B-Movie Archives | Otaku No Culture

A Look Back at Discovery’s Shark Week and Wild Eye’s Space Sharks. Maybe It’s Better to Swim with the Selachii

There’ll soon be a lot of danger not only at sea but also on land when Shark Week Starts later this month with also a Space Sharks! We are sure this wasn’t planned, but fans will love it!

Discovery Channel Shark Week 2024 When Discovery Channel declared that Shark Week is coming, I sometimes pay attention. It all depends on who’s hosting, and this year, they have John Cena! While he can help me feel safe near the ocean, I still have to wait and give my thoughts after watching everything that’s available to scream at! My favourites are Expedition Unknown: Sharks vs Nazis, Alien Sharks: Ghosts of Japan and Makozilla. That’s because what’s presented gets mixed up with some local legends and urban myth. And as a bonus, Wild Eye Releasing has Space Sharks, and that was enough for me to tune in!

This sci-fi action thriller shows off enough cheesy action to even make me think about swimming in the oceans again instead of staying on land to cool off. That’s because these bio-engineered versions have taken to attacking the surface world rather than return to the dark depths whence they came. It’s a man versus nature movie that works, especially when these natural predators are given tech to allow them to kill a group of campers with impunity!

This budget film feels more like an extended music video, with the soundtrack playing more often than not. This synth track plays loudly to fill the non-talking set pieces, and even in the moments of dialogue, it overpowers what’s going on. Despite this problem, what’s presented is campier than 60s Batman, and is still a joy to view. That’s because certain talents, namely Eric Roberts, Mel Novak, Scott Schwartz, Vida Ghaffari, and Brinke Stevens valiantly give their all for this work. Continue reading “A Look Back at Discovery’s Shark Week and Wild Eye’s Space Sharks. Maybe It’s Better to Swim with the Selachii”

Remembering Roger Corman, the Marvel Comics Connection, and the Love for E.A. Poe. Part Two

The reason why Roger Corman is exceptional is because he’s willing to take chances, and also find creative ways to save a buck or two.

Roger Corman is a cinematic maestro who sadly passed away late last week, and the outpouring of affection continues. Even though he’s regarded as retired, there’s still some output. He’s executive producing and I can’t wait for the release of Little Shop of Halloween Horrors, a reboot of the movie that made me a fan of his works. Technically, I first saw the musical and upon learning right away that it was based on a darker version, I had to see it. Afterwards, I had a tough time deciding which one I loved more. Both have their merits.

As for being a filmmaker at the height of his career, the 60s, he gave many young talents getting into the industry that break. He also helped mentor them to be even more successful than he was. At the time of writing, the outpouring of affection from Ron Howard and John Carpenter say more than what I can put to words. There’s also bound to be more social media posts from other industry leaders. Even the heads from Shout! Studios, an early distributor of his works, have paid tribute. Continue reading “Remembering Roger Corman, the Marvel Comics Connection, and the Love for E.A. Poe. Part Two”

Remembering Roger Corman (Part One). The Beast from Haunted Cave Remastered.

Although Beast From Haunted Cave is not one of Roger Corman’s best, it’s notable for other reasons in this retrospective of this filmmaker.

Beast From Haunted Cave and Ski Troop Attack — **Available to purchase on Amazon USA**

The Beast from Haunted Cave (1959) won’t win awards for its schlock, but for B movie enthusiasts, to see it offered side by side with Ski Troop Attack (1960) can make for a fun weekend at the movies–especially if you’re the type who love those drive-in type affairs. Film Masters released this pairing back in October as a look at what the Corman brothers did early in their career. Roger produced the former and got his brother Gene to direct.

Strangely, what I wrote before and thought I had posted has disappeared. Perhaps that monster chewed it up because it didn’t like what I wrote. But after hearing of Roger’s passing, I had to delve into my library and select a sampling of works to remind myself about why this filmmmaker is revered.

Continue reading “Remembering Roger Corman (Part One). The Beast from Haunted Cave Remastered.”

