Movies I Watched in May 2021

Date: 5/1/2021
Viewed: Shudder
First Viewing

Note: I'm going to consider this review a first viewing because I have only seen this movie once when I was a little kid on TV back in the mid-90s and I only remember the restaurant scene. Having said that, Dead Heat is an awesome movie in my opinion. You have awesome action sequences, fun characters, and kick-ass special effects. Dead Heat is almost like watching Lethal Weapon (1987) meets Re-Animator (1985).

Dead Heat knows exactly what it wants to be by being a bit self-aware of how silly its plot is. The action, blood, and gore are over the top that it is laughable (in a good way). I love the characters in the movie because the chemistry between Doug and Roger (Played by Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo) is perfect. These two characters are delightful to watch on-screen and I can't get enough of their fun shenanigans. The special effects for Dead Heat are awesome with many great scenes of practical effects. Even the makeup and the set designs look great too in my opinion. It's also awesome to see Vincent Price in this movie as well. My only problem with Dead Heat is the story is not always consistent. You do have plot holes that are very noticeable.

Overall, Dead Heat is a fun movie and I can't wait to buy it on Blu-ray. I highly recommend checking it out.

Date: 5/1/2021
Viewed: Criterion Channel
Re-Watch

Note: Time to celebrate the first day of May by watching Chungking Express. To be honest, there's really nothing much to say other than it's a fantastic movie. I love the relaxing atmosphere in this film because the story feels very down to Earth. The cinematography from Christopher Doyle is fantastic because the film is stunning to look at with many dark colors.

Wong Kar-wai did a wonderful job by telling two stories that deal with love, loss, and memories. I really like both stories, but I personally prefer the first story in my opinion. The first story is more interesting than the second story. I always love how Wong Kar-wai uses symbolism to tell the story by showing us different items in the background to represent separation. Every character in Chungking Express is amazing because they feel like believable people. The acting is also incredible and I can't think of a single bad performance.

Overall, Chungking Express is a near-perfect movie in my opinion. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you should get on that ASAP.

Date: 5/2/2021
Viewed: Blu-ray
Re-Watch

Note: I recently bought the Criterion Blu-ray of War of the Worlds and I'm curious if the movie still holds up or not. The original War of the Worlds still holds up pretty well in my opinion. It may not be the best adaption of the book, but I still consider it to be a good movie in my opinion. The special effects are amazing with fantastic miniatures that still look awesome. I love how cool the spaceships for the Martians look because they are unique looking. I'm glad they did try to do something different instead of doing a stereotypical flying saucer. It would have been nice if they use the designs from the book, but I'm happy with the spaceships that we have. It's also fun to watch buildings being destroyed by the Martians because it creates a feeling of mass destruction. You can feel how scary these Martians are when they arrive on Earth. Back in the early 1950s, these special effects look realistic to the audience and they were probably scared to death when watching this film.

While they do a lot of changes to the book, I still feel like they did a good job with the story in my opinion. They did have to update some stuff to fit with the Cold War, but some of the themes from the book such as religion, anti-war, colonialism, and imperialism are still used in the story. The Martians represent the human race on how people will kill innocent animals and people when they colonized territories in history. History will keep on repeating itself if colonialism and imperialism do not stop. Another thing that I love about this film is how dark it becomes later in the story. You can feel how hopeless humanity has become when fighting against the Martians because not even nuclear weapons can stop them. It takes a miracle to happen to stop these Space Invaders. Both the book and this film does have a huge cultural impact to it because it inspired the general audience's perception on extraterrestrial life. It introduced the cultural depictions of extraterrestrial life similar to how Night of the Living Dead (1968) did with zombies. The 1953 adaption of The War of the Worlds is still not a perfect movie because you do have actors that over-act and some of the characters are forgettable.

Overall, the original War of the Worlds is a solid classic movie and I highly recommend checking it out. Also, read the book as well.

Date: 5/3/2021
Viewed: Blu-ray
First Viewing

Note: I never watched Mindwarp until now despite knowing about it growing up. I bought the Blu-ray that also came with Brainscan (1994) at Best Buy for $5 and I thought it was a good deal. Mindwarp is not a bad movie in my opinion. It's hardly a great movie, but I still had fun watching it. The production values are surprisingly good for a film that has a budget under 1 million. The makeup for the mutants is not bad and I dig the set designs. Even the practical effects of the blood and gore are good in my opinion. Outside the solid production values, everything else about Mindwarp falls flat. The story has an interesting premise about simulated reality and it makes you think if everything was actually real or not. It did come out several years before simulated reality became a mainstream thing (As seen with The Thirteenth Floor (1999) and the Matrix franchise). Unfortunately, the characters are forgettable, and they have way too many plot twists. I feel like they try way too hard to be very clever with the script by trying to be the next Total Recall (1990). Some of the world-building was pretty neat even though you didn't see much of it.

Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead franchise) and Angus Scrimm (The Phantasm franchise) are the best actors in the movie in my opinion. The rest of the actors didn't do a good job with the acting, but at least they tried their best with the material that they are given with. The weak characters really hurt the film because I didn't find any of them to be interesting. I can't think of a single character that I didn't care about. Mindwarp is 91 minutes long and it feels way longer. Some scenes go on for way too long in my opinion. Despite the flaws that Mindwarp has, I'm still glad that I watched it.

I recommend checking out Mindwarp if you're curious.

Date: 5/4/2021
Viewed: Blu-ray
First Viewing

Note: Today is my 30th birthday and I decided to celebrate my birthday by watching Happy Birthday to Me. Unlike Bloody Birthday (1981), I actually have seen this movie before. To be honest, I prefer Bloody Birthday over Happy Birthday to Me in my opinion. The best thing about this film is the gory kills and the atmosphere, but that's about it. Happy Birthday to Me is overly long with boring characters and bad dialogue. Meanwhile, Bloody Birthday has better pacing, better characters, and a better story in my opinion. I had a hard time caring about what was going on when watching this film because most of it is boring. The long runtime hurts this film because you have scenes that didn't need to exist. At least, Bloody Birthday knew not to overstay its welcome.

