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Prison (1987) Movie Review
I’d heard about the 1987 movie Prison for awhile and was curious to see it.
It’s a movie that did not get a lot of distribution and even when it has been released on home video, it always seems to go out of print.
So, I had to pay more than I wanted to for it, but ultimately, it was worth the money.
The movie Prison is about a deceased convict who was sentenced to the electric chair for killing someone, but in fact, did not do it.
The convict was set up by a then guard, now a warden, and the warden is quite haunted by this.
Turns out, this deceased convict turns up as a ghost at this newly reopened prison, headed by this warden, and starts killing prisoners and police one by one, ultimately leading to the warden.
Sorry if I spoiled it for you, but it was released in 1987, so there.
If you like ghost stories or prison dramas/thrillers, this is the movie for you.
Starring a then unknown Viggo Mortensen (later of The Lord Of The Rings fame and other movies) and a solid supporting cast, and directed by Renny Harlin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger and many others), I really enjoyed this movie and am glad to have found it.
Also, horror movie icon Kane Hodder (Jason in Friday the 13th Parts 7-10, the Hatchet franchise and many others) plays the ghost seen at the end and is also the stunt coordinator and a stuntman in it.
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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Movie Review
I’ve been a fan of the Planet of the Apes franchise since I was a teenager.
I’ve loved all of them. Even the one Tim Burton made I eventually liked.
So I was really looking forward to seeing the latest one, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
It occurs generations after the last trilogy of movies, but still has all the ingredients of a Planet of the Apes story.
I’m not going to spoil anything here, but I will say that if you are a fan, I cannot imagine you not loving this movie.
I think it may be one of my favorites of the franchise. It is so well done. And the story is really good and the door has been left wide open for more. I’ve read that the hope is that this movie is the start of a new trilogy. We’ll see but I sure hope that is the case.
I love this movie.
In a word, it is Fantastic.
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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Movie Review
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road.
This movie shows the title character Furiosa’s (played in this movie by Anya-Taylor Joy) journey from being a kid being captured by a biker horde led by Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) to being taken in to the Citadel, led by Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), escaping from being raped by one of Joe’s sons, then posing a mute boy, working to build a “War Rig”, learning everything she can on how to fix things and fight, with the ultimate goal of gaining revenge on Dementus, who killed her Mom, and trying to find her way home.
If you love Fury Road and all the other Mad Max movies, but especially Fury Road, you should love this movie.
I sure did.
It’s a great movie.
Once again directed and co-written by George Miller, who has made all of the Mad Max movies.
It
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The Fall Guy Movie Review
I’ve been a fan of the 80s series The Fall Guy since I was a teenager.
So, I was excited to find out that a movie adaptation was being made of it.
The movie stars Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers (played by Lee Majors on the series), a stuntman who has a bad injury and is away from doing stunts for awhile.
He one day gets a call from a producer he’s worked for before to do stunts for a movie directed by his former girlfriend Jody (Emily Blunt).
There’s tension at first but ultimately, the ice melts and they end up getting back together.
But, during all of this, Colt ends up trying to find the star of this movie he’s doubling for, and let’s just say that craziness ensues.
I really love this movie. It’s a lot of fun. You don’t have to know anything about the series to enjoy it, although I hope this movie puts a new spotlight on the series (and Lee Majors and series co-star Heather Thomas have fun cameos at the end playing their original characters).
This is just a fun, exciting, popcorn movie.
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are great, as are all the cast (Jason Momoa even has a fun cameo near the end too.).
Go see it and have fun. I certainly did.
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Outlaw Johnny Black Movie Review
Outlaw Johnny Black, a western/comedy, is a movie that was in the works for years.
It started off as a crowdfunded movie (I unfortunately lost money on this deal. I preordered a signed Blu Ray and never received it and never got refunded.) and it took years to be released.
But ultimately, on September 15 of 2023, Outlaw Johnny Black was released in theaters and not too long after that home video.
Because I lost money on participating in the crowd funding, I avoided watching this movie for a long time because even though I was excited about it long before it was released, the fact I lost money soured me on it quite a bit.
However, I finally did watch it (I bought the DVD for a much less price than what I lost on the preorder.) and I can say I enjoyed it.
The movie stars Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite, Blood And Bone, Never Back Down 2 and 3, The Dark Knight, Universal Soldier and Universal Soldier: The Return and many more), who also co-wrote and directed it.
He plays the title character, a outlaw bent on avenging the death of his father. He also ends up posing as a preacher in a small town, in which he ends up helping the town against a crooked land baron.
