Sporadic Slaughter- Thoughts on Our Significance

Sporadic Slaughter is a death metal band from the UK that formed back in 2004. This band may be young but they are armed with a solid production job and the ability to write a damn good song. This alone will take them places if they make the right moves. While listening it is by no means difficult to envision these guys rising up and slaying the majority of the competition. The main thing that jumps out upon first listen is the variety. These guys manage to dish out a whole smorgasbord of death metal stylings in an 11 minute burst. Anybody with the ability to grasp an instrument can attempt this but not many succeed. At any rate it is evident when listening that Sporadic Slaughter took the time to go about mastering these stylistic shifts enough to make them cohesive. This factor alone is very impressive and has been the driving force that has kept me coming back.

The guitar playing throughout is excellent. The band maneuvers through tremolo sections, groove filled moments and fairly chaotic explosions with ease. Even with multiple of these major transitions throughout there is never even the slightest drop in momentum. The vocal approach here is pretty standard. There's the typical bellowing low and also some raspy, tortured shrieks. Nothing too special but they are delivered in a way that will keep the listener interested for the brief runtime. The lyrical themes may be a surprise to some (considering the band name). Science, space and religion are discussed on Thoughts on Our Significance. While the lyrics are fairly thought provoking for the most part the anti-religious anthem Devolution of Consciousness caught my attention the most. I tend to find scathing religion to be a bit of a tired theme in metal, but Sporadic Slaughter actually managed to write up something that didn't come across as a pointless rehash of what we've heard from countless other metal bands.

Overall Sporadic Slaughter has brought a more than worthy EP to the table. The well thought out song structures and writing in general puts this a step above the typical bands sporting this sort of sound. It does seem that they still have some work to do in terms of finding their own sound, with that being said it doesn't prevent this EP from packing one hell of a punch. Although the band does have a slightly more modern approach it is clear that they have some roots in the old school. Recommended for all fans of death metal. It's only 11 minutes, what's there to lose?

Caleb's Door

"Some doors were not meant to be opened"

Caleb's Door is Arthur Vincie's feature film debut. The film is a horror/drama about a ex-marine who is having some serious dream issues. Along with this he is having a boatload of personal problems dumped on him at once. Lady problems, work problems, the usual. He is having a bit of writer's block and upon drifting off into snoozeland he is always greeted with a red door. These dreams start to get stronger and stronger until Caleb realizes he must confront what is behind the door to move onto the next step in his life.

First things first, the story itself was rather interesting. Unfortunately the execution lacks by quite a bit and makes the film hard to watch. The acting is mediocre at best, the violence is practically nonexistent, the music completely pulls you out, and the story is just lacking anything worthy of warranting an 82 minute runtime. As a short this film may have worked, but with this link it just drags on and on.

Overall I can't recommend Caleb's Door. It almost seems like a soap opera attempting to push a story that could classify as "horror". It's a film high on drama and low on interest. This might fit in well with some of the movies played on the Lifetime channel but in the ol' horror collection it just doesn't fly. Those who read this site are aware that I am a HUGE fan of low budget film, but there a some things that even I can't find much quality in. This is one of those things. Sadly there isn't much to say about Caleb's Door. It had a solid idea going behind it but no steam to move it forward. Skip it.

The Story of Rock 'N' Roll Comics

The Story of Rock 'N' Roll Comics is a documentary following a comic series that released many controversial takes on old legends and crazy events in rocks history. Ranging from stories on Bon Jovi, The Sex Pistols, and Metallica the comics quickly gained somewhat of a cult following. The story shows us through the short life of Todd Loren (publisher of Rock 'N' Roll Comics), starting with the years leading up to starting publishing to the time after his death that led to the comics demise.

Throughout the documentary there are various interviews with people who knew Todd Loren. Many who hated him along with a few he loved him, the general consensus between them all seems to be that Todd Loren didn't care for paying and crediting people much. Many of the stories about how he went about business are extremely entertaining. My favorite happens to be the fact that he would put the contract on the back of checks so in order to get their cash they HAD to sign the contract.

 It is hard to argue that Loren didn't inspire some people out there during his short. Going from shipping out mailorder bootlegs to starting a craze with unauthorized comic books is definitely a big jump. The fact that the company died out shortly after Loren's death is certainly a testament to how important he was to the whole project. Controversy sells for sure and he belted it out like no other, whilst sort of sparking a debate on the First Amendment and an ever-growing list of people wanting to file lawsuits against him.

