TODAY I WATCHED (TV-series, Movies, Cinema Playlists) 2013

earlier:

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

now:

The Originals

People Under the Stairs

What a weird movie. I'm going through some Wes Craven movies since I've only seen Last House on the Left, Nightmare, New Nightmare, Music of the Heart, Scream, and Red Eye. I've never thought of Craven as a very good filmmaker, but was a remarkable conceptualist. Here we have a movie that is wildly uneven, not unlike what else I've seen. Scripted like an R-rated kids movie--think the Goonies with three kids instead of a handful--with horribly caricaturist acting from the couple from Twin Peaks, flatly shot, several deus ex machina climaxes, and a goofy ending full of dated hip hop. However, the rest of the acting is very good with the lead kid and his counterpart, the house is fiendishly set up with several surprises, and the premise--Craven't strong suit--is unique and promising. Of course it should be said that Craven is very good at crafting memorable characters when he doesn't allow grotesque slapstick to get in the way. Alas, a horror movie it is far from.

Up next: Deadly Blessing.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

American Horror Story - Coven

I hope that this picks up as I'm really not impressed.   

Paranormal Activity 2

corplhicks wrote:

People Under the Stairs

What a weird movie. I'm going through some Wes Craven movies since I've only seen Last House on the Left, Nightmare, New Nightmare, Music of the Heart, Scream, and Red Eye. I've never thought of Craven as a very good filmmaker, but was a remarkable conceptualist. Here we have a movie that is wildly uneven, not unlike what else I've seen. Scripted like an R-rated kids movie--think the Goonies with three kids instead of a handful--with horribly caricaturist acting from the couple from Twin Peaks, flatly shot, several deus ex machina climaxes, and a goofy ending full of dated hip hop. However, the rest of the acting is very good with the lead kid and his counterpart, the house is fiendishly set up with several surprises, and the premise--Craven't strong suit--is unique and promising. Of course it should be said that Craven is very good at crafting memorable characters when he doesn't allow grotesque slapstick to get in the way. Alas, a horror movie it is far from.

Up next: Deadly Blessing.

My favorite Wes Craven flick is probably the original "The Hills Have Eyes". I think that movie holds up very well over 35 years later.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Supernatural

Mars Attacks! (1996)



Earth is thrown into turmoil when bug-eyed, big-brained, hostile Martians invade, and lots of cartoonish mayhem follows in Tim Burton's kitschy-on-purpose salute to '50s sci-fi flicks (based on the classic trading card series from TOPPS). Features an all star cast including Jack Nicholson (in a dual role), Pierce Brosnan, Glenn Close, Gentleman Jim Brown, Annette Bening and Rod Steiger (to name just a few).

Nothing spectacular but good, goofy fun.

'Arrow'

Halloween Night (2006)


A psycho escapes from the mental hospital on Halloween night and returns to his home town to embark on an all new killing spree.

...gee, where have we heard that plot line before?

This utterly shit house slasher movie was The Asylum's attempt to bite off of Rob Zombie's "Halloween," in case it wasn't painfully obvious. As usual for an Asylum production, the story is paper thin, the acting/dialogue sucks and the characters are all idiots who deserve everything they get.

On the other hand, this flick has an absurdly high body count, lots of splashy gore, and even some totally gratuitous girl-on-girl action (!!), therefore slasher movie fans should find it entertaining enough as long as they're not too picky.

So yeah, this movie sucked, but it was still better than the last couple of 'real' "Halloween" sequels.

Boris2008 wrote:

American Horror Story - Coven

I hope that this picks up as I'm really not impressed.   

Same here. It's just not engaging, and I keep waiting for the teenage witches to break into a Glee number. They're scripted very similar to those kids. And the resurrection deal is just goofy without being fun or cool.

Then again, I've never been a fan of witchcraft. Most boring horror premise ever.

I'm enjoying Coven so far, but I also really enjoy witchcraft stories. I like the cast, especially Jessica Lange chewing up great gobs of scenery every week. I really didn't like last season very much, so this calmer variation is okay with me.

One of these days someone needs to develop Richard Matheson's "Witch War" into a movie...

