August Movies - Week 4

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Why do I feel so busy all the time? Oh yeah... because I was busy... and then I'm constantly made more busy... but hey, here are some movies that we watched along the way between busyness...

August 19 – The Lost City of D (2022)
 
That’s right… I’m going by the REAL title of the movie of this “Romancing the Stone” for this generation. Sandra Bullock is a novelist… who gets kidnapped by eccentric billionaire Daniel Radcliffe who wants her help in finding some lost city on an island because her dead husband & her used to be paleontologists… Brad Pitt cameo… it’s basically “Romancing the Stone” but with cheaper jokes. I kinda enjoyed it… but the mid-credits scene… is easily one of the most bafflingly dumb things I’ve ever seen. Only questions… no humor… odd way to end the movie…
 
Rating – 8/10 – If you liked “Jewel of the Nile” you’ll probably like this…
 
August 20 – Warrior of the Lost World (1984)
 
I love Italian post-apocalyptic movies… and in this one, Robert Ginty is a guy on a high tech motorcycle who mumbles his way into a town to bring down an Orwellian evil corporation led by Donald Pleasance. Pretty sweet, right? Well… Ginty is unintelligible… his motorcycle is even worse… Fred Williamson cameo though… and Persis Khambhatta as hottie that doesn’t talk much but it apparently important… from the director of “Kickboxer” so if this sounds like your bag, check it out. If not, maybe check out the MST3K version?
 
Rating – 7/10 – Ginty was absolutely the worst part… but he’s in every scene. Still a bit of fun though.
 
August 21 – Waxwork (1988)
 
I had seen this movie before during the start of the pandemic… and I think it’s one of those 80’s horror movies that’s a lot of fun. Basically it’s about a bunch of teenagers who visit a new waxwork museum that literally popped up overnight in their town… and the curator is David Warner, so you know he’s evil… and hijinx ensue as their displays of public domain characters from history ranging from Dracula to the Mummy to Jack the Ripper to zombies to whatever are basically portals to worlds where they’re real… and people get dead. The makeup effects kind of run the gamut from impressive to hilarious at times… but it’s just a fun movie with decent acting & a lot of tongue-in-cheek references that make it work.
 
Rating – 10/10 – I really recommend it, especially if you’re into movies like “Monster Squad” & “Cabin in the Woods” with ALL the monsters.
 
August 22 – Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992)
 
Now, this was my first time watching its sequel… and they brought back the same writer/director Anthony Hickok, star Zach Galligan (replaced the girl though apparently after a messy breakup in her relationship with the director) and picked up where the original left off… but instead of anything to do with waxworks, they have a medallion that teleports them through time (though it appears to really be literary & film premises that don’t actually exist in time that they’re jumping to) and basically this becomes something in the vein of “Stay Tuned” and other movies where they just jump from genre to genre… like go from a 50’s Haunted House movie with Bruce Campbell… to an “Alien” ripoff… to a sword & sandal flick… to Nosferatu… but with just enough change to not get sued maybe?
 
Rating – 10/10 – This one was also a lot of fun… apparently the script to the unmade 3rd one is online so… may hafta check that out too.
 
August 23 – Willy’s Wonderland (2021)
 
It’s Nic-August Cage… and so we watched one of his recent classics where plays a man who’s car breaks down in a small town… and to pay off the repairs, he gets a job to clean an abandoned Willy’s Wonderland (think Chuck E. Cheese in a meth house) but soon finds out… that this small town has a terrible secret. Okay, it’s not a secret because you know from the trailer… the animatronic robots comes to life & kill people! So it’s basically a Five Nights at Freddy’s movie… and it’s pretty tremendous. Try, the teenagers that get thrown in are (probably purposely) irritating but provide great fodder. Nic Cage channels his inner mime in a role with zero lines. Check it out now!!!
 
Rating – 10/10 – There are some slower parts & other things that don’t make a lot of sense… but you know that going in!
 
August 24 – Ms. Marvel (2022)
 
This is the latest six-part series (so basically a four-hour movie) about the rise of a new Avenger in Jersey City. A teenager of Pakistani descent named Kamala Khan stumbles upon a bracelet that gives her superpowers of… I guess making crystals that can float out of thin air? Dot dot dot… hijinx ensue! Honestly, this was a sweet family drama disguised as a superhero origin story. The only parts where I felt legitimate concern for characters… was during the flashback to 1942 British Occupied India because… you know, I know a little bit of history. The rest is pretty cookie cutter origin story stuff… and the family dynamics were pretty great. It’s a fun fling of a series.
 
Rating – 8/10 – Would I watch it again? Probably not… but I’m curious to see where exactly this Phase 4 or 5 of Marvel is going because… so far it’s not too gripping.
 
August 25 – Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1991)
 
Yes, there’s a Nicolas Cage as Dracula movie coming in a year or so called “Renfield” and I’m excited for it… but until that happens, this still stands as the quintessential Dracula movie! Francis Ford Coppola had a vision for this movie, paying homage to dozens of different classic movies, incorporating all sorts of special effects from practical to double exposure to puppetry to make this movie unnerving, unsettling & keeping the viewer informed but also… a little out of their element, as they would be in the presence of the most powerful Nosferatu. Great performances all around (okay, I enjoy Keanu’s performance as a confused guy who’s not even sure what his accent is half of the movie, again FITTING), beautiful cinematography, even a weird “Love through Time” angle (that wasn’t the first time it was done) and damn it… I love this movie.
 
Rating – 10+/10 – I think this was my first Blu-Ray that I bought (for like $5) after I got a PS3 to play them.

September is coming... and that means getting geared up for the holidays... I guess. Alright, have fun everybody!!!

​Steve