The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982)

June 6, 2025June 6, 2025 by Big Bearded Bookseller | Leave a comment

Day five of #Junesploitation was the hardest choice for me so far, Magic, a really broad subject that takes so much into it, so I chose to go for an evil nemesis magic user to narrow it down a bit.

I was going to go with Conan the Barbarian from the same year as this but one of the things I decided to do with this challenge is have a bit of fun and only watch films I’ve never watched before.

Now sort of wishing I’d gone with Conan, this is another film where the script got the better of no one and the actors came from the apathetic school of acting.

Also trades description or what as it was so Sorcerer light that he may as well as not have been in it an it wouldn’t have made much difference to the plot.

Wooden acting, stilted fight scenes that sometimes went on for far too long, cardboard sets, and shoddy physical effects all gave this a really thrown together feel.

The story line outside of banished royalty feels so similar to Conan, especially the long, long introduction to Talon as an adult regaling us with all his exploits which sounded eerily similar to Conan’s that I’m sure they were writing a Conan film and couldn’t get the rights to the name so changed some of the plot points to cover it.

And the biggest weird part of the film for me is I thought Talon was the eldest heir to the throne and that Alana was his younger sister, eeew.

Overall another just perfect for my current streak in Junesploitation.

The Sword and the Sorcerer | April 30, 1982 (United States)

5.5

Summary:

Cockney vs Zombies (2012)

June 2, 2025 by Big Bearded Bookseller | Leave a comment

Cockney vs Zombies (2012)

Film two of #Junesploitation and this wasn’t my first choice but I think Sean of the Dead would have been way too obvious.

Though this did have a similar scene to the pub scene and the guts being picked out of the belly of a character.

Loved the vulture right at the start, let you know the level of seriousness this was going to be taken at, though the title should have been enough.

Geezers, a heist, knees up, guns, and high-speed zimmer frame exploits, this had it all, even Chas and Dave.

It even had a few Carry On moments harking back to the time most of the older actors were making most of their work.

Full of Cockney stalwarts and British up and coming, I really hope everyone was having as much fun as they seemed to.

As would be expected with a film like this the effects weren’t top notch but were good enough to carry the film all the way through.

A laugh from start to end if you’re able to go into it looking for an hour and a half of fun as that’s all this was, a nice little escape.

Cockneys vs Zombies | August 2, 2013 (United States)

5.9

Director: Matthias HoeneSummary:

Watch Me When I Kill (1977)

June 2, 2025 by Big Bearded Bookseller | Leave a comment

Watch Me When I Kill (1977)

This is my first watch in this year’s Junesploitation extravaganza!

A lot of face action going on in this twisty post-war Italian thriller, lot’s of close ups of actors emoting loudly toward the camera.

Pretty standard thriller with a couple of juicy red herrings to throw you off the trail.

Absolutely loved the taxi driver and main character shooting off in a taxi from the scene of a crime rather than staying and helping the police but then there wouldn’t have been much of a film if they hadn’t.

The Tango during the opening credits!

It wasn’t a straightforward film, especially with some of the subtitling, but it was an OK enough watch especially for a schlock film from the 70s, and those clothes brought back nightmares!

Couldn’t link the film to the title though, there was no ‘Peeping Tom’ vibe at all.

Showed Italy as a bit of a dump, all greys and muted tones, even the clothes were muted.

Another of those abrupt as hell endings which left a lot in the air really.

Watch Me When I Kill | September 3, 1982 (United States)

5.9

Director: Antonio BidoSummary:

Little Visitor & Other Abductions

May 17, 2025May 26, 2025 by Big Bearded Bookseller | Leave a comment

Adam Szym. Oni Press, (168p) ISBN: . Horror, read 16/05/25, eBook ★★★★☆

Little Visitor & Other Abductions

The cover of this intrigued me when I saw it on NetGalley, and who doesn’t love a good old alien abduction? (and it’s put out by Oni Press who seem to be on such a great streak over the last couple of years)

Three interconnected stories involving aliens and their interactions with humans, all three are so strong as stand alones but the interactions between them and the end themes make this work wonderfully as a whole.

