UPDATE: The "Only Watch Movies You've Never Seen In 2015" Challenge

I'm two months in to this new year and so far I've kept my pledge to only watch films I've never seen before in 2015.  It's been difficult, in some ways, but I think the fact that being the father of a toddler has me watching less movies in general, so it's not the arduous torture I originally thought it was going to be.

This past weekend was pretty tough, though.  I have a longstanding tradition of watching FRIDAY THE 13th films on Friday the 13th and this year I wasn't able to.  I had to settle for watching a FRIDAY fan film on YouTube.

I honestly can't see I would recommend it, but at least the tradition was somewhat kept alive...and fairly.

Valentine's Day was tough, too, because I generally watch MY BLOODY VALENTINE or the MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3-D remake on February 14th.  Nope.  No dice.  I did, however, manage to watch a couple of old animated Disney movies that I'd surprisingly never seen because they were running on Disney channel over the weekend.

There's a website I found called Letterboxd that allows you to review and rate and track the movies you watch and I've been keeping a log there.

You can check out my Letterboxd profile at:
http://letterboxd.com/hoekstradamus/

It's a pretty nifty website.  I recommend it.

The "Only Watch Movies You've Never Seen...In 2015" Challenge!

At some point in late 2014, I realized how much time I spend sitting on the couch watching movies that I've already seen before.  It really doesn't matter what time of the day or night TOMBSTONE or DIE HARD or ALIENS or GOODFELLAS comes on, if I flip past it, I'm probably going to watch it.  But should I?  I can quote nearly every word of these films, verbatim.  Do I really need to watch them again?

That got me thinking...

What if I forced myself to only watch movies I haven't seen before?  Can it be done?  I decided to find out...

It's January 12th, 2015 and so far I haven't watched a single movie that I've seen before.  Believe it or not, it's already been pretty tough.

For the first few days of the year, I was traveling.  Did a lot of driving.  Saw family.  Enjoyed the holidays.  I avoided temptation.  Once I got back to Houston, though, I decided to see if I was up to the challenge.  I rented THE EQUALIZER.  I really enjoyed it.  One new, unseen movie down.  How many to go?

 [ Criminals Beware of Old Guys Working At Home Depot ]

This past weekend, DirecTV turned on all of its movie channels for free.  All of them.  ALL of them.  Thank God the NFL Playoffs were on.  So many movies.  So many I'd seen before.  On Saturday I rented THE GUEST from The Redbox.  I wanted to watch GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY again, but nope...I went with THE GUEST.  It was pretty good.  And I hadn't seen it.

 [ As Dio Said, "Don't Talk To Strangers."  Don't Let Them Stay In Your House, Either ]

I took THE GUEST back on Saturday night and rented FINDERS KEEPERS.  I haven't seen a good killer doll movie in a while.  I guess I still haven't.  It was okay.  I didn't realize it was made for SyFy Channel.  I probably would have skipped it, had I known that...  But hey, hadn't seen it!  ;)

[ Chucky's Place In The Pantheon of Killer Dolls Is Still Pretty Safe ]

On Sunday morning I was looking for something to watch and DirecTV was offering a lot of classics I'd already seen.  Wait, what's that?  SNAKE EYES with Nicolas Cage?  Never saw it!  I guess we'll go with that...  Not bad.  But oh God.  So.  Much.  Overacting.

[ How The F*** Did This Guy Win A Best Actor Oscar? ]

Last night I was flipping through the guide and I saw the aforementioned ALIENS.  I saw CADDYSHACK.  I saw OVER THE TOP.  PREDATOR.  Jesus...  I want to watch ALL OF THESE MOVIES ZOMG!

I settled for DJANGO UNCHAINED.  Why?  Because I hadn't seen it.

[ The D Is Silent... ]

It's going to be a long year, but I think I can do this...

At least until Friday the 13th comes around and there's a marathon on!  Am I crazy?  We're about to find out...

October 1st, 2014 - The DAY OF DREDD! Oh, and also my birthday...

