Hey folks, I’m finally back to talk about a movie, and what better way to kick back off than with another thrilling installment of Once Upon a Time in Italy. I’ve been told by lots of folks that when they need to get reinvigorated they go to church. Now, I’m not a church going fellow, but when it comes to Michelle Sovai’s 1989 film La chiesa or The Church, I’m a member of the congregation for sure. Of the two Sovai films that I’ve seen, Stage Fright and Cemetery Man, I thought the prior was middling and the latter a work of a master. So I was genuinely excited to see one of the films he made between the two, but before I pass judgment on this one, let me tell you a little of what it’s about.

Back in the Middle Ages, the Teutonic knights, who were supposed to protect travelers to the Holy Land, decided to take their job very seriously. They went around and killed and pillaged anywhere that they thought might house witches or Satan worshipers. After one particularly nasty slaughter, in order to contain the evil, the Knights constructed a special church over the presumed heretic’s burial ground. They even had the architect build in a failsafe system should the evil ever get out. That’s a good thing because in the present day the greedy new librarian, Evan (Tomas Arana), has managed to break open the seal thinking it will be full of Middle Ages treasure. Instead, the spirits of the vengeful dead pour out to punish the inhabitants of the church. With the Church sealed up by the fail-safe, it is left to visiting priest Father Gus (Hugh Quarshie) and a young girl named Lotte (Asia Argento) to defeat the angry demons.

Speaking of demons, The Church was originally intended to be Demons 3, a follow up to the Lamburto Bava's two films. Instead, Sovai wanted to take the film in another direction and away from what he called “schlock pizza cinema”. The script seems almost to have been written by committee with eight writers credited including Lamburto Bava, Sovai, Dario Argento, and Demons scribe Franco Ferrini. Sovai intended his film to address the issues of religious oppression, the lingering impact of the Nazis, and other deeper issues. The problem is with a miasma of ideas floating around and scenes like a fellow jack hammering himself to death those larger ideas take a backseat to good old fashioned Italian horror. Now I’m not saying that is a bad thing. Anyone who watches Italian horror can tell you that narrative is not the strong suit, but it was frustrating to be able to tell that the director had something to say that was so obfuscated by the film itself to render it nearly incomprehensible.

Thankfully, missing the deeper meaning of Sovai’s film will not hinder your enjoyment of the flick. The director creates a great atmosphere, and Gothic churches are creepy to begin with so he had a head start. There are many moments of great imagery, and the special effects are actually quite good. There’s a monster makeup scene in the film that looks nearly flawless, and for a late ‘80’s Italian film, that’s saying something. One place it did come up short was in the musical department where tunes by Goblin and Keith Emerson both sounded like re-hashes of better, older material. The Church also features a partial score by Phillip Glass, the avant-garde composer, but even those compositions brought little to the film.

Instead The Church relies on Sovai’s eye and some solid acting. The best acting in the picture comes from Hugh Quarshie, an actor many will be familiar with from his work on 1990’s Nightbreed and in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Quarshie’s performance was very intense, but he seemed likable. The only time I thought it had gotten a little out of hand was in one scene where the poor fellow was dripping so much sweat that I thought he was going to start his on eco-system. Tomas Arana, who went on to appear in Gladiator, was a despicable little fop, and that’s exactly what he was intended to be. Asia Argento, daughter of Dario, also turns in what might be her best performance as the young girl Lotte. I’ve never seen her in anything else I particularly liked though, but in her recent films, Asia's looks make up for her acting chops. The Church also features Italy’s whipping boy, Giovanni Lamburto Radice as a Priest, and it probably goes without saying that he gets it and gets it good

The Church was not quite the answer to my prayers, but if they passed around the collection plate, I would surely throw in a couple of bucks for the effort. Perhaps with a repeated viewing the message of the film might become clearer, but if not at least there’s still demonic things humping chicks and a girl who rips her own face off, so it won’t be a total loss. As far as Sovai’s films go, this one is right in the middle chronologically and ratings wise of the other films I’ve reviewed. If you’re looking for his best work, then check out Cemetery Man, but if you’ve seen that and enjoy Sovai’s stylish camera work and solid effects, then you should pull up a pew and have a seat with The Church.

