MOVIE REVIEW: 'DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE' (1980)

"RUN if you must! HIDE if you can! SCREAM if you are able! But if you are alone...DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE!" That's the catchy tag line that runs over the theatrical trailer for this classic piece of "trash"ploitation!

If you've never heard of this movie in your entire life, you're not alone. 'Don't Answer The Phone' debuted 32 years ago among other classic slasher-fare like William Lustig's 'Maniac' and the original 'Friday the 13th'. Unfortunately, 'Phone' doesn't have an unstoppable killer or a mainstream audience like Jason Voorhees does. However, what 'Phone' delivers is an unbelievable performance by Nicholas Worth as "the Strangler."

In my opinion, Nicholas Worth is to "Kirk Smith" as David Hess is to "Krug Stillo"...they couldn't have picked a more suitable actor for the starring role! Worth portrays a ruthless, psychotic Vietnam vet who preys on unsuspecting women as a photographer. His main target is Dr. Lindsay Gale, played by actress Flo Gerrish, as he calls her radio show and harasses her under the guise of a man named Ramon, who you'll come to remember as "the man with the headaches." Last but not least, we have the two bumbling police officers who are out to get the strangler, Lt. Chris McCabe (played by actor James Westmoreland) and Sgt. Hatcher (played by none other than Death Wish II's "Inspector Lt. Mankiewicz", actor Ben Frank). Both cops try every possible angle in finding out the strangler's whereabouts, including a hilarious scene where they call upon a psychic who actually describes the strangler's m.o. in great detail, only to be read his rights and booked upon suspicion!

Personally, this is one of my favorite slashers of all-time. There have been a number of different home video releases for this movie. Rhino Home Video released the first DVD version back in 1998, which was sadly watered-down and edited for content. Back in 2006, BCI Eclipse/DEIMOS Entertainment released "The Uncut Version", which came with a cool "O" card, which is pictured below. Recently, new wave horror enthusiast and TNA female wrestling star Katarina Leigh Waters of "Katarina's Nightmare Theater" fame released 'Don't Answer the Phone' in a brand new HD remastered edition. Until Scorpion Entertainment starts releasing their catalog of films onto Blu-ray, this is probably the best version of the film that you'll ever see. The extras from the 2006 BCI Eclipse/DEIMOS release are all here, plus a brand new 20 minute audio interview with star James Westmoreland! I can honestly say that this film ranks in my top ten list...no shit! Watch the scene where Kirk is doing his impression of DeNiro's 'Taxi Driver' by talking to himself in the mirror and you will agree...'Don't Answer the Phone' is "worth" picking up! If you don't take my word for it, remember what Kirk said: "...'cause I'm the best there is!"

My Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

MOVIE REVIEW: 'KINJITE: FORBIDDEN SUBJECTS' (1989)

Whenever I hear the name Charles Bronson, "Death Wish" comes to mind. The iconic action hero who rose to stardom with the 1974 film became a legend in his own right. During the 1980's, he starred in three sequels to the classic film series, reprising his role as "Paul Kersey" (or as some might refer to as "The King of Bad Luck"), as well as a slew of action movies through Cannon Films like 'Murphy's Law' and 'Messenger of Death', just to name a few. 'Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects' marks the end of that era. Bronson plays "Lieutenant Crowe", a racist vice cop who pits himself against a smooth-talking street-wise pimp named "Duke" (played by Juan Fernández). Crowe's partner in crime, "Eddie Rios" (played by fellow 'Death Wish 4' alumni Perry Lopez), is strictly there for laughs. Together, they try to stop Duke's prostitution ring once and for all. After watching the first five minutes of this film, I had literally found myself dumbfounded. I couldn't believe I was watching "The Stone Killer" land blows not with a gun but with his own mouth! Needless to say, this was not the Charles Bronson that I grew up watching as a kid. J. Lee Thompson, who's filmography is also legendary, is the man behind the camera, and the one who's responsible for this mess. Being a fan of his 'Death Wish' entry, I felt that I couldn't go wrong with his follow-up. I was wrong. Still, one can't help but watch this tragedy unfold, especially when Charles Bronson is delivering one-liners and shoving dildos up peoples asses.

