Have any lingering thoughts or comments about last month's Junesploitation! '26 extravaganza? Let's post them here so they can be on top of this week's 'Weekend Open Thread.' π
Can't quite let go of the month-long exploitation movie extravaganza we just experienced. Such a rush of movie viewing is hard to switch off. The World Cup is 'meh' right now, and it's too freaking hot to go outside and watch fireworks. Oh, BTW, Happy 250th Birthday, America! ππ€ You've seen better days; hopefully you'll be back on top again some other time. π«€ So I needed one more flick to placate my thirst for grindhouse. And since I watched David A. Prior's "Killer Workout" last month, why not give his other 1987 opus its due?
DEADLY PREY ('87, TUBI) is "Rambo: First Blood Part II"-inspired, cheesy 80's 'one man army' action tropes taken to their absurd low-budget extremes. A group of ex-military men training to become mercenaries kidnap men off the streets of L.A. to use as live opponents during training exercises. Too bad for Colonel John Hogan (David Campbell) that his men randomly kidnap 'Mike' Danton (Ted Pryor), a tough marine who turns the tables on his pursuers. This is where the director perfected his 'the world doesn't exist outside the camera view' mise-en-scène that would become his trademark. It took THREE COMPOSERS to deliver the three-note music motif that became "Deadly Prey's" calling card, although the rest of the music is 'meh' at best. The narrative turns so dark toward the end (including uncalled-for r@pe and a rare good guy turn by Cameron Mitchell) it cancels out the fun of seeing Ted Prior (and an unexpected ally among the bad guys) punch, shoot, stab, kick and blow the living shit out of dozens of goons... up to a point. This is a 2.5 at best, but in the J! spirit it's a generous 4 'GRENADES IN THE CROTCH' EVADING MANEUVERS (out of five).
Back to our regularly-scheduled, non-Junesploitation! reviews of the week!ππ€
I had no expectations going into TOY STORY 5 (2026, AMC PRIME), and it took me by surprise how sincere and heartfelt its best 'toys accept their place in the human world' moments were. It helps that two young girls, Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) and Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), along with perennial favorite Jessie (Joan Cusack), are the main focus of a story that plays to co-director Andrew Stanton's strengths ("WALL-E," "Finding Nemo/Dory," etc.). Don't worry, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks) still have plenty of screen time, especially a 'B' plot that feels lifted from "The Wild Robot" (a crate full of updated, self-actualized Buzz Lightyear models seeking a path to their leader) that eventually converges with the main plot. Until the credits rolled I had no inkling Conan O'Brien played 'Smarty Pants.'π¦ And even though the 'kids don't care about toys because technology replaces everything' narrative feels kind of late for a "Toy Story" sequel ("Santa Claus: The Movie" did it 31 years ago!), Lilypad's (Greta Lee) eventual integration into the simple tale of a shy girl having difficulty making new friends is the reason this is the best entry in the franchise since 1999's "Toy Story 2." Highly recommended.π€ π
For someone who never saw a second of the MTV show it's based on, I've seen JACKASS: BEST AND LAST ('26, THEATER) and its 3D predecessor at the movies. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy myself both times. Half a 'best of' compilation of their best stunts/scenes never seen before, half a celebration by the about-to-become-really-too-old-for-this-shit cast pulling some new elaborate stunts (complete with snarky talking robot), "Best and Last" kills 90 minutes (and a ton of brain cells) without having anything to show for it other than a good time. Favorite bits: opening credits imitating Jamiroquai's 'Virtual Insanity' music video, Bam Margera getting a giant hand full of flour in the face ππ€£, and the "Silence of the Lambs"-inspired poisonous snake in the dark room.π
LOCKBOX ('26, THEATER) is the latest low-budget indie adaptation of a 'Knifepoint Horror' podcast. In an unnamed Upstate NY town near Buffalo (actually Vancouver), a fashion designer (Carla Gugino) takes in her cousin Winthrop (Lou Taylor Pucci), who suffers from military PTSD and a childhood full of trauma/abuse. When a busybody neighbor (Katharine Isabelle, "Ginger Snaps") insinuates herself into Winthrop's life, he and her cousin have their lives turned upside down. It takes its sweet time getting to where the opening minutes suggests its going, but by the time the supernatural takes over "Lockbox" has lost its initial momentum. Not a terrible horror flick, just another disposable one chock-full of throwaway suspense and endless jump scares. Pass.ππͺ
Last and surprisingly not least, caught STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU ('26, THEATER) on its last day in AMC theaters here in NYC. Sold-out screening, mostly older people looking for an AC escape from the heatwave, and based on their reactions Grogu is now as beloved a 'Star Wars' character as Chewy or R2-D2. Never seen any Disney+ TV shows, so this was all new to me. Bounty hunter Din Djarin, aka 'Mando' (Pedro Pascal for one helmet-less scene, body/stunt doubles for the rest) and his apprentice Grogu (cute puppet most of the time) are sent by New Republic Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaverπ) to a planet controlled by the Hutt Twins, brothers of Jabba, for information on the whereabouts of Jabba's son Rotta (Jeremy Allen White). In exchange for Rotta's rescue the twins will share with Mando the identity/location of a warlord the New Republic is after. Nothing goes as planned (turns out Rotta is a nice dude that's nothing like his old man), leading to adventure and magic. I didn't hate or love it, it's just another visually polished and fun to watch "SW" space adventure I can lose myself in for two hours, then completely forget about it afterwards. 'It's fine.'
