BAD LIEUTENANT - Werner Herzog kraziness

I watched Werner Herzog's 2009 remake of Abel Ferrera's BAD LIEUTENANT from 1992 last night. The full title of the remake is THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL - NEW ORLEANS (but often just listed as Bad Lieutenant).

When I originally heard about how Herzog was going to remake Ferrera's masterpiece, and that Nicolas Cage had been chosen to redo Harvey Keitel's superb performance, I basically thought Hollywood had finally gone completely bonkers. I mean what the fuck, right? And for the very same reason I've kept off watching the bloody movie for years on end. Until last night that is.

The reason for my finally giving the movie a chance came after having read a review from a reviewer whose film opinion I hold in the highest regard. The review calls Nicolas Cage's performance the best since LEAVING LAS VEGAS. I don't usually watch Cage's films so I wouldn't know about that but suffice to say that Herzog's remake is bloody marvellous! I liked it a lot. Not one boring or slow moment. I already wanna watch it again.

It's been quite a few years since I watched the original film - and I've only watched it that one time - so I'm not even able to compare the two films. Incidentally, I rebought the original film the other day when I found a spiffy steelbook edition of it at the local Blockbuster's (yes, we still have those here!).

It was a deliberate choice on my part to watch the remake before I rewatch the original. I wanted to give it a chance on its own without having vivid images of the Abel Ferrera movie playing simultaneously in the back of my mind. The remake clocks in at the two hour mark almost but like I said it never overstays its welcome. Highly recommended!

I watched the Danish DVD which includes a long Werner Herzog interview and the trailer.


trailer

Code Red's second post-apocalypse film is... EQUALIZER 2000!!!

...and Bill says it's the fully uncut print!!!

A couple of weeks back I posted the news about Bill Olsen and Code Red's deal with Roger Corman to release two or Corman's post-apocalypse films that were shot in the Philippines in the mid-1980s.

At the time Olsen only released info on the first film, WHEELS OF FIRE, but not the second film. I'm not the only one who's basically creaming himself over this latest announcement. In my previous post I speculated in whether or not the second film might be EQUALIZER 2000 and indeed it is that film. Also directed by Cirio H. Santiago. Wauw. Just fucken w-a-u-w!!!

There's been a bit of worry among fans about which print Code Red are going to release, as there are cut versions out there, but Bill Olsen has stated on the CR facebook page that it is indeed the fully uncut print we'll be getting. Yay!!!

And also good to see the upcoming cover for this film is (like with WHEELS) basically the old poster art. Good on ya, Bill'o!!!

VHS ex-rental from Holland

I found a UK site dedicated post-apocalypse films that you might wanna check out. In good style with the subject the site is pretty... dead. But the old info on the films is there so give it a gander. Post-apocalypse

REUTERS: Overnight sensation by mysterious comic book artist

"The Fabulous Adventures of Angry Stick-Man"

How often do we see new artwork on par with the legends of the comic book/graphic novel world? Where is the new Will Eisner, Hergé or Jean Giraud you may ask. Recently a previously unknown auteur has sprung onto the comic book scene.

Experts from both sides of the Atlantic are ecstatic. "I never thought I should say this but this is the new Moebius", as one art critic from the New York Post said on Friday.

But just who is this new wunderkind? Nobody seems to know. And it is likely nobody is going to know. As quickly as he arrived on the scene as quickly has he left it again. We are going to post all of this mysterious artist's work in all its grandeur. Will we get more wonderful work from this young sparkling, upcoming star? Only time will tell.

It was rumoured a fourth entry entitled "Death of a Stick-Man" was in the works but so far nothing has seen the light of day. 

[Reuters]

"Angry Stick-Man - At Work"

"Angry Stick-Man - Date"

TOME on psychotronic FANZINES arrives at Casa J

Marone!! Check this out, paesano!! I finally received the new HUGE book XEROX FEROX on old-skool horror/exploitation film fanzines!!! It's written by John Szpunar and it's 800 pages!! Mudda fucka!!! And printed in the old true A5 size format. The book is published by Headpress in the UK.

It's got interviews with heaps of zine editors from back in the day (a few notable ones missing: Michael Weldon and Rick Sullivan). I got the paperback version from Bookdepo in the UK at a cheap price. There's a hardcover edition but iirc it was three times the price of the one I got.

