TODAY I WATCHED... (Movies, TV, etc.) 2023

"Super" (2010)

After his wife leaves him for a drug dealer, a down on his luck fry cook (Rainn Wilson of "The Office") creates a wrench-wielding superhero identity called "The Crimson Bolt" and awkwardly punishes evil-doers around the city with the help of a kid sidekick (Ellen -- now "Elliott" -- Page).
James "Guardians of the Galaxy" Gunn wrote and directed this hilariously dark, occasionally disturbing, ultra-violent superhero satire that bears some resemblance to the better known "Kick-Ass," but I preferred this one, thanks to a great cast that also includes Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon and Michael Rooker.

"Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs" (1988)

A dorky U.N. translator (Ed Begley Jr.) and his wife are drawn into a web of international intrigue by a secret agent (Harry Anderson) who may or may not be what he seems.
The cast does its best with the thin material, but this dull made-for-TV spy spoof feels like an extra-long episode of a really lame sit-com. AVOID.

Robocop

"Burn" (2019)

A withdrawn young woman working the graveyard shift at a gas station convenience store has an unusual encounter with an armed robber, and the situation quickly spirals out of control. A decent low budget suspense thriller which goes off in some unexpected directions.

Leatherface wrote:

Robocop

Classic.

Required Fields wrote:

Leatherface wrote:

Robocop

Classic.

It was actually the 2014 remake that I watched. Still thought it was pretty good movie.

"Cocaine Bear" (2023)

A drug smuggling plane crashes in Tennessee, spilling a payload of cocaine bundles across a national forest. When a black bear laps up the dope it turns into a coked out, jacked up killing machine and a whole bunch of stupid human characters get mangled during its rampage. This tongue-in-cheek horror comedy is loosely based on a true event that happened in 1985. "Cocaine Bear" is certainly not a masterpiece, but it's fast moving, gory, and funny as hell. Two paws up.

"R.I.P.D." (2013)

A recently-deceased Boston cop (Ryan Reynolds) is drafted into an afterlife police force called the Rest In Peace Dept., whose job is to track down criminal souls and dispatch them "downstairs." On his first day on the job, Reynolds and his new partner (Jeff Bridges) stumble across a conspiracy that will allow the Undead to return to Earth, which leads to much blasting and zapping.
Reynolds and Bridges make a good team and the special effects are passable in this way-too-obvious combo of "Men In Black" and "Ghostbusters." Not original in the slightest, but an OK time waster.

Leatherface wrote:

Required Fields wrote:

Leatherface wrote:

Robocop

Classic.

It was actually the 2014 remake that I watched.  Still thought it was pretty good movie.

I have no interest in the remake (I have never watched it). The original, though, is one of my favorite sci-fi movies ever.

Nailbiter(2013)-a woman and her daughters are traveling through Kansas to pick her husband up at the airport who is coming home from the military. They are forced off the road and seek shelter in a cellar during a tornado. Someone then boards up the cellar, trapping them inside. As they look for away out, one of the girls is attacked and bitten by some strange creature outside. Now, they have to find a way out and get the injured daughter help. Decent little creature feature with a unique story about people who turn into monsters during bad storms. I wouldn't say it's a classic, but an okay time waster. The ending seems to set the film up for a potential sequel.2/5

Footage from the Keep It True festival on YouTube.

More Keep It True footage.

Finished the current season of the Mandalorian

"South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut" (1999)

The U.S. declares war on Canada due to smutty Canuck comics Terrance & Philip's undue influence on the children of South Park, while Satan and his gay lover Saddam Hussein wait in the wings to take over the world. Can Kyle, Stan, Cartman and the gang save their heroes and stop the apocalypse? This feature length cartoon adventure is definitely not for the kiddies, but it is funny as hell.

"Orion: The Man Who Would Be King" (2015)

The strange story of country singer Jimmy Ellis, aka "Orion." After Elvis Presley's death in 1977, some unscrupulous record execs plucked Jimmy from obscurity and parlayed his uncanny vocal resemblance to the King into records and concert tours in which he sported Elvis' jumpsuit and pompadour hair but hid his face behind a Lone Ranger style mask, leading some fans to believe he really was Elvis reborn. I've seen this guy's records in thrift shops over the years but never knew much about his mostly-sad story until this bizarrely entertaining in-depth doc.

"Batman and Mr. Freeze: Sub-Zero" (1998)

The villainous Mr. Freeze returns to Gotham City, seeking an organ donor to save his dying wife. As it turns out, Barbara (Batgirl) Gordon is a perfect match...but she won't survive the experience unless the Dynamic Duo can rescue her in time. A cool (pun not intended) feature-length spinoff from Batman: The Animated Series, with lots of cool cartoon action and fine voice work.  

"Batman and Bill" (2017)

For nearly 70 years, every piece of Batman media included the credit line "Batman Created By Bob Kane" -- because Kane screwed over his writing partner and co-creator Bill Finger, who came up with the majority of the Dark Knight mythos, back in the '30s. Bill Finger died penniless in the 1970s while the now-very-wealthy Kane stuck to the myth that he was Batman's sole creator. This documentary follows the grass roots movement by a group of comic historians and Bill's surviving family members to restore Bill's name to the Batman masthead. After years of denials, DC Comics finally did the right thing and as of 2015's "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice," the creator credit now reads "Batman Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger." This deep dive into one of the comics industry's most notorious, longest-running controversies is an important history lesson and essential viewing for Bat-fans.

