Brainjacked (2010)

A runaway named Tristan is lured by the charming Laney to a secret underworld run by a neurosurgeon that takes in teenagers with no place left to go. However, he prescribes each and every one of them trepanation, the practice of drilling holes into a person’s skull to alleviate mental anguish and psychological issues. Tristan submits to the operation to stop his head-grinding migraines, but the doctor has a nefarious ulterior motive for the operations…he turns these teenagers into mindless slaves that do his bidding!

Brainjacked promised a pretty cool plot, so I was ready for something that combined sci-fi thrills with some good old fashioned gore and plenty of laughs…but I ended up laughing for all the wrong reasons. I mean, how are you supposed to take seriously a film that features a doctor with a drill in place of a hand?? You’d think the writers would capitalize on this silliness and make the film light-hearted with plenty of laughs, but unfortunately Brainjacked is played straight as an arrow.

And, you know, if it had any comedy (intentional, that is) at all it might have actually been a decent movie! Disappointingly, it’s actually pretty dull and doesn’t capitalize on the fun of a “mad doctor”. Not even the gory “drill” effects could save this picture from the doldrums. Plus, all the drilling gets old pretty fast.

The film could have also benefitted by a more experienced director and editor. Some scenes are way too jumpy (like the confusing and frenetic opening scenes) while others just drag and drag. Also, the narrative structure of the story definitely needs some work. I really didn’t care for the opening scenes and how Tristan is introduced to the audience. I also thought it was odd how Laney just happened upon Tristan that night and decided to bring him back to the doctor. A bit too convenient for my taste…

Though Brainjacked had an interesting premise, in execution it just failed to delivery anything but boredom. It takes itself too seriously when it really should have had fun with its plot. I mean trepanation, crazy doctors, teenage sex slaves and teenagers programmed to kill?? It sounds like it could have made a great B-movie had it lightened up a little. Oh well…when this film comes out at the end of August, I’d avoid it unless you have a trepanation fetish!

Available from Amazon!

Book Review: Let Me Die a Woman by Alan Kelly

Blending ‘50s pulp novel sensibilities with modern potty-mouthed wit and characters pulled from a John Waters film with a cybergoth twist, Let Me Die A Woman is a kick ass debut from Irish author Alan Kelly!

The novel opens with a rather innocuous scarecrow festival in a small town…or so it seems. Before long, the scarecrows set their button eyes on the inhabitants of the small town and massacre everyone in sight. The scarecrows, who are actually beings from another plane, have much more far-reaching plans than slaughtering a whole town, though…

Years later, horror journalist extraordinaire Bunny Flask is fired by the sleazy owner of her beloved Blood Rag Magazine and replaced by rival Alice Fiend. Seething with resentment and seeking revenge, Bunny decides to confront Alice but uncovers a horrific plot to destroy the human race in the process.

Let me Die A Woman is pulp fiction paradise! It is a gritty and gory tale of femme fatales, hellacious heroines, malevolent males and apocalyptic action that really rocked my socks off! It may be a short 109 pages, but every single one of those pages packs a wallop. It is extremely fast-paced, and once I picked it up I read the whole thing in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down.

Given the skill of writing, it’s hard to imagine LMDAW is author Alan Kelly’s debut novel. His voice is one of a seasoned storyteller and he unfolds the violent and heated plot in such a way that holds you enraptured the entire length of the book. Kelly describes everything so vividly that the novel comes to life in your head and it feels like you are reading/watching an exploitation-style ‘50s B-movie, complete with monsters, aliens, gender-bending characters, chainsaws, strong women, outrageous dialogue and plenty of violence! In homage to exploitation/horror films of the past, Kelly even names several chapters after recognizable films, including Sorry, Wrong Number, Shivers, Female Trouble, Razor Blade Smile and Bad Girls Go to Hell, among others!

The characters are all a lively bunch, their colorful personalities taking cues from real-life horror queens like The Chainsaw Mafia founder Shannon Lark (an obvious inspiration for the chainsaw-wielding BFF of Bunny Flask) and Rue Morgue’s former editor, Jovanka Vuckovic (Alice Fiend’s vivid red hair being a reference to her). Kelly writes them all whip-smart, independent and hell-on-wheels.

Let Me Die A Woman is a no-holds-barred and over-the-top love letter to cult films in all their kitschy glory. With inspirations from grindhouse, exploitation, sci-fi and horror genres Kelly’s debut has a manic energy and originality that seems unrivaled within current genre offerings and comes highly recommended from yours truly.

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Book Review: Jenny's Dance by Bruce Kaplan

Jenny’s Dance was originally published in Australia in 1989, but after the small publisher went belly up the book went out of print. Twenty years later author Bruce Kaplan made a few small tweaks and decided to re-release the book himself in 2009.

Of course if you ask me, the book needs A LOT more editing despite its fascinating story…

After a traumatizing incident, journalist Michael Baird’s therapist recommends he take a nice long vacation. Michael heads to the sleepy resort town of Koala Bay, but it turns out things aren’t quite so quiet there. A violent series of murders is being covered up by the local authorities, murders which just might involve some young children with high I.Q.’s. Though Michael has been warned not to get involved or cause himself any undue stress, his journalistic instincts tell him otherwise and he is soon in the thick of it. Can Michael find out who or what is killing the residents of Koala Bay before either the authorities or the killer(s) kill him first?

Jenny’s Dance has an intriguing sci-fi/horror storyline, but unfortunately tends to get bogged down by sloppy grammatical and punctuation errors and slim character development.

First off, let’s get the obvious out of the way – apparently author Bruce Kaplan has never heard of punctuation or it doesn’t exist in Australia, because he uses it as little as possible. And by “as little as possible” I mean it is usually just used at the end of sentences, if you’re lucky. There are no quotation marks when dialogue is used, there are no apostrophes – neither to mark possession nor to mark the omission of letters (like “shouldn’t” for “should not”), there are no commas to mark pauses in sentences – pretty much the only punctuation that is used is the period at the end of sentences. I understand the creative omission of punctuation in something like poetry, but in a novel it’s kinda vital, doncha think? I had a hard time getting into the book (or taking it seriously) because of the heinous misuse (no use?) of punctuation. And the author even had a second time to fix all this nonsense since this was his second time releasing the book!!

Secondly, the characters all feel and act like stereotypical cardboard cut-outs (with about that much personality). The hero of the novel has a tragic past, but overcomes it to solve the case and win the girl…yada yada yada. There are the typical crooked cops and authorities, the “creepy” kids (who aren’t all that fleshed out and not so creepy) and the underdeveloped female characters. The female characters are probably the flimsiest, and exist in the book to only play mothers or love interests. Psh…I could go on a rant about this alone, but this book has so many other problems that I’ll refrain. Just know that all of the characters are stereotypical and aren’t that well fleshed out, making the reader not care that much about them. Also, things happen to the characters that just seem too convenient. Michael falls in love with a local school teacher awfully fast (their relationship seemed a bit forced and contrived) and he always happens to stumble upon bodies, among other things. At times, even the dialogue and interactions between people in the book seems off and a little stilted.

