Search
Search results
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Species (1995) in Movies
Sep 18, 2020
Ahh Species. A film I loved to watch when I was a young teen for...research purposes...
It's a bit rubbish really though isn't it? Watching it again now, it's pretty much a bunch of characters talking their way through a manhunt, strung together by regular moments of nudity.
It's suitably corny, boasts some terrible CGI (effects that may have been good back in the 90s, I honestly don't really remember) but in spite of all this, it's still pretty entertaining.
It's cast boasts the likes of Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Marg Helgenberger, Forest Whitaker, Michael Madsen, even a young Michelle Williams...it's pretty stacked. Natasha Henstridge of course plays the creature, and gives the role a sense of empowerment rather than exploitation.
The rubber suit aesthetic of the alien is pretty awesome (in the parts where it's not haunting CGI) and it has a pretty decent music score.
I fully see why a lot of people consider Species to be trashy, but honestly, it's a fun slice of 90s (as fuck) sci-fi horror. Enjoy it for what it is and just pretend the sequels don't exist.
It's a bit rubbish really though isn't it? Watching it again now, it's pretty much a bunch of characters talking their way through a manhunt, strung together by regular moments of nudity.
It's suitably corny, boasts some terrible CGI (effects that may have been good back in the 90s, I honestly don't really remember) but in spite of all this, it's still pretty entertaining.
It's cast boasts the likes of Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Marg Helgenberger, Forest Whitaker, Michael Madsen, even a young Michelle Williams...it's pretty stacked. Natasha Henstridge of course plays the creature, and gives the role a sense of empowerment rather than exploitation.
The rubber suit aesthetic of the alien is pretty awesome (in the parts where it's not haunting CGI) and it has a pretty decent music score.
I fully see why a lot of people consider Species to be trashy, but honestly, it's a fun slice of 90s (as fuck) sci-fi horror. Enjoy it for what it is and just pretend the sequels don't exist.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Machete Kills (2013) in Movies
Jul 27, 2020
B-Movie Exloitation Film
Like I said in my Machete review, its so weird and odd to see some of these actors working together, cause you would never think in a million years that some of these people would work together like.. Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Sofia Vergara, Amber Heard, Walton Goggins, Lady Gaga, Cuba Gooding Jr., Antoino Banderas and Vanesssa Hudgens. Like would ever thought that all of these actors would work together in a B-Movie Exploitation film called Machete Kills is just strange and somehow it works. I dont how, but it just works.
The plot: When the president (Carlos Estevez) of the United States has a mission that would be impossible for just any mortal man, the person he needs is Machete (Danny Trejo), a knife-wielding ex-Federale agent. Machete's mission is to take down Voz (Mel Gibson), a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has come up with a plot to start a nuclear war. Facing death at every turn from assassins, Machete pulls out all of his skills to get the job done.
If you havent see either of the machete movies go watch them.
The plot: When the president (Carlos Estevez) of the United States has a mission that would be impossible for just any mortal man, the person he needs is Machete (Danny Trejo), a knife-wielding ex-Federale agent. Machete's mission is to take down Voz (Mel Gibson), a madman revolutionary and an eccentric billionaire arms dealer who has come up with a plot to start a nuclear war. Facing death at every turn from assassins, Machete pulls out all of his skills to get the job done.
If you havent see either of the machete movies go watch them.
Anand Wilder recommended Bugsy Malone Soundtrack by Paul Williams in Music (curated)
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Lost Continent (1968) in Movies
May 9, 2021
Highly entertaining but impossible to categorise piece of nonsense from Hammer Films. Starts off looking like a bad melodrama as a freighter sets off from Sierra Leone with a combustible mix of lost souls in the ship's saloon, and an even more combustible cargo of white phosphorous in the hold. The various characters doggedly try to get on with telling each other their back-stories even as the crew is mutinying, the ship is sinking, sharks and giant octopuses are attacking, carnivorous sea-weed is snarling the propellors and fanatical descendants of the Spanish Inquisition are clambering over the side intent on dragging them off to be sacrificed.
One does have to wonder what anyone involved was thinking (the chief culprit, perhaps unsurprisingly, is long-serving Hammer executive Michael Carreras, who was a good producer but not so good at anything else), but the actors attack the ridiculous material with admirable gravitas and the set dressing is decent. It at least hits all the necessary exploitation movie beats (plenty of badly-realised monsters, low-octane action and scantily-clad women), and is very funny, albeit not intentionally. Possibly one of the worst films ever made, certainly the weirdest thing Hammer ever did; rated highly for entertainment value, not actual quality.
One does have to wonder what anyone involved was thinking (the chief culprit, perhaps unsurprisingly, is long-serving Hammer executive Michael Carreras, who was a good producer but not so good at anything else), but the actors attack the ridiculous material with admirable gravitas and the set dressing is decent. It at least hits all the necessary exploitation movie beats (plenty of badly-realised monsters, low-octane action and scantily-clad women), and is very funny, albeit not intentionally. Possibly one of the worst films ever made, certainly the weirdest thing Hammer ever did; rated highly for entertainment value, not actual quality.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Who Killed Captain Alex? (2010) in Movies
Sep 21, 2020
"𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦."
Not so much a so-bad-it's-good flick - since at its core, taking consideration into what it had to work with - this is actually a pretty (unironically) great adventure. Seldom has a poster so accurately captured the essence of a film before I mean just *look* at that beast lol. Of course it's got abundant clenched, cocked fistfuls of kitsch, sure - but the base script is sound, and I find it tantamount to insult that much lesser works like 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 get lauded for their (nevertheless still lovely) performances from non-actors while the straight-up spectacular work the entirety of the cast gives here is written off as being undeserving of such an appropriate distinction. The action is, as you've heard, mesmerizingly batshit (and surprisingly well shot + edited + performed) and I'm impressed with how endlessly quotable this is - I cannot understate how much this is some God-tier dialogue (peppered with a comically bizarre Emcee track for the ages). One of the top-dog Z-movie exploitation flicks you'll find - very great work, let alone for a first timer given the conditions. It's graciously free on YouTube so there's no excuse not to give this and the director's other (also dope) works the attention they deserve.
Not so much a so-bad-it's-good flick - since at its core, taking consideration into what it had to work with - this is actually a pretty (unironically) great adventure. Seldom has a poster so accurately captured the essence of a film before I mean just *look* at that beast lol. Of course it's got abundant clenched, cocked fistfuls of kitsch, sure - but the base script is sound, and I find it tantamount to insult that much lesser works like 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 get lauded for their (nevertheless still lovely) performances from non-actors while the straight-up spectacular work the entirety of the cast gives here is written off as being undeserving of such an appropriate distinction. The action is, as you've heard, mesmerizingly batshit (and surprisingly well shot + edited + performed) and I'm impressed with how endlessly quotable this is - I cannot understate how much this is some God-tier dialogue (peppered with a comically bizarre Emcee track for the ages). One of the top-dog Z-movie exploitation flicks you'll find - very great work, let alone for a first timer given the conditions. It's graciously free on YouTube so there's no excuse not to give this and the director's other (also dope) works the attention they deserve.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Planet Terror (2007) in Movies
Sep 20, 2020 (Updated Sep 20, 2020)
*Examining mutilated corpse*
"𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘰-𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳"
"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯?"
"𝘕𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯."
A nasty, gushing open wound of a movie - real gnarly dirtbag exploitation on display and easily one of the dopest film heroines ever put on screen. The American military as a grotesque, deformed monster of its former self - shambling around causing havoc in its wake, using its past achievements to justify its new warped existence. Also cool lady has machine gun for leg. Plants its sickness firmly into the ground before the zombies even start showing up, and then we get those reliably exemplary Nicotero effects - and they sure aren't afraid to use them. Dear God almighty is there a *lot* of blood, pus, rotting flesh, and guts in this and it all looks top-notch. Even by this genre's standards this leans hard into depraved splatfest mode. The last thirty minutes are seriously some of the best that cinema has ever created - and every Tarantino scene is the sort of masterclass revolting slime that makes you feel physically sick. The type of movie Rodriguez was born to direct - orgasmically evocative of the 𝘐 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 era of gorecore films while also totally remaining its own thing with a formidable vigor and sense of self. Prestige filth.
"𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘰-𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳"
"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯?"
"𝘕𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯."
A nasty, gushing open wound of a movie - real gnarly dirtbag exploitation on display and easily one of the dopest film heroines ever put on screen. The American military as a grotesque, deformed monster of its former self - shambling around causing havoc in its wake, using its past achievements to justify its new warped existence. Also cool lady has machine gun for leg. Plants its sickness firmly into the ground before the zombies even start showing up, and then we get those reliably exemplary Nicotero effects - and they sure aren't afraid to use them. Dear God almighty is there a *lot* of blood, pus, rotting flesh, and guts in this and it all looks top-notch. Even by this genre's standards this leans hard into depraved splatfest mode. The last thirty minutes are seriously some of the best that cinema has ever created - and every Tarantino scene is the sort of masterclass revolting slime that makes you feel physically sick. The type of movie Rodriguez was born to direct - orgasmically evocative of the 𝘐 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 era of gorecore films while also totally remaining its own thing with a formidable vigor and sense of self. Prestige filth.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Grindhouse (2007) in Movies
Aug 14, 2019
Back in the 70’s cheaply made independent films often came into their own. The studio released films were drawing smaller audiences’ thanks in large part to the arrival of color television and a greater variety of entertainment that people could view in their homes.
During this time, the Blaxploitation era as it became known, saw many films become big hits thanks to the films modest budgets and subject matter that was quite different from the films of the day. Aside from Blaxploitation, there were also sexploitation films as well as action and horror films that embraced the urban and youth cultures of the time and were loaded with sex, violence, and anti-establishment themes.
The films were often show nonstop in all night theaters known as “Grind houses”, where repeated showings of prints caused them to have image blemishes as films were usually shown in a city for a week before the same print was whisked off to a new city for even more wear and tear.
Inspired by the classic exploitation films of old, Directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have teamed up to treat audience to a modern day ” Grind house” experience that comes complete with nostalgic intros and credits as well as movie trailers for exploitation films that the duo has not yet created.
The first film is “Planet Terror” and stars Rose McGowan as a Go Go Dancer named Cherry who is about to have a very bad night thanks to a deal gone wrong between a shadowy soldier (Bruce Willis), and a mysterious scientist (Naveen Andrews).
Before long, Cherry is minus a leg, and living in a town overrun by zombie like creatures, which forces her and a band of survivors to fight the deadly invaders to get to the bottom of the mystery.
The film is packed with gore, action, and enough cheesy lines to make even the most jaded moviegoer wince, yet all is done with loving reverence to the genre films that inspired it.
Rodriguez even includes little glitches in the film to give a sense of realism to the film. Were it not for the starts of today and some slightly better effects work, you could easily believe that this was a film from the era.
The second film is “Death Proof” and it stars Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike. A man who drives a souped up hotrod and spreads mayhem wherever he goes. While the film does not have much of the signature dialogue that marks past Tarantino films,
it does have its moments and is one of the most demented, and intense car chase stories you will ever see.
I have gone very light on the plot recaps as to be honest, the films both have paper thin plots and characters which do not really warrant much examination.
To do so would be to miss the point of Grind House as the goal was to create two modern exploitation films that were true in character and form to the films that inspired them. Yes, this film had a budget that could have created well over a thousand such films back in the day, and has more stars than Hollywood Bld. But despite this, still would be worthy of those famed theaters of old.
There were many times that I noted the bad acting, lines, and other problems in the films, but reminded myself that flaws were for the most part intended.
I compare the experience to watching “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, in that you need to be familiar with the types of film being featured in order to get the full benefit.
I for one really enjoyed myself and I loved the false trailers that were included in the film as it was great fun not only watching them, but seeing the big name stars who helped create them getting in on the fun.
If you set your expectations accordingly, than Grind House may be the most nostalgic fun you have had at the movies in a long time.
During this time, the Blaxploitation era as it became known, saw many films become big hits thanks to the films modest budgets and subject matter that was quite different from the films of the day. Aside from Blaxploitation, there were also sexploitation films as well as action and horror films that embraced the urban and youth cultures of the time and were loaded with sex, violence, and anti-establishment themes.
