Category Archives: Uncategorized

LADY IN A CAGE – 1964

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Sickening 1960’s precursor to the “Saws” and “Hostels” of today’s sadomasochistic cinema.  An invalid gets trapped in her elevator after an electrical mishap shuts off the power in her house.  It’s not long after this that a collection of cruds break in to her place and indulge in unpleasant behavior.  A wino, a floozy, and a trio of psychotic hipsters make the place their own and spread the mayhem.  James Caan in an early, evil role.  Shot in very bland, claustrophobic black and white.  You’ll feel damaged by the time this thing is done.

ALIEN 3 – A NEW DIRECTION

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Alien 3 is not my favorite entry in the Alien film franchise.  After the kinetic pace and firepower of “Aliens” before it, this tale of the Ripley character marooned on a planet serving as a prison for male only inmates who have no access to guns, explosives, etc. was, to say the least, a letdown.  It was also in this David Fincher directed piece that people started fucking with the alien character itself.  We started to see the alien hybrid creature emerge which is meant to add to its character development as it can’t speak and deliver lines of a script.  In my opinion, it adds no interest to the story to see an alien burst out of a dog and to try and pick out the new features particular to this unholy mating.  LAME! Let’s also not forget that two pivotal characters from “Aliens”, Hicks and Newt, didn’t even make it out alive from the crash of the escape shuttle on the prison planet!  It was a very messy creative decision but that is how we started “Alien 3”.

It was thus a very pleasant shock to find out that Neill Blomkamp, director of “District 9” and “Chappie” fame, has been tinkering with a storyline that will follow on after the events of “Aliens”!  It will be like “Alien 3” and (the dreadful, don’t get me started, another review maybe?) “Alien Resurrection” never existed.  Hicks, at least, will live to face another alien challenge!!!  Blomkamp is not releasing a lot of details but Ridley Scott will be producing the new film and Blomkamp is writing and directing.  What an amazing development in my favorite film franchise!

REVENGE – 1990 – (NOT A DATE MOVIE!)

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Two of Hollywood’s most beautiful stars at the time, Kevin Costner and Madeline Stowe, engage in an illicit affair in this Tony Scott directed film.  The scorned husband of Stowe, Anthony Quinn, uncovers the truth and orchestrates an unremittingly grim beat down upon the two lovers.  Shockingly violent and ugly, this is a movie plot conjured out of nightmares and grim fantasies.  There are no hero saves the day moments in store, just a final, sickening realization within the main characters that maybe it would have been better to have just stayed the course and avoided the ruination of their lives that took place after engaging in the affair.  Another in a long line of movies that I have no desire to view twice.

HOLLOW MAN

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This updated retelling of “The Invisible Man” saga starts out promising enough.  A scientist donates his living body to his experiment and ends up turning invisible.  The trick is in finding a way to get him back to the plainly visible.  As the experiment goes awry, there is a momentary feeling of desperation for the scientist’s plight.  No solution seems to be forthcoming.  But that is where the dread ends.  Sanity fades and the scientist ends up going a little batty and begins to luxuriate in the mischief and misdeeds available to him if no one can see him.  Before long, he is completely following his own agenda and his fellow researchers become mere fodder for his evil acts.  The last quarter of the movie becomes ludicrous as the above averaged brained scientists commit the most stupid acts imaginable and completely play into the hands of the unseen menace.  In other words, a lot of these characters are there only to contribute to the body count.  This movie truly sinks into a formulaic chase/action picture and I can honestly say that I didn’t care if any of these saps made it out alive.   Check out the remake of “The Fly” for a memorable “mad scientist” flick.

LEONARD NIMOY R.I.P. – INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)

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It is with a heavy heart that I comment on the passing of our very dear friend, Leonard Nimoy.  Nimoy proved to be a man of many talents.  Among his accomplishments were successful turns as actor, director, writer, singer, and photographer.  We all best remember him for his iconic portrayal of the Vulcan First Officer aboard the starship Enterprise, Mr. Spock.  The “Star Trek” role endeared him to fans and established his place as one of the most beloved fictional characters in the history of, well, the world!  Nimoy’s work as psychologist Dr. David Kibner in “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is to me a beautiful showcase for the actor.  I find his character to be one of my favorite parts of this movie.  Seek out more of Leonard Nimoy’s artistic contributions.  It is fine work indeed.

