Poster of the Day

Death Ship(1980)

Director: Alvin Rakoff

Stars: George Kennedy, Richard Crenna

Tag Lines: It's not just a ship... it's a killing machine!

Country: Canada/UK

DVD: Grey Market/VHS R1 but Europe(R2) Has a DVD from Nucleus Films

Poster of the Day

Cyborg (1989)

Director: Albert Pyun

Stars: Jean Claude Van Damme, Deborah Richter

Tag Lines: He's the First Hero of the 21st Century...And He's Our Only Hope.

Country: USA

DVD: MGM.....BUT if you look for it you'll find a DIRECTORS CUT distributed by Pyun himself that purports to have 30 min of footage excised by the MPAA & MGM.

Poster of the Day

Gone With The Pope (1976-2009)

Director: Duke Mitchell

Stars: Duke Mitchell, Lorenzo Dardado

Tag Lines: You're either in, or you're in the way!

Country: USA

DVD: Come on Grindhouse hurry up & release this to DVD. It's all fine & dandy that you are touring this in rep theatres across the globe, but until it plays here in Toronto I have to see this film.

Poster of the Day

Vice Squad Women (1973)

Director: Al Fields

Stars: Sonny Blaze, Uschi Digard

Tag Lines: On The Take & On The Make, Until They Took To Much

Country: USA

DVD: Can't find even a "Gray" market copy????????

Poster of the Day

Exit The Dragon, Enter The Tiger (1976)

Director: Tso Nam Lee

Stars: Bruce Li, Lu Chi

Tag Lines: NOW...it can be told! The hidden story revealed!

Country: Taiwan

DVD: All kinds of Gray market DVD's

Poster of the Day

Big Trouble In Little China (1986)

Director: John Carpenter

Stars: Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall

Tag Lines: Jack Burton's in for some serious trouble and you're in for some serious fun.

Country: USA

DVD: Fox Video

Poster of the Day

Straight To Hell (1987)

Director: Alex Cox

Stars: Joe Strummer, Dick Rude

Tag Lines: A story of blood, money, guns, coffee, and sexual tension.

Country: UK

DVD: Starz / Anchor Bay

Poster of the Day

Waterpower (1977)

Director: Shaun Costello

Stars: Jamie Gillis, C.J.Laing

Tag Lines: Gerard Damiano's Newest and Biggest Hit!!

Country: USA

DVD: Gray Market R1(ABA (uncut but from mixed sources), Global Media) but R2 has Alfa France (cut though)

Poster of the Day

Day Of The Dead(1985)

Director: George A Romero

Stars: Lori Cardille, Joe Pilato

Tag Lines: First there was "Night of the Living Dead" then "Dawn of the Dead" and now the darkest day of horror the world has ever known

Country: USA

DVD: Starz / Anchor Bay

Deep Red (1975)

Plot: An English jazz pianist living in Rome witnesses the brutal hatchet murder of a renowned psychic and is quickly drawn into the savage crime. With the help of a tenacious female reporter, the pair track a twisted trail of deranged clues and relentless violence towards a shocking climax that has ripped screams from the throats of audiences for more than 35 years!




Argento is often pegged as a visually stylish director who neglects a cohesive story line in favor of striking imagery and I must say very true with films the likes of SUSPIRIA (1977) but Deep Red is not such an animal. The characters are interesting and well rounded, in particular the two leads. The plot is full of subtle twists and turns but Argento's signature style is ever present and in full force. Each shot is meticulously staged and framed by Luigi Kuveiler's cinematography. The murders themselves are - as would be expected in Italian horror - hideous, but are shot with such skill and style that they reach the heights of art. A particularly brutal scene involves a man having his teeth repeatedly smashed on the corner of a heath & then a marble table after being attacked by a fucking (I hate them) porcelain-faced mechanical doll. Then there's a gorgeously shot drowning in a tub of scalding water, great stuff.

 David Hemmings performance is fantastic as the prototypical Dario Argento film hero - the foreigner living in Italy, working in the arts, who finds himself included in a horrific murder case. While other versions of this archetype were a little one-dimensional, the character played by Hemmings is extremely memorable, as far as Giallo films are concerned. He's likable, humorous, and charismatic. Considering that Hemmings was speaking in a foreign tongue throughout his entire performance, top notch stuff.

It can't go un-said that the films score is easily one of the best that not only Goblin has ever done, but it laid the foundations for all synth style scores to follow. Just flat out brilliant stuff here. Many argue that it doesn't fit the tone allot of the time, I can't agree with this statement. For myself, it doesn't detract from the film but rather pulls me into it.

