Halloween II
Halloween II (TV version)
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Halloween 5
Prince of Darkness
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (Theatrical cut)
Asylum
Once Bitten
Hatchet for the Honeymoon
The Funhouse
Halloween 6 (The Producer's Cut)
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
Halloween: Resurrection
Halloween (2007)
Halloween II (2009)
Craters of the Moon
Thank you Scream Factory, Secret Sixteen, and Jumpcut Cafe. You made my Halloween not completely suck.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Movie Tally for September 2014
Pumpkinhead
After Hours
Manhunter
Black Sunday
Texas Chainsaw (2013 film)
The Sacrament
Halloween (1978)
Yep, this is all I saw last month. And nearly half of these are repeat viewing. I haven't had much time for watching films. Recently, I've become quite busy. First, I started cleaning out my closets and selling off stuff. More important, I've been writing material for a stand-up comedy routine. This has been a long time coming. I never had a serious interest in doing stand-up (or comedy in any form), but it's something I've been gravitating towards lately. It's something that I love creating, and that fact that it's completely mine and that I can build from the ground up by myself is giving me some much-needed self-confidence and motivation. Now, I'm finally working up the nerve to actually do it. This Friday, I'm going to an open mic and I'm going to throw my name into the hat. Nervous as shit, but way too excited to back out now.
As for movie-watching in this primo month for horror nuts like myself, I won't make any promises that it's going to be epic. For financial reasons, public screenings are out of the question. Unless I'm seeing a regular show at Cinefamily (of which I am a member) and I opt out of a couch. I just found out today that Australia's The Babadook is having its American premiere there. I've been hearing great things about that film for months now, so I might give that a shot. Also, I've been invited to a free screening of the remake/sequel/I-don't-know of The Town That Dreaded Sundown this weekend. I'm pretty sure I'm going to that, too. Other than that, it's going to be home viewings. Last October, I really made a point to load the horror queue up with movies I haven't seen. This year, though, I'm just going to kick it old-school and dust off the old faves. It's been awhile since I've watched some of them, and what's a better time to do that?
See you next month. If you're still alive. Maniacal laugh.
After Hours
Manhunter
Black Sunday
Texas Chainsaw (2013 film)
The Sacrament
Halloween (1978)
Yep, this is all I saw last month. And nearly half of these are repeat viewing. I haven't had much time for watching films. Recently, I've become quite busy. First, I started cleaning out my closets and selling off stuff. More important, I've been writing material for a stand-up comedy routine. This has been a long time coming. I never had a serious interest in doing stand-up (or comedy in any form), but it's something I've been gravitating towards lately. It's something that I love creating, and that fact that it's completely mine and that I can build from the ground up by myself is giving me some much-needed self-confidence and motivation. Now, I'm finally working up the nerve to actually do it. This Friday, I'm going to an open mic and I'm going to throw my name into the hat. Nervous as shit, but way too excited to back out now.
As for movie-watching in this primo month for horror nuts like myself, I won't make any promises that it's going to be epic. For financial reasons, public screenings are out of the question. Unless I'm seeing a regular show at Cinefamily (of which I am a member) and I opt out of a couch. I just found out today that Australia's The Babadook is having its American premiere there. I've been hearing great things about that film for months now, so I might give that a shot. Also, I've been invited to a free screening of the remake/sequel/I-don't-know of The Town That Dreaded Sundown this weekend. I'm pretty sure I'm going to that, too. Other than that, it's going to be home viewings. Last October, I really made a point to load the horror queue up with movies I haven't seen. This year, though, I'm just going to kick it old-school and dust off the old faves. It's been awhile since I've watched some of them, and what's a better time to do that?
See you next month. If you're still alive. Maniacal laugh.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Movie Tally for August 2014
Dog days of summer indeed.
