Recent Viewings, Part 2

[Trevor]

The Thing (1982)

Deservedly a classic. But why does a polar research station need all those flamethrowers and explosives?

Because I paid them a visit prior to that 

[Alex]

The Thing (1982)

Deservedly a classic. But why does a polar research station need all those flamethrowers and explosives?

Because I paid them a visit prior to that 

The explosives could be for blasting into the ice for deeper samples. The flame thrower is a bit harder to justify. The only thing I could come up with would be the disposal of toxic materials, but there would be better and safer ways of doing that.

[indianasmith]

SICK NURSES (2008) - A strange Thai horror film that was free on Amazon Prime.  A group of young nurses are helping a doctor get rich by selling parts of dead bodies to black market organ dealers; one of them gets squeamish and threatens to blow the whistle, so the others kill her.  Her ghost comes back and wreaks vengeance in horrible ways on each of them.  It was decently done but the subtitles seemed a little off from the tone of the narrative in places.   Also - do Thai films have some sort of prohibition on nudity?  I can't think of any other reason why one of the characters took a shower in her sports bra and workout shorts. 3/6

[lester1/2jr]

Silent Night Deadly night the original 1984 classic.

watched that for the first time. so good. I think I had avoided it because I thought it was just trying to be controversial but it's a cool movie, similar to if not as scary as Friday the 13th or something

[FatFreddysCat]

"Alien Domicile" (2017)
Four people awake in a room in some kind of government bunker, with no memory of how they got there. As they begin to explore the complex, they encounter some nasty alien life forms who've overrun the facility. Yes, thats the entire plot.
I got this DVD from the dollar store so obviously I wasn't expecting Shakespeare, but this movie couldn't even cough up a coherent story. Who are these people? Who locked them away, and why? Where did the aliens come from? Your guess is as good as mine, because absolutely nothing is explained. Basically the characters endlessly bicker and fight till they get killed one by one (off screen, cuz the movie doesn't have the budget for any gore). The movie run time was less than 90 minutes, but it felt like hours.
Do I even need to say it? AVOID!

"Planet Dune" (2021)
A space rescue team arrives on a desert planet to search for survivors of a crash, but the mission is complicated by the presence of numerous massive, man-eating worms that live under the sand.
In case it's not immediately obvious, this was the Asylum's knock off of the big budget adaptation of "Dune," though plot wise it more closely resembles a "Tremors" movie set in outer space. As Asylum movies go, this one was slightly better than average, but of course that's still a long way from being "good."

"Deadpool 2" (2018)
The wise cracking, ass kicking mercenary (Ryan Reynolds) assembles a team to help him tangle with Cable, a bounty hunter from the future, and to stop a troubled teem mutant before he develops into a full-on super villain. Hilariously over the top, ultra violent action comedy drops almost as many F bombs as it does bullets. A total hoot.

[Rev. Powell]

DRIVE MY CAR (2021): A recently widowed Japanese actor travels to direct a pan-Asian production of "Uncle Vanya" and bonds with his driver. Well-written and overlong (three hours). It's the kind of subtle, realistic drama movie critics go crazy over, for some reason, but few people here would like it. N: A recently widowed Japanese actor travels to direct a pan-Asian production of "Uncle Vanya" and bonds with his driver. Well-written and overlong (three hours). Nonetheless, it's a 3.5/5.

[lester1/2jr]

Terminator 5/5

[Jim H]

Old Henry - A solid Western.  If you're a fan of real Western history, you'll know what's going on in this one way before a reveal or two.  Good performances, especially the lead, some good tense scenes, and a satisfying climax.  One serious complaint, I feel the son character is weakly performed, sticks out in terms of looks as well, and is underwritten.  Doesn't sink the film, but a significant detriment.  Still absolutely worth a watch, and the best new Western I've seen in a few years. 

[Rev. Powell]

DANTE'S INFERNO (2007): Dante's "Inferno" retold, faithfully, in a cheeky modern setting (e.g., the city of Dis is a planned community) enacted by stick puppets. Amusing homemade animation aimed at English majors.  3/5.

