Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs (1977)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: Roger Donaldson

Starring: Sam Neill (RIP), Ian Mune, Ian Watkin, Davina Whitehouse, Warren Oates

From: Several New Zealand companies

RIP Sam Neill

I can echo the thoughts of everyone who was saddened upon hearing this recent news, especially after remembering that just months before, a cancer remission was announced. Of course, as someone born in ’81 I’ll remember him best as Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise; that was the first film I saw him in. Only later on did I check out the likes of The Hunt for Red October, Possession, and In the Mouth of Madness. Even in lousy movies I never had a problem with his performance and off-screen, I found it fascinating he ran a winery in New Zealand & cared about Aboriginal causes both in NZ and Australia.

Choosing a film not watched yet was a priority; this was selected for several reasons. It’s on Arrow’s streaming platform, was the first New Zealand movie that made international waves, was the first feature film from the country shot in 35mm from a fully national crew w/o foreign involvement (!), was Neill’s first featuring film starring role, and was the feature film debut of director Roger Donaldson.

No comment on why, but the concept of the movie made me laugh sheepishly more than once. After all, a fascist government in NZ has began a police state and started martial law after there’s turmoil related to oil in the Middle East… then later in the film, the United States Army becomes involved in an attempt to squash The Resistance. Neill is on a remote island by choice-his wife cheated so he wanted to peace out & be alone. It’s farcical then that due to circumstances, he’s arrested then unwittingly becomes a face of The Resistance.

I use the term “farcical” yet Sleeping Dogs was a downbeat 70’s movie which had some light moments but our lead Smith’s world becomes a nightmare that only becomes more frightening by the day as the fascist government increases their pressure as the vice grip tightens, Smith’s freedom diminishing. More than a few deaths are shown—my downbeat comments were not an exaggeration. At least the score was interesting, as was the decision to include… 70’s New Zealand country music?! They were good tunes, at least.

Those interested in discovering that even in the nascent portion of his great career, Sam Neill had the goods and could deliver quality performances… that plus the significance this had for New Zealand film makes this curio worth a shot. In addition, the presence of the U.S. Army allowed for the inclusion of one then-known actor in the cast: Warren Oates. While not a lengthy role in terms of the few scenes he was in, he of course delivered another nice performance. There definitely are Neill movies to be viewed in the future that probably should have been tackled long ago, I was glad to have selected this.

A Tourist's Guide to Love

A Tourist's Guide to Love (2023)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Steven K. Tsuchida

Starring: Rachael Leigh Cook, Scott Ly, Thanh Truc, Glynn Sweat, Missi Pyle

From: Netflix

So, on Sunday I met Rachael Leigh Cook… again! That’s why I was gone for the entire day. I’ll explain more later but this finally felt like the time to check out this Netflix movie. For years now she’s done these sorts of romantic/Hallmark films which to be frank aren’t in my wheelhouse so that’s why those haven’t been viewed even though yes, I’m a fan of hers.

Her character Amanda works in the travel industry, she breaks up with her dope boyfriend, she goes undercover for a tour in Vietnam as her company wishes to buy that Vietnamese company, the tour leader is a handsome Vietnamese man, you can guess the rest. 

Yeah, the comedic moments, the lovely sights of the country, the exotic setting itself, and the onslaught of facts concerning Vietnam (a secondary purpose did seem to present this like an advertisement to visit the Southeast Asian country… thankfully it’s not pushy in the messaging) were of more interest to me than the romance elements… your mileage my vary. The other people on the tour include a Black lesbian couple w/ a teen daughter-you won’t see that in a Hallmark movie!-who starts to become romantic w/ Andrew Barth Feldman, who I understand the Broadway people would know but I’m not a Broadway guy either.

As for how I was able to meet Ms. Cook both times, both of course were at comic-cons in the Miami suburbs, necessitating road trips of a few hours each. I explained in 2018 (when I had a fraction of the followers I do now) that the first meeting in ’18 wasn’t the best… solely due to me. I did left out the detail that a panic attack occurred before the meeting—that’s why I came off like a buffoon & I’ll leave it at that. Don’t worry, on Sunday I did not freak out beforehand so that interaction went much better. Both times, she was a VERY nice lady, a fact others have stated for a long time.

I won’t share what Sunday’s conversation entailed, except that I finally did explain to her why the first meeting was a debacle… well, that was her term for it! I shouldn’t have been too surprised that she recalled meeting a truly unique, one-of-a-kind individual like myself, but she also remembered that first encounter! Yeah, it WAS a debacle (plus, it’s a great word) so I couldn’t be chuffed at that comment. Thank heavens Sunday wasn’t a disaster this time and I had that second chance. 

As for the film… yes it’s predictable and easy to nitpick; plus, especially today I won’t be unbiased towards a picture where the star was also a producer. Not that large a percentage of my Letterboxd mutuals are even that interested in “romcoms” but hopefully those that are would not disagree w/ my opinion if they ever do give this a shot in the future. Cook and leading man Scott Ly are at least a charming couple. Also, Missi Pyle appears in a few scenes, for those that remember her fondly as well.