Greetings, citizens!  It's October 1st, 2014 -- The first annual DAY OF DREDD!

As you may or may not know, I'm a big Judge Dredd fan!  I have been ever since I first heard Anthrax's I AM THE LAW back in my early metal days and became enamored with 2000A.D.'s badass MegaCity MegaCop!

 [ Respect the badge!  He earned it with is blood!] 

Despite Sylvester Stallone's attempt to kill the franchise's film possibilities with JUDGE DREDD (1995), a new generation of moviegoers was treated to Karl Urban's far superior DREDD in 2012!  Unfortunately, despite amazing reviews, DREDD didn't perform very well at the Box Office.  It has, however, found new life on home video and streaming.

Is it enough for the studio to greenlight a sequel?  Sadly, not yet...

Enter:  THE DAY OF DREDD!

We want a DREDD Sequel, damn it!  What can we do about it?

1) Sign the DREDD Sequel Campaign Petition!
2) Join the "Make a DREDD Sequel Facebook Group!"
3) Follow @DreddSequel on Twitter!
4) Tweet with the #DayOfDredd hashtag!
5) Buy DREDD on Blu-Ray at Amazon.com (Just $7.88!) today!
6) Watch the movie on Amazon streaming or Netflix streaming today!

We can do this!  Let's go out there and make it happen!

Check out the DAY OF DREDD online coverage so far!

• Hollywood Reporter
• Den of Geek
• MoviePilot
• The Daily Dot
• Giant Freakin Robot
• CBR
• ComicBook Dot Com
• We Got This Covered

DROKK IT!


P.S.  It's my birthday.  If you won't do this for DREDD, do it as a gift for me!  ;)

Halloween 2012 Horror Movies on Netflix Streaming!

♫ Happy, Happy Halloween, Halloween, Halloween! Happy, Happy Halloween, Sil-ver Sham-rock! ♫



Halloween is here! AMC is having Fear Fest all week, but if you have Netflix streaming and you're looking for a horror movie to watch that isn't all cut to hell and full of commercials, you're in luck!

The selection's not as good as last year, but there's still a pretty good variety of great horror movies you can check out on Netflix streaming to give your 2012 Halloween some thrills and chills...

Horror Classics:

Creature From The Black Lagoon - They're remaking this.  Why?  It's perfect the way it is...
The Mummy - Boris Karloff...  'Nuff said!
The Last House on the Left - Wes Craven's disturbing 1972 original.
The Car - Underrated!  Made for TV movie about the Devil's ride!
I Spit on Your Grave - Not for everyone.  Brutal.  Still a classic exploitation horror movie.


John Carpenter (The Master of Horror) Films:

The Fog - Jamie Lee Curtis helps Carpenter again in a non HALLOWEEN role.
The Thing - One of the five greatest movies of all time, in my opinion.
Prince of Darkness - An underrated gem.
Ghosts of Mars - Gets better with age.
Village of the Damned - Christopher Reeve, Mark Hamill and Kirstie Alley!

Bonus: Non-Horror Classic Assault on Precinct 13!


Non-Glittery Vampire Movies:

Nosferatu (1929) - The original Max Shreck silent classic.
Dracula (1931) - Bela Lugosi's finest (darkest?) hour...
From Dusk 'Til Dawn (1, 2 and 3) - Quentin Tarrantino's new classic!
Dracula 2000 - Wes Craven has a lot of movies on this list...
Vamp - You need to see it to believe it.


Anthology Horror:

Creepshow - The 80s classic still holds up today...
Creepshow 2 - Not quite as good as the original, but still pretty cool!
Waxwork - Lesser known gem. This one's a lot of fun!
Tales From The Hood - Terror from the bad side of town!
Black Sabbath (1963) - Three tales of terror from Horror's classic era.

Bonus: Every season of THE TWILIGHT ZONE is on Netflix streaming!


