Recent viewings

[Umaril The Unfeathered]

About an hour ago I finished watching Enemy At The Gates and had
forgotten about what a great movie it truly was.  Based on the true story of Stalingrad survivor Vasilie Zaitzev (sp?) and how he became the Hero Of The Soviet Union due to his sniping skills. Many of his kills were German officers.

Jude Law plays the part of Vasilie, and Ed Harris is the German sniper.

Also stars Bob Hoskins as Nikita Kruschev and Ron Perlman in a small role as a fellow Russian sniper, and Rachel Weisz as a love interest of the main good guy Jude Law).

Rutger Hauer should have been the sniper instead...German, and looks German. Also a bit rougher around the edges, that would have given him that experienced look.

[JaseSF]

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982): A doctor named Dan Challis (Tom Atkins) and Ellie Gimbridge (Stacey Nelkin), the daughter of a man mysteriously murdered in a surprisingly brutal fashion decide to investigate a toy factory they believe is somehow connected to the man's death.

Well this is certainly quite a depature from the previous films featuring Michael Myers. It definitely disappoints since Myers is not involved in this one really at all. Instead we get a bizarre little Halloween themed film about Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy)-the leader of an evil corporation plotting to commit mass murder of children on Halloween through a means of combined witchcraft and science. Despite having had writer Nigel Kneale do the script, who in the past had delivered some delightfully spooky sci-fi horror hybrids, this movie just seems much too much a jumbled mess. There's just too many gross-out elements here IMO. Besides all the bugs, snakes and rodents on hand and surprisingly gory killings, we also have middle-aged Atkins making out with Gimbridge who looks young enough for their pairing to be against the law. Also the movie's ending just leaves one with an unsatisfied feeling. Honestly watching it everytime, I always expect something else and almost inevitably say "Is that it?". I did like one surprise at the end and the film may well please gore fans although mostly the gore looks incredibly phony too. Still this does have a certain 1980s Halloween charm and pulls off a few clever surprises. If it wasn't tied to the Halloween series, it might have achieved even more of a cult status but honestly I can't say I think this is particularly good despite having it in my collection. ** out of ***** stars

[3mnkids]

Killing Words(Palabras encadenadas)~ Ramon works at the university teaching philosophy. Hes not exactly the type you would think could be a murderer but the woman tied to a chair in his basement and forced to play a game of words would disagree.

This kept me guessing the entire movie.Lots of twist going on in this one.  Did he do the things he said he did, is it all BS to scare her, is she playing a game with him?.. It was well acted and well written. Its a very good thriller that I would watch again.

Pin~ Leon and Ursula are siblings and children of a doctor who has a medical dummy(pin)that he keeps in his office. The doc pretends that pin is real, he gives the children gifts from pin and makes pin talk by throwing his voice. As the kids get older Ursula realizes pin isnt real but leon still believes it. When their parents are killed in a car accident Leon brings pin homes and treats him like a member of the family..

Creepy movie.. There is a scene early on where one of the nurses has a little fun with Pin(the horizontal kind).. it was funny and sick at the same time. 

[Rev. Powell]

EVANGELION 1.11: YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE (2007/2010):  Tokyo-3 is under assault by mysterious robot-like creatures known as "Angels"; two teenagers pilot the bio-robots that are the only things that can defeat the invaders and save humanity, while simultaneously dealing with emotional scars and high school bullies.  The mystical plot is barely hinted at in this first installment of an intended trilogy, but the story wouldn't make much sense anyway, because no one acts anything like an actual human being would in a similar situation; the plot and characters seem to be an annoyance linking together pretty pictures.  There was one scene that was so unrealistic I assumed it had to be a dream sequence, but it turned out to be intended as part of the dramatic arc.  Anime fans drool over this but I don't get it. I guess you have to be willing to accept that human behavior in these things is just as stylized as the drawing.  2.5/5.

