Friday, October 31, 2014

House On Haunted Hill

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Runtime: 75 minutes

Directed by: William Castle

Starring: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long, Carolyn Craig, Elisha Cook, Jr.

From: William Castle Productions

This is another revisit I was able to view another time via Turner Classic Movies. It's an entirely appropriate movie to talk about on this Halloween night, where I am happy to stay in rather than go out on what will be a crazy Friday night. Onto the Letterboxd review, and note that I'll return tomorrow night with my last horror movie for awhile, or at least that's the plan.

Of course this is a repeat viewing for me, having seen it a few times before in my life. TCM showed it last night so I figured it was the perfect time to see it and this was the perfect day to write my review of it.

I presume that most here have seen it already so I won't spend much time recapping the plot of how an eccentric millionaire (Vincent Price, unsurprisingly the highlight of the film) invites several strangers to spend a night in a haunted house for a large chunk of change, but there are spooky-looking things going on and the spirits seem to pick on a poor cute brunette girl...

The film is campy, sure, but it's just a lot of fun to watch, which is what you should expect from gimmick-loving low-budget purveyor William Castle; I wish the film industry of today had characters like Mr. Castle around. The movie's short and doesn't wear out its welcome, and you get both scares* and laughs. It's fine entertainment, especially around this time of the year.

Heaven knows it's miles better than the '99 remake which was stupid right away with that roller coaster opening then became awful as it went on, with Chris Kattan's character being incredibly loathsome and being the nadir of the movie... so just like every character Chris Kattan plays! No way would I ever watch it again, even for the purpose of ripping it apart on this site. Just stick with watching this instead.

* Although this time, I'd argue that the biggest scare was at the very beginning, where you see the disembodied head of Elisha Cook, Jr. flying right at you!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Penthouse

Penthouse (1933)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: W.S. Van Dyke

Starring: Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, Mae Clarke, C. Henry Gordon, Nat Pendleton

From: “Metro Golwyn Mayer”, according to the film's title card

This may look like a random movie but I actually picked it out for a reason, which I'll get to in a bit. I watched it via (site redacted), a place I've used for a long while now and considering it's not 100% ethical I shouldn't complain that as of late some of the videos don't work; it's still annoying, though. Onto the Letterboxd review:

This is indeed a movie I decided to watch as someone I follow on Letterboxd (and he also follows me) recently watched it and enjoyed the film. I had heard of it before and it was no problem finding a copy to watch, but his review was the impetus for me to check it out, and it was a wise decision on my part. It's not a must-see but it was a pretty amusing hour and a half.

This is a Pre-Code movie (it certainly has some dialogue and visuals you could never do once the Code came in, blood being the most obvious, but also a leading lady who implies she wants s-e-x in a more than subtle fashion) dealing with the world of gangsters, racketeers, and other reprobates, and it's centered on defense attorney Jackson Durant who unwittingly becomes buddies with a gangster who really enjoys the acquittal he gave him; his new friendship actually proves beneficial although at first it causes conflict as some people really don't care for Durant and who he defends. He is another party in a love triangle and he has to free a man set up for murder, and his biggest assist is a “lady of the night” played by Myrna Loy.

Warner Baxter (w/ trademark pencil-thin mustache) is Jackson Durant and he was fine as a lead, along with the rest of the cast (including some people I recognized from other gangster films of the era), it was unsurprisingly Loy who gave the best most nuanced performance, playing a very charming lady despite her being a call girl that works for a notorious gangster. There are many colorful characters and between that and the story that's never dull, it's an entertaining motion picture filled with comedic moments and lines.

The biggest impact of the film is that the director W.S. Van Dyke first met Myrna Loy and recognized her talent and from there they worked together often, including many of The Thin Man movies, and that launched her career.

I'll return tomorrow night and for the day it will be horror-themed.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

I Talk About Terminator: Genisys (blah)

Tonight is the last day of the Major League Baseball season, Game 7 of the World Series so I'll definitely be watching that instead of any films. But, the news breaking today about the movie that should be known as Terminator: Genesis... it does give me something to talk about.

Eventually (hopefully soon) I'll start watching the Blu-ray set I have of all 4 Terminator films* and talk about them here for this page and my Letterboxd page; in short, the first two are great, and the other two, not so much. I'll explain why in those future reviews. As for the 5th movie, they had been talking about it for awhile now and they were finally able to get it together; whether or not there SHOULD be one is something else entirely but that's not my point of contention.

What I don't like is what has been revealed about the plot for the 5th Terminator. You can read this Collider article here for the details but in case you don't want to be spoiled, the new film makes big changes to the entire mythology. I realize that can happen with a time travel series, where things can become a huge mess if you try to look at it logically; it's just that the changes sound really stupid and nonsensical, and while I've never looked forward to it, actually wanting to see it is now pretty far down the list; there are literally thousands of films in the history of motion pictures I'd rather see than watch something calling itself Genisys.

