mgmarshall
Junior Member
@mgmarshall
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Post by mgmarshall on Mar 15, 2021 17:21:14 GMT
Critters Attack!Welp, this was pretty much a waste of my time. It was dull, uninspired, and fairly tame. (The made-for-TV qualities are strong on this one) The cast of children and teenagers range from competent to annoying. Dee Wallace is fine, despite the movie completely wasting her presence. I did enjoy that they primarily went for practical effects instead of CGI, and the Critters puppets used here are pretty good. They try for that 80's throwback aesthetic here and there, but it's pretty half-assed. Overall, it just didn't leave too much of any impression. As I do not have Shudder, I guess I won't be seeing that Critters: A New Binge series they did... I guess I have not missed out on much, this time either. Had the film it my hands, during one of my visits to the only official movie and music store left in my city, last year, but I felt it was too pricy and I could do much better. So I ended up with Knives Out and the last Rambo movie instead, which I thought was a pretty good purchase. Maybe, if Critters Attack! arrives at Netflix or something, then I could be "tempted" to check upon it, but still, I doubt it. Would rather re-watch the original series, at least part 1, 3 and 4, as I did re-visit the second one for not that far ago, but we are closing down to easter, and it is one of the few horror films I can think of, which seems to fit well with that time of year, and a real good movie as well. Oh, yeah. Ya gotta love that Easter Bunny attack.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Mar 15, 2021 20:34:19 GMT
Oh, yeah. Ya gotta love that Easter Bunny attack. That Easter Bunny sure knew some slick moves: Kind of remind me of the hilarious little rumba-dance moves, Doctor Needleman puts in, when Belial suddenly decides to drop by for a little catch-up, with his former family doc:
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Post by lostinlimbo on Mar 15, 2021 22:12:03 GMT
Screamers (1995) by Christian Dugay Seen it once or twice before, but kind of wanted something within the world of 90s sci-fi/action-thrillers last night, at least to get me started up, and thought I might give this 1995 Peter Weller film another chance. For the first 40-45 minutes, I kept thinking to myself "Now why did I not rate this solid sci-fi film an higher rating that 6/10?", then sadly I realized that while the third and final part does not "suck", it still kind of falls flat, compared to the impressive, unpredictable and at times, very exciting and thrilling ride that Screamers start up with. Anyway, Peter Weller puts in a very good performance here, and he usually seemed to thrive within these kind of movie genre, the sci-fi and action part, and while few of his co-stars comes off as "likeable", I kind of felt the film hit off best, when it was just Weller and his much younger and naive marine side kick, along with those damn David's, who were some creepy bastards. Sadly, when things began to take off, a little too much, some very annoying newcomers arrives, and the Screamers as well, begin to reveal too much of themselves, and while I hoped for a bit more of the psychological paranoia "Who is the real deal, and who's not" the film seems to show too much, where I would have prefered the "less is more" style. Still, Screamers is a well worth a watch, and would maybe go very well along with Starship Troopers (1997) or Soldier (1998), as part of a little 90s sci-fi/action movie night. All in all, I really wanted it to keep on in the same style and pace as the first half, more of less, but when the film hit above the hour mark, I kind of knew why I have never rated it above a 6/10, which is still a good one, but not anywhere near a great one. 6,5/10Dead Man Walking (1988) by Gregory Dark Once I noticed that this film contained not only Wings Hauser, but also Brion James and Jeffrey Combs (here listed as Jeffery), then I guess my plans for which film to watch next, was not that hard to pick out, of all the potential ones from Youtube. It is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, where the plague has divided the rich, the poor and the unlucky ones, into different zones, and where those trapped among the poor and unlucky, are well, pretty much left on their own. Here, a certain new kind of "eccentric" behaviour, have started to settle into a few of the more extreme people, who realizes that instead of just awaiting a painful and horrible death, they will kill of time, and play some rather different versions of the russian roulette, and this is where Wings Houser comes in, as Luger. A man with nothing to lose, and he is convinced by a former driver (Combs) to a rich and wealthy businessman and his daughter, who were attacked by a ruthless criminal, known as Decker (James), who has kidnapped a young woman and set into the wasteland to cause total mayhem, and since the Police is of no use, Luger is the only one capable of helping out. I kind of liked this film, even if it does drag on a bit, here and there, and I would have wanted maybe a bit more night time scenes, rather than day time. Still, Hauser and Combs are a fun duo to watch, and Brion James delivers surely one of his most sadistic and nasty villains, I have ever seen, one that even tops Mad Max Cleaver Jenke, from House 3 (1989), or the Horror Show. 6/10
Final Jeopardy (1985) by Michael Pressman A surprisingly fun and well acted made for tv movie, where a naive couple of out of towners, arrive with bright hopes of landing a successfull job interview, along with doing some nice sightings in the big city. But sadly all they end up with, is an unpredictable nightmare, and as the day goes from bad to worse, it means everything from mean dogs and violent gangs are onto the them, and with little to no help from anybody else, this little "nice" trip into the big city, soon turns into a survival of the fittest, if they can hold out until the morning. Richard Harris and the beautiful Mary Crosby puts in some fine performances, as a young and naive couple from the countryside, who tries their luck in Chicago, but is instead swallowed up, by the chaotic and dangerous difference between daytime and night time, as the city changes from a crowded and fun place, into the complete opposite, and yeah, for a tv movie, this one was really good, one I would like to have a DVD of, if it excists. 6,5/10 Always been curious about the last two films... especially Final Jeopardy. Got it on my Letterboxd watch list. Was it on YouTube?
