Movie Night: Invasion of the Saucer Men.

Review #656: Invasion of the Saucer Men.

Cast
Steven Terrell (Johnny Carter), Gloria Castillo (Joan Hayden), Frank Gorshin (Joe Gruen), Raymond Hatton (Farmer Larkin), Lyn Osborn (Artie Burns), Russ Bender (Doctor), Douglas Henderson (Lt. Wilkins), and Sam Buffington (Col. Ambrose) Directed by Edward L. Cahn (#331 - It! The Terror from Beyond Space and #560 - Experiment Alcatraz)

Review
Monster movies with comedy induced into is nothing new, and it especially carried over in the 50's, with this being one of them. It figures that this would be the last film reviewed for October, I know the month's output wasn't exactly great, but at least I'm ending it on...a high note? The movie's credits are imposed onto a book with comical illustrations...which is actually pretty nifty, given the movie's comical tone. The effects are not too bad, the alien has a big head with googly eyes, it actually fits the tone the movie is going for, which is a really silly one. The movie may have its cliches (older people not believing the young people's claims of alien/monsters, a trope I only like in movies when the elders finally see the monster/aliens), but it is what is, an alien movie with some comedy sprinkled into it. It has a quick pace, 69 minutes to tell a story that takes place in one day, with a few characters along the way. Frank Gorshin, known mostly for portraying the Riddler in the classic Batman TV series is in it, for a few minutes, but he is noteworthy. The rest of the characters are stock, but they do their jobs just fine, and they are entertaining. The movie is entertaining, easy to watch, and just has fun, which makes it really hard to hate the movie. I'll be generous for the rating because why not.

Happy Halloween.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Young Frankenstein.

Review #655: Young Frankenstein.

Cast
Gene Wilder (Frederick Frankenstein), Marty Feldman (Igor), Peter Boyle (The Monster), Teri Garr (Inga), Cloris Leachman (Frau Blücher), Madeline Kahn (Elizabeth), Kenneth Mars (Inspector Kemp), and Gene Hackman (Harold, the Blind Man) Directed by Mel Brooks (#061 - Blazing Saddles, #198 - Spaceballs, #248 - Robin Hood: Men in Tights, #361 - The Producers, #364 - High Anxiety, and #623 - Silent Movie)

Review
Yeah, I guess at this point I had to cover this movie, and I have three reasons why: The 40th Anniversary of the movie's release is coming up very soon, It's October, for Pete's (or in this case, Rob's) sake, and...It's been long overdue. Seriously, I should've reviewed this last year, but I just forgot (Of course last October I reviewed 20 films in 31 days, but who's counting?), so I am now rectifying a mistake (Though I know I will undoubtedly make another mistake in the future). The movie is a wonderful parody of the classic Universal Horror films, especially Frankenstein (#072), right down to the black and white shooting. In fact, Kenneth Strickfaden, who made the electrical equipment for the lab scenes for the Universal films (and still had it with him), let them use the equipment for this film, which is highlighted by his name on the credits. But let's get to the part of the review where I just say the movie's really funny because that is the next part, isn't it? Every major actor in this movie has or is involved in a funny scene, especially Marty Feldman (What hump?), who is just so fun to watch move around and gaze upon. I especially like Peter Boyle in this film because his movements and way of speaking as the Monster (especially while singing "Puttin' on the Ritz") is just so charming. The movie flows really well and never misses a beat when it comes to being funny, it has so much atmosphere and so much charm, and that is just perfect for October, or for any month in particular. I urge anyone, if not everyone to go see it, you just have to look.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Screaming Skull.

Review #654: The Screaming Skull.

Cast
John Hudson (Eric Whitlock), Peggy Webber (Jenni Whitlock), Russ Conway (Edward Snow), Tony Johnson (Mrs. Snow), and Alex Nicol (Mickey) Directed by Alex Nicol.

Review
Like I said back in the last review, the title says all you need to know about the movie. Actually, wait a moment, the opening scene telling people that the climax of the movie may actually kill them while offering free funeral processions is the icing on the cake. I was not aware that skulls could scream, so that's something to know, I guess. To say this movie is silly is an understatement. It actually does have some good laughs in it, the idea that a skull apparently terrorizes a couple and just randomly shows up is pretty quirky. Yes, the skull screams, though that's actually more amusing to type out then to watch. My favorite part is when the skull is superimposed onto the screen, as if making larger makes it terrifying, which is then followed by the skull...biting someone's neck. To be fair, at least the film tries its hardest to be spooky, and it does flow pretty well for a movie that last barely an hour. The film was directed by Alex Nicol, who also stars in the film as well, and he was apparently happy with the result: "I liked it; it had some nice dolly shots, a good atmosphere. So I was happy with that; it was a nice change from the films I'd been doing." Is it nice that even in a silly 50s film like this, there is at least one person who had fun while doing it, and had fun doing it for the production sake as well. The only reason to see the movie? For Spook-tober, obviously. But oh well.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Brain That Wouldn't Die.

