Movies I Watched in December 2020

Date: 12/1/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray (Red Box Rental)
Fist Viewing

Note: I always been curious to watch this movie ever since it was first announced. I thought I might as well check it out after hearing good things about it. The DC animated movies (Not counting the Batman: Animated Series stuff) always been hit or miss to me. Some of them can be awesome while others can be forgettable or terrible. Thankfully, this movie was awesome. Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons is not going to win any major awards or will leave an impact in cinema history, but it's still entertaining nevertheless.

You get plenty of violence, blood, and guts that will please anyone who is into gory action movies. The action sequences are nicely animated and the brutal death scenes in the movie are well done. It's so much fun seeing Deathstroke slicing up his enemies like swiss cheese. The animation does feel a bit cheap at times, but Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons was never meant to be a movie in the first place. It was going to be a web animated series before those plans were canceled. It was never going to have a bigger budget like the other DC animated movies did. I still thought the animation was fine for what it was.

The voice acting is pretty good in my opinion. Michael Chiklis (the 2000s Fantastic Four movies) is nowhere as good as Ron Perlman when it comes to voicing Slade Wilson/Deathstroke, but he is still serviceable. I do like that they are able to keep the story nice and simple. Not every superhero movie needs to be a big long overblown origin story. I do like how they are able to use the themes of families to humanize Deathstroke to show that he is not totally evil. My biggest issue with this movie is that I do wish that they developed the other characters because some of them feel so one-dimensional. You have characters die in the story and you later find out that they are somewhat important out of nowhere. It leaves less of an emotional impact if you know nothing about them.

Overall, Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons is a fun movie and I do recommend it if you enjoy gory action movies or adult animation.

Date: 12/1/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't had the chance to watch the new 4K restoration from Blue Underground yet and I felt like tonight was the perfect time to revisit this movie. I haven't seen this movie in over 10 years and I was not sure if I will like this movie or not on a new viewing. After watching this movie again, I still enjoy it. Two Evil Eyes is hardly the best horror movie, but it's still a solid movie in my opinion. I was always a fan of this movie and I never get why some people dislike this movie.

You have solid performances from many great actors in this movie such as Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog), Harvey Keitel (Pulp Fiction), E.G. Marshall (12 Angry Men), Bingo O’Malley (Creepshow), Madeleine Potter (Slaves of New York), John Amos (Uncut Gems), Tom Atkins (Maniac Cop), etc. The special effects from Tom Savini are still awesome and they hold up very well. The makeup when Bingo O’Malley's (RIP) character is frozen is one of my favorite makeup effects in this movie because he does look like he has been frozen to death. The soundtrack for Dario Argento's story is awesome and I always love to listen to it after the movie is over.

The writing for these two stories are hardly perfect, but I still find them to be enjoyable. Both stories are entertaining with many interesting themes. In the first story from George A. Romero, you have a cool story that deals with someone who is dead in a hypnotic state. It always had a Tales from the Darkside episode vibe to it which is ironically enough seeing that Romero created that show. My biggest issue with the story is the pacing because it does take a while for the story to get started.

I do think both stories did a great job of creating eerie moments, and a chilling atmosphere. The second story in the movie is my favorite and is probably the best out of the two stories in my opinion. I always love the stylish look that the second story has because it almost has a similar vibe to Dario Argento's other movies.

Overall, Two Evil Eyes is a solid movie and I do recommend checking it out.

Date: 12/2/2020
Viewed: Netflix
First Viewing

Note: I have waited to check out this movie for a while now ever since I saw the trailer for it a few months ago. I do notice that people seem to be split on this movie. Critics really like it meanwhile people on IMDB and Letterboxd are so-so on the movie. After watching it on Netflix, I really enjoy this movie. #Alive is not as good as Train to Busan (Another Korean zombie movie with similar themes), but it's still a great movie in my opinion. In this movie, they have the main character being set in one location most of the time. Normally I'm not crazy about one location movies because they normally have characters doing nothing (Like Legion (2010) for example). However, this movie has plenty of suspense and emotion in the story that will have you on the edge of your seat.

I do like the two main characters and the journey that they have to go through to survive. It is also interesting to see how these characters have to interact with each other by being far away as possible. Funny to think that this movie almost represents the current world that we are living in with Covid-19. The special effects are not bad for the most part. The practical makeup and gore look pretty good meanwhile the digital effects look terrible.

Without going into spoilers, my biggest issue with this movie is that the movie's ending felt super predictable. You also have some scenes that felt very questionable. Even my suspension of disbelief has limits to it. I still recommend checking out #Alive when you get the chance.

Date: 12/3/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray (Scream Factory)
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie since I was a kid and I recently bought the Scream Factory Blu-Ray on Amazon during their Cyber Monday sale. Orca is not my favorite killer animal movie from the 70s, but I still consider it to be a decent movie. Scream Factory did a wonderful job of restoring this movie in 1080p in my opinion. The clear and crisp picture makes the movie more stunning to watch. This movie has plenty of wonderful nature shots which almost feels like a nature documentary at times. Richard Harris (Harry Potter 1-2) and the other actors did a good job with their roles. You even get to see Bo Derek (Tommy Boy) in her first movie role too.

I do like the story because it tries not to be a total Jaws (1975) rip off. In this movie, you have an Orca that wants revenge after his female partner was killed by the main cast of characters. You almost feel bad for the Orca and I honestly like the Orca better than the main cast of characters. My biggest issue with this movie is that I never like the main characters that much. It was more fun to see the Orca trying to kill the main characters instead of seeing the main characters talking to each other. I do think the special effects are great and none of the scenes of the Orcas look fake in my opinion. The music score from Ennio Morricone (RIP) is wonderful because it sounds chilling at times. Ennio Morricone was able to create a creepy and fun music score without trying to rip off John Williams's score from Jaws.

Overall, Orca is a decent movie and I do recommend checking it out if you're curious.

Date: 12/4/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: I was in the mood to watch this movie and I haven't seen it in a while. Blind Woman's Curse is not as good as the other movies starring Meiko Kaji such as Lady Snowblood (1973), but it's still a very good movie in my opinion. Blind Woman's Curse does a good job of mixing action, horror, drama, and surrealism into one movie. You even have funny scenes that actually work and don't feel out of place. Meiko Kaji is a total beauty in this movie and she totally steals the show. The story in this movie is super interesting and not boring at all. I really like how they handle the characters in this movie and you get a really cool rivalry with the two rival gangs.

The action sequences are awesome and you get plenty of bloody moments that will make action movie fans happy. Blind Woman's Curse is not as extreme as some of the other movies from Teruo Ishii, but you do get some graphic scenes that may make some people feel uncomfortable. The last battle in the movie is epic and it is easily the best part of the movie. Teruo Ishii also did a great job of creating a movie that is under 90 minutes and it does not feel rushed at all. He was able to keep the story moving at a nice pace and told a good story from start to finish. Hajime Kaburagi (Bad Girl Mako) is able to create a chilling music score that is also noteworthy.

The only thing about this movie that I didn't like is that I feel like somethings were not fully explain. I still recommend Blind Woman’s Curse if you are into Japanese cinema. I'm glad that Arrow Video is releasing more of Teruo Ishii's stuff to the western market.

Date: 12/5/2020
Viewed: TubiTV
Re-Watch

Note: It's a lonely rainy Saturday night, so I felt like this movie is a good choice to pass off time. I was going to watch The Last Drive-In episode, but it's not on Shudder for some reason (They have it under "This video is currently unavailable"). So I end up watching it on Tubi and the transfer is fantastic. I'm going to assume that they used the HD remaster from Vinegar Syndrome. I remember watching this movie many years ago on a VHS tape and it had scenes that looked so dark. It was so dark that you could not see any of the kills.

Madman is a fun 80s slasher movie, but I do think some people over-hype it. It's a fine movie, but I won't put it on my greatest slasher films of all-time list. The gory kills in this movie are awesome and the special effects are top-notch. For a movie that is almost 40 years old, they still look pretty good. I didn't mind the slow pacing because it helps create a creepy suspenseful atmosphere. This movie has a very spooky tone and it works so well with the movie mostly being set in the nighttime in the woods. The acting is fine for what it is. It's a slasher movie, so I'm not expecting any Oscar-winning material here. Both Frederick Neumann (The Prince of Tides) and Gaylen Ross (Dawn of the Dead 1978) are probably the best actors in the movie in my opinion.

The reason why I don't love this movie as most horror movie fans and grindhouse movie fans do is that I didn't find any of the characters to be very interesting except for one or two of them. Even for a slasher movie, I find them to be very generic and bland. I still recommend Madman if you are into slasher movies.

Date: 12/6/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First Viewing

Note: I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie, to be honest. Seeing that it's on Amazon Prime, I decided to give it a watch. I feel like Automation could have been a good or even a great movie, but it wasn't. The first half of this movie was pretty solid with the character chemistry between Auto and Jenny (Played by Elissa Dowling). You also have an interesting social commentary that deals with humans being replaced by robots and robots should be treated equally as human beings. They also did a good job of making Auto into a sympathetic character. It's not until later on in the movie when the story starts to jump the shark.

