It's March and March is known for St. Patrick's Day, so in honor of Ireland's greatest snake wrangler we're going to look at some retro pop-culture things with an Irish slant that managed to become timeless touchstones. While this is a relatively recent film, its setting is smack dab in the Uphill Both Ways era of nostalgia. It is - Sing Street!
Sing Street is a 2016 musical comedy-drama film directed by John Carney, who previously directed the popular musical film Once. Set in Dublin, Ireland in the 1980s, Sing Street tells the story of a teenage boy named Conor who starts a band in order to impress a girl named Raphina, who he has a crush on.
Anyone who might mistakenly think that On the Trail of Bigfoot: Last Frontier, the latest film from writer/director Seth Breedlove and the Small Town Monsters production company, is “just another Bigfoot documentary” should reconsider. Any Sasquatch-related work from Breedlove and his crew is far and away above the usual offerings in which viewers follow a group of cryptid hunters knocking on trees and roaming endlessly. On the Trail of Bigfoot: Last Frontier shows a side of Sasquatch that may surprise many.
“Solomon King” (1974), “ “Lynch/Oz” (2022), and “The Stairway to Stardom Mixtape” (2022)
Solomon King
How baaaad is former CIA operative and Green Beret — and current nightclub owner — Solomon King? He’s so baaaad that after a woman he was protecting and recently made love to dies, his grieving process is short enough that he finds solace in the arms of another woman soon after. He’s so baaaad that, while suffering from a head wound, all he can think of is scoring with yet another young lady. And in between those times, he is involved in fisticuffs and gunplay aplenty. That’s how baaaad Solomon King is! Deaf Crocodile Films has done a terrific job with its 4K restoration of 1974 crime film Solomon King, which has a plot that reaches far beyond director/cowriter/star Sal Watt’s budget, but delivers mightily on entertainment and chutzpah. Solomon sets out to protect Princess Oneeba (Claudia Russo) when she and her father become the targets of a coup started by Prince Hassan (Richard Scarso) having to do with oil fields in the Middle East. Solomon’s brother Manny King (James Watts) helps her escape to Oakland, California, but after assassins kill her, Solomon makes things personal, including everything I wrote about at the beginning of this review and much, much, more, as the third act takes a turn from its urban-set action back to the Middle East. Though some of the performances are a bit flat and it is obvious that everything set in the Middle East was filmed locally, the sheer can-do spirit, the smile-inducing use of the pyrotechnics budget, and the tour of Oakland nightclubs — including some fun funk and soul numbers from the time — are just a few reasons that make Solomon King well worth seeking out.
Grab a bucket of popcorn and a large drink - the boys have a super-long bonus-sized episode this time around! Up first is Gift, Keep, and Ditch featuring breakfast cereals of yore and then it's on to the feature presentation as they discuss some of the movies from the recent 2022 edition of the Popcorn Frights Film Festival. Join them as they FOLLOW HER through this FINAL SUMMER in the lead-up to the THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER to the TINY CINEMA where we'll all be LIVING WITH CHUCKY.
Final Summer is a Nostalgic Trip Back to the Slasher Classics From the 80s
-by Mike Imboden
Imagine, if you will, your last summer before heading off to college. High school graduation is in the history books and the days of big hair, glam rock, and the rest of the decade of excess is getting farther behind you in the rearview mirror as the 1990’s loom in front of you, full of possibilities. You need some extra cash and so, like the last few years before this one, you sign on as a counselor at a summer camp, certain that THIS year will end in the exchange of phone numbers with a certain someone and - if you’re lucky - the exchange of something a bit more. You’re not the only one with summer plans, though, and while yours are like many others, there’s always one who has decidedly… different ideas of how to spend their summer.
Not the person you want to see on the last night of summer camp
It’s 1991 and Camp Silver Lake is closing its doors on its last season before it’s sold. This news comes as a surprise to the counselors who are tasked with getting everything put away and cleaned up. It probably shouldn’t be a surprise, though, when it’s revealed that “accidents” have befallen the camp every year and are attributed to the camp’s urban legend of a former groundskeeper named Warren Cooper, who was believed to be a bit unstable. When a masked figure wielding an axe shows up, what was a night of work and camaraderie becomes a night of survival.
