A Fistful Of Media!

This was a film I was excited about up until I read tons of reviews pouring out, saying the film was not good at all. Which made me put off watching it for quite awhile. Sitting down to put the film on, I was awaiting to be disappointed. But lo and behold, I was shocked to see that I enjoyed the film much more than I could have imagined. Which made me quite happy. The drawback was the pretty bad PS1 level CGI throughout, yet some fantastic gore. So it cancelled one another out in a way. And drinking beer from a skull has never been cooler. Not the worst Cage hair, either, which tends to point out to better films (I think, not sure of the exact science). Patrick Lussier made a fun film as his follow-up to his remake to My Bloody Valentine. I tend to not look at his Dracula trilogy of films.

Finally, after all this time, I got to see the infamous (in a good way?) Parole Violators. One I had seen the clips of the horrendous acting on Youtube. Then others were speaking about this film, like it was some sort of Holy Grail of shitty action films. Finally got a copy and I have to say it was a hoot. The only problem is that the film gets messed up 30 or so minutes into the film, where a whole scene is missing and one from earlier is repeated. Then the dialogue is off for the remainder of the film. But I’m a trooper and wanted to watch this so I decided to bite the bullet and deal with it. Wish there was an actual DVD of it but instead I know they sell the VHS of it. But I’m not spending 30 bucks on it, sorry. But if you want to see a film with some crazy stuntwork, camel toe, a public access show, random sound effects from a CD, a guy who gets angry at being called a bird and an Internal Affairs investigator who always has his pad ready, this is the film for you. 

Or as most people know it, Pinhead in Space. But it’s actually a bit better than that shitty description would have you believe. Is it good? No, it’s a Hellraiser sequel after the first 3 (and the third is quite ridiculous to boot). But the idea of the man who created the puzzle box being tormented through time, trying to find a way to end Pinhead’s reign of terror, is a pretty fun idea. We do have some horrible CGI, a Cenobite dog, a weird twin Cenobite and a new female sexy Cenobite which always makes me ask the question of “Where did the CD head and Camera head Cenobites go.” Maybe that question is better left unanswered. Check it out on Instant Watch, if you dare. Especially for a young Adam Scott. And for Doug Bradley giving the film a sort of gravitas, no matter how silly the story is.

Got to see this on the big screen at the Museum of the Moving Image here in New York City (Queens to be exact) and in a weird turn of events, the crowd found a lot more to laugh at then I think Cronenberg has originally intended. Of course the body horror is here, a Grand Guignol-esque style that we all know and love from David Cronenberg (who writes and directs), with the picture above being the granddaddy special effect people go to when thinking about this film. Thanks to Dick Smith for that one. I still dig the film a lot, but always forget until I’m watching it that Stephen Lack is very wooden in the main role of Cameron Vale. Luckily we have Michael Ironside being the amazingly villainous Darryl Revok and Patrick McGoohan as Dr. Ruth, the man who is trying to help Vale with his scanning but has a dark secret. I mean, there’s not much more I can say without spoiling this film for the few people out there who haven’t seen it. Not sure when it became a ‘funny’ film, but I did experience uproarious laughter at my screening. 

Wow. Holy shit wow. It’s hard to even explain this film but it’s 81 minutes of pure Hong Kong craziness. A young cop goes to Thailand to save a beautiful woman who is about to be sacrificed to the ‘Worm Tribe’. He then gets the seven ‘Blood Curses’, which consists of extreme bleeding from his legs. If the seventh bursts, he’ll be dead, so he gets an antidote that lasts for a year. Then the curse starts all over again, so his mentor Wisely (played by Chow Yun-fat), he goes back to Thailand to find a permanent solution. Insanity ensues, with the evil sorcerer of the ‘Worm Tribe’ trying to stop him and his friends, a worm monster that looks like he’s Belial’s more agile brother and a fight with an H.R. Giger/Rodan designed monster from my nightmare. Another one I learned about from the GGTMC, and I’m happy I got to see it in all its glory. 

Finally got to check this one out. With a major endorsement from the guys over at the GGTMC. Had an amazing time with this one. Directed by Yuen Woo-ping (who of course is more famous now for doing fight choreography for the Kill Bill and the Matrix films), it’s a blast and a half with some impressive wirework and one of the best psychotic bad guys I’ve seen on film for quite some time. That’s the serial killer White Tiger, played by Sunny Yuen, who just kills people like an animal. One that I’ll be showing others because of the sheer insanity and nonstop energy.

