Father Geek here with Coffin Joe Jr.'s Latin-AICN column. This is being posted late as part of the backlog I acquired during this week because of the upgrading of our site that kept me off line for several days, but Joe sent in his report on time, and here it is for your enjoyment this weekend...
Hello boys, girls, freaks, geeks, monsters, ghouls, ghosts, demons, beasts, and other kinds of readers, Coffin Joe Jr. is here for yet another week of news and reviews from the world of Latin filmmaking. Couldn´t deliver a column last week, but you guys had those cool reports from the film festival in Rio, from a new spy down here. Nice stuff. Anyways, here´s this week´s edition, a bit short, but hope you guys dig it. Read on.
BRAZIL
BRAZIL
-The movie "O Xangô de Baker Street", based on the novel by local comedian/TV host Jô Soares which chronicles the adventures of Sherlock Holmes in Brazil, had its debut at the Rio Film Festival, last week.
SPAIN
-Anchor Bay Entertainment, maker of some of the finest genre DVDs ever, has pushed back until next year the release of two Paul Naschy flicks, "The Werewolf´s Shadow" and "Curse of the Devil". More details on these two discs are not known at this point, but expect widescreen transfers, trailers, and other stuff, because the Anchor Bay folks really care about what they do. Other stuff planned for next year include Brian Yuzna´s "Society", the "Sleepaway Camp" sequels and a box set of the "Sleepaway Camp" flicks. Oh, boy, THE JOY!
COFFIN JOE JR. MOVIE REVIEWS
"Arachnid" (2001)
Director: Jack Sholder
This is yet another genre flick from Spain´s Fantastic Factory, directed by veteran helmer Jack Sholder. Sholder is the guy who directed the cool action/sci-fi extravaganza "The Hidden", made "Wishmaster II", and jumped in to try to save the MGM flop "Supernova". He´s been around forever, and he´s pretty much hit and miss. I think he pulled this one off, more or less. "Arachnid", much like Fantastic Factory´s first release "Faust", is an enjoyable affair, when you watch it in a certain way. Which way, you ask? You gather a bunch of fellow geeks, grab a bunch of beers, snacks, popcorn, shut the lights, and have some fun for an hour and a half. If that´s what you´re looking for, you´re going to be a happy camper. The movie itself is a "Predator"/"Anaconda" hybrid, with some cool FX, nice setting, and, sadly, a lousy script. You´ve seen this before, but this one is better than the usual direct-to-video monster movie crap. It´s better than "Python", "Crocodile", "Spiders", or any other recent killer animal pic that hit video stores. The script is original, because it tries to stay away from that same old crap of man messing with nature, but the whole alien thing that causes the problems in the island is not that great either. Though the screenplay has flashes of originality and imagination, it has some truly bad dialogue as well. The actors try to give it some credibility in their delivery, and they pull it off most of the time, but not always. Other than that, no complaints from me.
Yuzna said that he hopes that the Fantastic Factory becomes the Hammer of Spain, a studio that fans know about and look forward to what they do. I´m happy to report that so far their stuff is above average for the type of movie they are doing. Good job guys.
"Arachnid" is coming straight to video in the U.S. next year, courtesy of Lion´s Gate Films/Trimark.
"Ripper: Letter from Hell" (2001) Director: John Eyres
This one is about a girl who survived a massacre when she was a teen, a few years later she goes to college, is studying about serial killers in one of her classes, when a series of grisly murders start to happen to her classmates, and these killings are very similar to those executed by the notorious Jack, The Ripper. Madness and gory fun ensue.
The plot sounds awful, I know, but the movie isn´t really that bad. No, really, I´m serious, this is actually good stuff. If you liked flicks like "Cherry Falls" or "Scream", the better stuff of the recent teen slasher craze, then you´re going to dig this one.
I don´t know who the hell this John Eyres fella is, but he´s got some style, and he knows how to put together the suspenseful scenes, plus he doesn´t shy away from the bloody, nasty bits, which come fast and furious. The killings are violent, bloody, and inventive, with some inspired moments of mayhem. The only reservation I have is that some of characters could be a bit more developed, not stereotypical idiots who are there just to get butchered. Nothing too bad, but it could be better.
This one is in theaters here in Brazil, but it will go straight to video in the U.S., thanks to the people at Lion´s Gate Films/Trimark once again, so take a look at this one when it comes out in America, it´s worth it.
