The Wild Geese

The Wild Geese (1978)

Runtime: 129 minutes

Directed by: Andrew V. McLaglen

Starring: Richard Burton, Roger Moore, Richard Harris, Hardy Kruger, Winston Ntshona

From: Several British and Swiss companies

By the time this is posted, people will barely have any time to see this before it's gone from Netflix Instant. Eh, at least it can be found elsewhere, both legally and otherwise. I do think it's pretty good, for the record. I explain why below, via my Letterboxd review:

This is another case where I watch something because it's about ready to vanish from Netflix Instant; this movie will be gone a few hours after this review is posted. It always sounded like something I'd dig yet for whatever reason it was just now that I pulled the trigger. Well, it was something I dug.

The plot isn't the most original yet it's fun. A London merchant banker (Stewart Granger) asks mercenary Richard Burton to rescue a kidnapped president in a ficticious African country, but only because it would make him more money; as what sadly happened in real life, “superior” countries manipulated things in “lesser” countries so they could exploit their resources and/or allow for companies to make more money. Anyhow, Burton recruits 50 people (including fellow older men like Roger Moore and Richard Harris) to perform this mission, but of course not everything goes right.

While the story has moments you pretty much predict a lot time before they happen, this is still quite entertaining. Time is spent at the beginning getting to know all these colorful characters; one of them is a homosexual male nurse and thankfully, it was not as cringeworthy in these modern times as it could have been. There's also a racial aspect... one of the mercenaries is from South Africa so of course he is a supporter of Apartheid, yet in dealing with the black President will his attitude change? It's amazing when you find out that a good chunk of this movie was made in a still Apartheid South Africa. Along with this discussion, there's also talk of how these countries being exploited is wrong and the people of Africa need to stick together or else be ruined forever. A nice attempt in an otherwise dopey action flick.

No matter what you think of the politics discussed in this picture, it is entertaining as hell. Once you get to the action, a lot of SOB's die and there's plenty of carnage to enjoy. This isn't like the movies we typically get today; what I mean is, not all of the heroes make it to the end. As I think people should expect this from an older film, it's not that much of a spoiler. I did laugh at how the opening credits looked exactly like those of a Bond movie. I then noticed they were done by Maurice Binder, and no wonder why they were a carbon copy. There's even a Bond-like theme song, this one from Joan Armatrading. It wasn't what I was expecting. At least this movie was what I was expecting, which was an amusing flick with plenty of people playing war and a panoply of combat action.

The Wailing

The Wailing (Goksung) (2016)

Runtime: 156 minutes

Directed by: Na Hong-Jin

Starring: Kwak Do-Won, Hwang Jung-Min, Jun Kunimura, Chun Woo-Hee, Kim Hwan-Hee

From: Partially 20th Century Fox, believe it or not... at least their Korean division

This is the 1000th movie I have logged on Letterboxd as having seen. Impressive considering I have been a member there since February of 2013. I was hoping to see a home run film and while this wasn't that for me, I still rate it highly and I think it'll be in my Top 10 of 2016... and sometime in October I'll finally post a Top 10 of 2015. Anyhow, below is where I talk about The Wailing: 

So... this is my 1000th movie I have logged and reviewed here on Letterboxd. That is amazing to me, along with being a member of this site since February of 2013; a podcast I listen to brought it up a few times and when I could finally register (remember those days when registration wasn't automatic?) I was happy to do so. I'll try to be brief: I never thought I'd have more than 300 followers but I appreciate the fact that so many care about my opinions, some of them polarizing and different from the norm. I enjoy following more than 300 people and the incredible variety of films they review and the wide spectrum of opinions they possess. I thank you all, and here's to the next 1000.

I did select a movie I hoped I would rate quite highly for such an occasion. I've heard great things here and elsewhere and I was happy when this finally hit the rental streaming sites. I do not love this like many do but I can still rate this horror film highly. The plot is about weird things happening when a mysterious Japanese man moves to a small South Korean village. I don't want to reveal much more-of course-due to how new this is but in the beginning of this long 156 minute movie (thankfully it did not feel as long, at least to me) you get to know the characters and there are some moments which were humorous. This was something deliberately done by the movie, by the way. As things get going and things become more serious as you find out what the focus is placed on... I stopped laughing. For some characters things become real serious and I went “wow” due to those predicaments.

I do not love this because there were some moments where I went “wait a minute”; I am not talking about the plot strands where things aren't spoonfed to you and you have to figure it out on your own... I had no problem with that and I think I understood a lot of it. In fact, various aspects of the plot are left on the ambiguous side. What I mean is that there are some nonsensical moments and things I can't quite explain, especially a character beat which puzzled me considering what it came after. Thankfully the movie is so strong otherwise that I can only say it was a minor misstep for me.

Otherwise, this was a very compelling movie where you try to figure out what's going on and once things are revealed, you know some characters will have to go through hell. The cast does a nice job, especially the little girl who plays the daughter of an important figure. The movie also was well-made behind the camera. As I enjoyed The Chaser too, I need to see director Na Hong-Jin's only other movie, The Yellow Sea. There is plenty of pretty scenery in the small village they filmed in and at times it is showed off pretty well.

This is not graphically gory or overly gross, which was definitely fine by me. Yet, I was still exhausted by the end due to all that went on and all those big scenes; there definitely are at least a few moments you'll find unforgettable. If you enjoy Korean movies this is something you must see as you'll enjoy all the twists & turns this takes and all the genres and subgenres that are thrown together. You'll probably feel differently about some things than I did and thus you'll probably give this 4 1/5 and 5 star reviews.

Oh, and The Wailing is the hardest part...

Howling II...

is still amazingly bad, yet amazingly entertaining. I will be back tomorrow where I'll post what is the 1,000th movie I have reviewed on Letterboxd.

The Magnificent Seven (Yes, The New One)

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

63% on Rotten Tomatoes, out of 190 reviews

Runtime: 132 minutes

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: The titular Seven, plus people like Haley Bennett, Peter Sarsgaard, and Luke Grimes

From: MGM/Columbia

I saw this movie this past afternoon. It was for a few reasons, including the positive reviews and seeing this in a brand new fancy pants film auditorium; it was worth the time and money, the auditorium was. I wish everyone there would have exhibited good manners while watching the film but alas... the details about this are below, via my Letterboxd review:

Until a few days ago I wasn't even playing too close attention to this film. I wondered why the 1960 film needed to be remade, even if it itself was a remake and I typically enjoy movies where a disparate group of people are forced to come together for a single cause and the whole squad is able to show off their special skills. Then I heard better than expected reviews and my interest was piqued. What sealed the deal was the brand new auditorium I saw this in, which I'll talk about at the end of the review.

