Popcorn Ninja

Since Halloween is coming up soon I’m definitely in the mood for some scary movies. I’ve always enjoyed watching suspenseful and terrifying movies. This leads me to my question….where are all the genuine horror movies?

Lately it seems like there is a horror movie coming out every weekend, in my opinion, most of them are not that good. I think the problem is that they have turned from eerie environments, great music, and intelligent editing, to gore/torture. I’m not sure why gore and torture are featured in majority of the franchises of late (Saw, Hostel, Hills Have Eyes), Do we really enjoy watching torture and gratuitous violence? It doesn’t scare me, it’s more like how gross can they get. These movies have some good things about them but it seems to be taken away from the over done elements that I’m talking about.

Obviously violence has always played some part in horror movies, but to watch 5-10 minutes straight of someone getting picked apart seems like overkill (no pun intended) and flat out sick. I miss the days of genuine scares, movies like Psycho, Halloween, and Poltergeist (to name a few).

Now I’m sure many will disagree with me and these types of movies seem to be doing very well in the theaters, but this is just my opinion and plea to bring back some good old school horror movies.

Popcorn Ninja

P.S. Here are some horror movies I suggest for Halloween if you haven’t had a chance to see them. (This of course is just a small portion of the good horror movies out there)

28 Days Later (2002)
Alien (1979)
The Birds (1963)
The Descent (2005)
Dracula (1931)
The Exorcist (1973)
Gremlins (1984)
Halloween (1978)
House of Wax (1953)
Jaws (1975)
Misery (1990)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Night of the Hunter (1955)
The Omen (1976)
The Others (2001)
Poltergeist (1982)
Psycho (1960)
The Shining (1980)
Signs (2002)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Thing (1982)

Tags: great horror movies, halloween, scary movie

Here is a list of a few upcoming dvd releases for September 25, 2007.

• Knocked Up - Comedy. Starring Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl. Directed by Judd Apatow. Rated R.
• Bug - Horror. Starring Ashley Judd and Harry Connick. Directed by William Friedkin. Rated R.
• Black Book - Suspense. Starring Carice Van Houten and Sebastian Koch. Directed by Paul Verhoeven. Rated R.

Sources: Rotten Tomates, IMDB.

Popcorn Ninja

Tags: upcoming dvd releases, new on video, knocked up

Here is the second part of my asian movies list that I recommend. Enjoy!

Seven Samurai

This one is a classic and led the way for movies like The Magnificent Seven. This movie is a wonderful story of seven samurai who defend a village from bandits. This movie provides several strong characters, a must see.
NR (contains some violent material)
207 mins
1954

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Kung Fu Hustle

A great movie if you want to watch non-stop action. It’s way over the top and it works, combining just the right amount of action and comedy.
Rated R for sequences of strong stylized action and violence.
95 mins
2004

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Fearless

One of Jet Li’s latest movies to hit America, Fearless provides a great story about a man on a journey to regain his honor.
Rated PG-13 for action and violence.
103 mins
2006

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I’m sure I’ll have another part to this list. If there are any that you suggest that maybe myself or others haven’t see, please leave a comment.Popcorn Ninja

Read Part 1.

Tags: asian films, kung fu, jet li

Time for another list of favorite movies. So what are your favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies? There are so many to choose from it can get a little hard to pick from such a resume as Hitchcock’s. Anyways, here are my top five favorites.

• Psycho
• North by Northwest
• Rear Window
• The Birds
• Dial M for Murder

Now the question is what are you favorites?
Popcorn Ninja

Tags: alfred hitchcock, suspense, mystery movies

Well this weekend will kick off the fall and winter season of movies so I decided to put together a list of what to expect in the upcoming weeks in September. In my opinion this looks to be a good start for the second half of the year.

