Thursday, June 9, 2016

Junesploitation 2016 Day 9: Animals!

For centuries, they were hunted for bounty, fun and food...now it's their turn!

113 comments:

  1. Rise of the Animals (2011)
    So looking for an animal movie I decide to surf thru Amazon prime and see what they got, for some reason I decided to give this “movie” a chance. To quote the old knight of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade “You chose poorly, you stupid asshole” (that may not be an exact quote.)
    The gist of the plot revolves around a pizza delivery guy crashing a local girls party to I assume give them a personal slice with extra meat (gross) and a little bit into the party all the animals of the world from cats to dogs to turtles (yes fucking turtles) decide to rise up for some damn reason and the pizza delivery guy and the few survivors must run for safety. I could go on and on with how terrible this thing was but I don’t want it to take forever for the comments section to load. To sum things up, I would like to make this plea to Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime I understand you need to have movies to fill up in your genre sections but that doesn’t mean you need to put failed student film projects on your list of movie choices. My god get Birdemic, that one sucks too but in a far more entertaining way.
    Do I have anything good to say about this movie? I will admit to laughing unintentionally at one line where the characters turn on the radio and the doomsday broadcaster is screaming “Hundreds of nuclear attacks are about to commence” and the two survivors say “Where shall we go?” and they say “Florida I always wanted to go to Disney World” Yeah guys just don’t take a side trip to Gatorland. Seriously fuck this movie.

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  2. Cujo (1983)

    I think I stated more than once in several comments, how much I like this movie.
    So, torn between "Cujo" and "Roar", btw. both photographed by Jan De Bont, I choose this one...again.

    Except for the ending, it`s one of the most faithful King adaptations. It´s technically very well made with great cinematography (of course), has some really intense and terrifying sequences and a wonderful central performance by Dee Wallace plus a fine score by Charles Bernstein.
    Always a pleasure to watch.

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  3. Lake Placid (1999)

    I wanted to watch this because a lot of people last year seemed to have had a lot of with it. Now I have watched it, I also have had a lot of fun withs it. I wasn't expecting almost a scewball comedy within a killer croc movie. Especially with Bridget Fonda channelling a sort of Cary Grant. 'With Karate your meant to say start!'

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    1. I watched this one as well (the new Shout Factory Blu and it looked great) and I also enjoy this goofy movie. I’m a big fan of Oliver Platt and Brendan Gleeson interactions in this movie. This watch I realized there really aren’t many human kills but for some reason I always feel there are more?? Anyway, that closing with Betty Davis feeding the crocs and listening to Jammin always leaves me smiling :)

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    2. I was also surprised by the lack of human kills. But loved the core group so much, I didn't want to see them eaten. It is a movie I am going to return to often.

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    3. Stop throwing heads at me!

      Love it, The Scream factory bluray does look stunning, great work

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  4. White God (2014)

    Well after Rise of the Animals this movie was a breath of fresh air. This one follows a half breed dog Hagen who moves into a new place with his 13 year old owner Lili and faces a lot of discrimination from her father and the rest of the neighborhood. This leads to Hagen getting himself and the other dogs of the pound together to fight back, its kind of Rise of the Planet of the Dogs. The film sags a little bit in the 2nd act but finishes very strong. Check it out especially if you need a more hardcore dog movie then Beethoven

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    1. Seconded, "White God" is perfect for today but not a great movie overall.

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  5. The Fox and the Hound (1981)

    I hadn't planned on watching this. I was just flicking through a streaming service and saw it. As a kid I had this tape and book of it, you know ding to turn the page. I think I read and listened to that damn thing nearly every day, but never got a chance to see the movie, - until today. It really didn't really live up to the hype. I think it was that period of Disney not really caring a hoot. The songs don't work and there is a werid Warner Brothers Cartoon style sub plot with two birds hunting a catapillar. However, I really could not handle seeing an animal (even an animated one) abandoned. Plus it is always a pleasure to realise Kurt Russel is in it, even if his voice really didn't suit a Bloodhound.

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    1. Oh those ding to turn the page books!

