SHU-IZMZ

SHU-IZMZ: ALL NEW CONTENT IS NOW UP AT http://www.shuizmz.com

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 02:59:00 +0000

Hey folks, it was just brought to my attention that some of you who have been following SHU-IZMZ from the earlier days may not have heard that the website has been updated on a new server (not on blogger anymore) and with a spanking new interface and look on a Wordpress site. Thanks to my web designer, Dan, the site is looking pretty fucking sweet! As of this writing, there will be no more new reviews as they will all be up at WWW.SHUIZMZ.COM

Head over there for all the latest reviews in horror, cult, exploitation, sexploitation, sci-fi/fantasy, and foreign films. Generally, films and genres of all kinds are reviewed, as well as some cool interviews with bands, artists, actors/actresses, directors, producers, etc...

ALL HAIL S-A-T-A-N!!!

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:32:00 +0000

Satan, you ask? Yes, since Satan, the "most misunderstood characters in the Bible or in Christian religion..." as spoke by Glenn Danzig in the first Danzig home video (which if you have not seen it run out and grab it or you can just click here to here his thoughts on Satan!) while he is sitting in a park on the steps of a very Gothic and evil looking statue. I also am pissed off that both of the Danzig home videos have not been offered on DVD or Blu-Ray?!?! What the fuck!


Sam Dunn (l) and Scott McFayden (r)

So Sam Dunn and Scott McFayden, the two Canadian filmmakers who started out with the extremely epic documentary chronicling the history of metal and all its different genres in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005), then followed up on metal around the world with Global Metal (2008), went on to document a tour with one of the greatest metal bands ever to grace our planet in Iron Maiden: Flight 666 (2009), and followed up that epic tour with an in-depth look at one of the Canadian director's very own native rock groups and one of the most influential bands ever with Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010). The last documentary was even nominated for some Grammys: Rush was nominated for Best Long Form Music Video; Sam Dunn and Scott McFayden were nominated for Best Video Director/Video Producer. Everything Sam Dunn and Scott McFayden have worked on has been turned to gold as far as those in the metal community are concerned. I believe Sam's background in school and majoring in Anthropology has helped him immensely in digging up facts and documenting the backgrounds of his various topics and sources for his extremely well-researched documentaries.

Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

In my mind, the dynamic duo of Dunn and McFayden have made the best documentaries on metal that this metalhead has seen in quite some time. Dunna and McFayden's approach to their documentaries goes the academic route, not just having baseless interviews with various band members who usually sound like they are drunk, high, or just exhausted from having just performed or in no mood to talk to another journalist that usually is a massive fan whom during the interview just strokes their ego and asking softball questions but actually digging deeper into the music and lyrics. I appreciate Dunn treating the subject of metal as a scholar would while talking about Shakespeare or or Voltaire. Dunn and McFayden's reverence towards the subject matter is what metalheads and even novices to the genre of metal can and do appreciate. One may never have heard of bands like Mayhem, Enslaved, or even (gulps) Iron Maiden, but after watching one of the duo's documentaries definitely will know as much as or even more than quite a few fans of the genre and may just appreciate the bands for their accomplishments (even if the music is unappreciated because of their tastes).

Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage

I have been a fan of metal and all its genres from an early age by seeing all the elaborate artwork and elements of horror and darkness so many bands conveyed and portrayed in their videos, album artwork, and lyrical content. I love horror and the macabre and metal touched upon those subjects time and time again, one of the biggest topics of metal with the "darker" and heavier bands being the topic of Satan. Metal got a very bad rap in the '80s with the "Satanic Panic" and it was a time when the PMRC, Christians, and religious groups all over the country banded together in an attempt to crucify heavy metal.

Global Metal

How fitting is it now for Dunn and McFayden to choose as the subject-matter for their latest documentary, coming out in 2013 from Alliance Films, Satan (2013), as well as hosting the TV series Metal Evolution: The Series for VH1 and CTV. I read about this news a while back in Hollywood Reporter (who broke the news in January, but we just never got around to posting something on it here). Metal Evolution: The Series hits VH1 Classics in the spring of 2011. The 11-part one hour series will expand even more upon the already expansive Metal: A Headbanger's Journey.

It seems that the great success with Dunn and McFayden's docs, as well as the new series on VH1 has prompted interest by rock legends Alice Cooper and Aerosmith to have Dunn and McFayden give their rock careers the ultimate treatment as well. The documentary on Satan “aims to explore the historical origins and transformation of Satan as a symbol of evil, and his significance in contemporary art and popular culture.”

Iron Maiden: Flight 666

I really cannot wait to see who Dunn and McFayden interview in the documentary, but I really hope that Gaahl makes another appearance, especially since his "outing" from the band Gorgoroth (a band that was/is extremely Satanic) and because he is always so much fun to listen to. He really made Metal: A Headbanger's Journey extremely interesting. I would also love to see the legendary Count Grishnackt a.k.a. Varg Virkenes of Burzum have a word or two to say, since his having been released from prison his latest album is extremely dark and was very well done. I also am looking forward to Burzum's latest album release, Fallen.

GRIMM LOVE a.k.a. ROHTENBURG a.k.a. BUTTERFLY: A GRIMM STORY (2006)

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:35:00 +0000

Over the next few weeks, SHU-IZMZ will be covering the 8 films that comprise the Fangoria FrightFest banner. These films came out around October of last year I believe, but I am just now getting to them. All of the films are horror or thrillers and I can honestly say some of the better films to be released in conjunction with the Fangoria banner for quite some time.

Every so often, one of those films comes along my way that is truly much more FACT than FICTION. In regards to director Martin Weisz's depiction of Germany's notorious “Cannibal of Rotenburg”, the true-life account of real-life cannibal Armin Meiwes which the movie was based-on. After watching Grimm Love (2006), starring Keri Russell (TV's Felicity, Waitress) and Thomas Kretschmann (Resident Evil: Apocalypse, King Kong (Peter Jackson's remake), I had to do a bit of background research because watching the whole film gave me a very unnerving feeling of deja vu.

Grimm Love is the story of Armin Meiwes (portrayed by Thomas Kretschmann as character Oliver Hartwin), a bonafide cannibal born in Kassla, Germany. At a fairly early age, Meiwes started to fantasize about eating his friends so that they could stay with him forever. Meiwes was a very lonely child growing up, getting picked on regularly, and was an only child. After his mother died in 1999, Meiwes was left the family's large mansion house in Roteburg. A middle-aged man with a career as a computer technician and left alone to his own devices, Meiwes decided to live out his fantasy and make it become his joyful reality and everyone else's dreadful nightmare. Meiwes went on internet chat rooms and message boards and placed an ad stating that he was looking for a willing victim that would give him the pleasure of allowing themselves to let him eat and consume them.

The film, Grimm Love, follows the events that occurred in Meiwes' life very closely. Meiwes, after many attempts (several articles stated almost 200 potential victims) to find a willing candidate, finally found one in 43-year old Bernd-Jurgen Brandes (portrayed by Thomas Huber (Aeon Flux) as Simon Grombeck in the movie). Meiwes, after talking with Brandes on-line via email and receiving a photos of him decided he would make a good “meal”.

Germany's real-life cannibal, Armin Meiwes

In the film, director Weisz goes into the upbringing of Meiwes (Hartwin) and the psychological impacts his atrocious family-life had on him. Throw into the mix the morbidly dark fantasies the young child was having, his obsession with violent and very gruesome horror films, and the fact that the boy was emotionally unbalanced and lost-he had no emotional link to his parents and the link to his mother was extremely unhealthy-it is no wonder that the boy craved to consume flesh as a way to never losing the connection the meat that he was consuming. In some very sick and twisted thought process, this writer can somewhat understand the reasoning and rationale Meiwes (Hartwin) had in consuming human flesh (don't worry, I respect individuals' rights to live and breed no matter how stupid they appear to be!).