However, I will say that the storyline was intriguing and was the only thing that kept me reading. Despite the poor use of punctuation and the cardboard characters the idea behind the book was unique and interesting. I liked how Kaplan kept me guessing as to who or what was doing the killing and I especially liked entertaining the fact that it could be kids sucking the brains out of victims. I also thought the final explanation was satisfying and definitely not something you read every day. Though in the end there is a sci-fi twist, I still enjoyed the horror of the story (even though I had to sit through the horror of the formatting).

If you can stomach sacrificing proper punctuation, grammar and decent characters for a cool story,  you may want to check out Jenny’s Dance. The title doesn’t really do the book any favors, nor is it really relevant to the plot, but despite its flaws the actual story isn’t half bad. Just be prepared to slog through a messy manuscript to get to the gem of the story!

Available on Amazon!

Book Review: Anoxic Zone by John G Rees

The term “anoxic zone” refers to “an oxygen-depleted region in a marine environment,” according to Answers.com. In this novel, the anoxic zone in question is in the Black Sea. According to author John R Rees, the anoxic zone “occurs naturally at depths greater than 200 meteres [and] has no oxygen to support life or accelerate decay. This creates a unique environment for the preservation of ancient shipwrecks, as well as modern day detritus.” 

When I first picked up Anoxic Zone I had no idea what the term meant or how it would be used within the context of the novel, but I have to admit I was definitely intrigued. I hadn’t heard about anything like it before so I was eager to dive right in (pardon the pun). Plus, the synopsis offered some supernatural hints as to who, or what, the main characters were. Take a looksie at the description from the back cover and see if you get an inkling as to what they are:

This is the tale of two men, who become service personnel for Megacorp, a multi-national corporation that operates under its own laws. The dark cadre is brought back to life to maintain the infrastructure of a narcissistic, self-involved culture at the end of the industrial age. Chosen for their skills, Jake, a commercial diver, and Johnny, a scientist, have been friends for over one hundred years. Human curiosity and human nature conspire to have our friends discover just what they are; the whys and hows of how they came to be.

In the course of this discovery they release evil that spawned their kind, which had been imprisoned and used by Megacorp in a most despicable manner.

Their adventure takes them from Hawaii to Romania and the Black Sea, as Jake and John struggle to accept what they have become while trying to keep the evil from the hands of Megacorp and return it to the darkness of its birth.

This novel definitely has a lot going on, from Jake and John’s initial discovery of what they are to their escape from Megacorp to encountering their “maker” to plotting how to destroy him. Don’t let the slim tome, coming in at just under 300 pages, fool you -  author Rees has packed a lot of action into this novel! That’s not to say it is convoluted, by any means. The pacing of the story is quick and just keeps drawing you in as you get further and further into the story. I ravenously drank it up!

I also love that author Rees has set the book in a not-too-distant future where people have become lazy and prefer that menial and/or dangerous labor be done by a part of the population called “reusables”…kinda sounds like the current state of things, no? Rees also borrows from several different genres to complete Anoxic Zone, too. There is futuristic sci-fi, a bit of noir, a lot of historical facts, a touch of romance, gore, action and horror…pretty much a little bit of everything!

The locations vary as much as the tone of novel. We start off in Hawaii, then move to the unearthly underwater world, then to the bustling ports of Romania and eventually to the Carpathian mountains…with many other stops in-between! Rees effortlessly captures the atmosphere of each location in the novel and brings them to life. I especially loved the descriptions of the crumbling, centuries-old castle in the most remote region of the Carpathian mountains.

I loved the characterizations of our two lead characters, Jake and John, and their transformations over the years as they embrace what they really are. If you haven’t guessed already by their old age, they are vampires, though I don’t think the word “vampire” is ever mentioned in the book! Megacorp has made them and many others like this, calling them “reusables” and using them for dangerous or life-threatening work. Jake can dive to depths far further than any human ever could and also go without air for longer. John can test out disease, viruses, etc. on himself to see their effects but won’t die from these experiments. Yet, when they both discover their true nature and the true extent of their abilities they attract the attention of a notorious (and historical) Count who spawned their race…and wants revenge on those that have used him. John and Jake go from lowly “reusables” to realizing their power and becoming the pupils of their “master,” until he takes things too far and John and Jake turn against him.

And the “master” himself is quite a force to be reckoned with. Rees draws from a well-known historical figure (the very ruler who inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula) to create a menacing and scary villain that still elicits awe from the two main characters as well as the reader.

Anoxic Zone is a very unique, nontraditional vampire tale that I couldn’t put down! It is a thrilling, exciting read that tries something new with the tired vampire genre…and succeeds! If you get a chance, I highly recommend picking up John G Rees Anoxic Zone!

Order it from Amazon!

District 9 (2009)

Years ago, when an alien spaceship arrived to Earth and hovered over Johannesburg, South Africa, people rejoiced, but as the weeks dragged by without sign of life, the government stepped in to force their way into the alien spacecraft. Inside, they found a race of aliens that were malnourished and injured. In a rare show of humanity the government decided to care for these refugee aliens.

Though no one knew what brought the aliens to Earth, their ship was inoperable, so they were stuck here. After a period of alien acceptance, there was soon a backlash against the none-too-intelligent “prawns” as the aliens were derogatorily nicknamed. The public wanted them off the streets, so MNU (Multi-National United, a company put in charge of the visitors) segregated them in District 9, which soon devolved into a slum, complete with Nigerian gangsters running a racket of prostitution, illegal weaponry and cat food (pretty much the only thing the aliens like to eat).

Neither the government nor the public was interested in what went on in District 9 as long as the “prawns” stayed separated from the humans. The government and MNU (who also happened to be one of the largest weaponry manufacturers) were more interested in the aliens’ weaponry capabilities than for their well-being. The aliens’ weapons only worked for aliens and not for humans, so MNU went to great lengths to learn the secrets of their weapons. In fact, deep within the bowels of MNU, experiments were conducted  where aliens were dissected to try and find out just how their weapons worked.

In the outside world, there was still a public outcry to get the aliens out of the city, but with the government still keenly interested in the alien’s weapon technology, MNU decides to “relocate” the aliens to an area far outside the city. MNU worker Wikus Van De Werwe (Sharlto Copley) is put in charge of the relocation process, and a camera crew follows the twitchy man around as he serves eviction notices to the aliens in District 9. As Wikus delivers the eviction papers and treats the aliens like an inferior race, even gleefully torching one shack where their young are being hatched, the film cuts back and forth between this footage to interviews with people Wikus knew, all hinting at something unthinkable and treacherous that Wikus did.
I won’t say much more than that for fear of giving too much away, but let’s just say that Wikus finds himself feeling sympathetic towards the aliens in the end.

As you can see, there is a lot going on in the world of District 9. First, let me address the socio-political undertones of the film, all are which pretty heavy but don’t weigh the film down. Of course, there is the obvious location of South Africa with its history of apartheid, which was “a political system in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s that separated the different peoples living there and gave privileges to those of European origin.” It also brings to mind the segregation of blacks in the United States after the Civil War and up until the Civil Right’s movement, especially if you’ve seen the marketing materials designating certain areas as “human only”. Not only that, but it echoes more recent issues, like some people’s contempt for illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S. or the mass of migration of refugees and immigrants into other countries. The treatment of the aliens in the film is akin to many of these past and present circumstances – the aliens are abused, called derogatory names, exploited, used, and people want them out of their cities and to go back home. The aliens might not be the smartest or prettiest creatures, but as the film progresses you begin to feel sorrier and sorrier for them, not to mention ashamed of the human race.

