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Slipped Discs: 2/11/2020

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I am not making this up…

Welcome back to the latest episode of Slipped Discs, where I give you a head’s up on what nerdy stuff is available to come home with you, because I still believe in physical media!

Once more, all this information comes from Blu-Ray.com, but they list everything that will be in the stores, whereas I shall provide you with what I feel is the interesting genre fare.

There’s not really a lot of new stuff out this week, except Ford vs. Ferrari, but as that’s not a genre flick, we shall move on to . . .

My Bloody Valentine (1981) The gist: “Twenty years ago in the sleepy mining town of Valentine Bluffs, a fatal mining disaster occurred on Valentine’s Day while key members of the crew were decorating for a party. The sole survivor of the accident killed the absentee crew members and warned the town never to have another Valentine’s Day celebration. When a group of teenagers decides that the the town has gone without a party long enough and begin planning one, a murderous maniac in mining gear begins dispatching townsfolk in bloody and creative ways.” An icon of the 80’s slasher era, this movie has some fun twists, inventive kills and a decent mystery. Old school horror fans should check out this Scream Factory Collector’s Edition Blu.

Swamp Thing: The Complete Series The gist: “Abby Arcane returns home to Marais, Louisiana, to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus, where she develops a bond with disgraced scientist Alec Holland. After Holland tragically dies, Abby discovers the mysteries of the swamp and that Holland may not be dead after all.” The DC Universe series comes to Blu-Ray, and will hopefully pick up the following it deserved. I’ve been a fan of Swamp Thing since the Wes Craven movie, then in the legendary comics run by Alan Moore, which heavily influenced this series. It’s a shame we probably won’t get a second season, but at least we have these episodes to enjoy.

Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga (2017) The gist: “A spin-off to the TV series Ultraman Orb, the prequel introduces the characters Gai Kurenai and Jugglus Juggler, who, legend has it, once fought for the same power.” As an 80’s kid, I loved the original ’66 Ultraman series. Watching the Science Patrol fight various giant monsters, until Hayata finally decided it was time for Ultraman to kick butt just hit all my buttons. This set is apparently a prequel series to a follow-up series, but as long as a guy in silver spandex beats up guys in monster suits, I’m in!

Rambo 5-Film Collection (1982 – 2019) Oh, come on, you don’t need me to give you the gist on this one. Five movies, one great, two good, and two less than good, you already know if you need these Blu-Rays or not.

Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) The gist “Two reporters travel to a strange castle in Transylvania to investigate the apparent reappearance of Frankenstein, and encounter such kooky creatures as the sensitive Wolfman, the horny Vampiress Odette, as well as a whole cast of other weirdos.” The first of two vintage era Goldblum movies being released, this one is a horror spoof in the same vein as “Saturday the 14th“. It’s cheesy, it’s a very 80’s spoof comedy, some of it holds up, some of it doesn’t, and now you can have it on Blu-Ray.

Sexy cover, not quite as sexy movie

Vibes (1988) The gist: “Psychics Sylvia Pickel and Nick Deezy are hired by a mysterious man to find an ancient treasure in South America. As they trek through Ecuador, their supernatural skills lead them straight into danger, disaster and romance. When the ancient ruins unleash an evil paranormal power, Sylvia and Nick must join psychic forces to save the world.” Our second early-installment weirdness Goldblum, this time teamed with the lovely Cyndi Lauper, and Steve Buscemi as a bonus! This is Goldblum at his young and still kinda twitchy best, and he has great chemistry with Cyndi as two very different kinds of psychics. It’s a very fun romp that was sadly not appreciated at the time. Blu-Ray only, sadly, but it is in one of those faux-VHS slipcases, which is fun.

Robocop (1987) Again, do you really need the gist? Ok: “In the not-too-distant future, a newly transfered Detroit police officer is remade into an indestructible cybernetic cop after being dismembered by a gang of thugs in an abandoned warehouse. Reborn as RoboCop he is programmed to serve and protect the citizens of Detroit and eliminate the rampant crime in the city streets so that a massive city-wide reconstruction project can get under way.” You know it, you love it, and you probably already own it. But this is another special edition from the fine folks at Arrow Video. This is the regular release non-Steelbook edition. That release has been tempting me at Best Buy for a few weeks now, as it has three different cuts of the movie, and all kinds of extras. In fact, I’d only get the version coming out on the 11th if you can’t find the other release, or just only want/need the theatrical cut of the film.

Hudson Hawk (1991) The gist: “Eddie “The Hawk” Hawkins, the world’s most famous cat burglar, who, after 10 years in prison, is ready to go straight. But it’s not going to be easy. The mob and the CIA have conspired to blackmail Eddie and his partner into stealing three da Vinci masterpieces from the most heavily-guarded museums in the world.” Or would you rather swing upon a star? Yes, the movie that almost killed Bruce Willis’ career, now on Blu. It’s stock with the public has gone up as the years have passed, but it’s still . . . a movie that I have seen.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable – Chapter 1 (2017) The gist: “A teen gifted with supernatural power discovers the truth behind his cursed and bizarre bloodline, and the evil that lurks within his town.” A live action version of the (I wanna say cult, but is it really cult?) anime, from what I have heard, this movie captures the truly outlandish and, um, bizarre, feel of the original. I haven’t seen it, but I had to include it, just for that title alone.

