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Monthly Archives: February 2014
Hound of the Baskervilles 1959 3.5/5
Fine Hammer take on Sherlock Holmes from Peter Cushing. Christopher Lee is also present and rather good as Sir Henry Baskerville, and I liked that the Watson in this was rather capable and less of a bumbling audience-substitute who only … Continue reading
Mighty Joe Young 3.5/5
I really expected this to be a rerun of King Kong, and for the first 2/3rd it mostly was, but it then wildly diverged into unexpected territory of a chase, followed by rescue that was genuinely exciting. The male lead … Continue reading
Friday the 13th 9: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday 3/5
Completely bonkers Jason tale, that deviates wildly from the usual formula of kids in woods + Jason into a tale of body-jumping Jason hunting down a new body. Mixing elements of The Omen, Dog The Bounty Hunter, The Hidden and … Continue reading
The Quatermass Experiment 2005 3/5
A very interesting experience, a live broadcast reworking of the original Quatermass story. I like Jason Flemyngs interpretation, but stagey (by design) and a little too old fashioned for its own good. Mark discussing Quatermass on the Talk Without Rhythm … Continue reading
Quatermass and the Pit 4/5
Another great Quatermass film, with some fine tension building, acting and set pieces. It gets baggy and dissolute in act 2, but hell, is act 1 and 3 great. PS. WE ARE THE MARTIANS. Mark discussing Quatermass on the Talk … Continue reading
Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan 3/5
Decent entry into the Jason tales, with some creative deaths and a little tension, but needed to spend more time in Manhattan to be properly fun. Enjoyable enough though. Best kill: Jason punching a guy’s head off.
Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood 2.5/5
Ridiculous sequel where, even though people find corpses throughout the woods, they act as if nothing has happened and decide to get some air in the same woods. It’s not completely without charm though, as Kane Hodder’s reanimated Jason gives … Continue reading
The Poseidon Adventure 4/5
Despite a few cheesy moments (especially in the build-up to the tidal wave), this was pretty damn thrilling. Everyone seemed to be giving it their all, and it kept me totally engaged from the point the tidal wave hit, right … Continue reading
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream 3.5/5
A fascinating documentary giving us in the 21st century an insight into the ‘midnight movie’ phenomenon of the 70s, .starting with El Topo and finishing with Eraserhead. Some fine talking heads, insights and period footage made it engaging and funny.
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Quatermass 2 Enemy from Space 4/5
Another great British 50s scifi, dealing with mature themes of government conspiracy and control. It has something akin to the podpeople in Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, but these podpeople are ahead of the curve, and have already taken over government. … Continue reading
Macabre (1980) 3/5
Odd Italian thriller/horror that suffers the usual problem in Italian horror, in that the motiviation and speech of the characters seems slightly skewed compared to the narrative drive. The main actress was pretty committed, and the ending was pretty good … Continue reading
Friday the 13th 6: Jason Lives 3/5
A definite improvement on all the sequels (especially the terrible 5th one), this has some talent, wit and decent ideas going on, with some nice tension and jumpscares. I liked this Frankensteinian Jason, who walked fast, and seemed relentless.
The Quatermass Xperiment 4/5
Damn fine British scifi, made by Hammer before they went full-horror, with Brian Donlevy doing a great scientist-as-sociopath in his portrayal of Bernard Quatermass, and Richard Worsworth doing a great turn as Victor Caroon, a man slowly being overtaken by … Continue reading
Friday the 3th 5:A New Beginning 1/5
wow this is rank. Every single character exists only to die in a usually cursory and unconvincing way, as they meander through dialogue that exists only to bridge the bodycount. Even the motivation of this new “Jason” is utterly ridiculous. … Continue reading
X The Unknown 3.5/5
Rather fine 50s scifi that is very Quatermassy (it was intended to be a sequel to the original Quatermass movie, but Hammer couldn’t get the rights), and rather good. It has a creature reminiscent of The Blob, and the effects … Continue reading
Night of the Creeps 3.5/5
This was a lot of fun, and definitely at the top end of 80s B-movie horror. Witty, self-knowing script (in a good way), some good effects (and bad effects), and some really decent setups/payoffs. It thrilled me.
Friday the 13th 4: The Final Chapter 2.5/5
pretty weak entry, with very little tension or decent dialogue, but bolstered by Marty McFly’s dad, and a pretty good final act where a kid takes the war to Jason – AND THAT KID IS COREY FELDMAN WITH A SHAVED … Continue reading
The Haunted Palace 3.5/5
Rather fine, and I think a little forgotten, Roger Corman movie with Vincent Price. The film looks really crisp and lush, and Corman knew how to stretch the dollars to keep the film looking classy, but kept it cheap by … Continue reading
Paperhouse 3.5/5
This is a weird and subtle British horror movie that is really about a child’s dreams. The acting is generally quite poor from the children (who are essentially the leads), but it static quality actually works fine in this movie, … Continue reading
Saturday Night Fever 3.5/5
Travolta is absolutely terrific in this, giving the reasonably complex script his all by an excellent portrayal of a conflicted, trapped, working class young guy. He’s helped by the pounding soundtrack, especially the BeeGees tracks, which add several points of … Continue reading
Logan’s Run 3/5
There was a slew of interesting, thought-provoking scifi made in the lull between 2001:A Space Odyssey and the juggernaut of movie scifi that was Star Wars, that for many years made movie sci-fi==movie sci-fantasy. Stuff like THX 1138, Omega Man, … Continue reading
Patton 4/5
A magnificent performance from George C. Scott as the magnificent bastard blood and guts general Patton. Sometimes this gets lumped in with the antiwar movies of the early 70s (MASH, Catch 22) but this is a horse of a different … Continue reading
King Kong Vs Godzilla 3/5
Ignoring the shockingly bad DVD transfer, this is one of the most fun godzillas for me, with both beasties smashing up trains and cities, and watching Kong’s arms change length throughout. I’m sure there was a bit where Kong swings … Continue reading
An American Werewolf in London – Odd One Out 048
An American Werewolf in London – podcast
Groundhog Day – Odd One Out 047
Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog Day. And Groundhog … Continue reading
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Star Wars Clone Wars, Revenge of the Sith, Return of the Jedi – 129
Our Star Wars 2-parter finishes with Clone Wars (the animated series), Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi. Plus Julia’s Eyes (2010), Yeux Sans Visage (1959) and Mark Kermode.
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Star Wars A New Hope Empire Strike Back and Attack of the Clones – 128
Star Wars 2 parter starts off with a the machete order (google it) of watching the Star Wars movies, beginning with A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Attack of the Clones. Plus assorted other movies, books and games, such … Continue reading
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