Drunken Angel (1948) 8/10

Drunken Angel was Akira Kurosawa's 7th film and his first starring Toshiro Mifune. The film also stars Kurosawa veteren Takashi Shimura.

Toshiro Mifune plays a young brash yakuza infected with TB. He goes to a drunken doctor played by Takashi Shimura to seek treatment. The doctor sees himself in the young criminal and tries to take him away from the yakuza lifestyle in his own abrasive way. The film was just made a few years after WWII and the location is of a run down post war ghetto filled with criminals and a metaphoric disease infested bog.

Like with many Kurosawa films, Drunken Angel focuses on the characters and how each of them learn how to live their lives better, rather then focusing on action. The film is dialogue driven and passionately acted by everyone. As with Red Beard Kurosawa writes extensive depth to each character giving even supporting characters unique and well defined back grounds. Yet another example of just how great Kurosawa was at his craft.

I would not recommend this as a entry level Kurosawa film however. Drunken Angel is more for an audience already familiar with his more powerful and well known works like the Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Ran, Yojimbo etc.

Overall - 8/10

Friday the 13th Part VII (1988) 6/10

Round 7 of the Friday series finds Jason battling a girl with telekinetic powers who accidentally resurrected him....somehow.

Part 7 is a mediocre entry in the series with nothing really to note about it. Yeah its the first Jason performance by Kane Hodder, and yeah Jason looks really badass but the gore is lacking, possibly due to the MPAA, and the story is pretty ho-hum. Its a different idea then in previous Friday films but ultimately the script is thin. It does however have the famous sleeping bag kill scene that is worth checking out alone. Its not great, not terrible, mediocre at best.

Gore - medium

Nudity - some

Overall - 6/10

Horrors of the Malformed Men (1969) 7/10

Horrors of the Malformed Men is the notorious film from director Teruo Ishii banned in its native Japan. The film was recently found, remastered and finally released in America for the first time. The film had a short run in theatres in Japan until public outcry demanded its ban. The film was rarely seen thereafter and was kept in a private vault. Because of its history the film grew and grew in infamy so now we can finally see what all the hub-bub is about.

The film chronicles a man working as an intern at a hospital and is mistakenly taken for a mental patient. While in the mental ward, he is attacked by a mysterious bald man, but kills his attacker in the scuffle. He escapes from the hospital and finds out that a local wealthy family's patriarch has recently passed away that looks identical to him. He then poses as the resurrected patriarch to hopefully discover information about his unknown past. He discovers that his father has been living in seclusion on an island for nearly 30 years. He decides to go to the island and meet with the man only to find out that in those 30 years he has kidnapped several children, intentionally deforming them to create an army to take over the country.

As you might imagine there's alot going on here and the film feels like theres too much story being crammed into the run time but having said that the film does move at a quick pace and rarely slows down. The real question is, did it deserve to be banned? By today's standards the film fairly tame though still disturbing. This is one of the unique films that really can't be cut down to tame it. The themes and overall mood of the film ooze malice therefore simply cutting certain scenes would only result in confusion rather then toning down the shock value.

The film is great for Japanese film buffs searching for unique cinema but for the rest of us its compelling but doesn't meet the expectations set by the years of obscurity and infamy

Gore - mild

Nudity - some

Overall - 7/10

Angel-A (2007) 7/10

Angel-A is the newest film from director Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, The Professional), and is his first adult narrative he's directed since the awful, The Messenger.

Angel-A is about a man in France who owes money to several loan sharks and must pay up by the end of the night, or else. Despondent he decides he'll jump off a bridge to end it all. Once on the bridge though, he finds a beautiful woman also about to jump. He tries to talk her out of it but of course she jumps anyway and he follows to save her. After saving his life, she pledges to do whatever it takes to help him get the money he needs.

The film is really about the main character's development throughout the film where he learns how to stand up for himself, and even to appreciate himself. Of course he falls in love with his beautiful companion, thus learning how to love others as well. The film works nicely and keeps the mood light and fun throughout most of the run time, while also getting serious without getting to heavy handed. Its a great departure from the director's mostly action packed filmography, and it's a welcome change that he delivers very well.