As the age of excess came to a close, big name action stars like Charles Bronson started to fade away, while newcomers like Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal started to make their way into the mainstream. Audiences weren't interested in watching the same old schtick over and over again. 'Kinjite' proves that point. To coin a phrase that Bronson's character uses in the film, people want to go back to pot roast and mashed potatoes. That being said, 'Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects' is a film that tries to be "hip" while retaining it's contemporary roots. The only thing missing is Bronson using a walker to beat up the bad guys. My rating: 2.5 stars out of 5 stars

'CITY OF INDUSTRY' : THE MIXTAPE

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the film 'City of Industry', you're not alone. Thanks to cable TV and HBO/Cinemax, 'City of Industry' has found a new home, and a small, but appreciative fan base. I, too, have found myself among those select few.

My introduction to the late nineties film came one day while I was channel surfing. Coming across a flash of Harvey Keitel's "Roy Egan" playing solitaire while having a moment of rage caught my immediate attention, and had me curious from the word go. After watching the remainder of the film, I couldn't resist picking up a copy of the DVD to watch it from the very beginning.



Cool characters.
Smooth dialogue.
Funky music.
I was hooked.


After watching the film in it's entirety, I started searching for the songs from the film. Believe it or not, but there actually was a physical soundtrack released...a rarity in the soundtrack world nowadays. I managed to track down a cheap copy on eBay for a penny...probably the copy that "Skip Kovich" was listening to after he burned down the trailer park.

Quango Records released 10 of the hottest trip-hop and psychedelic sounds the late nineties had to offer. Bands like Massive Attack ("Three") and Lush ("Last Night") stand out like a sore thumb on this album. However, there were certain songs missing from this release. Where was Buffalo Daughter's "Silver Turkey", which was played predominantly after the trailer park went up in flames? Being the completionist that I am, I decided to track down the remaining missing tracks and make one helluva mixtape. I've also added some cool dialogue bits to round out the release, as well as a suite of score from composer Stephen Endelman, who's music was sadly overlooked when the original soundtrack was released. Enjoy!


CITY OF INDUSTRY: "ROY EGAN'S SWEET REVENGE MIX"

1.) THREE - MASSIVE ATTACK
2.) "ROY!!!" (DIALOGUE)
3.) LAST NIGHT [DARKEST HOUR MIX] - LUSH
4.) QUESTIONING BACKUS (DIALOGUE)
5.) BUG POWDER DUST [UK ALBUM VERSION] - BOMB THE BASS
featuring JUSTIN WARFIELD
6.) DEGOBRAH [ALBUM VERSION] - BUTTER 08
7.) SILVER TURKEY - BUFFALO DAUGHTER
8.) "I'M MY OWN POLICE" (DIALOGUE)
9.) OVERCOME - TRICKY
10.) SKIP'S DILEMMA (DIALOGUE)
11.) CALL A CAB - LIONROCK
12.) MR JONES - RED
13.) "NOBODY RIPS ME OFF!" (DIALOGUE)
14.) ROCCO [SING FOR A DRINK MIX] - DEATH IN VEGAS
15.) WALKING THROUGH WATER - PALM SKIN PRODUCTIONS
16.) THE HIDDEN CAMERA [STATIC MIX] - PHOTEK
17.) TROUBLEMAKER - SUZIE RAGSDALE and VERLON THOMPSON
18.) KISS GOODBYE - 88 BUTTERFLY
19.) "I WANT THE MONEY" (DIALOGUE)
20.) CITY OF INDUSTRY (SUITE) - STEPHEN ENDELMAN

Total Running Time: 74:55
Quality: mp3 320 Kbps
Size: 164.03 MB

LINK IN COMMENTS

SOUNDTRACK REVIEW: 'RUDY RAY MOORE IS DOLEMITE' (2010)

Traffic Entertainment Group have outdone themselves with their latest soundtrack re-release...the classic "blaxploitation" soundtrack to the 1974 film 'DOLEMITE' starring Rudy Ray Moore!


