A Little Bit Zombie

A Little Bit Zombie is a medium budget, tongue well and truly planted in cheek, brain muncher which focuses on the plight of one character who, after being infected by the blood of another zombie (via a zombie mosquito!), begins to feel the urges to chow down on brains and generally do what zombs do best!

Interestingly the budget for this film was raised through the My Million Dollar Movie website, where fans were ask to donate to the movie's production. I think it would be fair to say that much of the money went towards the script and the cast (who, for a low/medium budget film, actually aren't that bad), and some of the effects, although the actual gore is kept to a fair minimum. Despite the lack of gore, ALBZ actually plays quite well, and does a much better job of the Zombie Comedy genre then some of its counterparts, such as Wasting Away. The enthusiasm of the cast is easy to see and that helps pulls this tale along. It's certainly nothing we haven't seen before, but somehow it still works.

There is no sign of the dark, evil chills of your regular run-of-the-mill zombfest, but what this movie does is allow the main character to get across the process of becoming a zombie (albeit for comedy value) and how hard it is to fight the urges of those pesky brains (drool!).

Shaun of the Dead this is not, but if you're after something which will while away an hour and a bit, with some decent acting, a bit of blood, a few interesting twists and a few proper laughs for good measure then I can recommend ALBZ to fill that gap in your life!

Harold's Going Stiff

Shot on a shoe-string budget, Harold's Going Stiff is a clever independent twist on the traditional zombie genre. Following 2 groups of people, Harold Gimble, Patient Zero of the disease which causes stiffness of the limbs and, eventually, violent attacks as he is first treated and then befriended by the innocent Penny; and a group of vigilantes who hunt down and systematically kill anyone found wandering the countryside displaying signs of change.

At first glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is just another run-of-the-mill, low budget, poor addition to the living dead archives, certainly the film name actually does more harm than  good, portraying the film as more of a joke than it really is, in fact, the film is a sentimental and often emotional portrayal of the eponymous Harold's decline from humanity to its eventual conclusion. The friendship between Harold and Penny is sweet and touching and, indeed, some may come away thinking that the whole zombie element could have been removed completely and this film would still have worked.

This is one of those odd occasions when a 'zombie' film might actually appeal to those not usual drawn to this type of film, whilst die hard brain-muncher fans may feel a little short changed. Personally, this reviewer enjoyed what he saw and, providing you are not expecting an over-excess of gore, you should too.

One Hundred Mornings

Set in a bleak, unrecognisable, present day, breakdown-of-society, Ireland, 2 couples survive (we assume for the titular One Hundred Days) with no electricity, no weapons and with a simmering tension threatening to break through at any moment.

This slow burner uses tension and an intelligent script to cover what its budget lacks.  The couples do their best to survive, always hoping that an end to their troubles and a return to normal life is just around the corner. Despite living in close quarters to their new age neighbour, no-one truly trusts anyone else and the threats of danger and possibly death are always around the corner.

Many viewers will be left troubled by the ambiguous ending which simply ends on a muted note. If, however, you want something which doesn't rely on gore, lavish effects and fake scares, then this is the film for you. The beautiful landscapes and excellent performances more than make up for what the budget lacks and the depressingly dark feeling of the film should satisfy fans of the post-apocalyptic genre.

F

This slick little psychological UK thriller revolves around a bullied school teacher, who has to face his demons after his school is taken over by faceless hooded thugs who set about systematically tormenting and killing off staff and students alike.

Made on a shoe-string budget (around £150,000), and with next to no gore or on-screen killing, F really was going to go one of two ways but thankfully it succeeds in dishing out decent chills and genuinely creepy atmosphere, making this a much more cerebral horror, compared to your run-of-the-mill blood and guts fest.

The hooded assailants work brilliantly, as we are never quite sure who they are, why they are there, or even whether they are human or something other-worldly. As the viewer, you are never really presented with any character you can sympathise with or root for, they are all pretty dis-likeable, and this might not sit well with some. Personally, I didn't mind as the lack of character connection means you can sit back and enjoy when someone is picked off by the thugs.

What really seems to be rubbing people up the wrong way is the film's ending. Without giving too much away, those who like a film to be wrapped up neatly in a bow, with no loose ends will be seriously annoyed. Personally, I found the ending quite refreshing - it doesn't allow us as the audience to sit back and relax, it send us away with a knot in the stomach, knowing that, just sometimes, things don't always finish with a Hollywood ending.

