Freddy Vs Jason

This long awaited movie released in 2003 see's two iconic horror figures square off and instantly became a must see for fans of the two most popular slashers from the horror genre. Directed by Hong Kong film director Ronny Yu, this movie was the last in the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street franchises before they were both rebooted. Being that Freddy and Jason are probably the most popular and successful horror franchise in America made this a instant hit and classic and definitely helped the reboot of booth characters. Myself plus many others was not disappointed as the plot, the cast and the special effects in Freddy Vs Jason were not bad. The movie starts with Freddy narrating how he came to be, to where he his now, whiles scene's from his past played in order to keep us up to date, then he reveals his plans to gain back the power he lost by enlisting the help of Jason,“I can’t come back if nobody remembers me. I can’t come back if nobody’s afraid. I had to search the bowels of Hell, but I found someone, someone who’ll make ‘em remember. He may get the blood, but I’ll get the glory, and that fear is my ticket home.” but of course things didn't go as planned for Freddy as theres only room for one mass murdering horror movie icon. The conflict begins when Jason starts acumulating more body counts than Freddy, which Freddy was not impressed with because Jason was taking all he's victims and having all the fun.


There was lots of good jumpy moments in this movie, that all good horror movies should have, which were mostly achieved through Freddy's nightmare antics with great special effects where anything can happen if and when unsuspecting victims fall asleep. This movie really shows how inventive Freddy is as he likes to play with his victims, especially girls, but Jason on the other hand, don't play, he just ends his victims life's quick and simple.



 

In a funny scene we see Kelly Rowland of Desiny's Child who plays kia in the movie make fun of and taunt Freddy, obviously before she gets her ass handed to her in a unexpected way. I did enjoy Kelly's role in this movie which was the first and last time i saw her in a movie, one that i was interested in anyway, i'm also in two minds whether she used the word 'ya'll' too much in this movie.

 

Another funny and creepy moment was when Freddy turns into what appears to be a giant bong smoking caterpillar, in order to get close to, and possess a stoners body for his own bidding, i know! weird right, but all this makes for a great entertaining watch, i mean who wouldn't like to see a giant bong smoking caterpiller hey, its not like thats something you see everyday ha ha.

Monica Keena, who played the lead female role of Lori had an ok performance and i gave her a pass probably for just being a blonde bombshell with some nice assetes, but boy did she have some one liners that made me laugh and think is she serious! like the line previously used better by Freddy "Welcome to my world, bitch!" which she screams out whiles wielding Jasons machete before decapitating Freddy.

Out of the movie i would say Freddy was the character that stole the show, which should have been obvious really because of he's outragiously animated personer and dialogues which always stands out more than anyone else, especially Jason who only had to show up and slash, and after that, slash some more.

Synopsis and trailer

Two horror icons face off in this supernatural movie. Disfigured serial killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), who attacks his victims in their dreams, has lost much of his power since citizens of his town have become less afraid of him. Enlisting the help of fellow violent murderer Jason Voorhees (Ken Kirzinger), Freddy orchestrates a new killing spree. However, when the hockey-mask-wearing psychopath won't stop chopping up Freddy's intended victims, the two ghouls start to battle each other. 

Alternate Ending

This was originally meant to be the ending but was changed.

The chosen ending

The ending with Jason emerging from the bottom of the lake with Freddy's decapitated head was better in my opinion, and glad they chose to go with that instead.

 

Another alternate ending that was on the board which i found interesting, was one that involved Pinhead, another iconic horror figure from the Hellraiser movies, that would have made an interesting and sought after spin-off, but didn't get the go ahead.

