Recent viewings

[lester1/2jr]

^ I rented that a couple times on vhs. It is certainly unique


Wyvern (2009) - more like Why not vern cuz it's not bad. Syfy cheese w/ out guest stars and overt camp 3.75/ 5

[Rev. Powell]

STEREO (1969): Four subjects at the Canadian Academy for Erotic Inquiry (!) experiment with telepathy. David Cronenberg's first feature is extremely low budget and experimental, consisting of long silent shots of the subjects participating in bizarre experiments punctuated by dense pseudo-scientific voiceovers; it hangs suspended in a space between the intriguing and the insufferably boring.  Available as an extra on the Criterion Collection's edition of SCANNERS. 2/5 for artistic intent, but beware--many will find it too boring to complete.

[JaseSF]

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933): Newcomer to show business, composer Brad Roberts (Dick Powell) helps save a Broadway show being produced by Barney Hopkins (Ned Sparks) which features Brad's girlfriend Polly (Ruby Keeler) and it proves a success. However Brad's big brother Lawrence (Warren William), who controls Brad's finances doesn't approve and plans to stop Brad's marriage plans with show girl Polly. Lawrence, accompanied by family lawyer Peabody (Guy Kibbee), might have bit off more than he can chew when he gets on the bad side of Polly's friends and fellow show girls Carol (Joan Blondell) and Trixie (Aline MacMahon).

This was a fun little pre-code film. It features some neat song and dance numbers which proves very entertaining. A young Ginger Rogers has a memorable one in a small role as Trixie's rival Fay. Overall very enjoyable with even the romance and comedy proving enjoyable although the musical numbers steals the show here. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy with Busby Berkeley involved with the musical numbers. There are a few risque sequences here for the era this being pre-code particularly some memorable stuff with Billy Barty. The ending number though does prove a tad more serious than one expects from a film of this period yet has an undeniable power. **** out of ***** stars.

Search for Beauty (1934): Fresh out of jail con artists Larry Williams (Robert Armstrong) and Jean Strange (Gertrude Michael) team up with money man Dan Healy (James Gleason) tricking a pair of Olympic athletes Don Jackson (Buster Crabbe) and Barbara Hilton (Ida Lupino) into becoming editors of a health and fitness magazine which they plan to use as a front to print more risque stories and pictures. Naturally Jackson and Hilton object and eventually turn their focus on the nearby health farm also owned by the magazine and soon make some plans to put Williams, Healy and all in their place. Will they succeed?

This one actually proved very very funny. Especially entertaining here is Gleason and his interactions with Armstrong who plays it more straight. I also really enjoyed the performance of the Michael as the scheming Jean. Crabbe does well in his role here and Lupino provides great support for him but one does wonder why he gets distracted with Michael, who I have to admit is pretty appealing in this film too. There are some disturbing elements to this pre-code film though particularly surrounding secretary Sally (Toby Wing) playing the stereotypical dumb blonde who can be talked into anything with her cousin Barbara being forced to sacrifice herself to come to her rescue at one point. Also the idea of "perfect youth" being presented here does seem a tad too decidedly WASP (but then what can one expect of the era). Still overall a fun escape that proves consistently amusing and entertaining. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Taxi! (1932): Hot-tempered Matt Nolan (James Cagney) battles against a rival taxi company trying to force other cabbies in New York city out through violence and intimidation. However Matt's girlfriend Sue Riley (Loretta Young) who's already lost her father to this battle fears for his safety and wants him to keep himself in check. This proves very tough for Matt when things take a murderous turn.

This was most enjoyable due to the performances of romantic leads Cagney and Young. Cagney proves surprisingly likable despite the bad temper and smarmy confidence he displays. Young is terrific as his concerned and frightened love interest. There's good support here from Leila Bennett as Sue's friend/co-worker Ruby (who arguably steals the movie with her lines and constant background chatter) and George E. Stone as Matt's buddy Skeets who also plays romantic interest for Ruby. The revenge subplot leads Cagney understandably astray and makes for a powerful film climax. This does have some problems though primarily that at times Cagney seems on the verge of snapping and exerting violence capable of hurting others around him just by being around him. He does seem to express a certain abusive subtext even towards Sue at times even if he doesn't ever really act upon it. Still I really enjoyed this film quite a bit. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Soft Drinks and Sweet Music (1934): In this short film, a soda shop waiter/would be song writer  named George (Georgie Price) dreams of his songs appearing on Broadway and he himself performing them.

