The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires

The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: Roy Ward Baker/Cheh Chang

Starring: Peter Cushing, David Chiang, Robin Stewart, Shih Szu, Julie Ege

From: Hammer/Shaw

Hammer Studios. Shaw Brothers Studios. Two great tastes that taste great together, right? Well, not exactly, but I can still say this is good. I wish that this collaboration between two awesome studios (awesome in their own ways, for sure) would have produced an unforgettable classic, but instead it is “only” good, and a cult classic to boot.

The plot: there's an opening which explains how Dracula ends up in China. After that, it's 1904 and Professor Van Helsing is in the country, and he is asked to help some siblings in dealing with the titular golden vampires. To fill time and add some romance, there is also Van Helsing's son, with the uber British name of Leyland. There's martial arts and vampires which have a skin tone (to borrow a phrase) of Mrs. Voohees' decapitated head in Friday the 13th Part 2.

I feel that in modern times this film works best as a campy piece of entertainment; it is easy to nitpick various things and yet it is still fun to watch, this mix of action and horror, where it's the action that stands out, although there are still a few spine-chilling moments. The biggest asset for the film is not the fact that there are KUNG FU VAMPIRES (although that is astounding) but rather the presence of Peter Cushing, who is always a delight to see on screen. Even though he was an old man at the time, he wasn't entirely inactive when it came to dealing with those vampires... regrettably, he doesn't do any kung fu himself. In addition, I only noticed once the trademark of the Jiangshi (Chinese vampire), which is hopping. Then again I do understand how it may look goofy to see vampires hopping about with their arms outstretched.

While each studio on its own would make plenty of films better than this, it doesn't mean people shouldn't give this curio a shot.

American Made

American Made (2017)

86% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 170 reviews)

Runtime: 115 minutes

Directed by: Doug Liman

Starring: Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Jesse Plemons, Caleb Landry Jones

From: Universal

I can't say this was great but it was still pretty good, as I explain below:

NOTE: People outside the United States may be surprised to hear this, but we're just getting the movie now; I am not sure why it was released elsewhere around the world early this month, although Universal is certainly glad they did not have to compete with It right away.

I'll admit a few things before I start talking about the movie itself. Before I even left to go see this, I had heard that the movie was about as much fiction as fact, and I know that some things have to be changed when making something “based on a true story” and doing things like combining several different people into one character makes things simpler. But I imagine I'd be more offended if I knew more about Barry Seal aside from the basics. What I hear, the basics are pretty much the only accurate facts that are presented. I am a history nerd so I prefer authenticity and I probably would be greatly interested in and fascinated by Seal's real life story; thankfully there are several books out there about him. Then, I did not have the best audience experience while watching this; I wish it would have been a de facto private screening as it would have meant me not having to turn around too often to stare daggers at more than one group of people who were acting like cretins and Troglodytes; I don't even need to elaborate on what I am referring to.

All that said, I can still say this was pretty good and give it a favorable rating. I don't want to say much about the plot for those who don't know “the deets” (as those on the street like to say) except to say that Seal was a talented American pilot who became involved with the federal government, who was doing some shady and definitely illegal things that involved Pablo Escobar, running drugs & guns, and a major late 80's scandal.

The movie is pretty slick and extravagant in how the story is presented; I dare not spoil what I am referring to. It was just not what I was quite expecting. Maybe at times it's too slick but at least it was informative in explaining the actual facts to an audience that may have no clue to the shocking things that the United States government did back then... and to be honest, still likely do now. The movie also has plenty of comedic moments; it tries to emulate some great movies and it doesn't rise to those heights. Even then, as I enjoy retro things I was amused by this late 70's/most of the 80's tale. As an aside, I'll presume that Barry's wife wasn't in real like an annoying foul-mouthed harpy like she was portrayed here; it wasn't the actress playing her, it was how the character was written.

A big asset is one everyone should expect beforehand: Tom Cruise being the star. He isn't my favorite as a human being for the same reasons that others don't like him. I wish he wasn't such a loon and wasn't a member of a certain “religion”, although his lunacy is the reason why he does so many of his own stunts... I understand he is nice to his fans so perhaps he is better than all those other problematic actors out there. Point is, I've never complained about any of his performances nor have I dreaded ever seeing him in a film. Many of the ones he is in are interesting and there have only been a few in his entire career that can be considered “bad”; most would say that The Mummy is solidly in that category.

He did very well in this role; I understand that the real Barry Seal (besides possessing no resemblance to Cruise) wasn't a charismatic anti-hero as presented here; I guess that wouldn't have been as popular a movie if the character would have been more true to life. But back on point, Cruise-as always-had charisma in spades and he was solid in his role. So was Domhnall Gleeson; I was gleefully happy to see him again after the astounding 2015 he had, where he was in Brooklyn, Ex-Machina, The Force Awakens and The Revenant and was marvelous in all four films playing four drastically different roles. Like I said, this was pretty good and something I don't regret seeing.

One last thing: I went to one of the few locations across the country that was showing it in IMAX. As this has stock footage and parts of the film look degraded/old on purpose, it is odd this was chosen to be shown in such a format, although at least it does usually look nice and I had no problem with the audio. All that said, it's honestly something which should be fine in a regular format and you definitely shouldn't go out of your way to see this in the IMAX format.

Tommy... The Documentary

You can click this link to read what I thought of the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary on the late boxer Tommy Morrison, i.e. Tommy Gunn from Rocky V.

The Vampire Doll

The Vampire Doll (Yurei Yashiki No Kyofu: Chi Wo Su Ningyo) (1970)

Runtime: 71 minutes

Directed by: Michio Yamamoto

Starring: Kayo Matsuo, Akira Nakao, Atsuo Nakamura, Yukiko Kobayashi, Yoko Minakaze

From: Toho

As of late I've rewatched various things, both good and bad. I don't plan on being back with a new review until at least Thursday night. For now, a vampire movie from Japan: 

For at least the past few years now I've known of the three vampire movies that Toho made in the 70's... this, the greatly named Lake of Dracula and Evil of Dracula. Nevermind how, but I found this first movie, known by plenty of names: Bloodsucking Doll, The Ghost Mansion's Horror: A Bloodsucking Doll, The Night of the Vampire, The Legacy of Dracula, and best of all, Fear of the Ghost House: Bloodsucking Doll. Note that this movie does not have Dracula nor any bloodsucking dolls. Admittedly, there is a creepy house...

