Flowbeer

This movie wasn't very good. I think the director is the son of Edward James Olmos and that he helped his son out by playing a cameo in the beginning, maybe helping him get the job or with financing. Someone else commented how "wooden" the female Detective's acting was and I have to agree. Maybe the director was dating her and let her have the part, because she certainly had no ability, showed no emotion, zero projection, no command as a cop, etc. Just stiff, sullen, quiet, low-energy 'acting'.

And then I see Tom Sizemore and he's slamming shots of tequila and acting out of control, which I like to see. But in general, it was a pretty weak performance, even by his standards. Here's a guy who has acted with the likes of Robert Deniro, Val Kilmer, Tom Hanks, etc. and was so down on his luck that he took this role as an out-of-control suicidal alcoholic cop, for probably pennies. I have always liked his work, but not so much in this one. Truly, he was the only reason I bought the DVD (he was on the cover), otherwise I never would have bought it.

(Possible Spoiler)

I like gritty L.A. gang/cop thrillers, but this one was far-fetched and hard to follow. The flashbacks that try to explain what happen to the victims, show the female detective, as if she was the one killing people? Then you're never really sure. About the only interesting part that held my attention was in the special features, where they interview Tom Sizemore about his career and what happened to it. He said he was doing great, had a $5 million home, and then some woman said that he hit her and then it all went away; he spent all his money defending himself in court, trying to avoid a prison sentence, and then was kind of 'blacklisted' by other actors & directors who didn't want to work with him. It's really quite a shame to see how easily people can be destroyed by allegations.

Years back, I used to get Tom Sizemore and Michael Madsen mixed up. They have both worked in gritty film roles and have larger-than-life personalities and played bad guys very well. It seems that both of these great actors have hit hard times and I hope they both get their chance for a comeback. No one deserves to be broke & homeless, not even movie stars.

I enjoyed this film, though it feels like it was shot around 1962, or early 60's. It did not have the air of 'Woodstock' happening at around the same decade/era of this old classic; this film has a feeling on an old 50's adventure with Bogart or William Holden, not a 'late-1960's -soon-to-be-in-Duel' Dennis Weaver?! I have to say Vera Miles was super-hot in this film. I looked her up on here and she had won a Miss Kansas back in the day, so she was a true 'Beauty Queen' growing up, which helped her get her foot in the door.

Vera had a smokin' hot body, nicely hidden in that 1940's kinda way. It wasn't flaunted back then, but you could tell she was in great shape, underneath that blouse, and very sultry at 39 years of age.

They just don't make 'em like her anymore! Nor films like this.

Shot in the Philipines, it is full of jungle action, shoot outs, Japanese air-bombers (from actual WWII footage), and even "head-hunters", natives of an island they must walk through, complete with poison blow-darts & spear attacks! It wasn't that bad and was definitely not predictable.

I'd give this a strong 5.5 or 6 out of 10 stars.

I was totally engrossed while watching this film and was amazed at the dialog, which was so different than his earlier works. It was a total departure from anything else he has ever done. It's part homage to the 'Naziploitation' films of the 70's, but it also has a sense of realism (like it's a true story) that makes it even more intense. The characters are complete and well thought out. The dialog seems natural, the German language scenes were perfectly done, as if he had real Germans (and history professors) helping him with the script/screenplay. He either studied a lot of German film or a lot of German history, because he really had a feel for it, just as he showed us he had a feel for 'Asian' culture and the kung fu movies of the 70's in Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2. I can't say enough good things about this film.

The bar scene was frickin' intense, but so was the opening scene, where the German officer (Christoph Waltz) comes to talk to (Liev Schrieber?) and asks if he is hiding any "Jews"...it's such a long scene, but I like how all the small talk and pleasantries turn to seriousness in the blink of an instant. That guy was perfect for that part. So was the guy playing Stiglitz. And even Brad Pitt was damn good yet funny in his part, with that cheesy, Southern drawl. And Mike Myers (yes, 'Austin Powers'!) plays a great British intel officer in his cameo.

One person here says Kill Bill is his 'masterpiece'. Maybe it's another one of his masterpieces? Maybe he has yet another one in him to do before he dies?