We covered this Friday on Criterion Cast. You’ll hear more about what we think this week on the podcast. It might sound like we didn’t love it as much as everyone else, but I know we appreciate it being made and its place in the Criterion Collection. I prefer The Red Shoes, but apples and oranges to most people. Glad to have finally seen it but I don’t see myself rushing back to watching it like other Powell and Pressburger films.

I finally got to check out Tomas Alfredson’s follow-up to his international hit Let the Right One In was going to be a big deal, and when I heard he had the reins for Le Carre’s best seller spy classic Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, I was intrigued. Seeing Gary Oldman get the Best Actor nod was the final hit to my head to see the film, so I made it my rainy day resolution to continue my 2011 catch up. And I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, piecing the story together like I did many years ago when I saw Alec Guinness’ version and the book itself. It’s a tight 2 hour film, packing all the details it can within the running time. And when you have an elite cast of British actors, such as Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Hurt and others supporting Oldman, you have one of the best films that deserves repeat viewings. Which I’ll be doing again very soon.

As I said earlier with The Fisher King, I was in a huge Gilliam mood and was going to watch 12 Monkeys for the first time in many years but sadly my brother is borrowing the DVD. So I threw in Time Bandits instead, one of my favorite movies I watched repeatedly as a kid to the point of memorizing the film from start to finish. I still adore the film. Sad The Criterion Cast did the review for this one back in the day before I joined them. David Warner as pure evil is perfect. Also, am I the only one who remembers David Rappaport’s American TV show The Wizard? 

Second time checking it out, this time in 2D. Still has a certain charm to it, like the series tends to have, even though it can look to be very angry comedy. I’d rather watch the Harold and Kumar films than any of the Hangover films again. I might be in a small percentage with that, but I feel the friendship is real, even in this one where it takes place a few years after the second one and friendships sometimes move apart. It has just enough heart mixed in shit, fart, dick and other disgusting jokes to make this an enjoyable watch. Was one of the better 3D movies I saw last year.

Randomly caught this on TV at my friend’s place and realized how much I really dig this film and wish a special edition was put out here, especially by Criterion. I think it’s a no brainer, but what do I know? I always find it funny that this is one of Terry Gilliam’s most loved works, to the point that people don’t realize it’s directed by him. But how can you not see his creative stamp all over this film. Weird imagery, random little person walking by, Robin Williams seeing visions of the past that he’s living in at the same point at as this present he’s in. Jeff Bridges has the power pony tail in this one, too. It’s a film that deserves re-watches, to catch every little nugget of detail put into it. It also made me want to revisit one of my favorite Gilliam films that I did a few hours later. 

I don’t apologize for liking the first one immensely. It’s the ultimate love story between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. And while I prefer the TV series Sherlock more, this one is more tongue in cheek with Ritchie’s fisticuffs thrown in. This time around, we are finally introduced to this Moriarty, played impeccably by Jared Harris, and it’s a lot of fun. I don’t shut my brain off for any film at all (I sometimes hate that term), and this film deserves the eye for attention. It’s a fun yarn that has some great twists and turns and even plays with some of Ritchie’s explanations of deduction by Holmes which are visual candy. I liked it a lot and will be buying the Blu-ray when it comes out.

Another one of the missed in 2011 pile… and this one I’m shaming myself right now for missing out on in theaters. A beautifully animated film, directed by Gore Verbinski, one in which that better be nominated by the Academy (and we’ll see early tomorrow we should be sending complaints their way). This is an epic film, a perfect loving tribute to spaghetti westerns and just quirky characters, even though they are anthropomorphic, would feel at home in a Coen Bros. This is the first great Johnny Depp film I’ve seen in quite some time and I’m thankful for that. Voice work is still important and he does a great job here as Rango. Isla Fisher, Harry Dean Stanton, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Ned Beatty, Timothy Olyphant and Ray Winstone are some of the great names who breathe life into this dirty and dry world. Considering this is the first fully animated film by ILM, my question is this: What’s next?

It’s been awhile since I had seen this blaxploitation classic and it still holds up as a crazy ride, with Isaac Hayes at the wheel. A ton of great actors are in this one, such as Nichelle Nichols, Yaphet Kotto, Scatman Crothers, Alan Weeks, Dick Miller and many more you probably have seen in various other 70’s cinema. Take that shit to the bowl and just remember to tell ‘em you’ve been hit by a ‘truck’: Mac ‘Truck’ Turner. One of my top 10 in the genre, by far.

