The Sacred Triangle: Bowie Iggy & Lou 1971-1973 (2010)

Everyone has idols.  Some may be relatives, some may be football players, some may be serial killers, some may be religious figures.  I can't say I really idolize anyone but if I did, David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed would be at the top of that list.  Not to say that I want to be them or agree with their past lifestyles, but their music has been an important part of my life since I was a teenager.  I remember finding a vinyl copy of Ziggy Stardust and instantly connecting with it.  I also remember buying a copy of Raw Power to hear "that song Guns n' Roses covered" and being blown away.  Then of course there was the life changing moment I first heard The Velvet Underground and Nico.  When I discovered this documentary about the three musicians responsible for those important landmarks of my admittedly simple life, it was an instant must see.

The relationship between David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed is a fascinating example of three very different but equally brilliant artists coming together to form a great alliance.  Though Iggy and Lou technically didn't really collaborate, their link to Bowie was a very important one.  Bowie's popularity in the early 70s allowed him the freedom to lend a hand to some of his own musical idols, two of which were Lou Reed's Velvet Underground and Iggy Pop's The Stooges.  In this short period of three years from 1971 to 1973, Bowie helped produce two of the best albums by his idols, Lou Reed's Transformer and Iggy and the Stooges' Raw Power.  There are many interesting stories and anecdotes about these partnerships that can all be obtained from this documentary.

The Sacred Triangle is another amazing music documenatary from MVD.  It is full of rare clips and photos of the artists and interviews with several experts on the subjects, including Angela Bowie, punk personality Wayne/Jayne County and Lou Reed biographer Victor Bockris.  That such a specific topic is covered by this documentary proves that at least someone out there knows what music fans want.  From recording sessions to personal life and more, no stone is unturned in this film about three of the most interesting and respected cult music icons.

RATING:  9/10


You can order this DVD directly through MVD HERE

Whatever Happened to Pink Floyd? (2011)

I'll admit I am a total sucker for music documentaries.  Even for musicians I could care less about, there is just something about their histories that interest me.  Pink Floyd is a band I have had a love/hate relationship with for my whole life.  When I was starting to get into music, some of my friends liked Pink Floyd but I never really connected with them.  I was listening to punk and more aggressive music that was the antithesis of what (I thought) Pink Floyd were.  Then I started listening to Syd Barrett and I grew more interested in Pink Floyd, but only their early stuff.  It was fairly recently that I started giving them another chance and found that I actually like some of their stuff a lot.  I also wondered whatever happened to Pink Floyd?  So how could I pass this documentary up?

Whatever Happened to Pink Floyd? The Strange Case of Waters and Gilmour explores the turmoil the band went through following the release of their breakthrough album Dark Side of the Moon in 1973.  Roger Waters, the band's bass player, vocalist and songwriter, had taken charge of the band, partially because of his band members' lack of material and input.  This caused some tension in the band but things remained the same for many years after.  Roger Waters eventually left, leaving the remaining members (vocalist/guitarist David Gilmour, Drummer Nick Mason and Keyboardist Rick Wright) to soldier on without him.  Water's departure led the group in a more commercial direction and surprisingly the band was very successful despite losing its leader.  This documentary explores what really happened from this period up until the present.

Whatever Happened to Pink Floyd? is a fascinating portrayal of a much loved band going through the most tumultuous time of it's long history.  Interspersed with interview footage from the band members as well as music historians, the truth comes out about what really happened.  Also included are several clips of classic performances and other footage from the band's career.  You really can't ask more from a documentary.  Even those who are not fans of Pink Floyd should find this documentary a worthwhile glimpse into an important band's story.

RATING: 9/10

Pre Order now - release date 2/22/11

Guess what movie this screen shot is from

I'll give you a hint - It's from a film that won 4 Oscars.

The Crippled Masters 2 (1980, Shia Yue)

Political correctness is a touchy subject in today's world.  It seems the only time you see anything politically incorrect nowadays is either deliberately offensive or an homage to the innocent days when the world just "didn't know any better".  Sometimes when you are watching an older film, you have to take that into consideration.  Other times though, a film will just be so inexcusably/unbelievably politically incorrect that you can't believe your eyes.  This isn't always a bad thing either, as this film proves.

As the oh so politically incorrect title states, The Crippled Masters 2 (aka Two Crippled Heroes) centers around two martial arts experts who also happen to be handicapped.  The first (Frankie Shum) has one (malformed) arm and the other (Jackie Conn) has diminutive legs that don't work.  Our two crippled heroes stumble upon each other and after a fight become allies.  They take in a temporarily blind woman whom they both fancy though they agree not to let her find out that they are crippled (which is not hard considering SHE'S BLIND!).  They become embroiled in some local gangsters and a political leader and must unleash their special form of whoop ass to protect the blind heroine and one of the heroes' pet monkey.  Did I mention one of the heroes has a pet monkey that he pulls around on a metal chain?  PETA would have a field day with this one.