Overall this is a very solid documentary. I can definitely appreciate to the fact that I had little to no knowledge of Rock 'N' Roll Comics before popping this DVD in. Even with that fact I was sucked in and after viewing am considering tracking down some issues. Highly recommended for those into rock and documentaries. Todd Loren definitely created a rockstar persona for himself without even having to pick up an instrument. The disc is also packed full with special features, over two hours of them to be exact. There is plenty of extra material to dive into here after viewing the film itself.

Slaughter Tales

Slaughter Tales is Johnny Dickie's director debut feature film. It is hard to talk about the film without mentioning the directors age, who was a mere 14 years old during the making of the film. The best thing about this project is not necessarily the film itself but the fact that someone at such a young actually did what many think about doing. Make a feature film. That takes balls and dedication, especially with the small amount of money that was put into Slaughter Tales.

Slaughter Tales is a horror anthology that follows a young man who is viewing a stolen VHS tape for the first time. This VHS tape takes us on a journey through a few stories of the macabre. The journey kicks off with a few trailers (à la Grindhouse). This may be my favorite part of the film overall and I think it would be cool to see Dickie go back and turn these crazy ideas into shorts or features.

One of the main things that you will notice upon first viewing is that the setting is almost always the same. Another thing is that there are only a handful of people in the cast. This may become tiring to some but the few characters in the stories keep things interesting with their colorful language and facial expressions (see commentary for a hilarious conversation regarding this). Another thing that catches the eye is the use of stop motion. This technique isn't seen often these days in horror and it is very interesting and somewhat surprising to see it done by such a young director. Also seeing Dickie doing dangerous flame stunts in his house is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. This kid doesn't read the warnings about playing with lighters and matches!

Overall Slaughter Tales is not a very good film from a technical standpoint. That being said if you are a fan of no budget cheese the fun factor within this flick is undeniable. Being a huge sucker for anthologies and cheese myself I obviously had a soft spot for this one. Slaughter Tales is a fun time from start to finish. While it may not have the best effects, or dialogue and plot, it makes up for it's shortcomings and then some with it's charm. I can't necessarily recommend this for everyone, but if you like anthologies and can deal with heavy doses of cheese then Slaughter Tales is worth a look.

Famine

 Famine is the latest flick from Ryan Nicholson. This film has been highly anticipated from Plotdigger fans for awhile now and as usual it was worth the wait. Nicholson has came out with a fairly impressive list of films since he began directed and has an ever increasing list of products in the works. It is amazing to see an independent director taking on so many projects and being extremely consistent when it comes to the outcome. This man is a film-making machine. During the first Famine charity event horrible events occurred and a teacher was left badly burned and horrifically disfigured. Sloppy Seconds High School has decided to give the Famine another shot five years later. Unfortunately this proves to be a major mistake that everyone involved will regret. If they make it out alive...

Like any other flick in Plotdigger history Famine is packed full of wacky, over the top characters. This is what gives the film that trademark "Plotdigger" stamp. The over the top characters keep things fresh even when much isn't going on. Another thing that will catch the eye upon first viewing is the production value. If any Nicholson film is going to bring Plotdigger a wider audience it will definitely be Famine. The production value is in a completely different ballpark when compared to their past films. Even with the production upgrade it is obvious that Nicholson hasn't changed his ways much. Oddball humor is still injected frequently and the acting is still about on the same level as previous efforts (ranges from pretty good to pretty bad).

The gore is outstanding as usual. Any Plotdigger fan knows what to expect in this department. If there is one thing that is always on point in a Plotdigger flick it is the violence. The kills aren't necessarily up to par with the many epic ones we saw in Gutterballs but they certainly aren't underwhelming. With that being said the killer in this flick is awesome. The villain sports a school mascot costume while picking off the oddball teens one by one in grizzly fashion.

Overall Famine is another great flick from Plotdigger films. I wasn't quite as impressed as I was with Gutterballs, Torched, and Hanger (which I consider to be my favorites) but it was definitely up there with Bleading Lady (which I found to be nothing short of superb). With all that being said it is obvious that I am a gigantic Plotdigger fan, so the fact that I don't consider this to be my favorite should not detour you from checking this out. This film is great. Nicholson has proven to be one of the most consistent current directors, and Plotdigger is definitely near the top of the list when it comes to independent companies churning out horror. Recommended. Plotdigger fans will get the goods delivered to them and this may just be the film that expands the audience. Definitely worth the wait.