On the flip side, you have the bumbling human “hero”, Wikus Van De Werwe, who only does what he does to save himself. Though at the end of the film you see him become truly heroic (though most humans in the film would beg otherwise) and actually do the right thing, most of the time he is selfish and cowardly. He is quite a contrast the main alien in the film, who is just trying to get himself and his son home safe. Again, you feel much more sympathetic to the aliens in the film than you do the humans. You can’t help but root for “Christopher” (the name MNU assigned this alien) throughout the film! Writers Neill Blomkamp (who also directed) and Terri Tatchell have really given us some food for thought with District 9 and touched on some very important and relevant issues.

The direction by Blomkamp is inventive as well. The earlier parts of the film play like a documentary, with a camera crew following Wikus around MNU headquarters and in District 9. There are also well-used security camera shots that fit quite well into the overall proceedings. The last part of the film loses the reality TV feel, but the naturalistic camera movements (yes, there is some shaky-cam) keep the audience in the moment!

Of course, this being a Peter Jackson production and a sci-fi action film, there is plenty of splatterific fun! Now, this isn’t anything like Starship Troopers, so don’t expect a bunch of aliens attacking humans being blow up into smithereens, but District 9 has its fair share of gory scenes. When the aliens’ weapons are utilized, plenty of “prawns” and humans get vaporized, leaving behind only chunks of bloody grue. The last part of the film is edge-of-your-seat action, with very cool use of the large robot weapon that is controlled by an alien on the inside! I also must mention the amazing looking aliens, who are mostly all CGI. They look entirely realistic and fit seamlessly into their environment, whether they are foraging for food, being interrogated, fighting back or scheming how to go back home.

District 9 is a unique sci-fi classic in the making. Its relevant and original story, conflicted characters and its harsh look at the human race, not to mention stunning special FX and moments of over-the-top gore, make it a must-see film! If you are looking for a summer movie that offers a lot of heart, depth and social awareness along with its frenetic action, head to District 9!

Available from Amazon!

Book Review: Eternal Vigilance 2 - The Death of Illusions by Gabrielle Faust

In Gabrielle Faust’s second installment of her cybergoth vampire series Eternal Vigilance, she builds upon main vampire-savior Tynan’s story and the plight of the world as the evil Tyst organization prepares to usher a horrifying vampire god named the Vicinus into the world. Tynan must battle against and defeat the Tyst’s advanced technology as well as facing the Vicinus in its own realm before it is birthed by the Tyst’s Queen and unleashed upon the world to wreak chaos and destruction.

Tynan must also deal with the weight that being the savior of the world places on his shoulders and taking orders from his Immortal Elders as well as the rebel leaders of the Phuree. He also wonders at the relationship between himself and the Tyst Queen Moria, whom he rescued from the Tyst fortress when he was just supposed to end her life and that of the Vicinus inside her.

As the time quickly approaches for the Vicinus to tear into this world, can Tynan defeat the vampire god that was responsible for creating his kind before the world is lost to chaos?

As with her first Eternal Vigilance novel, Faust has woven a gorgeously gothic tapestry that glimmers with pieces of cyberpunk placed into the fabric of the story. This mix of old and new, crumbling and glittering, creates a very exciting backdrop to the story. It really does feel like a whole new world, from the underground tunnels where hackers live to evade the Tyst’s advanced tracking systems to an old cave that used to be a tourist destination where Tynan hides Moria to the castle the Immortals reside in to the Tyst fortress.

I also enjoyed how Faust could now put more action and battles into this book. As the previous book established all the characters, the second book is all about fighting the Tyst and the Vicinus instead of just planning for these battles. Though more time is committed to these exciting battles, Faust still manages to keep her characterizations strong. Of course we get to see reoccurring characters from the first novel, but we are also introduced to a few new characters, including Queen Moria. Faust continues to make things interesting by complicating the relationship between Tynan and Moria and throwing some twists and turns to other relationships within the novel. There are quite a few surprises in Eternal Vigilance 2: The Death of Illusions!

Faust continues to use an elegant, almost elevated, way of speaking that we saw in the first book. There are times when this penchant for the dramatic becomes overly pretentious, but this captures the formal way of speaking that Tynan is used to and really helps to show us his character.

My only real complaint was with a few misspelled words, especially the incorrect use of the word “until.” In the novel it is spelled “till,” instead of the correct way of ” ’til.” This misspelling is a big pet peeve of mine (almost as bad as spelling “grisly” like “grizzly” – god, that annoys me!), so it stuck out a lot and detracted from my overall enjoyment of the novel.

Nonetheless, Eternal Vigilance 2: The Death of Illusions is a wonderful addition to the Eternal Vigilance series. The characters are so likable and intriguing that I just can’t wait until the next in the series to see what happens to them all!

Screw Twilight! Eternal Vigilance is the vampire series everyone should be reading!

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Book Review: The Good Humor Man by Andrew Fox

In 2041, the government, or what’s left of it, has banned all fatty foods, making a pound of real chocolate worth more than a kilo of cocaine on the black market. Groups of Good Humor Men, government-sanctioned vigilantes, patrol the country and destroy any illegal contraband foodstuffs they find. Meanwhile, shady nutraceutical company MannaSantos controls the market with genetically engineered foods, but people and animals are still wasting away from a mysterious, quick-spreading disease that is a result of a MannaSantos experiment gone horribly wrong.

Only Dr. Louis Shmalzberg, a fallen Good Humor Man and plastic surgeon, begins to uncover the evil behind MannasSantos and holds the key to humanity’s salvation – in the form of Elvis’ liposuctioned belly fat from a surgery his famous plastic surgeon father performed. Yet, Dr. Shmalzberg must travel across the country, getting entangled with an assassin who wants the Elvis fat for a foreign dignitary, a cult evangelizing anorexia, clones from MannasSantos, a voodoo queen, hit-men dressed as Elvi and a woman addicted to liposuction, to hunt down the preserved Elvis fat.

Will Dr. Shmalzberg track down the Elvis before he is captured, killed or before it becomes too late for humanity?

The Good Humor Man is an amazing novel that tackles serious issues like obesity, nutrition, genetically engineered food, the agricultural business, body image and many, many other important topics in a very entertaining, darkly humorous way. In the tradition of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, The Good Humor Man makes us question just where we are headed as a nation and what we can do to prevent author Andrew Fox’s vision.

We all know that America as a country is F-A-T. We are one of the most obese countries in the world and in September 2008, the World Health Organization named the United States as #9 in a list of the most obese countries, with 74.1% of adults, or 237 million Americans, being overweight. So, what if all fatty foods were outlawed in the U.S.? What if a huge agribusiness like MannasSantos took over and made genetically engineered foods like “Leanie Lean” meats for the masses? Sure, the nation’s overall health would probably improve and people would lose weight, but at what cost? What if some genetically engineered experiment went awry and millions of people and animals began to waste away? This is the kind of catastrophe Dr. Shmalzberg must deal with in The Good Humor Man, but the threat of this happening in real life is definitely a possibility. Which is why the book is so engrossing and entertaining. It may be fiction, but author Andrew Fox weaves enough facts and “what if’s” about the possibility of this really happening to the U.S. to completely capture the reader’s attention.

