The Star Trek Collection

All the official Star Trek films to date can be found on Nutshell.  It's not necessary to list them individually because you can find the full collection by clicking >>HERE<<.  There’s also Trek on our sister sites.  See links below:

01. Star Trek TV on Nut Box.
02. Star Trek novels and comic books on Nut Ink.

Dark Angel (1990)

It was released in 1990 but it’s a product of the tail end of the 80s action movie boom (ba doom). Dolph is one half of a reluctant buddy cop scenario, getting shit on by his disgruntled Captain for being a dangerous cop, etc. You know the deal. Brian Benben plays the other, shorter, federal agent half of the duo. I like Benben, so his character didn't irk me as much as it normally would. The two men are hunting a killer who just happens to be an alien who watched Predator films one too many times. That’s your lot.

2 white eyes out of 5

THE SKELETON TWINS [2014]

Writer/director Craig Johnson's The Skeleton Twins does a great job at showcasing comedian Bill Hader & Kristen Wiig's talents apart from their usual goofy fare.
Two severely depressed twins, who haven't spoken in ten years, reunite to find a twisted sort of comfort within each other.  Amidst all the slit wrists, pill-popping, pedophilia and various other dark topics, there's a surprising amount of funny warmth that never feels out of place.  It's not slapstick funny but more like sharing awkward jokes with your loved ones in the darkest of times, something I think we're all too familiar with but never speak of outside the moment.  The story steers way off track for awhile and hurts the film as a whole.  It's not a great movie and I wish it were better because I'm really quite fond of it.

3 goldfish out of 5

SELMA [2014]

Director Ava DuVernay's historical drama Selma depicts the 1965 march in Alabama led by Martin Luther King, Jr. to secure voting rights for the African-American community.
David Oyelowo does an excellent job as Dr. King with a strong and demanding presence but also channels a fragile side when needed.  Juggling the ugliness of the times and the stirring speeches without ever losing it's impact makes for some gripping cinema.  While it educates the viewer of time we shouldn't forget it never feels too dry or like we're being force-fed.  There's many films like this but it never hurts to be reminded, especially in this day and age, where many of the topics covered are sadly still quite relevant.

4 Nobel Peace Prizes out of 5

Elvira's Haunted Hills (2001)

For reasons that aren't explained Elvira is in the Carpathian Mountains in the year 1851. Is it a prequel to the previous film? Is she an ancestor? I don’t know, but what becomes clear early on is that part of the reason the other one worked is because it had the gothic beauty in a modern environment. She was an outsider that we could look upon and feel some kind of empathy with. Putting her in a Hammer horror setting means she loses that sense of not-fitting-in and she stands out less. The comedy also suffers. I enjoyed the many references to Roger Corman’s Poe films because I've been on a Poe binge recently, but, ultimately, it’s light on memorable moments.

1½ old habits out of 5

LATE PHASES [2014]

Here Comes The Devil director Adrián García Bogliano makes his English language debut with the burly little werewolf film Late Phases.
Nick Damici is fantastic as a crotchety old blind man that moves into an old folk's community that has the tendency to get a little bloody every full moon.  The use of good ol' fashioned practical effects is a joy to watch but doesn't always work, especially when you see the man in the furry rubber suit that looks like a rabid version of Donnie Darko's Frank.  The tone of the film is an utter mess and there doesn't seem to be any real direction it wants to take.  Fortunately actors Damici and Tom Noonan have a wonderful chemistry together as they make the best of what they have to work with.  Something great was buried deep within the film but sadly it's never really found.

2½ iron lungs out of 5

The Witch Who Came from the Sea (1976)

Firstly, the film deals with fantasy but it’s of the sinister, psychological, abused woman kind, not the fantastical kind implied by the modified/stolen Frazetta picture on the cover, so ignore that completely.
It’s the story of Molly, a barmaid. Molly’s emotionally screwed-up but with good reason. It shows you why that is and it pulls no punches whatsoever while doing it. It invites viewers into her tortured world and exposes them to some odd, disturbing, sexual content. The invasive camera-work makes it all the more unsettling, like a horrible dream that turns feelings of innocence into violent reactions to danger. It's exploitation cinema that pushes the important themes far above the methods used to visualise them.