The movie would have worked better as a sci-fi drama movie that shows that robot rights matter and we should also let humans still work at jobs. The movie ends up being a boring and predictable killer robot movie that we have seen a million times before. The acting is passable for what it is. Elissa Dowling (Starry Eyes) is easily the best actress in the movie. Jim Tasker also does a solid job of voicing Auto and his voice really helps give the character a lot of personality to him. You also have a fun role from Graham Skipper (Bliss) that is also noteworthy.

I was not a fan of the dialogue in this movie because it felt very wooden at times. The special effects are not that great even for a low budget movie. I'm not expecting the movie to have special effects similar to big-budget movies such as Ex Machina (2015), but they still felt cheap at times. The body limbs look super fake looking and they even use a styrofoam door when Auto breaks through it. I do think the suit for Auto looks pretty good.

Overall, Automation is not a bad movie and I do appreciate the effort that they put into this movie. I recommend this movie if you're curious.

Date: 11/6/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
First Viewing

Note: I recently bought this movie on Amazon's Cyber Monday sale and I always been curious to check out this movie for a while now. I remember hearing bad things about this movie growing up from other horror movie fans and they told me to stay away from it. Seeing that the Blu-Ray was pretty cheap, I was like "Why the hell not". After watching this movie for the first time, I was like "Huh?". Cathy’s Curse is an interesting movie, to say the least.

The narrative makes no sense at all. I'm still confused about what happened during this movie. The actors in this movie have the tendency to overact and the dialogue is unintentionally hilarious. You also have so many bizarre moments in the movie that made me say " Wait, What?". This is a movie that you really have to see to believe. Trying to explain everything will ruin the movie experience for you.

I do think Randi Allen does a pretty good job when it comes to playing a child protagonist. You even have fun performances from both Peter MacNeill (Cinderella Man) and Alan Scarfe (The Wrong Guy) as well. The soundtrack is the best thing about this movie because it sounds so creepy. I'm glad that Severin was able to create a fantastic HD remaster because they are able to make a grindhouse movie from the 1970s look like a brand new movie as if it was filmed yesterday.

Overall, Cathy’s Curse is a fun bad movie and I'm glad to own it in my collection. I do recommend watching this movie for a bad movie night with friends. 3.5/5 stars for being so bad, it's good.

Date: 12/7/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: This is one of my favorite Dragon Ball Z movie along with DBZ Movie 1, DBZ Movie 5, DBZ Movie 12, and DBZ Movie 13. This was a movie that has grown on me over time because I used to not like it when I was younger back when it was on Cartoon Network 20+ years ago. I always like the story that this movie has because it has a cool and unique villain. One cool thing that I always love about this movie is that this movie was doing mad scientist creations before Toriyama came up with The Androids and Cell.

I end up watching the R2J release, which have much more accurate colors than the Funimation Blu-Rays do. It still bothers me that Funimation can never give Dragon Ball the proper treatment that it deserves outside of Japan. You get plenty of great animated fight scenes that still hold up. I also love the dark and snowy setting that this movie has. The best way to experience any Dragon Ball media is by watching it in Japanese uncut with the music from Shunsuke Kikuchi in my opinion. The Japanese voices and the music really makes Dragon Ball feel more authentic to its wuxia roots than any of the English dubs do. Nathan Johnson (Knives Out) did the music for this movie when Funimation redub all three DBZ movies back in the mid-2000s and it's not very good. I don't think anyone can really outdo Kikuchi's music in my opinion.

Overall, Dragon Ball Z: The Strongest Guy in the World is a lot of fun and it is not a bad way to introduce people to Dragon Ball with.

Date: 12/7/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime (Rental)
Re-Watch

Note: I have been in the mood to revisit this movie lately because I haven't seen it in years. I'm surprised that this movie has no Blu-Ray release because it feels like a title that Scream Factory would pick up by now. Unlike most people, I actually enjoy this movie. Don't get me wrong, this movie is far from perfect. The story and dialogue can be incredibly messy at times. My favorite thing about Lost Souls is the atmosphere and the themes of the belief in the existence of God and Satan. This movie came out when we had an odd wave of satanic horror movies back in the late 90s and early 2000s such as Spawn (1997), The Devil's Advocate (1997), Fallen (1998), End of Days (1999), Bless the Child (2000), and Faust: Love of the Damned (2000).

This movie is not an action pack movie like Spawn or End of Days were. Instead, it feels more closer to something in the lines of Stigmata (I also like that movie too BTW) by having it be a psychological horror thriller. I love the atmosphere that this movie has because it feels cold and creepy. The movie is heavy on atmosphere thanks to the film’s dark and gritty cinematography from Mauro Fiore (Avatar). The cinematography helps captures the feeling of being a gothic horror movie. I love all the shots of New York City because it creates a feeling of a dark urban supernatural setting similar to how both Fallen and End of Days did. You have a wonderful underrated music score from Jan A. P. Kaczmarek (Hachi: A Dog's Tale). His score is so creepy it makes you feel like death is around the corner and there's an evil presence waiting for the perfect time to strike.

The acting in this movie is a mixed bag. You have some good performances from actors such as John Hurt. Meanwhile, Winona Ryder's role was pretty weak in my opinion. The movie deals with the themes of the belief in the existence of God and Satan. Other movies have handled this theme way better, but I still felt like this movie did a pretty decent job. What hurts this movie the most is the ending. While I do like this movie, I do agree with everyone else that the ending was lackluster.

Overall, Lost Souls is a fun underrated movie in my opinion. Check this movie out with an open mind if you've got time to spare.

Date: 12/7/2020
Viewed: 4K UHD
Re-Watch

Note: Hard to believe this movie came out 20 years ago because I remember when this movie was a super popular movie. I didn't see the movie until it came out on VHS back in 2001 and it always has been a favorite movie of mine since then. This movie always gets better with every viewing in my opinion. I still think Pi (1998) is Darren Aronofsky's best movie, but that's just me.

I love the acting, the writing, music, and the cinematography that this movie has. The cinematography is breathtaking and the iconic shot of the beach always reminds me of that one scene from Dark City (1998). It won't surprise me if Darren Aronofsky did take some influence from that movie when directing Requiem for a Dream. I still love the music theme in this movie despite it being repetitive at times. Everyone in this movie did a wonderful job of acting including Marlon Wayans. Keith David (John Carpenter's The Thing) even has a noteworthy role as well.

The story is very dark and this movie is not for the faint of heart. I love how this movie shows how drug addiction can alter the physical and emotional state of other people. No one gets a happy ending in this movie. The ending is a message to tell people that this can happen to anyone who gets addicted to drugs.

Overall, Requiem for a Dream is still a fantastic movie and I highly recommend watching it if you haven't seen it yet.

Date: 12/8/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime (Rental)
First Viewing

Note: This is a movie that I always wanted to see for the last 15 years now, but I never had the chance to see it. The DVD for this movie is out of print and it is being sold on the aftermarket for a lot of money. Fortunately, you can rent this movie from Amazon Prime (As of 12/8/2020). After watching this movie for the first time, I really enjoy it. Nails is a very strange movie that mixes action, horror, and surrealism into one crazy movie. Without a doubt, you can tell Andrey Iskanov (the director) was inspired by Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989). Both movies have a stunning visual story that constantly challenges the viewer with disturbing imagery. The story is super interesting by having the main character being haunted by his past life as a hitman.

The surreal imagery is being used to show the growing anxiety that is hurting the main character's mental health. You get plenty of nasty scenes that really show how disturbing the main character has become. I love how the movie starts off being a black & white movie and slowly becomes a color film later on. The black and white imagery does remind me of a lot of the other older surreal modern black and white films such as Nekromantik (1987), Begotten (1989), and Singapore Sling (1990). The movie later uses bright colors that remind me of many Italian giallo movies.

This movie does not have much dialogue and there's no English dub. You will be let down if you are going into this movie expecting a dialogue heavy story. Andrey Iskanov also did a wonderful job of keeping the movie at 60 minutes. The movie didn't felt short and rushed at all. He was able to tell a cool and surreal story without adding too much filler just to stretch out the runtime.

I don't have anything else to say about this movie because this movie is a visual experience movie with a nonlinear narrative. I do recommend this movie if you are into surreal movies. If you are not into these types of movies, this movie is not for you.

Date: 12/8/2020
Viewed: Hulu
First Viewing

Thanks to The Giraffle for recommending this movie to me

Note: I have heard amazing things about this movie for the last year now and I never had the time to watch it. I finally sat down to watch this movie tonight because I wanted to watch more movies from Hirokazu Kore-eda after watching Nobody Knows (2004) a couple of weeks ago. After watching this movie for the first time on Hulu, I was speechless after it was over. I thought this movie was absolutely fantastic. Shoplifters is a phenomenal movie that everyone should watch. Shoplifters has become one of my favorite Japanese live-action movies of the 2010s at the moment.