Yes that's right the Bugg has returned from his sabbatical in Memphis, and I'm raring to tear into some new films. So starting Monday the reviews will get back underway. I have some good ones coming up that I think you'll all really enjoy. I also have a few big plans that I'll be rolling out by Summertime so look out for those! Also, i wanted to let you folks know that I started a new blog called 'It Will Stand' that I will be posting to every couple of days. That blog will focus on classic Soul, R&B, Funk, and Rock with plenty of other goodies thrown in for good measure. So if you're a music lover, go over there and check it out, and if not, then just stick around here where the features will start rolling in the next couple of days.

Heya folks. I had time for one last post before I left for vacation, and I wanted to leave you all with something good. The wife and I are taking off for a weeklong trip that will take us to Memphis, TN, home of Graceland and Beale Street, Clarksdale, Miss., where Robert Johnson sold his soul to play the blues, Tupelo, Miss, where the King of Rock and Roll was born, and finally to Atlanta, Ga. where we will celebrate our 11th anniversary with a meal in a swanky restaurant. Needless to say, I’ll be a little busy. So other than the occasional Facebook update, I will be off the grid while I’m gone. Seeing as so much of my trip revolves around Elvis Presley, I thought you might enjoy seeing my Top 10 favorite Elvis or Elvis related films. So without further ado, let’s get on with it.

10. Bye Bye Birdie (1963)- Though there is no Elvis in this adaptation of the stage musical, there can be little doubt that the character of Conrad Birdie was intended to be the King of Rock and Roll. The story follows the Conrad Birdie character as he goes to a small town to make a farewell appearance before he gets drafted into the army. It’s a good look at what folks thought about Elvis-mania in the period before it was washed away by four moptops from Liverpool. There are a couple of fun facts about this one. It starred Ann Margaret who would end up co-starring with the King in Viva Las Vegas. Another fact you won’t find on the internet is that I took part in a stage production of this play in high school. I mostly played background roles (and danced), but I also performed as the voice of Ed Sullivan because, as I recall, I was the only one who knew who he was.

9. Mystery Train (1989) This film was reviewed a while back as a Ladies Night selection so I’m not going to spend too much time on it, but I wanted to give it a mention. While there’s no Elvis in the film, his spirit and music seem to linger over every part of Jarmusch’s film. For anyone who is an Elvis fan or is traveling to Memphis, then this is essential viewing.

8. Speedway (1968)- This film is about the same quality as all the other Elvis films, but thanks to co-star Nancy Sinatra and the fact that I remember this one well from when I was a kid, it has long remained one of my favorite Elvis films. The plot is pretty simple. Elvis is a racecar driver who gets into tax trouble thanks to his degenerate gambler manager played by Bill Bixby. Ms. Sinatra plays the tax auditor and hilarity ensues. There’s a few good songs in this one especially the ode to taxes, He’s Your Uncle Not Your Dad, and most of the jokes are actually funny. It wouldn’t be a good idea talking bad about this film anyway. Bill Bixby might get angry.


7. Elvis (1979) - Only two years after Elvis died, this made for TV film about the King’s life hit the airwaves. If it had only starred Kurt Russell, the film would still be worth mentioning, but add in the involvement of horror director John Carpenter and it goes to a whole different level. Carpenter gives the film a look that denies it’s made for TV roots, and Russell plays Elvis well though at points as more of a caricature than a character. The film also features several great supporting performances such as Shelly Winters as Elvis’ mother Gladys, Elliott Street as bandleader Bill Black, and Charles Cyphers as Sun Studios honcho Sam Phillips. One interesting little note about this film. In his last screen appearance in Change of Habit, Elvis Presley played a character named… John Carpenter.