Fox also captures the reader’s attention by giving them a wild ride with The Good Humor Man. Though he puts Dr. Shmalzberg into impossible after impossible scenario, you can’t help but keep reading to see just how he’ll get out of his next scrape! Fox deftly writes the character of Shmalzberg, along with the multitude of other colorful characters, so that they are all believable.

The book is also extremely fast-paced, though it took me a few chapters to really get into it. As soon as Shmalzberg hits the road in search of the Elvis, though, I was hooked. Shmalzberg deals with so many different characters, settings and predicaments on his journey that at times I felt too much was crammed into the book, but Fox somehow makes it work and continues to entertain the whole way through.

My only complaint was towards the end when the book did begin to drag, weighted down by too many old characters that decided to pop up for one last showdown with Shmalzberg. I felt that the ending was drawn out and could have been pared down for a smoother ending.

Other than that minor issue, The Good Humor Man is a very satisfying read that gives you plenty of food for thought!

Available from Amazon!

Book Review: Dragging Wings by Jennifer Caress

Jennifer Caress’ new novel, Dragging Wings, is a hypnotizing blend of dark fantasy, sci-fi and horror that is near impossible to put down once you start reading. The novel’s main strength is its fantastical characters, who are all wonderfully unique and who the reader comes to care so much about. Not only that, but Caress’ story is surrounded with an air of mystery that adds to the ethereal quality of the book.

Dragging Wings features several different stories, though each are anchored by an over-arching storyline about alien conspiracies and the secret society that seeks to stop them as well as two characters named Sammy and Frankie. In each story Caress does an amazing job at making us care for each new character in a short amount of time, even if a character only appears for a chapter. Besides the memorable duo of Sammy and Frankie, there’s the wounded and confused Dandi whose past just keeps haunting her, the stern and lonely Thomas Manner who opens the book with a bang, the intriguing Iliad Strange with all his tricks, the brave Bodhan who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and so many, many more! Each new character is a delightful discovery and you wish that they were actually real so that you could befriend them.

Each story offers something new, but every one goes back to the principles of sharing, caring and love. Without those things, as you will see in the book, people tend to fall apart. Some stories skew on the more surreal, while others contain a slowly creeping dread and still others feature a more sci-fi feel, but all seem to end in the conclusion that individuality must be celebrated and people should love on another no matter their differences. Don’t be fooled, though…this book is far from being a touchy-feely love fest. There are some sinister things that happen here and many people lose themselves to the darkness rather than finding love in the light. Dandi must (literally) fight the demons haunting her, Bodhan loses his sister and his journey is fraught with peril and people who are trying to kill him and Sammy and Frankie try to come to understand what is happening around them.

The atmosphere of the story is very mysterious. We are never told much about the secret society and the alien conspirators it is trying to battle. One thing is clear, though, that if you join the fight for either side it will open your eyes and change your life. The main setting of the quaint town of Arcacia also lends to the air of mystery and fantasy…though in appearances the town seems like any regular ol’ place. The unique characters and strange stories make it feel otherworldly, though.

Dragging Wings is an entirely unique book that will appeal to the freaks ‘n’ geeks that are different but stand by who they are. It spellbindingly blends horror, dark fantasy and sci-fi into an irresistible mixture of ethereal fiction. I hear Jennifer Caress has a previous novel, called Perverted Realities, that features the characters of Sammy and Frankie and if Dragging Wings is any indication, it should be just as enjoyable!

Dragging Wings is available on Amazon.

Storm (2008)

Storm is a seemingly complex and multilayered film mixing elements like the down-the-rabbit-hole vibe of The Matrix, the futuristic feel of Blade Runner, the good vs. evil grand scale of the Night Watch trilogy, as well as incorporating comic books into the inventive plot.

Donny Davidson, known to his friends as DD (played by Eric Ericson), seems like an ordinary guy – he’s scared of commitment, into the club scene, dabbling in drugs and a bit of a loner. One night, he has a strange run-in with a redhead named Lova who is being chased by a group of black-clothed men. DD eventually comes into the possession of a small white box; a box that Lova tells him needs protecting and is a key to something only he can open.

As DD is blamed for a murder he didn’t commit and pursued by the cops, Lova shows him his past, where DD did things he isn’t proud of. In this surreal nightmare, DD watches his younger self rape his then 14-year-old girlfriend and lock his little brother in a crypt for days. All these memories, he’s told, are preparing him to open the mysterious box.

While in this dreamland, DD is approached by another figure, a man who is the leader of the black-clothed thugs that have been pursuing Lova. While Lova urges him to protect and eventually open the box, this man tells DD to not open the box and instead go back to his happy-go-lucky, ignorant existence.

With DD not knowing who to trust, will he open the box to reveal what’s inside or will he give up the surreal quest and go back to his old life?

Storm was recently released by TLA Releasing and After Dark Films for the first time stateside, even though it was released in its home country of Sweden in 2005. Its engaging story and well-developed characters, as well as its intriguing atmosphere, makes it well worth the wait!

The mysterious box has really been misconstrued and misinterpreted by other reviewers and even the DVD description is a bit misleading…In my interpretation it does not hold the fate of the entire world or the secrets to the universe. The box represents DD’s own repressed existence and when he is told not to lose it because it would spell certain doom, it means that it would be catastrophic for him, not the world’s population. The struggle between the two sides of good and evil is left purposefully ambiguous by the filmmakers. We’re not sure which side to trust and we are given the impression that there is no clear-cut, black and white distinction between the two sides. Of course, many can find deep meaning in these two figures, as well as the character of DD himself and others throughout the film, should they choose to.

Aside from the philosophical merits of the film, it also looks amazing! Directors Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein with cinematographer Linus Sandgren did a fine job lensing the film. The streets of Stockholm are dark, foreboding and gritty with a touch of sleaze, while DD’s trip into his own past is equally dark. His hometown, devoid of all people, is shrouded in fog and the streets are filled with dead leaves and debris while the surrounding buildings are in various states of decay (think Silent Hill). The cinematography is stunning; especially a scene involving a young boy crushing someone’s glasses into the pavement that packs quite the emotional wallop.

The acting is also stupendous, with each of the characters giving multi-layered performances. Throughout the film, you’re not sure who exactly to root for…at first you’re gunning for DD, but when his terrible past is revealed you can’t help but revile him. Lova seems to have DD’s best interests at heart, but does she really? The man in black certainly doesn’t seem to think so. This constant fluctuating loyalty between characters only makes you more intrigued and the storyline that much more mysterious, with each of the actors successfully contributing to those feelings.

My only warning is that Storm is not the kind of film for a mainstream audience, especially one that expects heaps of blood and guts. The gore in Storm is nearly nonexistent, with just a few instances where blood is shed. Instead of horror, this is more of a surreal thriller or smart action film. There are several very cool fights between Lova and the men in black, but when it boils down to it Storm is more character driven than anything else. Writer Måns Mårlind (who also co-directed) made sure to pay careful attention to his characters and developed them accordingly. He draws us into his story with his character development, but keeps us hooked with the increasingly interesting plot.

With beautifully slick cinematography and an exciting storyline that blends action with philosophical questions, Storm is definitely one movie you’ll want to weather.

Available from Amazon!

