Written and directed by Jim Wynorski—who never met a B-movie trope he didn’t love— I bring you The Lost Empire a pure, unfiltered ’80s exploitation gold. It’s got ninjas, Amazons, evil cults, a gorilla, and more slow-motion cleavage shots than an entire season of Baywatch. What’s not to love about that?
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) – Review
Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame is perhaps the most ambitious animated film the studio ever attempted during its Renaissance era. Based on Victor Hugo’s dark and tragic novel, the film dares to tackle mature themes such as religious hypocrisy, persecution, lust, and genocide, all within the constraints of a Disney musical. Yeah, that was…
The 10th Victim (1965) – Review
Pop-art satire, screwball romance, and a bra that doubles as a firearm, The 10th Victim is the kind of science fiction only the swinging ’60s could produce. A film that takes a gleefully cynical look at a future where legalized man-hunting is the ultimate sport and the ultimate advertising opportunity. What follows is a stylish,…
The Seventh Victim (1943) – Review
Val Lewton’s The Seventh Victim is one of those films that has all the ingredients for greatness, an eerie premise, shadow-drenched cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca, and a mystery steeped in paranoia, yet somehow manages to feel oddly inert. At just 71 minutes, it should move like a sharp little shocker, but instead it wanders, circling…
Maximum Overdrive (1986) – Review
Stephen King on cocaine, a Hollywood budget, and the unshakable belief that everything is scarier when it explodes, that’s Maximum Overdrive in a nutshell. Based on his own short story, this is less a faithful adaptation and more a caffeinated fever dream on wheels, where trucks, vending machines, and even homicidal hair-dryer cords decide humanity’s…