The cast also includes Byron Minns, Anika Noni Rose, Erica AshTommy Davidson, Barry Bostwick, and many more, including a few cool cameos by Michael Madsen, Jim Brown, and Fred Williamson.
It’s a fun western/comedy with some cool, fun action in it.
I really love the scenes where Michael is posing as a preacher.
At one point, he does a sermon and often says “turn it loose!!”. You have to see it.
Again, even though I lost money on participating in a crowd fund, I did ultimately enjoy this movie and I recommend it to anyone who wants to see a fun western/comedy.
I’m a big Michael Jai White fan and he definitely delivered another winner here.
To quote Outlaw Johnny Black “Turn it loose!!! Turn it loose”.
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Gone Are The Days Movie Review
Gone Are The Days was released in 2017.
It stars Lance Henriksen, Tom Berenger, Billy Lush, Meg Steedle, Steve Railsback, and Danny Trejo.
Henriksen plays Taylon, an outlaw who is near the end of his life.
He wants to rob one more bank before he dies so he can give his daughter (Steedle), who does not even know he is her Dad, the money and the money he already has in savings so she can live a good life.
What he does not realize is that she is a prostitute who is being pimped out by Railsback’s character, and so Henriksen needs to get her away from him too.
Berenger plays a sheriff and former Texas Ranger, who has history with Henriksen’s character.
This is definitely a western, but it is really more a character story of someone (Henriksen) at the end of their life.
You watch the movie and wonder what is real and what is perhaps a dream because Henriksen’s character is so far gone.
I found the movie a bit weird because of this, but nevertheless, I really enjoyed it.
I’m a big Lance Henriksen and Tom Berenger fan, as well as Danny Trejo (who has a small but important role in this).
Don’t expect this to be a straight ahead western because it isn’t.
But it is a good movie and I think everyone did a very good job with it.
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Scream Queen: My Nightmare On Elm Street Review
Scream Queen: My Nightmare On Elm Street is a documentary about actor Mark Patton, who is most known as the star of Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge.
Yes this documentary talks about Mark’s experience working on that movie (one of my favorite horror movies), but this documentary is really his life story.
He talks about his upbringing, about figuring out his sexuality, getting into acting and why he left acting (really off the grid period for many years), and about just surviving all the obstacles that have come his way.
This documentary also shows him going on the road for conventions/fan expos/Comic Cons meeting fans and reuniting with some of his Nightmare On Elm Street 2 cast and crew. And trying to find some peace with the writer of the movie, who he had major issues with.
Mark has really lived, nearly died, and is still going strong.
His story is extremely compelling and inspiring.
You may even cry a little because there is some heavy stuff in this. But it is stuff you should know about. Not just about him, but about humanity in general. Both good and bad.
I want to wish Mark all the best in the world.
This is a PHENOMENAL documentary.
I HIGHLY recommend seeking out this documentary.
You do not have to be a horror fan or Nightmare On Elm Street fan to watch or enjoy this.
This is a human story. And one I think everyone should see.
Thank you Mark for this.
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My Ranking of the Works of Filmmaker John Carpenter
John Carpenter is one of my favorite filmmakers.
He is a great director, producer, writer, musician, and an awesome person.
His body of work speaks for itself, I think.
I am here to rank his work, on how I feel about it.
This is tough because I love most of it, and I don’t hate any of it.
But I’m going to give it a try.
So here it goes:
- Escape From New York-This is tough, but I’ll say this is my favorite movie he has made. Great action movie set in the future. Kurt Russell is great as a Clint Eastwood type anti-hero named Snake Plissken. Kurt said for many years that this was his favorite character. Great supporting cast with Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Adrienne Barbeau, Harry Dean Stanton, and more. Phenomenal music by Carpenter. Classic movie I think.
- Escape From LA-The sequel to Escape From New York. Many people hate this movie and love to trash it. But I’ve always loved it. My Dad took me to the theater to see it. I loved it then and now. It’s very similar to Escape From New York, but it’s also different too. But like the first movie, it’s just a great, fun action movie with a great cast and music. Kurt plays Snake Plissken again perfectly. I love this movie. No apologies.
- Halloween-A horror/thriller masterpiece. This really put Carpenter on the map. Masterfully shot. Great cast. Phenomenal music by Carpenter. Even if you’re not a fan of horror movies, check this one out if you haven’t. There’s really not even much blood in it. It’s really well done.