Here's what I saw this month:
Flash Gordon (1980)
Her
Hell Comes to Frogtown
Mama
Beneath (2013)
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Purge: Anarchy
Jumanji
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar
Nine Months
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Batman (movie serial, 1943)
Batman & Robin (movie serial, 1949)
Deathdream
Without a doubt, the movie of the month was Guardians of the Galaxy. Honestly, I don't think any other movie I saw in August mattered as much. James Gunn's Marvel masterpiece brought me the most joy in a month that saw the funniest man alive passing away and our favorite movie theater in L.A. losing its very soul. Just having the scenes from Guardians of the Galaxy play back in my head or listening to the music from the movie on Spotify has been the pep I needed in what has been a pretty dour month.
Best just to take a deep breath and move forward.
Here's what I saw this month:
Flash Gordon (1980)
Her
Hell Comes to Frogtown
Mama
Beneath (2013)
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Purge: Anarchy
Jumanji
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar
Nine Months
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Batman (movie serial, 1943)
Batman & Robin (movie serial, 1949)
Deathdream
Without a doubt, the movie of the month was Guardians of the Galaxy. Honestly, I don't think any other movie I saw in August mattered as much. James Gunn's Marvel masterpiece brought me the most joy in a month that saw the funniest man alive passing away and our favorite movie theater in L.A. losing its very soul. Just having the scenes from Guardians of the Galaxy play back in my head or listening to the music from the movie on Spotify has been the pep I needed in what has been a pretty dour month.
Best just to take a deep breath and move forward.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Movie Tally for July 2014
Ah, now this is more like it:
Jaws
Forrest Gump
42
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Escape From the Planet of the Apes
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
21 Jump Street
22 Jump Street
Chef
Silent Night
Silver Linings Playbook
Lake Placid
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Some Guy Who Kills People
Precious, Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Hitchcock
Haxan
Rosemary's Baby
Society
With all the life changes that happened- or didn't happen- the last couple of months, our favorite pastime took a backseat, so I am quite pleased with the incredible turnaround in July.
Every year, it is a tradition of me and Jennica's to watch John Carpenter's Halloween every October 31st. Another tradition that seems to be coming up to the surface is viewing Jaws every 4th of July. Jaws remains one of those pictures that never loses its magic no matter how many times you see it. Despite how insane I went for it in July of 1996, Independence Day never did- and never will- become my go-to film for the 4th. We are fast approaching the Jaws' 40th anniversary- next year, actually- and the film still manages to surpass most of the summer blockbusters that tried to ape its success in its wake.
Speaking of ape, this month we had our own version of Fox's old "Go Ape" marathon, watching every single Planet of the Apes film in celebration of the newest installment. This was a film series I had grown up loving as a kid, having viewed all of the original movies on TBS whenever they came on (as well as episodes of the the short-lived TV series). I was really excited to go back to this franchise before the new movie hit. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was an extraordinary accomplishment in every department. Quite possibly my second favorite Apes, after the original 1968 picture. The 2001 remake, I still want to fling feces at it.
July also saw us re-examining our cinema-going habits, in regards to first-run movies. With ticket prices the way they are now, we had become really selective about what we went out to see. And all we've went out of our way to see lately were the surefires: the blockbusters, the built-in franchises. It wasn't like the coming-of-age days, where taking a chance on a film only cost you a couple of bucks (My brother recently told me the theater in our hometown finally made the change to digital, bringing those $3 matinee days to an end.). Recently, taking a risk on a Cheap Thrills or a Perks of Being a Wallflower has become a once-in-a-blue-moon gamble. We decided it was time to switch up our movie-going, and instead of running with the rest of the herd to see Dawn on opening weekend, we went to see Jon Favreau's Chef. I'm glad we did, because it was a remarkable piece of work. That afternoon made us realize how starved we were for different experiences at the movies, and that all we have to do is make more of an effort to balance our diet.
Jaws
Forrest Gump
42
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Escape From the Planet of the Apes
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
21 Jump Street
22 Jump Street
Chef
Silent Night
Silver Linings Playbook
Lake Placid
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
Some Guy Who Kills People
Precious, Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Hitchcock
Haxan
Rosemary's Baby
Society
With all the life changes that happened- or didn't happen- the last couple of months, our favorite pastime took a backseat, so I am quite pleased with the incredible turnaround in July.