This was enjoyable at times. I really liked the opening dance sequence with the numerous waitresses and an overworked, overwrought George even if it's a bit risque at times. There's some entertaining musical numbers in this too although it's a bit disturbing to see actors/actresses appearing in blackface. You have got to love the nod/parody of melodramas though particularly the mustached villain and the girl getting tied to train tracks. Price does impressions of Olson, Cantor, Harry Richman, and Ed Wynn which prove surprisingly good. Sylvia Froos does well here as show girl singer Sally Ray whom George meets in the soda shop. *** out of ***** stars.

Planet Outlaws (1953): An American soldier named Colonel Buck Rogers (Buster Crabbe) and his pal Buddy (Jackie Moran) are found in the future somehow having been in suspended animation within their crashed dirigible in 1938 until 500 years later in the future. There they join the cause of resistance fighters living in an hidden city fighting a dictator/evil mastermind named Killer Kane (Anthony Warde) who turns anybody who resists him into mindless robot worker drones with a special helmet device. To gain an edge in their battle, they hope to win the support of the people living on Saturn but Kane's also hoping to win their support in his cause. Can Rogers et al find some way to stop Kane from gaining total control over the universe?

This is basically a badly edited severely cut down version of the much superior 1939 movie serial Buck Rogers. There's wild jumps in story here that make little sense which is understandable when you consider just how much is missing here the original serial running over 230 minutes and this film is just 70 minutes long. The best thing about this film is the neat spaceships and ray guns from the serial. Also this edited version just makes Kane look like a complete bumbling idiot to the point one wonders just how he came to power. You will find yourself scratching your head more than once if you catch this as certain things we hear about happening after the fact but never actually see and sometimes the plot jumps wildly and inexplicably from place to place. Also certain characters just seem to disappear for long stretches of time without explanation too particularly Buddy and Prince Tallen (Philson Ahn). Watch the 1939 serial instead. **1/2 out of **** stars for the cool bits of serial that remains.

[Rev. Powell]

MST3K: WOMEN OF THE PREHISTORIC PLANET: This movie has certain flaws. For example, it's called "Women of the Prehistoric Planet," but all of the tribes we see on the planet are exclusively male. The host segments on the Satellite of Love, which involve a doomsday device launched into space by Isaac Asimov, are equally clumsy as the movie itself. Many fans think this is the best Season 1 episode, but I rate it in the middle of the pack. 2.5/5.

[JaseSF]

Colossus and the Amazon Queen (1960): Following the Trojan War, Greek strongman Glauco (Ed Fury) impresses at the Games. Soon Glauco's friend Pirro (Rod Taylor) is convinced by two men offering a large sum of money to try and convince Glauco to sail with them to unexplored shores. Once they arrive, they discover they are being sold as slaves to the Amazons. Glauco soon finds himself smitten with the beautiful and alluring Antiope (Dorian Gray) while Pirro finds himself fascinated with the gorgeous yet cunning, scheming rival of Antiope named Melitta (Daniela Rocca). Meanwhile Egyptian inventor Sopho (Ignazio Leone) who manages to elude Amazon capture tries to rescue his friends. Antiope and Melitta are rivals for the throne but whoever's Queen must remain chaste. Pirro is plotting his own advancement while Glauco is mostly concerned with winning Antiope. Finally nearby pirates are plotting an attack hoping to get their hands on Amazon gold.

This tongue in cheek satirical take on the sword and sandal epic was actually kind of fun and funny at times. Rod Taylor, despite one wondering just what such a talented actor is doing in this cheesy film, manages to steal the show pretty much every time he's given a chance to shine as Pirro and actually seems to be having fun doing this one. Fury does well here as a much klutzier version of a sword and sandal strongman. The women are quite lovely too which helps with Antiope and Melitta usually proving far more capable than any of the men in the film. The continuing gag with the current Queen being very clearly sexually frustrated is quite amusing too. There's another memorable bit with many male characters acting very effeminate in this one in an over the top fashion, pretty much flaming gay house husbands/slaves for the Amazon women. Some may find some sequences here a bit disturbingly focused on showing off the male form but then these films have certainly been guilty of focusing on the female form in the past. The music chosen for this is wildly inappropriate sounding like some sort of sleazy jazz bandstand type music one would expect from a 60s AIP film but quickly lets one know this isn't your typical sword and sandal flick. After a time, this music does get a tad annoying. No doubt those expecting a serious Hercules style adventure might also be disappointed here. Personally though I found this one to be quite enjoyable, and actually something a bit unique for the era so I'm giving it ***1/2 out of ***** stars which might be a tad generous for this one.

