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B Movies, Cult Movies and Movies That You Might Not Have Heard Of!!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Castle Freak

We all have those relatives that we'd just rather lock in the cellar and forget.  In my family, that relative is me, so I totally understand.  Well, I've always wondered what it might be like if my family all got together and locked me in the cellar and just forgot about me, well, I found a movie that gives me a little insight.  It's a Stuart Gordon movie, starring Jeffrey Combs, it's Castle Freak and it's awesome, here's the story:

John and his family have inherited a castle in Italy and, since John and his wife have been having some issues, they decide to live there to try to resolve their marital problems.  Adding to the stress is their daughter, she's blind and needs Moms help, which is making Dad a bit jealous.  You know the routine, a handicapped child and the father suddenly needs more attention than he did before...we've seen this before.  Well, what John and the fam don't count on is someone else is in the castle with them.  It's a cousin, but he's been so horribly abused that he's malformed, malnourished and has the general appearance and attitude of a monster!

Well, when things start disappearing or breaking around the castle the natural assumption is that it's the blind girl who's unfamiliar with her surroundings.  But, when bodies are found in the castle, everyone assumes that John has lost it and is on a rampage!  Will John realize that there's a monster in his house?  Or will he be taken to prison leaving his family at the mercies of this creature?

Castle Freak may be one of the most underrated collaborations between Stuart and Combs, but it's one of the best.  Castle Freak is much more than a monster movie, it's a very subtle character piece about a couple who's in trouble and how they deal with it.  Combs is amazing as always...in fact, he may be one of the most underrated actors working today...don't believe me, just take a look at his imdb page and see the range that this amazing actor has!  Castle Freak plays like a modern day Hammer film, the monsters and horrors are there, but there's a great story too!

I'm giving Castle Freak 4 out of 4 cigars, it's well worth your time!

Castle Freak

Friday, July 16, 2010

Born Losers

Ah, the 70s.  A simpler time, when a person could go to a cheerleader camp, have themselves a lovely little chainsaw massacre and biker gangs roamed the great plains.  Well, times have changed and, sadly, biker gangs are now as scarce as the mighty buffalo...and nearly as hairy!  Well, let's reach way back in the old movie vault and check out a movie from a time when the mighty biker roamed freely and only a few, strong bare-footed men were willing to stand up to them.  That's right, it's the 1967 classic, Born Losers and it'll have you wanting to face off with your local biker gang.

This is officially the first 'Billy Jack' movie, and tells the story of a small California town that's being terrorized by a biker gang...the Born Losers, naturally.  Well, after the gang attacks and rapes several local college girls, the local police want them to testify to put the evil hog jockeys in prison.  The problem comes when the cops don't put the bikers in a holding cell and they set off to intimidate all the witnesses in town.  Now, the only person who isn't afraid of these hairy ne'er-do-wells is a Vietnam vet/Native American, Billy Jack.  Billy thinks that right is right and wrong is wrong and to hell with the law if it won't protect the innocent and sets off to protect one witness and stop the bikers from winning the day.

Now, if this sounds simple, then you're right...it is!  But, that's the beauty of Born Losers, it's a straight forward 70s revenge movie, and it started the Billy Jack cycle...which, I believe caused Tom Laughlin (the actor who played Billy) to lose his mind.  You see, after the sequel to Born Losers, Billy Jack, Tom was suddenly a b-movie star and the third movie, The Trial Of Billy Jack, clocked in at over 2 hours long and killed the franchise...not that there really was such a thing as a franchise film series in the 70s.

I'm giving Born Losers 4 out of 4 cigars, it's a pretty cool little action/revenge flick that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not.  And, let's face it, who doesn't like to see evil bikers get the crap kicked out of them!

Born Losers

Thursday, July 08, 2010

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

Are you a fan of the Nightmare On Elm Street series?  Come on, who are you kidding?  Who isn't?!  Well, if you're a fan, and you've got some time on your hands...say about 4 hours...then I've got a very cool documentary for you!  It's called Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, and it's one of the best horror docs I've ever seen!

The story begins with the origins of the original Elm Street movie, back when Wes Craven was known only for The Last House On The Left and The Hills Have Eyes, and Wes himself explains how he got the idea, where he got the name Freddy and everything.  There are interviews with the cast, crew and effects people from each movie, it's an Elm Street fan's wet dream!

The doc starts at the beginning and goes right through Freddy Vs. Jason, talking with each director about their thoughts on the movie, the cast with behind the scenes stories and special effects people about how some of the most famous gags were done.  It seems that everyone is represented here except for Johnny Depp and Rosanna Arquette, and their absence only gives you the impression that they both feel too big for these 'little' movies.

If you're a fan of these movies, then you're going to want to see this, the 4 hour running time flies past and, with interviews with the likes of Robert Englund and Wes Craven, you'll hear things that you've never heard about these movies!  I'm giving Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy 4 out of 4 cigars, it's fun, it's fast paced and it's a must for any fan of the Elm Street series!  Put it in your Netflix queue right now, because it's one of those movies that will be very popular, you'll have to wait a while, but it's worth it!

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy