Man has made his newest predator

Starring: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona, Go Ah-sung, Oh Dal-su, Ko Asung, Jae-eung Lee

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"How could you leave behind your only sister?" – Park Gang-Du

Why watch this? This Korean film was the best, most creative monster film in years.

Plot Summary: A monstrous creature emerges from Seoul's Han River, terrorizing the city and abducting a young girl named Hyun-seo. Her seemingly dysfunctional family, led by her father, Gang-du, then embarks on a desperate mission to rescue her from the monster's clutches. Their efforts are hampered not only by the creature itself but also by an incompetent government.

Chungeorahm Film; Showbox, Kadokawa Herald

Beware of the Blob! It creeps, and leaps, and glides and slides across the floor!

Starring: Steven McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, Earl Rowe, Olin Howland, Stephen Chase, John Benson, George Karas

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"There's a man here with some sort of a parasite on his arm, assimilating his flesh at a frightening speed. I may have to get ahead of it and amputate. No, I don't know what it is or where it came from." – Dr. Hallen

Why watch this? It's a creepy, slimy, oozy horror flick that will make your skin crawl.

Plot Summary: An alien lifeform crashes on Earth in Pennsylvania inside a meteorite. It resembles a giant blob of red jelly. As it consumes living beings, the blob grows larger and becomes more aggressive. Teenagers who witness the creature's destructive power struggle to convince the disbelieving adults and local authorities.

Fairview Prod., Tonylyn Prod.,
Valley Forge Films; Paramount Pictures

The untold story behind the miracle on the Hudson

Starring: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid, Edward Hamilton-Clark, Gore Abrams, Oscar Lesage, Christian Erickson, Robin Greer, Tom Morton, Hugo Diego Garcia

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"One single injection unlocks your DNA, starting a new cellular division, that will release another version of yourself. This is the Substance. You are the matrix. Everything comes from you. Everything is you. This is simply a better version of yourself." - The Substance Product Ad

Why watch this? It's quite an engrossing - and disturbing - experience.

Plot Summary: A faded star uses a black-market product to create a younger, more beautiful version of herself in order to reclaim her relevance. When her youthful counterpart becomes greedy with her time, the delicate balance between the two bodies begins to unravel. Their rivalry spirals into a nightmarish, satirical battle with horrific consequences that forces them to confront the damaging realities of perfection.

Working Title Films, Blacksmith, A Good Story; Mubi

Out of Pollution's Depth's It Slithers! Breathing Poison...
Leaving a wake of deadly slime... Destroying all in its path!

Starring: Akira Yamauchi, Toshie Kimura, Hiroyuki Kawase, Keiko Mari, Toshio Shiba, Kenpachiro Satsuma, Toshie Kimura

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ - good

"The atomic and hydrogen bombs cast their fallout into the sea. Poison gas and sludge got dumped into the ocean. Even sewage. I bet Godzilla would be mad if he saw this." - Ken Yano, second grader

Why watch this? This Godzilla film has some of the best Kaiju fight scenes in the franchise.

Plot Summary: A young boy and his scientist father discover a strange, pollution-eating monster known as Hedorah, which continuously evolves into increasingly dangerous forms as it consumes the world's waste. Godzilla, as the Earth's protector, rises to confront Hedorah in a desperate attempt to save humanity from the growing environmental threat. The fate of the world hinges on a climactic battle between Godzilla and the smog monster at Mount Fuji, as mankind also strives to find a way to defeat the seemingly invincible creature.

Tomoyuki Tanaka; Toho Co. Ltd.

Don't settle. You don't have to. Even at the end of the world.

Starring: Dylan O'Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker, Dan Ewing, Ariana Greenblatt, Hero and Dodge, Ellen Hollman, Tre Hale, Pacharo Mzembe, Senie Priti, Amali Golden, Te Kohe Tuhaka

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"I really didn't have your typical upbringing. I mean, I did at first and then the world ended." – Joel

Why watch this? It's a post-apocalyptic movie... with a great love story.

Plot Summary: Seven years after giant monsters take over the world, a timid young man named Joel lives in an underground bunker with other survivors. When he reconnects via radio with his high school girlfriend and discovers she is 85 miles away, he decides to embark on a perilous journey to be with her. Along the way, he must face his fears and learn how to survive on the monster-infested surface, with the help of a loyal dog and a pair of seasoned scavengers.
 