 Directed by: Ronny Yu
Produced by: Sean S. Cunningham, Robert Shaye
Written by: Damian Shannon, Mark Swift
Based on Characters by: Wes Craven & Victor Miller
Starring: Ken Kirzinger, Robert Englund, Monica Keena, Kelly Rowland, Jason Ritter, Chris Marquette, Lochlyn Munro
Music by: Graeme Revell, Machine Head
Cinematography: Fred Murphy
Edited by: Mark Stevens

Production company: New Line Cinema, Crystal Lake Entertainment

Distributed by: New Line Cinema

Release dates: August 15, 2003

Running time: 1hr 39mins

Breakdance: The Movie

Released in 1984, Breakin' also known as Breakdance: The Movie, was the first movie of its kind and a blueprint for all dance movies of its type to follow. This movie took you into the world of street dance, and although it might seem dated now due to the dialogue and fashion that some might find amusing, this movie reflected the style of that time period and the dance craze that was sweeping the nation. 'Turbo' and 'Ozone' the two main guys in this movie had some great moves, i also liked what they did with 'Kelly' the female lead roles character, making her from a contemporary dance background instead of a street dancer which she had to learn to become through a duration of the movie with turbo and ozone as her teachers, we also get to see how she incorporates her own style of dance into the mix and teach turbo and ozone a little about the

world she's from which i found made the story more interesting and global, another memorable moment in this movie was the broom dance by Turbo. The energy and enthusiasm that the cast members brung to the screen is enough to make you want to start 'poppin' and locking' which was a style of breakdance used in this movie. The film was inspired by a 1983 German documentary entitled Breakin' and Enterin' set in Los Angeles, many of the artists and dancers went straight from the Breakin' and Enterin' documentary to star in the movie, This was a entertaining watch and i would recommend it, especially if you're into dance. Breakdance also had a sequel with the return of the cast members in Breakdance 2: Electric Boogaloo which came out a year later in 1985.

Jean-Claude Van Damme in the background next to Turbo

A little random info is that the muscles from brussels himself, Jean-Claude Van Damme made his first appearance in this movie as an extra, another random fact is that this was also the rapper Ice T's first movie, he played a club M.C. and described the movie and his part in it as "wack" (not good). 

Ice T in the movie

Synopsis and trailer

Kelly (Lucinda Dickey) is a classically trained jazz dancer who's tired of warding off her amorous teacher and hungry for a new outlet. When she befriends street dancers Ozone (Adolfo "Shabba-Doo" Quinones) and Turbo (Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers), she's blown away by their unique and original moves. She soon volunteers to help them defeat a rival group of street dancers, learning break-dancing skills along the way and sharing some moves of her own.

Directed by: Joel Silberg

Produced by: Allen DeBevoise, David Zito
Executive Producers: Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus
Written by:
screenplay: Charles Parker, Allen DeBevoise
story: Charles Parker, Allen DeBevoise, Gerald Scaife

Starring: Lucinda Dickey, Shabba Doo, Boogaloo Shrimp, Ben Lokey, Phineas Newborn III, Christopher McDonald

Music by: Michael Boyd, Gary Remal
Cinematography: Hanania Baer
Edited by: Larry Bock, Gib Jaffe, Vincent Sklena
Distributed by: MGM/UA Entertainment Company (USA)
Cannon Films (non-USA)

Release dates: May 4, 1984

Running time: 1hr 30mins.

The Holy Mountain

This 1973 surrealist release is the brainchild of the Chilean-born filmmaker Alexandro Jodorowsky, who directed and also played the role of the alchemist, as well as composer, set designer and costume designer of the film. The movies producer was Allen Klein, the manager of the famous british rock group 'Beatles' and owner of the independent major record lable ABKCO records, who also destributed the film which was funded by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The movements from the opening scene ritual are actual movements of a Japanese tea ceremony.

Jodorowsky states that in the opening scene, the girls themselves were not actual actresses, merely two people who "wanted to have a spiritual experience. They were searching for their own truth, the naked truth." Under the direction of a Japanese Zen master, Jodorowsky spent a week without sleep and lived with members of the the cast for a month who was also involved with spiritual training methods such as yoga before filming started, and was even advised to take psychedelic substances for more expansion of consciousness. 

