Friday, June 27, 2008
Encrypt - 2003 TV Movie
Ah, crap, this is from the Sci-Fi Channel back in '03, when everything they did was poopie. If I had known that, I would have used NetFlix's View Now option. Especially since there's no extras on this disc whatsoever. It's just a movie, which is exactly what you get with View Now.
And it's as cheap as a Full Moon Video, without the boobage. Dull and pointless.
Thundercrack - 1975
Wow. Now here's a movie for bad movie lovers. This is Forbidden Zone meets Manos! And while it kinda starts out as a 70's sexploitation thing, it slowly drifts into actual hardcore. Which can be a shock when you're not expecting it. And for the final icing on the cake, no type of sexual pairing is ignored. So if you have hang ups about certain alternate life style choices, don't bother expending the effort to hunt this puppy down (it took me a long time, and in the end, had to go to BitTorrent to find a digitization of the VHS). Still, it's another one of those movies that I can claim to have seen that almost no one else has. And I like that. Plus, it's seriously bizarre. And I love that. Hardcore sex is just the icing on this cake.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
South Park - Imaginationland Trilogy - 2008
Awesome! I'm serious, the scenes in Imaginationland are unbelievable. You could spend hours on pause, look at and identifying "imaginary" things in the background. And how did they remember all this. I can see all the easy ones, like the Thundercats, but who remembers all the Horror Cereals (Boo Berry, Frankenberry, Count Chocula) and Twinkie the Kid?
There is a commentary by Matt and Trey. It's odd, because they are obviously much older, and (believe it or not) more mature. They've come a long way since the "getting so drunk they can barely talk" days of Cannibal the Musical.
And it's amazing (if true) how "last minute" everything is in the production of South Park. How can that be. I refuse to believe that they somehow create these things in less than a week. That just seems impossible to me. Still, I liked the conversation about how all the expressions have names and numbers, so they can sort of "short hand" refer to them. I can see how that would speed things up.
Other extras include storyboards of two scenes, and 2 bonus episodes. Both deal with introductions of characters used in the movie. The very best was the Evil Satanic Animals in the Christmas story. Truly sick and twisted. Don't miss it!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Chronicles of an Exorcism - 2008
Dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, dull. Did I mention dull. Geez o' pete, you'd think that with the core concept of Blair Witch meets the Exorcist, you'd create something that could at least hold your attention. Not these guys. It's just stupid and predictable. I could have written this thing in less than a day. Nothing novel at all. And anyone who didn't see that ending coming a mile away has obviously NEVER seen an exorcist movie.
Commentary has actor/writer/director Nick G. Miller and actor/writer/producer Matthew Ashford. So there's no one to blame here but these two. The commentary is weird in that we see them talking, and the movie is projected on screens behind them. That is the most novel thing about this whole DVD.
These guys sure are proud of the research they did and the movie itself. Me? I'm unimpressed. Too much telling us what's happening, not enough how or why.
Other extras include deleted scenes (none missed), Cast Interviews (where they tell us the same damn stories as in the commentary), and Outtakes (which weren't very funny).
Monday, June 30, 2008
Botched - 2007 Germany
Comedy/Crime/Horror/Thriller. 30 minutes in, and we've had all 4 already. This movie has more weird characters (besides the main three, who are weird enough) than you can shake a stick at. And a plot that is truly different. Must say that I've never seen anything like this before. Very fun, if you like dark humor and blood. Definitely worth a rent at least.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Signal - 2007
This idea (all electronics broadcast a signal and everyone goes homicidal) has been done only a couple times before, but with the explosion of electronic devices in our lives (cell phones, GPS devices, etc) it really makes this concept hit home. There's just no way in today's world you could escape being exposed, unless you were backpacking in the wilderness, and even then, you might have taken a GPS or cell phone for safety.
This has good acting, and is a nice reworking of movies like George Romero's The Crazies. The only thing was that initially, I didn't like any of the characters enough to care. But in the end, it did draw me in.
Another novel aspect is that it has 3 directors, each of which did a third of the movie (basically, one did each act). This came out in the commentary, where only the directors NOT involved in the section can talk about the movie. Bizarre. But it's a good blend of tech and antedotes. A 13 day shoot, for those of you taking notes.
This disc is just loaded with extras, including the total Signal TV broadcast (in case you can't get enough flashy images and white noise. The perfect thing to put on the TV when you want a party to be over), "Signal Breakdown" where actors and directors discuss the movie (not bad, especially if you don't listen to the commentary), and then Transmissions (which were little shorts about others affected by the Signal - clever). Also, there's the whole short Hap Hargood Story, which a part of which is used in the opening credits of the movie. Deleted scenes, with intros that explain everything which was nice (none actually missed, though). And finally a making of, which after the other extras was really pretty redundant.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
The Beast In Space - 1980 Italian
And yes, before you ask, I bought and watched the XXX version from www.DiabolikDVD.com. I'll comment on the porn aspects separately, so you can skip if you don't care or like.
There are what I assume are clips from the original Beast (which I watched several years ago, so can't tell for sure). Basically, what we have here is your standard Italian Star Wars rip off. There were, I believe, 4 of these made. All use very similar sets, and all even have the ridiculous Prince Valiant haircut robots. Why would anyone make all their robots look like Prince Valiant, with blond hair for goodness sake? Anywho, we have this Italian SciFi movie. Well, it needs to be spiced up. Lets make it a sexploitation movie. So there's lots of T&A, and a plot that involves a computer that makes people only think about sex to keep them submissive.
