The January Man/ National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2

141. The January Man
142. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure


The January Man tells the story of a former New York City police officer brought back into the fold to help solve a serial killer case.

Kevin Kline stars as Nick Starkey. Starkey is working as a firefighter since being fired in the midst of a big scandal. A serial killer is responsible for the deaths of 11 women and Starkey is the only one intelligent enough to be able to solve the case. This does not go over very well with the people who saw Starkey as a disgrace to the badge. Will Starkey be able to crack the case before another murder is committed?

I enjoyed this one. The story maintains your interest throughout while attempting to figure out the identity of the killer. The film touches numerous genres so there is really something for everyone. The cast is really good with Kline as Starkey. Solid support comes from Susan Sarandon, Harvey Keitel, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Danny Aiello and Alan Rickman. Again, just a really solid cast. My biggest complaint about the movie is the reveal of the killer. I'm not going to spoil anything but I will just say that I was hoping for a bit more.

Overall, The January Man is a decent watch. Maybe not worth a blind buy but it's at least worth a rental.


National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure is the made-for-tv 5th installment of the popular Vacation series.

Whereas the previous four movies followed the adventures of Clark Griswold and his family, this one focuses on Cousin Eddie and his family. After losing yet another job, Eddie is offered a free tropical vacation as a bit of extra compensation. The vacation finds them on a beautiful island in the South Pacific. They take a day trip on a boat when disaster strikes and they find themselves as castaways on a deserted island. Will they be rescued in time to celebrate Christmas or is island living going to be their ultimate fate?

Uggggggggh. That was my first thought while viewing this one. The second thought I had was of disbelief that I had actually paid money to get this one. I was at Wal-Mart once upon a time when I stumbled upon this title in their dump bin. I figured it wouldn't be too terrible a loss for $5. When I got home, I checked the receipt and found that it was actually $8.50. Damn the dump bin! Anyway, I have always enjoyed the Vacation movies. Even the not nearly as popular Vegas Vacation. This? This isn't a Vacation movie. Well, it is but strictly in name. Everything else is severely lacking.

The story is virtually non-existent, instead we just bounce from incident to incident to confirm how big of an idiot Eddie is. Whereas the Eddie character was actually funny in previous movies, it's just a shell of itself here. Randy Quaid does the best he can do here but there really isn't all that much to work with. About the only highlight here is the return of Dana Barron, reprising her role of Audrey Griswold from the original Vacation. This marks the first time in series history that one of the Griswold kids has been played twice by the same actor.

Overall, this movie is a big old steaming pile. Skip it.

Escape From Alcatraz

140. Escape From Alcatraz

Escape From Alcatraz is the 1979 collaboration between Clint Eastwood and director Don Siegel. It would also be their last due to a falling out between the two over rights to the film.

This is a dramatization of the only successful prison break from the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz was called the Rock and rightfully so in that escape was a near-impossible task. If you managed to overcome the combination of a plethora of armed guards and barbed wire fence, you'd still have to contend with the icy cold waters and a mile long swim to dry land. Somehow prisoners Frank Morris and John and Clarence Anglin made the escape. Of course, it has never been confirmed if they actually were successful or not, lack of evidence to the contrary leads one to believe that they did make it.

I like this movie quite a bit. I am a big Clint Eastwood fan so having him as the lead is always a plus. The story is interesting and engaging right from the start. There really isn't much in the way of character development, as we're never given the reason why Eastwood is locked up. Nor any of the other inmates really. Basically, he's a bad guy but we want to see him succeed because the warden and prison workers are worse guys. Eastwood is solid, as always. Good support comes from Fred Ward, Larry Hankin, Patrick McGoohan, Paul Benjamin and Roberts Blossom.

Overall, this is a good flick. I recommend it.

Highspots: Brian Kendrick and Paul London's Excellent Adventures

139. Highspots: Brian Kendrick and Paul London's Excellent Adventures

Highspots: Brian Kendrick and Paul London's Excellent Adventures is not your standard wrestling shoot interview. That's made obvious when you notice that both guys are drinking beers and sharing a blunt at the beginning of things. Definitely sets the tone for what's to come.

I liked this shoot quite a bit. For me, I enjoy the interviews with more modern wrestlers because they tend to speak on issues that I'm familiar with. I have a lot of respect for the elder statesmen, so to speak, but a lot of the topics they touch on don't interest me at all. These guys aren't afraid to speak on any subject. Whether it be the reason for their releases from WWE or which diva slept around, they discussed it freely. It's not nearly as bitter and negative as you may expect. While the guys aren't afraid to bury folks who've rubbed them the wrong way, they're also quick to heap praise onto those who deserve it. With a running time of nearly 3 and a half hours, they cover a lot of ground.

The only negative I find in this one is the background. Apparently Highspots thought it would be clever to set up a green screen in the background so they could insert shots in post-production. It's a bit amusing at first but grates on you quite quickly. Especially considering that it's a pretty poor use of the technology anyway, often cutting faces off a bit. All in all, it's not that big of a deal though. The subject matter helps to negate the green screen.

Overall, this shoot lives up to its name...excellent. I highly recommend checking it out whether you're a fan of London and Kendrick or just shoots in general.

The Losers/ Kick-Ass

The Losers
Kick-Ass


When I was younger, I used to spend a ton of free time at the movies. Woonsocket actually had a multiplex of its own back then. During the summer, they would have 4 shows a day. A 1pm, a 3pm, a 7pm and a 9pm. In the summers of 1995 and 1996, I would often take a bus there early in the morning. I'd typically do a little bit of shopping at the stores in the plaza and have an early lunch before heading over to the movies for the first show. I'd use the newspaper to study the showtimes and work out the times so that I could see a show at all 4 showtimes. It usually wasn't all that hard because they only had 8 screens. The times would usually mesh up fairly well. The only real negative about this whole thing were some of the movies. I actually paid money to see stinkers like Striptease, Bordello of Blood and The Phantom on the big screen. By the time 1997 rolled around, I had a job and the free time I had dried up rapidly. Eventually, the multiplex wound up closing in September of 2000, once again leaving a pretty large hole in Woonsocket's entertainment options.

The reason I dredge up the past is because yesterday I decided to try a double feature out. It's something I hadn't done in quite some time. It's a challenge because of the now-16 screen multiplexes that exist. Showtimes just don't line up all that well, especially if you're looking to see specific movies. If you're just hopping from random flick to random flick, you'd have much more luck.

Our first show was The Losers. This is an adaptation of the comic series published under DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. It tells the story of an elite US Special Forces strike team. They are sent into the jungles of Bolivia to help target the house of a drug lord. Things don't go quite as planned and they wind up on the lam, trying to get their revenge on the person whom set them up.

When I first saw the trailer for this, it looked like a decent B-movie. Although the cast wasn't particularly loaded with household names, they were all folks familiar to me. I wasn't particularly excited about the movie but figured I'd eventually catch it on video. As the weeks passed and I saw the trailer more times than I care to count, I actually became pretty hyped up for it. When the dilemma of how to see this and Kick-Ass came about, I figured we'd just wind up skipping this one. That would have been a terrible idea.