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    2. If I remember correctly, that one is a real tear jerker. I saw it on VHS when I was younger, but I must not have owned it. I remember looking for it a few years back, but it's nowhere to be found in my VHS box. I wish Disney Blu-rays didn't cost an arm and a leg.

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    3. Oh it is a tear jerker all right. That is probably why I didn't love it. It is constantly putting animals in danger, usually by humans and I was't having it

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    4. Oh gosh, that movie makes me cry so much!

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  6. Orca (1977)

    I figured if I was going to watch an animal Horror movie, I might as well watch one where the animal is more sympathetic than the human characters even if it's otherwise obviously a Jaws knockoff. The orca here just wants revenge because Captain Nolan & crew accidentally killed his pregnant mate. Honestly the mate's miscarriage and the amount of time it takes her to die is more disturbing than anything that happens to the humans. Viewed as a revenge movie, it's actually not too bad and if nothing else has a good Morricone score.

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    1. Would you say that "this time it's personal"?

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  7. The Witches (1990)

    I miss the time when most children's movies were at least a little fucked up. Like every good cackling witch you are going to turn unsuspecting children into animals. I haven't seent his since I was 10, and I don't think I have been able to see Anjelica Huston any other way.

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    1. Sometimes kids get babied too much. My Dad was constantly showing me horror movies when I was a kid, even though they were constantly terrifying me. Now I'm a massive horror fan! My Dad is the best.

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    2. I'm pretty sure I blocked this movie out of my brain because I remember nothing about it except that is scared the shit out of me as a kid

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    3. Very fun Jane Horrocks performance, and Anjelica Huston rules in this.

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    4. This is one of my favourite movies! I showed this to my siblings last Halloween and it was such a fun viewing.

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  8. Forest Warrior (1996)

    An Evil industrialist plans to mow down the magical forest of Tanglewood in the name of greed, and he'd get away with it too if it weren't for a group of pesky, meddling kids. Oh, and the kids have an ally, a mystical mountain man who can shapeshift between a bear, a wolf, an eagle and a Chuck Norris.

    Clearly aimed mainly at kids, the movie insults its audience's intelligence with heavy-handed "lessons" and cliche after cliche, but all that fades away when an eagle swoops down, transforms into Chuck mid-flight and delivers a powerful karate kick. Or when Chuck reads a guy's mind by staring into his eyes. Or when he stops a chainsaw with his bare hands!

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    1. Sounds like a made-for-TV "Walker, Texas Ranger" movie. Pass. ;-)

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  9. MAN'S BEST FRIEND (1993, 87 min.) on DVD for the first time. Also available on YouTube (w/Russian subtitles)

    Mechanic: See, here's your problem. Something chewed through the brake lines on your car.
    Jerk: Oh, my God, he's trying to kill me.
    Mechanic: Who's trying to kill you?
    Jerk: My girlfriend's dog!

    Not just any dog, though, but a biologically-enhanced guard dog named Max (seen here chasing a cat up a tree) that is kidnapped by hungry-for-a-scoop TV reporter Ally Sheedy from the laboratory of capitalist-minded mad scientist Lance Henriksen. I swear if you look closely you can see a piece of these actors' souls dying on camera knowing they're playing second fiddle to a sentient Tibetan mastiff that opens/closes doors, has retractable claws, camouflages himself with his surroundings and, yes Virginia, sexually stalks the cute female collie next door. So you bet your #PuppyRapistsploitation bottom-dollar that "Man's Best Friend" is a DING! DING! DING! DING! WINNAH, WINNAH!

    I'd swear if I didn't know writer/director John Lafia was 36 when he made this movie that this was made by a 13 year-old-boy. 'Hmm, so Allison from "Breakfast Club" steals this super powerful dog named Max from Bishop's laboratory. But Allison's jerk boyfriend doesn't like Max, so like, Max fights back. And he urinates acid all over people, because that was so rad in "Aliens." And Max kills some guy being mean to Allison, which was bogus! And, eh, Max chases after little boys and mailman because, well, dogs do that. And...' I think that today, with this movie (uneven as it is swinging from dead serious one moment to goofy/silly the next), Junesploitation officially becomes my favorite F This Movie annual event over Scary Movie Month or Twitter Film Fest. #TheyKnowWhatTheyAreDoingsploitation. :-D

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    1. I actually went to see this in the theatre because the trailer hinted at the cydog eating a cat whole. The actual scene in the tree surpassed our expectations and we laughed for minutes.