6. True Romance (1993) In True Romance, Elvis, or Mentor as he is billed, appears several times to Christian Slater’s Clarence Worley to give him advice, and while we are never shown a clear shot of the King, played by Val Kilmer, there is no mistaking the gold lame suit, sideburns, and trademark shades. Tony Scott’s film (from Quentin Tarantino’s script) casts Elvis as Clarence’s essence of confidence and cool, and while he might not always give the best advice, I have to admit that if Elvis was giving me pointers, I’d be hard pressed not to follow them.

5. Elvis (2005) Before Jonathan Rhys Meyers took on the job of playing that wife offing King, Henry the VIII, on Showtime’s The Tudors, he starred in this made for TV bio-pic about the King of Rock and roll. While I enjoy the Russell/Carpenter version, Meyer’s turn is more fully realized with Elvis coming to life not only as a legend but also as a deeply flawed and troubled person. The film, directed by James Steven Sadwith, plumbs deeper depths than any other biographical film of Presley than I’ve seen, and the nearly 3 hour run time is chock full of great scenes and performances. I have to give special mention to Randy Quaid’s sleazy turn as “Colonel” Tom Parker, Robert Patrick’s cold performance as Elvis’ dad, and Rose McGowan as the redhead Ann-Margaret.

4. Jailhouse Rock (1957) Though it was not Elvis’ first film, it is probably easily his best, and from the music to the plot (which shares some notes with Kazan’s A Face in the Crowd from the same year) this film delivers. In a nutshell, Elvis learns how to break into the record industry while in jail serving time for manslaughter (not murder as some folks seem to recall), and once he gets out he becomes a major star while putting his prison past far out of sight and out of mind. Director Richard Thorpe had a career ranging back into the 1920’s, and his experienced eye gives the film a great look. Beyond being a classic Elvis film, Jailhouse Rock deserves to be considered a classic of American cinema.

3. Eddie Presley (1992) Duane Whitaker is probably most recognized for being the pawn shop clerk Maynard from Pulp Fiction, but if life were fair, then he would get recognized from his dramatic turn in Eddie Presley. Essentially the film is a slice of life picture that follows Eddie, an Elvis impersonator, through his day. Don’t go in expecting lots of laughs (though there are some) or action (cause there’s not any), but if you want a near perfect character study, then this if a film you should definitely be checking out. Director Jeff Burr (Puppet Master 4, Night of the Scarecrow) gets some great performances from his cast of mostly unknowns, and he manages to wrangle a few familiar faces to keep on the lookout for Ted Rami, Laurence Tierney, Quentin Tarantino, and Bruce Campbell.

2. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) Speaking of Mr. Campbell leads me to our number 2 film, Bubba Ho-Tep. Based on a story by horror/thriller writer Joe Lansdale and directed by Phantasm helmer Don Coscarelli, the film stars Campbell as Elvis, or at least a resident of a nursing home who says he is Elvis, and Ozzie Davis as JFK. As most of you probably know, Elvis and JFK must team up to fight an Egyptian mummy on the loose. For such a silly sounding film, it packs an emotional punch that I didn’t see coming, and it hit me especially hard after laughing so steadily throughout the film. Bubba Ho-Tep is a modern classic, and it is a shame that Campbell will not be returning for the planned sequel.

1. Elvis: The ‘68 Comeback Special (uhhh, 1968) After Elvis returned from serving in the Army, he needed a way to reintroduce himself to a world that was entering the Summer of Love with a drug fueled, Beatles influenced haze. That way ended up being the ‘68 comeback special. Every moment of this special exudes the reasons that Elvis was such an incredible performer and why people like me are still making the hajj to Memphis to see his home. I could say more about this one, but why go on when I could let the King take over from here. So that wraps it up. I will see you guys in about a week’s time, and until then enjoy this clip from the King of Rock and Roll.