Slashers:

The Burning - One of many (and among the best) Friday the 13th inspired imitators.
Candyman - The original Tony Todd classic!
Satan's Little Helper - Underrated horror gem from 2004 with a Halloween theme...
Midnight Movie - Straight to video slasher fare with a Nightmare on Elm Street feel.
Thankskilling - A killer turkey?  You gotta see this one to believe it...


Zombies:

Do a search for "Zombies" and you'll find all kinds of crap.  And by crap, I mean CRAP.
Land of the Dead - is certainly watchable if you're desperate.
Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies - is surprisingly fun for a low budget, straight to video flick!
BONUS: Seasons 1 and 2 of The Walking Dead...



Modern and Miscellaneous:

Insidious - One of the scariest PG-13 horror movies ever...
The Relic - Classic creature feature!
Mimic - Another classic creature feature...
The Keep - Another long out of print gem.
The Hazing - A modern horror gem with Evil Dead type roots.
Slither - Creepy, modern creature feature.  Good stuff!


Honorable Mention/Bonus Tracks:

Leprechaun: In The Hood - Oh yeah...
Pretty much every HELLRAISER movie from part 3 through 10!

There you have it!  Netflix Streaming is a haven for horror.  If you're in the mood for thrills and chills, you won't have to look far...

Happy Halloween, everyone! Have a good fright!

SINISTER Is The Best Horror Movie of 2012 (So Far)

I got a chance to go to the theater over the weekend and check out SINISTER.  I loved it.  It's honestly one of the best horror films I've seen in a long, long time.  It's meatier than the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY movies and carries the edginess, intensity and graphic nature of the SAW films without the over the top "torture porn" vibe that's become so prevalent in the SAW/HOSTEL horror era.

The cast, featuring Ethan Hawke, Fred Dalton Thompson and Vincent D'Onofrio is top notch.  The direction and the atmosphere are superb.  The script, while not perfect, doesn't disappoint...or fall apart at the end like most modern horror seems to do.  It also doesn't suffer (much) from "stupid character syndrome."

I think the reason I feel such a special connection to this movie because I really related to Hawke's character...a struggling creative type who's worried about his family and his financial future while wondering if his career peaked 10 years ago.  I found myself actually caring about the man and his family.   I think that's what really drove this movie home for me.

If you're looking for a good scare this Halloween season, get out to the theater and see SINISTER.  Oh, and if you're looking for something to watch at home on Netflix streaming, check out INSIDIOUS before it goes to Disc Only.

John Carpenter's THE THING Turns 30!

"I know you gentlemen have been through a lot.  But when you find the time...I'd rather not spend the rest of this winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!" ~Garry

Happy birthday to John Carpenter's horror masterpiece THE THING, which debuted 30 years ago today (June 25th, 1982)!  It's in my Top 5 movies of all time and some days it's even number 1, despite the lukewarm 2 1/2 star review Roger Ebert gave it when it came out...

I know there's at least one other guy who loves this movie as much as I do, and that's THIS GUY...the guy who made this awesome stop motion tribute to the film using G.I. Joe figures:



If you haven't seen this movie, you need to see it!  If it's been more than a year since you've seen it, you need to see it again...

Happy 30th birthday to one damned amazing film! In another 30 years I have no doubt it will still be just as awesome...

Happy 72nd Birthday, George A. Romero!

It's after Midnight, I realize, but "today," February 4th, 2012 was George A. Romero's 72nd birthday! George and his films have been a big influence on me (as most of you know) over the years, so to celebrate the milestone, I watched the European cut of DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) and followed it up with DIARY OF THE DEAD (2007) tonight!


I think my first exposure to George's movies was probably CREEPSHOW (1982). This was followed by DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978), which I also saw in the early 1980's on VHS. I absolutely loved it. I loved the idea of survivors barricading themselves in a shopping mall and trying to make what passes as a normal life for themselves while the world outside was anything but. A memorable, powerful film...

DAY OF THE DEAD (1985) followed. I admit I wasn't super impressed with it when I first saw it, but over the years I've come to realize it's one of the better films in the series. It helped cement my status as a Zombie fan for life. I watched the Romero produced TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE in high school and I was ecstatic in 1990 when the modern NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD came along.

