Bliss (2019)

QUICKIE REVIEW: BLISS

Writer director Joe Begos (Almost Human, VFW) brings us more goodies with BLISS - a modern tale of work, blood, drugs, and bad friends.

Artist Dezzy is under pressure to complete a painting. A lot of pressure. She's out of cash and out of time with her landlord wanting cash and the gallery wanting their goods. She needs a break from it all, so she goes to see her dealer. And that's when all hell breaks loose! A dark and bloody hell.

I kinda see this film as being THE HUNGER meets MANDY. It just came to mind. And I loved it. This sexy and visually stunning little trip goes all out with sex and violence at the forefront, but never overshadowing it's wild and twisting storyline of a persons decent.

Dora Madison turns in an amazing performance, just tearing things up like a little tornado. We even get fun little scenes with George Wendt and Abraham Benrubi as she starts to fall further and further into her new world and further down the path to some really dark areas.

Begos' story is fantastic and super solid. It's a very interesting take on a theme that can often be dull and dripping with tropes no one really wants to see anymore. He really took things to interesting areas and at a rocketing 80 minute runtime, it feels like a fantastic horror rollercoaster ride.


Check it!   AVAILABLE ON SHUDDER at the time of this posting! 

Lifechanger

I see a good amount of screeners. Not as many as I would like, but I'm very happy that I got into the "Screener Club" - especially when I get to see films like LIFECHANGER and I'm able to give it some positive press!

Fans of THE HIDDEN and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS will want to check this film out for sure. This is writer/director Justin McConnell's first feature film and it's a fantastic offering.

And, as usual, no spoilers.

We're told the tale of a creature who is basically a life stealer. It "INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS" up a person's body and memories, then moves on. However, unlike Invasion, the effects of the change are wearing off faster and faster with each change. In years past, it seems like it was months before the creature had to jump bodies. Now, it's hours. But, what's the endgame here?

I loved the film. We have a being who is just trying to stay alive. To be alive. And the "room" is shrinking on it hour by hour. It was a fantastic metaphor for life at times. "I'll just do this to buy myself some time. And this....and this...and this other thing..." all the while you are running around trying to stay afloat. Stay alive. The film nails the feeling and manages to do it in a way that doesn't come off as over emotional or "emo". And that's all because of Justin McConnell's direction, his writing, his actors, and Sasha Moric's cinematography.

The cast does an amazing job playing two roles for the most part - pre-creature and post. However, it's never over the top and "BIG BAD" unlike some of these body swap offerings. The creature here is very human in it's thinking and life seeking. It never comes off as alien or robotic. I think that helps to sell the tale. There are some grand performances in the film. I was entranced. Sad to say, Bill Oberst Jr. was in the film only as a voice. I would have loved to see him as one of the characters.

The film is beautifully shot and the lighting is grand. I'm always thrilled when these films present a great story, with awesome acting, but also manage to nail the cinematography and lighting as well. The results are always winning, in my most humble opinion.



AND PRACTICAL EFFECTS!!!!!!!   Dear LAWD!!! Thank you! hehehehe  

Not only practical, but really good. The balance of story and shocks play together very well. We dip into some dialogue and plot depth, but moments later something really horrid happens and the energy is picked up again. Loved it.



I'm going to wrap up there because I don't want to go to "fan boy" on this film, but suffice it to say you should seek the film out and give it a shot as soon as you can. It's super solid and presents a very interesting perspective on love, life, guilt, and human suffering without being too heady or preachy about it.

WELL worth a viddy.   ON DEMAND JANUARY 1ST, 2019!!!! 

FANTASTIC work from....

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lora Burke ... Julia Wilson
Jack Foley ... Robert
Elitsa Bako ... Emily Roberts
Rachel VanDuzer... Rachel
Steve Kasan ... Detective Freddie Ransone
Sam White ... Sam Richardson
Bill Oberst Jr. ... Drew (voice)
Peter Higginson... Andrew
Adam Buller ... James
Brian Quintero... Tommy
Uche Ama ... Jen
Mark Rainmaker... John
Ry Barrett ... Richard
Michelle D'Alessandro Hatt... Mary Richardson
Daniel Faraldo... Bill

Giallo A Venezia (1979)

If you like your gialli sleazy, naked, and gross, have I got one for you! GIALLO A VENEZIA from 1979 is all that and then some!

Jeff Blynn is the untra-hip Inspector Angelo De Pol and he just got a case that has him pealing eggs and waving his hands around like crazy. :::grin:::  I'm not sure what Jeff was up to in the film, but his character eats eggs throughout as he tries to sort things out. He's the only thing bigger than his constant hand gestures is his amazing hair. But...I digress.

