Rammbock (2010)

Rammbock (2010)
akaSiege of the Dead
Director: Marvin Kren
Writer: Benjamin Hessler
Cast: Sebastian Achilles, Ingrid Beerbaum, Carsten Behrendt
A lovelorn Michael returns to Berlin to hand back his ex-girlfriend's door keys with the hope she might see sense and reconcile their relationship. No sooner has he established that his girlfriend isn't home and two plumbers are the only occupants in her apartment, one of them transforms into a snarling attacker. This leaves Michael and the plumber's mate to survive an onslaught of virus-affected people.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)

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The 7 Adventures of Sinbad (2010)

The 7 Adventures of Sinbad (2010)
Directors: Ben Hayflick, Adam Silver
Writers: Ben Hayflick, Adam Silver
Cast: Patrick Muldoon, Sarah Desage, Bo Svenson, Dylan Jones
Sinbad, the original Prince of Persia, must complete seven tasks in order to save the world from catastrophe.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)




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The Last Exorcism (2010)

The Last Exorcism (2010)
Director: Daniel Stamm
Writers: Huck Botko, Andrew Gurland
Cast: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr
A troubled evangelical minister agrees to let his last exorcism be filmed by a documentary crew.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)




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I Saw the Devil (2010)

I Saw the Devil (2010)
aka Akmareul boattda
Director: Kim Ji-woon
Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik
A secret agent tracks a serial killer who murdered his fiancée.
IMDB Page
I'll start by saying some films can be great without needing to be profound off the top of my head I'll say The Wild Bunch. Because movie wise I Saw The Devil shouldn't really work, the script is so over the top and dare I say far fetched it forces the viewer to just sit back and enjoy the action packed thrill ride rather than examine its plot.

The story follows an hunt by a police officer for the rapist and killer of his deceased wife and mother of his child to have been. After killing a few suspects already, the cop eventually finds the one responsible for his fiancee's death, only instead of just killing him out right he tags the offender vowing to track him down every time he does a crime and punish him all over. The rapist/killer though is compelled partly by his sick urges partly to see if the cop will track him to repeat his actions. This leads to a cat and mouse chase that ends up with us learning the killer is part of a larger rape/torture/murder club.

Both the cop played by Lee Byung-hun (from J.S.A.) and the killer Choi Min-sik (from Oldboy) lead performances are both superb and help hide the fact that the plot is a little on the silly side from time to time. I mentioned the Wild Bunch earlier, like that film I Saw the Devil is long, running in at over two and a half hours, but the action is relentless making it feel much shorter. Also the films as brutal as you'll see this year and at present my current fave of 2010. Essential viewing and one sadly I'd bet Hollywood studios will be scrambling for the rights to remake, I'd recommend you watch this original Korean version.
(9 out of 10)

Dream Home (2010)

Dream Home (2010)
akaWai dor lei ah yut ho
Director: Ho-Cheung Pang
Writer: Ho-Cheung Pang
Cast: Josie Ho, Eason Chan
Cheng Li-sheung is a young, upwardly mobile professional finally ready to invest in her first home. But when the deal falls through, she is forced to keep her dream alive - even if it means keeping her would-be neighbors dead.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)


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Bloodstained Romance (2009)

Bloodstained Romance (2009)
Director: Travis B. Miller
Writer: Travis B. Miller
Cast: Chris Burchette, Cameron Wright, Adam Anderson
Holdens a young college student who has never believed in love at first sight...until he sees Sadie, a sweet young coed who is everything he's ever wanted. But when Holden's anti-social behavior gets in the way of his attempts to talk to her, his life starts to unravel. Holden believes he loves her and doesn't want to let that love go. He would do anything to keep it and as the thin line between love and obsession begins to smudge and fade, so does his reasoning for right and wrong. Soon lies turn to murder launching Holden into a spiraling bloodbath of violence and desperation as he tries to hide the infatuation that feeds his madness. Through it all, he tries to cling to a trembling grip on reality, as love and pain coalesce into a shocking climax.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)

The Cursed (2010)

The Cursed (2010)
Director: Joel Bender
Writer: D. Martin Watson
Cast: Louis Mandylor, Brad Thornton, Costas Mandylor
A supernatural thriller set in a cozy Tennessee town where Sheriff Jimmy Muldoon and younger brother, Deputy Lloyd Muldoon, have a firm grasp of law and order until a stranger, Denny White, comes to town and horrible things begin to happen.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)


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Detention (2010)

Detention (2010)
Director: James D.R. Hickox
Writer: James D.R. Hickox, Stephen Johnston
Cast: David Carradine, Rachel Sterling, Zelda Williams
A group of high school students are sent to Detention. Abandoned and locked in, images of Ghosts appear as they attempt to escape, only to find themselves connected to a past horrific death and made responsible for it with their lives.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)