But I guess that just wasn't enough for someone. They then decided that what they really needed were some hardcore inserts. Of course, it's not the real actors and actresses. Hell, it's not even the same set. Or the same lighting. It is *SO* obvious that they just took some hardcore clips and making sure that we never see the actors faces, splice that into the movie. It really is hysterical. You go from an orange lit scene of a blonde woman and dark hair'd man to a regularly lit insert of a brunette going down on a guy, and then back to the orange lit standard sexploitation position, all in less than 30 seconds. I thought it was funny. Erotic, no. Exciting, nope. Laugh inducing, absolutely.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Alive or Dead - 2008
Here we have an example of some folks who stumble upon an awesome location, and then try to make a movie around it. Alas, they fail. It's just a big, bloody, confusing mess. As I watched it, this is the note I wrote to myself. "Who? What? Anybody got a clue who is what here?"
There's a commentary by writer/directory Stephen Goetsch, producer Paul Koslo, and actor L. Flint Esquerra. This commentary should have been good, but wasn't. Too little detail and WAY too much smalltalk, too much quiet.
Other extras include a making of that actually just a collection of interviews, and then some bloopers.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Friday, June 20 through Thursday, June 26, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Jumper - 2008
Man, the trailer for this movie was *SO* cool, I couldn't wait. I sure wish I had paid more attention to the cast. I would have tempered by anticipation if I realized it was going to be ruined by one of the worst actors on the face of the planet, Hayden Christensen. He is amazing in his ability to NOT act. I think he must be the lovechild of Nicolas Cage.
Predictable and simple, I am SO disappointed. The only bright spot is that his mom is played by Diane Lane, who we just saw in Untraceable. Samuel L. Jackson doesn't even curse!
Commentary features Director Doug Liman, writer/producer Simon Kinberg, and producer Lucas Foster. Here we learn that this movie has NOTHING to do with the novel, except the main character's name and ability. Then why the hell would you option the book. If you're just gonna write your own thing, write your own thing. Don't ruin Steven Gould's chance to get his novel made. Cripes, now I hate everybody associated with this movie. And then they side with the Paladins? Are you kidding me? Religious nuts who think that just because they have special abilities, they must be destroyed because they're an abomination? Give me a break! I hate them, their terrible movie and this commentary too. No tech, no antidotes, all "We wrote this blahblahblah". Awful, just like the movie.
Saturday, June 20 thru Thursday June 26, 2008
Earth2 - TV Series from 1994
This is an amazingly well done Sci-Fi series for the 90's. I had very pleasant memories of watching this show on TV, but was unsure if I had seen them all, and couldn't remember how it ended. The special affects are decent, acting is great, and there's good story telling about characters you care about. Is it as good as Babylon 5? Hell no! Still, it's quite watchable, and I enjoy'd the hell out of it.
My enjoyment was tempered slightly when while researching why so few of these people went on to do good things, when I discovered that J. Madison Wright, who played True (and did an amazing job for a 10 year old) did when she was 21 of a rare blood disease. That's rotten.
Still, Debrah Farentino and Clancy Brown do a great job carrying it, and special guest stars of Terry O'Quinn and Tim Curry really spice it up. Tim Curry sure can play a creepy crazy guy.
Episode 5 has Julius Carry, who played Lord Bowler in Brisco County Jr!
But now I've got to talk about the discs and episodes. Evidently, there were some problems, and episodes were not shown in their proper order. And for some unknown reason, they duplicate this problem with the episode numbering and order on the discs. Episode 19 is OBVIOUSLY the season finale, a cliff hanger that is never resolved (but you know is, since we see the mom in the future), and then come episode 20 & 21, which take place earlier. I mean, in episode 20, Alanzo's leg is back broken, and that's healed before episode 7. I think episode 20 should be episode 3 or 4. And episode 21 is back in Mary's Garden, so it ought to be about episode 10 or 11. Even if the network screwed this up when broadcasting the shows, why would you not fix their order on the DVD's. Criminally stupid, in my opinion.
Final disc has just a couple extras, included deleted scenes and outtakes. Sure wish there were some commentaries with some of the surviving actors. I mean, I know that most are still alive and working. What a missed opportunity.
Jumper - 2008
Man, the trailer for this movie was *SO* cool, I couldn't wait. I sure wish I had paid more attention to the cast. I would have tempered by anticipation if I realized it was going to be ruined by one of the worst actors on the face of the planet, Hayden Christensen. He is amazing in his ability to NOT act. I think he must be the lovechild of Nicolas Cage.
Predictable and simple, I am SO disappointed. The only bright spot is that his mom is played by Diane Lane, who we just saw in Untraceable. Samuel L. Jackson doesn't even curse!
Commentary features Director Doug Liman, writer/producer Simon Kinberg, and producer Lucas Foster. Here we learn that this movie has NOTHING to do with the novel, except the main character's name and ability. Then why the hell would you option the book. If you're just gonna write your own thing, write your own thing. Don't ruin Steven Gould's chance to get his novel made. Cripes, now I hate everybody associated with this movie. And then they side with the Paladins? Are you kidding me? Religious nuts who think that just because they have special abilities, they must be destroyed because they're an abomination? Give me a break! I hate them, their terrible movie and this commentary too. No tech, no antidotes, all "We wrote this blahblahblah". Awful, just like the movie.
