Snowmageddon!

This snow has given me plenty of time to watch movies, but I've been lazy about writing them up. I'll probably continually update this post, as I get around to it, giving more detailed reviews.  I'm also going to start listing the format, in case others are looking to see something. Stuff like Vanishing Point, She-Devils on Wheels and This Ain't Hollywood were all watched using the free streaming service on Netflix, for example.

11. The Great Escape
12. Bullit
13. The French Connection
These ran back to back on TCM last weekend. Damn. I missed the first hour of The Great Escape, but since I got to see hours 2 & 3, I figured I'd count it. I've seen it enough times to know what happened. TCM is great. I think these were uncut(?) or at least lightly cut and there were no commercials. I should watch that channel more often. AMC seems to show more movies I'm interested in though. (TV)

14. Serenity
I never much paid attention to Jos Whedon. I knew a lot of other nerds that just loved his stuff, especially Buffy, but I never watched it. Ever. I didn't even know about Firefly until well after this movie was made. Last summer, I noticed that all the episodes of Firefly were on Hulu, so I decided to see if they held up to the hype. After watching two, I was hooked, and sorely disappointed the series got dropped the way it did (but I guess I'm part of the problem, because I wasn't paying attention when it was on...oops). Anyway, due to fan demand, they released this film that continued the story of the member of Serenity. It played out like a big-budget extended episode of the series, which was great. I loved that they left it a bit open in-case there is a push for additional episodes or films in the future. (DVD)

15. Martyrs
Wow. Fucking brutal. Still not quite over this 5 days later. The French are making some intense stuff over the past decade. This new wave of French horror is very exciting to me, because it recalls many of the 70s exploitation and revenge films I'm so fond of. Very violent films based on real-life horrors, rather than ghosts and goblins (see also Baise-moi, Irreversible, Haute Tension, Inside, etc) Martyrs tells the story of a young girl who escapes from a life of abuse and ends up in a mental health facility. That's enough to get you started. See it.(DVD)

16. The Mist
I really had no interest in this, especially after the mixed reviews by friends who saw it. It seemed that some loved it and some hated it. I've never been much of a Stephen King fan, and I've never actually read the stroy this is based on, plus the CGI monsters even looked kind of lame in the trailer. All in all, not bad. Actually, way better than anticipated. I think they could have left a little more to the imagination, ala The Thing. You don't need to see EVERYTHING. A little more of the "we don't know what's out there" would have been refreshing. There were part I really liked and parts I hated. It was a bit over long, but in general, a fun flick. Well, not really fun. It was damn bleak, but yeah...you get the idea.(DVD)

17. Get Crazy
Most of Fear, Lou Reed, and Malcolm McDowell are in this movie. It's pretty lousy but fun. Ed Begley Jr. is a scum-bag business man who wants to put some famous club out of business (I think it's actually the Fillmore, in the movie). Essentially him and his lackey's try to sabotage the annual New Years Concert, which brings all kinds of "big stars" in for one night. It's supposed to be bands that got there start there, but are now huge superstar arena rockers. All the bands are fake, although it is clearly Lee Ving singing Hootchie Cootchie Man. It's free on Impact OnDemand right now if anyone is dying to see it. (Impact OnDaemand)

18. Blood Feast
Somehow, Brad never saw this little nugget of 60s gore. I've got about 1/2 the lines memorized. Such a classic piece of crap. I'm ready for the Egyptian feast! Amazing. (DVD)

19. Vanishing Point
Been meaning to watch this for a while and it fits in with all the other car chase/muscle car/road movies I've been watching. Signed up for Netflix this weekend and noticed it was available streaming. Nice. Watching this was partially inspired by Death Proof and the Dodge Challenger at the end. (Netlix Ondemand)

20. She Devils on Wheels
Kind of crappy female biker flick from HG Lewis. Kind of fails because it's not as gory as his gore flicks or as nudie as his nudie flicks. Pretty slow, too. Stick to his gore flicks. (Netflix onDemand)

21. Not Quite Hollywood
Awesome documentary about Australian exploitation. Covers Sexploitation, Horror and Action, mostly. Talk to the directors, stars, etc. I don't know a whole lot about Australian genre films, aside from Patrick and The Road Warrior, and this inspired me to dig deeper. One of the better documentaries about the film industry I've seen. Tons of gore and nudity clips from the movies, too. Awesome. (Netflix onDemand)

22. The Werewolf
50s werewolf movie cashing in the renewed popularity of the Universal flicks, I'm guessing. Not bad. Takes place in the US. Lycanthropy caused by medical experimentation. Cool concept, but a little slow. (On Fearnet onDemand)

23. Planet Terror
24. Death Proof
I actually own the Japanese Grindhouse box set, and it has the theatrical release as a double feature, with the trailers and other stuff in tact. I think this version is far superior to the American DVD releases, but whatever. (DVD)

25.GORP
Stupid 80s sex-comedy with Fran Drescher and Dennis Quaide. Really awful, but it had a few moments. (On Impact OnDemand)

26. See No Evil
Horror vehicle for WWE wrestler Kane. Typical Lion's Gate fare. Kinda hot dudes and chicks in a gory little mess of a movie. There are some good things and bad things about it, but if you go in expecting complete shit, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. I actually saw this theatrically because I over heard the dudes working in Incredibly Strange Video talking about how it wasn't as bad as they thought it would be. How's that for a ringing endorsement? (DVD)