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There’s No Coming Down This Evil Mountain! “Dark Mountain” review!

Posted by Steven Lewis on

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Three documentary filmmakers and gold hunters hitchhike to the remote Superstition Mountains of Arizona. The Lost Dutchman mine is their destination goal and all the long the way they film their experience until they disappeared and only the footage remained. The mountain have claimed many before them, will the mountain claim more unsuspecting treasure seekers?
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“Dark Mountain” claims to be a found footage experience that displays paranormal activities based on true events. Alien green lights, cave ghosts, and internal madness are all attributed to the Superstition Mountains. This is also the film’s downfall as too much is attributed to make Superstition Mountain a mystery all the way to the credits. The backstory about the Apache being the root cause of the disappearances would have been a more likely and just that more interesting because, really, when is the last time you’ve seen killer Apaches in modern times? Claustrophobia seems to be the new fad in the horror genre with films like “So Above, As Below,” “Day of the Mummy” (), and the upcoming Alexandre Aja produced film The Pyramid where a group of explorers become trapped, entombed and doomed by a supernatural force. These films are no cult hits like “The Descent” but the fear of the walls closing in and a force looming closer to you has taken charge and is on the rise of terror. “Dark Mountain” dabbles in that a little with the cave exploration sharing the terror that a night vision should ensue into the audience.
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First time director Tara Anaise’s style is purely audible and that’s not a bad thing. The film progresses through sounds: locusts, thrash metal, and the sounds of the desert. The three hitchhikers played by Sage Howard, Andrew Simpson, and Shelby Stehlin do a fairly convincible job being lost, confused, and afraid tourists. However, the characters carry unrealistic characteristics which could also be contributed to the film crew’s inexperience. For one, if weird shit happens around one in the first instance, you get the hell out of dodge. Secondly, nobody’s cell phone and handheld camera has a battery life of five days and that is what happens here. Lastly, and this one is more bittersweet than the rest, Sage Howard scopes the land in her booty jorts amongst deadly rattle snakes and prickly surrounding cacti.
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“Dark Mountain” from, uh, Dark Mountain Studios, Superstitious Films, and released by MVD can certainly be engaging and entertaining, but this story ends too abruptly leaving a sour taste. The accounts stay mysterious and the real knowledge of what malevolence goes untold. I’m sure that’s the film’s supposed charm, but even “Paranormal Activity” had a revelation, even “Blair Witch Project” had solid back story and so comes “Dark Mountain” whose heights has no limits.

Nudity Report

No nudity. Just Sage Howard in her jean shorts!

Evil Never Sleeps! “Coyote” review!

Posted by Steven Lewis on

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Cult actor Bill Oberst Jr. plays a deranged struggling writer with insomniac.  Bill’s lack of sleep drives him to extremely hallucinate to the point of being dangerous to not only himself but to others.  His derangement wields a bowie knife, a rust colored hammer, and a sporting bow and arrow as the hallucinations get weirder, stranger, and more violent and everyone that Bill comes into contact with becomes a target of his severe breakdown into insanity.
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Who doesn’t love Bill Oberst Jr? The veteran actor has a unique look about him and his acting method brings stage and screen acting together into one great performance in Trevor Juenger’s “Coyote.” Without saying much through the entirety of the film, Oberst interpretation of one man’s sleepless delusions sports no talking head explanation. Rigorously and physically involved in the role, “Coyote” could not have been possible if it wasn’t for Oberst serious role indulgence.
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The film is described as a blend between “Taxi Driver” and “Videodrome.” That description is entirely accurate. Full of body horror and plenty of schizo to go around, the surrealism in the editing by Juenger is remarkable pitted against budgetary restraints. Hard to follow, lost in translation, yet somehow by the end of the movie you get it, you just get it. You might even feel lost for the first hour and by the time the last half hour comes around, you’re just as angry, confused, and disturbed as Bill. You might even want to take out a person or two with a bowie knife.
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“Coyote” won’t break much cinematic ground like “Taxi Driver” or “Videodrome,” but “Coyote” will be a great embarkment to a honorable homage and a surreal look into fresh art-house horror. If you like this type of material full of masochistic mutilation, visceral carnage, and a visual look into the mind of lunacy, then Wild Eye Releasing’s “Coyote” is for you.

The Evil Behind the Bars! “Prison Girl” review!

Posted by Steven Lewis on

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The Japanese exploitation distributor Pink Eiga is back in the DVD home entertainment and they’re hitting their audiences hard in the face with the overly raunchy, sensationally sleazy exploitive women in prison film “Prison Girl” starring the beautiful Asami of “The Machine Girl” and “Rape Zombie: Lust of the Dead.” Pink Eiga over the last couple of years had their focus more on the Video on Demand market to satisfy the upcoming thirst for instant video pleasure and the company provided an excellent service. However, the demand sky rocketed for the distributor to release DVDs again and Prison Girl made the first cut after numerous years of DVD celibacy.
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Asami plays a bored housewife named Ayaka. Her lifeless, sexless marriage leaves more guilt than anger when dreams of being an inmate at an all women prison plague her nightmares and she becomes the toy of the warden and his guards’ sexual perversions. When Ayaka reaches for outside help from a shrink, her world fantasy world and real world become intertwine. Is she really a bored housewife fantasizing about being sexually taken advantage of or is she an constantly raped inmate dreaming of being a bored housewife? This surreal look into a conflicted mind of escape is certainly interesting as well as being highly erotic.
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I’ve seen my fair share of pinku eiga films and “Prison Girl” has taken a top spot as one of my favorites to date. This gem for 2008 not only stars a young and upcoming Asami, but “Prison Girl” does more than just shrink your pants. The Osaka born director Naoyuki Tomomatsu has a slew of trashy-horror that are much more weird and wacky in a cultural-sensitive Japanese style than as truly frightening art as we may see here in the States (or anywhere else for that matter). “Prison Girl” is different. Its disturbing and surely mental with Ayaka unable to differentiate between her worlds because before she can figure out what’s going on inside her head, her worlds start to collide.
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the sleazy portion of the film is too great for typed words. Asami is degraded in every possible way, her holes are filled tightly accompanied by over-the-top foley effects like squishing, popping, and tearing. She’s probed, she’s double-penetrated, she’s golden showered, she’s tortured, and the list could go on and on. Asami is superfine as always and their is a natural look about her that fits her roll her as Ayaka; being a bored housewife doens’t make you a dolled up Barbie looking flawless. I want to see the dimples in Asami’s ass as those dimples, the very little imperfections in her round, kind of flat rear-end make “Prison Girl” just that more real for me.
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With “Prison Girl” being a must have as Pink Eiga’s first release in 3 years, the company spares no expense in also giving out more features such as an interview with Asami herself. Catch the film in it’s entire glory now on DVD. You’ll be turned on and psychologically disturbed at the same time and you’ll like every minute of it.

