Movies I watched in August 2020

Date: 8/1/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First Viewing

Note: I decided to watch this movie because the poster looked really cool and the plot summary sounds interesting. Seeing it's now available on Amazon Prime (As of 8/1/2020), I thought I might as well check it out. I thought this movie was going to be a bad Syfy channel type of movie and it wasn't. This movie was surprisingly decent. It looks like I did find my own personal hidden gem after all.

The story and characters in this movie are nothing special because the characters are paper-thin and the story is nothing original. However, the movie is super entertaining to watch. The movie gives you what you would expect from a creature feature. You have a super cool looking monster and plenty of gore in this movie. I love how the filmmakers used practical effects in this movie and not any digital effects. The monster in this movie is a guy in a suit and not a CGI creation. It feels so authentic when you have practical gore and a guy in a suit to me. I also like that this is a low budget movie that almost feels like a bigger budget movie. Nothing in this movie looks cheap in my opinion.

While the story and characters are not that special, I do think the acting was not bad. The actors did a good job with the material that they were given with. I still wish they did explain some things in the movie because the movie never gives us a proper origin on the monster in the movie. Overall, Animal is an enjoyable monster movie and I had a lot of fun watching it. I recommend it if you enjoy creature features.

Date: 8/2/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-watch

Note: I have been in the mood to revisit this movie and I bought the Blu-Ray from Synapse Films a while ago on Amazon. I probably have not seen this movie since I was a kid on VHS back in 1996. After watching it again for the first time in almost 25 years, this movie still rocks. To me, this is probably Dolph Lundgren's best action movie in my opinion.

The movie has plenty of over the top action sequences and Dolph Lundgren plays a badass macho action hero. The movie gives you what you expect from a cheesy action movie from the 80s. Dolph Lundgren takes down both Russian and Cuban armies like if it was nothing. Also, Tom Savini does a great job on makeup effects as well. The story in this movie is pretty weak and it does unfortunately follow the white savior narrative trope. If you are able to turn off your brain for 105 minutes, the movie is worth the roller coaster ride.

I recommend this movie for anyone who is into 80s action movies.

Date: 8/2/2020
Viewed: Youtube
First Viewing

Note: I have been curious to watch this movie because I'm a fan of silent movies. People claim that this is the first feature-length horror movie to be made despite the fact that L'Inferno aka Dante's Inferno was made two years before this movie. Many websites claim that this movie runs at 85 or 90 minutes long. However, I only end up watching a 45th-minute version that exists on Youtube. The version that I also watched on Youtube was super blurry and I had a hard time telling on what was going on.

To be honest, I don't want to rate this movie because I felt like I watch a bad version of the film. It feels wrong to review and rate a movie when it's not in the best shape. Most silent films are known to be incomplete which is not surprising. Going from what I've watched of this movie, it was pretty interesting. The story felt like an early adaption of Faust and I did like the creepy atmosphere that this movie has.

I also have a lot of respect for this movie because it is considered to be the first independent movie and was a huge influence on many filmmakers. I would like to track down a better restore version of this movie (if it exists) and give it a proper review. This movie is worth looking into if you enjoy silent movies.

Date: 8/3/2020
Viewed: Criterion Channel
First Viewing

Note: This is a movie that I always wanted to see for years, but I never did. I do remember the buzz for this movie back in 2000 and how popular it was with the Asian cinema tape traders at the time. 20 years later, I finally watch this movie for the first time and I loved it. This movie is almost 3 hours long and that will probably turn people off from watching it. Even I, had my own intermission when watching the movie. Despite the long runtime that this movie has, the movie is still wonderful in my opinion.

The movie is a long slice of life slow-burn movie that you can sit back and chill while watching it. I do love the comfy atmosphere that this movie has because it almost feels like you are watching a very long home movie. You get to see many locations in Taipei City and it is cool to see what the city is like if you are someone who has never been to Taipei City (like me). The cinematography in this movie is amazing because I love how the movie can be very pretty to look at. When the movie has scenes at night time, you get several colorful lights that you can stare at all day long.

I also like how Edward Yang was able to tell a very well-told story by having three perspectives of different characters in the movie. It didn't come off as a complete mess like some movies try to do. Every character in this movie feels very realistic because they come off as believable. The characters in this movie are so well written that they feel like actual people on screen and not actors pretending to be everyday people. You also have a great mix of humor and serious drama that blends with each other so well. This movie will make you both laugh and cry at the same time. While I do love this movie, I can see why some people won't like this movie. Not everyone is into slice of life movies or long slow burn films.

Overall, Yi Yi is a fantastic movie and I do plan on rewatching it again in the near future. I highly recommend this movie for anyone who is into Asian cinema.

Date: 8/4/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie since my family rented it on VHS back in the day. I was in the mood to revisit this movie and the only way you can watch the movie in HD is by renting or buying it from Amazon digitally. After watching this movie again for the first time in over 20 years, this movie is alright in my opinion. It's not a terrible movie, but it's not a good movie neither. I also totally forgot that this movie is a Christmas movie when watching this movie and it felt awkward watching a movie out of season.

The movie does have a nice suspenseful atmosphere to it and Ray Liotta plays a fun over the top bad guy. You also have some decent production values in this movie too. I do think the movie has a cool concept of a serial killer being on an Airplane because it is a pretty scary idea to think about. This movie could have been a great movie if it had a better script.

The story is pretty dumb (not in a good way) and the characters are one dimensional. Lauren Holly does an okay job of playing on the lead main character in the film, and they did try to make her character into a strong female protagonist. I'm still surprised that this movie became a franchise because they made two more movies. This movie never felt like a popular hit back in 1997 to me.

Overall, Turbulence is an average movie at best. I only recommended this movie for a rainy day to pass off time. I may check the sequels out of morbid curiosity in the near future.

Date: 8/4/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
First Viewing

Note: This is a movie that I always wanted to watch for a while now after hearing about it for 10 years now. I finally watched this movie for the first time and I really enjoy it. This movie is probably the darkest and most violent home invasion movie that I've seen since Funny Games (1997) in my opinion. The movie has a very intense atmosphere because this movie does not hold back with the story. Kidnapped offers a lot of twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat with the raw emotional energy. This is a type of movie that you will never know what is going to happen next. The less you know about this movie, the better it is.

The acting in the movie is excellent because the actors did a good job with their emotions. You can really feel sorry for these every day normal people who had their lives get ruined by a group of burglars. This movie shows how brutal and insane some burglars can be when breaking into people's homes. It shows that something like this can happen to almost anyone, no matter who you are.

The movie is not perfect because the movie does not have enough characterization in my opinion. Other than that, I feel like this is still a great movie nevertheless. I do recommend watching Kidnapped (2010) when you get the chance.

Date: 8/5/2020
Viewed: Criterion Channel
First Viewing

Note: I have to admit that one of the reasons why I wanted to check out this movie is because of the poster artwork by Ralph Steadman (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). I also knew about this movie for years and I never saw it until now. After watching it on the Criterion Channel for the first time, I loved it. Withnail & I is a very funny and clever comedy in my opinion.

The movie is hilarious from start to finish thanks to the wonderful performances from both Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann. Richard E Grant and Paul McGann both play two iconic comedic duos that are a delight to have on camera. These two main characters are hilarious for how over the top they are. For a crazy moment that happens on screen, I find myself laughing my butt off. I also love that this movie has more to offer than wacky comedy. This movie also deals with the themes of paranoia, and alcoholism too.

Overall Withnail & I is a fantastic comedy that it is worth checking out.

Date: 8/6/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
First Viewing

Note: I always have been curious to check out this movie for years now after hearing about it. After watching Let the Corpses Tan (2018) for the first time over a year ago on Amazon Prime, it made me want to check out more movies from Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani. Fortunately, I found a Blu-Ray copy of this movie at my local used book store for $5. After watching this movie for the first time, I really enjoy it.

I do love the visuals because the movie has amazing cinematography. Manuel Dacosse did a wonderful job of making the movie feel like a classic Italian Giallo movie from the 1970s and 1980s by creating colorful lighting. The movie has several scenes that had me glued to the screen because this movie has many awesome neon-soaked colors. You also had many awesome homages to many classic Italian Giallo movies that made my inner nerd very happy.

The movie does have a pretty interesting story by having the movie be set in three different parts of Ana's (the main character) life. The narrative can be a bit confusing for people who are not used to watching these types of movies. Amer uses symbolism to tell the story and it does not come off as pretentious in my opinion. Nothing about the symbolism felt like it was forced in your face. The story deals with the themes of childhood trauma, sexual development, and a journey into womanhood. It's really fascinating to see how Ana's story unfolds in the movie and the pay off at the end of the movie was worth it.