Actor Thomas Kretschmann portraying Oliver Hartwin (Meiwes)

Interestingly, when Oliver Hartwin (Meiwes) logged in to his cannibal message board (entitled “Cannibal Cantina” in the film), three of the thread titles are named after death metal band Cannibal Corpse song titles: “Meat Hook Sodomy”, “I Will Kill You”, and “Orgasm Through Torture”. I was hoping that there would be some Cannibal Corpse songs playing in the background, but Grimm Love was far to classy to have some extreme double-bass drumming, guitar wailing, low-guttural growls gracing the film's stoic soundtrack. The film may be categorized in the horror genre, but I would most likely throw the film under the banner of True Crime, for there does not appear to be any stretching of the truth or facts. Grimm Love plays out as a non-fictional account of a cannibal's upbringing as a child and life as an adult.

Meiwes' ate almost 50lbs. of Bernd-Jurgen Brandes' flesh

Grimm Love does not have any major nudity or sex scenes in it, minus one intimate moment Hartwin (Meiwes) has with his homosexual lover, but it does show some blood and gore-alluding to more sinister scenes of butchery than actually showing in the film. I think that this works in the filmmakers' favor (sorry gorehounds!), for the validity of the whole affair is taken up a notch with the approach of showing less than more.

Thomas Huber portraying Simon Grombeck (Brandes)

Getting back to the real-life events of Meiwes, eventually Brandes (Grombeck in the movie) agrees to let Meiwes' drug him and cut him up for consumption, starting first with Brandes' penis. Again, the scene is not fully shown, but one gets the picture as to what is happening and it is still very gruesome. I felt that if the scene was fully shown (such as a similar scene was filmed in the ultra-controversial film A Serbian Film), the impact would not have been quite as huge. Eventually, Brandes (Grombeck) is killed and cleaned up for future consumption. If one does not believe that this could truly occur, don't worry, Meiwes (Hartwin) videotapes the most of the actual process with 2 hours of footage. Allegedly, journalists have seen the tape and some of the footage. In the film, Armstrong (Keri Russell), while doing her research throughout the film as a very curious student writing a paper on it and the movie backing her scenes of research with flashbacks throughout, acquires a copy of this videotape. The actual tape was used as evidence in court. Allegedly, journalists have seen the 2 hour murder tape but it has not been released publicly. The film is based on true events covered in the media so I don't feel bad letting readers know the outcome of the these events (stop reading now if you want).

After Brandes (Grombeck) is prepared for consumption, it took Meiwes 10 months to consume him. The room in which Brandes was killed in (stabbed in the throat after consuming alcohol, painkillers, and sleeping pills at the victim's own request) was named the “slaughter room” by Brandes. Interstingly enough, Meiwes read a Star Trek novel while Brandes lay in a bathtub bleeding. Meiwes consumed over 50 lbs. of human flesh taken from Brandes' body. Although many of these facts are not revealed in the movie for then the film would have much more of a documentary feel and look to it, Meiwes was arrested in December of 2002 after a college student saw ads for more victims. At this point, many of those frequenting the cannibal message boards felt that Meiwes was really looking for someone to digest and not just “joking around”. I find it slighly appalling that a message board was invented with the sole purpose to portray serious information on how to prepare a human body for meal consumption. Police found the murder tape and body parts in the house. Meiwes was convicted of only manslaughter and given an 8/8.5 year sentence, but later in April of 2005, there was a retrial and he was sentenced for murder and received life in prison. At this retrial, Meiwes again confessed to having a predilection for craving human flesh (although feeling somewhat remorseful for killing Brandes) and he still wanted to eat human flesh. Apparently the rest of the world found this to be disturbing and thought he should be locked up for the rest of his life. I tend to agree with the prosecutors.

Kerri Russel as Katie Armstrong

One can almost call this film Meiwes' biopic, although I really doubt that Armin would actually approve, considering the amount of trouble the filmmakers went to actually get this film distributed in theaters in Germany (On March 3, 2006, the state court in Kassel upheld a complaint by Meiwes (44 years old at the time) against the film ROHTENBURG, due for release in Germany that year in March 9^th). The film was scheduled to be released in German theaters on March 9^th, but the court favored Meiwes in ruling that Meiwes' rights as an individual outweighed artistic freedom and that he should not become the object of a horror film.

On May 26, 2009 Germany's highest civil court overturned the ban, ruling that freedom of arts took precedence over Meiwes' personality rights. The court also ruled that because the film did not distort the well-known facts of the case, Meiwes' right were not violated. Grimm Love was finally released in German cinemas on June 18, 2009. The film was so intense for some viewers that someone fainted when watching it at Sitges.

Grimm Love is not the most shocking, violent, or gory film on the subject of cannibalism, but the story is based on true events (which are adhered to rigidly) and came as somewhat of a shock because the events portrayed in the film were mostly factual and not fictitious. I have a strong interest in true crime, the macabre, and serial killers (as well as horror films!), so Grimm Love (flying under Fangoria's FrightFest banner) was a well-enjoyed treat. It was well directed, acted out, and researched in profiling a very sick individual and one of Germany's most notorious men (aside from Hitler, of course!).

VICIOUS CIRCLE FILMS' FEBRUARY BEAUTY CONTEST!

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 03:30:00 +0000

Hey guys and gals,

it's time for another DVD GIVEAWAY at SHU-IZMZ! January's dvd giveaway was sponsored by Breaking Glass Pictures/Vicious Circle Films and this month's giveaway is brought to you by them again, with Israel Luna's TICKED-OFF TRANNIES WITH KNIVES, and a brand SPANKING new contest concocted by the deviants over at SHU-IZMZ! In case you missed it, I SHU-IZMZ had the chance to interview Elvin Feltner, producer of Al Adamson's Carnival Magic (1981) on SHU-IZMZ RADIO on Blogtalkradio.com today and during that broadcast the contest was announced. Be sure to check out the show in the archived section at blogtalkradio.com/shuizmz or searching shuizmz in the podcast section of iTunes.

RULES FOR THE FEBRUARY BEAUTY CONTEST

Compile a list of 10 movies that have an actor/actress in it that you think is extremely hot and, or beautiful. Tell SHU-IZMZ why you think they are sexy, what scene they are the hottest in, and give us over at SHU-IZMZ an idea about what you obsess over them about the most. For example, two ladies that we think are smoking hot are Rosario Dawson and Jessica Alba. Both actresses are in SIN CITY. Rosario is in a hot leather dominatrix outfit leading her all-female gang which had me harder than the Man of Steel boning Wonderwoman doggie-style and Jessica Alba's striptease scene in the seedy bar caused me to re-evaluate my thoughts on blondes and their usefulness in life (no offense to any blonde readers out there!). One may use each actress as a separate hottie, even though they are in the same movie. As long as each actress/actor has a specific scene that one finds great beauty (or sexiness), that counts as one example in one's list of ten.
Once one has completed step #1, either tweet this post's link with #shuizmz as the hashtag or post this link on one's Facebook page and then email your entry to us at shuizmz@gmail.com. The deadline is February 31st. That means if we do not have an email in our inbox before midnite on March 1st, you will be ineligible for winning the contest.
Once we have read and chosen the entries that amused us the most (creativity, uniqueness, peculiarity, obscurity, and epic orgasmic proportionality), a winner will be chosen.
After a statement has been emailed to SHU-IZMZ stating the winner's name, age (must be 17 years of age or older), TICKED-OFF TRANNIES WITH KNIVES will be emailed to the winner's address. No P.O. Boxes, please.

It seems like a lot of rules, but it really is not. We will be reviewing the film this month but don't let that stop one from winning this dvd. Below will be an embedded player with a trailer of the film all contestants are eligible to win. Have fun with the contest and good luck!

FREE H.P. LOVECRAFT documentary?

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 06:57:00 +0000

Watch a free documentary on the great H.P. Lovecraft! Just click on this link and enjoy:
Watch more free documentaries

TRAILER: GARY'S GARDEN (2011)

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 06:48:00 +0000

I checked out this trailer after it was recommended to me. It comes out on Valentine's Day 2011. It looks interesting, to say the least. Maybe I can get a screener of it from the people that made the film. I can only hope! Here is the website's link: http://www.rottingsoil.com/

Check out the trailer here:

Here is an interview with the people that made the film over at my friend from across the pond Amanda Norman over at her blog. Check it out for some background info on the guys over there. http://blog.amandanorman.com/2011/01/16/garys-garden-black-comedy/

Legends of Laughter: Abbott & Costello (2010)

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 06:08:00 +0000

Comedy is one particular genre of film that I enjoy, but I am extremely selective as to what I find funny and what I allow to tickle my funny bone. For this film freak (one who loves the gruesome, bizarre, and violent), what I find to be funny may follow in suit along with the masses in accordance to what is considered true comedy, but unfortunately, most of what I enjoy is neither funny, nor enjoyable to others.

