Movies - The Hit List

I went to see this, it might have been a UK premier, at Black Sunday film festival in Ashton under-lyne in Manchester way back in 1990. While its classed as horror, it's not really horrific or even scary.

BLACK SUNDAY 1990s Horror Festival in MANCHESTER

The same year I turned 18 I attended a all night horror film festival which took place in my local cinema, The Metro in Ashton-Under-Lyne (now closed). It was a great experience and atmosphere. There were 4 of the events between Feb 1990 and March 1991 in this particular cinema and I attended all 4. At least 10 new horror movies from around 11.30pm on a Sat night until Sunday evening. Great memories. Apparently Mark Kermode was at some of these too. Would love to know if that was true. The films themselves were of varying quality but everything seemed…

Grim Prairie Tales is a cracking trilogy of western stories. The first one gave me a damn good laugh though.

Grim Prairie Tales (1990) ⭐ 5.4 | Horror, Western

1h 26m | R

Also from that same festival -
Predator 2

Predator 2 (1990) ⭐ 6.3 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi

1h 48m | R

Unread post Sun Nov 22, 2020 6:38 pm

BLACK SUNDAY 1990s Horror Festival in MANCHESTER

The same year I turned 18 I attended a all night horror film festival which took place in my local cinema, The Metro in Ashton-Under-Lyne (now closed). It was a great experience and atmosphere. There were 4 of the events between Feb 1990 and March 1991 in this particular cinema and I attended all 4. At least 10 new horror movies from around 11.30pm on a Sat night until Sunday evening. Great memories. Apparently Mark Kermode was at some of these too. Would love to know if that was true. The films themselves were of varying quality but everything seemed…

Black Sunday Film Festival #5 (my first time)!

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Unread post Thu Jan 21, 2021 8:21 pm

Insidious (2010) ⭐ 6.8 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

1h 43m | PG-13

I like it, it's a cross between Poltergeist and Paranormal Activity, while some people might not like Paranormal activity, I think it's great, and this combination works very well together.

It did initially take 2 attempts to watch this film, and I wish I'd have been able to watch it in one sitting, but amazingly it still worked. It's definitely a fresh take on the "haunted house" theme and worth a look.

Poltergeist trivia:
Heather O'Rourke, who played the little girl Carol-Anne, and Dominique Dunne, who played the teenage daughter, are buried in the same cemetery: Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Dunne was strangled into brain-death by her boyfriend in 1982, the year of the film's release. Six years later, O'Rourke died of intestinal stenosis.

A writer discovers a top-secret drug which bestows him with super human abilities.

Now dont go thinking this is a superman type movies, it's not.
The drug of choice is called NZT, and it doesn't help you to fly or get high, it makes you intelligent, so intelligent you make Einstein look like a 2year old just learning to speak.

Now personally for me, this would be THE ULTIMATE high, nothing could come close. Imagine being able to speak a foreign language, any language, and within a day?

Or compute maths so you could make millions on the stock exchange, or just win virtually every hand of poker.

This movie is about a drug that makes it possible and it's a belter.

Some new additions to the hit list:
Transformers 1 and 2. Nuff said, great movies. Great to re-watch.

Transformers (2007) ⭐ 7.0 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

2h 24m | PG-13

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) ⭐ 6.0 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

2h 29m | PG-13

Looking forward to seeing the third... maybe next week, might take in the final Harry Potter too.

The Quiet Earth:
Very old, Australian, but pretty damned good though, and it's just had a blu-ray release.

The Quiet Earth (1985) ⭐ 6.7 | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

1h 31m | R

Take me Home Tonight:
Watched it last night, great film and great 80's soundtrack too.
Worth 90 minutes of anyone's time.

Take Me Home Tonight (2011) ⭐ 6.3 | Comedy, Drama, Romance

1h 37m | R

Knowing:
Once you know the plot it's a bit less interesting 2nd time around, but the special effects are amazing.
Still a good Nicolas Cage film, and the lovely rose Byrne too! Hubbahubba.

