Monthly Movie Recap - May 2016

Wow, June already! We are now 197 days away from the next Star Wars movie! I saw some pretty fun stuff last month, what about you? Got anything to recommend? Share in the comments.

The Running Man (1987, Netflix)*

I had to get  in on the Running Man craze that's sweeping social media! But really... I stumbled on this in Netflix and hadn't seen it in decades so I decided to give it a spin. Kinda scary but given the current Presidential race, I can almost see this future 2017 becoming a real thing. The reality TV show concept was way ahead of its time for 1987 which makes it hold up pretty well today. This pretty much boils down the essence of 80s action Arnold.

Cool: Richard Dawson! The high stakes reality show.
Lame: Arnold's one liners

Rating: 6/10

Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Awesome, awesome, awesome! Really liked Spidey's appearance even though it was kind of shoe-horned in there. Black Panther was also very well done, can't wait for hie movie. I can see both sides of the issue but I"m still firmly Team Cap.

Cool: More totally amazed by the airport battle after reading about how much effects work went into it
Lame: What is it with superhero movies and parental issues this year?

Rating: 8/10

The Purge (2013)

I was expecting a bit more from this based on the trailers. It's a step or two above an average home invasion but they could do sooo much more with the premise. I felt like the ending is where it really came together and it needed more of that vibe. Sadly, like The Running Man, I could see this in our future after the election.

Cool: Great concept
Lame: The family needs to throw their son out there

Rating: 6/10

The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

Now this is what I was expecting from a Purge movie! Mayhem out in the streets! Frank Grillo is just about playing the Punisher shepherding a small group of civilians through Purge night. The introduction of a resistance gives the series a place to go and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Cool: Bigger scope, you get to see just how crazy it is

Rating: 7/10

Next up is a Cannon Films/Tobe Hooper double shot! I decided to see both of these thanks to the Cannon Films documentary that was on Netflix.

Invaders from Mars (1986)
Despite my love of classic scifi and horror, I haven't seen the original movie that this is remaking. But I think if you enjoy the scifi of the 50s/60s, you'll like this. It does a wonderful job of capturing the feel of those movies from the sets to the bad acting. It's a body snatching movie that would have been just as relevant in the 80s as it was in the 50s.

Cool: The alien design is pretty rad.
Lame: Bad opening credits and ending

Rating: 5/10

Lifeforce (1985, UK cut)
Starts out like Alien and turns into Return of the Living Dead, which isn't surprising since Dan O'Bannon wrote all three! Definitely a crazy, fun movie!

Cool: Great practical effects; space vampires; Patrick Stewart with hair!
Lame: Never trust a strange, attractive naked woman that's not concerned about clothes

Rating: 7/10

Goosebumps (2015)
Great movie for those at the Goosebumps reading level or monster kids at heart. Not too scary and plenty of comedy. Even though I decided last year to start reading the books, I haven't gotten very far so I didn't recognize a lot of the monsters but it will be fun to go back and watch after reading more books.

Cool: Oodles of monsters (even though only a few get the spotlight)
Lame: I know it's a kid's movie but I had a handful of logic problems with the plot, but it's a fun ride so I don't really care.

Rating: 7/10

And while I won't count it as a movie, I finally got around to watching Kung Fury on Netflix and completely loved it! They need to make a retro-style beat em up video game based on it!

Month Total

 New: 6  Rewatch:1

Year Total

 New: 29  Rewatch:2