After the first scene of the alchemist performing a ritual, we're introduced to the main character known as "the thief" in the second scene who as an uncanny resemblance to the image of Jesus Christ that everyone is familiar with, the director plays on this in a bizzare way that many would think of as a form of desecration.



Filmed in Mexico, The Holy Mountain is filled with sacrilegious images and metaphorical themes that are so freakily deep and symbolic in every way that it either scares you off or makes you want to understand it more, the nudity is a minor issue compared to the many other shock values that this movie as to offer.

At first look i was able to tell that this was a very artistic approach to movie making, the seventies definitely had its fair share of cinematic creativity thats unmatched by any other decade, The Holy Mountain is one of those exceptional work, the freedom of creativity desplayed in this movie is unparalleled and safe to say no filmmaker today has the balls to make this type of movie which made me enjoy this cult classic even more for its bold dipictions as the director challenges you to look at the problematic social issues surrounding religion, militarisation, consumerism, politics and even art it self.

Within all the chaos, this movie as a divine message begging to be seen and heard if you allow it, which i did and at the end was worth it and turned out to be a good watch.

Synopsis and trailer

An alchemist (Alexandro Jodorowsky) leads a Christ like figure who is known as the thief (Horacio Salinas) and seven other disciples to a mountain of immortal wise men. Together with the alchemist, the thief and the alchemist's assistant, they form a group of ten.

Speech from the movie

The grave recieves you with love. Surrender yourself to the Earth. Return what was loaned to you. Give up your pleasure, your pain, your friends, your lovers, your life, your past, what you desire. You will know nothingness, it is the only reality. Don’t be afraid, it’s so easy to give. You’re not alone, you have a grave. It was your first mother. The grave is the door to your rebirth. Now you will surrender the faithful animal you once called your body. Don’t try to keep it, remember, it was a loan. Surrended your legs, your sex, your hair, your brain, your all. You no longer want to possess, possession is the ultimate pain. The earth covers your body, she came to cover you with love, because she is your true flesh. Now you are an open heart, open to receive your true essence your ultimate perfection. Your new body, which is the universe, the work of god. You will be born again, you will be real. you will be your own father, your own mother, your own child, your own perfection. Open your eyes, you are the earth, you are the green, you are the blue, you are the Aleph, you are the essence. Look at the flower, look at the flower, for the first time look at the flowers.

-The Alchemist-

Directed by:
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Produced by:
Alejandro Jodorowsky, Roberto Viskin
Executive:
Allen Klein, Robert Taicher
Written by:
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Starring: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Horacio Salinas, Zamira Saunders

Music by: Don Cherry, Ronald Frangipane, Alejandro Jodorowsky

Cinematography: Rafael Corkidi
Edited by: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Federico Landeros
Distributed by: ABKCO Records

Release dates: May 1973 (Cannes), 27 November 1973 (United States), 11 July 1975 (Mexico)

Running time: 1hr 55mins

Shogun Assassin

Originally a Manga (comic)

Lone Wolf And Cub

Released in 1980, Shogun Assassin was actually compiled from two parts of a Japanese series called "Lone Wolf And Cub", which was re-edited together and dubbed from Japanese into English by Robert Houston, after the rights were bought by David Weisman, an American film producer and director. The original story came from a Japanese manga (comic) series from the 1970s, created by the writer Kazuo Koike and the artist Goseki Kojima, the story was adapted into six films, four plays, and a television series. 

