Posted inArts & Culture

Zombie A-Hole

I wish I could say the live-action Zombie A-Hole matched those felt-based shenanigans of Massacre; instead, I must admit being disappointed. While it exhibits flashes of Mills’ indie-minded manic brilliance, three things killed it for me: • amateurish acting, • nudity just for the sake of nudity (to a ridiculously exploitative degree), and • a […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Lisztomania

Almost a year after his death, Warner Archive brings one of his wildest — and that’s saying something — to a long-overdue American DVD release with 1975’s Lisztomania. Based loosely — in every sense of the word — on the life of Franz Liszt, it’s a musical comedy horror sex fantasy unlike any you’ve ever seen. […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Penumbra

That sounds too good to be true, but stranger things have happened on the day of a total solar eclipse. And they will. Too bad Penumbra takes a full 51 minutes of its 90 to get near there. Only then does the Argentinian film approach any plot points that reveal themselves as thriller-esque. Before then […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Kill List

The less you know beforehand, the better, but know that Jay (Neil Maskell, Atonement, Doghouse) is stricken by immense stress. Struggling under the grips of the recession has placed his marriage to Shel (MyAnna Buring, The Descent, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1) on shaky ground, and their verbal disagreements dampen the spirits […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie

Of Adult Swim (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!) and Funny or Die Presents infamy, comedians Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim play themselves. Having just squandered a billion dollars of the Schlaaang Corporation’s money on a feature film that somehow runs all of three minutes and stars a guy who isn’t really Johnny Depp, […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Let’s be Frank

Each holiday has its own traditions. What does Halloween mean to you? Maybe it means that magical time of year where you can put on lipstick, regardless of gender and social constraints. It’s your chance to pull out those fishnet thigh-highs (because, let’s face it, there’s nowhere else to wear those without sending the wrong […]

Posted inArts & Culture

The Phantom of Hollywood

Witness Brian De Palma’s cult classic “Phantom of the Paradise,” the ’80s straight-to-VHS slasher “Phantom of the Mall” and the somewhat obscure “The Phantom of Hollywood,” a 1974 CBS movie of the week now brought back to public consciousness via Warner Archive. Without me telling you, you can guess its basic story points: The fictional […]

Posted inArts & Culture

Hobo with a Shotgun

Does the gag make the transition from two minutes to 86 minutes? It depends on your tastes, and “Hobo” is purposely full of that which resides on the poor side. To cult-film followers, that should be taken as a rec to rent. The great Rutger Hauer (“Blade Runner” forever!) stars as Hobo — yes, just […]

Gift this article