Phil reviews DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK (2009) DVD by IFC Films-February 12, 2012

DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK
Starring: Jen Soska, Slyvia Soska, Rikki Gagne, C.J. Wallis, Tasha Moth, Lloyd Bateman, and Farley M. Gagne
Written, produced, and directed by The Soska Sisters
A Twisted Twins Productions
Released by IFC Films

When you think about countries that have contributed to the horror and exploitation genre, majority of the time Canada has either been overlooked or forgotten. The films that our neighbors to the north made are now considered to be classics among fans. Films like 1974's BLACK CHRISTMAS, 1981's MY BLOODY VALENTINE and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, and the recent addition 2011's HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN are regarded as must-sees and have influenced countless aspiring filmmakers. Enter the Soska twins, Jen and Sylvia, who on a shoestring budget of just $2,500 have added another title to this illustrious list of Canadian films. The end result is that their debut film DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK is a modern day exploitation classic that lives up to the high standards set forth by its cinematic predecessors.

Taking place in the beautiful city of Vancouver, the film follows four individuals: Badass (Sylvia), her twin sister Geek (Jen), Badass' rock star friend Junckie (Rikki Gagne) and Geek's Bible thumping, Jesus loving friend Goody Two-Shoes (C.J. Wallis). The day starts off when Geek asks her sister Badass and Junkie to take her to pick up Goody from Youth Group. After they pick him up, their normal day of doing errands becomes more complicated when they discover a dead hooker in their trunk. This spirals into a journey of them trying to dispose of the body and figuring out whether or not Badass and Junkie were responsible for killing the hooker. To make matters worse, the hooker's cowboy hat wearing pimp is hot on their trail as well as a mysterious hooded psychopathic killer who may hold the answers that the four friends are searching for.

The film is filled with eccentric and over-the-top characters, a lot of violence consisting of hooker beatings, gun shootings, Junkie's arm being chopped off, then sewn on only to be torn off by a passing semi truck, brains being blown out, and a baseball bashing that knocks out Geek's right eye. So right there you know you're going to have fun watching this! And this was just the tip of the iceberg folks! Needless to say there's more but I want you readers to be surprised.

The Soska do their best to entertain you by giving you snappy and colorful dialogue, a good amount of Tarentino-esque violence, great FX and buckets of blood and gore that would make Troma fans gush with joy. Now some might complain about the shakiness of the camera. At first I was put off by this, but after viewing it a couple of more times I didn't even noticed it anymore. I was too involved in watching the hilarity and madness unfold before my eyes. My attention was focused on these characters and their nightmare situations they find themselves in. Plus in the world of independent filmmaking, the main thing is this: you make your film and you make it on the cheap. Half the time you can only get one take and that's it. A lot of the time you are shooting on the fly and forget about getting permits. Like the great Roger Corman said, "Just go out there and shoot!" So the Soska are to be commended to their commitment of their vision and getting their film made.

The film is released by IFC Films as part of their midnight series. The special features include deleted and alternate scenes, a funny and interesting behind the scenes feature, an interview with filmmaker/EL MARIACHI star Carlos Gallardo who talks about indie filmmaking with the Soska twins. He briefly talks about his indie film SINGLE ACTION, which was shot on 16mm film for only $11,000, The interview is very brief and it would have been interesting to see more of this, but still it's very cool to see. There's also the film's theatrical trailer as well as several trailers for upcoming IFC Films releases, including the infamous THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE II: FULL SEQUENCE.

Overall DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK is a fun-thrilled, gore soaked, feel-good exploitation ride of the year! The film also shows that Canada has more to offer than just hockey, beer, and Rush. The spirit of independent filmmaking is going strong there and it also shows that we will be seeing more of the Soska sisters in the very near future (their next film is the highly anticipated AMERICAN MARY). So if you're looking for a fun midnight movie to watch, then this is right up your alley. Five out of five stars! Highly recommended!

DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK is currently available at your local retailer as well as at Jen and Sylvia's Twisted Twins Productions website. To purchase a copy visit www.deadhookerinatrunk.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil reviews the UNDERWORLD TRILOGY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION (2011) Blu-Ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment-January 28, 2012

With the release of UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING (which I saw twice already), the fourth installment of this popular franchise, I thought I would review the recently released UNDERWORLD TRILOGY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION Blu-Ray boxset that collects all three UNDERWORLD films. Now Sony did release another boxset back in 2009, but what separates these two is the exclusive Underworld: Endless War Animated Short Films bonus disc found here.

