tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54011339697578629202012-01-29T20:16:47.243-05:00Big lug land...because it's all about the meat...Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.comBlogger4171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-27938336315347790092012-01-29T20:10:00.002-05:002012-01-29T20:10:25.089-05:00One A Week Reviews #4: Horrible Bosses
The crude comedy Horrible Bosses succeeds on two levels. On one, it's a showpiece for likeable film actors with comedy chops to shine. But on another level, it succeeds as a wish-fulfillment outlet for so many people who're laid off, fired, or feeling trapped in their jobs by this crappy market and horrible economy. As a kind of wish-fulfillment, this triumvirate take on "Strangers on a Train" Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-71841646099349555942012-01-26T10:00:00.000-05:002012-01-26T10:00:00.529-05:00The 2012 Project: You Say It's Your Birthday...My 2012 efforts continue apace. In drips and drabs I'm working more on the office, but more importantly, I'm working in the office. I have many cover letters, blog posts, client work, and similar whatnot done... but it's all mental and virtual.The physical room still looks pretty much the same as last week. Additionally, I had a huge week at the store, filling in and gearing up for the MSNBC Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-11638141446970487532012-01-25T18:03:00.001-05:002012-01-25T18:03:46.944-05:00Out of Touch With Oscar
While I love writing about movies, I generally restrict it to those I
can screen at home. I also tend to prefer the lower profile ones. Every year, the Oscar
Nominations come out and, even as they increase the number of titles nominated, I find I've been moved to see fewer and fewer titles. Generally the show is lousy, bloated, and self-congratulatory, though I'm the first to defend that this Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-14727403973918148112012-01-20T21:43:00.001-05:002012-01-20T21:43:14.549-05:00One A Week Reviews #3: ValkyrieSometimes, a boy who loves cheap little B-movies of ill-repute and varying quality must curl up with a big-budget stab at "Historical Epic." To class up the joint, ya know...
At least I picked one with Nazis in it.
Valkyrie is based on a real-life WWII conspiracy by a group of high-placed Nazis lead by one Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg to overthrow Adolph Hitler and take over the Third Reich.Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-39868911797565467142012-01-16T10:00:00.000-05:002012-01-16T10:00:00.247-05:00Customer Service: Why You Have to Say HelloIt snowed on Thursday afternoon. Now, I don't know what your town is like, but Cincinnati tends to overreact a bit to inclement weather. This brief snow, already over by the time I arrived, is why I wasn't surprised by the line at the Kroger Pharmacy that day. What did surprise me is that the person in the front of the line had been standing there for five minutes without so much as a "hello."
Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-80964243603650861222012-01-16T00:02:00.005-05:002012-01-16T11:45:53.132-05:00The 2012 Project: Making Some Progress By Making A "T"
The space, as it started to look tonight.
On Friday night,
I had to sit down and admit I wasn't where I wanted to be in my little
"2012 Project." I'd whipped up chaos in my home office while trying to
finally wrangle the kind of organization I maintain in an office...
office. I also thought that rearranging this office would invite more productive, paying "work" in from the Universe. (Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-76268310828736085522012-01-14T10:00:00.000-05:002012-01-14T10:00:01.961-05:00One A Week Reviews #2: An Englishman in New York
After 34 years, John Hurt returns to playing Quentin Crisp in An Englishman in New York. It's a sequel, the follow-up to The Naked Civil Servant, where Crisp shared his story of becoming "one of the stately queens of England" through strife and the Twentieth Century. Here, we rejoin Crisp as he emigrates to America and we rejoin Hurt as he revisits one of the most marvelous characterizations ofJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-51661332197472219592012-01-13T22:45:00.002-05:002012-01-13T22:46:18.523-05:00The 2012 Project: Where Does One Find The Time? (And If You Know, Call Me!)
There's a "Forest for the trees" message here somewhere...
To sum it up: "This week, I'm a movie reviewer who doesn't have time to watch a movie." I know this because my "One A Week Review" this week is going to be a day late and "One From The Vaults" (a backlog I was hoping to not have to tap into for a couple months yet...)
My 2012 Project got put on hold this week. I'm not proud of that. Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-73764037204443429092012-01-06T10:00:00.000-05:002012-01-06T10:00:02.609-05:00One A Week Movies #1: Curse of the Crimson Altar (the Crimson Cult)Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, Barbara Steele, and Michael Gough? Yes, please!
The Curse of the Crimson Altar, known as The Crimson Cult in the US, is an old-school Sixties horror flick that must've felt racy at the time (Nudity! Psychedelia!) and remains charming today.
"...and drugs of this group can produce the most complex hallucinations, and under their influence it is possible by Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-27716762887379735912012-01-04T20:00:00.000-05:002012-01-05T21:42:09.755-05:00The 2012 Project: New Years Resolutions (or: You've Gotta Make Clutter to Eliminate Clutter)
Two bookshelves, or " one more thing that needs organizing"
New Year's Resolutions. The umpteenth post you've seen on them in the last two weeks. I humbly beg your indulgence on what is to follow...
Every year I start right out of the gate ready to change. The plan is to improve every part of my life I have an issue with, turning it into some idealized, imaginary version. You can guess how Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-7779320872714530122012-01-03T20:42:00.001-05:002012-01-03T20:42:35.172-05:00Teasing The 2012 Project
Just a teaser in regards to my first upcoming post in "The 2012 Project." It's a photo of my tidy, tasteful, comfortable and functional office from back in April of 2008. Sadly, you can't see the desk, but soon, you'll see some sadder pictures of what happened here... and hear what I intend to do about it...Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-46096354243022950002011-12-30T10:00:00.000-05:002011-12-30T10:00:00.517-05:00One A Week Reviews #52: Captain America: The First AvengerI wish you a terrific New Year's Eve - I for one have some BIG resolutions on deck (What other kind would I have?) - here's the last weekly review for 2011, but have no fear, because there's a whole new set of 52 heading your way for 2012.
See you next week... year... week...
