Every year It's the same thing. I look over the list of stuff I watched. Never expecting to find enough films to list. And every year I end up with more then expected. It's tough cutting so many good films from the list. I went with ones that lingered with me days and months later. The criteria for these lists is always the same. They have to be first time viewings. And nothing from this year. So here we go: lets get to the list! Also how many times can I say list?
American Raspberry (1977)
Hilarious '70's sketch comedy movie. Sure to offend you as well as make you laugh. Everybody and everything is a target for comedy here. As it should be really. If you liked Kentucky Fried Movie and Amazon Women on the Moon you'll get a kick out of this sucker.
Vengeance of the Zombies (1973)
The craziest Paul Naschy film I've seen so far. There's zombies, Satan, LSD visuals and an awesome groovy free-form avant-garde fusion jazz prog-rock score. This sucker had everything I want in a Euro horror film. Thank you Mr. Naschy.
Five (1951)
Five people survive the end of the world and meet up at a large house. And much like Night of The Living Dead they bring all the baggage of their previous lives with them. Hate, lust, pride, envy, all of which of course tear them apart. Most of the film is confined to the house. But when we do journey away from it we get a brief glimpse of the devastation. Great little minimalist post apocalypse film.
The Fantastic Argoman (1967)
Batshit crazy mix of super spy and super hero. The sets are amazing to look at as are the women. This is perhaps the pinnacle of swinging '60's groovy. If you want an insane night of super 60's action, pop this in and follow it up with Diabolik, The Batman movie and one of the Superargo films. You cats will have a blast. Dig?
Woodchipper Massacre (1988)
It's always a joy to find a "new" SOV horror film I haven't seen before. Woodchipper is weird because it's a SOV horror film that's not way over the top gory. For a film with both woodchipper and massacre in the title, you'd think you were in for splatter. But the film is fairly restrained. What we get though is fun. Goofy, badly acted fun. Also it's a great time capsule of the late '80's.
The Mysterious Monsters (1975)
Documentaries from the '70's about UFO's and Bigfoot are like potato chips for me. I just can't get enough of them. They're usually equal parts creepy and ridiculous. This one does both nicely. The reenactments have a good creepy vibe. Some of the evidence is questionable. The experts are overbearing and the witnesses are sincere. Peter Graves is the host for this excursion into the unknown. All I could think of was his role in Airplane. I was hoping he'd get to ask Bigfoot about gladiator films.
A slasher sequel/remake thingy. Your thinking "Oh those suck." But this one doesn't. No, it's pretty damn good. There's a lot of slasher goodness on tap. The cast is good and game. The film is down right gorgeous to behold. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon a director from American Horror Story, brings a unique look to the film. My only real gripe was unnecessarily twisty ending.
Royal Tramp (1992)
My first introduction into the world of Stephen Chow. Wild and funny. The fighting and stunts in Royal Tramp are just frigging amazing. I've never experienced so many WTF moments in one film. Hollywood take note, this is how you do over the top battles in superhero movies.
Alyce Kills (2011)
Alyce, sweet Alyce. I love crazy chicks in movies. Alyce is one damn crazy ass gal. Hell, every character in the film is nuts in one way or another. Even the damn bartender in one scene is a complete nutter. This sucker brings the gory as well, always a plus in my book. There's some great dialogue here too.
The Guest (2014)
There was a lot of hype on the interwebs when this one came out. Wow. It did not disappoint. There's been a lot of '80's inspired horror films in the last few years. Very few get the '80's vibe right. The Guest has the vibe in spades. Right down to an awesome '80's soundtrack. The lead, Dan Stevens is perfect as the mysterious guest in question.
Honorable Mentions:
The Battery (2012) - Low budget buddy, zombie road movie.
Lovely Molly (2011) - Creepy ghost story/descent into crazy town.
Timecrimes (2007) - A paradox of a time travel/horror film.
Winter's Bone (2010) - Oh yes, hillbilly Jennifer Lawrence.
Return to the 36th Chamber (1980) - Hilarious action packed sequel. I liked it better then the first one.
Adventureland (2009)- Enjoyable trip down '80's nostalgia lane. Killer soundtrack.
So there we go, another year in the can. Happy New Year folks!