This tale is more Western-influenced than anything from the native Japanese culture. It means there's a strong Gothic feel and Hammer was an obvious inspiration. The plot: a dude (Kazuhiko) has been away from his girlfriend for awhile, so he drives to her mom's house, which of course is a spooky thing in the middle of nowhere that looks like it's in Europe rather than Japan... they do try to explain that way. Anyhow, the girlfriend is dead and Kaz is upset. Soon he goes missing and both his sister and the sister's boyfriend are on the hunt for him.

The movie is only 71 minutes long so it never wears out its welcome, or make it obvious that the cast is pretty small. What the movie is all about is a little daffy but at least the story is unique and a different version of a vampire tale. The mood & atmosphere help-there's usually a strong feeling of dread-along with the nice rural setting. Those that enjoy Hammer movies should find something to like here, whether it's the spooky noise you hear often, moments in the graveyard, how the big bad looks, etc. I say it's good overall.

So, About Sharky's Machine...

Way back when I watched and reviewed that Burt Reynolds film and I was "meh" on it. I saw it again Friday night as a way to tip my cap to the late Bernie Casey, and I realized it was better than I first gave it credit for. My bad.

I won't be back until at least Monday night, BTW.

Stunt Squad

Stunt Squad (La Polizia E Sconfitta) (1977)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Domenico Paoletta

Starring: Marcel Bozzuffi, Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Riccardo Salvino, Nello Pazzafini, Claudia Giannotti

From: Atlas Film

As I seemingly say every single time I watch a poliziotteschi now, “it's been awhile since I last saw one of those.” A messageboard post directed me to someone on the Rupert Pupkin Speaks blog talking about that film and even though it sounded quite similar to something I saw 3 years ago (Colt 38 Special Squad, which even has the star of this movie, Marcel Bozzuffi, in almost the exact same role, as an exacerbated police chief who sets up a special squad of loose cannon cops to go after the bad guys), I still wanted to give it a shot and hey, it was for free on Amazon Prime so that made things easy for me.

In Colt 38, Marcel forms the squad mainly because some bad guys killed his wife. I've seen so many of these the past 5 or so years the details are fuzzy, but I remember enjoying it quite a bit and GRACE JONES is in one scene, singing in a nightclub. This, in comparison, I can only say was good. Plenty of time is spent with the bad guy and he was compelling, but I wish there could've been more with the actual stunt squad; I'd have love to seen them be over the top and raise almost as much hell as the villains.

In this film, dude I'll call Not Aaron Eckhart raises a lot of hell, so the squad is formed. The strange thing is, we see the squad do some wacky-ass training in a montage and yet a lot of the action is done by Bozzuffi instead of the titular squad. I found it to be odd. There being only one squad member that isn't a faceless entity is more understandable, but I still thought the mix was peculiar.

Even then, I can say this was good. I loved such things as the action scenes (there's the requisite automobile chases and yes some of them involved motorcycles) and the funky Stelvio Cipriani score. I was bemused then amused that Not Aaron Eckhart only wore out outfit, that being black pants, a boss white with black accents jacket... and no shirt on underneath. “#Look”

Then there were things that greatly amused me, such as the unexpected ending-that I dare not spoil-and two rather sleazy moments that seem appropriate in a genre film; poliziotteschi films are always known for that anyway:

1) Many of these flicks have at least one scene in a nightclub; this was no exception. However, this went incredibly unsubtle and for no reason whatsoever, during a song played by a funky jazz band, several women took off their tops and danced around!

2) Most of you know the motif where it's at night in a terrible inner-city location and to stay warm on a bone-chilling night, trash is lit in a giant 55 gallon drum and everyone huddles around. Here, it is what I presume is a briskly cool morning, and some prostitutes are standing around. To stay warm-because they are scantily-clad-the way they stay warm is... build campfires on the street. Yes, as in putting together a pile of logs & branches and lighting that s*** on fire! Incredible.

Not the best I've ever seen in this genre but I don't regret seeing it either, even if for the bizarre moments.

Cat People (The Remake)

Cat People (1982)

Runtime: 118 minutes

Directed by: Paul Schrader

Starring: Nastassja Kinski, John Heard, Malcolm McDowell, Annette O'Toole, Ruby Dee

From: Universal/RKO

What a movie this remake was. See why below: 

Tuesday night I watched the original Cat People then this sleazy remake, which keeps the idea of people turning into black panthers if horny, some character names, a few scenes are borrowed and little else was used. To address the giant jungle cat in the room, one angle of this movie is incest; on its own that is always creepy, but it became incredibly so when a few years ago, star Nastassja Kinski and her half-sister made some allegations against their dad Klaus... there are some frightening moments in this film but nothing that comes close to that real life horror story. I tried not to think about it but it was pretty difficult not to.

Anyhow, the plot of this is that Kinski reunites with her long-lost brother Malcolm McDowell in New Orleans, a natural city to have spooky goings-on take place. As it's McDowell, saying that you can't trust his character is not too much of a spoiler now, is it? As Kinski and the late John Heard fall in love, things aren't as ambiguous when you compare it to the original Cat People. Yet it definitely is more bold and frank in exploring the sexual subtext of the original; after all, the act of sex has always been animalistic anyway.

What an odd movie this is; I am not just talking about the plot either. The story progresses in a strange manner, in fits and starts. It has a dreamlike quality throughout, sometimes becoming rather obvious. I can still say that this is good. I can't complain about the direction from Paul Schrader nor the performance of the cast, which has other famous faces (Annette O'Toole, Ruby Dee, Ed Begley, Jr., Frankie Faison, and even a small role for John Larroquette. Kinski was great in what was not an easy role; she had to be bold, and not just because she spent a decent amount of time without any clothes on.

A big plus for me was the score from Giorgio Moroder; I am partial to him anyway so there is bias but I thought it was very good. There's more than just David Bowie's Cat People (Putting Out Fire), which surprisingly has been used in some other films; I imagine plenty of people know that version of the song (and not the re-recorded version on the legendary Let's Dance album) who have never even watched a minute of this before; I say the tune is pretty great.

I say this and the original should be watched. You may love both for entirely different reasons, or you could be me and think that both are at least good and they each have their unique merits.

Cat People (The Original)

Cat People (1942)

Runtime: 73 minutes

Directed by: Jacques Tourneur

Starring: Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph, Jack Holt

From: RKO

It was a wise idea to watch this really old horror film, as I explain below:

Whenever I've watched horror films the past few years when it is the holiday season, while plenty of the selections have been older flicks, only a few have been from the first half of the 20th century. That may change this time around. TCM will be showing plenty of horror from that time period and I should check some of them out. Last night I actually watched two movies but the second one I'll wait to review until tomorrow.