Heartbeeps (1981) The gist: “Two household robots run away and try to start a family.” Oh, it’s so much weirder than that. One of Andy Kaufman’s few movie roles, he and Bernadette Peters wear innovative makeup (which nearly won Stan Winston the first ever Oscar given out for Best Makeup, but he lost to An American Werewolf in London) that turned them into robots (think the video for Winnona’s Big Brown Beaver by Primus), and I tell you, it’s strange. Even for an 80’s movie, man is it strange. I always expected it to become a cult hit, especially as it’s Kaufman’s final role, but it was too oddball, or maybe not quite oddball enough, for that fate. Anyway, it’s out on Blu, if you’re curious.

Hanukkah (2020) Oh man, strap in for this gist: “Obediah Lazarus is the son of Judah Lazarus, the original Hanukiller. In 1983, Judah terrorized NY for seven nights and was preparing to sacrifice his eight-year-old son, Obediah, on the eighth night. Judah was convinced it was God’s will, like Abraham and Isaac, to sacrifice his only son to God. Luckily for Obediah, police tracked Judah down and stopped the sacrifice, but Judah was gunned down in the process. Warped by hatred with no guidance, Obediah Lazarus becomes a religious extremist, intolerant of non-Jews, “bad Jews”, and those he perceives to be enemies of the Jewish faith. He is about to unleash eight nights of horror. A group of Jewish teens are getting ready to party for the holidays, but are in for a Festival of Frights. With the help of a wise Rabbi, they deduce that the murder victims have violated Judaic law and that their only chance at survival is to embrace their faith.” It’s about time that Hanukkah got the Silent Night, Deadly Night & Black Christmas treatment. From the tagline “From Dreidel to the Grave“, to a cast including Sid Mutha-lovin Haig and Tim Miller, the secondary tag line “Prepare for a Festival of Frights“, and the sheer chutzpah of the film makers for even doing this, I have got to give it props and check it out. It is being released in a regular Blu as well as a special edition (no word on the differences between the two), I think it will sit quite nicely next to my copy of “The Hebrew Hammer.”

Other titles of note: Shutter Island, Terror Firmer, Game of Thrones: The Complete Eighth Season, John Wick Chapters 1 – 3 Combo Pack, When a Stranger Calls, Grave of the Fireflies

That’s a lot of stuff out this week! Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

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“We’re gonna have to work together” – Harley
Format:Movie
By: Director: Cathy Yan
Writer: Christina Hodson
Genre: Comic Book Action
Released: February 7, 2020
Review Date: February 6, 2020
Audience Rating: Rated R
RevSF Rating: 7/10 (What Is This?)

It’s really nice to see the DC movies finally getting their act together.

Yes, there were a lot of early stumbles, but their last few movies (Wonder Woman, Shazam!, and Aquaman) have been good, if not great. Yeah, I know, I’m not really saying anything new or original there, but for me, it’s true.

And I say this as one of the people who actually enjoyed Suicide Squad. Yeah, mainly for Margot’s Harley, but for other reasons as well. But that is a whole other review, for another time. For now, we’re here to take a look at Dr. Quinn’s latest outing, Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn. But make no mistake from the title, this is mostly Harley’s movie. Which is one of my only issues with it, but I’ll get to that.

For now, here’s the setup. This movie is a sequel to Suicide Squad. No soft reboot, no reimagining or reset, we’re picking up a bit of time after the Squad’s adventure in Midway City. The events are even directly referenced by Harley at one point in the flick. And that’s not really a bad decision, as for most people Margot’s Quinn was the best thing in Suicide Squad, so don’t change what worked.

We get an opening narration by Harley (Margot Robbie) bringing us up to speed on how she’s been living the high life in Gotham since we saw her last. She’s been free to do whatever she likes, running roughshod over everyone and wreaking havoc wherever she goes, as no one wants to get on the bad side of Mr. J.

Until, that is, they break up.

We get a nice montage showing us how she’s trying to cope with being on her own (and not doing so well), but no one seems to believe that she and the Clown Prince are really no longer an item . . . until she blows up Ace Chemicals. Then everyone realizes they’ve well and truly split.

Once word gets out that Harley really is on her own, everyone who’s ever been shod roughly by Harley comes crawling out of the woodwork for revenge.

One of the people annoyed by Harley is Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor), aka Black Mask, a club owner and crime lord with designs on taking over Gotham’s underworld, with the assistance of his head henchman Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina). After Harley had crippled Sionis’ driver, and caused all kinds of trouble in his club, he’s ready for some payback.

Our next major player is Dinah Lance (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) aka Black Canary, who starts out as a singer at Sionis’ club, until he spots her beating up some guys, and promotes her to his new driver, see above about what Harley did to his last one.

Into this mix we add Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), a GCPD cop who’s seen too many 80’s cop movies, been repeatedly screwed over by her boss, and is valiantly trying to find a way to bring Sionis down. Mainly, that she’s uncovered his big plan to take over the city, involving a stolen diamond that’s been etched with the data key to a lost fortune from another (now wiped out) crime family, the Bertinellis.

As all this is going on, someone is riding a motorcycle around Gotham, murdering mob guys with a crossbow. Montoya is convinced they’re working for Sionis, while he wants to know who’s killing his men.

The answer: it’s The Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), aka Helena Bertinelli, out for revenge for her murdered family.

It sounds more convoluted than it is, just stick with me here.

Our final player to enter the scene and the one to kick off the main plot, is Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco), a street kid/pickpocket, who happens to pick the wrong pocket. Specifically, Zsasz’s pocket, with the Bertinelli MacGuffin, er diamond, within it.

From here we get action, betrayals, car chases, explosions and lots of fire-forged friendships. And a pretty good time, truth be told.