Review #653: The Brain That Wouldn't Die.

Cast
Jason Evers (Dr. Bill Cortner), Virginia Leith (Jan Compton), Leslie Daniels (Kurt), Adele Lamont (Doris Powell), and Eddie Carmel (Monster) Directed by Joseph Green.

Review
To say this movie has no hope of being good is an understatement. The movie's title says all you need to know about the movie , I guess that's a positive given that it lures you in, especially for October. Our stars are more like shooting stars, they fade away from our consciousness after about five minutes. So yeah, a brain that wouldn't die. The movie feels like it should be called "The Head that Wouldn't Die", which is apparently what the title card at the end called it. Yes, even the end credits disagree with the rest of the movie. Now I may be getting a-head of myself here, but the movie is an ultimate headache. Brain games aside, this a movie that I guess goes pretty quickly. When it comes to this movie, it's either watching the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version or the actual movie. Even if you've never heard of the MST3K rendition, it still sounds better than this film. I kept wondering throughout the film who I was supposed to hate more, Evers of Leith's character. By the time you get into an hour in the film, you just stop caring and just wish the movie would end quicker. You're probably wondering (or not) how a head can talk at all or breathe. It's explained through the magic of mad science, of course, what else. I'd say the movie feels tired, but even I'm tired, it's hard to care about a movie that doesn't even care about itself. You'd be better off making head puns, which is actually one "head" of an idea. See what I mean?

Overall, I give it 3 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Drive.

Review #652: Drive.

Cast
Ryan Gosling (The Driver), Carey Mulligan (Irene), Bryan Cranston (Shannon), Albert Brooks (Bernie Rose), Oscar Isaac (Standard Gabriel), Ron Perlman (Nino "Izzy" Paolozzi), and Christina Hendricks (Blanche) Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.

Review
Drive is a strange film in the sense that it feels so retrofitted and could seemingly work in another era. Is it a bad thing to be compared to other eras and their films? No, not really. This is at heart a movie that gives you time to just watch it and not just listen to dialogue. Whether that's an aspect that makes the movie exciting/boring depends on the viewer's patience. Honestly the movie was fine for me, though I imagine it works best if watched at midnight, or a late time, as it just heightens the mood. The actors don't exactly have many lines to go by, but they do make the most of it, especially Albert Brooks. It's actually a bit surprising on how effective he is as a villain. He's a chilling character to watch at times, and he makes the movie his own for his scenes. Gosling and Mulligan do share a good bond with each other, Gosling is pretty effective playing a (mostly silent) character who looks like he'd fit into a 60's movie, seemingly inspired by Steve McQueen or even Clint Eastwood, which is a pretty good compliment. I like how he uses his expressions sometimes to help convey his emotions without dialogue. The supporting cast such as Bryan Cranston and Ron Perlman are fun to watch, along with Oscar Issac (in the brief scenes he has) and Christina Hendricks. Are the characters easy or hard to like? That all depends on the viewer, though Mulligan is probably the only character without blood on her hands. The action and violence is subdued, but when it happens it is a good payoff. I like how the driving sequences are shown, it feels so natural and the lack of dialogue actually helps make it better. This is a strange movie, it shouldn't work, but it works so well at being a movie of its own.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.

Review #651: Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.

Cast
Ben Stiller (Alex), Chris Rock (Marty), David Schwimmer (Melman), Jada Pinkett Smith (Gloria), Jessica Chastain (Gia), Bryan Cranston (Vitaly), Tom McGrath (Skipper and First Policeman), Chris Miller (Kowalski), Frances McDormand (Captain Chantel DuBois), Sacha Baron Cohen (King Julien XIII), Martin Short (Stefano), John DiMaggio (Rico), and Christopher Knights (Private) Directed by Eric Darnell (#154 - Madagascar 2, #165 - Madagascar, and #254 - Antz), Conrad Vernon (#162 - Shrek 2) and Tom McGrath (#154- Madagascar 2, #165 - Madagascar, and #195 - Megamind).