[JaseSF]

Nuns on the Run (1990): Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane star as Brian and Charlie, a pair of bumbling reluctant bank robbers who secretly want to go straight. When circumstances kind of force their hand, they end up stealing stolen loot from their gang boss and soon have forces on all sides breathing down their necks and after their heads - their own gang, a rival Triad gang and the police. Needing a place to hide out and let things cool down, Brian and Charlie duck into a nunnery and soon as to not be spotted, they make a rather startling transformation into nuns Sister Euphemia (Brian) and Sister Inviolata (Charlie)!

I love this movie! Personally I find it hilariously funny and surprisingly clever to boot. It really shows off Idle and Coltrane's comedic talents and their ability to play unlikely characters. While they are funny as Brian and Charlie, when they transform themselves into Euphemia and Inviolata, things get even funnier. It helps here I feel that a certain respect is maintained for the religious element of this story while at the same time religion is discussed and debated in a rather thoughtful fashion. Kind of an underrated comedy gem in my estimation. ****1/2 out of ***** stars.

The Adventures of Milo & Otis (1986): A little cat named Milo seems to constantly get himself into trouble and mischief. It's a good thing he's got a friend like the pugnosed pup Otis to be his friend, keep him company and keep an eye out for him. However when Milo gets accidentally swept downstream in a little wooden box on the river, can even Otis get him out of this scrape? An entertaining tale of adventure and the bravery and friendship between two animals ensues, one that sees our heroes put into much danger and forced to face and overcome many difficult challenges.

Actually this in many ways reminds of Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey except in this story, humans really play no factor into events whatsoever. It's quite an heartwarming, touching and moving little story about an adorably cute little orange striped cat and his not as adorable but still rather sweet little pugnose dog friend. We are made to care about these characters and quickly come to empathize with their situation. We worry about them when they get in trouble, even more so when they face real danger. I'm not certain all the animals are portrayed in a truly realistic fashion but this is still quite cleverly done and proves very entertaining fare indeed, fare suitable for the whole family. Originally a Japanese film, the shorter  English dub version is very well done and narrated and truly brought to life by Dudley Moore. ****1/2 out of ***** stars.

Halloween H20 (1998): It's twenty years after the events of Halloween and Halloween II. Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her son John (Josh Hartnett) have gone into hiding changing their identities and relocating to California. This Halloween, John has just turned 17 and Laurie's long thought dead brother, the masked psychopathic, unstoppable killing machine named Michael Myers has finally decided to pay his family yet another visit.

Honestly I really enjoyed this one. It stays fairly true to the spirit and elements presented in the first two films although the look of Michael Myers, most notably the mask with more visible eyeholes, has been slightly altered. Actually here I think the visible eyeholes work rather well and help to further establish the past connection and recognition between Laurie and the monster who haunts her - Michael. Also there's the added element of Laurie now being a protective mother. The movie moves fast and keeps you guessing until the end, which is about the only thing that kind of disappointed me here aside from some characters making some rather dumb choices at certain points in time. The ending just seems too easily achieved which may have allowed for yet another sequel, one that probably should have never happened. Anyways, this one is an enjoyable, entertaining slasher that remains true to the spirit of the original Halloween arguably better than any of the other sequels. Cool are the references to Frankenstein and Psycho. Still I personally liked it a little less than Halloween II and I would rank it third in the series even though I'll give it the same rating here. *** out of ***** stars. Perhaps I'm being generous here though I have to admit.

[3mnkids]

Opera~ After the star is hit by a car Betty becomes the lead in the Opera Macbeth.  She has heard Macbeth is bad luck and starts to believe it when the people around her start getting killed.


This is one of my favorite Argento films.      

[lester1/2jr]

Ghosts (2005) - early effort from Christian Petzold, german director whose done a couople of thrillers I liked. this is very much a warm up and while not bad and featuring some compelling teenage girl actresses is not in itself all that compelling. or thrilling. 3/5

[SkullBat308]

The One with Jet Li

[Rev. Powell]

The One with Jet Li

Which one? 

[SkullBat308]

The One with Jet Li

Which one? 

