No Retreat, No Surrender

Genre - Martial Arts/Action
Year Released - 1986
Running Time - 85 minutes
Directed by Corey Yuen (who has directed a slew of Jet Li flicks, as well as So Close - with Qi Shu, The Transporter, and DOA: Dead or Alive. He was also the martial arts choreographer behind War and The Transporter 3)
Written by Corey Yuen, See-Yuen Ng, (who also wrote Drunken Master - with Jackie Chan) and Keith W. Strandberg (Keith also wrote the 4 sequels to this film)
Cast Includes: Kurt McKinney, Timothy Baker, J. W. Fails, Kathie Sileno, Kent Lipham, Peter Cunningham, and Tai Chung Kim (Game of Death) as the spirit of Bruce Lee, and of course Jean-Claude Van Damme (in one of his 1st movies)

Rating: 5 Skulls

Plot Summary:
When young Jason Stillwell, a Bruce Lee fan, moves to Seattle with his parents, they are harassed by the local bullies. Jason's father, Tom, doesn't believe in violence, so the family takes it on the chin.

After Jason is beaten, numerous times, the spirit of Bruce Lee appears, to train him. Jason then uses his newly acquired skills to save Seattle from a crime syndicate, whose top martial artist is the deadly Ivan.

Review:
I was 13 when this movie came out, and I remember it being one of my all-time favorite martial art movies! I had always been fascinated by the martial arts [I 1st started learning them when I was 7 years old] and Bruce Lee, but it was this movie that turned my fascination with Bruce Lee into an obsession!

Being that the movie has not yet been released on DVD, it had been many, many years since I had watched it. My brother called me up, shortly before Christmas, wondering if I knew where he could find a region 1 DVD copy, so I checked some sites and came across this one http://www.missedmovies.com/ that had a copy for $14.00. My brother ordered a copy, and it arrived while I was visiting the family for Christmas - needless to say, I went over to my brother's house one night to watch it again! :-)

The DVD my brother received is basically just a VHS copy burned onto a blank disc - it was funny as, at the very beginning, the movie had some tracking issues - ahhh, the good 'ole days of VHS! :-)

It's funny how when I was 13, directors, actors, etc really didn't matter. When the film started, and it said directed by Corey Yuen, my brother and I looked at each other and just went No Way!

I had a blast watching this again, and I just had to give it 5 Skulls, even though the movie is filled with horrendous acting and an awful 80's soundtrack. My brother and I were cracking up re-watching this film.

If you have never seen it, I definitely recommend it! [it is a martial arts classic - well worth the $14 bucks!]

Here's the Trailer:


One of the things that surprised me most in this film was when Jason visited Bruce Lee's grave. Bruce's tombstone was different back in 1986, when this movie was filmed - in the movie, the picture on Bruce's headstone was one of Bruce wearing his glasses. This is no longer the case, as I had the pleasure of visiting Bruce's grave, just last year. Below are some pictures:

This is the entrance to the cemetery where Bruce Lee is buried

This is a picture of Bruce & Brandon's tombstones

and I just had to include one of me, in-between :-)

I am definitely awaiting the day this movie is given the DVD treatment that it deserves [perhaps a 25th anniversary edition?!?]

Jason

Of Darkness

Genre - Horror [Short Film]
Year Released - 2006
Running Time - 20 minutes
Directed by Gary E. Irwin
Written by Matt Casale
Cast Includes: Eric Austin, Brendon Boyes, Dominic Fera, Adam Montgomery, Frank Nardi, and Dallas Scott

Rating: 5 Skulls

Plot Summary:
While cleaning out their recently deceased grandfather's belongings, Brian & Jeff Chaisson inadvertently stumble upon an ancient book; one of mysterious and malevolent origin.

Later that same evening, while entertaining friends during a sleepover, Jeff unveils the recent discovery in an effort to impress the group. Seizing the opportunity, the gang uses the book as a scare tactic against their favorite target and youngest member, Charlie.

Succumbing to peer pressure, and the trusted reassurance of his older brother Tank, Charlie opens the book and unwittingly unleashes a malicious entity. An unseen force that has chosen to target the boys... an evil that has chosen the form 'of Darkness'

The Darkness is coming!

Review:
If you read my "Bone Breaker Awards" for the year of 2008, then you already know that I awarded this film the extremely well deserved Best Short Film of the Year [the film was actually just released on DVD, last year, even though it was made in 2006]

I do not want to say anything more than is already in the plot summary, other than the fact that this film, with its run-time of only twenty minutes, accomplishes what most [longer and bigger budgeted productions] fail to capture. This film brings about true terror!
[Note: I wouldn't watch this with younger children, in the room, who may be afraid of the dark]

Highly recommended!!

Here's the Trailer:


Thanks to my pal Matt, at Scars, for sending me a review copy!

For further information, the film creators have a MySpace Page at http://www.myspace.com/ofdarkness

Jason

Chinese Democracy

Artist: Guns N' Roses
Genre: Hard Rock
Year Released - 2008
Length - 71 minutes 28 seconds [14 Tracks]
Label: Geffen

Rating: 4 Skulls

Song List:
1. Chinese Democracy
2. Shackler's Revenge
3. Better
4. Street of Dreams
5. If the World
6. There was a Time
7. Catcher in the Rye
8. Scraped
9. Riad n' the Bedouins
10. Sorry
11. I.R.S.
12. Madagascar
13. This I Love
14. Prostitute

Review:
I will admit that when I first listened to this album, I did not like it - at all!
It's hard not to compare every Guns N' Roses album with Appetite for Destruction, which was such a breakthrough album - so when I first placed this CD into my player, I was hesitant and excited, at the same time. . .

The first song, the album's title track, opens with an excellent guitar riff, and then the album went downhill from there [remember, this was my very first impression] until song number 4 - Street of Dreams - until this point, I could hardly even tell that it was Axl singing. [actually, Axl's voice seemed to seep through, every now and then, in the 3rd song - once you get past the awful beginning]
As I continued listening to the album, I just kept shaking my head, sadly disappointed.

I am happy to tell you though, that as you listen to the album more and more, it definitely begins to grow on you - the more you listen to it, and get to know it, the better it gets! [as you can see, by my rating]

My favorite song is still probably Street of Dreams [this one is a ballad] I tell you what though - I would be just as happy if Axl did a solo album of all ballads - just him and a piano!

Street of Dreams is closely followed by [if not tied with] song number 13 - This I Love [another ballad]

Other favorites include song number 6 - There was a Time - vocally, this song rocks! and song number 10 - Sorry - this one stands out, lyrically.
[my least favorite song is probably number 5 - If the World - I don't know, this one's just funky]

Overall, I definitely recommend this album! [once you have listened to it a few times, you will recognize Axl in every song]

According to Axl, this album is the first in a planned trilogy of albums - I am definitely looking forward to the next two!

If you are still hesitant to purchase this album, I recommend reading this link http://thehorrorofbryansmith.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-defense-of-chinese-democracy.html [written by horror author Bryan Smith, who just so happens to be a huge GNR fan! If you're not familiar with Bryan - he too rocks!] :-)

Jason

My Mohawk. . . R.I.P.

Well, today is my wife's birthday. . .

For the past few years I have kept my head shaved - until April Fool's Day of last year.
During the month of March, I let my hair grow a little, and on April 1st I cut my hair, leaving a mohawk, just to tease my wife. Imagine my surprise when she told me that I may as well keep it, while we are traveling. So, I did! :-)

My wife really didn't care for my mohawk, however she knew that I had always wanted one [for whatever reason, I really couldn't tell you] and she just went with it - until my mohawk started to grow out.

As my mohawk grew, I began to spike it, and my wife really didn't like that - so, today, one of her birthday wishes was for me to cut my mohawk. I figured that I've had it long enough, so we made an event out of it, letting all 4 of my kids cut my mohawk down to the scalp, so that I can start shaving my head again. . .

I just wanted to document this sad occasion ;-)

Jason

Blood for the Muse: The Omega Edition

Before I begin this review, I just need to post this little 'jingle' that was used in this film - it's stuck in my head! :-)

Okay, now that I got that out of my system - on to the review. . .

Genre - Horror/Fantasy
Year Released - 2001 [*this "Omega Edition" is being released this month]
Running Time - 80 minutes
Directed by Terry M. West (this is Terry's Directorial Debut)
Written by Terry M. West, (Terry also wrote Spiderbabe - a spoof on Spiderman - starring Erin Brown, aka Misty Mundae) Stew Noack, and Josh Robinson
Cast Includes:
Josh Robinson
Tina Krause (Zombiegeddon & Penny Dreadful)
Tammy Parks (Attack of the 50 Foot Centerfold)

Rating: 4 Skulls

Plot Summary:
Based on Terry West's 1998 comic book series of the same name, Blood for the Muse tells the harrowing tale of a man's faith and the blood-soaked extremes he explores to hear the siren's call of the Dark Muse.
Believing tragedy brings her to him, Josh becomes a serial killer preying on call girls. Can his new girlfriend stop his gory rampage, or will she become his next victim?

Melpomene - The Dark Muse

Review:
The film begins with Cincinnati Smith [think Indiana Jones] confronting his nemesis, Falken.