Review
The first two Madagascar films were alright, not too shabby. 7/10 star ratings, but again, decent enough and entertaining enough for at least children or teens. But hey, what do I know, right? Anyway, the third movie is more wild, more ambitious and also more entertaining. The animation this time is really good, I especially like the circus show with the use of black lights and trapeze work. It's so colorful to watch, and the use of "Firework" oddly enough goes really well with the scene, which is about as wild as you expect. The characters (old and new) are entertaining, especially Bryan Cranston, though admittedly that maybe just my preference for the rugged but entertaining to watch actor. Or maybe I just have Malcolm in the Middle (go watch it if you haven't already) on the mind, but whatever. The comedy is more fun to watch, and most of that comes from how awesomely insane the villain is, I especially like the scene where McDormand sings "Non Je Ne Regrette Rien". It comes out of nowhere, and the character reactions to the song are just priceless. Is the plot anything special? Probably not, but it makes up for it by having enough enjoyment and just having fun. Is it great? Not really, but it is better than the first two films, which I guess matters the most.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Ghost Breakers.

Review #650: The Ghost Breakers.

Cast
Bob Hope (Larry Lawrence), Paulette Goddard (Mary Carter), Richard Carlson (Geoff Montgomery), Paul Lukas (Parada), Willie Best (Alex), Pedro de Cordoba (Havez), Virginia Brissac (Mother Zombie), Noble Johnson (The Zombie), and Anthony Quinn (Ramon Mederes/Francisco Mederes) Directed by George Marshall.

Review
The Ghost Breakers isn't exactly a horror film, it's a comedy-horror mix, but it fits into the context of this month, and I get to rectify a long running mistake: Not reviewing a film with Bob Hope in the main cast. It's weird how it took almost four years to do this given Hope had a long running career with over 50 films in a span of 40 years not counting cameo roles. But anyway, this is a movie that even has zombies in it, and guys who play dual roles, this could very well have been a drama, though the movie had been made two times before in the silent era, so who knows? The actors are pretty good conveying spooks and decent enough comedic timing, Hope is probably the best  part of the movie, right next to the cinematography by Charles B. Lang, along with some really fine camera shots that make the movie at least have some chilliness to it. The movie is short at about 83 minutes, but it moves at a good pace and it manages to not overstay or under stay its welcome. Goddard does a pretty good job being the lead next to Hope, she even gets in a few fun lines, and her and Hope share a good rapport in this film, which is a plus. The movie is enjoyable enough and sweet enough to work as a film to watch if it's on or a rental, especially for this month.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.

Review #649: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.

Cast
Heather Langenkamp (Dr. Nancy Thompson), Patricia Arquette (Kristen Parker), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Craig Wasson (Dr. Neil Gordon), Ken Sagoes (Roland Kincaid), Jennifer Rubin (Taryn White), Bradley Gregg (Phillip Anderson), Ira Heiden (Will Stanton), Laurence Fishburne (Max Daniels), John Saxon (Donald Thompson), Rodney Eastman (Joey Crusel), and Penelope Sudrow (Jennifer Caulfield) Directed by Chuck Russell (#157 - The Mask)

Review
I described the second movie (Freddy's Revenge) as "a mismatch of random ideas that spring into a less than mediocre horror film." With that in mind, the third film can't be as bad because Langenkamp returns to the series, and she does a pretty good job once again, she doesn't get on your nerves (like the doctors in this movie), and she's not annoying, like some of the characters, such as the doctors (save for Wasson and Fishburne), who just keep believing that the dreams aren't killing them, despite two of them dying, because apparently none of the doctors have ever heard of Freddy Krueger. At least the actors are pretty good, Arquette is a pretty decent co-lead, though for me one of my favorite actors that return is John Saxon. He doesn't get too much screen time, but he is awesome to watch, for me it's his expressions and how he reacts to all of this, Saxon is just so cool to watch. The effects are pretty good, although for some reason my favorite scene is when Dick Cavett (in the strangest cameo for a horror movie I've seen in a while) suddenly turns into Kreuger while interviewing Zsa Zsa Gabor (2nd strangest cameo), which segues into one of the kids' deaths, which is a cool scene as well. The fact that Wes Craven returns to help write the screenplay is also a big help, and Russell does a pretty good job directing, I like how Kreuger is given something new to do, and Englund excels at that. The movie is not near the first's level of scares, but it's better than the second film and it's entertaining enough for October, or as I call it, Spooktober. Check it out, and have some fun-I mean fright.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Beowulf (2007).

Review #648: Beowulf.

