Recent viewings

[lester1/2jr]

Dead Heat (1988) - I didn't have cable in the 80's but I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess this was a cable classic. I had my friend Greg's cable but I was only there on weekends. So I never saw this but he probably did.

Joe Piscapo and a guy who looks like face man from A Team are a buddy cop action comedy that runs into a zombie movie. the special effects are really good. If you like stuff like "The Hidden and "Vice Squad" you definately need to see this if you haven't already. 4/5

[3mnkids]

The educkators(Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei)~ Three bleeding heart liberals     break into wealthy peoples homes-not to steal anything, other than their piece of mind, rearrange furniture and leave a note. They're idealist, see. Unfortunately, when going back to one of the homes to retrieve something the homeowner comes home.

I enjoyed this. It was a little slow at times but the plot was interesting, the scenery gorgeous(almost distracting when trying to read subtitles  ) and the performances were great. Great movie   

Shiver(Eskalofrío)A woman and her teenage son move to a small village in the mountains in hopes of a better life for her son who has photophobia. Shortly after arriving people start dying. Of course suspicion falls on the new, weird kid. It doesn't help that Santi(the son) is at the scene of the attacks.

The photophobia plot just didnt feel right. It felt.. IDK, gimmicky?  That being said, the movie was really good. The performances were great, it looked beautiful, and had a few genuinely scary parts. I liked it.

[Pilgermann]

Trick 'r Treat - This has great Halloween atmosphere and nice cinematography, but the stories within this modern take on anthology horror aren't that interesting save for the encounter between a cranky old man and Sam, the little demon-child-thing who has a presence throughout the whole film.  Worth checking out for anyone who likes horror anthologies but it was kind of a let down.

[Cthulhu]

I just watched Blue Velvet.
Really good movie.

[indianasmith]

I watched a French movie called BLUEBEARD last night.

Two little girls reading the classic tale to each other, while two teenage girls act it out.  It bounces back and forth between the two girls reading the story and the two sisters living out the story.  Pretty slow and boring overall.

[3mnkids]

Population 436~A census taker is sent to Rockwell falls and discovers that they have had the same population, 436, for 100 years. It becomes clear that something just isn't right in this little town.

I was worried when I saw that Fred Durst was in it but you know what? He's not bad at all. What a surprise.  Decent performances, really creepy towns people, kinda cool plot.. worth a watch

The invitation~ A writer(Lance Henriksen) invites his 6 closet friends to his house for a little get together. During dinner he tells them about a near death experience he had and how it changed his life. He then informs them that he has poisoned them and will only give the antidote once they confess their sins, wipe the slate clean...

It was alright, I guess. I like henriksen and he is always good but the rest of the performances were hit or miss at best. Sometimes painful to watch.    Its a little all over the place and very confusing at times. I wouldn't watch it again. 

[claws]

Population 436~A census taker is sent to Rockwell falls and discovers that they have had the same population, 436, for 100 years. It becomes clear that something just isn't right in this little town.

I was worried when I saw that Fred Durst was in it but you know what? He's not bad at all. What a surprise.  Decent performances, really creepy towns people, kinda cool plot.. worth a watch

Turned out to be a nice surprise. It's basically a remake of The Wicker Man but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.

[Jack]

The Skull (1965) - Peter Cushing collects antiquities and writes books about them.  A shady dealer offers him the skull of the Marquis de Sade, which takes control of him and tries to turn him evil.  Really liked this movie - Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee both give excellent performances, the plot builds in an interesting way, and it's got a ton of atmosphere.  Very little action, but it drew me in and took me for a ride    4/5.

[JaseSF]

Moon (2009): In the future, mankind has found a new prosperity from mining valuable minerals from the moon. A lonely, isolated astronaut named Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell), whose sole companion is a robotic computer/caretaker named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey), watches over the proceedings making sure the machinery continues on the Moon and the harvesters keep working collecting their valuable ores. Sam is nearing the end of his 3 year term working on the moon and is very much looking forward to finally returning home when he has a freak accident colliding with an harvester in his moon rover vehicle. When Sam later awakens, he discovers a shocking truth about himself and his true identity. To say any more would absolutely spoil the movie.

