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The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)
Great Kid-hood Memories with this One :'}
The Legend of Boggy Creek - like so many 'cult classics' - is a great example of how a film can carry a low critical rating and still be awesome.
I remember seeing this film in Roger's Theater in the (then little) town of Poplar Bluff, Missouri - the nearest town to where I grew up, in very wooded, lakeside, Wappapello. So, I actually DID live in the same sort of woodsy, lakeside spookiness setting the film. Where I grew up, the word 'neighbor' meant the 'nearest house' and often you couldn't see their lights - or they may even be a nervous flashlight-trek through the pitch-black woods and along lonely, moonlit, gravel roads - and if the Fouke Monster happened to be tearing you apart out behind your place, they MIGHT hear your loudest screams. Probably not - and definitely not, if he got INSIDE.
My pal and I got brought into town by my Grandma and dropped off outside the Roger's that night. Having been lured-in by the short, terrifying trailers on TV, we anxiously bought our tickets and headed for the center-front seats, shoving and prodding each other over our mutual certainty that the other would get a scare that would make him pee his pants.
I can still remember ourselves - along with many others - cringing and ducking through several parts of this movie. As far as me and Bruce were concerned, to our eleven-year-old brains, the (then novel) documentary-like presentation and 'I-Sweah-Befo'-Gawd-Awmitey' testimony just seemed ALL too plausible - and real. We both KNEW people like those!
Leaving the theater in shudders from flashes of snarling memories - and a new and real dread of returning to the remoteness of where we both lived - we climbed into the big, crimson-velor back seat my Grandma's Delta 88, wordless and white. To us, that Fouke Monster was REAL - and not only that, but it - or one just like it - could easily be living in the endless woods behind our very own houses!
This film is a treasure for several reasons, not the least of which is the nostalgia it will hold for those of us to who got to see it at that perfect, naive age when it hits a kid exactly the way it was intended to - it's the perfect 'scary movie' for preteen sleepovers.
I can watch it now and roll my eyes, of course, but, when I reminisce back to that darkened, all-enveloping theater, so many of us gasping, crying out, grabbing our armrests and jumping in unison - and the nighttime nervousness for a week, afterward... it still makes me smile. :}
Into the Storm (2014)
Awesome CGI; Just Awesome.
Not bad. This movie wins more than it loses for me - but then, I ended up watching it mostly for the CGI and action sequences - since all the sappy dialog and touchy-feely stuff was a bit o.t.t and overdone for my tastes, thus, my rating's propped-up by the peerless effects work. Method Studios hit it out of the park. Sadly, I watched this from closeup on my half-decent Samsung monitor in a darkened room and was STILL really impressed - I can imagine what seeing this on some big-a$$ed flat panel or theater would be like, lol. Heck, in fact there were a couple of times I caught myself crunching down with the people on the screen as the world and structures around them began being pulled apart.
The tornadic, wind, electrical, fire, and sound effects were all breathtaking. Best storm effects out there; if it was an element, it was in this movie and in it big. Again, Method knows their stuff.
I should, however, also note that pretty much ANY fan of AMC's 'The Walking Dead' will be momentarily yanked from the film's current situation EVERY, SINGLE TIME Ms Sarah Wayne appears. Sorry - most of us will forevermore only be able to see Her as 'Lori'.
There was a fair amount of silliness straight from the Implausibility Generator, but I ignored it and instead just drank in the marvelous effects it wrought. And you should, too. Watch this one with the lights and distractions down, the phones or speakers up and a bowl of popcorn handy.
-- Oh; and yeah, there IS a cow. --
The Walking Dead: No Sanctuary (2014)
Mere Words Can't Even Get Close.
The wait was long; but I'd have waited twice as long and STILL not felt in any way cheated! WHAT a masterpiece! From the very first scene until the post-credits-teaser, I couldn't take my eyes or mind off the screen.
For this, particular series', I always wait to watch until my DVR has it and when I can set aside some Dead Time to watch without the hassle of sitting through commercials. MUCH better that way, imho.
This episode was - hands down - the best thing I've seen on television this year. I must be very careful, lest I spoil, but suffice it to say that your emotions will be pinged around like a pinball the entire ride, and will run the range from stark, seat-gripping apprehension through visceral disgust to - well, YOU'LL see.
It was, in a word, Perfection. Not a single thing to pick at. Not one.
This episode deserves every award available.
Stripteaser (1995)
Memorable - But Could Have Been SO Much Better..
The late, great Rick Dean carried nearly the full weight of this film, imho. Other than he and Lance('C-C-C-C-Carey') August, the entire cast needed changing. Kinda-pretty Maria Ford's acting was as stilted and amateurish as ever - and She clearly needed cast against a stripper's pole about as much as Mr. T does. Now, I cherish all Women and especially pretty Ones in high heels and lingerie - perhaps even more than most guys - and I was let down to see Her as the lead. I mean, Ms Charlize Theron would have been WAY more fun to watch in a strip club than Ms Maria ever could be - AND they surely could have afforded Ms Charlize easier, back then - of course, in '95, She was only 20. But, nearly any Pinup from back then would have done this movie much better than our Ms Maria was able to.
HOWEVER - I DID enjoy it, I'll NEVER forget it. If you can yawn past Ms Maria's halfhearted performances on both the pole and Her dialogue - as well as tolerate the hokey directing - it's actually a damn cool film.
It's also got several chuckle-moments in it, too - i.e. Rick's clumsy entry into the club - that was worth a few rewinds, right there, hahaha!