Falken wants to summon Melpomene, The Dark Muse, via her amulet. [in the film, we learn that Melpomene is a daughter of Zeus, and one of the nine muses. Melpomene is the Muse of Tragedy & Fear. She is the bridge between the soul and darkness. She is the Shaper of Nightmares. . . Tragedy brings her and Darkness sustains her]

Just as Dr. Smith and Falken face off, the films pans back and we realize that we have been watching a film within a film. The film is being watched by Josh, a video store clerk [whose attitude reminded me of Randal's from Clerks!] :-)

We then learn that Josh is an aspiring musician who has become disillusioned with life, and who is obsessed with stories of The Dark Muse. [He watches the above mentioned film, reads comics about her, and even dreams of her.]

We then realize that Josh has become so obsessed that he begins to murder call girls, and buries them in an old, dilapidated drive-in movie theatre. Josh believes that each murder will bring him closer to summoning Melpomene.

Eventually, Josh meets Sara, a college student new to Josh's neighborhood, and as their friendship develops into a romance, Josh turns his back on Melpomene, until he realizes that Sara just may be the sacrifice that Melpomene demands. Killing call girls is not enough - Melpomene asks for true heartache, pain, and suffering. In the end, Josh must make the ultimate decision. . .

This is a micro-budget film that was shot in black & white, and I think that Terry made the right decision here, as it has an "artistic feel" about it. One of the other things that I enjoyed is that some of the background information is given to us via a comic book layout/format, which is pretty cool.

The only "reality fauxpas" that I want to mention is that of all the call girls that go to Josh's home, and end up being killed, you would think that his phone number or address would be red-flagged! :-)

Other than that, the film is very well written, and it shows just what can be accomplished on a micro-budget!

The film also has an excellent ending!!

Here's the Trailer:

As I mentioned above, this "Omega Edition" should be released sometime this month. It is basically a polished , re-vamped, re-cut version of the film that was released in 2001. Extra Features are yet to be announced. For further information, visit: http://www.pleasantstorm.com/

I definitely recommend checking this film out!

Jason

P.S. Thank you Terry, for sending me an advance screener of this film - obviously, I enjoyed it! :-)

The Absence

Just a quick note for everyone to mark their calendars. . .

I have just finished the first must-read book of the year!!
[I received an Advance Copy of this one, from the author - it is going to be published on April 23rd]

If you read Hussey's 1st novel - Through A Glass, Darkly - this one is even better!!

Look for my review of this book around the beginning of April. . .

J

The 2008 Bone Breaker Awards

Who will receive the coveted Skulls?!?

*Note: These are my personal favorites for 2008.

[obviously I have not read every book published, seen every film or television show released, nor listened to every album produced this year - these are from what I can remember ~ I will have to keep a list for next year, as I had to rack my brain this year] :-)

Let's begin, alphabetically, shall we?

The Skull for Best Album goes to Metallica for Death Magnetic [this album rocks!!]

The Skull for Most Memorable Novel goes to Joseph D'Lacey for Meat [if you haven't read this book yet, you should!]

I am also going to give a Skull to both Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz for Iceman: My Fighting Life and This is Gonna Hurt: The Life of a Mixed Martial Arts Champion [respectively]

Of the many autobiographies that I read on mixed martial art fighters, these two stood out the most!

A Skull also goes to Stephenie Meyer for Breaking Dawn [a worthy conclusion to her Twilight Saga]

The Skull for Best Novel Written by a Christian Author goes to William P. Young for The Shack [a powerful, moving novel]

The Skull for Best Novel by a Debut Author goes to Brandon Ford for Crystal Bay [a great 1st novel]

The Skull for Best Horror Magazine goes to Rue Morgue [a top-notch magazine that I never get tired of reading!]

The Skull for Best Horror Novel goes to Ray Garton for Ravenous [an excellent werewolf novel!]

The Skull for Best Zombie Novel goes to Travis Adkins for After Twilight: Walking with the Dead [his sequel to After Twilight - Note: My review of this novel will be in the next issue of Hacker's Source magazine - also, my 1st ever "blurb" appears on this book!] :-)

The Skull for Best Event of the Year definitely goes to Chicago's Music Box Massacre IV [this was a 24-hour horror movie marathon shown in one of Chicago's old movie theatres - see blog dated 10/27/08]

The Skull for Best MMA Fighter goes to Anderson "the spider" Silva [my oldest daughter's favorite fighter ~ he dominated every fight that he was in this year!]

On to the movies. . .