I recently acquired the Samurai Revolution Trilogy boxset, from Arrow, which I only discovered while browsing amazon looking for something to buy (everything I want is coming out later this year). These are very good movies, mostly centered around politics, but always ending with a big fight setpiece between factions. Anybody looking for samurai movie, and have gone through Kurosawa filmography, should look into these movies. The first movie, 13 Assassins, had a remake done by TKashi Miike, which is way more bloody. Too bad they're not in 4k, there's some great cinematography.
I also got the Mortal Kombat 4k boxset, also from Arrow. I won't pretend they're secret masterpieces, everybody knows the movies, and the soundtrack is doing half the work, but those are fun, very flawed movies. The fight with the four-arm dude in the first movie is surprisingly well made for the time, mostly using animatronics and rubber suit. Also, both movies are infinitely more entertaining than the 2 recent reboot movies, because they take the material seriously, never sneering at it or making snarky comments about a silly thing from that world (I refer you to the new Masters of the Universe movie to see a perfect example of that).
And lastly, I just got The Money Pit 4k just too late for 80s Comedy Day. Well, I decided to end a very busy week with a few laughs. Back in the days, I watched this movie so often I couldn't stand it anymore. But now it's been a few years and I'm laughing my a$$ off again. Tom Hanks was such a good comedy actor.
Oh, and I finally received the crap-ton of blu-rays I got from the last Vinegar Syndrome sale. It's gonna be a while before I go through it all.
Is the Arrow "MK" worth the 4K tax? I'm on the fence, but the lack of meaningful bonus features and the 2nd "MK" movie being a POS makes me want to save my money. Agree that both recent "MK" flicks and the new "MOTU" cross the line from loving homage to ridiculing their source material, to the films' detriment. π«£π«€
I would prefer a long interview with the director, because i rarely listen to commentary tracks, but at least we got a new one from the director. I think the rest of the extras are great, even if they're standard Arrow stuff.
The 4k tax is always worth it, if you care for the movie enough, which i do, for both movies π
The old cgi doesn't always translate well to 4k, but that never bothered me.
All this to say, the movie look very good and you get the visual upgrade you'd expect from it: sharper and more vibrant
I watched Mortal Kombat last night for the first time since theaters. It is so perfectly, gloriously, unbelievably stupid. But that doesn't mean it isn't also highly entertaining. It is visually fantastic and when that song kicks in...
I like Annihilation. Though, everytime I watch it, it takes me a couple of minutes to adjust to the new actors replacing the ones from the first movie.
curious about the business side of the Grogu movie. everyone said it was a big disappointment at the box office, but after this weekend it will clear $200m domestically. how much revenue was it theoretically going to contribute if it was just released on Disney+? seems like this was a great move. to me it seems like true Disney+ original need to be cheap af to make, and anything with a large budget should be theater bound first.
Cost $160 million to make. At least $100 for marketing. It's around $330 million worldwide, needed to make at least $650 million to break even. So yeah, bomb. π₯Άπ₯΅
how would it have been less of a financial disaster as a Disney+ release, at least it made money in the theater/ loss less money if you are only talking profits.
If it had stayed a Disney+ exclusive it would have been re-written to be less epic, and it have been shot much more economically... something in the $35-40 million range, maybe even lower. Once it was deemed theatrically worthy the story/SFX had to be jazzed up (plus guest stars like Sigourney Weaver don't come cheap), and the budget ballooned to $150+ million. Since box office is a 50-50 split with theaters (roughly), the movie needed to make its production budget plus marketing budget times three to break even. It's gonna fall short of that by a little more than $300 million, same as the last "Indiana Jones" movie. π€π
ok, i wasn't aware they tripled the budget, people always spoke of it in terms as it being a season of Mando that was in the can that got edited into a film for release. and from what I understand they've had many celebrity guest spots on the series, so didn't seem unusual that it would have Weaver.
Based on deadline.com, Favrou and someone else (last name Filoni?) wrote the 4th season of "The Mandalorian" and were ready to shoot it in 2022/2023, but the writer's/actor's strike sidelined it. Those scripts still exist and might still get made, but the movie was made new from scratch (to accommodate people like me who've never seen a Disney+ TV show) using a few characters/ideas from the 4th season in the mix. I can't find info about it ever meant to be a Disney+ original movie. It appears to have gone from unmade 4th season to big-budget theatrical feature. π€
It could be a matter of when that information was given, like with Supergirl. the industry articles coming out on Supergirl now tell a totally different story on its production than the ones before it got released. it would make sense to say its not just leftover tv series when trying to sell it as a movie. it wasn't a standalone movie in the sense that the plot picks up from where season 3 ended just like it would if it were a season 4. I'm just not convinced it would have cost more than a season 4 would, the promotion was basically a Super Bowl commercial and a trailer. Remember too they said the Acolyte D+ single season cost $230m, much higher than Grogu's $166m "theatrical" budget with big stars, etc.
But a single season of a popular streaming show generates revenue through new subscriptions and retaining subscription from existing subscribers. That $230 million is divided into X number of episodes, which remain on the service as revenue-generating product (Grogu merchandise, foreign sales, etc.). Streaming and theatrical are two entirely different economic models, and on hindsight the money spent making this movie would have been better spent on a 4th season of a streaming show. Same initial large expense, entirely different revenue expectations. π«‘π€¨
to clarify my original comment-- i never implied it was an exclusionary binary choice to either release it in theaters or put it out on Disney+. they can do both. Grogu will move to Disney+ and sit there alongside all the other Star Wars content there. I didn't understand how people were mocking their decision to release it theatrically because it "only" raked in $200m so far. I don't know the economics of streaming, but I am interested in understanding it, and if the Acolyte model as you describe it does more heavy lifting than Grogu will. You'd need a baseball like WAR metric that determines how many paid moths of subscription the Acolyte adds or prevents in churn over the baseline of all the other content on the service. If it isn't producing 19 million worth of additional subscriber months then it isn't pulling it's weight.
