Archive for the ‘European Films’ Category
Well, your Favorite Catgirl is back, and surprise, surprise…. this time out, I’ve got lots more Zombies for you here at the ol’ Litterbox….
Well, actually I’ve got “Mutants”, on the UK Region 2 DVD release of the French horror goodie just chock full of virus infested homicidal cannibal zombies… Errrrr, I mean mutants… I think. Whatever…. they look like zombies… they eat people just like zombies…. so if it quacks like a duck then, well… you know the rest.
Our synopsis goes like this: “In a world devastated by a pandemic virus that horribly transmutes human beings into primitive and bloodthirsty creatures, the last hope for survivors is the military station ‘Noe’ where scientists are researching the cure. Marco (Francis Renaud) and Sonia (Hélène De Fougerolles) set off to find the secret base to escape from the ‘mutants’. When they are attacked, Marco becomes contaminated and little by little begins to undergo the same changes as the other creatures. Sonia, pregnant with their first child, must somehow fight off the hordes and force herself to fight the man she once loved.”
Hmmmm? Sounds like a winner… but do the French know what to do with zombies? I certainly hope so, especially given the immanent arrival of another French zombie film “Le Horde”…. and you know I’m just gonna have to get that one too. (I’m just such a hopeless lil’ zombie loving doofus!!!)
You Gentle Visitors can, of course, can find out all the grisly details for yourselfs by just taking Neko’s subtle hint and continuing to “Read On!”….
Time for a different sort of film for us here at the ol’ Litterbox (Just to prove your Favorite Catgirl isn’t just all about Asian movies….), so this time out we have the UK Region 2 release “Salvage”.
Our synopsis goes like this: “Christmas Eve, and the residents of a quiet British cul-de-sac are suddenly plunged into a world of violence, terror and paranoia when a group of heavily armed military personnel storm their road ordering them at gunpoint to retreat inside their homes. Unsure if this is the sign of a terrorist attack, or something much worse, one local mother finds it in herself to desperately fight to save her estranged daughter stranded across the street. However, with growing dread, the residents soon discover that the threat is more monstrous than any of them could possibly imagine, and survival is no longer a guarantee.”
When I ran across this one, I was thinking it’s going to be some sort of Zombie movie…. Mmmmmm!!! Zombies are always good for an evening’s movie watchin’ entertainment and the Trailer makes me think that’s not too far from the mark, but horror movies often have a way of going differently than you think they might sometimes, and once in a while…. if it quacks like a duck it might just really turn out to be an animal of an all too different sort.
But…. as always, your Favorite Catgirl is game for about any creepy goings on and I’ll let you all in on the juicy bits if only you just “Read On”!!
In honor of BIFFF, (the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival), this time out I’m having a look at a Norwegian horror film on the festival program. Presented for your reading pleasure we have “Skjult” aka “Hidden”, fresh to your Favorite Catgirl Movie Fanatic by way of it’s recent Region 1 DVD release.
Our synopsis goes: “Following a bizarre accident on a desert road and an odd encounter with another boy about the same age, KK (Kristoffer Joner) returns to his hometown after a long period of estrangement. It’s a cozy yet slightly spooky place, a rural locale with a massive waterfall, surrounded by a daunting forest, and filled with unpleasant memories: the memory of the abusive mother who practically drove KK away, and who is now mercifully dead. In her will, she left KK a home in the heart of the woods; entering the house and coming face-to-face with disturbing memories conjures up torrents of evil that lurk inside of KK – malice that he suppressed for years but that now manifests itself with devastating force.”
Hmmmmm? So what the heck is going on in this one, anyway? Ghosts? Crazy maniac killer on the loose? A traumatized boy grown into psychotic manhood? I don’t know exactly what this one is all about, but I guess well all find out, won’t we? Let’s “Read On” and see…..
“Sexy Killer”….. This one actually got mentioned to me some while ago as a quirky zombie comedy film I should definitely check out, but my inquisitive, insatiable quest for a decent source of weird Spanish films has so far failed to reward me with a reliable source directly out of Spain…. Luckily for me the Region 2 UK release for this one has remedied that lil’ problem.
The synopsis for it reads: “At an exclusive university dead bodies are turning up with alarming frequency, all believed to be victims of the notorious Campus Killer. The police are stumped as to who the killer might be and, of course, nobody suspects innocent looking med student Barbara. A superficial fashion queen whose childhood dream was to grow up to become the living embodiment of her favorite doll, Cindy Superstar, all Barbara needs now is to find herself a real-life equivalent of Cindy’s plastic partner, Glenn. But behind the mask of her perfectly applied make-up is a deadly cross between Paris Hilton and American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman, a female serial killer for whom ruthlessly slaughtering people isn’t so much a question of why as one of why not?
Barbara’s grisly trail of murder fortuitously leads her into the arms of Tomas, a fellow student assigned to the campus morgue who is experimenting with a machine designed to translate thoughts and brainwaves into images. What he later discovers, though, is that with a little tinkering (and the addition of a healthy dose of Ecstasy to his subjects) the machine is able to reanimate the dead. Not surprisingly, this proves to be bad news for Barbara as Tomas begins reviving the Campus Killer’s victims in the hope that at least one of them will be able to identify their murderer. Of course, what he hadn’t bargained for was their insatiable hunger for both revenge and for human flesh. Soon, Tomas finds himself the innocent bystander in a bloody and explosive serial killer versus zombies showdown.”
Hmmm… now this one certainly sounds downright goofy. (And you know how Neko sooo likes goofy!!) So forgoing my usual popcorn and wine coolers, we opt for a movie night of spicy nachos and sangria, hoping the movie fairies will bless Carolyn and I with a delightfully grisly laugh fest to remember!! Think you might just like it too? Then you better “Read On” and find out more!
Every now and again your Favorite Catgirl Movie Reviewer just plain misses the release of a film. I know… it’s hard to believe but…. It’s a biiiiggg ol’ world out there and surprisingly enough… one or two do escape my curious wanderings about the old Internet. Luckily for me… I am if nothing else persistent in the pursuit of new sources for the sorts of goofy films I like, so I was naturally excited to come across the original Region 2 Swedish release for this one, almost missed in my travels. But no more!!
Our synopsis? Well it goes something like this:“About 100 years ago, three students at the Hellestads Boarding School were brutally slaughtered, the murderer drowned himself in a lake nearby and his body was never found. The story has become a school legend for generations of students as well as a yearly festivity. Sara, a student, is writing an essay based on the legend and uncovers new facts from the event that will cast dark shadows on the family name of one of the school’s main beneficiaries. On the night of the hundredth anniversary, the festivities go awry, students disappear and something dark and unknown is moving through the schools corridors…is the curse of the “Drowning Ghost” true…. and who will fall victim next?”
Yep… sounds like a winner. But then I’ve been cruelly fooled before, so naturally I’ll just have to cuddle up on the couch with my popcorn and wine coolers and see if Sweden knows how to make those scary movies I like!! So let’s all “Read On” and find out what it’s all about.
Oooohh!! So…. if you are as silly for horror movies as this girl is, then what’s better for a goofy evening’s entertainment on the couch than a Zombie movie? Hmmmm? How about an honest to goodness Nazi Zombie movie…. ON ICE!!
Well… not exactly ice…. but lots and lots of snow. After “Fritt Vilt” and it’s sequel I’m beginning to get a very chilly picture of Norway and this one, “Dead Snow”, now available on Region 2 PAL DVD from the UK gives me no reason to believe it’s ever warm there…. Hehehehe!! What’s next? Killer Snowmen or a cool movie with a rampaging rabid Polar Bear? (Wait a minute…. that actually sounds like a cool idea for a movie….. So remember you heard it here first!!)
Our quickie synopsis reads: “A ski vacation turns horrific for a group of medical students, as they find themselves confronted by an unimaginable menace: Nazi zombies!”
That sums it up pretty well… and so all the classic bits are comfortably in place for some bloody, crazy nazisploitation zombie mayhem. Your Favorite Catgirl Princess says it’s time to break out your chainsaw, your machete, and all your other favorite pointy implements of death and let’s get ready to rumble, shall we?
Something a wee bit different this time out…. Instead of your Favorite Catgirl Princess’ usual fare of the weird and spooky from somewhere waaaaay off in Asia, we’re taking a look at the classic British comedy “The Belles of St Trinian’s” from 1954.
Our synopsis goes something as follows: “The Belles of St. Trinian’s” was the first of several British comedies originally inspired by the fearsome girl’s school created by cartoonist Ronald Searle. In this one, Clarence Fritton, bookie brother of the headmistress Millicent , of St Trinian’s School for Girls, sneaks his daughter into the sixth form to pick up racing tips from the daughter of an Arabic Sheik, the Princess Fatima of Makyad, who’s come to stay at the school. His horse, “Arab Boy”, is due to run in the Gold Cup and is secretly being backed by the fourth form girls, Miss Fritton, and the school funds to win a fortune in the race. Cockney spiv Flash Harry is also on hand to make a profit from the girl’s alcohol producing venture, while to further complicate matters, the Barchester police have planted sergeant Ruby Gates undercover at the school as a teacher, and the Ministry of Education are sending a third inspector down after the previous two disappeared without trace. The racehorse is kidnapped by the sixth form, but rescued and wins – saving St Trinian’s from bankruptcy and closure.“
I originally watched this one on our local Public Broadcasting station way back when…. definitely where you wanted to go when I was a kid to watch all those wonderful British imports….. and this one positively had me in stitches as a lil’ girl…. just the thought of what these wicked little hellions were doing at their school had me wondering just what sort of mischief I might get up to!! PBS…. you almost set me on the path to a crazy life of crime with this one!!
So, gentle readers….. you’ve never heard of St Trinian’s? Well it’s definitely time we fix that!! So… by all means.. “Read On”!!
Every now and again, your Favorite Catgirl Princess needs to sate her insatiable desire for totally trashy exploitation cinema with absolutely no redeeming social value whatsoever…. The more over-the-top and unashamedly cheesy the better. So what could possibly fit the bill for that than the new British horror comedy “Lesbian Vampire Killers”? Recently released on Region 2 PAL in the UK, it was easily available to me through Amazon.uk so naturally I wasted no time snapping up a copy for my very own. This girl is sooo easily convinced to buy these goofy movies….. A scant 4 days later, it arrived in the mail a mere two days after the release date so now I’m all set to rot my little brain with all the crazy lesbian vampire antics and goofy horror shenanigans to be had!!
Our synopsis reads like this: “Award winning comedy duo James Corden and Mathew Horne (of Gavin & Stacey fame) decide to escape their problems and head to Wales for a weekend of debauchery.
Things don’t go quite according to plan and they find themselves stuck in a village where all the local women have been enslaved by the curse of the legendary lesbian vampire queen, Carmilla. As night unfolds the boys have to put all their fears (and dreams!) behind them in order to rise to the challenge of becoming Lesbian Vampire Killers.”
Hmmmm? Certainly sounds trashy and silly alright. But will it be a fun lil’ movie to watch with my sweet Carolyn on Movie Nite (or will it just utterly offend her and get me trouble?) This will be the first mainstream “Lesbian” themed movie (well…sort of… Hehehehe!!) we’ve ever watched together since we started our love affair…. but she knows all about my lowbrow film tastes and usually just shakes her head and rolls her eyes when it’s my turn to select a film for us. Oh well…. she’s really a good sport, so I guess I’ll find out.
The main question to answer though, as always, is: “Will it really live up to all the hype and promise of it’s silly title or fall flat on it’s face?” Neko’s been disappointed by movies before, (and probably will be again in future….) but let’s all “Read On” and find out how this one fares, shall we?
Like all good horror movie villains, that creepy guy in the Parka is back, menacing the good people of Norway in “Fritt Vilt 2″ the sequal to the hugely successful “Fritt Vilt” aka “Cold Prey” as it was known here in the US.
Back too for the action is actress Ingrid Bolsø Berdal as spunky Norse heroine, Jannicke. With the recent announcement that a 3rd film is in the works, it looks like I’d better get watching this one to catch up.
Our quick synopsis reads as follows: “Jannicke, the lone survivor from the previous film’s slayings is discovered wandering cold and traumatized, covered with blood and carrying a pick axe along a deserted, snow-covered mountain road. Taken to a nearby hospital for observation and treatment, she tells the police of her terrible ordeal. As the authorities head into the mountains to investigate the her story, the hospital staff members and their patients quickly learn the shocking truth for themselves as the institution’s wards and corridors become the new hunting ground for the unstoppable killer.”
Sounds good… but will it sustain the thrills and suspense of the first film? I guess you’ll just need to “Read On” to find out!!
It’s been quite a while since “Frontier(s)”….. and although the euro horror splatter fests aren’t really my style, I got the chance to see the latest French horror offering to hit Region 1 DVD, “Martyrs”, last evening and figured I might as well go all “Nekolishous” on it for a review this time out.
The synopsis for it goes like this: “A young woman’s quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and her only friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.”
Yep…. sounds like a revenge driven violence fest to me…. Those usually leave me all disgusted and repelled by the ultra realistic violence and torture. Word is that this one pushes to whole idea of “extreme violence” to a revolting new level. Yeah, yeah, yeah…. we’ve ALL heard that one before. Sigh….. I suppose only one real question remains to be asked of it….. Is it scary?
Naturally there is only one real way we’re ever going to know for certain if the claims are true. Yep, you’re gonna have to “Read On” to find out.