Recent viewings

[FatFreddysCat]

"RED 2" (2013)

Red 2 Official Trailer #2 (2013) - Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren Movie HD

Bruce Willis and John Malkovich are back as retired CIA agents Frank and Marvin, who get wrapped up in another globe trotting adventure when bad guys connected to one of their past missions come gunning for them. Fast, funny, action packed stuff; I think I liked it better than the first "RED."

[Rev. Powell]

GOKE, BODY SNATCHER FROM HELL (1968): A flying saucer forces a jet airliner to crash land; the survivors are threatened by space vampires, but spend more time fighting each other. A fun, semi-psychedelic B-movie with memorable visuals (glowing orange saucers in a blood red sky) and an attempt social commentary. 4/5.

[JaseSF]

Waiting for Fidel (1974): Former Newfoundland Premier Joseph R. "Joey" Smallwood, a self-proclaimed socialist and Newfoundland entrepreneur/capitalist TV and radio station owner Geoff Stirling along with documentary film director Michael Rubbo fly down to Cuba in hopes of getting an interview with Cuba's Fidel Castro in a film for the National Film Board of Canada. The meeting never seems to happen but it is fascinating to watch as the trio travels around Cuba and have discussions with its people, students, and workers as well as each other.

What was most refreshing about this documentary is it allows you to hear more than one point of view. You hear from those in favor of Castro and his socialist system and the reasons they feel the way they do. It was also neat to hear Stirling banter with them and point out his own views and how some of the ideas behind both free enterprise and their socialist system do have some similarities with regards with what they hope to see accomplished. The socialists point out that in a free enterprise system all the power and real money is dominated by those at the top while the ideal in a socialist system is that the accumulated wealth of what is produced will be shared between the workers evenly.

Smallwood (actually was one of the first to offer free University education to students in Newfoundland, an idea that wouldn't survive in the long run) who was always something of a polarizing figure in Newfoundland in his heyday has some interesting pro-socialist views and even speaks highly of the People's Republic of China and Castro just based on his own personal meeting with him (he does speak less highly of the Soviet Union though and at one point does pose a question about parliamentary democracy he'd like to ask Castro in a book of questions he accumulated while waiting to meet him). In outport Newfoundland in the late 1940s through the 50s and beyond, Smallwood was generally revered and beloved by many as a great leader for bringing better education, healthcare, social programs, and more community services to really poor regions of Newfoundland via Newfoundland joining Confederation with Canada in 1949, Smallwood being Newfoundland and Labrador's Father of Confederation. Those in the more urban settings generally disliked this move as it took a lot of the power and money out of their hands and also meant Newfoundland giving up some of its independence. Many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians also greatly disliked the questionable Churchill Falls Hydro deal Smallwood made with Quebec. But my own grandparents loved Joey, they even had pictures of him hanging their wall for years and years.

This documentary will probably be even more interesting to Newfoundlanders due to the involvement of Smallwood and Stirling, two brilliant men in their own rights who I often saw in old interviews with one another having endless debates on numerous philosophical subjects. The socialist (albeit under a democratic system) and the capitalist. I could honestly probably watch the two of them talk on and on for hours. This is also fascinating in terms of the views we get of Cuba and what we hear from those living there at the time.  Too bad we never got an interview with Castro as that would have made this even more interesting IMO. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

[Rev. Powell]

THE X FROM OUTER SPACE (1967): On a trip to Mars, a UFO shoots spores onto a spacecraft, and the astronauts take a blinking egg back to Earth that grows into a giant chicken-lizard-beetle hybrid and stomps on Japan. This is dumb even by the standards of Godzilla ripoffs, but there is some swinging space pop (and a lot of space-padding). 2.5/5 (for kaiju fans).

[Jack]

Blood Monkey (2007) - some college kids go to a jungle somewhere to help a professor with some research. Turns out he's discovered a giant ape type creature that really likes the taste of human flesh. But he's determined to catch one, no matter how many students have to die in the process. Pretty average low budget sci-fi / horror thing, but I've watched it four or five times now. I like the characters and the plot is kind of entertaining. 4/5.