Comic books. I love 'em. Always have, and admitted a long time ago, I always will. Captain America was never a Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-33998940149327304832011-12-23T10:00:00.000-05:002011-12-23T10:00:07.977-05:00One A Week Reviews #51: Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a PlaneWhat other Christmas present would Big Lug Land have for you other than the review of a truly campy, trashy, and fun movie? It's a lump of fun for your stocking!
I love awful movies set on airplanes. Be it any of the four Airport flicks, Turbulence one, two or three, Snakes on a Plane, Murder on Flight 502 or even Skyjacked,
dumb airline thrillers are a particular thrill for me. If anything Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-67021100319655821392011-12-16T10:00:00.000-05:002011-12-16T10:00:02.832-05:00One A Week Reviews #50: The Last Circus
A true original, and the most fractured of fairy tales, reviewed for DVD Snapshot.
The Last Circus
Official Synopsis:
Javier, a Sad Clown, finds work in a
circus where he befriends an outlandish cast of characters, including
the brutish Happy Clown, Sergio, who humiliates Javier daily in the
name of entertainment. It is here that he meets Natalia, a gorgeous
acrobat and abused wife of Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-83099677143888736312011-12-09T10:00:00.000-05:002011-12-09T10:00:06.187-05:00One A Week Reviews #49: The Perfect HostTo tell too much about the plot of The Perfect Host is to spoil it. The basic setup is that thief-on-the-run John gets much more than he bargained for hiding out at Warwick Wilson's lovely LA home. He starts pulling a con but winds up the guest of honor. Between conga lines, cocktails, and even chess it winds up being a very unusual evening.
A showcase for David Hyde Pierce, he's roundly Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-54937582351026345932011-12-03T19:01:00.001-05:002011-12-03T19:05:44.787-05:00Big Lug Tumblr is GOWell, I finally joined the 21st century and have added a tumblr to the mix. Feel free to follow as the empire grows!Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-12018306197999744112011-12-02T10:00:00.000-05:002011-12-02T10:00:00.112-05:00One A Week Reviews #48: Prince of Broadway
This is one I warmed up to. A kitchen sink drama of the first order that I reviewed for DVD Snapshot, this is a refreshing change of pace.
Prince of Broadway
Official Synopsis:
Prince of Broadway is the story
of Lucky (Prince Adu) and Levon (Karren Karagulian), two men whose
lives converge in the underbelly of New York's wholesale fashion
district. Lucky, an illegal immigrant from Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-85452993005324581502011-11-25T10:00:00.000-05:002011-11-25T10:00:01.448-05:00One A Week Reviews #47: Aftershock
As Thanksgiving was just yesterday, I got to thinking about the family I'm so grateful to have. This film also made me think about them, and just how blessed a life I've lived. I can't recommend this fascinating family tragedy highly enough - originally reviewed for dvdsnapshot.com.
Aftershock
Official Synopsis:
Tangshan, 1976. Two seven-year-old
twins are buried under the rubble of the Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-41447086798875028522011-11-23T19:35:00.001-05:002011-11-23T19:36:44.937-05:00I Feel Like A Kid Again...I had to share this trailer because it accomplished two things. One is that, as a spoof, it cracked me up, but more importantly, just seeing them made me feel like a kid again...
I think I have to make plans for this weekend...Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-12674333174996311742011-11-18T10:00:00.000-05:002011-11-18T10:00:07.872-05:00One A Week Reviews #46: Brand New Day
Sometimes it's nice to watch a movie with a happy songs, happy people, and happy endings. Reviewing this for DVD Snapshot was a pleasure, and I can't help but imagine this catching on with any kid who watches Grease or High School Musical.
Brand New Day
Official Synopsis:
Oscar-Winner Geoffrey Rush “is
awesome” (Ain't It Cool News) as a hilariously devout minister
chasing a Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-42927747239121827162011-11-11T10:00:00.000-05:002011-11-11T10:00:01.786-05:00One A Week Reviews #45: The Naked Civil ServantThe Naked Civil Servant
I wonder if they didn't include the real Quentin Crisp introducing The Naked Civil Servant so the 1975 audience wouldn't completely dismiss the magnificent queen brilliantly embodied by John Hurt as a caricature. "Quentin Crsip," though was a role created and cultivated by Quentin Crsip, and it was he was an outsized, brilliant marvel. You'd never believe it if you Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-26346999751222471892011-11-04T13:30:00.000-04:002011-11-04T13:30:00.229-04:00BUTTERFLY Bonus: It's Wrong For Me To Love You
Bonus: If you think you can still respect yourself in the morning, this is "It's Wrong For Me To Love You," the (ahem) love theme of Butterfly, as performed by Ms. Zadora.. oh, Pia, it's wrong for us, too... and yet it's oh, so right.
I'm tellin' ya, she really does have a wonderful singing voice. I bet if she hadn't tried to be a movie star she'd have wound up a pretty big recording act in Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-38734731197579161442011-11-04T10:00:00.000-04:002011-11-04T10:00:03.155-04:00One A Week Reviews #44: ButterflyButterfly
Ok, the first thing to address with Butterfly is that Pia Zadora isn't horrible. She's not... great, but she's not as gawd-awful here as you'd believe based on her reputation.
What first strikes a contemporary viewer, 20 years away from the height of her reputation and 30 from the release of this and The Lonely Lady, is how much Jessica Alba resembles her. Zadora's millionaire Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-23387613803913295702011-10-31T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-31T10:00:05.453-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #31: Jason X
Oh, my darlings, it's that day. October 31st. Halloween. The last entry in my interminable daily slog through horror movies, both good (ahem) and bad for the year. For this final entry in the 31 Flavors of Horror (and yes, I'm just as done with the name for the year as you are, faithful reader), I had no choice but to wrap it up with one last call on my machete-totin' main squeeze...
I first Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-21945751525729375642011-10-30T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-30T10:00:05.813-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #30: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)I kinda take a different approach with this entry in the 31 Flavors of Horror series. A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of those remakes that's been analyzed and parsed to death, and it's not really a flick for me. I'm from the generation who got the Robert Englund series. The new one is for a younger crowd, and it compliments the dark heart of the first one, and is miles away from the morbid Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-65121947024279200582011-10-29T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-29T10:00:02.086-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #29: Dark Night of the Scarecrow (Also, One A Week Reviews #43)
Well, a few days ago we took a look at Terror Tract, so why not visit another TV movie? I know we're getting close to the end of the month, and you were probably expecting me to drag out some of the big, old iconic horror films everyone likes to namecheck this time of year... but instead I'm gonna bring you a class act that's a damn good watch.
