Only two more 'Weekend Open Threads' before 'SCARY MOVIE MONTH 2026' officially starts! ๐๐น๐ป๐ฝ
Is Zach Cregger's RESIDENT EVIL (2026, AMC DOLBY CINEMA) the best "RE" movie to date? Yes and no, but it's definitely the weakest of Cragger's recent string of successful horror hits ("Barbarian" and "Weapons") that left you thinking about them long after the films ended. "RE '26" just stops when its 90 minutes are up, its comedic narrative (and make no mistake about it, this is now a comedy first and action/horror hybrid second) not building to a crescendo or trying to make any grand creative statements. Austin Abrams plays the lead (a medical delivery boy scared of his own shadow) like the stoner guy in 2011's "The Cabin in the Woods," and the callbacks to the classic early "RE" games (green herbs, typewriter, dogs, shotgun, etc.) are plentiful for fans to point at the screen. I enjoyed "RE '26" (there's at least 3-4 legitimate f***ed-up scares), but the faithful cinematic adaptation of the classic "RE" games (mansion, Tyrant, Lickers, Barry, Wesker, S.T.A.R.S., Claire/Leon, Jill/Chris, etc.) eludes us 30 years after the series debuted on PlayStation. 'It's fine,' but in its own way, this one's as devoid of "RE" essence as 2021's "Welcome to Raccoon City" reboot and the entire Anderson/Jovovich series.
ONE FROM THE HEART (70MM, 1982) - https://www.in70mm.com/presents/1963_blow_up/titel/o/one_from_the_heart/index.htm
Back to the Netflix-owned Paris Theater in midtown, Manhattan, for two more 'Big & Loud' 70mm presentations. First was Francis Ford Coppola's "One From The Heart" (the only 1:37:1 AR 70mm production ever made and one that required the projectionist to spend the entire weekend building Academy Ratio gates for the theater's widescreen 70mm projector, per the introduction), making its belated New York 70mm premiere after the disastrous West Coast box office numbers cancelled plans for an East Coast expansion. I've seen it years before on TV, and a Coppola-edited version subtitled "Reprise" (93 min. versus the theatrical version's 107 min.) is currently streaming on TUBI. The 70mm print looked soft and a little faded, but the audio quality from its six sound channels (the sole reason Coppola went to 70mm, since most American theaters were still playing movies in mono sound back in '82) was excellent.
My main problem with "OFTH" is that, for an homage to Golden Era MGM musicals, the Greek Choir-like pop songs by Tom Waits (composer/singer) and Crystal Gayle (singer) are pretty forgettable. They work for the moment and the scenes they're shoehorned in, but I forgot them as soon as the movie ended. The Vegas working-class couple (Frederick Forrest and Teri Garr) that breaks-up, reconciles, fights again and seek solace in the arms of new lovers (Raul Julia and Nastassja Kinski) are dullards and, frankly, uninteresting. I would have much rather the story follow Julia's Ray waiter/singer and Kinski's Leila circus performer, although the scene in the buffet restaurant when Ray quits (one of the few instances there's no music) briefly highlights Julia and Garr's chemistry. Ironically for a movie named "One From the Heart," the technical proficiency of creating an entire Vegas world within indoor studio space (including the airport! ๐ฅต๐ณ) suffocates what little humanity and emotional soul the actors/story manage to squeeze out of its weak sauce script. Glad I saw it with an appreciative crowd, but in Coppola's evolution as a filmmaker this ranks as the dress rehearsal/warm-up to 1992's "Dracula." ๐ซค
WHITE NIGHTS (70MM, 1985) - https://www.in70mm.com/presents/1963_blow_up/titel/w/white_nights/index.htm
Never seen Taylor Hackford's "White Nights" (didn't even know it was shot in 70mm), only seen YouTube clips of Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines dancing/tapping up a storm. It's a Cold War thriller that opens with an impressive-for-'85 realistic plane crash of an international flight in a Russian military facility, where a former Soviet dancer (Baryshnikov, essentially re-enacting a Hollywood version of what would happen to him if he ever returned to Russia) is held against his will. KGB handler Chaiko (director Jerzy Skolimowski) teams up 'Kolya' with American defector Raymond Greenwood (Hines, excellent), his Russian wife Darya (Isabella Rossellini) and Kolya's former lover Galina (Helen Mirren, playing Russian again after 1984's "2010"), hoping they can convince the Soviet re-patriate to perform once again for Russian audiences. At 137 minutes it's at least 20-25 minutes too long, and the stench of Hollywood pro-American propaganda is rather strong. The acting is solid across the board, though, and the well-shot dancing segments (camera glides around the floor to capture the energy of the leads' show-off dancing) made me and the audience constantly break out in spontaneous applause. As with "One From the Heart" the night before, "White Night's" rather-soft 70mm print delivered better sound than visual spectacle. ¯\_(ใ)_/¯
The evening ended with a Q&A with Isabella Rossellini, who made her English-speaking debut as an actor in "White Nights" after years as a model and occasional Italian performer. Lots of fun stories (David Lynch initially contacted Isabella so she'd put him in touch with Helen Mirren so he could offer her the role of Dorothy in "Blue Velvet"; when Mirren turned down Lynch, the director went back to Rossellini and offered her the part), behind-the-scenes anecdotes (Gregory Hines and Isabella went to Russia as civilian tourists to get a sense of the atmosphere of the real place they'd be re-enacting in other European locations; people avoided making eye-contact, except the few that made rude comments about them being an interracial couple ๐ก) and overall sense of wonder that, according to Rossellini, the movie still works 41 years later (I disagree). Fun times at the Paris Theater. I ๐ NYC. ๐ค๐
What on Earth was writer/director Na Hong-jin (2016's "The Wailing") thinking when he released a 160 min. version of HOPE (SOUTH KOREA, '26, THEATER) to the world? The understaffed police force of the bordering-with-North Korea small seaside town of Hope Harbor, helped by armed civilians, initially has to deal with mutilated animals and random destruction. Eventually (30-35 min. in), a monster is revealed to be the cause of the animal/human deaths and destruction, which only puzzles the locals more than helps them deal with an ongoing disaster they have to contend with themselves (a distant forest fire keeps government help from ever showing up).
