I first witnessed Sidney Lumet’s work when I was a young kid and saw 12 Angry Men. It was the first non-horror black and white film that I saw and I’ve loved it ever since. Sidney Lumet has made some great films: Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Deathtrap, Serpico. When I heard that Olive Films was releasing The Pawnbroker (a film I hadn’t seen) I was stoked because Lumet hasn’t disappointed me yet.
Girlfriend From Hell might have been released in 1990 but it has the ’80s written all over it. With its ’80s-sounding soundtrack and ridiculous comedic aspects, it falls into place with many other gems from back then but still holds up today.
All film fans should explore movies made during the “Ozploitation” era of Australian low budget filmmaking. Just about every film that came out during this time is fantastic. Many people have probably seen these films and are just unaware of the term Ozploitation or what movies fit this description.
The term Ozploitation was coined after the R rating was introduced in Australia in 1971. I’m not sure if people thought such films were just being created to make money or to push limits like other “ploitation” films but that wasn’t the case. Even to this day there are Ozploitation films released and they still carry out the feel, look, brutality, and the hilariousness.
There is something about these films in particular that stands out from the rest. Most of them are absolutely beautiful. Everything is shot and framed perfectly. Films like Razorback, Wolf Creek, Road Games, Dark Age, and others are just spectacular. The action flicks are action packed and the horror films are suspenseful and don’t follow the normal formula that other countries’ horror films do. Of course, we have great and wonderful films elsewhere but Ozploitation is something special and sadly, nearly forgotten about.
I’ve never been a big fan of Troma so I’ve only enjoyed a small number of the films among their extensive catalogue. Some Troma films pop up occasionally that I’ve never heard of but I still give them a chance even though they usually leave a bad taste in my mouth. Recently I came across a film called Lust For Freedom released by Vinegar Syndrome. It’s a Troma release from back in the day directed by the guy who brought us the sequels to Class of Nuke ‘Em High. As we know, Troma hasn’t been doing well lately and I think they’ve been licensing their films to other companies. Now Vinegar Syndrome has reissued this movie and they didn’t pick up one of Troma’s pieces of trash, either.
Disclaimer: This review was written under the influence of alcohol. Mind the typos.
As you probably already know, I’m in love with Vinegar Syndrome. Their releases are phenomenal. Along with their genre releases, they specialize in vintage porn . . . a lot of vintage porn. I’ve watched a lot of films from their catalogue but I haven’t delved into their hardcore section because it isn’t my thing. I’m not denying that I watch porn because that would be a total lie. I do watch porn just like every other male and female. (Oh you know you do, shut up.)
Now I have never watched vintage porn from the ’60s and ’70s. I’ve seen short clips and whatnot but have never dived into it. However, I did tonight—right now, actually. I’m writing this review while I watch a vintage hardcore porno called Marilyn and the Senator with my second White Russian in front of me.
By Paul Casey
I love Lost. I love Prometheus. I love Bioshock. Suspension of disbelief is a crutch for people who have a failure of imagination. Hammering something down and making it more comprehensible is not an inherent positive. Presenting a story that provokes confusion and forces the brain to engage in a creative way is not a failure of talent or of planning. It is an artistically rich approach that many actively seek out in opposition to what they are told are the true “reality” based goals.
Read Cait Brennan’s interview with Graham Parker.
At the end of the Seventies, a British gas station attendant, who was also a musician, got his record played on the radio. The next day, he had a contract offer from a major record label. Overnight success? A Cinderella story? Not quite.
The Kickstarter-backed documentary Don’t Ask Me Questions chronicles the rise, fall, and rise of Graham Parker and the Rumour, a band whose contemporaries included Elvis Costello and Squeeze. Their big US hit was “Local Girls,” one of the earliest videos to be played on MTV.
When their first album, Howling Wind, came out in 1976, the critical acclaim was instant and practically universal. They were widely regarded as the best live act in Britain. That doesn’t necessarily lead to stellar album sales, though, and as Parker says, “Everything was just a bit off.”
There is a feeling of satisfaction that many have received when dabbling in horror and falling in love with it. Hide and Go Shriek has a plot that will always give me goosebumps. As soon as you tell me there is a horror film with a group of high school or college students that goes camping, hitchhiking, to a summer camp, a sleepover, the mall, or in this case, a furniture store, I’m completely down. I honestly don’t need to know more than that and I couldn’t care less what the plot is about. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to impress us and we love these types of films.
Whenever a movie is announced with an actor or actress playing the role of a special needs person, what is your first reaction? If you’ve seen movies like Radio or Riding The Bus With My Sister, it’s probably a groan and an eye roll (or worse).
But what about the very real scenario of an actor who also happens to be a special needs person? Dylan Harman is a 23-year-old actor with Down syndrome who starred in the award-winning 2012 short film Rainbow Connection from writer/director Kire Paputts (The Last Pogo Jumps Again).
Harman is also starring in the follow-up, a feature length expansion of the short called The Rainbow Kid. As Paputts notes, this is “not an episode of Life Goes On.” Here’s the synopsis: (more…)
When I was little I saw the cover for No Holds Barred countless times but never watched it because I really wasn’t into wrestling. When I was in my early teens I got a little into wrestling for a year or so, but then just got bored with it all. So as you can see, I’ve never been into wrestling and just don’t understand its following.