Rob245

13th Sep 2020

The Initiation (1984)

9.5/10.An unfairly overlooked gem of the 80's.Daphne Zuniga blew me away in this.She plays both good and bad here in an excellent performance.I overlook things like how the father escaped, how he ended up in prison, etc.It delivers pretty good here.Part of why it was overlooked was because of Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday the 13th, the big name horror movies were starting that year or seemingly coming to a close.Nevertheless I highly recommend this movie mainly because of Daphne Zuniga who would've made a great scream queen.

Rob245

12th Sep 2020

Alligator (1980)

9.5/10.One of my favorite of the big monster movies.Obviously it took inspiration from Jaws and also Godzilla.It's a priceless big monster movie.Here the alligator's the victim from the dislike of a girl's father to the crazy experiments of a company headed by your cliched greedy businessman.Still the best performances are by the leads Robert Forster and Robin Riker. They seem just work well together, should've done another movie together.The alligator itself looked pretty good for the times.I loved the wedding massacre scene, the alligator finally got his long overdue revenge on those responsible.If anything, it's a classic that shouldn't be overlooked.Ramon, what a name for an alligator, it's catchy.

Rob245

12th Sep 2020

Black Christmas (2006)

6.8/10.The second Black Christmas.It's obviously not as good as the original which was more mystery blended with little gore.Here gore's thrown in our faces for the sake of gore.The Weinsteins had to butt in much to director Glen Morgan's frustration.He reportedly hates boo scares.I liked the backstory, Billy hated by his crazed mother due to his appearance from jaundice, killed his father with her boyfriend, imprisoned him in the attic.He, in turn, escapes to murder and maim his sister/daughter.Now he comes home, a nod to Halloween, to kill the sorority girls living there.My attitude though is i find quite watchable.It may not be as good as the original but it does the idea of remake well by being its own movie.I would still watch it over the anti male hate filled one of 2019, just dreadful.Andrea Martin's the real star here, she's fun.It's still a decent watch.

Rob245

9.6/10.The first Turtles movie and it doesn't disappoint.If anything it exceeds all expectations.I loved it as a kid, the turtles looked real to me.I only wondered what Shredder's plot was beyond stealing stuff.But I digress as that's secondary to the movie itself.The acting's great mainly on Judith Hoag and Elias Koteas' parts.They handle the idea of being friends/allies to ninja turtles well without batting an eye.The Shredder's just as impressive and scary as his counterparts in the comic books and games.If you're a fan of the turtles and haven't watched this one yet then you should.I would honestly say this one got me interested in the superhero genre, it lead me to Spider-Man.So obviously I still hold TMNT very dear.

Rob245

12th Sep 2020

I Love Lucy (1951)

10/10.The greatest sitcom ever made.It's humor and jokes were perfect, genius lay in the chemistry between Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel.I would gladly say this is still superior over all these horrible ones of the modern era. From All In The Family and Maude to Roseanne to Friends and The Big Bang Theory, they all stank.The reasons are numerous mainly because they viciously insulted each other with no hint of actual caring as well putting politics in there.It'd have been absurd for I Love Lucy to defend either position on The Korean War for example.You got the feeling watching them they were more like family than friends, almost like they lived together.I would suggest avoid Season 6, not very good as well as the two spin off shows unless you're a serious die hard fan.I saw this show in reruns on Nick At Nite during the summer on Tuesdays when I was a kid, loved it.Most episodes typically focused on Lucy then Ricky then Ethel.Barely any focused on Fred, my favorite character.He played the straight man to them all brilliantly.This show was perfect otherwise.Some, myself included, shall always view this also as one of the greatest American made shows of all time.

