4v291o

Watched on Monday June 2, 2025.

Watched on Saturday May 17, 2025.

Watched on Tuesday May 13, 2025.

Watched on Thursday May 8, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday April 23, 2025.

Watched on Tuesday April 22, 2025.

Watched on Monday April 21, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday April 16, 2025.

Finally caught this in its natural habitat: playing on basic cable in the middle of a Saturday afternoon.

Watched on Tuesday April 8, 2025.

My three year old finally sat through the last 20 minutes so I can officially log this on what is probably watch 342.

Watched on Wednesday April 2, 2025.

Watched on Tuesday April 1, 2025.

The usual gentle low-key hangout vibe expected of Joe Swanberg that serves as an interesting meditation on finding/digging for/defining ourselves while navigating marriage/parenthood. Mileage may vary obviously.

For me, highlights the very real rarity & beauty of a night off from being a partner or a parent and spending some time living or pondering another life before ultimately returning to the safety/warmth of your chosen path.

William Hurt is responsible for carrying the entire thing, and he does an irable job, but beyond that this is very much a TV movie (derogatory). Probably not well served by watching it immediately after Margin Call

Feels like a Glengarry Glen Ross for the '08 financial crisis. That's probably overly reductive (and this script certainly isn't quite as sharp), but it's a well-written and well-acted ensemble piece that places great emphasis on a cruel corporate environment and the various ways people navigate it (and the personal demons they wrestle with to do so effectively)

Not hard to see where this is going, even going in blind. It’s a queasy reminder of the modern world’s (continued) poor treatment of mental health and (largely) lackadaisical gun control, as well as how often these events look so obvious in hindsight and how we still remained largely doomed to repeat them.

Feels a little too stretched out to justify the length, although maybe I just reached my limit of soul-crushing dread (which is pretty all-consuming from very early on in the film) – appreciated the touch that the film ends abruptly/mercifully just before we see him begin the attack

Also, bugs me that the header image is not an actual still from the movie and is something that was presumably cut in the edit

Cultural ephemera with no clear artistic reason for existing. Completely fine, just with absolutely all semblance of characterization removed that makes most of it feel like it’s just treading water until it’s time for the big final showdown (which, to its credit, is enjoyable.) From that weird period where Hollywood decided Chris Pratt was ‘the guy’ – he’s fine, but he’s no Steve McQueen.

Very much looking forward to the eventual day when TV shows get added to Letterboxd proper. Will be very nice to have a one stop shop to log all of the visual media I take in, and I don't use the Activity tab enough to be worried about the increase in activity. More evidence of a life lived or something, I don't know.

This particular show is solid - a little melodramatic for my tastes but always interesting. Surprised it took off the way it did in popular consciousness, looking forward to seeing how it concludes (although I don't imagine it will stick the landing)

Works surprisingly well as a vehicle for constant tension and has lingered much longer in my thoughts than I expected, given that there isn’t much happening in of plot. Still don't know if this entirely works for me but I'll give it credit for clearly accomplishing a lot with so little.

Would be very interesting as a double bill companion piece to the Substance, although it has significantly more, erm, substance and tries (and succeeds!) in saying a whole lot more. Certainly the more ambitious of the two.

Still very surprised by the overall popularity of this film and its status as Best Picture winner – this is not a movie I expected to resonate with the general public in the way that it appears to have (for better and for worse, discourse-wise)

Mikey Madison is obviously incredible, in the way that she also was in a much quieter way in the beautiful, underseen FX show Better Things (well worth your time)

Openly very funny, but this is also packed with numerous moments of quiet, subtle, human interaction and connection, driven largely by Igor on the periphery. I love that Igor is set up as the classic rom-com cliché of the ‘initially-adversarial but eventually revealed to be kind-hearted’ character for her to end up with and that it’s subverted in the final scene, avoiding the predictable but cathartic/wish-fulfilling release it seems to be building towards.

IN that same vein, I love the fact that none of the characters rise above their situation, all of them ending back where they started in a way that feels authentic and tragic but never miserable – feels very human, no overly romanticized characters, no one cartoonishly awful

Perfectly serviceable Western that I believe is held in higher esteem than it likely deserves based entirely on the cast (which is mostly great!) and its status as a more digestible (read: non-foreign) take on Seven Samurai.

One of the first films I actively sought out in my budding film fan days in early university and one that entirely holds up (in a way that say, The Boondocks Saints does not.)