I will give Happy Birthday to Me some credit because the gory kills are awesome to watch. You have plenty of gory kills that are memorable, and they make the movie worth sitting through. Too bad, everything else is mediocre. I only recommend watching Happy Birthday to Me if you're curious. Otherwise, skip it.

Date: 5/5/2021
Viewed: Blu-ray
First Viewing

Note: I have looked forward to watching this film when I got the Alejandro Jodorwsky set from ABKCO back in September. Seeing that today is Cinco De Mayo, I felt like it would be a good time to watch it. Findo and Lis may not be my favorite movie from Alejandro Jodorwsky, but I did enjoy watching it.

Just like the other films from Alejandro Jodorwsky, Fando and Lis is truly a bizarre experience. It's almost impossible to talk about it without talking about spoilers. A film like Fando and Lis is something that you need to watch for yourself and experience the strangeness. You have surreal imagery that will make your jaw drop. The black and white cinematography is very beautiful and it really captures the tone of the story. You can tell that Alejandro Jordorwsky was inspired by Ingram Bergman and Federico Fellini when making this film. Fando and Lis has the atmosphere and aesthetics that are similar to movies from those two directors. I did enjoy the non-linear narrative because the story leaves a lot to the audience's interpretation. I'm not even sure if I understand everything in this movie, but it did leave me thinking after it was over. I can see myself rewatching Fando and Lis again in the near future and finding things that I never notice before.

Overall, Fando and Lis is a solid movie and I do recommend it for anyone who enjoys surreal art-house movies.

Date: 5/5/2021
Viewed: Blu-ray (Red Box Rental)
First Viewing

Note: I finally had the chance to watch Judas and the Black Messiah and I thought it was fantastic. Judas and the Black Messiah is my favorite movie of 2021 at the moment. The acting was amazing and Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) did deserve an Oscar for his performance. Everyone else did an amazing job with their performances including Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now). Every character was well-developed and you can feel a strong connection between them in my opinion. The story was fascinating with the history behind the Black Panther Party in Chicago during the late 1960s. You get to feel the raw emotional energy that is presented in the story. I also like that the story avoids the typical traditional biopic tropes without coming off as extremely sentimental. The pacing was perfect for a 2-hour movie because it moves so nicely.

I feel like that I can't add anything new to add seeing that other people already talk about this movie enough already. I highly recommend watching Judas and the Black Messiah when you get the chance.

Date: 5/6/2021
Viewed: Blu-ray
First Viewing

Note: I remember seeing VHS copies of Brainscan when I would go to Blockbuster and other video stores when I was a kid, but I never had the opportunity to watch it. Better late than never, I finally watched it on Blu-ray (The double-feature edition with Mindwarp) and it was not bad. Brainscan is a decent horror movie in my opinion. I really like the aesthetics because Brainscan is a time capsule of the early-mid 90s. You have outdated technology, grunge music, and tacky clothing that no one wears anymore. Even the dated CGI has a cheesy charm to it. It was also cool that this film was ahead of its time with the Igor computer. Igor in Brainscan was Siri before Siri was even a thing. The premise for Brainscan is interesting and I did like that it took some influence from Videodrome (1983). Both films deal with the main character that loses their sense of reality over time. Unfortunately, Brainscan is nowhere as good as Videodrome when it comes to storytelling in my opinion.

The story is pretty messy because you have annoying plot holes that are very noticeable. I also don't get what the general message of Brainscan is supposed to be. Is it trying to warn us that violent video games can make us into serial killers or is it trying to be a satire of the violent video game craze that was going on at the time? The whole "Violent video games turn people into school shooters or serial killers" is total nonsense, and we still have people that believe in that today. As I said before in my review for Random Acts of Violence (2019), the artist or art should not be blamed for other people's actions. They should have created a message about mental health and what we can do to stop people who are mentally unstable that are known to imitate violence instead. I really hated the ending because it feels like a total cop-out. I was like "Was that it?" after the movie was over.

The acting is a mixed bag in my opinion. Edward Furlong (Terminator 2) did a good job for the most part with his performance. I even like T. Ryder Smith (Birth) as The Trickster because his character was amusing to watch on screen. Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) was probably the worst actor in the film because his performance was so dull in my opinion. The actors for the teenagers are laughable because you can tell that they are 30+ years olds playing High Schoolers lol. At least the music from George S. Clinton (Mortal Kombat 1995) was not bad. You actually have some good musical moments that are pretty catchy to listen to.

Overall, Brainscan is still a fun movie to watch despite the major flaws that it has. Check it out if you're curious.

Date: 5/7/2021
Viewed: Blu-ray
Re-Watch

Note: I have looked forward to revisiting the Tales from the Darkside movie when it was announced that Scream Factory will be releasing it on Blu-ray. I didn't grow up watching the Tales from the Darkside TV show because I don't remember it having reruns on TV in the mid-late 90s or early 2000s. However, I did grow up watching this movie on VHS. After watching this movie again as an adult, I still enjoy it. Tales from the Darkside: The Movie is a solid horror anthology film in my opinion. It's not a perfect film by all means because the writing could have been better. Some of the characters don't feel properly developed and you do have plot holes that made me scratch my head at times.

The production values and the acting are my favorite things about this film. You have amazing practical effects that still look great by today's standers in my opinion. You have three cool stories that are pretty noteworthy. Here are my thoughts on the three stories:

Lot 249: I actually like this story even though it's pretty straightforward. It's basically a Mummy slasher movie and the makeup for the Mummy is top-notch in my opinion. I really enjoy the performances from Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs), Julianne Moore (Magonlia), and Christian Slater (True Romance). Steve Buscemi is one of my favorite actors, and he always does a good job with acting even if the movie is total crap. I'm not a fan of how this story ended because it feels anticlimactic.

Cat from Hell: This story is very entertaining to watch despite having a silly premise. David Johansen (Scrooged) plays a badass hitman and it's a lot of fun seeing him kill an evil cat. It's almost like watching a horror movie version of Tom & Jerry in my opinion because you get to see these two characters wreak havoc by chasing after each other in a mansion. I even like the performances from Alice Drummond (Synecdoche, New York), and William Hickey (Prizzi's Honor). The most noteworthy thing about this story is the gory death scene that is awesome to watch. It's a memorable death scene that you will never forget about.

