Despite an almost complete and total submersion into the world of horror and Halloween for the month of October, I do welcome the occasional break from guts and gore. This is what I expected when popping in the newly released Blu-ray of Pilgrimage. With a cast of action stars like Spiderman: Homecoming‘s Tom Holland, The…
Action
31 Days, Day 9: Warner Archive’s THE HIDDEN is a Quirky 80s Gem, Finally Released on Blu-ray
Earlier in the year, buzz about Twin Peaks returning was in high gear. Everyone started their rewatches and conversations flourished. Obviously, the one person that would be in every conversation would be the man who played the incomparable Kyle MacLachlan. Driving to work, listening to the Shock Waves podcast, one of the crew mentioned that…
31 Days, Day 7: Sonny Chiba is the WOLFGUY
Wolfguy, aka Wolfguy: Enraged Lycanthrope, is a fun outside the box kung-fu horror film noir based on the Manga of the same name and it is one trippy as hell time at the movies. I normally do not watch films like this. I am not the type of guy who watches very many foreign flicks.…
31 Days, Day 6: ODD THOMAS Showcases the Talents of the Late Great Anton Yelchin
[Editor’s Note: In October, Friday Fight becomes Friday Frights and we’ll be covering something every Friday this month. Next week we’ll be celebrating the life of the late George Kennedy with a lesser known 1988 horror film called Uninvited. It’s streaming on Amazon Prime.] I don’t understand how this star-studded flick flew so far under…
Badass French Martial Artist Brahim Achabbakhe Catches Up with The Farsighted
This is Brahim Achabbakhe, badass action star in the making. Hopefully you caught him opposite friend of the site Ed Travis‘s big screen man crush Scott Adkins in Boyka, the latest installment of the Undisputed films. If not, the time is now, it’s over on Netflix… but since you’re here, join us for a quick…
ONCE UPON A TIME IN VENICE, Someone Stole Bruce Willis’s Dog and There Was Hell to Pay
Private Dick, Steve Ford (Bruce Willis) is a payday to payday, making end meet investigator who enjoys the company of beautiful women, is tough as nails, and is a man of his word. His partner, the films’s narrator, is John (Thomas Middleditch), an awkward and young apprentice, who seems to often be more lucky than…
FANTASIA 2017: Our Very Own Lowlifes Review LOWLIFE, Part 2 – Doug’s Take
A colossal achievement in low-budget ingenuity and skill, Lowlife marks the arrival of a major new filmmaking talent in director Ryan Prows. Despite flashes of pop culture eccentricity and extreme violence, Prows breaks free of his Tarantino-esque trappings to deliver a beautifully structured, wonderfully acted and darkly comic thriller tinged with that most rare of…
FANTASIA 2017: Our Very Own Lowlifes Review LOWLIFE, Part 1 – Mondo’s Take
When I first saw the trailer for Lowlife, I was instantly hyped on the outlandish imagery. Seeing a hulking luchador cross cut with gun shots and brutality, it had me liking the flick before I ever saw it. I made sure not to read any press or dive too deep into the synopsis and wanted…
FANTASIA 2017: Doug Leaves THE FINAL MASTER a Bit Unsatisifed
There’s really no excuse for The Final Master being as unsatisfying as it is. While punctuated with plenty of smoothly choreographed knife fights, the film often threatens to bend under a laborious mix of bland characterizations and confusing motivations, and feels at least a half hour too long at 109 minutes. It’s often gorgeously photographed,…
It Took Me Far Too Long to ENTER THE WARRIOR’S GATE, Don’t Make My Mistake
If you are anything like me, you enjoy a good PG-13 fantasy film that you can get away with watching in from of your kids. Films like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World are staples in my film diet, watching alone, with the missus, and/or with the kids. Some parents wouldn’t let their 6 and 8…
July Reading Assignment: THE GOOD, THE TOUGH, AND THE DEADLY is Your New High Octane Action Guidebook
Yesterday was July 4th and few things scream America’s independence more than a nice action movie or 3. Bombs bursting in air… rockets with their red glare… guns, explosions, blood, guts, boom! It’s hard to think of something more American than blowing shit up, kicking some ass, and taking some motherfucking names! Of course, in…
Forget about Schumacher’s Batman Films, Adam West is the only true BATMAN FOREVER
Growing up on Adam West’s Batman, Christopher Reeves’ Superman, and the Saturday morning cartoons of the 1970s, I prefer that the difference between the good guys and the bad guys be pretty cut and dry. While I liked the Tim Burton Batman movies, and even Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever (don’t hate!), I’m burned out on…
BLACK ROSE: Fun B-Movie Action or Grade A Crap Fest?
Black Rose is one of those baffling films that you can’t believe even got made in today’s day and age. How did this get any funding? This film is such a surreal experience. It’s like watching an action film starring a random extra who got his butt kicked in a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, who…
DVD GIVEAWAY: Interview with Obin Olson About THE SHADOW EFFECT
Before we dive into the interview I recently did with the filmmakers of The Shadow Effect, I have two brief announcements… first and foremost, I recommend you go watch it (here’s an Amazon link to make it easy). Second, YOU CAN WIN A COPY. You can follow The Farsighted on Instagram and/or Twitter and post…
All Hail Exhumed Films: Garrett Goes to Ex-Fest VII
My favorite day of the year has come and gone in another 12-hour whirlwind of movies presented by Exhumed Films. Ex-Fest VII, Exhumed Films annual exploitation marathon, was even better than last year’s, my first time at the event, and easily the best of the 4 or 5 marathons of theirs I’ve seen since. The…
Another New One Coming Out that Excites Me… BOUND BY DEBT
Coming in late 2017: Bound By Debt Check out the trailer for the new martial arts film Bound By Debt, set for a December release. Martial artist turned actor, Paul Mormando, vows to bring back “old school action to the big screen”!
