Movie Review- The Chopping Mall

Chopping Mall is a science-fiction horror movie produced by Roger Corman. That alone should tell you what kind of movie this is. I've seen several Roger Corman movies, and this is definitely one of his better movies for sure. The premise is inventive, at least in comparison to other slasher movies. The movie, originally released as "Killbots", tells the tale of some teens who decide to have a party in the department store of a mega-mall. Unfortunately the mall's newfangled security guards, monolithic tank-type robots, come in and blow everyone up. And that's about it. But despite that, this is actually a pretty enjoyable movie. The plot gets a bit slow at times, and the runtime is unfortunately short at 77 minutes, but it's still a fun movie. The special effects are excellent given the budget, the killbots are really convincing and really well-built. The characters, while paper-thin stereotypes, are still pretty fun to watch, and the acting is fairly good given the material they had to work with. Speaking of which, the script is riddled with cliches, to the point where it strangely isn't all that annoying. The ending was a bit anticlimactic and ambiguous, but it could have been worse. There's also a fun little cameo by Dick Miller, who starred in one of Corman's earlier films, "A Bucket of Blood". The score here is the overbearing synthesizer-based music that plagues many a low-budget movie, but it isn't nearly annoying as other movies. Overall, this is a fairly good quality B-movie, it's not perfect, but it's still an enjoyable watch. Recommended for those who enjoy a good B-Movie, even if it's really campy.

Quality: 2/5
Enjoyment: 4/5

IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090837/

Movie Review- The Kentucky Fried Movie

Gosh, this was a funny movie. The Kentucky Fried Movie is a skit-based film, and thus is short on plot and heavy on the laughs. While the subject matter varies greatly, the main subject of parody here is 70's daytime TV and film. The movie opens up with a skit involving a morning news crew and it gets rapidly more absurd from there. After a few skits, the movie hits its main feature, a lengthy and spot-on parody of Bruce Lee movies. Aptly named "A Fistful of Yen", the skit basically follows the plot of Enter the Dragon, and the parody works to perfection. The ending was a bit unexpected, but still funny nonetheless. There are few skits afterwards, my favorite being "Zinc Oxide", an educational film gone wrong. It's worth noting that the script was written by the guys behind Airplane! and the Naked Gun movies. The humor here is slightly different from their other films, though, as The Kentucky Fried Movie relies a lot less on sight gags than their other work. It's still a funny movie, but from a different aspect. Overall, a very tasteless and funny movie, and a highly recommended watch. 5/5

IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076257/

Movie Review- Hellraiser

Hellraiser is one of the few horror movies I have ever seen that actually managed to give me the creeps. It's a very suspenseful flick that relies on character and story development over the body count, and that makes it stand out against the numerous mindless horror movies I've seen. The lighting is really dark in places, in a good way, and that just adds to the general creepiness. The storyline is very inventive and well-executed, and the dialog is decent, too. The acting, while somewhat poor, is much better than most horror movies. The cinematography is fairly decent too, which is always a bonus in my opinion. The tone is really creepy, what with the themes of sadism and torture, and it works great in this setting. The makeup effects are really top-notch and gruesome, especially the early scenes with Frank, and the Cenobites. It's definitely not a movie for the faint of heart. Overall, a very creepy and suspenseful movie; it can be a bit campy at times, but it's much better than most horror movie fare. Highly recommended, and a must-see for horror movie fans. 4.5/5

IMDB Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093177/

Movie Review- Yellow Submarine

Saying this movie is strange would be an understatement. It's absolutely bizarre. It doesn't even seem like a movie at times, more like a series of loosely connected music videos. The animation is spectacular for the 60's, and it seems a bit reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's animated segments from Monty Python's Flying Circus. It's a very aesthetically pleasing film, for sure. The script is rather loopy and nonsensical, which I normally don't like in movies, but it somehow works here. The dialog is strangely non-sequitur and witty, and sprinkled with allusions to various Beatles songs. I don't know why, but it works wonderfully. It's worth noting that the Blue Meanies are really inventive characters. They look like a cross between the Joker, Mickey Mouse, and a blue cotton ball. And somehow they come across as quite unsettling and very menacing for cartoon characters. And the soundtrack is great. The songs chosen for the film work perfectly with the narrative, and it's quite the treat to watch. Overall, a very fun and psychedelic movie, and a must-see for Beatles fans. 5/5

IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063823/

Movie Review- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

I really like musicals, and I really like slasher movies. Sweeney Todd is a darkly humorous and surprisingly effective hybrid of the two. Tim Burton is a generally good director, and this is one of my favorite films he's done. As usual, the art direction is rather gloomy, but it works perfectly given the tone and setting. All of the actors look rather ghoulish in this movie, which really helps sell the menacing tone. The cinematography is really nice, which is always a plus. The script is great, too. Sweeney is a really believable character, and the method to his madness is well established, and makes his character all the more enjoyable. Although Johnny Depp did seem to be channeling an evil Jack Sparrow at times, which kinda got on my nerves. The entire cast did all their own singing, which is quite impressive on its own. Speaking of which, all the songs are excellent, both lyrically and musically. The ending seemed almost a bit rushed, though, but it was a creepy and fitting ending nonetheless. Overall, a very dark and enjoyable film. Really well-made, and highly recommended. 5/5

IMDB Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408236/