When it comes to memorable video box covers, The Dead Pit ranks up there with Uncle Sam, Return to Horror High, and Critters for boxes that always stuck in my mind. While I always remembered the embossed box with the blinking red eyes, I long ago forgot the name of the film. So when I was perusing the selections over at Netflix, The Dead Pit caught my eye and it all came back to me. Looking up a little information on the it, I found that it was well regarded when it came out and received critical praise from both Fangoria and esteemed movie reviewer Joe Bob Briggs. Mr. Briggs even gave the film 4 stars and complimented the screaming talents of Cheryl Lawson. So I thought it was high time I got around to seeing The Dead Pit rather than just remembering the VHS cover. So today I finally for my chance, and got introduced to Ms. Lawson our newest Beautiful Lady of Genre.

Twenty years ago at the State Institution for the Mentally Insane, Dr. Gerald Swan (Jeremy Slate) discovered that his colleague Dr. Ramzi (Danny Gochnauer) was experimenting on patients in the basement of the asylum. With no other choice, Dr. Swan put a bullet right between the eyes of Ramzi ending his reign of terror over the patient. Over the years, Swan kept the institution open, and new patient, the amnesiac Jane Doe (Cheryl Lawson) arrives on the same day an earthquake rocks the asylum. Jane doesn’t believe herself to have amnesia. She believes that someone or something robbed her of her memories, and being at the State Institution had triggered a set of nightmares that seem to point to a connection between Jane and Dr. Ramzi. Soon the diabolical doctor returns from the grave with his legion of zombies, and it’s up to Jane, her fellow inmate Christian (Steven Gregory Foster), and a disturbed nun to defeat the menace.

Filmed on location at Agnew State Hospital in Milpitas, California, The Dead Pit gains a great deal of it’s appeal from the atmosphere and setting. First time director Brett Leonard uses the location to full effect and bathes the sets in creepy lighting and obfuscating smoke. The first half of the film plays out like a psychological thriller, and if I hadn’t seen the box art, I’m not sure I would have suspected the appearance of zombies in the film. Once they do arrive, the film changes gears and the film becomes a straight up gorefest with all the head ripping, body gnawing, blood splattery fun you could ask for. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a film that featured so much great late '80's splatter, and it was quite fun to flashback to those great practical effects.   I also liked how homogenous the zombies looked in their bloodstained hospital gowns. Often zombies are a slapdash group of whoever has been infected or bitten, and it was nice to see a group that looked like they had it together.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the main things that spurred me on to check out this film was Cheryl Lawson. She never became a marquee scream queen, and that is really too bad. Not only did she have a great scream as Mr. Briggs noted, Ms. Lawson was also quite fetching. She is certainly not a waifish looking lady, and putting her in a cropped t-shirt and high cut panties (because, you know, that’s what they hand out in asylums) was certainly something I would like to thank the wardrobe department for. I’d also like to thank whoever came up with the scene where she’s blasted with a hose until her t-shirt, which is obviously made of paper, rips right off. Lawson is more than a pretty face, and her acting is actually surprisingly good. It’s a shame that she didn’t end up in more leading roles. In fact, after this film, she never had another one. Instead, she moved to a thankless job, stuntwoman, for such films as Swordfish, The Scorpion King, and Spider Man 2 as well as doing work on the TV series Deadwood and Firefly.

There is only really a couple of supporting players in the film with most of the actors playing inmates and/or zombies, but a couple of folks bear mentioning. Jeremy Slate, an actor best known for getting shot by John Wayne in True Grit and Tom Laughlin in Billy Jack, gets top billing as Dr. Swan, but he really has limited screen time. When he does show up, his performance goes over-the-top, but he provides a nice high end to the overblown acting in the film. Steven Gregory Foster provides a good sidekick for Cheryl Lawson’s damsel in distress,  but the accent he has in the film seemed suspect and unfortunately I could not find out if he was from the UK or not. Either way, he hammed it up like everyone else and seemed likeable enough. Danny Gouchnauer had little to do than show up in scrubs and menace folks as the evil Dr. Ramzi, but thanks to some of the lighting and camera choices, he has a couple of striking appearances. Ha also has a little bit of a “Patrick Bateman” kind of look. He doesn’t have anything on that creepy guy that Kourtney Kardashian is dating, but there was a certain similarity. When his eyes start to glow red, well, it’s a pretty amusing bad effect, and I felt like I can let it slide.