BoP: FEOHQ holds on to a lot of what worked (and toning down what didn’t) in Suicide Squad. It has an irreverent tone, funny narration by Harley, lots of freeze frames with funny text commentary about the character in the freeze frame, manic energy, some fantastic fight scenes with brutal yet cartoonish violence, cool effects, and some surprisingly great character work. I can’t think of a weak performance in the entire movie.

Robbie’s Quinn is the joyful anarchist we saw last time, but tempered with her struggle in trying to figure out her new role in life, free from her Puddin’ Cup.

McGregor & Messina have great chemistry, and may have a deeper relationship than just Boss/Henchmen (though it would have been nice if that had been more text than subtext, but that’s another article).

McGregor is also clearly having a ball with Sionis, chewing on the scenery without going completely over the top. He plays him as a crazed, mercurial force who’s laughing one minute, then ordering people’s faces peeled off the next. In fact, he’s very much in the mold of how the Joker should feel as a villain to me. Scarily unpredictable, and it’s that shifting nature, friendly and smiling one moment, then a ranting menace on the edge of bloody violence the next, that makes him someone to be feared, as you don’t know what, if anything, could set him off. He’s just a touch more restrained than Quinn’s ex.

Perez and Smollett-Bell are fun as Montoya and Canary, while giving both characters some depth and weight as their histories are unfolded. The fact that they both hold their own with the energy put out by Robbie & McGregor is saying something.

Basco is good as Cain, though her main role is to be the smart-aleck street kid for Harley to bounce off, while providing her the motivation to become a (slightly) better person.

The weakest bit is Winstead’s Huntress, though by no means is it her fault. She really doesn’t get too much to work with, but what she does have, she nails. To be fair, she also gets one of the movie’s funnies scenes involving her and a mirror. I just wish that she’d been a bigger presence, and had more to do.

Which, as I said at the beginning, is really my only problem with the movie. It’s called Birds of Prey, but the BoP themselves feel more like guest/supporting players in what is totally Harley’s movie. We do get to know these ladies, and they’re important, but I just wish it had felt like they were on more of an equal footing with our leading lady.

The movie is very much the story of Harley Quinn, and her growth from Joker’s hench-girlfriend to anti-hero in her own right. Which, again, is only a minor problem for me, and not enough of one to really bring down the flick for me.

In the end, BOP: FEOHQ is a fun, exciting, action-packed thrill ride of a (deservedly earned) R-rated comic book movie. It’s well written, well directed, has a solid cast, fun characters, cute Easter Eggs, great fights (the climax, set in a funhouse inside an abandoned amusement park that is right out of Batman: The Animated Series, is stellar), cool moments, and continues the DCCU’s current upward trend.

Hopefully we’ll get a sequel which will focus more on Canary, Huntress, and Montoya, while Harley & Cain get their own buddy-crime movie. Or at least one with all of them on a more even footing as a true team.

Then again, this is their origin story, so with all of that “getting them together” business out of the way, maybe it will be easier to do that next time.

If you’re a fan of comics, Harley, the Birds of Prey, or just a good time, you should check this out.

Gary Mitchel is Revolution SF’s own Black Canary, but with more screaming.

Slipped Discs: 2/4/2020

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The Doctor is in

Welcome back to the latest episode of Slipped Discs, where I give you a head’s up on what nerdy stuff is available to come home with you, because I still believe in physical media!

Once more, all this information comes from Blu-Ray.com, but they list everything that will be in the stores, whereas I shall provide you with what I feel is the interesting genre fare.

Doctor Sleep The gist: “Years following the events of “The Shining”, a now-adult Dan Torrence meets a young girl with similar powers as his and tries to protect her from a cult known as The True Knot who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.” I am severely disappointed at all of you out there who didn’t go see this movie. Incredibly well directed by Mike Flanagan, with fantastic performances from Ewan McGregor as Danny, Rebecca Ferguson’s top-tier villain Rose the Hat, and by newcomer Kyliegh Curran as Abra, this movie managed to thread an almost impossible needle of being faithful to both versions of The Shining, King’s original text as well as Kubrick’s masterful adaptation. If you don’t know the full story there, go look it up. Anyway, we get the Blu, 4K and the obligatory Best Buy steelbook. I’ll definitely be picking this up.

The House That Jack Built (2018) The gist: “USA in the 1970s. We follow the highly intelligent Jack over a span of 12 years and are introduced to the murders that define Jack’s development as a serial killer. We experience the story from Jack’s point of view, while he postulates each murder is an artwork in itself.” It’s a Lars Von Tier flick, with Matt Dillon as Jack. That should tell you enough to know if you want to check this out or not.

Rabid (2019) The gist: “After a young woman, Rose, suffers a disfiguring traffic accident, she undergoes an experimental stem-cell treatment that leads to unintended consequences.” This is a remake of Cronenberg’s  body-horror classic, and is very notable for being directed by rising horror stars Jen and Sylvia Soska. I have not caught this yet, but I like the original and it’s on my list.

The Good Liar The gist: “Career con artist Roy Courtnay can hardly believe his luck when he meets well-to-do widow Betty McLeish online. As Betty opens her home and life to him, Roy is surprised to find himself caring about her, turning what should be a cut-and-dry swindle into the most treacherous tightrope walk of his life.” Yeah, it’s not a genre film, but Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen put on a master class of acting that you should absolutely check out.

