Panic Room

Panic Room (2002)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: David Fincher

Starring: Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam

From: Columbia

I don't always love David Fincher movies but when one is worthwhile...

One day I will do a review or re-review of the Fincher films I don't like as that would be a better time to discuss why I don't swoon over every thing he does like most motion picture buffs do. At least I can say that Zodiac is very good and what happened to him with Alien 3 was a shame as no filmmaker deserved such treatment. Panic Room was actually something watched by me and a pal back in college around 18 years ago; all I remembered was that the pal was not a fan while my opinion was higher. Seeing that this was on HDNet Movies last night inspired me to finally give this a second viewing; thankfully my opinion of this: pretty good.

It has a simple premise of a single mother and young daughter moving into a New York City flat that has the title room. Soon thereafter a trio of unsophisticated thieves attempt to break into that panic room... where mom and daughter have already locked themselves in. Thankfully this isn't as rote or obvious as the scenario would suggest. A talented cast definitely helps... it took a long while after Twilight first came out to realize that it was Kristen Stewart who played Jodie Foster's daughter. The thieves are Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto-with cornrows!-& Dwight Yoakam; a twist is that they are rather lousy burglars who often bicker with each other. As I once saw discussed elsewhere, this is one of those films where you don't remember that Leto is in the cast; for some they forget most of his filmography. BTW, if you want to learn something new about Leto which has the potential to turn real bad-not to mention make the actor/musician appear to be even more rotten than someone who took his Joker role WAY too seriously, look up “Mars Island Cult” on Google...

Anyhow, the small cast was good overall, no matter if one has questionable real life behavior. There was flashy camera work at times although at least it did help establish the geography of the location; much of this is set in a flat that has several stories. Panic Room has a few twists which thankfully were not contrived or stupid. This is the least ambitious movie that Fincher has ever done yet the movie is still slick entertainment which has some laughs, thrills, drama (Stewart's character is a diabetic, after all), intensity, and a pair of LGBTQIA icons. Overall, this was a revisit that was not a waste of time.

Malignant

Malignant (2021) 

76% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 137 reviews)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: James Wan

Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, Jean Louisa Kelly

From: New Line Cinema

God Bless James Wan for making something so gonzo and having it released by a major studio.

It took longer than expected but finally, last night I was able to see this in a cinema. Now, once yesterday afternoon ended and the evening began, the rest of the day was rather crappy aside from having a grand old time with this piece of schlock. Now, I can't really argue with those that think the Conjuring Universe is starting to feel familiar, or that Wan's last few horror efforts can be described as formulaic or sharing many similar beats. I dig the first two Conjuring efforts and at least at the time, liked to a lesser extent the Insidious movies he did. This was NOT those movies. Successfully directing Furious 7 (despite the real life tragedy that impacted production) and Aquaman & having both make over a BILLION dollars worldwide must have meant that he had cart blanche to finally go as crazy as he wanted; believe me, it was even crazier than I expected.

For much of the month I've been able to avoid spoilers; all I knew was that the trailer was misleading (then again, how else could you market this), vague references to various genre directors, knowing that the final 20 minutes take a left turn, and such comparisons as giallo, 80's Italian horror, 90's horror, and the nuttiest efforts from 80's Hong Kong. All of that is true, I say. After experiencing this wild thrill ride, no wonder many people rejected it, including some movie buffs. The third act twist is SO unexpected and it becomes increasingly outlandish, you either roll with it and realize this entire exercise was like all the B-movies Wan must have rented from the videostore in the past was put in a blender... or it's too weird for your tastes, which is a valid opinion.

In hindsight, it had a campy tone on purpose so you weren't supposed to take it serious. Usually to me it sounds like a cop-out when done in a modern context but here had to be the case. Furthermore, it may also sound like a cop-out to say that the plot holes and baffling aspects that aren't explained were done on purpose—yet presumably that was the intention. After all, I've said often how baffled I've been by old Italian horror at times... thankfully this production wasn't the “winking at the camera” nonsense that I also don't care for. Personally, it was so wild and yet so well-made (aside from CG that did not always look great; thankfully, a lot of this was actually done practically) and so confident in the direction it goes, I had a lot of fun with this nonsense. Personally, give me this rather than some pretentious “heightened horror”, which typically lets me down; I haven't watched them all by any means but I've seen more than enough to form such an opinion.

As an aside, it has to be said that a key player in this project being brought to screen was Wan's wife, actress Ingrid Bisu; not only did she have a supporting role, but she was a co-writer and one of the executive producers. Bisu came up with the concept of Gabriel (it's based on a 19th century urban legend, believe it or not) and how it moved in that bonkers final act. Suddenly I understand why they are married... she does deserve credit for her role in this movie. Presumably that is also way this is female-centered and a key plot point is the result of domestic abuse.

Malignant has the graphic gore that some thirst for, a bitchin' score that at times sounds like what Goblin would have done in an alternate universe where they formed 40 years later, the expected stylish camera moves from Wan, several interesting setpieces and more. It's for a niche audience so of course many in the mainstream will find it too loony for their tastes; thankfully a scenario happened where a famous director was able to have something THIS gonzo released by a major studio and if nothing else was truly different from what mainstream horror has been for a long time now.

Autumn Sonata

Autumn Sonata (Hostsonaten) (1978)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman

Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullmann, Lena Nyman, Halvar Bjork, Marianne Aminoff

From: A few different European companies in a few different European countries

Y'know... I need to see even more movies from this Bergman guy.

This was another DVR viewing, recording last week off of Turner Classic Movies when the first night of fall they played films w/ “autumn” in their title. I've seen a few Ingmar Bergman pictures before and they were all at least very good. The high ratings this had plus the talent involved had me intrigued. Besides Ignmar stalwart Liv Ullman, there's Ingrid Bergman... at least at the beginning, many films fans probably confused her with the Swedish director. Not only was it appropriate for them to make a movie together, it was something she wanted to do professionally for a long time. As Ingmar was feuding with the Swedish government over tax issues, he made and filmed this out of his home country... yet it's still in Swedish and features Swedish actors.

At first the plot seems simple enough: The father of Eva (Ullmann) has recently passed away. She and her husband invite her famous concert pianist mom Charlotte (Ingrid) to her house for a few days. The first act establishes that they have a frosty relationship with each other; mom was preoccupied w/ work when Eva was growing up. Then the scab keeps on getting pulled back more and more—and it is shown just how broken things are between them. Both have their personal demons with affect themselves which has a major impact on how they interact with each other. Then there's the fact that Charlotte has another daughter, who is disabled and Eva is the one that takes care of her.

