Recent Viewings, Part 2

[Alex]

Zombie Pirates.

You know, with a title like that I was expecting a much more fun movie. Seems to be a vague tribute to the Blind Dead movies. Not finished it so far. Amateur acting, some boobs and someone who may or may not be Colonel Sanders.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Primal" (2019)
Nicolas Cage is a big-game hunter who's booked space on a cargo ship to transport his latest batch of dangerous critters (poisonous snakes, mean tempered monkeys, and a white jaguar) back to America, where he plans to sell them to a zoo.
Unfortunately, the same ship is being used to bring an even more dangerous federal prisoner back home for trial. Naturally, the bad guy gets loose in mid-voyage, lets all the animals out of their cages, and spends the rest of the movie playing cat-and-mouse with his FBI handlers and finally with Cage himself.
The CGI animals look like crap, but otherwise this was an enjoyably cheesy "B"grade action movie, bolted together from parts of "Under Siege," "Die Hard," and Cage's own "Con Air." 

[FatFreddysCat]

"Dead & Buried" (1981)
A sheriff (James Farentino) is puzzled by a string of random murders in his small town -- and even more concerned when the victims don't stay in their graves. I can't say much more than that without ruining the movie's twist but it was worth the wait.
This one took a little while to get going, but by the half way point I was hooked by its "Twilight Zone" vibe, the cool makeup FX by the great Stan Winston, and the performances by Farentino and Jack Albertson ("Chico and The Man"), who plays the town's kindly old coroner/funeral director, who may not be so kindly after all. Another 80s cult classic off the never ending list...

[zelmo73]

"Dead & Buried" (1981)
A sheriff (James Farentino) is puzzled by a string of random murders in his small town -- and even more concerned when the victims don't stay in their graves. I can't say much more than that without ruining the movie's twist but it was worth the wait.
This one took a little while to get going, but by the half way point I was hooked by its "Twilight Zone" vibe, the cool makeup FX by the great Stan Winston, and the performances by Farentino and Jack Albertson ("Chico and The Man"), who plays the town's kindly old coroner/funeral director, who may not be so kindly after all. Another 80s cult classic off the never ending list...

I've only seen parts of the movie on TV but I imagine all the cool parts were edited out. However, I did read the book a bunch of times when I was a little kid, and yes, that big twist at the end was hella cool and clever to a 3rd grade kid.  

[Rev. Powell]

I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (2020): A young woman goes on a trip to meet her new boyfriend's parents at their farmhouse on a night when a blizzard is brewing; the night grows increasingly strange and unsettling as it becomes unclear what is real and what is imaginary. This maze of memory and uncertain identity is Charlie Kaufman's most surreal film, with an ending that appears to throw all rational logic out the window. A lot of people on here would absolutely HATE this one, lol. Netflix exclusive. 4.5/5.

[Alex]

The Circle. A reasonable low budget horror. A group of archaeology students go on a field trip with a teacher to a Scottish island. Hijinks ensue as internal stresses threaten to destroy the group when faced with an external threat to their lives. There is a twist in the story, but I think most viewers will see it coming well in advance.

[lester1/2jr]

Sudden Fury (1975) - A guy in a Herb Tarlick suit gets in an accident with his wife, who he also hates and pretty much wants to kill. Seizing the moment, he tries to leave her there but a passerby helps her. uh oh. Now whats he gonna do?  

It started off "good" but took a while to get going. Eventually I got involved though, and the twist and turns and stuff were done pretty well and naturally. In the second half things pick up and all in all its unique and worth checking out. I especially liked the wife of the farmer they run into. Her obedient sort of nature might not be PC but it brought me into the whole scenario quite well.

4.25 /5

[indianasmith]

BIRDS OF PREY AND THE FANTABULOUS LIBERATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN (2020)

I finally caught this on HBO the other night, and found it fairly enjoyable.  The storyline could have profited from being more linear and less dependent on flashbacks, but it was fun and Margot Robie is always cute as the adorable psychopathic supervillainess.  4/5

[ER]

The Song Remains the Same, on TCM. I'd never seen it in such a beautiful format, only on VHS.

[lester1/2jr]

Maniac (1980) - It doesn't get much better than this. A solitary man in Pre Guliani NYC murders people, then attempts to fall in love. Is the modern age the way it is because we've abandoned tradition? or is it because we've exposed that it was a hoax based on appearances all along? I guess I'll never know, but the dystopian post 60's US city was surely a great place to be alienated and unaccountable.

Enough with the sociology, this movie rocks. It's low budget but features special effects by the great Tom Savini and a clear artistic vision from the director. HG Lewis and the general expectations of the grindhouse crowd must have been the prime influence, but so many of those types of movies are boring as Hell. This one brings it all together and is satisfying artistically and also is fun to watch.

5/5 highest recommendation

[lester1/2jr]

Time Lapse (2014) - I enjoyed this modestly budgeted sci fi time travel - problem sort of movie. A dorky hipster ish guy, his girlfriend and their ne'er do well roomy discover a now dead neighbor invented a machine that takes pictures 24 hours into the future. The ne'er -er of course takes the lead in making horse racing bets and the situation immediately gets out of control. Along the way, there's some Adrian Lynne eque romantic tension and turbulence, but no cinematography to speak of. Its mostly just them in the house and a few visitors.

The ending showed the proper care one should take when endeavoring to conclude a cinematic moving picture experience!

4.5 / 5

[indianasmith]

JEXI - A lovable loser's life is turned upside down when his new smartphone tries to "Make His Life Better" by helping him in the areas of self-confidence and romantic appeal - but then, when he finally manages to achieve a relationship with the girl of his dreams, JEXI, the phone's artificial intelligence, becomes jealous and tries to break them up.  Cliched but funny, with some wild moments scattered throughout.  4/5

[Gabriel Knight]

Time Lapse (2014) - I enjoyed this modestly budgeted sci fi time travel - problem sort of movie. A dorky hipster ish guy, his girlfriend and their ne'er do well roomy discover a now dead neighbor invented a machine that takes pictures 24 hours into the future. The ne'er -er of course takes the lead in making horse racing bets and the situation immediately gets out of control. Along the way, there's some Adrian Lynne eque romantic tension and turbulence, but no cinematography to speak of. Its mostly just them in the house and a few visitors.

The ending showed the proper care one should take when endeavoring to conclude a cinematic moving picture experience!

4.5 / 5

I watched it recently and while the movie it's not bad, I thought the characters were awful, which eventually kinda killed it for me. Also, the plot it's nothing special, it's basically a remake of the TWILIGHT ZONE episode A Most Unusual Camera, but not as good.

[zelmo73]

BIRDS OF PREY AND THE FANTABULOUS LIBERATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN (2020)

I finally caught this on HBO the other night, and found it fairly enjoyable.  The storyline could have profited from being more linear and less dependent on flashbacks, but it was fun and Margot Robie is always cute as the adorable psychopathic supervillainess.  4/5

The director did a fantastic and clever job with portraying all the absolutely loony parts of the movie from Harley Quinn's loony perspective. I didn't read the Birds Of Prey comics so I couldn't argue with any of the comic fanboys that dissed the movie, but the movie made me laugh and enjoy it in the movie theater back in February. I knew that I was watching a bad movie, that's why, and the filmmakers obviously had a lot of fun with it. 

[lester1/2jr]

Gabriel - I liked the girl, but the guy was too big of a dork. suspenders? come on. and the painting were trash