Posts

Showing posts from July, 2013

Jacob's Ladder (1990)

Image
As I sit here tonight re-watching V for Vendetta with the daughters, I am excited about the fact that the judges at the Fayette County Fair actually got my zombie entries. That is right, I actually pulled in four Blue Ribbons (first place) and two White Ribbons (third place) for my entry’s. Honestly, that is so much better than I could have expected. It also gave me time to review a flick I watched the other night with working on those, the 1990 classic Jacob’s Ladder. Plot/ Mourning his dead child, a haunted Vietnam vet attempts to discover his past while suffering from a severe case of disassociation. To do so, he must decipher reality and life from his own dreams, delusion, and perception of death. Even after all these years, Jacob’s Ladder remains a great atmospheric tale that continues to leave its mark on your mind. Yes, some of it may be a touch incoherent and not make sense, but to me, it just adds to its mystery. This film has everything you should want

Eye See You (2002)

Image
With another week in the books, it was time to kick back and watch something dark. Lately, it seems like I have been caught up in the 2010s, with the majority of my viewing selections centered in 2012 or 2013. This time, I went a different direction, with the 2002 flick, Eye See You (AKA D-Tox). Plot/ A FBI Agent hits rock bottom and is forced into a secluded rehab clinic that specializes in treating law enforcement officials. Soon, he discovers patients are being picked off one-by-one.   This flick was nothing close to what I expected. Starring Sylvester Stallone, my mind automatically shifted toward some type of action flick. Instead, this is a solid mystery with a dark and heavy atmosphere. While it did have some flaws, uneven editing and possibly too many characters, it was much better than one would expect. In fact, it had a solid mix of graphic violence, suspense, scenery, and a sound storyline that created a decent mystery. In the end, the atmospheric fli

Zombie Items Created for the 2013 Fayette County Fair

Image
Every year the County Fair comes around and it is always an awesome treat to enter some items to be judged in the different categories. This year was a special treat, as the Fayette County Fair where we live has an extensive Halloween Section. With that being my favorite holiday, I decided to try my hand at a battery of zombie themed items for this year. Here are some pictures of the items I submitted in the different Halloween categories.  Halloween Centerpiece Halloween Decorative Item Halloween Statue Functional Halloween Item I also created a Halloween themed wreath out of tree branches and a stuffed Raven, for the Halloween category but failed to take a picture of it before submission. We will be there tomorrow to see how the items fared, and I cannot wait. Hopefully, my zombie ideas were not too much for this small rural county. 

Heebie Jeebies (2013)

Image
Now that I have finished some blockbusters and some low budget flicks, it was time to finish the last flick that I grabbed walking through Family Video over the weekend. Yes, this is nowhere close to the other movies I have reviewed in recent days; that movie is Heebie Jeebies from 2013. Plot/ After a haunted gold mine is reopened, a terrifying creature is released starting a rampage of vengeance against the town and forcing the local policeman and a healer to find a way of bringing killing to an end. This is another low budget CGI fest that came to life on the SyFy Channel. Of course, that was easy to figure out with the signature uneven storyline filled with cliché, an extremely predictable plot with flat characterization and some uneven CGI effects including one of the most hideous monsters I have seen them create. Honestly, 1950s Sci-Fi would be proud.  On a positive note, the creature was at least an original design and some of the acting was solid, but it

Hayride (2012)

Image
I have been spoiled over the past few days watching some bigger budget horror and Sci-Fi flicks, but if you read my blog, which is not always what I enjoy. As you may know, I love low budget movies, I believe that there is a lot more freedom in those and you can see some interesting things. The next flick I watched took me into that world, from Midnight Releasing 2012s Hayride. Plot/ A college student returning home for Halloween is forced to face his childhood fears when an escaped killer takes refuge in his family's Haunted Hayride. After watching some bigger budgeted movies, it felt nice to get back into the low-budget indie flicks that truly make horror what it is. This one was interesting and had a lot to like for an indie slasher. Sure, it did suffer through some scripting issues with dialogue, uneven editing and some of the effects mirrored the budget, but there was a lot to like. The storyline attempted to create a full-circle mythos, the pacing was s

Pacific Rim (2013)

Image
The trip to the drive-in Friday night was awesome. Not since watching The Amityville Horror and Sin City together did I find a more enjoyable double feature. While The Conjuring was all that I imagined, I was truly impressed by a movie outside my normal viewing cycle, the blockbuster creature feature Pacific Rim . Plot/ As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse. Growing up, I loved to watch creature features on Saturdays with Super Host. I can remember being amazed that Godzilla could pull off a drop kick… After some time, I lost interest in these flicks, as they became repetitive and anticlimactic. Pacific Rim may be the best creature feature I have seen. This blockbuster had it all, action, monsters, suspense, really, everything you need for a great Sci-Fi flick. More importantly, it featu

Evil Dead (2013)