We cool. π l just don't know why l know so much about how "The Mandalorian" (and the summer flick it spawned) costs and its made when l've never even seen it. The movie was my introduction to the IP. Even though Grogu is cute and Mando is as cool or cooler than Bobba Fett (better movie-making tech today makes Mando's adventures look cooler than what they did with Bobba in the early 80's), the movie doesn't make me want to watch the earlier seasons or hope for new ones. ¯\_(γ)_/¯
no worries. i don't have an axe to grind about their treatment of the canon or anything. I've had a fixation since they paid $4bn for the Lucasfilm IP how they can't seem to unlock the money printer despite how easy it seems it should be. a Grogu holiday movie would print cash. i don't care if it respects the lore. they've cancelled a couple AAA video game titles that were struggling, where as I'd pay $20 for a simple Indian Jones themed match-3 puzzle game. there's low hanging fruit to be had and they seem to be making it more complicated than it needs to be.
Disney is to Star Wars what Blizzard is to some good games that never get released even though they're great-to-good ("Starcraft: Ghost," "Project Titan," etc.): too picky. π€¨
29 films in 30 days! My fourth Junesploitation go-round and my best performance, topping last year’s 27 films. All first-time watches. This year featured films from across the globe: the US, Canada, Australia, Chile, Spain, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, and of course, my favorite exploitation hot spot, The Philippines. Here’s my faves (and a couple of flops):
Best: SAVE THE GREEN PLANET (2003, SK). Easy pick: kinetic, suspenseful, intriguing, emotionally moving. Can’t wait to rewatch. I loved BUGONIA, but I think I dug this more-- it just hit different. Perhaps a back-to-back double feature is in order.
Other top entries (in order of date watched): GONE WITH THE POPE (Duke Mitchell rules!), THE BOD SQUAD (nude kung fu and hilarious subtitles), LIFEFORCE (Railsback’s rants and Mathilda May’s… assets), CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (just freaking traumatic). Also loved BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL, clearly the best/worst film of the month, and THE LOVE BUTCHER, for straddling the line between slasher and camp (that dialogue!). All of these will be re-watched!
There were many other enjoyable flicks and only two real disappointments: the Linda Blair WIP flick RED HEAT and the umpteenth Italian post-apocalyptic effort ENDGAME.
This year’s watchlist skewed more modern than recent years, so next year, I’ll be sure to select a few more flicks from the 60s and 70s. I also seemed a little short on the classic “bad/good” films, so I’ll make an effort to weave a couple of clunkers in for 2027. But overall, an outstanding month of exploitation!
Thanks so much to Patrick and the FTM crew for coordinating and hosting, to all the incredible contributors who exposed themselves daily to caustic exploitation cinema, and to Blogger’s AI censorship for keeping y’all safe from my expletive-laden expositions. Finally, big ups to my partner Jessica for tolerating my film fanaticism and gracefully accepting her temporary June widowhood.
I really enjoyed viewing and reviewing the films I watched, so I’ve made a commitment to post most weekends on the Open Thread (Big Blogger willing); I watch exploitation flicks year round, do a yearly Noirvember run, and work in a few decent movies, too. I really appreciate the community, so I hope to see all you Junesploitationers pop in during the rest of the year. Thanks again for an outstanding 2026 campaign, y’all! Stay (un)classy!
My top five movies of this year’s #Junesploitation:
5) RAT PFINK A BOO BOO (1966) Parody/ripoff of the ‘60s Batman TV show that’s extremely indie and endearingly silly.
4) MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941) Snappy dialogue and a quirky whodunit plot opened the door for THIRTEEN sequels!
3) TERMINUS (1987) Mad Max-style post apocalypse that’s so out there it must be seen to be believed.
2) LADY PIRAHNA (1982) Half prison movie and half jungle adventure movie, told in that low-budget yet over-the-top Hong Kong action style.
1) KNIGHTRIDERS (1981) I know it’s stating the obvious to say George Romero made a great movie, but… George Romero made a great movie!
This month’s top five fan films: 5) FAN-O-RAMA (2013) 4) BATMAN: DEAD END (2003) 3) A FISH CALLED WENDY (2020) 2) DOCTOR WHO VELOCITY (2017) 1) BATMAN BEYOND: YEAR ONE (2024)
Howdy y'all....once again WELL DONE for another fabtabulous Junesploitation! Had a blast!!!
Man Finds Tape (2025 TUBI)
I read a bluesky from C Robert Cargill that he and his wife financed this Found Footage flick and it was on Tubi. Checked it out.
I absolutely DIG this flick!! I wont go into detail as its worth discovering along the way. The setup is a slow burn mystery about a small town in texas where individuals have strange momentary fainting-like spells. Filled with questionable narrators, found footage oddities, and mysterious characters. It takes its time, maybe presents more questions than answers, but is so well made and propelling that i really enjoyed it. I think an apt comparison is an Xfiles vibe. Hope to see much much more from the creative team (including potentially more of this story!).
Thanks to everyone, espeically those behind the scenes at F this Moive. I'm still in Junesploitation hangover mode.
I did catch up withe The Furious. It's as good as everyone says, assuming you like martial arts movies. Probably my fav of the year. I want to echo J.M., i caught the new Jack@ss movie last week, having never seen any of the tv show or previous movies, so I was cool with re-runs. I loved it. Laughed a lot. I thought the opening credits to Bonnie Tyler was magnificent.
