Recent Viewings, Part 2

[indianasmith]

HELLARIOUS (2019)  A fairly amusing set of low-budget comedy shorts; everything from a killer shopping cart to cannibalistic lunch ladies with a Johnny Depp fetish to an amusing twist on the old werewolf legend; not too raunchy but fairly bloody, this was a fun little freebie from Amazon Prime  3.5/5

[Dr. Whom]

Girls with Balls (2018)

A girl volleyball team gets lost in the woods and is hunted by a murderous cult of yokels, led by Denis Lavant of Holy Motors fame.

After seeing the 'Bad Movies on Netflix' thread, I gave it a go.

Disappointing. It is not funny or over the top enough to be a comedy/parody. It is also way too silly to create any real suspense. There is some sexiness, but again it stops well short of showing anything, really. Finally it is also quite competently made, so it doesn't fit in the so bad it is good category. There are some good moments, and it is not painful to watch (being only 77 minutes helps) but it doesn't have a lot to recommend it, either.

For the French learners, if you want to go to France and thoroughly curse people out, this is one to watch.

[lester1/2jr]

The Visitor (1978) - This has probably turned up on "What was that movie?" before. The story isn't that great, but its very memorable visually. Some sort of alien girl comes to Earth and causes havoc. Her Earth Mom thinks its her regular daughter not this massive alien conspiracy. Really quintessentially 70's effects and big work put into creating colorful cinematography makes it stand out. like a more evil "Escape from With mountain" crossed with an episode of Charlie's angels or something.

again plot isn't super strong but it's enjoyable late night viewing that moves well enough. The ice skating fight is hilarious

4/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Krampus" (2015)
A dysfunctional family's stressed-out holiday gathering is complicated by a major blizzard and a visit from the Yuletide demon of German folklore, whose job is to punish those who've lost their Christmas spirit.
Michael "Trick r' Treat" Dougherty's tongue in cheek holiday horror story is hampered slightly by its PG13 rating (though I understand a nastier, so-called "Naughty Cut" version now exists), but the black humor and cool creature FX keep it watchable. This has become a Christmas season regular for me.

[indianasmith]

BUTCHERS (2021) - A pair of inbred brothers in rural Canada waylay travelers along their lonely stretch of highway, killing the men and feeding them to their deformed brother, and keeping the women as sex slaves.  This is a pretty by-the-numbers "cannibal mutant hillbilly" flick; no nudity but lots of gore.  Moderately entertaining if you like that sort of thing. 3/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997)
Pierce Brosnan's second turn as 007 takes him to Germany and the Orient, where a crazed multi-media magnate is trying to start a war between England and China, which will be great for his network's ratings. Hong Kong action star Michelle Yeoh (making what I believe was her first appearance in a Western film) co-stars as a butt kicking Chinese agent providing backup for Bond. Lots of action packed fun.

[indianasmith]

TULLY (2018) - Charlize Theron stars as Margo, a frazzled mother of three kids, including a newborn, who hires a night nanny so she can get a little sleep.  The nanny, a cute 20something named Tully, quickly develops a strong bond with her new boss, that leads to them sharing . . . everything!  Cool movie with a crazy twist at the end that I didn't see coming!  4/5

[lester1/2jr]

Jennifer's Body -  Somehow I never saw this one. Really enjoyable horror comedy that is kind of a cross between Scream and Not Another Teen Movie, so maybe not the best choice for you classic horror buffs.

Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried do the Betty vs Veronica thing about as well as it can be done. I liked it better than Scream 4 and about as much as It Follows though it wasn't as good a horror movie as the latter.

The emo band doing their goofy song "through the trees" was as good a parody of that genre, essentially Christian rock for hipsters, as I've ever seen.

4.5 /5 better as comedy than horror though

[Rev. Powell]

SPENCER (2021): Princess Diana struggles with her mental health, bulimia, and marital problems during Christmas celebrations with the royal family. Pablo Larraín's stately but highly speculative biopic effectively exploits Diana's paradoxical public image as both the embodiment of royal glamour and its tragic victim. Stewart deserves the praise she receives for her perf. 4/5.

As I watched this I kept wondering "Would Trevor like this?" I think he would, because Diana is treated very sympathetically.

[Trevor]

SPENCER (2021): Princess Diana struggles with her mental health, bulimia, and marital problems during Christmas celebrations with the royal family. Pablo Larraín's stately but highly speculative biopic effectively exploits Diana's paradoxical public image as both the embodiment of royal glamour and its tragic victim. Stewart deserves the praise she receives for her perf. 4/5.

As I watched this I kept wondering "Would Trevor like this?" I think he would, because Diana is treated very sympathetically.

Thanks for that, Rev.

Diana was the first celebrity I had a serious crush on and I was devastated when she died, as people who know me know well. Even my special sister Maggi - who made it plain that she didn't like Diana - cried when she found out that Diana had died.

Despite the crush I had on her, I always saw Diana as a big sister and a life mentor in some ways - I'm a blood and organ donor because of her - and I hated the Diana film with Naomi Watts (who tried hard) so I was wondering if I should go see this.

Thanks to you, I'm going next week. 

[Rev. Powell]

MAYDAY (2021): A young woman blacks out and finds herself in a fantasy world where she joins a squad of women who lure men to their death by sending false distress signals that lead them into deadly storms. This adult variation on "Wizard of Oz" with a feminist spin fails to reach it's potential; it starts with a strange premise, but seems uncertain on just how unconventional it wants to get, falling back on familiar beats. Not awful, but girls deserve better. 2.5/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Hebrew Hammer" (2003)
A crazed new Santa (Andy Dick) takes over operations at the North Pole and plans to wipe Hanukkah off the holiday calendar. Mordechai Jefferson Carver, aka "The Hebrew Hammer" (Adam Goldberg), a super-cool certified Kosher bad-ass and protector of all things Jewish, is the only man who can stop him.
A low budget, but very funny action comedy in the "Austin Powers" or "Undercover Brother" vein; Goldberg is a hoot as the heroic Hammer (who's kinda like a Jewish "Shaft"). I'm pretty sure this is the only time you'll ever hear a gun toting movie hero say, "Shabbat Shalom, motherf***ers!"

[lester1/2jr]

Mandela effect (2019) - Apparently, millions of people thought nelson Mandela died in prison in the 80's. I never thought that. I remember distinctly when he was freed. They had a huge concert here in Boston and him being freed was a big story in the newspaper. Why did so many people think that he had died before? It's the Mandela Effect! What if instead of just a lot of people being mistaken its actually proof there's a hole in the universe and life is just a simulation or something? Welcome to this entertaining but reaching ass movie.

A guy's daughter drowns in the ocean when he's not watching her. This throws his marriage into turmoil and he goes down a rabbit hole of youtubes about the Mandela Effect (described above). Things get crazy when he tries to track down one of the guys giving speeches in the videos ( imitation Morgan freeman guy) and realizes there is a whole body of work about it and even a super computer to like study this phenomenon.

It's totally ridiculous but the actors play it straight and damn if it doesn't work on some level. They took an absurd concept for a sci fi movie and largely pulled it off

4.5 /5

[Dr. Whom]

The Thing (1982)

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

[jimpickens]

Silent Night Deadly night the original 1984 classic.