Movies You must See - A to D

Movie Reviews - A

An Eye For An Eye – Good all round Martial Arts Thriller. Chuck Norris is Sean Kane, a cop whose partner is brutally murdered in front of him; cue repeated fiery flashbacks to the traumatic event. His partner’s reporter girlfriend, Linda Chan is also murdered, leading Kane to suspect a cover up. After resigning from the police force, Kane makes it his mission to find out who killed Linda and his partner and dish out his own brand of justice upon them. He is joined on his quest by Linda’s father, James Chan [Mako] and together they uncover high level corruption involving Morgan Canfield [Christopher Lee]. Kane and Chan will have their work cut out for them facing Canfield’s myriad minions, headed by the brutal Professor, a man so hard he has a PHD in pain! How will Chuck roundhouse kick his way out of this one? An Eye for An Eye is a well crafted entertainment which maintains a near-perfect blend of Action, Comedy and incident. It is chock full of crisply delivered fight scenes, handily occurring in short, sharp, effective bursts throughout, with director Steve Carver delivering an immensely satisfying Action Thriller which remains one of the best showcases for Chuck Norris’s talents.

Trivia: Mako received an Oscar nomination for his role in Steve McQueen vehicle, The Sand Pebbles [1966]; he went on to play ‘The Wizard’ in the two Conan films. An Eye for An Eye was Professor Toru Tanaka’s acting debut; the former Wrestler and US armed forces soldier also co-starred in subsequent Chuck Norris flick, Missing in Action 2: The Beginning [1985].

Directed by Steve Carver – 1981 – 106 minutes – Starring Chuck Norris, Mako, Richard Roundtree [Shaft], Christopher Lee [Dracula, Lord of the Rings], Matt Clark, Maggie Cooper and Professor Toru Tanaka.

If you like this you may also like: Good Guys Wear Black [1977] – Chuck’s leading man debut is an efficient, interestingly plotted, political conspiracy Thriller involving Special Ops in Vietnam. A Force of One [1979] – A well made cop Thriller follow up to Good Guys Wear Black, with a fine turn from our boy Chuck. Code of Silence [1985] – Chuck is on peak form as tough cop Eddie Cusack in this excellent Crime Thriller.

Reason You must See - It's a crackingly paced, hugely enjoyable Action Thriller; Chuck dishes out more face kicking than a blind man at a Dwarf convention!

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Assault on Precinct 13 – A flawless low budget Action Thriller from B-movie maestro John Carpenter. Assault is quite simply one of the tautest and most purely exciting movies ever made; it doesn’t contain one ounce of fat. Rookie Cop Ethan Bishop [Austin Stoker] is given the task of redirecting people to the newly located police station from an abandoned station in Los Angeles. Meanwhile a bus which is transferring convicts, including the cooler than cool Napoleon Wilson [Darwin Joston] to another prison, is forced to stop at the nearest station when one convict becomes ill. Nearby, a father and his young daughter are trying to find Grandma’s new house to visit her. However the father wasn’t counting on the intervention of a murderous gang, one of whom he ultimately kills before fleeing for his life. The father and two of the convicts become holed up in the abandoned precinct with Ethan Bishop, where they are set upon by an unstoppable gang who are seeking revenge against the father. The scene is set for the ultimate siege. John Carpenter’s gritty, ultra low budget film is much more than the sum of its parts and is an ingeniously developed effort with well-rounded characters played by impressive, largely unknown actors who deliver Carpenter’s excellent, witty dialogue to perfection. The film’s various shootouts have a real sense of thrilling urgency to them and there’s no guarantee of who will live or die in Carpenter’s tough, hard as nails universe.

Trivia: Actress Nancy Loomis’s name is a stage name; her real name is Nancy Kyes. Actor Tony Burton was once a pro heavyweight boxer and is famous for his recurring role as ‘Duke’, Apollo and Rocky’s trainer in the Rocky franchise.

Directed by John Carpenter – 1976 – 91 minutes - Starring Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, Tony Burton, Nancy Loomis, Kim Richards, Martin West, Peter Bruni, Frank Doubleday and Charles Cyphers.

If you like this you may also like: Prince of Darkness [1987] – John Carpenter’s apocalyptic siege movie plays like Assault on Precinct 13’s Horror brethren. Donald Pleasance and Victor Wong star in this satanic shocker. Escape from New York [1981] – Carpenter’s legendary Sci-Fi Action flick, starring an eye-patched Kurt Russell as amoral convict Snake Plissken, who is sent on a mission to rescue the president [Donald Pleasance] from New York.

Reason You must See: It’s a no-nonsense Thriller the likes of which we might never see again in this age of derivative, overlong, kid friendly blockbuster time-wasters. It also contains one of the coolest, funkiest soundtracks of all time.

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Avenging Force – While you might reasonably expect a typical low rent 80s Action movie from the films’ modest credentials and derivative cover art, Avenging Force surprises on all levels, delivering ample rewards as an unexpectedly excellent Thriller. Despite being yet another loose remake of the hugely influential The Most Dangerous Game [1932], the film is elevated by American Ninja director Sam Firstenberg’s sure-footed handling of the potentially samey material. Avenging Force is taut, gritty and thoroughly intense and features climactic bayou confrontations that owe a debt to Walter Hill’s marvellous Southern Comfort [1981]. The plot concerns a secret organisation known as Pentangle, run by a wealthy man named Elliot [John P. Ryan]. This decadent group’s favourite pastime is to arrange and take part in human hunting expeditions, a sinister set up which is immediately thrust upon the audience in a thrilling opening sequence whereby the masked hunters mercilessly track their anonymous prey through a swamp. Pentangle ultimately make a costly mistake however, when they mow down Larry Richards [Steve James]’s son during their brutal massacring of a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade. For, as anyone who sat through the entertaining American Ninja will tell you, Steve James is pretty tight with Michael Dudikoff. Here Action hero Dudikoff plays Captain Matt Hunter, a former Army intelligence operative and an all-round Martial Arts specialist. Hunter and Richards naturally team up and set about avenging the boy’s death by making it their personal mission to take the Pentagon organisation down. A surprisingly tough, gritty Action Thriller, Firstenberg’s follow up to American Ninja pulls no punches and all but abandons the mindless, light-hearted, fun tone prevalent in that modest box-office hit. Dudikoff also plays a far more vulnerable, human hero this time around and this factor greatly contributes to the films’ genuine, unnerving tension and nail-biting suspense. This is especially evident during the climactic man-hunt scenes in the bayou, where his character is set upon by the various Pentangle hunters; we as an audience aren’t certain he will come out of his predicament alive. This important aspect of the film is aided by the previous shocking and daring treatment of various central protagonists, which serves to establish an uneasy feeling in the viewer which is hard to shake off. As Pentangle head Elliot, John P. Ryan excels in his portrayal of a truly despicable individual, offering a superb villainous counterpart for Dudikoff to square off against. The climactic showdown between the pair in a hall of weapons is a nice homage to The Most Dangerous Game and is as efficiently choreographed as the rest of the films’ impressive Action and fight sequences; Pentangle’s night time assault on Richards’ house is another standout set-piece. Avenging Force offers an intriguing open-ending which was presumably intended to leave the door open for a potential sequel; sadly [or happily?] it was not to be as the film failed to match anything close to American Ninja’s success. Seen today it is the superior film and remains a criminally underrated Thriller unfairly overshadowed by bigger budget and therefore better known films