September 7th Weekend

3:10 TO YUMA

Summary - A remake of the 1957 Western. Directed by James Mangold. Starring Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster. Rated R for Violence and Some Language.
Buzz - Good reviews are already coming in - 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Trailer

SHOOT’EM UP

Summary - Action/Adventure about a man protecting a woman and her baby. Directed by Michael Davis. Starring Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti, and Monica Bellucci. Rated R.
Buzz - Loaded with tons of over-the-top action and starring some of today’s most talented actors.
Trailer

September 14th Weekend

THE BRAVE ONE

Summary - A woman struggles with the aftermath of a brutal attack. Directed by Neil Jordan. Starring Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, and Naveen Andrews. Rated R.
Buzz - Revenge tale with both a talented leading actress and director.
Trailer

EASTERN PROMISES

Summary - A mobster must chose between the life he knows and a woman needing protection. Directed by David Cronenberg. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, and Vincent Cassel. Rated R.
Buzz - Very talented cast and director. Positive reviews already coming in - Rotten Tomatoes
Trailer

September 28th Weekend

The Kingdom

Summary - Action/Drama about U.S. Agents in the Middle East. Directed by Peter Berg. Starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, and Chris Cooper. Rated R.
Buzz - I’ve always liked Peter Berg’s films(The Rundown, Friday Night Lights) and produced by the amazing Michael Mann(Heat, The Insider), can it really go wrong?
Trailer

Popcorn Ninja

Sources: IMDB, Rottentomatoes, Apple Trailers

Tags: fall movies, russell crowe, christian bale, clive owen, jodie foster, michael mann, movie trailers

We have survived another week and I thought I’d start the weekend off with a question - What’s your favorite 80’s Movie? I’ve enjoyed several movies from the 80’s and here are just a few that I think are all excellent picks -

• The Goonies
• The Breakfast Club
• Better Off Dead
• The Lost Boys

Let me know what your favorite 80’s movie is (feel free to comment if I forgot yours). Thanks!

Popcorn Ninja

Tags: the goonies, breakfast club, 80’s movies

It has always been popular to remake older films in Hollywood. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. In the last few years (especially in the Horror genre) it feels like there are more and more remakes coming out. Just last weekend I caught the remake of Psycho, and how disappointing that was. They take the material from a well made movie and then just make a mockery of it. On a the positive side there are movies that seem to either take older films that are not effective or that were very bad movies that make sense to remake. I just hope that filmmakers will do their best to try and make good remakes, not just the low quality types of remakes. Anyways I’ve included a few movies below that I think were quality remakes, and the not-so quality remakes.

The Good

• Hamlet (1996)
• The Italian Job (2003)
• King Kong (2005)
• Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
• The Thing (1982)

The Bad

• Godzilla (1998)
• House of Wax (2005)
• Planet of the Apes (2001)
• Psycho (1998)
• When A Stranger Calls (2006)

And if you have watched some of the terrible remakes of recent, be sure to check the original version out there because a lot of the time they are much better. Of course these are just some examples of some of the remakes. If you’d like to add to my list be sure to leave a comment.

Popcorn Ninja

Tags: movie remakes, king kong, ocean’s eleven

Here is a small list (In no specific order) of Asian movies that I recommend that you watch.

House of Flying Daggers

One of my favorites, includes an amazing plot and some terrific action sequences.
Rated PG-13 for violence and some sexuality.
119 mins
2004

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Infernal Affairs

I’ve already reviewed this, but I can’t recommend this movie enough!
Rated R for violence.
101 mins
2004

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Exiled

Johnnie To is definitely a talented director and I’m becoming a fan of his films quickly. If you like some good action and drama try to find a copy of this movie. It will be released in the USA (wide) later this year.
Rated R for violence and some sexuality.
110 mins
2007

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The Host

This film from Korea, does a good job of transitioning from a comedy to a horror film. Very entertaining. Now out on DVD in the USA.
Rated R for Language and Violence.
119 mins
2006

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Well I know this list isn’t as long as it should be but if you have any that you recommend let me know. I will try to add to this list as time goes on in later posts.Popcorn Ninja

Tags: asian films, house of flying daggers, the host