Saturday, June 20 thru Thursday June 26, 2008
Earth2 - TV Series from 1994
This is an amazingly well done Sci-Fi series for the 90's. I had very pleasant memories of watching this show on TV, but was unsure if I had seen them all, and couldn't remember how it ended. The special affects are decent, acting is great, and there's good story telling about characters you care about. Is it as good as Babylon 5? Hell no! Still, it's quite watchable, and I enjoy'd the hell out of it.
My enjoyment was tempered slightly when while researching why so few of these people went on to do good things, when I discovered that J. Madison Wright, who played True (and did an amazing job for a 10 year old) did when she was 21 of a rare blood disease. That's rotten.
Still, Debrah Farentino and Clancy Brown do a great job carrying it, and special guest stars of Terry O'Quinn and Tim Curry really spice it up. Tim Curry sure can play a creepy crazy guy.
Episode 5 has Julius Carry, who played Lord Bowler in Brisco County Jr!
But now I've got to talk about the discs and episodes. Evidently, there were some problems, and episodes were not shown in their proper order. And for some unknown reason, they duplicate this problem with the episode numbering and order on the discs. Episode 19 is OBVIOUSLY the season finale, a cliff hanger that is never resolved (but you know is, since we see the mom in the future), and then come episode 20 & 21, which take place earlier. I mean, in episode 20, Alanzo's leg is back broken, and that's healed before episode 7. I think episode 20 should be episode 3 or 4. And episode 21 is back in Mary's Garden, so it ought to be about episode 10 or 11. Even if the network screwed this up when broadcasting the shows, why would you not fix their order on the DVD's. Criminally stupid, in my opinion.
Final disc has just a couple extras, included deleted scenes and outtakes. Sure wish there were some commentaries with some of the surviving actors. I mean, I know that most are still alive and working. What a missed opportunity.
Friday June 13 through THursday June 19, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Tentacles - 1977 Italy
Man, how can such a crappy movie have such an outstanding cast. John Huston, Shelley Winters, Bo Hopkins, Henry Fonda, Claude Akins. Impressive. Of course, that's all the Americans associated with the film. The rest of the names all end in "o", if you know what I mean. The director, Oliver Hellman, is actually Ovidio G. Assonitis, who gave us Piranha II, Forever Emmanuelle, and several American Ninjas. IMDB says that the budget was $750K. Obviously, that was entirely spent on the American actors' salaries, and everyone else worked for free.
It's like they spliced two movies together. A cheapie Italian ocean pic and an American B-movie. I'd swear they even used two film stocks.
Then, just when you're ready to give up on this movie a true piece of junk, 56 minutes in, there is an awesome, (but pointless) tracking craneshot. Amazingly well done. A work of art. Yet it contributes nothing to the movie. It *IS* a thing of beauty, though.
Then, 15 minutes later, all respect is dashed as there is the cheapest pulltoy octopus the planet has ever seen. Seriously, it's a rubber octopus being drug behind a boat. Pathetic.
And in the end, the only characters in the movie who do anything are the Killer Whales, who somehow manage to escape unscathed by the "terrible suckers". The terrible suckers were the folks who sank $750K into this turkey.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
The Machine Girl - 2008
IMDB says that this was a USA/Japan co-production. I'm thinking that the only thing Americans had to do with this was put up the money. It's *SO* Japanese in flavor. Blood and gore galore. It's a pity people aren't really this tough. I mean, wouldn't it be great if you could have your arm torn off, and then be able to walk a couple miles to your house, and still live? Or survive multiple point blank gunshot wounds to the chest?
There are some clever homages to classic Kung-Fu movies here as well. This was a lot of fun, if you don't mind the buckets of blood. Alas, the only extra is a Behind the Scenes that really wasn't.
Sunday, June 15 - Monday, June 16, 2008
Andromeda Strain - 2008
A&E remakes a classic movie and book into a very nice mini-series. And it has Daniel Dae Kim, who was in Crusade. Although they modernized it (and it needed that, if you see the old movie, it's sad how what was once thought to look high-tech now is just plain laughable), they really didn't do violence to the book. The parts that the book actually talk about are pretty true. It's just that the book doesn't explain where Andromeda comes from, so they make up an interesting story for that. I can live with that. It's certainly truer to the source material than Jumper, for instance.
The entire thing is subtitled (yeah!!!) and has a commentary. Part one's commentary has director Mikael Salomon, Editor Scott Vickrey, Executive Producer David W. Zucker , and Prod. Tom Thayer. Like everything else today, it's shot in G.D. Vancouver. (I wonder how much longer before the Unions realize just how much business they have driven away). Some good tech info in this commentary. Nice that it's all shot digitally. And there's a real interesting section on money-raising that they don't normally talk about.
The commentary for the second part shows how much conflict there was between producers, it even coming out in the commentary discussions themselves. More money talk, explaining how their budget shrank due to the dollar shrinking against the Canadian dollar.
Other extras include a surprisingly good Making of, and a Special Effects breakdown.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Stump The Band - 2006
You know a movie was made on the cheap with the characters start drinking "Old Style" beer. Yikes. I think that's a step below Pabst! And no one should be surprised that I hate everyone in this movie. Except the dykes. They're okay.
There's some gore, and it's really trying hard, but it's just missing something. It's not extreme or funny enough to be great.
Commentary by Producer/Composer Robbie Rist, director/producer William Holmes, and writer/editor/and co-director JoJo Henrickson. Interestingly enough, it was made for only $100K, but was a SAG movie. I am quite amazed at that. There's a lot of background, some Indy info, but not much technical. It's also kinda funny, so worth a listen.