People should know the plot by now considering it's modified from two famous films of the past. As it's Hollywood, no surprise that they'd have the town surrogate be an attractive girl in Haley Bennett. At least Bennett did a nice job in the role, as did the cast as a whole, for that matter. This movie is certainly simpler than the 1960 movie and the characters are cliched stereotypes. The villain isn't exactly a huge role or drawn to be a Machiavellian genius, either. I say that 1960 is better overall.

Yet, I still got plenty of enjoyment out of this. While not original characters, at least they are a lot of fun to watch and interact with each other. Denzel is pretty neat as pretty much a fictionalized version of real life badass U.S. Marshall Bass Reeves, who was a black man that operated in the Wild West and was great at his job. I rolled with this wacky multi-ethnic crew rolling together even if I wondered how a Korean man ended up cowboy in the Wild West. The action is a blast-especially the final act-and the PG-13 rating isn't too much of a hindrance.

Someone on a messageboard I frequent lamented how most movies these days cut and edit way too much, to the point that you can't simply enjoy the widescreen views and any pretty scenery that may be in the background. Thus, he started rewatching the old classics which did do this, like Ben-Hur or Lawrence of Arabia. Well, I think he would enjoy this movie, shot in an old school way. Aside from there being clear action scenes where you can make out what's going on and the camera doesn't shake about pointlessly, you are able to examine the very pretty Arizona background at times. Production wise the movie is pretty well made, which does help here... between the direction, the cinematography and the score. This is not great but it's still greatly entertaining and a solid popcorn film filled with famous actors and solid character actors alike, in a genre rarely seen on the big screen anymore.

I saw this in an AMC Theatres; to be specific, it's a new gimmick which was elsewhere but literally made its debut in the area of Orlando today: Dolby Cinema by AMC. This is a giant screen with a great projector, a tremendous sound system, and very comfy leather seats which can recline and you can feel movement in them like they are a D-BOX seat. All the giant screens I've been to in the past w/ fancy pants sound systems, they have been nice and I enjoy watching cinema in them. However, Dolby Cinema is the most impressive to me between the amazing picture, the Dolby Atmos sound and the chairs. If you have one by you then I highly recommend checking one out. I do say it is worth the few extra bucks you'll have to pay.

Blood Beat

Blood Beat (1983)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: Fabrice A. Zaphirtos

Starring: Helen Benton, Terry Brown, Dana Day, James Fitzgibbons, Claudia Peyton

From: Huskypup Film Productions

Wow, this movie... I heard about it on Letterboxd because it's real obscure and also incredibly gonzo. It's a Japanese samurai in the middle of the Wisconsin woods! To be honest, I watched it on YouTube. Wait until you hear the full description of it below via my Letterboxd review: 

Speaking of “movies I do not quite know how to rate”, let's talk about this motion picture. I know I would not have heard of it if it wasn't for a few others either reviewing it or liking reviews that others did... oh, and the documentary Rewind This did briefly reference it. Once you read that this is a Christmas slasher set and filmed in rural Wisconsin and it's about a family that loves hunting deer and the enemy is the undead spirit of a samurai warrior... that is impossible to forget. Finally, I saw this last night and wow, is this some strange low-budget filmmaking magic. As a means of comparison: I haven't seen this in full so I don't know how apt it is, but as I've seen several people compare this to Ulli Lommel's The Boogey Man, I'll mention that to give people somewhat of an idea how this is.

Like I said, this is actually a Christmas slasher set and filmed in rural Wisconsin and it's about a family that loves hunting deer and the enemy is the undead spirit of a samurai warrior. To be more specific, two college age siblings and the girlfriend of the guy visit their mom and her live-in boyfriend in the middle of woods. Mom and girlfriend have some sort of strange psychic bond. Suddenly, Samurai shows up and girlfriend Sarah also had some sort of psychic bond with it and there are even kills where Samurai is on the warpath when Sarah... ahem... orgasms.

Note that none of this silliness is ever explained by the movie. You just have to roll with the punches. Actually, at the end there's some dialogue that I guess tries to at least partially explain some of the movie. I am not 100% for reasons I'll explain in a second.

Anyway, a lot of weird things happen and characters are introduced only for the sake of being cannon fodder. The movie tries to do visual effects and they're animated gold... they look cheap but because of that they're also awesome in their low-fi way. The low budget does hamper things, the story meanders a lot at times and the sound isn't great overall... maybe it's just the VHS copy but then again, sound effects/music is pretty loud while the dialogue isn't always audible or coherent. That includes drowning out what is said at the end; maybe then I'd know why World War II stock footage was shown and how that connects with Samurai or all the psychic-ness going on.

All that said, I can still give some compliments to the movie, and not just for delivering a weird fever dream of an experience, which it is successful at. They went all-in on this idea, no matter how absurd it was. There are actually some effective sequences that work. Some people have The Glow as if they're in The Last Dragon, and this movie did it before The Last Dragon. When there isn't stock classical music (including O Fortuna!) there is a catchy synth score; as those are still “the hotness” now as “the kids” still think it's “bae” and “on fleek”, I imagine they would dig this synth madness as I did.

I'd love to hear more about this film's production; it'd be nice if one day one of those boutique labels can put it out on Blu and also interview some of the participants. I need to hear how this film came about and what happened to director/writer/co-composer/editor/camera operator Fabrice A. Zaphiratos... he did nothing after this. There has to be a fascinating story behind this. As is, you can easily find this curio online and watch it for yourself if you so desire. Even my description won't do justice to just how out of left field this is. I am glad this was made, even if it doesn't entirely work.

Cannibal Holocaust

Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Ruggero Deodato

Starring: Robert Kerman, Francesca Ciardi, Perry Pirkanen, Luca Barbareschi, Salvatore Basile

From: F.D. Cinematografica

Yes, I have seen this before; finally I watched it again so I can give it a public review. It's still shocking 36 years later. I explain what I thought of this shocker below:

Oh, how do I rate this movie... the thing is, I have seen it once before, albeit years ago, and back then I wasn't quite sure about it either. I guess I'll never be able to fully make up my mind. I will try to explain why I am giving this a 3 star rating. I don't need to do much explaining on how this is still one of the most notorious motion pictures ever made or how it can be considered the grandfather of the found footage genre, so let me get to the nitty gritty.

A lot of complaints can be made about the movie. The story is pretty silly, with several moments that made me go, “Hey, wait a minute now...”, as this is exploitation the portrayal of “the natives” is less than enlightened and even without the whole “hey, they're cannibals!” thing, I am pretty sure that's not how the isolated tribes of Brazil really act. Then there's the animal cruelty... I am definitely not a vegan and not ridiculously militant about “animal rights” like some people are. Yet, I don't need to see animals get killed on the screen... from the snake and spider to the pig, the monkey, the coati and... oh, the poor tortoise; that is the worst because they linger on it for a few minutes and it's just gross. I say it wasn't needed as the themes of the movie (especially how awful that documentary crew was) were expressed without all that shock footage. Furthermore, the first half is not as good as the second half, where we finally see the found footage and there's the debate over if the footage should be broadcast or not... even though Chaco was a wacky amusing character.

