Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Okay, next week of busy movie watching...

July 22 – Fast Five (2011)
 
I was on a work trip… and after a 12 hour day, I was flipping through the channels when what’s playing on AMC but the 5th installment of the Fast & the Furious franchise… and many say the best one! This movie is definitely where the F&F franchise found its way by introducing The Rock as the “bad guy” nemesis who’s trying to bring them in, but really they’re trying to steal a bunch of drug money from another bad guy & they’ve realized that physics be damned! The movie is entertaining in just how over the top masculine it is… and ridiculous in the realm of reality.
 
Rating – 10/10 – I prefer Hobbs & Shaw with regards to the best of the franchise… but this movie is great action!
 
July 23 – The Terminator (1984)
 
The next morning, I was getting ready for work… and what’s playing on AMC but the greatest slasher movie of all time (and I know what I’m saying because it also involved time travel). I had a VHS of this movie which I have seen hundreds, possibly thousands of times from ages 5-12 and dozens of times since then… and it’s absolutely an incredible movie! You know the story, a cyborg is sent back in time to kill the mother of the leader of the human resistance in a post-apocalyptic world… but we’re in modern day (1984) LA… and the humans were able to send one man back to help the mother… and sire the leader (but don’t look too far into that logic for the time paradox thing). Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn & James Cameron all became HUGE stars… and Linda Hamilton did King Kong Lives next… so yeah.
 
Rating – 10+/10 – I’ll say it again, the greatest slasher movie of all time!!!
 
July 24 – Antlers (2021)
 
This movie had sit in my queue since it hit HBO Max… but I had to be in a horror movie mood. Set in small town Oregon, this story is about a teacher who returns to her hometown after 20 years (Keri Russell) basically stalking the weird kid in her class (because she sees signs of abuse & her father was abusive) & pulls her sheriff brother (Jesse Plemons) into it because he’s the sheriff… but he’s also dealing with a whole bunch of dead & missing people… so he has other things on his mind… and hijinx ensue when Graham Greene shows up (which is always a special treat) to tell them the murders are being done by a Wendigo. Overall, I really like this movie. Was it perfect? Of course not… but definitely worth a watch.
 
Rating – 9/10 – Not as gory as it could have been & I appreciate that…
 
July 25 – I Think We’re Alone Now (2018)
 
What if you’re an introvert (Peter Dinklage) who found himself the last man on Earth after some mysterious event just killed the rest of the world instantly… and you’ve cleaned up your town of all the rotting corpses… and living your best life reading books or whatever… but then, some random drunk chick (Elle Fanning) crashed her car in your town & was an absolute extrovert to the point you’re just like “Fine, you can stay… but on your side of town! Don’t bother me!”? Sounds like the Odd Couple in the Apocalypse, right? Well… it’s not quite that tone… and then things happen to make it a little more… well, realistic & ridiculous in different ways. Spoilers: There are others (obviously) but… not going to tell you what happens. What I found most interesting about this movie is that it really looks at the aspects of how introverts & extroverts react to catastrophes… and this was made in 2018… but seemed incredibly poignant the last few years with the pandemic.
 
Rating – 9/10 – I’d recommend checking this out… Peter Dinklage is amazing as usual.
 
July 26 – Blast (1997)
 
After horror & post-apocalyptic drama, I wanted a good stupid action movie… so I went with “Die Hard at the Olympics” with this movie. When a former martial arts bronze medalist turned janitor (Linden Ashby) is pulling duty during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, his duty is at the swimming facility where his ex-wife / swim coach is training her team… when an international group of terrorists (led by Andrew Divoff) take them hostage, say they have bombs all over the city of Atlanta & hijinx ensue as only one man can stop them from the inside… oh & Rutger Hauer shows up as a terrorist who was supposed to be dead… but is now working with Interpol? Yeah, the story is… a mess… but it’s good to see Linden Ashby (Johnny Cage from Mortal Kombat ’95) getting another gig… and it’s just good dumb action.
 
Rating – 9/10 – There were a few things that I thought was in this movie… but ended up being in the next one, because we saw them the same night years ago.
 