Rob245

9th Sep 2020

Monster (2003)

0/10.I don't know what it is about Hollywood and giving some groups special treatment.Here you have sympathy given to a deranged serial killer.Patty Jenkins is an absolute joke as a director, another pretentious type who thinks her junk is art when it's just junk.I can laugh at one thing though. Charlize Theron had to get fat for this, won her Oscar for playing a fat person, and hasn't really done much since then.If they'd done it more like real life there'd be no controversy.Apparently they thought controversy would sell tickets.Well this is still inexcusable. I almost forgot, Jean Smart did the role first and was better at it, that twanging sounding hick type from one of tv's worst and most pretentious sitcoms of the 80's Designing Women.Frankly I wish Patty Jenkins would disappear already, she's lousy.

Rob245

9th Sep 2020

Bombshell (2019)

0/10.The leads are absolutely awful. Charlize Theron as Kelly seems incapable of ever finding a good script, and it's unlikely she'll win any award again after Monster.Nicole Kidman, who should've known better, as Carlson looks like a Stepford wife but with none of the charm.Margot Robbie, as Kayla Popisil, with this and Birds Of Prey, seems like she's deliberately killing off her own career.Jay Roach seems like he's stuck on stupid as his earlier better movies like the Austin Powers franchise were easily more entertaining.

Rob245

9.7/10.Possibly one of the best horror movies of the 1970's.It's truly groundbreaking in horror with the idea of murderous cannibals.The first horror movie I know of to take place in Texas with the environment of the backwoods of blazing Texas.It almost seems like you're on another planet. Leatherface is more like an animal than man in that he attacks others in defense than just to kill.He represents those of us who feel threatened by the outside world whose cruelty truly makes us long for solitude somewhere quiet.The gore is kept low with most occurring off screen in what I think was a genius move by the director.This genius move being letting the audience picture what was happening in their minds which made it even scarier. Leatherface here is more victim than monster like Frankenstein's Monster.He only does what he does to please his family.Most of the sequels took this element away which reduced the character.I felt Gunnar Hansen was the best in the role with Marilyn Burns being the first really good final girl at the start of the golden age of the slasher genre.It started with Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 1974, ended with Freddy's Dead:The Final Nightmare in 1991.True there's been other good slashers but they aren't on the same level as ones like Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Rob245

10/10.The other great werewolf movie of the 80's alongside The Howling.An American Werewolf In London has the perfect blend of horror with some dark humor such as the cursed man's dead friend hounding him to kill himself along with the guy's victims.Rick Baker's work is pretty good though obviously his work on The Howling is indeed better.I would say both are equally good movies.If anything, they revived the public's interest in one of the best mythological creatures The lead, David Naughton anguish could match Lon Chaney Jr's anguish in The Wolfman quite well. One of the best scenes comes when he awakens in the hospital all pale with yellow eyes and fangs, the monster starting to surface.Yet another masterpiece of horror film making of people who cared about the mythology.An American Werewolf In London is a truly perfect horror movie.

Rob245

9th Sep 2020

The Howling (1981)

10/10.One of the best ever werewolf movies.Its chilling atmosphere from seedy downtown L.A. to a colony in the country adds to the horror.I found a hidden meaning that man is like a pack.We do a lot of things without question just like a pack of animals, werewolves in the movie's case, do.Dee Wallace was flat out great as Karen White, not only does she play it superb but with a mix of vulnerability and determination.She has been one of the best in the world of horror in the 80's doing not only The Howling, but also Critters and Cujo. If anything, she's one actress who definitely can act excellently in horror.The movie itself is chilling in that a colony is filled with werewolves, one of whom is a crazed serial killer.The effects were top notch, Rick Baker's work would make Jack Pierce proud.If there ever was the need to watch a great 80's horror movie especially at Halloween then The Howling would get my highest recommendation.

Rob245

9th Sep 2020

Ginger Snaps (2000)

8.7/10.A well done goth meets werewolf movie.I would say it cemented Katharine Isabelle as a possible scream queen.If anything, the movie respects the lore of werewolves unlike crap like Twilight.The one time I didn't find Minnie Driver irritating even though I wondered how a character so annoyingly cheerful could be mother to two goths.Emily Perkins as the younger sister trying to survive the nightmare impressed me.If anything, it's a pity I haven't heard of her in anything else outside of this and the prequel worth watching.If I were to make a list of the best werewolf movies made Ginger Snaps would be on there alongside Lon Chaney Jr's The Wolfman, An American Werewolf In London, and The Howling.It's pretty chilling.