This time, it's a classic from 1981 - the year Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-15987432300469777072011-10-28T16:00:00.000-04:002011-10-28T16:00:02.697-04:0031 Flavors of Horror BONUS: Rabbit in Your HeadlightWith today's look at the career of serial car straddler Tawny Kitaen, I wound up thinking about another music video involving people rolling around on the hoods of cars, except this one went from creepy, to suspenseful, to awe-inspiring - hope you like it. UNKLE, "Rabbit in Your Headlight"
Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-39380150896811633712011-10-28T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-28T10:00:10.023-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #28: Witchboard
Today's film wears out the "ice cream" connection and goes right to the cheese, but it was a big, visible horror video rack hit in the 1980s. Does it deserve your time and attention? The planchette points to NO, but I still had a good time ragging on it. Enjoy!
Bonus: This features Cincinnati native Stephen Nichols, a veteran of multiple daytime soaps, and Tawney Kitaen, former wife of a Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-31331276801216013812011-10-27T16:00:00.000-04:002011-10-27T16:00:01.475-04:0031 Flavors of Horror BONUS: Sweet DreamsAs I got to thinking about videos that always creeped me out, the one coming up right behind "Come to Daddy" (Shudder) was my first introduction to the Marilyn Manson - back when we thought he had more to do with some kind of death metal, instead of discovering him the screechy heir to Bowie and Madonna's fashion of excess (which was perfectly obvious by the time "The Dope Show")
Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-41208637279126670282011-10-27T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-27T10:00:00.461-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #27: Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday Number Nine? Nine of these things? You have got to be kidding me...
Well, here we are again. One more (exceedingly long-winded) trip to the well, and this time New Line's payin' for dinner. Since you got melted to childhood by toxic waste last time, I didn't think you'd come sniffing around again, but it's another Friday and you're back to wine and dine me.
Even worse, in this one, there's Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-16607399824430260342011-10-26T16:00:00.000-04:002011-10-26T16:00:01.615-04:0031 Flavors of Horror BONUS: Ben
A 31 Flavors of Horror Bonus: I had to share this because I had no idea it existed before I found it as an extra on the Willard DVD. Crispin Glover covered Ben, the Michael Jackson schmaltz classic, for the closing credits, then made a typically quirky video for it. Enjoy!
Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-16403951926692029432011-10-26T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-26T10:00:11.765-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #26: Willard (2003)
You don't always need big bucketfuls of gizzards and grue splashing across the screen to make a satisfying horror flick. Sometimes, a few tense chills and moments of sly humor can make a satisfying night in. More odd and stylish than truly spooky, this is a must just for the impressive work by Crispin Glover and some sly, funny moments.
The downside of this is you'll be eyeing all your pets, Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-58304234132408609462011-10-25T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-25T10:00:02.844-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #25: Terror Tract
I love those old anthology horror films, from Asylum to Trilogy of Terror to Creepshow, they're always wonderful ways to pass a rainy afternoon or gloomy night. Usually a collection of morality tales with EC Comics-style twists, they're generally pretty oddball. I'm also a fan of the cheesy goodness of TV movies. So how can I turn down a double-dare like this?
Bonus: Will Estes, who plays Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-14314651119035946782011-10-24T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-24T10:00:09.220-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #24: The House Where Evil Dwells
What would getting ready for Halloween be without watching some Haunted House movies. Here's one for the 31 Flavors of Horror that I remember seeing as a kind on USA, some Saturday afternoon, and it messed me up! I remember this one as being bleak, and scary and sad... and I'm sure it doesn't hold up now. But with a cast that's Edward Albert, Doug McClure, and Susan George, how can I not give Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-80808619429732118042011-10-23T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-24T21:23:45.245-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #23: Blood for Dracula
One good turn deserves another, and you can't have Yin without Yang, Sylvester without Tweety, or Burke without Hare, so it's a must to follow up yesterday's big scoop of crazy camp mess with it's companion piece film. These are a pair of odd ducks who haunted me in my youth when I'd catch them on cable, and I'll always have a soft-yet-dreadful spot for them... if you haven't seen them, they'reJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-37812147580099920632011-10-22T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-24T21:24:34.387-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #22: Flesh for Frankenstein (Also, One A Week Review #42)
T
The next 2 scoops in the 31 Flavors of Horror series are two personal favorites of mine.
Some of us lucky few who would haunt the weird late-night grindhouse movies they'd show on USA in the Eighties or Nineties got introduced to many wacky, creepy movies. The nauseating, perverse duo of Andy Warhol's Dracula and Andy Warhol's Frankenstein were no exception. Rare, terrifyingly "other," if youJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-5882972558246535902011-10-21T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-21T17:01:54.214-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #21: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Another day, another taste of October horror reviews. As I've worked through so much of the Friday the 13th oeuvre this month I may as well start thinking now about tackling the Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, or Halloween series for next October.
Will any of them be able to stand up to my man, Jason? I doubt it... I also have too much respect for both of us to consider the Children of Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-34391300255120004242011-10-20T16:00:00.000-04:002011-10-20T16:00:01.445-04:0031 Flavors of Horror BONUS: Come To DaddySince today's review for Friday the 13th, Part VII did feature a lead who had some serious daddy-issues... I mean, she killed him with her psychic powers as a bratty child then dredged up his body at the end of the movie, which they evidently neglected to bury, what else would pop into my head than Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy" with it's creepy man-faced girls running about.
