Film Reviews

SYNOPSIS: According to ancient lore, if a human freely offers their heart to a demon, that monster can become mortal, experiencing the true pains and passions of existence. This is the ultimate triumph of the underworld. Xiaowei (Xun Zhou, THE GREAT MAGICIAN, FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE), a millennia-old fox spirit, is freed from her frozen prison and transforms into …

SYNOPSIS: The contract killer Frank Zimosa has just been hired for a ridiculously lucrative mission by the rich and powerful Jorge Mistrandia. The objective: to kill a couple of people hiding in one of his European hotels. What would look like one of the simplest jobs Frank has ever had is just about to turn into a living nightmare. He …

SYNOPSIS: “When naval construction designer Oliver Reed sees Serbian-born beauty Irena Dubrovna at a zoo, he flirts with her, and soon they fall in love and marry. Complications arise because Irena believes she is the victim of an ancient Serbian curse that causes her to turn into a panther if a man tries to make love to her, and the …

SYNOPSIS: When a spate of eerie murders erupts across HK two trouble making cops are assigned to the case. Young maverick WANG and grizzled vet HUANG who is fed up with his reckless younger partner always landing them in hot water. Reaching a dead end after discovering all the victims were former boyfriends of aspiring starlet LIU, the detectives must …

SYNOPSIS: A rich but jealous man hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man. But, when blood is involved, nothing is simple. REVIEW: “If I don’t get away soon I’ll be going blood-simple like the natives.” Garnering a title from Dashiell Hammett’s hard-boiled detective novel, Red Harvest (quote above), this Coen-directed debut film is equal …

SYNOPSIS: During the Prussian army’s invasion to Poland in 1793, a young Polish nobleman Jakub is saved from the imprisonment by a stranger who wants in return to obtain a list of Jakub’s fellow conspirators. Following his mysterious saviour across the country, Jakub sees the overall chaos and moral corruption including his father’s death and his girlfriend’s betrayal. Being apparently …

SYNOPSIS: Two dramatic stories. In an undetermined past, a young cannibal (who killed his own father) is condemned to be torn to pieces by some wild beasts. In the second story, Julian, the young son of a post-war German industrialist, is on the way to lie down with his farm’s pigs, because he doesn’t like human relationships. REVIEW:

SYNOPSIS: Story of two men drag racing across the USA in a primer grey 55 chevy. Wilson is the mechanic, James Taylor is the driver REVIEW: Directed by Monte Hellman, “Two-Lane Blacktop” is regarded as one of the earlier 70’s car based cult classics. It’s most recognized trait is that is one of the only films from that era that …

SYNOPSIS: “In a devastated Paris in the aftermath of World War III, the few surviving humans begin researching time travel, hoping to send someone back to the pre-war world for food, supplies and maybe a solution to their dire position. One man is haunted by a vague childhood memory that will prove fateful.” (courtesy IMDB) REVIEW: The idea of ‘underground’ …

SYNOPSIS: Neddy Merrill has been away for most of the Summer. He reappears at a friends pool. As they talk, someone notices that there are pools spanning the entire valley. He decided to jog from pool to pool to swim the whole valley. As he stops in each pool his interactions tell his life story. REVIEW: I recently got the …

SYNOPSIS: “Adélaïde, Belle, Félicie and Ludovic are young adult siblings who once lived in grandeur until their father’s merchant ships were lost at sea. The family is now near ruin, but Adélaïde and Félicie nonetheless still squander away the family money on themselves and keeping beautiful, whereas Belle slaves around the house, doting on her father. Ludovic detests his two …

SYNOPSIS: What started with a routine divorce between Natalie Stein and her husband Tim, will soon take a turn into the unexpected and evolve into scenes of torture, bloodshed and slaughter. REVIEW: You’ve got to hand it to the German horror movie-makers, they know what they’re doing and constantly pushing the envelope. No matter the budget (or the quality), there’s …

SYNOPSIS: Young lovers escape a group of bullies seeking to harm them and then take refuge with a seemingly kind older couple. All too late, we discover that this older pair has a dark hidden secret which unfolds in the quiet, secluded Last House in the Woods. REVIEW: There are plenty of examples of exploitation films where the poster and …

SYNOPSIS: “When a nasty neighbor tries to have her dog put to sleep, Dorothy takes her dog Toto, to run away. A cyclone appears and carries her to the magical land of Oz. Wishing to return, she begins to travel to the Emerald City where a great wizard lives. On her way she meets a Scarecrow who needs a brain, …

SYNOPSIS: A serial killer stalks prostitutes on the mean streets of Las Vegas. REVIEW: It is sometimes said that in an author’s first work, he or she often ends up spinning a highly personal and highly autobiographical tale as their inexperience can cause them to (inadvertently) fall back on what they know. I don’t know how this theorem translates over …