I have been wanting to read My Best Friend's Exorcism for years but have just not managed to do so. The VHS cover was the driving force. So when the film was announced i hoped it was just as fun as that cover is. In the 80s setting, with it's awesome soundtrack, it sure is alot of fun. Likable characters, and social commentary, help make this a rarity in modern demonic possession films, one that actually doesn't feel dull & cookie cutter, one that actually has heart!
I haven't really enjoyed a Waler Hill film since Last Man Standing(though Bullet to the Head is fun), i haven't really loved a Walter Hill film since Streets of Fire, but him doing a western was a recipe for great success! It has a great cast, some fantastic action sequences but it feels more like a 00s western in tone. The plot was a bit dull but it moved at a fast pace. I love low budget but this here did feel a bit cheap in terms of modern westerns.
I don't know what i expected from Neptune Frost. I saw it was playing at an art house theatre, the still photo was incredible and the plot had me at musical. So i decided to go in blind. I didn't know it was a Rwandan film, but that made the songs that much more impactful. It is a gorgeously lit film with a unique twist on the apocalypse. Needed some trimming for sure but ultimately was a unique experience.
Hallelujah is one of my favorite songs, both Leonard Cohen's and Jeff Buckley's and both are covered here. This doc covers alot of Cohen's upbringing, the origin of the song, the impact of the song, and the take on religion. The talking heads(not the band, as it would make sense here) are great and seem to have a love for him and his music both as peers and fans. It is quite impactful yet light!
Fall is a film that had a decent concept, two girls climb to the top of a tower and get stuck. Think Frozen(Adam Green), but on a satellite tower. Well the tower is 2000 feet......yes 2000 feet, and they climb it like it is nothing. Two unlikable characters and we are stuck with them for nearly 2 hours. There are plenty of eye rolling moments here and possibly the most eye rolling isn't even a part of the film. It is the fact that they deep faked this film to get rid of the word fuck. I'd rather the two leads be deep faked in another way, cause those type of films are far superior to this.
The Rise of the Synths is a charming little doc about the history of synth music, film & gaming nostalgia, finding your people and the passion we all feel. I have always loved this genre of music and that stems from my love of film, in particular John Carpenter, who also narrates this film. It feels more like a Youtube doc but in a way it is perfect for the underground nature that it breathes.
Julius Avery won me over with Overlord in 2018, and now with Samaritan he has delivered another badass punch. A superhero film that is sort of at its core an anti superhero film, a former hero, Sylvester Stalone, that no longer wants to be a hero is pulled back in. It ooses the dirtiness of 80s actioners, the anarchic nature of 90s villains and adds in some Wicksploitation for good measure.
