Review Roundup - Apes a Poppin'

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2024)

Time for a computer generated ape empire double feature, which for some reason was a thing this year. While I will get to yet another King Kong feature shortly it's obvious that both of these franchises have already reached the limit of what's possible in prior instalments. The potential fourth part in a trilogy is usually ill-advised even if there are some ideas here that mean it's not as easy to dismiss it straight away. The issue is that said ideas are often scarce or spread over an unwieldy running time. Kong and Godzilla had solo movies then a big confrontation, so there wasn't much else left to say. Caesar's story came to an end. But as ever the movies keep coming.

HCF Review - Blood Brothers

WOLVES, PIGS AND MEN (1964)

In the world of gangster movies there are a lot of typical tropes and character archetypes; honour among thieves, rival factions in turf wars, respect within a criminal hierarchy. Kinji Fukasaku’s body of work is full of such examples, after all he’s probably best know for directing two sets of films in the ‘Battles Without Honour or Humanity’ series, aka The Yakuza Papers; a total of eight all in all. However, this earlier example is perhaps more interested in the social and economic struggles of a family. That is to say it’s tale of actual brotherhood rather than competing gang members. The result is a surprisingly bleak and brutal affair that suggests maybe blood isn’t thicker than water. Make no mistake; this isn’t any kind of sentimental melodrama.

READ MORE>>

Horror Bites - Fashion House of Death

BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1963)

Mystery killers with black gloves seem to appear everywhere in films about murder and mayhem; from the shocking violence of Deep Red to the farcical mysteries of A Shot in the Dark. It's recurring motif but tracing the roots of the Giallo body-count mystery genre seems to point to the films of Mario Bava. Here we'll take a look at one of the most striking early examples Blood and Black Lace; aka Six Women for the Murderer. It certainly brings a particular level of Italian style to the proceedings with a garish 1960s colour scheme being mixed with plenty of dark shadows and sinister lighting. So let's put on the leather and get down to business.

HCF Review - Maybe Thousands

HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (2022)

In a frozen wilderness one man finds himself standing alone against the brutal forces of mother nature. Will he starve, or freeze, or be savaged by wolves? Will his survival skills be enough or will his resolve be broken by the overwhelming odds? Will he fall victim to a make-shift rope trap and fly through the air like Wile E. Coyote? Yes that’s right; this is a battle of wits not only against the cold winter of Wisconsin but also against all kinds of wacky slapstick predicaments. A simple story well told… but with mascot costumes, toilet humour, and an endless array of gags that defy the laws of physics. So strap yourself in for the ride as we discuss the events that take one drunken buffoon into battle against Hundreds of Beavers.

READ MORE >>

HCF Review - Dragon's Eye

ELECTRIC DRAGON 80.000 V (2001)

Tired of superhero movies? Well strap yourself in for a jolt of energy from Gakuryu ‘Sogo’ Ishii, director of such cult classics as Crazy Thunder Road. At just over fifty-minutes long this could be the fresh supply you’ve been looking for; an exaggerated ride full of hissing reptiles and buzzing live wires. Not every movie out there can be so brief of course, but it’s refreshing to watch something that isn’t a bladder bursting two and a half hours these days. Does it pack this running time with eye-searing images the likes of which would make Tsukamoto turn green with envy? It really depends on what you’re looking for in a tale which is brimming with stylish visuals but is light on anti-authority metaphor.

READ MORE>>