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  10. Day Of The Animals (1977)

    Well this was a pleasant surprise. The opening text is pretty great because it pretty seriously says that if we don't take care of the o zone then animals will go crazy and start killing us. The movie stars Christopher George (who plays the best cop in movie history in Pieces.) who leads a hiking trip and all hell breaks loose. The animal attacks are really realistic and impressive because you can tell they're using real animals and its really jarring. I'm shocked no one was injured. The movie builds tension really well by showing birds gathering or mountain lions staring. It's a pretty brutal movie which surprised me. Leslie Nielson gives a batshit performance that seriously needs to be seen. Dogs become the main villains towards the end which was a little less interesting to me because dogs don't really frighten me but that's a nitpick, I think the movies pretty solid. It's on Shudder if anyone wants to check it out.

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    1. I keep reading about all these movies with Leslie Nielsen in them. I can't for the life of me imagine him playing a *serious* role. For me, serious is his expression while delivering deadpan a completely absurd sentence.

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    2. It's weird cuz he's kind of a background character at first and I was like why is he in this? Then as the movie went along and he goes crazy and fights a bear I was like ohhhhhhhh that's why.

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    3. L.N fighting a bear, I am in! Though watching Forbidden Planet, I was constantly waiting Frank Drebin to make an apparence.

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    4. I originally knew him as a serious actor. My dad loves a movie called 'Tammy and the Bachelor' where he plays the young romantic lead, and i saw it many times as a kid. He's very good outside of comedy.

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  11. Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)

    This movie is AWESOME. How Space Jam is considered a classic instead of this is totally beyond my comprehension. The humor actually reminded me of The Lego Movie, which leads me to believe this film was about a decade ahead of its time.

    There is clearly so much love for The Looney Tunes here, and Joe Dante is so clever and so creative. I've always been a big fan of Brendan Fraser, and he and Jenna Elfman (she's purty) are great. And did I mention Steve Martin? Love this!

    It's on netflix if you want to check it out.

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  12. Jaws (1975)
    Surprised I'm the first person to have posted seeing this one today. I picked this because I love the movie, and to get back at my friends who went to the beach while I had to stay home and take college summer classes.

    And am I the only person who braces myself for the underwater dead body jump-scare, but still gets startled every time? Guess that's a testament to how well this film holds up.

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    1. I saw this in a theater last year and the audience lost their minds on that jump scare. I've never seen such a reaction to a scare before. Spielberg is a master.

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    2. Only saw this, in full for the first time this year. Lets just say my brother and sister saw how much it freaked me out as a kid and ran with it. I could not believe how good this movie is, and yeah I was jumping everytime Spielburg wanted me too. He was only 26 when he made this!!!

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    3. I also saw this in a cinema last year I think and if was great to have the reactions of the crowd. It is such a gem. I wrote about this with two other fthismovie folk. The great Sol and the brill Shaunn!
      www.outsidetheframe.co.uk/?p=397

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    4. Great piece! I really liked the war comparison to each of the main characters.

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  13. Shakma (1990)

    Beware the crazy primate with an angry red backside.

    We all know the story, man meets baboon, man experiments on baboon, baboon goes ape (terrible pun I apologise), man runs for its life. A group of research students and their professor are trapped on the upper levels of a tower building and have to try escape the furry vengeance of the experimentally aggressive enhanced baboon Shakma. Think The Towering Inferno with a baboon instead of fire. There's plenty of blood and jugular chomping leading up to the final battle between our blonde, all American hero and the titular Shakma.

    It's great fun, although at 100 minutes feels a tad long, not recommended for members of PETA.