As with Zach Cregger's comedic take on "Resident Evil" ("Hope" resembles the classic Capcom game more than the new "RE" film reboot), Na Hong-jin relies on too much low-hanging fruit humor to contrast with special effects-heavy action scenes that lose their impact from too much repetition. A fast-charging creature speeding toward car-driving Im Sung-ae (Jung Ho-yeon, a bad-ass female rookie) or horse-running Ko Sung-ki (Zo In-sung) as the music swells, then misses them by inches and crashes against trees/buildings, is exciting to see once. But the third time? The ninth time? The 12th, 17th time this happens? Not even Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander in... peculiar roles can save "Hope" from being one of the biggest disappointments of 2026. Yes, even bigger than Yeon Sang-ho's "Colony." ๐ฅบ๐
Hola F!-Nation (F!-World?) I hope this isn't out of place, so apologies to Patrick and the mods if so (and feel free to delete this), but it occurred to me you all may be interested in a movie... collage I've made. It's called Film World War, and it's a Homeric retelling of the Second World War, from the Big Bang to modern times, using exclusively fiction film clips – zero documentary footage. (In that way, it's a bit like Los Angeles Plays Itself and Videoheaven, neither of which I've seen.) It's sourced from ~200 films and TV episodes, with narration that I wrote, performed by my Pop. At about two hours exactly, it's a new movie in its own right, and, if I may say so, it really feels like one, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
If anyone's interested, there's more info on the project here, and it can be viewed here on YouTube (where a comment leads to a higher-quality experience than YT's compression allows). I'm afraid I only had the technical know-how and budget to source from DVDs, so it's not exactly a 70mm-quality work (sorry, J.M.!), but I've projected it on a 100" screen for friends and family, and it looks just fine, IMO. I don't have plans to specially distribute or promote it or anything, but I think most movie buffs would enjoy it, as it's not only a narrative experience, but also a tour of historical (and once-contemporary) movies from across generations, with a truly all-star cast. And, yes, there are a few musical numbers. :D
So, if anyone's interested, and would like to give it a shot, I hope you all enjoy! :)
Very nice, Gaith. ๐ I'm about to go to work (no Wi-Fi at JFK building I work at) so I can't watch it right now, but I sure will and post my thoughts here. The world belongs to dreamers, and this is your dream come true Gaith. ☺️๐ฅณ
Adam Wingard's ONSLAUGHT ('26, THEATER) seems more interested in the s-e-x-u-a-l fet!ishes of its supporting characters (a pair of German scientists, Drew Starkey's 'Cyrus' cleaner) than in making the whole of the movie add up to a fraction of some of its better set-pieces. I can't believe this played in IMAX theaters for a week (11pm showings only) and was also on 4DX, because this has the look/production values of a Showtime or MGM+ direct-to-streaming, low-budget feature. The plot is "Universal Soldier"-type rehashed genre nonsense (bio-engineered U.S. super soldiers from a secret military facility escape, chase after New Mexico civilians in a gas station and trailer park), with Adria Arjona the unlikely single-mother war veteran that (with assistance from some of her veteran neighbors) has to put an end to the nightmare. I expect more/better from genre veteran Adam Wingard ("You're Next"), but "Onslaught" is typical of current A24's see-saw between excellence ("Backrooms") and crap ("Death of Robin Hood"). Pass.
GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE (2025, AMAZON RENTAL) Rewatched the next three movies during the last three weeks over at Jury Room 4.0's weekly Discord meet-ups/watchalongs. Sam Rockwell's quirky-to-a-fault lead performance is the glue holding together "GL, HD, DD," a very messy, often confusing but entertaining lo-fi romp. No idea why Gore Verbinski spent a decade away from the director's chair, but the places this movie goes (humor derived from things I can't even bad-spell here or Blogger will kill it!) and its special-effects leaden finale (not to mention an above-average supporting cast clearly working for scale) showcase a talent for darkly humorous storytelling he should try more often. Knowing "GL, HD, DD" was made for $20 million highlights how good Verbinski is at stretching his limited resources while still delivering a sense of scale. ๐๐
My latest crazy impulsive buy is a collection of 3 boxsets from Arrow, collecting 4 of Italian Westerns each, under a theme: Vengeance Trails, Savage Guns, Blood Money. I think I started on those boxes just because there was a Klaus Kinski movie in the first box, and a Lucio Fulci. Then, my obsessive @ss took over and I had to get the other two...
The first movie is And God Said to Cain, starring Kinski. It's kinda weird to watch him being somewhat normal, but he's still very dark and intense. It's full of mood and suspense and dust and wind and church bells and scorching suns and gunfights. Everything a young boy needs. There's an extra on the disc about it being a Gothic Western. Clearly the best of the box, but honestly, just because of Klaus it gets a few bonus points.
Massacre Time by Lucio Fulci, with Franco Nero. The mere presence of Nero is always worth the price. I don't know the movies of Lucio Dulci a lot, but I know enough to know we're far from his trademark movies.
The other 2 movies from the Vengeance Trails boxset are not bad, but also pretty standard stuff for the genre. I don't want to burn myself, so I'll watch the other 2 boxes another time.
Courage Under Fire (1996): I recently watched a Youtube video about tanks in movies. I don't care for these types of videos ("in real life, this wouldn't happen like that...". Not sh!t, it's a foking movie!... Ahem, sorry about that), but they do give me ideas for stuff to watch. Anyway, Edward Zwick is a good director who made good stuff, but rarely remarkable. It's a classic 90s military-thriller hitting all the usual beats, a bunch of supporting cast you've seen somewhere and often got bigger after (pre-Good Will Hunting Matt Damon was so skinny). It's also classic 90s in the fact that a woman is doing a man's job and is being scrutinized to the end of the world for it. There's even another woman exclaiming "ew, she's so butch", classic stuff. And you know, all that manly military stuff fighting the sand people because 'we good, they bad'.
I've held all the Arrow western box sets (and the Giallo box sets, and the genre-specific box sets) during 50% off sales over the past few years, and have yet to buy one. Always tempted, yet to pull the trigger. ๐ And holy crap, I remember "Courage Under Fire" trailers/TV commercials and not finding it worth the theater trip. But the cast (Denzel, Meg Ryan, Michael Moriarty, Zeljko Ivanek, Lou Diamond Phillips, Scott Glenn, etc.) looks tremendous. Worth a rental/streaming watch, Yay or Nay? ๐ค
I think CUF is worth a rental if only for the real tanks and real explosions. The rest is pretty much cookie cutter 90s thriller drama. Everybody's good, but there's no real 'oomph'. It's trying to get their own "you can't handle the truth" moment, but it's never as good.
Oh, there's a subplot about Denzel who possibly made a bad decision in a mission previous to this, but i don't think it's ever properly used
KICK-ASS (2010, DVD) Despite coming a millisecond before Facebook took over the social media crown from MySpace (which permanently dates it along with Nokia flip phones), the deconstruction of superhero tropes "Kick-Ass" indulges in has aged well despite coming out before the MCU and DCU took solid shape. Aaron Taylor-Johnson's doofus Kick-Ass/Dave really doesn't do anything remarkable until the last possible moment, letting 'guest' superhero Hit Girl (Chloรซ Grace Moretz in a star-making performance she has yet to top) be the scene-stealing Wang Chi to Taylor-Johnson's Jack Burton. Nic Cage (another scene stealer as the single-dad "Punisher" clone with an Adam West speech pattern), Mark Strong, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and even Michael Rispoli (who doesn't know how human-sized microwave ovens work ๐ฒ๐คฃ), along with writer/director Matthew Vaughn's well-timed action sequences and choice needle drops, help elevate this ahead of "Mystery Men" while staying below "Scott Pilgrim's" high-wire act.
