Recent viewings

[Jack]

Zombie Women of Satan (2009) - A modern-day burlesque troop is doing an interview with some internet site, but the internet folks run some cult where they take in girls, have them dress in lingerie, and then dad does experiments on them.  Dad screws up a bit and turns all the girls into zombies, and the burlesque folks have to fight for their lives.  This started out so bizarre I was tempted to turn it off, but by the end I was having a pretty good time.  It's definitely a comedy, and all the creative British swearing kept me chuckling.  The characters, screwy as they may be, are likable and very well developed.  It even had a bit of a plot.  Oh, and lots of boobies.  3.5/5.

[JaseSF]

Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs (2008): The Planet Express crew set out to investigate a mysterious rip in space. Eventually we learn waiting on the other side is a planet sized hideous tentacled monster seeking love and acceptance that we soon learn will threaten our thirtieth century universe's entire existence. Meanwhile Bender tries to seek out the mythical League of Robots.

This was pretty good actually. It's clever and witty and managed to deal with sticky issues of religion and unusual concepts of love rarely explored in similar fashion. It really surprised me quite a bit with some of its plot twists. Plus this is a pretty darn solid comedy take on classic style monster movie mayhem. It's good fun and features a lot of popular series characters in more than just cameos as most of them do factor into the plot in some fashion or another. And it's pretty funny and consistently entertaining too. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

[bob]

very very strange, but enjoyable -- features Jimmy Stewart as one of the most likable movie characters ever

4/5




just what the tilte suggests, we allow the life of a pool huster

4/5




very very strange

4/5

[Couchtr26]

Borderland (2007) - Compared to most of the After Dark movies, I was really surprised by this one.  It is very well done compared to most.  Although I didn't enjoy the story entirely, I can't say it was a bad film.  I was pleased to have finally given it a chance. 

4.5/5

[Newt]

Shadowzone (1990)

Skimpy and rough. And not in any of the good ways. Simply comes off too cheap.  Shame.

Take a crumb of premise from A Nightmare on Elm Street, add several key elements from Carnosaur, some general atmosphere from Event Horizon and maybe a hint of Altered States.  Shake well.  Strain the mix to remove any meaty bits.  Water down and strain again.

Featuring:
Louise Fletcher as a (supposedly) 'ice queen' scientist Whose lines are either very very poorly written, or very very poorly edited: always out-of-step with what is going on around her.  It is as though Fletcher's scenes were filmed first and then the rest was hastily filled in - badly.

James Hong as "Dr Van Fleet" (The name incongruity makes it seem the actor was a last-minute substitution: perhaps it is just a heavy-handed attempt to put us on edge?  "Something is not right here!")

A somewhat hunky soap star (David Beecroft) as the manly military investigator who never actually does anything but fall for the helpless beautiful endangered unconscious naked young blonde female test subject with the requisite improbable (but barely tasteful) gravity-defying chest adornments.

The standard caretaker/comic relief buffoon.  Who could have stolen the show but then blows it.  Several times. The tape on his glasses should be a dead giveaway as to the subtlety at work here.

A monkey who provides the few predictable jump-scares but even so should have been in more scenes! HE could act!

(SPOILER!) A 'happy' ending that should have been satisfying but comes off under-written and hokey.  Even with the attempt to leave an opening for a sequel.

Give it a miss.  Nothing redeeming here.  A dull way to spend 90 minutes.  Which is too bad because it could have - should have - been made intro something better.   

[Vik]

Rango
Loved this, way better than I had anticipated. 

[tracy]

Rango
Loved this, way better than I had anticipated. 

We've rented that several times...probably should buy it. I loved it!

[FatFreddysCat]

"National Treasure"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l-6N8Y-Sgg

Nicolas Cage is an intrepid fortune hunter trying to beat some bad guys to a stash of treasure hidden away by the USA's Founding Fathers. Silly and far fetched but still enjoyable popcorn flick.

[Jack]

Brain Dead (2007) - A very small meteorite falls to earth, hitting a guy right in the forehead and infecting him with some zombie parasite...something or other.  So gather some characters together in a cabin out in the woods - a pair of hikers who get lost, a couple of escaped convicts on the run, and a televangelist and his young girlfriend.  And set the zombies upon them!  This was pretty fun, heavy on the cheese, and not light on the T&A either.  For the most part the characters were likable and fun, except for the lesbian feminist - "Men:  can't live with 'em, can't castrate 'em."  Yeah, who's brilliant idea was it to have this shrew live past the 5 minute mark?  Still, she finally ended up with her head in the fireplace.  4/5.

