Asteroid City(Wes Anderson)
Guardians 3
John Wick 4
Evil Dead
Maxxine
Ghostbusters 4
Antman
Knock at the Cabin
Across the Spiderverse
The Marvels
Renfield
Barbie
Creed 3
Cocaine Bear
Scream 6
Mission Impossible 7
Exorcist
Blue Beatle
Aquaman 2
The Flash
The Pope's Exorcist
Furiosa
Killers of the Flower Moon
Indiana Jones
TMNT
I usually love Nazploitation films, so one being on Shudder i was all over it, especially being from IFC Midnight. Instead we get a dull looking film that is horribly paced with wooden acting and choppy action scenes. The horror kicks in at the end but it feels almost pointless. 2022 on Shudder went out on a bad note. Hopefully White Noise will end 2022 in general on a high note.
Murderville doing a Christmas special is perfect, killing Santa works wonders for this type of show. Having three guest stars in this special made it feel....special. Their interactions especially in the climax are why this show is amazing. Improv and murder mysteries go hand in hand, can't wait for season 2.
I would say The Whale is the bleakest film of the year, but coming from Darren Aronofsky that is to come with the territory. Pi, Requiem For a Dream, Black Swan, Mother, all bleak. This here is his most raw film since Requiem for a Dream, if not even Pi. At times it is mean spirited but it shows a duality or positivity. All the acting is amazing, and i wish Sadie Sink was getting award buzz, Brendan Frazer deserves all of his praise!
The trailer for Strange World hooked me, Disney doing a B movie inspired Sci Fi film? What could go wrong? Oh yeah it is Disney Animation. I know, i know, Disney is king of animation, but i honestly find most of their work overrated. Is this? I don't know, while it has good reviews they aren't glowing, and atleast the Disney die hards aren't jizzing over it(like the character covered in it in this). It's a gorgeous and colorful film, but it is quite dull, and definitely doesn't feel like a B Movie, more like a sci fi novel. Which i sort of expected but one can still be hopeful!
There have been docs on Ric Flair in the past, but Woooooo! Becoming Ric Flair dives in to aspects uncharted before. It dives into his birth, his biological parents, his alcohol abuse, but i wish it was 3 hours instead of 2 hours, it could have dove more into his issues with Crocket, Bischoff, and refinding himself in WWE.
So i was not a fan of the original Top Gun. I rewatched it as a teen after falling in love with True Romance but it did nothing for me upon the rewatch. With all the buzz for Maverick i tried to rewatch the first one more time but i started dozing off. Last night i watched a sequel to a film i disliked the first of(Scare Package) and i just restarted Paramount Plus so i could finish up the excellent Tulsa King, so fuck it, might as well pop on Top Gun Maverick. Holy fuck is all i can say.....this film is glorious.....ly boring. The plot is dull, the acting from almost everyone other than Tom Cruise and Miles Teller is wooden. Their subplot is not bad and it honestly is better than the first, but this film doesn't deserve the awards hype it is receiving.
The first Scare Package was a mixed bag, the second one resembles the first but take away the mixed bag. This is what happens when you take those horror fans that think they are just horror fans and let them write & direct a film about horror fans and you get forced references and not so subtle winks at the camera. The plot is non existent, the acting is beyond terrible, this is not a vanity project, this is a film that thinks it is smarter & funnier than it is, and assumes non horror fans don't know Jeff Goldblum.
Animals shitting, golden showers, little people hopping on pogo dicks, cocaine orgies, freakshows, clown sex dungeons. No it is not a John Waters film, it is Damien Chazelle's Babylon. It is the film he should have made after La La Land but it is a film i didn't expect from him. This might be the most insane film in the past decade. It's a mess but it is brilliant, it is overly long but it is an acid trip of cinema. The final scene is a technicolor assault on the senses that is a tribute to a hundred years of film.
I loved the Puppet Master flicks as a kid, as a teen i dove in to Full Moon but quickly discovered their films while embracing low budget films, lacked charm. I loved the Littlest Reich, but that wasn't even Full Moon. Blade The Iron Cross was proof the Full Moon versions do not care but i wanted to see Doktor Death for one reason only, The Bunny, and her scenes were quite pointless as was this entire hour long film.