CAT PEOPLE (1982, AMAZON RENTAL) I own "Cat People" on HD-DVD and it still works (many discs in my HD-DVD collection won't play anymore! ๐ฅบ๐ญ), but didn't have time to hook-up the player before it was time to start. The horror part of this in-name-only remake of Val Lewton's original B&W classic suffers from the need by everyone involved (writer/director Paul Schrader, Universal executives, a shirtless Malcolm McDowell, willing-to-be-nude Nastassja Kinski, etc.) to sex-up this joint with as much erot!c juice as the early 80's 'R' rating would allow. It's also clear Schrader was in over his head trying to make an erot!c thriller (a new-to-him genre) with the sexy starlet he was sleeping with, but the imperfect results (set in the visually interesting New Orleans location) yield interesting scenes that contrast with super-charged sexy ones.
Annette O'Toole (topless for a few glorious minutes toward the end! ๐๐), John Heard and Ed Begley Jr. contribute their acting talents to making this rather silly flick compensate for its not-up-to-par special effects (transformation puppet) with the sexy stuff many of us (myself included with this Amazon rental) paid good money to see. Recommended. ๐
I can remember catching part of Cat People on regular TV back in the 1980s. A lot must have been cut out, or scenes were shot that were more suitable for television to keep the running length.
Last but not least this week, THE WEIGHT (GERMANY/CANADA/USA, '26, THEATER) is a German production set in Oregon during the Great Depression. Widowed mechanic Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke) loses his little girl to the state's welfare system when he's unjustly incarcerated. When he proves to have the wits to go with the brawn of prison labor, warden J.J. Clancy (Russell Crowe) recruits Samuel and his small cadre of prison buddies to help him secretly transport several pounds of gold across the Oregon forests before the FDR Administration confiscates it. Crowe only appears at the start and end of the narrative, leaving Hawke as the leader of a gang of prisoners and guards mighty tempted to steal the gold... which would kill any chance Murphy has to regain legal custody of his kid. Great mix of Munich/Bavaria locations and Oregon stock footage help sell the illusion of a Depression era, Pacific Western forest yellow fever adventure, especially when a stranger from the woods (Cameron Brady) starts stalking the group. Between the unusual alliances, unexpected car chases (in mid-30's vehicles) and likable characters played by a game supporting cast, "The Weight" punches slightly above its Cannes Competition pedigree weight. 'It's fine.' ๐๐ง
Watched PROJECT HAIL MARY (2026) with the Blu-ray commentary. Interesting how the spaceship set and the multiple animatronics were complicated, but once they were set up, the directors were able to pull back and let the actor and puppeteers interact on their own. So it’s like old-fashioned theater, despite the many technical aspects of it all.
CAT PEOPLE (1982) Ohh… this is a weird one.
FINAL DESTINATOIN BLOODLINES (2025) It’s so silly it’s this close to being a Scary Movie-type parody. Tony Todd’s final bow was nicely done, though.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) “My dulcet darling!”
METROPOLIS (1927) I understand it’s meant to be a powerful metaphor about the haves vs. have-nots, but I can’t help but sit back and marvel at the “wow” factor of the sets and visuals.
VERTIGO (1958) Hitchcock goodness!
PINK FLOYD: THE WALL (1982) I gave it another try, but I still don’t know what to make of this one. But I do like the animated bits.
Since l don't like "Project Hail Mary" l feel every minute Phil/Lord spent making it contributes to the years-long delays between "Spider-Man: Spider-verse/Miles Morales" sequels, which to me is a cinematic crime of humanitarian proportions. ๐ก๐ค๐ฅบ
Mac, to better understand The Wall, watch the beginning of this video. It's a review of a bad review of the film, but he starts by talking about the flick itself and explaining some bits
Started at home with Tony, which is yet another bit of evidence suggesting that smaller scope and focused narrative almost (almost!) always produce a better biopic than the sweeping, sprawling, pack-it-all-in approach. Matt Johnson is officially on my must-watch list at this point. Dominic Sessa is great again in his follow-up performance to The Holdovers. Sure, but can he ever do it outside New England (joke)?
Headed to the theater next for Resident Evil, which I loved. This makes back to back weekends seeing movies that now comprise my top two for 2026 (along with Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger last week). Resident Evil doesn't have the thematic ideas of Zach Cregger's other two movies, but for me, it was just as fun. Cregger has such a great feel for creating tension through cinematography, whether it's in the framing choices of still shots, subtle camera shifts, or dynamic tracking shots. In Barbarian and Weapons, his creation of suspense felt more like symphonies, separate movements connecting and building as parts of a whole. In Resident Evil, it feels more like a pop album. The tension is still there, just packaged into snappier three-minute tracks. And for me, that's not a criticism, just a difference. I loved Cregger's symphonies and I loved his new pop album. I'll admit I have a pretty minimal connection to the video games and I haven't seen any other RE movies, so I wasn't watching this movie through any of those lenses. It's a 90-minute splattery zombie horror comedy, and I thought it was a complete success on those terms.
The second leg of my theatrical excursion was a screening of Zodiac, which I was made aware of by reading one of JB's recent articles that mentioned some upcoming rep screenings at Regal theaters (which is the primary movie option where I live). Zodiac rules, most F-Heads already know this, but it was a blast to see it on the big screen (which I hadn't before).
'Dominic Sessa is great again in his follow-up performance to The Holdovers. Sure, but can he ever do it outside New England (joke)?' Dominic has actually starred in three other movies besides "Tony" since "The Holdovers" (what an impressive acting debut! ๐ค ). I've only seen one, last year's "Tow," in which he was fine. Have no interest in Anthony Bourdain's life, but if l see "Tony" it'll be solely because of Sessa being the lead. ๐ค
Show's how plugged in (not very) I've been to Sessa's exploits! Let's revise that to "follow-up performance [that my ignorant ass is aware of]"! :P
I'm pretty neutral/ignorant on Bourdain. I haven't read his book or watched his show, and was really only vaguely aware of him as a pop culture figure. The movie really stands on its own, takes place over the course of one summer, and could just as easily be a fictional story about a guy named "Dave" as it is a Bourdain "biopic". There's a Bourdain wink-and-nod to open and close the movie, but other than that, it doesn't even feel like a movie about a known celebrity... which is, I think, part of what makes it successful.
I'll have to check out Dominic Sessa's OTHER follow-ups to The Holdovers sometime!
I watched Anthony Bourdain's first big show "No Reservations" as soon as it began in 2005 and intermittently followed his shows until his death. (The time has gone by on all accounts!) My own impression of Bourdain is that he had a curiosity that led him to read a lot and have ambitions beyond the kitchen. His quick and sharp narrative style was his trademark as a writer and TV host.
I watched Star Wars. I haven't seen it in probably 20 years. Since then I've seen a ton of Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness movies. It hit differently this time. Movies are cool!
What was different about Star Wars for you this viewing, Matt?
I remember watching part of Star Wars a few years ago and really noticing how much it feels like a 1970s movie. The film can seem clunky at times, but it created a cinematic world that continues to live on.
With the 50th anniversary of Star Wars coming up next year, I wonder if Disney will finally put out the original versions of the films.
It was the performances of those two legendary actors after being able to view them with better context at that point in their careers. They bring so much gravitas and are really going for it in what as you stated can otherwise feel like a goofy 70s film at times.