I like witchcraft stories. I just don't dig teenage girls with stupid superpowers arguing for 40 minutes! (unless it's Buffy!  )

I'm sure that it will get better.

Boris2008 wrote:

I like witchcraft stories. I just don't dig teenage girls with stupid superpowers arguing for 40 minutes! (unless it's Buffy!  )

I'm sure that it will get better.

Second episode: during an early flashback where the black chick, working at a fast food joint, sticks her arm into frying oil for payback to a nasty customer? I kept thinking about the Glee choir coming in with their a capella "doo doo doo doo do do do do doooo doooo," and then cut to the "GLEE!" title.

The buffy chicks are just unlikable. In fact, everyone is except for Lange, who's kind of playing the same type she has in the past two seasons but is still magnetic (and beautiful, IMO).

Arrow

American Horror Story : Coven  (which I am enjoying also,even though it veered off very strangely last night)

Gonna have to catch last night's "AHS: Coven" via On Demand over the weekend. My wife and I usually watch it together but she had to work last night and I plum forgot all about it.

Jessica Lange is awesome on this show, and still pretty hot in a GMILFy sorta way

Watched the Red Sox clobber the Cardinals last night.

Today I've watched a bunch of old Scooby Doo episodes.

CBGB

I wanted to like it - only thing I'll give it is that it flew by.  I tend to not give a damn about critics but I'd say from what I've read they've nailed it.  Sad thing is there is a good story to be told about that scene.  This wasn't it.  I'm even more confused by who they were targeting this toward.  Watch the trailer and you've now pretty much seen the movie.

Scream

Been awhile since I've seen it.  Always really liked it back when.  Holds up nicely.  I'm going to marathon the others this weekend since it is the season.

Quote :

CBGB
I wanted to like it - only thing I'll give it is that it flew by. I tend to not give a damn about critics but I'd say from what I've read they've nailed it. Sad thing is there is a good story to be told about that scene. This wasn't it. I'm even more confused by who they were targeting this toward. Watch the trailer and you've now pretty much seen the movie.

I saw this a couple of weeks ago and didn't mind it ... I knew going in that it was not going to be historically accurate in the least. I would've liked to see the Ramones get more screen time, of course, but that's just cuz they're my favorite band out of that scene.
As a fictionalized account it was entertaining enough.

Arrow
Duck Dynasty
Yes, Minister

Honest Trailer for Pacific Rim. Funny.

S.D. wrote:

Honest Trailer for Pacific Rim.  Funny.

  Yep, that about sums it up!

Tremors III: Back to Perfection (2001)



Michael (Family Ties) Gross returns for a third go round as survivalist Burt Gummer, back in action against another outbreak of those pesky Graboids around his home town. As viewers of the "Tremors" flicks know, the critters have an annoying habit of mutating into new forms each time they reappear, so this time out Burt and his neighbors have to deal with flying Graboids (!!) which they dub "ass-blasters." (When my kids heard that, they laughed till they nearly pee'd.)

Hilarious action packed monster mashing fun for the whole family!!

TNA Impact

Devil (otherwise known as The Nightmare Chronicles I: Devil. Or something like that).

Although our beloved Shamylan (seriously I'm tired of having to spell check his name every time; deal with it) was XO over this minimalist horror run without a name to the writing or direction, there are times when it feels just like a Shamalawn movie, right down to that good old feel-good preachy monologue about faith etc. It's actually put together competently, but here's what's strange: the movie is very good...when we're not inside the elevator. The ten five little indians whose fate hang in the balance are simply annoying, irrational, and mutter erratic and inane dialogue. The gold is when the old lady, feeling more threatened than she should be, takes out a can of pepper spray from the mid 80's and attempts to use it to no avail. Worse is when a character at the hour mark does an obviously downright stupid and suicidal thing in a shot that lasts ten seconds before the payoff. This movie could have worked if they would have invested more into their paper-thin, shallow, and pathetically drawn characters.

Bonus points: whenever the 'devil' attacks, the lights go dark and screen goes black for full effect. First thing that came to my mind is pull out your goddamn cell phones for some light. Eventually this happens after being prompted to by an outsider--during the third act. Little late to the game with that one.