CFF 2017 Best of the Fest… as Far as I’m Concerned: MAYHEM and FEEDING TIME
I had the pleasure of taking in a good chunk of this year’s Chattanooga Film Fest and have enjoyed virtually everything I saw (appreciated Ape Sodom, but I can’t say I “enjoyed” that one). However, one feature film and one short stood out above the pack as the ones I’d probably revisit most often and/or…
The Incredibly Fun KONG: SKULL ISLAND Makes a Monkey Out of the Humorless Monster Movies
One of the many things that I have never outgrown is the idea and love of giant monsters. There are few things cooler than a giant fucking monsters fighting one another. I started young with books about dinosaurs, then seeing Son of Kong and I eventually found Godzilla. Needless to say, I was hooked. That…
Introducing… the Next International Action Star… Jino MF’n Kang
In the past month, I’ve had the pleasure of being introduced to the work of Jino Kang, specifically the Fist 2 Fist films. Even more of a pleasure was my chance to catch up with the hard-working action star on the rise! In your own words, “Who is Jino Kang?” I am a father, husband,…
Our First Guest Joins Us to Fight About THE GUEST
The Guest is a simple story being told in an incredibly stylish, yet unpretentious way. From the opening to the closing credits, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett let you know that this is going to be all about “mood”. The synth heavy score is omnipresent and only adds to the dread that this “guest” may…
Six 2016 Films that Made Ana Happy
Everybody Wants Some Richard Linklater has finally made a bookend of sorts to Dazed and Confused. Imagine a film that embodies the feel of 1980: It’s excellently acted, roll-on-floor hilarious, and centers around a college baseball team the weekend before school starts. This was my favorite film of the year. Rogue One: A Star Wars…
“Mondo” Counts Down Year’s Best Exploitation Films
[Editor’s Note: This is one of a few new writers coming aboard in 2017. Blaine McLaren is a sleazy film guru who blogs at mondomclaren.com and I asked him what the best exploitation films of 2016 were. He gave me the following list. Welcome aboard Blaine!] 2016 was a great year in film that brought…
Lines from 2016 Films That Resulted in My Baffling Laughter
“Learrrrninnnng.” – Apocalypse from X-Men: Apocalypse, with his hand pressed against a tube-television, implying he’s learning the history of mankind via a singular Egyptian television station’s current programming. One hopes he got lucky enough for an anchor on that station to reference the internet so that he learns of its existence and make some real…
“The Dragon”, at 62, Still Kicking All Types of Ass
The second film produced and directed by Michael Baumgarten and starring kickboxing legend, Don “The Dragon” Wilson that I’ve experienced in the past few months (family friendly action film The Martial Arts Kid being the other), Paying Mr. McGetty is a mixed bag that is hard to pigeon hole in any way. In some ways,…
TGIB: Thank God It’s Bautista, New KICKBOXER’s Villain Steals the Screen
I like action films. I love action films. Deep thinking and socially relevant ones are pretty cool, but these days mark a true need to fill my film schedule with popcorn flick type action. In fact, I continue to grow more and more fond of action for action’s sake in my entertainment, especially loving films…
HE-MAN Meets FERNGULLY at Ithaca Fantastik Fest
Nova Seed is exactly the kind of movie that makes film festivals like Ithaca Fantastik so worthwhile. Essentially He-Man meets FernGully, drawn in the style of an 11-year-old’s math notebook doodles, Nova Seed is a Saturday morning adventure cartoon about environmentalism. With a great sense of visual storytelling, propelled by a fun, 80’s-style original score,…
31 Days, Day 10: PUFF 16’s Best of the Fest… Part Deux
The closing film of PUFF, and with good reason. “Your brother has a black belt in Cirque du Soleil too!?” I may have spoken too soon when dubbing We Go On the best of the fest a few hours ago. I was admittedly nodding in and out of Karate Kill as it screened last night,…
Two of a Grind: July 5th Edition
Still feeling patriotic after yesterday’s festivities? Or maybe just hungover and in need of a good “hangover movie” or two? You’re in luck, because today’s Two of a Grind features two war movies and what is more American than war? While the greatest war film of all time, Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, is available for…
The Grindhouse Department of Motor Vehicles
This week Two of a Grind hits the road and you get to choose your vehicle. Be it a kickass Harley or a sweet MG A or Porsche, you can ride in style while the Grindhouse Channel presents you with some great exploitation films from the mid 60’s. The Wild Angels is a very important…
Z for Zombie, A for Effort
When you are making a film this low-budget, you have to make up for it with heart and follow through. For me this is the attribute required to thread the difficult needle of “so bad it’s good” and miss the “intentionally bad because of irony” and “bad because of laziness.” possibilities. Those that hit this…