Stripperland, Back Review

Stripperland, Back Review

Year: 2011

Stars: Benjamin Sheppard, Jamison Challeen, Maren McGuire

Directed: Sean Skelding

Running Time: 103mins

That’s right! A parody of a parody of zombie apocalypse films! Didn’t think it was possible? Well neither did I but here it is anyway. Directed by Sean Skelding (which might I add is usually a set dresser on most films but has directed another film called I am virgin) and made for a $500,000 budget.

Benjamin Sheppard is Idaho (A parody of Columbus) he also doesn’t have any other major acting roles under his belt.

Jamison Challeen is Frisco (yes you guessed it Tallahassee) he was in the directors other film I am virgin and a few other titles.

Maren McGuire is Virginia (as the Wichita parody) she too was in I am Virgin and quite a bit more film wise and series wise.

These films are all part of some films that parody comedy films, and are one of them jumping on the success bandwagon of other movies. These are usually hit and miss, unfortunately mostly miss a lot of the time. This being a zombie film and a b-movie I was willing to give it a go.

From the beginning this movie is like the film it rips off word for word almost, Idaho even says oh like that movie when they name each other places there from and it even has the rules.

This doesn’t make it a bad thing mind, the zombie disease in this only effects women and it turns them into stripper/zombie hybrids and us men thinking mostly with our penises fall prey to them rather quickly.

A flashback while their talking shows Idaho in his room debunking the outbreak to a friend, when he gets disturbed mid self-pleasuring by his step mum he opens the door to see she’s a Strombie? Zomper?  Bugger it zombie will do.

He evades her with ease to find his dad hurt and dying, tries to reconcile in a trying to be comedic way but fails. His step mum breaks free and his dying dad saves him giving him time to run off with a case that he’s not to use unless everything goes to shit, so that’s Idaho’s story.

Anyways true to the original film Frisco stays stoically quite apart from about the case which Idaho knows nothing about. On the road driving some almost funny jokes happen one fart joke some quite moments and Idaho trying to make friends.

They come across double D a world famous rapper I was mildly entertained by it being Daniel Baldwin, where are those Baldwin’s lately. He rapping (as he’s a rapper) making the zombies dance for him.

Virginia isn’t anything Wichita when they meet she is totally unimpressed by the rules and even calls Idaho a rule 55, you’ll get it if you watch it. Though her sister (West) does seem to warm to him and even tries to support him at points.

They end up in a shopping complex where their invited to stay by the pimp daddy, who comes from a long line of pimps this was funny. Only oops they’ve left the back door open and hordes of strippers come pouring in. They invite him to go with them but he declines because he’s a bad man and would have the women turfed out in a day. As their leaving he’s dragged into a door way by multiple zombies.

He’s eaten.

Over run with zombies they flee. In a one on 10 act, Virginia takes on a load of zombies with two machete’s so as not to attract more with gunfire. The strippers/zombies in this film seem to drop easy no need for head shots just a mortal wound in sufficient.

Later on in a casino the girls get the boys to strip while playing poker, unknown to them their being watched by an apparent nutcase on the security cameras.

The crazy doc captures them and intends to turn the women into love slaves/housewives with a different strain of the virus he’s been working on, it backfires they escape and when he releases his trapped stripper to get the girls they turn on him instead. There we have yet another place they run from and head back out.

In a scene parodying the Bill Murray incident they go to some guys house whose famous for selling some grills and being in loads of apparently famous films that we’ve never of but they sound like parodies if other things. Thinking it’s a stripper from scenes of fish netted legs we are treated to him in women’s underwear asking them why they’re in his house.

We find out he’s dressed like that so it fool the strippers when he ventures out, he gets wasted when Frisco running to them laughing mistakes him for a zombie. Again they move on this time they get cornered in a gas station while in the shop quick thinking from earlier Idaho turns on music and the strippers start to dance to it.

This isn’t enough though and Idaho’s rapping is something to be desired, then the girls decide to dance their way through the stripper to gas up the truck.

At this point there’s very little more to tell you as there’s not much film left and you know I at THN never spoil endings for you (well very rarely) so some more factual stuff. The effects are for the budget reasonable the make up about as best you could get for it, the dodgy CGI is baaaad when the camera moves so does it, it’s quite amusing and the blood fountains are bad also buuuut for the cash they had it is the best and as always I’ve seen worse on much higher budget films.

