Tagarchief: Dennis Hopper

Cult Radar: Part 7

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

FilmDungeon is glad to explore the video trenches to find that oddball treasure between the piles of crap out there. Of Course, a treasure in this context can also be a film that’s so shockingly bad it’s worth a look, or something so bizarre that cult fans just have to see it. Join us on our quest and learn what we learn. Hopefully we’ll uncover some well-hidden cult gems.

Researched by: Jeppe Kleijngeld

Hell Ride (USA, 2008)

Directed by: Larry Bishop
Written by: Larry Bishop
Cast: Larry Bishop, Michael Madsen, Eric Balfour

Larry Bishop, who played in trashy biker films in the sixties and seventies such as The Savage Seven, Angel Unchained and Chrome and Hot Leather writes, directs and stars in a Tarantinoesque homage to the biker film. In it, a decade long battle between two biker gangs takes place; the Victors, lead by Pistolero (Bishop) Vs. the 666ers, lead by Billy Wings (Vinnie Jones). The concept and promising cast (Michael Madsen, Dennis Hopper, David Carradine) raises expectations, but the execution is far below par. Tarantino should have rewritten the script apart from producing. The dialogues appear to have been written by a 14 year old. There is some humor to be found, but it can hardly make up for the terrible script. Also Bishop is unfit to play the lead role. Interesting trivia: Madsen and Bishop share a scene in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004). Madsen plays Budd and Bishop plays his boss in the strip club scene.

The Host (South Korea, 2006)
OT: Gwoemul

Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
Written by: Baek Chul-hyun, Bong Joon-ho, Ha Jun-won
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Byeon Hie-bong, Ko Ah-sung

On orders of a US doctor, a toxic substance is dumped in the Han River. Four years later in Seoul, ordinary Korean folk are enjoying a leisurely day along the river when the final result reveals itself. In 2006, this entertaining monster movie made a successful journey along the important international film festivals and the tentacles of the host soon attained a large cult following. The Host effectively balances between comedy and campy horror. Only with nearly two hours running time and a main character who screams too much the fun is somewhat lessened. Also a monster that looks like sewer calamari can be hardly called scary. Still, a couple of really good jokes and scenes and its undeniable cult appeal make The Host a worthy contender for the Mega Monster Mash.

Bronson (UK, 2008)

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Written by: Brock Norman Brock, Nicolas Winding Refn
Cast: Tom Hardy, James Lance, Matt King, Amanda Burton

The wacky British indie flick Bronson gives you the life story of Charles Bronson. No not the movie star YOU CUNT! We’re talking about Britain’s most violent prisoner. Since it is directed by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn from the violent and brilliant Pusher trilogy, I was kind of expecting a gut-wrenching gorefest. It is not that bad, in fact this is more like a comedy. Crucial to the film is the central character who wants to become famous. He can’t sing and he can’t fucking act. So what does he do? This original idea is brought to the screen with Winding Refn’s usual sense of style. Tom Hardy delivers a knock-out performance as the protagonist. Don’t expect a cliché prison drama and you might find a place in your heart for Bronson. Special mention goes to the soundtrack which includes gems such as ‘It’s a sin’ by Pet Shop Boys.

Zombie Self-Defense Force (Japan, 2006)

Directed by: Naoyuki Tomomatsu
Written by: Chisato Oogawara, Naoyuki Tomomatsu
Cast: Kenji Arai, Norman England, Masayuki Hase, Yû Machimura

On the cover of Zombie Self-Defense Force, this movie is compared to Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste. Although the extreme gore is sometimes similar – though far less creative – this is nothing like Jackson’s first movie. It totally misses a master’s touch – this is amateur night and they know it. Poor acting, horrible no budget FX and very little to enjoy overall. During the first half hour, a few nice character touches promise some cult delight, but as soon as a zombie baby appears (a homage to another Jackson classic), things start to look really bad. Pretty much a disgrace anyway you look at it.