[lester1/2jr]

Witchcraft (1964) - a real estate developer starts the day off right by bulldozing an ancient British cemetery. needless to say the local witch-y residents aren't going to take it lying down.  Voodoo dolls are hidden around peoples rooms and old crypts are visited as the ancient Lanier- Whitlock feud is reignited, with Lon Chaney leading the charge for the latter.

As this is British you can't help but think of Hammer but it doesn't have those kind of "bollocks" as they say over there or maybe they don't anymore I don't know.  It's not wimpy per say but it doesn't have any flesh or gore or truly twisted moments. It's pretty decent and there are some nice touches though. Of course,  audiences would come to want a more thorough exploration of the dark side but for 1964 this is pretty good and fairly creepy if not a classic. Anyone here could watch it all the way through no problem, then go do something else or something. That kind of thing

3/5

[lester1/2jr]

The Pact - I wasn't sure what the Pact was, but now I think it was an agreement between the cast and director to scare the crap out of me.

A woman goes back to her childhood home to deal with her Mom's funeral. Her mom was abusive and horrible and it's heavy being in the house, which is moldy and depressing on top of it. I liked the touch of having it be during Christmas, Christmas in places like California and Florida is hilarious to me, and was also a good way to bring the audience into the geographical location. Soon there's something creepy going on in the house as is often the case in the horror movies.

My favorite aspect of the movie was the 1 2 punch of the lead actress and Stevie, the mystical psychic girl who looks like Death. There is a LOT of walking around the house with low tense music playing a la Sinister and the ending wasn't exactly brilliant. In the making of thing (the fact that I watched it shows you  I liked the movie) the director indicates the movie grew out of a well received short and that it was done rather quickly. The latter part of the movie essentially maintains the 4 but doesn't push it in to 5.

Caity Lotz's constantly plunging neckline didn't hurt either.

4 /5

[indianasmith]

Last night I watched THE ATTICUS INSTITUTE, a rather terrifying fake documentary about an incident in the early 70's.
The Atticus Institute was a small independent research facility studying people who claimed to have psychic abilities.  After one of their
more promising patients turned out to be a charlatan, a woman brought her sister to the institute asking if they could help her.  The sister's
name was Judith Winstead.  It quickly becomes apparent that her abilities far surpass those of any other psychic they have encountered -
and that those abilities are not really hers at all, but projected out of her by something that is living inside her.  Eventually, unable to
control her increasingly malevolent manifestations, the government is called in - and the military decides to see if they can use Judith's
abilities as a weapon.  Needless to say it doesn't end well!

I really liked this one a good deal more than I thought I would.  4/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"From Russia With Love" (1963)

"From Russia With Love" Trailer	Small | Large

SPECTRE cons James Bond and a lovely Russian diplomat into stealing a top secret Soviet decoding machine for them in the second 007 adventure. Italian actress Daniela Bianchi, who plays "Tatiana," definitely ranks as one of the hottest Bond girls in the history of the series.

[Jack]

^ Indeed she does  

Scared to Death (1980) - a genetic research outfit engineers a nasty little beasty called a Syngenor (synthesized genetic organism) and of course it gets loose and starts killing random people.  An unlikable guy and an uninteresting woman get involved in an unconvincing romance and end up having to track down the critter right up to the big Terminator ripoff climax.  This was watchable;  they tried to create some drama but nothing works when I don't give a damn about the characters.  The first half was pretty slow moving too.  2.5/5.

Edit:  I guess this came out 4 years before Terminator, so Cameron was actually ripping this movie off!   

[Rev. Powell]

YOUNG ONES (2014):  In a future America where water is a scarce commodity worth killing for, a teenage boy discovers lies, crimes and betrayals around the title to his father's farm. The parched outlaw setting is the star in this near-future dystopian Western. 3/5. TREVOR ALERT: Shot in South Africa.

[Rev. Powell]

YOUNG ONES (2014):  In a future America where water is a scarce commodity worth killing for, a teenage boy discovers lies, crimes and betrayals around the title to his father's farm. The parched outlaw setting is the star in this near-future dystopian Western. 3/5. TREVOR ALERT: Shot in South Africa.

