Fifth edition of the Film Diary; covering films I've watched within the span of a week, accompanied with a short review and rating. For those familiar with this routine, skip ahead, for anybody new to the blog, I will try to churn these out as quickly as possible, but there's never enough hours in the day. These reviews won't appear under the index of reviews as I prefer to keep that reserved for more lengthier entries.

There's a varied selection this week, including: cheesy '90s horror, '80s action, slashers, musicals, psychosexual thrillers, Italian splatter, and more.

Films watched between Monday 05/12/2022 and Sunday 11/12/2022.

Monday 05/12/2022
The Invisible Maniac (1990)

Director: Adam Rifkin

A wonderfully schlocky slice of gourmet cinematic cheese. Got this from my Vinegar Syndrome subscription, and I gotta say as daft as it is I really enjoyed it. I didn't go into this with many, if any, expectations, but it's was surprisingly violent and sleazy! It doesn't reinvent the wheel, it doesn't bring anything new to the table, but there's enough disappearing maniacs, blood, guts, t & a to keep even the most jaded cult film fan entertained, and with a sleek 86 minute runtime it doesn't outstay its welcome. Also notable for being one of the few non-pornographic roles for Savannah, credited under her real name Shannon Wilsey.



Tuesday 06/12/2022
Road House (1986)

Director: Rowdy Herrington

Checked this one out with Emily as she'd not seen it before, I assured her she would love it. I figure a gal is always gonna enjoy a movie with Mr. Swayze in a lead role. Road House may be the greatest big-budget "bad movie" ever produced. It's such a wild ride; there's a heap of scenes that feature a topless Swayze, his body glistening with perspiration while practising Tai Chi. There's over-the-top action, explosions, heady romance, memorable dialogue, revenge, buddy cop vibes, and Sam Elliot, who's not only a feast for the eyes, but also a treat for the ears, my God! Mandatory viewing for any cult film fan.



Wednesday 07/12/2022
Moonstalker (1989)

Director: Michael S. O'Rourke

A regional slasher that went straight-to-video. It's not outstanding, nor terribly dull either; middling may be the best word to describe it. The film features some memorable kills and all too brief moments of gore, but it largely suffers from uneven pacing and vacuous characters. The killer has incidentally has not one, but two, really unusual outfits. He starts off manacled and wearing what can only be described as a white bedsheet with mouth and eye holes, before being let loose upon a bunch of unsuspecting campers. He later dons some newfound duds and looks like an extra from The Dukes of Hazzard, a look that's completed with a 10-gallon hat and reflective aviators! Neat!



Thursday 08/12/2022
Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Yes you read that right, Moulin Rouge! A film that would ordinarily never get a mention here; unless satirically or as a source of ridicule. Not a pick of mine, to say I loathe musicals is an understatement, but after several glasses of mulled wine I can be quite an agreeable chap, so when Emily asked "Do you wanna watch Moulin Rouge!?" I blurted out "Yes". It's the filmic equivalent to being inside an A.D.H.D. laden brain, that is to say there's a lot going on with Moulin Rouge! Visually, audibly, and thematically, it's sensory overload. There's singing, dancing, breakneck-editing, oddball characters, bad accents, good accents, and John Leguizamo as a syphilitic dwarf. I don't know if it was the glasses of mulled wine or if the film was truly entertaining, but I didn't hate it.



Friday 09/12/2022
Death Game (1977)

Director: Peter S. Traynor

Finally got my mitts on the Grindhouse Releasing Blu-ray. I started watching this a good few years ago via some nefarious means, needless to say the quality and connection were so poor that I gave up on it and never went back. Grindhouse have done a splendid job with the presentation of this, anybody who's on the fence about picking it up, just grab it and enjoy it. Traynor's psychosexual feature is an exercise in emasculation, humiliation and duplicity. The two female leads, played by Sondra Locke and Colleen Camp steal the show, poor Seymour Cassel doesn't stand a chance. There's a wealth of text, subtext, and social commentary for the intellectual minds to dissect and discuss, if that's your bag, and there's plenty for fans of exploitation and those with a keen artistic eye too. Not to be missed.



Friday 09/12/2022
Little Miss Innocence (1973)

Director: Chris Warfield

This is actually included as an extra on the Grindhouse Releasing Death Game Blu Ray. I went into it without really knowing more than a basic plot outline, guessing it would be similar to Death Game, and it is. It's not as polished, it's a rough 'n' ready picture and relatively tame. It almost feels as though it's from an earlier era, something more akin to H.G. Lewis' Scum of the Earth! (1963). Sure, it lacks the talent and panache of Death Game, but the performances from the small cast are pretty decent, the film is entertaining and certainly worthy of attention. It has quite a svelte run time too, a little over an hour. It's an enjoyable, trashy drive-in sexploitation flick; where the gender-dominance tables are turned on a slick record exec. who falls prey to two messed-up chicks. Definitely one to check out, especially if you already have the Grindhouse Releasing disc.



Friday 09/12/2022
A Cat In The Brain / Nightmare Concert / Un Gatto Nel Cervello (1990)

Director: Lucio Fulci

An unusual film from the maestro of Italian gore; it's kind of like an incredibly violent and somewhat disjointed take on Fellini's 8½ (1963). I love Fulci, for me especially, his work was a grande gateway into Italian film, but I struggle to love this. Sure, it's gory as hell and Fulci smartly works a meta angle into the narrative by editing in clips from two of his previous films, Touch of Death (1988) and Sodoma's Ghost (1988), along with clips from four "Lucio Fulci presents" films. I appreciate what he was aiming for, I just don't think it lands, and in my opinion it is far from Fulci's finest work. Someone change my mind?



Friday 09/12/2022
Blood Hunt / La Noche De La Ira (1988)

Director: Javier Elorrieta

I believe this fell into my possession from a bundle during one of Severin's sales. Admittedly, I went in blind, I knew nothing about it, and I quickly found that it isn't as 'sploitive as one may expect, it's difficult to strictly label and pigeonhole this as "exploitation". The film leans towards a more mature approach to its themes, comprising elements of melodrama and suspense upfront, with the familiar exploitation tropes taking a backseat. It slowly, and I mean s-l-o-w-l-y, builds tension towards a fairly action packed finale. Interesting little Spanish film worthy of checking out.



Sunday 11/12/2022
Only God Forgives (2013)

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Picked this up from a local chazza (slang: charity/thrift shop) for a pittance. Checked this one out with Emily, a dyed in the wool Gosling fan; she barely made it through the full 90 minutes. The film, without a doubt is beautiful to look at, but you could convey the entire plot in 10 minutes or less. It's worthy of a watch just to see Mr. Gosling get the living piss knocked out of him in a brutal "fight" scene; I use the term "fight" loosely as he barely lands a hit on his opponent. If you were to watch Pusher (1996) and then jump straight ahead to this, you'll find yourself wondering what happened to Refn's initial breakthrough style of urgent and hungry filmmaking. Certainly one for the arthouse crowd, for those who can't get enough of neon-drenched cinematography, and for Refn / Gosling fanboys/girls.