Upon gearing up to watch approximately 25.5 hours of Abbott and Costello on six discs, I had considered drinking copious amounts of alcohol, snorting a line or two of cocaine, and bleeding myself to a state of hallucination so as not to really cut my wrists and take my own life while enduring this onslaught of G-rated humor full of slapstick annoyance, lighthearted physical comedy with jokes that were dated and on a level I neither understood nor found the least bit humorous. Again, comedy is one of those rare peculiarities that touches each individual differently when exposed to it. I happen to find Dead Alive a.k.a. Braindead and Bad Taste, both directed by Peter Jackson, to be two of the funniest films ever made. If anyone has seen either of these films (which I hope people have seen both of them!), they may think me to be slightly disturbed for both films are filled with gratuitous gore and violence, although none of it is very mean-spirited and the bloodshed is portrayed in a slightly humorous and creative manner. I think I would be easily able to defend my statement in choosing those two films, the first couple of movies the now famous and well-respected Peter Jackson made, as prime examples of great comedies.

Getting back to Abbott and Costello...Here is the run-down of what lies within the jam-packed 6 discs that I spent over a full day watching, falling asleep, than re-watching until I came up with the conclusion that I prefer unorthodox comedies to traditional comedies. The set includes 14 episodes of the Colgate Comedy Hour (1951-1954), a bunch of trailers from films Abbott and Costello have appeared in, a 1943 World War 2 Public Service Announcement "The Autobiography of a JEEP", Documentary Highlights from Mail Call, Bloopers and outtakes from films (Costello says BULLSHIT in one outtake!), 17 episodes of the Abbott and Costello Show on radio (1942-49), and appearances by a multitude of stars and celebrities including Marlene Dietrich, Errol Flynn, Lucille Ball, Lon Chaney, Jr., Jane Russell, Veronica Lake, Rudy Vallee, Louis Armstrong, Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre, Hedda Hopper, Bella Lugosi, Penny Singleton, and Arthur Lake (Blondie & Dagwood), Joe Besser and Shemp Howard (Three Stooges), Charles Laughton, Peggy Lee, The Andrew Sisters, Hoagy Carmichael, Alan Hale, Alan Ladd, Victor Borge, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Rhonda Fleming, Gale Storm, The Nicholas Brothers, Mel Blanc, Clyde Beatty, and many more. The dvd is presented in full frame with an aspect ratio of 4x3 and original sound.

The Colgate Comedy Hour with Abbott & Costello

This box-set is an exhausting task to undertake watching, especially if you are not really a fan of Abbott & Costello, and even more so if one does not particularly enjoy comedy from 60 or more years ago. I was mildly amused at watching the many cameos from many well-know actors and actresses from Hollywood, but other than that, much of the humor that lied within this box set was really wasted on this viewer. Simply put-Abbott and Costello do not make me laugh. I find much of their frenetically paced, ping pong-styled punchlines and comedic set-ups volleying back and forth to be rather drone-like and almost sleep-inducing. I actually did fall asleep on several occasions and woke up to the dvd menu repeating the same joke punchlines complete with audience laughter.

Of course, the only part of this dvd boxset that amused me was on disc six-the features Jack and the Beanstalk (1952) and Africa Screams (1949), both of which are public domain. Of these two features, I enjoyed a few key portions of them, but much of the shtick that Abbott and Costello are known for, is rampantly displayed throughout both films. Jack and the Beanstalk, directed by Jack Yardbrough, tells the classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk about a little boy who trades the family cow for magical beans.

Jack and the Beanstalk is the first of only two movies that Bud Abbott and Lou Costello made. The other color film they made was Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd. Jack and the Beanstalk begins in sepia-tone and than changes to color. Abbott and Costello made an independent, 2-picture deal in which they agreed that this was to be "Lou's film" and the next to be "Bud's". They retained individual ownership of the respective films. (IMDB)

In the beginning of Jack and the Beanstalk, when Jack (Costello) first meets the employment agency's receptionist (Dorothy Ford), he tells her: "I like girls like you, eyes of blue and five foot two." This is a reference to the refrain of the 1920's popular song, "Has Anybody Seen My Gal?" It's only after she rises from her chair that he realizes his misconception; he is dwarfed by Dorothy Ford's 6'2" full height. (IMDB)

As for the content of the movie, I think that the original story of Jack and the Beanstalk was more amusing to me and not the comedic version that Abbott and Costello re-invented. There were a few dance numbers thrown in that definitely were not on the same level as The Sound of Music or The Music Man, but I was not expecting them to be anywhere near that caliber or level of entertainment. Alongside Abbott and Costello in the film is Buddy Baer, Shay Cogan, James Alexander, Dorothy Ford, Barbara Brown, David Stollery, William Farnum, and Johnny Conrad.

The better of the two films definitely was Africa Screams (1949), directed by Charles Barton, stars Costello as Stanley Livingston, a clerk at a safari bookstore who, upon inquiry, boasts of knowing a map inside a book entitled Dark Safari, whom the parties interested want to have drawn out for them so that they may go to the destination and find some diamonds. They must travel to Africa and deal with gigantic gorillas, apes, monkeys, cannibals, and crocodiles. The film started out interesting, but soon the goofball antics of Costello paired with the sidekick seriousness of Abbott had me bored again. I thought the ending of the film was good, but everything in between was lackluster.

Of interest is the fact that this film features the only on-screen pairing of Joe Besser and Shemp Howard, who were respectively considered the 4th and 5th members of the Three Stooges. (IMDB)

Max Baer, career heavyweight boxer and the Heavyweight Champion of the World in 1934, is in the film as well as Buddy Baer, who also was a boxer and both fought against Joe Louis. There even is a reference in the film where Boots (Buddy Baer) says to grappler (Max Baer), "I'll hit you harder than Joe Louis ever did," which is in reference to Max Baer's career as a heavyweight boxer. In 1935, Joe Louis was the first fighter to knock Baer to the canvas. (IMDB)

Sadly, of all 25.5 hours of Abbott & Costello, what interested me the MOST was the WW2 PSA documentary on "The Autobiography of the Jeep." It really was cool and now I totally want to go out and get an old military Jeep so I can go racing through the mud, hills, and snow like it's nothing at all. For fans of Abbott & Costello, this box set must be a wet dream, but for this viewer it was painstakingly slow and tedious to sit and watch for over 25 hours.

Look what SEVERIN FILMS has arriving for us on dvd!

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 04:47:00 +0000

Leave it up to SEVERIN FILMS to dig up some lesser known films most have only seen on a crappy, old VHS copy-if even that! Two classic slasher films and "one of the most depraved films of the '70s", says Severin Films. Well, that remains to be seen, but all three of these films (only one of which I have seen), have some pretty hilarious poster artwork. If anything, I would pick these films up for the campy value of them, if anything at all.

I have fond memories of the killer kid classic Bloody Birthday, directed by Canadian exploitation filmmaker Ed Hunt (The Brain, Diary of a Sinner). I rented it with a childhood friend, when I was just a wee teenager, from the local liquor store that doubled as a video rental joint. To say the least, the selection blew donkey balls, but it was good for getting some lesser known titles that one usually would not come across unless at a horror convention or scouring ebay...which I don't think was even around when I rented Bloody Birthday on VHS! This film is famous for the "before-she-was-famous topless dance of MTV's Julie Brown". Of course, I can't say I remember too much from this film except a certain scene involving a closet, some titties, and an arrow...Well, I think it was an arrow. My memory is pretty hazy. After all, that was a time period when I invested heavily in smoking pot and blasting Pantera and Cannibal Corpse in a dark, moldy, basement. I now refer to those years as the "wasted years" (Iron Maiden pun intended!). This version is a recent transfer from the original negative in high-definition and also has the original painting of the severed finger cake for the cover's boxart. Check it out:


This poster brings me such fond childhood memories...