If you don’t have an interest in low budget late ’80’s zombie films, then you’ll want to pass this one by. By looking at the cover and checking out the cast, you should be able to discern what kind of film The Dead Pit is. It was just a fun film I wish I had seen back in the day. The DVD from Code Red also contains interviews with Lawson, Slate who has since passed away, director Brett Leonard, and writer/producer Gimil Everette. It’s fun to hear the tidbits behind this film, and I wish that more flicks from this era got this treatment rather than the bare bones DVD’s usually offered. The Dead Pit never claws up above being an average film, but it gave me a great nostalgic feeling for a film that I never saw before.

When Kevin Kangas, director of the infamous Fear of Clowns, asked me if I’d like to take a look at his soon to be released film Bounty, I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t Fear of Clowns 3 and agreed to scope the picture out. Having seen very little other than a short clip, I didn’t really know what to expect (other than the absence of shirtless clowns) so I pressed play and braced myself for the worst. The surprising part is that I didn’t get it at all. Instead, in the six years since Fear of Clowns (and three since the much improved Fear of Clowns 2), Kevin Kangas has grown as both a writer and director, and his newest film should put his name into the minds of a lot more horror fans.

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Black Cat first came to life in 1843 when it was published in the Saturday Evening Post. Since then it has spun quite the long cinematic history beginning with a 1934 version starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Like tonight’s adaptation, it bears little resemblance to Poe’s original tale of psychological terror. (Lugosi would return to the story again in 1941 with another unfaithful version co-starring Basil Rathbone) Then in 1962 Roger Corman included the tale in his anthology film Trilogy of Terror starring Vincent Price and Peter Lorre, and it is widely regarded as a faithful rendition of the story. We’re not here to talk about films made in the States. This is “Once Upon A Time in Italy”, and when it comes to versions of The Black Cat, Italy has its share.

The first Italian riff on The Black Cat made it debut in 1972 with Sergio Martino’s lengthily titled Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key which occasionally was shown under the alternate title Eyes of the Black Cat. The film only has a passing connection to Poe’s story, but it still bears mentioning. The story was adapted by another big name Italian director, Dario Argento, in his 1990 film Two Evil Eyes with actor Harvey Keitel in the lead role. In between those two variations came tonight’s film, 1981’s The Black Cat (Italian: Il Gatto Nero) from director Lucio Fulci. Like most of the other films made from Poe’s short story, Fulci’s film has little to do with the original tale, but it does find the director pulling back on the gore, ramping up the tension, and using some of his trademark shots to great effect.

Professor Robert Miles (Patrick Magee) is a medium experimenting with electronic voice phenomena as a way to contact the dead and discover what lies on the other side. Apart from being creepy and having wild eyebrows, he also is the owner of an ill tempered black cat. The car is a bit more than grouchy. It has a murderous streak, and in the opening portion of the film we see it cause the death of both a driver and a pair of teens, but is it the car or the owner that is really at fault? That’s the question that haunts American photographer Jill Trevers (Mimsy Farmer), and when Scotland Yard’s Inspector Gorley (David Warbeck) comes to investigate the disappearance of the teens, the evidence begins to mount that Miles and his cat have something to do with the string of deaths plaguing the town. The real question becomes is it more dangerous for a black cat to cross your path or for your to cross its master?

Lucio Fulci stated many times that he directed this atypical film as a favor to producer Giulio Sbarigia, but I’m not sure why he would have wanted to distance himself from such a good looking and entertaining flick. While it lacks the gore of his other works, it retains an atmospheric quality that definitely felt like a Fulci film, and it also retains another hallmark of Fulci’s films, tons and tons of shots of eyes. In one particular scene, the camera moves from Macgee’s eyes to Farmer’s peepers to the cat’s for a span of almost 30 seconds. Eye shots pop up a couple more times in the film, but that sequence is so extensive that, as a Fulci fan boy, it made me chuckle a bit. The whole film is exquisitely directed and shot thanks to both Fulci and cinematographer Sergio Salvati who had worked with the director off and on since 1975’s Four of the Apocalypse. The entire film had a great look to it, and many of the shots were among the best I’ve seen in all the Fulci films I’ve viewed.