I also like that this movie is only 90 minutes because the runtime is perfect for a movie like this. If this movie was 2+ hours, I would have been bored with this movie very quickly, to be honest. This movie moves at a nice pace and it didn't feel rushed at all. Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani knew how to tell a good story without overstaying its welcome. The soundtrack in this movie is great because it feels very vintage. The music in this movie reminds me of music from Stelvio Cipriani and that's not a bad thing. Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani show a lot of love for the Giallo genre in this movie with respect. I applaud them for that.

Overall, Amer is a solid trippy movie and I do recommend it to people who enjoy Giallo movies or Avant-garde cinema.

Date: 8/6/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
Re-Watch

Note: This movie recently turned 70 years old and I felt like it was the perfect time to revisit this movie. 70 years later and this movie is still a masterpiece in my opinion. Sunset Boulevard is a fun and creative movie that deals with Hollywood film production after the 1920s. The movie shows what happens to certain people when they're no longer needed. You get to feel the sadness and pain Norma (Gloria Swanson) has gone through after having no work for 20 years. I also love how the movie is a great time capsule of Hollywood during the end of the 1940s and early 1950s. It's always so cool to see many of the popular icons of that era playing themselves such as Hedda Hopper and
Sidney Skolsky.

I don't have anything else to say about this movie because everyone else has talked about this movie to death already. If you haven't seen this movie yet, do it now.

Date: 8/7/2020
Viewed: Criterion Channel
First Viewing

Note: I have to admit that I haven't seen many movies from Africa, and I was excited to watch this movie after someone recommended this movie to me. After watching this movie for the first time on the Criterion Channel, I thought it was pretty interesting.

The 2K restoration is beautiful because the movie is filled with a vast array of colors. I do like how this movie feels like a quasi-documentary because the movie is almost shot like a documentary despite not being one. You get many cool location shots of Senegal in the movie and it is fascinating to see another country's culture that I'm not 100% familiar with on film. I also like the characters in this movie because they were likable and you actually care about them. This movie also has a nice atmosphere too because you can feel the hot dry weather of Senegal when watching the movie.

Touki Bouki is also surprisingly graphic and it almost felt like a Mondo film when watching this movie. You had several scenes of animals being killed in a very brutal manner. It also gives me flashbacks to the animal cruelty from Cannibal Holocaust (1980) because these animal murders look and felt real. I have no idea if the animal killing in this movie was real or not. I don't approve of animal cruelty in any form whatsoever and I wish they never killed any real animals (If the murder scenes in this movie are real).

Overall, Touki Bouki is a neat experimental film from Africa and I'm glad that I watched it. I do plan on watching the other movies from the Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project sets in the near future.

Date: 8/7/2020
Viewed: TubiTV
First Viewing

Note: I honestly totally forgot that this movie exists until now. I had random flashbacks of me seeing VHS copies of this movie at my local video store when I was a little kid in the mid-90s. After watching this movie for the first time on TubiTV, this movie was alright. The movie has some bizarre music choices because some music feels like it came from some random PBS kid show. It made me wonder who was responsible for the music when making this movie?

I do admit that this movie does have some hilarious moments because the movie is so random at times. Everything else about this movie is pretty boring because I didn't care about what was going on with the story. The characters in this movie are the typical 80s cliché stereotypes that you will see in a million other sex comedies at the time. Even the acting in this movie is pretty bad too. Some acting in this movie feels like it was ripped straight from a porno. I'm still glad that I watch it because I can remove it off of my bucket list of bad movies.

Overall, Dr. Alien is mediocre at best. Don't bother with this one unless you're curious.

Date: 8/8/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
First Viewing

Note: I was curious to check out this movie because I remember hearing terrible things about this movie for the last 5 years now. I end up renting the movie from Amazon Prime because I felt like I had nothing else to lose. To be honest, I have no idea where to begin with this movie. Half of this movie is tedious to sit through while the other half of this movie is hilarious for all the wrong reasons.

The first 50 minutes of this movie is so long and boring to sit through. #Horror focuses on a bunch of annoying unlikable middle schoolers that you don't care about. This movie has so many generic horror tropes that I found myself rolling my eyes when watching this movie. There is hardly anything original with this movie besides that it uses social media as a main plot point of the movie. Not even the blood in this movie looks good because it is so cheap and fake looking in my opinion. Even Verotika (2019) has better looking blood and gore than this movie does.

After almost an hour into the movie, interesting stuff actually happens for once. What saves this movie from being the worst movie ever for me is Timothy Hutton as Dr. White. Timothy Hutton plays an over the top role as an overprotective dad that comes off as unintentionally hilarious. His hammy performance and the ridiculous dialogue make the movie almost watchable. This movie also tries to have a message about social media-obsessed sociopathic and how children & teenagers are an easy target for them. That would have been a good social commentary if the movie didn't have a terrible script. If this movie was in the hands of a better director, it could have been decent.

Overall, #Horror is a bad movie and I only recommend watching it if you plan to have a bad movie night with plenty of alcohol.

Date: 8/8/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: I bought the Blu-Ray of this movie a while ago on DiabolikDVD and I haven't had the chance to watch it until now. I haven't seen this movie for a long time and I had nothing else to watch on a Saturday night. It felt like a good night to sit down and watch a Grindhouse movie. After watching this movie again, I still think that this movie rocks.

This movie is not a perfect movie by all means because some acting and dialogue in the movie are not very good. The lack of any police showing up in the movie makes no sense. However, I still consider Savage Streets to be a fun action exploitation film because it is a lot of fun to see Linda Blair as Brenda kick major ass. It feels so satisfying seeing Brenda get revenge on a group of gang members that hurt her sister.

When she kills those evil gang members, it feels like justice was finally done. You had many people that felt like Linda Blair was unconvincing in her role as a female avenger, but I disagree. I felt like she did a good job as the lead role and people tend to overlook her role in this movie. I do like the other cast of characters in this movie because they are pretty fun and memorable in my opinion. You also have a very good music score from John D'Andrea and Michael Lloyd that feels both brutal and haunting.

Savage Streets is also a lot of fun to watch because this movie is so 1980s. This movie has dated fashion clothing and the popular rock-punk music from that decade. The movie's theme "Justice for One" performed by John Farnham is very catchy and will be stuck in your head for a while after the movie is over. The restoration from Code Red is fantastic because the picture is so crisp and clean looking. I'm very thankful that we have these third party companies that will put the time and effort to help restore these movies. Grindhouse movies are just as important as high art movies from Kubrick, Fellini, Bergman, etc. in my opinion.

Overall, Savage Streets is a fun action movie. Check it out if you enjoy 80s action movies or grindhouse films.

Date: 8/9/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: It's been a while since I have seen this movie and I did buy the Scream Factory Blu-Ray recently on Amazon Prime on sale. I also want to buy it before the Blu-Ray goes out of print in the near future (Shout Factory has been losing a lot of their titles lately). I watched the 2K transfer on the second disc because that is the preferred aspect ratio from David Cronenberg. Dead Ringers is still a fantastic movie and I put it at my #5 spot in my Top 5 favorite David Cronenberg movies.

I always love this movie because it has a fascinating story with a surreal dark atmosphere. The movie does a great job of creating a symbiotic relationship between the two main characters played by Jeremy Irons. Jeremy Irons and the rest of the actors in this movie did a fantastic job of acting. Everyone loves Jeremy Irons as Scar from The Lion King, but I consider his role in this movie to be his best role in my opinion. David Cronenberg was able to create an emotional intensity with the story because some scenes in this movie always make my skin crawl (in a good way).

I always love the artistic feel that this movie has because the movie has an atmospheric art-house vibe to it. This movie is so unique that it would never get made today, sadly. If it did, it'd never be on a major studio's dime or see a wide release like it did at the time. Overall, Dead Ringers is a great psychological horror movie that is worth checking out.

Date: 8/10/2020
Viewed: Shudder
First viewing

Note: I have never seen any movies from Yorgos Lanthimos and I know nothing about him other than that he makes movies that many people love. I decided to watch Dogtooth as my first movie from Yorgos Lanthimos because I've always been curious to check out this movie for the last 10 years now. After watching the movie for the first time on Shudder, I thought it was interesting. I did like this movie, but I didn't love it as most people did.

The story was pretty well told and it shows how disturbing these groups of people were. It almost reminds me of Bad Boy Bubby (1993) by having people stuck in isolation with a dysfunctional family. Dogtooth also shows how dangerous by keeping people isolation can be because the parents tell their children lies in order for them to be fearful of the world. You get to see people start doing disturbing and violent things based on their own human instincts without knowing what they are doing is wrong. I also like the dark atmosphere that this movie has because this movie does feel very creepy at times despite it not being a horror movie.

The thing that I didn't like about this movie is that I could not get into any of the characters. None of them click to me, but I guess that it is the point of the movie. I'm still glad that I watched this movie and give it a chance. I will probably check out more movies from Yorgos Lanthimos soon in the near future.

