Topic: What Movies I Been Watching

[Kathy]

I recently watched that film with my 3 nephews ages 6, 8 and 10. We watch a lot of DVDs together and I've never seen them more excited about a movie than this one. I swear I spent more time watching their antics and enjoyment of the film than I did watching the film itself.

[GSyren]

The original King Kong is my all time favorite film.

[addicted2dvd]

@ Kathy,
I bet... I always had fun seeing Brittany enjoy all my old favorites from childhood! 

@ Gunnar,
While I don't think I could go quite that far to say the same... it is definitely high up there on the list! 

[GSyren]

Well, not only is King Kong a darn good movie, it is also a milestone in visual effects in so many ways. I guess that has tinted my appreciation of the movie. It's the movie that got Ray Harryhausen interested in stop-motion, and as you may have understood, Ray is one of my filmmaker heroes. And Willis O'Brien as well, although sadly very few of his projects ever came to fruition. Obie invented techniques for KK that would be used for decades. Up until CGI took over, actually.

[addicted2dvd]

Psycho: The Masterpiece Collection (1960/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Universal Studios Home Entertainment Director: Alfred Hitchcock (1899) Writing: Joseph Stefano (Screenwriter), Robert Bloch (Original Material By) Length: 109 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, French: Dolby Digital: Mono Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates
Vera Miles as Lila Crane
John Gavin as Sam Loomis
Martin Balsam as Milton Arbogast
John McIntire as Sheriff Al Chambers
Simon Oakland as Dr. Richmond

Plot:
Anthony Perkins stars as Norman Bates, the troubled son who believes "a boy's best friend is his mother" in Hitchcock's landmark masterpiece. Janet Leigh is Marion Crane, the ill-fated traveler who checks into the eerie Bates Motel wanting only a hot shower and a warm bed.  Her journey ends sooner than she planned in the shocking scene that has haunted generations of movie-watchers. The tension and horror mount when a private detective and Marian's sister search for her, and the identity of the mysterious Psycho.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Production Notes
• Storyboard Comparisons
• Newsreel Footage, The Shower Scene: With and Without Music

My Thoughts:

I been watching the new TV Series Bates Motel with Brittany lately. While watching an episode Brittany told me that she never seen the film Psycho. Well this is something I felt I had to fix as soon as possible. After all it is one of my all-time favorite classic films. I have watched this movie time and again... and I never seem to tire of it. Though this is the first time of watching it since I got the Alfred Hitchcock: Masterpiece Collection. There really is nothing about this movie I dislike. As I am learning... Hitchcock was an outstanding artist. Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Janet Lee... everyone were amazing in their roles. I pretty much know this movie by heart... and still I am glued to my seat every time I watch it. I really can't recommend this movie high enough.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[Dragonfire]

Did Brittany like it?

[addicted2dvd]

yeah... she enjoyed it quite a bit. Seems more interested on how the series will get from where it is now to here.

[DSig]

I really like what Freddie Highmore is doing with the series Bates Motel.  If you think about it, it must have taken some big cohonies to take on the role of Norman Bates.

Although he was very good in Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, for me his real breakthrough was in August Rush.  What a great job he did there.  Great things are in the future for him i think.

[addicted2dvd]

My Babysitter's a Vampire (2011/United States) IMDb |Trailer |Wikipedia | Warner Home Video Director: Bruce McDonald Writing: Tim Burns Length: 80 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround Subtitles: English

Stars:
Matthew Knight as Ethan Morgan
Vanessa Morgan as Sarah
Atticus Mitchell as Benny Weir
Cameron Kennedy as Rory
Kate Todd as Erica Jones

Plot:
Since Ethan's parents don't trust him to babysit his little sister alone, they hire teenager Sarah to help out. Unfortunately, Ethan and his best friend Benny find out that Sarah is actually a vampire. Sarah asks the boys to help defeat her evil ex-boyfriend and save the town of Whitechapel.

Extras:

• Bonus Trailers
• Featurettes

My Thoughts:

This is the TV Movie that started the series. Going into this show I really didn't know what to expect. I mean I really like pretty much anything to do with Vampires... but at the same time it is a Disney Channel show. And they can be geared towards a much younger crowd.... if not the entire family. Though I must say that over-all I enjoyed the movie... and now looking forward to watching the series. Sure it is geared towards a younger crowd. Mainly pre-teens and lower teen years. But I was still able to enjoy it. And they did the vampire deaths pretty good.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

The House That Would Not Die (1970/United States) IMDb  Echo Bridge Home Entertainment Director: John Llewellyn Moxey Writing: Henry Farrell (Teleplay), Barbara Michaels (From the Novel "Ammie, Come Home") Length: 74 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: None

Stars:
Barbara Stanwyck as Ruth Bennett
Richard Egan as Pat McDougal
Michael Anderson, Jr. as Stan Whitman
Kitty Winn [Katherine Winn] as Sara
Doreen Lang as Sylvia Wall
Mabel Albertson as Mrs. McDougal

Plot:
Ruth (Barbara Stanwyck) and her niece, Sara, move into an old home with a dark past and are faced with strange occurrences of spirits and possession.

