Since the 1930's, and perhaps before, the movie going public has been treated to their fair share of zombie flicks. Zombies that stumble, zombies that run, and zombie comedies have all come down the pike. Some are classics, many are not. This film takes another stab at the zombie genre, and turns it on its head.
A nameless zombie (Brian Shaw) seems to be enjoying his zombie existence. His zombie mate is pregnant, he has what seem to be two teenage zombie children, and the quartet live in the woods, eating whatever human flesh they happen to stumble upon. The dad zombie brings home a suicide's body, and partakes of some booze while the family feasts on the body. The other three family members become violently ill and die, obviously not seeing the radioactive warning labels that surrounded the dead person. Before expiring, zombie mom gives birth to the zombie baby. The man must now care for the newborn, killing small animals and chewing its flesh to feed his offspring. The two are on the run from a mysterious army who are killing the zombie creatures. The man sees a human woman (Kathleen Lawlor) and saves her from another set of zombies. The woman becomes a surrogate mother, and now the three begin traveling together. They don't seem to have a destination, except the woman tries not to be eaten, and the man tries not to eat her. As with most zombie films, things don't end well for all involved.
Writer/director Julian Grant has done a fantastic job with this. He also provided the shimmering black and white, or maybe more blue and white, photography, and the brisk editing. The film is devoid of spoken dialogue, except for the guttural zombie grunts, and some background voices of the zombie killers here and there. The woman cannot communicate with the zombie man, so what's the point of talking? David Findlay lays down a professional musical score that adds to the film. The makeup effects are excellent, including the zombie infant- which thankfully in no way resembles the fakery of "It's Alive!" or "The Unborn." The cast all give great performances in obviously difficult roles. Shaw is covered in gross makeup for the entire film, and Lawlor doesn't look like she just strolled out of a salon, either, but both use their facial expressions to the fullest without resulting to broad theatrical acting. The film was shot in the Chicago, Illinois/Gary, Indiana/LaPorte, Indiana area, and the locations are perfect. I love old abandoned buildings and ghost towns, and Grant has found some excellent places to set his story. The screenplay itself keeps a lot under its hat, never out-and-out explaining anything, including the reason half of society turned into zombies. We do not get any back story on the two main characters, and I liked that. Grant has them living and surviving right now, no time for embarrassing fireside English lessons and "what I did before the apocalypse" speeches.
"The Defiled" will satisfy gorehounds as well as sci-fi and horror fans, and it definitely compares favorably to the work of George A. Romero and the "28...Later" films. Seek it out.
Stats:
(2010) 100 min. (10/10)
-Written and Directed by Julian Grant
-Cast: Brian Shaw, Kathleen Lawlor, Alden Moore, Graham Jenkins, Angela Zagone, Almir Limaj, Aaron Sjoholm, Ali Goodman, Kyle Dones, Jess Nicole Thigpen, Charles Andrew Gardner
-(Unrated)
-Media Viewed: Screener
Thursday, September 11, 2025
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Of the Dead (1979)
This French documentary shuns the usually sleazy world of mondo docs like "Faces of Death" and tries to show how different parts of the world view death. The major problem is that time and time again, the three directors slip into shocking footage, and the unshocking footage is especially dull.
The film opens with an American preparing a body for embalming. We then switch to a very long segment in Thailand, as a family prepares to bury a dead relative. The grandmother lies in a hut for three days, decomposes, and is finally buried, but not before we witness the graphic killing of four oxen. The film makers also visit Belgium, Nepal, and South Korea, juxtaposing scenes between what we would consider shocking treatment of the dead, and scenes of how Americans treat their terminally ill and dying.
The film makers rally around their point, saying "see, we are not all that different," and then proceed to grind the viewers face into this boring little statement for an hour and forty five minutes. After some interviews with some American muscular dystrophy patients, who talk about how they want to be buried or cremated, the film makers unwisely show a Filipino revolutionary executed by a former friend, before being dumped into a shallow grave. "Death" is kind of a big topic to trim into a little documentary. There is no narrator or central idea, save the "we aren't so different" rigamarole, so scenes drag on forever in between the carnage.
If you like those shockumentaries like "Faces of Death," I feel sorry for you but not half as sorry as I am for watching this mess. I do not recommend the deadening dull "Of the Dead." Also known as "Des Morts."