I can give the highest recommendation if she’s ever at a con that you attend. Even with a socially awkward, eccentric fellow like myself, she was great. Who knows when or even if a third meeting will happen. Viewing more of her movies and doing new reviews of previously-discussed movies that have brief reviews should occur more often.

Scary Movie (The New One)

Scary Movie (2026)

24% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 131 reviews) 

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Michael Tiddes

Starring: All the returning faces, + the likes of Olivia Rose Keegan, Cameron Scott Roberts, Savannah Lee Nassif, & Sydney Park

From: Paramount/Miramax

You know, I didn't think this was that bad. Many will disagree & that's fine. The bad buzz was why the film was only watched yesterday, while I was elsewhere all of Sunday (I'll explain in tomorrow's review how crazy Sunday was) & took in a theatrical viewing.

As mentioned a few months ago, I did watch the first two movies in the franchise on the big screen-and none of the subsequent sequels, whether at the cineplex or at home-so might as well do the same now that the Wayans family returned. The crowd was predominately Black; of course not every Black person has the same tastes but they were fans of the film & perhaps that did improve my opinion, re: Scary Movie 2026. They definitely knew Kai Cenat; me, it was a name heard beforehand-otherwise, even now I don't know a damn thing about him!

Even I can admit that the humor didn't always land, the most “controversial” moments only earned sporadic chuckles & didn't mean all that much... that and them cramming in the last 25 years of genre references wasn't always to the film's benefit. I actually was concerned as some major horror pictures of recent years hadn't been viewed by me so that might make those references a little awkward. Thankfully, the bones the plot are built on are: the 5th & 6th Scream movies and the 2018 Halloween. As all have been seen by me-heck, all were theatrical experiences-that meant my concerns were unwarranted.

It was nice to see the cast, both old & new. I realize some of the performances have been bashed-fair, although IMO some characters were meant to be that OOT. I also didn't mind the satiric barbs at certain liberal talking points-they also took potshots at the conservatives, don't worry. The random background or random non-sequitor gags & a clever conclusion-where multiple people noted that the motivation for Ghostface here was better than in Scream 7!-helped in my enjoyment. No offense to those in Gen Z but I didn't mind the digs at your generation!

As mentioned by me more often as of late, I love everyone that follows me on Letterboxd (almost six thousand!) yet there should be more caution applied when looking at what users in general rate, especially modern popular cinema. It was a relief that the new Scary Movie worked better than expected.

Pitch Black

Pitch Black (2000)

Runtime: 107 minutes

Directed by: David Twohy

Starring: Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Keith David, Lewis Fitz-Gerald

From: Polygram Filmed Entertainment/Interscope Communications

The color grading on this film is insane.

I know people will be shocked-probably not appalled but shocked nevertheless-that none of the Riddick movies were ever viewed by me. As people elsewhere discussed it and I believe it was promised by me at this location that at least the first would be given a shot one day… thanks to Netflix that occurred.

Pitch Black sure was a movie released in 2000. After the opening crash on the desert planet where a ragtag group of people are stuck (including some Muslims) I thought this’d be the yellowest motion picture in history, before it turned a blue hue before alternating back to yellow for the rest of the exterior scenes, aside from a green scene. I’m not insulting the film by noting it is something from the early 21st century… as mentioned before, I’ll always be nostalgic for how cinema of this time looked and felt, during my college days way back when.

This picture is not perfect by any means-even in the creature feature genre-and the CG is usually of its time. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t entertained. This ragtag group was sometimes cliché yet still intrigued. Vin Diesel as RICHARD B. RIDDICK was of course the most memorable as the criminal with the surgically-altered eyes, necessitating the usage of those oh-so-cool shades during daylight. It’s the sort of character that of course Diesel is best at for a man of his particular skillset. The rest of the cast was fine, regardless if they were familiar faces.

I’m glad that this was a fun sci-fi creature feature w/ some interesting ideas & touches, along with thrilling horror & action beats. One day in the far-future I should check out the sequels, including the upcoming Furya. Hopefully they all have nice scores like the one Graeme Revell provided here, or Riddick hiding in plain sight like he did in the first act.

Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders

This is why medicine in the United States is such a hassle to open.

Last night was another Netflix documentary, this one being an infamous story where cyanide was placed in several containers of Tylenol in the Chicago suburbs back in late ’82. Back then the capsules were much different and no safety seals were used, making the process unfortunately easy for any miscreant. I knew the incident & how the case is still unsolved but little else. This was illuminating.

It’s a standard documentary from the platform, competently constructed & featuring many of the parties involved, including family members of the deceased. The basics were presented then the one serious suspect-James W. Lewis-is presented, and actually interviewed on camera. He’s an A-hole who wrote an extortion letter to frame an enemy and was accused of some horrible crimes but there’s no evidence that he’s behind the product tampering.

