tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230107982024-03-07T03:55:52.588-05:00Exploitation RetrospectThe Journal of Junk Culture and Fringe Media. Established 1986.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger959125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-77243685438456486922024-01-15T15:32:00.006-05:002024-01-15T15:32:37.458-05:00The Crimson Kimono (1959) starring James Shigeta, Glenn Corbett, Victoria Shaw<i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9lZY7GSny7WUeI0XxAP5OhXvv7u19PoY9-CNmrVb7Q1f51A_AlbFZtTgA_uhh26Q_LwTlKnJe-_KULUma3kDeJDkl8OYynxAi1HJGo37eu1k7D8dXz4NEAge1E7U2lRnRcAp4g8SnXvk-awNBbTMZ2e1WiA-YIeRlD5ASZMZlHdYHizc5MVs/s2779/Kimono.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2779" data-original-width="1841" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9lZY7GSny7WUeI0XxAP5OhXvv7u19PoY9-CNmrVb7Q1f51A_AlbFZtTgA_uhh26Q_LwTlKnJe-_KULUma3kDeJDkl8OYynxAi1HJGo37eu1k7D8dXz4NEAge1E7U2lRnRcAp4g8SnXvk-awNBbTMZ2e1WiA-YIeRlD5ASZMZlHdYHizc5MVs/s320/Kimono.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div>"YES, this is a beautiful American girl in the arms of a Japanese boy! What was his strange appeal to American girls?"</i><p>When ambitious stripper Sugar Torch gets gunned down in the streets before her big Vegas break, LA homicide detectives Joe Kojaku (James Shigeta) and Charlie Bancroft (Glenn Corbett) spring into action. Partners, roommates, Kendo combatants (!), and best friends, Joe and Charlie’s bromance dates back to the Korean War when sharpshooter Joe donated blood so his CO (Charlie) could get surgery. In other words, nothing can come between them. Except a DAME! </p><div>While protecting Chris (Victoria Shaw), their only lead in the case, both Sensitive Joe and Gruff Charlie fall for the pretty artist. Sam Fuller wrote and directed this schizo but enjoyable look at postwar LA, racism, bromances, and identity issues, all wrapped around a fairly ho-hum murder mystery. </div><div><br /></div><div>Shigeta, of course, is immediately recognizable as DIE HARD’s Mr. Takagi while Corbett made a living as a tv guest star. The film also features tv’s Chief O’Hara (Stafford Repp) in an uncredited role along with Ana Lee (General Hospital’s Lila Quartermaine) as “Mac”, the boys’ boozy artist pal. — <i>Dan Taylor</i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-8105498083255919912024-01-13T08:47:00.002-05:002024-01-13T08:47:24.452-05:00VENUS IN FURS (1969) - starring James Darren, Maria Rohm, Klaus Kinski<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqC1w7qMv7fDRobWeMYECCfXuF88XAQHZnV1d5p5Pv4-9TfKGhsRcmjwSHHmCOG4teI1b6qCJw0U8eXpkVKZ6_lcHzrY5UFuQMMUGgWigW5hMTEMAMPwRTUN3GteqyfnSUvwQMkb3c2f3dzvaKN5CHYbuo3hEBCwQJE1gPvq1FPTHMe6hD33sw/s215/venusinfurs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="150" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqC1w7qMv7fDRobWeMYECCfXuF88XAQHZnV1d5p5Pv4-9TfKGhsRcmjwSHHmCOG4teI1b6qCJw0U8eXpkVKZ6_lcHzrY5UFuQMMUGgWigW5hMTEMAMPwRTUN3GteqyfnSUvwQMkb3c2f3dzvaKN5CHYbuo3hEBCwQJE1gPvq1FPTHMe6hD33sw/s1600/venusinfurs.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>James Darren stars as Jimmy, a trumpet player who awakens one day and digs up the horn he'd buried on the beach ("It's like burying my life" he says in the film's noir-ish voiceover). As he fiddles with the instrument – which was exactly where he remembered burying it – he notices something floating in the surf and discovers the slashed, beaten body of a beautiful blonde.<p>At first he doesn't recognize her but eventually remembers that this is the same girl he encountered while performing at a jet setter party a few weeks earlier. There he stumbled upon a perverse trio – a sweaty art dealer (Dennis Price), a carpet-munching photog (Margaret Lee), and a sadistic playboy (<a href="../../../Kinski/k2contents.html" style="color: black;">Klaus Kinski</a>) – whipping, assaulting and stabbing the girl.</p><p>Instead of stopping the shenanigans Jimmy walks away thinking that maybe it's "their bag" and avoids getting involved in their reindeer games. Escaping to Rio he encounters Wanda (Maria Rohm), a dead ringer for the girl he found on the beach.</p><p>Can this be the same girl? Is Jimmy's mind playing tricks on him? Or, is something more bizarre at work? Regardless, he strikes up a relationship with her, to the chagrin of his casual galpal Rita (Barbara McNair), a soulful club singer employed – like Jimmy – to entertain at swinging jet-setter shindigs.</p><p>In a series of hypnotic episodes, the three pervs who tortured the poor girl find themselves encountering their victim as well, though without the same results as the last time. With the body count piling up and the cops on their trail (the film wildly shifts from hypnotic erotic thriller to chase flick in an unexpected sequence), Jimmy and Wanda escape together while Franco circles back to the beginning of the film.</p><p>I could probably show VENUS to a dozen different people and get as many differing opinions about the flick's meaning. One friend described it as a painting that Franco put out there and each viewer can interpret the proceedings however they wish.</p><p>Kinski fans will be both delighted and disappointed by his miniscule, almost silent role. His limited dialogue is dubbed by another actor, but he's rarely looked so striking on screen. At one point Franco frames his face – chiseled features, ice blue eyes, blondish hair – against a red background (a dominant theme and color scheme throughout the flick) and it's simply one of the best uses of The German Olivier's features I've ever encountered. (It's up there with the "prayer grenade" sequence in A BULLET FOR THE GENERAL.)</p><p>A very trippy and hypnotic flick from Uncle Jess. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-46279193560216723152023-11-11T07:59:00.003-05:002023-11-11T07:59:37.764-05:00Churchill's Leopards (1970) with Klaus Kinski, Richard Harrison<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoVVxQfWe9RtmBAhHtiomYOrSWj3gGyz3r9M8xQqYOuPVZONIqk3IgcGhY2jBmQHUWAwMj9a_j-JYdjcQiEcatnl_KSg6EtB8ny-yLAXfNXFFGeNgxu35k69DBy5LGIME8y9JQz7_bDUvnasHfqjCds8vEBIk1ICwygZV9saKIhrIFMO8qRku/s215/churchills-leopards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="150" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNoVVxQfWe9RtmBAhHtiomYOrSWj3gGyz3r9M8xQqYOuPVZONIqk3IgcGhY2jBmQHUWAwMj9a_j-JYdjcQiEcatnl_KSg6EtB8ny-yLAXfNXFFGeNgxu35k69DBy5LGIME8y9JQz7_bDUvnasHfqjCds8vEBIk1ICwygZV9saKIhrIFMO8qRku/s1600/churchills-leopards.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Richard Harrison—in a twist worthy of a Jean Claude Van Damme flick—stars as twin brothers (!), one a Nazi officer, the other a British commando. In an effort to cut off the German supply lines and leave them "hamstrung" (mmmm, hamstrung), Churchill himself concocts Operation: Overwatch (or something to that effect) which is designed to drill a hole in the base of the dam, plant some explosives and make it go BOOM. The surrounding area would be flooded, roads would be destroyed, and two Panzer divisions would be forced to eat one another. <p>Klaus plays the suspicious, chain-smoking Captain Holtz who seems to think something is hinky with Lt. Muller (Harrison) right off the bat. Sooner or later, you know Klaus is going to get to the bottom of it, but you're not sure how. It's a meaty supporting role for K2 and he gives Holtz more personality beyond the typical evil SS officer with impeccable fashion taste. He has a sense of humor and appreciates the finer things in life. But he's not above taking 20 hostages to sweat a confession out of the townsfolk for the murder of two German soldiers. <p>In the end it's a race against time as Muller's girlfriend (Helga Line of HORROR EXPRESS, HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB, LORELEI'S GRASP and NIGHTMARE CASTLE) arrives and is sure to get to the bottom of the deception. Or will she? Other familiar faces include Frank Brana (RETURN OF THE BLIND DEAD) as a French Resistance fighter and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart (FIGHTING FISTS OF SHANGHAI JOE, CRIMES OF THE BLACK CAT, DEATH SMILED AT MURDER and tons more) as the head of the commando unit. <p>Another nice package from Wild East. I'm sure it looks great compared to what was previously available and despite a couple audio glitches early on this is an entertaining "gotta blow up the dam", French Resistance and Brit Commandos vs. Evil Nazis flick. Contains a second Klaus-tastic WWII flick—SALT IN THE WOUND (aka THE LIBERATORS)—with the German Olivier as a Yank GI! – <i>Dan Taylor</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-79401978570826262762023-09-18T12:58:00.011-04:002023-09-18T13:02:03.285-04:00Bacterium (2006) directed by Brett Piper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIJSQVkVtXdDa4UB-ZPyslhAuhAV9ybD8rYXy-fW1S1Ox1aGhkA_9TUfdU4AqvXr8ZjW9vNzv3Xighc6bUwDoQs6bKSiumz1hNIgVkKtM95-HTHcD6irWXX3nHAnIFepVNUK6vIKAnDmD2dk7nYkld6YhKfLlMX3l0ZNFmlFic1wXMmr_ll5o/s345/bacterium.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIJSQVkVtXdDa4UB-ZPyslhAuhAV9ybD8rYXy-fW1S1Ox1aGhkA_9TUfdU4AqvXr8ZjW9vNzv3Xighc6bUwDoQs6bKSiumz1hNIgVkKtM95-HTHcD6irWXX3nHAnIFepVNUK6vIKAnDmD2dk7nYkld6YhKfLlMX3l0ZNFmlFic1wXMmr_ll5o/s320/bacterium.jpeg" width="213" /></a></div>I'm a big fan of Brett Piper's THEY BITE, a funny, slightly gross take on 50s killer creatures from the sea flicks. In that low-budget crowd-pleaser, the director piles on the jokes, coaxes a very funny performance from porn icon Ron Jeremy, and ups the ante with a faux trailer for the unforgettably titled INVASION OF THE FISH FUCKERS.<p>
So, it's no surprise that the presence of Piper's name on the credits pushed BACTERIUM to the top of my 'To Watch' stack. And while it lacks the laughs or sly B-movie references of THEY BITE, it's not a bad entry in the mutant-organism-on-the-loose-meets-government-conspiracy sweepstakes.</p><p>Opening with a sinister car/helicopter chase through the underdeveloped backwoods of the mid-Atlantic (much of the flick was shot at Fort Totten, Bayside in Queens, NY), Piper sets an ominous tone that kicks the flick off nicely. As the car careens through the countryside, the driver's face pulses and melts away while the helicopter pursues its prey. As the contamination-suit-clad chopper occupants close in, one makes the tragic mistake of touching the "sample", a vial of green liquid that will surely lead to no good.</p><p>Meanwhile, a group of paintball-playing kids stumble upon what appears to be a deserted house in the woods. Thinking it'll be a good hiding place they enter, only to encounter the crazed scientist who has created a mini lab in an attempt to contain a mutated super virus. (One glance at the stack of ancient, low-fi Macs in the background might explain his utter failure at his mission.)</p><p>From this point BACTERIUM plays out like you'd expect from a low-budget version of THE BLOB. (And, in case you missed that reference point one of the characters shouts, "Don't do that! Didn't you see THE BLOB?!") The big tube of glowing fluid turns into an oozing, attacking, face-eating, chest-bursting mass that likes melting faces, flesh, and lab rats.