This movie was great. Right from the beginning, there was action that didn't let up. The story's been done to death but the execution made it that much better. The cast was excellent with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans and Jason Patric. Evans and Patric really shined here, stealing the show with every scene they were in. I've always liked Evans and this performance just further solidified that. I am really looking forward to his portrayal of Captain America , due out next year.

Overall, The Losers is highly recommended.


Kick-Ass tells the story of Dave Lizewski, an ordinary teenager. He's a comic book geek who doesn't understand why nobody has attempted to become a superhero like in the comics. He decides that he's going to become the first in spite of the fact that he has no super abilities whatsoever. His first attempt at crime fighting ends horribly. His second attempt is caught on film and becomes a sensation on the internet. Thus, Kick-Ass is born.

When I first heard about this movie, I knew that I had to see it. I kept hearing of really graphic violence and figured that it was going to be something different from the standard comic book based flicks. I was expecting a solid action movie. Instead, what I got was a movie that didn't seem to know what it wanted to be. And in turn, I didn't quite know how to react to it. Scenes that seemed as if they were meant for laughs quickly turned into something dark. I have no problem with genres bumping into each other but in this case, they weren't bumping. They were straight up brawling. Overall, it made for a very uneven movie.

I did like the story. Seeing an average Joe attempting to fight crime without all the fancy gadgets and superpowers is a pretty cool idea. The cast was pretty good with Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the leads. Cage's performance was one of his "odd" ones, so I didn't care all that much for it. Moretz was the highlight here as Hit Girl. She was awesome. Definitely a talent to be on the lookout for in the future. Johnson was good as Lizewski/Kick-Ass.

All in all, Kick-Ass was a good movie that could have been much better if it had settled on an identity before hitting theaters. As it stands, I recommend it but only barely.

The Baxter/ The Guild Season 3

137. The Baxter
138. The Guild Season 3


The Baxteris the 2005 romantic comedy from Michael Showalter of The State.

Have you ever watched a romantic comedy? Odds are good that you have at one point or another. In a lot of those movies, the female lead is with a guy when someone from her past comes in and reignites the sparks between them, inevitably leaving the other guy alone in the end. Not that the other guy is bad or anything. He's just not the one. He is...the Baxter.

Our protagonist here is Elliott Sherman. He's an accountant who hits it off with a client, Caroline Swann. They get hot and heavy pretty fast and wind up engaged. Elliott has a long history of being the Baxter. Will they make it to the altar or will history repeat itself?

The first time I saw this movie, I wasn't all that impressed with it. I guess I was expecting a wacky comedy and this is pretty far from that. Upon this second viewing, I found myself liking it a whole lot more. The story is a new twist on the standard romantic comedy cliches. The performances are solid with director/write Michael Showalter pulling triple duty. Elizabeth Banks is good as Caroline. Support comes from Michelle Williams, Justin Theroux, Peter Dinklage, Zak Orth, Michael Ian Black and Paul Rudd. I am completely infatuated with Elizabeth Banks so she's tough to beat but Michelle Williams really shines here. I'm not a huge fan of hers but she's just adorable here.

Overall, The Baxter is a really good movie. I recommend it.


The Guild is a web-based sitcom that follows the lives of a group of folks who participate in an online World of Warcraft-style game. Each episode runs anywhere from 3-8 minutes and they can be found virtually anywhere on the net.

This third season finds our guild waging battle against the evil Axis of Anarchy. The Axis will stop at nothing to vanquish the good guys even up to infiltrating the guild's real lives.

As a big internet geek and a reformed gamer, I really appreciate the humor in this show. While I don't have a ton of experience with games of this particular style, I can definitely relate to a lot of the things being said.

This show stars Felicia Day, whom I've mentioned before as being one of the loves of my life. She's adorable. She's great as the neurotic Codex. Other guild members are Sandeep Parikh, Jeff Lewis, Vincent Caso, Robin Thorsen and Amy Okuda. All are solid in their roles and come across as if they're genuinely having a good time. This season sees Wil Wheaton as the leader of the Axis of Anarchy. He's particularly good as the devious Fawkes.

Overall, I highly recommend checking this show out. As I said, there are lots of ways to view this online. Or, you can spring for the dvds on Amazon. The first two seasons are bundled together for $10. Small change for something as good as this.

Night of the Living Dead 3-D

136. Night of the Living Dead 3-D

Night of the Living Dead 3-D is the 2006 re-imagining of George Romero's classic.

Years ago, the rights to the Romero film fell into the public domain. Because of that, anybody can essentially do whatever they want with the movie without fear of reprisal. If myself and all of my friends wished to come together and do a remake, we could. If I wanted to press the original movie onto dvd and call it the "Ed Tellier Edition", again, not a problem. This film essentially exists due to that fact.

I call this a re-imagining rather than a remake because there are just enough variances to freshen it up some. I'm not saying that the changes are good, mind you. Just that it's not the same old stuff. The biggest change here is the introduction of Gerald Tovar, played by Sid Haig. Tovar is a mortician who works near the cemetery where the outbreak begins. Since Haig is the biggest star here, he gets top billing and is pretty involved in the movie's last 20 minutes.

All that being said, this is really not a good movie. The changes in plot actually make it rather silly. There is very little gore, which is kind of a surprise. Blood and guts are a huge staple of zombie flicks. The version I saw was not in 3-D but rather the standard 2-D I saw a couple of shots where the 3-D would have been and they looked fairly cheesy. Sid Haig and soap star Brianna Brown are the leads and turn in the only good performances here. And Haig, for that matter, isn't even particularly good here. He's a bit too far over the top at times.

If you need to see a Night of the Living Dead, stick with the original. Or even the 1990 remake. Skip this one.

Unlawful Entry

135. Unlawful Entry

Unlawful Entry is the 1992 thriller starring Kurt Russell, Ray Liotta and Madeline Stowe.

After a home invasion at the Carr residence, police officer Pete Davis takes a special interest in the family. Particularly Mrs. Carr. How far will he go as he crosses the line from interest to obsession?

I like this movie quite a bit. It's got the right combination of action and thriller. This is the movie that Samuel L. Jackson's more recent Lakeview Terrace wishes it could have been. The story is interesting, as it genuinely makes you think. After all, what would you do if you wound up on the bad side of a police officer? Kind of a scary thought. The three leads here are Kurt Russell, Madeleine Stowe and Ray Liotta. All are pretty solid. Russell very rarely turns in a poor performance. Liotta is perfect as Officer Davis. You can see the obsession in him begin to build as the movie progresses. He even starts off fairly sympathetic, as you can kind of see how he might be led to believe that there is potential between he and Stowe's character. At least I could see it anyway.

Overall, this is a very solid thriller and one that I recommend.

How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon is the latest animated feature from Dreamworks. It's based on a series of children's novels by British author Cressida Cowell.