Autumn Sonata is a masterclass in acting; the rest of the small cast is fine but the focus is on the two leads & they are both outstanding in their roles. While I've seen both Ullman and Ingrid in other things, they were never better than the performances they gave here. For a movie that mainly takes place in Eva's house and much of this is shot in close-up, it is enthralling due to the premise, the actors and the director doing such a marvelous job. There's acres of great dialogue and while it is an incredibly bleak movie where a mother and daughter reveal their worst faults to each other and their problems w/ each other are shown to be progressively worse the further in the movie you go... it is so well done and such a movie experience it deserves the highest possible rating from me. The relationship between me and both my parents had some troubles too-at least it was not as fundamentally flawed as what was shown between Eva & Charlotte.

After last night, it is clear to me that I need to watch more from Bergman (both of them) and Ullmann. Even if they won't all be 5 star experiences like this was, those should still be rewarding journeys.

The City Of The Dead

The City of the Dead (1960)

Runtime: 76 minutes

Directed by: John Llewellyn Moxey

Starring: Patricia Jessel, Dennis Lotis, Christopher Lee, Betta St. John, Venetia Stevenson

From: Vulcan Films

Never trust a man who has a stone head for a water faucet.

As mentioned in my last review, this was watched when it played during Elvira's 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special, Special on Shudder Saturday night. It was in my queue on the site anyhow; that was because it featured Christopher Lee in a supporting and it being an old movie unfamiliar to me which sounded interesting. After that viewing, my suspicions were correct. BTW, those that are familiar w/ Rob Zombie's Dragula will recognize a bit of audio in this.

The movie opens with a scene set in 1692 Massachusetts (a fictional town named Whitewood) where a woman is burned at the stake for being a witch. Unlike the real life Salem Witch Trials, she actually was a witch and yells out a curse. In 1960, a young college student named Nan goes to Whitewood to research a term paper; her professor in the class is Lee. Things go wrong and Nan's friends have to find out why.

Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey-director of many TV shows/movies including the original The Night Stalker that introduced Kolchak-this is “an atmospheric chiller”, as described by Shudder themselves. The black and white photography is perfect for this sort of spooky tale where a gleefully absurd amount of fog is always seen in the vicinity of the village then in Whitewood itself. Seeing Lee at this time of year is a must for me (it won't be the last time either) but the rest of the cast equates themselves rather well. The creepy music, the pulse-pounding ending, the witchcraft theme... this was a pretty good time overall. Just note that if you watch this on Shudder, the page it is on has an image which is a spoiler! It's not a surprising twist yet I wish streaming sites wouldn't do such things for movies that are less well-known and seen than something like The Sixth Sense, y'know?

Messiah Of Evil

Messiah of Evil (1973)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Willard Huyck/Gloria Katz

Starring: Marianna Hill, Michael Greer, Joy Bang, Anitra Ford, Royal Dano

From: V/M Productions/International Cine Film Corp.

 Yep, this is the sort of movie that has a blind... art dealer?!

Last night on Shudder I saw two of the three movies that played during Elvira's 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special, Special. Yes, Cassandra Peterson has played the character for 4 full decades now; she struck gold with a gimmick that worked perfectly for her and has entertained many with its campy charm for so many years. Also, if you haven't heard it was made public a few days ago that since the early 2000's she had a romantic relationship w/ a woman. The first film was the OG The House on Haunted Hill, something I've watched a few times so it did not need a revisit. This does mean that tomorrow's review will be of 1960's The City of the Dead; there is more that I could say about Messiah of Evil.

Then again, if you asked me to explain the plot... how can you explain something you don't understand? It has a surreal dream sort of logic and that is not something which is always appealing to my logical tastes. Ostensibly it is about a young woman who goes to a California town to search for her missing father—it's actually more complicated than that. This includes: bizarre paintings from her father that included escalators (?!), long rambling conversations, the Donner Party, an Albino who is supposed to be creepy because he's an Albino-that hasn't aged well-a blind art dealer, blood moons, what appears to be a rotting corpse version of Hitler, and a non-sequitor opening involving a young man who apparently was played by... WALTER HILL. That raised my eyebrows when I discovered this fact after the movie.

Many people loving this is understandable; it is effective at creating an unsettling languid mood. Of course, many others will think like me and note that besides the plot being as loose as a goose, there are many dull stretches as the pace is like molasses. Be that as it may, even if by accident it was successful at creating some sort of mood; plus, there are two genuine well-done suspense sequences. It took a long while after I first heard of this movie to realize it was written/directed by Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz, best known for their screenplays for the likes of American Graffiti & Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom... although to me they will be best known-at least by me-for giving us HOWARD THE DUCK on screen.

Blood Quantum

Blood Quantum (2019)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Jeff Barnaby

Starring: Michael Greyeyes, Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, Forrest Goodluck, Kiowa Gordon, Olivia Schriven

From: A collection of Canadian companies

Ever since I first heard of this picture, the premise did sound intriguing... especially once the pandemic started. A movie centered around a First Nations tribe and it offering commentary on how “the white people” treated them is ripe for discussion. As poorly as the United States treated Native Americans, so did Canadians to their indigenous people; their residential schools were a real life horror story-it was a brutal way to try and assimilate children into living a non-Native lifestyle-and the idea of a First Nations people being immune to a zombie plague was a fresh idea. The director himself is a First Nations member who grew up on the sort of reservation portrayed here. Unfortunately...

The setting is 1981 Quebec; from Wikipedia, I know that date was chosen because at one of the two tribal lands they filmed at (the Litsuguj) there were raids done by the province police that related to (unfair) rules concerning tribal people & fishing. The sheriff of the reservation and his friends/family are followed as the zombie apocalypse began. Now, this does have cliché yet that wasn't the worst aspect of it; in addition there's also too many F-bombs for my tastes... it's something I've grown more tired of. A less controversial opinion is that Blood Quantum has various problems with its plot/storytelling-there's a long stretch which really started to drag-not to mention that personally, it was hard to like too many of the characters. Sure, I laughed that there were people known as LYSOL, BUMPER and SHOOKER but for the most part I just did not care about most of them.

This was not all bad by any means; the actual filmmaking craft wasn't lousy at all. There's a nice score which sounded more authentic as an 80's soundtrack than the giant blasts of synthwave we get-enjoyable as they are to my earholes. There are gory/gross moments for those that get excited by such things, and those were realized fine. Just note that this fits into “the dog dies” category... at least this wasn't as in your face preachy with its message as it could have been. Overall, it is disappointing Blood Quantum did not work as well for me as it did many others. The director being able to incorporate some real life experiences/feelings into a played out subgenre is nice--it wasn't enough to make up for its sins.

Isle Of The Dead

Isle of the Dead (1945)

Runtime: 71 minutes

Directed by: Mark Robson

Starring: Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Marc Cramer, Katherine Emery, Helene Thimig

From: RKO

A Boris Karloff vehicle produced by Val Lewton concerning a plague? Color me intrigued.

