Reviews

This remake pretty awful, but I have to give credit to the producers recapturing at least most of the original's eerie atmosphere, the dark night on a train scenario. Also, the clown definitely beats the Groucho costume, and the Lizard was an upgrade too. The killer is more intimidating because of these changes, and that rocks. That being said, everything else ought to be thrown into the garbage disposal. The usual overdone political correction and the bad acting add up to a snooze-fest, not unusual in remakes, especially STS (Straight-To-Streaming) remakes. The original is no masterpiece, but it definitely holds your interest on a cold winter night due to the interesting characters involved, such as the weird magician. I got the impression these actors had to hold back from laughing at the cheesy scripts they were given, understandably. It amounts to nothing more than a joke, after all. So, I recommend exiting this flick after you've had a good look at the cool costumes and then switching to something better on TUBI.

This Stephen King gem never got much respect when released and I have no idea why. It's a cult classic. How many films are there with cats as heroes? There are three stories and the same feline is in each of them, serving justice to evil doers in the last two. These tales had me applauding at their endings, especially the second one where a past-his-prime tennis pro is forced to walk the entire length of a tall building, commanded by a ruthless gambler, in order to "win his wife". The pesky Pidgeon was a nice add-on to all the suspense. Of course, you have the talents of James Woods, Robert Hays, and even Drew Barrymore (great as a child actor) and, of course, writer Stephen King to top it off. Also, the song "I've Been Watching You" plays in comical scenes, which coincides with our hero keeping a cat's eye on everyone. What's not to love? This cat legitimately rocks!

I grew up watching this adorable program back in the 70's. I especially remember us gathering around our TV every Saturday after an exhausting day at the lake. It was always a relaxing remedy that took our attention away from our sunburns. It would be the perfect nostalgia show if it wasn't for the bad comedy writers. I'm sorry, but the attempts at humor always fell short, especially the episode with the little parents and the tall son and hearing the dad mention "Who said that?" after a bad, joke over and over, bleh! Not to mention the corny singing and dancing acts some guests insisted on performing (Sonny Bono trying to be Paul Stanley is on this list), ugh! Very forgettable moments. BUT, the dramatic episodes always captured my attention and heart, especially the episodes where Julie thinks she has finally discovered "the one", only to be left in the dust every time. She so deserved happiness. Also, dramatic episodes like when the doctor had to perform a life-or-death emergency operation on board got me bawling. Yup, The Love Boat had cheesed-up (and trivial) comedy at times, but always made up for it with captivating drama! So, I give this 70's venture an 8 out of 10 for the time-period cruise-line aura and the heart-felt tears that remain with you long afterwards. Oh, the memories.

This is one of my top spring/summer movies to watch every year. The movie emits a signature 80's aura to it that has me longing for the year it was released - 1984! A time when college student revelry during spring break was a must! I love each character and the Florida scenery, even with all the cheesy scenes, like the bouncy dance competition. It's still nostalgic and that's right up my alley. You could even see hints of homosexuality where muscle men are riding on each other's shoulders, lol! To me, it's just good amusement. There is also something about road trips and checking into sleazy, run-down beach motels that I love. Probably because I remember staying in those places where the beds had loud flower covers and the vending machines only produced warm soda. Sure it was hard time, but plenty of us still have fine memories surrounding these little misfortunes. 1984 was perhaps the best year of my life (I wore a pair of checkerboard VANS!) and this movie brings it all back so well. People who never experienced being a young adult in the 80's will never understand how much of a blast the decade was. Louise Sorel and Wendy Schaal are two 80's actresses I admire for their class and talents, both have a history of comedy/drama roles and are definitely underrated, not to mention gorgeous. The producers also did a great job of actually making wealthy characters likable. You even felt sympathy for them, especially when Camden performs his heart out to Jenny on piano, competing with Scott. Giving a hoot about "snooty" characters like these is a rarity in flicks now. No one will ever change my opinion about this movie because it's so well rooted into my past and, of course, it makes me wanna go back to 1984 every time I watch it, even if all I do is grab a warm DrPepper from a vending machine at the beach RAID house. I'm packed.

