14th Apr2013

‘I Didn’t Come Here To Die’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Indiana Adams, Kurt Cole, Madi Goff, Travis Scott Newman, Niko Red Star, Emmy Robbin, Jeremy Vandermause | Written and Directed by Bradley Scott Sullivan

didnt-come-to-doe

Written and directed by Bradley Scott Sullivan in his directorial debut and starring a cast of hot, fresh young talent including Indiana Adams (Friday Night Lights), Kurt Cole (Up & Down) Madi Goff (A Thousand Cuts) and Travis Scott Newman (Live Fast Die Young), I Didn’t Come Here To Die sees six young volunteers set up camp in the middle of nowhere to work on a project for kids. A little too much booze and one horrific, stomach-churning accident spark a series of outrageous events. Alone in the woods guilt and paranoia begin to take hold and the bodies start to pile up…

OK. The grindhouse thing is fun. We get it. And I for one enjoy seeing rough and ready, grimey horror that is trying to recapture the era of crappy cinema prints and poor VHS copies – at least when its done well. Using scratchy and bleached effects on shot on DV films can work. Sometimes. But when the effect is taken to the extreme and you film looks like you’ve shot it through one too many Instagram filters I think you might have gone a little too far. I Didn’t Come Here To Die almost, and I mean almost, hits the “gone too far” mark, especially in its opening scenes but the film is saved by the fact the grainy yellow filter applied to the film gives the gore scenes a particularly gruesome look (and hides some of the low-budget quality of the SFX).

Seemingly inspired by Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, which took the slasher genre tropes and turned them on their head in a superb mix of comedy and horror, I Didn’t Come Here To Die features a similar “accidental death” plot, minus the comedy hillbillies of course! If you like you films short and sweet, I Didn’t Come Here To Die fits the bill nicely, clocking in at just over an hour (with credits) and writer/director Bradley Scott Sullivan doesn’t waste any time on extraneous plot, keeping the film lean and to the point.

If you can get past the slow pace early on and don’t mind the odd bit of wooden acting, there’s a lot to enjoy about I Didn’t Come Here To Die and it definitely marks Sullivan as one to watch.

I Didn’t Come Here To Die is released on DVD on 15th April 2013, courtesy of Second Sight.

*** 3/5

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13th Apr2013

‘Scary Movie 5′ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Simon Rex, Ashley Tisdale, Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, Jerry O’Connell, Erica Ash, Katt Williams, Gracie Whitton, Lidia Porto, Katrina Bowden, Snoop Dogg, Tyler Posey, Molly Shannon, Terry Crews | Written by Pat Proft, David Zucker | Directed by Malcolm D. Lee

scary-movie-5

The Scary Movie series returns to cinemas after a seven-year hiatus with Scary Movie 5,  the fifth installment of the outrageous comedy horror franchise,  which sees happily-married couple Dan (Simon Rex) and Jody (Ashley Tinsdale) notice strange goings on when they return home with their newborn baby. They soon deduce that they’re being terrorized by an evil force and decide to use the latest home surveillance equipment to try and snare it for once and for all, with a little help from a panel of experts.

It doesn’t bode well for entry new franchise entry when none of the original cast members, not even the bit-parters, return for the sequel. However not all is lost as, replacing the Wayan Bros., David Zucker joins the team behind the scenes, penning the film with writer Pat Proft. Thankfully for “funny” fans, the duo have one hell of a comedy CV between them, having written some of the 80s most iconic comedies, including Airplane!, Naked Gun, Police Academy, Bachelor Party and Hot Shots! The pair bring a wealth of comedy writing experience to a series that, some thirteen years after first tickling the funnybone of audiences across the globe, really needs an injection of belly laughs…

Scary Movie 5 also fell foul of reshoots. The film was reportedly going to be a spoof of both the Paranormal Activity franchise and Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (hence the heavy dose of lesbianism running through the film), but after the success of Mama and the Evil Dead remake and undoubtedly the release of the Wayans Bros. own PA franchise spoof Haunted House, David Zucker and co. decided to reshoot a number of scenes to bring the film up to date with spoofs of the more recent horror successes.

That’s not to say the film isn’t still heavily influenced by the found-footage genre. It is, and that’s sadly to it’s detriment. What also hurts the film is the lack of a familiar central character. Anna Faris was the Scary Movie franchise to many (myself included) and without her this latest installment feels like nothing more than a series of loosely connected sketches – a theme which it shares in common with some of Zucker’s previous productions: The Onion Movie, Superhero Movie and Big Fat Important Movie.

Let’s face facts, nothing I say about Scary Movie 5 will influence you to see the film or not. If you’re a fan of the previous films (which I am to an extent) you’ll go see this one. If you enjoy the films of David Zucker, you’ll probably enjoy this one too. It’s stupid, moronic and just plain daft. If that’s what you’re looking for in a comedy then go see it. If not, avoid.

Scary Movie 5 is in UK cinemas now.

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12th Apr2013

‘Jack Reacher’ Review

by Ian Loring

Stars: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Werner Herzog, Jai Courtney, Robert Duvall | Written and Directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Jack-Reacher-Tom

For all the negative press Tom Cruise seems to have attracted over the years, it’s a testament to the man’s work rate and sense in career choices that he’s still one of the world’s biggest stars, and with Oblivion and All You Need Is Kill already shot, he’s about to unleash his latest as he takes on the role of a towering, blonde and hard as all hell ex-military policeman and makes it entirely his own in Jack Reacher, an adaptation of Lee Child’s bookOne Shot.

