Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

February 07, 2019 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BOTM2NTI3NTc3Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNzM1OTQyNTM@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

Solo is a movie I had no real interest in. It’s not that I had the thought of it being a terrible or boring movie, I just had no interest in the backstory of a character that worked fine as it is. It’s because of that I never bothered to see it until it came out on home video. Of course, by then you get all sorts of reviews in the positive, with a few off-kilter complaints like “the ship is too clean.” Surely, if the best people can complain about is the ship being clean, something must be right about it and eventually I had the hankering for a heist movie, so I thought “why not Solo?” To be honest, I had even intended to try and watch it in 4k, but some technical difficulties that require me to relocate my hardware prevented me from doing such. Apparently, I don’t have quite the luck of the main character - but more so than me, will his movie?

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, adventure, fantasy, pg13, scifi
tags / Solo: A Star Wars Story

Cold Skin (2017)

January 31, 2019 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BZGM4ODUwNTYtNWQ0OC00ZGRiLWFkODQtZTM2MTgyN2Y5Mjk4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjE4NzUxNDA@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

It’s cold outside. I saw a movie name when browsing, and was pitched as it having monsters in it to deal with. Sometimes, that’s really all it takes to decide on watching a movie - and when it comes to it, the box art is pretty snazzy as well. I will give it to Netflix and a lot of these digital services for video these days, they at least help keep the feel of the old rental place perusal, where you could literally look at a picture and title and go “yep, that’s for me tonight.” If they add a “back of the box” feature, then it’d be pretty dang perfect. Who knows what we are getting ourselves into, grab a scarf and let’s dive in with these “web footed humanoids” to find out

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, horror, nr, scifi, thriller
tags / Cold Skin

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

January 24, 2019 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BMTU4NDIzMDY1OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjQxMzk3MQ@@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

You thought that fantasy kick was super short lived after that military-based movie from last week didn’t you? Ha! You’ve been played, for I’m still on a fantasy kick and all shall suffer my opinions because of it! Alright, perhaps that was a bit more dramatic than necessary, but I did have a slight hankering for a little something that mixes the two. Most people herald the middle-aged Mummy films as the best the old dried up wrapper has to offer and despite the fact that I wouldn’t say I thought the newest entry was as bad as others might think, they don’t have a terrible statement either. What was it that caused those movies to be so enjoyed over the rest, and why is it that the first one I’m doing for the site is the last of that bunch? Maybe it’s just a curse bestowed for raiding the old tombs of movies so much, or maybe it’s because hidden gems of fun? Tonight, we check out The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, adventure, fantasy, horror, pg13, thriller
tags / The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

12 Strong (2018)

January 17, 2019 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BNTEzMjk3NzkxMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjY2NDczNDM@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

If it comes in the queue, it gets a view. I’ve enjoyed myself a military real story movie before, and they generally aren’t bad. Granted, you never really can tell how much of it is the real story and how much has been amped up for viewing entertainment, but either way if it’s a good movie it entertains regardless. More than anything else though, it was the whole “horse soldiers” pitch that sold me on adding this to the queue in the first place - named actors and the likes were largely all just a side note. Is it any good? Hopefully the horse doesn’t say neigh.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, drama, history, r, war
tags / 12 Strong

Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire (2017)

January 10, 2019 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BMTgyODc5MGMtYTI4MS00ZTM2LTk0ODYtODQ2ZjIxNTM5MDBmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDUxNjc5NjY@._V1_UY268_CR3,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

It’s been a hot minute since I watched one of these. Heck, to be honest I’m not ever sure I saw the third one, only to figure out that there was a fourth and apparently work on a fifth. Well, perhaps thankfully I’m in a fantasy sort of mood - only time will tell if that’s actually something I should be thankful for. Still, dragons and fire and swords are bound to show up in one way or another, and who doesn’t like listening to Patrick Stewart? Get your lighter’s out, it’s time for a Dragonheart movie.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / fantasy, pg13
tags / Dragonheart: Battle for the Heartfire

The Predator (2018)

January 03, 2019 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BMjM5MDk2NDIxMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjU5NDk3NTM@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