Other extras include A Behind the Scenes that actually better than most, with lots of details. There are some deleted scenes that were not bad, but easily loseable. And some outtakes. Not too bad an effort, overall.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Drive-In Double Feature
Society - 1989
Directed by Brian Yuzna of Re-Animator fame, this movie is kind of a 90210 Meets From Beyond. But it struck me as odd that supposed High School students were so openly drinking, even in the 80's and in California. I guess I had time to be bothered by that because it's so slow. It kinda drags until the big payoff in the last 20 minutes.
Commentary by Brian alone, and it's pretty dull. All background, no tech and no decent antidotes.
Spontaneous Combustion - 1990
This movie has some good players in it. There's Brad Dourif who I really like, and John Landis has a little part and is toasted, Dick Butkus has a little part, and it's written and directed by the initially brilliant Tobe Hooper . This movie is more like Poltergist than Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This movie is not too bad. But you can definitely see that this is well into the decline of Tobe, which is too bad.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
MST3K - The Movie - 1996
Wow, look at how good the sets are in this thing! Man, if only the series could have been like this, it might have lasted longer. It's also amazing how much you can trash a movie that really isn't that bad. I mean, This Island Earth is a classic, if not as great as Earth vs The Flying Saucers or The Day The Earth Stood Still. Still, Mike and the bots get plenty of good zingers in, even though the movie isn't a stinker like Manos or Touch of Satan.
Tentacles - 1977 Italy
Man, how can such a crappy movie have such an outstanding cast. John Huston, Shelley Winters, Bo Hopkins, Henry Fonda, Claude Akins. Impressive. Of course, that's all the Americans associated with the film. The rest of the names all end in "o", if you know what I mean. The director, Oliver Hellman, is actually Ovidio G. Assonitis, who gave us Piranha II, Forever Emmanuelle, and several American Ninjas. IMDB says that the budget was $750K. Obviously, that was entirely spent on the American actors' salaries, and everyone else worked for free.
It's like they spliced two movies together. A cheapie Italian ocean pic and an American B-movie. I'd swear they even used two film stocks.
Then, just when you're ready to give up on this movie a true piece of junk, 56 minutes in, there is an awesome, (but pointless) tracking craneshot. Amazingly well done. A work of art. Yet it contributes nothing to the movie. It *IS* a thing of beauty, though.
Then, 15 minutes later, all respect is dashed as there is the cheapest pulltoy octopus the planet has ever seen. Seriously, it's a rubber octopus being drug behind a boat. Pathetic.
And in the end, the only characters in the movie who do anything are the Killer Whales, who somehow manage to escape unscathed by the "terrible suckers". The terrible suckers were the folks who sank $750K into this turkey.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
The Machine Girl - 2008
IMDB says that this was a USA/Japan co-production. I'm thinking that the only thing Americans had to do with this was put up the money. It's *SO* Japanese in flavor. Blood and gore galore. It's a pity people aren't really this tough. I mean, wouldn't it be great if you could have your arm torn off, and then be able to walk a couple miles to your house, and still live? Or survive multiple point blank gunshot wounds to the chest?
There are some clever homages to classic Kung-Fu movies here as well. This was a lot of fun, if you don't mind the buckets of blood. Alas, the only extra is a Behind the Scenes that really wasn't.
Sunday, June 15 - Monday, June 16, 2008
Andromeda Strain - 2008
A&E remakes a classic movie and book into a very nice mini-series. And it has Daniel Dae Kim, who was in Crusade. Although they modernized it (and it needed that, if you see the old movie, it's sad how what was once thought to look high-tech now is just plain laughable), they really didn't do violence to the book. The parts that the book actually talk about are pretty true. It's just that the book doesn't explain where Andromeda comes from, so they make up an interesting story for that. I can live with that. It's certainly truer to the source material than Jumper, for instance.
The entire thing is subtitled (yeah!!!) and has a commentary. Part one's commentary has director Mikael Salomon, Editor Scott Vickrey, Executive Producer David W. Zucker , and Prod. Tom Thayer. Like everything else today, it's shot in G.D. Vancouver. (I wonder how much longer before the Unions realize just how much business they have driven away). Some good tech info in this commentary. Nice that it's all shot digitally. And there's a real interesting section on money-raising that they don't normally talk about.
The commentary for the second part shows how much conflict there was between producers, it even coming out in the commentary discussions themselves. More money talk, explaining how their budget shrank due to the dollar shrinking against the Canadian dollar.
Other extras include a surprisingly good Making of, and a Special Effects breakdown.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Stump The Band - 2006
You know a movie was made on the cheap with the characters start drinking "Old Style" beer. Yikes. I think that's a step below Pabst! And no one should be surprised that I hate everyone in this movie. Except the dykes. They're okay.
There's some gore, and it's really trying hard, but it's just missing something. It's not extreme or funny enough to be great.
Commentary by Producer/Composer Robbie Rist, director/producer William Holmes, and writer/editor/and co-director JoJo Henrickson. Interestingly enough, it was made for only $100K, but was a SAG movie. I am quite amazed at that. There's a lot of background, some Indy info, but not much technical. It's also kinda funny, so worth a listen.
Other extras include A Behind the Scenes that actually better than most, with lots of details. There are some deleted scenes that were not bad, but easily loseable. And some outtakes. Not too bad an effort, overall.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Drive-In Double Feature
Society - 1989
Directed by Brian Yuzna of Re-Animator fame, this movie is kind of a 90210 Meets From Beyond. But it struck me as odd that supposed High School students were so openly drinking, even in the 80's and in California. I guess I had time to be bothered by that because it's so slow. It kinda drags until the big payoff in the last 20 minutes.