When I was a kid, I sought long and hard for the soundtrack album to this classic film, so much so, that I had nearly spent $100.00 bucks on my credit card for a vinyl reissue that was available overseas way back when. Needless to say, there wasn't a CD version available at the time. Luckily, my turntable still had some kick to it, and I dubbed a copy of the album onto a cassette tape and played the Hell out of that. Despite hearing the album verbatim, I had always felt like there was something missing at the time. Lo and behold, I was right, and over the past ten years, there have been a few reissues of this funky soundtrack album. Here's the lowdown on the good, the bad, and the fugly...


In 2006, Relapse Records had recognized this funky masterpiece for what it's worth, and had released it onto the CD format. Truth be told, I thought the mastering was rather lame to say the least. You could hear the pops and whistles throughout most of the tracks, not to mention a few of the tracks getting abruptly cut off at the tail end of the song. "Ouch!" Relapse made up for a poor quality restoration by adding bonus tracks to their release, which included the original "Dolemite" theme from the film, featuring the opening narration by Rudy Ray Moore, as well as a few songs from 'The Human Tornado' (the 'Dolemite' sequel) and radio spots for both films. For more information on the Relapse Records release, go here sucka': DolemiteSoundtrack.com


This past year, Traffic has released the original album in an impressive specially designed cardboard sleeve, similar to an LP cover from the vinyl era! The soundtrack has been "faithfully" digitally mastered from the original multi track files, and includes a second bonus CD, which features previously unreleased takes, mixes, a capellas & instrumentals! Honestly, I can't say enough about this wonderful release! The musical talents of Arthur Wright and the Soul Rebellion Orchestra, as well as the Revelation Funk and Mary Love are beautifully realized here, and haven't sounded better! Listening to Ben Taylor's vocals on the "Dolemite" theme song put a really big smile on my face! This is a Dolemite fan's dream come true, and a must for "blaxploitation" lovers everywhere!


For those of you who are hip to the digital age of buying mp3s instead of CDs, you can purchase the "Special Edition" of the 'Dolemite' soundtrack on amazon.com, which features the same tracks as the Traffic release, plus some extra bonus mixes for all you completists out there!

My rating:
2006 Relapse Records CD: 1 star out of 5 stars
2008 R N P Muzak "Special Edition" mp3: 5 stars out of 5 stars
2010 Traffic Entertainment Group 2-CD Set: 5 stars out of 5 stars


For more information on where to buy Rudy Ray Moore merchandise, check out the official website here, fool!: http://www.shockingimages.com/dolemite/merch.php

NOW PLAYING: 'I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE' (2010)

Today marks the "Day Of The Woman"! Meir Zarchi's classic rape and revenge horror film gets the remake treatment, courtesy of Anchor Bay Films! The studio is releasing the film theatrically in ten major cities in its original unrated form. If you're lucky enough to be in one of those major cities...go see it! Yours truly will have to wait for the home video release, which has been slated for the first quarter of 2011.

For more information: http://www.ispitonyourgravemovie.com

DVD OF THE WEEK: 'THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE)' (2010)

When I had first heard about 'The Human Centipede', director Jorg Buttgereit came to mind. The infamous German filmmaker, who brought us the cult class-sick 'NEKRomantik' (1987), gave us a whole new meaning to the world of necrophilia, and displayed some of the most bizarre and inhumanly grotesque acts of mankind ever thought possible! After watching one of his notorious horror films, you are literally left with a gangrene feeling and a bad taste in your mouth. Buttgereit's unique style of filmmaking is definitely not for the squeamish or faint of heart. However, Tom Six's filmmaking style is quite the opposite, making his debut film Von Ningue's DVD OF THE WEEK!