That was my reaction when I first heard of this movie; that was awhile ago but yesterday morning Turner Classic Movies played it; via the good ol' DVR, that was watched last night. Turns out, a lot of it seemed familiar... it starts off with Karloff washing his hands, after all. Inspired by a famous painting of the same name, the setting is almost entirely a Greek island during the First Balkan War. The details of the war aren't important, but I'll mention that it was Greece and a few other countries defeating the Ottoman Empire. Another detail that plays a key role in the plot yet a detailed description isn't needed is the local folklore creature Vorvolaka, a creature best described as a cross between a vampire & a zombie.

Karloff plays a General of the Greek Army who is stuck on an island w/ several other people due to circumstances. He does take the threat of the plague very seriously; he won't allow anyone to leave until “it can blow away via winds”... OK, that isn't completely relevant to 2021, but the idea of quarantining and not wanting them to be together in a group sure as hell is. Much of this is all the characters interacting w/ each other in an atmosphere full of dread where light & shadow is used rather well—so for me a great atmosphere. As several people die, one is afraid of being buried alive and another believe it's the doing of the Vorvolaka.

While some nits could be picked, overall this was a pretty good time. In just 71 minutes a chilling tale was told which will be different from the rest of the flicks I'll watch this season. Plus, if possible I attempt to view some particulars during this season... that includes something like “Hammer” or “something involving a legendary genre figure” and this fits the latter.

The Fifth Cord

The Fifth Cord (Giornata Nera Per L'ariete) (1971)

Runtime: 93 minutes

Directed by: Luigi Bazzoni

Starring: Franco Nero, Silvia Monti, Wolfgang Preiss, Ira Von Furstenberg, Edmund Purdom

From: Several Italian companies

The first-but not the last-giallo I plan on seeing this season.

It is a genre effort I've known of for awhile and as it not only stars a familiar face in Franco Nero but is on Shudder, it seemed like a swell idea to check out an early giallo... and it was.

Nero plays a newspaper reporter (not a rare job in this genre) who has several people connected to him get murdered-not in inventive bloody ways but still-and either he's the killer or someone is setting him up as the prime suspect. As expected, he investigates as the deaths continue, there are red herrings, etc. Nero's character-the absurdly named Andrea Blid-is an alcoholic who has multiple ruined relationships w/ women, slaps around his lover, and will never be confused with a cuddly teddy bear. That does not mean he isn't a compelling protagonist.

The main reasons to check this out: the general story and its surprising reveal... an excellent Morricone score where he plays his organ-er, I mean plays music on the organ-it having lovely cinematography from three time Oscar winner Vittorio Storaro, and several sensational suspense scenes. It's a mystery movie so I don't want to reveal too much else; however, I'd be a fool to not bring up an interesting gimmick: the killer is heard w/ a distorted voice either recording his thoughts on tape or via taunting phone calls. The taunting is menacing but it also allows the viewer to learn more about the perpetrator. One last thing: those that love the colorful (sometimes literally) titles of the giallo world... this is also known as Black Day of the Ram. With any luck, the other genre efforts I watch in the next month plus will have even more outre titles.

Patton

Patton (1970)

Runtime: 172 minutes

Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner

Starring: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, David Bauer, Edward Binns, John Doucette

From: 20^th Century Fox

“Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.”

Last night this was on Turner Classic Movies as part of a night full of George C. Scott movies-always a good thing in my eyes. As I had the time for this near 3 hour epic movie that won seven Academy Awards in 1971, it was the time to discuss it now. I am always down for watching the first half of the 20th century war movies, anyhow...

This is an honest portrayal of a famous World War II General who was great in military life yet was controversial-among other things, he slapped two shell-shocked soldiers for being “cowards”-and got into trouble for running his mouth. While his bold style was apt for the battlefield, at times he was his own worst enemies and rankled various people that were his contemporaries in the Armed Forces at the time. He was complicated, in other words... and this does not even cover some of his worst alleged statements, which sadly were racial and even antisemitic. Some (rightfully) believed him to be a real SOB.

Even if you grow to hate this egotistical person who cursed often (apparently not as often as portrayed here) yet was a religious man, believed in reincarnation, believe he should have been born in an earlier century and was preoccupied with past battles... it was a performance so great from Scott that many still think of him whenever Patton comes up. George C. deservedly won an Oscar for the role—which he refused as he was against the entire concept of awards shows anyhow.

This covered the title character from him taking charge in Northern Africa-doing battle against Rommel-to his campaigns in Europe. There's not much in the way of war action but that's OK when such a complex character-an enigma-was covered and Scott was so tremendous bringing him to life. Of course the viewer was easily transported and believed in the World War II setting; another bonus was a great score from the legend Jerry Goldsmith. Naturally, there's also plenty of marching band music. And, I would be a fool if the legendary opening scene wasn't mentioned: the eponymous character standing in front of a giant American flag, speaking to an unseen regiment and in a not always elegant fashion urge them to fight their best.

While I haven't seen every one of the nominees for Best Picture that year, I've never seen any real complaint over this earning that honor; for those that love the World War II era in general of course the movie is a must... if you love legendary performances, this has that—although it's of a person that shouldn't be idolized except for his military prowess.

Red-Headed Woman

Red-Headed Woman (1932)

Runtime: 79 minutes

Directed by: Jack Conway

Starring: Jean Harlow, Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, Leila Hyams, Una Merkel

From: MGM

A rather saucy change of pace for me.

The need arose to not only make sure I don't neglect one of the few streaming services I subscribe to at the time, but to see something of this vintage. Thus, off to the Criterion Channel I went. Last year I saw the 1933 Warner Brothers motion picture Baby Face and that was a wild Pre-Code entry which had much in the way of salacious material as Barbara Stanwyck literally sleeps her way to the top. Only afterward did I hear that this movie was heavily inspired by this effort from MGM; after putting it off after it's been on the channel for awhile, finally last night was the time... I prefer Face as it's wilder and more over the top, but that doesn't mean this wasn't pretty good.

Jean Harlow plays a real maneater, a golddigger who wrecks a happy home and steals rich guy Bill from his poor suffering wife Irene... who deserves better than some dopey wealthy SOB who is easily manipulated by a trampy girl who is far below their social class. In a fun script that had the involvement of such people as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Anita Loos (noted playwright/screenwriter and the first female staff scriptwriter in Hollywood's history) there are various twists/turns and a nice comedic supporting role from Una Merkel, who was the voice of reason and was gobsmacked at her pal Harlow's behavior.