Every year, it is a tradition of me and Jennica's to watch John Carpenter's Halloween every October 31st. Another tradition that seems to be coming up to the surface is viewing Jaws every 4th of July. Jaws remains one of those pictures that never loses its magic no matter how many times you see it. Despite how insane I went for it in July of 1996, Independence Day never did- and never will- become my go-to film for the 4th. We are fast approaching the Jaws' 40th anniversary- next year, actually- and the film still manages to surpass most of the summer blockbusters that tried to ape its success in its wake.
Speaking of ape, this month we had our own version of Fox's old "Go Ape" marathon, watching every single Planet of the Apes film in celebration of the newest installment. This was a film series I had grown up loving as a kid, having viewed all of the original movies on TBS whenever they came on (as well as episodes of the the short-lived TV series). I was really excited to go back to this franchise before the new movie hit. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was an extraordinary accomplishment in every department. Quite possibly my second favorite Apes, after the original 1968 picture. The 2001 remake, I still want to fling feces at it.
July also saw us re-examining our cinema-going habits, in regards to first-run movies. With ticket prices the way they are now, we had become really selective about what we went out to see. And all we've went out of our way to see lately were the surefires: the blockbusters, the built-in franchises. It wasn't like the coming-of-age days, where taking a chance on a film only cost you a couple of bucks (My brother recently told me the theater in our hometown finally made the change to digital, bringing those $3 matinee days to an end.). Recently, taking a risk on a Cheap Thrills or a Perks of Being a Wallflower has become a once-in-a-blue-moon gamble. We decided it was time to switch up our movie-going, and instead of running with the rest of the herd to see Dawn on opening weekend, we went to see Jon Favreau's Chef. I'm glad we did, because it was a remarkable piece of work. That afternoon made us realize how starved we were for different experiences at the movies, and that all we have to do is make more of an effort to balance our diet.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Movie Tally for June 2014
So, yeah... That moving thing I mentioned last month? Did not happen. I've told the story a number of times already, but the short of it is that we are relieved it did not happen. So relieved were we that we treated ourselves to a day at the cinemas, which resulted in the first two movies on the list. It still ended up being a light month, though. I'll admit it; I'm not proud of it. Nonetheless, here's what I did see in June:
Godzilla (2014)
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Saving Mr. Banks
Hatchet III
Manhunter
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Almost Human (2013)
Warm Bodies
Would You Rather
Deadly Eyes
Intrepidos Punks
Notes:
Godzilla (2014)
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Saving Mr. Banks
Hatchet III
Manhunter
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Almost Human (2013)
Warm Bodies
Would You Rather
Deadly Eyes
Intrepidos Punks
Notes:
- I finally got to see Joe Begos's low-budget sci-fi horror flick, Almost Human. So worth the wait! A much-needed reminder that extravagent budgets and condescending self-awareness are not the only routes to make a monster movie. Almost Human proves that sometimes imagination is all you need to kick ass.
- Once a month, Jumpcut Cafe in Studio City hosts Secret Sixteen, where a movie is projected in 16mm, and the identity of the picture isn't known until it starts. June's screening was co-hosted by Shout! Factory's phenomenal sub-line, Scream Factory, promoting one of its upcoming releases: the 1981 Canadian killer rat flick, Deadly Eyes. That was an incredibly entertaining hidden gem, and it is definitely being added to my ever-growing Scream Factory Blu-ray wishlist. Thanks to Scream Factory's Jeff Nelson, projectionist Mike Williamson, and Jumpcut owner Elric Kane for a great showing.
- I can't believe it took me this long to watch Manhunter. I've heard so many great things about this first film adaptation of Thomas Harris's novel, Red Dragon, yet I never made an effort to seek it out. It took seeing the existence of a 2001 limited edition DVD by Anchor Bay to spur me into making the film a blind buy. I hardly ever do that, but Manhunter had a profound effect on me with its dream-like quality, 80s soundtrack, and performances by William Peterson and Tom Noonan. The film has given me tremendous courage to purchase movies I've never watched before, but deep down feel I will enjoy.