Also out from Severin Films is Felicity's director John Lamond's Nightmares a.k.a. Stage Fright (1980). With a Lamond film comes a fair amount of nudity and with Nightmares a decent amount of gruesome deaths as well. If that is not reason enough to get one excited for this film, "Not Quite Hollywood's Mark Hartley recently recorded an audio commentary in celebration of the film's first fully uncut release, transferred in 2.35:1 from the original negative, in North America."

And finishing up the third release from Severin Films, we have The Baby (1973). Sadly, I have never heard of this film. I find this odd because it is a film out of Hollywood, directed by A-List director Ted Post (Magnum Force, Beneath the Planet of the Apes), and has a tag-line that shouts,"What goes on in this nursery isn't for kids!" What the hell can this film be about? I look forward to watching this film, to say the least.

This is one of those posters that is beyond ridiculous!

BLEADING LADY TRAILER and COVER ART released!

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 02:35:00 +0000

Ryan Nicholson has yet to disappoint me with any of his films and I have always enjoyed every performance Dan Ellis has given in each of his films. Not only is Ellis a very talented actor, but he is genuinely a cool dude to chat with and one of the nicest guys I have had the pleasure to interview and have on the radio show. I am going to have to pick his brain once again after I have seen Bleading Lady. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer I have put up for you're viewing pleasure! Maybe this film will top even Hanger and Gutterballs...one can only hope!

Nicholson's BLEADING LADY coming to DVD March 29th!

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 02:22:00 +0000

January 13, 2010 – Philadelphia, PA — Breaking Glass Pictures will release cult horror director Ryan Nicholson’s latest film “Bleading Lady” on DVD March 29. The gory slasher film, which tells of an obsessive, murderous chauffeur who’s assigned to drive his favorite actress on her latest film shoot, will be released under Breaking Glass’ Vicious Circle Films label. Vicious Circle Films released Nicholson's previous fan favorite “Hanger” earlier this year. (Look for our review on the site!)

Don is a chauffeur and a movie buff who takes his job seriously — very seriously. When his latest assignment takes him to the set of a low-budget horror film, he’s overjoyed to learn he’ll be driving Riversa Red – his favorite B-movie “Scream Queen.” While escorting his beloved idol, Don assumes the role of bodyguard and turns fiercely protective, especially after learning that Riversa has a stalker. Hell-bent on protecting his queen and fueled by paranoid fantasies, Don’s usual temper tantrums go to fatal extremes. Soon he proves to be not only Riversa’s biggest fan, but her worst nightmare as well.

“Bleading Lady” confirms Nicholson as the “king of cinematic sleaze” (Cinesploitation) and serves up plenty of blood-splattering gore, nudity, and dark humor. As HorrorNews.net puts it: “Bleading Lady delivers the goods!”

Special features for the DVD will include:

· “Behind the Wheel: The Making of ‘Bleading Lady’”

· “Left Coast TV Presents: On the Set of ‘Bleading Lady’”

· Eight deleted scenes

· An alternate opening

· Audio commentary with director Ryan Nicholson and star Dan Ellis.

In addition, Breaking Glass Pictures is featuring a sale at our official store in celebration of a successful first year. Enter "FANS1" when checking out to receive $5 off our already discounted prices.

HALF MOON Final Cover Art

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 02:13:00 +0000

Half Moon, starring adult-film actress Tori Black, will have a release date of March 1, 2011. Here is the latest and final cover art for the Vicious Circle Films dvd. Be on the look-out for a review once we get the screener over here.

Actually, I have to laugh every time I write "we" because it is just me, Shu, a one-man army. The reason why posts sometimes are sporadic or arrive in a flurry of updates is due to my eccentricity and feeling that writing urge. Since I am always on the go, generally living between Southwest side of Chicago, the North side of Chicago, and the Northwest Suburbs- shit can get very hectic but I will always find a way to post news I think is worthy and get reviews of films out.

The January DVD GIVEAWAY CONTEST, sponsored in party by Breaking Glass Pictures and Vicious Circle Films has been pushed back to February, part in fact due to my birthday being this month, monetary issues, and a certain special person in my life having some major oral surgery (no pun or jokes in that statement, really!). So bare with me, ladies and gentleman.

Breaking Glass Pictures and Vicious Circle Films January Releases

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:39:00 +0000

Let Me Die Quietly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4YIicqH-2I

Breaking Glass Pictures has announced the January 4 DVD release of directors Mitchell Reichler and Brian Michael Finn’s neo-noir “Let Me Die Quietly.” The film follows a broken-down alcoholic who’s haunted by psychic visions of murder victims. When a chance meeting brings him into contact with a woman who has the same dark gift, both set out to save the victim of their shared visions.

Mario is a man who’s been tortured by visions of violent murders all his life. An encounter, a location, or even a touch can bring him the terrifying final sensations of a murder victim. Now, as his visions intensify, he senses his own impending death.

With an encroaching sense of tragedy, Mario sets out to save the life of the last victim in his final premonitions. Then, he has a chance encounter in an elevator with a beautiful woman, Gabrielle, who herself is psychic and seeing different aspects of the same murder. These two lost souls join forces in an attempt to stop a serial killer, but, in their quest, they may end up leading each other down a path of self-destruction.

“Let Me Die Quietly” played at national film festivals and took home such accolades as Best Suspense Feature at the Indie Gathering Film Festival and Best Suspense Thriller at the New York Film and Video Festival.

Fright Flick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ariJkWrsWiY

Breaking Glass Pictures has announced the January 25 DVD release of Israel Luna’s “Fright Flick.” The horror-comedy – which combines satire with over-the-top gore – arrives on the heels of Luna’s recent cult phenomenon “Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives” and will be released under Breaking Glass Pictures’ Vicious Circle Films label.

Luna shows audiences just how cut-throat show business can be in this bloody, outrageous horror-comedy that satirizes the filmmaking industry. When the air-headed leading lady of a B-grade fright flick turns up brutally murdered during the film shoot, the motley members of the cast and crew find themselves at the heart of a real-life whodunit — and with so many competing egos on set, everyone's a suspect.

Featuring gay icon Chad Allen (Ice Blues, Hollywood, je t’aime) alongside an oddball cast of characters – from the eccentric director, to the bitter supporting actress, to the scheming production assistants – Fright Flick keeps the laughs and the screams rolling with a sinful combination of dark humor, suspense and comic-book-style gore.

The film played at film festivals across the country and took home such accolades as Best Actress for Allyn Carrell at the Horrific Film Festival in San Antonio, Texas, House Pick at the B-Movie Film Festival in Syracuse, New York, and Best Gore/Special FX at the Bare Bones Film Festival in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Special features on the DVD will include a blooper reel, a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, and a photo gallery.

NEW TRAILER: HALF MOON (2010)

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:21:00 +0000

The new trailer, Half Moon, from Breaking Glass Pictures is up on the company's Youtube channel. The film stars adult film sensation Tori Black, directed and written by Jason Toler, and the plot of the film revolves around a man killing prostitues. Kind of sounds like a certain murderer by the name of Jack the Ripper....Check out the trailer and let us know what ya think about it! The number one thing on my mind is will Tori Black be showing the goods?!?!

SHU-IZMZ on CORE OF DESTRUCTION RADIO 1-2-11

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 23:16:00 +0000

VICIOUS CIRCLE FILMS DVD GIVEAWAY WINNER: ANNA McKIBBEN

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 16:46:00 +0000


Anna is savoring the sweet smell of victory with her very own copy of EASTER BUNNY, KILL! KILL!

The winner of the SHU-IZMZ VICIOUS CIRCLE FILMS DVD GIVEAWAY could not have gotten a better Christmas present this year, folks! Doesn't she look so happy...well, she does look like something else is going on over there, or down there, but we will leave that up for speculation. Anyways, the next contest we over at SHU-IZMZ will be conducting will start around the 1st of the New Year, and also my birthday month. We will be having another grand contest with another grand winner.

