Turbo Kid is Mad Max for the Nintendo generation. This Canadian-New Zealander production is a gory and zany twist on the standard post-apocalyptic story. Like Hobo With a Shotgun (another cheap Canadian gorefest), the film takes its low budget and ridiculous premise as part of the charm and aims squarely for tongue-in-cheek comedy thrills. If you liked that movie, you’ll definitely like this one. Continue reading
To understand Best Worst Movie, you must first understand Troll 2, a low-budget horror film that does not feature any trolls and is not a sequel to the film Troll. As you might expect, Troll 2 was not a towering achievement of cinema. In fact, at one point it held the dubious distinction of being IMDB’s lowest-rated film. Best Worst Movie is a look at how the hell that happened. Continue reading
If you’re looking for a smart and character-driven thriller, check out Sound of My Voice. The plot centers on two aspiring documentarians who infiltrate a secretive cult to expose it, only for one of the filmmakers to start falling under the sway of the cult’s enigmatic leader. Things get weird. Continue reading
The Double is a pitch-black comedy written and directed by Richard Ayoade, whom you might remember as Moss from The IT Crowd. The film stars Jessie Eisenberg in a dual role as a timid office drone and his exact physical doppelganger who has all the charisma and daring he lacks. While the presentation is delightfully surreal and often campy, the film packs some pretty heavy themes of isolation, paranoia and depression that give it a powerful dramatic core. Continue reading
Miami Connection is about Tae Kwon Do blackbelt orphans who play in a rock band called Dragon Sound and fight a motorcycle gang of drug-dealing ninjas. I don’t think a feature film could physically contain more awesomeness than that. Of course, the execution could not possibly live up to that premise. The film is a bizarre hodgepodge of half-baked ideas, regrettable attempts at drama, clumsy stabs at comedy, terrible synth rock music and graphic ninja violence. It’s amazing. Continue reading
Streets of Fire is a unique action movie written and directed by the underappreciated Walter Hill. Billed as a “Rock ‘n Roll Fable,” it’s set in an alternate-reality 1980s where the styles and culture of the 1950s never died. This is a world of hot rods, greasers, diners and rockabilly. With its focus on a gritty but fantastical setting, the film can be easily seen a spiritual successor to Hill’s previous film The Warriors, which also dealt with street crime in a brutal but oddly fanciful world. Continue reading
It’s Such a Beautiful Day is an animated film by writer/director Don Hertzfeldt, whom you might know as the guy behind the cult animated short “Rejected.” This is Hertzfeldt’s first feature-length film, though it’s actually a combination of three associated shorts. All three chapters of the film center on a man named Bill, whose life, body and mind are coming apart. Continue reading
The Warrior (aka Musa or Musa – The Warrior) is a Korean historical action film directed by Kim Sung-su. Although not particularly well known today, the movie was Korea’s largest production upon its release and served as a bit of a coming-out party for Korean cinema. The 2000s saw a rapid increase in quality Korean films, many of which made splashes stateside. Unfortunately, The Warrior itself largely fell through the cracks, but it’s never too late to check out an overlooked classic. Continue reading
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