Tag Archives: Horror

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Nope

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When Jordan Peele released his first film “Get Out”, it became an instant hit. Audiences and critics were thrilled with the scares and engaged with the racial commentary the movie provided. It became one of the few Horror films to have been nominated for Best Picture. The follow-up, “Us”, was more complex for general movie audiences to digest. The feel of the movie was more reminiscent of Horror from the 1970s or 1980s. It actually felt inspired by the work of one of my personal favorite filmmakers, John Carpenter. Audiences still overall enjoyed it but critics and film fanatics had a ball dissecting the themes of Peele’s sophomore project. Now we have his third has come out and it’s time to see what it brings to the table.

If your looking for a film that is a spectacle to watch, then this is something you should check out. The story centers around a horse wrangler ranch in California, one that has historically worked on a number of movie sets. But the death of the family patriarch brings brother & sister home (Daniel Kaluuya & Keke Palmer respectively) and they try to financially save the ranch by taking a picture of a UFO that visits at night and selling it. Both of these actors bring strong performances to the screen. Kaluuya brings a quiet yet engaging personality to his character while Palmer brings energy that balance each other out and make them entertaining to see interact. All the performances in the movie are honestly fun to watch. From Steven Yeun who plays a rather interesting character during the first of the movie. To even Brandon Perea who plays the tech support comedic role that helps our main characters try to get evidence of alien life.

Several people have pointed out similarities between Jordan Peele’s movie & M Night Shyamalan’s movie “Signs”. Both take place on a farm/ranch and have the families deal with alien life. But that’s really as far as the similarities go. Shyamalan’s film was a dour movie, the characters devoid of any real personality. The aliens in the movie had standard designs and were taken out pathetically easily. Peele’s characters bring both depth and humor to their roles, making you both tense but can also make you laugh. And the reveal of what exactly is stalking their ranch is actually a fin spin on your typical Hollywood UFO flick. The climax of the movie is the most action-focused of Peele’s film career and that is where the spectacle of the movie takes center stage.

However, the one major flaw of the movie is the social commentary. Or rather, the movie’s failure to provide an easily identifiable connection between it’s commentary and the events playing on screen. The movie starts off with a rather tense and dread filled scene that connects to Steven Yeun’s character. You can feel that this backstory is in the film for a reason and that there is a connection between it and what’s happening in the present. But you will probably struggle to figure out what that connection is as your watching the movie. Of course, you can ponder it and do research following the credits. But it will ultimately be a distraction for you if that’s what you are going to this film to see. While “Us” is probably more abstract with it’s themes, it does provide enough clues and small details where you can at least start making the connections as you watch it. But there might be some people who will be initially confused by what this new offering has to say.

Overall though, this is a very enjoyable film. One that provides spectacle and commentary, even if the latter is a bit tricky to properly identify. A film that enjoys playing with tropes and the familiarity of this kind of UFO story that has tense scenes and entertaining performances. I would say that this is definitely worth going to the theaters for.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Saint Maud

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A24 has grown to occupy a unique standing in Hollywood. They are quite possibly the biggest independent film studio at the moment. But it does feel like they have grown into one of the biggest studios in Hollywood, along studios like Warner Brothers and Paramount. Their brand and style has become well known among critics and general audiences alike. They are best known for producing movies with a unique dramatic and/or horror focus. Even for films where they only acted as distributors, they often carry a style that’s pretty similar to other work A24 has been involved in. That can be seen with this British Horror film which had flown under the radar for a lot of people but has gone on to be considered a modern classic of the genre.

A former hospital nurse known as Katie has left her job prior to the film to become a hospice nurse, going by the name Maud. In addition to the professional change, she has recently converted to Roman Catholicism and takes her faith seriously. To the point where she claims to feel God communicate with her, although not with words but sensations that her body feels. She likes the work that she does but feels like everything is leading her towards some higher purpose that God has planned. This seems to take shape when she becomes the nurse for a sick former dancer named Amanda. Things seem to go well at first, and it appears as though Amanda might have an interest in sharing Maud’s religion. Maud takes that as a a sign that she could save a soul and takes it seriously. But when she becomes a bit too involved in Amanda’s personal life, things take a sharp turn downward. All of it leading to Maud making violent choices with no opportunity to turn away. Even if she wanted to back out.

This film serves as the directorial debut of Rose Glass. Watching the movie, you start to notice how the movie is influenced by Horror flicks of the 1970s. A couple of comparisons that have been made are to the films “Carrie” and “The Exorcist”. But I think another film that might have inspired Miss Glass’s movie is the Scorsese film “Taxi Driver”. Maud’s personal life is shown as being practically non-existent ever since she left the hospital and converted. Her personal apartment is very small with only the bare essentials. She doesn’t seem to have any friends, although one former friend that also worked at the hospital does make an effort to try and reconnect during the film’s plot. Maud is solely focused on her work that she considers noble. But finds bigger purpose with Amanda, despite her firing Maud following a physical altercation. She takes it on herself to become the savior of someone she sees as in trouble.

