Movie | Killing Joke XXV Gathering | PASS

One of my all time favorite bands and this is the one and only professionally produced concert footage until the new documentary, The Death and Resurrection Show, is released. Can't wait for that one. Don't miss the interview with Jaz in the extras. I actually bought this one. A spectacular last film of the year.

TV | Ascension | PAss

Pretty darn good.

TV | Prep & Landing | PAss

Lots of fun. We watched both the 2009 original and 2011 shorts. Very clever.

Movie | Rock-A-Doodle | PAss

Maybe not Bluth's best movie, but it's still genius. The style and the quality of the animation, characterization and script were all very impressive.

Movie | Bronies | PAss

Very good and now I understand the Bronie phenomenon a bit better. I'll never be one, that's for sure, but the messages in the movie are really fantastic. It's the day of a better, more "in touch" man...the days of masculinity that's out of touch with the feelings of others and themselves are over. At least, I hope so.

Movie | Maracattack | PAss

Part comedy piece, mostly an actual workout video...with maracas! The workout is some very good aerobic stuff. Again, Miranda Hart is brilliant. I wonder if Americans would get her? Some would, most wouldn't, I'm guessing.

Movie | Miranda Hart: My, What I Call, Live Show | PASS

Brilliant! Just like her self-titled television series, this is absolutely genius, even though it's the simplest of premises. We didn't like the midwife show she did because it wasn't our cup of tea, but I hope she does more like this concert documentary and Miranda. Would love to see her live, too.

Movie | Guardians of the Galaxy | PAss

Basically one big explosion after another and a script written for simpletons, it was still very entertaining nonetheless. It certainly didn't change my mind regarding that I feel that the superhero genre has been beaten to death at this point and needs to be left alone for a while. Odd soundtrack choices were enjoyable, but I couldn't help feeling like folks that championed this movie would make fun of those very songs outside of the film. Considering that the director, James Gunn, also made Slither (which was good) and Super (which was excellent), this was an interesting career choice. I'm sure it will pay off for him.

TV | Live On Mars | Pass

Having already seen the sequel and the American remake, neither of which were we big fans of, the schtick was rather predictable. I think if we'd done it in reverse it would have been a lot more fun. The very end was the best part.

Movie | The Giver | PAss

I liked this. A lot. But I didn't absolutely love it. I think that's mainly because I didn't feel all that emotionally connected to it until the last 30 minutes, which is exactly what this film is all about. Still, I'm very glad we saw it.

Movie | Herbie Hancock: Possibilities | Pass

It had moments, but overall was rather boring and pretentious.

Movie | Red State | Fail

I'm no Kevin Smith fan. Yes, really. No, I didn't think Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back were good. I find his stuff derivative and unimaginative, just like everybody's fave, Quentin Tarantino. Like Tarantino, it doesn't help that Smith gets all the geek cred he gets. That's just me and I accept that. Still, I was compelled to see this because of the cool cast. What a waste. I never even finished it, it was such a hot mess.

BTW, check out who the quote is from on the movie poster. I just threw up a little.

Movie | The Best Offer | PAss

This is all about Rush, who is more than enough reason to see this film. Giuseppe Tornatore also made the marvelous Cinema Paradiso and The Legend of 1900.

TV | Survivors (2008) | PAss

Virus wipes out the population and the survivors have to, uh, survive. Not exactly the most original premise, but the show was still pretty fun to watch.

Movie | Wish I Was Here | PASs

For all the reasons I didn't care for Garden State, I absolutely loved this movie. Bravo.

Movie | Helldriver | Pass

Bonkers J-sploitation sci-fi zombie splatterfest. The homage to chanbara with the buckets of spraying blood, the chainsaw katana and outrageous fight scenes made the thing worth sitting through. But don't go in expecting anything to be well done - just crazy and gory at a frenetic pace.

Movie | Toys | PAss

Basically Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Like any art, this movie is all in the eye of the beholder and I happened to find it very interesting. It took 10 years to make and there's great trivia that goes along with it - like this being Jamie Foxx's first movie appearance, predating In Living Color, for example. I'm nearly positive that I've seen this movie, but I didn't remember any of the scenes when I watched it again. Glad I did.