This video still Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-61210920066753178132011-10-20T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-20T10:00:00.803-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #20: Friday the 13th, Part VII: The New Blood
I think what I like more than my compact, rational reviews are the pieces like this... where I just watch a movie and comment on the proceedings in a generally snark-filled manner. The trashier the cinema, the more I enjoy myself when I'm doing it. And believest thou me, The Friday the 13th series is a delicious, campy (ha- see what I did there) treat. Yesterday's flavor was all boobs and Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-52867786299297871712011-10-19T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-19T10:00:12.839-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #19: Piranha (2010)
Ok, so in retrospect, maybe the nudity wasn't quite as wall to wall in Piranha as I initially remembered it to be - but it sure makes an impression. It's also more distributed to the distaff side of things, and I'm a proponent of "naked parity" in films, but I've heard many a complaint over the years that movies just don't pack the gratuitous nudity that they did in the Seventies and Eighties. Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-63001364783126564432011-10-18T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-18T10:00:07.974-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #18: The Haunting of Amelia
Well, they can't all be winners - this film, reviewed for Exploitation Retrospect wants to surprise with it's few chills and twist ending, but it gives up it's secrets early. If not for some ooey-gooey make up effects, this would play more like an "After-school Special" with a twist than the attractive TV actor's Twilight Zone story it'd like to be taken as.
However, the gentle chills it Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-23349228813632468462011-10-17T16:00:00.000-04:002011-10-17T16:00:00.363-04:0031 Flavors of Horror BONUS: SoberAnother 31 Flavors of Horror "creepy music video bonus. Sober by Tool.
This song... this video... all these years later still just leaves me disquieted.
I just keep asking "What the hell is that? And what the hell is that? AND THAT?" and then I tend to look away... Great song, and the album it's on, Undertow, is also terrific. (I may be reviewing the documentary about Maynard James Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-7912084131908152072011-10-17T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-17T10:00:01.225-04:0031 Days of Horror #17: Friday the 13th: Part 6: Jason Lives
Another night out with my main-machete-man, Jason Voorhees, and he's back to the boring, driven killer zombie and mama's boy that I first fell for, lo those many moons ago. Another helping of Friday the 13th action for you during the 31 Flavors of Horror month of October.
My little bonus anecdote is towards the bottom of the review and it regards Jennifer Cooke. Our leading lady wound up Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-78899039316864921472011-10-16T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-16T10:00:01.235-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #16: Dead & Buried
Today's 31 Flavors of Horror entry, Dead & Buried, is a cult classic that if you haven't seen it yet, you should stop now and go get a copy and give it a watch. It's a great fall movie, to save for some drizzly night when you just wanna stay in and enjoy something a little cerebral, a little trashy, and a lot of fun.
I think it really does have the heart of a Twilight Zone episode, and it's aJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-61839109940794929642011-10-15T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-15T10:00:04.950-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #15: Vampire Circus (Also, One A Week Reviews #41)
I liked Vampire Circus so much that, even though I wrote this review for DVD Snapshot back in April, I saved presenting it on my own site until October so it could be part of the 31 Flavors of Horror. I also thought it should be one of the titles doing double duty as a One A Week Review.
This Hammer Horror came in a Blu-Ray and DVD combo pack chock-full of goodies and it's definitely worth Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-40747560661823481882011-10-14T16:00:00.000-04:002011-10-14T16:00:01.395-04:0031 Flavors of Horror BONUS: Hammer HorrorWhile putting together these posts for my 31 Flavors movie review project, I stumbled up on the news that Kate Bush has a new album coming out around the end of the year. (She once took over a decade off in between albums and now two in eight months? That's just showing off...)
These two acts in tandem got "Hammer Horror" stuck in my head for an hour, so I thought I'd (pass the earworm along) Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-75121741603151880162011-10-14T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-14T10:00:05.903-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #14: Night of the Demons (2009)
Ha! It's Friday and I just know you were expecting another Friday the 13th review, but I thought I'd do the (really not at all) unpredictable and mix it up a bit here for the 31 Flavors of Horror. However it is a remake, which is practically the same as a sequel, street cred-wise.
This redux of Night of the Demons has some painfully dumb moments, but there's some flashy graphics and lots of Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-75226034318899827332011-10-13T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-13T10:00:09.233-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #13: Friday the 13th, Part 5: A New Beginning
I had no choice but to feature a Friday the 13th title for the 13th entry of 31 Flavors of Horror... unfortunately I shoulda timed things out better so it wouldn't be one of the really bad ones. This is as opposed to the others, who're just "the bad ones." This was not the best of my "dates" with Jason. It's like he wasn't even there...
I found it best to pass the time with this one by comingJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-90119453733883507432011-10-12T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-12T10:00:11.339-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #12: Blue Sunshine
A deeply WTF, seventies time capsule reviewed for DVD Snapshot. This entry in the 31 Flavors of Horror is not the tastiest, but I definitely enjoyed it. You may find that a bald, 70's LSD-fueled maniac is YOUR Halloween costume of choice. I rewatched Jeff Lieberman's Squirm recently and, while it terrified me when I saw it on the USA Network as a kid, it didn't pack quite the same punch now. Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-57176160536507352632011-10-11T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-11T10:00:07.127-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #11: Friday the 13th, Part 4: The Final Chapter
Number 11 in my 31 Flavors of Horror series, and it's another night out with my main-machete-man, Jason Voorhees. I fear Significant Other will start to get jealous, but then I just picture Jason getting run over with a Volvo and I know my home life will be just fine. Tomorrow, we're taking a break, but since Thursday is the 13th of the month, you can probably guess what's coming then...
