Dying God (2008)

(out of 5)

Dying God (2008)
d:  Fabrice Lambot
s:  James Horan, Lance Henriksen, Erin Brown, Agathe de La Boulaye, Victoria Maurette, Enrique Liporace, Samuel Arena, Nicolás Silvert 
spfx:  Gonzalo Pasos
format:  Personal Collection NTSC Region 1

     Neat little monster rape movie.  The monster effects were ok in some scenes, kind of bad in others, and pretty cool in a few shots so altogether I would have to say the creature fx in this were about average overall.  Still shots being very bad, it's easy to hide not so great fx when your creature keeps moving.  One giant monster penis was absolutely the best part of the creature fx.  And what a giant pp this thing had ripping open street girl after street girl.  The gore however, those fx were on point.  Always nice to see very little cgi in the gore department.  It has it's places in my opinion and blood and gore are just almost never one of them.  The victims of the creature in this one are women who basically get f'd to death by the creature. 

     Getting to the story better late than never.  There is a series of serial rape/murders mostly comprised of hookers in the streets.  One crooked cop and a band of pimps and gangsters are all out looking to figure it all out.  Takes them awhile but soon enough one of the gangsters has his head ripped clean off so they figure out the killer is not human.  After this a typical end of the movie show the monster and have a big fight ensues.  The dialogue was a bit shoddy in this but I liked the script as a hole because of the story-line although a little more background on our creature would have been better.  Then again I do like leaving a certain amount of story up to the viewer to fill in and you certainly have it in this.  Not much character development really at all either. 
     Lance Henriksen plays Chance the leader of the gangsters and does his usual thing.  I love Lance he makes any bad movie that much better.  The acting by James Horan in particular and pretty much the rest of the cast minus Erin Brown was pretty bad.  Erin herself for me was the shining star and I've only ever seen her in a couple of things one being Dickshark by Bill Zebub. 
I like to bring up the shots and the music but once again like my last review for A Day of Violence there really was nothing special in either case.  The shots of the gory victims were very cool of course for displaying the brutal nature of the crimes but overall I say nothing innovative camera wise.  Scariest scene of the film was when one of the victims walks in on another victim being raped by the creature.  There's a little more to the story but I'll leave the rest to the viewer.  For a fun monster movie, if you can call a movie with serial raping fun, I recommend this one however don't go looking for the best actors in the world. 

Little Devils: The Birth

Dangerous Men

Director - John S. Rad (If a Leaf Never Falls)
Starring - Coti Cook, Gorge Derby, and Bryan Jenkins (Riot)
Release Date - 1979/2005
Genre - Action/Crime
Tagline - "The holy grail of holy fucking shit"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Back in January I decided to skip horror for an entire month and watch non-horror flicks that were sent to me to review from companies like Vinegar Syndrome and Impulse Pictures.  This was something else I wanted to do again 6 months down the line.  As July approaches I tried to squeeze out as many horror movies as I could before the month ended but one film I could not hold off any longer.  There was an action film I received several weeks back that I could not wait to see.  That film, Dangerous Men, was sent to me to check out from MVD and was one that I could not wait to check out.  It was said that the movie was films in 1979 and was not completed until 2005.  This really intrigued me and my curiosity got the best of me.