Movie | Spookies | Pass

Though I've certainly seen worse, the production was pretty bad and I can't think of anything that was much better. The monsters and FX were pretty good, I guess. Nevertheless, there's just something endearing about this bad 80s horror flick. Maybe it was the creatures that looked like they were made out of dried mud that had uncontrollable flatulence. The history behind all of this is more interesting than the movie itself; it's actually two films (poorly) edited together to make one. Which means it's a mess and also means it might be exactly what you're looking for!

Update: It's been a while and I'm still thinking about this movie. That's a good thing. I think, after all is said and done, that the patch job was actually rather clever. Maybe if the editing had just been a little tighter things would have ended up being more cohesive, I don't know. The person they hired to pick up the pieces deserves more than raspberries, though.

Movie | The Clone Returns Home | Fail

Beautiful but just too boring.

TV | The Getaway | Pass

How do you make a travelogue show fun? Here's how.

Movie | Wrong Cops | Pass-ish

Not good and not meant to be. It's supposed to be not a B-movie, but something like a Z-movie, emulating complete trash, starring trash characters, with a trash plot. I've got to admire the effort, though I certainly was disappointed because this is by the guy that made the excellent and adventurous Rubber.

Movie | Under The Skin | PASs

Works hard to be something different and simultaneously super freaky. Success on both counts. The sparse, unsettling audio and Johansson's performance were amazing. If you like classic mind benders like Beyond the Black Rainbow, Upstream Color and Altered States as much as I did, then you must to see this. Not for the Frozen set, for sure. Same director as the brilliant Sexy Beast. I haven't watched a movie this creepy in a long time.

Movie | Color Me Kubrick | Pass-ish

I'm not sure Malkovich's character could be any more irritating.

Movie | Reclaim Your Brain! | Pass

I really like Moritz Bleibtreu and I liked this premise, though I found the script to be a little confusing at times. Or maybe it was the script or bad editing. It's also possible that I didn't get some of the details because I'm not German.

Movie | The Incredibly Strange Creatures...blah blah blah | Pass-ish

Watched this via MST 3K or I never would have gotten through the entire thing. The oddball thing about this were the numerous musical and dance numbers. Mediocre at best, they didn't really have much to do with the general plot. Can't believe I've never gotten around to watch this until now. So bad it was...good?

Movie | I'm Still Here | PAss

Raised more questions than it answered...and while it was difficult to watch, it was ultimately rather brilliant in so many ways.

Movie | The Punk Singer | PAss

Interesting documentary about the feminist musician/artist Kathleen Hanna.

Movie | The Cheap Detective | Pass

Delightful, similar to Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid.

Movie | Begin Again | PASS

Absolutely wonderful movie, mainly due to Ruffalo, the director and the cinematography. Knightley is good, but it's hard to see her as anything other than an actor playing a role here. Livine's presence bothered me, though maybe that was the goal. He doesn't play a good guy and he doesn't give you any reason to like him. It was fantastic to see Mos Def and James Corden in action, as usual. And just like Once, it's all about the music. A must see.

This was my 300th post for the year. Yippee. Nobody cares.

Movie | Deathdream | PAss

Deathdream, also known as Dead of Night, is a really interesting zombie flick from Canada, full of no-name actors who were surprisingly good, very atmospheric and contemplative on the subject of returning war vets. Poor editing and animal cruelty were the only things that spoiled it for me. Interesting to note that this film predates Les Revenants, Resurrection, The Revenant and a couple of others, by forty years - yet it's basically the same plot (family deals with a loved one back from the dead). There's truly nothing new under the sun. Still, it's a good premise with plenty of depth to explore.

One thing that I loved about this flick was that there was a 1965 Mercury Comet in it. Mine was a convertible '64, but still...awesome!

A must if you're interested in zombie movies that make you think, a sub-subgenre that most folks don't even know exists. Not that it matters since nobody cares about movies any more, except me.

Tv | Cafe Racer | PAss

Neat that this show exists and they do a nice job. For hardcore cafe racer enthusiasts only - like me!

Movie | The Devil's Miner | PAss

Documentary following two young brothers (aged 14 and 12) that work in the Bolivian mines. It's a hideous reality that continues to this day. These people are deeply religious; outside the mines, they pray to God. The twist is that they believe that deep in the mines is the domain of Satan. When they're down there in those horrific conditions, they pray to the Devil for safe passage. This is a different sort of Satanism than the one I read about in the book "Lucifer Rising" (thanks for the loan PW!). This makes the folks interviewed in that book look like what they are - a bunch of bored and privileged Caucasians with too much time and money on their hands. Of course this movie was deeply upsetting to me, with scenes of children in peril and animal ritualistic sacrifice. What a mess.