I really liked this film.

9/10

So I finally watched 'Salo' - I have to say 'yuck', but why all the fuss?

It was bad, to be sure. Disgusting and sadistic. But then again, weren't the Nazi's & Italian fascists the same way back during WWII? Some of the 'experiments' that Nazi 'doctors' did to their captives were probably even worse than what is shown in 'Salo', but it's still a disgusting film.

Is it worth seeing? That's up to the individual, I guess. It's supposedly based on the Marquis de Sade, so it's not like it's anything new, in the literary sense. Over the years, people have claimed this film to be the worst (most hardcore/disturbing) thing they have ever seen, which of course makes one want to see it even more, to see what the hype is all about; and though it was brutal and sickening (the 'sh^t eating parts especially), there are probably worse/nastier films out there; perhaps even 'I Spit on Your Grave' or 'Mordum' is a little more brutal, besides the eyeball & tongue-cut scenes in 'Salo'.

It seems hard to believe that these were actors, because the 4 sadists, the men who seem to be getting off on the torture, seem to be getting into it in real life as well. As actors, they sure were convincing. Even the actors who played the victims, had to have had some bad experiences while shooting this film. Pasolini, the director, was killed/murdered soon after completing this film, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was "assassinated" for creating this film? Evidently not, but it was an interesting concept, being punished, for making such a sick movie. Would I recommend it? Probably not, but for the Italian film lover, it does have its' moments of classic film shots/execution. Worth seeing, as a film student might view an 'art film'.

For what it is, it is a 'Classic' - it just makes a big difference between what some people see as 'art', and what some see as 'trash'.

For its' Italian style, I give it an 8/10.

This disturbing, semi-documentary styled film kind of freaked me out when I first saw it (high, in 1998) but years later, I have now seen it in a different light. I still hate the crazy 'real' resident rednecks who talk smack about killing themselves, sticking firecrackers into the butts of cats and breaking up chairs in silly, childish tantrums; but with the 2 main characters, who seemed to be 'actors' as opposed to 'local talent', I didn't feel as repulsed any more. Nor by Cloe Svigny or even Max Perlic.

These are Actors, playing sick & twisted characters, to be sure, but none of them were as disturbing as the other Xenia residents that were a shining example of the ugly underbelly of white trash society.

I don't want to denigrate anyone, but those people really did give 'Southern whites' a bad image, in my opinion, kind of like the way ghetto trash makes people feel about other poor black people. I guess I just saw the honesty & accuracy of the way the film pictured these people. It would be great to see if anyone would ever have the nerve to show the inner-city ghettos showed in a similar, ugly way? I'd hate to think that the only 'trash' out there in America is rural, white and Southern!

This film was okay. I noticed some people seem to hate it, I would not be one of them. I just think that most of us that are older, and who grew up watching films like Dawn/Day of the Dead, Zombie & Return of the Living Dead, are just 'jaded', I guess. I mean, we've seen it all, there really isn't much more a director can do to Shock us anymore, is there?

I think that this film was aimed towards a younger generation, gamers & ravers, if you will, since it does take place during an island 'rave' party and I think it's based on a video game (like I should know this!).

There are no spoilers here, I'm just not sure if I'm giving much away, because of course, Zombies emerge from the jungle and start attacking the horny teenagers, per usual!! I don't think that's a 'spoiler', I think that is only 'Logical' in the sense that horror movies always seem to follow this path!!

The gore is awesome though! I mean, they spent a LOT of money on the special effects! It may even rival 'Dead/Alive' in terms of body count and creative kills, yet it still remains....a 5 out of 10 star movie! It doesn't suck, but it doesn't blow you away either. I found it for $2.99, so do I really have any reason to be angry about that? It's worth seeing once...in fact, I can even see it being a 'classic' on someone else's list of favorites. Probably someone under 30, for sure, but hey, we all have to get into Horror films some time, right?