Just an airtight script that never feels overly stagey and a pretty impressive debut from Sidney Lumet. Very few decisions I don't like, especially given the limitations of the setting. Only parts that feel like a bit of a whiff for me are the "walkout" during the racist tirade (which feels very much of it's time, in an eye-roll inducing way) and the final monologue of Juror 3 being written with next to no subtlety. Both improved upon in the remake

Everything you'd want from a remake: sweatier, louder, showier with minor changes/updates to that wonderful script.

Juror 3's final capitulation from angry holdout to reluctant/broken agreeance is much better written (and well acted by George C. Scott) and the "old man" Juror 9 is just acted infinitely better.

As for the updates, the (relative) diversity is a welcome change, I like the increased usage of the bathroom and the recharacterization of Juror 10 as a Nation of Islam type, even though that does cement this pretty firmly in the '90s.

Excited to see the eventual 2037 remake (and would happily watch a new version of this every year if they made one)

Mixed on this one - clean direction, not shy of avoiding the ugly brutality of the racism, and very well-acted (Hackman and McDormand particularly, although their characters' relationship feels a little forced) but it's ultimately very dated in its handling of the material. It's very much a "white saviour" narrative, as the black characters have zero agency and minimal depth and that keeps it from being essential.

Dourif and Dafoe are both doing good work here, but are playing characters much more restrained/subdued than their usual.

Striking (and intentional, and very grim) how much this calls to light how little we’ve learned, and how doomed we are to repeat the same (dour, awful) patterns as a society by mostly ignoring the fringe element up nearly past the point when they stop being on the fringe.

Jude Law is very good, and I love the character touches that reveal just how deeply flawed even the “good guys” are in this, as well as the touches that humanize the “bad guys” in a way that really calls to attention how thin the line is (and how easy it is for life circumstances to land you on the wrong side of it.)

Tye Sheridan is also great at quietly emphasizing his character's growing frustration until it explodes – not wildly different from the quiet boyish roles that made him famous, but it's used well here.

The bank robberies and the final shootout are all very well-shot, and there is gorgeous natural scenery throughout (shot in my backyard!) but that car door opening POV is downright jaw-dropping.

Really visually beautiful movie but I wanted it to say something/anything about a war that is at home instead of foreign/exotic. There’s barely enough here plot-wise or character-wise for it to feel like much beyond a visually beautifully but empty vessel – the equivalent (for me) of the overly staged minimal black and white Instagram-ready affect of modern home decor. Nice to look at, but too little personality and without anything that feels lived-in

Plemons is great but that scene doesn’t work for me – feels like another vignette in a series of them, strung together only because the same group of four characters are the ones experiencing them all.

I do think there’s a kernel of an interesting idea here (Dunst deleting the photo of McKinley-Henderson's body and then washing what remains of him from the car and the historical record) – the hardened cynic who is driven by a slavish purpose to capture all moments, except notably this one.

A really bleak and squirm-inducing portrayal of corporate culture under capitalism that is still unfortunately very alive and well. Baldwin is obviously the scene stealer here, but Lemmon portrays his character in such a desperate, heartbreaking way and is the clear standout.

Watched on Sunday March 9, 2025.

Watched on Saturday March 8, 2025.

Not much to this one beyond the name value (and typically committed performance) that Nic Cage brings - the most memorable part is the hideous mustache he rocks in the preface

Overly long but competently made and interesting enough as a story. Feels too often like a bunch of actors reading Very Important Monologues, which is how I feel about a lot of Sorkin writing – it can be absolutely great but it's also always incredibly in love with itself to a fault, a line which this crosses too much for me. Likely does not help that Jessica Chastain has never really done it for me as an actress.

Understand the need for it narratively but absolutely hated the incredibly contrived chance encounter with the father – feel like there must have been a better way to work that information in narratively without having to beat the audience over the head with it.

Watched on Wednesday March 5, 2025.

Watched on Tuesday March 4, 2025.

Works better as a disaster movie/portrayal of a guy who is hyper-competent at his job than the kidnapping/action picture it morphs into, but it's really solid! Really loved all of the flying scenes.

Delightfully weird and full of oddball characters, with day for night filming that feel like dream sequences and a pretty great bar fight to rival the original.

Our titular hero gets into exactly one (1) kickboxing match in the entire movie, and shoots more people than he kicks outside of the ring.

