Recent viewings

[Rev. Powell]

CURSE OF BIGFOOT (1976): A guest speaker at a high school cryptozoology class tells of his encounter with an Indian mummy in Nevada. Thirty minutes of stock footage and padding lead into an almost equally boring hour-long film (shot a decade earlier and unreleased) included as a flashback.  Among the worst excuses for a movie ever made. 0.5/5.

[JaseSF]

Snowbeast (1977): During their annual Winter carnival event, a Colorado ski resort is terrorized by an angry and hungry mutant Bigfoot type creature who seems to have developed a taste for human flesh. However, town officials and those behind the carnival want to keep things quiet so as to not interfere with the success of the 50th annual Winter carnival.

This TV Movie feels pretty much like a Jaws rip-off only with a Bigfoot hunting skiers in the woods instead of swimmers in the sea (really it appears to have been written before Jaws but may have been changed to play more like it after the success of that film). It actually does build some decent suspense and has some pretty good scares for a TV horror film. I liked that they keep the monster hidden for a lot of the film, only seeing bits and pieces of it as when we finally do see it, it doesn't quite live up to one's imagination (they probably should have kept it even more hidden in fact). It was actually written by the one and only Joseph Stefano (of Outer Limits and Psycho fame) back in 1967 following the footage from Roger Patterson. Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux, and Robert Logan star as former members of a love triangle with the side story focusing on Svenson's character, a former Olympic gold medalist skier named Gar Seberg trying to move past his former fame and start a new life working at the ski resort, Mimieux plays his wife who happens to be a reporter who coincidentally enough formerly did a story about Bigfoot, while Logan plays Tony Rill, grandson of the owner of the ski resort who's set to inherit it all. The Bigfoot stuff ultimately proves more interesting and feels a bit gorier than I expected for a TV movie, the rest is kind of a drag. I did like some of the scenes with the creature stalking its prey through the woods which felt kind of creepy and atmospheric. A mixed bag this one so I'll give it *** out of ***** stars.

Unknown World (1951): A group of scientists, fearful of the planet's destruction due to the advancement in atomic weaponry and the potential for nuclear warfare, decide to seek a potential "safe haven" for humanity to continue its survival deep within the Earth. They use a machine called a cyclotram to drill and dig a path deep below a dormant volcano.

This story is basically a variation on Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth only it feels a bit more grounded within reality. Things are approached in a serious fashion here which likely will make this film a bore to most bad movie fans but it is interesting to watch for fans of more serious sci-fi. It has some good ideas at times and about half the movie is entertaining as the brave crew of scientists led by Dr. Morley (Victor Kilian) and Dr. Bauer (Otto Waldis) and their benefactor Wright Thompson (Bruce Kellogg) whom they reluctantly agreed to take along face and are threatened by some believable threats such as a lack of adequate drinking water, the threat of an underground sea, the emotions raised by being cut off from civilization, etc.  Of course it has some flaws too such as the logic of digging inside a volcano?! not to mention about half the movie feels like it's just people wandering around in the same cave over and over again. A more interesting film to science fiction film completists, not as appealing to people looking for thrills such as giant lizards, dinosaurs and the like (which was part of Verne's novel). Marilyn Nash plays the love interest for Kellogg who also happens to be a feminist scientist who believes strongly in women's equal rights. About half the movie is entertaining, the rest is a bore. Would have probably worked better as a TV presentation if one edited out all the unnecessary filler. As it is, I can't give it more than *** out of ***** stars (which feels kinda generous then).

[indianasmith]

Last night I watched CABIN FEVER: PATIENT ZERO, the latest installment in the runaway flesh-eating virus series.
Sean Astin puts up a good performance as a hapless man who carries the dread disease but is impervious to it; he
is imprisoned as a guinea pig in order to create a vaccine for the dread sickness, and slowly becomes more and more
resentful at his captivity, until his rage hits the homicidal level.  Held captive on an island medical facility, he plans to
infect one of his caregivers so the virus can spread through the entire medical staff.

