Saturday, Sept 30, 2006-final Day/Horrorthon Warmup '06
91. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. (1986) A hellish nightmare that takes place partly in a radio station? Hell, I'm there! Awesomely good sequel to the original classic. THE highlight of my movie watching weekend. I liked it much more than last year (when I had a problem with Hopper and the reimaging of the famed "dinner scene", I had no such problems this time). I do advise that fans of the original not view these one after the other or TCM2 will come of as lacking. But in itself it's a damn good horror movie. Uncomfortable at times and oddly funny too! I love the DJ lady and her engineer. Awesome! 8/10



The famouse "Breakfast Club" poster. Stupidty it didn't make the cover of the DVD release. Big WTF!

92. Day of the Dead. (1985) The 2nd sequel to Romero's Night of the Living Dead has an easy pace but a lot of very good (very creepy) ideas. I quite like it and really need to upgrade my VHS. It has one of my favorite scenes in any of these films (the half a head looking around). Also a favorite character: the awesome "Bub". I welcome a remake to this. Can't wait to see it. 8/10

93. Horrors of Spider Island. (1960) Some horror/porn for my pleasure. :p Lots of b&w honeys crash land on an island and soon the only guy "available" (if you follow me) is bitten by a goofing looking spider effect and he turns into a spider himself. Damn the luck! That would happen to me...isolated with a dozen hot looking chick and then I'd be turned into an incompatable species of some sort. Me: "come on baby, I can use my spinnerette!!". I watched the version shown on the bad movie mocking show Mystery Science Theater 3000. It's funny, and kind of hot with all those chicks running around removing their clothing and so forth. Nearly soft porn. 4/10 (MST3K upgrade 9/10)



94. Lady Frankenstein. (1971) More softporn and goofy effects. I didn't enjoy this all that much. It's just a retelling of the classic story with some nudity. Big whoop! I'd originally planned on Kenneth Branaugh's Frankenstein flick but bailed out because I was tired and a neighbor's visitor showed up with a boom car and created a lot of frustration. This was a poor subsitute for Branaugh's excessive so-bad-it's-good masterpiece. For those who love that film forgive me, I just laugh and laugh and laugh. As for Lady Frankenstein, there is really nothing new here. 5/10 (laugh-at-it upgrade 7/10)

95. Dark City. (1998) I needed something great to end the warmup on. This was it. This strange Twilight Zone kind of story is among my favorites. It's disorienting as it opens, then you begin to think you know what's going on, then you realise you don't, and then all is revealed. Just an outstanding closing of the day( and warmup)...from TCM2 to Dark City. 9/10








** I started the Horrorthon on Sunday morning. It went pretty good. Reviews coming up. **

Let me get this out of the way... I love voluptuous italian vampire chicks running around basements of an old dusty castles as much as the next horny bastard. But this film has problems!! An example: it features a cat fight that's nearly all facial close ups!! Miss all that jiggling? What were they thinking?!! At least there's plenty of nice big boobs stuffed into tight dresses to look at (iow, several ladies look like they have an extra butt sticking out of the top of their dresses :p ).

Well, I was a little depressed yesterday so I hoped this would be a laugh riot in the unintentional way I love so much. There was some great dialogue here and there but not enough. I think MST3K could've had a lot of fun with this. Furthermore, a decent transfer would be much more appealing visually, thereby raising it's enjoyment level by a point or 2....perhaps.

I lucked out yesterday and DIDN'T have to go back to work in the afternoon. I love bad weather in Sept, Oct and Nov. It rains out these awful local sporting events and I don't have to cover them. Anyway, while thinking I was going to have to work I decided on a couple of "bad" movies.

20. Terror Creatures from the Grave (a.k.a., 5 Tombe per un Medium). I watched this B&W film from 1965 while cleaning up around the house. It's actually an okay italian ghost story with some nice ideas and gothic visuals. A dead guy's estate is being settled but unfortunately it's unsettled as to weather the dead guy's ghost is settled on all this settling. I'll pay more attention to it next time because it seems to have some genuine creepiness. There's some nice sex scenes that could be a good way to introduce your children to the subject (so they'll be more inclined to avoid it). That cheesy title shouldn't stop anybody from giving it a go. It's available very cheaply and certianly worth what I paid (about 60 cents). 7/10

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21. Next I felt like a silly bit of American International cheese from 1977. Empire of the Ants featuring a cast comprised of the entire celebrity panel from the game show Match Game '77. Only thing missing is Gene Rayburn with that big ass microphone...



