Hardware (1990)

As someone who absolutely hated writer/director, Richard Stanley’s Dust Devil, my expectations going into Hardware were extremely tempered. Well, for awhile, Hardware was definitely the better of the two movies, in my opinion, but still far from a great film, and I was expecting a bit more entertainment from a film sporting a killer robot. That said, the acting is rather well done (although I found myself getting pissed at the characters for making stupid decisions, but I’ll save that anger for the script – they made do with what they had).

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Big Man Japan (2007)

So, I tend to watch a lot of strange films (anyone that knows me can attest to this), so I’m always up for anything that’s not mainstream, or that just comes off as odd. That said, watching Big Man Japan was quite an experience. It goes from a documentary to a giant monster movie in the vein of Godzilla and then switches gears, and somewhere along the line becomes a parody of Power Rangers (or at least I hope that’s what it was). Big Man Japan is quite a ride, but I can see how many people might not dig it.

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Eden Log (2007)

Lately, I’ve found myself checking out films that had a lot of hype behind them prior to an official DVD/theatrical release. The latest one that fell into my lap was Eden Log. This one had some pretty strong online hype, but, like many of the others, I was completely let down. A decent premise and good-looking locations with some nifty camerawork is not enough to make up for a dull story and a poorly-paced film.

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Terminal Invasion (2002) – DVD Review

 

This Sci-fi Thriller was directed by Sean S. Cunningham (Friday the 13th) for the Sci-fi channel,  and stars Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Bubba Hotep).  Two correctional officers are transporting a convict (Campbell) to another facility in a Blizzard in Washington State.  When they slide off the road and crash into a tree, they are forced to walk.  The only place they can take cover from the storm is a small charter airport that has been snowed in.  Of course the nice people at the airport do not feel comfortable having a convict amongst them.  But, they are soon to find out, that is the least of their worries.

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The Calamari Wrestler (2004)

The Japanese continue to baffle (and entertain) audiences everywhere with their freedom of expression in film. After checking out Executive Koala, from director Minoru Kawasaki, I knew I had to check out his earlier effort, The Calamari Wrestler, and boy, am I glad I did. How often do you see a guy dressed up as a giant squid fighting wrestlers in a story extremely reminiscent of Rocky?

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Barbarella (1968)

I’d love to know what director, Roger Vadim, was thinking when he directed the 1968 cult-classic, Barbarella. Were there drugs involved? Was it made as a vehicle for his ‘then-lover’ Jane Fonda? Were the comic books just as cheesy? I watched Barbarella with no expectations, and lucky for me, every last one of them was met. What I got was probably the silliest outer space flick I’ve ever seen, and it came with a heavy dose of hotness and a smidgen of partial nudity.

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

Looking back at 1993 in my old(er) age, it truly was a great year for television. Beavis and Butthead made its premiere on MTV, outraging parents across the country with its then edgy humor. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers became a smash hit, oversaturating the market with merchandising that came in every color, shape and size. The Seinfeld season finale gave us all a glimmer of hope that Jerry, the show within the show, would finally come to fruition (and later prove to be the undoing of America’s favorite group of narcissistic friends). But even among these moments and many others, the one I remember most fondly is the premiere of The X-Files, one of my favorite shows of all time.

Being only eight at the time, I hadn’t really been exposed to the genre aside from a singular viewing of House on Haunted Hill and a scant few episodes of The Twilight Zone. The X-Files changed all that, almost singlehandedly becoming the gateway into my love for horror. With episodes revolving around psychics, ghosts, aliens, vampires and various other creatures, the Kolchak-esque show seemed to have no boundaries and at the time, was considered one of the most daring television shows of all time. And in many respects, when taking episodes like Home into account, which tells the story of an inbred family and their taboo lifestyle, it still is.

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Alien (1979)

Imagine, if you will, the vast emptiness of space, the echoing corridors of nothingness, lit only by the countless stars thousands of miles away dotting the black backdrop. Now, imagine a massive ship sliding through the abyss of space, traveling through galaxies to a destination unknown. Its boxy features and immense volume seem miniscule in the greater scheme of the vast, unformed territory. Travel inside the ship, and move through its rough designs and simplistic layout. The silence inside the space ship is only matched by the stillness on the outside of the ship’s massive walls. All of this is broken by the operating of the ship’s computer system as it flickers to life, an operating system showing brightly off the glass mask of a helmet sitting in the captain’s seat. You’ve just experienced the opening of Alien, probably one of the best films ever made.

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