Showing posts with label roku. Show all posts
Showing posts with label roku. Show all posts
July 19, 2011
Patrick Macnee's Ghost Stories (1997)
I just watched "Vol. 4: Hollywood Ghosts" on the new (and free) SnagFilms channel on Roku but, obviously, this series is all over YouTube so I assume that it must have lapsed into the Public Domain at some point.
I've seen the boxset of what I believe is the full series on sale in various supermarkets before now but never had much interest in it. I saw most of the episodes on Channel Four many years ago and thought they were quite superficial.
The "Hollywood Ghosts" episode seems to be the exception. I learned lots of things from it which I never knew before and I've now got quite interested in the deaths of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Short. I'm familiar with their names but I never really knew any of the details about their deaths before and this documentary had me Googling away like crazy.
There's another "Hollywood Ghost Stories" (1986) documentary available but introduced by John Carradine instead. I was actually hoping that SnagFilms had this much better documentary available too as I remember having it on VHS back in England and I thought it was really good. Unfortunately, they didn't. I still remember some of it though especially Elke Sommer's story. It was very scary stuff.
Although I don't actually believe in ghosts, at least not in the same way that most other people who believe in ghosts do, I always enjoy a good ghost story especially when it's supposed to be true. I'm not sure how much of that is because I'm a horror film fan or whether it's a more primal response that's in all of us.
I've encountered a few horror fans online who hate supernatural movies and I can't understand that at all. I can accept anyone hating those ridiculously fake reality TV shows about hauntings, especially the most famous of them, but to dismiss an entire section of your favourite genre strikes me as completely illogical. I don't particularly like the majority of Asian ghost films but I'll still watch them.
Anyway, if you are looking for something spooky to watch amidst all the thunder and lightning of the summer storms tonight, these documentaries should sort you out.
July 1, 2011
Horror documentaries on Netflix
I've been pretty quiet on Blogger for the last week owing to the fact that I've become addicted to watching all the horror documentaries on Netflix. The saying, "When he's quiet, he's up to something", has proved itself to be correct since I've learned all sorts of things which I didn't know before.
Here's a quick recap of everything I've found so far and which I recommend that you all check out for yourselves.
1. Zombie Girl: The Movie (2009)
Youth and inexperience were no deterrents to 12-year-old Emily Hagins when she set out to make her first full-length feature, the zombie flick Pathogen. This 2008 documentary chronicles her two-year endeavor from start to finish. With cameras focused on Emily and Mom - who acts as agent, crew, producer and No. 1 fan - the film illuminates indie moviemaking challenges and the wonder of being a plucky adolescent to whom anything seems possible.
Although the documentary wasn't put together very well and had the horrid Harry Knowles appearing in it, I quite enjoyed watching the enthusiasm which went into making yet another appalling handycam zombie film. This time the filmmaker had an excuse though - she's only 12 years old! It's a pity that you don't get to see the actual zombie film that she makes, but I have a feeling that it turned out so bad that you probably wouldn't want to anyway. I don't like amateur films no matter how much dedication went into making them (and never come away from them feeling anything but contempt), but if a kid wants to make something like this to put on YouTube then I can't fault her for her hobby. She might even end up working on a real movie one day unlike all the other sad acts who are old enough to know better and have less than half the ability.
2. 100 Years of Horror (1996)
Christopher Lee hosts this chilling anthology of clips with commentary from stars such as Robert De Niro and Charlton Heston, assessing some of the most memorable - and horrific - scenes in cinema history. This collection rounds up more than 10,000 monstrous moments featuring scream queens, maniacs, demons, sorcerers, witchcraft, the walking dead, Frankenstein and many more.
Fascinating stuff but a bit repetitive and not something which you can (or should) watch in one go. Some of it is a bit dry and superficial but the biggest problem is that most of the clips come from B and Z grade movies which you wouldn't want in your collection anyway. I learnt a few things from it but I'm sure that anyone who was just getting into the genre would enjoy it a lot more especially if they don't know very much about the old guys and classic horror. If you never really got into the Universal monsters or Hammer then there are worse ways to educate yourself.
3. His Name Was Jason (2009)
Exploring the legacy of a villain who's fueled a franchise for nearly 30 years and is on a first-name basis with horror fans everywhere, this documentary pays tribute to Jason Voorhees, the hockey-masked star character of the Friday the 13th films. Hosted by special effects legend Tom Savini, the film includes movie clips, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with actors, filmmakers and devotees.
