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The Primevals AMC+ / Shudder
Juliet Mills. Directed by David Allen. 2023
When a group of explorers go in search of a yeti, they find themselves taken captive by an ancient race of alien creatures.

David Allen completed principal photography for his Stop-Motion Fantasy "The Primevals" back in 1994. However, a distribution deal for the film fell apart before he could complete the special effects. He would continue to work on the time-consuming animation off and on over the years, but he contracted lymphoma and died in 1999. Associates continued to work on the film whenever possible and producer Charles Band of "Full Moon" put together an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds to finally finish the film.

The film has the feel of Old School Family Adventure Films like Ray Harryhausen's "Sinbad" sequels or any number of SF TV series I enjoyed in The Seventies. David Allen directs in a very direct, no-frills style, -shots are expertly framed to tell the story, but he doesn't indulge in flourishes. Allen's stop-motion effects aren't as sophisticated as Ray Harryhausen's, but they are quite charming for the most part. Picture quality is excellent.

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Thanksgiving with dad meant watching an old western movie. This time it was:

Ride Clear of Diablo (1954) - Audie Murphy plays a man looking for revenge on the people who killed his father and brother. Along the way he becomes a deputy, befriends a laughing outlaw, and courts a beautiful young woman. The supporting cast includes some familiar faces of the era, including Jack Elam and Denver Pyle.

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A Million Miles Away - Michael Pena stars in this movie based on the true story of the life of José Moreno Hernández, who followed his dream to become an astronaut. This is a by-the-numbers, feel-good movie. It follows Hernandez's life from a child helping his migrant-worker parents pick fruit, to flying on a shuttle mission for NASA in his forties. I like Michael Pena, but he seems a little stiff at times in this role. I also question the choice to have Pena (at 48 years old) play Hernandez during his late teens and early 20s. Overall, though, this was a nice, uplifting, family-friendly movie.

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The Terminator Amazon Prime 4K
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton. Directed by James Cameron. 1984
In the year 2029, the ruling supercomputer Skynet sends an indestructible cyborg back in time to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, the woman who will birth its greatest enemy.

James Cameron's 4K discs of his earlier films have sparked a lot of on-line controversy regarding his intent and methods of restoring them. "The Terminator" was no exception, and it made me leery of buying the disc blind. I was satisfied with "The Abyss' for the most part, but I'm ambivalent about how "Aliens" turned out. Since Amazon has the new remaster, it gave me the opportunity to test-drive. Overall, I'd say it's attractive, -it's dynamic, it's detailed and it's colorful. On the other hand, it looks more like a movie shot digitally last year than a movie shot on film in 1984, and it bothers me a little. It's still a great film, though.

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Criterion. This has scenes that are as creepy as Peeping Tom but Hitchcock never got the blowback that Michael Powel did. I like that Hitchcock does his cameo in the first 5 minutes. Anna Massey was a terrific character actor and I always liked seeing her pop up in Midsomer murders or whatever. The movie could easily cut out half an hour.

On a somewhat related note involving the inspectors wife's cooking I once bet a friend that I would eat anything once. He prepared pigs feet with the hair still on and won the bet.

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The Strangers Chapter One Starz 4K
Madelaine Petsch, Ryan Brown. Directed by Renny Harlin. 2024
A young couple drive cross-country toward a new beginning; unfortunately, they have no choice but to stop in a secluded Airbnb in Oregon--and endure a night of terror against three masked strangers.

I appreciated the original "Strangers" (enjoyed seems like the wrong word). Moreso watching it a second time at home. I did not care for the sequel "Prey at Night". "Chapter 1" is Renny Harlin's reboot of the property, a trilogy of films shot back-to-back in Eastern Europe. The original struck me as a Home Invasion film, which I find one of the scariest genres, because it's something that could happen to any one of us. It could be happening next door to you right now. It could happen to you later tonight. "Chapter 1" tosses that away by setting the story in a cabin in the woods, turning it into more of a "Wrong Turn" Backwoods Horror movie. It runs through a litany of cat-and-mouse tropes, some of them work, some of them don't. There is never any explanation or backstory given for anything that happens and while that's meant to be scary, it just comes off as insulting, and, more importantly, it doesn't leave me anticipating "Chapter 2".