Then, there’s discussion how Johnson & Johnson shouldn’t have been so easily cleared of wrongdoing & seen as victims themselves. It’s easy to hate the conglomeration now-their Wiki page has a huge section under “Recalls & Litigation”… it’s not just the claims that their baby powder causes ovarian cancer!-but there are reasons to believe that there could have been accidental or purposeful contamination at the factory. Their crisis management team were wizards in making Johnson & Johnson look good in the scandal and Tylenol did not go defunct.

The documentary doesn’t break any new ground in terms of investigation but still did a fine job in explaining the story to viewers unaware & giving credit to those involved with the case. As much a frustration as it typically is to open a bottle of Tylenol or any other medicine, I can’t complain that those products are now much less resistant to the effects of tampering once they leave the factory.

Central Park

Central Park (1932)

Runtime: 57 minutes

Directed by: John G. Adolfi

Starring: Joan Blondell, Wallace Ford, Guy Kibbee, Henry B. Walthall, John Wray

From: Warner Bros. 

The 57-minute length plus my schedule necessitated viewing this for a special late Thursday Letterboxd review posting. I DVR’ed this from a TCM showing yesterday due to someone on the site I follow posting this review several years ago. They weren’t over the moon for it (and accurately stated that the similar Union Depot from the same year was better) yet this was a breezy good time.

This covers one day in the famed New York City locale; this includes Joan Blondell & Wallace Ford as poor people falling in love, cop Guy Kibbee retiring in a week due to failing eyesight (does this portend doom for him?), gangsters attempting to rob a charity event, a lion escaping the park’s zoo, AND a dude named Smiley who’s not only a former zookeeper, but escaped from what we now call a mental health facility.

Plenty happens in less than an hour; there’s at least 90 minutes’ worth of story. At times the story is more than a little preposterous and Smiley-in an OOT performance-is such a lunatic, a beer bottle broken over his head had no effect. There’s also playing cards tossed into a hat, a homemade lasso, the Central Park Casino (an actual location; it’s Italian for “little house” so it did not host any gambling), a wild herd of sheep-was that ever a thing-people jumping head-first through an open window, and more.

Blondell & her eyes were a highlight, as typical. So much happens there’s not even a minute where boredom sets in. Of course there are many other details, that factor into my thinking a movie’s great. Central Park isn’t a masterpiece by any regards but was still fun, with many familiar Warner Brothers stock players and B-movie actors in bit parts, including Edward LeSaint, best known by me for his role as a judge in Disorder in the Court AND Reefer Madness.

I’m glad TCM played this flick; otherwise it’s hard to track down unless you take a journey to the Bowels of the Internet.

Frankenhooker

Frankenhooker (1990)

Runtime: 85 minutes

Directed by: Frank Henenlotter

Starring: James Lorinz, Patty Mullen, many other random people but there's also Shirley Stoler and Louise Lasser (RIP)

From: Shapiro/Glickenhaus Entertainment

RIP Louise Lasser

I realize this is far from the most dignified movie she was in and one day in the future I really need to revisit the one Woody Allen film I saw her in (like 20 years ago by now) but she’s unfortunately someone whose work has mainly not been seen by me. Todd Solondz is really not for me so Happiness is out of the question and her most famous role (the soap opera spoof TV show Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman) was way before my time. 

I should check out most of her work but I picked this as it’s a popular film somehow never watched by me before despite having viewed Basket Case before, my knowing some plot elements-like SUPERCRACK-and some scenes being filmed in The Bad New York City of Old. She’s only in one scene but was good in her role as lead Jeffrey’s Franken’s mom. Jeffrey is maladjusted anyhow but is much more so after his girlfriend Elizabeth Shelley is killed in a freak lawnmower accident, her body horribly mutilated.

The film is incredibly silly; Jeffrey is a mad scientist obviously mentally unwell who creates SUPERCRACK to explode a body so he can have a new body as Elizabeth’s head is the main part that wasn’t maimed so he decides to visit the prostitutes of New York City! No surprise, things go awry once he creates then animates the titular Frankenhooker.

The budget is low, the acting usually isn’t great and this could be nitpicked if you were the intolerable type. Thankfully I am not so I enjoyed the verisimilitude of director Frank Henenlotter, the OOT characters-Zorro, the buff Hispanic pimp was especially memorable-general absurdity-those prostitutes lose their minds once they discover Jeffrey’s crack supply-and how entertaining this trash was. The print I saw on Prime was from Troma-those that enjoy what the studio makes/releases should enjoy Frankenhooker.

One last important detail: the portrayal of the prostitutes is one thing—Elizabeth is presented rather well & sympathetic. Many reviewers have praised her character, especially after she’s reconstructed & deals with stupid men in a satisfying matter. Props to James Lorinz as Jeffrey, Joseph Gonzalez as Zorro, & especially Patty Mullen as Elizabeth. Also, I was amused that Shirley Stoller had a small role; she’s a “That Gal” actor who was in everything from Malcolm X to The Deer Hunter.