31 Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-24449172628965543172011-10-10T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-10T10:00:10.171-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #10: Friday the 13th, Part 3 in 3-DDay 10 of the 31 Flavors of Horror - 1/3rd of the way to Halloween, and we have... yet another sequel. Well, in my defense, I was given a three pack and then, as you'll see soon, I got a bit carried away since. I happen to be a bit of a compulsive when it comes to sequels. If I see one, I feel I should see 'em all. In sequence. So, four Resident Evils last week and now we're on our third Friday Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-80947834913497954912011-10-09T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-09T10:00:01.046-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #9: Friday the 13th, Part 2Another day, another taste of the 31 Flavors of Horror. Most of the genre's success is owed to horror movies. In fact, most of Paramount's fortunes during the 1980's is built on the cash brought in by Jason Voorhees and his lovely mother. Both of those things mean that sequels are unavoidable in general, and this month in particular. So, settle in... over the next few weeks I'm going on several Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-87782549823915478082011-10-08T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-08T10:00:04.627-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #8: Basket Case (Also, One A Week Review #40)It's time for a new scoop of the 31 Flavors of Horror, and it's also Saturday, meaning it's my One A Week Review. What better way to celebrate both of these occasion than with the 42 St. Grindhouse superstar, Belial the deformed, murderous Siamese Twin in his debut, Basket Case, which was just released on Blu-Ray. I was lucky enough to get to review this for DVD Snapshot, but this is a fun, Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-70583601741055831822011-10-07T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-07T10:00:13.228-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #7: Friday the 13th (Uncut) (1980)
Many horror review bloggers - as opposed to those of us dilettantes who just fancy ourselves to be - are probably more original than I and not using the first Friday in October as an excuse to post a Friday the 13th review. I, however, am shameless and have absolutely no problem with it whatsoever. What can I say? I throw myself on the mercy of the court!
There's not much you haven't heard Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-50072351038441061152011-10-06T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-06T10:00:01.601-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #6: Resident Evil: Afterlife I know what you're thinking:
"Another one?" "Four in a row?" "Tedious, Jay. Tedious..."
Well, for whatever it's worth, if you're going to watch them - and why not, they're fun - you may as well see 'em all, and see 'em in sequence.
This one adds a couple of pretty boys to the line up of pretty, slender gals who kick zombie butts, and was released in 3D... so there's that... anyhow, I Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-1271882292766273392011-10-05T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-05T10:00:00.639-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #5: Resident Evil: Extinction
Another bloody video game zombie movie with waify chicks who kick ass in combat. It's a thing. I kinda love it. This one, like the rest, won't make you want to adopt a Rottweiler, nor will it make you want to visit Las Vegas.
It will, however, make you hope you're a gorgeous, genetically-engineered model-slash-actress-super-ninja in the event that there ever IS a zombie apocalypse. Because, Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-88825358758489517362011-10-04T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-04T10:00:06.044-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #4: Resident Evil: Apocalypse
This big month of horror flick reviews carries on with another in the Resident Evil series. While I didn't have that much I wanted to say about the first flick, I get a little more in-depth here... along with some sidetracking about outfits and the evils of smoking... but sidetracks are about par for me, so I just go with it.
31 FLAVORS OF HORROR #4
RESIDENT EVIL: APOCALYPSE
Number two in aJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-67279306689684309022011-10-03T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-03T10:00:06.924-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #3: Resident Evil
This week I continue the 31 Flavors of Horror with four from the same family - kinda like if one were chocolate, another chocolate chip, a third perhaps double chocolate, and the fourth... who'm I kidding? I have never been a huge fan of chocolate and it's a little early to pound the ice-cream allusions into the ground as I have a whole slew of Friday the 13th reviews coming up.
Anyhow, Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-11366555847108634782011-10-02T10:00:00.000-04:002011-10-02T10:00:03.677-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #2: Shadow
I've been saving this review for quite a while because I think it's a fresh take on the dreamy horror of Italian directors like Argento and Fulci, and the brutally abrupt tradition of bleak American horror directors like Tobe Hooper and Meir Zarchi... not to mention just crazy, insane Euro-horror goodness.If you haven't seen this one yet, and you're up for a bleak, "WTF" ride, I think you Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-59526337197112569042011-10-01T19:00:00.000-04:002011-10-01T19:00:00.777-04:0031 Flavors of Horror #1: Hershell Gordon Lewis, The Godfather of Gore (One A Week Reviews #39)
I'm excited to start my 31 FLAVORS OF HORROR series of reviews to celebrate the favorite month of every horror movie fan and blogger, October. I'll be continuing my One A Week Reviews with each Saturday's post, but you can expect a different, tasty fright flick review every day of the month!
I'd like to also say a big "Thank You" to all the marvelous reviewers, bloggers, and podcasters who Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-84467700467311250802011-09-29T00:04:00.000-04:002011-09-29T00:18:52.727-04:00It's a tasty October with 31 Flavors of Horror
Are you ready for October? Those of us who love our scary movies are, and here at Big Lug Land we are no different. As many general film review sites, and horror specific ones, I'm ramping up and getting ready to bring you horror reviews for every single day of October. 31 flavors for 31 days, and it's going to be a real treat. I took a crack at doing this two years ago and loved my "31 Horror Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-91899502130945140292011-09-26T00:47:00.001-04:002011-09-26T00:47:06.730-04:00One A Week Reviews #38: UFOs Do Not Exist! The Grand Deception and Cover Up of the UFO Phenomenon
Reviewed for Exploitation Retrospect - this is such a no-go I'm mostly just posting my review to amuse and warn you off watching this claptrap...
Here's what I've always thought about conspiracy theories: If you really were on the path of hushed-up secret knowledge the powerful don't want you revealing, chances are good they would have shut your fat ass up long ago.
That said, for Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-31871450206689906632011-09-26T00:44:00.001-04:002011-09-26T00:47:25.084-04:00One A Week Reviews #37: The Walking Dead Girls!
If you're a fan of Horror cons you're gonna like this one. If you like cute girls who have tattoos, it'll also be up your alley. This review for dvdsnapshot covers a film with a lotta flaws... and a lotta zimbies!
THE WALKING DEAD GIRLS!Official Synopsis:The Walking Dead Girls is a behind-the-scenes look into zombie culture in the United States and the obsession into "Sexy Female Zombies." Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-89232387878737026932011-09-26T00:37:00.000-04:002011-09-26T00:41:43.118-04:00One A Week Reviews #36: It! (1967)Time for another fun and thorough look at a B-movie, this time one where Roddy McDowell brings some camp...
