Film Review: Fresh Meat’s ‘Rat Scratch Fever’ (2011) Conjures Feverish Visions of Mattei’s Scurrying Scarefest

 Action, Exploitation, J. Andersson, Sci-Fi  No Responses »
May 082012
 

rat-scratch-fever Brought back from a doomed space mission, an army of giant rats develop a big appetite for Los Angeles residents.

Well, the plot for this little nugget of joy was enough for me to buy the movie, especially after viewing the trailer that is a feast of loving cheese full of tacky models and full size mutant rat heads. Yes, I had to own it and as soon as the DVD arrived I sat down in front of the TV (to my girlfriends great pain. Not a fan of cheesy monster movies I’m afraid to say) and started to worry. Can this really be good? 105 minutes of low budget monsters can be painful if the heart isn’t in the right place. So, let’s get down to brass tacks. Rat Scratch Fever is essentially a throwback Continue reading »

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Film Review: ‘The Whisperer in Darkness’ (2011) Continues the Trend of Masterful Lovecraft Adaptations

 Drama, Fantasy, Horror, J. Andersson, Sci-Fi  No Responses »
Mar 082012
 

the-whisperer-in-darkness 2005 faux silent movie Call of Cthulhu stands as one of the best adaptations of H. P. Lovecraft, if not actually the best. It worked around the pitfalls of presenting material that really can’t be “shown” as if it was made during the heyday of silent cinema and did an exceptionally good job of it with surrealistic miniatures and a strong set design. Now comes the next production from the very same filmmakers and this time we move forward in time with an adaptation of the short story The Whisperer in Darkness as a 1930-1940ish horror movie. My expectations were sky high.

The original short story deals with strange and alien creatures haunting a farmer in the forests of Vermont and the revelation of their purpose as Continue reading »

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Film Review: Kitazawa’s ‘Deep Contact’ (Pin-saro byôin 2: Nô-pan joi – 1998) Combines Paranormal Sex with a Thrilling End-of-the-World Scenario

 Asian Cinema, Erotic, Fantasy, Japan, Sci-Fi  No Responses »
Mar 012012
 

deep-contact 1998’s “Deep Contact” directed by Yukio Kitazawa is very much a product of its time. The whole ‘feel’ of the film states it. The script was silly and the acting average for this type of thing. This is not a knock on the film by any means. On the contrary I found it most enjoyable, the ladies attractive and the sets non-existent. The music was dead on with synthesizers ripping a glorious homage to Queen from the “Flash Gordon” soundtrack during one scene. This music fit right in with the films plot.

We meet up with our reluctant hero running down the streets and alleyways attempting to flee some unknown pursuers. All the twists and turns can’t save him as he is set upon. The two men grab him and confirm his identity Continue reading »

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Film Review: Shinya Tsukamoto Returns with Experimental Metal Actioner ‘Tetsuo – The Bullet Man’ (2009)

 Action, Asian Cinema, Experimental, J. Andersson, Japan, Sci-Fi  No Responses »
Dec 162011
 

tetsuo-the-bullet-man FINALLY! The Iron man is back! With a vengeance! And in… English? WTF? Then again, we always knew that if there was another Tetsuo movie there would be lots of WTFs. Twenty-two years after the original Tetsuo and nineteen after the sequel, Shinya Tsukamoto finally returns to the wonders of biomechanical psychopathics and more loving fusions of flesh and metal.

An American man living in Japan with his Japanese wife and their son is struck by grief when a mysterious man kills the young boy by running him over with a car. As this is a Shinya Tsukamoto movie this event triggers something in our hero, making him turn into a metal beast and he starts searching in his past to why Continue reading »

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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
 

helldriver 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 »

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Film Review: Take Your Time Seeing ‘In Time’ (2011) Because You Can Never Get Back Those Missing Minutes

 Action, B. Woodell, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller  No Responses »
Nov 022011
 

Theatrical Poster

Imagine a world where money doesn’t exist, only time does. Everyday you work to earn enough money to live another day, to eat and try to enjoy life. In the ghetto’s there are gangs of time thieves who’ll rob you of the time you have left, leaving you to die in the gutter. The Time Keepers roam about keeping track of time and making sure that not too much is being spread out. On the other side of the spectrum, the rich have centuries to live and have lavish parties where they play poker with the excess time they have left. And all the while, you never grow older than twenty-five years old.