Based on that, Maud does have vague similarities De Niro’s character Travis Pickle. But adding in the influence from those 70s Horror films turns it into a more unique film. Maud appears to have some sort of literal connection to the supernatural, which she views as God communicating to her. However, if you pay attention to the scenes where the supernatural events occur, she is the only one actually experiencing it or reacting to it. The movie’s visuals play with the idea of what Maud is experiencing is actually happening or if she is imagining it. Of course, Maud truly believes that it is God. But Amanda, despite seemingly interested in converting, eventually reveals that she was just playing with Maud. Her reasoning being that dying is boring. There is one scene early on in the movie where you do get the feeling she isn’t being entirely sincere. But that scene also starts fueling the possibility that the other supernatural elements aren’t actually there either, serving a dual purpose.

A more recent film to compare this movie with that also was influenced by Martin Scorsese’s work is “Joker”. That film could be read as happening in a variety of different ways. It is heavily debated whether any of the events in the movie happened, if it was all real, or if some of it was real but actually played out differently. The movie leaves all of those possibilities and theories open. But with “Saint Maud”, despite playing with the idea of how much of it is actually happening, you get the feeling that the movie prefers you view the supernatural elements as all being in Maud’s mind. While not explicitly described, you get enough of Maud’s past to know that a horrible death happened at her old hospital job where she tried to save the patient’s life but failed. The former co-worker who tries to reconnect with Maud tries to re-connect and give her support. But despite latching onto the offer for a human connection, Maud continues to isolate herself and keep focused on what she views as her mission. All of Maud’s actions and choices since that day at the hospital could be her mind’s way of making sense of what happened. Quite possibly breaking down over a period of time.

And that’s what brings us to the overall theme of the movie. Maud’s passion in her faith and mission to save Amanda’s soul starts being shown as a woman losing herself in obsession. Someone who is trying to comprehend past trauma but ultimately succumbing to violence resulting in death. Maud would no doubt view her story as something similar to “The Exorcist”, a story of someone wresting with faith but ultimately winning over evil both internal and external. But to the audience, it’s a mixture of “Carrie” and “Taxi Driver”. Someone who has become socially isolated, views her environment as a decaying world and ultimately a distraction from her mission. And while human connection does seem to be teased and become a reality, it is ripped out from under her, and so she takes matters into her own hands.

If you are a fan of 1970s Horror and/or enjoy psychological suspense that plays with perception of reality, this is an easy pick to watch. You will become engaged with Maud as you follow her throughout the movie’s running time. And by the end, regardless of how you view the supernatural elements, you will feel both fear of Maud as well as pity for her. This is a hidden gem that deserves to be seen.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – The Black Phone

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It can be tricky to review movies in the modern era. On the one end, there are a lot of movies that are easy to trash because they are lazily copying what more successful movies have done. Especially those trying to tap into nostalgia. Then on the other end, it is easy to praise movies that were doing something original or new. But that leaves a lot of movies in between that take familiar ideas or storylines, injecting their own ideas and details to make it stand out and on its own, but we tend to gloss over them. And I think that is especially true of Horror films. It all comes back to the perception of cliches and tropes. It is common, when giving a negative review of a movie, to mention how it relies on tropes. Truth of the matter is that tropes aren’t inherently bad. You just need to remember to focus on more than just the overall plot and do something with the characters. Add to the familiar to make it unique.

And that is exactly what we have with this movie. Based on a short story by Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son, you can tell what it has in common with other Horror movies as well as some of Stephen King’s own stories. I’m using his books for reference because I admittedly haven’t read any of Joe books. But it still works. A lot of Stephen King stories will have a person (usually a child) that has psychic abilities that have an unknown origin. Sometimes that is paired with another supernatural element at play with an equally mysterious unknown origin. And don’t forget the alcoholic! Yea, in this movie it is the father of the boy who gets kidnapped and his sister who has the psychic abilities. And the villain of the movie is a masked killer which you can find in a whole bunch of other Horror movies.

But as mentioned earlier, this movie stands out because it adds new details and focuses on the actual characters. It would have been so easy for this movie to just have the alcoholic father be mean and have the audience hate him. But through interactions with his daughter we see why he is a bit abusive and why he drinks. We get to learn a bit about their past and what happened. It fleshes him out and makes him seem like a real person. A similar thing can be said for Ethan Hawke as the villain, The Grabber. We don’t really know a lot about him. But as we pay attention to his methodology and the tricks he uses to play with his victims, we can actually piece together what might have made him the way he is. Even some of the things he says when interacting with the main boy – Finney – help clarify what his personality is like and what his mental state must be.