Re-watching Spaceballs and Seed of Chucky because I bought tickets to see theatrically but couldn't make it.
I will pay more attention throught the year and chime in on these Weekend Open Threads from time to time.
I do watch a lot of sploitation/genre films, but I also watch a lot of art-house, international, E.T., classics, pretty much everything.
Thanks for visiting TPA. π Glad you liked "The Furious," the last 15-20 minutes are some of the best fighting/action in any movie this year, maybe decade! ππ Please, come back often (especially on weekends) and share with us what you watch, wish you'd watch and/or plan to watch. Later. π«‘π€
Herzog is still cranking out solid gold, although since his movies have mainly gone to streaming over the last decade-plus not as many people seem to be talking about them.
Here he documents a quest into Angola to attempt to discover giant elephants which may or may not exist. As per usual, Herzog is interested not only in the quest, but the ecstatic truth in everyone and everything he encounters. My favorite line from his narration:
"This village elder spends much of his day fixing his musical instrument. I know I should not romanticize this, but I feel, surrounded by chickens, it cannot get any better than this."
Get Over It (2001): In the category of "we didn't know how good we had it", I present you this cool teenage rom-com. Just the opening when Ben Foster gets dumped and the opening-credit song becomes a flash mob behind him, while he's walking aimlessly, sets the tone of the thing. Maybe Foster is a bit too creepy and intense to be a proper love interest, but I got over it (pun intended). I have to point out Kirsten Dunst who's a lot better than she was in Bring It On in 2000. Then you have Martin Short who's elevating the thing to another level. And finally, there's a bunch of "before we knew them" young actors and actresses that are just fun to watch.
Metalocalypse - Army of the Doomstar (2023): I've been a fan of the fake band Dethklok for years, created for the tv show Metalocalypse, but never took the time to watch it. I recently got the dvd boxset, so I could finally get it done. What a finale, perfect closure for this show, only ten years after the end of the show. Don't watch the movie if you didn't watch the show (including the opera). Oh, and it's best if you like very heavy metal. Now, Warner, I'm asking, can you please release a proper blu-ray boxset of the whole thing, because it looked like crap (especially the first season which was not anamorphic).
I was back at the Mahoning Drive-In Friday night to see familiar faces and watch some films from the Something Weird Video catalogue. Lisa Petrucci, the widow of the company founder, was there selling some movies and talking to fans. I got her to sign an old SWV catalogue. (Stay Weird!) The films shown that night were THE VIOLENT YEARS (1956) and THE SINISTER URGE (1960), both written by Ed Wood. He also directed the latter film. They are fun exploitation films very much of that era and relatively short. In between them was a lengthy trailer reel. It was a good night out, but there always is the drive home through the woods looking out for deer.
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES (2021, dir. Michael Rianda) – In the past few years, I have chosen a theme to guide my watches after the exhilarating but tiring experience of Junesploitation. With the enjoyment I have gotten from K-Pop Demon Hunters this year – four watches since April - I chose animation as my theme. This first watch for the theme is another film from Sony Animation, and one that is also very modern. Katie Mitchell is a quirky young woman from a quirky family looking forward to entering film school (good luck, kid!) when robots led by an AI intelligence take human beings hostage. It is up to the resourceful Mitchell family to evade the robots and free humanity from the grip of hostile technology. All the while, Katie has to come to grips with the parents she was dealt in life. There is so much going on in THE MITCHELLS that the viewing experience becomes hectic. The story, moreover, has its silly moments. (So does KPDH, to be fair.) There are some visually creative sequences, too. I did not dislike the film but would most likely not revisit it.
STEALING HOME (1988) – An underwhelming nostalgic drama with a good cast. It was on Turner Classic Movies when I was looking for something to watch. Mark Harmon portrays an aimless man called back home to take care of the ashes of a childhood friend. Of course, that narrative structure provides a reason to show extended flashback scenes of his youth. Spoiler, he does steal home plate. Jodie Foster portrays the deceased childhood friend, showcasing why she became an OSCAR winner not long after this film. Although baseball is interwoven into the drama, this is not specifically a baseball film. I enjoyed the sentimental 1980s score (from the king of schmaltzy 1980s pop, David Foster) more than the film.
If you do hit a deer on your way back from the Mahoning Drive-In, make sure to walk up to it and break its neck (Samantha Cane-in-"Long Kiss Goodnight"-style) to put it out of its misery. π¦π
The Mahoning Drive-In is a bucket list destination for me! So cool that you cruised up there to see that Ed Wood double bill. Something Weird has been a lifelong resource and influence, I ordered stuff directly over the phone from Mike Vraney, and would love to meet Lisa. Woulda loved to have been there with you!
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Have any lingering thoughts or comments about last month's Junesploitation! '26 extravaganza? Let's post them here so they can be on top of this week's 'Weekend Open Thread.' π
ReplyDeleteCan't quite let go of the month-long exploitation movie extravaganza we just experienced. Such a rush of movie viewing is hard to switch off. The World Cup is 'meh' right now, and it's too freaking hot to go outside and watch fireworks. Oh, BTW, Happy 250th Birthday, America! ππ€ You've seen better days; hopefully you'll be back on top again some other time. π«€ So I needed one more flick to placate my thirst for grindhouse. And since I watched David A. Prior's "Killer Workout" last month, why not give his other 1987 opus its due?
