Recent viewings

[BoyScoutKevin]

"Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives" (1986)

Tommy Jarvis is all growed up, but he's still suffering from Jason flashbacks after his experiences in the previous two "F13's"... so he digs up Jason's grave hoping to destroy his body once and for all. Unfortunately a stray bolt of lightning re-animates The Big J, and soon things end badly for a fresh batch of counselors at good ole Camp Crystal Lake.

This one's a sentimental fave cuz it's the first "Friday" that I was old enough to see in a theater back in the day. You can definitely see the "MTV" influences on this chapter - it's fast paced, quite funny in places, and has some decent action scenes in addition to the usual chop-n-slice mayhem. Plus, the female lead (Jennifer Cooke, previously seen in TV's "V") is quite possibly the hottest "final girl" of the entire F13 series.  All this and a theme song by Alice Cooper too!

The film is also known for the appearance of Ron Palillo, who is probably best known for playing the role of Horshack in the TV series "Welcome Back, Kotter."

[Rev. Powell]

HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS (2015): Doris, an eccentric accountant nearing retirement age, develops an obsessive crush on a handsome co-worker in his thirties. Predictable light dramedy, but Sally Field makes stalking adorable. 3.5/5.

[alandhopewell]

     HIGH SCHOOL CAESAR (1960)

! No longer available

    John Ashley stars as Matt, a juvie tough who wants to rule his school with an iron hand in a velvet glove....he shakes down students for "protection", while running for Student Body President. Better than a lot of films of this sub-genre, with Ashley's character showing a bit more depth than usually seen.

! No longer available

[claws]

Friend Request a.k.a. Unfriend (2016)

Popular school girl Laura feels sorry for and befriends creepy but talented outcast Marina on Facebook. They get to know each other better, but when Laura and her friends scroll around on Marina's Facebook page they discover disturbing content. Meanwhile Marina is pulling a light version of Fatal Attraction on Laura who celebrates her birthday without inviting Marina. The next day at school Marina has a meltdown and Laura unfriends her on Facebook, causing Marina to commit suicide on camera. Soon enough an evil force takes over Laura's Facebook page, posting even more disturbing content. Not only are people now turning on Laura, they also unfriend her. Besides that, the evil force starts killing Laura's real life friends.

Stylish Social Media Teen Horror that doesn't break any new ground, but it tries. There are some unusual visual and practical effects that I liked, but the plot has way too many cliches which makes this whole thing predictable. This is a German production filmed in South Africa pretending to be American. Because of this you get that slightly awkward European atmosphere, which I count as a bonus. 3.25/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Logan's Run" (1976)
In the 23rd century, humanity lives in domed cities that look like giant shopping malls, everyone is handsome and gorgeous, and life is computer-controlled perfection... except for one small detail: you're not allowed to live past age 30.
 A policeman (Michael York) whose job is to catch "runners" (i.e. those who wish to continue living past their expiration date) is assigned to find a fabled place called "Sanctuary," and eventually learns that there is life beyond The Dome. "Logan's Run" is a long time fave of mine. The visuals may not have aged particularly well but it's still an imaginative, intriguing slice of '70s dystopian sci-fi.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Stunt Woman" (aka "L'Animal," 1977)

Slapstick French rom-comedy about a down-on-his-luck movie stuntman (Jean-Paul Belmondo) who tries to win back his ex-girlfriend and fellow stunt performer (Raquel Welch) when they end up working on the same film together. This silly, poorly dubbed fluff has a few decent gags scattered throughout (as well as some absolutely cringe-inducing 70s style gay stereotyping) but seriously, the only reason anyone should bother to watch this forgotten flick nowadays would be to ogle Ms. Welch, who (as usual) is so hot it's st00pid.

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Hidden" (1987)
A parasitic alien with the ability to "jump" from one human host body to another is loose on a crime and murder spree in L.A., with a cop and an FBI agent in hot pursuit. This action packed mix of sci-fi and shoot-em-up is still entertaining as hell after all these years.