I love every single character in this movie because they are so likable and memorable. Hirokazu Kore-eda did a wonderful job of creating a great cast of characters that are not even related to each other. The movie's biggest theme is taking responsibility in an uncaring society. Similar to Nobody Knows, you get to see characters trying to survive in the cruel world that we live in. Hirokazu Kore-eda also did a wonderful job of creating a tone for the story that is a nice mix between upbeat and depressing. The movie has a sad ending, but you also have funny moments in the movie to help balance the mood. The pacing of this movie is perfect because it's a 2-hour movie that didn't felt like a long movie at all. I was surprised how quickly this movie went by.

The cinematography is breathtaking by having wonderful shots of Tokyo. I don't have anything else to say about this movie, to be honest. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you should get on that ASAP.

Date: 12/9/2020
Viewed: Dailymotion
First Viewing

Note: This is a horror movie that I always wanted to revisit for a while now because I haven't seen it since I was a little kid. It’s been so long since I have seen this movie, I’m gonna count as a new viewing. The Beast With Five Fingers still holds up pretty well in my opinion. The movie has solid acting and nice production values for a movie that is almost 75 years old. Peter Lorre (Casablanca) steals the show by playing a fun crazy character. This movie does have some pacing issues because it does take a while for the movie to get started. After 25 minutes into the movie, the movie starts to get really good. For a movie that has a silly premise, it takes itself pretty seriously. I like that this movie has a psychological spin to the story.

This movie really makes you think if the killings are done by the evil hand or not. Max Steiner (King Kong 1933) did a wonderful job of creating a creepy and chilling score that fits so well with the movie's atmosphere. The piano music in this movie is so iconic that I can't imagine this movie without it. The last act of the movie was awesome and is easily one of my favorite moments of the movie. I recommend checking out The Beast with Five Fingers if you enjoy horror movies or classic cinema.

Date: 12/10/2020
Viewed: Syfy
First Viewing

Note: The reason why I wanted to watch this movie because I have a soft spot for Michael Jai White. Michael Jai White could have easily been the next Wesley Snipes if he was not always cast in low budget trash. Say what you want about the 90s Spawn movie, he is easily one of the best things about that movie. He was also really good in Black Dynamite (2009) and Dragged Across Concrete (2019). I was able to watch this movie for free on Syfy's website. I'm glad that I watched it for free because this movie is not very good.

I do admit that this movie was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The Crooked Man is pretty much a Syfy channel original movie version of Slenderman. You even have a character that stabs someone similar to the Waukesha stabbing that happened in real life in 2014. The Crooked Man himself is not even original looking because his design rips off Count Orlok from Nosferatu (1922) and Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street series.

The story is filled with horror movie clichés. The slow pacing and reliance on jump scares do make the movie even worse to sit through. The reason why I didn't rate this movie lower because it does have decent acting and the production values are surprisingly good. I was surprised to see Marco Rodriguez (Once Upon A Time in Hollywood) in this movie because I didn't think he would be in a movie like this. The makeup for The Crooked Man and the gore in this movie looks pretty good for a low-budget movie. Michael Jai White helps save this movie by playing a memorable role. It's a shame that he is barely in the movie.

I don't recommend watching The Crooked Man unless you have nothing else to watch on a rainy day.

Date: 12/10/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray (Red Box Rental)
First Viewing

Note: I always wanted to see this movie when it came out in theaters last year, but I missed my chance to see it. I had to rent this movie at my local Red Box because I no longer have HBO Max at the moment and I didn't want to pay $13-15 a month just to watch one movie. I'm glad that I finally saw this movie because I enjoy it. Ready or Not is a lot of fun in my opinion. The movie is also a social satire that does not come off as super cringy.

The pacing in this movie is excellent because it does not go by too quickly and it does not move at a slow pace. The movie knows when to end the story without overstaying its welcome. The humor is pretty funny and I enjoy the brutal violence too. I didn't like that some of the blood and gore in this movie looked super fake at times. Samara Weaving (The Babysitter) and the rest of the actors did a good job on their roles. I don't have anything else to say about this movie, to be honest.

Overall, Ready or Not is a fun horror comedy and I recommend checking it out. I will probably buy it on Blu-Ray in the near future.

Date: 12/11/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First Viewing

Note: I kept hearing great things about this movie, so I finally decided to check it out. After watching this movie for the first time, I thought it was excellent. Sound of Metal is one of my favorite movies of 2020 so far. Riz Ahmed (Four Lions) does a fantastic job as the lead role and he does deserve an Oscar nomination for best actor in my opinion. I really love the story and it shows the struggles that Ruben (played Riz Ahmed) has to go through. Not able to hear music ever again is something that I feel like no one wants to go through. It's fascinating to see Ruben able to cope with him losing his hearing and watching him learn sign language.

Another thing that I love about this movie is how they are able to create a feeling that allows the audience to feel and experience what Ruben is going through. I'm surprised to see Paul Raci (The Glimmer Man) in this movie because I haven't seen him in anything in the last 20 years. He did a surprisingly good job with his role. The movie is shot very well and everything is stunning to look at when watching it in 4K UHD on Amazon Prime. I also love the ending too because it feels so affectionate.

Overall, Sound of Metal is a great movie and I do hope this movie will get a physical media release. Check out this movie when you get the chance.

Date: 12/12/2020
Viewed: Youtube
First Viewing

Note: Yet another old horror movie that I haven't seen since I was probably 4 years old. I'm going to count this movie as a first viewing because I remember very little of this movie other than a few scenes. The Screaming Skull is not a good movie at all, but it's not god awful neither. I don't consider this movie to be the worst movie ever because I have seen way worse. The story makes almost no sense because it's so convoluted. The movie has so many jump cuts that it makes the movie annoying to sit through. Even the production values are not very good for a movie that came out during the 1950s.

The worst thing about this movie is the pacing because it feels so slow. The movie is only an hour long and it felt like it took forever for anything to happen. While this movie is not a good movie, you still have good stuff in it. The acting is passable and everyone did a good job with the material that they were given with. Peggy Webber (The Wrong Man) and Russ Conway (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) are easily the best actors in the movie in my opinion. I also do like how atmospheric this movie is at times. The dark lighting allows this movie to create a moody feeling to it.

Overall, The Screaming Skull is a mediocre movie at best and I don't recommend it unless you have nothing else to watch on a rainy day.

Date: 11/13/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray (Scream Factory)
Re-Watch

Note: This is the Friday the 13th movie that I have looked forward to the most to revisit. I do have a soft spot for this movie because it was the first Friday the 13th movie that I remember watching as a kid. I remember watching this movie on TV sometime in the mid-90s when I was little and I have been a fan ever since. I was someone who never had nightmares of horror movies or TV shows because this type of stuff was always cool. I try not to be biassed when it comes to nostalgic movies, but I still love this movie to death.

They pull off a Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) before that movie was even a thing. This movie ignores Part 5 and is a direct sequel to Part 4. They never really explain how lightning is able to bring Jason back to life, but that is the only problem that I have with this movie. Everything else about this movie is awesome in my opinion. We also get to see Tommy Jarvis (played by Thom Mathews this time) again for one more time (Not counting fan films) as the protagonist.

This movie is pure entertainment from start to finish. There's not a single dull moment in this movie. You get plenty of funny moments that are actually funny and don't feel out of place. I also love how self-aware that this movie is as well as having the movie being somewhat meta. This movie has one of my favorite Jason designs and C. J. Graham (Highway to Hell) does a great job of playing Jason. Thom Mathews (Nemesis) does a good job as Tommy, but I still prefer John Shepherd as older Tommy in my opinion. I also enjoy Jennifer Cooke as Megan and it's a shame that she didn't do anything else after this movie.

The body count in this movie is awesome by having Jason kill multiple people in one strike. You also have cool songs that they play in the movie such as Teenage Frankenstein from Alice Cooper. I don't have anything else to say about this movie other than it's awesome.

Date: 11/14/2020
Viewed: Criterion Channel
First Viewing

Note: I always wanted to see this movie for years because it looks amazing. Not to mention, I'm a fan of Lars von Trier and I still haven't seen all of his movies. His Europa trilogy movies such as The Element of Crime (1984) and Epidemic (1987) are hard to find and I can never find them in good quality. Fortunately, Criterion owns this movie and you can watch it on their streaming service (As of 12/14/2020). I did try to watch this movie last night, but I don't think I was in the right headspace for it. I almost fell asleep watching it and I decided to turn it off. I'm glad that I give this movie a second chance because I love it. Europa may be my new #1 favorite movie from Lars von Trier.

My favorite thing about this movie without a doubt is the cinematography. Everything about this movie is dark, surreal, and beautiful. The movie does a wonderful job by having a cool gimmick that switches over from black & white to color similar to what other movies did such as Wings of Desire (1987) and Kafka (which came out the same year as Europa oddly enough). Some shots in this movie almost feel like that I'm watching a graphic novel coming to life. I do love how beautiful the dark and gritty black & white cinematography looks because it really captures the tone of the story. While this movie is not as graphic as Lars von Tier's other movies, it's still a dark movie. No one gets a happy ending in this movie at all.