Stylistically the film is very strong, but it comes up quite short in the acting department. Veteran actor Patrick Magee, who is probably most recognized from Clockwork Orange, is the best of the bunch. From his wild eyebrows to his performance which balances on the edge but never goes over the top, I enjoyed every moment he had on screen. He exuded insanity and menace in equal doses, and both were well executed. The same cannot be said of Mimsy Farmer. She seems like a cut rate version of Tisa Farrow who had appeared in Fulci‘s previous film Zombi 2. Farmer does little other than gape at the goings on around her, and other than being a pretty face (and in my opinion more attractive than Miss Farrow), she has little to do. David Warbeck, who would work with Fulci again on The Beyond, acquits himself somewhat better, and I did enjoy some of the moments in his portrayal of the brash Scotland Yard Inspector. The only other notable performance comes from Fulci regular Al Cliver. As the head of the local police, he shares many scenes with Warbeck that elevate both of their performances, but unfortunately, his role is far smaller than I would have liked.

I really feel more conflicted about this film than I have any other Fulci film. On one hand it is a well shot film with an interesting premise and a killer score by Pino Donaggio, but on the other, it has several lackluster performances and a narrative that falls apart under the faintest inspection. In the end, The Black Cat has almost exactly as many plusses and minuses, and my grade will reflect that. However, if you’re a fan of Fulci’s work, this is definitely one you have to check out. It is a different kind of horror film than you would expect, and it almost feels like a Hammer Picture. It surely lacks the blood and guts one would expect, but Fulci had plenty of guts to direct this film in his style but without so many of the touches that his fans might expect. A black cat crossing your path is supposed to be bad luck, but in this case, it’s only a minor disappointment in a film that I really wanted to like better.

Often, in order to reach out to a broader audience, a director or screenwriter will decide to create a hybrid film. When it comes to horror, usually this means that a comedic or science fiction element is grafted onto a macabre tale. On a few rare occasions, you get elusive crossbreed the horror/action film. Since I’m celebrating Spring Into Action, I thought I would look at a few of these titles. Tonight, that means I’m going to check out a film I‘ve never had any interest in seeing, Pitch Black. I’ve never been a fan of Vin Diesel (though his admission of being a D&D player nearly brought me around).   I don’t know if I’ve ever made it through one of his starring vehicles, but there is a chance that I watched xXx at some point. If I did, I blocked it from my memory. When I was poking around researching films that would fit this theme, Pitch Black kept coming up, and much to my surprise, it seemed like people liked the tale of the silver eyed badass, So I finally took it on to check it out, but the question is will the light go on over my head or will it leave me stranded in the dark.

It all starts out when a transport ship crashes on a desert planet. Out of the forty passengers only a handful survives. Among them are co-pilot Carolyn (Rhada Mitchell), an antiquities dealer, pilgrims on their way to New Mecca, bounty hunter William Johns (Cole Hauser), and his prisoner, escaped convict Riddick (Vin Diesel). They find the planet to be inhospitable and seemingly devoid of life, but they soon discover they are not the only beings there. Under the surface, strange creatures with an aversion to light reside, and with the planet entering a long night cycle, the survivor’s only hope lies with Riddick whose silver eyes can see through the darkness.

Right off the bat let me say that Pitch Black was way better than I expected. Well, let me pull that back a little, it was better than I expected. From the opening crash sequence to the expected ending showdown, the film keeps up a rapid pace without letting character development suffer in the process. It doesn’t get bogged down in exposition either. The characters develop organically through their actions, and no one bothers to explain what the creatures are, why they are there, or why they want to kill people. Let’s face it, it doesn’t matter, and Pitch Black knows that. Screenwriters Ken and Jim Wheat (Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, Nightmare on Elm Street IV: The Dream Master) deliver on what the audience wants, blood, guts, gore, and a guy with silver eyes kicking ass.

