The Night Stalker

The Night Stalker (1972)

Runtime: 74 minutes

Directed by: John Llewellyn Moxey

Starring: Darren McGavin, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland, Ralph Meeker, Barry Atwater

From: ABC Circle Films/Dan Curtis Productions

As everyone knows, vampires drive station wagons…

Despite the cult following that The Night Stalker, The Night Strangler and Kolchak: The Night Stalker has had for decades, it was not until last night that I had ever seen Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak. I knew his appearance and that this initial TV movie (which was a gigantic hit) had a vampire as an enemy, but it took me viewing a YouTube video from a 1979 broadcast on KABC TV in LA-complete w/ commercials!-for me to finally discuss this here. Those ads were a sheer delight.

Kolchak has an abrasive personality due to his blunt nature and his distrust of authority. This is why he was fired from multiple gigs and his current boss at the Las Vegas rag is rankled by him. When bodies are found drained of blood, Kolchak at first assumes that the villain just believes he’s a vampire. However, when supernatural events happen and the authorities refuse to believe it’s supernatural…

It’s solidly directed by Tarantino favorite John Llewellyn Moxey, has a cool score, was produced by Dan Curtis, written by Richard Matheson and is full of famous faces-everyone from Carol Lyndley to Elisha Cook, Jr. for like a minute-but of course it is McGavin who is the key to making this picture work. Kolchak could have been an annoying know-it-all who wears a seersucker suit w/ a porkpie hat yet instead was a charming smug dude who dealt with positions of authority that mostly were real jerks so it was easy to root for a chap that uses his charm to recruit a variety of characters to give him tips. Praise is also deserved for Barry Atwater as the vampire who both had the Lugosi stare and successfully exhibited animalistic tendencies.

As it provides solid early 70’s made for television scares, I was happy to have finally tackled this blind spot. After all, years ago at my sister’s house when A Christmas Story was on my dad spotted McGavin and asked if that was Kolchak, The Night Stalker. Still surprising to me given that neither parent ever showed me any horror as a child.

In the Mouth of Madness

In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

Runtime: 95 minutes

Directed by: John Carpenter

Starring: Sam Neill, Julie Carmen, Jurgen Prochnow, David Warner, John Glover

From: New Line Cinema

OK, so how did people believe that John Carpenter actually joined Letterboxd? Recently, there was a kerfuffle that was only seen by me after it occurred & the faux account was zapped. The site notes in multiple ways (the site itself, social media, e-mails, etc.) when a famous old director has joined the platform. This occurred for Scorsese and Coppola so why people fell for someone calling themselves John Carpenter posting about his own films and random horror movies—a little puzzling. In any regard, this gave me the idea to see the most famous picture of his that hadn’t been experienced by me before.

An experience, this certainly was. Thankfully for me I went into the movie relatively blind; a clip or two was seen but otherwise I only knew that this was about freelance insurance investigator Sam Neill being hired by Charlton Heston to find Sutter Cane, a horror novelist “more popular than Stephen King.” Oh, and I heard it was “Lovecraftian.” It’s funny, I’ve seen a few pictures w/ that description and of course through cultural osmosis know Cthulhu. Unfortunately, I also know of Lovecraft’s personal beliefs… there’s a can of worms I don’t want opened, but it won’t prevent me from possibly reading some of his writing in the future.

Regardless, those who read my recent review of the 2020 movie History of the Occult may have presumed that weird, surreal movies where you question reality aren’t my bag. Not necessarily; after all, I dig another Neill horror picture (Possession) and like with everything for me, the plot and characters are incredibly critical. I was on board with this bizarre journey & the revelation of the irrational that is increasingly disturbing to the rational insurance investigator. This irrational is brought to life perfectly by the glorious practical effects and the Ontario setting that substituted for New York City then the New England that’s the home of King and was the home of Lovecraft.

There are plenty of famous faces, although most (like David Warner, John Glover and Bernie Casey) only have what amount to extended cameos. I’ll note Julie Carmen as the lead girl; while not as famous a name, I’ve seen her in a few other movies and she did deliver in what ultimately was a bold role. As of course it was a solid production from Carpenter and his score was pretty rad, this solidified my opinion that I was a knave, a fool for not seeing this cosmic horror much sooner.

If you have even a passing interest in Lovecraftian horror, In the Mouth of Madness is a must.

Surviving the Game

 

Surviving the Game (1994)

Runtime: 96 minutes

Directed by: Ernest R. Dickerson

Starring: Quite the cast, as explained below

From: New Line Cinema

In an increasingly rare move, I dip into my physical media collection to review something for Letterboxd (rather than revisit a film and not mention it here) and discuss a picture last seen by me in the DVD era. Thankfully, Shout Factory brought to life the forest setting of this Ernest R. Dickerson film.

In fact, you’ll find this reminiscent of Hard Target: “undesirable” homeless people are tricked into being hunted by rich A-holes. However, Surviving the Game has its own spin on The Most Dangerous Game riff. Ice-T is down on his luck; we see his dog die as we crosscut w/ someone being chased through the woods. Charles S. Dutton spots this and hires him as “a hunting guide” which is supposed to sound absurd.