Stats:
(1979) 105 min. (2/10)
-Written and Directed by Jean-Pol Ferbus, Dominique Garny, Thierry Zeno
-No Cast Credited
-(Unrated)
-Media Viewed: VHS
The film opens with an American preparing a body for embalming. We then switch to a very long segment in Thailand, as a family prepares to bury a dead relative. The grandmother lies in a hut for three days, decomposes, and is finally buried, but not before we witness the graphic killing of four oxen. The film makers also visit Belgium, Nepal, and South Korea, juxtaposing scenes between what we would consider shocking treatment of the dead, and scenes of how Americans treat their terminally ill and dying.
The film makers rally around their point, saying "see, we are not all that different," and then proceed to grind the viewers face into this boring little statement for an hour and forty five minutes. After some interviews with some American muscular dystrophy patients, who talk about how they want to be buried or cremated, the film makers unwisely show a Filipino revolutionary executed by a former friend, before being dumped into a shallow grave. "Death" is kind of a big topic to trim into a little documentary. There is no narrator or central idea, save the "we aren't so different" rigamarole, so scenes drag on forever in between the carnage.
If you like those shockumentaries like "Faces of Death," I feel sorry for you but not half as sorry as I am for watching this mess. I do not recommend the deadening dull "Of the Dead." Also known as "Des Morts."
Stats:
(1979) 105 min. (2/10)
-Written and Directed by Jean-Pol Ferbus, Dominique Garny, Thierry Zeno
-No Cast Credited
-(Unrated)
-Media Viewed: VHS
The Desperados (1969)
This 1969 western gives an early take on a dysfunctional family, and almost works on its incredible action scenes alone.
Parson Josiah Galt (Jack Palance) is the father and leader of a bunch of Confederate guerillas modeled after Quantrill's Raiders. He, his sons, and his men invade towns, stealing money, assaulting women, and burning the place to the ground. In one Kansas town, eldest son David (Vince Edwards) decides the killing needs to stop. David kills one of his own men by accident during the raid. He is arrested and sentenced to death in a family-run court. With family like this, who needs in-laws? David escapes after kicking little brother Jacob's (George Maharis) butt, flees to Texas, changes his name, and lives the good life with a wife (Sylvia Syms) and son (Benjamin Edney). In Texas, only Marshal Kilpatrick (Neville Brand) knows David's secret. Soon, Josiah's gang sets their sights on Texas, specifically David's new hometown.
Levin's direction is very good, and his action scenes are great, especially aboard a flaming runaway train. David Whitaker's musical score is perfect, with bombastic stuff during the action, pumping the adrenaline and setting the mood. The main problem is the two leads- Edwards as Palance's son? Palance was only nine years older than Edwards, and they look the same age. Palance is awful here, playing the part way over-the-top and constantly stepping into unintentionally hilarious melodramatics. Edwards is the opposite, holding the same constipated look on his face throughout the film, showing as little emotion as he possibly can. Despite some good stunts, the fact that these two are in almost every scene brings down any technical achievements. Even the normally reliable Neville Brand seems at a loss.
"The Desperados" is gritty and violent, but Levin's inability to get control of his actors weighs down the action. I cannot recommend this film.
Stats:
(1969) 91 min. (4/10)
-Directed by Henry Levin
-Screenplay by Walter Brough, Story by Clarke Reynolds
-Cast: Jack Palance, Vince Edwards, George Maharis, Sylvia Syms, Benjamin Edney, Neville Brand, Sheila Burrell, Kate O'Mara, Christian Roberts, Kenneth Cope, Patrick Holt, Christopher Malcolm, John Clark
-(M)
-Media Viewed: Home Video
Parson Josiah Galt (Jack Palance) is the father and leader of a bunch of Confederate guerillas modeled after Quantrill's Raiders. He, his sons, and his men invade towns, stealing money, assaulting women, and burning the place to the ground. In one Kansas town, eldest son David (Vince Edwards) decides the killing needs to stop. David kills one of his own men by accident during the raid. He is arrested and sentenced to death in a family-run court. With family like this, who needs in-laws? David escapes after kicking little brother Jacob's (George Maharis) butt, flees to Texas, changes his name, and lives the good life with a wife (Sylvia Syms) and son (Benjamin Edney). In Texas, only Marshal Kilpatrick (Neville Brand) knows David's secret. Soon, Josiah's gang sets their sights on Texas, specifically David's new hometown.
