August Movies - Week 2

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Another week, another seven movies... enjoy!!!

August 10 – Storks (2016)
 
I went to visit my brother & little nephew (turning 4 in October) and they threw in this CGI tale about storks who used to deliver babies… but now are cogs in an Amazon parody delivering everything else… but hijinx ensue when one (voiced by Andy Samberg) is promoted and paired with the boss’ adopted ginger daughter (okay?) but then they accidentally make a baby (in the machine that makes babies, you weirdo!) and now have to deliver it to the family that wrote them a letter (that’s how it’s done) without anybody finding out… but then everybody finds out… and hijinx ensue. Okay, the plot is pretty… childish. However… I REALLY enjoyed this one! The humor is pretty spot on, even with the stupid kid stuff but… yeah, I laughed a bunch! If you have to watch a kid’s show to get the little bugger to quiet down… then I recommend this one.
 
Rating – 9/10 – Like I said, a lot of fun for what it is… and the cast is pretty stacked
 
August 11 – The Touch of Satan (1971)
 
This is a 50+ year old movie about a guy who’s out driving his muscle car… you know, just driving… and then he sees a girl hanging out by a lake in the backwoods along the way… gets to chatting her up… they hit it off… bing bang boom, she’s a witch & her family is insane… and hijinx ensue. This was on MST3K and I’d say check it out that way… we watched this one a while back without it & it had a LOT of stupid nonsensical dialogue & long pauses… you know, like most 70’s movies.
 
Rating – 6/10 – Watch MST3K version
 
August 12 – The Wasp Woman (1959)
 
It’s a Roger Corman-directed movie about a woman (Susan Cabot) who becomes a wasp… … … that’s it! Okay fine, she’s the figurehead of a cosmetics company & a scientist makes this youth-restoration formula from the royal jelly of wasps… she tries it and… have you seen Halle Berry’s “Catwoman”? Because I’m pretty sure they saw this movie when they made up Sharon Stone’s character… but yeah, hijinx ensue. Honestly the most memorable thing about this movie… was during the Cinematic Titanic version of this (which we watched) they casually mentioned the death of Susan Cabot… and it’s… mystifying. Feel free to google it…
 
Rating – 7/10 – The movie isn’t great but Cinematic Titanic version on Tubi is worth it… and a tight 80 minutes or so
 
August 13 – Highlander (1986)
 
His name is Connor McLeod… he was born over 400 years ago in the Highlands of Scotland… he is immortal… he is not alone. Now is the time of the Quickening… when the swing of a blade can unleash the Quickening… yada yada yada, you should already know this movie. The original is a LOT of fun, Christopher Lambert is the weird kind of actor who can encompass someone who has been around for centuries and kind of a mish mosh of it all, Sean Connery not so much but he’s still great as Sean Connery, Clancy Brown is great as The Kurgan (which is a real thing apparently)… and so it made a bunch of money… and they made a second movie… and have been trying to rewrite everything since.
 
Rating – 10/10 – Can’t wait for them to reboot it all… and we may be doing a month on the podcast for the series
 
August 14 – Bloodlust! (1961)
 
This is one of those Deadliest Game / Hard Target / The Pest movies were a crazy rich hunter guy kidnaps people and hunts them on his palatial estate… and maybe because it’s the genre… but even with it being the MST3K version, I kinda liked it! Is it great? Of course not! It’s over 60 years old & on a miniscule budget… but god bless it, it’s a tight 65 minutes or something ridiculously concise & the performances are just the right amount of reserved and over the top to make it a little interesting.
 
Rating – 7/10 – Maybe watch the MST3K version in case that’s the magic needed… but yeah, why not check it out?
 
August 15 – Sympathy for the Devil (2023)
 
That’s right! NEW Nic Cage! A man (Joel Kinnaman) is going to the hospital because his wife is having a baby… but then a mysterious stranger (Nic Cage with red hair & dressed like a Vegas devil) hops in the back of his car with a gun & says “Drive” and hijinx ensue. Now, the trailer makes this seem like Nic Cage might in fact be the Devil… and teases at some of the Cage-isms that he pulls throughout the movie… but truth be told, until they get to the diner (about 60 into this 90 minute movie), this movie is pretty f**king slow and a bunch of stupidly ambiguous dialogue that makes this feel like a Twilight Zone episode pulls out to 90 minutes. However, the last part (I’m not calling it a twist though) and Cage’s performance is pretty great. Beautifully shot too… though apparently on a Vegas soundstage…
 
Rating – 8/10 – Highly recommend checking it out if it sounds intriguing & you love Cage… which I do
 
August 16 – Legacy of Blood / Will to Die (1971)
 
The Cinematic Titanic episode is called “Legacy of Blood” but the movie comes up in IMDb as “Will to Die” but basically, the patriarch of a family dies & they all gather along with servants so the will can be read… and a stipulation is that they have to spend a night in his mansion… but then hijinx ensue when somebody starts killing off the family. Fairly predictable as you might expect but… I also kinda enjoyed it… apparently I’m easy to enjoy maybe… but yeah, it’s a dumb horror flick and they really make it so you want to see the family fodder get off’d one by one.
 
Rating – 7/10 – Worth a watch, especially laughing along with Cinematic Titanic

Up to season three of the "Highlander" TV series... man, oh man, is this show crazy... until next time!

​Steve