4 close shaves out of 5

The Ghost in the Shell Collection

Public Security Section 9 are a counter-terrorist unit that risk life and cyberized-limb in their daily dealings with specialised cyber-crime and data theft in a futuristic Japan.  Each of the different versions is subtly different from the one that preceded it or came after, but they’re all 100% recognisable as GitS.  The stories can sometimes be difficult to grasp, but they’re never wholly impenetrable.  You can approach them from an action-orientated perspective, or you can delve deeper and engage with the philosophical questionings of self that underpin many of the situations.  Either way, the team dynamic is ever-present, functioning as a stable point of reference.

Original Films:
01. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
02. Ghost in the Shell: Innocence (2004)
03. Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008)

Stand Alone Complex:
01. GitS: SAC (2003) (TV Series) on our sister site, Nut Box.
02. GitS: SAC: The Laughing Man (2007)
03. GitS: SAC: Solid State Society (2006)

GitS Arise:
01. Border 1: Ghost Pain (2013)
02. Border 2: Ghost Whisper (2013)
03. Border 3: Ghost Tears (2014)
04. Border 4: Ghost Stands Alone (2014)
05. Pyrophoric Cult (2015)
06. Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie (2015)

See also:
01. Ghost in the Shell Manga and novels on our sister site, Nut Ink.
02. Ghost in the Shell Music on our sister site, Nut Suite.

House of the Long Shadows (1983)

An author retreats to an abandoned Manor to write a gothic novel in twenty-four hours and win a bet, but things don’t go to plan and he becomes a player in a comical horror story that had begun before he even got there.
The author's self-confidence is only slightly arrogant, so he’s still a sympathetic character. But, really, it’s the four old guys that viewers will be tuning in for. Their years of experience mean they don’t disappoint, but the feeling that so much more could've been achieved with the setting is ever-present. Plus, there was already six films based on Derr Biggers' Seven Keys to Baldpate (1913) novel in existence, did we really need a seventh?

2½ intentions out of 5

WILD [2014]

Director Jean-Marc Vallée does the near impossible by turning Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail into a gracefully crafted contemplative film.
Reese Witherspoon does a wonderful job as Strayed who's walking the 2,633 miles long PCR as a way to gather her thoughts from the troubled life she hopes to leave behind.  It's a thoroughly captivating told story of a heart that opens up into the vast wilderness around it that's both dangerous and elegant.  Thankfully we're never quite sure what's around each bend and that's a rarity in such films.  Wild stumbles along here and there but Witherspoon and Laura Dern's underplayed performances make the journey well worth your time.

3½ female hobos out of 5

INHERENT VICE [2014]

Director Paul Thomas gets on high on the weird-o-meter with Inherent Vice, a comedic crime-drama based on Thomas Pynchon's novel of the same name.
Narrated by musician Joanna Newsom, a stoner P.I. named Doc finds he's taken a case that completely spirals out of his control amidst a cast of characters even stranger than he is.  Planted deep into 1970's California, the film has a psychedelic noir-ish feel to it as if it were The Big Lebowski's evil twin with it's back-drop heavily influenced by the paranoia of the Manson Family murders.  There's not a whole lot of sense to be made out of this incredibly confusing psychedelic noir but it's unsettling humor, fantastic music, wildly bizarre performances and hypnotizing character interactions make it so damned engaging I didn't want it to end.

4 Pussy Menus out of 5

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988)

From the warning at the beginning to the very last cut, HCH is a lot of fun. What really separates it from the bucket-load of 80s crap is the addition of a private dick, unsubtly named Jack Chandler, who provides an occasionally clumsy but primarily enjoyable hardboiled, noir-esque voice-over. His wit and male weaknesses make him a likeable loser. The hookers play up to the scream-queen, comedy/horror stereotypes. It’s a fully self-aware script.
Despite the title there’s very few actual deaths by chainsaw, but having The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Gunnar Hansen oversee them adds an extra in-joke for fans of the genre. The police chief also deserves a mention.

3 plastic sheets out of 5

Death Note: L Change the World (2008)

A D Note spin-off featuring the peculiar L in an original story not found in the source text. One of his contemporaries (similarly monikered, of course) sends him a mystery that if unsolved will have worldwide consequences.
Adding to the pressure are a number of time constraints, one of which was brought on by the sleuth's own calculated actions in the Kira case.
The lighter moments showing L out of his comfort zone were the most entertaining, helped along by a spirited performance from the little girl.
The serious parts of the story were often low on tension and too closely resembled an American film in need of trimming.

