For
whatever reason, initially ‘Day of the Dead’ was not nearly as well received
as Romero’s previous two entries in his ‘Dead’ trilogy. As time has gone
by, however, the film has slowly but surely grown in stature. The plot
concerns a mixed group of scientists and military personnel living in an
underground bunker where they are supposed to be seeking a cure for the
zombie plague ravaging the world. Unfortunately head scientist Dr. Logan
(Richard Liberty), nicknamed Frankenstein, has pretty much gone off the deep
end. Instead of looking for a cure, he’s more interested in training the
zombies to behave. His greatest success is a zombie named Bub (Howard
Sherman) who still seems to retain at least some vestige of his former
personality. The main character is a strong female scientist named Sarah
(Lori Cardille). She’s the only female in the bunker, and her relationship
with Private Miguel Salazar (Anthony DiLeo) causes some friction with the
rest of the military personnel who are obviously suffering from a sever case
of blue balls. Meanwhile Captain Rhodes (Joe Pilato), the head of the
military faction, is growing tired of waiting for results from the
scientists. When he finds out how Dr. Logan has been spending his time he’s
far from happy. As much of a menace as the living dead outside the bunker
are, it’s the internal conflicts amongst these characters that ultimately
prove to be the biggest threat.
‘Day’ is arguably the most serious film in the ‘Dead’
series, and in my opinion the performances are more consistently solid than
either ‘Night’ or ‘Dawn’. This film is also special effects artist Tom
Savini’s crowning achievement. Savini was given free reign by Romero to
come up with interesting ways to kill people and zombies, and he clearly
rose to the challenge. ‘Day of the Dead’ is a splatter film fan’s delight
with numerous graphic scenes of realistic dismemberment and gut munching.
Anchor Bay’s 2 disc set offers up the film in fine form, and boasts a nice
array of extras including 2 audio commentaries (one by Romero and Cardille,
one by fan and ‘Pulp Fiction’ screenwriter Roger Avary), a behind the scenes
documentary on the effects, and a nice documentary on the film and its
legacy. If you consider yourself a true zombie fan, this is a must have.
(Bob Ignizio)
Do
I really need to give you a plot synopsis for this one? John Carpenter’s
‘Halloween’ pretty much started the “dead teenager” subgenre of horror films
when it came out of nowhere to become a huge hit in the late seventies. In
the 25 years since its initial release it has spawned numerous knock offs
and sequels, but the original remains the best. Just in case there’s anyone
out there who still hasn’t seen this undisputed classic of the horror genre,
I’ll give a brief plot synopsis. Young Michael Meyers kills his sister on
Halloween night and is committed to an institution. Dr. Loomis (Donald
Pleasance) at first tries to treat Michael, but comes to the conclusion that
his patient is evil personified and beyond any hope. 15 years later,
Michael escapes and returns to his old hometown to terrorize Laurie Strode
(Jamie Leigh Curtis) and her friends on yet another Halloween night while
Loomis tries to track the killer down. The film tells this story with style
and suspense and very little graphic violence. The results are about as
good as horror cinema gets. And let’s not forget the amazing score by
director Carpenter. Without it, the movie wouldn’t be nearly as effective.
Now on to the DVD itself. Anchor Bay has previously
released this title at least 3 times, including an alternate TV version.
This latest “25th Anniversary Edition” is a two disc set that
includes a documentary on the making of the film and its impact on the film
world, a commentary (originally on the Criterion Collection laserdisc) by
director Carpenter, producer Deborah Hill, and star Jamie Leigh Curtis, and
a short “Return to Haddonfield” segment in which the original shooting
locations are revisited. The presentation of the film itself is excellent
and the features are all quite nice, but is this the definitive
‘Halloween’? Almost. The only real complaint I have is the absence of the
additional scenes shot for the TV version. When I spoke with an Anchor Bay
representative at the recent Cinema Wasteland horror convention, he told me
the company has no plans to re-release the TV version separately, either.
