phlyax
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
19 years
Reviews
Poor Albert and Little Annie (1972)
I Dismember Mama: All Name, No Game
You know you're in trouble when the new title is superimposed on the opening credits with what looks like an old dymo labelwriter!
The first scene has a female nurse enter a room by herself, in a mental institute no less, and tell the male patient that he shouldn't be watching those types of films in his room because of what they do to him.
Of course, that's the end of the nurse and it only goes downhill from there.
Truly the only item of interest here is the title!
How bad is it, a re-make would be an improvement. Besides its too good of a title to waste!
Say, that gives me an idea...
The first scene has a female nurse enter a room by herself, in a mental institute no less, and tell the male patient that he shouldn't be watching those types of films in his room because of what they do to him.
Of course, that's the end of the nurse and it only goes downhill from there.
Truly the only item of interest here is the title!
How bad is it, a re-make would be an improvement. Besides its too good of a title to waste!
Say, that gives me an idea...
Gvozdi (2003)
Andrey Iskanov: The Sultan of Splatter
This is the first time I've seen his work and I wanted to get my thoughts down on it as soon as possible, so please excuse the scatter-shot approach.
Without a trace of hyperbole, I can honestly say that I have seen a new Prince of Darkness in the world of horror films and his name is Andrey Iskanov.
Call it splatter if you must, gore if you dare, but make no mistake Iskanov is a unique artist with a signature style and he knows how to tell a story.
I see that some of the 'critics' here have slammed him for not being an original in the field of surrealism! I wonder if those same people have a problem with Hitchcock for not being the first to work in suspense. And, please note, I am not saying Iskanov is the new Hitchcock, only that he has the potential to become a very good film maker given a chance.
Coming in at a succinct sixty minutes, there's not much wasted footage in this tale of surgical psychoanalysis. To accomplish his vision Iskanov combines acute edits, expressionistic camera angles and stark imagery to a sound-scape that suggests paranoia at every off-key cue.
Working under what I can only assume is a budget that was as claustrophobic as the world his protagonist lives in, Iskanov has crafted a piece of work that will live inside you long after the lights have gone up.
One final word of warning -- after watching this film your nightmares will never be the same.
You have been warned!
Well, what are you waiting for ....
Without a trace of hyperbole, I can honestly say that I have seen a new Prince of Darkness in the world of horror films and his name is Andrey Iskanov.
Call it splatter if you must, gore if you dare, but make no mistake Iskanov is a unique artist with a signature style and he knows how to tell a story.
I see that some of the 'critics' here have slammed him for not being an original in the field of surrealism! I wonder if those same people have a problem with Hitchcock for not being the first to work in suspense. And, please note, I am not saying Iskanov is the new Hitchcock, only that he has the potential to become a very good film maker given a chance.
Coming in at a succinct sixty minutes, there's not much wasted footage in this tale of surgical psychoanalysis. To accomplish his vision Iskanov combines acute edits, expressionistic camera angles and stark imagery to a sound-scape that suggests paranoia at every off-key cue.
Working under what I can only assume is a budget that was as claustrophobic as the world his protagonist lives in, Iskanov has crafted a piece of work that will live inside you long after the lights have gone up.
One final word of warning -- after watching this film your nightmares will never be the same.
You have been warned!
Well, what are you waiting for ....
Frankenhooker (1990)
Mary Shelley meets Riff Raff
This is not a great film, or even an illuminating one for that matter, but its not trying to be!
As far as story-lines go this one is somewhat lop-sided, but Frankenhooker does have its own internally driven logic: how else could it explain the super-crack, the mis-aligned body-parts and, of course, the drill.
Be warned, this movie has more exploding hookers than you could shake a rotisserie at. Along with its many other visual treats, there is a low-budget, sci-fi laboratory (complete with an obligatory Vander-Graf generator buzzing away in all its glorious sparkery) for us to feast our eyes and ears on. Trust me, this film ranks right up there with 'Young Frankenstein' when it comes to cheap, techno-gimmick ingenuity. For good measure, the lab itself also double budgets as a single car garage: albeit one with a two door roof opening -- you know, just in case an obligatory storm approaches.
Its obvious, early & often, that most of the cast members here have never acted before, but this actually works in the film's favour because they don't try to 'act'.
Patty Mullen, as Elizabeth Shelley, delivers an honest piece of work precisely because of the fact she doesn't try to be something she is not - an experienced actor playing a challenging role. On the other hand, James Lorinz, (Jeffery Franken) intentionally plays it so close to the vest you can see the straight-jacket peeking out from underneath (he's not great here, but his choices are fairly solid throughout). But, by far the best performance is from David Lipman (Frankenhooker's trick) in a tour-de-force display of upstagemanship: not only does he steal every scene he's in, he virtually chews through every stitch of upholstery along the way - and its truly a joy to watch. Nonetheless, Jennifer Delora (Angel) deserves special mention for being the glue that holds it all together; who needs to act when you've got a role this familiar and this much fun to play!
Make no mistake about it, Frankenhooker is not a great film, but it is a truly brilliant one in its own right!
As far as story-lines go this one is somewhat lop-sided, but Frankenhooker does have its own internally driven logic: how else could it explain the super-crack, the mis-aligned body-parts and, of course, the drill.
Be warned, this movie has more exploding hookers than you could shake a rotisserie at. Along with its many other visual treats, there is a low-budget, sci-fi laboratory (complete with an obligatory Vander-Graf generator buzzing away in all its glorious sparkery) for us to feast our eyes and ears on. Trust me, this film ranks right up there with 'Young Frankenstein' when it comes to cheap, techno-gimmick ingenuity. For good measure, the lab itself also double budgets as a single car garage: albeit one with a two door roof opening -- you know, just in case an obligatory storm approaches.
Its obvious, early & often, that most of the cast members here have never acted before, but this actually works in the film's favour because they don't try to 'act'.
Patty Mullen, as Elizabeth Shelley, delivers an honest piece of work precisely because of the fact she doesn't try to be something she is not - an experienced actor playing a challenging role. On the other hand, James Lorinz, (Jeffery Franken) intentionally plays it so close to the vest you can see the straight-jacket peeking out from underneath (he's not great here, but his choices are fairly solid throughout). But, by far the best performance is from David Lipman (Frankenhooker's trick) in a tour-de-force display of upstagemanship: not only does he steal every scene he's in, he virtually chews through every stitch of upholstery along the way - and its truly a joy to watch. Nonetheless, Jennifer Delora (Angel) deserves special mention for being the glue that holds it all together; who needs to act when you've got a role this familiar and this much fun to play!
Make no mistake about it, Frankenhooker is not a great film, but it is a truly brilliant one in its own right!