Organizm (2008)

The first time I tried to watch Organizm (aka Living Hell) I had to switch it off at less than the 10 minute mark because it was already exceedingly dull. A few days later, I made myself try to watch it again…and was pleasantly surprised to find that though it isn’t a good film, it is a not-so-terrible time-waster when you’ve got an hour and a half to kill.

On a remote army base that is set to be demolished, a hidden room is found containing a dangerous biological experiment from 1959. Driven by childhood memories of his mother warning him of the danger of what’s hidden on the base, Frank Sears (Johnathan Schaech) sets out to warn the U.S. Military before it’s too late…but nonetheless they inadvertently release a lethal organism with a shockingly fast growth rate. As it grows, devouring people, buildings and anything else in its path, Frank and hazmat specialist Carrie Freeborn (Erica Leerhsen) must find a way to destroy it before it covers the entire planet.

I wasn’t expecting much out of a movie that premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel, but Organizm (a much better name than the misleading “Living Hell” moniker) is a brainlessly fun movie that forces you to abandon logic and just enjoy the (bumpy) ride.

The film’s saving grace is the quick pace that keeps you interested despite its many plot holes. The organism spreads so fast that there is only time for the characters to react and spring into action. While the script is littered with plot inconsistencies and things occur a bit too coincidentally for my tastes, the relatively quick clip of the film thankfully doesn’t leave much time to dwell on such annoyances.

Also, despite the low budget, B-movie feel of the film, the cast is surprisingly solid, especially the two leads. First off, Johnathon Schaech is wonderful as the mysterious yet deeply scarred (physically as well as emotionally) Frank Sears. His growth as a character, from meek schoolteacher to desperate gate-crasher to blood-drenched hero, is a pleasure to watch! Erica Leerhsen also does a fantastic job as Carrie Freeborn, though I think her character could have been portrayed stronger.

On the bad side, some of the CGI work is absolutely atrocious, especially when practical effects should have been employed! Gun shot wounds should not be CGI’d! The organism itself, which looked like roots or gray plant tendrils, looked pretty good for the most part, but there are some instances where its roots and tendrils (especially when they were winding themselves around people’s bodies) looked pretty fake.

And, again, the script (written by Richard Jefferies, who also directed) was pretty awful, with no new twists attempted. The “military unleashes one of their unspeakable experiments and thinks it can solve the problem by blowing everything up to kingdom come” angle is pretty tired and cliché, even for a Sci-Fi Channel flick. I do wish something new had been attempted in the writing department, with a more polished final product.

Organizm isn’t a horrible movie, but it isn’t that great either. Still, you could do a lot worse. If you’re looking for a rental and all that’s left on the shelves are copies of Organizm or Kracker Jack’d I’d definitely go with Organizm for some mild (but not overly painful) entertainment.

Available on Amazon!

Bane (2008)

Four women awake in a drab holding cell, with nothing but wire and opaque paper walls separating them from masked nurses dressed all in white that scurry outside. They remember nothing of their past lives, not even their names, which is why their handy medical bracelets come in handy. The women discover their names are Katherine (the levelheaded one), Natasha (the tough one), Jane (the mousy one) and Elaine (the weepy one). None of them know how or why they are there and when they meet Dr. Murdoch and his partner (known only as the “Handsome Man”), neither shed any light on the situation.

The women are soon visited by a nightly intruder, known only as the Surgeon, who carves numbers into their skin while they sleep. Pretty soon the women figure out that the numbers signify what time they are scheduled to die…

What kind of sick experiments is Dr. Murdoch subjecting them to? What is their purpose? And can they survive long enough to get answers to these questions?

Amber Pictures wowed me before with their fun vamp flick The Witches Hammer and have returned with other solid, yet very different, film. Bane has a much more sci-fi feel than The Witches Hammer. It begins as a psychological horror film about four women stuck in a room (think Saw, Cube, etc.) but surprises with its sci-fi back story and plentiful gore.

The set design is rather impressive, with the medical facility where the women are being held feeling very claustrophobic and disorienting. When an escape is attempted, the escapee wanders the twisting and turning halls, with the small spaces make you feel constrained and hopeless. Kudos should be given to director James Eaves (who also wrote the script) for crafting such an effectively “imprisoned” feeling with the film’s visuals. Most of the film takes place within the holding cell where the women are kept (probably due to the small budget), but even though it is a small space, it works extremely well.

The acting is also top-notch, with all of the women giving stellar performances. Sophia Dawnay (Katherine), Tina Barnes (Natasha), Lisa Devlin (Jane) and Sylvia Robson (Elaine) all did a tremendous job. Each and every one of them was believable, without any of the over or under-acting usually found in low-budget films. Daniel Jordan (Dr. Murdoch) and Jonathan Sidgwick (the “Handsome Man”) were perfectly sadistic and sympathetic as the scientists behind the experiment.

The special effects were very impressive for a film with a small budget! The Surgeon paints the walls red with blood and the deaths are all very realistic and extremely gory! There are only four girls, though, so you can imagine that, unfortunately, the body count isn’t that high.

The story, written by James Eaves, is the one point of the film that runs into a bit of trouble. The explanation we are given for the experiment is adequate at first, but when you start thinking about it, it is never specified why four girls were needed or even why all their memories needed to be erased. The build-up is also too slow, with the Surgeon not showing up until at least 45 minutes to an hour into the film. If the women’s memories were erased, there wasn’t much characterization that could happen in this span of time, right? So the film starts off dragging, and when the killings start it feels like its suddenly switched gears and hopped genres to a bloody slasher flick. From there it jumps yet again to sci-fi territory (you’ll have to watch it and see how, but I’ll tell you that extraterrestrials are involved), which leaves the viewer a bit befuddled.

Still, despite the problems with plot and consistency, Bane is a solid effort by Amber Pictures. Bane blends psychological horrors, slasher sensibilities and a sci-fi story to make an entertaining (though uneven) film.

Available from Amazon!

Book Review: Eternal Vigilance: From Deep Within the Earth

We all know the vampire subgenre has gotten a little stale and hokey. It seems that everyone is creating shallow vampire characters that serve as little more than coat hangers for the gothic clothes and opulent lifestyles that their writers hang on them. A vampire story with strong characters and a storyline that involves more than bodice-ripping and throat-slashing seems hard to find nowadays…which is why it was such a pleasure to be so enthralled by our very own Gabrielle Faust’s Eternal Vigilance: From Deep Within the Earth. Faust takes the time to develop her characters, both vampires and humans, and to also create a post-apocalyptic story that is as entrancing as it is terrifying!

Tynan, a vampire that is many centuries old, awakens from a hundred year sleep to discover the world has been ravaged by many years of war. A technologically advanced organization called The Tyst now rules the world with an iron fist and its highly sophisticated artificial intelligence. The only resistance against The Tyst is the Phuree, a group of nomadic warriors that plan on stopping The Tyst’s evil plans. For, you see, The Tyst has learned that vampires exist and seek knowledge from an ancient and horrifying vampire god that would make them immortal. Tynan must help The Phuree to stop The Tyst from fulfilling their nefarious scheme to save both vampires and humans alike…and ultimately save the world he is so bitter over.