Quite a good documentary in places but flawed by being rushed through and containing far too many plugs for the awful remake. There isn't any new information for true fans of the "Friday the 13th" movies (especially for those who watch all the "special features" on the DVDs), but it still makes a good introduction for anyone who doesn't know too much about either "Friday the 13th" or slashers in general. I watched this when it first came out and was quite disappointed, but, with hindsight, it's not really as bad as I first thought.
4. The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (2004)
An entertaining look at some of the truly terrible moments in film history. This documentary consists of clips from what many believe to be some of the worst movies ever to make it - or not make it - into theaters. Laugh through scenes from "Howard the Duck," "Plan Nine from Outer Space," "Attack of the Crab Monsters" and "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians," as well as many others. This really is the best of the worst!
Only an hour long but it feels like a lot longer owing to the subject matter. As amusing as it all tries to be, I don't agree with some of the choices and could easily replace them with different titles. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you try to be make a list based on the most popular choices without really thinking about them too much. There are no real surprises here and, if you own a lot of Mill Creek packs, you know most of these films and how awful they are already.
5. Nightmares in Red, White and Blue (2009)
Horror and sci-fi veteran Lance Henriksen (Alien) narrates this fascinating look at the history of the American horror film, examining the earliest monster movies of the silent era up to the scariest modern-day masterpieces. Highlights include interviews with genre masters Roger Corman, John Carpenter and George A. Romero, plus clips from classic films like The Exorcist, Night of the Living Dead and Rosemary's Baby.
This documentary came across more as a thesis about the relationship between horror films and politics than a bog-standard retrospective. As much as I think that the more erudite horror fan would get a kick out of it, I found it to be a little bit too preachy and smug at times and, of course, I don't entirely agree with how neatly they tried to tie it all together. All movies provide some social commentary just by reflecting the time that they are made in, but I felt that subtle details were being stressed too far just to fit into the pattern. You could do exactly the same thing (and come up with the same results) by comparing horror movies with ancient Greek drama so there's nothing you haven't already thought about before here even if it is presented well.
6. Starz Inside: Bloodsucking Cinema (2007)
The undead come out to play in this spine-tingling documentary about the history of vampire movies that originally aired as a Starz Inside special. Highlights include clips from genre classics such as Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, The Lost Boys and Blade, plus commentary from actors Corey Haim and Cheech Marin, directors John Carpenter, John Landis and Joel Schumacher and film critic Leonard Maltin.
Although not as good as the later "Starz Inside" documentaries and re-covering a lot of ground from the "100 Years of Horror" series, I quite enjoyed this though I wish that they'd chosen better vampire movies to talk about. It was more surprising because of the famous vampire movies which were ignored rather than the ones which were included. There was no mention of "Daughters of Darkness", "The Hunger" or even "Near Dark", which was absolutely shameful.
I've also watched a few non-horror documentaries (though it depends on your definition of horror!) including "Confessions of a Superhero" (2007), "Starz Inside: The Face Is Familiar" (2009), "Starz Inside: Unforgettably Evil" (2009), "The Cats of Mirikitani" (2006), "The End: British Gangsters" (2008) and "Marwencol" (2010). Most of these were either moving or disturbing (or both), and I highly recommend them for when you just aren't in the mood to watch yet another horror movie.
Here's a quick recap of everything I've found so far and which I recommend that you all check out for yourselves.
1. Zombie Girl: The Movie (2009)
Youth and inexperience were no deterrents to 12-year-old Emily Hagins when she set out to make her first full-length feature, the zombie flick Pathogen. This 2008 documentary chronicles her two-year endeavor from start to finish. With cameras focused on Emily and Mom - who acts as agent, crew, producer and No. 1 fan - the film illuminates indie moviemaking challenges and the wonder of being a plucky adolescent to whom anything seems possible.
Although the documentary wasn't put together very well and had the horrid Harry Knowles appearing in it, I quite enjoyed watching the enthusiasm which went into making yet another appalling handycam zombie film. This time the filmmaker had an excuse though - she's only 12 years old! It's a pity that you don't get to see the actual zombie film that she makes, but I have a feeling that it turned out so bad that you probably wouldn't want to anyway. I don't like amateur films no matter how much dedication went into making them (and never come away from them feeling anything but contempt), but if a kid wants to make something like this to put on YouTube then I can't fault her for her hobby. She might even end up working on a real movie one day unlike all the other sad acts who are old enough to know better and have less than half the ability.
2. 100 Years of Horror (1996)
Christopher Lee hosts this chilling anthology of clips with commentary from stars such as Robert De Niro and Charlton Heston, assessing some of the most memorable - and horrific - scenes in cinema history. This collection rounds up more than 10,000 monstrous moments featuring scream queens, maniacs, demons, sorcerers, witchcraft, the walking dead, Frankenstein and many more.