I'll return with something or another tomorrow night.

* By the way, it was a nice feat for them to be together considering they were made by four different studios and released by three different studios (at least in the United States)

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

John Wick

John Wick (2014)

86% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 113 reviews)

Runtime: 101 minutes

Directed by: David Leitch, Chad Stahelski

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Dean Winters, Willem Dafoe

From: Summit Entertainment

Here it is, my review of a movie that has done quite a bit better at the box office than expected, and that is a great thing, as this motion picture is something well worth seeing, and I am glad I got to see it on a giant screen. Onto the Letterboxd review; I'll be back tomorrow night with something or another.

I'll be honest here, it wasn't until relatively recently that I had even heard of this movie. I'd definitely be interested in it once I heard the plot and then saw that people here were going wild for it. But believe it or not, I know someone who worked on the film, albeit in an uncredited PA role on set. I just know him from the online world but I definitely had to see it for that reason; it turns out he managed to work on something that's pretty awesome.

I am sure by now most know the plot (John Wick is played by Keanu Reeves and he's an assassin; his wife dies of cancer and he receives a puppy as a gift. The dog is killed and his '69 Ford Mustang Boss 429 is stolen by some Russian punks; quite understandably he gets PISSED and returns to the lifestyle to get revenge) so I won't spend much time on that. It's definitely not complicated, and that is OK, as the fun is seeing Wick get revenge and oh boy does he ever.

Much to my relief not only was the action great and plentiful (it was like an unrelenting action hammer once it got going), but it was actually shot where it was clear and you always understood what was going on. Not of the shaky-cam nonsense or Michael Bay ADD editing going on. You have some tremendous action setpieces, the best being in a nightclub and featuring an appropriate soundtrack there, although the music as a whole was nice.

It's a very colorful world and it's brought to the screen in a nice manner. Keanu is great as the unstoppable lead but the cast overall does a swell job, especially Michael Nyqvist at his Donald Pleasence-est, to steal a comment. It's a neo-noir with style and to think that it was directed by a pair of longtime stuntmen, neither of who had directed anything before, and they made one of the best movies from this year that I've seen this year. The film is inspired by the past but is wholly original and they delivered in a confident and more than competent fashion.

What I saw and did not expecting was how well the world-building was and how interesting it was. Without spoiling anything there were many nice little touches and the universe of assassins is quite interesting.

For you meat and potatoes action movie fans who prefer the films of old which were simple & weren't pretentious and had many cool moments, this is something you must watch.

Sunday, October 26, 2014

The Curse Of Frankenstein

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Directed by: Terence Fisher

Starring: Peter Cushing, Hazel Court, Robert Urquhart, Christopher Lee

From: Hammer

I went old-school with this horror choice. It was the film that started Hammer as a popular horror studio. Onto the Letterboxd review, and note that I'll return Tuesday afternoon:

Last night on TCM they showed this film so of course I had to check it out, the motion picture that was a hit and started Hammer's long run of doing gothic horror movies.

Everyone knows Mary Shelley's classic story so I won't recap that. Instead I'll mention that unlike the 1931 film starring Boris Karloff, this telling of the tale is more focused on Baron Frankenstein. That works, as the character is quite evil; he's happy to kill someone if they cause trouble, his thinking that if someone dies, “they don't need their bodies” so it's OK to engage in grave robbing for your mad scientist plot of building a human being then animating him to become alive, not to mention giving the guilt trip to others to help him with his crazy ideas.

Also, and this is a big key, Victor Frankenstein was played by the great Peter Cushing, and needless to say he was superb in the role. Christopher Lee (w/ Moe Howard's hair) as “the creature” was good with what he was given to do (he was more monster than man), and the rest of the cast do admirable jobs.

As expected from the studio, the Technicolor look of the movie is indeed pretty colorful, and dripping with atmosphere and mood. The sets are also quite good, a big part of the atmosphere and mood; you believe this is a tale from olden times. This is effective as good old fashioned entertainment, complete with a busty lady.

While I think that the '31 film from James Whale is the definitive tale, it doesn't mean you should ignore this alternate look at the story.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Fantasy NBA Drafts...

are more important than seeing any films last night or tonight... at least until late when I see something on TCM that is horror related. So, I will return tomorrow night and this time it'll be with a review.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

The Fog

The Fog (1980)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: John Carpenter

Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, Tom Atkins, Hal Holbrook

From: AVCO Embassy

The viewing of this film came courtesy of TCM, who aired it late last night. I certainly wanted to watch this more than staying up to the morning hours to see again Night of the Lepus, something I had seen before long before starting this blog, and I was surprised they showed it and it wasn't TCM Underground; it's what I'll call “charmingly terrible”. But onto this movie, one that has great California scenery and plenty of atmosphere. So, onto the plot description then the Letterboxd review. I'll be back Saturday night:

“The centenary of the small seaside town of Antonio Bay, California is approaching. One hundred years ago, the wealthy leper Blake bought the clipper ship Elizabeth Dane and sailed with his people to form a leper colony. However, while sailing through a thick fog, they were deliberately misguided by a campfire onshore, steering the course of the ship toward the light and crashing her against the rocks. While the townsfolk prepare to celebrate, the victims of this heinous crime that the town's founding fathers committed rise from the sea to claim retribution. Under cover of the fog, they carry out their vicious attacks, searching for what is rightly theirs.”

