200 Items Or Less: A Lizard In A Woman's Skin (1971)

A few thoughts: Probably my favorite Fulci (at least that I can recall right now, this very instant), which blends bizarrely nightmarish atmosphere with a fairly straight forward giallo plot. As could be expected of pretty much any Italian horror/crime film, the lighting is pretty cool and the acting is pretty lousy -- these movies care a lot more about mood and vibe than they do with traditional goodness. The story itself kept me on my toes. I never quite knew what to expect, and when answers are given, twists reveal more than what seemed on the surface to be a pretty simple case. Though it doesn't exactly feature the most shocking plot twist I've ever seen, it was still relatively unexpected and didn't feel cheap. I've had my issues with Fulci movies in the past, but this one has me wanting to second-guess myself and give him another try. The gore effects are VERY Italian, blending what looks like red finger paint with semi-realistic blood. What more can I say? This is what giallo looks like, and it's a pretty good one as well.

TV Alley: The Sopranos

The Sopranos

Created by David Chase
1999 - 2007

Tony Soprano, (sorta) head of a New Jersey Mafia family and patriarch of a dysfunctional literal family, starts going to therapy. This is how the show begins, but the paths it takes beyond this are far more captivating.

Writing about this show has been done to death, which normally wouldn't really stop me, but since I have almost nothing new

Favorite Movies of 1950

Most of the movies featured on this list are ones I haven't seen in years, but here's a very very brief countdown of my favorites of 1950. More of these lists to come.


10. Cinderella
One of the early Disney classics that's more part of my childhood than it is something I go out of my way to watch now, but still a lovely movie with beautiful animation.

9. In A Lonely Place

200 Items Or Less: The Vault Of Horror (1973)

A few thoughts: Sixth of the seven horror anthologies released by Amicus during the '60s through the '70s, and the only one that doesn't feature Peter Cushing. Uh oh, that can't be good. Well, it actually was good, though not quite on the level of several others. As could be expected, this movie has cool production design, atmospheric music, and plenty of fun tales to tell -- one of which is only about 5 minutes long and because of that doesn't even feel worth mentioning. The other four, however, are all pretty solid, if slightly unoriginal. There's a story about a man trying to find and kill his sister, one about an overly controlling husband, a story about a magic rope, and the final being about an artist (played by Tom Baker, the fourth Doctor Who) who finds revenge through his paintings. Since the segments are all so short, none of them ever overstay their welcome, and the concepts are solid enough to be entertaining even when they aren't they most mindblowingly unique. The framework is very basic, but it ties the whole thing together. Overall, this is a pretty standard anthology, but an entertaining one.

TV Alley: Rome

Rome

Created by John Milius, William J. MacDonald, and Bruno Heller
2005 - 2007

HBO had a brief lapse and good judgment during the mid 2000s where they prematurely cancelled several of what are now considered some of the best shows they've ever produced. One, the western drama Deadwood. Two, the supernatural dust bowl fantasy Carnivale. And three, this historical drama about politics and life in ancient Rome.

200 Items Or Less: The Old Dark House (1963)

A few thoughts: An unfortunate misfire from one of my favorite horror directors (William Castle) and my favorite horror studio (Hammer). Where do I start with this movie? I guess with the acting. Pretty much everyone in the cast didn't seem to know what the hell they were doing -- with the exception of Robert Morley, who actually got a few laughs out of me. Tom Poston, in particular, seemed like a very poor casting choice, too self-aware and "comedic", while still never being even remotely funny. This was a strange horror comedy that had potential to be actually funny, but instead drowned in its weak attempts at slapstick and wackiness. It was very awkward. The murder mystery part of the story was also pretty easy to figure out, rounding out a pretty feeble script and ending in a predictably unsatisfying sort of way. Again, I really enjoyed Robert Morley's performance, and the set-up was a nice difference from the 1932 James Whale adaptation, but this loose remake is really unnecessary and actually less funny than the original -- which ironically wasn't even fully trying to be a comedy. Go figure.

TV Alley: House

House

Created by David Shore
2004 - 2012

A brilliant, egomaniacal, drug-addicted, misanthropic diagnostic doctor and his team take on bizarre and mysterious cases with no clear-cut cures. While it took me forever to actually get into this show, considering my general disinterest in medical dramas, now that I've finished it I can safely say it was one of the most satisfying shows I've ever seen.

200 Items Or Less: Wishmaster (1997)

A few thoughts: Starting right off with a sequence full of some totally awesome effects work, the movie quickly does away with the practical and jumps into more CG territory. And not just any CG -- late '90s CG. Simply the best! Well, let's be fair, there are tons of practical effects throughout, but the CG is two lousy not to complain about. Basically, this is a Hellraiser rip-off, blending fantasy, folklore, and body maiming brutality. Unsurprisingly, Hellraiser is much better, but that doesn't mean there aren't things to like about this. As mentioned before, the practical effects and makeup are great, Robert Englund has a nice supporting role that's completely ham-free, and Andrew Divoff makes for a very entertaining and corny villain. With tons of cameos from horror stars like Angus Scrimm, Tony Todd, and Kane Hodder, and directed by Robert Kurtzman (known largely for his prosthetic/makeup work), this is a horror movie filled with little nuggets for fans of the genre. It's just not quite good enough to really stand on its own.

TV Alley: Boston Legal

Boston Legal

Created by David E. Kelly
2004 - 2008

Spin-off of the popular legal drama The Practice, Boston Legal follows the often cartoonish exploits of the law firm Crane, Poole & Schmidt. Sometimes cripplingly "comedic", the show is held together by two lead performances and the wonderful chemistry they share on screen.