Fabio (Gianni Dei) and Flavia (the stunning Leonora Fani) are found dead near a canal and there are several odd points in the crime scene that get the giallo crime gears moving. The story itself is rather straight forward when the film starts, but it takes a few grim turns that make this film a challenge to watch. See, we find out in flashback that ole Fabio is a bit of a pervert. He loves being watched when making love to his wife and the stakes keep getting higher and higher as he turns his flailing sex life around by acts of violence and swinging. Flavia loves him, so she plays along, but her enjoyment drops rapidly as the stakes are raised.


We're "treated" to some really sleezy and naughty sex scenes that reveal some of Director Mario Landi's sexy cinema movie stylings. A  failed sex attempt leads to a lengthy masturbation scene which dives RIGHT into rape. We have explicit wife sharing in a theater and a really, REALLY nasty murder scene involving a prostitute, a classic mirrored sunglasses killer,  and a pair of scissors that was one of the most sexually violent scenes I've seen. The film leans more towards a sex thriller, really.

The only thing that really made it worth a watch to me was the De Pol character and the madness that surrounded him. I mean...the friggin eggs all the time was a strange character highlight. It's just bonkers. And when he comes up with theories, he gesticulates and emphasizes with his hands so much it's a beautiful distraction. And lastly, it seems like he has one outfit that he wears all the time. Very wild.

As a giallo, Giallo A Venezia is not high on my re-watch list. I doubt I will ever watch it again. It's a fine mystery and the story is well done even if it's SUPER dark and disturbing. However, it does fit the gialli criteria for VIOLENCE and SEXUALITY, so if you have a strong stomach and like your crime giallo packed with sex and hip organ music, this is the film for you.

The Night of the Virgin

THE NIGHT OF THE VIRGIN  ((La noche del virgen (original title)) is a wild, wild ride. Director Roberto San Sebastián and writer Guillermo Guerrero really hit a home run with this horror comedy playing on SHUDDER at the time of this posting. Man...I love SHUDDER! :)

It's a story told in basically one location. Poor Noco (Javier Bódalo) is stuck at a club alone on New Years Eve. His hopes of "hooking up" for the new year are a mere countdown away from never happening. But then he sees Medea (Miriam Martín) and things start to look up. Sure, she's older than him, but she has a great body and....well....she's looking right at him.
They go back to her place and that's where we're going to camp out for the rest of the film. Medea's apartment is a wreck. Dirty, filled with roaches, and horrid. Medea herself seems to be running hot and cold - being sweet to Nico one moment, then being harsh with him the next. But, poor Nico is still hanging in there for the promised sexual encounter, no matter how horrible the apartment or Medea's actions.
But, what is it that Medea really wants from him? And, will her boyfriend, "Spider" (Víctor Amilibia) eventually get through the front door to kill poor Nico?

The film hits on all cylinders. When SHUDDER and the viewers there were talking about how disturbing and gross it was, I had to roll my eyes. I mean, horror folks here this kinda crap all the time. "It was SO GROSS that people left the theater.....passed out....threatened to take the makers to court!" Most of the time, this is far from the case for a horror movie lover. We've usually seen it done before - more often than not done better as well. But, this film delivers. It does get pretty gross.

I believe the comedy elements work really well, even if you're not usually a lover of foreign comedy. They are simple, cute, and sometimes painful.  Javier Bódalo is a show stealer with his wild teeth and crazy facial expressions and motions. The physical humor is hilarious as well as we watch our hero get battered and abused on screen. As the action ratchets up, so did my laughter and mutterings of, "Ok...yeah...that's really gross!" while I laughed and winced at the same time.

This is a slow burn, but it's SO worth a viddy. It's a funny and gross journey you'll really dig.

The trailer isn't TOO spoilery, but I'd probably aim to watch the film without looking at the trailer. That being said, the trailer is a fun edit! :) 

Terrifier

Damien Leone's follow up to ALL HALLOW'S EVE is a wild ride. TERRIFIER is a fun watch.

The plot is simple. Old Art the Clown is at it again. He strolls through the night until he stumbles onto two unfortunate post-party gals who are too drunk to drive. He follows them to a diner and the fun begins.

The plot is super light, but you're really not visiting Terrifier for it's plot. It's all about Art the super freaky clown dispatching folks in inventive ways. And there are some ways in this film for sure. It's packed with shocking violence and fear, but somehow manages to avoid feeling too mean doing it, which really surprised me because...it's SO violent. 

Art is a great character. He's creepy as all get out, but manages to be endearing when he's doing his silent schtick and mime work. The acting all around is really solid and helps to sell the whole of it.