July 27 – Rage (1995)
 
Okay, I’ll tell you now… if you like stupid action movie… you MUST watch Rage (1995) starring Gary Daniels. There are like 50 other movies called Rage including a Nic Cage one… but it’s on the Roku Channel right now. An English 2nd grade teacher (and apparently former martial artist?) now living in LA is accidentally apprehended by police working with a shady corporation who are performing experiments on Mexican immigrant workers to create supersoldiers. What ensues is one of the crazies f**king action movies that I have ever seen… where on top of pretty decent fight sequences… also has all practical stunts of men fighting on the outside of a helicopter AND ONE FALLING OFF… hanging & climbing on the outside of a skyscraper… car crashes & a guy jumping out of a movie semi onto the Grapevine… and do you remember that scene in Matrix where the semis collide & you get CGI of them exploding and the guys on top fly at one another? THEY DID IT FOR REAL… WITH REAL PEOPLE!!! Seriously… I love this movie…
 
Rating – 10+/10 – You all need to watch this movie, then listen to the Grindbin Podcast talk about it in one of their recent episodes.
 
July 28 – The Frozen Ground (2013)
 
For an upcoming episode of Nic-August Cage, we rewatched this Nicolas Cage movie where he’s an Alaska state trooper investigating a series of murders based on an actual 1983 investigation & costarring John Cusack as the person of interest and Vanessa Hudgens as the prostitute who is the only person that can stop the murders from happening. Now, this movie gets compared to Christopher Nolan’s “Insomia” a lot because it’s an Alaska serial murderer investigation with Academy Award winning actors involved… but this movie is the more realistic of the two. Being the son of a cop, I know that a lot of the issues that come up in this movie are pretty true to life (hookers have no rights, circumstantial evidence, general incompetence, etc.) whereas Nolan’s is more going into Al Pacino’s mind with sleep deprivation & a secret from his past… and Robin Williams toying with him… and blah blah blah… but yeah, I actually like this movie… and you don’t get full Cage freak-out or anything (though he does threaten to shut down a strip club for not cooperating pretty ridiculously).
 
Rating – 9/10 – If this genre is your jam, give it a watch… John Cusack is genuinely creepy at points too.

Oh man, we've got some real treats coming up...

​Steve

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Busy week... but here we go...

July 15 – Morbius (2022)
 
It’s Morbin’ Time!!! Yes, we finally watched this “In Association With” Marvel film that nobody asked for TWICE about Jared Leto as a scientist who accidentally turns himself into a Batma… I mean vampire. This movie is… EXACTLY what you think it is… only possibly dumber. You know every single step that it’s going to take, every character arc, every stupid decision, blah blah blah… well, there was one headscratcher towards the end that… I guess is a sequel beg… but then again, I’m too busy trying to figure out how & why this would all tie together with the Marvel Spiderman movies & Venom… but oh man, they’ve already announced the next Sony Spiderman movie that’s gonna be about a game hunter played by Kick-Ass. Can’t wait on that one…
 
Rating – 4/10 – If you like Morbius, you might like it. I’ve seen enough Dracula movies over the years to know better films worth my time though… like Dracula Untold.
 
July 16 – Velocipastor (2019)
 
Yes, this is that movie that was #1 on Amazon for a few weeks back when it came out almost on title alone… but the thing is that I absolutely love this movie as a parody of the grindhouse era of ridiculous superheroes, which is exactly what writer / director / friend of the podcast Brendan Steere intended… and I highly recommend that you all watch this movie about a pastor who accidentally turns himself into a were-raptor. “But Steve, how can you think this movie is so great & Morbius is stupid AF?” Because this movie did more with a budget of $35,000 than Morbius did with $120 million so… check it out & decide for yourself.
 
Rating – 10/10 – Frankie F**king Mermaid…
 
July 17 – Moon Zero Two (1969)
 
This was a MST3K watch… and thank goodness because this was apparently the only Hammer Film to be set in the future… and you can kinda see why. It’s about an expert in… something & a Bond girl (Catherine Schell) getting caught up in some space hijinx involving an asteroid made of sapphire (?) and they have to do it on the dark side of the moon? Yeah, it didn’t grip me… but man was it funny to watch.
 
Rating – 4/10 – It’s Moonorbitin’ Time!!!
 
July 18 – The Bob’s Burgers Movie (2022)
 
Ever wanted to see a feature length Bob’s Burgers episode? Well now’s your chance! It’s streaming on Hulu & Peacock I think… but yeah, there’s a sinkhole that pops up in front of Bob’s Burgers so business is down… and Mr. Fishoeder is the main suspect for the murder of a carnie on the wharf so… hijinx ensue! I love the half-hour cartoon & have watched it for (checks calendar) OVER A DECADE?!? The movie is a lot of the same… and so I recommend it!
 