Casual, for the past couple of years Disney has been restoring the original "SW: A New Hope" print (before 'Episode IV' was added for the re-releases) for next year's 50th anniversary. It's not only coming to IMAX next year, but IMAX 70mm in select theaters. You can even start reserving tickets for it: https://www.engadget.com/2253591/the-first-and-latest-star-wars-films-are-coming-to-imax-70mm-in-2027/ ๐
I guess one good thing about Disney acquiring Star Wars is that they are willing to put out the original versions. George Lucas would be never be allowing that if he still had control of the franchise.
Another factor in the success of Star Wars is the fantastic John Williams score. It really is a character in its own right in the films. I was listening to some of the score last night. The Imperial March is still my favorite piece, but the main theme is very close to it.
For me, a very underrated performance in the franchise is Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca. He is so expressive in that costume. He was over seven feet tall in real life.
Casual, as far as "Empire" ('80) and "Jedi" ('83), Disney PR has only hinted at possible remasters/re-releases depending in how the "New Hope" theatrical re-release next February performs. Since these remasters take years to make, chances are they will be tied to the 50th anniversaries of each movie in their respective years (2030 and 2033, respectively). Who wants to live forever? ๐๐
Since the summer is concluding, I was in the mood for films with a summer vibe this week.
CRY-BABY (1990, dir. John Waters) at the Mahoning Drive-In – This is exactly how I would envision a 1950s rock’n’roll juvenile delinquency musical from John Waters to be. There are so many stereotypes turned up to 11 here. Johnny Depp is the titular Cry-Baby, a high school delinquent with a heart of gold. When one of the “good” girls in school falls for him, trouble is bound to happen. The film is full of tongue-in-cheek humor, and the original songs are fun and match the tone. Definitely a good time at the drive-in.
HARDBODIES (1984, dir. Mark Griffiths) - Welcome to the beach, old dudes! Though a classic of 1980s s-e-x comedy, there is so much that has aged poorly in Hardbodies. The energy and 80s-ness of the whole thing, though, does still make it an entertaining watch.
ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE (2023, dir. David Gregory) – The Bruceploitation genre is undoubtedly one of the strangest exploitation trends ever, but it makes perfect sense. Since Bruce Lee had become a huge star even beyond Hong Kong, there was money to be made by trying to pass off films featuring martial artists who “looked” like him as real Bruce Lee movies. Hearing the actual actors talk about being branded as imitators was interesting. The absurdity of many of the films elicited many chuckles from me. Another source of humor was the lengths distributors in the West would go to to make the films appear to be to Bruce Lee related.
SUMMER CAMP (1979, dir. Chuck Vincent) – I tend to enjoy 1970s trash, and Summer Camp did not disappoint on trashiness. The plot of saving a summer camp from financial ruin quickly gets lost in the hijinks of young people (most actors looking a little too old for their roles) engaging in various shenanigans. Those of the s-e-x-u-a-l variety are the most common, not surprising coming from a director known for his a-d-u-l-t work. The t’n’a flows throughout the film. One of the cast is a babyface Linnea Quigley in one of her first screen credits. Tubi offers so much junk like this.
SQUEEZE PLAY (1979, dirs. Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz) – Another Troma film and one that is not bad. The men’s softball team at a mattress factory (some free advertising for Serta) in New Jersey pisses off their girlfriends with bad behavior, so the ladies decide to form their own softball team to compete with them. It is part sports comedy, part s-e-x comedy, and part community project. A big part of the charm of the film is the scrappy production values and overall positive energy from the cast. Squeeze Play is silly and goofy in a harmless way, particularly for Troma.
Going through Tubi can be an interesting experience. There is plenty of crap on there, but some of it is worse than others. I found one film called Bikini Beach Race (early 1990s) that I briefly watched. It was beyond awful and extremely annoying. Summer Camp is not good, but I was at least entertained by it.
The only problem watching Tubi, Pluto or any ad-supported streamer right now is that, because of the mid-term elections in November, every commercial break's flooded with local political ads. Nothing kills the movie immersion mood like an intrusive ad break, but several breaks repeating the same political ads? ๐คข๐คฎ
And the president is featured prominently in most political ads (even for local races), with candidates running against/for him while tying the opponent to national politics. ๐คจ๐ It's why l try to not stream scary movies during October's SMM. Makes something already scary even more frightening. ๐ฅถ๐
Xfiles I Want To Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn (2026 Hulu)
Didnt even know this was a coming out, nor that its a directors cut of the 2008 xfiles movie (which i dont recall seeing). Sort of a mixed bag horror episode of Xfiles. Everything is so dour. Every line delivery feels like it should be accompanied by a depressing sigh. That being said it does mix supernatural, faith, horror, and even some solid gore into the story well...especially in the 3rd act. It absolutely wastes an original cast memeber. I dont know, i suppose as an Xfiles fan id say its ok but not great.
Obsession (2026 bluray)
I liked this one but didnt love it. I think i was expecting it to be much more than its premise. That being said, Inde Navarette is outstanding. Also im so glad that its connecting with so many people across age groups and maybe bringing more to the horror fold.
(PS: Patrick...love the thumbnail! I was very late to the WKYK group but man o man they have some funny sh@t. The Cregger transition to incredible horror director ranks up there with other crazy jumps like James Gunn and Peter Jackson)
RIP Gerrit Graham! I connected with him as an actor and his humor very young and was always pleasantly surprised when he'd show up in a movie. My earliest memory is the flick Naked Space (aka The Creature Wasnt Nice) which feels like it was made for $24.22. My strongest memory is his performance in Used Cars. Within that movie is a car lot commercial with him playing a cowboy car salesman...it was one of my hardest laugh memories from childhood moviegoing. Finally it took me a long long time to discover Phantom of the Paradise (likely thanks to the F This crew!) but wow...what a performance. He will be missed.
I also remember Gerrit Graham from "Used Cars," especially the 'dead dog' gag and him doing a stunt at the end with the 'miles of cars' that blew me away for an actor putting himself in danger. And who can forget him as Dr. Pankow in the early seasons of "Parker Leis Can't Lose." ๐๐ R.I.P. ๐
Only two more 'Weekend Open Threads' before 'SCARY MOVIE MONTH 2026' officially starts! ๐๐น๐ป๐ฝ
ReplyDeleteIs Zach Cregger's RESIDENT EVIL (2026, AMC DOLBY CINEMA) the best "RE" movie to date? Yes and no, but it's definitely the weakest of Cragger's recent string of successful horror hits ("Barbarian" and "Weapons") that left you thinking about them long after the films ended. "RE '26" just stops when its 90 minutes are up, its comedic narrative (and make no mistake about it, this is now a comedy first and action/horror hybrid second) not building to a crescendo or trying to make any grand creative statements. Austin Abrams plays the lead (a medical delivery boy scared of his own shadow) like the stoner guy in 2011's "The Cabin in the Woods," and the callbacks to the classic early "RE" games (green herbs, typewriter, dogs, shotgun, etc.) are plentiful for fans to point at the screen. I enjoyed "RE '26" (there's at least 3-4 legitimate f***ed-up scares), but the faithful cinematic adaptation of the classic "RE" games (mansion, Tyrant, Lickers, Barry, Wesker, S.T.A.R.S., Claire/Leon, Jill/Chris, etc.) eludes us 30 years after the series debuted on PlayStation. 'It's fine,' but in its own way, this one's as devoid of "RE" essence as 2021's "Welcome to Raccoon City" reboot and the entire Anderson/Jovovich series.
