Melissa Kaercher

Every Monday, each of us will suggest a film that we feel too few people have seen.

Windy’s Pick of the Week: Monster Squad

Alright, I’m not sure this is “underappreciated” but I’m gonna go with it. See, this movie is a bit of an open secret among my social circle, so not one of my friends would agree that it is “underappreciated.” However, it would be easy to be unaware of this delightful little entry into 80’s young adult adventure films. There are a lot of familiar faces in the movie (the most recognizably awesome being Duncan Regehr as Dracula), and the script is warm and likable – with some great quotes. Anyone who ever sat around with their friends playing “who would win in a fight?” will have an affinity for this film. A solid addition to the classic Universal monster movie canon.

Melissa’s Pick of the Week: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

I am a big fan of horror comedies, and this is one of the best one to appear in recent years. Like Cabin in the Woods (which is also great), Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is a loving ode to the horror genre while also lampooning a thousand horror tropes. Tucker & Dale has a lighter touch than Cabin, though, so it might be more appealing to folks averse to the horror genre. It also has the hilarious Alan Tudyk as Tucker, a bumbling redneck mistaken as a Deliverance-style teenager-killer. (The rest of the cast is fun, too, but Tudyk is a scene-stealer in every movie.) This low-budget treat is easily found on streaming providers these days, so give it a look!

Every Monday, each of us will suggest a film that we feel too few people have seen.

Melissa’s Pick of the Week: Timecrimes

This Spanish film is an amazing example of great sci-fi made on a minuscule budget. This movie squeezes everything it can out of a tiny cast, three locations, and a deft script. Eerie, tense, and bizarre, Timecrimes is one of my very favorite time-travel films. To describe it in more detail would be a disservice. Seriously, just look it up on Netflix Streaming and watch it.

Windy’s Pick of the Week: Push

Chris Evans stars in this quasi-future-dystopian movie where some people have developed extra-sensory powers. Needless to say, shadowy government-run agencies seek to recruit, exploit, and control them. Lots of plot twists based on just how far a clairvoyant’s power can go, and just how much a brain can be reprogrammed. Chris Evans is extremely likeable onscreen, and he’s supported by a Dakota Fanning that is bitter and brittle – and very enjoyable.

Every Monday, each of us will suggest a film that we feel too few people have seen.

Windy’s Pick of the Week: Angel and the Badman

Early John Wayne in a more romantic cowboy turn. Wayne plays Quirt Evans, the most badass sharp shooter around. While running from a gang intent on finishing him off, he wanders injured into the homestead of a family of Quakers. And into the loving arms of Gail Russell (a favorite in The Uninvited too – gorgeous, and such a lovely speaking voice!). A story about redemption and re-inventing yourself. And how a passive offense can be very successful!

Melissa’s Pick of the Week: Norwegian Ninja

If you’re really up on your Norwegian history, you’ll know that Arne Treholt was a real politician who was convicted of high treason during the Cold War for supposedly selling secrets to the Soviet Union. He was pardoned under strange circumstances in 1992, and now lives in Cyprus.

Well, some Norwegian filmmakers decided to make a film about the guy. And they said, “Let’s fill in everything we don’t know with NINJAS.”

So, here’s a very fictional account of the life of Arne Treholt, Norwegian patriot and head of a ninja compound off the coast of Norway. It’s like a Shaw Brothers movie mashed up with fjords and model Russky subs. Norwegian Ninja is delightfully weird and can be easily found on Netflix Streaming.