Acting all round is medium no real bad ones and I suppose with a better script these people could pull of some bigger jobs easy. It wasn’t great and a lot of the comedy that zombieland had and worked well just doesn’t translate over that well unfortunately. I being a metal/rock fan appreciated the sound track in here a lot as there was a lot of it; this is something that may put others off of this film though.

Also it may not appeal to women as well there scantily clad strippers walking about a lot, but fear not they don’t get naked much, in fact hardly ever and a large selection of the women are used over and over with different wigs etc.

You know I really may change my rating to allow for at least one half mark a two and half in the near future as 2 is too low for this and 3 to high. So at the moment this gets a solid 2.

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House at the End of the Street, Review

House at the End of the Street, Review

Year: 2012

Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue, Max Thieriot

Directed: Mark Tonderai

Running Time: 101mins

We have here a recently released on DVD movie directed by Mark Tonderai, not exactly well known for anything but a good thumbs up for this piece. Staring hunger games Jennifer Lawrence she is so good at acting I swear. The girl beginning is a flash back to family asleep in bed when they hear a noise the woman goes to check only to be bludgeoned to death by their daughter who at this point seems possessed the father craping his pants stays on the bed observing this from outside. The door closes and then bursts open and she in a spray of blood and pillow feathers caves his head in too.

Cut 4 years into the future and a mother and daughter family from the big city move into a big house in the country and we learn right away that its neighbour house is where the murders took place, unperturbed by this as their city folk and have seen murders and shit they unpack and move in.

The mother sees a light go on and later finds out the son, Ryan lives there now after inheriting the house Elissa takes it upon herself to see to this boy and in her way try to fix him as her mother believes she likes to do. They don’t get along because the mother hates this side of and doesn’t wasn’t her turning out like she did in school which as the film progresses we learn was not the best of people.

In other words a bit of a slapper putting about the dad is dead but was a musician and that musical side has rubbed off on Elissa and she along with her new friends brother decide to do battle of the bands. She invites Ryan, while there the other town’s folk start to trash his car, Ryan runs out after being told gets his ass whooped for a few minutes then turns and breaks the one arsehole boys ankle.

Not long after this Elissa learns that Ryan has been keeping, or at least we throughout most of the film think he’s been keeping his sister down in the basement, apparently not. I leave it there as any more info would spoil the rest of the film for you.

What I will say is this film isn’t a bad one well written and Jennifer as an actor is coming on in leaps and bounds. Not your usual Hollywood beauty but as she has an air of confidence and she’s just damn good at what she does she is a little hottie.

Nice to see Elizabeth Shue as well does a good job and she is certainly aging well also, like I said not a bad actor all round here, what the film does suffer from is an incredibly slow pace we get snippets here and there but most of the film is building up for the last 30 minutes where we learn the main secret and a lot of the action and also horror starts.

As a not so horror film though like I said it does do surprisingly well made for a modest budget of $6.9 million it didn’t do too bad in getting its money back fivefold either. There are hardly any effects in the film other than some make up and some wounds later.

So over all? I enjoyed it but it could have a lot more in it for my taste still a solid movie and when the last half hour hits you it’s fun, a solid 4/5 stars form me

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Mark Tufo interview 2, on the release of Timothy 2

Mark Tufo Interview 2, on the Imminent Release of Tim 2

Hi Mark once again, thanks to agreeing to a second interview. So exciting times for you! With the release of a new book, not just any book the second in your popular Timothy series.

Hi Daniel thank you for having me back. Funny about Timothy I never intended a series considering the first one was only a novella.

Q. As a tiny recap what is Timothy all about?

A.  Timothy, in a nutshell, is about a man who fights tooth and nail to remain alive inside a zombie infected body. And he just might be mean enough to pull it off.

Q. In comparison to the first book Mark is this one, if possible gorier?

A. Umm gorier? Not sure if that’s possible. It is as dark and definitely has it’s disturbing parts. This one takes a few turns I think few will be expecting.

Q. How long did this one, compared to the first, take you to write?

A. Timothy was only a novella that I had submitted to Severed Press, it’s roughly 35k words and I was writing that one on and off for about 6 months. In that time frame I was writing ZF5 and moving cross country. Tim2 which is a full length novel only took me a couple of months.