Rating – 9/10 – Even though it’s the length of five episodes for one simple plot, you barely notice.
 
July 19 – Rubber (2010)
 
This movie came highly recommended to me once I voice my love of Velocipastor… and it had been recommended a few times back when it first came out… so we finally watched it. It’s the story of a car tire who realizes that it can make people’s heads explode… and goes on a rampage in the southwest… all while Wings Hauser & a bunch of other people observe from a safe distance in some sort of avant garde experience? It’s from writer/director Quentin Dupieux & the only other person I recognized is the weasly scientist from “Virtuosity” who plays the sheriff… but yeah, it just didn’t grip me… and was boring AF at some points. I do like the practical effects with the tire rolling through town ominously & the vibe is good at points but… yeah, I must just not get it.
 
Rating – 7/10 – Worth a watch but… neither scary nor laugh out loud funny which I assume you’re going for in a horror parody.
 
July 20 – Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985)
 
This was one of my dad’s favorite action movies… and it’s pretty much forgotten nowadays… probably for a few good reasons. Basically it’s about a New York cop (Fred Ward) who’s “killed” in the line of duty… but made into the ultimate tool of vigilante justice by a mysterious black guy with a moustache & a Korean martial arts master played by Joel Grey of “Cabaret”. Hijinx ensue… throw in Captain Janeway as the lady of interest for about 10 minutes… boom, 80s action movie that’s RIPE for a remake!!!
 
Rating – 9/10 – I really like this movie for a LOT of great action & stunts… but I can see why people might not like it.
 
July 21 – Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD (1990)
 
Of course Tubi then recommended that we want this Troma movie… about another New York cop who witnesses the death of a Kabuki martial arts master… and so his powers of Kabuki are transferred to the cop… and hijinx ensue! Now… I was expecting an absolute sh*t show… and this actually wasn’t too bad. Sure, you can tell that a LOT of the actors are… Troma friends? However, the lead actor was actually pretty good with selling the gesturing & all the physical aspects needed for the kind of performance for a Kabuki action hero… and yeah, better than I thought.
 
Rating – 8/10 – Usually Troma is hit or miss for me… and this one hit.

Alright, off to do some work stuff...

​Steve

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Okay... busy busy with art stuff & work trips and all that but alas...

July 8 – Escape from Miami (1987)
 
Yes, this is the original version of the legendary movie “Miami Connection” which you know I love & is a 10+ all day!!! With the new Vinegar Syndrome 4k UHD package, you get the 4k UHD, a Blu Ray version with TONS of interviews & extras… and another Blu Ray with this original cut (and a few extras). So what’s different? To be honest, not a whole lot… except there are a few extra pointless scenes that don’t really further the plot but are people ACTING… and the ending which… okay guys, spoilers but… instead of the incredible ending that ends with gaggles of ninjas being killed & the message “Only through the elimination of violence can we achieve world peace” as Jim is leaving the hospital… instead… Jim dies in the back of the car… roll credits. The changes made the movie MUCH better (even though part of it was that five-minute demo reel where the drummer gets to talk about a world tour). Guys, I will legitimately talk about every single scene in this movie for an hour if you give me a chance.
 
Rating – 9/10 – The changes made it better… but aside from the awkward ending, not a whole lot is changed & it’s still a banging soundtrack.
 
July 9 – Jersey Shore Shark Attack (2012)
 
One of the most ridiculous inside jokes that Izzy & I have is one day when we were first dating, we caught this movie on the Syfy Channel just in time to see Joey Fatone taking the stage for his cameo… and then INSTANTLY being eaten by a horrible CGI shark. The following line “Joey Fatone just got eaten by a shark!” has been a great awkward silence breaker ever since. Yes, this is one of those horror parody kind of movies that Syfy makes… basically putting Jersey Shore caricatures into a situation where sharks are just eating everybody. That being said… this is honestly one of the more enjoyable bad shark movies out there.
 
Rating – 8/10 – Is it bad? Of course… but we’ve seen MUCH worse
 
July 10 – Jiu Jitsu (2020)
 
I was HYPE for this movie when it was coming out… from the director & star of “Kickboxer: Vengeance” & “Kickboxer: Retaliation” with Tony Jaa, Juju Chan, Rick Yune, Frank Grillo and NICOLAS CAGE in an alien martial arts movie!!! This was made for me!!! So I bought it back in November 2020 Day 1 streaming on Amazon Prime for $15. Needless to say… I was mildly disappointed (mostly in the dialogue that was ABSOLUTELY IRRITATINGLY HORRIBLE) but the action scenes were pretty legit. I revisited it again now 18 months or so later for Nic-August Cage on the podcast & with the Cage/Rage Podcast. Did I enjoy it more? Or the opposite?
 