It tells the story of young Hiccup. He's a Viking...barely. Where his father is a big brute, fighting off vicious dragons that attack their village, Hiccup is stick thin and not much for dragon slaying. One night, the village is under attack by many dragons. Hiccup abandons his post as the blacksmith's apprentice in an attempt to capture his first dragon, the dreaded Night Fury. Miraculously, he manages to hit it with his net. Of course, nobody in the village believes him. The following day, he tries to find where the dragon might have landed. He finds the dragon but is unable to bring himself to slay it and instead sets it free. It's suffering from an injured wing and is unable to get very far. Hiccup decides to attempt to befriend the dragon and tame him.

I'm not going to lie...I'm not a big fan of kids' movies. I'm not one of those adults that enjoys the Toy Story/Shrek flicks. Not a knock on anyone who does or anything. They're just not my cup of tea. Even as a kid, I don't think I was that into kids' movies. There were a few I enjoyed but I think my tastes led me elsewhere. At any rate, I suppose that this was a decent enough movie, considering what it was. My son definitely enjoyed himself and that's the demographic they're after so it worked on that level.

I'm not going to comment on the story mainly because it's a kids' movie. You already know what you're getting, really. The voice acting was pretty good with Jay Baruchel as Hiccup. Other characters were voiced by Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. The animation was good, definitely worlds better than anything when I was a kid.

We chose to see this in 3-D. This was my second time seeing a movie in the new 3-D format. I wasn't sold on the whole experience after the first time and I'm still not. I know that it's not all about things flying off the screen and that it's supposed to add depth but the whole thing is just doing absolutely nothing for me. I find that all the glasses really do for me is give me a bit of a headache.

Overall, How to Train Your Dragon is a decent movie for what it is. If you're a fan of animated fare, then you'll probably enjoy it.

Update

Today is the 111th day of the year. I'm well ahead of the 365 in 365 pace I've set for myself. That actually surprises me a bit considering how many days I've actually gone without watching anything at all. I guess the marathon days wind up paying off eventually. If you factor in all the stuff we've caught theatrically, I'm even further ahead. Eventually, once I catch those movies on dvd, I'll update the reviews and get them numbered as well.

As of this moment, I am completely caught up on my reviews. While I love the idea of sharing my thoughts on what I've watched, sometimes the idea of actually doing so becomes a bit of a chore. I know I'm not the world's best reviewer or anything, but there still is an effort being put into all of my reviews. I've entertained the idea of nixing the reviews completely but I always find myself going right back to it.

Anyway, that's where this whole thing stands at this point in time. I'm just amazed at myself that I've been maintaining this whole time.

WWE: Great American Bash 2004/ Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead

133. WWE: Great American Bash 2004
134. Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead


WWE: Great American Bash 2004 was the first event to go by this name since the death of WCW in early 2001. It was the fifteenth event of this name overall.

The highlights of this particular event include the opening match with John Cena defending his United States championship in a four-way elimination match against Rob Van Dam, Booker T and Rene Dupree. After about 15 minutes of action, Cena retained by pinning Booker T to eliminate him. Another highlight was the Texas Bullrope match between John Bradshaw Layfeld and Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Championship. This was a solid match, going about 20 minutes. Both men gave it their all before Guerrero seemingly defeated a bloodied JBL to retain the title. Mere moments after, General Manager Kurt Angle came out and reversed the decision, thus giving JBL the win and the championship.

Overall, this event was nothing spectacular with just two solid matches out of 8. Skip the event and try to find the matches mentioned elsewhere.


Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead is the 1991 comedy starring Christina Applegate who was right at the peak of her popularity for her role as Kelly Bundy on Married with Children.

Applegate is Sue Ellen, one of 5 kids. Their mom is going to Australia for two months and is going to leave them with a babysitter. She seems like a sweet old lady but once the mom is gone, she's barking out orders like a drill sergeant. Sue Ellen and the kids have had enough so she goes to confront her. Come to find out, the babysitter has passed away in her sleep. Sue Ellen decides to do what any 17 year old would do and not tell anyone, taking charge of the family herself.

This one's pretty far-fetched. Even by 90's standards. That doesn't necessarily make for a bad movie. This one's not particularly good but it still has some enjoyable moments. I certainly don't care for it as much as I did at 14 however. It's got a decent cast with Applegate turning in a decent performance. Support comes from Keith Coogan, Danielle Harris, Joanna Cassidy, and Josh Charles. David Duchovny also has a pretty small role here.

One thing really bugged me about this movie while watching it the other day. I'm not particularly a huge anti-smoking zealot but the smoking in this movie just irked me for some reason. Applegate's character smokes quite a bit and for no apparent reason. I actually found it odd since she's supposed to be playing a 17 year old. There's even a scene with her smoking in front of her mother. I was a bit taken aback by it all, honestly. If this movie were to be released today, there's no way it would be allowed.
/end rant

Overall, this is an entertaining movie. It's not great but it's worth a rental at least.

Hexed

132. Hexed

Hexed is a 1993 comedy starring Arye Gross and Claudia Christian.

As you might be able to judge from the movie poster, it sells itself as a spoof of the sexy thrillers of the time like Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction. It sounds good on paper. In all honesty, it's something that should work. It doesn't quite manage to do so here, however. The biggest problem is that veers between spoofing and attempting original humor.

To sum up the story, Gross' Matthew works at a semi-upscale hotel. He has a reputation for being something of a liar. When he gets word that international supermodel Hexina is coming to stay at the hotel, he's determined to go on a date with her. Primarily because he's obsessed with her and has already told everyone that he's been with her in the past. He deceitfully manages to snag a chance to go out with her but he quickly finds that sometimes it's best to be careful what you wish for.

The writer/director here is Alan Spencer, creator of television's Sledgehammer! Aside from that show and this movie, he doesn't appear to have done much else. I never really saw Sledgehammer but if it's anything like this movie, I guess I didn't miss much. The story is decent enough but could be better if it would pick one path and focus on it. The cast is good. Arye Gross has always been one of those actors that I enjoy that the average person would never be able to identify. Claudia Christian is good as Hexina. The majority of the story revolves around her so she needs to be on top of her game, and she is. Support comes from the late Adrienne Shelly, Ray Baker and R. Lee Ermey.

Nostalgia led me to purchase this on dvd not long ago. Had I remembered the actual movie, I probably would have just Netflixed it or something rather than drop $10. Overall, it's definitely safe to skip this one.

Date Night

Date Night is the latest comedy from Night at the Museum helmer Shawn Levy.

Tina Fey and Steve Carrell star as Phil and Claire, a married couple who have fallen into a rut. Sex is a production that's tough to get motivated for. Even their weekly date night is nothing but a stale routine that sees them attending the same restaurant and ordering the same food. One evening, they decide to switch things up and take a drive to the city. They want to dine at Claw, an upscale seafood restaurant. Not having reservations, they're banished to the bar area in hope that something will open up for them. When they notice a party not answering the call that their table is ready, Phil jumps on the opportunity and steals their table. They quickly realize that that might not have been the best idea Phil's ever had as a case of mistaken identity quickly turns into something that they'd have never expected.

