wolfhell88 Reviews

Berlin (2023– )

Why a Spin-off with the most unsympathic character?

[3/10 · 14 January 2024]

Of all the characters on this great show Money Heist/La Casa de Papel, Berlin was probably the most unsympathic character. So why give him a spin-off? I would have loved to see the Professor, Tokio or maybe even Raquel but not Berlin.

Fans of the original will be disappointed. The characters are all very superficial and they all act that stupid that their actions make not much sense. Berlin is just an egoistic, unsympathic and annoying person and there is another thing that I don't understand: Camille looks like maybe 24 and very child-like. Why is she married to a man who looks old enough to be her father? Why is she attracted to Berlin who looks almost twice her age and that arrogant? It is never explained if she just has a father-complex.

It's nice to see Raquel and Alicia Sierra appearing in the last few episodes but they don't add that much to the story. The ending is also ridiculous. Don't waste your time, watch the original for a second time, that's more entertaining.

Os Bandeirantes (1960)

Disappointing

[3/10 · 3 December 2023]

After watching Marcel Camus masterpiece "Orpheo Negro" I had high expectations for this film. The story here is simple:

In search of happiness, two adventurers find themselves in the deepest Amazon region. Here they find what they are looking for and will soon be in possession of a valuable diamond. But greed eats away at one of him and he steals the diamond, tries to kill his partner and runs away. But the deceived person is not satisfied with that and begins to hunt down the bold thief, in the middle of the deepest jungle. He meets the former girlfriend of his enemy and tries to find out some things about this guy. It doesn't take much long and the man and the woman are attracted to each other. When he finally meets his enemy instead of killing him he saves his life and let him go away.

The film, shot by Marcel Camus in Brazil, is rich in beautiful images and ideas, but suffers from the unclear construction of the story and gets boring after a while.

It may sound like the story of an adventure movie but its more of a medidation. The whole film is very slow, there are not much highlights that keep the story moving.

This film is very disappointing and the whole revenge-story doesn't make any sense.

Better watch "Orpheo Negro", it's a much better one!

Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)

Very entertaining

[6/10 · 29 October 2023]

"Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" is a very enjoyable slasher with some great kills and an interesting storyline. The film looks actually pretty good for its low budget. The kills sometimes are really funny. A very emotional and my favourite scene is while looking at Christopher Robin who he just starts torturing, Pooh has a Flashback of Christopher as a young boy where he promises he would never leave him and that he's the best bear ever. A tear runs down Pooh's eyes as he realises these were just meaningless words as the boy left him and his friends alone in the woods when he got older. Now of course he's mad at Christopher Robin and tortures him.

And I loved the hot bathtub scene with sexy Natasha Tosini as Lara who later gets kidnapped and killed by Pooh and Piglet.

I really can't understand all the hateful comments here. Some users even put Terrifier above it which is just a simple torture porn movie. I had much more fun watching Winnie the Pooh, especially when Pooh covers the face of his vitims with honey, eats them and blood and honey drips off his mouth.

Enjoy it and have fun but beware: this is not for kids!

11th Victim (1979 TV Movie)

Pamela Ludwigs debut

[6/10 · 25 September 2023]

TV Movie in a cool 70ies style with lots of disco music and an interesting cast. Bess Armstrong is TV journalist Jill who tries to find the murderer of her sister, Max Gail is Spencer, the cop, who helps her. Rock star Eric Burdon plays Spider, a pimp, Harold Gould, Roger-Corman regular Dick Miller and the always fantastic John Hancock (Pacific Station) play police officers but it is Pamela Ludwig who just steals every scene. She had this sweet and innocent charm and a strong screen presence. She plays young hooker Sally who has big dreams of being a star and being famous one day.

Jonathan Kaplan (The Accused, Love Field) directed it and he also casted Pamela Ludwig in the fantastic "Over The Edge" which was released the same year. A great choice! Another "Over The Edge" actor, "Doberman" Harry Northup also has a short appearance in "11th Victim" as police officer.

The ending is very unsatiesfying. It's not sure that they really found the killer.

The excellent cast and especially Pamela Ludwig make it worth to watch!

All Through the House (2015)

That's what I call a Christmas movie!