The story in Europa is set after World War 2 ended in Germany and it shows what happens to the country after the war was over. Not everything went back to sunshine and rainbows after Hitler was defeated. You get to see people struggling for money and food. The main character played by Jean-Marc Barr (Big Sur) is very likable and I was rooting for him to survive during the movie. You can feel the emotional pain that he is going through by having his wife being taken away from him and finding out that he is being stabbed in the back by a mysterious organization. Everyone else in this movie did a fantastic job with their performances. You also have Max von Sydow (RIP) as the Narrator and his voice is wonderful to listen to. I can listen to him read a phone book and it still won't be boring. His voice puts the audience in a trance by telling the story as if they are being teleported to another reality.

Europa also has many awesome different camera shots and techniques that helps gives this movie a surreal feeling to it. Lars von Tier knows how to film things upside down and use dutch angles without giving me a headache *cough*Battlefield Earth*cough*. I don't have anything bad to say about this movie other than it did take me a while to get invested with the story. While I do love this movie, I can see why some people won't like this movie because the narrative structure will probably turn some people off.

Overall, Europa is a masterpiece and I highly recommend watching it.

Date: 12/14/2020
Viewed: DVD
First Viewing

Note: This is the lowest-rated horror movie on my watchlist and I was always curious to see how bad this movie is. I remember the Internet advertisements for this movie when it came out in 2012 and everyone was making fun of how stupid the Smiley killer looks. I finally got a copy of this movie on DVD at my local thrift store for $1. After watching this movie for the first time, I can see why this movie is rated so low. Smiley is a very boring slasher movie that is trying to cash in on Internet trends. This movie is made to cash in on the Slender Man craze that was happening on the Internet at the time. Nothing about this movie is new and original at all. The idea of a killer who stitched an emoticon into his own face can be creepy and well done if it was executed better by a better filmmaker.

The acting is terrible and the dialogue is super cringy. You can tell Caitlin Gerard (The Social Network) was really trying her best with the material that she was given with. I hate how this movie is trying so hard to be cool by having characters use Internet slang in their sentences. Keith David was completely wasted in this movie and it won't surprise me if he only did this movie for a paycheck. Toby Turner and Shane Dawson are only in this movie because this movie was made with whoever was popular on Youtube at the time. I'm almost surprised that Doug Walker (The Nostalgia Critic) is not in this movie lol.

The slow pacing and reliance on jump scares do make the movie even worse to sit through. The pacing in this movie makes Yi Yi (2000) look like a 5-second video clip (I'm not even joking). Every character is flat and unlikable. I can't think of a single good character in this movie at all. The message in this movie is a total mess because it is trying to have a message about the dangers of Internet chat rooms and creepy stalkers. On paper, that sounds like it can be a good message for a movie. However, it's so badly executed that it almost makes the message in #Horror (2015) look good (I never thought that I would ever say that in a million years). If there's one good thing about this movie is that some of the gory moments were decent.

The movie ends with a post-credits scene by setting up a sequel (like that's ever gonna happen). Overall, Smiley is a terrible movie and I don't recommend this movie at all. Avoid this movie at all costs.

Date: 12/15/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
First Viewing

Note: I bought the Blu-Ray of this movie at my local Dollar Tree along with a few other movies a while back and I was always curious to watch this movie. I remember the advertisements for this movie back in 2013 and I wanted to see it because I really enjoy Dead Snow (2008) by Tommy Wirkola. I end up not seeing this movie when it came out because I hear terrible things about this movie from both critics and general moviegoers. Better late than never, I finally got the chance to watch this movie and I enjoy it. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is a fun popcorn action horror film in my opinion.

I'm not going to defend this movie by saying it's flawless because it's not. This movie is a fun dumb movie that you can sit down and turn your brain off for 95 minutes. The movie is filled with awesome action sequences and cool gory moments. I also love the production values by having the movie look like it was set in the early 1800s. The movie also did a good job of being silly and over the top without trying too hard to be self-aware. Both Jeremy Renner (Marvel's The Avengers) and Gemma Arterton (My Zoe) did a good job by playing two witch hunters. I like the chemistry between the two witch hunters because they actually feel like they could be related to each other. Peter Stormare (Fanny and Alexander) also has a cool role in the movie that is pretty noteworthy.

The CGI for the giant troll (was it an Ogre? I can never tell) is surprisingly good. Derek Mears (DC's Swamp Thing TV series) did a good job of doing the motion capture of the character. My biggest issue with this movie is the movie has a weak supporting cast of characters in my opinion. I didn't care about the other characters that much to be honest. The movie was filmed in 3D and the 3D gimmicks are super annoying to sit through. I was also not a fan of the digital effects that they used for some of the blood and gore. It looks cheap and super fake looking at times.

It's a shame that this movie never had a sequel because I would have loved to see more. Overall, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is a fun movie and I didn't regret watching it. I do recommend checking it out if you need to watch a movie with friends on a Friday or Saturday night.

Date: 12/15/2020
Viewed: 4K UHD
Re-Watch

Note: I watched the Extended Cannes cut

My 4K UHD special edition of Dawn of the Dead finally showed up in the mail earlier in the week and tonight was the perfect night to watch the movie. I haven't watched this movie in the last 10+ years because there is no way to watch the movie in HD unless you want to pay a lot of money for an old out-of-print Blu-Ray. Dawn of the Dead is a movie that always left an impact on me ever since I first saw it as a kid on TV in the late 90s on the Sci-Fi channel (I think). Watching it again in 4K UHD made me feel like that I fall in love all over again.

Dawn of the Dead knows how to be a great sequel without trying to repeat the first movie. This movie has everything that you would want in a zombie movie. It has action, horror, good memorable characters, and plenty of gore. The special effects from Tom Savini are still amazing even by today's standers in my opinion. Ken Foree (From Beyond), David Emge (Basket Case 2), and Gaylen Ross (Creepshow) do a wonderful job with their performances. It's a shame Ken Foree never did much work with acting besides a couple of movies.

I always love how Dawn of the Dead is a political satire of American society's dark side. The movie pokes fun at capitalism by having zombies be a metaphor for people who are devouring consumerism. The message is still relevant in today's world with people who will act like rabid zombies just to buy something that they enjoy. The movie is absolutely beautiful in 4K UHD and this is easily the best-looking version of the movie that I've seen. Dawn of the Dead has many cuts, but I always prefer the Extended Cannes cut because it adds more to the story with many cool scenes. You also get some music from the Goblin score being used as well.

While it's not mandatory to watch Night of the Living Dead (1968) to watch this movie, but I still recommend that you watch Night of the Living Dead first. I feel like the movie makes more sense if you watch Night of the Living Dead first because you can get a sense of what is going on in the world. I don't have anything else to say about this movie other than it's a masterpiece. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you should get on that ASAP.

The reason why I'm not giving this movie a 10/10 because I still personally prefer Night of the Living Dead over this movie.

Date: 12/16/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First Viewing

Note: Strangely enough, I have never seen this movie before despite it being a popular movie with horror movie fans. I always remember seeing VHS copies of this movie growing up, but I never bother to watch it. I'm not the biggest fan of ghost and haunted house movies with some exceptions because I never find ghosts to be scary or interesting. I finally watch this movie on Amazon Prime and it was not bad. I didn't love this movie, but I didn't regret watching it.

You have solid performances from Richard Crenna (Rambo 1-3), Andrew Prine (Grizzly), Lynne Moody (Roots), and Joanna Pettet (Robbery). It was also cool seeing George O’Hanlon Jr. in this movie because he was in both this movie and the original Halloween movie that same year. You also have Victor Buono (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) as The Devil and he does a pretty good job in my opinion. I really like how really atmospheric that this movie is. They did a good job of making the movie feeling spooky. The production designs are also great too. They did a wonderful job of using a nice mixture of different types of lighting to make the movie feel creepy.

Johnny Harris (RIP) does a good job of creating a chilling music score for the movie. His music helps make the movie feel more atmospheric. The reason why I didn't rate this movie higher is that I find most of the characters to be boring. Richard Crenna's character is the only character that I actually like. I'm still glad that I watched The Evil and I do recommend it if you are curious or if you enjoy haunted house movies.

Date: 12/16/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: This movie just turned 20 years old and I felt like it was the perfect time to revisit this movie. I have probably have seen this movie like seven or eight times during the last 20 years. I still remember when this movie was a hugely popular movie with both movie nerds and non-nerds alike. I first saw the movie back in 2001 from a friend that I knew in my school that was also into tape trading and he assists that we should watch this movie ASAP. We watched it after school and we were both blown away by it. It was a crazy thrill ride of a movie that made me shit my pants. This movie somehow faded into obscurity as time went on for some odd reason. People think of Fortnite now when they hear the name "Battle Royale".