Sounds pretty cool, I know how excited I was when I saw the trailer a few months back and thought to myself what a great social commentary on Continue reading »

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Film Review: Lechago’s ‘Bio-Slime’ (2010) Puts the Ooze Back in Low Budget Sleaze

 B. Harris, Horror, Sci-Fi  No Responses »
Oct 212011
 

Promo Poster

When a shady arms deal goes bad, leaving two dead, a distraught young woman brings a stainless steel briefcase containing a deadly biological life form into an old, run down apartment building. Filled with addicts, alcoholics and porn actresses, the building becomes a veritable buffet for the dripping monstrosity and its Lovecraftian tentacles. Now the dregs must band together to hold back the gloppy onslaught while searching for an escape route out of the building. Can the group stay alive long enough to defeat this unknown entity or is all hope lost for mankind?

Yeah like you don’t know!

John Lechago’s Bio-Slime has been high on my list of “must-see” films since Continue reading »

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Film Review: On The Dark Side of the Moon, The Crew of ‘Apollo 18′ (2011) Aren’t Alone

 B. Harris, Documentary, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller  2 Responses »
Sep 112011
 

Theatrical Poster

Despite assurances that Apollo 17 was NASA’s last manned flight to the moon, a clandestine flight designated Apollo 18 is launched back out into the recesses of space and back to the moon on a top secret mission for the Department of Defense. Tasked with installing transmitters and listening devices, what first appears to be simple quickly takes a turn for the worse when moon rock samples are misplaced, equipment malfunctions and the possible presence of a Russian cosmonaut is discovered.

With the orbiting command module on the dark side of the moon, communications between the lunar module and Houston is severed, leaving the two crewmen on the surface of the moon stranded with a possible hostile combatant. As electronics fail and one of the crew is attacked by an unknown biological is becomes Continue reading »

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Film Review: Mankind’s Worst Enemy May No Longer Be Itself in ‘The Collapsed’ (2011)

 B. Harris, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller  1 Response »
Aug 092011
 

Theatrical Poster

The world is no more and a family of four must escape the desolate city and avoid armed scavengers in a desperate attempt to reach the next town and possible safety. While the threats they face are very real, something intangible and infinitely more dangerous lurks just beyond our dimension, following them on their journey. Who or what is stalking them and what role has it played in the collapse of civilization?

One of the highlights of being a film critic is being able to view dozens of new and exciting films from talented upcoming filmmakers before the general public; it’s a lot like being a daytime trader with full access to insider trading tips. We’re given a look at the Continue reading »

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Film Review: Shinsuke Sato’s ‘Gantz’ (2010) Delivers Gory, Fast-Paced Sci-Fi Entertainment

 Action, Adventure, Anime, Asian Cinema, B. Harris, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi  1 Response »
Aug 062011
 

Theatrical Poster

During the harrowing rescue of a bystander on subway tracks, two young men are hit by an incoming train before they’re able to escape to safety. Instead of perishing though, the two find themselves transported to an empty apartment filled with a few confused people and an ominous black sphere. They’ve been given a second chance to serve a higher purpose and protect the planet by hunting down dangerous alien lifeforms and terminating them for points. The “game” is stay alive long enough to reach one hundred points and decide whether to bring back fallen comrades or go back to leading a normal life.

Not being familiar with the Gantz manga or anime series I wasn’t at all sure what to expect from the concept outside of the synopsis I’d read. The premise Continue reading »

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Film Review: Welcome to ‘Stake Land’ (2010) Where Post-Nuke Nihilism Meets Vamp Savagery

 Action, B. Harris, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi  2 Responses »
Jun 012011
 

Theatrical Poster

When a terrifying epidemic sweeps the globe in the form of savage, blood-thirsty vampires, humanity makes its last stand against extinction and fails. With the government collapsed and law a thing of the past, America becomes a desolate landscape of ruin, despair and survival of the fittest.

When a grizzled vampire hunter named Mister and his young apprentice Martin run afoul of “The Brotherhood,” a militant vampire-worshiping cult, while traveling North toward a rumored “vampire-free” city called New Eden, they find themselves hunted by man as well as vampire. Bringing a world-weary nun, a pregnant teen girl and an ex-Marine into the fold, the vampire Continue reading »

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Film Review: Nishimura’s ‘Vampire Girl vs Frankenstein Girl’ (Revisited – 2009) Offers Gore Galore & More

 Action, Asian Cinema, Exploitation, Extreme, Fantasy, Horror, J. Felton, Japan, Martial Arts, Sci-Fi, Zombies  No Responses »
May 082011
 

DVD Artwork

Within seconds of this movie starting a freakish looking girl gets her head peeled by a disembodied skull. If that doesn’t make you want to see more of this then you are probably already dead. Either that or warped over the top Japanese splatter isn’t your cup of tea. This opening scene sets the tone for the entire movie which gets more and more outrageous the further it goes. But really, what do you expect from a movie from a movie with this title?

To break the plot down would take far too long to go into detail, something I try to avoid anyway, as there is so much going on at any one time. However, the general jist of it is that Japanese Continue reading »

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