The storyline follows two young American girls (played by actresses Ashley C. Williams and Ashlynn Yennie) who are traveling through Europe on their passports. While on their trek through Germany, they both become stranded after taking a wrong turn on a deserted roadway while getting a flat tire in the process. Like two naive babes in the woods, they come across the mad scientist's estate and knock on his door asking for help. The big bad wolf (played to the nines by actor Dieter Laser) lets them in and offers them shelter, only to have plans of his own device. The diabolical madman drugs both women and carries them down to the bowels of his laboratory, where he will perform his greatest creation...siamese triplets! Thus, the human centipede is born!

After hearing about Tom Six's new film, you can't help but wonder what the Hell is going on here. You can only imagine the worst "shit-eating" joke in the world and even that wouldn't come close to what the film's title suggests. I was curious enough to pick up a copy at Target this past Tuesday, but quite leery about watching the film while eating a meal. Needless to say, I'm totally glad that I decided not to snack during the movie! However, I was really quite impressed that throughout the entire film, I didn't feel the need to puke my guts up, which is quite a relief! In fact, I had a blast watching this movie and, despite the horrific premise of the story, I couldn't help but laugh my ass off! Tom Six not only delivers an interesting premise to a strange situation, but he also does it in style. Granted, there aren't too many filmmakers nowadays that seem to impress this old movie lover here, but Tom Six knows how to shock your senses without alot of gross-out. Hats off to Tom Six for being creative! 'The Human Centipede' deserves a rightful seat next to some of the greatest sci-fi/horror films ever made, and is destined to become a "cult classic" in years to come!

My rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

SOUNDTRACK REVIEW: ROY BUDD'S 'GET CARTER' (2010)

For those of you who are familiar with the musical works of Roy Budd, you already know that this is one of his most revered scores. Simply put, Roy Budd is to 'Get Carter' as Isaac Hayes is to 'Shaft'. That being said, it was only a matter of time before this classic soundtrack would get re-released again, and Silva Screen Records does just that. They put the icing on the cake with this groovy reissue of the classic soundtrack album.

'Get Carter' was previously released on CD over in the UK during the past ten years. Back in 1998, Cinephile Records in the UK released a "Special Edition CD" which included a mini-replica film poster and a nifty slipcase! Being a soundtrack collector myself, I hold this version of the soundtrack near-and-dear to my heart, as it was the first soundtrack release from this film that I had ever listened to. Two years later, when Sly Stallone remade 'Get Carter', the media jumped all over it, and re-released what Cinephile had already established with their previous soundtrack release, but this time around, they added a few alternative "remixes" of the infamous "Get Carter" theme song. Now, recently obtaining the licensing rights to Roy Budd's extensive film music catalogue, Silva Screen Records kicks off their reissue series with his most famous film score.

'Get Carter' (2010) includes a total of 28 tracks of music and dialogue from the film, a three-track differential from the Cinephile release. Silva Screen Records has done a boss job of remastering the music from the original source elements! Some new sound effects were added to the songs, such as the "Intro" track that leads into the "Main Theme - Carter Takes A Train", or the powerful stinger that's been upgraded at the beginning of "Goodbye Eric!" In fact, some of the songs are slightly extended versions that were previously shortened on the Cinephile release. Listen to the end of "Love Is A Four Letter Word." The segue way between the end of the song track and the beginning of the dialogue track is quite different. My only beef with the new release is the absence of the classic lounge song "How About You" that was on the Cinephile release. Perhaps Budd had nothing to do with the song, hence the reason why it's not featured on here. There was another song that played intermittently during one particular scene in the film, where Carter (Michael Caine) is chasing Thorpe (Bernard Hepton) down the street, and Thorpe ducks into a dance hall. I was hoping that mystery track would have been included on this release, but I guess not.

The new 'Carter' also features classic dialogue bits from the film that were previously released, but Silva Screen added some new ones, including my all-time favorite..."You're A Big Man But You're In Bad Shape"! Classic!