Something is missing at the start of this year. Perhaps it’s more missing from last than this, but if there’s one movie franchise I can really get behind in terms of fandom, it’s that of one big ugly alien hunter. There’s has been a bunch so far - up until the newest, there was three in the “cannon” and two in the crossovers, as well as god-knows how many fan made films and plenty of games on computers or tabletop, comics, and novels to flesh things out further for those who couldn’t get enough. This race even had the chance of standing up against the Batman (and losing, as anyone not Batman tends to do against Batman). The first trailer I had seen for this new entry has me worried, but after hitting the theaters and checking it out I had fun - only to find out that I was apparently quite the minority in my stance. Well, it’s out for home ownership now, and it’s time to turn off that cloak and tackle it like a man. Will my enjoyment stand up to the initial response, or will I find myself buried like a side character in hot dismembering plasma? It’s time to revisit The Predator.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, adventure, horror, r, scifi, thriller
tags / The Predator

Kin (2018)

December 27, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BZDczYzNhMDMtNmQ2Ni00ZjcwLWI1MDQtMWI1YWVkNjkzN2NhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNDMzMzI5MjM@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

Science Fiction is always fun in my book - those visions of the future or things to come just intrigues the mind in ways more plausible then the average magic and drama. The genre hasn’t usually done all that great in the box office outside of the huge mainstays like Star Wars or Star Trek, but regardless I’ve always enjoyed it. Cue one day when watching a trailer compilation to keep up on what’s getting released down the line and I stumble across this movie of a kid finding a alien gun, and I’m already all in and adding it to the list of things to watch. Could be terrible, could be great, but it’s got some shiny visuals based on the trailer, and sometimes that’s really all it takes to draw you in. Let’s see how strong the familial bond is with this one, today we look at Kin.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, pg13, scifi
tags / Kin

The Christmas Chronicles (2018)

December 20, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BNTA3NjU3OTM2MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjQ2MzE1NjM@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

I’ve made it pretty well known at this point that I’ll give almost any movie that employs Kurt Russel a chance when it comes to viewership - even if it’s not a movie I would otherwise watch. The man can act! Here is one of those cases, and also a return to form from a while back when I really hit heavy the Netflix Originals in reviews. It’s the time for giving and family fun, and despite the sparse amount of snow in the world outside my window lately, that means Christmas is almost upon us - and my tolerance levels of yule joy haven’t much changed. Despite my propensity of avoiding the overly-happy and at times mind-numbing holiday movies that flow from channels like Hallmark like an open wound, Kurt drags me into the cheer regardless of if I want it or not - and all that’s left is to find out if this thing is a present of fun or a ho ho horrible time. Let’s take a look at The Christmas Chronicles.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / adventure, comedy, family, fantasy, pg
tags / The Christmas Chronicles

Operation Red Sea (2018)

December 13, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BOTViMmI4ZTEtMzY0Zi00NjMwLWJhMzAtMmU2OTE4N2M4MzI4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc2NjA2NTE@._V1_UY268_CR4,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

It seems like lately China has been really opening up and sending all sorts of movies our way state-side. I was never opposed to a good foreign flick before - foreign horror introduced me to all sorts of variations on creatures like the Hopping Vampire or takes on ghosts that were familiar but different, or even on actual events played up a bit more fantastically such as the Dyatlov Pass incident. Admittedly, sometimes my eyes are lazy and I just can’t find the mood to read a movie and I’ll stray away, and one could argue about the need to read subtitles drawing my eyes from the screen and potentially missing little details, but that’s where things come around today. Operation Red Sea is an action entry, and I’m chomping at the bit for some rock and ready battles.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, drama, nr, thriller, war
tags / Operation Red Sea

The Shape of Water (2017)

December 06, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BNGNiNWQ5M2MtNGI0OC00MDA2LWI5NzEtMmZiYjVjMDEyOWYzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjM4NTM5NDY@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

Another installment of “waitstaff recommends.” Now, I like me monsters of all kinds, and del Toro has given me plenty of those sorts to enjoy over the years I’ve known of him as a creator. One would think that in turn this movie would have already been in my queue before this, but to be frank it largely was marketed as a romance movie from anyone I had heard speak of it review-wise and well, if we couldn’t guess from previous entries, I’m more of a dumb action and cheesy horror kind of person so I had passed it up. Still, when it comes up as a recommendation, who am I to decline? Let’s see if it can live up to it’s praise or if I find something to be fishy, let’s check out The Shape of Water.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, drama, fantasy, r, romance, thriller
tags / The Shape of Water