</p><p>Will the teens and government scientists escape from the organism? Will the government decide to use a nuclear strike or even a black hole bomb that will deliver localized destruction and eradicate the creature ... not to mention everything else in the area?</p><p>If you've seen THE CRAZIES, THE BLOB, OUTBREAK, or any other mutant organism/government conspiracy/virus-on-the-loose flick, BACTERIUM won't hold a ton of surprises. But Piper and Co. manage to ring every dollar from the flick's budget thanks to some fun miniature and model work as the creeping bacterium divides and divides and grows stronger and larger.</p><p>And don't be fooled by the PG-13 rating. About 15 minutes in, star Alison Whitney treats us to a healthy dose of full-frontal nudity, complete with perky boobs and a nice landing strip. Couple the surprising nudity with the melty face effects and BACTERIUM is an entertaining, if not all that memorable (or original) monster flick. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor of Exploitation Retrospect and has no idea why there isn't a three-disc special edition of THEY BITE available.</i></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-7686647168387583682022-12-03T09:18:00.002-05:002022-12-03T09:18:30.229-05:00Adios, Craig | Saying Goodbye to An Old Partner in Trash Cinema<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifO2JA3-SxPkNfX57fJaX2nZ1m1s8cguBlX5tO-KRFxbTTBzNL7CrNGndw6N7uxjm6Yg0IJaIwlJGu5Xbcx9XkWzL0Z_-lrJlPXw0z5z7wdQDrTXaCTik0iISDFS8cuNJXFax5C3-TziOb3f7XMPbHC3XCiEawAbgrunBWAkoS569VCKkWQ/s1444/HTT29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1444" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifO2JA3-SxPkNfX57fJaX2nZ1m1s8cguBlX5tO-KRFxbTTBzNL7CrNGndw6N7uxjm6Yg0IJaIwlJGu5Xbcx9XkWzL0Z_-lrJlPXw0z5z7wdQDrTXaCTik0iISDFS8cuNJXFax5C3-TziOb3f7XMPbHC3XCiEawAbgrunBWAkoS569VCKkWQ/s320/HTT29.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>Was completely floored last night when I found out that Craig Ledbetter of <i>European Trash Cinema</i> and <i>Hi-Tech Terror</i> fame had passed away. When my buddy Lou and I created ER back in 1986, a copy found its way into Craig's hands and it wasn't long before we became trading partners and fast friends.<p></p>His zines were crucial in my development as a trash hound, and to paraphrase Mr. Joshua from LETHAL WEAPON, Craig had forgotten more about trash cinema than I will ever know.<br /><br />My association with Craig led to lasting friendships with pals like Bob Sargent of VIDEOOZE, David Zuzelo (my CINESLUDGE co-host) and CINEMA ARCANA's Bruce Holecheck; and I'm not sure such mutant sinema breeding grounds as the old European Trash Cinema (ETP) group on Yahoo would have existed without Craig's influence.<br /><br />As a proprietor of European Trash Cinema he'd fill my PO Box with countless DVD-R double features like last night's viewing of THE PLEASURE GIRLS (with Klaus Kinski) and the Jack Taylor/Paul Naschy monster mash DR. JEKYLL VS. THE WEREWOLF. And when I wanted to do something "special" for friends like send out a dozen or so copies of KINSKI PAGANINI he was the guy I turned to.<br /><br />As I look around at the trash horror community and see all the grieving, I can only imagine what his family is going through. I hope you'll keep them–and everybody who was lucky enough to know this wonderful man– in your thoughts, prayers, or however you celebrate one's life. <br /><br />And as you go through this weekend and the days ahead, remember to enjoy every sandwich as Warren Zevon once said.<br /><br />Adios, Craig. – <i>Dan Taylor</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-31843307827574531522022-11-25T19:33:00.004-05:002022-11-25T19:35:55.599-05:00Amityville: A New Generation (1993)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixED5VmtKbO5QQCVCEPP5g-6YjHjlNCyoSP8I1T9FVuP63x0w2HDx609okn4rMBS-uwtPuVb6HzP7rJqsOGTIGAfnSGspdomEMcl_Zn-m4xc7--jX2BWHbM9tPdPSTUvU3fhDw-A_kSsskj0kWZrEjogzlOqkCfdJdtE-3u4M4EXWLQX-mNw/s492/AmityNewGen.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="370" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixED5VmtKbO5QQCVCEPP5g-6YjHjlNCyoSP8I1T9FVuP63x0w2HDx609okn4rMBS-uwtPuVb6HzP7rJqsOGTIGAfnSGspdomEMcl_Zn-m4xc7--jX2BWHbM9tPdPSTUvU3fhDw-A_kSsskj0kWZrEjogzlOqkCfdJdtE-3u4M4EXWLQX-mNw/s320/AmityNewGen.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>After yet another disheartening Flyers loss (their eighth in a row … do I hear nine?) it was time to head back down the Amityville Rabbit Hole with AMITYVILLE: A NEW GENERATION (1993), inspired by the book <i>Amityville: The Evil Escapes</i> but not to be confused with the film AMITYVILLE: THE EVIL ESCAPES (1989) which stars Patty Duke and Jane Wyatt and co-stars an evil floor lamp. Got it? Good.<p>Instead, NEW GEN focuses on Keyes Terry (Ross Partridge, who looks a bit like a Thrift Store Jake Gyllenhaal), an artist/photographer who lives in a trendy artist’s building along with painter Suki (Julia Nickson), sculptor Pauli (Richard Roundtree!), and Keyes’ supportive but exasperated girlfriend Llanie (Lala Sloatman aka Dollar Tree Taylor Swift). Rounding out the building’s residents are David Naughton and Barbara Howard as Dick The Landlord (subtle) and his wife, Janet.<p>While taking photos one day, Keyes encounters a homeless man (Jack Orend) who hands him an ornate mirror. Might it be … evil?! Well, it’d be a short–and boring–movie if it wasn’t.<p>Naturally, Keyes brings the mirror back to the building where it starts claiming victims (like Robert Rusler as a boozy paramour of Suki’s) and attracting the attention of Detective Clark (the always reliable Terry O’Quinn), who may know more about the mirror’s history–and Keyes’– than he initially lets on. Everything culminates at a group exhibit in the loft where Keyes’ past and preset collide.<p>Amityville “sequels” tend to be pretty hit or miss, but NEW GENERATION is ludicrous and entertaining, complete with trips to mirror world, an unexpected shotgun blast to the face, enough gore to be satisfying, over-the-top David Naughton, the many layered wardrobe of Thrift Store Jake Gyllenhaal, and did I mention Richard Roundtree as a sculptor named Pauli?! – <i>Dan Taylor</i><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and The Hungover Gourmet, which just announced its return to print after a twelve year absence.</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-3701703747700968032022-10-14T12:23:00.002-04:002022-10-14T12:24:05.002-04:00The Axe Murders of Villisca (2016) starring Alex Frnka, Robert Adamson, Jarrett Sleeper<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0a-6RHwlm3n3ojQskX90S1e-1lb2g65AaY63d3giSgDbYBFR8mf02pBu4onBLKaQaKjlUCe4nb6X73rXAa1VYZqT2lIVL-nBvYqxjMtlmvpd6-46AWtaBbH4ig_3f_-vWvLIHiAvCLzdDCbseYIiR-kfxRNvOabqqSYTHwNIrnDfUiyJoA/s1200/axe-murders-header.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0a-6RHwlm3n3ojQskX90S1e-1lb2g65AaY63d3giSgDbYBFR8mf02pBu4onBLKaQaKjlUCe4nb6X73rXAa1VYZqT2lIVL-nBvYqxjMtlmvpd6-46AWtaBbH4ig_3f_-vWvLIHiAvCLzdDCbseYIiR-kfxRNvOabqqSYTHwNIrnDfUiyJoA/w640-h334/axe-murders-header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><i>“We’re ghost hunters! We hunt ghosts!”</i><p>In June 1912, eight people were brutally murdered in the Moore family home located in Villisca, Iowa. Six family members and two houseguests were bludgeoned with an axe by an unknown assailant, and despite many suspects (one of whom confessed and was tried—twice!) the crime remains unsolved. </p><p>Fast forward to 2016 when Denny (Jarrett Sleeper), his pal Caleb (Robert Adamson), and Jess (Alex Frnka, the new girl at school who got filmed sleeping with Connor the homophobic jock a-hole) decide to celebrate Caleb’s last night in town with some paranormal exploration at the Moore House, now a tourist attraction played by the funeral home from PHANTASM 2. </p><p>After a tour of the house conducted by Greg (Jon Gries/Uncle Rico from NAPOLEAN DYNAMITE), the trio break in after hours and, well, spooky stuff happens. The three confront past demons, Connor and his dumb buddy show up, and we’re treated to many scenes of Rev. Kelly (Sean Whalen from ALL SUPERHEROES MUST DIE and LAID TO REST among many others) whack, whack, whacking his way through the house. </p><p>Unfortunately, the glacier-like pacing makes the flick’s 78-minute running time feel like two hours and so little attention is paid to character development that we feel nothing for Denny, Caleb and Jess before they’re thrown together—in other words, it’s hard to care what happens to them. Flashbacks to their pasts are murky at best and the ending left my daughter and I both going “Huh? Wha?”