Recent viewings

[Rev. Powell]

I've got a lot of catching up to do on this thread.

MALPERTUIS (1971): A sailor is taken to Malpertuis, a strange estate ruled by a sickly Cassavius (Orson Welles) from his bed; when Cassavius dies, the odd provisions of his will prod the bizarre residents into conflict. A collection of sometimes brilliant scenes that appears to be building to some kind of mystical revelation, but always pulls back just when things start to get interesting, and ends with a frustrating "dream inside a dream" climax. It was a flop that cut Harry Kumel's (the excellent dreamy vampire flick DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS) promising directorial career short; he claims that the problem was editorial butchering by United Artists, but the 120 minute director's cut is unsatisfying on its own. Lester started a thread on this one a while back, but I can't find it.  He gave it a mediocre review and I hoped I would like it better, but I probably feel the same about it as he did.  2.5/5. 

MST3K: SANTA CLAUS VS. THE MARTIANS:  One of the best episodes of the series, in nearly everyone's top 5.  The movie is ridiculous and easy to follow with the comments.  They make very simple but effective riffs, and the host segments are excellent (especially the new Christmas carol, "A Patrick Swayze Christmas": "I've never heard of a Christmas carol with an action sequence before").  Contains one of my favorite exchanges ever, when Joel asks the bots what they want for Christmas.  CROW: "I want to decide who lives and who dies." JOEL: "Oh, I don't know..."  Watched it with a 9 and 11 year old and they loved it despite not getting most of the jokes.  4.5/5.

YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES (1985): A schoolboy Sherlock, with a fussy young Watson in tow, investigates a series of murders by an occult group who use a hallucinogenic drug to justify the film's special effects budget. Good, overlooked Spielberg-produced adventure for kids, and the aforementioned hallucination scenes are well-done and creepy. 3.5/5.

NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1988): Horny teenagers spend Halloween night in an abandoned mortuary and are possessed by demons. Campy, but well-made, with good effects and at least one indelible scene (Linnea Quigley's lipstick trick); the epitome of cheesy, mildly sleazy 80s horror.  Like LIFEFORCE, it's not quite as good as I remembered (it was mostly the nudity that made it stick in my mind).  3.5/5.

A MIGHTY WIND (2003): A mockumentary in which three retired folk groups, each with their own backstories, get together for a reunion concert to honor their dead producer. None of the satirical bite or outright hilarity of SPINAL TAP, but it succeeds with involving characterizations (especially by a crazy-eyed Eugene Levy, who has been spending his post-stardom days in mental hospitals), and by being remarkably sweet towards its subjects without ever becoming cloying. 4/5.

THE BRAINIAC (1961): A mysterious man with magical powers (which are never explained) is burnt alive by the Spanish Inquisition, then returns 300 years later to wreak his vengeance on the descendants of the celibate clergymen who condemned him. Fast moving Mexican silliness that's famous (and worth seeing) for the ridiculous (but kind of creepy) monster with the three foot long forked tongue. 3/5.

[lester1/2jr]

young sherlock holmes was a big hit with me and my friends when it came out.  I saw it multiple times.  loved the ramatap and stop motion pastries

[HappyGilmore]

Marley & Me- Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star in this romantic comedy.  Both are reporters for Tampa area newspapers, but Owen eventually becomes a humor columnist, writing about various events in his life, especially the humorous antics involving him and his family's dog.  The dog is so bad nobody will babysit it if they go out of town.  Lot of funny moments, but the ending is horribly sad.

I HATE romantic comedies, but this was a good one, if anything, because of your connection to the dog of the film and the events that transpire.  I'm assuming most people have heard of the ending by now, but be warned...have tissues.  I'm secure enough to say that it affected me, and I've got a brick wall around my heart, that's how little I show emotion.

