14/10/2012: Vampire Circus [1972]

I'm clearly not adverse to old movies, seeing as I spent the last dozen or so movies traveling through some highlights (and lowlights) of the 70's, I had not until today seen any Hammer Horror. Now, for many horror fans, Hammer Horror represents a golden age of horror; when Christopher Lee played Count Dracula and Frankenstein's monster roamed the world. For some reason, I had never ventured to this period in horror, but it seems like a movie promising both vampires and a circus was just what I needed to get there.

08/10/2012: Dawn of the Dead [1978]

This weekend I got around to re-watching one of the most exciting and terrifying social commentaries ever made, George A. Romero's satirical film about consumerism. With an epidemic of zombies rising from the grave and society as we know it collapsing, four people seek refuge in an abandoned mall as they try to survive against the living and the living dead alike.

06/10/2012: Death Race 2000 [1975]

Why is it all dystopian fiction seems to set itself only about 25 to 50 years in the future? Do they really imagine that such radical change will happen that rapidly? I for one hope not, and I can safely say we are not any closer to the dystopian world of Death Race 2000 than we were back in 1975. Yet, it still remains a very entertaining movie that can still make you think about society and many of the questions it raised are still relevant today. So maybe they just got the date wrong.

16/09/2012: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope [1977]

"A long time ago" in our galaxy, George Lucas changed cinema and the world forever. Could I get a more cliched opening than that?  But as cliched as it might be, the statement remains true today as pop culture has never been the same since Star Wars was released back in 1977 and so, I will play the 10 hour loop of the Mos Eisley Cantina song as I tell what you should already know, and maybe a few interesting facts you didn't.

14/09/2012: A Fistful of Dollars [1964]

Westerns are one genre I have watched very little of. I've seen a few but in general I have little knowledge of the genre beyond visuals of cowboys and gun fights. So, in order to correct this and broaden my film knowledge I figured I should check out a healthy slice of westerns. I have however decided that that slice will be the Spaghetti Western sub-genre, and what better way than to start at the beginning of it all with Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars.

25/08/2012: Porky's [1982]

Porky's is the original raunchy teen sex comedy, the movie that starts with morning wood and ends with cherry popping. Released in 1982, Pork's predates the movie many see as the start of the sub-genre of teen sex comedies, American Pie and in my opinion Porky's is actually superior to American Pie.

14/08/2012: The Rocky Horror Pictures Show [1975]

So, by accident, I happened to watch the very definition of cult classic on it's 37th anniversary, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It must have been destiny. That's right, I just used the word destiny. Even 37 years later, TRHPS remains the biggest cult classic in cinema, still played in midnight screenings around the world, and with a dedicated fanbase more than willing to dress up in drag and bring props to a theater. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is more than a movie, it is an experience.

11/08/2012: The Fearless Vampire Killers [1974]

After watching Young Frankenstein I thought that The Fearless Vampire Killers would be a good follow up. Now, I honestly am not sure which one I enjoyed more. The Fearless Vampire Killers shows us that not only can Roman Polanski both direct and write a great horror comedy but can also star in one as well. Never has there been a more bumbling duo of vampire hunters since Professor Abronsius and his assistant Alfred.

09/08/2012: Young Frankenstein [1974]

Yong Frankenstein is a classic comedy that never gets old. Gracing Top 10, 50 and 100 lists for the comedy genre for 38 years now, Young Frankenstein isn't just scraping by at the bottom. While those lists are filled with almost all of Mel Brooks works, Young Frankenstein is by far my favourite of his, as he spoofs classic horror movies.

03/06/2012: Dr. No [1962]

Bond, James Bond. I have been watching James Bond movies ever since I was a kid. I’ve seen ever one of them at least 3 times. James Bond was the movie I could put on, anytime, whether it be my Saturday night, or Sunday morning movie, or just something to throw on in the background while working. Unfortunately it had been nearly a year since I had seen a Bond movie, as I had never actually acquired any complete set myself. Fortunately I finally have, and with Skyfall quickly approaching, I thought it was time to watch them all from the beginning again.

29/04/2012: The Night Porter [1974]

This was the third Criterion Collection film I watched this week, and like many audience dividing films do, it comes from Italy. The Night Porter is the most famous work of Italian director Liliana Cavani, and is damned by some as a perverse exploitation of the Holocaust while others read the story as a dark psychological thriller of disturbed characters with a darker past.

22/04/2012: The Return of the Living Dead [1985]

Anyone who is a fan of zombie movies will tell you that George A. Romero and John A. Russo where the two men who really kicked off the entire genre with their 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead. A movie that has been remade and imitated countless times since. But Romero and Russo didn't stop there, and while they branched off, both have been major contributors in the zombie genre.

05/01/2012: Atom Age Vampire (Seddok, l'erede di Satana) 1960

When man discovered they could split the atom, the atom age was born. Scientists quickly harnessed it deadly potential in the atom bomb. Prof. Alberto Levin however saw the atom as a tool which could be used to heal the disfigured. However, while he is eventually successful he has i the process turned himself into a monster, an atom age vampire.

This is where I question the title. I believe the movie is a Dr. Frankenstein and Mr. Hyde type story, complete with a drunken, green thumb of an Egor. There is really no vampires in the movie, Prof. Levin is more of a Dr. Frankenstein, who turns himself into a monster while searching for love. The monster becomes his Mr. Hyde, first transforming via a potion and then overtaking him. The plotline does infact play out strongly along these classic lines, perhaps taking the Dr. Van Helsing from Dracula.

The movie is originally Italian, although the english version is fine, although apparently is not accurately translated. This movie is nothing truly original, but the black and white still hold up. It's interesting to see that, without the ability to just CGI in a bunch of things to look at how much dialogue there is. The acting is not bad, and the special effects are well done for its time. A good movie if you like the classic italian horror genre, or just want a laugh.

Link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054285/

18/12/2011: Planet of the Apes [1968]

Watched the last half of this classic as well, having seen it a couple times before. Until a couple months ago I had always thought that it was in fact the remake of the original and was surprised to learn that the remake was a 2001 movie with Mark Wahlberg. After watching the trailer for Tim Burton's re-imagining of the classic I decided i wouldn't like it.

For this version is a classic film and I imagine superior. The simplicity of its special effects mean that it doesn't appear to age. If you haven't seen it by now get out there and do so. The ending is still one of the best.

Link:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063442/

Also Kim Jong ll is dead.