One of my missed in 2011 films, the new Errol Morris film was a no brainer for me to watch, considering I tend to love all his documentaries. This one I like a hell of a lot, and it’s just as tabloid filled as the title suggests. One word can do that? Yes, it can. A rollercoaster ride of insanity, truth, fiction (possibly?) with Mormons, kidnapping, rape, magical underwear, nun outfits, nudity, battling newspapers, cloning and so much more. Joyce McKinney is the star of this three ringed circus, and she really does command the camera, even at her age. A fun one that sadly IFC didn’t promote too much when it came out on DVD (back in November). And no Blu-ray? Shame shame.

I remember when I would watch this every time it aired on our local channel here, WPIX Channel 11 and I’d always sit and watch it quietly, seeing this special effects wizard (played by Bryan Brown) who helps with a mafia boss who is turning over state’s evidence so he needs to be killed off and put into witness protection. But not all is as it seems and it’s a fight to the finish to see if this f/x master can make it out alive. Brian Dennehy also stars as a detective who is trying to get to the bottom of things in his own story arc. A lot of fun. This one is up on Netflix Instant Watch (as well as the sequel). Anyone else remember the TV series?

This is a re-watch. One that I hadn’t seen since living back at home the second time with my parents and brother. And we caught this film late at night, he and I, and were instantly hooked when we saw professional wrestler Rob Van Dam in the film fighting against some madman who wants to kill each champion of their respective fighting style. Gary Daniels stars in this one, and he’s wooden but only in that best way possible in these mid 90’s action films. This one is a fun one and by the same director who did Superfights but much more accomplished, especially in the fight scenes. Some really great stuff, especially with the villain played by Darren Shahlavi, who recently played Kano in the new Mortal Kombat series that aired online. 

Almost forgot to add this one for some reason, even though I checked into GetGlue the other night. I forgot how much I really like this film. A great buddy cop film, but not the typical one we’re all used to. Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez seem like they’ve been friends forever as they mess around with the other stakeout duo, Dan Lauria and Forest Whitaker. As they are playing pranks with one another, Dreyfuss falls for the girl they’re staking out, played by Madeleine Stowe (who is exceptionally gorgeous in this film). And a creepy turn by Aidan Quinn, a cop killer, which rounds out this atypical action film. Definitely check it out again if you haven’t done so in awhile. Avoid the sequel at all costs, though.

I’ve probably seen this film about 20 or so times and it never gets old. I had trouble falling asleep last night so I just threw this on and fell in love all over again. Abbott and Costello doing what they do best and that’s somehow get into the middle of chaos. Being a huge Universal Monsters fan, especially at a ripe young age, this film blew my mind. A horror comedy, you say? This brought back Abbott and Costello to the forefront once more. We get Dracula (Bela Lugosi), Frankenstein’s Monster (Glenn Strange) and the Wolfman (Lon Chaney) too, which is just an awesome grouping of monsters. I love that Glenn Strange, found Costello so funny, he would find it incredibly hard to hold in his laughter during their scenes together. I still find it hard to stifle my laughter. If you haven’t seen this film, stop reading this and get to it!

HBO Documentary strikes gold again, this time a fantastic documentary by Susan Saladoff (who I want to see more docs by as soon as possible) detailing how the ‘infamous’ hot coffee case of Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants opened the floodgates. Not to supposed frivolous lawsuits but instead for tort reform on the judicial system. It’s a film that will make you angry, make you sad and make you want to stand up and wonder why this is happening to our own country. The four stories they focus on are heartbreaking in their own ways and will make you think about the news covering any civil court case. Just a high point in HBO’s recurring series of documentaries. Stellar work there.

So a band called Dragon Sound, who are also black belts in Tae Kwon Do, have to battle a rival band, drug dealers and ninjas all while playing positive music, even though it’s the same song over and over again…

I think I need you need to watch this video to understand why this film is one for the ages. Of course I loved how insanely bad it was. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2ZwIkYJ7QY

Wow. That was the word that was playing in my head as this film was on my TV screen. And wow continued to run through my brain after the film ended. This is one to be seen to be believed. A lot of fun, with some surprisingly above average fight choreography. Makes me sad that the guy who played Jack Cody, Brandon Gaines, only did this film, because he had a lot of talent and wasn’t as bad as some stars in these types of action films. And with characters like Budokai, Night Stalker, Dark Cloud, Rob Van Dam and a Russian King Kong Bundy lookalike hocked up on a steroid cocktail, you have one memorable film. This is one that I’ll be revisiting with friends very soon. 

