Reviews

Shameless, Tasteless weaves various short stories into an anthology of beauty and wonder. Each story seems to seamlessly meld into each other creating an exquisitely rich tapestry of love, light and hope. At the heart of this intricate and heartwarming film is it's main character Baba Alla, as sexy and hypnotic as any woman to have graced a screen. I could not take my eyes away from her. I'm surprised we haven't seen more of this captivating talent. But I'm happy that I at least have her in this magical anthology.

Shameless, Tasteless is a triumph of romantic and erotic cinema. A thing of ultimate beauty.

Mickey Rourke takes on the ropes, and worse, of the wrestling world. And he does a great and believable job playing Rodney The Ram, a mostly washed up wrestler, that struggles to pay the rent, repair a lost relationship with his daughter, and has to deal with a weakened heart from his excessive partying and years in the ring. Rodney The Ram is a sympathetic character, even has charm, but is emotionally damaged and only really knows how to live the life he's led. Marisa Tomei, as Cassidy, an ageing stripper and mother, is great in the role as Rodney's love interest. I really enjoyed Rourke and Tomei here. Two solid performances. The Wrestler is one of Rourke's last good roles. And also one of his best.

I hate to say this, because I love the original Street Trash, and I'm also a fan of B-movies, bad movies and Troma, but I just didn't enjoy this new re-boot/sequel whatever it is. I thought the humour was lame and it tries to be quirky but came across as stupid but not the kind of stupid I like. For many it's worth watching for the gore and melts, which to me I'm guessing, is what most people will want in a Street Trash rehash. And the FX are done well. The story and characters I didn't like. I can see it pays a lot of homage to the original. It just didn't hit the right nerve for me. Still I'm glad it exists as many will like it and it's probably a nuts enough of a movie for any trash movie or body horror fan.

Wake In Fright comes across like a nightmare. One man's descent into excessive drinking and losing his mind. Spurned on by the local beer worshipers at The Yabba, a small Australian outback town in the middle of nowhere. It could also be Hell. As I stated, the movie is like an extended nightmare, the kind you wouldn't want to revisit. It's a realistic but also surrealistic look at the madness that is caused by losing your soul to copious amounts of alcohol. Almost every character in The Yabba is certifiable. Bonkers is a good enough description of this film. It's also very dark and has many disturbing scenes that will stay with you.

The Yabba. Not a place for me.

A strange, odd and almost experimental film that feels dark in tone. At times goofy, but also Blatty's sense of humour works really well at points, and I really enjoyed his dark humour in his later Exorcist 3, a sense of humour that is an acquired taste for sure. But I get it. The Ninth Configuration comes across to me like a bizarre episode of 70's/80's TV show M*A*S*H. Also a dingier One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Ninth also has a fever dream/nightmare feel. I enjoyed Stacy Keach's role as the new, damaged psychiatrist with a hidden side. Really intensely played. I've not read the book that this was based on. But I think the idea was a very original concept.

An involving anti-war dark drama comedy. Twisted and quite nuts.

Never been a fan of Tim Roth. Just can't see him as a good actor. Reservoir Dogs is a good enough film that I enjoyed when it first came out. But I gave it a fresh rewatch yesterday and believe it hasn't aged so well. Some of the lines are a bit so so. As well as some of the acting and deliveries. Michael Madsen's acting technique, what there is of it, is kind of cheeseball. Harvey Keitel steals the show. Steve Buscemi's turn is energetic. For the most part it feels like a stage play and as a first film it's a good set up. I do enjoy Tarantino movies. But sometimes his constant wordplay get's a bit formulaic.

So, a good film. I just wish Roth wasn't in it. To me, he always comes across like a try hard.

A harsh and grey look into a possible future. But to me, there is also a beauty to this movie. Maybe it's the fight to retain one's self and the will to love. Or possibly seeing the final remaining embers of humanity, losing it's fight against total control. The music, especially the sound work from Eurythmics, adds an ambient flavour to the grey grim reality of Oceania's rule, and for the two fated lover's hidden emotions.

1984 is a harrowing and bleak look into a place we'll hopefully never experience. Although we also know that's it's not far off.

So a stark film that holds important messages on the human condition.

You just need to look into any of H. R. Giger's art books and paintings, to see that there is an endless world of possibilities there to explore, including many variations on Giger's alien creature, and his incredible and fantastic (and sexual) other worldly designs.

None of the follow up movies, inc Romulus, have ever really taken this alien creation and it's world(s) any further, so we get stuck with pretty much the same movie and creature(s) over and over.

Directors need to take a relook into Giger's art and works. Even if just to re-inspire.

And without a doubt, the original film would have never have worked without Giger's input.

Trailer trash waxes poetically in a way that Omar Sharif could only have ever dreamed of. The film is a deep sexual study and filled to the brim with some of the most beautiful emerging new American talent. I was so impressed with this film that I applied to be an astronaut. Other than that there's not much else to say. I'm now on my 13th beer and proud of it. I will say that it's films like this that make you feel like you're a a better person. I'm surprised this isn't a multi million dollar franchise. Forget Star Wars. Forget Rambo. Forget everything. Until you've seen Trailer Town you've never seen anything. And the dancing in the movie is fantastic.

Finally got to watch this. Relentlessly grim and violent Hong Kong crime noir, shot in black and white, as 2 cops track down an insane serial killer. I watched it in Chinese, which I don't speak, and enjoyed it totally. The film and cinematography look great, and the main actress does an amazing job of putting herself through Hell, as do the three male leads. The fight scenes are brutal and intense. And grimy. It get's as close to a horror film as a crime noir can get. And the constant barrage of bad weather and polluted back streets of the city create an almost dystopian Hell, especially in the final act.