5 out of 10 *'s = Average Zombie fare

I loved this film, 'Killer Nun' (aka Suor Omicidi 1978). When I first found out about it, I knew I had to see it! This came out a year after 'Communion' (aka 'Alice, Sweet Alice') and both of these seem very similar in their approach by their directors. Both seemed to be from the same vein of film-making. European! The film is about a Nun (and a sexy one at that, played by Anita Ekberg!) who is addicted to morophine and who is losing her mind...or is she?! What's wild is that she can get away from the convent and stalk the streets for a casual sexual liason, which is one of the high-lights of the movie! She goes back to the convent and really bad things start to happen, people die....at first, they seem like 'accidents' or 'suicides', but as the film goes on, you start to see what is really happening - but I won't spoil it for others here! Just see it, rent it, buy it if you find it. The DVD is excellent. There's an interview with the director at the end and it gives insights of how they filmed this movie - inside an actual convent! And how they were able to get away with filming so many sexy scenes! There's plenty of hot sexual situations and nudity in this Euro-trash nunspoiltaion film, as well as some 'tasteful' violence! A must see for ANY Euro-horror, babe-loving film fan! I give it about a 7 1/2 out of 10! *******1/2

To be honest: Alicia was what stopped me from changing the channel.... her face & emotion was what stopped me from going to some other crappy movie...she stopped me dead in my tracks. I love her. I had no idea she had been on 'Roseanne' , since I never watched it back then....I was just struck by her beauty and her sharp Queens accent and brassy attitude. And I absolutely fell in love with her. I hope to see her in more Indy films. In this film, Alicia plays 'Myra', a lonely office worker who is burdened with watching over her brother every minute she isn't at work. The rest of the cast was great also...her brother, played by a former-film pal (from 'Boys Don't Cry') , Brendan Sexton III, is perfect as her 'semi-retarded' (or 'disturbed') brother Ludlow, who lives with her - and seeks to destroy her relationship with anyone who tries to date his co-dependent sister! At first, 'Reggie' (played by David Eigenberg), a co-worker who tries to have a relationship with Myra, is thwarted in every way by her manipulative brother and it becomes a battle of wills who will finally get the love that each man is hungry for. It turns into a big mess, but it's worth every minute of your time!

7 out of 10 stars

I found this video used, for $2.00 and it looked so incredibly cheesy, in a way that only a '70s film can be, I figured it'd be worth the money! And I guess it was. Tricia Sembera is pretty hot, in that '70's kinda way, as 'Flash', the blonde bombshell who loves to drive her dunebuggy in the sandy deserts of Southern California (or was it closer to Bakersfield? I can't be sure about that), while Roger Davis plays 'Firecat', her beau and partner in crime. It's his idea for her to pick up the son of a bank manager and ride him around, buy him a soda, etc. so that Firecat can threaten the banker to give him $30,000 in cash for his release. The boy was never kidnapped, but the manager thought that he had been, so all in all, Firecat walks out of the bank with $33 large, without using a gun and the boy tells his father he met a nice lady who showed him her fancy race-buggy and bought him an orange Fanta! ha ha - The sheriff is hilarious the way he cusses and spews invective to his pathetic underlings who can't seem to be able to catch these two dune-buggy bandits! It starts to resemble a California version of the Dukes of Hazzard after awhile! There's some wrecks & chases and then Richard "Jaws" Kiel shows up, 7 feet tall and really wanting to retrieve that $33,000 from those two, with or without the sheriff's help! Then it starts to get okay. Flash & Firecat find their way to a desert brothel, which operates out of a few trailers, and THIS was the best part of the movie, imo. The ladies are pretty, once again, in that '70's kind of way, and they're enthusiastic, unlike the way real prostitutes would be in real life....the Madam allows them to hole up there till morning light, but Richard Kiel shows up and almost pummels ole Firecat into a pulp, until he get's hit in the face with a stick & is knocked out. Anyway, I won't spoil the ending but I thought the brothel part was the best; there's an old coot there who get's rushed out of his trailer before he can go again twice, so he's mad as hell - it's one of the highlights of the movie! All in all, it's low-budget and the director & writing team (husband & wife?) only did a few other flops in their time; it's also sad to see that Tricia Sembera only did one other movie in 1980 and never made it to TV shows like Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Barnaby Jones, etc. just because she was just as attractive as Shelly Hack was, and SHE made it on Charlie's Angels! So, I'll give this one about a 3 1/2 stars. I doubt it will be out on DVD anytime soon, but you never know!

