Topic: Jimmy's 2009 Horror Marathon

[Jimmy]

How do I do to insert a video from Google in a message like we do with the one from YouTube?

[Jimmy]

Title : Kiss daddy goodbye (1981)

Overview
In a small quiet seaside town, two gifted children are left to fend for themselves after a gang of outlaw bikers murders their father. But when these twins, who have inherited their deceased mother's supernatural powers, decide to ressurect their father's corpse, the town will awaken to a series of bizarre murders. As the local sheriff tries to uncover the mystery behind the strange killings, the children begin to lose control of their powers and stop at nothing to avenge their father's death.

My Impression
Nothing really special here... Feels almost like a tv movie since we see no blood when somebody is shot or stab (weird since the film is rated R). The story is really badly developed and not really interesting. A really poor Marilyn Burns performance as usual (except for TCM she had never impress me), an old teen idol (Fabian) in the principal role, two annoying kids who takes 80% of the screen time (but the little girl is cute) and the less impressive 3 bikers club ever seen on screen.

The dvd quality is ordinary; full of tape defect (remaster my ass) and fullscreen... doesn't worth the 2$ I've paid for it.
 
Rating :

[Jimmy]

Title : Shadow People (2008)

Overview
Billionaire Clarence Martel has everything money can buy, but not everything he wants, namely immortality. Seeking to fulfill an ancient dark prophecy, Mr. Martel approaches Mikey, a gambler in way over his head, with a simple proposition. In exchange for a one night job, Mikey's debt will be wiped clean.

Having no other way of clearing his debt, Mikey and his brother Paul agree to do the job. In an old abandoned house, they perform a ritual known as the "Drawing of the Shadows" and unwittingly unleash the demons of the darkness, the Shadow People.

Forced off the road by a storm, four unsuspecting friends seek shelter in the house and fall into the deadly trap already set in motion. If they want to survive, they must play a terrifying game of cat and mouse with the house's murderous inhabitants.

My Impression
With a better director this one could have been good, since the basic idea is interesting. But the set had a lot of weakness : the outside shot of the house made ovious that it's only a little shed and the house is supposed to be strongly board but it looks really easy to remove the plywood from the window. We don't really care about the people who died since no character builing is made. The fact that the sound is bad doesn't help also, it isn't that much to ask for a commercially release film to be audible I think... At worst, just reregister the voices track. The set is badly light, but I can live with that since it is the base of the story. Of course, the acting isn't that great (a lot of overacting) but usually that doesn't bother me that much. I don't really like the idea to let a book in a box prepared by the rich guy employee that explain how to win (very weak I'm stuck and I don't kow what to do kind of idea)

Not too bad, but too many weakness to be really appreciated... 

Rating :

[addicted2dvd]

Sounds like I will have to check out Vampire Conspiracy before too long.

[Jimmy]

Title : Trees (2000)

Overview
Life is peaceful in the small town of Hazelville until a man-eating Great White Pine makes the Memorial Day campers into a holiday feast. With an ingenious scheme, forest ranger Mark Cody, botanist Max Cooper and Squint the lumberjack turn the buffet table around on the killer tree.

My Impression
This one is a parody of Jaws, but with a killer tree in place of a killer shark... Of course the idea is stupid, but no more than a killer elevator or a killer laundry folding machine. Evidently the movie isn't scary at all and no one had stopped to go in thw woods because of him. It was a good parody, not a great one with a lot of laugh but respectfull of the original material.

Not something that I would have paid for, but since it was in a 50 movies pack it's ok.

Rating :

[Jimmy]

Title : Art of the Devil (2004)

Overview
In modern-day Thailand, witchcraft is not something to be taken lightly. In fact, there are dire consequences if you do. When a millionaire spurns his pregnant mistress, she places a deadly curse on his entire family. Soon, each family member dies in a decidedly brutal fashion. The police are puzzled. But an observant and open-minded reporter might be just the guy to unlock the mystery. This absolutely relentless Thai thriller, making its American DVD debut, boasts enough gruesome and shocking imagery for ten horror films.