This Evil Knows No Super Hero Action. The Rise of the Black Bat review!

Posted by Steven Lewis on

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The thing about the recent DC Universe or Marvel super hero movies is that they’re full of action. Bombarded with punches to the face, super human powers, and loads of soaring, gliding, and cloaking, super hero movies can get the blood pumping and sear entertainment into your soul and off the charts. The makings of an unlimited budget, mega-Hollywood superhero action movie hit relies on these qualities. So what about the independent forum? Sure, some fair well with “Super” with Rainn Wilson comes to mind. Then their is ultra-low budget and this is where the super hero movie flounders without mercy on it’s audience.
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“Rise of the Black Bat” follows the fallen district attorney Tony Quinn after being blinded by acid from a notorious city gangster Oliver Snate. When numerous surgeries fail to restore Tony’s sight, he turns to more radical procedures. One of those procedures turns his sight into fully functional night vision and thus his vigilantism begins against his nemesis Snate.
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I had great hopes for “The Rise of the Black Bat” from director Scott Patrick. The expectation was high for action and violence in what was hoped to be a “Punisher” type movie. However, the Black Bat isn’t that black. My first sign that my grand hopes have been let down was the amount of talking. The power of speech, not the great and grand speech, but the vast diarrhea of the mouth can ruin any action film that involves more talking with your feet, legs, and fists.
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Secondly, the editing is painstakingly dreadful. Why use slow motion on almost every pointless scene? That’s not how slow motion works. Use slow motion to specially focus on the action and not the D.A. conversing with the D.A.’s secretary. The scenes are also repeated to create some sort of dramatic effect which creates more of a dull waste of film.

Lastly, the gun fights are a joke. Both the villains and the Black Bat are horrible shots. The fights last about 10 minutes a peace and the characters stay in the same place the entire scene. Pow-Pow. Bang-Bang. Miss, miss, miss, miss, miss, miss, and miss with no real movement. The amount of intensity the audience is suppose to feel in these particular scenes are nullified and depressing.
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Overall, The Rise of the Black Bat is not a great action, super-vigilante movie and is no where near even being a so-so action, super-vigilante movie. What it comes down to is that the bare bones of basic hero movie necessities are not displayed. Instead, they are rather hidden behind a great looking DVD cover. I’d suggest not picking this one up and don’t give up your time to get let down.

Lovecraft Evil Done Well! “The Thing on the Doorstep” review!

Posted by Steven Lewis on

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“The Thing on the Doorstep” is a nearly 8o-year-old gothic tale converted the short story written by H.P. Lovecraft to a small screen adaptation from Leomark studios and MVDVisual home entertainment. The story tells of Daniel Upton and his relationship with friend socially hopeless affluent Edward Derby. When Edward meets and weds a bizarre hypnotists Asenath Waite, his relationship with good friend Daniel turns eccentric and mysterious. Edward’s personality switches from the person Daniel knows and loves to a completely separate entity. As Daniel investigates down the rabbit hole, he learns that Edward might be a victim of black magic and that Asenath’s disturbed and demented background might be behind it all.
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Telling the story of this magnitude would be a difficult feat but director Tom Gilserman’s style through the narrative the character Daniel Upton and the structure is simple enough to make this story work well on screen. Penned by Mary Jane Hansen, who also has the lead role of Asenath Waite, pieces together natural dialogue to form believable characters. For great writing to transmit, you also need great actors. David Bunce, Susan Cicarelli-Caputo, Ron Komora, and Rob Dalton round out a great first time cast of actors that join Hansen and have completed a flowing conversations.
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Gilserman does try to a create a Lovecraftian atmosphere with unique camera angles, a dark complexion, and a gothic facade that would make H.P. proud to have his story told through this medium. The film plays out as a bad nightmare full of continuous and repeated flashes of scenes that will drown you into madness while also attempting to make Edward have two sides of him – his soul and a wicked others.
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One thing that I thought the film lacked with the use of black magic revealed. Anenath is suppose to be this powerful being who may or may not be human, but a witch, a succubus, a shell of a human. What the plot is more focus on is Daniel and Edward’s relationship and I believe this to be contributed to the narrative style of this film as it delivers as if one is reading straight from the source – the short story. Not too much is given about Asenath or her ‘hired help.’ Budgetary constraints more than likely contributed to the lack of black magic effects if there were to be any.
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Take the plunge and test out this adaptation of one of Lovecraft’s more psychological horror stories. The DVD from MVD was released this past tuesday and surely will get your head twisted around and your spine snapped with intense suspense and mystery.

No Nudity 😦