Trivia: Head villain John P. Ryan co-starred in Chuck Norris vehicle Delta Force 2. He is best known for his superb lead performance in Larry Cohen’s Cult Horror Classic It’s Alive [1972]. Stars Michael Dudikoff and Steve James also teamed up in American Ninja 1&2 [1985/1987], both of which were directed by Sam Firstenberg.

Directed by Sam Firstenberg – 1986 – 98 minutes – Starring Michael Dudikoff, John P. Ryan, Steve James, James Booth, Allison Gereighty, William Wallace, Sylvia Joseph, Robert Taylor, Bruce Johnson, Karl Johnson & Marc Alaimo.

If you like this you may also like: American Ninja [1985] – The first collaboration between director Firstenberg and actors Michael Dudikoff and Steve James is a thoroughly enjoyable, action-packed piece of escapist entertainment. Hard Target [1993] – Director John Woo’s superlative take on The Most Dangerous Game’s man-hunting theme.

Reason U must C – It’s a criminally unknown Action Thriller which sets the pulse racing and rates as a genuine must-see for obscure movie lovers

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Movie Reviews - B

Barbarian Queen – Remember the old saying ‘so bad it’s good’? Well Barbarian Queen is so astronomically poor it borders on brilliance! Imagine if you will a film where nubile peasant girls are set upon by gangs of rowdy soldiers every ten minutes just so the filmmakers can include shots of tops being pulled off and thus stick to their presumably scientifically determined boobs per minute quota. A film where people don’t simply fall down dead when shot by an arrow; they scream hoarsely and unconvincingly and continue to do so even after toppling stiffly and unconvincingly from the top of the ill-placed watch posts they have been oafishly perched on. Barbarian Queen is one such film. Shameless doesn’t even begin to cover it: It even has the good taste to include a torture scene whereby our statuesque heroine Amethea [the late Lana Clarkson] is shackled in chains in a grimy, dingily lit dungeon domain, stripped and fondled by a bizarrely, comically accented torturer who then takes it upon himself to drop his pants and do the dirty with the helpless Barbarian Queen. Luckily our heroine has a secret weapon and fights back as only she can; by slowly crushing her opponent’s manhood with her Barbarian vagina! ‘Too tight!’ the torturer/rapist repeatedly screams in agony, as Amethea increases her unlikely death grip, naturally failing to sympathise with a man who had been in the midst of raping her. Finally the dodgy-accented pervert dies, falling stiffly into a handily placed ditch while holding his presumably flattened penis. Nobody screws with the Barbarian Queen… literally it seems. As you have no doubt gathered from this review, Barbarian Queen is about as politically correct as using Bernard Manning as a spokesperson for the Civil rights movement. Fortunately however, unlike Mr. Manning, Barbarian Queen is actually funny. Some will doubtless be offended by the way the film uses sexual violence as a source for dumb, raunchy, over the top humour. Ultimately however, you have to admire a film which goes about its’ seedy, low-brow business with such hilariously tactless, unrepentant glee. An acquired taste but a must see for lovers of B-movie trash.

Trivia: The film was cut by 2 minutes and 21 seconds in order to obtain an ‘18’ certificate for its video debut back in 1985, needless to say all of the silly, bad taste sleaze was removed. The film was passed uncut for DVD in 2002, enabling connoisseurs and cineastes to savour the film in all its splendour. The film was alternately known as Queen of the Naked Steel. Star Lana Clarkson was sadly shot and killed at the young age of 40. Reclusive music producer Phil Spector was arrested on suspicion of her murder in 2003. The legal wrangling has continued since then with Spector currently released on $1,000,000 bail awaiting a retrial.

Directed by Hector Olivera – 1985 – 70 minutes – Starring Lana Clarkson, Katt Shea, Frank Zagarino, Dawn Dunlap, Susana Traverso, Victor Bo and Andrea Barbieri.

If you like this you may also like: Deathstalker [1983] – A previous low-rent sword and sorcery romp starring Rick Hill, Barbi Benton and co-starring a more often than not clothes-free Lana Clarkson. Barbarian Queen 2 [1991] – A sequel unrelated to the original but for the fact that it’s another low budget epic showcasing the talents of Lana Clarkson and favours a similar predilection for scantily clad warrior maidens shedding their togs at every available opportunity.

Reason You must See - It's a true camp classic, an uproariously naff Sword & Sorcery Exploitation film which is full to the brim with gratuitous nudity and categorically so bad it's good.

