Recent viewings

[Dr. Whom]

PRISON SHIP aka STAR SLAMMER (1986)

Fred Olen Ray thought it was a good idea to make a sleazy 'women in prison' rip off of Star Wars. Seriously over the top with especially the bad guys cranking it up to 11. Surprisingly little nudity, although at one point our heroine Taura is sneaking through the evil lab, and then suddenly takes time to change her shirt.
Fred Olen Ray used to be a wrestler and it shows in the 'fight' sequences (I use the term loosely)

[FatFreddysCat]

"Big Trouble" (2002)
A down on his luck Miami journalist gets caught up in an increasingly bizarre series of events that also involves two inept Mob hitmen, some Russian arms dealers, a pair of not-so-bright cops, the FBI, a guy who lives in a tree, a nuclear bomb in a suitcase, and a psychedelic toad.
Barry "Men in Black" Sonnenfeld directed this hilarious caper comedy with a fantastic cast (which includes Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Stanley Tucci, Jason Lee, Zooey Deschanel, Janeane Garofalo, Patrick Warburton, and more) based on the novel by humor columnist Dave Barry.
"Big Trouble" is probably best remembered for its incredibly bad timing. It was supposed to be released in September 2001, but after the 9/11 attacks its "bomb on an airplane" subplot became a problem. The studio shelved the movie till the following year, when it promptly tanked at the box office. That's a shame because this is a smart, fast moving, funny as hell flick that deserves to be re-discovered.

[indianasmith]

"Big Trouble" (2002)
A down on his luck Miami journalist gets caught up in an increasingly bizarre series of events that also involves two inept Mob hitmen, some Russian arms dealers, a pair of not-so-bright cops, the FBI, a guy who lives in a tree, a nuclear bomb in a suitcase, and a psychedelic toad.
Barry "Men in Black" Sonnenfeld directed this hilarious caper comedy with a fantastic cast (which includes Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Stanley Tucci, Jason Lee, Zooey Deschanel, Janeane Garofalo, Patrick Warburton, and more) based on the novel by humor columnist Dave Barry.
"Big Trouble" is probably best remembered for its incredibly bad timing. It was supposed to be released in September 2001, but after the 9/11 attacks its "bomb on an airplane" subplot became a problem. The studio shelved the movie till the following year, when it promptly tanked at the box office. That's a shame because this is a smart, fast moving, funny as hell flick that deserves to be re-discovered.

I absolutely loved this movie!  Dave Barry's genius shines in the dialogue.

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Lake on Clinton Road" (2016)
Six annoying twenty somethings make the mistake of going to a secluded lake house on New Jersey's famed "haunted" Clinton Road for a party weekend, and fall one by one to a mysterious supernatural force.

...this cheap, poorly acted shot on video flick has the balls to claim that it's "based on true events," but I can safely call bulls**t on that, since I happen to live in the same town as Clinton Road and I'm familiar w/all the local legends about it. (I think they're a load of baloney, personally, but that's a whole 'nother story.) This movie makes no attempt to use any of those legends, in favor of regurgitating the same "Paranormal Activity" haunted-house crap we've seen a million times before. Adding insult to injury, it clearly wasn't filmed anywhere near the "real" Clinton Road, which the filmmakers seem to think is somewhere near "the Shore" (it isn't).

The stories surrounding Clinton Road could make a pretty decent horror film in the right hands, but obviously this isn't it. (Do I have to say it?) AVOID.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Asteroid: Final Impact" (2015)
A disgraced scientist must convince his skeptical former colleagues that the small asteroids impacting Earth's major cities are part of a much bigger, potentially planet killing 'roid that's still on the way.
Schlockier than usual made for TV junk, which spends way too much time on personal drama between its uninteresting characters and not nearly enough on the asteroid related mayhem. Skip this.

[Rev. Powell]

FOR SAMA (2019): In the Syrian civil war, a female journalist stays in besieged Aleppo with her doctor husband to work at a hospital, but the birth of her daughter makes her doubt her resolve. A terrifying act of hope. 4.5/5.

AMERICAN FACTORY (2019): Cultures clash when a Chinese industrialist takes over a Dayton, Ohio glass-making plant. At one point, a mediator addressing a squabble between an American worker and her Chinese supervisor turns to the camera and delivers the film's likely takeaway: "the problem is, they're both wrong." Looking at what the Chinese are willing to do, it does explain why American manufacturing is doomed. On Netflix. 3/5.

[lester1/2jr]

Dr Whom - that movie sucked so bad  

Lights Out (2016) - if you like stuff like ... what's that one...okay start over this is an okay horror movie that might have been more interesting if J Law or J Lo or someone like that had been the star instead of some okay looking lady.

The hook, to the extent there is one, is Diana the shadow thing that torments everyone.

I remember it now" Insidious" ! it has that same kind of controlled we intend to make sequels sort of thing to it.