2½ sweet numbers out of 5

THE FRAME [2014]

Writer/director Jamin Winans eerie WTF sci-fi/thriller The Frame is his anticipated follow-up to his innovative 2009 cult hit, Ink.
What if you could talk to a character in a TV show and they talked back?  What if that character thought you were a character in a TV they were watching?
That's just scratching the surface of what The Frame is actually about.  It's not a straight forward narrative but as an emotion driven metaphysical journey it makes a lot more sense.  Winans keeps you thinking, feeling and in complete awe of the creativity pouring out all over the screen in it's visuals, music and camerawork.  There's a few minor issues here and there but can be easily forgiven because sci-fi film-making this brave is a rarity in this day and age.

4 fucking potatoes out of 5

The Kaijū Collection

Kaijū eiga (often shortened to kaijū in the West) is a Japanese term for what are essentially giant monster movies. More often than not it’s an actor in a rubber suit laying waste to amazingly detailed scale model towns, but the best have an important subtext that explores deeper concerns.
The most famous is Toho’s Gojira/Godzilla, affectionately called King of the Monsters, but there’s more than just Godzilla in the pantheon, so if you're interested in the merits of the genre, don't stop there:

Genre films:
01. Godzilla (1954—)
02. Rodan (1956—)
03. Mothra ((1961—)
04. Gamera (1965—)
05. Daimajin I, Daimajin II, Daimajin III (1966)
06. The X from Outer Space (1967)
07. King Kong Escapes (1967)
08. Daigoro vs. Goliath (1971)
09. The Last Dinosaur (1977)
10. Attack of the Super Monsters (1982)

Influenced by:
01. The Host (2006)
02. Cloverfield (2008)
03. Pacific Rim (2013)

See also:
01. Daimajin Kanon (2010) TV Series on our sister site, Nut Box.
02. Godzilla comics on our sister site, Nut Ink.

Omega Doom (1996)

Rutger channels his inner Batty to play an android with poetic turns that isn't averse to acts of violence for a just cause. He rolls into a settlement that has two opposing factions and a neutral party in the middle, then begins to play one side against the other. If that sounds familiar it’s because it's inspired by Yojimbo (1961) and its Western rip-off, A Fistful of Dollars (1964).
The action scenes are weak but the build-up towards them is much better.
The nuclear winter world isn't explored much, but the locations are stylistically lit with colour filters, successfully hiding the cheapness.
The way the androids’ programming dictates their actions and affiliations is a strong point, but their whirring noise got on my tits after a while.

2½ feathers out of 5

Unfriended (2014)

An innovative take on the found footage genre, the film's POV is seen through one character's computer screen. The story is unraveled before our eyes in real time as if we were the ones moving the cursor around and typing in search bars. Instead of this feeling tired, it was fresh and really drew my attention. Plotwise it was almost too similar to the real life cyber bullying tragedy of Amanda Todd. The characters are stereotypical high school archetypes each with an obvious tell which leads to a series of poorly filmed death scenes. It's no surprise this was originally intended to air on MTV as the dialogue is juvenile and shallow. While I'm sure the filmmakers intended the glitchy video interference heavily featured throughout Unfriended to add a sort of familiar digital texture, it actually became abrasive to the eye. The promising and innovative concept is the only real highlight here. The suspense is lost in the second half as the horror degenerates into long pauses followed by jump scares and screaming matches between characters.

2 never have I evers out of 5

Short Peace (2013)

Kōji Morimoto's anime intro is followed by four short animations from Shūhei Morita, Katsuhiro Ôtomo, Hiroaki Andô, and Hajime Katoki, respectively. Each one takes a different thematic approach to its subject, but all in some way represent Japan and capture a little of what makes it unique. Subjects include culture, religion, passion, folklore, noble sacrifice and post-war concerns, set as far back as the Sengoku Era and up to the near future. They’re all created digitally but animation styles differ from one to the next. The first is the only one that looks awkward, being too digital in nature. In contrast, the second is a loving nod to emakimono, even down to the perspectives used.

4 protective measures out of 5

The Ace Attorney Collection

The Gyakuten Saiban/Ace Attorney series spins the incredibly simple (and perhaps initially off-putting) concept of donning the well-tailored blazers of defense attorneys (and sometimes prosecutors) into something much more. The morality of these stalwart advocates, and the judicial system itself, is inevitably placed under the microscope, but it is done through the lens of its impact on those who entrust their lives to these men and women—characters that are often as hilarious as they are endearing and relatable.

