Recent viewings

[lester1/2jr]

it looks to be part of a series of british films

[JaseSF]

Step Brothers (2008): A man and woman, who both have 40 year old sons (Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly)  living at home with them, meet and fall in love and get married, they and their family then move in together. Chaos ensues as the two childlike step brothers reluctantly get to know one another.

  Man, that's two hours of my life I'd really like to have back again. This movie was painfully retarded. Curiosity got the better of me  (I know I know I should have known better) when I started watching this only to soon find myself groaning worse than I would than when enduring a Larry Buchanan picture. There's very little here truly funny, plenty that's offensive and this features a mind-numbingly stupid plot. Don't waste your time watching this. You've been warned. * out of *****

[Javakoala]

I just watched The Men Who Stare at Goats, and I just could not get into the movie. I'm probably in the minority here

Not necessarily, I thought it was pretty "meh" myself.  Not bad exactly, but it definitely didn't work as well as it should have with that cast and concept.

I'm one of those weirdos that really enjoyed it. It fell apart towards the end when it tried to have an actual "story", but the first 2/3s of the film was great, especially when most of what you were seeing about the New Earth Army is fairly true. Then, as is always the case, they did focus on the "can we kill them remotely?" type thing. And the whole psychological ops stuff is something I'd love to read a book on.

Strangely enough, the bit about the one character using acid on the one guy is fairly true to the type of testing that was done by our government in the 60s when LSD was first created to aid in mental disorders. They would actually send an operative out into the public, have them put it into someone's drink and then follow that person to see what they did. Once reports of suicides hit some of the higher administration offices, the government pulled any direct involvement, though, according to some people who were in charge of such experiments, that kind of thing continued under the guise of other "programs". There was a 90 minute documentary shown on ABC back in the late 70s LATE at night that went into all of that crap. I'd love to find that again, but I don't remember the name, and that particular documentary was never ran again. I remember sitting up late during a school night and watching it and being freaked out by the crap that was sanctioned by our own government.

Still, as a movie, "Men Who Stare At Goats" isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. I think they aimed high and delivered a bit low, but it is still interesting, until the last third.

[Sleepyskull]

I watched Clash of the Titans (1981) using a DVR.

Lots of fun, especially the cool special effects! 

I give this 9.9 out of 13 stars.

[JaseSF]

Monsters Inc. (2001): At Monsters Inc., teams of monsters work together to harvest children's screams, accessed via magical closet doors, as a means of powering their monster city. However when one monster, in fact star scarer Sully (voiced by John Goodman) accidentally brings a human child, one touch from believed to be deadly to monsters, into the monster world, it throws everything into utter chaos. Eventually Sully and his pal/partner at Monsters Inc. Mike (voiced by Billy Crystal) discover everything is not quite as they've been led to believe with regards to humans and Monsters Inc..

Inventive, creative, moving fantasy adventure suitable for the whole family with surprisingly lovable monsters, some of whom are even gross looking. I really enjoyed this one and found myself laughing at quite a few of the scenes. But I think what really makes this work is the voice work of leads Billy Crystal and John Goodman and the convincing animated performance of their animated counterparts Mike and Sully. Just plain good fun with jokes the whole family should enjoy. Loved it! **** out of *****

Igor (2008): In the isolated country of Malaria, a country where evil is embraced as having saved the people from poverty. With constant storm clouds having stolen away the country's farmlands and sunshine, the King of Malaria King Malbert (voiced by Jay Leno) enlists the aid of mad scientist inventors to create monsterous inventions to be put on display in a tournament battlefield, the winner of which is then to be used as a threat to the outside world so Malaria can blackmail the rest of the world for huge sums of money. In this setting, a lowly Hunchback assistant named Igor (voiced by John Cusack) has big dreams of himself becoming a successful winning mad scientist and sets out to create his own evil invention capable of winning the tournament. He, along with his previous creations Scamper - an immortal rabbit (voiced by Steve Buscemi) and Brain - an anything but bright revived brain in a jar (voiced by Sean Hayes), creates his own female Monster but things don't go quite as planned when the Monster's Evil Bone isn't activated and the Monster Eva (voiced by Molly Shannon) is anything but evil. Meanwhile a mad scientist rival named Dr. Schadenfreude (voiced by Eddie Izzard), hoping to steal away the King's throne, sets out to steal Igor's invention for himself.