Jakkariah "Jack" Harding (Antonio Woodruff) is back again to… wait, this isn’t a sequel, it’s the ORIGINAL “lost” entry in The Third Saturday in October franchise and boy, is this a doozy!
Back in 1979 "Jack" Harding has a date with an electric chair courtesy of the killing spree that he was responsible for. In attendance as witnesses are Ricky Dean Logan (Darius Willis) and Vicki Newton (K.J. Baker), unrelated parents of a couple of Harding’s victims. Oddly, Harding is scheduled to be buried directly following the execution, but when Ricky and Vicki arrive at the cemetery they discover, to their horror, that Harding is still alive and now on the run!
Try to follow along here. The Third Saturday in October Part V is the fourth sequel to the “lost slasher” film, The Third Saturday in October, however there are no parts two, three, or four - but there IS a part one and we’ll get to that a little later. Y’see, writer/director Jay Burleson has crafted a two part homage to the heyday of the slasher sub-genre and video stores where you’d often find a sequel before stumbling across the original entry - so the recommended viewing order here is Part V followed by Part I.
As any good sequel should, this starts off with a flashback montage of the three sequels from the 1980s (the original was released in 1979, as the story goes) before we hit our “current” time of 1994 and the titular third Saturday in October when everyone is glued to their TVs for the annual college football rivalry game between the Alabama-Mobile Seahawks and Tennessee A&M Commonwealth. Again, like any good sequel, we’re treated to a killing by franchise star Jakkariah "Jack" Harding (Antonio Woodruff) just a few minutes in.
Right outta’ the chute I need to say that we here at Uphill Both Ways were of two minds when it came to this. On one hand, it’s a Russian production and, well, the last thing we want to be doing here is supporting that country these days. Since we’re Gen Xers here we grew up with the USSR as our “boogeyman”, so it’s not a huge leap for us to wash our hands of anything to do with Russia. On the other hand, however, we’ve got no real way of knowing if the people involved with Row 19 support their country’s current actions, so would it be fair of us to hold them accountable and disregard their film? Ultimately we agreed that ignoring the film would be something that they’d do, and we’re supposed to be better than them, right? Art is art whether you agree with it or not, so after drawing the short straw I got a screener from Well Go USA and sat down to see what we had sold our souls for (I’m kidding - we didn’t sell or souls - but we DO have to say “do svidaniya tovarishch” whenever we sign off on our podcast now).
A Night of Horror International Film Festival Review: “My Cherry Pie” (2021) Australian Independent Feature Is a Fun Slice of Slasher Cinema
by Joseph Perry
Australian feature My Cherry Pie is a bloody valentine to 1980s slasher movies, with some Giallo references and a pinch of Spider Baby (1967) for good measure. Impressive practical effects, good performances, quality direction, and some wicked humor make this an independent effort worth seeking out.
“Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest” Is a Satisfying Look at Camaraderie and Following Your Dreams
by Joseph Perry
The Danish documentary Cannon Arm and the Arcade Quest is about legendary gamer Kim "Kanonarm" Köbke and his attempt to play his favorite 1980s arcade video game, Konami’s Gyruss, for 100 hours straight — but it is also about much more than that, delving into friendship, receiving help and support from members of your chosen tribe, quantum philosophy, overcoming personal frustrations and obstacles, and much more. A huge amount of humanity is on display in this fascinating, entertaining film that has appeal for viewers far beyond just fans of classic video games.
“Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster” Is a Valentine to One of the True Legends of Horror Cinema
Growing up as a Monster Kid in the 1960s and 1970s, I first learned of the legendary Boris Karloff through his classic turn as the monster in 1931’s Frankenstein when the film played on TV and through the Gold Key Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery comic books. I was instantly a fan, and have remained so to this day, which made the new documentary Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster must-see viewing for me. The film is a highly engaging and entertaining look at Karloff’s life and career.
It's movie review time! The guys sit down and talk about four movies that played at this year's Popcorn Frights Film Festival that was held in person in Fort Lauderdale along with a nationwide virtual version from August 12th until today. On tap are two slasher-esque flicks as well as two creature features, both of which were world premieres. Plus, Joseph introduces the SLP VHS Dub-Tape Challenge. Put some Jiffy Pop on the stove burner and get ready for something completely different.