NIKKATSU ROMAN PORNO Trailer Collection

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 10:49:00 +0000

Anyone who knows anything about Japanese films has HAD to have heard of the Nikkatsu movie studio, for it is Japan's oldest major movie studio, and Nikkatsu is an abbreviation for Nippon Katsudō Shashin, which literally means Japan Cinematograph Company. The company has made films from all genres from urban youth dramas to samurai films to comedy, but during the '70s and '80s they only made a genre of film known as Roman Porn (short for Romance Porn). Nikkatsu decided to focus on Roman Porn (similar to Pink Films but with mainstream actresses and much larger budgets and production values) to make some money and keep the studio successful and continue to make money. In Japan around '71, television was becoming much more popular than movies so in order to continue making profits Nikkatsu decided to go where the money and profits have always been and started selling sex which turned out to be their Roman Porn. Until 1988, Nikkatsu released over 1,000 of these films which were aimed entirely at the adult film market with various plots, styles, and genres. Impulse Pictures will be releasing over 25 of these Roman Porno films from Nikkatsu and this dvd is just something to whet your appetite for some good ol' sexploitation Japanese style!

As I see it, the porn industry has pretty much always been a business that has reaped millions of dollars, or equivalent to millions of dollars depending on the time period, in most modern cultures. Sex and violence have always been big sellers, whether on television, in the movie theaters, in a paperback book, or even on the 6 o'clock news. Sex and violence are pure sensationalism and I find it no surprise that Nikkatsu chose to make more than 10 years or "romance porn" to keep their studio from sinking and going under. The Roman Porn films focused heavily on sex, violence, S&M, and romance but the films I enjoyed the most were the ones that were really offbeat and, well, pretty damn foreign!

In shaking her down for loose change, he decides to grab a snack

Generally, there was a lot of rape, sadism, masochism, rough sex, hard loving, and overall acts of physical abuse and general degradation depicted in many of the films, but all of this low-brow subject matter was backed up by one of the biggest movie studios in Japan so the sets, actors, actresses, cinematographers, and budgets were far greater than the average adult feature one would find in the movies or, back then, on videotape. These movies looked really good and had some great plots, usually mixed in with gratuitous sex and violence. Interestingly enough, some of the films were sex comedies or art house flicks, but the underlying theme to most of them was pure sexploitation, in the truest sense of the word. These female characters in most every film were completely exploited on the big screen by sadistic businessman, horny teenagers, or absolute perverts in some of the finest and most sordid plots one can imagine.

Featured on the Nikkatsu Roman Porno Trailer Collection are 38...count em...38 full-length trailers as well as 19 original trailers on the dvd. Included with the large number of trailers is a bonus short film that runs about 30 minutes entitled Ryoko's Lesbian Flight, shot in HD and presented in full-screen that really just gives one a taste of Roman Porn.

Roman Pornos would not be what they are without some nurses in em!

I think what Impulse Pictures is doing by putting out this teaser of sorts of Roman Porn trailers is very smart. Of the 30 trailers, I counted at least half of them that were films I really wanted to check out and see in their entirety. Films with such incredibly unique and, at times, hilarious titles such as I Love it from Behind!, Nurses Dormitory: Assey Fingers, Pearl Divers: Tight Shellfish, Sex Fiend, Female Gymnastics Instructor: Jump & Straddle, Wet Lips, Nympho Diver: G-String Festival, and probably the most bizarre title with such a gloomy outlook: Rape Across the Drenched Wasteland. That last title gives me visions of Max from The Road Warrior going on a raping-spree across the desolate island of Japan, raping any women that he happens to come across. Rape is no laughing matter, but since so many films in the Roman Porn genre have many acts of rape portrayed throughout the film, it almost seems commonplace.

I found that the best aspect to the Roman Porno films is the subtitles that sometimes get grossly mistranslated for American audiences. While watching the trailers I decided to take notes, as the trailers are listed alphabetically on the back of the dvd box but grouped together by similar genres or subject matter (not all the films focus on rape and violence). Some of my favorite quotes from dialogue and descriptions of the films were for Sex Hunter: Wet Target in which the film is described as a "Roman Porno bullet"! I am not sure if that is a euphemism for ejaculation but it sure sounds like something of that nature. But in I Love it from Behind!, I found there to be the greatest amount of dildos I have seen in less than three minutes in any trailer or film of any kind. The trailer was simply fake-penis crazy! The line of the night went to the trailer for Oh! Women: Dirty Songs, occurring between two ladies who are bathing together. They get to the topic of each other's bush. Apparently one woman had a very thick bush and the other had a very thin bush. When the thick bushed woman said, "Mine is thick. It's bad." the other woman responded, "Why? Mine is thin and leaves less to the imagination." (Apparently the thin bushed woman did not want her goods revealed any earlier than they had to be!) To this, the other woman replies, "Men cut their dicks on my bush!"

Sadly, readers cannot do just that!

That last line of dialogue had me rolling with laughter but just when I thought the scenarios and plots briefly ran through in quick trailers could reach no higher plateau of hilariousness and pure absurdity, I watched the trailer for Painful Bliss! A Surprise Twist in which the film revolves around a tranny, a yakuza gang member, and a prostitute. Now that is entertainment, folks.

As for the short film, it was your average run-of-the-mill short about two airline stewardesses who dyke it up at one's apartment with some scissor-action, get interrupted by the "straight" girl's boyfriend, and then the lesbian masturbates while the other gets boned by her man. Sadly, I think this exact scenario happens much more than we realize! Only some slight sarcasm there, folks. All in all, I had a blast watching the trailers that ran for just over a full hour, plus a thirty minute short sample of what consists of a Roman Porno, minus the large sets and big budgets.

I really recommend getting this trailer dvd to get a sense of what is out there. You may be surprised at some of the movies they made in that time period-I certainly was! I look forward to what of these 38 titles Impulse Pictures will decide to put out on dvd first.

LOOSE SCREWS: SCREWBALLS 2 (1985)

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 02:56:00 +0000

Sometimes, it amazes me what forgotten films studios choose to bring back on to dvd and give some pretty decent treatment to, including director commentary, interviews with those that worked on the film...even an international version accompanying the dvd release! Well, Severin Films has decided to pick out one of the oddest choices to add to their ever-growing catalog in picking Loose Screws: Screwballs 2.

Loose Screws is the sequel to the early '80s sex-comedy entitled Screwballs, of which I have probably had the luck of never seeing, and according to the plots of the two films the only difference in the sequel is that the group of horny high school boys have decided that they must have sex with all the young women and hot faculty they encounter instead of just getting a peek at their tits. After pulling a prank that involves all the freshman receiving a "mock" physical examination by Brad Lovett (Bryan Genesse), Steve Hardmann (Lance Van Der Kolk), Hugh G. Rection (Alan Deveau), and Marvin Eatmore (Jason Warren), the boys all get kicked out of Beaver High and sent to Coxwell Academy.

Things continue to progress from this point on and resemble the film Porky's so much its ridiculous. I have seen Porky's and its sequels, which have far more nudity (including full frontal nudity and some wonderful bush), as well as containing far more elements of humor that one will actually laugh out loud at. The antics of the four horn-balls revolve around seeing chicks naked, trying to get laid, and being the first one to have sex with the new French teacher, Mona Lott (Cynthia Belliveau) whom everyone is gaga over, including the principal Mr. Arsenault (Mike McDonald). The rest of the film is just schemes and scenarios that involve some levels of nudity but not as much as one would think would be in a film whose main purpose is too be filled with raunchy jokes, slapstick sexual comedy, and women displayed as sexual objects throughout the whole film. I felt the movie was very tame, much more so than it should have been. Director Rafal Zielinski (Screwballs (1983), Last Resort (1994) (st: Corey Feldman), Screwball Hotel (1988)) should have just gone all the way as they say instead of having scenes of couples making out in underwear. Why not have them making out or simulating sex fully nude-isn't that the whole point of the damn movie? It should be a full-blown softcore sex comedy! There should be no beating around the bush and that pun was fully intended as their was only one scene that had "almost" a flash forestry.

The ending of the film defines any sort of reasons for making any type of sense which is good because much of this movie was ridiculous and senseless from the get-go! I think the whole point was to write a script that incorporated corny jokes full of raunchiness on a grand scale that the regular readers of Hustler would appreciate. If partial nudity, crude jokes, or massive sexual innuendo was not fully prevalent than the director was just setting up the scene for it.

Too many scenes with more fabric than flesh like this...