The black ink dark artwork with no colour is an excellent choice for such stark tales, the shadows are where all of the darkest acts of horror occur and this all plays out a bit like a pulp movie which in a way mirrors the first story, Little Visitor, where a communist film company tries their take on E.T. (the ameerican movie) but as the story unfolds a tragedy occurs and this is the story of that tragedy seen as flash backs, the whole story uses film techniques to great effect, strong and punchy visuals carry this along to it’s conclusion.

The next story, A Cordial Invitation, takes us to a New Year party in the middle of nowhere, with a twist, another that has a very filmic feel, almost Rocky Horror but with the horror amped up quite a bit. A sacrifice, a journey, a cult, what more could you want?

And the final story, Frolicker, is the most disturbing really as the strangers who encourage the violent thoughts into a teens head have been there before but this time they are more insidious, who are they and what is their agenda, Children of the Corn comes to mind here.

A brilliantly realised project, dark and haunting, otherworldly but firmly planted in a filmic tradition of graphic novels though this really seems to loan from film making quite strongly it turns it into a wonderful graphic experience.

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Meat Eaters

April 23, 2025May 27, 2025 by Big Bearded Bookseller | Leave a comment

Meredith McClaren. Oni Press, (248p) ISBN: 9781637157923. Horror, read 22/04/25, eBook ★★★★★

Meat Eaters

This is another graphic novel from Oni Press and I love when they put something out for review as I’m rarely disappointed.

Ashley wakes up dead with no recollection of how it happened, and that’s just the start of her problems.

First thoughts are ‘am I a zombie’ but she still has her brains without an exclusive desire to eat brains.

The art style throughout is really strong and fun, supporting and expanding a really sharp story of those that dwell in the shadows.

There are a couple of bits of dialogue I really hope aren’t changed in the finished book, one is “It’s not that I have anything against people. I can play nice. I’ve worked retail.” We all feel that one.

Vampires, werewolves, and so much more which you just have to discover for yourself, I didn’t get it right…

“Relax. It’s mostly horse. How dangerous can it be?”

We follow Ashley and her clan, yes she becomes the leader of a werewolf clan, as they negotiate the world of darkness and the intrinsic of community college and late teen life.

Absolutely loved this and will be one I buy in hard copy when it comes out in July.

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bite Risk: Cold Blood

April 20, 2025May 27, 2025 by Big Bearded Bookseller | Leave a comment

S.J. Wills. Simon & Schuster, (288p) ISBN: 9781398521001. Young Adult, read 17/04/25, Paperback ★★★★☆

Bite Risk: Cold Blood

This just sort of snuck up on me and I had to do a lot of chasing as soon as I saw it was coming up soon.

One of my favourite YA series of the last few years, Cold Blood is the finale of the Ripper series. Werewolves, evil mega-corporations, splintered society, and teens trying to figure their way through all of it with a doozy of a metaphor for puberty.

In this episode we see Sel and friends having to deal with a lot of the aftermath of Book 2 and their new abilities all while the Immutable groups grow stronger, throw a new problem in the mix and we get a brilliant adventure taking us deeper into the mythology of where Rippers came from through this is just hinted at by a passing phrase late in the book.

Sel has to come to grips with new powers from the bite of the Revenant and at times worries those around him with how little control he is showing and how much he likes the abilities he’s gained.

All the while the company that took over the research is now looking at a cure, what could go wrong? Well this is the core of what Sel has to deal with all the while dodging everyone who sees him as the greatest threat to the world there is.

Fast-paced and full of tense adventure this was a great finale to the series and the ending leaves the world of Rippers, Frozen Fever, megacorps, and a lot of what was hinted at the end of Book 1 wide open for a return.

I’d love to see some more of the world explored as there was so much more hinted at if you caught the references.

I received this from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

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