Levin's direction is very good, and his action scenes are great, especially aboard a flaming runaway train. David Whitaker's musical score is perfect, with bombastic stuff during the action, pumping the adrenaline and setting the mood. The main problem is the two leads- Edwards as Palance's son? Palance was only nine years older than Edwards, and they look the same age. Palance is awful here, playing the part way over-the-top and constantly stepping into unintentionally hilarious melodramatics. Edwards is the opposite, holding the same constipated look on his face throughout the film, showing as little emotion as he possibly can. Despite some good stunts, the fact that these two are in almost every scene brings down any technical achievements. Even the normally reliable Neville Brand seems at a loss.
"The Desperados" is gritty and violent, but Levin's inability to get control of his actors weighs down the action. I cannot recommend this film.
Stats:
(1969) 91 min. (4/10)
-Directed by Henry Levin
-Screenplay by Walter Brough, Story by Clarke Reynolds
-Cast: Jack Palance, Vince Edwards, George Maharis, Sylvia Syms, Benjamin Edney, Neville Brand, Sheila Burrell, Kate O'Mara, Christian Roberts, Kenneth Cope, Patrick Holt, Christopher Malcolm, John Clark
-(M)
-Media Viewed: Home Video
The Beguiled (1971)
Director Don Siegel, who would put Clint Eastwood in a little film called "Dirty Harry," uses the action star in a way no one had before. Together, they create a piece of Southern Gothicism that is a great Civil War film that could have been screwed up by anyone else.
Eastwood is Corporal John McBirney, a Union soldier on the run in the deep south. He is wounded and discovered by twelve year old Amy (Pamelyn Ferdin). McB, as John wants to be known, kisses Amy on the lips to keep her quiet when soldiers pass, and she takes the incident the wrong way, falling in love with him instantly. McB is dragged back to Amy's home, the Farnsworth Seminary for Young Girls, run by Miss Martha (Geraldine Page) and Miss Edwina (Elizabeth Hartman). Right away, Siegel gives us a flash of memory of Martha's, whose relationship with her brother was incestuous. As Martha does her Confederate duty, she prepares to tell friendly troops of her new prisoner. She realizes he would die in prison, and decides to nurse him back to health first before turning him in. All the females in the home are curious about this young man from New York. Hallie (Mae Mercer), the slave, realizes McB is fighting for her freedom, but does not feel obligated to return the favor. Edwina is a spinster, long scarred by the acts of her adulterous father, but finds herself attracted to McB. Doris (Darleen Carr) wants McB too, wants him handed over to the Rebels as soon as possible. Hot-to-trot Carol (Jo Ann Harris) wants McB for her very own pleasure. Amy still has feelings for him, albeit a twelve year old's crush.
Don't get me wrong, McB is no angel. Siegel gives us the verbal thoughts of the girls throughout the film, but he shows us scenes of McB lying through his teeth to impress the girls. He claims to be a Quaker, and fibs about how he receives his wounds. He also lies about how beautiful the surrounding farmland is, but thinking about the time he helped torch it. He is out for one thing- himself. His only interest is in his own pleasures, and he will do anything and say anything to get what he wants.
Despite the subject matter, Siegel does not go the exploitation route of "Mandingo." He also fights the urge to turn this into a screwball or dark comedy, something that another director may have done. Siegel gathers some impressive acting talent and lets their individual stories form a cohesive whole. The verbal flashes from each of the girls is a brilliant move without becoming too obvious, or a crutch on which to rest the emotional parts of the film. Hallie, McB, and Martha's visual thoughts are used sparingly, thank goodness. Page is great as Martha, the actress takes a number of risks that few actresses today would be game for. A dream sequence finds Martha in bed with McB and Edwina, and it was pulled off dramatically without turning into something smarmy and salacious. The fragile Hartman is wonderful as Edwina. Her character shows such raw pain, she is sometimes hard to watch.
Eastwood dedicated "Unforgiven" to both Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Siegel is able to get Eastwood to come off as completely contemptible. The school's girls do not seem stupid or oblivious to McB's evil, they are naive and hang on this mysterious and dashing stranger's every word and move. This film shows another side of the Civil War. The battle scenes are only in flashback. The stark plantation where the film was made seems frozen in time back to the era, when the antebellum South was coming to an end. Siegel's vision seems more realistic than the pretty but still thrilling "Gone With the Wind."
"The Beguiled" deserved more praise than it found. The film is so different from what Eastwood and Siegel have done before, but the two turned this one chance into something remarkable. Followed by a remake.