I figured it was about damn time I reviewed one of the famed collaborations between producer Val Lewton and director Jacques Tourneur. It's a tale where the lead guy (his character's name is Oliver Reed!) meets Serbian immigrant Irena and they fall in love... although she is haunted by her own town's legends of how the women of the distant past turned into cat people and that will happen with her if she's real upset or... ahem, sexually aroused. That is why she is standoffish and some would use the term “frigid” when it comes to romance. They try to deal with her fears... but then creepy things start happening, and most animals don't seem to like her at all...

This movie is well done overall. The direction is solid, the performances were at least good from the small cast (Simone Simon as Irena was the best; she was indeed animalistic and it was not a surprise that men would be drawn to her), and the score from Roy Webb was cool. However, there were two highlights I'll mention: Nicholas Musuraca's cinematography was outstanding. He worked in various genres and his highest profile movies were Out of the Past and I Remember Mama; late in life he worked in television, which was at least a paycheck. The photography said a lot just from what was lit and what wasn't. Plus, there were some subtle things in the background. The highlight for me was a painting you only see the bottom part of, but it includes two creepy as hell cats staring at what looks like a peacock on the ground, ready to pounce and tear it apart.


The second highlight is how the story can be looked at more than one way. Irena for sure is being driven crazy by her fear of being a Cat Person, which is related to her having fear of intimacy and as I have seen said by others, possibly it's repressed lesbian desires. Either it's true and she does turn into a black panther or it's just in her mind and the events we see aren't entirely accurate in terms of the attacks and the other characters become loony also and the big cat they see is actually Irena as a human being doing those things, including killing. Either interpretation works and that is something I can greatly appreciate. No matter what, it's about a couple who really did hook up when they probably shouldn't... the warning signs were seen but ignored and you get to see their marriage fall apart. The film manages to say a lot in less than 75 minutes.

Pumpkinhead

Pumpkinhead (1988)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: The great Stan Winston

Starring: The great Lance Henriksen, Jeff East, John D'Aquino, Kimberly Ross, Joel Hoffman

From: United Artists

Last night I decided to watch something from Amazon Prime that would actually be good, and I did make the correct selection there. This is a ghoulish tale which isn't about being gory (as it isn't) and instead it's about being creepy and unsettling while having some great shots and moments and a few sets which were perfect for setting an unnerving and spooky mood.

The plot doesn't sound complicated on the surface: Lance Henriksen is a backwoods guy (Ed Harley, a name you won't forget as you hear it so often in the film) who has a bodega in the middle of nowhere. He has a young son-Bobby-he loves a lot; unfortunately, some young “city folk” are around and well, due to an accident Bobby passes away. Ed Harley gets real upset so he visits some folks that are even more backwoods and he is directed to a scary-looking old woman, who resurrects the titular character, a character that is memorable-looking for sure. Thankfully the movie is more complicated than it sounds; for example, only one of the city folk is a D-bag. There are other things but I dare not spoil them; I'll just say it's not a paper-thin story. I also won't spoil some of the people who unexpectedly appear, except for Buck Flower, as hey it's Buck Flower and he was pretty rad.

I wish that Stan Winston would have directed more than just one horror feature-length film, as he did a fine job here. I think of him pretty highly anyway due to his awesome effects work on such things as the first two Terminator pictures, Aliens, , Predator, etc.... and his effects studio on films like Jurassic Park. Things are shot well and when it comes to mood & atmosphere, that is where the movie excels the most. Whether it's deep in the woods and there's plenty of moonlight & fog or the shack emblazoned with candles and various eerie bric-a-brac. Such things do make up for any deficiencies in the story, which there are some. I don't want to nitpick as even with that I still think this is very good.


I am glad this film is different from the 80's horror norm, filled with slasher and over the top bloody moments. It's a cult film where OF COURSE there is talk of it being remade. I may be cynical here but I will guess it will be different from the original and thus lose much of its appeal.

Dark Spirits

Dark Spirits (2008)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Huck Keppler

Starring: Milena Minichova, Jan Budar, Marko Igonda, Vaclav Jiracek, Lucia Siposova

From: Big Pine Holdings

Here's an obscure movie... for good reason:

Here is one of those random horror movies that can be stumbled upon while browsing Amazon Prime; after I found it, I noticed that a mutual on Letterboxd had already seen it and it was a strongly negative review. Yet I still saw this. I mean, this is a film which has an official poster (currently in use here and Amazon) where the image brags that this is from a producer of A Knight's Tale-think of that what you will-and... Dragonball Evolution. I kid you not. I've never seen it (I've never even watched any Dragonball) but I know everyone hates Evolution and equates it with a venereal disease, I don't think it's a good idea to let anyone know you played any role in bringing such a travesty to the big screen!

As for this film, it's from a dude named Huck Keppler and it is set and filmed in the Czech Republic with Czech actors, yet the dialogue was all in English. I don't think I need to explain how a bunch of actors saying lines in a language they likely aren't familiar with would lead to stilted performances. Anyhow, it's a ghost story where a young lady has a vision then her sister is murdered... then said sister is actually murdered. Things happen, there is a clairvoyant (because of course there is), a strange man sitting on a park bench-but thankfully not eyeing little girls with bad intent-unfortunately, this movie is dreary and quite frankly so boring that if not for some lame jump scares, I might have dozed off.

Now, the general idea of the story is not bad; it's the execution that is pretty putrid. As it's so dull and there is no gore to speak of or much in the way of imagination or sparks of creativity, there is no need to watch something which has such a generic title and thinks it's wise to make some sort of connection to a legendarily bad anime adaptation.

Paris, Texas

Paris, Texas (1984)

Runtime: 145 minutes

Directed by: Wim Wenders

Starring: Harry Dean Stanton (RIP), Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clement, Hunter Carson

From: Several European companies

As you'll read below, I picked the right film to watch in order to pay tribute to a great actor I'll miss: 

I figured this was a great way to pay tribute to a great actor who sadly passed away yesterday. I can also tip my cap to the late Sam Shepard, the writer of this script who died a few months ago. I went with a great movie involving Harry Dean Stanton which I had not reviewed here before; that is why I did not go with something like Alien, for example.