This all connects to various interactions between different characters seen throughout the movie. The way these people talk and act are realistic and authentic. Which is another trait you could connect to other Horror stories, especially those written by Stephen King. How they talk and think through their situations makes the story more engaging. As Finney communicates with the ghosts of the dead kids through the phone, you follow him as he starts planning his escape. The decisions are smart and logical. And because the movie knew to focus on the characters and flesh them out, we root for him and want to see him escape. More often than not, a lot of Horror movies end up making their protagonists stupid and annoying. So when the time comes for them to come face to face with the killer, we actually end up rooting for the killer. If they didn’t want to get killed, maybe they shouldn’t have make so many stupid choices or be such a**holes in general. This movie recognizes that and understands how to make us feel fear for the kid. It knows how to build tensions and suspense.

And this is why this movie is so effective and worth the watch. It is unique because it knows that the characters are most important. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what plot line is used or which tropes are put into the script. Everyone working on this movie was focused on the details to bring the story to life. The details are what make this movie strong. This isn’t another Horror movie simply going through the motions and relaying on similarities to more successful films to get by. A lot of care and heart went into this making of this movie and it shows.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Crimes of the Future (2022)

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It’s weird that David Cronenberg has two movies with this title and yet they aren’t connected in any way. Putting that aside, a brief overview of the movie. In the future, mankind has dwindled in size and major parts of cities and civilizations are in ruins. While not specified how far in the future it is or what has happened, it is clear that society and people have changed in dramatic ways. Most people no longer feel pain. Those that do also have the ability to create new organs. In this world, surgery is the new sex as people experience relief and satisfaction from being cut open. Performance artists are the main example of this, such as Viggo Mortensen’s & Lea Seydoux’s characters. But a strange man approaches them to do a performance with a certain body and the new government is working with the Organ Registry to fight back against this man and his group.

I should start with my criticisms of the movie. For some reason, everyone speaks really softly. This isn’t that surprising as many Cronenberg movies seem to have characters speak softly. And there are scenes where that delivery works. But there are just as many scenes where it is difficult to make out what they are saying. There is one scene, where Seydoux’s character is speaking to the crowd watching the final performance of the movie. But the crowd are several feet away and are on higher ground. She should speak louder so they can hear her! There is a subplot that comes up in the movie that doesn’t really go anywhere. I do get what it is supposed to add to Mortensen’s character – someone who feels pain and grows organs only to have them cut out during his performances. It’s meant to push him towards where his character ends up regarding his personal beliefs. But the subplot just feels like it is unceremoniously killed off.

One thing I wasn’t expecting this film to critique is the art world. In this movie, anyone can do surgery. Which makes sense because the way it is done and is experienced by people, it is very much sex. But only certain people are seen as artists and seemingly give meaning to it. It took me a minute for me to adjust to how this is used to parallel the art culture of the real world. Mainly because it takes a while into the movie for the critique to become clear. And I think that might be my biggest critique of the film. You watch it for a while and it is definitely interesting and you want to watch where it goes. But for a while it leaves you wondering what exactly the point of the movie is. What is the message it is trying to convey? It takes until the third act of the movie for your brain to make the connection once Mortensen’s & Seydoux’s characters ask the mysterious man why he wants them to go through with his request for a performance. That request being to perform an autopsy on his dead son.

And from there, I transition to my biggest praise for this movie. When the movie gets to this point, your brain makes the connections very quickly. This movie is exploring how society and the world around us has affected the evolution of our bodies. The people growing new organs are seen by the mysterious man and his group as being the next step in what humanity is becoming. And while this mysterious man’s group has surgically altered themselves, the dead son is the first one to be born with the new organs and system. That is also when you realize that the new government and the Organ Registry want to discredit these people because if this revelation becomes known, who knows how people would react. Granted, by the time you reach this point in the movie, you would assume that everyone would actually not be too disgusted by that. But the way the government tries to find and shut down people in the performance art world or this other group is a form of control. And the government in the real world does have a history of wanting to control what can and can’t be done to our own bodies.

The third act revelation also adds more meat to a lot of characters – their journeys and their motivations. That’s not to say they aren’t good performances. Mortensen is great as always and Seydoux is just as good. Another standout is Kristen Stewart – all though, she doesn’t do a lot. In that way, her role is similar to Robert Pattinson’s in Cronenberg’s movie “Maps to the Stars”. They are definitely in the movie and they have some level of effect on the storyline. But they don’t have a lot of screen time and they do seem to be lacking some sense of closure. I would have liked one more final scene with Stewart’s character to gain a little more insight into her beliefs now that we know the full extent of what she was doing.

But Mortensen’s character journey is the main one to focus on. He is one of the most famous performance artists in this new world. But he is also secretly working with the new government to find and capture certain criminals taking things too far. He is a part of the world but he is in between how life used to be and what life is moving forward. There are multiple times where characters comment on how Mortensen’s character is trying to maintain control over his body through him letting his new organs be cut out before they take root. And when you get to the third act, you put together that this is him denying the changes that are already happening to him and mankind in general – whether he knows that’s why he is doing it or not. But when the end of the movie comes, he does find belief. He believes in what the mysterious group says about how their bodies are changing and what that truly means for them. And the movie ends with him making a decision that see shim embracing that ideology and finally experiencing total relief from the pain he has been feeling.