When I first heard of the film-on yes, a messageboard-its cast was stressed the most as a selling point. It also has: 

Rutger Hauer
F. Murray Abraham
John C. McGinley
Gary Busey
In a small role, “that guy” actor Jeff Corey

The other aspect that was praised: a wild monologue from Busey who discusses the bulldog he had as a kid. It sounded like crazed ramblings that Gary made up himself—according to T on Twitter and earlier by Hauer, this was in fact the case. Plenty of time is spent w/ getting to know T then his hunters before the hunt begins and we see the underdog attempting to use his wits to trick those tracking him. The forest in the state of Washington was filmed rather well, using various locations in the Wentachee National Forest.

As there’s also a nice monologue from T concerning his backstory and the quality cast delivered solid performances, the additional attributes of a nice Stewart Copeland score and an unexpected gruesome moment meant that this underrated 90’s survivor thriller isn’t the generic schlock the premise would indicate… and to make a prejudicial assumption, the modern DTV version of this idea would be generic schlock.

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Danny Cannon

Starring: The returning lead duo plus the likes of Brandy, Mekhi Phifer, Jeffrey Combs, and… for a few scenes, JACK BLACK

From: Columbia/Mandalay

An appropriate film for me to view last night. I faintly remembered that the final act was set in a torrential storm and well, an update concerning me and Hurricane Helene may be needed for those that remember I live in Florida. It’s a little bit west of Orlando, meaning that the hurricane was far away from me so there was only some wind & rain, but nothing horrendous. Those living on the Gulf of Mexico coast and especially the Panhandle weren’t so fortunate; I feel bad for those impacted negatively.

In any case, I saw both this and the first movie at the time; both then and now, they are goofy slick studio versions of horror which aren’t as good as Scream yet aren’t terrible either. I did remember the stupid moments from the film so I suppose it left some sort of impression… in addition, this is a rare case where a movie plays better for you if you aren’t familiar w/ world geography.

Julie James and Ray Bronson return from the first; this time, Julie and three others win a free time to the Bahamas. Absurdities happen, including the villain somehow manipulating the lyrics that appear on screen on a karaoke machine; it’s not even the most improbable moment, believe me. It undercuts the serious aspect of Julie’s trauma & her struggles concerning same. An uncredited Jack Black also shows up, as-get this-an irritating character. To be frank, the popularity of Tenacious D is beyond my comprehension and I at best tolerate him in a movie. The way he treated his buddy because (allegedly) he did not want to lose his big movie gigs—my goodness what a loathsome caricature he portrayed here.

Truth be told, it’s a stupid movie… I mean, really stupid. Do radio stations really call their listeners in contests—isn’t it the other way around? However, it’s also a really funny dumb movie, even if that wasn’t the intent. For those that like gore, it easily eclipses the original in that regard. There’s also Jeffrey Combs for a few scenes. The picture is not totally bereft of scares and chilling moments, so it is not a complete waste of time. There are a few “that guy” actors, the cast as a whole is fine and there aren’t too many horror films out there related to a hurricane or similar weather so if you need to see one for any reason…

Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip

Yes, this is the 1982 stand-up film: 

Once again, messageboard discussion spurned my revisiting this standup film for the first time in more than 15 years. Whether it be in audio or video, I’ve dug his routines. Well, someone in a thread mentioned various 80’s stand-up movies and specials, including Sunset Strip.

Some nitpicks could be made, none of which are related to Pryor’s routine; instead of possibly tainting the well, let’s move on and mention that throughout, there are various riotous routines that run the gamut from the Mafia and visiting Africa to relationships and the most poignant moment: his talk of being addicted to freebasing cocaine, which led to the night that via uncertain circumstances, he lit himself on fire. While he was great at making light of his struggles, it also served as a serious PSA & warned people of how addictive the pipe was.

Don’t expect an increase in my reviewing of stand-ups from the past-as I have zero interest in modern comedians-but it was long overdue for me to finally see this in full rather than listen to some of the bits in audio form. It’s as profane as you’d expect, although the n-word is only used to note that Pryor no longer is a proponent of the word after his Africa sojourn.

History of the Occult

History of the Occult (2020)

Runtime: 85 incredibly painful minutes

Directed by: Cristian Ponce

Starring: A bunch of random Argentinian actors

From: A number of different companies

OK, so I am genuinely baffled why this is held in so high regard by many people. Many long-time followers will know that modern horror habitually turns me off and is more irritating than enjoyable. It’s not just “elevated horror” which falls in this category. That’s why Late Night with the Devil was an utter delight—even better than expected as I not only loved the premise, it included some elements seemingly tailor-made for my esoteric tastes.

Even longer than I’ve known about Devil, History of the Occult has received plenty of buzz; the film from Argentina and Mexico does have a unique hook: during the last broadcast of a controversial investigative TV show in late 1986, a link is revealed between the (fictional) president of Argentina and the occult. It even sort of sounded like Devil. Turns out, it wasn’t but that wasn’t a deal-breaker for me.

