Recent viewings

[FatFreddysCat]

"C.H.O.M.P.S." (1979) Late 70s kid stuff about a young inventor whose lifelike, superpowered robot dog could revolutionize the home security business. Naturally this means lots of bumbling crooks want to steal it. Think "The Six Million Dollar Pooch."
I watched this early cable favorite a bunch of times when I was a kid (mostly because I had a major school boy crush on Valerie Bertinelli, who plays the boy genius' girlfriend), so when it turned up on Netflix I thought my own kids might get a kick out of it... they did!

[FatFreddysCat]

"Short Circuit 2" (1986) Jive talkin' sentient robot "Johnny 5" moves to the big city, where he tangles with diamond thieves and helps his Indian buddy (Fisher Stevens) romance a hot toy store babe who believes Johnny could be the next big thing in merchandising. My kids enjoyed this silly sci-fi action comedy.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Explorers" (1985) a junior high daydreamer, his science wiz pal and their tough friend build a homemade space ship and use it to meet some goofball aliens in this family friendly sci-fi fantasy from Joe "Gremlins" Dante.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Insidious: Chapter 2" (2013) those pesky spirits aren't quite done with the Lambert family, who suffer through even more supernatural goings on. Cool creepy stuff with a decent amount of jumps and jolts.

[RCMerchant]

"Holes" (2004) quirky family-friendly adventure starring a young Shia LaBoeuf (sp?) as a teen who gets sent off to an odd Texas juvenile detention camp. The boys are sent out into the desert to dig holes all day, every day. Eventually, of course, the boys discover that the mysterious "Warden" (Sigourney Weaver!) has an ulterior motive behind all that digging. Fun stuff, Disney safe for kids but weird/entertaining enough for grown ups too.

Shia LaDouche-er-I mean-oh what the hell-Shia LaDouche.
I was wondering is he related to Sleepy LaBeef? He was the Monster in the EXOTIC ONES (1968)
He has about the same screen appeal-except I like Sleepy better.
I heard LaDouche got arrested for being...a douche! No big surprize.


http://youtu.be/gvQfYoYdWQ4

Yeah-this has nothing to do with the movie HOLES-which is a great title for a porno by the way.
Holes,which I have seen- a sadistic Disney type movie-is quite disturbing.

[Jack]

World War Z (2013) - there's a zombie apocalypse and it's Brad Pitt's job to stand in the foreground while huge CGI sequences take place behind him. One of those things Hollywood churns out by the boatload - I imagine the script outline starts with "special effects shot A" , "special effects shot B", "special effects shot C" and the story only exists to fill the gaps in between. What makes these silly special effects-based movies work is likable, well-developed characters that the audience can care about; I guess these guys didn't get the memo. 2.5/5.

[JaseSF]

Rascal (1969): A lonely young boy named Sterling North (Bill Mumy a few years after Lost in Space) finds an unexpected friend and companionship in an unlikely new pet - a young raccoon he names Rascal. It isn't long before Rascal gets himself and Sterling into all sorts of mischief. Ultimately this is a story about coming of age and doing what is necessary to become a grown man be it in the form of a raccoon, a boy, or even his father (played by Steve Forrest).

This was a charming Disney adaptation of a book. It features good narration from Walter Pidgeon as an adult Sterling reflecting back on the days of his youth at appropriate moments. Lots of familiar faces in this one including Elsa Lanchester, Henry Jones, John Fielder, Richard Erdman, Steve Carlson, and Robert Emhardt. The mischief Rascal gets up to is very funny and entertaining especially when he gets loose in the local store. ***1/2 out of ***** stars.

Supercop (1992): Renown Hong Kong detective Inspector Chan Ka Kui (Jackie Chan) is back yet again this time teaming up with a INTERPOL agent, one Inspector Yang (Michelle Khan/Yeoh) representing the republic of China in order to infiltrate and bring down the gang of a Chinese drug overlord.

This was largely wall to wall action and features incredible stunt work from both Chan and Khan. Maggie Cheung returns as Chan's unsuspecting girlfriend May and Bill Tung returns as "Uncle" Bill. While this film is very exciting, it's never quite as funny and/or amusing as its predecessors. This film has some brief moments of humor but is overall a bit more serious. Khan has good on screen chemistry with Chan here and adds a potential love triangle into the mix although it never fully develops as much as perhaps one would have liked. The stunts are amazing though  (featuring a moving van, a motorbike, a train and a helicopter) and the climax is very exciting. ***3/4 out of ***** stars.

[claws]

John Dies at the End (2012)

Two high school kids take some sort mystery drug and experience otherworldly realities involving time travel, some white flying dust stuff that changes humans into zombies plus weird creatures from beyond.
Highly praised fantasy horror comedy. To me this was a mess. Ambitious, but messy and not necessarily in a negative way. Lots of stunning visuals and quite a few gory effects. 4/5

[indianasmith]

Tonight I watched a mega-low budget film called THE GHOSTKEEPERS.  From the look of the box and the film quality, I was kind of expecting something with a horribly written plot, cheezy gore effects, and maybe some rather unattractive actresses taking their clothes off.  Think Brain Damage Films bad.

