Movies I Watched in June 2020

Date: 6/1/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray (Red Box Rental)
First viewing

Note: I end up watching this movie out of morbid curiosity because people told me that this is not a bad movie. I did grow up with the Sonic video games and the first two cartoon shows as a kid in the 90s and stop around when Sonic 2006 came out. I thought I might as well check it out because it was only $2 to rent at my local Red Box. It's not a bad movie, but it's from being great.

The acting in this movie is not bad and Jim Carrey is spectacular as Dr. Eggman. Some humor was surprisingly funny too. The story is your typical family film and has the typical cliché tropes that you will find in most family films. I do admit that the special effects in this movie are very good. Sonic himself looks good and blends in well with the other cast of characters.

Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog is a fun family film and it is one of the better live-action video game adaptions (I know that is not saying much). Fans of the video games and kids will probably have a good time watching this movie. If you are not a Sonic fan, you probably won't like this movie.

Date: 6/2/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
First viewing

Note: I remember the advertisements for this movie in 2013, but I never saw it because I hear awful things about the movie. I end up watching the movie because I had nothing else to do. After watching this movie, this movie is a mixed bag for me. If this movie was not based on a true story, it could have been a fun modern conservative exploitation film.

I do remember hearing about the real Sun Gym gang growing up, but not knowing too much about them. Watching this movie did make me want to do more research on the real-life story. The movie does have acting that it is surprisingly good that I would not expect in a Michael Bay film. I also like that the movie is 2 hours and it went by pretty quickly.

I hated the humor in this movie because the humor is the type of humor that you would find in most of Bay's films. People were furious over the movie's comedic take on the story because you had real people who got hurt and killed back in 1995 and now I know why people got offended over this movie. I also can't tell if the movie is trying to make a satirical message on toxic masculinity and the American dream or not. This movie is all over the place with the themes of the story in my opinion.

Overall, Pain & Gain is an average movie at best. I'm glad that I watched this movie, but I doubt I will watch it again anytime soon.

Date: 6/3/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
First viewing

Note: This is another movie that I wanted to see when it came out in 2013, but I never did due to being with college at the time. So I end up forgetting about the movie over the years and I finally watched it now on Amazon Prime (rental). It's not the best movie from Chan-wook Park, but I still really enjoy it.

The acting and cinematography in this movie are great. Everyone does a great job of acting in this film in my opinion. The movie almost feels like a modern Hitchcock film when it came to storytelling. The story in this movie is so interesting because it's a family story that deals with the dark nature and sickness in our own desires. It's also a modern horror thriller movie that has no jump scares or any other stupid clichés (Like the Car not working). I don't want to spoil anything because you have to watch this movie on your own without any knowledge. There are so many twists and turns that happen when watching the movie that you will never see coming.

Overall, Stoker is a solid movie and it is worth checking out.

Date: 6/4/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: My week has been pretty bad for me so far and I need a movie to help cheer me up. I decided to watch this movie because I haven't seen it in ages and I did pick up the Code Red Blu-Ray over a month ago. After re-watching this movie, I still enjoy this movie for what it is.

The story does not always make sense, but you have kick-ass action sequences and a great soundtrack from Claudio Simonetti to make up for it. The best thing about this movie is the atmosphere because the movie feels very atmospheric. This whole movie has a nightmarish fever dream vibe to it. Everything in this movie is dark, violent, and surreal. For a low-budget movie, I do think the special effects are not bad. The suits for the monsters are pretty cool and you have some pretty awesome gory special effects as well.

Overall, Conquest is a lot of fun and it is one of the better Conan the Barbarian knock offs of the 1980s. Check this movie out if you've got time to spare.

Date: 6/5/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
First viewing

Note: I had friends that recommend me to watch The Night Clerk (2020) and decided to rent it off of Amazon Prime. When I rented the movie off of Amazon Prime, they somehow give me this movie instead. I'm not complaining because this movie was not bad at all.

The acting is solid and I love the snowy atmosphere that this movie has. I'm a sucker for movies that have a cold snowy weather feeling to them. The movie did take me a while to get invested in the story, but the movie does get better as time goes on. You get some cool twists and turns that happen in the story that almost feels like a Hitchcock movie. After watching the movie, I notice that not many people have seen this movie (At least outside of Europe). I'm glad that I have accidentally discovered a nice hidden gem.