Naturally, Jean was the highlight as the determined lady who used sex to get her way—as this was a Pre-Code movie that idea could explicitly be stated. Yet the rest of the main cast was fine, whether it be Merkel, Chester Morris, Lewis Stone, or Leila Hyams of Freaks fame as Irene. As expected, this MGM production was reasonably well put together and was an easy 80 minute watch. Its frankness is a reminder of how Pre-Code movies could be before things had to be toned down just a few years later; this then Baby Face would be an eye-opener for even some Letterboxd users.

I Revisited The Super Cops

via DVR earlier in the day; as my original review for that 1974 picture had several mistakes... here you go: 

More often than I'd like to admit, I've looked at old reviews and noted various mistakes, most of which I am embarrassed by-in fact I am too shamed to list any specific examples. This movie played on TCM-which just earlier this month debuted a new more colorful look-real late last night so that inspired me to look at what I wrote about it the day after it aired on the channel in 2015. That night, Edgar Wright was the co-host; he is the most notable fan of the picture and in fact is the main reason it received a Blu-ray release from Warner Archive. This is a noted influence on Hot Fuzz so if you love that... looking at that old review, it had more than one foolish error that made me look the buffoon; thus, that's been deleted and in its place is this new review. It was a movie I was happy to revisit anyhow.

The movie is based on a true story of a pair of New York City cops known as Batman & Robin (David Greenberg, played by Ron Leibman and Robert Hantz, played by David Selby) who you see start off straight from the police academy. They try hard to try and make busts despite being traffic cops at first... too hard, in fact; this rankles their at times corrupt superiors. They do unorthodox things to capture criminals and yet still face resistance, and not even a transfer to an undesirable precinct is enough to hamper their aggressive style. Serpico wasn't the only one at the time to experience trouble with the NYC police force and try to expose “dirty cops.” Unlike that Pacino classic, this is far lighter in tone; after all, it was said to inspire the famed 70's cop TV show Startsky & Hutch.

What I've always thought of the movie is that besides the performances of the leads (especially Leibman's manic performance), the movie has a relentless pace. I don't mean that in a bad way, where you're exhausted. It's just put together where there's no lull time and you get to see a lot happen in an hour and a half. There's also a lot of yelling-something I typically don't care for-yet it managed to work in this instance. That makes it fun and this is well-directed by Gordon Parks of Shaft fame. A funky as hell score also helps. An added bonus is a look at the “crappy New York City of old”, a favorite trope of mine. Those that like the gritty NYC cop dramas of the period and want to see a more comedic take that manages to work as both a comedy and drama, this is the way to go.

One last thing: the beginning and end of the movie you get to see the real life Greenberg and Hantz, talking to reporters about a case. Well, sad to say the two officers experienced a downfall-Greenberg went to jail twice for mail fraud then insurance fraud and Hantz quit the force after being arrested for holding several joints. They did try to make the police force less corrupt... yet there are rumors that a key event in the movie was more “murder” than self defense and their treatment of suspects fits into the ACAB category. Irregardless, at least The Super Cops is a blast.

Satan's Slave

Satan's Slave (Pengabdi Setan) (1982)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Sisworo Gautama Putra

Starring: Ruth Pelupessi, W.D. Mochtar, Fachrul Rozy, Siska Widowati, Simon Cader

From: Rapi Film

TIL that disco fashion, Linda Ronstadt & Phantasm made its way to Indonesia.

Last night's entertainment came courtesy of Shudder; as typical for me I've known of a movie for many years before finally checking it out. It was remade a few years ago as Satan's Slaves—sometime long into the future Slaves will be viewed, but at least as of now there's no rush on that. I went into the film rather cold on what it was even about-the Phantasm inspiration quickly became apparent, although first was a scene lifted from Salem's Lot... then again it was a great scene in that and was used effectively here.

The opening few minutes shows the matriarch of a rich family of four being buried after passing away due to reasons never expressed to the audience. That is done to the sounds of Islamic prayer and this is noted as religion plays a key role in the tale-Islam being that faith instead of Christianity is a twist from the norm, at least for me. The family in question isn't religious and is more preoccupied with wealth & in terms of the older teen daughter, she goes to outdoor parties where DISCO music is played-it took a phone app to reveal the tune was Carte Blanche's Do You Like It Like That; I would have liked the tune more if it didn't sound like a blatant copy of George McCrae's Rock Your Baby-and the younger teen brother goes the black magic route to try and quiet the spirits residing in the house... not a good idea. BTW, the brother has a poster of Ronstadt in his room where in big sis's, there's a poster of a seated woman back to the camera, nude except for a thong! Perhaps those two should be in different rooms...

Anyhow, there's hardly any gore in this; instead there's spooky happenings and while it doesn't go batcrap insane like contemporary Indonesian horror film Mystics in Bali, there's still wacky moments and things flying about. Instead, a woman is behind the spooky happenings and this does have some decent scares, although at times there are lulls in the plot. Unlike Phantasm, The Tall Man stand-in is not doing evil things for the sake of another dimension. Like in Phantasm, this operates on a dream sort of logic and has a creepy electronic score. Unlike in Phantasm, this also has disco fashion and a hilariously staged death via transport truck.

While not a must-see, it was still an interesting experience and to my tastes, this was fine overall.

Ghost In The Shell

Ghost in the Shell (Kokaku Kidotai) (1995)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Mamoru Oshii

Starring: I saw the subtitled version theatrically, so it was the original Japanese voice actors

From: Several Japanese companies

I discovered why this only has evening IMAX screenings!

Perhaps more surprising than me not having experienced anything from this property (manga, videogames, film, etc.) is that for this week, some IMAX screens around the world are playing this-using the 4K scan from the UHD release. As I hear previous releases were of poor quality... before last night my primary knowledge of Ghost in the Shell was the vociferous hatred for the (unsurprising) terrible Hollywood remake-which I am sure would have been poor even if someone Japanese was the lead.

Under the assumption that most knew more about this than I did going in, not much time will be spent on explaining the plot of how in 2029, there's a section of cybernetically-enhanced police officers or how they have to investigate the actions of the mysterious Puppet Master. Instead, I will note that while there is of course some bizarre “Only in Japan” moments-such as lead Motoko taking off her clothes before she engages in battle-the weird moments do not cloud the storytelling. It eventually becomes clear that the story is not hard to follow as it engages in thought-provoking discussion over what it means to be human, fear of technology's increasing influence on society, identity, etc.