Instead, I got a very well acted movie, despite its microbudget, about a washed-up former horror movie star and his ex wife, who are asked to return to the haunted house where they shot a cult classic horror film back in 1987.  They are doing a podcast for a B-movie website manager known as the Night Hawk, his girl friend/sound tech, and a local psychic.  They get in touch with the house's ghosts, who force them to confront their own private demons.

No gore at all, hardly any scares, but some believable, likable characters confronting ugly moments from their past.

It was better than it had any right to be!

[FatFreddysCat]

"3 Days To Kill" (2013) Liam Neeson's not the only guy who can do the "aging bad-ass action hero" thing. Kevin Costner gives it a try here as a veteran CIA agent who's just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. With the little time that he has left, he goes to Paris to finish up some loose ends from his last "job" and also tries to re-connect with his estranged family.

The description sounds depressing but this was actually a darkly funny action-drama. Some of the domestic/family stuff is laid on a little thick but Costner (who I haven't seen in quite a few years) is very good and Amber Heard (yum!) turns up as a femme fatale agent who gives him mission support. Plus, stuff blows up frequently. Therefore, I was entertained.

[FatFreddysCat]

Shia LaDouche-er-I mean-oh what the hell-Shia LaDouche.
I was wondering is he related to Sleepy LaBeef? He was the Monster in the EXOTIC ONES (1968)
He has about the same screen appeal-except I like Sleepy better.
I heard LaDouche got arrested for being...a douche! No big surprize.

Yup, it was funny, the same night I watched "Holes" with my kids, later that night I turn on the 11 o'clock news and there was Shia LeDoof, being led out of a Broadway theater in handcuffs by the NYPD. Apparently he was drunk 'n' disorderly and disrupting a performance of "Cabaret."

Dude's got issues.  

Holes,which I have seen- a sadistic Disney type movie-is quite disturbing.

Yeah, it's VERY strange, especially coming from Disney. Definitely a lot darker/weirder than I expected from them. It's almost got a Coen Brothers feel to it.

[lester1/2jr]

JAse - I saw Supercop in the theatre when I was like 20. it was the first HK action thing I'd ever seen was totally blown away

[indianasmith]

This morning I watched WOLF CREEK 2.

This is the second installment in a bizarre Aussie series that is pretty much torture porn.
Rifle-wielding Aussie bushman Mick Taylor is back, and killing everyone who gets in his way.
First, he takes out two Aussie Highway Patrolmen who give him a ticket for speeding and driving with bad tires.
Then, he kills a German tourist for . . . well, basically for being a German tourist on Aussie soil.  He is planning
to take the German girlfriend back to his lair for his sadistic pleasure, but she hops in a car with a British tourist,
and Mick takes her out with a long range rifle round.  Then he tracks down the Englishman, brings him back
to his lair, and tortures him into insensibility, taking two of his fingers, then finally releasing him - but of course,
no one believes his tale of a mass murdering psychopath near Wolf Creek crater.
This movie is for the true gorehounds, as jaded as I am, some of the scenes were particularly cringe-inducing,
especially the one with the kangaroos.

This afternoon, I had rented what looked like a fun piece of B-movie cheese called BIGFOOT VS. D. B. COOPER.
Five minutes in, I hit the fast forward button.  I only let up on it three times throughout the feature.  Basically,
90% of the film is young men with perfect abs jogging, swimming, showering, and flexing in front of the mirror
while holding toy guns.  This is NOT an exaggeration.  In the last five minutes, Bigfoot, who has been peaking
in the windows at the guys the whole time, gets in a wrestling match with hijacker D.B. Cooper and gets killed
by him - but Cooper is bitten, and begins to turn into a bigfoot himself.  This is a great film for gay men, or
for women who can't afford a trip to Chippendale's.  Beyond that . . . . WORST MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!!

[Jack]

The Corridor (2010) - some uninteresting and not particularly likable guys get together for a weekend at a cabin. Eventually they find this thing out in the woods that's like a force field from Star Trek. They step inside and after a while leave. Soon after they turn into insane murderers. Then some other weird and brutal stuff happens. I didn't get into this at all. Couldn't care less about the characters, the force field, or the nonsensical ending. 1.5/5.

[Rev. Powell]

This afternoon, I had rented what looked like a fun piece of B-movie cheese called BIGFOOT VS. D. B. COOPER.
Five minutes in, I hit the fast forward button.  I only let up on it three times throughout the feature.  Basically,
90% of the film is young men with perfect abs jogging, swimming, showering, and flexing in front of the mirror
while holding toy guns.  This is NOT an exaggeration.

Betting this is by David DeCoteau...

[looks it up on IMDB]

Yep, DeCoteau.