The Legend Of Boggy Creek

Man it's great to finally see this.

Welcome to another week of movie reviews where this time we look at underrated cult films that deserve more attention, starting with one of the most famous examples. The Legend Of Boggy Creek is nothing short of a fascinating film, a strange mix of horror film and documentary footage centered around the real town of Fouke, Arkansas where stories are recounted by the real people who live there in that town of the strange creature that lives in the Sulphur River region. Filmed on a budget of about $100,000 the film grossed 20 million dollars in 1972 and through the years has kept a sturdy cult following through almost strictly word of mouth. The version I watched was a complete restoration done in 2018, and my God does it looks amazing. I highly praise the work done on this film, and while it still has the film grain of a 35mm film stock, the colors, the crisp focus, and the overall quality is a true treat though I have absolutely nothing against the original release. But the atmosphere that is built so deeply into the film in almost every way is complimented so well by the restoration, it gets very moody and firmly sets you in this small town. Fouke is a town of about 350 people and you get to know this little town well, spending most of it observing the gorgeous and yet slightly unsettling landscape of the bottom lands, and the movie does such a great job putting you in that time and place in the world. And I gotta say, for real town folk with zero acting experience I quite enjoyed every person we met, again it's this odd mix of real life people playing themselves in a movie that is this fiction/non-fiction film about bigfoot so really there's not much acting in the film. It presents itself as a recounting of various stories by the people tethered together by a narrator to form a cohesive story. It succeeds in my opinion, because it feels real enough with the camera footage and narration, but still feels like a movie with this guy in a fur suit that would put Peter Mayhew to shame and a few recreated stories that go on for a bit. Yet it has a strange power, you stick with it and want to know where this film is going, it doesn't perpetrate itself as a true story and that these things really happened but suggests that it possibly could be true. Hence the title of The Legend Of Boggy Creek. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, the visuals are lovely, the music is so good I truthfully have a few tracks on my phone, the story proposed is a fun spooky one, and the director did a fine job creating this vision plus the narrator might just have the best voice I've heard for this sort of thing. I am so sorry Morgan Freeman, I still love your acting but this really gets you in the right frame of mind for a movie like this. The funny thing is Fouke is pretty dang close to my hometown, only a bit more than an hour and a half drive and I'd be interested to visit there just to see how much the town has changed in the subsequent 48 years. Regardless, this is a fine movie and I give it 4 stars, 7.5/10, so check it out and I'll be back with a lesser known film about a infamous murder case also made in the 1970s.

Harold And Maude

Oh man I feel like an ass not seeing this sooner in my life.

I have no issue saying Harold And Maude is a great movie, though when it opened in 1971 it was favored with mixed reviews but it's certainly a movie you can appreciate more nowadays. It's such an odd little movie and became a cult hit for decades, and for good reason. The story concerns a young man who is obsessed with death and soon meets an older woman who is a bit out there but they inexplicably attract one another and a quite lovely relationship blooms between them. The thing with this movie is while the plot may not seem like much new, it's truly the details and humor that propel it from being a good movie to a really great movie, and I could talk and explain them all day but you just have to see the movie. I almost daresay I shouldn't tell you a thing beyond bare bone basics, just so you have those hard reactions and can enjoy the movie without hinderance. I will say that Bud Cort is amazing and the character quirks and mannerisms he has got me hooked very quickly (not to mention I may have laughed just a tiny bit too hard at certain scenes with him). Ruth Gordon is absolutely brilliant in this movie, so dang funny, so flippin' charming, I really don't think the movie would have worked at all without these actors. And I like the fact that they are weird, they are eccentric, but that's not their entire performance because they have incredibly strong moments where they show that they are still people and not just over the top caricatures. It doesn't come off as a dark and slightly twisted spoof of a romance, it just shows two odd people that find great solace and friendship together despite it being unusual circumstances that brought them together. And yes I do fully support this relationship, they have wonderful chemistry together and have even lovelier moments. The film looks spectacular at times, worthy of being shown in art museums with certain shots, and the editing is actually a bit unconventional of the time. To be honest this is how movies are more edited today than in 1971, though the visuals, music, and cinematography couldn't be mistaken for anything else but the 70s. I can't even imagine how much of a different beast this was in cinemas at that time, it's completely unconventional in almost every way but it still has such a unique charm and wicked sense of humor to keep you watching it. It's certainly a comedy first but there's moments where you get unbelievable bits of wisdom, and it has quiet atmospheric moments to it which just made me love this movie to death. Like this really and truly is a movie made for me in every sense. So you know I'm going to give it 4 stars, there was never a question about it. 8.5/10, I friggin' adored this bizarre sweet piece of cinema, I am no doubt adding it to my Criterion Collection and I really hope you enjoy it. This was a real treat guys and if you got Prime Video you can watch it right now, and I swear it's worth the 90 minutes even if you don't love it. Just...great start to this week and the next two movies can be found there too, so stay tuned for more recommendations.