I didn't see it earlier, but indeed these Bad Ben films are unofficial spoofs of the found footage horror genre, especially "Paranormal Activity". The lame cgi effects and people emerging out of nowhere in cheap costumes is intentional and just plain funny!

There's just nothing like a middle-aged bald man getting scared in a "haunted" house, kinda reminiscent of Abbott and Costello gags. So, apparently, the Bad Bens with Nigel Bach as the focus in them are the ones worth watching. This funny dude could easily become an underground comic icon, and I hope he becomes one. Perhaps that is Nigel's intention with these movies.

I sincerely hope he produces more Bad Ben movies focusing on his talents, like in the first one and in this installment. I have yet to see all of these, but again, I will remain centered on Nigel's talents over the other actors who made previous sequels badder than Ben himself.

Stay haunted, Nigel, we need you.

Once again, another "horror" movie is spit out that portrays men as evil and deserving torture and mutilation. The segments are VERY predictable and quite disgusting, even if the gore looks quite fake, especially in the tale of the kidnapping MALE doctor and the targeted FEMALE vampire who beats him to the punch. How many times have we seen this formula? Too many.

There isn't one ounce of anything scary in this flick, just cheap gore effects and the usual man hate. Truthfully, without the overkill of gore, it's a another bore-fest.

Feces of Fear would be a more suiting title, the kind of unoriginal poopoo movie only misandrist men or women drool over, but not the rest us.

In the beginning of this documentary, I was given the impression it was about 80's Metal Heads living it up and that I would chuckle all the way through it. Yes, there is plenty of hedonism which makes you almost wish you were in one of the bands focused on, but as the movie progresses, I discovered a sobering revelation - the majority of these metalheads had no plans for the future, absolutely nothing to fall back on if they didn't make it as rock stars. Their entire lives were wrapped around their bands and partying every night and that chilled my thoughts. Even the rockers who did make it to fame and fortune, like Alice and Ozzy, seemed haunted by their pasts of drug and alcohol abuse, signaling they really fought to get where they were. However, Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P. made it too, but watching him in his swimming pool, literally drowning himself in hard liquor with his mother just observing everything, almost made me cry. But at least he survived, probably went through plenty of rehab while these underground musicians were on their own, determined they were going to hit it big. When Penelope Spheeris asks band members what happens if they don't succeed, most said they just would, stardom or bust. I never heard of these bands until I watched this documentary, so it's pretty easy to figure out they landed on their rumps, especially after the glam metal era died out in the early 90's. Sad, sad. I just wonder where these kids are now, if any of them have stabilized or even if they're still alive. I feel for them. In the next installment, Spheeris interviews homeless punkers in the 90's with no future plans either, but since most were thuggish, I didn't sympathize with them quite as much. The kids in The Metal Years were simply decent young people who wound up getting mixed into the glam era and had no idea how temporary it all was or how to survive the aftermath. Powerful movie that reaches well beyond debauchery and forces us to look at the dark side of heavy metal lifestyles in the late 80's.

OK, it's another romantic Christmas movie, generally catering to female audiences, BUT it does have a lot of beautiful scenery and the main characters are rather likable and speak from their hearts. If nothing else, it's the perfect movie to see with the lights turned off, warming up to your snuggle bunny on a chilled December evening. I guarantee Christmas spirit will gather around the both of you.

It sure is a relief to watch a Christmas movie with everyday folks in it as opposed to all the sugar-coated fake stuff out there. Quite a realistic portrayal of families living in trailer homes at Christmas time and we get to know them individually, which drew my compassion to them most effectively. No Santa or elves dropping off presents, just people struggling and their dedicated love which guides them through it all. Definitely a Christmas movie for adults that radiates spirit as much as anything you can find in a Disney movie, perhaps more.