Dee Wallace Gets Involved with Familial Body Horror in “The Nest” (2021)
Not to be confused with Eli Cantor’s (AKA Gregory A. Douglas) 1980 horror novel about killer cockroaches The Nest — recently republished in the Paperbacks from Hell series — nor its 1987 movie adaptation, director James Suttles’ The Nest is a familial — and rather familiar — fear-fare film about a recovering addict mother, her jerk of a husband, their suddenly depressed young daughter and her new used teddy bear, and their kindly neighbor.
The Legend of Baron T’oa tells the story of a young Tongan man (Fritz – Uli Latukefu) who, having been living in Australia for more than ten years following his father’s death, returns to sell his family home. His Uncle Otto (Nathaniel Lees) is hesitant and we soon learn why; Fritz’s father was local legend and pro wrestling champion, Baron T’oa (John Tui)! As a quick aside, anyone who was a fan of professional wrestling in the 70s and early 80s will remember the portrayal of “Islanders” with an image of the Wild Samoans probably coming to mind. But avoiding that “savage” stereotype while becoming a champion in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, was Peter Maivia. It’s Maivia who the titular Baron T’oa seems to be inspired by. Like Maivia, the character of Baron T’oa was a champion, an “islander”, and died at a fairly young age. Anyway, Fritz doesn’t seem to care his father’s “legend”, though. He’s too concerned with being rational
and analytical about the sale and is certain he can talk Otto into signing the required paperwork to finalize the deal. Things take a turn, however, when a family heirloom is stolen: Baron To’a’s championship title belt! Otto refuses to sign until Fritz can recover the belt. The following 90 minutes or so tells an engaging, exciting, and sometimes humorous tale of how Fritz must learn, as his uncle tells him, that without the past there is no “now”, and with no “now”, there is no future.
At
it’s core the story (based on a screenplay by John Argall), is
nothing new – it’s a typical hero’s journey – but the
setting, cultural influences, and acting are what set this apart from
many other similar films despite it relying on the expected tropes of
such a movie, including a training montage. The characters are
enjoyable and clearly positioned as good, bad, and uncertain and are
all portrayed exceptionally by a very talented cast that is a mix of
seasoned vets (familiar, most likely, to Australian and New Zealand
audiences), and newcomers. There are a few small bumps in the road
(there’s a fumbled clear passage of time early on that is pretty
important to the story, an element that looks to be very important at
some point is summarily forgotten, to name a couple), but they’re
certainly not deal-breakers and can be chalked up to this being
director Kiel McNaughton’s first feature film. Otherwise, the
story flows quite well with great framing and character blocking, as
well as action scenes that are fast and exceptionally choreographed.
There’s a foot chase that is very high energy and the fights are
very well done.
Most
importantly, though, is the story itself. As Fritz progresses we see
how important family can be as well as the parallels between himself
and others and on display is how easy it is for people to become two
sides of the same coin while traveling nearly identical paths. On one
hand, Fritz wants nothing more than to lead his own life and break
free from the cul-de-sac that seems to be more of a dead-end road
ever since his father died. On the other, there is a sense of purpose
and obligation. Fritz’s inner-turmoil of these two things are
presented cleverly by his use of a white board marker that he uses to
make charts, graphs, and lists with on windows. Brain or heart –
which should lead. Or maybe there’s a way BOTH can be in control.
The
language is a bit harsh at times and could be off-putting to some
people. In fact, the actors preemptively apologize for it in a very
brief PSA prior to the start of the film. It should be noted,
however, that we’re not talking about language like you’d hear in
a Tarantino film (mainly used as interjections and not adjectives or
nouns, if you follow), but it could be enough for some parents to
click stop during playback. The violence consists of fight scenes
that are mostly “cartoony” with very little blood, including one
injury that could have been shown to be FAR worse than it is here.
All
in all this is a very fun film with a well told story of a hero’s
journey with some exciting action, a positive message, and is
definitely well worth a watch.
Reviewed by Mike Imboden
The Legend of Baron T'oa
Directed by: Kiel McNaughton
Written by:John Argall
Producer by:Owen Black, Kerry Warkia
Genre: Comedy, Action
Starring: Uli Latukefu, Nathaniel Lees, Jay Laga'aia
Runtime: 1h 43m
Rated: TV-MA Release Date (Streaming):Nov 11, 2020