I Feel Pretty (2018)

November 29, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BMGI3ZDRjZTQtMTMyYy00NGI4LWI2MjktNzMyMjg0NjQ2NTY0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTAyODkwOQ@@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

I have no business reviewing this movie. It’s not my genre, it’s not my style, and it’s something that even without watching I know that I’ve already ended up seeing enough that it might as well be made with a cookie cutter in the film room. Still, I like to play a game I call “Wait-staff recommends”, and if I get a waiter or waitress to give me a movie recommendation then it’s only right of me to watch it regardless of if it fits into my preferred mold. The best part of the situation is I go in with low expectations, so the movie should have only up to go - not that it’s saved some of the movies I’ve seen. The worst case scenario is that it is in fact perfectly mediocre and I have to do battle with my brain to find anything to really talk about afterwards. Well, let’s find out if this one is pretty and witty or lame.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / comedy, pg13
tags / I Feel Pretty

Hot Fuzz (2007)

November 22, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BMzg4MDJhMDMtYmJiMS00ZDZmLThmZWUtYTMwZDM1YTc5MWE2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjU0OTQ0OTY@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

I swear I’ve already done this review. I had to check no less than three times, referencing my excel log, checking the website search function, and each time I checked it showed that I hadn’t done it yet. I know I’ve watched the movie a few times now, but the fact that the entire review part is deja vu just won’t cease. Alas, perhaps that’s the problem of doing this for over two hundred movies and still watching movies I like repeatedly regardless - sometimes my head just gets things a little mixed up. Thankfully, that gives us a great excuse to play policeman-officer so throw on the lights, here comes the fuzz.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, comedy, r
tags / Hot Fuzz

The Meg (2018)

November 15, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BMjg0MzA4MDE0N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzk3MzAwNjM@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

I’ve watched a lot of shark movies. You wouldn’t really know it just browsing entries here - most of them are what I call “tub movies” - in which you loaf around in a bath, hot tub, pool, or whatever bucket of water you can fit your fleshy self in and flip on a movie. I’ve seen sharks in tornadoes, genetically mutated sharks, sharks in the sand, sharks in the snow, giant sharks, and cg sharks so bad they wouldn’t scare a two year old. When I saw the initial trailer for The Meg, I said to myself “yep, gonna watch that eventually.” While I took on the long wait for rental to be available, I didn’t hear the greatest things about it from the more review-oriented folks, and the few actual people I knew that saw it seemed to have a fun enough time. Well, it’s time to see if this ginormous toothy boat of a flick can swim or sink.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, horror, pg13, scifi, thriller
tags / The Meg

I Sell the Dead (2008)

November 08, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BMTkyMzIxNDQ4MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzk4MjU3Mg@@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

Comedy is something that’s made it’s way into movies all over the place. Generally speaking, I’m actually pretty okay with this, as a good joke can do wonders towards heightening entertainment value - although comedy being such a subjective thing it’s also sometimes really hard to pull off for a mass-appeal. At the same time, I hadn’t thought of until recent this recent year the implications that can come with comedy - or rather, the theoretical question of “Can there be too much comedy in a movie?” Extensively, the answer to that is yes - if you are going for a serious, heart-impacting emotional moment too much comedy surrounding it can drastically effect in a negative way said moment. Still, everyone wants to laugh, and when the movie is made to cater to comedy such as this entry, there shouldn’t be a ghost of a chance towards the comedy being a problem - only if the jokes fit my particular style. Settle in at the old pub for a pint, tonight we check out I Sell The Dead.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / comedy, horror, nr
tags / I Sell the Dead

Mandy (2018)

November 01, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BMjk1MjhmZWQtNzU3OC00NDE4LThlODQtNTdhZGM4M2E3MWZkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMxODk2OTU@._V1_UY268_CR2,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

What did I even just get myself into? I remember catching a trailer for this, and adding it to my queue long before I could actually get it in the mail in the first place. It finally shows up, and I’ve all but forgotten anything about it - so I throw into the description real quick. Nicolas Cage? Check. Revenge flick? Check. I’m good to rock and roll, surely this will be a entertaining thing. Man, was I woefully under prepared for what I was about to see. Get ready for a blend of things so intense you might end up hating and loving at the same time - it’s time to push play on Mandy.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, horror, nr, thriller
tags / Mandy

The Black Hole (1979)