Rob245

8.2/10.The weakest of the TMNT franchise.I understand this, respect other people's opinions.I disagree with it being bad though.It's because it took chances with sending the turtles in time to feudal Japan.This seems like a nod to one of their best selling video games TMNT 4:Turtles In Time.The villains were actually original and well written, neither being Shredder.This is the only movie of theirs not to have Shredder as the villain.I'm not saying he's a terrible one, they've got a good rogues gallery yet they go to him too often like Batman does with The Joker or Superman with Lex Luthor.I applauded the efforts of director/writer Stuart Gillard.He had to not only write but also direct the movie, arguably two of the toughest jobs on a movie.If anything else I was bummed out by how much of a beating the movie took from critics and fans when I was a kid.I agree the design of the turtles wasn't as good as the previous look but it's not as bad as the look they've got in Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.That supposed cartoon looks like a nightmare cartoon on an acid trip. TMNT 3 may not be as great as the other movies but I argue that's far from being the worst of any media of the TMNT franchise.

Rob245

9.5/10.The best Star Trek movie after Wrath Of Khan.My favorite and a movie with a pretty good environmental message.I liked the idea of humpback whales needing to rescued to save earth of the future with their advanced technology being useless.Here it seems like the Star Trek crew learned the past can sometimes be helpful to the future in the most unlikely of ways.It had a good blend of the sci fi we've become accustomed to with this franchise with humor mixed in such as McCoy curing a kidney dialysis patient.I would say this is the movie they had the most fun working on because it doesn't seem to bear signs of pressure anywhere the way the first two did.I viewed them and could see signs they'd been under tremendous pressure.Here it's a fun sci fi romp with Catherine Hicks being one of the best love interests ever in the franchise for William Shatner.I would gladly post this on a list titled "100 best Science Fiction Movies Of All Time."

Rob245

2/10.A cheap disgusting insult to people from the South.It's utterly appalling what passed then and still does for entertainment on major networks.The people on this show had no dignity or problem insulting people from states they'd never meet.This was nothing more than a smear job by smarmy suit and tie jerks towards those of us who live down here.They view us as nothing but bad English speaking, Civil War re-enacting, hunting, tobacco chewing, NASCAR loving rednecks who deserve ridicule.I, as a native of Mississippi, with family from both here and Tennessee, others living in Texas and Louisiana say shame on them.They're all a bunch of sorry network snobs and actors who should be ashamed of themselves.Hollywood's still a cesspool.

Rob245

8th Sep 2020

Supergirl (2015)

6.3/10.The first three seasons were cheesy harmless fun.It seemed like they were copying the formula of tv's Charlie's Angels and Wonder Woman.Melissa Benoist, Helen Slater, Calista Flockhart turned in excellent performances, especially Helen who always has a nice quiet dignity and graceful charm about her.However things started changing in Season 3 with the plot line about Lena Luthor, Lex's mother, plotting to send all space aliens back into space.An annoying gripe about United States policy towards illegal aliens from Mexico is what it truly was.What made it worse was when the President, played by the annoying Lynda Carter, is revealed as a space alien herself.So it's okay she broke the law for the greater good.Then in Season 4 they bring in the first transgender superheroine, just really ramming their political beliefs down our throats.I worry for the kids who watch this show as their views are getting shaped by overpaid dolts.Say what you will about adult film stars but they don't push their political beliefs down our throats.Melissa herself seems to have gotten a swelled head like Lynda Carter whose guest appearance seemed appropriate.The only reason the show's still going even if the ratings are sagging is because they've got good lawyers who'll threaten the CW network if they dare cancel them.The show started out decently, too bad it got lost along the way and has become an unfixable, unwatchable mess.