I don't want to reveal too much of the plot... Stanton walking around the desert wearing a dirty ratty suit and a faded red cap-which thankfully did not say Make America Great Again-is certainly a memorable way to open a picture. He is found in the desert (the southernmost part of Texas, to be exact), a mute who has to be picked up by his brother Dean Stockwell and transported to Los Angeles. Stanton is outstanding in the role of Travis Henderson, saying a lot even when he's not saying a word. Even once he starts talking again, you get as frustrated as his brother in how he won't talk about why he vanished for 4 years and left behind both a much younger wife (Nastassja Kinski) and a young son, Hunter.

The movie is patient and takes its time in unfurling the story. As you get acquainted with Travis and he gets reacquainted with his brother, his bro's wife, and Hunter (who his bro ended up adopting), more of his backstory is revealed, and you get to see that he is a character who definitely has his flaws and is still fascinating and even though some of his past actions weren't good, he is not someone I ever rooted against.

There is tremendous filmmaking all around, from the story to the direction by Wim Wenders, the cinematography by Robby Muller, the sparse score from Ry Cooder; the movie is tremendous in the first two acts as Travis has to become human again by rebuilding various relationships. The final act, though, is stunning. Travis is trying to fix things and it culminates in a long scene. This scene has very long takes and is full of dialogue. Yet, because of what was said, how it was delivered, and the performances of Harry Dean and the other person in the scene (it was just as much their facial expressions as what they were saying) that it becomes masterful and elevates this to a classic. The cast as a whole does a pretty good job and even the child actor is more than satisfactory, but it's Stanton and his partner in that epic scene which are the standouts.

I've seen some of his movies throughout the years, but I never saw him as great as he was here, and it is the film overall and not just the late Harry Dean Stanton that makes this a must-see.

Annabelle: Creation

Annabelle: Creation (2017)

68% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 142 reviews)

Runtime: 109 minutes

Directed by: David F. Sandberg

Starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Lulu Wilson, Talitha Eliana Bateman, Stephanie Sigman, Miranda Otto

From: Warner Brothers/New Line Cinema

Wednesday night, I went to a drive-in and I saw It then this motion picture; an appropriate double-bill, and not just because of genre or them sharing production companies. I thought this was fine, although “audience fatigue” may play a part in my rating.

This movie has made a lot of money worldwide so I imagine I don't need to spend too much time describing the plot; I'll just mention that most of it is set in 1955 and a big spooky house in the middle of nowhere plays host to several girls of various ages (including teenagers) as they are all orphans and their orphanage just closed down. The Annabelle doll is there and I don't know if it needed a backstory, but that's what we got and even though it's not the most original explanation, you do understand why those people would do those things.

Maybe I am fatigued at how so many wide release horror movies in at least the past few years seem awfully similar to each other: it's some mix of ghosts/possession/demons and there are plenty of cheap jump scares. This falls right into that category. Hell, many of these films just seem so similar in general, and that's not even factoring in how this obviously fits into The Conjuring universe... and I rate those two main films pretty highly.

All that said, I can still say this was fine. I haven't seen Lights Out but David F. Sandberg did a nice job directing this. The cast was at least pretty competent and the two little girls who are the crux of the focus both acted well. This was a positive example of using silence in a horror film to make it more chilling or make you feel more on edge; that happens sometimes and it was effective. Another positive was how on a few occasions, it played with expectations and did the opposite of what you expected to be a rehash of something, even if it was from a movie many years old.


The positives, there being enough creepy moments and this notably being better than the poor first Annabelle movie means I can say this is fine.

It (The New Version)

It (2017)

85% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 231 reviews)

Runtime: 135 minutes

Directed by: Andy Muschietti

Starring: Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Bill Skarsgard

From: Warner Brothers/New Line Cinema

I finally saw this movie... and I did enjoy it (or It) quite a bit: 

Last night I went to a drive-in and saw a pair of movies. Yes, some of those are still around, Florida included... where they stay open all year except for real bad weather. Because of reasons I hadn't been to one in a few years so I figured this was the time to do so. The second part of the double feature I'll review tomorrow but today I'll talk about the front half of the double feature, which is a film that has been a surprisingly gigantic hit at the box office.

Most people-even if they haven't already watched this, which plenty have-know the general story from either the novel or the 1990 miniseries so I don't need to spend much time recapping the plot. This is different from the miniseries in that it is all about the kids and the Chapter 2 which will likely come out in a few years at most due to the success of this, that will be these kids as adults. The setting was also changed to 1989, so the second film will be in modern times; the bullies here aren't greasers but instead metalheads... the worst kind of metalheads, those that are horrible human beings; much to my delight they did have mullets.

Due to having a much higher budget, the aid of computer effects, the R rating and a longer runtime, there are various differences between this and the 1990 version in showing the story of The Losers Club as children. I say this is the scarier of the two, for sure, and it's not just the CG moments that make this true. How Pennywise moves like he's an animal hunting his prey is one example. Skarsgard as the title character is great in a different way than how Tim Curry was great. There are plenty of chilling moments, representing all sorts of horror, including some of the interactions between the kids and their parents.

I liked the kids in the miniseries but the ones here are better, both in performances and how they all interacted with each other. They picked the perfect kids for the roles; they meshed with each other so well. The rating also allowed for plenty of cursing/vulgar language and that did make me laugh, especially much of what Richie said. It was easy to root for those outcasts against a pure embodiment of evil.

While the movie does a few things that seem overly familiar now with the type of horror that has dominated the theatrical world in recent times, it is done in such a way where much of the movie feels fresh instead of tired and hackneyed. I am relieved this lived up to the hype and was not overrated nonsense; I just hope they do as good a job in picking adult actors that work as well together as these kids did.

Shogun Assassin

Shogun Assassin (1980)

Runtime: 85 minutes

Directed by: Kenji Misumi... and Robert Houston

Starring: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Kayo Matsuo, Akiji Kobayashi, Minoru Oki, Shin Kishida

From: Toho... and Baby Cart and Katsu Productions

It took longer than expected, but I finally rewatched this film; I talk all about it below:

This is another case where I am watching something I have seen before, but the last viewing was my pre-Letterboxd days (i.e. early 2013). If I wanted to be a smartass I'd repost much of my Lone Wolf & Cart: Baby Cart at the River Styx review and a little bit of Lone Wolf & Cub: Sword of Vengeance, as this film has 12 minutes of the latter and the rest is the former. I say River Styx is great and this is only very good, but that's no shame as the dubbing acts some camp value and the synth-heavy score was of course something that I would dig.