Knowing (2009) ⭐ 6.2 | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi

2h 1m | PG-13

A collection of old and new movies.
Starting with:
Once upon a time in the west.
Directed by Sergio Leone, he made some great westerns, and this is supposed to be his best, and it's good no doubt about that.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) ⭐ 8.5 | Western

2h 46m | PG-13

Red Planet:
Not the best movie in this topic, but still good entertainment for a first viewing, and if you've not seen in it in a long time.

Red Planet (2000) ⭐ 5.7 | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

1h 46m | PG-13

Very bad things:
I haven't seen this is years, and while it's not quite as good as when I first saw it, it's still funny, and Christian Slater is just so good at being bad.

Very Bad Things (1998) ⭐ 6.3 | Comedy, Crime, Thriller

1h 40m | R

Moon:
Sam Rockwell plays several clones of himself, brilliant idea and well executed.

Moon (2009) ⭐ 7.8 | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

1h 37m | R

GasHole:
Asks the question of why we dont have cars capable of 100mpg or even 1000mpg. Places the blame squarely on the oil cartels.
Good documentary with some fascinating archive footage and news clippings of a 5ton car that does 100mpg in the 50's.

GasHole (2010) ⭐ 6.8 | Documentary

1h 41m | Not Rated

Finally, one of my all time favourite movies...
Dog Soldiers:
A squad of british soldiers play wargames with a squad of special unit, only trouble is... werewolves intervene.

Dog Soldiers (2002) ⭐ 6.8 | Action, Horror, Thriller

1h 45m | R

Favourite line, one of the soldiers is about to be killed and eaten, and he turns to a werewolf and says: "I hope I give you the shits".

Unread post Mon Oct 04, 2021 6:55 pm

My list of Top 10 films of 1990

Born on the 4th of July

Born on the Fourth of July (1989) ⭐ 7.2 | Biography, Drama, War

2h 25m | R

Driving Miss Daisy

Driving Miss Daisy (1989) ⭐ 7.3 | Comedy, Drama, Romance

1h 39m | PG

The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October (1990) ⭐ 7.5 | Action, Adventure, Thriller

2h 15m | PG

Back to the Future III

Back to the Future Part III (1990) ⭐ 7.4 | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi

1h 58m | PG

Total recall

Total Recall (1990) ⭐ 7.5 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

1h 53m | R

Presumed Innocent, has a damn fine twist at the end.

Presumed Innocent (1990) ⭐ 6.9 | Mystery, Thriller

2h 7m | R

Flatliners (yes of course I mean the original and not the utter shite that was the 2017 remake)

Flatliners (1990) ⭐ 6.5 | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

1h 55m | R

The Exorcist III (an excellent sequel) George C Scott was BRILLIANT

The Exorcist III (1990) ⭐ 6.5 | Drama, Horror, Mystery

1h 50m | R

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder (1990) ⭐ 7.4 | Drama, Horror, Mystery

1h 53m | R

Goodfellas

Goodfellas (1990) ⭐ 8.7 | Biography, Crime, Drama

2h 25m | 18+

I and other movie lovers like me HATED the BBFC back in the 80's and 90's. Due to the so called "video nasties" and the availability of kids (like me) to rent these movies, the government gave the BBFC more teeth and the bite to use them. So a lot of films that would normally get a 12 or 15 rating today would get big cuts and still rated 18. A 2 hour long horror like "The Thing" was cut down to 90 minutes. The Thing came out when I was 12 years old, but I'd be nearly 30 before I finally saw it completely restored as John Carpenter intended.
I could buy it on laser disc in the early 90's, but importing that from the USA would have cost nearly £100, today that's around £350 today (late 2021), and that's for one film.

All in all not a bad year, with a few movies on this list still being incredibly popular today.

Unread post Wed Oct 06, 2021 1:59 pm

My list of Top 10 films of 1991

Home Alone

Home Alone (1990) - IMDb

Home Alone: Directed by Chris Columbus. With Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard. An eight-year-old troublemaker must protect his house from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during Christmas vacation.

Sleeping with the Enemy

Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) - IMDb

Sleeping with the Enemy: Directed by Joseph Ruben. With Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergin, Kevin Anderson, Elizabeth Lawrence. A young woman fakes her own death in an attempt to escape her nightmarish marriage, but discovers it is impossible to elude her controlling husband.

Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - IMDb

The Silence of the Lambs: Directed by Jonathan Demme. With Jodie Foster, Lawrence A. Bonney, Kasi Lemmons, Lawrence T. Wrentz. A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.

Terminator 2

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - IMDb

Terminator 2: Judgment Day: Directed by James Cameron. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick. A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son, John Connor, from a more advanced and powerful cyborg.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) - IMDb

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: Directed by Kevin Reynolds. With Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Christian Slater. When Robin and his Moorish companion come to England and the tyranny of the Sheriff of Nottingham, he decides to fight back as an outlaw.

Cape Fear

Cape Fear (1991) - IMDb

Cape Fear: Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis. A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.

The Addams Family

The Addams Family (1991) - IMDb

The Addams Family: Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. With Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya. Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.

Hook

Hook (1991) - IMDb

Hook: Directed by Steven Spielberg. With Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins. When Captain James Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit in order to challenge his old enemy.

Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves (1990) - IMDb

Dances with Wolves: Directed by Kevin Costner. With Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant. Lieutenant John Dunbar, assigned to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Native Americans, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.

Point Break

Point Break (1991) - IMDb

Point Break: Directed by Kathryn Bigelow. With Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, Lori Petty. An F.B.I. Agent goes undercover to catch a gang of surfers who may be bank robbers.

Unread post Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:07 pm

My Top ten of 1992 - It was a damn good year for movies.

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) ⭐ 6.7 | Drama, Thriller

1h 50m | R

Medicine Man - A film about protecting the rain forest, long before it was even talked about in pop-culture

Medicine Man (1992) ⭐ 6.0 | Adventure, Drama, Romance

1h 46m | PG-13

Wayne's World

Wayne's World (1992) ⭐ 7.0 | Comedy, Music

1h 34m | PG-13

Basic Instinct

Basic Instinct (1992) ⭐ 7.1 | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

2h 7m | R

Lethal weapon 3 - Lethal Weapon is a rare set of movies, the sequels actually build on the original and subjectively, they get better too.

Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) ⭐ 6.7 | Action, Crime, Thriller

1h 58m | R

Sneakers

Sneakers (1992) ⭐ 7.1 | Comedy, Crime, Drama

2h 6m | PG-13

The Last of the Mohicans

The Last of the Mohicans (1992) ⭐ 7.6 | Action, Adventure, Drama

1h 52m | R

A Few Good Men

A Few Good Men (1992) ⭐ 7.7 | Drama, Thriller

2h 18m | R

A League of their own

A League of Their Own (1992) ⭐ 7.3 | Comedy, Drama, Sport

2h 8m | PG

Under Siege

Under Siege (1992) ⭐ 6.5 | Action, Thriller

1h 43m | R

Unread post Sat Oct 09, 2021 11:57 am

The year was 1993 and this is more than the top 10 movies, this was an incredible year of movies, and many have stood the test of time.

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day (1993) ⭐ 8.0 | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

1h 41m | PG

Falling Down

Falling Down (1993) ⭐ 7.6 | Action, Crime, Drama

1h 53m | R

Indecent Proposal

Indecent Proposal (1993) ⭐ 6.0 | Drama, Romance

1h 57m | R

Dave

Dave (1993) ⭐ 6.9 | Comedy, Romance

1h 50m | PG-13

Cliffhanger

Cliffhanger (1993) ⭐ 6.5 | Action, Adventure, Thriller

1h 53m | R

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park (1993) ⭐ 8.2 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

2h 7m | PG-13

The Firm

The Firm (1993) ⭐ 6.8 | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

2h 34m | R

The Fugitive

The Fugitive (1993) ⭐ 7.8 | Action, Crime, Drama

2h 10m | PG-13

Demolition Man - The three sea-shells???

Demolition Man (1993) ⭐ 6.7 | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

1h 55m | R

The Pelican Brief

The Pelican Brief (1993) ⭐ 6.6 | Crime, Drama, Mystery

2h 21m | PG-13

Poetic Justice

Poetic Justice (1993) ⭐ 6.1 | Drama, Romance

1h 49m | R

The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) ⭐ 7.9 | Animation, Family, Fantasy

1h 16m | PG