It's appropriate that It! shares a disc with The Shuttered Room, as it stars with an attic a-fire just like the other film ends with one. We meet assistant museum curator and all around nebbish Arthur Pimm (McDowell) and curator Grove as they find out one of their museum's storehouses has Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-30724187402049080462011-09-26T00:26:00.000-04:002011-09-26T00:26:25.599-04:00One A Week Reviews #35: The Shuttered RoomThis week I'm taking a thorough look at a B-movie on a very fun double feature disc, The Shuttered Room. The title sequence is surprisingly absorbing: A layered shot of lovely Carol Lynley just staring out a windshield, the reflected trees running past between us and her still face, with sputtering jazz propelling us along. Occasionally it splits into layers, making for a jittery effect. A Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-77966736278026934132011-09-26T00:01:00.001-04:002011-09-26T00:18:52.777-04:00One A Week Reviews #34: The Pyjama Girl Case
Washed-up - and usually alcoholic - American movie stars who couldn't
get work in the Seventies were probably beyond grateful for the
European film industry.They were still marketable enough with their faded marquee glory to get jobs, and since all the audio was
dubbed, more than one soused performance was probably saved. In The
Pyjama Girl Case, Ray Milland and Mel Ferrer headline here, Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-53785557412417319402011-09-24T00:34:00.000-04:002011-09-24T00:34:34.153-04:00One A Week Reviews #33: Bereavement
Call it "The best looking POS I've ever seen" or "Terrence Malick's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," Bereavement was an ill-starred review for DVDsnapshot. Blocked by a buggy computer, a buggy blu-ray disc, a death in the family, and other technical difficulties, I hope the review was judged to be worth the weight.
Bereavement
Official Synopsis:
In 1989, a 6-year-old boy is lured into
the Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-60767987861999601542011-09-24T00:32:00.000-04:002011-09-24T00:32:12.423-04:00One A Week Reviews #32: Norwegian NinjaA fun flick reviewed for DVD Snapshot. Weirdly spoofy and retro, like a kind of Nordic Black Dynamite.
Official Synopsis:
A fictionalized account of the most
notorious political scandal in Norwegian history, Norwegian Ninja is
a deliciously tongue-in-cheek spoof of the Cold War spy movie, with
added ninja action. Because, as everyone knows, every story can be
made better with ninjas. Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-76397303626308316722011-09-24T00:30:00.000-04:002011-09-24T00:32:36.126-04:00One A Week Reviews #31: Breath
A beautiful Korean surprise reviewed for DVDsnapshot.com - and highly recommended.
A prisoner on death row and a woman who's drawn to
his plight go through their own spring, summer, fall and winter of love in
Breath, a typically quirky chamber drama by helmer Kim
Ki-duk.
Nominated for the Golden
Palm at Cannes, this emotional tour-de-force from the world-renowned Korean
Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-75243092039903229642011-09-21T01:18:00.001-04:002011-09-21T01:18:08.968-04:00One A Week Reviews: An UpdateSo, I've been off-line a lot lately...
At the beginning of the year I set a simple goal for myself with this blog - to try and knock out one movie review a week. I love writing them, and a few dear souls (you know who you are) are kind enough to enjoy perusing them. Sure, some are re-purposed work from DVD Snapshot and Exploitation Retrospect, but it's still my writing, and it's fun for me. I Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-52704266482774640732011-08-05T14:38:00.000-04:002011-09-24T00:28:37.327-04:00One A Week Reviews #30: ExorcismusA week late, but frankly, I'm a busy boy lately. A somewhat standard devil possession movie with a few nice twists in the telling - reviewed for DVDsnapshot!
Official Synopsis:
This dark tale of supernatural possession from director Manuel Carballo combines classic horror with riveting family drama. Fifteen-year-old Emma (Sophie Vavasseur, Resident Evil: Apocalypse) is going through the Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-24599614812704203572011-07-25T20:35:00.000-04:002011-09-26T00:48:21.763-04:00One A Week Reviews #29: In Her Skin
Reviewing In Her Skin for DVDsnapshot turned out to be a nice surprise. Simone North knocks the ball out of the park with a first film that, yeah, wobbles in a few places, but on the whole is a triumph!
Official Synopsis:
A desire for a new life turns a jealous obsession into a disturbing game of identity theft in this terrifying psychological thriller based on a true story. Homely lonerJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-82957873004416307372011-07-15T11:08:00.001-04:002011-09-26T00:48:35.096-04:00One A Week Reviews #28: The Wild Hunt
This week it's a surprisingly engaging drama reviewed for Dvdsnapshot about Live-Action Role Players that'll have you wondering who might be blurring fantasy and reality.
Official Synopsis:
When Erik's girlfriend leaves him for another man – a man entrenched in the world of live action role play – he has no choice but to pack up and follow her, plunging himself into a strange and Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-20070901948057291662011-07-08T09:15:00.002-04:002011-09-26T00:48:56.824-04:00One A Week Reviews #27: KaboomIs it showing my age to admit I've been a fan of Gregg Araki since I first saw The Living End in college? It was the mid-ninties and my early twenties. That film broke big on the Indie scene for him but the film I connected with more was The Doom Generation. Never before had I seen nihilism or young adult hormones portrayed quite so candy-colored before...
The new film, Kaboom, is a bit of Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-65754765179785244452011-07-03T13:12:00.001-04:002011-09-26T00:49:13.134-04:00One A Week Reviews #26: Savage County
Welcome to the halfway point - week 26, and a happy 4th of July to ya, if that's what you're into. I was gonna save this for my big 31 review October (yes, I work ahead to try and fit in with the cool kids) but, on this most American of weekends, I thought "why not feature that most American of horror tropes, the crazy backwoods family?"
Especially as it's time to call a moratorium on this Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-56606609733443357552011-06-27T21:14:00.000-04:002011-09-26T00:49:29.213-04:00One A Week Reviews #25: I Saw The Devil
This weekend's review is running a little late but I Saw The Devil is more than worth the wait. Originally reviewed for Dvdsnapshot, this was a real treat - one amazingly violent movie, but an incredible watch.