Lover's Vow: This is easily my favorite story out of the three stories in my opinion. I love the dark moody atmosphere and the creature design for the Gargoyle. The story feels so atmospheric with the dark lighting and the great use of fog. It made me wish that this story was a full-length movie instead. I really like the characters because I can relate to them. James Remar (Django Unchained) plays a failed artist that can't get any work and is traumatized by the death of his best friend. You can feel the sadness and struggle that he is going through. He can't tell anyone what happened, and he has to draw pictures of his trauma to get off of his chest. The transformation sequence at the end of the story is incredible and it is worth sitting through. Even the suit for the Gargoyle is awesome in my opinion. Some people say that it looks too silly, but I disagree. My biggest problem with this story is that the romance feels very rushed. The romance happens way too soon when James Remar's character meets up with a random woman (played by Rae Dawn Chong) that he shortly meets up in the alley. The two characters barely know each other, and they fall in love overnight. It feels so cliché in my opinion.

Overall, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie is a lot of fun to watch and I do recommend checking it out.

Date: 5/8/2021
Viewed: TubiTV
First Viewing

Note: I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie because I never heard of it until Vinegar Syndrome released it on Blu-ray. Seeing it's now available on Tubi (As of 5/8/2020), I thought I might as well check it out. All-American Murder is hardly a good movie, but I did like it. The reason why I like this film because I enjoy the vibe that it has. All-American Murder has a 90s direct to video aesthetic to it. It also feels like the type of movie that would play at 11 PM on a Wednesday night on syndication that you would find by channel surfing. The acting is over the top and the dialogue is so cheesy. Christopher Walken is easily the best actor in the movie in my opinion and even he can't help to overact at times. You do have a cool role from Joanna Cassidy (Blade Runner) that is worth mentioning.

The first 20 minutes of All-American Murders is really strange because the tone is all over the place. The film went from feeling like an American sitcom similar to Saved by the Bell to a Giallo movie. The story is your average crime thriller with nonsensical moments that give me a good laugh. I found myself laughing for all the wrong reasons and you can tell that they were trying to make a serious film. You also have obnoxious music that feels so out-of-place and it honestly made my ears bleed. On the positive side, you do have some decent special effects in my opinion. There's one gory scene in the film that looks pretty cool.

Overall, All-American Murder is a fun dumb movie and I do recommend it if you enjoy cheesy movies from the 1990s.

Date: 5/9/2021
Viewed: Shudder
Re-Watch

Note: Happy Mother's Day everyone. I decided to celebrate Mother's Day by watching The Last Drive In episode on Shudder. Mother's Day is not my favorite movie from Troma, but I still like it for what it is. My favorite thing about this movie is the dark, gritty, and sleazy atmosphere. It has a dirty and rotten feeling to it similar to movies such as The Last House on the Left (1972) and I Spit on Your Grave (1978). Charles Kaufman (Not to be confused with Charlie Kaufman) did a fantastic job by making everything feel so atmospheric in my opinion. You have brutal scenes of graphic violence that are still disturbing to watch in today's world. If you're squeamish, you will probably not like watching Mother's Day.

The characters are surprisingly not bad in my opinion. I really like the evil mother and her redneck sons as the villains. I found them to be memorable for how crazy and over the top they are. The other characters are pretty forgettable, and they don't have much depth to them. The acting is not bad for what it is and Beatrice Pons (Forever, Lulu) does a great job as the main villain. It's a shame that she didn't act in many movies afterward. However, some actors in this film did move on to playing in bigger movies from Hollywood (Frederick Coffin was in Identity and Michael McCleery was in L.A. Confidential). My least favorite thing about Mother's Day is the reliance on jump scares and the dumb humor. I never find any of the comedy in this film to be funny at all. I always cringe when they did try to do something comedic.

Overall, Mother's Day is a fun 80s horror movie and I recommend it for people who enjoy slasher movies or Grindhouse films.

Date: 5/9/2021
Viewed: Amazon Prime
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie since I was a little kid and it holds up very well. The Towering Inferno is a solid classic in my opinion. I love the intense atmosphere that this film has because you can feel the burning temperature inside the building. John Guillermin (the director) did a fantastic job making everything so hot. The Towering Inferno gives you that feeling of anxiety when watching this film because you want to see these characters get out alive. The slow build-up to the building being on fire makes the film more exciting to watch. It puts you on the edge of your seat and it makes you think about what is going to happen next.

The production values are amazing for a film from 1974, and they still look good-by today's standers. I love how they are able to make the film feel and look like a big scale epic on-screen. When people are burned alive, they actually look like they are on fire. It shows what you can do without digital effects. The acting is fantastic with great performances from Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. You also have great performances from the other actors and actresses such as William Holden (Sunset Boulevard), Jennifer Jones (The Song of Bernadette), Fred Astaire (Top Hat), and O.J Simpson (This was long before he was a murderer). If I had to pick one thing that I didn't like about The Towering Inferno, it would be that they could have trimmed down the runtime. You can cut out 10-15 minutes of the movie and it won't have hurt the story at all.

Overall, The Towering Inferno is a great movie and I highly recommend watching it.

Date: 5/11/2021
Viewed: Blu-ray
Re-Watch

Note: I got the Slaughter High Blu-ray as a birthday gift and I have looked forward to watching it. I have fun memories of me watching this movie on MonsterVision when I was a kid. Slaughter High is still a fun movie to watch in my opinion. You have goofy characters, fun gory kills, and a decent soundtrack. The story is enjoyable with a nerd that wants to get revenge on the bullies that burn him alive a decade ago. The death scenes are satisfying to watch with neat special effects in my opinion. The acid bath scene is my favorite death scene because it was so gross and brutal. It was impressive that they were able to create a cool special effect scene with the skin dissolving seeing that the budget was not very high (no pun intended).

