Movie Review: The Black Hole (1979)

Recently, I decided to revisit a movie I remember loving as a child. I was curious to see how it held up, if it held up, and if my opinion of it has changed in the intervening years. The movie is none other than Disney’s 1979 science fiction epic, The Black Hole. Burned into my memory since my youth are the robots, the floating VINCENT, the malevolent Maximilian, the swirling of the black hole, and, of course, that rolling, flaming meteor that threatened to eliminate our intrepid heroes as we steamed towards the climax. Now, I have seen the film a few times over the years, but I cannot recall the last time i saw it. I was also sad to discover that I did not have it in my collection (thankful for the local library).

Movie Review: Savage Water

Do you ever watch a movie and wonder why it was made or who the intended audience was? Not only that, you keep watching, no matter how bad it gets? I am sure you have, I know I have on more than one occasion. Savage Water just happens to fulfill all of those qualities. For more than 90 minutes, I sat there wondering why I was watching, hoping it would get better, and powerless to turn it off. I daresay it is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Despite how bad it is, I sit here willing to give it a pass for getting made. I mean, clearly it is low budget and made by somebody who wanted to make a movie. You have to respect that dedication even if the final result is awful.

Blu-ray Review: Phantasm

In the late 1970's the slasher film was getting ready to explode, riding on the shoulders of movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Black Christmas, and the genre defining Halloween. There was also the growing zombie world with Dawn of the Dead, the man versus nature of Jaws, and sci-fi monsters of Alien. Then there was Phantasm, released in 1979 and not really being like anything that had come before it. While it may not be a personal favorite, it is, indeed an original horror film made on a tight budget that has withstood the test of time, has grown on me, and is still, to this day, straight up creepy. It also has to be said that this newly remastered Blu-ray is gorgeous and the best the movie has ever looked.

"If this one doesn't scare you.... You're already dead."

Movie Review: Piranha (1979)

Tell me, how have I gotten this far in life having never seen Piranha? I am speaking of the original, not the 2010 remake (which was pretty awesome on its own). Granted, this is something I can and will say about a lot of movies (that's what I get for diving in this late in the game). Now, to be certain this is hardly among my favorites of all time, but there is definitely something about this movie that is undeniably entertaining. It is campy, silly, and fun. It is definitely a low budget gem that is a little off the rails, and something to be savored. Well, that may be a little over stated, but fun movies are fun movies, and for a lazy night this fits the bill.

Movie Review: The Driller Killer

It was not that long ago that I saw Ms. 45, an amazing excursion into a gritty underbelly of revenge and exploitation. It is a marvelous film that has no wasted frame and features an unforgettable lead performance by Zoe Tamerlis. It can also be considered my first real introduction to underground filmmaker Abel Ferrara. Sure, I had seen King of New York, Body Snatchers, and The Addiction before, but that was long before I gained my real thirst for film and does not really count. In any case, I have stepped back a couple of years and have now experienced Ferrara's earliest legitimate film, The Driller Killer. Let us just saw that it was a unique experience.

Movie Review: Phantasm

In the late 1970's the slasher film was getting ready to explode, riding on the shoulders of movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Black Christmas, and the genre defining Halloween. There was also the growing zombie world with Dawn of the Dead, the man versus nature of Jaws, and sci-fi monsters of Alien. Then there was Phantasm, released in 1979 and not really being like anything that had come before it. While it may not be a personal favorite, it is, indeed an original horror film made on a tight budget that has withstood the test of time, has grown on me, and is still straight up creepy.

Reviews in Retrograde: The Black Hole

Critical Outcast isn't my first attempt at a website, I had a few stutter steps in the late 1990's and early 2000's. These attempts generated a whole bunch of poorly written, often very short and spoilerific reviews. I recently stumbled upon them in my archives and thought you may be interested in seeing some of these early attempts at writing. They are as they were then, I make no apologies for how bad or how short they are. Feel free to have at them with reckless abandon! I present to you: Reviews in Retrograde.

Movie Review: The Day Time Ended (1979)

This journey into the Sci-Fi Invasion box set is off to a rough start. I am a mere three films into the 50 that it contains and have so far suffered through a trio of duds. The latest one is called The Day Time Ended, however you may know it as Earth's Final Fury, Time Warp, or Vortex. It seems that they just could not agree on what to call this thing, or hey just decided to trot out a new name with successive releases hoping you wouldn't notice and go see it again. Allow me to warn you against this movie.