Howling 2: Your Sister Is A Werewolf

I kinda liked it.

I mean, it's not that good a movie if you judge it by other movies however if you go into this wanting some B-movie fun you will have a blast! So yeah, I'm reviewing the sequel to a quite good werewolf movie before the first but why? Well I wanted to showcase some lesser known horror cult hits this week and any movie that has Christopher Lee and Reb Brown in it is clearly up my alley. Yes, this story follows Christopher Lee who takes on a Van Helsing-esque part who recruits the help of the original Captain America and David Ryder himself Reb Brown to hunt down a powerful sorceress in control of a werewolf clan played by B-movie bombshell Sybil Danning. It is such a ridiculous premise it is hard not to immediately enjoy it. Where do I start? Well the film is in fact a true sequel, not so much in spirit but plot of the first Howling movie and first in a long line of 7 Howling movies each with radically different quality production and stories. The film takes a horror comedy spin on it but I assure you the comedy is completely unintentional, you just can't watch this movie with a straight face and not laugh in derision. Yet I love it, it's one of the most entertaining horror movies I've seen in awhile and it's a perfect flick for a movie night with friends and variable quantities of alcohol. I could make a drinking game around the bizarre editing choices but I'm afraid you would die of alcohol poisoning before half of the film is over. It's a strange film in terms of production, the editing keeps jumping to nonsensical shots of various things and creature effects, you hardly ever see a werewolf in full special effects glory but are instead treated to brief glimpses of transformations and out of place close up shots of the creatures which fit no scene whatsoever. It's a miracle of bad editing and composition. And yet at the same time, the movie does have decent sets and each establishing shot is done well so it's a bit of half and half. Acting is much of the same, with Christopher Lee and Sybil Danning each completely owning their parts and are completely believable as these opposing forces of good and evil. Sybil Danning is great and while she is quite beautiful her acting is still strong and is a woman I would dare not even think about crossing. Christopher Lee is excellent as always with this being his first and as far as I know last werewolf film and probably for good reason, he wasn't exactly a fan of the production and actually apologized to the director of the first Howling movie Joe Dante for being in this film, but he stuck with it and is easily the saving grace of the entire picture. Reb Brown is well Reb Brown who is here to kick ass and scream loudly, now I friggin' love Reb Brown and consider him to be the most underrated action star of all time and the movie uses him correctly, he is a werewolf killing machine and emits his thunderous warcry several times. Awesome! I will say however I think the writers got their mythos mixed up severely even though this was adapted from a novel, and no doubt incredibly loosly adapted at that because well the weapons against werewolves are....familiar. Pop quiz everyone! What do these things have in common, holy water, religious symbols, stakes, and the literal cup of Christ? That is correct, these are tools used to combat vampires! Not werewolves! Oh and just for another bonus point on our pop quiz what is the country of Transylvania most known for? If you guessed werewolves you do not get a sticky star. Was this a vampire movie beforehand and then Christopher Lee signed up and then they had to rewrite the script so it wasn't vampires? I just don't get it. This film is an absolute hot mess, and it warrants that R rating like nobody's buisness! I was honestly surprised at the amount of nudity in this movie, I mean I know horror movies especially in the 80s have a nipple shot here or there but this is pushing it to softcore spank material. It gets kinda raunchy and Sybil Danning is shown topless not once, or twice, or three times a lady, but about 19 times! Nineteen! With 17 of those times being repeated during the ending credits! It gets gratuitous and I am in no way a prude or have anything against nudity or sexual situations in film but good lord this was a lot. I don't even think I can rate the movie, because how do you judge it? On a normal basis it might get a 5/10, but if you're a fan of out there 80s horror and I do mean out there it's like a 8 or 9/10. This movie is a trip and I have no problem saying I really liked this movie, and yes I do recommend it if this sounds like your cup of tea. I've seen worse werewolf movies in my time, and especially so in the same series as this movie, so take from that what you will. I'm kinda speechless, I'm not entirely sure what I just watched but damn that soundtrack is catchy! Okay enough of that, I gotta go and I'll see you next time with uh....we'll talk about it next time.

Army Of Darkness

Just what I needed after last night. So I was thinking of just how many damn sequels were coming out this year and ones I was gonna talk about, so I thought what are some sequels that are not well known or loved as much? So here we go.