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    1. Michael GiammarinoJune 9, 2016 at 8:15 PM

      I loved this movie. Saw it for Junesploitation last year. So much fun.

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    2. All I'm hearing is "Ari Meyers."

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  14. Piranha Sharks (2015)

    The title creatures don’t work as genetically engineered bio-weapons, so naturally they’re packaged and sold as novelty pets – like Sea Monkeys! The film has a goofy sense of humor that generally serves it well, and John Wells steals every scene he’s in as slacker/misunderstood artist Wally. It loses points for making fun of people with Tourette’s. The movie has the classic credit, “Jose Canseco as: Jose Canseco.” Sadly, it appears Mr. Canseco cannot even play himself.

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  15. Roar (1981)

    Remebered seeing this in the cinema as a little kid and haven't thought of it since then.
    The Plot is rather simple.
    A family is caught in a house with a bunch of lions, tigers and an elephant will fighting off the animals and poachers at the same time.
    The animal scenes hold up amazingly and it has a slight explotation vibe to it.

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    1. Michael GiammarinoJune 9, 2016 at 8:16 PM

      And not just any family. Birds star Tippi Hedren's family, including daughter Melanie Griffith.

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  16. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

    Great Disney flick. I had seen this as a kid (but 1993? Must have been already a teenager), and loved it. Watched it with the kids this winter, and they usually oppose anything not animated, but they loved it, and still ask to watch it again. I nearly cried when the cat went over the waterfall. Not really exploitation, and shouldn't even work as a movie (animals, with peoples voices dubbed over?), but it's actually really enjoyable. A fine G movie that is perfect for watching with kids, especially those that want to have a puppy, which we don't have room for. Oh yeah, the Golden Retriever is a carbon copy of our childhood dog (RIP), which always tugs my heartstrings. This movie is really fun, so it's an easy 5 stars.

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    1. I was extremely close to watching this. I have this memory of sobbing at the end when I was a kid. You're right, this movie should not have worked, glade to hear it still has the same affect.

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    2. I love watchinh this movie with my siblings occassionly still. I watched it last year again with them and it still has the same affect on me too. I loved it as a kid then had a massive gap before watching it again with my siblings. Who are also big animal lovers :)

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    3. I love watchinh this movie with my siblings occassionly still. I watched it last year again with them and it still has the same affect on me too. I loved it as a kid then had a massive gap before watching it again with my siblings. Who are also big animal lovers :)

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  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. woops, meant "instant classic of MA cinema"

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    2. oh jaisus, i forgot to mention Micheal Jai White. he crosses over into indie MA stuff in addition to getting a role now and then in big budget productions. he is amazing in Black Dynamite, Blood & Bone, and others.

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    3. Unless you got a martial arts film to recommend with a grizzly bear doing muay thai against a gorilla monk who uses the Buddha's Finger technique, this is the wrong place to post this, Dr.

      Maybe re-post here: http://www.fthismovie.net/2016/06/its-junesploitation-2016.html

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    4. well, does this qualify??

      http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079147/

      or maybe ...

      http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077292/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

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    5. Still, this is wildly the wrong thread for this post.

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    6. MODZ DELETE!!1!

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  18. JAWS 3-D (1983):

    Proof that monster movies don't work unless you care about the characters. Who are these people? Who invited them? What are they saying? Why did Universal do this to Lea Thompson?

    It's like they made the JAWS sequels so that we'd never forget how awesome JAWS is.

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  19. Day of the Animals (1977) (first time viewing)

    Well, it's not as good as Pieces, but it's still another winner for Christopher and Lynda George. Maybe I just need to watch their whole catalog for #Junesploitation. If we keep destroying the ozone, animals will go crazy...apparently. The tension builds slowly throughout this movie and very well. The animal attacks actually look pretty brutal and shocking. And forget Leo's fight with a bear in Revenant. Here we get a shirtless Leslie Nielson showing us how it's done when in a fit of rage he all-out attacks a giant grizzly. Another recommendation here.