Q. Was it easier to slip into writing this as you already had the character premade?

A. When I finished the first book, I decided I loved Timothy. Oh not the man because he was a narcissistic socio-path, just the idea of being able to dwell so deep into my psyche. Messing around in the dark corners of my mind was a fun trip.

Q. Can you tell us of any changes from first to second?

A. Well Tim hasn’t learned any lessons if that’s what you’re asking. The biggest change might be in how Tim2 launches. Other than that I don’t really want to give anything away.

Q. If you haven’t already said is this one from Timothy’s point of view again?

A. Yup straight through the psychotic’s eyes. Once again not a book for the faint of heart. Tim does not have a filter on any of his beliefs.

Q. When can we expect to see your book on sale for all formats, kindle/soft cover etc.?

A. My goal is to have the first revisions done by the end of February, then off to the editor, then the nest set of rewrites done, end of March, early April. So hopefully mid-April for launch on all formats.

Q. Have you left an open ending, or if that’s giving to much away can we expect to ever see a Timothy 3?

A. Tim cubed? Yeah there’s an opening. Not sure if my therapist will think that’s a good idea though.

Q. Did you enjoy writing this as much as the last?

A. I did, I had wanted to go back to this ‘place’ for a while now. So it’s cathartic to have done so.

Q. Lastly what can we expect to see out next?

A. Well first it will be Tim 2, then A Shrouded World - which is a collaboration with John O’Brien. The Book of Riley part 3, A super secret project I cannot divulge, then Indian Hill 4, The Hanging Tree, Zombie Fallout 7 and then Book of Riley part 4. That should be the next year and a half I suppose.

Thanks for this interview Mark hopefully more in the future with any other releases and I look forwards to doing a review of it to!

Thanks for having me!

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Dead Before Dawn/Zemons, Review

Dead Before Dawn/Zemons, Review

Year: 2012

Stars: Devon Bostick, Christopher Lloyd, Martha MacIsaac

Directed: April Mullen

Running Time:  85 mins

When I saw this film had Christopher Lloyd in it, I was sold I had to watch it. Directed by April Mullen (She’s directed two other film’s Gravy Train, Rock, Paper, Scissors and stared in a few as well) the first Canadian film live action film shot in 100% 3D.

Big whoopee on that like most adults my age I can’t see 3D that well I have a slight turn in my one eye as you need 20/20 vision, with me one eye notices the 3D now and then and I get a head ache, and no glasses don’t help.

Anyway enough about me, so DBD is a Canadian 3D film, when I first started watching this I felt it was more like a Disney Channel made for TV type film, you know the usual stuff they have on around halloween time. In fact I had to double check I wasn’t accidently watching one.

We get a weird beginning with our main protagonist as a small child in some shop with his dad and some skull. The dad slips and somehow turns into a demon with red eyes. Another reason why I thought this might be a Disney movie is the actors they all seem to be of that ilk and a few of them I have actually seen in Disney things.

Especially Kyle Schmid who is also famous for blood ties amongst other things (A series that ended mysteriously they never as far as I can tell officially cancelled it?)

Anyway the main kid Casper is shit scared to work in the shop where that happened to his dad; strangely his grandpa (Lloyd) owns the shop. He rings Casper saying he’s getting an award for some occult thing and asks if he would look after the shop.

He initially says no and heads off to school where his friend sticks up for him against the bully (Schmid) and they talk about family sticking up for each other.

In a bout of guilt over *family* Casper decides to look after the shop, he’s given rules the first two are stupid looking after the shop stuff and the third is to in no circumstances mess with an evil demon holding urn (it’s the urn that turns his dad evil in the beginning)

When a girl he fancies comes into the shop to pay off a book she mentions about the urn and wanting to see it he reluctantly does and it breaks and they get a silly curse that they all make up parts of too happen too them.

People who they look into their eyes will suddenly commit suicide then turn into zombies, no zemons and try to hicky them to death. There’s more to it but I think you get the gist.

Anyway they only have a limited time to stop the curse; they join forces with others against the zemons and try to find a way to stop it.

This film wasn’t that good at all some of the acting wasn’t great and though some of the comedy funny it overall just failed. I'm sure some people 13+ may appreciate it, unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

As always I won’t spoil the end as you may decide to watch it this only scores and overall 2 out of 5 here folks totally up to you if you want to waste 85 mins.

