Thursday, February 25, 2021
WRONG TURN (2021 - Film Review)
Friday, February 19, 2021
DEAD AIR (Film Review)
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
TO YOUR LAST DEATH (Film Review)
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
CHOP CHOP (Film Review)
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
ELI ROTH'S HISTORY OF HORROR (Blu-ray review)
We as horror fans can certainly consider ourselves a fickle bunch at times, be it overly choosy about exactly what subgenre to watch, or how much gore, right down to just how badly we want to be scared. Make no mistake though - every single one of us that makes up this frenzied collective can appreciate the history of the genre itself, and that's where this latest review leads us, so grab a chilled glass of crimson refreshment and read on!
Director Eli Roth (who also executively produced) gives fans a baseline to work from in his History Of Horror. This 7-part series aired last year in October and is poised to ramp up its second season on AMC beginning this weekend. I was fortunate enough to snag a copy of the 3 disc set of Season 1 from our generous friends at Katrina Wan P.R. (thank you all so much), and I've honestly watched this set 2 times over since receiving it - it's simply that good. With narration by Roth and a heavyweight round-table consisting of Eli, Rob Zombie, and gore-master General Greg Nicotero, each episode consists of one particular sub-genre that is focused on and highlighted with clips, interviews from a bevy of stars, and some information that you might not have known about your favorite film. Covering sub-genres such as slashers, zombies, vampires, and ghosts, you'll fully be in the know as to how to properly set up your Halloween movie marathoning this month - hell, you might even come across a film that you've never heard of thanks to this series.
Jam-packed into all these discs are clips and interviews with a seemingly endless array of personalities contained within the horror spectrum - Stephen King, Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, John Landis, Quentin Tarantino, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Tom Savini are only a sampling - hungry yet? Personal stories about some film's conceptions are on the block as well, and if you're only thinking that this series will focus on the big-ticket items, think again. This is quite the impressive display and covers quite a bit of cinematic scares dating way back into the early days of frights - naturally, not everything could be shoe-horned into this presentation, but it works for not only the rookies to the genre but to the seasoned & hardened souls that have seemingly been desensitized to the visions on-screen over the years. I'll admit there were a handful of films that I'd completely forgotten about that were refreshingly "re-animated" back into my memory (and NO, I do remember that film - it's merely a play on words). Overall, this is a fantastic set to own and toss into your player any time you want a guide from the professionals to cross-reference. It's on sale now damn-near everywhere and should set up Season 2 nicely so grab your copy now!
RATING: 4.5 out of 5
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
ATTACK OF THE UNKNOWN (Film Review)
Why in the blue hell would any otherworldly soul want to infiltrate, much less visit this planet in this day & age is beyond me, but in the case of director Brandon Slagle's latest film Attack Of The Unknown, they're here, and they're ready to throw down. Before this review gets truckin' I'd like to thank Mr. Sonny Mahal for offering the film up for inspection and dissection - it's always appreciated. Now that the pleasantries are out in the open, let's break out the slicing tools and cut into this one while it's still fresh, shall we?
The film centers around SWAT team leader Vernon (Grieco in a convincing role) who is faced with a medical diagnosis that seemingly saps the "OOMPH" straight out of his system, but not before he and his team have to take down a fierce drug kingpin named Hades (LaSardo). Once Vernon's crew comes up successful in their apprehension of the notorious baddie, they're tasked with moving him into FBI protection...and THAT'S when the alien-istic problems arise! It appears that a full-on invasion is taking place, and through some rather interesting information from Hades it's revealed why they've come, and what they're after (a little perplexing, but hey - it's Sci-Fi). Now it's up to an ailing Vernon and the rest of his hard-nosed squad to shut down the big green men and deliver their prisoner into protective custody - wonder if this accumulates their tiered hazard pay?
The movie's opening 20 minutes are jam-packed with great action, fun dialogue, and a metric crap-ton of flying lead...unfortunately the lead sticks around for the remainder of the film, slowing down not only action but communication between the actors as well. I've always been a Grieco fan, and he simply knows how to convey those silent yet gruff emotions, but here it seemed as if he grew bored with the character in the latter stages of portrayal - regardless, he was fun to watch and held the film on his shoulders, especially in his scenes with LaSardo (the classic bad guy). Added to which if you keep an eye out you'll spot notable performances from Tara Reid, Robert Donavan & Douglas Tait - all providing some punch to the collective mix. Slagle's direction is edgy and centers on the horror/thriller scope - the guy knows how to present a product and it shows once again here. All in all, I'd say to any prospective sci-fi/action fan to give this at least a one-timer. If you can get past the slowed-down pace in the latter stages Attack Of The Unknown is actually a pretty fun film, but when those BIG green fellas come around, you'd better get your butt behind some thick doors!
FILM RATING: 3 out of 5
Friday, September 25, 2020
TEN MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT (Film Review)