Extras:

• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This is an old TV Movie that was in the Haunted Hollows set I got last week. As such it depends more on atmosphere then anything else. While this one has a slow start... I found it does a good job at drawing you into the story. I have seen better films of it's kind... but it is definitely worth the time put in to watch it. Going into this one I was a little concerned about the quality... especially what with there being 5 films on this single sided disc. But I was pleasantly surprised. While the image was a little soft... it was more then watchable. Really no complaints there either. This movie alone was worth the money I paid for the 8 film set.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Bad Ass (2012/United States) Trailer |IMDb |Wikipedia | Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Director: Craig Moss Writing: Craig Moss (Writer) Length: 90 min. Rating: Rated R : Violence, Some Torture, Pervasive Language and Some Sexual Content/Nudity Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Danny Trejo as Frank
Jessica Lee as Woman in Purple
John Dixon as Skinhead # 1
Kevin Burke as Skinhead # 2
Shalim Ortiz as Young Frank
Jillian Murray as Lindsay Kendall

Plot:
Danny Trejo (Machete) packs a punch in this bare-fisted, bone-crunching action thriller inspired by true events.

Shunned by society for nearly forty years, Vietnam War veteran Frank Vega (Trejo) becomes an instant celebrity when he thwarts a hate crime on a city bus and footage of the incident goes viral on the Internet. But when his best friend is murdered—and the police seem unwilling to help—Vega takes his new Bad Ass nickname to the extreme against corrupt cops and a crooked mayor (Ron Perlman) in pursuit of old-school justice!

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Bonus Trailers
• Featurettes
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

This is a movie I never even heard of until a friend gave it to me a few months ago. But I been looking forward to it every since... as I have become a fan of Danny Trejo over the years. He seems to pop up everywhere... I have him in over 20 releases in my collection. Over-all I found this to be a pretty good movie... but I have seen better. There was several parts that was so slow that I found it a bit difficult to give the film my full attention. But it is worth the time put in to watch it.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Rambo: Widescreen (2008/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Lions Gate Entertainment Director: Sylvester Stallone Writing: David Morrell (Original Characters By), Art Monterastelli (Writer), Sylvester Stallone (Writer) Length: 91 min. Rating: Rated R : Strong Graphic Bloody Violence, Sexual Assaults, Grisly Images and Language Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo
Julie Benz as Sarah
Matthew Marsden as School Boy
Graham McTavish as Lewis
Rey Gallegos as Diaz
Jake La Botz as Reese

Plot:
The next chapter finds Rambo recruited by missionaries to protect them during a humanitarian aid effort on behalf of the persecuted Karen people of Burma. After the missionaries are taken prisoner by Burmese soldiers, Rambo gets a second impossible job: rescue the missionaries in the midst of a civil war.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Bonus Trailers
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

I have seen this movie before. But it has been a while... not since it was first released. I can't remember how off hand. Whether it is one I watched with a friend... the library... or netflix. I have always enjoyed the Rambo movies. So this one was a no-brainer to add to my collection. Plus there is the bonus that the lovely Julie Benz is in this one. I became a fan of hers when I first saw her on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Anyone that seen any of the Rambo movies knows what to expect with this one... non-stop action and plenty of gore. You see beheadings, people shot, limbs blown off... pretty much name it. I definitely enjoyed it... well worth the time it took to watch it.

My Rating:
Out of a Possible 5

[Jimmy]

Someday I will have to see that one... I love the first one, the sequel isn't too bad (Missing in Action is much better) and the third one is pathetic for a non-American (I had the same reaction with Rocky IV). From what I got in your comment they haven't switch it as a PG-13esque version like Die Hard wich is a + in my book, just hope it is more like Rambo II than Rambo III.

[addicted2dvd]

Give it a go Jimmy... you won't be sorry. No definitely not PG-13 in any way... especially the violence. And not overly patriotic either. I think you would be happy with it.

[Dragonfire]

I've heard a lot of good things about Rambo.  I haven't watched it yet myself, but have heard it is good.