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yashicad
Reviews
The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)
Same old tired, worn out formula
There is one of those coin operated crane machines full of cheap, worthless junk in the lobby of the multiplex. As I was walking out, I thought how ironic it was that I could have fed eight dollars worth of quarters into the machine and not felt as ripped off as I did buying a ticket to this movie. I have seen this movie a dozen times over the past decade. Nothing new here folks. Just two hours worth of jump scares with loud sound effects. Want to get the same "scare" for nothing? Just give a friend two metal trashcan lids with the instructions to bang them together behind your back when your not looking. Same thing. That's not scary, just annoying and you jump because it is a reflex. Had I not been with someone else (who was enjoying it ) I would have left after about 45 minutes.
The Legend of Bigfoot (1975)
I want my dollar back!
This movie is about 90% stock footage of animals with a really dull voice-over talking about Bigfoot. If I had a dollar for every time he said the name "Bigfoot" throughout this 92 minutes of coma inducing stock footage, I could take it and buy a decent movie. I like cheesy movies, but this isn't even remotely entertaining. By the one hour mark you will be praying for the sweet release of death. It took me not once, not twice but THREE different times before I could manage to watch this stinker all the way through. It became a challenge or a quest if you will, to watch this movie until the end without turning it off. At one point we are treated to a guy in a really cheap, and I do mean cheap suit hobbling around as a "wounded" Bigfoot. At the end of the movie (yay!!!) we get to see another shot of a guy in a suit splashing around in some water along with a young Bigfoot nearby. I was shocked and amazed that this was actually marketed as authentic footage back in 1976! Anybody that would believe this was actual footage of an undocumented, bipedal primate needs to get some serious help. If you want to waste 90 minutes of your life just save your dollar (thats what I paid) and go sit down outside and watch a blade of grass grow for that amount of time.
Grave of the Vampire (1972)
Very creepy 70's vampire flick
I wasn't really expecting Grave Of The Vampire to be very good. I bought it because I found it in a bargain section for only a couple of bucks. I must say, that it was well worth what I paid for it. Grave Of The Vampire has one of the most atmospheric graveyard scenes that comes to mind. Weird lighting, fog, and sinister music really make the opening scene in an old cemetery quite effective. Michael Pataki makes a great vampire. Actually, he looks like a zombie vampire during the opening scene, which I really liked. The film is very dated, so don't go into it expecting it to be comparable to something like Blade for example. However, for a good, spooky night movie it certainly hit the mark.
Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii (1973)
This is the one......
This is the one to show young people who want to know Elvis. Not the silly movies he made in the 60's. Not even Elvis On Tour or Thats The Way It Is. Show people who want to know what Elvis was all about...Aloha From Hawaii. This is The King of Rock and Roll in his court. He looks stunning. He sounds awesome. You can see the charisma that made him an icon. His white jumpsuits have become kind of a running joke. However in 1973 this was the style a lot of artists were wearing on stage. The one he sports in Aloha From Hawaii looks beautiful. He even tosses the cape and belt out to the audience. I love the 70's Elvis. The jewelery, the jumpsuits, the limos...all the excess he became famous for. I know that excess (in all forms) drove him to an early grave, but here we get to see him in all his glory before it spun out of his control. Aloha From Hawaii is Elvis, takin care of business.
Elvis in Concert (1977)
Looked bad...Sounded great !
I remember seeing this CBS special when it first aired. I was nine years old and it made quite an impression on me. Yes, he looked bad. He was overweight. We have all seen pictures of him in the final years so thats no big surprise. What I do find interesting is that some people say his voice was failing. To that I say...B.S.!! Listen to How Great Thou Art from this program and tell me his voice is failing. He practically blows the roof off with his voice. It really is sad to watch Elvis In Concert. Especially if you take into consideration that the Aloha From Hawaii concert was just four years before. Elvis just makes a quick run through of his most famous songs such as Hound Dog, Teddy Bear and Jailhouse Rock out of obligation to the fans. However songs such as You Gave Me A Mountain and My Way (among others) are given the full treatment.
Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
very creepy and atmospheric
I loved this movie. Being a Vincent Price fan I bought the DVD which has House of Usher on the other side. I thought Pit and Pendulum even surpassed the very good Fall of the House of Usher. I haven't seen everything Price made, but this is my favorite Vincent Price movie so far. Pit and Pendulum shows why he is a horror icon. I loved the way Corman uses colors especially during dream and flashback sequences. The whole film is very atmospheric and moody. It doesn't look cheaply made at all even though Corman was working on a tight budget. The climatic scene with the pendulum is a real nail biter. I was on the edge of my seat. I wish todays Hollywood could give us a horror movie with this much atmosphere and chills. If you are looking for a suspenseful, Gothic horror movie with plenty of style and chilling atmosphere, this movie is perfect.
The Return of the Vampire (1943)
Not a bad vampire flick
I watched this movie after I received it in the mail. I only ordered it because it featured Bela Lugosi as a vampire. I am a big Lugosi fan, however many of his later movies are horrid. I had figured this one would be fair at best. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this movie was. It is very atmospheric and spooky. While it isn't quite as creepy as Mark of the Vampire, I liked it better because unlike Mark, this movie doesn't leave you feeling kinda bummed out by the ending. While it wasn't a big budget movie, it wasn't a cheaply made movie either like some of Lugosi's other films. In this movie Bela Lugosi plays a vampire with a talking werewolf assistant who looks more like a puppy than a terrifying wolf. I think it is the nose. Thats the only complaint. Also btw, when he isn't a werewolf he looks kinda like Garth Brooks. All in all, for an old fashioned b&w monster movie this one is very good. Pop some popcorn, sit back and watch this one on a stormy night.
Envy (2004)
Humorless
I couldn't wait to put this movie in my DVD player when I rented it. Then after I started it, I couldn't wait to get it OUT of my DVD player. Actually I watched all of the movie. My wife and I kept waiting and waiting for something funny to happen, but nothing funny ever does. The box read like the it would be really funny. The premise of the movie sound good. Ben Stiller is funny. Jack Black is funny. How could this movie miss? Well....it does miss! This is the unfunniest "comedy" I have ever watched. Nobody I have talked with thought it was even slightly funny. It is just a really lame movie. Trust me. Avoide it....AVOIDE IT!!
The Amityville Horror (2005)
About par with other Horror movies of current...(sigh)
The new Amityville Horror suffers from too many cheap "BOO" type scares. Loud screeching noises, Loud crashing noises, MTV style editing (for those with ADD) and a strobe light going haywire. (maybe its supposed to be lightning but I have never seen lightning that had a strobe effect....go figure). When will Hollywood make a REAL Horror movie again? I'm talking about movies that build tension. Movies that create unsettling moods. Movies where if you blink you don't miss something. The only scares in the new Amityville Horror are "jump" scares due to Extremely loud sound effects. NOTE TO NEW FILM MAKERS: Sometimes an image in your mind can be scarier than what is shown on the screen. Think Rosemary's Baby. If they would have shown what Rosemary's baby looked like it would have ruined the whole movie. Amityville Horror shows you everything and then some. Leave your imagination at home. You wont need it here. Thank you MTV for inspiring new filmmakers to screw up Horror. If your under the age of 25 or so, you might love this movie. I found it to be quite numbing to my senses and by the time it was over my head was pounding. This movie will look dated in a few years....or so I hope. I'm ready for a return to Horror movies that people over the age of 30 can enjoy.