Overall - 7/10

Doctor Who Season 3 (2007) 8/10

So I just got done watching season 3 of Doctor Who about a week ago and what a great season it turned out to be.

Doctor Who is about an alien in human form that travels time and space fighting evil aliens who try to change history in their favor. The show has been around since the early 1960's and the new series is a great addition to this long standing gem of a show.

In this season the Doctor meets a new companion to travel and fight with. They make a great team and many great episodes ensue. If you don't follow the show you wouldn't understand a breakdown of the episodes and if you do watch the show you don't want it to be spoiled so i'll forgo the tedious explanations.

Check it out if you're a fan, if not it's not a bad place to start, though season one would be ideal.

Overall - 8/10

Live Free Or Die Hard (2007) 8/10

Live Free Or Die Hard is the fourth film in the Die Hard series and quite possibly the most action packed.

Enter John McClain NYPD detective and resident ass kicker. He's older now and divorced trying to deal with a daughter that no longer loves him. Tech terrorists decide to shut off all the electricity in greater east coast and begin stealing from all the electronic bank accounts. It's up to McClain and a young hacker to stop the bad guys and save the day.

The film runs 2+ hours but never drags. The action is constant and satisfying. McClain kicks a whole lot of ass and kills many bad guys. Awesome. The stunt scenes are great, even the ones done with CGI. It's a shame this didn't do better at the box office but it came out the week before Transformers and really didn't stand a chance against that hype machine.

Great fun flick that reminds us all of the glorious action packed hairy chested body count action flicks of the 80s.

Overall - 8/10

Friday the 13th Part VI (1986) 8/10

So continues my journey through the Friday films and I've taken a stop at one of the best ones so far!

Friday part 6 starts off where part 5 leaves off with Tommy in search of Jason. He accidentally resurrects Jason and must stop him before its too late! So we finally get to see zombie Jason or maybe inhuman Jason. Thus far he's really just been resilient psycho killer, but not anymore friends. He's a bonafide demon from hell here to kill Tommy once again.

The film is fast paced and the body count is high. Really high. In fact this one has the highest body counts so far in the series. Beyond that the deaths are all unique and pretty gory. We've got death by tree branch, death my machete skewer, death by head crush, heart rip, etc etc. Hopefully someday we'll see the full uncut version of the film before the MPAA hacked it up.

This is such a great Friday film. It revamps the tired plot found in 1-4 while not sucking like part 5. If you're going to watch a Friday film, make this one a must see.

Gore - High

Nudity - none

Overall - 8/10

Cannibals (1980) 4/10

Cannibals, directed by Jess Franco, is yet another entry in the savages gone wild films of the late 70s and early 80s. These films revel in the lowest common denominator, gore and boobs and usually real animal death. Cannibals stands amongst some of the most notorious grindhouse films ever made, Cannibal Ferox, Cannibal Holocaust, Mountain of the Cannibal God. It stands however, at the bottom of the pile.

Cannibals is about a family traveling to an exotic land when suddenly they're attacked! The mother is eaten alive and the father's arm is cut off and eaten. The daughter is kidnapped and named a goddess. The father comes back to find his daughter and more cannibalism ensues.

This is the third Jess Franco film I've seen and it only further proves the fact that this man cannot direct. The film is boring and horribly shot. The shoot locations look more like a desert then a jungle and a well maintained public desert at that. There's plenty of intercut stock footage and the "savages" just look like fat Spaniards to me. Their face paint looks more like they escaped from a culture club video instead of the jungle. Yikes! The gore is graphic but also unbelievable and the cannibalism scenes go on and on and on and on in slow motion no less.

This one's a stinker, only worth watching if you're a cannibal completest or have a lot of drunk buddies over. The only good thing about the movie is the 20 min. interview of Jess Franco.

Gore - medium

Nudity - mild

Overall - 4/10

The Most Terrible Time In My Life (1993) 8/10

The Most Terrible Time In My Life is a Japanese film that pays homage to the 40's American Noir film.

