Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canada. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Shadowchaser (1992)

Cheesy violent nonsense, this is either brilliant or terrible. Maybe both.

A hospital is seized by trigger happy terrorists who make hostages of some of the staff, what makes matters even worse is that one of the hostages is the President's daughter Sarah (Meg Foster). FBI agent Trevanian (Paul Koslo) has the architect of the building released from a prison where sentences are carried out in deep freeze (this film is set kind of in the future). 

Unfortunately, they release the wrong man and De Silva (Martin Kove) is really an ex-football star who has now been released into the hospital without much clue of what to do. He is kept busy trying to avoid being killed by the terrorists, one twist being they are led by Romulus (Frank Zagarino), a billion dollar android killing machine...

This is pretty chaotic, the plot is rather vague and makes little sense but it is... somehow brilliant. Action scenes are frequent and do not use one bullet when three thousand will do. Don't ask how it works but it does.

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

High-Ballin' (1978)

Great trucking fun even if it is chock full of every 1970s stereotype you can think of!

A gang of thugs led by King Caroll (Chris Wiggins) and Harvey (David Ferry) are targeting independent truckers. Iron Duke (Jerry Reed) is the next trucker to be targeted but the Duke has some help in the form of Rane (Peter Fonda) and Pickup (Helen Shaver). 

However, after much driving around the frozen wastes of Canada, things soon take a deadly turn and the truckers know they have to raise up to save their jobs...

This is a highly enjoyable film, lots of trucking around the countryside and a country music soundtrack. There are some great stunts and truck-car chases. The only drawback is that the film is somewhat dreary, the film takes place in Ontario in Winter and it is all rather bleak!

Friday, July 7, 2023

The Neptune Factor (1973)

Somehow this film makes a plot involving earthquakes, submarines and monsters under the ocean's depths somewhat tedious.

An earthquake strikes an underwater lab, contact with which is lost. Director Andrews (Walter Pidgeon) sends an advanced mini submarine commanded by Blake (Ben Gazzara) to try and find the lab and the three lost men. 

However, Blake is pretty arrogant and thinks this is a fool's errand. His crewman MacKay (Ernest Borgnine) is much more keen on the rescue though and soon the submarine is in a dangerous situation itself...

So, the story is great, the acting accomplished and the visuals are certainly very impressive but the film lacks energy and has the pacing of a brick. Somehow the film's makers made a great story rather pedestrian. It is a great shame.

Thursday, July 28, 2022

The Bloody Brood (1959)

Just how annoying were the Beatniks frequently in film?! The annoyance factor is high in this one.



Drug dealer Nico (Peter Falk) and his band of Beatniks are bored daddy-o, they want some action. Nico decides that that action is murder. He arranges the horrific death of a young telegram messenger just for the kicks. The kid's brother Cliff (Jack Betts) begins to investigate what happened. He infiltrates the Beatnik scene, but soon finds himself in peril...

This film is short but is a bit of a drag. If you can get past the annoying Beatniks (not the easiest task to be honest) then this is a reasonable enough crime drama. It also is interesting to see Peter Falk in an early role.

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Bullet to Beijing (1995)

It is the end of the Cold War, and Harry Palmer is out of a job!

Retired by MI5, Palmer (Michael Caine) is recruited by a Russian called Alexei (Michael Gambon) to stop the North Koreans getting ahold of a biological weapon that could kill millions. Palmer is helped by Nikolai (Jason Connery) in a rather confusing mix involving former operatives (from both sides) and the Russian mafia.

Much of the film takes place on a Russian train to Beijing, though Palmer and Nikolai end up marooned in Siberia and have to get back to their train by various forms of transport in some kind of bizarre Top Gear-like sequence. There are various double crosses made, the trip to Beijing seems rather pointless in the end as they head straight back to Moscow by plane. By now, though, Palmer knows there is more to this than a weapon, and Alexei can't be trusted...

It doesn't make a huge amount of sense (and can't really be compared to real Harry Palmer films based on actual Len Deighton books) but makes the most of post-Soviet Russia for all sorts of crumbling Soviet nonsense including rusty old Aeroflot airliners and a car chase with Ladas! All highly enjoyable if you like that sort of thing!

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

The Shape of Things to Come (1979)

Star Wars spawned many space opera imitators which ripped off George Lucas' film to various degrees, this film tries to rip off a number of other films too. One thing it doesn't rip off is H.G. Wells' story, it has pretty much nothing to do with it despite his name in the titles. The excellent Things to Come already exists of course.

We are in the future, Earth is inhabitable following a robot war and mankind lives on the Moon and elsewhere in space. The Moon, however comes under attack by a suicide freighter sent by Omus (Jack Palance) from Delta 3, which is also where the drugs which mankind needs to survive come from. Dr Caball (Barry Morse), his son Jason (Nicholas Campbell), Kim (Anne-Marie Martin) and the exploding robot Sparks (Greg Swanson/Mike Parr) set off to stop Omus...

Meanwhile, on Delta 3 Omus and his army of ridiculous looking robots are evilly hunting down the last survivors of President Niki (Carol Lydney) and her supporters. Omus has a devilish machine that can melt minds too, quite why is not quite clear...

