Recent viewings

[ToyMan]

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[indianasmith]

I watched HANCOCK this weekend.  It was pretty good, although I could have done without some of the language.  Also struggled through a film called GHOULS; it was pretty awful.

[Rat-Bat-Spider]

I watched HANCOCK this weekend.  It was pretty good, although I could have done without some of the language.

I also watched Hancock, though I had never admitted told anyone about it 'til just now. It was such a blase experience in the theater that the memories fell out of my head and took a vaycay to Cabo San Lucas for a few months 'til the DVD arrived. I had not gone to a regular theater (Mega-plex) in quite a while. It was either the Alamo Drafthouse (Great place, great food) and the Angelika (Greater place, no food) for me. So I went to AMC, thinking, "Duh, how bad could it be? Uh-hyuck!" Let me tell ya, folks. The film was dirty (IT WAS A NEW MOVIE), the staff was fully stocked with teenage indifference, and the movie was so terribly inept that it could not sell to me the concept that Charlize Theron was attractive. So boo, Hancock, double boo, AMC, and triple boo, me, for thinking that Mega-plexes and Mega-plex movies would ever change.

[lester1/2jr]

Aparahan -  Bollywood does Godfather or Chow yun Fat.  The sort of sanitized nature of Indias films doesn't really lend itself well to this genre,  nor does it's format of 8 hour long movies.  WHile I like plots that move along quickly, this is like an entire trilogy every hour.  I mean, one minute the guy is walking aruond the next he's this massive crime kingpin.  If you are a big fan of either Bollywood or gangster movies you may be interested in this and the directing and acting are good but it didn't work for me.

[asimpson2006]

City Slickers *** out of **** - Overall a funny movie that I enjoyed, but I felt the ending was quite predictable overall.  Could have cut some of the scenes out in the film and it would have been better overall.

[Jack]

The Brain that Wouldn't Die (1962)- a very well padded movie, no scene missed the opportunity to be as long as possible.  Nice catfight, liked that    Jan did a surprisingly good job of acting, for a head in a lasagna pan.  That scene where her head apparently fell off (?!?!) and her fiancé just picked it up off the car seat was too funny.   Pretty slow though.  2/5.

[lester1/2jr]

Blacula (1973)-    low budget generally pg-13 rated but likeable earlier blaxploitation effort features lots of white people being killed,  rather attractive black ladies,  good soundtrack and is almost scary here and there but generally just fun, though it  lacks the sleaze and wild abandon of the best of the grindhouse flicks unfortunately.  If you think about it,  this could have really stunk and it doesn't and is one of the more accesible examples  of the genre I can think of so big thumbs.

[lester1/2jr]

Babar the f**king french elephant-  50 billion episodes free on On demand.  pretty insipid but keeps kids mroe or less sedated.

[Torgo]

ZACK & MIRI MAKE A PORNO   *** out of ****.  Not Kevin Smith's best to date, but still pretty funny stuff. Some of the movie is a little forced in terms of the interpersonal stuff, but it was really funny for the most part. Elizabeth Banks shines in this one.

SUPERMAN RETURNS   **1/2 out of ****.  The movie peaks too early with the whole plane thing in the baseball stadium and then doesn't know where it should go from there. Has its moments but overall a wasted opportunity to bring back my favorite superhero to the public conscience.

[Jack]

The Haunted Palace (1963) - One of the Roger Corman AIP movies.  Vincent Price stars as a warlock conducting satanic rituals, until the angry villagers show up, tie him to a tree, and light him up!  Of course, he curses them and all their descendants.  Moving ahead 150 years, the descendant of Price, also played by Price, shows up.  He's recently inherited the castle, and knows nothing about its past.  The townsfolk are quite hostile, as their children are deformed and they blame it on the curse.  Once Price arrives at the castle, he's taken over by the spirit of the warlock, and takes up where he left off with the satanic rituals.  He wreaks a little revenge on the villagers as well.

Very nice Gothic atmosphere and mood.  The story was rather straight forward, I've seen this basic setup quite a few times now.  The secondary characters were a bit weak though, which kept it from being too interesting.   One of those movies I was trying to like, but it just didn't do much for me.   3.5/5. 

[Rev. Powell]

ADAPTATION (2002): "Adaptation" tells two stories: in one, a "New Yorker" journalist becomes obsessed with her subject, a trashy but passionate collector of orchids. In the other, a depressed screenwriter struggles with writer's block while attempting to adapt the journalist's nonfiction work into a movie, while fending off his chipper and vapid twin brother, who desires to be a screenwriter as well. The witty script twists with a sly intelligence and contains echoes of "8 1/2" and "Barton Fink", and the acting from the three principals (Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper) is superlative. This is the first meta-fiction movie I've ever seen, and is definitely NOT for all tastes, but I give it 4.5/5.

[Psycho Circus]

Had a friend round last night and today and we got through; Masters Of The Universe, Class Of Nuke 'Em High, Dead Heat, Big Trouble In Little China, The Funhouse, Planes Trains & Automobiles, Return Of The Living Dead Part 2, Trick Or Treat and Ghostbusters 2.....phew! 

[lester1/2jr]

Willie Dynamite (1974)- this movie reminded me of chick tracts,  the once ubiquitous born again christian comic book series.  It was sort of spiritual porn.  You'd see some evil person stopped in their tracks and shown the error of their ways and brought into the fold of God in one conversation.  during the seventies, it was drawn by another guy who was a way way better artist than Chick himself and featured pimps, gangsters, bikers and all sorts of characters.  This isn't really a blaxploitation movie.  In fact, it's preachiness is darn near intolerable at some points, but it is still pretty funky.   Willie is a compelling villain and he and his star trek like multicultural stable are very colorful even if they are doomed at every turn due to the writers heavy handed script.  It doesn't get overtly religious though.  BUt if this were really blaxploitation Willie would be the hero or more of a hero.    has that amateurish blaxpolitation feel with not enough editing / music/  production filling in the gaps between words and actions. 

[Doggett]

Tank Girl.
A girl with cool threads and a seemingly unlimited supply of beer and cigerattes goes up aginst Malcolm McDowell.
Great stuff, I've seen it over 5 times in the last two days.
I'll think I'll watch it again later.

Mutant kangeroos, too.

[Pilgermann]

Just watched The Serpent and the Rainbow.  I like the premise, and there are some nice creepy bits (the zombie bride hallucination is great), but it gets pretty hokey towards the end and features a really goofy showdown between Bill Paxton and his nemesis.  But it's perfectly good for a late night film.

A few nights ago I caught most of Judge Dredd on TV, but I got too sleepy to finish it.  It's dumb as dirt, but I find it strangely enjoyable.