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April Fool’s Day (1986, Dir. Fred Walton) – Liked this more the first time I watched it. Can’t spoil too much regarding who the killer is, so all I will say is the movie has some kinda neat twists and turns, but by the end you’re just kind of shaking your head. Like, ummmmmm…that was different. It does have some good acting. I loved Amy Steel (from Friday the 13th Part II) and Thomas F. Wilson (from the Back to the Future movies) and the rest of the supporting cast is pretty good, in general. The gore effects are better than most. What’s most surprising is the complete openness when it comes to sexuality. Now most slashers of the era were packed with sexual innuendos, this is true, but this one is just teeming with sexuality. And it actually feels authentic. I was actually surprised by some of the language and slang phrases/terms that were used in the film, as other films “hinted” at such things but were NEVER so overt or obvious about them. That surprised me but I was okay with that. The other thing that really surprised me was that the direction by Fred Walton actually made this feel like an “A-movie” at times, and not a “B-movie”, like most slashers (or, for that matter, like a “C- or D-movie”). Some of his shots, especially around the lake, are quite simply beautiful. Him and his cinematographer did a great job. It’s just the logic of the whole thing that gets me. So…? I guess if you’re willing to check your brain at the door, it’s a fun, decent movie. You could even say it’s a better slasher than most. But is it on par with any of the classics of the genre? Hardly. But then again, oftentimes when you watch a slasher you’re just looking for a good time. Nothing too deep or serious. And in that regard, this one does deliver. (NOTE: the Scream Factory release is really lacking in the Special Features department but aside from the DVD, it’s the only way to get it on Blu-Ray. So maybe wait to get it on sale but don’t expect much more other than the feature film itself).

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The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist (1977, Dir. Umberto Lenzi) – The hot streak of the Severin boxset ended here. While it’s still a decent crime thriller, it’s nowhere near the quality of the previous three Lenzi/Milian collaborations. A little too humorous. A little too coy and straight-forward. And Milian plays more of a supporting role in this one, as an Italian gangster competing with an American Italian played by John Saxon, who is trying to move in and take over his territory. This one just kind of feels like it’s by the numbers; you can kinda predict exactly where it’s going and there’s not a lot of surprises along the way. The one upside is the score, which can be quite thrilling at times. Aside from that, it lacks the grimness and grittiness of the other films in the collection, and it doesn’t really manage to showcase Milian’s talent, aside from a few well-written barbs provided by the screenplay. Overall? Pretty mediocre.

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Not movie, but recently bought and watched today

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Upgraded from Scream Blu-ray

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2015

"An aspiring gangster, attempting to be somebody, sets out to fix the trial of mobster John Gotti. He believes that this is his route to the top of the world he is enamoured with, however, it does not go as he planned."


I don't remember this story being covered in the news or it was so remarkable they had to make a feature length film with a pretty good cast for something that was not really that special or interesting,

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Starz

2022

"The promising career of former Kansas City Royal slugger Willie Mays Aikens quickly turned disastrous because of drug addiction."

It was a ok inspirational story and happy for the real guy but the guy who played the lead was not a very good actor.

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Bad Dreams Shout! Factory Blu-Ray
Jennifer Rubin, Richard Lynch. Directed by Andrew Fleming. 1988
Lone survivor Cynthia Weston of the Unity Fields cult's mass suicide wakes from a thirteen-year coma in a psychiatric ward, where other patients suddenly start dying under mysterious and gruesome circumstances.

"Bad Dreams" is competent, the cast is good, and the script is sound (except for the labored ending), but it's just missing something. The plot is not dissimilar to "Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors" as it's set in a Psychiatric Ward, but that film had some fun and got creative with its dream sequences. It also had "Freddy Krueger" as its great, snarky villain. "Bad Dreams" is filled with gory scenes of suicide and self-immolation that are handled in an appropriately grim, straightforward way. Richard Lynch is "Harris", and he's effective as the villain in Cynthia's dreams, but it's a role he's played many, many times in any number of films. and he's mostly there to pop up every so often and be a creepy image. I'd give "Bad Dreams" a "B", -not a plus or a minus, just a "B".

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MGM+

Maybe the only bright spot was Christian Slater was in this.

Never was a big Tatum fan or thought he was a good actor but this was probably his best performance ever in a shitty movie.