Tim Paxton is in it (NEEDLESS TO SAY). This is one of my fave issues ever (the Asianspecial on the right). I bought it at Minotaur in Melbourne 20 yrs ago.

CODE RED to launch CORMAN post-apocalypse line

Bill Olsen has just announced Code Red is going to release two of Roger Corman's post-apocalypse films. Great news indeed!!!

The first title has already been revealed and it's Cirio H. Santiago's WHEELS OF FIRE (USA/Philippines, 1984) No info on the second film yet. Could we perhaps hope for a fully uncut version of EQUALIZER 2000 (also directed by Santiago).

There is no release date yet, nor any info on whether the films will be DVD only. Blu-ray was mentioned on Code Red's facebook page but nothing in cement.

Bill Olsen shaking hands with Roger Corman (December 7, 2013)

LIVID (France, 2011)

Original title: LIVIDE
dir: Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury



I watched the French horror movie LIVID tonight and once again I could kick myself in the head for paying too much attention to retarded comments on dvd sites, and thus postponing getting hold of the film for too long, comments that claim this is a so-so film. Argh!!! When I saw that the film won the prestigious HORROR'S BALL award for best film in 2012 I knew I had to watch it, and mein gott this is so good it's better than sex!! (with a flat inflatable rubber doll anyway).

The convoluted plot is as follows: Three juvenile delinquents break into an old house and shit starts to happen. Scenes of blood and yukky stuff ensue.

You really ought to watch this flick. It's pretty fucken rad! And just the fact that it's directed by the director couple who also did the equally awesome INSIDE (aka À l'intérieur) from 2007. The very sexy Béatrice Dalle is also in this one (albeit only as a dead woman - but still sexy, I'd deffo do her anyhow. No, wait, that probably sounded wrong. Oh screw it, I don't care! I'd go nekro for Béatrice Dalle!).

I bought the UK dvd and it looks great. I haven't checked the extras yet and I can't check what they are as the cover is over by the telly and I couldn't be arsed to get up.

Highly recommended!

"A veteran of genre cinema"

Yeah-yeah, it's probably the vanity in me that makes me post this link here but what did you expect! It's what we vain'ies do!! ^_^

SWV founder MIKE WRANEY has passed away

Unfortunately, Mike Wraney, founder of Something Weird Video, one of the coolest video labels ever, has passed away due to lung cancer. Wraney was only 56. A memoriam notice has been posted on Something Weird Video's website. I hope they don't mind I repost it here. R.I.P.


From SWV's website:

"We regret to inform you that Something Weird's founder, Mike Vraney, passed away on January 2nd 2014 after a long heroic battle with lung cancer. He was 56 years old, way too young to leave this planet. There was still so much Mike wanted to do in his life, so many films to be found, and adventures to be embarked upon.
This sad news may come as a shock to most of you. Mike was a very private person and didn't want anyone, except his closest friends, family and colleagues, to know about his illness. He went through aggressive chemotherapy and radiation treatments for over a year, but sadly the cancer spread and cruelly took him from us.
Mike had a larger-than-life personality and a genuine enthusiasm for movies. Something Weird was his heart and soul, he was obsessive in his pursuit of tracking down the weirdest, wildest movies out there. And it wasn't enough to find a few forgotten films, he was always in search of the movie motherload. (Making 370 two-hour volumes of Nudie Cuties loops is a good example of this. Who does that?! Mike Vraney!) Even as a child, Mike loved movies. During his teenage years, he worked at the Bel-Kirk Drive-In, and then later as a projectionist at the Green Parrot and Apple Theaters in Seattle. Then around 1990, Mike went in search of as many old, unusual, obscure, and lost low budget exploitation movies as he could, and preserved them for prosperity. Mike amassed thousands of these rare movies and had them transferred to video so that people could relive the good old days of going to the drive-in or grindhouse theater, in their very own home. We have him to thank for introducing fandom to the wonderful world of sexploitation sinema, rescuing it from the dark recesses of forgotten film vaults and defunct movie theatres.
Some of you may know that prior to Something Weird, Mike was involved in the early Seattle punk rock music scene. He was a partner in Modern Productions, the group who started Seattle's seminal rock venue, The Showbox, in 1979. Mike then went on to manage such well-known bands as The Dead Kennedys, TSOL, and Seattle's own The Accused. Mike always seemed to be at the forefront of whatever was happening and cool.
Mike's second greatest passion in life was collecting old comics, vintage toys, movie memorabilia, and pop cultural ephemera. He enjoyed going to the swap meet and always had a magical ability for finding great stuff. But when he wasn't working, collecting, or telling great stories, Mike spent quality time with his beloved family. Mike adored his wife and business partner, Lisa, and two (now young adult) children, Mark and Danielle. These three were the center of his universe, and his reason for getting up each and every morning.
The folks at Something Weird fully intend to keep Mike's incredible legacy intact. Mike may be gone, but his remarkable achievements will live on. One of the happiest days of Mike's life was when legendary David F. Friedman and Dan Sonney called him "the forty-first thief," which to him was the ultimate compliment and recognition for his work. We'd like to think that Mike's now hanging out with his old pals Dave and Dan, reminiscing and talking shop with Dwain Esper, Kroger Babb, Barry Mahon, Joe Sarno, Doris Wishman, Bob Cresse, Dale Berry, Michael Findlay and all the other exploiteers and smut peddlers who've gone to the great grindhouse in the sky.
We will miss Mike with all our hearts. Goodbye dear friend, husband, father, and fearless leader…
-- Lisa Petrucci, Tim Lewis, Kendall Bechtel, Mark Vraney, Danielle Vraney of Something Weird Video