Speaking of old silver eyes, I was actually kind of impressed by Vin Diesel. I’m not saying that I’ve become a fan, but he played the charismatic badass antihero to the hilt. He even delivered his quips well. My personal favorite being his response to bounty hunter William Johns when he admonishes Riddick for having a knife and Diesel’s character replies, “it’s a personal grooming appliance” while shaving his head with a disgusting goop. I will have to admit that the goggles he wore distracted me because I couldn’t help but think they looked like 2 rubbery watchbands put together. Other than that aesthetic gripe, there really wasn’t anything I didn’t like about Diesel. From the action to the dramatic to the snappy one liners, he really had it together on this one, and if I don’t watch a single other Vin Diesel film, I feel fairly certain that I will want to see this character continue in The Chronicles of Riddick.

Diesel is joined by a great supporting cast that rounds out the rest of the film. First off, there’s Rhada Mitchell as the pilot Carolyn. Between Pitch Black and Silent Hill, Mitchell has really got that wounded, yet strong woman persona down pat. Of all the characters, she is given the best story arc, and there’s good reason for that. Pitch Black also features one of my favorite genre film stars, Keith David. If you don’t know who Mr. David is, then you must not have seen They Live, Road House, or The Thing, and directly after reading this review, you should go fix that. He doesn’t have much to do as the Muslim Imam on his hajj to New Mecca, but he performs strongly and shares quite a few great scenes opposite Diesel. Cole Hauser, who I liked on the short lived New Orleans cop show K-ville, and Lewis Fitz-Gerald also put in solid performances as the bounty hunter and the antiquities dealer respectively.

Director David Twohy had previously directed a pair of films, 1992’s Timescape with Jeff Daniels and 1996’s The Arrival with Charlie Sheen, but most of his success had come from his writing.  Twohy was the scenarist for films like Warlock, GI Jane, Waterworld, and The Fugitive, and more recently he penned he script for The Perfect Getaway (2009) as well as directing it. Twohy did a good job creating tension and keeping the pace of Pitch Black going, and the only category his film really suffers in is the CG department.  It definitely struck me what a difference 10 years makes because the creatures on display looked only slightly better than what a direct to DVD film might offer now. Other than that minor quibble, Twohy put together a neatly constructed film that contained a few solidly original moments.

I went in expecting Pitch Black to be a 1 or maybe a 1.5, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this film to be a solid affair that comes in slightly above average. I would hesitate to gush with the amount of praise I’ve seen some folks pile on this film, but I would probably watch it again and will continue on into the franchise. The best thing was the way that it combined science fiction, horror, and action into one neat package. Apart from the first two Alien films, there are precious few movies that do that well, and Pitch Black proved itself to be a worthy addition to the sub-sub-genre. So if you have the hankering for blood, gore, and butt-kicking in an outer space adventure, then don’t keep yourself in the dark like I did, walk into the light and give Pitch Black a look.

Like most folks, I was introduced to the stuntwoman turned actress Zöe Bell through her performance in Quentin Tarantino’s part of Grindhouse, Death Proof. While her acting was only so-so, the skill she showed with her stunt work was incredible, and when I came home and checked her out, I was surprised to see how many times I had seen her work and not known it. From Xena: Warrior Princess and Alias to Kill Bill 1 & 2, Bell had worked the stunt double for many of my favorite shows and films, but when I heard that she had headlined a movie on her own, I was a bit skeptical. After all, her acting in in Death Proof hadn’t blown me away and the film had been produced as a web series for Crackle.com. Still I was interested enough by the attachment of comic book writer Ed Brubaker and the idea of seeing the beautiful Australian stuntwoman kick some ass. So with some trepidation, I checked out 2009’s Angel of Death, and right before my eyes, a new action star was born.