Looking around on Letterboxd, I see that this movie gets a mixed review and some don't care for the plot, it being “boring” to them, the identity and implementation of the villains, and the overall quality of the picture. I understand... but I still disagree.

I admit that the story is wacky (what basically are “pirate lepers” returning on the 100th anniversary of a town's founding in order to gain revenge for some people deliberately crashing their ship in order to steal the gold on the ship and prevent the people on the boat from founding a leper colony right by what would soon be their new town) and even a little preposterous; no matter what you think of the plot, I think it's executed rather well.

The cast is rather talented and that's a big asset; there's Janet Leigh and her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins-sadly sans mustache-Adrienne Barbeau, Hal Holbrook and even cult actor Buck Flower in a bit part. The musical score from Carpenter is pretty great, as expected.

And most importantly, the scene where Hal Holbrook literally pops up out of nowhere in a hysterical manner to meet Janet Leigh... actually, the feeling of atmosphere, mood and feeling is great; all together those three aspects here were the best that Carpenter ever did. That makes up for how some of the special effects look wacky in 2014.

If you're expecting this to be an action-packed slasher or that it'll be a tense thrill ride, then yeah you probably won't get it. But if you enjoy deliberately paced thoughtful films where there's a constant atmosphere and eventually it'll envelop you like the title presence that shows up two nights in a row (or a movie where there's more than a few horror references, especially what characters are named)... then you should check out this film, which while isn't my favorite of John Carpenter, it doesn't mean it's bad or not worth seeing.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Manhattan Melodrama

Manhattan Melodrama (1934)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: W.S. Van Dyke and an uncredited George Cukor

Starring: Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Leo Carrillo, Nat Pendleton

From: MGM

Here's the movie I promised last night, something different from the horror movies I've seen in October, and the first real old movie I've seen in a few weeks. The IMDb plot description (part of it, anyhow) then the Letterboxd review; I'll be back tomorrow night and so will return the review of a horror film:

Orphans Edward "Blackie" Gallagher and Jim Wade are lifelong friends who take different paths in life. Blackie thrives on gambling and grows up to be a hard-nosed racketeer. Bookworm Wade becomes a D.A. vying for the Governorship. When Blackie's girlfriend Eleanor leaves him and marries the more down to earth Wade, Blackie harbors no resentment...”

This is a film I decided to watch today-although I did see it before, a long time ago-as a change of pace from all the horror movie watching I've been doing this month. It's a movie that lives up to the title (thankfully there's no false advertising) and is best known in history not just as the first of many films that William Powell and Myrna Loy did together, but as the movie that got noted outlaw John Dillinger out of hiding and he was gunned down after going to the theatre to see it.

The plot isn't too complex but that it OK; it's about a pair of boys who are pals, one of whom is played by Mickey Rooney. They are on the steamboat General Slocum when it catches fire (a real life incident, by the way) and both are orphaned. You then see them as adults and one is Blackie (Clark Gable), a gangster. The other is Jim Wade (Powell), a district attorney who is looking to become governor of the state of New York. Loy is Eleanor, a dame who was involved with Blackie but once she met Wade, realized his honest unwavering integrity was much more appealing to her. Blackie is OK with that and all three are genial with each other, even when things happen and Wade has to decide if he should be honest or if he should try and help his friend.

Sure, the movie is a melodrama but it isn't overblown or ridiculous. Things are grounded so you could believe that this situation could happen. Several real life aspects are brought in to add believably, that being the sinking of that ship, the trouble in Russia the early part of the 20th century, a day at the horse races at Belmont Park and even an important scene is set at an older version of Madison Square Garden at a hockey game. There are no deus ex machina convenient moments or any of that nonsense. It's not the cheeriest of endings but it's not preposterous either.

The movie's nicely done but what elevates it are the performances of the three leads, who help keep things even-keeled and don't delve into histrionics. All 3 are multidimensional and all 3 are greatly acted. This movie should be known more than the first teaming of Loy and Powell or the last movie that John Dillinger saw.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Chuck Russell (no relation)

Starring: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Patricia Arquette, Craig Wasson, Larry Fishburne

From: New Line Cinema

I am continuing the horror movie watching (when I return tomorrow night it'll be with something quite different as a nice change of pace for the month) by seeing again a famous one from the '80's, and thankfully a good one, a film where Freddy Krueger hadn't yet become a catchphrase-spouting buffoon; sure, Dick Cavett and Zsa Zsa Gabor appearing in one scene was highly wacky but this didn't get goofy until the next few sequels. Now, onto the Letterboxd review:

It had been too long since I had watched a Freddy Krueger movie so this month was the perfect time to do so, and I am going in order (slowly but surely) seeing them again and this was the next one up. I was happy to revisit this one, as it's a quality film on its own and it's certainly a rare horror sequel that can adequately be compared to the original.