Meanwhile, some dude who is getting married in the Dominican Republic is taken on a yacht cruise by his business
partner, his brother, and his brother's girlfriend who still has the hots for the groom.    Of course, his "bachelor
cruise" lands him on a remote tropical island that just happens to be the same island where "patient zero" is
being treated - and many pustules and much blood ensue.

Predictable, trite, gross, and still kinda fun - if you liked the first two, this movie followed Joe Bob Briggs' rule of
sequels: Make the same movie over again!

[Javakoala]

CURSE OF BIGFOOT (1976): A guest speaker at a high school cryptozoology class tells of his encounter with an Indian mummy in Nevada. Thirty minutes of stock footage and padding lead into an almost equally boring hour-long film (shot a decade earlier and unreleased) included as a flashback.  Among the worst excuses for a movie ever made. 0.5/5.

Oh, Rev, but this is such trashy fun. If you had watched it at the age of 15 while on a Mountain Dew and Doritios binge, you would hold it dear to your heart. But, yeah, it's a piece of crap.

[Rev. Powell]

CURSE OF BIGFOOT (1976): A guest speaker at a high school cryptozoology class tells of his encounter with an Indian mummy in Nevada. Thirty minutes of stock footage and padding lead into an almost equally boring hour-long film (shot a decade earlier and unreleased) included as a flashback.  Among the worst excuses for a movie ever made. 0.5/5.

Oh, Rev, but this is such trashy fun. If you had watched it at the age of 15 while on a Mountain Dew and Doritios binge, you would hold it dear to your heart. But, yeah, it's a piece of crap.

I noticed your fondness for this trash when I was checking to see if it had its own thread, and frankly it baffled me. You are aware that nothing happens in this movie, right? It reminded me of a color version of MONSTER A GO-GO. Maybe I could be convinced to give it an extra half star because there's no Bigfoot in the movie, but that's all I'd be willing to do!

[Javakoala]

CURSE OF BIGFOOT (1976): A guest speaker at a high school cryptozoology class tells of his encounter with an Indian mummy in Nevada. Thirty minutes of stock footage and padding lead into an almost equally boring hour-long film (shot a decade earlier and unreleased) included as a flashback.  Among the worst excuses for a movie ever made. 0.5/5.

Oh, Rev, but this is such trashy fun. If you had watched it at the age of 15 while on a Mountain Dew and Doritios binge, you would hold it dear to your heart. But, yeah, it's a piece of crap.

I noticed your fondness for this trash when I was checking to see if it had its own thread, and frankly it baffled me. You are aware that nothing happens in this movie, right? It reminded me of a color version of MONSTER A GO-GO. Maybe I could be convinced to give it an extra half star because there's no Bigfoot in the movie, but that's all I'd be willing to do!

Let's see. Retro footage of an Indian curse (sorry, Native American) comes to life and the weird swamp creature is dispatched at the end of the movie. Bigfoot? Perhaps. Baloney? Perhaps not. But the whole thing has this aura of "How can we make this pointless piece of crap marketable?" And they do it, with purple/pink blood. Is it good? Oh, hell no. Is it funny? I was riffing on it faster than Cinematic Titanic on crack. Watch it with a jocular frame of mind and a shot or two of your favorite booze and it will be a guilty pleasure.

[Javakoala]

Just watched Vinegar Syndrome's BD release of Graduation Day. I have never watched this turd before, but I am glad for the experience. Tons of exploitation actors zipping through a tedious slasher structure. They knew it sucked hind teat, but they bellied up to the actors' bar and gave their best, given what they had to work with. And any movie that offs its major star to forward the story, well, that's just gravy, my friends.

[claws]

Watch it with a jocular frame of mind and a shot or two of your favorite booze and it will be a guilty pleasure.