ONE FROM THE HEART (70MM, 1982) - https://www.in70mm.com/presents/1963_blow_up/titel/o/one_from_the_heart/index.htm
ReplyDeleteBack to the Netflix-owned Paris Theater in midtown, Manhattan, for two more 'Big & Loud' 70mm presentations. First was Francis Ford Coppola's "One From The Heart" (the only 1:37:1 AR 70mm production ever made and one that required the projectionist to spend the entire weekend building Academy Ratio gates for the theater's widescreen 70mm projector, per the introduction), making its belated New York 70mm premiere after the disastrous West Coast box office numbers cancelled plans for an East Coast expansion. I've seen it years before on TV, and a Coppola-edited version subtitled "Reprise" (93 min. versus the theatrical version's 107 min.) is currently streaming on TUBI. The 70mm print looked soft and a little faded, but the audio quality from its six sound channels (the sole reason Coppola went to 70mm, since most American theaters were still playing movies in mono sound back in '82) was excellent.
My main problem with "OFTH" is that, for an homage to Golden Era MGM musicals, the Greek Choir-like pop songs by Tom Waits (composer/singer) and Crystal Gayle (singer) are pretty forgettable. They work for the moment and the scenes they're shoehorned in, but I forgot them as soon as the movie ended. The Vegas working-class couple (Frederick Forrest and Teri Garr) that breaks-up, reconciles, fights again and seek solace in the arms of new lovers (Raul Julia and Nastassja Kinski) are dullards and, frankly, uninteresting. I would have much rather the story follow Julia's Ray waiter/singer and Kinski's Leila circus performer, although the scene in the buffet restaurant when Ray quits (one of the few instances there's no music) briefly highlights Julia and Garr's chemistry. Ironically for a movie named "One From the Heart," the technical proficiency of creating an entire Vegas world within indoor studio space (including the airport! ๐ฅต๐ณ) suffocates what little humanity and emotional soul the actors/story manage to squeeze out of its weak sauce script. Glad I saw it with an appreciative crowd, but in Coppola's evolution as a filmmaker this ranks as the dress rehearsal/warm-up to 1992's "Dracula." ๐ซค
WHITE NIGHTS (70MM, 1985) - https://www.in70mm.com/presents/1963_blow_up/titel/w/white_nights/index.htm
ReplyDeleteNever seen Taylor Hackford's "White Nights" (didn't even know it was shot in 70mm), only seen YouTube clips of Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines dancing/tapping up a storm. It's a Cold War thriller that opens with an impressive-for-'85 realistic plane crash of an international flight in a Russian military facility, where a former Soviet dancer (Baryshnikov, essentially re-enacting a Hollywood version of what would happen to him if he ever returned to Russia) is held against his will. KGB handler Chaiko (director Jerzy Skolimowski) teams up 'Kolya' with American defector Raymond Greenwood (Hines, excellent), his Russian wife Darya (Isabella Rossellini) and Kolya's former lover Galina (Helen Mirren, playing Russian again after 1984's "2010"), hoping they can convince the Soviet re-patriate to perform once again for Russian audiences. At 137 minutes it's at least 20-25 minutes too long, and the stench of Hollywood pro-American propaganda is rather strong. The acting is solid across the board, though, and the well-shot dancing segments (camera glides around the floor to capture the energy of the leads' show-off dancing) made me and the audience constantly break out in spontaneous applause. As with "One From the Heart" the night before, "White Night's" rather-soft 70mm print delivered better sound than visual spectacle. ¯\_(ใ)_/¯
The evening ended with a Q&A with Isabella Rossellini, who made her English-speaking debut as an actor in "White Nights" after years as a model and occasional Italian performer. Lots of fun stories (David Lynch initially contacted Isabella so she'd put him in touch with Helen Mirren so he could offer her the role of Dorothy in "Blue Velvet"; when Mirren turned down Lynch, the director went back to Rossellini and offered her the part), behind-the-scenes anecdotes (Gregory Hines and Isabella went to Russia as civilian tourists to get a sense of the atmosphere of the real place they'd be re-enacting in other European locations; people avoided making eye-contact, except the few that made rude comments about them being an interracial couple ๐ก) and overall sense of wonder that, according to Rossellini, the movie still works 41 years later (I disagree). Fun times at the Paris Theater. I ๐ NYC. ๐ค๐
What on Earth was writer/director Na Hong-jin (2016's "The Wailing") thinking when he released a 160 min. version of HOPE (SOUTH KOREA, '26, THEATER) to the world? The understaffed police force of the bordering-with-North Korea small seaside town of Hope Harbor, helped by armed civilians, initially has to deal with mutilated animals and random destruction. Eventually (30-35 min. in), a monster is revealed to be the cause of the animal/human deaths and destruction, which only puzzles the locals more than helps them deal with an ongoing disaster they have to contend with themselves (a distant forest fire keeps government help from ever showing up).