Blitzkrieg: Escape From Stalag 69

Blitzkrieg: Escape From Stalag 69 is Keith J Crocker's(The Bloody Ape) low-budget take on Nazi cinema. Blitzkrieg, for the most part, takes place at a Nazi camp where the people being held are planning to escape. The Nazi community in this camp is beginning to have some serious problems amongst themselves about the way they handle their business. The uprising is being planned at the perfect time and it may just work considering the bond between the Nazis is at its weakest.

THE POSITIVE:

The last thirty minutes of the film really makes it somewhat worth watching. The violence gets cranked up. We see nipple cutting, castration, and some fairly sleazy moments that involve the sexy Nazi women. This whole section, leading to the conclusion, brings back that trashy feel that caused me to enjoy The Bloody Ape so much. Some scenes of dialogue are fairly interesting, and surprisingly the dialogue isn't completely ruined by the acting (which actually isn't too bad from most of the cast). The conclusion is very pleasing and is pulled off well. The writing for the film is certainly not bad, it just needs to be trimmed down in a major way.

THE NEGATIVE:

The movie shows a bit of both worlds while we are guided around the Nazi camp. It dedicates a major chunk of time to showing the shenanigans that the Nazis have from day to day in the camp, but at certain points we get to see things from the perspective of the people that are being held there. These sections are where the movie really shines most. Unfortunately these moments aren't utilized very often. This wouldn't have been too much of a con but due to the fact that the movie is heavily driven by dialogue seeing things through the eyes of the Nazis grows to be quite tiring.

The main problem with Blitzkrieg is the runtime and pacing. The flick clocks in at around two hours and twelve minutes. For a no budget film (with a few exceptions) this length is practically suicide. As mentioned before it is mainly driven by dialogue and fairly low on action. The pace of the film rarely changes up until the last thirty minutes or so. Once things do really pick up in this last section it is great but sadly the hefty section before that causes the overall film to suffer.

THE VERDICT:

Overall Blitzkrieg is by no means horrible, but it doesn't really have enough going for it to warrant any replay value. Popping this in right after viewing The Bloody Ape and going in with high expectations I can safely say I was left disappointed. On a rainy day with nothing to do this could possibly be slightly enjoyable. The main flaw is the fact that right when things begin to pick up the average viewers attention will be completely lost. I found the final half hour to be GREAT, but even at that point it couldn't save the film from falling somewhere below average.

The Bloody Ape

This is the first full-length feature from Keith J. Crocker (who more recently directed Blitzkrieg: Escape from Stalag 69 in 2008). An artwork tagline has never been more accurate. "100% PURE UNDERGROUND TRASH!", truer words have never been spoken. The Bloody Ape is an oddball sleazefest from start to finish and is sure to fulfill all of your trashy cinema needs. The film was shot on Super 8 for maximum drive-in style pleasure and sports the dirty look of many of the exploitation classics we all know and love.

A man running around with a carnival showing off his ape and bragging about how safe and harmless he is has been rabidly approaching his breaking point. After a series of unfortunate events he turns his ape loose to go on a vicious rampage. The ape goes around and takes out all of his masters enemies by following the scent of delicious bananas. Meanwhile a black man has stumbled into the bigot filled town, and naturally the law enforcement (even with the knowledge of the violent ape on the loose) concludes that all of the murders must be his doing. As the plot unfolds we quickly discover that the black man the crimes are being pegged on is actually the only half decent person that is located in this shithole town.

The Bloody Ape doesn't hold out on the violence and nudity. Crocker knew exactly what the audience wanted when making this flick. While the gore may not be the best in the world it is made up for with all the comedic elements throughout. One of the highlights would definitely have to be the castration scene early on in the film. This happens right when a change of pace is needed to keep the film interesting and kicks off the apes killing spree quite nicely. While the ape pillages the town we also get to see a few naked women whom he completely violates and kills.

What more could you ask for in a Poe "Murders in the Rue Morgue" adaptation? The cheese is cranked to the max and within the 77 minute runtime you will be introduced to some of the biggest scum of the earth. This town is crowded with racist people and you, the viewer, get to see them picked off by a giant bloodthirsty ape. Watching characters getting picked off has never been so satisfying (aside from that Bible thumping bitch from The Mist). The acting of course isn't the greatest but they isn't really anyone particular in the cast that makes it unwatchable. If you're a fan of cheese flicks there isn't much of anything here that will have you rushing for the eject button.

Overall The Bloody Ape is a solid trashy flick. It does an amazing job paying homage to an era of sleazy flicks packed full of offensive material. This film may not appeal to everyone and that is probably very apparent after viewing the coverart and/or reading the description on the reverse side. So obviously as long as The Bloody Ape finds the right audience complaints should be kept to a minimum. Definitely an extremely fun watch. Recommended.