[claws]

Love in the Times of Monsters (2014)

Two sisters are heading to a cheesy wilderness tourist trap for a weekend of fun. One of the sisters wants to meet up with her boyfriend who works there as a bigfoot mascot, while the other sister is checking out local men for a possible one night stand. Things take a nasty turn when the bigfoot mascot employees fall into a pond full of toxic waste - transforimg them into blister-faced zombified creatures craving human flesh.

Over the top and self aware Indie comedy with slightly better production values. It wants to be smart and silly at the same time, which is a not always satisfying combination since the humor tends to fall flat occasionally. Casting and acting is decent, and the plot moves at a brisk pace. Another bonus are the handmade and gory f/x with very little CGI. I'd rate this a solid 3/5

[Newt]

"The Hidden" (1987)
A parasitic alien with the ability to "jump" from one human host body to another is loose on a crime and murder spree in L.A., with a cop and an FBI agent in hot pursuit. This action packed mix of sci-fi and shoot-em-up is still entertaining as hell after all these years.

I like it.  Falls just short of acquiring a cult following, I think.  Pity. 

[lester1/2jr]

Saboteur - not that good Hitchcock movie. A guy witnesses, then is accused of, and act of sabotage actually done by some shadowy group of fifth columnists. We don't find out who they are and they don't have any sexy spies, instead it turns into like a road movie where he meets all sorts of "friendly" they seem more creep and weird to me, people. There is some really good stuff and the masters hand is apparent but in general a big meh. most memorable scene would have to be the final chase scene at the statue of liberty.

3/5

[Rev. Powell]

FANNY AND ALEXANDER (1982): A young boy and his sister lose their father and gain a cruel stepfather, the stern local bishop, in a small town in turn-of-the-century Sweden. Ingmar Bergman's last major work, this was released as a 3-hour feature movie, edited down from a 5 hour TV series. I watched the TV version, in four parts. The movie may have been a better choice. Though well-made, even masterful, most of the time this plays like a big-budget period soap opera; it's not until the last episode that the philosophy and mystery seep in and it starts to feel like an Ingmar Bergman movie. 4/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Man With the Golden Gun" (1974)
! No longer available
Roger Moore's second spin as James Bond takes 007 to Hong Kong and Bangkok, where he faces off against a master assassin (Christopher Lee) while trying to recover a stolen solar-energy device. Not a top drawer Bond flick, but there's plenty of exotic Asian scenery as well as generous amounts of female eye candy courtesy of Britt Ekland and Maud Adams, so I was entertained.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Silent Night, Bloody Night: The Homecoming" (2013)

! No longer available

A cheap looking remake of the 1972 cult favorite about a Christmas Eve axe-murder spree at a long-abandoned mansion.

Aside from moving the action to rural England instead of Massachusetts, this stayed pretty faithful to the story line of the original flick, though it's got a higher body count and better gore effects. However, it suffers from terribly wooden performances all around and a sound mix that's so muffled that you can barely hear what the "actors" are saying at times. Stick with the '70s version, it may not have been great but at least it had a young, hot Mary Woronov in it.

[Jim H]

Direwolf from 2009.  Directed by Fred Olen Ray (!).  Didn't realize he's still working, actually very active.

This is actually a pretty amusing little film.  At it's core it's basically a werewolf film but it's really a direwolf/human hybrid made through the evils of science.  Or something.  The sheriff character is likable enough, and the acting is bad but it's very reminiscent of that 90s straight to video bad - you'd rather they be bad like this than flat for sure.  The pacing is good, and it actually has some gore.  The creature is 100% practical, which is much appreciated, as is the gore.  The ending is a clear reference in two ways to Thing From Another World, which earns it a point. 

6/10.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Ghostbusters" (2016)

! No longer available

Three paranormal researchers, a former MTA Transit clerk, and their dim-bulb male model receptionist fight to save NYC - and the world - from a massive supernatural outbreak. Who you gonna call?

When Sony Pictures first announced that their beloved supernatural franchise was being "rebooted" with an all-female lineup, it generated one of the most ridiculous Internet hate campaigns in recent memory. As for the movie, keeping my expectations low worked in its favor. The new cast works well together and I laughed out loud quite a few times. It's far from a masterpiece, but "GB16" is not as bad as you've heard, either.