That is an extremely rough and shallow synopsis of a novel that delves deep into characters, motivations and backgrounds. To write a proper synopsis that covers the many events of the novel would take much more room than I have! Faust is thorough and comprehensive in her approach, covering Tynan’s back story as well as other characters’ without ever slowing the story down. She gives us a crystal-clear picture of what life is like after the Tyst takeover, describing the crowded and smelly market places in the city overrun by Tyst surveillance as well as the remote and dusty nomadic camp of the Phuree. Her poetic descriptions paint a vivid picture of both characters and settings as well as letting us delve deeply into Tynan’s mind.

The most commendable aspect of the novel are the well-drawn characters. The story is told from Tynan’s perspective, but Faust fills her story with many other well-rounded and memorable characters. There’s Tynan’s beautiful human lover, Jasmine, his vampire creator/enemy Phelan, and the strong-willed Phuree leaders, among many others! The characters are so exquisitely developed and have so much depth that you can’t wait to read the next page to see what they do next. Everything rings true with the characters, especially the philosophical and strong-willed Tynan.

The story itself is engaging. Faust has an elegantly poetic way with words, elevating the story of survival to a romantic level. The ugliness of the stark, post-apocalyptic world is in sharp contrast to the refined prose that graces the pages of Eternal Vigilance. Don’t confuse “refined” with “stuffy,” though, because the novel moves at a fast pace, catching you up in the story and refusing to let go even when the novel ends, leaving you thirsty for the next installment of Eternal Vigilance.

With her first installment of Eternal Vigilance, Faust has opened the vein to a new and exciting vampire mythology and I can’t wait for what blood-red prose she spills for us next!

Available from Amazon!

Closet Space (2008)

A group of researchers has found an inter-dimensional portal whose entrance just happens to be in a closet…in a house…in the middle of the Texas countryside! When the researchers, including revered Professor Polanco (Tim Wrobel) don’t return, a group of grad students arrive to investigate what happened to their friends and colleagues.

This group isn’t an inexperienced bunch of sissies like most college students in horror flicks, though. They are not only intelligent, but they’ve also traveled the world exploring isolated, dangerous and undiscovered places. So when leader Jack (James LaMarr) tells them they’ll be entering the long and dark tunnel that leads into the closet, everyone is well prepared.

No matter how many gadgets, flashlights, handy firearms and rope they may have, the group could never have prepared for the Lovecraftian monsters they find within the Closet Space. Creatures that will stop at nothing to infiltrate our world to slowly take it over…

Despite some low-budget challenges, Closet Space is an intelligent, fun and engrossing horror film from director Mel House and writer Jason Stewart. I really enjoyed how this was an atypical horror film. Instead of a boring, derivative plot, Closet Space tries for something new, fresh and intelligent. The story is such a good mix of Lovecraft, sci-fi and horror that fans from all three genres will enjoy the film.

The acting is excellent, especially given that this is a low-budget film. Besides James LaMarr who plays the leader Jack, Melanie Donihoo, Jovan Jackson, Morgan McCarthy, Evan Scott and Peyton Wetzel are excellent as the thrill-seeking grad students. None of there characters are stereotypical horror fodder, but strong, intelligent and independent-thinking. Tim Wrobel as Professor Polanco must also be mentioned for his great (and slimy!) performance as well!

With an original story, a great cast and wonderful characterization, what could go wrong with Closet Space? Well, low-budget limitations are a problem in this film. There are several instances where the picture becomes fuzzy, blurry and out of focus. The lighting is inconsistent and doesn’t match up within scenes. On the plus side, the special FX are handled by Oddtopsy FX and look awesome! There are some very bloody scenes, including a horrifyingly funny vagina dentata scene and numerous slimy tentacles.

Even through some low-budget obstacles, Closet Space still shines. Director Mel House gives us a very claustrophobic feeling as the grad students find their way through the cave-like terrain of the closet space and wisely keeps most of the tentacled creatures in the dark until the finale. He keeps the tension taut with a few good scares thrown in before the creatures begin to attack and everything really does go to hell!

Closet Space is a very original film that’s different from the usual brainless horror film. It gives us smart and believable characters, a perfectly blended Lovecraftian/sci-fi/horror tale and is filled with tension and more than a few scares. Look past its production flaws and you’ll enjoy this unique indie film!

Closet Space – Official Site

Book Review: John Dies at the End by David Wong

John Dies at the End is a hilariously frightening and frighteningly hilarious genre-bending book by author David Wong. It is a blend of comedy, horror and sci-fi that manages to mix alternate realities, creepy monsters and dick and fart jokes seamlessly!

There is so much going on in the book that I hardly know where to start with the synopsis. Basically, David and John are just two slackers until they become entangled in this weird, otherworldly drug called Soy Sauce. Most people who take it end up dead, but the side effects for John and David are much stranger. They start seeing things other people can’t see and get glimpses of other worlds. They find they have a special talent for solving “weird” cases like hauntings, monsters and other paranormal activity. David and John then realize that the strange things that have been happening to them (not just battling monsters and such, but loss of time and changes in reality) are all connected to someone (or something) named Korrok. They must figure out a way to stop this thing called Korrok before the floodgates to Hell are opened right under their little town. Throw in a meat monster, a giant, floating sea creature, lots of glowing eyes, a dog who can drive and a girl with a missing hand and you’ve got a vague idea of John Dies at the End.

This book was absolutely wild! From the moment I began reading I could not put the book down! (No, seriously, I think it was like stuck to my hand or something…) Wong tells his crazy story in first person narrative through David’s perspective. David has been contacted by a reporter named Arnie who wants to do a feature on him and John in regards to their paranormal investigations. So David relays his entire strange story, from beginning to end, to the reporter. The resulting narrative kept my interest throughout the entire novel and there wasn’t a second where I wasn’t entertained.

The tone of the book is very lighthearted and comedic, though some truly horrific events occur. David and John take these events in stride, even casually, which just makes the story even more amusing. Despite all the jokiness, there is some seriously disturbing and scary stuff lurking within John Dies at the End. Images of strange beasts and monstrous entities will probably haunt your nightmares after reading this book.

It’s also true what I said about so much going on in the book…it is packed to its slimy and otherworldly gills with a levitating, drug-dealing Jamaican, a Morgan Freeman-lookalike detective, a Mall of the Dead, a man made of roaches, crashing a Las Vegas séance, exploding body parts, Shadow People, other dimensions, portals to Hell, time travel, J.-Lo, a very odd dog and many, many hideous monsters. In other words, if you’re looking for something random, say, like a gigantic gorilla-arachnid hybrid, this book probably has it.

John Dies at the End is an action-packed and horror-filled book that spews hilarious and inappropriate humor at every turn.  The book could be compared to an acid trip, without having to actually suffer the side effects (ok, I lied; you’ll probably suffer nightmares). Besides wrapping humor and horror up together with a nice bow, John Dies at the End is a mind-bending and mind-enhancing book. Like the Soy Sauce, it’ll open up your eyes to a whole new world.

Available from Amazon!

Maximum Overdrive (1986)

When a comet passes Earth, all the machines suddenly take on a mind of their own…they come to life and set about slaughtering the planet’s population. Everything from cars, trucks, lawnmowers and electric knives go on a bloody rampage. A few good folks over at the Dixie Boy truck stop, led by Billy (Emilio Estevez), hole up and try to survive the killer machines and the big rigs circling the truck stop as they plan their escape.