I have applauded Severin in the past for bringing back some little known films and cult pictures back on dvd with the red carpet treatment for film buffs, but Loose Screws: Screwballs 2 is probably not going to be one of the more epic films to be remembered. The ‘80s can have this Hardbodies/Porky’s near rip-off, sexually- charged, hornball “comedy” and keep it. Another point of contention is the extremely atrocious soundtrack to the film and I am not just talking about the ridiculous dance numbers that are played randomly during the film but the synth-keyboards that sound like they belong in a very bad '80s movie-oh wait, the music in this movie fits perfectly then.

The special features include an interview with Producer Maurice Smith (Recruits, Screwballs, Screwball Hotel), who talks in great length about how he got the idea for Loose Screws: Screwballs 2 after watching Porky’s and loving that film. At least Smith gives credit where credit is due.

The second interview is with Production Manager Ken Gourd (producer on Stuck, co-producer on The Brain) who is interviewed about the film. Ken Gourd (Production manager on The Brain, Mr. Nice Guy, Recruits) lets viewers know that the film is just what it looks like-low-brow, corny sex-driven humor in the same vein of Porky's and other sex comedies of the '80s. He knew what type of movie Loose Screws was and what it would be in the end: a cheap, goofball sex-comedy full of low-brow Benny Hill-style humor.

Low-brow humor that just didn't cut it

Also included in the extra features is a full-length commentary by director Rafal Zielinski and the International Version of this film, which runs 11 minutes longer (none of those minutes have any extra nudity to offer, mind you) and looks to be recorded from a PAL tape with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 which means its a little box on your tv with black bars all around it. Its quality is terrible but and since it is "presented in Authentic VHS-Vision" I thought the idea kind of interesting. Actually, I really liked the thought process behind it which was just as hair-brained as the damn movie itself. The extra minutes were just added to the International Version to give the film a longer running time for the international audience as they are not accustomed to watching movies this short like North American audiences are. I have to tell ya, whenever I see uncut or extra minutes stamped on a dvd box I ALWAYS want to get it because I feel that I am missing a breast here, some bush there, a decapitation over there, and a mutilation over here...but it usually turns out to never be the case. Oh bother!

Loose Screws: Screwballs 2 consistently reminded me of films like Porky’s (’82) (which was far better), Hardbodies (’84), two films which were some of the late-night features I stayed up for until the wee hours of the night while spending the night at friends' houses for sleepovers who had cable with all the movie channels. Hardbodies ('84) was one of the first breast-filled films I had ever seen and one that I will always remember and cherish. I guess on some level, I do have a slight fondness for the shenanigans within that Loose Screws offers, but as I said, only a SLIGHT fondness. I think that the film would have won me over if there were more scenes full of much more nudity because the jokes were definitely not winning me over.

Severin Films has done another solid job of loading up a lesser-known film with great extra features but I felt that their treatment was wasted on this particular film. Although I did not hate the film, I just kept comparing the level of nudity, sleezy humor, and caliber of jokes to many other '80s sex comedies made around the same decade. I am sure there was an audience for this, but it just was not me.

SEVERIN FILMS NEWS: SANTA SANGRE coming the the big screen!

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 21:27:00 +0000

SEVERIN FILMS:
"In celebration of our mammoth Blu-ray and DVD special edition arriving this January, Alejandro Jodorowsky classic Santa Sangre will make its return to the big screen for three rare 35mm showings in Los Angeles, Austin, and Boston.

Santa Sangre will screen in Los Angeles on January 15th at The American Cinematheque shown with Jodorowsky’s debut feature Fando Y Lis, followed by a double feature showing of El Topo and The Holy Mountain on the 16th. Present at both screenings will be Holy Mountain executive producer Robert Taicher for a Q&A. Santa Sangre will screen at The Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX on January 19th (tickets have not yet gone on sale), and January 24th in Boston at the Stuart Street Playhouse (ticket link coming soon)."

Unfortunately, Chicago is not one of the cities listed for this incredible event, but I am very excited to be getting a copy of Santa Sangre on Blu-Ray and it is about time Jodorowsky's modern masterpiece is getting the red carpet treatment from Severin Films. Imagine that- a high-definition transfer of a Jodorwosky film and even rarer is being privy for a screening of it on 35mm! The icing on the surreal cake is being able to see Fando Y Lis and a double feature of El Topo and The Holy Mountain in Los Angeles. It will be a Jodorowsky orgasmic experience for fans of him! It ALMOST makes me think moving to L.A., Austin, or Boston would be worth it. ALMOST. I will say that the only thing I think Texas is worth visiting for is the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin. I want to go to vacation there one day during a very cool filmfest and just watch movies there my whole visit. Anyone want to mail me a plane ticket with all expenses paid to Austin, TX? Anyone? Can't someone get these films a screening in the Midwest? Please!

CITIZEN DUANE (2006)

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 20:35:00 +0000

Sometimes one comes across a film that has much more of an impact on one than initially expected or inconceivably thought to ever occur to one to ever have such a lasting effect upon. That film may, or may not be, Citizen Duane. Nonetheless, Michael Mabbot's indie comedy about a modern-day, teenage Don Quixote, Duane Balfour, whom has a personal grudge against the mayor, her mean-spirited and rich grandson, and the whole tiny town of Ridgeburg really got me to thinking. Partly, because I have heard the name Don Quixote but never was familiar with what some refer to as the "most influential work of literature in the Spanish Golden Age in the Spanish literary canon." Sadly, I have not read Don Quixote and when while reading the many plot synopses for Citizen Duane the story and name Don Quixote was referred to several times, I had to read a quick overview of what the story was all about.

Apparently, the reference is in regards to the main character of Citizen Duane, Duane Balfour played superbly by Douglas Smith (Blast from the Past, Santa's Slay), whom decides to go on a personal conquest to destroy one particular thorn in society (in his head, anyways) and stop at nothing to destroy his life. Unfortunately, Duane Balfour is not physically endowed enough to beat the shit out of Chad Milton, nor do any of his hair-brained antics such as mounting his brother's (Devon Bostick) Schwinn with saw blades, iron spikes, axes, and sharp knives and using it to ram into Chad Milton's SUV, ever seem to work out just as planned.

The film goes on with one retarded plot falling apart after another, but one has to sympathize with Duane Balfour, for his father was shot and killed by Ridgeburg police while brandishing a shotgun on top of a rocky cliff while ranting about how the igneous rock upon which the town is built around is going to collapse and cave in upon the new building site that the rich and powerful Milton family have chosen to build a new housing site right on top of. Duane's father, whose raving antics about death and destruction befalling upon the tiny town of Ridgeburg, had earned him the title of "town doomsayer" and ultimately to his untimely death really had a negative impact on Duane Balfour, or so we think.

Duane Balfour (Douglas Smith) and Miss Houston (Vivica A. Fox)

The plot that has the most lasting effect on him, his mother, brother, uncle, and at times his girlfriend- are when he decides to run for mayor of the town and take the town back from the Milton's (Chad Milton's grandmother is Ridgeburg's mayor and has been for 6 years running) grasp. The life-lessons Duane learns about people and their nature help him to see the bigger picture in life and cause him to reevaluate his prior choices and decisions in life he made. Plenty of things go wrong throughout the campaign and many of the mishaps give those watching the film a chuckle here and there.

I think what is most important about this film and one of the most redeeming values in it is the film's less than subtle message, at times so eloquently stated in the film by none other than ebony heartthrob Vivica A. Fox (television and film actress whom I remember fondly as playing the part of Vernita Green a.k.a. "Copperhead" as a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad in Kill Bill Vol.1). Miss Houston (Fox) is the one teacher in Duane's life that sees him for possessing some real potential for making a difference in life and outgrowing the constraining small-town mentality that Ridgeburg is comprised of. Miss Houston tells Duane that in his ever on-going crusade to destroy Chad Milton he should remember this:

"The Chad Miltons of the world will stay in this town for the rest of their lives. For them, the world is a small place....You are going to graduate and leave Ridgeburg and eventually do whatever it is that you want to do. The world is a big place for you Duane-not for Chad. He'll look back at high school as his glory days. Set your sights higher, Duane."