If you're looking for a good, old fashioned slasher horror flick, this is it! Check it! 

The Case of the Scorpion's Tail

I'm returning to Sergio Martino for more tales of corruption, betrayal, and murder - The Case of the Scorpion's Tail. It's turning out that I'm really digging Martino's films overall. He's becoming a go-to director for me. With films like Torso, Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key and Blade of the Ripper, he's rapidly becoming one of my fave giallo directors.  Here, he brings us another police procedural style giallo and I thought it worked rather well.

A woman finds out that her cheating and now deceased husband had a rather large insurance policy on her to the tune of a million dollars. But, his mistress knows this as well. And so begins the series of events that have us going round and round wondering "who dunnit?" in this epic little tale. I really don't want to say a whole lot more here. There are mystery elements that I don't want to spoil.

We have many of the standard gialli tropes represented and you know that I love counting them up! hehehe We have the classic killer in black, a man and woman duo trying to investigate a crime they've been sucked into, a hard boiled police detective who...for some reason...is willing to work with the duo on the case, many twists and turns, tons of characters floating in and out of the story, and lots of J&B whiskey flowing. heh

The film is well shot and the pace is constantly moving along. The locations are exotic and fun as well. Spain, Greece, Italy - always wondrous to see. The dialog is snappy and things make sense for the most part. It really is a tight little mystery and it's fun to follow the actions as they play out.  There are murders in here, but nothing as brutal as the likes of Torso, so if you are wanting more detecting and less vicious stabbing, you're safe here. However, there are some rather nasty moments as well, so everyone should be happy one way or another. :::grin:::

We see some of our familiar gialli faces as well. George Hilton from "The Case of the Bloody Iris"and the awesome Anita Strindberg and Luigi Pistilli from "Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key". Sadly, no Edwige Fenech. :::sigh:::  It turns out Hilton is still working. I'd like to check out some of his more recent films.

The Case of the Scorpion's Tail is super solid and well worth a viddy.

Blade of the Ripper

Blade of the Ripper aka The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh is a 1971 giallo film directed by Sergio Martino and staring the fabulous....Edwige Fenech. :::sigh:::

Ok, now that that's out of the way. :::grin:::

When the film started, I had a bit of an eye roller moment. A woman is killed horribly with a razor and I wasn't sure I wanted to see another TORSO-like hack and slash film. This film was directed by Sergio Marino of TORSO fame, so I wasn't sure if it was in the same arena. Then, poor Edwidge gets slapped around and her dress ripped off and I did another eye roll. However, once that business is out of the way, things started getting rather interesting.

Edwige plays Julia Wardh - the wife of a diplomat. They get along, but are not fab together. Not as well as she gets along with George Hamilton - her lover George Corro. She plays the game of being the good wife and even better lover, going from one man to the other in a kind of dance. When her old lover resurfaces, she's scared of just what he's capable of. As more murders happen around her, she starts to think that one of these men may be madman with the blade. But, which one?

I don't want to say much more about the plot here. It would be rather easy to spoil.  Suffice it to say that this is a great offering and well worth a watch. It's shot well, there are some fun set pieces, and there is a lot going on.

This film really turned around for me. I was half paying attention through much of the first act, but as things start to shift, I got a happy little smile on my face. "Ahhhh...I see what you're up to, movie. I see." I loved the shifts through the film and it's definitely a new gialli fave.

Night Train Murders

NOTE: CONTAINS SPOILERS


I picked up the KILLER THRILLERS COLLECTION a while back to get a copy of STRIP NUDE FOR YOUR KILLER - a favorite of mine. I figured I get the film I want and two others I have not seen before. Maybe I'd like them. I love STRIP NUDE, though the title is still cringe-worthy. :)

Baba Yaga was a ton of fun as well, so I was way up on my purchase.

Then...I watched NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS and HATED it. I thought it to be mean spirited and cruel. Yes, I understood that it, too, was based on the Ingmar Bergman classic The Virgin Spring like Last House on the Left (also mean spirited), but I had not stomach for it and just wanted it to end.


Later I posted this on the DARK DISCUSSIONS PODCAST PAGE (a great podcast, by the way!) and one of the leaders basically said that he loved it and thought that I would as well. I thought I missed something - stuck on the violent aspects instead of the story, perhaps. I made note to return to it at some point in the future. Seeing as this is GIALLOctober at the Horror Show, it seemed like a good time to do a re-watch. And, I was pleasantly surprised.