Official Synopsis:
I Saw the Devil is a shockingly violent and stunningly accomplished tale of murder and revenge. The embodiment of pure evil, Kyung-chul is a dangerous Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-14289166614088351192011-06-17T08:00:00.001-04:002011-09-26T00:49:36.815-04:00One A Week Reviews #24: The Voyeur
I like to write about movies filled with buckets o' guts, cheesy acting, and high-camp plotlines. I wouldn't normally scribble down my opinions on a film from European soft-core king Tinto Brass unless Dan at Exploitation Retrospect asked me to. Previously, I wrote about the beautiful Art of Love for site, and a refreshing bit of sexploitation is always welcome. The Voyeur is a movie for "grownJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-11736572203205134252011-06-10T08:00:00.011-04:002011-06-10T08:00:00.532-04:00One A Week Reviews #23: SculptureMy history with Sculpture goes back a while. It was a pleasure to meet members of the cast and crew back at Horrorhound weekend in 2009, so when Dan at Exploitation Retrospect asked if I wanted to review the movie, it was a given I would.
Sculpture is an unusual curiosity of a movie: A study of a woman going mad as the sexual abuses of her past catch up with her, dressed up with gory murders, Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-49991532617631980522011-06-03T19:30:00.000-04:002011-06-03T19:30:01.351-04:00One A Week Reviews #22: American Experience: Stonewall UprisingPerfect for June, let's kick off "Pride Month" with this documentary on the Stonewall Riots I wrote for dvdsnapshot. Check it out!
American Experience: Stonewall UprisingOfficial Synopsis:
Veteran filmmakers Kate Davis and David Heilbroner (Adolescent Addict, Jockey) explore the dramatic event that launched a world-wide rights movement. Told by those who took part, from drag queens and streetJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-85622279271408763492011-05-27T08:30:00.000-04:002011-05-27T08:30:02.895-04:00One A Week Reviews #21: Mongolian Death WormThis week I curled up on dvdsnapshot's behalf with a little DVD called Mongolian Death Worm. While I eschew the obvious "dick jokes," I make no promises that this is a good movie...Official Synopsis:When an American oil company sets up an experimental drilling plant out the vast deserts of Mongolia, they awaken a nest of deadly creatures that have been dormant for centuries - the Mongolian DeathJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-9815439625589225022011-05-20T08:50:00.001-04:002011-05-20T08:50:01.117-04:00One A Week Reviews #20: Turbulence III: Heavy MetalOoh, baby. I thought Turbulence II was a satisfying dish, so I had no choice but to have Netflix send over Turbulence III: Heavy Metal for my delectation. This go around, they trot out the stock footage of our intrepid TCA airlines jet for one last round. We have bad weather, bad acting, bad music and just a soupcon of satanism.
Right out of the gate it doesn't fail to satisfy. Slade Craven, a Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-35531288580198535092011-05-13T08:03:00.006-04:002011-05-13T14:03:24.756-04:00One A Week Reviews #19:Turbulence II: Fear of FlyingI know it's Friday the 13th, my lovelies, and I'm saving all my Jason Voorhees-centric reviews for October, since I'm one of those silly reviewers who plans to try his hand at "31 Horror Reviews for Halloween." Even if I hadn't done it two years ago it'd be unoriginal. Ah, well. Instead of the usual tricks, I thought you deserved a Friday the 13th treat instead. This is one of the best Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-32619729530560466122011-05-05T10:50:00.001-04:002011-05-05T10:52:32.983-04:00One A Week Reviews #18: The ResidentNo wonder I don't live in New York. In The Resident, Hilary Swank is renting a gorgeous apartment at $3800 a month and that price is represented as a steal. I live in Ohio. I can't wrap my brain around that.
The landlord is dreamy, the rent is (supposedly) great, and there's even a kindly-but-dotty old Christoper Lee downstairs. This apartment is so fine, so much like home, it even brings out Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-21231754042932873732011-04-29T11:50:00.001-04:002011-04-29T11:50:00.360-04:00One A Week Reviews #17: LeviathanLeviathan: The other underwater movie from 1989 knocking off The Abyss that isn't DeepStar Six. Since I took a look at that one recently, I thought "why not see how the other half lives?"
As we suffered bravely and beautifully thru DeepStar, let's now take a look at MGM's crack at beating The Abyss to the punch. Let's start right with the opening. An MGM and De Laurentis Family presentation of aJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-60218925135608148412011-04-24T22:52:00.000-04:002011-04-24T22:52:26.621-04:00One A Week Reviews #16: When A Stranger Calls (2006)I'm not even sure why I chose to finally sit and watch the When A Stranger Calls remake. I mean, I hated the Prom Night PG-13 rehash, and this seemed more of the same. In the end, I was so apathetic I'm not even sure I'll copy-edit this post...
The original has one of the tightest first acts in the history of movies, and if you haven't seen seen the film, you REALLY should. The ringing phone, Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-79446440077421540502011-04-15T17:58:00.004-04:002011-04-15T18:05:48.299-04:00One A Week Reviews #15: SaltSo, yeah... I watched Salt.
Specifically, the Unrated Director's Cut, one of three versions available on the Blu-Ray. First off, I don't have that much to share on it. I think that's partially because I tend to prefer talking up my beloved B-movie curios to Hollywood "Tent Pole" pictures. If I'm talking about a big crowd-pleaser, usually it'll be a disaster movie.
Salt is a very "deluxe" movieJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-67563801165650086722011-04-08T09:00:00.001-04:002011-04-08T09:00:03.961-04:00One A Week Reviews #14 Dark FieldsA surprise in an unassuming package this week. This review for dvdsnapshot dug into Dark Fields, a novel of a film worth checking out.