Grand Isle The gist: “A young father is charged for murder and must prove his innocence through recalling a very twisted and dark night of events.” I have no idea about this movie, but it has Academy Award© Winner Nicholas Cage and Kelsey Grammer, so I’m in. And, as we all know:

Brain Damage (1988) The gist: “One morning a young man wakes to find a small, disgusting creature has attached itself to the base of his brain stem. The creature gives him a euphoric state of happiness but in return demands human victims.” A classic of good-bad 80’s horror from Frank Henenlotter, the mad genius behind the Basket Case series and Frankenhooker. This Blu-Ray release is from Arrow video, whom I put up there with Shout/Scream Factory when it comes to putting out great genre work that deserves a new life. If you love cheesy, gory horror, you should check this out.

The Nightengale The gist: “Set in 1825 in the British penal colony of Van Diemen’s Land (now the Australian state of Tasmania), the film follows a young convict woman seeking revenge on a soldier who murdered her family.” The new film by Jennifer Kent, who brought us The Babadook. Again, I haven’t seen this one, but it looks good.

The Breakfast Club (1985) Do you really need the gist here? Ok, fine: “Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover they have a lot more in common than they thought.” I know most of us 80’s kids already own this, but this is another cool Best Buy exclusive steelbook which is very tempting for me. I mean, look at it:

Don’t you forget to buy me…

Other titles of note: Halloween ’78/18 combo pack, Dragonheart: Vengeance, The Hunt for Vlad the Impaler, Evil Ed, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Complete Series)

I just realized how many of these I haven’t seen, in spite of how many movies I did catch last year. I guess that means there’s always something new to look forward to!

Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!

Slipped Discs: 1/28/2020

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No Fate But What We Make…Again

Welcome back for week two of Slipped Discs, where I give you a head’s up on what nerdy stuff is available to come home with you, because I still believe in physical media!

Once more, all this information comes from Blu-Ray.com, but they list everything that will be in the stores, whereas I shall provide you with what I feel is the interesting genre fare.

First up, a bit of a very personal interest, that actually came out back on the 24th, Blue Öyster Cult: Hard Rock Live Cleveland 2014. B-R doesn’t have any sort of a description, but I think the title tells us everything we need to know. I love BÖC, and I really shouldn’t have to explain their nerd cred. But I will! They contributed two songs to the Heavy Metal soundtrack, have songs based on the works of, and written by, fantasy legend Michael Moorcock, and are true legends of 70’s metal. Here’s a short list of tracks: “Veteran of the Psychic Wars“, “Imaginos“, “Black Blade“, “Vengeance: The Pact“, “Joan Crawford Has Risen From the Grave“, “Godzilla“, and, of course, “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper“. Need I go on? Because I could! I love this band, and that they’re still going strong.

And now, for the Tuesday releases!

Terminator: Dark Fate: The gist: “Sarah Connor and a hybrid cyborg human must protect a young girl from a newly modified liquid Terminator from the future.” A lot of people seemed to enjoy bagging on this movie, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Sure, it’s no T2, but what is? Arnold was fun, Davis was cool, I liked Reyes, and Hamilton is iconic as Connor. We need to see more women, especially more older women, in roles that are more than just Grandma. Like, Grandma with a rocket launcher. Anyway, it’s out on Blu, 4K and as another Best Buy Steelbook exclusive.

Parasite: The gist: “Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.” One of the top foreign films of last year, from iconic director Bon Joon-Ho. I personally haven’t seen it yet, but it’s definitely on my list.

Fail Safe (1964): The gist: “At the height of the Cold War, during the standard investigation of a possible incursion into US airspace by the Soviets, the nuclear bombers that are always in the air are sent towards their “Fail-Safe” points, about which they orbit while waiting to be sent to their targets if a preemptive attack by the USSR is confirmed. The alert turns out to be false and the various flights are recalled, but a technical error occurs, and one flight of 6 aircraft, armed with multiple 20 megaton nuclear weapons, passes beyond its “Fail-Safe” point, and heads towards its assigned target of Moscow. With the World racing towards WWIII, can the US President and Soviet Premier overcome their distrust, and avoid nuclear annihilation?!” One of the great Cold War movies, and one of the first to ask “Wait, we’re HOW close to nuclear Armageddon?!” Fantastic cast, incredibly tense, and yeah, the “serious” version of what happened in Dr. Strangelove. Anyone who lived through the era will get chills, and those too young, hey, look, the world’s always been in the brink of destruction!

Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971): The gist: “Finally released from an institution after suffering a nervous breakdown, Jessica (Zohra Lampert) seeks the tranquility of a secluded home in Connecticut to help make her recovery complete. But instead of a restful recuperation with her husband Duncan (Barton Heyman) and a close friend (Kevin O’Connor) in the New England countryside, Jessica soon finds herself falling into a swirling vortex of madness and the supernatural.” One of the great psychological horror films of the 70’s, with a great “Is it the supernatural, or are they crazy” angle. Horror fans owe it to themselves to check this out.

Black Panther (2018): Do you really need the gist? Ok, fine: “ T’Challa, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king.” This is the 4K re-release in the exclusive Steelbooks that Best Buy has been doing for the Marvel movies. If you need it in 4K, this is a good option for you. I like ’em, so I’ll be picking this up.

Slumber Party Massacre (1982): The gist: “An eighteen-year-old high school girl is left at home by her parents and she decides to have a slumber party. Meanwhile, a murderer of five people with a propensity for power tools has escaped and is at large, and eventually makes his way to the party, where the guests begin experiencing an attrition problem.” A classic of the slasher genre, and one of the only ones directed by a woman, Amy Holden Jones, who has a really great filmography. This movie is pretty iconic for the power drill kills, as well as having a smart script. Another one that horror fans should take a look at, especially as Scream Factory is giving this their patented deluxe Steelbook treatment.