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    1. I get so excited when I see that Pieces dude in other movies lol

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  20. ALLIGATOR (1980)
    This movie is at odds with itself, half a gritty urban crime flick and half a campy giant monster movie. We go from tough cops patrolling the litter-strewn NYC streets to a big rubber gator puppet trashing a wedding. I guess I had fun with it, but it could have been so much more.

    ALLIGATOR 2: THE MUTATION (1991)
    Sequel introduces an evil billionaire chemical manufacturer and his illegal toxic waste dumping scheme. This guy’s early ‘90s villainy is truly spectacular, but we spend way more time with him fighting the heroes and not with the titular gator, who barely appears.

    ALLIGATOR ALLEY (2013)
    A 49-minute movie (which was two hours when aired with commercials on SyFy, apparently?) about Cajun rednecks hunting a giant mutated gator. Actress Jordan Hinson is surprisingly great in this, working damn hard to elevate the material. So much CGI blood, though. CGI blood has never looked good in any movie.

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    1. I love Alligator! Robert Forster is the man. I really want a bluray of it.

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    2. Michael GiammarinoJune 9, 2016 at 8:20 PM

      Alligator is a great movie. Whenever I see The Lost World: Jurassic Park, I like to think that in the last act, Julianne Moore and Jeff Goldblum have been replaced by Robert Forster and Robin Riker.

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    3. Agreed that Forster is badass in this. That wedding scene, though.

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    4. Mac this seems like a wild ride of a day!

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    5. Thanks! My goal for this month is 60 movies I've never seen before.

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    6. That's a nice goal, #Respect

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  21. Venom (1981, dir. Piers Haggard)
    Klaus Kinski, Oliver Reed and Susan George plan to kidnap a rich kid but have their plans interrupted by the appearance of the cops and a killer mamba. Those looking for a straight killer snake movie may be disappointed, but anyone wishing that The Desperate Hours had more snakes might dig it. I don't know whose idea it was to put Kinski, Oliver Reed and Susan George on the same screen, but the result is a trifecta of bananas overacting. Even Sterling Hayden gets in on the act. I enjoyed this more than I should have.

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    1. Jeez - I feel sorry for the director handling that cast!

      I heard that, that Susan George was a right Diva?
      I bet poor Klaus & Olivier were treading on egg shells the whole time around her.....

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    2. Michael GiammarinoJune 9, 2016 at 8:22 PM

      I have the dvd, but I still need that Blu-ray. I have a voracious need to collect all the films that had an influence on Kill Bill.

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    3. Naughty Adam, diva should not be used in this context! This and the word witch can orovoke my essay rant on the history of the diva or witch. But in short the cultural group that originated this word uses Diva as a name of honour. Switch it with 'was a real pain' or something haha. Unless you are up for coming with me to a drag party sometime in Soho haha. Pride is coming up afterall.

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    4. Thanks for that correction.

      Tell you what, I'll save putting on my dress till I join you & your lady at the London Pedants Ball......hehe.

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    5. That is a call for me to force you to listen to the history of these words sir haha. I wish to see this dress at the What's up doc?
      Screening!

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    6. That is a call for me to force you to listen to the history of these words sir haha. I wish to see this dress at the What's up doc?
      Screening!

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  22. Roar (1981)

    Noel Marshall is a fucking maniac. He and his actual family (including wife Tippi Hedren and daughter Melanie Griffith) lived with real untamed lions for over a decade making this movie, and the biggest shock is that no people were actually killed behind the scenes (though 70 cast and crew members were injured, some quite severely).

    This is kind of a weird one in that I thoroughly recommend it despite the fact that it's not actually particularly good. While it doesn't work as a story, it's a fascinating watch just because the circumstances are so insanely dangerous that you truly can't believe some of the things on display. It's a mess, but an astonishing one.

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    1. I can't help feeling it would have been improved if Werner Hertzog was doing a commentary.

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    2. Perhaps Riske could record one in Hertzog voice.

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    3. I think this film is going on the list. I recommend a Herzog Animal movie if anyone does fancy his voice for today haha. Grizzly Man is a beautiful and fascinating doc!

