I almost never go to the video store, when we want to rent a movie. The reason for this is that I absolutely despise going with Russ. I can go alone, or he can go. We can not go together. I am the sort of person that wants to be in and out, get home and watch the darn thing, and he is the type that has been known to stroll casually around the store, picking up every other box and reading the thing. I always end up getting impatient and bored, so I always send him. He has good taste in movies, so it almost always works out for the best.

Well this week was no exception, I didn’t have anything I was wanting to watch, but I told him to pick up some goofy B-movie, so I could review it on Saturday night. He did incredibly well when he picked out “I Married a Monster from Outer Space”.

This 1958 film is about a pair of newlyweds, Marge and Bill. On the eve of their wedding Bill goes out drinking with his buddies. On his way home he makes a stop, where he is abducted by aliens. The next morning Bill struggles to make it to the wedding on time, but at the last minute shows up and the two get married. Shortly after their wedding Marge begins noticing some very odd changes in the way Bill behaves. Once a social drinker, suddenly becomes allergic to alcohol. On top of that animals no longer like him, and he suddenly doesn’t know what thunder is. Marge is also concerned with her inability to get pregnant after a year of marriage. One day after noticing Bill’s odd behavior she follows him out to the woods, where she sees his true alien self conversing with others of his type. Scared she runs back to town where she tries to warn everyone, but like any monster movie, no one believes her. It is soon discovered that all the men in town are aliens, and they are waiting for the right time to breed with the women, to produce alien offspring. It soon becomes a race with the clock, as Marge tries to warn other of what is going on.

With a tag line like “The bride wore terror” one can only expect to be in for a treat. This film doesn’t fail to deliver either. It is an incredibly easy to watch film, more so than most B-movies in my opinion. It had pretty good special affects for it’s time, though there are a few scenes were it is supposed to be night and it is clearly day.  One of the best parts to look out for is during the lightning scene when Bill’s true, alien face is shown every time lighting strikes.  If you are newly wed, or about to be married, I would definitely recommend you see this film….for your own safety.

Who doesn’t love a good movie night? It is a fun and incredibly easy way to get a group of friends together for a few hours. Unlike other party type get togethers, there is little to no preparation needed before hand, and no one needs to worry about getting dressed up. With a little thought before hand, it is quite easy to make sure that your movie night goes smoothly.

♥ Guests. Invite people who you all know share a common interests. Invite all your horror film lovers over on one night, and the romantic comedy fans over on a another night. Definitely don’t invite a Dungeons and Dragon enthusiast, a Hannah Montana fan and your grandma over to watch the same movie. Odds are, they won’t share the same interest in films.

♥ Picking a movie. Think about what your guests have in common. If you invite some girls from your dance class over, choose a movie with dancing as a theme, such as a Dirty Dancing or Funny Face.

Have a few different films for your guests in case one of them is a complete dud, or if it turns out everyone has seen the film but you. It is ok to watch a film that everyone has already seen, as long as you know it is a movie that they all share a love for.

♥ Before the movie. Invite your guests to come over about thirty minutes before you plan on showing the film. You can use this time to get the popcorn and drinks ready, and to have a little bit of chit chat. Consider having some pre movie short films. Old cartoons, such as Merrie Melodies work well for this.

♥ Setting. Comfort is important. If you don’t have enough sofa room for everyone, don’t panic. Pull out all the pillows and blankets you have, and lay them out around the room. With a little work you can make the floor look just as inviting to guests as the couch.

Lights should be dimmed for the movie. Leave a few candles burning to provide some light so no one breaks there neck trying to find the bathroom in the dark.

♥ Snacks. Skip the dinner party on this night, and focus on desserts and snack foods. Food should be quick to prepare, and remind one of being in a movie theatre. Load up on the popcorn, cookies, and small candies. Use some small brown paper bags to divide up the popcorn, so each guest can have their own. Put out bowls of Skittles or M&M’s. No need to get fancy. The whole point of the movie night is to be casual.

If you want to go all out, make ice cream sundaes. Buy some vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, chopped nuts, rainbow sprinkles, whipped topping, and Maraschino cherries. Let your guests go to town, making their own sundae concoctions right before you start the film.

♥ Beverages. Depending on who you invite over you may want to have wine or beer available to your guests. If you don’t want to get into the alcohol, stick to sodas or fun juice blends. I like to buy several types of juice, and then mix them. A little pineapple, some orange, and a dash of cranberry….mmm…well you get the idea!

♥ After the film. If your friends are the type who like to discuss the movie once it is over, allow some time for this. If not perhaps just put on something to look at on tv, and turn the volume down so you can talk about other things. Your friends will naturally leave pretty soon after the movie, unless you invite them to stay longer.

