The Monster That Challenged the World - 1957

Random pick for movie night. It's a monster movie, so it can't be awful. Right?

A "strong" earthquake makes a crack in the bottom of a lake. Now there's a large mollusk, and it's hungry. 

The earthquake was hilarious, since the men looked like they just lost their balance. The monster was...something. We couldn't even figure out what it was. We also couldn't figure out where everyone kept disappearing to. At one point, four men went out in a boat. In the next scene, there are three.

This movie had potential. The monster was ridiculous. I mean, who thought up a mollusk as a monster? But so much happened off screen, it was annoying. They killed the ones in the lake and destroyed the eggs OFF SCREEN! Why? When the eggs looked like balloons, it couldn't have been hard to make a bunch and blow them. Then, at the end, they blew up more OFF SCREEN. The best part was the lab showdown, which happened in the last five minutes. I think the mom was trying to sacrifice her kid, because when she sees the monster cornering her daughter, she runs farther into the room instead of pulling the child out the door.

Anyway, I got some laughs out of this one, but I can only imagine how amazing it could have been had they just decided to show something! And who knew that strokes in young people came from violent anger or fear? I think that doctor was a quack.

RIP bunnies - the child is responsible for your death...

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie - 2001

I had this one ready to go once I finished the series. This takes place between episodes 22 and 23.

Spike and the crew get involved in a biological situation. The reward is great if they can catch the person behind it, but their lives end up being on the line.

I won't say much about this movie. It's two hours of greatness. The fights are really cool, and the tone of the movie matches the show. I even smiled a few times. That usually happens with Ed and Ein, and this time was no different.

If you love Cowboy Bebop, this is a no-brainer. This show isn't afraid to kill people and hurt them, but this movie fit seamlessly into the show. I really enjoyed it and have no problems giving it a Good Movie! review.

Cowboy Bebop (anime series) - 1998

I’ve heard multiple times that this is one of the best animes ever. I didn’t really know very much about it before I started it, but there’s also a movie, and it’s getting watched here shortly.

Spike and his ragtag group of misfits travel the galaxy hunting down bounties. Sometimes it isn’t all plenty, and they’re struggling out there. Most of the 26 episodes you could watch and not be confused, but there is an overarching story that pops up from time to time, especially at the end.

This really was a good show. I LOVE the intro song, and I’d listen to it every time I watched an episode. It’s called TANK!, and it was simply amazing. Sometimes it would get stuck in my head throughout the day.

The story was interesting. For only being 26 episodes, I was surprised by how much depth each character ended up having. I’m not picking a favorite, but Ein is an easy choice since he’s a dog. If you can get your hands on this, I recommend it. It’s a bit Firefly, but it’s totally different. See You Space Cowboy…Good Anime! 

The Flesh and the Fiends - 1960

We picked this title for movie night because it sounded cool, and it has Peter Cushing in it. I'm still bummed about losing two different old horror movie lists, FYI.

A couple of men don't want to work, so they decide to sell fresh corpses to an anatomist. Side plot: an anatomy student falls in love with a promiscuous, party-loving woman.

I'm keeping the summary short on purpose. The most fascinating thing about this movie is that it's based on a true story. A card at the beginning hinted at that, but we all know how accurate movies based on real events are.

Burke and Hare were real murderers, and they killed 16 people. With their wives, they would lure some of the victims, get them drunk and suffocate them. Others appeared at Hare's house to rent a room only to get killed later. Some of them turned up sick and were helped into the afterlife. The worst part was that only Burke was hanged for these crimes. Hare turned states evidence and was released. The women also had no consequences. Hare and the two women were recognized a few times before they were able to get out of the country and disappear from history. Dr. Knox was also released from any responsibility.

The thing about this movie that struck me (after I learned more about Burke and Hare) was how accurate it was. Of course, it's not documentary quality or anything, but they paid attention to some of the details. Dr. Knox had the disfigurement from his childhood smallpox and remained aloof and seemingly ignorant of the source of his corpses. Burke and Hale's murders were fairly accurate (the ones they showed), and they even used a tea chest to transport the victims. Even Daft Jamie was true!

Where it differs greatly is the ending, and it annoyed me. Hare still gives evidence, and Burke is hanged, but Hare is released from jail without any protection. You can imagine what happens after that. The fate of Dr. Knox is super frustrating in the movie. One comment from a child is enough to change his thinking forever.

The movie itself was in black and white, which surprised me for the time it was released.  But I learned it wasn't until later in the 60's most movies were in color. I was confused why there were so many naked people in the movie, and it didn't seem to fit. And Dr. Knox's speech at the end lost a lot of its importance since he was a jerk. His ending was super unearned.

I walked away from this movie angry, but I started by laughing my butt off. The movie starts with Dr. Knox buying a corpse, but if you watch, the "corpse" keeps blinking. It was so funny. They had options: don't have the eyes open, turn the man, don't stick him upright in a tea chest!

Anyway, I wouldn't watch this again, and the only part I'd recommend is the very beginning with the blinking. Because it's hilarious. The rest of it is maddening. We were really rooting for Daft Jamie. And knowing he was real just makes it sadder...