Viewing its 90's aesthetic/unique anime appearance on an IMAX screen was grand, as was its eclectic soundtrack. While adult in nature I was relieved it did not involve tentacles or other disturbing fetishes! Instead, it was a tale that does not hide its Blade Runner inspiration-it rains often-and likewise its influence on The Matrix is apparent. There's action scenes, lovely views of futuristic Japan, interesting philosophical discussions... there are no regrets finally checking this out & it was sublime to have such a big first experience. No wonder Hollywood so badly bungled a plot like this—heaven knows the end result of a live-action Akira if it ever finally happens. If you are a fan and are in the vicinity of a location playing this one evening-the theatrical experience is highly recommended.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (The 2003 Version)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Marcus Nispel

Starring: Jessica Biel, Jonathan Tucker, Erica Leerhsen, Mike Vogel, Eric Balfour

From: New Line Cinema

Thank heavens for R. Lee Ermey

Despite all the love I have for the OG TCM (and the love people have for my two reviews of it) not to mention liking the first two sequels, I had never advanced past that point in the franchise—the incredibly spotty record of the subsequent entries scared me away. But, it seemed like time to finally watch another one of those; at least this immediately proclaimed its credibility to the world... after John Larroquette returning to reprise in part his narration from the original movie, the leads are shown in a sweet early 70's Dodge van and are singing Sweet Home Alabama, as they are on their way to a Skynyrd concert in Dallas. Problem is-the band's iconic song came out in '74 on their second album and this establishes itself as taking place on the same days as in the first TCM: the middle of August 1973. That attention to detail...

The general idea was the same and the cinematography-done by Daniel Pearl, who also lensed the OG movie-was similar but otherwise this is quite different. The movie has the gore that people THINK was in the original (while it was only the subsequent movies that had it) and the raw visceral feeling is not really present. There's no handicapped brother named Franklin, although it doesn't mean that there aren't some annoying characters. In essence, this is a silly slasher that isn't great, although at least has some decent atmosphere and enough scares to where it isn't awful or a struggle to get through. Of course, having the name “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” will do it no favors as the original will forever be a classic. Plus, at times you can tell the director (Marcus Nispel) was originally from the music video world.

Much to my delight, R Lee Ermey's presence was an added bonus. He delivered what you hoped he would in his role as the Sheriff: yelling at people and uttering some incredibly vulgar things which made me laugh even though I probably shouldn't. That helped make this an average horror movie; Lord, I know there's worse in the franchise and this isn't the worst genre effort I've seen the past few weeks-hence, the average rating.

 

I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death

I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death (Sono Sartana, Il Vostro Becchino)(1969)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: Giuliano Carnimeo

Starring: Gianni Garko, Frank Wolff, Ettore Manni, Sal Borgese, Klaus Kinski

From: Several Italian companies

Earlier this year I've seen two of the Sartana Spaghetti Western films via Arrow Video's streaming site; both were fun and as (once again) someone on a messageboard mentioned having seen some of those themselves, it was perfect and also served as a nice change of pace as it's been awhile since any Spaghetti Westerns have been seen with my eyes.

Thankfully, this second entry in the series was also a pretty good time and was not quite as convoluted as the original. Someone disguises themselves as Sartana and is the lead of a daring bank heist; the real deal discovers this and the unfortunate side effect of everyone trying to collect the large bounty on his head. The crux of the action is a plethora of different shootouts but that's all good as many are creatively done and in a franchise trope, Sartana has no shortage of different ways to pull out his small 4 barrel pistol and off many SOB's.

This has what you'd expect from the genre, from the tone and setting to groovy music and many different shades of gray. In addition, there are some faces I recognized, from Dolph doppelganger Gordon Mitchell (it was basically a cameo) to probable real life villain Klaus Kinski, in a different role from his appearance in the first movie. As I stated previously, I Am Sartana, Your Angel of Death-as it's commonly referred to-is a pretty good time. It even provided some laughs, none bigger than a hard cut done to a preview of this world's version of Las Vegas... not only does it come out of nowhere, how this town is portrayed is completely different from anything else and it's just a gas.

 

The Superdeep

The Superdeep (2020)

Runtime: An overly long 113 minutes

Directed by: Arseny Syuhin

Starring: Milena Radulovic, Sergey Ivanyuk, Nikolay Kovbas, Vadim Demchog, Kirill Kovbas

From: Several different Russian companies

The Superdeep having a 2.66:1 aspect ratio is not even the most baffling thing about this production.

Last time, I saw lousy 2021 horror movie The Devil Below. One scene referenced a myth surrounding the Kola Superdeep Borehole, a real life hole drilled in 1970's Soviet Union. Allegedly, they drilled so deep that “they recorded the damned wailing souls of Hell”... only the audio provided was taken from the Mario Bava movie Baron Blood! Hilarious. When I saw on Shudder that this was also based on the myth, it sounded like a nice idea on paper. Unfortunately... if nothing else, this will help provide inspiration to try harder in the task of seeing GOOD horror on the obscure side.

A young lady in 1984 Russia named Anna studies diseases; the opening is unintentionally eerie in that it deals with a vaccine and it being fast-tracked... before any controversy can even possibly start, the opening was solely to establish her profession and give her trauma which will haunt her later. She is part of a team of soldiers and a typical Soviet bureaucrat who you might as well have seen in Chernobyl who are at Kola due to “mysterious events”. It has to be noted that this is a rather fanciful version of the deep hole (insert your own jokes if you wish). Instead of a hole 9 inches in diameter, it is a giant shaft-heh heh-which has an elevator and two large stations thousands of meters deep in the ground. The big bad: yes, it does relate to Anna's line of work-and is also heavily indebted to Carpenter's The Thing.

Its obvious inspirations is not the issue, nor was the odd decision to film this in such a wide aspect ratio, although I don't know why it was done aside from “Why the hell not?” or “Tarantino did it for The Hateful Eight, so why can't I?” This Russian film is on Shudder dubbed in English; that was only part of why the plot is so incoherent and muddled. This overlong picture has a real mess of a story and that's tragic as the general idea wasn't bad, there's gore and squishy special effects. Sadly, there's bad world-building, an unclear layout of the facility & characters who usually aren't given any characterization at all. Henceforth, the whole experience was more like an endurance test, and this is too long at almost 2 hours.

Heck, even the effects aren't always filmed well, and from what I saw the practical ones didn't look too bad-note that I said nothing about the substandard CGI. Lead girl Milena Radulovic did give it her all & I do feel bad the story or filmmaking in general could not rise up to match her trying her hardest. There are more worthwhile obscurities on Shudder, believe me; as this had something when it came to the general plot, that makes its failures all the more disappointing.

The Devil Below

The Devil Below (2021)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Bradley Parker

Starring: Alicia Sanz, Adan Canto, Zach Avery, Chinaza Uche, Will Patton

From: 1inMM Productions

What do you get when you mix The Descent, Harlan County USA, The Boogens, My Bloody Valentine and the Centralia, Pennsylvania coal fires?

Hopefully something better than this.