MST3K: SANTA CLAUS VS. THE MARTIANS:  One of the best episodes of the series, in nearly everyone's top 5.  The movie is ridiculous and easy to follow with the comments.  They make very simple but effective riffs, and the host segments are excellent (especially the new Christmas carol, "A Patrick Swayze Christmas": "I've never heard of a Christmas carol with an action sequence before").  Contains one of my favorite exchanges ever, when Joel asks the bots what they want for Christmas.  CROW: "I want to decide who lives and who dies." JOEL: "Oh, I don't know..."  Watched it with a 9 and 11 year old and they loved it despite not getting most of the jokes.  4.5/5.

NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1988): Horny teenagers spend Halloween night in an abandoned mortuary and are possessed by demons. Campy, but well-made, with good effects and at least one indelible scene (Linnea Quigley's lipstick trick); the epitome of cheesy, mildly sleazy 80s horror.  Like LIFEFORCE, it's not quite as good as I remembered (it was mostly the nudity that made it stick in my mind).  3.5/5.

Both are good.

[lester1/2jr]

take my eyes (2005)-  I knew this movie was abuot domestic vilence but I had thuoght with all the awards and so forth it would be somethign different than the usual Lifetime /burning bed type "hitting your wife is wrong" edu-film.  The directing and acting are fine, the abusive husband in particular is scary and well cast, but ...maybe in Spain this is groundbreaking but after a half hour and the guy attending domestic violence counseling and so forth it seemed like it was just that, a movie showing how bad this phenomenon is.  Not to appear insensitive but In America we are taught this from birth and it's well covered in our media and schools and elsewhere so I don't know. I don't know alot about spanish society so maybe this is a big step forward for them but I turned it off after a half hour.  ?/5

[Psycho Circus]

I don't know alot about spanish society so maybe this is a big step forward for them.

Yes Lester, "lord" knows where the Spanish would be without this film. 

[lester1/2jr]

lol what do you mean?  note:  this got ALL  4 and 5 star reviews at netflix, I'm going to get alot of unhelpfuls. I'm sorry, it just looked like an old after school special to me

[Psycho Circus]

lol what do you mean?  note:  this got ALL  4 and 5 star reviews at netflix, I'm going to get alot of unhelpfuls. I'm sorry, it just looked like an old after school special to me

It seemed like you were implying that in Spain (men in particular), they would be going round beating each other up at home if it weren't for this film being made. 

[lester1/2jr]

no no.  I think maybe this film is more groundbreaking there than here?  I don't know.  I just don't think in merica this subject metter would be considered a very interesting topic for a movie and the behaviour of the characters, as if they've never heard of domestic violence before or have no clue how to deal with it, just didn't make sense to me.  I mean, not that there ISN'T domestic violence in america but people aren't naive about it like they are in this movie

I mean, there is this whole thing where " the guy beats her but....get this...she STIL LOVES HIM"

this exactly isn't a mindblower and they act like it is

[Jack]

Rush Week (1989) - It's rush week on the college campus - all the new students are deciding which fraternity to join.  You've got the bad frat, BDB:  booze, dope and bimbos.  And the good fraternity.  The BDB guys play pranks on the other frat, and on everyone else.  Sigh...like a third rate rip off of Animal House.  At the same time, a couple students have disappeared, and a female reporter for the college newspaper starts investigating.  She also falls in love with the head of the bad fraternity.  So this plays out like a murder mystery/romance.  But wait, this is advertised as a slasher!  We finally get a little bit of that minor subplot in the last ten minutes.  Overall, the character were just blah, the comedy was lame, and there certainly weren't any scares.  Better than watching the latest episode of The Biggest Loser, but not much else.  3/5.

[Psycho Circus]

I mean, not that there ISN'T domestic violence in america but people aren't naive about it like they are in this movie

Yes, in that "movie", NOT the whole of Spain.

[lester1/2jr]

well it's a spanish movie meant for a spanish audience.  whoever made this film was operating under the assumtion that spanish people had never pondered the issue of domestic violence or at least never seen a movie about it.