CREEPSHOW – “SOMETHING TO TIDE YOU OVER” SEGMENT

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My favorite episode from the cinematic horror comic, “Creepshow”.  This movie captured the flavor of horror comics infamously represented by the line put out by EC Comics in the 1940’s and 1950’s.  There are flourishes of garish, saturated colors which permeate several chapters of this episodic anthology and some transitions from live action to cartoon graphics.  Genre heavyweights George Romero of “Night of the Living Dead” fame and writer Stephen King lent their talents to the weird goings on here.  This clip details a murderous act of revenge enacted by a jealous husband upon his unfaithful wife and her lover.  The tide turns on the husband as the recently deceased refuse to stay settled in their watery grave and reappear in a rather grotesque, bloated state to return the favor.  Nice acting turns by Leslie Nielsen and Ted Danson.  Nielsen losing his mind when confronted with the undead is rather affecting.

THE ENFORCER – 1976 – TRAILER

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There has been a lot of discussion lately involving Clint Eastwood’s new film, “American Sniper”.  But Eastwood has had a couple brushes in the past with sniper related elements in his movies.  “Dirty Harry” featured a psycho killer who dispatches a lovely swimming in a pool from long range with a sniper rifle.  “Joe Kidd” contained a character who uses a high powered rifle with a scope in the Old West to pick off victims.  “The Enforcer” was the third picture in the “Dirty Harry” series.  It ends up that Eastwood’s unorthodox cop, Harry Callahan, resorts to utilizing a laz rocket to annihilate another psycho villain who has kidnapped the mayor of San Francisco.  The dilapidated prison setting of Alcatraz is where the “hit” goes down.  We get the sniper’s point of view as Callahan sights in his prey and blows him to smithereens.  For what it’s worth.

A COLD NIGHT’S DEATH – 1973

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A disquieting tale of the destruction of a remote research station by unknown forces.  The culprits are right under our noses but we don’t find out until the very end of the movie.  Dread and paranoia in abundance as Robert Culp and Eli Wallach attempt to put a halt to the rapid erosion of the human community at a snowbound scientific research center.  Will they find a solution in time?  Similar surroundings and situation to “The Thing” but without an other worldly threat.  An ABC Movie of the Week entry.

FAIL SAFE (1964) – TRAILER

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The Americans’ air defense system blows a gasket and a group of six bomb carrying jets is instructed to drop their payloads on Moscow.  It is all a computer mistake but one that the US cannot put a stop to.  The President’s solution to appease the Russians is far fetched and more than a bit absurd.  Suspenseful and tense though the majority of the film making may be, I can’t buy the ending.

BAD HAIR IS A GIVEN…

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I was looking at the Phantasm (1979) trailer and I noticed actor Angus Scrimm, who played ungodly ghoul “The Tall Man” in this series, and “rocker” Gene Simmons of KISS band fame seem to share a few common traits.  Check out Phantasm, the movie, and see if you can name a few similarities.  Just thought of another one!  Both are curators of an interdimensional collective of freaks!  Heres the Phantasm trailer link: http://youtu.be/nJojkFFUsdo

LEVIATHAN TRAILER – 1989

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An oceanic mining team is coming to an end of a long tour of deep water duty.  It is their misfortune to stumble upon a sunken Soviet ship close to their base of operations.  Seems that there were dubious genetic experiments taking place aboard the Russian ship that led to its being sunk my the mother country.  Our ever resourceful American divers are able to “tap” in to the remnants of the experiment and find that a couple of their crew members become infected with a nasty gene altering material. It isn’t long before it is a battle between humans and decidedly non-human, monstrous offshoots. “Leviathan” was a movie that appeared in the late 1980’s along with “The Abyss” and “Deepstar Six” to form a mini cycle of sea monster movies that found their inspiration from “Alien”.  Peter Weller leads the ragtag cast of actors who make a last stand against a rampaging monster while their evil conglomerate sponsors topside delay any efforts at rescuing their hapless charges.  Sounds a little like “Alien” to me.