Rob245

9.9/10.What can be said about Helen Slater? She's an actress who never got the big break that so many untalented ones like Julia Roberts, Pamela Anderson, and Mariska Hargitay.Sure there was Super Girl but it was unfairly trashed by snotty critics. Here as Billie Jean she plays a mix of Joan of Arc with James Deen's Rebel Without A Cause set in the 1980's.I would definitely say this a seriously underrated movie of the 80's alongside The Toxic Avenger, Super Girl, A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, All The Marbles, Friday the 13th Part 2, Deadly Friend, and American Angels Baptism Of Blood.Helen Slater seems to have this abundance of charm in every movie she does.She may be one of the most underrated actresses ever.I wish Hollywood had wised up on and others like her.She as well as others like her deserve better.The movie itself plays out well for a teenagers vs adults movie, possibly the best one I've ever seen.It seems like it's doing social commentary on the lack of communication between the generations.The phrase "Fair is fair."seems like a battle cry for those of us who feel like we've been unfairly treated and beaten down in life.Everyone here works well with her, especially Christian Slater as he seems to have the best brought out in him.Helen Slater is and always will be one of my favorite actresses.

Rob245

5th Sep 2020

Alien from L.A. (1988)

7.4/10.Possibly the 2nd best movie Kathy Ireland did with her as the lead, the other being Miami Hustle.I completely understand why some people wouldn't like it.A model trying to look nerdy doing Jules Verne's Journey To The Center Of The Earth.Sure it's hokey with Kathy Ireland acting silly and Thom Mathews, of Friday the 13th Part 6:Jason Lives, matching her with hokey machismo.Yet I find something charming about this B movie that made me intrigued enough to buy it on DVD and watch.I can't explain it other than to say it has a cute, harmless charm about it.I would say it's not meant to be taken seriously, like other movies such as Santa With Muscles aren't. If you like serious science fiction like Predator or Alien that's fine.But if you like those as well as movies like Alien From L.A, that's fine too.It's all about personal opinion and taste.I would rather watch Alien From L.A. over some mindless artsy drivel like The Shape Of Water, far more entertaining.

Rob245

9.5/10.One of Mr. Leslie Nielsen's vastly underrated comedies.Sure not everything he did was genius.But his presence was always welcome.He comes across in every movie he did as a caring, good funny actor who cared about the product.He was from a generation who cared more about their craft than the pay.I would say this is perhaps one of his last funny movies with him as the lead.It's priceless with him and Kelly LeBrock. She's also pretty good here despite being the bad girl.Mr Leslie Nielsen I still miss since not too many actors can do comedy nowadays like he could.

Rob245

1st Sep 2020

Scary Movie (2000)

9.8/10.Flat out one of the funnier satire movies I've ever seen.Anna Faris does wonderful here.She just seems like this bundle of energy who makes it all work.Everybody from Regina Hall to the Wayan brothers to even Carmen Electra in her cameo are funny as all get out. I found this on equal footing with Student Bodies which was the first movie to satirize horror long before the overrated Scream franchise came along.Anna Faris as Cindy Campbell is a pure comedic genius.This comedy gold.Watch it and hopefully you'll enjoy it. I did.I would say this belongs on a list of 100 Comedies You Should See Before You Die.

Rob245

27th Aug 2020

Airplane (1980)

10/10.One of the most genius comedies ever made.The Zucker brothers and Abrams were brilliant here.I would call this one amazing movie because everyone keeps a straight face.Not an easy task considering all the funny as hell stuff being said or done throughout the movie.Leslie Nielsen delivers one of the best lines ever in comedy"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley." Robert Hayes, Julie Hagerty, Peter Graves, and Robert Stack are also great here."Billy you ever seen a grown man cry?"I also enjoyed many of the gags, three of the best being people in line waiting to wallop a hysterical passenger,"I gotta get outta here!I gotta get outta here." One passenger who said"It's all right stewardess, I speak jive." The last being the fighting girl scouts.One great running gag is where someone says "We need to get these people to a hospital."What is it?"It's a big building with patients."No doubt about it, Airplane was made for people who love comedy back when they did comedy right.

Rob245

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