[retrorussell]

Just saw MARDI GRAS MASSACRE (1978).  An update of sorts of BLOOD FEAST.  Really, really bad.  About on the level of DRIVE-IN MASSACRE bad.  This was one of those unrated, "No one under 17 will be allowed to see this picture" kind of flicks.  But the only gore is the same scene repeated (heart removal).  Threatened repeatedly to make me fall asleep, and I just had a nap before watching it.

[claws]

to get me in the mood for my October/Halloween viewings I watched

Don't Look Now (1973)

Sort of Art House Psychological Horror/Thriller/Drama with a touch of the Supernatural about a British couple who lost their child. While doing business in Venice, Italy they encounter a blind but psychic woman who warns them of future danger (by rubbing her own breasts). Above that, a series of mysterious murders occurs at the same time. Definitely a slow burner and certainly a classic of its kind. 4.5/5

The Omen (1976)

The more I watch this movie the more I'm aware that this is nothing more than a better produced B-Movie. I found myself laughing at a few scenes that came off rather unintentional funny. Still, it delivers the creepy goods filled with dooming dark atmosphere. Great performances all around. 4.5/5

Jaws (1975)

I'm always amused that they keep changing Jaws' genre tags at IMDb. Not too long ago it was listed as "Drama Adventure Thriller Horror" with the "Horror" tag continuously removed and added back again over the years. Seems like they have settled on only "Thriller" now for the time's being, but who knows for how long. Anyway: 5/5

[Jack]

Humongous (1982) - some kids get shipwrecked on an island, and find a hulking deformed guy lurking about, and he's got a taste for human flesh! This is a favorite of mine, it's just got some great '80s slasher movie atmosphere. 4/5.

Amazon (1999–2000) - finished watching this TV show which only lasted one season. An airliner crashes in the Amazon rain forest and a handful of survivors meet up with a group of European settlers who have been there for hundreds of years, cut off from the outside world. They believe they're God's "chosen ones", and take our plane crash survivors in believing they're God's messengers or something. There's also a native tribe living nearby who they don't get along with, and have various run-ins with. I really enjoyed this, it had excellent characters who I felt I really got to know and care about. The first half of the season was a little better in my opinion, as the survivors were living in the village with the settlers. In the second half, some of them leave to try to get back to civilization, running into an extremely dangerous cannibal tribe, while a couple of the others stay in the village. It offered some great character development opportunities, but I just didn't care for it as much as the stuff in the first half. It ends with a big cliffhanger, setting up a second season that was never to be  4/5.

[alandhopewell]

     I missed the first twenty minutes or so, still pretty interesting....

Shadow People movie trailer 2012

[Jack]

Blood Lake (2104) - a bunch of Lamprey eels infest a lake and, being CGI, they're able to move around on dry land and attack the townsfolk. Pretty much exactly what you'd expect for an Asylum movie that I'm betting premiered on the SyFy Channel; it's greatest achievement was to fill a timeslot. 2.5/5.

[JaseSF]

Wow, so Jack is watching movies in the future now...

Caught the following last night:

Eegah (1962): A young woman named Roxy Miller (Marilyn Manning), while driving to a party nearly accidentally runs over a giant prehistoric caveman (Richard Kiel). Later her father Mr. Miller (Arch Hall Sr.) decides to go looking for the caveman leading to Roxy and her beau Tom (Arch Hall Jr.) searching for him after he goes missing.

