A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2007). Really good Cronenberg about what might be a case of mistaken identity...or not. Viggo Mortensen is excellent here. ****

Johnny Frank Garrett's Last Word (2016), directed by Simon Rumley.
Inner Demons (2014), directed by Seth Grossman.
Dead Awake (2016), directed by Phillip Guzman.

Hereditary, 2018 - 9/10
Suspiria, 2018 - 7/10

Both rewatches. Suspiria is beautiful and for the most part engaging, but is let down by excessive time spent on side plots and historical context that in no way relate meaningfully to the main story.

Hereditary has, in my opinion, only one flaw, which is Gabriel Byrne's weak father character who seems very one dimensional for such a complex, thought through film.

Suspiria had me perplexed at first, but i loved the way that it pulled together as it went. the extraneous content may not have been there to support the plot but it very much added texture and pacing.

Lilja 4-ever, 2002. 9/10

Director: Lukas Moodysson






@suicide room, 2011. 9/10

Director: Jan Komasa

https://66.media.tumblr.com/63577645...9ebb3d2c3e.jpg


Mandragora, 1997. 9/10

Director: Wiktor Grodecki

https://66.media.tumblr.com/29f087e6...83744ca2de.jpg

I felt like having my heart ripped out and my guts spill to the floor...

Such amazing but devastating cinema.

BREATH AKA RESPIRA 2019

A man moves his family to a small village to take a job as a crop duster but things just dont work out.

It was ok. Not scary. Thought i might see some mutants. Didn't.

Ghostland (2018), directed by Pascal Laugier.

Based on the title, I expected a typical ghost story and I was wrong. There is an eerie tone present from the beginning that grabbed my attention. The story shows us how we can create different realities to ease the pain. It's surely disturbing and quite intense. I'm sorry for the actress, Taylor Hickinson, who was facially disfigured during the shooting and now is permanently scarred. However, I must say, her acting was convincing and it was one of the factors that makes this movie truly creepy and hopeless.

Terminator 2.
I've been showing my young lady these, we've got her to the point she'll actually sit through things, so why not.
She actually had her first like outright emotional response to a movie, of course, the thumbs up scene.
So anyway...if you haven't got it...I'd suggest a BluRay pick up right now.
The "Brand new Digital Restoration" one.
I'd seen a special edition directors cut thing before that had a couple of extra scenes thrown in.
This one comes with the "extended special edition" version.

For starters, from my childhood to now I still find this a phenomenal film that hit heights far higher than anything to follow it...It had been a good 8-9 years since I'd seen it last, so it was somewhat fresh again which was cool.
I don't need to throw in any more about this. It's Terminator 2.

Though yeah...the version we watched with the (even more) extra scenes integrated into the film was amazing. The stuff that was missing...I get how sometimes people hate directors cut versions or watch extras and go "I get it", and it's easy to see why some things get left out for pacing etc.
Not in this case.
Maybe it was a budget thing? Bit of both? Maybe considered "too much" for an action film? Who knows.
But the stuff is good.
There was even an alternate ending or, extra bit...which actually ends the movie, and franchise pretty well.
Maybe that's why they didn't go with it...

Anyhow look, if you like the movie, see this version.
I think it makes for a richer film experience and a slightly more emotionally weighted storyline.
Showing it's age a little to be sure, but it's still Cameron at his best.

[

Watched the new CHILDS PLAY.

I'd kind of dreaded it a little bit...the originals were something from my childhood that kind of stuck with me, well, at least the first two.

I'd heard a lot of negative stuff about this one - and didn't have a great deal of interest in seeing it, but saw that it was on Amazon and figured I'd check it out.

I thought it was ok.
It's definitely not as dark/mature in content as the original was, and there was a bit more emphasis on comedy.
Fair enough, that didn't make it shit, just different in tone.
On its own I think it's some competent entry level horror, and maybe that's what worked against it in perception...that they made it kind of attached to this franchise that it barely resembled aside from "there is a doll of some description".
I thought it was funny that the machine seemed to enjoy taunting people a little bit as well.

It's...yeah as I said above...it's ok.
It's not a bad film, and while I don't see anyone thinking it was better than the original, I'd caution not to judge too harshly prior to seeing it.
It was not un-enjoyable.

My only issue...the thing I found missing, was the thing it did differently.
There was no actual personality...it was just a malfunctioning unit, with a few personality traits that were part of the same malfunction.

There was...just...not enough evil...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcGLveebwjo

THIS CHRISTMAS (2007). Extended family, with all sorts of drama get together for Christmas. At first, this just seemed to be SOUL FOOD lite, but does pick up and not bad with good performances. ***

[Rec] (2007), directed by Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza.
[Rec] 2 (2009), directed by Jaume Balagueró, Paco Plaza.

I just like [Rec] so I rewatched the two parts recently.

Devil's Pass (2013), directed by Renny Harlin.

It kinda reminds me of Chernobyl Diaries (2012). It was pretty good, though the second half of the movie was a little bit disappointing.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
6/10

Seemed like required reading in Star Wars history. This stuff happens, it's in the Star Wars universe, it's homage to the originals. I was mildly curious to see what happens, but didn't care much, and it took two sittings. Just doesn't have much heart to it. People forget what Mark Hamill did for New Hope.