     The film begins with a young couple who are engaged to get married.  One day they go for a walk on the beach and two bikers harass them.  The man kills one of the bikers when things turn deadly forcing the other biker to murder him.  The woman plays her hand and asks the biker to take her with him.  He agrees and they go back to a room where she kills him prompting a killing spree where she kills anyone that is dangerous.  Now the police are after her while her soon to be brother in law, an officer, is out to bring down the biker gang that is responsible for killing his brother and sending his sister in law down this bloody road.
     I love campy action films of the 70s and 80s.  This love came about when my dad would continuously watch Smokey and the Bandit.  I watched a lot of action films from this time and learned to appreciate the characters, settings, and the time period.  As most of you know, I am a huge fan of 80s pop culture so anytime I can check out a late 70s or 80s action flick, I jump at the occasion.  Dangerous Men looked like one of those films that was so bad it was good while embracing the time period similar to Miami Connection.  Sadly, it was!  The acting in this one is horrible.  The cast was given characters to embrace and they had no idea what to do with it.  Some made campy, ridiculous characters while others were just too serious.  They conflicted and made the film feel conflicted.  If the film found a better balance between goofy and serious then it would have worked out.  The story for this one could have been fun but the way in which it was delivered was not that effective.  The film feels like two stories going at once which pulls the viewer in two different directions.  The segment following the young girl killing bad men was a bit of a waste.  It felt like filler that did not progress the film along at all.  The angle following the vengeful cop was fun but very cliched for the time.  The film needed more of this than the killer window angle.  Finally, the film is full of action but the action is far from perfect.  The fighting scenes are garbage.  This has some of the worst choreographed fight scenes that I have ever seen.  When I say they are bad I don't mean bad enough to laugh at.  These fights are so bad that I am embarrassed for everyone involved.  Overall, Dangerous Men was not the "so bad it's good" film I was hoping for.  I really wanted to see another Miami Connection but this was not it.  The film is horribly acted, horribly written, and horribly edited.  This is one that I can not recommend.

A Day of Violence (2010)

A Day of Violence (2010)
d:  Darren Ward
s:  Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Nick Rendell, Christopher Fosh, Victor D. Thorn, Peter Rnic, Helena Martin, Tina Barnes, Steve Humphries
format:  Personal Collection NTSC:  Region 1

(out of 5)

     Imagine a much more violent Payback without all the Hollywood actors and you have A Day of Violence.  And when violence is in the title you can believe that I was going in expecting there to be lots and lots of violent mayhem.  Well it certainly paid off in that respect.  Hell we even get a gut wrenching scene most men will shy away from but that's all I'll say there. 

     Mitchell has stolen a large amount of money from the local

mob and as a result people begin getting murdered and tortured as they try and figure it out.  Once the thugs make their way to the home of Mitchell's best friend and begin interrogating his wife things get out of control for Mitchell.  The main goon Chisel begins extracting her teeth and Mitchell goes ballistic knocking Chisel out cold.   Now they are after him and soon enough also figure out that he is the one who stole all the money.  I won't go into much more on the story and plot to keep things spoiler free but let's just say the movie may have borrowed it's idea from Payback but it certainly isn't the same once everything has unfolded.  I would say I liked this better but this doesn't have Lucy Liu in a G-string.

My favorite Italian actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice plays a small role in this movie at the very beginning and in fact really begins the "Day of Violence" when Mitchell murders him in search of money Radice's character owes to the mob.  The fx on the killings and torture in this movie are very much on point I especially liked how well they did creating a smashed up swollen face when Mitchell finally gets caught.  None of the actors really did a bad job in this movie.  One guy at the very end whom arrived late off a plane to a mob meeting was a bit of a tool but I think in fact that was exactly the character he was playing so he worked well.  Radice is just as awesome as he ever was.  Nick Rendell who played Mitchell was absolutely great being our protagonist and Christopher Fosh who played Chisel both worked very well in the fight scenes I was very impressed there.  Another great talent in this movie was the girlfriend of Mitchel's late friend whom was played by Helena Martin.  Her reactions and emotional breakdown could not have been more believable. 

    

As for the shots and music in this movie there was not a whole lot in the way of creativity from either but I will say the sex scene at the introduction of the film was very hot and better than 90% of sex scenes I see these days.  Truthfully some nice shots during this scene and the boner boys will certainly be happy with it to say the least. 
I definitely found interest enough in this movie to watch it again.  I'll never look at pruning shears in the same light!  Very recommended to anyone in the mood for a hearty violent picture of mob life.

