Escape From the Bronx [Blu-ray]

Escape From the Bronx [Blu-ray]
This is one of the most entertaining flicks I've seen in a long time. If the cool explosions, slow motion, pyrotechnics, music, and funny dialogue don't satisfy you, then I don't know what will. More deaths than a Verhoeven flick, more slow motion than a John Woo flick, what more could you want? Does not retain the same atmosphere that 1990 THE BRONX WARRIORS had, but is almost never boring. I'm not giving anything away, but watch for the great scene when three rebels are gunned down fleeing a man rigged with a bomb. I've seen the movie a dozen times and it still tickles me!

Read more »

New Barbarians [Blu-ray]

Two mercenaries help wandering caravans fight off an evil and aimless band of white-clad bikers after the nuclear holocuast.
One of cult Italian film director Enzo G. Castellari's post apocalyptic films. It is the year 2019 and 15 years after a nuclear war. The world is now run by gangs of human predators who behave like wolves and carnivorous criminals. But a band of survivors discover distant radio signals that give them hope: could there be a part of the world on which other humans live and can they get there before the mutants get to them?

Read more »

X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)

Dare To Look Into The Eyes Of Madness! Fantastic tale of heart-pounding suspense, this harrowing and terrifying sci-fi shocker will fascinate horror film fans. Starring Ray Milland (The Premature Burial), it charts the startling transformation of a doctor so blinded by ambition that he dares to glimpse eternity! When the brilliant Dr. Xavier (Milland) concocts a serum to improve human sight, he stumbles upon a formula for x-ray vision. Inspired by its awesome medical potential, but shunned by his short-sighted colleagues, the doctor tests the potion on himself, only to discover that his ability to see through walls, clothing and flesh is slowly eclipsed by and insatiable desire to look still further - even if it means seeing more than any mortal can bear! Featuring wonderful direction by the great Roger Corman (Tales of Terror) and a strong supporting cast that includes Harold J. Stone (The Wrong Man), John Hoyt (Blackboard Jungle) and comedy legend Don Rickles (Run Silent, Run Deep).

Read more »

Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. (1990)

If you like Troma's kind of silly, off beat, absurd humor then I'm quite sure you'll really enjoy a whole lot of scenes in this flick as well. There are lots of cartoonish, hilarious characters all of which have been acted out with confidence and conviction.
The story... well there's this American cop in NY who finds out he can get supernatural powers by changing into the Kabukiman, a kind of Japanese Samurai dude with lots of makeup. Our hero uses his new found powers to beat the crap out of some local small time crooks in various entertaining ways, but it turns out he really owns his powers to the fact that he was chosen to fight the Evil One, who is about to take over the world. He is reluctant to accept this responsibility at first, but a Japanese chick kicks some sense into him and then goes on to teach him how to use his new found skills properly.

Read more »

Color Me Blood Red (1965)

And the Bronze medal goes to... Color Me Blood Red, the third goriest, third most entertaining, and, the third installment of the legendary, Blood Trilogy. Sure, it wasn't as groundbreaking or gory as Blood Feast, or as flat-out entertaining as Two Thousand Maniacs, plus, the presence of a Thomas Wood and/or a Connie Mason might have helped a little, but I still consider the unwanted step-sibling of the Blood Trilogy to be a bit underrated. Color Me Blood Red has pleasant Sarasota beach locations, and not to mention, Adam Sorg is a lot more convincing as a killer than Fuad Ramses, or any single one of the 2000 Maniacs. just A hell of an actor, although, that's not what we're after. Color Me Blood Red also stars several attractive women, some of which not nearly as young as the roles suggests, this film just didn't seem to try all that hard to entertain us, not quite as ambitious as the first two. The so-called humor would seemingly fit more in something from a decade earlier, if ever. F stands for Farnsworth wasn't any funnier the second time Sorg said it, and Holy Banana's just doesn't express the horror and confusion one would feel after finding a girls leg. I suspect this movie inspired the Florida Bore of

Read more »

L'éventreur de Notre-Dame (1975)

A madman conducts a private inquisition to exorcise demons by torturing women to death.

In Paris, the former priest Mathis Vogel writes pornography for a magazine. When the deranged priest watches an erotic show based on a Black Mass, he believes that the cast and audience are possessed and he goes on a murder spree to exorcise the demons of his victims.

EXORCISME (1974) ** Jesus Franco, Lina Romay. Jesus Franco directs and stars in this story about a crazed ex-priest who witnesses a series of staged "Black Masses." Convinced the participants are possessed by Satan, he kills them in order to "exorcise" their demons. Although this storyline has a lot of promise, numbingly repetitive dialogue and Franco's amateurish acting keep the film from reaching its true potential. It's also padded with numerous sex scenes--featuring suggested autoerotism, bondage, sexualized torture, lesbianism and an orgy, among other things--none of which serve to advance the plot. The result is a film that tries to be both porno and horror film, but doesn't really succeed at either.

Read more »

Man From Music Mountain (1943)

Singing cowboy Gene Autry and his sidekick Smiley Burnette star in this feature pitting cattle ranchers and real estate speculators. When it appears that there's gold on a ranch, a group of suspicious men begin selling claims in the local community. It takes Gene and Smiley to clear up the matter and save the day while also squeezing in a few songs, too.

