Popcorn (1991)
This film had a messed up production. There were reshoots, the lead actress and director were replaced after three weeks and all the dialogue had to be recreated via ADR. Still this is a nifty little horror. A college’s film department have no money as they are a ‘novelty item’ so they decide to stage an all night horrorthon to raise money. How they pay for the horrorthon isn’t explained. There are supernatural hints which are later ignored and a real flesh and blood killer is on the loose. It is fairly obvious who the killer is due to their distinctive voice but this was enjoyable.
The film students show three lovingly recreated 1950s horror films complete with gimmicks like paper 3D glasses, odour pellets, plastic props and shocker seats. There is a connection to a mad 1960s film guru and a mysterious film canister but it takes ages for the obvious to come out. There are logic gaps a band somehow play their instruments during a power outage and no one notices the bodies piling up.
The unobservant idiots die. Horror movies are parodied years before ‘Scream’. Jill Schoelen, Tony Roberts of 'Packin' It In' and the late Tom Villard star. The heroine Maggie has a jerkass Nice Guy boyfriend who demands sex, cheats on her and no one finds anything wrong with his behaviour. As soon as the killer shows up and gives long speeches about motivation the film sadly falls apart. This was enjoybale but the third act blew.
Best Lines:
“We’ve got a great cinematic mind at work here.”
“Knowledge entails risk.”
“Your favourite film is ‘Escape From Witch Mountain’.”
“Are you sure that’s the neck?”
“An eyeball and a bad haircut.”
“You’re ugly too!”
“We’ve got people breeding in the balcony!”
“No tongue. No tongue.”
“They used to drop acid and make these weird avant-garde movies of each other staring into the camera, picking their noses, stuff like that.”
“He didn’t like being laughed at”
“The Ted Bundy award.”
“Dead dog! Dead dog!”
“I look like a f##king snow cone.”
“Leon, this is weird.”
“Mankind must learn to be ever watchful.”
“And not fresh turkeys either.”
“We know this how?”
“Fell in a trash bin.”
“Out-running a very pissed off Doberman.”
“Tina the class bimbo.”
“Kick his ass!”
“You’re messing with my hair!”
“It’s not your hair anyway!”
~
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
A chav named Eggsey is taken under the wing of super spy Harry Hart (Colin Firth) as a super villain (Samuel L Jackson) plots. Mark Strong, Michael Caine and a woman with killer prosthetic legs run around. This was okay but not as good as I hoped, also it is a tad short on characterization. There is an extremely tasteless use of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’, male grooming, a Jack Davenport cameo and not enough of the cunningly finessed Firth.