The acting is not very good, but I did like Caroline Munro's (Maniac 1980) performance. She's probably the best actress that can act in my opinion. The music for Slaughter High is actually not bad and I find it pretty catchy to listen to. I did like the ending because it's something that you won't see coming. That's all I can say without going into spoilers.

Overall, Slaughter High is a blast to watch and I do recommend it if you enjoy slasher movies or 80s horror movies.

Date: 5/13/2021
Viewed: Amazon Prime (Rental)
First Viewing

Note: I'm a big fan of Lupin the Third and I have looked forward to watching this movie when it was released last year. I missed my chance to see it on the big screen due to lack of time and money. Thankfully, it lives up to my expectations. Lupin III: The First is a solid film in my opinion. I love how they were able to capture the spirit of the anime and manga so perfectly. You have plenty of action, humor, and drama that you would find in the other Lupin the 3rd titles. The animation was fantastic and it's on par with a Pixar film in my opinion. I love how much detail that they put into the animation and the characters move so fluidly. It's a shame that the Oscars tend to ignore anime outside of Studio Ghibli. They should have given it a nomination in my opinion.

The story was pretty good and it's not a bad introduction to people who never watch or read anything related to Lupin the Third. Lupin the Third is an easy franchise to get into because most of the franchise is episodic in my opinion. I did like that the story almost had an Indiana Jones vibe to it with Nazis trying to use a powerful weapon from a highly advanced lost civilization. I watched the English dub because I was curious to see what the English voices are like. I always prefer Lupin the Third in Japanese, but I do really enjoy the English cast for Lupin the Third. Tony Oliver (Robotech) is still excellent as Lupin the Third in my opinion and the rest of the voice actors did a solid job with their performances. Even though I love this movie, I do think they could have done a better job with the plot twists. They were so obvious that you could see them coming a mile away.

Overall, Lupin III: The First is a great movie and I do recommend checking it out.

Date: 5/14/2021
Viewed: HBO Max
First Viewing

Note: I had a hard time finding a movie to watch and I decided to watch The Voices. I was always curious to check it out for a while now because the premise sounds interesting. After watching it for the first time on HBO Max, I had a lot of fun watching it. The Voices is a funny horror-comedy in my opinion. Ryan Reynolds does a great job of playing a normal everyday guy who is actually crazy. I love the interactions that his character has with the people around him. The story was not as predictable as I thought it was going to be because you do have some nice surprises that you won't see coming. The dark comedy in this film is hilarious and I found myself laughing pretty hard.

I don't have anything bad to say about The Voices other than the movie did have a slow start and some of the humor was not very funny. I do recommend watching The Voices when you get the chance.

Date: 5/15/2021
Viewed: Amazon Prime (Rental)
First Viewing

Note: I remember when I saw a trailer for this film when I saw Joker in theaters back in October 2019 and I wanted to check it out. The movie didn't have any screenings nearby me at the time and I end up forgetting to watch it until now. I'm glad that I watched it because I really enjoy it. Adopt a Highway is a solid movie in my opinion. My favorite thing about this film is the down-to-earth tone. It has a slice-of-life atmosphere to it and it makes you feel like that you are watching actual real-life people on-screen. Ethan Hawke is amazing as the lead role in my opinion and it doesn't feel like it was him at all. He plays a tragic character that got locked up for bullshit for over 20 years and is struggling to live back to a normal life. You get to see how much the world has changed since he was in jail and how something simple like having an E-mail address is so strange to him. He finally finds a purpose in life when he finds a baby in the dumpster. I love how they were able to create a special bond between the two characters because it actually feels believable. Every character in this film does feel realistic and the type of people who you would bump into in real life. Nothing felt far-fetched in my opinion.

Adopt a Highway did a great job of being a sad and heartwarming story without being sappy. The scene when Ethan Hawke's character reads the note of his father is surprisingly well done. It almost made me shed a tear when watching it. While I do like this film, it's far from perfect. I do wish it was another 10-15 minutes longer because they could have added more back story to the other characters. We never know why the baby was left inside a dumpster and who are the baby's real parents. I'm also confused about what year that this film takes place? You have a hotel using a non-HD TV and pictures of Obama, but yet you have images of Minions (2015). I doubt this film is set in 2019 and it would have been nice if they give us a year that the story takes place. Sometimes stuff like this always bugs me.

Overall, Adopt a Highway is a good movie and I recommend checking it out.

Date: 5/16/2021
Viewed: Youtube
Re-watch

Note: The Wizard of Gore is an important movie in my life because it was my first glimpse into the world of adult pop culture. When I was really little (maybe 3 years old), I remember going to a local video store that was in a shopping center in Towson, MD (Now the Carney Village Shopping Center) that I would go to when staying the night at my Grandmas. I remember just walking around the video store on my own and I stumble upon the other section of the store. They had these gory horror movies on the other side of the store and I end up walking to that aisle by mistake. When walking around, I could not help to notice this gory cover of an evil guy cutting a woman in half (It was the Midnight Video VHS cover). Most kids would have nightmares by looking at that cover meanwhile I was super intrigued by the cover. It was something that I have never seen before and it made me wonder what it was. It was love at first sight. I thought it was some scary Wizard of Oz movie going by the title lol. Shortly afterward, I remember someone at the video store was like "You're in the wrong section of the store kid. Get out of here!".

I didn't see the movie until like a year or two later, but it will be a memory that I will never forget. Seeing that I talked about my story about my first exposure to exploitation films, it's time to see if the movie itself still holds up or not. The Wizard of Gore is still a fun grindhouse movie in my opinion. I can't help to love this movie even without nostalgia goggles on. The Wizard of Gore is not a good movie when it comes to storytelling and acting, but I don't care. I like these types of movies for what they are. I feel like there is no real middle ground for Herschell Gordon Lewis because his movies are very low budget and gross. Either you like his movies, or you don't.