Black Devil Doll (USA, 2007)

Directed by: Jonathan Lewis
Written by: Shawn Lewis, Mitch Mayes
Cast: Heather Murphy, Natasha Talonz, Christine Svendsen

He’s a lover! He’s a killer! He’s a muthafu**in’ puppet! ‘A Lewis Brothers fiasco’, credits state after Mubia, a member of the black power movement, is executed. His last words: ‘I like to eat white butt’. We’re up for something special that is for sure. Mubia is brought back to life by big boob teenager Heather while she is messing around with a Ouija Board. Guess what? The dangerous rapist and murderer returns in puppet form! So, the sexploitation version of Child’s Play begins. Not subtle, but sleazy, nasty and offensive. Black Devil Doll does exactly what it promises to do on the cover. At times it is too dirty, but quite often it is pretty hilarious.


Tom Hardy as Charles Bronson in Bronson

Land of the Dead

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: George A. Romero
Written by: George A. Romero
Cast: Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Asia Argento, Dennis Hopper

Year / Country: 2005, Canada / France / USA
Running Time: 93 mins.

Twenty years after Day of the Dead, zombie king George A. Romero returns to his roots with the fourth part of his classic ‘Dead’ series. The story of Land of the Dead takes place years after Day. How long exactly is not specifically stated, but it’s long enough for two civilizations to have erupted.

The first civilization in Land consists of the living dead who are no longer the ‘mindless walking corpses’ they once were. They have evolved, and have even become relatively intelligent (for walking corpses that is). The zombies can now communicate with each other and use basic strategies in attacks. They also have a leader, a gas pump attendant named Big Daddy, who knows how to display emotions. Especially anger.

His anger is directed towards the other civilization in Land: the humans. They live in a fortified city protected by walls and electric fences which is dominated by macho behaviour and corrupt politics. Like the zombies, the humans also have a leader, the corrupt businessman Paul Kaufman (Dennis Hopper) who occupies the city’s tallest building. At night, the humans go out on a zombie killing spree to clear the surrounding area and gather supplies. For this purpose they use a massive armed vehicle called Dead Reckoning. During the nightly expeditions, the humans commit cruelties against the zombies which makes them (especially Big Daddy) very angry. But the humans commit crimes against each other as well.

John Leguizamo plays Cholo, a young and reckless entrepreneur who makes a few bucks by bringing in booze for Kaufman. When Kaufman cheats Cholo in a deal, Cholo steals Dead Reckoning and demands five million to bring it back. Kaufman hires expedition leader Riley (Simon Baker) to bring in the vehicle that he designed himself. Riley sets out to find Cholo, but does so for different motives than Kaufman thinks. On his journey Riley picks up the female soldier Slack (Asia Argento), while the zombie army launches an attack on the city.

When Land of the Dead came out it was received with mixed emotions. Some felt that Romero should have left his old trilogy alone, while other fans couldn’t wait to see it. Those who were expecting too much were initially disappointed, but in retrospect saw more of Romero’s signature qualities. The overall reaction from critics was mostly positive. Once again Romero created a metaphorically rich film that contains plenty of humour, violence and stylish visuals. The downside is that the film’s plot is a little too thin to really involve the viewer, making this a slightly less enjoyable film than other ‘Dead’ entries. But with Romero that still means one hell of a good time. It might not be groundbreaking. But entertaining? Hell yes.

Rating:

Biography: George A. Romero (1940, New York), who lived in Pittsburgh, made his feature debut with Night of the Living Dead. It was a low budget zombie movie that was both groundbreaking and shocking in its time. Quickly, it became a major horror classic. He then directed some smaller, personal films in which he often combined horror and social commentary. In 1978 he topped the success of Night of the Living Dead with his brilliant follow-up Dawn of the Dead. In the eighties his career stagnated a bit when he created the third part in his zombie series Day of the Dead. It was a failure both commercially and critically. In 2005 Romero made a small comeback with Land of the Dead. Romero died in 2017.

Filmography (a selection): Night of the Living Dead (1968), There’s Always Vanilla (1971), Season of the Witch (1972), The Winners (1973, TV episodes), The Crazies (1973), O.J. Simpson: Juice on the Loose (1974, TV doc), Martin (1977), Dawn of the Dead (1978),Knightriders (1981), Creepshow (1982), Day of the Dead (1985), Monkey Shines (1988), Two Evil Eyes (1990) [with Dario Argento], The Dark Half (1993), Bruiser (2000), Land of the Dead (2005), Diary of the Dead (2007), Survival of the Dead (2009)