Miss Houston (Vivica A. Fox) spiting out some worthwhile knowledge

Damn, I wish I had a teacher or high school counselor that broke it down that way to me in regards to the rich, stronger, or far more popular bullies, jocks, and "preppies". Granted, I stayed out of fights at school and did not get into too much trouble on school grounds, I remember how much I hated high school and envied the rich and popular kids who had everything handed to them on a fucking silver platter. (Can one see the scathing vapor and steam trails that are being released from my skin as I'm typing this review?)

The bottom line and moral of this story in this film is that in the end, high school sucks and those that one perceives as having it all may only be for a very short period in life and in the end their lives' are going to suck very hard and won't be a life ANYONE will be envying. I do know for a fact that sometimes this does not always happen and so that had it all during their high school years sometimes go on to having it all in their adult years as well.

Duane (Douglas Smith) having some beers with Uncle Bingo (Donal Logue)

I think that this movie entertained me so much because not only did it have a redeeming message and some value in its message, but it also was supported by believable performances, underlying sarcasm and sophomoric humor, and well-shot scenes, engaging dialogue, and a competent cast of characters filling the screen. Granted, I had never heard of this film before and was more than pleasantly surprised at the outcome of the film's finale, which may have been not much of a surprise, but was a welcomed one.

Some of the more humorous scenes involving the conversations that Duane and his boozing, track-betting, Uncle Bingo (Donal Logue) have (who also happens to own and run a local drinking hole) when Duane needs some "fatherly" advice that his mother can't fulfill due to the fact that she has a vagina and thinks like a woman. A father, whether a stellar role-model or a total deadbeat, goes a long way in influencing a young man, whether that be in a negative or positive way. In some levels, maybe Citizen Duane is not only the tale of a young, driven man set out on fighting the good fight and not ever allowing himself to be suppressed by the Chad Milton's of the world, but also a story on how one teenager deals with the loss and shame of his father being shot down while shaming the family's name with his insanity.

The film, having worked on the many levels that one's intellect, heart, and humor thrive upon, was a film that is both inspiring and uplifting. I felt a little twinge of hope for humanity and the common good of man (only a twinge, mind you!). Citizen Duane is another indie film that MTI Home Video has released and really surprised me with. I am glad to have spent my time watching this film for its lessons, entertainment, and morals. Now if there had been senseless violence, gore, and sex-it would have been a masterpiece!

CREATURE OF DARKNESS (2010)

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 23:04:00 +0000

Creature of Darkness, directed by Mark Stouffer (younger brother of Wild America's Marty Stouffer), is the story of a man's recurring nightmares involving an alien hunter coming to Earth for the perfect human specimens. This nightmare becomes reality when Andrew (Devon Sawa) and his delinquent group of friends trespass on a military bombing area that is off-limits to everyone but apparently going off-road for recreation where the military is blowing shit up has some sort of appeal to young adults as being something "fun" to do. Funny thing is, there are so many horror/sci-fi plots that revolve around trespassers going into government-owned facilities for some fun. In defense of these kids, the facility only had a sign warning them of the danger. If it in fact was really extremely dangerous one would think that a simple "fence" of some sort would have been constructed around the grounds. I guess blowing up people and human bloodshed does not warrant any more security or warning than a simple sign.

As far as the budget and type of film viewers are in store for, Creature of Darkness is a simple, low-budget, B-Grade science-fiction-based alien monster movie that is loaded with awful CGI, less than stellar sequences of alien abductions with some average scenes of gore and violence. I think that the best aspect of this film is the creature itself which probably was nothing more than a really good mask that was shown in close-up shots while the full-body shots was done with CGI. I have to give credit to the filmmakers because the film was mildly entertaining but just along the lines of a SyFy Network feature.

The alien protagonist of the Predator rip-off B-film

The drawing factor for this film in regards to this viewer was the fact that Devon Sawa (Final Destination, Idle Hands, Devil's Den) and Sanoe Lake (Blue Crush, Half-Life, Cruel World) were in it. I really enjoyed the film Blue Crush, mostly for the eye-candy flashing across the screen in scantily-clad surfing bikini shots and I enjoyed the attractive cast within Creature of Darkness as well. I am sure the makers of this film were targeting an audience that likes to see attractive people on-screen with the potential to shed some clothing or get shredded by an alien life form who fancies the sport of hunting humans for trophies. Gee, what film plot does this sound like...ahem...Predator. Well, it does have many similarities to the blockbuster hit and one of my all-time favorite action/sci-fi flicks on top of that, as well as taking cues from the slasher genre-that is if one can replace the alien from Creature of Darkness with Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13th-fame whose wooded forests generally were the settings for the body counts to pile up in. Even with all that, I found this film to be semi-entertaining and not a total waste of my time. I will even go so far as to recommend it to viewers who want to see Sawa and Lake in a campy, low-budget run-of-the-mill sci-fi flick with some elements of horror thrown in for good measure.

The best display of gore in the film

I actually have to see aside from being impressed by the alien's face and features which include moving eyeballs and tentacle antennae that reminded me of the kind you see on cockroaches, there were some nicely done scenes of gore. There were not any scenes that were filmed while the gore was occurring, but there were some nice after-the-fact shots shown post-mutilation. One of the finer scenes involves a cocky, macho bonehead that resembled a mentally-challenged gangbanger that gets his arms and legs torn off and hung by the youngsters' campsite to freak them out and draw them to the spot for future victim selection purposes.

Sanoe Lake

Some of the other cast folks may be familiar with include Dan White (Barbershop), Kevin Alejandro (Southland, True Blood), Siena Goines (Flight of the Living Dead, The 40-Year Old Virgin), Jennifer Howie (The Hills), Matthew Lawrence (Mrs. Doubtfire, The Hot Chick), Fernando Romero (Drag Me to Hell, The Eye (remake), and Ingrid Schau whose mostly known for her modeling, dancing, and music-related shows or performances for various cable shows and award ceremonies. The film fills itself with some hot actresses who give some decent performances and the director plays on their sexuality to keep things interesting. I was disappointed to find there were a couple of scenes that were teasers in terms of throwing some nudity in the film and the one shower scene that happened was very dark and the actress (Sienna Goines) was working with the shadows to only reveal certain body parts. I felt that although Sawa was the lead actor in the film Dan White gave a stronger performance throughout and was much more believable. Sanoe Lake played a perfect strong female lead and played her part perfectly.

Devon Sawa

I can't say the ending was particularly to my taste, as it leaves the plight of our campers thrown up in the air, but the film was more satisfying than tediously boring to me. Things are kept interesting with quickly-paced action, creature appearances, attempts at some gore and cheesy CGI, and hot actresses gracing the camera shots wearing bikinis, tanktops, and tightly-fitted clothing. I can't really comment on the male actors because that is not my thing but I will say that there are no frequent buffet diners in the line-up.

By the end of the film, I was glad to have seen it and some familiar faces doing some indie work in the B-Movie genre of horror/sci-fi. I can't say that I will be watching this movie again any time soon, but it was entertaining for being a rip-off of my favorite action/sci-fi film (Predator). Creature of Darkness is one of those "bad" films that is good for a few laughs here and there, but not really anything more.

Again, I only recommend it if one wants to complete their Devon Sawa or Sanoe Lake filmography viewings.

A double-feature of horror, sleeze, metal, and filth!

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 21:24:00 +0000

Midnight/ Boy Meets Girl/Blood Bath/ Baberellas/Gone the Way of Flesh/Blood Ranch

TUNE IN TONIGHT 6PM CST ON CORE OF DESTRUCTION RADIO:
I will be hosting a special hour-long segment at CORE OF DESTRUCTION RADIO and talking about some great horror flicks and some not so great. Also, I will be blasting your eardrums with some sweet metal and grindcore so tune in!

If you want to really tap into the scary and filthy thought patterns of me then take a breather and jump back into the mayhem with me when I am broadcasting another full-length radio show at Blog Talk Radio, where I will be talking even more in-depth on horror, cult, sexploitation, and bloody gore on the SHU-IZMZ RADIO SHOW. Films thoroughly picked apart will include John Russo's MIDNIGHT, Joel M. Reed's BLOODBATH, BLOOD RANCH, GONE THE WAY OF FLESH, BABERELLAS, and BOY MEETS GIRL.

What else have ya got going on a Sunday night? If ya don't give a crap about football and don't go to church, why not spend the night with me and listen and learn about some cool flicks that are pretty sick.

PRESS RELEASE: Someone's Knocking at the Door needs support!