Commentary by Brian alone, and it's pretty dull. All background, no tech and no decent antidotes.
Spontaneous Combustion - 1990
This movie has some good players in it. There's Brad Dourif who I really like, and John Landis has a little part and is toasted, Dick Butkus has a little part, and it's written and directed by the initially brilliant Tobe Hooper . This movie is more like Poltergist than Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This movie is not too bad. But you can definitely see that this is well into the decline of Tobe, which is too bad.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
MST3K - The Movie - 1996
Wow, look at how good the sets are in this thing! Man, if only the series could have been like this, it might have lasted longer. It's also amazing how much you can trash a movie that really isn't that bad. I mean, This Island Earth is a classic, if not as great as Earth vs The Flying Saucers or The Day The Earth Stood Still. Still, Mike and the bots get plenty of good zingers in, even though the movie isn't a stinker like Manos or Touch of Satan.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Week of Friday June 6 through Thursday June 12, 2008
Friday June 6, 2008
Splatter Rampage Double Feature
Film Crew - 2008
Yes, it's more Chris Seaver fun from Low Budget Pictures. Yah, mon, its da bomb. And although the movie itself is short, there are two commentaries.
Commentary #1, cast & crew. It's 1AM and they tired and crazy. They are trashing everybody. For some reason, I have no notes on Com #2. I can't remember if that means I didn't listen, or it was just dull, or what.
Wet Heat - no date (neither of these movies is in IMDB for some reason)
More Teen Ape goodness. This one is a clever "To Catch a Predator" & Escape From New York hybrid. Very fun.
Commentary by cast & crew again. More details than either of the previous commentaries. (okay, so I guess that means I DID listen to the second). Lots of tech details. Other extra is Teen Ape Sex School. She's heavy, but nice big boobies. This disc is a steal!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Appleseed, Ex Machina - 2007
Produced by John Woo, so you know it's gonna be beautiful. And it is. Animated violence choreographed to perfection. This movie is absolutely gorgeous. Very nice, great plot, great art, just beautiful.
Commentary by Jerry Beck and a producer. I thought as much, but they reveal that this is motion capture, like Beowulf. They call it Live Anima. Lots of other technical details, and how John Woo interacted with the rest of the crew.
This disc is a keeper.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Noriko's Dinner Table - 2005
Sequel to the classic Suicide Club. But OMG, 15 minutes in and I'm dying. Two and half hours of THIS? Dull, dull, dull. Thirty minutes in, and the only thing to happen is a rehash of Suicide Club, but not done as well.
One hour in, and I'm propping my eyelids open with toothpicks. This has to be the most tedious thing I have EVER watched.
After 2.5 hours (that seemed like an eternity) it ends. I want my evening back. No horror, no sense, no payoff. Nothing. Truly an exercise in tedium. Beware! Stay clear of this one.
Extras include a director's Introduction and Interview. He's much happier with his work than he has any right to be. Has he never sat down and watched this with an audience? They'd stone him.
Monday, June 9, 2008
H.P. Lovecraft Collection #3
Out of Mind - 1998
Clever, novel reworking of several of HPL's stories. I really like this series. They are all very well done, both technically and story-wise.
Commentary #1 has directory Raymond Saint-Jean and actor Christopher Heyerdahl (who even looks like HPL. Not much data, but some neat philosophy of movie-making.
Commentary #2, same two plus Cinematographer Serge Ladouceur that sort of is a "6 years later". Much more technical, with the camera man there. Amazing that this was just a 10 day shoot.
This disc is then filled out with a number of shorts, some dating back as far at 1980. All are good, or at least as good as shorts can be. I'm not a big fan of shorts, because they can't develop as much as I'd like. There are also some interviews that are rather interesting.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Love Me Deadly - 1972 ("uncut") aka Secrets of the Death Room
Hey, there's Mary Wilcox, who we know from
The Beast of the Yellow Night. And OMG, there's Lyle Waggoner. Funny thing, this is the first movie he made that was NOT panned by Mystery Science Theater 3000. His first four movies all were. That has to be some kind of record.
You wanna know what this movie is about? IMDB's summary is perfect: "A coven of devil-worshipping necrophiliacs moves to Los Angeles and sets up their base of operations out of a funeral home." There's only one problem. That description is FAR more interesting than the movie. There are a couple of "ooky" minutes, but not enough to carry the entire 95 minutes.
Commentary by reg Goodsell (who?) and producer Buck Edwards. Here we learn that to get folks who didn't mind being naked and performing a weird ceremony, they just hired extras from the Church of Satan! We also learn that the director is the first corpse. A 10 day shoot. That's pretty impressive. It cost $42, 500 to shoot, but the funniest thing is that the producer didn't like the director or his work. Then why hire the lamer? Idiot.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
City of Lost Children - 1995 France
I love Ron Perlman. What a great actor. To be that big, and they play a simple, soft character like this is simply amazing. This movie is gorgeous, but I couldn't help thinking that it sure looked like a Gilliam move, specifically Brazil. And this movie features the best realization of a dream, ever. This movie really is beautiful, in a gritty, grimy sort of way.
Commentary is with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Perlman. $14M budget, and it looks it. Amazing sets. Despite the director's accent, good blend of background, technical and anedotes.