Mike Vraney Memorial Tribute Page on Facebook www.facebook.com/mikevraneymemorial Feel free to write your condolences and let us know how much Mike and Something Weird have meant to you. Or share a memory, picture or story about Mike!

In lieu of flowers, we ask that memorial donations be made in Mike's name to the Lung Cancer Alliance"

JACK J's diabolic grip of the world you live in

...all I have to do is squeeze my hand and you'll suffer, muhahahahaha*
 
Alright, I've got a few ideas for new posts but while I get cracking on those I thought I might just post a list of where you can find me in Cyberspace apart from here on ye olde Lejemorder blog:

Backyard Asia
- the Lejemorder blog is not a film blog as such as many seem to believe but basically a blog about, uh, me, myself and I. However, since my life has always orbited around film and pop culture that's what I write about to a certain degree. On the Backyard Asia blog I "reprint" my posts from here that deal with the more obscure Asian cinema. Backyard Asia is basically for people who don't wanna read me rave about me (do such people really exist?). If you follow the Lejemorder blog you don't really need to check Backyard Asia as well.
 
When the Vietnam War Raged... in the Philippines
- this is my blog dedicated to cheap B movies from the Philippines set in the Vietnam War! It's also the only blog of mine that anybody in the film industry has discovered! Every year I get invites from the Stockholm Film Festival because of this blog, and thru out the years a bunch of old ex-pat actors from the Filipino film industry have gotten in touch with me because I cared about their old films. Some of the films I post about are 100% Filipino productions, while others are co-productions with other countries (often Italy), and finally some are basically foreign films (again, often Italian) shot in the Philippines. I do also write about other crazy Asian war flicks (like for instance the wild Thai film CANNIBAL MERCENARY) but I try and sell off the blog as only dealing with Filipino films. All blog posts on the Vietnam War blog are original posts written for the blog, i.e. not reposts from the Lejemorder blog.

When the Vietnam War Raged... in the Philippines - on facebook (imaginary link)

Komix
- like with Backyard Asia this is a repost blog; I use it to reprint my stuff about comics, both from my English and Danish blog posts here on the Lejemorder.

Psychotronic Broadcasting
- this is the blog companion to my YouTube channel. I figured that whoever follows my YT channel would also want to read a blog about the same stuff but ... nope! It seems youtubers don't read blogs, lol. And so while the channel itself does alright the blog hardly got any traffic. As it is now it just floats aimlessly in Cyberspace like an old abandoned Mir space station. I'm not going to update it but, needless to say, you can still read the old posts.

Psychotronic Broadcasting - on Youtube.

Hmm, I think that's about it. I also co-moderate Cinehound forum and Uncut.dk forum (which now lives its own life separated from Uncut.dk).


You'll find links to my various blogs by clicking the "about me" link on top of the bar on the right.



* NOTE TO SELF: Jack, remember to delete your megalomaniac crap before you post this. People might not be fooled into believing you're not being dead serious!!!

update

I'm in the process of changing the look of the blog but the layout over in the Danish section is giving me a fucking headache so it'll remain closed for a bit. Don't fret, it's only for the time being. :P
Also, so far this is only a crude version of how it's gonna look, there's gonna be some more changes to the main section (i.e. this page).