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ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction, Back Review

ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction, Back Review

Year: 2009/10

Stars: Janette Armand, Doug Fahl, Cooper Hopkins

Directed: Kevin Hamedani

Running Time: 89 mins

ZMD had to happen at some point didn’t it a piss take of dumb American stereotyping (not calling Americans dumb by the way) the way they lump everything British as England or they put everything Indian as Iraq.

That aside this film has one refreshing factor that has recently been pissing me off in the latest spout of zombie films, something I want to bring up. We live in a culture that yes we would know a zombie from a mile off now, so in media it doesn’t take long for someone to go Oh their zombie’s cave their skull in.

This movie at least to me and despite a news flash seems to take a while to come to that conclusion and you can’t even blame that it’s supposed to be an island as two of the main people in there are from New York. So that was at least was fresh in this movie and would personally like to see more of in the future the unknown horror of a risen corpse.

So with that out of the bag, this movie is directed by Kevin Hamedani who only has one other writing/directing job to his name. Made a shoestring budget of $500,000 it was part of the after dark 4 films. As with most b-movies I will mark it in that category the effects writing and acting as I always do, we’ll get to that later.

I won’t bother with the actors in this movie as they are also as obscure as the director/writer in work. So the film starts with one washed up zombie on the shore of Port Gamble, a nutty old guy comes across it and pokes it until it wakes up and infects him.

Seems the town has a pretty jaded past and people don’t seem to like each other very much either. Frida Abbas is a Princeton drop out who everyone thinks is Iraqi but she’s Iranian. One thing I quickly realised in the first 15 minutes of this film NO one is nice even if they seem to initially be decent they quickly end up having some annoying flaw.

The only exception to this rule is the one half of a gay couple Tom Hunt; well he’s the most decent at least. Another is Frida’s boyfriend despite being a loser stoner/musician seems pretty genuine. Unfortunately he ends up being zombie fodder quite early in.

After Frida’s BF gets munched and face pulled off and Tom’s mother turns from a bite after he tries to tell her he’s gay, Tom and his boyfriend escape and Frida makes it to a family’s house she met at the beginning, after hilariously losing a small girl after assuring her she’ll be fine.

The mother gets munched on and starts turning though the dad is oblivious to this though the son and Frida know, instead the dad goes nuts blaming Frida’s dads restaurant for the outbreak meanwhile. Tom and his BF are running around like headless chickens outside, Tom feels masculine after firing a pistol and his boyfriend (Lance) picks up a grass trimmer and after a few attempts starts it with a giggle.

We re-join a now tied up Frida with the guy accusing her dad and the son saying it’s not her and that mum, sorry mom is infected. The dad questions Frida on her allegiance to the USA as the mom keels over and dies.

Outside Tom and Lance are shooting and hacking up zombies and briefly think they are rescued when they see a helicopter but it’s only the news, they realise they can’t keep this up and go to hole up somewhere to no avail.

Dad starts a strange tirade of back and forth questions trying to find out why terrorists would attack Port Gamble.

Later on Frida’s quite fanatical dad goes looking for her only to find the town over run with zombies and goes looking for her. Tom and Lance go about the only place where two gay guys would not be accepted well, a church.

Frida tries to convince the son to set her free through flirting only just as he’s about to the dad comes back with a tool box. Back in the church Tom is all irate because he’s afraid of their gayness being a problem so tells lance to calm it down.

The priest flagellates that it’s the end of the world; this is where one of the other films small storylines pops its head up centre stage there are two opposing people running for mayor the one currently in office has been using the priest to help get him in.

With the priest preaching the other runner a female named Cheryl baulks at this saying her brothers good, but the other guy knows some dark secrets her reveals. Before he can fully reveal though she out speaks him and gets the others motivated to zombie proof the church we see then that the mayor has a bite on his leg.

After a foot nailing incident Frida is finally saved by the besotted guy’s son who bashes his head in with a hammer, not totally killing him. Removing the hammer from his dad head he removes the nail from her foot just as he’s eaten by mummy dearest. Frida runs as son is chowed on and dad stares on possibly dying.

Back in the church it’s become obvious the mayor has the sickness and Cheryl’s all for deciding what to do with him to the protestations of the reverend. When Tom and Lance join in the mayor makes lance open his jacket revealing his T-shirt saying I’m with him ->

The rest of the church say to throw them out, in a surprise turn around the reverend say’s no and then instantly becomes a dick again by saying we just have to convert them.