Fascinating stuff but a bit repetitive and not something which you can (or should) watch in one go. Some of it is a bit dry and superficial but the biggest problem is that most of the clips come from B and Z grade movies which you wouldn't want in your collection anyway. I learnt a few things from it but I'm sure that anyone who was just getting into the genre would enjoy it a lot more especially if they don't know very much about the old guys and classic horror. If you never really got into the Universal monsters or Hammer then there are worse ways to educate yourself.
3. His Name Was Jason (2009)
Exploring the legacy of a villain who's fueled a franchise for nearly 30 years and is on a first-name basis with horror fans everywhere, this documentary pays tribute to Jason Voorhees, the hockey-masked star character of the Friday the 13th films. Hosted by special effects legend Tom Savini, the film includes movie clips, behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with actors, filmmakers and devotees.
Quite a good documentary in places but flawed by being rushed through and containing far too many plugs for the awful remake. There isn't any new information for true fans of the "Friday the 13th" movies (especially for those who watch all the "special features" on the DVDs), but it still makes a good introduction for anyone who doesn't know too much about either "Friday the 13th" or slashers in general. I watched this when it first came out and was quite disappointed, but, with hindsight, it's not really as bad as I first thought.
4. The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (2004)
An entertaining look at some of the truly terrible moments in film history. This documentary consists of clips from what many believe to be some of the worst movies ever to make it - or not make it - into theaters. Laugh through scenes from "Howard the Duck," "Plan Nine from Outer Space," "Attack of the Crab Monsters" and "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians," as well as many others. This really is the best of the worst!
Only an hour long but it feels like a lot longer owing to the subject matter. As amusing as it all tries to be, I don't agree with some of the choices and could easily replace them with different titles. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you try to be make a list based on the most popular choices without really thinking about them too much. There are no real surprises here and, if you own a lot of Mill Creek packs, you know most of these films and how awful they are already.
5. Nightmares in Red, White and Blue (2009)
Horror and sci-fi veteran Lance Henriksen (Alien) narrates this fascinating look at the history of the American horror film, examining the earliest monster movies of the silent era up to the scariest modern-day masterpieces. Highlights include interviews with genre masters Roger Corman, John Carpenter and George A. Romero, plus clips from classic films like The Exorcist, Night of the Living Dead and Rosemary's Baby.
This documentary came across more as a thesis about the relationship between horror films and politics than a bog-standard retrospective. As much as I think that the more erudite horror fan would get a kick out of it, I found it to be a little bit too preachy and smug at times and, of course, I don't entirely agree with how neatly they tried to tie it all together. All movies provide some social commentary just by reflecting the time that they are made in, but I felt that subtle details were being stressed too far just to fit into the pattern. You could do exactly the same thing (and come up with the same results) by comparing horror movies with ancient Greek drama so there's nothing you haven't already thought about before here even if it is presented well.
6. Starz Inside: Bloodsucking Cinema (2007)
The undead come out to play in this spine-tingling documentary about the history of vampire movies that originally aired as a Starz Inside special. Highlights include clips from genre classics such as Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, The Lost Boys and Blade, plus commentary from actors Corey Haim and Cheech Marin, directors John Carpenter, John Landis and Joel Schumacher and film critic Leonard Maltin.
Although not as good as the later "Starz Inside" documentaries and re-covering a lot of ground from the "100 Years of Horror" series, I quite enjoyed this though I wish that they'd chosen better vampire movies to talk about. It was more surprising because of the famous vampire movies which were ignored rather than the ones which were included. There was no mention of "Daughters of Darkness", "The Hunger" or even "Near Dark", which was absolutely shameful.
I've also watched a few non-horror documentaries (though it depends on your definition of horror!) including "Confessions of a Superhero" (2007), "Starz Inside: The Face Is Familiar" (2009), "Starz Inside: Unforgettably Evil" (2009), "The Cats of Mirikitani" (2006), "The End: British Gangsters" (2008) and "Marwencol" (2010). Most of these were either moving or disturbing (or both), and I highly recommend them for when you just aren't in the mood to watch yet another horror movie.
May 13, 2011
A day without Blogger, a day with Roku
Since Blogger was unavailable all day yesterday and most of today (and it appears to have temporarily deleted my review of "Fright"), I watched a load of stuff through the streaming Netflix channel on my new Roku player.
For those who don't know what a Roku player is, check out their website at wwww.roku.com. I've wanted one for ages due to not being able to play Netflix streaming movies on my desktop computer but I was just waiting for a substantial number of horror movies which I'd never seen to become available. Having played with the Roku player for nearly two days now, it's the end of my cable TV subscription. No more annoying commercials for me.