Overall, The Night Clerk is a good movie that not many people have seen. Check this movie out if you've got time to spare.

Date: 6/6/2020
Viewed: Hulu
First viewing

Note: I wanted to see this movie when it came out last year in theaters, but I missed my chance too. Seeing that the movie is finally on Hulu, I can finally watch this movie. After watching this movie for the first time, I really like it. I was never a huge Elton John fan, but I always enjoy listing to his music growing up.

It was super fascinating to how Elton John's career started and the struggles that he has gone through in his life. I'm pretty sure the movie did cut several aspects of Elton John's life in order for the movie to be 2 hours long. I always feel like movies should be viewed on their own without knowing the source material or life events. The movie still told a great story nevertheless from start to finish. This movie has many great emotional moments that will make you both happy and sad at the same time.

I'm glad that they didn't hold back when making this movie and made it R rated. The movie deals with mature themes that won't work well for a PG-13 movie in my opinion. The performances in this movie are fantastic in my opinion. Taron Egerton as Elton John was amazing because it felt like that he was the real deal. I was not a fan of some time skips that happen because they happen really fast at times. The movie will hop to one moment after another a bit too soon in my opinion.

Overall, Rocketman is a solid movie and I highly recommend watching this movie.

Date: 6/7/2019
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
First viewing

Note: I was really eager to check out this movie after hearing good things about this movie. I decided to rent the movie from Amazon Prime and I thought it was pretty good. This movie is not a great movie, but it is a lot of fun. The movie is a simple horror home invasion movie, and it does a pretty good job of making the movie feel pretty suspenseful. The movie will keep you on the edge of your seat on what will happen next.

The acting is pretty good including Kevin James. Kevin James plays an evil scary neo-nazi/alt-righter, and he really pulls it off. He does feel like a type of racist bad guy from Prison that would exist in reality. The practical effects are very good in my opinion because you have some really awesome gory moments in this movie. The movie also runs at a nice pace without overstaying its welcome as well.

I didn't like some things in this movie that were not explained very well such as the key. How did they know that the key is at the Lake House? Also, how is this key going to help lead their white supremacy goals? It also took me a while to like Becky as the main character because her character goes through the "I don't like the new person that my parent is dating" cliché. I'm personally so sick of that cliché that it gets so annoying at times.

Overall, Becky is a fun horror movie that is worth checking out. I do not recommend this movie that doesn't like dogs getting killed in movies.

Date: 6/8/2020
Viewed: Vudu
First viewing

Note: I always remember hearing about this movie growing up and I never had the chance to watch it. I end up renting the movie off of Vudu because it was the only way that you can watch the movie in HD. After watching the movie for the first time, I like it a lot. This movie is a fun thrill ride from start to finish because there's not a single dull moment in this movie. The action sequences are pretty awesome and you get good gunshot/gore effects from the legendary Tom Savini as well.

The movie is far from perfect because I do feel like they could have written the story better, to be honest. The movie does have a fun cast of characters, but they could have freshened out the characters better in my opinion. I feel like there is not a strong enough bond with the cast of characters for me to connect with them. Zoe is the main female character in the movie and I feel like she does not do much in the movie if you ask me. I do like the movie's theme on people being disconnected from humanity by showing that people will do drugs and murder each other without regard for anyone else. At least the movie does have a sub-text to it and it is just mindless sex & violence for no reason.

Overall, Killing Zoe is a pretty good movie and I'm glad that I finally watched it. It's worth checking out if you haven't seen it yet.

Date: 6/9/2020
Viewed: Starz
First viewing

Note: This is another movie that I missed out on when it came out due to being busy with Community College at the time. I now finally have the chance to watch this movie thanks to Film Club. I was also hyped up to finally watched this movie because I really enjoy movies from Jim Jarmusch. After watching the movie on Starz, I really like this movie a lot.

It's not the best movie that I've seen from Jim Jarmusch, but I do consider it to be a solid movie nevertheless. The acting in this movie is fantastic and the cinematography is wonderful to look at. You get a great cast of characters in this movie that are very likable that you can relate to in my opinion. The movie is a great slow burn that does not overstay its welcome. For a 2-hour movie, it moves at a nice pace and the gloomy atmosphere really sucks you into the movie. I love soaking into the movie's slow-burn atmosphere similar to other Jim Jarmusch's movies such as Night on Earth (1991).