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    4. Thanks Gabby, my "joke" was a lame attempt to reference Grizzly Man.

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  23. Zombeavers. 2014)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2784512/

    Following on from Ronan’s watch yesterday, today was my turn to try this out and I can confidently say it certainty won’t be my last viewing!

    A toxic spill mutates a lake full of beavers into ….er…well - Zombeavers!
    Who should turn up at said lake but a trio of college girls who have escaped their stupid-ass, jock boyfriends for a weekend away. This plan is somewhat spoiled when the stupid-ass, jock boyfriends turn up along with an invasion of Zombeavers.

    This film is a lot of fun, a lot of fun in an early Peter Jackson way. The pre-credit intro scene is a pretty good indication of what is to come, I was hooked from the get-go! It rattles along a good pace and I found there were a couple of genuinely unexpected plot developments that caught me totally off guard. Avoid trailers if you can.

    A highlight for me was the whack-a-mole scene and any film that has the line, “Be quiet or the beavers will hear you!” is a winner in my book. Also make sure you wait till the final credit scene – it will be worth it!

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  24. Graveyard Shift (1990, dir. Ralph S. Singleton)

    Adaptation of the Stephen King short story - emphasis on short - which means filler with a capital F in between the fleeting rodent/rat-beast attacks. This one's pretty terrible, no doubt, but I actually kind of love it. The appropriately grimy practical effects and dingy sets - including a neat monster reveal and impressive matte painting lair; Stephen Macht's ludicrously nebulous accent (Maine? Bostonian? South African?) and incredible bastard role as the mill foreman; capped off with an end credits theme so late 80s/early 90s it needs to be heard to be believed. Glad I revisited this - your mileage may vary.

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  25. The world is going to end unless we find this Monkey?

    Outbreak

    I know I should not, I know it has flaws, and its clunky, and it shows its age, but I always enjoy this movie, every few years I'm like I want to see some Dustin Hoffman, I have the same feelings about Accidental hero, I might need help but I like it

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  26. Zoombies (2016) the kind of film you can probably make with a bunch of friends and a desert animal park. all the zoombied up animals are digital except with they are furry bloodpacks getting smashed against something...or lighted on fire...or shot with weapons... legit animal abuse when they ae zoombified. seriously this film awful, but it wasn't painfully awful, meaning awful ENOUGH to make fun of it. i think it is probably a decent exemplar to get the filmmmakers more work. but zoombie monkeys are scary as fuck.

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  27. Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988 dir. Donald G. Jackson & R.J. Kizer) on Hulu.

    Roddy Piper's second best movie is pretty entertaining, if you're in the right mindset. I prefer you read Patrick's review of it on the site for a more incisive commentary. Now where's the Blu-ray?

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    1. Seconded. Patrick's review put this on my radar and I thank him. A crazy entertaining movie. This has Scream Factory written all over it...

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    2. Well, this is where I was going to let you guys know that there's an Arrow Blu-ray available in the UK, but I just checked Amazon and it's out of print and going for $200. So there you have it.

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  28. The Beast With A Million Eyes (1956)

    An alien uses mind control to cause ordinary animals to attack humans. Kind of perfect for animal day, if only this movie were better. Unfortunately it's quite inept in almost every category. The music is wildly inappropriate at times, the acting is incredibly bad, but still there are plenty of unintended laughs and it's only 78 minutes so it may be worth it for curiosity sake. Steaming on Amazon Prime.

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  29. Lake Placid (1999)

    I think this movie was ahead of its time - maybe I'm way off but I feel like it was more on the comedy side of comedy-horror in a way that's really become appreciated in the last 10 years or so and it's working for me. I didn't see it then but I can see 1999 Sol not knowing quite to make of it. I also see him not doing that essay that's already a week late.

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    1. This is my favourite Bridget Fonda movie, I think she shines in this, Perfectly Prickly


      Start the Truck.....

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    2. Yeah she's great in it! Really great cast in general!

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  30. The White Buffalo (1977)

    This is another film I picked up at the now defunct used-video store. Bison have always been my favorite animal and it stars Charles Bronson, so I knew I was on board right away. Let me tell you, it's great.