***1/2

I saw this in the theatre 2 years after I had seen the first one, which was a MUCH better film. But this was okay - new characters, new deaths,new devilishness... One word of concern: anyone expecting the surprises of the first OMEN, is sadly mistaken. In this one, sure you'll see some guy get cut in half by an elevator cable, a gal getting her eyes chipped out by a crazed Raven, and yet another guy clipped together by two roving trains.....all in a day's work, in Damien's world! Right? But no one seems to know of Damien's evil nature. It's not until the end that the step-mother understands and accepts Damien for who he is - and wants to join him in Hellion/Oblivion! What a film! ****** - yea, it's worth a rental! A 6 out of 10 !!!!

This is a very good Indy film, and I give it a 7 out of 10 stars. I had seen it previewed on the Independent Film Channel a couple of years ago and found the video recently. However, there is something a bit 'off' with it: It seems to take place in the 1970's and there is some hint about the "Bicentenniel Room"....which makes you think its circa 1976......but instead, it's modern day L.A.. It just happens to be about a has-been 60's/'70's actress, who refuses to see that she's over the hill! (Poss. Spoilers?) The 'odd' thing about this film is: The actors are males in drag as females, and each one are hilarious in the roles they play. This is no 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert', with Patrick Swayze & Wesley Snipes acting all swishy, these are men who honestly look & sound like real women - and they are playing "straight women", as in, you have to go into this believeing they are real women and forget they're really men underneath the wigs & dresses, okay? Once you get past that (if it doesn't distract you too much), you will laugh your head off, seriously! Very funny, with great "drama Queen" moments, temper tantrums and bitch-slaps! All the emotions are covered: anger, jealousy, vanity, you name it! Really, it's a fantastic situational comedy, well worth seeing by anyone, if they go into it with an open mind! I never would have known about it if it weren't for the IFC. I showed it to some friends and I swear they did not realize they weren't females, until about 5-minutes into it! They just wondered what was up! "Hey, that's a guy!"

It is a bit 'odd', but it's also a great, raunchy, adult Indy film! (IFC produced it, I believe.) If you can find it used, buy it!

That alone is enough to show it to everyone you know!! I give this one 7 *'s out of 10! *******

I loved this movie from the first time I ever saw it. I had it at the end of a video tape I'd recorded (off IFC) after 'Monument Ave.', a Boston-mob film that had a similar "bar tone" to it, but was nothing like 'Trees Lounge.' 'Trees' takes place on Long Island and the vast array of crazy characters are a lot to choose from! There's a lot of humor in this film - and a lot of secrets & desires. The lounge is a bar that has a lot of losers who frequent it - the main one being Tommy (Buscemi)! There are the standard barflys who sit there all day drinking, and who must be on a fat social security paycheck to pay for it all! Anyway, we follow Tommy through his break-up with a gal he treated like crap and who has left him for one of his more-stable friends who owns a garage, going to family funerals and getting beaten up by a certain 'guido' in the 'hood. The only thing Tommy has, and the rest of his drinking buddies for that matter, is drinking his blues away. One of the cool people Tommy meets at the Trees is 'Mike', played by Mark Boone Junior - who gives a great performance as a guy who's wife is also threatening to leave him if he doesn't straighten up his act. So Mike & Tommy drink together and at one point, bring home 2 teenage girls to smoke some pot and dance to some records, in a bout of drunken bad judgement. When the wife returns, she asks Tommy if there were any girls there and Tommy, as a pro, covers for his new friend perfectly. There'a also a small part with Debbie Mazar, who Tommy almost gets to take home - until she passes out and her friends tell him to leave her alone! And Carol Kane is wonderful as the feisty bartender who keeps Tommy in line when he needs it. Also look for Kevin Corrigan as a coke-head loser, similar to the one he portrayed in Buffalo '66. By the end of the movie, you really start to feel sorry for Tommy. You wonder how much of it is based on Buscemi's life in New York, before he made it in the business. They say he actually drove an ice cream truck for awhile in NY, so that part must be true. All in all, Buscemi gets totally DICKED OVER in this film. But it is still a great film. And real. If you're a drinker, you might just see a bit of yourself in this film. 8 out of 10 stars