[8/10 · 15 December 2022]

"All through the House" aka "Santa's Knocking" starts with scream queen Jessica Cameron having a shower, then she gets killed by a guy who looks like a mixture between Santa and the Grinch. Later Santa kills a few guys in a very painful way: he cuts off their best thing with a secateurs.

Lead actress Ashley Mary Nunes gives a fine performance as Rachel and she looks gorgeous in every scene. I don't want to spoil too much of it but what she later founds out is really funny.

This is a low bugdet slasher but very enjoyable! The blood and gore scenes look pretty good, the acting is fine and the action is well staged. Really enjoyed it!

Killer Under the Bed (2018)

More Comedy than Horror

[5/10 · 1 September 2021]

One of the funniest movies I have ever seen although it was meant to be serious: Teenage girl Kilee finds a voodoo doll she uses to fight back the people who harass her and her mom. It really works but when she tries to get rid of the doll things get worse.

Chris Prascus is hillarious as Mr. McCabe, the teacher Kilee puts a spell on so he likes her. He then falls in love with her and the scenes where he tries to take her out for a date belong to the funniest moments in film history. Seriously! Kristin Carey as Dr. Ryder, who gets totally nuts after Kilee puts the spell on her, is also worth watching.

The last 10 minutes of this movie were so funny I almost fell off my chair. Kristy Swanson as Kilee's mother fights against the voodoo doll and looks like she asks herself "What the **** am I doing here?" but Madison Lawlor as Kilee's sister Chrissy even tops that performance. When the doll takes over her body she overacts in a way that you just can't stop laughing and laughing.

If you're into Ed-Wood movies and really bad horror movies this one is perfect for you! Huge fun!

Death Kiss (2018)

The best film from the team Rene Perez and Robert Bronzi

[8/10 · 23 August 2021]

Of all the films director Rene Perez and actor Robert Bronzi aka Robert Kovacs have made together, "Death Kiss" is by far the best.

It is an homage to the "Death Wish" films with Charles Bronson. Actor Robert Bronzi does not only look like Bronson, he also has the facial expressions and gesturing and even the typical Charles Bronson walk.

Bronzi plays a vigilante that helps a young woman and her little daughter, who is in a wheelchair. Richard Tyson is the main villain and he does a good job. Daniel Baldwin has a cool part as radio presenter who discusses the failure of the police against the crime.

Hope to see more films in this style from the powerful team Perez/Bronzi.

Queen of Lost Island (1994)

Wild and crazy

[5/10 · 13 May 2021]

On an island photographer Robert Z'dar takes sexy pics from model Julie Strain. Later Julie finds a bottle with an elixir, drinks it and rolls around in pain. From that moment on she starts running around naked throughout the whole island with a sword in her hand, she poses on a rock with that sword and is having a shower in a lake. The camera can't get enough of showing her perfect and beautiful body. Intercut with a beautiful dark-haired girl dressed in wild clothings stumping on the ground, wild drum sound in the background. Later another photgrapher, Kenny (Nicholas Celozzi) travels to the same island with 3 models, the most beautiful of them is gorgeous Lori Jo Hendrix as Bobbie. Then they meet Damian (Jeff Hutchinson, here looking like a mixture between actor David Keith and Popstar Phil Collins), who they thought was missing. He forces the girls to drink from the elixir and soon the girls turn into sexmaniacs and call him a "Love God" (God, wish I had that elixir in my teenage years). Lori's character Bobbie makes love to Kenny but is too smart to drink from that elixir.

Again we see Julie Strain running around the island, another girl runs around, too and the beautiful dark-haired girl in her wild clothings stumps on the ground. Photographer Kenny gets interviewed in his home by a journalist. He then mixes her a drink (with the elixir!) and she gets all wild and hot for him. "This doesn't make any sense" is one of his last lines and he is so right because then the film suddenly ends after 74 minutes.

A wild and crazy movie from cult movie director Donald G. Jackson but Julie Strain and Lori Jo Hendrix really make it worth to watch!

Doublecross on Costa's Island (1997)

Same as Taken Alive

[2/10 · 13 May 2021]

"Doublecross on Costa's Island" is a perfect example how to save money on a movie. Director, writer, producer and star Franco Columbo took the footage from his film "Taken Alive", made 3 years earlier, added some new scenes with him and actor William Smith and cut it together.

