Day of the Dead

"Day of the Dead" (1985, George A. Romero, Dead Films Inc., Laurel Entertainment Inc., Laurel-Day Inc., United Film Distribution Company) is the third in Romero's series of "...of the Dead" films.

After "Dawn of the Dead" (1978) the world has become overrun by zombies, and now, hiding in caves and fortresses, the remaining living civilians and army personnel are dwelling, hoping to find a cure or more survivors.

This film explores the slow decay of one such micro-society and the turning of the humans against one another at this inhuman hour.

Also, a scientist, known unaffectionately as "Dr. Frankenstein" (Richard Liberty), who had gone decidedly mad, trains a zombie called Bub (Sherman Howard) to listen to music, communicate and shoot a gun. Definitely not the best idea I've ever heard...

All in all, it is, in my view, the weakest and most poignant of the films with a lot to say about humanity and where we are headed (zombie apocalypse or not), but it's certainly a good film with lots going on, excellent acting and some excellent gore. There are comparatively few scare scenes with the zombies creeping up on the characters until the end, but between the zombie-infested-cave-adventure and the fantastic Bub-fights-back scenes, it's well worth the wait.

[Image: Laurel-Day Inc. & Dead Films Inc.]

 

Hani

Bride of Chucky

"Bride of Chucky" (1998, David Kirschner, Ronny Yu, Universal Pictures) is the fourth film in the franchise.

Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) is an ex-girlfriend and admirer of murderer, Charles "Chucky" Lee Ray (Brad Dourif). She's followed his devious escapades since becoming Chucky the Killer Doll and has found a way to source the, now dismembered doll parts, planning to stitch them back together and restore Chucky’s soul to the doll.

She expects him to propose to her in gratitude and also because she had mistakenly thought he had planned to propose before his voodoo transformation in the first film.

Upon learning that he doesn’t wish to marry her, Tiffany cages Chucky in a playpen prison and taunts him with an ugly doll bride. Sadly for her, Chucky still has his voodoo skills and he kills her, trapping her inside the body of the doll.

Putting aside their differences, they then go on a murderous road trip with two eloping teens (Katherine Heigl and Nick Stabile) that are unaware of their stowaway passenger’s killing spree, believing them to inanimate dolls.

“Bride of Chucky” is a horror comedy with some gore and a lot of in-jokes and nods to other horrors as well as the Child’s Play series itself. This is a film for the fans, and even then not everyone will like it.

I do love Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany, both as her evil self and in doll form. Not to mention I reckon Brad Dourif’s maniacal laugh is even better as the films go on.

Excellent effects, as I can only expect from the Child’s Play franchise and a good, if thin, plot.

It’s not a great film and it's certainly not scary, but it’s not trying to be. Falling into the so-bad-it’s-good-category was clearly the director’s aim, and I think it goes a long way in saving the series from falling into the trapping of constantly recreating the wheel.

Plus Chucky and Tiff make a cute little homicidal couple!

[Image: Universal Pictures]

Hani

The Machine Girl

"The Machine Girl" (2008, Noboru Iguchi, Fever Dreams) is the Japanese action horror comedy about a schoolgirl who loses an arm, replaces it with a machine gun and uses it to take down all of those who have wronged her!

And it's in-keeping with my running theme of tough chicks with weaponry body-mods (it seems to be my thing this week).

Ami (Minase Yashiro) takes on a ninja-yakuza mob family after the murder of her brother, Yu (Ryosuke Kawamura). When she loses an arm at the hands (pardon the pun) of the Kimura family, she finds a way to make her disability a positive and heads on to take the family down in this horror-comedy schlock-fest.

Amongst the usual trappings of any B-movie horror comedy (eg. lots of blood spurting scenes), we also have tempura battered appendages, human sushi and a drill bra to look forward to.

Not one for the subtitle haters unless you can access the dubbed version.

Fast, dumb, gory and silly enough to be funny. 

[Image: Fever Dreams]

Hani

Planet Terror

"Planet Terror" (2007, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino, Rodriguez International Pictures, Troulemaker Studios, Dimension Films).

It's a Sci-Fi horror gore-fest! It's an action movie! It's a love letter and an homage to the B-Movies of old! It's a Grindhouse inspired piece of genius!

Go-go dancer, Cherry Darling, (Rose McGowan) throws in her diamanté studded hooker-boots in search of a new meaning in life.

Meanwhile, Dakota Block (Marley Shelton) decides to leave her creepy husband, Dr. William Block (Josh Brolin) for her lesbian lover, Tammy (Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas).

And the crazed Lieutenant Muldoon (Bruce Willis) makes a transaction with a bollocks-obsessed madman named Abby (Naveen Andrews) of a biological weapon called DC2 (codename "Project Terror") which goes decidedly wrong and is released into the air, turning everyone into mutated zombie creatures.