You also don't often get a melancholic character study on Vampires in movies if you ask me. The only thing that I didn't like about that this movie is that some scenes didn't make sense (I don't want to spoil anything). Overall, Only Lovers Left Alive is a great movie and I highly recommend watching it.

Date: 6/10/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First viewing

Note: I honestly never heard of this movie until Vinegar Syndrome announce that they would be releasing it on Blu-Ray. Seeing that this movie is now on Amazon Prime (As of June 10, 2020), I decided to give it a watch. I always like to watch movies before I buy them because I don't want to waste $10-30 on a movie that I may hate. After watching the movie for the first time, I enjoy it for all the wrong reasons.

This movie is very dumb, but it is so much fun to watch. The plot is pretty simple and the characters are pretty generic. However, I'm not complaining because the cheese factor saves this movie from being a total train wreck in my opinion. The movie is filled with bad acting, cheesy dialogue, and silly over the top action sequences. I found myself laughing unintentionally for how cheesy and stupid this movie is.

This is the perfect movie to sit down and turn off your brain for 90 minutes on a Friday night while eating pizza and drinking a nice cold soda. Also, the entire movie screams the mid-90s with the old fashion trends, outdated technology, and the overall direct to video style quality. I'm happy that we have companies like Vinegar Syndrome that bring these forgotten titles back from obscurity. After all, one man's trash is another man's treasure ;).

Overall, L.A Wars is a ridiculously dumb fun movie from start to finish. I do recommend it if you are into fun trashy movies. I will probably pick up the Blu-Ray in the near future.

Date: 6/11/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First Viewing

Note: I already review this movie before, you can read it here

Seeing that June is LGBT Pride Month, I was in the mood to revisit this movie. I love the movie the first time when I watched it and I love even more on a second viewing. This is a movie that gets better with each viewing. I can't add anything new to say that has not been said already. Check out this movie if you haven't.

Date: 6/11/2020
Viewed: Youtube
First Viewing

Note: I always remember this movie being on the shelves at my local video stores like Blockbuster, Suncoast, etc during the 2000s along with other bargain bin horror titles such as Dracula 3000, Frankenfish , The Cavern, Bloodz vs. Wolvez, and several others. I decided to watch this movie because it's officially free to watch on Youtube. After watching this movie for the first time, I did not like it at all. I honestly hated this movie and I want my 80 minutes of my life back.

The movie follows the typical tropes of a slasher movie and does not do anything new, or interesting with them. The movie is so boring because you have many scenes where there's just nothing happening at all in this movie. For an 80-minute movie, it felt like it took over 4 hours to finally be over. Not even the main villain in this movie looks cool because the design for the main villain looks so generic in my opinion. The acting and production values in this movie are terrible even for a low-budget movie. This movie almost feels like one of those Cinemax softcore pornos that you would find at 2 AM on TV back in the 1990s.

The only good thing about this movie that I think of is that some of the kills are kinda cool. Other than that, this movie has almost no redeeming qualities at all. Gory kills are not enough for me to like when the movie is a total snore-fest. I had more fun watching Gorno: An American Tragedy because that movie is fun to mock at for being over the top and being super edgy as possible. I would even rather watch Dude Bro Party Massacre III and give that movie a second chance than sit through this movie again.

Overall, Death Factory is a terrible movie and I highly recommend avoiding this movie at all costs. This movie belongs in a Bargain Bin at a Gas Station in the middle of nowhere.

Date: 6/12/2020
Viewed: Netflix
First Viewing

Note: I remember the Internet buzz for this movie during the 89th Academy Awards and I always wanted to check it out for a while now. After watching this movie for the first time, I really enjoy it. The clay stop motion in this movie is fantastic and I love the art direction that this movie has as well. Everything is very pretty to look at and a large amount of effort that the filmmakers that they put into the movie are stunning.

For a 70-minute movie, it didn't feel rush at all. Everything moves at a nice pace and told a great story from start to finish. I also love that this is a family film that is not scared to pull any punches because this movie deals with dark and grown-up themes very well. I normally hate when family films treat kids like idiots or are too scared to deal with real-world issues. The movie did a wonderful job of creating a cast of characters that feel very realistic in my opinion. You can really feel the emotional trauma that these characters went through.

I don't have anything bad to say about this movie other than I wish it was a bit longer. Overall, My Life as Zucchini is a great movie and it is worth checking out. Parents & older children will probably enjoy it.