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Deadland (2009)

Deadland (2009)
Director: Damon O'Steen
Writer: Gary Weeks
Cast: Gary Weeks, Brian Tee, William Katt
Intertwined within it's sci-fi action/thriller roots, at its core DEADLAND is a story of hope set in a post-apocalyptic world. After five years of searching, survivor Sean Kalos stumbles upon proof that his missing wife may still be alive in the new United Provinces. World War III's nuclear strikes on the U.S. set the nation back 200 years, and hope is all but lost when every survivor of the war is infected by a fatal nuclear plague. What was designed to be the new rebirth has become martial law, and the Officers of the Province wield their power with cruelty. When Sean crosses them, he finds himself in the middle of a personal war, and his quest for his wife inspires hope in a land that has forgotten the meaning of the word.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)

Assault Girls (2009)

Assault Girls (2009)
aka Asaruto gâruzu
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Writer: Mamoru Oshii
Cast: Yoshikazu Fujiki,Rinko Kikuchi, Meisa Kuroki
A post-apocalyptic desert battlefield where giant monsters named "Suna Kujira" (some sort of huge worm in the dessert) roam. Three beautiful assault rifle wielding female hunters Gray, Lucifer and Colonel, engage in a battle with the monsters.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)

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The First Men in the Moon (2010)

The First Men in the Moon (2010)
Director: Damon Thomas
Writer: Mark Gatiss
Cast: Rory Kinnear, Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton
In 1969 the Apollo moon landing is to be televised internationally but at a country fair in England a small boy named Jim meets the 90-year-old Julius Bedford who tells him that,in 1909,as a struggling writer,he met eccentric Professor Cavor,inventor of Cavorite,a gravity-defying substance which they used to build a sphere,which took them to the Moon. Captured by ant-like Selenites,Bedford was anxious to make his escape but Cavor was happy to stay and communicate with the Moon-dwellers. Back on Earth Bedford hears via wireless that Cavor was forced to kill himself and the Moon-dwellers to prevent them from invading Earth. As Jim watches the Apollo landing with his parents back in the present he sees a Selenite,hiding behind a lunar rock,peering at the astronauts.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)

Best Worst Movie (2009)

Best Worst Movie (2009)
Director: Michael Stephenson
Writer: Michael Stephenson
Cast: George Hardy, Michael Stephenson, Darren Ewing, Jason Steadman, Jason Wright
A look at the making of the film Troll 2 (1990) and its journey from being crowned the "worst film of all time" to a cherished cult classic.
IMDB Page
Honest documentary based on the horrendously bad movie Troll 2, and the cult fans its picked up in the 18 years since it was released. Its directed by Michael Stephenson who played the kid and features George Hardy who stared as the dad. Also has Brief interviews with the films Director & Writer as they join a road trip of screenings across the US.

Not since Tim Burton released his movie Ed Wood, have b-movies had a more fitting tribute. Best moment is when they track down the reclusive agoraphobic actress Margo Prey who played the mother, and they re-enact the scene they sang Row Row Row Your Boat as Margo's distressed aged mother complains about them being in the house. None of Troll 2's cast or crew have done anything of substance since making the film and in someways it feels like capturing peoples failed lives after having made a legendary failed movie, only really George Hardy seems to live a stable life as a dentist. He comes across fantastically passionate for most part, but clearly gets a little bored of the road trip towards the end after seeing the film 20+ times and having to sit for hours at film events. Sadly with the exception of the odd TV show like The Incredibly Strange Film Show not enough people document these unsung heroes of trash cinema, so its highly recommended viewing for cult movie fans.
(8 out of 10)

Enter the Void (2009)

Enter the Void (2009)
Director: Gaspar Noé
Writers: Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Gaspar Noé
Cast: Nathaniel Brown, Paz de la Huerta, Cyril Roy, Olly Alexander
A drug-dealing teen is killed in Japan, after which he reappears as a ghost to watch over his sister.
IMDB Page
Hallucinogenic head fuck (& spirit fuck) from Gaspar Noe the fantastic subversive director of I Stand Alone & Irreversible. Plot follows drug using/dealing Oscar as he dies and floats off into spirit form, he witneses what happens after his death as he rises from his drug addled body in a gutter like toilet, to his sister Linda's grief at being left alone. We also learn of his past, from birth and love he felt for his mother to car accident when he was about 8 where he lost both parents leaving him and his sister alone. We also learn that Oscar and Linda have developed a strange close bond together since their loss at such a young age. Thankfully if this sounds confusing we aren't alone in this journey we are slowly guided into it by Oscars friend Alex and his descriptions about the Tibetan Book of the Dead's theory, that we all leave our body and get to see our lives before we move to the next circle. It all ends in either a wickedly cruel way or an extremely clever twist, depending on the viewers point of view or even as I've read, version/cut you've been watching.