This is another of Gene Autry's many western movies aimed at a young audience. Some of us grew up on these and it's sometimes fun to watch them for their nostalgia value — but that's about all the value that is here. It is not meant to be taken very seriously. Don't pay much attention to the story or the characters. The emphasis is on music, comedy, and a few stunts. A good movie? No. But, it you grew up on these you might enjoy it.

Read more »

Battle Of The Worlds

Scientists race against the clock in an attempt to stop a collision between an alien planet and Earth.

"Battle of the Worlds" is not the best 'B' movie and probably can be rated as a 'Z' movie, but it is still a cult classic. Cheezy Flicks prided themselves on owning thousands of titles so where are they? And if they think so much about getting them out on disc, why is this version absolutely un-watchable? The print looks like it was dragged behind a car and the colors are washed out and as usual, they have cut off the film company credits and replaced it with their own. So far the best version for print quality and color is the one Alpha has though it is not properly framed.

I guess we will never know because Cheezy Flicks has been cited releasing bootleg versions of films that are not in the public domain and don't have the rights to release. They haven't released anything new since 2005 and will not answer e-mail. Too bad as other companies like Dark Sky Films are doing what Cheezy Flicks should have and the follow-up film entitled "War Between The Planets" on their label is stunning! Maybe they will pick up Battle as well? One can hope but stay away from Cheezy Flicks version by all costs.

It is sad that Alpha has taken this title out of its current catalog. Their version is the best copy out there. Not full of lumps and bumps, scratches or blemishes and colors "are" colors. The framing is a bit off (over scaled).

Don't bother with the Cheezy Flicks version at all... a total waste of money! There are several budget versions out there but Alpha's is the best I have seen thus far. If you like this movie and have an opportunity to find one in bargain bins or offered as a used copy, buy Alpha's.

Read more »

Deadlier Than the Male (1967)

British agent Bulldog Drummond is assigned to stop a master criminal who uses beautiful women to do his killings.
Classy production, solid plot, witty dialog, believable characters. When watching this film, one does not say, "Oh yeah, a 60's Bond take-off", as one does when watching perhaps "Our Man Flint" or "In Like Flint". Richard Johnson's Hugh Drummond is smooth, handsome and resourceful without being obnoxious or larger than life. Steve Carlson's Robert Drummond provides youthful energy without becoming a foil. Elke Sommer's Irma Eckman is irresistably gorgeous, intelligent, eloquent, and cold-as-ice deadly. Sylva Kocina's Penelope is kittenish, sensual and apologetic...even as she's torturing or killing a man. Nigel Green is a ruthless, cunning business man who has figured out how to get rivals out of his way; Kill them. The murders are clever, sexy and brutal but not campy.

Read more »

Unknown Island

"A fantasy adventure film in the style of "King Kong" and "The Lost World."" The film recount the adventures of a group of intrepid folk on an uncharted island in the South Pacific where primordial monsters still survive.

I really enjoyed this film, although I never saw it in my youth. It was shot in Cinecolor which, I think, must have been a "two-strip" process. As a result you see a lot of cheesy pastels but the skin tones are great. Now granted, the monsters are pretty hokey in this one and it's clear that the "beach" is a studio one... but, somehow, I still liked it. This flick is sort of a King Kong rip-off with no central monster to love or to hate. So, the principals shoot at darn near every one that they see. There are some cool weapons and the casting is near perfect, even though there are no big stars here. All in all, as a baby boomer and horror/sci-fi film nut, I find this film a nice nostalgic return to the good old days.

Read more »

Blood on My Shoes (1983)

Agents across the globe take turns spying on and double-crossing one another in an attempt to locate a valuable formula encrypted in the music code.
An obscure Franco, apparently loosely based on Edgar Wallace's story 'Sanders of the River.', little-seen shoestring comedy/action/spy/thriller. A quintessential cast, Vernon goes characteristically and  gloriously over the top as the murdered - or is he? - missile inventor in full Mad Scientist key. Lina charms as a cabaret singer...or is she a spy? Or is she both? And Mayans is the most laid-back, unflappable tough guy you'll ever see.
Music plays a prominent role, in different ways...beyond the typically-awesome minimal jazz soundtrack (credited to Pablo Villa...aka Daniel White, a regular Franco collaborator...though some sources credit the music here to Franco himself).

Read more »

River of Death (1989) (Kino Lorber) Blu-ray

Released in May 2015

Kino Lorber have confirmed that they will release on Blu-ray director Steve Carver's film River of Death (1989), starring Michael Dudikoff, Donald Pleasence, Robert Vaughn, and Herbert Lom.

Synopsis: In 1945, with the Allies approaching, two German officers ransack a monastery in Greece and make plans to escape with the loot. However, one of the Germans is left behind by his partner, while the other escapes by submarine from Wilhelmshaven. Forty years elapse, a wealthy millionaire, Smith, hires Hamilton, allegedly an expert on the jungle, to lead him to the ruins of a lost Indian civilization recently discovered in the wilderness of the Amazon jungle in Brazil. The entourage faces giant anacondas, giant spiders, cannibalistic natives, and so on, discovering a settlement of Nazi war criminals and their descendants, living as if the Third Reich had never ended. It is soon clear that Smith's real purpose has little to do with archaeology, and more to do with revenge.

Read more »