Rating - ???/10 – You’ll have to listen to the Cage/Rage Podcast… or ours to find out!
 
July 11 – Kull the Conqueror (1997)
 
This movie was written as the 3rd Conan movie… but Arnie said “No thanks” and they replaced it with TV’s Hercules Kevin Sorbo… and friend of the podcast Sven-Ole Thorsen stars as the King who’s killed by the barbarian Kull so that he becomes king in the first few minutes… and hijinx with magic & sh*t ensue. This movie is kind of a weird PG-13 Robert E. Howard adaptation whose tone is a little weird… but oddly decent if you go in with the knowledge this is a 90’s action movie. However… all the good will built in the first two acts, kinda fall apart in the 3rd act. Spoilers?
 
Rating – 8/10 – I enjoyed it… but I can see why it’s not highly regarded… especially with the feeling from the ending.
 
July 12 – Amos & Andrew (1993)
 
So… I thought I had seen this movie… but I may have been confusing it with “Trapped in Paradise” or “Raising Arizona” or other early 90’s Nic Cage movies… because Jesus, this movie was rough to watch! Okay, Pulitzer Prize winning author & self-proclaimed “Voice of the Black Man” Andrew Sterling (Samuel L Jackson) has moved into a nice house in Nantucket Island (the name is never given but… yeah) and IMMEDIATELY his white neighbors call the police because they see a black man in his own house… so Chief Dabney Coleman & Deputy Brad Dourif (in blackface) bumblef*ck their way into nearly killing him on sight… and when they realize that they’ve nearly killed an innocent man in his own home THEN they call in small-time crook Nicolas Cage who’s in their drunk tank to take the fall for them (also in blackface) and then just more ridiculous nonsensical bumf**kery ensues… and man was this movie tough to watch… especially when this was considered comedy back in the early 90s.
 
Rating – ???/10 – Listen to our episode coming soon for details… but this is now my least favorite Nicolas Cage movie… but it’s not his fault…
 
July 13 – Despiser (2003)
 
This one was courtesy of The Satanic Temple Movie Nights on Wednesdays… and it’s the story of a man who lost his job, is losing his house, possibly his wife & to top it all off, he then gets in a car crash. What could possibly make things worse? Well… apparently he becomes the centerpiece in a millennia-old war in Purgatory once he died in the car crash… and hilarious live action CGI hybrid hijinx ensue!!! Now… this movie… was odd. That being said… I admire it as how they tried to merge the live action with a ridiculous amount of low budget CGI to get this insane story out… and it actually kind of worked for the most part because of the dream-like ethereal storyline where everything is… well, fake or dreamy?
 
Rating – 7/10 – Give it a gander… but it really dragged towards the end, even when things got nutso with the effects.
 
July 14 – The Man from Hong Kong (1975)
 
Okay… I love this movie! How much do I love it? I have it on the podcast during Ninja-ly… and upon viewing it again I realized that there’s technically zero ninjas. That being said, it’s my podcast & if I want an Australian martial arts movie starring George Lazenby as the villain & Jimmy Wang Yu as the “If only Bruce Lee were still alive” hero and incredible stunt work, kick ass soundtrack & more from the feature debut of friend of the podcast director Brian Trenchard-Smith (“Turkey Shoot”, “BMX Bandits”, “Leprechaun 3”, “Leprechaun in Space”, etc) then dang it, I’m going to have it on my podcast.
 
Rating – 10/10 – But find out why on the podcast… and buy Brian’s book “My Adventures in the B Movie Trade”, it’s incredible!!!

Until next time, True Believers!!!

​Steve

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Another week, another bundle of movies... here we go!

