TODAY I WATCHED (Movies, TV series) 2014

I knew somebody would quibble with that comment. 

I guess it launched it for me because I actually saw Friday the 13th in a movie theater.  I didn't see Halloween until years later.

I remember being in day care in 1978 and hearing the staff workers talking about how scary Halloween was. It was incredibly popular, constant TV ads, magazine articles, it was everywhere. When that little tiny independent film (with a budget of $325,000) ended up bringing in $70 million in the initial theatrical run, the studios were tripping over themselves putting horror movies into production.

Not taking away from Friday The 13th, it's extremely influential, but it probably would never have been made without the success of Halloween.

I love Halloween III! My Capt. at work does too, so we watched it the other day. One more day to Halloween, Silver Shamrock!

Stitches - Irish film about a clown killed at a party who resurrects 6 years later to exact his revenge. Silly, but VERY gory.

Oakland Raiders -v- Cleveland Browns - Jan. 4, 1981 AFC Playoff game. AKA "Red Right 88". Never seen it before, as I was 6 the first time around and for whatever reason didn't that year, but I remember the Kardiac Kids. That was the season I become a life-long Raiders fan. As such, I needed to see some winning since the current model isn't doing anything for me right now.

Penguins vs Kings

Pawn Stars

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare.

S.D. wrote:

Not taking away from Friday The 13th, it's extremely influential, but it probably would never have been made without the success of Halloween.

Sean Cunningham, who co-wrote and directed "F13" has admitted many times that they were totally jumping on the "Halloween" bandwagon when they came up with "Friday."

Fat Freddy wrote:

S.D. wrote:

Not taking away from Friday The 13th, it's extremely influential, but it probably would never have been made without the success of Halloween.

Sean Cunningham, who co-wrote and directed "F13" has admitted many times that they were totally jumping on the "Halloween" bandwagon when they came up with "Friday."  

"Personal foul.  Unnecessary roughness.  Piling on.  Fat Freddy.  15 yards."

Watched Halloween III while giving out the usual full-size bars to trick or treaters.  Funny thing: I don't remember it ending like that.  I remember the robo-chick trying to kill Tom Skerritt but I don't remember the commercial being canceled on 2 channels but not on the third.  I think I've always been doing something else when I've watched this movie and this is the first time I actually was around for the ending.

Yeah, I always wonder...does that mean millions of kids "buy it" or did the destruction of the Stone and the factory negate the masks?


The Stand - the cheesy 90's garb notwithstanding, I thought it held up pretty well 20 years later. Infectious diseases been on my mind lately.

scottmitchell74 wrote:

Yeah, I always wonder...does that mean millions of kids "buy it" or did the destruction of the Stone and the factory negate the masks?


The Stand - the cheesy 90's garb notwithstanding, I thought it held up pretty well 20 years later. Infectious diseases been on my mind lately.

Yeah that's the other thing that puzzled me.  I thought once the stone was destroyed the chips in the masks were rendered useless.

But look at us; we're trying to apply logic to an extremely illogical movie.  This is one of those flicks where you just have to put your brain in neutral and enjoy the ride.  Stonehenge, cyborgs, Halloween masks, snakes and bugs exploding from people's heads....yeah, brain, you can take the night off.

Funny story from tonight:  I had a little girl trick or treater at my door (maybe all of 4 years old) and some of that weird synthesizer music that permeates this movie was playing.  She took a candy bar, looked up at me and said "What's that sound?".  I had to explain it was coming from the TV.  When you think about it, Halloween III really does have an odd soundtrack.

In Halloween II there is a scene where Donald Pleasance is talking about Samhain and origins of Halloween. Alluding to some supernatural underpinnings that is causing Michael to do what he does. The movie doesn't actually do anything with that, it was just crammed into the scene to try and create a little extra tension by conjuring up our imaginations. But I think that ended up being the germ of the idea behind Halloween III.