The Crippled Masters 2 is a fun martial arts film with some unbelievably awesome fight scenes.  What these guys can do given their handicaps is nothing short of amazing.  The story has some tender moments and though not wholly original, the fight scenes easily make up for it.  Jackie Conn's skateboard contraption, complete with detachable hooks connected to ropes to throw at victims is one of the coolest things I've ever seen.  Not to mention that he inexplicably flies through the air a few times in the film as well.  Frankie Shum's use of a bo, given his two fingered hand is also pretty incredible.  Though not the only martial arts film involving handicapped heroes (the first and third Crippled Masters films, Five Deadly Venoms, Crippled Avengers, Master of the Flying Guillotine, Mr. No Legs, to name a few) this is definitely a must see for martial arts fans or those who just like odd movies.

Crippled Masters 2 and it's sequel Crippled Masters 3 are both available for pre-order now or with a release date of January 25th, 2011 from Apprehensive Films.

RATING:  8/10

The Taint (2010, Drew Bolduc, Dan G. Nelson)

What's the most offensive, gory and just plain wrong movie you've ever seen? If you answered anything other than The Taint, then you obviously haven't seen it.

The Taint centers around Phil O'Ginny (Drew Bolduc), a whiny dufus with the worst haircut known to man.  While in the woods with his girlfriend, a psychotic killer starts hunting him.  Phil runs into Misandra (Colleen Walsh) who explains to him that the world is being overrun by madman.  As it turns out, the water supply has been "tainted" with a chemical that turns men into misogynistic killing machines who bash women's heads in with rocks.  This tainted water also causes other "physical" changes in those infected.

The Taint is one of those movies that not only goes for the kill, but smashes your brain, pulls out your intestines and then makes love to your lifeless corpse.  To say it's offensive is quite the understatement.  Vomiting, disemboweling, shooting, bashing, and any other violent or act to any body part you can think of are all here.  The acting is amateurish and the middle is a tad slow (even though the film is only 70 minutes long) but otherwise a fun film that holds nothing sacred, except making you puke.


RATING: 9/10

To purchase or download, go HERE

Fourth Quarter Review 2010

Yes, I am still here.  I haven't been posting much lately due to life but can assure you I'm still watching a lot of movies and plan on putting up a bunch of reviews soon.  If you've been wondering what I've been watching, wonder no more.  Here's a list of movies I watched from 10/1/10 - 12/31/10.

10/1
Lost Skeleton of Cadavra

10/2
Lost Skeleton Returns Again

10/4
Dark and Stormy Night

10/5
Dark Night of the Scarecrow

10/6
Salo or 120 Days of Sodom

10/7
Trick 'r Treat

10/10
Phantasm

10/11
Score

10/12
Human Centipede

10/15
Phantasm 2

10/16
Lost Boys

10/17
Phantasm 3

10/20
Phantasm 4

10/23
Poltergeist

10/24
Poltergeist 2

10/25
Poltergeist 3

10/27
House of 1000 Corpses

10/29
Devil's Rejects

10/31
It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
Halloween III: Season of the Witch

11/3
Terror Within

11/7
Tombs of the Blind Dead

11/8
Mondo Cane

11/10
Women of the World

11/11
Mondo Cane 2

11/12
Sacred Triangle: Bowie, Iggy and Lou

11/13
400 Blows

11/14
The Hit

11/17
Monkey Hu$tle

11/20
Mona Lisa

11/22
Long Good Friday

11/23
Eat My Dust

11/28
Grand Theft Auto

11/30
California Split

12/2
Dr. No

12/4
From Russia with Love

12/5
Goldfinger

12/7
Thunderball
I'm Still Here

12/10
You Only Live Twice
On Her Majesty's Secret Service

12/11
Diamonds are Forever
Live and Let Die
The Man with the Golden Gun

12/12
The Spy Who Loved Me
The Anderson Tapes

12/15
Crippled Masters 2

12/16
Tron

12/18
Enter the Dragon

12/20
Fearless Freaks

12/24
Light of Day

12/28
Grown Ups

12/31
The Backup Plan

The Taint - now available as an HD DOWNLOAD

That's right folks, THE movie everyone is talking about (at least those that are sick and depraved) is now available as an HD Download.  The digital version of The Taint soundtrack is also available.  You can check them out HERE!