.</p><p>The leads are likable—despite looking too old for their parts—and there’s plenty of creepy imagery but this is not recommended unless you’re having trouble sleeping. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and The Hungover Gourmet. He is thrilled that his teenage daughter is now enthusiastic about watching trashy horror flicks.</i></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-42125320025527699672022-10-04T19:09:00.009-04:002022-10-04T19:11:56.835-04:00The Munsters (2022) directed by Rob Zombie starring Shari Moon Zombie, Daniel Roebuck, Jeff Daniel Phillips<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGBTWITBUtaqz4ZHstEmE4uofhiUJ8iS55SeurvYRHMzU7303btSSCg_5I7gOr9aoW7RvVpc4RNE0XvlPTnFkyE-iEFRpYcO4LhyT5iD1HQIocVBWJGIBL0iti7MChXd6z9aDSE11IpO7xnOUf-4KYhwig-9-zxBQqIHOL06ONIv_3SL9YA/s562/munsters.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="399" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGBTWITBUtaqz4ZHstEmE4uofhiUJ8iS55SeurvYRHMzU7303btSSCg_5I7gOr9aoW7RvVpc4RNE0XvlPTnFkyE-iEFRpYcO4LhyT5iD1HQIocVBWJGIBL0iti7MChXd6z9aDSE11IpO7xnOUf-4KYhwig-9-zxBQqIHOL06ONIv_3SL9YA/w142-h200/munsters.jpg" width="142" /></a></div><i>“When they made me, they broke the mold.” </i><p>It’s Amateur Night at the Zombie Household with this head-scratching origin story about everybody’s favorite monster family, last seen in NBC’s failed “dark” reboot MOCKINGBIRD LANE (2012). <p>Lily (Shari Moon Zombie, of course) is looking for love and finds it when she falls for Herman, a rocking, but hacky joke of a Frankenstein monster played by Jeff Daniel Phillips (channeling his inner Fred Gwynne). They marry and end up moving to America after Herman dim-wittedly falls for a scheme cooked up by the ex-wife of The Count (Daniel Roebuck). <p>Writer/director Rob Zombie offers up lots of answers to questions nobody was asking, like how did Herman and Lily end up with Spot, why did they buy the house on Mockingbird Lane, and how did Herman get his job at the funeral parlor. <p>It’s all garish colors and groan-inducing jokes that make the various tv specials and reboots seem fresh and inventive. I’d rather watch old episodes of the original show or 1966’s MUNSTER, GO HOME! – <i>Dan Taylor</i><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and The Hungover Gourmet. He grew up watching The Munsters and The Addams Family every chance he got.</i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-39082429448761069472022-03-02T08:57:00.004-05:002022-03-02T08:59:33.223-05:00Mafia: Operation Hit Man (1974) by Don Romano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpPpuqTQlo78MaNhOQ-NVFgj3JnbCsvCJG2-B1nk8LkQ1pM9_Q2g9haViFXU3K2HgRFrax3fhqgV44BTZb0EeMGnuGpy1U7OroUghHrQ73HfM3Ek5VJhVWMKChqYFuaS7e5lxDQ05axLbjC1gTG6RQCMxrP_Ht60mMKmx6ACGEprWzMtP0ew=s892" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpPpuqTQlo78MaNhOQ-NVFgj3JnbCsvCJG2-B1nk8LkQ1pM9_Q2g9haViFXU3K2HgRFrax3fhqgV44BTZb0EeMGnuGpy1U7OroUghHrQ73HfM3Ek5VJhVWMKChqYFuaS7e5lxDQ05axLbjC1gTG6RQCMxrP_Ht60mMKmx6ACGEprWzMtP0ew=s320" width="194" /></a></div><i>“God, flying gets me horny, you know that?” </i><p>This one had been sitting on my bookshelf for some time but after a steady diet of Remo Williams and Mack Bolan I decided I needed a little palette cleanser and MAFIA: OPERATION HIT MAN seemed like a good choice.<p>Dom Caressimo is a decorated Army vet living in a cheap studio apartment, bedding the building manager’s main squeeze and passing out nightly from cheap hootch – only to wake up with a splitting headache before doing it all over again. So, when he’s approached about a job as a “shooter” he jumps at the chance to improve his lifestyle and bank a little cash in the process.<p>Seems that Anthony Vicarella – a “legitimate businessman” who owns some local soft drink bottling plants – wants to create a murder-for-hire biz with Caressimo as the triggerman. Setting his new hit man up in a modest brownstone and instructing him on how to maintain a nondescript lifestyle while carrying out jobs for The Family, Vicarella, Dom and his crew of former Army pals immediately begin to reap the rewards of this exciting new venture.<p>But when Dom is hired to knock off a face from his past, well, that’s when things start to go haywire – and MAFIA: OPERATION HIT MAN turns from a straightforward cheapie Mafia Mania cash-in into an action novel with generous bits that feel cribbed from Penthouse Forum fantasy letters. After completing the job in question, Dom starts having trouble getting Little Dom to do his job. So, when Dom seeks therapy for his – ahem, problem – The Family starts to get suspicious, and Dom finds himself in the crosshairs of the killer team he’s assembled.<p>Surprisingly better than expected MAFIA: OPERATION HIT MAN is a fast-paced 205-page slab of junk pulp filled with plenty of sex, murder, gore, kinky sex, murder, double-crosses, globe-hopping and the kind of casual 1970s dialogue/prose that would make today’s PC Police blanch. In all honesty, I found myself mentally scripting an OPERATION HIT MAN flick in my head and would not be at all disappointed to watch it streaming on some weekend night after a few beers.<p>Not a men’s action series a la The Destroyer or its brethren, MAFIA: OPERATION HIT MAN is part of a series of one-shot pulp thrillers depicting various slices of Mafia life, be it the porn trade, cocaine trafficking or truck hijacking. All written under the totally believable nom de plume “Don Romano”, the books were “produced” by Lyle Kenyon Engel aka The Impresario of Paperbacks who re-launched dusty spy Nick Carter as Nick Carter – Killmaster and berthed the hugely successful “Kent Family Chronicles” series written by John Jakes. (For some fascinating reading of a different type Google “Lyle Kenyon Engel” and read some of the profiles, articles and obits chronicling his fascinating career. Where’s the documentary on this guy?!)<p>It took just a few nights to blow through this one and I’m actively seeking out other installments in the series. This one grades a B+ and is definitely worth a pickup if you spot it in the wild. – <i>Dan Taylor</i><<p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and <a href="http://hungovergourmet.blogspot.com" target="_blank">The Hungover Gourmet</a>. He also hosts the internet radio show <a href="http://aroundthedial.blogspot.com">Around the Dial</a>.</i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-74169110382742187732022-02-18T15:19:00.000-05:002022-02-18T15:19:03.387-05:00The Destroyer #16: Oil Slick (1974) by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdL3dqUF96JE8VZzz2YO7MuX5tCO1xn-Cb4jsBqPMfEs5SPmHB7_MAr_RBxpDVgKzIHSpw20qHyNHNrC7vyPIQqDlD_2vtIo67clfhZr-GeAo6qAihUqSznlHXF_YF7mTFboZ-cDl1ovxWL7qNEl5_N5n1VObZKOldUGkHfGH1PnvdGkOlvQ=s2567" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2567" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdL3dqUF96JE8VZzz2YO7MuX5tCO1xn-Cb4jsBqPMfEs5SPmHB7_MAr_RBxpDVgKzIHSpw20qHyNHNrC7vyPIQqDlD_2vtIo67clfhZr-GeAo6qAihUqSznlHXF_YF7mTFboZ-cDl1ovxWL7qNEl5_N5n1VObZKOldUGkHfGH1PnvdGkOlvQ=s320" width="187" /></a></div><p><i>"There is only one thing that can save you from that typhoon. That is another typhoon. I am he."</i></p><p>After King Abras of a wealthy Middle Eastern state is sent packing in a bloodless coup, Colonel Baraka of the Lobynian army takes over and puts the squeeze on America by turning off the supply of precious oil to the States. And when a scientist with a revolutionary – and free – way to produce oil turns up dead at the hands of phony federal agents, it’s time to bring in Remo Williams and Chiun, Master of Sinanju to get the pipes flowing again before the American economy comes crashing down. What our heroes don’t anticipate is that one of their deadliest enemies is pulling the strings and awaits them in Lobynia.