Corazine

This one might have been a goner if not for the insane effects, gross-out kills and outrageous violence. Sequence-wise, there are some real eye-poppers here. And they come as gushy surprises, oases in the desert, because the pacing is so gutwrenchingly slow between FX set pieces. But, those times when the movie does get going, it gets going gonzo! You’ll see some things here that could only remotely be called predictable if you’d already wallowed in big bucket of Indonesian horror films. At the same time, it bears resemblance in places, through both tone and content, to some Chinese horror-fu I’ve witnessed. Both countries are in Asia, duh!, you might tell me. I’d respond: Yes, but Asia is huge, a piece of geography cradling a multiplicity of cultures. But anyhoo, QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC is worth a glance thanks to the trippy gore and zowie low budget FX, not to mention the kickass asskicking sequence at the end, a little horror foo, y’all?
Indonesia, 1978, 90 minutes, Eastmancolor, 2.35:1 (16×9), English language
www.mondomacabrodvd.com

Drac goes Pak! THE LIVING CORPSE, the Pakistani film industry’s foray into adapting Bram Stoker, is not the cheese shop you might expect. While it’s definitely a B film and some of the fisticuffs had me thinking of the old serials, the movie acquits itself with a seriousness and a brimful of mood. It’s not strictly faithful to Stoker’s novel. It touches on some landmark events in the book but finds interesting other ways of getting there. One of the most startling innovations is the film’s prologue, in which the viewer discovers that this take on the stake story may wrap up in occult territory but its monster man’s origins are anything but. In fact, you may feel more like you’re watching a version of Jekyll & Hyde or Frankenstein, what with all the mad science-ing going on. Thing is, Professor Please-Don’t-Ask-Me-To-Remember-The-Spelling-Of-His-Name is at work on THE ELIXIR OF LIFE! Which turns out to be the elixir of death, followed upon by life, if by life you mean undeath. There. Then come the opening titles and from there it’s a little more traditional Dracula territory, with the caveat of above-mentioned innovations. And that’s no biggie, every Dracula movie I’ve ever seen has been as much an interpretation of the novel as straight adaptation. The Frank Langella Drac in the 70s was based on the play based on the book and said play made some changes I always found headscratchers. Coppolla’s brilliant 90s rendition, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”, is a masterpiece of cinema but it finds the germ of Stoker’s novel it wants to explore, and that colors the unfolding of that master director’s vision of the world’s most famous Undead. Consider Werner Herzog’s amazing arthouse rendition of the tale in his 70s remake of F.W. Murnau’s “Nosferatu”. Go all the way back to the Bela Lugosi one; it takes plenty of liberties. The way LIVING CORPSE’s plot flow of the story is different than the novel is in part hard to put into words and in part something that would take minute dissection of the film’s plot to discuss. Suffice it to say that it’s a bit different, but not without being unrecognizable.

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YOUR AMERICAN TEEN focuses in on the northwestern United States. What about the NW U.S.? Sexual exploitation. Of teens. That’s what. The minds of some may go to statutory rape. For others, porn. But there are subtler forms. And forms with extensive networks globally. It might sound like I’m talking about “Taken” but this is no Liam Neeson movie. This is a movie about the real thing, teen sexual exploitation in all its forms. Now that most of the obvious ones are out, what else is there? There’s another one, also with great networks. But it’s not the sex slave trade. It’s the sex sells trade. The kinds of images thrown up as the visual definition of desirable and sexy nudge girls toward “sexier” dress and the unleashing of feminine powers they don’t even fully understand. YOUR AMERICAN TEEN probes these kinds of issues, and while its geographic focus is the northwest U.S., I think the sheer human element at work here is universal. Note: There is an appearance by Daryl Hannah.

ELECTRIC BUTTON (MOON & CHERRY) proffers a distinctive take on sexuality in cinema. I’ve seen plenty of erotica in my time – most of it horror, granted – and I’ve never run across this scenario before. To make it even more interesting, the subject matter is being handled with a woman’s touch. Written and directed by Yuki Tanada, ELECTRIC BUTTON (MOON & CHERRY) trope dodges and flings our two romantic interests together by way of an erotic writer’s club. When virginal Tadokoro, the new guy in the club, makes his appearance on the scene, it’s just as Mayama is having a wretched case of writer’s block. Needless to say, she unleashes her lusty mind upon the (physically) innocent newcomer in an effort to break her writer’s block and, of course, have some fun. Naturally more ensues. This is a clever film with great strokes of originality and has already been hailed by critics. Its distinctive approach to sexuality – this is not a dirty film no matter how “adult” the scenario(s) may be – makes this one worth watching for fans of sexy cinema and aficionados of foreign films.

Some things deserve shout-outs no matter what. Stellar comedian Keith Lowell Jensen has a new album out with an album that gets you giggling before the show’s even on the road. That it does with its moniker. ELF ORGY. I tell you what, I was chuckling and also waiting to find out what in the hell kind of context would give rise to such a phrase. I’m not going to tell you. For that you have to hear the disc, and I STRONGLY URGE you to do so. If you like progressive, intelligent, iconoclastic comedy, then Jensen is one to put on your list. I’ve added him to my short list that includes the likes of Bill Hicks and Doug Stanhope. See, the thing about stand-up is that, in the right hands, it’s more than just humor. It’s social commentary. And Jensen has got great comedic aim for that, hitting bull’s eyes one after another. His transgressive sense of humor keeps the listener off guard and gripping his abdomen, hoping the pain will pass soon. I’m talking about laughing too hard, of course. I’m not suggesting Jensen will induce pooping in you, though I guess he might make you shit your pants – metaphorically speaking, naturally. Jensen’s humor also goes for the offbeat, dragging you happily kicking and screaming into his world. And what a weird and wonderful world it is. Whether he’s simply delivering hilarious jokes or slicing away at society’s follies with his incisive, cutting wit, Jensen keeps you engaged, entertained, laughing AND thinking. His low-key delivery – not the monotone of Stephen Wright or anything – is perfect. It’s conversational cranial cramping – if you’re uptight, anyway. Some of us like stretching our envelopes and don’t mind having them stretched by others. Particularly if the other is someone as brilliant and brilliantly funny as Keith Lowell Jensen. Check him out. That’s not a suggestion.

Remember that walking talky stick of gum? Remember the claymation? And the horsey thing? I’m talking about Gumby and Pokey and I’m getting the shivers just doing it. Let’s face it. Like Boop, though in a different way, Gumby is some classic creepy kiddy programming. Rank it right up their with “Davey and Goliath.” Of course, that kind of morbid fascination is its own kind of entertainment. It’s kind of hard not to get sucked into the only in its own time cartoon – and these are episodes from the ORIGINAL episodes. Legend Films has culled and collected 16 of the best of this creep-the-kids cartoon. Or maybe it’s just adults who freak out on this stuff. I dunno. I’m certainly not knocking it, because Gumby is entertaining for the grown-ups, just for entirely different reasons than the kids. Then again, maybe I’m just weird.