Rather, the deal-breaker was the plot wholesale and how it was presented. It’s not just the broadcast of 60 Minutes to Midnight that the viewer watches; oh no, there’s also plenty of confusing obtuse cut-aways to the show’s producers who are sequestered in an apartment elsewhere, because reasons. Unfortunately, much of what happens is left unexplained and when I later searched on Reddit (I know, I know), the theories as to what in the blue hell was going on… it seems OK granted that you ignore some major logical fallacies or can just accept some far-fetched theories.

No way in heck would I ever go back now having somewhat of foreknowledge as to what may be going on when the first time around I grew increasingly frustrated with the stupid, irritating characters speaking in riddles for no good reason and reference events that the viewer has no context for, or how seemingly the movie was designed to make me physically nauseous. I don’t believe it was supposed to be one of those “the audience is supposed to hate it!” crap we do and have received from certain directors for decades now. It was just a film that was a repellent for my tastes, sorry to say.

Even if certain moments and references made more sense after looking at those Reddit comments, this does not mean that retroactively the miserable experience I had viewing this nonsense suddenly was all sunshine and lollipops. If I had known that this would be such a puzzle box—but I had no idea. Look, modern horror is frequently not of much interest to me, no matter how hard I try; the older stuff is far more interesting to me. It’s a shame to give such a low rating to a movie that doesn’t rehash old ideas and instead clearly had ambition. However, when it was a titanic struggle just to finish the film rather than giving up & waving the white flag…

The Revenge of Frankenstein

The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)

Runtime: 90 minutes

Directed by: Terence Fisher

Starring: Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews, Eunice Gayson, Michael Gwynn, John Welsh

From: Hammer

Because Hammer Horror is needed for this time of year. Actually, last night I revisited the first in Hammer’s Frankenstein Franchise (The Curse of Frankenstein) but that doesn’t need a new review from me. It’s a pretty good tale which is the standard Mary Shelley story w/ some artistic flourishes as Peter Cushing is a brilliant but mad scientist who increasingly becomes unethical as he seeks to create life which predictably goes wrong.

Revenge begins right after Curse ends. Baron Victor Frankenstein is about to be sent to the gallows. Sometime happens, and he escapes. He must have been trolling when he reached his new town and decided to become a doctor under the name… Dr. Stein. He treats the poor, but that doesn’t mean he has reformed his devilish ways. Victor finds assistants; in a note reminiscent of the Universal Monster movie House of Frankenstein, there’s a deformed person who wishes to inhabit a new body, especially after meeting an attractive lady. Lest you think it’s a ripoff, both movies handle that plot point quite differently.

As it’s Hammer Horror, little surprise that the mood and atmosphere are presented well, along with the sets that brought the 19th century mainland European city to life. It was an effective ghoulish tale which had some pathos and seemed a natural progression from Curse. The score, the direction, the editing, the cast (not just Cushing), all were solid. The film even had a gruesome moment or two so if you wanted to have a good time, Curse then Revenge should make for a nice fall evening, hopefully w/ a chill in the air where you live.

Somehow, Hammer made seven (!) Frankenstein films. Don’t expect me to watch them all ever (let alone this Spooky Season) as it may be a law of diminishing returns but more Hammer by late October for me: possible.

Satan Wants You

In my first of two reviews to be posted tonight, I discuss a 2021 Canadian documentary: 

For those that want to experience real-life horrors... as a child of the 80's and 90's, I remember the era of Satanic Panic, how there were rumors of Satanic cults, heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest were crucified (which like everything else in this mass hysteria, seems so absurd now), some were petrified of Dungeons & Dragons, and if you watched shows like Unsolved Mysteries, that was brought up as a possible cause way too frequently.

Well, this Canadian documentary-which was first released on streaming by Tubi, but don't let that put you off; they didn't make it-explains how the 1980 book Michelle Remembers (by Michelle Smith and her therapist, Lawrence Pazder) purportedly was of Smith recalling horrific abuse by a cult after hypnosis brought back repressed childhood memories. Of course, in hindsight the graphic claims of OOT abuse were phony but at the time, people believed it. This includes law enforcement. It snowballed into widespread fears that child-killing Satanic cults were legit & even worse, daycare centers and other establishments catered to young children were accused of baby-killing, ritualistic animal slaughter, and other unfathomable claims. There were even prison sentences until people finally came to their senses.

It was a standard documentary which presented the story in chronological order. Judging by the complaints of some, they would have preferred an entire series about Satanic Panic, its history and how it's unfortunately been echoed in modern times. I'd be down if someone did that one day in the future. Judging this documentary on its own merits, it did a pretty good job of presenting a story focused on a pair of people and the ramifications of the phony story they presented. While Michelle understandably declined to participate, a few family members did along with a few people billed as experts, from a Mindhunter FBI agent and a former “Wiccan priest police officer” to a member of the Church of Satan.

The topic was little-known by me so this documentary was appreciated. Naturally the Wikipedia article about Satanic Panic goes much more in-depth, re: the topic as a whole. However, it was nice to see and hear the people involved in a book which is best left forgotten but the lessons learned from the scandal unfortunately haven't been heeded today.