This movie was a blast. I had a great time watching it. The story has been done before, what with innocent folks getting caught up in situations that they can't possibly understand. The cast just knocks it out of the ballpark though. Carrell and Fey are excellent as the leads. To me, Carrell is essentially playing a slightly more intelligent version of his Michael Scott character on The Office. I'm not typically fond of older women but Tina Fey is a stone cold fox. She's got something about her that just hits me in all the right places. The supporting cast is huge with lots of familiar faces popping up. You've got Mark Wahlberg, Taraji P Henson, Jimmi Simpson, Common, William Fichtner, Leighton Meester and a few surprises along the way.

Overall, Date Night was a really enjoyable movie. I definitely recommend checking it out.

Toy Soldiers

131. Toy Soldiers

Toy Soldiers is the 1991 action movie set at an all boys boarding school. Terrorists take over the school as revenge for the ringleader's druglord father being taken prisoner by the US government. The terrorists plan to blow up the school unless the father is released. Eventually, a small group of students decide to take a stand and try to stop them.

Basically, this is Die Hard in a school. With teenagers. This came out when I was 14 myself. As a teenager at the time, I thought this was quite possibly the coolest movie ever. Teenagers fighting terrorists was an excellent idea. Having grown up, I realize now just how far fetched it is. It still didn't stop me from enjoying it revisit.

The story isn't anything special. It's your standard Die Hard type. At this time, it was almost as if everyone was copying that particular flick. There are a couple of twists and turns here that make it sort of fresh. But not by much. The cast here is really solid. A good sampling of teenage actors of the 90s with Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton, and Keith Coogan as the leads. Andrew Divoff is menacing as the leader of the terrorists. Authority figures of the school are played by Denholm Elliott and the always great Louis Gossett Jr. The cast really helps to make this one enjoyable.

Overall, Toy Soldiers is a decent action flick. It doesn't hold up quite as well as I'd hoped it would but I still liked it. If you're a fan of Die Hard style flicks, this one's a pretty good spin on the formula.

Slammin' Salmon/ I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell/ Nine Dead/ Old Dogs

127. The Slammin' Salmon
128. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
129. Nine Dead
130. Old Dogs


The Slammin' Salmon is the 5th movie from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe.

This movie takes place over the course of a single night at former boxing champ Cleon Salmon's restaurant. Salmon has lost a bet and needs $20,000 to cover his losses. Therefore, he needs his staff to have their biggest sales night ever in order to bail him out. Unfortunately for him, the staff is a bit on the shaky side. There's not much that I can really say about this movie without potentially spoiling some of the gags so I'm going to try to tread carefully.

To this reviewer, this is probably Broken Lizard's best movie to date. I've loved most of their other movies but this one just had me hysterical with laughter at times. In terms of story, there's not much that hasn't been done before. You've got a bunch of wacky underachievers trying to met an impossible goal. You've also got most of the restaurant themes covered as well. It's just the way that these guys do it that makes it work so well. The leads are the five Broken Lizard regulars. They're all solid, as always. I enjoy how they vary their "types" from movie to movie. It helps keep things fresh. Support comes from Michael Clarke Duncan, Cobie Smulders, Will Forte, Olivia Munn and Vivica Fox.

Overall, this movie is truly hilarious and well worth watching. I highly recommend it.


I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell is loosely based on the 2006 novel by Tucker Max.

It tells the story of three friends. Tucker, Dan and Drew. Dan is getting married and Tucker is in charge of the bachelor party. Things don't quite go according to plan and friendships get pushed to the limit.

Honestly, this is a pretty bad movie. Very few laughs considering that it's supposed to be a comedy. The character of Tucker is so unlikeable that you actually want to see harm befall him early and often. He's an obnoxious, fratboy douchebag. The story is just a series of events that only serve to further cement Tucker's status. The cast is lead by Matt Czuchry as Tucker with Jesse Bradford and Geoff Stults as Drew and Dan. Support (and eye candy) is provided by Keri Lynn Pratt and Marika Dominczyk.

I'm not sure how much of Tucker Max is just schtick but he can't possibly be as bad as he comes across here. If he were, surely someone would have stabbed or bludgeoned him to death by this point.

Overall, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell is just a terrible movie and really is just not worth watching.


Nine Dead is the directorial debut of Chris Shadley.

It tells the story of 9 people kidnapped by a mysterious masked man. They're handcuffed to the wall in what appears to be a room in a warehouse. The masked man comes out and tells them that they need to figure out why they've been brought there or he will kill one of them every 10 minutes. Will they be able to figure out the unknown bond that they share before it's too late?

When I popped this into the dvd player, I wasn't expecting very much. It turned out to be quite the pleasant surprise. On the surface, it seems pretty similar to Saw. Whereas Saw focused on the horrific, this sticks mainly to trying to solve the mystery. I found myself getting sucked in quickly once the action started. The story wasn't that intriguing but I was just hooked right in.

In terms of casting, we've got Melissa Joan Hart as our biggest name. In terms of the rest of the cast, we've got a lot of folks you've never heard of before. Sure, they've been in some familiar movies but I'm skeptical that they'd be recognizable so they'll get no credit from me here. Haha on them. The only other big name here is Daniel Baldwin. However, his role is basically a cameo that leads absolutely nowhere. I was a bit surprised by that, honestly. I was kind of figuring that the filmmakers would use him a bit.

All in all, Nine Dead was a pleasant surprise. I wouldn't suggest that you run right out and buy it but it is worth a rental at least. Plus, you can get it from Redbox for just a buck a night.


Old Dogs is the latest from director Walt Becker, of Van Wilder and Wild Hogs fame.

Charlie and Dan are lifelong buddies and partners in a sports marketing company. Charlie is the womanizer, the wild and crazy one. Dan is the straight laced one who wouldn't know a good time if it landed on his lap. After Dan's divorce, Charlie convinces him to go away on a tropical vacation. While down there, Dan goes a little nuts and winds up involved in all types of drunken shenanigans. 7 years after this "Guys Gone Wild" night, the woman that Dan met resurfaces to tell him that he's the father of 7 year old twins. AND...they're going to have to live with him for a couple of weeks, as she has something to attend to.

This movie is just chock-full of cliches. It's pretty corny and also rather predictable. However, the cast manages to make it pretty enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, this isn't high art by any stretch of the imagination. It's a total guilty pleasure movie. John Travolta and Robin Williams are Charlie and Dan. Both are good, like they usually are. The supporting cast is pretty large and talented as well. It includes Kelly Preston, Seth Green, Lori Loughlin, the late Bernie Mac, Matt Dillon, Rita Wilson, Amy Sedaris, Justin Long, Matt Dillon, Dax Shepard and Luis Guzman. A few of those are basically cameos but it's still cool seeing so many familiar faces in one place.

One interesting bit of trivia about this one is that it was originally to be rated R and released by Touchstone Pictures. After some heavy cuts and years of delays, they got it down to PG and labeled it as a Disney flick. I would definitely be interested in seeing this in its original incarnation.

Overall, Old Dogs is a guilty pleasure flick. It's not going to win any awards but it'll make you laugh and keep you entertained for 90 minutes.

South Park Season 13

126. South Park: Season 13

The 13th season of South Park once again finds Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman up to their usual antics. This season finds the Jonas Brothers, Kanye West and Whale Wars getting skewered by creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.

