Recent viewings

[lester1/2jr]

raffine- I saw asleep in the feet it was really good!

Mishima: a life in 4 chapters (1985) -  2 hour long sharp stylized bio of Japanese homosexual military man/ playright Yukio Mishima. I THINK he is all of those things. I am someone who like to go REALLY cold into movies so I dn't know anythign about the guy other than what is here.  Made in 85 but looks more current due to the off beat look and lack of any 80's cultural stuff, most of it takes place earlier.  I think what may have drawn the director and producers to this is the guy is the quintessential artist: painful childhood, he had a bad stutter and again is gay which couldn't have been easy in 1950's Japan. He uses pain and discipline to create a body of work  while slowly devloping radical anti capitalist feelings. Yeah, it's a good fit for creative types to get behind I 'd say.

Some of it was a little confusing, the stuff with the brother was interesting but it was like who is this?  I'd like to see it again just to iron out some of the details . definately unique. 4/5

[Rev. Powell]

Here's a rundown on five of the six films I helped judge for the Louisville International Film Festival.  One more feature to go, and I may join in the shorts judging too.

ELUSCID - a 30 minute short, actually a college film studies project, about a series of dreams.  Really, the director was just experimenting with different video techniques.  Good for a class project to illustrate grasp of visual technique, but not something aimed at audiences.  Grading on the curve I'd give it 2/5.

CLEMENCY - 18 minute short.  A reporter interviews a serial killer.  Lots of cliches and implausibility but the director shot the action/suspense scenes pretty well.  I think he could do a workmanlike job on a horror film with a better script.  2.5/5, watchable thanks to the length--it would probably wear out its welcome if it went much longer.  

THE ELUSIVE MAN - 15 min short.  A rich man is kidnapped by a gang of thieves looking for "The Elusive Man"; severed ears play heavily in the story.  Moves fast, the plot is unpredictable, acting is good, and it has a pleasant light comedy tone.  This seems like it could be fleshed out into a feature with relative ease.  The most promising entry. 3/5.

THE RAIN [AKA DARK FIELDS] - A small town is under an Indian curse involving drought, a wasting illness that strikes only adults, and an obligation to periodically sacrifice their children.  It's an interesting Steven King-like premise and the structure is ambitious (it tells stories from three different generations of townsfolk).  But it's extremely confusing and frustrating: the rules of the curse aren't laid out properly, and there are characters and events that are never properly explained and/or don't make any sense.  Makeup/special effects are good and look good in the trailer.  It's one of David Carradine's last movies (he's good and lends a touch of class) and my guess is it will probably see a DVD release because of that.  I'm giving it a generous 2/5.

TRUE NATURE - A daughter's disappearance and unexplained reappearance one year later puts stress on a privileged family with a controlling mom and a workaholic defense contractor dad.  Very slow to get started but keeps your interest if you can get past the first 20 minutes or so; sort of a family drama with an embedded supernatural mystery.  I'm guessing no distribution deal for this one.  I'm giving it 2.5/5 but it may look better because I watched it just after THE RAIN.

I'll probably see the last movie tonight and report back tomorrow.

[3mnkids]

A town called panic~ Its cute and weird. 

Flickering lights~ Dark comedy about some gangsters who steal from their boss and try to open a restaurant with the money.

Orphans~ 4 Scottish siblings meet on the eve of their mothers funeral and have different ways of dealing with her death. It was alright. Had a few funny scenes but I wouldnt watch it again.

Surveillance~ FBI agents come to a small town to investigate some murders...It surprised me. I hadnt read anything about it prior to watching and that was a good thing. My only compliant is Bill Pullman... eh, he's really, really bad in this.

[JaseSF]

C.H.U.D. (1984): There's a number of mysterious monsters stalking the sewers under Manhatten New York who seem to have a craving for human flesh. When a large number of people go mysteriously missing in the neighborhood, one police Captain Bosch (Christopher Curry), searching for his missing wife, and the runner of a local soup kitchen nicknamed "The Reverend" A.J. Sheperd (Daniel Stern) team up to try and get to bottom of this mystery which seems to be the subject of a government military cover-up of some kind.

This movie was so much fun! I really had a blast watching it unfold. Just crazy monster mayhem with the cool, creepy C.H.U.D.s - Kim Griest does well as a model who is forced to strive to survive or become C.H.U.D. chowder. C.H.U.D. = good, fun b-movie entertainment at its best with so much happening it never seems to let up although sometimes the monsters seem a little bit more elusive than at other times. Still folks here should love this. *** out of ***** stars.

Hot Fuzz (2007): A police officer named Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) who's perhaps just a tad too good at his job is reassigned from London to the rural village of Sandford where he's paired up with a buffoonish, incompetent partner named Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). Soon though Angel uncovers the fact that a series of brutal "accidents" may in fact be related and could all be part of some murderous plot surrounding an hooded mystery killer. Unfortunately no one else in the area seems willing to listen or every consider the possibility of murder in the small town.