I so enjoyed the Tom Savini directed NIGHT remake that it led me to watch the original 1968 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD for the first time in 1991. It was George's original Zombie masterpiece that showed me that older, black & white films could be a great source of entertainment, story, imagination and inspiration. I saw horror (and film in general) in a whole new light.

I admit I wasn't impressed with LAND OF THE DEAD (2005), but I did enjoy DIARY OF THE DEAD (2007) and SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD (2009) tremendously. THE CRAZIES (1973) and KNIGHTRIDERS (1981) also have a special place in my heart's shrine to Romero.

Nowadays, Zombies are everywhere. Quite frankly, Max Brooks can kiss my ass with his bullshit survival guide and WORLD WAR Z nonsense and so can the people who make THE WALKING DEAD comics and TV show. More to the point, they can kiss George's ass. I guess that makes me a bit of a hipster when it comes to Zombies. I can honestly say I liked Zombies before they were cool...

Happy birthday, George! Cheers and best wishes for many, many more...

Now someone pass me a flannel shirt, a stupid looking beret and a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon, I've got an ironic poetry reading to attend at Starbucks!

Braaaaaaiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnsssss...

A New Sports Blog + 2012 Progress Report!

I outlined several goals for myself in 2012 in my first blog post of the year. How are they coming along, you ask? Not too shabby, I guess, but there's still room for improvement.

So far I've:

• Read The Scarlet Letter and started reading The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Watched The African Queen
• Lost another 4 or 5 lbs. (I'm still working out every day.)
• Been playing Chess regularly.
• Updated my journal every day (not yet today).
• Blogged more often (Twice already this month!)
• Been working on my writing portfolio slowly, but surely.
• De-cluttered, some. I've been throwing stuff away and getting other stuff ready to sell.

And finally, I wrote a new article for Pocket Doppler: The 10 Most Heartbreaking Playoff Losses In Green Bay Packers History!

The article was inspired by the 37-20 beatdown the Packers suffered at the hands of the New York Giants this past Sunday. The loss came in at Number 5 on my list. Of the ten games, I've actually personally witnessed 8 of them. Lots of heartbreak in Packer land over the years... Head on over to Pocket Doppler and give it a read!

One other goal I've decided to add to my resolutions is to take better care of my teeth. I had a dental exam and I need to have a bunch of fillings. I brush twice a day, but I need to use an electric brush and I need to force myself to floss. I've been flossing at least every other day since my appointment. That's better than I was, but still not good enough.

Bring it on, 2012! I'm ready for you!

Happy New Year, 2012!

It's hard to believe it's 2012 already. With the exception of my wedding in August (which was amazing!) and the Packers winning the Super Bowl (hooray!), 2011 was a complete and utter waste of time for me. Let's not kid ourselves...it was a Goddamned horror show.

Pi Studios imploded back in February and I've been out of work and looking (with very little success) ever since. Money has been a problem. The housing market in Houston tanked big time. I had unemployment issues. I failed to start a business. The Badgers lost the Rose Bowl. Yes, 2011 was truly an awful year in every sense of the word. Good riddance.

I guess there was one other bright spot: I still have my health (*knock on wood*). I managed to lose 20 lbs over the course of the year. Back in January, I was sitting at an all time high of 252 lbs, but as of this morning I was down to 232. It's still a long way to go to get to my goal weight of 210, but I'm hoping to do that this year.

That brings me to the point of this blog, actually. Goals. Resolutions, if you will. I have big plans for 2012 and even though you probably don't care much, I thought I would share them with you anyway. So here goes...

My 2012 New Year's resolutions!

