Recent viewings

[FatFreddysCat]

"Devil's Knot" (2013)
This crime melodrama retells the saga of the "West Memphis Three," in which three teens from a God-fearing small Arkansas town were accused and convicted of killing three kids, in spite of a near-total lack of evidence -- aside from the fact that they liked to wear black and listened to heavy metal. Strong performances all around, including Reese Witherspoon as the mother of one of the murdered kids and Colin Firth as an investigator for the defense. Not a must-see but a decent time waster for a snowy evening.

[indianasmith]

"Devil's Knot" (2013)
This crime melodrama retells the saga of the "West Memphis Three," in which three teens from a God-fearing small Arkansas town were accused and convicted of killing three kids, in spite of a near-total lack of evidence -- aside from the fact that they liked to wear black and listened to heavy metal. Strong performances all around, including Reese Witherspoon as the mother of one of the murdered kids and Colin Firth as an investigator for the defense. Not a must-see but a decent time waster for a snowy evening.

I watched that one last year.  Very well done.

[lester1/2jr]

^ I saw Paradise Lost when I was in college it blew my mind. I took decades to finally get those guys out.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Home Alone 2: Lost In New York" (1992)

Little Kevin's on his own again, after an airport mixup puts him on a plane to New York while the rest of his inept family heads to Florida for the holidays. After soaking up the delights of the Christmas season in New York for a while, Kevin runs into his old friends Harry and Marv, who've escaped from jail and are planning a holiday heist... with a side of revenge!
...so yeah, in other words this is a complete retread of the previous film, just set in a different city, but the formula still works. My 9 year old laughed all the way through it and I got a few chuckles out of it as well.

[Rev. Powell]

CREEPY (2016): A retired detective, bored with his university job, decides to investigate a cold case of a family disappearance, while simultaneously dealing with an odd neighbor who quickly goes from aloof to overly-friendly. A slow-burn J-horror that lives up to its title thanks to the well-done villain and the atmosphere of secrets better left alone. 3.5/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Christmas With The Andersons" (2016)
A high powered lawyer loses his job right before Christmas, and the resulting financial crunch puts his family's massive annual holiday party for the whole town in jeopardy. Fortunately his wacky old Aunt and some friends pull together to help them put on a kick butt low budget holiday bash and in the process Spoiled Rich Guy learns that Christmas is about more than who's got the biggest/fanciest/most expensive stuff.
...as you might have guessed, this is yet another cookie-cutter feel good made-for-TV family holiday comedy, which piles on the schmaltz by the bucketful. Cable TV is littered with dozens of flicks just like it all December long. "Andersons" was a mildly entertaining bit o'fluff, but by this time next year I'll have forgotten it entirely.

[Ticonderoga 64]

She(1935)
The Mummy(1959)
Suicide Squad(2016)
Calling Dr.Death(1943)
The Devil Rides Out(1968)

[lester1/2jr]

V/H/S/2 - this was not/as/good/as the first one 2.5 /5

Bad Kids go to hell - somehow this was blandly watchable but it wasn't very funny or scary which horror comedies kind of should be. 2/5

[Rev. Powell]

TROLLS (2016): Cute, collectible trolls are threatened by cute-grotesque "Bergens" who want to eat them, until everyone learns the lesson that happiness comes from within, not from eating the merchandise protagonists. Sort of like a successful STRANGE MAGIC; the trippy rainbow visuals and a few of the musical numbers are good enough to hold your interest despite the pat plot, and it will be a hit with undiscriminating little girls with undiscriminating parents. Basically a very expensive toy commercial. 3/5.

THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT (2016): God's alive and living in Brussels, and he's a jerk. His 10-year old daughter hacks his computer and leaks humanity's death dates, then goes to Earth to write a new Gospel. Literate and genially blasphemous comedy with bizarre touches, like Catherine Deneuve sleeping with a gorilla. Jaco Van Dormael is the worlds's most underappreciated master filmmaker. 4.5/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Execution Squad" (1972)
An Italian police inspector tracks down a group of vigilantes who are cleaning up the crime-ridden streets of Rome at night. As the investigation goes on he begins to suspect that the killers are ex-cops, working under orders from corrupt city officials.
This flick is apparently credited with kicking off the ultraviolent low budget "Eurocrime" movie craze of the early/mid '70s but I thought it was kinda dull, it didn't even start getting into gear till the halfway point. Some say that Italian movie vet Clint Eastwood borrowed the cops-gone-rogue plot from this flick for his second "Dirty Harry" film, "Magnum Force," which came out a year later. If that's the case, then Clint did it better. (shrugs)

[Rev. Powell]

THE HANDMAIDEN (2016): A pickpocket poses as handmaiden to an heiress to spy on her on behalf of a partner who intends to seduce her, but finds herself falling in love with her mistress instead. Presented in three parts over 2.5 hours, it takes an hour before the film reveals its true nature, but the patient will be rewarded with an exotic, elegant noir-ish thriller. From Chan-wook Park (OLDBOY). 4/5.

[claws]

Yesterday I watched LIGHTS OUT - a nice little horror/ghost story with an interesting twist.  A young woman returns to her estranged mother in order to rescue her little brother from a vengeful ghost that has latched on to her mother; the ghost is afraid of light and can be harmed by bright enough lights.  Overall nicely done and some very effective jump scares.  4/5

felt very similar to Mama (2013) but still enjoyed it. Maria Bello did some great acting there.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Ted 2" (2015)
The foul mouthed, pot smoking teddy bear's entire life - including his marriage to his girlfriend Tammy Lynn - is thrown into chaos when the government declares that he is "property," not a person. Ted and his dimbulb pal John hire an inexperienced lawyer (Amanda Seyfried) and go to court to prove that Ted is more than just a stuffed toy. There are some good gags, but overall this sequel was unnecessary.

[Rev. Powell]

THE 13TH: Documentary built on the premise that the 13th Amendment's "punishments" clause creates a loophole essentially allowing the continuation of slavery via incarceration (one out of three black males will spend time in prison). The argument is overambitious: it's accurate in describing the historical role of racism in the penal system and in tracking the growth of the "prison-industrial complex," but links the two through implication rather than evidence. The issue is too complex to be honestly addressed in 90 minutes; this material should have been made into at least two more narrowly focused documentaries. 2.5/5.

[Rev. Powell]

GLEASON (2016): Retired NFL player Steve Gleason develops ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and splits his time between working for charity and recording a video log for his newborn son as he gradually loses the power to speak and walk. This documentary is real and moving, although following a predictable inspirational arc, with a couple of scenes that felt too voyeuristic for my taste. 3/5.