I have found that ever since South Park started creating shows the week they air, the show has just kept getting better. This season is further proof of that. The show is topical and just hilarious. I suppose the only real negative in this is that the episodes might not hold up as well years down the road once the topics have faded. Highlights of this particular season are The Ring, The Coon, Fishsticks, and the final 6 episodes of the season. There really are only a handful of episodes that didn't do much for me, honestly. And it's not that they weren't good, they just didn't click quite like the others did. The episode featuring Kanye West, Fishsticks, has me chuckling about it still, even after more than a week. At the heart of it was a silly, 4th grade joke but it just worked perfectly as something Kanye would completely misunderstand and get bent out of shape over. Really good stuff.

This dvd is rounded out with 7 minutes worth of deleted scenes and Trey and Matt's usual "commentary-minis". These commentary tracks usually go for about 4 or 5 minutes per episode. Just enough time to give you insight into the episode without having to fill 22 minutes worth of space. Also, as has been the norm with these more recent seasons, these episodes are 100% uncensored. Enjoy all the profanity, the way it was intended to be heard.

Overall, this season of South Park is one of the best. I highly recommend it. If you can't spring for the dvd set, South Park's website streams the episodes so you can check them out there.

House on Sorority Row/The Ugly Truth

124. House on Sorority Row
125. The Ugly Truth


The House on Sorority Row is a 1983 slasher flick from Mark Rosman who later went on to helm quite a few Lizzie McGuire episodes. Rather odd career turn.

Story takes place at the Theta Pi sorority house. Graduation is upon. The girls were planning a party off-campus but a lack of funds has led them to use the sorority house in its stead. The housemother is completely against this and forbids the girls from throwing their party. The girls are quite upset about this and decide to play a prank on her. The prank doesn't go according to plan and the housemother winds up dead. Later that evening, the sorority girls and their guests start turning up dead. Is the housemother still alive or is someone seeking retribution for her?

This is a decent, if extremely typical, 80s slasher. You've got good looking gals, some sex, some boobs, a few cool kills and some extremely cheesy effects. There's not much in the way of story. If you've seen any of the Friday the 13th movies, you've pretty much seen this one. The cast is decent with Kate McNeil, soap actress Eileen Davidson and Harley Jane Kozak leading the way. All three are pretty foxy, by the way. Just thought I should throw that out there. Anyway, Lois Kelso Hunt is solid as the crabby old housemother. Her brief time on-screen made me want to kill her so she did something right. In an interesting bit of trivia, it turns out that her voice wasn't considered scary enough for the role, so her entire performance was dubbed.

Overall, The House on Sorority Row is a fairly decent slasher. If you're a fan of the genre, it's worth watching. Maybe pair it up with the remake for a goofy double feature.




The Ugly Truth is a romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler.

It tells the story of Abby, a television producer for a morning news program in Sacramento. One night, she stumbles upon a public access show called The Ugly Truth hosted by Mike Chadway. This is a guy who tells it like it is about relationships. He pulls absolutely no punches. She's repulsed by the show and by Mike. Imagine her surprise when she finds out that her boss has decided to bring Mike in to host an Ugly Truth segment twice a week on her show.

Honestly, I really didn't want to like this movie. Romantic comedies aren't my cup of tea to start with. Secondly, a few girls I know had seen this and they loved it. That also steered me away from it. Now, to paraphrase a line from that last paragraph...imagine MY surprise when I actually liked it. It took about 35 minutes for it to actually happen, but it sure did.

The story is nothing new, as with most romantic comedies in general. Also, like most movies of this genre, I predicted the ending within 15 seconds of popping the disc into the player. What really made me enjoy this one was the cast. Heigl and Butler just go together really well. Heigl is something of a two-face. Meaning she can be gorgeous sometimes and a bit on the fugly side in other pictures. She's on the unscarred side of the coin this time, just looking absolutely great. Butler has a certain charm and charisma that just make him likable. The supporting cast here is solid as well with performances from Bree Turner, Eric Winter, John Michael Higgins and Cheryl Hines.

Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by this one and recommend checking it out.

Another 48 Hrs.

123. Another 48 Hrs.

Another 48 Hrs. is the direct follow-up to 1982's classic 48 Hrs.

This one takes place 8 years after the original. Eddie Murphy's Reggie Hammond is still in prison, having been framed for a crime he did not commit. His sentence is within hours of coming to an end when Nick Nolte's Jack Cates comes back into his life. This time, Cates is in trouble and needs Hammond's help to bail him out.

While this is a fairly enjoyable movie, it really pales in comparison to the original. I think that's because this basically is the original. It's almost a complete rehash of the first. When I first saw this movie, I was blinded by my love for the first to really notice this. Now, 20 years later, I realize and am just completely disappointed in it.

As mentioned in the last paragraph, there's nothing original to the story here at all. Whereas the original was somewhat groundbreaking, by this point the imitators were already out in full force. Many of those were doing it much better than this one. In terms of the cast, we've got Nolte, Murphy and Brion James returning from the original. All 3 are decent enough considering what they're working with. Support comes from Andrew Divoff, Kevin Tighe and Ed O'Ross.

Overall, unless you're a huge Eddie Murphy fan, you're better off skipping this one and just sticking with the original.

48 Hrs.

122. 48 Hrs.

48 Hrs. is Eddie Murphy's movie debut. It's widely credited to be the first "buddy cop" movie.

The story finds Detective Jack Cates on the hunt for a pair of cop killers and all around bad dudes. The only lead Cates has on the pair is a former partner of theirs who is currently incarcerated, Reggie Hammond. Cates arranges to have Hammond signed out of prison and into his custody for 48 hours in an attempt to track down the bad guys and get justice.

This is one of my favorite Eddie Murphy movies. It's got just the right combination of action and comedy. With a few exceptions, the movie holds up very well nearly 30 years after it came out. The story is good and engaging. Director Walter Hill has said in interviews that he considers all of his films westerns in some way. This definitely has touches that resemble that. As a director, Hill has done some classics throughout the years. Seeing his name at the opening of a movie is always a positive for me. The cast is solid with Murphy and Nick Nolte as the leads. Support comes from Brion James, James Remar, Sonny Landham, Annette O'Toole and David Patrick Kelly.

Overall, 48 Hrs is a classic. It's worth checking out.

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Clash of the Titans (2010) is the remake of 1981's movie of the same name. It's not quite 100% faithful to the original as there are quite a few differences. To me, that is a good thing. While I loved the original growing up, it just doesn't hold up all that well nearly 30 years later.

Like the original, it tells the story of Perseus. Perseus is the son of Zeus. Zeus impregnates Perseus' mother out of spite basically. Because of this, the husband of Perseus' mother traps his now-pregnant wife in a coffin and throws it into the sea. The coffin is found by a fisherman. Perseus' mother is dead so the fisherman decides to raise Perseus as his own. Some 20 years later, the humans are declaring war on the gods. Will Perseus realize his status as a demi-god and battle the humans? Or will he tempt fate and battle the gods?