01. The Phoenix Arc of the progenitorial gaming series has been covered completely on our sister site, Nut Load.

02. Opinions on the music from the same era can be found on Nut Suite.

03. The film has been tackled, here.

Nutted by NEG

BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY [1991]

Everybody's favorite dudes from San Dimas are back in director Peter Hewitt's Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, the sequel to the 1989 comedy cult hit.
This time around, the Wyld Stallyns are killed by futuristic robot versions of themselves and must enlist the help of Death to make a most triumphant return to the living.  The two leads are even more comfortable in their roles and it shows, especially if you keep your eye on Bill and all his hilarious mannerisms & gestures.  William Sadler as an Eastern European Grim Reaper steals every scene he's in with his deadpan delivery.  The film is a couple notches darker than it's predecessor and a helluva lot weirder but that's part of it's charm.  There's some incredibly inventive camera-work that's damaged by overly sloppy editing and awkwardly rushed takes.  Casual fans of the original feel this isn't as good, however dedicated fans feel it's even better.

3 heads of the Faith No More Spiritual & Theological Center out of 5

GOING TO PIECES: THE RISE & FALL OF THE SLASHER FILM [2006]

Going To Pieces is a noticeably low budget documentary about the history of slasher flicks, beginning with Psycho then tackling Halloween, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Scream, Saw and just about everything else in between.
It covers many eras of the genre, the impact each groundbreaking film made on the culture, it's audiences and the films that followed it, all of which usually skewered it into the ground with overkill until the next era would reinvent it.  It's actually quite a captivating crash course on the subject, once you get past the horribly filmed interviews.  It looks as if the cameraman had never filmed anything before and wanted to go for maximum creativity, resulting in overly distracting shots that take away from the spoken words quite a bit.  It's an amateurish love letter to the genre that covers the material with more passion than intelligence and that's just fine with me.

3 latex heads out of 5

CAKE [2014]

Jennifer Aniston delivers the best performance of her career to date in director Daniel Barnz's somber drama, Cake.
It's a dismal story about a wretched bitch of a woman in chronic pain who develops an unhealthy obsession with a distant acquaintance who's recently killed herself.  Covered in facial scars and greasy hair, Aniston is superb in the lead role, as she never overplays it, allows her eyes to do most of the storytelling, while never once resorting to "this is my big tear-jerking Oscar moment" hokum.  Unfortunately, while Aniston does her best to avoid sad drama schmaltz, the script manages to twist itself into that and you probably won't realize it until it's too late.  The direction is a little unsure of itself and the plotline begins to dogpaddle as it realizes it doesn't know if it can carry it's own weight.

3 wind chimes out of 5

THE SECRET OF KELLS [2009]

Directors Tomm Moore & Nora Twomey conjure up their own story about the creation of The Book of Kells in the stunningly animated The Secret Of Kells.
It tells the story of a young boy who lives within a medieval fortress, under siege from Vikings, all while attempting to retrieve magical ink to complete an important manuscript.  The classical animation is illuminated with mostly pleasant shades of green and a style that looks like it was lifted from a late 60's animated short, all of which never ceases to be a magnificent feast for the eyes.  The storytelling and characters however fall a little flat and don't quite equal the magic of it's astonishing appearances or beautiful music courtesy of French composer Bruno Coulais and Irish folk act Kíla.  However, if you're a lover of traditional animation than this is must-see taking no matter of it's burdensome flaws.

3½  acorns out of 5

TO BE TAKEI [2014]

Film-maker Jennifer M. Kroot documents the life journey and admirable achievements  of actor George Takei in the instantly enjoyable To Be Takei.
It starts with Takei's life in the as a Japanese-American growing up in a WWII internment camp, followed by his refusal as an actor to play the racist Asian characters of it's time, landing a culturally iconic role in the Star Trek franchise and becoming an important voice in gay rights activism.  Kroot seamlessly jumps back & forth through the times to tell his story through news reels, stock photographs, interviews with friends & foes (here's looking at you Shatner) and simply following Takei and his partner going about their daily business.  Its' at times quite humorous with the actor's witty observations and campy mannerisms, as it is quite emotional as we're given a glimpse into the difficult roads he's travelled since he was a wee lad.

3½ "lost" wedding invitations out of 5

Katatonia: Sanctitude (2015)

Leaving just one year between live shows released on dvd smells like an over-milked tit, but Sanctitude really is worth dipping into the wallet for. It’s the Swedes 'unplugged' and seated, with drums replaced by lighter percussion, including toms. The atmosphere contained within the reworked tracks is a perfect fit to the candle-lit setting of London's Union Chapel. Everything is more tranquil; even Renske seems more at ease than normal. The new line-up get through seventeen tracks in the eighty-minute set. It’s a generous amount but I would've happily sat for another seventeen.