The films were often show nonstop in all night theaters known as “Grind houses”, where repeated showings of prints caused them to have image blemishes as films were usually shown in a city for a week before the same print was whisked off to a new city for even more wear and tear.
Inspired by the classic exploitation films of old, Directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have teamed up to treat audience to a modern day ” Grind house” experience that comes complete with nostalgic intros and credits as well as movie trailers for exploitation films that the duo has not yet created.
The first film is “Planet Terror” and stars Rose McGowan as a Go Go Dancer named Cherry who is about to have a very bad night thanks to a deal gone wrong between a shadowy soldier (Bruce Willis), and a mysterious scientist (Naveen Andrews).
Before long, Cherry is minus a leg, and living in a town overrun by zombie like creatures, which forces her and a band of survivors to fight the deadly invaders to get to the bottom of the mystery.
The film is packed with gore, action, and enough cheesy lines to make even the most jaded moviegoer wince, yet all is done with loving reverence to the genre films that inspired it.
Rodriguez even includes little glitches in the film to give a sense of realism to the film. Were it not for the starts of today and some slightly better effects work, you could easily believe that this was a film from the era.
The second film is “Death Proof” and it stars Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike. A man who drives a souped up hotrod and spreads mayhem wherever he goes. While the film does not have much of the signature dialogue that marks past Tarantino films,
it does have its moments and is one of the most demented, and intense car chase stories you will ever see.
I have gone very light on the plot recaps as to be honest, the films both have paper thin plots and characters which do not really warrant much examination.
To do so would be to miss the point of Grind House as the goal was to create two modern exploitation films that were true in character and form to the films that inspired them. Yes, this film had a budget that could have created well over a thousand such films back in the day, and has more stars than Hollywood Bld. But despite this, still would be worthy of those famed theaters of old.
There were many times that I noted the bad acting, lines, and other problems in the films, but reminded myself that flaws were for the most part intended.
I compare the experience to watching “Mystery Science Theater 3000”, in that you need to be familiar with the types of film being featured in order to get the full benefit.
I for one really enjoyed myself and I loved the false trailers that were included in the film as it was great fun not only watching them, but seeing the big name stars who helped create them getting in on the fun.
If you set your expectations accordingly, than Grind House may be the most nostalgic fun you have had at the movies in a long time.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Hands of the Ripper (1971) in Movies
May 27, 2018 (Updated May 27, 2018)
Bring the Daughter; Have some Slaughter
Pretty decent Hammer horror melodrama set in a sort of grab-bag version of late Victorian London. Anna (Rees) grows up an orphan, little suspecting the identity of her father, or the fact that she seems to have inherited his compulsion to kill. An ambitious psychiatrist (Porter) takes her under his wing, believing he can help her with her little problem. (As ever, hubris comes before a gory comeuppance.) Meanwhile, Hammer whips up gallons of fake blood.
Not-bad production values and decent performances go a long way to make up for some fairly preposterous plotting; you get the classic Hammer sense of a traditional costume drama coupling energetically with a disreputable exploitation movie, with a good time had by all. On the one hand this is another tale of an improbably arrogant man whose specific area of brilliance doesn't stop him making a whole series of insanely bad decisions; on the other it is about the power of men to seriously screw up the lives of women in patriarchal societies (so perhaps still somewhat relevant). Film does an interesting little dance, too: are Anna's problems purely psychological or is she genuinely possessed by the spirit of the Ripper? Well put together, some interesting ideas, doesn't outstay its welcome - definitely worth a look if old British horror movies are your thing.
Not-bad production values and decent performances go a long way to make up for some fairly preposterous plotting; you get the classic Hammer sense of a traditional costume drama coupling energetically with a disreputable exploitation movie, with a good time had by all. On the one hand this is another tale of an improbably arrogant man whose specific area of brilliance doesn't stop him making a whole series of insanely bad decisions; on the other it is about the power of men to seriously screw up the lives of women in patriarchal societies (so perhaps still somewhat relevant). Film does an interesting little dance, too: are Anna's problems purely psychological or is she genuinely possessed by the spirit of the Ripper? Well put together, some interesting ideas, doesn't outstay its welcome - definitely worth a look if old British horror movies are your thing.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Charlie's Angels (2019) in Movies
Dec 4, 2019
Attempt to make the notably leer-tastic exploitation TV show into a piece of weaponised feminism ends up understandably conflicted, but it has bigger problems to worry about. Somebody wants to steal a maguffin with evil potential, Angels want to stop him, much whizzing about in Germany, Istanbul, and so forth.