Stats:
(1971) 105 min. (10/10)
-Directed by Don Siegel
-Screenplay by Albert Maltz and Irene Kamp from the novel by Thomas Cullinan
-Cast: Clint Eastwood, Geraldine Page, Elizabeth Hartman, Jo Ann Harris, Darleen Carr, Mae Mercer, Pamelyn Ferdin, Melody Thomas Scott, Peggy Drier, Patricia Mattic, Buddy Van Horn, Charlie Briggs, George Dunn
-(R)
-Media Viewed: Home Video
Eastwood is Corporal John McBirney, a Union soldier on the run in the deep south. He is wounded and discovered by twelve year old Amy (Pamelyn Ferdin). McB, as John wants to be known, kisses Amy on the lips to keep her quiet when soldiers pass, and she takes the incident the wrong way, falling in love with him instantly. McB is dragged back to Amy's home, the Farnsworth Seminary for Young Girls, run by Miss Martha (Geraldine Page) and Miss Edwina (Elizabeth Hartman). Right away, Siegel gives us a flash of memory of Martha's, whose relationship with her brother was incestuous. As Martha does her Confederate duty, she prepares to tell friendly troops of her new prisoner. She realizes he would die in prison, and decides to nurse him back to health first before turning him in. All the females in the home are curious about this young man from New York. Hallie (Mae Mercer), the slave, realizes McB is fighting for her freedom, but does not feel obligated to return the favor. Edwina is a spinster, long scarred by the acts of her adulterous father, but finds herself attracted to McB. Doris (Darleen Carr) wants McB too, wants him handed over to the Rebels as soon as possible. Hot-to-trot Carol (Jo Ann Harris) wants McB for her very own pleasure. Amy still has feelings for him, albeit a twelve year old's crush.
Don't get me wrong, McB is no angel. Siegel gives us the verbal thoughts of the girls throughout the film, but he shows us scenes of McB lying through his teeth to impress the girls. He claims to be a Quaker, and fibs about how he receives his wounds. He also lies about how beautiful the surrounding farmland is, but thinking about the time he helped torch it. He is out for one thing- himself. His only interest is in his own pleasures, and he will do anything and say anything to get what he wants.
Despite the subject matter, Siegel does not go the exploitation route of "Mandingo." He also fights the urge to turn this into a screwball or dark comedy, something that another director may have done. Siegel gathers some impressive acting talent and lets their individual stories form a cohesive whole. The verbal flashes from each of the girls is a brilliant move without becoming too obvious, or a crutch on which to rest the emotional parts of the film. Hallie, McB, and Martha's visual thoughts are used sparingly, thank goodness. Page is great as Martha, the actress takes a number of risks that few actresses today would be game for. A dream sequence finds Martha in bed with McB and Edwina, and it was pulled off dramatically without turning into something smarmy and salacious. The fragile Hartman is wonderful as Edwina. Her character shows such raw pain, she is sometimes hard to watch.
Eastwood dedicated "Unforgiven" to both Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Siegel is able to get Eastwood to come off as completely contemptible. The school's girls do not seem stupid or oblivious to McB's evil, they are naive and hang on this mysterious and dashing stranger's every word and move. This film shows another side of the Civil War. The battle scenes are only in flashback. The stark plantation where the film was made seems frozen in time back to the era, when the antebellum South was coming to an end. Siegel's vision seems more realistic than the pretty but still thrilling "Gone With the Wind."
"The Beguiled" deserved more praise than it found. The film is so different from what Eastwood and Siegel have done before, but the two turned this one chance into something remarkable. Followed by a remake.
Stats:
(1971) 105 min. (10/10)
-Directed by Don Siegel
-Screenplay by Albert Maltz and Irene Kamp from the novel by Thomas Cullinan
-Cast: Clint Eastwood, Geraldine Page, Elizabeth Hartman, Jo Ann Harris, Darleen Carr, Mae Mercer, Pamelyn Ferdin, Melody Thomas Scott, Peggy Drier, Patricia Mattic, Buddy Van Horn, Charlie Briggs, George Dunn
-(R)
-Media Viewed: Home Video
Determinism (2011)
*Get "Determinism" on Amazon here*
Penn State has given the nation many things over the years- like Joe Paterno and TV's "Paranormal State." I'm sure there are famous alumni and what-not, but another artistic force to come out of the university are identical twin brothers Ranju and Sanjit Majumdar, who have crafted this mean little crime thriller.
