Recent viewings

[BakuryuuTyranno]

They - A film from the times before widely-released theatrical horror was generally synonymous with terrible. Quite low-key, it managed some atmosphere at times while using just the suggestion that something was near the characters. Also had several characters who didn't just eist to die.

Five Senses of Fear - A strange anthology featuring stories based the human senses. It ranged from being amusing quite disturbing. There were some bizarre ideas here, that's for certain.

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Animal" (2001) a washout police cadet (Rob Schneider) gains strange new powers after he's severely injured in an accident and a crazy doctor puts him back together with animal parts.

My kids found this movie on Netflix and insisted I watch it with them because "it's soooo funny!" ...I almost hate to admit it, but I did laugh a couple of times. It was less painful than I expected, anyway.

[indianasmith]

My wife and I went to see DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES today.  It was very good, excellent acting, and perhaps the most flawless CGI I have ever seen.

[Jack]

Beware of Mr. Baker (2012) - documentary about Ginger Baker, the drummer for Cream, Blind Faith and a bunch of other bands throughout his career. He's a real screwball to say the least. Pretty much a lifelong heroin addict with extreme anger management issues. For instance when he was playing his drum solo with Cream, the bass player Jack Bruce decided to accompany him on bass. Baker didn't like this so he physically attacked him with the intention of kicking him until he was dead. If you've ever wondered why Cream and Blind Faith broke up so quickly, it's because Eric Clapton couldn't stand to be around this guy. The documentary covers his stints with those bands, the 5 years he spent living in Africa and learning all about African percussion, and then he got into playing polo, and then he was in a slew of other bands. He got five million dollars for doing a Cream reunion performance, spent it all on polo ponies, then he was broke and had to sell his ranch and his ponies. He's on his 4th wife and treats his children from previous marriages about as poorly as it's possible to treat anybody. An interesting character to see on TV but not someone I'd ever care to meet in real life. 3.5/5.

Sphere (1998) - a giant spaceship is found at the bottom of the ocean and Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone and Samuel L. Jackson are sent in to investigate. This is a minor favorite of mine, with an intriguing plot. One thing I don't like is that Jackson's character acts completely detached from the situation for much of the movie, which doesn't really make much sense. 3.5/5.

[Trevor]

Beware of Mr. Baker (2012) - documentary about Ginger Baker, the drummer for Cream, Blind Faith and a bunch of other bands throughout his career. He's a real screwball to say the least. Pretty much a lifelong heroin addict with extreme anger management issues. For instance when he was playing his drum solo with Cream, the bass player Jack Bruce decided to accompany him on bass. Baker didn't like this so he physically attacked him with the intention of kicking him until he was dead. If you've ever wondered why Cream and Blind Faith broke up so quickly, it's because Eric Clapton couldn't stand to be around this guy. The documentary covers his stints with those bands, the 5 years he spent living in Africa and learning all about African percussion, and then he got into playing polo, and then he was in a slew of other bands. He got five million dollars for doing a Cream reunion performance, spent it all on polo ponies, then he was broke and had to sell his ranch and his ponies. He's on his 4th wife and treats his children from previous marriages about as poorly as it's possible to treat anybody. An interesting character to see on TV but not someone I'd ever care to meet in real life. 3.5/5.

Friends of mine screened this film at the National Arts Festival in 2013: I asked them what Baker was really like and they gave me a NAF program with a picture of Baker in it with the director holding up a red stop sign with the words F*** OFF on it.   Apparently he hit the film's director on the nose with his cane, too.



I see they turned the sign around.  

[Josso]

Sphere (1998) - a giant spaceship is found at the bottom of the ocean and Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone and Samuel L. Jackson are sent in to investigate. This is a minor favorite of mine, with an intriguing plot. One thing I don't like is that Jackson's character acts completely detached from the situation for much of the movie, which doesn't really make much sense. 3.5/5.

That was the only movie I was scared by as a kid, along with event horizon.

[Jack]

Beware of Mr. Baker (2012) - documentary about Ginger Baker, the drummer for Cream, Blind Faith and a bunch of other bands throughout his career. He's a real screwball to say the least. Pretty much a lifelong heroin addict with extreme anger management issues. For instance when he was playing his drum solo with Cream, the bass player Jack Bruce decided to accompany him on bass. Baker didn't like this so he physically attacked him with the intention of kicking him until he was dead. If you've ever wondered why Cream and Blind Faith broke up so quickly, it's because Eric Clapton couldn't stand to be around this guy. The documentary covers his stints with those bands, the 5 years he spent living in Africa and learning all about African percussion, and then he got into playing polo, and then he was in a slew of other bands. He got five million dollars for doing a Cream reunion performance, spent it all on polo ponies, then he was broke and had to sell his ranch and his ponies. He's on his 4th wife and treats his children from previous marriages about as poorly as it's possible to treat anybody. An interesting character to see on TV but not someone I'd ever care to meet in real life. 3.5/5.