Official Synopsis:
When the drought-stricken farming community of Perseverance resorts to human sacrifice to bring healing rains to their land, a terrible curse is unleashed that haunts the bloodlines for generations. More than a century later, one of their Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-66695376451840370092011-04-01T10:53:00.003-04:002011-04-01T10:53:00.542-04:00One A Week Reviews #13: Sugar BoxxThis review for dvdsnapshot.com brought Sugar Boxx into my life. It's an affectionate tip of the hat to Women In Prison movies from the Sexploitation era and is undemanding trashy fun. Enjoy the review and see if you might be interested in giving the girls of Sugar State Women's Prison a spin. Just be warned that the timing of this being review #13 and on April Fool's Day is definitely Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-61550934412539703712011-03-25T08:56:00.000-04:002011-03-25T08:56:01.045-04:00One A Week Reviews #12: FidoEven if you're as sick of the never-ending,, shuffling hordes of zombie movies as I am, it's easy to be charmed by the opening minutes of Fido. As a promotional newsreel for Zoncon, it sets up the world Fido is set in: one where zombies have been domesticated as "help" by a corporation. Timmy Robinson lives in a world of big steel fences and photo IDs so the Zoncon corporation knows who everyone Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-8690540065030230422011-03-19T09:08:00.001-04:002011-03-19T09:08:00.931-04:00One A Week Reviews #11: DeepStar Six DeepStar Six was part of a mini-wave of underwater alien/monster movies released in 1989, along with Leviathan and The Abyss. However, it gets extra points for having a good, trash pedigree. Directed by Sean Cunningham (Friday the 13th, A Stranger Is Watching) and from wonderful ol' Carolco and Tri-Star, it's also an enjoyable little potboiler of a monster movie.
The crew of the DeepStar Six Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-59454111966950514662011-03-15T08:53:00.001-04:002011-03-15T08:53:00.351-04:00One A Week Reviews #10: Ghost StoryAlthough thirty years old and featuring a cast of movie stars in their seventies and eighties, Ghost Story is worth revisiting. Based on the Peter Straub novel, it plays with all the richness of a well-told story; one given room to breathe.
The Chowder Society - made up of John Houseman, Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Melvyn Douglas - are in the winter of their lives in a wintry, Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-34171868467520657432011-03-04T15:20:00.000-05:002011-03-04T15:20:00.479-05:00One A Week Reviews #9: DevilI got stuck in an elevator once. About 13 of us, only two of whom would probably qualify as "slender," all crammed in like sausages and totally exceeded the weight restriction for the machine. I used a cell phone to call the front desk and we were out in probably less than ten minutes, which is good as the agoraphobic started sweating it one minute in and by nine we were plotting who to eat.
Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-54675305167396442002011-03-01T20:50:00.000-05:002011-03-01T20:50:33.545-05:00One A Week Reviews #8: Repo ChickWell, this week is slightly tardy, but let's take a look at a true curiosity. Alex Cox's Repo Chick may not be embraced by fans of the original cult classic, but it's certainly a bid to make a new one. Sadly, such bids never work. My review for Dvdsnapshot.com:
Repo Chick
Official Synopsis:
Spoiled rich girl Pixxi De La Chasse has been disinherited by her family due to her numerous arrests Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-60989896092594061832011-02-18T11:32:00.001-05:002011-02-18T22:40:21.408-05:00One A Week Reviews #7: I Spit On Your Grave (1978, 2010)This week, I'm tired. See, I had to go and write this exhaustive review of both versions of I Spit On Your Grave for DVDsnapshot. I put some work into this one, and do hope you enjoy it.
I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 1978 and 2010
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS (1978):
I Spit On Your Grave has been condemned by many as "Vile," "Depraved," and "Degenerate Filmmaking." Others hailed it as "Misunderstood," "Superb Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-42866771411578554542011-02-11T10:02:00.009-05:002011-02-11T10:02:00.230-05:00One A Week Reviews #6 Mother and ChildThis week's movie, reviewed for dvdsnapshot.com, wants to be a classic drama but falls just a tad short of the mark...
Official Synopsis:From writer-director Rodrigo Garcia (TV's “Big Love,” Nine Lives) and executive producer Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel) comes the moving story of three women and the power of the unbreakable bond between mother and child. Three women's lives share a commonJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-13832456622588858782011-02-07T13:23:00.000-05:002011-02-07T13:23:48.955-05:00One A Week Reviews #5: The Client ListHere's a fun one I got to review for dvdsnapshot.com, and I swore up and down I was being a discerning viewer of this trashy TV movie instead of just embracing the fact that I love trashy TV movies.
Official Synopsis:
Jennifer Love Hewitt starts in her sexiest role ever as Samantha Horton, a former Texas homecoming queen who always relied on her beauty and charm to navigate life, somethingJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-17910616792202765332011-01-29T09:23:00.000-05:002011-01-29T09:23:00.214-05:00One A Week Reviews #4: Ticking ClockThis one's a stinker, a case of "I watch it so you don't have to," reviewed for dvdsnapshot.com!
TICKING CLOCK
OFFICIAL SYNOPSISAcademy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (1996, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Jerry Maguire) stars as Lewis Hicks , a crime journalist specializing in brutal murders. When he discovers the mutilated body of his new girlfriend and comes into the possession of a gruesome Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-84115920559861735502011-01-22T09:53:00.001-05:002011-01-22T09:53:00.553-05:00One A Week Reviews #3: The Special RelationshipHBO TV movies are usually excellent productions, and this isn't an exception. Practically a sequel to The Queen, and reviewed for dvdsnapshot.com!The Special Relationship
Official Synopsis:From the Oscar-nominated writer of Frost/Nixon and The Queen comes a powerful new look at the human side of iconic world leaders. Tony Blair (Michael Sheen), the eager young statesman, and Bill Clinton (DennisJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-1502950136697430212011-01-16T11:44:00.000-05:002011-01-16T11:44:00.150-05:00One A Week Reviews #2: Forbidden Planet
While I'd never seen it all the way through before, once I got myself a blu-ray player, I moved Forbidden Planet to the top of my Netflix queue. With both Leslie Nielsen and Anne Francis having recently passed away, and my memories of it from snippets on cable television are of it being a lavishly set-bound and colorful movie. All I knew about it going in was that it was inspired by Jayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5401133969757862920.post-37506321621197262622011-01-08T10:00:00.001-05:002011-01-10T19:01:56.472-05:00One A Week Reviews #1: FrenemyWelcome to 2011's run of One A Week Reviews. While last year I did tend to get a little behind on them (little? HA!) last year. This is a new year with a fresh start and I'm hitting the ground running. First off, let me route you AWAY from this wrongly advertised stinker, reviewed for dvdsnapshot.com!
FRENEMY
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
After a group of friends witness a horrifying crime, they wonderJayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10882795720693409267noreply@blogger.com0