Cast
Ray Winstone (Beowulf), Anthony Hopkins (Hrothgar), Angelina Jolie (Grendel's mother), John Malkovich (Uniferth), Brendan Gleeson (Wiglaf), Robin Wright Penn (Queen Wealtheow), Crispin Glover (Grendel), and Alison Lohman (Ursula) Directed by Robert Zemeckis (#317 - The Polar Express, #352 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and #581 - Forrest Gump)

Review
It is somewhat weird for me to write a review of a movie I also had to write a compare and contrast essay about, but here we are. Beowulf is a classic tale from long ago that inspired many tropes of heroism in other stories, which is why it has had a few adaptations over the years, like The 13th Warrior, or even the 1999 version of Beowulf, along with spin offs such as Grendel (and the film of it as well), but this movie is something of its own. Motion capture animation is hit and miss when it comes to scenes, at times it can look good, like the battle scenes but other times it looks a bit off-putting, such as closeup shots of characters looking more like a 90's interactive adventure story. The actors are at least entertaining, they seem to have a grasp on making these character interesting, though the character motivations and the plot itself is changed significantly. The idea to have Beowulf be a flawed man is either a brilliant way to make the plot seem more interesting, or just disappointing that they couldn't follow the story even in motivations.

At least the characters are given more screen time to develop, though the story sometimes seems more like a telenovela then an action film. At least the film has moments that are pretty fun to watch, the scene at the end is pretty good, I like how the movie doesn't hold back on the action/violence, and even though the movie has its silly moments (the beginning scenes are a bit odd to watch), it at least is an entertaining movie. Is it a movie that's true to the story? Not really, the whole subplot of Grendel's mother has a few new subplots and the movie ends on an ambiguous note, whereas the story ended on outright victory. I guess the movie's quality depends on your relation to the story and if you can let changes not affect your perception of the movie. I thought it was just okay, but at least it tried to be an entertaining movie, and it probably did a better job at doing that then the other two Beowulf films I mentioned earlier, which I guess is a good thing.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Men in Black 3.

Review #647: Men in Black 3.

Cast
Will Smith (Agent J), Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K), Josh Brolin (1969 Agent K), Jemaine Clement (Boris the Animal and 1969 Boris), Emma Thompson (Agent O), Michael Stuhlbarg (Griffin), Mike Colter (James Darrell Edwards II), Nicole Scherzinger (Lilly Poison), and Michael Chernus (Jeffrey Price) Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (#005 - Get Shorty, #077 - The Addams Family, #078 - Addams Family Values, #211 - Men in Black, #212 - Men in Black II, and #454 - Wild Wild West)

Review
10 years? It took 10 years to do this? (I mean the wait between films, not length of production) I wonder how long it'll take to make the next one, hopefully not 15 years. I don't know which is more surprising, the gap or the time travel plot. Actually the time travel plot is more surprising, though it is at least inventive and not just "stop the alien from destroying the world" again. Actually it is kind of like that, though at least it's more focused on stopping the past from changing, and Agent K again, though at least Jones and Brolin are enjoyable. The makeup and the effects (by Rick Baker) this time are pretty decent, they've evolved in a sense, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  The characters are pretty good, I guess the villain is alright, but comparing him to the past two is all a matter of choice, though I still prefer D'Onofrio from the first film, at least Clement does his best. It is at least fun to watch Smith and Jones once again, and while the movie lacks Rip Torn (who they kill off), Emma Thompson is a good replacement. I do like the twist at the end with K, the ending of the movie is just good enough. The movie is not as good as the first, but it at least is better then the second film, which is all you need, I suppose.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Dredd.

Review #646: Dredd.

Cast
Karl Urban (Judge Dredd), Olivia Thirlby (Judge Anderson), Lena Headey (Ma-Ma), Wood Harris (Kay), and Domhnall Gleeson (Expert) Directed by Pete Travis.

Review
The original Judge Dredd (#332) film was awful. All the film tries to do is really distance itself from that movie and make its own identity, and it succeeds. The film has a variety of characters, though most either get only a few lines or are just there for a few moments, but the main four (with one supporting character) are the focus, and they all do a wonderful job. Karl Urban has the task of conveying a character and their emotion (or lack of, but still) with half of his face covered by a helmet, which is thankfully never taken off. And he succeeds. Urban is so awesome to watch, he looks just like a menacing judge figure. Thirlby is a pretty good lead as well, she manages to pair up well with Urban, and even her scenes with Harris are chillingly good. Headey plays a pretty decent villain, her voice is effective enough to play such a hardened character, the whole cast is wired and fun to watch. The movie plays out almost like a horror film, especially with the violence, but given that this is a movie about judges that protect against hardened criminals, the violence makes sense. The effects are beautiful at times to watch, especially the Slo-Mo parts, which make the film go slower but better looking. Overall, this is a brutal but pretty awesome movie that manages to be a good action film. And I imagine it's also a good adaptation of the comic strip as well, so go figure.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: School of Rock.

