Recent viewings

[indianasmith]

THE EQUALIZER (2014)  To sum up tis movie's message in one simple sentence, it is this:
DON'T. EVER. TICK. OFF. DENZEL. WASHINGTON!

Washington is a supremely skilled CIA assassin who faked his own death so he could enjoy a real, quiet retirement as a regular guy.
He rarely sleeps, so he sits up at night at the local diner reading his way through the classics.  There he befriends a young Russian prostitute, and one day witnesses her being brutalized by her pimp.  When she winds up in the ICU, he goes to visit the Russian mobster and offers him $9800 to buy the girl's freedom.  When his offer is rejected . . .

well, see my opening sentence.

This is an awesome, over-the-top, kick-A revenge flick.  You will thoroughly enjoy it.

5/5

[indianasmith]

TUSK (2014)  I watched this one pretty late last night, and my goodness, it is one WEIRD movie.
An American podcaster goes to Canada to do an interview, but after that falls through, he sees a note from an old retired sailor who wants someone to come visit him and listen to his many stories of adventure.  So he decides to go and listen to the old man, who drugs him and surgically alters him to become a human facsimile of a walrus.  That's right, a walrus!  While this movie is ridiculous and bizarre, the visuals are truly disturbing, and the old sailor's insane rantings really steal the show.  This one is a must see just because of how "out there" it truly is.  Wonderfully grotesque!!! 4/5

[claws]

Last three days viewings

Child's Play 3 (1991) (Blu-ray) ~ Chucky is back stalking Andy at a Military Academy / Boot Camp. Seems like the filmmakers had no clue about military discipline behavior. 3/5
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) (Blu-ray) ~ A dark secret is threatening four friends. Genuine slasher thrills mixed with slasher cliches. 3.5/5
Lake Placid (1999) (Blu-ray) ~ Crocodile feasting on locals in Maine. Fun. 3.75/5
The Purge: Anarchy (2014) (Blu-ray) ~ Same story but MUCH better than the first. 4/5
Wreck-It Ralph (2012) (Blu-ray) ~ This was awsome. 4.75/5
Our Idiot Brother (2011) (Blu-ray) ~ Underappreciated comedy. 4/5
Cracks (2009) (Blu-ray) ~ Haunting Psychological Drama, great cast. 4/5
Afflicted (2013) (Blu-ray) ~ Re-watch. Its only been a few weeks since I last saw this but I liked it even more on my second viewing. 4/5

[Jack]

Seems like the filmmakers had no clue about military discipline behavior.

I'm pretty sure that's a requirement for getting into the film industry 

Marco Polo (2014– ) Netflix TV series, I think there are about 10 episodes so far. Marco winds up in the court of Kublai Khan, and the Great Khan appreciates his unique insights into matters. So he ends up getting sent to observe various events, falling in love with a princess he can't have along the way. Meanwhile we also get lots of palace intrigue on the Chinese side of things as various people jockey for position after the Emperor's death. And there are numerous other subplots. Things come to a climax when the Mongols invade China in the last couple of episodes.

This was decent overall. My main problem was that people often talk with such thick accents that a whole episode could go by and I was struggling to figure out what the heck was going on. There are also several women who all look darned near identical to each other and I could never figure out who was who and therefore what was going on with the plot. Benedict Wong definitely steals the show as Kublai Khan, creating quite an interesting character. 

I guess I'd give the first eight episodes a 3/5 and the last two a 4/5.

Leprechaun 2 (1994) - our nasty ol' Leprechaun decides he wants to marry a girl and of course that doesn't sit well with her boyfriend. Silliness ensues. This was decent, had its funny moments and a touch of charm I guess. 3/5.

Leprechaun 3 (1995) - some folks in Vegas get their hands on the Leprechaun's gold and all heck breaks loose as he tries to get it back. At least this one had a really cute girl in it    I thought it was a bit funnier than the second one and just more entertaining overall. 4/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014)

Captain America The Winter Soldier trailer UK -- Official Marvel | HD

Cap's second solo adventure moves the action to present day Washington, DC and teams him up with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansen) against a revitalized HYDRA - who, as usual, are plotting to overthrow S.H.I.E.L.D. and take over the world (again). Naturally, mucho mayhem and destruction ensues.

