John’s Horror Corner: Hereditary (2018), an emotionally heavy family therapy session and séance gone wrong.
MY CALL: Emotionally challenging and strikingly acted, this film is really different in all the ways I like. However, its ending wanders perhaps too far into the deep end for some viewers’ taste. MOVIES LIKE Hereditary: Other slow-burn films about suppressed guilt and the family dynamics they affect include The Uninvited (2009), The Babadook (2014), Goodnight Mommy (2014) and The Witch (2016). I’m also reminded of The Skeleton Key (2005) for its connections to conjurations.
Loss, grief and guilt… we all have our own way of dealing with them; expressing them… and how we do so may differ from one loss to another. Hereditary examines Annie’s (Toni Collette; Krampus, Fright Night) family after the loss of her mother—grandmother to her teenage son Peter (Alex Wolff; My Friend Dahmer) and eccentric daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro). As Annie questions her own grief—or, lack thereof—her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne; Gothic, End of Days, Ghost Ship, The Keep) responsibly assumes the role of emotional caretaker, offering support and parental/husbandly surveillance over the household’s feelings. Most curious (or eerie) is young Charlie, who fears no one will care for her now.
Emotionally disconnected, Charlie is a strange girl—perhaps even troubled. While everyone else tries to fall back into something more normal, Charlie is… looking for something else. It all begins weird, and then it gets way weirder.
Despite its lengthy over-two-hour running time, it wastes no time leading the audience into unease with revelations of the deceased matriarch’s secrets, their family history of serious mental illness, messages from beyond, and glimmers of hallucinations (or even spirits?). We find visions of the deceased, birds kamikazeing into windows, and grave desecration. There is disturbing imagery in the form of severed heads swarming with ants, mismatched reflections, being burned alive and a troubling séance. But that’s nothing compared to the traumatizingly surreal—or maybe way too real—suffering the family endures in response to each other’s hysterical manifestations.
Writer and director Ari Aster (upcoming Midsommar) fearlessly breaks into his first feature film. In collaboration with a powerful cast, this emotionally heavy movie finds an uncomfortably tangible sense of grief, blame, rage, melancholy, all manner of contempt; just normal mania pushed to the abnormal limits of our sanity. It’s rare I feel so uncomfortable and impressed at the same time.
The pacing yo-yos from quiet and emotionally dismal lulls to normalcy until the middle, when things shift into erratic gear. Despite being well-lit and quite colorful, an outdoors scene momentarily smacks of The Witch (2016). It’s that slow-burn, dread-cultivating, mysterious mysticism. Another scene creepily samples from the Exorcist franchise. And with these honorable samplings of the past, the flavor presented is really all its own.
This film gets so weird (and perhaps convoluted to its own detriment) that it sort of flies off the hinges. It does so to such degree that it may turn people off. Think along the lines of the unexpected turns in The Ritual (2017) or The Shrine (2010). To some, this makes it its own unique entity in the genre. To others, it makes it “uneven.” I’m more the former, but can easily recognize sentiments of the latter as well. In either case, I thought this movie was wowingly impactful.
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: Spider Labyrinth (1988; aka, Il nido del ragno), an Italian B-movie about a cult and their demonic spider god.
MY CALL: It’s not the worst Italian B-movie I’ve seen (not by a long shot), and it was worth it just for the zany monster at the end! MOVIES LIKE Spider Labyrinth: For more “enjoyable” B-movie Italian horror, try Alien 2: On Earth (1980), Evil Clutch (1988), The Church (1989) and Shocking Dark (1989). And for more evil monster baby B-movies that are hardly worth watching except for the creature finale, go for Night Feeder (1988) or The Unborn (1991).
Professor (of Oriental languages) Alan Whitmore is summoned to go to Budapest to investigate the disappearance of Professor Roth and his Intextus project. In Hungary Alan finds notes about a labyrinth, a group called the weavers, and discovers the existence of “living Gods” being worshipped by a sect.
At this point I feel it’s only fair to offer a DISCLAIMER: 1) There basically is no “Labyrinth,” but instead some catacombs. 2) Almost all of the spiders in this movie suck… except one very special one at the end.
The plot is tossed haphazardly in our lap, characters seem to randomly disappear mid-scene without explanation, windows magically fix themselves, Roth ends up hanged and festooned in cobwebs, and Alan is bombarded by dire warnings that he should return home.
I’m sure it will come as no surprise that basically nothing interesting happens in the first hour. Yes, some people die. But they are lackluster death scenes by some random (perhaps mutant) cultist and the special effects… well… aren’t so special. We have some unnecessary stop-motion spider work, some weak stab wounds and a sharp-toothed crazy cultist lady.
