11/27/05

Two Months Later... it rises once more!

Hello again...lots to talk about in the last few months of MorphoMovement...so lets start in plugsville, talk some movies and whatever else comes out in the process.

Ascension of the Blind Dead was released, and as of this writing there are still about 25% of the copies available to purchase directly from yours truly... This was an exciting project and I enjoyed taking the Templar Knights out for a very Morpho styled spin. It won't be the last tale of the Templars from myself as things turn out. I recently spoke with Cavan Scott (check his blog out here: CAVBLOG!) and he is looking into creating what sounds like a lot of fun and excitement with a pulpy horror project with an eye towards the explicitly entertaining 70's. Nothing says explicit, 70's and horrorific like the molded over Knights of Splatter...The Blind Dead. More as it develops. However, if you haven't read Ascension of the Blind Dead, than just CLICKITY CLICKITY THE WORDS "CLICKITY CLICKITY" and find out how to get your autographed copy, which also includes the excellent Dead Bitch Army story by Andre Duza!

You can also check out an interview with yours truly at the excellent GROOVY AGE OF HORROR by going here and scrooling down a touch. Look for that Zuzelo guy down the page... INTERVIEW where Morpho tries not to sound like a wanker....

Damn, isn't it amazing that Panik House broke into Border's top slot with SEX AND FURY?? Well, it sure ain't my Christina Bio that did it, but I'm so happy to see all those copies out there. Check out cool cinema that gets recycled into new cinema today!

Now then, with the poundingly repetitive and head humpingly merciless self promotion aside (oops... read a review of Ascension of the Blind Dead at CINEMA NOCTURNA by clicking). Nevermind.

Ok...now I'm done...on with the fun. I've been on a late night movie watching tear of late and want to share some of the fun. Here are some Morpho Approved entertainments...some discs, some tapes and all blazingly cool. Well, cool if you are a stay at home dad in his 30's with a penchant for sleazy flicks of course. So, your mileage may vary. But I dig these...

42nd Street Forever (Synapse Films)

I love trailers, and the old BAN 1 Productions disc by this name was great. Sure, it made me think that The Freakmaker would be fantastic (it wasn't), but hey... it sure was fun. Seems Synapse Films hooked up with Ban1 to release a new version of the now out of print disc, with a mixed bag of nudie/horror-gore/exploitation come ons. Favorites include The Green Slime, Ironmaster, Italian Stallion, Wicked Wicked and The Bullet Machine. Lots of others will keep you happy with the occasional boring blop tossed in. Most interesting to me is that there are THREE trailers for Christina Lindberg films here. Not only do you get They Call Her One Eye, but also The Depraved/Exposed and Maid In Sweden (which is a great tease). I noticed Thriller-A Cruel Picture on Synapse's packaging which I'm sure would delight a man named Bo-Arne endlessly. If you like trailers, this is a must. Synapse have released a lot of titles recently, perhaps I should catch up... I can say without going on that Nail Gun Massacre is perhaps proof that if you shine a turd long and hard enough a golden peanut of enjoyment will pop up inside. A nice disc for a shockingly entertaining (if not...well...uneven) film.

Golden Bat (Kurotokagi DvD)

Sonny Chiba as GOLDEN BAT in beautiful quality? It can be done and it's just one of the amazing Chiba Mania titles available through the Kurotokagi site. This is a Toei Toku film I've always wanted to see and it doesn't let the viewer down at all. Zany action, lots of cool (and wonderfully uncool) makeups and yes...GOLDEN BAT. You've only seen the images, but now you can enjoy the film. Below are a few screencaps from this gorgeous presentation that don't even do it justice. For more Sonny Toku fun be double sure to get IRON SHARP while you are there. Look and fall in love...

Requiem For A Vampire / The Demoniacs (Encore Entertainment)

Jean Rollin fans (and people who don't feel morally above spending fifty dollars on a DVD set) will enjoy these great new 3 disc DVD sets of Rollin's films I'm certain. Not only do you get very nice transfers of these stunning french fantasy films to enjoy over and over, but each comes with loads of extras spread over two discs. Sure, it may seem spread out to the digipurists, but I couldn't care less myself. In the package for each film comes a wonderful book loaded with behind the scenes anecdotes and rare photos that I would want on my bookshelf as stand alone items as well. These sets are all region PAL format and are available at Xploited Cinema of course.