I guess everybody has some fondness for a certain movie they grew up with. Never seen Curse of Bigfoot before until a few years ago. It was a very, very hard watch for me and quite painful to get through. Any film that requires mind-altering substances to enjoy is not worth it in my opinion. I dunno, but I think fun and entertaining cheese should come and flow naturally.

[Jack]

I consider making it to the end of that bigfoot movie one of the grandest achievements of my bad movie watching life lol. That was boring beyond any (normal) human's ability to endure. 

The Prophecy: Uprising (2005) - a mysterious detective teams up with a Romanian cop to investigate a series of murders where the victims' hearts have been torn out. There's also a girl who works at a church who has come into possession of an ancient book - could the killer be after the book as well? This was kind of good; I think they realized the main plot wasn't enough to support the movie so they threw in some interesting subplots. The characters were decent enough. It was just kind of low key and never really generated much excitement. 3.5/5.

[Trevor]

That was boring beyond any (normal) human's ability to endure. 

That's probably why I haven't finished my review of Nukie yet: too painful. 

[lester1/2jr]

Throwdown = This is the only judo based movie I can think of so I figured I'd give it a shot. As it turns out, it's pretty darn good.

A former judo champ quits judo for some reason and becomes a gambler alcoholic and nightclub owner and plays guitar in a karaoke band (in the club). All the other people in the movie including gangsters, random employees and friends are judo adepts. just like real life right? Everyone tries to push him into a more positive direction, even the gangsters who he steals from seem more concerned with his mental health than his double crossing them, even though they are brutal towards others. A very cute girl who wants to be a pop star provides significant eye relief.

My sense is that HK makes a ton of movies and what has happened here is there are some really cool and unique ideas and a generaly very interesting vibe. At the same time, I think the time limit where they think the stuff up and film it fast may have ended up with some slightly dodgy stuff making the cut, kind of like improvisational music, comedy vs written, though this wasn't improvised.

At any rate, while it didn't have me rapt at every moment it was generally cool, entertaining and of course unique with a record amount of people grabbing each others lapels and tossing each other, moreso than any other movie ever. 4.5 /5

[Rev. Powell]

Watch it with a jocular frame of mind and a shot or two of your favorite booze and it will be a guilty pleasure.

You think I was SOBER when I put CURSE OF BIGFOOT in the DVD player?

I can understand loving a movie no one else gets. I can't figure out why THE DUNGEONMASTER isn't a huge bad movie hit, but no one else shares my enthusiasm.

[Rev. Powell]

FRANK (2014): A struggling young musician lands a gig as keyboardist in an experimental band led by an eccentric prodigy who never takes off his giant papier mache head. Surprisingly funny, supremely odd comedy set in the indie music world, with the right dose of darkness to offset its sunshine-y twee tendencies. We can't all be weirdo geniuses with insoluble mental issues, but we can all sit and laugh at FRANK. 4/5. 

THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959): A millionaire (Vincent Price) offers five strangers $10,000 each if they will spend the night with him and his wife in a haunted house. The ambitious script doesn't always deliver on the shocks and twists it promises, but any movie with Price being nasty in it is good. 3/5.

[Jack]

Living Death (2006) - so there's this a-hole loser who inherited a bunch of money from his dad. He cheats on his wife (Kristy Swanson) every chance he gets, but she's got a boyfriend too and the two of them decide to get rid of the husband. Unfortunately for them they use puffer fish poison, which just simulates death and afterwards he comes back to life. He ain't happy. This was pretty good, the characters weren't likable but at least they were interesting. Plot was pretty predictable but it kept my attention. 3.5/5.

[indianasmith]

Killer Mermaid (2014) AKA Nymph

This was a decent horror film, made on location in Montenegro, about two vacationing American women who fall afoul of an ancient, evil she-creature
that is beautiful and irresistible to men.  It was better than I thought it would be, the locations were gorgeous, and the acting pretty decent.  All the female characters were quite lovely, but the actress who played the mermaid was downright beautiful.  I'd go 4/5 on this one for atmosphere and performances, 2.5/5 for plot.