5 unfurlings out of 5

Senn (2013)

Writer/Dir. Josh Feldman’s début is a low budget, socially-aware sci-fi set on a world that's part industrial workhouse and part slum.
Senn (Zach Eulberg) is a small cog in a much larger, exploitative, corporate machine. He’s so small that he doesn't even know what shape the machine is, but he recognises his own insignificance within it. However, unlike his co-workers, Senn has a way out even if he isn't aware of it himself.
There’s some slow-mo padding in the running time that's at worst functional but mostly it serves a dual-purpose that's powerful when it hits its mark, stirring heart and head in the process. Most of the cast are still learning their trade, but special mention must go to Lauren Taylor and Wylie Herman.

4 new strata out of 5

THE FLUFFY MOVIE: UNITY THROUGH LAUGHTER [2014]

Stand-up comedian Gabriel Iglesias aka Fluffy brings his act to the big screen with the suitably titled The Fluffy Movie.
Being an admirer of his act for over 10 years, I've never seen a complete show and had only been exposed to ten minute sets here and there on television or the YouTubes, so I was a little cautious about a film over 90 minutes long.  I'm happy to see I wasn't the least bit disappointed.  Iglesias' trademark use of funny voices and sound effects are always a plus but never undermine his heartfelt and hilarious storytelling.  He tackles some deeply personal material that I admit touched the heart with a heavy hit but was always quick the have you chuckling again with his quick wit. An engaging stand-up act that's over before you're ready to bid farewell.

3½ collect calls out of 5

STILL SCREAMING: THE ULTIMATE SCARY MOVIE RETROSPECTIVE [2011]

Celebrated horror journalist Ryan Turek's documentary, Still Screaming, pays tribute to the first three films in Wes Craven's popular Scream franchise.
It opens with a pointless and sloppily "first kill" scene that makes Scream 3's opening kill look inventive and then, gets into the juicy stuff that's filled with trivia and behind-the-scenes looks with interviews from cast & crew members and other popular folks in the genre.  As a dedicated fan to the series there was plenty I was already aware of but it gave just enough new tasty tidbits to keep me interested till the end.  Unlike most film documentaries of this type, it wisely doesn't just praise it's subjects but also is quite honest about a lot of the franchise's mistakes it made.  It's not going to win over any fans with this execution but will certainly make the nostalgic fan eager for a revisit to Woodsboro.

3 Scary Movies out of 5

FURIOUS 7 [2015]

Horror movie director James Wan makes his first step into jaw-dropping actions films with the latest instalment of The Fast & The Furious franchise,  the tritely-titled Furious 7.
Dom, O'Connor & the rest of the family are back for, yet again, one last job, this time hilariously saving the world from Owen Shaw's nastier older brother.  Like it's predecessors, it lacks in brains, depth or a whole lot of thought-provoking substance but excels in ridiculous, but cheer-worthy action sequences, a sincere heart and an entertaining multicultural cast.  With Paul Walker's death looming over the film, it doesn't let up on the fun as the absurd action kicks into high-gear within seconds of the opening titles.  It's a surprisingly tasteful way to bid farewell to Walker's character, but, as of writing this, the film has passed the $1 billion mark at the box office which guarantees future rides from Diesel and the gang.

3½ Tokyo drifts out of 5

The Dune Collection

'Proper teaching is recognized with ease. You can know it without fail because it awakens within you that sensation which tells you this is something you have always known.' 

― Frank Herbert, Dune

Films:
01. Dune (1984)
02. Dune: Special TV Edition (1988)

03. Dune (2021)

04. Dune: Part Two (2024)

See also:
01. Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)
02. Frank Herbert's Dune (2000) TV Miniseries on our sister site, Nut Box.
03. Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (2003) TV Miniseries on Nut Box.
04. The Dune Saga (1965—) books on our sister site, Nut Ink.
05. Dune 2000 (1998) game on our sister site, Nut Load.
06. Toto: Dune OST (1984) music on our sister site, Nut Suite.

The Host (2006)

A screw-up father gets his dog day when a fishy mutation descends upon the town in which he lives and begins snacking on civilians.
The typically bleak attitude of Korean drama is dyed blackly humorous. I felt bad laughing at the family’s misery, but it was hilarious.
The crisis not only spurs a stepping up to the mark for selfless reasons, it also restores something that was absent from the protagonists lives. Sometimes the thing worth living for is the same as the thing worth dying for.
The CGI creature is well-realised, but in truth it could be anything, the actual focus isn't on it. It's not Hollywood. Bong Joon-Ho’s direction is excellent, proficiently adaptive to each scene’s differing requirements.

