Topic: Weekend Movie Marathon: 2/19 - 2/21

[addicted2dvd]

Weekend Movie Marathon

2/19 - 2/21

This weekend I decided I wanted the freedom of watching any title that I find myself in the mood for... so no theme this time around. With that said... since I still have well over 100 DVDs I haven't watched yet... I do plan on watching at least a few off my unwatched shelf. The stuff on my unwatched shelf includes movies I may have seen before... just not since I got the DVD.

Here is what I have left unwatched...

1.  The Abominable Dr. Phibes    2. Abomination: Evilmaker 2    3. The Adventures of Tartu    4. Aerial Gunner    5. Apocalypse Rising    6. The Bat    7. Battle of Blood Island    8. Battleship Potemkin    9. Best of the Best   10. The Big Lift   11. Black Brigade   12. Black Hawk Down   13. Black Ribbon   14. Blood Alley   15. Blood on the Sun   16. Blood Stained Bride   17. Boiling Point   18. Brainiac   19. Branded   20. British Intelligence   21. Casulties of War   22. Chain Reaction   23. Chocolat   24. Circus of Fear   25. Commandos   26. Convoy   27. Crossroads   28. Curse of Pirate Death   29. Cyrano de Bergerac   30. Dark Light   31. Dark Places   32. The Darkness   33. The Dawn Express   34. Deadly Drifter   35. Derailed   36. Desert Heat   37. The Devil Bat   38. Diabolique   39. Die, Sister Die   40. Doctor Strange   41. Double Team   42. Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde   43. Dr. Phibes Rides Again   44. Drawing Blood   45. Edgar Allen Poe's Darkness   46. Embryo   47. Farewell to Arms   48. Fear of the Dark   49. Feral   50. The Fighting Seabees   51. Fists of Fear, Touch of Death   52. Fist of the Vampire   53. Flesh Feast   54. Flying Blind   55. The Flying Leathernecks   56. Foreigner   57. Four in a Jeep   58. Foxes   59. Full Frontal   60. Full Metal Jacket   61. God Told Me To   62. Gone with the Wind   63. The Gorilla   64. The Great American Snuff Film   65. The Green Berets   66. Gung Ho   67. Half Past Dead   68. Hell's Threshold   69. Home Made   70. House by the Cemetery   71. Identity Unknown   72. Immortal   73. In Harms Way   74. The Innocent

75. Into Thy Hands   76. Intolerance: Love's Struggle Through the Ages   77. Jack the Ripper   78. Jarhead   79. Jaws: The Revenge   80. Kennel Murder Case   81. Kill Cruise   82. Knight Chills   83. Laser Mission   84. Last Best Chance   85. The Last Chance   86. Left Behind 2   87. Legacy of Blood   88. The Longest Day   89. Majestic   90. The Man with Two Brains   91. Messiah of Evil   92. Minesweeper   93. My Blue Heaven   94. Nabonga   95. The Navy Way   96. Nutcracker: An American Nightmare   97. One Eyed Jack   98. One of Our Aircraft is Missing   99. Operation Pacific  100. Pajama Game  101. Passenger 57  102. Pony Trouble  103. Primal Fear  104. Private Buckaroo  105. Puppet Show  106. Rage of the Master  107. Replicant  108. Return of the Boogeyman  109. Return of the Magnificent Seven  110. Ricochet  111. The River: Legend of La Llorona  112. Road to Bali  113. Road Warrior  114. Sabbath  115. Sands of Iwo Jima  116. Screaming Ninja  117. The Sea Chase  118. Seven Doors of Death  119. Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon  120. Sherlock Holmes and the Woman in Green  121. The Shunned House  122. Sickness House  123. Silent Bloodnight  124. Sinners  125. Sisters of Death  126. Slasher  127. Sleep Disorder  128. Snake Crane Secret  129. The Somnambulists  130. Spitfire  131. The Stranger  132. Super Hell  133. Super Hell 2  134. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2  135. Theater of Blood  136. They Were Expendable  137. This Darkness  138. A Vampire's Tale  139. Vulture's Eye  140. Up From Zero  141. The Watcher  142. Web of the Spider  143. White Fang to the Rescue  144. White Zombie  145. Who Am I?  146. Wild Bunch  147. Wings of an Eagle  148. Woodland Haunting 2

Any recommendations or review requests?... no promises... but will try to get to them at some point within the weekend.