The Video Dead

So I was sat wanting to watch something cheesy, a little 80's straight-to-video schlock film and The Video Dead fit the bill to a tee! This crazy little film, which encapsulates everything about 80's film-making, focuses upon a possessed television which unleashes the hoards of hell (well, 4 male zombies and a female wig-wearing zomb) who set out to kill the Blair children (am I the only one who hates this 'homage to great horror actors/directors by naming their characters 'Blair' or 'Romero' etc) who move into the house they were unleashed into from the haunted TV set.

After the death of a dog, and a couple of neighbours in the street, the characters soon agree that this could only be the work of released television zombies (the only sane answer obviously) and set out hunting them down in the woods. The best part of this film is the explanation of how you kill these brain-munchers: there are two possible alternatives. 1. Lock them in a room they can't excape from so they eat themselves to death. 2. Shoot them or stab them as they believe they are human and so will think they are dying, even though they can't actually be killed (??!?).

Despite the expected bad acting and the script which has more hole than a slice of Swiss cheese, this is actually an entertaining production which, despite the obvious low budget and straight-to-video reputation, is fun, silly, spoofy and is big hair and shoulder pads 80's brilliance. Probably the sort of film which benefits from a few chilly beers prior to watching, but definitely the epitome of shlock video. Give it a go, enjoy.

The Bunnyman Massacre

Feeling that it has been far too long since I reviewed a rabbit related film, The Bunnyman Massacre (aka Bunnyman) seemed to perfectly fit the bill. A group of 'they look slightly older than they are meant to be' teens head into the wilds of America, only to be chased and run off the road by a guy in a full sized rabbit costume - The titular Bunnyman. They must then run for their lives as the giant rabbit chases them down.

At first glance, this film looks, on the surface, like it could be a fun watch, perhaps silly but ultimately entertaining. Sadly, the picture I painted just then does not ring true. This poorly acted, scripted and directed mess of a film, races from one nonsensical moment to the next with little explanation and little to allow the viewer to make sense of. The continuity is horrendous (I hope whoever did it was never hired again quite frankly) - a semi-naked, bleeding woman runs through the forest with her hands cuffed together. Cut to a shot of her screaming and lifting her hands to the sides of her head in shock, then placing them back together and the cuffs re-appear ... and this is one of the less noticeable ones!!

It seems at times as if the script was chucked together as they filmed. It's drive you crazy stuff. 2 of the teens go into the woods, the Bunnyman jumps out at them, the guy runs away and the woman is pushed to the ground. The guy runs back to the waiting group who ask 'Is she dead?'. He merely says yes and they all run away, leaving one of their best friends on a whim that she *might* be dead!

If I've learned anything from doing this blog, it's that rabbits and films don't mix (save Watership Down and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, of course!!) - lets hope, for your sake, and mine, that I've learned my lesson and steer clear from now on!

Night of the Living 3D Dead - 3D Dead Diaries

Promoting this for my pal David Taylor, this is the third official production diary for the feature film "Night of the Living 3D Dead", a remake of the 1968 Romero classic, directed by Samuel Victor & starring Gemma Atkinson as Barbara. Get the word out for these guys! Thanks!

Children of the Corn (2009)

So, let me start this review by saying I truly LOVE the original 80's version of this Stephen King adaptation (most people say Shawshank is the best, I'd choose CotC any day!!), so when I spotted this on a movie channel the other night, I HAD to watch it!

Children of the Corn relies on the terror of the children, plus the strength of the 2 leading adults, to make the film work. From the first minute I was introduced to Burt and Vicky, I hated everything about them and things only got worse. Within 10 minutes, I was praying for the eponymous Children to do away with them both quickly to spare me the torment of having to listen to them bitch, moan and bicker. Sadly, this didn't happen and I was forced to watch the next 80-odd minutes of this poor remake. The Children had also lost almost everything about them that made them terrifying. The Isaac character is scary in the original as he is clearly a man-child, possessed by He Who Walks Behind the Rows. The Isaac in this version is simply an annoying brat who looks like he could easily be swatted aside by anyone who could actually be bothered to stand up to him.

Obviously, as this film is called Children of the Corn - you expect some of the scenes to be set *in the corn*, however, after what felt like an eternity of point-of-view shots of characters running head-long through the corn rows, it became mind-numbingly dull and I just wanted it to end.