Before seeing this, I'd heard a lot of really bad reviews. I was actually almost at the point where I wasn't going to bother with it. I heard from a couple of co-workers that it was good though so I figured I'd take a chance and give it a shot. I'm glad I did because it was actually a pretty solid movie.

The story was interesting, as Greek mythology is something that has always fascinated me. There was just enough action to keep the movie going along at a nice pace, making it feel shorter than its 106 minute run-time. There were a few laughs to help lighten things up on occasion. The cast was solid with Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes as the leads. All three give good performances. People seem to knock Worthington but I honestly see nothing wrong with him or his performance. Fiennes is great as Hades, god of the underworld. In supporting roles, Gemma Arterton, Alexa Davalos and Jason Flemyng are all good. Arterton and Davalos are pretty easy on the eyes as well.

Overall, this is a pretty damn good movie. I recommend it. If you do choose to see it, skip the 3-D as I hear it adds virtually nothing to the experience.

Paul Blart, Mall Cop

121. Paul Blart, Mall Cop

Paul Blart, Mall Cop tells the story of a security officer at a New Jersey mall. He longs to be a state trooper but hypoglycemia always manages to prevent him from living his dream. How will he fare when his mall is overtaken by a gang of criminals?

This is a total guilty pleasure movie. If it were made in the early 90s, when I still had HBO, I'd have probably already seen it 30-odd times. It's not particularly a good movie but it is entertaining as hell.

As is to be expected, the story here isn't all that great. The cast is what makes this movie more than it should be. Kevin James is perfect as Blart. He's not a handsome guy and he's overweight. He makes a believable security guard in looks and demeanor alone. His character is so sympathetic that you can't help but to root for him. Jayma Mays is the mall kiosk worker that Blart takes a liking to. She's not drop dead gorgeous but she is adorable. You can see why an everyman like Blart would like her. Good performances from both of them. The supporting cast includes Keir O'Donnell, Raini Rodriguez, Peter Gerety and Bobby Cannavale.

Overall, Paul Blart, Mall Cop is an entertaining movie with a good cast and some decent laughs. If you're looking to watch something light, this is a solid choice.

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka

120. I'm Gonna Git You Sucka

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is a parody of all the Blaxploitation flicks of the 70s. This is Keenan Ivory Wayans' directorial debut and is similar in tone to the later output from he and other family members. In watching this, you can tell that Wayans honestly loved the movies that he was sending up.

This tells the story of Jack Spade. His brother, Junebug, recently passed away so he returns home to comfort his mother and sister-in-law. Upon arriving home, he finds that his brother was working for notorious crime boss Mr Big. Junebug died owing Mr Big $5000 so Big's henchmen are out to get it by any means necessary. Jack decides to fight back and put a stop to Big's reign once and for all.

I watched this for the first time on VHS when I was probably 12 or so. I fell in love with it right away. Even though I'd never seen any of the movies being parodied, the humor was still apparent to me. There were scenes that I would literally rewind dozens of times before resuming playback. And back in the VHS days, that was a pain in the ass.

The cast here is just all kinds of badass. Keenan Ivory Wayans is Jack Spade. He has the right blend of action hero and goofy guy that you can't help but root for. Also in the cast are Isaac Hayes, Jim Brown, Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, Steve James, John Vernon, Clu Gulager, Kadeem Hardison and Damon Wayans. There are also cameos from David Allen Grier, Clarence Williams III, John Witherspoon, and a very young Chris Rock. Basically, it's an all-star cast. They bring the laughs here, big time. Even to this day, some 22 years after its release, it still holds up just incredibly well.

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka is worth a watch.

Paranormal Entity/ Year One/ Zombie Strippers/ Pretty in Pink/ Commando

115. Paranormal Entity
116. Year One
117. Zombie Strippers
118. Pretty in Pink
119. Commando


Paranormal Entity is one of the latest "mockbusters" from the folks at The Asylum. Years ago, The Asylum was just another company releasing schlocky, no budget DTV horror flicks. In 2005, they found a new level of success with their release of HG Wells' War of the Worlds. It hit video stores shortly before the big budget Tom Cruise/Stephen Spielberg collaboration hit theaters. And with that, The Asylum was off and running. In the years since, many of the biggest movies have had counterparts released by The Asylum. While the vast majority of these movies are pretty terrible, there have been a few good ones. How will Paranormal Entity play out?

The answer is, surprisingly well. Rather than feeling like a ripoff of the original movie, it actually feels as if it could be a sequel. Or at the very least, it could serve as a decent companion piece. Much like the original, it stars complete unknowns and is shot on video. The story is pretty much identical in that it finds some folks being tormented by a demon in their home. Rather than a couple, it's a mother and her kids here though. A lot of people who have seen this have actually said that it's scarier than Paranormal Activity. I don't particularly agree but I will say that, like PA, there are some setups that gave me a definite case of the creeps. It's slightly more graphic than PA was with a bit of nudity and a smattering of the red stuff. It's pretty well paced in that the interaction with the demon starts off early and hits relatively fast.

I can't believe I'm going to say this about a movie released by The Asylum, but I actually recommend this. Especially to fans of PA. If you didn't care for that one, you probably won't be a fan of this one either.


Year One is the comedy starring Jack Black and Michael Cera.

It tells the story of Zed and Oh. Zed is a failed hunter and Oh is a gatherer who can't gather. After Zed causes the village to burn down, he is banished and hits the road with Oh following.

This movie was pretty much savaged by critics at the time of release. Rightfully so. I'll admit that I did chuckle on occasion but for the most part, the movie just wasn't funny. Nor was it entertaining. Jack Black's schtick was amusing when he first broke through but now it's old and boring as hell. And ultimately, all he's doing here is playing yet another version of the same old character he's been playing all along. It looks as if his next movie, Gulliver's Travels will be more of the same. I guess we'll find out later this year.

At any rate, Year One is a pretty bad movie with no redeeming qualities to speak of. Skip it.


Zombie Strippers is a movie that completely lives up to its title. Kind of a rarity in that. You've got to admire their honesty.

It's set in the distant future. The United States is at war with a bunch of countries and even one state. With so many battles being waged, there aren't enough soldiers to fight. So, scientists have created a virus to re-animate dead soldiers so they can battle on, even after death. Of course this doesn't work quite according to plan. A zombified soldier winds up at a strip club where all hell breaks loose.

This movie was much better than I'd have ever thought it could be. I'll admit that it's not exactly action packed but I found it enjoyable. It's a nice mesh of horror and softcore Skinemax material. There's a good stretch of movie where a zombie girl dances and then bites a guy, turning him. This goes on for a solid 35 minutes,lol. I actually found myself getting a bit bored with it. No sooner did that happen, the action picked up again.

It stars Robert Englund, Jenna Jameson and Tito Ortiz. Those are the only names you'll recognize here. There is plenty of eye candy on display here though with Roxy Saint, Penny Drake, Whitney Anderson and Jennifer Holland showing their stuff. The acting and story isn't worth mentioning here. This movie is what it is. A cheesy z-grade flick. I almost find myself stunned by this but I recommend giving Zombie Strippers a shot.