Primal Rage (1988)



A scientist at a Florida university accidentally creates a "rage virus" while performing experiments intended to restore dead brain tissue in baboons. Unfortunately, one of the baboons escapes from it's cage while a student reporter has broken into the lab for evidence of animal cruelty and is bitten by the creature, resulting in infecting him with the virus. Of course, things spiral out control from there. This Italian/American film, directed by Vittorio Rambaldi and effects by Carlo Rambaldi, throws in a bunch of ideas from other pictures but still is a good watch with some decent gore shots.

"L7: Pretend We're Dead" (201)

Fast n' furious documentary on the rise and fall of all-girl L.A. rockers L7, who enjoyed a brief spin as a "buzz band" in the early '90s but were never quite able to crack the grunge-rock glass ceiling to the big time despite having friends in high places like Nirvana, the Chili Peppers, Marilyn Manson, and the Smashing Pumpkins. A badass doc about a badass band.

"Steel and Lace" (1991)

A robotics expert (Bruce Davison, "X-Men") turns his dead sister into a killer cyborg and sics her on the group of men who brutalized her. A dorky cop (David "American Werewolf" Naughton) and his courtroom sketch-artist girlfriend follow the trail of carnage. A watchably weird direct-to-video cheapie that's part "Terminator," part rape/revenge flick, with decent gore effects and a strangely tongue-in-cheek tone given the subject matter.

007 wrote:

Primal Rage (1988)



A scientist at a Florida university accidentally creates a "rage virus" while performing experiments intended to restore dead brain tissue in baboons. Unfortunately, one of the baboons escapes from it's cage while a student reporter has broken into the lab for evidence of animal cruelty and is bitten by the creature, resulting in infecting him with the virus. Of course, things spiral out control from there. This Italian/American film, directed by Vittorio Rambaldi and effects by Carlo Rambaldi, throws in a bunch of ideas from other pictures but still is a good watch with some decent gore shots.

Huh?!

Sounds like 28 Days Later, which came after.

Between Exultation And Aggression 2

scottmitchell74 wrote:

007 wrote:

Primal Rage (1988)



A scientist at a Florida university accidentally creates a "rage virus" while performing experiments intended to restore dead brain tissue in baboons. Unfortunately, one of the baboons escapes from it's cage while a student reporter has broken into the lab for evidence of animal cruelty and is bitten by the creature, resulting in infecting him with the virus. Of course, things spiral out control from there. This Italian/American film, directed by Vittorio Rambaldi and effects by Carlo Rambaldi, throws in a bunch of ideas from other pictures but still is a good watch with some decent gore shots.

Huh?!

Sounds like 28 Days Later, which came after.

Sure, the premise is the same (I'm sure Danny Boyle got ideas from this), but the infected in this (only 5 of them) have enhanced strength and remain cognizant, basically becoming unhinged killers. I was talking about things that happen in the movie that spawned from other flicks.

"The Amazing Spider-Man" (2010)

Andrew Garfield takes over the web-slinger role in this "reboot" of the Spidey saga, which re-tells his origin story and then pits him against The Lizard. I've never quite understood why they felt the need to re-start the franchise so soon after the 3rd Toby Maguire movie -- couldn't they have just dropped Garfield into place and picked up where that one left off? -- but otherwise this is a fun, flashy action flick with a great cast. Underrated.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3



The Guardians are back in their final (?) film, trying to save the life of their teammate Rocket, all the while learning his origin and opposing his creator, the High Evolutionary and being hunted by Adam Warlock. This is a really fun and entertaining movie, and if it is indeed the last one, then they went out with a bang.

"The Bourne Identity" (2002)

Fisherman find a near-dead man floating in the waters off of Marseilles, France. When he wakes up, he has no memory of who he is or how he got there... but he quickly learns that he has serious ass-kickin' skills... which is a good thing, because some very bad people come looking for him and he has to go on the run. This was the first of five movies based on Robert Ludlum's series of spy novels, starring Matt Damon as the mysterious "Jason Bourne." He's got impressive action-hero moves and the European scenery is lovely. This was the first time I'd seen any of this series, and I will definitely be checking out more.

"Bleeding Steel" (2018)

A Chinese cop (Jackie Chan) must protect his estranged daughter from a Darth Vader-ish radiation-scarred supervillain who wants to steal her high-tech artificial heart for the healing powers it provides. This Chinese/Australian sci-fi/action mash up seems like it's trying to cop the Marvel Cinematic Universe vibe, but the story seriously doesn't make a lick of sense (possibly lost in translation?). After a while I gave up trying to follow it and just watched stuff explode and people beat the crap out of each other. Jackie's looking a little long in the tooth nowadays so I have to wonder how much of the stunt work is actually done by him and how much is green screen/CGI trickery. Skip this mess unless you're a diehard Chan fan.

"Hard Rain" (1998)

An armored car driver (Christian Slater) must protect his payload from a very determined gang of would-be robbers, during a torrential rainstorm that threatens to completely flood a small Indiana town. Underrated action/disaster flick hybrid with a unique setting and great cast that also includes Morgan Freeman and a pre-crazy Randy Quaid.

"The Bourne Supremacy" (2004)

Second film in the "Bourne" series sees the amnesiac super-agent (Matt Damon) hiding out in India, still trying to get his head together. Naturally, the shadowy government agency that he used to work for aren't going to leave him alone, and this time they're even trying to pin an assassination on him that he didn't commit. Once again, there's lots of globe trotting action (the car chase through the streets of Moscow is amazing!) and narrow escapes. Gritty, realistic spy-and-counterspy stuff that definitely had a major influence on the Daniel Craig series of 007 films.

Episodes of Sprung