Movie Log: By Rating

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

It’s big, loud, and brown. Like the number in the name.

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

Very good ghost story from the producers of Pan’s Labyrynth.

I was really excited to see this movie and so my viewing suffered from raised expectations. I liked it... more

I guess fantastical prison movies have been a thing in Japan since long before Story of Ricky. This one is... more

A rather brutal kung-fu flick centered around competing schools in the lead up to a fighting competition. Lot of... more

The head severing basket on a chain is back and is as ridiculous as ever. When we last left off, our... more

Incredibly bad movie that has to be seen to be believed. Has plenty of dull moments but it more... more

Not all Shaw Brothers martial arts movies take place in ancient China. Four Riders is set in Seoul during the weeks... more

This is the first film I am watching in my Pam Grier film fest and it’s a good one.... more

After watching the famous version from a few years later, I wanted to see this, the first adaptation of... more

Get Lamp is a documentary about text adventure games from Jason Scott, the director of BBS: The Documentary. Both of these... more

Giallo isn’t quite the return to form I wanted from Dario Argento, but it’s a much better movie than the... more

Yes, it’s a very good Godzilla movie but it’s not quite the revelation that many reviewers are making it... more

Of all the films in this DVD set, this one features the best fight choreography. I guess it’s a... more

So far, this is the wildest Krimi film I’ve seen. Despite the title, there isn’t as much gorilla crime... more

The first fifteen minutes of this movie are noteworthy for accurately depicting what it’s like to be a touring... more

Shallow and stupid, but I guess that’s the point. Nonetheless, always entertaining. Tarantino’s section is mediocre but the fake... more

Probably my favorite of the recent Marvel to film movie productions. It helps that it wasn’t an idiotic superhero... more

The Guardians films remain the best of the Marvel movies. This is mostly due to their disconnect from Earthly... more

An adequate conclusion to the Potter movies. If part one was all just brooding, this one was all just... more

The series chugs along. Number three is still the best movie of the series, but this one performs as... more

I recently impulse bought the 5-disc Paul Naschy blu-ray collection having only seen a couple of his films (Panic... more

Good, suspenseful and gross.

Not quite as funny as Shaun of the Dead, but entertaining nontheless.

This movie made it to America in the wake of Crouching Tiger and has much of the same stylishness. Doesn’t quite... more

Hackneyed story benefits from some amazing computer animation. Basically, it’s yet another retelling of E.T. where kid finds animal/alien/monster/robot,... more

Another Paul Naschy film in which all the ladies can’t resist his barrel-chested charms. This one starts off in... more

Not quite a horror film, but this is probably as dark and weird as a kung-fu picture will get.... more

Paul Naschy is back to his old tricks. Yes, once again he’s killing animals for your cinematic enjoyment. Ok,... more

Hundreds of Beavers is essentially a feature length live action Looney Tunes cartoon with a unique lo-fi style. There... more

Bogart is screen writer with a short fuse who is wrongly accused of murder. His alibi is his new... more

Kill List starts off as a relationship drama then soon morphs into a British gangster film following the antics of... more

Another Shaw Brothers kung-fu extravaganza. This one was quite good with lots of blood, a complicated (in a good... more

Very funny and action packed kung-fu movie. Special effects aren’t that great but it makes up for it in... more

This is a weird one. It starts off with a display of magical cloaked fighters in which two are... more

Good mystery. Lucio Fulci is a bit of a clumsy director, but manages to provide a few surprises even... more

I am a crowd supporter for Penn Jillette’s upcoming Director’s Cut movie and the story goes that Penn watched this movie... more

I have owned the soundtrack to Gli Intoccabili for years. The title song is one of the best themes Ennio Morricone ever wrote,... more

The story feels like a cheesy straight-to-video horror movie that came out in the late 80s but the visual... more

I absolutely hated Beyond the Black Rainbow but felt I had to watch it before watching this. Mandy might be a tad over-hyped,... more

The final movie in the Dragon Dynasty Volume 1 DVD pack is probably the best of this set. The film banks... more

This is a French horror film that often gets lumped into the sub-genre of torture porn along with Hostel and Saw. I... more

A lot of people hated this movie, but I thought it was pretty darn good. Okay, the demons were a... more

Pretty much a direct continuation of he previous film in the series. Lots of stunts, yadda yadda. Good twists... more

In the first ten minutes of Rogue Nation we have Tom Cruise hanging from the fuselage on an airplane on takeoff.... more

Everyone says that these Mission: Impossible movies are some of the best contemporary action movies around (besides Fury Road), so I decided... more

This one casts itself off as a female version of Death Wish complete with two uncomfortable assaults of the lead actress... more

What’s not to love about a gory thriller/comedy that makes fun of art scene-sters.