October 25, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BOGEzN2M5YTItZDRkZS00OWMxLTk3MTktZjZkNzExYWRjYjA5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjI4MjA5MzA@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

Tonight I remedy a mishap I had earlier on, in which I had intended to watch this film but instead got words mixed up in my head and ended up watching a totally unrelated movie instead. I slotted this on in for now, primarily because most the time I heard of it was in reference to it being terrifying - although I do find it amusing that in fact “horror” isn’t a tag for this movie. Although it’s much more science fiction than it is horror, the two aren’t entirely exclusive to each other - heck, the mysteries of the unknown can often turn into the terror for those who seek them, if any Sasquatch movie is something to go off of. So strap into your time machines and prepare to go back to the past for another hearty jaunt of a different tomorrow, tonight we look into The Black Hole and see what gazes back.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, pg, scifi
tags / The Black Hole

Night of the Lepus (1972)

October 18, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BMjM5NTk3N2EtNGZkMy00NTdhLWE0NGQtZDhkNzA4NjJjNWNiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

There are many different types of horror. So far this October, we’ve checked out some psychological thrills and some cheap evil monster spooks. Tonight, we go to a universal stand by that’s been around longer than I have - Science! Yes, the folly of man, science gone wild. Oh, and I should mention it’s just about the cutest science gone mad you could get - except that close-up view of it’s big nasty teeth. Tonight, we get hopping with Night of the Lepus.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / horror, pg, scifi, thriller
tags / Night of the Lepus

Clawed (2017)

October 11, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BOWIyNDMwMGQtOWZmMi00MGM4LTg5ZjgtODg2NjEzNDgzNThlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTM3MDMyMDQ@._V1_UY268_CR9,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

Sometimes I get myself in trouble deciding to watch things just reading the description. I once accidentally found myself in an Uwe Boll film because the description sounded passable and I didn’t look at who was involved with it. Tonight, I find myself looking at a movie that if nothing else promises to be a creature flick - and I like those. None of the names mean a thing to me - haven’t heard of any of them - but the description tells me the premise could be interesting in the same way any other creature feature could. So I throttle in the DVD, turn off the lights, and prepare to follow up on the surprisingly good psycho-horror of last week with something that’s way more up my alley - and within the first ten minutes I know if its going to be a good time or I’m going to want to claw my eyes out. Perhaps it should have stuck with it’s more sludge-oriented original title, tonights entry is Clawed.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / horror, nr
tags / Clawed

Delirium (2018)

October 04, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BNjVlMzZlYTQtNDY3NC00ZWU5LWFlOGMtODEyMDFiYTk4N2YxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjY5ODI4NDk@._V1_UY268_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

It’s finally a month that makes logical sense for me to pull out some scary movies. Yeah, I know, I can hear you complaining that I do too many of those kinds of movies - but you know what? There’s only so many Godzilla flicks I can do (although I do suppose I could start up one of the other eras). Regardless, tonight we take on something a little less slashy, and try using our brains for a change. This chiller of a thriller will have you second guessing your own plot assumptions as you go, tonight we watch Delirium - the one with Topher Grace, because apparently there are a bunch of them, two of which came out the same year (insane, right?).

Comment 0 Likes

categories / horror, r, thriller
tags / Delirium

Ready Player One (2018)

September 27, 2018 / Ken Rupracht

MV5BY2JiYTNmZTctYTQ1OC00YjU4LWEwMjYtZjkwY2Y5MDI0OTU3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTI4MzE4MDU@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

Nostalgia the movie. Let’s be honest here, if anyone goes into this movie and comes out complaining about the amount of pop culture references, than they probably shouldn’t have gone to see the movie in the first place. The trailers for this thing told me everything I needed having never read the book that existed before hand - I’m gonna get things I remember from my childhood, and from one of my favorite past times. If I don’t get fond remembrances, I’ll get a video game movie that isn’t strictly tied to a franchise in which to be labeled a horrible adaptation but instead just a lot of gaming as a whole. I don’t see anything in this trailer that tells me “No, do not watch this” and finally the day has come for me to test and see if it was all a fabricated DLC pass grabbing at my quarters, or if my expectations can be delivered upon without seventeen thousand hotfixes. Tonight, we check out Ready Player One.

Comment 0 Likes

categories / action, adventure, pg13, scifi
tags / Ready Player One