William Smith is fantastic as always but if you have seen "Taken Alive" then don't waste your time because more than 2/3 of the film is used from the same footage. Even for the ending Columbo used the same as from "Taken Alive".

Taken Alive (1994)

Great cast

[8/10 · 13 May 2021]

"Exterminator" Robert Ginty as Senator, who's mistress Angela (gorgeous Frankie Thorn from "Bad Lieutenant") gets kidnapped (in a very funny scene), while they tried to kidnap the Senator. L. E. (William Smith), head of a special agency, hires his best female agent Veronica (beautiful Barbara Niven) to rescue the girl. Veronica mistakes sculpturor Enrico Costa (Franco Columbo) for an agent and hires him to help her. In the meanwhile Angela falls in love with her kidnapper Marty Moretti (good as always: Frank Stallone), who's just a nice guy.

The Senator, a married man, already plays his own game, because Angela owns a sex tape, on which they made love together, and sends out some killers to take care of Angela and Veronica.

Writer, producer, star Franco Columbo tries to be Arnold Schwarzenegger, he even has this thick accent and wooden acting from Schwarzenegger but is only 5'5" tall. Nevertheless this film is lots of fun, shot on beautiful location in Sardinia and has a great cast. With Robert Ginty, Frank Stallone, Frankie Thorn and William Smith you can never go wrong!

Ravage (2019)

Amateurish

[1/10 · 6 May 2021]

This movie looks more like a home video. The shaky camera is anoying from the beginning on. The lead actress runs through the woods most of the time. Her actions seem stupid and the ending is just ridiculous and unsatisfying.

I only wonder what Bruce Dern is doing in here. He has a very short but fine cameo. Stay away from this movie, it is only a waste of time and a waste of money!

San Franpsycho (2006 Video)

Joe Estevez deserves better films

[1/10 · 13 February 2021]

When a huge guy who behaves like a real weirdo with a look on his face that tells you he will kill everyone getting close to him follows you on the street/into the subway/to an elevator and no alarm bells ring in your head than you know you're in a real bad movie like this one. That's the way he kills his victims and they did not have the slightest suspicion when he gets close to them. How weird is that? It gets even weirder when the psycho killer has a masturbation scene (what for?).

Joe Estevez as police detective who is after the killer gets lots of screentime and he has some good scenes in here, Todd Bridges is second billed but has only two short scenes in a police car. It's clear that the scenes with him and the interaction from the reporter Rita to him were shot in two different nights with two different camcorders because these scenes don't match. Even Joe Estevez' scenes are out of focus sometimes. Learn how to use your equipment, kids!

Some of the actors are really bad, especially the killer, the priest and Rita's mother for example. Joe Estevez really deserves better films!

The Adventures of Pinocchio (1976–1977)

Pretty gruff animation series from the 70ies

[5/10 · 23 May 2020]

Pinocchio, a simple-minded, irascible, rough wooden block, his annoying duck Gina, the woodpecker Rocco, Gepetto, the good-natured, rather naive woodcarver, his lazy cat Guilietta and of course, the unappealing, bourgeois fairy were the so-called "heroes" of this gruff cartoon series.

On closer look, the "bad guys" weren't that bad anymore. Back then, the likeable characters were the mangy fox and the street cat for me even as a child, even if life (or the screenwriter) always played pretty bad, they were always looking for a little piece of luck and never gave up. Pinocchio is just right for them, since he only lets himself in his simple-minded stupidity put in too easily. Basically, however, it is only harmless rascals that the fox and the cat do with him.

But the punishment by the irascible Pinocchio is sometimes severe for me. Then the fox, which is already defenseless and half passed out on the floor, is kicked several times in the face by Pinocchio (episode 19), in many episodes Fox and cat are bitten in the foot and head until they howl in pain and sit whimpering on the floor.

Especially the tender, small and defenseless fox gets it pretty hard in almost every episode: about in episode 13 "The Adventurous Night", where he gets constantly beaten from a big, fat and sadistic innkeeper for every little thing because he was just hungry, hadn't eaten for days, had no money and bounced the colliery.

The fox was kept as a bargaining chip to process his debts. Towards the end of the episode, the poor fox is beaten half dead by the fat innkeeper for something he hasn't anything to do with because it was Pinocchio who threw the tray with the dishes on the floor. This injustice annoyed me immensely as a child and it still does now.

