J.D.'s Revenge

J.D.'s Revenge (1976)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Arthur Marks

Starring: Glynn Turman, Louis Gossett, Jr., Joan Pringle, Carl D. Crudup, Fred Pinkard

From: AIP 

In this late night (at least by my standards of posting reviews on Letterboxd) posting, I discuss a film that has nothing to do with J.D. Vance. Rather, J.D.’s Revenge is a blaxploitation horror film I’ve known of for years and was happy to watch once it was added to Shudder. With any luck this won’t be the only Black nor the only horror during the month of February.

The opening is set in 1942 New Orleans; a woman is killed and Lou Gossett, Jr. (w/ hair) is present. The rest is set in modern times. A hypnotism stage act allows for the titular J.D. Walker to possess the body of Ike (portrayed well by Glynn Turman), a budding law school student who drives a cab. For a long while, the two souls fight over Ike’s body; don’t expect the titular revenge to happen until late in the proceedings. Until then, we get to see Lou as a charismatic preacher (who I scoffed at playing someone in his 50’s… until learning he was almost 40 during filming. Whoops!), his brother and in addition, Ike’s girlfriend, who unfortunately is abused more than once by the persona of J.D., including sexually.

Yeah, this features no shortage of 70’s sleaze. Early on, a double-date occurs… at a topless bar. The N word is uttered often. J.D is great at sex; no, really, that’s a plot point! For some today, seeing women be abused (which happens more than typical in Revenge) is a bridge too far. That’s understandable to me-such titillation is a product of a bygone era, and many blaxploitation films don’t portray women well, or have them abused.

Thankfully-for me, at least-the usual blaxploitation bravado was present and that amused me. Always nice is a funky score, which in this case was from Robert Prince; aside from plenty of work in TV and cinema, he also released some jazz albums. If the sleazier elements aren’t a turn-off, this blaxploitation horror effort is worth a look. The two leads are a key component as to why.

 

633 Squadron

633 Squadron (1964)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Walter Grauman

Starring: Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris, Maria Perschy, Harry Andrews, Donald Houston

From: Mirisch Films

I swear, it’s a coincidence this is my second Cliff Robertson film in a row; I was surprised when his name was the first to appear in the opening credits. My main reasons for checking this out: I hadn’t seen a war picture in awhile, and many Star Wars fans know that one of the inspirations for the trench run at the end of A New Hope was acknowledged to be this film, along with The Dam Busters. Thankfully, this did not have any unfortunate names for a black dog… I only saw Top Gun: Maverick one time but from my memory, suspicions are high that this inspired that as well.

While this was purportedly based on real RAF operations, this tale of the UK military in 1944 bombing a Nazi factory in Norway that produces rocket fuel is fictional. Not as much time practicing this run was presented as I expected. Instead, time was spent with the crew that Robertson is the commander of. Unlike the evil President he portrayed in Escape from L.A., that commander role is one where he is cynical concerning war itself but he has love for his squad & the feeling is reciprocated; there’s great camaraderie. 

This focus was to make a death (or is it deaths?) of the squad more impactful. There is a hint of romance w/ a pretty Norwegian lady who is the sister of the Norwegian resistance leader who the RAF is collaborating w/ on this mission.

The movie isn’t the best in its genre and is not a must-see unless you’re a huge Star Wars fan. Be that as it may, 633 Squadron still has exciting action beats, especially the aerial sequences. The effects were good, at least for their era. The performances were fine in general; Harry Andrews was the only other actor I recognized. Fine drama was present throughout. Another key aspect: the rousing score from Ron Goodwin; that also stirred the emotions, including the finale.

633 Squadron was a nice film to view during the task of (hopefully) checking out many different genres during the month of February.

 

Escape from L.A.

Escape from L.A. (1996)

Runtime: 101 minutes

Directed by: John Carpenter

Starring: Kurt Russell and many famous faces, usually in small roles

From: Paramount

Escape from L.A plays different in 2026 than it did the last time I watched this movie many years ago. I could be asking for trouble pointing this out, but in the opening minutes, we learn that Los Angeles has become an island after a massive earthquake, and it’s a place to “send undesirables” by the “United States Police Force” because we have a fascist President who changed the Constitution to declare himself Commander-in-Chief for life & wants a moral America… right or wrong, many people will think of 2026 in the United States… and this feeling actually continues throughout the movie via other moments.

In the past, I was annoyed at how similar this was compared to Escape from New York. That’s still a valid point. Hotshot Snake Plissken visits another lawless wasteland to retrieve someone (or something) the government wants, he meets wacky characters, etc. This does have silly moments; Carpenter let his love of basketball tell him that it was a great idea to have that sport be part of a big sporting scene in front of a crowd when it was just absurd. The CG has famously aged poorly, especially during another absurd scene… Snake and Peter Fonda surfing! The graphics can at least be laughed at.

