Reviews

It may be nothing close to a masterpiece but it's sure a fun watch. Love the filming locations and the atmosphere of Autumn, and both James Brolin and Margot Kidder put on fantastic performances.

Most of the side characters were well-acted, too, but especially Rod Steiger as Father Delaney. Steiger's acting ability felt somewhat reminiscent of George C. Scott's role in Exorcist III in its intensity, but not quite on par.

And imagine my surprise when Murray Hamilton, who played Mayor Larry Vaughn in Jaws, showed up, also playing a priest, and once again performing the role of the downplaying jerk.

Anyone else wish they had a house like this? Minus the nastiness, of course...

It has been a long time since a film has conflicted me like this.

On one hand, while the overall concept is quite intriguing, the plot beats feel dull, even trivial, and the plot twists both predictable and boring.

On the other hand, the cinematography, the filming location and set and costume designs make for an incredibly beautiful viewing experience, and the dialogue writing is impeccable. And the cast is surprisingly stacked as all get out.

So The Village is far from being great... but one thing it isn't far from is entertaining.

I'm not that picky; for my time, entertaining is just fine.

The year 1981 is commonly revered among horror fans. Give it a quick Google and you'll see why, assuming you're in the dark on this. I definitely don't hear it mentioned as much as I used to. Perhaps taste is changing among the community. I wouldn't know; I still keep a list of flicks from '81 in a desk drawer and pull it out from time to time to remind myself to reach back and what to grab when I do.

Dead & Buried feels like a culmination of Stephen King and John Carpenter with a dash of Invasion of the Body Snatchers all wrapped up in a no holds barred slasher with taste and zero parody. To say it nails the landing would be an understatement. It builds and builds and builds prior to detonation in true suspense form, keeping you muttering questions until the very end. In a way, it feels like a longer, more gruesome Twilight Zone episode.

Looking for a double-feature idea this Halloween season? Pair this flick with John Carpenter's The Fog. They compliment each other quite well.

👍

Every year around October, whether or not I shoot for the 31 horror flicks in 31 days challenge, I always try to catch a few of my blind spots. This here is one of the more embarrassing ones; yes, I just watched Dracula for the very first time. Obviously, it was spectacular. Everything I'd hoped it would be.

Because I happen to own many of my blind spots on VHS, I decided to set my old television and VCR back up yesterday in preparation. I opened my 1993 Sears VCR, cleaned the heads with paper and alcohol, dusted it out, the normal maintenance to which VCR owners are accustom. I even played a couple of tapes in the background to ensure everything was running smoothly.

Then, today, I popped in Dracula. Kicked back with a cup of coffee and enjoyed the show. As the 'The End' popped up I started shimmying out from under the blankets, muttering to myself how I really should have watched this one sooner, and eventually knelt and tapped the 'eject' button. Then again, and again. And a few more times for... well, good measure, we'll call it, instead of frustration.

Alright, fine! I was frustrated. After all, I'd taken all the necessary precautions! But of course, this is old tech we're talking about... and you never know what it might do. Has a mind of its own, certainly.

Anyway, I got the trusty Phillips head screwdriver out and took her apart. Found the right gears. Turned them. Watched the tape rise itself up and eject while my index finger became covered in some ancient lubing. Cleaned the heads again, checked a few gears for cracks, found none, tried again and again and... Well, you get the point.

So that's that, I say, and go rummaging through the closets for a spare. I hook up the first one I find and she's dead as a doornail. Oh, well. The next I find, though, works like a charm... for now.

Thus commences my first day of October. Two VCRs headed for Salvation Army for someone more handy than I to tinker with, and one I'm putting an immense amount of faith in... because I think it's the last one I have!

Such a fun and unique setting for a zombie yarn. Chock full of gore and wild moments one's certain to never forget (can you spell eyeball?) leading up to one hell of a siege finale.

Just superb, really.

I respect it for what it is and its appeal to a certain audience, but I'm afraid I'm just not a part of that audience. Solid buildup to a lot of pointless meanderings. Wasn't for me.

I've dabbled in Wallace's nonfiction here and there over the years while Infinite Jest seemingly looms over me anytime I walk into my library. Daunting doesn't even begin to explain it, but I know someday I'll finally sit down and tackle it. It's just one of those books you have to be in the right frame of mind for -- going in with any hesitance is just a recipe for disaster. Or, you know, imminent quitting. So it sits there, slightly tattered from its previous owner and a little musky from its time in a used book store before I picked it up some years ago. Waiting.