• First and foremost, get a job that doesn't make me want to jump off a cliff and get back to being a productive member of society.
• Finish the long overdue repairs to the house (I may have to sell it soon!)
• Cross off a bunch of movies from the AFI Greatest Movies Of All Time list that I haven't seen, including Citizen Kane, Lawrence of Arabia, Singin' In The Rain, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, All About Eve, The African Queen, Dr. Strangelove, Bonnie & Clyde, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Annie Hall and To Kill A Mockingbird.
• Read more of the classic literature I failed to read in school growing up, including, The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, Lord of the Flies, The Prince, The Catcher in the Rye, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Brave New World, East of Eden and The Red Badge of Courage.
• Get my weight down from 232 lbs to 210 lbs.
• Play a game of Chess at least 3 times a week
• Write something in my journal every day (the first time I've ever kept a journal in my life)
• Blog more regularly (minimum of twice a month)
• Assemble a polish a diverse writing portfolio I can be proud to show people
• Re-design and re-launch Thundarr.com (or pay someone else to do it)
• Become more proficient in Microsoft Project and Microsoft Visio (building my job skills)
• Write and publish at least one sports article per month for PocketDoppler.com.
• Finish writing at least one feature length screenplay
• De-clutter my life by throwing away, giving away, selling or donating all of the extraneous crap I've assembled and have been carting around with me over the last 38+ years.
  

There are probably other things I should be doing, but I think this is a good start. I really do have high hopes for 2012 and I hope you do, too! Cheers to bigger and better things for all of us in the New Year!

Oh, and let's hope those pesky Mayans didn't really know something about 2012 that we don't... ;)

30+ Horror Movies On Netflix Streaming For Halloween 2011

♫ Happy, Happy Halloween, Halloween, Halloween! Happy, Happy Halloween, Sil-ver Sham-rock! ♫



[ PSA: For the love of God, don't watch that if you are in danger of epileptic seizures! ]

That's right, boys and ghouls, Halloween is upon us! Are you looking for a horror movie to enjoy this Halloween? Do you have Netflix streaming? If you answered yes to both questions, then you're in luck!

Here are 30 great horror movies you can check out on Netflix streaming to give your 2011 Halloween some thrills and chills...

Modern Horror Classics:

The Exorcist - In my opinion, it's the scariest movie of all time...
Night of the Living Dead - George Romero's classic started it all!
The Evil Dead - Sam Raimi's original, low budget horror classic.
The Last House on the Left - Wes Craven's disturbing 1972 original.
Scream - The classic that re-invented the modern slasher genre!

John Carpenter (The Master of Horror) Films:

The Fog - Jamie Lee Curtis helps Carpenter again in a non HALLOWEEN role.
The Thing - One of the five greatest movies of all time, in my opinion.
Prince of Darkness - An underrated gem.
In the Mouth of Madness - Ditto.
Village of the Damned - Christopher Reeve, Mark Hamill and Kirstie Alley!

Bonus: Non-Horror Classics THEY LIVE and ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK!

Non-Glittery Vampire Movies:

Nosferatu (1929) - The original Max Shreck silent classic.
Dracula (1931) - Bela Lugosi's finest (darkest?) hour...
From Dusk 'Til Dawn - Quentin Tarrantino's new classic!
Dracula 2000 - Wes Craven has a lot of movies on this list...
The Lost Boys (Special Edition) - If you haven't seen this one, you need to fix that.

Anthology Horror:

Trick R Treat - Fantastic modern anthology masterpiece!
Creepshow - The 80s classic still holds up today...
Waxwork - Lesser known gem. This one's a lot of fun!
Masters of Horror - There are tons of MASTERS OF HORROR episodes on streaming right now. I recommend: Cigarette Burns, Incidents on and Off a Mountain Road and Valerie on the Stairs
Black Sabbath (1963) - Three tales of terror from Horror's classic era.

Bonus: Every season of THE TWILIGHT ZONE is on Netflix streaming!

Slashers:

The Burning - One of many (and among the best) Friday the 13th inspired imitators.
Maniac - One of the greatest head explosion scenes in cinematic history!
Child's Play - The original is still the best...
Hatchet - Probably the best slasher film of the last 10 years!
Jason X - A campy, sci-fi horror classic. You'll love it!