Ignoring the second film (it's pretty much a wacky alternate not canon tale; I enjoy it for what it is but it's for the best to say it's not canon) this tale expands on the universe created in the first, introducing a bevy of other teenagers who are in a psych ward, all being haunted by Fred Krueger, but no one there believes them... until Nancy Thompson-now being in the field-joins the staff...

This movie proves to be close to the equal of the original; multiple people being involved does help, Freddy utters some wisecracks but isn't a stand-up comedian quite yet-thankfully-there are some great setpieces and much of the practical effects are pretty awesome and CGI just isn't the same and doesn't give you the same feeling. A minor plot point introduced here actually was used for Freddy vs. Jason almost 2 decades later and to a hair metal fan like me, the Dokken songs are pretty bitchin'.

It's a story I enjoyed, how Freddy uses the fears and fantasies of those teens against them to try and kill/terrorize them. The theme of teenage alienation and how parents can't relate to their kids becoming adults is also an important aspect. The script, which had a lot of input from Frank Darabont and Chuck Russell, is well-done, as is the direction from Russell.

I remember that the rest of the sequels don't reach the heights of this and the next few are rather dopey, but at least I can laugh at them. Thankfully the series at least created a sequel that should be seen along with the original.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History Of Friday The 13th

Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (2013)

Runtime: 400 minutes (not a misprint)

Directed by: Daniel Farrands

Starring: This is a documentary; many people from all the films are in it and it is narrated by Corey Feldman; yes.

From: 1428 Films

As a big fan of the documentary Never Sleep Again (from the same people), I hope I didn't have to wait as long to try and find it to give it a viewing, and I didn't. I found the discs recently and not even I could watch it in one day, so I spread it across two nights. Here's the Letterboxd review, and note that I'll return on Tuesday night:

It took a long while but I finally found the documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy and once I sat down to watch it, I thought it was great and gave it 4 ½ stars as it's a 4 hour comprehensive look at that franchise and it's done oh so well. So, I was naturally happy when I heard that they were doing a similar thing with the Friday the 13th franchise.

While overall this isn't as great as Never Sleep Again in many ways, it's still well worth seeing, especially if you enjoy the Jason Voorhees films and grew up watching and enjoying them. This is also thorough, lasting 400 minutes in total; I watched it over a span of two nights. You get to see various people from all the films give their thoughts; it's not as extensive as in NSA but I understand as I imagine most of those actors are quite difficult to track down or it may be hard to convince them to participate. All the films are still given their proper respect and enough time to give their backstories and honestly explain why they did or did not work.

Also, it has to be said that many of the people involved with this did the His Name Was Jason documentary, and in fact some bits from that are used here; from interviews I know that there was a “meddling producer” who screwed things up and that's why HNWJ ended up only being a 90 minute cursory glance at the franchise; they had the rights to that footage so it was used much better here.

Considering NSA and this were small productions done without the benefits of a lot of money or a huge crew, everyone did a fantastic job with both documentaries and gave a great present for the hardcore fanbase of both franchises, which are popular and yet rarely get their just due to what they are.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Heroes Two

Heroes Two (Fang Shiyu Yu Hong Xiguan) (1974)

Runtime: Either 86 or 93 minutes (I saw this on the El Rey Network so I don't know for certain)

Directed by: Cheh Chang

Starring: Kuan Tai Chen, Sheng Fu, Hark-On Fung, Mu Chu, Yi Feng

From: Shaw Brothers

Yep, I finally saw another Shaw Brothers film; it was a long while since I've seen one... or an Asian film for that matter. It was a nice change of pace. I talk about it in the Letterboxd review below and I'll say that I'll return Sunday night.

Looking through Letterboxd I realized that I hadn't seen any Shaw Brothers films in 4 months time; I realized how ridiculous that was so I rectified that mistake and this happened to be on the El Rey Network so it worked out perfectly.

The story to this wasn't complex but that is OK. It's still an entertaining watch. Basically, rebels are feuding with an evil government. The government are A-holes who manipulated a poor sap named Fong Sai-yuk who happens to be a great fighter to take out fellow talented martial artist Hung Hei-gun as he was causing problems for them. Fong is told what he did and to atone for his mistake, he and some rebels try to break out Hung from captivity and they try to kick some ass.

It should be noted that the two lead characters are actually Chinese folk heroes, told in stories centuries old. The movie was one of the first to have legit Shaolin Kung-Fu. And, the action was done by the legendary Lar Kar Leung.