While it does have it's flaws, this is in my opinion Argento's masterpiece. His other films may have a greater following but when stacked next to Deep Red, pale in comparison.
 9.5/10

Poster of the Day

Tiger Claws (1992)

Director: Kelly Makin

Stars: Jalal Merhi, Cynthia Rothrock, Bolo Yeung

Tag Lines: The city is being torn apart and only two cops can stop the frenzy

Country: Canada/USA

DVD: VHS only as far as I know, maybe R2

Poster of the Day

Action Jackson (1988)

Director: Craig R Baxley

Stars: Carl Weathers, Craig T Nelson

Tag Lines: NAME: Jericho Jackson NICKNAME: "Action" HOME: Detroit PROFESSION: Cop EDUCATION: Harvard Law HOBBY: Fighting Crime WEAPON: You're looking at 'em

Country: USA

DVD: Warner Home Video

Poster of the Day

American Ninja (1985)

Director: Sam Firstenberg

Stars: Michael Dudikoff, Steve James

Tag Lines: The Orient created the world's deadliest art.Now there's an American master!

Country: USA

DVD: MGM

Poster of the Day

Hickey & Boggs (1972)

Director: Robert Culp

Stars: Bill Cosby, Robert Culp

Tag lines: They're not cool slick heroes. They're worn, tough men and that's why they're so dangerous.

Country: USA

DVD: Coming Soon from MGM in their MOD line, can't wait.

Poster of the Day

Hell Commandos (1969)

Director: Jose Luis Merino

Stars: Guy Madison, Stan Cooper,

Tag Lines: ?

Country: Spain, Italy

DVD: Grey Market possable, can't even find a VHS

Poster of the Day

Portrait Of A Hitman (1979)

Director: Allen A Buckhantz

Stars: Jack Palance, Rod Steiger, Bo Svenson

Tag Lines: Trained killer or talented artist... Jimbuck is both!

Country: USA

DVD: HOLLYWOOD DVD LTD (R2 PAL) or VHS (R1)

Poster of the Day

Hell Boats (1970)

Director: Paul Wendkos

Stars: James Franciscus, Elizabeth Shepherd

Tag Lines:  Their job: HIT IT HEAD-ON! Their target: HELL-ON-EARTH!

Country: USA

DVD: Grey market only, rare VHS as well

Poster of the Day

Ms.45 (1981)

Director: Abel Ferrara

Stars: Zoe Lund, Albert Sinkys

Tag Lines: It's no longer a man's world!

Country: USA

DVD: Image Entertainment

Poster of the Day

The Manhandlers(1975)

Director: Lee Madden

Stars: Cara Burgess, Judy Brown, Rosalind Miles

Tag Lines: When the mob muscles in on the Massage Parlor the girls rub 'em down ...then rub 'em out!

Country: USA

DVD: Grey market at best, rare VHS can be found but big $$$

Poster of the Day

The Centerfold Girls (1974)

Director: John Peyser

Stars: Andrew Prine, Tiffany Bolling

Tag Lines: the most beautiful girls in the world ... some are for loving ... some are for killing!

Country: USA

DVD: Dark Sky Films

Poster Of The Day

Shadow of the Hawk (1976)

Director: George McCowan

Stars: Jan-Michael Vincent, Chief Dan George

Tag Lines: An Extraordinary Adventure into the Unknown.

Country: Canada

DVD: No chance, never released on VHS, but was a staple on First Choice & Super Channel back in the day.

Poster of the Day

Born For Hell (1976)

Director: Denis Heroux

Stars: Mathieu Carriere, Debra Berger

Tag Lines: A Diobolic Shocker That Will Grip You & Hold You Spellbound

Country: Canada, West Germany, Italy, France.

DVD: Grey market only

Poster of the Day

The Seduction of Lynn Carter (1974)

Director: Anthony Spinelli (Wes Browne)

Stars: Jamie Gillis, Andrea True

Tag Lines: She was violated, again and again, in crude and unspeakable ways and... She Loved Every Minute Of It!

Country: USA

DVD: TVX Films

The Taking of Christina (1976)

Director Armand Weston

Stars: Eric Edwards, Bree Anthony

Tag Lines: She gave them much more than they bargained for....

Country: USA

DVD: VCX

Poster of the Day

Thunder (1983 AKA Thunder Warrior)

Director: Fabrizio De Angelis

Stars: Bo Svenson, Mark Gregory

Tag Line: They gave him hate, He gave them hell.