[JaseSF]

Beyond Justice (1992): A wealthy woman/corporate figurehead named Christine Sanders (Carol Alt) finds her world turned upside down when her son is kidnapped by her Arab ex-husband Moulet (Kabir Bedi). Moulet, the boy's father, has decided to take the boy to Morocco to take his place amongst his people. The boy's father is in fact the son of an Emir (Omar Sharif) and the boy's grandfather has made special plans for him as well. A desperate Christine decides to hire a team of mercenaries lead by Tom Burton (Rutger Hauer) to recover her son from the Emir's grasp but it certainly well be anything but easy.

Dull. By the Numbers. Predictable. Forgettable. Those are good words to describe this movie. It's amazing that a film that features so much gunfire, so many gun battles, numerous explosions and an exotic desert location could be so incredibly dull and unmoving. The only thing here even a little bit worthwhile are the performances given by Omar Sharif and Kabir Bedi, who at least add some emotion and feeling to their characters. Everybody else in the film, including Hauer's Tom Burton, is dull and forgettable, just cardboard cookie cutter character types. It really seems like most of the cast were just going through the paces on their way to an eventual paycheck. Carol Alt's acting in particular, not really all that surprising, is downright terrible. ** out of *****

Escape From Sobibor (1987): This television film explores the real life story of a courageous escape attempt by Jewish prisoners that took place at a Nazi death camp in Sobibor during World War II.

This is one of the best films about the Jewish Holocaust ever made. It's heartfelt and doesn't pull any punches. It's doesn't hold back but presents to viewers the true scope of the horrors of Nazi death camps. It might not show every single event up close and personal but it shows more than enough of the real life horrors and atrocities that it will stick with viewers long after viewing. This movie will move you if you have an heart that can be moved at all. Its cast also deliver terrific performances especially lead Alan Arkin as Leon Feldhendler, the defacto leader of the Jews in the camp  and Rutger Hauer as Sasha, a Russian soldier also held prisoner there due to his also being a Jew. Together they help organize and orchestrate the escape. But there are also a number of other smaller characters whose lives intertwine here that we are made to feel for on a level that many films rarely achieve. A must see film if just to explore the potential depths of human depravity and get a handle on how much suffering blind hate can cause.

I do wonder though about the full version of this film as the DVD I have, a public domain title, only runs around 2 hours when the full film runs another extra half hour more. It does feel at times like a bit of the story is missing here. ***** out of ***** regardless.

[lester1/2jr]

Ark of the Sun God (1983)- one thing other countries movies sometimes do that they really sholdn't is rip off an american movies title, thus leading one to compare their lousy movie to the awesome spielberg helmed american movie.  I'm thinking of Japans Star Wars answer "War in Space" and this, which sounds like it's going to be a raiders of the Lost ark rip but is a lame 007 rip, of the type Italy has for some reason been making since the 60's.  check out their horror movies instead or if you're feeling adventorous "bingo Bongo" or "Fantastic Argoman". stay well clear of this dud. 1.5/5

[Doggett]

Evolution.

You've seen ghostbusters, right ?
Of course you have.

Same thing but with aliens.
Perfectly reasonable sci-fi (of is that syfy these days) comedy.


3.5/5

[lester1/2jr]

Kansas City bomber-  This is a decent if curiously downbeat movie about roller derby starring Raquel Welch and her stunt double, who with a wig constantly hanging over his or her face reminded me of WWF wrestler The Great Kabuki, minus the spitting of the green mist (it was a better gimmick than it sounds) . Boy was this movie ever in need of some comic relief.  You'd think it would be at least a little bit fun to be on a roller derby team.  Welch kind of resembles Jessica Biel.  She looks good but is not nude or in any provocative outfits or anything nor is anyone else.  no chemistry with love interest but the tension between her and the team and her and the boyfriend manager guy was good.  welcome to 3 1/2 stars. enjoy your stay