But after the 60-minute mark (i.e., the last 20 minutes) things get interesting! The catacombs sets are decent (maybe the most ambitious aspect of the film), complete with corpses, cars and cobwebs. We enjoy a spit loogie-noose strangulation (yup, you read that right), an enthusiastic sex scene, yet more action/fight scenes with the crazy-toothed cultist lady, and then there’s the living god. Oh, this is a pleasure! A green-skinned evil demon baby gorily transforms, sprouting a long prehensile neck and spider legs from its side to create a stop-motion/puppeteered monstrosity! This was really cool and more than worth the price of admission!
I’m not surprised I could only find an old gritty version of this film. But it’s too bad since that final effects scene was just glorious (in that bad 80s vein). Honestly, as a big fan of B-movies, this was more enjoyable than I expected.
Share this post:
The MFF Podcast #148: Live Free or Die Hard
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The #1 ranked podcast on Ranker’s “Best Movie Podcast” list is back! This week we’re talking about the underappreciated Live Free or Die Hard. It is an analog action film in a digital age and we love how Bruce Willis seems to be genuinely enjoying himself throughout the mayhem. Director Len Wiseman does a fine job capturing the “Die Hard” magic and he loads up the movie with inventive action scenes featuring fire hydrants used as weapons, elevator fistfights, and a car taking out a helicopter (it’s awesome!). If you are a fan of the Die Hard franchise or action films you will love this podcast.
As always, we answer random questions and ponder how much it would cost to make a fake bomb filled with whiskey. If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the pod!
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Share this post:
The MFF Podcast #147: Tomb Raider and A Simple Favor
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The #1 ranked podcast on Ranker’s “Best Movie Podcast” list is back! This week we’re talking about Tomb Raider (2018) and A Simple Favor. We’re big fans of these movies, so we did a ton of research, calculated the time it would take to restock a closet, and made sure to mention multiple times that Daniel Wu and Walton Goggins are in Tomb Raider. What we love about Tomb Raider is how it tells a fun adventure story and allows Alicia Vikander to be awesome. It is unpretentious, streamlined and much different than Angelina Jolie’s take of Lara Croft. What we love about Paul Feig’s A Simple Favor is how it combines humor with tension, great clothes and well-timed pizza references. You should check out these movies, then come back and listen to this podcast.
They need a sequel!
As always, we answer random questions and ponder how long it took to build the tomb in Tomb Raider. If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the pod!
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: Cold Skin (2017), elegantly mixing Dagon (2001) with The Descent (2005) in this gorgeous film!
MY CALL: Come for the fish people, stay for the visual depth. I expected to love this, and I did, but not for the reasons I anticipated. MORE MOVIES LIKE Cold Skin: Rather than suggesting Lovecraftian film adaptations, I’d go for visually spectacular films like The Pirates of the Caribbean (2003; and sequels), The Shallows (2016), A Cure for Wellness (2016) and The Babysitter (2017).
In 1914, a man (David Oakes) travels to a remote island near the Arctic Circle for a one-year weather duty and finds himself battling pseudo-Lovecraftian humanoid sea creatures with the lighthouse caretaker Gruner (Ray Stevenson; Black Sails, The Book of Eli). The film elegantly mixes Dagon (2001) with The Descent (2005), but is less monstrous than either and is based on a book by Albert Sánchez Piñol.
The opening scenes feature stark green-screening and weak CGI sea life—which is highly deceptive of the true quality to come (just get past the first few minutes of the film). But fear not! My worries swiftly flecked away when we were greeted by the gorgeous shots of the island with its craggy marine scapes and even the watchtower interior. All the shots are just gorgeous—down to every wave’s crash or seaside plant! Few films are so scintillating (e.g., The Shallows, A Cure for Wellness).
The special effects on our fish people felt minimal… in the sense that the film wasn’t trying to wow us with them. They looked good—quite good up close. But they are simply a race of ichthyoid people in large numbers attacking a lighthouse en masse trying to kill or eat its human inhabitants. They aren’t showcased as in a “monster movie.”
The gore is non-existent; the blood is minimal. And, you know what, I was surprisingly fine with that. Likewise, the action is fine, even exciting at times, but it’s not the soul of this film. This is more about Friend and Gruner, their lonely island, and the evolution of their relationship as they thwart their marine-evolved foes. Like two final survivors in a zombie apocalypse, they come to despise yet depend on one another. Just one problem: one of them has sympathy for their opposing species and desires a life outside of exterminating their foe. Our actors breathe life into their polarized characters. Ray Stevenson’s brash and shameless candor when it comes to nudity is tempered by Oakes’ patient and prosaic narrations.