[FatFreddysCat]

"OK Connery" (aka "Operation Kid Brother," 1967)

Operation Kid Brother (1967) Trailer	Small | Large

In the late 60s, campy James Bond ripoffs - known as "Eurospy" flicks -were all the rage. This Italian made 007 wanna-be upped the ante considerably by casting Sean Connery's real-life younger brother Neil (yes, really) as a plastic surgeon/hypnotist (?) who also happens to be the lookalike brother of a certain, ahem, well known British secret agent who's never mentioned by name, of course. When "Dr. Connery's" brother isn't available to battle a criminal syndicate planning to take over the world with a magnetic pulse device, he gets pressed into service in his place and becomes a reluctant spy.

In addition to Connery, the film features several other performers who have Bond connections, like Bernard "M" Lee, Lois "Miss Moneypenny" Maxwell (who actually gets out of the office and even gets to shoot a machine gun!), Italian hottie Daniela Bianchi of "From Russia With Love" fame and Adolfo Celi, who was SPECTRE's "Mr. Largo" in "Thunderball."

"OK Connery" straddles the line between loving homage, silly parody and out-and-out ripoff; variations on virtually all of the Bond trademarks are included and lovingly tweaked, the movie is full of hot babes, weird gadgets, lush European locations, and crazed supervillains, all set to a brassy score (composed by the great Ennio Morricone) that stops juuuust shy of copyright infringement.

In the end the movie doesn't really make a lick of sense but Bond fans might want to give it a look anyway, just to check out what amounts to a weird, alternate-universe version of 007.

[JaseSF]

Terrified (1963): A masked lunatic tracks, torments, tortures, and kills people in an abandoned Western ghost town. Local girl Marge (Tracy Olsen) and her friends David (Steven Drexel) and Ken (Rod Lauren) find themselves the latest targets when they visit the ghost town looking for an eccentric caretaker who lives there nicknamed "Crazy Bill".

This low budget horror film was arguably ahead of its time. For the time and era, it delivers some genuine frights and chills, the hooded killer with gleaming eyes making for a most memorable lead villain. It does feature a mostly no-name cast and is poorly lit at times but nevertheless maintains a spooky, creepy atmosphere throughout. In the end, I did find it a bit too easy to guess the killer's identity but this is a surprisingly effective early 1960s low budget chiller. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Where Have All the People Gone (1974): Following a mysterious bright flash in the sky and a small earthquake, camper Steven Anders (Peter Graves) alongside his son David (George O'Hanlon Jr.) and daughter Deborah (Kathleen Quinlan) emerge from a cave to find the world changed. Suddenly people are dying of a mysterious illness that literally turns their bodies into crystallized dust, electricity and communications are down, and numerous people seem to have vanished outright. They eventually forge a plan to return home in hopes of finding and reuniting with the Anders family mom Barbara (Jay W. MacIntosh) but getting there won't be easy as dogs have turned vicious, other possible survivors may have turned desperate.

This mid-70s TV movie is fairly well done for what it is. It helps that the cast is quite good and Graves in particular is terrific in the lead. Quinlan, Hanlon Jr. & Verna Bloom as Jenny also do quite well in their respective roles. Sure some of the premise presented seems far-fetched, especially the disintegrating people bit and it does at times recall other similar films such as Panic in Year Zero, Last Man on Earth, and "The Omega Glory" episode of Star Trek but it does present an interesting and entertaining end of the world premise. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Torture Garden (1967): Participating in a special carnival sideshow torture attraction under tour guide Dr. Diablo (Burgess Meredith), skeptical customers are one by one shown the evil that awaits them in their future as they gaze into the shears of Fate Atropos.