Yet, I can still say that this is fine. Deodato sought to criticize the media for how they act and how they stage certain things, and that certainly presented well in the film. That documentary crew, they are quite repugnant so you don't feel bad when they get a just punishment. I had forgotten that this movie had the most awkward sex scene ever following a decidedly non-sexy moment. Then again, I had forgotten such things as:

* The giant '79 Dracula billboard in New York City you see in the beginning.
* Professor Monroe being played by a porn actor who was one of the stars of Debbie Does Dallas.
* Lamberto Bava being one of the assistant directors.

However, I did remember The Green Inferno stuff, so I knew where Eli Roth got the title for his incredibly divisive cannibal movie... which I suppose I should watch one of these days.

Anyhow: the second half of the movie is horrifying in a variety of ways. The deaths are still disturbingly effective and feel authentic. The obscenity charges that the filmmakers faced was a bunch of crap but the acted charges of murder due to people thinking the deaths were legit... that is something else entirely. After watching the movie, those effects look so real it is not so preposterous to think it actually happened. It is quite the feat for a movie to fool people to that much a degree.

More so than usual, I can perfectly understand any rating that people give this. I can see how some would despise this and others would think of it as a masterpiece. It certainly is incredibly influential even now and its denunciation against the media is sadly more relevant now than ever. While the animal killing is greatly regrettable (something even Deodato recognizes now), otherwise I can appreciate this for what it is and note how it does successfully present its message and mention such things as the nice score from the typically reliable Riz Ortolani.

It is a benefit to film fans like us that for only a few bucks this can be rented from Amazon Instant in its unedited form. It was the version Grindhouse Releasing put out, where at the beginning they put up a disclaimer noting this was unedited, but said they did not agree with everything in the movie and they were glad the “bygone era of extreme irresponsibility” is a thing of the past. It's hard to disagree as dangerous filmmaking-while raw and full of genuineness-is ultimately not worth the hassle when you do irresponsible things and you have such a blowback like this movie received.

The Forbidden Kingdom

The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: Rob Minkoff

Starring: Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Michael Angarano, Collin Chou, Li Bingbing

From: Lionsgate

This is a film I have seen before; I did not like it then and my opinion now is little different. I explain why below: 

I will be honest here: as sometimes happen, I see a movie because it's about to disappear from a streaming service in a matter of days; typically I do this with Netflix Instant. This film will be gone soon, so watch it last night I did. I actually have seen this once before (back in '08) and I was not a fan. I know some who are so I decided to give it another shot. Well, don't expect me to ever see this a third time.

The story is some nonsense about some dorky white kid (Michael Angarano, who I've always thought of as “Not Shia LaBeouf”) who acquires a magical staff and somehow gets transported to feudal China, where he meets up with both Jackie Chan and Jet Li. I'd ask why it had to be a dorky white kid who of course is lover of old Wuxia movies instead of a Chinese-American kid or even (as someone else brought up in a review here) a mixed-race kid... but it's Hollywood so we know the answer why, and it is disappointing.

Then again, I say the movie has bigger issues than that. The story is goofy and for an “epic journey” isn't too exciting, even with on-location shooting and plenty of pretty scenery. And what a Hero's Journey for the lead. He's stupid and sucks at the martial arts so he always gets his ass kicked. To me it would have been preferable if his idiot somehow became a Kung Fu expert instead of what we got, where-even with what happened at the very end-he comes off as a real buffoon. Now, I should have enjoyed Jackie and Jet berating him for being such a dumbass but I couldn't, as pretty much everyone in the movie is very annoying; nothing tops The Monkey King for being irritating but I did not like any of the characters.

At least the martial arts were cool (even if they were of the CG and wire-fu variety) and considering they were old even then, what we got in the epic battle between Chan and Li was probably about as good as we were going to get. Oh, what it would have been like if those two legends had made a movie together in the mid 90's... it probably would have been pretty great. I am sure that it would not have had Jet giving Jackie A GOLDEN SHOWER. Instead, we get some silly fantasy with a character which should not have been Not Shia and something that should have been more entertaining, more fun, and even more whimsical.

Thriller: A Cruel Picture

Thriller: A Cruel Picture (Thriller: En Grym Film) (1973)

Runtime: I saw the version that was 107 minutes long

Directed by: Bo Arne Vibenius

Starring: The ravishing Christina Lindberg, Heinz Hopf, Despina Tomazani, Per-Axel Arosenius

From: BAV Film

I finally saw this infamous Swedish cult film. It is pretty outrageous and over the top, yet for what it was, I enjoyed it. And no, not for the sexual elements, although I think that Christina Lindberg was very pretty in the early 1970's. I explain it all below via my Letterboxd review: 

Note: Don't ask how but I managed to see the uncut version of this, meaning that it included the inserts of-ahem-close-ups of hardcore penetration done with people who aren't the actors in this movie and also the scene where Christina Lindberg gets stabbed in the eye. The former was not needed and due to my phobias I looked away during the latter so really, the version on Amazon available for streaming that has these moments taken out... it's not too big a deal here to see something that's edited. I saw the uncut version for... “artistic integrity”, yeah that's it...

I usually do not talk here about the type of women I find to be attractive. I've only made a few mild hints throughout the years. I will just say that ladies who look like Christina Lindberg did in the early 70's I find to be quite appealing; I mean the big dark eyes and the darker hair, not the fact that she often posed nude! I have seen pictures of her before and a few trailers for her movies but this is the first time I have seen one of her films from beginning to end. Someone on a messageboard brought it up a few days ago and I figured this should be the one to see... it has proven to be influential; the example people will know the most is this was the inspiration for Elle Driver in the Kill Bill movies.

As for this movie, “over the top” is the best descriptor to use. Let's see what happens to Christina Lindberg's character Frigga...

* As a young girl she is raped and becomes a mute from the experience
* She is kidnapped by a guy I'll refer to as Swedish Alan Rickman
* SAR gets her hooked on heroin so she is forced to work for him as a prostitute
* Something real bad happens to both her parents
* She is stabbed in the eye; thus, that's why this movie is sometimes known as They Call Her One Eye or Thriller: They Call Her One Eye

Finally, she has had enough and from the money she's earned, she learns “the martial arts”, learns how to shoot, and learns how to drive a car. From there she gets glorious, glorious revenge and it's all great. A lot of it is in super slow motion and that is pretty neat to see.