</p><p>I actually started OIL SLICK back in August (!) during a beach vacation but put it down seven chapters in because it wasn’t really grabbing me. Which is odd for a Destroyer book as they usually pull me right in and breeze along for a fast-paced 200 pages as I chuckle and wish for somebody to make a series starring Scott Adkins as Remo. So, after finishing an <a href="http://eronline.blogspot.com/2021/08/mack-bolan-executioner-75-bone-yard-1985.html" target="_blank">Executioner</a>, a couple Batman graphic novels, Grady Hendrix’s WE SOLD OUR SOULS, <a href="http://eronline.blogspot.com/2021/09/falling-2021-novel-by-tj-newman.html" target="_blank">FALLING</a> and an excellent book on 1970s baseball I figured it was time to pick up where I left off. And I’m glad I did.</p><p>Once the authors are done setting up the story with the first 80 pages, OIL SLICK gets cracking as Remo and Chiun head to the Middle East along with a perverse oil company president and members of the Third World International Youth Conference. Chiun, incensed that Lobynia has backed out of its contract with the world’s deadliest assassins, wants Adras returned to power while his nephew Nuihc wants to battle the pig Remo whom he believes has stolen his rightful place as Chiun’s pupil and heir to the secrets of Sinanju. Remo, well, he just wants Chiun and CURE honcho Dr. Smith off his back so he’ll do whatever it takes to end the oil crisis.</p><p>OIL SLICK is a bit more schizo than other Destroyer entries and I suspect that co-creator Warren Murphy wrote the second (and better) half of the book as it crackles with sharp dialogue, especially between Chiun and Remo. Bad guys are dispatched (a dry cleaner showdown is gruesomely inventive), Remo has unsatisfying (for him) sex with an undercover agent, and it all leads to a showdown in the oil fields. Unfortunately, it’s a lot of buildup to a conclusion that’s a bit of a letdown, though we do get to see just how much Remo cares for his “little father”.</p><p>This one grades out to a B thanks to a sub-par start and above average finish. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and <a href="http://hungovergourmet.blogspot.com" target="_blank">The Hungover Gourmet</a>, as well as the host of the internet radio show <a href="http://aroundthedial.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Around The Dial</a>. Next up on his men's adventure reading list is MAFIA: OPERATION HITMAN.</i></p><p><i>The Destroyer #16: Oil Slick is <a href="https://amzn.to/3I5bagJ" target="_blank">available on Amazon</a>.</i></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-1311473520854370632022-01-07T14:30:00.008-05:002022-01-07T14:30:55.427-05:00The Green Hornet (2011) Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz, David Harbour<p><i>“You said I'm boring. My gun has two barrels. That's not boring.” </i></p><p>From the Better Than I Thought It Would Be Files comes the Seth Rogen/Michel Gondry adaptation of pulp hero The Green Hornet. Rogen (who co-wrote the script with Evan Goldberg) stars as Britt Reid, a spoiled newspaper heir whose father (Tom Wilkinson) dies of an allergic reaction to a bee sting. While defacing his father’s gravesite, Reid and Kato (Jay Chou) – his father’s mechanic and assistant – break up a mugging and get mistaken as criminals by the cops. Reid convinces Kato that the two should use the newspaper to beef up the criminal profile of “The Green Hornet” while actually fighting crime and bringing Russian mobster Benjamin Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) to justice. Along for the ride are a pre-STRANGER THINGS David Harbour, Edward James Olmos and Cameron Diaz as the older but wiser assistant who helps Reid and Kato in their exploits. Like other failed pulp adaptations – Alec Baldwin’s THE SHADOW (1994) and Billy Zane’s THE PHANTOM (1996) – it’s both fun and exhausting, ping-ponging between action, comedy and bromance without ever finding its footing. Chou is great as the resourceful sidekick while Rogen is tolerable if woefully miscast as the hero. Unfortunately, a bloated budget and needless 3-D effects (remember that era?) sabotaged plans for a sequel though talks of an unrelated reboot surface on occasion. Via HBO Max. GRADE: C+. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PMA-taGtfXs" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-79082565868730136162022-01-06T10:39:00.004-05:002022-01-06T10:41:37.280-05:00Around The Dial Episode 3 Available Now<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjlsVSBAvD7zoYM8AnO4LKmpM4Lmch8t6DelmR6znC4xxacmtMHc8SZ321CHjpcbTQGuK76BPZCArtluuAAmPbqjnxQrXrRyI0mBcE-dIZURCHRwjW3g6GvQHEgbXphHlRWShy7PIo5pz6zqaPQnQEQExtBo82s6EyblEuPel4o4J0ZSIj4govTzn42w=s1080" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjlsVSBAvD7zoYM8AnO4LKmpM4Lmch8t6DelmR6znC4xxacmtMHc8SZ321CHjpcbTQGuK76BPZCArtluuAAmPbqjnxQrXrRyI0mBcE-dIZURCHRwjW3g6GvQHEgbXphHlRWShy7PIo5pz6zqaPQnQEQExtBo82s6EyblEuPel4o4J0ZSIj4govTzn42w=w200-h200" width="200" /></a>Happy Thursday! Are you bummed out to be back to work after the holidays? DJ Cosmo has got you covered with a new episode of Around The Dial featuring a bevy of cover tunes, new tracks from Weezer, The Offspring and Cheap Trick and much more. Playlist and show link below!</p><p></p><p></p><ul><li>The Kinks – Give the People What They Want – Around the Dial </li><li>David Bowie – The Lodger – DJ </li><li>The Offspring – Let the Bad Times Roll – Let the Bad Times Roll </li><li>Michael Monroe – One Man Gang – Last Train to Tokyo </li><li>Guns ‘n’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction – Think About You </li><li>The Riverboat Gamblers – Backsides – Jack O’ Lantern </li><li>John Hiatt & The Jerry Douglas Band – Leftover Feelings – Long Black Electric Cadillac </li><li>Jesse Malin and The St. Marks Social – Love It to Life – Disco Ghetto </li><li>Jack-O & The Tennessee Terajerkers – The Disco Outlaw – Sweet Thang </li><li>Saxon – Inspirations – Problem Child </li><li>Cheap Trick – In Another World – Boys & Girls & Rock N Roll </li><li>The Queers – Amp Magazine Presents – Punk Rock Girls </li><li>Joan Jett & The Blackhearts – Unvarnished – Any Weather (606 Version) </li><li>The Holograms – Night of 1000 Ex-Boyfriends – Are You Ready For It </li><li>Billie Joe Armstrong – No Fun Mondays – War Stories </li><li>Lucero – When You Found Me – Back In Ohio </li><li>Paul Collins – King of Power Pop! – The Letter </li><li>The Nomads – Showdown! – Bangkok</li><li>The Replacements – Pleased to Meet Me (Deluxe Edition) – Alex Chilton (Rough Mix) </li><li>Monster Magnet – A Better Dystopia – Motorcycle (Straight to Hell)</li></ul><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="60" src="https://www.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?hide_cover=1&mini=1&feed=%2Fdan-taylor36%2Faround-the-dial-episode-3010622%2F" width="100%"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>You can also <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/dan-taylor36/around-the-dial-episode-3010622/" target="_blank">follow this link and listen to the show</a> on MixCloud.</div><div>Have a request or idea for a future episode? Drop me a line at <a href="mailto:aroundthedialshow@gmail.com">aroundthedialshow@gmail.com</a>. – <i>Dan Taylor (aka DJ Cosmo)</i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-65525293751626403692022-01-06T10:36:00.005-05:002022-01-06T10:37:43.294-05:00Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson<p></p><i>“We should be out there snacking on bad guys!”</i> <p></p><p>Not every comic book movie needs to be a dark, dreary affair – sometimes they can just be fun and remind us why we ever gravitated to that 7-11 spinner rack in the first place. Like Andy Sirkis’ VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE which finds down-on-his-luck reporter Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) looking to get back on top by getting a scoop on serial killer Cletus Kasaday (Woody Harrelson in a succession of bad hairpieces). </p><p>After an encounter between Kasaday, Brock and Venom (Brock’s sentient alien symbiote) leads to the creation of an evil, red symbiote named Carnage, it’s up to the bickering Brock and Venom to take him down. Better than the original, VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE is freed up from the weight of any dull origin story and treats the viewer to lots of big, dumb, loud fun. GRADE: B+.