Lesser Known Gems/Miscellaneous:

Highway To Hell - Long out of print on home video, this one's a lot of fun.
The Keep - Another long out of print gem.
The Hazing - A modern horror gem with Evil Dead type roots.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon - A serial killer biopic? It's awesome!
Miner's Massacre - Straight to video slasher from make up and F/X whiz John Carl Buechler...

Honorable Mention/Bonus Tracks:

Paranormal Activity 2 and 3 - The international, modern ghost story phenomenon!
The Crazies (2009) - One of the better horror remakes in recent years!
Leprechaun: In The Hood - Oh yeah...

Return of the Living Dead - If you're not zombie'd out, this one's a ton of fun!

and finally:

Pretty much every HELLRAISER movie from part 3 through 10!

There you have it! Honestly, Netflix Streaming is a horror fan's dream. You won't believe the selection they have; this is just the tip of the iceberg!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Enjoy a good scare!

Going To The Movies Used To Be Fun, Right?

I just got back from seeing Scream 4 (or Scre4m if you prefer) with a friend. I enjoyed the movie itself quite a bit, but the movie going EXPERIENCE left a lot to be desired. Honestly, I haven't enjoyed going out to the movies for about ten or eleven years now. Not to sound like a grumpy old man, but this new generation of kids could find a way to take the fun out of winning the lottery.

An afternoon movie at my local theater costs about $9.00. Tack on another $11.00 for a soda and popcorn and you're looking at $20.00. That amounts to about 3 months of Netflix streaming or 20 Redbox rentals. Going out to the movies is an INVESTMENT in today's entertainment market when you can get so much entertainment these days free or extremely cheap.

So given the big investment, why does the movie going public insist on taking the experience so lightly? Why do they insist on making the experience so Goddamn terrible for people like me who actually want to enjoy going out to see a movie? Good question...

If you've been to a movie in the last ten years, you probably know what I'm talking about. Today's Scream 4 experience had most of the bullshit I expect when going to see a movie these days:

1. A loud group of six teenage girls sat in the row in front of us, talking and giggling throughout. One of them arrived early to snag the row and...

2. ...the other five teenage girls trickled in over the course of the previews displaying the wonderful tendency people have these days of not showing up before the movie starts.

3. This same group of girls spent the bulk of the movie sending text messages (probably to each other) so we got to battle the wonderfully bright light in the dark theater. It's really fun on your eyes. NOT!

4. A mother with 3 kids under the age of 10 in tow showed up. Apparently she thought that watching a slasher movie with her kids was a great way to bond as a family? (This wasn't nearly as bad as the Hispanic couple with 8 kids under the age of 13 who sat behind us during My Bloody Valentine 3D a few years back, but I digress...)

5. Several people showed up after the movie had already started.

6. 3 younger girls showed up about 20 minutes after the movie started (probably with tickets purchased for another movie) and missed the entire (awesome) opening sequence.

7. We got to witness people getting up and going to the bathroom and missing critical scenes, because apparently no one can hold it for two hours anymore.

8. The 3 young girls I mentioned earlier that snuck in left with about 20 minutes to go before the end of the movie (probably because they didn't understand what was going on from missing the intro).

9. I got to enjoy the company of the lovey dovey couple that comes in late and sits at the end of your row making out and giggling. Despite an abundance of empty rows, hey, what the hell? Welcome to mine!

10. The movie ends. We got to watch the kids who think it's funny to block the projector make shadow puppets on the screen while the credits are rolling.

The only things that were missing from this travesty were...

11. A phone actually rings and a guy answers it and has a full conversation without getting up to leave the theater (that's happened to me plenty of times).

12. The non-English speaking person getting the movie translated for them by a bilingual friend (this happened during a screening of Legally Blonde 2 years ago, successfully making an already bad movie unbearable).

13. Soda cans popping open and chip bags crumpling as the lights go down from the assholes who bring in their own food in backpacks because they can't be bothered to visit the concession stand. The theater's inability to make money on concessions is the reason it costs $20.00 to see a movie these days, people!

14. The one punk kid who buys a ticket, then lets his friends in through a side door when no one is looking so five kids get in for the price of one. Another reason movies are so expensive...

