Terrordactyl (2016) 

A slacker leads the response when hundreds of mutant space pterodactyls invade earth.

Acting and script: sort of good, not very good, but I could see the passion the writer and actors had. A for effort. More intentional laughs than unintentional. The explanation of the cause of conflict,a tradition in science fiction, is weak. 

Production: Cheap CG, but at this stage of technology is mostly excusable. My biggest complaint is a small fire in an early scene before the action picks up is very obviously fake. They could have done that one for real. The monsters are about as serviceable as a PS2 game. The cast is small, a smart choice to work with a low budget. 

Watchably awful. 2/5. Comet TV (ch. 22.5) 11:00pm-1:00am

Kung Fu Hustle (2004) 

A wannabe street tough tries to join a notorious street gang terrorizing a poor village.

The first scene is a little silly and over-the-top. I expected it to be revealed as fake, like it was a stage production within the real story, but it was not. Slapstick and humor are sprinkled throughout the movie. The action and choreography are awesome. And there is a heartwarming story at the core. Meticulously constructed by writer/director/producer/star Stephen Chow, this movie was a real treat. 

5/5. Netflix

Okay... I may have to check this one out now.

shakin steak wrote :

Kung Fu Hustle (2004) 

A wannabe street tough tries to join a notorious street gang terrorizing a poor village.

The first scene is a little silly and over-the-top. I expected it to be revealed as fake, like it was a stage production within the real story, but it was not. Slapstick and humor are sprinkled throughout the movie. The action and choreography are awesome. And there is a heartwarming story at the core. Meticulously constructed by writer/director/producer/star Stephen Chow, this movie was a real treat. 

5/5. Netflix

-end quote

Vaporman87 wrote :

Okay... I may have to check this one out now.

 

I just had two weeks off work, so I watched a lot of movies including all 3 Karate Kids. Btw, if Netflix has an old movie you want to see, do it asap. They had all the Lethal Weapon movies a little bit ago, but they disappeared in two weeks and I only got to watch the first one.

Extraction (2015)

A skilled G-man who just can’t quite make field agent decides to take action when his father is captured.

Utter fluff, with a thin plot, boring twist, and minimal action. I can’t recommend it but I finished it, I’ll give it a

2/5, Netflix

The Karate Kid (1984)

Quintessential feel-good 80s family movie.

I remember watching this in summer camp. The lessons about discipline are actually really good for kids. I can see why karate was a big trend. My best friend in grade school did it. I wish I had, although I was thoroughly uninterested at the time, so I’m not sure how that would have gone. One thing puzzles me. When Daniel first meets Mr. Miyagi, he introduces himself as Miyaji. He says it twice, then corrects Daniel to say Miyagi. Does anybody know the story behind this? 

Pretty good movie, fun classic. lots of quotable lines. 3/5, Netflix

The Karate Kid II (1986)

Mr. Miyagi returns to Okinawa see his dying father and Daniel-san tags along. 

It’s interesting how this was sort of a primer on Japanese culture at a time when it was becoming a force on American culture, with martial arts and consumer electronics becoming very popular.

An enjoyable romp and a good attempt for the time to show Americans a different culture. 3/5, Netflix

The Karate Kid III (1989) 

Still taking place within a year of the first movie, Ralph Macchio is no longer entirely believeable as 17 or 18 years old. He was 23 when the first movie came out five years ago. The bad guy from the first movie returns in secret to seek revenge on Daniel for winning an unfair fight. Much like Spider-Man, the third movie in the series finds our hero succumbing to pressure and acting like a jerk. It’s a little hard to know what he could do better in response to the manipulation, but from the beginning he also makes his own bad choices, forcing them on Mr. Miyagi.

The attempt at character development is a decent effort but falls flat. The bad guys are nicely devious. 2/5, Netflix.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

The turtles are out to stop Foot Clan heists, and the modern analog to Octopus, Inc has an evil plan.

Do we really need another telling of the TMNT origin story? Anyone who is interested knows these characters. There’s no reason this couldn’t be a sequel or continuation to prior iterations, dispensing with the preliminaries to give us a fully new story. I will eternally complain of this with reboots. Anyway, this movie is actually better than I expected it to be, but the fight choreography is muddy and the plot, even putting aside the origin story, is terribly formulaic.

2/5, Tubi

Uncut Gems (2020)

Adam Sandler tries to go serious again. He plays a jeweler in hock to a loan shark, and his gregarious nature fouls up his plans to make good. 

I don't know. I could not stick with this movie. I got an hour into it over the course of three days and gave up. It doesn't seem to go anywhere and Sandler's attempt at a deep but flawed character just does not connect.

1/5, Netflix

What Happened to Monday? (2017)

In the future when drastic population control is deemed necessary, a family over the limit takes turns hiding and going out in the world. 

Serious sci-fi / thriller 4/5, Netflix.

Just about to pop on Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time since probably the 90s. I used to have the mini poster for this movie hanging in my bedroom when I was a kid. 

@shakin: What Happened To Monday sounds good.