Maiku Hama (get it, Mike Hammer) is a young brash P.I. with a dark past just trying to make a buck. When he stops a bar fight and gets his pinky severed in the process he begins a decent into the underground gangster world where a fight between the yakuza and a new gang made up of naturalized citizens, the "New Japs," is starting to boil.

The film is shot in beautiful black and white and has plenty of great vantage point shots to keep the audience happy. The film moves at a nice pace and features unique and engaging characters living a world I know nothing about. Very cool. As I was watching this film I thought to my self, gee i would really like to see these same characters get caught up in more crazy situations. This is something i rarely feel and to my delight there are indeed two more films featuring these characters creating the Maiku Hama trilogy. Awesome.

Check it out for a light fun crime caper flick that doesn't disappoint.

Overall - 8/10

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) 7/10

Invasion of the Body Snatchers is the classic story of evil alien spores come to earth the replace all of humanity.

Here we have the '78 remake and this is really the best incarnation of the film. The film stars a curly haired Donald Sutherland and also features Jeff Goldbloom and Spock himself Leonard Nimoy?! This version doesn't stray far from the original but does heap on the creepy. The film is tense and fast and works wonderfully well. The one Major update in the film is the audience finally gets to see what happens to the person that the pod people replace.

Very cool sci-fi flick and a solid remake.

Gore - mild
Nudity - mild
Overall 7/10

Black Sabbath (1963) 7/10

Black Sabbath stands as a testament to the greatness of Mario Bava. The film stars Boris Karloff and features 3 separate stories to chill your bones! The stories are about a woman terrorized by constant death threats over her phone, a period piece set in eastern Europe where the myth of the wurdulak comes true and finally woman haunted by an old lady from whom she stole a ring.

Beautifully shot with a whole palette of wonderful colors the film oozes style in a way only the Italians can do it, eat your heart out Hammer! The film moves at a nice pace and features wonderful sets and of course beautiful women. All in all a great film from Bava worth checking out by anyone even casually interested in Italian horror.

So why did I give it a 7? Well because thus far there has not been a version on dvd with the English audio track. See the film was originally shot in English but later dubbed in Italian. So we have to sit through the whole film knowing that the actors are speaking English but having to read subtitles instead. Totally irritating and distracting for English speakers. I don't know why the film has never been released with its original version but hopefully anchor bay will find the original dialogue some day.

Gore - mild

Nudity - none

Overall - 7/10

Calvaire (2005) 7/10

Calvaire is a French film about a wedding/ old folks home singer that experiences car trouble in rural France. He stops at a little inn only to find out the family that runs the place is crazy and is held captive to endure their hellish treatment.

The film is beautifully shot with rich dark colors, tracking shots, and scenic views. These are all in sharp contrast to the nightmare the main character has to endure. I don't want to give away the film but lets just say it takes a few very surprising twists.

The film does not belong in the "torture porn" category since most of the anguish is psychological versus physical, which isn't to say that there aren't moments of shocking violence, there just aren't many and that's not the point of the film. It isn't the french take on hostel. Its much more about the anguish of being held captive amongst insanity.

Great french flick that proves once again that there must be something in the water over there, something that makes the usually love obsessed french dig brutal psychological horror.

Gore - mild
Nudity - none
Overall - 7/10

Sandokan the Great (1963) 4/10

Sandokan the Great is an early Umberto Lenzi film about a Malaysian folk hero, Sandokan that fought the British.

I rented this thinking it might be gory or maybe just bizarre but really, its just boring. Nothing really happens. Tigers and elephants attack our hero but its obviously stock footage edited together with what was shot for the film. The picture was not restored and looks like it was made from a print that was left out in the sun and stepped on by said elephants. Maybe if the picture and color was restored it would be a little more bearable but ultimately this is just another low budget Italian adventure flick with no adventure.

Gore - none

Overall - 4/10

Friday The 13th Part V (1985) 5/10

So being a horror buff I've decided to go back and watch all of the Friday the 13th films starting with the original. I finally made it up to part 5 and I wasn't looking forward to it.

Yeah this one's a stinker. All the killing is off camera for the most part and Jason isn't even really Jason. Weak. This is the first in the series to really let me down. We all come to watch the Friday movies for the same reasons, gore and nudity and more gore. This one was certainly lacking in gore and even more then that it had no unique kills. No crazy weapons, no ridiculous situations, just plain old stabbings. Snooozer.