This SK adaptation is definately one for the King purists and for those who enjoy watching small children get their necks broken, otherwise, I say stick with the 80's version and see how it should be done.

Thoughts go out to all ...

Happy Friday 13th!!

Well ... it'd be rude not to wouldn't it! Have a great Friday 13th and a great weekend folks!

The Doberman Gang

This brilliantly bonkers 70's flick revolves around the exploits of a group of fairly inept bank robbers who, after their last failed attempt in which they accidentally locked their ill-gotten gains in the boot ('trunk' for my American cousins) of the wrong car during their getaway, decide a new plan is needed. That plan is the creation of 'The Doberman Gang'.

The dogs are the real stars of this movie, and are brilliantly trained and look cute and cuddly one minute, vicious and violent the next. On a few occasions some fairly bloody scenes are included, into what is essentially a family film.

The acting is pretty appalling, the script is patchy at best and the music is a crazy mix of half decent 70's tunes, bizarre nonsensical songs and annoying elevator music, yet somehow, in some strange way, it actually works. There are some genuinely (although unintentionally) funny moments and the actual robbery is entertaining and great fun to watch. Sure, this film was never going to win any awards, but for a pure throwback to the heady days of bad films, long hair and tight trousers, you could do much worse than settle down with a hotdog and a 'hair of the dog' and watch this odd little B-Movie caper.

New Blog Twitter Account

Hi fellow alternative film lovers

I have now set up a dedicated Twitter account - @CarlSykesFilm - which is linked directly to this blog, so if you want to get in touch and tell me how much you like the blog, suggest a film, tell me you thought my review was a steaming pile of shite or generally just follow me and get updates as they appear on here, please feel free to follow, follow, follow ... and of course, tell all your friends, re-tweet etc etc. Fanks!

@CarlSykesFilm

Snowtown

This bleak, depressing, violent and disturbing Australian Independent film is based upon a series of real life murders. Snowtown is raw and chilling in equal measures and took this reviewer quite by surprise. Not since the frankly downright repulsive A Serbian Film have I been left so shocked by a movie, to the point where a drink was the only cure.

An abused, downtrodden and dejected Jamie seeks an escape from every day life, and father-figure John appears to offer just what he needs. John, a vigilante with a taste for cruelty soon shows Jamie that smearing ice-cream on the windows of the local paedophile's house is the tamest of his actions and things rapidly spiral out of control, leaving Jamie's world more shattered than he could ever have imagined.

As a viewer, you do not, and cannot, enjoy Snowtown, you experience it, you are repulsed by it, but you are mesmerised by what unfolds before you. This expertly crafted film will tear at your senses and stun you into submission with its bleak portrayal of life and death. A must watch.

Soska Twins Review Dead Hooker Post!

So, I was thrilled today to find that the amazing Soska Twins, directors and writers of Dead Hooker in a Trunk, the film reviewed below, were not only pleased with my review, but they also re-tweeted it, Facebooked it and have written this truly awesome piece for their website: http://twistedtwinsproductions.blogspot.ca/2012/06/dead-hooker-hits-carl-sykes-alternative.html - please pop along, have a read and see just how proud they've made me of my little blog! :)

Dead Hooker in a Trunk

From the incredibly visioned Soska Twins, this twisted sister of a movie follows a group of friends who end on a slippery slope after finding the eponymous 'Dead Hooker in a Trunk'. They try their best to dispose of the pesky body before they find themselves facing up to the same fate. This grindhouse joyride makes the most of an obviously low budget by utilizing a well written script and some fine acting, especially on the part of the film's writers and directors, Jen and Sylvia Soska.

The film is a breath of fresh air in its originality; it sheds all genre clichés to offer an unpredictable, and for the most part entertaining ride. It's original ideas like this that sadly often get overlooked by film fans in place of the run-of-the-mill movies pumped out by the studio system, but if you take a chance on a little independent flick once in a while, you'll find a polished jewel amongst the dog turds.

I see big things in the future for this up and coming pair and, if their follow up film American Mary is anything to go by (based upon teaser trailers recently released), then their future, and the future of independent cinema, looks very bright indeed.