Its a visual/audio treat from its hyper flashing titles sequence to the very last scene, set among the neon lights of Tokyo and its seedier back street clubs,crack houses and strip joints. And filmed in 3rd person as if we are actually moving and following Oscar (this feels a little like the other world sequences of Jean Cocteau's 'Orphee' crossed with the puke induced head spinning sexual depravity of Jonas Akerlund promo video for Prodigys Smack My Bitch Up. The music is a subtle dreamlike mix of electronica and creepy Carnival of Souls like organ music. Enter the Void isn't as successful as Irreversible and say Some I dare think may say is style over substance, personally I'd class it style and some substance abuse, but whatever the viewers final verdict is, its an essential viewing experience.
(8 out of 10)

Big Tits Zombie (2010)

Big Tits Zombie (2010)
aka Big Tits Dragon, KyonyĂ» Doragon, Big Tits Zombie 3D
Director: Takao Nakano
Writers: Rei Mikamoto, Takao Nakano
Cast: Sola Aoi, Io Aikawa, Saori AndĂ´
Five strippers in a customer-less club stumble across a secret passageway in the club that leads to The Well of the Dead and The Book of the Dead. They read the incantations from the book out loud and unknowingly, unleash the Undead on the world! Only they (and their kick ass action and chainsaws) can stop the zombie army now!
IMDB Page
Plot (hehe like it even tries) follows Lena a dancer in a caberete theatre, along with her fellow dancers she finds a trap door in the dressing room. It leads to an hidden room in the basement thats full of old items, among the junk they find a book of dead and foolishly one of the dancers reads it. This causes a chain of spooky events and makes the dead rise.

Its all very cheap and cheerfull with references to other zombie films like NOTLD and Evil Dead even nods to Spaggetti westerns. The girls are great looking as are the bright costumes and sets. Even though the girls arm themself with chainsaws & samuarai swords the gore fx are more cartoonish than gory. The zombies very Asian and more like something out of some Osaku/Cosplay party than your usual rotting undead, everything from zombies playing ping pong with an eye to a midget zombie, theres even a fire breathing zombie vagina (now thats something I've not seen before). Like mentioned the plots very thin purely a means to string one bit of action to the next, but with the runtime being just over the hour mark it never out stays its welcome, can't wait for the sure to be made BTZ II now (note theres a old style red/blue 3D version which I've been told is pretty poor only covering one action scene).
(7 out of 10)

Chatroom (2010)

Chatroom (2010)
aka Ch@troom
Director: Hideo Nakata
Writer: Enda Walsh
Cast: Aaron Johnson, Imogen Poots, Matthew Beard
A group of teenagers encourage each other's bad behavior.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)



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Needle (2010)

Needle (2010)
Director: John V. Soto
Writer: Anthony Egan, John V. Soto
Cast: Jane Badler, Jessica Marais, Travis Fimmel
A killer uses an 18th century machine with supernatural powers to terrorize students at Saint Mary's College.
IMDB Page
Supernatural horror about a strange box that creates a voodoo doll from any photo you place inside it. An attractive cast and smooth pace can't hide the fact its all been done before, its basically an Australian Final Destination clone. Sadly its also pretty mild with no nudity or real gore to hold peoples attentions away from the dull script. By no means the worst horror/thriller of year, but so average you won't remember it for very long.
(5 out of 10)

Deadfall Trail (2009)

Deadfall Trail (2009)
Director: Roze
Writers: Candace Rose, Roze
Cast: Cavin Gray Schneider, Richard Anderson, Shane Dean
A deadly turn of events pits two men against each other in a fight for their own survival when a camping trip in the Arizona pine forest goes horribly wrong.
IMDB Page
(Not Yet Rated)


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Damned by Dawn (2009)

Damned by Dawn (2009)
Director: Brett Anstey
Writer: Brett Anstey
Cast: Renee Willner, Bridget Neval, Dawn Klingberg
During a violent thunderstorm, a family is awoken by piercing shrieks which summon the dead to rise again.
IMDB Page
Light lowbudget supernatural horror from down under, when Claire and Paul go to visit relatives, Claires grandmother hands her an urn which in turn sets about a series of creepy encounters including incidents with banshees, demons and undead living skeletons. The trouble is the plots scrappy and Damned by Dawn's heavy use of substandard cgi effects does little to help it. Acting isn't so bad and maybe with more time under his belt writer/director Brett Anstey may come up with something more watchable, sadly for me this is one to miss.
(4 out of 10)

Born of Earth (2008)

Born of Earth (2008)
Director: Tommy Brunswick
Writer: Joseph Thompson
Cast: Daniel Baldwin, James Russo, Brad Dourif
Over centuries humans have been mysteriously disappearing with no explanations, just hushed whispers in the dark.
IMDB Page
Danny Kessler (one of the lesser known Baldwin brothers) loses his kids to a set of underground dwelling demons. So with the aid of a writer who knows about these demons, sets about finding answers and the possibility his children are still alive.

