What Films did You Watch Last Week (06/02 - 12/02) CLOSED

Hello again!

Sorry to say none of yours this week either.

Mine:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (Tobe Hooper, 1986)

The original Texas Chainsaw is an atmospheric horror film that is practically hard to watch due to the harsh bleakness of it. This is the exact opposite of the first movie. Here the realism is thrown out in favor of extreme over the top silliness. It’s crazy to think it’s directed by the same person as the first. Despite its extreme weirdness, it’s honestly so much fun. Not as good as the first by any means (arguably it’s not even really a good movie, it’s just a damn fun one) but I’d rewatch it. 7/10

Scare Package II: Rad Chad's Revenge (Various, 2022)

I wasn’t a big fan of the first Scare Package film, but I have a fondness for horror anthologies so I decided to give the sequel a shot. Well, it’s more of the same but much worse. The comedic aspects rarely work and the framing story is just a parody of Saw which goes on way too long. 3/10

The Foreigner (Martin Campbell, 2017)

Pretty decent movie starring Jackie Chan as a grieving parent who tries to find the names of the people who set off a bomb that killed his daughter. Slow, and not much in terms of Chan’s usual martial arts, but Chan gives a surprisingly good performance. 6/10

Point Blank (John Boorman, 1967)

A Lee Marvin movie that I was honestly completely unfamiliar with and after watching I don’t know how I missed it. This is a dark gem of a film with Marvin coming off absolutely terrifying in his role as a killer out for revenge. There’s some really creative shots and choices that keep the viewer questioning at times and that adds to it. Also, the scene where Marvin walks down a hall with those heavy footsteps is amazing. 8/10

Possession (Andrzej Zulawski, 1981)

Well... it’s a movie and I honestly don’t know what to say other than that. It feels like a movie I should have a strong reaction to. It feels like it should be a love it or hate it movie (and indeed that seems to be the case with most reactions I see). I’m completely in the middle. There are aspects that I really like and other aspects that I hate. The good bits are so good that I can’t loath the movie, but the bad bits really just make it where I can’t fully get into it. 5/10

Crippled Avengers (Cheh Chang, 1978)

Better than average Shaw Brothers martial arts film in which three young men are tormented by a martial artist and his son (One loses his legs, one his eyes and the other the ability to speak and hear). They learn from an old master to gain revenge. Some extremely well choreographed fight scenes.

Raising Cain (Brian De Palma, 1992)

Decided to watch another De Palma after really liking Dressed to Kill last week. This one was... alright. It was enjoyable (and reinforces that Psycho must be De Palma’s favorite Hitchcock film), but not quite as good. 6/10

Detention (John Hsu, 2019)

I've never played the video game this is based on, but I still feel quite safe in saying that this is one of the best (if not the best) video game adaptations I've ever seen. Taking place in Taiwan during the "White Terror," this film follows a student who has been taken prisoner by the government for being in a "subversive bookclub." After being tortured he begins having a nightmare of the school, where one other student is as well. Together stuck in this hellish nightmare/other dimension they have to piece together who informed on the book club and avoid the monsters seemingly out of their psyches. Again, I've never played the game, but there's a very Silent Hill feel to the entire thing, though executed better than the actual Silent Hill movie. Well worth a watch. 8/10

First Time Viewing

Formula for a Murder (1985; Alberto De Martino) - Unfairly neglected late giallo. The plot is nothing special, but it has great cinematography, is suitably creepy and the director makes the most of a hackneyed concept.
7/10

TV

The Strange Case Of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle (2005; Cilla Ware) - BBC movie about Arthur Conan Doyle and the motivation behind his decision to "kill" Sherlock Holmes. Well-made and well-acted, but it feels a bit like a retread of themes already covered in the series Murder Rooms.
6/10

Repeat Viewing

Scream (2022; Radio Science) - I gave this a second chance after hating it the first time around. This time I felt more invested in the plot, at least for the first half, but once they kill off a beloved regular character the entire movie turns to crap and the seemingly never-ending finale is terrible.
3/10

Speed (1994; Jan De Bont) - While it does have some typical 90s cheese, it still holds up pretty well.
8/10

Death Wish - 7.5/10

First Time Viewings:

Vacation (2015, John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein) – Netflix
5.5/10

Firestarter (2022, Keith Thomas) – TV
5.5/10

Repeat Viewings:

None.

