tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19149030021308978022024-02-19T01:19:18.833-08:00The Charles Band CollectionBrief reviews of films from B-movie Master Charles Band <br>in the DVD collection of writer Steve Miller<br>(And occasional bits of news.)Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-47875854498350903232018-12-18T00:16:00.002-08:002018-12-18T00:16:49.309-08:00'Evil Bong 666' breathes new life into the series<b>Evil Bong 666 (2017)</b><br />
Starring: Mindy Robinson, Robin Sydney, Sonny Carl Davis, Michelle Mais, Jessica Morris, and The Don<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Rating: Five of Ten Stars<br />
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After the mysterious disapperance of the former owner, Eebee's Magical Weed Dispensary is purchased by the devil-worshiping goth chick Lucy Furr (Robinson). When she opens to Sexy Hell, Rabbit (Davis) and the Evil Bong (Mais) join in an uneasy alliance to stop her mellow-harshing schemes... and a new hero emerges. But will even his pot-powered might be enough to save the day?<br />
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"Evil Bong 666" is a sequel to <a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2018/09/evil-bong-high-5-is-low-quality-but.html">"Evil Bong High-5"</a> and it picks up the story roughly a year after the events of that movie. It marks the end to a cycle that started with <a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2018/07/gingerdead-man-vs-evil-bong.html">"Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong" </a>and starts a new one... and if future films continue the trend started here, we're in for some fun times.<br />
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There are several things that the folks at Full Moon did right with this one. First of all, this is a complete movie, with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Sure, it doesn't stand completely alone--viewers who watch this without having seen, at the very least, "Evil Bong High-5" won't get all the references and jokes--but at least some effort was made to provide a well-structured script. Secondly, by replacing Larnell and/or Rabbit as the shop owner, they gave the series a new tone and an all-new life. Lucy Furr is hilarously short of patience with the drug-addled morons who come into her shop and her exaperation is a lot of fun to watch. Thirdly, Full Moon cut back on the pointless cross-overs with other properties that were only there to sell merchandice. There is product placement in the film, but it's more subtle than in previous entries (well, with one notable exception, but it's incorporated nicely into the film so it's at least not obnoxious), and the one major cross-over is part of a running gag in the film.<br />
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Speaking of that cross-over, it marks the return of Luanne (played by Robin Sydney) to the Evil Bong Series. She was last seen as the replacement for Batty Boop on Killjoy's Psycho Circus TV show (in <a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2016/12/killjoys-back-and-hes-brought-funny.html">"Killjoy's Psycho Circus"</a>), a gig she was fired from when the real Batty returned, and she keeps up the Batty routine in this film. Mostly. There are fourth-wall-breaking references to both Mindy Robinson and Robin Sydney having played other characters in the Evil Bong films, to which the actresses react rather than the characters, and these "continuity gaffs" are very amusing.<br />
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What's also amusing is the dialogue. This is the wittiest script since the original <a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2010/05/the-evil-bong-double-feature-more.html">"Evil Bong"</a>, with virtually every joke working and every zinger that Lucy Furr fires off in reaction to another character being stupid stricking home with malicious hilarity. Mindy Robinson, who has just sort of been present in the past few "Evil Bong" pictures gets to show off her knack for comedy in this one, and I hope she'll have similar opportunities in future films.<br />
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On the downside, I was disappointed that the Frankenstein spoof that was such a major part of the preview I saw is actually a minor part of the overall film. It's a high point of the movie, and I wish more of it had been this spot-on and well put together. Further, as funny a concept as Sexy Hell was, the concept was crippled by the film's low budget. Most of the effects dollars appear to have gone into the film's three creatures (Gingerdead Man, Evil Bong, and a new character that's added in the third act), so there wasn't much left to bring Sexy Hell to life--as was done with the animated scenery for Bongworld. Instead, we see the actors performing on a cramped green screen set without even animated "long shots" to provide even the slightest illusion of there being something beyond that little corner. This goes great damage to the whole concept... but maybe it will undergo a fix similar to what Bongworld received.<br />
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In the final analysis, this film was more of a joy than a chore to watch. I am looking forward to finding time to watch the final entry (so far) in the series, hoping the upward quality curve will continue!<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-79966353185461314192018-09-14T07:40:00.003-07:002018-09-25T20:22:52.245-07:00'Evil Bong: High-5' is low quality (but an improvement over the last entry)<strong>Evil Bong: High-5 (2016)</strong><br />
Starring: John Patrick Jordan, Sonny Carl Davis, Mindy Robinson, Bob Ramos, Chance A. Rearden, Rorie Moon, Amy Paffrath, Robin Sydney, and Raylin Joy<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Producers: Charles Band and Nakai Nelson<br />
Rating: Three of Ten Stars<br />
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Rabbit (Davis), Larnell (Jordan), and the Gingerdead Man (Ramos) are forced by the Evil Bong to market her magical weed as part of her latest scheme for world domination. They must sell one million dollars worth in one month, or Sarah (Sydney) and Velicty (Paffrath) will suffer terrible fates in the Bong World. The task seems impossible... until old friends reappear and offer their assistance.<br />
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"Evil Bong: High-5" is a direct continuation of "Evil Bong 420" which ended with our "heroes" being drawn back into the Bong World after smoking magic weed that Rabbit had absconded with. The film also continues the format of the previous two films in the series in that it is basically a string of loosely connected skits where proprietors of a business (pot shop, bakery, bowling alley... whatever) interact with the weird and/or unpleasant characters that enter into their shop. <br />
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While I am weary of this format, it found it less annoying than I did last time out because there was less of a sense of filler this time. Each vignette either advanced the plot, provided character development, or was just outright funny. Yes--for the first time in a while, this is an Evil Bong movie that is funnier than it is boring. It felt like some actual effort went into writing the script, from the sharper dialogue through the obvious self-mockery of how blatant Charles Band has gotten about marketing novelty items and toys through product placement in his film. (The gag related to this wore a bit thin by the end, but it didn't outstay its welcome.)<br />
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I particularly appreciated that some thought went into providing a little development of the main characters in this film, with the way that Gingerdead Man was handled being especially well done. I also liked the bits involving Rabbit and his new power of Emptyhead--he's so drug-addled and his mind so devoid of reason that he can tap into a universal genius when he clears what little is in there. Once again, Sonny Carl Davis gets to be the most interesting part of an Evil Bong movie, even if John Patrick Jordan gets more screen-time.<br />
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Speaking of John Patrick Jordan, even though his character Larnell has more meat to it than it's perhaps ever had, Jordan gives the weakest performance he's given so far in the series. He's always tended toward being flat in this delivery, but he feels so detached in this outing that he becomes a dead spot in several scenes, becoming a drag rather than just a straight-man around which craziness unfolds. He even only gets to do his "eeep!' reaction--the one thing he did previously that was funny--once in the film.<br />
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Jordan's lackluster performance is one reason I ended up giving "Evil Bong: High-5" a Three Star-rating. Another factor was, for all the improvements in the script, the writer (and director for that matter) failed in one important area. Larnell and Rabbit are racing against the clock to save the girls who are still trapped in the Bong World, but there is never any sense that time is passing. While a month passes over the course of the movie, it feels more like a just a few days. I think even resorting to an old timey technique of showing pages falling off an calendar while transitioning between scenes would have gone a long way to heightening the tension in the film.<br />
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In the final analysis, I can't say "Evil Bong: High-5" is a good movie, but it is better than the previous two entries in the series. It features another non-ending and a promise that the story continues in yet another sequel ("Evil Bong 666"), but because this film actually had some story content and character development, I wasn't angered this time out. God help me, but I'm actually curious to see how Larnell and Gingerdead Man will get out of the situation they've been placed in following Rabbit's discovery of the Ultimate Level of Emptyhead.<br />
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Is this the beginning of the alleged improvement of the "Evil Bong" series? Here's hoping it is!<br />
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<br />Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-37188012717781908742018-08-26T23:58:00.001-07:002018-08-27T00:01:13.829-07:00The sequel to three Full Moon classics is a disappointment<strong>Dollman vs. Demonic Toys (1993)</strong><br />
Starring: Tim Thomerson, Tracy Scoggins, Melissa Behr, Phil Fondacaro, and Phil Brock<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Producers: Charles Band and Keith Payson<br />
Rating: Three of Ten Stars<br />
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When the demonic toys once more menace the Earth, disgraced police detective Judith Grey (Scoggins) recruits under-sized alien cop Brick Bardo (Thomerson) and the human victim of an alien shrink ray (Behr) to help her stop them once and for all.<br />
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"Dollman vs. Demonic Toys" is a film I've looked forward to watching for a long time. Seeing that it's a sequel to not one, not two, but <em>three</em> of the best films Charles Band has produced--<a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2010/03/dollman-13-inches-with-attitude.html">"Dollman"</a>, <a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2010/02/playtime-has-begun-for-demonic-toys.html">"Demonic Toys"</a>, and <a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2009/11/aliens-just-wanna-rock-all-night-and.html">"Bad Channels"</a> -- how could it not be great?<br />
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As it turned out that it isn't great. It's not even good.<br />
The biggest problem isn't that about 15 minutes worth of stock footage that recaps the three movies this is a sequel to, because, while the recap was full of extraneous information, some of the recap was useful, because Band ret-cons who was left shruken by the aliens at the end of "Bad Channels" possibly because it would be inappropriate in the extreme for Bardo to bed a high school cheerleader. The biggest problem isn't even the horrible rear-projection special effects that are used to make Bardo and Grey share the screen. Hell, the fact that two subplots are introduced in the first act of the film that then completely dropped isn't even the biggest problem the film has. No, the biggest problem is that for roughly half of its running time, it's mind-numbling, teeth-achingly boring. Worse, it runs barely over an hour (including the typical drawn-out Full Moon credit sequences) and the first 30-45 minutes or so feel padded. Even worse, the character of Judith Grey is all but wasted here.<br />