Rian Johnson has delivered a great follow up to Knives Out. Where the first had Benoit Blanc was more or less the supporting character here is is on full display as the main character....until he isn't. I wondered how this could be as creative and engaging as the first in terms of how we see the case, but midway through everything changes and it makes you want to go back to rewatch the first half to spot for clues. This was a fun whodunit that i didn't want to end with a cast that is having a blast. Great acting and gorgeous set designs, it may not be quite the masterpiece the first is but it is a hell of a ride.
The Menu truly feels like a three course meal. First we are introduced to the characters, a slow burn letting us know how smug these people are. Then we get to the horror aspect, the dinner and stage show layered with satire. We finally get the third act in which the horror ends and the satire takes precedence. This is a methodical tale with layered reasons for the plot and a final girl that is playing chess with the antagonist.
Sam Mendes has always been great but 1917 cemented him as one of my favorites. After that masterpiece i was all for anything he would be helming. So Mendes doing a film set in a movie theatre was just pure perfection. And the film, Empire of Light, truly is perfection. This film is magical, it hits your mind, heart & soul. It is joyous and depressing, intense yet full of wonder, shows the cruelty of mental illness, racism and relationships all while being optimistic. The entire cast is excellent, the art direction is gorgeous, the cinematography is beautiful. It makes you feel a variety of emotions as you get to know the characters. It isn't Mendes' best film, best honestly nothing is really better than 1917, but this is damn close, and easily the years best.
It might seem sacrilegious to turn off the Joe Bob Holiday Special to watch another Christmas movie, but i am not a fan of Christmas Horror Story so i decided to pop on The Apology instead. While definitely better than Christmas Horror Story it falls short of last week excellent Christmas horror flick, Christmas Bloody Christmas. I loved the idea here, just the pacing was slow as fuck and the wooden was acting. Felt like your basic Shudder film.
Martin McDonagh has yet to make a bad film. While i hold In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths higher than Three Billboards, he still always crafts a great film with a snappy screenplay. The Banshees of Inisherin almost feels like a companion piece to In Bruges. The dialogue is witty as fuck, the scenery is beautiful and the acting is great. This might also be his most darkly comedic film aswell.
Guillermo Del Toro is a director i admire but i only love a couple of his films. Pinocchio is a Disney film i admire but i don't quite love. His imagery worked wonders here and unlike Robert Zemeckis you can tell Del Toro has a passion for storytelling and isn't some hack. At under 2 hours it still feels a bit long and the story is a bit over the place but it is a striking film full of heart and darkness.
Funny Pages started off like a raw indie film then the characters were introduced. At first this band of misfits felt like something out of a John Waters or Giuseppe Andrews film but as time went on you began to hate them. From the lead that doesn't value friendship, to his annoying friend, his sociopathic icon, his bitchy boss, his asshole parents, his creepy landlord, his perverse roommate, they all are fucked but none advance any sort of story.
If you wanted Adult Swim to offer something as bonkers as Too Many Cooks, then luckily the director has unleashed The Yule Log. This is the most batshit crazy and surreal sci fi horror comedy of the year. A cinematic acid trip and a true throw back to Adult Swim at its most unhinged!
Joe Begos is a director that each film of his has topped the previous one. Christmas Bloody Christmas continues that tradition. What starts off as a fun hang out flick that feel so familiar, we get our characters bar hopping and discussing music & film, and you don't want the horror to start, you just want to keep hanging out and listening, but then once the horror kicks and in Robo Santa starts killing what could have been a Chopping Mall esque flick kinda becomes more Terminator. The premise is silly but the film plays everything straight. Great acting, an amazing synth score and some badass kills makes this a fun as fuck flick. I would love to see this play as a double bill with X.
Rick & Morty season 6 had alot of the same holier than thou issues as the past couple of seasons, but it was self aware, but in the self awareness this season gave us the most heady sci fi episodes since probably season 1. While there haven't really been any bad episodes of the series, there aren't many that are brilliant, just many that think they are. This season changed that and was full of other dimensional beings, high concept ideas and fucked up humor. Exactly what Rick & Morty should be.