I quite enjoyed this movie. One really has to question it's appropriateness in some ways for kids, given many of the characters behave in very adult ways and death isn't treated in serious grim fashion but more often tends to be a source of humor. But then again, I know some kids at least watch stuff far scarier than this. Just be warned that characters make out and death and mention of death is used in a humorous fashion here. It's very inventive in terms of its story and Horror fans should find much to love here. I know I did. I even liked the odd musical tie-in to Annie, of which I also am a fan. It's just that this movie seems to me more aimed at adults than kids and the ending is perhaps less likely to appeal to adults than to kids. Still I liked it more than I didn't. ***1/2 out of *****

[lester1/2jr]

The Notorious Bettie Page (2006)-  This is a cheap by the numbers biopic that is saved mostly by Gretchen Molls uncanny resemblence to Bettie Page.  The writers and directors are definately from the tell rather than show school of story telling. It's like a wikipedia entry brought to life though that's an ironic use of the expression.  While it was interesting to learn about the various things that led to her becoming the world famous pin up queen and punk a billy icon there is no moviemaking magic here.  It's all like "Hey Betty, why don't you try wearing ...THIS outfit"  "okay...hmmm...well this is different"  " It sure is Betty You are destined for fame in the world of pin ups and it is now april 4 1954 and you are embarking on your first photo shoot for blah blah blah"  The acting is mediocre mainly due to the mediocre script and again, the budget is really shoestring. If you want to know the story of Bettie Page's life, I did, definately check this out but if you are looking for a great cinematic tribute to the lady I'd say skip it.  

Siam Sunset (1999)- This is perhaps not turkey but definately a ...donkey or something. A guy's wife dies under most unusual circumstances and he goes on a vacation to Australia and ends up on this cruddy bus tour.  It's 1999 and no one has a cell phone, not one person so they get stuck in all thes scenerios. I couldn't tell if it was all just obviously preposterous or if it was just my American sensibility conflicting with their Australian one. Even giving them some slack there, it's not all that funny and the romantic element isn't very romantic. The main actor is wooden and like okay: he and his new love interest are having dinner and he explains that he works at a paint place designing colors. He take some ketchup and mayonaaise or something and makes the color of her shirt! So they play this lovey dovey music and she is like so impressed by this. It's his JOB! Wow he can make semi-accurate colors out of condiments what a TURN ON.  

   I would have turned it off at about the hour mark but there were random sort of off beat funny things that happened from time to time and that kept me hanging in there. The lead guy's lack of charisma is mainly what sinks it. Also, the film is presented in some format that is really annoying. I had to watch it in like wide thin vertical zoom or something for it to be normal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOlEAZ2Yn24
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[Kaped-Kaper]

Feast 2 - All-in-all, a s**tty movie. Had a few great moments *ex. Baby 'Rescue', Flying Midget* But it failed to interest me beyond that. However it was a direct sequel, so I had to see it before I could see 3.

Feast 3 - Best movie ever. Words cannot describe.

[Vik]

Bad lieutenant.
I won two tickets to the avant premiere
I loved this movie, Cage did an awesome job acting and was hilarious. Definetely recommended.
4/5

[3mnkids]

The final~ A group of teens tired of getting bullied decide to make the bullies pay. They trick them into coming to a party, drug them, and then do... well, not much actually.

It was soooo boring. The "acting" was almost laughable, the plot tired, and it was thrown together.. Towards the end of the movie a couple of people who were killed earlier make an appearance.. Nope, not ghost or zombies, crappy editing.

Avoid.

[Joe the Destroyer]

Precious- Yes, I watched it with my fiancee.  Yes, it was enjoyable.  No, it's not flawless.   

Tootsie- I had never see this movie until a few days ago.  It was really good.  Very human and funny at the same time.   

Layer of the White Worm- Every one raves about this movie.  I've seen it three times now, and hated it the first two times.  This one documents my third time watching it.  You see, I always forget everything about the movie within a ten year period and ask myself, "Why did I hate that movie?"  I watched it this time and.......... loved it!  How?     As a kid, I just didn't get it.  Ten years ago, I still don't think I got it.  But I get it now.  And it's great.    

[indianasmith]

I watched one of the After Dark Horrorfest films for this year, DREAD. 

A group of college students decide to do a Kenzie-like study, but instead of sex, they will study human fear.  One of them slowly becomes more and more obsessed with the topic.  Badly unbalanced because of seeing his parents murdered when he was a child, he decides to force his partners to confront their deepest fears . . . and submerge them in fear!