Goofy isn't the half of it with EotA. When "special" effects guy Bert I. Gordon pulls out the process shots you know you're in for something special. I imagine how great the shoot on this probably was. With Bert explaining where the ants would be and how horrified the actor should look when he sees those nasty Arthropods of Death!! :D The whole thing reminds me of a Fantasy Island episode that when wrong. Truly, this is one of the more rediculous (read: funny) AI pictures. I also recommend the slightly funnier Frogs about a group of stupid people getting killed by...erm, well, frogs. :D I'd hate to slam the source material having not read the original H.G. Wells story, but the ending to this could be the dumbest thing I've ever seen. 4/10 (bad movie upgrade 8/10)


Joan enjoys a snog with her co-star. :D

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Well, after finding out I didn't have to work I pulled out the good ones.

22. Last House on the Left from 1972. I was holding this movie wondering why I was holding it. I put the tape in my VCR wondering why I was putting it in the VCR. I pressed play wondering why THE FCUK I was pressing play!!! This film is brutal and deals with torture and rape. I'd only watched it once before and felt icky when it was over. But after about 3 or 4 years I wanted to experience it again. Turns out it's "easier" to take upon second viewing. There's actually a lot of important messages trying to come through about violence in the world and how easy it is be be a victim of society's misfits. There is some odd black comedy vibes going on here. The obvious comic relief cops are weclome. And the final 3rd is pretty cool for gore fans. An oddity, but influential. 8/10

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23. Needed something "lite" after Last House. The Rebirth of Mothra from 1996 was childish, colorful and perfect for my needs. I loved it. The scoring was surprisingly superb. I also liked the old school effects quite a bit. A truly relaxing time with some familiar characters and more. I really liked the monster Desghidorah which is a three-headed creature on 4 legs, a moving tail and eventually it sprouts wings too! It's truly a wonder to behold! No, really. I wonder how many crew are stuffed in that thing. It can't be just one guy in that suit. Anyway, it's all very satisfying. I'm glad I recorded this and it's 2 sequels on a tape from Sci-Fi Channel years ago. I predict me buying this one on DVD for myself and my little neices who've probably never seen anything like this before. 8/10

A Mighty Wind. (2003)

I watched this scene on youtube before watching the movie...so I had hiiiigh hopes. :(

Found this at a Fred's Discount Store at 2 for $5. Cool! I also picked up Anchor Bay's Incredible Hulk double feature set with 2 movies from the old Bill Bixley/Lou Ferigno show. So that's 3 flicks for $5. Neat!

This film started very well but then dipped badly at about 40 minutes. I just stopped laughing and it was becoming a chore to watch. Luckily once the concert starts it shoots upward very sharply. I'll definitely give this repeat viewing since I felt it does many things right, but I'll not expect Tap with folk music next time. It didn't quite come close to that level. Still, there's some pricelss moments among what isn't so priceless, including the first rate fake folk music. I think they should've given the between music moments more attention in the writing process. 7/10 :fresh:


Unknown World. (1951)

Well, it's not really "unknown" is it? I mean, like, we know it's down there, right?

I paid 25 cents for this film that must be the brother of "Journey to the Center of the Earth" that has a bickering troup of pioneers bent on saving humanity by travelling in a 1950 Ford Mercury shaped vessel deep down dooooown into the earth. I'll bet the special effects guy throw a couple of rolls of quarters on those effects. As cheesy as they are, those backdrops probably took 10 gallons or more of paint, loads of plywood and canvas. That shiiit ain't cheap!! Luckily this film is able to rise a little above that cheesiness. It can be laughed at if you'd like (indeed, those MST3K guys somehow passed over this gem somehow) but I found the story material interesting enough to sit back and enjoy many portions. Sure, it's weak all around but not as terrible as the 4/10 rating on imdb.com would have you believe. The bulk of those voters must be younger than 15. On the other hand, this same thing has been done much better countless times, particularly the James Mason adaption of Journey to the Center of the Earth also from the 1950s and even the goofy At The Earth's Core with Doug McClure and Peter Cushing from the 1970s. You can spit in the video store and probably hit one that's better. 6/10 :fresh:


Little Boy Lost. (1978)

"Bobby?!!!" "Cindy!!!!!" "...Mike, where are they?!!!" "Carol, I don't know! Where the hell is Alice?!! Alicccccccce....!!!"