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Yes... the sequel to three of the best, funnest, and most action-packed films from Full Moon is an almost total dog. <br />
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I say "almost" because if you suffer through the first half, things begin to pick up. Once the fight between Bardo and the Demonic Toys get going, we finally get material that is fit to follow in the way of the great movies that "Dollman vs. Demonic Toys" sprang from. During the final 20 minutes or so, we get the sort of action we should have been seing from the beginning, even if the special effects and doll animations are among the worst of any Full Moon movie. (Band smart to use actors in costumes for many shots, especially when the dolls fight we Bardo, because every shot where the toys are toys is pathetic in its execution.)<br />
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The Three Stars I am giving this film are entirely for the last 20 or so minutes, with a Star being knocked off for dropped subplots. This is not a film to go out of your way for unless your a fanatical completionist. If you are craving more Demonic Toy action, you're better off checking out <a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2009/12/nothing-says-christmas-like-demons.html">"Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys"</a> (a film I apparently like far more than most other reviewers) or <a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2010/03/demonic-toys-2-shows-playtime-may-be.html">"Demonic Toys 2"</a> (which, although it's not evident in the title, is as much a sequel to <a href="http://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2009/11/band-is-at-his-best-in-hideous.html">"Hideous"</a> as it is to "Demonic Toys).<br />
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It is interesting to me that "Demonic Toys" has never had a sequel that hasn't been a crossover with some other Full Moon property. I wonder why that is? The original film had lots of sequel potential, I feel, especially if a film were to be made about Judith Grey's son.Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-78634440948184912002018-08-04T00:50:00.001-07:002018-08-04T01:36:24.916-07:00'Evil Bong 420': A Bad Trip!<strong>Evil Bong 420 (2015)</strong><br />
Starring: Sonny Carl Davis, Chance A. Reardon, Mindy Robinson, Robin Sydney, John Patrick Jordan, and Amy Paffrath<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Producers: Charles Band and Nakai Nelson<br />
Rating: Two of Ten Stars<br />
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Rabbit (Davis) returns to Earth from the Bong World and opens a bowling alley where customers may bowl topless in between smoking bowls. On the night of the grand opening, the bowling alley is flooded with assorted weirdos and stoners, and it looks like Rabbit's dream of being a successful business owner while spreading joy and happiness is coming true. Then Gingerdead Man and the Evil Bong decide to crash the party...<br />
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I once declared <a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2009/11/bottom-of-band-barrel.html">"The Killer Eye"</a> as the worst movie Charles Band has ever inflicted upon the world. It still holds that distinction, but "Evil Bong 420" comes close to matching it in awfulness. Everything that was wrong with "The Killer Eye" can be found here with the dearth of actual story content being prime among them, and bad performances from usually reliable actors being a close second. <br />
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The majority of "Evil Bong 420" consists of barely connected skits involving Rabbit talking to customers, employees, or bowlers behaving badly; or the Evil Bong and Gingerdead Man exchanging weak insults in the Bong World. Scenes that involve actual plot or character development (yeah, I know... what I am doing, expecting character development in an "Evil Bong" flick; well, character is king even in movies like this!) comprise maybe 12-15 minutes of the film's run-time while the rest if taken up with the aforementioned skits. This is similar to the format in "Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong", so it's not entirely unexpected, but at least there was a little more coherent story in that one, as well as something approximating and ending. With this film, the only decent actor who really has a chance to do anything with the part is Sonny Carl Davis (who has more screen time as Rabbit in this film than perhaps ever before)... while Chance A. Reardon gets almost as much time and stinks up the screen as Hambo in a pointless and timewasting <a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2018/03/oooga-booga-is-poorly-made-satire.html">"Ooga Booga"</a> crossover.<br />
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To add injury to insult, after mostly spinning its wheels in place for an hour, the movie stops just when it seemed like it was finally getting started. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know how much that bothers me when a movie does that, and how often Band engages in this bit of bad storytelling. In the case of "Evil Bong 420" it really is insulting to the audience, because most of the running time was wasted on garbage scenes.<br />
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I almost gave "Evil Bong 420" a One Star-rating--which should surprise no-one given the nonstop negativity of this review--but I liked Rabbit so much here that I settled on a perhaps-too-generous Two Stars. The gags surrounding his invention--the Weedblower--cinched the rating, as they not only helped advance the plot, but they were actually funny.<br />
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I am told this is the lowpoint for the "Evil Bong" series. God, I hope so, because I've got three more in my "unwatched" stack...
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By the way, if you've ever wondered if a gingerbread man animated through black magic and the soul of a psychopath can ejaculate, you will find the answer in this film. You can take this is a selling-point or a warning to stay away.</div>
Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-75516396669286551502018-07-22T13:14:00.000-07:002018-08-07T21:45:26.508-07:00'Axis Termination' is Quality Puppet Master!<b>Puppet Master: Axis Termination (2017)</b><br />
Starring: Paul Logan, Tonya Kay, Kevin Allen Scott, George Appleby, Tania Fox, Alynxia America, and Lilou Vos<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Producers: Charles Band and Dale Cooper<br />
Rating Six of Ten Stars<br />
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As a pair of Nazi mystics (Kay and Scott) and their band of psychopaths are on the verge of unlocking ancient secrets that will allow them to create unstoppable super-soldiers, an elite force of psychics in the employ of the United States Army (America, Appleby, and Fox), together with their new liaison officer (Logan), launch a desperate attempt to stop them once and for all. Meanwhile, Toulon's puppets sqaure off against their Nazi-animated counterparts.<br />
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The first two entries in the three films that have made up the latest reboot of the "Puppet Master" series were disappointments. But, since I remain ever-hopeful that Charles Band will give me another "The Creeps" or "Blood Dolls", I keep coming back for more. (Also, there's usually JUST enough in whatever film I've most recently been regretting to give me hope for the next one.)<br />
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When the film opened with a clumsy and perfunctory elimination of the main characters from the first two movies, I feared I was in for more of the same disjointed story-telling that helped drag those previous films down. Those fears became greater as those were followed by a pair of talkie, over-long scenes that swept aside much of what the two previous films had been about.<br />
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But THEN the film got going in earnest, and I realized that the restaging and the introduction of an entirely new set of characters and a new plot direction in this third and final part of what had been described as a "trilogy" was all about picking up some of the plot threads from one of my favorite Puppet Master films--"Retro Puppet Master"! While the film still dragged a little here and there, and the acting left a little to be desired at points, the return of the full-tilt mysticism and expansion upon the Eldritch Horror Roots of the puppets more than made up for this.<br />
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The film even featured honest-to-god Puppet Masters, which the previous two didn't really, and the Nazi Mystics vs. Allied Mystics also helped the film a great deal. The puppets were also better animated than they've been for a long, long time, something which made up for the fact that Blade's design didn't match what had been present in the past two movies. (I have seen some comment they were disappointed that some of the puppet "animation" was done using actors in costume against a green screen. It didn't bother me at all, but then I've been watching Band productions for 30 years now so I've seen far worse.)<br />
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Another minor plus is they even got the hairstyles on the female characters right for the period in which the film was set. It's not that I'm a fashion expert... I just watch a lot of movies from the period the last few Puppet Master films have been set in, so little things like that stick out to me. <a href="https://moviesinbw.blogspot.com/">Check out my Shades of Gray blog for reviews of black-and-white movies and more</a>!<br />
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While the acting was generally not anything to cheer about, George Appleby and Tonya Kay gave nice performances as the lead good and evil mystics respectively. The characters had history, and while it's not fully explained in the film, he was felt in the performance and it made the characters more real. Kevin Allen Scott and Lilou Vos were also scary as the lead Nazi psychopaths... with Scott being particularly impressive, even with his magical powers being expressed through supremely cheesy digital effects.<br />
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While "Puppet Master: Axis Termination" is far from a perfect movie, it ended this go-around with the killer puppets and dolls on a high note. I, once again, find myself encouraged by what I perceive as a general upward trend in the overall quality of Band's productions. Maybe we've hit rock bottom, and it will only get better from here.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-46187388394440621892018-07-19T09:00:00.001-07:002018-08-04T01:38:44.381-07:00'Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong': A Bad Trip?<b>Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong (2013)</b><br />
Starring: John Patrick Jordan, Robin Sydney, Sonny Carl Davis, The Don, and Michelle Mais<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Producers: Charles Band and Nakai Nelson<br />
Rating: Three of Ten Stars<br />
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When Larnell (Jordan) and Sarah Leigh (Sydney) happen to open a pot shop and a bakery within walking distance of each other, their dark pasts--his involving an evil, sentient bong; and hers a homicidal, enchanted cookie--collide with lethally moronic results.<br />
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As the title makes clear, this film crosses Full Moon's Gingerdead Man series (slasher movie spoofs) and Evil Bong series (stoner comedies). I sat down to watch the film with high hopes but low expectations, as Charles Band has disappointed me more in recent years than not. Sadly, my hopes were yet again dashed.<br />
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"Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong" features a script that gives us less or a story and more a string of loosely strung together jokes and puns--few of which are funny; and which has weak dialogue being delivered by actors who for the most seem to be struggling to bring their characters to life. To add insult to the injury already done, the film feels padded because of an overlong recap of every single high point of the three "Evil Bong" pictures that preceded this one, even though most of that was completely unnecessary back story for this picture, that because there are some exchanges among characters that are redundant to ones the audience sat through moments before.<br />
