asianxcore

Founders Day (2023)

Easily one of the worst films I've seen over the past few years.

It couldn't even hold its legs being a mindless Slasher film.

asianxcore

Virus (1999)

If you can get through the film's challenging pacing and thin characterizations, John Bruno's FX work here is quite the reward.

asianxcore

Kittie: Origins/Evolutions (2018)

Decently made documentary on the London, Ontario heavy metal group that seems to purposely dodge answering any of the issues regarding line-up changes.

The surprising lack of archival footage of the band in their earlier days make it feel less interesting than it should be.

asianxcore

Argylle (2024)

Fun performances from Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell.

Usually, I enjoy how Director Matthew Vaughn's over-the-top choices but here it caused my interest to wane in the final third of the run-time.

asianxcore

Incantation (2022)

After watching Director Kevin Ko's Found Footage Horror film, it difficult to not be reminded of the similarities it has with The Medium (2021).

Both are absolutely terrifying films anchored in Asian Folklore but feel twice as long due to overlong run-times.

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Un Chien Andalou (1929)

When I'm craving a satisfyingly weird film, this one always hits the spot.

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Above The Rim (1994)

As an 11-year old, I can't think of a film I rented more on VHS than this one.

Although Director Jeff Pollack can't overcome the screenplay's cliches, performances from Leon Robinson, Duane Martin, Tupac Shakur make the film a breeze to sit through.

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Steel (1997)

Goofy, adorable and not nearly as awful as the reputation that precedes it.

Appreciate Shaquille O'Neal and the onslaught of free throw jokes

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Trunk: Locked In (2023)

Well-made single location Thriller from Director/Writer Marc Schießer.

The entirety of the film is anchored by a fantastic performance from Sina Martens but I couldn't but be reminded of better/similar films such as Buried (2010), especially after the film's first 40-minutes.

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Bones (2001)

Director Ernest Dickerson's film should be much more entertaining than the film result, which is a bit of a chore to get through.

At least Snoop Dogg, Pam Grier & Katherine Isabelle are in it

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Dead Silence (2007)

Although I absolutely love the Production Design, this film only serves as a reminder of how far Director James Wan & Writer Leigh Whannell have come since the earliest entries in their filmography.

JeffTheAlpaca

HBO

Not a big fan of these movies but since Kathryn Newton who is so hot was in it I gave it a chance.

It was shit.

asianxcore

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

Although this isn't one of Writer's Diablo Cody's best scripts, it's surprisingly lifeless.

My Boyfriend's Back (1993) had more energy than the entirety of this film.

asianxcore

Don't F*** In The Woods (2016)

Low-budget Horror film that definitely lives up to its title, featuring (seemingly) non-stop soft-core sex scenes and a mid-2000s Emo/Metalcore soundtrack.

Pretty inoffensive effort from Director Shawn Burkett.

asianxcore

New Jack City (1991)

If you leave out how hilariously miscast Judd Nelson is, Director Mario Van Peebles' debut remains one of the best Crime Epics of the 1990s.

It's a shame that nothing he directed after this film matched it potency.

DWilson

The Color Purple Max 4K
Fantasia Barrino. Directed by Blitz Bazawule. 2023
Musical adaptation of Alice Walker's novel about the lifelong struggles of an African American woman living in the South during the early 1900s.

I had originally intended to see this in the theater, as I usual do with most musicals. However, the theater chains in this area dropped their discount programs for the two weeks around Christmas, and by the time they were back in place, the film lost momentum and I figured it could wait. "The Color Purple" opened on Christmas Day, broke box office records and had good audience scores. Warner Bros was delighted and figured they had a hit on their hands. And then pretty much the next day the box office for the film fell off a cliff and it never recovered.

The musical numbers are dynamic and fill the screen. However, for me, the music and dance, -which include Broadway-style Fantasy sequences, -upstage "Celie", the central character of the story, and dilutes the drama just a little bit. The film improves greatly in the second half as Celie moves more to center stage and Fantasia is given some ballads to deliver. There are some very emotionally satisfying and redemptive moments in the latter half and the film leans into them.

