Cult Films

I do like the fact that despite some comedic moments, this isn't as goofy and joke driven as part 2. The original Deathstalker is still the best, a no nonsense son of a bitch who killed a bunch of would be rapists not to save the girl, but just because he didn't want sloppy seconds. He had no sense of humor and just liked to fuck and kill. The gradual pussification of Deathstalker through the sequels really takes away from what made the original so fun in the first place. Having said that, this is a perfectly serviceable high fantasy film and doesn't really deserve the hate it gets. I've seen much worse, especially from the Italian side of sword and sandal flicks. I wouldn't want to sit through it again, but could have it on in the background while doing other things.

⭐ ⭐ out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

This is my introduction to Indonesian horror and I like what I see so far. This is the definition of doing the best with what you have. Although gruesome in parts, it's more of a traditional Shakespearean tragedy than a horror flick. The fx are creative and include stuff I've never seen before. There's a self-decapitation scene that's a sight to behold. Besides that it's actually shot very well. The shots of Mumi (the protagonist who is awesome by the way) training in black magic in front of a full moon are beautiful to look at and have an ethereal quality that's hard to describe. There's some really cool sets, a traditional Indo wedding with all of the accoutrements and dancing demons that that entails, a killer shaman cave full of snakes and magic fetishes, and the jungle and waterfalls make for a feast for the eyes. I'm really glad this got an HD transfer because it looks great.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

For a Sidaris film, this is just about as straightforward as they come. Watched this at a pop up drive-in this past weekend, and even with a crowd, there's not a lot of wackiness to hoot and holler at. Lots of silicone on screen, and some decent fire fights. Other than that, I wouldn't rank this as highly as something like Hard Ticket to Hawaii.

⭐ ⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Coming into this I was expecting a hillbilly slasher in the woods but what I got was a lot closer to Deliverance or Southern Comfort. 4 kids go on a camping trip in the back woods and end up seeing something they shouldn't have which puts them on the head hillbilly's shit list. There's some tense moments here, but most of the action takes the form of chases on foot through the trees. It does have a hell of an ending though, which I say makes it worth watching.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Well Bronson does it again. The headlining star and only speaks 10 words but gets away with it cus badasses don't have to talk and they can do whatever they want. But it works obviously if you take a look at his filmography. Here Charlie is a mysterious mountain man who runs afoul of the local dunce trappers and in turn is pursued by the law, even though the law is acting out of a responsibility to keep others from being killed by Bronson. Lee Marvin carries this though and his chemistry with Carl Weathers is great. The newbie young mounty is not that good but doesn't really change the dynamic of the story as he's there mainly for comedic relief. The ending was not that satisfying to me but it's a Golden Harvest flick made for American audiences so the action is the selling point here, not the plot, and I'd say it delivers on that aspect.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. I would tentatively put it in the "made for SyFy" category but it has much more heart and acting ability than your typical Asylum production. There's quite a bit of humor here as well. The lizard creatures are a lot of fun and the gore is surprisingly decent. Also I'm a sucker for horror films based in the snowy hinterlands of the great white north.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

This isn't what I expected when I read the VHS box art. It says 1996 but it's actually an Italian 1967 James Bond ripoff. Lots of goofy gadgets and technology that I dig, hot women and a cool evil society poised for world domination. Sean Connery's little brother Neil plays the reluctant surgeon turned spy here and just to capitalize on 007's success his name in the film is even Neil Connery as well. Not only that but he's also referenced as the brother of the British spy agency's greatest agent "Oh Oh... something or other". Not to mention a lot of actors from previous Bond films were somehow convinced to be in this.

Although there is some goofy fun to be had here, it suffers from terrible editing. So many weird and out of place cuts are made that it's up to the viewer to try and pick up the pieces of what's left and attempt to make sense of a big mess. There's lots of threads that are never even addressed as if it was originally a much longer movie and a blind man was brought into the editor's both to squeeze it down to a reasonable length. It's ok as a random curiosity, but apart from the excellent Morricone soundtrack, I can't recommend it.

⭐ ⭐ out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

If you are in the mood for a horror film but don't want all the stressful vibes and scariness that goes with it and just want to relax to something on screen, this might be for you. Almost a full hour passes before anything of note actually happens so you get to see kind of a slice of life of young 20 somethings in the Colorado mountains and a cute dog running around barking. When the action does kick in it's pretty tame, some mild gore and rubber cave monsters. If it wasn't for some slight nudity and a few profanities this could easily be mistaken for a made for tv movie.

⭐ ⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Good straightforward kung fu flick with excellent choreography. If you're looking for something more traditional with a simple story, no crazy wire-fu or weird weapons, and lots of fighting, this is it. Some great training montages and the last 20 minutes is just one long fight.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

I thought this was great. This was obviously at a time when Charles Band still cared about filmmaking and was putting out quality films with a ton of imagination and employing truly creative people and damn what the critics thought. It's really sad to see Empire movies like this and Re-Animator and then see what Band and Co have become with Evil Bong and Killjoy. The puppets, although not on par with Henson, are really creepy and well done nonetheless. The stop motion is a lot of fun as well as the indoor forest environments and there is truly a disturbing undercurrent to the various transformations that occur that would have surely given me nightmares as a kid. Sonny Bono's sleazeball bachelor character is one of the standouts and got a good laugh from me. Recommended.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

As a child of the 90's this one is loaded with nostalgia for me, which I'm sure colors my review somewhat. It starts out with a bang with some intense killing and gore but kind of peters out after that and moves from horror into teen angst territory. It doesn't help that Furlong is not a very good actor and lacks the charisma to carry a feature, but luckily the antagonist Trickster played by T. Ryder Smith is much more interesting and gets enough screen time to keep you engaged. The early 90s digital fx brought back memories and despite a predictable letdown of an ending, there's enough here for a fun Friday night watch.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

This is a film that I believe depending on my mood and expectations I could have really liked or slept through. Unfortunately at this point in time it was the latter. Outside of a rubber monster that's obviously an homage to Creature from the Black Lagoon and an interesting cave scene full of slime vomiting zombies, there's not a lot going on here. The acting, though sincere, is distractingly bad. I was kind of bored and unengaged throughout, and honestly that's just about the worse reaction I can have to a movie. Who knows though, if I had watched this some other time I can see myself falling victim to whatever charms it may hold. Not this time though.

⭐ ⭐ out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

I'm on board with Leslie Nielsen the vast majority of the time, but not this time. And to be honest, it's not his fault here as the writing is the real stinker. It is somewhat fun when viewed as a sequel to The Exorcist, but the jokes and gags just aren't that funny and become really tiring midway through. Gone are the surprises and cleverness from films like the Naked Gun franchise, and in their place are very predictable skits and on-the-nose "humor". Linda Blair does her best, but it's just not good enough to save this from mediocrity.

⭐ ⭐ out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