I think I preferred the first "Cap" flick by just a smidge, but this was still a great way to kick off my new year movie slate!

[indianasmith]

I kicked off my 2015 movie watching binge with Stephen King's A GOOD MARRIAGE - a fascinating film based on a little known Stephen King short story.  Shortly after she and her husband celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, Darcy discovers that Bob, her coin-collecting accountant husband, is in fact the notorious serial killer "Beadie" who has terrorized New England for nearly ten years, raping and murdering women, then sending their personal ID cards to the police with taunting notes.  When she confronts Bob, he fesses up and asks for another chance, promising to stop the killing forever.
What does she do?

This was a brilliantly done adaptation of a very disturbing story.  Thoroughly riveting!  5/5

[JaseSF]

A String of Blue Beads (1953): Peter (Louis Jourdan), the young owner of a curio store descends into a deep depression following the unexpected death of his fiancée (Ellen Cobb-Hill) in a fire during Christmas. Finally after three years, a young girl looking for a present for her sister reawakens in him the Christmas spirit.

This unsold color pilot for a proposed TV series in 1953 has some fascinating elements. It does have some surprisingly dark moments surrounding grief and grieving. But it's also surprisingly fanciful and romantic in some ways too. Margaret Hamilton, best known for her Witched Witch of the West role, provides support here as a kindly cleaner who encourages Peter to get back to living life. Also memorable is Elaine Lynn as Barbara May, the young girl who helps him see the true meaning of Christmas involves selflessness and giving. Barbara's sister when she appears seems to have been played by her real life sister Christine Lynn. Enjoyable short at just 27 minutes but definitely a product of its time and era, it does feel a bit dated. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947): Fred Gailey (John Payne), a young lawyer finds himself faced with the task of proving in a court of law that kindly old Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) doesn't belong in an insane asylum because he is in fact the real Santa Claus. Kris meanwhile is most concerned with getting doubters young Susie (Natalie Wood) and her mother Doris (Maureen O'Hara) to believe in him.

Great Christmas classic is filled with memorable and touching moments and great performances from all its likable leads. A Christmas must. ****1/2 out of ***** stars.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946): An angel named Clarence (Henry Travers) is sent down to Earth to show George Bailey (James Stewart) what the world would be like if he never existed and help him learn just how much one life can touch another.

Another perennial Christmas classic and rightfully so, many lessons here to be learned from how much each person can impact the lives of others by the actions and decisions they choose to make but also there's community spirit and fellowship, selflessness, lending an helping hand, self-sacrifice, the importance of family, and so much more. Of course, there's also at the heart of this a great romance between leads Stewart as George and Donna Reed as Mary. ***** out of ***** stars.

[Jack]

Dark Rising (2007) - some kids take a camping trip and the girls read out of an old book of spells, summoning forth a demon and a hot babe who fights the demon. All manner of silliness ensues. This was a pretty good horror comedy, light on the horror heavy on the comedy. Characters were clever and likable, and did I mention the babe was hot? 4/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Don't Blink" (2014)

Don't Blink trailer

A group of thirty somethings arrive at a secluded mountain resort... where they find that everyone there has mysteriously disappeared. While they try to figure out what happened, they also begin to vanish one by one. This "Twilight Zone"-ish indie thriller manages to create sufficiently creepy atmosphere despite an obvious low budget, thanks to the performances by a cast populated with familiar "C" list faces like Brian Austin Green ("90210"), Joanne Kelly ("Warehouse 13"), Mena Suvari, and even Zack "Scut Farkus from A Christmas Story" Ward! Not a must-see but if there's nothing else on it's a decent time waster.