DEADLY PREY ('87, TUBI) is "Rambo: First Blood Part II"-inspired, cheesy 80's 'one man army' action tropes taken to their absurd low-budget extremes. A group of ex-military men training to become mercenaries kidnap men off the streets of L.A. to use as live opponents during training exercises. Too bad for Colonel John Hogan (David Campbell) that his men randomly kidnap 'Mike' Danton (Ted Pryor), a tough marine who turns the tables on his pursuers. This is where the director perfected his 'the world doesn't exist outside the camera view' mise-en-scène that would become his trademark. It took THREE COMPOSERS to deliver the three-note music motif that became "Deadly Prey's" calling card, although the rest of the music is 'meh' at best. The narrative turns so dark toward the end (including uncalled-for r@pe and a rare good guy turn by Cameron Mitchell) it cancels out the fun of seeing Ted Prior (and an unexpected ally among the bad guys) punch, shoot, stab, kick and blow the living shit out of dozens of goons... up to a point. This is a 2.5 at best, but in the J! spirit it's a generous 4 'GRENADES IN THE CROTCH' EVADING MANEUVERS (out of five).
There... leftover Junesploitation! thirst quenched. π π€
DEADLY PREY is a classic Rambosploitation! Didn't know the same dude did KILLER WORKOUT. Ah, Junesploitation!... you learn so much!!
DeleteMy month in review is lengthy, so I'm gonna post it below. I'm a loner, J.M. A rebel. π
You're your own man, zillagord, a tribe of one. ππ
DeleteJ.M.-- appreciate you, man! Thanks for all your reviews and comments during Junesploitation!!
Deleteπ€π
DeleteBack to our regularly-scheduled, non-Junesploitation! reviews of the week!ππ€
ReplyDeleteI had no expectations going into TOY STORY 5 (2026, AMC PRIME), and it took me by surprise how sincere and heartfelt its best 'toys accept their place in the human world' moments were. It helps that two young girls, Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) and Blaze (Mykal-Michelle Harris), along with perennial favorite Jessie (Joan Cusack), are the main focus of a story that plays to co-director Andrew Stanton's strengths ("WALL-E," "Finding Nemo/Dory," etc.). Don't worry, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks) still have plenty of screen time, especially a 'B' plot that feels lifted from "The Wild Robot" (a crate full of updated, self-actualized Buzz Lightyear models seeking a path to their leader) that eventually converges with the main plot. Until the credits rolled I had no inkling Conan O'Brien played 'Smarty Pants.'π¦ And even though the 'kids don't care about toys because technology replaces everything' narrative feels kind of late for a "Toy Story" sequel ("Santa Claus: The Movie" did it 31 years ago!), Lilypad's (Greta Lee) eventual integration into the simple tale of a shy girl having difficulty making new friends is the reason this is the best entry in the franchise since 1999's "Toy Story 2." Highly recommended.π€ π
For someone who never saw a second of the MTV show it's based on, I've seen JACKASS: BEST AND LAST ('26, THEATER) and its 3D predecessor at the movies. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy myself both times. Half a 'best of' compilation of their best stunts/scenes never seen before, half a celebration by the about-to-become-really-too-old-for-this-shit cast pulling some new elaborate stunts (complete with snarky talking robot), "Best and Last" kills 90 minutes (and a ton of brain cells) without having anything to show for it other than a good time. Favorite bits: opening credits imitating Jamiroquai's 'Virtual Insanity' music video, Bam Margera getting a giant hand full of flour in the face ππ€£, and the "Silence of the Lambs"-inspired poisonous snake in the dark room.π
LOCKBOX ('26, THEATER) is the latest low-budget indie adaptation of a 'Knifepoint Horror' podcast. In an unnamed Upstate NY town near Buffalo (actually Vancouver), a fashion designer (Carla Gugino) takes in her cousin Winthrop (Lou Taylor Pucci), who suffers from military PTSD and a childhood full of trauma/abuse. When a busybody neighbor (Katharine Isabelle, "Ginger Snaps") insinuates herself into Winthrop's life, he and her cousin have their lives turned upside down. It takes its sweet time getting to where the opening minutes suggests its going, but by the time the supernatural takes over "Lockbox" has lost its initial momentum. Not a terrible horror flick, just another disposable one chock-full of throwaway suspense and endless jump scares. Pass.ππͺ
Last and surprisingly not least, caught STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU ('26, THEATER) on its last day in AMC theaters here in NYC. Sold-out screening, mostly older people looking for an AC escape from the heatwave, and based on their reactions Grogu is now as beloved a 'Star Wars' character as Chewy or R2-D2. Never seen any Disney+ TV shows, so this was all new to me. Bounty hunter Din Djarin, aka 'Mando' (Pedro Pascal for one helmet-less scene, body/stunt doubles for the rest) and his apprentice Grogu (cute puppet most of the time) are sent by New Republic Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaverπ) to a planet controlled by the Hutt Twins, brothers of Jabba, for information on the whereabouts of Jabba's son Rotta (Jeremy Allen White). In exchange for Rotta's rescue the twins will share with Mando the identity/location of a warlord the New Republic is after. Nothing goes as planned (turns out Rotta is a nice dude that's nothing like his old man), leading to adventure and magic. I didn't hate or love it, it's just another visually polished and fun to watch "SW" space adventure I can lose myself in for two hours, then completely forget about it afterwards. 'It's fine.'
I recently acquired the Samurai Revolution Trilogy boxset, from Arrow, which I only discovered while browsing amazon looking for something to buy (everything I want is coming out later this year). These are very good movies, mostly centered around politics, but always ending with a big fight setpiece between factions. Anybody looking for samurai movie, and have gone through Kurosawa filmography, should look into these movies. The first movie, 13 Assassins, had a remake done by TKashi Miike, which is way more bloody. Too bad they're not in 4k, there's some great cinematography.