One of those bafflingly convoluted plots that’s way more fun to talk about than to actually watch: our Kickboxer needs money, so he is in Rio de Janeiro for a charity event and a sanctioned fight. The rival cornerman of his opponent is an American transplant who is also a (secret) child trafficker and a club (?) owner. He likes money, he has no morals, the usual.

The Kickboxer befriends a couple orphaned street children, and the female one is subsequently kidnapped (by the cornerman’s goons for his child trafficking side hustle), so Kickboxer sets out to find her with her plucky kid brother and his trainer. They talk to a French stripper who tips them off to a dance instructor, who they shake down for the name of an ant before getting arrested. They get bailed out by the rival cornerman (they’re friends at this point, it’s too hard to explain) who then suggests they throw the fight and Kickboxer scoffs at that. Friends off. 

They then track down the ant whose place they shoot up (who very specifically has 7 armed guards) who then reveals that the rival cornerman is the guy running the whole operation. The look of shock on their faces won’t win them any acting awards but Kickboxer has finally caught up to the audience. 

Anyways, they go to the cornerman’s house, he’s expecting them, and his evil plan is…he’s going to hold the girl hostage so that Kickboxer shows up to the fight. Yes, the scheduled, sanctioned fight that is the entire reason Kickboxer is in Rio in the first place.

But get this, instead of asking him to throw it this time, he decides he’s going to put Kickboxer through extreme endurance training/torture at gunpoint in order to tire him out so that the other fighter can win. Foolproof plan, clearly a business mastermind operating on levels I can’t begin to fathom. 

He then proceeds to make a series of large bets with other slimy businessmen, including staking his entire business (what that is we’re still not really clear on) on his own fighter. What could go wrong?

Kickboxer is released from his “training” the day before the fight, he recovers fine due to a combination of dreaming of himself shirtless under a waterfall and some snake venom drink/mud mask combo that his trainer cooks up with the orphan boy. 

Then we finally get our kickboxing match (that predictably turns into the usual no holds barred brawl), our girl is rescued, somehow the prize money is still handed over (to be funnelled into an orphanage/private school for the orphan siblings and their orphan friends) and the cornerman’s business (whatever that was) is ruined.

But that’s not the end somehow. There’s another ten minutes where Kickboxer learns about the rest of the child trafficking ring, goes to the cornerman’s house and frees the girls, almost gets shot but is saved when the cornerman is stabbed to death by the orphan boy. That is somehow treated as a happy ending and Kickboxer walks into the sunset to head off to the airport to drink beer with the corrupt (but good?) cops who have agreed to look the other way on all of the obvious murders. 

Not something you really need to seek out, but it’s not all bad as long as you’re not coming exclusively for the kickboxing. Richard Comar is having fun as the villain, the fight is decent, and Sasha Mitchell’s acting is so terrible that it circles back around to being enjoyable.

Honestly pretty serviceable as far as these tangential low budget sequels to box office action hits go. Pretty standard plot that follows the beats of a drama more than an action movie, with the classic hunky/dopey/heart of gold/humble/friend to children/struggling gym owner lead who also happens to be a never before mentioned third Sloan(e) brother. Yes, they lost the last e somewhere. 

Much like the first movie, tacks on way more motivation than the character should need for the big fight at the end. In case it isn’t enough that Tong Po killed his brothers (with a gun offscreen, which is hilarious), we also have the scummy promoters burn down his gym (with a child inside!) and have his former friend/student get beaten badly in the ring. 

Fighting-wise it’s pretty similar to the first - we get one fight to show that our hero is pretty good, one fight where Tong Po uses Muay Thai (and well, cheats) to beat the shit out of an arrogant American Kickboxer, and then a final showdown “the ancient way”: an unsanctioned fight where both guys have resin and glass on their fists and fight until someone can’t continue. Thankfully, those sequences are shot well, with heavy use of slow motion and solid makeup/blood and decent choreography to help make the fists and feet have some tangible impact.

A deserved classic for the famous bar dancing scene alone, but not as potent for me as Bloodsport in of early/breakthrough JCVD vehicles.

Don't really ever know what to write about short films. This was my introduction to Suzan Pitt, and I'll definitely seek out more of her work.

More people should listen to Moor Mother, she is consistently doing very interesting things.

Telegraphs the big twist a little too much (and it feels overly cruel in a way that I don’t think it fully earns,) but otherwise a fascinating depiction of the slow breakdown of a character’s psyche.

As always, coming away from this impressed with Nicole Kidman's desire/ability to choose roles that could be read as 'brave' and her willingness to go a lot of places many actresses of her fame are not willing to go. Movie around her performance is mostly fine.

