Comedy, 120 Minutes, 2010
This is a perfectly harmless, perfectly average comedy with perhaps just a bit too much going on. Like so many average movies there’s not much to specifically recommend it; but there’s also not much to specifically criticize.
Thriller/Drama, 113 Minutes, 2010
In 1997 three retired Mossad agents are enjoying some deserved accolades. A new book is being released about the 1965 mission that made them legends. Then, less that twenty years after the formation of Israel, Mossad’s goal was to bring Nazi war criminals to justice.
One thing that came out of RiffTrax Live: Godzilla was that I reminded of this 1969 gem of a short film by Marv Newland [IMDB]. I can’t believe that I had never subjected my children to its understated genius before now.
I remember having to track down eccentric little movie theaters to see stuff like this when I was in my teens. Thanks Internet!
When the fine, funny people at RiffTrax decided to take their special brand of snark to theaters across the country we knew two things:
The first show, August 20, 2009, was “Plan Nine from Outer Space” and this was followed up regularly with a small herd of super-cheese staples including “Reefer Madness”, “Manos: The Hands of Fate” and the modern, solar-powered classic, “Birdemic“. To do bigger movies, they’d need more money. Being that special combination of smart/lazy/awesome they left that part up to us. A hugely successful KickStarter campaign gave us an amazing evening with “Starship Troopers“.
So, after another successful KickStarter and nearly five years from that first show, they brought us Roland Emmerich’s 1998 character assassination of “Godzilla”. In it he accused the Big “G” of being an asexual, hermaphroditic, tunnel-crawling, no-fire-breathing, Jay Leno-looking mutated iguana. It got what it deserved and it was hilarious.
Broadcast by Fathom Events to hundreds of theaters across North America (the good America) the shows bring together thousands of fans and and some high-quality father/son time. I’ve seen “Guardians of the Galaxy“, but this – Roland-freakin’-Emmerich’s Godzilla – is still the most fun I’ve had in a theater all year.
Horror/Thriller, 82 Minutes, 2013
This low-budget thriller ups the ante by focusing on a trapped mother and her three daughters. She was taking the teens to pick up their father, back from an extended tour of duty in the Middle East. They’re forced to seek shelter in the basement of a nearby farm house when a tornado forces them off the road. It’s only when they try to get out that they realize their safe harbor is actually a prison; one guarded by terrible, predatory creatures.
“Guardians of the Galaxy” on IMDB
Sci-Fi/Adventure, 121 Minutes, 2014
Before I get into the movie I’m going to begin with a totally harmless spoiler about the end-credit tease. It has nothing to do with the main plot of the movie and I won’t give anything meaningful away. Sometimes coincidence can blow your feeble brain.
Thriller, 88 Minutes, 2013
Hey kids, more torture porn! That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does seem like we’ve gotten more than our fair share of them lately. Each finds a reason for people to be pushed to their extremes and then, well, pushes them. Happily, this one is better than most.
Comedy, 109 Minutes, 2008
Have you ever experienced that moment when you make a reference to some hilarious movie and all you get is blank stares? Even when you’re positive that you watched the movie with that person? Like you can literally remember sitting in a room with them and watching the specific scene you referenced, but they have no idea what you’re talking about?
Comedy, 103 Minutes, 2012
Imogene (Kristen Wiig [IMDB]) did it! She escaped her crazy family – and New Jersey – found a great guy and is finally making it in New York City. She is absolutely ready to enjoy the very best years of her life! That is, at least, until her career and relationship hit the shitter. That sends her straight into nervous breakdown territory and she’s forced to move back in with her mother.
Crime/Comedy, 90 Minutes, 2012
Set in 1974, this feels like someone’s attempt to create a syndicated show for my grandmother. Billy Burke [IMDB] plays Chris Mankowski, a no-nonsense, right-before-rules cop with an attitude. He’s so manly they had to put it right there in his name! Formerly on the bomb squad, he had some troubles and is now riding a desk in the sex crimes unit.
“Sex Drive” on IMDB
“Girl Most Likely” on IMDB