With its combination of horror, action, and the ultra sexy Kate Beckinsale as the leather clad vampire Selene, the films became hugely popular among audiences everywhere. With the release of AWAKENING the series has grossed to date an astounding $383,528, 759 worldwide, which goes to show you that you can't keep a good vampire (or werewolf) down. So let's now take a closer look at this impressive boxset:

UNDERWORLD (2003): In the Underworld, Vampires are a secret clan of modern aristocratic sophisticates whose mortal enemies are the Lycans (werewolves), a shrewd gang of street thugs who prowl the city's underbelly. No one knows the origin of their bitter blood feud, but the balance of power between them turns even bloodier when a beautiful young Vampire named Selene (Beckinsale) warrior falls in love with a newly-turned Lycan named Michael (Scott Speedman).

The film is unrated and is presented in 1080p Hi-Def,  2.37:1 widescreen ratio. Superb clarity and crystal clear audio is deafening, especially if you have surround sound. Special features include Director and Cast commentary, outtakes, storyboard comparisons, Fang vs. Fiction documentary, music video for Finch "Worms of the Earth," and seven featurettes: Making of UNDERWORLD, Visual Effects of UNDERWORLD, creature effects, stunts, Designing UNDERWORLD, The Look of UNDERWORLD, and Sights & Sounds of UNDERWORLD.

UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION (2006): In this sequel to the 2003 cult favorite, Beckinsale returns as werewolf-hunter Selene, a vampire now involved with her half-werewolf, half-vampire Michael. They are both on the run, as they are the target of vampires, werewolves and humans. Soon it up to them from preventing the eldest vampire Marcus (Tony Curran) from releasing his werewolf twin brother and wrecking havoc on the human race.

Again presented in 1080p Hi-Def,  2.37:1 widescreen ratio, and 5.1 digital audio with English (Uncompressed) and French languages with English, French, Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles. Special features include director and filmmakers' commentary, music video by Atreyu, and six featurettes: Bloodlines: From Script To Screen: making of featurette, The Hybrid Theory: visual effects, Making Monsters Roar: creature effects, The War Rages On: stunts featurette, Building a Saga: production design, and Music and Mayhem: music and sound design.

UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS (2009): In this prequel to the series, the film explores the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans. In the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian (Michael Sheen) emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighly), the cruel vampire king who has enslaved them. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle against the Vampire army and his struggle for Lycan freedom.

The film is once again presented in 1080p Hi-Def, 2.40:1 widescreen format, audio includes English, French Spanish, and Portuguese languages, and English, English SDH, French Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles. The special features include Filmmaker Commentary, Cinechat, Behind the Castle Walls: Picture-in-Picture, Lycanthropes Around the World Interactive Map, Music Video by William Control "Deathclub," and three featurettes:  UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS: From Script to Screen, The Origin of the Feud, and Re-Creating the Dark Ages: The Look of UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS.

And as I stated earlier, this boxset includes a special bonus disc. Underworld: Endless War Animated Short Films continues the thrilling adventures of Selene, who is tracking down three exclusive Lycans, which she has been tracking down since the 1880s. This is a very interesting story and contains some fantastic anime action. Granted an animated Selene cannot replace the real life Beckinsale, but these short film expands not only the character, but also the UNDERWORLD universe, which is a great concept. This is a real treat for UNDERWORLD fans, who are really into the series and would like to see more of Selene and her other adventures.

The UNDERWORLD TRILOGY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION is a must-own for fans of this series. And with the latest installment doing well at the boxoffice, it looks like we'll be seeing more of Selene and her friends for another trilogy set. In the meantime, pick this boxset up for yourself or for a friend. Five out of five stars!