For most people this probably won’t matter, but for the hardcore fan that
means you’d better track down a copy of that now out of print version fast
before the prices get out of hand. That minor quibble aside, this is an
excellent disc that deserves a permanent place in the collection of any
serious horror fan, or any serious film fan period. Even if you already own
a previous version, this is worth picking up for the extras. Just suck it
in and shell out the bucks. (Bob Ignizio)
This
turned out to be a surprisingly original and funny comedy. ‘Please Stop
Stabbing Me’ exists in a weird bizarro universe that reminded me a bit
of ‘Being John Malkovich’. Herman Schumacher (Patrick Casey) has just
graduated from college with a degree in world history which, much like
in the real world, is only good for getting a job digging holes. There
doesn’t appear to be any real purpose for digging these holes, or for
the requirement that Herman wear a tie while doing so, but at least it’s
a steady paycheck. In addition to getting a job, Herman also finds a
room to rent and becomes romantically involved with a sex crazed girl
named Carrie (Maria A. Morales). Herman‘s housemates are an odd bunch
- Alan aka Chartreuese (Sean Hall) has a degree in music theory (with,
like everyone but Herman in this movie, a dual major in comparative lit)
and is inspired by Herman to compose a horrendous symphony. Blaine (N.
David Prestwood) has a serious grudge against Herman for using his comb,
Icky (Worm Miller) just sits around being sick all the time, and Damon
(Andy “Hippa” Kriss) has a serious problem with anyone who leaves
clothes lying on the floor. There’s also a hairy monster that lives in
the basement and steals socks. On top of that, there’s the mystery of
what happened to several previous residents of the household. It’s all
quite enjoyable, and although I liked one of the alternate endings
included as a bonus on the DVD better than the one actually used, I
really can’t complain too much. All in all, lots of laughs and
originality combined with decent production values and good acting make
for an extremely worthwhile viewing experience. Check it out. (Bob
Ignizio)
When
it comes to high class smut, nobody has ever done it better than Radley
Metzger. His best films of the seventies combine excellent production
values, good acting, literary scripts, and most importantly hot sex.
‘The Image’ is the last film Metzger directed under his real name.
Around the same time this was released, the United States Supreme Court
cleared the way for the sort of full-on pornography we have today.
Metzger went with the flow but changed his name to Henry Paris for films
like ‘The Opening of Misty Beethoven’ and ‘Barbara Broadcast’. But, on
to the matter at hand. Based on the erotic novel by Catherine
Robbe-Grillet, ‘The Image’ is told (with narration) from the point of
view of Jean (Carl Parker). Jean is pretty much used to getting any
woman he wants. For whatever reason, however, he’s never been attracted
to Claire (Marilyn Roberts). He is, however, attracted to Claire‘s
submissive blonde girlfriend Anne (Rebecca Brooke). The three of them
enter into a kinky ménage that involves a good deal of humiliation and
(consensual) S & M administered to Anne and eventually leads to a
grueling climax that made even a jaded viewer like myself cringe.
While there’s plenty of sexy eye candy on display,
Metzger understands that real eroticism comes from character and
context. Unfortunately, the character of Anne isn’t particularly
well-defined, and the story offers only a few tantalizing glimpses into
what makes her tick. We never really understand why she would be
involved in a relationship like this. Also, the narration gets a bit
annoying. Far too often, Jean is telling us things that we can clearly
see on screen for ourselves. Regardless, ‘The Image’ is worth a watch
for those seeking kinky erotica with a brain. Be warned, though.
Although the sex is fairly tame compared to what you’ll find in the back
room of the video store these days, there are some truly harrowing
moments in the S & M scenes. Those uncomfortable with such material are
advised to check out some of Metzgers other fine films like ‘Camille
2000’ or ‘The Lickerish Quartet’ instead. (Bob Ignizio)
For
whatever reason, initially ‘Day of the Dead’ was not nearly as well received
as Romero’s previous two entries in his ‘Dead’ trilogy. As time has gone
by, however, the film has slowly but surely grown in stature. The plot
concerns a mixed group of scientists and military personnel living in an
underground bunker where they are supposed to be seeking a cure for the
zombie plague ravaging the world. Unfortunately head scientist Dr. Logan
(Richard Liberty), nicknamed Frankenstein, has pretty much gone off the deep
end. Instead of looking for a cure, he’s more interested in training the
zombies to behave. His greatest success is a zombie named Bub (Howard
Sherman) who still seems to retain at least some vestige of his former
personality. The main character is a strong female scientist named Sarah
(Lori Cardille). She’s the only female in the bunker, and her relationship
with Private Miguel Salazar (Anthony DiLeo) causes some friction with the
rest of the military personnel who are obviously suffering from a sever case
of blue balls. Meanwhile Captain Rhodes (Joe Pilato), the head of the
military faction, is growing tired of waiting for results from the
scientists. When he finds out how Dr. Logan has been spending his time he’s
far from happy. As much of a menace as the living dead outside the bunker
are, it’s the internal conflicts amongst these characters that ultimately
prove to be the biggest threat. 