ReplyDeleteI also got the Mortal Kombat 4k boxset, also from Arrow. I won't pretend they're secret masterpieces, everybody knows the movies, and the soundtrack is doing half the work, but those are fun, very flawed movies. The fight with the four-arm dude in the first movie is surprisingly well made for the time, mostly using animatronics and rubber suit. Also, both movies are infinitely more entertaining than the 2 recent reboot movies, because they take the material seriously, never sneering at it or making snarky comments about a silly thing from that world (I refer you to the new Masters of the Universe movie to see a perfect example of that).
And lastly, I just got The Money Pit 4k just too late for 80s Comedy Day. Well, I decided to end a very busy week with a few laughs. Back in the days, I watched this movie so often I couldn't stand it anymore. But now it's been a few years and I'm laughing my a$$ off again. Tom Hanks was such a good comedy actor.
Oh, and I finally received the crap-ton of blu-rays I got from the last Vinegar Syndrome sale. It's gonna be a while before I go through it all.
Is the Arrow "MK" worth the 4K tax? I'm on the fence, but the lack of meaningful bonus features and the 2nd "MK" movie being a POS makes me want to save my money. Agree that both recent "MK" flicks and the new "MOTU" cross the line from loving homage to ridiculing their source material, to the films' detriment. π«£π«€
DeleteI would prefer a long interview with the director, because i rarely listen to commentary tracks, but at least we got a new one from the director. I think the rest of the extras are great, even if they're standard Arrow stuff.
DeleteThe 4k tax is always worth it, if you care for the movie enough, which i do, for both movies π
The old cgi doesn't always translate well to 4k, but that never bothered me.
All this to say, the movie look very good and you get the visual upgrade you'd expect from it: sharper and more vibrant
Sounds like something worth picking up... during a 50% off sale. ππ
DeleteHalf off because you only want half of the box content π€£
DeleteToo bad they didn't do like Conan and did individual releases
If they did separate releases Arrow would have warehouses full of unsold "Annihilation" discs. π
DeleteI watched Mortal Kombat last night for the first time since theaters. It is so perfectly, gloriously, unbelievably stupid. But that doesn't mean it isn't also highly entertaining. It is visually fantastic and when that song kicks in...
DeleteSo OG "MK" is everything it's sequel is not. π₯΅π‘
DeleteI like Annihilation. Though, everytime I watch it, it takes me a couple of minutes to adjust to the new actors replacing the ones from the first movie.
Deletecurious about the business side of the Grogu movie. everyone said it was a big disappointment at the box office, but after this weekend it will clear $200m domestically. how much revenue was it theoretically going to contribute if it was just released on Disney+? seems like this was a great move. to me it seems like true Disney+ original need to be cheap af to make, and anything with a large budget should be theater bound first.
ReplyDeleteCost $160 million to make. At least $100 for marketing. It's around $330 million worldwide, needed to make at least $650 million to break even. So yeah, bomb. π₯Άπ₯΅
Deletehow would it have been less of a financial disaster as a Disney+ release, at least it made money in the theater/ loss less money if you are only talking profits.
DeleteIf it had stayed a Disney+ exclusive it would have been re-written to be less epic, and it have been shot much more economically... something in the $35-40 million range, maybe even lower. Once it was deemed theatrically worthy the story/SFX had to be jazzed up (plus guest stars like Sigourney Weaver don't come cheap), and the budget ballooned to $150+ million. Since box office is a 50-50 split with theaters (roughly), the movie needed to make its production budget plus marketing budget times three to break even. It's gonna fall short of that by a little more than $300 million, same as the last "Indiana Jones" movie. π€π
Deleteok, i wasn't aware they tripled the budget, people always spoke of it in terms as it being a season of Mando that was in the can that got edited into a film for release. and from what I understand they've had many celebrity guest spots on the series, so didn't seem unusual that it would have Weaver.
DeleteBased on deadline.com, Favrou and someone else (last name Filoni?) wrote the 4th season of "The Mandalorian" and were ready to shoot it in 2022/2023, but the writer's/actor's strike sidelined it. Those scripts still exist and might still get made, but the movie was made new from scratch (to accommodate people like me who've never seen a Disney+ TV show) using a few characters/ideas from the 4th season in the mix. I can't find info about it ever meant to be a Disney+ original movie. It appears to have gone from unmade 4th season to big-budget theatrical feature. π€
DeleteIt could be a matter of when that information was given, like with Supergirl. the industry articles coming out on Supergirl now tell a totally different story on its production than the ones before it got released. it would make sense to say its not just leftover tv series when trying to sell it as a movie. it wasn't a standalone movie in the sense that the plot picks up from where season 3 ended just like it would if it were a season 4. I'm just not convinced it would have cost more than a season 4 would, the promotion was basically a Super Bowl commercial and a trailer. Remember too they said the Acolyte D+ single season cost $230m, much higher than Grogu's $166m "theatrical" budget with big stars, etc.
DeleteBut a single season of a popular streaming show generates revenue through new subscriptions and retaining subscription from existing subscribers. That $230 million is divided into X number of episodes, which remain on the service as revenue-generating product (Grogu merchandise, foreign sales, etc.). Streaming and theatrical are two entirely different economic models, and on hindsight the money spent making this movie would have been better spent on a 4th season of a streaming show. Same initial large expense, entirely different revenue expectations. π«‘π€¨
Deleteto clarify my original comment-- i never implied it was an exclusionary binary choice to either release it in theaters or put it out on Disney+. they can do both. Grogu will move to Disney+ and sit there alongside all the other Star Wars content there. I didn't understand how people were mocking their decision to release it theatrically because it "only" raked in $200m so far. I don't know the economics of streaming, but I am interested in understanding it, and if the Acolyte model as you describe it does more heavy lifting than Grogu will. You'd need a baseball like WAR metric that determines how many paid moths of subscription the Acolyte adds or prevents in churn over the baseline of all the other content on the service. If it isn't producing 19 million worth of additional subscriber months then it isn't pulling it's weight.