Country: Italy

DVD: VHS only, maybe "grey"market DVD

Poster of the Day

Kill Point (1984)

Director: Frank Harris

Stars: Leo Fung, Richard Roundtree

Tag Lines: .....When the violence is out of control!

Country: USA

DVD: BCI put out a double feature DVD, Killpoint & 9 Deaths of the Ninja 

Poster of the Day

Double Target (1987)

Director: Bruno Mattei

Stars: Miles O'Keeffe, Bo Svenson

Tag Lines: Armed and Extremely Dangerous

Country: Italy

DVD: VHS only, maybe "gray" market DVD

Poster of the Day

An Eye For An Eye (1981)

Director: Steve Carver

Stars: Chuck Norris, Christopher Lee, Richard Roundtree

Tag Lines: What makes an ex-cop take the law in his own hands?

Country: USA

DVD: MGM

Poster of the Day

Evil Come Evil Go (1972)

Director: Walt Davis

Stars: Cleo O'Hara, Sandra Henderson

Tag Line: No man is safe from the "Preacherwoman" - she's a Man-Hating, Hymn-Humming Hell Cat!

Country: USA

DVD: Something Weird Video

Poster of the Day

Sudden Fury (1975)

Director: Brian Damude

Stars: Domnic Hogan, Gay Rowan

Tag Lines: He Tried To Save a Woman's Life ... And Suddenly Became the VICTIM!

Country: Canada

DVD: Not even released on VHS, well over do!

Poster of the Day

Forced Entry (1973)

Director: Shaun Costello

Stars: Laura Cannon, Harry Reems

Tag Lines: He was taught to kill. Rape was his own idea!

Country: USA

DVD: After Hour Cinema (OOP I believe)

Streetwalkin' (1985)

Academy Award®–winning actress Melissa Leo (The Fighter, Treme) stars as Cookie, a teen runaway who escapes her abusive stepfather and heads for the Big Apple along with her younger brother. When she arrives at the Port Authority bus terminal, Cookie meets a charming but sadistic pimp named Duke (Dale Midkiff, Pet Sematary). With nowhere to go, Cookie is soon working for Duke, who introduces her to the harsh, brutal life of a prostitute. Also starring Antonio Fargas (Starsky And Hutch), Julie Newmar (Batman), Leon (Cliffhanger), Randall Batinkoff (Kick-Ass) and Khandi Alexander (Treme).

Here's a slice of nonjudgmental pie for you. With what I surely thought would be a film about a runaway kid getting "turned out" against her will by some sleazeball pimp, turned into a rather refreshing look into "life" & what it takes to survive in a world such as New York. You see, even though she's a hooker she conducts her life outside of the bizz with all the day to day trappings that a office worker would endure. She's the mom to her brother & in many ways she mom to the other"girls" in which she rooms with. She doesn't take drugs or any of the other trappings that many a whore find themselves doing, she does have a psycho pimp DUKE however, but I'll flesh him out later. It was nice to see that the ladies of the night & the other street urchin's form a somewhat scummy community where they all know one another, have loose ties & to a certain degree care for each other, in other words street life is shown as just another way of life.

The cast of streetwalkers is pretty fantastic. First off we have Julie Newmar, the lady who played one of the Catwoman roles in the 60's TV show Batman, playing the older hard edged lot lizard that teaches all newcomers what to watch out for. Looking at her grizzled appearance you gain background into a life that's been a very hard slug but one that put her on top of her world. She's even free of a pimp, she's her own boss & you get she would like to take the girls under her wing if she could. Julie gives a very credible performance here, I don't know much about her in real life, but I'm guessing the hard slug at life isn't to far removed from the woman. Khandi Alexander is a woman I'm only familiar with through CSI Miami, maybe the odd movie here & there but can't remember her from them, she provides a great performance of a woman torn between two sides. She enjoys what she does for a living but has deep fantasies about living a "normal" life, getting married, having a family...ect. Her pimp, played to the hilt by Antonio Fargas, is a rather small time & rather week individual. He has 2 woman in his stable, one is drug addicted & the other, Khandi, has eyes for DUKE. When the heat gets turned on, she's all for numero uno & is quick to drop you as a friend if it saves her ass. Lastly we have Melissa Leo, I don't know this actress at all. I've looked through her resume & a few films I've seen, but don't recall her in them. Man-o-Man is she a stunner. Very hot & plays the roll of "lost" girl very well. The majority of female flesh we see in this film belongs to her & I dare say you needn't any other. Her acting on the whole is very good, given this was one of her first films. She is very believable & when she throws herself into her character, as she does is a few scene's, you can clearly see how she would years later wind up winning an Oscar, quite fearless.