This is an awesome movie and disc. Highly recommended.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The Skull - 1965 UK
Look at this cast! Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Patrick Magee, Michael Gough. Man, it's like a who's who of British horror cinema. Based on a story by Robert Bloch, the skull of de Sade wrecks havoc on curiosity collector. Classic British horror, very nice. Rent and watch with family.
Splatter Rampage Double Feature
Film Crew - 2008
Yes, it's more Chris Seaver fun from Low Budget Pictures. Yah, mon, its da bomb. And although the movie itself is short, there are two commentaries.
Commentary #1, cast & crew. It's 1AM and they tired and crazy. They are trashing everybody. For some reason, I have no notes on Com #2. I can't remember if that means I didn't listen, or it was just dull, or what.
Wet Heat - no date (neither of these movies is in IMDB for some reason)
More Teen Ape goodness. This one is a clever "To Catch a Predator" & Escape From New York hybrid. Very fun.
Commentary by cast & crew again. More details than either of the previous commentaries. (okay, so I guess that means I DID listen to the second). Lots of tech details. Other extra is Teen Ape Sex School. She's heavy, but nice big boobies. This disc is a steal!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Appleseed, Ex Machina - 2007
Produced by John Woo, so you know it's gonna be beautiful. And it is. Animated violence choreographed to perfection. This movie is absolutely gorgeous. Very nice, great plot, great art, just beautiful.
Commentary by Jerry Beck and a producer. I thought as much, but they reveal that this is motion capture, like Beowulf. They call it Live Anima. Lots of other technical details, and how John Woo interacted with the rest of the crew.
This disc is a keeper.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Noriko's Dinner Table - 2005
Sequel to the classic Suicide Club. But OMG, 15 minutes in and I'm dying. Two and half hours of THIS? Dull, dull, dull. Thirty minutes in, and the only thing to happen is a rehash of Suicide Club, but not done as well.
One hour in, and I'm propping my eyelids open with toothpicks. This has to be the most tedious thing I have EVER watched.
After 2.5 hours (that seemed like an eternity) it ends. I want my evening back. No horror, no sense, no payoff. Nothing. Truly an exercise in tedium. Beware! Stay clear of this one.
Extras include a director's Introduction and Interview. He's much happier with his work than he has any right to be. Has he never sat down and watched this with an audience? They'd stone him.
Monday, June 9, 2008
H.P. Lovecraft Collection #3
Out of Mind - 1998
Clever, novel reworking of several of HPL's stories. I really like this series. They are all very well done, both technically and story-wise.
Commentary #1 has directory Raymond Saint-Jean and actor Christopher Heyerdahl (who even looks like HPL. Not much data, but some neat philosophy of movie-making.
Commentary #2, same two plus Cinematographer Serge Ladouceur that sort of is a "6 years later". Much more technical, with the camera man there. Amazing that this was just a 10 day shoot.
This disc is then filled out with a number of shorts, some dating back as far at 1980. All are good, or at least as good as shorts can be. I'm not a big fan of shorts, because they can't develop as much as I'd like. There are also some interviews that are rather interesting.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Love Me Deadly - 1972 ("uncut") aka Secrets of the Death Room
Hey, there's Mary Wilcox, who we know from
The Beast of the Yellow Night. And OMG, there's Lyle Waggoner. Funny thing, this is the first movie he made that was NOT panned by Mystery Science Theater 3000. His first four movies all were. That has to be some kind of record.You wanna know what this movie is about? IMDB's summary is perfect: "A coven of devil-worshipping necrophiliacs moves to Los Angeles and sets up their base of operations out of a funeral home." There's only one problem. That description is FAR more interesting than the movie. There are a couple of "ooky" minutes, but not enough to carry the entire 95 minutes.
Commentary by reg Goodsell (who?) and producer Buck Edwards. Here we learn that to get folks who didn't mind being naked and performing a weird ceremony, they just hired extras from the Church of Satan! We also learn that the director is the first corpse. A 10 day shoot. That's pretty impressive. It cost $42, 500 to shoot, but the funniest thing is that the producer didn't like the director or his work. Then why hire the lamer? Idiot.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
City of Lost Children - 1995 France
I love Ron Perlman. What a great actor. To be that big, and they play a simple, soft character like this is simply amazing. This movie is gorgeous, but I couldn't help thinking that it sure looked like a Gilliam move, specifically Brazil. And this movie features the best realization of a dream, ever. This movie really is beautiful, in a gritty, grimy sort of way.
Commentary is with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Perlman. $14M budget, and it looks it. Amazing sets. Despite the director's accent, good blend of background, technical and anedotes.
This is an awesome movie and disc. Highly recommended.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The Skull - 1965 UK
Look at this cast! Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Patrick Magee, Michael Gough. Man, it's like a who's who of British horror cinema. Based on a story by Robert Bloch, the skull of de Sade wrecks havoc on curiosity collector. Classic British horror, very nice. Rent and watch with family.
Week of May 30 through Thursday June 5, 2008
Friday & Saturday, May 30-31, 2008
Legend House Double Feature
Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism - 1967 aka Blood Demon
Chris Lee! And that is the only remarkable thing about this movie. Oh, and the title. A great title. And an unremarkable movie. The disc has a commentary by two people who's names I barely caught, Chris D. and Wyatt. Neither involved with the movie, or a real movie expert. There was, however, a surprisingly good discussion of historical details of actors and crew. So it turned out to be more engaging than the movie. Which was a good watch, don't get me wrong. Just nothing to write home about.