- The Thing-A remake of The Thing From Another World, although quite different from the original. This version is based on the short story called Who Goes There. Kurt Russell stars again, along with another great cast. Great special effects that still hold up today. This movie was released three weeks after E.T. was released, and was hurt, box office wise by that. But I dare to say that it holds up arguably better than E.T. does (and I like E.T.). Some of it I still find quite chilling. Great movie.
- The Fog-A phenomenal ghost story/horror/ thriller. Really more of a ghost story, but a great one. Again, great cast, well shot (although according to Carpenter, it was a hard movie to make), great effects. I love this movie.
- Big Trouble In Little China-A masterpiece action/comedy. Kurt Russell again stars. Earlier movie for future Sex And The City co-star Kim Cattrall, who is great in this. Lots of action, but also extremely funny. You have to watch it.
- Christine-Based on a Stephen King novel about a car that is alive and can manipulate and even kill people. I love this movie. Check it out.
- Assault On Precinct 13-Carpenter’s first true theatrical movie (Dark Star did play in theaters, but it was really more of a student film.). Kind of a modern day version of a classic western called Rio Bravo. Carpenter even used the lead character name of that movie, John T. Chance, as his surname editor credit. Assault was remade many years later, but I’m talking about the original. Very well done movie.
- In The Mouth Of Madness-Great movie starring Sam Neill, in which he plays an insurance investigator trying to solve the disappearance of a horror novelist, but yet also ultimately loses his mind when crazy things start happening. Charlton Heston also stars.
- They Live-Wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper is the star of this awesome action/science fiction film. A lot of fun.
- Prince Of Darkness-A science fiction/horror/zombie movie starring Donald Pleasence. Alice Cooper even has a brief part in it. Very good movie.
- Starman-Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen star in this story about an alien who ends up taking the shape of the husband of a widower, how their relationship develops, and about the alien trying to get back home. Very heartfelt science fiction movie.
- Ghosts of Mars-Maybe an under the radar movie, but I really like it. Natasha Henstridge and Ice Cube star in this action/science fiction movie set on Mars. Earlier movie for Jason Statham too.
- Someone’s Watching Me-A TV movie starring Lauren Hutton. She plays a TV newscast director who is being stalked by a man. Very good movie, and sadly, a still true to life movie about stalking.
- Body Bags-A three story feature that was made for Showtime. I see it as Showtime’s attempt at wanting their version of HBO’s Tales From The Crypt. Carpenter plays this dead coroner doing the intros/outros of the stories. Star studded cast in all three stories. Some include Robert Carradine, Stacy Keach, and Mark Hamill. A lot of fun. Carpenter directed two of the stories. Tobe Hooper directed the third one.
- Vampires-A pretty good vampire movie. James Woods and Daniel Baldwin play vampire hunters, paid by the Vatican, who are after a vampire master. Kind of a modern day western, but set within a vampire story.
- Memoirs Of An Invisible Man-Chevy Chase, Darryl Hannah, and Sam Neill star in this story about a man who ultimately becomes invisible and the government is after him. Carpenter has said that he hated working with Chase and Hannah, but ultimately, I think he/they came out with a good movie.
- The Ward-Very good movie, starring Amber Heard, about schizophrenia.
- Masters of Horror-This was a series of shows made by famous horror directors. Carpenter made two of them (Cigarette Burns and Pro-Life).
- Village Of The Damned-Another remake starring Christopher Reeve, Kirstie Alley, Linda Kozlowski, and Mark Hamill, about a group of kids/aliens that take over a small town.
- Dark Star-More of a student film, but ultimately did turn into a theatrical movie. Very bizarre space comedy. The villain is literally a beach ball.
- Halloween 2-Carpenter was more the producer/writer/film composer/musician, but did direct a few of the scenes. A good follow up to a movie classic.
- Halloween 3-Carpenter was a co-producer/film composer/musician, and wrote a draft of the script. This movie has nothing to do with the Halloween franchise, except for the name. But as a stand alone horror movie, it is excellent.
- Black Moon Rising-A pretty good action movie/thriller starring Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Hamilton, and Robert Vaughn. Carpenter wrote this.
- Vampires: Los Muertos-Carpenter was an executive producer of this. Not a direct sequel to Vampires, but a similar story where Jon Bon Jovi (yes the singer/songwriter) plays a vampire hunter who assembles a team to go after a vampire master. Not bad.
- Suburban Screams-Carpenter’s latest project in which he was a producer and does the intro to each show. An anthology series chronicling six true stories. Various topics are paranormal, an escaped killer, a “Bunny Man” killer, and more. Actually quite scary at times. Available to watch on Peacock.