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2023

HBO Max

Enthralled by her own imagination, 11-year-old Lacy spends the long summer at home with her mother [Julianne Nicholson] and three strangers."

It was ok but kind of slow

Elias Koteas was unrecognizable as the cult leader with the big bears.

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2024

AMC+

"An assassin on his last assignment travels to Fuerteventura to kill a man he's never met."

I liked this though the beginning is just Ian McShane walking around the city and locales and no dialogue but stick with it.

The was pretty good and Nora Arnezeder who is hot and tall thought she was a newcomer but she has appeared in other movies was good in this too.

You could do worse than spend 1 hour and 47 minutes or less with McShane.

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2022

Netflix

"Two sisters try to win over their terminally ill, difficult-to-please aunt in hopes of becoming the beneficiaries of her wealthy estate, only to find the rest of their greedy family has the same idea."

This movie was messed up :lol: but I thought it was hilarious though according to the reviews nobody else did.

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The story with the kid dribbling the basketball was good

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2008

"Martial artist Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) lives by a strict code of no competitions, for he feels that such contests weaken fighters. After saving a famous action star (Tim Allen) from a brutal attack, Mike takes a job in the film industry. He soon finds his personal beliefs and integrity on the line as circumstances force him to participate in a prize fight."

I wanted to love this movie but it was just ok.

David Mamet was a big deal but I don't think he has done any movies or TV shows in the last couple of years.

Maybe he is not in demand or retired?

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2024

Netflix

"Curtis and his family are selected to test a revolutionary new device, a digital assistant called AIA, that takes smart homes to the next level. As AIA begins to learn everyone's behavior and anticipate their needs, it soon makes sure nothing and no one gets in the family's way."

Don't remember that this got a theatrical release and probably disappeared quickly.

If John Cho was not in this I would have passed and the ending was dumb.

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2022

AMC+

"Guided by instinct and spectral visions, an ambitious writer and amateur historian defies the academic establishment to unearth Richard III's long-missing remains in a Leicester car park."

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2022

AMC+

James and Vanessa are ostensibly the perfect married couple. Their lives spiral out of control when they decide to seek justice against a neighbor (Justin Hartley) they saw commit a crime on the evening news.

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2020

Starz

"Molly and Abbey host a dysfunctional, chaotic, and comical Thanksgiving dinner with their crew of close friends."

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Subservience Netflix
Megan Fox. Directed by S K Dale. 2024
A struggling father purchases a domestic SIM to help care for his house and family, unaware she will gain awareness and turn deadly.

After watching "AfrAId" a few weeks ago, it struck me that while we're getting a lot of "AI" stories these days, they're not that different from the "Robot" stories we've been told since the beginning of Cinema. The same is true of "Subservience". It's satisfactory as a "Junk Drawer Sci-Fi" film, -very Netflix-y even though it got a tiny Theatrical release, -but it just doesn't know what it wants to be. It starts out as a probable near-future "Fear of AI" movie, then becomes a Lifetime "The Wrong Nanny" movie, and then out of nowhere it becomes a "Terminator" knock-off where Madeline Zima, -who's been frail the whole movie because of her heart condition, -is suddenly fighting off raging android Megan Fox. Some smartass has probably already said that Megan Fox as the "Alice the SIM" has finally found a role to suit her talent, but I was okay with her. On the other hand, I genuinely disliked male lead Michele Morrone, who seemed to be struggling with articulating his lines. When Netflix asked at the end if it was "thumbs up" or "Thumbs down", I had to take a minute.

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Out Come the Wolves AMC+ / Shudder
Missy Peregrym. Directed by Adam MacDonald. 2024
At a cabin deep in the wilderness, a weekend of hunting turns to mayhem and a fight for survival when a pack of wolves attack a man, his female best friend and her fiancé.

This one fooled me a little. The first half is a slow-burn Personal Drama about the new boyfriend, the old boyfriend, and the woman in-between. Tensions build and both men show their worst sides, and you know there's an explosion coming. However, midway through, the film turns into a Man/Woman vs Wolves Thriller. If you felt cheated by "The Gray" with Liam Neeson, I assure you "Out Come the Wolves" delivers on its promise. On the other hand, this is another film where the males are varying degrees of Toxic, but fortunately the woman is stronger than both of them.