Recent viewings

[Rev. Powell]

MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO (1991): A young, narcoleptic gay prostitute (River Phoenix) searches for his mother, with the help of a fellow hustler (Keanu Reeves) who is heir to a business fortune. Gus van Sant's bizarre mix of gritty realism, surrealistic touches and scenes adapted from Shakespeare's "Henry IV" has interesting parts, but always seems cobbled together and is frustratingly inconclusive. 3/5.

[alandhopewell]

     Got a phone that does YouTube, so I spent some time playing in the Public Domain sandbox....

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    THE WIZARD OF MARS
A real snorer; even John Carradine couldn't save this.

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    CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN
Haven't seen this since childhood-still fun to watch.

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    WITHOUT WARNING

Martin Landau gives a performance that makes his co-star Jack Palance look restrained; a hoot.

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    THE EYE CREATURES
Larry Buchanan....'nuff said!


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     THE HUMAN DUPLICATORS
Poor Hugh Beaumont!

 




  More to come....

[Alex]

Finally got around to watching the latest Terminator (Genysis) movie last night. Thought it was ok, although who the bad was just felt stupid to me. I remember watching the original movie and thinking during the factory scene "What the hell does it take to stop this thing?" I guess I was looking for this one to make me feel the same way and felt a bit disappointed by it.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Special When Lit: A Pinball Documentary" (2009)
http://youtu.be/4tkn4oIXD9I

This doc traces the rise and fall of coin operated pinball machines from the '30s to the present and profiles some of the "pros" and collectors who are dedicated to keeping pinball alive in a video-game world. I would've liked to see more about the game's history and less focus on some of the weirdo "fringe" pinball freaks (I have never seen so many 50 year old virgins in my life!) but overall it's an interesting trip through time.

[Rev. Powell]

A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH CONTEMPLATING EXISTENCE (2014): As series of bleak, deliberately stages, absurdist sketches, linked by a few recurring characters: a pair of joyless salesmen peddling novelty vampire fangs, and king Charles XII, who stops in a modern watering hole on his way to and from the battlefield. The third part of director Roy Andersson's unique and peculiar trilogy about "what it means to be a human being" is also the weakest, lacking a meaningful organizing principle and that one unforgettable killer sequence the previous films hung their hat on. 3/5.

[lester1/2jr]

Dark Mirror (2007) - The worst horror movie, in terms of originality and actually scariness, I've seen in a long time. Theres an "evil bathroom mirror" thing that's as hokey as that sounds and then their (rather nice) ornate front hall windows are ALSO evil so it's confusing too. 10 out of 10 people who watch it will guess the twist ending. The whole thing feels like it was written by an 8th grader who has never seen a horror movie. As bad as the oughts were who would have supposed they could be this cheap and lousy. It's a shame on the country.

2/5 it was somehow blandly entertaining but it's SO bad formally speaking that I have to give it the big thumbs down

this book http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Mirrors-Azazel-Satanael-Demonology/dp/1438439520 "Dark Mirrors: Azazel and Satanael in Early Jewish Demonology" looks a lot more interesting

[FatFreddysCat]

"Gremlins" (1984)
http://youtu.be/HQTSWsyye10

It's Christmas Eve in the picture-perfect little town of Kingston Falls, but the holiday is about to be crashed by an army of magical, homicidal little monsters in Joe Dante's classic creature comedy. I hadn't seen this one in a long time and it was tons of fun re-visiting it.

[Rev. Powell]

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (2015): Three rapping teenagers from a Los Angeles ghetto neighborhood turn their talents into a multi-million dollar recording empire. This gangsta rap advertisement epic is about how these visionary artists---choirboyz, really---overcome constant victimization by racist cops, biased media, and crooked managers with artistic integrity while maintaining their street cred. 2.5/5.

[alandhopewell]

 More from YouTube....

COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK

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     Good, with a few "HUH???" moments; better than a lot of this type of film.

ATRAGON

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     I missed seeing this when it was released in '65, so I'd been looking forward to seeing it; mildly disappointed.


     BATTLE OF THE WORLDS

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I watched this on Ghoulardi's Shock Theater as a kid; don't remember it being so SLOW.


     IT CONQUERED THE WORLD

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     First time I've ever seen the entire film....certainly better than the Buchanan remake-

ZONTAR, THE THING FROM VENUS

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[lester1/2jr]

Walled In- Man I've had some bad luck with horror movies lately. This was pretty bad but not as bad as Dark Mirror. Theres a gigantic apartment building in the middle of nowhere that they're going to blow up, but the demolitionist chick goes there and gets sucked into the mystery of the building: it was designed by an ancient Egypt obsessed maniac and several tenants were "walled in".