We join Frida again as she’s looking for somewhere safe to tend her foot, while she is a noise startles her and it’s just her dad whose been looking for her and he’s unfortunately worse for wear. He dies after a little heartfelt tirade but instantly comes back and attacks her, though she manages to stop him.

In a rare funny scene they try and turn the boys straight by showing a very poor black and white homo erotic film that is not very explicit or erotic, the mayor by now has changed and carnage ensues in the church.

As always I won’t spoil the ending here on THN just in case you decide to watch it at some point.

This film has a low budget but the zombie and gore and make up effects are again half decent, like I’ve said before how some films can have a budget four or five times as much as this, yet fail to produce any effects worthwhile.

Acting wise there’s no real baddies in this and lines are delivered quite well, the only problem I had with this was pacing and filler just a short film and it didn’t seem to go nowhere, which is where the budget shows only a few set pieces and locations which unfortunately makes for a relatively boring storyline that stagnates fast.

The film often tries to be funny and though there still happens to be some genuine funny bits it doesn’t work most of the time as they aren’t delivered well. Despite these flaws it isn’t a total waste of time and if you want to watch something and only this is laying around you’d be worse off doing nothing.

It’s an ok zombie movie and I give it a 2 star rating out of 5

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Warm Bodies Review

Warm Bodies Review

Year: 2013

Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich

Directed: Jonathan Levine

Running Time: 98 mins

Written and directed by Jonathan Levine (50/50, The Wackness and All the Boy’s Love Mandy Lane a favourite of mine) seems reasonably strong in both areas.

We join Nicholas Hoult (famous for x-men first class and clash of the titans and the upcoming jack the giant killer) in what I thought was a strong performance where he plays an unusual zombie named R. Unusual as he’s slightly more aware than most of the other shambling corpses. To the extent he has his own crash pad inside an unused aeroplane, I might add here that there’s been a zombie apocalypse and there’s only one human settlement left walled off. After a good description by R what zombie life is like him and his friend M another semi-conscious zombies go with a group of other zombies in search of food (humans)

A group of teens chosen to go out around the same time to collect some resources, this film has some brilliant tongue in cheek moments describing how zombies go about things. Also in this film seems zombies go through a change after a while their skin comes off and they turn into *bonies* totally transformed and not human in anyway.

So the inevitable happens they meet a fight breaks out where R see’s Julie (Teresa Palmer another good performance she’s from I am number 4 and the sorcerer’s apprentice) he gets a strange feeling until Julies boyfriend shoots him, he switches back to zombie mode and attacks eats bits of and takes her boyfriend’s brains in his pocket.

He then advances on Julie who tries to stop him, she gives up and awaits a brain eating R wipes his blood over her masking her scent from the other zombies and tells her to follow.

He takes her back to his crash pad where more interaction with her starts turning him more and more human waking memories etc.

Now I’ll tell you a few key points here now, Julie’s dad is the leader, army general of the safe zone. Zombies gain memories of the brains they eat and feel more alive, so he sees and gets memories from Julie’s bf’s brains.

Now this film shows human nature and explores if we have the capacity to change our conceptions in both ways through the humans and the zombies. I think bonies represent the nay Sayers that are everywhere that will not change any matter what.

So Julie finds out about R eating her boyfriend as R becomes sorrier about it and tells her. We than get one of them moments in films like this where they split wondering if they can change and if there’s any point. Julie goes back to her place R to his and finds out halfway there that his becoming human has infected the rest of human like zombies.

R proceeds to go back and tell Julie about the change and that the bonies are chasing them also because they can sense they are a threat. Julie tries to convince her dad that they can change but he doesn’t listen to begin with isn’t it always the same?

When the soldier realise that the normal zombies are helping them fight the bonies they join together and kill them off. I know I don’t usually spoil the endings here at The Horror Nation but it’s easy to see with this movie yes they slowly become human again through interaction with the humans.

Right nit-picks Julie got over and forgave about her boyfriend possibly to easy considering they really seemed to be in love it is explained that she was kind of prepared for a while but meh I think I’d be a bit more upset at losing someone than that. More John Malkovich would have been nice. Meeting the boyfriend in R’s head seemed a little morbid, even more so when Julie talked about him, hence they seemed in love but she forgave easy part.