[Achim]

My recommendations/requests:

   1.  The Abominable Dr. Phibes
   8. Battleship Potemkin
  23. Chocolat
  24. Circus of Fear
  26. Convoy
  38. Diabolique
  60. Full Metal Jacket
  61. God Told Me To
  62. Gone with the Wind
  70. House by the Cemetery
  77. Jack the Ripper
  79. Jaws: The Revenge
  88. The Longest Day
  90. The Man with Two Brains
  93. My Blue Heaven
 110. Ricochet
 113. Road Warrior
 134. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
 145. Who Am I?
 146. Wild Bunch

[addicted2dvd]

First thing this morning I am debating what I want to start this marathon with. Then it hit me... first I want some horror. But what kind? Teens at camp?... obvious choice? Friday the 13th... but no I felt like something I haven't seen in a very long time. So I decided to go with....

Sleepaway Camp: Survival Kit
Welcome , campers! Are you ready for some summer fun where arts & crafts meet stalk & slaughter while the days run red with blood of the not-so-innocent? You'll find everything you need right here in the SLEEPAWAY CAMP SURVIVAL KIT!

Your cruel summer begins with the original SLEEPAWAY CAMP, the grisly and perverse shocker that became one of the most surprising horror hits of the '80s. In SLEEPAWAY CAMP II: UNHAPPY CAMPERS, everyone's favorite transsexual psychopath is all grown up and read to teach bad campers the proper paths to clean living and messy dying. Kill-crazy counselor Angela Baker returns in SLEEPAWAY CAMP III: TEENAGE WASTELAND to deliver a few 'lessons in sharing' to horny teens and dirty-minded adults in her own sick and special way

Get ready for gratuitous nudity, gore galore and some very scary singing. Make any season a summer to dismember with the SLEEPAWAY CAMP SURVIVAL KIT!

So I am planning on trying to get through all 3 of the movies in this boxset at some point this morning.

[addicted2dvd]

Title: Sleepaway Camp
Year: 1983
Director: Robert Hiltzik
Rating: R
Length: 84 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:
Felissa Rose as Angela
Jonathan Tiersten as Ricky
Karen Fields as Judy
Christopher Collet as Paul
Mike Kellin as Mel

Plot:
Welcome to Camp Arawak, where teenage boys and girls learn to experience the joys of nature, as well as each other. But when these happy campers begin to die in a series of horrible 'accidents,' they discover that someone - or something - has turned their summer of fun into a vacation to dismember. Has a dark secret returned from the camp's past... or will an unspeakable horror end the season forever?

From its grisly special effects to the truly shocking climax, SLEEPAWAY CAMP is no ordinary 'body count' movie. See for yourself why this killer thriller spawned two sequels and became one of the most surprising horror hits of the '80s!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers

My Thoughts:
This is a movie that I remember getting from the video store back in the '80s when it was first released. After that I hadn't seen it until I bought the DVD set back in 2002 I pre-ordered the set... so I got the set with the "Red Cross" cover that was later recalled after complaints were made by the Red Cross. This is the first time I am watching these movies since 2002 when I bought this set. So it is only like the 3rd time I have seen these movies.

This first movie in the franchise I enjoyed quite a bit. Even with some of the bad acting that there was. But in the one main case I think this was intended to make the character seem a little on the nuts side. But I do think it could have been done better... maybe a little more subtle. There is some interesting injuries and kills in this movie. And the first person at camp to get injured in my opinion deserved much worse. A perverted pedophile working at a summer camp? And then there is a rather disturbing twist at the end that is very memorable. I know after the first time I seen the movie back in the early '80s the ending to this one stuck with me so long that the ending was the only thing I remembered about the movie when I bought the set 20some years later. If you never seen this movie you really should give it a chance.

Unfortunately the first disc in this set does not have many extras what so ever. All there is... is the Theatrical Trailer for this movie and a commentary track. Of course this is better then nothing... but I would have liked to seen a little more added to the release.

My Rating:

Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Title: Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers
Year: 1988
Director: Michael A. Simpson
Rating: R
Length: 80 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:
Pamela Springsteen as Angela
Renée Estevez as Molly
Tony Higgins as Sean
Valerie Hartman as Ally
Brian Patrick Clarke as TC

Plot:
Five years after the horrific slaughter at Camp Arawak, transsexual lunatic Angela Baker (a take-no-prisoners performance by Pamela Springsteen, whose singing and guitar playing would terrify even her brother Bruce) has become a counselor at Camp Rolling Hills. But Angela is about to teach 'bad campers' a brutal lesson in survival when these horny teens are sliced, stabbed, drilled, barbecued, chain sawed and worse. Renée Estevez (sister of Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen) co-stars in this outrageously vicious sequel to the original cult hit, filled with gratuitous nudity, rampant mullets, exclusive extras and gore galore. Welcome to SLEEPAWAY CAMP II: UNHAPPY CAMPERS!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers
Featurettes
Gallery

My Thoughts:
Unfortunately Felissa Rose was replaced in the role of Angela in this movie. From what I have read she was too busy with college at the time. So the part was taken over by Pamela Springsteen. One problem I have with this movie is it don't have the same feel as the first one. This one is played more for fun. Adding a little bit of comedy to the horror. It also has a lot more sex/nudity.... not that I consider that a problem. The movie does start to take itself a little more seriously about half way through. It isn't what I would call a bad movie... but it is not as good as the first one. At least we do get a nicer selection of extras with this one.