4 cold beers out of 5

Daigoro vs. Goliath (1971)

aka Great Desperate Monster Battle: Daigoro vs. Goliath

When the movie you’re about to watch is described as having a 150+ foot hungry kaijū, you tend to think you know in advance what you’ll be getting, but DvsG is a strange film even by genre standards.
The hungry creature (a kind of pot-bellied, reptilian, bipedal hippo/Moomin hybrid) is an orphaned child and the reason he’s hungry is because his government-funded food budget has been cut. His giant stomach rumbles. His generous keeper grumbles. Even at its most ridiculous the Japanese comedy stock types somehow keep the kid-friendly antics entertaining.

2½ pre-bout stretches out of 5

WISH I WAS HERE [2014]

The humorous drama Wish I Was Here has passion project for actor/director/co-writer Zach Braff written all over it.
Braff plays a down-in-the-dumps family man who's struggling as an actor that finds himself at a huge turning point in his life when he discovers his father is dying of cancer.  Through all the cookie-cutter timed indie-rock songs, smug observations on everyday life and "edgy" cuteness, Braff explores some pretty heavy themes that ground it with fluffy grace.  I appreciated the comfort zone laughs and tears but found it did nothing to make it stand apart from all the other films like it.  It's a good film but I wish it were great, considering the acting talent and other potentials it had going for it.

3 swear jars out of 5

Meerkats: The Movie (2008)

The BBC has a long history of producing top-quality nature documentaries, but Meerkats is a co-production with The Weinstein Company and the result is only a few steps down from a Disney film; hire a bunch of popular Hollywood teens to give the little critters voices and it’d show it in a truer light. The footage was real, no doubt, but much of it was constructed to fit a narrative, not the other way around. The falsehood can’t take anything away from the people who sat for long hours in the Kalahari Desert capturing the unedited footage, though; maximum praise to those brave, sunburned souls.

3 possibly perfidious perils out of 5

THE EQUALIZER [2014]

Director Antoine Fuqua turns The Equalizer into something completely unrecognizable from the '80's TV series it's apparently based on.
Denzel Washington stars a quiet hardware store employee that extracts violent revenge on the nasty evil-doers of Boston.  The acting is effective as are the brutally violent actions scenes and moody backdrops but it doesn't detract from the fact that the plot is entirely predictable and full of tired clichés.  It's a pretty average gritty thriller and with those expectations in place you'll probably find some enjoyment in this preposterous yet engaging flick.

3 shot glasses out of 5

IT FOLLOWS [2014]

Writer/director David Robert Mitchell crafts one of the most effective horror films to come out in a long, long time with the ominously titled It Follows.
The set-up is simple, a young teen sleeps with the wrong guy and is transmitted with some sort of nightmarish curse that...well...follows her in the form of some pretty nasty sort of folk.  Primarily it's a coming-of-age story that channels John Hughes, if he fancied butcher knives and gouged-out eyes, but it packs the scares something fierce with a refreshing twist with some killer Carpenter-esque camerawork to boot.  With it's stingy synth score, old timey cars and minimal use of modern technology, this could easily be pulled out of the early '80's but it's most definitely this day and age in the dying lands of Detroit.
Bring a couple pairs of clean undies with you because you're guaranteed to be needing them.

4 swimming pools out of 5

SIDE BY SIDE [2012]

Side By Side is probably one of the most fascinating documentaries for die-hard film junkies and most definitely one of the dullest for the casual popcorn muncher.
Actor dude Keanu Reeves interviews a slew of modern directors, editors & cinematographers about the pros & cons of digital and celluloid film.  Reeves makes for a wonderful interviewer, asking all the right questions with an impressive knowledge of the subject, aided by a quiet charm and wit about him.  The film itself never picks sides (it's not shot on film by the way) and with all the arguments made from each side I found myself rooting for both by the end.  Either way, as it so firmly exclaims, as long as the heart of the film is in the right place, it shouldn't matter how it's made.

