VHS Nostalgia #1 - VHS Hunting

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VHS Nostalgia #1 - VHS Hunting

Ahhhhhh!!

 I'm the kind of person who likes to reflect on the past. Quite often i find myself in my own head pondering over days gone by and how quick life seems to pass us by. One fond memory i always seem to come back to time and time again is an era long since past, the era of the VHS. Now don't get me wrong the technological era we live in now is great, id never be without the internet, my Blu Ray player or HDTV now, but part of me still longs for a simpler more exciting time. Maybes its all rose tinted spectacles and nostalgia, but part of me still longs for a time when everything wasn't so readily available, a time when you actually had to leave the comfort of your own home to purchase your favorite movies - i know!! Shocking right? There was nothing quite like the feeling of browsing around an old jumble sale or a video store and not knowing what B movie classic you were going to unearth next. I myself discovered some of my most beloved films that way, i remember it well.

I was ten years old and my mom and aunt had dragged me to a huge jumble sale, i was pretty bummed out having found nothing all day, we only had a little stretch of stalls left, then i saw it,

the coolest thing id ever seen. What id found was the Friday the 13th VHS and me and my cousins had a blast that afternoon watching it. I remember feeling a sense of accomplishment after scouring this huge jumble sale and coming away with a film that turned out to be awesome, and in some ways has changed my life for the better.

I just dont get the same satisfaction with ordering a film off the internet or streaming it on Netflix, there was something about the journey, the smells in the air, the browsing of random VHS artwork in the video store, the hunting through Mom and Pops for rare B movie classics when more often than not, the covers themselves would be more entertaining than the actual film.

Don't get me wrong i also love the instant gratification era we live in, one click and a movie turns up at your doorstep or on your screen from the comfort of your home, but part of me wants to feel that journey one more time, to stare in awe at the wonderful VHS artwork, it truly was a honor to have experienced this magical era.

Who's that ugly guy..oh wait, its me!!

 So guys that the first part of my VHS Nostalgia series of articles over and done with, i hope you had as much fun reading it as i did writing it. Id love to hear from you guys about your VHS memories! Are they good or bad? Do you sometimes miss VHS like me or did you never like it at all? Let me know it the comments section below, id love to hear from you guys. Well goodbye till next time!

                   

Movie Review: Texas Chainsaw (2013)

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Movie Review: Texas Chainsaw (2013)

                     Director: John Luessenhop

                                       Starring: Alexandra Daddario, Tania Raymonde 

 

The Lowdown:

Billed as a direct sequel to Tobe Hooper's terrifying 1974 orginal, Texas Chainsaw had pretty big shoes to fill to say the least. Does it deliever. In short, no.

 Alexandra Daddario plays Heather Miller the last of the Sawyer blood line, who inherits the family home. Heather and her friends head up there to check the place out, little do they know our buddy leatherface still lives there and is ready to pick them off one by one.

What should be an absolute riot turns out to be a badly directed, poorly written mess of a film. Riddled with contradictions that make it inconsistent with the original to say the least, Texas chainsaw feels like it was put together to make a quick buck, and it shows.

The film also misses opportunities to go bat shit crazy and give us the bloodiest TCM yet. Take for example the sequence where Leatherface pursues Heather through a carnival, this was a brilliant oppurtunity to have Leatherface rack up a serious body count killing everyone who gets in his path, but instead the filmmakers chickened out, i guess mediocrity is in this season.

The one thing the film has going for it is eye candy. Its looks great and there are some nice looking ladies in the form of Alexandra Daddario and Tania Raymonde. Raymonde being the hottest in my humble opinion, sorry Daddario fans. Anyways the film is nice to look at, but little else. 

This was a great opportunity to bring back Leatherface and bring him into this decade, bigger, bloodier and nastier. But sadly it just dosen't deliver.

Final Verdict:

Lousy writing, lousy direction, and a "twist" ending that hasn't been fresh since Halloween 4, this one is a stinker. See it, if only for the sight of Tania Raymonde and Alexandra Daddario, because everything else stinks

Rating:

This is a low blow for fans of the original. For a real sequel to the original check out the underrated Texas chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) its leaps and bounds better than anything here. 1 out of 5 stars.

Movie Review: Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

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Movie Review: Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

                

                               Director: Tommy Wirkola

                              Starring : Gemma Arterton, Jeremy Renner

                           

  

The Lowdown:

With a name like Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters you might be forgiven for thinking you stumbled upon some lost 80s b movie classic. Sadly thats not the case. But whats presented here is a nice enough combination of guns, horror and female eye candy to entertain any man on a friday night.