Not too bad, a little draggy in spots, but the truly horrific ending makes up for it.

[Hammock Rider]

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE!!!!!

If you don't take it serioulsy, and really how could you take it seriously, it's a dopey, funny movie. There is plenty of gross out humor and knocks on the 80's and even a nod or two to some of Cusack's 80's movie, plus a great cameo by one William Zabka aka : the Evil Johnny from Karate Kid. If you've seen the trailers you know what to expect and all I can tell you is that it delivers on its promise. Whether that's good or bad is for you to decide.

[El Misfit]

Bad lieutenant.
I won two tickets to the avant premiere
I loved this movie, Cage did an awesome job acting and was hilarious. Definetely recommended.
4/5

Funny thing is that the movie is set in New Orleans, yet the movie wasn't released here good thing too, cuz then we would tell Cage a thing or two

[Rev. Powell]

WHAT? [AKA CHE?, DIARY OF FORBIDDEN DREAMS] (1972):  Escaping from an attempted rape, an American ingenue (Sidney Rome) hitchhiking through Italy loses her clothes and finds a villa populated with eccentric characters, including a lecherous ex-pimp (Marcello Mastroianni).  An absurdist sex comedy that's plenty absurd, mildly sexy, and not one bit funny.  It's the Italian version of CANDY. Rome is hot, but whenever she's not nude the yawns take over. Roman Polanski sandwiched back-to-back flops (MACBETH and this) between the classics ROSEMARY'S BABY and CHINATOWN in an attempt to win the title of "most uneven director in history."  1/5 stars.

CROWLEY [AKA CHEMICAL WEDDING] (2008): Thanks to virtual reality and quantum physics, the spirit of Aleister Crowley is reborn inside a Cambridge professor and goes on a sex-magic rampage in furtherance of some undefined evil plot.  Confusing as hell (I think some script pages may have been inserted out of order and no one noticed), this apparently sincere attempt at occult horror has some unintended laughs (listen for the dramatic "da-da-DUM!" musical cue as Crowley's "gift" to the faculty is discovered).  This was written by Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden and bears all the hallmarks of a poorly conceived vanity project.  Although I hated it, this is a true, bona fide bad movie, and you may want to check it out.  For this board, I'd give it 2.5/5.  

[JaseSF]

Highway Patrol

Prison Break (1955) (Starring Broderick Crawford, Robert Stevenson, Fritz Ford, Harry Cody, Paul Bryar, William Challee, Gilman Rankin, Jay Douglas, Charles Steel, Bobby Mittelstaedt, Ish Ashdown, Paul Hahn, Jim O’Neill, William Slack and Frank Hanley. Written by Stuart Jerome. Directed by Herbert L. Strock. Plot synopsis: Police, via the Highway Patrol, track a dangerous and unpredictable escaped convict named Ralph Neal. Neal proves a cunning adversary and is not afraid to stoop to the lowest level to make good his escape whether it’s assaulting a police officer and stealing his car or hijacking a school bus.)

Wow! This really surprised me. I wasn't expecting this to be anywhere near as gritty and exciting as it is or for the lead villain to be so dastardly but here escaped convict Ralph Neal, played by Robert Stevenson, is a rotten apple to the core willing to use and abuse anyone who gets between him and his hopes of acheiving freedom. The hijacking and police assault are carried out far more convincingly than I expected it would be for a TV episode from the 50s. Herbert Strock, who should be well known to us here for having directed films such as THE CRAWLING HAND, HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER, THE DEVIL'S MESSENGER, GOG and RIDERS TO THE STARS is  quite capable at directing gritty crime dramas if this is any indication.

Dangerous Assignment

The Assassin Ring Story (1952) (Starring Brian Donlevy, Beverly Tyler, Edgar Barrier, Larry J. Blake, Ralph Moody, Alan Wells, Hugh Beaumont, Tito Renaldo, Jack George and John Bleifer. Written by Larry Rhine based on a story by Robert Ryf and Adrian Gendot. Directed by Bill Karn. Plot synopsis: Steve Mitchell [Brian Donlevy] is a special American agent sent to the Middle East to prove American innocence in the assassination of one King Hamid and that it was in reality a foreign power framing the United States for the crime hoping to steal away American oil.)

This series, starring Brian Donlevy, feels very much in vein with 1940s Adventure style films. It has that element of enemy agents shooting informers just as they reveal plot advancement to our leads, the reluctant femme fatale who's used to trap men, etc.. It was good fun and I enjoyed it but it is hardly a truly convincing type of story, much more in the realm of fantasy adventure spy dramas.