That said, the movie was like a campier version of New York and I can’t complain that the sequel was a carbon copy. Entertainment was to be had, buttressed by a great cast full of familiar faces-even if many appeared for only a few minutes. Besides Kurt Russell (no relation, sadly) it was nice to see larger roles for the likes of Stacy Keach, Steve Buscemi, and Cliff Robertson. At least in the United States, of course this is by far the most famous movie of European star Georges Corraface; he did a fine job, even if the actor of Greek ancestry was portraying a Peruvian. A.J. Langer was also memorable as the President’s rebellious daughter; did you know that she’s been married for two decades to a British Earl, albeit they’re separated now?

The action was fun, I was never bored, and of course the score from Carpenter & Shirley Walker (a rare female composer of the time) was quite rad. As messy as the movie is and New York is better, there’s something to be said for a wacky, fun adventure with personality from a great director. While some won’t like the reminders of modern life, I’ll look at the other side of the coin and appreciate how this compares favorably to the films we get now. A bold ending I’ll presume we won’t get in modern Hollywood for what was a big release at the time: yet another reason to appreciate Escape from L.A.

Shelter

Shelter (2026)

64% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 77 reviews)

Runtime: 107 minutes

Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh

Starring: Jason Statham, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Bill Nighy, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays

From: Black Bear/Punch Palace Productions

This sure was a January Jason Statham movie release.

I am not saying this as a negative. I haven’t even seen his last few films-the last one was (unfortunately) Expend4bles. Shelter is a masterpiece compared to that catastrophe. Rather, once you hear the premise-Statham lives alone on a remote Scottish island, but is required to take care of a 12-year-old girl who is the niece of the dude that delivers supplies to him each week after a bad storm… this doesn’t subvert expectations, yet that’s not a demerit. Being formulaic is not always a shortcoming either.

Of course, Statham is in exile because he’s a badass who is hiding due to necessity. Of course the dog that was his only companion doesn’t make it off the island-that’s a warning to those like me that love canines-and of course you can’t trust everyone in the federal government, this case the UK government. What’s important to those interested in such a film… the action beats. Well, all of it is fine; nothing Earth-shattering, but still fun. It’s filmed in a modern style yet it never becomes migraine-inducing. Statham and the other two names I knew (Naomi Ackie, Bill Nighy) all delivered decent performances.

Importantly for me: was the little girl an irritating, precocious, preposterous wise-cracking character? Thankfully, no. Jesse (Bodhi Rae Breathnach; what a name) was a likable kid who was a believable kid & core relationship of Shelter was charming. In terms of acting craft, I thought she was actually the highlight. There’s also a memorable scene in a nightclub and the score from David Buckley was better than expected.

As an aside, judging from my Letterboxd mutuals, my skipping out on last year’s A Working Man was the right decision. As it’s a David Ayer joint, the presumption is that a certain word would be used constantly and that alone is a turn-off. In Shelter, that word’s only used a few times so that was a non-issue.

For those that like the most Dad Cinema of Statham’s filmography (or the Dad Cinema of Liam Neeson, such as Honest Thief or The Marksman) then Shelter and its unflashy yet solid style should entertain you. As one last aside, when the expected raid on Statham’s island occurs, he has some Home Alone-style traps set up that are used. RIP Catherine O’Hara; sometime in February I’ll properly pay tribute.

The Criminal Code

The Criminal Code (1931)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Howard Hawks

Starring: Walter Huston, Phillips Holmes, Constance Cummings, Boris Karloff, DeWitt Jennings

From: Columbia

Snitching was a big deal even in 1930.

In this special later than typical Friday night posting, I mention that this Howard Hawks movie will leave the Criterion Channel after Saturday; as I should see more from him anyhow along w/ more from the 30’s, Thursday night was not a night featuring a long struggle determining what to check out.

Walter Huston portrayed district attorney Mark Brady, who prosecuted young Phillips Holmes (Robert) for an involuntary manslaughter due to a misunderstanding. Bobby eventually experiences a mental decline; the lawyer becomes the warden of that prison (which is a little far-fetched, even if they address that most of the convicts despise him… it’s hand-waved away) and because he’s a caring dude, Robert becomes his valet. Of course, Brady has a pretty young daughter in Constance Cummings.

The crux of the film is snitching; someone spills his guts concerning an attempted prison break, then the expected happens to him, which results in others keeping their mouth shut and not snitch despite strong pressure to. This was a compelling drama where the lack of musical score and obvious play origins was irrelevant when I was interested in the story and characters.

As the other famous face in the cast was Boris Karloff, who was-get this-the heavy, and this was a drama w/ a bit of romance I was happy to have tackled.

South Seas Adventure

This is my long-awaited return to the world of Cinerama: 

As it’s been a few years since I’ve reviewed one of these-which were travelogues presented in a bold fashion for the 50’s and 60’s, although South Seas Adventure was a little different as I’ll elaborate upon later-it’s best to copy and past the opening paragraphs from an earlier review to describe what I viewed last night: 

“I need to explain the whole Cinerama presentation from the 50’s and 60’s. It is a presentation where three screens wrap around a viewer as films shot especially for that format are shown w/ 7 channel stereo; for those unfamiliar w/ film history, such a widescreen multichannel stereo presentation was astounding for the time. A few narrative films were shot that way along with various documentaries which presented nature & culture from around the world. 