Iron Sky

Bat-shit crazy Nazis on the Moon lunacy brilliance. Starring the always fantastic Udo Kier, we follow 2 astronauts who land upon the moon and soon discover a secret Nazi base which has been mining rare substances since they arrived in 1945 and whose plans include returning to Earth to kill anyone not fitting the Aryan ideal. Enter former black model, turned astronaut (of course) James Washington who is quickly captured and Aryanised (ie turned white!). The Nazis then set off to earth to capture mobile phones which will allow them to complete their computer and send their troops to Earth.

This is, as all Nazi films of late seem to be, rather silly, but in a good way. It's an entertaining film that clearly doesn't take itself seriously, even going so far as to have a Sarah Palin-esque president of the USA in the future. For an obviously low-budget film, the effects are actually really rather good and the storyline, although not surprisingly weak in parts, is entertaining enough to allow you to continue to enjoy from start to finish.

The director, rather controversially, chose the Berlin Film Festival to show the preview screening, but this bold move seems to have paid off, the trailers went viral almost instantly. Definitely one to watch, enjoy and not take too seriously.

Strippers vs Werewolves

Nope, I haven't made this shit up. I really have just watched Strippers vs Werewolves. I really don't need to go into any more details than that, that is the film. A selection of ex-soap star actors and actresses play strippers who don't get their kit off and werewolves who are as thick as pig-shit.

Despite my opening paragraph, it's actually not that bad a film. Yes, it's rubbish, but it's rubbish in a strangely entertaining way. The script is pretty poor, the acting is hammy to say the least, but somehow it just makes you smile like a small child with wind!

The scenes with the vampire hunter at the very end are actually rather funny, and even if you haven't enjoyed the film, you should raise a smile in his scenes.

Probably one for the horror film enthusiast or for those who have had a few pints on the weekend and need something ridiculous to switch on in the background and not waste a whole load of brain power on. If that's you, then this is your film.

Begotten

Like something ripped from a nightmare and aborted onto the screen, Begotten is a film which, once watched, will never be forgotten. The basic premis of this film is that God disembowels himself, leaving Mother Earth to impregnate herself with his seed, post mortem. We then bear witness to the Son of Earth - Flesh on Bone, writhing in agony in a barren wasteland as cannibals set upon both him and Mother Earth, beating, cutting and slicing them both.

The film is, as you can see from the trailer above, filmed in grainy black and white, and, as is always the way with experimental cinema, is often so difficult to watch because of the wild zooms, lingering close-ups on nothingness and over-exposed shots. There is also no speech in this film, just a background noise which tries its best to explain what is going on through the sound of birds singing, rushing water etc.

For a B&W film, this is surprisingly gory in places (although why this is a surprise I do not know, the film was made in the 1990s, not the 1920s) and also has some graphic sexual images.

Certainly not one for the mainstream horror fan, but those with an interest in independent, experimental cinema and film students alike may want to check this one out, it's certainly not your run-of-the-mill Hollywood film by any means.

I don't normally do this, but whilst reading up about this film before watching it, I stumbled upon the following review on IMDB and it made me laugh so much, I thought I'd reproduce it here for your enjoyment:

"Stand up and cheer! Begotten is the warm and fuzzy tale for the whole family that Disney has been attempting for years. The film, about the birth of a messiah who has seizures in the woods and is dragged around by lepers has the whole country laughing uncontrollably. The plot appeals on multiple levels to children and adults (funny guys in robes for the kids, caesarean childbirth for the older folk) and is one of the cleverest scripts to come along since Thomas Edison's classic The Sneeze. A film that pays homage to the Keystone Kops, Tennessee Williams, Jean-Luc Godard and those lovable muppets the muppets, Begotten is one of two films you won't want to miss. The other is Don't Look Back."

Nazis at the Center of the Earth

                  

This film has all the elements you could possibly need to rank it up there as one of the worst films ever made ... the director must be thrilled! Zombie Nazis in gas-masks, flying saucers, former up and coming actresses reduced to this dog turd ... and Jake Busey.

Join our gang of 'the world's best scientists' as they dig for unknown materials in the wilderness of the Antarctic, stopping just long enough to create flesh eating viruses and abseil down hundreds of feet deep gorges in the ice.

Quite what, I wondered, Dominique Swain, star of Face/Off and Lolita was doing in this, I just couldn't fathom ... then I took a look at her IMDB list of credits and all became clear. Her career has taken an obvious swift nose-dive since her early promising days and this must surely be as near to the bottom of the barrel as she will go ... lets hope so for her sake!

