Lady Terminator (1988) aka Pembalasan ratu pantai selatan aka Nasty Hunter aka Shooting Star aka The Revenge of the South Seas Queen

4 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: She Mates... Then She Terminates
Directed by: H. Tjut Djalil
Written by: Karr Kruinowz
Actors include: Barbara Anne Constable, Christopher J. Hart, Claudia Angelique Rademaker
Genre: Action, Horror
Length: 82 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

So I'm guessing that in Indonesia that the The Terminator must have been really popular. This tale starts out to be one thing but definitely ends up another. It starts out with everyone warning to avoid "the sea queen", an Anthropologist goes on a trek to meet the sea queen and ends up having some sort of slug crawl into an unmentionable area. From that point on, she's imitating Arnold Schwarzenegger what with the robotic running, sideways glances and even some of the same catch phrases! I think the biggest difference is that Arnold wasn't screwing people to death! This is rather cheaply made and laughable in many places but they certainly tried their hardest. They filled it full of car chases, explosions, action sequences, fights and a whole bunch of red stuff! It's actually pretty darned fun to watch though I did find I was shaking my head in disbelief many times. I actually think this was better than the real 4th Terminator movie, heck this is on par with the 3rd one. If you can't get enough Terminator and want to see a naked female version (she does put on clothes after a while) then this should be turbo packed enough for most! A rather strange fan entry into the series but worthwhile for fans of the ridiculous!

Availability:  On DVD

Amsterdamned (1988)

4 / 5 May '10
Tagline: The city is murder
Directed by: Dick Maas
Written by: Dick Maas
Actors include: Huub Stapel, Monique van de Ven, Serge-Henri Valcke
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Action
Length: 114 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Ever since I heard the name of this film when I was a little girl I've wanted to see it...how could you not? Luckily it was as good as it's name, I found this to be a rather original and scenic thriller film thanks to dutch director Dick Maas (De lift [The Lift]). It's very cool that it was shot in the canals of Amsterdamned, it has an exciting speed boat chase, gruesome murders and intrigue! The idea is that there is a serial killer who is into diving and he lurks in the canals springing up at any time to collect his next victim. It's in the style of a who-dunnit, almost like a giallo film which is pretty neat. We follow around a Police Officer and his daughter as they try to figure out who the killer is and of course prevent the next victim from being claimed. This really does have a bit of everything, it's got a sense of humor even...they really made this an interesting little film that should appeal to most.

Availability:  On DVD (region 2 though)

Shoot To Kill (1988)

4 / 5 Jun '10
Tagline: It's about staying alive.
Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode
Written by: Harv Zimmel
Actors include: Kirstie Alley, Sidney Poitier, Tom Berrenger
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Length: 110 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This was a pretty exciting little adventure thriller that really did try to incorporate something for everyone. It's about a cunning serial killer who uses hostages for protection then shoots them in the eye when finished. He manages to escape and hide within a group of adventurers led by Sarah (Kirstie Alley) out in the mountains. Sarah's pro-adventurer boyfriend Jonathan (Tom Berenger) is forced to team up with determined a determined FBI agent (Sidney Poitier) to track them down in the mountains. Lots of things go wrong and the scenery is spectacular! It's got graphic violence, danger, surprise, dare devil stuff, many chases in various vehicles and even a laugh or too. The cast is very recognizable and they all do a good job (okay Berrenger is a little over the top), it's a pretty entertaining flick. Probably one of the most well rounded thrillers I've seen, most should like this I'd think.

Availability:  On DVD

Her Vengeance (1988) aka Bloody Rose aka Xue Mei Gui

4.5 / 5 Nov '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Ngai Kai Lam
Written by: N/A
Actors include: Ching-Ying Lam. Elaine Jin, Pauline Wong
Genre: Thriller, Horror
Length: 87 minutes (approx)
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is one heck of a hilarious rape/revenge action packed Hong Kong film. Susan ticks off a group of bad guys when she has to ask them to behave in the night club she works at. To pay her back they take her to the cemetery and gang rape her. Now the copy I saw had questionable (yet comical) subs, so from this rape I think she got gonorrhea (though at first they call it A.I.D.S. yet they give the symptoms of VD)...at any rate she's not happy and neither is her vagina. She decides along with the help of her blind Sister and her former Brother-in-law (a wheelchair bound kung fu expert) to get her vengeance....even if it costs her more than it was worth. She lures these fellows out to deal them harsh and violent and bloody punishment and it's a real treat to watch. The person who made this must have loved Thriller - en grym film [Thriller: They Call Her One Eye], and the booby trapping scenes in this reminded me of Home Alone only of course way more inappropriate. I thought this was a laugh riot and it gave plenty of splatter and it's ridiculously easy to follow...this is a must for those who like excessive revenge films.

Availability:  On DVD
HER VENGEANCE

Die Hard (1988)

4.5 / 5
Tagline:  Twelve terrorists. One cop. The odds are against John McClane... That's just the way he likes it.
Directed by:  John McTiernan
Written by:  Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stewart
Actors include:  Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia
Genre:  Action
Length:  131 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:
Probably the first action movie I liked, I was pretty convinced that I would never get into the genre until I saw this.  Conveniently New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) is waiting for his wife to come out of a Christmas office party when the building is taken over by terrorists.  The evil terrorists have everyone held captive at gunpoint (except McClane of course) and the situation seems dire.  Luckily with lots of action and excitement McClane has to come to the rescue to save his wife and everyone else that's in peril.  It really is extremely easy to watch, fast paced exciting which I appreciated.  I think Willis makes a really likeable hero too which helps matters also.  Actually the first three movies in this series I've seen are all quite good though this is the best one.  A definite must for most, even if you think you aren't going to like this sort of thing.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

Rambo III (1988) aka Rambo: First Blood Part 3

3 / 5
Tagline:  The first was for himself. The second for his country. This time it's to save his friend.
Directed by:  Peter MacDonald
Written by:  David Morrell, Sylvester Stallone
Actors include:  Sylvester Stallone, Richard Crenna, Marc de Jonge
Genre:  Action, Adventure, Thriller
Length:  102 minutes
Banned:  Nope

Review:
Well to say this is lazy rehash would be entirely accurate but at least once the boring story is established (his commanding officer in Vietnam Colonel Trautman has been captured and only Rambo can save him) this at least has a comical level of violence. The one-liners they've given to Sly (actually I just found out that he was the screenwriter...maybe that was the problem?) were ridiculously stupid. Yes I did approve of watching tons of shoot outs and even one death I haven't seen before, but it wasn't enough to make this worth watching ever again. Definitely cookie cutter action sequel with bare minimum effort, but fans of the series that aren't looking for a masterpiece may be amused.


Availability:  On Blu-Ray & DVD