For all the buzz around the film which has largely centered on just how different Cruise is physically from the character in the book, it’s a testament to the filmmakers that he still fits the role entirely. Jack Reacher is a man who knows how to charm the ladies by doing virtually nothing, can pound heads with incredible ease and almost always manages to see two steps ahead of everyone else in the room. This is essentially a role Cruise can do in his sleep and yet he is different here, while not entirely convincing as a drifter, a step too far for a man frankly as good looking and well-kept as he is, he has an acidic, surly edge here which gives a little more spice than we are used to. He’s unafraid to offend and while not quite being sociopathic, he hurts a lot of people and doesn’t care all that much. It’s slightly left of centre and while for some actors that wouldn’t be enough, for Cruise is actually quite refreshing.

Also impressing is screenwriter/director Christopher McQuarrie’s take on the material, a rather old school feeling venture which recalls Dirty Harry openly in its distressing opening sequence and at various times throughout (this being a case where the 12A rating is in my mind incorrect and will cause many younger audience members discomfort), and with action which while nicely pulse pounding, never strays into a CG explosions filled epic which some filmmakers undoubtedly would have chosen. No, instead we have a restrained, rather quiet film which lets the actions do the talking with Joe Kraemer’s score only filling in beats when necessary and barely being used over action at all. It’s all very refreshing and feels made for a more adult audience, something increasingly sparse in today’s blockbuster landscape.

McQuarrie also makes solid choices in the rest of the casting. The Cruise/Reacher differences aside, most of the advance talk has been on the idiosyncratic casting of Werner Herzog as the villain and indeed, he’s a wonderfully bizarre presence lending an awful lot of menace to a character who is never a physical match for Reacher and instead remains a puppet master, having less screen-time than you may expect but ruling the roost when he does. Rosamund Pike is capable support in the female lead, exhibiting fun lusty chemistry with Cruise though her character goes down some disappointingly damsel in distress avenues. David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins and Robert Duvall add some character to some rather more background roles also though special mention must go to Jai “John McClane’s son” Courtney who is supremely threatening in what is in terms of screen appearances the lead bad guy role.

While Jack Reacher is a bit of a delight for the most part, there are things which drag it down however. While McQuarrie keeps things defiantly low-key for much of the proceedings, there are some bizarre shifts in tone at times, lurching into moments of comedy which do work as a release valve for the audience but feels like it’s all from a different film, one fight scene in particular basically turning into a deleted scene from The Three Stooges, these moments feeling a tad studio-encouraged in an attempt to garner a lower classification, which has unadvisedly worked. It’s also fair to say that there are few surprises here, the various twists and turns of the plot being pretty well telegraphed and offering little in terms of originality, though that’s likely to be expected in all.

Jack Reacher is a promising start to a potential franchise which sees Tom Cruise’s action persona stretching his legs and coming up with something which feels of its day but with a respectful look to the past thrillers of years gone by. A pacey and exciting watch, it’s an easy recommend.

Jack Reacher is released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 22nd.

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11th Apr2013

‘Bloodstone: Subspecies 2′ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

BLOODSTONE: SUBSPECIES 2
Stars: Anders Hove, Denice Duff, Kevin Spirtas, Melanie Shatner, Michael Denish, Pamela Gordon, Ion Haiduc | Written and Directed by Ted Nicolaou

Radu

The centuries-old conflict that has plagued the villages of Transylvania explodes into bloodshed. The mad vampire Radu (Hove) becomes obsessed with Michelle (Duff), who loves his half-mortal brother Stefan. In his quest to possess Michelle and the sacred relic, the Bloodstone, Radu destroys Stefan as he sleeps. Michelle steals the Bloodstone and escapes from Radu’s castle. She finds a lair beneath a theatre in Bucharest and stalks the streets in torment, torn between her fading humanity and her growing thirst for blood. Radu, desperate to regain the Bloodstone, seeks help from his monstrous mother, the ageless sorceress Mummy, who demands the he destroy Michelle before she destroys him…

Released two years after the original film this time round Anders Hove’s experience as the character see the actor turn in a superb scene-stealing OTT performance as he hunts down Denise Duff’s Michelle who, replacing Laura Tate, gives the character much more layers and depth as Michelle fights her vampirific urges and desires. The cast is rounded out by the fantastic Melanie Shatner as Rebecca; Michael Denish as Professor Nicolai Popescu, an eccentric professor and Ion Haiduc as a seemingly comical cop – both of whom provide some much-needed comic relief in this much-more serious take on vampire lore. Once again the location plays a big part in this story and the Bucharest streets provide all the creepy atmosphere a vampire movie could possibly want.

Whereas the original movie felt like a low-budget, yet refreshing, take on the vampire mythos, Subspecies 2 feels like a completely fresh start for the series. With a director more in control of his story and actors more comfortable in their roles (and some replaced by better actors to be honest) this sequel takes everything that was good about the first film and turns it up to eleven. Which means that Subspecies 2 joins the small pantheon of sequels that surpass the original film.

The 88 Films Blu-ray of Subspecies 2 is superb, the picture quality is excellent and the lossless 5.1 DTS sound is the best the film has EVER sounded. Plus, for the purists, the disc features the original stereo mix too. Special features include a commentary track, featurette and a montage of the series’ best moments; and if you’re not a fan of the new artwork, this Blu-ray release comes complete with a reversible cover!

Bloodstone: Subspecies 2 is out now on DVD and Blu-ray from 88 Films.