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The worst part, however, is that the implied clash between Full Moon's weirdest characters is little more than an exchange of insults. Even after he goes to Bong World, Millard the Gingerdead Man doesn't do anything that's a threat to Eebee the Evil Bong in any way. Even the non-ending ending of this film (which annoyed me here as it has on so many other Band productions) didn't even feel like it was teasing an interesting sequel where the fight promised by the premise would occur.<br />
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The film is not without good points, however. Sonny Carl Davis is even funnier as Rabbit than he's been in previous films (and he's traded in the priest collar he was wearing when last seen for a name-tag and a briefcase and a job as a traveling salesman of Evil Bong-branded merchandise), and the scene where Luann (from the first couple "Evil Bong" films) and Sarah Leigh (from "Gingerdead Man") meet each other is lots of fun. Both characters were played by Robin Sydney, and she gets to trade insults with herself while playing both characters appear on screen via the magic of trick photography. Also, John Patrick Jordan has perfected his startled Larnell "eep!" and delivers it with such comedic timing that he delivers some of the films best laughs. Finally, more effort is also put into animated the film's titular creatures than in previous sequels, even if the Gingerdead Man looks like a hand-puppet in a couple of scenes.<br />
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So is "Gingerdead Man vs. Evil Bong" worth your time? If you're a fan of the loose structure and sophomoric humor that was the hallmark of the "Evil Bong" pictures so far, yes. If you're a fan of the slasher spoofs and sophomoric humor of the "Gingerdead Man" pictures, probably not. Despite the fact that I get the distinct sense that Sarah Leigh will be stepping into Luann's shoes in future installments of this series (which I will be watching and reviewing in this space), the Gingerdead Man franchise is the loser here as it gets absorbed into the Bong World.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-684372773946207802018-07-08T23:54:00.002-07:002018-08-04T01:38:44.418-07:00'Axis Rising' was a disappointment<strong>Puppet Master X: Axis Rising (2012)</strong><br />
Starring: Kip Canyon, Jean Louise O'Sullivan, Oto Brezina, Scott King, Stephanie Sanditz, and Brad Potts<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Producers: Charles Band, <br />
Rating: Three of Ten Stars<br />
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Two all-American kids, Beth and Danny (Canyon and O'Sullivan), and everyone's favorite homicidal dolls must stop Nazis (King and Sanditz) and their captive scientist (Brezina) from using Toulon's magic serum to create an army of super-soldiers.<br />
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Puppet Master X: Axis Rising" is a direct continuation of <a href="http://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2010/08/puppet-master-axis-of-evil-offers.html">"Puppet Master: Axis of Evil"</a> and it was yet another decline for Charles Band as a director and story-teller. The story is chaotic, the characters do things that make no sense except they have do or the plot stalls (this is especially true of Stephanie Sanditz big-boobed, sexy Nazi sadist), and there is literally not a single scene in the film that doesn't end up dragging because Band lets it go on too long.<br />
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I THINK Band and his screen writer were attempting to make this movie feel like something that might have been made in the 1940s, with its pure-hearted heroes and utterly depraved and evil villains. This doesn't work because very little of the dialogue is snappy enough and the heroes so bland, and made more-so by the weak performances from Kip Canyon and Jean Louise O'Sullivan. Of course, these characters were so bland to begin with that I didn't even realize the roles had been recast until I sat down to write this review. That might have been to the credit of the casting director... if the new Danny and Beth hadn't been so lame.<br />
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As uninteresting and bland as the heroes were in this film, the Nazi villains were all lots of fun, with Scott King, as Commandant Moebius, and Stephanie Sanditz, as his lieutenant and lover Uschi, giving performances that were so over the top that I'm surprised their scenery-chewing didn't leave teeth marks in my television set. These actors and characters, along with the pathetic scientist played by Oto Brezina, go a long way to making the tough slog that this film is bearable and give it the somewhat strong finish that it has.<br />
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Aside from King and Sanditz, the only good thing I can say about "Puppet Master X" is that Band didn't leave us with yet more unresolved Puppet Master story threads (as happened with <a href="http://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2010/02/puppet-master-iii-is-one-of-series-best.html">"Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge"</a>) or an unfinished reboot/prequel storyline (as happened with "<a href="https://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2010/10/retro-puppet-master-fouled-by-sequel.html">Retro Puppet Master</a>"). This film delivered on MOST of the implied promise made with the non-ending ending in "Puppet Master: Axis of Evil". I further appreciated the fact that it picked up on the mysticism thread that was introduced in "Retro Puppet Master". If the story-flow had been more finely crafted, I think I may have been more forgiving of the weak acting on the part of O'Sullivan and Canyon because of the effective callbacks to previous films in the series.<br />
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By now, I'm sure you've noticed that I've not talked about the killer puppets. That's because, while they are present, they don't do much and when they do, it's generally uninteresting. The animation/puppetry is a little better than it has been in recent installments, but overall they are mostly here just because they have to be. This includes the new Nazi puppet additions as well, with one notable exception and another that appears to have promise but ends up being lame in the end because of bad writing. (I can't go into exact details here without spoiling things.)<br />
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Over all, "Puppet Master X: Axis Rising" is a disappointment. If only Band had emulated B-movies like the best of Monogram Pictures instead of the worst of Producer's Releasing Corporation.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-76498309502851953122018-03-11T17:44:00.002-07:002018-08-04T01:30:14.327-07:00'Ooga Booga' is a poorly made satire<strong>Ooga Booga (2013)</strong><br />
Starring: Ciarra Carter, Chance A. Reardon, Gregory Neibel, Wade F. Wilson, Karen Black, and Stacey Keach<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Producers: Charles Band, Danny Dravin, and Edward Payson<br />
Rating: Three of Ten Stars<br />
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After a clean-cut young black man (Wilson) is murdered by racist cops, his vengful spirit animates an action figure named Ooga Booga. With the help of his girlfriend (Carter) and a has-been kids show host best friend (Reardon), he metes out gory justice on his killers and those who protected them.<br />
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If you're one of that strange breed of 21st Century Humans who are walking around looking for a reason to be offended and outraged, this is a movie you need to stay far, far away from: The simplistic satire will be completely lost on you, and the racist and sexist content will cause you to have a stroke. <br />
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Even if you aren't one of the Perpetually Offended Tribe, "Ooga Booga" might be a film you should stay away from. While the aforementioned attempt at satire in this film--of 1970s exploitation films, of the modern "all cops are racist!" tropes, and Band's own affection for Killer Toys and the merchandizing tie-ins in can make--are appreciated, they are so clumsily implimented that they are almost insulting to the intelligence of viewers. There's the further issue that most of the comedic elements and jokes in the film are mostly unfunny.<br />
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There are some things to recommend the film, however. Chance Reirdon is quite funny as the over-the-top offensive kids show clown, and Ciarra Carter is featured in what has to be the weirdest shower scene in movie history. Karen Black is entertaining is one of her last roles before she passed away, but her scenes and character seem like they almost belong in a different movie. Finally, Stacy Keach is amusing as the cartoonish racist judge... but not amusing enough to earn "Oooga Booga" more than a Three Rating.<br />
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By the way, as weak as this film is, Richard Band was up to his usual high standards with the theme he composed for it. It perfectly captures the mood of the film while giving us a very interesting piece of music. Listen for yourself, if you haven't already!</center>
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-76932365192425083102017-03-04T13:20:00.000-08:002018-07-19T08:09:50.434-07:00'Murdercycle' is a ride for kiddies<strong>Murdercycle (1999)</strong><br />
Starring: Charles Wesley, Cassandra Ellis, Michael Vachetti and Robert Staccardo <br />
Director: Tom Callaway<br />
Producers: Charles Band, Kirk Edward Hansen, Donald Kushner and Peter Locke<br />
Rating: Four of Ten Stars<br />
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A psychic spy (Ellis) and a Marine squad battle an alien invader shaped like a motorcycle and rider in an isolated CIA secret base. Meanwhile, a CIA agent (Vachetti) is trying to conceal the real reason for the alien attack.<br />
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"Murdercycle" is the sort of movie that a 12-year-old boy would get a kick out of--lots of gun play, a little bit of blood, a little bit of strong language, and an alien motorcycle that can turn invisible and that blows the crap out of everything it comes across with laser beams and missiles. <br />
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But, for anyone who is a little older, the film is too aimless and too empty of content to be worth your while. And for anyone who is a LOT older, and who happens to have been a fan of Marvel Comics during the 1960s and 1970s, the film is downright annoying because of the way the characters are named.<br />
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Every character in the film is named after a top comic book creator, with the two lead characters being named Kirby and Lee after the creators of the Fantastic Four. The oh-so-clever writers make sure that we don't miss this fact by making repeated references to the Fantstic Four comic book series. And then they proceed to use the names at every possible opportunity just to make sure we all get the gag. It's a gag that becomes very, very labored well before this 90-minute picture is over.<br />
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Unless you have some young kid you want to watch a sci-fi/action film with, or you're running a Full Moon-oriented blog like me, this is a movie you can skip.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-14796334555322011492016-12-23T00:21:00.000-08:002018-08-04T01:38:44.310-07:00'Parasite Dolls' in an underdeveloped disappointment<b>Dangerous Worry Dolls (aka "Parasite Dolls") (2008)</b><br />
Starring: Jessica Morris, Cheri Themer, Dilio Nunez, Deb Snyder, and Meridith McClain<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Producers: Charles Band, Joe Megna, and Dana Harrloe<br />
Rating: Three of Ten Stars<br />
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When incarceration in a women's prison ruled by a corrupt warden (Snyder) and a violent gangleader (McClain) becomes unbearable for Eva (Morris), she wishes her troubles onto a set of "worry dolls" that her daughter gave her while visiting. The dolls, however, are more than just vessels for wishful thinking, and they swiftly begin to eliminate all of Eva's troubles.<br />