The new release also includes a 20-page booklet featuring an interview with the director of the film, Mike Hodges, as well as color and black-and-white behind-the-scenes stills from the film. If you're a fan of Roy Budd's musical works, there's no doubt that you're going to want to add this to your collection. If you're a 'Get Carter' fan and love the music, but aren't sure whether or not to upgrade to this new version, trust me...you'll want to. Whatever you do, don't piss all over this soundtrack release, or Carter will come for you!


My rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars

SPOTLIGHT ON...GEORGE A. ROMERO

August is finally here, which means Summer is almost over! Since this is the month that literally marks the "dead" of Summer, we're spotlighting the career of one of the most legendary horror filmmakers in history...George A. Romero! In fact, this month also marks the home video debut of his latest entry into his ever-popular 'Dead' series,'Survival Of The Dead'! Yours truly is looking forward to seeing it!

NOW PLAYING: 'INCEPTION'

Christopher Nolan's latest masterpiece is finally here! The much-anticipated film starring Leonardo DiCaprio opens nationwide today. Yours truly is hoping to catch the excitement sometime this weekend. Go see it!

DVD OF THE WEEK: 'BROOKLYN'S FINEST' (2010)

This week, Antoine Fuqua's 'Brooklyn's Finest' leads the pack in new releases at your local video store. The movie stars Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, and Wesley Snipes (!), who's been off the proverbial Hollywood map since the release of 'Blade: Trinity' (2004). This all-star cast is powerfully orchestrated from none other than the director of 'Training Day' (2001), making this Von Ningue's DVD OF THE WEEK!

The story revolves around three New York police officers: Sal, played by Ethan Hawke, who's desperate for money to help out his family; Tango, played by Don Cheadle, who's trying to keep it together while working undercover; and Eddie, played by Richard Gere, a burnout cop who's just trying to get by. Director Antoine Fuqua, who's best known for his other cop drama, truly hits the mark with this film. The film has a knock-out cast and balls-out performances, including a suprise guest appearance by "Mr. New Jack City" himself...Wesley Snipes! I've gotta admit...it's great to see Wesley doing his "thang" in a film like this one.

Ethan Hawke's performance is simply fantastic as the cop who's trying to "do the right thing" by doing the wrong thing to help out his struggling family with their money troubles...a different type of role from the rookie cop in 'Training Day'! Two days after you watch his performance in the film, you'll be quoting some of his best lines, including my favorite: "I don't want God's forgiveness...I WANT HIS FUCKING HELP!"

Don Cheadle's work is quite impressive here too, and truly makes up for his 'Iron Man 2' stint! You can tell that he was working his real-life Hollywood mood swings here, probably from all of the 'Iron Man' fanboys who were giving him shit about replacing Terrance Howard. Either way, Cheadle keeps his cool by losing his cool in this flick.

Last, but definitely not least, is the surprising role of Eddie Dugan, played by my man Richard Gere! When I heard that Richard Gere was playing a cop in this film, I had no clue how far things would go. Waking up to a bottle of whiskey and a game of Russian Roulette is how Eddie strives to survive in the urban jungle of Brooklyn, New York. Seven days away from his retirement, Eddie could care less about what's happening in the world around him by losing himself to his bottle of booze and hooker/friend "Chantel"! Watching Gere downward spiral into the depths of depravity really blew my mind. Honestly, I never thought in a million years that I would see Gere do a straight-up sex scene on film again. The only other person that could have outdone Gere in this film would have been legendary actor/singer/songwriter David Alexander Hess, who's considered to be the "Richard Gere" of the horror genre.

Watching all of these characters stories unfold was truly amazing. There wasn't much "downtime" during the two-plus hours of film that is here, and what is there is good filmmaking. Without giving anything away, lemme just say that after watching the last reel, I was pumped to follow up this film with a class-sick Italian horror film...Lucio Fulci's 'The New York Ripper'! Trust me...you have to see it to believe it!

My rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars