I was lucky enough to see this as a late night ozploitation double bill in Scotland (other film was Patrick). It was Dead Kids that really stuck in my head. An almost Lynch like and surreal slasher film, set in Illinois but actually filmed in New Zealand. In addition to a great cast this has some striking scenes including one character receiving an injection in their eye, and a bizarre musical dance scene which could not be more 80s if…
One of Chuck Norris’s best films as a security contractor who tries to figure out who killed his friends and revenge them, in 1980s Hong Kong. Perhaps most famous for the striking opening fight scene where Chuck is simply a silhouette fighting against a bright red background. It’s hard not to watch this an think it was a major influence on the Shanghai fight scene in the James Bond Skyfall film. The film also has a film noir quality and lots of impressive fight scenes. No watches Chuck Norris films for the acting, but he certainly left his mark with this and several other gritty thrillers.
Mario Bava’s extremely influential proto-slasher involves a series of murders that are related to an inheritance of a beautiful lakeside property. This film was a huge influence on the slasher genre and includes POV from the perspective of the killer (long before Halloween did it), and teenagers getting picked off while hanging out at the lake. It was such a big influence on the Friday the 13th films that one scene in particular was completely replicated in Friday the 13th part 2. Stylish set pieces, a plot with lots of twists and turns and some stunning outdoors scenery.
An odyssey through WW2 through the eyes of a grizzled sgt (Lee Marvin) and four young soldiers. They are members of the first infantry division (the big red one) as they fight from North Africa and into Europe. The film is essentially a series of vignettes as they fight over a three year period. The film has a very surreal and sometimes existential quality over many striking scenes; Marvin killing a German soldier during WW1 under a giant cross all…