This is one of the best Sci-Fi movies I've seen in years. While it feels something of a throwback to similar themed films of the later 60s and early 70s (almost like a mix of 2001 and SILENT RUNNING), its story is unique and the twists and turns it takes quite surprised and sometimes absolutely moved me. This is very much a one-man show given that throughout most of the film only one human being is actually present and that's Sam Bell. Best scene: Sam longing to return home and the Earth looming large in the night sky before him. Themes of isolation, loneliness, individuality, corporate control all play into the mix here. It does have a few dull stretches and it is a little confusing at times, especially if you don't pay close attention to the plot, but it's still a great little Sci-Fi story successfully brought to life by debuting director Duncan Jones. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

[Rev. Powell]

44 INCH CHEST (2009): Four men (presumably gangsters, though it's never made explicit) kidnap the lover of a cuckolded mate's wife and try to goad the bereaved man into killing him for revenge.  A talky, dry satire on mob masculinity that feels like a one-act play with each character getting a moment in the spotlight; great performances by the principal cast but the script loses its way, and the ending won't satisfy anyone.  Possibly worth it just for the brief glance of John Hurt in a black cocktail dress.  2.5/5.

[3mnkids]

Lo~ Justin is looking for his girlfriend April who was taken by a demon. He calls on the demon Lo to get her back. The entire movie pretty much takes place in a very dark room with Justin inside a pentagram and Lo just outside it. There are several play like scenes that are...well, they range from hilarious(demon singing) to stupid(waiter dancing).

The demon Lo looks really cool and is pretty funny. The actor playing Justin is just awful though. At times it seems like it just tries to hard to be different and that's a shame. I don't think this will appeal to many people. To say its weird or bizarre would be a huge understatement.

ETA~ one more and then im done for a while. I think.    

Bunny lake is missing~ Ann's daughter bunny is missing from school and no one seems to remember the child. It starts to look like she is a figment of Anns imagination.

I love this movie. The performances are all great but especially Laurence Olivier as Newhouse and Noel Coward as the eccentric, drunk, sado-masochist, landlord...  Brilliant. 

[Rev. Powell]

To say its weird or bizarre would be a huge understatement.

Thanks again!  Another I've heard of but haven't gotten around to.  Keep doing my legwork for me!

[Jack]

Whiteout (2009) - this is that movie that had a trailer that made it look like a remake of "The Thing", but actually it has nothing to do with that.  Shortly after WWII, a Russian plane is flying over Antarctica and crashes.  In the present day, some unknown people find the plane and its unknown treasure.  Kate Beckinsale stars as the sheriff at the world's most posh Antarctic research station, so she investigates this whole mystery.  Tom Skerritt co-stars as the doctor at the outpost.  The story was okay, not great but it served its purpose.  Good performances from Beckinsale and Skerritt, and quite a bit of really gorgeous Antarctic scenery.  More than a few WTF? moments, first and foremost the one where Beckinsale grabs a metal wheel which is at -75 F, causing her hand to stick to it.  So she rips her hand free and immediately goes inside.  Instead of the torn skin you would expect, this causes her to have severe frostbite on two fingers?  Yeah, ooooookay.  I could make a pretty good list of dumb stuff like that throughout the movie.  But it was interesting enough and I enjoyed it overall.  4/5.

[indianasmith]

I watched a very strange and creepy Japanese horror film called UZUMAKI (The Spiral).  Inhabitants of a small town are being drven mad by the imagery of spirals that they see everywhere.  Some kill themselves in ways that reflect a spiral pattern; smoke from the local crematorium assumes a spiral shape.  It's all connected somehow to a local pond where some ancient bronze mirrors were recovered, but either they never fully explained it, or I dozed off and missed the explanation.  Still a pretty good movie.

Then last night I watched CAMP SLAUGHTER, also known by the title CAMP DAZE.  Four friends from current times  get lost on a road in upstate Maine and find themselves trapped at a summer camp stuck in 1981 - and forced to witness as the campers, and counselors, are slaughtered by a serial murderer.  But, when they wake up the next day, everyone is alive again, and the same day begins to play itself out again.  It's kind of like FRIDAY THE 13TH meets GROUNDHOG DAY.  Of course, you know this isn't a REAL 1980's slasher film, because there are no boobs throughout the whole thing!  But there are some decent twists at the end.  Overall, a fun movie to watch.

[Flick James]

The House of the Devil (2009)

I really wanted to like this film.The feel of it was good, I liked the retro thing and it worked, and it felt genuine. I also liked the slow build. The only problem is the film never delivered on the high expectations is seemed to set for itself. I was hopeful when the main character's best friend was killed, as that was a creepy scene. I thought "okay, now we're getting started." But it never really improved. There was too much slow build up and not enough delivery. A movie that could have been great but turned out a bit flat in my opinion, and that's from someone who appreciates slow tension build-up. 2.8/5.