</p><p></p><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-FmWuCgJmxo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center><p></p><p><i>VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE is available from <a href="http://redbox.com" target="_blank">Redbox</a> and via <a href="https://amzn.to/3G1Nid3" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. – Dan Taylor</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-56866906892199001582022-01-04T10:36:00.003-05:002022-01-04T10:36:52.217-05:00Castle Falls (2021) starring Scott Adkins, Dolph Lundgren<p><i>“Follow the guard, find the money.” </i></p><p>Scott Adkins headlines as Mike, a down on his luck MMA fighter who lacks the killer instinct needed for success. Living in his car and working a temporary demolition job at soon-to-be-imploded Castle Heights Hospital, Mike stumbles upon a stash of cash hidden by a gang member before he ended up in prison. Determined to grab the cash and change his life, Mike heads back into Castle Heights with just 90 minutes left before demolition – unaware that a desperate prison guard (Dolph Lundgren, who also directed) and a small army of money-hungry cons are also searching for the loot. Though it takes a little time to get started Adkins and Lundgren make the most of it, giving more depth to their characters than most straight-to-video action thrillers muster. GRADE: B. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p></p><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LKjAW69vFe8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center><p></p><p><i>Available for rental from <a href="http://redbox.com" target="_blank">Redbox</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/3qQ0fA6" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-7322485253429569412022-01-04T10:32:00.001-05:002022-01-04T10:32:40.215-05:00Fast 9 (2021) starring Vin Diesel, John Cena, Michele Rodriguez<p>Yet another bloated installment of a once-fun series that started as a POINT BREAK rip-off and peaked with 2011’s FAST FIVE. With no Rock (who clearly hates Vin Diesel more than he loves money) and no Paul Walker (RIP) the franchise brings in a surprisingly dull John Cena as Jakob, Dom’s estranged younger brother tuned mercenary. Lots of fan favorites and old faces pop up, two characters go to space (unfortunately, they return), there are ridiculous flashbacks to Young Dom and Young Jakob, etc. Unfortunately, it’s a largely unwatchable mess that somehow made me feel like the free rental from our local library was a rip-off. GRADE: D. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p></p><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FUK2kdPsBws" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-46497310505717629762021-10-06T09:32:00.002-04:002021-10-06T09:32:53.937-04:00SNOOP DOGG’S HOOD OF HORROR (2007) starring Snoop Dogg, Danny Trejo, Billy Dee Williams, Ernie Hudson, Jason Alexander<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskRbY78i03Reqj_wSuwJLbYpC-Dq1dD5IMhXxuiAfbWlretRNvQ_FuNKf4wsyPEHAnNI6vNi1bkWKAQeB9bPVfnrq4gMqx7KGPEK1JmOMJjF1x2siksizD9oSoyD3BUeky_tr/s1414/snoop-dogg.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiskRbY78i03Reqj_wSuwJLbYpC-Dq1dD5IMhXxuiAfbWlretRNvQ_FuNKf4wsyPEHAnNI6vNi1bkWKAQeB9bPVfnrq4gMqx7KGPEK1JmOMJjF1x2siksizD9oSoyD3BUeky_tr/s320/snoop-dogg.jpg" width="226" /></a></i></div><i>“Y’all ready for some crazy shit?”</i><p></p><p>Bringing some much-needed star power to the anthology game – I can only watch so many SOV outings starring local grocery baggers who answered a classified ad, chubby strippers with bad tattoos, and the director’s cousin – beer and lighter pitchman Snoop Dogg starts off the flick as a cartoon hood whose little sister is accidentally killed by his gun. When his mom freaks and curses him (“I hate you! You’re not my son… you’re a devil!”) Snoop does what any animated gang banger would do and makes some kind of pact with Satan that involves him being turned into a real life, pimpin’ wraparound host/cribkeeper with demon ho’s and a surly little person at his side.</p><p>‘Crossed Out’ finds a young female graffiti artist named Posie (Daniella Alonso) running afoul of some gang bangers by tagging their territory. And spray painting them in the face, which would probably piss anybody off. When she gets abducted by a derelict (Danny Trejo) she wakes up with a tight arm tattoo that ends the life of whosever name she crosses out. Bonus points for phone choking and a 40 oz. through the head (in a nice, splattery effect) plus Billy Dee Williams as grief counselor Pastor Charlie, who finds himself putting in plenty of OT thanks to Posie’s handiwork.</p><p>‘Scumlord’ definitely highlights the flick, with HELL ON WHEELS’ Anson Mount starring as Tex Jr., a Southern-fried racist even Donald Trump would think goes too far. When Tex Sr. “dies”, his offspring discovers that getting daddy’s inheritance won’t be as easy as he thought. The will states that the son and his gold digging wife (Brande Roderick) must live in the “ghetto rat trap” where Tex the Elder’s beloved soldiers – including Ernie Hudson and Richard Gant – reside. Instead of learning a lesson about loving his fellow man (what fun would that be?!), Tex Jr. puts the vets to work renovating the property, steals their money, cuts their food budget and forces their nurse into a threesome. Comeuppance, in grisly fashion, ensues.</p><p>‘Rapsody Askew’ rounds out the trio of terror tales and, unfortunately, it’s the weakest entry (and the only one not co-written by Tim Sullivan). Told in loopy, flashback/flashforward fashion, we’re shown the rise of a pair of young rappers – SOD (Pooch Hall) and Quan (Aries Spears) – who get fame too fast and end up sidetracked by things like a lack of focus. And statutory rape. An ill-advised stop at a convenience store leads to the death of one half of the pair and a haunting night at an awards show for the survivor. Look for Diamond Dallas Page as SOD’s bodyguard and Jason Alexander in a laughable, accent-challenged cameo as “British Record Mogul”.</p><p>Definitely lost amongst more ballyhooed anthology efforts, HOOD OF HORROR certainly delivers the goods thanks to its combination of splattery effects and comeuppance. And Snoop Dogg. Never forget the Snoop Dogg. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of <a href="http://dantenet.com" target="_blank">Exploitation Retrospect</a>. This review appeared in a slightly different form in issue #53 (still available from the publisher, <a href="mailto:editor@dantenet.com">email us</a> for payment details) and <a href="https://amzn.to/3Bh1mwB" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.</i></p><p><i>HOOD OF HORROR is <a href="https://amzn.to/3Bh1mwB" target="_blank">available from Amazon</a>.</i></p><p></p><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g1lXVyzixGs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-43911157238948595712021-10-05T09:27:00.003-04:002021-10-05T09:28:30.865-04:00 CRYING WOLF (2015) directed by Tony Jopia, starring Kristofer Dayne<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUJTK3YzuhUem7977vlNlIUDQFacbmIEPBu-uJPTQpe0gJUpZLTLTfCYC4wUBjGK6OFybFLhXIhLSvCeTkw9xlu6Aojer7Li7x0M13RZBy3TeMTaI6WATWhrqYIDAbJVDYbpp/s1435/crying-wolf.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUJTK3YzuhUem7977vlNlIUDQFacbmIEPBu-uJPTQpe0gJUpZLTLTfCYC4wUBjGK6OFybFLhXIhLSvCeTkw9xlu6Aojer7Li7x0M13RZBy3TeMTaI6WATWhrqYIDAbJVDYbpp/s320/crying-wolf.jpg" width="223" /></a></i></div><i>“What’s the point of being a werewolf if you can’t wolf around a little?”</i><p></p><p>True to its name, the small country village of Deddington has more than its share of secrets and mysterious deaths. While searching for clues in the death of a local young woman named Charlotte, a private investigator stumbles into an antique shop and finds a huge tome the shopkeeper (Caroline Munro) isn’t too keen on parting with.</p><p>Settling down in a local pub, the PI can’t believe his eyes as the book relates the story of a werewolf pack that got more than they bargained for on a camping trip intended to solidify their ranks.</p><p>It seems that Andy (Kristofer Dayne) had a habit of pulling pranks on his pals at the local pub, so when he barges in one night covered in blood and babbling about a werewolf attack his friends don’t believe him – until it’s too late. Now they’re all part of a pack headed by the overbearing Milly (Gabriela Hersham), the she-wolf who killed Charlotte and turned Andy.</p><p>Heading off into the woods on a camping trip guided by Ricky Hellsong (Marco Radice with a dubbed voice) and his pal Charlie (David Sellicks), Milly intends to have the novice lycans kill in the wild in order to close their ranks. The arrival of two hitchhikers and a werewolf’s un-turned sister complicates matters, not to mention the emergence of a revenge plan in the works right under their noses.