Elizabeth Banks puts together a generic sub-Mission Impossible action thriller reasonably well, but when the gunfire and revving engines dies away you are just left with the sound of comic banter failing to spark and the occasional unsubtle you-go-girl message. The plot feels very familiar, and the rest doesn't do enough to cover up for this. Mixed work from the cast: Banks herself is working hard, Kristen Stewart proves she genuinely does have star quality, Naomi Scott can probably look forward to a healthy career playing the kooky best friend, and while Ella Balinska can deliver neither a joke nor a line of exposition to save her life, she is about nine feet tall which helps with the fight choreography. Patrick Stewart turns up and twinkles a lot; one presumes CGI has been used to erase the dollar signs in his eyes. Admittedly, I am probably not the target audience for this movie, but even so: too often this feels leaden when it should be light, and treacly when it should froth.
Elizabeth Banks puts together a generic sub-Mission Impossible action thriller reasonably well, but when the gunfire and revving engines dies away you are just left with the sound of comic banter failing to spark and the occasional unsubtle you-go-girl message. The plot feels very familiar, and the rest doesn't do enough to cover up for this. Mixed work from the cast: Banks herself is working hard, Kristen Stewart proves she genuinely does have star quality, Naomi Scott can probably look forward to a healthy career playing the kooky best friend, and while Ella Balinska can deliver neither a joke nor a line of exposition to save her life, she is about nine feet tall which helps with the fight choreography. Patrick Stewart turns up and twinkles a lot; one presumes CGI has been used to erase the dollar signs in his eyes. Admittedly, I am probably not the target audience for this movie, but even so: too often this feels leaden when it should be light, and treacly when it should froth.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Teacher (DS Imogen Grey, #1) in Books
Jun 28, 2023
85 of 235
Book
The Teacher ( DS Imogen Grey 1)
By Katerina Diamond
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You think you know who to trust? You think you know the difference between good and evil? You’re wrong …
The body of the head teacher of an exclusive Devon school is found hanging from the rafters in the assembly hall.
Hours earlier he’d received a package, and only he could understand the silent message it conveyed. It meant the end.
As Exeter suffers a rising count of gruesome deaths, troubled DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles must solve the case and make their city safe again.
But as they’re drawn into a network of corruption, lies and exploitation, every step brings them closer to grim secrets hidden at the heart of their community.
And once they learn what’s motivating this killer, will they truly want to stop him?
I couldn’t put it down! I’ve never rooted for a killer or killers in any book as much as I have with this one! I was totally glued and so glad the ending did it justice. My only issue was the start I was totally confused at first but of course it all started making sense and it’s clear as soon as you hit a certain chapter who this killer is. But still a brilliant read!
Book
The Teacher ( DS Imogen Grey 1)
By Katerina Diamond
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You think you know who to trust? You think you know the difference between good and evil? You’re wrong …
The body of the head teacher of an exclusive Devon school is found hanging from the rafters in the assembly hall.
Hours earlier he’d received a package, and only he could understand the silent message it conveyed. It meant the end.
As Exeter suffers a rising count of gruesome deaths, troubled DS Imogen Grey and DS Adrian Miles must solve the case and make their city safe again.
But as they’re drawn into a network of corruption, lies and exploitation, every step brings them closer to grim secrets hidden at the heart of their community.
And once they learn what’s motivating this killer, will they truly want to stop him?
I couldn’t put it down! I’ve never rooted for a killer or killers in any book as much as I have with this one! I was totally glued and so glad the ending did it justice. My only issue was the start I was totally confused at first but of course it all started making sense and it’s clear as soon as you hit a certain chapter who this killer is. But still a brilliant read!