Sorry if this has been vague, I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible. But this is a movie where the main message is actually very provocative and it stays with you well after you leave the theater. It does unfortunately take a while for the message to be fully realized and there are parts that could have been improved on. But the good outweighs the bad in my opinion and is worth the watch.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review: Dark City

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Stop me if you’ve heard of this one. A man wakes up in a water-filled bath tub in a sketchy room, with no memory of how he ended up there. Throughout the film, he is chased by an all-powerful collective that wants to maintain the fabricated reality everyone else believes in while the main character realizes the truth and gains powers during his journey. I admit it is a bit of a stretch to say the opening shot of this film is strangely similar to the opening of “Saw”. But the main talking point of this movie in the following years is how similar it is to “The Matrix”. It doesn’t help both films were released only a year apart, they filmed in the same city, and even shared sets. But I assure you that they are entirely different films, with my personal favorite being this overlooked gem.

The aura of this movie is instantly distinct from the previously mentioned science fiction-action based blockbuster. A lot of this film is influenced by much older movies, primarily those from the Crime Noir genre. The old TV show “The Twilight Zone” was even a major influence. While this movie can also be classified as science fiction, there is a Horror element that makes the story even more unsettling. And as someone who has seen his fair share of “The Twilight Zone”, it would be easy to believe this could have been a story from that show. But it’s more important to focus on the Crime Noir influence since that is the source of the movie’s themes and plot structure.

Let’s take a moment to talk about the villains in this movie, The Strangers. It is revealed towards the end they are an extraterrestrial species that kidnapped some humans and placed them in a city of their creation. It turns out their species is dying and they are curious about the Human soul. Or in more practical terms, the essence of what makes each person unique while also showcasing what makes the Human race in general different. The decision for them to study that is logical since they shared a collective consciousness without much room for individuality, which could be part of the reason they are dying. This also connects to themes often explored in noir stories. A lot of those movies have the characters explore human nature, what drives someone to do certain actions. Those movies often focus on the darker aspects of humanity and the cruelty that we can find ourselves capable of doing if pushed far enough. And those movies can oftentimes end on a depressing note as the main character can find themselves disillusioned and hardened by their experiences.

But this movie cleverly switches that around. Yes, the main character – John Murdoch – sees through the fake reality that has been created by The Strangers. Learns of how his life has been manipulated and how he has been forced in a sense to do things he most likely wouldn’t do of his own choice. But while one can call this being disillusioned, the movie would most likely refer to this as being enlightened. Now that he is aware of what is happening around him, he can utilize his mind to take control of his own life and future. And while the movie does make this literal with him having psychokinesis, it’s still an accurate way of portraying how that idea can be utilized in the real world. Just don’t expect yourselves to actually be able to create building with the power of your brain.

Another way that this movie turns a classic Noir trope around is the conclusion the main character comes to about Humanity. A lot of Noir films will end with the main character having a more pessimistic outlook on people and the world at large. But at the end of Murdoch’s story, he proves that the unpredictable nature of people is actually a good thing. When left to our own devices, we have the capability of creating a world and future that is bright and full of possibilities. The Strangers trying to figure that out through their experiment were never going to be able to fully comprehend that due to their own nature. Their experiment was doomed from the beginning. Even when one of them tries to form some kind of individuality it ends up ultimately being incompatible and kills him. Our free will is what makes us unique and so interesting. And with it, who knows what we can be capable of?

Film Editorials, Movies

Why the Pet Sematary Remake is Important

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The 1983 novel “Pet Sematary” is considered Stephen King’s darkest novel. It’s a story that follows a family that moves to a new home and not long after that, one of their children is killed. It’s an exploration of the heaviest kind of grief, connected to a fear that every parent has and an experience that they hope to never go through. When it was first adapted into a movie in 1989, it stood out for being a Horror movie more focused on emotion than physical violence. Most people really like the film and is considered one of the best Stephen King movies/adaptations. However, when the remake came out in 2019, it has a more mixed response. But I don’t think many of the criticisms are valid.

It’s easy to dismiss a Horror remake and just say it isn’t good or as good as the original. Hell, you can say that about any remake. And there are plenty of examples where that turns out to be the truth. But I think it’s important we keep in mind the quality of the original film as it was. There is a sense of dread and gloom in the film. But there were plenty of times in the original where it came at odds with some of the more campy elements/scenes of the movie. A number of them revolve around Victor Pascow, or rather his spirit because he dies in the first scene he’s in. But he occasionally pops up to offer a more comedic feel to certain scenes. And that can sometimes feel a bit jarring compared to the feel the movie is trying to go for. And there are moments where the acting from some of the main characters are kind of flat.