      

Alien Factor Blu-Ray

https://www.amazon.com/ALIEN-FACTOR-Blu-Limited-SIGNED/dp/B01GW7PNRE

Dickshark

Director - Bill Zebub (Night on Elmo's Street, Indie Director)
Starring - Erin Brown (The New York Butcher, Splatter Beach), Kayla Browne, and Rachel Crow (The Lesser Evil, Holocaust Cannibal)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "In this story, women are the ones who say "don't use your teeth!"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Very few indie filmmakers can say they've had a career like Bill Zebub.  Zebub has been slinging blasphemous indie films for almost 15 years with films like Antfarm Dickhole, Jesus Christ: Serial Rapist, and Zombiechrist under his belt.  I have been collecting his films for sometime now but I have only seen a few of them.  A few years back Wild Eye sent me his film Dolla Morte and not long after MVD sent me Indie Director to review.  Indie Director is essential to any fan of indie cinema.  The film is brilliant and shows the struggles real indie filmmakers go through when trying to complete a project.  I tried to check out other Zebub films after that but never had the time to watch them just for fun.  Several months ago Zebub started sharing news of his newest film Dickshark which starred Erin Brown who is known around the horror community as Misty Mundae.  I ran into Zebub at Cinema Wasteland in April and I was able to grab a copy from him.  I was hellbent on reviewing it and thought it would be great to pair with my Evil Bong marathon.  

     The film begins with a young man who is using an experimental cream for male enhancement.  It turns his dick into a clay like material so he shapes it into a sharp to fuck his woman with.  However, his wiener comes to life and bites his finger.  His woman freaks out and shoots him.  He dies and she cuts his cock off and flushes it down the drain.  The thing grows and continues to stalk women who are in or around water and sexually violates them.  The cream happens to be his roommates science experiment and is at risk of falling into the wrong hands.  He must stop the shark and a competitor from stealing his new, secret formula.  

     Bill Zebub is not a stranger to religion, race, or politics.  His films typically openly attack all three topics resulting in some great satirical fun.  The last few years has saw a departure of this and Zebub has attempted to shock and not offend.  Dickshark is a funny film that would have shocked and could have worked as a short but the joke runs it's course well before the 2 and a half hour mark.  The acting in this one is rough even by indie standards.  Erin Brown was decent but she didn't have much to work with considering how poorly her character was written.  Bill Zebub was funny, as always, but his dialogue was not that great.  He mostly spits out one liners and puns while the other person he shares screen with tries to carry on an actual conversation.  The remainder of the cast is just eye candy.  They are beautiful women who get nude and stay that way throughout the scene.  Movie may have not been that entertaining but the scenes were beautiful to look at.  The story for this one is fun and sleazy but is not enough to hold the viewer's attention for 2 and a half hours.  The film is full of dialogue that is rather boring and very repetitive.  A lot of the scenes needed to be trimmed down to make the story more streamline.  Also, a few of the scenes felt like they were added in just to get those particular cast members in the film. This film needs to be heavily edited.  As for that, the story is rather funny and ridiculous.  The film would be my kind of movie if it was edited better and the fat was trimmed.  Finally, those of you wanting blood shed will be very disappointed.  The film has some practical effects but they are not that well done.  The cock shark prosthetic shows bubbles where the mold settled and the giant shark is falling apart during the scenes its in.  The effects are no budget quality but I have seen better no budget effects in several other films before.  Overall, Dickshark is not the film I was expecting.  I was wanting a ridiculous films about a killer dick shaped like a shar but what I got was an amateur stand up skit in between nude women getting attacked by latex prosthetics.  I was not a fan of this film in the way it's set up.

Evil Bong: High-5

Director - Charles Band (Hideous!, The Gingerdead Man)
Starring - Sonny Carl Davis (Butcher Boys), John Patrick Jordan (Workaholics), and Robin Sydney (Trophy Heads)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "The movie that blows you...away"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I don't smoke pot nor do any other form of drugs.  I drink on occasion but I don't do drugs and probably never will.  I feel the need to let that be known after I just sit here for two days reviewing all 5 Evil Bong films.  I've had people comment on the other reviews and called me a stoner and other things.  I don't do drugs.  If, big IF, pot was legal in West Virginia then I may turn to it instead of drinking to release stress but until then I shoe away from it.  A few days ago I was sent a press release for the fifth Evil Bong film.  Knowing how much I loved the other films I had to see it.  I reached out to them and they were kind enough to hook me up with a review copy.  Thanks guys!