The UNDERWORLD TRILOGY: THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION is currently available at your local retailer and at the Amazon website. So click here to order your copy today.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil reviews UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING in 2D and IMAX 3D for Phil's Film Adventures-January 26, 2012

Theatrical Movie Poster (2012)

Good evening my fellow cinematic thrillseekers! This past weekend I had the opportunity to see UNDERWROLD: AWAKENING, the latest installment of this highly popular film franchise. And to show you how dedicated (and insane I am) to you my faithful followers, I saw the film TWICE! On Saturday I saw the standard 2D version at the Camera 12 in Downtown San Jose and then on Sunday I saw the IMAX 3D version at the AMC Mercado 20. Now the film is very entertaining and it's a worthy entry to the series, but seeing it in IMAX 3D was freaking awesome, and to see Kate Beckinsale dressed in skin tight black leather while killing werewolves in 3D was so damn hot! ! So come read my reviews for the 2D version and the IMAX 3D version. So make sure you go out and see this movie! And don't forget to sign up to follow both my blogs, and keep your eyes peeled here in the next few days, as I'll be reviewing several new Blu-Ray and DVD titles!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil reviews HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN (1987) DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment-January 17, 2012

The world of cult classics and B-movies are worlds that I absolutely love. As I stated in my JESSICKA RABID review, I use to watch the old USA cable network show Up All Night. Every Friday and Saturday night I was glued to my TV, watching some of the most bizarre, craziest, off the wall films I have ever seen, but these were also very original and highly entertaining. Unlike the major Hollywood films, these B-movies took chances and got away with a lot of sex, nudity, violence, and absurdity. Take for example director Donald G. Jackson's 1985 cult classic HELL COMES TO FROG TOWN, starring former WWE wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Sandahl Bergman.

In the radioactive, post-apocalyptic future (remember during the 1980s the Cold War between the USA and Russia was still going, thus a lot of films showcased the American public's fear of nuclear annihilation) Sam Hell (Piper) is one of the last fertile men on the face of the planet. However he is seized by the female military organization called Mech Tech, who plan to use Sam for their ultimate mission: to rescue-and impregnate-a group of fertile virgins who are being held captive by the evil amphibian ruler of Frogtown. Accompanying Sam on this deadly mission are team leader Spangle (Bergman) and Centinella (Cec Verrell) but unbeknownst to our heroes they are being followed by a mysterious being known as Count Sodom (William Smith), who plans on sabotaging their rescue mission and settling an old score with Sam Hell.

The screenplay was written Randall Frakes, who Jackson met while at New World Pictures, which legendary director/producer Roger Corman founded in 1970 but then sold in 1983. The film marked the on screen acting debut for Piper, who was more famous for wrestling colorful characters like "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka and Mr. T. Jackson did assign an acting coach for Piper, but his wrestling persona just fills up the screen, which makes it so much watching him. So while he doesn't have that many lines, his bad ass persona is felt in the film (one year later Piper becomes a cult movie superstar with the release of John Carpenter's THEY LIVE). Bergman brings intelligence and sexiness to her role as Spangle, along with some very nice lingerie. Yup, things were a lot simpler back in the 80's.

While in high school, Jackson actually wanted to be a comic book artist, but during a football game he was given a movie camera and was asked to film the game. He switched career goals and soon was directed a total of 35 films. His comic book storytelling came in handy when he would draw the storyboards for his films. For FROGTOWN, Jackson's directing is very smooth, precise and really polished. Then in 1995, Jackson was diagnosed with leukemia. His doctor told him he had anywhere from six months to six years to live. He beat the odds and lived for the next eight years, all the while making his films. However he did lose his fight against leukemia and passed away on October 20, 2003.

What makes the Anchor Bay edition so wonderful is that contains an audio commentary with Jackson as well as Frakes. The commentary was recorded in 2001 and is one of the last commentaries he ever did. This DVD also contains the film's original theatrical trailer and film is presented in the widescreen format. In September of 2011, Anchor Bay discontinued several of their horror and cult titles, with HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN being one of them. Image Entertainment scooped up the majority of these titles and has began reissuing them under their "MIDNIGHT MADNESS COLLECTION." However these DVDs are released without any of the Anchor Bay special features and some cases, have been released in full-screen formats. Also, these transfers are also very poor and do not deserve your money. The Anchor Bay editions are now out of print, but they're not that expensive and they're worth your time and money. For this reviewer, it was great to hear Jackson's voice on the audio commentary track, giving some awesome trivia facts about the making of the film, how he got his start, and how he come up with the idea to make the film. Trust me when I say that this is the DVD version to own and cherish.

HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN is a bona fide cult classic! The film was only the second full length feature film Jackson made, and he made it count! The film spawned three sequels, but this is the film that is required for your DVD collection. Just make sure they're no frogs watching it with you.

HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN the Anchor Bay DVD is currently available at the Amazon website. So click here to purchase your copy today. Remember these editions are extremely limited. Once they're gone, they're gone forever!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil reviews JESSICKA RABID (2010) DVD from Troma Entertainment-January 16, 2012

The very first Troma movies I ever saw occurred on a Saturday night in February of 1992. I saw the TOXIC AVENGER trilogy on the USA cable show Up All Night and I immediately became, as we fans like to say, Troma-tized! Overnight I became a rabid Troma fan and proceeded to rent, watch, and own just about every single Troma movie in the universe. Now a lot of them are fantastic, while others are just abysmal. But every now and then Troma releases a film that really catches me off guard and I completely become enthralled with it. With their newest release JESSICKA RABID, I have never seen such a brutal, ugly, and ferocious film like this before, and I loved it!

The film stars Elske McCain (who also co-wrote the film and is the first film she produced for her own production company Dahlia Jade Productions) as the mute, slow, and slightly deranged Jessica, whose family members keep her locked up in a large doggy cage in the garage. Her incestuous, inbred, white trash, redneck cousins Marley (Troma alum Trent Hagga) and Brad (Jeff Sisson) treat her like an unwanted and neglected pet. They feed her dog food, hose her down from time to time to clean her, drag her around on a leash, take her outside so she can urinate, rape her, and stripped her of what little humanity she had left. However Jessica escapes from her captivity and soon she's "biting off more than the hand that feeds her!"

What I love about the film is its look and feel. Director Matthew Reel and McCain really delivered a true underground cinema masterpiece. Filmed on location in Tuscon, Arizona, the film's gritty and grainy look is an amalgam of home movies, grindhouse movies, and a snuff film shot in an avant garde, documentary style. Some of the scenes are very disturbing and hard to watch; seeing poor Jessica being kept in a dog cage and then raped by her own cousin stands out the most in my mind. There are also some powerful POV shots of Brad, looking gleefully deranged while he beats and rapes his cousin Abby (Cisiany Oliver). Reel doesn't shy away from the graphic violence and instead shows us all the ugliness within the film as well as with each and every one of these characters. These people make the Firefly family from Rob Zombie's THE DEVIL'S REJECTS  look like THE WALTONS.

McCain is just amazing in the film. While she has no lines in the film, she communicates to us with her expressions: her eyes are at times curious, afraid, and violent. The scene where Marley takes her outside on her leash so she can pee, that's real. In the behind the scenes featurette, McCain is really squatting outside peeing! Now that is method acting right there! I doubt any big time Hollywood actress would go that far in any of their roles. And I doubt any of them would strip down naked and get hosed down like she did. Elske McCain is also one of the sexiest new indie horror actresses ever to grace the small screen. Let me just say that she could give Mae West a run for her money.

Seeing Hagga again in another Troma film was just the icing on the cake (his last appearance was in CITIZEN TOXIE: THE TOXIC AVENGER PART IV). His portrayal of Marley was so damn incredible as well as believable. I really disliked his character, which proves Hagga's acting talent. If you don't hate the main antagonist, then your film doesn't work. Both Hagga and McCain will be appearing together again (along with Jenny Spain from the indie horror film DEADGIRL) in her new upcoming film IS ANYONE THERE? The film will be her second feature for Dahlia Jade Productions and will begin production later this year. McCain will also be writing the script and directing the film is newcomer Hugh Jordon. Also Hagga made his directorial debut with his new film CHOP, which was just recently released on DVD so be sure to look for it on the shelves at your local retailer.

The DVD has some very cool special features. Among them are the formentioned behind the scenes featurette, behind the scenes slide show, exclusive Elske McCain slideshow, audio commentary, film's trailer, the Lloyd Kaufman outtakes, digital JESSICKA RABID comic, Lloyd Kaufman's interviews with Trent Hagga, a transvestite PSA from the film TERROR FIRMER, and Troma trailers for FATHER'S DAY, MR. BRICKS, THE TOXIC AVENGER, and POULTRYGEST: NIGHT OF THE CHICKEN DEAD.