15. And the coup de grace of every movie going experience... *drumroll* The crying baby!

*Heavy Sigh*

Going out to the theater to see a movie WAS fun once, right? Or am I just delusional? Wait... No, it WAS fun once! I remember now...

It was the summer of 1989. I was 16 years old and my friends and I went out to see Batman, Star Trek V, Lethal Weapon 2, Die Hard, Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, Ghost Busters 2, License To Kill, Honey I Shrunk The Kids, Darkman and Dead Poet's Society that year... And those are just the ones I remember! I think Glory and the Hunt For Red October came out that year, too!

I guess it probably helped that we didn't have smart phones (or any phones) in 1989, but I can tell you that we were brought up to not talk when we were at the movies, too. Movies in 1989 were almost always quiet, enjoyable experiences. The theater actually wouldn't let you buy a ticket if you showed up late and no one would even think of bringing a baby to a crowded cinema!

So why has the movie going experience changed so much in 22 years? Sure, we didn't have HULU or Netflix streaming or Redbox and movies weren't $9.00 or $10.00 a ticket then, but a ticket still cost at least $5.50! That was still an investment in a time when you had the option of renting movies on VHS (or Betamax) for $1.00 or $2.00 a night!

I guess the only thing that's different are the moviegoers themselves. The new generation doesn't care about other people and doesn't respect the sanctity of the movie going experience. They are growing up in a world where you can see a movie anywhere these days (even on your phone), so what's the big deal?

In a perfect world, all of these kids and all of the other rude people who ruin movies these days would just stay home. Sadly, at the end of the day, the people who end up staying home are people like me: the ones who are just trying to have a good time and enjoy something they love.

Kinda makes you want to Scre4m, doesn't it?

Twitter Contest - Less Ambitious Movies!

The latest Twitter hashtag trend that caught my eye was #LessAmbitiousMovies! According to one of my readers, it originated with/was inspired by this Sporcle Exercise called "Lesser Movies." Awesome!

Not surprisingly, there were some real gems in there!

[ UHF's - Conan The Librarian ]

Some of my favorites...

- Conan The Librarian

- Raiders of the Ark That's Right Over There

- The Day Before Yesterday

- True Grits

- Attack of the 5 Foot Woman

- There's Nothing About Mary

- No County For Old Men

- Lawrence of Armenia

- Scott Pilgrim vs. A Couple of Guys

- None Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

- Slumdog Thousandaire

- The Two Commandments

- Alice in Cleveland

- Conception

- Dial M For Moviefone

- Planet of the Crepes

- Glad Max

- The B Team

- Patton (Oswalt)

- Cry Hard

- Partial Recall

- The Dark Night

- The Empire Turns The Other Cheek

- Schindler's To Do List

- Ace Ventura: Pet Owner

- The 4 Year Old Virgin

- Apocalypse Soon

- The Last Bartender

- Charisma Carpenter's: The Thingy

- Harold and Kumar Go To Burger King

- Forgetting Sarah Palin

- Tween Wolf

- Demonstration Man

- 20,000 Inches Under The Sea

- There May Be Blood

And, *drumroll*, my personal favorite...

- Dude, There's My Car!

Bonus:

- It's Not Deliverance, It's DiGiorno!

So head over to Twitter and check out the hashtag #LessAmbitiousMovies! Oh, and you can follow me on Twitter as well at http://www.twitter.com/kennhoekstra!

Update: Another "Best Of Less Ambitious Movies" List I found, plus Huffington Post's List of Favorites!

The Six Million Dollar Man Arrives On DVD!

Six Million Dollar Man fans rejoice! The awesomely iconic 1970's television show is FINALLY available on DVD after years trapped in development (and legal) hell!

I was watching Oprah (don't ask why) and saw Lee Majors was going to make an appearance. It seemed pretty random at the time, but then it dawned on me that it must have finally happened...the long awaited release of SMDM on DVD! And I was right!

