Recent Viewings, Part 2

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Sound" (2017)
A reporter/blogger (Rose McGowan) who specializes in debunking supernatural phenomenon is summoned to an abandoned Toronto subway station, which is supposedly haunted by the spirit of an asylum escapee who committed suicide there 30 years ago by jumping in front of a train. Rose stumbles around the same dimly lit sets with a flashlight for a while, she sees a bunch of weird sh*t involving a ghostly girl and a spectral Christopher Lloyd, and though the movie seems to be building to some sort of big payoff, nothing never actually happens. I was checking my watch well before the halfway point of this cheap looking, irritating indie horror flick.
Even my lingering crush on Rose from her "Charmed"/"Jawbreaker"/"Planet Terror" days couldn't save this dull, mostly incomprehensible piece of crap.
AVOID.

[FatFreddysCat]

"To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story" (2017)
Documentary profile of the stunt man, actor, and horror icon who's best known for playing Jason in four "Friday the 13th" films, and whose resume also includes movies like "House," "Hatchet," the Oscar-winning "Monster" with Charlize Theron (!), and many more. The most interesting part of the film, though, is about how his career nearly ended before it began: when Kane was just starting out in the late 70s, a fire stunt went wrong, causing 3rd degree burns over much of his body that put him in the hospital for almost six months. The story of his recovery (both physical and mental) from that experience provides the dramatic centerpiece of this film, but fear not, horror nerds, there are still plenty of of gory, gross-out clips from his films, testimonials from co-stars and friends like Robert Englund, Danielle Harris, Bill Mosely, Felissa Rose and Bruce Campbell, and scenes of Kane interacting with fans at horror conventions. Kane seems like a cool dude and this movie is an enjoyable portrait.

[Rev. Powell]

THE PLANTERS (2019): Emotionally-stunted Martha Plant is a terrible telemarketer and prefers her side hustle of burying junk in the desert for treasure hunters to dig up; things change when she offers her spare room to a recently released mental patient with multiple personalities. Will be compared to Wes Anderson, but this movie really belongs in the late 80s or early 90s alongside movies like BAGDAD CAFE; it's the quirkiest comedy I've seen in decades. A great backstory, also; the two actresses made it with no crew, doing all the jobs themselves, and you'd never know it from the result (although it explains the fact that the camera never moves). 4/5.

[Jim H]

I watched Sleight.  This is basically a low-key crime drama with mild superhero elements, about a young drug dealer just trying to make enough money to take care of his sister and himself.  But at the same time, he's made a neat bionic device to help with his tricks, and gets more deeply involved in the underground world than he wants too.  It's well-shot, and well acted, with a couple of sensitive and solidly acted lead performances.  Does strain credibility a number of times, but if you can buy into Marvel films you can probably buy into this one too.

It's really hard to not use a bit of a pun and call this movie "Slight" though, as it feels almost like a good pilot episode for a TV show.  You're engaged and would watch more, but you feel like you got just a hint of the real meat of this story.  But at the same time, a sequel seems unlikely. 

Worth watching especially for free on Netflix, 7/10.

"To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story" (2017)
Documentary profile of the stunt man, actor, and horror icon who's best known for playing Jason in four "Friday the 13th" films, and whose resume also includes movies like "House," "Hatchet," the Oscar-winning "Monster" with Charlize Theron (!), and many more. The most interesting part of the film, though, is about how his career nearly ended before it began: when Kane was just starting out in the late 70s, a fire stunt went wrong, causing 3rd degree burns over much of his body that put him in the hospital for almost six months. The story of his recovery (both physical and mental) from that experience provides the dramatic centerpiece of this film, but fear not, horror nerds, there are still plenty of of gory, gross-out clips from his films, testimonials from co-stars and friends like Robert Englund, Danielle Harris, Bill Mosely, Felissa Rose and Bruce Campbell, and scenes of Kane interacting with fans at horror conventions. Kane seems like a cool dude and this movie is an enjoyable portrait.

He was pretty great when I met him some years back at a con, talked with me more and for longer than any other person I've talked to at a con.  He'd also freely talk to anyone, regardless of if they bought anything from him.  I did buy an autograph from him, and he also took a photo with us too.  The usual one of him choking me, as every one of his photos is.  Dude was obviously really strong too, even at 50 something when we took the photo.

He could tell I was a bit awkward talking to him, but handled it really well.  He also wore gloves all the time, and I didn't know they were to cover burns.  When I said something about it, I could tell it was painful to even talk about, so I dropped it.  I gather his autobiography and this documentary were in part to help him get over it, as it was still a very traumatic memory. 