Technically, it is easy to nitpick this movie and all the mistakes it makes when it comes to such things as plotting and logic. There are also some moments which I don't think were supposed to be unintentionally hilarious (don't worry, it's none of the abusive stuff that made me chuckle) but that's how they came off. The death at the very end seems like something from a Saw movie. Yet, this is perversely entertaining, and no I am not saying this for all the sex stuff this has. Like I said, seeing Frigga get pushed way too far then snapping and laying waste to all those A-holes (and even some innocent parties), it's grand entertainment. Even with the wonky story, I can say that this was well-made. Much of the action being in super slow motion makes it stand out, and the sound is aces. There are interesting sound effects as you see the villains get killed, and the soundtrack is odd yet oddly fitting.

I understand why this isn't for everyone. It's exploitation after all, the story does not hold up at all to any kind of scrutiny and the first half of this sleaze is rough as we see all those bad things happen to a young girl. Yet, despite its faults and lurid subject matter, this was something I can give a decent rating to. And yes, I was happy to finally see Christina Lindberg in a film, as she looked quite ravishing.

Blair Witch

Blair Witch (2016)

37% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 131 reviews)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Adam Wingard

Starring: James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Corbin Reid, Brandon Scott, Wes Robinson, Valorie Curry

From: Lionsgate

Yep, I went and saw this yesterday. A few months ago I wrote about how I now fully appreciate The Blair Witch Project for what it did, and now can confirm that the Book of Shadows sequel was rather bad, although how much of it was due to studio interference, I have no idea. Blair Witch in particular... it ended up leaving me disappointed. I explain why below:

In case people did not read the reviews I did earlier in the summer for The Blair Witch Project and its Book of Shadows sequel, BWP is now something I fully appreciate-more than I did back in the day-for what it did and how it played on basic primal fears to unnerve you and make you feel bad for the trio lost in the woods. Book of Shadows is quite bad, although who knows how much of it was due to the dreaded studio interference. I am amazed there is even a sequel to the original movie 17 years after it came out, but I am also impressed they kept the true nature of this movie a secret until literally weeks before the release date. I knew I shouldn't have expectations high but considering I rate the writer and director's last two movies (You're Next and The Guest) rather highly, it was bound to happen; I guess I was bound to be disappointed.

As this is brand new I'll try to be on the vague side when discussing this. Basically, the younger brother of Heather from BWP goes out to the woods after he sees evidence he somehow believes is proof that his sister is still alive. Then again, that is not the dumbest thing a character does in this movie, not by a long shot. Anyhow, that dude happens to know a girl who is a film student and guess what, she is going to make a documentary about the search. Several people join along and despite the improvement in technology since then, they still get lost and the things that happened in 1999 happen again.

As I left the auditorium and had dinner nearby, I thought the movie was fine, despite all its problems. There were some scary moments, the ending was nicely done (even if you have more character stupidity) and overall the cast was fine. Then I thought about it some more, and by the time I got home I realized the movie was only about average. I'll try to explain why without revealing too much. I did not want this to be a carbon copy of the original as that wouldn't have made me happy either. But them deciding to streamroll over all notion of subtlety was not the right answer either. They decided to explain things way too much and ambiguity was thrown out the window. In addition, this is definitely stupider than the original; I am not just talking about the characters. What I mean is, all the dumb things that happen (sometimes, logic was thrown out the window as quickly as ambiguity was) and how several plot points happen and they aren't really resolved, thus making me wonder why they bothered with those plot points in the first place. There's some bad storytelling going on, in other words. Heck, not only is there confusion with me and someone else (he isn't a member of this site) over if something at the beginning directly ties into the ending or not, the ultimate fate of every character wasn't even clear to me. While most of the characters weren't exactly memorable or even people you really care about, closure would have been nice.

As others have noted already, I feel free to mention that this is full of jump scares, and not even good jump scares either... unless you love it when people suddenly pop into frame out of nowhere and they frighten someone due to popping into frame out of nowhere. In this case, you'll squeal with delight as it happens in this film at least half a dozen times. I got tired of it pretty quickly. It's a shame, as I still feel disappointed by this despite trying to keep my expectations in check. Somehow, I can't imagine seeing this years later and suddenly recognize its genius. So far from looking around at many different spots on the Internet, this is almost as polarizing as The Blair Witch Project, so at least there's that comparison. I say that this is a missed opportunity as with the concept and the new 21st century gadgets they had, this should have been better than it was.

2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Runtime: The version I saw had the overture beginning, the short intermission and the overture final; that was 149 minutes long

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Leonard Rossiter, Sean Sullivan

From: MGM

Yes, I have watched this before in my life; however, the last viewing was definitely before I started this blog way back in 2009. I got the chance to see this on the big screen Tuesday night and I am very glad I took that chance, as this excellent movie is best seen in a theatre. I explain why this is a classic that deserves its lofty reputation below: 

While I have never reviewed this here before, of course I have seen this in the past, the first viewing when I was probably a young teenager. However, what made me see it last night after way too long a timespan, was something which will likely make at least a few reading this envious of me: I got to see it theatrically. No, it was not the Cinematic Holy Grail of watching it on 70mm on an enormous screen. I am envious of those people. Yet, even a digital projection on a still nice-sized screen sounded like an experience I would be a fool to miss, and I was correct. I wish the crowd at my screening would have been larger: after all they were only showing it once instead of daily throughout the week and it was held in the evening.

At least I was there, and it was an incredible experience. It is impossible to replicate the experience at home. The movie has such a large scope, booming soundtrack and impressive visuals, a big screen viewing is really the only way to capture the entire experience. The practical special effects still look incredible 48 years later (those will never age, unlike CGI) and it was magnificent experiencing the movie in such a large way. It certainly made me wish I could live in the movie's universe, with Pan Am space flight, those white space stations w/ red chairs and liquid space food... well, maybe not the last part but otherwise the universe looks great.

As for the plot... a lot can be said about it, as has since it came out. Things are ambiguous but not too much so; I am thankful it is not pretentious or overly obtuse where it is impenetrable. Everyone knows about The Black Monolith, The Star Gate Sequence (that on the big screen: it was worth the price of admission alone. It was amazing), HAL 9000, Keir Dullea's character and the song now popularly known as The Theme from 2001, and how it is the theme music for legendary pro wrestler Ric Flair. I won't go into my opinions on the plot; certain things can be read in certain ways and I'll leave it at that. It's best to see the movie then form your own ideas about such things as (the basic questions) why HAL does what he does, the backstory of the Monoliths and the entire final act... along with the deeper questions related to philosophy and allegory, as in the main purposes of the film. Many different theories have been posed concerning many aspects of the picture, and probably most are worthy of... well, a further odyssey on your part.

I heard that at the time this was a polarizing movie among critics yet it did quite well at the box office. I was a little surprised to discover this. Then again, something this odd and way different from what had come out before it in terms of wide release across the United States... I'll presume it was a gigantic shock for some to see such an epic tale where things are left ambiguous and plenty of odd things happen and there are long stretches with little to no dialogue, yet visually things are always explained quite well. If you've seen this movie and found it to be overrated, it is OK with me, for reasons I just explained. However, if you want to give it a half star review and attempt to be a troll for the fun of it like Armond White and utter a bunch of babble about how this “ruined” movies for the future (as one popular review on this site actually did; the doofus does not need the attention of being identified by name), I will think of you as a gigantic asshat and a sad pathetic clown!