    The film picks up with Larnell, Sarah Leigh, Felicity, and Rabbit stuck in the bong world while EB (Evil Bong) tries to come up with a plan to take over the world.  She gets the idea to sell her magic weed to the people of Earth that way she can enslave them when they smoke it.  She sends Larnell and Rabbit back to set up a head shop and give them 30 days to sell.  If they can sell a million dollars within that time frame she will let all four go free.  Rabbit and Larnell sell the best they can but can they do it in time?
     Rather sad day here in my home.  I knew my Evil Bong marathon would end but I didn't want it to end as quick as it did!  The series as a whole is campy, cheesy fun that offers up amazing stoner jokes.  Evil Bong: High-5 was no exception.  The acting in this one is not as fun as the first four films.  We have Larnell and Rabbit, Jordan and Davis respectively, return but that is it.  We don't have a different Alistair, and Bachman and Brett is nowhere to be seen.  The film is not as fun without the whole gang being here.  Davis and Jordan were still fun and have fine tuned their characters by this point but the film gets rather boring just watching those two and their antics.  The story for this one is similar to 420 and a departure from smoking pot and finding their way into different bong worlds.  This time we actually get a story that follows the cast doing something more than smoking pot.  It was fun and broke up the monotony of the original films.  Finally, the fifth installment is no different than the others and offer up no blood and gore.  Just pot, pot, and more pot with a large amount of humor tossed in.  Overall, Evil Bong: High-5 is another great installment in a series meant for laughs.  The film may be far from perfect but it still offers up some entertainment.  It is funny and cheap which is what I love.  However, we need more Brett and Bachman so bring them back, Charles!

Evil Bong 420

Director - Charles Band (Doctor Mordrid, Head of the Family)
Starring - Sonny Carl Davis (Evil Bong), John Patrick Jordan (Evil Bong), and Mindy Robinson (A Blood Story)
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "Prepare for the ultimate trip!"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Many horror fans would argue and say that three Evil Bong flicks is more than enough but I do not feel that way.  The series has been on the steady incline since the first film was released back in 2006.  To date there is 4 sequels and a crossover with the Gingerdead Man series.  I was recently sent the fifth installment to review and the thought of reviewing that film without reviewing the other films did not sit well with me.  So I started reviewing the other films that I had seen several times before but the next step up the ladder, 420, was one I had never seen before.  I had ordered it last year but never got around to checking it out.  Lucky for me, receiving the fifth film was plenty enough motivation to check it out.

     The film follows the Gingerdead Man and EB (Evil Bong) who try to find Rabbit (Davis) after he escapes from the bong world.  He stole some of her magical weed and sold it in the real world so he could afford to buy a bowling alley.  He plans to turn it into a topless bowling alley but soon EB and Gingerdead Man find him and try to capture him, along with Larnell, Sarah Leigh, and Felicity.

     Horror franchises are cash cows for production companies.  It is rare for a series to continue to push out a solid sequel after sequel.  Usually they become cheaper, watered down versions of what fans fell in love with.  Evil Bong 420 is one of those movies that offers up nothing new but is still fun as hell.  The acting in this one is on the same level as the first 3 films.  Sonny Davis returns as delivery boy Rabbit and is the film's main focus which is different than the other film's where he was a minor character.  John Patrick Jordan returns as Larnell for a minor portion of the film.  But the film does miss Alistair, Bachman, and Brett.  Instead it offers up new characters like the beautiful bowling alley employees, along with some redneck bowlers, and some junkies.  None are as humorous as Bachman, Alistair, Brett, and Larnell.  The story for this one is a little different than the other films.  The first three films follows the gang smoking pot and getting sucked into a bong world.  This one follows the antics of Rabbit and his employees while the evil bong and Gingerdead Man try to get him back.  This was a departure from the earlier films and mixes it up for the fans.  Finally, this film keeps in line with the other movies and offers no blood or gore.  The film is made for laughs and not the blood and gore.  Overall, Evil Bong 420 is another fun entry in one of the campiest series to ever be released.  Full Moon has released another funny, stoner oriented flick.  Check it out.