July 1 – Sudden Death (1995)
 
While in Pittsburgh, we watched a few movies located there with locals Stork & Peacock… and this of course is the greatest being a Jean-Claude Van Damme firefighter hero at a hockey game while a terrorist group led by Powers Boothe kidnaps the Vice President to get a few billion dollars. Hijinx ensue… you know this movie is amazing… don’t pretend it isn’t. Easy to see that it was originally written as a parody of action movies…
 
Rating – 10/10 – What keeps it from 10+? The kids are irritating as all hell…
 
July 2 – Striking Distance (1993)
 
Next up was this crazy serial killer movies starring Bruce Willis & Sarah Jessica Parker as river police who keep stumbling upon blonde lady corpses & the police seem to do nothing about it. Now granted, this is in movie world where the police actually do something that doesn’t just raise funds for their new tank & pension… but obviously the police are in on it, right? Oh… the ending may surprise you with just how nutso it gets…
 
Rating – 8/10 – It was fun to watch… though it’s obviously not a great movie
 
July 3 – Innocent Blood (1992)
 
I knew NOTHING about this movie… but apparently John Landis (Blues Brothers, Animal House, etc.) directed a horror comedy romance movie about a French vampire who falls for an undercover cop with the Mafia and… hijinx ensue? The tone of this movie is all over the f**king place… but again, it was fun to watch because it was so goddamn crazy. Robert Loggia, Don Rickles, David Proval & loads of other character actors pop up in this movie… but the stars are Anthony LaPaglia & the original chick from La Femme Nikita so… that’s probably why you never heard of it.
 
Rating – 8/10 – Again, kinda fun to watch but… you’ll need the subtitles & to lose your logic sensors
 
July 4 – Trespass (1992)
 
No, not the Nic Cage movie… but this is the Bill Paxton, William Sadler, Ice Cube AND Ice T classic from director Walter Hill (The Warriors) about two firefighters who stumble upon a treasure map to a bunch of stolen church gold… that is located DEEP in the hood of East St. Louis, where Ice T’s gang reigns supreme. Hijinx ensue… and I absolutely love this movie. I hadn’t seen it since it first came out but… yeah, just check it out!
 
Rating – 10+/10 – Ice Cube AND Ice T!!! All you needed was Vanilla Ice as a cop cameo for a trifecta…
 
July 5 – Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022)
 
Yup, I finally watched the latest Star Wars series on Disney+ about the life of the reclusive Jedi master ten years after the events of Episode III (and therefore after the Clone Wars) but he’s apparently stalking young Luke Skywalker… when across the universe young Princess Leia is kidnapped… and hijinx ensue. Okay, the series was a lot of fun & I like how the Darth Vader / Obi-Wan stuff plays out (though it kinda destroys the previous canon unless you make excuses for it) but… holy sh*t, I had no idea that Obi-Wan was Gandalf in disguise! Anytime something is about to go down, he has to leave… just because… and THEN he decides to do something about it later… when he could’ve just… you know… done something… but hey, that’s how you make a series instead of a movie.
 
Rating – 8/10 – Flawless? Absolutely not… but I still enjoyed it
 
July 6 – Deadly Instincts (1997)
 
This one was a Rifftrax watch about a meteor landing at a college… and the alien within it mates with coeds… offscreen… but also by using goo & a surrogate space woman (who’s story after this movie was made is pretty f**king dark) and this director seems to only make Rifftrax movies like The Last Leprechaun, Grim, Merlin: The Return, The Little Unicorn, Berserkes (Hell’s Warrior) & the Fairy King of Ar… but yeah, it’s not great.
 
Rating – 5/10 – Good for a laugh with the Rifftrax ladies but… otherwise the creature costume is impressive.
 
July 7 – Knock Off (1998)
 
While we were in Columbus, Brent of the Home Video Hustle Podcast made the mistake of letting Izzy pick from “The Bag” for the movie to watch. Not even randomly reaching in… but rather picking from ALL the movies available… she decided on this Jean-Claude Van Damme – Rob Schneider buddy team up where they pose as fashion designer con men who get wrapped up in CIA hijinx. Now I don’t want to go too deep into it as we’re certainly doing it with our next June Claude Van Damme or Jean-Claude Van January… but…
 
Rating – 6/10 – There are some VERY questionable things about this movie… mostly a lot of weird camera stuff that makes me cringe.

That'll do for this week... check out the podcast... you know, if you're looking to laugh or have your mind blown or something.

Have a great night!

​Steve

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Been a busy few weeks with an INCREDIBLE trip to Cincinnatti, Columbus, Cleveland & Pittsburgh meeting podcasters & seeing the sights along the way... oh and LOTS of beer... but here are some movies that we caught along the way... more pictures & stuff later...

June 13 – The Giant Spider Invasion (1975)
 
This Rifftrax on the other hand was a treat! Check it out on Tubi… but basically a meteor lands in a cornfield or something… and there’s these little geodes that have spiders inside of them… and one of them grows HUGE while the others are just spiders that make cobwebs appear instantly… and the Skipper from Gilligan’s Island is the dimwitted sheriff… and there’s some great bad hillbilly takes including spousal abuse & “Kids these days” shenanigans… and then when the GIANT SPIDER shows up it gets great… just like “Wild Wild West”!!!
 