I was shocked at how brutally gory this film was. Granted I guess I shouldn't have been given it's from the same people who did Shaun of the Dead but still, it did rather surprise me. In fact, there's so much gory murder and mayhem and the ultimate reveal as to who's behind the murders put this I'd argue at the horror genre borderlines. Still it's mainly an exaggerated parody of cop buddy movies mainly and definitely delivers the goods for most of its running time - if it seems a bit slow at first, be patient because it gets better. The climax is so over the top it's great and probably rivals almost any true cop action buddy film out there. Highly entertaining and the ending is an actionfest! ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Summer Rental (1985): Jack Chester (John Candy), an overworked air traffic controller, finally forced to take a vacation, takes his family to Florida for a relaxing beach vacation. However once there, he runs awry of one Captain Al Pellet (Richard Crenna), an obnoxious yachtsman who thinks he practically owns and runs the town and doesn't appreciate out of towners like Chester and his family. Eventually Jack decides to try and put him in his place and takes up sailing hoping to one-up Pellet at his own game.

This film is pretty lighthearted fun suitable for the whole family for most of its running time. Granted some of its jokes get a little tired at times especially the breast implant joke but it's surprising funny and good natured fun for most of its running time. Candy's Chester seems the ultimate hard luck fellow, despite being a good fellow at heart, and his family seems to feel the full, unfortunate brunt of this as well. The opening bits with Candy going to work, the early part of the film with Candy and his family going on vacation, the mix-ups in housing, the beach scenes are all pretty funny. The movies does take a turn towards the dramatic at midpoint however with Jack becoming determined to teach Pellet a lesson and the comedy slows a bit at this point. Still there are good moments here and there. Loved the unexpected appearance of a certain theme song at one point. This is nothing great but it is good, O.K. fun for a boring evening or afternoon and especially if you're a fan of that likable fellow John Candy. **1/2 out of ***** stars

[Rev. Powell]

The last of the film festival films.

BLOOD RIVER: A mysterious drifter makes trouble for a young couple when their car breaks down in the desert.  A very good performance by newcomer Andrew Howard as the cowboy prophet/supernatural serial killer makes this slightly talky, pseudo-religious horror film watchable.  2.5/5, but I suspect this will probably be the festival winner (even though I liked the short THE ELUSIVE MAN slightly better).  I think this one will likely find distribution here even though it's been on the festival circuit for a year now (someone bought the rights for Europe and Canada).   

[3mnkids]

The last of the film festival films.

BLOOD RIVER: A mysterious drifter makes trouble for a young couple when their car breaks down in the desert.  A very good performance by newcomer Andrew Howard as the cowboy prophet/supernatural serial killer makes this slightly talky, pseudo-religious horror film watchable.  2.5/5, but I suspect this will probably be the festival winner (even though I liked the short THE ELUSIVE MAN slightly better).  I think this one will likely find distribution here even though it's been on the festival circuit for a year now (someone bought the rights for Europe and Canada).   

I've actually seen this one.     Andrew Howard was really good but the others... eh, not so much.  I didnt care for the ending and the religious aspect of it but it was a pretty good movie.  I would have liked a little more info about what exactly he did *********SPOILER*******


to her son and why she was responsible as well.

[SkullBat308]

The Mist- Great flick 

[Jack]

Night Skies (2007) - watched this again.  Some college-age people are driving to Vegas in an RV, and of course they get lost, wind up on a dirt road, witness some weird lights in the sky, and crash into a telephone pole.  During the collision, one guy falls on a knife and is seriously wounded.  They fix him up by super-gluing the wound shut to stop the bleeding.  I don't think I'd be giving too much away if I said that he dies eventually.  But that's okay, because the rest of the characters ignore this guy's life-threatening injury completely - the hot babe is busy flirting with some guy, and the engaged couple are busy arguing about their relationship.   Eventually the aliens attack.  Just when you think the last act is starting - it's over.  WTF?  Oh, but that's okay because this is all based on a true story.  Some alien abductee remembered this all during hypnotic regression therapy.  Uh-huh.  That's the way it really happened.  Ah hell, the only reason I watched this is because one of the babes is totally hot.  2.5/5.

[Sleepyskull]

Six-String Samurai (1998)

I'm too tired to describe this, but there is a review on this site. 

I will say it's one of the few films I will describe as perfect!

It's definitely in my top 7 favorite films of all time!

[Jack]

Project Moonbase (1953) - A young couple pilot a ship around the moon, but they're accompanied by a doctor who turns out to be an imposter - he's actually an enemy agent.  He tries to sabotage the ship which forces them to land on the moon, but they don't have enough fuel left to take off, so they have to wait and hope that "Spacom" sends them extra supplies.  The movie is more of a romance - under "dire" circumstances - than anything else.  The characters were pretty likable, the plot couldn't really be taken seriously, and the special effects were good for a chuckle or two.  I more-or-less enjoyed it.  3/5.

