Riders emerge from a cloud of dust, arriving as though they had materialized from the sepia toned desert sands to carry out their predetermined fates so they could once again abscond into the dust of their creation. We stare into the eyes of a presumably innocent man before his ... Read More »
The stage of Ms. 45 is set with the brooding score of Joe Delia. It slowly builds to a crescendo until we hear the blast of a .45. We’re in the grimy underbelly of early 80s New York City, Abel Ferrara’s vision of overcrowded urban dystopia; colored by shady characters, loose m... Read More »
Paul Verhoeven and his unique brand of ultraviolent sci-fi with its over the top social commentary probably did more to shape my cinematic sensibilities as a child than any other director. Verhoeven films packed a subversive punch to delight of my young inner misanthrope, and hi... Read More »
The distorted notes of “America the Beautiful” herald the impending story of the other side of America. These are the outcasts, misfits, and those daring enough to be different and live life on their own terms instead of someone else’s. These are my compatriots in the supposedl... Read More »
The suggestion for this week’s column comes from an affable curmudgeonly chap from the untamed wilds of the Australian outback who sustains his existence with the power of cinema and grumpy charm. I briefly balked at the suggestion, reminiscing on the torture of a decade of this... Read More »
Ominous travelers engage in their ancient tasks on Roger Corman’s Technicolor (ok, technically Pathecolor) roads as that perennial maestro of the macabre, Vincent Price, engages in bored acts of aristocratic hedonism. The world strains, but turns just the same despite his grandi... Read More »
For this enthralling installment of Cult Pics and Trash Flicks we turn our attention to the Australian auteur of trash, Brian Trenchard-Smith. If you are unacquainted with his kitchen-sink brand of exploitation, his first feature film is a great place to start. The Man From Hon... Read More »
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (or any of its numerous pseudonyms) is a euro zombie film that I have returned to many times in my journeys as a cinephile. I had initially encountered it during my first foray into exploitation cinema in the early 2000s and I developed a great appreciat... Read More »
There are some films that you carry with you from childhood all the way to adulthood. You’ll have love/hate relationships with these films as the years progress and as you try to develop your cinephilic identity, but eventually you will rediscover what it was that you loved abou... Read More »
Out of focus bodies are enraptured in tangled and out of focus bliss while a harpsichord driven score builds intrigue and mystery. It is unclear where one body begins and the other one ends as the camera subjectively explores the distorted spaces of an unknown bedroom. We have ... Read More »
Once upon a time… In Canada. A guy and some friends had a crazy idea and formulated one of the greatest titles in cult cinema, Rotten Shaolin Zombies. Once you have a title like that the rest kind of writes itself! Blaine Wasylkiw and friends put in a tremendous amount of effor... Read More »
From the moment the iconic AIP logo hits the screen and the infectious horn infused hooks of Roy Ayers’ Aragon kicks in, heralding the seedy urban 70s nightclub scene as the camera weaves in and out of the multicolored faces and Technicolor garb of the doomed players of an unwinn... Read More »