I cannot really understand that children are supposedly given special values, here it's quite the opposite. Always on the weaker I think that is not okay. The so-called "villain" here rather awakens my protective instincts because he is just defenseless.

Blair Witch (2016)

No more shaky cameras please

[1/10 · 10 October 2016]

Nothing is really scary here in Blair Witch. Shaky camera-work like in the original "Blair Witch Project" makes the viewer dizzy. The endless shots of actors running around through the woods at night screaming and shouting while you can not really see why they are behaving that weird will drive you nuts. Most of them just scream because it's dark. If you think just because the technology has changed you get better footage you are wrong.

The character development is zero. You really don't care about the actors. No likable person like Heather in the original movie is here in this 2016 version. The lead character James is a real douche-bag who really thinks his sister Heather is still alive just because he saw a YouTube video that made him believe Heather is in this video. His girlfriend Lisa is just pretty but nothing else. Their friends seem to be idiots and the weird couple they meet who follow them into the woods are also not really likable persons. Nobody really cares if anyone of them dies.

This best thing on this film are the sound effects. Especially in the woods and at the end of the movie after James and Lisa have entered the house and scream, scream, scream and you cannot see anything. And of course the ending, which I don't wanna spoil here, is really funny.

Dear Filmmakers, please stop giving us movies with endless shaky camera-work. We as Horror Movie Fans have deserved much better than movies like this one!

Barbary Coast (1975–1976)

Brings back Childhood memories

[8/10 · 13 September 2016]

I loved this show when I was a kid. Now thanks to the German label Koch Media all 13 episodes are remastered on DVD including the pilot that was never shown here.

If you liked "The Sting" with Paul Newman and Robert Redford than "Barbary Coast" is something you must see. William "Kirk" Shatner as Jeff Cable in various costumes including fake mustaches and wigs and Doug "Trampas" McClure as casino owner Cash Conover are fighting against crime at Barbary Coast. Both enjoy their parts and never take themselves much too serious. Richard "Jaws" Kiel as bouncer Moose has also some really funny scenes.

It was also enjoyable to see guest stars like Neville Brand, Henry Gibson or Eric Braeden showing up and having a good time.

"Barbary Coast" is a funny TV series from the 70ies and a must-see for fans of William Shatner. Unfortunately the show was canceled after its first season. The show brings back great childhood memories.

One Wild Moment (2015)

Beautiful

[8/10 · 26 October 2015]

A wonderful comedy and a typically french amour. Vincent Cassel and Francoise Cluzet as two fathers in their 40ies who spent their holidays with their teenage daughters in the sunny south of France.

First the daughters don't like the idea of spending their summer holidays in a house in the Provence but things change.

Lola Le Lann as Cluzets film daughter Louna is charming, beautiful, charismatic and a real wonderful actress with a great future in the business. Her character Louna fells in love with the best friend of her father (Cassel) after they spent a night on the beach together. While the elder man tries to forget what happened on the beach the girl is in love for the first time. She is wonderful when she tries to seduce Cassel and even her suffering after he rejects her in the next days is very much believable.

The funniest moments in this film has Francois Cluzet when he goes hunting the wild boars who ruin his garden but never gets them.

Alice Isaaz as Marie, Lounas best friend, gives also an impressive performance.

If you love funny and emotional films this one is a must-see!

El Gringo (2012)

Stay away from this film

[1/10 · 7 April 2015]

The main problem with El Gringo is that the lead actor can't act and has absolutely no charisma. The other problem is that there is almost no story. The hero of this movie is running around or shooting most of the time so I really miss a script.

Christian Slater has also seen much better days. He's a good actor but hasn't much to do here so he gives us a Jack-Nicholson-for-the-poor performance.

The story reminds me of a mixture between El Mariachi and Desperado but without the coolness and the sense of humor that Robert Rodriguez films had.

Stay away from this film!

About a Boy (2002)

Stay away from this film and better read the book!

[1/10 · 12 February 2014]

I really loved the book "About a Boy" from Nick Hornby. Its a wonderful story about a selfish man who makes friendship with a young boy because he dates his mother. The young boy reminds him much of himself, so he helps him to make the best out of his life and at the end the selfish man becomes a caring person.