The Skull for Best Action Film actually goes to two movies this year - Rambo & Punisher: War Zone [Rambo opened the year and Punisher closed it - these films perfectly book-end each other]

The Skull for Best Animated Film goes to Kung Fu Panda [a film you can watch repeatedly]

The Skull for Best Comedy goes to You Don't Mess with the Zohan [for me, this was laugh-out-loud funny!] *Note: I missed Pineapple Express in the theatres this year, and it doesn't hit DVD till next week - the 6th - this movie may have the potential to beat out Zohan. . .

The Skull for Best Movie Based on a Comic Book goes to Iron Man [I loved this film!]

The Skull for Best Film that went Direct-to-DVD goes to Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead [I would have gone to the theatre for this one]

The Skull for Best DVD Release of the Year goes to Pieces [a must buy film!]

The Skull for Best Family Film goes to three films this year - Nim's Island, Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, and Speed Racer [I thought each of these films were excellent]

The Skull for Best Fantasy Film goes to Twilight [yes, this film is Fantasy - not Horror!]

The Skull for Best Foreign Film goes to Mongul: The Rise to Power of Genghis Khan [I cannot wait for the final two movies in this trilogy!]

The Skull for Best Foreign Horror Film goes to both Frontiere(s) and Inside [both French Horror Films]

The Skull for Best Horror Film goes to The Midnight Meat Train [if you haven't seen this film yet - do so!!] *Note: I keep hearing rave-reviews for the Swedish Film Let the Right One In - I haven't seen this one yet. . .

The Skull for Best Independent Film goes to Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead [see my review - dated 11/25/08]

The Skull for Best Martial Arts Film goes to The Forbidden Kingdom [this is the one starring both Jet Li and Jackie Chan]

The Skull for Best Mixed Martial Arts Film goes to Never Back Down [basically an MMA Karate Kid]

The Skull for Best Re-Make goes to The Day the Earth Stood Still [if they're going to re-make films, an award might as well go to the best one]

The Skull for Best Sci-Fi Film goes to X-Files: I Want to Believe [yes, I liked this one!]

The Skull for Best Sequel goes to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian [I've heard rumors that they are not going to continue making these films - I hope this rumor isn't true!]

The Skull for Best Short Film goes to Of Darkness *Review forthcoming* and The Insane *you can watch this one on my post dated 11/11/08*

The Skull for Best War Film goes to Starship Troopers 3: Marauder [hey, it's a war on Bugs!] :-)

The Skull for Best Zombie Film goes to Zombies! Zombies! Zombies! [a hilarious low-budget independent film]

Now that the films are out of the way - how about the people behind them?

The Skull for Best Performance - hands down - goes to Heath Ledger for his portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight

The Skull for Best Director goes to Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight

The Skull for Best Screenplay goes to David S. Goyer, Christopher Nolan, and Jonathan Nolan for The Dark Knight

The Skull for Best Special Effects goes to the F/X Team behind Hellboy II: The Golden Army

How about Television Shows?

The Skull for Best New Show goes to Legend of the Seeker [a show based on Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth Saga] Leverage [a new show that just started, recently, on TNT] and Eleventh Hour [based on the British Series that starred Patrick Stewart - this one is on CBS and stars Rufus Sewell]

Now, of course, along with the Best comes the Worst. . . here are my disappointments:

Most Disappointing Book was Edward Lee's Bride of the Impaler [I enjoy Lee's work, and I had great expectations for this one, however it failed to deliver - in my opinion]

Most Disappointing Movie was Cloverfield [for me, the film did not live up to its hype]

Most Disappointing Horror Film was The Happening [I had high hopes for this one]

Most Disappointing MMA Film was RedBelt [after Never Back Down, this one was a major let-down]

Most Disappointing Re-Make was The Eye [I actually thought this one had potential]

Most Disappointing Sci-Fi Film was Babylon A. D. [this film just plain sucked!]

Most Disappointing Sequel was Feast II: Sloppy Seconds [Review forthcoming]

Most Disappointing Zombie Film was Zombie Strippers [I saw this one in the theatres, and it just didn't do anything for me!]

Well, there you have it. . . I am sure that some of the above will garner some disagreements - please feel free to leave comments with your thoughts and opinions. . .

Before I sign off, I just wanted to list some of my favorite blogs that I've been reading this year:

For Movie Reviews I enjoy reading William Weird's http://beardedweirdoreviews.blogspot.com/ and Fred Wolf's http://fred-the-wolf.blogspot.com/ thoughts.

For Obscure Movie Reviews I enjoy reading Reverend Phantom's http://reverendphantom.blogspot.com/ and The Lightning Bug's http://www.thelightningbugslair.com/ opinions.

For Upcoming Entertainment News I enjoy reading The Geek's of Doom http://geeksofdoom.com/ and The Horror Geek http://thehorrorgeek.com/

Each of you get a Skull for Best Blogs :-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!!

Jason