Wtf-film: cult cinema and video reviews

Gladiators 7

Denis Klotz — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:45:36 +0000

a.k.a. I sette gladiatori directed by Pedro Lazaga 1962 / Atenea Films / 93 written by Sandro Continenza, Bruno Corbucci, Alberto De Martino, Giovanni Grimaldi, and Italo Zingarelli cinematography by Marcello Giombini starring Richard Harrison, Loredana Nusciak, Gérard Tichy, Edoardo Toniolo, José Marco, Barta Barri, and Nazzareno Zamperla After being let go from a Roman arena thanks to a very tenacious [...]

Halloween III, They Live, The Funhouse and Phantasm II headed to Blu-ray from Shout! Factory

Kevin Pyrtle — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:59:24 +0000

Shout! Factory have already done the work for me on this one, so I’ll just copy and paste from their press release: “Further underscoring its position as a leading curator and home entertainment provider of many memorable cult movie classics, Shout! Factory is proud to announce the launch of SCREAM FACTORY™, a new home entertainment [...]

King Kong

Kevin Pyrtle — Thu, 31 May 2012 06:52:15 +0000

written by Delos W. Lovelace conceived by Edgar Wallace and Marian C. Cooper originally published in December 1932 reviewed copy published by Tempo Books, a subsidiary of Grosset and Dunlap, in 1976 with illustrations by Richard Powers the novelization of King Kong is available in innumerable editions through Amazon and other booksellers. King Kong is here reviewed as part of [...]

Music Monday – I’ve Got a (Broken) Bike Edition

Kevin Pyrtle — Mon, 28 May 2012 15:39:08 +0000

I had the opportunity to see The Broken Bicycles, a local band of friends of friends, play this past Friday, so it only seems proper that I lend them a bit of shameless promotion on this Music Monday. No Amazon links today – those interested in hearing more, picking up any of their stuff, or [...]

Merantau

Denis Klotz — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:11:26 +0000

a.k.a. Merantau Warrior directed by Gareth Evans 2009 / Pt. Merantau Films / 106‘ written by Gareth Evans and Daiwanne Ralie cinematography by Matt Flannery starring Iko Uwais, Sisca Jessica, Mads Koudal, Laurent Buson, Yusuf Aulia, and Alex Abbad This write-up is based on the shorter international version of the film. There seems to be a nearly twenty minutes longer “director’s cut”, but [...]

The Big Trail

Kevin Pyrtle — Thu, 24 May 2012 03:58:08 +0000

dir. Raoul Walsh 1930 / Fox Films Corporation / 122′ written by Hal G. Evans, Raoul Walsh, Marie Boyle, Jack Peabody, and Florence Postal directors of photography Lucien N. Andriot and Arthur Edeson musical director Arthur Kay starring John Wayne, Marguerite Churchill, El Brendel, Tully Marshall, Tyrone Power Sr., David Rollins, Frederick Burton, Ian Keith, and Charles Stevens The [...]

Music Monday – Incredible Shrinking Hans J. Salter Edition

Kevin Pyrtle — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:58:00 +0000

No fancy introduction for this Music Monday, just an excellent piece of music that demands to be heard. I present the title theme for Jack Arnold’s indelible science fiction classic The Incredible Shrinking Man, adapted by Richard Matheson from his own novella and released by Universal-International in 1957. The music here is by studio composer [...]

Hunchback of the Morgue

Denis Klotz — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:20:06 +0000

a.k.a. El Jorobado de la Morgue directed by Javier Aguirre 1973 / Eva Film / 79‘ written by Paul Naschy, Javier Aguirre and Alberto S. Insúa cinematography by Raúl Pérez Cubero starring Paul Naschy, Maria Perschy, Rosanna Yanni, Alberto Dalbés, Victor Alcázar, María Elena Arpón, and Ángel Menéndez The picturesque Bavarian mountain town of Feldkirch has everything a movie town needs: a surprisingly big [...]

Music Monday – Quiet Disappointment Edition

Kevin Pyrtle — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:00:11 +0000

I was singularly overjoyed this morning to discover, by happenstance, that Geoff Murphy’s memorable apocalyptic sci-fi yarn The Quiet Earth was out on Blu-ray in Germany, but singularly disappointed when a bit of simple searching later showed the disc to be a big disappointment – a 1080i PAL-speed rendering of a bright but noisy and unattractively sharpened [...]

Hammer Definition: Dracula Prince of Darkness v. 2.0

Kevin Pyrtle — Sat, 12 May 2012 00:45:16 +0000

I know a lot of you (particularly those not in the UK) are getting antsy about whether or not Studio Canal’s replacement copies of Dracula Prince of Darkness are ever going to arrive. Let me start by saying that, having not heard a peep from the company since I put in my replacement request on the 7th [...]