The Death of Stalin (2018) Netflix
8/10

The leaders of the Communist Party jockey for position after Stalin dies. It's an insightful funny parody. Folks with background knowledge will enjoy the most, it doesn't really hand-hold the audience for everything, which helps maintain the 4th wall. Cast includes Steve Buscemi, Jeffrey Tambor and Simon Russell Beale.


The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) Netflix
6/10

Kids find a book describing invisible creatures in the forest outside, and a mean creature wants to know the secrets in the book. This was hard to watch, as it's so banal. It's the movie you've already seen a million times with the names changed.


American Experience: Ruby Ridge (2017) 60mins Netflix
8/10

Very concise American Experience documentary on the Ruby Ridge incident. It covers what you need to know. It has first-hand interviews and actual footage without being slanted to one view. It's entertaining.

What, fucked up his face?

His face got fucked up after New Hope. New Hope is clean. ::big grin::

The Boy (2016), directed by William Brent Bell.

Finally, I managed to watch this movie as each previous attempt was a failure. I dunno why, at first I thought it would be boring and predictable. I've never been a big fan of the supernatural sub-genre so I approached The Boy with reluctance. Now I must say, the setting and the doll itself surely do a good job of creating the gloomy atmosphere. The plot twist was, if I may say so, quite smart and surprising... but I have the feeling that it was flawed in some ways. Overall, the movie was entertaining and refreshing and the sense of suspense and eeriness was maintained throughout the entire film, so I would recommend this dark movie to people who like "supernatural-like" flicks... as I can't help it was a little bit of a letdown for me personally. I mean, I wasn't bored but I also wasn't delighted. I know there's the second part, Brahms: The Boy II and I would willingly watch it, just out of curiosity.

Insidious (2010), directed by James Wan.
Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), directed by James Wan.
Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), directed by Leigh Whannell.

I watched it expecting some scares but nothing more... Wrong. It was surely scary (possible due to the loud music), but also intriguing. I simply like the character of Elise Rainier - such a fun woman (there's a better term, I suppose ::wink::). The third part looked quite cheap compared to the previous ones and was quite plain, IMO.

The turning

Penance Lane, 2020. 7/10

Director: Péter Engert





This was kinda dumb, but then it wasn't. ::love::

This the one with the wrestlers? Just started watching it.

“Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpions Revenge“ 7-8/10

Animated.

Started out strong, with a brutal first half that had me believe nobody was safe, but later on, sadly, turned into the first Mortal Kombat movie, with one fight followed by the next. That would have been sweet had it been a live action movie, but as an animation it gets a bit repetitive and dull. BUT, it’s still a very well made animation with decent voice acting and a good potion of humor mixed in with the Fist of the North Star kind of movie. Yes, it’s bloody.

I also saw that one, and didn't even expect it to be anywhere near as good as the original, like it's not, but I still enjoyed that one. It is definitely entertaining with some killer looking scenes. I also found the scene where the cheating father of two little girls gets it hilarious. I also found the scene where Chucky comes at him near the end, saying, "I'm your friend 'til the end!" intense and killer looking. Overall, it's entertaining and in great picture quality with some killer fx, and better than a lot of the other remakes, despite the last part is not always saying much. I found this one and the "It" remakes two of the few remakes from recent years that are actually good. ::danger::

The Day The Earth Stood Still Remake
 

This is another remake from the past decade that actually turned out to be pretty amazing and overall well done, unlike a lot of the other remakes from this century. It starts off with good tribute to the original with its opening logo looking like the original's. The actors and actresses also did very good jobs at developing their roles perfectly. Each character was also developed real well. There is a lot of heart and emotion in this film with the main character trying to connect with her stepson who lost both of his real parents at a very young age, and is still getting to know his stepmom, who is now the only one with custody of him. Their relationship develops as the main alien takes them on a field trip to different places where the aliens have secret bases, and even helps them to understand each other better as they go along. There are also a lot of intense scenes with the military trying to shoot down the alien towers, only to be unsuccessful at their attempts. Just like the original, the aliens feel the people need to be more at peace with each other or to be destroyed as to be a threat to all of the other species on the planet and to the planet itself. Not only is the story and plot well developed, but it is also in great picture quality with very amazing effects throughout the whole film. It also has a touching ending that I won't describe in detail to avoid any spoilers for those who haven't already seen it. Overall, this is a good horror/sci-fi film, and worth a look to fans of the genre. Fans of the original should not be that disappointed either. ::danger::

Jurassic Park: this is how it's done.

Sure, some stuff may feel a bit cheesier now and the hacking stuff is probably horrendously dated. But the first moment when the dinosaurs come out... Phwoa...

And Jeff Goldblum is always a win.::cool::

Asmodexia (2014), directed by Marc Carreté.