My Rating:

Out of a Possible 5

[Jimmy]

Do you have Return to Sleepaway Camp also Pete? Like you I own all the movies (but not the survival kit) and want it to complete the set, but I've read so many bad thing about it and that make me hesitant...

[addicted2dvd]

No I don't... That wasn't in the standard Survival Kit release. It was an exclusive... If I remember right... a Best Buy exclusive.

[addicted2dvd]

Title: Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland
Year: 1988
Director: Michael A. Simpson
Rating: R
Length: 79 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles:

Stars:
Pamela Springsteen as Angela
Tracy Griffith as Marcia
Michael J. Pollard as Herman
Mark Oliver as Tony
Haynes Brooke as Bobby

Plot:
Welcome to Camp New Horizons, where an autumn retreat brings together a group of obnoxious rich kids and surly city thugs for an 'experiment in sharing.' But when notorious transsexual psychopath Angela Baker (Pamela "Yes, she's Bruce's sister" Springsteen) joins the horny teens, she shares a lesson in butchery with axes, trucks, firecrackers, lawnmowers and more. Academy Award® nominee Michael J. Pollard (1967, BONNIE & CLYDE) and Tracy ("Yes, she's Melanie's sister") Griffith co-star in this wild installment of the cult body-count saga, packed with all the cruel killings you love, the gratuitous nudity you expect and a bloody cabin full of exclusive extras you're only imagined. Welcome to SLEEPAWAY CAMP III: TEENAGE WASTELAND!

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Gallery

My Thoughts:
Well... they at least they did keep the same actress to play Angela this time. This one is similar in style to the second one as well. Though it does seem like it is starting to run out of steam a bit... this one is enjoyable. Just not as much as either of the previous two. Unlike the previous couple though... most of the time when they did a killing they didn't actually show the gore. They cut away for some reason. But either way... it is definitely worth the time to watch it. And a nice selection of extras. Including a couple DVD Easter Eggs you can spend a little time looking for.

My Rating:

Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Title: The Waterboy
Year: 1998
Director: Frank Coraci
Rating: PG-13
Length: 90 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Adam Sandler as Bobby Boucher
Kathy Bates as Mama Boucher
Henry Winkler as Coach Klein
Fairuza Balk as Vicki Vallencourt
Jerry Reed (1937) as Red Beaulieu

Plot:
America's favorite wild and zany funnyman, Adam Sandler (The Wedding Singer), scores big laughs in a smash comedy where the laughs never run dry! Just an oddball mama's boy from the back bayous of Louisiana, Bobby Boucher (Sandler) never wanted anything more than to quench the thirst of the dehydrated athletes who treat him like dirt! But when Coach Klein (Henry Winkler – Scream) makes the call that allows Bobby to finally stand up for himself, it unleashes a torrent of bottled-up frustration...and exposes a talent for tackling that transforms him from a meek "water distribution engineer" to the hardest hitter ever to roam the gridiron! Also featuring award-winning Kathy Bates (Titanic, Misery) and sexy Fairuza Balk (The Craft) in a hilarious cast of stars – here's your chance to join the millions everywhere who've proudly stood and cheered for The Waterboy!

Extras:
Scene Access
Trailers
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
Next I felt like watching a comedy... but wanted one I haven't seen in a long time. So I pulled this one out. It is more silly then it is funny... but it isn't a terrible movie. But it is not one that I can watch very often. For the most part this movie is just not funny... though there was a couple scenes I got a little laugh from. This is just an average Adam Sandler movie. Not one that I would really recommend. I would say catch it on cable or something before putting any money out for it.

My Rating:

Out of a Possible 5

[Jimmy]

No I don't... That wasn't in the standard Survival Kit release. It was an exclusive... If I remember right... a Best Buy exclusive.

Pete I don't talk about the aborted part four included as an extra in the Best Buy exclusive set. I talk about this one that was released in 2008.

[addicted2dvd]

I didn't even know about that one!  So nope... don't have it.