Paid 50 cents for this some time ago. Now I can't return it!! No, the movie is okay but the DVD quality is shiiit! The sound began to travel. Eventually I was able to time the first movement of the mouth up to when the actual dialogue begins and I swear to God it was 2 entire seconds! There are scenes starting with the dialogue from the previous scene still going. yeah, it ruins a pretty decent film but it also provided some laughs. There's one dialogue exchange that had me in the floor because an elderly lady was talking with the voice of a young dude, yep, they'd exchanged voices and her mouth movements somehow FIT! I won't rate this for that reason. I felt it wasn't a bad film...following the aftermath of what happens when a little 4 year old Austrailian boy "goes walkabout" and wanders off from his daddy's farm. The film spends a lot of time with the concerns of the search party that forms and why it seems to be failing. Smartly it avoids the little boy since the kid they got is pretty weak a little actor. But what the hell is he gonna do? He's 4!! But it works pretty good. I do think the film's running time could've been reduced from 90 minutes to an hour or less by removing a little of the monotonus shots of people "searching"...it's like that "Bobbeeeee...Cindeeeee?!!!" Brady Bunch episode. Mike! Carol! Just find those damn kids and shut up!!! For this film based on a real event, maybe more personal stuff about the people effected would've been more rewarding and effective emotionally me thinks? Still, nothing terrible here. The ending is emotional and maybe even tear inducing. This is also safe for smaller children and could teach them what to do if they get lost. Follow the fence?!!! Well, maybe...but allowing themselve to BE found would be a good lesson here. One thing about it though...the music and b&w still picture of the "lost boy" in question scared the shiiit out of me. Was that the purpose? It was like something out of Tobie Hooper's TCM!! I got chills. 7/10 :fresh:

My God, what a weekend! But never mind about my continued problems. I certainly got in some awesome movie watching to help me escape the rediculous stress of living in the vicinity as what must be described as the neighborhood dog kennel.


I just hope this suit has a breathable cotton panel.

I was determined to watch the Star Wars prequels and give them the best chance to impress. Episode One has always been a fun time for me even with that annoying little kid who doesn't really grab this viewer. I don't buy him for a single second as "the chosen one". Nope. But as usual I just go along for the ride and things are fine and dandy. I've never had a problem with Jar Jar. Now, Jar Jar's people as a whole are overly cartoonish and often bring too much humor to scenes that maybe shouldn't have so much (battle scenes) and not enough humor to scenes that should maybe get some (long bit of borderline boring dialogue) but I still like them. They're like simpleton hippies.



Saturday morning I got up and watch a film that's often dismissed as a group of loosly strung together Loony Tunes cartoons. The Bugs Bunny Road Runner Movie is more like a lightweight Loony Tunes history lesson with Bugs acting as host, treating the viewer to what may be the funniest cartoons ever made. All my favorites are here, in their entirity save for opening and closing credits (title cards are intact), including the one with Daffy Duck as Robin Hood, Bugs the bullfighter, and "Kill da wabbit!!". More yucks than you can shake a carrot at! This version was recorded off cable so there shouldn't be edits. The new hosting bits with Bugs are nowhere near as funny as the classic toons themselves but it acts as a good way to string all this fun together. Another Looney Tunes film Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island doesn't do this as well since it redoes some of the moments from the original toons to match the new stuff. Well, I guess it works to string it together better, but diehard fans of the show don't want it that way. Just the toons! Anyway, I enjoyed this emencely, even though they seem to rush the coyote/roadrunner stuff at the end by not interrupting with the new Bugs Bunnys bits.

Attack of the Clones, Star Wars episode II is a toughie. I have to be real forgiving since Hyden has never rubbed me the right way. Everybody else has done pretty good settling into their roles but he's the new kid and it shows badly. Just like the little kid from the first prequel, I just don't buy this guy as anything special. :( But I figured if I can watch and enjoy Christopher Atkins in The Pirate Movie I can watch and enjoy this as well. I did wince during the "you're not like sand" bit. But I was just fine throughout the rest. This is good sci-fi and that's all there is to it! Not enough these days so this'll have to do.

