Recent viewings

[Pilgermann]

Foxfur (2012) - Basically about a young, probably mentally disturbed woman who is obsessed with new age stuff and the viewer is watching how she copes with her life.  She's played by multiple actresses and the film is pretty confusing and feels unfinished (which it probably is due to fragmented shooting and next to no budget) but it's still entertaining if you can deal with a vague plot that revolves around the idea that the world actually ended in 1982 yet continues on in a state of stagnation.  Highlights are various cutaways to reactions of cats and dogs, cholos running a new age book store, and a weird "time travel" sequence which takes Foxfur onto the sets of M*A*S*H and Wizards and Warriors.  I liked it.  8/10

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968) - This is an experimental documentary where the filmmaker is shooting a dramatic but purposely mundane scene for a supposed film.  One camera shoots the scene while two others are film various goings-on during shooting and general activities that happen.  The crew doesn't seem to really know what the film is about and the actors are pretty much in the same boat, and we get to see their reactions to the confusion as they try to understand what the director is really up to since he seems clueless at times.  It's really an interesting behind the scenes look at psychological side of film making and it's fun to see what the actors do with having to play the same material over and over.  Not something I'd rewatch very often but I'll give it an 8/10.

[ChaosTheory]

SEEKING JUSTICE - when his wife is brutally mugged, Will Gerard (Nic Cage) gets approached by a strange man named Simon (Guy Pierce) who declares his "organization" will punish the attacker in exchange for a favor.  When he accepts he gets sucked into a maze of crazed vigilantism.   
Basically, take VENGEANCE UNLIMITED, remove the humor, moral ambiguity and badassery and this movie is what you get.  Clunky and pretentious; Guy Pierce deserves better than this.  1/10


RETREAT - a couple (Cillian Murphy & Thandie Newton) take a trip to a secluded island to try to work out some marital issues.  A stranger (Jamie Bell) washes up on shore claiming to be the survivor of a highly contagious plague.  Slow-moving but somewhat creative take on home-invasion thrillers; could be worth seeing just for the performances.  5/10

[FatFreddysCat]

Double Feature Night:

"The Ward" (2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buF-keImNYk
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John Carpenter's latest is set in the 60s and features Amber Heard as a troubled girl incarcerated in a psychiatric hospital that happens to have a vindictive spirit roaming its halls. Cool, moody stuff with a nice twist at the end.

"Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" (1979)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebfLWAB8bY4
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A notorious no-budget horror spoof in which a motley crew of military men and secret agents try to protect California from a vicious veggie takeover. Utterly random flick with endless corny gags, non-existent acting, and even the occasional musical number. Make no mistake: this movie sucks, but it sucks extremely well.

Fun fact: the irritating-on-purpose pop song "Puberty Love" which is a major plot point/running gag in this movie was sung by a young Matt Cameron, of future Soundgarden and Pearl Jam fame. Seriously, I'm not making that up. Look it up.

[Jack]

Brain Twisters (1991) - students are turning murderous and/or suicidal on a college campus. The detective working on the case discovers that they've all participated in a brain stimulation project run by a certain mysterious professor who has ties to an even more mysterious corporation. Things soon go from bad to worse. I really enjoyed this, it had a plot that was actually interesting (can't remember the last time I've said that), and the characters were likable and sympathetic. It had a wonderful "they didn't give us enough money" feel to it, with unintentional cheesiness in all the right places. Mainly the soundtrack, which was obviously done by one guy with limited skills who owned a keyboard.  And it had one of those wonderfully sinister '80s endings. 4/5.

[lester1/2jr]

Black Lightning (2009)- Russian superhero movie that has been (charitably) compared to Iron Man and Spider man.  It's charming in it's own way and has some decent little plot moves. it's kind of like reading a pretty good comic book that you've never heard of.