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Like so many Full Moon movies, "Dangerous Worry Dolls" is brimming with potenial and overflowing with promise... potential and promise that for the most part remains unrealized. Quite honestly, it feels like they used a partially fleshed-out outline as their shooting script and even then didn't bother completing all the scenes.<br />
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We are introduced relatively well to Eva, the main character, but no other character gets even the slightest bit of development; everyone is a cookie cutter "women in prison" stock character--and even Eva's character is paper thin in the depth department. Worse, however, is the fact that only one of the worry dolls in Eva's box gets to do anything in the film. Why only that one is magical is never explained... although one gets the feeling that they were ALL supposed to be magical if the film had been compelte.<br />
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With the overlong opening and end credits are removed, the movie barely runs more than hour... and what happens in that hour feels incomplete and there are a number of severe continuity issues, such as a confrontation that was supposed to happen at 10:30pm ends up taking place after an event that was supposed to happen at Midnight. There's also an issue with Jessica Morris' make-up once she becomes possessed by the worry dolls and goes on a rampage; the discoloration on her skin that can be seen in the still above comes and goes for no real reason other than maybe scenes are not in the order they were originally supposed to be according to what passed for the script.<br />
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The only bright spot here is Jessica Morris, and possibly Dilio Nunez. Morris gives a decent performance all around, considering what she has to work with, and Nunez does some nice foreshadowing of the "big reveal" regarding his character's secret. None of the other cast members give bad performances, but they aren't especially good either. Then again. one has to excuse them to some degree, because they are spitting out some of the most cliched dialogue imaginable while portraying characters that are woefully underdeveloped.<br />
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"Dangerous Worry Dolls" is only for people who absolutely must see every single movie in the "women in prison" subgenre of trashy films, and for those who enjoy that off-kilter, undefinable quality present in almost all of Charles Band's films--even the ones that feel as unfinished as this one. It's not his worst effort, but it is far, far from his best.<br />
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aSteve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-69642954913653957592016-12-14T21:13:00.001-08:002018-07-22T21:02:34.782-07:00Killjoy's back... and he's brought the funny!<b>Killjoy's Psycho Circus (2016)</b><br />
Starring: Trent Haaga, Victoria De Mare, Robin Sydney, Al Burke, Tai Chan Ngo, Victoria Levine, Stephen F. Cardwell, Lauren Nash, and Tim Chizmar<br />
Director: John Lechago<br />
Producers: Charles Band and John Lechago<br />
Rating: Six of Ten Stars<br />
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After escaping from Hell, the demonic clown Killjoy (Haaga) and his fellow clown demons Batty Boop (De Mare), Punchy (Burke), and Freakshow (Ngo) have been keeping themselves busy as hosts of a late-night variety show called Psycho Circus. But life on Earth is proving tougher than expected, as the pressures of running a business starts to tear the group apart... and things go from bad to worse when the arch-demon they humiliated by escaping his grasp (Cardwell) comes to drag them back to the Netherworld.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Principles of Psycho Circus: Killjoy (Trent Haaga, bottom left),<br /> Samantha (Victoria Levine, bottom right), Punchy (Al Burke, top left) and Freakshow (Tai Chan Ngo)</i></td></tr>
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"Killjoy's Psycho Circus" brings back not only the majority of the stars from the last entry in this long-running Full Moon series, but writer/director John Lechago is once again at the helm. As with the previous two films in the series, Lechago and his cast take viewers on a wild four-color ride of insanity and hilarity. There's very little left of the Killjoy's horror roots here--except for the macabre deaths he visited upon the guests who appear on his show--but in its place is a steady stream of foul-mouthed humor and biting satire directed at the entertainment industry at large and Full Moon's own products in particular. There's a solid belly laugh every few minutes, and long-time Full Moon fans will be smiling throughout the picture.<br />
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Once again, Trent Haaga is spectacular as Killjoy, and he's hilarious playing a caricature of himself as a guest on Killjoy's TV show. Victoria De Mare is once again lots of fun as Batty Boop, even if her role is somewhat reduced... but it's not a bad thing as Full Moon mainstay Robin Sidney turns in an excellent "fake" Batty for the initial parts of the film. This "recasting" is one of many commentaries on the film and TV business scattered throughout this entry and it's one of the best. When the "fake" Batty first appeared, I was a little annoy by the obvious body suit that had replaced the body paint, but once it became clear was was going on, I loved every bit relating to the "replacement" that followed.<br />
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I also loved the references to other Full Moon properties, even to the Killjoy series itself as merchandizing vehicles. Lechago dealt with the ever-present element of product placement in recent Full Moon productons in blatant and hilarious ways (while still fulfilling what I assume were actual product-placement deals with companies outside Band's operation), and what would probably have had me rolling my eyes in annoyance instead had me wiping away tears of laughter.<br />
Another strong point of this film is that the Hell and demons centered in a world of pulp-magazine style sci-fi that was introduced in "Killjoy Goes to Hell", in place of the usual mysticism and fire-and-brimstone, continues here and is ratcheted up even further, as the film's climax unfolds in space, with Killjoy and his clowns serving as the crew on their own rocket ship. It's crazy, and it works beautifully, especially the way it sets up future sequels that can either bring the series back to its horror roots, or spin it even further off into psuedo-sci-fi tomfoolery.<br />
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The only complaints I have with "Killjoy's Psycho Circus" is that some characters and their stories are left dangling at the end of the movie. I would have liked to have seen a wrap-up of some sort involving Killjoy's agent and business manager (played by Victoria Levine), not to mention a real pay-off for the running gag of her insisting that Killjoy needed to start selling ice cream on the show. I also wanted to see a better resolution to the "fake" Batty storyline, other than the confirmation that Sidney was playing her "Evil Bong" character playing Batty Boop. A publicity still for the film seemed to indicate that there would be the sort of resolution I would expect the real Batty Boop to visit upon an imposter, but such a scene is not in the film. (There is a confrontation, but it's a disappointingly mild one.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ygNAuf5uQG0/WFIgnbqG_kI/AAAAAAAAQ00/e8tOQdfGRkAh_U_yzjW94LYWdjzZNtSoQCLcB/s1600/killjoy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ygNAuf5uQG0/WFIgnbqG_kI/AAAAAAAAQ00/e8tOQdfGRkAh_U_yzjW94LYWdjzZNtSoQCLcB/s400/killjoy2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Real and Fake Batty Boops! (Victoria De Mare, left, and Robin Sydney)</i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbSoOvk2Kcs/WFIhOFI6M8I/AAAAAAAAQ1A/LuiW3VUXX8k4EUrgq7wYd1Ngvlj03Td3ACEw/s1600/killjoy4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbSoOvk2Kcs/WFIhOFI6M8I/AAAAAAAAQ1A/LuiW3VUXX8k4EUrgq7wYd1Ngvlj03Td3ACEw/s400/killjoy4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This scene does not appear in the film, but should! (Sydney, left, and De Mare)</i></td></tr>
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In the final analysis, Killjoy's Psycho Circus isn't quite as good as "Killjoy Goes to Hell", but anyone who's enjoyed the previous Lechago-helmed entries in the series will still get a huge kick out of it and should consider it a must-watch release from Full Moon.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-23980772116280571922016-11-11T00:45:00.000-08:002018-07-19T13:11:30.059-07:00Fondacaro is the best thing in 'Sideshow'<b>Sideshow (2000)</b><br />
Starring: Phil Fondacaro, Jamie Martz, Michael Amos, Jessica Keenan, Scott Clark, Jeana Blackman, and Brinke Stevens<br />
Director: Fred Olen Ray<br />
Producers: Charles Band and Gary Schmoeller<br />
Rating: Five of Ten Stars<br />
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When a group of teenagers insult the evil master of a travel sideshow (Fondacaro), he turns the force of his magical carnival upon them.<br />
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It's hard to go wrong with a creepy carnival/cursed freak show movie. All it requires are a cast of unpleasant "heroes" to serve as victims, neat costumes for sufficient gross circus freaks, and a charismatic and scary ring master to draw the elements together and deliver thrills and chills to a willing audience.<br />
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And Full Moon and Fred Olen Ray almost pull it off, producing a better movie than I would have expected based on the obscurity of "Sideshow" and the bringing together of the rapidly declining production capacities of Charles Band and a director whose output, up to that point, amounted to little more than a steaming pile of crap. In fact, this film marked a turning point for Ray, as his output seems to be slightly better in the 2000s than it was in the 1990s. OF course, it was also the final angle in a turning point for Band, as he was launched into a downward trajectory as fas as quality goes that continues to this day.<br />
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But with "Sideshow", director Olen and producer Band deliver most of what Full Moon fans have come to expect, as well as dread.<br />
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The cast of heroes/victims of the evil sideshow are an assortment of teenaged stereotypes, although only two of them are exactly what you'd expect. There's the over-sexed bully, who in less than ten minutes into the film is established as a misogynistic asshole who likes to pick on anyone and everything that isn't exactly like him, and there's the somewhat frumpy girl with the self-esteem problem that the popular and beautiful girl keeps around to make herself look more beautiful. The remaining three teens are just as one-dimensional, but they are slightly different spins on the characters we expect to find in this sort of film, so they bring a small degree of freshness to the proceedings. The two likely heroes--a pair of brothers who seem to be a little smarter than the other characters--turn out to be too flawed to fill those roles; one is too cowardly and the other turns out to be a spiritual weakling that's as easy prey for the carnival master as his friends. And the gorgeous popular girl, whom we expect to be slutty, is instead so in love with herself that she won't allow any dirty boys to lay a hand on her and taint her perfection. These are nice twists, and I think these characters could have been even more interesting, even if the script remained as relatively thin as it is, if they had been brought more fully to life by actors with talent beyond merely looking good and who perhaps were closer in age to the characters they're supposed to be playing. As with so many other Full Moon productions, we have actors in their mid to late twenties trying to pass for high school students and failing. <br />
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One thing that is done absolutely correctly here is that the film gets underway immediately and never breaks the forward momentum until the final frame. While I might have liked a little more development of some of the characters, I can also appreciate the fact that the film stayed focused and that no attempt was made to make it anything but a fast-moving B-picture about carnival freaks and obnoxious kids who get "what's they deserve." <br />
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On the unquestionable plus-side is the fact that the film's story gets underway immediately and there is no pause in forward momentum until the final frame. <br />