- Speaking of seeking out new stuff, allow me a moment to pimp out the new book Heavy Metal Movies, by Mike "McBeardo" McPadden. It's a massive guide to "...666 Most Ear- and Eye-Ripping Big Scream Films Ever." This is a tome I've been anticipating a long time, and once it was out I snatched a copy up. As of right now, I am about half-way through reading it, and it has been glorious! Get your copy here. On a whim one night, I decided to put it to use and checked out the Mexican exploitation pic, Intrepidos Punks, via YouTube. The look and attitude may scream Plasmatics, but the music and sensibility is more along the lines of late-60s biker movies. What a wacko combo.
- The new Godzilla rocked my world.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Movie Tally for May 2014
Honestly, it's been another slow month for movies. Two reasons: major changes are afoot and we've been watching a lot of Mystery Science Theater 3000 on Netflix lately. Debates about the show aside, I'm still not going to count MST3K episodes as films watched. To me, that's cheating. Sure, it would make this month's list longer, but I would feel dirty for doing it. Here's what I did watch that didn't involve commentary from comedians and robots:
Bully
American Hustle
The Witches (1990)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
House (1977)
Man of Steel
Nurse
The Artist
At Middleton
Fruitvale Station
Nebraska
Godzilla Raids Again
Maximum Overdrive
Cursed
Ravenous
The Incredible Melting Man
CBGB
First of all, I would like to give thanks to my lovely lady, Jennica Lynn. My birthday was this month, and she gave me one hell of a marathon of b-day celebrations, which included pizza, cheesecake, a Dodgers game (where we lost to the SF Giants), and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. What did I think? Look, the most important thing for me was that I had a lot of fun with this movie, which was something that was lacking in a Spider-Man movie for a while. Somehow, its faults ( i.e. Dane Dehaan) gave it an unintentional goofy charm that I got a kick out of. Plus, I personally prefer Andrew Garfield over Tobey Maguire in the title role. I know a lot of folks are not fans of this reboot series, but I have better memories attached to it than the Raimi flicks. Thanks to you, sweetheart.
You've probably noticed, I haven't seen either Godzilla (2014) or X-Men: Days of Future Past yet. Money's been a little tight this month, and going out to a movie in L.A. is a luxury. I'm hoping to see both of those films sometime soon, as I've waited a long time to see them. Anyways, May was still a good mix of first-time views and revisits. My favorite of the latter is definitely Ravenous. I really enjoyed this quirky cannibal tale upon its home video debut, but after two viewing this month, I am just in love with everything about it. The state of female directors getting major gigs in this town is shameful enough, but it's sad we didn't get anymore excursions into horror from Antonia Bird. She would have been a force to be reckoned with.
As far as first-time viewings, by a landslide, the award goes to House (1977). If you are sick and tired of more recent haunted house/paranormal flicks, then pop in this one from Japan. Guaranteed what-the-fuck. That's all I'm going to say. It's definitely a genuine slice of what-the-fuck, as opposed to Nurse, which seemed to be trying very, very hard to be a some outrageous cult classic. It was novel at first, but it wore off pretty damn fast, and it ends up being yet another boring dose of fake exploitation from Lionsgate.
June is going to be a busy month for us. We're moving into a new apartment, so we've got a lot of work ahead of us. However, that just means we're putting a lot of energy into making a better home for us. One in which we can truly express our geeky selves. Exciting stuff, but we'll try to keep the films rolling.
Bully
American Hustle
The Witches (1990)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
House (1977)
Man of Steel
Nurse
The Artist
At Middleton
Fruitvale Station
Nebraska
Godzilla Raids Again
Maximum Overdrive
Cursed
Ravenous
The Incredible Melting Man
CBGB
First of all, I would like to give thanks to my lovely lady, Jennica Lynn. My birthday was this month, and she gave me one hell of a marathon of b-day celebrations, which included pizza, cheesecake, a Dodgers game (where we lost to the SF Giants), and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. What did I think? Look, the most important thing for me was that I had a lot of fun with this movie, which was something that was lacking in a Spider-Man movie for a while. Somehow, its faults ( i.e. Dane Dehaan) gave it an unintentional goofy charm that I got a kick out of. Plus, I personally prefer Andrew Garfield over Tobey Maguire in the title role. I know a lot of folks are not fans of this reboot series, but I have better memories attached to it than the Raimi flicks. Thanks to you, sweetheart.