Between seeing all those beautiful images on the screen, the incredible score (both Richard Strauss and otherwise), and an icy cool story about major topics and man wishing to explore the unknown in space, I do wish I would have watched this again sooner but at least I finally saw this classic in a majestic fashion. From mentioning last night's screening elsewhere, I know multiple people who have never seen this before. I won't judge as that would be way too snobby and I realize only a segment of the population are film nerds. Even in this community, if you're reading this and you haven't given it a viewing: I understand; to give but some example, I know that I am mutuals with some that are still teenagers, so that is a valid explanation why. Just know that this is something you MUST watch if you are a serious film fan, whether on the big screen, on your TV or even on your laptop. There are certainly many that have been influenced by it since then (some heavily so; I am looking at Interstellar here), so to understand all the references that have been made in pop culture since then and to watch something incredibly influential across the entire filmmaking world (in a good way, unlike what that troll said he believes), I cannot possibly give a higher recommendation. It probably is best if you see it more than once in order to fully comprehend it all, but at least see it one time, I beg you.

The WNUF Halloween Special...

February of last year I reviewed that film. Last night, I discovered it is now finally available on such streaming sites as Amazon and YouTube for rental or purchase. My new review of the movie-after seeing it again last night-is below.

I am basically doing this review again because I randomly discovered last night that this movie is finally available on “the streaming sites” for rental or purchase... at least YouTube, Amazon and Google Play, that is. Before that it was far more difficult to track the movie down. I understand those who did not care for this because it focused more on the 80's aesthetic, using incredible stock footage from the time and creating commercials just like the ones we saw back in the decade of coke and Miami Vice rather than the scares... I enjoy this for what it is; I find it to be highly entertaining and simply a lot of fun.

I am a child of the 80's, 1981 to be exact. That has to be a big reason I enjoy all the 80's nostalgia from recent times, but I think I've always been entertained by what was in hindsight a pretty weird decade, from the music and the fashion to everything else. Thus, since I heard about this microbudgeted movie, I was real eager to check it out.

If you aren't familiar with this film that until recently could only legally be found at one website (at Alternative Cinema), it was made recently but it looks like an old VHS recording taken directly from a low wattage television station's news broadcast then special broadcast of Halloween night 1987, where we see two anchors utter amazingly bad jokes then the special broadcast is several people (and a few cameras) entering an abandoned house where a mass murder took place and the killer claimed “a spirit board” told him to do it. These several people are:

* A smug arrogant reporter who is funny in his “above this all” attitude as he has to do this crap
* Two paranormal investigators and their cat; it is no secret they were supposed to be Ed & Lorraine Warren
* A chubby priest

Once they enter, various hauntings begin to happen and as it's all live... despite what you may think and how it's advertised, it's more a comedy than a horror film. That is OK with me as this is a blast to watch. The opening 20 minutes or so is the newscast and it sets things up with the backstory and introducing the characters. Right there you'll know if the movie is for you or not.

A good amount of time is watching those fake ads. They show the trends of the time, such as heavy metal cassettes, goofy no-budget TV shows, arcades, horror hotlines, anti-drug ads, and all the rest. The newscast shows various things popular during the decade, such as concerns over the environment, parents worrying about where their children trick or treat, and especially the “Satanic Panic” that gripped the country for awhile there but was largely overblown.

In addition, there are various horror references sprinkled throughout; they are typically on the obscure side but if you are a hardcore fan of the genre, you'll probably recognize them.

I say that this film is worth a shot: even if you don't like it I hope you appreciate how for apparently not a lot of cash they were able to capture the style of the 1980's so well.

Re-Animator

Re-Animator (1985)

Runtime: 85 minutes (I saw the unrated version, of course, as it's the easy version to find and the superior version)

Directed by: Stuart Gordon

Starring: Jeffrey Combs, Bruce Abbott, Barbara Crampton, David Gale, Robert Sampson

From: Empire Pictures

I'll be back Wednesday proper to make a pair of posts. For now, you can see me review this here for the first time as this is the first time I have seen this movie in years. The gory details are below: 

Of course I have watched this movie before, but it was only on one occasion and it was years ago. So, it was off to Netflix Instant to check it out. I imagine most are familiar with the story of how Herbert West-who is “brilliant but a little weird”, as the original trailer described him-ropes in the unwitting Dan Cain to perform experiments on reviving dead organisms, with the expected chaos when they try it on people, so I'll move onto talking about why I enjoy this cult classic like many do.

It certainly is outrageous in nature and it has many bizarre sights and moments (especially the final act) yet you go with it as the filmmakers boldly went full steam ahead in what I understand is a loose adaptation of the Lovecraft story. Even though he is strange and creepily obsessed with his neon green serum and his quest to reanimate people, Herbert West is still an enjoyable character and you see why even now Jeffrey Combs is a beloved cult actor. Dan Cain and Megan Halsey are a likable young couple who are dragged into a frightening nightmare while dealing with adults who are a drag and try to ruin their relationship... then those adults become pretty awful. Bruce Abbott and another cult favorite (Barbara Crampton) do a nice job with those roles too.

It was a low budget movie and yet all those splatter effects still look nice 31 years later. That is good when you have such a macabre Grand Guignol story such as this. There are plenty of memorable moments; it's not just “that one scene” w/ the severed head and Barbara Crampton. The important thing to note is that despite the subject matter, this is a pretty dark comedy and it actually is funny throughout-yet it is not too heavy into the comedy; they got the tone just right-even if at times you know you perhaps shouldn't. Throw in a Richard Band score that sounds even more like a ripoff of Psycho's score than the other films which have done the same thing (yet it's still rad), and this is a must-see for the horror fans that somehow have skipped this in the past.

Boss N-----

Boss N*gger (1975)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Jack Arnold

Starring: Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, D'Urville Martin, William Smith, R.G. Armstrong, Don “Red” Barry

From: Dimension Pictures

Yes, this is the actual title of a movie. I self-censored it as I am a white guy so even in this context, I feel more than awkward saying it. It was actually on Turner Classic Movies late last night, but they referred to it as just Boss, for reasons I shouldn't have to elaborate upon. I give all the details before, after I present a YouTube video that shows off its now-famous title song:

Would you believe that this movie played on TCM Underground late last night? It is true. Turner Classic Movies actually showed this, albeit it was listed only under the title “Boss”, for obvious reasons; it happened to be one of the many alternate titles this has. I've known of this infamous movie for many years and yet this was my first time seeing it. I don't even know how this spread back in the day but I remember when the title song became popular, mainly because people listened in shock over a song and a movie actually having such a title.