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We also have Phil Fondacaro turning in yet another great performance. He's not quite as good as he was in <a href="http://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2009/11/creeps-features-classic-horror-monsters.html" target="blank">"The Creeps"</a>, but he pretty much owns this picture as he's the actor who brings any real personality to his role. If only the rest of the cast was as good as he is, this film might have been as entertaining as "<a href="http://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2009/11/blood-dolls-is-full-of-perverse.html" target="blank">Blood Dolls"</a> or <a href="http://fullmoonband.blogspot.com/2009/11/band-is-at-his-best-in-hideous.html" target="blank">"Hideous!"</a> (It might not be entirely fair to compare this film to those others, as they featured seasoned actors while everyone in a major role except Fondacaro has this movie as the first entry on their IMDB resumes. But the point still stands as a sound one... the off-kilter characters in this film required actors of more talent to do them proper justice.)<br />
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It also would have been nice if there had been just a little more money in the budget for bigger and more elaborate sets. However, Ray did make sure that every dollar he had at his disposal showed up on the screen. The creature effects and the sideshow freaks are all extremely well done for a film at this level. Some are outright gross, and I add this film to the list of those I regret watching while having dinner.<br />
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Fans of movies featuring freaks, or of the "classic Full Moon flavor" will find "Sideshow" a pleasant way to pass 70 minutes. Yes, it's lacking in some areas, but it's still lots of fun.<br />
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<br />Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-85894411711397135742015-11-27T05:07:00.000-08:002018-07-19T12:14:20.118-07:00Killer robots and global warming equal threats in 'Crash and Burn'<strong>Crash and Burn (1990)</strong><br />
Starring: Paul Ganus, Megan Ward, Bill Moseley, Eva LaRue Callahan, Jack McGee and Ralph Waite<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Producers: Charles Band, Debra Dion and David DeCoteau<br />
Rating: Six of Ten Stars<br />
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The staff of and visitors to an isolated television station in the wastelands of a global-warming ravaged, heatstorm-swept American Southwest must survive the assault of a Synthoid, a human-like robot, programmed to kill all who oppose the tyrannical autocracy of world government Unicom.<br />
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"Crash and Burn" is a fast-paced, light-weight sci-fi yarn that combines a whole host of pulp-fiction/comic-booky/cyberpunky futuristic tropes--killer robots passing for humans, giant robots, a decaying society with a questionable moral fiber that is ruled by an oligarchical global government, and plucky rebels embodied by a cranky old man and a tough young girl--to great effect and moves swiftly through its action-packed story.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__FB9waRXJB0/Sw_QcbXUPsI/AAAAAAAAApA/Yzo8JJk4720/s1600/movcrashburn1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408770864295722690" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/__FB9waRXJB0/Sw_QcbXUPsI/AAAAAAAAApA/Yzo8JJk4720/s320/movcrashburn1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 260px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
The characters in the film are all as shallow and cliched as can be expected--movies of this kind are usually more about the action and plot than the characters--but the actors all do decent jobs in their parts, with Megan Ward as the cute teenaged tech genius, Paul Ganus as the dashing hero, and Bill Moseley as the handyman sidekick with a secret doing particularly well in their respective parts.<br />
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The special effects are about par for a low-budget sci-fi film of this vintage--it's got decent matte shots, make-up, and stop-motion model effects sequences--and the violence is also standard action movie fare. Everything here is pleasantly average, which puts it well above the usual fare for a direct-to-video film from the early 1990s. (I continue to be surprised by how good these old Full Moon films are.)<br />
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Another thing that surprised me about this film is that it hasn't been reissued with fanfare and a marketing push or that Charles Band & Company hasn't thrown together a sequel for it. <br />
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The film's backdrop--a world ravaged by global warming and struggling under the thumb of an eeeeevil megacorp that wraps itself in right-wing and religious rhetoric to control the masses--seems like just the sort of thing that the modern environmental movement would lap up. It seems to me that a DVD containing this film, a newly made sequel and a marketing campaign with slogans along the lines of "They didn't listen to the warnings, nor pay heed to the inconvenient truth... now the world is paying the price!" would sell plenty of DVDs.<br />
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Then again, maybe that's why I'm not in product development or marketing.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-29653788991994173342015-09-07T22:03:00.001-07:002015-09-07T22:04:51.178-07:00Interesting premise marred by weak execution and charactersWow. I can't believe it's been three years since I last posted a review here. Hopefully, it won't be that long until the next one!<br />
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<b>The Day Time Ended (1979)</b><br />
Starring: Jim Davis, Dorothy Malone, Marcy Lafferty, Natasha Ryan, Chris Mitchum, and Scott Kolden<br />
Director: John Cardos<br />
Producers: Charles Band, Steve Neill, and Wayne Schmidt<br />
Rating: Three of Ten Stars<br />
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A strange astronomical phenomena engulfs Earth in a magnetic solar storm, and throws the Williams family (the cast listed above) and their newly constructed, isolated home into a strange dimension where all time exists simultaneously.<br />
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"The Day Time Ended" has an interesting premise as its starting point, but the idea remains halfbaked and underexplained/exploited. The film meanders from scene to scene, with very little story motivation and even less logic. The characters barely interact with one another, and even when they do, you sometimes get the feeling that they are in different movies, talking past each other and delivering responses that barely make sense.<br />
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It's actually a shame, because Jim Davis and Marcy Lafferty in particular give decent performances. If their characters were more interesting and the story a little more substantial and coherent, they might have been able to save this movie. As it is, however, all we have is a drab and dull filler that is barely worth sitting through. It's not even bad enough to be entertaining in a "bad movie" sense.<br />
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The highlight of the film are the goofy claymation aliens (or dinosaurs or mutants or whatever the heck they are) that bedevil the family at roughly the halfway point of the movie. But, like everything else in the film, including some sort of evil flying robot--that can teleport through structural walls but has to use a laser in an attempt to get through a bedroom door--nothing much comes of them.<br />
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"The Day Time Ended" can be found in several different multi-movie packs; I came across it in the 50-movie Sci-Fi Invasion set. It's inoffensive filler in such a case, but it's not a film to go out of your way for and you can safely safe it for last in whatever set it's part of.<br />
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<br />Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-36190884741092437702015-04-23T00:09:00.000-07:002018-07-22T15:45:26.706-07:00'Shrieker' is nothing to shout about<strong>Shrieker (aka "Shriek") (1998)</strong><br />
Starring: Tanya Dempsey, Jamie Gannon, Parry Allen, Roger Crowe, Alison Cuffe and Jenya Lano<br />
Director: Victoria Sloan (aka David DeCotaeu)<br />
Producers: Kirk Edward Hansen and Charles Band<br />
Rating: Four of Ten Stars<br />
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College students squatting in a hospital that's been abandoned for over 50 years come under attack when one among them summons an extra-dimensional horror known as the Shrieker. Five must die so it's summoner can control it. Will mathmatics Freshman Clark (Dempsey) learn the secrets of the Shrieker in time to save herself and her "roommates"?<br />
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"Shrieker" is a straight-forward monster film with a "Ten Little Indians"-style who-dunnit element thrown in. It's so straight-forward that it almost feels like an outline of a movie instead of a full-fledged one. It's short on character development, short on logic, and short on suspense, because there's not enough time to include that sort of materal in its very brief running time of just over an hour.<br />
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The fact that it's so short is probably the best thing I can say about "Shrieker". The director had enough sense not to pad his film with a bunch of pointless "mood shots" or never-ending establishing shots. Although I probably wouldn't have been too annoyed if there had been a little gratioutous nudity to pad the film, particularly since Alison Cuffe and Jenya Layno at one point both wear outfits that could have been even skimpier.<br />
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In that vein, I should mention that "Shrieker" features a cast that seems to have been cast more for their good looks than their acting abilities, but with the breakneck pace at which the film unfolds, there's barely time to notice anything about the cast other than their good looks. (Everyone gives an adequate performance for a low-budget, direct-to-DVD film... no one embarrasses themselves but no one does a remarkable job, either.)<br />
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However, I would have liked to have seen SOME development of the creature in the movie, at least as far as a better explanation of the how, who and why of it being summoned. It's a cool looking beastie--one of the better efforts during the late 1990s as Full Moon began its decline--but it needed more of a backstory.<br />
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"Shrieker" isn't the worst film in the Full Moon catalogue, but it's far from the best.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-76051324981111348082014-11-19T18:02:00.000-08:002018-07-19T08:26:48.218-07:00I think someone lost the second half of the movie....<strong>Huntress: Spirit of the Night (1994)</strong><br />
Starring: Jenna Bodnar, Constantin Cotimanis, Charles Cooper, Blair Valk and Alek Devane<br />
Director: Mark S. Manos<br />
Producers: Charles Band, Oana Paunescu and Vlad Paunescu <br />
Rating: Three of Ten Stars<br />
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In "Huntress: Spirit of the Night," Tara (the very attractive and well-cast Jenna Bodnar) is falling victim to a gypsy curse. We get to see the beginning of her transformation/possession. We also get to see the first phase of a very treacherous friend screwing her over for her inheritance. But, just as things look like they're getting REALLY interesting storywise, the film ends.<br />
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"Huntress: Spirit of the Night" ends without a single of its plot threads properly resolved. It ends, literally, in mid-story, at a point where there should be at least another hour or so of material. I guess while they were busy conceiving of sexy sequences that go on for so long they become boring, someone forgot that a movie needs a beginning, a middle and an end.<br />
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The end result is that this is movie that you should not waste your time on. It's a shame that interesting ideas and an attractive cast got wasted on such a badly done film. It's no wonder Charles Band and Full Moon initial released it at arm's length--it's an awful effort even by the worst of their standards. It didn't have to be though... some trimming of the soft-core porn material and an actual ending might have elevated it to mediocre status.<br />