Jerrod Carmichael knocked it out with his directorial debut, On The Count Of Three. This is a bleak, insightful, darkly hilarious, heartfelt, fucked up & raw peek at abuse, friendship, mental illness, grudges and growing up. Carmichael and Christopher Abbott have great chemistry, and the only real complaint is not having more scenes of them bonding over the short run time.
I expected Amsterdam to be akin to American Hustle. It was David O Russell having a huge ensemble and telling an epic crime story, though this one the crime is more war crimes and Nazi oriented. Oh and also while it looks epic, looks gorgeous and it plenty quirky, it is far from epic. In fact this film is a mess, not just a mess but non sensical as fuck. With this many great actors, only the three leads seem to be giving it their all, the rest are hokey, almost as if they are making a spoof of a Wes Anderson film. Fuck now that i said it i wish this was a Wes Anderson film, same cast, just him quirking it up.
Reginald the Vampire started off as a awesome quirky vampire series but it quickly became your typical Syfy channel series. It had quirky characters but the plot was everywhere. So much of it was contrived and happened just for the fuck of it. As the show went on i kept wanting to to give up but the characters were written well and had some fun dialogue. It feels as if it ended here, and honestly if it does i will gladly accept this open ended(well more open) ending.
Bros bombed at the box office then became subject of controversy when the stars claimed audiences were homophobic. That was not the problem, the problem was it just looked like your basic romcom(only gay) and it is. The jokes(while gay and poking fun at rom coms) are still quite dated. If this was a hetero rom com it would be stale, but here it is progressive(which is great) but the jokes just don't land. The gross out humor doesn't feel shocking, it doesn't feel quite forced but i could see some that have never had gay sex finding it uncomfortable. The lead is quite insufferable, which is the character....and essentially the plot...but even the redemption third act that rom coms have doesn't make him likable. This was a cute flick at times but definitely needed trimming and just an overall better script.
Travis Stevens impressed me alot last year with Jacob's Wife. It was a huge step up from The Girl on the Third Floor. Now he is back with A Wounded Fawn. This flick is all over the place in story and in tone, it is non sensical, disorienting and bonkers. I can't hate this film at all cause of how damn insane it is but it truly is a mess.
HBO has a new documentary about drive in theatres called Under The Stars. It follows a few different drive in cinemas including the Mahoning Drive In in PA. That theatre is a place of legend with their marathons, specials guests and VHS swaps. This portion shows the love of film, especially cult film. The rest of the doc is lackluster. From the "nostalgia trip" duo that uses it as afront for their greek food but are not drive in fans, to the church, to rednecks watching Nascar. I wish it showed more of people's passions to show indie and horror titles the way they are meant to be seen. The drive in will never die!
Mens War Games: Survivor Series
AJ Style vs Finn Balor: Survivor Series
Womens War Games: Survivor Series
Usos vs New Day: Tag Titles: Smackdown
Usos vs Brawling Brutes: Tag Titles: Crown Jewel
The past decade has had some awesome christmas films. Night Before, Bodies, Better Watch Out, Christmas Chronicles, Anna & The Apocalypse. And now we can add Violent Night to the list. David Harbour is awesome as a burned out Santa that must go all John McClane to save a family including Leah Brady who herself is going all Kevin McCalister on John Leguizamo and his crew. The duo Mc embark on a violent night, hence the name, to save Christmas. It is joyous, gory, funny and heartfelt. It's not quite WickSploitation but it is the closest Christmas has come to having one!
While i have only seen three of Luca Guadagnino's films i have to say Bones & All is his best yet. It feels raw, it is creepy, and it's beautiful. Mark Rylance and Michael Stuhlbarg both deliver unnerving performances while Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell have a sweet yet fucked up layer of romance. It is probably the best cannibal film since Bone Tomahawk.