Overall, Dogtooth is a solid movie and it is worth checking out. I don't recommend this movie for anyone who is squeamish.

Date: 8/11/2020
Viewed: Netflix
First viewing

Note: I was browsing Netflix for a movie to watch on a lazy afternoon and I decided to check out this movie because it looks interesting. After watching it on Netflix, I thought it was pretty good. I love the animation in this movie because it is so unique. I do love experimental animation because it allows people to do something cool, new, and creative all at once. The animation almost reminds me of something from both the old days of MTV and Nickelodeon. I do love how Dash Shaw mixes different types of art styles by having hand-drawn animation, paintings, sketches, and even abstract art into one. I give this movie a big A+ for effort and creativity.

While the story and characters may not be groundbreaking, the movie still did a good job of making you care about them. You have a nice cast of likable characters and the movie is not your typical high school movie at all. I do like that the story still has some surprises that I didn't see coming. If I had to pick one thing that I didn't like about this movie, it would be the humor. I didn't think this movie was funny when it comes to humor. This movie works better as a drama film than a comedy in my opinion.

Overall, My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea is a good movie and I recommended it for anyone who enjoys experimental animation.

Date: 8/11/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
First viewing

Note: This is a movie that I always wanted to see for years because I always love the cover art for this movie. I knew nothing about the plot of this movie whatsoever and decided to give this movie a watch. It's finally out on Blu-Ray from Dark Force Entertainment and I bought the movie from their website (Along with Insect (1987) ). After watching this movie for the first time, it was not bad.

The story was different from what I've in mind, but I still thought it was pretty cool. The story almost had a David Cronenberg vibe by taking influence from both Rabid (1977) and The Fly (1986). Primal Rage deals with a virus that makes people become more violent and stronger over time. Carlo Rambaldi did a great job on the makeup and the gore effects in my opinion. You get some really cool and fun gory kills in this movie that are worth sitting through. Claudio Simonetti does the music score for this movie, and he did a wonderful job as always. Claudio Simonetti never lets me down when it comes to making music for a movie.

The characters in this movie are nothing great, but I was not expecting much from an Italian 80s horror movie. Many people had issues with the transfers on the Blu-Ray disc and it didn't look that bad to me. Some parts of the movie look a bit dark, but I can still see what was going on. I'm still happy to own this movie in my collection now.

Overall, Primal Rage is a fun cheesy movie. I recommend this movie for anyone who enjoys B movies or 80s horror movies. Check this movie out if you've got time to spare.

Date: 8/12/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
First viewing

Note: I never heard of this movie until recently when it was picked for this week's movie for Film Club. This movie was shot during the mid-2000s (You can tell by watching it) and it didn't get released until several years later in 2011. I rented the 3-hour cut from Amazon Prime and I decided to give it a watch. I really wanted to like this movie, but I didn't because I could not get invested in the story at all. The movie has characters that are super annoying and the drama felt so melodramatic. It almost felt like I was watching a soap opera at times, to be honest. Some people may like that, but not for me.

I also dislike the main character in this movie because it's her fault for the accident. She was trying to talk to a bus driver about a hat while he was driving. She could have just waited for the next stop to talk to him. The main character also has sex with multiple people and ends up arguing with everyone about everything. I end up wasting 3 hours on a character that I didn't feel sorry for and was a total brat. Everything about this movie really rubs me in the wrong way.

I still don't think Margaret is a terrible movie. The acting was good and the production values are solid. I'm glad that Kenneth Lonergan (The director) finally got his movie released after working on it for so many years. Even though I didn't like this movie, other people do like it and I'm happy that they were able to see this movie after many years of waiting.

Sorry, but Margaret was not for me. I doubt I will watch this movie again anytime soon.

Date: 8/12/2020
Viewed: TubiTV
First viewing

Note: I remember seeing this movie being sold at my local Blockbuster back in the late 90s when I was 7 or 8 years old. I always wanted to watch it as a kid because the cover art is super cool, but I never had the opportunity to watch it. Seeing it's now available on Tubi (As of 8/12/2020), I thought I might as well check it out. This movie was the perfect amount of stupid fun that I enjoy. Watching this movie made my day.

I never read the story from Bram Stoker, so I can't compare this movie to the short story. Shadow Builder is so late 90s and it does feel reminiscent to other late 90s supernatural horror movies that deal with demons like Fallen (1998) and The Minion (1998). The script is filled with plot holes and the acting is pretty hammy at times. None of the characters are very interesting except for Michael Rooker and Tony Todd (I didn't know it was him until after I watched the movie). Michael Rooker plays a pistol welding trench coat priest. It almost made me feel nostalgic when those protagonists were the norm back in 1998-2004.

I found myself laughing at this movie for all the wrong reasons because this movie is filled with so many dumb moments. Even the dialogue in this movie is laughable. The movie is filled with terrible CGI and I’m pretty sure they didn’t look good back then. I also can't tell if the movie is meant to be very dark on purpose or if the transfer on Tubi is terrible because I had a hard time seeing the demons and the main villain in this movie. It wouldn't surprise me if they made everything look so dark because they felt embarrassed by their own special effects. I also find it funny that the actor who plays the main villain in this movie tries so hard to be like Andrew Divoff's Djinn from Wishmaster (1997) by having a creepy and over the top voice. It's also ironic that this movie has a similar ending to End of Days (1999), despite it coming out a year earlier.

Overall, Shadow Builder is fun direct to VHS schlock. I recommend this movie for a bad movie night with friends. I'm glad MVD Rewind has help rescued this movie and released it on Blu-Ray.

Date: 8/13/2020
Viewed: Youtube
Re-Watch

Note: I remember seeing this movie when I was 6 at my Dad's house, and I was looking forward to revisiting it. After watching it again on Youtube, I still enjoy this movie. Meet the Applegates is a step down compared to Heathers (Another movie from Michael Lehmann), but it's still a pretty funny movie. I always like that this movie almost has a Kafkaesque Sisyphussian vibe to it.

This movie is a funny satire on the typical suburban American lifestyle. The main characters are based on the stereotypes of your typical suburban family with the father being associated with adultery, the son being the typical pothead, and the daughter wanting teenage sex. This movie is far from being great because some humor in this movie can be dumb and not funny at times. The special effects in this movie are pretty neat too. Even as a kid, I always loved how the bugs looked in the movie. The acting in this movie is pretty decent too and the actors did a good job with the material that they had to work with.

Overall, Meet the Applegates is a fun movie from the early 90s. I recommend it if you've got time to spare.

Date: 8/13/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
First viewing

Note: I didn't know that this movie exists until I discovered it on Diabolik DVD over a month ago. I knew nothing about the plot of this movie and decided to rent it off of Amazon Prime because I like to watch things before I buy them. I had this movie sitting around my Amazon Prime queue for a while and it was going to expire soon if I didn't watch it now. After watching this movie for the first time, I thought this movie was pretty cool.

Abrakadabra is a homage to classic Giallo movies by having colorful cinematography and 16mm film stock. I think the movie did a great job of making the movie feeling like a classic Giallo film. The movie is very bright and colorful to look at. I love the atmosphere in this movie because it feels very spellbinding. It makes you feel like the movie is grabbing the viewer's attention completely by magic. Abrakadabra has a Goblin-esque soundtrack, and it is wonderful to listen too. I give this movie an A+ for effort because you can feel the passion that they put into this movie.

The weakest thing about this movie is the story and characters. The story is paper-thin and I didn't like any of the characters in this movie. I know not all Giallo movies have deep stories and strong characters, but you still need to put effort into writing a script for your movie. The movie made me confused about what happened after it was over because some scenes in this movie didn't make any sense. This movie only runs at 71 minutes and it moves at a nice pace. The movie didn't feel rushed at all. They kept the story short and sweet.

Overall, Abrakadabra is a fun throwback to classic Giallo movies. I recommend this movie for fans of Giallo movies and old school horror movies.

Date: 8/14/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First viewing

Note: I wanted to see this movie when it came out in theaters last year, but I missed the chance to see it. Seeing that it is now on Amazon Prime (As of 8/14/2020), I finally had the chance to watch this movie. After watching this movie for the first time, I loved it. The Farewell is a great drama that is sad, heartfelt, and honest about its themes of life and death. The movie tells a great message about loving your loved ones while you can before they are gone. This movie that I feel like anyone can relate too because everyone has lost someone that they love in their life. Whether it be a pet, friend, or family member, we have experienced the death of someone who we truly love in our lives.

Even I have dealt with the loss of many people that I loved in my life. Also, I do like that we get to see aspects of Chinese culture in this movie because I feel like we don't see it as much in American films. It is great to see a good deal of cool scenery in China in this movie. I also love how this movie moves at a nice pace because the movie does not go by too fast or slow. The Farewell does have a nice relaxing atmosphere where I can sit down and chill when watching this movie.

