Another weekend has rolled by, so it’s time for another Monday Morning Movie Review. While clicking around Hulu I stumbled upon a flick I saw some years ago, though I didn’t realize it at first.
That says something about the similarity of schlocky horror flicks out there—they all have basically the same premise and plot description. Except this one, 2013’s You’re Next, is actually quite original.
With all the gloomy weather in South Carolina over the past week (please pray for the poor folks in Texas, who are facing truly dangerous weather conditions), it’s been ideal weather for staying home and watching movies. Surprisingly, Hulu has upped its game a bit in terms of selection.
I’m running a tad behind with today’s post, so I figured rather than diving deeply into one movie, I’d give a quick round-up of several movies, with some quick notes on each.
Happy Viewing!
Over Valentine’s Day weekend I partook in a ritual that is increasingly rare: a trip to the theater. I’m a bit of a Regal Cinemas loyalist (thanks to their Crown Club rewards program), but they’re all closed, so AMC was good enough.
The choice of the word “ritual” is not mere metaphor: for me, there really is a certain rhythm and order to movie-going. It’s not the same as watching a movie on the couch (as this excursion reminded me), but truly is a whole experience. The theater is the one place I’ll pay $7 for a Diet Coke, and I gladly plopped down $16 for a massive bag of popcorn and a jug of artificially-sweetened carbonated beverage this weekend.
Some movies are meant to be seen on the big screen—special effects-laden epics, for example—but some movies are simply better on the big screen. The Little Things (2021), which I saw this weekend, was one such film. It’s a movie I could have easily picked up on RedBox for a fraction of the price, but I think watching it at home would have undermined my appreciation of the film considerably. Watching on the big screen demands one’s entire attention (especially now that theaters are operating at reduced capacity, making for fewer annoying patrons); watching at home offers myriad distractions. If I’d seen The Little Things at home, I don’t think I would have appreciated it as much as I did.
Just to prove that I don’t just watch cheesy horror movies (and that Hulu actually has more to offer than such films), this Monday I’m reviewing something a bit different: the 1985 neo-noir Amish thriller Witness, starring Harrison Ford as Detective John Book, a clean cop hiding from his dirty colleagues in Pennsylvania’s Amish Country.
The movie is unique in that it contrasts the grittiness of the city with the tranquility and traditions of Amish country life. There seemed to be a vague cultural fascination with the Amish that lasted from the 1980s up to around the turn of the century (take, for example, 1996’s Kingpin or Weird Al’s hit “Amish Paradise” from the same year). The Amish are, indeed, interesting, but I’m not sure what accounts for this brief, generational curiosity in the rural pacifists.
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This weekend I’m wrapping up my review of the Hammer Films Collection, Volume II. Compared to the first volume, the selection of flicks aren’t nearly as good on the second volume, but there are some good moments (and you get a Peter Cushing Frankenstein picture with 1958’s The Revenge of Frankenstein, my narrow favorite from the first half of the collection).
Like the Hammer Films Collection, these are all Hammer Studios movies distributed through Columbia Pictures. The collection includes the following films: The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), The Snorkel (1958), Never Take Candy from a Stranger (1960), Maniac (1963), Die! Die! My Darling! (1965), and Creatures the World Forgot (1971). For this second part, I’ll be reviewing Maniac, Die! Die! My Darling!, and Creatures the World Forgot.
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My fifth trip to Universal Studios in the past eleven months is done, and I’ve put another 900 miles on my little 2017 Nissan Versa Note SV getting there and back again. It was another great trip, but as much as I love heading down there, it will likely be awhile before I return. Of course, I thought the same thing when I went last February before The Virus hit, and it was the most Universal Studios-filled year of my life.
After catching up on e-mails and some work after getting back, I decided to see what schlock Hulu had to offer. The quality of Hulu as a streaming service has really taken a dive, and it’s confoundingly difficult to find specific flicks on the service. I’ve been on a huge Hammer Films kick lately, an Hulu has one or two of their films; it would be great if there was a way I could search for films by studio, rather than just trying to search the names of Hammer’s movies and hoping I get a hit.
Like all cut-rate services, Hulu is also putting more and more content behind additional paywalls and subscription services. Sometimes I’ll see that Hulu has a movie I’m searching for in my browser, only to log into the app to find I have to add a $12 a month subscription to HBO or Showtime to view it. No thanks.
I suppose I can’t complain too much when I’m paying $2.15 a month, and I will note one positive of Hulu: it has dozens (maybe hundreds; I don’t know, because, again, the service is so difficult to search and navigate) of crummy horror movies. That’s probably a negative for many users, but it’s a gold mine for someone like me, who genuinely enjoys watching bad horror movies.
Of course, there are occasionally gems—unpolished or otherwise—amid the dross. So it was this evening that I stumbled upon one such precious stone, blemished though it may be: 2014’s Digging Up the Marrow.
I’m trucking my way back from Universal Studios this morning, so why not do another round of movie reviews? This weekend’s three reviews are all flicks from 2020—a bad year for movie theaters, not to mention everything else—but a good year for movies.
Well, at least I thought so. These three movies were all movies I enjoyed, but I’m not exactly a tough critic. I also tend to rent movies I’m likely to enjoy, and even likelier to write about films I enjoy, so my assessment of 2020 releases could be way off.
But I liked these three, at least. Here are some solid 2020 picks for your enjoyment:
Happy Sunday!
—TPP
Other Lazy Sunday Installments:
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This weekend I’m continuing my series of reviews of various Hammer Studios films. Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing (preview) of the Hammer Films Collection. While writing that review I discovered that there is a second volume, which I immediately added to my Amazon Wishlist.
My family members came through (God forbid I spend $9!), and I finally made it through this six-film collection. I’ll say the real gems were on the first volume, but there are some good flicks on this collection, too. Like the Hammer Films Collection, these are all Hammer Studios movies distributed through Columbia Pictures. The collection includes the following films: The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), The Snorkel (1958), Never Take Candy from a Stranger (1960), Maniac (1963), Die! Die! My Darling! (1965), and Creatures the World Forgot (1971). For this first part, I’ll be reviewing The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Snorkel, and Never Take Candy from a Stranger.
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I’ve been on a major Hammer Films kick, which means I’ve watched a lot of schlocky, exploitation-style horror films and black-and-white psychodramas over the past few weeks. I’ve finally worked my way through every Hammer compilation and a collection of William Castle films, but I’m still in the mood for corny horror movies.
So, as I cast about for some appropriate Sunday evening viewing, I decided to watch one of my comedic favorites, Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein (1974).