This movie is relentless in its depiction of a samurai's avenging blade, as limbs are decapitated and fountains of blood flow all the way through the movie. When this movie arrived in the U.K in 1983 it was labelled a "video nasty" and went through some controversy involving the bloody violence, which lead to copies being seized but the prosecution attempt was later dropped and the movie was given a 18 certificate in a pre-cut and re-release in 1992. I must say the fight scenes were very well executed in this movie, and yes i meant that in every sense of the word, and as the movie gets straight to the nitty gritty from the opening scene's, i expected nothing less from a film called Shogun Assassin. Since both Lone Wolf and cub (father and child) never really had much of a dialogue in this movie, the somewhat eerie child voice of Lone wolf's cub, narrates both he's and his fathers journey through out the movie, coupled with the electronic scoring, both elements added some originality and zest to the film. A cult classic amongst moviegoers and matial arts fans alike, this movie is basically about an assassin for hire on the run from his former paranoid boss after his wife was murdererd by his bosses ninja's who were sent to kill him also, after winning his freedom by killing his bosses son in a duel, Lone Wolf still has to watch his back at every turn since his former boss the Shogun is still after him. A scene that offers some nail biting suspence was when Lone Wolf offers his child a life or death choice through either choosing a ball or a sword, which would determine whether he will join his mother in the after life or go on with his father, that was a edgy moment amongst other scenes in which the child proves himself to be his fathers son everytime.

Many of the lines from this movie are sampled by hip-hop artist and Wu-Tang Clan member the GZA on his 1995 album "Liquid Swords", which was the first time i heard about "Shogun Assassin".

 

Gza's Liquid Swords album cover

Synopsis and trailer 

Ogami Ittō, better known as "Lone Wolf" (Tomisaburô Wakayama), is the Shogun's former top executioner, who is forced to become an assassin after his wife is murdered by the shogun's ninja's. He travels throughout the land with his son Daigorō in a cart and together they seek revenge against the Shogun. They are known as the "Lone Wolf and Cub".

Directed by: Robert Houston
Produced by: Shintaro Katsu, Robert Houston
Written by: Bobby Houston
Based on: Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima
Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Minoru Ôki
Shôgen Nitta, Shin Kishida, Akihiro Tomikawa
Music by: Hideaki Sakurai
Cinematography: Chishi Makiura
Edited by: Lee Percy, Toshio Taniguchi
Distributed by: Toho

Release dates: November 11, 1980

Running time: 1hr 29mins

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)

This classic 1987 Hong Kong release was the first time i saw a movie of it's type, a action, horror, romantic comedy, and boy was it a work of cinematic greatness. It starts of as a funny script with lots of humour and then incorporates the martial arts sword fighting action shortly after, followed by the horror and romantic elements, with all that mixed together you get the enjoyable visual cocktail that is, A Chinese Ghost Story. This movie was so popular, it won a few awards, was followed by two sequels, an animated film, a television series, a 2011 remake and also sparked the trend of folklore ghost films in the Hong Kong film industry. A Chinese Ghost Story had some very impressive horror elements, especially one in particular, in the form of a giant tongue belonging to the 1000-year old tree demon, which is so grotesque and horrid it will make you shiver, also the spirit of the sexy suductress that lead unsuspecting men to their doom is also a nice touch, plus other spooky stuff. The fight scenes were very well choreographed, from the jumping sword fights to the use of supernatural powers, the giant tongue i mentioned earliar also as a few fight scenes. The romantic sequences work well in this movie with its comedic antics and cute aww moments between the enchanting spirit, played by Joey Wong, and the lead role, played by Hong Kong superstar Leslie Cheung. Years later, Cheung unfortunately committed suicide due to depression on 1 April 2003 by jumping off the 24th floor of a Hong Kong hotel, Cheung left behind some memorable moments as a musician and actor, including this masterpiece, A Chinese Ghost Story.

Synopsis and trailer

  

In this martial arts film, Ning Choi-san (Leslie Cheung), a traveling tax collector, takes shelter for the night in an abandoned temple. When he meets the lovely maiden Nip Siu-sin (Joey Wong), Ning immediately falls for her. Unfortunately, Ning later discovers that she is a ghost who is forced to serve a cruel demon, and he resolves to save her from the evil spirit. Enlisting the aid of Taoist warrior Yin Chik-hsia (Ma Wu), Ning ventures into a supernatural realm to save Nip's soul. 