ReplyDeleteAs with Zach Cregger's comedic take on "Resident Evil" ("Hope" resembles the classic Capcom game more than the new "RE" film reboot), Na Hong-jin relies on too much low-hanging fruit humor to contrast with special effects-heavy action scenes that lose their impact from too much repetition. A fast-charging creature speeding toward car-driving Im Sung-ae (Jung Ho-yeon, a bad-ass female rookie) or horse-running Ko Sung-ki (Zo In-sung) as the music swells, then misses them by inches and crashes against trees/buildings, is exciting to see once. But the third time? The ninth time? The 12th, 17th time this happens? Not even Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander in... peculiar roles can save "Hope" from being one of the biggest disappointments of 2026. Yes, even bigger than Yeon Sang-ho's "Colony." ๐ฅบ๐
Hola F!-Nation (F!-World?) I hope this isn't out of place, so apologies to Patrick and the mods if so (and feel free to delete this), but it occurred to me you all may be interested in a movie... collage I've made. It's called Film World War, and it's a Homeric retelling of the Second World War, from the Big Bang to modern times, using exclusively fiction film clips – zero documentary footage. (In that way, it's a bit like Los Angeles Plays Itself and Videoheaven, neither of which I've seen.) It's sourced from ~200 films and TV episodes, with narration that I wrote, performed by my Pop. At about two hours exactly, it's a new movie in its own right, and, if I may say so, it really feels like one, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone's interested, there's more info on the project here, and it can be viewed here on YouTube (where a comment leads to a higher-quality experience than YT's compression allows). I'm afraid I only had the technical know-how and budget to source from DVDs, so it's not exactly a 70mm-quality work (sorry, J.M.!), but I've projected it on a 100" screen for friends and family, and it looks just fine, IMO. I don't have plans to specially distribute or promote it or anything, but I think most movie buffs would enjoy it, as it's not only a narrative experience, but also a tour of historical (and once-contemporary) movies from across generations, with a truly all-star cast. And, yes, there are a few musical numbers. :D
So, if anyone's interested, and would like to give it a shot, I hope you all enjoy! :)
Very nice, Gaith. ๐ I'm about to go to work (no Wi-Fi at JFK building I work at) so I can't watch it right now, but I sure will and post my thoughts here. The world belongs to dreamers, and this is your dream come true Gaith. ☺️๐ฅณ
DeleteThanks; I look forward to hearing what you think! Just be sure to follow the link in the one comment on the YouTube video. :)
DeleteAdam Wingard's ONSLAUGHT ('26, THEATER) seems more interested in the s-e-x-u-a-l fet!ishes of its supporting characters (a pair of German scientists, Drew Starkey's 'Cyrus' cleaner) than in making the whole of the movie add up to a fraction of some of its better set-pieces. I can't believe this played in IMAX theaters for a week (11pm showings only) and was also on 4DX, because this has the look/production values of a Showtime or MGM+ direct-to-streaming, low-budget feature. The plot is "Universal Soldier"-type rehashed genre nonsense (bio-engineered U.S. super soldiers from a secret military facility escape, chase after New Mexico civilians in a gas station and trailer park), with Adria Arjona the unlikely single-mother war veteran that (with assistance from some of her veteran neighbors) has to put an end to the nightmare. I expect more/better from genre veteran Adam Wingard ("You're Next"), but "Onslaught" is typical of current A24's see-saw between excellence ("Backrooms") and crap ("Death of Robin Hood"). Pass.
ReplyDeleteGOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE (2025, AMAZON RENTAL)
ReplyDeleteRewatched the next three movies during the last three weeks over at Jury Room 4.0's weekly Discord meet-ups/watchalongs. Sam Rockwell's quirky-to-a-fault lead performance is the glue holding together "GL, HD, DD," a very messy, often confusing but entertaining lo-fi romp. No idea why Gore Verbinski spent a decade away from the director's chair, but the places this movie goes (humor derived from things I can't even bad-spell here or Blogger will kill it!) and its special-effects leaden finale (not to mention an above-average supporting cast clearly working for scale) showcase a talent for darkly humorous storytelling he should try more often. Knowing "GL, HD, DD" was made for $20 million highlights how good Verbinski is at stretching his limited resources while still delivering a sense of scale. ๐๐
My latest crazy impulsive buy is a collection of 3 boxsets from Arrow, collecting 4 of Italian Westerns each, under a theme: Vengeance Trails, Savage Guns, Blood Money. I think I started on those boxes just because there was a Klaus Kinski movie in the first box, and a Lucio Fulci. Then, my obsessive @ss took over and I had to get the other two...
ReplyDeleteThe first movie is And God Said to Cain, starring Kinski. It's kinda weird to watch him being somewhat normal, but he's still very dark and intense. It's full of mood and suspense and dust and wind and church bells and scorching suns and gunfights. Everything a young boy needs. There's an extra on the disc about it being a Gothic Western. Clearly the best of the box, but honestly, just because of Klaus it gets a few bonus points.
Massacre Time by Lucio Fulci, with Franco Nero. The mere presence of Nero is always worth the price. I don't know the movies of Lucio Dulci a lot, but I know enough to know we're far from his trademark movies.
The other 2 movies from the Vengeance Trails boxset are not bad, but also pretty standard stuff for the genre. I don't want to burn myself, so I'll watch the other 2 boxes another time.
Courage Under Fire (1996): I recently watched a Youtube video about tanks in movies. I don't care for these types of videos ("in real life, this wouldn't happen like that...". Not sh!t, it's a foking movie!... Ahem, sorry about that), but they do give me ideas for stuff to watch. Anyway, Edward Zwick is a good director who made good stuff, but rarely remarkable. It's a classic 90s military-thriller hitting all the usual beats, a bunch of supporting cast you've seen somewhere and often got bigger after (pre-Good Will Hunting Matt Damon was so skinny). It's also classic 90s in the fact that a woman is doing a man's job and is being scrutinized to the end of the world for it. There's even another woman exclaiming "ew, she's so butch", classic stuff. And you know, all that manly military stuff fighting the sand people because 'we good, they bad'.
I've held all the Arrow western box sets (and the Giallo box sets, and the genre-specific box sets) during 50% off sales over the past few years, and have yet to buy one. Always tempted, yet to pull the trigger. ๐ And holy crap, I remember "Courage Under Fire" trailers/TV commercials and not finding it worth the theater trip. But the cast (Denzel, Meg Ryan, Michael Moriarty, Zeljko Ivanek, Lou Diamond Phillips, Scott Glenn, etc.) looks tremendous. Worth a rental/streaming watch, Yay or Nay? ๐ค
DeleteI think CUF is worth a rental if only for the real tanks and real explosions. The rest is pretty much cookie cutter 90s thriller drama. Everybody's good, but there's no real 'oomph'. It's trying to get their own "you can't handle the truth" moment, but it's never as good.
DeleteOh, there's a subplot about Denzel who possibly made a bad decision in a mission previous to this, but i don't think it's ever properly used
Mmmph... real tanks, 'splosions and post-"Law & Order" Michael Moriarty... sooo tempting. ๐
DeleteKICK-ASS (2010, DVD)
ReplyDeleteDespite coming a millisecond before Facebook took over the social media crown from MySpace (which permanently dates it along with Nokia flip phones), the deconstruction of superhero tropes "Kick-Ass" indulges in has aged well despite coming out before the MCU and DCU took solid shape. Aaron Taylor-Johnson's doofus Kick-Ass/Dave really doesn't do anything remarkable until the last possible moment, letting 'guest' superhero Hit Girl (Chloรซ Grace Moretz in a star-making performance she has yet to top) be the scene-stealing Wang Chi to Taylor-Johnson's Jack Burton. Nic Cage (another scene stealer as the single-dad "Punisher" clone with an Adam West speech pattern), Mark Strong, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and even Michael Rispoli (who doesn't know how human-sized microwave ovens work ๐ฒ๐คฃ), along with writer/director Matthew Vaughn's well-timed action sequences and choice needle drops, help elevate this ahead of "Mystery Men" while staying below "Scott Pilgrim's" high-wire act.
CAT PEOPLE (1982, AMAZON RENTAL)
ReplyDeleteI own "Cat People" on HD-DVD and it still works (many discs in my HD-DVD collection won't play anymore! ๐ฅบ๐ญ), but didn't have time to hook-up the player before it was time to start. The horror part of this in-name-only remake of Val Lewton's original B&W classic suffers from the need by everyone involved (writer/director Paul Schrader, Universal executives, a shirtless Malcolm McDowell, willing-to-be-nude Nastassja Kinski, etc.) to sex-up this joint with as much erot!c juice as the early 80's 'R' rating would allow. It's also clear Schrader was in over his head trying to make an erot!c thriller (a new-to-him genre) with the sexy starlet he was sleeping with, but the imperfect results (set in the visually interesting New Orleans location) yield interesting scenes that contrast with super-charged sexy ones.