Eve (Zöe Bell) is an assassin for hire, but when a hit goes wrong causing her to accidentally kill a 14-year-old girl and end up with a knife embedded in her head, the cold-blooded killer starts to have problems getting her job done. Dr Rankin (Doug Jones) removes the knife, but warns Grahame (Brian Poth), Eve’s handler, that she may never be the same again. The tough as nail killer isn’t going to let a little thing like a knife wound to the head get her down. Eve begins to have hallucinations of the young girl she killed encouraging her to get her revenge on the mob family that hired her for that ill fated hit. She becomes an unstoppable force taking out the mobsters from the ground up as she guns for the head of the family.

After reading over the synopsis, it should come as no surprise to anyone that Angel of Death was written by a comic book writer, Ed Brubaker. Angel of Death was the first screenwriting gig for Brubaker, best known for his gritty take on Captain America (as well as killing off the beloved character), and his foundation in comic books definitely shows through in this tale. It even invades the cinematic style paneled scene transitions that brought to mind Ang Lee’s Hulk. Being a fan of Brubaker’s work, I found his scripting and dialog to be just as strong off the page as on it. However, some of the fantastical portions of the plot (i.e. the knife sticking out of Eve’s head) which would have worked fine in the pages of a comic don’t quite mesh with the overexposed, gritty style of the film. For a first time effort, Brubaker really scores. There’s talk of a sequel coming down the pipeline, and I for one can’t wait to see where the writer takes the story.

Before I get into talking about the acting, I want to take a moment to talk about director Paul Etheredge. This is only his second feature, his first was a gay themed slasher called HellBent that I’m planning to look at in the near future. Etheredge has been in the business for a number of years in the art department for films like I Shot Andy Warhol and Oliver Stone’s JFK, and that background serves him well here. While some of the action seems outside of reality, the film itself has a great look to it though it does occasionally border on that tired overexposed look that has been done to death. Overall, the whole film has a great style, and the action sequences, which are the bread and butter of this film, look incredible. Part of this is due to the special skills of the leading lady, but even the most skilled action star can only do so much. The credit should rightfully go to Etheredge and his cinematographer Carl Herse for providing some great action set pieces.

Now, on to Ms. Bell. Zöe’s acting has really improved from Death Proof to Angel of Death, and in a bonus feature on the DVD, she talks about going to an acting coach and really getting inside the head of her character. The hard work she put in really pays off, and by all rights and reasons, Zöe Bell should be a huge action star. She has the acting chops, the physical presence, and the experience to do her own stunts and make them look great. In many female-fueled action films, it is hard to believe that the waify star could take down a lumbering brute or cold bloodedly blow someone away, but I didn’t have that kind of issue with Bell at all. Everything about this performance was spot on, and I’m glad to see that she’s getting some other roles. She recently appeared in Drew Barrymore’s Whip It and 2009’s Gamer, as well as upcoming roles in Wesley Snipes film Game of Death and her second lead performance in The Reapers.

Several great performances in this film deserve a mention. First off, I want to say that this film boasts a “featured” performance from Ted Rami. The amount of time he has on screen is directly proportionate to the amount of time it took you to read this sentence. It is always nice to see Ted pop up, but I don’t think such a minuscule role really deserved special billing. Lucy Lawless, who Bell got her start stunt doubling for, shows up in a slightly larger role than Mr. Rami (who is also a Xena alum). The former Amazon Princess is nearly unrecognizable as Eve’s prostitute with a heart of gold neighbor, but it was fun to see her as well. Perhaps the biggest surprise performance came from Jake Abel as the twenty something mob boss in waiting Cameron Downes. He was thoroughly a little shit, but like Bell, he completely convinced me he could be the arrogant psycho douche bag that he plays. Brian Poth, who is a regular on TV’s Southland, as Eve’s handler and Doug Jones, Abe Sapien from Hellboy: The Golden Army, both impress in their respective roles as well.

Angel of Death is not a film that inspired high expectations. With its comic book writer, stuntwoman star, and web series hallmarks, I figured on a middling stab at an action film at best. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it was not only one of the better action movies I’ve seen in a while, but it also introduced me to a beautiful and believable action heroine. So if you like your chicks kicking ass, your action fast and furious, and your films hard-boiled, then I highly recommend checking one out. This film might be called Angel of Death, but for me it was nearly action film heaven.