While I am known more for watching and reviewing "older" horror films (anything made before 2001), I do manage to catch the opportunity to watch more recent fare... While visiting his brother in Russia, Chris and his friends decide to visit the abandoned town of Prypiat- near the site of the infamous Chernobyl nuclear meltdown.  Upon arrival, the group find themselves trapped in the radiation zone... trapped with something stalking them through the empty streets ... I had high hopes for this film, as the Writer/Producer Oren Peli also brought us the very well done low budget film, " Paranormal Activity ".  While the film is quite good from a technical and visual aspect, it lacks something that the first " Paranormal Activity " had- a connection with the audience. The premise was promising.  Take our characters and strand them in the middle of a radioactive city with something that is hunting and killing them one by one.  Unfortunately, beyond that...

When I'm feeling down, I enjoy popping either an animated film, or a B-movie into the machine and watch it while nibbling on popcorn or cheesy poofs.  I was in that sort of mood when I sat down to watch, " The Monster of Phantom Lake "... Professor Jackson, and his assistant Stephanie are studying the local ecosystem of Phantom Lake, when they come across a new species of algae- algae that seems to have somehow combined with human DNA.  While they struggle to find the cause, a group of teens are having a campout nearby... only to be attacked by a plant-like humanoid figure.  Is THIS the source of the strange algae... and who will it kill next? " The Monster of Phantom Lake " is not intended to be a scary movie.  It is a humourous tribute to the classic, cheesy B-movies of the 1950's- and does it quite well. Like most of the B-movies of the 1950's, the camera work isn't complex- though there are some decent shots.  The editing was good at cre...