Recent viewings

[Gene Worm]

Got to see an old B-Movie called "Killers from Space", where a man is abducted by googly-eyed aliens who have an underground base that's full of giant insects and reptiles. They basically mind-meld the man to do what they want him to do, but the man eventually snaps out of it and saves the day. And the ending was terrible... he just shut down the power (because the aliens' base's technology relied on the power from a bouncy-house power station) and the aliens' base had a nuclear explosion (for some reason). And there was so much wrong with the fact they just look out the window in the end and see this atomic explosion, but nothing happens to them. It's just WWII footage of the atom bomb's explosion edited onto the window....

The movie also came with a T-Shirt. It's just an image of the poster put onto a grey shirt, but it's still fun to have B-Movie shirts.

[lester1/2jr]

Fair Haired child (2006) - not very compelling entry from the Masters of Horror series. it's not very scary, the characters are off puttingly weird and the attractive young lead actress is kind of stuck in the middle of it like "it's a job". I just point blank didn't really like the story or think it was interesting. Good for them for experimenting but it didn't really pan out though there are probably people who think its awesome and has Lovecraft influences or something. Maybe if I was in to steam punk or something I'd get it

2/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Forest" (1982)

http://youtu.be/qEadFHuU0BQ
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Deep in the woods, a quartet of backpackers have an unfortunate run-in with a psycho cannibal hermit who's tortured by the spirits of his dead kids ... or something like that. Hilarity does not ensue. "The Forest" is WAY below average, poorly acted, snail's paced slasher crapola, with characters that are such idiots that they deserve everything that happens to them. To add insult to injury, the copy of this movie that's streaming on Amazon Prime plays like a washed-out VHS tape that's been rented 1000 times.
AVOID.

[lester1/2jr]

Wetlands (2014) - Infamous gross out laden indy movie. The hook is the girl doesn't believe in hygiene and she ...goes around being gross and you watch it and you're like ewww! kind of Amelie meets Not Another Teen Movie or something. As someone who suffered from OCD and who is still really squeamish about bodily fluids I found it rather cathartic. The story is okay but for being based on a book it felt a little thin. All the stuff with her parents and their issues could have come off a little clearer and how many times do we need to see someone "experience life" by taking mind altering drugs and going to a s**tty disco?

liked it, watched it all the way through though not at the edge of my seat , I only wish I had seen it in the theater for the group gross out experience

4/5 a classic of sorts

[Rev. Powell]

Wetlands (2014) - Infamous gross out laden indy movie. The hook is the girl doesn't believe in hygiene and she ...goes around being gross and you watch it and you're like ewww! kind of Amelie meets Not Another Teen Movie or something. As someone who suffered from OCD and who is still really squeamish about bodily fluids I found it rather cathartic. The story is okay but for being based on a book it felt a little thin. All the stuff with her parents and their issues could have come off a little clearer and how many times do we need to see someone "experience life" by taking mind altering drugs and going to a s**tty disco?

liked it, watched it all the way through though not at the edge of my seat , I only wish I had seen it in the theater for the group gross out experience

4/5 a classic of sorts

If anyone else watches this be sure to order a pizza to go with it, you can thank me later.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Asylum" (1972)

http://youtu.be/UWUMlQBHHpg
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A job-seeking doctor arrives at a creepy old mental hospital and meets its four most interesting patients, who tell him their stories of how they got there - involving a corpse in a freezer, a murderous imaginary friend, a tailor who makes an unusual suit, and a doctor who creates living dolls.
A creepy-cool British horror anthology from Amicus Studio, who also brought us the similarly styled "Vault of Horror" and "Tales From the Crypt." All four of the stories were written by Robert "Psycho" Bloch. Retro fun!

[FatFreddysCat]

"Jurassic World" (2015)

http://youtu.be/RFinNxS5KN4
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The dinosaur park is open for business, and to draw in new crowds InGen has whipped up a brand new, supersized, genetically engineered monster dino they call "Indominus Rex."

Needless to say, this will turn out spectacularly bad for everyone involved.

There's really nothing here that you haven't already seen in the previous three "JP" movies but it's still a fast paced ride full of stunts,narrow escapes, and dino chowin' action. A fun popcorn flick.