    Wild Bill Hickok (Bronson) has a recurring nightmare featuring the titular buffalo. Crazy Horse (Will Sampson) is out on a hunt when the White Buffalo attacks his tribe, killing his daughter. The elder strips him of his title until he can bury his daughter in the buffalo's hide. The two men start their separate journeys to kill the evil beast. Hickok teams up with Charlie Zane (Jack Warden), and they eventually team up with Crazy Horse, but both men vow to kill the animal themselves.

    The script was adapted by the author of the novel, Richard Sale, and it is really the star of the show. The dialogue is tough and slick, and there is a particularly great scene where Crazy Horse and Hickok talk about the difference between "Red tuth", "White truth", and "Truth truth". It was directed by J. Lee Thompson, who, coincidentally, directed the film I watched yesterday--which could have also worked as an animal film.

    Of particular interest is the White Buffalo itself. The film was produced by Dino De Laurentiis, who was just coming off King Kong (1976), and the special effects work is by Carlo Rambaldi. Most of the time, the animatronic buffalo looks pretty good, but there are definitely moments that could have been shot, shall we say, more flatteringly.

    I really liked this movie. It attempts to address the complicated racial politics of Hickok, and does so in some interesting ways. The buffalo kills a bunch of people. Bronson chews on some great lines. If any of these appeal to you (they all should), check it out.

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  31. The Beastmaster (1982, dir. Don Coscarelli, on DVD) – First Time Viewing: It was fine. Coscarelli always has a likeable, grungy, low-budget vibe. Rip Torn was fun. I liked the matte paintings. Tonya Roberts was... a presence. Fun movie but nothing special (2 out of 5 Griers).

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  32. Backcountry (2014)

    While there were parts of the movie I had problems with, the movie has a few terrifying moments which made it worth the watch.

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  33. Jaws (1975)

    Because it's Jaws.

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  34. Cat People (1982)

    Nastassja Kinski and Annette O'Toole get naked so everybody wins.

    What should we call this movie? Well, let's not make it too obvious. Let's call it Cat People! That's brilliant! I really liked the score. That can make a mediocre movie seem better. That is where I think this movie lies. Malcolm McDowell plays a weirdo who really likes to smell his sister, Natassja Kinski, who he apparently hasn't seen in forever. He goes missing but simultaneously, a panther is caught after trying to maul a prostitute....coincidence? There is also some decent gore and don't forget the nudity.

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  35. The Pack (1977, dir. Robert Clouse)

    For some reason, I was on the exact right wavelength to receive this picture. It gave me the same weird queasy feeling I would get watching episodes of The Twilight Zone as a kid, but because of how strangely wrong and alien the movie itself felt. It's a true achievement in the field of failure. Every element is just note-wrong, every plot point forced and unnatural, every nuance of every performance a mistake, but all in a subtle, unintrusive sort of way. It's so noiselessly incompetent that watching it feels like drowning in a tepid pool, or sinking into a pressureless void, like the earth is softly falling out from beneath your feet, and you're dropping into it like it's soft dough. I guess this is the movie that finally drove me insane, I dunno. It wants to be Jaws, but the 'monsters' are wholly sympathetic and kind of treated like characters. Plus it has Joe Don Baker instead of Roy Scheider. I guess if you can understand what silky category of insanity it is to truly believe that Joe Don Baker is a suitable substitute for Roy Scheider, you'll understand what it is that made this movie such a strange, dully hallucinogenic experience for me. I feel like I just watched a movie made by the Body Snatchers, but I'm totally overreacting. Trailer.

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  36. Eaten Alive (1976)

    What in the actual fuck. I'm ashamed I had no idea this film existed prior to research for Junesploitation!
    Early Hooper?
    Young Englund?
    Redneck/sex/crocsploitation?

    Awesome watch. It's astounding to note the RESRRSINT Hooper shows in something like TCM in comparison to this film. May pick up the Arrow 2-blu.

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    Replies
    1. Love that movie. The Arrow Blu is a thing of beauty.