I still love this movie and I can't recommend this movie enough to people who haven't seen it yet. Sadly, this was the last movie directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Battle Royale is filled with nonstop action and drama from start to finish. The movie is 2 hours long and it goes by so quickly. All of the characters are well written and they did a wonderful job of making you feel emotionally invested with them. When someone dies in this movie, you actually feel sadness. Unlike The Hunger Games (2012), you grow attached to these characters and you want to see them get out alive in my opinion. The special effects in this movie are great and they still hold up. Some of the blood and gore in this movie almost has a similar vibe to the practical effects that Tom Savini would do.

The film has an interesting social commentary on Japanese society and adolescence. The movie is a warning about dystopian laws and how we can't allow society to become like this. For a serious movie, you still have some dark humor that is added to the movie. The training video in the movie does have a similar vibe to the TV commercials from the original Robocop movie with the over the top nature that it has. The only thing that I don't like about this movie is some of the extra footage because it feels kinda pointless. I can see why they were originally cut out in the first place.

This movie is not a movie for the faint of heart, so don't watch this movie if you can't handle graphic violence. If you can handle graphic violence, you should watch this movie ASAP.

Date: 12/17/2020
Viewed: Youtube
First Viewing

Note: Christmas is almost a week from now, so I decided to start watching some Christmas movies. I never saw this movie and I always wanted to see it because the cover art looks super cool. I still remember going to video stores and seeing VHS copies of this movie. It's a shame that the cover art is better than the actual movie because this movie sucks in my opinion. Home for the Holidays is so boring and I had a hard time finishing it.

I didn't care for any of the characters and the pacing was terrible. The picture and sound quality for the movie were not very good neither. When I was watching the movie on YouTube, I had a hard time telling what was going on. I'm surprised that the acting in this movie is surprisingly good. You do have award-winning actors and actresses in this movie such as Eleanor Parker (Caged), Sally Field (Norma Rae), Walter Brennan (Come and Get It), and Julie Harris (The Member of the Wedding). Everyone did a good job with the material that they are given with.

I still give this movie credit because I know there was a lot of effort put into this movie. I'm also glad that this movie exists seeing that this movie did help influence the creation of Black Christmas (1974). The original Black Christmas would later inspire the creation of the original Halloween movie from John Carpenter. It all comes in full circle thanks to this TV movie.

Even though I didn't like this movie, I still recommend this movie if you're curious because of the historical factor.

Date: 12/18/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray (Scream Factory)
Re-Watch

Note: Growing up, I always thought this movie was average at best. Over the years, I found myself liking it more with each viewing. While not as good as Part 6, I still think Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood is a solid movie in the series. Even though this movie is a fan favorite, I do think it is overlooked by other people. This is the first time we get to see Kane Hodder as Jason and he knocks it out of the park. This is the role of Jason that made him as the "Jason Voorhees Guy" because many people think of Kane Hodder when it comes to Jason Voorhees. Jason's design in this movie always has been a fan favorite of mine because he looks demonic and gross-looking. The bottom part of his mask also makes him look scarier too by showing off his lower jaw.

If I had to guess why some people didn't like this movie is probably because the movie had Jason fighting against someone with superpowers. To me, it's not like it was a bad thing because it actually works in my opinion. Also, it's not like this series was never ridiculous and unrealistic in the first place. Another thing that I like about this movie is that they give Jason a variety of weapons and tools instead of him always using his trademark machete. You have some awesome kills that are sadly edited because of the MPAA. The uncut version of this movie no longer exists and we will never see those full kills in their uncut form. The dark and unsettling atmosphere also makes this movie noteworthy too because it helps make the movie feel more atmospheric.

Tina Shepard (played by Lar Park Lincoln) is a cool and tragic main character in my opinion. Lar Park Lincoln (House II) really steals the show by playing a character that you can really feel sorry for. Her character is haunted by guilt and she wants to live a normal life without having superpowers. She keeps on being treated as a test subject and not as a normal human being. You can tell that John Carl Buechler (the director) was pointing out a major flaw in psychiatry with people using their patients for greed. The movie also wraps up her character development nicely at the end of the movie after she defeats Jason.

You also have fun performances from many actors including a major role from Terry Kiser (Tammy and the T-Rex, Weekend at Bernie's 1-2). The makeup work for Jason in this movie is awesome and it still looks great too by today's standers. I still wish Tommy Jarvis return in this movie, but I can see why they didn't want him back in the movie.

Overall, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood is a solid movie that is worth checking out.

Date: 12/19/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray (Criterion)
Re-Watch

Note: It has been a while since I have seen this movie and I felt like watching it now because this movie just turned 35 years old today. When I watch this movie, I always stick with the director's cut of the movie and not the badly edited version that was made for Hollywood. I still consider Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) to be my favorite movie from Terry Gilliam, but Brazil is still a masterpiece nevertheless.

Without a doubt, the best thing about this movie is the visuals. Everything about this movie is breathtaking to look at. Every set piece in this movie is awesome and they still hold up very well. You can easily tell that the dystopian city in this movie is inspired by the futuristic city from Metropolis (1927). The movie feels like it is inspired by what people would imagine what the future would be like during the early-mid 20th century (1900s-1950s). This movie is also a parody of George Orwell's 1984 by poking fun at the idea of being in a dystopian world run by fascism. The political people in power in this movie are over the top and cartoonish similar to the characters from Dr. Strangelove (1964). Back in 1985, a totalitarian society that is run by unreliable technology felt like it would only exist in comedy because it's too over the top and silly. When watching the movie again, I do feel like some of the stuff in this movie does feel pretty close to today's world. Yesterday's fiction could also become today's reality and that's a scary thing to think about.

The movie also has a message about the flaws of capitalism and why hyper surveillance technology is not a good idea. Jonathan Pryce (Pirates of the Caribbean 1-3) and everyone else in this movie does a fantastic job with acting. Even Kim Greist (CHUD, Manhunter) does a great job of playing the lead female role in this movie. The humor in this movie is absolutely hilarious and it is not like the humor in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (For people who are not into the humor from Monthy Python). If there's one thing that I don't like about this movie is the romance. I feel like the romance in this movie could have been better in my opinion. The romance between Jonathan Pryce and Kim Greist felt rushed to me. Other than that, I have no other issues with this movie. This movie deserves its classic status and was a big influence on many movies that came out afterward such as Europa (1991), City of Lost Children (1995), Dark City (1998), and most recently Bye Bye Morons (2020).

Overall, Brazil is a masterpiece and I highly recommend watching the 143 minutes version. Don't watch the shorter version that was released in the United States.

Date: 12/20/2020
Viewed: TubiTV
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie since I was a little kid in the mid-90s and watching it again on Tubi did bring back nostalgic memories. I still remember watching this movie when I was 5 on VHS after renting it from Blockbuster. This movie is not the best movie from Stuart Gordon at all, but it's still a lot of fun for what it was. For a movie that was aimed at families, you still have a story that does a good job of balancing serious issues while being campy fun at the same time.

The movie has cool special effects and seeing the stop motion robots is always a treat to watch. For a movie that came out in 1989-1990, the special effects for the giant robots are really good for its time. This movie felt like it was the first time that most people saw Giant Robots/Mecha in a live-action movie. After all, this movie came out many years before both the Michael Bay Transformers movies and Pacific Rim. It also pre-dates Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by a few years too (I know Super Sentai exist in Japan and other countries ages before 1993).

The acting and dialogue are fine for what it is. I do like the ending of this movie because it wraps up the story nicely in my opinion. I recommend checking out Robot Jox if you enjoy B movies or giant robot movies.

Date: 12/20/2020
Viewed: TubiTV
Re-Watch

Note: Seeing that I revisit the first Jack Frost movie last year, I decided to revisit the second movie. I only saw this movie once when it came out on VHS back in 2000. After watching this movie again, I do feel like it's nowhere as fun as the first movie. However, I don't hate this movie as most people do. We get to see Scott MacDonald again as Jack Frost and he is always fun when he is on screen. I do think the biggest issue with this movie is that the humor and the gory kills are a step down compared to the first movie. The movie does have some cool death scenes, but I still prefer the death scenes in the first movie in my opinion. Most of the humor in this movie is not very funny in my opinion. The CGI in this movie has not aged very well at all.

It was nice to see some of the actors from the first movie that came back again. I also totally forgot that both Doug Jones (Shape of Water) and Ian Abercrombie (They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?) were in this movie. I don't have anything else to say about this movie, to be honest. If you enjoy the first movie, you will probably like this movie. If you didn't like the first movie, I doubt that you will like this movie any better.

Date: 12/21/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: What is the best way to celebrate the holiday season? By watching awesome movies from Cannon Films, of course. I have looked forward to revisiting Death Wish 3 for a while now and Scorpion Releasing just release a brand new transfer for this movie on Blu-Ray. My Black Friday haul from Ronin Flix finally came in the mail today after waiting weeks for it and I had to watch this movie ASAP. I can't help to love Death Wish 3 because it's so fast-paced, brutally violent and I also like Paul Kersey's character development.