The River Wild

The River Wild (1994)

Runtime: 111 minutes

Directed by: Curtis Hanson

Starring: Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn, John C. Reilly, Joseph Mazzello

From: Universal

Featuring a Jane’s Addiction reference suddenly relevant again! In short, the son of Meryl Streep and David Strathairn notices that Kevin Bacon is wearing a Lollapalooza hat; he’s impressed that Bacon was there, as he got to see Jane’s Addiction “before they broke up.” Presumably people now have seen the viral video of Perry Ferrell and David Navarro fighting during a recent concert—while not official, it sure looks like they broke up again. I had a hearty laugh at that line last night while viewing this movie for the first time in almost 30 years. The only time was soon after it was released on VHS, so the experience in its correct aspect ratio on Netflix was appreciated by me.

In essence, the movie is a standard 90’s thriller; however, the talent involved and the stunning river scenery are huge benefits. The lead couple are married but have a rather fractured relationship. They still go on a whitewater rafting trip in the Pacific Northwest-what misfortune then that they run into Kevin Bacon and John C. Reilly; while I try not to spoil, Reilly looked incredibly skeevy…

Some nitpicks could be made, sure. Instead of doing that, my appreciation for a 90’s studio thriller will be expressed. The keystone point to me in 2024: all the practical effects. The film constantly isn’t on the water yet was always thrilling or at least interesting. When it is, you realize that it won’t be the same in a modern remake or sequel as seeing digital figures whitewater rafting in a digital raft on a digital river just isn’t the same… I say that and remember that there actually IS a stand-alone sequel called River Wild which came out last year & to cynic me sounds like a generic script about rafting that had a movie title slapped on it to try and cash in. Apparently it isn’t all CG but cynic me again will presume it’s not as good. Back to 1994…

Having all those famous faces in the film is another huge advantage; they do elevate the material and it made me laugh seeing Streep in action and even threatening to kill someone. Heck, she is even treated as a badass lead by all the males in the film yet it wasn’t done in a modern “girlboss!” way that is incredibly controversial.

Mix in a cute dog-which doesn’t die-solid direction from Curtis Hanson, nice cinematography that shows off the rural setting, an actual fine child performance from Joseph Mazzello and the typical quality Jerry Goldsmith score meant that I appreciate the film more now than I did almost 30 years ago. Something unpretentious that doesn’t shoehorn in humor or try to “subvert expectations” fits my current tastes, as most who have followed me for even a short amount of time can attest to. I wish Netflix had more films like this rather than creating the latest catastrophe that unfortunately for Joey King has her as the lead.

 

Midnight Cowboy

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Runtime: 113 minutes

Directed by: John Schlesinger

Starring: Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Sylvia Mills, John McGiver, Brenda Vaccaro

From: United Artists

Well, that was bleak…

Despite my viewing of various New Hollywood movies through the years, this early example that won Best Picture I had only seen various bits & pieces of. Before it left the Criterion Channel it deserved a shot. Thank goodness I did, although this was the feel-bad movie of the year.

Joe Buck (no, not the haughty pompous sports announcer now in the lead chair on Monday Night Football; rather, Jon Voight) is a Texas cowboy who is shown to have an overinflated opinion of his desirability towards women as his dreams of being a hustler in New York City quickly turn sour. Not even his Zenith transistor radio or rocky bromance relationship w/ “Ratso” Rizzo can turn his fortunes around. Rizzo has a limp, a persistent cough & dreams of moving to Florida. As someone who lives in Florida… don’t do it!

Despite the general tone of the picture, there are no regrets in finally pulling the trigger. People don’t like Voight now as a person for various reasons, but what an actor, at least back then. Dustin Hoffman was also memorable in an even more colorful performance. It has a nice score; the soundtrack-well, hopefully you like Nilsson’s Everybody’s Talkin’ as especially during the opening act the song’s heard often. Thankfully I do. Me, the main highlight was the editing and how Buck’s backstory was slowly unfurled throughout via flashbacks that allowed the viewer to understand Joe; so did those surreal dream sequences of his current state of mind in NYC

This must have been shocking to movie audiences in ’69; soon after the Hays Code was finally abolished, this totally adult tale with blatant homosexual overtones (and frequent usage of a certain slur), downbeat nature, some brutal scenes, and an unflinching look at an adult lifestyle… it still can hit hard 55 years later. Those accolades plus the tremendous performances from the two leads = a must for those with even a passing interest in the New Hollywood era.

The Terror

The Terror (1963)

Runtime: 81 minutes

Directed by: A number of people, as explained below

Starring: Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Dick Miller, Sandra Knight, Dorothy Neumann, Jonathan Haze

From: AIP

The Terror is better as seen in clips during the final act of Targets. The circumstances of its production and how it played into Karloff starring in Targets are best encapsulated in the picture's Wiki page. The movie was watched on YouTube as an account created a faux drive-in experience where it played before Corman's version of The Masque of the Red Death-a movie I know is better from a YouTube viewing last September. More than one Roger Corman picture will be seen between now and Halloween as it seems a fitting tribute.

