With our world’s current battle with COVID-19 on everyone’s mind, a lot of folks are looking back on similar storylines that occurred in works of fiction. I know there are a lot of examples but I will discuss “The Andromeda Strain” (1971), a big-budgeted science fiction film from the Seventies based upon the novel by Michael Crichton. It explored an alien virus piggybacking on a speck of meteor that ends up embedded in a space-borne satellite. The satellite crashes down near a small desert town. The natives naturally are curious about the object and examine it but not before getting [More]
When you get right down to it, there are a ton of potential choices for Halloween movie viewing marathons. For the sake of brevity, I am choosing just five selections which will still take you a good day to get through so plan ahead to take the day off from your work or school grind! Wolfen (1981) – a cop is assigned to investigate a series of animal attacks. Is there a pack of werewolves on the loose in modern day New York? Some creepy situations and a suspenseful story should keep you entertained throughout. Albert Finney and Gregory Hines [More]
I have given a minute or two of thought to what I would enjoy most viewing on Halloween. I would most definitely need to take the day off of work because this lineup would probably consume a good 10 hours. Sacrifices must be made! Granted this is the first of what may be a series of some of my most adored movies piled together in one marathon viewing. These movies are what came off the top of my head at the time and can definitely be mixed and matched and replaced with other selections. I think that makes sense. 5 [More]
A real creepy premise in this flick: giant, mutated ants are on the loose and stalking victims in isolated areas of the God forsaken desert! I bring you this cinematic, sci-fi gem because of a recent summer time invasion of the small variety of ants in our house in pursuit of the cat’s food. These little beasts are annoying enough in their present miniature state as they scamper in all directions as you try to eradicate their presence inside your home. In addition to the trouble of getting them picked up and removed, you get the sinister feeling that the [More]
Watching “The Mist” again recently got me to thinking about the original source material, Stephen King’s novella, and the faint memories I had of reading it. I watched the movie and then reread the story. The movie is very faithful to the story. But then there is that ending of the movie…. Once of the single most downer conclusions in popular culture storytelling, I would have to say. Granted, the scenario is imagined in the story but not actually executed. That grim prospect is dutifully carried out in the movie. Oh, it is an awful choice to go down that [More]
OK. Maybe the visual equivalent of paint drying at times but a genuinely creepy situation of some unknown creature baying in the woods. The second half, with the rocks being thrown, features some sort of grunting primate perhaps? I think I am glad that I didn’t get to see what was making all the racket. Sanity is a terrible thing to waste. Hehe.
An interesting article surfaced recently. Artificial Intelligence robots being tested by Facebook seemingly began communicating in a language that was indecipherable to the “experts”. Shocking!!! First off – are there any true experts on any subject, particularly concerning the medical profession, science, technology? The minute any absolutes or concrete data is laid out to demonstrate our understanding of how the body, nature or the Universe works, it can be retracted with a new theory or explanation to replace the old one. Oh, really? Why don’t the experts just admit that they are guessing and don’t actually really know shit? Wow. [More]
I like this talky, little tale of a group of characters trying to hole up in a cabin and ride out a nuclear holocaust. We see some stock footage at the start of this thing that compiles various angles of mushroom clouds. A prophetic voice over accompanies the footage. Great start! We get more rehashed, archive films of mountains, trees and the outdoors to enable the finishing up of the audio narrative. The folks who end up reluctantly spending time together are running out of space and time. Radioactive fallout may soon be encroaching onto their turf and the surrounding countryside is inhabited by [More]
What a cool concept! A haunted house walk through at Universal Studios in Hollywood of psycho Michael Myers’ various killing grounds. In this scenario, you go toward the hulking Shape and he and other scary figures jump out at you. No nasty slashing or blood spilling is involved. You may soil your shorts but at least you’re doing this in the dark. You may get away with no one seeing it.
Brief interview with the late Dennis Hopper discussing his troubled time on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now”. Listening to Hopper in this interview, it is amazing how much more lucid he was at the time as compared with his binging days of the Late Seventies/Early Eighties when “Apocalypse” was made. I highly recommend seeking out “Hearts of Darkness”, a documentary on the making of “Apocalypse Now”. “Hearts” includes a longer take of the snippet of Coppola trying to communicate with a seemingly deranged Hopper on the set of “Now” shown at the end of this interview. Coppola [More]
Interesting action/suspense/monster movie that at first appears to feature the messy handiwork of a werewolf on the loose in New York City. Albert Finney investigates a rash of gruesome murders and has to piece together what is causing all the havoc. Well shot cityscapes and some nice tension inducing scenes played out in some desolate, derelict locations around New York. Curious visual effects are employed here that are supposed to enable us to see the movie namesake’s point of view at various times during the film. Gregory Hines adds a nice turn as a member of the coroner squad. This feature [More]
A harrowing account of a collection of dubious characters involved in a drug deal that goes bad. A counsellor, in need of some heavy cash, agrees to go in on a deal with some of his drug connected buddies. Little do they know that they are being set up by a member of their inner circle. Visually stunning work with an equally stunning cast. Ridley Scott directs a cast that includes Michael Fassbender ( who took a turn as a sadistic artificial person in Scott’s “Alien” prequel “Prometheus”), Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz, and Javier Bardem. Incidentally, the screenplay [More]