Dead Or Alive 2: Birds (2000)

Yakuza assassinations cross-cut with world vision footage of starving children in Africa. CGI birds representing the childhood spirits of our two protagonists. Digital graphics illustrating the geometry of three bullets entering a head at 60 degree angles. A powerful comet sighted against the night sky. The title card “Where are you?” repeated, white text against […]

Mutant Hunt (1987)

Some films deserve to be seen in shitty video quality rather than remastered to pristine condition. Not to worry because the copy of Mutant Hunt (1987) on Tubi is basically a VHS rip with that wavy ‘dirty tapehead’ quality over the opening credits. This is low budget cyberpunk trash that I had a blast with, […]

Lionheart (1990)

Lionheart (1990) was released as Wrong Bet in Australia; I never really grew up as a Jean-Claude Van Damme fan when I was a teenager and missed a lot of his movies. Now I love the guy because to me he’s endearing, even when he’s an egotist and not to mention, back in the day, […]

The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)

When I finally watched The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988), I understood clearly why director Penelope Spheeris was hired for Wayne’s World, and to understand even the head-banging culture that Wayne’s World was parodying. This was a decade where pop music was defined by metal’s popularity, from glam rock to […]

The Decline Of Western Civilization (1981)

I grew up as a Wayne’s World fan and always intended to explore the director Penelop Spheeris pre-Wayne’s World career, especially their trilogy of music documentaries under the banner title, The Decline Of Western Civilization. For the first film, The Decline Of Western Civilization (1981), Spheeris captures a time and place, the punk movement in […]