Anyway, here's a quick recap of what I watched which may give you an insight into what happens when a horror movie addict like me first gets a Roku player. It may surprise you because I didn't just watch horror movies.
The Gates
I completely missed this TV series about a gated community of vampires, werewolves, witches and other monsters. Having read that it was cancelled after one season, I wasn't expecting it to be any good so I thought I'd just watch the pilot episode and move on. Unfortunately, it was really good and I ended up watching all the episodes one after another. I don't understand why it was cancelled but the same thing happened to "Firefly", "Farscape", "The Burning Zone", "Invasion" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" too and it's very annoying. Why great horror and sci-fi TV shows get axed while all those lame comedies about dopey husbands and nagging wives run for years must be an Illuminati conspiracy or something.
Harper's Island
I've only watched the first episode so far but it seems good in a gory Agatha Christie way.
Where's Jack? (1969)
An old film starring Tommy Steele based on the adventures of Jack Sheppard, the thief and jail-breaker who became a folk hero in 1720s London. I remembered it being better and less embarrassing than it actually was but I still enjoyed it.
High Lane (2009)
I switched this off after less than five minutes because I can't stand dubbed movies. Unfortunately a lot of foreign movies on Netflix are like this probably due to the subtitles not showing up so well with lower quality streams.
Devour (2005)
I've passed on this horror movie a number of times at Big Lots because I thought it was likely to be crap. It turned out to be quite enjoyable and had very good production values so it wasn't a turd at all even though the ending wasn't exactly brilliant.
Mutants (2009)
Surprisingly, this French rip-off of every other zombie/virus movie wasn't dubbed. I fast-forwarded through most of it because it dragged on too long and the lead actress was disappointingly plain. It was all very predictable, and I didn't enjoy any of it after the first couple of kills.
Bones
I hadn't watched any of the fifth season so I started playing catch-up especially now that it's reached its sixth.
Growing Op (2008)
I don't know why I started watching a Canadian comedy-drama about a home-schooled teenager who decided that he wanted to go to a normal high school instead of staying with his cannabis-growing parents, but I got into it because it wasn't too silly and ended up watching it all the way to its surprise ending. It was good, but I don't feel like I got anything out of the experience.
Summer Lovers (1982)
I have no idea what it was about as I skipped through it for the dirty parts and then rated it as 1 out of 5.
The Horseman (2008)
This was an exceptionally gory Australian revenge movie which I absolutely loved. A father goes after a gang of pornographers who drugged, raped and killed his daughter. Some of the action was a bit far-fetched, but it was all really gritty stuff and the torture scenes were very satisfying. I'm not sure what to classify this film as since it really ticked all the "torture porn" boxes. Probably the best way to describe it is as a far more violent and realistic version of "Death Wish". I rated it as 5 out of 5.
House of 9 (2005)
Although it was a little bit like "Cube" and lot like the more recent "Exam", I suppose it could be classed as a psychological horror (or a bit like "Saw 2" but without all the traps). I enjoyed it, but it was far from being the best of its kind. I rated it as 3 of 5 because it was quite good until the stupid ending.
From Paris with Love (2010)
I really had no interest in this light-hearted but nicely violent and low-brow action film, but I enjoyed it for what it was. It's a bit of a throwback to all those '80s buddy cop movies but with secret agents against terrorists. It was all pretty pointless and forgettable, but that can be said of most action films anyway. I gave it 3 out of 5.
En la Cama (2005)
I thought it would be filth but the stream was too fuzzy and the camerawork too annoying so it was another one that I skipped through in about five minutes.
Man, Woman and the Wall (2006)
This one was nothing but a softcore porno with a stupid story round it. I don't watch many Japanese films as it is and I can't say that I paid much attention to this one either. I thought it was going to be a psycho-stalker kind of film but it was a misguided love story as far as I could tell.
Driftwood (2006)
I'd seen this supernatural drama before but I'd forgotten most of what it was about so I watched it again. I suppose you could call it a ghost story, but it wasn't a scary one and some of the acting was really bad. It had that dweebie guy from "Sex and the City" (not that I'd ever admit to watching it) as a prison guard and he was probably the best actor in it. There was also yet another one of those wrestler-turned-actor types who should have stuck with his previous career. I didn't completely hate it even so. I gave it 2 out of 5.
So that's how I spent my time while I couldn't get into Blogger. How did you spend your Friday the 13th?