Date: 6/12/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray (2012 remaster edition)
Re-Watch

Note: Seeing that this movie recently turn 30 years old, I decided to revisit it. This movie is still awesome after 30 years later in my opinion. The action sequences are great and the special effects are still fantastic. You also have a good cast of memorable characters and a story that makes you think about what it is real or not. You can always tell that this movie is a clear inspiration for The Matrix and other Sci-Fi movies that came out in the 1990s.

This is probably one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's best movie next to the first two Terminator movies and Predator in my opinion. If you haven't seen this movie, do it now!

Date: 6/13/2020
Viewed: Shudder
First Viewing

Note: I have been curious to check out this movie for a while now after hearing about it a few months ago. I end up watching this movie on the Last Drive-In and I honestly enjoy it. It's not a great movie, but I still find it to be pretty decent. I like the effort that they put into this movie because the filmmakers do have a lot of love for many horror tropes and video stores.

The movie has production values that are pretty awesome because you have practical effects in this movie that looks great in my opinion. It's both amazing and sad that indie directors can make cool practical effects in their movies meanwhile big-budget mainstream Hollywood directors always use bad boring CG special effects.

There are 7 stories in this movie and some of them are pretty cool such as One Time in the Woods. While some of them are pretty bad like "So Much To Do" and "Girls' Night Out of Body". I do agree with Joe Bob that some of these stories could have been taken out of the movie and it won't have ruined the movie experience.

The humor is surprisingly not bad at all because there are a few moments in this movie that give me a good laugh. Don't get me wrong, you still have some really dumb comedy moments that are pretty cringy as well. You also have some really cool surprises that happen in the movie that I will not spoil.

Overall, Scare Package is a pretty fun horror movie. It's worth checking out if you are into anthology films.

Date: 6/14/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
First Viewing

Note: This is a movie that I always wanted to check out for a while now, but I never had the chance too. I found a Blu-Ray copy for $2 at my local Good Will store and decided to pick it up. I watch this movie knowing nothing about it and I end up really liking it. While the story may not be 100% original, I still found the story to be very interesting because I'm a sucker for movies that deal with snuff films. I think the underground sub-culture of snuff films is always interesting because of the creepy mystery behind it.

For a movie that is almost 2 hours long, the movie does a wonderful job on the pacing. There's not a single moment in this movie that felt like it went on for way too long. You get many tense and gripping scenes that put you on the edge of your seat when watching the film. The acting is solid and the cinematography is fantastic in my opinion. I do love how the movie will use different types of colors for the lighting to capture the tone of the story. I also love the music from Jeff Grace because it reminds me of an 80s movie from John Carpenter in my opinion.

I also like that this movie shows how bad cops can be when it comes to covering up crime as long if there is a lot of blood money involved. The only thing that I didn't like about this movie is that some things in the movie that were not explained. You have some unexplained loose ends that were never brought up again in the movie.

Overall, Cold in July is a solid movie and I'm glad that I finally saw this movie. I highly recommend checking out this movie.

Date: 6/15/2020
Viewed: Netflix
First Viewing

Note: I honestly never heard of this movie until recently. I'm glad that I finally saw this movie because I really enjoy it. This movie is a very good slow burn that does not overstay its welcome. The movie has a great cast of characters and I really enjoy the themes of the human condition that the movie deals with. The characters go on a long journey, and we get to see betrayal, loyalty, mistrust, and bravery during their development. The performances in this movie are excellent and the cinematography is wonderful. The movie has many scenes that made my scene drop because you have scenes that you will never see coming.

Overall, Slow West is a great western and I highly recommend watching it without knowing anything about the movie.

Date: 6/16/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: Seeing that today is the 60th anniversary of Psycho, I felt like it was the perfect time to revisit it. The movie is still a masterpiece and it will never get old to me. Psycho will always be my #1 favorite Alfred Hitchcock film because I love the story, characters, and the suspenseful atmosphere. Everything about this movie to me is perfect in my opinion. Psycho would be a big influence on horror movies because it is arguably the first slasher movie. You won't have Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Friday the 13th, etc without this movie.

I have nothing else to say because everyone has talked about this movie to death already. If you haven't seen it, do it now!