The Wizard of Gore is an awesome movie to watch because it's so entertaining. Ray Sager (Smash Cut) steals the show by playing the Montag the Magnificent in my opinion and his character is fun to watch on-screen with his crazy personality. I love to see what evil gory kills that he is planning on doing next on his stage show. The Wizard of Gore was doing gory torture scenes long before Saw (2004) and Hostel (2005) made it cool. The blood and gore do look cheap by today's standers, but it was truly something special back in the day. Some scenes are still nasty to sit through in my opinion.

One of my favorite things about The Wizard of Gore is the general vibe that it has. The use of red colors creates a hypnotic atmosphere that almost makes the film feel like a dream. When watching this film, it makes you feel that you are fallen under an evil spell that keeps you glued to your seat as if you are a member of the stage audience at Montag's live show. You can't help to be fascinated when Montag the Magnificent is killing people on stage. The grainy 16mm picture quality and the low production values create an authentic feeling to The Wizard of Gore. The Wizard of Gore is a great example of a Midnight movie that they would play at 42nd Street in NYC or at Drive-In theaters back in the day. It's even the perfect movie to watch on the graveyard shift at night because TV channels would play these types of movies during the dead hours of the night when no one was awake (at least where I lived at). My least favorite thing about The Wizard of Gore is that the police scenes are pretty boring. I also didn't find any of the main characters to be very interesting.

Overall, The Wizard of Gore is a fun Grindhouse movie and I do recommend it if you enjoy gory movies or classic exploitation films.

Date: 5/17/2021
Viewed: Amazon Prime
Re-watch

Note: I have looked forward to revisiting this film for a while now because I haven't seen it since the late 90s when it was on TV. Dr. Giggles is still a fun movie to watch in my opinion. Unlike most slasher movies, it starts off with a bang with gory kills during the start of the movie. Usually, a slasher movie would build up suspense, but Dr. Giggles gives the audience what they want right away. Larry Drake (Darkman) steals the show by playing Dr. Giggles in my opinion. His performance is over the top and silly that I always laugh (no pun intended) when he is on screen. I love how creative the gory kills are with Dr. Giggles using different tools to kill his victims. The practical blood and gore are top-notch that still look good in my opinion. You do have an opening scene that is done with CGI that is super outdated by today's standers, but I can't help to love it. Early 90s CGI has a charm to it (As seen with the Lawnmower Man and Terminator 2) because CGI was still a very new tool.

The backstory that they created for Dr. Giggles is very interesting in my opinion and I like his desire to resurrect his dead wife. The worst thing about Dr. Giggles is the other characters. The characters are your typical slasher movie characters and I didn't find any of them to be interesting. Richard Bradford (The Untouchables) as Officers Magruder is probably the only character that I like. Keith Diamond (Baadasssss!) has a decent role and it's too bad his character was completely wasted in my opinion.

Overall, Dr. Giggles is a pretty good movie and I do recommend checking it out.

Date: 5/18/2021
Viewed: 4K UHD (Amazon Prime Rental)
First Viewing

Note: I waited months to watch Minari, and I was unable to watch it when it was playing in theaters because they didn't have any screenings nearby me. I finally rented it on Amazon Prime and it was worth the wait. Minari is a fantastic movie and it should have won best picture at the Oscars in my opinion. Everything about Minari is captivating because the story is heartwarming and the characters felt very believable. Lee Isaac Chung (the director) did a wonderful job of creating a story that balances humor, sensitivity, and emotion. You will smile, laugh, and cry when watching Minari. The cinematography from Lachlan Milne (Love and Monsters) is beautiful in my opinion and every shot in this film is breathtaking. Watching it in 4K UHD makes the details really pop out as if I'm watching a documentary in real-time.

Steven Yeun (Invincible) is incredible as the lead role and Youn Yuh-Jung (Right Now, Wrong Then) did deserve her Oscar for best-supporting actress. Even the acting from the children in this film was excellent. I love how the story is not predictable and it keeps you intrigued about what is going to happen next. I have seen people complain that not much happens in this film and nothing gets resolved. However, that's the point of the film because it's pretty much a slice-of-life movie. It works very well with the narrative that the film is trying to go for.

There isn't much else that I can say other than it's a great movie, to be honest. I highly recommend watching Minari when you get the chance.

Date: 5/19/2021
Viewed: Blu-ray
First Viewing

Note: Deep Blood is one of those movies that I knew about growing up because I love sharks, but I never had the opportunity to watch it until now. To be honest, this movie was a total letdown. You would think that a killer shark movie from Joe D'Amato would be awesome, but it wasn't. Deep Blood is nowhere as good or fun as the other films directed by Joe D'Amato in my opinion. Deep Blood does not have the sleaze factor or the gore that you would find in his other films. Deep Blood is a Jaws (1975) rip-off with boring characters and bad pacing. You have filler scenes that add nothing to the story at all. None of the characters are very interesting or charismatic enough for me to care about them.

Even the story rehashes some major plot points from Jaws, and they didn't do a good job of ripping it off. At least the dialogue and the acting was laughable. I did laugh a few times for all the wrong reasons. The best thing about Deep Blood is that it was nicely shot. The underwater scenes are really cool and I like seeing the footage that they recorded underwater. These underwater scenes look 10X better thanks to Severin Films restoring them on Blu-ray. I also like the music soundtrack because some of the music was pretty catchy to listen too.

I honestly don't recommend watching Deep Blood unless you can watch it for free on Tubi or Amazon Prime. Paying $24-30 for a bare-bones Blu-ray is not worth it in my opinion.

Date: 5/20/2021
Viewed: 4K UHD
Re-Watch

Note: Seeing that this year is the 40th anniversary of the Evil Dead franchise, I plan to rewatch all of them this year including watching the remake (or spin-off, or whatever it is) for the first time. I know the 40th anniversary is not until October, but I'm jumping on the hype train early. Evil Dead is one of my favorite horror movie franchises next to the Alien & Predator franchise and I have been a huge fan of these movies since I was a kid. I first saw them on TV back in the mid-late 90s and I loved them ever since. I still consider Evil Dead 2 to be a better movie, but the first Evil Dead is still a near-perfect movie in my opinion.