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    2. Watching this for Masters of Horror day - long overdue!

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  37. LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION (2003)
    In the biggest stretch in Junesploitation logic yet, I watch the Looney Tunes movie. I saw this in theaters when it came out, and was stupid excited for it, but remember not liking it for whatever reason. Watching it again for the first time since then, it is super funny. Some of the fourth wall stuff isn't great, the ending in particular I think is a little weak, but the rest is hilarious.

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  38. Roar (1981)
    This movie is so odd, but you have to see it.
    A strange family-comedy-esque movie about a man and his family living in a lion sanctuary.
    What makes this a must watch us the fact that this was filmed among lions. Untamed, untrained, wild lions, who invade scenes by leaping on the actors mid dialogue, and break out into fights amongst themselves mere feet away.
    It's weird, it's terrifying (most of the cast and crew were hurt while filming), and it's a must see.
    This is a one of a kind film that we will never see the likes of again.

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  39. The Jungle Book (2016)

    I guess today was as good as any to see it. The 3D and special effects were incredible. Bill Murray was fun, Scarlett Johansson was underused, and the kid wasn't good but wasn't as terrible as I've heard other people say. Besides that... whatever.

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  40. Michael GiammarinoJune 10, 2016 at 12:29 AM

    Stung (2015)
    Mutant wasps the size of gyrocopters descend on an outdoor social function, making mince meat out of the party guests until the caterers and local mayor are forced to fend for themselves. The effects are a blending of practical and CG. I loved the animatronic wasps. The director's love of James Cameron's Aliens clearly shows.

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    1. Michael GiammarinoJune 10, 2016 at 12:34 AM

      Oops. Forgot we had a bug day coming up. Oh well. Consider this a recommendation. You can check it out on Netflix Instant.

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  41. Babe (1995)

    If there is a heaven for me, I like to think it will be at the Hoggetts' farmhouse.

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  43. Mongrel (1982)

    I only finished this out of respect for this month.

    I don't really know what to say about this movie. Okay, a dog gets killed because he attacked a guy. Other people and a different dog are found gruesomely murdered. What happens next will bore you to death!

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  44. Michael GiammarinoJune 10, 2016 at 4:14 AM

    Food of the Gods (1976)

    Goofy midnight movie stuff. There's "stuff" bubbling out of the earth on a remote British Colombian island. An elderly farming couple feed it to their chickens. They grow huge. Soon there are huge wasps, grub worms, and rats. The rats overrun the island and attack the farm house. But where are the giant bears? The giant birds? Giant snakes? Giant ants? Or even more insects? From Bert I. Gordon, the king of "Giant" movies, this is a gross oversight.

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  45. The Birds - 1963

    On a Hitchcock kick i watched one of the many films of his i haven't seen and i just really didn't get it, i've read its one of the scariest movies ever and i just never felt it, feels outdated to me which tends to never happen, i really wanted to like the film but found it rather meh, there were a few great scenes involving thebirds and the graphics and having birds in the scenes are very well done but i just thought it should've been sillier and it was being straight up serious, can people please tell me why i'm wrong?

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  46. White God (2015): I could not resist the idea of a Hungarian movie about a dog rebellion. The shots of 100 + dogs running galloping down the street are indeed something to behold. Unfortunately the movie does not embrace the silliness of the idea, but tries to transcend it. If it had succeeded and made something truly thought provoking, that would be great. But it just comes off as a self-serious approach to a very silly story. It does succeed in being truly tragic in the scene early in the film when they abandon the dog on the side of the road is emotionally scarring.

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  47. White God (2015): I could not resist the idea of a Hungarian movie about a dog rebellion. The shots of 100 + dogs running galloping down the street are indeed something to behold. Unfortunately the movie does not embrace the silliness of the idea, but tries to transcend it. If it had succeeded and made something truly thought provoking, that would be great. But it just comes off as a self-serious approach to a very silly story. It does succeed in being truly tragic in the scene early in the film when they abandon the dog on the side of the road is emotionally scarring.

    ReplyDelete