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Post by lostinlimbo on Mar 15, 2021 22:23:38 GMT
Critters Attack!Welp, this was pretty much a waste of my time. It was dull, uninspired, and fairly tame. (The made-for-TV qualities are strong on this one) The cast of children and teenagers range from competent to annoying. Dee Wallace is fine, despite the movie completely wasting her presence. I did enjoy that they primarily went for practical effects instead of CGI, and the Critters puppets used here are pretty good. They try for that 80's throwback aesthetic here and there, but it's pretty half-assed. Overall, it just didn't leave too much of any impression. As I do not have Shudder, I guess I won't be seeing that Critters: A New Binge series they did... I definitely agree on the use of practical fx. Looked decent for this type of production. I wish they had Dee Wallace as the lead. Odd she wasn’t playing the same character from the original. I could’ve done without the non-vicious Gizmo like critter. The backstory was cringe.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Mar 15, 2021 22:31:29 GMT
Very little to say here. A non-stop fun, and creative monster throwback. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward are a blast together. And the monster designs are truly wicked in design.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Mar 16, 2021 9:32:16 GMT
Always been curious about the last two films... especially Final Jeopardy. Got it on my Letterboxd watch list. Was it on YouTube? I think there are quite a few versions been uploaded, but where this restored version is most likely the best one. I hope you enjoy them, if you decide to give them a go, as Final Jeopardy was quite an midnite adventure, with solid performances and Dead Man Walking, well, worth to check up, for fans of Hauser, James and Combs.
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mgmarshall
Junior Member
@mgmarshall
Posts: 2,052
Likes: 3,304
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Post by mgmarshall on Mar 16, 2021 17:33:02 GMT
Silent Night Deadly Night 4: InitiationYou know, under normal circumstances, I would probably tear this one to shreds. It's only real creative impulse seems to be to try to gross the viewer out with bug puppets. But, after the wall of nothing that was Silent Night Deadly Night 3, hell, I'll take it. Sure, it has nothing to do with the first three (unless you wanna pretend that Clint Howard is playing the same Ricky, and he's not), sure its commentary on sexism is lame and ham-fisted, sure it regurgitates every cliché that every single coven/cult movie has done since Rosemary's Baby. But it at least has a bit of energy here and there, which is more than I can say for the previous one. Let's see, what else? Maud Adams is appropriately sinister as the head witch, some of the giant bug puppet are actually a little convincing, oh and Reggie Bannister of Phantasm pops up briefly. I love that guy. It's rather a shame the movie gives him f*ck-all to do, but still, he's there at least.
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Post by Prime etc. on Mar 16, 2021 17:42:12 GMT
Burn, Witch, Burn (a.k.a. Night of the Eagle) The audio commentary with Richard Matheson is funny-he keeps mentioning how creepy Margaret Johnston was: "That woman really looked nuts...She sure had a crazy look, that woman..I don't know how that guy could stay married to such a nutty looking woman all those years."
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Post by Captain Spencer on Mar 17, 2021 2:31:18 GMT
Arachnid (2001) An expedition team travels to a remote island to help out the villagers who are believed to be suffering from a pandemic outbreak, but instead the group encounters a mutant alien spider. I was thrilled to learn that Jack Sholder was the one who helmed this Spanish-produced sci-fi/horror outing, but as it turns out he wasn't firing on all cylinders like he was with The Hidden. But then again he didn't have a good script to work with in the first place. The result is mostly dull, predictable, and strictly routine. But I do give credit for the use of practical effects which weren't bad.