TV | What's My Car Worth | PAss

Really just a thin wrapper for the Haggerty Car Auction. The difference here is that they actually give information on the cars, not just film the boring bidding. If there were less gazillion dollar cars, I'd be even more interested. But I know that's just me.

TV | Children's Hospital | PAss

Rather clever at times.

Movie | Chef | PAss

So this is a good movie, no doubt. But I had a couple of problems with it. Favreau's chef character is just downright awful to his kid and he can't seem to hold a relationship together if his life depended on it. And even though they were all good, I hate movies with gigantic casts full of big name stars. There were huge gaps in logic, too. Health inspection anyone? And who exactly has such easy access to copious amounts of cash? Sheesh. Worth a rental though, for sure, and a marvelous soundtrack.

Movie | Voice of the Whistler | Pass

Fourth in the series and the last William Castle movie.

Movie | Locke | PAss

A guy driving in his car talking on the phone isn't much of a premise but when you factor in the great Tom Hardy, you've really got something. It's sad that most people will never see this and only know him from  Hollywood shlock like the pathetic The Dark Knight Rises and the disposable This Means War.

Movie | The Power of the Whistler | Pass

We liked this one a little better. It had a few more twists and turns.

Movie | The Whistler | Pass

I was a huge fan of the old radio show and I didn't even know they adapted it for movies...much less 8 of them! Plus, this one was directed by one of my all-time favorites, William Castle, who made at least three in the series.

Movie | The Frame | PASSPASSPASSPASS

Another very, very special movie from the folks that made the monumental Ink. Sadly, I think why both movies are so special will go completely over most watchers' heads. Are you different and can you see...?

Buy this movie and all of the swag. I did and it was worth every penny. This is not your normal everyday Hollywood trash. This is, like I wrote, something special and the best film of 2014.

Movie | American Movie | PAss

Simultaneously funny and heartbreaking, it's hard to see peoples' dysfunction in such a bright light. But, like a train wreck, it certainly draws attention. Being a zero-budget filmmaker myself, this documentary (assuming it isn't actually a mockmentary) was quite painful to watch and I couldn't help but feel bad for everyone in it, while chuckling at the Beavis and Butthead-like antics. Make this a double feature with Best Worst Movie. Thanks for the recommendation, PW!

Movie | Enemy | PAss

Good but painfully slow thriller based on the book by Jose Saramago. Very William S. Burroughs-esque.

Movie | The Adjustment Bureau | PAss

Movie | Razor Blade Smile | Pass-ish

The cheese factor is high with this one. Unless you have an undying fetish for vampires (ha!), I'd recommend skipping this and seeing director Jake West's Doghouse instead. The one saving grace here is the use of Bauhaus' classic tune, "Bela Lugosi's Dead".

Movie | The Rover | PASS

Guy Pearce returns to spectacular form in this amazing, slow-paced, savagely violent depiction of a very near and possible future. Yes, it's that Robert Pattinson from the Twilight series. He's absolutely phenomenal here, definitely not in keeping with his heart-throb image. In fact, I'm sure his performance would completely upset fans of the series that made him famous.

I kept thinking of Mad Max, Of Mice and Men and (of course) The Road and The Proposition...both of which had the same director, John Hillcoat and both of which had Pearce in them (the guy knows how to pick some great projects, that's for sure).

The director and co-writer of this also did Animal House. That was pretty good, but this was spectacular. Not for folks who insist on movies that all threads are wrapped up nice and neat!

Movie | The Most Dangerous Game | PASS

The grandpappy of them all...how many movies are basically an homage to this? Countless! Hello? Well worth seeing again and again....

Movie | The Manxman | Pass

I finally got around to seeing this after all these years. Hitchcock's final silent film, it definitely had moments. But it's a pretty straightforward drama about two friends vying for one girls' affection and there aren't really any surprises. Still, it was really interesting to see what he decided to do as a director...he is the master.

TV | Car SOS | PAss

British show that centers around restoring older cars. Unfortunately, it's got the current fad/disease of using whatever sob back story to try making things more interesting. Why they keep doing that is beyond me, the cars are fascinating enough without all of that dribble. Still, because this show is an hour long, there's enough actual car stuff to keep a car nut like me glued to the set. I just hit the fast forward through the stuff I don't want to see.

TV | Car Matchmaker | Pass-ish

Not that interesting.