Criss Cross (1949) 7/10

A man returns to LA in hopes of rekindling a romance with his ex-wife, but ends up getting mixed up in an attempt to hijack an armored truck.
This is one of the few movies I've seen that fall into the film-noir category. It's also one of the few Burt Lancaster movies I've seen.
There was a lot going on in this film. Tragic romances, double-crosses, double-double crosses, gunfights, fistfight.
This was a really well put together film. The acting was above par (with one brief scene excluded), sets, direction. And a very interesting story that really drew me in.

Spiral

If you've seen any other Saw movie, you know what to expect here. Yeah, they're trying to pretend it's not really a sequel, but a spinoff, but who are we kidding here? Okay, so it's a copycat killer who has no real connection to John Kramer, but so what? It's still the same old shit. This is as much a sequel to Saw as "A New Beginning" is a sequel to Friday the 13th.

The fact that it stars Chris Rock is something interesting, I guess. He's actually not such a bad actor in a serious roll, but I still find him hard to take seriously. It's that voice. I hear it, and I can't get his stand up out of my mind.

1917 (2019) 7/10

During WWI, two British soldiers are tasked with a mission to stop an ill-fated attack on a German fortified position.
I'm ashamed to admit that I don't really know that much about WWI, aside from the basic facts, such as cause, combatants and the immediate outcome and how the terms basically made WWII inevitable.
The movie itself is gritty and action-packed, with an occasion lull to let the viewers catch their breath before things blow up again (sometimes literally).
The British accent and slang is for the most part easy to understand. The acting is very good, with special nods to George Mackay as Lance Corporal Schofield, who is the protagonist of the movie.
Recommend if you're looking for a good war movie.

What TV Group Would You Hang With?

So, I've been watching "How I Met Your Mother" lately, and it made me think this would be a fun group to have as friends.
If you could pick any TV family, friends, group, etc., who would they be?

Paul McCartney

When I'm 64? That was 15 years ago. Dude put on the best concert I've ever been to, and that was only a couple years ago.

He's got a new Hulu doc next month that I want to watch. I need to get a new computer so I can download it instead.

Hocus-Pocus and Frisby

I watched a Twilight Zone twofer with "To Serve Man", a classic episode with big-headed aliens, Richard Kiel, and double meanings... and then the Frisby episode, which is one of my favorites.

Twilight Zone was known to dabble in different genres, and this is definitely a comedic effort. Frisby claims to have done it all, and every time he's called out on a contradiction, he has an excuse or an amendment to the story. Reminds me of a guy I know... but I think his nicknames are what makes it. Archmedes Frisby, Cumulus Frisby, Stonewall Frisby, and of course... Rear Engine Frisby.

Frisby did (not) lead an eventful life.

Another Horror DVD Haul (27 DVDs)

This time from a local swap meet. They were priced at $1.00 each, but he sold the lot for $20 total.

The Evil Cat (2008) - not listed on IMDB
Vampire Clan (2002)
Trailer Park Shark (2017)
The School (2018)
Shark Swarm (2008)
Scarecrow (2002)
Sands of Oblivion (2007)
Killers Within (2018)
Devil's Mile (2014)
The Executioners (2018)
The Black Torment (1964)
Here Comes the Devil (2012)
Leatherface (2017)
Knock Knock (2017)
Honeymoon (2014)
5ive Girls (2006)
Apartment 143 (2011)
Zombie Nation (2005)


Multi-Packs
The Midnight Horror Collection: Serial Killers
1) White Angel (1994)
2) The Flying Dutchman (2001)
3) In the Dead of Winter (1993)
4) Disturbed (2009)

The Midnight Horror Collection: Killer Curses
1) Venom (2005)
2) Dust Devil (1992)
3) Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return (1999)
4) Beneath the Mississippi (2008)
5) The Dead One (2007)
6) The Final Patient (2005)

Where Evil Lies: 6 Movie Collection
1) Population 436 (2006)
2) Devour (2005)
3) Candy Stripers (2006)
4) Incubus (2006)
5) Wind Chill (2007)
6) The Cottage (2008)

Gritty Horror Tales
1) Harm's Way (2008)
2) Hack! (2007)
3) Baby Blues (2008)

Horror Collection Extravaganza
1) Embryo (1976)
2) Shadow Play (1986)
3) Intimate Stranger (1991)
4) Night of the Demon (1989)
5) The Pyx (1973)
6) Sister, Sister (1987)

The Midnight Horror Collection: Bloody Slashers
1) Hoboken Hollow (2006)
2) Secrets of the Clown (2007)
3) Room 33 (2009)
4) Curtains (1983)

Horror Collection: 6 Movie Pack
1) Blood Diner (1987)
2) Parents (1989)
3) Earth Girls Are Easy (1988) (huh??)
4) Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989)
5) Fido (2006)
6) Boy Eats Girl (2005)

Freak Fest: 5 Movies
1) Killers from Space (1954)
2) Monster from a Prehistoric Planet (1967)
3) Gamera vs. Viras (1968)
4) Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)
5) Sound of Horror (1964)

When a Stranger Calls (2006) 6/10

A high school girl takes a babysitting job at a remote house, but she starts getting disturbing and threatening calls.
Remake of the 1979 classic. Sometimes it's difficult to remake a film, especially a well-known one. I thought they did a pretty good job. Not sure if the original ended the same way (been at least 30 years since seeing it), but the ending of this version was pretty telegraphed.
I was expecting Jill's love of running to play a more significant part. The killer, when we get to see him, looks appropriately scary.

Sci-Fighters (1996)

Amazon Prime knows me well. For a DTV looking turkey, this wasn't too bad. It has a Blade Runner atmosphere and various sci-fi tropes. You have to with a title like that, right?

Roddy Piper plays the lead, a detective trying to find some escaped/dead prisoner he used to know (Billy Drago) who's been infected by some weird alien parasite. This is probably the only time I've seen Drago in a prominent role, and Roddy Piper definitely cashes in his cool points for this. He's still basically a rip-off of Richard Dekker, but with a wrestler's physique. He doesn't always come out on top though, but nobody's perfect.

Another sci-fi subplot is the polluted atmosphere. A cloud of dust makes it a perpetual night. I think it was mostly a stylistic choice, because nobody wants to see the daylight in Blade Runner type of movie. Daylight is for pussies.

This movie might be recognized if it had a bigger budget.

Interesting Fact About "The Exorcist"

Heard this on the radio this afternoon.
Apparently, one of the actors in the movie turned out to be a serial killer. He played a surgical assistant, and he was convicted of killing six people.