It’s not often the heart and enthusiasm for a genre can carry over in to an indie production. “Sins of the Dragon” is obviously made by people who have a love for the martial arts and action genre, and thankfully they turn that love in to an entertaining and very creative short fantasy thriller about redemption, and traveling warriors.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
In spite of the heavy criticism it received, I really enjoyed “The Rise of Cobra” as a silly action movie fantasy that tried to have fun with its source material. The twenty six year old me in 2009 really enjoyed the goofy fun that was the first film, but the ten year old me loved every single moment of the cinematic adaptation of the famed toy line. “Retaliation” is still a very flawed film (stop letting RZA act in movies!), but it’s superior to the first installment in every way.
The Last Dance – Raw Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1999)
The Censored Eleven, Part Three: Clean Pastures (1937)
“The Censored Eleven” are the unofficial eleven animated shorts that have been banned, censored, or edited from public consumption and haven’t been seen by most in America. While some of the shorts have been released with a commentary about its social and political context, most are strictly taboo. In this limited series, we’ll review the censored eleven and figure out why these titles are still very volatile.
Clean Pastures (1937)
I. Freleng
Merrie Melodies
The Incredible Melting Man [Blu-ray] (1977)
Neither a Man nor Incredible. He’s barely a “The,” director William Sachs’ science fiction horror doubles also as a melodrama featuring characters you really don’t care about. How many times can character Ted Nelson mention his wife having a baby, or his efforts to have a baby, or his aspirations to father a baby? What importance does it have to the overall premise of “The Incredible Melting Man”? Nothing, really. It’s an effort to garner sympathy for a series of lifeless characters.
Cargo (2013)
Yolanda Ramke and Ben Howling’s short zombie film is a masterpiece. It’s mature, beautifully told, and I was teary eyed by the final scenes. “Cargo” is set during a zombie apocalypse, and both directors only garner eight minutes to tell a story teeming with epic potential. It could be a feature film, but as a short glimpse at a world of the undead, it’s a slice of humanity set amidst monsters in a rapidly decaying land.
Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) [Blu-Ray]
Things didn’t quite turn out well for Peggy Sue. She spent most of her teen years alienating her parents, and running around with Francis Ford Coppola’s creepy nephew, and grew up to be a very bitter divorcee whose only good friendship is with her daughter. Now appearing at a high school reunion, she has to face her old friends and her ex-husband who is now a creepy business man. After collapsing at the reunion, Peggy Sue awakens to find herself a teenager once again.