Death Wish 3 is normally look back on as a bad movie or a "So Bad, It's Good" movie because it's moreover the top and silly. You could say Death Wish 3 is the Rambo: First Blood Part 2 (1985) of the franchise because both movies focus more on over the top action and less drama than the previous movie (or with Death Wish, previous movies) did. That is true because this movie has way less drama and suspense than the last two movies did. Death Wish 3 is still great for what it is by giving us non-stop badass macho manly action sequences. I can't think of a single boring moment in this movie. The Wildey .475 Magnum hand cannon is easily one of the best weapons ever in an action movie in my opinion. When Paul Kersey uses his Wildey Magnum to kill bad guys, it's totally worth it. Paul Kersey even builds traps inside his house to stop intruders from breaking in. Seriously, Paul Kersey was doing house traps long before Home Alone (1990) exists. The last 30 minutes of this movie is easily one of the best last acts in action movie history. There is so much awesomeness that it will make your TV explode.

What also makes this movie awesome is the supporting cast because you get plenty of fun performances from Ed Lauter (The Artist), Deborah Raffin (Gold Told Me To), Martin Balsam (12 Angry Men), Gavan O’Herlihy (The Descent), Kirk Taylor (Full Metal Jacket), etc. Gavan O'Herlihy as the main villain is so over the top, he feels like a parody of someone from The Warriors (1979). He easily steals the show as the main villain. For a movie that gets flack for having a weak story, the movie does a good job of giving more character development for Paul Kersey. In this movie, he actually helps out other people instead of working on his own.

Overall, Death Wish 3 is awesome and it's one of those movies that you have to accept it for what it is. You will be let down if you are going into this movie with a strong emotional story. 9/10 (Pure entertainment rating)

Date: 12/21/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie in the last several years and it took me a while to get a copy of this movie. I was going to cover it for my 31 Days of Horror in October, but the movie was out of stock on Amazon and most places were selling it for high prices. I decided to wait for the price to drop on Amazon and I finally got a copy a few weeks ago. After watching this movie again, I still enjoy it. Island of Lost Souls is a solid horror movie from the 1930s in my opinion.

While it's not the first Island of Doctor Moreau movie (Two silent Doctor Moreau movies exist before this movie. However one of them is lost), it's the best one that we have at the moment. I love the dark and moody tone that this movie has because it makes the movie feel very atmospheric. I love how this movie uses fog and dark shadows to create a dark, gritty, and spooky tone. The lack of a musical score also helps this movie feel more haunting.

Seeing that this movie came out a year before King Kong (1933), it is impressive that they are able to create a spooky island filled with scary monsters. The movie has solid makeup work with several creatures including Bela Lugosi (Dracula) as Sayer of the Law. It is really neat that they are able to do full hairy makeup nearly a decade before The Wolfman (1941). Charles Laughton (Mutiny on the Bounty) does a fantastic job of playing Doctor Moreau in my opinion. Charles Laughton is able to play a twisted and crazy madman that wants to play god. There is a sinister vibe to his character when he is trying to manipulate everyone around him.

The movie does have its fair share of flaws because I do wish the movie was longer. I feel like another 20 minutes would have helped developed the other characters better. I never had a strong connection with the main character (played by Richard Arlen) because I find his character to be bland. You also have some of the villagers wearing blackface make up which is always painful to look at.

Overall, Island of Lost Souls is a good horror movie that is worth checking out. With the success of The Invisible Man (2020), maybe a company like Blumhouse Productions can give us a new good adaption of the book. Either let Richard Stanley have full control or hire Guillermo del Toro to direct it.

Date: 12/22/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie in the last few years and I look forward to watching it when it was announced for Film Club. Oddly enough, I just bought the Blu-Ray from Right Stuf's holiday sale which makes the timing for this review to be perfect. I remember when this movie came out in 2007, but I didn't see it until many years later at my local Anime & Manga club in 2015. Sword of the Stranger is still a great movie and it still holds up. However, I still prefer Ninja Scroll (1993) when it comes to animated movies set in the Jidaigeki era (That's just me).

This movie does share some similarities to both Ninja Scroll and the Lone Wolf & Cub series (both the movies and manga). The relationship between No Name and Kotarou does remind me of the relationship between Ogami Ittou and the child in Lone Wolf & Cub. They both have characters that are wandering the countryside of Japan with their small child. Even the action sequences are even inspired by Ninja Scroll with the fast-paced sword fights. The story is well told and you find yourself being emotionally attached to these characters. It's one of those movies where you want to see the main characters make it out alive when the movie is over.

The movie is filled with blood and gore during the action sequences. Anyone who enjoys violent action movies will be happy when watching this movie. If you are squeamish when it comes to blood and gore, you are not going to like watching this movie. My biggest issue with this movie is the animation. The fight scenes are nicely done, but I feel like the character designs feel a bit flat at times and you have a lack of textural details in the background. It reminds me of what I hated the most about most anime from the 2000s because they haven't gotten used to drawing things digitally. I did watch the movie in English because I was curious to see what the movie sounds like. The English dub is not bad, but I prefer the movie in Japanese. The voices fit better with the tone and story in my opinion.

Overall, Sword of the Stranger is a solid movie that is worth checking out. I recommend this movie to people who enjoy samurai films or action anime.

Date: 12/22/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime (Rental)
First Viewing

Note: I had no idea what to expect from this movie, to be honest. I decided to rent it from Amazon Prime after hearing good things about it on the web. I watch this movie knowing nothing about it and I end up really enjoying it. Black Bear is one of those movies that you have to know nothing about it to get the full experience. Without going into spoilers, this movie is pretty clever with the story. I didn't think it would be a meta-movie similar to how One Cut of the Dead (2019) was.

You have solid performances from everyone in this movie and the production values are solid. I love how pretty the cinematography looks in this movie. Aubrey Plaza (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) really knocks it out of the park as the lead role. This is a movie that I can see myself revisiting soon in the near future. I highly recommend checking out Black Bear when you get the chance.

Date: 12/22/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
First Viewing

Note: I actually never saw this movie until now despite me being a huge fan of Italian horror movies. I always love the poster for this movie growing up because it looks so awesome. The best way to watch the movie at the moment is by importing the Blu-Ray from 88 Films. The Blu-Ray from 88 Films is region free and the quality for it is solid. After watching this movie for the first time, I thought it was pretty good. Eyeball is not the best movie from Umberto Lenzi, but it's still a fun movie nevertheless.

I really like how colorful this movie can be at times. You get plenty of colorful red lighting that helps make the movie feel more atmospheric. Almost every colorful shot in this movie is stunning to look at. You get plenty of bloody and gory kills that still look pretty good in my opinion. It is pretty nasty to see someone's eye being ripped out. Just like any other Italian grindhouse movie, you get plenty of sleazy moments and it does not disappoint. Umberto Lenzi did a good job of keeping the audience intrigued with the mystery of who is the main killer in the movie. The movie actually surprises me when they finally revealed who the main killer was.

Bruno Nicolai (Sabata) does a great job of creating a creepy and memorable music score for the movie. Everyone did a good job with their performances in my opinion. Ines Pellegrini (Arabian Nights) was easily the best actress in the entire movie and I'm glad that her character was never killed off. She is probably the first black character not to die in a giallo movie (unless I'm forgetting one) which is super cool. I do wish that she was the main character in the movie instead because I found the other characters to be boring. The pacing for this movie sucked and it was not until after 30 minutes into the movie when the movie started to get good in my opinion.

Overall, Eyeball is not a bad movie and I do recommend it if you like Italian horror movies or Grindhouse movies.

Date: 12/23/2020
Viewed: Criterion Channel
Re-Watch

Note: I've been eager to revisit Jigoku for a while now because it recently turned 60 years old. The last time when I saw this movie was when I was probably 16 and I remember loving it. After watching it again on the Criterion Channel, the movie is still a masterpiece in my opinion. Jigoku is a dark, beautiful, and surreal movie that takes the audience into the darkest pits of Hell. Jigoku is easily one of the best live-action Japanese movies of the 1960s along with Onibaba (1964), Kwaidan (1964), and Blind Beast (1969) in my opinion. This movie is not for the faint of heart and you probably won't like this movie if you don't like dark and depressing movies.

The movie tells a dark and tragic story about a young man named Shiro Shimizu (played by Shigeru Amachi), who ends up suffering guilt for the deaths around him. You really feel bad for the main character because you can tell that he wants nothing to do with any of this and things keep on getting worse. The movie does a wonderful job of creating great characters that you actually feel a strong emotional connection to. Nobuo Nakagawa (the director) knows how to tell a dark and tragic story without adding dumb melodrama and adding a twist just for the sake of it. I have seen many people say that this movie is too slow and nothing happens for an hour when I disagree with that. The movie does a wonderful job of establishing the characters before the story is set in Hell. Movies need to introduce characters first before all the crazy stuff happens. The musical score in this movie is amazing and the haunting vocals really make the movie more disturbing.

