Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2007)

Sometimes, watching a lot of movies like I tend to do, you stumble across some pretty off the wall movies. Imagine me, scrolling through all these different titles, when I come across something named Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer, and see the name Rober Englund attached. Yeah, my interest was piqued. What appeared to be classic suit-based monsters, a hero who's just bursting with rage, and the Nightmare on Elm? Oh yeah, I jumped right in!

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Shaun of the Dead (2004)

The first movie to introduce many of us to the knockout trio of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost in a great take on the zombie genre with a bit of british flair. Shaun of the Dead creates a goofy spin on the now humdrum zombie film, but without actually changing from those loveable Romero-esque zombies of olden days, instead using it's main cast to bring about the laughs - something it succeeds at. Considering there are zombies in it, and the requisite violence that such a creature would bring to bat, it's not one for everybody but to those who love themselves some of the shuffling flesh-hungry beasts, it's almost certain you have already seen it.

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Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)

What do Mortal Kombat,  Rocky IV,  Wayne's World , and The original Crow  have in common? They all share actors with this movie! This bad boy is definitely not for the kids, however, containing some language, a bunch of nudity, and even more violence. For the adults in the audience who are fans of classic 80's and 90's action flick, you are going to find yourself right at home with this one.

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Singham (2011)

Subtitles aside, this movie is a complete blast. I understand that I probably lost some of you with the disclosure that it has subtitles, but for those of you who are still present you already probably now that each foreign place has a specific charm to its movies - China has Kung Fu, Japan has a lot of weirdness, and India has Bollywood for example. Well, in this case we are stepping more into Bollywood, which opens up a couple of avenues that aren't usually there for the walking when I go into the review step (such as a bit more playful and intentional use of musical numbers), so it's really like a double-stage level of enthusiasm for this one. The only real thing that makes me not  want to do this review is the inevitable horrible butchering of the poor actor's names I'm about to put forth...

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Barracuda (1978)

A surprise of a movie from way back when: a time of bell-bottom jeans, afros, and funk sharing a deadly little secret. There was a lot more thought put into this story then I at first glance would have thought (I kind of figured I was getting into a generic sea critter turned monster flick), and it would no doubt  still be right at home on a giant wooden drive-in backdrop. I'm going to need and use some spoiler blocks through this to not spoil the fun little twists in the film though, so just be prepared to actually have  to read parts of this if you want the free spoiled-version of the opinion.

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Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)

I may be a young adult male, but there's still something to be said of the charm of family-oriented movies. From the get-go, Journey 2  lets you know that it aims to please in what one expects of a family film - a whimsical plot filled with imaginative visuals and eccentric characters, as well as the deep touching undercurrents of topics that some younger folks may not get. It rather much delivers on its promise to deliver as well, even if as I sit and watch it, I can't help but feel that the flick was oriented towards a 3-D experience over the simple 2-D plane I was watching it on.

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Shark Week (2012)

Taking the spirit of Discovery 's Shark Week into heart, I'd like to spin you a cautionary tale of knowledge about a misunderstood creature: B-movies are a much enthused genre of movies for folks looking for all manner of fun - be it stupid and grotesque, or intellectual and unique - but made on a (normally) less-than stellar budget. Over the years, these films have developed their own set of cliches and styles, which is sometimes emulated by producers who have a bit more money to throw at it than others (such as SyFy channel's notorious strings of original movies), while still retaining the low brow humor and fun often associated with them. Many are even made mockingly of more well known of higher budget films. However, in the existence of all these films, one groups stands aside as hands down the worst  movies I have ever seen (seriously, they'd be as bad as Uwe Boll if it wasn't for the fact that I think they try to be bad intentionally) - and thy name is Asylum.

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Hardware (1990)

This one has been labelled as a classic, and I frequently have had it recommended for me to watch it by Netflix. Well, most of the general reviews have it listed as "style over sustenance," and I think I can see why. To be frank, I don't expect this to be a long opinion piece like many of the other ones, simply just on the principle of what this movie is and isn't. As a last word to the forewords, let me just state that this is not  a movie for the younger audience - if you wouldn't let them watch Game of Thrones  (for example), then you will want them to stay very clear of this.

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Every Which Way But Loose (1978)

 Clint Eastwood, a pretty girl, country music, fistfights, and an orangutan. If any of these things sound like they are up your alley, then you have got to catch this movie. Built for a generation of filmgoers who cared more about having a good time and enjoying themselves then those looking for spot-on realism and super-gritty takes on the world, this movie delivers every bit as much nonsense as it infers on the cover. Read on, fellow person, and I'll tell you exactly what I thought about this foray into a seemingly lost art.

