Monthly Movie Recap - August 2015

One month closer to Halloween and Star Wars!

As always, clicking a link below will take you to Amazon where you can order the flick and put some coins in coffers. If you are the person that ordered a standing desk from my Amazon link, thank you!

Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015)
In this alternate timeline, it's Zod that gives his DNA to create Kal-El not Jor-El, Batman is Kirk Langstrom, and Wonder Woman is the daughter of the god of War. I'm a sucker for "What If?" and Elseworlds stories but even if I wasn't, this one is still really good! Even if you're not a hardcore DC reader (like me), if you're a fan of comics this is worth checking out.

Cool: Back to the DC Animated Series style we all love; Bruce Timm!

Rating: 9/10

Brave (2012)
Although it's Pixar, it feels more like a traditional Disney movie. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, just in terms of the story and characters, that's what you get. I like that they went Scottish for the background instead of a generic fantasy world, it gives it a unique flavor.

Cool: The mythology/magical elements.
Lame: I was expecting the three brothers to be in it a lot more based on how much they were a part of the marketing for the movie.

Rating: 7/10

Descendants (2015, Disney Channel)
It's High School Musical meets Disney fairy tales. It's an interesting concept that's done pretty much by the Disney book. Even though I'm not the target age group, I didn't think it was horrible. Maybe a few minutes longer than it needed to be, but that's probably from the musical numbers.

Cool: Kristen Chenoweth totally steals all her scenes
Lame: It seems like all the villains are single parents? And does it not seem weird that the heroes and villains all have kids that are the same age? (These are not the questions that should be asked!)

Rating: 6/10

The Man from UNCLE (2015)
If you could go back and make an intentionally funny Roger Moore Bond film, this would be it. I've never seen the show so I don't have any comparision but this is definitely a fun action movie. It's got great style both visually and during the action sequences.

Cool: Who knew Superman and the Lone Ranger would be so good together?
Lame: The confusing three way chase near the movie's end.

Rating: 7/10

Hercules (2014, Netflix)
I was somewhat disappointed with the original Scorpion King, so I wasn't expecting much here. But maybe having low exceptions is why I enjoyed it as much as I did. I like the way they sort of flip the legendary aspect of Hercules so that the stories are bigger than he is.

Cool: Herc's traveling companions
Lame: I like my myths with more monsters

Rating: 6.5/10

NSFW trailer

Demon of Paradise (1987)
A recently released "Corman classic." It's a Creature from the Black Lagoon wannabe that doesn't want it bad enough. I have to give props for whoever cut this trailer because it makes the movie look great. Watch it, then YouTube the final 10 minutes and save about 80 minutes of your life.

Cool: The final showdown between the monster and soldiers is pretty funny.
Lame: Too much story stuff going on that's not monster related.

Rating: 3/10

V/H/S/ 2 (2013, Netflix)
Somewhat similar to the first one. There's a bookend story and several "VHS" tales in between. The shorts themselves cover a wide variety: a man gets a cybernetic eye and starts seeing weird things through it, a fun zombie romp, a creepy cult, and alien abduction.

Cool: Extra points for being shorter than the first one. Good assortment of stories.
Lame: I thought for sure the aliens would turn out to be guys in suits because that's what they look like! The bookend story doesn't make much sense.

Rating: 7/10

Ghost Chase (1987) aka Hollywood Monster
From the director that brought you Stargate, ID4, and that 90s Godzilla movie! Starring European Vacation Rusty, the principal from The Breakfast Club, and Cynthia from Night of the Creeps! If I had somehow seen this when I was in my early teens, I'd probably have some nostalgia for it. It's cute and family friendly.

Cool: Catchy 80s tunes; the animatronics for the butler
Lame: Had trouble holding my attention

Rating: 4/10

Month Total

 New: 8  Rewatch:0

Year Total

 New: 52  Rewatch: 3