Although his gargantuan, decade-defining novel sold well over a million copies, these days I think more people enjoy studying the writer rather than his work. Something about suicide just does that, I guess. Piques our curiosity. And by all means, End of the Tour will satiate. It's raw and well-acted and most of all satisfying. Both Siegel and Eisenberg did a fantastic job at bringing this niche tale to life. For what it is, I couldn't be happier with it. And I look forward to revisiting it, hopefully after having read both Infinite Jest and Wallace's biography.

Required viewing for anyone interested in the 2008 financial crisis, but it definitely drags at times and could have used some snipping/tightening throughout. On the contrary, the ending felt rushed and ultimately underwhelming. I do respect the decision not to fluff, though. This felt about as real as it gets.

Dude, I knew people who had NEVER owned a VCR in their LIFE and they STILL somehow had a VHS tape of Twister sitting around somewhere.

What the hell was the deal with that?

Sometimes these late 90s thrillers really, really catch you off guard. More ways than one, too. Didn't expect to be glued to my set nearly as hard as I was and I certainly didn't expect this flick to go as dark as it did. Feel like I need a bath after seeing this one.

And how about that cast lineup? Nic Cage, James Gandolfini, Joaquin Phoenix, Peter Stormare and, for just a moment, a young, barely post-Boondock Saints Norman Reedus. Wow!

This film reminds me a lot of J. F. Gonzalez's novel SURVIVOR, which came out just a few years afterwards; same subject matter, though admittedly handled with a little more care in the novel. (If you like this film, do yourself a favor and give it a read.)

Still, I thought this was amazing. Cage's stilted acting is very much present but not enough to deter. I highly recommend this one to anyone who can stomach the subject matter. And make no mistake... this one'll try to tie your guts in a knot before the credits roll.

Stellar cast lineup for this flick (I could happily listen to Tommy Lee Jones read a phone book), but ultimately feels a little dull. Still, I didn't hate it. "Painfully average," is the term I'd stamp on this one. Could have been much better.

Hadn't seen this one in YEARS and I'm thrilled to see how well it's held up. So many categorizations that this one falls under a classic for: the hang-out film, the coming-of-age tale, and even a definer of its decade. Truly great.

I am astonished that someone read this script and thought it was worthy of a $40 million budget. Perhaps more astonishing is that I sat through the entire thing.

Just awful.

Solid little documentary giving insight into the history of game shows in America. If you're something of a game show buff or just a casual fan, fret not, there's something here for everyone. Very insightful!

Jesus, what a cast and a half. And how about these filming locations? Just superb through and through. Shame on me for sleeping on this flick for so long.

This is about as good as romantic-comedies get -- not that I'm knocking the genre per se but they do tend to feel rather bland and formulaic at times.

I'll give anything a shot when Reiner's at the reigns, and this didn't disappoint in the slightest. Highly enjoyable.

Superb in every way.

I had no idea I'd love the duo of John Wayne and Dean Martin so much. What a pair.

And Walter Brennan (Stumpy), who I'd only known as the grandpa on The Real McCoys, was just hilarious.

This one's a classic for a reason.

Black Mass lays low in the glamorization department which, while probably purveying a more realistic tone in correlation to the actual events, does make for a sometimes-boring viewing experience. Still, I don't think it's nearly as bad as many make it out to be. I'm just not sure if Depp was the right choice to play Bulger.

The ending to this tale admittedly feels somewhat rushed, but nonetheless I was glued from start to finish. Haunted media is a favored niche of mine and it's rarely touched upon with any care or skill. While there are some hokey moments scattered throughout, there's evident meticulousness in regards to the subject matter feeling believable. Rope said great writing in with some great actors and eerie cinematography and you've got yourself a great time.

Highly recommended.

No doubt a hard one to pin down or put into words. All I can say is that I thought it was brilliantly insightful despite not caring much for the ending.

The most emotional entry into the zombie genre I've ever seen, with phenomenal breakneck-paced action to match and make for a truly exciting experience.

Highly recommended.

I'm always down for a good ol' obsession story and the plot synopsis for this one definitely sounded interesting, but this is just... really, really stupid. Talk about taking a fun idea and just wringing it dry of any potential.

Skip.

My star rating does not in any way reflect doubts of the scumbaggery that is Jimmy Savile... But I have honestly never seen a documentary with pacing as bad as this one. Get to the POINT! I didn't need every single one of this guy's accolades in great detail to understand he was an iconic figure. Seriously, this could have had a forty-five minute runtime and instead it borders on three hours. What a joke.

One of my favorite types of documentaries is definitely the "eccentric character study," and this entry is no slouch. I don't know whether to applaud or despise Landis.

I recommend it.