Keeping that in mind, the remake is actually a better made film in that respect. This version still has a sense of dread but we still have moments throughout the first part of the movie where we get to know the main characters and connect with them. Only this time it feels like the tone of the movie is more consistent. And the acting is also more consistent. Jason Clarke as Louis Creed stands out more compared to Dale Midkiff. The rest of the cast also does a great job with the roles they are in. While John Lithgow is certainly a different interpretation, he is still very likable and feels organic to the way the story is being told.

But now let’s get to the stuff really worth talking about – the differences in this version. In this scenario, there are two major differences in this remake that sets itself apart and is the focus of criticism. The first is the character Ellie Creed. She is the oldest daughter of the Creed family. Unlike her younger brother Gage, who’s still a young child. Ellie though goes to school and hold conversations with her parents. Even talking about some of her fears and anxieties that are more abstract. We get the chance to create an emotional connection that helps us understand and feel for her. She’s a bit more developed in this version than she is in the original film.

And then she dies. Which is a major change since in the original movie and book, Gage is the child who dies. When wandering in the street and a truck doesn’t stop in time. I understand why it was originally Gage who dies, since someone so young – basically still a toddler – is heartbreaking and unthinkable. But from a narrative perspective, it makes more sense for Ellie to die. We’ve spent more time with her and she’s an actual character in the movie. The impact feels heavier. Some may point out that it feels more planned since she sees her cat Church, resurrected from the burial ground and abandoned by Louis a couple of scenes ago,,and goes out to try and get him. I’m all right with that since the Pet Sematary is supposed to have an influence on the people near it and push them to use the soil. I’ll admit though that while we don’t get a close look at her body right after the accident, it doesn’t seem that bloody of a corpse. But I can forgive that since that’s a nit-picky criticism.

That’s what makes the next part of the story that more interesting – the first human resurrection. In the first film, it doesn’t take long for Louis to decide to kill Gage after his youngest child comes back from the dead. But it takes a while for him to realize what he’s done after Ellie comes back. He tries to clean her up when she comes back, she still treats him like the dad she loves. He even goes as far as to think showing his wife Rachel what he did thinking she would be happy about it. Having Ellie be the first one back from the dead makes the confrontation with Jud more interesting. Let’s face it, having Gage being able to take down Jud or any adult in the original film is kind of silly. But this works because not only is Ellie small enough to still sneak around, but she has the intelligence to emotionally manipulate. Her face transforms into Jud’s dead wife and taunts him, intimidating him and eventually getting the upper hand and victory. That same kind of emotional manipulation is also used against her dad when he finally comes back to his senses and tries to kill her. It works well enough to get him to hesitate, leaving room for the opening kill against him.

And now comes the other major difference in this version that’s a source of criticism – the ending. The novel has it where Jud and Gage are dead, Ellie is in Chicago with her grandparents, and Louis takes his wife to the burial ground thinking this time it will be different. It ends with him waiting at home, a hand then rests on his should as he hears her call him “Darling”. The original film is mainly the same. But it ends with the two of them making out – which the resurrected Rachel uses as a distraction as she grabs a weapon and starts bringing it down on him just before the credits roll. But it is very different in this version. Jud is still dead, that’s the same. But as mentioned earlier, Louis is killed in his fight against his resurrected daughter. But Ellie had killed Rachel and dragged her to the burial ground earlier, meaning it is the resurrected Rachel that kills Louis. Mother and daughter drag Louis to the burial ground. The next morning comes and all three approach the vehicle were the still living Gage is sitting in, and the undead cat lands on the hood looking at the young child through the window.

A lot of people view this as kind of silly. Some say that this change was only made just o lazily subvert expectations. I understand that mind-set, especially when several movies or TV shows seems to want to subvert expectations without thinking of a way to do it that makes sense. But let me point this out. Both the original movie and the novel is an exploration of how a tragedy affects a family. How that grief spreads and destroys everyone. In this movie…the grief doesn’t destroy. Instead, it consumes them. And yes, there is a difference. In the original version of the story, grief destroys the relationships between all family members. But this version keeps them united, while drastically changing their personalities and beliefs by extension. While the heads of the Creed family may have lost themselves following Gage’s death, Ellie is actually in the care of her grandparents. There is still hope that she can make something of her life and move on in the years to follow. But not in this story.

All of them have been drastically altered by the tragedy that befell them. Regardless of if they brought it on themselves or if it was unavoidable, they are not the same. The trajectory of their lives are forever altered. There are plenty of people in real life that expect their lives to unfold one way, but then something happens that forces them down a darker path. And sometimes they don’t recover. They just can’t move one and try to grow. They succumb to darker emotions and perspectives. That’s what has happened to this family. Whatever comes next for them, it is objectively far worse than what would have happened to them before the trauma. And seeing how often opportunities have been presented that would have stopped this from happening, you have to wonder if they even wanted to be saved.