 ***** 5/5

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11th Apr2013

‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ Review

by Dan Clark

Stars: Steve Carell, Luke Vanek, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, Olivia Wilde, James Gandolfini, Alan Arkin, Jay Mohr, Michael Herbig, Mason Cook | Written by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley | Directed by Don Scardino

Wonderstone

Of all the genres the hardest one by far to critique is comedy. With genres like drama, action, and suspense there is a stable of universality to them where we can recognize certain distinct qualities that make them great. When it comes to comedy the bottom line is typically—is it funny—which is where the subjectivity lays.  What one person finds funny someone else may find mind-numbingly offensive. Just think there was an actual time and place when people thought Pauly Shore was a legit comedian. On the other hand there are certain uniform factors comedies need to be successful. When looking at a film like The Incredible Burt Wonderstone it is not hard to determine it fails on a multitude of levels. Having pedestrian characters, uninspired jokes, and an inability to take advantage of one impressively well-rounded cast makes The Incredible Burt Wonderstone one miss fire of a magic trick.

Personally this film has a recipe that really wets my appetite.  Combining actors like Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, and Alan Arkin makes me primed for laughter. My anticipation quickly transformed into dissatisfaction as my search for laughter yielded very little results. In the film Steve Carell plays Burt Wonderstone a Las Vegas magician who has ruled the world of magic for years. With the aid of his partner Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi) he has grown to become quite an icon. Things begin to falter when street magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey) begins to change the way people view magic. Wonderstone, who has a narcissistic ideology that knows no bounds, refuses to see Gray as any sort of threat. Gray’s fame and notoriety begin to grow causing Wonderstone to become less and less relevant. Wonderstone’s stubbornness leads him to lose his job and the very few friendships he has. With no place to go he is forced to reconsider the man he has become and reconnect with the magician he once dreamt of being.

Looking at the concept of the film it is hard not to wonder if it was made ten years too late. Developing a narrative based on the rivalry of street and show magicians would be like doing a movie based on the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray for home media supremacy. That battle has long been decided. Here it causes the film to cover material that has already been well explored. Perhaps if it provided a more ‘inside baseball’ look into this world we could have received a different insight into this dilemma. Instead it approaches the topic only at its most basic service level. Minus a depressing magician’s bar and a few cameos from famous magicians it never takes advantage of its setting. Our peek behind the curtain was very brief and full of disappointment. These characters were meant to be gigantic worldwide sensations. Limiting the scope to such a minute level made them appear like hotel lounge acts.

Part of the reason can be contributed to our main protagonist.  Wonderstone as a character commits two of the biggest sins. First he is a self-absorbed shrill of a person, but more importantly he is not very interesting. Some may look at having an unlikeable hero as an impossible hurdle to get across, but films are full of disparaging people we can still route for. Bill Murray in Groundhog Day for example is not the most ideal citizen. However he is at least charismatic in his deplorable behavior. Steve Carell has placed less than stellar characters, like Michael Scott in the TV series The Office, but The Incredible Burt Wonderstone imbibes any form of likeability from Carell and replaces it with a barren  wasteland of a personality. They attempt to make him into a womanizer but it never really works. Shinny spandex and a  sharp haircut still can’t make him into a sensational sex-symbol. To be fair Carell wasn’t entirely void of laughter. When Wonderstone is at his lowest he is forced to leave the lavish lifestyle he once knew, and gets placed back into the real world for the first time in decades. The fish-out-of-water aspects where some of the few glimpses of the Carell we know and love. Watching his pathetical endeavor to keep his magic show going long after his partner leaves is one particularly strong facet.

Also the interplay between Carell and Carrey had its moments. While it wasn’t nearly as strong as it could have been, parts like their magic showoff at a kids birthday party provided some intrigue. Carrey also makes sure to bring his A-Game as this amalgamation of David Blane and Chris Angle. Carrey isn’t necessarily doing anything he hasn’t done before, but this return to form is one of the best things he has done in awhile. Though he is not in the film for very long, he at least does a lot with his limited screen time. Part of the reason he is not on screen much is the endless amount of undeveloped subplots. This quagmire of storytelling became murkier when it tried to shoehorn in a love story between Wonderstone and his assistant played by Olivia Munn.  The dilapidated structure the story was built upon implodes within itself. Their relationship made little sense to either of their arcs. Not helping matters was their utter lack of chemistry.  Of course it struggled to tie everything into a nice little bow, yet even bringing the reinforcements of Alan Arkin did not aid matters much. Sure Arkin brought his famous satirical personality; nonetheless he was just another example of a misused asset.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone commits the biggest sin a comedy can make. It simply is not funny. Considering the talent involved this should be destined to be a surefire hit. As we know great casts don’t guarantee success. This may go down as Exhibit-A of that fact.  Mediocre characters and a pedestrian script cause some of the funniest people in show business today to look like complete rubes. Those who search long and hard enough may find a chuckle or two, however most fans will become disillusioned by its incapability to formulate any type of sustainable laughter. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone has quickly become one of the biggest misfires of the year thus far.

*½  1.5/5

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11th Apr2013

‘Grindhouse 8: Mandroid’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Brian Cousins, Jane Caldwell, Michael Della Femina, Robert Symonds, Curt Lowens, Patrik Ersgård, Mircea Albulescu | Written by Earl Kenton, Jackson Barr | Directed by Jack Ersgard

Mandroid-screen

Originally planned as an Empire Pictures film back in 1986, Mandroid was lensed in 1993 as the first in a two-part series (the second being Invisible: The Chronicles of Benjamin Knight) by Swedish director Jack Ersgard based on a script by long-term Full Moon collaborators Jackson Barr, who also wrote Subspecies, Trancers II and Seedpeople amongst many others, and Earl Kenton, who would go on to pen the sequel and a number of movies for Charles Band’s erotica imprint Surrender Cinema.