If I have to say something good about this film, it's that occasionally, amongst the terrible computer generated effect, there is the odd glimmer of hope with a decent gory effect or two, but that really is no reason to sit through this tripe. Walk away from the bargain bin where this will no doubt be found and go and watch something else instead! Please. I beg you!

August Underground's Mordum

                                Not a trailer, more the opening 1st 3 mins of the film
                                Actually couldn't find a trailer anywhere! Obv NSFW!

I sometimes wonder why I'm writing this blog, what the point of it is, and then I watch a film like August Underground's Mordum ... and then I realise that the reason I do this is that you guys out there never have to! This nasty, low-budget, poor quality (poor quality initially, but made worse quality to make it more real!) film is full of some of the worst sequences I've ever seen committed to film. We follow 3 main characters as they torture, rape and murder their way through innocent victims, in close-up and in your face style, just for their own enjoyment. There's no storyline at all, just one gruesome and sick-making sequence after another. Take for example the scene in which the female character repeatedly makes herself vomit over the 2 women they have tied up in the basement of their house. This in tern makes them vomit and before you know it, everyone is covered in sick and you'll wonder why you haven't already switched off. There is also a sequence which is so sickening, I'm actually loathe to even describe it here, so won't!!

Many of the scenes are quite realistic, considering the low budget of the film, and this adds to the 'snuff' feel of the film, but there's no enjoyment to be had, no resolve at the end, just you, sat in a dark room, feeling dirty and having to look normal people in the eye afterwards, wondering if they know what a little freak you are! I've probably made this one sound much better that it really is, honestly, truly, it's not. It's nasty and deserves to be locked away somewhere, and preferably never released again.

Midgets vs Mascots

Ok, so let me start by saying 'No', I haven't made this up, this really is a film I watched and am about to review! Midgets vs Mascots is best described as Jackass with a storyline. Follow the madcap antics of 5 mascots and 5 midgets little people as they battle it out to win $5,000,000. The team of mascots and the team of midgets little people compete through a number of staged 'documentary' moments with hilarious, embarrassing and downright gross outcomes.

Starring Gary Coleman in his last role (admittedly playing himself) this film plays out as a documentary, although the cast are all actors and the scenarios are scripted. What is not scripted, however, are the reactions of the poor people caught up in these moments. We see a milk chugging competition that results in large amounts of vomit and fecal matter (from the lactose intolerant little person), a man dressed as an alligator wrestling a real alligator and possibly the most cringe-making scene in a restaurant full of unsuspecting customers as our Mascots and Midgets discuss offensive words ... and trust me, you WILL cringe when you watch it!

Having picked this film up for £1 on a whim, I really didn't expect much from it, but actually rather enjoyed it. It's crazy, vulgar, wacky and entertaining ... it's not the sort of film that will exercise our brain but if that's the sort of film you're after ... what the hell are you doing here?!

Monster Brawl

Monsters. Wrestling. Kids in the Hall's Dave Foley. Sounds awesome right? Of course it does. Couple that with the pretty amazing trailer above and you have all the ingredients of a potential winner. Sadly, this is as far as I can go with this praise, as the build up does not match the finished product.

Monster Brawl is the crazy premise of a bunch of the most famous movie monsters (Frankenstein's Monster, Werewolf, The Mummy, Lady Vampire, Cyclops ... er ... Swamp Gut (?)) fighting it out WWE style to see who can come out as top monster. Unfortunately what you end up with is a feature length wrestling match with the wrestlers all dressed up (admittedly, at least the cosumes are pretty good) but unless you happen to be a die-hard WWE fan and horror fan combined, you'll probably find, as I did, that you get rather bored, rather quickly as we move from one wrestling match to the next, waiting and hoping for the final 'Mortal Combat' style finish move to symbolise that the fight is over.

Even the addition of the usually fantastic Dave Foley can't help this mess. He sits in front of a camera, looking dazed and confused at the nonsense going on around him, clearly reading from an auto-cue as his character takes regular swigs from a hip-flask ... and I can't help but wonder if he substituted whatever they gave him for real booze to help him make it through!

Ok, so this one isn't a masterpiece and, personally, the potential loses out to the nonsense/boredom very quickly, but no doubt some of you will watch and enjoy it and wonder just what the hell I was going on about!

Meant to post this before, but forgot, but hey, better late than never.