Very Bad Things (1998): The gist: “Kyle and four friends are white suburbanites who set off for a debauched night in Las Vegas before Kyle gets married. But things go badly wrong when a prostitute is skewered on a coat hook as she entertains one of the pals, Michael. Yuppie Robert keeps his head, and goes so far as to murder a security guard who threatens to discover their little accident. The next step is to dismember and bury the bodies and then to return to LA and pretend nothing happened. Of course, guilt and nerves set in and outrageous steps are needed to keep a lid on things. But nothing — absolutely nothing — is going to stand between bride-to-be Laura and her trip down the aisle.” One of the darkest comedies ever made, getting the Blu Ray treatment from Shout Factory. You’re either gonna love it, or hate it, probably depending on how you feel about Christian Slater.

So only two new movies this week, but a lot of older stuff getting a release/re-release. Other possible titles of interest: “Tommy and the T-Rex“, “Body Parts“, “Angel Eyes“, “Along Came a Spider“, & “Footloose“

Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!

Slipped Discs: 1/20/2020

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Still Looking for that Twinkie

Welcome to the first of what (hopefully) will be a new, weekly bit from me, a round-up of the new geeky movies hitting the store shelves, be it on DVD, Blu or 4K. Because I still believe in physical media, dammit!

All this information comes from Blu-Ray.com. Obviously, you could go look up this information yourself, but they list everything, whereas I shall provide you with what I feel is the stuff the nerd crew find interesting.

The House by the Cemetery (1981): A Lucio Fulci flick! The gist: “The plot revolves around a series of murders taking place in a New England home – a home which happens to be hiding a particularly gruesome secret within its basement walls.” It’s Fulci, so it’s going to be weird, lurid, disturbing, and a must for horror fans.

Zombieland 2: Double Tap: The sequel to the breakout zombie hit of 2009! The gist: “Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.” Yeah, it took a while, but I enjoyed seeing this crew (and the surprise cameos) again. Best Buy will have a collectible Steelbook of it, and the first one, available for your undead library.

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot: The gist: “Jay and Silent Bob return to Hollywood to stop a reboot of ‘Bluntman and Chronic’ movie from getting made.” There was a time I loved everything by Kevin Smith. But that time is not now. I’ve heard a lot of not good things about this particular movie, but I will probably end up giving it a shot.

The Addams Family (2019): Ok, someone wasn’t paying attention when they wrote the gist: “A stop-motion animated version of Charles Addams’ series of cartoons about a peculiar, ghoulish family.” This movie is CG, not stop motion. I have no idea what they’re talking about. The movie itself, though, surprised me by being a lot of fun. It managed to capture and blend the tone of the original Addams comics, and the 90’s live-action movies.

Dragonfly (2002): A supernatural Kevin Costner flick that was trying to ride the Mothman vibe. The gist: “After his wife is killed while performing relief work in Central America, a doctor’s patients begin delivering messages from her from the afterlife. On a quest to determine what his lost soul mate wants, the doctor is forced to accept the impossible.” I remember it being very meh, but now it’s out on Blu for the die hard Criptid fands, or Costnerites.

Countdown: Everything you need to know about this meh movie is that they gave it the tag-line “Death. There’s an app for that.” Dull, uninspired, and just a waste.

In Search of the Last Action Hero: No, it’s not a sequel to the Arnold movie, but a new documentary that looks pretty interesting. The gist: “In Search of the Last Action Heroes details the action genre over the past 50 years from the early westerns to the contemporary movies of today. We explore the story behind the ’80s action genre many consider to be the golden Era and how it changed come the 90s and saw its decline and rise as we saw the old stars of the 1980s make a comeback. We examine how studios were able to turn outrageous concepts into genre-defining tropes, and how the one-man-army sub-genre produced the superstars of the era.” I love a good documentary, and this topic could be a lot of fun.

Other possible titles of interest: American Pie: Band Camp, Black and Blue, Kitten With a Whip (1964), Dragonheart: A New Beginning (2000), Summer Days with Coo (2007), The Courier

Let me know which of these are a must-buy for you, a pass, or which ones I missed!

The Grudge (2020)

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“I want to show you something . . .” – Fiona
Format:Movie
By: Nicolas Pesce (Director/Screenwriter)
Genre: Horror
Released: January 3, 2020
Review Date: January 12, 2020
Audience Rating: Rated R
RevSF Rating: 8/10 (What Is This?)

I believe that this is the first time where I’m getting to review a remake of a movie, where I reviewed the original when it came out. I’m not sure how I feel about this, except possibly old.

The original The Grudge was released way back in 2004, and I really enjoyed it. So even with Sam Rami / Ghost House behind this remake (after having made the original American adaptation of the J-Horror original), the usual remake unease, combined with by-the-numbers trailers, had me a little apprehensive about this remake.

I am very glad to report that my fears were unfounded. This remake is fantastic.

Like the original, the new The Grudge is about vengeful spirits who died in a rage, so now they unleash that fury on anyone who dares enter their house. This must be the reason for the push for drone-based delivery services, so you stop running out of employees.

Anyway, the tale starts in Japan, where live-in nurse Fiona (Tara Westwood) Landers is our ghost “patient zero”. She makes the mistake of dropping in on where long-haired ghost Kayako (Junko Bailey) and her child Toshio were murdered. After a scare by the undead duo, Fiona flees home to America, where she and her family, husband Sam (Dave Brown) and daughter Melinda (Zoe Fish) discover that you can run but you can’t hide from pissed-off ghosts, and now they become murderous spirits as well.