A guy wants to make money to impress a very pretty girl. He procures a car that turns out to be a futuristic nuclear car that flies. This really helps him make money delivering flowers in traffic congested Moscow! Unforunately an evil guy wants it for evil things. There's some curiously heavy handed bellyaching about having a capitalist mentality (not so curious now that I think about it) and the girl doesn't do much except look pretty and say nice things. She seems to wear the same outfit ther whole movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXtPIbazCVw
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lots of white people if you're into that sort of thing. I'll be charitable. If you are a big fan of/ are knowledgable about superhero movies you would probably rank it a bit lower 4/5

[Rev. Powell]

SWEET MOVIE (1974): Two alternating stories: in one a virgin beauty queen escapes from her millionaire husband with a solid gold penis, while in the other a Socialist sea captain sails down the Seine with a hold full of sugar and candy. With explicit nudity, blood, urine, puke, feces, infantilism, sexualization of children, and pointless political references, it's like an arthouse version of PINK FLAMINGOS, only boring. 1.5/5.

[lester1/2jr]

did not care for Sweet Movie for similar reasons.

[JaseSF]

Francis Goes to the Races (1951): Sequel to Francis the Talking Mule sees Francis and pal Peter Stirling (Donald O' Connor) wind up living at an horse ranch and getting involved with the horse racing Travers family. Patriarch Colonel Travers (Cecil Kellaway) and his granddaughter Frances (Piper Laurie) end up getting in trouble with gangsters who have designs on the Travers' horse racing stable. Meanwhile Peter sets out, armed with Frances' life savings, to try and buy back one of the lost, highly valued horses hoping to enter it in an upcoming race and regain the Travers' family lost fortune.

This one is pretty average, fairly predictable fare although it does take a few unexpected turns along the way and the expected romance never really comes to fruition.  In this one, Francis (voiced by Chill Wills)  decides to coach the Travers’ potential racing champion and helps Stirling in his dealings with gangsters. There was a surprise moment in which Francis seems to really be endangered but all in all, more of the same of what we saw in Francis the Talking Mule albeit with a lot more horse racing and gangsters thrown in and a lot less military action and sadly perhaps not quite enough Francis. I’m giving this one **1/2 out of ***** stars as it still has some fun, silly and slightly suspenseful moments.

Francis Goes To West Point  (1952): Francis the Talking Mule gets old friend Peter Stirling (Donald O’ Connor) in constant trouble while he’s training at West Point but also tries to help him as much as possible. Aside from playing teacher to Stirling, Francis also gets to play behind the scenes coach for the army football team.

Again, this is pretty average Francis fare although I’d argue Francis is much more constantly involved in the action with this one and there are some really fun, humorous moments here that rival the original film and perhaps improves upon the formula with a bit more originality. There’s also a bit more of the expected romance in this one with Alice Kelly playing O’Connor’s love interest Cynthia Daniels. Best bits involve misidentifications involving Francis and other mules and also misunderstandings between Stirling and his fellow cadet buddies (William Reynolds & Gregg Palmer) as to someone taking a wife and starting a family. Since this film is arguably a slight improvement over previous entries, I’m giving this one ***1/4 out of ***** stars.

Francis Covers the Big Town (1953): Francis the Talking Mule and long-time friend/ally Peter Stirling (Donald O’Connor) head to New York city where Stirling has dreams of becoming a top news reporter and Francis sets out to use his smarts and ability for finding the right information connections to help Stirling achieve his dream.

This one was a pretty solid entry in the series. It’s a surprisingly fun little movie that takes some slightly unexpected twists and turns and has arguably the most likable and believable romance for O’Connor’s typically buffoonish Stirling character with Yvette Duguay’s Maria.  This one is consistently entertaining and actually has a plot that seems to be constantly moving forward and isn’t so frequently sidetracked. I’m giving this one ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Hold That Ghost (1941): Chuck Murray (Bud Abbott) and Ferdie Jones (Lou Costello) are two bumbling gas attendants/want to be nightclub waiters who unexpectedly inherit a spooky tavern from a notorious gangster named “Moose” Matson (William Davidson). Their first night there though proves to be rather troublesome as the place it seems might just be haunted. Adding to the troubles, gangsters searching for Matson’s hidden treasure in ill-gotten money hidden somewhere in the house are also intent on finding said fortune and not averse to getting rid of anyone who stands in their way.

