Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain Review

Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, 1983
Reviewed By; Dan S.
Directed By: Tsui Hark
Written By: Yuet Shui Chung, Szeto Cheuk-hon
Starring: Adam Cheng, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Hoi Mang, Moon Lee, and Brigitte Lin.
Language: Cantonese (English dubs available)

Plot: Set in medieval China, a young army scout stumbles his way into the middle of a secret war between magic kung fu weirdos and all powerful demons that look like flying sheets.

Review: As exciting as it is disorientating, the utterly bizzare "Zu Warriors" sprints through its epic plot, gigantic cast,and escalting horror/fantasy elments without ever slowing down or stopping to explain itself. Needless to say you aren't going to have an easy time following this fever dream of a movie. Thankfully, the film is very playful in tone and doesn't take itself too seriously, freely mixing physical comedy and even ironic self-aware humor into the increasingly surreal action. The highly creative and unsual kung fu fights are frequent and complex with weird cartoonish special effects and wire work. The effects are somewhat dated in places and you can even see "wires" occasionally, however this is all part of the movie's campy appeal. All the performers appear to be having a ton of fun, providing the movie with boundless energy and charm. And while the film does show its age and budget, the ideas and visuals are so wild and imaginative, you are still going to have your mind blown.

Rating: ****

Viy Review

Viy, 1967
Reviewed By: Dan S
Directed By: Konstantin Yershov and Georgi Kropachyov
Written By: Aleksandr Lukich Ptushko, Konstantin Yershov, and Georgi Kropachyov
Starring: Leonid Kuravlyov, Natalya Varley
Launguage: Russian

Filmed in rich cool colors with creepy sets and real European countryside locations, the Russian period piece Viy is a very unique looking film. At a brisk 78 minutes, the tight narrative is mostly whimsical in tone but dread slowly rises as the mind blowing climax approaches. Lacking any real violence, a constant spooky atmosphere and jaw dropping supernatural visuals generate most of the terror. However, the style is always slapstick in nature, often giving the impression of a live action cartoon. It wouldn’t be until Sam Raimi’s considerably more violent Evil Dead Trilogy that surreal horror and comedy walked hand in hand so effortlessly and most importantly, so exciting and creatively.

Directors Konstantin Yershov and Georgi Kropachyov have a wild modern style that incorporates expressive camera work and sporadic hallucinogenic elements. The convincing but weird special effects are most interesting; a combination of wire work, cut film, ghoulish make up, theatrical puppetry, and freaky camera tricks that give life to an undead witch, her flying casket, and ultimately an army of disembodied hands, malformed demons, skeletons, and everything else that goes bump in the night. As a drunken cowardly monk in training, Leonid Kuravlyov gives a wide eyed energetic performance. His bumbling physical humor and cartoonish facial expressions are a blast to watch but he’s also sympathetic and convincing as a man losing his mind under the pressure of constant other worldly threat. As the witch, gothic beauty Natalya Varley has the right combination of allure, comedy, and menace…much like the movie itself.

5 SKULLS OUT OF 5

Jennfier's Body Review

Jennifer's Body, 2009
Reviewed by: Dan S.
Directed by: Karyn Kusama
Written by: Diablo Cody
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Megan Fox
Language: English

Utilizing bright warm colors, occasional surreal imagery, and smooth camera work, director Karyn Kusama creates an ironic dreamy atmosphere for this cruel high school horror/comedy. Screen writer Diablo Cody uses deadpan humor and macabre supernatural elements to craft an ultimately tragic exploration of the intriguing, complex relationship between two adolescent girls. While the story itself is straighforward, there are some interesting themes to be found. The effects are minimal but convincing, a subtle mix of make up and CGI for reptilian eye and mouth morphing. The violence is stylized and usually off screen, the camera often lingering on the gory aftermath instead. Nudity is teased but never shown, and the film's most carefully staged erotic moment is as suspenseful as it is alluring. Theodore Shaprio and Stephen Barton`s heavy metal guitar-driven score is sometimes distracting, however the memorable main motif is a cool mood-setting throwback to 80s slashers.