More comedy than horror or sci-fi, Maximum Overdrive is enjoyed to the fullest extent if you know what to expect. Sure, it’s cheesy and nonsensical, but it has killer big rigs!!

When the movie first came out, it was slammed by critics across the board, but with good reason. Maximum Overdrive has humongous plot holes, bad acting, horribly annoying characters and bad writing. This is odd, because it was adapted from Stephen King’s short story Trucks by King himself. Besides writing duties, King also made his directorial debut (and, unfortunately, his last…King would never direct again).

With all these counts against it, you might be wondering how on earth I could ever recommend anything so poorly written and acted? Let me tell you, it’s all about the action sequences and its fun, no-holds-barred feel. From the opening sequence of a draw bridge going up of its own accord and tossing cars one on top of the other to an ATM machine with an attitude problem, Maximum Overdrive delivers!

It also doesn’t shy away from the blood and gore, something that almost got it slapped with an X rating at the time. A soda vending machine attacks a group of baseball playing kids, torpedoing its cans at full speed toward their little bodies. A steamroller goes after said kids, flattening one in the process. There are plenty of scenes of people getting run over, plus electrocutions, people getting gunned down and so on.

Let’s not forget about the explosions either. It seems that the shady owner of the Dixie Boy kept quite an arsenal of weapons at hand, including a rocket launcher. We get to see plenty of huge trucks go kablooey! Countless other explosions, fireballs and daring escapes populate the movie and keep it fun (also keeping our minds off glaring plot holes).

The action is backed by the soundtrack, composed entirely of AC/DC songs. AC/DC was handpicked by King to be featured exclusively on the soundtrack and their music complements the film’s fun and wild tone wonderfully.

As mentioned before, Maximum Overdrive has its problems. For one, it features acting that is mediocre to grating, with notable actors including Emilio Estevez as an expressionless “hero” and a screechy and annoying Yeardley Smith (voice of Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons). Nothing much more should be said of the acting, with the only thing worse being the characters themselves. Having no sympathy for anyone really makes you root for total destruction by the machines!

Also, the story is full of plot holes. For example, big rigs and other cars have a mind of their own, but one characters’ car never misbehaves. While the story has a strong start, it quickly sags when the focus shifts to the self-propelled big rigs circling the Dixie Boy. The dialogue and interactions between the characters seem pretty ridiculous, but you could also chalk that up to all the hammy acting (one of the most cringe-worthy being when a waitress wails at the machines, “WHO MADE YOU?!? WE MADE YOU!!”).

Surprisingly, King does a pretty good job at directing, and the direction actually ends up elevating the film rather than taking away from it. There are some nice shots here that emphasize the creepiness of big rigs and other equipment operating on its own. I also loved the scene where a young survivor is pedaling through his corpse-strewn neighborhood.

If you’re hankering for a good old fashioned smash ‘em and bash ‘em up flick (where the smashing and bashing is for the most part done by big rigs) that’s all fluff and fun, grab a few beers and your friends to settle in with Maximum Overdrive. If nothing else you can make a drinking game out of it and chug anytime you hear any variation of, “Who made you?!”

Available on Amazon!

Magdalena's Brain (2006)

Magdalena (Amy Shelton-White) and husband Arthur (Sanjiban) were once brilliant scientists. Maggie treated cancer patients while Arthur was working on a groundbreaking artificial intelligence that would be thousands of times smarter than a highly intelligent human and that could also learn. During a premature test, something went horribly wrong and Arthur was paralyzed. Things went downhill from there; Arthur lost all his grant money and Maggie lost her medical license. Four years later they have moved into a massive abandoned factory that Arthur's family owns to continue their experiments in secret. Maggie is run down and fed up with taking care of handicapped Arthur all the time, but fights temptation in the form of a hunky ex-patient who is now homeless and living in the building with them. This ex-patient, Andrew (David Joseph), also has a brain tumor that Maggie believes can be cured with the artificial intelligence Arthur is working on. The plan is to integrate Arthur's brain into the artificial intelligence and then deposit it all back into Andrew's skull. Maggie will then get the brains and the brawn of the two men she loves. When Maggie's brother comes back into town to help, all seems set for the experiment to take place...but at what price will Magdalena perform the experiment?

Magdalena's Brain is being released from Heretic Films, whose films are hit and miss with me. This one was a big old miss. It only runs for about 80 minutes, but, boy, did it feel a lot longer than that! It doesn't get going until about the last 10 minutes or so, and the rest of the time it just follows around mopey Maggie tending to her quadriplegic husband or complaining to her psychiatrist. It is just plain boring and doesn't have any suspense or tension. The film isn't even horror until the last few minutes or so, and then it is too little too late. The rest of the story just feels tacked on to satisfy the "twist" at the end (which is pretty obvious) and lacks action and direction.

On the plus side, it does look pretty good for a low-budget film. The production values are all pretty high, including good lighting, nice set design and good continuity...but this doesn't help a film with no heart! I didn't feel anything for the characters (though the actors' performances were all adequate) and more depth should have been given to each of them. The film spends so much time focused on Maggie, but I felt no connection to her at all.

Magdalena's Brain succeeds in its technical aspects, but fails in presenting an engaging story or characters. Horror fans won't enjoy this, and even art house aficionados won't be able to sit through this drag of a movie.

Magdalena's Brain on IMDB.

Planetfall (2005)

The worlds of sci-fi and the spaghetti western film collide in Planetfall, a new feature film being released by Heretic Films.

Two female bounty hunters compete to find a mysterious military crate on a war-torn planet. More parties become interested when it is discovered that the crate holds the last supply of an illicit psychic power enhancing drug Psylenol, which is to blame for the destruction of the planet. Can the two bounty hunters find the crate before it is used for evil?

When I received this film, I was intrigued…combining the swagger and Old West locations of a spaghetti western with sci-fi gadgets and action? Sounded pretty sweet to me! Unfortunately, what looks good on paper can turn into a big ol’ mess. Planetfall is chock full of great ideas, but they fall flat once on-screen.

The first problem is with the story. From the beginning it’s confusing and never gives a clear picture as to what’s going on. Sure, it’s easy enough once to figure out once the story gets going, but it’s less than cohesive. The story jumps around too much without clear transitions and lacks clarity. Some of the characters are introduced sloppily, so their motivations aren’t clear from the get-go. The characters themselves come off as underdeveloped and their backgrounds aren’t ever developed to their full potential. This lead to me not really caring about what happened to the characters, except for bounty hunter Wendy (Leitha Matz) who is a joy to watch on screen. She was spunky, funny and had a background that was more developed and gave her more depth than the other characters. Actress Leitha Matz delivers a stand out performance as Wendy, especially considering this was her first feature film. The rest of the acting ranges from just-plain-bad to mediocre, with most of the cast overacting.

It doesn’t aid the story that the special effects look horrible, even for a low budget production. The bad effects distract noticeably from the story and while I realize that low budget films don’t have the money for professional special effects work, you just don’t shoot something if you don’t have the budget to make it believable! Low budget filmmakers sometimes have to alter a script to make the budget fit, and that’s what Planetfall should have done. I was so busy grimacing at the videogame background the actors were plopped into that the story got lost in the bad special effects.