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Big Wednesday – Masterful drama from the incomparable John Milius. William Katt, Jan Michael Vincent and Gary Busey star as friends Jack, Matt and Leroy in this coming of age drama set over the course of twelve years. When the film begins they are young men who live to surf and have a good time. They surf together regularly, ritually; it is an integral part of their lives. They are respected for their skills and prowess by their peers; the waves bring a sense of purpose to their lives. However over time, as the characters grow and change, for better or worse, the three friends gradually take their own paths in life; one heading off to war; one becoming a drunken louse. The more time that passes, the fewer opportunities they find to surf together. They still surf individually when they can, but they feel their time has passed, their reputation now a half-forgotten myth, but the day will come when all three will re-unite once more to surf the big swell of legend, to take their last shot at glory. Co-writer/director Milius gives the film an epic, almost mythical quality, as well as a sad, reflective tone, epitomised by the noble, weary, mentor-like figure of Bear, a man trapped by his own nostalgic memories; a tragic figure which the three central protagonists might potentially become, a truth they are all to aware of. The influence of director Sam Peckinpah is evident in several scenes, including the beautiful reconciliatory scene where the friends all share a bottle of drink and their climactic final ‘march’ to the beach to meet their destiny and surf the ultimate swell. These scenes recall The Wild Bunch in thematic resonance and emotional impact and are just as poignantly, poetically realised. The film is beautifully filmed in widescreen, with cinematographer Bruce Surtees capturing the incredible surfing to utmost effect. The film’s score is absolutely top-notch too, with regular Milius collaborator Basil Poledouris providing the perfect accompaniment to the spectacular visuals. The three leads have never been better and are backed up by a wide array of great character actors, yet it is arguably the sheer force of the films' touchingly sincere cinematic storytelling which marks it out as an unparalleled achievement. One of the finest films of the 1970s.

Trivia: A Nightmare on Elm Street star Robert Englund provides the narration and appears briefly in an early role. John Milius makes an un-credited cameo as a marijuana dealer in the Tijuana based scenes. Gerry Lopez played himself in this film; the renowned surfer was good friends with the director, who later cast him as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s sidekick in Conan the Barbarian [1982].

Directed by John Milius – 1978 – 120 minutes – Starring William Katt [Perry Mason], Jan Michael Vincent [Airwolf], Gary Busey [Under Siege], Lee Purcell, Patti D’Arbanville, Gerry Lopez, Joe Spinell, Hank Worden, Frank McCrae and Sam Melville as ‘Bear’.

If you like this you may also like: The Wind and the Lion [1975] – Another classic from writer-director John Milius starring Sean Connery as the Raisuli. Dillinger [1973] – Milius’ directorial debut is a wrongfully overlooked Gangster Drama with great performances from Warren Oates, Ben Johnson, Geoffrey Lewis, a scene stealing Harry Dean Stanton and a young Richard Dreyfuss as Baby Face Nelson.

Reason You must See - It's an epic, thematically rich Drama about friendship and surfing which boasts pitch perfect performances and glorious cinematography.

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Black Sabbath – Masterful Horror anthology from pioneering visual stylist Mario Bava. The first story is ‘The Telephone’, a sexy, suspenseful Giallo Thriller in which a woman alone in her house is threatened by a telephone caller she believes to be Frank, a violent man from her past who has escaped prison to enact revenge on her. The truth will eventually out with a twist or two in store for our heroine. The second story is ‘The Wurdalak’, a superbly atmospheric tale about a family becoming infested with a Vampiric plague, turning their grandfather Gorca [Boris Karloff] from a loving family member into an unspeakable monster capable of feasting on his own grandchild. The rest of the family are ‘turned’ one by one until only two are left. Will they escape from the rest of the blood-sucking family members? The third and best story is ‘A Drop of Water’. This is a truly chilling, frighteningly effective morality tale. It begins with a nurse preparing the body of a recently deceased woman for the undertakers; the expression on the deceased’s face is unforgettably horrible. Before the nurse leaves she takes a ring from the dead woman’s finger without permission. She returns home intent on sleeping but is suddenly distracted by the sound of dripping water; she investigates and fixes the problem. However the dripping starts again. Whatever the woman tries, the dripping continues, until she begins to see the dead woman’s face peering at her out of the darkness. The climax is incredibly effective and the film as a whole is unforgettable

Trivia: Black Sabbath’s three stories were re-arranged for its original US theatrical release; A Drop of Water was 1st, The Telephone 2nd and The Wurdalak 3rd. The US distributors re-edited the opening story and removed all of the implied lesbian undertones. The film was released as The Three Faces of Fear in certain territories.

Directed by Mario Bava – 1963 – 95 minutes – Starring Michele Mercier, Lidia Alfonsi, Boris Karloff, Mark Damon, Susy Anderson and Jacqueline Pierreux.

If you like this you may also like: Black Sunday [1960] – Mario Bava's Horror breakthrough, an atmospheric tale of a Witch's spirit returning to possess her living ancestor and reap vengeance on the relatives of those who killed her. Starring Barbara Steele. The Whip and the Body [1964] – Bava’s unique, Gothic Horror-Erotica about a sadomasochistic love affair which continues even after one of the lovers is killed; he returns from the grave to seek revenge on his killers and to ensure his lover remains submissive to his whip.

Reason You must See - It's one of the most consistently creepy Horror Anthologies ever. The final tale 'A Drop of Water' is one of the most chilling Horror stories ever filmed.

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Blood and Guts - This Canadian wrestling drama provides an honest look at life on the road of a touring wrestling troupe. Brian Patrick Clarke stars as Jim Davenport a young wrestler taken under the wing of Red Henkel (Henry Beckman) an honest, but struggling, promoter. Their troupe contains Dandy Dan O’Neil(the excellent William Smith) as an aging star now confined to minor venues with Red’s group due a feud with a rival promoter. Dan is initially wary of the new recruit, but slowly a bond forms, only to be threatened by their mutual affection for Dan’s girlfriend Lucky Brown, and the success of Jim’s new wrestling character Jungle Boy. If you enjoyed Mickey Rourke in the 2008 movie The Wrestler, then you are sure to like this. William Smith’s portrayal of the over-the-hill Dandy Dan is every bit as sympathetic as Randy ’The Ram’ Robinson, even down to the angina. This low budget drama delivers on all levels and provides a nostalgic look back to the art of wrestling before the glitzy multi-million pound cable-TV deals of the 1980’s.

Trivia: Liverpool born Director Paul Lynch went on to make his most famous movie shortly after this, the Jamie Lee Curtis slasher classic Prom Night [1980]

Directed by Paul Lynch - 1978 - 94mins - Starring William Smith, Brian Clarke, Henry Beckman, Micheline Lanctot and Ken James. AKA: Blood & Guts Heavy Thunder.

If you like this you may also like: The Wrestler [2008] award winning drama about a has-been wrestler with a heart condition. The Wrestler [1974] drama staring Ed Asner as a devious wrestling promoter. Rocky [1976] the sporting underdog classic with Sylvester Stallone.