This is pretty much a standard Western but it's OK as it is a pretty entertaining Western. Fred “The Hammer” Williamson is Boss, and through some circumstances he becomes a Sheriff of a small town and D'Urville Martin is his deputy. At least for me it was natural to think “Blazing Saddles”. After seeing the movie, I'll just say that it's obvious Tarantino is familiar with it. Anyway, they are both bounty hunters and wish to capture Jed Clayton, played by legendary character actor William Smith. Williamson cuts an imposing figure dressed in all black w/ matching hat. The resistance he gets from the town is what you'd expect (it includes mayor R.G. Armstrong) but it is fun seeing the two heroes get their revenge by treating those racist people how they should be treated. At least there are residents that treat them fine and Boss is happy to help out those in need, such as a group of downtrodden Mexicans. All that said, this movie is not afraid to get pretty dark at times... and no I am not using a bigoted pun here.

The two leads deliver nice performances and so do experienced actors Smith and Armstrong. You wouldn't expect the guy who directed The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Incredible Shrinking Man (Jack Arnold) to be the director of this but it's true and his experience did help make this movie a competent piece of work. You also wouldn't expect a Western to have a funk soundtrack but this does and it manages to fit the movie. Overall, this is an enjoyable picture and it's not just a cheap cash-in on a then-popular trend nor it is just a movie with an in-your-face title.

Morgan

Morgan (2016)

40% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 110 reviews)

Runtime: 92 minutes

Directed by: Luke Scott

Starring: Kate Mara, Anya-Marie Joy, Toby Jones, Rose Leslie, Michelle Yeoh

From: 20th Century Fox

Yep, I am one of the few who actually saw this theatrically; since last Friday it's been out in the United States and it's only made 3 million dollars total, which is pretty horrid. The movie itself isn't horrid, but it really should have been better than the mediocrity it was. I explain my thoughts below: 

I'll be honest here, one reason why I am one of the few who has seen this on the big screen: I felt bad this has bombed so hard since it got released last Friday. Certainly, opening on more than 2,000 screens and opening in EIGHTEENTH place at the box office is noteworthy, but in the worst way. Also, I went to a place that does reserved seating (a trend that many seem to love... why, I have no idea) and I also got a ticket for a classic movie which I won't reveal here but Wednesday night I'll be reviewing it. I had a feeling this wasn't so bad it deserved the bad box office, and I was right. Unfortunately, this is pretty similar to a film I love-Ex-Machina-and this is no Ex-Machina, let me tell you that much.

The plot: Anya-Taylor Joy is an artificially created human being who happens to look like a young woman and she is the titular Morgan. She does a bad act so Kate Mara (a “risk-assessment specialist” for the company that is funding this project) goes to the remote mansion in the woods to investigate if this project is worth continuing or if it should terminate. If you were expecting this to be like Ex-Machina and it being a thoughtful & contemplative movie about the synthetic person coming to grips with who they are and how human beings treat them... this isn't so much the case. Instead, this is a case where the two halves of the movie are pretty different. The second half is a more formulaic Hollywood movie so you should expect as much. I have no idea how different this was from the original script, which ended up on the famed Black List of unproduced screenplays a few years ago. What we got here was the typical nonsense-such as characters suddenly acting pretty stupid-and a twist ending to boot; the one here isn't bad but it reminds me of all the times that modern movies feel that they NEED a twist ending, irrelevant of whether one is actually needed.

I can't fault the performance of the cast, which features both familiar faces (including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michelle Yeoh and Paul Giamatti; how lengthy those roles are... well...) and up and coming actors who got attention for being in some independent movies and if they avoid movies like this, they could become more famous (Joy and Rose Leslie); the talent behind the camera was fine too; this was the directorial debut of Luke Scott and yes, Ridley is his dad, which is why he was one of the producers. I enjoyed the electronic score although even that was reminiscent of Ex-Machina and I preferred that to what I heard last night. The rural scenery was awfully pretty to look at, at least. There are action moments and unfortunately, it was done in an incoherent manner and I am not a fan of such things. In addition, I have also talked about in the past the horrid problem of movie studios deliberately mis-marketing a movie and presenting it in trailers as something it's not, not to mention the “revealing too much” problem, which is also a huge issue. As for the trailer literally created by IBM's Watson supercomputer... it also reveals a lot but overall I'd prefer Watson do more trailers rather than the dumb cliché way they are typically done now.

This wasn't a movie I hated and I don't think it deserved such a poor box office performance; even internationally it isn't performing well. Yet with the plot and all the people involved, it certainly could have been more cerebral, more intelligent, more stirring. Instead, it's a movie which is OK yet one which is destined to be forgotten as the years pass. Not to belabor this point, but Ex-Machina did similar things much better and I say it's a must-see.

Harold Lloyd's World Of Comedy

Harold Lloyd's World of Comedy (1962)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: Harold Lloyd

Starring: You guessed it, Harold Lloyd, along with other actors in this compilation.

From: Continental Distributing

This is a short review from me; there is not a lot to say about a compilation, even if it is of a famous silent figure who got to show off his best moments after his movies had not been seen at the time for a few decades. I give my brief thoughts below: 

This will actually be a short review from me. This played on TCM late last night so I figured I would watch it that way rather than watch it via “a certain streaming video site”. It is a compilation of various clips of Harold Lloyd shorts and features, silents and talkies, all put together by Lloyd himself. This made him popular among a new generation of people who had never even heard of him before, much less seen any of his work. It is nice seeing all those clips as they are all funny but it'd be better in context with the films they were pulled from, you know... and various scenes have what appear to be added sound effects, which I thought weren't really needed. All that said, this is a fun hour and a half filled with memorable moments.

For the record, according to the IMDb they used clips from the following:

Safety Last!
Why Worry?
Girl Shy
Hot Water
The Freshman
The Kid Brother
Feet First
Movie Crazy
The Milky Way
Professor Beware

Thankfully most of those films can easily be found online, if you catch my drift.

They're Watching

They're Watching (2016)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: Jay Lender/Micah Wright

Starring: Brigid Brannagh, David Alpay, Kris Lemche, Mia Faith, Dimitri Diatchenko

From: Best Served Cold Productions

I watched this movie last night... it's been awhile since I've hated a motion picture this much! It's found footage horror but that wasn't why this raised my ire. I heard warnings about it from others and even then it was worse than what I could have imagined. If you love seeing the worst of humanity in a movie, then this will be perfect for you. Otherwise... this is bottom of the barrel entertainment, it really was. I deliver a long explanation below via my Letterboxd review as to why this made me so angry:

Oh, why did I not listen to the mutuals who saw this and gave scathing reviews? Maybe it was because I was amused by the poster art, or maybe because I laughed when I first read the description of “home improvement show” and I thought of the likes of Tim “The Toolman” Taylor, Al Borland, Wilson the Neighbor, Heidi, and all the rest. Then, when I dug deeper and realized that it was a spoof of those obviously fake shows on HGTV like House Hunters (which is supposed to be a legit look at home buyers purchasing a new dwelling; I know people who watch that crap so I've seen clips and even before reading online the stories of how it's all staged, I realized it was phony stupid garbage), it piqued my interest. Well... I've given plenty of movies bad ratings, but the lowest designation of half a star, that is pretty rare. I've rated and reviewed 987 films now in the 3 ½ years I've been a member of this site, and this is only the 17th time I have handed out the lowest possible score. This now joins the likes of Mr. Jones, Leonard Part 6, Theodore Rex, Hatchet III, The Ridiculous 6, and Foodfight! I hope I can convey why this offended me so.