Pretty in Pink is the 1986 teen comedy/drama starring Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer and Andrew McCarthy.

It tells the story of Andie. Andie is raised by a single father and lives in the poor section of town. She goes to a high school mainly populated with overly privileged rich kids who think they're better than everyone. Her best friend is Duckie. Duckie's a bit of an eccentric and a lot of a geek. Duckie is in love with Andie but can't build up the courage to tell her. Blane is one of the rich kids. He likes Andie and asks her out. Will the differences in their lifestyles allow them to have a relationship? Will Duckie finally build up the nerve to tell Andie?

This is one of John Hughes' many classics. He writer in this case. As with the majority of his works, this one has a lot of heart and holds up pretty well. Growing up in the 80s, I got to grow up with his movies basically. While Pretty in Pink and 16 Candles came a bit later, I was a huge fan of the Vacation movies, The Breakfast Club and Weird Science. As time went on and my obsession with movies developed, I learned his name and was always on the lookout for new stuff from him. After the success of 1990's Home Alone, his career took a turn. Rather than writing about teenagers, he started aiming towards younger kids with the Beethoven series and a couple of Disney remakes. It was after these that his output really dried up. He more or less retired and lived a private life in Illinois.

Back on topic, this is a really solid movie. The story is well written and timeless. Someone seeing it for the first time in 2010 can relate to it the same way as someone in 1986 did. At one point in their lives, just about everyone has been able to relate to a John Hughes character. I basically was Duckie for the longest time. That type of writing is indicative of Hughes' genius. The cast is perfect. Ringwald, Cryer and McCarthy are excellent as the leads. The supporting cast is nothing to sneeze at either with Harry Dean Stanton, Annie Potts and James Spader rounding it out. Good performances from all involved.

Overall, Pretty in Pink is just a timeless movie. It's well worth watching.


Commando is Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1985 flick.

Schwarzenegger is John Matrix, former leader of a Special Forces unit. Someone is killing his old squad off one by one. He learns of this and is attacked moments later. He manages to escape unharmed but his daughter is kidnapped. As is the norm with Arnold's action flicks, someone is going to pay dearly for their mistake and the bullets are going to fly fast and furious.

This is one of my favorite Arnold flicks. It was his first flick in which he showed that sarcastic side he became known for. It's got a ton of balls out action and enough laughs to show that it doesn't take itself all that seriously.

The story is typical revenge stuff, nothing new for an action movie. The cast is what makes it work. Schwarzenegger isn't much of an actor but he's charismatic enough to make for a decent performance. The rest of the cast is solid with Rae Dawn Chong, Dan Hedaya, David Patrick Kelly and Alyssa Milano rounding it out.

All in all, Commando is an enjoyable action flick. Definitely worth checking out if you're either an Arnold fan or an action fan.

Across the Universe

114. Across the Universe

Across the Universe has become one of my favorite movies in the 3 years since its release. I vividly remember first seeing the trailer with Jim Sturgess singing the opening lines of Girl by the Beatles. At that point, I knew that I had to see what was being referred to as "the Beatles musical". It received an pretty limited theatrical release with its widest release being shown on just 964 screens. Now compare that to the latest blockbusters and you'll see that it didn't stand much of a chance. It's too bad really. More people should have gotten the opportunity to see this movie.

It tells the story of Jude, a shipyard worker from Liverpool. He decides to enlist in the Merchant Navy in an attempt to meet the father he's never known. Believing him to be a professor at Princeton University, he jumps ship there. Upon arriving there, he runs into Max, a student on the verge of dropping out. Max befriends Jude, bringing him home to spend Thanksgiving with his family. While there, he meets Max's sister Lucy, developing feelings for her almost instantly. After an argument with his family, Max officially drops out of school and moves to New York City with Jude in tow. From there, they personally encounter the Vietnam War, the protests associated with it and the drug culture of the 1960s.

First off, this is a musical. I know it might sound odd for a straight guy to say this, but I am a big fan of musicals. Probably stems from seeing both Grease movies at a pretty young age. In this particular case, all of the songs are Beatles songs. How can you go wrong with the Beatles? Seriously.

Everything about this movie just knocks me out. This is one of those rare movies that I can't manage to find one negative thing about. No matter how much I love the movie, I'll typically be able to find some sort of flaw in it. Not so here. The cast is top notch with Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, and Martin Luther McCoy all shining. They are all solid actors and perform the songs just beautifully. They really do justice to the Beatles catalog. So much so, that I actually own the 2 disc deluxe edition of the soundtrack. Supporting cast has appearances by Bono, Eddie Izzard, Joe Cocker and Salma Hayek. I'm not usually the type of guy to talk about how well a film is shot and how great everything in it looks but I will in this case. This is just a great looking movie. The cinematographer and the art department really did outstanding work here.

Words really can't express quite how much I love this movie. When I'm having a lousy day, I can always pop this into the dvd player and lose myself for a couple of hours. I literally can not possibly recommend this movie anymore than I do. I strongly suggest everyone check it out.

The Reeds/ The Wedding Singer

112. The Reeds
113. The Wedding Singer


The Reeds is my 3rd Horrorfest flick.

It tells the story of a group of six 20-somethings taking a weekend boating trip on the Norfolk Broads. They eventually manage to lose their way and attempt to cut through the long reeds in an effort to get back to the main channel. From there, things only get worse.

I didn't care much for this one. There just wasn't much going on to keep my interest. It started off pretty well but took a turn where things just completely fell apart. Maybe someday I'll revisit it and give it another try but for now, it gets a Skip It vote from this guy.


The Wedding Singer is my favorite Adam Sandler movie. It was his first lead role that steered away from the stupid comedy aspect that was so prominent in his earlier flicks. Not that the stupid comedies were bad. Quite the contrary, actually. I really liked them. They just don't have the re-watchable factor that The Wedding Singer does. Back when I first got the cable channel Starz, they used to air the same movies on a loop. The Wedding Singer was on that month and I must have watched it a dozen times. I could still watch it daily now and not get tired of it.

It tells the story of Robbie Hart, a wedding singer. Hence the title. Anyway,Robbie gives up on his career after his fiancee doesn't show up for their wedding. He's soured on the entire concept of love and is just all-around miserable. He winds up getting involved with helping new friend Julia plan her own wedding. As the wedding gets closer, so do Robbie and Julia. Will the wedding singer find a new love?

The story doesn't offer much in terms of originality but it's still very well done. It has a nice balance of sweetness and hilarity. At the time, this was a pretty rare thing from anything Sandler had done so it came as quite a surprise. And at the time, it was his biggest grossing flick.

As I said at the top of the review, this is my favorite Sandler movie. He's not particularly known for his acting, but he's at the top of his game here. His character is immensely likable and pretty much anyone who has been unceremoniously dumped can relate to him. The other lead is Drew Barrymore. Like Sandler, she's just perfect here. Her performance of Julia literally made me fall in love with her. I typically don't get that out of a movie. The supporting cast here is solid with performances from Sandler regulars Allen Covert and Peter Dante. Others include Christine Taylor, Matthew Glave, Frank Sivero, Angela Featherstone and Steve Buscemi. We've even got a freaking Billy Idol cameo in this one!