This movie has fantastic acting because everyone did a wonderful job of playing believable characters. The characters in this movie feel very grounded to reality and the actors also did a wonderful job showing off their emotions so well on screen. Awkwafina does a fantastic job as Billi (The main character) by showing how sad and angry she is because the rest of her family wanting to keep it a secret from her that her grandma is sick. I do feel like it is always wrong to lie to people about this stuff because family and friends are always important in our lives. We need to know what is going on in order to keep a healthy relationship with each other. I also like how this movie is able to tell a sad story without being overly melodramatic or cliché in my opinion.

The cinematography in this movie is fantastic because everything looks wonderful to look at. I watched the movie in 4K UHD on Amazon Prime and the colors really pop up in 4K UHD. You get to see amazing detail that you would never see in 1080p. Overall, The Farewell is a fantastic movie and I highly recommend it.

Date: 8/14/2020
Viewed: Vudu
First viewing

Note: I decided to check out this movie because I have been in a Dinosaur mood lately. Seeing that this movie was available on Vudu for free, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I kinda like this movie. I had a lot of fun watching this movie because it was entertaining. Don't get me wrong, Raptor Ranch is not a good movie at all.

The story is a total mess and the acting is pretty bad too. The characters are your typical cliché horror movie stereotypes and you don't care for any of them. The Pimp in the movie is probably the best and funniest character in the movie in my opinion. What makes Raptor Ranch enjoyable are the Dinosaurs themselves. It was a lot of fun seeing Dinosaurs kill a bunch of people on-screen. This movie almost has a Carnosaur (1993) vibe to it because both movies have a similar level of blood and gore.

You get plenty of carnage in this movie when it comes to blood and gore. The special effects in this movie are a mixed bag because the special effects are neither good nor terrible. The CGI does not look very good, but they do have better textures than most CGI Dinosaurs do in most low budget movies that I've seen. I was surprised to see some practical effects in this movie too. You can tell that they did put some time and effort into making this movie.

Overall, Raptor Ranch is a fun bad movie that is worth checking out if you are into Dinosaurs or trashy movies.

Date: 8/15/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: It's been a while since I have seen this movie and it is still awesome in my opinion. Tokyo Drifter is filled with non-stop action and beautiful cinematography. This movie is wonderful to look at because you have many amazing looking set pieces. You can take almost any scene of this movie and hang it up in a museum. The colorful imagery in this movie also has a dream quality feeling to it in my opinion. Tokyo Drifter has a simple, but yet very well-told story about an enforcer that can't enjoy life without crime being involved in his life.

Seijun Suzuki did a great job of creating a cast of characters that you really care about. Every action sequence in this movie is fantastic. I can't think of a single dull moment in this movie at all. You also have a fantastic music score from Hajime Kaburagi that is very noteworthy as well. I highly recommend this movie.

Date: 8/16/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: It's been a while since I have seen this movie and I had the Kino Lorber Blu-Ray sitting on my shelf for a year now. I still have fun memories of me renting this movie on VHS and watching it with my friends back in the mid-late 90s. After watching this movie again on Blu-Ray, I still think this movie holds up pretty well. Highway to Hell is a fun roller coaster ride of a movie in my opinion.

This movie is tons of fun with a cool cast of characters and slick production values. You have some awesome makeup work and great set pieces in my opinion. I really like the main character and his journey to save his girlfriend in Hell. The Hell Cop is a very cool villain and I always love his design in the movie. The movie also has a very hot and dry atmosphere that captures the feeling of being in Hell nicely. Highway to Hell is also a pretty funny movie and it does a great job of not taking itself too seriously.

You also have some fun cameos in the movie from actors such as Ben Stiller (Before he became a big actor) and Gilbert Gottfried as Hitler. Gilbert Gottfried's cameo is one of the most memorable things in this movie because it's both funny and random at the same time. You also have Kevin Peter Hall (Predator 1-2) as Charon as his last movie role before he passed away (He died a few months before the movie came out). For a horror-comedy, Highway to Hell has plenty of action sequences that are nicely executed. There is not a single boring moment in this movie in my opinion.

Overall, Highway to Hell is a solid movie and it is worth checking out if you've got time to spare.

Date: 8/17/2020
Viewed: Criterion Channel
Re-Watch

Note: I watched this movie for the first time over a year ago in my film class and I didn't bother finishing the rest of it. I almost fell asleep when watching it in class and I went home during the first half of the movie. I was probably not in the right headspace at the time when I was watching the movie. Thanks to Film Club, I can finally give this movie a second chance and hope that I will like it better on a second viewing. To be honest, I still can't get into this movie.

I normally like slow burn movies, but I feel like the movie goes on for way too long for its own good. The very slow pacing ruins the enjoyment for me when watching this movie. I also didn't really care for any of the characters because none of them click to me. I still consider L’Avventura to be a classic movie and I have a lot of respect for it. The acting is great, the cinematography from Aldo Scavarda is breathtaking, and the story is well told. Sadly, this movie is not for me.

Date: 8/17/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
First Viewing

Note: I have always been curious to check out this movie for the last 10 years now because I always like killer animal movies. I end up renting the movie from Amazon Prime because you can only watch it in HD if you rent it or buy it digitally. After watching this movie for the first time, I honestly enjoy it. This is not a perfect movie, but it is pretty good for what it is. Burning Bright is a straight-forward killer animal movie that is both fun and suspenseful.

The movie is similar to Crawl (2019) with both movies having a similar theme of two people being stuck in a hurricane while dealing with a killer animal on the loose. Obviously, this movie came out first by almost a decade. I do feel that this movie did a good job of making a suspenseful movie because you can feel the tension that these characters are going through. The movie does a good job of showing how scary and deadly tigers can be. If I was around a tiger, I would probably shit my pants. I also like how this movie didn't overuse any jump scares because the movie knows how to use them right.

The special effects are not bad for a direct to video movie because the CGI looks decent. Some scenes in this movie, they used a real tiger while most scenes use a CGI tiger on-screen. While the special effects won't win any major awards, but you can tell that they put a lot of effort into making it look believable. I do like that this movie is under 90 minutes and it moves at a nice pace. This movie is a good way to waste 86 minutes without feeling like a total time-waster in my opinion.

The worst thing about this movie is the story logic and character choices. You also have a plot twist that is so badly written because it is so stupid. It felt like this story needed some depth, and they decided to add a plot twist that made no sense. The ending of this movie feels rushed too. Also, Meat Loaf has a cameo in this movie and is not credited for some strange reason.

Overall, Burning Bright is a fun movie because it knows what it wants to be. It is worth checking out if you enjoy killer animal movies.

Date: 8/18/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: I decided to revisit this movie because today is the 20th anniversary of the US release of Godzilla 2000. I remember seeing this movie on its opening weekend with a group of friends, and we had a lot of fun. It was cool that I was able to see a Japanese Godzilla movie on the big screen as a kid. While Godzilla 2000 is hardly my favorite Godzilla movie, I do consider it to be a decent movie.

The movie is a straightforward Godzilla movie as you would expect. You have Godzilla destroy buildings, fight against the military, and fight against a new giant monster during the last act of the film. The English dub is not too bad for the most part. You can tell that they had fun when dubbing this movie and decided to add some cheesy dialogue like "Crap through a goose". The story is pretty dumb in a good way because it does not take itself too seriously. This movie was originally released in late 1999 during the Y2k fear and that does play a minor role in the movie. The story in this movie is not connected to any of the Godzilla movies and you can watch it without seeing any of the previous Godzilla movies.

I was never crazy about Godzilla's design in this movie to be honest because I always felt like his spikes are too big and his head does look a bit derpy at times. Orga is a pretty neat monster and it's a shame that we never see him again (Not counting his cameo in the animated Godzilla movie on Netflix). The CGI in this movie is terrible and it didn't look good back in 1999-2000. It feels distracting at times when watching the movie. Toho even uses green screen effects for some of the miniatures which feel really cheap and lazy to me. Practical effects are the charm of Tokusatsu in my opinion and using CGI is nowhere as affectionate.

The US version of Godzilla 2000 is 8 minutes shorter than the original Japanese version and I don't consider it to be a bad thing. I honestly felt like the Japanese version was a bit slow at times with the pacing. This is a rare exception where I consider an English version to be better than the original version.

Overall, Godzilla 2000 is still a fun movie. While it is not the best movie in the series, it's still enjoyable for what it is. I do recommend it if you are curious.

Date: 8/18/2020
Viewed: Youtube
First Viewing

Note: After watching High Life, I always wanted to check out more movies from Claire Denis. I do remember when this movie had some Internet buzz on several movie websites back in the early 2000s. I finally watch the movie for the first time on Youtube and I really enjoy it. Trouble Every Day is a surprisingly brutal and disturbing movie.

