Recent viewings

[JaseSF]

The Shaggy Dog (1959): Young teenage Wilby Daniels (Tommy Kirk)' life is turned upside down when a magic spell he stumbles across actually turns him from time to time into a big shaggy dog! Making things even worse, his father Wilson Daniels (Fred MacMurray) has a borderline pathological hatred for dogs. On the plus side however being a dog actually works to bring him closer to the cute new neighborhood French girl Franceska (Roberta Shore) who's just moved in.

This classic Disney movie certainly has its moments and it has a sort of innocent charm and a sense of unpredictable chaos that keeps viewers wondering just what seemingly absurd turns it may take next. Also adding to the fun here is the cast full of familiar faces/character actors including MacMurray as the addled father, Kirk as the good-natured, goofy yet somewhat brilliant Wilby, Jean Hagen as Mother Daniels, Annette Funicello as Allison - another potential love interest of the boys in the film, and frequently stealing the show as buffoonish cops are James Westerfield and Forrest Lewis. Also this features for its time some neat special FX and makeup work and the dog does some rather impressive stuff. I like the manic, madcap energy of this comedy classic, arguably one of the very best Disney "shopping cart" movies. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Executive Decision (1996): When a 747 is hijacked by a terrorist leader bent on unleashing a deadly nerve gas bomb upon Washington D.C., it's up to an expert terrorist profiler Dr. David Grant (Kurt Russell) and a small team of soldiers lead by Lieutenant Colonel Austin Travis (Steven Seagal) to somehow penetrate into the 747 and ambush the terrorists holding it captive all while still preventing the bomb from going off and trying their best to protect the over 400 passengers on board.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this one. It's quite suspenseful and gripping and features a likable lead in Russell. Also the plot feels  rather reminiscent of 1970s disaster films (especially the Airport films) especially during the ending but without the extra padded cast or soap opera elements of those. Honestly I think this film could have used a little bit of that. As it is, it feels a tad overlong and is even arguably feels a tad dull with its plot dragging along at a slow pace, although it does deliver a few surprises along the way, before finally reaching the by then much craved action filled finale. Still I'd give it a solid *** out of ***** stars.

[Jack]

Nazis at the Center of the Earth (2012) - some Antarctic researchers go missing, and their fellow scientists go looking for them. They find an underground (or under-ice) Nazi lair, and of course Dr. Josef Mengele is down there conducting some pretty gross experiments. From there on out, it turns into the most goofy thing I've seen in quite a while.

SPOILERS

They saved Hitler's head, and stick it on some ridiculous robot body that looks like it belongs in Mars Attacks! Then he gets in his Nazi flying saucer with the intention of bombing all non-Aryan countries with flesh-eating bacteria. But our intrepid Antarctic researchers manage to cause the thing to crash, at which point robo-Hitler gets out and starts shooting down jet fighters with his chest-mounted laser 

END SPOILERS

I'd almost say this is a must watch for bad movie lovers, but personally the characters were way too underdeveloped and unsympathetic for me to get into it. And some of Mengele's experiments border on torture porn, which I suppose was there to crank up the gross-out level, but were just sort of off-putting. 3/5.

[indianasmith]

I rather liked this one.  I found it a great big stinky slice of B-movie cheese!

[tracy]

I've been rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer lately and enjoyed "Hush" this morning. My favorite of season 4....

[Jack]

I've been rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer lately and enjoyed "Hush" this morning. My favorite of season 4....

I recently got Season 2 of Buffy on DVD but haven't started watching it yet.  I'm busy with 120 episodes of Dark Shadows at the moment. 

[lester1/2jr]

The Fallen Idol (1948) - decent kind of Hitchcock ish British movie that's, well, a little british for my tastes. It's got very good acting, photography, and not surprised to see it on Criterion though.

A little kid whose parents are never around idolizes his butler/ caretaker guy who makes up stories and is a father figure to him. The problem is the guy, Baines, 's wife is the female caretaker and is like Godzilla. He begins an affair and this is all very scandalous and tragedy strikes and everythign is upset.

It's a little dull and it slows down the tension too much. It really needs Hitchcock's commercial sensibilities to add dramaa and have it move a little faster. 3.75/5

[indianasmith]

I watched two very interesting movies this week -
PLAYBACK (2012) was a fascinating film about a film student who is trying to make a documentary
about a series of murders that happened 18 years ago in his small town.  There is a tie-in to a 120 year
old curse that is somehow linked to the birth of motion pictures.  As the film progresses, the young student
discovers that he is linked to the original murders more closely than he ever thought possible - and the
friends that he used in his re-enactment sequences start dying in ways identical to the original victims!
Toby Hemingway is uber-creepy in his role as Quinn, a basement archivist at the local TV station who
sells voyeur videos on the side, and Christian Slater is perfectly cast as a perverted cop who is his number
one customer.  This one was definitely worth the rental!

GET THE GRINGO (2012)
Mel Gibson is back and in rare form in this testosterone-laden prison break movie.  Gibson is a career criminal (well, he plays one in this film, anyway) who is running from the cops with a huge bundle of cash he stole.  He crashes through the Mexican border and gets arrested by corrupt local cops who take his money and throw him in prison.  He discovers that the huge Mexican prison is its own insular community, where many inmates pay out bribes to have their wives and children do time with them.  He has to figure out how to escape, retrieve his cash, protect a 10 year old boy whom he has befriended - who is being held as a live organ donor for a criminal kingpin who more or less runs the prison.  Murder, mayhem, car chases, and explosions abound as the likable scoundrel Gibson wipes out his foes and rescues the boy and his mother.  However you feel about Gibson's bizarre personal life, he has always been able to make entertaining movies, and this is one of his best.

[claws]

I watched two very interesting movies this week -
PLAYBACK (2012) was a fascinating film about a film student who is trying to make a documentary
about a series of murders that happened 18 years ago in his small town.  There is a tie-in to a 120 year
old curse that is somehow linked to the birth of motion pictures.  As the film progresses, the young student
discovers that he is linked to the original murders more closely than he ever thought possible - and the
friends that he used in his re-enactment sequences start dying in ways identical to the original victims!
Toby Hemingway is uber-creepy in his role as Quinn, a basement archivist at the local TV station who
sells voyeur videos on the side, and Christian Slater is perfectly cast as a perverted cop who is his number
one customer.  This one was definitely worth the rental!

First positive review I've read. Everybody I know who has seen Playback usually hates it.

[tracy]

I've been rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer lately and enjoyed "Hush" this morning. My favorite of season 4....

I recently got Season 2 of Buffy on DVD but haven't started watching it yet.  I'm busy with 120 episodes of Dark Shadows at the moment. 

Oooo....I need that,too.

[JaseSF]

Hulk Vs. Thor (2009): Loki whisks Bruce Banner away to Asgard in hopes of using the Hulk to destroy his brother - The Mighty Thor!

This short animated film was pretty action packed from beginning to end. As a longtime fan of both characters, I rather enjoyed this one although I'd say it's a bit more for Thor fans and makes more use of Thor's cast of characters in Asgard. It has some great epic battles and some great showdowns between the Hulk and Thor as well as featuring numerous other major Thor comic characters including Loki, Sif, Amora the Enchantress, The Warriors Three, Hela, Balder and Odin. Also delves a bit into the divide between the Hulk and Bruce Banner and their constant inner battle for control. Working against this one is it's all over a bit too quickly at just 45 minutes and a lot of the backstory, especially as it concerns Bruce Banner, is just not explained as well as well as it could have been. Also those not familiar with the Thor comics may be confused with regards to some of the characters. Still an enjoyable way to spend 45 minutes. Fun. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

[JaseSF]

Memory (2006): After accidentally coming into contact with a mysterious powder found on a dying man, a medical researcher named Dr. Taylor Briggs (Billy Zane) begins to have visions of the past involving a masked serial killer who abducts little girls. He begins to investigate and comes to believe the killer is still operating.

This surprised me. It was much better than I expected. It's not like most modern horror as there's really no gore. Despite that, this still manages to be frightening and disturbing. In many ways, it's reminiscent of the horror mystery thrillers of the 1960s, especially those that came in the wake of Psycho. This too features a great supporting cast what with Tricia Helfer as love interest Stephanie Jacobs, Ann-Margaret and Dennis Hopper as Taylor's "surrogate" parents of a sort now his mother has Alzheimer's Disease. Some neat twists and turns in this. Enjoyable old fashioned style horror thriller that would probably make a great double bill with The Psychopath (1966).  ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Hollywood North (2003): Lawyer turned movie producer Bobby Myers (Matthew Modine) hopes to land a big American star for his new Canadian production of a film adaptation of a beloved Canadian novel named "Lantern Moon". He finds his star in one Michael Baytes (Alan Bates) only Baytes is unfortunately for Myers a right wing nutjob obsessed with the threat of Iranians and communists which he seems to see behind every tree. Baytes also wants to change the film to reflect his own political agenda. Meanwhile a young filmmaker named Sandy Ryan (Deborah Kara Unger) is shooting a documentary about the making of the film as well as secretly filming her own low budget movie on the same sets. Eventually things escalate more and more out of control as Baytes becomes more and more unhinged.

This was pretty good. Another pleasant surprise. It's a clever parody of the craziness of the movie making industry with a distinctive Canadian outlook on things. Jennifer Tilly also provides a pretty hot distraction in some steamy sex scenes as a shallow, oversexed Hollywood starlet who has a penchant to having affairs with her costars. A fun and entertaining movie, although more amusing and clever than funny. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

[Rev. Powell]

8 1/2 (1963): A movie director is trying to make a film but he's constantly being interrupted by doubts, personal problems, flashbacks and dream sequences. This stream-of-consciousness classic shows Fellini laying out the creative process right before our eyes almost in real time; despite their superficial appearance of randomness, the scenes flow together amazingly well, and each individual segment is a flawless gem in a sparkling bracelet. The fantasy scene with Mastroianni ruling over an imaginary harem with a whip still shocks and amazes to this day. 5/5.

[JaseSF]

The Skeleton Key (2005): Caroline Ellis (Kate Hudson) is a nurse who truly wants to help people and believes she may have found the answer as a private hospice caregiver for a helpless old man named Benjamin Devereux (John Hurt) living in an isolated plantation house deep in the bayous of southern Louisiana along with his wife Violet (Gena Rowlands). At first Caroline is put off by the objections Violet seems to have towards her but the family's estate lawyer Luke Marshall (Peter Sarsgaard) eventually manages to convince her to stay. After a while, Caroline discovers an hidden hoodoo room inside the house's attic and begins to fear Violet might be performing spells to cause her husband's illness and sets out to try and stop her if she can but is all really as it seems?

This horror/mystery/thriller certainly is full or twists and turns and has a rather dark edge to its story. It really keeps one guessing. There's no gore here and our story is far from straightforward and easy to figure out which puts it a few steps ahead of many modern horror efforts. The cast I feel does well too with Hudson and Rowlands in particular standing out. It doesn't always fully work mainly because it's hard to believe Caroline would stick around so long but giving her character a guilty conscience for not being there for her father helps explain her motives on some levels. The stuff with the mirrors also really makes one guess and wonder although the classic TV series "Thriller" did something similar with the story "The Hungry Glass". A decent effort, I'll give this ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

[Jack]

Alien Terminator (1995) - really stupid Alien ripoff with some people in an underground research facility being chased about by a guy in a monster suit. Characters, well, Maria Ford is a mega-b!tch, the head researcher is a scumbag, and the two main guys look like they're going for the Kenny Loggins in the '80s look



Those two are at least likable, as is the other actress (Lisa Boyle) who does a couple of topless scenes. But the whole thing is just so dumb - I never felt as if I was drawn into it, or even as if they were real people in a real situation. Felt like I was watching actors running around sets. For instance, they begin by telling us this place is 5 miles underground, and then the opening credits roll as the camera pans down a long ladder. Really, they climb down a 5-mile ladder to get into this place?  Just...not a good beginning.  Or middle.  Or end.  Oh well, it provided some moderate entertainment value. 2.75/5.

[Rev. Powell]

BARBARELLA (1968): Curvaceous Barbarella flies across the galaxy in her swinging bachelorette pad searching for Duran Duran and, in the process, meeting a blind angel, smoking the Essence of Man in a city of sin, and breaking the Orgasmatron. Kinky, kitschy psychedelic sci-fi fun with unforgettable sets and costumes. 4.5/5.