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(Snark aside, I think I know what happened here. Around this time this film was made, Full Moon was increasingly breaking what should have been one movie into two and filming them back-to-back. They did it with "Mandroid" and they did it with the "Subspecies" 2 and 3. Perhaps there was supposed to be a Part Two, but it never happened due to Band's falling out with Paramount and the subsequent loss in funding.)<br />
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<br /><centeR><iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=stevemillesdo-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B00013T8BI&asins=B00013T8BI&linkId=315805ef257eae2ea3b81e0bc10b5b74&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe></center>Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-81514413880685983062014-08-29T15:33:00.000-07:002018-07-19T12:24:06.685-07:00'HorrorVision' is not worth looking at<span style="font-weight: bold;">HorrorVision (2001)</span><br />
Starring: Jake Leonard, James Black, Maggie Rose Fleck, Brinke Stevens, and Chuck Williams<br />
Director: Danny Draven<br />
Producers: J.R. Bookwalter and Charles Band<br />
Rating: Three of Ten Stars<br />
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After his girl friend (Fleck) and business partner (Stevens) mysteriously vanish after viewing the HorrorVision website, Dez (Leonard) finds himself locked drawn into a battle against a mysterious entity that has been born from the collective negativity on the vast expanse of internet and other digital media.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__FB9waRXJB0/THrZjc1ZTyI/AAAAAAAADuw/0SMkVXTw26Y/s1600/horrorvision02.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="232" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510956297100021538" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/__FB9waRXJB0/THrZjc1ZTyI/AAAAAAAADuw/0SMkVXTw26Y/s400/horrorvision02.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br />
"HorrorVision" is yet another Full Moon movie with a great idea at its core, but which is killed by a combination of lousy execution and bad acting. While it's more inventive than some of the other Full Moon/Tempe Entertainment, it's still far below the best of what Charles Band brought us in the 1990s, and not even up to the level of <a href="http://terrortitans.blogspot.com/2010/03/good-concept-killed-by-too-low-budget.html" target="blank">J.R. Bookwalter in the 1990s</a>. (Which reminds me... one of these days, I really need to get around to watching "Kingdom of Vampires.")<br />
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This movie might more properly be featured at <a href="http://moviestodiebeforeseeing.blogspot.com/" target="blank">Movies You Should Die Before You See</a>, but the idea of all the negativity, vitriol, and hatred being put forward on the internet coalescing into a self-aware being bent on humanity's destruction is worth a ratings point all by itself. The Obi-Wan Kenobi-like character (amusingly named Bradbury, twice as amusing ten years later now that Ray Bradbury has expressed a dislike for the internet and the web) who teaches Dez about the emerging threat and how to fight also helps life my opinion of the film, especially since he is being portrayed by the best actor in the film, James Black. Not that I can be too hard on any of the actors featured... I think they all probably did the best with the awful lines they were called upon to deliver, and star Jake Leonard probably also did his best with his hollow, badly conceived and even worse developed character of Dez. (We never get to understand Dez... we're told he wants to be a scriptwriter whose talent has been sapped away by his involvement with creating made-to-order pornography, but we're really made to believe that he has any talent except for being a moron.)<br />
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However, what really ruins this movie is the excessive padding--you'll rarely see more pointless driving scenes set to third-rate metal music than you will in this movie; the fact that it features techno-horror monsters that required special effects beyond the film's meager budget to fully bring to life--although I give director Danny Dravin and his crew a tip o' the hat for almost pulling it off... the bizarre creature that materializes in the desert was very well done, considering; and the fact that this is yet another imcomplete Full Moon film that is completely lacking a third act.<br />
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Yes. Dez is stranded in the desert, the world is descending into cyber-induced destruction, and our hero is still pretty clueless as to how to effectively fight back. And that's where the movie ends. After a run-time that's barely over 70 minutes--including long credit sequences and lots of padding--the film ends with no major plot threads resolved and only one subplot done with. It's annoying and unforgiveable that the hope of a sequel loomed so large in the minds of Band and Bookwalter that they'd foist such a half-finished effort on the public. (Of course, with Charles Band, it's not a mistake but an unfortunate pattern that continues to this day. Look for the "Where's the Ending?" tag on this blog to see just how many films he's produced that have this particular flaw.
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<br />Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-39791993297072461862014-05-28T12:01:00.000-07:002018-07-19T08:01:11.614-07:00A trip to Sherwoood Forest you should skip<strong>Virgins of Sherwood Forest (2000)</strong><br />
Starring: Gabriella Hall, Shannen Leigh, David Roth and Amber Newman<br />
Producer: Charles Band<br />
Director: Cybil Richards<br />
Rating: One of Ten Stars<br />
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A B-movie director (Hall) bumps her head and wakes up in Sherwood Forest, where she must work with other buxom wenches to thwart the evil scheme's of the Sheriff of Nottingham's sister (Leigh) while using their sex and other womanly wiles to restoring some righteous fire and energy to Robin Hood (Roth) and his Merry Men. (Not to mention engaging in the occassional lesbian fling.)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__FB9waRXJB0/S_uWdAcvAxI/AAAAAAAACmE/tcxPZjZsCzQ/s1600/virginsofsherwod5.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475135197079864082" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/__FB9waRXJB0/S_uWdAcvAxI/AAAAAAAACmE/tcxPZjZsCzQ/s320/virginsofsherwod5.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 297px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
I'm not sure how or when I got this movie. I don't even know if I watched it before this evening, but if I did, I didn't retain anything about it in memory. And that's because there's nothing worth noticing here.<br />
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"Virgins of Sherwood Forest" wants to be a sex comedy, or maybe it wants to be a soft-core porn flick... but it fails to be either. It's one of dozens of sci-fi/fantasy flavored softcore films that an uncredited Charles Band produced for his Surrender Cinema venture, and it's one of a handful lurking within the piles of unwatched DVDs stacked around my office. By most accounts, Band's venture into blue movies was mostly unsuccessful both creatively and financially, but I sincerely hope that this is one of the worst that he made. It's almost as bad as "The Killer Eye," which is the worst movie from Band I've seen yet.<br />
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The movie is dull and decidedly unsexy, the acting is almost as bad as the boob jobs on prominent display, and the sets and camera work are even worse. (In fact, Amber Newman is so bad in this film that it's hard to believe that she's the same actress who was so amusing in "Satanic Yuppies.")<br />
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There are a few chuckles here, but they are so few and seperated by such vast expanses for crap that they're not worth waiting for.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-61135981879718443022013-11-30T10:08:00.000-08:002018-07-19T07:59:57.496-07:00The aliens just wanna rock all night (and steal our wimmen!)<strong>Bad Channels (1992)</strong><br />
Starring: Paul Hipp, Martha Quinn, Michael Huddleston, Aaron Lustig, Roumel Reaux and Victor Rogers<br />
Director: Ted Nicolaou<br />
Producers: Charles Band and Keith Payson<br />
Rating: Six of Ten Stars<br />
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A disk jockey known for crazy on-air stunts (Hipp) becomes the unwitting partner of an alien who has come to Earth to abduct beautiful women via otherworldly technology, radiowaves, and rock music.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Paul Hipp stars in "Bad Channels"</i></td></tr>
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"Bad Channels" is a very silly sci-fi comedy that makes fun of all the conventions of a 1950s sci-fi films but does so with a 1980s attitude. The film is driven almost entirely by a fun script, as pretty much every actor featured in the film reported for work but doesn't appear to have done much more than that. No one's particularly bad, but everyone is what you'd expect in a B-movie like this.<br />
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The film's biggest weakness is the fact that it includes three full length rock videos in it. They're all pretty decent--and the rock band performing with cheerleaders in a gym predicts a more famous effort--but they in the context of the film they go on for too long. The audience isn't looking for classic MTV-type material, but for alien abduction action.<br />
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If you've enjoyed other comedies from Full Moon (like "Hideous!"), I think you'll like this movie. You'll also like it if you enjoyed offerings from the Sci-Fi Channel like "The Man With the Loud Brain". This kind of movie making apparently hasn't evolved since the 1980s.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-49166192869285247372013-08-21T09:54:00.000-07:002018-07-19T08:21:24.264-07:00'Netherworld' has some good parts, but they add up to nothing<strong>Netherworld (1992)</strong><br />
Starring: Michael Bendetti, Holly Floria, Denise Gentile, Alex Datcher and Robert Sampson<br />
Director: David Schmoeller<br />
Producers: Charles Band and Thomas Bradford<br />
Rating: Three of Ten Stars<br />
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A young man (Bendetti) travels to an isolated spot of Lousiana to reconnect with the father he never knew. (Well... and to claim the massive edge-of-the-bayou property and mansion he inhertited from him.) He finds himself surrounded by stranger-than-average Southerners... and voodoo-practicing hookers. And flying stone hands. And, like the saying goes: It's all fun and games until someone gets tied to the evil sacrifical altar.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__FB9waRXJB0/SxQIWj6DqrI/AAAAAAAAAsE/__pZld1paO0/s1600/movnetherworld.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409958236067703474" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/__FB9waRXJB0/SxQIWj6DqrI/AAAAAAAAAsE/__pZld1paO0/s1600/movnetherworld.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" /></a><br />
Sometimes, a low-budget horror film can survive on mood and mysterious imagery and characters alone. Take "Phantasm", for example. I love that movie, but the story makes absolutely no sense and I defy you to tell me how the movie's various elements tie together, especially since the explanation "it was all a dream" goes out the window with the shock ending.<br />
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Most of the times, however, such films are miserable failures... and "Netherworld" fits into that category. I get the sense that there is an idea somewhere buried under all the crap here, but that writer/director David Schmoeller was either too lazy to develop it properly or too full of his own artisticality that he forgot to make a coherent film. Or maybe the producer meddled too much... or meddled too little. This film doesn't warrant the research it would take to find the answer.<br />
