COOP COOPER is an independently syndicated film critic with a split personality. His “Southern Side” prints mainstream reviews that appear in various print publications across the mid-south. His “Dark Side” from Los Angeles befouls the site with reviews of horror and grindhouse flicks. Welcome to the site where COOP’s two halves (and his contributors) review and debate the latest film/DVD releases…

Whew, back from a relaxing vacation to bring you an indie film that needs more exposure.

Set in the future where fears of terrorism have made travel across the border between America and Mexico nearly impossible, native Mexicans find a new, high-tech method of illegal immigration. Luis Fernando Pena plays Memo, a young man who reads “Hacking for Beginners” books and tinkers with his own surveillance equipment at his father’s struggling farm in Mexico. The U.S. Government has…

I’ve been in denial for years over this film. Tried to convince myself that I didn’t actually see this movie in the theater… but I did.

Undoubtedly one of the the worst movies of the 80’s, Yor: Hunter from the Future made absolutely no sense and unapologetically oozed cheese from every celluloid frame it projected. Cashing in on the Sword and Sorcery/sci-fi hybrids of the early part of the decade (shared with films like Flash Gordon, Krull and Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn), Yor features American actor Reb (I played Captain American once) Brown running around in a loincloth, bad blond wig and a stone axe across a prehistoric landscape…

While cruising the Ain’t It Cool News website, I came across the trailer for a new NZ film starring Sam Neill titled “Under the Mountain.” Supposedly it’s a very famous tale that all Kiwi kids grew up with, but how they heck would I know anything about it? Probably another generic kiddie fantasy like “The Last Mimzy” or something lame like that, but I figured but I checked it out anyway… SHOCK!!! I know this story and it’s pretty freakin’ awesome!…

Yes, I know they are called “Thai” now, but Siamese had such a great ring to it in the title. No offense intended. Now that I got any potential angry comments out of the way, I’ve said many times before that the French corner the market in good horror at present. Thailand is looking to dethrone them and although they are not as polished, I’d say they have a chance to do it if they play their cards right. Why Thailand, you ask? Why not, says I? How dare you. It is true that…

Movies don’t try to please everyone. Tailor-made for certain demographics, some filmmakers try to entertain or provoke discussion, knowing full well their movie will offend a particular group. The most inflammatory of these movies attempt to question taboos, rituals and customs of many of the world’s most popular religions…

4 movies: DANTE O1, EDEN LOG, S. DARKO, and DOWNLOADING NANCY. Every once in awhile I hit a bunch of stinkers in a row. I agonize whether to bother posting them on here sometimes and normally I don’t either for time’s sake, figuring no one will be interested in the film or sometimes I refuse to out of spite or flat out disgust. After enduring so many flat-out turkeys in a row, I figured I should first douse my eyeballs with industrial-strength bleach, then warn you good people away from them…

The project: ONEDREAMRUSH. The idea: To have a director create a stream of conciousness, dream-like, 42 second movie. The Purpose: To sell vodka. This reminds me of those mostly cool, but sometimes hit-or-miss BMW films featuring Clive Owen as “The Driver.” Each was by a different famous director and the sole purpose was to sell more Beemers. It was an ambitious marketing move that (I hope) paid off for the company. Now 42Below Vodka has hired the likes of Asia Argento, Abel Ferrera, David Lynch,…

Here are the movie titles that – when you see them – completely grab your attention. Whether they are the best piece of cinema of all time or a complete piece of crap, one thing cannot be denied… You gotta love that title. Here are the 10 best movie titles of all time in descending order all the way down to #1…

I really liked “$la$her$” (2001) but most people dismissed it as a poorly acted, low-budget schlockfest. Sure on the surface, that’s exactly what it is, but when you look closely you notices hints of genius. It involves a bunch of Westerners who for various reasons sign up to be on Japan’s top, controversial game show called $la$her$ in which contestants must survive a booby-trapped maze full of homicidal serial killers. Followed by a camera crew, the contestants…

Seriously, before anyone starts claiming that Neill Blomkamp and Producer Peter Jackson have an original idea here, I want the world to know that they don’t. As a fan of the original film “Alien Nation” (a.k.a. “Outer Heat,” “Future Tense”), I’ll find it hard to swallow if Blomkamp doesn’t cite the original material which spawned a popular sci-fi TV show AND five made for TV movies. C’mon, Neill… we know where you got this from…

It’s a shame that people have gotten so down on the “Ju-on” series of films and remakes. Strike that, I mean the first one. Umm… actually I have no idea which one I saw. Believe it or not there are eight films in this franchise. Apparently the first two films were remade in Japan first, then remade again for American audiences (I seemed to have missed one in there, but I digress). My point is that whichever Japanese version I actually saw was one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen. Flash forward to present day…

Whenever the subject of films comes up, I am invariably asked “So what’s your favorite?” I’ve always equated this overly-broad inquiry with “So what’s your favorite liquid?” If you’re talking beer, then it’s Mac and Jacks. Wine, probably Louis Martini Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (NOT Sonoma). Tequila… Therefore, “What’s your favorite movie?” gets whittled down to “favorite comedy”, “favorite drama” and eventually “favorite sports movie”. And when it comes to one’s taste in athletic competition, brutality truly is in the eye of the beholder. Some like it rough, some like it serene. Some are attuned to team sport; others are drawn to…

“Swimming Pool” and “Under the Sand” were both helmed by the same director: Francois Ozon. There are subtle tones and themes that run through both films. He hits all the right notes that a filmmaker should when making a compelling drama. He finds, in both films, an extremely capable actress in Charlotte Rampling. As studies [...]

This one came out of left field and shocked me. The Thai film market continues to impress me with the quality of their current releases. “13: Game of Death” would probably be remade as a major release in America and I actually hope it is. The story is fantastic and the writing far above par.
Pusit [...]

What’s with the French these days? If this film and “À l’intérieur (Inside)” are any indication, France has reigned supreme in the horror genre for the last year or two. I say that because we are just getting them now on DVD. I include the recent release, “The Strangers,” in that category, which is a [...]

I hereby declare “Inside” the most brutal horror film I’ve ever seen. I don’t say that lightly. I’ve seen more horror films than most critics, but this one takes the cake. Once it begins, it doesn’t let up until the shocking, final five minutes that had me squirming and covering my eyes. I won’t say [...]

Available on DVD from Netflix: This entertaining South Korean flick is based on the true-story of the first recorded serial killer in the country’s known history (back in the 1970’s). When the police find the bodies of young women brutally strangled along rural routes of a small town, they capture, torture and beat confessions out [...]