Comedy
Rod Lott
If only Oklahoma Gazette classified ads were this intriguing: "Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You'll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Safety not guaranteed."

Thriller
Rod Lott
To refresh your memory, 3 x 7 = 21. What’s this have to do with movies?

Horror
Rod Lott
Anyone who says the 1978 original is the only good movie in the Halloween franchise is kidding himself. While none of the succeeding chapters may match the power, there's plenty of fun to be had beyond that one night he came home.

Horror
Rod Lott
Very few movies can scare me. The Pact scared me.

Horror
Rod Lott
Boris Karloff plays one of The Sorcerers in an obscure 1967 thriller from Warner Archive. To be more precise, he’s Dr. Marcus Monserrat, “practitioner of medical hypnosis.” Yet what he and his wife (Catherine Lacey, The Lady Vanishes) really itch to try out is something more sinister.

Television series
Rod Lott
With the arrival of fall, a whole new crop of television series has debuted. And yet, I can’t say I’ve caught many more than maybe two. See, I’ve been too busy catching up on all these shows on Blu-ray and DVD — shows such as these fine nine ...

Horror
Rod Lott
If not for the third act’s all-out murder sequence and one character’s inclination toward S&M, 1992’s Basket Case 3: The Progeny could be something beloved by children. Until then, Frank Henenlotter’s trilogy capper plays like a fairly innocuous, broad comedy.

Comedy
Rod Lott
It's been several years since we've gotten a good parody movie. With the release of Supernatural Activity, it's obvious we may have to wait several more. Found-footage horror is ripe for a ripping, but this one isn't it.

Action
Rod Lott
In Maximum Conviction, Steve Austin forever speaks like there’s a pinch of Skoal eating through the corner of his bottom lip, but I have no idea what’s going on with Steven Seagal’s accent attempt: Southern? Cajun? Ebonics? An overly phlegmy head cold? Your guess is as good as mine, and unfortunately, I’ve seen the movie.

Thriller
Rod Lott
Rites of Passage's box art of boring actors’ faces should switch with the illustration adorning the actual disc: a play on the ol' skull and crossbones logo, but using a sock monkey and shotguns. That's what convinced me the film might be worth its 102 minutes. Ultimately, it's not, but its first half makes for an interesting mess.

Drama
Rod Lott
Mathieu Demy's Americano opens with a little death, followed immediately by a big one, as Frenchmen Martin (Demy) receives one of those middle-of-the-night phone calls that deliver the worst of bad news: His mother has died.

Action
Rod Lott
Compared to its 2000 big-budget remake, H.B. Halicki's Gone in 60 Seconds is deficient in slickness, star power, performances, plotting and humor. Yet the 1974 indie original decimates the Hollywood version as an all-around entertainment. Why? Two simple reasons, boiled down to numbers: some 500 vehicles wrecked and a 40-minute chase scene.

Thriller
Rod Lott
For very different reasons, I'll watch any movie with Vincent Price, Bill Murray, Jackie Chan or Carla Gugino. Falling into the first category is 1962's Confessions of an Opium Eater, a rare Price vehicle rare no more, thanks to a DVD debut from Warner Archive.

Horror
Rod Lott
Despite being unleashed from Twisted Pictures, those people who brought us all those Saws, The Tortured has sat in the shelf now for about two years, skipping a wide release on its way to DVD. It's easy to see why: It's strong, sick stuff that delights in punching and kicking its audience as its vengeful characters do their prey.

Thriller
Rod Lott
247˚F is as compelling as you'd think about a movie set almost entirely in a sauna would be: not at all, once you think about it. I'm all for films set in single and/or small spaces, but this one has nowhere to go.