Okay, Army Of Darkness. Classic cult movie made 5 years after the cliffhanger of Evil Dead 2, where Ash is stuck in medievel times having to retrieve the Necronomicon to get back to his own time while fighting an army of skeletons. It is as amazing as it sounds. You knew what blew my mind? You know, besides the quotability, good comedy, and great sets and effects? The movie is an hour and 15 minutes without credits. Hwhat? It's like...direct to video sequel, but awesome! I do love the evolution of it though, Evil Dead was straight up horror, Evil Dead 2 was horror comedy, and now we're at action comedy. Normally that does not bode well for a series, but it works here! And even despite it's more action forefront, the film never loses it's horror elements. They dig deep into the roots of gothic scenery in some instances, and the tension and sense of impending scares can still be found. The slapstick in my opinion is wonderful, Bruce Campbell gets to do so much both physically and come on, the lines are unforgettable. It does deserve more attention and love, I know it sounds far fetched, but I would not lie about a movie being good. Army Of Darkness is a lot of fun, it is fast, well done, good wit and acting is in it (though Bruce is the only person you will be able to name afterwards), it really is a diamond in the rough. Come on, you can spare barely over an hour of your life to judge for yourself. In other news, *BRIEF TANGENT ALERT* I am very excited to see Ash Vs. Evil Dead but it pisses me off at the same time. Why? Because it got cancelled 2 seasons in. Are you....breathe. Ffffffunkin' Family Guy can get to season 11 which is beyond bullshit already (and I got news for you pal, the only two things you got right now is Jack and shit. And Jack left town.) but Ash Vs. Evil Dead gets the ax 2 seasons in. And for all accounts I heard it was good, so why?? Why do the good die young? Ugh. This universe sucks.

Adventures In Babysitting

Ugh, yesterday was one of the worst days I've had in awhile. It's a long story but I can sum it up in one sentence. Left the house before 6:00 PM, got home at 2:00 AM. It....I'm fine, everything is okay, I'm home now. We got ourselves a pretty dang good flick here, so let's talk about that and not dwell on the negative.

With a title like Adventures In Babysitting, you might expect a sub par family movie mainly used to just distract your kids for about two hours and that's the end of it, and thankfully I can say that is 120% wrong. Not only is Adventures In Babysitting a good family movie, it's seriously one of the most fun, funny, and all around great movies I've seen. Everytime I have heard about this movie I hear nothing but incredibly good things, and yet not many people have seen it. Well call me a fan cause this movie was absolutely fantastic. A high school girl named Chris is called over to babysit one day, and certain events happen that get them swept away in one crazy night all while trying to get back home, and I dare not divulge the plot further. It sounds generic and utterly boring, but trust me this is a highly entertaining film. I think the undeniable best part is the characters, cause they feel like real people, they don't feel like stereotypes where the kids are brats or the babysitter is super strict and learns how to have fun. Screw that noise! The kids act like kids, they're kind of wise asses but still very funny and extremely likeable. Chris is an average, sensible, and fun girl that just has to deal with so much stuff in order to get these kids home. But my favorite character has to be Chris' best friend Brenda. She steals this show for me, she's highly cynical and no nonsense yet is not a stick in the mud, she's really the character that jump starts the crazy train for Chris and the kids, I don't know I just really loved her. There's just so many good things to talk about, the music is friggin' awesome with more of a focus on honky tonk blues but still has a wide variety of music, the comedy made me laugh so hard I thought I was gonna die to be honest it hurt so much, all the characters both main and supporting are all striking and memorable. The movie actually brings up a great lesson that, there are both good and bad people in the world and you can meet both but the point is to not take the good for granted and to appreciate them or at least that's what I got from it. Like seriously, I am dumbfounded by how really damn good this movie was. It has balls too! I've never seen a PG-13 movie with not one, but two f-bombs in quick succesion. 80's kids were hardcore man! Jesus Christ, they knew how to make great movies back then! I would recommend this movie to every person on Earth, yeah it has it's share of cheesy and sometimes predictable moments, but the originality and humor and various situations these characters get into make it an interesting and entertaining watch until the end. And you'll notice a few familiar names in this movie, Chris Columbus' directorial debut with an easter egg for one of his later Christmas movies pops up for a second, our old friend Debra Hill produced this and you'll notice her earliest and most famous work on a TV set early in the film, and both Chris and Brenda are familiar faces to you Back To The Future fans. All in all, it's a great movie, I loved it so much, and I would gladly watch this movie again. 5 stars, check it out! And boy, do I have to say this is the movie I needed to watch after last night man. Life is good again.