As Corman pinched pennies so hard that Abraham Lincoln would squeal, of course he would have the idea to use the sets of a movie just-finished (The Raven) and two of its stars to create a whole new movie. Boris Karloff returned as did Jack Nicholson. Corman shot four days of random footage as there was only the bare outlines of the story, leaving it to others to piece something together via second-unit footage. Well, that took nine months and a number of directors. I've heard differing amounts but going by Wiki, there was:

Francis Ford Coppola
Dennis Jakob
Monte Hellman
Jack Hill
Nicholson himself, although that's been called into dispute by Hill

Karloff was supposed to receive $15,000 if this made $150,000. It didn't so he was miffed but he got paid the dough for starring in Targets. The film's Wiki page explains it all and to be frank, it is more interesting than the movie itself, pieced together like Frankenstein's Monster. It should be a compliment that The Terror is not completely disjointed, although the ideas presented in the plot aren't fully realized, the plot spins its wheels at time to make it feature-length & two characters had to literally explain the full story to the audience.

Nicholson-who did not show the prodigious talent he would later in his career-was a French soldier who encounters a mysterious woman (Sandra Knight, Jack's wife at the time. Yes, he actually was married once) tied to a castle owned by Karloff, who has Dick Miller as his majordomo. The film only has two other characters. The Terror had nice sets, a nice cast and sometimes a nice atmosphere; a shame that the meandering story understandably has its issues. Corman alone has done far worse than this motion picture. At the same time, curiosity over the production history & what it produced is really the only reason you need to check the film out, unless you want to see its M. Night-level plot twists.

The Killer's Game

The Killer’s Game (2024)

Runtime: 104 minutes

Directed by: J.J. Perry

Starring: Quite the cast

From: Lionsgate

If you want Great Value Guy Ritchie/Tarantino/John Wick/Smokin’ Aces…

Truth be told, it wasn’t a surprise when I learned that director J.J. Perry gave us the Netflix movie Day Shift; this has those vibes. The main reason for me to see what likely would have gone DTV or streaming if not for last year’s strikes: the cast. It’s full of B-action and B-movie actors: Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Pom Klementieff, Ben Kingsley, Alex Kingston, and even WWE’s Drew McIntyre.

The plot concerns hitman Bautista developing a relationship w/ Boutella but discovering he has a real-life terminal illness so he pays for a hit on himself, only there are complications… yeah, it’s all absurd. Imagine a multiverse where in the 90’s Rupert Wainwright would have directed this w/ Wesley Snipes as the lead, or in the early aughts, John Woo directing Michael Keaton; this based on a novel script has been around for that long. Subsequently, is that why it feels like Ritchie or Tarantino lite, complete with character introductions? For crying out loud, this even uses a song that was in Kill Bill, Vol. 1!

Perhaps I am just too old-mid 40’s-but this is just a goofy, crude film filled with garish stereotypes and certainly tries hard—too hard, IMO. The humor regrettably did not land for me all that often. The cast does try-some just have roles that were smaller than I would have preferred. Many do like this claptrap more than me, so YMMV. On the other hand, everyone can agree: this has horrid CG blood, made worse by how frequently it’s seen. The Killer’s Game may not look so bad on the small screen, where I imagine it will do decent business.

 

Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil

Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (2017)

Runtime: 98 minutes

Directed by: Paul Urkijo Alijo

Starring: Kandido Uranga, Uma Bracaglia, Eneko Sagardoy, Ramon Agirre, Jose Roman Argoitia

From: Many different French & Spanish companies

Not only this is folk horror, but in an extinct variation of a particular ethnic tongue. For a few years now, this picture has been in my Netflix queue; about time I pulled the trigger. The Spanish/French production was set and filmed in the Basque region-to be brief, the Basque are an ethnic group from that part of the world who have their own distinct culture. This 19th century tale is not only based on local folklore, it's in a dialect of Basque from the time that is now extinct. 

Turns out, I enjoyed the film more than some & now there are regrets that it wasn't streamed much sooner by me. It's a particular version of an Indo-European story, The Smith and the Devil. In this case, a blacksmith makes a deal w/ a demon for a particular reason, but things go wrong. Years later, the blacksmith is an outcast in a poor Basque town in 1843. When an 8 year old girl stumbles onto his land... I'll just say that in fact a demon is a supporting character and not reveal much more.

It's a movie I dug from the very beginning. The foggy forest setting was awesome. I enjoyed the characters and the dark nature of the plot. It had great lighting throughout and sometimes scenes were bathed in colored light for a particular reason. The little girl was an outcast herself and I felt great sympathy due to how poorly the rest of the town treated her. The music, the introduction of dark humor in the second act that increased until the finale, the lore, it all enthralled me. The folklore presented all had to be period-accurate. After all, there's lore surrounding demons and... CHICKPEAS. Don't worry, it's humorous rather than intelligence-insulting.