This isn't a terribly great film, the space effects are passable (on the whole) though the sets and costumes betray a lack of budget. The story is rather slow and meandering, including a detour to Earth which doesn't really go anywhere plot wise. It has the required camp value for a late 1970s space opera but lacks much of a spark, despite Sparks' efforts. Palance is superbly over the top as the evil Omus.

Friday, October 29, 2021

Death Ship (1980)

A superbly chilling and at-times gory film, completely ridiculous but it is a horror film after all.

A mysterious cargo ship, seemingly without a crew, is sailing across the sea. It approaches a cruise liner, despite all warnings it isn't stopping, it wants to ram! Later on a few survivors of the liner, including the captain Ashland (George Kennedy), lie on a raft. The cargo ship looms behind them, the survivors not knowing this was the ship which caused their plight.

They board the ship, which is deserted and rusted and old. They discover it is a World War 2 German ship, they also discover it has a mind of it's own as the survivors are picked off one by one, including being grabbed by cranes, terrified to death in a shower of blood and being crushed in a net of corpses. Ashland, meanwhile, has donned the uniform of a German Navy captain and now calls the ship his own. Crenna (Trevor Marshall) and Nick (Nick Mancuso) discover the ship was used for Nazi tortures...

A superbly weird and macabre film. The derelict ship setting makes for a very eerie film. Often the best horrors have the threat coming from a faceless and unknowable entity, in this case it is an entire cargo ship! It makes little sense but is a great horror film.

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Terror Train (1980)

A slasher killer loose on a steam train! A group of college kids hold their end of year party on a sleeper train, much debauchery is planned at night. What isn't planned is their ex-classmate Kenny (Derek MacKinnon), whom was sent to an asylum a few years ago after a prank went wrong, also joining the party and beginning his revenge with the help of various sharp objects.

While Alana (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Doc (Hart Bochner) are watching The Magician (David Copperfield), the body count starts to add up much to the consternation of the train conductor (Ben Johnson). Once the actions of Kenny are known a bitter and bloody battle for survival begins aboard the train as it steams through the night...

Although the slasher revenge theme is not too original, the setting is quite novel and adds an interesting dimension to the thrills and scares. The Magician adds a bit of mystery and cheese.

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

The Uncanny (1977)

A superbly weird horror anthology. Wilbur (Peter Cushing) is convinced that mankind's greatest enemy is... the domestic cat! He has compiled a large portfolio of evidence and is trying to get it published by Richards (Ray Millard)... who unfortunately for Wilbur's nerves has a cat! Wilbur tells three stories to demonstrate the feline menace...

The first takes place in Edwardian England. Miss Malkin (Joan Greenwood) is having her will rewritten to give everything to her many cats and not her feckless nephew Michael (Simon Williams). The maid Janet (Susan Penhaligon) is in league with Michael and schemes to get rid of the will. One copy is destroyed but Janet is foiled by Malkin and the cats to destroy the other. Michael and Janet's scheme has deadly consequences...

In the second story we switch to modern day (well 1970s) Quebec. Lucy (Katrina Holden Bronson) has moved in with her cruel aunt (Alexander Stewart) and even crueller cousin (Chloe Franks) after the death of her parents. All Lucy has is her cat... and a knowledge of witchcraft which comes in handy...

The final story takes place in 1930s Hollywood. After the death of Valentine De'ath's (Donald Pleasence) wife in an accident on the film set, he gets his mistress (Samantha Eggar) into the film instead. However, his wife's cat isn't going to let them get away with it...

A ridiculous premise maybe but the three stories are suitably creepy and camp. There is plenty of gore, some slightly dodgy (though sufficient) special effects and plenty of cheese. Also look out for a photo of Donald Pleasence in his Bond film Blofeld guise!

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Power Play (1978)

A dark tale of authoritarian regimes and military coups. Quite where this film takes place is not clear, the state has the feel of a 1970s Latin American country though it looks more like somewhere in Central Europe and the nationalities and names of the population are all over the place. In any case, a group of officers led by Rousseau (Barry Morse) has grown tired with the regime, which has Blair's (Donald Pleasance) brutal secret police at it's dark heart.

Rousseau and Narriman (David Hemmings) assembles a group of officers to begin to make plans to overthrow the regime. With Blair closing in on their plot and time running out, the officers make the fateful decision to recruit the unpredictable Zeller (Peter O'Toole) and his tanks. The coup runs smoothly (though not bloodlessly) and Zeller has seized the palace, is it now all over?

Not quite, the film has a delicious twist. The film is also very violent with many killings and torture scenes. Life is cheap in this country, wherever it is. The great cast though is priceless.

Thursday, December 17, 2020

The Silent Partner (1978)

A gripping crime drama. Miles (Elliot Gould) is the unfortunate bank teller at the bank Santa Claus decides to rob. The thief is really Reikle (Christopher Plummer) and he gets away with some cash but Miles sees the opportunity to steal some money himself and place the blame on Reikle. 