Date: 6/17/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: Today is Lucio Fulci's birthday and I decided to celebrate his birthday by watching the new Blu-Ray of City of the Living Dead aka Gates of Hell released by Scorpion Releasing. The 4K restoration of this movie is absolutely breathtaking because everything looks so crisp and clear. I noticed things that I would never notice in the movie until now. City of the Living Dead is still an awesome movie even 40 years later. It's the weakest movie in the Gates of Hell trilogy in my opinion, but still a solid movie nevertheless.

I love the dark, spooky, and gothic atmosphere in the movie. Lucio Fulci did a wonderful job of making the movie feel very atmospheric. The use of fog in the movie makes the movie feel so unsettling. I also love the practical effects in this movie because they look awesome in my opinion. You also have a great iconic score from Fabio Frizz, and he does a fantastic job creating a chilling score that captures the creepy tone of the movie.

The story is pretty cool, but it could have been better at times in my opinion. It would have been nice to have more back story on the evil Priest. I also feel like some moments in the story don't always make sense (I don't like writing spoiler reviews most of the time. So I won't spoil anything). You still get many great iconic moments that happen in the story make up for the flaws that this movie has in my opinion.

Overall, City of the Living Dead aka Gates of Hell is an awesome zombie movie and it is worth checking out.

Date: 6/17/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: I wanted to check out this movie for a while now because it looks fascinating. I decided to rent the movie from Amazon Prime and went into the movie knowing nothing about the movie. Well, to be honest, I was let down by this movie because the movie didn't live up to its potential.

This movie is almost like a drug trip version of Quantum Leap and I do like most of the visuals in the movie. Justin Long is surprisingly good in this movie and the other actors did a good job as well. Tommy Flanagan as the mysterious drug dealer easily my favorite part of the movie. My biggest issue with this movie is the lack of substance and I normally like movies that are style over substance. The movie has a very cool idea on paper and I felt like the execution was poorly done. The time travel in this movie makes almost no sense at all in my opinion.

The movie has bad plot holes that made me scratch my head multiple times when watching this movie. The movie also tries so hard to be philosophical and it ends up being super messy. I also didn't like any of the characters because I didn't care about them at all. Justin Long plays an unlikable character and I didn't feel sorry for any of the losses that he went through in the movie. The comedy in the movie is also super cringy because it also wants to be funny at times and it comes off as painful.

I also didn't get the overall message of this movie because this movie is also trying so hard to be too many things at once. Is the general message of this that drugs are bad MKAY and insurance companies are pretty scammy with people? I really wish that they hire someone to help polish the script for this movie before they made this movie.

While this movie is a total mess, I don't think it was a terrible movie. The movie does have an artistic vision to it and I appreciate the effort that went into the movie. The movie is also not boring and it went by pretty quickly.

Overall, The Wave is a total letdown and I only recommend this movie if you are curious. You're better off renting this movie at your local Red Box.

Date: 6/19/2020
Viewed: Netflix
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie since I was a kid in the 90s and I decided to revisit it because it's on Netflix. When I was a kid, I always prefer this movie over Dumb and Dumber. The movie is not a masterpiece, but I still enjoy it. The movie is still pretty funny at times in my opinion and Jim Carrey does a wonderful job as the lead role. I did forget that the movie is transphobic and homophobic. Those are the two things about this movie that have aged badly.

I don't have anything else to say because I feel like enough people have seen this movie already. So I can't add anything new to add. If you haven't seen this movie before, go check it out if you are curious.

Date: 6/19/2020
Viewed: Netflix
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie since I rented it at my local Red Box back in 2018 and I end up rewatching this movie because my friends wanted to watch it on Netflix. After rewatching this movie, I still enjoy it. I do think The Room is a bit overrated when it comes to so bad, it's good movies, but it's always cool to see the history of the making of the movie (Even though the movie did some changes to the real-life story). The movie is hilarious and the actors did a great job on the roles. You don't have to watch The Room to get the inside jokes in the movie, but it does make the movie funnier if you have seen The Room.

Overall, The Disaster Artist is a good movie and it is worth checking out.

Date: 6/20/2020
Viewed: Criterion Channel
First Viewing

Note: After watching Mysterious Skin and The Living End last year, I wanted to check out more movies from Gregg Araki. Sadly, most of his older movies are hard to find and are not in good quality. Criterion recently released some of his movies on their streaming service and I can finally watch this movie now. After watching this movie for the first time, I really enjoy it.