Overall, The Wedding Singer is highly recommended.

Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine

Hot Tub Time Machine is exactly what you think it is. 3 guys whose lives aren't going quite according to plan decide to revisit a ski resort that they'd had the time of their lives at some 20-odd years ago. Tagging along is the nephew of one of the guys. They arrive only to find that the resort and surrounding town aren't quite what they remembered. Everything is in terrible shape. Most of the restaurants and stores are closed. Even their room at the resort is a mess. They eventually manage to get the hot tub up and running. They all get drunk and pass out in it. When they wake up in the morning, they find that they've magically gone back in time to the year 1986.

I grew up in the 80s, so I'm a huge sucker for anything from that decade. This movie pays tribute to the 80s perfectly. All types of references and callbacks to 80s flicks made me enjoy this one so much more. References to Sixteen Candles, The Karate Kid, Terminator and Red Dawn all managed to bring a smile to my face.

This was a solid movie. The story was paced well and engaging. There was just enough character development to make you interested in what they were going through. The cast was great with John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke as the leads. All get some solid laughs but Robinson and Corddry were the highlights for me. Support was provided by Lizzy Kaplan, Lyndsy Fonseca, Collette Wolfe, Crispin Glover and Chevy Chase. Glover is funny as hell as the resort's bellhop. Also, Karate Kid bad boy William Zabka makes his triumphant return to the big screen here.

Overall, Hot Tub Time Machine is a really enjoyable throwback to a simpler time. I recommend it.

Dread/The Final

110. Dread
111. The Final


Dread is an entrant in the 2010 After Dark Horrorfest. This is the 4th year that After Dark Films unleashes their 8 Films to Die For upon the world. Typically, they've got a one week stretch in theaters before coming to video a couple of months later. After Dark acquires these films from independent sources rather than producing them themselves so the movies have been pretty hit or miss through the years. How will this year's entrants fare?

Dread tells the story of some a college student and his friends who decide to do a study on what scares people. They film people discussing what they're afraid of and intend to use the film for the student's thesis. The problem is, one of the student's friends fears might be getting to him a bit. You see, when he was a kid, he saw his mother and father murdered by an axe-wielding madman. He's kept his anxieties in check with the help of medication. What happens when he decides to go off his meds?

I didn't know much about this one going in. All I knew is that it's based on a short story by Clive Barker. The synopsis on the back cover made it sound as if it would be a slasher flick with heavy psychological undertones. As it turns out, the slasher element isn't really pronounced at all. Instead, this is a dark, psychological movie. The story is interesting. In terms of pacing, it starts off pretty slow, taking the better part of an hour to really get going. It works here though, as it manages to increase the tension and build up a solid sense of dread. Pun fully intended. The cast here is led by Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Evans and Hanne Steen. All three turn in solid performances particularly Rathbone. He's currently featured in the Twilight movies so this is a chance to see him do something that doesn't require him to be sparkly.

Dread is not your standard horror flick. It's pretty damn good. I recommend it.


The Final is my second Horrorfest flick on the year.

This one tells the story of a group of bullied high school students who turn the tables on the bullies. They don't go postal on them though. Instead, they go Saw on them.

This flick is a cross between Revenge of the Nerds and the Saw series. The story is alright...nothing all that special. The cast is comprised of unknowns. Honestly, this is one of those movies that I liked but just have nothing much to say about it. The plot summary really says it all. No great explanations are required after that. Do I think it's worth watching? Sure. I liked it. If you're not a fan of the whole "torture" thing, you might not want to check it out.

Carny/ Survival of the Dead

108. Carny (2010)
109. Survival of the Dead

Carny is the 374th movie in Vivendi Entertainment's Maneater Series. Alright, so I might be exaggerating a bit, but you get the gist. This one follows such gems as Sand Serpents, Rise of the Gargoyles and Swamp Devil. Basically, these are low budget flicks that premiere on the SyFy Channel before hitting video in an uncensored form mere weeks later. I've seen quite a few of them at this point. None of them are particularly good but most of them are fairly entertaining, as long as you're down with B-level monster flicks.

Carny takes place in a small town. A traveling carnival has come to town complete with amusement rides, a freakshow and the promise of something never before seen...The Devil! As it turns out, the Devil is a genuine Jersey Devil. This being a monster movie, the creature escapes and wreaks havoc on the town. It's up to the town's sheriff, played by Lou Diamond Phillips, to stop it and save the town.

Story-wise, this is nothing that hasn't been done countless times in the past. With movies like this, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The cast is led by Phillips with supporting roles from a whole bunch of folks that you've probably never heard of. The gore is decent enough here. You've got some dismemberments and an evisceration or two. The Devil itself is CGI rendered. Not all that well either. If you want to be surprised by its appearance, don't pick up the disc as the cover art spoils it some. They should have gone with the poster that I show here in this review. Fools.

Overall, Carny falls right in line with the other Maneaters flicks. It's not really good but it's a fairly entertaining way to drop and hour and a half. That being said if you're not tolerant of stuff like this, you'd be better suited picking up something different.



The tag line for Survival of the Dead is "Death isn't what it used to be". Kind of an ironic statement given that you could say that exact same thing regarding director George A Romero's work. His career has hit upon many hills and valleys along the years. It seems like he's been stuck in a valley now for quite some time. Yet horror fanboys still heap praise upon him and generally defend his work seemingly based on the goodwill that the original Dead trilogy generated. Truth of the matter is, here is a 70 year old man whose primary skill set seems to be slipping away from him at a pretty alarming pace.

Survival of the Dead is Romero's 6th "Dead" movie. The setting here is an island off the coast of Delaware. The island has two families settling on it...the Muldoons and the O'Flynns. They've gotten along well until an ideology clash throws a monkey wrench into the serenity. The Muldoons believe in killing the zombies that arise from their dead loved ones whereas the O'Flynns insist on keeping them alive until a cure can be found. Not for nothing, but I've just started reading The Walking Dead comic series and this plot line's already been covered there. Eventually, the O'Flynns banish the patriarch of the Muldoons back to the mainland. Back on dry land, he hatches a scheme to get folks to the island to disrupt the O'Flynns way of life. Into this plot comes a group of National Guard troops who see one of Muldoon's videos and end up heading to the island. Essentially, the whole island feud is another take on the Hatfields and McCoys.

The last Romero movie that I actually enjoyed was 2005's Land of the Dead. It's not a great movie but it was at least enjoyable. What helped there was having a cast of familiar faces. Unknowns aren't always a bad thing but sometimes having someone recognizable can help get you more into what's going on. Here, the unknowns are that way for a reason...some of them are pretty damn terrible. You've got bizarre Irish accents that disappear and re-appear magically. The whole cast was just pretty aggravating.

Story-wise, there's not much going on here that hasn't been done before. Romero is basically rehashing his own ideas time and time again at this point. Other people are doing it better and with a lot more originality. Maybe it's time for him to step aside before he does further damage to his legacy.

Overall, Survival of the Dead just isn't worth the time or energy spent on it. Skip it.