[rebel_1812]

A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST (2014)
  OK, let's take a 21st century hipster and drop him in the old West, and then see how many times he can drop the F-bomb and complain about how much he hates the place. Throw in some sheep jokes and a born-again hooker with a virgin for a boyfriend - and Neil Patrick Harris with diarrhea as our main man's romantic rival.  Oh, yeah,  and have the slacker fall in love with the wife of the deadliest gunfighter on the frontier when he can't shoot his way out of a paper bag.  Liam Neeson, Charleze Theron, and Amanda Seyfried couldn't save this awful comedy.  Yes, there were a few moments that made me snicker, but at nearly two hours, the gag ran really thin really fast. 2.5/5

I thought it was okay.  Its hard to do a comedy that is non stop laughs for 2 hours and as you said it had its funny moments.  I much prefer this to your average RomCom.

[Rev. Powell]

BATTLE AT BEAVER CREEK (2014): In the near future a volunteer travels to the Yukon border to fight with a militia against unknown invaders. This amateur effort is well-intentioned but has numerous problems, like not having enough extras to recreate an epic battle; confusion over what is at stake and sometimes even who is who; and the fact that there's not enough material for a feature, resulting in lots and lots of scenes of the soldier silently marching for minutes on end to the next plot point. 1/5.

[lester1/2jr]

Godzilla V Destroyah - I'm not the biggest Godzilla fan, the Ultraman quasi send up Space Warriors 2000 is more my speed, but this had it's moments. The first half is a lot of science talk, the second a lot more monster fights. Godzilla Jr is in it too. There is a cool shot of him walking in shallow water while everyone at the beach that's like if you were at the beach and Godzilla was there! or Godzilla Jr rather

This was made in the 90's and it has a 90's sort of feel namely that they were very conscience of the history of the franchise and also intent on doing something relatively radical ( a la that Nightmare on Elm Street sequel that was like a move within a movie) (but not that crazy). They use the old music and attempt to humanize Godzilla and so forth.

The fight between G JR and Destoryah was okay but the one w/ Godzilla ...I can't remember if it even happened. 3/5 from me though from what I gather it's considered a pretty good installment by Godzilla fans

[FatFreddysCat]

"Dementia 13" (1963)

Dementia 13 (1963) trailer	Small | Large

A scheming young woman covers up her husband's sudden death in order to claim his portion of an inheritance. Unfortunately, a deranged axe murderer prowling the family's Irish castle might make it difficult for her to collect.

Roger Corman produced this low rent Gothic "Psycho" wanna-be, which was directed by a young Francis Ford Coppola (in one of his first gigs behind the camera). Cool, sleazy retro fun.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Strait Jacket" (1964)

Strait-Jacket (1964) Trailer	Small | Large

This camp-to-the-max "B' grade horror thriller (directed by gimmick kingpin William Castle and written by Robert "Psycho" Bloch) stars Joan Crawford as a woman who's just spent 20 years in an insane asylum for axe murdering her husband and his mistress. As she tries to re-connect with her estranged daughter, though, heads suddenly start rolling again. Crawford, as usual, throws herself into her role and chews the scenery for all it's worth. Cheap, trashy fun!

[FatFreddysCat]

"Batman Forever" (1995)

Batman Forever - Trailer

Third time's the charm? Ehhh, not exactly. This so-so installment introduced a new actor in the Batman suit (Val Kilmer), a new sidekick (Chris O'Donnell as Robin) and a new director (Joel Schumacher) - resulting in an occasionally entertaining, but mostly loud and confused, mess. The story is a muddle, the day-glo visuals are garish and the performances are... well, ugh. Tommy Lee Jones' Two-Face is little more than a copycat of Jack Nicholson's Joker, trying and failing  to chew more scenery than Jim Carrey's Riddler (who completely steals the movie). On the other hand, this flick captures Nicole Kidman (as a Gotham City police psychiatrist with a Bat fetish) at her absolute peak of hottie perfection.
So yeah, "Forever" isn't even in the same ballpark as Tim Burton's first two Batman films, but it still looks like solid gold compared to the series' absolute nadir, 1997's "Batman & Robin."