The movie is fun to watch as it has what you expect from the studio and the genre, so there's bloodshed, honor, redemption, some cool sets and beautiful rural scenery, evil villains and fights-oh, there are plenty of fights. There's an interesting quirk or two which I won't spoil but it is something that will guarantee I won't forget about this film.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Red State

Red State (2011)

58% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 84 reviews)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Kevin Smith

Starring: Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, John Goodman, Michael Angarano

From: The Harvey Boys

Boy, did I ever go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows when it comes to movie-watching, and all in the span of a little more than 24 hours. I did not enjoy watching this film, and I swear its badness bled over into today, which was a crappy day overall AND I have an upset stomach so there won't be any movie-watching and I'll have to return Friday night instead of tomorrow night. Alas... here's the Letterboxd review:

Oh, this movie...

Ever since this came out this is like a typical Kevin Smith movie from the past 10 years and like the man himself, it riles up people in an incredible way and it's incredibly polarizing. Me, I pretty much avoid watching Kevin Smith movies; I don't hate them all... one day I need to watch the ones I actually enjoy for this site; you know, like the Clerks films or Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. Before this the newest one I saw was Cop Out... well, technically it was so awful and Tracy Morgan was the most noxious entity in human history I could only watch the first 15 minutes before turning it off in disgust but maybe I should try and stomach the movie in full so I can rip it apart here on this site like I am going to with this pathetic excuse for a motion picture.

I knew I was in trouble only a few minutes into the picture when I saw that the three teenage males that are the de facto protagonists of the picture are actually asstagonists of the highest order; I mean, they're absolutely awful human beings and they drop the F bomb CONSTANTLY and it didn't take long before I hated the movie right from that point. Other characters doing the same thing and dropping the F bomb every fourth word didn't improve my mood.

Maybe it'd improve once they got those boys to the evil compound of the group that's like the Westboro Baptist Church. Oh no! Not only do I still do not get why exactly those boys were targeted by the Five Points Trinity Church (and this is after looking at a few different sites-including Wikipedia-to try and find an answer) but what the church does is utterly preposterous and never believable at all. Plus, the movie thinks that having their leader Abin Cooper (Michael Parks) babble on incessantly was a good move. No. Less is more, and what he says is not something like what you'd hear in a Tarantino film, where I could excuse long monologues because they're interesting or they're important to the plot; needless to say Kevin Smith is not QT.

Much of the film: people being complete A-holes yelling at each other, incoherent shaky-cam action scenes, not a lot of horror (that was the only reason why I finally gave it a chance via a late-night cable viewing last night) and worst of all, just about everyone is a despicable character and those that are not... brutally nihilistic things happen to them, which isn't an automatic turn-off for me but the way it's done here... what a thoroughly unpleasant and atrocious movie this is; what was the point and what was Kevin Smith trying to say here? I have no idea! It was an awful story filled with awful people and it's filled with stupid nonsensical contrivance after stupid nonsensical contrivance.

It's just inept and I usually don't think this way when I disagree with a lot of people on this site, but I honestly can not comprehend at all why this has so many positive highly-rated reviews. I just don't get it. This was so bad, I am honestly just done with that pot-smoking lazy idiot Kevin Smith, who refuses to improve from his student film days and thinks it's OK to do things in a crude way because it worked with Clerks 20 years ago. I certainly am not going to watch Tusk if it's filled with so much ugliness like this was, and I really wish he would have stuck with one of the 10 or so retirement announcements he's made throughout the years and just do podcasts for his small fanbase.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

The Guest

The Guest (2014)

93% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 70 reviews)

Runtime: 99 minutes

Directed by: Adam Wingard

Starring: Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Brendan Meyer, Sheila Kelley, Leland Orser

From: The greatly named Snoot Entertainment

I've mentioned many times already how this year has been a disappointment so far with too many movies I've seen. I heard a lot about this and I was hoping this wouldn't be another one of those.

It is not. In fact, it's one of my best movie of the year if not the best. I'll explain why in the Letterboxd review below and I'll return tomorrow night.

I can thank several messageboard threads for informing me of this motion picture. I am sure I'd hear about it eventually given that I rated pretty highly the writer/director's previous collaboration, You're Next, and of course I'd hear about it from some people I follow here having seen it already. But, I heard very strong hype from it between here and those boards. I anxiously awaited the opportunity to see it on the big screen and the release schedule changed a few times; it came to Miami recently but that's too far from me, who lives near Orlando. Finally, I saw that it came near my neck of the woods... only I was under the weather so it wasn't until last night that I finally was able to see it; was it worth the long wait?

YES

I won't say too much about the plot as the mystery aspect is the biggest aspect of the movie, but it's about a young soldier who shows up at the doorsteps of a New Mexico family and says he's discharged from the Army and he was close pals with their late son. He's a charming good-looking friendly guy so most of the family trusts him... but not everything is as it seems.