Thankfully as good as everyone says it is – an incredible (and frequently funny) dissection of class and public presentation

Watched on Friday December 27, 2024.

Watched on Thursday December 26, 2024.

Watched on Tuesday December 24, 2024.

Watched on Tuesday December 24, 2024.

Watched on Saturday December 14, 2024.

• The Tingler
• A Bucket of Blood
• The Birds
• The Whip and the Body
• The Earth Dies Screaming
• 10 Rillington Place
• The Zodiac Killer
• The Devils
• The Cannibal Man
• The Beast Must Die

...plus 24 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Tom Breihan recently wrapped a bi-weekly column for The AV Club in which he picks and discusses the most important action movie of every year starting chronologically in 1968 with Bullitt.

Tom is one of my current favourite pop culture critics and I figured I'd give his column some deserved shine.

• Bullitt

  The inaugural entry. Posted January 29th, 2016.

• The Wild Bunch

  Second entry. Posted February 12th, 2016.

• The Chinese Boxer

  Third entry. Posted February 26th, 2016.

• Dirty Harry

  Fourth entry. Posted March 11, 2016.

• The French Connection

  Discussed in the same entry as Dirty Harry.

• The Way of the Dragon

  Fifth entry . Posted March 25th, 2016.

• Enter the Dragon

  Sixth entry . Posted April 8th, 2016.

• Death Wish

  Seventh entry . Posted April 22nd, 2016.

• Dolemite

  Eighth entry . Posted May 6th, 2016.

• Assault on Precinct 13

  Ninth entry . Posted May 20th, 2016.

...plus 45 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. The City of the Dead
2. The Golem: How He Came Into the World
3. The Phantom of the Opera
4. The Whip and the Body
5. The Fifth Cord
6. Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood
7. Impulse
8. Creature from Black Lake
9. The Premonition
10. The Town That Dreaded Sundown

...plus 24 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

a loose collection of Marvel-related films that I plan to watch (some purely to keep up with popular culture)

• Captain America
• The Incredible Hulk
• Spider-Man
• The Return of the Incredible Hulk
• Dr. Strange
• Spider-Man Strikes Back
• Bride of the Incredible Hulk
• Captain America
• Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge
• Captain America II: Death Too Soon

...plus 26 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I'll have a newborn to take care of starting in January, so I doubt I'll finish this, but we'll see!

here's the original list

1. Hell Comes to Frogtown

   Week 1: Donald G. Jackson

2. Porco Rosso

   Week 2: Anime

3. Supersonic Man

   Week 3: Cameron Mitchell

4. Doberman Cop

   Week 4: Sonny Chiba

5. Capricorn One

   Week 5: Karen Black

6. Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot!

   Week 6: Spaghetti Westerns

7. And God Said to Cain

   Week 7: Antonio Margheriti

8. The Brain

   Week 8: Canuxploitation

9. Vigilante

   Week 9: Fred Williamson

10. City of the Living Dead

    Week 10: Lucio Fulci

...plus 42 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This is a list chronicling all of the action movies Tom Breihan mentions in his A History of Violence articles for the AV Club. The original columns can be traced back from here

• Bullitt
• Coogan's Bluff
• The Wild Bunch
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service
• The Italian Job
• The Chinese Boxer
• Cotton Comes to Harlem
• Le Cercle Rouge
• Vengeance!
• Brothers Five

...plus 698 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

First 24 films cover off the criteria and the extra credit, and the remaining 10 spots are tentative/flexible.

Original list is here

Criteria:
6 countries
8 decades
2 folk horror films
4 films from 1981
2 films from my birth year
2 haunted house films
Worst unseen part 2 horror film
1 film set in the woods
1 Kaiju or Kong film
2 Hammer films
3 films with POC as director/lead
3 Asian horror films
1 Tobe Hooper film
Extra credit: JDs Revenge & The Skull & The Scooby Doo Project