This is basically an anthology horror film from Amicus with a wraparound framework story featuring Dr. Diablo. Meredith is quite a delight in his role but the stories are a bit uneven. The first story "Enoch" is about a cat familiar who promise a fortune in gold to greedy Colin Williams (Michael Bryant) as long as he kills to provide the demon with something to feast upon. This story is particularly macabre and somewhat gory and gruesome if not always convincingly so. The second story "Terror Over Hollywood" tells the tale of Carla Hayes (Beverly Adams) who'll do almost anything to gain fame and fortune however finds a most unexpected and somewhat terrifying path there. Honestly this story lacked the punch of the first tale and feels something of a letdown and also drags on and on much too long. It does have its moments here and there and a good cast but it doesn't feel quite right in this anthology and feels as though it would have been a better fit in a sci-fi themed movie. The third story "Mr. Steinway" tells the story of Dorothy Endicott (Barbara Ewing) who falls in love with a concert pianist but finds an unexpected rival for his affections in the form of his very own piano. This story is lightweight horror fare and also doesn't feel quite scary enough for this film, might have worked better had it been the first story. In fact, some may find the ending unintentionally humorous. The fourth story "The Man Who Collected Poe" is much better as it tells the story of obsessive Poe memorabilia collector Ronald Wyatt (Jack Palance) who meets up and soon sets his eyes on the valuable collection of one Lancelot Canning (Peter Cushing) who has something in his collection Wyatt cannot resist. The first and last stories and the stuff with Dr. Diablo is much better than the rest of the film so yeah this drags a bit in the middle as a result. Still an enjoyable escape, personally I'd still give it ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Bears (2014): A documentary narrated by John C. Reilly that follows a mother brown bear and her two young cubs as they strive to survive and learn the lessons necessary for life.

This was quite enjoyable fare and fascinating to watch if somewhat unrealistic. The scenery is breathtaking and we get much closer glimpses of these animals in their natural environment than we normally get. We also get to see the threats the bear cubs face such as rising tides, pesky wolves, and hungry and large male brown bears but of course we see very little in the way of any real violence perpetrated here aside from salmon being eaten. Sure the story is entertaining in its way although one does wonder if much of it wasn't somehow staged for our benefit. Good, quality family entertainment, it was nice to watch something that wasn't full of violence but still one cannot help but wonder at this too because bears are by no means harmless animals and will definitely kill more than salmon and seafood. A little unrealistic in that regard, but enjoyable nevertheless. Still it's nothing you're likely to watch more than once. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992): Bored and frequently ignored housewife/librarian Betty Lou Perkins (Penelope Ann Miller) confesses to a murder in her small town of Tettley. Finally people begin to pay attention to her as she causes quite the uproar in her little town. However, she also gains the unwanted attention of notorious and nasty gangland figure William 'Billy' Beaudeen (William Forsythe). Her somewhat bewildered cop husband Alex (Eric Thal) tries to get to the bottom of things and also tries to keep an eye on his wife.

This was a bit of an unusual movie, it's like they mixed romantic comedy with gangland action. It has its moments that are quite fun and funny, but at other times it's disturbing dark and twisted especially whenever Forsythe's character is on the screen. The message that a mousey woman has to change her image to gain attention I'm not sure is the right and appropriate message to be sending although to Miller's credit, she makes her character likable and quiet enough one still overlooks this element for the most part. In some ways, it seems ahead of its time in terms of having dark elements in a comedy but it doesn't quite mesh here as well as one would like. Still I have to admit I enjoy this one more than I don't thanks to Miller's performance and the 80s style soundtrack. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963): Lecherous landlord Hogan (Jack Lemmon) soon sets his sights on tenant Robin (Carol Lynley) but finds and unexpected obstacle in the form of Dave Manning (Dean Jones), Robin's fiancee with whom she lives in platonic fashion in preparation for what it will be like when they are married. Naturally Dave gets constantly confused and frustrated with the situation while Hogan spies on the two and plots coming between them.

While the premise to this movie is a bit disturbing, an older man preying on and seducing naive younger women, this film somehow is surprisingly funny. Lemmon somehow makes his character work and thankfully for the most part, the character generally gets his comeuppance here over and over again. Lynley and Jones are quite good here and perhaps most importantly, have good chemistry on-screen together. Enjoyable in spite of itself. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

[Jack]

Lady Terminator (1989) - so this girl gets possessed by the spirit of some woman who died 100 years earlier, and she goes around pretending to be Ahnold in the movie Terminator. She's after some girl who's the great granddaughter of the guy who swiped her dagger 100 years earlier. This was loads of fun - cheesy as can be, fast paced action, numerous Terminator ripoff scenes, assault rifles with 10,000 round ammo capacity...you name it  4/5.