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Post by gspdude on Mar 17, 2021 13:45:02 GMT
The Dunwich Horror (1970) This film has been mentioned here recently, and not too favorably (deservedly) as I recall. This is one of those movies that I assumed I must have seen but hadn't, or I doubt I would have watched it again. Starts out like it may be interesting but goes downhill quick. The only actor I found reasonably convincing was Ed Begley, The victims all display standard stupidity, and the special effects are beyond cheap. The disappointing climax brought it down yet another ½ point. 3.5/10
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mgmarshall
Junior Member
@mgmarshall
Posts: 2,052
Likes: 3,304
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Post by mgmarshall on Mar 17, 2021 18:08:50 GMT
The OmenI've of course seen it before, but it's been quite a while, and it's always nice to revisit. It doesn't necessarily stack up next to The Exorcist or Rosemary's Baby, but this one still really holds up. Yes, it has some campier moments, but a lot of it is truly atmospheric and frightening. A large part of that is Jerry Goldsmith's masterful score, it's just a thing of perfection. The performances are great all around, but has there ever been a more easily unlikable child actor as Harvey Spencer Stephens? And I mean that as a positive thing. The little bastard just looks so damned evil. It's no wonder he never acted again. One thing I noticed on this viewing is just how 70's a lot of things in the movie are. I've never seen that remake, but it really makes me wonder how you could set this story in 2006 without changing the plot at all. You're gonna tell me that in a post-9/11 world somebody could just walk into a U.S. Ambassador's office and lock himself in without being shot by over-cautious Secret Service guards? And it's really hard for me to contemplate that safari parks like the one shown in the movie were even ever a thing. I realize that they were, but it seems like such a phenomenally stupid, dangerous idea to me. People should've gotten killed driving through those things. Hell, it's hard to believe nobody got mauled or killed while filming that scene.
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Mar 18, 2021 6:01:52 GMT
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Mar 18, 2021 6:02:40 GMT
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Mar 18, 2021 6:02:54 GMT
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Mar 18, 2021 6:03:22 GMT
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Post by Captain Spencer on Mar 19, 2021 2:31:58 GMT
Psycho Cop (1989) A mentally unstable police officer, who worships the Devil, stalks a group of college students vacationing in a house in the woods. Not much to recommend this cliched slasher which of course does bare a resemblance to the much better Maniac Cop, and it even rips off some scenes. But unlike Matt Cordell, the Psycho Cop talks and makes wise cracks when he does his killing. Some neat ideas and good direction, but lame dialogue and wooden acting keep this at the level of mediocrity.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Mar 19, 2021 2:55:08 GMT
Psycho Cop (1989) A mentally unstable police officer, who worships the Devil, stalks a group of college students vacationing in a house in the woods. Not much to recommend this cliched slasher which of course does bare a resemblance to the much better Maniac Cop, and it even rips off some scenes. But unlike Matt Cordell, the Psycho Cop talks and makes wise cracks when he does his killing. Some neat ideas and good direction, but lame dialogue and wooden acting keep this at the level of mediocrity. This one was a flat dud, but I definitely enjoyed the trashy sequel though.
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Post by Captain Spencer on Mar 19, 2021 2:58:53 GMT
Psycho Cop (1989) A mentally unstable police officer, who worships the Devil, stalks a group of college students vacationing in a house in the woods. Not much to recommend this cliched slasher which of course does bare a resemblance to the much better Maniac Cop, and it even rips off some scenes. But unlike Matt Cordell, the Psycho Cop talks and makes wise cracks when he does his killing. Some neat ideas and good direction, but lame dialogue and wooden acting keep this at the level of mediocrity. This one was a flat dud, but I definitely enjoyed the trashy sequel though. I was surprised to learn that there even was a sequel.
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Post by Prime etc. on Mar 19, 2021 5:45:48 GMT
THE MONSTER OF VENICE 1965 - Definitely hits the slasher vibe with a masked killer. Some creepy moments especially when the killer among some skeletons.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Mar 19, 2021 9:22:00 GMT
Psycho Cop (1989) A mentally unstable police officer, who worships the Devil, stalks a group of college students vacationing in a house in the woods. Not much to recommend this cliched slasher which of course does bare a resemblance to the much better Maniac Cop, and it even rips off some scenes. But unlike Matt Cordell, the Psycho Cop talks and makes wise cracks when he does his killing. Some neat ideas and good direction, but lame dialogue and wooden acting keep this at the level of mediocrity. I really wanted to love this, as I remember having heard about through the old Commandofans forum, or ManiacCopfans forum back in the day, and it seemed to have quite the following there, but when I finally managed to pick up a decent price (still ridiculously overpriced, that is ) DVD copy back in 2012, it ended up with me being screwed over, as it was not just pricy as hell, but also cut to pieces, or so I learned afterwards. The film was kind of boring, little that I actually remembered from that one time watch, but last summer I saw the sequel (believe it or not, they made another one) and I guess it was mostly the same crew who did one of those later Sorority Massacre/House sequels (was it Jim Wynorski?) and I actually enjoyed the ridiculous cheese that was Psycho Cop Returns, as it was just so much more fast paced and over the top.
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