This classic Abbott and Costello comedy is one of their funniest with Costello doing what he arguably did best – playing scared out of his wits while Abbott plays his steady and confident, rarely scared big brother type buddy.  Consistently funny, the only thing disappointing about this one is we never quite find out for certain about the haunting. I’m giving this one **** out of ***** stars.

Cinderella (1950):  Classic Disney adaptation of fairy tale in which Cinderella (voiced by Ilene Woods), an abused stepdaughter treated as a servant by her evil stepmother Lady Tremaine (voiced by Eleanor Audley)and stepsisters Drizella (voiced by Rhoda Williams) and Anastasia (voiced by Lucille Bliss)  is helped by her Fairy Godmother (voiced by Verna Felton) to attend the Royal Ball where she meets and falls in love with Prince Charming (voiced by William Phipps) much to the delight of the King (voiced by Luis Van Rooten)...that is until the mysterious young woman disappears and then the King orders the Grand Duke (also voiced by Rooten) on a search for the missing girl decreeing any woman who fits into her glass slipper would marry the Prince.

Undeniably entertaining Disney film still holds up pretty well after all these years and should especially delight young children. Cinderella is aided by cute, friendly critters throughout this one which has certainly become a stable of Disney ever since. In fact, the basic formula at work here has been the basis of many a Disney and family film over the years. The songs are well done and the humor works surprisingly well too. Also Lady Tremaine makes a remarkably nasty yet believable villain, a woman’s heart poisoned by jealousy. Only real issue I have with this classic is it plays so much to expectation with all the ugly characters being essentially bad and all the attractive characters being essentially good. Still it deserves it reputation as a fantasy classic. **** out of ***** stars.

Keep ‘Em Flying (1941):  In this one, Blackie (Bud Abbott) and Heathcliffe (Lou Costello) play assistants to stunt pilot Jinx Roberts (Dick Foran) who’s decided to go in training for the Army Air Force with Blackie and Heathcliffe following him there.  While largely a pro-Air Force military film, Abbott and Costello never the less provide many laughs and much fun especially during one sequence in which Costello accidentally sets off a torpedo which he inevitable ends up riding. Also notable are Abbott and Costello in any scenes involving the pair actually flying a plane as whenever they do, the film gets much funnier. With this one though, the comedy bits do take something of a back seat to the story of Roberts trying to help a young cadet overcome his fear of flying and also rubbing his instructor with whom he has a past the wrong way. Carol Joyce plays Foran’s romantic interest here while Martha Raye plays the love interests of Abbott and Costello in a dual role as twins. Despite the propaganda, this one is surprisingly great fun. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Ride ‘Em Cowboy (1942): Willoughby (Lou Costello) and Duke (Bud Abbott), rodeo vendors decide to help out friend Bronco Bob Mitchell (Dick Foran) who suddenly decides to travel out West in pursuit of a cow girl named Anne Shaw (Anne Gwynne) who saved his life from a runaway bull. But also Western writer and character Bronco Bob, who’s never really been out West in his life, wants to learn the ways of the West for real so he can be more true to the character he portrays.

This one is pretty fun if a bit silly and all over the place at times. Best bits involve Abbott and Costello in a car being chased by Indians, Abbott and Costello trying to tame a wild horse, Costello dreaming that Indians are everywhere and a bit involving an Indian dummy. The romance between Gwynne and Foran is also charming and there’s some entertaining bronco busting. ***1/4 out of ***** stars.

Pardon My Sarong (1942):  Chicago bus drivers Algy (Bud Abbott) and Wellington (Lou Costello) are hired by wealthy yachtsman Tommy Layton (Robert Paige) accompanied by a bevy of beautiful women to travel to Los Angeles so he can take part in an upcoming boat race. Meanwhile the bus company hires a detective (William Demarest) to track down their stolen bus and to arrest Algy and Wellington. Eventually Algy and Wellington end up joining Layton’s crew along with reluctant love interest Joan Marshall (Virgina Bruce) but they end up off course getting caught in a typhoon and end up shipwrecked on an unchartered island inhabited by a mysterious scientist named Dr. Varnoff (Lionel Atwill) and a bizarre island native tribe who mistake Algy for a legendary great hero.