I do love how unique this movie feels because it feels very existential at times. The movie has neat camera work and I love the dark cold tone of the story. This movie feels very genuinely atmospheric and you can feel the coldness down your spine. I love how the movie reminds me of Under the Skin (2013) because both movies focus more on the atmosphere and have minimal dialogue despite the fact that this movie came out first. Agnès Godard did a wonderful job on the cinematography because she is able to make the movie look gross and dirty. The general feeling of the movie almost feels like a mixture between an art-house movie and a 70s grindhouse movie.

There is plenty of gross and violent scenes that will make your skin crawl. I went into this movie knowing nothing about the story, and I was surprised how brutal this movie was. The graphic violence and sexual nature are needed for the story in the movie because this movie deals with the bloody and dirty background of the human race. Nothing in this movie was gross just for the sake of being gross in my opinion. The acting in this movie is also superb and everyone did a wonderful job with their roles.

Overall, Trouble Every Day is a great movie from start to finish. This movie is not for the faint of heart and I don't recommend it if you can't handle graphic violence.

Date: 8/19/2020
Viewed: Dailymotion
First Viewing

Note: I have been in the mood to revisit this movie because it has been on my mind lately and it took me a while to track down this movie. I remember seeing this movie on DVD back in the 2000s when I was a teenager and I haven't seen it since then. After watching this movie again for the first time in nearly 15 years, I end up loving it more than I did before. Goodbye, Dragon Inn is a great love letter to movie theaters.

What makes Goodbye, Dragon Inn so unique is how the movie is made. The movie has very little dialogue and almost no camera movement whatsoever. It helps make the movie feel very atmospheric by having you sucked into the movie's atmosphere. Watching this movie makes you feel like you are in the movie theater with these characters. The slow pacing in this movie helps make the movie feel more atmospheric in my opinion. Making long shots helps creates that tone of somber by showing the last days of this old broken down theater.

The general theme of Goodbye, Dragon Inn makes the movie so important because the message of the movie is to show how important movie theaters are. Going to the movies and seeing it on the big screen is something that brings us together. Movie theaters are where the magic begins when you sit down and watch a movie either with a friend, family member, or by yourself. Movie theaters give us to enjoy and memories that will be with us forever. The movie is very relevant in today's world as we are seeing movie theaters being shut down thanks to our current environment.

Even if you have a big fancy home theater, you can never capture the spirit of the wonderfulness of cinema at home. Not even having a movie direct to Netflix or any other streaming service will never be the same as seeing a movie on the big screen. Once something is gone, it is gone. That is why we must cherish movie theaters and keep them alive while we can. While I do love this movie, I can see some people won't like it. If you are not into slow burn movies, you probably won't enjoy it.

Overall, Goodbye, Dragon Inn is a fantastic movie and I highly recommend it. Criterion or another movie company really needs to give this movie an HD remaster because the movie is only available in SD (Standard Definition). More people need to see this masterpiece and understand why this movie is so important.

Date: 8/19/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: This movie recently turned 40 years old and I felt like it was the perfect time to revisit this movie again. I watch the 4K restoration from the recent special edition Blu-Ray, both the picture and sound were wonderful. I know there is a 4K UHD release now, but I don't feel like double-dipping at the moment. After watching this movie again, it gets better with every viewing. Maniac is a great character study movie that people tend to overlook in my opinion.

This movie has a claustrophobic atmosphere that helps make the movie feel very scary. When watching this movie, you feel trapped and you can't escape from this serial killer. The movie has great camera work because the camera does a wonderful job following Frank Zito (Joe Spinell) around in New York City. It helps make the movie more disturbing and it gives you that feeling that you are being watched by this mad man. You also have great aesthetics in this movie with the gritty cinematography and the fantastic special effects from Tom Savini. Maniac feels dirty and gross to show off the rawness of 42nd Street, New York City at the time. You can feel the sleaziness of New York City when watching this movie. This movie is so dirty, you can probably smell the sewer rats too.

Joe Spinell does a wonderful job as Frank Zito because he pulls off an insane serial killer so well. I always get the chills when he is on screen in his bedroom. It feels so effective when you see him kill people because it feels both raw and rather realistic. It disturbs the viewer in a good way for not being mindless shock value. You also have good performances from other actors in this movie including Tom Savini himself. Maniac was very controversial when it came out in the early 1980s for being very violent and people felt like it glorifies acts of violence. Doesn't that sound almost familiar to another recent movie that came out last year? To me, Maniac is not a mindless gore fest and graphic violence is important for the story that it is trying to tell. The movie is a warning about the dangers of serial killers and you can't allow people to become like Frank Zito. I also love the ending of this movie because it makes you think about what happened at the end of the movie.

Overall, Maniac is a fantastic movie and it is worth checking out. Anyone who is squeamish probably should not watch this movie.

Date: 8/20/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First Viewing

Note: After watching three movies from Gregg Araki so far, I now consider myself a fan of his work and I still want to see the rest of his movies. I was unaware that he directed this movie until recently. I do remember when this movie came out when I was a Junior in High School and I didn't bother with it because I thought it was another lame stoner comedy. After watching the movie for the first time on Amazon Prime (As of 8/20/020), I end up enjoying this movie. Smiley Face is absolutely hilarious from start to finish in my opinion.

This is probably the weakest movie that I've seen from Gregg Araki, but I still consider it to be a good movie nevertheless. The story and characters are pretty simple, but the simple nature of this movie works very well. It is a stoner movie and I don't think anyone was expecting something deep out of this movie. Anna Fairs and the rest of the actors did a good job of acting in the movie in my opinion. I was surprised to see Carrot Top in the movie because I haven't seen him in anything after 1999.

The wacky comedy and the ridiculous over the top decisions is why this movie is so funny. I found myself rolling on the floor laughing when watching this movie. Almost every moment in this movie is hilarious and Gregg Araki did a wonderful job of telling a story with likable characters. Normally, these types of movies would have flat and forgettable characters. However, Smiley Face has a very enjoyable and memorable protagonist in my opinion. The rest of the supporting cast is great too because I can't think of a single forgettable character in the movie.

Overall, Smiley Face is a solid comedy movie and it is worth checking out.

Date: 8/21/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
First Viewing

Note: This is another popular movie that I missed out on when it came out because I was super busy with community college at the time and I didn't have the time to go to the movies. I remember many people who I knew at my college was crazy over this movie and would not shut up about it for months. This is also the highest-rated movie on my watch list, so I was going to watch this movie eventually. I did like Jojo Rabbit from Taika Waititi and I'm curious to check out his other movies (Except for Thor 3, I have no interest in that one. Sorry). After watching this movie for the first time, I thought this movie was pretty good. I can see why many people love this movie because What We Do in the Shadows has a great cast of fun characters.

This movie was an interesting take on the vampire genre by having it be done in the style of a mockumentary. It is a fun and creative idea that I'm surprised no one has really thought about doing until now. I also like the main cast of characters because they have fun personalities to them. Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi did a good job of creating a cast of characters that feel unique to each other. Jonathan Brugh's character was probably my favorite character in this movie because I thought he was very funny. The makeup and the special effects in this movie are surprisingly good too. For a movie that is made with a budget under 2 million, nothing in this movie looks cheap or super fake looking. Even the zombies and werewolves in this movie look neat too.

If I had to pick one thing that I didn't like about this movie is that some humor didn't work for me. You have some humorous moments in this movie that didn't feel funny in my opinion. Even some jokes were getting old during the last act of the movie. Other than that, I have nothing else to say about this movie. Overall, What We Do in the Shadows is a fun and creative vampire movie that is worth checking out. I will probably check out the TV show in the near future.

Date: 8/21/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
First Viewing

Note: Michael Mann is one of my favorite film directors and I never saw this movie until now. People have recommended this movie to me for ages, but I never had the opportunity to watch it. Thankfully, I was able to buy the Criterion Blu-Ray a while ago and I finally sat down to watch this movie for the first time. After watching this movie for the first time, I thought this movie was awesome. This may be my favorite Michael Mann movie yet.

I love the dark atmosphere and the colorful cinematography that this movie has. Everything in this movie is wonderful to look at because I love the use of colors that this movie has. Donald E. Thorin did a wonderful job of creating cinematography that looks and feels so expressionistic. The best shots are this movie is when the movie is set during night time because you get some awesome color palette that knows how to use lights and reflection to capture the tone of the story. I can look at any night time scene in this movie and stare at it all day long. I also love the music from Tangerine Dream because it is so catchy. It has a synth-wave vibe to it and it works so well with the movie. How it was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Musical Score is beyond me.

The story and characters are excellent because Michael Mann created a cast of interesting characters. James Caan as Frank is a total badass and his acting was very well done. James Cann knows how to play a really cool anti-hero character on camera in my opinion. You also have a great supporting cast with Robert Prosky, Willie Nelson, James Belushi, and Tuesday Weld as well. Pretty much everyone else in this movie did a wonderful job of acting in my opinion. The movie is also 2 hours long and there is not a single boring moment in the entire movie. This movie is one great thrill ride from start to finish. I also love the ending because you get plenty of action at the end of the movie without spoiling anything. The only thing that I didn't like about this movie is that I felt like the subplot of Willie Nelson's character went nowhere.