Easily the best part of this movie is the scenes in Hell. When the story is finally set in Hell, it is totally worth sitting through. Nobuo Nakagawa is able to make Hell feel like a dark, surreal, and scary place to be at. The movie is filled with dark and beautiful colors that make every scene in this movie feel breathtaking. Watching this movie is like watching a painting coming to life. You also get to see many bloody and gory scenes that are awesome to watch. This movie was doing ultra-violent gory moments a few years before Herschell Gordon Lewis did with Blood Feast (1963). There's also an interesting message about people are always going to be upset and angry no matter what even if they are dead or alive. I'm not sure if I do agree with that message or not, but I still think the movie is fantastic nevertheless.

Overall, Jigoku is a masterpiece and I highly recommend this movie if you are into Japanese cinema or if you like horror movies.

Date: 12/24/2020
Viewed: Tubi
First Viewing

Note: I'm a huge Lucio Fulci fan and I have waited to check out this documentary for a while now. Severin Films have produced some fantastic documentaries and this one is no exception. You get to learn many interesting facts about Lucio Fulci for people who are not familiar with his work. There was even stuff in this documentary not even I was aware of until now. Many people have their own stories and opinions on Lucio Fulci with some people saying that he was a total asshole while others say that he is the nicest guy ever.

It is interesting that people call Fulci the Vincent van Gogh of Italian cinema because his work became more popular after his death and people view his work in a more positive light now unlike when he was alive. While the idea of a fake biopic with an actor playing Lucio Fulci is a neat idea, but it didn't work for this documentary. It should have been a straight forward documentary instead. However, the makeup for the actor playing Lucio Fulci is amazing. He looks and sounds like Lucio Fulci when he is on-screen.

Overall, Fulci for Fake is a solid documentary and I do recommend checking it out.

Date: 12/24/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: I wanted to revisit Tokyo Godfathers for a while now and Gkids finally released this movie on Blu-Ray. Seeing that today is Christmas Eve, I felt like today is the perfect day to watch this movie. Tokyo Godfathers is still a fantastic movie that perfectly blends both drama and comedy. Tokyo Godfathers has three memorable main characters that are very likable and funny. This movie knows how to tell a heartwarming story with serious elements and funny moments without being a total train wreck.

The animation is fantastic and the movie looks 100X better now thanks to the 4K restoration released by Gkids. I decided to check out the English dub for this movie because I always seen this movie in Japanese and I recall that this movie was never dubbed into English until now. The English dub is pretty good for the most part, but I still prefer the original Japanese language though. I don't have anything else to say about this movie because I can't add anything new to say. I highly recommend watching this movie.

Date: 12/24/2020
Viewed: Shudder
First Viewing

Note: This movie goes by a million other titles, so I'm sticking with the "Deadly Games" title because that is the title that most people use.

I never heard of this movie until a year ago when it got major buzz on the Internet. It's strange to think that this movie was buried into obscurity for 30 years and no one outside of Europe talked about it. From what I've seen, this movie was never lost. You would think that someone in the horror movie fandom would talk about this movie on the web over the years before 2018-2019. I'm glad that someone finally released this movie overseas because this movie is great. Deadly Games is like a darker and more violent version of Home Alone (1990) despite it coming out a year before it. I would rather watch this movie over any of the Home Alone movies in my opinion. I do wish that I saw this at the AFI Movie Theater when I had the chance over a year ago.

I watch The Last Drive-In special of this movie and Joe Bob made the movie way more enjoyable (Seriously guys, everyone just shut up XD ). I do like how suspenseful that this movie is because it knows how to keep the audience on the edge of their seat. The movie did have many surprises that I didn't see coming. The production values are solid and I love the music in this movie. The set designs for this movie look awesome and the music is super catchy to listen to. I also love how this movie is a product of its time. This movie is very 80s with the technology because you get to see what the Internet was like during its very early days. I also love how the main character in this movie has a cool taste in movies (Any kid with a poster of Conquest (1983) and Xtro (1982) in their room is awesome).

The cinematography in the movie is one of my favorite things about this movie because I love how this movie looks. The movie is filled with color and cold. You can feel the cold snowy weather just by looking at this movie. The story is super simple but the execution works. This movie is not deep or artsy at all. Deadly Games knows what type of movie it is trying to be. Seeing the main character and evil Santa fight in a game of cat and mouse is so much fun to watch.

Overall, Deadly Games is an awesome movie and I highly recommend checking out it. I can't wait to pick up the 4K UHD release from Vinegar Syndrome because I do wonder what the movie looks like in 4K UHD.

Date: 12/25/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: Merry Christmas everyone and I hope everyone is having a wonderful day today. I decided to watch this movie today for Christmas because I haven't seen it in the last few years. I always loved this movie ever since I first saw it on VHS when I was three years old back in 1994. The Nightmare Before Christmas is not a perfect movie, but it's still a noteworthy movie in my opinion. The movie has a very cool unique world that is filled with memorable characters. I always love the art direction that this movie has because it's so cool looking. I can't imagine what this movie would be like without Tim Burton's iconic art style.

The stop motion animation still holds up for a movie that is almost 30 years old. You also get plenty of catchy songs that are still fun to listen to. I have nothing else to say about this movie because plenty of people have seen this movie and talked about it to death already. I still recommend watching The Nightmare Before Christmas if you haven't already.

Date: 12/25/2020
Viewed: 4K UHD
Re-Watch

Note: I decide to end my Christmas night by watching Die Hard in 4K UHD. Die Hard needs no introduction because the movie is easily one of the most iconic action movies ever. So many people have seen this movie and talked about it already that I have nothing new to say. Die Hard is one of those movies that never gets old when I revisit it. It's 2 hours of non-stop action. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you should get on that ASAP.

Date: 12/26/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: Combat Shock aka American Nightmare is one of those movies that has left a huge impact on me ever since I first saw it. I haven't seen this since I was a teenager when I was a senior in High School and I was lucky enough to get the Blu-Ray released by Severin Films. The Blu-ray from Severin Films is hard to find as a good deal, but I was lucky that someone donated their copy to me for free. Combat Shock is an amazing work of art and it deserves to be preserved in the National Film Registry in my opinion. Combat Shock is not a horror movie (I know some people will disagree with me) or an action movie. Combat Shock is a dark, and gritty character study of a post-war veteran with his life being ruined by society and is suffering from PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). I feel like this movie is misunderstood because it was marketed as an action movie similar to the Death Wish movies and not a movie similar to Taxi Driver (1976). A movie like this is one of a kind and more people need to see it.

The reason why I love this movie so much because I love the dark and gritty atmosphere. Combat Shock has a dark and depressing story that is very grounded to reality. Frankie (The main character of the movie) has no job, lives in the worst part of New York City, and has a hard time supporting his family. I feel like most people can relate to him with the current times that we are living in right now. Combat Shock can also be viewed as an anti-war story showing that fighting for your country is not always the best idea because the outcome is not worth it. This movie shows that most veterans are still unemployed after being in the Military. Over time, we get to see Frankie (played by Rick Giovinazzo) losing his insanity by living in the harsh world that we live in. Frankie must do stuff that he would not normally do in order to survive. It’s also a story of survival and is like watching a transition from the jungles of Vietnam to the urban jungle of New York City with him fighting for his life.

The grainy 16mm picture quality is perfect because it helps create the atmosphere for the movie. Everything about this movie feels dirty and gross. This movie is so dirty, you can practically smell the trash in the apartment that these characters live in. You feel like that you are being sucked into the grungy world that these characters are living in when you are watching this movie. The acting is surprisingly good, and everyone did a fantastic job with the material that they are given with. You would never think that a movie with no-name actors can have acting this good. Every character in this movie feels totally believable as if you would know them as your next-door neighbor in real life. Combat Shock also has plenty of great powerful emotional scenes. The scene with Frankie talking to his dad on the phone is a very emotional scene that I almost wanted to cry. I also love the music in this movie because it's so catchy. You also get some surreal nightmarish imagery that is similar to Eraserhead (1977). Without a doubt, you can tell that Buddy Giovinazzo (the director) was inspired by David Lynch's style when making this movie. This movie knows how to use its low budget very well. Not every movie needs to have a Hollywood-size budget to be a good movie. Most filmmakers should watch this movie along with Basket Case (1982) on how to make a movie with little to no money.

This movie is not for the faint of heart, so don't watch it if you don't like dark and depressing movies. I still highly recommend Combat Shock if you enjoy character study movies or dark and gritty movies.

Date: 12/27/2020
Viewed: Youtube
First Viewing

Note: So far, I only have seen a few movies from Hirokazu Kore-eda and he has already become a favorite director of mine. Maborosi is yet another hit from Hirokazu Kore-ed for me because this movie was fantastic. This movie is both beautiful and depressing at the same time. You can tell that Hirokazu Kore-eda was inspired by Yasujiro Ozu when making this movie because this movie has a similar vibe to his other movies such as Late Spring (1949), and Tokyo Story (1953) in my opinion. I love the story in this movie because the movie feels very poetic. This movie has a wonderful cast of characters that feel very believable by showing the struggles that they have to deal with after a death in the family.

Maborosi has wonderful pacing because the movie went by so quickly that I was surprised that it was almost 2 hours long. I found myself being so emotionally invested with the story that the movie flew by like it was nothing. The cinematography from Masao Nakabori (Ultra Seven) is absolutely stunning in my opinion. Every scene in this movie had me staring at the screen without moving an inch of my body. Hirokazu Kore-eda can make a movie about paint drying and it will still be stunning to watch.