While apparently popular with some, I have to say I was honestly disappointed with this movie. It’s much too disjointed and all over the place for my liking. In fact, it’s downright kooky. Now some may well like the disjointed, on the fly style comedy and silly jokes that really feels more akin to the “Road To” films with Nan Wynn bringing an exotic beauty that certainly rivals Dorothy Lamour. There are funny moments here and especially Abbott and Costello’s interactions with Leif Erickson’s Whaba but honestly I enjoyed this one more before they got to the island especially the way Abbott and Costello make fools out of the detective. For those who love extremely silly, unpredictable slapstick, this probably delivers for you big time. I enjoyed it but not as much as the others films I watched recently. Personally I found the laughs a bit more spotty so I’m giving this one **1/2 out of ***** stars.

[alandhopewell]

     This was in a four-pack of vampire films I bought yesterday at a pawnshop (5 DVDs for $10). As often happens, I really wasn't expecting much, particularly after buying BLOODSUCKERS.

     This was a pleasant suprise-not a great film, but a good one, a re-telling of the Stoker novel for Italian television, set in the present day ('06).

     The production values were rich, the acting very good, all the way along, the changes in the story didn't clunk, as they often do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkJ8NAzhAjM
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     I recommend it.

[lester1/2jr]

Hold That Ghost (1941):

I've always liked that title. I've never managed to see the movie though.


Requiem (2006) - kind of mixed on this one. A girl in 1970's Germany who comes from a highly religous yet dysfunctional family, wants to go to college. This is a bit of a problem because she has mental problems including seizures and hallucinations. She tries to keep both worlds intact but it's very difficult. She doesn't understand why God who she believes in is making her life so difficult. It's a very Job-like predicament but the movie doesn't seem to grasp that. it's just typical Euro religion bashing.  Based on a true story. What's there is a good, but it doesn't feel lke they told the whole story in many respects.  3.5 /5

[Rev. Powell]

INSTITUTE BENJAMENTA (1995): Thinking he has no important calling in life, an ambitionless man enrolls in a school that trains servants; once there, he enters into an ambiguous, sexually repressed relationship with the headmistress and her brother. A beautiful looking black and white film that deliberately uses shallow focus and overexposure to tremendous artistic effect, but the sludgy, slow and surreal plot will turn most people off. 3.5/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Pumpkinhead" (1989)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXlcm1el1D0
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A backwoods storekeeper (Lance Henriksen) conjures up a "vengeance demon" to take care of some city folk who accidentally killed his son, with predictably tragic results. What could've been a pretty standard creature feature is elevated by a cool lookin' monster, decent gore, and tons of moody, spooky atmosphere. This was the directorial debut of Stan Winston, the legendary special effects master who'd created creatures and monsters for films like "Aliens," "Jurassic Park" and "Predator."

[Rev. Powell]

THE TEMPEST (1979): An avant-garde adaptation of Shakespeare's fantasy "The Tempest," set almost entirely inside an abandoned English manor. An interesting production that manages to be true to the Bard's text while adding a ton of surprises: Gothic horror atmosphere, bizarre costumes, lots of nudity, hallucination scenes, and even a musical number with a jazz chanteuse singing "Stormy Weather" while a chorus of sailors do a Busby Berkeley dance number. 4.5/5.

[tracy]

This is a fun little film,especially if you don't have too high expectations and are a fan of Steve Irwin...which I am.

[lester1/2jr]

Trollhunter (2010) - kind of like a Syfy movie without all the jokes and has that Blair Witch thing of the film crew itself is doing all of it. It has some dull patches and isn't mind blowing but I liked it. 3.75/5