Alec (Sanjit Majumdar) has flunked out of Burroughs University. His parents have cut him off, and he cannot find a way back home to New Jersey. After hitting up some friends who are still attending school, he decides on one of those criminal plans that always seem foolproof, but in reality is a chaotic train wreck just waiting to happen. Alec decides to burglarize Jeff (Geoffrey Ohen), a local drug dealer. He recruits his recovering addict friend Tristan (Ryan Lewis) with a little cocaine, but during the crime Jeff walks in and is shot and killed. The underground crime scene in the small town reels, and reacts violently. Chuck (Alan Van Pelt), the guy who got Alec and Tristan their weapons, winds up dead, and other seemingly small-time hoods suddenly start gunning big-time for the panicking duo- oh, and Tristan's girlfriend Lynn (Darcel Grant) is feeling ignored.
"Determinism" has one of those complicated storylines that cannot be detailed too much without spoiling some major plot points. The Majumdar brothers have taken a tried and true tale, and tweaked it using what they had. Out of necessity, they set the film on a college campus, and surrounding college apartments (which must look the exact same no matter where you live in this country), and even bravely shoot in the middle of winter and mostly at night. Aside from a little awkwardness, I thoroughly enjoyed this. In addition to writing, acting, and producing, the brothers' names are all over the credits. They did an outstanding job, I enjoyed the moody cinematography and brisk editing. Sanjit is almost sympathetic as Alec, complaining about people reacting to him being of Indian descent, yet the viewer is not preached to. There is an underlying element about race throughout the film, it's as if nothing and everything concern where these characters' ancestry hails from. Lewis is very good as a twitchy Tristan, and plays very well off of Majumdar. Ismael Iniguez as Wallington is great, watching him go from newbie drug dealer to cold-blooded gangster is interesting to watch. I also liked Mike Preyer as Kallen. The story is a labyrinth of plot, but the introductory onscreen naming of the characters helped. Much of the entertainment lies in the complications Alec and Tristan bring upon themselves. You don't necessarily hope they succeed, but their respective downward spirals are believable, as are the peripheral criminals who populate the campus. Settling for actual locations help the film's realism, with some darkly comic moments coming from these gun-toting hoodlums worried about class and art projects.
The Majumdar brothers have long since graduated from college, according to the film's old website, and "Determinism" was a great calling card.
Stats:
(2011) 80 min. (8/10)
-Written and Directed by Ranju Majumdar, Sanjit Majumdar
-Cast: Sanjit Majumdar, Geoffrey Ohen, Ryan Lewis, Alan Van Pelt, Darcel Grant, Ismael Iniguez, Mike Preyer, Amaobi Anyaogu, Lyne Geneste, Mike Ghelardi, Wallington Jimenez-Ortiz, Joshua Mallory, Richard McDowell
-(Not Rated)
-Media Viewed: Screener
Penn State has given the nation many things over the years- like Joe Paterno and TV's "Paranormal State." I'm sure there are famous alumni and what-not, but another artistic force to come out of the university are identical twin brothers Ranju and Sanjit Majumdar, who have crafted this mean little crime thriller.
Alec (Sanjit Majumdar) has flunked out of Burroughs University. His parents have cut him off, and he cannot find a way back home to New Jersey. After hitting up some friends who are still attending school, he decides on one of those criminal plans that always seem foolproof, but in reality is a chaotic train wreck just waiting to happen. Alec decides to burglarize Jeff (Geoffrey Ohen), a local drug dealer. He recruits his recovering addict friend Tristan (Ryan Lewis) with a little cocaine, but during the crime Jeff walks in and is shot and killed. The underground crime scene in the small town reels, and reacts violently. Chuck (Alan Van Pelt), the guy who got Alec and Tristan their weapons, winds up dead, and other seemingly small-time hoods suddenly start gunning big-time for the panicking duo- oh, and Tristan's girlfriend Lynn (Darcel Grant) is feeling ignored.
