Recent viewings

[Rev. Powell]

THE CRAWLING HAND (1963): An astronaut dies in space, but his murderous hand return to earth to interfere with teenage love affairs and elude incompetent sheriff Alan Hale.  A nice assault scene set to the novelty rock n' roll song "The Bird is the Word", but otherwise disposable early 1960s sci-fi.  1/5.

[Psycho Circus]

THE BIG EASY - Awful 

RAMBO - Awesome 

HELL OF THE LIVING DEAD - Okay 

ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS 3 - Very Cool 

Also caught some old episodes of Ray Bradbury Theatre which were really good and a few Columbo tv movie things.

[Jack]

Heavenly Bodies - Some girls take out a lease on an old warehouse and turn it into an aerobics studio.  They're "Short on money, but high on energy and enthusiasm" (actual quote from the movie).  All the aerobics look like complex dance routines.  Two-thirds of the movie is dance montages accompanied by uber-cheesy '80s pop music.  The main girl meets a guy, we get more montages accompanied by more cheesy music.  Then she gets her own workout show on a local TV station.  More montages, more cheesy music.  But then there's the evil girl, who works for the big evil health club across town.  She's sleeping with a guy who knows the director of the TV show, and she thought she would get the job.  So, the owner of the big evil health club buys the little aerobics studio, with plans to throw the good girls out on the street.  The main girl challenges the evil girl to a dance-off.  Ten people from each health club compete in a marathon aerobics session, the last babe in spandex left standing wins.  Yup, you gotta see this to believe it.  Especially the part where the main girl gets real tired, but then she has a flashback to dance montages we saw earlier in the movie, which fill her with renewed energy...oh yeah.  I feel like I've just been to the Wisconsin State Fair and eaten every last bit of cheese in the entire place.  I was going to watch Laker Girls as a double feature, but man, my stomach is still in knots from all the cheese.

Cheese cheese CHEESE!!!

[Psycho Circus]

Heavenly Bodies - Some girls take out a lease on an old warehouse and turn it into an aerobics studio.  All the aerobics look like complex dance routines.  Two-thirds of the movie is dance montages accompanied by uber-cheesy '80s pop music.  The main girl meets a guy, we get more montages accompanied by more cheesy music.  Then she gets her own workout show on a local TV station.  More montages, more cheesy music.  But then there's the evil girl, who works for the big evil health club across town.  She's sleeping with a guy who knows the director of the TV show, and she thought she would get the job.  So, the owner of the big evil health club buys the little aerobics studio, with plans to throw the good girls out on the street.  The main girl challenges the evil girl to a dance-off.  Ten people from each health club compete in a marathon aerobics session, the last babe in spandex left standing wins.  Yup, you gotta see this to believe it.  I feel like I've just been to the Wisconsin State Fair and eaten every last bit of cheese in the entire place.  I was going to watch Laker Girls as a double feature, but man, my stomach is still in knots from all the cheese.

Cheese cheese CHEESE!!!

I think I'll be checking that one out!  The more spandex and cheesy 80s pop in my movies the better!
Are there equal amounts of hairspray and neon Jack? 

[Torgo]

FEEDERS &  FEEDERS 2: SLAY BELLS ------  no stars out of ****.     What a bunch  of boring unwatchable crap. Avoid at all costs.

[Jack]

I think I'll be checking that one out!  The more spandex and cheesy 80s pop in my movies the better!
Are there equal amounts of hairspray and neon Jack? 

Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into?  I would advise caution  - extreme caution

[Rev. Powell]

DRACULA'S DAUGHTER (1936):  Picking up exactly where DRACULA (1931) left off, this sequel has Drac's "daughter" seeking to liberate herself from the curse of vampirism by seeking the help of a psychotherapist.  Some interesting twists (Countess Zaleska is both the first tragic vampire and the first openly bisexual vampire), but matter-of-fact vampiress Gloria Holden has none of the sinister charisma of Lugosi.  2.5/5.

[Pilgermann]

Saw Werner Herzog's new film Encounters at the End of the World a little while ago.  It's a documentary that's mostly about the people who spend time working in Antarctica.  If you've seen any Herzog documentaries this one fits comfortably with the rest, and if you haven't, this would be a nice place to start.  It's got a lot of great footage, a great soundtrack, is a little bit cynical, and is often very funny.  Perhaps my mind was in some sort of fragile state but I found many scenes to be strangely moving and I wanted to cry.

Here's the trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MImYM87jOtU

[Jack]

Miner's Massacre:  Kind of a minor favorite of mine.  Some kids go looking for gold up in dem dar hills, are attacked by a cheesy Miner 49er guy.  Fun, likable characters (even the b***hy girl was amusing), plot moves along well.  Good slasher.

Bloody Pit of Horror:  Bloody pit of goofiness is more like it.  Some models and photographers go to a castle for a photo shoot, and are attacked by the Crimson Executioner.  The theme music in the first third of the movie belonged in a Doris Day romantic comedy, totally ruined the "horror" mood.  Most of the dialog was ridiculous.  Plot was pretty ridiculous too, not in concept so much but the execution was laughable.  Oh well, got to see some hot babes in sexy outfits getting "tortured" LOL.  I got the Something Weird Video version of the DVD.  Picture quality was quite nice considering the age of the film, but the audio sucked.  The volume was very low, and if you turned it up to normal listening levels, there was an annoying hiss throughout the whole soundtrack.

[Rev. Powell]

SPANISH VERSION OF DRACULA (1921): Filmed at night using Spanish-speaking actors on the same sets the Tod Browning/Bela Lugosi crew used in the day, this is an alternate version of the Dracula story. Melford's variation is more eerie and atmospheric than the English language version, and less stagebound; if Lugosi had starred in this one, it could have been the greatest horror movie ever made. 4/5.

BORAT: CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN (2006):  Kazakh journalist Borat (Sacha Cohen) goes to America to make a documentary for his home country, clumsily interacting with average Americans at dinner clubs, rodeos, and Pentecostal tent meetings. This laugh-a-minute extended prank, largely improvised "Candid Camera" style with civilians unwittingly playing the straight man, is a masterpiece of characterization, and of totally unfair satire. 4.5/5

[Allhallowsday]

SPANISH VERSION OF DRACULA (1921): Filmed at night using Spanish-speaking actors on the same sets the Tod Browning/Bela Lugosi crew used in the day, this is an alternate version of the Dracula story. Melford's variation is more eerie and atmospheric than the English language version, and less stagebound; if Lugosi had starred in this one, it could have been the greatest horror movie ever made. 4/5...

You mean 1931... 

And thinking of you, REV, I recently sat through:
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (again) No matter how creaky it gets, it just gets better for me.  This time, I was really taken with JAMES GLEASON... 
THE DEVIL'S REJECTS  Stoopid.  I revived an old thread dedicated to this film in which I placed my comments.   
HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS This is what we crave.  The greatest kind of badness; schlock!   
CINEMA PARADISO One of the great films about loving movies.   
THE SPIDERWICKE CHRONICLES though NICK NOLTE is fun in there as that Goblin what's it, special effects do not a story make... pointless.   
THE BRIDGE TO TARABITHIA Much better than SPIDERWICKE, though hardly uncontrived.  Not at all what it's marketed as, I found it dark and unsatisfying.   

[Raffine]

BRAND UPON THE BRAIN! (2006)

Guy Maddin's 'autobiography' film invloves some mysterious goings on at a light house/orphanage on a deserted island. What evil is Guy and Sis' domineering mother and mad-scientist father up to in the cellar? What is making those strange marks on the back of the orphan's heads? What really caused Poor Neddie's disturbing tics? Is there anywhere to hide from the eerie aereophones? Can intrepid teen brother and sister detectives Helen and Chance solve the mystery before it's too late?!?

Maddin's latest weird, unsettling, but often hilarious silent film was originally screened with a live orchestra, several foley artists, a narrator, and a castrato! Criterion's DVD includes several alternate narrators, including Isabella Rossilini, Crispin Glover, and Maddin himself. Too bad they didn't include Barbara Steele's version of the narration, but she's glimpsed briefly in the documentary. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zP9JLSghD4

[HappyGilmore]

Walk the Line- A solid movie with great performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. 

[Rev. Powell]

And thinking of you, REV, I recently sat through:
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (again) No matter how creaky it gets, it just gets better for me.  This time, I was really taken with JAMES GLEASON... 

It's endlessly watchable, isn't it?

[Torgo]

THE VIRGIN SUICIDES   ***1/2  out of 4.   A deeply engrossing film that sticks with you. Fantastic performances and the film only stutters a bit near the end. Kirsten Dunst has never looked prettier.