I always love how atmospheric Evil Dead is by having a quiet music score, dark lighting, and aggressive camera shots. Sam Raimi did a fantastic job on making Evil Dead feel so creepy. The fast camera work creates a feeling that someone or something is after the main characters. The low-budget special effects and the grainy 16mm film stock gives Evil Dead a unique feeling. I can see why some people prefer the first Evil Dead movie over the sequels because the first movie is a serious horror film. You don't get any cheesy one-liners and over-the-top action sequences that you would find in the sequels. I like how Ash Williams is just a normal guy who has to kill his best friends to survive before he became a horror-action movie star. Ash and his friends are just normal everyday people who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. You can relate to them because they feel like real people and not cliché horror movie characters in my opinion.

Most people these days will probably find the special effects laughable, but I still love them. The Evil Dead is a total gorefest that is delightful to watch. Every gory scene in this film is awesome. However, I can understand why some people won't enjoy watching this film because you do have an infamous tree scene that will turn people off. The 4K transfer for The Evil Dead is amazing and Lionsgate is able to make a low-budget movie that was on 16mm looks like a brand-new movie. I know many people like to skip the first Evil Dead movie and go straight to Evil Dead 2. You should not skip this film because you will be missing out on what made this franchise so great in the first place.

Honestly, I have nothing else to say about The Evil Dead other than it's an amazing work of cinema. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you should get on that ASAP.

Date: 5/21/2021
Viewed: Itunes
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't watched Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead in years and it was one of my favorite movies when I was in High School. I grew up with Troma films, and I was lucky to have a cool friend in High School that was also a Troma fan (We would love to quote Cannibal! The Musical almost every day). Nearly 15 years later, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead is still a hilarious movie in my opinion. I love that the movie is a satire of capitalism. Lloyd Kaufman did a good job of making fun of consumerist culture and how people will spend their own money on garbage. Similar to Dawn of the Dead (1978), the chicken zombies are a metaphor for people who are devouring consumerism. Instead of people going to the mall for shopping, you have people who are crazy over fast food. I also like that the film points out the Islamophobia that people have over Muslims in America after 9/11 (That's still an issue in America today sadly).

The humor is not going to be everyone's cup of tea because Troma is known to make shocking and offensive humor. If gross-out humor is not your thing then Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead is not for you. I still found myself laughing hard at several scenes when watching this movie. The songs in Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead are surprisingly catchy in my opinion. They are a lot of fun to listen too and I still love to listen to the soundtrack from time to time. You also have cool fan service to other movies from Troma that will make long-time fans happy.

The blood and gore in Poultrygeist are awesome with many great scenes of practical effects. The restaurant scene is totally insane and it will give any gorehound a boner. Poultrygeist is still not a perfect movie because you do have some dumb jokes that are not funny (even back in the mid-late 2000s). Some of the jokes are super dated now such as Jared Ogle losing weight (this was before he was in jail for CP). They could have improved the pacing by making it under 90 minutes because the movie starts to overstay its welcome during the last act of the story.

Overall, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead is a fun trashy movie and it is worth checking out if you enjoy gross-out humor or Troma films.

Date: 5/22/2021
Viewed: Hulu
First Viewing

Note: I've heard great things about this movie and I finally got the chance to watch it on Hulu. Beasts Clawing at Straws truly lives up to the hype because it was awesome. I loved pretty much everything about this film. The story was well-crafted and extremely captivating with many great surprises. I like how the story was done in multiple parts as if it was a TV mini-series and not a full-length film. The graphic scenes of violence made my jaw drop for how shocking some scenes were. The blood and gore felt grounded and it works very well with the narrative. One of my favorite things about this film was the colorful cinematography. You have many scenes of colorful neon lights that really pop out. The neon lights really create a moody feeling to the story in my opinion.

The acting is fantastic including a great role from Youn Yuh-jung (Minari). I have nothing else to say about Beasts Clawing at Straws other than it's awesome. This is a film that you need to watch without knowing anything about the plot. I highly recommend watching it when you get the chance.

Date: 5/23/2021
Viewed: HBO Max
Re-Watch

Note: After rewatching Freddy vs. Jason and with the hype of Godzilla vs. Kong, I decided to give the first AVP movie another chance. I remember I was very hyped up for this film back in 2004 after waiting years for an Alien vs. Predator movie. I remember going on the web for the movie news before it was made. Even though the movie was PG-13, I still wanted to give it a chance. I actually like AVP when I first saw it and I watched it multiple times during the mid 2000s. It was not until 2006 when I realize how bad of a movie that AVP was actually was. Watching it again nearly 15 years later, I still don't like this movie.

Alien vs. Predator is the Batman v Superman (2016) of the 2000s in my opinion. They were both hyped-up crossovers, and they end up being overly long and boring. I do think Alien vs. Predator is a better movie than Batman v Superman, but that's not saying much. The pacing for this movie is so slow and it feels like it takes forever for anything interesting to happen. None of the characters are good except for Lex (played by Sanaa Lathan). I don't care for any of them and you only watch them just to be killed. The other Alien and Predator movies had memorable characters that you like and remember. You have talented actors that felt wasted in my opinion (Lance Henriksen could have been more useful for once). The PG-13 rating hurts this film because the violence is so tame. Most of the deaths are done off-screen and you don't see much blood other than some scenes of acid blood. A franchise like Alien and Predator needs to be R-rated because the violence, blood, and gore are an important aesthetic to the franchise. It would be like making a PG-13 Hellraiser movie or a PG-13 Mortal Kombat movie....oh wait. People criticized Freddy vs. Jason (2003) for being a bad movie, but at least that movie knows what it wants to be. Not even the fight scenes are fun to watch. You have battles that feel so one-sided and the final battle is probably the only noteworthy fight in the entire movie in my opinion.