Overall, Thief is a fantastic movie and I highly recommend checking it out.

Date: 8/22/2020
Viewed: Netflix
First viewing

Note: I have been excited to see this movie ever since it was first announced. Spike Lee made a great comeback with BlacKkKlansman (2018) in my opinion because I felt like his movies after 2006 started to drop in quality. I finally had the time to sit down and watch it on Netflix today. After watching it for the first time, I really enjoy it. I don't think it is Spike Lee's best movie, but I still consider it to be a solid movie nevertheless.

Da 5 Bloods is a very good movie that deals with greed, racism, and anti-war. Watching this movie felt like that I was watching a mixture between The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), Apocalypse Now (1979), Do the Right Thing (1989), and Three Kings (1999). The acting and dialogue are top-notch in my opinion. I can't think of a single bad performance in this movie and I hope that Delroy Lindo gets an Oscar nomination. I do love the great cast of characters that Spike Lee created for the movie because he did a wonderful job giving them their own personalities. Every character in this movie is pretty likable, and they do feel like real-life people. You get to see the relationships and the conflicts that these characters went through during the Vietnam War.

I just love how you can really feel the bonds that these characters have and you start to feel upset when something bad happens to them (without spoiling too much of the movie). The movie's message about how war is about money is spot on too. You also get fantastic cinematography from Newton Thomas Sigel, and he did a fantastic job of making the colors in this movie really pop out. It was really neat how the movie switches from 16mm during the 1970s to the movie being shot digitally in the modern-day. The 16mm scenes almost feel like they filmed it in the 1970s. I was also surprised that they used de-aging technology for the flashback scenes on the actors because I didn't know that they did after the movie was over. It did felt convincing that they hired younger actors during the flashbacks. The ending in this movie is wonderful because it will punch you in the gut.

If I had to pick one thing that I didn't like about the movie is the pacing. This movie is too long and I felt like it could have been 2 hours at max. The movie also started to feel disjointed during the middle act of the movie in my opinion. Overall, Da 5 Bloods is a great movie and it is worth checking out.

Date: 8/23/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First viewing

Note: This movie is the very few movies from Stuart Gordon that I have not seen yet. I do remember seeing DVD copies of this movie at my local video store back in the early 2000s and I've been curious about it for ages. This movie is now available on Amazon Prime (As of 8/23/2020), I thought I might as well check it out. After watching this movie for the first time, I thought it was pretty good. King of the Ants is a cool crime thriller that mixes elements of horror and neo-noir.

This movie is not the best movie from Stuart Gordon and it's a flawed movie as well. I do like that this movie is different from most movies from Stuart Gordon because it's not a splatter comedy or a body horror movie. It's a gritty crime thriller that deals with a normal everyday guy that ends up picking between redemption and vengeance after doing something that he never wanted to do in the first place. The movie almost has a David Fincher vibe to it in my opinion. You get to see the emotional trauma that the main character (played by Chris McKenna) goes through after leaving the life of crime. You should also not let the poster fool you because this movie is not about killer ants at all. Ants are used as a metaphor to describe how people are always in the same life cycle doing the same thing every day as ants do. It's a pretty interesting social commentary and Stuart Gordon did a great job on exploring those themes in the movie.

The movie handles the sex and violence in the movie very well because they have a purpose in the film. The sex scenes and graphic violence are there to show the proximity of lust and violence in humanity. The main character ends up losing his humanity as time goes on in the film, and he begins to care less about the people that he kills. You also have solid performances from Kari Wuhrer, George Wendt, Vernon Wells, and Daniel Baldwin. George Wendt is always fun on camera, no matter how bad the movie is. As I said before, this movie is far from perfect. The movie does have some plot holes and the dialogue could have been better at times.

Overall, King of the Ants is a nice gem from the early 2000s that people tend to overlook. Check it out if you've got time to spare.

Date: 8/24/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray (Well Go USA)
Re-Watch

Note: Today is Takashi Miike's birthday and I decided to celebrate his birthday by watching my favorite film from him. Ichi the Killer is one of my favorite movies that I saw growing up as a teenager in the 2000s and I even used to own the Blood Pack Double DVD that I bought from Best Buy back in 2007. After watching this movie again, I still love this movie. Ichi the Killer is a movie that mixes surrealism, stylistic violence, and raw emotion into one crazy movie. This movie is label as a horror movie when it's not.

The movie has a very well-told story and a solid cast of characters in my opinion. Ichi is a fun main character and it is always cool to see him kill bad guys with his foot blade. Nao Omori does a good job of playing Ichi, and he knows how to capture his personality pretty well. The movie shows what happens when someone becomes a victim of psychological manipulation and Ichi starts killing people for the wrong reasons. Shinya Tsukamoto as Jijii is easily the best part of the movie, and he steals the show in my opinion. Jijii is a very cool iconic movie villain and is not someone you don't want to mess with. The rest of the actors did a solid job of acting in the movie as well.

This movie is famous for being very graphic because you have plenty of gory and sexual moments in the movie. You have people that hate this movie just because it is violent and gory. I can understand why some people won't like this movie, but I do feel that this movie is not just a mindless gorefest. The violent content in the movie is important to the story and it fits with the subtext of the movie. Ichi the Killer deals with the Yakuza, and they are known to be very dangerous people. This movie does not hold any bars when it comes to sex and violence.

The overall message of this movie reminds me of both Videodrome (1983) and Natural Born Killers (1994) of people who are glued to sex and violence. The graphic violence in this movie helps represents the addiction that people have towards sex and violence. People are amused by the high level of blood, gore, and sex in pop culture, and we always come back to more. Even the characters in the movie are made to represent the emotional condition of people and their hidden desires in society.

The movie is 2 hours long and not a single moment in the movie is boring. You get plenty of action, drama, and even comedy in the movie. I always love how Takashi Miike is not afraid to add silly and dumb moments in this movie no matter how seriously a movie can be. Even the violent gory moments can be very over the top and goofy at times. Some bloody violence in this movie almost reminds me of the Evil Dead movies from Sam Raimi because both movies have buckets of blood and gore done in a slapstick manner. The worst part about this movie is the CGI because the digital effects in this movie have not aged well. You have digital blood and CGI death scenes that look so bad. Back in the day, they didn't look that bad. At least, the practical effects still pretty good in my opinion. I also love the camera work and the gritty cinematography too. The cinematography really captures the tone of the story and the mindset of a brutally insane maniac.

Overall, Ichi the Killer is a fantastic movie and it is worth checking out. However, I don't recommend this movie for people that don't like high levels of sex and violence.

Date: 8/25/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: It's been a while since I have seen this movie and I had the 30th-anniversary Blu-Ray sitting on my shelf for a while now. The original 80s Transformers TV show ended long before I was born, but I did watch some episodes of it on VHS as a little kid. I got into Transformers as a kid with Beast Wars back in the 90s and I lost interest in the mid-2000s when Cybertron came out (I did watch Prime on Netflix several years ago and I did like it for the most part). After watching this movie again, I still think the movie is fun for what it is.

This movie is not going to win any awards for having a deep story, but the story is not too bad. It was interesting how they killed off several characters on screen and how much of an impact that the death of Optimus Prime left on people for almost 35 years. You also have plenty of cool action sequences that are nicely animated. The 4K restoration of this movie is breathtaking because it looks so crisp and clear. I do miss when hand-drawn animation like this movie was the norm because you can see all the detail in the animation. You also have a cool soundtrack that is super 80s. The only thing that this movie is missing with the soundtrack is music from ACDC, Metallica, and Queen.

I do think the biggest problem with this movie is that most of the death scenes in this movie have no emotional weight to them. Optimus Prime had a feeling of sadness to it and had an impact on the story. The voice acting in the movie is pretty solid and you get to hear Orson Welles in his last movie role. Orson Welles did a good job with the material that he is given with.

Overall, The Transformers: The Movie is a decent animated movie and I do recommend it if you're curious.

Date: 8/25/2020
Viewed: Hulu
First Viewing

Note: I always wanted to check out this movie for over a year now because I thought the trailer for this movie looks super cool. I can finally watch this movie now because it's now on Hulu at the moment (As of 8/25/2020). After watching this movie for the first time, I really enjoy it. Prospect is a nice slow burn sci-fi movie in my opinion. The acting is solid and Sophie Thatcher did a great job as the main protagonist. I thought they handle the characters very well because they were fascinating. None of the characters felt like they were flat as a piece of paper. You actually care what happens to them and you want to see them get out alive.

