#16: The Toxic Avenger (1984)

It's time for another movie that was on my list for a long time but ultimately just never sat down to watch. As I broaden myself with more movies to watch, I definitely need a hot injection of shlock, or, in the case of the movie I watched last night, shock shlock. And nobody does shock shlock as well as Lloyd Kauffman and Troma Entertainment. So what better movie to watch for said broadening than Troma's 1984 film The Toxic Avenger? The movie that put Troma on the map. But is it a good movie overall? In my opinion, yeah, it's not too bad. It's definitely too much for a lot of people in terms of how gruesome it gets, but I enjoyed what I watched. Maybe that's the slow reveal to how twisted I am, but let's talk about the film itself before we really go off the deep end. 

#15: Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)

Biopics are interesting. As much of a biography as it actually is a blend of fact and fiction that can often lead to a solid movie, even if it's more of an exaggerated take on the celebrity's life. So it's a genre very easy to parody. Though getting the parody just right is where it can be tricky. Thankfully the master of parody himself managed to show us just how it's done. It's the true (but not actually) story about Weird Al Yankovic, in 2022's Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. A project by Funny or Die and Weird Al that was added to the Roku Channel of all places, yet weirdly feels like the perfect spot for such a movie. So, what did I think of this foray into the totally not a parody life of Weird Al?

#14: Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

One year after the success of Sean Cunningham's Friday the 13th comes the first in what would be many, many sequels. While the first movie set the concept of Camp Crystal Lake and the incident that lead to young Jason Voorhees drowning on account of negligent teen counselors, the sequel would kind of be the series proper going forward. Because, given that Pamela Voorhees got her head chopped off in the first movie, and we left off on enough of a cliffhanger in the first movie involving if Jason really was still alive (in a figurative sense I guess), there are still some questions to answer and plenty of horny teens to kill. Time to see how Jason's first time as the main villain pans out. So, what did I think about Friday the 13th part 2? Let's talk about it. 

#13: Muppet Treasure Island (1996)

Time for another one of my "movie that was on my radar for years but never sat down to watch it" viewings. Honestly, you'd be surprised that I didn't watch that many Muppet movies growing up. Loved the IP, but blame my lack of movie interest in making that a reality. But as I watch them more and more the more I love them. Both in terms of technical brilliance as only the Henson brand could provide, but also for just being the epitome of a fun time. And no movie best exemplifies the concept more than 1996's Muppet Treasure Island. So, what did I think of the Henson company's take on the Robert Louis Stevenson classic? Simply put, that may be in my top favorite movies I've watched for this blog. And I think we can take about 1000 words to talk about just why.

#12: The Rocketeer (1991)

 

You ever have that one movie that you're surprised didn't succeed as you would have expected? Like, all the signs were there, but it just didn't happen? There's a bunch to consider but for me the most shocking one is The Rocketeer. The comic book superhero that should have had everything but suffered from a failure to launch. It's been a long time since I've watched this movie and I remember really liking it. So,  with this blog being a good excuse, I'm ready to rewatch it. And what are my thoughts after over a decade? Honestly, still pretty positive. But let's talk about why I still enjoy The Rocketeer.

#11: Fright Night Part 2 (1988)

So, when it comes to most of these movies I watch for the blog, my intent is to go as semi-blind as possible, form my opinions of it, then see the overall consensus and history surrounding it. Helps in my situation. So, I had known that this movie was a direct sequel to the original Fright Night from 1985. I knew that William Ragsdale and Roddy McDowell returned. I watched it and, honestly, I think it worked more for me than the original did even if the plot has a bunch of very cliche sequel stuff involved. What I wasn't aware of was what happened shortly after the film's release. But we'll get to why there was no Fright Night Part 3 in a bit. Let's talk about the movie first.

#10: Fright Night (1985)

So, funny story to start this blog off. I have never watched the original 1985 movie Fright Night before my recent viewing. Yet, I was aware of the movie's story beats. See, in 2011, in the still yonder days of Youtube, I was a frequent watcher of the Youtube account Legolambs. Comprised of John and Al Kaplan, the duo released musical parodies of 80s films. Perhaps the most famous one being Predator: The Musical. But the one that always stuck with me was Fright Night: The Musical. Now, I was aware of the original movie and this was just around the time the remake was released. So even watching this would spoil a 26 year old film for me, but I figured, heck with it. I think of all the musical parodies, this one (and the Rocky IV one) stuck with me ever since. Yet, I still took over another decade to sit down and watch the film. And what did I think of it? I liked it. Is it my favorite movie I've covered so far? Probably not. But did I still enjoy it? Oh, definitely.