Reikle, naturally, is rather taken aback when he reads news that the bank heist was far higher than he actually got. He discovers Miles' address and begins to put pressure on him to hand over the cash. Miles proves to be just a rascal as Reikle though and he fits him up for another crime. That isn't the end of things though as Miles and Reikle begin a game of cat and mouse...

A highly enjoyable crime drama. The coolness of Miles is the highlight of the film as he conceives highly complicated plots to hide the theft of the money, the loss of a safety deposit box and even covering up a murder. His luck in love doesn't go as smoothly especially with Julie (Susanna York) but he gets there in the end.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Bush Pilot (1947)

Red North (Austin Willis) is making a reasonable living hauling cargo in his floatplane up in the Canadian Great White North, and also keen on Hilary (Rochelle Hudson). However the arrival of Red's arrogant brother Paul (Jack La Rue) shakes everything up. Paul is keen to move in on Red's territory, and his dame...

The death of Red's mechanic Chuck (Frank Perry) hauling nitroglycerine hurls Red's life into chaos and turns Hilary against him. Can Red win back Hilary and sort out his brother?

A neat little film, rather melodramatic at times but a decent story if without any surprises. It is also interesting to see Jack La Rue in a role where he isn't a two-bit gangster.

This was one of the first Canadian movies to be made in English.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

The Edge of Hell (1987)

Years ago in a remote farmhouse a kid watches his parents killed by the Devil who lives in the fridge (next to the bacon we assume). Now an 80s hair metal band turns up at the same farmhouse to record an album (for some reason a 24-track recording studio is in the barn), what could go wrong?

A lot obviously as the members of the band led by John (Jon Mikl Thor) start to act rather strangely and start to die just as strangely, killed off by monsters who look like the Muppets on LSD. But then... after several monster murders and lengthy sex scenes, there is a massive twist which completely changes the direction of the film and seems to render everything that has taken place before as meaningless...

Well these kind of low budget films are supposed to make little sense but... well no idea what was going on in most of this. It doesn't really matter as the final act is fantastic and utterly over the top and ridiculous. It is a cheese filled masterpiece.



Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe (1990)

An utterly incomprehensible low-budget sci-fi film. Secundus (Sven-Ole Thorsen), renegade member of the intergalactic police, has come to Earth to impregnate a human woman Sonia (Marjorie Bransfield) - with his hand. Fellow alien cop Abraxus (Jesse "the Body" Ventura), the former partner of Secundus, comes to Earth to try and stop him but refuses to kill Sonia and her alien baby.

Now some years later it appears the child has some kind of galaxy threatening equation in his head which Secundus comes back to get, leaving a trail of broken bodies while he hunts the child down. Abraxus is in close pursuit...

So it isn't hugely original and seems to take inspiration from a number of other sci-fi movies. It is also very confusing and pretty cheesy. When there is action it is reasonable if sometimes unintentionally hilarious. Jesse Ventura makes the film though with his performance, he takes being a genetically engineered supercop from the other side of the galaxy a bit too far and produces one of the stiffest acing performances of all time.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Murder is News (1937)

An entertaining if unsurprising murder mystery. Industrialist Edgar Drake (William McIntyre) is going through a divorce with his wife Pauline (Doris Lloyd) as revealed by reporter Jerry Tracy (John Gallaudet). When Edgar Drake calls Tracy to his home Jerry arrives to find Drake dead on the floor. Then Jerry is knocked out cold by an unknown assailant, when he awakes the police (Colin Kenny) are around but there is no sign of Drake...

In conjunction with the police Jerry, with his assistant Brains (not the one out of Thunderbirds) McGillicuddy (George McKay) tries to find out exactly what is going on. Was Edgar Drake killed and if so where is his body, and who committed the crime? Is it the man Pauline plans to marry (John Hamilton)? Or her son Tony (Frank C. Wilson)? Or someone else entirely like night club owner Frank Hammer (John Graham Spacey)?

Its fast paced and breezy, nothing too innovative and the plot is rather contrived but it's well done all the same. The film follows the well-worn 1930s trope of a newspaper reporter leading a crime case as if he was on the police force. Iris Meredith plays the heroine.



Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Capone (1975)

Well as you can imagine a biopic of Al Capone and the Chicago gangster scene in the 1920s is not for the faint hearted, indeed this film can best be described as violence and more violence. Capone is played by Ben Gazzara and we don't see much at all of his early life but rather how he gets involved with Johnny Torrio (Harry Guardino) then a trusted lieutenant of the Italian mafia boss in Chicago.

Capone helped Johnny take over the mob and then assists Johnny in making it big during the Prohibition years. Eventually amid open warfare with rival gangs Al Capone has Johnny (nearly) killed and takes over the mob himself. The story of the film is never trust your lieutenant as he will take over from you in the end, as happens to Capone himself when he is betrayed by Frank Nitti (Sylvester Stallone) and he ends up in Alcatraz...

Well the film is pretty low-budget and it shows at times but it is undeniably thrilling. If only we could see a bit more about Capone's early life and his motivations. That might mean cutting out some of action scenes of course. It is a biopic though not very accurate, a true depiction of Capone's life would probably require a series of films to be honest but this can give you a taste.