The film tells the story of the titular Mandroid, a humanoid robot invented by Russian scientist Dr. Karl Zimmer and his partner Drago, which follows the motions of a man in a special control suit. Planning to sell his invention, and the superconn crystal which powers it, to the US, Zimmer has a falling out with Drago who wants to militarise the robot and profit on its abilities. Attempting to steal Mandroid, Drago is intercepted by Zimmer and the two CIA operatives sent to inspect the robot and he, and Zimmer’s assistant Benjamin, become exposed to the highly toxic superconn, disfiguring Drago and changing Ben…

One of a handful of Full Moon film that I hadn’t seen before (although I have seen the sequel Invisible), sitting down to watch this DVD from 88 Films was literally a first time experience for me. And what an experience. Part Terminator, part Robocop, but all Full Moon, Mandroid is a genre bending take on classic sci-fi B-movies, featuring the same tropes as sci-fi films of the 50s: mad scientists, crazy inventions and cheesy dialogue. Shot on a low-budget, when low budgets could still produce great shot-on-film flicks, the movie has – like many of its stable mates of the era – that distinctive Full Moon charm that belies any problems with scripting or story, making Mandroid a fun experience that had me gagging to see the sequel again.

Despite being one of the most-family friendly Full Moon flicks (outside of Charles Band’s family-orientated label Moonbeam Entertainment) there’s a real feel of the Puppet Master franchise to Mandroid. Maybe it’s the disfigured villain who’s very reminiscent of Steve Welles portrayal of Andre Toulon/Eriquee Chaneé in Puppet Master II or perhaps its the fact that the Mandroid is much like a giant version of Toulon’s popular puppets? Whatever it is, the similar tone really helps sell the film and even though the movie is very different story-wise to their horror efforts, it really fits into the “classic” Full Moon feature mould.

Mandroid is out now on DVD from 88 Films.

**** 4/5

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10th Apr2013

‘Grindhouse 7: Beach Babes From Beyond’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Joe Estevez, Don Swayze, Joey Travolta, Burt Ward, Jackie Stallone, Linnea Quigley, Sarah Bellomo, Tamara Landry, Nicole Posey, Michael Todd Davis, Ken Steadman, Michael Roddy, Albert Andrukaitis | Written by Alexander Sachs | Directed by Ellen Cabot

BBFB-dance

Directed by Ellen Cabot (aka David DeCoteau), Beach Babes From Beyond is technically not a Full Moon film, as it is in fact one of the earliest releases from Charles Band’s 1993 created Torchlight label which specialised in genre-tinged softcore porn comedies. The imprint only ever produced three films between 1993 and 1998, including this film, its direct sequel, and a softcore vampire flick entitled Blonde Heaven, all of which were directed by David DeCoteau under his “Ellen Cabot” pseudonym.

Ridiculous blend of 60s beach party flick and direct to video porn (which is more evident in the deleted scenes), Beach Babes From Beyond suffers from a complete lack of plot and inordinately long musical numbers features extras dancing, badly may I add, on the beach, all interspersed with numerous softcore porn scenes featuring various members of the cast swapping partners and getting their freak on with each other – in the deleted scenes, should you have the will to watch them after sitting through the film, these sequences drag on to the point of mundanity and ridicule…

One of a number of “bikini beach” movies made in the early 90s, Beach Babes From Beyond is probably best known for starring porn star Roxanne Blaze (under the name Sarah Bellomo) and for the amount of celebrity relatives in the cast: Sly Stallone’s mum, Martin Sheen’s brother, Patrick Swayze’s brother, John Travolta’s brother and bizarrely, former Robin to Adam West’s Batman, Burt Ward.

The picture quality of this DVD release jumps from soft-focus third-generation VHS to just plain VHS quality that looks like it has been overly DNR’d – although given Full Moon’s lack of effort in the companies latter releases this is no doubt down to the print available rather than any attempt at cleaning up the film.

Beach Babes From Beyond is out now from 88 Films.

* 1/5

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10th Apr2013

‘The Marine 3′ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin, Neal McDonough, Ashley Bell, Jared Keeso, Jeffrey Ballard, Ben Cotton, Steve Bacic, Sean Tyson, Darcy Laurie, Nicola Anderson | Written by Scott Wiper, Declan O’Brien | Directed by Scott Wiper

marine3-miz

WWE Studios return to one of their most popular franchises with The Marine 3: Homefront, which this time features WWE superstar, and former The Real World participant, Mike ‘The Miz’ Mizanin who plays the titular marine, Sgt. Jake Carter, who returns home on two weeks leave just in time for his sister to be abducted by a band of violent extremists. Opting to launch a one-man assault on their base of operations, Carter discovers that their plans are far darker than just straightforward abduction and soon he is racing to stop a deadly terrorist attack. With no time to pause, Carter steps into the breach to save the lives of thousands of innocent people…

The WWE has been home to a number of action movie stars over the years: Hulk Hogan, The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to name a few. More recently the wrestling stable has made the move into filmmaking themselves, at first co-producing some of The Rock’s early flicks, before forming WWE Studios and producing their own movies, starting with the original The Marine (although the Kane starring See No Evil was eventually released first). Starring John Cena and Kelly Carlson, The Marine did well enough on in US cinemas and on DVD (the film is the highest grossing WWE film produced to date) to warrant a sequel, which followed in 2009. Starring Ted DiBiase Jr., son of the wrestler The Million Dollar Man, The Marine 2 did not fair as well, even for a straight to DVD release, so a third film in the series comes as somewhat of a surprise. What’s even more surprising is that the WWE handed the starring role to mid-carder The Miz after originally announced lead Randy Orton was dropped from the film due to his past with the USMC.