</p><p>Mildly schizophrenic, CRYING WOLF is a bit like the bastard offspring of a werewolf flick and an anthology film. When the group arrives at a remote church, they begin sharing stories filled with topless sunbathers, creepy crawlies, potato sack madmen, damsels in distress, ninjas (?!), horny vicars, beheadings, gangsters, demons, grave robbing … and bongos. Somehow, director/co-writer Tony Jopia ties things together in a bloody CGI-heavy finale filled with crossbows, werewolf attacks, handguns, bombs and some D-grade fight choreography. </p><p>Clocking in at a padded out 91 minutes, CRYING WOLF (listed as being in 3D on its IMDB page) occupies that crowded dollar store netherworld filled with flicks that aren’t so terrible you feel like you wasted your time and money but aren’t good enough to recommend to all but your closest fellow cheapo horror junkies. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of <a href="http://dantenet.com" target="_blank">Exploitation Retrospect</a> and <a href="http://hungovergourmet.blogspot.com" target="_blank">The Hungover Gourmet</a> as well as host (as DJ Cosmo) of the Mixcloud radio show <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/dan-taylor36/" target="_blank">Around the Dial</a>. His favorite werewolf film is probably THE HOWLING but he does love a good ol' Paul Naschy flick.</i></p><p><i>CRYING WOLF is <a href="https://amzn.to/3ivOgVe" target="_blank">available from Amazon</a> or in the bins at your favorite dollar store.</i></p><p></p><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zCZvFjmihqs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center><p></p><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-27873116654091414482021-10-01T10:05:00.000-04:002021-10-01T10:05:00.532-04:00TRICK OR TREAT (2020) starring Craig Kelly, Dean Lennox Kelly<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvBZBq_H3f-G4ah6Yh0KoSP5kptVcdNDm77WLosKJnD6bz0eFByJOB-6SnG1th6n5vQ_GVTqTlwZ5yXe6hMeMI_gAMpbGMn0keW9Hn_HaER-fGafkizG6tPw9F4c-2l3pin9F/s2048/trick-box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1473" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvBZBq_H3f-G4ah6Yh0KoSP5kptVcdNDm77WLosKJnD6bz0eFByJOB-6SnG1th6n5vQ_GVTqTlwZ5yXe6hMeMI_gAMpbGMn0keW9Hn_HaER-fGafkizG6tPw9F4c-2l3pin9F/s320/trick-box.jpg" width="230" /></a></i></div><i>“Middle age can be murder.”</i><p></p><p>Not to be confused with any of the many films with a similar name, <i>this</i> TRICK OR TREAT is deceptively packaged as a Halloween/horror flick for those of us who can’t be bothered to read the box (like me!), but is actually a Brit gangster flick with a twist – or five.</p><p>Greg (Craig Kelly) is a reformed but bored party boy and former low-level mob flunky who has finally settled down with a wife and kid. So when his estranged brother Dan (played by Craig's real-life brother Dean) shows up on Halloween night – which just happens to be Greg’s birthday – after a drunk driving accident that resulted in death, well it’s up to Greg to set things right.</p><p>Unfortunately, Dan’s victim was the son of a psychotic mob boss and when his brother disappears, Greg is presented with a tough choice: deliver his brother or the mob boss’s son by 2 AM or Greg gets to choose whether the mob boss offs his wife or baby.</p><p>From there the hunt is on as Greg searches for his brother all while unveiling clues that maybe he shouldn’t be trusting any of the people closest to him.</p><p>Definitely not a flick for everyone, but TRICK OR TREAT will certainly keep you guessing. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and the soon-to-be revived The Hungover Gourmet.</i></p><p><i>TRICK OR TREAT is available for <a href="https://amzn.to/2YfQyAM" target="_blank">rent or purchase via Amazon Prime Video</a> or look for it at your local Dollar Tree.</i></p><p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zUvl6uIG6yM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-82827742603837242362021-09-21T11:21:00.005-04:002021-09-21T11:33:06.243-04:00FALLING (2021) A Novel By T.J. Newman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXu3POLptAksmlZDFx0NFnlnTth7qQuJlJ_opW3uUqJ7y7wl3t8-S00ZlEzVijiNh4e_4HjaFwFdCI6COctGbd8LbMX7-sdG1pZTNHuUZIK7glYgsS_f_X2bB1Gz8Wn-C3dYLz/s1474/falling-cover.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1474" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXu3POLptAksmlZDFx0NFnlnTth7qQuJlJ_opW3uUqJ7y7wl3t8-S00ZlEzVijiNh4e_4HjaFwFdCI6COctGbd8LbMX7-sdG1pZTNHuUZIK7glYgsS_f_X2bB1Gz8Wn-C3dYLz/s320/falling-cover.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>Falling (2021) by T.J. Newman<p></p><p>Been wanting to read this much-hyped debut novel all summer so when it finally came in at the library I snatched it up and looked for the perfect opportunity to crack it open. And, with the Phillies hosting the lowly Orioles in the first of a crucial three-game series, last night seemed perfect. (Spoiler, the Phillies made O’s starter John Means look like Cy Young as they fell three games back of the Braves in the race for a playoff spot.)</p><p>For those who don’t know, FALLING (285 pages, published by Avid Reader Press) has been getting plenty of advance praise and word-of-mouth since it got picked up for publishing, and for good reason. First time author TJ Newman is a former stewardess who concocted the “JAWS at 35,000 feet” storyline while in her seat during countless cross-country red eyes. Submitted to 40+ agents it finally found a home and has cover blurbs from the likes of Don Winslow and James Patterson.</p><p>In short, veteran pilot Bill Hoffman gets tapped for a last-minute flight from LA to NYC despite promising his wife, Claire, that he’d be around for their son’s little league opener. Shortly after takeoff he’s informed that his wife and two children have been taken hostage by a terrorist who presents Hoffman with a horrible choice: crash the plane killing 140+ passengers and crew or the madman offs the pilot’s family.</p><p>Naturally, the principled Hoffman vows not to crash the plane and must figure out a way to save his family, protect passengers and crew, and figure out who he can and cannot trust as he tries to avert the worst airplane disaster since 9/11.</p><p>I’ll be the first to admit that FALLING is a page-turner and I blew through it in a single sitting (with a brief stop for milk and brownies to drown my baseball sorrows). But it’s certainly not without its flaws. Newman convincingly writes the characters she knows best, namely Hoffman and his crew of attendants (veterans Jo and Big Daddy plus Kellie, the wide-eyed rookie), and the author deftly juggles myriad storylines in a style that seems tailor made for the big screen (no surprise that a dozen-plus studios and streamers battled for the film rights). But the villains – and some side characters – are strictly one-note stereotypes, the FBI agent/superior relationship is straight out of any one of a thousand cop shows/movies, some scenes are so hokey that I couldn’t help but chuckle, veterans of the action film genre will see most, if not all, of the book’s “twists” coming from a mile away, and you can tell the author watched SPEED and the AIRPORT and DIE HARD flicks a bit too much while prepping the manuscript.</p><p>Not surprisingly, Newman – who signed a seven-book deal on the strength of FALLING – is at work on a sequel, but FALLING is no <a href="http://dantenet.com/er/features/turbulence/index.htm" target="_blank">TURBULENCE 3: HEAVY METAL (2001)</a> starring Rutger Hauer, Craig Sheffer and Gabrielle Anwar (!) which revolves around a Satanic plot to crash an airliner into one of the Gates of Hell while millions watch a concert by the Marilyn Manson-esque Slade Craven that is being broadcast over the Internet from the plane. </p><p>Now THAT is a concept! – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><i>You can buy <a href="https://amzn.to/2Zkq1m4" target="_blank">FALLING at Amazon</a>.</i></p><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and <a href="http://hungovergourmet.blogspot.com" target="_blank">The Hungover Gourmet</a>. He does not mind flying despite getting as sick as he's ever been in his life after a flight from Baltimore to Boston.</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-86391554653279333272021-09-16T15:26:00.007-04:002021-09-16T15:26:33.714-04:00Exploitation Retrospect Issues 52 and 53 Still Available<div>Interested in checking out back issues of ER? The following issues are still available via Amazon as well as directly from us. See below for descriptions and links.</div><div><br /></div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1y_JiWDlV-QrQc_tofk3vOGgksiPUwlwiNoyoXZ2tJnokKb7KljbfvzldGbr-GpGy-ofUJ3usR3bNURxVqsaqXWpgjCITP6sLL0t8TNu8pocKfCFRtNCj3PVo9f704OecOxIY/s2048/ER53Cover2-promo1500px.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1325" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1y_JiWDlV-QrQc_tofk3vOGgksiPUwlwiNoyoXZ2tJnokKb7KljbfvzldGbr-GpGy-ofUJ3usR3bNURxVqsaqXWpgjCITP6sLL0t8TNu8pocKfCFRtNCj3PVo9f704OecOxIY/s320/ER53Cover2-promo1500px.