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Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013)

Insert some Black Sabbath  and say "I am Iron Man." I mean, really, that's the first thing to come to mind when anyone thinks of Iron Man, right? Well, he's back in animated form (the character, not the actor) with a small scale assortment of known heroes and some distinctly Japanese-flavored new ones in this animated adventure. If you're a bit pressed for time, let me assure you that if you enjoyed his live-action romps, then you should find yourself a happy place for this one.

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Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)

All the crew from the original is back in town for this sequel. The nice part about this is there are a lot of familiar faces, and characters that we get to see some new tidbits about. Will the road runner (Bandit) escape that devoted coyote (Justice) yet again, or will the law finally have it's day? Either way, it ought to be a real hoot.

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Pacific Rim (2013)

 I've been a fan of the mech genre for years now - mostly thanks to anime and video games - to the extent that I've actually seen Robot Jox, and I don't want to think of how many Gundam  shows, so I at first really didn't want to review this one (I mean, if you are a fan of something it can be pretty hard to distance yourself from it and place a solid level-headed judgement upon it) on the grounds of that and the fact that it still doesn't exist in an own-able form. Literally the only way you could see it is in theaters, until it's run is out, and then you'd have to wait till DVD release day - an unknown time that could be a horrendous drag - but what it comes down to is that I was impressed by the reactions of others  who had seen the movie so much that I just couldn't resist.

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Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

Do you like cars? Do you like Burt Reynolds? Do you like chase scenes, trucker lingo, and cops that aren't very good at their job? Well, then you are in for the ultimate movie to suit your tastes! If you don't like any of those things, I guess you might not be as enthused about this movie as the others, but you might want to pick up on the finer points before casting final judgement. 

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The Monster Squad (1987)

"Wolfman has nards!" If you know that line already chances are you, like me, are a fan of this movie. Feeling almost like a spiritual successor to The Goonies , with much higher stakes, it wasn't till many years after it's release that Monster Squad  started to get a heavy cult following. I personally was introduced to it via my mother, who had seen it earlier on and liked it enough to pick up a DvD of it when she came across it, and it wasn't much longer till I ended up using that DvD more than she did. That I'm a fan is one thing, but to deliver proper wealth of opinion here I won't simply just gloat over how you should feel like a lesser-person for having not seen it, because that's just my character. Seriously though, you should feel bad for not knowing anyone awesome enough to make you watch this movie.

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The Goonies (1985)

"Hey you guys!" A line that is possibly the  most recognizable and quoted movie line ever heard, The Goonies  is all about adventure and excitement in a family friendly romp. A natural classic that bewilders the minds of those who love it, and hardly ever not liked (although there are some out there who don't seem to like it as much, but to each their own). It is a tale that stands up to time, even if at times it's age shines through the camera.

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Interstella 5555 (2003)

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. On the same page, if a person were to look at that same picture with some form of music playing in the background, they might find that not only are those words changing more freely, but also that the picture is starting to generate feelings  within the viewer that might not be found otherwise.  It is in this vein that the band Daft Punk  decides to experiment, generating what some might consider a waste of time, and yet others will appreciate for long to come as a new spin on story telling, where the imaginative visuals combine with the music to form a whole new beast

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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013)

Batman is one of those characters that despite what medium he happens to be appearing in, it's gonna be a blast. Comics, novels, live action movies, animations, and even games, the Bats has a way of making people want more and enjoy getting it. This movie is actually the second part (as the title would apply) in a pair, the earlier of which I had watched some time ago before I started doing these little reviews, so I feel at least a little bit awkward when it comes to doing this one. In that respect, I'm grateful that they both feel a bit functional as stand alone things - that is to say I enjoyed this one even forgetting most of the last movie (as I have a terrible memory span). Enough about me though, you came here to learn about the movie didn't you?

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Miami Connection (1987)

What did I just watch? From what you can gather from the box art and the blurb, you still really don't get an idea of what exactly it was that I just watched. I'm pretty sure that it was good, although it was also pretty bad, and at the very least I can say that whatever it was  I enjoyed it. It has heart, it has soul, and it has taekwondo. Why don't we all step back from trying to understand that  sentence and I'll get on with trying to make this a bit more understandable than it sounds already, but I will tell you that if any of you are at all familiar with how goofy 80's Far Cry: Blood Dragon was, then you might be able to make a few connections of your own.

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Forbidden Planet (1956)

There's a certain charm to older movies, before everything was CG this and cookie-cutter that. Visions of the future in comparison to today seemed as though they where far more out there in relation to the times, with flying saucers and more grandiose thoughts of technology. Forbidden Planet  has this charm and imaginative wealth, and it really is a nice change of pace from the modern science fiction where everything seems so functional and slightly modern. Back in the 1950's the future looked so alien .

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