Movie Log

As I get older I find myself forgetting if I’d seen a movie or read a book. Since 2005 I have been keeping track of everything I watch, read and sometimes listen too or play. I have also organized this list by title and rating.

2019

8½

9/10

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

Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion

8/10

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

Under the Silver Lake

7/10

Apparently this is a highly divisive movie. Lots of one-star reviews and lots of five-star reviews. I liked it... more

The Incredibles 2

8/10

Picks up right where the first movie left off with the family battling Cliff Clavin. Every bit as fun... more

Liquid Sky

5/10

I can see why, in this time of everyone and their grandma being a cos-player, that this is a... more

One-armed Swordswoman

8/10

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

Daughters of Darkness

9/10

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

The Shadow Boxing

6/10

A supposed sequel to The Spiritual Boxer which I’ve seen but never posted a review. Both movies are comedies but this... more

The Dragon Missile

7/10

Like The Flying Guillotine, the title here refers to a deadly decapitation weapon. The dragon missile is two boomerang swords that... more

House of Traps

5/10

An average and confusing Shaw Bros. film. I guess this is a continuation of the Deadly Venoms franchise? The titular House of... more

Savage Streets

6/10

Sleazy revenge movie with a heavy dose of mid-eighties fashion cheese. This could be a much higher rated movie... more

Beyond the Black Rainbow

3/10

I really did not like this movie at all. I was really excited to watch it. The still frames... more

The Wind Rises

5/10

This has to be the worst Studio Ghibli film I’ve seen. Of course it’s beautiful, but if it wasn’t... more

John Wick: Chapter 2

6/10

This is about on par with the first John Wick movie. Silly, fantastical world of assassins and gangsters with over-the-top gun... more

Night of the Comet

7/10

A corny, low-budget sci-fi movie that somehow I missed back in the 80s. This is the type of PG-rated... more

Villmark Asylum

6/10

Norwegian horror movie about a group of scientists who go to a soon-to-be demolished hospital in the woods only to... more

Cut-Throats Nine

8/10

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

Mission: Impossible – Fallout

8/10

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

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

8/10

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

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

7/10

Okay, here we go to the un-numbered M:I sequels. This one was directed by The Iron Giant’s Brad Bird. The intro credits are... more

Mission: Impossible III

8/10

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

The Monster Project

7/10

Yet another found footage horror film with all the shaky camera clichés you’d expect. Despite this, I rather enjoyed... more

The Mighty Peking Man

6/10

Shaw Brothers attempt at a giant monster movie is pretty corny. Normally I enjoy garbage movie like this, but... more

Snake Eyes

7/10

The story is implausible and Nick Cage is as ridiculous as ever, but the stylish direction makes this an... more

La Dolce Vita

7/10

Wonderfully photographed and filled with memorable moments, but this just wasn’t my cup of tea. A little too meandering... more

Suspiria [2018]

7/10

I’m not sure why filmmakers insist on remaking films that were already great. The original Suspiria is one of my favorite... more

Execution Squad

6/10

A roving band of vigilantes are killing criminals left and right while the police try to track down a... more

Blood Orgy of the Leather Girls

6/10

If you’ve seen my Planet Pimp Records site, then you know all about this movie. Planet Pimp regular Michael Lucas directed... more

Flower Drum Song

6/10

A musical with no memorable musical numbers. There are a couple of nice dreamy dance moments. I think the... more

2018

The Man Who Would Be King

8/10

I’ve never used this word ever in my life, but the best description of this Sean Connery/Michael Caine adventure... more

Esther and the King

5/10

Epic Biblical story which was partially directed by Mario Bava. Joan Collins is a bride to be who is... more

A Simple Plan

7/10

Sam Raimi directed this serviceable bit of 90s noir in which a trio of Minnesota lads discover a gym... more

Basket Case

8/10

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

The Invincible Fist

8/10

Lo Lieh plays the sword wielding bounty hunter in this Shaw Bros. film from 1969. The story is simple... more

Shoot First, Die Later

6/10

Italian police thriller in which the lead cop is as corrupt as they come and yet we are supposed... more

Shin Godzilla

4/10

Jeez, this one felt like sitting through a two hour school board meeting. 95% of the movie is just... more

The Sentimental Swordsman

7/10

The plot of this one is a bit all over the place. A swordsman with a cough returns home... more

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

9/10

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

Nosforatu

7/10

What can be said about this movie that hasn’t already been said in the “Under Pressure” video by Queen.... more

Deep Star Six

7/10

The only reason I watched Deep Star Six was because I remembered the excellent box art on the tape and was... more

Human Lanterns

8/10

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

What Have You Done to Solange?