1. The Beyond

   6 countries (Italy)
   1981
   Haunted house

2. Seeding of a Ghost

   6 countries (Hong Kong)
   Asian horror

3. Veronica

   6 countries (Spain)
   POC lead/directed

4. Good Manners

   6 countries (Brazil/)
   POC lead/directed

5. Three... Extremes

   6 countries (Hong Kong/Japan/South Korea)
   Asian horror

6. Kill List

   6 countries (UK)
   8 decades (2010-2019)
   Folk horror

7. The Wicker Man

   8 decades (1970-1979)
   Folk horror

8. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

   8 decades (2000-2009)
   Worst unseen Part 2

9. Audition

   8 decades (1990-1999)
   Asian horror

10. The Uninvited

    8 decades (1940-1949)
    Haunted house

...plus 24 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

original list here

going to stick to things already on my watchlist as much as possible

1. Häxan

   Week 1: Silent horror

2. Crimes at the Dark House

   Week 2: Tod Slaughter

3. Voodoo Man

   Week 3: Poverty Row 1940-1949

4. Dial Code Santa Claus

   Week 4:

5. I Married a Monster from Outer Space

   Week 5: 1950s Monsters

6. The Samurai

   Week 6:

7. From a Whisper to a Scream

   Week 7: Vincent Price

8. Next Door

   Week 8: Sweden

9. End of Days

   Week 9: Satan/The Devil

10. Audition

    Week 10: Japan

...plus 42 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

original list here

wherever possible, I tried to find a movie that was already in my watchlist and available on my streaming services

1. The Lighthouse

   most popular horror on my watchlist

2. Birdemic: Shock and Terror

   lowest rated horror on my watchlist

3. Brain Dead

   from the year I was born

4. His House

   2020s

5. Suspiria

   2010s

6. Ichi the Killer

   2000s

7. Vampires

   1990s

8. Christine

   1980s

9. Lisa and the Devil

   1970s

10. Carnival of Souls

    1960s

...plus 42 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

original list here

filtered my watchlist to everything available on my streaming services and then picked mostly at random using a variety of different methods. kept it to the last 52 years

presented here in order from oldest to most recent

• In the Year of the Pig
• The Chinese Boxer
• Short Night of Glass Dolls
• Night of the Devils
• Godmonster of Indian Flats
• Murder on the Orient Express
• The Super Inframan
• King Kong
• Capricorn One
• Piranha

...plus 42 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

original list here

52 random actors in 52 random movies

1. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

   Susan Sarandon

2. Jack's Back

   James Spader

3. Honey Boy

   Maika Monroe

4. Blade

   Udo Kier

5. Little Women

   Florence Pugh

6. Brigsby Bear

   Andy Samberg

7. Battle Beyond the Stars

   John Saxon

8. Magic Mike XXL

   Elizabeth Banks

9. The Hunt for Red October

   Tim Curry

10. Young & Beautiful

    Charlotte Rampling

...plus 43 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

decided to try and only select films that were already on my watchlist this year, so this one should be extra fun

here's the original list

1. Dinosaur Island

   Week 1: Fred Olen Ray

2. Mister America

   Week 2: Joe Estevez

3. Plan 9 from Outer Space

   Week 3: 50's Sci-Fi

4. Bloody Moon

   Week 4: Jesus Franco

5. Five Element Ninjas

   Week 5: Shaw Brothers

6. The Chinese Stuntman

   Week 6: Brucesploitation

7. The Beyond

   Week 7: Lucio Fulci

8. Gamera vs. Barugon

   Week 8: MST3K

9. Only Yesterday

   Week 9: Anime

10. The Dark Half

    Week 10: George A. Romero

...plus 42 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

~the annual tradition continues~

Cinemonster's original list
Past years: 2014 2015

2016 rules:

7 films from franchises (one shy)
6 countries (one shy)
5 decades
5 films from before 1970
5 films from Bava, Argento, Lenzi, Fulci, Henenlotter, Romero, or Stuart Gordon (one shy)
3 crazy animal movies
1 silent
1 original film and its remake (a remake shy)
1 Classic Universal horror
1 Stephen King adaptation
1 Film with a witch/witchcraft
1 Tobe Hooper film
Dead & Buried
The Old Dark House (didn't have time)

Ended up three movies shy of completing all the rules of the challenge.

In Memoriam:
H.G. Lewis

• Beyond the Gates
• Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
• Cat People
• Cujo
• We Are Still Here
• Two Evil Eyes
• Shakma
• Lake Placid
• Dead & Buried
• Eaten Alive

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Once again I'll be participating in Cinemonster's HoopTober

Hopefully this year I'll be able to fully complete it and I won't be one movie shy of completion like I was last year .

I'll try to keep the re-watches minimal, because there's still a ton of movies on my horror watchlist and this is a good excuse to work my way through some more of them. Currently the only movie on this list that I've seen previously is It Follows.