Of course, with me giving it the highest possible rating I think that this is a better film than the last movie from the collaboration between the director and writer (You're Next) and in fact if this isn't at the top of the Top 10 list I'll be doing sometime early next year it'll be near the top. The writing and direction are big reasons why. I'll just say that if you explained the general plot to someone who doesn't want to see the movie but still wants to know what it's about, it's not that complex at all. It's how it's presented that makes it such a fun thrill ride. It takes its time unraveling the story and that is a big plus.

Dan Stevens is simply incredible in the lead role. He plays a guy you can tell almost right away is not fully right and something is “off” with him and yet he's just so charming and damn likable you can see why many fell under that character's spell. The rest of the cast also delivers, especially Maika Monroe as the 20 year old who ends up becoming the lead girl.

Another important thing to mention: the musical score. Much of it is 80's synth done in modern times; think the Drive score or the soundtrack to the all-time great game known as Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. With my eclectic tastes I thought it was simply incredible and it worked with the visuals oh so well.

While more than one moment made me go “hey wait a minute now...”, I will excuse that as several genres are blended together in a tasty fashion, the story's always interesting, there are some quality setpieces and when the fit hits the shan (some people do get wrecked) you have greatness. The movie's not in wide release (at least in the United States) but if it's by you it's a must-see. The way things are going I'll guess it won't ever get a wider release and that's a crying shame as it deserves more mainstream attention than it'll get.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Blacula/Scream Blacula Scream

Blacula (1972)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: William Crain


Starring: William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas, Thalmus Rasulala, Gordon Pinsent


From: AIP


Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Bob Kelljan


Starring: William Marshall, Don Mitchell, Pam Grier, Michael Conrad, Richard Lawson


From: AIP


I saw both of these movies late last night on Turner Classic Movies. The Letterboxd reviews are below. I'll be back Tuesday night.

Via TCM Underground late last night I watched both this film and its sequel; it had been years since I had seen the original, so I am thankful to TCM for the double shot.

While I admit the film is ridiculous, it's still quite entertaining. It's a B-move blaxploitation horror from AIP where an African prince goes and visits Dracula to try and stop the slave trade, and Dracula is actually a racist and bites the guy he proclaims “Blacula” and locks him in a wooden coffin, only to be awoken 200 years later when a pair of flaming homosexual stereotypes that are said to be interior decorators purchase the coffin and pry it open... then Blacula spots a woman that looks just like his wife and falls for her... like I said, ridiculous and yet it's fun to watch the typical vampire stereotypes (wooden stakes, crosses, not being visible in mirrors, being seductive to the opposite sex) play out in funky 70's Los Angeles, with the groovy soundtrack and wacky clothing.

Except for the unfortunate homosexual stereotypes and usage of a certain term that starts with a letter F, the movie's a gas to watch, but the biggest asset is William Marshall as the title character; he adds an air of gravitas and respectability to the role and he does a swell job of being a distinguishable gentleman. Thankfully the film's more than just a clever title.

Now, my review for the sequel:

In the wee hours of the morning I watched this film via TCM and it was actually the virgin viewing of it; now, I regret not seeing it sooner as I think it's a little bit better than the original.

It certainly gets wackier, with a voodoo cult power struggle causes the heel that wants to run the group to bring Blacula back to life via “voodoo magic”, only to immediately get bitten and ironically he becomes the slave to the good count (there is added humor in this sequel, which I did think was beneficial), and Blacula tries to convince Pam Grier to use her voodoo powers to try and cure his vampirism, but it doesn't mean he stops biting people and causing there to be several disciples at the fancy new digs he has. Of course another cop has to try and convince others that the murders are actually the work of a creature of the night.

Like I said there's more humor here than in the original and it's actually humor that works more often than not. There's no gross homosexual stereotypes, so that's another leg up on the first. William Marshall does another swell job as the lead, and the presence of the great Pam Grier also helps and she does a nice job with the role. There's added drama of Blacula trying to be rid of the curse that was put on him and that was a big part of a very memorable finale where a lot happens. The film is nicely done overall and the score is funky & cool but in a different way from the first. If you enjoyed the original you definitely need to see this.

Plus, in one scene you get to briefly see a guy that looks like a doppelganger for Kevin James, which was one of the biggest scares the movie has!

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Willow Creek

Willow Creek (2014)

Runtime: 79 minutes

Directed by: Bobcat Goldthwait

Starring: Alexie Gilmore, Bryce Johnson

From: Jerkschool Productions

This is a movie I watched last night via Xbox Video. It was about time I saw this. I'll explain it in my Letterboxd review, which is below; note that I gave this 3 out of 5 stars.