Much of the comedy comes from the dumb but amusing teen dialogue, but there is also a great deal of twisted, pitch-black gallows humor. The horror of the film generates more uneases than creeps, but surprisingly, it's the melodrama and superb acting that make this one so worth while. All of the main characters are sympathetic and the spacious but impactful death scenes carry a surprising amount of weight uncommon to the genre. As the conflicted and heart broken lead, Amanda Seyfried conveys much of her emotional arc with her huge expressive eyes. As the title character, Megan Fox's dark sex appeal and effortless charisma are naturally iconic, but it's her ability to hint at repressed vulnerability that elevates her above your average evil babe. Veteran character actor JK Simmons draws a chuckle with every modest screen time as a clueless but well meaning teacher.

Rating:

I Sell the Dead Review

I Sell the Dead, 2008

Reviewed by: Dan S.

Directed by: Glenn McQuaid

Written by: Glenn McQuaid

Starring: Dominic Monaghan, Larry Fessenden

In the Victorian period horror/comedy I Sell the Dead a young imprisoned grave robber recalls the more unusual jobs he pulled with his mentor in the form of lineal inter-connected short stories. The low key but energetic first act is by far the most successful but the second half falters when the pace slows down and goofy comic book villains and plot elements are clumsily introduced and rushed into an abrupt sloppy conclusion. In his directing debut, Glenn McQuaid, does a serviceable job of pouring on the classic gothic horror atmosphere with blinding fog machines and the always distant baying of the hounds. He also shows restraint with the gore, saving the modest but bright blood fountains for the film’s final climax. However, he struggles to maintain energy and often exposes the limited budget, utilizing poor looking CGI effects, despite the monster make up, sets, and designs being very impressive.

The film boasts big genre names in Ron Perlman and Angus Scrim, but unfortunately neither has much to do other than provide presence in very small roles. Likable character actor Dominic Monaghan dominates in the fast talking leading role, always natural and reasonably charismatic despite a fairly one dimensional part. Producer Fessenden costars as the ugly half of the duo in a solid but ultimately one note character performance. While the capable acting is refreshing for a low budget movie, everyone seems limited by the fairly shallow banter and overall writing. Monaghan and Fessenden generate most of the film's humor through their physical comedy. However, they lack chemistry and just aren’t very believable mates.

Rating:

Street Trash Review

STREET TRASH, 1987

Directed by: J. Micheal Muro

Written by: Roy Frumkes

Starring: Mike Lackey, Vic Noto, Bill Chepil, Marc Sferrazza, Jane Arakawa, Nicole Potter, Pat Ryan Jr., Clarenze Jarmon, Bernard Perlman, Miriam Zucker, M. D'Jango Krunch, James Lorinz, Julian Davis

"Things in New York are about to go down the toilet..."

A liquor store owner decides to sell a case of cheap wine, ("Tenafly Viper") that he finds in a hole in the wall of his building. The stuff is decades old and way past its sell date. Of course, he does what any responsible businessman would and sells it cheap to the local vagrant population. The few  unlucky enough to drink the stuff disolve into a mess of primary-colored goo.  All the while, a crazy Vietnam vet and self-styled king of the hobos reigns over the local junkyard, murdering his subjects at will with his sharpened femur-bone knife.

Throw in a few subplots about a psychotic cop, a local mob boss's doorman, and the kind-hearted junkyard secretary and you've got a giant mess that is still somehow endlessly watchable. For every bad actor, cheap looking set, and horribly delivered piece of dialogue, you've got a ton of amazingly fascinating crazy going on here.

And if the gut-churning scenes of melting hobos and genuinely funny (if oftentimes awkward) social commentary weren't enough, you get the most horrific game of keep away in movie history.  I won't ruin it for you here as it's truly something you need to experience. If you like your trash   cinema with huge doses of humor and plenty of gore, you really can't go wrong with this one. 

It's a cruel movie full of cruel characters, and there are several scenes that seem over the top and unnecessarily violent, but that's kind of the point.  If you go in ready to take STREET TRASH seriously, you'll be in for a huge disappointment.  Just remember, you're supposed to feel like you need a shower after watching this thing.

REASONS TO WATCH: Melting hobos, gratuitous violence, genital mutilation played for laughs. 

BEWARE: This movie contains plenty of melting hobos, gratuitous violence, and genital mutilation.

RATING: