Recent viewings

FatFreddysCat · October 14, 2013, 11:16:43 PM

My Schlock-Tober hasn't been very schlocky thus far so I'm gonna try to make up for it from here on out. Tonight's feature presentation:

The Fear: Halloween Night (aka The Fear: Resurrection, 1999)

http://www.youtube.com/v/RDX9hJvWaIk

(For some reason, the only trailer I could find for this flick on YouTube is in German. No biggie. It probably makes about as much sense in German as it did in English, which is to say... not much at all. )

In this who-asked-for-it sequel to a forgettable mid 90s direct-to-video fright flick, a gang of twenty somethings head to a country estate for a Halloween party topped off by a special Native American conquer-your-fears ceremony. Naturally things go horribly wrong, and they end up getting stalked & picked off one by one by a walking wooden dummy named 'Morty.' Yeah, I know. If I were going to try and create a new horror icon I wouldn't name it 'Morty' either.

This is a weird combination of psychological horror and slasher flick that doesn't make much sense but at least it wasn't boring. Horror nerds will be pleased to see Betsy 'Mrs. Voorhees' Palmer in a prominent role.

FatFreddysCat · October 15, 2013, 10:52:05 PM

"Superman Unbound" (2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpnT__PBd6Q

Superman and his cousin Kara (aka Supergirl) defend Earth from an invasion by the robotic planet-destroyer Brainiac in this installment of the DC Animated Universe series. Lotsa action packed robot crushin' fun, nicely animated as usual, with great voice work by a cast that includes Stana Katic of "Castle" fame as Lois Lane.

Rev. Powell · October 16, 2013, 09:44:37 AM

"Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life" (1995): A tormented Franz Kafka struggles to complete the first line of his story "The Metamorphosis" ("Gregor Samsa turns into a giant what?"), and the constant interruptions by his weird and disconcerting neighbors don't help. A black comedy that manages to be a paranoia parody and legitimately unsettling at the same time, beautifully scripted and with a wonderfully twitchy performance by Richard E. Grant; about 20 minutes is the perfect length for this material. 5/5.

FatFreddysCat · October 17, 2013, 11:28:26 PM

Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 (2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fwaNgw9Aag

Way cool documentary about the history of the James Bond books and film series, with tons of vintage clips and commentary from insiders, stars, celebrity fans and more. Lots of geeky trivia to be had, this flick is Heaven for Bond Geeks.

FatFreddysCat · October 19, 2013, 07:35:38 AM

Flashback Friday Double Feature:

Ghostbusters (1984)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u4FHmId-Y0
Classic sci-fi comedy with Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis as paranormal investigators cleaning up New York's massive ghost problem. As usual, Murray steals the movie and gets all the best lines. The special effects still hold up pretty well today. Watched this with my ten year old, who'd never seen it before...he LOVED it, especially the scene with the giant Mister Stay Puft.

C.H.U.D. (1984)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqDToaLuJ7I
Toxic waste dumped beneath New York City's streets mutates the local homeless population into Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, who start noshing on unlucky pedestrians. When a cop, a photographer and a homeless advocate discover the secret, the government comes in to try and cover it up. Dirty, grungy, slimy low budget fun with a great cast incl. Daniel Stern and John Heard.

lester1/2jr · October 19, 2013, 04:36:17 PM

Don't Look in the Basement (1973) - I had always remembered the scene where the guy and the girl are starting to get undressed then the guy points at her and laughs. That's about all I remembered , it's been a few decades, but some of it came back as I watched. I loved this. It takes the low budget scares of HG Lewis and brings it into the grindhouse by adding sleaze, basically. It's just got a really crazy and sordid low brow energy to it and a couple of cute girls as well. You'll figure out the plot twist right away unless you're a damn fool. 5/5

FatFreddysCat · October 19, 2013, 05:39:06 PM

Double feature with the kiddos:

"My Babysitter's a Vampire" (2010)

http://www.youtube.com/v/NUQ9_q6v4M4

Family friendly comedy about a dorky teen trying to save the girl of his dreams from a gang of sparkly bloodsuckers. Mildly entertaining kid stuff that manages to get a few good jabs in at the 'Twilight' phenomenon... but if you're not a parent looking to entertain a young'in, there's no need to bother with it.

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"(1988)

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

One of my favorite movies of all time. Robert "Back to the Future" Zemeckis' colorful, hyperactive, twisted combo of film-noir murder mystery and 1940s cartoon mayhem continues to amaze me with its fantastic FX work and seamless mix of live actors and animated "toons" sharing the screen together. I've lost count of how many times I've seen "Roger," but I will never get tired of this flick.

FatFreddysCat · October 19, 2013, 11:55:13 PM

Iron Sky (2012)

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

Earth is under attack by MOON NAZIS in this wacky sci-fi/action comedy from Finland, and our only hope is the U.S. President (who resembles a certain Mrs. Palin so closely that it's almost scary).

The concept of this movie is a total hoot and the special effects are fantastic but the flick doesn't quite live up to the promise shown in its trailer. It never finds the right balance between the butt kickin' Space-Nazi fightin' action and the forced attempts at political satire. It's still a fun flick to watch once, though. I mean c'mon, it's got Moon Nazis, for cryin' out loud. How cool is that?

indianasmith · October 20, 2013, 08:52:42 AM

If you liked that one, you need to watch NAZIS AT THE CENTER OF THE EARTH from The Asylum. I LOVED that one!

FatFreddysCat · October 20, 2013, 09:14:04 AM

Quote from: indianasmith on October 20, 2013, 08:52:42 AM
If you liked that one, you need to watch NAZIS AT THE CENTER OF THE EARTH from The Asylum. I LOVED that one!

That one is already in my Netflix list, I just haven't gotten to it yet.

voltron · October 20, 2013, 10:18:14 AM

Quote from: lester1/2jr on October 19, 2013, 04:36:17 PM
Don't Look in the Basement (1973) - I had always remembered the scene where the guy and the girl are starting to get undressed then the guy points at her and laughs. That's about all I remembered , it's been a few decades, but some of it came back as I watched. I loved this. It takes the low budget scares of HG Lewis and brings it into the grindhouse by adding sleaze, basically. It's just got a really crazy and sordid low brow energy to it and a couple of cute girls as well. You'll figure out the plot twist right away unless you're a damn fool. 5/5

That one's definitely in my top 5 horror movies. Like you said, Lester - the sleazy grindhouse vibe totally adds something special to the movie. If you liked that one, check out Don't Open The Door also by Brownrigg. It's great cause it has the same low budget charm as DLITB. Avoid Keep My Grave Open, though. That was a big letdown for me.

lester1/2jr · October 20, 2013, 11:20:59 AM

It's kind of off putting how all his titles are telling you what to do.

Rev. Powell · October 20, 2013, 01:26:15 PM

MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO (1988): Two young girls befriend a forest spirit who lives in a tree near their country house. This early Hayao Miyazaki wonder has little conflict, suspense, or logic---not a bad thing, just different approach that is aimed at the mindset of girls aged about 4-8 years old, who will be hypnotized by the cuddly giant Totoro. 4/5.

lester1/2jr · October 20, 2013, 04:43:10 PM

London After Midnight (1927) - This is just stills of the movie with some of the dialogue things inserted and a new score. There are no known copies of the film in existence so this review is ridiculous and should be ignored. The little guy there looks like Mr Hyde and has a Dracula type persona. He's a vampire and even has a bat cape. His ultra goth sidekick is called Bat Girl.

Spoiler alert

It's a Mark of The Vampire type thing where they aren't really ghouls, they're just trying to scare the guy for some reason. TCM showed this. The guy who put it together also did a full 8 1/2 hour (!) full version of Greed using similar methods. My general impression was that it's not a classic along the lines of Freaks or Nosferatu.

Rev. Powell · October 21, 2013, 11:31:40 AM

MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE (1983): Monty Python discusses life, from the sanctity of every sperm to the rudeness of the Grim Reaper, in a series of sketches. Unlike the team's story-based feature movies, this one resembles a big-budget episode of the TV show with R-rated jokes (including the infamously sickening exploding glutton); it's still an irreverent classic, though. 4/5.