-Just focus on Rick's character (he's topping his game, here) and the strippers (other than Ms Maria, hehe) and you'll be fine.
In a nutshell: This is a flawed-but-memorable film; a fun, dark, attention-holding watch.
Stretch (2014)
I gotta say; I really enjoyed this.
I just don't get the mediocre ratings I'm seeing for this one. I thought it was a perfect action-comedy - right up there with 'The (original) Hangover', 'Horrible Bosses' and the like.
Here's how it hit me..
Story: Tight, to-the-point, succinct and actually, pretty plausible. Pace: Fast from the first few seconds, then damn-near unrelenting. Stunts, Effects, Makeup & Camera-Work: Top-shelf. Characters: Believable and uncomplicated by too much 'back story'. Acting: Each-n-EVERY actor in this film displayed their awesomeness. Predictability: You NEVER knew what was coming next. LOTS of surprises. Oh - and nice ending, too.
Viewer discretion: This is definitely a film for grown-ups. LOTS of drug use and some mild nudity.
My head's still spinning down. What a fun flick. Not familiar with much of the director's work, but this was cool.
Robot Combat League (2013)
I Gotta' say: I *LIVE* for Tuesdays
OK; listen-up, all you haters: first off, you need to stop whining and whimpering about how this ain't 'Real Steel' (NO KIDDING - WE AIN'T THERE YET, HELLLLO..). But, if you'd just quit crying long enough to wipe away and see through those impatient-little-boy tears, you'd see that you ARE witnessing its birth in this wicked-cool and (for the most part) well-thought-out series. Those who still want to sniffle need to just step-off and go watch something lame and adolescent-boy-targeted like reruns of the little, remote-controlled, bumper-car-action of 'Robot Wars' or some such. Because, honestly, RCL is AWEZOM. The robots are BOXERS - simple as that. So, take this unique and incredibly-cool series for what it is: Rockem-Sockem' for grownups... and the DAWN of the eventual reality of 'Real Steel' robot combat. BE PATIENT AND ENJOY WATCHING THE EVOLUTION - for, surely, this series will be remembered as its BIRTH.
The attraction (for me) is in picking my favorite team and rooting them onward through each, subsequent battle. Being a born-again, Gaea-worshiping, Female-adoring, radical Eco-Feminist means that I cannot help myself but to cheer for those teams being rightfully led by the Gals.
In fact, I wouldn't doubt that MOST of the reason all these waa-waa-boys are *REALLY* sniffling is because it's totally possible (and perhaps even probable, hehe) for a five-foot-tall, ninety-five-pound Woman to use Her superior intellect and intuition to whoop-ass on some big, beasty MMA/Olympic boys. And sadly, most boys cry when Girls beat them. But I *like* that, muhahaha ;) As for the contestants, they're OK - although it IS kinda difficult for me to identify TOO closely with Intel employees and NASA scientists (i.e., I'd like to see more 'regular' people - like myself - as contestants; peeps who could otherwise likely never HOPE to see $100k in their miserable lives, lol). Heh; I'm pretty sure that designer-guy of the Mars CURIOSITY rover never struggles to choose which two to pay among his rent/food/car bills the way we normal, recession-pounded people often must.
Aside from that, (and a tidbit of annoyance with the show's current 'bit-more-talking-than-punching' format), I hereby wish this outstanding series (and it's progeny) at least twenty more seasons of TRUE, robot-battle carnage - different robots and jocks/techs but the same, basic format. Change little other than new and identifiable contestants and new/improved robots and I'll watch those twenty seasons, I promise.
SYFY scored a KO with this one. Among the best things on TV these days... imho.
Oh; and I've never been 'into' any sport, really - until THIS.
Outlander (2008)
An Under-Appreciated Gem
For what this movie is, it's horribly underrated. In fact, for what this movie is, it's awesome. Actually, I WOULD have granted it a 9, but for only a couple of reasons. I might breech the spoiler-clause by telling you one of them, but suffice it to say it has to do with repetition - and the other would have to be a little bit of foot-dragging in the script - but not much.
But these minor flaws easily fade next to all the Good Stuff in this movie... The plot; the casting; the acting; the costumes; the sets; the choreography; the action; the stunts; the camera-work; the lighting; THE CREATURE and SFX... ALL top-shelf. Yeesh, I could spend the whole review praising any one of them. Notably, the creature/SFX talent they had working on the film deserve definite kudos. There is a balanced amount of gore in this movie, I might caution, and it looks 'good' and by 'good' I mean, pretty convincing. There were lots of closeups and even a decapitation - and all were done with the skill and 'just-enough-to-look-real' finesse of true professionals. Those who have seen this will know what I mean when I say that the Lighting Effects during the creature scenes were mesmerizing.
Yeah, there were some funny goofs - such as the 'Magic Horse-Blanket' and the 'Vanishing Extra' and silly moments, like free-climbing a rock-face in a 30 pounds of wet, slippery studded-leather whilst deftly wielding a 15-pound longsword and continuing to free-dive for minutes after exhaling a gallon of bubbles - but those sorts of things are in every, comparable movie.
And, despite its dashes of superfluous/over-the-top dialogue and somewhat jerky pace, it held me for the entire ride.
Lastly, one thing to remember before reviewing this film too harshly: imo, NOT ONLY does it stand up well against any of today's efforts, but the technology and knowledge they had access to make this movie with was whatever was available and current leading up to its release of '08 ...and all in - according to IMDb - only 82 days of filming.
Under-appreciated, imho. Because - in my book - it's up there with my faves of the genre; the originals Predator, Terminator & Alien.