Posts

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)

Image
Director: Brent Maddock Writers: teleplay by John Whelpley, story by S.S. Wilson & Brent Maddock & Nancy Roberts Stars: Michael Gross, Shawn Christian, Susan Chuang, Charlotte Stewart, Ariana Richards, Tony Genaro, Barry Livingston, John Pappas, Bobby Jacoby Well, nobody could have expected the first movie with its giant, burrowing worms to be as good as it was.  And we certainly didn't have any right to expect that the sequel to that film would be nearly as clever and entertaining.  With this third installment, the "Tremors" series finally faltered.  Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) was excellent comic relief, but he's too much of a caricature to command leading man status.  The tired script doesn't require the characters to think their way out of their dilemma the way the previous two movies did.  A scene in which Burt survives being swallowed is particularly ridiculous, as is the latest metamorphosis of the graboids.

Doom II (The Mighty Thor #353) (1985)

Image
Art and Story: Walter Simonson Things are not looking good for Thor and the All Father as we return to a devastated Asgard. This moment really surprised me in a way that comics rarely achieve back in ‘85 when I first read it, and I was disappointed that the film Thor: Ragnarok didn’t take more advantage of this great, tightly constructed story. Meanwhile on Earth, Roger and Johnny Storm have recovered and repaired the Casket of Ancient Winters, with great consequences for the battle in the Eternal Kingdom. With Thor recovered as well, the stage is set for the final confrontation. We take an unwelcome detour for this tired subplot. And then back to the battle. And then a much more welcome detour to a very exciting subplot. Victory on Earth provides opportunity in Asgard. And Odin makes the ultimate sacrifice. What a great issue. Though Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok was beloved by many, it was a disappointment to me because it could have been such an epic film if it had taken more i...

Ranked: Horror Movies

Image
  A ranking of all the horror films that have been reviewed on this blog. #152 Female Vampire (1973) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2021/10/female-vampire-aka-erotikill-aka-bare.html #151 Jonah Hex (2010) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2023/10/jonah-hex-2010.html #150 Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2024/10/beyond-black-rainbow-2010.html #149 Night of the Demons (1988) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/10/night-of-demons-1988.html #148 Gargantua (1998) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2025/09/gargantua-1998.html #148 The Ninth Gate (1999) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-ninth-gate-1999.html #147 House on Haunted Hill (1959) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2024/10/house-on-haunted-hill-1959.html #146 Monsturd (2003) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/09/monsturd-2003.html #145 The Mummy Returns (2002) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-mummy-ret...