Mr. and Mrs. North

Trained For Murder (1953) (Starring Richard Denning and Barbara Britton. Guest starring Gloria Henry, Roy Roberts, Nancy Valentine, Harry Hayden, Hal Baylor, Robert Carson and Christopher Dark. Written by Erna Lazarus. Directed by Ralph Francis Murphy. Plot synopsis: Mr. and Mrs. North pay a visit to a star prizefighter named Vince McKay [Hal Baylor] who Mr. North hopes to publish a successful book about. They soon discover though that Mr. McKay is anything but well liked by those around him, given his habit of  messing around with other people’s wives and girlfriends. Not to mention he betrays his longtime ring manager Whitey Malone after ten years of loyal service. So when McKay winds up dead from rat poison, there’s plenty of potential murder suspects on hand.)

Ah we have Mr. and Mrs. North again. Like I said, it's pretty much the 50s equivalent of Hart to Hart. While our story does build up a whole bunch of suspects, the final conclusion proves disappointingly obvious to the point you truly wonder why Mr. and Mrs. North are even needed unless the police are completely incompetent.  Still Hal Baylor's nasty performance as the bragging blowhard, philandering Vince McKay does add a surprisingly entertaining element to the show.

The Public Defender

The Director (1955) (Starring Reed Hadley, John Miljan, Harry Harvey, Lita Milan, Donald Curtis, Addison Richards and John Close. Written by Jerry D. Lewis. Directed by Erle C. Kenton. Plot synopsis: A once successful director at a movie studio, now turned night watchman Walter Loring [John Miljan] is accused to assaulting and robbing a modern era director of $300. Bart Matthews [Reed Haldey], public defender, sets out to uncover the truth as to what lead Loring, a man with no history of crime, to commit such an act. A would be female actress from France named Andrea Jordan [Lita Milan] soon comes to his defense but how does she play into our story?)

This was a fairly forgettable story truthfully. Everything Loring does eventually seems perfectly justified and justifiable. Aside from John Miljan giving a decent performance as a once proud director turned lowly night watchman trying to defend his pride and help a young lady he's befriended, this isn't worth your time.

Richard Diamond, Private Detective

Picture of Fear (1957) (Starring David Janssen, Judith Braun, James Nolan, George N. Neise and Robert Nelson. Written by David T. Chantler. Directed by Oscar Rudolph. Plot synopsis: A young female photographer named Nancy Miller, in actuality an undercover reporter named Harriet Talbot [Judith Braun],  takes photographs of a meeting between mobsters staying at the Twin Peaks Fishing Lodge and Resort. Meanwhile Richard Diamond [David Janssen], on vacation at the lodge and having promised a fish dinner to said young lady finds himself soon unwittingly forced to come to the defense and protection of the lady in distress as the mobsters try to hunt her and her photographs down.) (Includes ads for Maxwell House, Minute Rice and Kool Shakes)

It was very interesting to see David Janssen in another pre-"Fugitive" role. The plot here is pretty suspenseful with tight direction and a good pace for an half-hour crime adventure story. Judith Braun does well as the damsel in distress Diamond [Janssen] eventually comes to reluctantly help. Nolan and Neise make good heavies here too.

Boston Blackie

The Heist Job (1953) (Starring Kent Taylor, Frank Orth and Lois Collier. Guest starring Billy Halop, Peter Leeds, Jan Bryant, Cosmo Sardo, Clarence Straight and Enid Baine. Written by Robert L. Richards. Directed by Eddie Davis. Plot synopsis: Boston Blackie investigates when he sees the cab of one Johnny Evans, a man Blackie had previously sent to San Quentin for armed robbery being used as a getaway car in an hold-up. Blackie doesn’t really believe Evans, now wanting to go straight, would be tied up in this mess and sets out to find the true culprit who he now believes is trying to pin a frame-up on Johnny.)

I quite enjoyed the ever-present humor in this episode and I get the impression that was a common series element. Blackie gets his clock cleaned from time to time but keeps getting back up again and again even more determined to bring the baddies behind it to justice. He seems to also be a defender of guys no one else would defend or help or even likely believe innocent which gives another unusual element to the show. This one features a climactic fight on a rising bridge with a boat sailing in under.  It was a fun, suspenseful half-hour and a bit on the unpredictable side too which was an added bonus.