3½ M.I.A. Tarantinos out of 5

SONG OF THE SEA [2014]

Inspired the Celtic Selkie legend, director Tomm Moore's second classically animated feature length, Song Of The Sea proves that Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon is a quality force to be recognized.
This quiet, yet vibrantly beautiful designed film, tells the tale of a young mute girl who transforms into a seal when she enters the sea, while living with a family in mourning of her mother.  Unlike most character & plot driven animated films of today, this one allows it's emotions and subtle poetic depths tell the story and it makes for a deeply powerful experience.  It's a great deal darker than Moore's previous film, The Secret of Kells but it's far more superior in storytelling fluency, instantly lovable characters and memorable visuals.  A real gem of a film that will leave even the strongest of folk with a bit of something in their eye by the end.

5 trick or treaters out of 5

Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)

The devilish doctor with the poetic ramblings returns with another devious multi-part plan that involves a locale change to Egypt, but ever the intellectual means he doesn't forget to bring what he needs for the inventive deaths of those who oppose him. Inspector Trout, still treading the boards of comedy relief, is hot (well, tepid) on his heels. Strangeness ensues.
The dastardly is even more daft than before, but that phone call... wow!

3 clockwork musicians out of 5

The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)

The grand opening clues you in pretty quickly to what Phibes subsequently offers up: it’s a markedly strange horror/comedy that’s distinctly British in tone. It wouldn't have been out of place for Steed and his lady of choice in sexy boots to appear and take on the case. But that didn't happen; instead we follow Detective Inspector Trout (Peter Jeffrey) as he attempts to prevent Vincent Price from inflicting the ten plagues of Egypt upon a group of surgeons in an OTT vendetta. Price never ceases to amaze, despite his character being a difficult one to portray.

3½ creeping deaths out of 5

The Edgar Allan Poe Collection

American-born author and poet Edgar Allan Poe was a master of the short story. His calculated, complex structures and recurring thematic obsession with the macabre can be off-putting to some readers but a glittering draw to others. While each of us teeter on the edge of sanity, Poe appears to have stared directly into the face of its opposite and reported on his findings. There was both method in his madness and madness in his method.

The Roger Corman films:
01. The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)
02. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
03. The Premature Burial (1962)
04. Tales of Terror (1962)
05. The Raven (1963)
06. The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
07. The Tomb of Ligeia (1965)

Other films:
01. The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
02. The Haunted Palace (1963)
03. Spirits of the Dead (1968)
04. The Oblong Box (1969)
05. An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (1970)
06. Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972)
07. The Mansion of Madness (1973)
08. The Black Cat (1981)
09. Two Evil Eyes (1990)
10. The Pit and the Pendulum (1991)
11. The Pit and the Pendulum (2009)
12. The Raven (2012)
13. Extraordinary Tales (2013)

See also:
01. The Black Cat (2006) on our sister site, Nut Box.
02. Music/audio based on or inspired by Poe on our sister site, Nut Suite.

WORLD OF TOMORROW [2015]

Off the wall animator Don Hertzfeldt makes a triumphant leap into social science fiction with the 17 minute short, World Of Tomorrow.
It tells the story of a care-free toddler, who's barely learned to speak, that is contacted by a fourth-generation adult clone of herself from the distant future.  Hertzfeldt uses crude digital animation for the first time to blend in with his signature stick figures, which all holds more depth and emotion than one would expect from such simplicity.  It's a tale that serves us a huge plate of thoughts to ponder upon that are truly frightening, honestly sad and most of all gut-wrenchingly hilarious.  It's dense philosophical musings serve as a warning of things to come if we as a civilization don't use more caution within our oblivious daily actions, all the while reminding us to simply seize the day.  

4 severe cases of muntull daturrioration out of 5

An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (1970)

Vincent reciting actual Poe, not just starring in a film inspired by him. Thank you, AIP. There are four stories, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Sphinx, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Pit and the Pendulum, in that order.
The first one eclipses the others by a huge margin. The setting is a room like the one in the story itself. Vincent takes on the role of sole narrator. He’s masterful. He’s doesn't just narrate, he lives every heart-pounding minute of it with a flawless sense of timing. It’s the finest one-man TV play I've ever witnessed. The music and camera each help draw out the most tension.

Pendulum is the next best and in any other collection would be a highlight itself. The middle two stories are just average. They aren't Poe’s best work, so there's only so much can be done with them.

5 realities of terror out of 5

A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT [2014]

Director Ana Lily Amirpour's feature length debut, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, is an Iranian Spaghetti Western vampire film that's set in a black & white industrial wasteland.