So, I decided to sign up for the Reddit Secret Santa 2011 and my gift buyer found their way to my site, read my reviews and sent me this awesome Hobo with a Shotgun canvas print - how awesome is that?!

Just thought I'd share it with you all - too cool not to really!

Red, White and Blue

Red, White and Blue begins by following nymphomaniac Emily as she drifts from one sexual encounter to the next - no emotion, no love, no repeat performances with the same guy. Along the way, she has a foursome with singer Franki and his bandmates. What happens from here is a whirlwind of trashy revenge and brutal torture. Unfortunately this is one of those films that will be totally spoiled if any detail about the plot is given away, suffice to say that the one night stand Emily has with Franki will send them all, and everyone around them, spiraling out of control.

This is one of those odd films that has a very slow, plodding beginning, with little dialogue but as the second half kicks in, you should prepare yourself for some shocks which abound through its sheer uncompromising nature. Without giving anything away, the sequence with the young girl and her family will shock and leave you feeling shaken.

A fantastic roller-coaster of shocks, revenge and terror that will leave you understanding why contraception is a good thing and one night stands should be avoided wherever possible!

Bastard out of Carolina

                                                                     Booc Trailer

This truly-difficult-to-watch movie, directed by Angelica Huston, is finely made and will linger long in the memory. Bastard out of Carolina tells the story of 10 year old Bone (Jena Malone) who is systematically abused at the hand of her step-father - and let me say that some of the scenes are harrowing to watch and must have been even worse to film.

It's quite rare, and I guess you could say refreshing, to find a film that deals with this subject matter in such a frank and honest way, although it has been battered by the press for its realistic portrayal. You cannot help but hate Bone's mother for her lack of care and want to reach into the TV screen and strangle Daddy Glen for his shocking treatment of this innocent little girl.

Booc is not an easy watch, but I think it is an essential watch nonetheless. I'm pretty sure this film has never received a UK certificate due to its graphic portrayal of the subject matter, but it really should be released and watched, to serve as a warning and a frank eye opener. Available in the US, so get online and grab a copy - just be warned, you will get angry and you will be left thinking about this film for days to come.

Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill!

Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! Trailer

So it now looks like I'm on some sort of rabbit themed movie trip, I'm not, honest, it just happens that the last 2 films I've watched have Bunny in the title! Easter Bunny, Kill! Kill! couldn't be more different from The Bunny Game if it tried! In a nutshell, we have a psychotic guy who goes to visit his buxom girlfriend and her disabled son, who just so happens to be obsessed with Easter and the Easter Bunny. Sounds wacky, sounds like it could be fun ... sadly not! From here we endure lengthy spells of nothingness which will leave you hoping the titular Easter Bunny turns up quickly!

The effects are decent enough for a low budget film (love the fact that everything in the house is covered in plastic sheeting to protect it from blood splatter!) but the film drags way too much and the good stuff isn't worth sitting through what comes before. Some may be pleased with the slightly unexpected ending, but most will probably see it coming. Probably one for the 'if there is literally nothing else on' shelf.

The Bunny Game

The Bunny Game (warning - trailer contains nudity)

As always, it's the messed up ones that peak my interest, so when the BBFC decided to refuse a certificate for (essentially banning) The Bunny Game, I was on it quicker than you can say 'That Wasckly Wabbit'. What I expected was a 'Human Centipede-esque' abortion of a movie and I wasn't disappointed! After a rather 'in your face' beginning, TBG then centers on a young drug-addled prostitute who slowly makes her way from one John to the next and one hit to the next for the first 30 or so minutes of this movie. She then jumps into the cab of a big rig and before you know it, she finds herself chained, stripped, shaved and continuously humiliated by the grizzled truck driver for the next 50 mins solid! I honestly felt at one point as if I'd had my drink spiked before I started watching it when the acid-trip-like elements went into full effect.

I was actually surprised by a few things in this film - firstly, it's actually rather well filmed, and the B&W works well. The acting is also rather good. Obviously, it goes without saying that this is a fairly grubby, sleazy bastard of a movie, but somehow, it just seems to work. If you live in the UK you'll have a slightly harder time tracking a copy down but it's worth a watch if you like them dark, dank and hard to watch.

Soooooo sorry I have been away for so long folks, what with Xmas and other rubbish things happening, it has all been too manic to post, but my new years resolution is to knuckle down and crack on separating the wheat from the chaff. New postings will begin again very soon ... watch this space!