The "rocker" boyfriend was annoying. watchable, but nothing to celebrate

3/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Nothing But Trouble" (1991)

New York yuppies on their way to Atlantic City get pulled over for speeding in a bizarre backwoods New Jersey town run by a deranged judge and his mutant family members, who have their own unique style of dispensing justice. Things get weirder from there.

Dan Aykroyd co-wrote, directed, and starred in this notorious horror-comedy flop that wastes its great cast of Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, and John Candy (who plays two roles, one of them in drag). Adding to the what-the-f*ck-am-I-watching vibe (and totally dating the film) is an out-of-nowhere, totally pointless cameo by the early '90s hip hop group Digital Underground, with Tupac!

I think Dan was trying to blend the styles of "Texas Chainsaw" and "Beetlejuice" (with a hit of "Rocky Horror") in this movie, but "Nothing But Trouble" isn't scary enough for horror fans, nor is it particularly funny... it's just one long series of WTF moments strung together. I'll give it points for the cool, deranged set designs (which look like something Rob Zombie might have dreamed up) and for Demi Moore's short skirt and cleavage, but otherwise this flick is a total mess.

[Gabriel Knight]

THE DARK CRYSTAL (1982)

On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and so restore order to his world.

I recalled this movie from my childhood and decided to watch it again. Damn, I didn't remembered how awesome those puppets were, everything feels so real and fantastic at the same time. A beatiful yet scary story, the perfect fantasy tale for kids and adults alike. The imagination put on every single detail is incredible, even the plants look strange.

I enjoyed it immensely, I wish every kid nowadays had the chance to watch gems like this one. 9/10  

[Alex]

"Nothing But Trouble" (1991)

New York yuppies on their way to Atlantic City get pulled over for speeding in a bizarre backwoods New Jersey town run by a deranged judge and his mutant family members, who have their own unique style of dispensing justice. Things get weirder from there.

Dan Aykroyd co-wrote, directed, and starred in this notorious horror-comedy flop that wastes its great cast of Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, and John Candy (who plays two roles, one of them in drag). Adding to the what-the-f*ck-am-I-watching vibe (and totally dating the film) is an out-of-nowhere, totally pointless cameo by the early '90s hip hop group Digital Underground, with Tupac!

I think Dan was trying to blend the styles of "Texas Chainsaw" and "Beetlejuice" (with a hit of "Rocky Horror") in this movie, but "Nothing But Trouble" isn't scary enough for horror fans, nor is it particularly funny... it's just one long series of WTF moments strung together. I'll give it points for the cool, deranged set designs (which look like something Rob Zombie might have dreamed up) and for Demi Moore's short skirt and cleavage, but otherwise this flick is a total mess.

You reminded me that I'd seen about the first twenty minutes to half an hour of this film and now I need to go and watch the rest of it.

[lester1/2jr]

The Autopsy of Jane Doe - In a world with no Hereditary this might have been a bigger deal, instead its a pretty well made horror movie with some decent intrigue and themes. rather than a sequel I'd like a prequel. I want to learn more about Jane Doe. That was the strongest part of the movie, the rest of it with the random evil things going on was a little more run of the mill

3.75/5

[Rev. Powell]

POLYESTER (1981): Poor Francine Fishpaw! She's married to a cheating pornographer and has a promiscuous delinquent daughter and a sadistic foot fetishist son; maybe Todd Tomorrow will sweep her off her feet? John Waters' sixth feature is less outrageous but just as mean; having Divine play the victim rather than the villain takes some of the fun away. In Odorama. (I'm not a huge fan of Waters' movies, though I love his public persona). 2.5/5. 

[FatFreddysCat]

"Crawl" (2019)
With a Category 5 hurricane bearing down on them, a Florida college girl and her Dad find themselves trapped in their rapidly-flooding house, surrounded by a swarm of hungry alligators.
Alexandre "Piranha 3D" Aja directed this entertaining blend of creature feature and escape thriller, which may not rank very high on the believability scale but it certainly delivers on both the suspense and mayhem fronts. A solid "B" movie.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Surviving the Game" (1994)
A homeless man (Ice-T) thinks his ship has come in when he is offered a job as a "wilderness guide" for a party of wealthy big-game hunters (incl. Gary Busey and Rutger Hauer) -- but he soon finds out that he is intended to be their prey. Obviously, he does not go quietly...
A cool, mostly-forgotten 90s butt kicker, obviously inspired by the classic short story, "The Most Dangerous Game." Worth a look.

[Dr. Whom]

PAUL (2011)

Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Kristen Wiig help an alien (Seth Rogen) return home, while chased by the Secret Service. This is obviously meant as a celebration of nerdy pop culture, and there are plenty of pop culture references. Not bad as a comedy, with solid performances of the cast all around. The jokes aren't always as mature as they could be, your mileage may vary. However, it is too much by-the-numbers to be a really good movie.