Mischa Barton who used to be famous for something is a cut rate Rachael Wiez. we are supposed to believe she is one of those construction business chicks but you never really buy it. She is attractive though too bad all the sexuality in the film is confused and poorly constructed, whether she is with her unappealing boyfriend or teasing the weird, children of the corn ish apartment building kid. This is one of those movies you look AT, like: I wonder what cornball thing they are going to come up with next. You don't get involved.

One of the trailers was for a "bawdy" medieval themed Mischa Barton movie that looks incredibly stupid

2 /5

Siege of Firebase Gloria - Wings Hauser as a soldier in Vietnam. The whole movie is them at the base shooting, getting shot at, and saying alternately patriotic and hopeless things about the situation they're in. At the risk of getting too political it seems like it was a very bad time. The simplicity of it is appealing but the story isn't all that strong. it's mostly about trying to recreate the atmosphere and mood of the American military experience. I liked vice Squad the other Wings HAuser movie better but this was good. I never watch war movies and I made it through albeit with a few breaks

3.75 /5

[FatFreddysCat]

"Breeders" (1986)
http://youtu.be/TYNhx6ELr4s

An extraterrestrial is attacking women and taking them to his secret lair under NYC to incubate the next generation of his race. Fortunately a dorky cop and a doctor with HUGE '80s hair are on the case. This hilarious no-budget alien-rape nonsense features bad acting, cheap gore and loads of gratuitous nudity (unfortunately most of the gals who perform said nudity are nothin' to write home about). Entertaining for all the wrong reasons.

[Rev. Powell]

"Breeders" (1986)
http://youtu.be/TYNhx6ELr4s

An extraterrestrial is attacking women and taking them to his secret lair under NYC to incubate the next generation of his race. Fortunately a dorky cop and a doctor with HUGE '80s hair are on the case. This hilarious no-budget alien-rape nonsense features bad acting, cheap gore and loads of gratuitous nudity (unfortunately most of the gals who perform said nudity are nothin' to write home about). Entertaining for all the wrong reasons.

BREEDERS just came out on Blu-ray (!). I may give it a spin again for nostalgia's sake.

[JaseSF]

I know I'm a bit behind discussing this but my Halloween viewing this year included:

Halloween (1978): To me, the perfect choice for Halloween, I notice every time more and more places where Michael Myers is factoring in the action or him or his shadow is constantly in the background. He definitely seems somewhat a representation of evil lurking out there anywhere and everywhere. I've discussed this one many times before so I won't go into more here other than to say on Halloween, this movie despite a few minor flaws ranks ***** out of ***** stars for me.

Horrors of the Black Museum (1959): A mysterious serial killer is killing female victims in more and more brutal ways seemingly taking his inspiration from the horrors that can be found in a black museum (featuring various methods of torture/torture devices and brutal devices designed for murder). The killer taunts Scotland Yard by staying a few steps ahead of them. We as an audience soon discover who the killer really is (actually it's pretty obvious throughout for the most part) and hypnosis plays a major part here as well. The performance of Michael Gough and the nefarious murders, especially the brutal binocular killing provides this film's most memorable elements. A character's transformation into a monster adds a more cheesy element yet somehow it doesn't take away too much from the film's effectiveness. Despite some minor flaws and a bit too easy to figure out mystery, this was an enjoyable one to watch on Halloween night. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Return of the Vampire (1943): Set in World War II London during the German bombing raids, a bomb unearths a vampire's coffin and eventually he is set free. Now posing as a scientist named Dr. Hugo Bruckner, the vampire whose real name is Armand Tesla (Bela Lugosi) sets out, with the help of his werewolf servant Andreas (Matt Willis), to take revenge on the family who previously vanquished him.

This classic horror film is all about atmosphere and despite being from Columbia has many elements people loved from the classic Universal horror films. Likely too this film was somewhat an influence on the later Paul Naschy Waldemar Daninsky films. Despite the addition of a tragic werewolf figure to the classic vampire style tale, this one doesn't really offer up too many surprises. Still I found I really enjoyed getting to see yet another turn by Lugosi in a vampire role (no doubt a role he was somewhat typecast in even at this time). ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Following Halloween, caught the following:

High Society (1956): Quirky romance/musical featuring a confused heiress named Tracy Lord (Grace Kelly) having to eventually decide between three potential suitors - her ex-husband smooth and confident jazz musician CK Dexter-Haven (Bing Crosby), her current beau and fiancee, ever safe and solid if somewhat boring George Kittredge (Paul Lund), or an elegant sweet talking reluctant tabloid writer named Mike Connor (Frank Sinatra). Who will she choose? With whom does sparks best fly? Also on hand to help narrate this tale somewhat is Louis Armstrong.