This brings me to the (almost) ultimate badass, DUKE, played bat-shit crazily by Dale Midkiff. The only other person to play a pimp so badass is Wings Hauser in Vice Squad (1982) & is the sole reason Dale hasn't got top honors IMO. Dale brings to the table an unrestrained performance worthy of Oscar glory. You might say it was over the top but I'd have to argue. This is a man in a world most don't know & his struggle to survive is not only day to day, but hour to hour & this reflects in Dale's performance. He's walking the knife's edge & is seconds away dying. When he's in a life or death situation, he acts just like anybody else would, fight or die...just brilliant. When the fight turns to revenge, again you can see his misguided logic, you may not agree with it, but Dale's performance grounds the dealings.

What might be a hard to believe turn of events is that this little sleaze shocker was directed by a woman. Anybody familiar with exploitation films knows there is a long (ok not SO long) list of female directors that have cut their teeth doing films like these & to their utmost credit, they deliver films that are sometimes far superior to their male counterparts, as they know what men like to see & aren't afraid to push it to the edge. Joan Freeman has only one other film to her credit & that was the abysmal SATISFACTION(1988) the Justine Bateman/Julia Roberts vehicle, but it is my understanding she worked for PBS & other before doing this film, she should do a follow up feature called Streetwalkin' 2 as I would pay to see it.

Fantastic film 9/10

Poster Of The Day

Two Lane Blacktop (1971)

Director: Monte Hellman

Stars: James Taylor, Warren Oates

Tag Lines: You can never go fast enough...

Country: USA

DVD: The Criterion Collection

Poster Of The Day

The Touch Of Her Flesh (1967)

Director: Michael Findley

Stars: Suzanne Marre, Angelique

Tag Lines: RUGGED and ROUGH! FAST PACED THRILLS!

Country: USA

DVD: Something Wierd Video

Caligula's Spawn Part 1

WARNING: this trailer contains NUDITY/SEXUAL SITUATIONS & is not safe for work environments, unless of course your looking to get your ass fired.



Ok lets get this out of the way first, this is not "porn" this is merely a good old fashion "sexploitation" film in which a shit ton of REALLY hot girls from some eastern block country got paid very little cash to take off their clothes, get fiddled by HOT GIRLS for the shear pleasure of "men" & love every minute of it.....well the last bit may be false, but their faces don't lie do they......... Really though this is my kind of "porn", it has genuine sex appeal, some very erotic stuff. It doesn't go "all the way" but what little is left to your imagination might as well be the CN Tower (phallus joke intended). Not showing actual sex, no matter how close it gets, still allows the mind to wander into that place & arouse you in ways "hardcore" never could.......not that "hardcore" doesn't arouse mind you, it does that in SPADES, but seeing penetration takes away the minds ability to fantasize. However at the end of the day we're still talking about whipping up a batch of baby batter or nut butter which ever you prefer.
I've been after Bound Heat's films for a few years now, mainly because they truly remind me of the sexploitation films of yesterday with a hint of Andrew Blake/Radley Metzger thrown in. They are not easy to come by, you either have to pay through the ass & buy directly from them, or get your local smut peddler to bring one in for you(& might still have to pay through the ass).
Production values are quite good given the fact we're dealing in smut here. While the acting varies greatly, from decent to quite poor...who are we kidding, as long as there is naked females, they could be speaking Dutch for all I care, but some of these gals weren't picked for their thespian skills is all I'll say.
In closing, I'm really looking forward to all other films in Bound Heat's collection from what I've seen, just top notch stuff.
Well done
8/10

Poster Of The Day

                                                              

The Corpse Eaters (1974)

Director: Donald R Passmore, Klaus Vetter

Stars: Michael Hopkins, Ed LeBreton, Terry London

Tag Lines: Rotting Ghouls Return To Life In An Orgy of Cannibalism

Country: Canada

DVD: Not at present, not legit anyway.

Poster of the day

East End Hustle (1976)

Director: Frank Vitale

Stars: Andree Pelletier, Ann-Marie Provencher

Tag Line: She's carrying a gun and is going to do something about all the people who treated her like dirt!

Country: Canada

DVD: Troma Releasing (not a Troma film)

Faster

After 10 years in prison, Driver (Dwayne Johnson) has focused on one thing – hunting down the people responsible for brutally murdering his brother. Now a free man with a terrifying purpose, he sets out to find and kill all those on his list. But on his heals are two men who will do anything to stop him – a veteran cop (Billy Bob Thornton) and a hitman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) who finds his match in this worthy opponent. Now, the hunter is also the hunted.