Review #645: School of Rock.

Cast
Jack Black (Dewey Finn), Joan Cusack (Roz Mullins), Mike White (Ned Schneebly), Sarah Silverman (Patty Di Marco), Miranda Cosgrove (Summer Hathaway), Joey Gaydos Jr. (Zack Mooneyham), Kevin Clark (Freddy Jones), Rebecca Brown (Katie), Robert Tsai (Lawrence), Maryam Hassan (Tomika), Caitlin Hale (Marta), and Aleisha Allen (Alicia) Directed by Richard Linklater.

Review
Rock and roll is awesome, let's just get that out of the way. We (audience included) could discuss our favorite bands all day, what we listen to and if disco is actually better than pop songs today, or we could do it over the comment section below. It's all up to you, but in the meanwhile, there's School of Rock to talk about. It figures that on Rocktober (Or Spooktober, but whatever), School of Rock pops up on television, and it was on my day off, which created a perfect storm (Imagine that, AMC actually showing movies for once.) to review it. Black was practically born to play a rocker turned teacher and he has so much energy, he seems to really just blend into the role and the fact that he's pretty good rocking it out makes for a real fun performance to watch. The rest of the cast is good, I do wonder if I was supposed to like Silverman's character (though I'd complain too if a rocker reject posed as a teacher by pretending to be someone else), though I think I'll just let that one slide, only because sometimes rock just invades the mind, "who made who", as you might say. It is a long way to the top, if you want to make a good film, and this film manages to overcome some quirks and become the pinball wizard. Whoops, I meant an enjoyable film.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Blot.

Review #644: The Blot.

Cast
Philip Hubbard (Professor Andrew Griggs), Margaret McWade (Mrs. Griggs), Claire Windsor (Amelia Griggs), Louis Calhern (Phil West), and Marie Walcamp (Juanita Claredon) Directed by Lois Weber.

Review
Lois Weber is probably one of the most important legends of the silent era, she directed over 100 films (short and feature length) in her lifetime, and that number isn't even accurate as she may have done at least 200, though only a small portion survive. This movie comes from the 1920's, a decade in which I admit I've barely covered (This is only the 13th film I've covered on this era), and the movie is still relevant in today's society, especially for teachers, which is a strong point, when a movie manages to not be dated even after 90 years. The actors do a fine job, they convey their feelings very well without managing to overact too much. The atmosphere is pretty decent, it helps that Weber filmed in real locations and not just sets, trying to make a film as realistic as possible, and she succeeds. The movie is a pretty good drama, it manages to convey a slight dark tone that has a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Uncle Buck.

Review #643: Uncle Buck.

Cast
John Candy (Buck Russell), Jean Louisa Kelly (Tia Russell), Macaulay Culkin (Miles Russell), Gaby Hoffmann (Maizy Russell), Amy Madigan (Chanice Kobolowski), Jay Underwood (Bug), Garrett M. Brown (Bob Russell), Elaine Bromka (Cindy Russell), and Laurie Metcalf (Marcie Dahlgren-Frost) Directed by John Hughes (#046 - The Breakfast Club, #207 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off, #249 - Sixteen Candles)

Review
When it comes to John Hughes films (whether as writer or director), Movie Night revisits him and his movies every so often. This is another example, though at time it's one with John Candy, which is a plus. In fact, the main reason this movie is any good is because of John Candy and how his character is just so fun to watch interact with the other characters. I especially how he looks menacing to the teenagers, which made me though this was going to suddenly turn into a horror movie half way through (Imagine that, a comedy that turns into a horror film. I wonder how that would work out..), which is kinda nice. The movie is probably not as funny as Hughes' other movies, but it makes up for it by at least being entertaining enough. It's been a while since I've seen a clown get punched in the face, so I guess it gets a (rare) point for that. The actors had decent enough, Kelly does well in portraying such a mean character (who oddly reminds me of Lucy from Peanuts), and Culkin is....Culkin, only not as clever. I think. Anyway, the movie is passable, it at least is enjoyable enough and not too long to be a waste, you could spend 99 minutes doing worse stuff, this movie is along the "just fine" category, though really it's John Candy who makes the movie good, if not perfect.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.