Reason You Must See - The whole cast make the troupe of wrestlers both engaging and likable, resulting in a rare film that you actually care about.

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Blood Beach - A rather fun variant on the Jaws theme, with people mysteriously disappearing on a Los Angeles beach. Rather than having a monster in the sea though, this one turns out to be a mutant worm under the sand. It was even sold on the Tag line “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water - you can't get to it”. Writer/Director Jeffrey Bloom paces the story just right with a steady flow of carnage. The cast cope with the material well, Burt Young being particularly enjoyable as the stereotyped Chicago cop trying to figure out what the hell is going on, while his captain John Saxon is good value for money as always. The explosive ending left things nicely open for a sequel, but sadly this never materialised. Although I guess Tremors provided this 9 years later?

Trivia - Writer/Director Jeffrey Bloom never really made his mark in the movies, his most well known work probably being the mediocre film version of Virginia Andrews novel 'Flowers in the Attic'. We don't believe that this title is currently available on DVD - so good luck finding it on video!

Directed by Jeffrey Bloom - 1981 - 89mins - Starring David Huffman, John Saxon [A Nightmare on Elm Street], Burt Young [Rocky], Marianna Hill and Ottis Young.

If you like this you may also like - Piranha 2 [1981] James Cameron's classic flying killing fish movie! Tremors [1990] the excellent killer worm horror/comedy with Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward.

Reason You must See - A very fine example of vintage 1980's B-Movie horror schlock.

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The Boston Strangler - A documentary-style feature film from Richard Fleischer, who uses innovative camera techniques and split-screen images in his re-telling of the horrific real-life Boston Strangler story. This now legendary case involved ‘ordinary’ family-man Albert DeSalvo's murder of 11 women during the early 1960’s, and although the movie does as times stray from the facts, it never fails to provide gripping drama. Despite being made during the 1960’s it doesn’t shirk away from frank discussions on then-taboo subjects such as homosexuality, police brutality, rape and the treatment of mental illness. In fact it’s like a breath of fresh air from a lot of the stuffy melodramas being made only a few years earlier. All of the excellent cast are on top form, particularly Tony Curtis who gives one of the best performances of his career.

Trivia: Based on the book by Gerold Frank, the screenplay was written by Edward Anhalt. Anhalt also wrote the script for another Tony Curtis film, 1966's saucy comedy Boeing Boeing with Jerry Lewis - quite a different task for both men! Director Richard Fleischer work includes a wide and diverse spectrum of well known movies over 40 years. These include 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Vikings, Doctor Dolittle, Soylent Green, Mr Majestyk, The Jazz Singer and Conan The Destroyer.

Directed by Richard Fleischer - 1968 - 116mins - Starring Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, George Kennedy, Hurd Hatfield and Murray Hamilton.

If you like this you may also like: Armored Car Robbery [1950] - Early Fleischer film about a seemingly well planned crime that goes wrong. Peeping Tom [1960] - the now classic movie about an obsessed cameraman who films his victims as he kills them. Capote [2005] - Philip Seymour Hoffman is perfect as the troubled writer researching his book In Cold Blood. Don't Answer The Phone [1980] - One for fun! This fairly terrible B-movie features a serial killer strangling scanily clad young women.

Reason You must See: You thought the split screen effects used in Kiefer Sutherland's 24 was something new?!

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A Boy and His Dog – A wonderful cult oddity directed by Sam Peckinpah veteran and supporting actor par excellence L.Q. Jones, A Boy and His Dog deserves to be far better known. Set in a dusty post-apocalyptic future where food is hard to come by and women are equally scarce, the film centres on Vic [Don Johnson] and his best bud Blood [Tim McIntire], a highly intelligent dog with the ability to communicate with Vic telepathically. Vic has Blood sniff out food supplies for the pair of them and track any nearby women for him to jump the bones of, whether they are willing to or not. One day when the pair of them pay [with tins of food] in order to watch someone’s battered print of an old sex film in an encampment, Blood sniffs out a female on the premises. Vic finds her in a nearby bunker lair and after spying on her nubile form while she’s getting changed, bursts in and demands her to strip at gunpoint and lay down on the mattress. Suddenly however, Blood senses others approaching; they too are looking for the woman to procreate with and have tracked her with dogs of their own. Now Vic and Blood must face off against the gang in an exciting action scene. Impressed with Vic’s bravery and triumph against the odds, the woman ultimately decides to get in the sack with him, much to Blood’s chagrin; when after finishing one love making session she asks Vic for another go of it, the weary dog dryly deadpans: ‘Once more into the breech dear friends!’ However the young woman is not what she seems; she later knocks Vic out and leaves him, though not before leaving an entry pass to her underground city and telling him enough information to find her. Vic finds the entrance to her underground civilisation and passes through; Blood is badly wounded from the previous skirmish but touchingly tells him he’ll wait for him as long as he can. For its final third the film changes tack, taking on a decidedly nightmarish quality as it follows a solo Vic’s journey around his female conquest’s bizarre underground civilisation in which the people wear odd clown like make up and are governed by a strange, cold, chillingly calm group of community leaders headed by Lou Craddock [Jason Robards], who intends to make Vic the community’s sperm donor! The oddball community also includes a huge, burly, unstoppable brute of a man who does the leaders’ dirty work and proves a frighteningly insistent foe for Vic. Further outlandish twists transpire in this engrossing, highly original tale which can be seen as a precursor to later post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi fare such as the Mad Max films. The film is a woefully underrated, blackly comic gem of Sci-Fi Cult cinema; a touching, hysterically funny, occasionally unsettling odd-couple tale in which the dog is the brains of the outfit and the man is his unwitting foil. Vic and Blood are ultimately inseparable; they share a genuine mutual bond which they respect above all else and this factor only makes the outrageously dark, cruelly funny ending all the more perversely satisfying.

Trivia: Also known as Psycho Boy and His Killer Dog. The screenplay was based on a novella by Harlan Ellison. Tim McIntire [the voice of blood] also composed the film’s music and sung the title song. Director and co-writer L.Q. Jones appears un-credited as the man in the porno film watched by characters in the film.

