Recent viewings

[Rev. Powell]

"Compliance" (2013)
http://youtu.be/Kimp1QqAPec

A prank caller pretending to be a police officer calls a fast-food joint, accusing a young female employee of theft. Eager to please the "police," the manager willingly imprisons the employee in the back of the store... and things only get more bizarre from there. Disturbing indie drama based on an actual case.

I recommend that. Excellent, frightening movie.

IMMORAL TALES (1974): Four stories of incest, blasphemy, and sadism, taken from literary sources or involving historical figures like Elizabeth Bathory or Lucrezia Borgia. A relic of an era when softcore porn could be seen as almost respectable, if it was dull enough---though it is hard to hate on a movie that fits two dozen nubile nudes into one shot. 2.5/5.

[Gene Worm]

THE CRATER LAKE MONSTER:

I honestly couldn't tell if this B-Movie was about the monster, or a couple of idiotic rednecks. Two archaeologists discover ancient cave drawing that depicted men fighting a "monster" (it was actually supposed to be a plesiosaur). Afterwards, a meteor just so happened to be incubating an egg that hatched into a plesiosaur (which grew up into a full adult within a day).

The movie then continued with the life of two stupid redneck buddies, that sell boats for rent. However, their business isn't going too well when everyone who rents the boats are getting eaten by the monster.

After a while, in this fantastic cinematic experience, the sheriff discovers the monster, and him and the scientists have an argument about whether or not they should have the monster killed, or contained for study. At the best time ever, when the monster is attacking again, they make their decision to kill the monster. How, you ask? With a tiny bulldozer of course! They put a tiny cut on the monster's neck with the bulldozer, and that was somehow enough to kill it.

That was it.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Oculus" (2014)
http://youtu.be/mVW-EB58sew

A brother and sister reunite at their old family home to try and stop the mirror-dwelling spirit which killed their parents a decade earlier. A cool, creepy haunted-house flick. to kick off the Halloween season.

[lester1/2jr]

Happy Birthday to Me (1981) - WTF did I just watch? This is either a really elaborate tax shelter or a highly spirited misfire or something that shouldn't exist but does. Maybe I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and just say: this is one of those early horror movies that seems like it was made by an experienced director who didn't know how to do horror. What you end up with is something not very scary or suspenseful and is mostly just odd.

A girl goes to some sort of school in a weird European seeming town with a bunch of other kids. Unfortunately for them they start getting picked off by a mysterious killer. They are kind of like the kids in The Pom Pom Girls really annoying and popular and always doing hijinks. Also, they all seem to be dating each other? The lead is a poor man's Linda Blair and she fusses throughout the whole thing and has weird flashbacks via therapy she is engaged in. A lot of time is spent by the director trying to I guess throw the viewer off the scent of the "mystery" but the approach is very cartoonish and strange. There is no nudity but the girls are all very pretty.

This one moves weirdly, has a weird edge, and will have you scratching your head right up to the baffling ending. VHS cash ins were rarely this random and labored. I'd say check it out. get back to the dang badmovies roots

2/5

[claws]

Stand by Your Man (1981)

Annette O'Toole displays various wigs throughout the centuries portraying Country legend Tammy Wynette in this made for TV biopic. We learn that a young Tammy actually wanted to be a beautician but has her dreams constantly shattered by her jerk husband who is not a fan of the women's liberation movement. When Tammy mentions D-I-V-O-R-C-E he has her committed where she must undergo electric shock therapy. After release she moves to Nashville with her two young children and starts writing songs about hardship and what not. Soon enough she becomes a singing sensation, marries troubled singer George Jones and the rest is pretty much history.

Decent if not typical TV Drama jumping the back then successful Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) bandwagon. O'Toole impresses with her own singing but one can't deny a certain charming corniness to it all: O'Toole is thin and petite but the over-sized super-fake looking wigs makes her head look gigantic. Ah well. 4/5

[Rev. Powell]

BLINDNESS (2008): An epidemic of sudden blindness strikes the world, and the contagious blind are quarantined, then abandoned to fight among themselves as society crumbles. Mediocre and overlong adaptation of an interesting novel by José Saramago; needless to say, the script contains a few blind spots and occasionally stumbles. 2.5/5.