You know your monster movie has a problem when your monster is more attractive than your leading man. Here Kiel as Eegah seems more attractive and indeed "handsome" as Roxy calls him at one point than leading man Hall Jr. who looks ridiculous with his over the top pompadour haircut spouting lines like "Wowsa wow wow" and singing songs about other girls while dating Roxy. Hall Jr. is also particularly ineffectual here in terms of protecting his girl (he just leaves her so she can get abducted by Eegah) and then just roams about aimlessly shouting for her as lizards and other assorted animals look on. It's really up to Roxy to use her smarts to get Eegah to do what she wants only Eegah's plans for her aren't in tune with what she wants. The scenes in the cave where Roxy's father pretty much encourages her to lead on the giant which makes him get more and more progressively worked up into something of a horny frenzy are kind of creepy and disturbing. The best thing about this film is the performance of Kiel as Eegah who manages to be somehow scary and sympathetic at the same time. The most disturbing sequence is when he paws Roxy outside the cave yet for some reason we can help feeling sorry for the goofy caveman. His going around roaring like a monster and constantly saying "Eegah" becomes laughable in short order though. Arch Hall Jr. is supposed to be some sort of teen idol singer in this one yet is completely ineffectual as leading man and in pretty much every other way and clearly seems more focused on singing his songs which seem like poorly lip-synced music videos or riding around in his dune buggy than really anything else. Arch Hall Sr.'s character in this just seems kind of weird and has a slightly creepy and bizarre relationship with daughter Roxy, who does well as a fainting victim and well shows off her curvy figure in this one. Not at all a good film yet this one is surprisingly entertaining in a so bad it's good kind of way with stuff happening that'll make you wonder if you really saw or heard that.  ***1/2 out of ***** stars on a bad movie scale. For normal boring viewers, it's probably * out of ***** stars.

[Jack]

Wow, so Jack is watching movies in the future now...

Either that or he's getting dyslexic in his old age 

[lester1/2jr]

It'll be the same s**t in 2104

Raging Phoenix (2009) - This is JeeJa Yanin's next movie after Chocolate. If you haven't seen Chocolate I'd highly recommend it. This is a little less intense and a lot goofier and kind of teen oriented, especially in the beginning, but ultimately it's of pretty similar quality.

A girl narrowly avoids being abducted by a gang. She's saved by a trio of guys who practice a bizarre form of breakdancing influenced drunken Thai boxing. She learns the trade and also that besides generally fighting crime they are in particular set on destroying a certain strange gang who steal girls off the street to use their sweat to make perfume or something. It's slightly fantastical.

In the beginning, the fight scenes are more silly and colorful. The two comic relief sidekick guys are named Pigs**t and Dogs**t and they drink and dance and fight and it's a good time. Eventually it gets serious though and there's very elaborate martial arts choreography.

This didn't blow me away quite as much as Chocolate initially but it won me over. I think the key to these Thai movies is how physical they are: if the movie is 90 minutes you can bet a good half of that will be fighting.

Raging Phoenix - Beach Fight

4/5

[indianasmith]

This week so far I have watched AFFLICTED, one of the better vampire movies I have seen in awhile, and GRAVE HALLOWEEN, a rather creepy Japanese ghost story.

AFFLICTED is a semi-found footage kind of movie, setting out to chronicle a journey around the world by two thirtysomething friends, one of whom, Derek,  has a terminal brain condition.  Somewhere in Paris, he hooks up with a hot girl who leaves him in bed, covered with blood, with a huge bite on his shoulder.  Over the next few days he heals up and begins to develop extraordinary powers, plus a sensitivity to the sun.  He and his pal figure out what is going wrong but cannot come up with a way to slake his ever-growing thirst.  Eventually, after killing his friend in a fit of hunger, Derek goes back to Paris to confront his "maker" and find out if there is a cure for his vampirism.  This movie was well done, with excellent gore effects. 5/5

GRAVE HALLOWEEN is a Japanese film about a group of college students visiting Japan's famous "suicide forest," where hundreds of people have taken their own lives.  The main character, Maiko, is hoping to find her mother's body and perform the Japanese prayers for the dead to lay her spirit to rest.  But the ghosts in the forest have other plans.  This one is decent and well-executed, but not brilliant. 4/5

[Jack]

Detention (2011) - kind of hard to describe the plot of this since there really isn't one; it's a parody of teen romance movies, slashers and even a bit of time travel thrown in at the end. It's rather zany yet at the same time the humor is dark and sarcastic, which I found kind of fun. The jokes come a mile a minute so some of them are bound to make you smirk, though I don't think I actually laughed once. 3.5/5.