Seeing this title on the Netflix holiday movie menu, I shook my head, thinking "Oh brother, another syrupy Christmas movie featuring an all-brat cast. OK I'm bored enough." But when I saw the little girl doing a video letter to Santa and her big brother hitting her in the head with his sneaker, I laughed my rump off! Then. I knew this movie wasn't gonna be the usual sap and I was right. Yup, this holiday movie is far from the usual Hallmark/Lifetime junk that spews out every year. Even though it's a total fantasy flick, the people and their lives are realistically portrayed. The little girl doesn't just mumble cutesy words like we see all the time, she is actually very talented, believable, and likable. Her brother is no different. Kurt Russell is outstanding as a wise-cracking Santa, but they level out his character so he doesn't stray off too far from Yuletide traditions. A big plus there. Kurt could possible be the greatest actor to ever play the Jolly One! You can easily figure out this was influenced by "The Polar Express" and "Ernest Saves Christmas", but it definitely holds its own and effectively. Possibly, "The Christmas Chronicles" is better than either one. It's loaded with Christmas beauty and attractive special effects! I guarantee this movie will revive Christmas spirit in you, considering you are human. Just when I was losing my faith in new holiday movies, seeing this was like a breath of fresh Arctic air! Destined to become as treasured as "It's A Wonderful Life". The only complaints I have, and they are minor ones, is the overuse of pop-culture words like "cool" and a wee bit of political correction. But, all the positives dwarf out these nicely. So, if you are desperately looking to add a new Christmas movie to your favorites, make room for "The Christmas Chronicles", I sure will. It does appear a sequel is already in the works, and I hope it's a worthy one, because this will be a tough act to follow. But since Netflix producers appear to possess something rare these days called talent, they may just hit bulls-eye again. I wouldn't be surprised if a number of sequels are released, for joy!

I actually just recently heard of this program, thanks to TUBI TV. I instantly became addicted to these moving true stories of tragedy and recovery. These episodes are legitimately re-told by those involved without all the candy-coating you often see in today's documentaries of the same topic. Just real people and real accounts. Some of the accounts, I admit, are cheesy and a bit overdone, but the heart is still there and I feel for everyone and what they went through. Tears fill up my eyes, especially because I lost my father last year and thus, can feel the pain these people have experienced. It takes going through tragedy to understand why a show like this had a major impact on viewers. Of course, having Richard Thomas as a co-host is always a green light. That man is a legend! They have scores of miraculous documentary programs running now, but nothing beats the sincerity of the 90's . If I could go back to that era, I would.

I grew up in the 80's, proud to say, and this show never failed to draw me in, even the somewhat trivial early "yup, that's Molly Ringwald" episodes. Of course, the show became a lot more interesting after "Jo" (Nancy McKeon) arrived sporting her motorcycle helmet and her tough-girl personality which almost immediately conflicted with Blair (Lisa Welchel). I love both characters, and it is easy to see Jo and Blair liked each other more than they ever admitted to. In all honesty, I can't put my finger on why this show was, and still is, so addicting! I guess it has something to do with the chemistry between the girls and Mrs. Garret, she was more like a mother to them than their own mothers were, especially because Mrs. Garret always took care of them when their parents could not. I watched episodes many late nights when I was going through hard times, it pulled me through. So for that reason, I am grateful to everyone involved with the show. I still prefer to watch The Facts of Life late at night out of tradition, leading back to Nick At Nite memories. If I had to pick favorite episodes, it would be the Christmas episodes (which appear to be top rated here on imdb). In fact, I think all of the Christmas episodes were interesting and well-produced. They were just so heart-felt. Rest In Peace Charlotte Ray, and thank you for the memories!