[Vik]

Made in U.S.A, Passion, Alphaville, Breathless and Bande à part
Digging Godard's films so far, especially the latter.

[Rev. Powell]

THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957):  A knight returning from the Crusades plays chess with Death in a countryside stricken with the plague.  Great gloomy masterpiece that bludgeons you on the head with the message "you're going to die... no one can save you... and it's going to be HORRIBLE."  5/5.

THE GUARD (2011):  A curmudgeonly, almost sociopathic Irish country cop reluctantly teams up with an FBI agent to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring run by a ruthless but philosophical trio.  Brendan Gleeson's salty performance as the profane sergeant who's either really dumb or really smart is one of the most memorable of 2011, and the witty, deadpan dialogue and dark comedy gives the movie a Coen-Brothers-on-the-Emerald-Isle feel.  4/5.

[Jack]

Last of the Living (2008) - post-zombie apocalypse, 3 buddies are hanging out in a nice mansion they've appropriated for themselves.  Life is easy, if a bit boring.  The zombies are scarce, slow and easily dispatched.  On a run to the supermarket they meet a girl who's working on a cure to the infection, and they decide to help her get to a nearby island where other scientists can hopefully save the world.  This is very much a comedy, with the characters being rather charming, smooth-talking goofballs who seem pretty much unaffected by the whole end of the world thing.  Later on as the plot progresses, it's still silly fun but it does get a bit more dramatic.  A perfectly enjoyable waste of 90 minutes.  4/5.

[lester1/2jr]

Reflections of Evil (2002)- You might have heard of this. It was made by some guy or something. It's very homeade, an endurence test,  and impossible to reccomend to a normal person but I actually kind of liked it a bit. The dubbed in sound especially was just ridiculous. A fat homeless looking guy goes around selling watches in Los Angeles. This LA is horrible and unforgiving. He is constantly being harassed by people with dogs and everyone is nasty to him and to each other. The only friend he seems to have is his Mom and even she viciously berates him for eating too much, this in a particularly ridiculous scene at a diner where he keeps stealing bites of his sandwich, which she wants him to bring home in a doggie bag.

It's mainly him wandering around looking uncomfortable and desperate with horrible people attacking him for a while, then a story emerges abuot his sister somehow dying and she becomes a character, dressed and acting and being filmed at certain points like a 60's jean Rollin type vampire woman or something. There's lots of weird stuff in thes parts, some of it 60's / retro influenced.

It is an endurance test but it was interesting and even compelling in it's own way.  If you can get in to stuff like "Horror House on Highway 5" you could probably appreciate this.

3/5

[JaseSF]

The Treatment (2006): Jake Singer (Chris Eigerman), an high school teacher struggling to make a difference, but whose own life is in constant turmoil and he's in such a mess he's in almost constant psychoanalysis with the rather over the top Dr. Ernesto Morales (Ian Holm), meets a beautiful and captivating new love interest in widow Allegra Marshall (Famke Janssen).

This was pretty well done and at times even fascinating to watch unfold. With this movie, one has to wonder what's real and what isn't as some things definitely seem imagined. Quite possibly Dr. Morales himself may be in fact a figment of Singer's imagination at least part of the time. The acting is pretty solid too but something does seem to be missing, it just doesn't quite gel on some level - I think the romance in fact doesn't fully work but then again, I'm not entirely sure it was meant to work as so much of this film seems to be our lead character's take on things in his life, his own mental picture. Overall it's a good film but not entirely satisfying. *** out of ***** stars.

[bob]

Magnolia (1999) - I just finished this. This movie is allegedly about to be the power of forgiving people,  I on the othe er hand beg to differ.

There are unspeakable offensive acts committed within Magnolia done by many characters. Yet, the audience is supposed to have sympathy for them. This movie wears the audience out not just because of the length but because of the constant running themes being beaten into the head of those watching the film.

   There are two saving graces in this film: the two noble people in Magnolia who are just trying to do the right thing with no ulterior motives and the acting which is outstanding. However, that is not enough to save Magnolia. To be blunt Magnolia sucks and is one of the worst movies ever made.