I chose this movie as the second Saturday Night Movie review because it was made alongside of last week’s film, The Giant Gila Monster, and the two were shown as a double feature at Drive-Ins. This low budget horror film was made in 1959 and is a classic amongst monster movie enthusiasts. It falls perfectly into the ’so bad it’s good’ category.

The film starts out with Thorne Sherman and his first mate, who are set to deliver supplies to a group of people on a very remote island. On the island are a scientist named Dr. Craigis, his assistant, his daughter, Anne, and her fiance. Shortly after delivering the supplies it becomes quite apparent that a hurricane is coming in, and it would be best to stay on the island until the storm passes. Dr. Craigis tries desperately to get Thorne to leave due to violent animals on the island, but Thorne is adamant, and stays on shore. It is soon learned from Anne that the island is filled with giant shrews. These giant shrews are a side affect of Dr. Craigis’s experiments, and as they grow their food supply quickly depletes. With a lack of small animals to feed on, the giant shrews quickly start hunting humans. Soon they have burrowed into the basement of the house. As the group of people start shrinking it becomes apparent to the remaining, that they need to leave the island as quickly as possible.

Starring James Best (Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane from The Dukes of Hazard) as Thorne and Ingrid Goude (1957 Miss Universe) as Anne, this movie is fun for a good laugh. Though the giant shrews may have caused quite a scare at the time of its release, these dogs with rugs attached to their backs are far from scary. The close ups of the shrews are hairy puppets with long toothed snarls, and very much resemble the ‘R.O.U.S.’ or ‘rodents of unusual sizes’ from Princess Bride. The film is filled with high pitched screeching of the shrews, along with a few occasional barks. While the intended emotions are not achieved from the viewer this movie is good old low budget fun, and best of all, only 70 minutes long!

When I started this blog (over a month ago now!) I knew that I wanted it to be more like an online magazine than my past, more personal blogs. Though I do, and probably will continue to, talk about myself a bit, I want to focus more on things that interest me than how my day went. I have several ideas in my head that have yet to make it into the blog (but just you wait!). One of the things I knew I wanted to do when it began was have a regular section devoted to reviewing movies.

My husband and I are huge movie buffs. While we both like a wide array of genres, we both are especially drawn to certain types of movies, he is a bit more into the classic old films, and I am a bit more into the cult or B movies. We tend to watch a lot of “bad movies”. Now, when I say bad, I’m not talking about the terribly written romantic comedies or spoof movies that they have out these days (uhh…Meet the Spartans….really now, is that necessary?). I love the low budget (as well as quality) films of the 50’s, 60’s, & 70’s. I love monster movies, and Sci-Fi, and all the other quirky, yet original films that where made in similar production styles. Something about their simplicity, originality, and terrible acting just really draws me in. Maybe it is from all the years of watching Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

Made in 1959, this classic Sci-Fi film is one of the first I was introduced to as a young girl. My dad just loved this movie, and to this day still cracks up over it. I chose this as the first Saturday Night Movie review for that reason, it is one of the first movies that peaked my interest in this silly, fun, and not at all scary genre.

The Giant Gila Monster is the tale of a small town in Texas that starts being terrorized by a giant monster. When a teenage couple goes missing, some friends offer to help the town sheriff to solve the mystery of their disappearance. After several days of searching, their car is finally found abandoned in a ditch. The main character, Chase, along with the Sheriff realize there is something strange going on when they realize that the skid marks from where the cars went off the road are at exact right angles to the direction of the tires. It isn’t until later in the film when the gila monster attacks a train that the town realizes just what they are dealing with. It soon becomes a race to stop the plus sized reptile, before it kills the entire town, and Chase’s younger sister.

The Giant Gila Monster is the sort of movie that makes me wish for simpler times. The main character is a good looking guy who wows his girlfriend and younger sister with his singing and ukulele playing. All the teens in this town are well off kids, with a good head on their shoulders, and a love for dancing. With drag racing, sock hops and hot rods, the gila monster soon becomes only a supporting character to these stereotypical 50’s teenagers. With a constant theme of drinking and driving this movie really makes you realize how foreign life in the 1950’s is to us.

This is a fun and easy to watch movie. The music in this movie is so upbeat and fun, it really makes you want to put on your saddle shoes and join in. The effects may have been captivating in 1959, but the only time you see the reptile look as big as he is said to be, is when he is placed next to some matchbox cars, or when he attacks a model train. Nevertheless, this movie has a special place in my heart, and is B-movie gold!

The Giant Gila Monster is public domain so can be viewed for free online. The screen is a bit small, so to get the full affect, I suggest renting the movie!