Saturday 1 November 2014

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)


Last week, a friend of mine convinced me to watch this movie. The title alone make this sound like that typical cheesy horror movie that some kid in a 1950s movie watches on the television set while his parents are away one evening. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is exactly what it says on the tin. Alien clowns land near a small American town in their circus tent spaceship and start killing the locals for their blood. This film is so cheesy and that's what makes it so hilarious. Seriously, the makers must have genuinely planned this from the start. Looks like they succeeded though because this is now a cult classic, apparently. There are a lot of funny moments and many of the deaths made us laugh out loud because they were absolutely ridiculous. The first victim in the film is a dog called "Pooh Bear" and his death is implied off screen after one of the clowns scoops him up in a net (Why would an advanced alien race use something as archaic as a net to capture their victim?) People who suffer from coulrophobia should probably avoid seeing this movie but it's definitely something to see if you want a good laugh. 6/10 

How Sleep the Brave (1981)


Also known by the more generic sounding title of "Combat Zone", this is a low budget Vietnam War movie, filmed in the UK. Made before similar big budget films like "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket", this film probably won't appeal to everyone. Lots of cheesy dialogue and poor acting but there's something about its depiction of the Vietnam War that feels real. The American troops are too stereotypical and it's hard to feel sorry for them when they die. If you're a huge fan of war movies (like me) then you can probably forgive the negatives and enjoy the film. It's sometimes hard to pretend that this film is set in Vietnam because the English countryside sticks out too much. Full Metal Jacket was filmed in the UK but they did a better job at passing it off as Vietnam. This could have been a better movie but despite its negatives, it has inspired me. 4/10 (Watch it while you're getting drunk with your friends. Drink every time someone say f*ck)