I loved The Addams Family growing up, both the TV series and the film. I loved Tim Burton growing up, and many for some reason assume he directed the 90s films. Now we finally get Burton's Addams Family in the form of Netflix' Wednesday. It is probably his best work in 20 years but it still feels very modern Burton in the way that it feels pure Hot Topic. Parts resemble The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina others Harry Potter but overall it is a fun & charming series and Jenna Ortega kills it as Wednesday.
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is possibly my favorite piece of the MCU since the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. It embraces the Guardians in their rogue glory, is hilarious, has one of the best Christmas soundtracks, has a lot of heart and features Kevin Bacon watching the Christmas movie to end all Christmas movies and of course James Gunn is the one to inject this B Movie classic into the mainstream. Marvel is 2 for 2 with their Specials!
Blood Relatives is possibly the best Shudder film of the year. It is a unique & fresh take on vampire films, with heart, dark humor, and some Near Dark vibes. The two leads have great chemistry and that is needed for this films plot or having a father/daughter relationship. It honestly could have been about 10 or 15 minutes longer, but the short run time works perfect here as it gives subtle hints about the larger world within.
The second season of the wilds is just as gripping as season one. We get a second group of characters but the show still managers to give depth to all of them and the ones we met in season one. This season adds in more mystery, more intrigue and gives us duality of choosing sides. The sides truly bring up some disturbing moments and the show knows how to play with expectations.
Peter Farrelly has delivered a second film with social commentary where a person's perspective changes after hitting the road. The first was The Green Book, now we get The Greatest Beer Run Ever. In which a New Yorker supports the war in Nam while his sister opposes it. He decides to bring beer to his friends serving by sneaking over on a crew ship, then pretending to be CIA and a reporter. He uses the same tactics he accuses the hippies of using, he exploits the war, but all while discovering the war itself is indeed unjust. It is tonally all over the place, sometimes funny, sometimes tense, the acting is solid but it feels so scattered, If this had come out in the 70s i feel it would be a classic. Now it is a damn fine one off viewing, perfect for a lazy holiday!
In my teens i read all about Teddy Hart. The dude could have and should have become the biggest star of the decade. He can talk, he can wrestle, he has a unique look, and by time i started watching his matches on Youtube and DVD, i was too late and the guy was already on his way out. In 2018 he had a resurrection and i was in NOLA to witness it. MLW was taking off and so was he, by time MLW was in Queens for Mania in 2019 i swore he would be signed up by AEW. Unfortunately his personal issues ocne again got the best of him. And alot of his issues are on display in this 3 part Peacock doc. This story is insane, i never watched Tiger King, but this feels like that, only told as a fucked up character study than whatever that way. Poly relations, pot dealing, cat breeding, 4 wheeling, confederate flags, missing women, abuse allegations, hostage situations, this shows how truly fucked Teddy is, and while he wants Bret's approval, after this it might be hard to get anyone's unless he winds up helping out in the case.
There was alot to love in season 2 of Chucky. Characters from the films coming together, Chucky's quips, his kills, but there was also alot to hate. The plot, the acting, the fact that nothing made sense. I loved season 1, it was way better than it had any right to be but season 2 was almost total crap. Will i watch season 3? Perhaps, but i honestly am not sure, the ending here was interesting but not sure if it was enough to stir interest for a third season.
Double hitter of post Burton fantasy films. Slumberland i checked out A) Cause it was free on Netflix, but B) I like Francis Lawrence's Constantine and I Am Legend....but basically hate his other films. This is yet another to be added to the list. It is ugly, boring and quite dumb. The cast seems to be taking this as a joke, and rightfully so, as the film was a joke. Netflix and fantasy do not mix, neither does Lawrence with almost any property.
Let's face it, Paul Feig is not a creative genius, he is basically a hack. I was having trouble sleeping last night so popped on his latest, School For Good & Evil, which is essentially him being the hack years of Tim Burton and making his own version of Miss. Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. Difference is, Burton has style, Feig doesn't. This film is an ugly mess, but atleast it helped me go to sleep!