Overall, Maborosi is a fantastic movie and I'm glad that I watched it. This movie is not for everyone because not everyone will like slow-moving movies. I highly recommend this movie if you enjoy Japanese cinema or art-house movies.

Date: 12/28/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
First Viewing

Note: I have seen several poliziotteschi movies over the years, but I never saw this movie in its full form until now. I picked up the Raro Video Blu-ray release on Kino Lorber's website during their Black Friday sale a while back. After watching this movie for the first time, I thought it was awesome. Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man is pure non-stop action from start to finish. The entire movie is like an adrenaline rush of action because it's so entertaining. There is not a single boring moment in the movie. This movie has the best motorcycle chase scene ever in an action movie in my opinion. I also love the character chemistry with the two main characters (played by Marc Porel and Ray Lovelock) because they are very likable and memorable. These two characters are a total blast to watch on-screen. It's so much fun seeing these characters killing bad guys with ultra-violence.

I love the camera work in this movie because I love how fast the camera is able to move without making me feel sick. Just like any Italian grindhouse movie, you get plenty of violence, blood, and nudity. The movie is so over the top, I can't tell if the movie is a satire of the police force or not. I found myself laughing at this movie both intentionally and unintentionally. You also get a solid cast of actors that did a good job with their performances. Adolfo Celi (Thunderball) has a fun memorable role that is worth mentioning.

Some people won't like this movie because they will view this movie as pro-police brutality. It would have been nice if the movie did had a message about how using crime against crime is not always a good idea. I'm someone who is able to use my suspension of disbelief for these types of movies because I watch these movies for fun escapism. I doubt Ruggero Deodato (the director) was making this movie to promote some hate speech. You can tell that this movie is meant to be a fun popcorn flick and nothing more.

Overall, Live Like a Cop, Die Like a Man is a fun and crazy action movie that is worth watching. I highly recommend this movie if you enjoy action movies. Rating: 9/10 (Pure entertainment rating)

Date: 12/28/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: It's been a while since I have seen this movie and I recently bought the Discotek Blu-Ray from Right Stuf's Holiday Sale. Seeing that the year is almost over, I wanted to revisit this movie soon. I have a lot of nostalgia for this anime because I used to watch anime on the Sci-Fi channel when I was a little kid. I was watching anime from a younger age than most Millennials around my age group did (People born in the late 80s and early 90s). I remember watching anime such as Demon City Shinjuku, My Neighbor Totoro (The Fox Home Video release), Venus Wars, Dominion Tank Police, etc before I even saw any of the Dragon Ball shows or anyone I knew talked about anime. Anyways, Demon City Shinjuku is not as good as the other anime from Yoshiaki Kawajiri in my opinion. However, it's still a fun movie nevertheless.

I owned many editions of Demon City Shinjuku and other anime from Yoshiaki Kawajiri over the years. The Blu-Ray is a great upgrade and it makes the movie look 100X better in my opinion. I always love Yoshiaki Kawajiri's art direction because he draws really cool characters and creates colorful backgrounds. I love all the detail that is put into the backgrounds and character designs. You get plenty of cool-looking monster designs that feel inspired by the demons from Go Nagai's work and Dungeons & Dragons. The movie has a fantastic dark atmosphere and the spooky tone helps creates a feeling of death around the corner. You can sense that demons and other evil spirits are lurking in Shinjuku just waiting for the perfect time to strike.

The music in the movie is super catchy and it always reminds me of music that you would find in a movie from Lucio Fulci or any other Italian grindhouse movie. The action sequences are a lot of fun and you get plenty of fight scenes that are very nicely animated. The weakest thing about this movie is the writing. The story does have some plot holes that are very noticeable. The main characters could have better character development and the romance is pretty weak. However, I do like how the movie does not take itself too seriously by keeping the plot nice and simple. Watching Demon City Shinjuku is almost like playing a video game on the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). The main character goes on a quest to save a girl from an evil demon wizard. I could have easily seen this movie getting a Legend of Zelda clone on the NES back in the day. The English dubbing for this movie is not very good because it has dumb dialogue and translation errors. I recommend watching this movie subbed if you do plan on watching this movie.

Overall, Demon City Shinjuku is a flawed movie and I still recommend checking it out if you've got time to spare.

Date: 12/29/2020
Viewed: DVD
Re-Watch

Note: I hadn’t seen this movie since I was in high school and I was curious to see if this movie still holds up or not. I was lucky to find my old DVD copy in storage and the disc still works. I'm glad that I rewatch this movie because this movie is still awesome. Battlefield Baseball is a lot of fun and it is the perfect stupid comedy movie that I need after a bad day. I always consider this movie to be like a Japanese equivalent to Shaolin Soccer (2001) because both movies are sports comedy movies with wacky and over the top humor.

The over-exaggerated slapstick humor is why this movie is so funny. I laugh hard at almost every comedic moment in the movie. The special effects are mostly practical effects and the makeup work is pretty good. I do find it funny that the main zombie villain almost looks like The Mask. I do wish the movie was gorier with the violence. With a crazy sports horror-comedy, I always wanted more blood and guts. At least, the movie turned out fine by the end of the day.

Overall, Battlefield Baseball is a fun movie and I do recommend checking it out if you enjoy crazy sports movies or Japanese comedies.

Date: 12/29/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: To be honest, I feel very indifferent when it comes to Christopher Nolan. I don't love him as many people do, but I don't dislike him either. I was curious to check out this movie because the trailers for it look pretty good. My local Red Box has the movie in stock to rent on Blu-ray and I wanted to watch this movie before the year was over. After watching this movie for the first time, I kinda like it. Tenet is a pretty fun sci-fi action thriller in my opinion. The story was interesting and I didn't think the movie was confusing as most people make it out to be. The gimmick that they used for the movie was pretty neat too. They were able to use a cool gimmick without coming off as stupid and annoying in my opinion.

Just like any Christopher Nolan movie, you have solid production values and the movie is stunning to look at. Nolan always uses practical effects for his movies and seeing him use a real airplane to be destroyed on film was pretty cool. You have great performances from John David Washington (BlackKkKlansman), Robert Pattinson (The Lighthouse), Elizabeth Debicki (Windows), Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet), etc. I can't think of a single bad performance in the entire movie. My biggest issue with Tenet is the pacing because the movie is 150 minutes long and it definitely feels like a very long movie (Not in a good way). The first hour of this movie was so slow and I almost give up on watching the movie. Thankfully, the story started to get interesting after an hour into the movie. While the main characters are not bad, I just didn't feel a strong connection to them. I'm probably going to forget their names by the end of the week.

Overall, Tenet is not a bad movie and I do want to give it a second viewing in the near future. I recommend watching it if you enjoy movies from Christopher Nolan or if you're curious.

Date: 12/30/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime (Rental)
First Viewing

Note: I had people recommend this movie to me because they told me it was right up my alley. I decided to rent the movie from Amazon Prime and they were right about this movie. Alone is not the most original movie ever, but it is still a well-made movie. Alone is a very creepy and dark horror thriller that deals with a stalker that captures a woman and the woman must run for her life. Movies like this always get under my skin because these are things that happen in real life and are more common than what you would expect. The movie has a chilling atmosphere that puts you in the shoes of the main character (played by Jules Willcox). When watching this movie, you really feel like you are stuck in the middle of the woods. The cinematography is fantastic and I love all the nature shots in the movie. I also love how this is a slow-burn movie that does not overstay its welcome.

The acting is solid and Marc Menchaca (Ozark) does a wonderful job of playing a villain. The main villain in this movie is so creepy and disturbing. People like him pretend to be nice and simple but have a darker agenda deep down. The grounded realism in this movie is a reminder that people like him are lurking around every day under our noses. If I had to pick one thing that I didn't like about this movie is that the characters could have been better. More depth to these characters would have been nice.

Overall, Alone is a great movie and I highly recommend checking it out.

Date: 12/31/2020
Viewed: 4K UHD
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie since it came out in theaters and I did want to revisit it because I have been in the mood to watch it. I originally never had any interest in watching this movie until my friends offer me to see it with them when it came out. To my surprise, this movie was pretty solid. As a Spider-Man fan myself, I don't think any of the live-action Spider-Man movies are not very good, and Into the Spider-Verse is the best Spider-Man movie that we have at the moment in my opinion. The art direction is amazing and the movie is a total treat to watch in 4K UHD.

The story is well told by having themes of enthusiasm and humanity. They did a wonderful job of creating a friendship bond between Miles Morales and Peter B Parker. I still think the movie is from far perfect because I do have some issues with how they handle the villains. You have characters such as Green Goblin that never show up again. I also never like how they never really explain why Miles uncle became The Prowler in the first place. The Spider-Men from the other universes are a lot of fun too. Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir was perfect in my opinion.

Overall, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is still a great movie and it is worth checking out even if you are not into family films or superhero movies.