DeleteWe cool. π l just don't know why l know so much about how "The Mandalorian" (and the summer flick it spawned) costs and its made when l've never even seen it. The movie was my introduction to the IP. Even though Grogu is cute and Mando is as cool or cooler than Bobba Fett (better movie-making tech today makes Mando's adventures look cooler than what they did with Bobba in the early 80's), the movie doesn't make me want to watch the earlier seasons or hope for new ones. ¯\_(γ)_/¯
Deleteno worries. i don't have an axe to grind about their treatment of the canon or anything. I've had a fixation since they paid $4bn for the Lucasfilm IP how they can't seem to unlock the money printer despite how easy it seems it should be. a Grogu holiday movie would print cash. i don't care if it respects the lore. they've cancelled a couple AAA video game titles that were struggling, where as I'd pay $20 for a simple Indian Jones themed match-3 puzzle game. there's low hanging fruit to be had and they seem to be making it more complicated than it needs to be.
DeleteDisney is to Star Wars what Blizzard is to some good games that never get released even though they're great-to-good ("Starcraft: Ghost," "Project Titan," etc.): too picky. π€¨
DeleteJUNESPLOITATION! 2026 – The month in review
ReplyDelete29 films in 30 days! My fourth Junesploitation go-round and my best performance, topping last year’s 27 films. All first-time watches. This year featured films from across the globe: the US, Canada, Australia, Chile, Spain, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, and of course, my favorite exploitation hot spot, The Philippines. Here’s my faves (and a couple of flops):
Best: SAVE THE GREEN PLANET (2003, SK). Easy pick: kinetic, suspenseful, intriguing, emotionally moving. Can’t wait to rewatch. I loved BUGONIA, but I think I dug this more-- it just hit different. Perhaps a back-to-back double feature is in order.
Other top entries (in order of date watched): GONE WITH THE POPE (Duke Mitchell rules!), THE BOD SQUAD (nude kung fu and hilarious subtitles), LIFEFORCE (Railsback’s rants and Mathilda May’s… assets), CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (just freaking traumatic). Also loved BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL, clearly the best/worst film of the month, and THE LOVE BUTCHER, for straddling the line between slasher and camp (that dialogue!). All of these will be re-watched!
There were many other enjoyable flicks and only two real disappointments: the Linda Blair WIP flick RED HEAT and the umpteenth Italian post-apocalyptic effort ENDGAME.
This year’s watchlist skewed more modern than recent years, so next year, I’ll be sure to select a few more flicks from the 60s and 70s. I also seemed a little short on the classic “bad/good” films, so I’ll make an effort to weave a couple of clunkers in for 2027. But overall, an outstanding month of exploitation!
Thanks so much to Patrick and the FTM crew for coordinating and hosting, to all the incredible contributors who exposed themselves daily to caustic exploitation cinema, and to Blogger’s AI censorship for keeping y’all safe from my expletive-laden expositions. Finally, big ups to my partner Jessica for tolerating my film fanaticism and gracefully accepting her temporary June widowhood.
I really enjoyed viewing and reviewing the films I watched, so I’ve made a commitment to post most weekends on the Open Thread (Big Blogger willing); I watch exploitation flicks year round, do a yearly Noirvember run, and work in a few decent movies, too. I really appreciate the community, so I hope to see all you Junesploitationers pop in during the rest of the year. Thanks again for an outstanding 2026 campaign, y’all! Stay (un)classy!
Love it. Think I should attempt a review.
DeleteMy top five movies of this year’s #Junesploitation:
ReplyDelete5) RAT PFINK A BOO BOO (1966)
Parody/ripoff of the ‘60s Batman TV show that’s extremely indie and endearingly silly.
4) MEET BOSTON BLACKIE (1941)
Snappy dialogue and a quirky whodunit plot opened the door for THIRTEEN sequels!
3) TERMINUS (1987)
Mad Max-style post apocalypse that’s so out there it must be seen to be believed.
2) LADY PIRAHNA (1982)
Half prison movie and half jungle adventure movie, told in that low-budget yet over-the-top Hong Kong action style.
1) KNIGHTRIDERS (1981)
I know it’s stating the obvious to say George Romero made a great movie, but… George Romero made a great movie!
This month’s top five fan films:
5) FAN-O-RAMA (2013)
4) BATMAN: DEAD END (2003)
3) A FISH CALLED WENDY (2020)
2) DOCTOR WHO VELOCITY (2017)
1) BATMAN BEYOND: YEAR ONE (2024)
Gotta check Lady Piranha and Terminus out! Thanks!
DeleteSeconded on Rat Fink A Boo Boo
DeleteRFABB is a classic! The shift in tone is epic.
DeleteHowdy y'all....once again WELL DONE for another fabtabulous Junesploitation! Had a blast!!!
ReplyDeleteMan Finds Tape (2025 TUBI)
I read a bluesky from C Robert Cargill that he and his wife financed this Found Footage flick and it was on Tubi. Checked it out.