This is a film I have known about and been interested in for a good number of months, back when I first heard director Bobcat Goldthwait's next film was not going to be a pitch black comedy like World's Greatest Dad or God Bless America and instead was a found footage movie about Bigfoot that would have legit interviews with several people from the area of Northern California where in 1967 the Patterson-Gimlin footage was filmed; we've all seen it even if not by name: it's the clip where a Bigfoot or (much more likely) a dude in a fancy Bigfoot suit was captured walking in the middle of the woods. That sounded like a wacky left turn for Bobcat so I was interested; that did cool when I heard rather mixed reviews and it wasn't until last night that I finally gave it a viewing.

The movie chronicles a young couple who go to the area of Willow Creek, California to do a documentary on Bigfoot and the Patterson-Gimlin movie; the dude is a believer while his girlfriend is much more of a skeptic. After some interviews are filmed (the locals they got... colorful human beings, to say the least) they go to the area where the footage was shot in '67, and of course things go wrong. The movie takes its time to get to the scary stuff, which is fine by me.

Considering the caliber of director who decided to enter the now much-derided sub-genre of “found footage horror”, it is understandable why expectations were high; well, aside from a pretty sweet 15 to 20 minute sequence inside a tent that's one static shot with no obvious cuts, the wheel wasn't re-invented here. It's mainly a standard entry in the genre, albeit one that's well-done and with some skill. The two leads (Bryce Johnson and Alexie Gilmore) are likable and they have nice chemistry, which definitely helps.

This does not reinvent the horror genre and give it a kick in the ass it really needs; however, if you enjoyed The Blair Witch Project (an obvious influence on this; among other things, a lot of the horror and how it's presented, it's up to you to use your imagination and fill in the blanks) then you should check this out. There's also an ending that I'll describe as "unexpected" and I'll leave it at that.

I'll return tomorrow night.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Blood Feast

Blood Feast (1963)

Runtime: 67 minutes

Directed by: Herschell Gordon Lewis

Starring: Mal Arnold, William Kerwin, Connie Mason, Lyn Bolton, Scott H. Hall

From: Friedman-Lewis Productions

Randomly I decided that this should be the horror film I would watch TV. Earlier in the year I found it in the used section at an FYE, of all places. It's a Blu that has what has been called The Blood Trilogy from Herschell Gordon Lewis, that being this film, Two Thousand Maniacs! & Color Me Blood Red. I've seen Blood Feast a few times before but the last viewing was awhile ago. Onto the Letterboxd review:

Here's a motion picture I've watched a few times before, but I decided that this would be the perfect month to see it again. After that it may be a long while before I see it again, as it's technically a pretty crappy film, albeit one that is notable in movie history as the first to be graphically gory and show so much blood and visceral remains, even if it looks rather hokey in 2014.

After all, this is a real low-budget movie from B-movie purveyor Herschell Gordon Lewis where some old dude named Fuad Ramses who has crazy eyes and painted on eyebrows starts killing young girls so he can use their body parts in sacrifices to Ishtar; no, he's not praising the infamous Elaine May movie but rather it's the goddess of ancient times.

Like I said the movie's rather bad, whether you're talking about the preposterous story or most of the acting. Yet, those elements also lead to the camp factor, which is pretty high and that's why I give it 2 ½ stars. Everything revolving around Fuad Ramses is pretty funny, from his name and his eyebrows to him having a bum leg that he needs to drag around and how his job is “exotic food catering”.

While the movie definitely isn't as shocking as it must have been when unsuspecting audiences saw it in '63, at least it can still be enjoyable in modern times.

I'll return Saturday night.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The President's Analyst

The President's Analyst (1967)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: Theodore J. Flicker

Starring: James Coburn, Godfrey Cambridge, Severn Darden, Joan Delaney, Barry McGuire

From: Paramount

This is a movie I was able to see again via the RetroPlex channel; I had seen this one before; I don't quite remember how I found out about it but the only other viewing was way back in my college days and I rented the VHS from the local videostore; yes, it was a long time ago. Now, onto the Letterboxd review:

I am thankful that some cable channels still show older movie. It is because of the RetroPlex station that I was able to see this for a second time; I had actually seen this before, but that viewing was so long ago it was via VHS tape, so needless to say I did not remember too much about it so I was happy for this revisit, and this time in its proper widescreen format.

This is a tale of psychiatrist Sidney Schaefer (James Coburn) who gets asked to work for the President and he agrees, only to become stressed and paranoid... for good reason as various organizations are looking to get the information he is told, or kill him to prevent that information from getting out. Even after the references to the CIA and FBI were changed to the CEA and FBR, the latter was still pissed; considering that they were portrayed as being neurotic A-holes who were all short men, it's no surprise J. Edgar would be rankled.

I won't dare reveal all the plot points or the surprises in this satirical comedy that is certainly dated (there is a subplot involving a hippie band) but it does get wacky, for sure. You do get to see William Daniels long before his Mr. Feeny days or even when he voiced K.I.T.T. The ultimate villain of the film is certainly wacky but it's a nice bit of satire. Viewing it again I realize that it is hinted at throughout the film.

