I was never much into the 50's style Scifi films. Maybe it just wasn't my era or maybe it was just that I'd already been spoiled by the advancements in the film industry, I don't know. But I have seen many of them, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Blob, Godzilla, etc. and I always found them interesting and entertaining but not really something that I'd go back and watch over and over.
The Tentacle's Claw is the story of one man's quest to use the power of mind control to take over the world, and the one woman who could stop him. Dr. Demonious Horlack (Jim Parsons) has set up his laboratory of horrors in a quiet, seaside town. The former Nazi scientist has devised a way to control simple creatures using the power of the mind. With the help of his assistant Gunda (Geri Lynn Mackey), he has gained power over a giant cephalopod, and is using the creature as his personal assassin. Fortunately for the people of the planet, there is a schoolteacher, Marie LeMay (Tara Manuel), living in the same town. As the traumatic tentacle attacks start to take their gruesome toll, Marie begins to unlock innate, psychic abilities. Her brain scientist boyfriend, Professor Dick Goodwin (Mark Smallwood), helps her recognize the potential she has deep within the recesses of her mind. The stage is set for an epic, psychic showdown. But can she prevail...
I'm not sure what director Michael Rigler (who was also the writer) told his cast before shooting but it must've been something along the lines of "Have you ever seen the old school, tongue-in-cheek, B-movie style creature features? I want that but waaaaaaay over the top!" Why do I think this? Because every single actor in this film played it that way. It was fantastic! All the over the top facial expressions and raised eyebrows. The long drawn out dramatic pauses. Manuel nailed her part of the damsel in distressed turned would be heroine. Parsons was insanely funny, especially in the delivery of lines like "Your dick can't hear you." Bahahahaha! I caught myself laughing out loud on several occasions. Smallwood was great as well. He had that classic role of the sensitive yet chauvinistic wanna save the day man and played it very well. I was surprised when I went over to the IMDb page and saw that this is a first film for a lot of the players involved. So, my hats off to you.
What I really liked most about this one is that it never in any way shape or form took itself seriously. Rigler did exactly what he intended to do and that was to respectfully poke fun at the creature features of old. It's very well written and extremely enjoyable and I had totally misjudged this film. It's a microbudget film shot entirely in Corner Brook, New Foundland using locals. I'd like to think that people who have a sense of humor and actually take it at face value will get enjoyment out of it but there are those people out there that will watch it and over think it and then say it's just bad and it'll be because they just don't get it. Horror, no... not at all. Gory, no... not at all. But if you're looking for a fun, quirky film to make you giggle, this is definitely it. Visit The Tentacle's Claw website and Facebook page for more information.
The one truth in life that you can count on is that no one is perfect and no one has ALL the answers. Growing up, when things were bad, I was always told "It could be worse". Of course when you're young everything bad that happens always feels like the end of the world. As you age, you realize it's true. Bad things happen and you get up, dust yourself off and either try again or start over because.... it could be worse.
In this graphic and violent, post-apocalyptic thriller, nine strangers, all tenants of a New York high-rise apartment, escape a nuclear attack by hiding out in the building’s bunker-like basement. Trapped for days underground with no hope for rescue, and only unspeakable horrors awaiting them on the other side of the bunker door, the group begins to descend into madness, each turning on one another with physical and psycho-sexual torment. As supplies dwindle, and tensions flare, they grow increasingly unhinged by their close quarters and hopelessness. Each act against one another becomes more depraved than the next. While everyone in the bunker allows him or herself to be overcome by desperation and lose their humanity, one survivor holds onto a thin chance for escape, even with no promise of salvation on the outside.
I get such enjoyment from watching Michael Biehn on screen. He has the ability to morph into any character he's given, becoming everything from a soldier to a maintenance man, and pull it off like very few others can. In my opinion, this is one of the best performances of his career. It also didn't hurt that he was surrounded by a very solid, talented cast. Everyone of them portrayed their characters quite flawlessly. Ashton Holmes, Lauren German, Ivan Gonzalez and Biehn stay pretty even keeled throughout, their personalities not really changing much but every other character makes a believable transformation into someone totally unrecognizable. Milo Ventimiglia and Michael Eklund make the biggest and probably the most convincing changes throughout the film. Rosanna Arquette takes on the role of a mother who is desperate to save her daughter (Abbey Thickson) from certain death. Even Courtney B. Vance, who I'm used to seeing as a mild mannered, sure of himself, never breaks under pressure type guy, succumbs to the paranoia of being trapped with no way out.