"Determinism" has one of those complicated storylines that cannot be detailed too much without spoiling some major plot points. The Majumdar brothers have taken a tried and true tale, and tweaked it using what they had. Out of necessity, they set the film on a college campus, and surrounding college apartments (which must look the exact same no matter where you live in this country), and even bravely shoot in the middle of winter and mostly at night. Aside from a little awkwardness, I thoroughly enjoyed this. In addition to writing, acting, and producing, the brothers' names are all over the credits. They did an outstanding job, I enjoyed the moody cinematography and brisk editing. Sanjit is almost sympathetic as Alec, complaining about people reacting to him being of Indian descent, yet the viewer is not preached to. There is an underlying element about race throughout the film, it's as if nothing and everything concern where these characters' ancestry hails from. Lewis is very good as a twitchy Tristan, and plays very well off of Majumdar. Ismael Iniguez as Wallington is great, watching him go from newbie drug dealer to cold-blooded gangster is interesting to watch. I also liked Mike Preyer as Kallen. The story is a labyrinth of plot, but the introductory onscreen naming of the characters helped. Much of the entertainment lies in the complications Alec and Tristan bring upon themselves. You don't necessarily hope they succeed, but their respective downward spirals are believable, as are the peripheral criminals who populate the campus. Settling for actual locations help the film's realism, with some darkly comic moments coming from these gun-toting hoodlums worried about class and art projects.
The Majumdar brothers have long since graduated from college, according to the film's old website, and "Determinism" was a great calling card.
Stats:
(2011) 80 min. (8/10)
-Written and Directed by Ranju Majumdar, Sanjit Majumdar
-Cast: Sanjit Majumdar, Geoffrey Ohen, Ryan Lewis, Alan Van Pelt, Darcel Grant, Ismael Iniguez, Mike Preyer, Amaobi Anyaogu, Lyne Geneste, Mike Ghelardi, Wallington Jimenez-Ortiz, Joshua Mallory, Richard McDowell
-(Not Rated)
-Media Viewed: Screener
Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation (2007)
*Get "Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation" on Amazon here*
*Get "The Gray Man" on Amazon here*
*Watch "Serial Killer Culture" on Screambox through Amazon here*
*Get Deranged: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Fiendish Killer! by Harold Schechter on Amazon here*
While a sometimes interesting documentary about child murderer Albert Fish, film maker John Borowski tries to one up the horror of Fish's crimes with little success.
On the surface, Albert Fish was a kindly old man shuffling around New York in the 1930s. In reality, he was a child molester, killer, and cannibal who was regularly nabbed by police on lesser charges but released and not charged for being harmless to society at large. Little did society know he was racking up a body count when he wasn't feeding his sadomasochistic lifestyle.
Dramatically narrated by Tony Jay, the documentary is very informative. Fish was a single father to six children, all adults when he was finally caught and later executed, and his descendants are still around today. His crimes were monstrous, and he wrote about them with a sick glee, preying on the impoverished because no one cared about them enough to look into their missing children cases- who's going to kidnap the child of a poor family if they can't pay a ransom? Katherine Ramsland is interviewed for her psychological insights, and artist Joe Coleman is interviewed because he owns the original confessional letter written by Fish about the last murder he committed.
Borowski's direction and script run hot and cold as his budget can't quite cover his desire to make this more than a talking-heads-and-reenactments documentary. Cheap video effects and drawn-out fantasy elements to Fish's crimes don't play as well as they may have looked on paper. This is an unrated documentary, so there are some nude scenes and profanity, but not any gory dramatizations of Fish's crimes. Coleman is always an interesting interview subject, but he gets caught up in his own navel gazing about Fish, assigning him ethereal qualities and elevating him to god-like status, when he was actually an insane individual who needs to be studied by forensic psychiatrists to find out just what happened to create him. I would be interested to see if his children and their progeny suffered the same mental problems, and what kind of lives they led knowing about Grandpa Albert.
Also known as simply "Albert Fish," this documentary isn't as unwatchable as some reviews would have you believe, but I wish Borowski would have stuck to the facts of the case and not tried to subjugate the viewers' imagination as well. Fish was evil enough on his own, he didn't need help.
Stats:
(2007) 86 min. (5/10)
-Written and Directed by John Borowski
-With Tony Jay, Albert Fish, Oto Brezina, Joe Coleman, Katherine Ramsland, Derek Gaspar, Cooney Horvath, Garrett Shriver, Nathan Hall, Kasey Skinner, Harvey Fisher, Bob Dunsworth, David Sherman
-(Not Rated)- Physical violence, sexual violence, violence against children, some extreme gore, very strong violence against children references, profanity, very strong sexual references, some sexual content, nudity, very strong adult situations
-Media Viewed: Streaming
*Get "The Gray Man" on Amazon here*
*Watch "Serial Killer Culture" on Screambox through Amazon here*
*Get Deranged: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Fiendish Killer! by Harold Schechter on Amazon here*
While a sometimes interesting documentary about child murderer Albert Fish, film maker John Borowski tries to one up the horror of Fish's crimes with little success.