Directed by L.Q. Jones – 1974 – 91 minutes – Starring Don Johnson [Miami Vice, Tin Cup], Tim McIntire [Kung-Fu], Susanne Benton [Catch-22], Jason Robards [Once Upon a Time In the West, Magnolia], Alvy Moore, Charles McGraw [The Night Stalker], Helene Winston, Ron Feinberg [Transformers], Michael Rupert, Don Carter [Freaky Friday, Kolchak: The Night Stalker] and Michael Hershman.

If you like this you may also like: The Hot Spot [1990] – Don Johnson stars as loner cum thief Harry Madox in this underrated Film Noir Thriller, directed with sweaty, atmospheric conviction by Dennis Hopper. Co-starring a sexy Virginia Madsen as the oft-nude femme fatale Dolly and featuring a saucy young Jennifer Connelly in an infamously topless turn as Gloria, the object of Harry’s lustful affections. Mad Max [1979] – Mel Gibson stars in this post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi favourite from director George Miller. The film was popular enough to spawn 2 sequels.

Reason You must See – It’s the weirdest buddy movie you’ll ever see! It has one of the greatest endings in cinema, which really has to be seen to be believed!

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Brain Damage – Clawing its way free from the deranged mind of Frank Henenlotter comes this imaginative, surreal, downright screwed up masterpiece of low budget exploitation. Welcome to Brain Damage. The plot revolves around a young man named Brian, who one day happens upon an odd little being named Aylmer, who promises Brian the ultimate rush in exchange for Brian’s compliance in finding this strange little creature fresh brains to devour. When Aylmer injects himself into Brian’s brain matter, a special fluid is released, initiating in Brian some world-changing, psychedelic, joyously colourful flights of fancy. Brian immediately becomes addicted to these Aylmer-fuelled visions and desperately lures unsuspecting victims for Aylmer to feed on in order to be rewarded with more outlandishly trippy visions. As a parable for the pleasures but ultimate dangers of drug addiction, Brain Damage is far more balanced than most; it conveys the rapturous highs as much as the soul destroying lows. Whether you decide to heed its’ grim warning or succumb to Aylmer’s dazzling charm is up to you.

Trivia: Upon its initial UK release, the BBFC objected to a particularly risqué/ bad taste sequence which naughtily alluded to fellatio in a violent context; 18 seconds were trimmed to obtain an ‘18’ certificate. Eventually good sense prevailed and the film was recently passed uncut for its DVD debut. Kevin Van Hentenryck, star of the director’s previous film Basket Case, has an amusing cameo reprising his character from that film.

Directed by Frank Henenlotter – 1988 – 86 minutes – Starring Rick Hearst, Gordon MacDonald, Jennifer Lowry, Theo Barnes and Lucille Saint-Peter.

If you like this you may also like: Basket Case [1982] – Frank Henenlotter’s legendary feature length directorial debut, a touching, gore-filled story about conjoined twins who are separated against their will. One is a normal looking young man; the other is a deformed creature who lives in a wicker basket. God help anybody who separates little Belial from his brother. Frankenhooker [1990] – Another Henenlotter gem. In this classy trash-fest a man takes it upon himself to make the perfect woman out of the spare parts of dearly departed hookers.

Reason You must See - Brain Damage is a masterful Horror B-movie; a bang on target allegory for drug addiction with an unforgettably strange villain in the shape of Aylmer.

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Branded to Kill – A surreal, often barely comprehensible hit man Thriller about two rival assassins, no.1 and no.3 coming to blows. Hanada aka. No.3, is the third best assassin in Japan’s organised crime sector, he also has a unique sexual fetish; he is aroused by the smell of boiling rice. Hanada meets a strange, beautiful, morbidly death obsessed woman named Misako, who sends him on a near fatal mission. Unfortunately Hanada misses his intended assassination target and finds himself on the run from his former employers, all of whom now want him dead, as does the mysterious no.1 killer, who begins a perversely unpredictable game of cat and mouse with no.3 in which the only winner will be the last man standing, if indeed there will be any winner at all. Far stranger than it sounds, this film has a truly unique atmosphere and is stunningly shot in black and white widescreen format, as well as employing wilfully bizarre editing techniques which have no desire to stick to tried and tested standard chronology. Director Seijun Suzuki generates a disturbing, darkly erotic visual and thematic frisson, whereby the undercurrent of violence remains constant, seemingly able to break free at any given moment. The film continually develops in a wholly unpredictable and delightful fashion; the last half hour has to be seen to be believed, as the film morphs into an outrageously quirky black comedy; the two killers both refuse to back down in their psychological mind games and battles of will and wits, with both stubbornly sharing a particularly personal encounter to genuinely hilarious effect. The film’s climax is brutally nihilistic and as surprising and inventive as the scenes preceding it. Branded to Kill is not for everyone and will infuriate those expecting a semblance of standard narrative technique; however the film’s tone and style are unforgettable and ultimately rewarding and will be appreciated by anyone seeking something different from the norm. A perversely unconventional treat of Japanese cinema.

Trivia: Branded to Kill’s director, Seijun Suzuki, was ‘relieved’ from his contract with Nikkatsu studios after they saw the deranged finished film, which had deviated considerably from the original, more conventional script.

Directed by Seijun Suzuki – 1967 – 91 minutes – Starring Jo Shishido, Mariko Ogawa, Anne Mari, Koji Nambara, Isao Tamagawa and Hiroshi Minami.

If you like this you may also like: Tokyo Drifter [1966] – Another demented effort from Seijun Suzuki, albeit of a very different kind, Tokyo Drifter is a fun, camp, highly stylised, vibrantly colourful Action Thriller with a superbly catchy theme tune.

Reason You must See: You’ve never seen anything as deliriously oddball as this before; Branded to Kill is a brutal, erotic, surreal, psychological Gangster Thriller with a difference!