[lester1/2jr]

Absentia - If you enjoyed Insidious check this out it's similar in many respects. It's similar in the content as there's a separate spiritual world beyond what normal people can see, but also in that it's equal parts scary and cheap. They get the spooky vibe down, at the same time the budgetary and time constraints are pretty clear too. The lead is chunky but sort of sexy. Her even more chunky cop boyfriend may be sort of sexy too I couldn't say. good preparation for Insidious 3 in other words

3/5

[indianasmith]

I liked ABSENTIA better than any of the INSIDIOUS movies.  It had a wonderful atmosphere of creeping dread that reminded me of an H.P. Lovecraft story.

[Gene Worm]

Got to see the He-Man movie that Andrew wrote a review for on here. It was hilariously terrible. It was practically a He-Man ripoff of Star Wars.

[lester1/2jr]

Indiana - I liked it better too because of the lack of smog for one and also no cornball steampunk sort of stuff like the weird record that played and the guy in the weird room and so forth in Insidious.

[lester1/2jr]

The East - This is another Brit Marling movie. It's an espionage type thriller not sci fi but once again if you liked her ovies you'll like this. It's the same director as "Sound of My Voice". As with that one it could probably have used a bigger budget and some Hollywood pizzaz to make it an amazing great movie but it's pretty compelling anyway.

Old dirty Brit plays a agent at one of those intelligence firms like Rand. She is tasked with infiltrating a sort of Earth First meets wikileaks type group. I'd say the big problem with this group is the lack of tension they are much too down to earth and thoughtful to be real. They're hackers, they're going to be on drugs, racist, unbelievably smart and /or covered with bad tattoos. Instead they're like some sober weird hippies who also seem to totally expose their identities when they go on these mission thingies.

Authenticity and plot holes aside it was decent. Making a movie with a decent plot seems to be one of if not the hardest thing to do in movies so when they do that I am as charitable as I can be on the other stuff. Ellen Page lends her talents. modestly good if not hugely thrilling for a thriller

3.75 /5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Rewind This!" (2013)

http://youtu.be/Bj1Y7eMNOzo
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Cool documentary about the history of the VHS video format -- how it changed the way we watched movies, and its effects on the movie business and the retail industry. It also profiles a couple of diehard VHS collectors who refuse to let go of the format. Quirky, entertaining stuff.

[Rev. Powell]

THE BROOD (1979): Horrible murders swirl around the family of a woman who is under the care of an experimental psychiatrist practicing "psychoplasmics," a therapy which causes physical manifestations of psychic traumas. Above-average performances from dependable Oliver Reed and crazy-eyed Samantha Eggar help sell the incredible scenario; a good, slightly offbeat horror effort from a developing David Cronenberg. 3.5/5.

[JaseSF]

The Ghost Club (2003): Carrie and Chris, a brother and sister (played by Britt Robertson and Clayton Griffin) try and find a means to try and save their Mom's business after it's threatened by a ruthless land developer. To try and calm things down, their Mom Karen (Michele Ashton) sends them to stay with their Grandma Lenny (Dottie Snow) for a while along with their two best friends would-be spy Natalie (Lindley Mayer) and young inventor Jesse (Derek Thompson). There the sister's interest in ghost hunting is sparked by a local legend which they eventually come to believe may also lend some answers to helping save their Mom's family restaurant.

This was clearly a film aimed at kids. Overall it feels like an amateurish effort that goes out of its way to be as inoffensive as possible. The acting is pretty terrible in this but on some levels it makes the kids seem a tad bit more real. The inventions designed to catch and track the ghost are laughable and ridiculous. Barely passable entertainment for non-demanding kids or parents who want nothing but G-rated entertainment for their kids. For everyone else, it's a G rated predictable bore. ** out of ***** stars.

Phantom Town (1999): Following the mysterious disappearance of their parents, a trio of kids led by teen Mike (John Patrick White, his smarter younger brother Arnie (Taylor Locke) and sassy little sister Cindy (Lauren Summers), decide to conduct their own search which leads them towards a mysterious Western ghost town which seemingly appears out of nowhere. There they encounter bizarre lizard like alien cowboys and a mysterious underground catacomb that seems alive with everything in the town seeming to spit out lots of green goo when confronted.