After this, the movie follows four interlinked stories about the poor unfortunates who made the mistake of stepping into the wrong residence. As in the original, these stories are told in an interweaving pattern, slipping back and forth between setups and reveals, building the tension until you’re ready to snap.

Our four tales (five, if you count Fiona’s gruesome opener) are about:

  1. Single mom Detective Muldoon (Andrea Riseborough) who has moved with her son Burke (John Hanson) to town after her husband’s passing from cancer. Along with her new partner Detective Goodman (Demián Bichir), she investigates the discovery of the body of . . .
  2. Lorna Moody (Jacki Weaver), a suicide assistance advocate, who has come at the request of William Matheson (Frankie Faison) about his ailing wife Faith (Lin Shaye). Meanwhile, they have visits from . . .
  3. Detective Wilson (William Sadler), partner of Detective Goodman, who had entered the house while investigating the deaths of the Landers. His visits upset the Mathesons, whom had bought the house from . . .
  4. Peter Spencer (Frank Cho), who is not only dealing with the stress of trying to sell the house for Fiona (whom he doesn’t know has perished at the ghostly hands of Kayako), but he and his wife Nina (Betty Gilpin) have just received some very unsettling medical news about their unborn child.

As you can see, this movie has a rock-solid cast. Riseborough, Lin and Cho are the standouts, and it’s always a pleasure to see Sadler. Riseborough is very sympathetic, smart and believable, Lin is great, and between this movie, The Exorcist TV show and Sleepy Hollow, Cho is putting together a solid horror resume.

The screenplay, by director Nicolas Pesce, manages to juggle the back and forth of the stories without becoming confusing or bogged down with “wait, what?” questions. All the characters are smart (or at least, don’t make stupid decisions just for the sake of moving the plot forward), and are sympathetic. I cared about each of these people, even as I yelled at them to not go into that house.

Also, setting the stories in 2004 & 2006 (when the original and sequel came out), was a cute touch.

Pesce’s direction has a very grounded feel. It reminded me of those matter-of-fact horror films of the 70’s, very easy to follow, well shot, and I love the way he handled the ending.

I also want to give a shout out to the music by the Newton Brothers, it’s great stuff. The end credits song “We Get What We Deserve” by them and Dead Sara has been on repeat in my playlist since I left the theater.

I know that a lot of people are kind of bagging on this movie, but I think it’s because it’s a remake, and as I said before, the trailers are not doing it any favors.

Personally, the movie works for me. But I really enjoy slow-burn horror (which this is). I liked the cast, it has a little gore, good scares, isn’t afraid to be mean, and I liked how it would slip the ghosts into various locations.

The only real complaint I have about the movie is that the ghosts have shifted from Kayako and Toshio to Fiona and Melinda. But as this is the story of their haunting, and Zoe’s performance is incredibly creepy, I can live with it.

Also, supposedly, this is more of a side-story than a reboot, telling the tale of the Landers ghosts, while Kayako and company are terrorizing Sarah Michelle Gellar. As you do.

So, yeah, The Grudge. If you like ghost stories, go check it out.

2019 in Film (Part II)

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I’m ready for my closeup

So in Part One, I listed everything I caught in the theater last year. And now I’m sure that you’re all eager to know which movies I enjoyed the most…and the least. Once more, I feel that I should remind everyone that I didn’t catch everything I wanted to see (go back to part one for that list), so some may not be on here that would have otherwise.

For my top pics, I will provide a quick comment on each movie, but for the bottom four (no, not five, I actually only have four movies I really disliked this year. I’m shocked as well), I’m just going to list them, again, in release order.

My Top 10 Movies of 2019

Bumblebee: I did not expect to enjoy this flick, I quit watching all the Transformer movies after Bay’s first one. But this flick had heart, a great cast, and I could go for an entire movie of the Cybertron section.

Captain Marvel: Loved this movie. Brie kicked ass, loved seeing a young Nick Fury. Seeing a woman realize her power, then her taking out the Kree ship, followed by the fist-into-palm threat, was just amazing. “I don’t have to prove anything to you.” YES.

Shazam!: Not only was this a moving story, with great laughs and surprising poignancy, it’s nice to see the DC movies getting their crap together. Even if I’m not a fan of what they did to Sivana, this movie still makes the list.

Avengers: Endgame: The capstone to 10 years of a wild movie experiment, creating true serialized storytelling/building a universe in a way that had never really been done before. And they stuck the landing.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters: Best Godzilla movie since Destroy All Monsters. Great Kaiju action, passable human drama, and LOTS OF GODZILLA. If you didn’t see this on the big screen, you missed out.

Spider-Man: Far From Home: Tom Holland continues to be a great Peter Parker and Spider-Man. They nailed Mysterio. We gained Night Monkey. A great capstone to Phase Three of the MCU. Plus: JK is back!

Ready or Not: Biggest surprise of the year, and most fun movie of the year. A delightful black comedy, a cross between Clue and You’re Next, two of my favorite films. More people should have gone out to see this. If you haven’t, fix that!

Doctor Sleep: Atmospheric. Scary. Thoughtful. Solid performances. Fantastic villain. And they managed to thread the needle of honoring both versions of The Shining, the Kubrick movie, and King’s novel. I’m still shocked that this movie didn’t do better.