JESSICKA RABID is my vote for best underground film DVD so far this year. The film is a powerful statement that the spirit of independent filmmaking is alive and well and that you too can make your own film. The movie's not for the faint at heart, but if you're brave enough to watch it, you'll be seeing one of the best films that Troma has released in a while. Five out of five stars!

JESSICKA RABID is currently available on DVD and can be purchased at your local retailer or on the Troma website. Click here to purchase a copy for yourself.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil reviews MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD (2011) DVD from Michael Perez Entertainment -January 12, 2012

This was one documentary that I have been waiting impatiently for. Ever since I heard about this film, the inner fanboy started to geek out. But I'm getting a head of myself, so let me back track first. On August 15, 1985, Orion Pictures released RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD, written and directed by Dan O'Bannon. With its blend of horror, humor, gore, and slapstick, the film became a cult classic that still to this day is loved and revered among horror fans and critics alike. Now 26 years after the film's release, director Bill Philputt and writers Gary Smart and Christian Sellers pay tribute to O'Bannon's film with their in-depth, informative, and highly entertaining film MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD.

Narrated by Brian Peck (who portrayed Scuz in the original film), the film chronicles the step by step process of the making of this legendary cult classic. From the pre-production nightmare that consisted of the legal battle between John Russo and George Romero over the rights to the film's title, original director Tobe Hooper backing out of the project and O'Bannon taking over even though he never directed a film before. Some of the issues that arose during the production of the film were the firing of special effects artist Bill Munns, the spats between the cast and O'Bannon, and the grueling 14 hour night shoots over the next 6 weeks took it's toll on the entire cast and crew. After filming was completed, the executives declared it "one notch above pornography." The film was finally released a year after it was finished and it grossed over $14 million during its theatrical run.

Philputt left no stone unturned when making this film. It also helped the writers Smart and Sellers wrote the book The Complete History of The Return of the Living Dead, to which the documentary is based on. Philputt was able to get 25 members of the original cast and crew to conduct on-camera interviews, including Clu Gulager (Burt), James Karen (Frank), Don Calfa (Ernie), Beverly Randolf (Tina), Thom Mathews (Freddy), Jewel Shepard (Casey), Linnea Quigley (Trash), and Peck too, just to name a few. With these individuals sharing some hilarious, interesting, personal stories and memories, Philputt crafted an amazing film and really pulled together some fascinating facts for fans about this cult classic.

The special features on this DVD are just outstanding! First there's THE WON'T STAY DEAD: A LOOK AT RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART II: a half hour documentary on the making of the sequel and includes interviews with Michael Kenworthy (Jesse), Suzanne Snyder (Brenda), and Karen, Mathews, and Speck just to name a few. LOVE BEYOND THE GRAVE: A LOOK AT THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART 3: another short documentary chronicling the making of Part 3, including interviews with director Brian Yuzna, screenwriter John Penney, special effects make-up artist Steve Johnson, and actor Trevor Edmond (Curt). Resurrected Settings: The Filming Locations Today: both Speck and  Randolf host this very cool short showing us the actual filming locations as they are today, Stacey Q Live! An Exclusive "Tonight" music video, documentary deleted scenes, THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD told in 3 minutes, trailers for both MORE BRAINS! and NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY, and A Conversation with Dan O'Bannon: The Final Interview: the last on-camera interview O'Bannon gave before his untimely passing from Crohn's Disease on December 17, 2009.

My conclusion is this: MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD is a highly recommended documentary that belongs on every horror fans collection. In fact here's a real treat for all you creatures of the night: watch the original film and this documentary as a double feature! That would be wonderful tribute you can do for Dan O'Bannon!

MORE BRAINS! A RETURN TO THE LIVING DEAD DVD can be purchased at your local retailer or you can purchase a copy on the film's website at www.getmorebrains.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil reviews the midnight screening of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW for Phil's Film Adventures-January 11, 2012

Welcome back horror fans! This past Saturday night I attended the annual midnight screening of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW at the Camera 3 Cinemas here in Downtown San Jose! This tradition has been going on for years and yours truly also obtained an exclusive interview with Nate and Bidgid McHavoc, two of the stars of Barley Legal Productions. BLP has been bringing ROCKY to the midnight masses for over 16 years here in the Bay Area and this was their first show for 2012! So click here to read about it. Also for all you locals, their next show will be on Saturday, January 28 so make sure to attend this event!

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!