Like another reviewer said, if you were around in the early 80's, you'll understand why this movie and "Where The Boys Are '84" are a blast to watch. With director Sean Cunningham ("Friday The 13th") and my man Perry Lang ("Jocks") guiding us through, it's gotta be a party! The characters are genuinely funny and the 80's Fort Lauderdale atmosphere is captivating, makes you wanna go back in time, drive across the country, grab plenty of brews, and go berzerk! The all-female band that performed in one of the night clubs and at the hotel were quite entertaining too, back when such bands were not a bunch of spoiled brat feminists singing about new ways to degrade the male species. Also, call me weird, but I love the scene with the Coke vending machine in the lobby. If you rented rooms in the 80's, you'll remember how many good times surrounded these dispensers that ran out of sodas fast, leaving only one choice of warm TAB Cola by Sunday night. Total nostalgia! This movie is not for millennial prudes, you're better off watching an Avengers sequel every year. For the rest of us who lived it up in the early 80's, this Bud - uh- Miller is for you.

Just another poorly produced horror movies with an emphasis on zombie pop culture. These kind of movies look like they came from a bored college student who had to remain home for the holidays. Just about every one of these dime-a-dozen anthologies has some kind of sexual abuse story and every time the abuser is a dopey white male. and this flick is no exception. For once, I'd like to see the roles reversed so a woman is the abuser and gets avenged by her male victim. All I can say is, the "victim" in this story is more twisted than the man who tries to seduce her, but she is portrayed as some kind of hero, as usual. Nothing new brought to this table, just the norm of bad acting, bad directing, bad writing, bad visuals and tons of nauseating gore thrown in just to distract us from it all without success. I think popping a pimple would have been more entertaining than watching this slop.

I thought I would see plenty of hard-hitting drama in this, but was disappointed in many areas. This is more of a baseball tale (ala "The Natural") than a drama about bullying. The three main characters are generally bad actors, making scenes that are supposed to be disturbing rather cheesy. I actually had more sympathy for the abused bully than these nerds. He went through a lot more punishment than they did, especially because of his home turbulent life. Also, it's interesting how the rich kid's older brother bullied him almost as much, yet we're supposed to find him likable? I think not. The ending was VERY predictable and drug out, I couldn't wait to see the end credits pop up. The only reason to watch this sloppy flick is Gary Busey who does his usual tough guy routine. That man is never a bore, no matter how often he is type-cast. So, I gave this flick an extra star because of Mr. Busey. Otherwise, I regret streaming it on Prime Video at all.

Before I streamed this movie on TUBI TV, I was expecting the usual spoiled brats and misandry, but "Deserted" caught me by surprise. The men and women in this film are a lot more realistic than most films in this category of cinema and the ex con who is looked down on is female. She is actually likable and the when she reveals why she committed murder, I was expecting a lecture on drug abuse or the like. But instead, her revelation opened my ears and I felt more sympathy towards her. This is a good struggle-to-survive movie and after all the horsing around these characters do, you actually begin to feel sympathy for them when they face harsh challenges in Death Valley. Kudos to the female director for not going down the usual path of male-bashing and choosing to respect both sexes, opening the viewer to their struggles over their differences. I hope we see more films like these popping up as we enter the 2020's. We need them.

People who rated this down do not know the appeal of loony b-movies. "Smokey Bites The Dust" is for those who appreciate watching a wild escapade while drinking brews and relaxing after an intense week. Plenty of car chases, but what I dig the most are all the rules this movie breaks. You even have a young boy and girl smoking cigarettes by conning people, even police. I don't care what any do-gooder millennial says, it's pretty damn funny! Also, the perfectly laid-back 70's aura drew me in, especially since I'm a 70's junkie (I grew up in that decade). Oh, and because of the fact Jimmy McNichol (Kristy's brother) has the starring role as a car thief and "abductor". Let's just say it's almost as rad as "The Van" and more rad than "Used Cars", both of which are similar in theme. Again, this cult classic is for people who enjoy late-night carefree fun, not for people addicted to Judge Judy reruns.