Those that aren't familiar w/ the story of Centralia, Pennsylvania: Google is the best option for this bizarre tale but in short: in the early 60's the coal in the mines under Centralia were accidentally set on fire and despite attempts to put it out, the fire kept on burning and due to the resultant sinkholes/toxic gases created, the town was eventually abandoned. Creating a horror story out of that is not the worst idea, whether or not it's a creature feature like this was. If only this had more of a budget and better characters... I know for some the biggest sin will be wasting the talents of Will Patton; he only has like 5 or 6 minutes of screentime so unless you are a diehard fan of his...

A lady whose job is to lead people to dangerous locations, she and some dudes who claim to be “doing research” go to an abandoned town in Eastern Kentucky that ceased to exist due to a coal fire... or so the story goes. This lady-Arianne-think of her as a Jordana Brewster type in terms of appearance. She is definitely more competent than the stupid and A-hole guys she's leading to the town; it's a similar story for a supporting woman character who aids the people in the area in trying to prevent scary bipedal creatures from leaving the area.

The dopey characters acting like dumbasses is certainly a problem but its biggest hindrance is a minuscule budget. An “abandoned town” is shown to be buildings from more than 100 years ago in a grass field with no hint of a road or even path to be seen. The monsters are never shown clearly, and it's not done in a way to build suspense. At times it is incredible to see all the steps taken, the contrivances to hide what must have been terrible digital effects; as I saw their terrible attempt at a greenscreen in one scene, the lack of budget must have really hurt them. A shame, as they were able to film in some scenic locations, including a large cave-oddly enough, no mine shafts are actually seen.

It is not completely lacking in scares yet as this hardly has any gore, overall there is no real need to give this a chance-for all the dire choices on Netflix there have to be plenty of random genre efforts that have to be at least a hair better than this. The biggest impact this movie had on me: inspiring the next thing I'll watch. Early on, two of the dumb male characters were arguing with each other on several topics, including “intelligent design”... oh boy. Also, the old canard about the Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia was mentioned. There is a real life Kola Borehole but due to a legend told in Finnish propaganda Christian publications (no, really) they “drilled to hell” and what sounded like hellish screams were heard. That lie was spread on American Christian TV stations and there was a tape of those screams... which was actually taken from the Bava movie Baron Blood! Hilarious.

Anyhow, next time will be the 2020 Russian film The Superdeep.

 

Dracula (The 1979 Version)

Dracula (1979)

Runtime: 109 minutes

Directed by: John Badham

Starring: Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence, Kate Nelligan, Trevor Eve

From: Universal

A movie I saw due to a messageboard post--yes, another example of this. It just took someone bringing it up yesterday as a suggestion to give me enough of a push to finally check something out that I've thought of giving a chance to these past several years. Turns out, I should not have hesitated for so long on pulling the trigger.

It is in essence the standard Bram Stoker tale: there's the English setting, Dr. Van Helsing, Mina, Jonathan Harker, Renfield, etc. Yet this is more sensual and erotic than the '31 Bela Lugosi or '58 Christopher Lee versions. This adaptation (based on a Broadway play starring Frank Langella) wisely had Langella reprise the role and he was great as a suave yet menacing figure who woos a young lady to be his new bride. This is more about mood and atmosphere-which is great-than gory moments—although there are some shocking visceral moments.

John Badham's direction, a nice John Williams score, the other main players being Laurence Olivier and Donald Pleasence, a fine supporting cast, appropriate early 20th century sets & the dark setting help make this a spooky good time. To clarify, Universal has done something interesting with this movie since the Laserdisc days: Badham wanted to film this in black and white but the studio refused. Instead, starting with the Laserdisc the version that is easiest to find (including via streaming) has a totally desaturated look. Without having seen the much brighter theatrical version-which is included on the Shout Factory Blu release as a bonus-this muted appearance fits the general ambiance of the picture. Except for two artsy-fartsy moments in an otherwise straightforward adaptation, this is a measured yet still engrossing version of a familiar tale that is worth a shot if you dig both the '31 films-English & Spanish-or the Hammer movie from '58.

 

Son Of Dracula

Son of Dracula (1943)

Runtime: 80 minutes

Directed by: Robert Siodmak

Starring: Lon Chaney, Jr., Robert Paige, Louise Allbritton, Evelyn Ankers, Frank Craven

From: Universal

A Southern Gothic vampire movie? Sure!

One nice aspect of Letterboxd is that you can categorize movies in a panoply of different ways. One is seeing how many pictures in a given year you've experienced. It's been happenstance that only a few have been from 1943. Besides trying to fill that hole, I knew beforehand this is a Southern Gothic horror set in Louisiana and that intrigued. BTW, I know someone from the Cajun State who had damage done due to Hurricane Ida and while things still aren't 100% with them, at least they and their family survived that awful storm.

Admittedly, Lon Chaney, Jr. does not do the best or even the most memorable portrayal of Count Dracula... excuse me, Count Alucard. Yep, it uses that old gag, which more than once the movie literally spells out for the audience. Indeed he's the son of Lugosi's character from the '31 film and is now in Louisiana as “it's fresh soil.” With his hypnotic power he has the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner under her spell... no, not “plantation” as in “still owning slaves” as it's decades after that, although there are still Black servants... anyhow, several attempt to both literally and figuratively put a stake into the heart of this insidious plan, including a professor named Laszlo.

Despite some flaws, overall I found it to be a pretty good time. The best aspect is the mood/atmosphere: this is heavy in both & it sets the ambiance of its deep South setting. After all, there's a voodoo practitioner named Queen Zimba who is briefly seen. Even though Chaney is better playing Larry Talbot/The Wolf Man, he is not exactly in every scene here, the rest of the cast is better w/ their roles & the story has some unexpected twists that kept me engaged. Mix in a story that has an unintended subtext of a bunch of men telling the lead girl what to do and Son of Dracula was a reminder why this won't be the only horror movie of early sound era I'll be viewing during this spooky season.

 

The Debt Collector

The Debt Collector (2018)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by. Jesse V. Johnson

Starring: Scott Adkins, Louis Mandylor, Vladimir Kulich, Tony Todd, Rachel Brann

From: Several different U.S. & UK companies

A fun movie, even if you know the ending beforehand.

As sometimes happens, a motion picture was viewed thanks to discussion on a messageboard. There, someone mentioned this Jesse V. Johnson joint starring frequent collaborator Scott Adkins. They happened to reveal the ending for reasons I won't get into as that would be a spoiler also. It's no big deal (it wasn't revealing the most shocking moment of The Force Awakens, after all) and it's on me for not watching this sometime sooner in the preceding three years. After seeing it, this has the F-bomb dropped too often and pretentious black and white shots featuring cows (it's a metaphor, you see...); otherwise, it was a pretty good time.

Adkins plays a karate dojo owner who is in debt, perhaps because he's too “traditional” with his school. Thanks to a buddy, he meets up with (ironically) a shady debt collection agency-although I presume all of those are shady-and joins up with them for some quick cash. He teams up with Louis Mandylor, a guy nicknamed Sue who is first seen passed out in the front seats of his SWEET '71 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Of course, they are a wacky duo who at first don't get along but eventually they have a camaraderie w/ each other. After the expected “black and white” cases things become more much complicated...

