Recent viewings

[Flick James]

Angel Heart (1987)

I hadn't seen this movie in many years. I originally saw it during it's theatrical run. Directed by Alan Parker, it stars Mickey Rourke, Robert DeNiro, and Lisa Bonet in the controversial role that supposedly got her kicked off the Cosby Show.

Without providing any spoilers, Rourke plays a hardened and streetwise private detective in 1950's New York City who gets hired by a secretive and enigmatic client, played by DeNiro, for a bizarre missing person's case that unravels a dark, supernatural mystery.

The film is highly stylistic, part detective film noir, part supernatural thriller. The latter part proves to be the bigger one, with highly satisfying, chilling atmosphere. Even when the central character travels from freezing New York in the middle of winter to nice, warm New Orleans, the atmosphere never loses it's chill.

The twist ending surprised me when I was a young man. Had I seen it now for the first time, I have a feeling I would have figured out the ending, but even if I had, I don't think it would have detracted from the films successes.

Recommended. 4/5

[bob]

5/5 - only for those with a lot of time on their hands, it's over 3 hours long

[Vik]

The Ward
Meh, very disappointing coming from John Carpenter. Had some good scares, but it lacked other elements to make a good film.

[Rev. Powell]

200 MOTELS (1971):  Ringo Starr IS Larry the Dwarf AS Frank Zappa in this druggy pastiche of skits, solarized footage, crude animations, and an operetta about a penis.  Most people will wonder what they were smoking when they came up with this; Zappa fans will wonder where they can get some.  2.5/5.

[lester1/2jr]

Hangover Square - This seems to have  had a bigger budget than alot of noirs and has one or two "big" scenes with wide shots of various goings on.  I thught it  it was pretty average though and I wouldn't really reccomend it. The star Leighton something looks like Vincent Price if he was a football player. The female lead is supposed to be a Veronica Lodge type mean beguiling beauty but she's just irritating. The guy is a composer and the song he writes in the movie is actually really dark and cool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEAb8JNfvXs

Really the definition of mixed feelings for me. I basically enjoyed it and am glad I saw it but it was underwhelming. Did I mention it's merely okay? 3.25/5

[bob]

5/5

powerful stuff

[JaseSF]

Hocus Pocus (1993): A thrill-seeking teenager named Max Dennison (Omri Katz) accidentally resurrects three evil witches from the dead after 300 years. Now this trio of sisters, the Sandersons (Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker) are out to drain the life force from children and must do so before Halloween night is over if they want to survive and not be returned to the dust from whence they came. Now it's up to Max, his little sister Dani (a very young Thora Birch), potential girlfriend Allison (Vinessa Shaw) and an immortal black cat to foil the witches plans and end their potential reign of terror upon the children of Salem, Massachusetts.

This Disney film is pretty good Halloween family viewing to watch along with the little kids if you have any. It's enjoyable, sometimes funny, not overly scary but has likable fun characters. Especially good in their roles here are Bette Midler (as lead witch Winnifred), Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker (as Winnifred's bumpkin sidekicks/sisters) and young Thora Birch does quite well too as Dani I felt, her reactions, timing and emotions all feel quite right for the situations she finds herself in. Obviously this wasn't focused as much on the horror aspect as on the fantasy and comedy given this is pretty squarely aimed at young kids but it's still surprisingly good and well done with Midler pretty much playing it straight for the most part and the witches overall never change from, well, being evil witches. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Wrong Turn (2003): A group of six young people find themselves stranded in the woods of West Virginia following a series of car accidents. Soon however they find themselves the target of, being hunted down by, something monstrous living in those woods, the possible result of generations of genetic inbreeding.

This movie follows along a pretty predictable pattern and obviously most horror fans would be familiar with a number of the themes here in this story which seems to mix elements of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. Despite this, this movie really moves and flows well and is pretty darn gripping. It's also definitely not for the squeamish. I also liked that early on a lot of things occur offscreen and we aren't always shown everything making it a bit more startling when we finally do see more of what's going on. Still there are a number of flaws here especially in terms of credibility in a number of scenes and with so much being revealed early on with the opening credits. Still it was slightly better than expectation and leads Desmond Harrington and Eliza Dushku do a good job of getting you to root for them. *** out of ***** stars

[FatFreddysCat]

"Dirty Harry" (1971)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0-oinyjsk0&feature=player_embedded

'Nuff said!! 

Clint's first go-round as San Francisco's most bad-ass police officer still holds up well 40 (!) years after its release.

[JaseSF]

The Black Cat (1941): Elderly and sickly Henrietta Winslow lives in an isolated creepy old mansion along with her main companions - her cats. As she nears death, her greedy and selfish relatives all gather in anticipation of her death and the riches potentially awaiting them in her will. Soon death, a mysterious killer using hidden passages, and its omen, an ominous black cat follow.

