There's a solid 15 or 20 minutes of this film that is top tier, unadulterated, laugh out loud nonsense. The rest of the film is almost unbearably dull recap. Is it worth it? Maybe. I think everyone should watch the film in its entirety at least once, if only just to get a sense for it, but if you ever come back to it just skip to that hour mark where things actually get good.
Some pretty decent kung fu in this one, a bit better than what you'd expect from most bruceploitation films. As per usual, it was clearly shot on the cheap, has terrible dubbing, and a near non-existent plot (though in this case that works in the film's favor). Still, it's a cut above the rest. If you enjoy cheap chopsocky action and want to give a bruceploitation movie a spin, this might be the one to check out.
Kurt Russell is superb as Elvis, I was really impressed. The film itself is just fine. Not great, but good. I only watched it because it's a John Carpenter film, though you wouldn't know it. Recommended just for people interested in Carpenter's early career, or for fans of Russell or Elvis.
A great performance from Lee, he was always a very accurate Holmes, but the story leaves much to be desired.
Disco sucks. Kill all hippies.
This is one of those "plot-light" films, where you aren't being told a strictly structured story as much as you're experiencing life through the eyes of a character. Great if you're in the right mood, but not for everyone.
Another incredibly polarizing film that I don't have a very strong opinion on. The critics seem to love it. The public seems to hate it. Me? I thought it was alright.
The cinematography is superb. Half of the premise was great. The film should have focused on the theme of Kane's isolation and developed that idea more than it did. The whole rosebud thing should have been cut out. The structure was interesting (journalists going to interview former colleagues about Kane), but likewise not enough was done to exploit this novel concept. Overall it wasn't bad, but it's an awfully mediocre movie to be considered the greatest ever.
Bela & an Ape, what more could you want? This one was shot cheap and it shows. Bela gives a superb performance as always, and most of the other actors seem like they're having fun. It's a pretty typical "mad scientist turns himself into an animal/human hybrid and needs to turn himself back" kind of movie. It's not gonna blow your mind, but it's kinda campy, kinda goofy, and at an hour long you won't feel like you wasted your time.
In between the bad character drama and botched white horse metaphor (death rides a pale horse, not a white horse) this can at times be an alright modern slasher. Rob Zombie definitely didn't pull any punches with the gore and that right there is 75% of what you need to get right with these things. I really think with just a few minor tweaks it would have been a much better film.
Slow build, but a smart payoff.
A slick, jazzy crime thriller that suffers greatly from a weak third act.
A film directed by a Canadian, with a Hungarian producer & writer, a French, Italian, and West German crew, featuring an allegedly American main character returning home from Saigon, South Vietnam by way of Belfast, North Ireland! Though ostensibly a grindhouse slasher, this absurdly internationalist production doesn't really feel like anything else of the period, or any other period for that matter, making it a more than worthy curiosity.
This is a film that has always intrigued me, but I was never for the life of me able to tell what the hell was going on - and I still can't.
Reminds me a lot of American lost world/primitive tribe films from the 50s & 60s. Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet, Mesa of Lost Women,
She Gods of Shark Reef, and so on. It is of some mild interest, and I want to like it, but I can't help but think it would have been much better if the runtime was trimmed by 15 or 20 minutes.
This one had a fair amount of charm. Maybe I just like Viking movies.
A really odd detective-political thriller. Hardly the Price-Lee-Cushing vehicle it makes itself out to be, and not at all a horror film despite the name. I must admit I really don't know what to make of this one aside from the fact that I found it quite enjoyable.
A shoddy plot and inconsistent tone serve to weaken an otherwise superb performance by Lee. This could have been a great Holmes film had it received better care. Worth a watch, but disappointing given what could have been.
Technically speaking, it's one of Smith's better films. The religious "criticism" seems almost quaint now, and I find it a bit difficult to believe it was really all that controversial except among the vocal busybodies over at the Catholic League. Upon rewatching it, I can't help but think this one is a tad bit overrated in Smith's filmography, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly.
Not one of Milligan's typical horror or exploitation films, but a character drama. Very reminiscent of a stage play, and there's a quite a bit of Cassavetes to it. I thought it was really wonderful.
A psychologically disturbing horror thriller, critically weakened by an anemic ending.
All I can say is wow... I don't know what I was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn't that.
Wow... I was not expecting that!
The tagline of "It's exactly what you think it is" might undersell this one a bit. This one took me by surprise, it's really good. One of the better early 80s slashers I've seen. A standout from what may have been the best time period for the genre.
In a lot of ways it's the Canadian answer to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Like most things Canadian, it's a bit slower and more dry and dimwitted than its American counterpart, but it retains that not-quite-foreign, not-quite-American quality that makes it a worthy curiosity.
OK mid 60s Hammer flick. Cushing & Lee are the clear highlights.
This is an old favorite of mine. It was on a lot of budget DVDs way back when, and I assume it holds a certain amount of nostalgia to people of a somewhat specific demographic because of that. It's a bit of a difficult film to recommend to people who have no pre-existing interest or attachment to it.
Not good, not bad. Like other commenters, I got a kick out of the Virgin records shop. Product placement or not, it was fun to see. A very year 2000 movie, which is far from a bad thing.
A loose and somewhat slipshod attempt to make a neo-slasher à la Scream. It's not good, but after the absolute clownshow that was Halloween 6 it feels like a breath of fresh air.
Preferred it over the first one. These movies are kinda like Evil Dead, but slower paced. That isn't exactly a compliment, mind you. The creature effects are very fun.
Can't honestly say it was any better or worse than the first one.