You've probably noticed, I haven't seen either Godzilla (2014) or X-Men: Days of Future Past yet. Money's been a little tight this month, and going out to a movie in L.A. is a luxury. I'm hoping to see both of those films sometime soon, as I've waited a long time to see them. Anyways, May was still a good mix of first-time views and revisits. My favorite of the latter is definitely Ravenous. I really enjoyed this quirky cannibal tale upon its home video debut, but after two viewing this month, I am just in love with everything about it. The state of female directors getting major gigs in this town is shameful enough, but it's sad we didn't get anymore excursions into horror from Antonia Bird. She would have been a force to be reckoned with.
As far as first-time viewings, by a landslide, the award goes to House (1977). If you are sick and tired of more recent haunted house/paranormal flicks, then pop in this one from Japan. Guaranteed what-the-fuck. That's all I'm going to say. It's definitely a genuine slice of what-the-fuck, as opposed to Nurse, which seemed to be trying very, very hard to be a some outrageous cult classic. It was novel at first, but it wore off pretty damn fast, and it ends up being yet another boring dose of fake exploitation from Lionsgate.
June is going to be a busy month for us. We're moving into a new apartment, so we've got a lot of work ahead of us. However, that just means we're putting a lot of energy into making a better home for us. One in which we can truly express our geeky selves. Exciting stuff, but we'll try to keep the films rolling.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Movie Tally for April 2014
Here's the list of movies I watched for the fourth month of 2014:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Muppets Most Wanted
Contracted
Death Valley (1982)
Madison County
Philomena
Q: The Winged Serpent
Death Wish
Death Wish II
Death Wish 3
Tentacles
The World's End
Rewind This!
American Grindhouse
The Wolf of Wall Street
Gojira
Tremors 2: Aftershocks
Monsters
Reefer Madness
Room 237
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
It's a little shorter than I would have liked. There were four pictures I was planning on going out to see: Oculus, The Quiet Ones, Jodorowsky's Dune, and the re-release of William Friedkin's Sorcerer. Losing my job put a damper on those plans. How does one deal with that? I had a marathon the first three Death Wish movies. Despite the setback, April wasn't that bad. I did get to see some good recent ones for the first time, such as The World's End and The Wolf of Wall Street. I got myself acquainted with the works of Eric England with Contracted and Madison County. Plus, I got to revisit Death Valley (starring a pre-Christmas Story Peter Billingsley) for the first time in about 30 years. Also, just in time for the big guy's May 16th return to the big screen, I watched the original Japanese version of Godzilla along with Gareth Edwards's film, Monsters.
I'm moving on with the next phase of my life, but I'm still watching lots of films. I just won't be going out to the cinemas as much.
Until next time...
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Muppets Most Wanted
Contracted
Death Valley (1982)
Madison County
Philomena
Q: The Winged Serpent
Death Wish
Death Wish II
Death Wish 3
Tentacles
The World's End
Rewind This!
American Grindhouse
The Wolf of Wall Street
Gojira
Tremors 2: Aftershocks
Monsters
Reefer Madness
Room 237
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
It's a little shorter than I would have liked. There were four pictures I was planning on going out to see: Oculus, The Quiet Ones, Jodorowsky's Dune, and the re-release of William Friedkin's Sorcerer. Losing my job put a damper on those plans. How does one deal with that? I had a marathon the first three Death Wish movies. Despite the setback, April wasn't that bad. I did get to see some good recent ones for the first time, such as The World's End and The Wolf of Wall Street. I got myself acquainted with the works of Eric England with Contracted and Madison County. Plus, I got to revisit Death Valley (starring a pre-Christmas Story Peter Billingsley) for the first time in about 30 years. Also, just in time for the big guy's May 16th return to the big screen, I watched the original Japanese version of Godzilla along with Gareth Edwards's film, Monsters.
I'm moving on with the next phase of my life, but I'm still watching lots of films. I just won't be going out to the cinemas as much.
Until next time...
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