Friends of mine screened this film at the National Arts Festival in 2013: I asked them what Baker was really like and they gave me a NAF program with a picture of Baker in it with the director holding up a red stop sign with the words F*** OFF on it.   Apparently he hit the film's director on the nose with his cane, too.



I see they turned the sign around.  

He looked like such a friendly and polite young man back in his younger days

[lester1/2jr]

The Third Generation - 4 star type foreign movies can be a chore, but I've always liked Fassbinder. His movies always have a funny, demented, but mature sort of mood and good characters. This one was I guess a response to the Beider meinhoff gang in Germany. He pretty much just makes fun of communist/ anarchist types and how they have no morals or self respect. It's sort of one note but probably pretty accurate. Unlike say Hamas or something, the "demands" of these terrorists are pretty hard to decipher. it seems to be mostly about planning the act itself and living in a gross and stupid way. Again, it's a little one note and maybe he could have explored what drove them a little more but it's still good 4/5

[BoyScoutKevin]

"Killdozer" (1974) a construction crew uncovers a meteorite which gives their bulldozer a mind of its own - and a taste for blood - in this semi classic made for TV z-movie. Unintentional laughs abound!

I don't know why it is. Maybe it is the title. Maybe it is because it is really one of those films that are so "bad" they are "good," but that even 40 years later after seeing it on TV, it is still a film that I remember as being memorable.

And you can't go wrong with a cast of "tough guys," that include Clint Walker, Carl Betz, Neville Brand, James Wainwright, Robert Urich, and James A. Watson, jr.

And what I did not know or had forgotten, the script was by science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon.

[Rev. Powell]

I AM DIVINE (2013): The life of Glen Milstead, from a chunky nerdy kid who got beat up at school to the iconic 300 lb drag queen Divine, the main attraction in John Waters'  transgressive early comedies. The reverential interviews and clips meet, but don't exceed, your expectations for a documentary about Divine. 3/5.

[alandhopewell]

     This was one of the films in the DARK CRIMES set I just acquired....

Half a Sinner ( 1940 )

    Just fifty-nine minutes long, but a fun little comedy-suspense flick.

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Lego Movie" (2014) an ordinary Lego guy learns that he's the only one who can save his building-brick universe from a supervillain in this frantically paced, very funny animated hit.

[Jack]

Warlock III: The End of Innocence (1999) - some young people go to a spooky house out in the country and it's not long before the old mean-spirited warlock shows up and ruins their weekend.  This was okay, not exactly exciting but the characters are okay and Angel Boris gets topless (she could put somebody's eye out with those things!).  3.5/5.

[JaseSF]

Narcotic (1933): Weird film from Dwain Esper explores one man's descent into drug addiction. Dr. William G. Harding (Harry Cording) starts off as a promising medical student whose decision to spend one night in an opium den sends him into a downward spiral of drug use.

While nowhere near as strange and disturbing as Maniac (1934), this has its bizarre moments. It definitely has a disjointed film and feels like it was pasted together in an hurry mixing in bizarre and disturbing stock footage with unusual real life events. The drug party portrayed here has to be seen to be believed...basically it seems drugs makes people act like stuffy rich people who never let loose unless under the influence of something and then once they are, all hell breaks loose at least in terms of making the women dance more and reveal more skin. Overall this was kind of dull especially when compared to Maniac but also features incredibly bad acting and very unpleasant stock footage particularly of animals killing one another. A lot of the facts portrayed though were probably well chosen and relevant for the time of its setting. ** out of ***** stars.

[indianasmith]

Last night I watched a fairly interesting horror film called TORMENT: WELCOME TO THE FAMILY.
A widower who has recently remarried is taking his wife and 8 year old son Liam to the family's summer house in the country.
He is desperately trying to get the boy to accept his new stepmom, but the 8 year old is still grieving his mother and cannot stand
Dad's new wife.  When they arrive at the summer home, they find that someone has been living there in their absence: the sheets
are dirty, there are dishes and rotten food in the sink, and the place is a mess.  They call the sheriff, who assures them that it was
"just kids" partying and making a mess in the house during its vacant season.
   He was wrong.  It was a homicidal family of cannibal hillbillies - and they haven't left yet!
   This one was borderline torture porn in a couple of scenes, but strangely compelling nonetheless.  Some great creepy empty
house scares, and a fairly satisfying twist at the end.  Overall, very well done.