Filmed the same year, 1994, as Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses, this time Kaurismaki filmed a concert they performed at Senate Square in Helsinki. 70,000 people came to the show, from Finland and Russia. It’s a great concert film, one in which I wish was much longer (it only goes for 57 minutes). This is also on Hulu Plus. They’re Sweet Home Alabama is one to remember.

The sequel to the very popular Leningrad Cowboys Go America, this film was made 5 years later featuring the band, this time showing the band who have now stayed in Mexico since having a top 10 hit there. Sadly most of the band have dies from alcohol poisoning so it’s up to the remaining members to try to get to a show in Coney Island by their manager, who now calls himself Moses since becoming a Born Again Christian. Ultimately all they want to do is go back to Siberia and rebuild their band. Really dug this one as well. I’ve just realized I really appreciate Finnish humor. Also on Hulu Plus. 

The movie that started it all. Kicked myself in the ass for waiting so long to check these films out. It’s a funny film, in Kaurismaki’s voice. What I love most is that this is, in my eyes, the Finnish answer to This Is Spinal Tap. And in turn, this film became so popular that the Leningrad Cowboys became a real band. Pompadours and all. Really fell in love with these guys, which will lead into my next two posts. Check it out on Hulu Plus.

I wrote a bit earlier. Tumblr went crazy. So instead of trying to replicate that, I’m just going to say I loved Aki Kaurismaki’s newest film. It is in my missed in 2011 films and this one might have made it in my top 10. That’s how much I liked it. Just a funny film with a lot of Kaurismaki style characters, which makes it a fun time in general. Check this film out on Criterion’s Hulu Plus page. Now!

Thought I should mention it was a Jean-Luc Godard film in the title above, just in case anyone was expecting it was the new Andrew Haigh film (which I want to watch extremely badly). But for my Hulu-baloo article (coming this week), I fell in love with this darkly comical tale of murder, cannibalism, violent car accidents and various other atrocities. For anyone who thinks I don’t like Godard will be shocked to hear I adored this film. There’s one constant tracking shot for 8 minutes that amazed me. Watch this now on Criterion’s Hulu Plus page. 

Burt Lancaster with chops a plenty. Alain Delon looking young and gorgeous. Claudia Cardinale looking more young and extra gorgeous. Even Tomas Milian is in this, but under his actual given name of Mario Girotti. Watched this on Criterion Blu for The Criterion Cast. You can hear more about what we think about the Luchino Visconti epic based on Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel of the same name this coming week. It is a beautiful film but the use of someone else’s voice for Lancaster’s is one of its downfalls in my opinion. Don’t hate me!

Somehow I had missed this special, which is surprising because I tend to watch anything and everything Louis C.K. has his name attached to. My favorite comedian because he somehow can talk about the most horrific things and make you somehow relate to them. Every damn time. This special is up on Netflix Instant Watch and it’s a solid hour and 21 minutes of top tier humor. Hilarious is the perfect title for this one. I think I might throw on Live at the Beacon Theater again, which everyone should pay the 5 bucks for to see. It’s some great comedy as well. 

The second part to our impromptu sniper episode on cineAWESOME!, this film in a few words: big letdown. How could a film with Dolph Lundgren (who we love) as the best sniper around with a cute female spotter (which we also love) be bad? And it was directed by Russell Mulcahy! It was just a mess of a film, primarily from the lackluster script that didn’t really know what kind of film it was. Highlights were Gina Bellman half assing a scene and Christopher Heyerdahl being the most over the top coke induced asshole rapist security guard that seems to have come from a batshit insane movie I’d rather have watched. 