Santo vs. Las Lobas

Denis Klotz — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:07:04 +0000

a.k.a. Santos vs. the She-Wolves directed by Rubén Galindo and Jaime Jiménez Pons 1976 / Producciones Jiménez Pons Hermanos / 86‘ written by Jaime Jiménez Pons and Ramón Obón cinematography by Raul Dominguez and Victor Gaitán starring El Santo, Rodolfo de Anda, Gloria Mayo, Jorge Russek, Bubia Martí, Carlos Suárez This May the agents of M.O.S.S. throw their collective gaze (warning: may turn living matter to stone) [...]

The Sadist

Kevin Pyrtle — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:54:49 +0000

released in 2010 by Johnny Legend video: 1080p / 1.78:1 / B&W / Mpeg-4 AVC audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono subtitles: none discs: 1 x 25GB BD-R / 1 x DVD-R / All Region supplements: Interview with Arch Hall Jr. by Ray Dennis Steckler, Arch Hall Jr. Video Songbook, Epilogue to The Sadist by Johnny Legend The Sadist is available now through Amazon.com [...]

Music Monday – Thrill Killing Edition

Kevin Pyrtle — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:54:08 +0000

Seeing as I just bit the bullet and ordered Johnny Legend’s short order Blu-ray edition of John Landis’ expert 1963 shocker The Sadist, this Monday’s music choice was a real no brainer. The film features one of the best themes ever devised by Wtf-Film favorites Paul Sawtell and Bert Schefter (Kronos, Voyage to the Bottom [...]

A Demonic Lamberto Bava Double Feature

Kevin Pyrtle — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:21:25 +0000

released April 30th, 2012 by Arrow Video video: 1080p / 1.66:1 / Color / Mpeg-4 AVC audio: 16-bit LPCM 2.0 Mono (English, Italian) subtitles: English SDH, English discs: 2 x single layer BD25 / Region B (locked) supplements: Commentaries with director Lamberto Bava, SPFX artist Sergio Stivaleti and journalist Loris Curci on both films, Commentary with Bava, Stivaleti, star Geretta Geretta and composer Claudio [...]

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Kevin Pyrtle — Fri, 04 May 2012 22:33:36 +0000

dir. Henry Levin 1959 / 20th Century Fox / 129′ written by Walter Reisch and Charles Brackett from the novel by Jules Verne director of photography Leo Tover original music by Bernard Herrmann starring Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Peter Ronson, Thayer David, Diane Baker, Alan Napier, Alan Caillou, and Gertrude the Duck reviewed from a screener provided by Twilight [...]

Darna! Ang Pagbabalik

Denis Klotz — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:51:25 +0000

a.k.a. Darna: The Return directed by Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes 1994 / Viva Films / 104‘ written by Floy Quintos, from characters by Mars Ravelo cinematography by Marissa Floirendo music by Archie Castillo starring Anjanette Abayari, Edu Manzano, Cherie Gil, Pility Corrales, Rustom Padilla, Bong Alvarez, and Lester Llansang If you want to know more about Mars Ravelo’s Wonder Woman [...]

The Wizard of Gore / The Gore Gore Girls

Kevin Pyrtle — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:59:49 +0000

released May 1st, 2012 by Something Weird / Image Entertainment video: 1080p / 1.78:1 audio: DTS-HD MA 2.0 English subtitles: none disc: dual layer BD50 / Region A The Wizard of Gore / The Gore Gore Girls Blood-Drenched Double Feature Blu-ray is readily available through Amazon.com. Something Weird and Image Entertainment simultaneously thrilled and disappointed long-time fans of exploitation [...]

Music Monday – Inaugural (Jet) Edition

Kevin Pyrtle — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:28:27 +0000

I’m taking a cue from The Horror!? on this one, because there just aren’t enough ways I subject our audience to my personal taste as it is. Anyway, I needed something awesome for Wtf-Film’s first ever Music Monday post, and nothing is more awesome than Guitar Wolf. Nothing. Here’s Refrigerator Zero, off their 1999 album Jet [...]

The Pirates of Blood River

Denis Klotz — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:08:34 +0000

dir. John Gilling 1962 / Hammer Film Productions / 87′ written by John Hunter, John Gilling, and Jimmy Sangster cinematography by Arthur Grant music by Gary Hughes starring Kerwin Matthews, Christopher Lee, Andrew Keir, Marle Landi, Oliver Reed, Michael Ripper, and Peter Arne At the end of the 17th century, a group of Huguenots fled France and settled on the tropical, piranha-infested Isle of Devon somewhere [...]

Murder Obsession

Kevin Pyrtle — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:48:32 +0000

dir. Riccardo Freda 1981 / Dionysio Cinematografica / 97′ written by Riccardo Freda, Antonio Cesare Corti, Simon Mizrahi, and Fabio Piccioni director of photography Christiano Pogany original music by Franco Mannino starring Stefano Patrizi, Martine Brochard, Henri Garcin, Laura Gemser, John Richardson, Anita Strindberg, Silvia Dionisio, and Frabrizio Maroni Murder Obsession is out on Blu-ray (reviewed here) and DVD [...]