[claws]

Night Skies (2007) - watched this again.  Some college-age people are driving to Vegas in an RV, and of course they get lost, wind up on a dirt road, witness some weird lights in the sky, and crash into a telephone pole.  During the collision, one guy falls on a knife and is seriously wounded.  They fix him up by super-gluing the wound shut to stop the bleeding.  I don't think I'd be giving too much away if I said that he dies eventually.  But that's okay, because the rest of the characters ignore this guy's life-threatening injury completely - the hot babe is busy flirting with some guy, and the engaged couple are busy arguing about their relationship.   Eventually the aliens attack.  Just when you think the last act is starting - it's over.  WTF?  Oh, but that's okay because this is all based on a true story.  Some alien abductee remembered this all during hypnotic regression therapy.  Uh-huh.  That's the way it really happened.  Ah hell, the only reason I watched this is because one of the babes is totally hot.  2.5/5.

This was based on the Phoenix Lights incident back in 1997 but Night Skies is actually based on Fire in the Sky, as in totally ripping it off 
I thought this was fun. Stupid but still watchable.

[Raffine]

IT'S ALIVE Trilogy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8xe8p6zECQ
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IT'S ALIVE - One of the best classic 70's horror films from the pre-slasher era. Larry Cohen's film is still pretty terrifying and it greatly benefits from the Bernard Herrmann score. Many consider this a low-point in Herrmann's career, but he and Cohen were great friends and he had a blast scoring this. Upon his first viewing Herrmann reportedly turned to Cohen and chuckled "Ya know know, it's all gonna happen again!"

IT LIVES AGAIN - Not quite the classic the first film was, but still pretty effective. Even though now there are three killer babies, they are largely confined to a lab and are never really "on the loose" to terrorize the population - just a bunch of old scientists and a grouchy Fredrick Forrest (who insists on going topless for much of the film  ). The babies look a lot more rubbery this time out.

The score is made up of leftovers from the now dead Herrmann's original one, so it's still a highlight.

ISLAND OF THE ALIVE - This starts off fairly strong with a monster birth in a taxi cab, but it quickly degenerates into a bad copy of a Troma film. Some fun comes from watching Michael Moriarty and Karen Black, two of the most certifiably insane actors ever to grace the screen, ham it up and obviously go offscript.

Things get really odd when in the last 30 minutes or so a whole new crop of 80's-era  characters are introduced (including a creep named 'Tony' who keeps calling Karen Black a "S.O.B."). This finally becomes a weird remake of ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES.

Herrmann, who by now had been dead over ten years, still gets a music credit!

"Mamma! MA-MA!"

The Heart-warming conclusion to ISLAND OF THE ALIVE (obviously spoilers involved)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkywYpciGLk&feature=related
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[JaseSF]

Ernest Scared Stupid (1991): Ernest, here a garbageman, befriends some kids in his neighborhood and helps them build a treehouse/fort to defend themselves against local bullies. However by disturbing the tree on Halloween, Ernest unwittingly lets loose and evil tree troll who sets out to capture five young kids, turning them into wooden dolls and feeding their souls to his tree to help grow even more trolls. Eartha Kitt stars as the town's crazy old hermit lady who Ernest and the kids turn to for advice as to how to deal with the situation.

This movie is lots of fun especially on a first viewing. The opening credits montage with Jim Varney's Ernest reacting to many classic B and A-movie monsters and situations is hilarious and sets a fun tone for things to come. In this montage we see clips from NOSFERATU (1922), WHITE ZOMBIE (1932), PHANTOM FROM SPACE (1953), THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS (1958), THE SCREAMING SKULL (1958), MISSILE TO THE MOON (1958), THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON (1959), THE GIANT GILA MONSTER (1959), THE KILLER SHREWS (1959), BATTLE BEYOND THE SUN (1960) and THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960). The troll is surprisingly powerful and menacing for most of the film's running time which I think is a lot of why the film is so effective as it is. It's mimicking the voices of other kids to lure children to it is particularly creepy. Still this is more comedy/parody/fun than anything else and is suitable family viewing especially appopriate for Halloween. It does however work best and seem funniest in initial viewing. It didn't up quite as well for me on repeat viewing although I still enjoyed it nevertheless. **1/2 out of ***** stars.

[Jack]

The Burrowers (2008) - Back in the days of the old West, some settlers are killed and some others are kidnapped.  The locals assume they were abducted by Indians, so they team up with a small group of soldiers to rescue them.  With a name like The Burrowers, you kind of know that Indians aren't the culprits, but that doesn't stop these people from spending the entire movie searching for them.  The characters were actually quite good, and the creatures themselves were cool as well - when they weren't looking like obvious CGI creations.  My big problem with this movie is that the suspenseful scenes just didn't work at all;  they were predictable and not the least bit scary.  Though it did throw an unexpected twist in here and there.  Overall it was kind of dull but the characters somewhat made up for it, but it's still more of a miss than a hit.  I'll be slightly generous and give it a 3/5.

[lester1/2jr]

the big combo- I had read in "dark city" that this had all srots of layers with masohism and double entendres about gay characters but it seemed like a really dull low budget noir to me. the blonde is pretty but not photographed in a very flattering manner. maybe I'll try again but its an alpha product, considering the relative sale ability of film noir I think that would tend to mean something. 3/5