Many may not be as over the moon for Errementari as I was; that is all good but for those who are intrigued by my comments, it's always worth a shot. Even getting to hear the Basque language was a rare treat. I'll be in the minority here but give me modern films like this instead of “elevated horror”, “fan service crap” or “over the top grotesque gore” anytime.

Cyclone

Cyclone (1978)

Runtime: I saw the English-language 118-minute version

Directed by: Rene Cardona, Jr.

Starring: Arthur Kennedy, Carroll Baker, Lionel Stander, Andreas Garcia, Hugo Stiglitz

From: CONACINE/Productora Filmica Real

Imagine Hitchcock’s Lifeboat if it had exploitation elements, such as sharks and a rather gross dog death.

Early in 2022 I purchased The Cardona Collection from Vinegar Syndrome; it was a trio of films from Mexican exploitation director Rene Cardona, Jr. For Spooky Season 2022 I reviewed The Bermuda Triangle, an amusing aquatic-based tale. As I’m me, it took two years for me to see the second film in that set. That is despite hearing about Cyclone from the Pure Cinema Podcast even before VS released The Cardona Collection.

To clarify, the disc has both an English-language and Spanish-language version; the disc said there’s differences between the two but heck if I know what they were. Regardless, the English cut was selected. A tourist boat, a fishing vessel, and a plane all go down via the titular event that suddenly changed course. Is it a spoiler to mention that all those survivors converge and that it becomes rather miserable the longer they are lost at sea? There’s a shark attack early on but yes they do eventually return. The film is 2 hours long and even by my standards, is leisurely-paced.

That said, the effects of the scenario are presented well; it is horrifying, a few rough choices are made & some characters become barbarians for the purpose of attempting to survive. The cast is better than expected. After all, there’s distinguished actors like Arthur Kennedy, Carroll Baker, & Lionel Stander. Kennedy was dubbed in the English-language cut—perhaps this indicated his opinion of the production but it’s possible his health was the reason for that. In any regard, many will be amused that this features TWO actors from Fulci’s Zombie: Olga Karalatos and Stefania D’Amario. As it’s a Cardona picture, OF COURSE Hugo Stiglitz is involved.

The movie won’t be to everyone’s tastes; if you can accept the slow stretches, the wild ending is worth the wait. Something I’m predisposed to enjoying was the Riz Ortolani score; the title track is quite a bit incredible, to be frank. It includes a slapping bass line, which will always tickle my fancy. Maybe it will for you also.

 

I Discuss Apollo 13: Survival

It's a 2024 Netflix documentary. Thankfully, their documentaries tend to be better than their feature films: 

Netflix's documentaries typically are quite a bit better than their fictional movies. I can't say “always” as scrutiny over such efforts as their expose on Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 informs me that it and others of its type are claptrap best left avoided. The series lasting multiple episodes also give me pause; however, a 97-minute piece on the Apollo 13 mission done clinically, filled with archival footage and the only narration is from archival interviews: it gave me confidence. It has to beat even given a minute of my time to Uglies, a picture that sounds like a catastrophe, yet another bad Netflix Original Movie based on a wacky conceit and hilariously to me, directed by McG. I'll pass, thank you very much.

Thankfully, Apollo 13: Survival was what I wanted. While the focus was more on Jim Lovell and his family instead of the other astronauts, otherwise there is little complaint with the simple presentation of this tale. Presumably many know the story from the Ron Howard film (not seen by me since the late 90's) but in case you aren't familiar, spoilers won't be given. The word “survival” does suggest that the mission does not go as planned...

I'm the simple sort who is fine w/ a straightforward documentary that after the opening is presented chronologically and is free from flash aside from some explanatory graphics. Not only are the improbable odds shown, the impact the story had on the entire world was made abundantly clear. As I've seen others mention, this would make quite the double-feature with 2019's Apollo 11. At least some things that Netflix produces is of interest to my esoteric tastes.

Mallrats

Mallrats (1995)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: Kevin Smith

Starring: Besides Jay & Silent Bob, there's Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Claire Forlani, and Shannen Doherty (RIP)

From: Universal/Gramercy

Growing up means realizing that the two leads here are intolerable man-children!

Truth be told, I’ve always thought that Kevin Smith is hit or miss. Most of what I’ve seen from him was before Letterboxd but it’s not just me enjoying Clerks and thinking that his films in the last 15 years have been abominations. I didn’t even care for Chasing Amy at the time; hearsay tells me that it’s aged exactly as poorly as expected. The idea of going through his filmography to confirm or change my opinions from the past—won’t be happening. However, this was one always looked at favorably to me, plus I can tip my cap to the late Shannen Doherty. To clarify, the theatrical version was streamed via a Prime rental.

What a surprise it was realizing that the two leads (Brodie Bruce and T.S. Quint; yes, obvious references) are both unlikable slackers with no ambition-especially the former-who somehow pulled Doherty and Claire Forlani, both rightfully dumped for acting like tools, and as a middle-aged man a few years older than Michael Rooker in this film, my amusement at those two college-aged tools is not the same as in the past. Rather, despite the way they were written, the women characters were more likable and enjoyable. For being a jerk, I also preferred Rooker’s character as at least he acted like an adult. Of course, no complaints w/ Stan Lee playing himself in a cameo back when that was rare.