The movie is in everyone's favorite genre, found footage horror! We follow a few members of the crew of an HGTV-like show. We first see a dopey couple purchase an old abandoned house in the middle of Moldova. As an aside, this is the only movie I've seen which was set in the country of Moldova. However, it was actually filmed in Romania. Considering all the horrible things that the movie said about the country, no wonder they did not actually film in Moldova. Anyhow, much of the movie is those people returning 6 months later to see what the house looks like now. Only, the crew is downright loathsome and they understandably tick off the locals. In addition, someone is involved in certain acts that were portrayed much much better in a film or two that got wide released early this year.

Believe me, calling these asshats loathsome is no exaggeration. It is focused on two young dudes and a young girl. All are nauseating presences, tremendously rude people who insult each other and the country they are in, act awfully towards the locals because they are “different”, and are not the type of people I wanted to spend an hour and a half with. Then, there's the producer character Kate; what an unflattering portrait of a woman. She always looks like a bitch and constantly yells & curses at everyone. Note that if this was a male character, I would hate him just as much due to the attitude and the invariable foul language you'd always get from them. Vladimir the real estate agent is as much a stereotype as you'd expect a dude named Vladimir in a bad movie to be, yet because he's not a piece of sewage, his presence was welcomed by me. Unfortunately, the Kate character is SO awful in a way that makes you want to shut off the movie and never finish it, not even goofy Vladimir and his hilariously colorful shirts could save it.

This is so amazingly bad. Besides the garbage story and all the characters acting like morons because the script asked them to, you figure out things long before the characters do (even when things are blatantly telegraphed) and then you have moments which made me really question if this is actually a “comedy” like it's billed on such sites as the IMDb and Wikipedia. Even before this moment laughs were as rare as my giving out half a star ratings. But, one of the guys tells the girl a teary-eyed horrifying story of how he was in the Middle East and he saw a 10 year old girl get killed with a knife and he has guilt over it... so the guy and girl start making out then they have sexual intercourse?! I swear, this actually happened! Was this supposed to be hilarious... was I supposed to be horrified? I have no idea.

Then again, maybe the “comedy” label applies to all the atrocious CGI that is present in the finale of the movie. I mean, we're talking the cheapest of the SyFy Channel original movies here; I did laugh at how terrible they looked. Or maybe it was the most awkward lead-in to a sex scene in movie history was supposed to be gut-busting hilarious. Personally, maybe I shouldn't be surprised something like this came from a pair of people who worked on such things as a Call of Duty game (I've never played one but I know they aren't exactly beloved due to the stories they tell) and SpongeBob SquarePants. Not to get sidetracked, but I really am befuddled as most of what is popular among “the youth” of the 21st century. Just in the television world, what I've seen and know about such things as SpongeBob, Robot Chicken, Adult Swim (yes, even Rick & Morty, guys), all those obviously fake “reality” shows that most people can't seem to realize are obviously fake... I just don't get it; I certainly don't find it good or entertaining. It's why I've mentioned as of late how unlike many think these days, being gross and vulgar does not necessarily = funny, let alone entertainment I will get enjoyment out of.

All that said... maybe that is why I actually have seen some glowing reviews for this here and elsewhere. God bless those fans, but it is impossible for me to get behind this movie at all. Maybe if you enjoy hanging out with A-holes all the time this is for you. Otherwise, beware.

The Boogens

The Boogens (1981)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: James L. Conway

Starring: Rebecca Balding, Fred McCarren, Anne-Marie Martin, Jeff Harlan, John Crawford

From: Taft International Pictures

I saw this horror film on Monday night. I enjoyed this. Tonight I'll post a review for a horror film I saw last night and I tell you, I did not enjoy that. But for now, I talk about this fun creature feature which does have a silly name-admittedly-yet that shouldn't dissuade you from seeing this:

This is a horror film I've known about for a few years now but last night was the night I finally saw it in full. While it's not the greatest, at least I can say it's “fine”. It has to be said right away that this takes its time in telling its story and thankfully because I thought it had interesting and entertaining characters, I did not complain about it being “slow-burn”, as the kids like to say.

This is set in Colorado (but filmed in Utah) and is about a mining company opening up an old mine closed decades ago after a disaster. Turns out, the disaster was due in part to the titular Boogens; that company unwittingly set loose those creatures to wreak havoc. Mostly, you see either tentacles or POV shots as if it was Bruce the shark from Jaws. At the end their appearance is finally revealed, and... I can understand why some people would scoff or laugh at what they are. While you wouldn't want to scrutinize how they survived in their ecosystem, to me they aren't so unbelievable as real life creatures.

We mainly follow around two couples; the men are young dudes who work at the mine and their ladies do other things, such as work for a nearby newspaper. They aren't revolutionary or outstanding characters, yet they are still entertaining and likable enough to where you enjoy following and getting to know them (and the dog that one of the girls has) & it's not such a big deal that there's a long stretch before any creature attacks or deaths happen. Once that stuff does happen, it's fun; they try their best with an obvious low budget.

I understand why some would be bored with this; personally, I am glad after all these years I was able to check this out. The appealing cast and good filmmaking behind the camera helps make this an pleasant horror diversion, a diverting creature feature.

Blazing Saddles Is Still Great

I watched this last night on the big screen at AMC Disney Springs. I was happy to see it with a crowd, like I did in May of 2013 at the local Cinemark.

Prom Night (The Remake, Unfortunately)

Prom Night (2008)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Nelson McCormick

Starring: Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Jessica Stroup, Johnathan Schaech, Idris Elba!

From: Screen Gems

I've always heard this was a bad movie. Those that said this... you guys were right. I give all the gory (even though the film is the opposite of gory) details below: 

Yes, I am a masochist so even though I always heard that this was a pretty bad remake, I figured I should watch this right after seeing the original Prom Night. Turns out, this is a pretty bad remake; hilariously, one of the production companies was named “Original Film”. It's not the worst thing I've ever seen, but... unless you are a 13 year old girl, there is absolutely no need to see this. It certainly isn't scary, menacing, creepy, or even thrilling.

