Horror-A-Day Two-fer: Poltergeist II and III

You know, this horror movie a day thing is kind of fun. I should do it all year, or at least come up with some themes or series, or something. In any case, my horror marathon marches on in the still young month of October. Following my excursion into pseudo-Gremlins rip off land where a decent idea was hampered by poor execution, I decided to take a pass at a couple of none-too-well regarded sequels to a feature that taught us to be afraid of our own house. While both of these films are somewhat watchable, they are also quite forgettable in my eyes.

Horror-A-Day: Ghoulies

October marches on and so does my horror watching. So far none of my viewing have been revisits. Each one has filled a previously empty whole in my horror experience. Of course, some of those holes should have been left empty. You could say that this month has not been so much about quality, as it has been just about watching stuff, regardless of their stature in the pantheon of horror cinema. This time I saw another one that is not quite a classic, and is not really all that good of a movie. It is one that appears to have been made to capitalize on the success of Gremlins while not being nearly as entertaining.

Reviews in Retrograde: Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned

Critical Outcast isn't my first attempt at a website, I had a few stutter steps in the late 1990's and early 2000's. These attempts generated a whole bunch of poorly written, often very short and spoilerific reviews. I recently stumbled upon them in my archives and thought you may be interested in seeing some of these early attempts at writing. They are as they were then, I make no apologies for how bad or how short they are. Feel free to have at them with reckless abandon! I present to you: Reviews in Retrograde.

Horror-A-Day: Black Sheep (2006)

Day four of October Horror-thon is here and after a couple of missteps I think I am back on track! For today's movie I decided to catch up with a movie I have been meaning to see for a few years now. There is no denying the concept is familiar but it is given a little twist that makes it feel considerably more fresh. It is definitely a few grades better than Oasis of the Zombies and Alive or Dead. For today's movie I went Down Under and brought a few genetically engineered sheep back with me. Yes, it is time for Black Sheep!

Movie Review: What's Your Number?

This is a good example of a movie that did not need to be made, yet still holds some power to sway an audience. Well, perhaps it is just me. What's Your Number? is a movie that I put off for a few days before seeing it. I knew I wanted to see it, but at the same time I was afraid of the slog I might be in for. It's not like there was going to be anything surprising about it. Well, I saw it, and it is not a good movie, but I do not regret seeing it. You will need to decide for yourself if you really want to see it, I cannot say it i anywhere near a required viewing sort of movie.

Movie Review: Abduction (2011)

I have to say that I had no real expectations for this movie. Frankly, it looked like a generic action vehicle to test Taylor Lautner's drawing power away from the Twilight franchise. Well, for some reason I found myself sitting in the theater waiting to watch this and wondering how my life has lead me to this moment in time. There is, of course, no answer to that. It is what it is and I like movies, which generally means I will see a lot of them, both good and bad. There are a few lines I won't cross, but not many. In any case, I saw the movie and have lived to tell the tale. Let's get it out of the way right up front, this is not a good movie. It is also not the worst I have seen, it just suffers from poor lead performances and a general lackluster execution.

Reviews in Retrograde: Army of Darkness

Critical Outcast isn't my first attempt at a website, I had a few stutter steps in the late 1990's and early 2000's. These attempts generated a whole bunch of poorly written, often very short and spoilerific reviews. I recently stumbled upon them in my archives and thought you may be interested in seeing some of these early attempts at writing. They are as they were then, I make no apologies for how bad or how short they are. Feel free to have at them with reckless abandon! I present to you: Reviews in Retrograde.

Horror-A-Day: Alive or Dead

Day 3 of my October horror marathon has concluded. I have also concluded that I need to start watching some better movies if I expect to make it all the way to Halloween. I started strong with Basket Case but I took a big step down with Oasis of the Zombies. I was hoping to have a bit of luck with day 3, but I knew there was still a chance for a let down, especially considering I targeted a recent unknown quantity. Generally, when it comes to recent horrors, the good ones are known, even the smaller titles. Sadly, I picked poorly again. I cannot say it was quite as boring as Oasis, but that does not necessarily mean better.

Movie Review: Dream House (2011)

Do want to know what the most memorable part of Dream House is? Nothing. That's right, nothing. This is a movie that is destined to hit the bargain Blu-ray bin and be the answer to trivia questions. Questions like, what movie did Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz get together while making? Or what movie was one of the final nails in director Jim Sheridan's career? Perhaps even what movie was edited by a studio under duress after taking it away from the director? What about what movie starts as a crazy guy story but ends as a ghost story?  Wow, all these questions would seem to indicate that this movie actually is memorable. Unfortunately, it will not likely be remembered for what happens in the movie.

Horror-A-Day: Oasis of the Zombies

A mere two days into my October horror fest and I have already found a movie I don't really want to write about. If I had my wits about me, rather than giving it a chance, I should have just stopped it and moved onto something else, but oh no. I had to soldier through it like a dutiful little horror fan. For a movie tat has been called Euro-trash, I expected something a bit more trashier. This one was just dull from start to finish. I understand it has its fans, but wow, this was just not good in my eyes.

Movie Review: 50/50

A comedy about cancer? Like a lot of people I felt a little leery about a comedy centered on cancer and co-starring Seth Rogen. Seriously, why shouldn't I be worried? Cancer is not a laughing matter, and if you have, have had, or have lost someone to the disease, I am sure you will agree. At the same time, I also believe that a positive outlook is necessary to get by, and comedy can do a lot to help keep the mood light and the spirit happy, even in the face of something as bad as this. Well, even as the cast shaped up for this, I still had my doubts. Then I saw the trailer and I thought it looked funny, I certainly liked the cast, and I was hoping for the best. Now I have seen it and I am ecstatic to report that 50/50 is an incredible movie. Do not worry, it does not treat the disease as a joke.

Horror-A-Day: Basket Case

October is upon us. That means we are fully into the time of year haunted by all manner of ghouls, ghosts, demons, and monsters, along with all manner of other unsavory critters. This year, I have taken cue from some of the people I follow on Twitter and will try to make the time to watch a horror movie a day for the month. Seems like something right up my alley, considering my affinity for blood and gore. It will give me an opportunity to catch up with old favorites, maybe make some revisits, and fill some holes in my viewing history. First up: Basket Case.

Movie Review: Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

The other week, as I was scanning my usual theaters for show times I stumbled across Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame. Like most of you, I had no idea what this was, it was also the sort of thing I always check a few theaters for show times. You know, besides checking for the schedule of thebig releases, I like to see if there are any smaller, indie, foreign movie types within my travel radius. This one looked like it fit the bill. Still, I had to check a little more as for all I knew it could be some lame family movie that rips off Harry Potter's naming motif (I know it is not new with Potter, but they used it a lot).