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Bubba Ho-Tep - The main awareness of director Coscarelli is through the Phantasm series, which have developed a cult following for its enjoyable characters such as the Tall Man, Reg and the yellow blooded dwarfs. This on the other hand throws away the shackles of the horror sequel and begs the question of where Coscarelli has been hiding his talent all these years. Bruce Campbell stars as the aged Elvis, who after switching places with a double years previously in order to escape unwanted public attention, is now residing in an old peoples home desperate for people to believe that he really is Elvis and not some deranged geriatric. There is only one person that believes him, Jack a deranged geriatric and fellow resident [Ossie Davis] who coincidentally believes that he is actually JFK. Together they become suspicious that someone or something is killing the other inhabitants at the home. An investigation leads Elvis to believe that a Bubba Ho-Tep or soul eating Egyptian Mummy is sucking the life out of the old folk. The whole thing sounds ridiculous, and there in lies its beauty. Clever dialog, casting and direction result in a funny, scary and overall excellent piece of work. Low budget film makers take note - I expect this as a benchmark from now on!

Trivia: Reggie Bannister from the Phantasm films makes an appearance as the Rest Home Administrator. No actual Elvis footage or music is used in the movie due to the films budget not being able to afford the cost of licensing it.

Directed by Don Coscarelli - 2004 - 92mins - Starring Bruce Campbell [Evil Dead], Ossie Davis, Ella Joyce, Bob Ivy, Heidi Marnhout, Reggie Bannister.

If you like this you may also like - Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter [2001] the fun, low budget kung-fu action movie. From Dusk till Dawn [1996] Robert Rodriguez's over the top vampire film starring George Clooney, Harvey Keitel and Quentin Tarantino.

Reason You must See: Elvis and Jack getting kitted-up with an electric wheelchair to go and do battle with a soul eating Egyptian Mummy - plots don't get any better than that!

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Movie Reviews - C

Class of 1984 – The School exploitation film to end them all! Set in an inner city High School in the near future [or at least it was when the film was made!] where things have gotten so bad that students must pass through a metal detector to enter the school. New teacher Mr. Norris has arrived and is shown the ropes by fellow teacher Terry [Roddy McDowall]. However when Mr. Norris starts trying to reform some of the ne’er do well students, said psychotic gang member students take a disliking to their new teacher and set about gang raping his wife and generally terrorising the Hell out of him. Unfortunately for the punk students, Mr. Norris is not a man to be pushed too far and he heads to the school for bloody retribution in the ultimate confrontation between teacher and students. Well acted and packing a mightily satisfying punch, Class of 1984 is a gritty, disturbing, powerfully effective exploitation film. See it.

Trivia: Class of 1984 was something of a cause celebre in its heyday. The BBFC naturally objected to the films exploitative look at teacher-student relations as well as the rape and revenge aspects and removed 4 minutes and 14 seconds of carnage from the film. The film was rejected outright for video and only resurfaced in 2005 when it was finally passed uncut for DVD.

Directed by Mark L. Lester – 1981 – 98 minutes – Starring Perry King, Merrie Lynn Ross, Timothy Van Patten, Roddy McDowall and Michael J. Fox.

If you like this you may also like: The Exterminator [1980] – An infamous exploitation title with a chequered censorship history in the UK, this Death Wish cash-in provides more entertainment than its fore bearer and remains an enjoyably silly vigilante sleaze-fest with several memorably depraved set pieces. Showdown in Little Tokyo [1991] – A subsequent Mark L. Lester effort, this film offers a near perfect blend of cheesy action and exploitation. Starring Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee.

Reason You must See - It's a stylish, violent, hugely satisfying Exploitation Thriller with a killer ending.

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Coffy – A true cult classic from Exploitation/Cult movie king Jack Hill. Slamming across the screen with an unstoppable force and wallowing in the amoral seediness it seeks to condemn, Coffy is an extremely brutal, hard hitting Blaxploitation effort which remains a surprisingly powerful work. Pam Grier stars as Coffy, a nurse who takes to the streets to find the drug peddling scumbags who supplied her now hospitalised eleven year old sister with contaminated smack. She is aiming to shut down the corrosive drug trade which has engulfed her city with the aid of her trusty shotgun and a whole lot of attitude. Coffy goes undercover as a prostitute in order to ‘work’ for and get close to renowned pimp King George, a dapper dresser if ever there was one, and her link to the drug lord she aims to put out of service. While it features several outrageous incidents which place it in the Exploitation bracket, a surprisingly bleak tone permeates the whole of Coffy, as authority figures [cops] turn out to be in on the take and trusted friends are revealed to be immoral, self-centred, hypocritical money grabbers. The film’s climax is far from triumphant, as Coffy’s vengeful confrontations with the lowlife/highlife scumbags attains a nihilistic quality whereby the moral high ground is taken via the disgusted shooting off of someone’s balls or the desperate stabbing of someone’s throat. The violence here is not glamorised or presented for aesthetic thrills; it is callous and ugly. Violence is met with violence and the film bleakly conveys the dissatisfying lack of resolution such violent revenge leaves us with; the film’s lengthy final shot shows an unfulfilled, morally ambiguous, disillusioned Coffy walking up a dark and desolate beach and finally fading into the distance.

Trivia: It was rejected by the BBFC upon its initial theatrical submission in the UK. However when re-submitted 6 months later it passed with an ‘X’ rating with cuts applied to a bloody throat stabbing. The DVD is uncut.

Directed by Jack Hill – 1973 – 91 minutes – Starring Pam Grier [Jackie Brown], Booker Bradshaw, William Elliott, Linda Haynes, Sid Haig, Carol Locatell, Allan Arbus, Barry Cahill, Lisa Farringer and Robert DoQui as King George.

If you like this you may also like: The Big Doll House [1971] – Jack Hill’s women in prison Exploitation classic featuring Pam Grier. Foxy Brown [1974] – Jack Hill’s follow up to Coffy is a better known but inferior Pam Grier Thriller with a more light hearted emphasis and less moral ambiguity. The Big Bird Cage [1972] – Wonderfully outrageous sequel to The Big Doll House; a true Exploitation gem!

Reason You must See – Coffy is arguably Blaxploitation icon Pam Grier’s finest film and therefore one of the finest films the subgenre has to offer. It’s also quite simply a damn good revenge Thriller.

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Movie Reviews - D

Dead End - It's Christmas Eve and Frank Harrington and family are heading to the in-laws as normal, when for the first time in twenty years he decides to take a short-cut through the woods. What a mistake this turns out to be, as they drive onto a seemingly endless road, into a fantasy land where nothing is what it seems to be. Dead End proves to be a great schlock B-Movie from debut writer/director partnership Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Fabrice Canepa. Its cast of horror ready actors [Robocop/Twin Peaks Ray Wise and Nightmare on Elm Street/Critter's Lin Shaye] ham it up as madness beckons, and they try to work out the puzzle of the strange woman in white in the forest and the mysterious black car without a driver. And the good news is that you'll laugh almost as much as you'll scream - think The Twilight Zone crossed with David Lynch crossed with Bad Taste!