And that’s why I think this movie is just as good as the original. In some cases, even better. I know I’m in the minority about this. But maybe you should give it another shot. After reading this, you might view the film a bit differently. Might even realize that it wasn’t a mistake to bring this story back to life.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Morbius

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Marketing is very important for a movie. They can help ensure how many people are going to see a movie once it premieres. Back in the day, “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” didn’t make a lot of money when it opened in theaters despite how great of a movie it is. But that can be blamed on the lack of marketing there was for the movie. Both in terms of how much there was and in the low quality of the film’s marketing. And the marketing for “Morbius” wasn’t exactly stellar. Of course the numerous delays didn’t help. But now it’s out and people are already tearing it apart. And now it’s time for me to see how well the movie ended up being and it it matched how I expected it to turn out.

Overall, this movie is…all right. I know that all the trailers and TV spots probably make this movie seem lame. And there is stuff to not like about it. If you were to read the script for this movie, it’s clearly underwhelming and bland. But the main reason this movie is elevated to it being fine is thanks to the performances. While Jared Leto tends to play eccentric characters, he is more restrained and actually gives a good performance. Nothing amazing, but he does what any actor should do and get us invested in the title character. All the actors in this film give the performances they should and end up being good or good enough. Of course, Matt Smith is a stand out as he is clearly having fun. His character, Milo, grew up with Michael Morbius and they shared the same blood disease. And early on it clearly establishes their connection and you do enjoy how they interact with each other before they eventually turn on the other.

So performances all around are good. The effects are hit or miss, with admittedly more misses. Morbius has this echolocation ability that does look kind of interesting when used. The effects used to show his more monstrous form is okay. Nothing particularly memorable but I’ve seen worse. And it does have a vague vampire-like quality to it. But whenever he moves fast or jumps/glides through the air, he creates this smoke around him. Or I guess you can call it mist, I’m not sure what it should be called. There’s really no reason in-universe why it’s happening, but I think it’s used to cover the bad effects used for the action scenes. But the action overall is also okay. I’ve seen far worse when it comes to action so this didn’t really bug me. The story outline is very similar to other comic book movies from the 2000s, but it again executes it fine.

And that’s ultimately the film’s biggest failure. That it’s only fine. If this truly was as bad as most people saying it is, I would have a lot more to talk about. If this movie had tried more to add something unique or even eccentric – regardless if it worked or not – I would have something more to talk about. But I really don’t. Outside of the post credits scene – which is a clear example of how Sony has the poorest organization skills when it comes to mapping out their cinematic universe – I just don’t have much to say. There are small moments and scenes that do show the potential it could have been. But it really plays it safe all things considered. Take that for what’s it worth. Maybe not good enough to buy a ticket, but good enough to rent it or check it out on streaming.

Comics

The Strange Story of Blossoms 666

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Archie was my first exposure to reading comic books. Sure, as a young kid I was into superheroes. But that was through other media & adaptations. Such as the Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man movies, or the various animated kids shows based on characters like the Justice League or the Teen Titans. My family used to have this cabin and there were some old collections of Archie comics I found back during the summer right before ninth grade.. There were a few of those large collections collecting various different issues. The most intense it got was Archie trying to figure out how to the movie theater while on two separate dates at the same time while Moose was trapped in roller blades and constantly running into other people. Fast forward to college when I saw the CW was making a Riverdale show and I was at first surprised by it’s really dark tone. But also kind of digging it for the first couple of seasons. This ultimately lead me to discover the existence of Archie Horror and the story in question.

The basic plot is that Cheryl & Jason Blossom are the children of Satan worshippers and one of them is destined to become the Anti-Christ. But it’s sort of like a contest/competition where the two of them are trying to out-evil the other by manipulating people in town. But wait! There is a third sibling that neither of them knew about – Julian Blossom. He arrives in town and now Cheryl & Jason are scheming together to get rid of their competition.

Right off the bat, I think the art work for this mini series is pretty solid. It takes a semi-realistic approach to how it depicts the characters and their world. And it has a variety of different of colors on display. All though it does lean towards the darker shades and of course red definitely has it’s fair share of page time. But I think some of more eye catching art you will find are the designs from the individual comic issues which are included in the trade. It embraces the supernatural aspect in a more flashy display.

As for the story itself, it is pretty solid. It does have a sense of fun and a touch of dark humor. Characterization for the main players are vaguely similar to how they are in the CW show with a few exceptions. Jason is more similar to Cheryl and their parents are surprisingly decent people, devil worshipping aside. But Betty and Jughead are still similar enough to their TV actors which would help bring in fans of that show. But even if you aren’t a fan of the show, they still work well in the context of the mini series. But there are a few problems that do kind of bug me.