Dad's Preview: In a sea of recent CGI-effects laden films, I find it rare that one packs some real emotional punch. Here the effects never dominate the film. Its center is the story and down-to-earth characters - you might even say, "A boy and his dog." This action movie is refreshing, full of heart and creative. Our likeable yet flawed hero's journey, undertaken for love, is wrought with serious danger. Joel's success hinges on his ability to accept help and grow as a person. You can't ask for more than that. Even with some of the slimiest, creepiest creatures on film, it's still a family-friendly affair, with an emotional ending you might not see coming. I am surprised that no sequel is planned.

21 Laps Entertainment, eOne Films;
Paramount Pictures/Netflix

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz, Joy Boushel, Leslie Carlson, George Chuvalo, Michael Copeman, David Cronenberg

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Am I becoming a 185-pound fly? No, I'm becoming something that's never existed before. I'm becoming... Brundle-Fly. Don't you think that's worth a Nobel Prize or two?" - Seth Brundle

Why watch this? When a scientists pushes the limits too far, things go very wrong!

Plot Summary: A brilliant but eccentric scientist invents a set of "telepods" that allow instantaneous teleportation. He begins a relationship with a journalist who is documenting his work. An ill-fated experiment results in his fusion with a housefly at the molecular-genetic level, leading to a horrifying metamorphosis into a grotesque hybrid creature.

Brooksfilms, SLM Production Group;
20th Century Fox

There's only one movie scarier than the 'Evil Dead'...

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie Wesley, Denise Bixler, Richard Domeier, John Peaks, Lou Hancock, Ted Raimi, Williams Preston Robertson (voice)

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Then let's head on down into that cellar and carve ourselves a witch." – Ash

Why watch this? Outrageous. Terrifying. Bloody. Hilarious.

Plot Summary: Lone survivor Ash Williams returns to a remote cabin in the woods, where he unwittingly unleashes flesh-possessing demons after playing a recorded incantation from an ancient book. As the demonic forces terrorize him and a new group of arrivals, Ash is forced into a frantic, chaotic battle for survival that pushes him to the brink of insanity. Armed with a chainsaw and a shotgun, he must fight through the night to survive the demonic onslaught and escape the cabin's terrifying grasp.

Renaissance Pictures; Rosebud Releasing Corp.

What's Gotten Into You?

Starring: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Tania Saulnier, Xantha Radley

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"It tried to get in my mouth. What kinda thing wants you to eat it?" - Jack MacReady

Why watch this? It's crude, gory, slimy, violent, and completely awesome - if you like this kind of horror film.

Plot Summary: In the small town of Wheelsy, South Carolina, a meteorite crashes, unleashing a parasitic alien creature. The creature infects local businessman Grant Grant, transforming him and giving him a hunger for raw meat. As Grant's body becomes a monstrous breeding ground, a swarm of slug-like offspring threatens to infect the rest of the town, turning residents into zombie-like drones.

Brightlight Pictures, Gold Circle Films,
Strike Ent.; Universal Pictures

Now, terror has no shape.

Starring: Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith, Donovan Leitch, Jeffrey DeMunn, Candy Clark, Joe Seneca, Del Close

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"The thing on that man's hand killed him and then it killed Paul, and whatever it is, it's getting bigger!" - Meg Penny

Why watch this? The original was creepy. This 80's version is gory and terrifying!

Plot Summary: A small town faces a deadly threat when a meteor crashes nearby, releasing an acidic, amoeba-like organism. This creature consumes anything in its path, growing larger with each victim. As panic spreads, a group of townspeople must find a way to stop the unstoppable menace, while also dealing with shady government scientists attempting to capture it.

Palisades California Inc.; TriStar Pictures

The original nightmare that threatened the world

Starring: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"There's no emotion. None. Just the pretense of it. The words, the gesture, the tone of voice, everything else is the same, but not the feeling." - Wilma Lentz

Why watch this? It's truly terrifying to learn that the human race is being replaced.

Plot Summary: In a small town, a doctor notices a peculiar phenomenon: his patients believe their loved ones are impostors. What initially seems like mass hysteria soon reveals itself to be a sinister alien invasion where humans are replaced by emotionless duplicates grown from pods. As the truth unfolds, the doctor must desperately try to warn others before he too falls victim to the silent takeover.

Walter Wanger Prod.; Allied Artists Pictures

For some, it's the last real taste of innocence, and the first real taste of life.
But for everyone, it's the time that memories are made of.

Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko, Frances Lee McCain, Richard Dreyfuss

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Boy, you don't know nothing. Mighty Mouse is a cartoon. Superman's a real guy. There's no way a cartoon could beat up a real guy!" - Teddy

Why watch this? I was one of these kids, going on long adventures, playing in the woods, worrying my mom.

Plot Summary: Four young friends are on a journey through the Oregon wilderness in the summer of 1959, as they search for a missing boy. During their quest, they face various adventures and challenges, which test their bonds and force them to confront personal struggles. This journey becomes a coming-of-age experience, shaping their individual paths and deepening their understanding of friendship and loss.

Act III Productions; Columbia Pictures

The Fate Of The World Rests On The Courage Of One Warrior.

Starring: (English voice cast:) Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver, Billy Bob Thornton, John DeMita, John DiMaggio, Jada Pinkett Smith, Gillian Anderson, Debi Derryberry, Keith David, Tara Strong

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Now watch closely, everyone. I'm going to show you how to kill a god. A god of life and death. The trick is not to fear him." - Lady Eboshi

Why watch this? It is yet another wonderful animated treasure from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

Plot Summary: Set in the Muromachi period of Japanese history, young Prince Ashitaka is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. There, he becomes embroiled in a conflict between Iron Town, a community encroaching upon the forest and its inhabitants, and the forest spirits, led by the enigmatic Princess Mononoke. Ashitaka attempts to mediate between the opposing forces, seeking a path to coexistence before the escalating violence consumes both humans and nature.

Studio Ghibli; Toho

A Fantastic And Spectacular Voyage... Through The Human Body... Into The Brain.

Starring: Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Edmond O’Brien, Donald Pleasence, Arthur O'Connell, William Redfield

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"The medieval philosophers were right. Man is the center of the universe. We stand in the middle of infinity between outer and inner space, and there's no limit to either." – Dr. Peter Duval

Why watch this? The special effects... and its creative plot.

Plot Summary: When a defecting scientist falls into a coma due to a brain clot, a team of specialists embarks on a mission to save him. A submarine carrying the team and their specialized equipment is miniaturized and injected into the scientist's bloodstream. They must navigate the complexities of the human body and perform delicate surgery to remove the clot within a limited time before returning to their normal size.

Saul David; 20th Century Fox

Something beyond comprehension is happening to a girl on this street, in this house . . .
a man has been sent for as a last resort. That man is The Exorcist.

Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Father William O'Malley

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us. But he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us. The attack is psychological, Damien, and powerful. So don't listen to him. Remember that - do not listen." – Father Merrin

Why watch this? The actual exorcism scenes are terrifying.

Plot Summary: When a young girl begins to exhibit disturbing and violent behavior, her mother seeks both medical and psychiatric help without success. As the girl's condition worsens, manifesting in bizarre and terrifying ways, the desperate mother turns to the Catholic Church. Ultimately, two priests, one older and experienced and the other facing a crisis of faith, are called upon to confront the mysterious entity possessing the child.

Hoya Productions; Warner Bros.

From the Dark Side to Our Side

Starring: Ron Perlman, John Hurt, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, Rupert Evans, Karel Roden, Biddy Hodson, Corey Johnson, Kevin Trainor

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"In the absence of light, darkness prevails. There are things that go bump in the night, Agent Myers. Make no mistake about that. And we are the ones who bump back." – Professor Broom

Why watch this? It's a great comic book hero adapted to film. Pearlman is awesome!

Plot Summary: Raised by a professor after being summoned to Earth by Nazis during World War II, a demon named Hellboy now works for a secretive government organization known as the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Alongside his fellow unique agents, Hellboy must protect the world from various supernatural threats that emerge from the shadows. However, his skills and fiery personality are truly tested when a powerful, resurrected sorcerer from his past returns with a sinister plan that seeks to unleash the apocalypse.

Revolution Studios, Lawrence Gordon/Lloyd
Levin Prod., Dark Horse Ent.; Columbia Pics

Aliens (1986), Director: James Cameron, rated R for sci-fi gore, violence, language

THIS TIME IT'S WAR

Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Carrie Henn, Lance Henricksen, Bill Baxton, Jenette Goldstein

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #24b - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of Aliens

"We better get back 'cause it will be night soon and they mostly come at night... mostly." - Newt

Why watch this? The Alien sequel brings the action and a lot more aliens to deal with.

Plot Summary: After surviving the alien attack, Ellen Ripley is rescued from deep space after 57 years in stasis. She reluctantly agrees to return to the planet where the creatures were first encountered when contact is lost with a terra-forming colony established there. Ripley and a group of Colonial Marines face an overwhelming threat as they attempt to rescue the colonists and battle, not one, but many aliens.