While this is dated and sometimes uneven, it's still a film I am entertained by most of the time; it's wry and sly humor works for me. It was nicely directed and has quality cinematography from William A. Fraker and a cool score from Lalo Schifrin. In short this is a gem that should be more widely known.

I'll return tomorrow night.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror

Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror (2006)

Runtime: 85 minutes

Directed by: Stacy Title

Starring: Snoop Dogg and some random people I'll mention later

From: The wonderfully named Snoopadelic Films, Inc.

I can thank cable for allowing me to see this motion picture. Or maybe it should be "thank" in a sarcastic sense. Onto the Letterboxd review: 

I realize this is a totally random horror movie of recent years to watch, but it was on cable late last night and despite hearing that it generally wasn't very good I was curious as it being something from and starring Snoop Dogg is certainly wacky, the cast is quite varied (besides Snoop there's everyone from Aries Spears, Billy Dee Williams, Sydney Tamia Poitier and the great Ernie Hudson to Anson Mount, Diamond Dallas Page, Danny Trejo, and even Jason Alexander), and considering how big a percentage they make up of the horror market, there should be more horror films centered around “the minority crowd”. There also need to be more horror anthologies.

Unfortunately, this movie is pretty crappy.

It's a horror anthology hosted by Snoop as “a hound of hell”. An interesting animated interlude explains how he earned such a title; he presents a trio of stories that involve such things as the world of “tagging”, a stereotypical white trash couple having to live with some old African-American gentlemen, and the tale of two rappers.

All those stories have potential but they just fail and don't work. That's one of the sins of this movie, although there are others... such as it trying to be funny in various ways but it rarely actually is amusing, there being gross stereotypes, stories poorly told or constructed or just plain unpleasantness, which this is full of, especially in the second story. You also get several deaths that are supposed to be laugh out loud due to how ludicrous they are-they just come off as stupid. Oh, and you can't forget all the racism, misogyny, foul language, graphic gore, and other “pleasantries” that don't work well together.

Point is, I was hoping for something that was at least entertaining, but with the first story actually being a crappy simplified version of Death Note (really), the second one being absolutely unpleasant to the point that I almost turned the movie off, and the last one is just dull and kind of pointless.

So really, there are a number of horror anthologies to see that are better than this one; heck, you could watch some old episodes of Tales from the Crypt if you want some horror with comedic moments and believe me, Tales from the Hood (which I'll eventually watch again to rate on this site) is a MUCH better anthology involving African-Americans.

I'll return tomorrow night.

Monday, October 6, 2014

An Update

I know, I am still being lazy compared to the past few months. There's no review tonight BUT there will be one tomorrow night. I've been busy with various activities yesterday and today so that's why I have to do this. At least I have plans for the rest of the month as to what to see and from now I'll be seeing a film more often than once every few days; Wednesday to next Wednesday may be especially active. I do know I'll be seeing at least one movie on the big screen so that is nice.

When I return tomorrow night I have an idea as to what I'll be reviewing, and if not I have a plan B just in case.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Casablanca

Casablanca (1942)

Runtime: 102 minutes

Directed by: Michael Curtiz

Starring: Bogie, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt

From: Warner Brothers

Here's a classic movie which of course I've seen before but not since before I started this Blogspot page. As TCM showed some Bogart movies last night I recorded them and during this big day of college football I fit in the latest viewing of this motion picture. I will return Monday night but now, the Letterboxd review:

Of course I've seen this all-time classic movie before but the last viewing was a long while ago so when Turner Classic Movies showed a number of Bogie films the night before I did some recording and this was one of them, which I watched today. I won't go on and on about it but let me just say a few words.

This is an intoxicating mix of a romance and a suspenseful drama set in the Moroccan city during the beginnings of World War II and how nightclub owner Rick deals with the Nazi's and other colorful characters as he wonders if he should help his ex-love Ilsa and her boyfriend escape and head for safer waters.

I don't need to state all the classic lines and moments that have become legendary and are still remembered more than 70 years later; I will just note that everything is done oh so well (the dialogue, the one-liners, the characters, the incredible romance between Rick and Ilsa, the plot, etc.) and it's deservedly beloved in 2014. You really feel like you're spending a sweltering night in Rick's American Cafe in a wild and tempestuous city which can be treacherous and full of peril and yet I'd still like to be there to hang out and listen to Sam play piano and lead that band.

To mention something different, I am still amused as a car fan that two characters were named Renault and Ferrari.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Blame Playoff Baseball...

For not watching any films last night. It was a really good baseball game that went into extra innings. What I plan on doing tonight is watching something I reviewed here before and I'll be doing it for Letterboxd. Thursday I'll be out and about so I won't be watching anything on that day. So, I'll return Saturday night and by that time I should have a fresh review for everyone.