And the film seemed to end a bit quickly but I do see what extra could they have added? Someone discovering the bonies/zombies making their way to their base (though they are supposedly the last settlement) better than just a random report? I suppose.

Lastly we humans are ruthless; if we’d walked into zombies fighting like that we would have mown them all down.

Things I liked the zombie effects and make up were top class, expected in a mainstream film to, the CGI a little lacklustre as there only really seemed to be 2 maybe 3 different bonies just repeated over a number of times, though they were good and detailed!

The storyline well I haven’t been glued to a film like that for quite a while to be honest I don’t know why either I found the film passed past fast and I was left mostly pleased by the outcome, despite it at its basic level being a rom-com! With the nit-picks I give this film a solid 4 stars out of 5 and say it’s well worth paying to go see 

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Mark Tufo give away competition

Mark Tufo give away competition

Mark Tufo has kindly donated me 2 audio books one of Indian hill and one zombie fallout unabridged full readings, also a nifty calendar and some wrist bands saying what would Talbot do?

Simply put you can win this stuff

1^st prize will win Zombie Fallout audio book, Calendar and a wrist band

2^nd prize will win the Indian Hill and a wrist band

3^rd prize will win 1 wrist band

Simply answer this series of 3 questions it’s that simple!

  

1.  1. What demi-god is using Mike as her plaything?

2  2. How many books are currently in the Zombie Fallout series please list them

3 3. What does C.H.U.D. stand for?

Simply send your answers to quantum_flux_time_warp@yahoo.co.uk and I’ll pull 3 lucky winners out of the 

hat soon and let you know who wins good luck and keep checking back now and then for more news and reviews and competitions.

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Lizzie 2012 Review

Lizzie 2012 Review

Year: 2012

Stars: Amanda Baker, Leif Holt, Corbin Bernsen

Directed: David Dunn Jr.

Running Time: 93 mins

I had very high hopes for this movie it sounded good from the description which is here: ON AUGUST 4TH, 1892, ANDREW JACKSON BORDEN AND ABBY DURFEE BORDEN WERE BRUTALLY MURDERED WITH AN OLD HOUSEHOLD HATCHET. THE BLOWS OF THE MURDER WEAPON WERE SO VIOLENT AND NUMEROUS THAT THEIR FACES AND SKULLS WERE UNRECOGNIZABLY DISFIGURED. ALTHOUGH ACQUITTED, IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT THE DAUGHTER, LIZZIE BORDEN (Cindy Baer,nothing amazing other than acting in other b-movies) IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SAVAGE EVIL ACT.

THE PRESENT DAY LIZZIE ALLEN SUFFERS FROM AN EXTREME CASE OF CHILDHOOD AMNESIA WHICH NOT ONLY LAYS DARK HER CHILDHOOD MEMORIES BUT ALSO HER RELATIONSHIP OR LACK THERE OF, OF HER PARENTS THEMSELVES. WHEN LIZZIE DISCOVERS THE NEWS OF HER FATHERS DEATH SHE INHERITS THE HOUSE SHE ONCE LIVED INAND THEREFORE A NEW PLACE TO LIVE.

BUT AS SHE BEGINS TO SETTLE IN SHE STARTS TO GET A GLIMPSE OF HER CHILDHOOD MEMORIES ALONG WITH CLUES AS TO WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN THE BORDEN HOUSEHOLD IN 1892. WE FOLLOW LIZZIES JOURNEY AS SHE ATTEMPTS TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE TWO AND STRIVES TO REACH HER OWN SANITY AND HAPPINESS WHILE DOING SO

This is the worst horror film I have watched in a little while.

The overall acting was poor and the quality of the film was just not acceptable.

As mentioned, the acting was terrible, which was an automatic put off. It wasn’t even the fault of the writing which was bad as well but even something written well here wouldn’t have elevated my mood.

I found myself cringing a lot at the acting when watching the film. The effects were reminiscent of an old 80’s film and not a good one at that.

The actual story to the film never seemed to want to come together; there was certain flatness to the film it was as though it never wanted to build up any anticipation.

I found myself constantly waiting for the moment to be shocked or even scared but it never came at all not once I was so surprised a film could be as bland and boring as this.

I was very disappointed and bored throughout the entire movie and I am positive that you will be as well. I know this isn’t in the style of any of my other reviews I’ve done a short cut way of reviewing by just giving you the DVD description instead my own description because this film so utterly empty and was a giant waste of my time.