Knives Out: Just a pure joy. A great cast that is obviously having a ball making the movie, and the plot is a nice, twisty ride. It’s as good as you’ve heard, check it out.

Jojo Rabbit: To be honest, I was apprehensive about this one. The trailers made me think it was going to be too silly/goofy, which is how I felt about Thor: Ragnarok (don’t @ me). Instead, it’s smart, thoughtful, funny, and powerfully moving in places. It’s a near perfect film.

JoJo Rabbit is, hands down, my top movie of 2019.

Yes, really.

Honorable Mentions: Alita: Battle Angel, Happy Death Day 2U, Us, John Wick 3, Crawl

Bottom Four: Hellboy, Dark Phoenix, The Dead Don’t Die, Rambo: Last Blood

Special Call Out: Cats. Oh my god, Cats. This movie is not the worst. It’s not the best. It’s an experience. And I recommend that everyone check it out for themselves. It’s indescribably wild. I still have bits of “Magical Mr. Mistoffelees” rattling around in my head weeks later. I may go see it a second time.

It’s bonkers. It’s gloriously weird. It’s … Cats.

And it got me writing again, so it’s got that going for it.

You’re not prepared. Go anyway.

2019 in Film (Part 1)

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The best thing about popcorn is the way it screams when you eat it…

So, all in all, 2019 was a pretty good year for movies.

A few surprises (though fewer than expected).

A few disappointments (though fewer than expected).

A few long-term friends coming to conclusions, (some more permanent than others).

(I think I’ll stop with the parenthesizes now…)

This was also my first full year with the AMC A-List program, which lets you watch up to three movies a week, be it in Dolby, 3-D, IMAX, or what have you, all for about twenty bucks a month. So as long as I saw at least two movies each month, it paid for itself.

My best months were June and December, which tied with six movies, meaning I paid about $3.50 a movie, which ain’t bad.

(I could go on about the program, and it’s perks, but they’re not paying me to do so, and that’s kind of another post. I may do one with all the movies I’ve seen so far with A-List, but I may not. The first one I did was Venom. And I said I was gonna stop with these things…)

Because of the A-List, I did see more movies than I probably would have without it.

Maybe.

To be honest, I most likely didn’t see that many more than if I didn’t have A-List, as I love going to the movies.

I did, however, do more repeat viewings than I usually do, because hey, a pretty much free movie is a pretty much free movie.

So, without further adieu, here’s everything that I caught in the theater last year, with the date, because why not? I also note the three movies that I saw outside of A-List, just for clarification.

Jan.
Bumblebee (11th)
Glass (17th)

Feb.
Alita: Battle Angel (13th)
Happy Death Day 2U (26th)

Mar.
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2nd)
Captain Marvel (7th)
Captain Marvel (11th)
Us (23rd)

Apr.
Shazam! (4th)
Pet Sematary (10th)
Hellboy (14th)
Avengers: Endgame (25th)

May
Avengers: Endgame (2nd)
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (12th)
John Wick 3 (17th)
Brightburn (27th)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (30th)

Jun.
Ma (non A-List) (1st)
Dark Phoenix (12th)
Avengers: Endgame (15th)
Shaft (22nd)
The Dead Don’t Die (23rd)
Toy Story 4 (25th)
Anna (30th)

Jul.
Avengers: Endgame (1st)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2nd)
Crawl (22nd)

Aug.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (12th)
The Kitchen (17th)
Ready or Not (22nd)
Hobbs & Shaw (25th)

Sep.
It: Chapter 2 (10th)
Rambo: Last Blood (23rd)

Oct.
Joker (3rd)
The Addams Family (10th)
Zombieland 2: Double-Tap (18th)

Nov.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (1st)
Doctor Sleep (7th)
Terminator: Dark Fate (non A-List) (11th)
The Good Liar (17th)
Charlie’s Angels (23rd)

Dec.
Knives Out (3rd)
Frozen II (9th)
21 Bridges (11th)
Jojo Rabbit (12th)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Non A-List) (19th)
Cats (23rd)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (24th)

Yeah, there are a few gaps, for various reasons, though a few are still playing in the theater at the time of this writing, and I’ll try and catch them there. In no particular order, the ones I missed that I still want to see are:

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Rocketman. Uncut Gems. Jumanji II. Midsommar. Fighting With My Family. The Lighthouse.

Now, which movies make my top 10 list? Which are my bottom five? For that, you’ll have to come back next time.

Hairballs Anonymous

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So, Cats. 

Cats.

The movie adaptation of the beloved Broadway show. 

Cats. 

Yeah, that was a movie. It happened.

I saw it. 

I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve never seen the show live. I’ve seen clips, heard the songs, and yeah, it’s iconic. It changed Broadway/Theater in the 80’s, for good or ill, there’s no denying it. There’s also no denying the power of “Memory.” It’s a legit showstopping number. So while I’ve never seen it performed in person, I respect it.

(I will also never forget the SNL bit where John Lovitz was a Hypnotist with a show on Broadway, and all the reviewers were a monotone “I loved it. It was better than Cats. I’m going to see it again and again.” I’d link it if I could find it.) 

As for the movie….wow. 

All I can kind of say is wow. 

First up, yes, the CGI is an absolute train wreck. I didn’t see the “patched” version, but I can not see how any kind of patch would help. It needs major work. There are times the dancer’s feet are not on the floor, but hovering over it. They also usually have no “weight,” and are just obviously not part of the environment. There is sometimes a shifting rim around the actor’s faces where they tried to blur the makeup into the fur, and when it shifts, it’s jarring. 