By the time you get to the third film, especially in a franchise as unconnected as this, you should know what to expect. Fights, guns, explosions and a ad-ass hero. And we get that. Sort of. I will say one thing for The Miz, he can certainly sell a fist fight – much moreso than Ted DiBiase Jr. did in the previous film and his “bad boy” in-ring persona translates well to the screen, giving his marine a bit more of an edge. Although, in all fairness, the fight scenes are few and far between (relying more on gunfights than fist fights) – the film spends more time with the villains, led by the always watchable Neal McDonough, as they plan their machinations. As for the ending, sadly the tension needed in a film like this was lacking and at no time, despite the cliched use of “outrun the bomb timer”, did I think The Miz, or any of the characters he cared about, were in the slightest bit of danger. Which left a lot of the final third of The Marine 3 feeling a bit of a damp squib.

Damp squib is maybe a little harsh. Maybe I expected more – especially given the names involved in the film. Directed by Scott Wiper, who returns to the directors chair for his second WWE Studios film (the first being the fantastic Stone Cold starrer, The Condemned). Wiper also penned the film with Declan O’Brien, who genre fans may know as the writer/director of the last three Wrong Turn movies. Then there’s Neal McDonough. Already familiar with working opposite wrestlers, having worked with The Rock on the first Walking Tall movie, McDonough is known for playing strong-willed villains – and what does The Marine 3 have him do? Spout a lot of rhetoric before essentially “giving up” on his master plan when cornered by the cops! If there’s ever a definition of an actor having the metaphorical wind taken out of his sails thanks to a middling script, then this is it.

No a bad movie by any means but just not a great example of the genre, The Marine 3: Homefront is released on Blu-ray and DVD on April 15th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

*** 3/5

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10th Apr2013

‘Bait’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Xavier Samuel, Sharni Vinson, Julian McMahon, Phoebe Tonkin, Alex Russell, Dan Wyllie, Lincoln Lewis, Cariba Heine | Written by John Kim, Russell Mulcahy | Directed by Kimble Rendall

bait-3d

In a sleepy Australian beach community shoppers at the underground Oceania supermarket are under attack by a crazed bandit. Suddenly, the unimaginable happens. A monster freak tsunami swallows up the town hook, line and sinker. Now trapped, with rushing waves threatening to entomb them in a watery grave, the survivors discover they are not alone. For the tsunami has brought unwanted visitors up from the depths. Not only must they overcome the threat of drowning and the psycho robber in their midst, but also a hazard far more deadly and bloodthirsty – a pack of hungry sharks.

Jaws has a lot to answer for. Today it seems shark movies are a dime a dozen, from big budget Hollywood films like Deep Blue Sea and Open Water, to low-budget, straight to DVD fare such as Blood Surf, Megalodon and Sharktopous. And the Syfy channel seem to commission new shark flicks every other week! However it’s not just Hollywood that has a fascination with the demons of the deep, Australia has recently discovered it’s love for all things shark, with Andrew Traucki’s 2010 effort The Reef, which brought true-to-life terror back to the ocean, and now Bait (or Bait 3D to give the film its full title), which goes the exploitation route but on a bigger and better scale than say, The Asylum’s recent shark flicks.

Director Kimble Rendall first came to my attention for his Y2k slasher movie Cut, which starred former brat-packer Molly Ringwald and Aussie singer Kylie Minogue in a post-Scream horror that, like many of the time, played with the conventions of the genre in an “ironic” way. Since then Rendall has cut (pardon the pun) his teeth as a second unit director on a number of big-budget Hollywood action flicks including the two Matrix sequels, Ghost Rider, I Robot and the recent Jason Stathma flick Killer Elite. Bait marks his return to the directors chair (at least in filmic terms – he did direct episodes of the Aussie comedy Jesters) and what a return. Showing just how to shoot a “nature gone wild” flick, Rendall has a fantastic eye for the eerie – from the moment we see a huge flock of birds fleeing… something, to the fantastic tidal wave and the devastation it causes and the frankly creepy underwater scenes with dead bodies floating past the camera as the action plays out in the background.

Of course being a modern shark movie there’s a reliance on CG for the sharks, but thankfully Rendall’s use of CGI in this case works perfectly to both enhance the physical prowess of the sharks in the movie and convey the 3D aspect of the film and even in 2D the forced perspective shots of the sharks jumping out of the water and into the camera look awesome. I have no doubt that there will be plenty of people who decry the over-use of CG in a film like this, but me? I didn’t mind the over abundance of computer-generated sea creatures in the film (which is a first for me to be honest) as it was all done so bloody well and blended in perfectly with the exploitation aspect of the film. After all, what’s a giant killer shark movie without a scary-looking giant killer shark?

A slice of cinematic cheese – the good kind I may add - Bait is not a film to be taken seriously, which is probably why a number of my fellow critics just didn’t “get” the film. Hey it’s not high-art, and it’s certainly not Jaws, but the film is a fantastic man vs. nature flick that throws in some Dawn of the Dead-esque tropes in it’s tale of shoppers stuck in a water-logged basement supermarket with two 12 foot great whites!