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:06:00 +0000

For those of you who enjoyed the film Someone's Knocking at the Door, directed by Ched Ferrin, than you need to get on over to the link provided and vote at Dead Lantern!

Best Director, Chad Ferrin and Best Breasts, Silvia Spross!

http://deadlantern.com/vote/

If you liked Someone's Knocking, support Chad! And tell your friends! Spread the word. Chad Ferrin is the director of Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill!, the film that was the prize for the SHU-IZMZ DVD GIVEAWAY that just recently concluded and is very talented. Help support indie horror and vote!

Adult film sensation, TORI BLACK, to star in HALF MOON!

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:55:00 +0000

December 8, 2010 – Philadelphia, PA — Breaking Glass Pictures has announced that director Jason Toler’s supernatural horror film “Half Moon” will arrive on DVD March 1. The film features adult film sensation Tori Black as a hard-bitten prostitute whose latest trick turns out to be a werewolf in disguise.


Adult film star TORI BLACK

Rose is a down-on-her-luck prostitute who’s short on cash. When she hears of a mysterious client named Jacob who pays a large sum of money for one night in a hotel, she goes against her better judgment and takes the assignment. At the hotel, Jacob proves to be a strange client: he’s willing to pay up front, and is more interested in honest conversation than anything else. Then, just as Rose begins to feel at ease, she learns that Jacob is about to undergo a transformation by the light of the full moon – and she’s about find herself trapped in close quarters with a terrifying monster.

This taut and clever supernatural horror film breaks genre conventions by building realistic characters and erotic tension as it cranks up the suspense. Featuring Tori Black in a breakout role as Rose, Half Moon will sink its fangs into you and not let you go till its bloody, hair-raising climax.

DVD extras for “Half Moon” will include a behind-the-scenes featurette and commentary with director Jason Toler.

DVD CONTEST WINNER FOR DECEMBER!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 01:50:00 +0000

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for participating in the 1st DVD CONTEST GIVEAWAY. Although I did not have hundreds of entries, I did have a satisfying number of contestants to make it worthwhile for me to continue to run more dvd giveaways in the future and to connect more with my readers of SHU-IZMZ and listeners to the SHU-IZMZ RADIO SHOW.

The winner of this month's contest was ANNA McKIBBEN, an ardent supporter of SHU-IZMZ and a regular in the SHU-IZMZ RADIO chat room. She won the VICIOUS CIRCLE release of EASTER BUNNY, KILL! KILL! on dvd! In my opinion, she captured the essence of the contest and really gave me great pleasure in reading over her list of 20 films that either influenced, motivated, or brought a memorable or pungent aroma when viewed for the first time. There were a few other entries that were well done and made my decision that much more harder to pick a winner, but I finally was able to wholeheartedly choose Anna as the ultimate victor in the contest.

Here is her entry in the 1st (and not the last) SHU-IZMZ DVD GIVEAWAY which was made possible by BREAKING GLASS PICTURES and VICIOUS CIRCLE FILMS!

OK. Here is my list of 20 films that influenced/inspired/disturbed/

deeply affected me, in no particular order:..

1. The Exorcist - This was the film that inspired me to major in Film Studies in college, even though I am not using that degree in my current career. It is the perfect study in contrasts: scenes of extreme darkness are juxtaposed with scenes of extreme light, not just in the way the scenes are lit, but in tone as well. It remains my favorite film of all time.

2. Martyrs - This film completely stunned me, and while I don't want to watch it again, I DO want to watch it again to try and make some sense of it. There are so few films that have such beauty and such brutality so closely linked. Definitely not a film that I can recommend to many people, only because it dented my soul a little.

3. Last House on the Left (1972) - All I can say about LHOTL is that the first time I saw it, I cried. Not just tears falling, but heavy sobbing. Something about it must have affected me on a deeper level, and I've never been able to pinpoint what exactly moved me to have that kind of reaction.

4. Cannibal Holocaust - The first film I blind-bought on a self-dare. I heard it was intense and brutal, and FYE was going out of business so I bought it for 40% off just to see how brutal it was. While it certainly isn't the over-the-top gorefest I imagined, it did have a profound effect on me.

5. Brazil - Terry. Gilliam. Is. God.

6. Ghostbusters - The first film that I can clearly remember being frightened by. I couldn't walk past the refrigerator at night, because there was probably a demon dog in there. Now, it's pants-shittingly hilarious.

7. Umberto D. - The saddest film I have ever seen, from start to finish, but still the most uplifting and hopeful film I have ever seen. The ending, which I refuse to spoil for anyone, remains one of my favorite endings of all time.

8. Dead Man - Hands down, the best cinematography and soundtrack of all time. If it were any more stark, it would be painful to watch. Johnny Depp kills it, but the whole cast is ridiculous, especially Gary Farmer as Nobody.

9. Rope - Not even my favorite or the best Alfred Hitchcock film, but it is such a fun film to watch as an exercise in staging. The acting is often stiff and hammy, but as a technical exercise it's pretty innovative. Not to mention, the idea of serving dinner on someone's coffin is morbidly hilarious.

10. The Five Obstructions - Another film that is more of a technical exercise, but still deeply fascinating. Not quite a documentary and not quite a fiction piece, but rather Lars von Trier fucking around with his subject and ultimately with the audience. All film students should have to watch this.

11. John Carpenter's The Thing - If only all science fiction films were as quietly realistic as this one. This is the only ensemble cast that truly feels like an ensemble, but at the same time everyone is so isolated and withdrawn into their own worlds. This film was one of the first that really connected to my soul.

12. Close Encounters of the Third Kind - I wish Steven Spielberg would still make films like this. Nothing captures the sense of childlike awe as this film does. Every time I watch it, it feels like time travel.

Shu's favorite of Romero's zombie films!

13. Dawn of the Dead /Day of the Dead (tie) - Romero was never as good as he was with these films. And now, he can't make a good zombie film to save his life. But with Dawn and Day, he showed that the best zombie films are never about the zombies, but about the survivors. It's a shame that Joe Pilato never did anything as electric as his role in Day.

14. With a Friend Like Harry... - If Hitchcock were French and had a totally warped sense of humor, he would have made this film. Sergi Lopez (who later played Captain Vidal in Pan's Labyrinth) is so twisted but so human as the title character; he is absolutely believable as a total lunatic. This film terrified me as much as it made me laugh.

15. Big Trouble in Little China - Jack Burton is my spirit animal. That is all I have to say about that.

16. The Sting - A lot of people like Paul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but I prefer them in this film. The music, the costumes and the ending all blew me away, not to mention the awesome ensemble cast.

17. Harvey - A childhood favorite; I fell in love with Jimmy Stewart watching this. His character is so sweet and so sad without being pitiful. You'd love to buy him a drink and just be his friend.

18. Arsenic and Old Lace - Next to John Carpenter's Halloween and Trick 'r Treat, this is the definitive Halloween film for me. If you don't love the idea of murderous little old ladies, mentally defective brothers, and Cary Grant at his comedic best, you can go jump off a cliff.

19. Rabid Dogs/Kidnapped - This is the most hot and sweaty film I have ever seen, outside of porn. It feels like summer, trapped in a tiny car without air conditioning, or windows that roll down. The ending isn't too much of a shock for those who have seen enough M. Night Shyamalan movies to ruin every film with a twist, but it's still totally intriguing.

20. RoboCop - As much as I love Die Hard, this is the only action film out there. Everything else is just fodder. The sequels never came close to being as mind-blowingly awesome. Or quotable.

DVD GIVEAWAY UPDATE

noreply@blogger.com (SHUKAKKE) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:37:00 +0000

Hey folks, to those of you who have participated in the VICIOUS CIRCLE FILMS GIVEAWAY, I thank you. I am now going over submissions and will be deciding on a winner this week. The winner of the giveaway will have his/her entry published here at SHU-IZMZ. Due to financial issues here (lack of making ANY money through the website and the fact that my hours at work are being cut drastically and I am looking for new jobs), the winner will get their copy of EASTER BUNNY, KILL! KILL! once I have enough money to mail the damn thing! But fear not, I will be mailing out the dvd. In another few weeks, another contest will begin and I hope to DOUBLE the amount of entries the next time around.