Nudity - some

Gore- mild

Overall 5/10

Prison (1988)

Before I start, I have to point out that any movie set in a prison is halfway towards winning me over. Any movie set in a carnival or a prison has to be pretty bad for me not to enjoy it. Luckily, Prison is a decent enough movie, even if there's a reason you've probably never heard of it.

The plot centers around the ghost of an inmate put to death in a now abandoned prison. The prison is re-opened, and the ghost is freed when an inmate played by Viggo Mortensen and another guy are ordered to bust through the sealed off room to the electric chair. From there it starts to feel like an A Nightmare On Elm Street clone without Freddy, and the pissed off ghost starts killing people. No big surprise that director Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Die Hard 2) went on to direct a NOES sequel the same year.

The deaths are nice and gory and I love the prison setting, but otherwise it's pretty standard fare. You know everything about the movie in the first ten minutes, so it ends up being way too conventional to be remembered as anything special. You've probably seen it all before, but seeing more of it isn't always that bad.

Review By Marshall

Daywatch (2006) 7/10

Daywatch is the sequel to the popular Nightwatch. Both films were produced in Russia and showcase the ability of Russia to produce a high quality special effects epic.

Personally I loved Nightwatch. The film had such a unique plot line as well as a great sense of humor and aesthetic. The whole film was engaging and I was really excited to see the continuation of the story. Notice how I said was?

The problem here is that the films are based on a trilogy of books that were hugely popular in Russia. The first film was the first book and worked marvelously well. The second film however, is the last two books in the series. What we get is a lot of plot devices mashed together with no thought as to why things are happening, they just are. It's hard to understand the motivations of the characters as i felt like i was missing vital information to understand the real scope of things. Its almost as if the film is in a race with itself, a race that it loses. Instead of trimming some of the unnecessary items from the last two books it seems like we get every major event that happens with none of the information in between to explain the events themselves. The action sequences are even more epic then in the first film but without any information backing them up they just look like show pieces for the film makers to say, "Hey! Look what we can do!" instead of using them to tell the story.

To put it simply, the film is hard to follow. I've watched Nightwatch at least 4 times since it came out so feel i have a pretty good handle on the story. There is no chance in hell that anyone who hasn't seen Nightwatch would understand Daywatch.

So, why did I give it a 7? Well the ending actually makes up for the confusion. I won't give it away but i felt that it was very satisfying and brought the film out of the 5 or a 6 realm and into a 7. For anyone that saw Nightwatch and loved it you don't need a review to tell you to watch the film, you will anyway, and for anyone that hasn't seen Nightwatch, don't bother with Daywatch until you have.

Overall - 7/10

Deadly Friend (1986) 6/10

Deadly Friend, like The Hand, is another film released from the Warner Bros. vault, and just like The Hand, its understandable why it was buried in the first place.

Deadly Hand is directed by Wes Craven and was released after Nightmare, and in between the Hills Have Eyes 2 and The Serpent and the Rainbow. The film is about a teenager who has built his own thinking robot named BB, voiced by Charles Fleischer who was also in A Nightmare On Elm Street and did the voice for Roger Rabbit. In this film however he sounds like a retarded gremlin. Seriously, BB sounds like a kid with down syndrome or something. Totally irritating but funny at the same time. Anyway BB dies and so does his new girl friend so he decides to put BB's computer brain in her head ala Dr. Frankenstein. The only problem is that she starts killing everyone that has done her wrong.

This film is seeped in 80s cheese. From the music to the sentiments of the characters. The film would have actually worked better as a teen thriller flick but instead has a few graphic gore scenes sending it into the R rating. The overall feel of the film seems confused. As if Wes wanted to make it scary but the producers wanted to make it fun. What comes out is a mishmash of ideas and feelings.

On the plus side an old lady played by the Goonies' Anne Ramsey gets her head exploded by a basketball thrown by the killer. Deadly Friend gets a 6/10 for that scene alone. Hilarious.

Gore - mild to medium
Nudity - none
Overall - 6/10