On the surface, Albert Fish was a kindly old man shuffling around New York in the 1930s. In reality, he was a child molester, killer, and cannibal who was regularly nabbed by police on lesser charges but released and not charged for being harmless to society at large. Little did society know he was racking up a body count when he wasn't feeding his sadomasochistic lifestyle.
Dramatically narrated by Tony Jay, the documentary is very informative. Fish was a single father to six children, all adults when he was finally caught and later executed, and his descendants are still around today. His crimes were monstrous, and he wrote about them with a sick glee, preying on the impoverished because no one cared about them enough to look into their missing children cases- who's going to kidnap the child of a poor family if they can't pay a ransom? Katherine Ramsland is interviewed for her psychological insights, and artist Joe Coleman is interviewed because he owns the original confessional letter written by Fish about the last murder he committed.
Borowski's direction and script run hot and cold as his budget can't quite cover his desire to make this more than a talking-heads-and-reenactments documentary. Cheap video effects and drawn-out fantasy elements to Fish's crimes don't play as well as they may have looked on paper. This is an unrated documentary, so there are some nude scenes and profanity, but not any gory dramatizations of Fish's crimes. Coleman is always an interesting interview subject, but he gets caught up in his own navel gazing about Fish, assigning him ethereal qualities and elevating him to god-like status, when he was actually an insane individual who needs to be studied by forensic psychiatrists to find out just what happened to create him. I would be interested to see if his children and their progeny suffered the same mental problems, and what kind of lives they led knowing about Grandpa Albert.
Also known as simply "Albert Fish," this documentary isn't as unwatchable as some reviews would have you believe, but I wish Borowski would have stuck to the facts of the case and not tried to subjugate the viewers' imagination as well. Fish was evil enough on his own, he didn't need help.
Stats:
(2007) 86 min. (5/10)
-Written and Directed by John Borowski
-With Tony Jay, Albert Fish, Oto Brezina, Joe Coleman, Katherine Ramsland, Derek Gaspar, Cooney Horvath, Garrett Shriver, Nathan Hall, Kasey Skinner, Harvey Fisher, Bob Dunsworth, David Sherman
-(Not Rated)- Physical violence, sexual violence, violence against children, some extreme gore, very strong violence against children references, profanity, very strong sexual references, some sexual content, nudity, very strong adult situations
-Media Viewed: Streaming
Friday, September 5, 2025
Life Stinks (1991)
*Get "Life Stinks" on Amazon here*
*Get The Mel Brooks Collection on Amazon here*
*Get "Life Stinks" wall decor on Amazon here*
*Get All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business by Mel Brooks on Amazon here*
Mel Brooks' worst film was a departure from his normal amiable spoofs he had been doing since the 1970's.
Goddard Bolt (Mel Brooks) is the richest man in the world who wants to buy up a delapidated neighborhood full of homeless people, and turn it into a giant complex devoted to himself. He finds himself weakly hoodwinked into spending thirty days in the neighborhood by rival Crasswell (Jeffrey Tambor, normally good for a laugh), or else Bolt must give over the land to Crasswell. The bet is on as Bolt meets the decrepit residents of the 'hood and gets involved in their difficult day-to-day lives.
Apparently inspired by Brooks' accidental wrong turn into a neighborhood full of homeless people, "Life Stinks" is also inspired by such films as "Brewster's Millions." Entire scenes are lifted from other movies (a scattering of ashes going wrong -*yawn*-). The heartless rich being shown what humanity means by people who have no material possessions is also nothing new, and Brooks and his three co-writers should have mined this for some satirical and edgy fare, especially coming off the Yuppie era of the 1980's. Instead, it's as if someone told Brooks' team to make fun of the homeless without making fun of the homeless. Bolt is a non-entity who I could not care less about. Entire scenes thud and rarely work- the hot soup scene, the ankle bracelet scene, the church scenes. There is zero suspense around Bolt's challenge, and the screenplay has no timeline, so we have no idea where in the thirty days we are at any given moment. The film comes alive when Bolt loses his mind and fights another homeless person (Rudy De Luca) who thinks he's J. Paul Getty, but it seems like no one wants to discuss the normally gifted Warren's worst performance (even she seems frustrated with her lack of character and direction- flailing her arms and yelling like a kid actor in a weak Disney Channel sitcom). A romance is forced between Bolt and her character Molly, and doesn't work from their opening scene together.