I'll update the watching order and add notes as I complete each film.

QUICK EASY RULES:

5 Franchises (2 films from 2 franchises)
5 countries
3 films from 2 directors ( Mario Bava & Terence Fisher)
5 decades
5 films from before 1970
5 slasher films
5 monster movies
1 Tobe Hooper film
Review 'em all.

1. Bite

   Watched September 28th as part of the Calgary International Film Festival 2015.
   20 minute Q&A with the director immediately following the screening.

2. They Look Like People

   Watched October 2nd as part of the Calgary International Film Festival 2015.

3. The House on Pine Street

   Watched October 3rd as part of the Calgary International Film Festival 2015.

4. Deathgasm

   Watched October 3rd as part of the Calgary International Film Festival 2015.

5. Yakuza Apocalypse

   Watched October 4th as part of the Calgary International Film Festival 2015.

6. Dolls

   Watched October 11th via online streaming.

7. Tremors

   Watched October 13th on DVD.

8. Hatchet

   Watched October 19th on Blu-Ray.

9. Black Sabbath

   Watched October 21st in the original Italian version.

10. Sleepaway Camp

    Watched October 22nd on ShoutFactoryTv's VHS Vault.

...plus 16 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

my entry in cinemonster's inaugural hoop-tober

a quick recap of the rules:

-there must be 31 horror films (so so so close)

-have to have at least one film from 5 different decades. (check)

-have at least 5 films from one director OR 3 from 2 directors. (check - wes craven [6], george romero [3])

-have films from at least 4 countries. (check - USA, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Canada, UK, )