Rating – 8/10 – It’s a 10’er on the Rifftrax version but just a silly dumb horror movie otherwise.
 
June 14 – The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969)
 
This was the 5th & last time that the great Christopher Lee portrayed Dr. Fu Manchu… and it stars a bunch of the Hammer character actors… and there’s some ridiculous plot about a scientist under Dr. Fu Manchu’s control that has something that’s going to freeze the world’s oceans so he has a strangehold on the opium trade (?) but… yeah, it’s rough. That being said… if I heard that Nicolas Cage was going to play Dr. Fu Manchu in an upcoming movie… I’m 10,000% behind that project! It’d be great! He perfected Wicker Man, now let him have a crack at another Christopher Lee project. Heck, he’s Dracula in an upcoming movie! This makes too much sense!
 
Rating – 7/10 – Kinda schlocky… but you know what you’re getting into…
 
June 15 – Deathstalker & the Warriors of Hell (1988)
 
Okay, this wasn’t my first time watching the 3rd installment of the Deathstalker saga… but it’s on Tubi so we checked out the Rifftrax version… and it’s a sword & sandal movie about a guy and a princess who dies… but she has a sister… and there are wizards that do things… some necromancy… blah blah blah. So I was watching this movie & thought “I wonder what this princess has been up to since this movie? Maybe she’ll be on the podcast” as you know… we interview people in the movie industry. Well… her name is Carla Sands… and she was Ambassador to Denmark and CURRENTLY RUNNING FOR SENATOR IN PENNSYLVANIA!!! So… maybe?
 
Rating – 7/10 – The movie is fun to watch for how crazy it is… but that’s about it. The evil wizard guy is fun to watch!
 
June 16 – Thor the Conqueror (1983)
 
So while we were watching John Wayne’s “The Conqueror” a few months back, I was looking it up but stumbled upon this Italian movie… and oh boy! This is a Conan knock-off that has a weird wizard narrator… lots of male chauvinism… ridiculous violence & nudity… and Thor’s father’s name is Kunt! As for the plot… Thor’s dad is killed by an archer (after baby Thor is HIT WITH AN ARROW) and we skip to Thor being fully grown & deciding that he wants vengeance… but after spreading his seed & conquering a land by himself… and the ghost of the wizard that raised him is… kinda there? It’s a rough watch…
 
Rating – 4/10 – Would not really recommend… even as an Italian low-budget flick. Best part was baby getting hit with an arrow.
 
June 17 – Planet of Dinosaurs (1977)
 
While Izzy’s mom was visiting, we watched some Rifftrax including this one about a crew that crashes on a planet… full of dinosaurs. That’s basically the plot. Half the movie is them walking around or bitching about whatever… but oh man, when the Claymation dinosaurs show up, that’s when things get GREAT!!!
 
Rating – 7/10 – You REALLY have to like Claymation dinosaurs to enjoy this… unless Rifftrax guys are making jokes, of course! 10/10 with them!
 
June 18 – Code Name: Diamond Head (1977)
 
This was a TV movie that wanted to be the next Hawaii Five-0 but… it didn’t take off. I don’t know who Roy Thinnes is but… he’s no James Garner or Tom Selleck or really anybody else who’s had a successful TV show. He plays a CIA agent who gets tied up in a nerve gas heist by Ian McShane (always great, maybe he should’ve been the lead) and hijinx ensue.
 
Rating – 5/10 – This one really needs the Rifftrax guys helping out… but nice to see young Ian McShane.
 
June 19 – The Night Stalker (1972)
 
Yes, the movie that started the Kolchak series! Izzy & I are huge fans but we had never seen the original movie before. It’s about journalist named Kolchak (Darren McGavin) who is looking into some Las Vegas killings… and finds out that there may not just be a serial killer… but a VAMPIRE serial killer on the loose! Now… this was a TV movie… but honestly, it was VERY well done! The quality of the shots, acting, pacing, all of that was fantastic, especially for only being about 85 minutes or so… I highly recommend it! Gonna watch the sequel too & probably rewatch the short-lived series…
 
Rating – 10/10 – Fun Fact: Robert Singer was a production assistant on this movie. It was his first gig. He’s the guy that produced “Supernatural” for 15+ years.

Have a great night everybody!!!

Steve