My favorite thing in this movie is the atmosphere because this movie is so atmospheric. The movie does a wonderful job of making you feel like you are stuck on another planet with these characters. I also like that this movie is a nice slow burn that does not overstay its welcome. Everything moves at a nice pace without coming off as pretentious. The cinematography is beautiful in my opinion because everything is stunning to look at. The biggest flaw in this movie is that the story is a bit predictable because it does follow the Point A to Point B movie formula. It would also be cool if we see more of this Planet and see some Alien life that exists in the world that they are on.

Overall, Prospect is a solid Sci-Fi movie and it is worth checking out.

Date: 8/26/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: This movie recently turned 30 years old and I decided to revisit it. The last time that I watched this movie was back in 2007 and I haven't seen it since then. Darkman is a childhood favorite of mine and I remember watching it when it was on TV back in the 90s when I was 5 or 6 years old. After rewatching this movie, I feel like it holds up very well. Darkman is a fun and creative take on the superhero genre in my opinion.

It's cool that Darkman can create fake skin and disguises himself as other people. You can't tell who is who when he is using a disguise. I think Liam Neeson does a wonderful job of playing a tragic character that must cover his ugly face to avoid other people being scared of him. Darkman is like if The Phantom of the Opera, The Invisible Man, Elephant Man, and The Shadow fused together into a neat character. The rest of the characters in this movie are fun and memorable including Larry Drake (RIP) as a crime boss.

What I also enjoy about Darkman is the cool visuals and the dark Gothic atmosphere. The movie feels like a mix between a horror movie, a pulp gangster film, and a superhero film similar to Tim Burton's Batman. The set pieces are impressive, and the makeup work holds up very well. They did a wonderful job of making Darkman look scary and gross looking. The only thing in this movie that I felt like that didn't age well is the green screen effects. Some scenes in the movie, you can obviously tell that it was filmed with a digital green screen. I also like how Sam Raimi didn't want the movie to be 100% serious by adding some humorous moments in the movie. Just like most superheroes from the Golden Age, Darkman can be campy at times and I don't consider that to be a bad thing. Even the Evil Dead sequels from Sam Raimi were campy at times too. The score by Danny Elfman is fantastic as well because it is fun to listen too.

Darkman still has its fair share of flaws too. In the movie, Darkman can somehow increase his strength at random and the movie never explains why. Darkman is still a great movie nevertheless and it is worth checking out.

Date: 8/26/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: Seeing that I rewatched the first Warlock movie last month, I felt like I should revisit the second movie. When I was a kid in the 90s, I always like Warlock 2 over the first movie because it had more action and you get to see more of the Warlock. After watching this movie again as an adult, I honestly like the first movie better. Warlock 2 is not a bad movie, but I consider it to be a step down compared to the first movie.

The main cast of characters in this movie doesn't feel as memorable compare to the main characters in the first movie. Other than Paula Marshall as Sam, I didn't care about the other characters that much. The writing is even worse too because the story is filled with plot holes. Everything about this movie contradicts the first movie, and they never explain how the Warlock was able to return after the events from the first movie. The pacing in this movie is even worse too because the entire first act feels like a chore to sit through.

Despite the flaws that this movie has, Warlock 2 is still pretty enjoyable at times. Julian Sands returns as Warlock, and he is as enjoyable as always. You have plenty of blood and gore that feels very satisfying to watch. The blood and gore in this movie are done with practical effects, and they still hold up pretty well in my opinion. The digital effects in this movie aged pretty badly though. The movie uses CGI for certain scenes, and they don't look very good. Back in the early 90s, they looked good because CGI was a pretty new thing at the time. The knife is perhaps the worst CGI effect in the movie in my opinion.

Overall, Warlock 2 is a decent sequel and I only recommend it if you enjoy the first movie.

Date: 8/27/2020
Viewed: DVD
First Viewing

Note: I have always been curious about this movie for years because the poster for this movie looks pretty cool. I think I remember hearing about this movie in an issue of Fangoria back in the 2000s. My local used book store had a brand-new copy of this movie that was factory steeled for $5. I am disappointed to say that this movie is not very good at all. I can see why most people don't talk about Love Bites for almost 20 years now because this movie is boring.

I could not get invested in the story at all, and every character in this movie are paper-thin. A movie with Asia Argento in sexy black leather should not be a chore to sit through. This movie also has vampires, but I was so uninvested with everything else in this movie that I didn't really care. The acting and decent production values are the only good things that this movie has to offer. To be honest, the acting is not bad and I do like the general tone of the movie. You have some cool dark color palettes that almost makes this movie feel like a Nu Metal music video. You also have some solid camera work as well.

I don't recommend Love Bites at all and you are better off watching something else instead.

Date: 8/27/2020
Viewed: TubiTV
First Viewing

Note: Who Killed Captain Alex? is so bad, it’s a masterpiece. It's almost impossible to talk about this movie without spoiling anything. This is a movie that you truly have to see to believe. You get a special gem like this movie once every decade. Watch this movie when you get the chance please because you won't regret it.

Date: 8/27/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime Rental
First Viewing

Note: I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie because I didn't know that it exists until a few days ago. I thought I might as well check it out after hearing good things about it. After renting it from Amazon Prime, I thought this movie was pretty good. This movie is far from perfect, but I do consider Spree to be a fun horror movie in my opinion.

I thought the movie was super entertaining because it was interesting to see the direction that the story was heading too. Joe Keery as Kurt Kunkle did a good job of playing an early 20s social media junkie that is obsessed with getting likes. I felt like this movie reminds me of a mix between The Last Horror Film (1982) and Drive (2011) in my opinion. I also thought the rest of the actors in the movie did a good job of acting too. I also like how suspenseful that this movie feels because the movie has a lot of surprises that you will never see coming. Don't read any plot summaries or spoilers for this movie because this is a movie that you want to go into knowing nothing about it.

I do really like the general message about this movie because the movie deals with the dangers of people who are obsessed with social media. It shows what happens with internet interaction when they go the wrong way. I do think the movie could have been better because I wish there was more depth to the story. I also find it odd that no one bothers to report the main character for his actions if he is streaming on the web. The movie does not state if he is streaming on some private servers on the dark web or not. My suspension of disbelief does have limits.

Overall, Spree is a good movie and I do recommend checking it out when you get the chance.

Date: 8/28/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this movie in ages and I bought the blu-ray from Synapse Films a while back on Amazon. I felt like today would be a nice day to revisit this movie because today was raining and I had nothing else to do. I do have nostalgic memories of this movie when I would use to rent this movie on VHS as a kid at my local Blockbuster when I was 7. My parents were always cool letting me watch violent movies as a kid because I knew none of this stuff was real. I was watching movies like Mosquito, Carnosaur, Rawhead Rex, etc while other kids were watching stuff like Ferngully. While I do admit that this movie is not a good movie, I still consider Mosquito to be a fun movie to watch.

The acting and dialogue in this movie are not very good at all. Most of the acting in this movie feels a bit wooden at times. Gunnar Hansen (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974) is probably the best actor in the movie in my opinion. I still found the main cast of characters to be interesting and you can tell that the actors in this movie were having a good time because they didn't take this movie too seriously. I also do like the atmosphere in this movie because it does feel like it is taken place during the summer. You can feel the dry hot summer heat when watching this movie.

The best thing in this movie is the practical effects because they hold up very well. The killer mosquitos in the movie look really authentic looking in my opinion. The blood and gore in this movie do look really neat too. However, some green-screen effects in the movie have aged poorly. You can tell that they use a green screen for some scenes in the movie and it pops up like a sore thumb.

Overall, Mosquito is a fun dumb movie and it is worth checking out if you are into B movies.

Date: 8/28/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch

Note: Tonight was a rainy stormy night and I felt like tonight is the perfect night to revisit this movie. I decided to pop in my Blu-Ray copy released by Severin Films in my PS4 and chill. Joe D’Amato is known to make many bad movies and I'm not scared to admit that. However, I do consider Antropophagus to be one of his best works along with Beyond the Darkness (1979) in my opinion. Antropophagus is a solid horror movie that is very atmospheric.

The plot for this movie is pretty simple but the movie is suspenseful enough to hold your interest. I love the slow burn feeling that this movie has because it allows you to get to know the characters and build up suspense. You don't know what is going to happen as soon as these characters arrive at the Island. I always like the opening scene on the beach in my opinion because you can tell that it was inspired by the opening scene from Jaws (1975). When the main characters arrive at the Island, the movie starts to create a claustrophobic atmosphere. They are stuck on an Island with almost-little to no people and it makes the viewers think about what happened before. As time goes on, you get to learn what really happened on the Island.