Actually this movie isn't as much scary as it is funny and amusing, an old dark house style comedy. All the elements common to the old dark house thematic are here - murder, thunder, heavy rain, yowling cats, screams in the night, an isolated creepy mansion filled with hidden passageways and several red herring creepy characters to throw you off as to who the killer might be. Broderick Crawford plays the hero Gil Smith in the piece as a buffoonish real estate agent who here decides to play detective and try and protect love interest Elaine Winslow (Anne Gwynne). Also roaming around are Crawford's assistant Mr. Penny, the antique obsessed money hungry dealer, a creepy peeping tom gardener named Eduardo (Bela Lugosi), the stern busybody maid/housekeeper Abigail Doone (Gale Sondergaard) and the Winslow family suspects - Montague Hartley (Basil Rathbone), his wife Myrna (Gladys Cooper)- a former Winslow and son Richard (Alan Ladd), another former Winslow Margaret Gordon (Claire Dodd) and grandson Stanley Borden (John Eldredge). It designed to leave you guessing as to who the murderer is and to give you a few laughs, chills and thrills along the way. It's really not too bad of its type but a little disappointing when compared to The Cat and Canary which follows a similar plot. Most disappointing is the basically bit roles played here by Lugosi and Ladd, both of whom probably could have played much more substantial roles. Also the black cat meant to spook here is just plain never as scary looking as it is cute and cuddly. Okay escapist fare with a great look to it but a tad disappointing overall. Still for fun and familiarity sake, I'd give it ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Man Made Monster (1941): After surviving a bus crash electrocution that killed five others, Dynamo Dan the Electrical Man (Lon Chaney Jr.) finds himself the sudden interest of a pair of scientists dealing in electro-biology. Unfortunately for Dan, one of these scientists, a man named Dr. Rigas (Lionel Atwill) is quite mad and obsessed with the idea of creating an unstoppable electrical man he can control and carry out his diabolical whims.

This is one of those films that could have probably been better if they had shown more of what we later here characters talk about and say happened. Chaney does what he can and does manage to somehow make Dan a sympathetic and likable character, a real nice touch is the love shown between Dan and kindly Dr. Lawrence's dog Champ who at one point in our stories were the best of chums. Atwill plays his usual mad scientist, a role he seemed quite typecast in, and does his usual competent job of creating a man with no feeling for others but only interested in his own selfish concerns yet who is able to manipulate and operate around others without attracting too much attention.  This one has some cool moments and also on one level could be seen as representative of a man being controlled by and battling against a drug addiction. But overall it doesn't quite work mainly because the most exciting stuff that happens mainly occurs off-screen. Still it's miles better than its inferior remake of sorts - The Indestructible Man. *** out of ***** stars.

Horror Island (1941): A con artist/huckster named Bill Martin (d**k Foran) launches his latest scheme - a buried treasure hunting/haunted castle island getaway on Morgan's Island only finds things taking a turn for the unexpected when a mysterious Phantom, murder and other real treasure hunters turn up on the island and in the castle.

This is yet another Old Dark House style comedy. It's never truly scary as much as The Phantom poses and tries to look his creepiest. It does feature a lot of hidden passageways and creeping around at least once it finally gets to Morgan's Island. It's also quite unpredictable and even a bit weird in its way what with mixing would-be pirates (in the character of The Skipper - Tobias Clump played by Leo Carrillo), buried treasure with ghostly banging in the night and finally murder with comedic hijinks. Leads Martin and his buddy/sidekick Stuff Oliver (Fuzzy Knight) pretty much play a comedy team/pair of unlikely heroes while Peggy Moran plays Martin's love interest -the rich and elusive Wendy Creighton. Also on the trip are Wendy's rich sleepy friend Thurman Coldwater (Lewis Howard), Bill's Cousin George (John Eldredge) who seemingly also has designs on Morgan's Island for some unknown reason, an adventure seeking Professor (Hobart Cavanaugh), one Sergeant McCoon (Walter Catlett) who soon takes charge of the murder investigation and a mysterious couple (Ralf Harolde and Iris Adrian) with mysterious intentions. In the end while it is a bit hard to figure out just what's going on and who's behind it all, the movie just becomes a bit too confusing with too many characters some of whom get forgotten or just disappear for long stretches of time. Actually in some ways, this movie was ahead of its time how it features little stories from different characters and then later brought those characters all together only here we never actually see these stories but mainly here about them after the fact. In the end, this just doesn't quite succeed - it's just not very scary and it's just not very funny either. It is a bit weird and different though. *** out of ***** stars but only because the leads prove rather likable.

[JaseSF]

Night Monster (1942): It seems an hideous deformed monster that makes all the croaking frogs go silent upon its appearance is stalking and mysteriously killing at remote Ingston Towers and its surrounding swampland strangling its victims and leaving behind nothing but a glob of blood near the victim. Constable Cap Beggs (Robert Homans) with the help of writer d**k Baldwin and psychiatrist Dr. Harper (Irene Hervey), guests at Ingston Towers owned and occupied by Kurt Ingston (Ralph Morgan), a man left little more than a cripple following unsuccessful surgery, work to try and solve this bizarre mystery of which it seems certain someone at Ingston Towers is our murderous monster but who? Also staying there are an assortment of odd characters including Kurt's sister Margaret (Fay Helm) who everyone says is a bit touched in the head yet seems saner than most of the rest of our cast, chaffeur Laurie (Leif Erickson) who seems to lust madly after every woman he meets, housekeeper Ms. Judd (Doris Lloyd) whose devotion to Kurt and control over Margaret borders on madness, creepy butler Rolf (Bela Lugosi) who seems to always be lurking about, a crystal gazer and mystic named Agor Singh (Nils Asther) who demonstrates that the mind is capable of producing matter where none existed before and misshapen gate keeper Torque (Cyril Delavanti). Three other guests at the hotel include the three doctors who once operated on Mr. Ingston - Dr. Timmons (Frank Reicher), Dr. Phipps (Francis Pierlot) and the outspoken and proud Dr. King (Lionel Atwill).

While in many way, this follows the old dark house pattern, there is also the element of what seems to be a real monster lurking about. It gives this movie some added bite as this seems no ordinary killer. Still sticking to the old dark house formula, there's lots of fog,  a desolate old mansion that is surrounded by a swamp, several red herring potential suspects to throw off the viewing audience, hidden passageways which the murderer uses and screams in the night. Of its type, this wasn't too bad although Lugosi and Atwill's roles here are much less than I'm sure their fans would like. This one keeps you guessing and has some great mood and suspense building scenes even if its conclusion seems quite unbelievable on some levels. Still it's pretty good of its type. *** out of ***** stars.

Captive Wild Woman (1943): A mad scientist (John Carradine) experimenting with the human glands becomes obsessed with the idea of transforming a female gorilla into a human woman even at the expense of human life. Said woman soon grows affectionate of a circus performer only to revert to savage instinct when she learns he loves another.

Honestly if it wasn't for the animal training scenes where our hero Fred Mason (Milburn Stone) does a circus act with lions and tigers, which was largely footage borrowed from an old Clyde Beatty film The Big Cage, this movie might have been more of a winner. Most of these scenes seem obviously inserted and also it's just plain disturbing to see these magnificent big cats abused in this fashion. In many ways, these scenes take away from the main story featuring our ape woman monster Paula Dupree wonderfully played by the stunningly beautiful Acquanetta and I really wonder if they couldn't have been toned down yet still told the same basic story. The gorilla costume also was pretty unconvincing. Anyways the acting here is actually quite good especially Stone, Evelyn Ankers as Mason's girlfriend Beth Colman, Carradine and Acquanetta who was perfectly cast for this role. Actually better than it sounds but the animal footage is unsettling. *** out of ***** stars.

[bob]

High Noon (1952) - 4.5/5

surprisingly I enjoyed this a lot, the music is catchy and it's not as violent as most westerns

*throws marshall badge on the ground*

[FatFreddysCat]

"China O'Brien" (1988)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0yuhosB1e8&feature=player_embedded
Ultra-low-budget chop-socky '80s action fun starring female karate champ Cynthia Rothrock. She's a former big city cop who returns to her small home town to clean up a mobster problem after her father (the local sheriff)is murdered. Mullets, acid washed denim fashions, and hilariously awful acting ensue. Cynthia's got definite butt kicking moves but her pixie-ish looks and Debbie Gibson fashions add a whole 'nother dimension of hilarity to the fight scenes.

Useless trivia, the film was directed by Robert Clouse, who also did Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon" as well as the legendary "Gymkata!" Well, one out of three ain't bad I guess.

[alandhopewell]

     THE LOST BOYS 1987



    My daughter loaned me her copy, and I watched it last night; I han't seen it since renting it in '91.
It was just as enjoyable, and didn't seem dated at all. Also, I enjoyed the interviews with the cast and director.

      Boring nonsense like NADJA gets called "art" or "thinking man's" horror ....IMHO, LOST BOYS more accurately fits the bill, as it manages to explore issues gemain to the story, without becoming trapped in its own secretions, or developing an aversion to action.

[Jim H]

Ninth Configuration - psychological mystery (I was thinking it was a horror film) about a doctor treating military patients in a castle.  I'm not totally sure what to think of this.  I felt it took too long to really gel, but when it did it was pretty good...  But the ending was a little weak.  I'm not sure.  Very mixed bag.  Some really good acting though.

Overall, 6/10.

[Rev. Powell]

THE BABY (1973): A social worker becomes obsessed with a family who keeps their mentally retarded adult son in a crib wearing a diaper; his mother and two sisters are willing to do ANYTHING to assure that "baby" is not taken away from them.  The only things that stands out in this acceptable thriller are Ruth Roman's campy performance (a bit like a nastier "Mommie Dearest" with Suzanne Pleshette's voice) and the twist ending.  2.5/5.