Max includes the featurettes that are on the upcoming disc, but also has an hour-long "Making of" hosted by Oprah Winfrey, that, oddly, will not be on the 4K or Blu-Ray.

JeffTheAlpaca

I saw it in the theater and it was a good movie and it put Wesley Snipes on the map.

JeffTheAlpaca

1956

MGM+

DWilson

Dark Harvest Amazon Prime
Luke Kirby. Directed by David Slade.2023
In 1962 in a small Midwestern town, a deadly annual ritual unfolds when the mythical nightmare, Sawtooth Jack, rises from the cornfields and challenges the town’s teenage boys in a bloody battle of survival.

I didn't know until the final credits that "Dark Harvest" was directed by David Slade, a director whose work I've always enjoyed, including "Hard Candy" and "30 Days of Night". The film certainly has a creepy visual style, graphic violence, and occasional moments of effective Horror. However, the period look and feel is more costume party than convincing, and the plot begs a lot of questions it chooses not to answer.

DWilson

Sky Riders Shout Factory DVD
James Coburn. Directed by Anthony Hickox. 1976
When an industrialist's wife and kids are kidnapped by terrorists in Greece, the woman's ex-husband comes to the rescue with a plan involving hang gliders.

Back in the '70s, this was the type of B Movie you wanted on the bottom of the bill. Just look at that poster, -It's got a great recognizable cast including James Coburn, Robert Culp, and Susannah York and a clever, -very visual, - gimmick for an action film. However, the direction is rather perfunctory, content to just hit the action beats, and never gets the most drama out of the relationships or squeeze the maximum suspense of out the situation. I mean you've got James Coburn clinging to the villain's helicopter, and he doesn't try to commandeer the chopper, he just holds on for dear life, and then drops off when he's closer to the ground.

I was hoping to find an undiscovered gem, but that's just not the case.

JeffTheAlpaca

Netflix doc on Sylvester Stallone

JeffTheAlpaca

2013

"The rivalry between the manipulative boss of an advertising agency and her talented protégée escalates from stealing credit to public humiliation to murder. "

Maybe not one of Brian De Palma's best films but if you want to see Rachel McAdams in some hot scenes.

DWilson

The Watcher in the Woods you.tube
Lynn-Holly Johnson. Directed by John Hough. 1980
Also starring Bette Davis, Ian Bannen, David McCallum, and Carroll Baker.
When a family moves to a country home, the young girls experience strange happenings that have a link to an occult event years past.

This is a film that isn't currently on Disney+ (much like "Something Wicked This Way Comes"). I was surprised to find several versions uploaded to you.tube, some with the original ending, some with one or more of the alternate endings.

Back in the late '70s Disney tried experimenting with films with more mature themes, earning PG ratings (which was a big step for Disney at the time). "Watcher", -a Supernatural Suspense film, - immediately tanked at the box office and Disney pulled it and began re-tooling the film. "Watcher in the Woods" opened sometime later with a new ending (from a "ghost" director, appropriately enough), but it didn't make the film any more successful.

This was my first time watching it after being curious about it because of its checkered history. It's not a bad film overall, though it is very lightweight stuff. However, the ending is so out of left field that it just seemed ridiculous to me. I've watched both endings, -and I'm a little confused on which came first- and they are both kind of laughable. It's just that one involves a creature puppet that looks every bit like a creature puppet.

It did scratch an itch to see the film, though.

JANK

Godzilla vs Kong. Hmm better the 3rd time around.

Jaymole

Milos Forman's first American film. In style it is almost a continuation of the New Wave Czech films he made in the 60's. Very funny and maybe the best film I have see depicting the generation gap from that time period. There is a 20 minute sequence where parents are given pot & instructed how to smoke it that is the highlight of the film.