Miyazaki film with beautiful characterization and animation. The plot is a bit thin and just seems to end at... more

This is an incredibly creepy thriller about a town that defends an elderly pedophile who is a member of... more

Gothic horror is really where Paul Naschy shines. This werewolf/vampire movie is quite fun despite the fact that a... more

As with all Tarantino movies, this is entertaining from beginning to end with tons of nostalgic details. I don’t... more

This has all the trappings of a boring, low-rent “guys doing kung-fu in an empty field because the producers... more

Mindless popcorn fair that manages to be entertaining without getting too annoying. The story and characters are really, REALLY... more

Panic Beats has been on my radar ever since I saw a few clips from it in to Mondo... more

A nice supernatural thriller from Argento.

Hammer films, especially horror, are hit or miss (mostly miss). Plague of the Zombies is a rare exception. This... more

Colorful and holds your attention despite the technical limitations of the era. Very cool art design.

It’s a Predator sequel that doesn’t suck! The plot mirrors the first movie but the setting has been shifted... more

Posthumous Bava film. Most of the action takes place in a car as bandits kidnap a woman, man and... more

Another shaky handheld camera horror movie ala Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield. This style is getting a little old now, but this... more

This is the follow up to Emilio Miraglia’s The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave. Red Queen sits more firmly in the... more

A euro-crime thriller/drama about a prison warden who is blackmailed into letting a prisoner escape. Boasts a wonderful score by... more

An eighties “classic” which I never got around to watching because I always thought the video box looked dull... more

This starts as an engaging thriller and then tricks you by turning into a teary drama. A lot of... more

A good Hitchcock thriller. Essentially a real-time stage play.

This is always getting cited as one of the best horror movies ever made. I was not impressed. Yes,... more

A wildly entertaining Indian film about a man trying to save his sister from the evil British governor and... more

A better-than-most Spaghetti Western with high-flying acrobatics.

Good thriller with annoying Nike-commercial-esque style and bad acting.

Just when I was about to lose hope regarding my Hammer Films: Icons of Horror DVD set, I got around to... more

I’ve never actually seen a Buster Keaton movie until this. Holds up very well and has some great scenes... more

Horrible quality video. A giallo that isn’t quite as stylish as its contemporaries, but has a solid plot and... more

The reason to watch this is the crazy pyrotechnics and stunts and gritty 70s style. Worth it for the... more

A group of avant-garde percussionists decide to go rogue and put on the ultimate performance by breaking-in to various... more

If you read this Web site with any regularity (in reality that means nobody), you know that I am... more

I don’t really have any attachment to the old Spider-Men movies so the gimmick of bringing back the previous... more

I was surprised by how good this Marvel entry was. It’s genuinely funny, the main villain is well fleshed-out,... more

Well, turns out M. Night is still capable of making an entertaining movie. This was a humble thriller about... more

The second Star Track reboot film was mindless fun. I was never bored despite the lame retread story, excessive attempts at... more

“Imperial battleship, halt the flow of time!” This is some awesome trash. Mostly crap, but pay attention to the... more

This is a good film noir from the six movie Icons of Suspense Collection: Hammer Films DVD set. There is plenty... more

As I have noted many times on this site, I am a bit sick of super hero movies. Super could have... more

Pretty good Jackie Chan faire. Not his best, but plenty of good action here.

This is a classic Kung-Fu film from the Shaw Brothers that doesn’t quite have the artistic flair that I look for in... more

Interesting documentary co-produced Penn Jillete that dissects a single raunchy joke. Lots of funny moments and lots of interesting... more

Metaphysical Fulci Zombie movie. Lots of close-up gore and some good atmospheric scares.

The Big Gundown is a top-tier spaghetti western that has a similar plot structure to Tuco’s story in The... more

Another exciting Italian crime thriller directed by Fernando Di Leo, director of Caliber 9. All the characters are scum, even the... more

This is a slasher movie with a twist. The unique thing here is that the twist is revealed in... more

The guy from the new Star Warses is a card player and gambler who learned his trade after 10... more

This is a pretty top-notch Giallo. It has George Hilton, Luigi Pistilli, a black hatted killer, bloody murder set... more

I was familiar with about the first fifteen minutes of this movie from the old LASER disc video game, Cliffhanger.... more

The film opens with George C. Scott witnessing a horrible car accident. The story then shifts to four months... more

This movie is exactly what late 80s art movies are supposed to be. It’s the very definition of style... more