It's a silly movie where some aspects can be criticized—besides those brief pretentious moments, there's the oddball structure and how the ending is on the abrupt side. A big help is not just the chemistry between the two leads-quality action scenes where multiple dudes get wrecked is the biggest asset in this film that also has a smattering of laughs. I saw this on Netflix, which also carries its sequel Debt Collectors; however, I only have the service until the middle of next week; who knows when I'll subscribe again. In the meantime, expect me to see only a horror movie or two on the service.

 

Santa Sangre

Santa Sangre (1989)

Runtime: 123 minutes

Directed by: Alejandro Jodorowsky

Starring: Two of the director's kids (Axel and Adan), Blanca Guerra, Guy Stockwell, Thelma Tixou, Sabrina Dennison

From: Mexican and Italian companies

You know, I'm led to believe that Alejandro Jodorowsky is a weird dude!

Some will be aghast that before last night I had never seen a movie from this famed director; sure, he has had a rather limited output and has done other things with his life, but strange avant-garde usually isn't my bag so who knows how I'd react to El Topo or The Holy Mountain... I may find it to be twaddle too preoccupied with being strange, or something that I'd need to best experience right after a hit of The Purple Acid. However, this is available to rent on Prime and is the 4K print that Severin scanned a few years ago and just this past May released on UHD. It looks excellent so if you're a fan and haven't seen that yet...

For a story with many strange elements and odd non-sequitors, thankfully it was straightforward and never difficult to follow. The protagonist is Fenix, a young adult male who is in what used to be called then a mental hospital. There are flashbacks to him as a young boy in a Mexico City circus who has rather unorthodox parents... his dad is a knife-thrower who is rather blatant in romancing other women and mom leads a cult that worships a young lady without arms-in English, Santa Sangre means “Holy Blood”. This features: a sick elephant, a deaf-mute girl who would later be a key plot point, a woman fully tattooed below the neck-back when that was rare-lucha libre (Mexican professional wrestling), someone w/ dwarfism, several scenes w/ blood gushing out, and many unsubtle moments-which worked in this case as it wasn't trying to push an agenda or beat you over the head with a message. I am amused that the two people who played Fenix was two of the director's sons. Then again, from hearsay I understand that Alejandro himself did a lot of odd s*** on camera in El Topo and The Holy Mountain. 

There are reasons why after sleeping on it this gets such a high rating. It was directed w/ expert flair, which makes me realize that it's a shame Jodorowsky hasn't done more. I laughed in disbelief at times, which isn't meant as a negative. It has a great score from Simon Boswell which naturally has a Latin flavor and overall is a haunting story which is actually about ::redacted:: and that is a thought-provoking theme to address, even if it's done in such a bold way where many people are killed, always in graphic ways but not always shown on screen. Most importantly for me, this will be the most distinctive motion picture I see for the next two or so months, with at least several moments I am sure to not forget anytime soon. It was a surreal yet rewarding journey that for certain be one of the best horror movies-if not the best-this season.

The Ritual

The Ritual (2017)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: David Bruckner

Starring: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier, Sam Troughton, Paul Reid

From: Entertainment One

The movie that changed my plans for tonight.

Originally, what I was going to review tomorrow was The Night House; I heard good things, after all. Before last night I hadn't seen any David Bruckner films-as this was on Netflix why not give this a shot? Turns out, I now will not go out to my local cineplex to see The Night House and if I ever do see that motion picture, it'll be via streaming sometime in the far, far future. I know Ritual has its share of fans... I wish the feeling was mutual.

The plot: 4 British middle-aged chaps go off to Northern Sweden (Romania stood in for that country) to hike as a tribute to their buddy that died under tragic circumstances. They often bicker and drop the F-bomb WAY too often... and that's just the first act. A half hour in it turns really stupid, the F word is heard nonstop and so turned my interest in this. I suddenly stopped caring at the nonsense I was witnessing, which was noticeably derivative. It'd reach spoiler territory if every “inspiration” was mentioned so just two will be mentioned: The Blair Witch Project and The Descent.

A shame I couldn't have enjoyed this folk horror film like many other have. There's gore and lovely scenery in the woods, yet if I don't like the characters and think that the story is full of dumb illogical moments... I won't care. All the movies this was clearly inspired by were better than this mish-mash that did not feel fresh or original. Learning about ::redacted:: mythology was intriguing but not enough to make me like this. While I am sure The Night House is more to my tastes, my reaction to The Ritual is enough for me to wait and watch something else tonight instead. Before Halloween rolls around more folk horror will be seen—with any luck those will be more gratifying.

Warning: Do Not Play

Warning: Do Not Play (Amjeon) (2019)

Runtime: 86 long minutes

Directed by: Kim Jin-Won

Starring: Seo Yea-Ji, Jin Sun-Kyu, Kim Bo-Ra, Ji Yun-Ho, Cha Yup

From: Several South Korean companies

i.e. also my advice on whether or not you should ever watch this on Shudder...

For awhile now I have had this in my queue on that particular streaming service. One day I stumbled upon its title, laughed, saw it was a Korean picture, and was dumbstruck when I saw that the plot description mentioned something about a film MADE BY A GHOST. How could I not see a movie w/ such a plot point? I've seen some praise this... I wish my opinion matched theirs. It will be explained why I encourage those who see this on Shudder: do NOT press “Play”, watch something else instead.

The story follows a young filmmaker who is in the horror genre and has made at least one movie, but is struggling to come up with a new script. As she is on a time deadline of “two weeks” and she has a few people-if not more-left waiting for her, was it a great idea for her to become obsessed with an urban legend where a student film is made and it results in panic & at least one death? Yes, that student film is said to be made by a ghost. Of course it's actually not... what we got instead was:

* Characters I couldn't give a darn about. This includes the lead girl. I feel bad she almost took her own life once, but otherwise...

* A nonsense story that is full of missteps, confusing moments and contradictory scenes.

* Digital effects that most often stink like a fully-loaded diaper.

* TWO fake-out dream sequences.

* An unsatisfying ending.

God Bless everyone that got more out of this than I did. Its original Korean title means “Dark Battle” (at least according to Google Translate) so who came up with the new name that makes wisecracks all the easier—that is a mystery far more interesting than the one in this crummy motion picture. The one thing I am sure to remember about this years from now: several film students are seen arguing about Nolan and Villeneuve; that is something I can imagine Letterboxd users engaging in no matter where in the world they reside.