Bait is released on DVD and 3D Blu-ray on April 29th.

**** 4/5

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09th Apr2013

‘Nature Calls’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Johnny Knoxville, Maura Tierney, Patton Oswalt, Rob Riggle, Patrice O’Neal, Darrell Hammond | Written and Directed by Todd Rohal

Nature-Calls-Patton

Todd Rohal follows up his bizarre offbeat comedy The Catechism Cataclysm with another offbeat comedy in Nature Calls, which features an all-star cast including Johnny Knoxville, Maura Tierney and Patton Oswalt and tells the story of polar-opposite brothers Randy and Kirk who’ve never seen eye to eye. Randy is the assistant leader of his elderly father’s Boy Scout troop whilst Kirk loves his modern conveniences and his dozen TVs.

When Kirk (Knoxville) decides to have some of the boy scouts over for a slumber party ruining a pre-planned boyscout outing in a parking lot, Randy “kidnaps” the boys from Kirk’s to take them on camping trip to a restricted area in a local state park. Understandably, the kids parents don’t take so kindly to the news that their kids have gone missing.

Seemingly a throwback to 80s comedies such as The Great Outdoors and The Wrong Guys, Nature Calls plays out like those films meet Judd Apatow/David Gordon Green grossout comedy – complete with vulgar humour, from both the adult and child cast; some very near-the-knuckle, and often juvenile, jokes; and a bizarre mean streak that sees and old man blown to pieces and young boys chase naked woman around a forest shouting about breasts. You’d think that with some fantastic comedy actors, including Patton Oswalt, Rob Riggle and Johnny Knoxville, Nature Calls would at least provide laugh-a-minute comedy, however despite all those positives the film suffers from that most deadly of comedy movie diseases…

It’s just plain dull.

Perhaps its because we’ve seen it all before, or perhaps its because the film is too mean-spirited to be funny, but Nature Calls misses way more than it hits. And despite being influenced by the likes of Judd Apatow and David Gordon Green, the film doesn’t feature the same likeable characters that are present in the likes of Pineapple Express or The 41 Year Old Virgin, not even in it’s foul-mouthed child cast.

Nature Calls is available on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD in the US now. No news on a UK release as yet.

** 2/5

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09th Apr2013

‘Grindhouse 6: Seedpeople’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Sam Hennings, Andrea Roth, Dane Witherspoon, Bernard Kates, Holly Fields, John Mooney, Anne Betancourt | Written by Charles Band, Jackson Barr | Directed by Peter Manoogian

seedpeople-roth

Released during the high point in Full Moon’s relationship with Paramount Pictures, Seedpeople was heavily advertised on its original UK release back in 1992, with ads appearing in many of the horror magazines of the period – including full page ads on the back and inside cover of The Dark Side (which ran for months on end I recall). The film itself wasn’t as successful as the other notable franchises in the Full Moon stable, with many reviews at the time noting that the film was a rip-off of Invasion of the Body Snatchers and essentially that’s what the movie is: a tongue-in-cheek alien invasion flick that echoes the feel of low-budget sci-fi flicks of the 1950s.

Directed by Peter Manoogian – who worked on a number of films for Charles Band at both Empire Pictures and Full Moon Entertainment and who helmed some of the cheesiest action flicks of the 80s: Arena, Eliminators and Enemy Territory to name a few – Seedpeople is set in the sleepy town of Comet Valley, a hot spot for meteorite activity (hence the name), which is invaded by plants from outer space intent on taking over the earth by pollinating the people and replacing them with shape-shifting seed people. Only the towns resident loon, Doc Roller (Kates) and scientist Tom Baines (Hennings) know the truth and only they can stop the invasion.

Seedpeople is, like the previously reviewed Dr. Alien, yet another Full Moon flick that I know of but have not seen – at least not in its entirety. I distinctly remember dozing in and out of sleep whilst watching the film on cable TV whilst on holiday in Los Angeles in the mid-90s. I have fond memories of the film from then so catching up with it now, almost twenty years later, I cannot help but be charmed by the films inherent “quaintness.” Yes, the Invasion of the Body Snatchers influences are clearly here, right down to the downbeat ending and the rolling seed people effect is a total knock-off of Critters, but that doesn’t stop Seedpeople from still being a hell of a lot of (cheesy) fun. As I keep saying with most of 88 Films releases, they just don’t make them like this anymore…

Yet again this another well-cast Full Moon film. I been a fan of Sam Hennings for years and he gives another great performance as Tom Baines, making for a superb lead, carrying the film on his shoulders for most of its run time. Hennings is ably supported by Andrea Roth, who would find fame only a couple of years later in the Robocop TV series and 80s stalwart Holly Fields who was, at the time, a familiar face on TV, guest staring in many popular shows, including MacGyver, Quantum Leap, ALF and The Munsters Today. Rounding out the core cast, as the crazy Doc Roller, is Bernard Kates, who was a regular on American TV in the 50s and 60s and who was on the comeback trail in the 90s, mostly famously playing Dr. Sigmund Freud on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation ( a year after he shot this film in fact). Everyone takes their roles seriously in Seedpeople, even though the film itself is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, which is one of the key differences between DTV films then and now – these days if the film is going to be cheesy then the cast act cheesy. Back in the heyday of shot-on-film DTV movies this was not the case. Which is why I still have a soft spot for many films of this era, Seedpeople included.