The punchline is he really didn't develop the idea any further in Halloween III, as Toho mentioned above he just took a bunch of random shit and threw it against the wall. It is utterly ridiculous, even for a horror movie. I think Carpenter was whacked out of his mind on quaaludes while he was working on the script. But I still dig it, there is so much gonzo going on it's impossible to dislike.

Quote :

When you think about it, Halloween III really does have an odd soundtrack.

That creepy ass synthesizer soundtrack is one of the coolest things about "H-III." I wouldn't mind having that soundtrack album (if one exists).
*EDIT* It does exist... and it's on Spotify! Woohoo!

Anywhoo, this morning I watched...

"Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story" (2007)

Entertaining documentary about the life and career of William Castle, the legendary B-Movie producer/director behind such gimmicky 50s and 60s favorites as "House on Haunted Hill," "The Tingler," and "Homicidal."
Features lots of fun clips from his films as well as insight and commentary from fellow directors, friends and fans including John Waters, Roger Corman, Leonard Maltin and Joe Dante.

Count me in as a HIII fan. Has a great atmosphere, insane soundtrack (I'm a sucker for those 80's synth scores), intriguing premise, and KIDS DIE. Although that was kind of cooler for me when I wasn't a dad...

Alice Cooper's Night Of Fear

Ghostbusters
BTVS - Halloween

Witchfinder General (1968, UK)

"I'm Matthew Hopkins; Witchfinder."



Late 60s British exploitation film disguised as historical drama. The gore is tame compared to today but it's still GRIM as all hell. Price is great in the title role, projecting an air of upper crust menace. Heavily censored in the England when released, the uncut version was released in the States under the title "The Conqueror Worm" to try and make it appear as a continuation of the Poe adaptations Price had been doing with Roger Corman. I can't say it's a "fun" film, but it is deserving of the cult reputation.

Director Michael Reeves died of a drug overdose just a few months after it was released, he was only 25.

Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters (unrated)

I told my brain it could take the weekend off after subjecting it to H3 last night. Good thing too because while I found this movie wildly entertaining (and very gory!) there were anachronisms, incongruities and WTF? moments around every corner.

"Metallica: Through the Never" (2013)


A strange mix of concert film and conceptual video ala Zeppelin's "Song Remains the Same." While Metallica storms through a typically fiery greatest-hits set, a member of their road crew is sent into the mean streets of the big city - where he has a series of increasingly bizarre adventures. Metallica's performance is cool, but the "fantasy" segments involving the roadie eventually become intrusive and somewhat silly. This would probably have been received better if it were just a straight concert film without the "narrative" segments.

...but it was worth sitting thru all the nonsense just to hear the band jam on the classic instrumental "Orion" in an empty arena over the end credits.

I watched about 30 minutes of Through The Never, it was okay but didn't excite me enough to finish it.

S.D. wrote:

I watched about 30 minutes of Through The Never, it was okay but didn't excite me enough to finish it.

Yeah, it was a decent enough way to kill 90 minutes on a rainy afternoon but I'll probably never watch it again.

Fat Freddy wrote:

S.D. wrote:

I watched about 30 minutes of Through The Never, it was okay but didn't excite me enough to finish it.

Yeah, it was a decent enough way to kill 90 minutes on a rainy afternoon but I'll probably never watch it again.

I'd like to see an edited version with JUST the concert.

Queen Live At The Rainbow '74

Such a great live act.  Setting aside Freddie's one-of-a-kind voice, Brian May's guitar work here is spectacular.  And I think what amazes me most is how Freddie glides from frontman to keyboard player.  Sometimes he's actually still got the mic in his hand as he's simultaneously playing a keyboard part with his other hand. 

And this DVD proves that SD is correct; the high pitched vocals on "Lap of the Gods" are definitely coming from Roger Taylor.  Amazing band.

Red Eye

Watched the Cardinals beat the Cowboys.