Film Review: ‘The Super’ (2010) Brings Grime Back to Indie Cinema & Exploitation Junkies

 Crime, Exploitation, Horror, Revenge, T. Strauss, Thriller  6 Responses »
Jun 252011
 

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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and warmth, trying to provide the best life possible for his wheelchair-bound wife, Maureen (Lynn Lowry), and their withdrawn daughter, Helen (Logan De Sisto).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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Film Review: Woodell’s ‘The Sad Cafe’ (2011) – Death and Romance Collide in a Hail of Bullets

 Action, Crime, Drama, J. Kayy, Martial Arts, Revenge, Thriller  3 Responses »
Jun 142011
 

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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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Film Review: Flynn’s ‘Defiance’ (1980) Remains True to Rolling Thunder’s Theme of Revenge

 Action, B. Harris, Crime, Drama, Exploitation, Revenge, Thriller  No Responses »
May 182011
 

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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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Film Review: When a Cult Leaves You No Other Choice, It’s Time to ‘Drive Angry’ (2011)

 Action, Adventure, B. Harris, Demons, Exploitation, Fantasy, Horror, Revenge  No Responses »
May 172011
 

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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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Film Review: ‘Run! Bitch Run!’ (Revisited – 2009) – They Know Just How to Find You

 Crime, Exploitation, Extreme, J. Felton, Rape/Revenge, Revenge  2 Responses »
May 082011
 

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The rape/revenge sub-genre is a strange beast, one that has always courted controversy. Movies such as I Spit on Your Grave, Ms.45 and Thriller: They Call Her One Eye, from the 70s and 80s, up to more recent efforts such as Torched or the big budget remake of The Last House on the Left. Are they purely exploitation? Or do they somehow bring a sense of empowerment with the inevitable revenge? Well, that’s not really for me to say, as I think each person takes away something different from each movie they watch. I’ll just try and stick to whether the movie is good or bad, or neither as the case may be.

All that rambling brings me to director Joseph Guzman’s addition to this controversial little corner of cinema. With a title like Run! Bitch Run! it will have Continue reading »

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Film Review: Eisner’s ‘Hobo with a Shotgun’ (2010) Blasts Audiences from their Seats

 Action, Crime, Exploitation, J. Felton, Revenge  No Responses »
Apr 202011
 

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I remember the excitement surrounding the trailer of Machete that screened on the Grindhouse release. Of course the movie didn’t actually exist at that time, but the trailer was cooler than an Eskimo’s dog dragging its nuts on the snow. When the movie did eventually see the light of day I have to admit that I was thoroughly underwhelmed. I mean, it was cool and had some great moments, it just didn’t grab me in the way I had hoped it would.

Hobo with a Shotgun had very similar origins, with a trailer for a movie that didn’t exist screening with Canadian screenings of Grindhouse. Now whereas the actors that appeared in the Machete trailer also starred in the movie, Hobo with a Shotgun Continue reading »

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Film Review: The Legendary Yuen Woo-ping’s ‘True Legend’ (2010) Not-So-Legendary Wuxia

 Action, Adventure, Asian Cinema, B. Harris, Drama, Fantasy, Hong Kong, Martial Arts, Revenge, Yuen Woo-ping  No Responses »
Apr 042011
 

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After leading an army into an enemy stronghold and rescuing his prince from execution, the great warrior General Su passes on a promotion to Governor of Hu Bei, instead graciously insisting the prince grant his adopted brother Yuan the honor. No longer interested in the thrill of battle, Su hopes to return home, start a family and open a school in which to teach Wushu.