Do
I really need to give you a plot synopsis for this one? John Carpenter’s
‘Halloween’ pretty much started the “dead teenager” subgenre of horror films
when it came out of nowhere to become a huge hit in the late seventies. In
the 25 years since its initial release it has spawned numerous knock offs
and sequels, but the original remains the best. Just in case there’s anyone
out there who still hasn’t seen this undisputed classic of the horror genre,
I’ll give a brief plot synopsis. Young Michael Meyers kills his sister on
Halloween night and is committed to an institution. Dr. Loomis (Donald
Pleasance) at first tries to treat Michael, but comes to the conclusion that
his patient is evil personified and beyond any hope. 15 years later,
Michael escapes and returns to his old hometown to terrorize Laurie Strode
(Jamie Leigh Curtis) and her friends on yet another Halloween night while
Loomis tries to track the killer down. The film tells this story with style
and suspense and very little graphic violence. The results are about as
good as horror cinema gets. And let’s not forget the amazing score by
director Carpenter. Without it, the movie wouldn’t be nearly as effective. 
This
turned out to be a surprisingly original and funny comedy. ‘Please Stop
Stabbing Me’ exists in a weird bizarro universe that reminded me a bit
of ‘Being John Malkovich’. Herman Schumacher (Patrick Casey) has just
graduated from college with a degree in world history which, much like
in the real world, is only good for getting a job digging holes. There
doesn’t appear to be any real purpose for digging these holes, or for
the requirement that Herman wear a tie while doing so, but at least it’s
a steady paycheck. In addition to getting a job, Herman also finds a
room to rent and becomes romantically involved with a sex crazed girl
named Carrie (Maria A. Morales). Herman‘s housemates are an odd bunch
- Alan aka Chartreuese (Sean Hall) has a degree in music theory (with,
like everyone but Herman in this movie, a dual major in comparative lit)
and is inspired by Herman to compose a horrendous symphony. Blaine (N.
David Prestwood) has a serious grudge against Herman for using his comb,
Icky (Worm Miller) just sits around being sick all the time, and Damon
(Andy “Hippa” Kriss) has a serious problem with anyone who leaves
clothes lying on the floor. There’s also a hairy monster that lives in
the basement and steals socks. On top of that, there’s the mystery of
what happened to several previous residents of the household. It’s all
quite enjoyable, and although I liked one of the alternate endings
included as a bonus on the DVD better than the one actually used, I
really can’t complain too much. All in all, lots of laughs and
originality combined with decent production values and good acting make
for an extremely worthwhile viewing experience. Check it out. (Bob
Ignizio)
When
it comes to high class smut, nobody has ever done it better than Radley
Metzger. His best films of the seventies combine excellent production
values, good acting, literary scripts, and most importantly hot sex.
‘The Image’ is the last film Metzger directed under his real name.
Around the same time this was released, the United States Supreme Court
cleared the way for the sort of full-on pornography we have today.
Metzger went with the flow but changed his name to Henry Paris for films
like ‘The Opening of Misty Beethoven’ and ‘Barbara Broadcast’. But, on
to the matter at hand. Based on the erotic novel by Catherine
Robbe-Grillet, ‘The Image’ is told (with narration) from the point of
view of Jean (Carl Parker). Jean is pretty much used to getting any
woman he wants. For whatever reason, however, he’s never been attracted
to Claire (Marilyn Roberts). He is, however, attracted to Claire‘s
submissive blonde girlfriend Anne (Rebecca Brooke). The three of them
enter into a kinky ménage that involves a good deal of humiliation and
(consensual) S & M administered to Anne and eventually leads to a
grueling climax that made even a jaded viewer like myself cringe. 