Actually, I will be a smartass and include part of my review for River Styx:

“ The plot is simple enough: ronin Ogami Itto still is carrying around his toddler son (w/ unfortunate haircut) in a wooden baby cart (or baby buggy if you're reading this in some parts of Europe), and he still has various people after him. This time he has to deal with female assassins-who early on show they are a worthy challenge to Itto-while trying to complete a job where he has to kill a turncoat who will sell the critical secret of a clan that makes indigo dye. The villains don't just use swords but also have some over the to weaponry.

Those that know the cult classic Shogun Assassin, much of the movie is taken from this film; thus, you should know how awesome it is. Plenty of claret is spilled as often you see blood spraying out of just-deceased bodies. There are plenty of action scenes where Itto mows down people and it's all a gas seeing that graphic violence and a bucketful of badass moments.

There is a moment about 2/3 in where it turns into Hanzo the Razor for a few minutes, as Itto forces himself on a woman and it's entirely uncomfortable; what the scene is all about is not what you'd expect, although it still may make some want to hit the button to speed up the movie past that moment, and I wouldn't fault anyone for doing so.”

The little bit of Sword of Vengeance adds a backstory so the audience has an explanation of who Itto is and why he is roamin' the countryside as a ronin with his son in a wooden baby cart. There is goofy narration from what is supposed to be from the toddler son-Daigoro-and that adds more camp value. Still, even though this is an edited version of River Styx, all that ultraviolence and badass moments are left in so you get to see gallons of blood spraying out and each over the top brutal moment. Not a shock that it's been a cult favorite since 1980. Both this and River Styx should be seen.


I'll always be amused that the guy who brought us Shogun Assassin was Robert Houston, who is best known for his wacky as hell performance as the brother Bobby in the original The Hills Have Eyes.

It (The 1990 Version)

It (1990)

Runtime: 187 minutes

Directed by: Tommy Lee Wallace

Starring: Richard Thomas, John Ritter, Annette O'Toole, Harry Anderson, Tim Curry

From: As everyone knows this was made for television

It was about time I saw this again; the initial viewing was many years ago. As the new It is a gigantic hit... see me talk about the original below: 

I have returned after a few days; I was away because Hurricane Irma was baring down on Florida. The storm came closer to me than expected yet I was lucky in that my place did not get damaged and the power went out only once, and only for 5 minutes. Considering that trees fell in the area and some stop sign poles were bent at a 45 degree angle... yes, I was incredibly fortunate. At least I am back in the saddle again.

I don't know when but eventually I'll see the 2017 hit as not only is it doing astronomical business for a horror movie, the film has great word of mouth. I saw this once before, a real long time ago. This is another case where I am sure everyone is familiar with the plot so I don't need to spend much time there. This was a TV miniseries where the first half was getting to know the main characters, mainly by showing them befriending each other in the small town of Deery, Maine, and that's when they face off against Pennywise. As adults, the evil has returned so they need to reunite.

I admit that some moments are kind of goofy and yeah, even kind of dopey. I somehow did not remember the scene where you see two grown men riding a bicycle together... I'll just say they might as well have taken their shirts off and started playing beach volleyball while a Kenny Loggins song is in the background! Still, I can say this is good overall, although I imagine it being 8 to 10 hours long as originally planned may have been better for a book I understand is over 1,000 pages long-I haven't read it before.

Heck, if they would have stuck with those plans, the director would not have been Tommy Lee Wallace (who did a fine job) but instead... George A. Romero, which is a missed opportunity. It definitely would have made a subplot or two presented here better instead of being so rushed and not having as much meaning. For all I know, the flaws in this story can be blamed on the King story, to put it bluntly. I do know that the book has an incredibly awkward and gross scene involving the 12 year old boys doing something to Beverly before they confront It the first time...

Even with those complaints, I can still give this a positive review. It is easy to root for those outcast kids (who are treated poorly at home and are tormented by several horrible late 1950's greasers) as they deal with a demon who preys on their weaknesses; the adults, it's not always the same but it's not intolerable by any means. Both the adults and the kid actors do fine overall; yes, I did laugh that super geek Seth Green turned into a mustached Harry Anderson. As everyone can agree, Tim Curry's performance as Pennywise was incredible and even though he doesn't have a lot of screentime in this 3 hour film, it is still iconic.

As this is not perfect by any means, that is why I was not too upset when a remake was announced; the idea of doing two movies that are each more than 2 hours long sounds like a good one, and from general opinion I am glad the new It is a worthwhile King adaptation rather than one of the many bad ones, such as The Dark Tower.

Carry On Cabby

Carry On Cabby (1963)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Gerald Thomas

Starring: Sid James, Hattie Jacques, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Esma Cannon

From: Peter Roberts Productions

Hopefully I'll be back soon and the ramifications of Hurricane Irma won't cause me to vanish from the online world for a day or more... there's no way to predict such a thing, unfortunately. At least I saw something pretty funny...:

I expect this will be my last review for a few days. I do live in Florida and Hurricane Irma will go through the state tomorrow. I hope that there's no issue with the power and/or the Internet but anything can happen... hopefully I'll be fine and the same goes for all the people I know in the state.

As it was on TV (TCM, of all channels) last night I figured it was a good idea to relax by watching a comedy. Those in the UK and other countries may be surprised to hear this, but the Carry On franchise is not really known in the United States. Unless you buy region-free discs from Amazon or rent the few that are on Amazon Video, they are hard to track down, at least legally. I knew that the series-where the cast played different roles each time-was full of such things as slapstick and bawdy humor-although after watching this, things weren't so saucy-so it sounded like something I would dig. Another fact which may be surprising is that I am not even that familiar with any of the Carry On franchise regulars, such as Sid James, Hattie Jacques, Charles Hawtrey or Kenneth Connor. I'll mention now that I found all of them to be utterly delightful here, and this won't be the only CO flick I see.

I was glad I saw this as it did give me some needed laughs. A cab company is followed; the wife of the company's owner feels ignored due to him being busy all the time at work so she establishes her own cab company, which is staffed by young attractive women. Not complicated, but it's fine as the film is pretty amusing. There's one-liners from the lines of Sid James and Kenneth Connor, and the nebbish Charles Hawtrey was clumsy so there were pratfalls with him. Hattie Jacques as the poor neglected wife was also pretty amusing.