I've noticed that some people here are having a hard time finding this film, Love Serenade, on video or DVD. I was lucky enough to be able to catch this one on cable, either on Sundance channel or IFC, but this was a real fun movie to watch. The two sisters live together and eat lunch together every day, but along comes a new neighbor who moves in next door, and these two are at each other's throats to win the bloke over, before he even unpacks his suitcase! The new guy is a DJ named Ken Sherry, who just moved out to the sticks presumably after losing his job in the big city! And he's as smooth as Barry White on a Saturday night, this DJ, so both of them are captivated and try to do things for him to win him over, like catch him a big stinky fish or cook some crappy rubbish. The main gal, Vicki-Ann Hurley, is played by Rebecca Frith, whom I came to love after watching this, and who I just saw last night in another Aussie film also worth seeing, 'A Man's Gotta Do' (2004). Miranda Otto has top billing though, as the 'not-so'bright' younger sister, Dimity, and is enjoyable to watch as well. These two ladies play off each other well and there are some other nice characters in it that makes this a quirky comedy, fine Aussie entertainment! If you can find this at the video store, snatch it up! 7 out of 10 stars. *******

But, now that I'm older, it isn't so bad-ass. Still, it has some pretty chilling scenes that should be seen by any horror nut out there! I decided to buy a copy of 'Beyond the Door' (1974, also known as Chi Sei?) because I had seen it late night in the '70's and it really gave me the creeps as a kid! Of course, it's an obvious Exorcist rip-off, but this time it's Juliette Mills whose possessed and instead of green pea soup she spits up, it's a kind of black inky stuff, which is just as gross to the viewer! She also does all the cussing & growling that was to expected of her to be convincing as a plaything of the Devil and there's also some levitating (floating, really!) towards the end, for good measure! One of the creepiest scenes I remember as a kid, was when her two children tell their father "Daddy daddy, please don't leave us alone with mommy!" and he's like "Oh, it'll be alright, I have to be at work! Bye!" - haha - of course! So, they go into the bedroom later and say "Mommy mommy!" and Ms. Mills is on her stomach, but her head turns all the way around to look at them with evil eyes! THAT part is why I bought this damn film! That was as close to the Exorcist-head-spin they could do without being an OBVIOUS rip-off, but it's effective nonetheless. So, all in all, I bought this video to re-live old fears and to conquer them! haha - Worth a rental or a cheap buy off ebay, like I did! I give it 5 out of 10 stars! ***** As in, average!

I found this title on a 50-pack of 'Drive -In' thrillers distributed by Mill Creek Entertainment. At first, I was disappointed because it seemed to be bad quality right from the start. The dubbing IS pretty bad and the lines & scenes happen so quickly, you're not sure what is happening, they just go from one thing to another, and you're supposed to be following the plot line, as fast as it goes! But the plot starts to become more obvious and you realize that the female lead, who just got out of prison, was given a job working for a newspaper. There is animosity from 2 other female co-workers, one who feels she got her job because of her looks and the other, who is jealous that the boss is asking the new girl out instead of her! So, there are some catty moments, but they scream so quickly in the English dubbing, it really takes concentration to hear all their lines - which usually end with a 'Hummpph!' in that cute 'Asian way' that we've come to expect from Chinese/Korean/Japanese ladies in many films. The boss is enamored with the new gal/ex-con, while the jilted employee seethes and plots some sort of destruction on one - or both of them! You will have to watch it to find out! But really, it's not a bad plot and the soundtrack is quirky, in a 70's kind of way. The direction isn't as bad as I thought at first, in fact it's typical of some of the newer Korean directors currently out there, with some dramatic imagery & effects. All in all, I thought it'd be crap but it turned into a neat little story worth finding, if you can! I doubt it's on DVD solo, I have mine on the 50-Drive-In set I bought off ebay for $18.99! I give it a 5 out of 10 ***** As in, average!