7/10

Don’t get me wrong. I love me some 70s Italian sleaze. But this movie could have really dialed it... more

Chinatown

8/10

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

The Oily Maniac

8/10

Many of the same faces from the Black Magic movies are here for another Shaw horror “classic”. Once again it’s filmed... more

Killer Constable

9/10

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

The Cook, Cook The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

8/10

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

It Comes at Night

6/10

So, we know there’s been an worldwide pandemic and it involves a nasty rash and some inky vomit. Now... more

Man of Iron

6/10

Set in early 20th Century, so much of this movie’s tension could be solved with a gun. Instead it’s a... more

Shaolin Temple

6/10

The Shaolin formula is a non-monk enters the temple seeking to learn the tools of revenge. He undergoes ridiculous... more

Chopping Mall

5/10

Somewhat self-aware low-budget slasher film about killer robots in a shopping mall. With the exception of one noteworthy moment,... more

The Woman in Black

7/10

Wait, there’s a new(ish) haunted house in the olden days movie from Hammer films? And it stars Harry Potter?... more

Brawl in Cell Block 99

7/10

This was a lot like John Wick in that it depicts a fantastical version of crime movie. But Brawl is a bit more... more

The Last Movie Star

8/10

I was planning on watching this eventually but then Burt Reynolds had to go off die. I bumped it... more

Fearless Fuzz

6/10

This has all the markings of a standard Itallian poliziotteschi, but the first third of the movie plays as... more

Annihilation

7/10

My expectations were high for Annihilation. I thought the director’s previous movie Ex Machinia was one best science fiction films I has... more

Murder on the Orient Express

7/10

This is the 1974 version, not the Kenneth Branagh handlebar mustache version. Unfortunately, I watched this knowing the ending... more

Deadlier Than the Male [1956]

8/10

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

Pursued

5/10

This is a relatively action-free western that features Robert Mitchum as a turn of the century cowboy with a... more

Watchmen

7/10

This is one superhero movie that I actually wanted to see. I read the comic and thought it was... more

Split

8/10

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

The Blackcoat’s Daughter

7/10

A small, slow moving horror movie about boarding school girls and the devil. There’s lots of hard to hear... more

Bicycle Thieves

7/10

Apparently this is a very important movie and a touchstone of Italian cinema. All I know it’s severely lacking... more

Black Magic 2

9/10

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

House of Bamboo

7/10

This is crime thriller from 1955 that is unique in that it was shot on location in post-war Japan and... more

Turbo Kid

7/10

In recent years there have been several attempts at making fake 80s shows, games or movies. The best of... more

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

3/10

I was hoping for another Luc Besson film at least on par with The Fifth Element, but this was terrible.... more

Berberian Sound Studio

6/10

The only reason to watch this movie is to get a feel for how the sound design was created... more

Tomb Raider [2018]

6/10

Definitely better than the first Tomb Raider films. This reboot seems to be using the game’s reboot as inspiration. The plot... more

From Up On Poppy Hill

7/10

A cartoon drama from Studio Ghibli about a teenage girl who misses her dead father and raises signal flags for... more

Caged Heat

7/10

This should be a standard Roger Corman women in prison movie, but it was directed by Jonathan Demme and... more

Death Wish 3

8/10

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

Black Magic

9/10

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

The Kid with the Golden Arm

6/10

There are a few gory moments, but for the most part this was a rather ho-hum Shaw Bros. kung-fu... more

Excalibur

6/10

I’m not quite sure why this movie was so popular when it came out. I remember hearing that they... more

808

6/10

Another one of these sub-culture documentaries which follows the formula: Identify sub-culture, show the originators, show the people who... more

The Lady Hermit

9/10

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

Flying Guillotine 2

8/10

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

Samurai Cop

6/10

I’m sure I would have enjoyed this more if I had watched it with friends and alcohol. Samurai Cop is a... more

The Black Cat

7/10

I think this might be the fourth Italian horror movie I’ve seen that’s based on Poe’s story, The Black Cat.... more

Crippled Avengers

7/10

I assumed that they would have hired actual disabled people to star in this and expected it to be a little... more

The Dark Backward

7/10

It’s a quirky comedy. A quirkedy! Just about everything about this movie is deliberately strange. The plot is basically... more

The Tricky Master

5/10

I’m not sure if this is supposed to be a sequel to Tricky Brains, but it’s just as bad as... more

God of Cookery

6/10

Stephen Chow is an arrogant T.V. chef who is dethroned and must cook his way back to the top.... more

Love on Delivery

7/10

Man, Stephen Chow has been making the same movie over and over for more than two decades. Don’t get... more

What We Do in the Shadows

7/10

A decent entry in the never-ending series of mock documentary films. This one follows the mundane lives of three... more

Four Riders

8/10

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

Saturn 3

5/10

I remember seeing this movie in the video store with its super-cool robot on the cover and thinking, “This... more

Green Room

8/10

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

The Killer Is on the Phone

7/10

Not that it matters, but the title of this film has nothing to do with what happens on the... more

2019

2018

2017