I do like the documentary feel to this movie because the movie is about the interactions of other people than telling a normal linear storyline. The characters are very interesting and the movie covers many themes that are still relevant in today's world such as AIDS, life on the streets, loneliness, abuse, LGBT employment discrimination, suicide, etc. I feel like many people who watch this movie can relate to the main cast of characters because they are probably going through similar situations that occur in their life. I also like the editing that this movie has because the movie almost feels like a late-night MTV music video at times in my opinion.

Overall, Totally Fucked Up is a great movie and I'm glad that I watched it. This movie won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I do recommend it if you enjoy movies from Gregg Araki or if you enjoy movies that don't have a linear narrative

Date: 6/21/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie since I was a kid and I think it holds up very well. I almost forgot how young Jeff Bridges looks in this movie lol. I'm going to keep my thoughts short because I don't have anything new to add seeing that this is a popular 90s movie that most people have seen. I still really enjoy the story and characters that this movie has. It's a good story about finding redemption and love in my opinion. I also like that the movie is a modern take on the Fisher King and does a pretty good job of capturing the themes from the Arthurian legend.

Overall, The Fisher King is still a great movie and I highly recommend checking it out.

Date: 6/22/2020
Viewed: Shudder
First Viewing

Note: This is another cult classic movie that I never saw growing up, but I do always remember hearing about it. This movie was featured on the season 2 finale on The Last Drive-In, and I was quite eager to see it now. After watching the movie for the first time, I enjoy it. This movie is pretty silly and is not afraid to admit that it's a dumb movie. The movie is a satire of post-apocalyptic movies and it does a good job of making the movie funny. There're several scenes in this movie that give me a good laugh.

The movie also has a fun cast of characters and the acting is pretty decent in my opinion. Roddy Piper steals the show as the lead role because he plays a cool anti-hero character with a fun personality. My favorite thing about this movie was the production values. For a low budget movie, the movie has pretty awesome special effects. The frogs in the movie look super cool and the set designs in the movie are pretty neat as well. I do almost wish that I saw this movie as a kid because I would have loved this movie when I was 7 or 8 years old. At least it's better to watch it now than never.

Overall, Hell Comes to Frogtown is a fun movie and it is worth checking out if you enjoy action comedies or post-apocalyptic movies.

Date: 6/23/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Arrow Video

Note: I have looked forward to revisiting this movie when it was announced that Arrow Video will finally release this movie on Blu-Ray without the licensing crap getting in the way. After watching the movie again, this movie still rocks in my opinion. The new HD restoration of this movie is absolutely breathtaking because everything looks so crisp and clear. The backgrounds look stunningly realistic on my 4K TV.

The movie is not as high art compared to Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, but the movie is still a solid movie nevertheless. Django is a great action hero, and he knows how to kick major ass. Django feels like he is the Grim Reaper of the Wild West with him dragging a coffin behind him and wearing dark clothing. It makes the character even more awesome with the fascinating aura of mystery around the character. When Django shows up on the screen, you know that you're already dead.

The movie also has a decent supporting cast and a great villain as well. I also love the dark atmosphere that this movie because it captures the dark and violent tone of the movie. The movie has an eerie moody feeling to it and even some scenery has a gothic horror feeling to them. The music from Luis Enriquez Bacalov is so iconic that I still have the movie's theme stuck in my head after it is over.

The story is pretty basic, but that's okay because it's an action movie and you can tell that Sergio Corbucci was never trying to make a high art movie. There's not a single boring moment in the movie because the movie is packed with many action sequences. The movie is pretty tame by today's standers, but I can see why this movie was considered to be controversial back in the 1960s. The movie has scenes of blood and gore when characters get shot. This movie was released a year before Bonnie and Clyde, and I feel like this movie is more violent than that film was in my opinion.

Overall, Django is a great western movie and I highly recommend watching it if you have never seen it before.

Date: 6/24/2020
Viewed: Criterion Channel
First Viewing

Note: I remember hearing about this movie over a decade ago, but I never had the chance to check it out when it was a new movie. This is the first movie that I've seen from Kelly Reichardt and I didn't know what to expect out of this movie. After watching the movie for the first time, I really enjoy it. This movie is a nice relaxing slice of life movie that knows how to uses its short run time. The movie does not feel rush or feels like it moves at a snail pace.