As the films go, I'm partial to Requiem myself. Demoniacs is an excellent tribute to the serial films (with some great performances and locations, especially the wrecked boat)-but Requiem For A Vampire is everything I enjoy in the cinema of Jean Rollin. Accenting sequence over story and image over logic, the film is a charmingly simple parade of disconnected images of clowns and bats in the big bad bush as well. With a sleazy ease, Rollin lets the pictures do the talking and the talking sets up more pictures. As much criticism as is leveled at Rollin's work, I find it surprising that the emotional punch of the two lead girls plight in this film is totally missed in most reviews. Watching the sequence when one must torture the other to convince her to join the vampires is as unsettling to me as almost any other scene I can call up from the grimy recesses of my memory. A great film, and this set does it justice at last. Be sure to check the trailers (and upcoming editions) at the Encore Site.

But wait...MORE ROLLIN! I've been grooving to the frenchman's lingo lately and two more discs got spun lately. First, Redemption UKs disc of Rose of Iron (or The Iron Rose as they say) is a mixed bag. A very interesting film, that takes Rollin's casual pacing to it's extreme and tells the tale of a night in a graveyard that suddenly becomes one large tomb for a young couple. Some great human disintegration scenes (and yes... a wandering clown) highlight the film, which to be honest is best suited for Rollin completists. The disc doesn't help matters with a fairly icky transfer of the film. Blurry, scratchy mess this one...but until something better comes along, it will have to do. On the other side of the spectrum is Synapse's long released but languishing in my stacks of to watch stuff... Grapes of Death. An awesome straight up horror flick that goes short on the Rollin Ambience and long on splatter and fun with Brigitte Lahie, everyone should check it out. A perhaps perfect easing into the films of the crazy frenchmen, it's his most commercial work-and perhaps easiest to enjoy. You get decapitations and lots of running away from creeping creeping crepuscular people as well. The disc is gore-jus with a nice anamorphic transfer and some interview material with both Rollin and Lahie. If you passed it by once, twice or three times you should turn around and get it.

Frankenstein's Bloody Terror (Shriek Show)

Paul Naschy fans will love seeing this early Wolfer finally on DVD, and any eurotrash fan will salivate to see caped vampires, vampire women, TWO werewolves and Naschy's Big Chest running about. After a cheese laden introduction explains that Frankenstein will NOT be appearing (though WOLFSTEIN will), this early Spanish Horror classic gets rolling full steam ahead. Nice to see Rosanna Yanni busting out in a brief appearance and Naschy applies his usual gusto to the wolfman work. This disc represents the US version of the film, and features a commentary by the always great to listen in on Sam Sherman. Lots more extras are included, but none really make up for the fact that I would still purchase another DVD of this film if a complete Spanish version were to pop up. Sure, I don't complain often, but the quality of the presentation is pretty shoddy overall with splotchy image issues galore. It's a far cry from perfect, but still remains an essential for the Spanish horror library. Be DOUBLE sure to check out all the "deleted" scenes from the US version however, they include not only some interesting dialogue, but also some werewolf fighting that is truly awesome. Damn it...I hate when my werewolf fights aren't complete in the feature.

ODD MOVIE OF THE MONTH ALERT!!

THE PUMA-WARRIOR WITH A HEART (Kurotokagi DvD)

With a title like that I get the shakes that I'll be watching a SUB Karate Warrior 2 funfest, but that doesn't happen in this interesting German production. It's a nice little tale of Josh, TKD instructor to little kids and his family life that suddenly goes VERY wrong when his little girl charge decides to take off in a snit. She runs into a building that is being snagged by terrorists of course. Oh...of course. Following the "of course" logic brings us to the fact that Josh is an UNSTOPPABLE KILLING FRICKIN' MACHINE OF KUNG FU VENGEANCE! No kidding, this guy kicks so much ass it is silly. That's where Donnie Yen comes in. Yen has a mixed record with some great performances and films to his name that mix awesome battling with color gelled nonsense. Well, thankfully he doesn't handle story, but does direct the action.

VERY VERY WELL! Fists fly, bodies fly, kicks kick, more bodies fly and it even gets tough in some scenes as Josh has to snap some necks to make progress to save the people in the building. Thankfully he still has a heart and manages to woo a pretty female cop along the way. Good performances are fine, but great fight scenes sell me and this one has it in spades. You'll yell OUCH several times for sure. Don't miss out.

More Random fun....