0 stars for this one folks don’t give it go stay very clear of in fact 

Outpost 2 Black Sun Review

Outpost 2 Black Sun Review

Year: 2012

Stars: Richard Coyle, Clive Russell, Michael Byrne

Directed: Steve Barker

Running Time: 101 mins

So the sequel to 2007’s outpost which was a decent enough movie, did it warrant a sequel? No I say but as usual with films these days the open ended ending left it there for one. Is the sequel any good? As an unneeded one in my eyes this did actually continue the story very decently and if it was told as just another supernatural Nazi zombie movie it would have been just as good.

With a $3million budget and directed and written by Steve Barker who also done the original and nothing else, I guess he had an idea for the films and wanted to continue it so hats off to him for getting it done.

It stars one of my increasing in popularity actors Richard Coyle (Wallace) who I can honestly say even in bad B-movies he’s been in has been one of the shinning lights in them. He has excellent acting skills and plays a role very well. I feel he should be more main-stream than he is or maybe he does just like these roles I know some actors do.

The movie starts with Lena (Catherine Steadman, salmon fishing in Yemen) harassing an old Nazi for where about of one Klaussner, the man mocks her dies of a heart attack and she takes his ring a map.

Now since the first movie the activation of the machine has made an increasingly growing EMP field from the base which is allowing the immortal undead Nazis to slowly sweep out and start taking over, the armies are trying to halt this to little avail.

Taking a lead from the map she comes across someone she recognises, Wallace in a bar who says he wants to disable and destroy the machine. Initially he advises her to stay away but she insists on following him with the help of the map.

After an initial run in with some Nazi soldier when going to find some mercenaries to hire they find themselves in an abandoned farm house. Lena accidently finds a Nazi in the attic later on trying to escape they’re saved by a bunch of typical soldiers the one dimensional ones who are just ass hats, we find out an EMP can disrupt the field and allow the Nazi soldier to be killed.

We also find out that Wallace is a physicist with the ability to activate one of these EMP things but they just used the one they had. They still take Wallace with them to see if he can do anything as it’s the best option and leave Lena behind.

In a scene a little later Lena in an empty school, he we see the most iffy bit of CGI in the whole film where one of the Nazi’s stabs a guy and infect him with some black goo who (now she’s met up with the soldiers again) seem to think it’s for making people into more of them.

Wallace here I didn’t know his true reasons for being here there was just a little niggle at the back of my mind. The soldier on the other hand of them the Scottish one with a sense of humour was growing on me.

We now learn if they don’t stop the machine a nuke will be dropped to destroy the area, so they are now against a clock to find some way to stop this. So they enter base and immediately find the machine isn’t there, So far Lena’s hunt for Klaussner is fruitless. It’s all about Hunt now the guy who worked with the machine.

The one dimension captain (Daniel Caltagirone quite a few films under his belt, the beach, tomb raider) now grows another dimension, showing some emotion but we mostly know this spells death for most people, sure enough a Nazi attacks and they got locked in a room and to kill it he explodes a grenade with both of them. So after some more bumbling around for a bit they decide to stay and try and find the machine.

Which they do, Wallace stays behind while Lena and a soldier go looking for Klaussner and the machine. Wallace tries to make the machine overload in an EMP which he eventually does making all the Nazis within the base killable. Reaching the machine Lena see’s Hunt tangled up in the wires being tortured explains about the machine and the symbols. Scottish saves Wallace from Nazi’s breaking in, Klaussner later appears where Lena is as she’s about to turn the machine off with the ring and tries to stop her. In a last ditch attempt to redeem himself Hunt uses electricity from the machine to fry all the soldiers and Klaussner. Lena deactivates the machine allowing the allies to kill the outside Nazis though Klaussner isn’t fully dead and she beats his head in with a fire extinguisher. The three meet up and the film is pretty much over from then on. Despite the betrayal and an open ending, which as always I won’t spoil for you

So the Horror Nation I said earlier about was this needed and also mentioned frugally the poor little amount of CGI. The CGI was a bit bad very fake and it even moved side to side from frame to frame but that’s the only bad thing. The rest of the effects, costumes and makeup was fine really good for the small budget.

Was this movie needed? Like I said no, but it ended up being a good movie and a good sequel for what it was well written and acted despite the one dimension soldiers. Four out of five methinks.

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