Guy Pearce once said in an interview with Craig Ferguson that Adelaide supposedly closed all the mental asylums and let all patients go free, implying the capital of South Australia is literally insane. While I don’t agree with the former Neighbours heartthrob, a new-age slasher with an edge of madness has sprung forth from the …
We eagerly awaited for Bruce Lee to unleash in The Big Boss as he played a quiet worker who swore against violence, but in his follow up feature Fist of Fury, his wrath is almost relentless in what became Hong Kong’s biggest hit before Lee’s third feature Way of the Dragon. Now available on Blu-ray …
My social studies teacher once said that driving, or even just being a passenger, is the most dangerous thing one can do each day, due to the ever-present risk of a collision with a fellow motorist that easily has the potential to be fatal. While many would heed that warning, there are others who find …
I remember being obsessed with Bruce Lee for a short while during childhood (somewhere between the Incredible Crash Dummies and Mighty Max) as the martial artist was enjoying a resurgence in popularity following the release of Dragon: The Bruce Lee “Story”. Hollywood’s take on the iconic figure has always been very summarised, but Umbrella Entertainment …
We seem to enjoy flirting with the apocalypse through film and television, from nuclear annihilation to plagues of zombies devouring humanity. Over forty years ago, film audiences were shown what a global cataclysm might be like if experienced in Australia, built on the frighteningly realistic premise of the world running out of petroleum told through …
Beyond Genres was a sub-label conceived and launched in 2018 by Umbrella Entertainment, with the aim to champion specific genre titles that are more seminal than most, such as Re-Animator and Razorback for example. Now among the latest batch of releases is the Australian ‘almost cult classic’ Undead; a product of 80s horror that ran …
I grew up on stereotypes, with the term, ‘Wog’, in my vocabulary, often used by my father in both an affectionate and derogatory manner, which was sometimes simultaneous. While I often laughed at the many blanket notions made towards certain ethnic groups, mainly Greeks and Italians, I was always fascinated by different cultures and traditions. …
In the tradition of classics like The Most Dangerous Game, films in which people are hunted for sport and sadistic pleasure, Brian Trenchard-Smith takes the very mean spirited idea to the next level with his dystopian nightmare, Turkey Shoot, that’s out on Blu-ray under the revamped Ozploitation Classics sub-label from Umbrella Entertainment. Set in the …
I remember the anxiety I felt as a child during the many drives home with my parents at night. Often during backroads, we chose for convenience sake, that took us through wooded areas which were only short distances. However, to a young and active imagination, the tree line rushing past my passenger window felt like …
I don’t look back on my high school experience very often, but watching Malcolm for Year 8 English remains a fond memory of lessons in character study and storytelling. Now over twenty years later I sit down once again to pen my thoughts and some observations on this charming classic from director Nadia Tass and …