Well that’s it for now.
He’s actually made a lot of music for his movies, other people’s movies, and actual original albums too.
Maybe I’ll post about them in a separate review.
Either way, I love John Carpenter.
Amazing talent. Even better person.
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Lisa Frankenstein Movie Review
My girlfriend Mariah Startzman and I recently saw a movie in theaters called Lisa Frankenstein.
It was released on February 9 of 2024.
OK SPOILER ALERT: I’m going to talk about a lot of things about this movie, so read ahead if you wish. If not, either way, I recommend this movie because it’s a fun reinterpretation of Frankenstein, hence the title. OK onward.
The movie is about a teenage girl (Lisa Swallows, played by Kathryn Newton), who is living in a foster home, and is very much a loner and does not fit in any way at all.
Lisa’s stepmother does not like her at all, her father is indifferent, and her stepsister tries to be her friend and include her in things, but again, Lisa is very much a loner.
Lisa likes to go to a cemetery and she becomes quite enamored with one grave in particular. This grave is of a man (listed only as “The Creature in the credits, played by Cole Sprouse) who died in 1837 (this movie is set in 1989) of a lightning strike.
Well, as it turns out, a bolt of lightning ends up bringing him back to life and he goes to Lisa’s house.
Lisa is spooked at first, but ultimately, takes him in, gives him clothes, and becomes friends with him.
The Creature is missing his left ear and right hand, and with Lisa’s help, they both kill her stepmother so that he can get a new left ear.
Also, they kill a male teenager, who earlier in the movie sexually assaulted her when she was under the influence of a drink, and they take his right hand to put on The Creature.
Lisa and The Creature’s friendship ultimately leads to love, at least on his part, but at this moment, she is obsessed with another teenager.
Although she finds out that this teenager is having a relationship with her sister.
The Creature found out about this before Lisa but since he can’t speak, he was not able to tell her.
The Creature and Lisa kill the teenager too but they let Lisa’s sister go.
Ultimately, Lisa ends up killing herself in a tanning bed (which electrocuted her earlier in the movie and also enabled The Creature to have his new body parts put onto him) and her and The Creature ultimately live happily ever after.
Mariah really wanted to see this movie, and I’m glad that we did because we both agree that it’s a lot of fun.
As I said earlier, it’s a fun reinterpretation of Frankenstein.
I highly recommend seeing it.
Oh and as a REO Speedwagon fan, there is a cool moment in the movie where one of their songs is used.
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Centennial Movie Mini Series Review
I have been a movie fan my whole life, but I honestly did not know about this mini series, Centennial, that debuted on television in 1978 and concluded in 1979.
I was recommended this movie by my Mom and one of my cousins, Mianna, when they both told me I had to see this and that it is so great.
My cousin Mianna said she was going to buy this for me and she did.
She did not have to do this but I appreciate it.
The mini series is almost 21 hours long, spanning 12 episodes or chapters, if you will.
It is based on a book by James Michener that is basically about the history of America, and covers many years, centuries actually.
It mainly covers the 1700s all the way up to the 1970s (the book actually goes all the way back to the dinosaur era).
The main core of the movie is set in a town in Colorado that was eventually named Centennial, and covers several generations of people and their families, namely the characters Pasquinel (played by Robert Conrad), Alexander McKeag (played by Richard Chamberlain), Levi Zendt (played by Gregory Harrison), Clay Basket (played by Barbara Carrera), Oliver Seccembe (played by Timothy Dalton), Jim Lloyd (played by William Atherton), Lame Beaver (played by Michael Ansara), and many more.
The cast I’ve just listed is beyond star studded.
Some others include Dennis Weaver, Raymond Burr, David Janssen (who actually narrated it too), Robert Vaughn, Andy Griffith, Anthony Zerbe, Richard Crenna, Mark Harmon, Brian Keith, and so many more.
My Mom and cousin are right: this is a very good mini series.
I think there is too many flashbacks at times, but this did air over the course of a few months, so the flashbacks were probably necessary.
My favorite parts are when Robert Conrad and Richard Chamberlain are on screen, and they are in a lot of it, along with Dennis Weaver’s chapter.
A lot of it is essentially a western, which I love.
I’m trying not to give too much away for those who have not seen this, but again, it covers a wide time span of history.
I love the cast and it is just a very well done story.
If you are into history, or westerns, and just a movie with a great cast, this is for you.