Director Xavier Gens shows us the best and worst of humanity in The Divide. It's an intense ride that delves into the psyche of the mind and shows how desperation can turn even the most mild tempered person into an unimaginable monster. I've seen a lot of films that attempt this and fail miserably but where others fail is exactly where Gens succeeds. The film is very well paced with some really great camera work. It's obvious that time was spent developing the characters and making their transformations believable. Writers Karl Mueller and Eron Sheean have crafted what I can only assume will easily become a cult classic among horror and Sci-fi fans alike. Whatever you can imagine about being trapped in a basement with eight other people is probably not near as bad as what Gens throws at you. This is a brutal, no holds barred in your face film with a haunting score that only serves to intensify the overall atmosphere.
When it was all said and done, I was left with a few questions but it was more to satisfy my own curiosity than anything else and didn't really detract from the overall concept of the film. There was more blood and gore than I expected and it's all done very well. If you're squeamish in any way, I'd steer clear of this one. Not only does it have some pretty gory content, there are also some very violent sexual scenes that could make some viewers uneasy. I would recommend this to any fan of the genre, it's definitely worth a watch or maybe even two.
To be completely honest, I'm not really much for exploitation/grindhouse type films. I actually find them quite offensive... bahahahaha! Just kidding! Not too much offends me this day and age except when Hollywood takes a classic 80's TV show and turns it into the bumbling buddy, comedic bromance type crap that is the new 21 Jumpstreet. Just look at the ridiculous movie poster... for fuck's sake! Now a creature feature? I'll sit and watch one after the other without so much as a potty break in between.
In a small Australian coastal town, a trio of female hired killers, Beretta (Nelli Scarlet), Blondie (Karli Madden) and Snowball (Kate Watts) are hiding away in a seaside shack. Shortly after they arrive the they run afoul a cranky old neighbor (Norman Yemm) after taking a dip in the ocean. Shaking his fist, he urges them to stay out of the water warning of the dangers that lie in the deep igniting a feud between him and the girls until his granddaughter Hannah (Kyrie Capri) shows up to defuse the situation. The girls take a shine to Hannah and they become fast friends. Hannah is curious about the world outside of her small town and the rebellious lifestyle the trio represent. That night the grandfather’s warnings come true and the sea monster returns to the small town it ravaged years ago. Hannah, her grandfather and the three gorgeous killers must join together to survive the deadly Kraken’s attack.
Let me start off by saying the casting for this film was dead on (no pun intended). Norman Yemm does a fantastic job as the crabby old man. There wasn't a second in the entire movie where he didn't have me convinced. I absolutely loved his character. The girls did a great job as well. Especially given the outrageous scenes they had to play out. There were some awkward moments, just a few, but these are three vixens you definitely don't wanna cross paths with in a dark alley, or a brightly lit back road or at all for that matter. Capri holds her own as well playing the sweet, innocent granddaughter to a "delusional" old man. You can sympathize with her character almost immediately. She's a curious young girl trapped in a small town destined to rebel the first chance she gets.
I was pretty much digging this one from the beginning. One of the cool things about it was that it starts off in black and white with that sort of rockabilly flare but with the first drop of blood comes the color. It was a very cool transition that I personally hadn't seen before. There are couple of moments in the film where the soundtrack is too loud. Particularly during a key scene where it drowns out some important dialogue. A goof? Yes but not a major one. Stuart Simpson, who wrote, directed, filmed, edited and did all the visual effects, has crafted a very nice homage to 50's era film. It's grindhouse with a SciFi flare. It's campy, cheesy fun and it will entertain you the entire time. If you like that kinda stuff you're definitely gonna want to check this one out!
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The Tentacle's Claw is the story of one man's quest to use the power of mind control to take over the world, and the one woman who could stop him. Dr. Demonious Horlack (Jim Parsons) has set up his laboratory of horrors in a quiet, seaside town. The former Nazi scientist has devised a way to control simple creatures using the power of the mind. With the help of his assistant Gunda (Geri Lynn Mackey), he has gained power over a giant cephalopod, and is using the creature as his personal assassin. Fortunately for the people of the planet, there is a schoolteacher, Marie LeMay (Tara Manuel), living in the same town. As the traumatic tentacle attacks start to take their gruesome toll, Marie begins to unlock innate, psychic abilities. Her brain scientist boyfriend, Professor Dick Goodwin (Mark Smallwood), helps her recognize the potential she has deep within the recesses of her mind. The stage is set for an epic, psychic showdown. But can she prevail...