Another take on the exorcism story. The film director's intention was to make the movie that will stand out from other supernatural flicks, I suppose. IMO the movie was killed by the soundtrack. I had the feeling that the music didn't match the picture. There are some "scary" moments in the movie, but all of them lack strong climax, highlighted by something as trivial as slightly loud music. The other thing is that Asmodexia focuses too much on the theological considerations of Eloy and Alba which somehow kills the whole dramaturgy on which the film primarily was based.

Funhouse (2019), directed by Jason William Lee.

One of the main roles fell to Valter Skarsgård (that face... surely very similar to his brother, Bill... Pennywise comes to my mind). The acting in this movie is full of pathos and gushiness, for which, paradoxically, the nice counterweight is almost statuesque style shown by Valter. There is some tension and conviction about the inevitability of the painful end of the characters, who despite quite unconvincing acting creations, can be liked. I heard somewhere that it's truly a social media horror showing desensitization of people in the era of the Internet. Well, we are witnesses of moral decay as we watch how citizens all over the world decide the destiny of reality show participants for fun.

Clay, 2007. 7,5/10

Director: Ron Bonk


https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....ZL._SY445_.jpg

Attachment 19668
John Wayne is a great anxiety reducer during this time. Hummable theme by Elmer Bernstein and eye-popping cinematography by Lucien Ballard (who helped revolutionize the American western a few years later with The Wild Bunch) a big plus.

PUMPKINHEAD II : BLOODWINGS 1993

Pretty lame.... Pumpkinhead walked around sounding like a dinosaur.

::big grin::

Netflix:

Moonwalkers (2015) - 5/10
"A brain-addled war vet, a failing band manager and a Stanley Kubrick impersonator help the CIA construct an epic scam by faking the 1969 moon landing. Starring: Ron Perlman, Rupert Grint". A bit aimless at core without being funny.

War Horse (2011) - 5/10
"Young Albert enlists to serve in World War I after his beloved horse is sold to the cavalry. Albert's hopeful journey takes him out of England and to the front lines as the war rages on." Nice direction, but mostly rather a bore.

Extraction (2020) - 7/10
"Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth), a fearless black market mercenary, embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he's enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord." Nicely shot with well choreographed action. Has some heart and purpose to it, though rather unrealistic.

The Ritual (2017) - 6/10
"Following the sudden, violent death of their best mate, four young men reunite for a hike through the Scandinavian wilderness. Deep in the black, Nordic forest they find themselves lost in a hell of sinister nightmares and pagan sacrifices. For these ancient woods are home to a malevolent deity which will force them to face the darkness inside themselves." It's alright. Not much depth, reason and lacks commitment; it's not at all original to horror fans. But decent production value, acting and direction.

Terrible Angels (2012), directed by Anthony Pierce.

I watched it because of some good reviews. Could be better as the concept is compelling and quite unique, I guess. Sadly, the acting is wooden and the action develops so slowly that it almost drove me nuts. The fact that it is hard to find a similar movie is the only thing that works in favor of it. Well, at least I haven't seen anything alike.

Sorry, I couldn't help but laugh. Such a funny description. ::big grin::

No worries! I loved the original Pumpkinhead. In this one, he was lurching around like a velociraptor. Sad.

Extraction, 2020. 6/10

Director: Sam Hargrave



Some brutal scenes but mostly the same old song and dance.

I thought I reviewed Devil's Pass here. I guess it was on the HorrorDVDs forum. I agree that the second part was when the movie started to collapse. I recall not liking the ending. I'll search the other forum and see if my review is over there.

Edit - Found that review.

http://horrordvds.com/community/thre...49#post-840895

I saw The Boy. I can't remember if I reviewed it. I remember that the twist was like another fairly recent horror movie with a teen girl alone in a house in California.

This review of The Boy II is probably more entertaining than the movie. I probably won't watch the sequel.



I need to start this series again. People love these movies. I barely remember the first one.

I once saw Roger Corman explain his rational on the Dinocroc-series. Can't help but think that the producers of Jurassic Park/World follow a similar logic. ::big grin::

The trailer looks pretty terrible. Good call.

The original Jurassic Park was good. Not great, but certainly entertaining. The first sequel was not at all as good, but still fairly entertaining, as the characters were familiar but lacking. Story was lacking in all the sequels, becoming characters trying to get from one place to the other for the whole film, that gets boring.

i thought the first one was great.
If you saw it when it was released ... it looked like nothing that had been done before .. you believed those dinosaurs were real.

the problem with all the sequels is that they followed a cookie cutter formula they made no attempt to deviate from.

A newer more dangerous dinosaur, kids in trouble.

Agreed.

Agree with you 100%

Extraction 6/10

I would have found it much more entertaining had the lead actor been Jackie Chan or Scott Adkins. All the action was just... meh.

i enjoyed it for what it was .. i would have hated it if jackie chan was in it ..
Ive only seen him play the brooding serious action hero in one movie .. most of the time - as likeable as he is - his acting is painful and his martial arts are more like circus tricks than martial arts.

there wasnt much to Extraction except for a pretty cliche narrative and video game violence - but it looked great and moved at a good pace. and the performances/locations/cinematography were all very good.


but no no no to Jackie Chan :)