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The film has plenty of strange characters and creepy imagery--much of which actually feels like it was copied badly from the aforementioned "Phantasm--but the various parts of the film barely connect and when they do, they make no sense. And Schmoeller simply isn't good enough enough to make a movie that can survive on atmosphere alone, even when he's cribbing from a film that got it right. He should have explained how the voodoo hookers fit in with the lawyer and the house keeper; who is ressurecting people and why; and he should have simply left out the stupid flying stone hand and weird midget.<br />
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"Netherworld" is a total misfire of a movie. It's astonishing that the same team that made "Tourist Trap" and "Puppet Master" could screw up so badly on this one.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-88987709819860569712013-03-14T14:10:00.000-07:002018-07-19T12:16:23.564-07:00'Bleed' is junk with two good scenes<strong>Bleed (2002)</strong><br />
Starring: Debbie Rochon, Danny Wolsky, Allen Nabors and Laura Nativo<br />
Directors: Devin Hamilton and Dennis Peterson<br />
Producers: Charles Band and JR Bookwalter<br />
Rating: Three of Ten Stars<br />
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A masked killer is slaughtering everyone who comes in contact with Maddy (Rochon), an emotionally disturbed young wowman who was tricked by her new boyfriend (Wolsky) into thinking she can gain membership in something called "The Murder Club".<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__FB9waRXJB0/S51RCN_uDMI/AAAAAAAABuk/f9VCvrdxKW0/s1600-h/bleed3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" height="261" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448600222746676418" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/__FB9waRXJB0/S51RCN_uDMI/AAAAAAAABuk/f9VCvrdxKW0/s400/bleed3.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="400" /></a><br />
"Bleed" is perhaps a one-of-a-kind movie in the Charles Band Collection, as it is one of the very few films he's produced that doesn't include some sort of fantastical element, be it restless spirits, living puppets, or invaders from outer space. In fact, it is such an unusual film for Band that he chose not to release it under the Full Moon label, but instead created Shadow Entertainment to keep the other brand "pure."<br />
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Unfortunately, this film is yet another failed collaboration with JK Bookwalter and the usual suspects associated with his productions.<br />
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"Bleed" is a third-rate slasher film that at one point in its existence had a script had asperations of being a character-driven piece. But, either that script was written with great incompetence, re-written with great incompetence, or never properly finished, because for a film to be character-driven, there needs to be believable relationships between the characters. No such relationships exist in this film, with the romance/relationship between the two main characters being the least believable of all.<br />
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Maddy arrives in a new city and a new job, completely unknown to anyone she meets here. Yet, after two dates and a couple of nights of sex (safe sex, with condoms involved the film civic-mindedly points out) these total strangers are spouting lines as if they've known each other for years ("this isn't like you!") and other characters consider covering for Maddy when she murders someone in an apparent attempt to get into "The Murder Club." None of this rings true due to the fact that she is a stranger to everyone, including the guy she is banging. <br />
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Another problem is the absolutely awful attempts at misdirection included in the film. On multiple occassions during the film, Maddy has vivid nightmares about the murders, including the pre-credit sequence killings which she has no knowledge of. She she psychic? Is she the killer? Does she have some sort of psychic link to the killer? Two of those questions are answered as the film unfolds, but the third results in a huge, gaping plot hole that sucks most of this film's entertainment value into it more efficiently than a black hole. It is such a tremendous flaw that I am flabbergasted no one said, "You know, we really should just drop those murder flashbacks. They're dull and they are more cheats than misdirection. And how do they make sense when compared to the end of the movie?"<br />
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Or maybe no one had the opportunity to object? Maybe they were added later in the process, during final editing, because someone wanted to spruce up the film in a very misguided way? Maybe two directors and two producers were too many for the soup in this case?<br />
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Whatever the reason, the numerous dream sequences make no sense in light of the film's ending, with one exception: The dream that gives us a little background on Maddy. It's also a fun scene all around, as it features cameos by Brinke Stevens (playing against type) and Lloyd Kaufman (in one of the many tiny roles he's played in low budget films as larks or favors to other filmmakers). It's also provides one of the film's strongest moments, aside from the ending.<br />
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Speaking of the ending, it's the one thing that works 100 percent in this film. I've always said that endings can make or break a movie, because it's the main thing viewers take away from it. Here, we're given a spectacularly creepy ending--and an unexpected one at that--but it comes after a movie so fatally flawed that it barely managed to save it from ending up in my "Movies to Die Before Seeing" category.<br />
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All in all, this is film you don't need to bother with. It's an interesting detour for Charles Band and Debbie Rochon gives one of the better performances I've seen from her, but there are simply too many other things wrong with this film to make it worth sitting through. Even if it finally delivers something cool in its closing moments.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-29744585086138890392012-09-20T17:07:00.000-07:002015-09-07T22:18:06.310-07:00'Killjoy Goes to Hell' is like classic Full Moon<b>Killjoy Goes to Hell (2012)</b><br />
Starring: Trent Haaga, Victoria De Mare, Jessica Whitaker, Stephen F. Cardwell, Aqueela Zoll, John Karyus, Jason R. Moore, and Randy Mermell<br />
Director: John Lechago<br />
Producer: Charles Band and John Schouweiler<br />
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars<br />
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After one of his victim's escapes death by his hand, the demon-clown Killjoy (Haaga) is called before Satan himself (Cardwell) to answer for his failure... and for not being evil enough. Will his ex-lover Batty Boop (De Mare) and the rest of the demonic clown posse come up with a way to save him before all his names are struck from the demonic record and he fades into oblivion?<br />
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"Killjoy Goes to Hell" is another Full Moon winner for John Lechago. In this direct sequel to "Killjoy 3" (which is being re-released by Full Moon under the new name "Killjoy's Revenge"). he builds on what was started in that previous film while taking Killjoy and related characters in a completely different and unexpected direction. The result is the sort of crazy mix of fantasy. humor, and horror present in some of the greatest Full Moon releases of years past. We also have some honest-to-God plot and character development present in this film, something which has been lacking in most recent pictures from the Band fantasy factory and which has been in short supply in the "Killjoy" films until now. To make the package even more enjoyable, the film features passable digital effects, nice sets, and great make-up jobs.<br />
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Trent Haaga, in this third outing as the demonic clown, gives his best performance yet, actually managing to give a little depth to what is basically a killer cartoon character. Similarly, Victoria De Mare, returning as the clown succubus Batty Boop, as quite a bit more to do than just be silly and look sexy and deadly--like Haaga with Killjoy, she gets to give Boop some texture and depth.<br />
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In fact, every single character in the film--from the girl who survived Killjoy and his clown posse's rampage in the previous film (now committed to a mental hospital) to minor characters like the Demonic Bailiff--has one or two character defining moments if they utter any dialogue at all. Even the do-nothing character of Freakshow from "Killjoy 3" serves a purpose and gets to shine in this outing.<br />
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And because writer/director Lechago actually took the time and effort to write a decent script that gave the actors something to work with, there's enough material that he was able to create a full-length 90-minute movie, instead of sneaking over the finish line with 65-70 minutes that seems to have become the Full Moon norm. The strong script also makes the fairly pointless side-business of a pair of homicide detectives trying to piece together the truth about the events of Killjoy 3" tolerable even while you're wishing the film would get back to the insanity of the trial in hell.<br />
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The fact this film is as good as it is is even more remarkable when when considers the fact that it was made on an extremely small budget, was shot over 7 days in May of 2012, and that I am writing this review in late September of 2012, not from a rough edit but from the final version that will be on sale at Amazon.com in two weeks and showing up in Redbox rental outlets in time for Halloween.<br />
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Is it perfect? No, but most of the problems I could call attention to would amount to little more than nitpicking. This is a fun flick that is full of the spirit that old time fans loved Full Moon for back in the 1990s. It's the sort of film I hope for as I keep coming back to the House That Band Built... and it's a film that has just put John Lechago high on the list of names to watch for. He's two for two as far as Full Moon films go! (<a href="http://terrortitans.blogspot.com/2011/10/low-budget-but-impressive-bio-slime.html">Three for three overall, if I count his non-Full Moon picture that I've seen</a>.)<br />
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<i> Note</i>: Full Moon Features provided me with a review copy of this film, free of charge.Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-18966583341198549922012-06-25T18:06:00.003-07:002016-12-14T21:34:20.268-08:00'Decadent Evil II' improves on the original<b>Decadent Evil II (2007)</b><br />
Starring: Jill Michelle, Daniel Lennox, John-Paul Gates, Jessica Morris, Ricardo Gil, Mike Muscat, James C. Burns, and Rory Williamson<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Producers: Dana K. Harloe, Bill Barton, and Joe Megna<br />
Rating: Four of Ten Stars<br />
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Kindhearted vampire Sugar (Michelle) and her would-be paramour Dex (Lennox) follow the trail of a master vampire to Little Rock, Arkansas, hoping to obtain the means to restore their deceased, vampire-hunting friend Ivan (Gil) to life. But identifying the master vampire turns out to be harder than they had imagined, and soon the hunters become the hunted.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Daniel Lennox and Jill Michelle reprise their roles from the original film</i></td></tr>
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"Decadent Evil II" is an improvement over the original film in the series in several areas, but it is still a weak effort and a far cry from what we all know Charles Band is capable of delivering.<br />
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Like the first film, this one is a cheap and sleazy effort--more sleazy than actually decadent... and even more sleazy than the original because from the "gentleman's club" where most of the action takes place to the motel where the main characters are holed up, to the junkyard where the final confrontation takes place, the film has a rundown, cheap feel to it. Decadence is still somewhat in short supply, but there more evil present than in the previous film.<br />