Directed by: Ching Siu-tung
Produced by: Tsui Hark
Screenplay by: Yun Kai-chi
Story by: Pu Songling
Starring: Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong, Wu Ma
Music by: Romeo Diaz, James Wong, David Wu
Cinematography: Poon Hang-sang, Tom Lau, Sander Lee, Horace Wong
Edited by: Cinema City Production Co. Ltd. Editing Unit
Production company: Film Workshop, Cinema City
Distributed by: Media Asia (previous) Fortune Star (current), Hong Kong Legends (UK), Metropolitan Films (FR)
Release dates: 18 July 1987
Running time: 1hr 38mins

A Clockwork Orange

This 1971 classic, A Clockwork Orange is by far my favourite British movie to date, set in the near future as described, this movie as a mish mash of  Slavic words from other languages in Europe interwoven into a sort of cockney shakespearean English dialogue, which made me feel like i was listening to a play by Shakespear, so that was interesting and fun. The title, A Clockwork Orange also as an interesting metaphor, which is, a Clock is mechanical and a Orange is more organic like a human, and when you mix both you get A Clockwork Orange, which Alex, the lead character in the movie is turned into, after he's jailed for murder then released after he was programmed through a new experimental aversion therapy called Ludovico technique, which controls is behaviour into being a law abiding citizen. Directed by Stanley Kubrick (July 26, 1928 - March 7, 1999),

Alex in the experimental therapy, Ludovico technique.

the famous American director who lived in England, Kubrick only took a little over a year to film and release this masterpiece, the movie was originally a novel by English writer, Anthony Burgess, who had it published in 1962. The movie received a X-rated certificate on release in 1971, because despite the great storyline, inventive title and innovative dialogues, the movie was mainly about Alex, a hooligan and leader of a gang 'Droogs' who indulged in criminal acts in what is referred to in the movie as 'ultra-violence'. I personally felt the violence in this movie was needed to shape the story in the best way possible, it wasn't just mindless violence, if you follow the story rather than just the violence it all makes sense at the end.

The director Stanley Kubrick described the movie as:

 
"...A social satire dealing with the question of whether behavioural psychology and psychological conditioning are dangerous new weapons for a totalitarian government to use to impose vast controls on its citizens and turn them into little more than robots."

Synopsis

In an England of the future, Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his "Droogs" spend their nights getting high at the Korova Milkbar before embarking on "a little of the old ultraviolence," while jauntily warbling "Singin' in the Rain." After he's jailed for bludgeoning the Cat Lady to death, Alex submits to behavior modification technique to earn his freedom; he's conditioned to abhor violence. Returned to the world defenseless, Alex becomes the victim of his prior victims.


Trailer

This movie trailer as a constant flow of flashing images, which i'm guessing is to emphasise and play on the idea of the experimental aversion therapy called Ludovico technique used in the movie.

Alex and his Droogs

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Produced by: Stanley Kubrick
Screenplay by: Stanley Kubrick
Based on: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Miriam Karlin
Music by: Walter Carlos
Cinematography: John Alcott
Edited by: Bill Butler
Production companies: Polaris Productions, Hawk Films
Distributed by: Warner Bros. (United States), Columbia-Warner Distributors (United Kingdom)
Release dates: 19 December 1971 (New York City)
13 January 1972 (United Kingdom)
2 February 1972 (United States)
Running time: 1hr 46mins

I Spit On Your Grave (1978)