I admit that this was a silly low-budget thing which was low-brow and plays on obvious stereotypes, especially concerning gender. Yet, it tickled me pink and I am not surprised this series lasted for 2 decades straight despite the critics not loving it. I understand they tried bringing it back in the 90's and it was a disaster, but the last entries in the 70's apparently weren't great either; I know one had a big character named S. MELLY, and they even tried spoofing Emmanuelle. I'll try to track down the entries worth watching.

A Fistful Of Dollars

A Fistful of Dollars (Per Un Pugno Di Dollari) (1964)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Sergio Leone

Starring: Eastwood, Gian Maria Volonte, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, Marianne Koch

From: Several European companies

It was about time I saw this again so I could give it a proper review, which you can read below: 

Last night-as sometimes happens-I struggled for a time trying to figure out what I should watch. Finally, I realized I hadn't seen a Western in awhile (it's probably a genre which will always be underrepresented by me) and I hadn't seen any one of these three movies in years so this seemed the most logical way to go. I am glad that I still think it's great, and I say FAFDM and TGTBTU are even better. It is a rare accomplishment for one film to help revitalize an entire genre and spawn a sub-genre of its own, but that's what this did and for at least a decade afterwards we got plenty of Spaghetti Western films, most of which did not come close to this in terms of quality and entertainment.

Most people know by now... the plot is a remake of Yojimbo-which is a great film too, and in the future I'll do a better review of that-it was unauthorized and Toho sued, but that's what it was; The Man With No Name (who actually does have a name here: Joe) ends up in a random Mexican border town which is dominated by two sets of bad guys, and they have ruined the area. Joe manipulates things so those two are feuding and eliminating each other, with a final showdown that Alternate Timeline 1985 Biff Tannen loves, for those that remember the Back to the Future sequels.

What a difference this was from the old Westerns of the past; things are real gritty and hard-hitting, with pretty nasty bad guys that do some pretty awful things, and a badass hero who is taciturn and is cynical, yet still befriends an unlikely person and he definitely is willing to fix an injustice that happens against some weak characters. Not everything goes to plan but he's still awesome as he's both great with his pistol and is intelligent.

It's not just Eastwood's performance which is awesome; so it the way that Sergio Leone filmed the scenic Spanish countryside, including those legendary extreme close-ups. Morricone's score is incredible and is a big asset for the entire MWNN trilogy. The entire cast does well but it's Clint's show. If you've never seen any of these movies, it's a must for anyone on this forum to see all three movies, as this is captivating the entire time and it only gets better from here.

Long Weekend

Long Weekend (1978)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Colin Eggleston

Starring: John Hargreaves, Briony Behets

From: The Australian Film Commission/Dugong Films/Victorian Film

For years I've known of this famed Ozploitation ecological horror film but it was just last night that I tracked down a copy and watched it. I was hoping I would enjoy the flick; I can delightfully say that this exceeded my expectations and was actually very good.

I knew going in it was about two A-holes who end up in the rural Australian bush right by a beach and do a lot of harm to Mother Nature before Mother Nature fights back. It's true, but there's a lot more to it than that. For most of the runtime we only follow Peter & Marcia (no, not Brady), a married couple whose union is on the rocks. The movie is patient and takes its time; it's not for a long while before we find out why their marriage is troubled. It's just them and Peter's dog Cricket. It does not take long for the both of them to be terrible to nature... they litter, use pesticide against ants, & kill random animals for little reason. Once they're in the middle of nowhere, you often feel like some sort of animal is watching them, ready to do something. Those creatures are heard at random times, and the more often it happens, the more you (and the protagonists) feel unsettled. Really, the film is always creepy as hell.

Thankfully both John Hargreaves and Briony Behets did a great job in their roles; if not, this definitely would have suffered as we spend so much time with these two. You can decide who is or isn't responsible for their union to disintegrate, but it is easy to hate them for how they act against nature so it's easy to root for nature. Peter act like he's the next Bear Grylls but he's actually a city slicker putting on a front, while Marcia hates being out in nature and won't budge from her position. To clarify, while our leads are poor human beings, that does not mean the movie is an insufferable watch; I was always captivated to see what happened next and just how exactly the marriage will further fall apart. A spine-tingling score matches the gorgeous visuals and the story pretty well.

I know there's a 2008 remake with Jim Caviezel and I'll just presume it's not as good as this. I am glad I was pleasantly surprised by this as the movie is more layered than I expected and some things can be interpreted several ways. This is a gem worth seeing.

Good Time

Good Time (2017)

88% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 143 reviews)

Runtime: 101 minutes

Directed by: Benny & Josh Safdie

Starring: Robert Pattison, Benny Safdie, Taliah Webster, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Barkhad Abdi

From: A24

This film is beloved on Letterboxd, and after viewing it yesterday in a unique location, I can see why. I wax poetic about it below: 

It is quite the feat seeing THIS film in the retirement community of The Villages, Florida at a movie theatre called Barnstormer, where the front facade looks like a barn and the ranch/farm theme extends to the lobby and the rest of the building. I never thought of visiting or even looking at the listings to the three different theatres that are in The Villages until early this year, when I realized they sometimes get independent movies that don't come closer to Orlando or in this case, still had regular showings of this so it fit yesterday's schedule better than going somewhere and seeing this somewhere where I wouldn't even start driving home until after midnight... although this is something perfect to see late at night. As I expected, it was a private screening as I was the only one there. The movie is not for everyone (especially when it comes to mainstream audiences) so not a shock that a 5:10 screening on a Tuesday in an area full of retired people would have been empty if not for me.

I have never seen Heaven Knows What so I had no idea what the aesthetic would be; heck, I never saw a trailer for this and I was happy to go into this very cold, and I am glad nothing got spoiled for me beforehand. The only plot points known to me was that Robert Pattison has a mentally handicapped brother and he has a very long night, and Barkhad Abdi of Captain Phillips is involved, which is definitely true. I have now seen the trailer on YouTube so I know that Jennifer Jason Leigh having a small role was brought up. I did not even know that, so it was a surprise seeing her name in the opening credits.

Pattison's character (Connie) has little in the way of redeeming qualities-except for the love of his brother-so not wanting to follow around someone like that... I get it if someone has that opinion. Personally, I thought he was still greatly compelling, and they chose the perfect guy to be Connie. I actually hadn't seen any of his movies in full before; I've only seen clips of that Twilight offal but considering even Robert himself started to crap on the series, and that was before the final film was released. I definitely should check out some of the interesting things he's done, like The Rover. He was awesome in this, oh so magnetic. The rest of the cast does a nice job but the film is all his and he knocks it out of the park.