Julian makes his surprise appearance at the end of an issue, which in itself isn’t bad. But it’s in issue two and this is a five issue mini series. It doesn’t give the story a lot of time to build tension between the three siblings. I think the thinking is that they waited on that reveal because they wanted to give us an idea of how Jason & Cheryl normally act in Riverdale and how Julian’s appearance changes life for them and the town. And the timing would make more sense of this was a six issue story. But it probably should have happened at the end of issue one. There are also a couple of cutaways to an unidentified dead body as well as an unseen person throughout the story. At the end, it’s revealed this is Julian after his siblings killed them. The implication is supposed to be that he came back from the dead and is now returning for revenge. But at first, I thought the story was implying a time loop where the events of the story play out over and over again. That could have just been my stupid brain interpreting it that way, but those cutaways do seem a little out of place at first.

Speaking of the story implying Julian comes back from the dead, the series also has another cliffhanger. Betty does investigating and digs into Riverdale’s dark past and Jughead gets s little too involved in Cheryl & Jason’s games. The two of them end up getting together at Pop’s diner and they try to come up with a plan of what to do with their information. But as far as I know, this story doesn’t have a sequel nor are there any current plans to continue the mini series. That combined with Julian resurrecting does feel anti-climatic when you come across that realization. And personally, I think it would be really cool to have the Blossom siblings use more obvious supernatural abilities. A little something to really show off that these are potential dark rulers of Hell with a wide arsenal of tricks and magical powers.

Having said that, it isn’t a bad story. I still find myself enjoying it. Though that could be me just being a big fan of Horror in general. It’s a more tame example of what the Archie Horror imprint has to offer. I mean, with other titles like Afterlife with Archie & Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, this does feel the most grounded. Think of it like a gateway to discovering a bunch of other cool Horror stories, whether it’s from Archie or elsewhere.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – X

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I still hate it when you have these reboot sequels that have the exact same film as the original. Blumhouse’s new Halloween film that’s a follow up to John Carpenter’s original is also called “Halloween”. Or how the Jordan Peele produced sequel to “Candyman” is also just called “Candyman”. But at least they had more than one letter in their title? All I know is that anyone looking for a review of this movie is going to have some trouble finding what they’re looking for. As you can tell this is a little more casual than most of my other posts but let me still try and give some insight.

This little flick comes from film studio A24. They’re the ones that are behind films like Spring Breakers, Ex Machina & The Witch. Basically films that embrace their weirdness but also turn out pretty good. And while this film has a little bit of weird, I can’t say it’s on the same level as the ones I mentioned. Without getting into spoilers, it’s about a group of people who set out to make a porn movie. There are a few actors, the producer, the director & the director’s girlfriend who does sound. They stay at this guest house owned by this elderly couple. The old man doesn’t know they are doing it so they try and do it in secret. But it turns out it’s the couple that has a secret and then the scares happen.

In case you were wondering, the “X” of this film refers to the X factor that makes someone a star. And that’s the main deal with the main actress of this film who believes she will become a star. But honestly, I don’t think she is that great. This is a movie with Jenna Ortega and yet their biggest name is more of a supporting character. She starts off as the shy girl they call Church Mouse. She kinda has a story of sorts but not really. But screw it, I’m using her character poster as the featured image of this review. Because she was the only one I cared about. It’s not because the protagonists of this film are horrible people. They might have a couple of moments that make them look like assholes. But they’re okay people. Which unfortunately means they just leave an okay impression.

And the scares are kind of hit and miss. A couple of jump scares that are obviously and just annoying. However there are a few moments that are pretty decent. The first kill that happens includes some audio of the song “Don’t Fear The Reaper” so I might be a little biased when it came to that scene. But I liked it. Looking on it now however, I think this film went in the wrong direction with it’s execution. I feel like this could have been a movie that should have been a horror comedy. Something of a satire. It has the potential for that. And while there are a few moments of dark comedy and chuckles, it’s hard to tell if those were on purpose or not. Or maybe they could have dropped the horror angle altogether and make it an insightful movie about the different views of sex & love between generations and various backgrounds. Again, it does have that material. A24 doesn’t always do Horror, they could have gone this route.

But nope, this is what we got. And it’s fine honestly. Nothing really obviously wrong with it. Some scene transitions that are weird is the biggest offense. At least I can appreciate this is something based off a new idea instead of being another sequel or reboot or remake or whatever. Nothing inherently wrong with any of those, but with so many of those being made right now, this is a little refreshing. If your a little curious about it, there’s no harm in checking it out.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Black Christmas (2019)

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The original 1974 film is one of the earliest Slasher movies. It’s influence can be felt in other classics such as John Carpenter’s “Halloween” & Wes Craven’s “Scream”. It had smart writing, a tense atmosphere, and one of the most ominous endings from the genre. In 2006, the first remake came out and it was decidedly not as good as the original. It wasn’t scary, smart, or subtle. But it was unapologetically sleazy and had some solid gore. So if you were looking for a version that had that, this would certainly entertain. The reason I’m informing you about these other films is to help illustrate how Blumhouse’s remake has no redeeming qualities.