 

[JaseSF]

Poltergeist (1982): a family's whole world get turned topsy turvy when the family's young daughter (Heather O' Rourke) gets abducted by ghostly forces that seemingly come out of the family television set. The family eventually learns there are many ghostly presences on their property but worst of all is the beast who holds them there and most frightening of all has used trickery to gain an hold on their young daughter.

This was one of the earliest movies to really scare me. Granted I wasn't real old at the time but I remember being quite startled by the scenes with the tree and the clown doll in particular. Honestly watching it again, I still found them somewhat creepy but the movie's impact for me is lessened watching it as an adult and the FX works seems much more obvious to me now. That said, this has a good cast including Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams as a father and mother truly put through Hell here. Zelda Rubinstein as Tangina provides a memorable character too who honestly it seemed to me should have been in the film a little bit more. Director Tobe Hooper manages to get in some really good scares, although like I say I think they work better when you're young and haven't been exposed to as much, and some surprising gore. The film does feel a bit overlong but is still quite good, I just find it a bit less scary and a bit more obvious now than I did watching it in my younger years. *** out of ***** stars

The Sentinel (1977): A young model (Cristina Raines) finds herself living a real nightmare when she discovers the eccentric and bizarrely disturbing neighbors in the old apartment house she's been renting are not quite as they appear. Soon ghostly disturbances and a painful family memory of her abusive father also play a factor into the plot as does her somewhat troubled relationship with lawyer Michael Lerner (Chris Sarandon) whose wife killed herself after learning of their affair (or did she?). The only other resident in the house is a mysterious old blind priest (memorably played by John Carradine) who never leaves his window at the top of the building, out of which he seems to be constantly staring. This house holds a secret, a mystery we see intriguely unravel before our eyes.

I really liked this movie. It was quite disturbing and perhaps relies a little too heavily on shocks and gore but the main mystery is just so intriguing and fascinating to watch unravel and the movie left me constantly guessing up until near the end when we finally learn the full story behind these unusual events. Burgess Meredith, Beverly D' Angelo and Sylvia Miles usually steal every scene in which they appear and there's just the tip of the iceberg with regards to the fantastic cast ensembled here. Keep an eye out for Jerry Orbach, Jeff Goldblum, Christopher Walken, Jose Ferrer, Martin Balsam, Arthur Kennedy and even more. Eli Wallach is quite good too as Detective Gatz who has his suspicions about Lerner and gets to deliver some the film's best and most clever lines. And oh yeah, this one is quite scary and chilling at moments too. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

[dean]

The Men Who Stare At Goats:

A silly film about a bunch of New Age Hippy Military guys who are tasked with exploring psy-ops for the military in the 80s. A fun film that wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be.  I guess I was expecting more.  Still, I quite like Clooney in a nutty role [similar to Oh Brother] and Jeff Bridges being a hippy is always fun to watch.

3/5

Cop Out:

Tracey Morgan and Bruce Willis team up in this buddy cop movie.  Didn't really hit its stride as much as I would like.  The best bits were when Kevin Smith just unleashed Morgan and Willis together and just let them riff away.  Sean William-Scott turns in an interesting performance as well.  But the story never really gets moving and is a bit too stereotypical for its own good [considering it seems to be marketed as a homage to buddy cop films]. 

2.5/5

Batman: Under the Red Hood:

Good, albeit short, animated movie about the origins of the new villian/vigilante Red Hood.  Solid voice cast and engaging plot.  Not really much to be said about it other than that though.  A good way to power through an hour and ten minutes.

3/5.

[lester1/2jr]

the crucifier- ehh. this is one of the early Bill Zebub efforts that isn't essentially a comedy, just a bad horror movie. Definately skip this and Kill the Scream Queen in favor of Worst Horror movie ever made and most offensive comedy ever made.

[3mnkids]

Gamer~ Holy crap what a stupid movie.       

[SkullBat308]

Leprechaun
Horror Planet aka Inseminoid
The Howling 3 The Marsupials