"Life Stinks" reminds me of Jerry Lewis' later output (like "Which Way to the Front?"). A former genius reduced to sloppy filmmaking thanks to losing their confidence and swagger. This film had me bored and wondering what Brooks was trying to say, as he kept pulling his punches for fear of "going there." He should have "gone there" and then some, the "yeah but it's Mel Brooks" apologists don't have a leg to stand on.
Stats:
(1991) 92 min. (2/10)
-Directed by Mel Brooks
-Screenplay by Mel Brooks & Rudy De Luca & Steve Haberman, Story by Mel Brooks & Ron Clark & Rudy De Luca & Steve Haberman
-Cast: Mel Brooks, Lesley Ann Warren, Jeffrey Tambor, Stuart Pankin, Howard Morris, Rudy De Luca, Teddy Wilson, Michael Ensign, Matthew Faison, Billy Barty, Brian Thompson, Raymond O'Connor, Carmine Caridi
(PG-13)- Physical violence, mild gore, profanity, sexual content, sexual references, adult situations, drug references, alcohol use
Media Viewed: Amazon Prime Video
*Get The Mel Brooks Collection on Amazon here*
*Get "Life Stinks" wall decor on Amazon here*
*Get All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business by Mel Brooks on Amazon here*
Mel Brooks' worst film was a departure from his normal amiable spoofs he had been doing since the 1970's.
Goddard Bolt (Mel Brooks) is the richest man in the world who wants to buy up a delapidated neighborhood full of homeless people, and turn it into a giant complex devoted to himself. He finds himself weakly hoodwinked into spending thirty days in the neighborhood by rival Crasswell (Jeffrey Tambor, normally good for a laugh), or else Bolt must give over the land to Crasswell. The bet is on as Bolt meets the decrepit residents of the 'hood and gets involved in their difficult day-to-day lives.
Apparently inspired by Brooks' accidental wrong turn into a neighborhood full of homeless people, "Life Stinks" is also inspired by such films as "Brewster's Millions." Entire scenes are lifted from other movies (a scattering of ashes going wrong -*yawn*-). The heartless rich being shown what humanity means by people who have no material possessions is also nothing new, and Brooks and his three co-writers should have mined this for some satirical and edgy fare, especially coming off the Yuppie era of the 1980's. Instead, it's as if someone told Brooks' team to make fun of the homeless without making fun of the homeless. Bolt is a non-entity who I could not care less about. Entire scenes thud and rarely work- the hot soup scene, the ankle bracelet scene, the church scenes. There is zero suspense around Bolt's challenge, and the screenplay has no timeline, so we have no idea where in the thirty days we are at any given moment. The film comes alive when Bolt loses his mind and fights another homeless person (Rudy De Luca) who thinks he's J. Paul Getty, but it seems like no one wants to discuss the normally gifted Warren's worst performance (even she seems frustrated with her lack of character and direction- flailing her arms and yelling like a kid actor in a weak Disney Channel sitcom). A romance is forced between Bolt and her character Molly, and doesn't work from their opening scene together.
"Life Stinks" reminds me of Jerry Lewis' later output (like "Which Way to the Front?"). A former genius reduced to sloppy filmmaking thanks to losing their confidence and swagger. This film had me bored and wondering what Brooks was trying to say, as he kept pulling his punches for fear of "going there." He should have "gone there" and then some, the "yeah but it's Mel Brooks" apologists don't have a leg to stand on.
Stats:
(1991) 92 min. (2/10)
-Directed by Mel Brooks
-Screenplay by Mel Brooks & Rudy De Luca & Steve Haberman, Story by Mel Brooks & Ron Clark & Rudy De Luca & Steve Haberman
-Cast: Mel Brooks, Lesley Ann Warren, Jeffrey Tambor, Stuart Pankin, Howard Morris, Rudy De Luca, Teddy Wilson, Michael Ensign, Matthew Faison, Billy Barty, Brian Thompson, Raymond O'Connor, Carmine Caridi
(PG-13)- Physical violence, mild gore, profanity, sexual content, sexual references, adult situations, drug references, alcohol use
Media Viewed: Amazon Prime Video
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