A Woman Is A Woman

A Woman is a Woman (Une Femme Est Une Femme) (1961)

Runtime: 83 minutes

Directed by: Jean-Luc Godard

Starring: Anna Karina, Jean-Luc Brialy, Jean-Paul Belmondo (RIP)

From: Euro International Films/Rome Paris Films

RIP Jean-Paul Belmondo

In the past I've seen only a few of Belmondo's movies; there was the original Breathless but the majority was the action films he did later in life where he did all his own stunts (none other than Jackie Chan admitted to be inspired by him); I can recommend The Professional, The Outside and Fear Over the City for those who want to see him do that. As his other action work is real difficult to track down in English, instead I rented this French New Wave film... one seen last night and only earlier today I discovered that yesterday was the 60^th anniversary of its release.

Something like this isn't usually in my wheelhouse (a romantic comedy w/ quirky moments and some songs) and A Woman is a Woman very well could have turned sour for me. Thankfully it did not and instead I was charmed by this tale where Anna Karina is a striptease artist-including one number where she wore what I'll call “a Donald Duck outfit”-who suddenly wants a child with her beau Jean-Luc Brialy. He balks and in jest suggests she gets knocked up by his buddy Belmondo. She unexpectedly agrees...

I don't want to spoil all the surprises in this movie but I will mention that at times I was wondering what Godard was going—then again, if I saw more of his pictures (especially in the latter half) I'd be making that query often! The opening credits themselves announce that this would be different from the norm; as words and names fill the screen and flash by quickly, you hear what turns out to be a director-Godard himself?-setting up the cast to start the opening scene. From there there are interesting non-sequitors, notable uses (or non-use) of sound, intertitles, etc. It was more fun than I expected and for certain the lead three are on screen almost the entire time so thank goodness they all delivered. Perhaps I should see French New Wave at least a little more often. Anyhow, last night's picture was a fitting tribute to an actor that was a huge deal in Europe, to the point that only his surname needed to be used in advertising.

Doberman Cop

Doberman Cop (Doberuman Deka) (1977)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Kinji Fukasaku

Starring: Sonny Chiba, Janet Hatta, Eiko Matsuda, Hideo Murota, Jukei Fujioka

From: Toei

There is such a thing as “country bumpkins from Okinawa.”

I was hoping to see a better tribute to the late Sonny Chiba, and this effort on Arrow's streaming site did just that. While uneven and sloppy, this jam from Kinji Fukasaku did just that. I know it'd be a good time once the opening credits happen and to a J-Pop version of 70's soul is hear as Chiba (dressed as a country bumpkin) walks around what I presume is Shinjuku... while carrying around a pet pig! Why the hell not... is it a surprise this was based on a manga?

Sonny is a cop from Okinawa-in town as a woman burned alive is believed to be from his home area-who is disrespected by the Tokyo cops in part due to his sometimes superstitious ways. Yet, he's a kung fu master who does a daring hostage rescue and is such a badass that his pig does the opposite of cockblock him... it actually helps him get laid! This story contains: bikers, the Yakuza, a suspected serial killer, J-pop that isn't quite yet the City Pop which some go bananas for, a .44 Magnum, funky music, an American Idol-esque show, a scene set at a Kentucky Fried Chicken (that chain in The Land of the Rising Sun is quite popular, and what a story it is that over there, eating the food at Christmas is now a tradition), a few moments of graphic violence, and someone who wears a face mask as if he time traveled to the late 70's from either last year or this one.

The story is rather wacky yet in the end you see it's not illogical. It was simply a movie that appealed to my tastes and was pretty good-not to mention made that era of Tokyo look rather groovy. It was a treat watching Chiba kick some ass this Labor Day weekend.

I Revisited The Initiation

It's a movie I saw 9 years ago and mainly to give it a better Letterboxd review, it was watched again. It's still a fine and entertaining movie, although I doubt there will be a third viewing. This time, the big twist was telegraphed, subtly or not.

Candyman (The New One)

Candyman (2021)

85% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 284 reviews)

Runtime: 91 minutes

Directed by: Nia DaCosta

Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Kyle Kaminsky

From: Universal/MGM/BRON

Who can take a sunrise (who can take a sunrise)
Sprinkle it with dew (sprinkle it with dew)
Cover it with chocolate and a miracle or two

For the record, I have seen the original Candyman before (the last time was two falls ago, which was reviewed here) and it's a pretty good tale from the early 90's revolving around urban decay in the infamous Cabrini Green housing projects in Chicago and a heck of a legend in the title character. I haven't watched the sequels, which was perfect for this as while Candyman '21 is a direct sequel to Candyman '92 and the events of the latter are explained, what happened in the sequels is not canon here. It will still be helpful to have seen '92 before '21. This time the movie is led by Black people behind and in front of the camera-which of course is fine with me-and I was hoping for the best. Of course, by the time I was able to see this, all the hype had died down and more negative reviews were seen, both on the Letterboxd feed of who I follow and elsewhere.

Unfortunately, this was totally “meh” overall. Its biggest sin: how incredibly unsubtle it all was. While Jordan Peele was only a producer and one of the writers, this was totally a product of his and I believe why this is SO incredibly blunt & in your face. Also, to be unsubtle myself, the movie seems to be anti-white (all the honkies you see here are not portrayed well) and for certain it is ACAB. Some will definitely agree with such a viewpoint but remember when major movies weren't so divisive like this? I'll presume that the movie's tagline “Say My Name” is supposed to remind people of “Say Her Name”, the movement where Black female victims of police brutality is recognized. By now I'm starting to believe that it'd benefit Peele if he'd learn subtlety & restraint; it wasn't my main issue w/ Us although it was one of its problems. Feeling like I was being lectured to is not always great...

Even without the obvious agenda, I've often bemoaned pretentiousness in movies... well, this follows characters in the snooty art world so of course most were absolutely insufferable and this abounds with shrill characters. A shame this did not work for me like it did many others—it has a solid cast where some have already received acclaim for other roles but most were new to me, there was striking cinematography, a nice musical score and the most unique aspect of using shadow puppets to express certain scenes-not to mention the end credits. Of course, there's also nice gore for those that dig such things. Time is spent at first getting to know these characters... yet I sadly did not dig them.

An opinion that many do share is the third act and how it really ramps things up—to the point it seems like some scenes are missing, it feels different and more than once it just seemed poor or poorly done. The topic of gentrification in Cabrini Green (which changed from an urban decay neighborhood populated by poor minorities in '92 to it being demolished then it be populated by bougie people in fancy digs) is an interesting one and that was addressed here in a fine manner. Yet I wish I could have enjoyed this more—at least it was a nice feat for this to be the first number one at the box office movie directed by a Black female director, and Nia DaCosta is only 30 years old. It was something that the first time I shook my head or sighed was right at the opening logos, which were not only done in a unique way, it had a needle drop I couldn't believe was used.