Finally, for the first time I was able to sit down and give the final prequel Episode III all the chance I could to impress me. I gotta say that this nearly redeems the problems with the first two. Hyden isn't bad at all as the future Darth Vader, and I was impressed with the transformation even though it did seem a little rushed at times. Visually this may be the most stunning sci-fi film ever made. Eye-candy in spades! Puts everything else to shame. I was presantly surprised about the amount of homeages (or just things borrowed from other films). I noticed stuff from Star Trek, Lord of the Rings and many others even the Lost in Space film. The coughing robot was interesting. I was thinking, coughing robot? How? Then when they showed what the deal was I was very pleased. :D Really good film that may warrant a 10/10 out of me upon future viewing. Nice job George! I like you again! :p



Okay, so I sit down to Sisters of Death, watch the whole thing and to my dismay I find that there are no black women featured in it. Sisters! Not sistas!! :( At any rate, there's some PG-rated pale skin involved in this revenge story with a dizzying amount of twists right at the end that'll make you jump up and say, awww fu ck it, I don't care if VP Cheney jumps up with a hunting rifle and blows the cast away, this film sucks a fat one! 5 stars for a few unintentional laughs and the fake spider full of vanilla puddin. :up:

Sunday, Sept 24
72. Dungeons & Dragons. (2000) God, where to start? Well, this is pretty bad. First, the dragons are too cartoonish. They should've just ripped off Lord of the Rings. Second, most of the CGI doesn't work because it's boring and a hundred more shots sweeping around a fake looking city or castle ain't going to change that. Third, replace the entire cast because they suck; especially the misplaced Wayans brother. Did you want this to be a comedy? Then hire the entire Wayans family!! But if you wanted to do this D&D license justice (and serious) you should've gotten a cast and effects team who knew the material and could make it work similar to LotR and Dragonslayer (or at least Beastmaster and Conan). All those films are fun for similar and different reasons. There ain't no fun here. This is crap. Irons' definately pops some vessels in his brain! There! Are you happy? He shortened his lifespan for this shit. :mad: 3/10


This guy is compensating for something....

73. Madhouse (of Dr. Death). (1974) Wes Craven definately saw this film because there are big chucks of it in both New Nightmare and Scream. Vincent Price doesn't quite play himself but might as well of..since here he's an actor known for his character Dr. Death (certainly a play on Dr. Phibes, a character he played quite well before) who kills his victims in all sorts of crazy ways (see Scream and Nightmare of Elm Street). After years in the funny farm he's brought back to do the role one more time. But suddenly people in his life begin to drop dead (yep, in all sorts of crazy ways). One death happens on the set of the new movie (just like in New Nightmare). Btw, the Dr. Death costume will look familiar...



Oops! Wrong one. Here we go...



Well, maybe not. This is the wrong one. There's another costume that looks just like the one from Scream. Well, even with I think I've proven Craven was inspired by the films of Price and others. Cool! Anyway, this was done by American International Pictures and Amicus so it has earmarks of both studios including Vincent Price and Peter Cushing. I'd say it's overall feel is more Amicus. 7/10

74. The Blood Waters of Dr. Z (a.k.a. Legend of the Zaat Monster, Attack of the Swamp Creatures, Hydra). (1975) This film is easily among the worst ever made. It takes an endless supply of insanity to achieve such badness. I mean, the film is about a mad scientist who has spent years developing a process to turn himself into a fish...a walking fish in a full size fish suit. Lucky for us this film equivilent of the scum that collects on the bottom of ponds is now highly watchable thanks to the show Mystery Science Theater 3000. Those guys were pros and they make this fish poop funny as hell! 3/10 (MST3K upgrade 9/10)


"Choked to death by a giant warthog! Yep! That fortune teller lady was right...verbatum!! I should've listened!"

75. Coma. (1978) First rate thriller from the 70s. Has a beautiful slow build up. I love it! Happy Birthday to Michael Douglas, btw. He's good in this. 9/10


I wonder if they have a drive thru? I mean, I need a replacement little toe.

76. Vampyr. (1932) This is one visual treat right here! Very nice use of shadows and camera angles (the POV coffin shot must've been a first at the time). It does jump from scene to scene in sometimes dizzying fashion but that's just early movie making for you. There's some much here that is now familiar it's clear to see this has inspired (and was probably inspired as well) what came after. I'd love to have a tally of the amount of women who fainted at various times during it's early showings. :D 9/10

Taylor: "A planet where apes evolved from men?"

Oops, that's a spoiler. Hell, even the title is a spoiler. But everybody already knows anyway.



