Retro-view: Natural Born Killers

One of the advantages of living within a reasonable driving distance of an Alamo Drafthouse theater is that it gives me access to seeing older films in a theater on a big screen. In many cases this also means being able to see a 35mm print, which is becoming harder and harder to do. For a movie lover, such as myself, the big screen is the best way to see a movie, even if it is one you’ve seen many times over. The latest example of this is Natural Born Killers, a movie I originally saw in theaters as a homework assignment way back in 1994. Let me say that it was a great seeing it in a theater again.

Movie Review: Moonchild (1994)

There are a lot of movies out there. Even if you just consider the ones that you have heard of, that’s a lot of movies. Now, widen that scope and think about all the movies you’ve never heard of, that total number of movies is going to jump way up. I have stumbled across unheard of movies in a number of different ways, one those ways is the Video Vortex series at the Alamo Drafthouse. The series takes obscure, low/no budget, regional obscurities and rips them straight from VHS tape and throws it at the big screen. Is it pretty? Absolutely not, but it is an experience and a fun way to experience often terrible movies.

Movie Review: Leprechaun 2

The Leprechaun series of movies are kind of an odd duck so far as horror franchises go. With six movies (seven, if you count the recent remake/reboot), only two ever landed on the big screen. After watching this first sequel it is easy to see why. The series is not particularly graphic or salacious, it is kind of a crossover horror/comedy you can use to introduce people to horror in a safe fashion. I guess. The original 1993 movie had a certain amount of charm, a delightful performance by Warwick Davis, and an early appearance of Jennifer Aniston. This one, not so much.

Movie Review: Phantasm III - Lord of the Dead

Phantasm arrived in 1979 and proved to be a unique voice with a wicked bad guy at its core, a movie that stood out in the early days of the slasher cycle. It was not a slasher, but the bad guy easily stands with the most evil of that bunch. It took nine years for its sequel to arrive. Phantasm II gave the franchise a new, more straightforward focus, as well as cementing the series' reality, its bad guy, and the hero's desire to stop him, as well as bringing some more action and even some road movie elements. Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead arrived in 1994, fifteen years after the original, with another slice of eerie road movie horror.

Movie Review: Double Dragon

There was a time when it was fun to go to the arcade. When I was a kid I always enjoyed it when my parents gave me a buck to waste on a few games. I remember playing a game or two in the little arcade at the bowling alley. I even remember friends having birthday parties at arcades, it seems unheard of today, and no Chuck E. Cheese and Dave & Busters are not considered arcades by me. I would go and play pinball, Rampage, The Simpsons, Elevator Action, Road Blasters, Battle Toads, X-Men, and one of my favorites Double Dragon. Those were the days.

The Movies of Brandon Lee: The Critcast Watches The Crow

I wrap up my series on Brandon Lee's filmography with this rambling video talking about one of my all time favorite movies.