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Post by brutalis on Sept 27, 2017 16:53:39 GMT -5
The schlock-a-thon continues... The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) Low budget fantasy b-movie that at times feels bland and generic by modern standards. There's a little bad acting but also a few exciting action scenes, lots of swashbuckling and a bit of fan service. The practical special effects makeups were very well crafted and for me were the highlight of the film. A warlord resurrects a demon to help him overthrow his rival kingdom then betrays and kills the demon who vows revenge. Years later the rightful heirs to the kingdom now grown are captured attempting to start a rebellion which leads to an epic rescue sequence and battle as well as a final confrontation with the demon. I will take Sword and the Sorcerer and Beastmaster over AHNULD's Conan's anytime. Perfectly fine B movie fantasy I can watch anytime
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Post by Rob Allen on Sept 27, 2017 17:48:24 GMT -5
Beastmaster was so popular in the early years of premium cable channels, someone quipped that HBO stood for "Hey, Beastmaster's On!"
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 28, 2017 0:38:14 GMT -5
The schlock-a-thon continues... The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982) Low budget fantasy b-movie that at times feels bland and generic by modern standards. There's a little bad acting but also a few exciting action scenes, lots of swashbuckling and a bit of fan service. The practical special effects makeups were very well crafted and for me were the highlight of the film. A warlord resurrects a demon to help him overthrow his rival kingdom then betrays and kills the demon who vows revenge. Years later the rightful heirs to the kingdom now grown are captured attempting to start a rebellion which leads to an epic rescue sequence and battle as well as a final confrontation with the demon. A little bad acting? That's like saying a Madonna concert is slightly provocative. From the same director that gave us the abomination that is the 1990 Captain America, Albert Pyun (who is well named as PU describes his films). This was the first of several B-fantasy films that I watched, hoping that it might be at least entertaining and ended up sorely disappointed. Of this era, aside from the first Conan film (and Destroyer is mostly entertaining), Krull, Ladyhawke, Dragonslayer and Legend were the only ones I really enjoyed. Krull is better than it should be, thanks to the supporting cast, asthe leads are pretty bland; but, Alan Armstrong, Robbie Coltrane, Liam Neeson, Freddie Jones, David Badley, and Bernard Bresslaw help lift the film up quite a bit. Ladyhawke has a nice romance, as well as some pretty good fight sequences; it just really needs to lose the synth-pop soundtrack. really jarring. Dragonslayer is highly underrated, since it lacks a star (beyond Ralph Richardson); but, Peter McNicol is good as the apprentice and you can catch Ian McDiarmid, pre-Emperor Palpatine. The dragon FX work was pretty good. Legend is a bit more disjointed but looks really great and Tim Curry is actuallygreat in it. Normally, I find that he way over-acts; but, under all of those prosthetics, that actually worked to his benefit (and the film's) Tom Cruise isn't much of a hero, though. The international cut was a bit more interesting, as it puts the Gump in a much different light than the American cut.
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Post by brutalis on Sept 28, 2017 10:17:39 GMT -5
Last night was 1942: Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott and John Wayne. A personal favorite pitting Wayne as the good guy and Scott as the bad guy during the Nome Alaska Gold Rush days. Scott is the slick and dangerous new gold commissioner using a judge to steal the miner claims and tie them up in court while the real attempt is to steal all the real money while the cases await appeal. Wayne is the young hero just returning from a trip to Europe who is caught up in a 3 way lover's match with Dietrich's saloon manager and the judge's niece. Plenty of trouble and fun action ensues. Good prevails, evil looses and all walk away happily into the frozen sunset
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Post by Jesse on Sept 30, 2017 9:59:53 GMT -5
Mirrors (2008) I haven't watched the original J-horror version and honestly wasn't going to check out this remake because the ratings On Demand were pretty low but it ended up being much better than I was expecting. Kiefer Sutherland gives a decent performance as a disgraced detective going through a mental breakdown while being haunted by an ominous force that uses mirrors to kill people. I often enjoy horror movies that can make you question whether the danger is actually supernatural or merely psychological and I felt this initially gave me that impression. It's suspenseful and eerie throughout and the ending is climactic with an interesting twist. I thought the use of practical special effects and CGI worked well and I'm looking forward to seeing the original version.
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Post by Jesse on Sept 30, 2017 10:02:38 GMT -5
A little bad acting? That's like saying a Madonna concert is slightly provocative. From the same director that gave us the abomination that is the 1990 Captain America, Albert Pyun (who is well named as PU describes his films). This was the first of several B-fantasy films that I watched, hoping that it might be at least entertaining and ended up sorely disappointed. If I ever rewatch it I'll probably check out the RiffTrax version.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2017 23:43:06 GMT -5
Today, I wasn't feeling too well with a slight flu and a migraine headache to boot ...
I watched a lot of movies today
Marie Antoinette (1938) on TCM
David and Bathsheba (1951) on TCM
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) on TCM
and currently watching the Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954, on Retroplex) for the 2nd time this month and after this movie is over also on Retroplex ... The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) later on too.
I've not seen Marie Antoinette for a long time and it's was an excellent film and lots of star power too. David and Bathsheba was superb and the photography was fantastic.
I'll never get tired of that 1970 war classic.
I just watch Movies and nothing else.
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Post by Jesse on Oct 1, 2017 12:47:25 GMT -5
The Grandmother (1970)
Trippy surreal, abstract and bizarre it combines animated sequences with live actors and uses virtually no dialogue. Left me wondering what the hell I just watched but an interesting visual experiment and I think a must see for David Lynch fans.
The Amputee (1974)
Another David Lynch short film where a woman with both her legs amputated writes a letter narrated by her inner monologue while having her bandages changed by a nurse. Lynch who plays the nurse begins cleaning her leg stumps which begin to puss and bleed until he seems overwhelmed and leaves frame. It replays an almost identical version of itself shot on different black and white film stock.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 1, 2017 12:52:18 GMT -5
Today, I wasn't feeling too well with a slight flu and a migraine headache to boot ... I watched a lot of movies today Marie Antoinette (1938) on TCM David and Bathsheba (1951) on TCM Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) on TCM and currently watching the Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954, on Retroplex) for the 2nd time this month and after this movie is over also on Retroplex ... The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) later on too. I've not seen Marie Antoinette for a long time and it's was an excellent film and lots of star power too. David and Bathsheba was superb and the photography was fantastic. I'll never get tired of that 1970 war classic. I just watch Movies and nothing else. Some great movies in there! Marie Antoinette was on when I turned on TCM and I watched it for a few minutes. I love Norma Shearer so much! It's been quite a while since I saw Marie Antoinette. I should probably see it again sooner rather than later.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 1, 2017 13:08:40 GMT -5
Here's the movies from the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" list that I saw in September: The Music Room (1958) - I haven't seen that many Indian movies, but a film like The Music Room makes me want to see more. The Ladies' Man (1961) Heaven and Earth Magic (1962) - A very strange hour-long animated feature that many people think may have been an influence on Terry Gilliam. Scorpio Rising (1964) - A strange little short film that I found very compelling, and not just for an issue of The Brave and the Bold (featuring Strange Sports Stories) on a stack of comics. Hold Me While I'm Naked (1966) - A strange experimental short film. Even though it's only 15 minutes, I still had to watch it in three segments. High School (1968) - A documentary about a high school in Pennsylvania. I love the English teacher reading "Casey at the Bat" not quite indifferently but with the stress at all the wrong places. Gimme Shelter (1970) - Almost as amazing as the guy getting stabbed on camera is the dog running across the stage during "Sympathy for the Devil." Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974) - It's strange, it's French and it's long. Three hours. It's not for everyone. But I liked it OK. Stroszek (1977) Paris, Texas (1984) - Probably the best movie I saw this month. I saw it the day Harry Dean Stanton died, but I didn't know he died until the next day. Secrets and Lies (1996) Monsoon Wedding (2001)
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Post by Jesse on Oct 1, 2017 14:05:54 GMT -5
TCM is airing a Dracula marathon tonight starting with the Bela Lugosi film. I will be checking out the Universal sequels which I don't think I've watched in their entirety although I might have caught them before on Svengoolie I'm not sure. Late night they are showing the recently restored version of the silent film Nosferatu which has never looked so visually crisp and clean. It's definitely worth owning the Blu-ray.
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Post by Pharozonk on Oct 1, 2017 14:12:23 GMT -5
TCM is airing a Dracula marathon tonight starting with the Bela Lugosi film. I will be checking out the Universal sequels which I don't think I've watched in their entirety although I might have caught them before on Svengoolie I'm not sure. Late night they are showing the recently restored version of the silent film Nosferatu which has never looked so visually crisp and clean. It's definitely worth owning the Blu-ray. Son of Dracula is pretty bad, but Dracula's Daughter is worth a watch.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 1, 2017 15:20:27 GMT -5
TCM is airing a Dracula marathon tonight starting with the Bela Lugosi film. I will be checking out the Universal sequels which I don't think I've watched in their entirety although I might have caught them before on Svengoolie I'm not sure. Late night they are showing the recently restored version of the silent film Nosferatu which has never looked so visually crisp and clean. It's definitely worth owning the Blu-ray. Son of Dracula is pretty bad, but Dracula's Daughter is worth a watch. I used to think both Son of Dracula and Dracula's Daughter were not very good, but they've both grown on me over the years. I've seen the Lugosi Dracula at least 30 times over the years, but I've only seen the other two four or five times. Dracula's Daughter is interesting for it's psychological look at vampirism. Gloria Holden, Otto Kruger and Marguerite Chapman are all very good. (And I find it amusing that Marguerite Chapman looks so much like Mia Farrow.) My favorite scene is the one with Holden and Nan Grey. Grey is one of my favorite obscure 1930s actresses. Son of Dracula is very entertaining even if it's not really very good. Lon Chaney seems completely unsure of what he's doing in a Dracula movie. Still, I like the Van Helsing substitute quite a bit. There's also the amusing bit where Dracula has his coffin in the bayou. When he turns to mist, the coffin floats to the surface and he oozes out under the lid! (It must be watertight, but it's porous enough to allow vampire mist to get out!) Also, I always laugh at the scene where the servant puts out a small fire by tap-dancing on it!
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Post by Jesse on Oct 1, 2017 15:30:59 GMT -5
Chaney Jr seems to have been in quite a bit of entertaining schlock. IIRC Ish Kabbible went through quite a few of them earlier in the thread.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 1, 2017 16:15:40 GMT -5
Chaney Jr seems to have been in quite a bit of entertaining schlock. IIRC Ish Kabbible went through quite a few of them earlier in the thread. As late as the 1960s, Lon Jr was in that timeless classic Spider-Baby.
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