Right off the bat, the PG-13 rating needs to be addressed. I’m a big fan of Horror and I will be one of the first to tell you that a film doesn’t have to be rated R to be good. But you need to know how to utilize it with the right sub-genre. Supernatural Horror films rely more on unsettling imagery which doesn’t have to be drenched in blood or gore. Psychological Horror films force us to watch the mental torture of a character without having to be graphic. But Slasher films are famous for how much blood and violence they have. Even if you were to watch one of the most standard by the numbers Slasher film, there’s a good chance you can still find enjoyment in the kill scenes. But with this version of “Black Christmas” having a PG-13 rating, the kills have no bite/impact.

But to be clear, that is the least of this movie’s problems. It’s clear that the primary focus while making this movie was to have social commentary. Badly written and executed commentary. Thereby leaving us with a bizarre story with dull characters that have no personality. I don’t even remember any of their names. Also, there are a few characters that we are supposed to root for that I don’t even like. One of the main characters has active social causes to pursue. Such as starting a petition to get one of the college professors fired. She pushes one of her friends to do a talent show performance purposefully meant to get a reaction from the fraternity members hosting the show. One of them being the guy who sexually assaulted our main lead, Riley. But then Riley’s friend posts their performance online without consent from any of her friends, which has lead to them being harassed online or getting threatening calls. Why am I supposed to root for her when she does something like that?

The dialogue of this movie is also a huge concern. We get a few different conversations/arguments regarding sexism in society and in institutions, which is what you would expect going into this film based on the trailer. But everything they say are just surface level statements and buzz words. When they do get into arguments, they don’t go into any deep discussion. It’s just phrases you could pull from a similar argument from any social media site. But let’s put the social commentary aside. There are several scenes where we get huge exposition dumps that have to explain everything that is going on. In a manner that insults the intelligence of the viewer, as if we can’t follow along and make connections ourselves. And several points in these exposition dumps make you wonder how even the person explaining the movie has come to those conclusions for parts that didn’t witness themselves.

And then there’s the climax. It starts off with the main lead, Riley, being kidnapped and brought forth a secret society made up of the fraternity and lead by the college professor her friend was trying to get fired. In another exposition dump, it is established how the founder of the school apparently knew how to do Black Magic and enchanted his bust to have future followers of his beliefs to be possessed by his spirit. Actually scratch that – since it’s black goo the movie clearly is showing it’s supposed to be a stand-in for toxic masculinity. And of course the leader of this society goes into more detail about how they plan to “put women back into their place” and establish man’s rightful place once again.

This…this is the part of the film where everyone should be insulted. For the average movie watcher, this plot and the commentary is so painfully obvious and ham fisted, the only way they can enjoy it is a “so bad it’s good” film. But it is also an insult for anyone who has seen the original “Black Christmas”. The original movie included a plot of how one of the character’s was pregnant and how her boyfriend who wanted to drop out and marry her becomes angry she doesn’t want to do that. That subplot was integrated into the other mysterious happenings that made it seem like that person was the killer until the climax when it was confirmed he wasn’t. The way that movie approached that topic and wrote it is a great way of showing how a Horror movie can be smart. This film has no room for subtlety or nuance as it devolves into this big action fight scene. And it ending with the girls locking all the guys in the burning building as Riley looks at it and smiles. Except…during that climax, we saw that when some guys broke free from the supernatural influence, they didn’t have any idea what was going on. Implying that they weren’t actually in control of their actions or consented to any of this. And they were left to burn alive with the rest. And how do you think they are going to explain what happened to the police? They have to be involved when a college is set on fire. And that shot of Riley smiling at the sight just makes her seem like a psychopath.

Here is the best way I can show you the difference between the original and Blumhouse’s remake. Both share a scene of a character going to the police to report a disappearance of a friend. In the original, the place is full of people and a couple of officers trying their best to get through as many of them as possible. When the girl tells an officer about a missing friend, the officer suggests possible scenarios that in theory are plausible but continues to not fully listen to her. This could be interpreted as a form of sexism in not taking a woman’s claim seriously, it could be interpreted as just a busy officer going through as many people as he could on a busy night. But the movie leaves it open for how you view it. In the Blumhouse film, it is a completely empty station save for one police officer. She has his full attention. But when she tells him she thinks her missing friend is in danger, he just laughs and comes up with flimsy scenarios for what he thinks is going on. Are there officers in real life like this? I don’t doubt it. But it is on the nose and painfully obvious what the movie wants you to think.

This was a painful movie to watch. Not scary in the least. A lazily written story with uninteresting characters. Insane logic and twists that you have to laugh it in pity for the film. It’s frustrating on every level.