The plot is paper thin and the action vfx heavy and frequent. But if that's how you like your entertainment you're in for a treat, the film follows Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) as they hunt a big bad witch who holds the key to their past.

The action is quite bloody, to be honest i wasnt expecting much gore as films are pretty tame these days, but Hansel and Gretel goes all out. Exploding heads, severed limbs and buckets of the red stuff, this isnt the Fairy tale we all heard growing up. This is that fairy tale on steroids. And at times its a lot of fun. 

Gemma Arterton stood out initially to me. She could have a career playing kick ass action heroines clad in tight leather if she so wished after this and i dont think anyone would complain.

Overall this is a feast for the eyes, VFX and witch design are fantastic, action is first rate. Its worth a look.

Final Verdict:

Boasting impressive visual effects and eye candy Hansel and Gretel is a fun way kill 2 hours.

Rating:

Gemma Arterton in tight clothing earns this a 2.5 out of five.
 

Buy at Amazon Here : Hansel and Gretel 

The future of The Terminator Franchise.

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The Terminator Franchise : The future

The Terminator has always been near and dear to me. Seeing the first two films at a young age clearly shaped my love for well written genre bending sci fi, and to this day the first two installments remain two of my favorite films.

Its after the first two installments where things took a nose dive quality wise. 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was for most fans a disappointment. Gone is the James Cameron magic. Gone is Brad Fidel's haunting score. What we got was a pale imitation of a Terminator film that left a sour taste in everyone's mouth.

Terminator Salvation in 2009 seemed like it could be the film we had all be waiting for since 1984. A film that would show us the dark future of the previous three entries. But what we got barely resembled a Terminator flick. And with that, I and every other Terminator fan lost all hope.

Now in 2013 T5 is a certainty. Scheduled to start shooting in early 2014 what can we really expect?

Can we really expect anything as good as, or dare i say it better than James Cameron's own sequel Terminator 2:Judgment Day? Highly unlikely.

However we can all hope for a quality Terminator film. One that brings the series back from the brink. I guess we will all just have to hold our breath until more details are announced.

For now im just going to assume Hollywood will do us Terminator fans right and give us the dark gritty future war movie we all want and so desperately need.But with Schwarzenegger signing on who knows what angle this new film will take.Hopefully the right one. 

We need L.A. 2029 and we need it now. Whose with me?

Buy the Terminator Quadrilogy from Amazon here :

Terminator Quadrilogy [DVD] [2009]

Movie Review: The Last Stand (2013)

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Movie Review: The Last Stand (2013)

                

             

                                     Director : Kim Ji-woon  

                                     Starring : Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jaimie Alexander

                          

The Lowdown:

Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in his first starting role since 2003s Disappointing Terminator 3: Rise of the machines. Does he still have what it takes to be a leading man at the age of 65? Don't be an idiot, of course he does.Arnold plays Ray Owens, the sheriff of the small town Summerton, who finds himself gearing up for battle to stop a dangerous felon passing through his town and reaching the Mexican border.

The Last Stand is the perfect comeback vehicle for Schwarzenegger and features top notch action and surprisingly enough some decent gore. But the only downside of the movie is it takes a while to get going.and at times it feels like Arnold doesn't get enough screen time.

 His Co-stars do an ample job, Jaimie Alexander in particular gives a good performance as one of Schwarzenegger's deputies who isn't quite ready for the ensuing battle but nevertheless steps up to the plate. There's also a love story thrown in for good measure but that's not why we came to see this is it, we came for the action and one liners and on that front it delivers.

When the action kicks in Schwarzenegger is back to what he does best, firing big guns and sprouting off humor laced one liners. Notable ones this time being "Welcome to Summerton" after dispatching loads of bad guys with an antique machine gun and "I'm the sheriff" after putting a bullet through a guys head who asked who the hell he is. The Last Stand also features Schwarzenegger's finest hand to hand combat fight which is quite a feat considering he is 65.

Fans of Johnny Knoxville may be disappointed to find out Knoxville s part is no more than an extended cameo but he does a fine job with the material he is given.

Final Verdict:

While not on par with Schwarzenegger's classics such as Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Predator , The Last Stand is certainly a much better film that the box office numbers would have you believe. Filled with impressive action, witty one liners and thrilling car chases,

The Last Stand is a great film for old school action junkies and Schwarzenegger die hard's alike. Its a perfect way to "Let off some steam".

Rating:

Ignored by the general public, The Last Stand is Schwarzenegger back doing what he does best. Ignore the naysayers its a blast. Here's to Arnie kicking ass till hes 85! 3 out of 5 Stars.

But at Amazon : The Last Stand [DVD]