There also was a subplot in the book about a Nirvana fan named Ellie who became the boys best friend. The book was funny, smart and heartwarming and I couldn't wait to see the film. What a disappointment!

They turned this great book into a really bad and boring movie! Only 20 percent from the story of the book is used in this film. It's really strange because Nick Hornby himself wrote the script.

You cannot blame it on the actors: Hugh Grant gives a fine performance, even when you read the book Grant comes in your mind. But the film has no drive, no humor, nothing. Just boring.

Stay away from this boring film and better read the book.

Chloe (2009)

Better watch the French original version

[2/10 · 11 February 2014]

"Chloe" is a just bad remake from the french film "Nathalie" (2003) which starred Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Béart and Gérard Depardieu in the leading roles.

Director Atom Egoyan just added some senseless drama stuff into his version. If you compare both versions, this remake can only lose.

Amanda Seyfried is a real sweetie and I liked her even in "Lovelace" but here she is just miscast: While Emmanuelle Béart in the original version was gorgeous and really convincing as prostitute, Seyfried looks more like a lost little girl. Not one single moment you will think she is a prostitute.

Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson both did a great job but had no chance against the bad script. But Moore has one fantastic moment in the scene when she confesses her husband that she feels that she lost her youth and beauty while he gets more attractive with every gray hair and thinks he doesn't like her anymore. A very sensitive and wonderful moment that lets you forget the rest of the film.

Seyfrieds character Chloe is just a lost girl who is at first looking for friendship and then for love but at the end Moores character Catherine rejects her in both ways.

Better watch the French original version "Nathalie" which is much more enjoyable.

Life with Roger (1996–1997)

I loved this show

[10/10 · 13 January 2014]

I really loved this show when it was aired. Unfortunately it lasted only for one season.

Mike O' Malley is Roger, a homeless guy who tries to commit suicide. He gets saved by Maurice Godin's character Jason who invites him to live with him. From now on Jason's life will never be the same.

The chemistry between the actors work great and both, O' Malley and Godin gave fine comedy performances. Another great performance comes from Hallie Todd, who plays Jason's crazy sister.

There are so many bad comedy shows on TV who run for years but this one, which was really funny and entertaining was canceled after one season.

Siren (III) (2010)

Pure Art

[10/10 · 26 May 2013]

If you expect some stupid and primitive horror slasher with lots of blood and gore than stay away from this movie. This is pure cinema art.

The cinematography is just beautiful and so is lead actress Anna Skellern. The rest of the actors are okay. It plays with the Greek mythology about Odysseus and the Sirens. Their songs drive everyone insane.

The story here is about a young couple, Ken and Rachel who went on a yacht trip with their best friend Marco. To make the story a little bit more complicated Rachel once was Marco's girlfriend, so there is lots of jealousy between the two men. One day a stranger comes on their ship. He bleeds out of his ears and dies.

So they enter the island to bury him. Here they meet the mysterious Silka and from now on nothing is like it was before. The boundaries between fiction and reality become indistinct and we see them all lost in a surreal fantasy.

What is real and what is fiction? Like Marco said in a scene: It's like an LSD trip. Silka turns out to be a Siren. When she starts singing everyone gets insane. I won't spoil the ending here but as I said: it's mystery not horror, more in the style of the Spanish cult movie "Amer" and films like "The Ring".

I like especially the surreal scenes in this movie and the brilliant cinematography. Pure art cinema!

Champagne and Bullets (1993)

Do the "Shimmy Ride"

[3/10 · 1 April 2012]

There are good films and there are bad films and – there are films like „Get Even", a film just made for the ego of one-time writer, producer, soundtrack composer, lead actor and director John De Hart.

The man fights, shoots, sings, meditates, makes love to a very beautiful woman (the lovely Pamela Bryant), tells bad jokes and all with the same impression on his face. The funniest scene is when he enters a stage that looks more like a recording studio and sings a country song called "Shimmy Ride", looking like he's not feeling very comfortable with this situation and not always hitting the right notes. The audience is poorly edited into this scene and I am sure if this clip would be uploaded on youtube it could become a huge hit.

The only good performance comes from William Smith who plays an evil cop here who later becomes an evil judge who is also a satanic priest – wow! So much evil in one man but Smith is really impressing in his scenes.

Another B-movie legend in "Get Even" is Wings Hauser, who probably gave the worst performance of his whole career in here.

Harts fight scenes look just ridiculous and they are poorly edited. He would have needed a fighting choreographer for that scenes. Especially when he fights against William Smith at the end of the film this scene is just laughable. Smith, then 60 when this was made but looking much younger, is taller, stronger and tougher than Hart. Hart doesn't even hit him but he wins the fight. Of course, because he is the writer, producer, soundtrack composer, lead actor and director of this.

"Get Even" is also shot on bad video and the editing isn't good, too but it is a film so bad that it's funny. If you liked "Bride of the Monster" or "Plan 9 from Outer Space" you will love this one. Come on and do the "Shimmy Ride"!

Fly Away (2011)

A very sensitive film that you will not forget

[10/10 · 29 March 2012]

This is such a wonderful film that you will never forget in your life. It's not "Rainman", no big studio film to entertain masses. "Fly away" digs so much deeper into reality. It will touch you so deep inside.

The story of Jeanne and her autistic daughter Mandy. It's almost impossible for the mother to manager her life because she always has to take care of her daughter. Even a love romance with the new neighbor looks impossible and so does work when she loses a deal because Mandy deleted some files on her laptop. Jeanne visits a school for autistic kids and has to make the hardest decision in her life: to let Mandy go to live her life and to start living her own life.

There are so many intense scenes between mother and daughter. Even when they go out eating pizza and just having fun people look at Mandy without any understanding and tell her mother if she can't handle her she shouldn't go out with her. One of the most beautiful scenes in this film is when Jeanne already has an car accident because of Mandy's behavior during the drive. Jeanne stops the car and starts crying. Then Mandy sings for her "Ladybird", the song Jeanne always sang to her daughter when she woke up in the middle of the night crying and then she also tells her to breath in and breath out like her mother always did to her.

Ashley Richards gives an impressive performance as Mandy. She is so deep in her role that you just realize in the "Making of" that she is not really autistic. Beth Broderick plays Jeanne very sensitive and heart-touching. She is a great actress and this is one of her best parts ever. Both play their roles without makeup and give up all vanity. Beth is such a beauty she even looks great without makeup.

In the "Making of" everyone talks about their motivation about this project and so we hear that director/writer Janet Grillo has an autistic son and that Beth Broderick's sister works with autistic persons so that is why this film is so impressive.

Diary of a Michigan Migrant Film Worker (2011 Video)

The awful truth about Independent Filmmaking

[8/10 · 25 March 2012]

The documentary "Diary of a Michigan Migrant Filmmaker" shows how director Donald G. Jackson, legendary for his cult movies "Rollerblade", "Hell comes to Frogtown" or "The Rollerblade Seven" tries to shoot his new film.

He drives on the set with his lead actor, Ed Wood regular Conrad Brooks but they are the only ones on the set. The other actors didn't even show up or gave him a call they couldn't make it. I don't need to mention that he gets upset and frustrated about it.

But not only the cast makes troubles also some crew members. And this is the real truth about Independent Filmmaking. Actors show up for a day on the set and they never come back again without any reason or they do not even show up on the set.

Finally here cast and crew members are on the set and Jackson can start with the shooting of his new film. But there are still some obstacles to pass by.

At the end of this documentary Jackson states that he will never ever shoot a movie again, he will only make documentaries. Sadly, Donald G. Jackson, who's work has inspired so many young filmmakers, passed away in October 2003 and this was really the last film he made.

Cartel (1990)

Don Stroud and Greg Cummings at their very best

[8/10 · 25 March 2012]

"Cartel" would be just a simple low budget action flick with Miles O'Keefe as boring hero Taylor but what makes this film really worth to watch are the heavy's.

Don Stroud gives an impressing performance as King, the evil mobster. Stroud, a legendary film veteran, knows exactly how to give life into a character and not to make it look stereo-type. His presence shines throughout the whole film even if he is not in a scene.

And then there is Gregory Scott-Cummings as Rivera, the left hand of King. He too gives an outstanding and really unforgettable performance as villain. Those two actors make this film really worth to watch.

William Smith's appearance as prison guard Mason is much too short and he is really underused here. Wished he had more screen time.

"Cartel" is good entertainment with some action and two great villains who make this film really worth to watch.