For all my complaints, there are still laughs to be had; while it’s an opportunity for Smith to further bag about his comic book fandom via several gags, at least Jay and Silent Bob made me chuckle as supporting characters. There’s still various gross-out gags for those that love such things. Yet, I always remembered hearing Smith carping that he wasn’t allowed to use certain vulgar phrases in the movie. Sounds rather childish given that Mallrats still has a rather uncomfortable subplot involving a 15-year-old girl. Perhaps there’s a reason that there are plenty of Smith characters that can be described as man-children…

I hate to be mean to Kevin; in recent years he’s admitted mental health struggles related to childhood trauma. Be that as it may, going through the rest of his filmography suddenly has become less likely. I’ll always have fond memories for Clerks but as I’ve done for years now, ignoring his current output is a definite. At least this has sailboat and views of a 90’s mall, which is something I’ll have nostalgic feelings for due to remembering the local mall in my youth.

An American Werewolf in Paris

An American Werewolf in Paris (1997)

Runtime: 98 long minutes

Directed by: Anthony Waller

Starring: Tom Everett Scott, Julie Delpy, and a bunch of no-names

From: Hollywood Pictures

Even worse than what I was expecting.

Last night, I revisited An American Werewolf in London (while I didn’t write my best review when I rated the film back in 2017, a new one won’t be posted); now there’s a very good motion picture which not only delivered the scares and the laughs, but I cared about the relationship between David and Alex as the time spent w/ the ill-fated European traveler and his London nurse was worthwhile and thus it wasn’t an issue that the all-timer transformation scene was almost an hour into the picture. The viewer sincerely hopes that David Naughton will be Makin’ It…

Both that and this are on Prime; that spurned me to finally view Paris—a film avoided due to all the bad buzz ever since its release. Curiosity got the best of me, and wow was the movie bad. Three self-admitted American thrill-seeking douchebags travel to Paris; Tom Everett Scott saves Julie Delpy from an Eiffel Tower suicide jump via bungee jumping (don’t ask; it also looks horrendous yet it’s not the worst effect in the movie by any regard) and well, she’s a werewolf. Its connection w/ London solely consists of ripping off several ideas, only done as a pale imitation.

The story is lame (the “clan” of werewolves present have a world domination plot!) & aside from a few chuckles the “humor” was embarrassing/cringe-worthy instead of funny. Some director choices (such as cinematography that at times is totally blown out) was certainly a choice. The new lore they have for werewolves doesn’t work either. However, the biggest blight on the picture: the CG. Due to technological limitations most of it from this era has aged like milk. In Paris, it is offensively bad—and as plenty of lycanthropes are seen, the viewer gets the “treat” of viewing those visuals often.

Even on its own, An American Werewolf in Paris is a terrible 90’s horror movie. If you’re like me and view it immediately after London, the sequel is just insulting to everyone involved w/ the original. Heck, it’s even insulting to the grave of Jim Morrison-again, please don’t ask. It fails at everything, from missing the blending of humor & horror to sympathy for the leads to totally wasting the talents of Delpy. Never again will I subject myself to this misery.

House of Frankenstein

House of Frankenstein (1944)

Runtime: 71 minutes

Directed by: Erle C. Kenton

Starring: Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr., J. Carrol Naish, John Carradine, Anne Gwynne

From: Universal

Even if it’s not Jason Voorhees, a horror picture still had to be discussed on the evening of Friday the 13th. One featuring Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, The Wolf Man & Boris Karloff as a stereotypical mad scientist sounded at least more promising than the movie’s antecedent-Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, viewed last October and left me lukewarm. 

It is, although it can be rather segmented at times. Karloff and his hunchbacked friend escape from jail via circumstances. Circumstances also led them to Dracula’s body, part of a traveling horror exhibit. They also encounter the body of Frankenstein’s Monster and The Wolfman, in the spot they landed at due to the conclusion of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. Karloff has a rather Grand Guignol plan for exacting revenge on those who stopped his attempts to carry on the work of Dr. Frankenstein. While Larry Talbot is rather fatalistic about his fate, Daniel finds a love in… well, the old term was “Gypsy” but I hear they say it's a slur (and Lord knows it has negative connotations now anyhow) so instead the proper term is “Romani.”

The picture is not that frightening even in comparison to the rest of the franchise. Be that as it may, it still had nice sets & matte paintings which set the mood, as did the rainy/foggy scenes. Most importantly for me, not only was it nice to see Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, and J. Carrol Naish (as Daniel), they were all in an entertaining yarn only 71 minutes in length. It’s not the best movie featuring those Universal Monsters nor is it the best usage of them; foreknowledge of this may set your expectations in check and thus enjoy this as a tolerable horror sequel which still provides entertainment & the appropriate vibes.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

78% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 285 reviews)

Runtime: 105 minutes

Directed by: Tim Burton

Starring: The returning crew, plus Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Willem Dafoe & Monica Belucci

From: Warner Bros.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice thankfully wasn't like leaving a cake out in the rain...