While the actors did a pretty decent job with the acting on film, George Eastman is easily the best actor in the movie. He really steals the show by playing a creepy madman that eats people. George Eastman does a wonderful job by using his body language to create a creepy and disturbing performance. George Eastman's sinister smile and deranged eyes makes him so terrifying looking. The makeup work in this movie is great because I love the hideous scars all over George Eastman's face. It makes him look so dirty, sick, and gross looking. You also have an interesting backstory for George Eastman's character that makes you think if he should be sympathetic or not. The special effects in this movie are top-notch because they look amazing. They really look authentic by making the blood and gore as gross as possible.

The music from Marcello Giombini is fantastic because it's so creepy and unsettling. The music in this movie will give you chills down your spine. You also have an interesting social commentary on consumption and how cannibalism can be view as a metaphor for
Anti-capitalism. While I do love this movie, I can admit that the movie is far from perfect. Some things in this movie are never explained properly and will leave some people confused. You also have some pointless jump scares too.

Overall, Antropophagus is a very good movie and most people tend to overlook it. I do recommend checking it out if you enjoy horror movies.

Date: 8/29/2020
Viewed: DVD
Re-Watch

Note: I haven't seen this anime in a while, and I was in the mood to revisit it. I still have my old Urban Vision DVD copy and I decided to give it a watch. I still remember when this anime used to be on the Starz Encore's Action channel 20 years ago and that's how I first saw it. Bio Hunter is not high art, but it is a lot of fun.

The animation holds up very well for an anime that came out 25 years ago. I love the use of dark colors that this anime has. Even though Yoshiaki Kawajiri didn't direct this anime, you can still feel his influence when watching this anime. The character designs and color palettes feel very reminiscent of his other anime such as Wicked City (1987). You also have some really cool looking monster designs as well.

The story is not perfect, but I still found the general theme of the story to be interesting. I think the idea of a group of hunters that fight against monsters created by a deadly virus is really cool. It's a shame that this anime never became a franchise because it makes you wanting more after it is over. I do wish they added more character development with the characters because that's the weakest part of the anime in my opinion. However, the blood and gore make up for it because there is plenty of blood, gore, and nudity to sink your teeth into. The one thing that I love about old anime titles from the 80s and 90s is that they always felt reminiscent of many grindhouse and horror movies. If you enjoy the blood and gore in movies like The Deadly Spawn (1983), this anime won't let you down.

I hope Disoctek will release this anime on Blu-Ray because the DVD quality has not aged well. Overall, Bio Hunter is a fun trashy anime title and I do recommend it if enjoy horror anime or horror movies.

Date: 8/29/2020
Viewed: Amazon Prime
First Viewing

Note: I always wanted to check out this movie for a while now after hearing great things about this movie. Seeing that I had nothing else to do on a lonely Saturday night, I felt like it was the perfect time to watch this movie. After watching it for the first time on Amazon Prime, I really enjoy it. Jim Jarmusch knows how to make relaxing movies that you can enjoy after a long day of work. Paterson is not a movie that you will feel even more tired because nothing about this movie is boring in my opinion. Jim Jarmusch did a wonderful job of creating an interesting cast of characters. Every character in this movie feels very realistic because the characters in this movie feel like real people that you would know in real life.

For a movie that is almost 2 hours long, it went by quickly in a good way. When you are invested in the story and characters, a long movie can go by really fast. The story in this movie feels like very long poetry with the softly spoken characters and the smart dialogue. The cinematography is absolutely breathtaking and Frederick Elmes did a wonderful job of making the movie look so pretty. I watched the movie in 4K UHD and everything looks so crisp and clear. The backgrounds look stunningly realistic on my 4K TV. It almost felt like that I was watching this movie up close in real life with my own two eyes.

Most people probably won't like this movie because slice of life movies are not everyone's cup of tea. I don't have anything else to say about this movie, to be honest. Overall, Paterson is a great movie and I highly recommend checking it out.

Date: 8/30/2020
Viewed: Netflix
Re-Watch

Note: Seeing that this movie recently turn 25 years old, I decided to revisit this movie. Hard to believe that this movie came out 25 years ago because I still remember when this movie was a huge hit. During the summer of 1995, you could not step outside without hearing the music from this movie. Everyone that I knew loved this movie and would dress up as Mortal Kombat characters for Halloween. I was already a fan of Mortal Kombat before the movie came out and I got into the series when playing Mortal Kombat II on the Sega Genesis at my friend's house probably back in late 1994. Making Mortal Kombat one of the first video games that I remember playing along with Sonic and Duck Hunt.

I still remember seeing this movie in theaters back in 1995 with my two best friends (Who I'm still friends with today) after Tee-ball practice. I do have a lot of nostalgia for this movie, but I don't consider this movie not to be a good movie. One of the movie's biggest flaws is that the movie is PG-13. Mortal Kombat is known for having blood and gore, but the movie has none of it. Sub-Zero and Scorpion are henchmen for Shang Tsung and not their own characters. The movie does not give them their own personalities, and they are killed off as if they are cannon fodder. Goro is also killed off by Johnny Cage which makes no sense. Kitana is also in the movie, and she barely does anything. It felt pointless to add her to the movie in my opinion. I always wished that the movie had more character development with the other characters as well.

Despite the movie not being a good adaption of the video games, I still think this movie is a lot of fun. The casting of this movie is perfect and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung is amazing. He really steals the show as the main villain and I'm glad that he return in MK11 to play as Shang Tsung again. Robin Shou as Liu Kang, Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage, and the other actors in the movie did a good job with their performances. The martial art sequences in the movie are always fun to watch and I do like the atmosphere that this movie has. The set pieces are impressive and they still look good today. However, the CGI in this movie is still terrible. Even back in 1995, they didn't look very good.

The soundtrack in this movie is awesome and it is still fun to listen too. Also, the theme song for this movie is so iconic that it has become a staple of the franchise. You can't think of Mortal Kombat without thinking of the theme song of this movie. You also have the best hits of metal music from the early-mid 90s in this movie. The soundtrack for this movie has great music from Type No Negative, Fear Factory, GZR, and KMFDM. KMFDM was everywhere when I was a kid back in 1995 and you can listen to Juke Joint Jezebel on every radio station at the time.

Overall, Mortal Kombat is not a bad movie despite not being a good adaption of the source material. I only recommend this movie if you are curious. Otherwise, play the video games and watch the 2020 animated Mortal Kombat movie instead. I hope the reboot coming out soon won't be bad.

Date: 8/30/2020
Viewed: Vudu
First Viewing

Note: I actually do remember watching parts of this movie on VHS back in 1997, but I don't think I saw the full movie. Seeing that the movie is free to watch on Vudu (As of 8/30/2020), I finally sat down and watch this movie for the first time. After watching this movie for the first time, I really enjoy it. It may not be Richard Linklater's best work, but I do like SubUrbia for being a relaxing comedy film with serious issues. The movie is very down to earth with the characters and it has a relaxing atmosphere that you can sink yourself into the movie. This is a great late-night movie to watch after a long hard day of work.

The characters feel like the type of people that you would easily know in real life. I know people growing up that is very similar to the characters in the movie. You get to see a group of fun characters being a bunch of slackers (I'm not trying to make a joke here) and they are having a good time. You can easily relate to the characters with the stuff that they are going through. The theme of this movie is about growing up and not knowing what are you going to do with your life. One of the main characters in the movie does not like that everyone around him is moving on with their life meanwhile he is still himself by goofing off. The story gives you that feeling being stuck and trapped in your own comfort zone.

Honestly, I can relate to the characters in this movie because when I was a teenager, I wanted to be a party animal and do everything at the last minute. That later bite me in the ass because time catches up with you way faster when you're an adult. Even at the age of almost 30, I'm still far behind in my life meanwhile I have friends who moved on with their lives. I also like that the movie deals with other serious topics such as sexism, racism, and classism. Towards the end of the movie, you get a pretty powerful scene with the Pakistani family that makes you feel uncomfortable in a good way. The movie warns the dangers of certain people that live in these types of areas.

Despite the heavy themes that this movie covers, the movie is still a comedy with plenty of humor. You have some hilarious jokes and other dumb moments that will make you laugh. I also love the soundtrack because it's very 90s with bands such as Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers, Skinny Puppy, Beck, etc (I also grew up listing to those bands as a kid too). To make things feel even more 90s, Stewart Copeland (Spyro the Dragon) also does the music score for the movie, and he does a wonderful job.

I also love the setting of this movie because it reminds me of the suburban area when I used to live in Ellicott City, MD back in 1998-2001. The movie also feels right at home because when I used to live in a suburban area similar to the one in this movie, my friends and I would love to goof off around the local convenience stores down the street from me after school when I was a kid before I moved out of Ellicott City. Obviously, we didn't drink or smoke, but we still had a good time goofing off similar to the characters in this movie.

Overall, I loved SubUrbia and it's a shame that this movie has no Region 1 release. I can understand why some people don't like this movie because the movie is a bit long and not everyone can relate to this movie. I still recommend checking it out when you get the chance.