The characters in this movie are very interesting and almost feel like normal people that you would know in real life. The two main characters have a great friendship with each other that it feels realistic. I also love the atmosphere and the cinematography that this movie has too. I can sit down and watch this movie after a long day of work and never get bored with it. The only thing that I didn't like about this movie is that I wish it was a bit longer. It would be nice to see more of the story and characters in this movie. I almost felt bummed out after the movie was over because I wanted more.

Overall, I really like Old Joy and it's worth checking out. I can't wait to check out more movies from Kelly Reichardt.

Date: 6/26/2020
Viewed: Youtube
First Viewing

Note: I remember seeing a movie called "Karate Cop" on VHS that would always be sold at my local video store as a kid and I thought this was the movie. It turns out that I remember the wrong movie and that Karate Cop movie is really called "Yellow Faced Tiger". I still decided to watch this movie because it was on Youtube and I had nothing else to do today. I can see why this movie is stuck in VHS hell because it's not very good at all.

The first 25 minutes are pretty enjoyable for how cheesy and over the top it was. Sadly, the movie loses its novelty and it becomes pretty boring. I don't care for any of the characters, and we know almost nothing about the main cast. The movie assumes that the viewer knows everything already when watching this movie. Apparently, the movie is set in a post-apocalyptic world and the movie never tells us that. The script is so sloppy, I do wonder if anyone bothered to polish the script before filming. None of the fight sequences are very good because they are boring and repetitive.

Ronald L. Marchini was not bad because he is always fun and cheesy when he is on-screen. David Carradine is also in the movie and feels like a waste of talent. Everything else about this movie is forgettable and I will probably forget about this movie by tomorrow. Overall, Karate Cop is a bad movie and I recommend not watching it. You're better off watching Samurai Cop instead.

Date: 6/26/2020
Viewed: Youtube
First Viewing

Note: This is another classic from the 90s that I never saw growing up. I remember seeing bits of this movie when my parents rented it on VHS, but I never saw the full movie until now. 25 years later, I finally watched this movie on Crackle (As of 6/26/2020) and I enjoy it. It did take me a while to get invested in the story because this movie moves very slow. Once the movie starts to kick off after 30 minutes into the movie, the movie starts to get very good in my opinion.

I do like the chilling atmosphere that this movie has because the movie has a brooding tone to it. The acting in this movie is fantastic and Julianne Moore is easily the best actor in the movie. They also did a wonderful job of handling the characters in the story because you can really be sorry for what the main character is going through. The main character is a woman that is going through bizarre health issues and it keeps on getting worse as time goes on. You have many great twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat. I do recommend watching this movie without knowing anything about the movie.

Overall, Safe is a great movie and I highly recommend watching it. I do plan on revisiting it again in the near future.

Date: 6/27/2020
Viewed: 4K UHD
Re-Watch

Note: I still remember when this movie came out when I was a kid back in 1997 and it did leave an impact on me. This movie was a big deal when it came out for having amazing visuals and a fun story. I have watched this movie multiple times growing up and it never gets old. I rewatch the movie in 4K UHD and the movie looks amazing in 4K UHD. It felt like I was watching the movie for the first time.

It probably sounds like I'm giving this movie a high rating because of nostalgia and that's not true at all. I never have nostalgia goggles on when I revisit old movies from my childhood. The Fifth Element is no masterpiece and I know that. That does not mean the movie is still a good movie in my opinion. The Fifth Element has a fun cast of memorable characters and does not take itself too seriously. You have CGI that does look bad by today's standers. However, I still think the movie is visually stunning with the awesome use of colors. This movie almost feels like a comic from 2000 AD comics with a bright colorful cyberpunk setting.

I do wish that they would have developed the other characters in the movie more though. Other than that, I have nothing else bad to say about this movie. Overall, The Fifth Element is a great popcorn flick and I do recommend watching it if you never saw it before.

Date: 6/28/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
First Viewing

Note: I honestly never saw this movie until recently and I know nothing about this movie other than it's a cult classic. I know many horror movie fans that love this movie, and they have recommended it to me when I was growing up. I watch the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-Ray of this movie and I thought this movie was pretty awesome. The 4K restoration of this movie is absolutely beautiful looking. It's amazing that they were able to restore a direct to VHS movie and making it look so clean, crisp, and clear looking.