Recommended.

As Bestas is a realistic feeling and intense rural drama set in the northwest of Spain. It is very well handled and subtle, even though the atmosphere throughout is quite grim and dark. It is also quite believable. Two Spanish locals do not take Kindly to a new French couple in the area, and their constant baiting soon turns dangerous for the French farmer, as confrontations soon spiral out of control.

The settings are beautiful. But the film's harrowing aspect, especially because of the realism, makes for an uncomfortable watch. Great acting all round and As Bestas never falls into any obvious tropes.

Very effective and intelligent story telling.

Mostly style over substance and not a shade on Cronenberg Jr's Possessor. The characters are all unbelievable and annoying. And the story is also far fetched and kind of ridiculous. It is nightmarish, I'll give it that. It's has echos of Wake In Freight and also Eyes Wide Shut. But as a story, it's not well enough executed and tends to rely on visual (over) effects and Brandon Cronenberg's trade mark ultraviolence. And Mia Goth's character just sounded like a spoilt brat half the time, that bordered on comedic. A lot of the script just didn't make sense.

But it's still worth checking out as it is a Cronenberg.

Jack Nicholson when he was on his game, was amazing to watch. Such a charismatic and unique individual, with a sharp sense of humour and sarcasm. Can you imagine anyone else as Jack Torrance (The Shining).

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest was another example of Nicholson on peak form. And Randle McMurphy is a character that I'm sure many of us can relate to. I know I do.

Excellent dark humoured psychological drama, which is both funny and tragic. Great script and cast, direction, soundtrack, the lot. I've watched this movie numerous times, and it hasn't lost any of it's magic.

Classic Nicholson. And a classic film.

Whoa! A LOT of blood, violence, gangsters, drugs, twisted witches and enough WTF moments. And lead Ester Expósito is gorgeous.

Also inspired by H. P. Lovecraft. This was a BLAST. Well directed and shot. Well acted and an interesting watch throughout. I watched it in Spanish and my Spanish is far from good. But Venus was easy enough to follow and has shades of Rosemary's Baby, Hellraiser, and even for some reason reminded me of Troma's Rabid Grannies, even though it is nothing like that. Venus is a solid film and I was glued. This was fun.

Highly recommended Spanish horror. From the director of REC.

I just watched it, and I dug it. In many respects it reminded of the book House Of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. A book that has a similar theme of a house that has rooms that constantly change, people disappear etc. And as someone that has grown up watching experimental films, as well as listening to and making experimental music, I thought the pace of the film was just right.

The power of suggestion is always a good thing, and the fact that there was little footage of actual people present here works well. It added to the sense of isolation in the house. The whispering too was a nice touch. The children sensed there was something there.

I also found the atmosphere throughout kind of relaxing. Maybe I'm just used now, to dark things.

With easily some of the worst editing I have seen in a movie, Mad Dog Morgan is a disjointed mess that is, more often than not, quite senseless. Chuck in a stoned Dennis Hopper, spouting a ridiculous Irish accent, while wearing an obviously fake beard, and we have ourselves a winner. And all of these above reasons are why I keep going back to this movie. It's so ridiculous. The script seems to have been blown away or was lost. Or whole chunks of the movie were scrapped, they went over budget or something. The direction is bad. But I'm eternally thankful this was the result.

Classic Australian gold.

Either the main character here doesn't know himself, or his friends don't know him. All My Fiends Hate me is black comedy done well enough to make the viewer feel as if nothing here is making much sense. I just thought it was funny as hell.

A road / desert movie that feels half baked at best. For real kooky characters in a similar vein, see David Lynch's Wild At Heart, or Tony Scott's True Romance, as these movies do this type of story line much, much better. I tried to like this movie. But it just felt bland.

The pee at the end was a nice touch.

Dashcam is a totally nuts and frenetic ride. Violent, insane, gory and even funny and the main actress spews phrases like s**t on my dick constantly as her and a few others are pursued by demonic zombies. Crazy, high octane madness.

In the future our bodies are mutating. And the suppression/manipulation of this has become high art. Even seen as highly erotic. Crimes Of The Future is a welcome return to David Cronenberg's universe of physical and dystopian horror.

Nightmarish and perfect Cronenberg.

As movies about losing your mind goes, this felt very realistic. The main actor was nothing short of amazing. And as someone that has had his time with drinking and drugs and bad luck, this depiction of a fall into insanity seemed all too real.

The editing/direction here was some of the most sure-fire I've seen. There's no fat in this movie. And much is left to the imagination.

I'd been waiting some time to see this and WAS NOT disappointed.

Art The Clown shines in what is basically a low budget slasher with a slight Troma Films feel. It's trash and gore amped up, and Art is kind of freaky but inventive in his kills. So it's a fun watch.

Will be checking out the upcoming sequel for sure.

Go Art ( .'

Just found a new favourite. The Nightmare. Kind of like a mix of E. T., Climax, and Basket Case. And for a film about a young woman losing her mind, it's a well handled and nice movie. It actually had me cheering towards the end. It's not for everybody. But I 💜 it.

I think I laughed once. Everything felt forced. Knoxville especially. Compared to the low budget original MTV series, which like a lot of people that grew up with it I loved, this just isn't Jackass. And all the newbies here are just try hards.

R. I. P Jackass. I'll always love you for The Vomelet.

Cold hearted film centred around a Ukrainian school/community for the deaf, where prostitution and violence are the norm. It's a slow burn and takes some patience as all the communication is in sign language. Similar in tone to Thomas Clay's The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael and Bartosz M. Kowalski's harrowing Playground. One to check out if you like grim and bleak cinema.