H.P. Lovecraft’s The Old Ones is Budget Filmmaking At Its Best (And Worst?)

Just what the creative minds behind H.P. Lovecraft’s The Old Ones want to do is to simply honour what makes up one of this author’s tales.

Breaking Glass Pictures
Available on VOD (YouTube, Google Play)

Chad Ferrin is back with another Crappy World Film’s production! In H.P. Lovecraft’s The Old Ones, it’s man versus monster and from what I hear, he’s working on what may be part three of an ongoing series! I can’t wait to see what he has in store in Unspeakable: Beyond the Wall of Sleep. Hopefully, he’ll have a budget for this one, since to imagine H.P. Lovecraft’s Dreamlands is no easy feat! I’ve read a lot of graphic novel adaptations, and I’ll have high expectations for it!

Ultimately, this film honours everything that defines a crazy fever dream that only H.P. Lovecraft can write. While these films do well to honour his imagination, they aren’t inspired from any particular tale. The latest has a slightly serious tone, and when compared to how important Russel Marsh was in H.P. Lovecraft’s The Deep Ones, he gets centre stage. Apparently, he survived the prior events, was dumped at sea and escaped his prison! He didn’t take kindly to being tortured. And now, he’s out to slaughter some Old Ones Die Hard with a Vengeance style! And what’s put together surprisingly makes sense.

Continue reading “H.P. Lovecraft’s The Old Ones is Budget Filmmaking At Its Best (And Worst?)”

A Movie Parody of Crazy “Monsternado” Proportions!

There may well be an alien that’s controlling this Monsternado. It’s here to do away with some pesky humans it recognizes as capable to ruin its plans for destroying world, one city at a time!

Uncork’d Entertainment
VOD Release Date: Nov 14, 2023

There’s a maelstrom coming to assault the US Eastern Seaboard, and when nearly every single beast from the sea has been sucked up by a waterspout, just where it’s headed is Miami! The Monsternado should be feared, and only Matt (Derek Miller, who also wrote this film) realises just how dangerous it is; despite his best attempts to warn FEMA, and anyone else who’ll listen, nobody believes him.

It’s easy to recognize this film is a fever dream of Tyler-James‘ (director). He’s married everything fans of SyFy’s Creature Feature movie block with Don’t Go In The Water, along with some spice from The Horror for good measure. I won’t even try to explain why a Megalodon got sucked up, but if you’re a believer in Hollow Earth theory, it’s possible! But as for scary aliens, that’s because the first few minutes concern some giant humanoid / crab type monster making landfall and attacking some poor soul. It’s even included in the trailer. However, after the title card, the story moves back to events 10 hours ago, and that’s the last I see of it.

Continue reading “A Movie Parody of Crazy “Monsternado” Proportions!”

The Giant Gila Monster Special Edition, A Sweet Throwback to the B-Movies of the 50s

Although the movies of yesteryears are largely forgotten by today’s audiences, some movies like The Giant Gila Monster Special Edition (and Killer Shrews) are worth revisiting.

The Giant Gila Monster blu-ray case The B movies of the 50s almost always have a familiar formula to them: they’re often populated with rock n roll teens getting into crazy situations and feature giant monsters. It’s a formula that works and despite the bad acting or lacklustre direction. And whether fans of today can appreciate them, it depends more on getting introduced to the film. Thankfully Film Masters 4k restoration and release of The Giant Gila Monster Special Edition (and Killer Shrews) proves that we don’t need MST3K to discover them.

Sometimes we hear that at the theatre anyways when there’s a rowdy group attending. At home, we can avoid that and admire just why these two films have a modern cult following. It’s not so much about why they are reflective of the era and how teens and adults behave way back when. instead it’s about how they react is nothing like modern horror. I get amused when they’re more golly gee, and dare to take on the threats. Whether they die isn’t the question.

Continue reading “The Giant Gila Monster Special Edition, A Sweet Throwback to the B-Movies of the 50s”