Movie Log: By Rating

This movie was essentially one continuous car chase, but, as terrible as that sounds, it works perfectly. Back when... more

The best sci-fi movie since The Matrix. Fast, funny and intense. My opinion is probably tainted by my liking... more

One of the most beautiful horror movies ever made. Great Goblin soundtrack included with the DVD.

Dario Argento murder thriller. Fairly ridiculous plot, but makes up for it in style, pacing and music.

This is a gorgeous martial arts film which features an all-star cast of Hong Kong action heroes (most of... more

In the middle of the film I kind of forgot that it opens in with crazy dreamy imagery. It... more

I went into this knowing what to expect on the music side of things. It’s a further exploration of... more

Very well done proto-slasher film with a star-studded cast. Despite the title, Christmas doesn’t play much of a role... more

Black Magic is a strange mix of horror and bumbling romantic comedy. Nothing in this movie makes any sense and... more

This is a sequel in name only to the excellent Black Magic. It’s still about an evil voodoo magician, but in... more

Western with a twist that shows its hand in the first frame of the movie but you very quickly... more

A great sci-fi film with lots of long-shot action sequences that will have you wondering how the heck they... more

Come Drink with Me is heralded as the film that defined the kung-fu genre in the early sixties. I am... more

Daughters of Darkness rivals Argento’s best work from the 70s in terms of style and design. Every frame is a... more

I can’t believe I went through the 80’s without ever seeing this movie or any of its sequels. Charles... more

Great music and a twist that will have you immediately rewatching the first few scenes when it’s over. I... more

Fresh off of just seeing the new Blade Runner here’s another film dealing with the artificial intelligence. Only, this one is... more

Hitchcock does giallo! Nice character development and twisted humor.

There are about three hundred movies named Hercules (usually with “vs. <insert name here>” after the name). This is the 1983... more

An ingaging film about corruption, power and the law. There are threads of dark comedy mixed in with the... more

I didn’t like this movie that much when I first saw it, but it has since grown on me.... more

This is a Stephen Chow kung-fu film through and through. There’s the standard wire-fu action and stunts, lots of... more

This was a surprisingly good martial arts film that’s heavy on dark tone and light on the karate. Films... more

Finally a sci-fi movie that isn’t all about special effects (although there are plenty subtle effects to be seen... more

Excellent Japanese zombie movie that isn’t quite what it seems. Avoid spoilers and just watch this. The title refers... more

Fantastic Thai martial arts movie about a monk’s apprentice going to the big city to retrieve his small village’s... more

A lame ending and some bad music choices hinder this otherwise great Argento movie.

Dark fantasy amid Franco’s spanish civil war. Great effects, story and characters.

Pulsebeat has been on my must-see bucket list for at least a decade. Ever since I found a clip... more

The most visually impressive and stylized Pixar movie

Hitchcock at his finest.

Finally, a Shaw Bros. martial arts film that hits all the right buttons: interesting characters, plot twists, colorful design... more

I’ll admit it, I really don’t like the Talking Heads. Their 3 or 4 radio hits are okay, but... more

Super stylish Japanese tribute to Spaghetti Westerns. Only hindered by the thick Japanese accents.

This was a movie that we were told about in art history classes when talking about German expressionist painting.... more

Even better than Batman Begins.

An excellent and worthy sequel to the original series of films. It’s probably better than Return of the Jedi or at... more

What at first glance seems like a rather derivative spaghetti western (except for the unusual snowy setting), reveals itself... more

I loved the Lord of the Rings movies so I realize I have a huge bias towards liking this no matter... more

The final film in of The Hobbit trilogy is an improvement over the second movie. While it is still a bit... more

Cheng Pei Pei is great in the excellent sword fighting movie about a master in hiding who takes on... more

The Blu-Ray version of The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion’s interviews and commentary mentioned Femina Ridens as... more

Although the plot seems to bounce around from time to time, this is about as hardboiled as hardboiled detective... more

Apparently, The Mermaid was the highest grossing movie in China last year. The 40 different conglomerates listed in the opening credits... more

The third movie in the six film DVD set Icons of Suspense: Hammer Films is, so far, the best. The story... more

Ok, my wife wanted the entire family to watch this and I fully expected to be bored by it,... more

As much as I like horror, I am woefully unfamiliar with many of the classics of the genre. Amazon... more

On the surface, this a horror movie about a small mountain town that has been plagued with a number... more

I really liked The Wolf of Snow Hollow and needed to check out Jim Cumming’s debut. This one is... more

This a nice little documentary produced and directed by Penn & Teller, respectively. This is a documentary for people... more

Much better than Chicken Run. Funny for adults and kids.

I rather enjoyed this comedy about an angry tabletop gaming nerd who loses what little social standing he had... more

A good premise that sorta spoils itself by being a pseudo sequel to Cloverfield. A least there is no shaky-cam.