-review them all. (yep)

~~~~~~~~weeeeeeeeeeeee~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. The Cabin in the Woods
2. Frozen
3. Hellbound: Hellraiser II
4. Paranormal Activity
5. Halloween
6. Wishmaster
7. A Nightmare on Elm Street
8. A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge
9. Shivers
10. Carrie

...plus 20 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Better late than never.

All credit goes to Justin Hullinger. See his original list/idea here

My notes will contain links to reviews, a mention of the weekly theme and a brief description as to why I chose that particular film.

• Hells Angels on Wheels

  As part of Week 1: Biker Movies.

  Streamed from ShoutFactoryTV, I chose it mostly for Jack Nicholson's involvement.

• Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers

  As part of Week 2: Fred Olen Ray.

  Seeing as I'd previously never heard of Mr. Ray, I figured I'd start with what seemed to be his most popular film. I also came across a Reddit AMA he'd done a few years ago and briefly perused that before delving into this. He seems like a man who is genuinely obsessed with making movies and is under no assumptions that he's a 'good' director. I also learned that he's worked with a disturbing number of 'good' actors.

• The Conquest of Mycenae

  As part of week 3: Peplum.

  ShoutFactoryTV has a small selection of these films, and this was chosen by my girlfriend to watch together.

• The Five Venoms

  As part of Week 4: Shaw Brothers.

  I was originally introduced to the Shaw Brothers through a Wu-Tang Clan obsession that began in my high school years. I realized that I've seen a lot of the lesser known ones, and I haven't watched something from this studio in years. I chose this particular film because it's one of the glaring blindspots in my personal Shaw Brothers canon and I figured it'd be a great choice to jump back into their oeuvre. It did not disappoint.

• Hatchet for the Honeymoon

  As part of Week 5: Giallo.

  I've become fascinated by Bava in the last 6 months and this conveniently popped up on Mubi. It was meant to be.

• The Driller Killer

  As part of Week 6: Video Nasties.

  I've had a copy of this from Archive.org sitting on my hard drive for two years now, so this was a good excuse to finally get around to it. I swear I've seen that pizza scene previously - maybe just in my nightmares.

• The Blob

  As part of Week 7: 50's Sci-Fi.

  I purchased this movie on DVD during a Criterion flash sale awhile back and I finally got around to watching it. It's as wonderful as I imagined.

• The Iron Rose

  As part of Week 8: Jean Rollin.

  This was the only movie of his that I could find that had subtitles. I speak French adequately but I'm still aways away from feeling comfortable watching a French film without subtitles to supplement my understanding of the nuances of the dialogue.

• Crime Story

  As part of Week 9: Category III.

  I read the synopses of a few films on this list and decided that I'd rather stick to watching Jackie Chan's familiar face than delve into 90 minutes of rape and ebola.

• From Beyond

  As part of Week 10: Full Moon Pictures.

  I chose this because I've previously enjoyed everything I've seen by Stuart Gordon and I don't know that I'm yet ready to go "full Charles Band."

...plus 45 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Because I have lots of time on my hands and few morals, I will be attempting to complete the 2018 Cult Movie Challenge.

Since I've failed so wonderfully at keeping up over the two previous years, I figured I'd also attempt to watch 'extra credit' movies from the corresponding weeks of the 2016 and 2017 challenges as well.

Therefore, I'm attempting three years of challenges in one. Go big or go home.

The original list, from creator Justin Hullinger, can be found here.

1. Village of the Damned

   As part of 2018 Week 1: Elvira.

2. Turkey Shoot

   As part of 2017 Week 1: Ozploitation.

3. Stone Cold

   As part of 2016 Week 1: Biker movies.

4. The Mummy

   As part of 2018 Week 2: Gothic Horror.

5. Strike Commando

   As part of 2017 Week 2: Bruno Mattei.

6. Armed Response

   As part of 2016 Week 2: Fred Olen Ray.

7. Akira

   As part of 2018 Week 3: Anime.

8. Grave of the Fireflies

   As part of 2017 Week 3: Anime.

9. Hercules in the Haunted World

   As part of 2016 Week 3: Peplum.

10. The One-Armed Swordsman

    As part of 2018 Week 4: Shaw Brothers.

...plus 149 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Again, all credit goes to Cinemonster for this challenge.

The first 23 movies I've selected are movies I haven't yet seen, that also satisfy all of the rules:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 'Anniversary Films' (Release years end in an 8, excluding 2018)
6 countries
6 decades
6 films from before 1970
6 films from the following: Romero, Cronenberg, Clive Barker, Terence Fisher, Sergio Martino, Bill Lustig
2 flying things that kill you films
1 silent film as a tribute to A Quiet Place
1 aquatic menace film as a tribute to Meg
2 women directed films
1 inanimate object comes alive film
1 film with Barbara Crampton in it
2 Tobe Hooper Films
Extra credit: Tales From The Hood 1 & 2
Review them all
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any films beyond the first 23 are just the blood red icing on top of the decaying cake.

• Damien - Omen II

  Anniversary Film: 1/10
  Countries: 1/6
  Decades: 1/6

• The Blood of Fu Manchu

  Anniversary Film: 2/10
  Countries: 2/6
  Decades: 2/6
  Films from before 1970: 1/6

• Attack of the 50 Foot Woman

  Anniversary Film: 3/10
  Decades: 3/6
  Films from before 1970: 2/6

• Kuroneko

  Anniversary Film: 4/10
  Countries: 3/6
  Films from before 1970: 3/6

• The Ghastly Ones

  Anniversary Film: 5/10
  Films from before 1970: 4/6

• Maniac Cop

  Anniversary Film: 6/10
  Decades: 4/6
  Masters of Horror: 1/6

• Martin

  Anniversary Film: 7/10
  Masters of Horror: 2/6

• Creepshow

  Masters of Horror: 3/6

• The Brood

  Countries: 4/6
  Masters of Horror: 4/6

• The Curse of Frankenstein

  Countries: 5/6
  Films from before 1970: 5/6
  Masters of Horror: 5/6

