The digital streaming service Hoopla has a function that allows people to stream a certain number of movies for free on their computer eveyr month if they use their library card to register. It turns out the the Palm Beach County Library system is one of the participating organizations so, over the past few days, Ive been borrowing movies from them on watching them on my laptop, which - having external stereo speakers and a good sized widescreen HD screen - actually makes for a respectable little home theater system. Titles Ive finally caught up with in the past five days include: Rare Exports; TrollHunter; Wes Craven presents Mind Ripper and Frankensteins Army. Wes Craven Presents Mind Ripper: This was a direct to video horror movie starring Lance Henriksen that came out in the mid Nineties under alternate titles such as Outpost and The Hills Have Eyes III. Let me cut to the chase here: This movie flat out sucked. Wes Craven was credited as an executive producer and his son Johnathan was credited as a writer and a producer and it didnt matter in any case because -save for Henriksen- the cast was awful and the movie wasnt even remotely scary. Unlike Wishmaster, which Wes Craven also presented but was actually a really entertaining movie to watch, this was just BAD. MST3K could have taken this one on and it would have felt right at home. TrollHunter: So I finally got to see the celebrated Norwegian found footage film about a group of college students who follow the title character on one of his missions, bringing them face to face with presumably mythical creatures who turn out to be terrifingly real. I loved this! It deserves every bit of its excellent reputation. This is a refreshingly original film, featuring some of the most convincing monster effects I have ever seen. The cast is wonderful throughout. Highly recommended. Frankensteins Army: Another winner. This is a goofy, gory throwback horror flick about a squad of Russian soldiers during World War II who run afoul of an army of mechanized zombies, undead killing machines that are a gruesome, ultraviolent mix of stitched together limbs and knives, drills, spikes and other hardware designed to maim and slaughter. As the soldiers investigate, they learn that the inhuman army is the work of the direct descendant of none other than the legendary Dr. Frankenstein himself. This is a modern take on the sort of exploitation cinema youd catch on a double bill at the local drive in during the 1970s. Its a jacked up B-movie filled with lots of action and tons of splattery, old school mechanical and prosthetic effects, no CGI. Its a lot of fun. It also happens to be a found footage movie. I recommend this one as well. Rare Exports: Out of all the films I watched, this was the absolute standout. I have a new favorite to add to my list. Here we have a clever, original, intriguing and at times both creepy and awe inspiring film out of Finland which chronicles what happens when an excavation on the Russian side of the Russian/Finnish border uncovers something that may in fact be the Finnish Santa Clause- the darker, more malevolent creature of history, not what one character in the film refers to as The Coca Cola Santa - resulting in havoc being wreaked among a neighboring collective of reindeer harvesters on the Finnish side. The vibe here reminded me of Gremlins, where present day people are suddenly confronted with the reality that something historically thought to be a cultural legend is in fact real and poses a very real danger. The difference here is that the screenplay mixes the notion with what turns out to be a well conceived, bitingly savage satire of holiday consumerism, leading to a conclusion that ends the film on a brilliantly funny, unexpected note. I had heard this was a good film and had been wanting to see it for a while. It was well worth the wait. I can see this becoming a part of my annual holiday movie line up, right next to Gremlins and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Of all of these movies, this and TrollHunter are the ones likeliest to end up in my DVD collection over the next year.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 17:08:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015