More suited, I think, to 88 Films non-Grindhouse strand, Seedpeople will undeservedly be skipped over by many. But if you like B-movie sci-fi then you should really track this Grindhouse Collection release down. Sadly there’s no bonus film included in the special features (although the disc still contains the trailer, Full Moon Trailer Park and an episode of Videozone), however the picture quality on this DVD is much better than the first five films in the series, which will be welcome news to Full Moon fans.

Seedpeople is out now on DVD from 88 Films.

***** 5/5

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09th Apr2013

‘Spring Breakers’ Review

by Ian Loring

Stars: Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, James Franco, Rachel Korine, Gucci Mane, Heather Morris | Written and Directed by Harmony Korine

Spring-Breakers-Stars

Harmony Korine’s latest effort Spring Breakers is a film which should somewhat put him on the map of the wider film-watching consciousness  Rather than being an effort which seeks to titillate or excite, something the marketing bods behind it are selling it as for obvious reasons, it’s a film which fits into Korine’s particular style of storytelling through montage and sound design while also boasting an incendiary performance from James Franco, a man who can star in a Disney film in one month and what is virtually an anti-Disney film in the next.

This is a mood inherent to the film right from the start, music begins pounding and we are treated to repeated images of Spring Breakers partying and doing the things they do, reminding one more of Piranha 3D than anything “arthouse” to start with but we are quickly made aware that this will be something quite different. the day glo aesthetic gets more and more sinister, audio drops repeat themselves, lines of dialogue almost audibly morphing into the music and harsh cuts away from the montages on show, complete with the sound of a gun loading its chamber or the image of a girl peeing in the street tell us that things are not going to be fun and frivilous for long.

Indeed, without even the aura of Franco’s character in the film, three of the girls commit a very serious crime, all of them refer to each other in fairly derogatory terms and while not all of the group go down the dark path fully, you can’t ever say they are all purely “innocent” which is an interesting choice for sure but one that shows that Korine knows we don’t want the usual fall from grace arc as expected, indeed as the film goes on it’s made clearer that the girls aren’t even the focus, and this is where James Franco comes in.

Apparently based on a real-life rapper/man of dubious means, Franco’s Alien is a force of nature, a man running entirely on the hubris of someone with a lot of money and a lot of guns, one who is an awful lot of talk, and maybe not a lot of trousers though thanks to Franco’s spellbinding way, the latter doesn’t rear its head all that much. No, instead the sense is given that Korine just let Franco play, do his own thing and have those around him respond to it. Two standout scenes spring to mind, oft-talked about elsewhere (though they are SPECTACULAR), but even the little things bear this out, Alien’s looking at Selena Gomez’s face, and hilarious shaking his head like a peacock showing its feathers being an example which strikes only a few minutes after his first appearance.

That Franco is so good does somewhat dampen the effect the girls have but then, they aren’t ever really developed past where they are at the start of the film. Some could, and have, argue that this is inherent in a film which is essentially empty but Korine has never been all that interested in characters actually developing, instead he is a “slice of life” filmmaker and while this has the bare bones of a plot, it is more about the party, the highs of such and then the comedown and Korine works this magnificently well.

Spring Breakers is one of the standout films of the year so far and likely will be come 2013′s end. A visceral but insanely entertaining piece of work, it’s one of Korine’s best and for a man whose made some wonderfully satisfying work, this is extremely heartening indeed.

Spring Breakers is in cinemas across the UK now.

***** 5/5

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09th Apr2013

‘Subspecies’ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

SUBSPECIES
Stars: Angus Scrimm, Anders Hove, Irina Movila, Laura Mae Tate, Michelle McBride, Ivan J. Rado | Written by Charles Band, Jackson Barr, David Pabian | Directed by Ted Nicolaou

Radu

After being banished from his home town, villainous vampire Radu Vladislas (Hove) returns and murders his father in order to claim a powerful bloodstone. Then, in an attempt to harm his good-hearted brother Stefan (Watson), he sets his sights on turning his sibling’s friends, Michelle (Tate), Mara (Movila) and Lillian (McBride), into vampires. Can Stefan stop Radu before it is too late?

The first in what turned out to be a five-part vampire saga, Subspecies was one of Full Moon Entertainment’s flagship franchises and like it’s Charles Band-produced brethren the film was a staple of video stores across the country. More interestingly, this movie was one of the first American productions to film in a post-Communism Romania, using the landscapes and historic castles to great effect (it doesn’t hurt that the country has a mythological folklore all its own), giving the film an authentic, traditional edge – a tradition which translates to Radu himself, who looks very much like the the original movie vampire, Nosferatu; and the superb Harryhausen-esque stop motion demons borne of the broken fingers of the vampirific leading man.

The authenticity  of the setting also is carried through the casting. The three female leads aren’t you’re typical “horror bimbo” types which proliferated many DTV films of this era. The trio of Irina Movila, Laura Mae Tate and Michelle McBride come across more as actual students than actresses playing them. Whether that’s great acting or just amateur actresses we’ll never know – lead actress Laura Mae Tate was replaced for the sequel by the more experienced Denise Duff, a decision which irked many a fan of this original film…

There have been a number of reviews of this Blu-ray release of Subspecies which mention the poor quality of the high definition transfer. Yes this doesn’t look as good as 88 Films Puppet Master discs, but personally I have no qualms with the PQ (considering the quality of some of the films in Full Moons archives this is top notch!) and I’m just glad we get to see the film make it to a HD format. Special features on the Blu-ray include a commentary track from Full Moon’s Charles Band; cast and crew interviews, featuring director Ted Nicolaou; the usual trailers and an archival episode of the Full Moon video magazine, Videozone.