My Impression
Very different than the usual Asian movie that we are used to. This one as written in the overview deal with the world of curse and witchcraft. This is very good movie, even if the subtitles are a little bit fast and hard to set in Power DVD. The film start when the story is already in progress and you sure don't understand what happen, but the story will be reveal piece by piece untill it rejoins the point where it had started. In this film it's hard to not understand why the person responsible of the curse is at fault, the father of this familly has really mistreated her, in fact her fault is that she overeact and the word is even weak. The acting seems ok (it's not easy to judge when a movie isn't in a language you understand).

Another Asian winner.... 

Rating :

[Achim]

How do I do to insert a video from Google in a message like we do with the one from YouTube?

With the Google video button...?

[googlevid=425,350]2619851669258243954[/googlevid]

Just put the number code of the video link between the two bracketed terms created by pressing the button.

[Jimmy]

Thanks Achim

Since you are here I have a question for you. I have the first 2 movies in the Art of the Devil serie and I like them, but I've seen that a third part was release last year. I'm unable to find it on dvd, do you have any idea if this is available from an Asian website at least with english subtitles (not important at all if the extra are only in Thai)?

Khon len khong (Art the devil)
Long khong (Art of the Devil 2)
Long khong 2 (The one that I search)

Hope that you can help me with this

[Achim]

I'll check my Asian retailer sites (I have a few bookmarked, although I never order there) in the next few days. If that isn't successful I may be able to buy it in a store in Taiwan (often they have English subtitles for the movie, the features might have Chinese ones only).

If I don't get back to you until two weeks from now don't be shy to send me a PM...

[Jimmy]

Title : Storm of the Dead (2006)

Overview
When the Florida Panhandle is hit by a "Category 5" hurricane, the President of the United States has no choice but to reactivate the Florida Militia to restore order in the region. In their quest to restore stability to an unstable area, the Militia is ordered to 'shoot looters'. When one of the looters tracked down and shot is the grandson of a Voodoo Queen, all hell breaks loose as she seeks revenge on the Militia.

My Impression
After watching this film I feel the same deception that if I would Have watch a movie called "Curse of the Black Mummy" and the film have been about an African mother using a lot of four letter words... More simply said there are no storm and no zombies in this film. It's just a non credible army reserve unit (with no name tag or apparent rank on their uniform or respect for the officer and carrying Chief Boyardee can as lunch in place of ration pack) who walks supposedly in the Florida swamp, find a trailer trash girl with a big pair of breast, 3 of the soldier are kill by the girl who is in fact an old black woman, 3 of them return at the base after talking with the old woman about the fact that it's not friendly to shoot looters and the movie is over. The film is as boring as it sounds... Debra Cassano (she's a pretty good actress) and Karin Justman are certainly two beautifull women (no, none of them are the TTGWBB)
 
But that wasn't enough to make this film interesting for me.

Rating :

[Jimmy]

Title : Black Ribbon (2007)

Overview
Kenneth Richardson is a tormented writer, possessed, affected by a haunted machine. His wife Beth has a volatile relationship with him resulting from the haunted typewriter that has consumed Kenneth's life. Joey is a mentally challenged man with the mind of an eight year old, befriended by Kenneth. Nana is Joey's mother and protector. Jennifer Gesner is a Goth chick, who aligns herself with Kenneth to achieve the most horrifying ritual of Satan worship. Isabella Conti becomes the housekeeper for Ken and Beth, an innocent young lady caught in the web of horror and terror as Ken's life dramatically transforms into a life of misery.

My Impression
This one is less stupid that it sounds and don't tell me that an haunted typewriter doesn't sound ridiculous since I will not believe you. The story is interesting because of the way we see how Richardson is gradually affected by the curse and the attempt he does to keep his sanity. The acting for me the post part is amateur or annoying (Rudy J. Altenor who play the retard becomes annoying very fast). But the film is for the most part enjoyable, common we have a prisonner woman trap naked in a cage or lock on a table most of the time and Joe Franklin had a small cameo in the film (he was the host of The Joe Franklin Show, a local tv shows in the New York area, for more than 40 years). The problem is the end who is the most old and cliché idea of a twist to end a movie

(click to show/hide)

It was just a dream of Kenneth Richardson and nothing had happen. Worst the prisonner woman is the wife of Kenneth, the retard is the city priest, his wife in the dream is the wife of the guy who is the brother of the retard in the dream, ...