From the beginning, you can tell this is

200 Items Or Less: 2001 Maniacs (2005)

A few thoughts: A movie of almost admirable sleaziness, this loose remake of the splatter classic 'Two Thousand Maniacs' by Herschell Gordon Lewis follows the same basic story as the original, but with more gore, sex, and general exploitation-iness. What else could you expect from it? This movie establishes pretty quickly how serious it's meant to be taken: not at all. This is pure trash through and through, and it doesn't ever pretend to be anything else. Apart from a particularly over the top and entertainingly lively performance from Robert Englund, the cast is mostly there for looks alone. The protagonists are all attractive and young, so they don't have to know how to act. Seeing Eli Roth's name in the credits wasn't a surprise to me at all, considering the kind of characters the movie is filled with. It's designed to be a guilty pleasure, so shouldn't be judged as anything but just that. Oh, and did I mention Lin Shaye's in this, too? She and Englund really are what works best here. The rest of the movie is dumb, but entertaining enough...I guess.

TV Alley: Lost

Lost

Created by Jeffrey Lieber, Damon Lindelof, and J.J. Abrams
2004 - 2010

A flight from Sydney, Australia crashes on a mysterious island where bizarre and unexplainable events take place with regularity. Following a huge ensemble cast of characters, this sci-fi/fantasy drama was massively popular right out the gate, but while it's viewership slowly declined, the quality stayed high throughout, ending the series on a terrific note.

200 Items Or Less: The Curse Of The Werewolf (1961)

A few thoughts: An incredibly flawed movie with flashes of brilliance, this is by no means one of Terence Fisher's best, but still has some solid cinematography, makeup, and pacing. Even though most of the movie doesn't feature any werewolf action at all, there's enough going on character-wise to keep this from becoming too big of an issue. The film is half over before the titular werewolf even shows up -- which is a shame, because Oliver Reed is (of course) brilliant in his first starring role. It's a bizarre and somewhat experimental approach, and it mostly works. Sadly, there are a few casting issues (particularly the romantic lead) and with the lack of werewolf scenes, you do become a little lost in the backstory and lore, forgetting at times what movie you're supposed to even be watching. The werewolf is unique looking, and I wish there was more of him, but thanks to Reed's physicality and intensity, he makes what little he's there for really count. Again, not one of the best Hammer films out there, but it's still solid and has some pretty grisly scenes. What more do you need?

Top 50 Favorite Movies (2018 edition)

It was about 5 years ago that I released my top 50 favorite movies list on this blog, and since then my taste has changed quite a bit. I also made 2 separate top 100 actors lists that would look totally different now for similar reasons, but that's one I need to come to terms with rebooting yet again. I can't hardly complain about Marvel repeating the same formula again and again if that's all I'm going to do as well.

Anyway, I already made this top 50 list and broke it into 10 different parts so I could get away with not having to write too much all in one chunk while still releasing the lists every few days. Well, now for the sake of organization and just making it easier on everyone who wants to see the list, I'm gonna take what I've got and shove it all into one neat spot. Not all the writing will be here, but I'll include links as I go along if people want to read what I have to say, for whatever reason.

Here's what I got. My 50 favorite movies right now, no frills.

Top 50 Favorite Movies, Part 10 (#5-1)

And now we enter the finale. Previously, I talked about a biting chamber drama, a wonderfully exaggerated blaxsploitation parody, the pinnacle of modern action, a whimsical adventure comedy, and a nihilistic film about death. Thanks to everyone for reading.

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5. Ed Wood, 1994
dir. Tim Burton
Drama/Comedy

About 10 years back I started going out of my way to watch more movies, and like most people Tim Burton was one of the first filmmakers I really started to get attached to. I already liked Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, etc. but when I saw about this movie I was immediately intrigued. Finally, I rented it from the library and fell in love with it. There is an attention to detail and a genuine love for the subject that I found

Top 10 James Spader performances

I had planned on making an updated favorite actors list, but that's just too much work and honestly I can see my opinion changing again before I could ever even finish posting it, so instead I'll just unload a few top 10s of some of my prospective top 50 favorites. James Spader was a more recent one for me as I only just finished Boston Legal, but needless to say I've been very impressed by him and enjoyed him a great deal -- especially lately. Anyway here's the top 10 I mad of the things I've seen him in. Enjoy.


10. Lincoln (2012)

TV Alley: American Gothic

American Gothic

Created by Shaun Cassidy
1995 - 1996

A corrupt, supernatural small-town Sheriff goes to any lengths to draw a young orphan into his web, while other forces (like the spirit of the boy's dead sister) try to keep him at bay. It only ran one season, much like Shaun Cassidy's other series Invasion, but packed enough mystery and Intrigue into its short time on the air to fill several seasons.

Top 50 Favorite Movies, Part 9 (#10-6)

Previously on Jeffscpresents.blogspot.com, I mentioned a few movies. A coming of age journalistic music dramedy, a tragic romance set in the not too distant future, a pseudo-sequel to a classic zombie movie, one of the most ambitious sci-fi movies of its time, and a Greek mythology adventure fantasy. A great batch, but there are better ones. Here they are.

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10. Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, 1966
dir. Mike Nichols
Drama

The ultimate chamber/bottle drama, this is the kind of movie you can only like and appreciate if you have a fondness for acting and dialogue, because that's 95% of what this movie is. Pair the incredible cast and dialogue (strangely enough there has been some contention over whether the screenplay is really responsible for a bulk of the dialogue) with that wonderful