As others have said, this is Michael Mann-esque, but it can also be compared to the old works of famous NYC directors such as William Lustig or Abel Ferrara. With only a few changes it'd be easy to imagine this taking place in the late 70's or early 80's in the grimy old New York City before it was cleaned up in the 90's. The locations they used in this movie were still pretty sleazy. At times there's a neon aesthetic which will naturally appeal to plenty of people but a big reason why I am glad I got to see this theatrically: the incredible score from the oddly-named Oneohtrix Point Never. It's total retrowave synth goodness and did play a part in me enjoying this so much despite the seedy subject matter.

Factor that all in with how many things are shot up close, the film is usually intense and was quite the ride. I was glad this lived up to the hype, an audacious tale which was like ingesting the contents of the bottle that is the movie's poster.

Wither

Wither (Vittra) (2012)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Sonny Laguna/Tommy Wiklund

Starring: Patrik Almkvist, Lisa Henni, Patrick Saxe, Johannes Brost, Jessica Blomkvist

From: Stockholm Syndrome Film

I actually saw this movie on Sunday night and I am just posting the review of it here now. Whoops. I'll post another review Wednesday proper. For now, read about Swedish The Evil Dead:

This is one of the many random low-budget horror films that can be found for free on Amazon Prime, if you have that service like I do. A decent chunk of that is foreign horror, such as this film. It can be described rather easily: “Swedish The Evil Dead.” Even the Amazon blurb said this in so many words. It's not an official remake, but a group of young people go to a cabin in the woods, and most of them turn into what's essentially Deadites. There's no Naturom Demonto which is read from but it's rather obvious what the influences are; the hero even wears a button-up blue shirt. Another 80's horror film or two was an “inspiration”.

I know many will disagree but I found this far better than the official Evil Dead remake from Fede Alvarez. That I've seen twice (the first time the theatrical cut, the second time the unrated cut found only via a streaming rental) and both times, I was annoyed by how bad it was and how I did not care for the story or the characters or how it was terrible compared to the great original film from Sam Raimi. Wither, there isn't exactly a lot of characterization and our hero is no Ash. Yet, I cared more for these people than in Evil Dead and there was no insultingly stupid plot point like the lead going into the woods to “cure drug addiction”, a plot point that ended up being pretty meaningless. Sure, this film had some inexplicable moments but nothing was as astoundingly dumb as the lead girl Mia “being cured” in Alvarez's movie.

I can say this is fine overall, even if they didn't quite stick the landing, i.e. the ending. I found this to be enjoyable fun and if you felt the same way about the official remake like I did, you may prefer this instead. An important thing to note: this has comparable amounts of graphic gore to that aforementioned remake. Sure, there's no Slayer song moment at the end, but that was a lame “trying way too hard” thing anyhow, so it was not missed by me. A lot of the effects appeared to be practical, too. Those that like gore will definitely enjoy all the gallons of blood spilled and be delighted by an upper lip being ripped off, an arm amputation or other bits I dare not spoil. Plus, Fede's movie did not have a supporting character I like to call SWEDISH HAL HOLBROOK (as in, how Hal looked in the 70's), so that's another bonus.

This isn't a beloved classic like The Evil Dead (it could have had more of a sense of humor) and yet this was better than what I expected from the plot description and the practical effects were appreciated by me.

Scanners

Scanners (1981)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by: David Cronenberg

Starring: Jennifer O'Neill, Steven Lack, Patrick McGoohan, Lawrence Dane, Michael Ironside

From: Canadian Film Development Corporation/Filmplan International

It was about time I revisited this so I could review it for the first time. This was a good thing, as shown below:

This is another film I had seen before but that was many years ago. When TCM showed it last night as part of TCM Underground, I figured this was a great time to give it another spin. I am glad I did as it's definitely a film that is more than just a legendary .gif which has been popular on the Internet ever since the Internet first became popular.

In case some only know the movie for that .gif, Scanners are human beings-there are only 237 of them-who have great telepathic powers... this includes telekinesis and mind control. A homeless guy (Cameron Vale) is recruited by a security company to take out Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside), a rogue who wants to unite all scanners (if they don't agree, they are killed) and for obvious reasons, this must be stopped.

There are definitely exciting moments (shootouts, conspiracies, espionage, and so forth) and that is contained in a story where on the surface it may sound “cool” to have such powers, but as it requires taking a drug to quiet the thoughts always rushing into your head... it's not something you want. It becomes sad once you hear how someone is born a scanner; I was able to feel bad for those poor people. The story is always enthralling and the score from James Horner is cool; at times it is dissonant and yet it fit what was on screen.

Stephen Lack does look like a young Oliver Reed; he is definitely not as good of an actor as Oliver Reed, but his acting style being off-kilter could be explained away by how all the scanners you see come off as pretty strange people. Indeed, some of the performances were iffy but Jennifer O'Neill did a nice job, and the definite highlight was Michael Ironside. Of course he played a great villain, and he always looked creepy as hell whenever he was on screen. While I understand those that don't dig the movie, I found it to be great entertainment and is not just some moments of bravura practical special effects.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Runtime: I saw the version that's 137 minutes long

You should know the rest of the details

This is "unpopular opinion" time again in this review; see why below: 

NOTE: As there are several versions of the film out there, I feel like I should specify which cut got a 4K scan and is currently on the big screen at many United States locations... it's the 137 minute Director's Cut which first came out 20 years ago.

Believe me, I do not wish to once in awhile be “that guy” who has drastically different opinions on a movie than most people do. Fury Road will haunt me forever.. it took so long to be made and on paper I should have loved it but it did not work for me, and I saw it twice. Well, this is another case. Despite seeing many of Spielberg's old films and finding many of his works overall to be at least “pretty good”, this was actually a first time watch for me. Part of it was that as a kid, my parents told me that they saw this on a date in '77 (this was before they were even married) and neither one liked it. I never asked WHY that was the case. As they were the ones who introduced me to many of Spielberg's early classics so I did think it was curious. I just never got around to giving it a shot.

Plus, as an adult I heard some things about the character played by Richard Dreyfuss; I still went into this with an open mind as I don't always agree with the film opinions of my parents and because Hollywood punted on this entire Labor Day weekend and nothing new is in wide release, I was able to see this on a Premium Large Format screen, Dolby Cinema in particular. I can say that at least the film looked great that way; sure, there's plenty of film grain but around these parts, I hope that most will see it as a good thing.