This 1978 cult classic revenge movie see's a woman exact her vengeance on four men that brutally raped her, this is not for the faint hearted of moviegoers, as the rape scene's in this film was one of the most brutal of all time and got banned in several countries. 'I Spit on Your Grave' was originally released as 'Day Of The Woman', and later found fame after being re-named and re-released. Written, directed and edited by the Israeli film director Meir Zarchi, 'I Spit On Your Grave' is very original for the horror genre it fits into, with the way its shot, which created an authentic feel in which the scenarios play out in a realistic way plus the simple story line works because it intertwines sex and violence very well along with a shock value that catches the audience. The writer and director said he was inspired to make the film after helping a young woman who had been raped. He said he, a friend, and his daughter were driving by a park when they saw a young woman crawl, bloodied and naked, out of the bushes. A remake of this movie came out in 2010 and was well directed with a good cast that do a good job in bringing it back for a new audience, so its worth a watch, but i still prefer the original for its more realistic scenes and revenge methods used. Many have described this movie as disturbing, maybe so but that does not take away from it being an original classic.

Yes this movie does have its fair share of nudity and sex scenes to say the least, as it features the longest rape scene in film history, roughly about 25 minutes.

Synopsis and trailer

After a young writer Jennifer Hills (Camille Keaton) is brutally raped and left for dead by four men, she systematically hunts them down one by one to exact a terrible vengeance.

Director Meir Zarchi talks about the process of finding the lead role of Jennifer, played by Camille Keaton, who is distantly related to Buster Keaton, the famous silent-film comedian from the 40's - 60's. Zarchi was also married to Camille, shortly after the movie was made.

 

The director of the remake Steven R. Monroe talks about the original movie and his remake, which came out in 2010 and a part 2 in 2013.

Directed by: Meir Zarchi
Produced by: Meir Zarchi, Joseph Zbeda
Written by: Meir Zarchi
Starring: Camille Keaton, Eron Tabor, Richard Pace, Anthony Nichols, Gunter Kleemann, Alexis Magnotti

Cinematography: Nouri Haviv
Edited by: Meir Zarchi, Spiro Carras (re-edit)

Production company: Cinemagic Pictures

Distributed by: Cinemagic

Release dates: November 22, 1978 (USA)
Running time: 1hr 41mins

Armour Of God

Released in 1986, Armour Of God was one of the first movies i saw of Jackie Chan, who wrote, directed and starred in what can be considered as one of his best works, not only does it have some of the best fight scenes in martial arts movie history, it can also be compared to a chinese Indiana Jones type movie, that takes you on spectacular adventure. Although Armour Of God might look dated nowadays, its still a good watch, for the great stunts, fight scenes and comedy aspects that Jackie Chan delivers well to the screen, which almost cost him his life, as he fell and hit his head on a rock whiles filming a stunt, this is why most of the movies middle part were more of a romantic comedy because production had to wait for Jackie to recover for the action scenes, and boy did he deliver in the end with an epic fight scene with four women, which is one of the best fight scenes ever in movie history, so look out for that.

Synopsis and trailer

Jackie, a.k.a. "Asian Hawk" (Jackie Chan), is a former musician who becomes an adventurer and treasure hunter, Jackie reunites with his former band mate Alan (Alan Tam), who seeks his help as his girlfriend Lorelei (Rosamund Kwan) has been kidnapped by an evil religious cult as a means of acquiring Jackie's services. The cult possesses two pieces of a legendary armour called the "Armour of God", and they intend to have Jackie bring them the three remaining armour pieces.

Directed by: Jackie Chan, Eric Tsang

Produced by: Leonard Ho, Chua Lam

Written by: Jackie Chan, John Sheppard, Eric Tsang

Starring: Jackie Chan, Alan Tam, Lola Forner, Rosamund Kwan

Music by: Michael Lai, Tang Siu Lam

Cinematography: Peter Ngor, Robert Thompson, Arthur Wong, Cheung Yiu Cho

Edited by: Peter Cheung

Production company: Golden Harvest, Goldenway Films Ltd.
Distributed by: Golden Harvest, Media Asia

Running time: 1hr 37mins

Release dates: 1986 (Japan)

21 January 1987 (Hong Kong)