In order to save the world (or at least themselves) Cherry, her tough guy ex, El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) and Dakota must team together with Abby to fight the zombies and escape!

Oh, and Cherry loses a leg and replaces it with a machine gun.

...Double oh, and it's all done in the fabulously gritty Grindhouse style.

Sound like fun? Well, it is!

The opposite of serious with absurdly low budget, explosive, gross-out effects (high on the goo factor) and a star cast with their tongues in their cheeks and a sense of fun in the air.

One of the best nods to the Exploitation and Grindhouse genre with a cheeky wink and some gloop to go with it. Perhaps a little longer than it needed to be, but still one of my favourites.

[Image: Rodriguez International Pictures]

 

Hani

Puppet Master 2

"Puppet Master 2" (1991, Dave Allen, Full Moon Entertainment) is the sequel to "Puppet Master"... surprisingly....

The Puppets are back at the Bodega Bay hotel and have raised their original Puppet Master, Andre Toulon (Steve Welles) from the grave using the same dark mojo that animates themselves. Unlike in the first film, however, Toulon is not using the puppets for good and decides to set them upon a group of paranormal investigators who are checking out the hotel after the events of the first film. He's also got his sights set on young Carolyn (Elizabeth Maclellan) whom he believes is the reincarnation of his wife, Elsa.

A slightly better made production which appeared to have more of a budget, "Puppet Master 2" looks slightly shinier, but lacks the gore of the first film. However, the dialogue and scripting is much improved, only being half as boring as the original.

The puppets are still wonderfully animated for a low budget film and enjoy more screen time. While it doesn't do much for franchise in terms of plot or acting and is riddled with plotholes, but it's a fun little flick.

[Image: Full Moon Entertainment]

Hani

Pacific Rim

"Pacific Rim" (2013, Guillermo del Toro, Legendary Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures) is a big budget blockbuster monster movie.

A world war begins when colossal alien monsters (Kaijus) emerge from a rift under the sea and begin to attack humanity. In an attempt to fight back, the humans create enormous robotic suits (Jaegers) which can be controlled by two pilots who have shared their minds and memories to act together as one massive soldier. The apocalypse looks set to happen... Can they stop it?

It seems like your average Giant Monster movie but I found it to be so much more than just a love letter to Godzilla or Cthulhu.

For one thing the characters are rounded and feel very real.

Even the comic relief characters; the hyper monster-awestruck scientist Dr. Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day known best for his role as endearingly disgusting Charlie in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") and his stiff upper lipped rival/partner Dr. Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gormann - Owen from "Torchwood"); have a much larger role to play in the film than first appears and are both humorous and layered. It seems even when Charlie isn't Charlie he's still stuck doing Charlie Work!

And of course Ron Perlman's character, Hannibal Chau, just adds a creepy layer of humour and class. Not to mention his natty golden toe'd shoes. There's a bit of shoe thing going on in this film...

For another thing the special effects are wonderful and the fight scenes use minimal shaky cam, letting the viewer enjoy the action without feeling sea sick and unsure of what the hell is going on.

The whole film knits together very well and the design of each monster has a horrific charm of its own.

The acting is spot on for all of the characters and I really enjoyed that the script touches upon dark elements without being just another dark and gloomy heroic action epic. I mean, Batman's great and all, but I'm getting bored of broody protagonists with a 'dark past'...

Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako's (Rinko Kikuchi) paring works excellently and you find yourself not just routing for them, but their whole team, especially also their dedicated commanding officer Stacker Pentecos (Idris Elba).

A great switch-off-your-brain-and-enjoy monster movie with some very human undertones and one I recommend seeing!

[Image: Warner Bros. Pictures]

Hani

Puppet Master

"Puppet Master" (1989, David Schmoeller, Full Moon Productions, Paramount Pictures) is the first film in the Puppet Master series. Coincidentally, it was also the first film I ever streamed back when that was a novel idea!

An old puppeteer named Andre Toulon (William Hickey) is interrupted in his work (making, caring for and bringing to life weapon toting little puppets) by two Nazis. In order to escape them he hides his creations and then kills himself.

Now in the 80s, the hotel where the above took place is now a large house. The owner of which, Megan (Robin Frates), is mourning the sudden death of her husband, Neil (Jimmie F. Skaggs). Megan is also entertaining guests, the psychics and magicians of her husband's circle. All of whom are nasty, except Alex (Paul Le Mat), Alex is ok.

It would appear that ol' Neil has found Toulon's secret and brought back the puppets. But only a true Puppet Master can control the little beggers, and Neil is dead! So who can stop the puppets as they kill each of Megan's guests?

A delightfully low budget gore fest with lots of simple effects, shady 'puppet view' camera angles and excellently animated puppets. The death scenes are hokey, but excellent in that nice blood spatteringly 80s way.

The dialogue is a little boring and stilted, but it remains one of my favourite 'possessed doll' horrors to date.

[Image: Full Moon Productions]

Hani