This weird western horror family film is pretty strange and out there. Some elements of it reminded me of better cult films such as Hell Comes to Frogtown and Invaders From Mars but it's never quite as scary or as classic somehow. Still I think most bad movie/B-movie/cult movie fans will probably find some enjoyment in this one. Suspect had I seen this as a kid I would have really enjoyed it...it's filled with gooky gross goodness likely to appeal to teen boys. I did still enjoy it somewhat and it probably does deserve to become a lesser cult classic of sorts.  ***1/2 out of ***** stars for me. Think most people would rate it a bit lower.

Bear Shooters (1930): Hilarious short featuring Our Gang characters going on a camping/hunting trip and stumbling across a pair of crooks, one of whom makes the bad mistake of disguising himself in a gorilla suit. Naturally the gang decides to use their hunting gear against the critter. An unimportant entry in the series but nevertheless this proves really funny. **** out of ***** stars.

Our Gang Follies of 1938 (1937): An Our Gang take on the big musical productions of the 30s era. The story focuses around crooning star Alfalfa (Carl Switzer) deciding to leave the show behind believing himself destined to become a big opera star instead but a dream shows him the potential errors of his ways. This one is much more about musical dance numbers although there are a few comedic moments here and there too. The musical numbers are impressively executed and really steal the show in this one. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

School's Out (1930): Funny Our Gang short tells the story of the kids at school trying to discourage a potential romantic suitor for their popular teacher Miss Crabtree who they do not want to lose. However it's a case of mistaken identity as the young man is in fact Miss Crabtree's brother. The dialogue in this one is hilarious and the kids prove memorable in their roles too. Really enjoyable and funny. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Aladdin (1992): A clever young street thief named Aladdin tries to win the love of the fair Princess Jasmine but standing in his way is an evil vizier/wizard named Jafar who has his own designs and plans for Jasmine and her kingdom. Along the way Aladdin finds a magic lamp and lets loose a powerful Genie who he hopes will help turn him into a Prince to be worthy of the Princess.

This was a really enjoyable Disney film with some fun in-references to other films, some decent humor particularly from Robin Williams who provides the voice of the Genie, fitting musical scores and a fun romantic story in the best Disney traditions. It helps that Jafar is a great villain to boot and sidekick Iago (voiced by Gilbert Gottfried) provides some fun moments too. While I did enjoy this one, I don't really consider it to be a true classic like so many other Disney films, it just doesn't prove as memorable and the story feels a bit too familiar. Still I'd give it ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

San Andreas (2015): In the wake of a major Californian earthquake, Ray (Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson), a fire rescue helicopter pilot and his ex-wife Emma (Carla Gugino) come together on a perilous dangerous journey across the state in search of their daughter Blake (Alexandra Daddario) who right in the heart of the danger zone as another even more devastating earthquake is on its way.

The plot to this one was pretty straight forward albeit somewhat far fetched. Pretty sure I've seen this plot before in numerous other disaster films (including previous Asylum films of all things) of families trying to reunite so there was little here truly new. There were some pretty spectacular FX sequences and they are the main reason to check out this film. I did like the performances of the leads and they were likable which definitely helps and makes the numerous dumb elements of the film a little easier to overlook. Yeah this one is an enjoyable popcorn flick which benefits from a likable cast. ***1/4 out of ***** stars.

Doug's 1st Movie (1999): Doug Funnie and his pal Skeeter are in search of the local lake monster although Doug is more concerned with the upcoming school dance and possibly asking Patti Mayonnaise. Things take a bizarre twist when the lake monster actually finds them and the real villain turns out to be a polluting businessman.

There were some things here that I liked. I liked some of the characters and the quirky style of the animation. I liked some of the cool references and the real feel to the school characters. The flaw here is that the monster takes away from the credibility of the rest of the story. I really think it would have been better if it had remained more unseen. The element of the evil businessman is incredibly overdone as a plot element as well and this one runs a predictable course in that regard. A mixed bag, there were things I liked about this and other things that just seemed corny and predictable. *** out of ***** stars.