[Ash]

Mulholland Drive (2001): I'm sorry to say I gave up after 30 minutes. 

So did I.   

[lester1/2jr]

Thx1138 - This felt like an idealistic attempt to make a dyed in the wool sci fi movie by someone whose talents lay in other areas. Like the captain of the football team taking his math tutor to the prom. If you want straight sci fi there are many much better movies out there.  2.5 /5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Deadly Blessing" (1981)
http://youtu.be/jZRgBTmqyUs

A recently widowed farm wife tangles with the members of a sinister Amish-style religious sect in one of Wes Craven's lesser-known mid-career flicks. "Deadly Blessing" builds up a decent amount of suspense for most of its length but totally falls apart in the last fifteen minutes, thanks to a WTF plot twist and a cop-out "supernatural" ending that feels like it was tacked on as an afterthought.
Also of note: the high eye candy quotient, provided by the lovely Maren Jensen (of TV's "Battlestar Galactica") and a young-and-unknown Sharon Stone (in a supporting role that mainly demands she wear a nightie and pout). Sadly, Maren Jensen retired from acting after finishing this flick due to health issues.
"Deadly Blessing" isn't one of Wes' best, but it's not his worst either.

[Gene Worm]

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (2005)

[FatFreddysCat]

"Tremors 5: Bloodlines" (2015)

http://youtu.be/It8R5ckIg3I

The Graboid problem has gone global! When the critters turn up in South Africa, there's only one man to call ... survivalist and Graboid hunter extraordinaire Burt Gummer, who teaches the natives a thing or two about how to handle the pests. Not as cartoony as most of the prior installments, this one is more of a straight up creature feature as Burt encounters a new mutant strain of Graboid that's even more bad-ass than the American variety.

[Alex]

My mother in law is over visiting, and she is easily offended by swearing or violence. My attempts to find a Scottish movie that she could watch (The Herbals...no... Trainspotting...hell no... Highlander... no...Gamerz... not really... Burke & Hare... not even with Simon Pegg... Doomsday... hmm tempting but no...) seemed doomed. Eventually in the depths of my collection I did find a copy of Greyfriars Bobby that I figured would be safe enough.

Greyfriars Bobby (1961) is about a little dog whose master dies. Every night the dog would return to his masters grave to sleep. He continued to do this for the next 14 years. Supposed to be a true story, and it typical 60's Disney.

[lester1/2jr]

The Devil's Backbone (2001) - really good if not quite great Spanish horror movie maybe a little more drama than horror for some but overall well done and engaging.

A kid in rural Spain gets sent to an orphanage because his Dad was a commie and the orphanage is like for fallen commies kids or something. The horror part is "the one that sighs" a ghost people claim to see at night. As drama happens at the orphanage the main kiddo tries to figure out what the ghost wants. Aspects tended to remind me of The Orphanage especially the creepy basement

The not quite great isn't for the amount of drama it's just doesn't quite click into that 5th gear of bad craziness. You shoot for it but sometimes the elements just don't react in that magical way. At any rate, this is a far better movie than I would probably be able to make and certainly worth checking out it has the right tone and the writing and acting aren't stupid. Go Spain

4/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)
http://youtu.be/MZoO8QVMxkk

Tony (Iron Man) Stark's ill-advised experiments with artificial intelligence accidentally produce Ultron - a super-powered android creature with a Destroy-All-Humans agenda. Stark's teammates naturally come running to the rescue, adding a few new recruits (the Vision, the Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver) to the roster along the way. Much blasting, zapping, and exploding occurs. Action packed, fast 'n' furious popcorn fun.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Dolly Dearest" (1991)
http://youtu.be/uBz0LupVpDo

An American family arrives in Mexico to take over running a dilapidated doll factory ... which just happens to be located close to the ancient tribal tomb of something called "The Devil Child." You can pretty much write the rest yourself. Essentially this is a no-budget, gender-reversed "Child's Play" wanna be, but thankfully "Dolly" doesn't talk like a third rate standup comedian like her obvious inspiration, "Chucky."