The design work of the cats themselves was fine, none of them really stuck out as terrible or amazing. But you could tell which ones had received the most work, and which ones were “Ok, this is a background character, we’ll touch it up later. What do you mean we don’t have a later?” 

The directing was serviceable, and I’ll leave it at that. 

The sets were…fine. They had a nice bit of unreality, putting us in this world of weird humanoid cats.  

The acting…isn’t terrible. There’s not a lot of it, as this is a singing musical, so most of the dialog is via song. But there are some moments, and they’re passable. My main issue is that, and I know that I’m going to get heat for saying this, but I dislike James Corden, and I absolutely HATE Rebel Wilson. I wish she’d drop into a hole and never been seen again. So, all their major scenes were not pleasant for me. At all. 

Everyone else was fine, and seemed to be having a good time. I really liked Jennifer Hudson, Laurie Davidson, Judi Dench & Ian McKellen (obviously), and I thought Francesca Hayward was really good. The duo doing Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer (Danny Collins & Naoimh Morgan) reminded me of the Lutece Twins from Bioshock. Not a bad thing. 

And Idris Elba is Idris Fucking Elba. Damn. 

But people don’t really go to Cats for the acting. You go for the choreography, the music, and the songs. And boy howdy, there are a lot of songs.  Most of them are done well, and they made sure to nail “Memory”. They had to get that one right, or people would have rioted.

I also really enjoyed Tailor Swift’s song, but it felt like it had come in from an entirely different movie. “Beautiful Ghosts” was also good, but it was not done any favors by being next to “Memory.” 

I have to say that, overall, the movie is a disjointed mess of a thing. I feel where it worked best was where it was futzed with the least. The tap in the railway cat song,  Victoria’s ballet-inspired performances, and some of the group dances.

I wonder if they ‘d had the courage to go with makeup and prosthetics on a real stage, if it would have worked better? Or been less weird? Maybe? I don’t know.  

I do know, though, why they did go the CGI route, and while I think the effects being the energetic mess that they are will be a factor in why “Cats” ends up being a cult hit, it really could have used another few passes of work. Which probably means a six month delay, at least.

But then, I also wonder if the CGI had been improved, if it really would have made that much of a difference? Or at least a positive one? Because it is this “WTF AM I WATCHING?!” vibe from these weird and wild effects that are adding into the love I’m seeing for this movie online.  

And I get it. I see the appeal. I can feel it pulling on me, trying to get me to join in on the weirdness. There is something catchy about it, beyond the songs that already appeal to fans of the play. (And speaking of attraction, oh lord, can I see this being a huge Furry “that’s when I knew” movie). 

So, in the end, the movie is kinda weird, kinda plotless, that’s only held together by a few good and one great song, but same can be said of the show. So on that note, it’s a good adaptation.

I think it overstays it’s welcome by about 20 minutes (it should end when Grizabella flies off to heavy heaven/rebirth/whatever). It is a hot mess of a movie, but it’s a glorious hot mess, with some standout moments. And I will probably watch it again at home. 

I’m not going to catcall anyone who does love it, even if I don’t exactly do so myself (I think). This is because as a general rule, I try not to harsh anyone else’s buzz. And I would rather see a movie that dares to be weird, to be different, to swing for the fences like this and doesn’t quite get there, than some boring, bland and safe piece of film put together by committee. 

But oh man, it’s a “WTF did I just watch” mess.

The Other Worlds 2019 preview Days 1 and 2

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Art by Lauren Kitching

Returning for a sixth exciting year, Other Worlds, one of the premier SciFi Film Festivals in the US, features some of the best and unheralded genre films. Beginning on Thursday December 5 at Austin’s Galaxy Highland 10, the four day event includes over 20 feature films, a slew of shorts, a screenwriting workshop, and the Mary Shelley Award. This year also features the return of Under Worlds, which brings the best of indie to Austin.

Not terribly surprising to anyone who regularly follows my writings, I’ll be there.

Here’s what to expect at Other Worlds 2019.

Thursday, December 5

7:42PM Dreamscape (35TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING) 
LAUNCH FILM

https://spartandog76.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/dreamscape-poster-1.jpg

Joseph Ruben | USA | 99 min | 1984

Writer: David Loughery, Chuck Russell, Joseph Ruben
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Kate Capshaw, David Patrick Kelly, Max von Sydow, Christopher Plummer

Psychic Alex Gardner escapes his life of petty crime to join a government research project in which he uses powers to enter dreams of those with sleep disorders. However, as his talents develop and he delves deeper into the experiment, he discovers not everyone on the team shares the same motives and he may be the only one who can stop a plot against the project.

Featuring a great cast and the perfect mix of SciFi, Horror, and Action, DREAMSCAPE was only the second film to receive a PG-13 rating. We are very proud to bring together Director and co-writer Joseph Ruben, Producer and co-writer Chuck Russell and Screenwriter David Loughery for this exclusive 35th Anniversary Screening care of 20th Century Fox.

David Loughery broke into television with a story for HART TO HART. After the success of DREAMSCAPE, Loughery wrote STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER. He teamed up with Rubin again for Wesley Snipes/Woody Harrelson buddy cop film MONEY TRAIN.

Joseph Ruben broke into film with sexploitation films like THE SISTER IN LAW and teensploitation films like THE POM POM GIRLS before achieving cult status with DREAMSCAPE and THE STEPFATHER. His greatest success came with the 1991 Julia Roberts thriller SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY and 1993 Macauley Culkin thriller THE GOOD SON.

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