I'm even surprised that they didn't throw in some Nu Metal during the fight scenes like almost every action or horror film did during that time period. Sometimes I feel like that music from Godsmack or Powerman 5000 would start playing during the fight scenes :P. I was never a big fan of the designs for both the Xenomorphs and the Predators in my opinion. The Predators look way too bulky and it felt like that they wanted to make them look like superheroes. It was cool to see the Xenomorph Queen in action and it's a shame that we never seen the Xenomorph Queen since 2004. The production values and the atmosphere for Alien vs. Predator are solid in my opinion. For a film that came out in the mid-2000s, it still feels like a recent movie. You have many great scenes of practical effects that still hold up very well. Paul W.S Anderson did a wonderful job of making Antarctica feeling cold and dangerous. Besides the great production values, the first Alien vs. Predator movie is still a mediocre movie at best.

I don't recommend watching Alien vs. Predator unless you're curious.

Date: 5/24/2021
Viewed: DVD
Re-Watch

Note: After Anaconda was a big hit back in 1997, you had a big wave of Snake movies that came out in the late 90s and the early 2000s. I used to watch the Sci-Fi channel a lot when I was growing up and I still remember watching Python when it premiered on TV. The last time when I watched Python was back in 2000 when I was 9 and I'm curious if it still holds up or not. I picked up a DVD copy at my local used book store a while ago and I haven't had the time to watch it until now. Python is still a fun movie to watch in my opinion. It's hardly a good movie, but I find it so entertaining. Not a single scene was boring to watch in my opinion.

It's a product of the early 2000s with outdated fashion trends and having random rock music being played during the movie. You know that you are watching a movie from the year 2000 when you have music from Celldweller during the opening credits. The visuals are pretty impressive for a TV movie back in 2000. The CGI is not great, but it didn't age as badly as I thought it was going to be. I honestly feel like the CGI in this movie looks better than the CGI that you see in later Sci-Fi channel movies in my opinion. Even the practical effects for the blood and gore are solid. The giant snake blends well with the backgrounds and the amount of detail that they added to the giant snake is pretty good. The story and the characters are nothing special for a creature feature. It's basically your typical wild animal that has gone on the loose and the main human cast of characters must stop it. The only actors in this film that have a decent performance are Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), Sean Whalen (Men in Black), Robert Englund (The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise), and Wil Wheaton (Stand by Me). Python knows what it wants to be being a giant killer snake movie and it does not take itself too seriously. It's fun to watch a giant snake going around eating people. Even the pacing is surprisingly good for a 100-minute movie.

Overall, Python is a fun movie to watch and I do recommend it if you enjoy Sci-Fi channel movies or killer animal movies.

Date: 5/25/2021
Viewed: TubiTV
First Viewing

Note: After watching Python (2000), I decided to watch another Syfy channel original movie that I have never seen before. I stop watching the Sci-Fi channel around 2011 and I didn't really pay attention to what they have made or have been airing since then. The premise for Queen Crab sounds interesting and I'm always open for more giant monster movies. Too bad, Queen Crab is a bad movie in my opinion. I didn't like this film at all because it was so boring. None of the characters are interesting and memorable. Everything about Queen Crab looks and felt cheap even for a movie that went direct to video and TV. Not even the stop motion for the crab monster looks good. I know that this is not a mainstream movie, but that is not a good excuse. You still need to put effort into your movie.

I still give Queen Crab effort for trying because they really wanted the film to be a homage to classic giant monster movies. I don't recommend watching Queen Crab at all unless you're a hardcore giant monster completionist.

Date: 5/26/2021
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: It's been a while since I have seen the original Rollerball movie and I just picked up the Blu-Ray from Scorpion Releasing on Rolin Flix last week. The original Rollerball movie is still a solid film in my opinion. I always love the futurism in many older sci-fi movies because there's a cool aesthetic to it. Rollerball is set in the year 2018 and you get cool surrealistic imagery to it. It's fun to see what people thought the 21st century was going to be like during that time period. You do have characters with flat wide-screen TVs in their homes and video chats similar to Skype & Zoom. So they did get something right about the year 2018 lol. I love the production values because the set designs look superb in my opinion.

The story is fascinating with it being set in a corporate-controlled future with ultra-violent sport representing the world. I like how brutal the violence can be when these characters are playing these sports. It adds a lot of weight to the action sequences and it makes you feel like these characters are actually in danger. The sport slowly become a gladiatorial fight with people killing each other. Rollerball shows how these characters lose their humanity when playing this dangerous sport. The more that they play it, the less human that they become. Rollerball also shows how large corporations can control people's lives as seen in most cyberpunk stories. I like all the performances and you get to spend a lot of time with these characters for 2 hours. I do think the long run time does hurt the film because the middle act of the film starts to drag. You have scenes that go on for way too long in my opinion.

Overall, Rollerball is a good classic movie and it is an important film because it inspired many sci-fi stories & tropes later on. I do recommend checking it out.

Date: 5/27/2021
Viewed: HBO Max
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie since I was in Middle School, and I was curious if it still holds up or not. After watching it again as an adult, it didn't hold up very well. Revenge of the Nerds is an average movie at best in my opinion. I get why many Gen Xers love this movie because it was a very popular movie back in the day. However, I feel like the story does not age well because so much has changed since 1984 when it comes to nerd culture. Nerd culture is still somewhat viewed negatively, but most of it has become socially acceptable.

None of the humor is very funny except for a few scenes. The characters are unfunny stereotypes, and they are super cringy to watch now. You have a gay black guy that is very flamboyant and an Asian guy that speaks in a fake Asian language because people think Asians sound funny. It's impossible to talk about Revenge of the Nerds without talking about the elephant in the room. You have a rape scene that is so tasteless and pointless. That scene was not funny back in 1984 and it's not funny now. The story for this film is not great because it's very predictable in my opinion. The best thing about Revenge of the Nerds was that the acting is pretty good and Robert Carradine (Django Unchained) was perfect as the lead role. You also have a solid soundtrack with many iconic songs from the 1980s.

I only recommend Revenge of the Nerds if you're curious. Otherwise, skip it and watch Animal House (1979) instead.

Date: 5/28/2021
Viewed: Blu-Ray
First Viewing

Note: I wanted to watch Action U.S.A for a while now after watching Red Letter Media's video on it and I bought the Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray a few months ago (This was before MVD Visual re-released it). Seeing that this movie was picked for Film Club this week, I finally had the chance to sit down and watch it. Holy shit, this movie is awesome. Action U.S.A is pure entertainment in my opinion. I'm surprised that this film was mostly forgotten about until recently. You would think that a film like this would have a huge cult following over the years.