Brandywine Productions; 20th Century Fox

The Ultimate in alien terror.

Starring: Kurt Russell, Keith David, Richard Masur, Wilford Brimley, T. K. Carter, Richard Dysart, David Clennon, Charles Hallahan, Peter Maloney, Donald Moffat

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #44 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of The Thing

"You see, what we're talkin' about here is an organism that imitates other life-forms, and it imitates 'em perfectly." - Doc Blair

Why watch this? ... the blood test scene is worth the prices of admission alone.

Plot Summary: A team of American researchers stationed in isolated Antarctica encounter a hostile alien life form that can perfectly imitate other organisms. The creature's ability to seamlessly impersonate their victims creates an environment of intense paranoia and distrust among the nervous crew. As the researchers struggle to identify and destroy the shape-shifting alien, they face a harrowing battle for survival.

The Turman-Foster Co.; Universal Pictures

The monster movie that breaks new ground.

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Bobby Jacoby, Tony Genaro, Ariana Richards, Richard Marcus

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"Run for it? Running is not a plan. Running is what you do when a plan fails!" - Earl

Why watch this? Gigantic, underground, man-eating worms! That's a hard YES for me.

Plot Summary: Set in the remote desert town of Perfection, Nevada, two handymen, Val and Earl, decide to leave their dull lives. Before they can depart, strange tremors and a series of mysterious deaths suggest a dangerous threat lurks beneath the surface. Along with other residents, including a seismologist and a survivalist couple, they must fight to survive against unseen, giant creatures that hunt by sensing vibrations.

No Frills Prod., Pacific Western Prod.;
Universal Pictures

Free your mind

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano, Marcus Chong, Juian Arahanga

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #19 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of The Matrix

"Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague, and we are the cure." - Agent Smith to Morpheus, as he interrogates him

Why watch this? Conceptually, visually, creatively - this film set a new action sci-fi standard.

Plot Summary: A computer programmer named Thomas Anderson, known in the hacking underworld as Neo, feels that something is fundamentally wrong with his reality. He is contacted by the enigmatic Morpheus and Trinity, who offer him the chance to discover a shocking truth: that his world is actually a computer-generated simulation. Upon swallowing a red pill, Neo awakens in the desolate real world and begins a journey to free humanity from the machines that have enslaved them.

Village Roadshow Pictures, Grouch II Film
Partnership, Silver Pictures; Warner Bros.

Protecting the earth from the scum of the universe

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub, Carel Struycken, Siobhan Fallon Hogan

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"This definitely rates about a 9.0 on my weird-shit-o-meter." - Jay

Why watch this? Will Smith - man, can he carry a film when he's hot.

Plot Summary: James Edwards, an NYC cop, joins a secret organization known as Men in Black, which regulates the activity of aliens living disguised among humans. Alongside his new partner, the veteran Agent K, James (now Agent J) must investigate a series of strange incidents and stop a destructive plot by an intergalactic villain. They embark on a mission to recover a powerful energy source before the antagonist can use it to destroy the Earth.
 

Dad's Preview: I'm a sci-fi guy. I crave well-done science fiction on screen. Here we meet two agents, Jay and Kay (their real identities have been permanently removed), who work for a secret agency that tracks aliens who live on Earth, undetected. Most are benevolent, but not all. This film is packed with slimy aliens of all shapes/sizes, lots of action, a count-down to Earth's destruction, and the sexy Linda Fiorentino. Additionally, Vincent D'Onofrio's performance is amazing as Edgar/The Bug. This sci-fi goldmine is creative with lots of laughs and creatures from outer space.

Columbia Pictures, Amblin Ent., Parkes/MacDonald
 Prod.; Sony Pictures Releasing

Who ya gonna call?

Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, Ernie Hudson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I've only been with the company for a couple of weeks, but I gotta tell you: these things are real. Since I joined these men, I have seen shit that'll turn you white! – Winston Zeddemore

Why watch this? It may be the best SNL-cast film ever. It's delightfully creative and fun!

Plot Summary: Three eccentric parapsychologists are fired from their university jobs and decide to start a unique ghost removal service in New York City. As supernatural occurrences escalate throughout the city, they attract a growing clientele and become famous. They must ultimately confront an ancient entity threatening to unleash destruction upon the world.

Columbia-Delphi Productions, Black Rhino;
Columbia Pictures