I'll get to the positives first. With all the great talent involved in production, of course the film would look great when it came to cinematography, the practical special effects, etc. On the big screen, some moments of the final act were grand so I was glad to see it that way. Beforehand I wasn't sure if an acting duo of Francois Truffaut and Bob Balaban would be bitchin', but bitchin' they were and I wish I could have seen more of them. The score from John Williams was cool, although not great like all the classic songs he's done in movies I actually like. There are some creepy moments.

The negatives... as is always the case when it comes to me not liking something everyone loves, it's the story and characters. Much of the movie being about random people being “imprinted” with what turns out to be the Devils Tower in Wyoming... who cares, really. At least that's how I felt after watching it. I had other issues with the plot I won't get into (I have a number of questions about the ending, for example) as I'd rather focus on the characters. Melinda Dillon and her 3 year old son, all that was fine and the toddler was directed well. All the time spend with Dreyfuss and his family, bleh. I heard beforehand that he would turn into a real A-hole; personally, this goofus I did not like from the first scene, even BEFORE he sees the UFO! He lives like a slob and has crap all over the place, he's not a great parent to his incredibly irritating sons-at least the toddler daughter was more tolerable-and he's a dope who not only can't read the map, but his work truck has notes to remind him to pick up simple grocery items. I don't like this guy to begin with, then as the movie progresses...

Am I supposed to feel bad he's being driven psychotic by what was put into his mind... mad, sad... am I supposed to laugh at him... with him? I have no idea, but enjoyable it was not. That one scene where he throws items from his yard-and steals from his neighbors too-into his house, that was almost a “walk out of the auditorium and I give up on the film” moment, and note that I've never walked out of a theatrical screening because the movie was so bad. That scene was s*** and while I was not something I thought was good beforehand, I officially threw up my hands and no matter what I saw after that point, this was not going to be rated highly by me.

This is a rare case where I actually don't understand why this is so beloved. Almost always, if I have a dissenting opinion, I at least can comprehend why most people have a certain opinion about a movie, and why they love or loathe it. Here, I really don't get it. Let's not even get into the character arc of Richard Dreyfuss and Roy, the schlub he plays. I definitely did not like Roy and what he did at the conclusion of this picture; poor Teri Garr and her character Ronnie. If I wasn't supposed to feel awful for her plight once the end credits started rolling, the movie failed as I certainly did feel bad; what a great loving husband Roy was... ugh. I never hated Ronnie or how she acted.


I will presume the memories are hazy for my parents when it comes to why they rejected this too; I will presume they had many of the same complaints that I did.

The Slumber Party Massacre

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

Runtime: A lean, mean 76 minutes

Directed by: Amy Holden Jones

Starring: Michelle Michaels, Robin Stille, Michael Villella, Debra De Liso, Andree Honore

From: Santa Fe Productions

While I won't be participating in the “Hoop-tober” lists that will be on Letterboxd until Halloween, I am glad that those lists are a thing and I always enjoy seeing what people pick to watch, along with the reviews themselves. What I do is pick out horror films at random with no rules to guide me and I put together a list once I am finished. All that I know as of now is that I'll watch flicks from various decades and at least one of them will be from the late Tobe Hooper.

For awhile now I've known of this movie and how it stands out as more than just a slasher that was written by one woman (Rita Mae Brown) and directed by another (Amy Holden Jones). The plot is exactly what you expect from this sort of thing: a crazed killer takes aim upon a slumber party of several high school girls, as the host's parents are out of town. Even with the standard setup, this is still a good horror film. I know some that love it and while I am not as strong for it, I am glad I was able to finally track this down... nevermind how.

Brown wrote the script as a parody and yet it was filmed totally straight. Even then, a good amount of humor snuck in so that makes it stand out, and it an easy 76 minute watch; there's still enough chilling moments, blood spilled, and fake jump scares (the type that probably were already cliché by 1982) to satisfy the slasher fans. Yes, there's also the expected female nudity that many expect. The killer's identity is known right away and it isn't long before you see the dude's face, so it's not a mystery. Rather, it's about seeing him wield a giant power drill. The giant drill bit being a phallic symbol is rather obvious and that is used as a gag several times. Even with that, our villain (Russ Thorn) is a creepy-looking dude who acts creepy so it is not a limp figure... pun intended.

Included with all that is an astounding Casio keyboard soundtrack from Ralph Jones and I can see why this has a cult following. Of course it's cheap and the acting isn't the best, but that's not the point. This is definitely a Slasher with a capital S and the film does stand out.

The Goonies

The Goonies (1985)

Runtime: 114 minutes

Directed by: Richard Donner

Cast: I imagine most know the cast by now

From: Warner Bros.

Would you believe I have never reviewed this here until now? 'tis true. I talk all about it below: 

I figured it was the time for me to watch and review something I have seen many times in my life before. It is at the worst one of the films I have watched the most in my life. I understand those that don't love the film... I can admit that it has flaws and yet due to nostalgia I can never hate it. YELLING happening often is definitely a valid complaint, along with various plot issues. Yet, because I first saw this when I was a little kid, my views will always be colored.

Of course a kid will love something like this... where kids of various ages get together on a wacky adventure in the caves under their small coastal town so they can find a buried treasure that will prevent all their houses from being foreclosed on, the villains are loud stereotypical low-rent gangsters, a huge man is deformed but he's an ally, etc. What an adventure. There are also plenty of memorable scenes and goofy one-liners. As an adult I can appreciate that the cast features the actor commonly known as Joey Pants, Robert Davi, and the unforgettable Anne Ramsey as the gravelly-voiced Mama Fratelli.

Also as an adult, I can laugh at how different PG movies were back then compared to now. Corey Feldman (wearing a sweet Purple Rain t-shirt) speaking Spanish to an older Hispanic lady aiding in the move out of the house and saying that the place was a din of drugs and debauchery because he's a smartass and wanted to frighten her... that is wacky enough, but a few minutes spent on a Classical Greek statue falling and the comedy of gluing the cock and balls of the statue back on... times were different back then. But the 80's are awesome so I dig how 80's this is, and not just with the Cyndi Lauper songs.

This is a LOUD movie which is incredibly energetic so some finding this to be irritating is no shock to me. For me, I realized it's been too long since my last viewing, and I'll consider this to be cinematic comfort food, something I can turn on once in awhile, even as background noise.