The Planet of the Apes has been around a long time, in book form, this film from 1968 and it's 4 sequels from the 1970s, live action AND cartoon TV series and even suffered a remake by Tim Burton, who should've been able to pull it off but failed. I've seen all but the Return to the Planet of the Apes cartoon series (well, I probably did as a child; and will again since it's being released with a special Apes DVD set in March and separately for those of us who've already bought everything else) and I must say that this single film is all we ever really needed. The rest is certainly a bonus, with varying degrees of success, but this first film is usually a mind-bending experience for the first time viewer whereas everything else is just revisiting the same material. It also has a wonderful sense of adventure that was lacking in the remake and most of the sequels. The TV series wasn't bad, but you could get the same effect out of an episode of the original Star Trek or Bonanza TV shows. I suspect the cartoon series will be much like the Filmation Star Trek cartoon TV series. Anyway, I know it doesn't show, but I can't get enough of these apes. Even if they'll never be able to match this film I've love to see a sequel to Burton's version (different director, however). Maybe we'll see that. You never know. But I'm insane, because I'd also like to see a sequel to the Lost in Space film from the 90s. :p

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Next, I thought I'd suffer like the settlers of the mid 1800s did when they were traveling across the US. Seven Alone (a DVD movie that cost me $1 and had another film on the reverse that must be equally as "good" :( ) does an excellent job of convincing you there was no quirky country charm to these people, they were always sick and they hated their kids, leaving them (age newborn to 13) to fend for themselves, fought injins all the time, had no family dog (wtf?), and prized colored window glass above all else (well, save "the Lord").



They also travelled dangerously long distances even though they already had a pretty nice setup where they were. This film is painful to watch since it looks so much like a Little House on the Prairie episode that was rejected by Michael Landon for being too depressing and lacking authenticity. It is apparently based on true life material, but I'll just say I'm glad I didn't live during that time and know these annoying people. Certainly, if this couple had had the proper protection this film might've been called "Three Alone". :p But then again, it may've been called "Five At Home" since they perhaps would've had the money to keep their asses planted instead of eating dust from the Donner Party just ahead of them on the trail. I especially loved the wrap up in the last 2 minutes. All hope was lost and then...well, you know. :D Only thing missing was the commercials making you wait for that ending. To think I could've bought a candy bar with that dollar. :(

Wednesday, Sept 27th
83. Prom Night. (1980) This wants to be Carrie sooooo bad. But it ain't even close. This Platinum Corp DVD is not as crap as you'd expect, but the image is often too dark to see what the hell is going on. Shapes moving around don't scare me. I have to see what everybody is screaming and running from! The worst of this may be during the scene with the van (don't come a'knockin when the van's a'rockin) when the chubby dude and his way-too-pretty-for-him girl are attacked by the slasher and it all looks like it could be really exciting...but you can't see nothing!! So this suffers from a crap transfer. The daylight scenes look all fuzzy (for effect, I take it...ripping off De Palma's film). Why watch? Well, there's a tasty (female) ass shot and Jamie Leigh Curtis is here for our pleasure. I like the opening scene in the abandoned building. Not much else. It's fun to laugh at some portions. The disco music is apalling (I'm still researching if it was changed from the original). Curtis is way better in Halloween and Terror Train. Or just watch Carrie instead, it's the better film out of all of those. Then watch Halloween for Curtis and Terror Train if you have time. 6/10 (laugh-at-it upgrade 7/10)


This is a cool scene with the killer sneaking up on Curtis! Check it out! :p

84. Total Recall. (1990) Many of the effects here have not aged well. The opening 3rd is exciting and quite fun. But then the movie transfers to the planet Mars and we're treated to a planet made entirely of 4 rooms and many obvious minitures. I'm not fooled one second that Ulnuld is running around a planet rather than studio sets. Lame! But many effects are nice, the story carries things far and the big guy is also pretty good. And then there's Sharon Stone... :p 7/10


One of the best scenes in the film. Excellent effects and funny too.

85. House on the Edge of the Park (a.k.a. Casa Sperduta nel Parco). (1980) David Hess from Last House on the Left plays a similar character here. Just a thug who likes to rape and slowly torture then murder his young female victims. Who calls this entertainment?! Well. me. sorry. :( It's just that I can't help but watch crap like this during this time of year. I never watch this kind of stuff at other times. There, I've covered myself. :D Seriously, this film is more accessable than Last House for reasons that would be a spoiler. It's actually more clever than you'd expect. The acting is also pretty good. Besides some harse sexual attack scenes, the most disturbing thing about it is the song "Sweetly". What a haunting theme song! Someone please tell me how to remove that from my head...it won't go away!! I'm serious...someone help me now. :( 7/10


I like the cover. :up:

86. Indestructable Man. (1956) Lon Chaney Jr becomes a tough skinned killer who seeks revenge for a few people who tattle taled on him. Dull? To say the least! Kind of funny too. I watched the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version and they make it fun to watch. Not the best episode ever, but I'm a fan of the Joel episodes and they really take me back to a time when the show was less structured. I like it best that way. 4/10 (MST3K upgrade 8/10)


Indigestable!