Annette O'Toole (topless for a few glorious minutes toward the end! ๐๐), John Heard and Ed Begley Jr. contribute their acting talents to making this rather silly flick compensate for its not-up-to-par special effects (transformation puppet) with the sexy stuff many of us (myself included with this Amazon rental) paid good money to see. Recommended. ๐
I can remember catching part of Cat People on regular TV back in the 1980s. A lot must have been cut out, or scenes were shot that were more suitable for television to keep the running length.
DeleteIf you haven't seen the 'R' version of "Cat People," you haven't seen it at all. ๐๐
DeleteLast but not least this week, THE WEIGHT (GERMANY/CANADA/USA, '26, THEATER) is a German production set in Oregon during the Great Depression. Widowed mechanic Samuel Murphy (Ethan Hawke) loses his little girl to the state's welfare system when he's unjustly incarcerated. When he proves to have the wits to go with the brawn of prison labor, warden J.J. Clancy (Russell Crowe) recruits Samuel and his small cadre of prison buddies to help him secretly transport several pounds of gold across the Oregon forests before the FDR Administration confiscates it. Crowe only appears at the start and end of the narrative, leaving Hawke as the leader of a gang of prisoners and guards mighty tempted to steal the gold... which would kill any chance Murphy has to regain legal custody of his kid. Great mix of Munich/Bavaria locations and Oregon stock footage help sell the illusion of a Depression era, Pacific Western forest yellow fever adventure, especially when a stranger from the woods (Cameron Brady) starts stalking the group. Between the unusual alliances, unexpected car chases (in mid-30's vehicles) and likable characters played by a game supporting cast, "The Weight" punches slightly above its Cannes Competition pedigree weight. 'It's fine.' ๐๐ง
ReplyDeleteWatched PROJECT HAIL MARY (2026) with the Blu-ray commentary. Interesting how the spaceship set and the multiple animatronics were complicated, but once they were set up, the directors were able to pull back and let the actor and puppeteers interact on their own. So it’s like old-fashioned theater, despite the many technical aspects of it all.
ReplyDeleteCAT PEOPLE (1982)
Ohh… this is a weird one.
FINAL DESTINATOIN BLOODLINES (2025)
It’s so silly it’s this close to being a Scary Movie-type parody. Tony Todd’s final bow was nicely done, though.
THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987)
“My dulcet darling!”
METROPOLIS (1927)
I understand it’s meant to be a powerful metaphor about the haves vs. have-nots, but I can’t help but sit back and marvel at the “wow” factor of the sets and visuals.
VERTIGO (1958)
Hitchcock goodness!
PINK FLOYD: THE WALL (1982)
I gave it another try, but I still don’t know what to make of this one. But I do like the animated bits.
Since l don't like "Project Hail Mary" l feel every minute Phil/Lord spent making it contributes to the years-long delays between "Spider-Man: Spider-verse/Miles Morales" sequels, which to me is a cinematic crime of humanitarian proportions. ๐ก๐ค๐ฅบ
DeleteI'm not really a fan of PHM, so i'm with you JM
DeleteMac, to better understand The Wall, watch the beginning of this video. It's a review of a bad review of the film, but he starts by talking about the flick itself and explaining some bits
https://youtu.be/rokAtlFGa7Y?si=Wxz9_8R7hjQnMnyG
Thanks! Also, my sincerest apologies to everyone for misspelling DESTINATION.
DeleteNo problema, McDowell's. ๐๐
DeleteHad a great movie day yesterday.
ReplyDeleteStarted at home with Tony, which is yet another bit of evidence suggesting that smaller scope and focused narrative almost (almost!) always produce a better biopic than the sweeping, sprawling, pack-it-all-in approach. Matt Johnson is officially on my must-watch list at this point. Dominic Sessa is great again in his follow-up performance to The Holdovers. Sure, but can he ever do it outside New England (joke)?
Headed to the theater next for Resident Evil, which I loved. This makes back to back weekends seeing movies that now comprise my top two for 2026 (along with Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger last week). Resident Evil doesn't have the thematic ideas of Zach Cregger's other two movies, but for me, it was just as fun. Cregger has such a great feel for creating tension through cinematography, whether it's in the framing choices of still shots, subtle camera shifts, or dynamic tracking shots. In Barbarian and Weapons, his creation of suspense felt more like symphonies, separate movements connecting and building as parts of a whole. In Resident Evil, it feels more like a pop album. The tension is still there, just packaged into snappier three-minute tracks. And for me, that's not a criticism, just a difference. I loved Cregger's symphonies and I loved his new pop album. I'll admit I have a pretty minimal connection to the video games and I haven't seen any other RE movies, so I wasn't watching this movie through any of those lenses. It's a 90-minute splattery zombie horror comedy, and I thought it was a complete success on those terms.
The second leg of my theatrical excursion was a screening of Zodiac, which I was made aware of by reading one of JB's recent articles that mentioned some upcoming rep screenings at Regal theaters (which is the primary movie option where I live). Zodiac rules, most F-Heads already know this, but it was a blast to see it on the big screen (which I hadn't before).
'Dominic Sessa is great again in his follow-up performance to The Holdovers. Sure, but can he ever do it outside New England (joke)?' Dominic has actually starred in three other movies besides "Tony" since "The Holdovers" (what an impressive acting debut! ๐ค ). I've only seen one, last year's "Tow," in which he was fine. Have no interest in Anthony Bourdain's life, but if l see "Tony" it'll be solely because of Sessa being the lead. ๐ค
DeleteShow's how plugged in (not very) I've been to Sessa's exploits! Let's revise that to "follow-up performance [that my ignorant ass is aware of]"! :P
DeleteI'm pretty neutral/ignorant on Bourdain. I haven't read his book or watched his show, and was really only vaguely aware of him as a pop culture figure. The movie really stands on its own, takes place over the course of one summer, and could just as easily be a fictional story about a guy named "Dave" as it is a Bourdain "biopic". There's a Bourdain wink-and-nod to open and close the movie, but other than that, it doesn't even feel like a movie about a known celebrity... which is, I think, part of what makes it successful.
I'll have to check out Dominic Sessa's OTHER follow-ups to The Holdovers sometime!
I watched Anthony Bourdain's first big show "No Reservations" as soon as it began in 2005 and intermittently followed his shows until his death. (The time has gone by on all accounts!) My own impression of Bourdain is that he had a curiosity that led him to read a lot and have ambitions beyond the kitchen. His quick and sharp narrative style was his trademark as a writer and TV host.
DeleteJust watched Tony. It's fine, I guess. Love Banderas as the mentor. Not sure I cared for Sessa.
DeleteI watched Star Wars. I haven't seen it in probably 20 years. Since then I've seen a ton of Peter Cushing and Alec Guinness movies. It hit differently this time. Movies are cool!
ReplyDeleteWhat was different about Star Wars for you this viewing, Matt?