All six seasons of the show are available in one deluxe boxed set for the first time ever from Time Life. The set includes loads of extras, custom packaging, all three reunion movies and all of the crossover episodes from The Bionic Woman!

Basically, it's everything a Six Million Dollar Man fan could ask for! Well...unless that fan has already joined the Blu-Ray camp. In that case, your wait will be just a little longer, it seems.

For a full review of the Boxed Set, check out this write up from Film School Rejects. All in all, it sounds like it's a pretty sweet set!

For ordering information, head over to Time Life's Website for all the details!

First Thundarr The Barbarian on DVD and now The Six Million Dollar Man? Happy Holidays, indeed, in 2010!

Thoughts On Superman: Man of Steel

It was recently announced that Zack Snyder would be helming the Superman franchise reboot for DC and Warner Bros. with Christopher Nolan producing... It seems like the movie franchise is finally in good hands for the first time since Richard Donner's original go of it in 1978!

Even more good news... After early reports and speculation from the movie going community, Snyder revealed today that General Zod as the new film's villain is "just a rumor." Good for you, Zack. That's a great step one!

You want my advice? No? Well here it is anyway...

Reboot means reboot. Superman: Man of Steel does NOT need General Zod. It does not need Lex Luthor as the main villain. It does not need to be a full origin story. In fact, it doesn't really need ANYTHING from the first 5 movies in the series.

With that in mind, here is how "I" would write the movie if he put me in charge of the script...

Superman would be very young...in his early to mid 20's. He would be leaving the Kent farm after a forgettable, sheltered youth with the intention of being Superman full time. While he is out patrolling for crime, there is an explosion at a LuthorCorp nuclear facility. A night janitor, caught in the explosion, is turned into the power sucking creature known as...The Parasite!


Superman battles with the Parasite and works with Star Labs to find a way to stop him while the two battle back and forth throughout the film. When Star Labs is stumped, Superman meets with Lex Luthor about the accident and the two develop a tense rivalry while working together to resolve the Parasite conundrum.

In the end, Superman and Lex Luthor defeat the Parasite. Despite Lex's help, Superman is left with a number of questions about Luthor and his company's dealings. He decides that in order to keep a closer eye on Luthor, he will resume his Clark Kent identity and become an investigative reporter for the Daily Planet.

The movie closes with Clark getting set up at his newsroom desk and being assigned to one of the Planet's best reporters to be shown the ropes. The last scene of the movie would be Lois Lane walking up and introducing herself to an instantly love struck Clark Kent. Roll Credits.

No rehashed villains. No origin story. No Kryptonite. Just a good old fashioned reboot... And the perfect setup for a romantic relationship based sequel featuring the development of the rivalry with Luthor and yet another new villain... Metallo, perhaps?

Zack Snyder, if you're reading this, I'll write the script for you...cheap! I'm not greedy. I'd just be excited to see a DC hero (other than Batman) finally get a just treatment in a Hollywood film. And who knows? If it works out, maybe I can tell you my idea for a Wonder Woman film sometime...

Good luck with Superman: Man of Steel, Zack! Up, up and AWAY!

Movie Reviews and a Published Six Word Story

I've done a few more single tweet movie reviews on Twitter for Iron Man 2, Robin Hood, Big Fan, Legion, The New Daughter, Daybreakers and The Road (it's been a busy month of momie watching)! You can check those out at:

- http://www.twitter.com/FilmReviewIn140

SixWordStories.net also published one of my Six Word Stories:

- http://www.sixwordstories.net/2010/05/fat-switched-to-diet-soda-cancer/

It was submitted a long time ago and I don't think it's one of my best, but I can't complain. I'm a published author again. =)

Single Tweet Movie Reviews on Twitter

I just started a little side project that involves reviewing movies and DVDs on Twitter using a single Tweet - 140 characters or less.

You can check it out here:

* Film Reviews In 140 Characters

Only two reviews so far - "Black Dynamite" and "Avatar," but you can rest assured there will be many more soon.

Come follow FilmReviewIn140 on Twitter!