Planetfall started with some good ideas of mixing the genres of the spaghetti western with sci-fi, but unfortunately doesn’t succeed because of a disjointed story, bad acting and horrible special effects. It was just painful to watch so many good ideas be so horribly misused.

Available on Amazon!

Guardian of the Realm (2006)

I approach each independent film I receive with trepidation - I expect the worst, but secretly I'm hoping for the best. With Guardian of the Realm, I got lucky. This sci-fi/action/horror flick is entertaining and reminded me of one of my favorite shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with its high-flying action scenes and a whole lotta heart.

In Los Angeles, a secret organization called C.O.R.E exists. This organization and its agents are responsible for keeping demons out of our realm and killing any that get across. When an occult group unleashes an ancient evil that takes residence in one of their followers' bodies, it is up to top C.O.R.E agents Josh Griffin (Glen Levy) and Alex Marlowe (Tanya Dempsey) to track down the evil and stop it before hell on earth is realized. Think Buffy, but with demons instead of vampires, a male lead instead of a female, lots more gore (especially decapitations) and more action.

There is some serious demon ass-kicking throughout this movie, and for a low-budget picture, the stunts are incredible! We get lots of aerobatics, backflips and lots of other Jet-Li-type stunts. The actors must have had a lot of weapon training as well, because they handle their knives, swords and guns effortlessly. Color me impressed...

The acting itself is very well-done and much, much better than most independent features. The entire cast is solid, from Levy and Dempsey to the actors that play the demons. Though there is so much action going on, the characters are still well-developed and cared about them, wanting to see them succeed. My only complaint with the acting would have to be from Lana Piryan, who plays Nikki and the evil incarnate demon-god Virago. Her delivery seemed a little forced and a little out there.

The story, though it follows the basic premise of a Buffy episode, is nonetheless engaging and entertaining. It feels very well-rounded and complete - the writers (Ted Smith and Wyatt Weed) populate it with believable characters who respond realistically to situations (unlike most crappy horror films). The writing is well-done, and though dialogue isn't the main focus, it was still realistic to the story. The story also had some nice surprises towards the end, like Alex's true identity, which added much to the overall film.

While the special effects at times were a little on the cheap side (the backdrops were obviously models and look fake, the demon at the end looked silly), they didn't detract enough from the overall story to ruin it. The costuming was very impressive, with the demon in the guise of Nikki wearing one of the coolest evil outfits I've seen! There were also lots of neat gadgets and weapons used.

Guardian of the Realm is one fun, well-done independent sci-fi/horror film with many great action scenes. If you like a good demon ass-kicking, I highly suggest you check out Guardian of the Realm and I'll keep my eye on what director/writer Ted Smith does next...

Order it on Amazon!

Altered (2006)

I had anticipated seeing Altered ever since I heard that Eduardo Sanchez, one of the directors of The Blair Witch Project, was directing. I was one of the people who actually enjoyed The Blair Witch Project and I was excited to see what Sanchez would do next. He doesn't disappoint with Altered, a sci-fi/horror flick that kept me on the edge of my seat for its entire duration.

Three friends catch an alien in the woods with its mothership in hot pursuit, and take it to their friend Wyatt's house. Many years ago, when the men were just boys, the aliens abducted them, experimented on them and ended up killing their friend Timmy. Duke, Cody and Otis are out for revenge, but Wyatt warns that the end of the human race will ensue if they kill their hostage. Once the alien gets loose, the real terror and bloodshed begins...

This film begins with a bang, with Duke, Cody and Otis out in the woods hunting the alien and doesn't let up from there. I usually don't dig alien movies, but this one was quite enjoyable with its fast pace, well-developed characters and plentiful terrifying situations.

First off, the characters development is excellent and is achieved by showing the drama and tension within the group. Instead of telling us, this film really shows us who these guys are and gives us a reason to care about them. The only character I felt was unnecessary was Wyatt's wife. I felt like they just threw her in there just so they could have a chick in the movie.

The actors all do a fine job of portraying their respective characters. They were all well-portrayed and never for a second did I have to suspend belief. They talked, acted and had flaws like normal people. Again, the drama within the group as to what to do with the alien really helped achieve the high level of tension prevalent throughout the movie.

The story itself was very well-written, with loads of tension that kept me on the edge of my seat. There aren't any annoying, tacked on "twists" at the end, but there are some surprising moments, especially as to what the alien is capable of - who knew if an alien bit you that your skin would start to rot away in a matter of hours?!

Speaking of rotting skin and other such delicacies, there is some very cool and gross scenes throughout the movie, many of them involving spilled guts (including alien guts!). We also get a man nailed up to the wall, a throat ripped out, gooey alien blood, a gunshot wound and lottsa man-to-alien hand-to-hand combat. The alien itself is a vicious lil' sucker with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and long, wicked claws. For a change, it looks like they used a man in a suit and models instead of CGI bullshit. While some people might be put off by the "man-in-the-suit" phenomenon, I found it refreshing, much like Bigfoot in Abominable. I thought the alien looked realistic and pretty cool!

If you are looking for a tension-filled alien flick featuring superb acting, great gore and a fast-paced story, I recommend Altered!

Order it on Amazon!

Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor) (2004)

Night Watch (aka Nochnoi Dozor) is a Russian horror/action flick that took my breath away with its special fx and dark atmosphere. It was a blockbuster in Russia, breaking many box office records. I don't think it did too well in its release in the U.S., though, which is a shame. I wish we had more movies like this instead of pointless drivel like Underworld (though I do enjoy it as a guilty pleasure).

For centuries, there has been a truce between the forces of Light and the forces of Dark. They are equally balanced, and to keep that balance the Light police the Dark at night (the Night Watch) while the Dark police the Light during the day (the Day Watch). The balance between the two is precarious, as anyone who becomes an Other (humans with super powers) has the choice between either side, Light or Dark. Prophecy tells of an Other who will come and disrupt the balance forever, giving either Light or Dark the upper hand.

I wished the film had told us more about the Others - both from the Light and the Dark realms. This film mainly dealt with vampires (from the Dark) and shapeshifters/seers (from the Light). There are so many more possibilities!

Night Watch seems more sophisticated, at least in visuals, than its contemporary counterparts. The fx in the film are very well done - I enjoyed how the camera zoomed out on the first battle between Light and Dark to show them fighting on a very tall bridge, while hundreds of ravens flew around the battle. Also, the action sequences were very well done, I just wish there had been more fight scenes between the main protagonist, Anton, and the Dark Others. The overall look and atmosphere of the film was probably my favorite thing about it. I watched the Russian version, and even the subtitles were creatively designed to move with the action. Very very clever and stylish.

The plot was simple, but jumped around quite a bit. It didn't seem very cohesive, but I hope it's just because this film is lying down the mythology for the next two films. Yes, this is the first film in a trilogy, and I can't wait to see what happens next. The ending to this one was a bit anti-climactic, especially in the subplot with the Virgin and the Vortex. I hope this subplot sticks around in the next few movies, as it seems to have been resolved far too easily. The very end comes as quite a shock, though I probably should have seen it coming.

Night Watch was a very entertaining movie that I will probably end up buying. It is very stylish, but still has a gritty feeling to it. A very nice entry into the horror/action/sci-fi/fantasy genre. Check it out if you get the chance!

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