Here’s one for an upcoming cineAWESOME! episode. Tom Berenger is the titular sniper of the film and Billy Zane is in love with him. That is until Berenger stops liking his whining ways. The film was more fun than what I had remembered. Especially after the film we followed it up with…

Some more Crazy Sam Neill action for an upcoming cineAWESOME! episode. This one I hadn’t seen for over a decade or so. Does it hold up? Did Anderson make one good movie? You’ll have to wait and hear… but I’ll give you a little tidbit: somehow it feels like they took The Matrix, In the Mouth of Madness, Lord of Illusions and Doom and threw it in a blender and made this film. Take that opinion and which way you want. :)

What can I say? Bloody brilliant. Somehow this series trumps the last finale, taking the original story’s ending and giving it that new fresh veneer. Twists and turns the way Moffat and Gatiss have been giving us. And Cumberbatch and Freeman are the premiere Holmes and Watson right now. Sorry Downey Jr. and Law, but you’ve been beaten by a landslide.

John Carpenter’s love letter to H.P. Lovecraft, the third in his self proclaimed Apocalypse Trilogy (The Thing and Prince of Darkness being the other two), In the Mouth of Madness was a film I hadn’t watched since the early 2000’s when I got the DVD. This is part of our upcoming Crazy Sam Neill movies, where you’ll hear more about it then. I’ll just say that I wish Carpenter was still at this level of making film.

This is part of the same cineAWESOME! episode we’re pairing with Carriers. A remake of the George A. Romero film, I will say this on my Tumblr page. I like it more than the original. Listen to the future podcast for more insight, which will be coming soon to our site and iTunes. 

If anyone knows me, they’ll know I love end of the world/post apocalyptic films. Especially when it starts right from the middle of whatever has done the damage, this time a plague. Chris Pine is good in this, a very sad film that I had been meaning to watch for quite awhile. Not going to say much because this is part of an upcoming cineAWESOME! episode.

Still as strange and compelling as when I first saw it back in 2001. It’s a breezy 2 and a half hours (at least to me) but you must pay attention. Even though I’ve seen it a few times since it came out, I still had to pay attention to the details. And that’s really what Lynch loves throwing out there on the screen. The details. Not many writer/directors could take a TV pilot that was turned down and edit it into an Oscar nominated film. Bravo, Lynch. Also, check out the Auteur Cast who are doing a fantastic retrospective on Lynch right now.

Following up Going to Pieces, I still was awake and wanted something else on and didn’t even know about this Starz produced documentary about character actors. I wish it was much longer (it’s less than an hour) but it gives a nice little look at all those people you know by face, but not by name. The funny thing is, I knew all the people that were featured (but I’m a nerd). Glad Stephen Tobolowsky got a bit of a center stage in this one. Definitely worth a watch to see these people get the appreciation they deserve. And any time Luis Guzman gets to speak is a fun time indeed.

I was relaxing and wanted something to just re-watch and for some reason, film industry documentaries do the trick every time. I was going to throw on the Video Nasties one but Danyell had seen it, so I threw on this great 2006 piece on slasher films. It’s strange that they left Bob Clark’s interview entirely in the extra interviews section of the DVD, considering his Black Christmas is widely considered the template for the actual ‘slasher’ film. They do mention Peeping Tom and Psycho, which were the perfect introduction to the genre. This is something I could write about all day but for now, I just will say everyone should watch this film. Even if you aren’t into slasher films at all, it’s still a great overview that whets the appetite of any horror hound. 

Sometimes I wonder why it takes me so long to see certain films. The new Joe Wright film is one of those times the wondering is at a fever pitch. Saorsie Ronan is amazing as this almost feral child, someone out of touch with the outside world, mainly because her father (Eric Bana, who grows a mighty beard) is protecting her from the evil Cate Blanchett. There’s more than meets the eye, which of course is the name of the game with a lot of action films nowadays. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Great soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers puts this one in my Top 10 Missed in 2011 list as of now. 

When it comes to classic Who, I tend to judge them on their own and when you do that in this day and age of BBC’s fantastic DVD releases, they are more or less separate films, sometimes connected directly with one another, and other times self contained stores that might be referenced many years later (or possibly a spin off in an audio story or a novel). This was one of the many Doctor Who DVDs I got for Christmas this year. I was excited about this one because Jon Pertwee is a Doctor I’ve grown to really dig in the last couple of years.

A flashy dresser, no matter the planet, and his companion Jo are in the 30th century. It is the end of the Earth Empire and on planet Solos, something is transforming the population into hideous mutants. This was one that was a load of fun and at 146 minutes, tends to be what I’m used to with a lot of Pertwee’s adventures. But I don’t mind the long running time because I wanted to know how he and Jo were going to help the people of this planet from the poisons in the air. It’s crazy to think that this was the ninth season of Doctor Who, way back in 1972, while it still airs today, in 2012. Amazing. 