Five years later, Governor Yuan pays an official visit to Su’s home on the day of his adopted father’s birthday intending to take his revenge on the old man for the execution of his biological father. Now a corrupt monster and Master of Five Venom Fists, Yuan unceremoniously dispatches the old man and takes his Continue reading »

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Film Review: Ling Pan’s ‘Brutal Sorcery’ (1983) Casts a Spell on Taste

 Asian Cinema, B. Harris, Exploitation, Hong Kong, Horror, Martial Arts, Revenge  No Responses »
Mar 292011
 

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Born in a bad year and month, on a bad day and time, Alan Chang finds himself plagued by disturbing ghostly encounters. Local medium Lady Luck informs his family that he must dig up the bodies of two spirits in particular and bring them to Thailand where they can be reunited in death in order to end the nasty mojo afflicting him. During his trip abroad, Alan hooks up with the sister of one of the deceased and a short love affair ensues. Agreeing to return to his lover in three months time, he heads back to his family in Hong Kong and gets on with his life. When three months come and go without a trip back to Thailand, Alan once again begins experiencing strange occurrences but this time it’s no mere haunting, it’s the blackest of black magic… Continue reading »

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Film Review: Johnson Hands Out Smackdowns in ‘Faster’ (2010)

 Action, B. Harris, Crime, Revenge, Thriller  No Responses »
Feb 172011
 

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A con is released from prison as a free man after paying his debt to society for his role in a heist but the only thing on his mind is cold, hard revenge. Setting out in a ’71 Chevelle, armed with a .45 Ruger
pistol and a metal plate in his head, he begins tracking down and dispatching members of an opposing heist crew involved in his brother’s needless execution. Following closely on his heels are a determined hitman, seeking a challenge, and a dirty cop looking to ride things out until his retirement. When all three men come face to face, the last man standing will be decided by which is faster.

Action revenge cinema lives! I’m not at all a fan of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s work, to be honest, but his increased Continue reading »

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Film Review: Bikers Clash with Hippies in a Bloody Massacre in ‘The Peace Killers’ (1971)

 Action, B. Harris, Crime, Exploitation, Rape/Revenge, Revenge  No Responses »
Dec 142010
 

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While out gathering supplies for their hippie commune, siblings Jeff and Kristy inadvertently cross paths with a few rowdy members of an outlaw biker gang. These aren’t just any bikers though, they’re members of the infamous Death Row biker gang and Kristy used to be their leader’s old lady!

After narrowly escaping the biker scum, brother and sister head back to the commune where they notify the group that the bikers may indeed come for Kristy and there could be violence. The commune’s leader Alex is determined to maintain their peaceful ways no matter what. That, as one might expect, is exactly the attitude Continue reading »

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Film Review: Mutant Boar Run Wild and Everything that Moves is ‘Prey’ (2010)

 Action, B. Harris, Drama, France, Horror, Revenge, Thriller  No Responses »
Dec 142010
 

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A young man named Nathan heads out into the woods, owned by his girlfriend Claire’s family, to hunt a large wild boar that appears to be stirring up trouble with the wildlife. Claire’s Grandfather, Father and Uncle lead the hunt and they’re soon on the trail of the creature but all signs point to something else, something that even the wild boar fear. Could a strange chemical polluting the land, produced by Claire’s family-owned factory, be the cause of this woodland disturbance as well as the strange chemical burns found on family members?

As the group travel deeper into the woods they stumble upon the terrifying truth, whatever it is that is destroying the Continue reading »

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Film Review: The Shaw Bros. Offer More Horror Insanity with ‘The Killer Snakes’ (She sha shou – 1975)

 B. Harris, Exploitation, Hong Kong, Horror, Revenge, Shaw Bros.  No Responses »
Oct 282010
 

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Chen Zhihong is a deeply disturbed young man, psychologically scarred by his prostitute mother’s vocal proclivity for S&M. Now a homely, put-upon wimp, Chen hops from job to job trying to make ends meet and scrape enough money together to take out the lovely Xiujuan, a young woman that works in the local market next to his home.

One lonely night Chen is confronted by a wounded Cobra, maimed for it’s gall bladder. Instead of killing or shooing the reptile away, he stuffs its innards back in, stitches it up and makes it a nice comfortable place to recover. The snake befriends him Continue reading »

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