April 2010
4 posts
Chi l'ha vista morire? (Who Saw Her Die?)
Well crafted giallo that keeps you guessing and almost has a plot.
James Bond in an Italian thriller?
Seuseung-ui eunhye (Bloody Reunion)
Effective Korean thriller with a bit of a twist.
Maniac
Surprisingly delicious cheese.
L'ultimo treno della notte (Night Train Murders)
Night Train Murders is the poorly named yet excellently executed Italian answer to Wes Craven’s answer (Last House on the Left) to Bergman’s Virgin Spring.
Released as Last House on the Left, Part 2 in the US, this movie uses atmosphere and music to accomplish more than Craven’s gore-fest.
March 2010
46 posts
The Last Horror Film
A classic of bad for bad’s sake. Gotta love Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro.
Truly a guerrilla film made in Cannes in 1981 unbeknown to most of the participants. Think Bowfinger with gore and boobs.
9 Dead
The first 80 minutes were well done. A nice little thriller in the vein of 10 Little Indians via Saw. Too bad Melissa Joan Hart makes the last 5 minutes unbearable. It’s like the writer ran out of juice at the last minute. Or maybe it was just a lame attempt to shock.
Hot Tub Time Machine
John Cusack goes back to 1984.
What more could one want?
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
What’s not to enjoy about NPH as Dr. Horrible - Horribly in Love.
Sex Drive
I saw this with Colin in Portland, OR sometime in October 2008. I watched it from NetFlix On Demand last night with Stephanie. It was entertaining.
The Thirst
This straight to DVD/cable horror flick tries to say smart things about vampirism, sexuality and drug addiction. Emphasis on tries.
A Serious Man
The Coen Bros dig deep into 1967 Jewish suburbia.
It may be steeped in Judaism - but as a middle aged goy I completely understand the anguish.
Big Bad Momma (NSFW)
Great Roger Corman trash from the mid-seventies.
I could do without seeing Angie D getting it from behind by Capt. Kirk though.
I will not be alone in my psychic horror.
Blood Spattered Bride (NSFW)
Classic atmospheric lesbian vampire flick. Complete with genital mutilation and pubescent teasing. Not for the prudish.
Deadline
Dead End, Dead on Arrival, Dead Boring
I am glad no one will remember Britney Murphy for this stinker.
Thr3e
I am not sure, but I think “family friendly” and Serial Killer movie do not really go together. Neither does this film. It starts out with a bang (literally) and decends rapidly from there.
Dreamscape
The idea here is to enter into people’s dreams and help them identify and solve whatever is causing their troubles. Nice idea for a movie, and given it was from 1984, I suppose it was executed well enough.
The cast is decent, the story is hokey (but then how often are sci-fi thriller plots logical?), and the special effects are dated. This was a decent distraction for a dreary Saturday.
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains
Early 80s goodness.
The Shining
A slow deliberate decent into madness.
What would Diane Arbus say?
Hausu
This movie is impossible to describe.
Think Godzilla meets Sam Raimi - except this predates Raimi.
She's Out of My League
I needed a laugh and this fit the bill. It won’t change your world, spark too much conversation, or have you reach out to people, but you will laugh.
Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives
If you know me you know I am a big fan of the band eels. Eels, like Nine Inch Nails, is really a one man band. Mark Oliver Everett is E.
E’s father, Hugh Everett III, was an eccentric physicist who developed the theory of parallel universes. Quantum Physics is the study of matter at the sub-atomic level. Many theorists agree that sub atomic particles can be in two or more places at the same...
The Seafarers
In 1952 Stanley Kubrick made a commissioned documentary for the Seafarers International Union. While it is less that 30 minutes long and it is clearly dated, you can see the artistry of the director take shape. Long tracking shots of the union hall cafeteria never looked so good.
Funny People
Somehow I thought if you mix Adam Sandler and Seth Rogan in a Judd Apatow movie you couldn’t miss. Well, I suppose this wasn’t a miss, but lets just say the shot was way off the bullseye.