Image
As usual, I am playing catch up. After Friday night at the drive-in and a Saturday filled with creating some Halloween Decorations for the County Fair, I wanted to get back to a movie I watched last week. That flick may not be as scary as The Conjuring, but it was decent. That flick was the 2013 remake of Evil Dead. Plot/ Five friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a Book of the Dead leads them to unwittingly summon up demons living in the nearby woods. The evil presence possesses them until only one is left to fight for survival. I am really not a fan of the remakes and re-interpretations of classic horror flicks that has populated the Hollywood landscape in recent years. Yes, there are times where these new efforts are not terrible (Texas Chainsaw Massacre), but usually they are terrible (Friday the 13th). When I saw they were remaking Evil Dead, I cringed, but after some thought, I was excited. Evil Dead is truly the picture of a perfect remake, a

The Conjuring (2013)

Image
After a fun first-week back teaching after my two-week break, I started my weekend by going to the drive-in. There is nothing better than to experience a horror or Sci-Fi flick outside in elements, where the wind through the trees, the moonlight, the fireflies, all ad something to the atmosphere. This double feature was awesome, which makes it even better. The first flick on the docket, the classic supernatural true story, The Conjuring. Plot/ Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives. I rarely tell people to run out and see a movie in the theater, but that is exactly what I am going to do with this one. Go see it! I was lucky enough to have some added atmosphere by seeing it in the drive-in, but this film did not need it. The storyline is awesome, the realism incredible

Dark Feed (2013)

Image
The list of interesting horror flicks seems to continually dwindle. What makes it worse is the fact that films that often look like they have potential are nothing more than typical fare. One flick that seemed interesting on the surface was the 2013 horror flick Dark Feed. The big question is, what category did this fall into. Plot/ When a film crew moves into an abandoned psychiatric hospital with a shadowy past to shoot a low budget horror film, they get more than they bargained for. The late nights and lack of sleep begin to take a toll, and the longer this crew works, the more the leaky, wet building seems to be coming back to life, feeding off its new inhabitants. When I saw that this was written by the writers of The Ward, I was excited. Unfortunately, this is no where near The Ward. Yes, there is a lot of potential with this one and some interesting parts with the scenery, lighting and scripting. The problem was everything stopped right there. The storyli

The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

Image
Having children, it is hard for them to sometimes pick-up the television references I occasionally throw out there, especially if it comes from one of my favorite shows. That is why, I always try to get them to watch those shows. One of my favorites was the great Fox series the X-Files. While watching the series has been difficult for them, I decided to go a different route, to the 2008 movie X-Files: I Want to Believe. Plot/ Mulder and Scully are called back to duty by the FBI when a former priest claims to be receiving psychic visions pertaining to a kidnapped agent. When I first watched this flick when it came out, I was a bit disappointed. However, now five-years later, I find it an extremely entertaining and thought provoking film. Not only do they touch on some very deep and dark subject matters, they did a great job at expanding the X-Files mythos. Yes, there are things that could have been done differently, but this movie kept the characters at the heart

Lord of Darkness (2012)

Image
Last night, I decided to sit back and watch something a lot more graphic than usual. Having the daughters around, I try to keep my viewing rather tame while they are awake. Unfortunately, thanks to that Illuminati Princess Taylor Swift, my viewing window has been pushed later in the evening, as their schedule has been screwed since the concert last weekend. Lat night, I decided to was the 2012 flick Lord of Darkness. Plot/ Scottish cannibal Sawney Bean and his murderous, inbred family are responsible for over a thousand murders over the centuries. I am always drawn to flicks that concern legends, especially generational legend. This movie, originally called Sawney: Flesh of Man, is an interesting flick. Inspired by one of the most well known serial killers of all time, this movie is not for the faint of heart, as it does not lack in the blood and gore department. While the movie was entertaining and decently shot; the storyline and plot were inconsistent borderi

Untraceable (2008)

Image
I was at Family Video the other night as some storms were rolling into the town. I figured that once the power came back on, it would be awesome to watch something up my alley. While there, I decided to hit the older section, to see if anything caught my eye. In the end, one of the flicks I decided on was Untraceable from 2008. Plot/ FBI agent Jennifer Marsh is tasked with hunting down a seemingly untraceable serial killer who posts live videos of his victims on the Internet. As time runs out, the cat and mouse chase becomes more personal. This was one that I missed when it came out and I am glad I stumbled upon it. This was a solid thriller, that featured the right mix of fast pacing, great action and some twisted deaths. The acting was believable with the scripting and the story itself was a lot more realistic than some would believe. Yes, some of it was a touch predictable and it did come off the rails a few times, but other than that the flaws were minor. In

The Bay (2012)

Image
I am all about finding movies with an interesting synopsis and giving them a shot. Yes, even if they are found footage mockumentaries. However, at times, these movies can be something much different that what is advertised. In some ways, that is the case with this selection, The Bay. Plot/ Chaos breaks out in a small Maryland town after an ecological disaster occurs. When people start turning up dead, fear turns to panic and the town is shut down. This is what occurred. I am not the biggest fan of found footage movies, but when done correctly they can offer something entertaining. The Bay does this and is decently entertaining. Unfortunately, it is less of a horror / thriller and more of an environmentalist themed piece. Yes, there are some graphic shots and some horror elements are used, but it is more about pollution and how the government handles a situation. While the acting is somewhat believable, it is the use of multiple styles of camera’s  from multiple