35. Influencer (2023) dir. Kurtis David Harder (NEW)
Bite-Sized Review: Naud is a singular force here, elevating a good idea to something really worth watching.
****
36. Satanic Hispanic (2023) dir. Mike Mendez, Demián Rugna, Eduardo Sánchez, Gigi Saul Guerrero, & Alejandro Brugués (NEW)
Bite-Sized Review: Wasn't sure what to expect here, but I had a good time with each of the tales. Even when the humor didn't land, I got it.
***3/4
37. Exhuma (2024) dir. Jane Jae-Hyun (NEW)
Bite-Sized Review: This movie is too long. At least 15 mins. But there is so much to like here, I don't really care. Moody, fun, and a bit of a history lesson. Oh, Oldboy is now in fact an old boy!
****
38. In a Violent Nature (2024) dir. Chris Nash (NEW)
Bite-Sized Review: I have no idea how this will play on a rewatch, but I really dug it this first time around. Following the undead killer while listening to the usual content of a slasher in the background was really inspired. Plus some really gnarly kills.
****
I'm playing a single female protagonist with my friend who obviously has an unrequited crush on me and we're waiting for our friend at our Airbnb. So yeah.
So this isn't a good movie, but I still found it way more entertaining than sitting through The Crow. After those first 20 minutes it pretty much turns into a dark comedy and I was eating it up lol. Kathryn Turner is so great in this and honestly gives Glenn Close a run for her money as far as one of my favorite, fun, over the top performances of the year although I definitely prefer this over The Deliverance as well.
The bad reviews/reactions don't surprise me considering I never found it scary in the least and its a bit misleading calling this a horror film IMO, but nonetheless I don't regret seeing it.
6/10
A really solid, well-made thriller that I honestly think I prefer over the original. Now, I enjoyed the original, but I was not a fan of that ending at all and I'm glad they took a different approach with that here. The third act of this was super satisfying and damn is McAvoy a beast. I never thought of it before but in another reality if he wasn't already casted as Xavier I could definitely see him pulling off Logan/Wolverine.
His intensity and physicality is just something else.
So this isn't a good movie, but I still found it way more entertaining than sitting through The Crow. After those first 20 minutes it pretty much turns into a dark comedy and I was eating it up lol. Kathryn Turner is so great in this and honestly gives Glenn Close a run for her money as far as one of my favorite, fun, over the top performances of the year although I definitely prefer this over The Deliverance as well.
The bad reviews/reactions don't surprise me considering I never found it scary in the least and its a bit misleading calling this a horror film IMO, but nonetheless I don't regret seeing it.
A really solid, well-made thriller that I honestly think I prefer over the original. Now, I enjoyed the original, but I was not a fan of that ending at all and I'm glad they took a different approach with that here. The third act of this was super satisfying and damn is McAvoy a beast. I never thought of it before but in another reality if he wasn't already casted as Xavier I could definitely see him pulling off Logan/Wolverine.
His intensity and physicality is just something else.
Bite-Sized Review: Yes, that is a gif of the only actually Crow movie to exist. The other... thing? Just a bad dream.
1/4*
40. Girl of the Third Floor (2019) dir. (NEW)
Bite-Sized Review: This would be serviceable if not for the direction. A lot of weird decisions to try and make the movie feel interesting, that instead turn into distractions. Including for the actors themselves.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Tobe Hooper’s horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Dark Sky Films is celebrating with a massive new physical media set. Now available for pre-order, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre: 50th Anniversary Chainsaw Edition includes the 4K UHD edition of...
Night 0: MaXXXine
Night 1: Black Sabbath
Night 2: The Neon Demon
Night 3: Beetlejuice
Night 4: Dracula (1979)
Night 5: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Night 6: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Night 7: Predator
Night 8A: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
Night 8B: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Night 9: Orphan
Night 10: Speak No Evil (2022)
Night 11: Project Wolf Hunting
Night 12: Noita palaa elämään
Night 13: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
Night 14: The Strangers (2008)
Night 15: Speak No Evil (2024)
Night 16A: Hellraiser: Deader (2005)
Night 16B: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Probably one of my least favorite Friday the 13th installments so far. Jason's zombie look is incredible, though. The New Blood suffers tremendously from censorship, and apparently most footage of the kills remains on the cutting room floor. Fans have been clamoring for an unrated cut for decades, and I have to join the ranks on that.
I was supposed to watch the recent sequel, but since I had seen the original The Strangers only once over a decade ago, I figured a rewatch might be in order. It's pretty good! The story and the characters are a little lacking, but the film is oozing with atmosphere, and the killer trio is iconic. The cinematography is really nice too. I just can't help but feel that there's some untapped potential here.
Speak No Evil is a remake of a very recent horror film that I like, so comparisons are inevitable. Luckily, it's a good movie in its own right. The filmmaking is excellent (it's a lot more cinematic than the original), and the cast is top-notch, especially the reliably brilliant James McAvoy. As an adaptation of the 2022 film, I have a few issues. There's two ways to look at what they've done here.
First, the optimistic take. It's a localized adaptation with all the changes that come with the concept. The characters would act differently, and they would react unexpectedly in these heightened scenarios because they're from a different culture than the cast of characters from the original film. With this approach, we can also acknowledge that a brand-new third act is a refreshing choice and a surprise element for fans of the original. It's good to switch things up.
Now, let's look at it with some cynicism. The changes they've made seem to largely exist to please American, mainstream audiences. Many scenes from the original are repeated, but there's small additions that add context. This is good, as the film isn't so much a black comedy of manners and cultural differences anymore, but a more straightforward thriller about two very different families. Then again, those little additions work almost as a checklist of fixes for all the gripes from people who disliked the original. The ending, the largest departure, reeks of studio interference. It's odd to take something unusually cruel (but thematically rich) and turn it into a deeply familiar, cookie-cutter conclusion.
All in all, this is a film that I enjoy quite a bit, but I'm having a hard time finding much respect for. Perhaps the most interesting take would've been just simply making a sequel. In fact, this could've very easily been a sequel, and an extraordinarily satisfying one at that. Still, it's a fun movie as it is (an adjective never used about the 2022 Speak No Evil) and would make for a really weird, intriguing double feature with the original.
The Hellraiser franchise might take me to an early grave. This **** is excruciatingly bad. These films used to be about pain and pleasure! I'm feeling the pain, but somebody forgot the pleasure.
Multiverse of Madness worked better for me the second time around! It's still a messy film with occasionally dodgy visuals and an even dodgier screenplay, but every time Sam Raimi's personality shines through, it's a cool movie. The horror elements are very exciting, and Wanda is a fantastic antagonist, even if the conclusion isn't a particularly satisfying turn of events for fans of the superior WandaVision.
I do wonder what happened with the wigs in this film. There's several cheap-looking numbers on several characters, but nothing compares to the hair hat Steven wears at an early wedding scene.
Sometimes I think about all the lost opportunities with this film. What it could've been before the extensive reshoots or Scott Derrickson's even more horror-oriented original pitch long before shooting. It's not bad though, and it was nice to finally watch it without being puked on mid-showing.
Quite the list there @Link . The changes I've head about with Speak No Evil really do feel there to appease us stateside. And they feel like they'd really hurt the narrative punch.
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