The way people can view those now is via Blu-ray releases from niche label Flicker Alley. It’s a simulation of the tri-screen presentation done via Smilebox, which has a curved aspect ratio and they stitch the three prints together into one. The discs aren’t the cheapest purchases; on the other side of the coin, the picture & sound are both great, along with all the special features included. To me, they’re worth the money. 

In fact, as this is niche even in a community like Letterboxd, that is why a list was just created of all the ones I’ve seen; this includes a review of How the West was Won on Turner Classic Movies. That is because they started showing it via Smilebox, which is IMO preferable to the one screen version with the outrageous aspect ratio.”

Typically, these were travelogues where a narrator presented footage from around the world that would best impress an American viewer, both visually & aurally. A threadbare story would tie it together. However, in this case, while a narrator was heard (Orson Welles!), several different segments featuring fictional characters & plots were presented. Note that the first half is Hawaii and several tropical island areas in the South Pacific like Tonga and Fiji—the second half is New Zealand then Australia. Oceania is pretty cool as well so no complaints from me. When there’s a luscious Alex North score, that’s an asset.

It was nice to see what I’ll presume are traditional ceremonies and dances from the natives of those islands and weren’t made up specifically to present something “exotic” for ignorant crowds. Aide from marveling at those exotic sights & sounds, these are also educational. Today I Learned that medical services were (and still are) provided in remote Outback areas by the Royal Flying Doctor Service-where contact is made via radio back then-and School of the Air is how children in these same areas receive their education-via radio communication and homework is sent in via mail. This was done until 2009 when the Internet made this much easier for everyone. At least for me, this was quite educational. 

These Cinerama films will always be a niche proposition even among film fans. Me, I was happy to have learned about this niche from a fellow nerd & I can support a small label like Flicker Alley.

The Housemaid

The Housemaid (2025)

74% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 193 reviews)

Runtime: 131 minutes

Directed by: Paul Feig

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Skelnar, Indiana Elle, Elizabeth Perkins

From: Lionsgate

No, I did not watch this movie because I’m a heterosexual male who wanted to look at Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried on the big screen. In fact, my opinion of Ms. Sweeney is probably needed for context. She’s not someone I have as the wallpaper on the phone yet she isn’t loathed by me-which seems to be the increasingly popular opinion now-whether it be her alleged political beliefs or the quality of her acting. I have no idea what’s even true concerning the former (it’s perhaps best I don’t know for certain) and at least in my eyes, she isn’t dreadful when it comes to the latter. I’ll say more about her in the conclusion.

The main reason this was viewed did not relate to Paul Feig, either; the presumably similar A Simple Favor movies haven’t been tackled by me—to be blunt, most of his filmography is of no interest to my tastes. Instead, hearsay telling me The Housemaid was a trashy, tawdry tale plus my having the AMC A-List app meant I could take a chance on something like this. Indeed, this story of ex-con Sweeney being hired for the titular job at the house of rich couple Seyfried, husband Brandon Skelnar and 7-year-old daughter. Unfortunately, Seyfried appears to be out of her mind. Lest you think this is a standard “bitches me crazy” film…

Of course I hadn’t read the original Freida McFadden novel so this was a blind experience for me; there’s more than one twist along the way. In terms of acting, Amanda Seyfried was in fact better than Sydney Sweeney, although the latter wasn’t terrible in my eyes. Skelnar had a rather interesting role, because reasons… the main takeaway from the film was that it WAS tawdry trash (featuring nudity from Sweeney, for those interested in such sights), yet was entertaining at the same time despite some serious moments.

What helped the experience was that this Sunday evening screening at the cinema still drew a decent-sized crowd despite being out for over a month now. The movie was designed to elicit loud reactions from an audience at least a few times-my crowd responded appropriately, allowing for a fun atmosphere. This is a reason why I can’t get too mad at the film despite legit criticisms, such as logic or the need for the movie to be over 2 hours in length.

As for Sweeney, while I can’t condone her breaking the law and trespassing at the Hollywood sign to advertise her new lingerie line, otherwise I can’t get too mad at her playing up her sex appeal. Heck, who knows how long her shelf life will be, anyhow. At least I can commend her for being a producer on several films-Christy got a mixed reception at best but the story of boxer Christy Martin is an interesting one and it’s neat that Sydney purchased the rights to the script for Immaculate because it was in development hell and she believed in the story.

Both she and Amanda Seyfried (believe it or not, this was my first Seyfried movie, period) were among the executive producers; however, I’ll end this review here as the presumption is that more than a few reading this don’t care for Ms. Sweeney so it’s best if I don’t continue on; the fears that there will be arguments in the comments section… I really hope this doesn’t occur.