[indianasmith]

A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983) - I hate to admit it, but until today, I had never once seen this classic in its entirety.  I'd caught most of it at one time or another in bits and pieces, but to wrap up the year in my MODERN AMERICA class we decided to give it a view, since we just finished studying the 1980's.  (I was in the military when this released, so it went completely under my radar back then).   What a fun, nostalgic ride through America in the late 40's!  Highly recommended, just don't shoot your eye out!  5/5

[Rev. Powell]

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (2021): Julie, smart but unfocused, falls in love first with a controversial underground comics artist, then a charming but humble barista. Extremely smart and sharply written, with sexual banter and psychological insight delivered in 14 polished episodes (there's even a mushroom trip), this is a fantastic character study of a woman who may not be the worst person in the world, but may very well be her own worst enemy. 4.5/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Black Christmas" (2019)
A group of sorority sisters' long simmering feud with a rival fraternity boils over into murder and mayhem as their college campus closes down for Christmas break.
...this "reboot" of Bob Clark's 70s Yuletide slasher classic doesn't have much in common with the original (or the 2006 remake) aside from the title and the Christmas time college setting.
I think it's trying to be a horrific satire of "Me too" and 21st century "woke" attitudes, but I don't care about any of that crap --  I just wanted to see some Christmas related carnage, and this film delivers very little of that, due to the dreaded PG13 rating. It wastes SO much time on set up that by the time the violence finally started kickin' in around the three quarter mark, I was so bored that I didn't even care anymore.
Final rating: AVOID. Watch the '74 or '06 versions instead.

[Rev. Powell]

LUZZU (2021): A Maltese fisherman struggles to support his family when his luzzu (a wooden fishing boat handed down for generations) springs a leak. Competent exploration of important themes like integrity, sacrifice, and tradition, but only the setting (who knew the Maltese fishing industry was such a seabed of corruption?) is truly novel. 3/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie" (2013)
A cheap cartoon adventure featuring the stoner duo from Kevin Smith's "View Askewniverse." Silent Bob buys a scratch-off ticket at the Quick Stop and wins $10 million. He and Jay spend the money on a bunch of cool gear and a hideout to become the weed-themed superhero team "Bluntman and Chronic," eventually tangling with an array of super villains with names like Dick Head, Newsgroup, and the Cocknocker.
The animation in this movie is absolutely terrible, but there are quite a few decent gags here, and with a run time of just a hair over an hour, it doesn't wear out its welcome. If it had been stretched out to feature length I think it would've become irritating.
Not Kevin Smith's best work by any means, but I'm a fanboy, so I will watch anything with J & SB in it. "Snoogans!"

[FatFreddysCat]

Cold, wet, dreary day outside, perfect for veggin' on the couch watchin' movies:

"It's a Wonderful Life" (1946, colorized version)
A depressed man (Jimmy Stewart) is planning to commit suicide on Christmas Eve - until his guardian angel appears to show him what life would be like for his friends and family if he'd never been born. Frank Capra's corny (in a good way) holiday classic was my late father's favorite Christmas film, and though I don't watch it every year like he used to, I still like to revisit it every now and then.

"The Shadow" (1994)
Alec Baldwin plays the pulp-magazine hero, a rich playboy by day and two fisted dark avenger by night, in this cool period piece action flick. Set in 1930s New York City, The Shadow must stop a descendent of Genghis Khan who plans to pick up where his ancestor left off in the world-conquering business. Russell "Highlander" Mulcahy directed this action packed mashup of "Batman" and "Indiana Jones," with great retro set designs and FX and a supporting cast that includes Sir Ian McKellan, Tim Curry, Penelope Anne Miller (hot!) and Jonathan Winters. Unfortunately, poor box office returns kept the Shadow from becoming a franchise, which is a shame, cuz I would've liked to see more of 'em.