TV Viewings:

Willow (2022) – Disney+
7/10

Death Wish - 7.5/10

First Time Viewings:

Vacation (2015, John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein) – Netflix
5.5/10

Firestarter (2022, Keith Thomas) – TV
5.5/10

Repeat Viewings:

None.

TV Viewings:

Willow (2022) – Disney+
7/10

Hello again!

Sorry to say none of yours this week either.

Mine:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (Tobe Hooper, 1986)

The original Texas Chainsaw is an atmospheric horror film that is practically hard to watch due to the harsh bleakness of it. This is the exact opposite of the first movie. Here the realism is thrown out in favor of extreme over the top silliness. It’s crazy to think it’s directed by the same person as the first. Despite its extreme weirdness, it’s honestly so much fun. Not as good as the first by any means (arguably it’s not even really a good movie, it’s just a damn fun one) but I’d rewatch it. 7/10

Scare Package II: Rad Chad's Revenge (Various, 2022)

I wasn’t a big fan of the first Scare Package film, but I have a fondness for horror anthologies so I decided to give the sequel a shot. Well, it’s more of the same but much worse. The comedic aspects rarely work and the framing story is just a parody of Saw which goes on way too long. 3/10

The Foreigner (Martin Campbell, 2017)

Pretty decent movie starring Jackie Chan as a grieving parent who tries to find the names of the people who set off a bomb that killed his daughter. Slow, and not much in terms of Chan’s usual martial arts, but Chan gives a surprisingly good performance. 6/10

Point Blank (John Boorman, 1967)

A Lee Marvin movie that I was honestly completely unfamiliar with and after watching I don’t know how I missed it. This is a dark gem of a film with Marvin coming off absolutely terrifying in his role as a killer out for revenge. There’s some really creative shots and choices that keep the viewer questioning at times and that adds to it. Also, the scene where Marvin walks down a hall with those heavy footsteps is amazing. 8/10

Possession (Andrzej Zulawski, 1981)

Well... it’s a movie and I honestly don’t know what to say other than that. It feels like a movie I should have a strong reaction to. It feels like it should be a love it or hate it movie (and indeed that seems to be the case with most reactions I see). I’m completely in the middle. There are aspects that I really like and other aspects that I hate. The good bits are so good that I can’t loath the movie, but the bad bits really just make it where I can’t fully get into it. 5/10

Crippled Avengers (Cheh Chang, 1978)

Better than average Shaw Brothers martial arts film in which three young men are tormented by a martial artist and his son (One loses his legs, one his eyes and the other the ability to speak and hear). They learn from an old master to gain revenge. Some extremely well choreographed fight scenes.

Raising Cain (Brian De Palma, 1992)

Decided to watch another De Palma after really liking Dressed to Kill last week. This one was... alright. It was enjoyable (and reinforces that Psycho must be De Palma’s favorite Hitchcock film), but not quite as good. 6/10

Detention (John Hsu, 2019)

I've never played the video game this is based on, but I still feel quite safe in saying that this is one of the best (if not the best) video game adaptations I've ever seen. Taking place in Taiwan during the "White Terror," this film follows a student who has been taken prisoner by the government for being in a "subversive bookclub." After being tortured he begins having a nightmare of the school, where one other student is as well. Together stuck in this hellish nightmare/other dimension they have to piece together who informed on the book club and avoid the monsters seemingly out of their psyches. Again, I've never played the game, but there's a very Silent Hill feel to the entire thing, though executed better than the actual Silent Hill movie. Well worth a watch. 8/10

Are you sure you are not thinking of A Goofy Movie? An Extremely Goofy Movie is the straight-to-video sequel.