Without this the film would have been rated  , but because of that it worth only this rating...

Rating :

[Jimmy]

Title : City of the Living Dead (1980)

Overview
The Seven Gates of Hell have been torn open, and in 3 days the dead shall rise and walk the earth. As a reporter (Christopher George) and a psychic (Catriona MacColl) race to close the portals of the damned, they encounter a seething nightmare of unspeakable evil. The city is alive - with the horrors of the living dead!

My Impression
Now this is more what I expect from a Lucio Fulci's movie... This one is his best horror film after The Beyond and The New York Ripper (of course this is my oppinion). The story can be complicated to understand in the first viewing, so it's necessary to watch it 2 or 3 times to really appreciated it. The Living Deads are more frightening in this film, as in The Beyond, than in their American counterpart. They doesn't beat you by their number, they aren't dumb (for a dead person of course), they don't care about eating you (they just want to rip off your brain) and they can teleport themselves (it certainly look like that). The special effects are top-notch and really effective (the death scenes of Giovanni Lombardo Radice and Daniela Doria are two classic). You will see many familliar visages in the cast : Catriona MacColl (The Beyond), Christopher George (Day of the Animals), Venantino Venantini (Cannibal Ferox), Michele Soavi (director of Dellamorte Dellamore), Janet Agren (Eaten Alive), Perry Pirkanen (Cannibal Holocaust), Michael Gaunt (at least for me since he appeared in 15 adult movies that I own) and, of course, Giovanni Lombardo Radice and Daniela Doria. The score from Fabio Frizzi is effective (particullary the theme used when the living dead appear). The only critic as usual is the dubbing of the italian actors who sound too forced and unnatural.

Rating :

[snowcat]

I remember watching this film and thinking it was terrible, I think im going to have to re watch it.

[Jimmy]

Title : Knight Chills (2003)

Overview
It is the ultimate adventure as his rival strive to not only come to grips with what they thought could not be possible, but now must also fight to stay alive.

My Impression
My expectations for this film were not really high, since it's based on the Dungeon & Dragons game and playing that is boring as hell (sorry for the fans of those game). But I was pleasantly surprise since the movie is almost good. A lot of time is spend on the game playing club to develop the characters and it's a good thing since most of the time in those kind of film the development is really absent. The killer looks good (of course without the budget limitation he would have been much better). The story isn't complicated and the end is interesting, but the kid side story wasn't necessary (unless they had tried to let the end open for a sequel). The acting is correct for this genre of film with the usual mix of good, wooden and annoying (or really annoying) actors. Of course this film had some weakness... The story is a little bit too by the book and it didn't take long to know who will be the killer. The film had very few blood in it (it's evident that it isn't an R rated film). The police officer and the school officials are too caricatural.

Not a bad film, but don't expect something really original.

Rating :


Sorry for the stupid comment on the trailer it's the only one I've found for this film. BTW the "comic" uploader is an idiot since DJ Perry had acted in 44 films (6 before this one)

[Jimmy]

Title : Curse of the Wolf (2006)

Overview
A young woman, Dakota (Renee Porada) has finally found a way to "control" her Lycanthrope metamorphosis and desires to live a "normal life". All might be well if not for Dakota's "pack", who wants a different life for Dakota... to live in werewolf immortality and hunt with them forever!

My Impression
Not too bad... Of course the werewolf make-up is a little bit weak, but it's understandable since the movie was probably made for less than 50,000$. The story is original and the highlight of this movie, and the reason I like it, are the numerous martial art fight. All those fight are well choreographed and look real to me, of course the fact that most of the cast members are specialist in different fighting technics help. Most of the acting isn't that great, but when one of those actors is Darian Caine who cares if this is well act or not The music is annoying and don't really fit for the most part, the instrumental pieces are ok (the problem is the songs).

This isn't An American Werewolf in London, but this is certainly better than The Howling 2 and Bad Moon. 

Rating :