Beetlejuice is a film that has been viewed by me since childhood; sure, not that often as an adult but it's a film that has still held up even in 2024. Naturally, the news of a sequel 36 years later gave me great pause. I've avoided the Bad Tim Burton era entirely, hearsay's been enough to stay away. Yet, curiosity won out and someone did ask me last month if I would see the juice loose again, so the afterlife was visited once again; thankfully it was a journey worth taking.

I'll be cagey about plot specifics. As presented in the trailer, new and returning characters return to that familiar bucolic little town for someone's funeral. Hopefully people knew which person from the first wasn't asked to return, and why! Lydia now has a teen daughter-Astrid-but they're estranged and the viewer gets to see more of the afterlife than before.

Between the viewing last night and my writing this review today, time and thought did help improve my thoughts in regard to the film. Yeah, not all the humor landed nor did all the big swings BB took resulted in hits-one scene during the conclusion was too lengthy. Then, I realized that I shouldn't look at the deliberately irritating character so poorly as that was the point and they were as much a caricature as some were in the OG picture. This had to juggle several balls in the air but it wasn't as many as in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire & was not as much a mess either. As long as you can accept that a character or two won't appear too often...

What I definitely appreciate is that this avoids many of the modern movie tropes which just ruins films. The returning characters feel similar to what they were 36 years ago; “becoming more PC” was thankfully a direction they ran away from. The new faces were all interesting and fit in this macabre world. The Danny Elfman score was fine although what left the biggest impression was the soundtrack. Instead of Harry Belafonte, it was different music from a different era. Yes, I knew all those songs—except for the “post-rock” tune. That'd be because it's from a horribly pretentious band that tries and fails to be Pink Floyd... otherwise, the soundtrack was pretty rad.

Arguably the most important aspect: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice possessing the same Gothic, delightfully spooky, ghoulishly charming as in the first. In that regard, yes that was accomplished. Also critical: this was done without the usage of constant fan service moments. Aside from a popular supporting part returning, it rarely felt indebted to poking people in the ribs every two minutes by directing referencing what was done in the 80's. Instead, it was zany new ideas and references to pictures that the general public would find obscure.

If they HAD to make this sequel, thank heavens it wasn't one that sullied the memory of the original Beetlejuice. Heck, it's become increasingly rare that I like a popular new film as much as the consensus here; this is an occasion where I do. That's me keeping it real...

Afraid

Afraid (2024)

22% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 45 reviews)

Runtime: 84 minutes

Directed by: Chris Weitz

Starring: John Cho, Katherine Waterston, Havana Rose Liu, Lukita Maxwell, Keith Carradine

From: Columbia/Blumhouse

I can't believe it's not Blum... wait, it actually IS a Blumhouse movie. Before randomly seeing this film (thankfully at the Disney Springs AMC at an auditorium, meaning I at least had a fine dinner while watching a lousy picture) a trailer was never viewed, let alone any advertisement. Thus, it was quite the revelation that this was from both Columbia and Blumhouse. The latter's reputation has fallen in my eyes without viewing any of their recent product. All the bad things I've heard about Tarot, Night Swim, Imagination-more than enough motivation for me to flee disappointing pictures that waste what could have been at the very least an inventive concept.

At least now I can speak with a bit of authority that a modern PG-13 Blumhouse film is rather lame; M3GAN this is not. John Cho receives an AI device (AIA) that is installed in his house. As the movie loudly bellows on several occasions, it's much more complex than Alexa. Expect many references to “data sets” and other hip buzz words. The expected happens: at first the family loves the assistance but soon... I wasn't exactly expecting the subplot involving some mysterious figures living in Walter White's RV, but what a hysterical resolution when that is finally revealed in the climax. Presumably it's to dunk on that motion picture, but Afraid showed AIA showing a movie on Netflix for the kids—it was THE EMOJI MOVIE, no kidding.

This did try to be modern and address such 2020's issues as creepy AI images, deepfakes, revenge porn, children having too much “screen time,” fears of those devices listening in on you/becoming obtrusive, etc. Unfortunately, it seemed as if AIA also wrote this script! The story, the dialogue, the characters, it's all so odd and disjointed—Afraid is only 84 minutes long yet this was a case where perhaps a few more minutes were needed, but that wouldn't have solved all its problems. I imagine all those fans of David Dastmalchian won't exactly be thrilled by the weirdo character w/ Moe Howard haircut who only appears in a few scenes anyhow. I know Letterboxd members would have preferred if I had seen Havana Rose Liu in Bottoms and all I can say about Keith Carradine's (!) appearance is I hope he was paid well.

Afraid is rather dopey and starts to fall apart in the final act; that said, the final 10 or so minutes were such a preposterous mess that it became rather funny, and the direction they went for the denouement: amazing. That's why I can't get that mad over this flick; besides the conclusion, the cast (especially Cho and Katherine Waterston) do try their hardest. Who knows how much modern horror I'll see this season but at least for 2024 Blumhouse, there will be no more of that.