This remake of The Philadelphia Story isn't quite at the level of that film yet it is very enjoyable. It does feel a bit chaotic and all over the place at times yet with a cast this enjoyable to watch, who really cares? Loved the interactions going on here especially between Sinatra and Crosby, Crosby and Kelly, and Sinatra and Kelly. In some ways the story does feel more akin to the style common in the 1940s and honestly I was surprised by the ending as it didn't end as I expected it would although I guess the ending would be no surprise to a frequent comedy partner of one of the cast. **** out of ***** stars.

The Fan (1981): An obsessed fan named Douglas Breen (Michael Biehn) becomes overly enamored with a classic actress named Sally Ross (Lauren Bacall) and imagines himself in a would be romance. However when in Breen's mind, his fan letters are met with constant rejection mainly in the form of replies from Ross' secretary Belle Goldman (Maureen Stapleton), Breen's sick and twisted love turns to hatred and he begins to target those around Sally Ross and eventually Sally Ross herself for murderous revenge.

Basically this film is actually most entertaining on the level of B-movie slasher trash. Due to the presence however of popular stars Bacall and James Garner as her ex-husband/love interest, they try and turn this into more serious thriller fare. That attempt ultimately failed and yeah, this is pretty trashy. It is entertaining on a bad movie level with laughable lines mostly from Biehn's character, over the top gory attacks and murders, and a bad attempt at musical numbers featuring the aging Bacall. Bacall does her best but this is definitely fare well beneath her talents and beneath the talents honestly of most of the rest of this cast too. Still on  a bad movie level, this ranks ***1/4 out of ***** stars for me.

Paul (2011): British geeks Clive Goslings (Nick Frost) and Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) travel to America looking for adventure in the form on Comic Con and a road trip to reputed areas highly connected with UFO lore get more than they expected with they encounter a real life alien named Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) on the lam from the U.S. military. This experience transforms their lives as Paul seems to do with all who encounter him.

Highly enjoyable Sci-Fi comedy flick featuring Frost and Pegg, better known for Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Spaced as unlikely heroes in a sci-fi action adventure film. There`s some fun in-references and jokes that only those in the know will get in some cases. Overall the film is entertaining and succeeds in making you laugh. Probably will appeal even more to Sci-Fi and comic book fans. Good supporting performances from Kristen Wiig and Jason Bateman really help as does entertaining short appearances from stars like Jane Lynch, Jeffrey Tambor, Sigourney Weaver, Blythe Danner, John Carroll Lynch, and David Koechner. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

A Cat in Paris (2010): Animated adventure featuring a cat named Dino who uses his connection to a cat burglar named Nico to help his owner Zoé, a little girl who hasn't spoken since her father died, when she gets in trouble becoming the target of a violent criminal named Victor Costa, who also happens to be the very man Zoé's mother the police superintendent wants to bring to justice for her father's murder.

This short but enjoyable animated adventure proves fairly entertaining and should definitely appeal to cat owners as Dino's actions very truly fits that of a loving pet towards his owners. There's are some minor flaws with some too predictable elements and a seemingly too simplistic one-dimensional villain. The animation seems a bit jarring at times yet nevertheless seems to really fit this story. In the end, I really enjoyed this more than I didn't so I'll give it ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

[JaseSF]

The Secret Door (1964): Joseph Adams (Robert Hutton) and Edward Brentano (Peter Allenby) are prisoners serving life sentences who get assigned a special mission during World War II for the Allies - befriend spies in Lisbon, Portugal in order to gain entrance into the Japanese Embassy and eventually locate the secret code of the Japanese fleet to give the American forces the advantage during World War II.

This film proves surprisingly dry for most of its running time. It seems to drag on and on. Its premise never proves very believable and the whole thing feels akin to a bad TV movie with an overly jazzy score. Best thing about it is the performance of the ever likable Robert Hutton, Peter Iling playing a double crossing spy named Buergher, and the presences of blonde bombshell Sandra Dorne  as Sonia, and the lovely Shirley Lawrence as Hutton's love interest, a German refugee named Gretchen. The Japanese in this film not only do not look Japanese but they don't even seem to speak Japanese apparently speaking some type of Italian gibberish instead. The climax features double crosses aplenty, a ridiculously unconvincing chase scene, and finally a 40s style crooning song leading to a romantic reunion. *** out of ***** stars.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Robot Overlords" (2014)
http://youtu.be/zr_5U4y6EG8

Three years after Earth has been conquered by robotic aliens, a quartet of British kids runs off to join the human resistance. This is an entertainingly low budget dystopian sci-fi flick, aimed squarely at the "Hunger Games"/"Divergent"/"Maze Runner" youth crowd. It must be noted that Gillian "Agent Scully" Anderson, who plays the Mom of one of the kids, is looking quite MILFy nowadays.