Death Smiles On A Murderer - 1973 Italian
Directed by Aristide Massaccesi, aka Joe D'Amato. So you know it's gonna be sleazy fun. And there's everybody's favorite madman, Klaus Kinski. And what we have a serious WTF movie. If you like that kind of thing, and lean towards the Giallo, then you ight enjoy this. I, on the other hand, who usually like Giallos and WTF, did not. KK couldn't save it.
Commentary is by the same guys as above, and is similar to the first, except they liked this movie for all the reasons that I hated it. Go figure. That's why I say that if you like the ingredients, you might like it. Others obviously do. Me, not so much.
There was also the usual Johnny Legend interviews and stuff about the movie that are usually worth the price of admission. Johnny's a hoot, and he does tend to interview, however poorly, folks who know a thing or two about these movies.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The Witch's Sabbath - 2005
Although it's from Brain Damage films (know for bringing us the goriest stuff available) and has lots of blood, it's really more like a film from Retro-Cinema. It has Syn DeVil, and tons of fake blood, but no gore, so the only thing it's missing is Misty Mundae.
National Treasure 2 - 2007
Hey, it's Alicia Coppola from Jericho. And that Buckingham Palace guard, that's Peter Woodward who plays Galan the Techno Mage in B5. As the to movie itself, it's an action movie. Turn off brain and enjoy the ride. Don't be looking for anything else. You'll only come up empty. But as action movies go, especially ones that feature one of the worst actors of our age, Nicolas Cage, it's pretty good.
Commentary is by director Jon Turteltaub and actor Jon Voight (who is MUCH more talented than Nicolas). Some tech, some behind the scenes, but WAY too much gushing about the actors. The most interesting thing is that although this is a big budget Hollywood movie, the script was unfinished when they started shooting. For a movie this big, that is insane. I can't believe that a studio, especially Disney, would even let them start until everything was locked down. Unbelievable.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Decadent Evil 2 - 2007
Well, it's got really expensive looking and sounding credits. And we have boobsign! At last! Been a long, dry spell. I'm disappointed that the dwarf character of Ivan is no longer Phil Fondacaro, but is now played by Ricardo Gil, so isn't nearly as good.
Once again, as in the original, the music and credits are the high point. Plot and acting are usual Full Moon level, cheap but entertaining. And the boobage was nice.
Extras are the best point of this movie. First, we have the auditions of all the women playing strippers in the movie, who all work at a tittybar in Little Rock, Ar called Visions. Nice work when you can get it, Charles.
The second extra is a Battle of the Bands, also shot in Little Rock, at a club called Vinos. All the music in the movie is by local metal bands who battled it out one night to get into the movie. And I've never seen so much Pabst Blue Ribbon tall boys being consumed. Wow. What a crowd. I didn't know there was an intersection of redneck and heavy metal. Shows you what I know. Obviously it's alive and well in Little Rock.
Finally, there's a Stories from the Making of. Not very good, really. Kinda dull. The strippers were the highlight of the disc, followed closely by the Battle of the bands.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
War of the Worlds 2 - 2008
If there was ever any doubt that I'm a glutton for punishment, this movie proves it. Yes, I actually rented and watched the sequel to the terrible C. Thomas Howell version of War of the Worlds. What is wrong with me?
The ship designs are actually cool, but they don't look like they're there. I don't know if its shadows, or too sharp or what. But they just don't look real. Other than that, the plot is a little better than the first. It's novel, anyway.
Other extras include a Making of that's short and not so good. Nothing of any detail. Then there's the Magic of C. Thomas Howell. Criss Angel he ain't. Although the nickel trick was pretty good.
Goliath and the Dragon - 1960 Italy
(were sword and scandal movies made anywhere else?)
This movie features the cheapest 3-headed fire breathing dog ever filmed. It is the highpoint in an otherwise dull, painful, terrible, dreadful movie. What could have helped this disaster? Well, boobage would have been a good start. And a plot. And characters you give a shit about. O, wait, did I say that out loud? Sorry.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tripping the Rift, The Movie - 2007
Good, funny, too short. And still too censored. I really wish that Showtime or someone would pick this up, and they really ran with the raunchy. Okay, I just want to see Six's titties, but still...
Only extra is the Captain's Log, which is a Making of. It's super short too. What a rip-off.
Mars Attacks - 1996
I picked this movie up for a song at a CVS, believe it or not. This is classic stuff. Tim Burton is a genius. Alas, it's not a good as it could have been, but it's better than I remember it being. Not sure why I was so disappointed by it initially. Maybe because, it too feels restrained. It just seems like it could have really let loose, but someone held it back. Don't know, can't put my finger on it.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The Necro Files - 1997
Okay, so we're in Violent Sh*t territory here. Orange blood, impossibly still alive characters, etc. But like V.S., it has more "You've got to be kidding me, I can't believe I'm seeing this" moments than you can shake a stick at. Baby doll as a real baby flying thru the air attacking people, zombie rape, etc. Yeah, it's got it all. Only the hardcore need apply. I, however, being the sick individual that I am, enjoy'd it.
Necro Files 2 - 2003
No flying baby doll, but more blood and nudity, including full beaver shots. Gotta like that. Otherwise, more of the same as our insane heroes continue to battle the forces of evil (and their own internal demons).
Legend House Double Feature
Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism - 1967 aka Blood Demon
Chris Lee! And that is the only remarkable thing about this movie. Oh, and the title. A great title. And an unremarkable movie. The disc has a commentary by two people who's names I barely caught, Chris D. and Wyatt. Neither involved with the movie, or a real movie expert. There was, however, a surprisingly good discussion of historical details of actors and crew. So it turned out to be more engaging than the movie. Which was a good watch, don't get me wrong. Just nothing to write home about.