Back in the old days of television, with no cable and only 3 channels available, I was still very lucky to be able to catch some fine horror gems like this one, along with other more-scary films such as 'Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things' and 'Twisted Brain'. For years I never knew what the title of this film was, I just knew it was an invisible monster who screeched loudly and slashed people's faces & bodies apart! I loved the scene with the flour, where they had layed it across the floor, so you could see the creatures' foot-steps coming closer to them, holed-up in the cabin....it's a far-fetched film, but I loved it as a kid but could never place the title & never saw or heard of it again...until a few months ago! There is a video dealer in NYC who helped me discover its' title and I was able to buy it off ebay (oldies .com has it also) and am proud to have been able to find this old gem! It may not be for everybody, but there's something about a horror film, when seen as a kid or teen....it will always stay with you and to find it again is kind of like finding a lost love or family member! I give it 6 out of 10 stars ******

I saw this one at the theatre in 1987 and I loved it from the start. I didn't even know who Charles Bukowski was at the time, I just thought the trailers looked good and I guess, was a fan of Mickey Rourke, whom I had just seen in 'ANGEL HEART' . This is one of those movies you get absorbed into, that when it ends, you don't want it to - you want to stay IN the moment, as if you're a part of the characters and your life is ending! Very few movies do this to me, but this is one of the first that did. The highlight of the film I think, is when Charlie wins an alley brawl and gets a few bucks from the bets (says to Jim, his confidant, "What do you think I am, a bum?") and walks into a sleazy old bar down the street called the Kenmore. There, he first sees Faye Dunaway, looking pretty good, yet no man is sitting by her, hitting on her, etc. WHY? he wonders...so, he asks the bartender "Who's that?" 'That's Wanda.' "Well, why's she all alone? She looks some some sort of distressed goddess!" - "She's crazy." With that, 'Henry' goes over and introduces himself to Wanda and they go home together after 2 scotch & sodas! CLASSIC! You can't beat that with a stick! They then co-habitate and go through their various trials & fights, but one has the feeling it works out for them both in the end....but we never get to see it, coz the movie ends before we can see it happen! That's the only down-side to it. It's a short movie, under 90 minutes, and some would say it's depressing to watch....but I loved the hell out of it and would venture to say it is possibly Rourke's & Dunaway's best work. And they certainly won't look that good again anytime soon. Those days are over! Old-age sucks. But they were in their prime at that moment in time, 1987. Go get Barfly! Or become one.

I saw this one at the theatre and it was pretty decent, regardless of what some critics have said about it. This film reminds me of another Brit-film called B-Monkey, and I wondered if they had wanted to cast Asia Argento in this one too, because I think she was born for this role! I was surprised that Nicole Kidman did this role, because I felt it was beneath her. Like she's "too good" to do this role. I just figured she'd want a bigger-budget deal, so to see her in this low-budget small-time film, I was honestly surprised, yet intrigued. She pulled it off well. (Spoilers!) Her Russian accent was great! It was wild to see her act like she didn't know any English at first, and towards the end, you see that she really could, but was just faking it! You can see the plot coming once she arrives in London. You just KNOW some goons are gonna come out of the wood-work soon and rob the guy - and they do! You feel sorry for the poor lonely bloke and the sad thing is, there's a gal co-worker who actually likes him and asks him what he's doing for the weekend and he blows her off and runs home, to be alone! Instead, he orders a complete STRANGER, a "mail-order-bride" from Russia! Can you imagine dealing with someone who does NOT speak your language, who is NOT from the same part of the world as you are, who does NOT see things as you do politically or who does not appreciate who you are as a person? Well, he ordered a mail-order "bride" and she turned out to be a fraud! A damned pretty fraud, but a fraud nonetheless. A decent movie, if not a bit predictable. I give it a 6 out of 10 votes! Mainly because Nicole is so damned HOT in this one. But I can't help but wonder: What would this film have been like if Asia Argento had played her part?