Trivia - The movie won numerous awards, not bad for a feature debut from the French Writer/Director pairing. The role of the Woman in White is played by the model/actress Amber Smith the former Sports Illustrated swimwear model.

Directed by Jean-Baptiste Andrea and Farbrice Canepa - 2003 - 85mins - Starring Lin Shaye, Ray Wise, Mick Cain, Alexandra Holden and Amber Smith.

If you like this you may also like: Joy Ride [AKA Road Kill - 2001] the road trip takes a nasty turn when the youngsters upset a killer truck driver on the CB radio. Jeepers Creepers [2001] a brother and sister on a road trip encounter a strange flesh eating creature.

Reason You must See - Not your usual road trip slasher, but an intelligent horror film that manages to keep you constantly guessing what's going to happen next.

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Deadly Blessing – A bizarre, creepily effective tale from Horror legend Wes Craven. The story takes place in a farming community and centres on a young woman named Martha, who has married a member of the Hittites, a cult sect who live nearby and are run by the unflappable Patriarchal figure of Isaiah Schmidt [Ernest Borgnine]. Isaiah has turned his back on his son due to his belief that Martha is an Incubus in legion with the Devil. When Martha’s husband is mysteriously killed one night by his own tractor, her two female friends come to stay with her and console her over her loss. When approaching in their car, the first friend asks the second if the cult are Amish. Her friend sets her straight: ‘No connection. According to Martha, the Hittites make the Amish look like swingers.’ When the two ladies arrive at Martha’s house, things start going from bad to worse, with locals being killed off by an unknown assailant and Isaiah insisting that Martha is responsible for the death of one of the Hittites. Meanwhile some of the other locals are hiding secrets of their own. Deadly Blessing is a consistently intriguing Horror Mystery which showcases director Wes Craven’s skills to fine effect, incorporating his trademark dream sequences; there is a particularly eerie scenario involving an open mouth and a falling spider, plus some memorable set pieces such as the unwelcome appearance of a snake during bath time.

Trivia: The film is notable for featuring Sharon Stone in her first major acting role following a couple of dialogue free bit-part performances. The UK cinema release was missing the supernatural epilogue as the distributors allegedly considered it too confusing. The DVD release is the complete version of the film. Somewhat unfairly Ernest Borgnine's performance was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor Razzie Award.

Directed by Wes Craven – 1981 – 100 minutes - Starring Maren Jensen, Susan Buckner, Sharon Stone, Ernest Borgnine [The Dirty Dozen, Airwolf], Colleen Riley, Jeff East, Lisa Hartman, Douglass Barr and Michael Berryman.

If you like this you may also like: The People Under the Stairs [1991] – Another wilfully strange Wes Craven horror movie, this time a suburban nightmare with blackly comic undertones. It too focuses on frighteningly dominant, unwavering patriarchal figures. The Hills Have Eyes [1977] – An early Wes Craven classic featuring another role for Michael Berryman; the distinctive looking actor’s face was featured predominantly in the films’ marketing.

Reason You must See - Deadly Blessing is a creepy, undervalued shocker with a bizarre, unsettling twist you won't see coming!

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Demonstone - The opening of an ancient tomb in Manila leads to the release of the vengeful spirit contained within. This wraith conceals itself in the body of a journalist (Nancy Everhard) who is reporting on the archaeological dig and then uses her to seek retribution on the ancestors of the man who killed him. With grisly murders occurring with increasing regularity, a US marine finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes the prime suspect for the killings. Major Joe Haines (R. Lee Ermey) is charged with tracking down the AWOL marine and finding the real killer. He recruits former marine and general loose canon Andy Buck (Jan-Michael Vincent) to help and together they find themselves caught in the middle of a vendetta, with members of the family being wiped out believing another gang is responsible for the deaths. Facially Jan-Michael Vincent retains his boyish good looks from the likes of Big Wednesday and Hooper, but in some scenes it does rather look as if his gym membership has expired. However, this doesn’t remove any of the charm of this violent supernatural thriller, with its amiable cast, enjoyable dialogue and bloody (if sometimes inexpensive) special effects.

Trivia - Interestingly character actor R. Lee Ermey received top-billing, despite probably having slightly less screen time that Jan-Michael Vincent. One can only assume that critically acclaimed supporting performances Full Metal Jacket and Mississippi Burning led to this. Cast members Nancy Everhard and Peter Brown had previously appeared with Jan-Michael Vincent in an episode of Airwolf.

Directed by Andrew Prowse - 1989 - 90mins - Starring R. Lee Ermey (Mississippi Burning), Jan Michael Vincent (Airwolf), Nancy Everhard (Urban Legends 3), Peter Brown, Pat Skipper, Joonee Gamboa and Rolando Tinio. AKA Deathstone.

If you like this you may also like - Alienator [1990] with Jan-Michael Vincent starring as a space station prison warden sending a Terminator-type robot to earth in chase of an escaped convinct. Driving Force [1989] the big truck action flick from Demonstone director Andrew Prowse. Starring Billy Blanks, Sam J. Jones (Flash Gordon) and Don Swayze (Patrick's brother).

Reason You Must See - Rake-like Nancy Everhard somehow provides an extremely convincing performance of being possessed by an 18 stone, 400 year old martial arts warrior.

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Diva - This French crime thriller really is a stand out piece of filmmaking. Jules [Frederic Andrei], a young Parisian postman, finds himself in possession of two cassette tapes that are in great demand. The first is a pirate recording of the famous opera singer Cynthia Hawkins, with whom he is obsessed. As she has never released an album the sales of this bootleg recording could net a fortune, so the existence of a tape has attracted the unwanted attention of a couple of Asian heavies. The second cassette contains evidence to convict a corrupt cop which was dropped into the postbag on Jules moped by a witness being chased by hit men. Again Jules possession of this cassette draws unwanted attention both from the dirty cop and his thugs as well as other police officers - with Jules unsure who to trust. With this twisting plot the film adds some stunning visual styles and techniques as well as a gorgeous soundtrack and some dialogue so cool it could chill your Chardonnay to perfection. It really is no surprise that it is said to have influenced so many other filmmakers and started a New-Wave in French cinema.