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Exploitation Retrospect #53: 30th Anniversary Issue</span> </b><div>The Journal of Junk Culture and Fringe Media returns with a super-sized 30th anniversary issue clocking in at 130 pages. </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>This time out the ER Crew looks at the world of horror anthology films with a special review section featuring SLAUGHTER TALES (2012), TORTURE GARDEN (1967), THE UNCANNY (1977), TOMB OF TERROR (2004), HOLIDAYS (2016), GRIM PRAIRIE TALES (1990), ASYLUM (1972), THE BURNING MOON (1992), CRADLE OF FEAR (2007), SCREAMS OF A WINTER NIGHT (1979) and many more. Plus, we look inside the world of 21st century anthology flicks with filmmaker Scarlet Fry. </li><li>We remember THE DESTROYER co-creator Warren Murphy with an interview by The Paperback Fanatic and examine the legacy of Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan (THE EXECUTIONER) and other men's action heroes via reviews, articles and an interview with author Mike Newton. </li><li>Obscure horror gets its due thanks to an interview with Gary Wallace (star of video store oddity THE JAR) while Evan Romero waxes nostalgic about Joe D'Amato's PORNO HOLOCAUST and breaks down the films of Jorg Buttgereit. </li><li>Longing for the sights, sounds and smells of old movie theaters? Take a trip through Kris Gilpin's theatrical scrapbook while Chris Poggiali examines the history of hot pants cinema. </li><li>And what would an issue of <i>Exploitation Retrospect</i> be without a bulging review section? Join Douglas Waltz, Mitch Lovell, John Grace, Devin Kelly, David Zuzelo, Jim Ivers, Evan Romero, Eric Miller, Neil Vokes, Robert Segedy, Mike Hauss and Dan Taylor as they dive deep into a video vortex of horror, action, exploitation and sleaze.</li></ul></div><div><i>Available via <a href="https://amzn.to/3nzRZV0" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="mailto:editor@dantenet.com">contact us for Venmo info</a>.</i></div><div><br /></div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Exploitation Retrospect #52</span></b><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsjwO_xDDP1xIDQ4aC9z8R1jKJNaj5UVKN3KWkU1hYK2UqmItoEYm2VNvBRWUcShFX2bOu3Q3sQ4oYPRfPTBlI6CShtGpTyO7JxDRMj1CnZayYafFMBk5I-NHG0V0tAfm4hYI/s800/er52-large-ebay.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="508" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsjwO_xDDP1xIDQ4aC9z8R1jKJNaj5UVKN3KWkU1hYK2UqmItoEYm2VNvBRWUcShFX2bOu3Q3sQ4oYPRfPTBlI6CShtGpTyO7JxDRMj1CnZayYafFMBk5I-NHG0V0tAfm4hYI/s320/er52-large-ebay.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>The journal of junk culture and fringe media returns with an action-packed 64-page issue featuring a Remo Williams-inspired cover from award-winning illustrator Neil Vokes plus more content than we've ever packed in our pages.</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>WET FINGERS, FOGGED DONGS & SAPPHIC SLAPFIGHTS: A Penetrating Poke at Nikkatsu Erotic Films by David Zuzelo. </li><li>Jonathan Plombon examines the world of on-demand pseudo-snuff in A CAMCORDER, SOME CHLOROFORM, THE STORY OF WAVE PRODUCTIONS, AND AN UNDERGROUND CULTURE OF DEATH-FETISH FILMS. </li><li>CRIMINAL DECAPITATION OF A CAN'T LOSE CONCEPT: Chuck Francisco gets in the bunker and looks at the history of Nazi Zombie cinema. </li><li>LANCASTER-PLOITATION: Midnight Movie Cowboy John Grace tackles two of the big screen bully's polar opposite works from the 1970s. </li><li>BLOOD, BRAWLS & BULLETS: Live Hard as the ER Crew dives into the manly world of men's adventure novels and action cinema complete with an appreciation of the one, the only, The Destroyer by author CE Martin.</li><li>Plus, a heaping helping of horror, sci-fi and sleaze film reviews as only ER can!</li></ul><div><div><i>Available via <a href="https://amzn.to/3EsyinS" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or <a href="mailto:editor@dantenet.com">contact us for Venmo info</a>.</i></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-68931154674860321602021-09-16T12:48:00.006-04:002021-09-16T15:27:12.592-04:00A NIGHT OF HORROR: NIGHTMARE RADIO (2019) Horror Anthology<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwzzw6lmRJu6LxHaVBMXmNoMiU-hfNSEatH0veOLWsnzChnGt28nuDrIZ3uqIrpEmiH-f8bWgg9s89J5RZxwiez7yNzdF4-AZxvZpMhVyqNRg-Gjl2Rr2yn67Dh7eoeXpXrL3/s1200/nightmare-radio-poster.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwzzw6lmRJu6LxHaVBMXmNoMiU-hfNSEatH0veOLWsnzChnGt28nuDrIZ3uqIrpEmiH-f8bWgg9s89J5RZxwiez7yNzdF4-AZxvZpMhVyqNRg-Gjl2Rr2yn67Dh7eoeXpXrL3/s320/nightmare-radio-poster.webp" width="216" /></a></div><i> “The worst monsters are the ones under the skin of your dear ones."</i><p></p><p>Just as clunky as its cumbersome title suggests, A NIGHT OF HORROR: NIGHTMARE RADIO drops us into the late-night radio show of Rod Wilson (James Wright), a smooth-talking dj with a penchant for telling scary stories, like the Invisible Man-inspired “In the Dark Dark Woods” which serves as an all too brief appetizer for the main course. After relating how his mom put coins on the eyes of his dead granny so she could pay the ferryman we segue into seven tales of terror that are, in typical anthology film fashion, wildly hit or miss.</p><p>Leading things off in solid style is “Post Mortem Mary”, in which settlers in the rugged Aussie outback seek a photographic memento of their daughter who has been rotting for the last couple weeks. Young Mary shows up with her mom and must get a good shot so that her family can make money, but it’s easier said than done with a mischievous corpse as your subject. If you’re like me and get a little itchy-skitchy at scenes of eye violence, well, let me just say I’ll never look a spoon the same way ever again.</p><p>From there NIGHTMARE RADIO (seriously, just call it that, it’s the better title) veers from EC-inspired revenge fantasies (“A Little Off The Top”) and political commentary (“The Disappearance of Willie Bingham”) to backwoods weirdness (“Into the Mud”) and jump scare British ghosts (“Vicious”). Luckily, tales like the Spanish “Drops” and the IT-inspired “The Smiling Man” appear every now and then to perk up the proceedings.</p><p>Unfortunately, the framing device concocted by Luciano and Nicolas Onetti – who also assembled the disparate collection of vignettes – is largely ineffective despite attempts to ratchet up the tension. The quality suffers in comparison to the other segments and, like several of the tales, feels half-baked at best.</p><p>Don’t get me wrong. I’ve seen waaaayyyy worse anthology flicks and this was well worth the pocket change spent on it at the local Dollar Tree. But it’s a pretty middle of the road effort that pales in comparison to the similarly-themed SCAREWAVES (2014) which was <a href="https://eronline.blogspot.com/2021/09/exploitation-retrospect-issues-52-and.html">reviewed in ER #53 published back in (gasp!) 2017</a>. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and <a href="http://hungovergourmet.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Hungover Gourmet</a> as well as the host of the internet radio show <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/dan-taylor36/" target="_blank">Around The Dial</a>. While he's sad that summer is over he's happy that spooky season is upon us.</i></p><div><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9RMTYzdMiaU" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-16991731447929796172021-08-10T11:38:00.003-04:002021-08-10T11:39:08.272-04:00Mack Bolan: The Executioner #75 – THE BONE YARD (1985)<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qdEFM_-5fZjNXIBqi9JsTw-vonXzSyVXdMt0G4ippx3p18wCYIuXxGeNwIDW_9yXVQELk2U37pbD0gNRSfnnvyoLoHJNLUyuDJVwfdd1PBBb9ufZVaUCk57z8tVmf-ji_jxg/s2048/IMG_0173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1242" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qdEFM_-5fZjNXIBqi9JsTw-vonXzSyVXdMt0G4ippx3p18wCYIuXxGeNwIDW_9yXVQELk2U37pbD0gNRSfnnvyoLoHJNLUyuDJVwfdd1PBBb9ufZVaUCk57z8tVmf-ji_jxg/w121-h200/IMG_0173.jpg" width="121" /></a></div>It’s “Pearl Harbor in the desert”, but little do Frank Spinoza and his Vegas crew know that they’re under attack from Mack Bolan – The Executioner – and not Seiji Kuwahara, the sushi restauranteur with Japanese mob connections looking to take a slice of Sin City’s gambling pie. <p></p><p>EXECUTIONER 75: THE BONE YARD (1985) finds the Bolan saga back on familiar ground, with Mack taking his war against organized crime straight at both the Italian and Japanese contingents, while the old guard Jewish mobsters who helped build Las Vegas plot revenge for years of being lap dogs for the likes of Spinoza and the major crime families. Throw in a sympathetic homicide cop and an investigative reporter in distress and you’ve got all the makings for a quick but entertaining men’s adventure outing, despite the fact that none of the villains present much of a threat to our hero. </p><p>Author Mike Newton packs THE BONE YARD’s 184 pages with plenty of colorful and graphic descriptions of the violence that befalls anybody who crosses Bolan’s path (“flattening him between the hard unyielding layers of metal like a slice of ham inside a ghastly sandwich” was my favorite) and if I was drinking at every mention of “parabellum manglers” I’d be face down on our vacation house porch. </p><p>Bonus points for the interview excerpts with Bolan creator Don Pendelton (from KMGH-TV in Denver) in which he discusses the upcoming Bolan film (“maybe a series of pictures”) produced by Burt Reynolds with Sylvester Stallone writing, directing and starring as The Executioner. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-80761495170238608442020-11-16T08:00:00.000-05:002020-11-16T08:00:05.224-05:00Mack Bolan, The Executioner #77: HOLLYWOOD HELL (1985)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMAi4RgTsAwftlSMC7Q29YEbTNGmE-umLsVupfNNri3jfKDXYAvVanEdKB3N30BF8VcEo-Qo5NyXDXiYr1HuDkKRo4Ucvh2Fb770CtSMi5JikaUy7jRcPIvEts5zTsOM9LoQq/s1600/bolan77.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="994" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMAi4RgTsAwftlSMC7Q29YEbTNGmE-umLsVupfNNri3jfKDXYAvVanEdKB3N30BF8VcEo-Qo5NyXDXiYr1HuDkKRo4Ucvh2Fb770CtSMi5JikaUy7jRcPIvEts5zTsOM9LoQq/s320/bolan77.jpg" /></a></div><p>It’s HARDCORE MEETS BOLAN as the drugged-out daughter of an up-and-coming politician gets sucked into Hollywood’s seamy underbelly of drugs, porn – and worse. When the politician finds himself being blackmailed he reaches out to The Executioner’s brother Johnny and enlists his help. </p><p>Mack Bolan responds the only way he knows how, by conducting a one-man frontal assault on the pimps, snuff film purveyors and other lowlifes that populate the mean streets of LA. Tipped to the presence of a shadowy figure known as The Iceman, Bolan declares all-out war until he gets the info he needs to zero in on his target. </p><p>Written by longtime Bolan series vet Mike Newton, HOLLYWOOD HELL features plenty of street level action as Bolan’s adventure takes him from a rescue of the Senator to a full-blown shootout with The Iceman and an adversary from a previous visit to The City of Angels. </p><p>Newton’s old school prose effortlessly channels the beats of Bolan creator Don Pendelton’s influential books, balancing inner Bolan monologues on the savageness of man with talk of “parabellum manglers” and thoughts of how criminals ripped apart The Executioner’s own family, which makes this bout of urban warfare more personal than usual. </p><p>The daylight raids and wholesale slaughter of the denizens of “Hotel Hell” might be tough to swallow at times, but Newton keeps things moving at a lightning pace over the course of 186 lean pages. </p><p>If I had any complaint it’s that the tale builds to an epic clash between Bolan and The Iceman, only to have the latter swiftly dispatched in the book’s last few pages. That’s a minor quibble, though, and something I’ve gotten used to during this era of the series. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and he loves him some Mack Bolan. This review originally appeared in our monster 30th anniversary issue, <a href="https://amzn.to/34iDsmy" target="_blank">still available at Amazon</a> or direct from the publisher.</i></p><p><i>Hollywood Hell is <a href="https://amzn.to/3jq74CG" target="_blank">available from Amazon</a>.</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-22320100529235864132020-11-09T08:00:00.004-05:002020-11-09T08:00:00.335-05:00Mack Bolan, The Executioner #445: FINAL ASSAULT (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxnL-NPQLMUKPb3b5tcPsUodpMedxMzKLUzftXaQoqo8SxtpE0SSkgW0aHmHB951NpYkfzLJvQf06BOPfun3Mr4YcNMgzOiStoKhJYqsE5ZCfBNqCZ42EFofJgbjI7JGM9VcF/s499/bolan445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxnL-NPQLMUKPb3b5tcPsUodpMedxMzKLUzftXaQoqo8SxtpE0SSkgW0aHmHB951NpYkfzLJvQf06BOPfun3Mr4YcNMgzOiStoKhJYqsE5ZCfBNqCZ42EFofJgbjI7JGM9VcF/s320/bolan445.jpg" /></a></div>A quick stop at the skeevy thrift store on my way to the beach paid off with a couple new Bolans for a mere 49 cents each.
I spotted BLOOD RITES (#439) first and realized that where there’s one Bolan there are probably more. <p>Sure enough, amidst the discarded TWILIGHT books and pregnancy guides there was FINAL ASSAULT and its alluring tagline of “Pirates steal the spotlight on a publicity stunt gone deadly wrong.”
SOLD! </p><p>It wasn’t long before I secured my favorite spot near water’s edge and cracked open Joshua Reynolds’ taut tale of terrorists, modern day pirates and, oh yeah, Mack Bolan. </p><p>When “sustainable technologies wunderkind” Nicholas Pierpoint hired Georges Garrand and his team of international mercs to hijack his super-yacht’s star-studded maiden voyage he assumed any publicity was good publicity. But he didn’t count on a double cross that would find him held captive on his own ship, helpless to stop an auction of the floating city to some of the world’s most dangerous criminals. </p><p>Cue a bevy of Feds who can’t let the Demeter’s technology fall into the wrong hands and would rather see her blown to pieces, resting in a watery grave. If only there was a man capable of taking the ship back before it’s too late… </p><p>Recruited for the gig by old pal Hal Brognola, Bolan enlists help from a band of Somali pirates in order to defeat the mercenaries, rescue the hostages and send the Demeter to the ocean floor before she can be turned into a floating – and potentially impregnable – criminal fortress. </p><p>Reynolds’ book reads like a ready-made, action-packed Bolan film franchise entry (don’t I wish!) with sly asides to everything from DIE HARD and UNDER SIEGE to Tom Cruise (“he looked a little like a certain American movie star, the one who’d made that film about bartenders and liked to stand on couches”). </p><p>The mercs and who’s who of international criminals are colorful and so perfectly drawn I couldn’t help but cast the film in my head as the pages breezed by.
Bravo, too, to Reynolds for giving Mack some formidable foes to deal with. </p><p>Despite knowing that nobody executes The Executioner, the final few chapters find our hero dealing with harrowing scenarios featuring tough as nails villains, near drownings and a shark feeding frenzy. </p><p>As I looked up from the last page I could almost see Bolan and Brognola having their debriefing on the deck of a CIA-owned “fishing boat”. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and he longs for a big budget Mack Bolan flick. This review originally appeared in our super-sized 30th anniversary issue, <a href="https://amzn.to/34iDsmy" target="_blank">available from Amazon</a> and direct from the publisher.</i></p><p><i>FINAL ASSAULT is <a href="https://amzn.to/37u7VQB" target="_blank">available from Amazon</a>.</i></p><br /><p></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23010798.post-27091619009613987532020-11-02T08:00:00.001-05:002020-11-02T08:00:03.970-05:00Mack Bolan, The Executioner #107: AMERICAN NIGHTMARE (1987)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXwJlUAGXhsSAigPtVoENd-s68Zn2UuO1qhp8vS1ZA_2RpRytOU4TA-Zjn88fHvjZW9L-509YcFqErcKaeZ-JvMtmJaCzvd6IqmE3GV3kuAsczlF4LTj17dNsDB_8UUIW5DFh/s475/bolan-nightmare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="292" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXwJlUAGXhsSAigPtVoENd-s68Zn2UuO1qhp8vS1ZA_2RpRytOU4TA-Zjn88fHvjZW9L-509YcFqErcKaeZ-JvMtmJaCzvd6IqmE3GV3kuAsczlF4LTj17dNsDB_8UUIW5DFh/s320/bolan-nightmare.jpg" /></a></div>The recent months seemed like the perfect time to dig out an election-themed Bolan and 1987’s prescient AMERICAN NIGHTMARE could not have been a better choice. <p></p>With the Presidential primaries heating up, Bolan is tasked with providing beefed-up security for Senator Jack Torrance, a rising star who loves the spotlight and might just be his party’s nominee. But when a series of seemingly unrelated, gory and very publicized murders begin, The Executioner and his computer whiz sidekick must uncover Torrance’s connection to the killings. And stop the international hit team before they take out the would-be President. <p></p><p>Easily one of the more brutal Executioners I’ve read, AMERICAN NIGHTMARE reads like author Mike McQuay took a time machine from the present back to 1987 in order to pen this tale of terrorists bringing their particular brand of mayhem to American shores. </p><p>“I think that international terrorism is the greatest threat this country will face for the rest of the century,” Torrance tells Bolan during an early
encounter, while head assassin Blocker (aka Freon) attempts to deflect attention from his true intentions by posing as part of an Islamic hit squad. </p><p>Complicating matters for Bolan are the senator’s attempts to obfuscate his connection to the victims as well as a head of security who sees neither the need for nor value of Bolan. It all adds up to a satisfying and recommended action/mystery with the added bonus of Bolan. – <i>Dan Taylor</i></p><p><i>Dan Taylor is the editor/publisher of Exploitation Retrospect and he hopes that the recent American nightmare is over soon. This review originally appeared in our super-sized 30th anniversary issue still <a href="https://amzn.to/2HqrnTF" target="_blank">available at Amazon</a> or direct from the publisher.</i></p><p><i>American Nightmare is <a href="https://amzn.to/2HuwKAM" target="_blank">available from Amazon</a>.</i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0