DeleteI remember watching part of Star Wars a few years ago and really noticing how much it feels like a 1970s movie. The film can seem clunky at times, but it created a cinematic world that continues to live on.
With the 50th anniversary of Star Wars coming up next year, I wonder if Disney will finally put out the original versions of the films.
It was the performances of those two legendary actors after being able to view them with better context at that point in their careers. They bring so much gravitas and are really going for it in what as you stated can otherwise feel like a goofy 70s film at times.
DeleteCasual, for the past couple of years Disney has been restoring the original "SW: A New Hope" print (before 'Episode IV' was added for the re-releases) for next year's 50th anniversary. It's not only coming to IMAX next year, but IMAX 70mm in select theaters. You can even start reserving tickets for it: https://www.engadget.com/2253591/the-first-and-latest-star-wars-films-are-coming-to-imax-70mm-in-2027/ ๐
DeleteI guess one good thing about Disney acquiring Star Wars is that they are willing to put out the original versions. George Lucas would be never be allowing that if he still had control of the franchise.
DeleteAnother factor in the success of Star Wars is the fantastic John Williams score. It really is a character in its own right in the films. I was listening to some of the score last night. The Imperial March is still my favorite piece, but the main theme is very close to it.
For me, a very underrated performance in the franchise is Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca. He is so expressive in that costume. He was over seven feet tall in real life.
Casual, as far as "Empire" ('80) and "Jedi" ('83), Disney PR has only hinted at possible remasters/re-releases depending in how the "New Hope" theatrical re-release next February performs. Since these remasters take years to make, chances are they will be tied to the 50th anniversaries of each movie in their respective years (2030 and 2033, respectively). Who wants to live forever? ๐๐
DeleteSince the summer is concluding, I was in the mood for films with a summer vibe this week.
ReplyDeleteCRY-BABY (1990, dir. John Waters) at the Mahoning Drive-In – This is exactly how I would envision a 1950s rock’n’roll juvenile delinquency musical from John Waters to be. There are so many stereotypes turned up to 11 here. Johnny Depp is the titular Cry-Baby, a high school delinquent with a heart of gold. When one of the “good” girls in school falls for him, trouble is bound to happen. The film is full of tongue-in-cheek humor, and the original songs are fun and match the tone. Definitely a good time at the drive-in.
HARDBODIES (1984, dir. Mark Griffiths) - Welcome to the beach, old dudes! Though a classic of 1980s s-e-x comedy, there is so much that has aged poorly in Hardbodies. The energy and 80s-ness of the whole thing, though, does still make it an entertaining watch.
ENTER THE CLONES OF BRUCE LEE (2023, dir. David Gregory) – The Bruceploitation genre is undoubtedly one of the strangest exploitation trends ever, but it makes perfect sense. Since Bruce Lee had become a huge star even beyond Hong Kong, there was money to be made by trying to pass off films featuring martial artists who “looked” like him as real Bruce Lee movies. Hearing the actual actors talk about being branded as imitators was interesting. The absurdity of many of the films elicited many chuckles from me. Another source of humor was the lengths distributors in the West would go to to make the films appear to be to Bruce Lee related.
SUMMER CAMP (1979, dir. Chuck Vincent) – I tend to enjoy 1970s trash, and Summer Camp did not disappoint on trashiness. The plot of saving a summer camp from financial ruin quickly gets lost in the hijinks of young people (most actors looking a little too old for their roles) engaging in various shenanigans. Those of the s-e-x-u-a-l variety are the most common, not surprising coming from a director known for his a-d-u-l-t work. The t’n’a flows throughout the film. One of the cast is a babyface Linnea Quigley in one of her first screen credits. Tubi offers so much junk like this.
SQUEEZE PLAY (1979, dirs. Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz) – Another Troma film and one that is not bad. The men’s softball team at a mattress factory (some free advertising for Serta) in New Jersey pisses off their girlfriends with bad behavior, so the ladies decide to form their own softball team to compete with them. It is part sports comedy, part s-e-x comedy, and part community project. A big part of the charm of the film is the scrappy production values and overall positive energy from the cast. Squeeze Play is silly and goofy in a harmless way, particularly for Troma.
Going through Tubi can be an interesting experience. There is plenty of crap on there, but some of it is worse than others. I found one film called Bikini Beach Race (early 1990s) that I briefly watched. It was beyond awful and extremely annoying. Summer Camp is not good, but I was at least entertained by it.
DeleteThe only problem watching Tubi, Pluto or any ad-supported streamer right now is that, because of the mid-term elections in November, every commercial break's flooded with local political ads. Nothing kills the movie immersion mood like an intrusive ad break, but several breaks repeating the same political ads? ๐คข๐คฎ
DeleteThe House of Representative race in my area is dominating the ads, even on Youtube.
DeleteAnd the president is featured prominently in most political ads (even for local races), with candidates running against/for him while tying the opponent to national politics. ๐คจ๐ It's why l try to not stream scary movies during October's SMM. Makes something already scary even more frightening. ๐ฅถ๐
DeleteXfiles I Want To Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn (2026 Hulu)
ReplyDeleteDidnt even know this was a coming out, nor that its a directors cut of the 2008 xfiles movie (which i dont recall seeing). Sort of a mixed bag horror episode of Xfiles. Everything is so dour. Every line delivery feels like it should be accompanied by a depressing sigh. That being said it does mix supernatural, faith, horror, and even some solid gore into the story well...especially in the 3rd act. It absolutely wastes an original cast memeber. I dont know, i suppose as an Xfiles fan id say its ok but not great.
Obsession (2026 bluray)
I liked this one but didnt love it. I think i was expecting it to be much more than its premise. That being said, Inde Navarette is outstanding. Also im so glad that its connecting with so many people across age groups and maybe bringing more to the horror fold.
(PS: Patrick...love the thumbnail! I was very late to the WKYK group but man o man they have some funny sh@t. The Cregger transition to incredible horror director ranks up there with other crazy jumps like James Gunn and Peter Jackson)
DeleteForgot X-Files was coming out. A friend told me it's hidden in the bonus section of the movie, or something like that. Maybe I'll watch it someday.
DeleteRIP Gerrit Graham! I connected with him as an actor and his humor very young and was always pleasantly surprised when he'd show up in a movie. My earliest memory is the flick Naked Space (aka The Creature Wasnt Nice) which feels like it was made for $24.22. My strongest memory is his performance in Used Cars. Within that movie is a car lot commercial with him playing a cowboy car salesman...it was one of my hardest laugh memories from childhood moviegoing. Finally it took me a long long time to discover Phantom of the Paradise (likely thanks to the F This crew!) but wow...what a performance. He will be missed.
ReplyDeleteI also remember Gerrit Graham from "Used Cars," especially the 'dead dog' gag and him doing a stunt at the end with the 'miles of cars' that blew me away for an actor putting himself in danger. And who can forget him as Dr. Pankow in the early seasons of "Parker Leis Can't Lose." ๐๐ R.I.P. ๐
DeleteLEWIS! Fox's "Parker Lewis Can't Lose." ๐๐ซฃ
Delete