All aboard the Snowpiercer

I’ve never been a huge fan of the whole post-apocalyptic, world gone wild genre of film. I’ve always found that the Mad Max series and similar movies always depict a very bleak, desolate and depressing future. Why would I want to see that? But for some reason, I was drawn to Snowpiercer (2013). And I finally got to see it Thursday, June 25, 2015, on Netflix, and it was awesome!

Chris Evans stars in this epic, set in a future where an experiment has killed all life on Earth, except for a lucky few who boarded the Snowpiercer, a train which doubles as a self-contained eco system. A class system has developed between the passengers, the back of the train decides to get up and move forward, then calamity ensues!

I was genuinely on the edge of my seat while watching this. The drama drew me in. The acting was superb. The special effects were awesome. There was a whole lot of action. The twists and turns kept coming. You will enjoy Snowpiercer. Two thumbs up!

Image: imdb.com

No more Machete movies .. Please

This update is long overdue. The warm weather, coupled with the championship series in hockey and basketball, has put a damper on my sci-fi and horror viewing, these past couple weeks. But now we’re left with boring, old baseball, so I’m back to writing reviews on paranormal TV programming.

Finally, with some spare time on my hands, I logged onto Netflix on Friday, June 19, 2015, and decided on Machete Kills (2013). Robert Rodriguez directed this one, and I have admired his work for quite some time. I consider From Dusk till Dawn (1996) to be a classic vampire masterpiece. Rodriguez has great taste in entertainment too. The El Rey Network has awesome programming. If my TV could only pick up one channel, and it was the El Rey Network, then I would be ok. I enjoy everything they play: it’s a great blend of kung fu, sci-fi and horror films. And the insights that he brings, with his interviews on The Director’s Chair, are incredibly informational and enjoyable to watch.

Unfortunately, I was let down with Machete Kills. Everything about it was over the top, and out of control. The acting, the action sequences, and the blood and guts were all out there. After ten minutes, I actually asked myself why I am still watching this. I was not impressed by Sofia Vergara’s boob and crotch cannons. I found it all very unbelievable. However, the surprise cameos, from Cuba Gooding Jr. and Lady Gaga, were interesting to see. I guess this sequel is a more turnt up version of Machete (2010). If you like the original, then you’ll probably like this one.

Image: imdb.com

Gotta go back in time and replace Eric

I sat on the couch on Sunday, May 31, 2015, and started sprouting roots as I watched TV for three hours. A new episode of The Director’s Chair aired on El Rey Network. Robert Rodriguez got to interview Robert Zemeckis, about his career in movie history, as a producer and director. I’ve never paid much attention to Robert Zemeckis before. So I never realized that he directed some of my favorite movies such as: Romancing the Stone, and the entire Back to the Future trilogy. He also directed Contact, Forrest Gump, and Cast Away, just to name a few more. It was a very informative hour, as I learned that Eric Stolz actually played Marty McFly for five weeks, until he was replaced with Michael J. Fox. Zemeckis also revealed that he almost cut out the Enchantment under the Sea school dance scene. I love that scene!

When that hour ended, I switched the channel to Animal Planet, for the two hour season premiere of Finding Bigfoot. Here, the team travels along the Amazon River in Brazil. They are searching for the mythical Mapinguaria, a one eyed monster, with a mouth on its stomach. They gather eyewitness accounts, and hear rumors that it may be a ground sloth, that supposedly went extinct millennia ago. Along the way, they encounter all types of nasty pests, such as killer spiders and poisonous snakes. Just mentioning these little critters is making me nauseous. If an undiscovered creature is roaming the jungles of Brazil, it can remain undiscovered, because you can NOT pay me enough to deal with spiders and snakes.

Image: hollywood.com