Streetwalkin' (1985) – Joan Freeman.

Firebrand Melissa Leo delivers a gutsy, star-making performance in this gritty 80s New Concorde exploitation classic. I absolutely dig the fact this runaway teen shocker pretty much turns into a slash-o-rama bloodbath by the memorably frantic final act! Capably directed by the truly beauteous star of Elvis carny gem Roustabout, and how cool is that?

Eight Strikes of the Wildcat (1976) – Yi-Hsiu Lin.

A feisty young woman Shao Wa (Chi Dan-dan) seeks vengeance following her father's death at the feral hands of an outlaw gang. Enduring physically arduous training, painfully sinew stretching stratagems, and leavened with pleasantly comedic distractions, this determined, extraordinarily flexible heroine bravely confronts her murderous quarry in a bravura, ferociously fight-packed finale! Eight Strikes of the Wildcat is a bona fide vintage Kung Fu gem, generously brawl-packed, and remains a must-watch for Kung Fu addicts, or any that would greatly relish seeing a powerfully athletic female protagonist make bloody mincemeat out of the tyrannous Rat gang! Originally released on the now-legendary Vengeance Video DVD label, Yi-Hsiu Lin's thunderously thrilling Kung Fu Bobby Dazzler is a blisteringly bellicose battling babe bonanza that is due a well deserved restoration.

 Absolution (1978) – Anthony Page.

While I have seen Absolution many times over the years, I am still struck by the sheer majesty of it, Burton, composer Stanley Myers, and an exemplary cast lend an awesome gravitas to Shaffer's immaculate screenplay.

 Ten Years of Mayhem / Black Metal Documentary.

I enjoyed this engaging, non-exploitative documentary very much, it featured some valuable insight for a fan who isn't an absolute expert on the scene. This fine project was ably created by clearly talented You-Tuber called Resonant Peak. I especially appreciated the additional details about Mayhem's formative years, and he sourced some great stills.

 Scream Queen (1997) – Brad Sykes.

Shot on muzzy Video back in '97, this lively, schlock-tastically entertaining indie-slasher is now bloodily unleashed upon a spankingly sweet Blu-ray edition, giving Quigley addicts the welcome opportunity of appreciating one of her most unfairly neglected horror gems. Slinky splatter diva Malicia Tombs (Linnea Quigley) storms angrily off the set of a micro-budget S.O.V slasher, and is tragically killed in a fatal car accident...or was she? I must first enthusiastically state that, thus far, I have yet to purchase any Vengeance Video title that I haven't unreservedly fallen madly in love with. This is, of course, an entirely subjective rationale, but I absolutely dig on the fact they haven't let me down, and, happily, Scream Queen is yet another wickedly warped winner! Midway-ish Scream Queen luridly left-turns in a fabulously faux Gothic fashion, whereupon a shadowy slayer gruesomely bumps off the unsuspecting cast and crew in a deliciously grisly, Agatha Crispie'd fashion! The palpable shortcomings of a low budget, and shooting with such rudimentary equipment only rarely detracts from Scream Queen's prodigious, frequently inventive, and rewardingly bloody kill frenzies! Excluding the occasional visual infidelities of the format, Scream Queen has a generosity of Schlocky paraphernalia to recommend it to slasher fans. While horror vixen Quigley is a scream, the unknown cast prove no less credible, with much tittersome scene-stealage done by stoner FX dude Squib, and the diminutive Runyon (Kurt Levee), who is utterly delightful as Malicia's quietly menacing manservant.

 Burning Rubber aka Trading Paint. (2019) – Karzan Kader.

Like many anonymous B-features produced today, Burning Rubber relies unwaveringly on tiresome formula, but I can unequivocally state that it occasionally tickled my 'unintentionally funny' box to a splendidly tingle-some effect! I can vaguely recall a vapidly high gloss Tony Scott thriller that was ultimately little more than exhaust fumes and soapy melodrama, Karzan Kader's Burning Rubber is a quickie hicksploitation iteration of that. Barrel-scraper Michael Madsen plays the singularly unsympathetic dirt racer Bob Linsky, his detached performance so somnolent, I momentarily believed he must be under the malign influence of a Karloffian mesmerist! Fortuitously, there is a winningly off-key exchange between a credibly earnest Kevin Dunn and 'hero' Travolta, concerning his Crocodile-munched appendage that momentarily peaked my psychotronic interests.

If Burning Robber had been made in 1979 with Burt Reynolds at the wheel, it would still remain utterly bogus, but a bogus film from '79 with the charismatic Cannonballer would be infinities sweeter than one from 2019 featuring a feloniously fright-wigged John Travolta! In closing, someone once told me that reptilian humans can effectively replicate a head-full of lustrous hair, thereby aiding their invidious 'walk among us' modus operandi; is it at all possible that Travolta is one of those who 'walk among us'???? I love Madsen, but the doofus text for Burning Rubber really didn't do him any favours, at this point Travolta is pretty much bullet-proof, since no one expects much from him, and he frequently rises to expectation.

 Der Lastwagenkrieg (1982) mit peter hein.

This short (47mins) lively, visually appealing, artfully conceived piece should prove interesting to fans of German new wave / post-punk happenings. I have included a screen-grab of the film-makers involved, should anyone care to investigate further. My spoken German is still okay-ish, but this specific dialect proved hard going at times, it almost sounded Austrian? I must absolutely mention the brilliant photography, which I thought was rather special at times, certainly no less so than the music, natch!