I absolutely DIG this flick!! I wont go into detail as its worth discovering along the way. The setup is a slow burn mystery about a small town in texas where individuals have strange momentary fainting-like spells. Filled with questionable narrators, found footage oddities, and mysterious characters. It takes its time, maybe presents more questions than answers, but is so well made and propelling that i really enjoyed it. I think an apt comparison is an Xfiles vibe. Hope to see much much more from the creative team (including potentially more of this story!).
Thanks to everyone, espeically those behind the scenes at F this Moive. I'm still in Junesploitation hangover mode.
ReplyDeleteI did catch up withe The Furious. It's as good as everyone says, assuming you like martial arts movies. Probably my fav of the year. I want to echo J.M., i caught the new Jack@ss movie last week, having never seen any of the tv show or previous movies, so I was cool with re-runs. I loved it. Laughed a lot. I thought the opening credits to Bonnie Tyler was magnificent.
Re-watching Spaceballs and Seed of Chucky because I bought tickets to see theatrically but couldn't make it.
I will pay more attention throught the year and chime in on these Weekend Open Threads from time to time.
I do watch a lot of sploitation/genre films, but I also watch a lot of art-house, international, E.T., classics, pretty much everything.
You folks are great. Keep the movie recs coming.
Thanks for visiting TPA. π Glad you liked "The Furious," the last 15-20 minutes are some of the best fighting/action in any movie this year, maybe decade! ππ Please, come back often (especially on weekends) and share with us what you watch, wish you'd watch and/or plan to watch. Later. π«‘π€
DeleteY'all come back now, ya hear TPA!
DeleteGhost Elephants (2025, dir. Werner Herzog)
ReplyDeleteHerzog is still cranking out solid gold, although since his movies have mainly gone to streaming over the last decade-plus not as many people seem to be talking about them.
Here he documents a quest into Angola to attempt to discover giant elephants which may or may not exist. As per usual, Herzog is interested not only in the quest, but the ecstatic truth in everyone and everything he encounters. My favorite line from his narration:
"This village elder spends much of his day fixing his musical instrument. I know I should not romanticize this, but I feel, surrounded by chickens, it cannot get any better than this."
Get Over It (2001): In the category of "we didn't know how good we had it", I present you this cool teenage rom-com. Just the opening when Ben Foster gets dumped and the opening-credit song becomes a flash mob behind him, while he's walking aimlessly, sets the tone of the thing. Maybe Foster is a bit too creepy and intense to be a proper love interest, but I got over it (pun intended). I have to point out Kirsten Dunst who's a lot better than she was in Bring It On in 2000. Then you have Martin Short who's elevating the thing to another level. And finally, there's a bunch of "before we knew them" young actors and actresses that are just fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteMetalocalypse - Army of the Doomstar (2023): I've been a fan of the fake band Dethklok for years, created for the tv show Metalocalypse, but never took the time to watch it. I recently got the dvd boxset, so I could finally get it done. What a finale, perfect closure for this show, only ten years after the end of the show. Don't watch the movie if you didn't watch the show (including the opera). Oh, and it's best if you like very heavy metal. Now, Warner, I'm asking, can you please release a proper blu-ray boxset of the whole thing, because it looked like crap (especially the first season which was not anamorphic).
I was back at the Mahoning Drive-In Friday night to see familiar faces and watch some films from the Something Weird Video catalogue. Lisa Petrucci, the widow of the company founder, was there selling some movies and talking to fans. I got her to sign an old SWV catalogue. (Stay Weird!) The films shown that night were THE VIOLENT YEARS (1956) and THE SINISTER URGE (1960), both written by Ed Wood. He also directed the latter film. They are fun exploitation films very much of that era and relatively short. In between them was a lengthy trailer reel. It was a good night out, but there always is the drive home through the woods looking out for deer.
ReplyDeleteTHE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES (2021, dir. Michael Rianda) – In the past few years, I have chosen a theme to guide my watches after the exhilarating but tiring experience of Junesploitation. With the enjoyment I have gotten from K-Pop Demon Hunters this year – four watches since April - I chose animation as my theme. This first watch for the theme is another film from Sony Animation, and one that is also very modern. Katie Mitchell is a quirky young woman from a quirky family looking forward to entering film school (good luck, kid!) when robots led by an AI intelligence take human beings hostage. It is up to the resourceful Mitchell family to evade the robots and free humanity from the grip of hostile technology. All the while, Katie has to come to grips with the parents she was dealt in life. There is so much going on in THE MITCHELLS that the viewing experience becomes hectic. The story, moreover, has its silly moments. (So does KPDH, to be fair.) There are some visually creative sequences, too. I did not dislike the film but would most likely not revisit it.
STEALING HOME (1988) – An underwhelming nostalgic drama with a good cast. It was on Turner Classic Movies when I was looking for something to watch. Mark Harmon portrays an aimless man called back home to take care of the ashes of a childhood friend. Of course, that narrative structure provides a reason to show extended flashback scenes of his youth. Spoiler, he does steal home plate. Jodie Foster portrays the deceased childhood friend, showcasing why she became an OSCAR winner not long after this film. Although baseball is interwoven into the drama, this is not specifically a baseball film. I enjoyed the sentimental 1980s score (from the king of schmaltzy 1980s pop, David Foster) more than the film.
If you do hit a deer on your way back from the Mahoning Drive-In, make sure to walk up to it and break its neck (Samantha Cane-in-"Long Kiss Goodnight"-style) to put it out of its misery. π¦π
DeleteThe Mahoning Drive-In is a bucket list destination for me! So cool that you cruised up there to see that Ed Wood double bill. Something Weird has been a lifelong resource and influence, I ordered stuff directly over the phone from Mike Vraney, and would love to meet Lisa. Woulda loved to have been there with you!
Delete