Four Flies on Grey Velvet
This was a lost Dario Argento film. Obviously, since I have the DVD, someone must have found it. Considered gruesome at the time for a scene involving an enucleated eyeball and a laser, by today’s standards its just a run of the mill thriller. Somewhat innovative for its time, you can see the beginnings of Argento’s more salacious side hiding in the corners of this film.
Cat o Nine Tails
Earlier Argento. Does not live up to Bird with Crystal Plumage, Deep Red, or Suspiria, but it was still a fun 90 minutes or so.
Karl Malden plays a blind man hell bent on catching a killer. Oddly enough, he does - sort of.
Thirst
This is an awesome movie I would recommend to anyone who likes Asian thrillers, vampire movies, or just wants to be entertained.
A Korean priest volunteers to help find a cure for a mysterious blood disease and ends up becoming a vampire with a thirst for blood and love.
This is well worth your time.
Sahara
This is one of those movies that has a horrible reputation. Yet somehow, I managed to enjoy myself. Sure it’s not high brow, original, or even clever, but at least I laughed a few times and did not feel like I wasted my time (and $3 I spent buying the DVD).
Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day
They’re back and they’re pissed off.
Godzilla: Tokyo SOS
The big fellow can’t seem to get enough of Tokyo, can he?
You know, it’s all Walt’s fault I watch these.
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidarah: Giant Monsters...
Third generation Godzilla movies understand the whole movie is about a guy in a rubber suit and use it to maximum effect. This time around the stories pock fun at conventional Japanese life as well as the whole idea of Godzilla.
In one scene, an Army general asks why Godzilla doesn’t attack some other country. Haven’t we had enough?
Car Wash
A day in the life of an LA car wash. A great slice of gooey 70s goodness.
Strip Nude for Your Killer
Mid 70s Italian giallo at its most sexually charged finest. Just who is the killer and why can’t these woman keep their clothes on?
Shutter Island
Stephanie hates it when I can predict a movies’ ending within 5 minutes of the start. At least this one was entertaining in its extremely contrived nature.
Are they embracing or trying to kill each other? It could be both.
Dream Lover
Madchen Amick is not what she seems, or is it James Spader who’s lost some of his marbles?
It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
Three hours of goofiness. Not a great as a remember, but still better than many films of its type made today.
Pretty Woman
Sometimes you watch a movie because someone you love loves the movie.
Pandorum
Marketed like an Alien rip off, this is more like a claustrophobic I Am Legend set in deep space.
Beetlejuice
Somewhere between this masterpiece and Mars Attacks! Tim Burton became a pretentious hack.
Cop Out
This will become Kevin Smith’s highest grossing movie to date.
Not quite as profane or clever as a typical Smith picture. But then here he is just a hired gun - no writing or producing credits.
Still, I laughed even if it was contrived.
Let's Spend the Night Together
WOW, early 80s fashions were pretty damn funny.
The Park: Maximus
Awesome short film I saw at IFC Center in the Village.
Lynch
An intimate look at David Lynch’s creative process.
He is truly an American treasure and one of my favorite directors too.
Townies
Does it count if I can only make it through 30 minutes? It does for me.
RoboCop 2
Like Robo himself, this movie’s a mess.
Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj
Kal Penn a good thing. Everything else, not so good.
Okay, that badminton stance is pretty good. ;-)
Too Tough to Die
RIP Johnny Ramone. Try not to fight with Joey too much up there.
Lo
Amateur yet pretty amazing. Clearly influenced by Richard Elfman’s Forbidden Zone. Not in content or even style, but simply by the idea anyone can make a fun quirky little film.
Know Your History: Paul Mooney
Nine to Five
It may be dated, but it is still pretty damn funny.
Freddy's Revenge: NoES2
Is this homophobic or homoerotic? Either way, the gayest Freddy out there.