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There's also a better script, with some nicely sinister bad guys and enough of them and nicely done misdirections that it's not completely obvious who the vampire lord is before the Big Reveal near the end. (That said, it turned out to be the character I thought the most probable, but dismissed because the script was by August White who has turned out some real dogs over the years. Turns out, though, that I for once was assuming sloppy randomness where some thought and honest-to-God plot was on display.)<br />
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The stronger script also results in some actual moments of horror in this film, and a general atmosphere of dread that permeates everything once the film gets going. If not for an ending that is somewhat botched story-wise, atrociously edited, and just all-around badly staged from an action point of view, this could well have earned a low Five rating instead of the Four it's getting.<br />
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The actors are all decent in their parts, even if Daniel Lennox reminds me of the bland leading men from the 1930s B-pictures I review over at <a href="http://moviesinbw.blogspot.com/"><i>Shades of Gray</i></a>. Jill Michelle did a better job at playing the lead than I figured she would have based her performance in the first film, but Jessica Morris still out-shined her in the few scenes they have together; Michelle may be pretty but she doesn't have much of a screen presence. The cast and the film in general did benefit from the fact that all the characters have at least one moment of importance as the story unfolds. Even Marvin the Humonculous, who in the original was just the obligatory Band Puppet/possible toy fodder without any real purpose beyond that, serves a key role in the story. (The downside here is that he hasn't improved much as a puppet.) <br />
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This film is still a far cry from some of the great flicks during the 1990s, but if you're a fan of Charles Band, and if the preview embedded below looks at all appealing, I think you'll find the film entertaining enough, despite its terrible ending.<br />
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Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-86514748834271315082012-06-04T21:09:00.007-07:002016-12-14T21:38:45.828-08:00A Charles Band-produced Frankenfilm!<b>Savage Island (aka "Banished Women" and "Prison Island") (1985)</b><br />
Starring: Anthony Steffan, Ajita Wilson, Stelio Candelli, Christina Lai, Luciano Rossi, Linda Blair, Leon Askin, and Penn Jillette<br />
Directors: Edoardo Mulargia and Nicholas Beardsley<br />
Producer: Charles Band (as Roger Amante) and Mark Alabiso<br />
Rating: Five of Ten Stars<br />
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An escapee from a hellish work camp (Blair), where enslaved women mine emeralds, holds its owner (Askin) at gunpoint while she relates the tale of how her allies (Steffan and Wilson) infiltrated the facility and destroyed it.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LP_bZSCRLgU/T81_3k39J6I/AAAAAAAAJ2Q/1ZId9z_YOKU/s1600/savageisland.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LP_bZSCRLgU/T81_3k39J6I/AAAAAAAAJ2Q/1ZId9z_YOKU/s320/savageisland.png" width="320"></a><br />
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"Savage Island" is a Frankenfilm in the grand tradition of so many <a href="http://moviestodiebeforeseeing.blogspot.com/search/label/Godfrey%20Ho">Godfrey Ho-assembled ninja pictures</a>. It's made with pieces from a pair of commercially-failed South American women-in-jungle-hell-prison movies, "Hotel Paradise" and "Escape From Hell", sandwiched between footage featuring Linda Blair and a vengeful she-demon in a cheap fur coat, and kinda-sorta glued together with narration from Blair.<br />
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Unlike many Frankenfilm's this one benefits from the fact that three actors (Anthony Steffan, Ajita Wilson, and Christina Lay) are featuring prominently in both the original films, playing largely similar roles in each. The same is true of several of the supporting cast members. Further, both films were directed by the same man, and set in nearly identical locations, so the "meanwhile, in a different movie" sensation that so often creeps into Frankenfilms--where locations and tone and focus characters change back and forth--this one comes across as, more or less, a unified whole.<br />
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That's not to say that whole isn't a mess. To start with, the pieces from which "Savage Island" is assembled came from films with highly illogical plots that feature characters going through the motions to make sure all the standard elements of a "women in jungle prison" exploitation flick get included; character actions are dictated more by plot and genre needs than anything that even comes close to sense. Combining the two films--one about revolutionaries infiltrating a diamond mine worked by enslaved women, and one where the abused prisoner's in a women's prison convince the prison doctor to help them stage an escape-- while adding the third element of Linda Blair "masterminding" a jewel heist didn't improve matters at all.<br />
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Further, while it appears characters remain present throughout the film, they only do so with some bizarre continuity glitches. Anthony Steffan switches back and forth between outfits with no apparent rhyme or reason, and Ajita Wilson's hair gets longer and shorter and longer between scenes. I also think the same supporting actress was murdered by angry prisoners twice.<br />
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In the end, as Frankenfilms go, this isn't a bad attempt. In fact, it probably ranks among the better of its kind. However, it might not be worth going out of your way for, unless you're a big lover of cheesy jungle films, or a huge fan of Anthony Steffan or Ajita Wilson--although in the case of the latter, you'd be disappointed because her <i>assets</i> are nowhere near as fully on display here as in other films she's been in. Fans of Penn and Teller might also be curious to witness the first film appearance (and on-screen death) of Penn Jillette.<br />
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(Full disclosure: This review is based on a screener copy of the film given to me by Full Moon Pictures.)Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1914903002130897802.post-12618789770050958052012-05-21T18:50:00.003-07:002016-12-14T22:28:35.835-08:00I REALLY wanted to like this one....<b>The Dead Want Women (aka "Haunted Hollywood") (2012)</b><br />
Starring: Jessica Morris, Ariana Madix, J. Scott, Robert Zachar, Jean Louise O'Sullivan, Circus-Szalewski, Jeannie Marie Sullivan, and Eric Roberts<br />
Director: Charles Band<br />
Producers: Charles Band, Dustin Hubbard, Tom Landy, and Rick Short<br />
Rating: Two of Ten Stars<br />
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A pair or young realtors (Madix and Morris) think they've finally managed to unload the supposedly haunted mansion of long-dead silent movie star Rose Pettigrew (O'Sullivan), but they instead learn that the legendary hauntings are all too real.<br />
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I'm starting to know what fans of Dario Argento feel like when they keep hoping for another "Deep Red" or "Cat o' Nine Tails" and instead get "Do You Like Hitchcock?" or worse. Because I keep hoping and hoping for Charles Band to bring me another "Trancers" or "Puppet Master" or "Head of the Family" or even "Crash and Burn" or "The Creeps", but he brings me stuff like "Gingerdead Man" and his latest effort "The Dead Want Women" instead.<br />
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And I really thought I would like "The Dead Want Women". First of all, it's a great title. Second of all, it's rooted in old-time movies, <a href="http://moviesinbw.blogspot.com/" target="blank">a topic I love so much I write reviews whenever I watch a old-time movie</a>. Thirdly, it stars Jessica Morris who was one of the best things about "Haunted Casino". And, last but not least, I LOVE haunted house movies--and, again, I love them so much <a href="http://terrortitans.blogspot.com/search/label/Haunted%20House" target="blank">I write about it whenever I watch one</a>!<br />
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And make me even more excited about the film, I loved the approach Full Moon took to marketing it. Once again, it had fabulous preview/trailer and the "who is the secret big-time movie veteran in our new movie?" teasers on the web-site were nicely done.<br />
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And the main titles sequence is also extremely well done. It is perhaps the best credits sequence for any Full Moon film... and long-time fans know how Full Moon loves its long main title sequences.<br />
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Unfortunately, once the credits run their course, this turns out to be another one of those Charles Band films that doesn't live up to my expectations. It's not the worst he's done, and it's far from the worst that's been released under the Full Moon logo, but it's a disappointment.<br />
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It's not the actors' fault. They all do the best they can with what they have to work with, but the problem is they don't have much to work with. In fact, it's a testament to the great degree of talent of everyone on the screen that the film comes across as entertaining as it dopes, because the actors are dealing with a pretty awful script here.<br />
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When I reviewed the last film Band directed--"Killer Eye: Halloween Haunt"--I complained that the script was flimsy. That complaint applies here as well. In fact, worse, "The Dead Want Women" feels like it was shot using a partially finished first draft that was missing part of Act One and all of Act Three.<br />
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This may, hands down, be the worst script that has ever been the basis for a Charles Band moviem and it's a testament to the talent of the actors that it doesn't come off worse than it does. The preview for the film has a better dramatic structure than the film itself, because the way the real movie unfolds it's hard to tell where the focal point of the story was supposed to be... and not just because the characters are universally badly defined. In fact, just as the film seems like it's finally starting to get going--after opening with one of the most listless Roaring Twenties parties you'll ever witness on film, a secret Satanic sex orgy that makes me wonder if Band is longing for the days of Surrender Cinema, and some truly dull bits with Jessica Morris and Arina Madix playing the BFF realtors getting the house ready to show to their mysterious client--with the evil ghost of Miss Pettigrew and her sidekicks doing their thing, the film ends. Like most Full Moon pictures these days, the film barely breaks the one-hour mark... and in this case the run-time is not only half of what we expect from most movies, but the MOVIE is half of what we expect from most movies.<br />
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Viewers looking for lots of female nudity will enjoy the film--there is an actress who is naked for literally 99% of her time on screen. Hardcore Full Moon fans will also be able to enjoy a few of those Charles Band touches we know and love--but they will mostly be outweighed by truly awful moments of lazy writing and lazier direction. (Ohmygod... the ghosts have our hapless realty ladies chained up and they are about to do horrible things to them. Oh wait. One of them just undid her shackles easier than I undo my belt when I need to take a dump. And now she's freeing the other chick just as easily. WTF? When did she get possessed by the spirit of Harry Houdini?! And where did the ghosts suddenly disappear to? WTF?!)<br />
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The Two Rating might be a little harsh... it film really is teetering between Two and Three. But in this case, I am being miserly with my rating, because this film could have been so much more with just a little more effort. Meanwhile, here's the preview for the film. If the finished product had followed its flow, it might have been a little stronger....<br />
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(By the way, is it coincidence that in the past month, I've seen two movies with Eric Roberts doing a goofy accent? He does a Texas/Oklahoma kinda accent in this film, and he did Russian in "The Tomb." Is that something he's known for, and I've just not noticed until now?)Steve Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263633883997493518noreply@blogger.com0