The story is nonsensical, but I don't care. With a movie like Action U.S.A, you watch it for the fun factor. The car chases, the stunt choreography, and the explosions are amazing. Action U.S.A is packed with so much insanity, it's impossible to be bored when watching this film. The soundtrack is also very catchy to listen to because it feels like it belongs in a Sega Genesis or Super Nintendo video game. Vinegar Syndrome did a wonderful job of restoring this film in my opinion. It almost feels like that I was watching a 4K UHD disc because every scene is absolutely beautiful looking. It's amazing that they were able to restore a direct-to-VHS movie by having it look so clean, crisp, and clear looking.

The acting is over the top and cheesy, but that's not a bad thing. The over the top nature of Action USA gives it a special charm. The performances from Ross Hagen (Red Dead Redemption) and Cameron Mitchell (The Other Side of the Wind) are so bad and cheesy that you can tell that they didn't take the script too seriously. Gregory Scott Cummins (Batman Returns) still did a good job of playing a badass action hero in my opinion.

Overall, Action U.S.A is a masterpiece of awesomeness. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you should get on that ASAP.

Date: 5/29/2021
Viewed: TubiTV
Re-Watch

Note: I have only seen this movie once when I was a kid when it was on TV and I'm in the mood for a cheesy movie from the 1950s. From Hell It Came is a fun trashy movie in my opinion. The acting and dialogue are pretty bad, but I do like the premise for the film. You have a South Seas Prince that dies and comes back to life as a monster. From Hell It Came is entertaining for being so bad. It does take a while for the cool stuff to happen, but it is worth sitting through. It's also a short film to watch because it's only 71 minutes. You don't have anything to lose by wasting 71 minutes on a rainy day in my opinion.

The rubber suit for the monster is created by Paul Blaisdell (The She-Creature) and it's not bad in my opinion. If you like bad movies such as Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), I recommend watching From hell it Came (1957) when you get the chance.

Date: 5/30/2021
Viewed: 4K UHD
Re-Watch

Note: Christine was the first movie by John Carpenter that I remember watching as a little kid back in the mid 90s. I still remember having dreams of being inside an empty car that would drive on its own for years. Christine is not my favorite movie from John Carpenter, but I still consider it to be a good movie in my opinion. For a film that has a silly premise, it actually works very well. It takes itself seriously without trying too hard in my opinion. Christine has a suspenseful atmosphere and a great music soundtrack.

The characters could have been better in my opinion because I didn't feel a strong attachment for most of them. Christine does have a slow start seeing it takes almost an hour for the good stuff to happen. It's worth the wait because it's awesome to watch a car going around killing people. The soundtrack is fun to listen too with a nice mixture of good songs from the 1950s and 1980s. I love the special effects in Christine because they are very neat. The scenes with the car fixing itself are a treat to watch. I watched Christine in 4K UHD and it's a good transfer in my opinion. It was very clean and the HDR really shined in some shots.

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

Date: 5/31/2021
Viewed: Pluto TV
Re-Watch

Note: I have nostalgic memories of me watching this movie with my friends back in 1999. I decided to watch it on Pluto TV because I was curious if it still holds up or not. Idle Hands is still a fun movie from the late 1990s in my opinion. You have fun characters, solid production values, and a neat premise. I always found the story to be entertaining with a hand that goes on a killing spree. Idle Hands is almost like Parasyte, but as a horror-comedy instead. The characters are memorable, and they have their own unique personality to them. Idle Hands also does a good job of being a goofy movie without being too campy.

I can't help to be nostalgic when watching this movie because it's a total time capsule of the late 90s. You have music from Sublime, Static-X, Rob Zombie, The Offspring, Bink-182, etc in this film. The special effects still hold up pretty well except for some scenes of CGI. The makeup for the undead characters still looks good even 22 years later. You also have a fun cameo of The Offspring as themselves too. Even though I still enjoy Idle Hands, some of the humor has not aged well. You have characters that are blatantly homophobic, and some of the jokes do feel flat in my opinion.

I still recommend checking out Idle Hands when you get the chance. I will probably buy the Scream Factory Blu-ray soon.

Date: 5/31/2021
Viewed: Youtube
Re-Watch

Note: There's just one thing I'd like to clarify before I start my review. Faust didn't rip off Spawn because the original comic came out first. Spawn didn't rip off Faust or Ghost Rider because those three are inspired by a classic German legend. All three characters are different in their unique way in my opinion. With that being said, let's start the review.

I wanted to rewatch Faust: Love of the Damned for a while now because I haven't seen it in nearly a decade. I always like this movie ever since I saw it on VHS back in the early 2000s and the original comic book from Tim Vigil & David Quinn is fantastic. Faust: Love of the Damned is not a perfect movie, but I do think it's good for what it is. Unlike the 1997 Spawn live action movie, Faust: Love of the Damned is very violent. The film is filled with blood & gore and explicit nudity. The special effects from Screaming Mad George (Society) are superb in my opinion. The practical effects look disgusting, and they will probably make someone throw up their lunch. You have cheesy dialogue and over-the-top acting that makes the film more entertaining to watch. Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster) steals the show as M (Mephistopheles).

The action sequences are fun to watch and the soundtrack is awesome in my opinion. You have a solid mix of metal music from the late 90s and early 2000s. I always like that Faust: Love of the Damned is a one-shot movie and is not trying to become a franchise. You have an interesting story about a man who becomes a demonic superhero after making a deal with the devil, and they wrap up his character arc nicely at the end of the movie. They could have improved the character development more because I feel like that I didn't know much about the other characters. While the practical effects are great, the CGI is pretty bad. Even back in 2000, they didn't look good. I also can't notice that the metal blades on Faust's arms look so cheap. They look like cheap rubber and not metal if you ask me.

Overall, Faust: Love of the Damned is a fun trashy movie and I do recommend checking it out.