect and warmth, trying to provide the best life possible for his wheelchair-bound wife, Maureen (Lynn Lowry), and their withdrawn daughter, Helen (Logan De Sisto). Oh, sure, some of the tenants take advantage of his kindness, as Maureen never hesitates to point out, and some of them are downright disrespectful, but George does his best to take these things in stride.

George’s job carries a lot of pressure. Russian dominatrix Continue reading »

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The Sad Cafe is a dynamic action thriller from visionary young director Bennie Woodell and it follows the story of Jack, a hitman in a gritty world where life and death, love and hatred carry a high price. As Jack begins falling in love with a young waitress named Rose at a small cafe he dines at daily, he tells himself a woman like her can’t possibly love a man like himself.

Full of amazing acting from its small cast, the film looks great with colorful scenes and wonderful cinematography by Macario Cortes III and a nice score also helps the set the dramatic mood. In my opinion the sound did seem to be a bit off, mostly during James Jeske’s dialogue, and I had to guess a few Continue reading »

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Tommy Gamble, a seaman on suspension, finds himself grounded indefinitely in New York City as he awaits word from his union when his next departure might be. Wasting no time securing a small apartment in a crime-infested slum and making friends with some of the residents, Tommy ends up running afoul of the neighborhood street gang, Savage Souls.

With the Souls gunning for him and the cops unwilling to make any move on the gang without official complaints filed, there seems to be no other alternative but to pressure the union into placing him on the next ship leaving port. Will Tommy turn his back on friends and to the mercy of the Souls and their brutal strong-arm tactics Continue reading »

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DVD Artwork

Roaring up from the depths of hell, a damned soul named Milton (an allusion to John Milton?) returns to the world of mortal man with an unquenchable thirst for vengeance. Forced to spend his afterlife bearing witness to the suffering of his loved ones, Milton steals a legendary weapon and hits the road in search of a cult responsible for the murder of his daughter and the kidnapping of his granddaughter.

With law enforcement breathing down his neck and a mysterious denizen of the underworld named The Accountant dogging his every step, Milton and his road trip partner Piper must stay alive Continue reading »

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