 

To start, even though this movie came out in 2010 I did not see it until this year, so it will no doubt be in my top 10 films of 2011. This movie got quite the cold shoulder from critics, one saying the Rock was playing a man that had ice running through his veins, nobody would ever seek revenge in such a cold, calculating way........are they fucking crazy, that's EXACTLY what someone would act like, no remorse, no listening to pleas for mercy, just flat out kill the people that did you wrong & do it as fast as possible. I really have to give it up for the Rock, he is awesome in this role. After years of thinking he's all but dried up in adult action films, just putting in paycheck jobs for Disney, this was a very welcomed return.

When a movie needs that certain type of scum bag, the kind that makes you feel dirty just watching him slither through scenes, the kind that you need a have a shower & scrub yourself clean after watching the film, you CAN'T do better than Billy Bob Thornton. The man projects douche bag better than anybody else, he's fantastic. Again, after years of playing bullshit characters in throw away films he finally finds a film that can play his strengths to the max, & he's allowed to go full tilt. Not a over the top performance that one might expect, but a slow, slimy one but also one of tragic human nature, you do feel pity for him.

Along with the revenge theme, there is another string threading this film together. One of a hitman that has one more job in him. Played straight faced by Oliver Jackson-Cohen, his job is to take out Driver(the Rock) before he can kill his way through his list of evil doers. The main problem I have with this character is I'm never really convinced he is a killer. I enjoyed the back story of him being a broken kid, setting his mind to conquer anything he wishes & achieving success in whatever he sets his sights on, it's just I think the role needed a better actor to bring the out believability in the character. With Oliver all I get is a spoiled rich kid with a gun, not that that isn't part of the killer, it's just when killer mode gets turned on I'm not buying what Oliver is selling.

Director George Tillman has no doubt studied the great vigilante films of the past. I'm reminded of movies like The Driver(1978), Breaking Point(1976), Rolling Thunder(1977)....ect, just fantastic stuff!!, The films soundtrack is aces. I don't know if Geoff Foster is the man responsible for putting it together, but whoever did, it hits all the right notes from start till finish. Music is key to films such a this, just watch any QT movie & you get my point, when the sound cues happen & when it's done right you get this tingle that turns to a shiver, brilliant job.
9.5/10

Camille 2000

A child of the sixties sexual revolution, beautiful, sensuous Marguerite (Daniele Gaubert) is addicted to sex and money. She is kept by a wealthy man, has a string of young lovers and hosts wild orgies in her luxurious villa. When she falls in love with the handsome bachelor Armond (Nino Castelnuova), he insists in absolute fidelity. Known by her reputation, Armond’s controlling father soon intervenes, triggering a tragic turn of events.

From the erotic master mind of Radley Metzger cums this " veritable orgy of suggestive architecture, stylistic art direction & directorial flourishes"(Slant Magazine) that only he can provide. This man has created some of the best "softcore" feature films as well as "hardcore" films in my opinion. Camille 2000 fits squarely in the middle of his filmography, not that he has done a bad movie, only not as good as he is capable of doing. With Camille 2000 you can see he is being more adventurous with his set pieces, the way he scrips the visual tapestry of the sex scene's is on the psychedelic side & the pay off is quite erotic. There's a great scene that has Marguerite(or Camille as she is also called) climaxing as the camera pans in & out between her & a vase filled with Camille flowers, making the flowers look as though they are also climaxing, just brilliant.

Being as this film was released in 1969 the sex is quite timid compared with what we have today, but for the day it was scandalous. You can also see the darker side of Metzger starting to surface with all manner of S&M, bondage, orgies & their ilk, that would come to be in some of his more taboo shattering efforts like The Image or Score then of course his straight up hardcore features. The films score is what you would expect, a loud psychedelic tribal/jazz core that gets the heart pump'n......it's really quite fantastic, I'll be looking for a copy. The movie was filmed in Italy so you should be able to imagine all the amazing cinematography that would be employed. The vista's & Mansion are simply gorgeous & a testament to the fact that only in the 60's through the early 80's could a movie such as a sexploitation film, be made on such a budget but look top notch.

The acting may be on the stiff side of things, but I don't enter one of these films with that being criteria #1, that belongs to nudity & while Camille 2000 offers quite abit of skin, it's not as much as I would have hoped for.
In the end Camille 2000 is a great time waster but far from the erotic master piece I was hoping for.
7/10