The story is very "Virgin Spring". Two girls are heading home to visit and run into some bad folks. Very bad folks. Blackie and Curly are scoundrels. They are train hopping and avoiding the ticket master when they run into the girls and "The Lady on the train". The girls are friendly enough with them and the Lady is VERY friendly with them - having sex with Blackie in the lavatory in a heated rush.

The girls jump trains when a delay threatens to hold them back from their destination and the dastardly trio also hops trains.  Now, all five of them are in a train car in a rather deserted train and the girls lovely holiday dinner goes horribly wrong. They are raped and defiled and eventually - sadly - killed.

In Virgin Spring fashion, the evil trio ends up at the same house as one of the girls parents after the Father sees them at the train station as he's trying to pick up his daughter and her friend. After the parents figure out that these people have hurt their daughter,  revenge is dealt out by the Father and his shotgun. I found this to be very satisfying indeed. heh

Simple plot well executed. But, on this viewing I found several things that I found to be very interesting. Namely the Lady and her arc.

Now, the two men are very cartoon-like. We see them stealing from people and bashing things and scooting around trying to avoid paying for their train trip. Curly (with curly hair)  plays a harmonica and is a little creep while Blackie (with black hair) seems to have a BIT of a heart, but not much. But, the woman is a far deeper character. 



When we first see her, she's wearing a veil on her hat. A bag of hers falls and naughty, sadistic photos are hurriedly pushed back into her the case quickly. Then, at one point, she lifts her veil - maybe sometime around meeting the evil duo.  From that point on, she's as evil as the two men. She's mean and a full sadist with the two girls. She eggs on the men and even holds the girls for them at one point. She's loving the mean spirited games and is all in.

When they get to the girl's Family Home and things go sideways for the trio, she quickly says that she was also taken advantage of by the two men and that she tried to help, but couldn't. The parents assume that she must be telling the truth. I mean, another woman wouldn't do that to two college girls - right?

The men are dispatched and she stands there like a grim statue, then she lowers her veil again as if to tell the viewer, "I've had my fun and now it's time to replace the mask I wear in society."  I loved that aspect of the film. It was grand.

On the whole, I don't think I'll be returning to this as often as I return to Strip Nude for your Killer of Baby Yaga, but I don't hate it like I did on my first viewing. It's well worth a watch even if you only watch it once.

If you loved and return to Last House on the Left, you'll love this film. Check it.

Suspiria 4K Restored Version at The New Parkway Theater

I got to check out the 4K restored version of Suspiria showing at The New Parkway Theater in Oakland CA  last night with my wife and it was...fantastic. Crisp, bright, and lush - like watching a completely new film.  For those of you who have not been to the New Parkway, it's quite an experience. It's the "local theater" that I remember going to as a child growing up in Novato California - small, sweet, and friendly. Not big box branded. Not filled with glitz and Coke ads. Just two theaters showing current and past films. And, there's more. Much more. 

One theater has cool theater style seats with a selection of other seats and bean bag chairs on two levels. The other theater has an even more eclectic collection of seats, booths, sofas, and chairs in a large theater space. It's super comfortable. Like watching in your living room. But...that's NOT all! 

They also have beer, wine, various other beverages, fresh popcorn, and full meals. In short, the ideal date place. A one stop shop for the film lover who wants things to be more plush than polished...generic. And the staff is super friendly.  Ya need to go if you're in the area. But, enough about them! hehehe

Suspiria on the big screen was a first for me. My wife and I went and I wasn't sure how she was going to take it. She's not a horror fan, but she does like films, so I was curious to see what her take away was going to be. Turns out she enjoyed the film and thought many aspects were interesting. She also knew that I loved it, so I think she was even more forgiving. Seeing as the film started at 10:30pm (when we're usually in bed), I was extra pleased that she made it through. 

I saw things in this restored version that I had never noticed before. Up until now, many aspects of the film were either too dark or too grainy to make out. The level of detail and the crispness of the images were fantastic. The audio quality was fantastic as well and I was able to really sink into the experience on all fronts. Literally like watching a new film. 

The one thing that I wasn't 100% on was the red level at the theater. I wasn't sure if it was the theater's projection or if I just happened to be seeing the film the way it was SUPPOSED to be rather than how I've been seeing it up until now. I remembered the red being far more punchy, but maybe the restored version is a bit more tame. That didn't stop me from enjoying the HELL out of the viewing, however. 

If you get a chance to see the restored version in the theater - GO!

Now, I pre-ordered the SYNAPSE FILMS version of the 4K steelbook, so I'm not feeling bad about using their images below! :)   I can not wait to get this baby. I'm not sure what it is about this film, but I just love it to death. I can't wait to see a non-projected version of the film in my home...in the deep dark. Of course, I may need to get a better TV.....hmmmm...   :)