Dire cable TV feeling horror from one of the few female horror directors Tommy Brunswick (have heard good word of mouth with her newest film Exit 33), costumes are of Halloween standard, acting is poor including the usually good Brad Dourif (who's role amounts to little more than a cameo), story's dull imagine an episode of Supernatural but without the Sam and Dean chemistry, ohh and boy could the whole production have done with more lights. So many better lower budget titles to waste your time on.

(3½ out of 10)

Psychoville Halloween Special (2010)

Psychoville Halloween Special (2010)
Director: Matt Lipsey
Writers: Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith
Cast: Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton, Dawn French
Psychoville returns with a spooktacular hour-long Halloween special. Four tales of terror unfold as location manager Phil Walker investigates the abandoned ruins of Ravenhill Psychiactric hospital. Does the ghost of evil governess Edwina Kenchington still walk the empty corridors? What other horrors lie within these crumbling walls?
IMDB Page
Hugely entertaining Halloween special that played homage to the old British Amicus styled anthology horror. Writers/Actors Pemberton & Shearsmith started as part of the group behind the dark British comedy series League of Gentlemen, they returned together last year for the six part Psychoville, which even though it contained great characters, plenty of laughs and macabre moments never really reached their former shows levels of comedy. Thankfully this anthology brings most their characters back in little self contained stories linked by a TV researcher who is trying to find a haunted building for a supernatural reality show hes developing. The stories contain a clown (psychovilles own Mr Jolly) who gets spooked by two undead trick or treating kids, Oscar Lomax our blind rare toy collector gets visions of the dead when he gets a new eye transplant, nurse joy gets her own unique way back at her husband after his constant nagging drives her nuts and serial killer fan David and his over protective mother Maureen hitchhike a ride from someone they suspect as being a lady killer. Was all very clever giving enough to previous fans yet still making it accessible to new viewers, a real BBC treat for a cold wet Halloween night.
(9 out of 10)

The Walking Dead (2010)

The Walking Dead (2010)
Director: Frank Darabont (Pilot)
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Cast: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Laurie Holden, Lennie James
Police officer Rick Grimes leads a group of survivors in a world overrun by zombies.
IMDB Page
Episode #1: Days Gone Bye
Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes gets shot during duty and ends up in a coma. On waking up he finds he's in what at first appears to be a deserted hospital. Doesn't take long until he finds the truth that he's been sleeping while his town, country and possibly the whole world as become overrun by flesh-eating zombies. Rick's only goal now is to find his wife and son, luckily he finds hes not the only living survivor.

Fantastic action packed debut episode of the Frank Darabont created television version of Robert Kirkman's epic zombie comic The Walking Dead. Having been a fan of the comic many years I'm glad AMC the American cable station behind it have done it justice. Just the right mix of action drama and gore which thankfully isn't too CGI heavy (though they clearly use it for some of the blood spurts). Andrew Lincoln as Grimes might take US viewers a little while to truly appreciate with brief signs of his British accent showing but I personally think he's well cast and can't wait to see him grow even more in the role.
(9 out of 10)
Episode #2: Guts
At the end of the first episode we learnt Rick's wife and child could of been taken to a local military camp, only he hadn't imagined the hordes of zombies (known in the show as walkers) had grown into this many and ended up trapped inside a tank. Thankfully a man named Glenn helps him escape to temporary shelter inside a local store, where he and a small group of survivors have been staying. Not being secure enough the small group makes a plan to escape that involves disguising both Rick and Glenn as walkers using the decayed guts of a zombie.

Even more action than the first episode, and featuring a great slice of acting by Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer actor Micheal Rooker as a racist redneck. I really enjoyed this had a smile on my face the whole episode, the use of the siren blazing car attracting undead masses was a fantastic ending to the episode. The good news is AMC have commissioned 13 more episodes for a 2nd season, as its become their the biggest viewed show, and even one of the most viewed shows in the history of cable.
(9½ out of 10)
Episode #3: Tell It to the Frogs
reviewed when aired
(not yet rated)
Episode #4: Vatos
reviewed when aired
(not yet rated)
Episode #5: Wildfire
reviewed when aired
(not yet rated)
Episode #6: TS-19
reviewed when aired
(not yet rated)