Death Smiles On A Murderer - 1973 Italian
Directed by Aristide Massaccesi, aka Joe D'Amato. So you know it's gonna be sleazy fun. And there's everybody's favorite madman, Klaus Kinski. And what we have a serious WTF movie. If you like that kind of thing, and lean towards the Giallo, then you ight enjoy this. I, on the other hand, who usually like Giallos and WTF, did not. KK couldn't save it.
Commentary is by the same guys as above, and is similar to the first, except they liked this movie for all the reasons that I hated it. Go figure. That's why I say that if you like the ingredients, you might like it. Others obviously do. Me, not so much.
There was also the usual Johnny Legend interviews and stuff about the movie that are usually worth the price of admission. Johnny's a hoot, and he does tend to interview, however poorly, folks who know a thing or two about these movies.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The Witch's Sabbath - 2005
Although it's from Brain Damage films (know for bringing us the goriest stuff available) and has lots of blood, it's really more like a film from Retro-Cinema. It has Syn DeVil, and tons of fake blood, but no gore, so the only thing it's missing is Misty Mundae.
National Treasure 2 - 2007
Hey, it's Alicia Coppola from Jericho. And that Buckingham Palace guard, that's Peter Woodward who plays Galan the Techno Mage in B5. As the to movie itself, it's an action movie. Turn off brain and enjoy the ride. Don't be looking for anything else. You'll only come up empty. But as action movies go, especially ones that feature one of the worst actors of our age, Nicolas Cage, it's pretty good.
Commentary is by director Jon Turteltaub and actor Jon Voight (who is MUCH more talented than Nicolas). Some tech, some behind the scenes, but WAY too much gushing about the actors. The most interesting thing is that although this is a big budget Hollywood movie, the script was unfinished when they started shooting. For a movie this big, that is insane. I can't believe that a studio, especially Disney, would even let them start until everything was locked down. Unbelievable.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Decadent Evil 2 - 2007
Well, it's got really expensive looking and sounding credits. And we have boobsign! At last! Been a long, dry spell. I'm disappointed that the dwarf character of Ivan is no longer Phil Fondacaro, but is now played by Ricardo Gil, so isn't nearly as good.
Once again, as in the original, the music and credits are the high point. Plot and acting are usual Full Moon level, cheap but entertaining. And the boobage was nice.
Extras are the best point of this movie. First, we have the auditions of all the women playing strippers in the movie, who all work at a tittybar in Little Rock, Ar called Visions. Nice work when you can get it, Charles.
The second extra is a Battle of the Bands, also shot in Little Rock, at a club called Vinos. All the music in the movie is by local metal bands who battled it out one night to get into the movie. And I've never seen so much Pabst Blue Ribbon tall boys being consumed. Wow. What a crowd. I didn't know there was an intersection of redneck and heavy metal. Shows you what I know. Obviously it's alive and well in Little Rock.
Finally, there's a Stories from the Making of. Not very good, really. Kinda dull. The strippers were the highlight of the disc, followed closely by the Battle of the bands.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
War of the Worlds 2 - 2008
If there was ever any doubt that I'm a glutton for punishment, this movie proves it. Yes, I actually rented and watched the sequel to the terrible C. Thomas Howell version of War of the Worlds. What is wrong with me?
The ship designs are actually cool, but they don't look like they're there. I don't know if its shadows, or too sharp or what. But they just don't look real. Other than that, the plot is a little better than the first. It's novel, anyway.
Other extras include a Making of that's short and not so good. Nothing of any detail. Then there's the Magic of C. Thomas Howell. Criss Angel he ain't. Although the nickel trick was pretty good.
Goliath and the Dragon - 1960 Italy
(were sword and scandal movies made anywhere else?)
This movie features the cheapest 3-headed fire breathing dog ever filmed. It is the highpoint in an otherwise dull, painful, terrible, dreadful movie. What could have helped this disaster? Well, boobage would have been a good start. And a plot. And characters you give a shit about. O, wait, did I say that out loud? Sorry.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Tripping the Rift, The Movie - 2007
Good, funny, too short. And still too censored. I really wish that Showtime or someone would pick this up, and they really ran with the raunchy. Okay, I just want to see Six's titties, but still...
Only extra is the Captain's Log, which is a Making of. It's super short too. What a rip-off.
Mars Attacks - 1996
I picked this movie up for a song at a CVS, believe it or not. This is classic stuff. Tim Burton is a genius. Alas, it's not a good as it could have been, but it's better than I remember it being. Not sure why I was so disappointed by it initially. Maybe because, it too feels restrained. It just seems like it could have really let loose, but someone held it back. Don't know, can't put my finger on it.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The Necro Files - 1997
Okay, so we're in Violent Sh*t territory here. Orange blood, impossibly still alive characters, etc. But like V.S., it has more "You've got to be kidding me, I can't believe I'm seeing this" moments than you can shake a stick at. Baby doll as a real baby flying thru the air attacking people, zombie rape, etc. Yeah, it's got it all. Only the hardcore need apply. I, however, being the sick individual that I am, enjoy'd it.
Necro Files 2 - 2003
No flying baby doll, but more blood and nudity, including full beaver shots. Gotta like that. Otherwise, more of the same as our insane heroes continue to battle the forces of evil (and their own internal demons).
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