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The Changeling 1980
I love this for all the same reasons I love The Others. It’s deliberate, tense, and spooky. I never realized until this viewing how much The Others is indebted to this. I assume the caretaker name of Tuttle is an acknowledgment of this that has completely gone over my head for the last 20 or so years.
It was my wife’s idea to watch this tonight. I wasn’t feeling it, but I’m glad I listened. Maybe I should watch those 30 Woody Allen movies she keeps talking about.
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52 Pick-Up 1986
Harry Mitchell is a wealthy manufacturer and his wife Barbara is running for LA City Council. When violent blackmailers threaten to reveal his affair with a young model, Harry refuses their demands and comes up with a scheme of his own.
The ingredients for a great neo-noir thriller are here: it's directed by consummate genre pro John Frankenheimer, the screenplay is by Elmore Leonard adapting his novel with plenty of choice Leonard dialogue, the villains are memorable (John Glover is…
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Angel's Egg 1985
This is what I would call slow moving beauty. In fact, this is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. It's simply breathtaking how it manages to transport you to another world through its absorbing visuals, impeccable design work and a haunting score; one of the most magnificent film scores I've listened to, truly glorious.
Angel's Egg is a work of outstanding artistry, depth and beauty. It reminds me a bit of Tarkovsky's work; ethereal, enchanting, moody, poetic,…
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April Fool's Day 1986
Well, I missed the holiday by a few days but figured it was a good excuse to finally check off this 80's "slasher" (slasher in quotes because, well...if you're one of the few who haven't had the twist spoiled for you, I'm not gonna be the one to spoil it). This is one of those films that's so unique—an Agatha Christie 'whodunnit' dressed up as a late 80's "Friday the 13th" sequel—that you have to wonder who the producers thought…
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Vampire's Kiss 1988
Possibly the greatest pleb filter of all time. An unironically all-time great performance from Nicolas Cage in a much better and more interesting film than I expected going in, complete with some good music and great use of the New York setting. An experience every film lover should have, possibly more than once. I know I'll be watching it again.
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Nightbeast 1982
A goofy looking alien crash lands on earth and begins shooting everybody in sight in this cheap Troma flick. There is plenty of cheap blood and gore, and a bit of nudity along with choppy editing, bad acting and clunky effects all set to a decent synth score. It's entertaining enough in its incompetence, but ultimately pretty forgettable when all is said and done.
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GoldenEye 1995
James Bond bungee jumps into the '90s in the franchise reboot, Goldeneye.
The Cold War may be over, but the adventures of James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) continue, as 007 tracks a rival agent/past ally (Sean Bean) who has seized control of a giant space weapon that threatens global devastation. Bond won't be raking any moons as of yet, but he'll definitely be rushin' to Russia.
While I came of age during this era of Bond, I must confess that I…
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Angel's Egg 1985
I had no idea what to expect from Angel's Egg when I sat down to watch it, as I don't remember how I first heard about it or why I added it to my watchlist. I'm glad that I didn't go in with any preconceived ideas of what this movie was going to be like, because that allowed Angel's Egg to consistently surprise me throughout its short, but dense runtime. It's a movie that allows the audience to make discoveries…
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Demons 1985
A sicko's masterpiece perfect for late night viewing, proper gonzo cinema. Starts off with an absolute earworm of a theme, then slowly but surely amps up the madness until you're cackling in your seat at the sheer absurdity. EVIL DEAD style zombie demons, a big cast of disposable characters to get mauled in wonderfully gory ways, a pimp with the most outrageous dubbing I've ever seen, shiny metal masks, coke-snorting punks, demons coming out of other demons, a fucking helicopter out of nowhere, motorcycle katana heavy metal madness. Italian horror goes so hard you guys.
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TerrorVision 1986
I purchased a blu-ray box set from Full Moon several years ago which is basically a collection of Empire Pictures films. This was before I realized that giving Charles Band more money is probably not a good idea. I've pulled a few movies from it here and there but I didn't do a deep dive right away. Troll was included in this set, and when I pulled that out, I was surprised to find that it contained Troll 2 on…
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Hospital Massacre 1981
Susan, a divorced mother played by Barbi Benton, visits a hospital on Valentine's Day for a routine physical checkup. There is only one minor problem. This is not a routine physical checkup. During the next few hours, all of Susan's doctors, nurses, and visitors will be mercilessly slaughtered with knives, axes, bone saws, and acid. A diabolical madman has decided that the best possible way to make Susan into his Valentine is to ensure that nobody else in the building…
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Two Hands 1999
If you ever wondered what a gangster film could be like set in Australia, this is the one for you. I love how they approach this film with the laidback attitude us Aussies have. It helps make the characters more believeable. I can see myself being mates with old mate who helps Jimmy rob the bank. It also has that dry Aussie humour. Their are technically no jokes, but you can't help laugh throughout with some of the odd things…
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