Trivia - This was Director Jean-Jacques Beineix feature film debut. He went on to have an international hit with Betty Blue. The film is based on a novel by Delacorta. The actress playing the opera Diva Cynthia Hawkins [Wilhelmenia Fernandez] actually sang her own songs in the film.

Directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix - 117mins - 1981 - Starring Fredric Andrei, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Thuy An Luu, Richard Bohringer, Dominique Pinon and Jacques Fabbri.

If you like this you may also like - Rivals AKA ‘Les liens du sang’ [2008], Le serpent [2006] and the very violent Dobermann [1997] are all great examples of French crime cinema in recent years. If you enjoyed the chase in The French Connection [1971], you’re sure to love the moped chase in Diva.

Reason You Must See - Opera music has never been so accessible! The moped chase through the Paris metro system is an absolute treat.

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Django – A seminal Spaghetti Western made in the wake of Sergio Leone’s hugely successful ‘Dollars’ trilogy, Sergio Corbucci’s Django is a stylish, operatically violent Western Melodrama which pushed the boundaries in terms of screen violence, leading the film to be banned in the UK for over twenty years. A charismatic Franco Nero stars as Django, a morally ambiguous anti-hero along the lines of Clint Eastwood’s ‘man with no name’, distinguished by his curious tendency of dragging a coffin with him wherever he goes, leading to various people he encounters to ask what’s inside it. That answer would be, to quote a pretentious, hideously overrated Sci-Fi Action hit; ‘Guns… lots of guns.’ Well actually a great big gatling gun to be precise, which he frequently uses to mow down countless hordes of sweaty, bearded scumbags should they decide to get too trigger happy. Corbucci and Nero succeed in portraying the necessary ambivalence of the central protagonist, allowing Django to coolly and somewhat coldly manipulate proceedings to his own ends, without robbing the character of his sense of mystery, before ultimately submitting him to a gloriously excessive, masochistically gruelling punishment from which he inevitably recovers in order to deliver some hugely satisfying payback in the death-defying, climactic graveyard shootout. Django stands tall as a hugely enjoyable Action romp which is every bit as good as Sergio Leone’s classic trilogy.

Trivia: The Film was originally refused a certificate in the UK; it finally passed uncut with an ‘18’ certificate in 1993. It has since been downgraded to a ‘15’ uncut. The film was released unrated for its US theatrical release to avoid censorship issues. Django had an astronomical body count for its time, allegedly containing 138 kills.

Directed by Sergio Corbucci – 1966 – 93 minutes – Starring Franco Nero, Jose Bodalo, Loredana Lusciak, Angel Alvarez, Gino Pernice and Simon Arriaga.

If you like this you may also like: A Bullet for the General [1966] – An impressive, politically conscious Spaghetti Western starring Gian Maria Volonte, who played the memorably deranged lead villains in Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars [1963] and For A Few Dollars More [1965]. Enter the Ninja [1980] – Franco Nero stars as ‘Cole’ in this God awful Ninja movie which somehow acquired a cult following; unfortunately it’s not even so bad it’s good! It did however spawn two entertaining, tenuously linked sequels

Reason You must See – Django is worth watching for the theme tune alone, which is superbly catchy. Plus the film contains an unforgettably OTT scene where a man gets his ear hacked off by bandits who then force him to eat it!

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Dolls – A largely forgotten, hugely underrated Horror fairytale gem from genre expert Stuart Gordon. The film centres on a young American girl named Judy and her vile, self centred parents, one of whom is her step mother, travelling across a rain soaked England via car. With intentional echoes of James Whale’s The Old Dark House, a ferocious storm stops their car in its tracks and they are forced to take refuge in an old mansion situated conveniently near by. The house is owned by a kindly elderly couple [a wonderful Guy Rolfe and Hilary Mason], who invite them to stay the night. Three other people also find themselves dropping by, the childlike American Ralph [a wonderful Stephen Lee] and his female hitchhiker companions, a pair of abrasive English punk rockers. All are invited to stay. The old couple show a spellbound Judy and nostalgic Ralph their collection of dolls. Everyone goes to bed but the dolls are very much awake and out to get those who aren’t in touch with their inner child. An elegantly simple, nicely lit fairytale, Dolls is a creepy, atmospheric, very funny and surprisingly scary little film. The acting is first rate, including an impressive performance from child actress Carrie Lorraine as Judy, who sadly seemingly abandoned her acting career after this. Plus the dolls themselves are creepily and convincingly animated and their initially discrete appearances give their subsequent full on attack sequences a real punch and a greater sense of unstoppable horror. The final scene also cannily leaves us with a hugely enjoyable and truly satisfying epilogue, emphasising the cosily scary, comically sinister tone writer Ed Naha and director Stuart Gordon have aimed for with such great precision.

Trivia: Co-star Bunty Bailey was the girl in A-ha’s ‘Take on Me’ music video. Hilary Mason starred as the woman with second sight in Nicolas Roeg’s classic Don’t Look Now [1973]. Actress Caroline Purdy-Gordon is director Stuart Gordon’s wife and appears in several of his films including Re-Animator [1985], From Beyond [1986] and Space Truckers [1996]. Dolls was shot before From Beyond but was released almost a year after it due to the stop-motion effects work.

Directed by Stuart Gordon – 1986 – 78 minutes – Starring Carrie Lorraine [Poltergeist 2], Stephen Lee [Robocop 2, Nash Bridges], Guy Rolfe [Puppetmaster 2-5], Hilary Mason [Don’t Look Now], Caroline Purdy-Gordon, Ian Patrick Williams, Bunty Bailey and Cassie Stuart [Minder, Amadeus].

If you like this you may also like: Puppet Master 2 [1990] – Another Charles Band production featuring malevolent ‘dolls’ going on a killing spree. Starring Guy Rolfe as ‘Andre Toulon’, the puppet master. Worth watching to see the well designed, wonderfully animated puppets. From Beyond [1986] – Jeffrey Combs stars in this ingenious Horror opus, derived from the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

Reason You must See – It’s the greatest and creepiest evil doll film you’ll ever see!

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