Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Hard on the heels of the successful and comedic game-changer Anchorman, Adam McCay and Will Ferrell once again team up for another half-slapstick, half-surreal niche comedy. Rather than a knuckle-dragging send-up of NASCAR and the American South, Nights instead serves...
The Stepfather (1987)
The Stepfather is a 1987 horror film that spawned two fairly campy sequels and one remake; it was Stepfather II that first introduced me to the franchise. At the time, covertly watching late-night cable at a friend's house, I was just a young sprog with little concept...
The Meg (2018)
Having just watched The Meg at the drive-in last week, I was discussing he film with a friend last night. In explaining the movie to a third party listening in, my friend simply said, "It is what it is." I mean really - who goes to a giant prehistoric shark action...
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)
On a test run of the world's first nuclear submarine (USA! USA! USA!), Commander Pete Mathews (Kenneth Tobey) and his jovial Merry Men crew run across a spooky, large sighting via their sonar equipment. The mass overtakes and strikes the ship, damaging and temporarily...
Weekly Round-Up: Southbound
Southbound (2015) So, horror anthologies. Let's face it: they're corny. While I understand their appeal, I'm usually not compelled by the typical fare they consist of: sci-fi "gotcha" vignettes, spoooooky morality twists - or simply, relentless cruelty. This film uses...
Weekly Round-up: Miami Connection
Synopsis: five orphans room together while attending Central Florida College; nights they moonlight as the rock band Dragon Sound, and wage battle with drug-dealing motorcycle ninjas operating out of Orlando. Yeah. Yeah, you heard right. Miami Connection is one of the...
Great White (1981)
According to its Wikipedia entry, 1981 Italian film Great White (alternate title: The Last Shark) had only a short theatrical release in the US before it was pulled "after accusations of plagiarism of Jaws". You don't say? The film doesn't only rip-off Jaws - and Jaws...
Weekly Round-Up: Slaughter Hotel, Omega Cop, The Shallows, Great White
Slaughter Hotel (1971) If you've read here long you know I work pretty hard to find something benevolent or at least constructive to say about every film I watch. Some movies, however, are simply irredeemable. 1971's Slaughter Hotel (alternate title, Cold Blooded...
The Shallows (2016)
Until I watched The Shallows I guess deep down I didn't think we had another good shark film in the tank (yuk yuk). I mean we really lucked out with Jaws: a horror-drama rather than true eco-horror, well-paced with perfect humor and chemistry. We've had a few other...