...plus 13 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I fell off after about 20 weeks last year (the Nazisploitation broke me) but I won't let that deter me from trying again this year.

I'm also aiming to complete the 2016 list by the end of this year because you can never watch too many cult movies (and because I've recently obtained a copy of the Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film and I have a lot of catching up to do!)

Once again, the credit for this challenge goes to Justin Hullinger

• Wake in Fright

  As part of Week 1: Ozsploitation.

  Chosen for it's stellar rating on Letterboxd.

• Women's Prison Massacre

  As part of Week 2: Bruno Mattei.

  I chose this because it was the only Mattei film I had access to.
  If anyone has any leads as to where I can find more of his filmography online, I'd love to know!

• Akira

  As part of Week 3: Anime.

  I chose this one because it's frequently been recommended to me despite my dislike of most anime.

• The 36th Chamber of Shaolin

  As part of Week 4: Shaw Brothers.

  Chosen because it's a stone-cold classic.

• Opera

  As part of Week 5: Giallo.

  Dario Argento is the king of giallo.

• Zombie Flesh Eaters

  As part of Week 6: Video Nasties.

  Italian zombie movies are the best (and goriest) zombie movies.

• The Thing from Another World

  As part of Week 7: 50's Sci-Fi.

  John Carpenter's version is so good that I've been wanting to watch the original for awhile.

• The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!?

  As part of Week 8: Ray Dennis Steckler.

  I couldn't skip over a movie with a title like that.

• Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky

  As part of Week 9: CAT III.

  An over-the-top martial arts movie with buckets of gore? Yes please.

• Puppet Master

  As part of Week 10: Full Moon Pictures.

  Any horror movie that can spawn this many sequels has got to be worth something.

...plus 42 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

The OG list.

I won't finish this, but I'll want to.

• Brain Damage

  Week 1: Frank Henenlotter

• Dead or Alive

  Week 2: Takashi Miike

• Perfect Blue

  Week 3: Anime

• Dirty Ho

  Week 4: Shaw Brothers

• The Stendhal Syndrome

  Week 5: Giallo

• Flesh for Frankenstein

  Week 6: Video Nasties

• Blood Harvest

  Week 7: Bill Rebane

• Blood Rage

  Week 8: Bleeding Skull

• The Phantom of the Opera

  Week 9: Dario Argento

• Triad Election

  Week 10: CAT III

...plus 42 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

probably going to start now in order to complete this, since I don't think I've ever successfully watched 30+ movies in a month

here's the original list, that details the rules:

• The Blob
• Wolf Creek 2
• The Stepfather
• Stepfather 2
• Silent Night, Deadly Night
• Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2
• Annabelle: Creation
• Exorcist II: The Heretic
• Ju-on: The Grudge 2
• From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money

...plus 21 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

he was a fun director, this is how I think I would rank his output

1. Re-Animator
2. From Beyond
3. Stuck
4. Castle Freak
5. Fortress
6. The Black Cat
7. Dolls
8. Daughter of Darkness
9. The Pit and the Pendulum
10. King of the Ants

...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

life keeps getting busier, but i'm not a quitter. this is still the best challenge on letterboxd, because it gives me a perfect excuse to watch movies i was going to watch anyways.

i wrote quick hits of why i chose each movie in the notes

you already know

1. Hell's Angels '69

   Week 1: Biker Movies

   the last time i did this week of the challenge i watched some early jack nicholson t. i don't know if this will live up to that, but bikers robbing a casino in vegas sure sounds like a solid recipe for fun

2. Vixen!

   Week 2: Russ Meyer

   i don't really know how to pick movies for this week since they all look pretty much the same. that's not a knock on meyer at all, if you've got a formula that's working, why change it? this one is theoretically set in the canadian mountains and i live in the canadian mountains, so it feels like a no-brainer

3. Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade

   Week 3: Anime

   full disclosure, anime isn’t really something I could ever get into, so this category is a real stab in the dark every year. I picked the first thing that popped up on amazon prime that seemed cool and wasn’t related to a tv series

4. Don't Torture a Duckling

   Week 4: Lucio Fulci

   fulci doing rural giallo? sign me up

5. What Have You Done to Solange?

   Week 5: Giallo

   still haven't really branched out beyond argento when it comes to giallo, and this has a great poster

6. Taste of Fear

   Week 6: Hammer Horror

   good title and a good poster and a studio that you can't really go wrong with

7. Scalps

   Week 7: Bruno Mattei

   a bruno mattei/claudio fragasso western - what could go wrong?

8. Nightmare Beach

   Week 8: Bleeding Skull

   an italian horror movie set during spring break with john saxon and a biker gang screams ‘must watch’

9. Machine-Gun Kelly

   Week 9: Charles Bronson

   this might be my first bronson movie that doesn't have 'death' in the title

10. Rage

    Week 10: PM Entertainment

    this looks like a lean action movie and it promises the prospect of clones

    
    update: fun movie but there’s definitely no clones

...plus 42 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I've been meaning to fill some gaps in my martial arts film knowledge for years. I've never had a bad time with one of these types of films (how could you?)

This is inspired by an old list I found on Freyr's page

1. Heroes of the East

   Gordon Liu

2. Yes, Madam!

   Michelle Yeoh

3. Snake in the Eagle's Shadow

   Jackie Chan

4. My Young Auntie

   Kara Hui

5. Wheels on Meals

   Sammo Hung

6. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

   Zhang Ziyi

7. Love on Delivery

   Stephen Chow

8. Righting Wrongs

   Cynthia Rothrock

9. Once Upon a Time in China

   Jet Li

10. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky

    Yukari Oshima

...plus 26 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.