Covered this on The Criterion Cast. It will be up next week so for now you must wait to hear what we think about the film. For now though, I can say that I thought it was gorgeous, showing the power of Technicolor. It made me realize I should watch more Jean Renoir pronto. Also, I need to give Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited another watch to see where this film influenced him.

Spectacular. Terrifying. Gorgeous. A masterpiece. Scorsese’s best. There’s a lot one can say about Taxi Driver, the dirty unblinking eye of one man’s descent into madness and also the way New York City used to look to the people who lived here and to the outside world. It truly is one of the finest films ever to be produced, in my opinion. And the Blu-ray is of Criterion standards. Hell, it even has the long out of print commentary track from 1986 by Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader. I can’t say more than this is why I love film.

I’m guessing this film will be on my 2012 list a few more times. There’s not much more I can say. Listen to our best of list episode for The Criterion Cast or cineAWESOME’s best of everything list episode. This is number 11 viewing for me, personally. It was my number one film of 2011. It still is. John Boyega is the next big thing. Believe, bruv.

JCVD’s magnificent mega mullet stars in John Woo’s first American production. A lot of cuts to this film (over 20 times in the editing room), Sam Raimi was a producer who Universal needed on the set just in case Woo couldn’t get it done (which is weird because the action feels pure Woo but the rest feels disjointed and some scenes have a Raimiesque feel). A fun film, but this is only because of the super villain duo of Lance Henriksen and Arnold Vosloo. Worth a watch for Henriksen’s coat being on fire and he being in it still, acting through it all. Also, Wilford Brimley riding on a horse with a bow in hand = charm.

What I love about doing cineAWESOME’s podcast is that sometimes, when Rufus and I are not sure what double feature we should do, one film will come to us and easily we’ll come up with a few others to tie it all together. Avenging Force is one of these films, starring Michael Dudikoff and Steve James, together again like they were always in the American Ninja movies. And what makes this film a fun time is that you believe this friendship. I can picture a remake of this film having Ryan Gosling and Idris Elba, but maybe that’s just me. This is a sequel to Invasion U.S.A., with Dudikoff taking over the Chuck Norris role. And I prefer Dudikoff by far. Also, the villains in this are some of the most ruthless bastards in an action film. Sadly not in print here in the States. 

The second feature in our episode that starts with Shocker, Prison was definitely a pleasant surprise. Renny Harlin directed this the same year he did A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (and if you haven’t heard the story on how he got that gig, let’s just say he wouldn’t stop coming to New Line’s offices). A young Viggo Mortensen is great in his James Dean-esque role. A well rounded horror film with some great gore effects. Tiny Lister also takes a shotgun blast like a boss.

Remembered liking this one much more than I felt now. Skinner is a wise cracking serial killer, who just kills complete families. Then halfway through the movie he prays to the electric lips of the Devil and becomes a low rent version of the electric gremlin from Gremlins 2. For a future episode of cineAWESOME! Wes Craven missed the mark. Peter Berg luckily went on to direct, which he is definitely much better at. 

Another week means another fantastic episode of Moffat and Gatiss’ adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. Taking the most popular story from Doyle’s run of the character was one I was worried about, but Mark Gatiss wrote a stellar script that pushed the limits of Sherlock’s psyche and showed why he and Watson make a great team. We even have Being Human’s own Russell Tovey funny casting, considering he’s the werewolf on that show and possibly a demonic hound killed his father when he was younger. Sherlock continues to impress and makes me sad to realize only one more remains until… who knows? But I know this, we want more Cumberbatch and Freeman in this world as soon as possible. Sadly, both are white hot right now. 

Here’s one I haven’t watched in over a decade. Pairing this up with C.H.U.D. felt like a perfect marriage of films, and it’s not only because of some sort of malformed people who like to kill and eat people. Both have great dialogue, much better than you’d usually expect from a horror film (but being a horror fan, I’ve seen it a lot). But with Raw Meat aka Death Line in the UK, we have a stellar/witty performance by Donald Pleasance as a police inspector on the case of a missing person, someone who is a bit important in the chain of command. Christopher Lee cashes a check for his 2 minutes of screen time, and he deserves every penny he got as a demented Mary Poppins (at least in my opinion). His scene seemed to be ready for 3D as well. The film also has a stellar long shot that is to be seen to be believed.