For those who don't know what a Roku player is, check out their website at wwww.roku.com. I've wanted one for ages due to not being able to play Netflix streaming movies on my desktop computer but I was just waiting for a substantial number of horror movies which I'd never seen to become available. Having played with the Roku player for nearly two days now, it's the end of my cable TV subscription. No more annoying commercials for me.
Anyway, here's a quick recap of what I watched which may give you an insight into what happens when a horror movie addict like me first gets a Roku player. It may surprise you because I didn't just watch horror movies.
The Gates
I completely missed this TV series about a gated community of vampires, werewolves, witches and other monsters. Having read that it was cancelled after one season, I wasn't expecting it to be any good so I thought I'd just watch the pilot episode and move on. Unfortunately, it was really good and I ended up watching all the episodes one after another. I don't understand why it was cancelled but the same thing happened to "Firefly", "Farscape", "The Burning Zone", "Invasion" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" too and it's very annoying. Why great horror and sci-fi TV shows get axed while all those lame comedies about dopey husbands and nagging wives run for years must be an Illuminati conspiracy or something.
Harper's Island
I've only watched the first episode so far but it seems good in a gory Agatha Christie way.
Where's Jack? (1969)
An old film starring Tommy Steele based on the adventures of Jack Sheppard, the thief and jail-breaker who became a folk hero in 1720s London. I remembered it being better and less embarrassing than it actually was but I still enjoyed it.
High Lane (2009)
I switched this off after less than five minutes because I can't stand dubbed movies. Unfortunately a lot of foreign movies on Netflix are like this probably due to the subtitles not showing up so well with lower quality streams.
Devour (2005)
I've passed on this horror movie a number of times at Big Lots because I thought it was likely to be crap. It turned out to be quite enjoyable and had very good production values so it wasn't a turd at all even though the ending wasn't exactly brilliant.
Mutants (2009)
Surprisingly, this French rip-off of every other zombie/virus movie wasn't dubbed. I fast-forwarded through most of it because it dragged on too long and the lead actress was disappointingly plain. It was all very predictable, and I didn't enjoy any of it after the first couple of kills.
Bones
I hadn't watched any of the fifth season so I started playing catch-up especially now that it's reached its sixth.
Growing Op (2008)
I don't know why I started watching a Canadian comedy-drama about a home-schooled teenager who decided that he wanted to go to a normal high school instead of staying with his cannabis-growing parents, but I got into it because it wasn't too silly and ended up watching it all the way to its surprise ending. It was good, but I don't feel like I got anything out of the experience.
Summer Lovers (1982)
I have no idea what it was about as I skipped through it for the dirty parts and then rated it as 1 out of 5.
The Horseman (2008)
This was an exceptionally gory Australian revenge movie which I absolutely loved. A father goes after a gang of pornographers who drugged, raped and killed his daughter. Some of the action was a bit far-fetched, but it was all really gritty stuff and the torture scenes were very satisfying. I'm not sure what to classify this film as since it really ticked all the "torture porn" boxes. Probably the best way to describe it is as a far more violent and realistic version of "Death Wish". I rated it as 5 out of 5.
House of 9 (2005)
Although it was a little bit like "Cube" and lot like the more recent "Exam", I suppose it could be classed as a psychological horror (or a bit like "Saw 2" but without all the traps). I enjoyed it, but it was far from being the best of its kind. I rated it as 3 of 5 because it was quite good until the stupid ending.
From Paris with Love (2010)
I really had no interest in this light-hearted but nicely violent and low-brow action film, but I enjoyed it for what it was. It's a bit of a throwback to all those '80s buddy cop movies but with secret agents against terrorists. It was all pretty pointless and forgettable, but that can be said of most action films anyway. I gave it 3 out of 5.
En la Cama (2005)
I thought it would be filth but the stream was too fuzzy and the camerawork too annoying so it was another one that I skipped through in about five minutes.
Man, Woman and the Wall (2006)
This one was nothing but a softcore porno with a stupid story round it. I don't watch many Japanese films as it is and I can't say that I paid much attention to this one either. I thought it was going to be a psycho-stalker kind of film but it was a misguided love story as far as I could tell.
Driftwood (2006)
I'd seen this supernatural drama before but I'd forgotten most of what it was about so I watched it again. I suppose you could call it a ghost story, but it wasn't a scary one and some of the acting was really bad. It had that dweebie guy from "Sex and the City" (not that I'd ever admit to watching it) as a prison guard and he was probably the best actor in it. There was also yet another one of those wrestler-turned-actor types who should have stuck with his previous career. I didn't completely hate it even so. I gave it 2 out of 5.
So that's how I spent my time while I couldn't get into Blogger. How did you spend your Friday the 13th?
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