I fell in love with the Walking Dead comics in 2007. Went through and caught up on all the comics within months. The next three years by love for it grew and i kept hyping the upcoming TV series. The first few seasons were great, then it started to get a bit cringy at times even though many perceived it as high art. Certain aspects with the Governor, Terminus, & Negan saved the series on multiple occasions, but as soon as Rick left, the show truly went down hill. I caught up during Covid and had a chore of a time until the last few episodes. I have a free subscription to AMC Plus so i watched the last couple early and it got me a little excited for the finale. Not really a finale as 5 of the main characters are being spun off in to 3 other shows, but for what it is worth this finale was a damn fine send off for the other characters, gave Negan, Maggie, Darryl, Rick & Michone their paths and had quite the emotional punch at times. Love & hate this show, but after tonight it ended on a great note.
In 2019 Olivia Wilde impressed me with Booksmart. A female twist on Superbad, it had alot of heart and felt like she had something to say. Now she has Don't Worry Darling, a film that in the wrong hands may have been bland, but with her it had great commentary on social issues and was visually stunning. The acting is great but the plot is a bit of a mess. As i said in the wrong hands it could have been dull but she injected great sex appeal(there are some hot as fuck scenes) and some hyper surreal moments. It feels like a cross between the Stepford Wives, Lost, Blue Velvet, Suspira & Black Swan, but i guess Inception & The Truman Show were her main influences. It is a mess but it is a gorgeous mess, the twist i predicted and glad it happened but that ending, while i respect how open ended it was, was still quite the head scratcher. I hope her next film is more personal again, but keeps this visual style.
Jonah Hill i have been a fan of for a long time, i always wanted to see him direct, and in 2018 he gave us Mid90s. Now he is doing a documentary that he feels passionate about, and one that hits home with many of us, Stutz. It is an interesting conversation piece and feels deep on multiple levels. If Hill can take this type of subject and put it in a script then he is on his way for some nominations in a few years.
Amityville Karen is a film i would not have seen if it were not for Shawn C. Phillips. I watch his Tuesday DVD/Blu hunting videos. The Amityville name has been bastardized so why not target Karens....well maybe cause this is not an Amityville film....as a matter of face i don't know if it even qualifies as a film. There is no plot, terrible acting, horrid sound, it is amateurish as fuck and bellow the bottom of the barrel screeners. I love Phillips but he needs something he can sink his teeth into. The best scenes were ones that involved him!
Slash/Back is a welcome change in Stranger Thingspolitation. A group of girls instead of boys and set on a reservation in Canada must fight off a parasite that is a cross between Night of the Creeps and the Thing. It is full of charm and carries a fun vibe, the acting is quite amateurish and there are some cringe lines of dialogue but with its fast pace there is enough to enjoy! One of Shudder's more enjoyable of the year!
Moonage Daydream feels the way i wish more rock docs would feel, it is experimental and surreal, it is disjointed in a great way yet tells it's story perfectly. I wish i had seen this in theatres, and it feels purely cinematic. A celebration of David Bowie and his connection with fans and his hyperartistic views in life. It doesn't cover new ground but it is acid laced poetry on film!
A Christmas Story Christmas is a fun & light film that feels spiritually like it is seeing the characters from the original decades later, and that is all the film is and all it needed to be. We get familiar sights and shots, some great nods & gags, plenty of easter eggs and winks at the camera(literally & figuratively) . Will it play for 24 hours every year? No but it is a charming sequel with heart!
See How They Run feels like a whodunit directed by Wes Anderson, only without his quirky script or whimsical directing style. I love this genre, Murder on the Orient Express and Knives Out were great but this falls on the side of Death on the Nile, only that one held my interests. With the great cast i was expecting to love this but instead i was thinking See How They Sleep, cause it made me want to pass out.
Smile had some haunting imagery, a smile can indeed be a creepy sight, and it has some great nightmarish images of face ripping....but that is all i enjoyed from this film. The trailer didn't do too much but the plot was intriguing. It felt like It Follows only instead of passing on the demon with sex, you pass i on through trauma essentially. I found the acting to be wooden and the plot was dull. I couldn't wait for this to end. Glad i waited for Paramount Plus.