The age-old story of the "boy & girl whose love is torn over one's thirst for blood" is given a refreshing makeover with Amirpour's vision and voice.  She creates a graphic novel like world that feels like a cowboy's Eraserhead with fangs with it's sparse use of dialogue, odd-ball humor, a gaggle of lonely folk who all hide a secret and a seemingly non-existant world outside of the character's immediate gloomy setting. With it's slow-burning pace, poetic visuals and poignant personality the film offers an enticing view to what I thought was a burnt out genre.

4 cat burglars out of 5

THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2: ANGEL OF DEATH [2014]

Director Tom Harper replaces The Woman In Black helmsman James Watkins for the vastly inferior sequel, The Angel Of Death.
This mostly bland sequel to the 2012 Hammer Films hit takes place roughly a quarter of a century later, during the UK Blitz of WWII, which made for an intriguing set-up and hopefully some new additions to the formula.  Sadly it quickly turns into the old story of traumatized woman knows the house is haunted because the mute kid likes to draw creepsome pictures but nobody believes her.  Harper retains the effectively eerie atmosphere of the first film with some wonderfully lit set-pieces (if not a little too dark at times) and well-placed props that add a great deal to the murky wiggins.  Unfortunately he resorts to a tired attack of jump scares and forgets that characters need to have character to be interesting, no matter how good Phoebe Fox is in the leading role.

1½ peep holes out of 5

Scream and Scream Again (1970)

SaSA isn't an anthology film, but it's comprised of three stories that seem to have little to do with each other for a long time: a violent murder case with a tactless cop; a militarised state that resembles a spy drama; and a silent nurse who doesn't do her patient any favours. Each part has one of the three greatest horror actors of all time. Unfortunately, Cushing’s role is little more than a cameo, while Price and Lee are once again side by side for the briefest time. The film itself is an odd mix of realism, fantasy, murder mystery and science fiction that absolutely deserves credit for trying something different, but it’s quite honestly a structural mess most of the time.

2½ working parts out of 5

Cellar Dweller (1988)

It really surprises me this underrated gem isn't more well known. Born from the mind of Chucky creator Don Mancini, it begins with a horror cartoonist (Jeffrey Combs) delving a little too deeply into the occult for inspiration. Summoning a monster from the pages of his comic Cellar Dweller he inadvertantly ends himself. An artist's work coming to life is a classic scenario. Problems with pacing are evident from the start. The prologue is done well but the following credit sequence, while fitting, slows the film down. Thirty years later a young artist (Debrah Mullowney) unknowingly resurrects the same beast from the pages of Cellar Dweller. The creature is well portrayed with a decent use of animatronics. But sadly the pacing fails once again as the suspense is lost in a lull towards the end.

3 homages to EC Comics out of 5

Fear Clinic (2014)

After a traumatizing shooting at a diner, surviving patrons begin to put their lives back together with the help of one man's groundbreaking therapy. But when their fear makes a comeback in the form of lifelike hallucinations, they find the regarded clinic and doctor in shambles. The story builds well at first as each patient's unique fears are pinpointed in the spooky-looking Fear Chamber. A sensory-deprivation device which really would inspire nightmares more than solace. Horror veteran Robert Englund does a fine job in a savior-like role of the haunted Dr. Andover. He especially plays well off the over-inquisitive patient Sara (Fiona Dourif). The events in the latter half of the film were promising but pivotal exposition seemed to be missing in more than a few scenes, leaving a puzzling conclusion.

2 slipknots out of 5

Killer Mermaid (2014)

aka Nymph

Broken English and bad choices encumber this aquatic horror about a dark secret off a Greek coast. Pressured into visiting a local tourist attraction off the beaten path, a group of friends stumble upon the ancient creature. With a lackluster opening, the story continues with characters stepping into one bad situation after another. Any story would be incomplete without a few wrong moves, but these people were hopeless. Despite the lofty screen presence of Veteran actor Franco Nero and a few effectively creepy scenes with the mermaid, this film is one false step for any horror fan.

1½ buckets of human chum out of 5

Life Blood (2009)

Talk about a pointless film. Two wayward lesbians disappear in the desert only to be resurrected forty years later as vampires by God. Yes, God is a female vampire who dons herself in transparent togas. As you can tell the story is completely aimless and there isn't even an inkling of a character arc. The two main characters (Sophie Monk & Anya Laniri) learn nothing and act just as brainless as they did in the beginning. The only reason I wanted to see this film was because of Patrick Renna. Along with Danny Woodburn he ends up adding some much needed comedy but it's only for a few scenes. Pure drivel.

½ Murder Worlds out of 5