Aside from it being set at prom and there being a creep who escapes from an institution, this and the original have little in common. Brittany Snow is Donna, a teen who is stalked by an ex-teacher and he kills her family. A few years later he escapes and he descends upon her prom, which is held in a swanky-ass hotel. A throwaway line tries to explain why it's such a lavish affair but it's still pretty dopey. The characters you see are mainly stereotypes, especially the teenagers. They're lame. I was begging for someone interesting; I figured it was too much to ask for a Seymour “Slick” Crane but how about a meathead unibrowed doofus like Lou?

Various things happen, and as this was originally made as a PG-13 slasher (talk about self-defeating right there), the kills are lame and even in the “unrated” version I saw, there's not a lot of blood to be seen. A real neutered experience all around, it was. Then, you had the characters be really stupid too often. This even goes for the detective played by... IDRIS ELBA. Yes, before his career improved (although not to the point it should be; to be honest he should be a superstar) he appeared in garbage like this. It was unfortunate his character was a dumbass too; I mean, clearing a swanky hotel by pulling a fire alarm in the hopes that the killer will be flushed out? What?

I happened to enjoy the disco soundtrack of the original movie; even if you didn't, you'll be pleading for it after hearing all the terrible pop-rock songs on the remake's soundtrack. The version of Time of the Season you hear during the opening credits... laughable compared to the badass original by The Zombies. Now, I can't give this a bottom of the barrel rating. It at least was not a struggle to finish and I can't really complain about any performances. It's just a bad movie, and slasher fans definitely aren't the demographic it was made for. As I mentioned in the beginning, young teenagers are probably the only market for this slop; otherwise, this is a must-avoid.

Prom Night

Prom Night (1980)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Paul Lynch

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Stevens, Anne-Marie Martin, Michael Tough, Leslie Nielsen

From: Simcom Limited

Last night I saw this movie as a start to my September and October of horror watching for Letterboxd; the title of the list I'll put this and the other horror I watch will likely be something along the lines of: “The Bride Of A Ghastly Ghoulish Spine-Chilling Spookshow”, as it references the title of the list I did for Letterboxd last year. This movie in particular is at least fine. The Letterboxd review is below: 

I am someone who doesn't always do things by the rules here on Letterboxd. I enjoy it when once a year people make lists where they spend a month watching foreign movies, and in the fall they do the same thing for horror films; I do it myself, except I just watch whatever the hell I want to or whatever I stumble upon, rather than follow a strict set of rules on what I HAVE to watch. I still don't quite get the “Hoop-tober” name or why it only seemingly pays tribute to Tobe Hooper when it is supposed to encompass all of horror... but it's irrelevant as throughout September and October I'll periodically watch horror films; early November I will post the list for people to see. At random I decided this should be the first one to watch.

The film is not the most inventive or original slasher but that is OK. Several 10 year olds play a rather morbid version of Hide and Seek. Another 10 year old girl shows up, an accident happens, and she is killed. The group swears secrecy and a pervert is busted for the crime instead. Years later, that group and several others get ready for their high school prom, when a killer with a ski mask and a shard of broken glass is on the loose. Is it the pervert who just escaped from the institution?

Other slashers are better when it comes to imagination or setpieces (although the final act has some quality moments) or kills. Yet I can still say that this is fine. Time is spent getting to know the main characters before any slashing even starts. While not the most interesting at least I did not mind following these teenagers acting like typical teenagers. There are various petty high school feuds going on over such things as who should be the prom queen and which person has which boyfriend or girlfriend. I imagine everyone experienced such things in high school; it did remind me of personal experiences. I was amused by such characters are Jeff Wincott's A-hole character Drew, the unibrowed meathead Lou, the creepy groundskeeper Mr. Sykes or especially the short chubby nerd known as Seymour “Slick” Crane, who even drives a stereotypical 70's van. I am glad that Crane's character wasn't quite treated like you'd expect a movie to treat a chubby nerd. I won't reveal what happens to him, except that for starters he gets a nice date for the prom.

The highlight isn't the cool final act, nor having Jamie Lee Curtis as the lead and Leslie Nielsen in a supporting role... no, it's how the prom has a DISCO MADNESS theme and it's hilarious. They even brought in a light-up dance floor w/ multiple colored lights a la the dance floor of 2001 Odyssey of Saturday Night Fever fame. There's even a dance scene, and it rules. Much of the second half of this ends up being set to a pulsating disco soundtrack, and to me that's a good thing. It was nice seeing killings or attempted killings set to such music. Anyhow, we get a haunting ending and this is still a cult favorite among slasher fans.

Cloverfield

Cloverfield (2008)

Runtime: 85 minutes

Directed by: Matt Reeves

Starring: Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel

From: Paramount

After 8 and a half years I finally saw this movie again. I don't quite get all the love it's gotten throughout the years but at least I can say that it's fine; Heaven knows it's better than Don't Breathe. Peep all the deets (as the kids would say) below: 

I have mentioned it in other reviews but I am not a big J.J. Abrams fan. Even after The Force Awakens, I feel this way. Most of his movies are overrated in my eyes and all that nonsense surrounding his films beforehand about “mysteries” and stupid “viral marketing”, I think I'll always look at him negatively. It even goes for movies he only produced and not directed, such as this one. The viral marketing surrounding that really ended up being pointless, didn't it? Let's not even get into Lost, a show I never watched but heard was a massive wankoff, pretty much. I hadn't watched this since I saw this on the big screen way back in '08, and at the time I only thought it was fine. Viewing it a second time, my opinion hasn't changed.

The general idea of covering a giant kaiju attacking a major city from the perspective of average people on the street and seeing all the carnage on the street: a good one. Even following a sap and his friends rescue a woman from peril is OK. Personally, I'd also want to rescue Odette Annable (nee Odette Yustman) if she was my girlfriend! In execution, I do not know how well this movie handles it. These are rich yuppie types who live in the middle of New York City and many come off as real tools, cameraman Hud being the shining example there. What an annoying dumbass he was. Exciting things happen and the teasing of the monster is fine; the found footage aspect is a detriment at times and while it did not bother me then or now, I do understand why back in '08, theatrers had to post warnings about how some could get motion sick from watching the motion picture. Maybe a more traditional way of telling the story would have worked better.

Then there's controversy over how the monster looked. I guess it was fine, but it's part of a bigger problem concerning how modern Hollywood monsters have an unfortunate familiarity to them. More heinous to me here is how this ends; the critter
must have tremendous stealth abilities... it bothered me then and it bothers me now. At least the cast was fine (or better); some of them became better known later on. I wonder why Lizzy Caplan isn't in more high profile films; she deserves better than garbage like The Interview. Here she delivered the best performance.

One day in the future I will watch 10 Cloverfield Lane and maybe that'll be more up my alley. While I am not in love with this like many are, at least I can still say that it's fine and watchable.