[addicted2dvd]

Title: The Silence of the Lambs
Year: 1991
Director: Jonathan Demme
Rating: R
Length: 118 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: N/A

Stars:
Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling
Lawrence A. Bonney as FBI Instructor
Kasi Lemmons as Ardelia Mapp
Lawrence T. Wrentz as Agent Burroughs
Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford

Plot:
From Thomas Harris' novel, director Jonathan Demme explodes and reconstructs a classic genre, laying a foundation of emotional and political commitment beneath a perfectly constructed psychological thriller. Fourteen years after her controversial role in TAXI DRIVER, Jodie Foster finally makes the transformation from helpless victim to rescuing hero in this dark, gender-bending fairy tale on an American obsession: serial murder. As Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter, Anthony Hopkins is the archetypal antihero—cultured, quick-witted, uncontainable—a portrait of all the sharpest human faculties gone diabolically wrong. Winner of five 1991 Academy Awards®, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay Adaptation for Ted Tally.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Production Notes
Storyboard Comparisons
FBI Criminal Profile Manual

My Thoughts:
I have loved this movie since the first time I ever seen it back when it was first released in the early '90s. I have watched it countless time both on VHS and DVD. I was surprised when I checked my database to find out I haven't watched it in about 2 years! Both Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins were excellent in this one. This movie is the one that truly made me a fan of Jodie Foster. Even after countless times of watching this movie... it still has me glued to the screen with such an excellent storyline. If you have been living in a cave for the past 20 and never seen this movie... it is one I couldn't recommend any higher! It really is a must see movie!

The Criterion Collection DVD is a great release. The Audio and Video is great (at least on my standard 20in TV) and there is a great selection of extras to check out. You really could easily spend hours with this DVD. But there  is one thing about this DVD release I do not like... where is the damn trailer! That is a pet peeve of mine... I think all releases should have the trailer for the movie on the disc. I personally love to watch the trailer before watching the movie... to kind of get me even more in the mood for a movie before I watch it.

My Rating:

Out of a Possible 5

[Najemikon]

Excellent choice to spin-out the rare full five, Pete! 

The Criterion disc is great, but I think they inspired MGM to release it properly too. The SE is excellent and anamorphic, with loads of extras, though there has been a lot of discussion about the colours. Criterion as you'd expect sought approval from the cinematographer that the colours were correct. MGM's later releases are more vivid, but simply wrong depending on who you listen too...

[addicted2dvd]

Title: 30 Days of Night
Year: 2007
Director: David Slade
Rating: R
Length: 113 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Commentary

Stars:
Josh Hartnett as Eben Oleson
Melissa George as Stella Oleson
Danny Huston as Marlow
Ben Foster as The Stranger
Mark Boone Junior as Beau Brower

Plot:
Josh Harnett (The Black Dahlia, Pearl Harbor) crosses over to the dark side in this bone-chilling adaptation of the cult-hit graphic novel, brought to the screen in all its demonic glory.

In a small Alaskan town, thirty days of night is a natural phenomenon. Very few outsiders visit, until a band of bloodthirsty, deathly pale vampires mark their arrival by savagely attacking sled dogs. But soon they find there are much more satisfying thirst-quenchers about: human beings. One by one, the townspeople succumb to a living nightmare, but a small group survives – at least for now. The vampires use the dark to their advantage, and surviving this cold hell is a game of cat and mouse... and screams.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers
Featurettes
Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:
This is the third time I have watched this movie since I bought it almost 2 years ago. But that should be of no surprise what with it being a vampire movie. I wouldn't call it my favorite vampire movie... but it is one I definitely enjoy. The first time I enjoyed it... but was left with a bit of disappointment as I didn't feel it lived up to all the hype it got. The second time (and this time) around I found I enjoyed it even more... since I didn't have to worry about the hype. I knew what to expect. Way back when I was a teen I thought that the idea of vampires in the setting of Alaska's extended darkness (not sure what you call it) would be a perfect idea for a movie (I didn't know of the comics... if they were around back then). So when I heard this movie was coming the first thing to pop into my mind was "Finally!"

I was thrilled when I found out that Melissa George was in this movie. I became a fan of hers way back when she was in the TV Series Alias back in season 3 of the show. Most vampire movies play with the legend some... and this one is no different. There was a couple main differences with these vampires. The most noticeable would be the teeth... we don't get the normal vampire fangs here. In this case it is more like jagged teeth... as every tooth in their mouth comes to a point. To me at least... this is different...but forgivable... though it did take a little while to get used to. The other part of the legend they played around with is not being able to enter your home without being invited. In this movie they can just break right in... nothing stopping them. But no big deal there either.

The DVD itself is a nice release. No complaints on audio or video quality (though that is hard for me to judge since I only have a standard 20in TV). The disc also has a nice selection of extras. Especially considering this is just a standard DVD... not a special edition or anything like that. Once again a release that doesn't have the trailer for the movie that is on the disc... just some bonus trailers for other movies they want you to buy. As I have said before... I hate when they don't add the theatrical trailer!

Over-all I found this to be a right good movie. One I feel comfortable recommending. Just don't go into it with to high of expectations.

My Rating:

Out of a Possible 5

[addicted2dvd]

Jimmy... I have 2 other reviews for 30 Days of Night on the site. If you like you can replace those 2 with this one. As this one is much more detailed.