So ya like Zombies you say? Well, be sure to check out Permuted Press' recent release of THE UNDEAD. Full of cool zombie tales, this collection is worthwhile to any zombie fan on almost every page. Look for Andre Duza's LIKE CHICKEN FOR DEADFUCKS especially, and beware the Zombie Squid (!!!!!).

Off to go and finish watching the Bobby Suarez neo-classic THE ONE ARMED EXECUTIONER right now, so more soon(er) than before and oh yeah...

BUY ME!!

9/30/05

DAMN!!! I'm back with an update at last. Things have been busy at Morpho HQ of late. Two new places to catch up with me are upon us. First, you can check out my biography pages on the ever wonderful Christina Lindberg on PANIK HOUSE Entertainments release of the Toei topless swordswoman berserker flick SEX AND FURY. I'm very proud to be involved in any minor way in these major releases. Beautiful transfers and great Japanese action are delivered, with a healthy bit of Christina using a whip as well! A must, and with it's companion piece already out and the PINKY VIOLENCE BOXSET coming... well... This is the place to look for some amazing new releases. Click the Covers and VIEW THOSE TRAILERS!!

AND as our next attraction, in the coming weeks a limited edition chapbook will be released from INDIE GODS PUBLISHING and will kick off the Breviaries line of stories. Brian and myself have worked hard to get some amazing work together with our first release being a flip book of terror... featuring ANDRE DUZA's short story from his saga of DEAD BITCH ARMY entitled DBA: THE EARLY YEARS which is an excellent stand alone tale that will inform any previous reader and interest everyone else. And it's gory as hell... The other side will contain the first in something IGP hopes to do more of, and take some of the cinema's greatest undead characters and tell some stories with them. Amando De Ossorio's Templar Knights... THE BLIND DEAD will stalk again. The opening story is written by myself and is entitled ASCENSION OF THE BLIND DEAD. A nasty and amoral female explorer seeks to capture the legendary Grasp of the Lorelei... but finds it under watch from the Templars. Good thing she is a werewolf... how much dead flesh can be ripped and who will survive? Find out soon! Featuring a lovely cover by Neil Vokes of The Black Forest and Eagle fame no less... we hope this will be a good start. Look for a new tale of MAX by Gerard Houarner next, along with our own sultan of syllables...PAUL COOKE coming at you with the hard hitting and tough to kill classic... DARK DAY AT DANNONG as well.

The review archives are under construction... I could simply throw up the old stuff, but why do that? Every single one will be revised for the times (hey, those little discs sure do multiply fast!!) and be ready for you before unleashing. Don't pass up on the articles for now though, some interesting stuff is hiding there!

Stay well... and more in this space soon about where YOU can get a signed and limited edition Ascension of the Blind Dead book.

-dz

And don't forget to go to XPLOITED CINEMA and buy THE BLIND DEAD BOXSET!!

5/26/05

Sure...it's taking forever to update. My son and I are still making the transition to life at home... but look here! Paul Cooke, the sultan of syllables, has graced us with a review for the newest film by THE godfather of trashy fun, Bruno Mattei! It's called The Tomb and there ain't no dust on it because it is so new! DIG in and enjoy.

4/05/05

Added up the Blood Island Trilogy reviews in Special Features today...enjoy!

click it...I dare ya!

3/30/05

Hola Trashfiends! Morpho's Lair is still updating, but you can now click on SPECIAL FEATURES and read a few articles, including the Thriller-A Cruel Picture liners that I'll pimp til I die as well as some other fun. Go to INTERVIEWS and you can read Ari Richards chat with Ted V. Mikels AND Paul Cooke's gab session with the master of teutonic terror...ANDREAS SCHNAAS!

The review archive is under construction as each one is being updated to be current! Given your humble man/slave Morpho's schedule these days...it will take a while, but I hope it will be worth it for all of you! Special thanks to all those who have helped out, including Paul "The Wordhammer" Cooke, Frankie "The Chops" Marino, Linn "Sifu" Haynes, Ari "The Raging CodPiece" Richards and Bob "The Trash Drill" Sargent for what is up so far, with more to come! I may do a lot around here, but I wouldn't be a speck on the wall without my friends.

In other stuffs...be sure to hit up INDIEGODS.COM for updates on several projects coming to comix from yours truly, including Magnificent Shadow Fighters and the comic version of LUCKER THE NECROPHAGOUS. Deadhattan, Breviaries and many more titles to come. Check them out.

Thanks for reading...and there is more to come!

-David Z...yor humble Morpho.

Shop for yer cool swag at the best shop on the net for all your trashy needs!