[indianasmith]

ALL THE WAY (2016)  A fascinating biopic about Lyndon Johnson that begins at Love Field, aboard Air Force One, and covers the President's turbulent first year in office, ending on election night, 1964.  His troubled partnership with Martin Luther King, Jr., his domineering relationship with Hubert Humphrey, his careful glad-handing of the Dixiecrats in order to force the 1964 Civil Rights Act through Congress, his early missteps in Vietnam, and his worries leading into the epic contest with Barry Goldwater all play together into a compelling political drama.  Brian Cranston of BREAKING BAD stars as Johnson, and it is a standout performance. 5/5

[pennywise37]

i've always wanted to meet Kane Hodder,  he does seem like a pretty laid back kind of guy and i've never heard a single bad thing about him. i really didn't know there even was an documentary about him either

[indianasmith]

THE NEST (2020) - Jude Law stars as a slick-talking English stock trader who moves his American family back to England in pursuit of a higher-paying job; he gets hired by his old boss but is constantly chasing that next big deal which never quite materializes while living far above his means.  Eventually his wife finds out that they are broke, her horse dies, and his daughter throws a big party while the parents are at an important business dinner which the wife deliberately sabotages.  And that's about it.  They move into a huge, creepy mansion which the wife and kids talk about how evil it is, but there's no examples.  Essentially a slow-moving melodrama about the disintegration of a marriage rather than a suspense or horror film, which is what I thought it would be.  Disappointing, albeit with strong performances from the entire cast in a story that really goes nowhere. 3/5

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)
After a massive defeat at the Empire's hands on the planet Hoth, our heroes are forced to split up -- Luke heads to Dagobah to study under Jedi Master Yoda, while Han and Leia hide out with Han's friend Lando in Cloud City. Naturally, Darth Vader and the Empire are never far behind. This is my favorite film of the original "Star Wars" trilogy, and my 13 year old son, who was watching it for the first time, loved it -- every few minutes he was saying "That is so cool! That is really cool! This is SO F**KING COOL!" :D

[indianasmith]

TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL - Horror/comedy is a hard genre to get right, but this movie succeeds at it gloriously!  Two lovable hillbillies are fixing up the old cabin they bought on the lake when they bump into a group of college kids going camping for the weekend, and a series of misunderstandings lead to an absolute bloodbath despite the fact that Tucker and Dale are the two nicest guys you'd ever want to meet!  No more explanations, just watch this movie! 5/5

[zelmo73]

"The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)
After a massive defeat at the Empire's hands on the planet Hoth, our heroes are forced to split up -- Luke heads to Dagobah to study under Jedi Master Yoda, while Han and Leia hide out with Han's friend Lando in Cloud City. Naturally, Darth Vader and the Empire are never far behind. This is my favorite film of the original "Star Wars" trilogy, and my 13 year old son, who was watching it for the first time, loved it -- every few minutes he was saying "That is so cool! That is really cool! This is SO F**KING COOL!" :D

Darth Vader is one of my all-time favorite tragic villains, and this movie did a great job in showcasing the power that he had. He was always an underboss in all the movies; always answering to someone; always being led astray until his redemption in Episode VI. I read an article recently talking about George Lucas’ original plans for the final trilogy where it turned out that Leia was actually the chosen one, not Luke, and that Luke would still die in Episode VIII; the “Last Jedi” title was supposed to reflect this when Leia was supposed to have been the last one; hence the “chosen one.” Sadly, Carrie Fisher’s death tipped that boat over.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Zombieland: Double Tap" (2019)
It's ten years after the first "Zombieland," and Wichita, Columbus, and Tallahassee must hit the road again to find their friend Little Rock, who's run off to a non-violent hippie commune called "Babylon" and rescue her before she, and the rest of the inhabitants, become Zombie Chow. Much ultra violent mayhem ensues. Just as much fun as the first flick.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Truck Turner" (1974)
Classic blaxploitation flick stars Isaac Hayes as Mack "Truck" Turner, the baddest bounty hunter in L.A. When Truck kills a pimp during a shoot out, the man's grieving widow/madam (a totally badass Nichelle "Star Trek" Nichols) puts a price on his head. Soon he's being targeted by every bad guy in town. "Truck Turner" has plenty of butt kicking action, lots of pretty girls, and a seriously funky soundtrack (also by Hayes), but the movie is worth seeing just for the famed "pimp funeral" scene, which is, quite frankly, one of the greatest things ever committed to celluloid.

[FatFreddysCat]

"Die Hard 2" (1990)
John McClane is "up to his a** in terrorists" again as a rogue military force takes control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. in order to free a political prisoner. John's wife Holly is in one of the airliners in danger of running out of fuel and crashing, so of course he has to step in and show the airport cops how to handle the situation.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I actually like this one  better than the original "Die Hard."

[lester1/2jr]

Wer (2013) - This werewolf movie was pretty good but could have been better. A family is attacked by a mystery beast. A hairy, tall guy is accused and his lawyer and her team work to find the real culprit. or is it their client, whom they like???? ooohhh

Crucial to this story is the possibility that its a hoax manufactured by corrupt elements in the town seeking to get the hairy guys property. This is resolved too quickly I thought, but the director is more comfortable with action than suspense. I'd say check it out though. Werewolf is the least seen classic movie monster and this is as good an example of it as any. At the same time, It probably has some IMDB reviews that go the other way

charitable 4/5

[indianasmith]

Wer (2013) - This werewolf movie was pretty good but could have been better. A family is attacked by a mystery beast. A hairy, tall guy is accused and his lawyer and her team work to find the real culprit. or is it their client, whom they like???? ooohhh

Crucial to this story is the possibility that its a hoax manufactured by corrupt elements in the town seeking to get the hairy guys property. This is resolved too quickly I thought, but the director is more comfortable with action than suspense. I'd say check it out though. Werewolf is the least seen classic movie monster and this is as good an example of it as any. at the same time, It probably has some IMDB reviews that go the other way

charitable 4/5

I really loved this movie!  In fact, I bought a copy.  Intense gore and cool transformation sequences.