With a charm not found in many modern DTV horror flicks, which belies the low-budget nature of the film, Subspecies is out now on DVD and Blu-ray from 88 Films.

**** 4/5

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08th Apr2013

‘Pitch Perfect’ Blu-ray Review

by Dan Clark

Stars: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Alexis Knapp, Ben Platt, Skylar Astin, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee | Written by Kay Cannon | Directed by Jason Moore

PitchPerfect2

Sometimes you run into one of those movies that knows what it is and embraces it with full force. Often that is the case for the turn your brain off action thrillers, but those types of films can also be found in other genres. Such is the case for the corky comedy Pitch Perfect.  Riding on the coattails of the cultural phenomenon that is Glee,Pitch Perfect tells the story of an all-girls collegiate acapella singing group that is attempting to beat the odds and win Nationals. It comes off as a recipe for disaster; another studio film attempting to jump on the current zeitgeist hoping it will garner an audience. While that may have been the reason for its creation the end product is a film that is fun, full of spunk, and never takes itself too seriously.

In the film Anna Kendrick plays Beca, an alternative college teen looking to make a career in music. She has no interest in college, but due to her over possessive father has no other choice. Her father, who is also a professor at the college, tells her she has to get a college education first before she can move to Los Angles to pursue her dream to be a music producer.  This college is a little different as acapella fever is at an all time high. Beca has no interest at first and is more caught up in mixing her own music together. However, while singing in the dorm shower a member of the Bellas, the college’s all girl acapella group, overhears and demands she enter tryouts. With all these forces pushing her to join she finally gives in, and before she knows it she begins to enjoy the lifestyle she previously cast off. When the Beca character was first introduced it was rather worrisome. Her character had generic anti-conformity written all over it. Luckily it toned down the ‘alternative’ side to make her feel like a real person just trying to find her place in this crazy world.

Opposing the Bellas in their quest to claim the National crown is their in-school rival the Treblemakers. Yes the punful names are just a small example of the humor that is all over this movie. The Treblemakers are lead by Bumper (I can only assume that’s his real name) the overly arrogant and vocal force behind their success. Adam DeVine plays Bumper and unquestionably goes all in with his performance. Much of the humor relies on irony and his character is the loudest example of that fact. His over puffed up attitude is only exemplified by his ignorance to his own awkwardness. He has a lot to be arrogant about as his Treblemakers are the hottest thing going in the world of Acapella. The Bellas on the other hand are on the opposite side of the spectrum coming off a catastrophe of a performance in last year’s Nationals. Hopefully with new members and a new look they can dethrone the Treblemakers to become champions.

I’m a fan of Anna Kendrick as an actress and think she has quite the career ahead for her. Most know her for her great performance in Up in the Air, and some may see this as a step back for her career.  That is an unfair assessment because she is a big part of what makes this movie work. For one she can act and it turns out she is quite the singer. There are not many vehicles that allow actresses to show off their multitude of talents so I don’t blame them for taking advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself. The cast in general is rather strong with people who are legitimate triple threats. Their singing talents are strong, their acting is on par, and they have some decent comedy chops. Easily the stand out performance is Rebel Wilsonn who plays the self titled Fat Amy. When watching her performance it’s hard not to recall Melissa McCarthy’s performance in Bridesmaids. Both are off the wall characters who are always there at the right time to make a funny comment. If you know anything about Rebel Wilson’s career you know it’s full of these types of roles. Her character is used wisely and never wore out its welcome. She would often break up the drama when things were getting too soapy and melodramatic.

The overall plot is rather predictable and obvious, but the film is the first to admit that issue. There were a number of meta moments when it would comment on movies and the common tropes we have come to expect. Still that exercise didn’t make up for how muddled the plot got at times. Unnecessary conflict and subplots were the major issues. Much of it felt like filler as it was attempting to buy time between musical performances. Anytime it tried to get serious it would falter under the weight it created with its comedy. Everything was so absurd it was impossible to take any type of drama seriously. The comedic moments however were typically strong with plenty of self deprecating humor that would call out its own corniness.  A lot of the comedy was also found in the array of off the wall characters. Almost every member of the Bellas has some strange feature that became a running joke. By the end all those running jokes did grow tiresome. There is only a certain amount of acapella puns one can take before that well runs dry. Also while it was open to poking fun at its own expense it would also be overtly clever as if to say, “Yes we are a joke, but don’t forget we are still great”. It’s like that guy who wants to gain geek cred by making random Star Wars references, but then will make fun of you for liking the movie. You never have a complete grasp of where its head is at.

A big question obviously is how was the music. Music is hard to judge as people have so many different taste, but overall it worked with the movie. Nothing blew me away or had me running to iTunes after the film was over, but I was never wishing for a song to end. Though I may need to go into some server music detox to get “I Saw the Sign” out of my head. The standout performance was when Anna Kendrick sang a solo just using a cup as her instrument. It was a welcome break to have such a simple and poignant moment with so much absurdity surrounding it. Personally acapella is a form of music I appreciate far more than I enjoy.  When done right it is rather impressive to hear the music people can create just using their mouths, but when done wrong its awkward for everyone involved. In Pitch Perfect it worked far more than it failed. Overall that is a sort of a mantra for the film. Pitch Perfect is an easy watch to that has plenty to enjoy. It doesn’t hit on every note, but its tuned enough to make your movie going experience pleasurable. This certainly won’t be a number one hit, but it’s good enough to make it on the charts.

Pitch Perfect is released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 15th.

**** 4/5

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