Tuesday, Sept 19
60. Escape from the Bronx (a.k.a. Fuga dal Bronx, Escape 2000). (1981) Here's an italian film about a group of officials attempting to clear out Bronx NY to make way for some pretty high rise buildings. People are kindly asked to "leave the Bronx" and when they don't "leave the Bronx" they are turned into a KFC extra krispy chicken finger basket. AS if this film wasn't funny enough (unintentionally so), the show Mystery Science Theater 3000 from the 1990s takes it and makes it a classic episode. A fan favorite to say the least. A great time! 5/10 (Mystery Science Theater 3000 upgrade 10/10 )


How can you pass up a deal like that?

61. Psycho. (1998) This does have a novelty feel now. It's in an updated setting, in color and even though it's shot-for-shot the same, everything is just slightly off kilter from the classic Hitchcock film. That's why I bother with it. I know it's not well thought of (and all the criticism is probably warranted) but I kind of like to give it a spin and view it as I would a broadway play version of the same material. The cast is mostly going thru the motions with perhaps William H Macy as the detective doing the best job of it. Vaughn as Norman doesn't quite work. Perkins gave off a weird vibe, like "virgin preacher's son with a secret to hide". Vaughn looks like he could be a rapist out of the gate; I don't see this modern Marion Crane going anywhere with him for a sandwich or anything else. Still, I crave this version every year at the time and save the original for closer to Halloween day. I do think fans of the original are overly critical of this tabboo remake. Any of you ever seen a stage play version of a movie? Well view it in that frame of mind you silly numb skulls! :p 7/10



62. Flatliners. (1990) Original story about a group of medical students dabbling with near-death experiences. We're treated to an familiar & excellent cast in a fun 2 hours of weirdness. If this is ever remade I hope they make the after-life bits more trippy. That's the only thing that I felt could've been done better. There's some serious stuff and some well done, low key tongue-in-cheek going on. I felt they side-stepped religion a little too carefully. To the potentional remakers: have some balls! Anyway, this is good stuff. 8/10

(now I can edit, weird)

Lassie's Great Adventure. (1962)


I checked this out at the library just for the hell of it. It's a little awkward in color, good Lassie should be in B&W. Anyway, this is really just a few episodes of the show stretched over 100 minutes. It's not bad, really. For fans of the shaggy mut, who know what to expect, you'll have an enjoyable time. The scenery is gorgeous! Although some parts are obviously done on stage with static backdrops. Many of the old school effects are laugh out loud funny. So if you set the kiddies down to watch it you can expect some laughs when it doesn't seem like anything's funny. My favorite has to be the wild animal attack with a point of view shot I don't want to spoil; but you'll be laughing! ;) In fact, that animal attack is amazing! If little Timmy had landed on the Lord of the Flies island he'd be running the show. :eek: The greatest thing about this is all the aspects that the makers threw in because it actually did thrill kids of the time: Wild animals, a ride in a dangerous balloon, river rafting, helicopters, etc. I liked it. Not "great", but familiar (read: nostalgic) and fun. 7/10


National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. (1989)


This is "the good Chevy". He's damn good in this film! :up: And for some reason I always forget about "Cousin Eddie" showing up here! It gets a power boost at that time. Funny stuff. I'm in tears during some parts, like the flight into the "TREES ==>" sign. God, I love that! :D :D :D :D This has laughs and a heart, like all flicks from this producer. It ain't Christmas without a visit from the Grizwalds and their relatives. I'll probably watch this again over the weekend with my own nutty family. 8/10

I watched a bunch of Rankin/Bass specials too. All this while wrapping gifts. Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Frosty the Snowman are particularly good and tear inducingly nostalgic.



Frosty Returns is also tear inducing, but a different kind of tears. It's hard to believe Lorne Michaels of SNL executive produced this. Oh, strike that. What am I saying? :D The story isn't bad, the animation is nearly as bad as The Flintstones. But the songs imbedded in it are like slamming all your toes at once on the chair leg. :p :mad: :mad: :( Awful, awful stuff! It's a shame Jonathan Winters is riding on a snowflake in this film. At least he got work, I guess. But when I bought this set I assumed Frosty Returns was the one with Andy Griffith, which is a pretty good direct sequel to the original, and should've been what was included. :( For what it's worth, I completed my wrapping and used Frosty Returns to clean up by. That worked out.