I thought this movie was going to be a horror-comedy similar to Monster Squad, and it ends up being a serious horror movie (I'm not saying that it is a bad thing though). This is movie is far from being a great movie because the narrative makes almost no sense. The characters in this movie are pretty basic characters that you always see in most 80s horror movies. However, the awesome special effects and the great atmosphere makes up for the poor writing in my opinion.

The practical effects in this movie are awesome because they look so cool. All the monsters in this movie look super neat and I love all the effort that they went into making this movie. The makeup effects in this movie are top-notch as well. I don't get why these types of special effects are always laughed at for being cheesy when they are better than most people give it credit for. The atmosphere in this movie is also fantastic because it really captures the chilling and spooky (no pun intended) setting of the movie. You can really feel the fog and spookiness of the Haunted House and the Graveyard Cemetery in this movie.

The music from James Calabrese and Kenneth Higgins is excellent because it does a wonderful job fitting with the nightmarish tone of the movie. I'm so glad that I end up buying this movie and give this movie a chance. I thought this movie was going to suck, but I end up loving it.

Overall, Spookies is a very enjoyable horror movie and it is worth checking out if you've got time to spare.

Date: 6/29/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First Viewing

Note: I was quite eager to check out this movie for a while now after hearing good things about it. I went into this movie knowing nothing about it and watched it on Amazon Prime. After watching the movie, I really enjoy this movie. I'm a bit surprised that the general audience had mixed feelings on this movie while the critics seem to love it. It seems like some people thought this movie was going to be a serious movie when it was never meant to be.

I really enjoy this movie because I thought it was a lot of fun and super creative. I love the art direction that this movie has because the cardboard aesthetics makes this movie feel more original with the creative direction that they went with. The plot itself is nothing groundbreaking, but it is so much fun seeing these characters trying to get out alive in this crazy place. Everything else about this movie is filled with imagination on how bizarrely inventive that they make everything looked in this movie.

I can honestly relate to the main character because he is a frustrated artist that feels like he hasn't created anything significant in his life at the age of 30. I'm someone who has struggled as an artist that is almost 30 years old and has not finished community college yet because I feel like that I'm below everyone else. When I create art, I feel like it's nothing significant at all. I also did like the rest of the supporting cast of characters too. My biggest issue with this movie is that some quirkiness and humor didn't always work. The movie can be pretty funny at times and sometimes it is pretty annoying with the quirkiness.

Overall, Dave Made a Maze is a very fun and creative movie that is worth checking out.

Date: 6/30/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
First Viewing

Note: I never saw this movie until today, but I do remember the TV ads for this movie back in 1997. I bought the movie on Blu-Ray for $1 at Big Lots and decided to give it a watch. The movie came out a few months after Batman & Robin funny enough. After watching this movie for the first time, I can see why no one talks about this movie because it's not that great.

The characters and story are nothing special because I didn't care for anyone in the movie. The story is super predictable and the movie goes on for way too long. I feel like this movie did not need to be 2 hours long at all. I was getting bored with the movie during the second act and almost fell asleep. The movie starts to pick up during the last act in New York City and the movie starts to feel like a fun thrill ride. Too bad, it takes so long for this movie to get entertaining.

I will give this movie credit for having good production values because the movie has nice action sequences and good cinematography. The music score from Hans Zimmer is pretty solid too. Nicole Kidman's character even has some great chemistry going on with Clooney's character. They both did a great job on their roles in the movie in my opinion.

Overall, The Peacemaker is an average movie at best and I only recommend it if you're curious. I'm glad that I watched this movie, but I doubt I will watch it again anytime soon.

Date: 6/30/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First Viewing

Note: I honestly never heard of this movie until it was announced for this week's pick for Film Club. I went into the movie knowing nothing about the movie and I end up really enjoying it. I like the atmosphere that this movie has because the movie has a low budget gritty feeling to it. I love the scenes where the characters are walking around at night in the big city next to the adult shops. This movie almost has an NYC 42nd Street atmosphere to it.

I enjoy all the characters in this movie because they are all likable and interesting. You get many cool and awesome moments in this movie that had me on the edge of my seat because I didn't see it coming. I also love the intro credits because it reminds me of an 80s Heavy Metal music video. For a serious movie, they also did a great job on the dark comedy. The movie has hilarious moments that work very well.

Overall, Two Hands is a solid urban gangster movie and I hope it will get a proper HD release in North America. A company like Synapse Films or Arrow Video would be perfect to give this movie a nice home video release.