Japanese slow burner about roommate strife that builds to the incredible climax.

Ladies and gentleman, it’s officially the one-millionth time a movie has been based on Poe’s The Black Cat! This... more

Having blunted the needle on my iTunes from playing Bobby Womack’s title song so much I thought it was... more

Something must have happened to Lucio Fulci around 1982-83. That seems to be about the time he decided his... more

Uberto Lenzi’s poliziotteschi about a small-time criminal who decides to kidnap an heiress and ends up killing just about... more

The years of dudes fighting in the sky and blue LASERs of death have lead to this event movie.... more

The concept of this movie is that all the action and camera work is scripted to go along with... more

Another cult movie which I’ve known about forever, but never bothered to watch. I didn’t expect this to be... more

Dueling clans seek to attain the highest level of kung-fu: silkworm style. The fighter literally shoots out webs of... more

The best of the modern Batman movies. Forgoes the theatrics in an attempt to bring the comic into a... more

Another Japanese movie. This one is about a future where the only way to keep those rotten kids under... more

I’ve written about Troll 2 here before. Basically, Troll 2 is the epitome of a so-bad-it’s-good movie. Best Worst Movie is a documentary that follows several... more

Incredibly bad film. Horrible acting, dialog and effects. The net result is an incredibly fun, so-bad-it’s-good movie that you... more

This is not so much a parody as a straight-up recreation of a low budget 70s black exploitation film.... more

Collection of 3 horror tales. They vary in quality but the last is superb.

A surprisingly good Japanese martial arts/gangster film. The time and setting, with a mix of cars and kimonos, is... more

My first Mario Bava movie. The blue print of the modern slasher film. There’s lots of stylized lighting but... more

Blow Up is a movie that I have often heard referenced in relation to other movie’s I love, most notably Deep... more

A small-time hood uses his fighting mastery to become the boss of his own gang. Features a fight with... more

Caliber 9 is a highly regarded Eurocrime thriller about an ex-con who is released from prison and everyone suspects he’s... more

Another great thriller from the Icons of Suspense: Hammer Films DVD six-pack. This one pits Grand Moff Tarkington against a clever... more

The best bond since the Spy Who Loved Me. The emphasis is on character development instead of over-the-top action... more

Horror movie character study about a “Video Nasties” censor who begins to mix the memories of losing her sister... more

I have finally seen this movie and I liked it. Does the Internet need another review of it? Many... more

Well done Kung-Fu flick about a retarded girl who knows how to fight.

Shephen Chow’s family movie that follows the formula laid out in E.T. a couple of decades ago. Chow knows... more

Funny and a nice sequel. Hindered by Kevin Smith’s lack of comic timing as a director (and actor). But... more

Very well done fake-real video horror.

A noir crime film from 1954 that features a young Charles Bronson (credited as Charles Buchinsky) as the heavy... more

This isn’t a spaghetti western. It’s a Spanish western. There has to be a name for that already: tapas... more

Visually stunning comic book adaptation. The plot and character development are a bit lacking though.

Pretty daring for a mainstream big budget sequel to be mostly subtitled. Kiddies, if you download this from the... more

I really didn’t know anything about this movie even though I remember the box art from the video rental... more

Besides maybe Danger Diabolik, I haven’t seen many “Eurospy” movies—cheap, Bond knock-offs produced in Europe in the sixties. Surprising, this... more

No this isn’t about bikini-clad assassins, this female predator is a bit more subdued. This is a French black and... more

Also known as La Morte Accarezza a Mezzanotte, this is more of a Italian police story rather than straight up... more

What seriousness there was in the first Death Wish is gone. The violence is not terribly gorey but it’s ridiculous and... more

I have enjoyed all of Jason Scott’s documentaries. His films tend to be about somewhat niche areas in computing... more

Francis Ford Coppola’s first feature. A low budget triller with good twists and nice pacing. The ending is a... more

I went in to this film ready to hate it but it wasn’t that bad. It follows the same... more

I’ve listened to so many commentaries on my various giallo DVDs that cite this movie as one of the... more

A good well-paced sci-fi action movie. Didn’t quite live up to the the hype and is mostly noteworthy because... more

Early thriller by Lucio Fulci. Moves along pretty well , but the story is predictable with some laughably misplaced... more

As a horror director, Sam Raimi is best known for the oft quoted but overrated Army of Darkness and the much... more

Looking back over the string of martial arts films that I have viewed over the past few months, I’d... more

Slow but true to the book, which, admit it, wasn’t the most exciting of reads—those first 100 pages are... more

This Tom Cruise action film is basically Groundhog’s Day meets Starship Troopers. Since Groundhog’s Day there must have been half-a-dozen rip-offs on various TV... more