Best known for his gruesome approach to horror, director Xavier Gens (Frontiers, The ABCs of Death “X is for XXL”) marries the deep ones of H. P. Lovecraft’s Dagon (2001) with enamoring photography and a sieging horde. Gens really shocked me here, but with beauty over brutality. The ending brings close to a cycle of sorts; a resolution, but not quite catharsis.
If you’ve read this far, you should really just go see this. Even if you don’t care for the story I’d dare anyone to contest the visual splendor of the film and the depth of the actors’ performances.
Share this post:
The MFF Podcast #146: Universal Soldier
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The #1 ranked podcast on Ranker’s “Best Movie Podcast” list is back! This week we’re talking about the 1992 somewhat classic Universal Soldier. It is a dorky little movie that features reanimated super soldiers played by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren battling each other in Vietnam, Utah and Louisiana. What we love most about Universal Soldier is how it plays like an action film that met a horror film and threw in a lot of spin kicks. The best part about this movie is Dolph Lundgren, the dude steals the show with his amazing line delivery, beautiful monologues and cheeky grenade throwing. Also, we go in-depth into violence towards innocent diner patrons and a scientists fascination with ice.
We love that Dolph says “I’m all ears” during Universal Soldier.
As always, we answer random questions and ponder if militarized velociraptors are better than Frankensteined dead soldiers. If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the pod!
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Here are the fake movies we made up for Dolph Lundgren. Which movie would you like to see him in?
Share this post:
John’s Horror Corner: The Endless (2017), a science fiction “cult movie” with more ideas than follow-through and not enough Cthulhu.
MY CALL: Having absolutely loved Spring (2014), I was stoked to see anything by Moorhead and Benson. This film opens with much promise and introduces cool ideas that felt largely unexplored—leaving me largely disappointed. Also, to be fair, this is much more a mystery/Sci-Fi movie than horror, despite some indications of a powerful (perhaps evil and perhaps monstrous) force. MOVIES LIKE The Endless: Spring (2014; podcast discussion) was a wonderful horror-romance from the same filmmakers. For more cult movies I’d suggest Faults (2014), The Leftovers (2014-2017), The Sound of My Voice (2011), The Sacrament (2014) and The House of the Devil (2009).
“Mankind’s fear of the unknown is easily our greatest fear.”
With a subtle flair for contemporizing the concepts of H. P. Lovecraft, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (co-directors of Spring and the “Bonestorm” segment of V/H/S: Viral) team up once again and co-star as brothers, bringing credible sibling idiosyncrasies ranging from protectiveness to quibbling banter. This films lacks the warm elegance and tactful simplicity of Spring (2014), but that may be a consequence of its pursuit to capture broader and more complicated science-fiction concepts. However I view it, I feel they bit off more than they could chew, leaving both the storytelling and character development in its wake.
Deprogrammed “UFO death cult” survivors Aaron (Moorhead) and Justin (Benson) struggle on a daily basis to find normalcy, not just in terms of finding friends and steady work, but even in how they relate to one another. Justin misses the comforts of the “commune” and wants to return (to visit his old cult friends), remembering the positive aspects of it all; whereas Aaron recalls darker components of their former community. As if the ice they skated wasn’t thin enough already, they receive a sort of “goodbye, World” video from the cult members which stokes their curiosity… and so they return… just to visit.
Their return brings welcome smiles and warm embraces. It’s unassumingly pleasant, like an adult summer camp where everyone plays games, gets along, drinks homebrew ales made from their own organic farm… everyone seems pleasant and happy and warm-hearted. Among the cultists are Anna (Callie Hernandez; Alien: Covenant), Hal (Tate Ellington; Sinister 2), Shane (Shane Brady; Spring, V/H/S: Viral), Tim (Lew Temple; The Walking Dead, House, Halloween), Jennifer (Emily Montague; Fright Night), Michael (Peter Cilella; Contracted: Phase II), and many others.
Time spent at the commune arouses curious revelations. How did Shane do that magic trick that seemed far too real for any stage illusionist to pull off? What are they hiding in the padlocked shed? What is it everyone is waiting for? What’s with the double moon illusion in the night sky? And why the Hell does no one seem to have any knowledge of the “goodbye, World” video they sent them? Yet still Aaron and Justin stay a day, and then another, and another… as if their desire to learn more surpassed their reasons for escaping in the first place. But as their stay lengthens, so does their understanding of the truths they weren’t yet ready to see before.
This film started out strong and but seemed to lose steam with each (of numerous) attempt to explain its stacked-up mysteries and with each new character lecturing the meanings of things. I feel like this film just tried to do too many things too many different ways through the dialogue of too many characters such that synthesis was sacrificed in the choppiness. The storytelling and acting started out great, but ended up feeling like a SyFy original series. I feel they needed to go the more obscure route of Primer (2004) or Predestination (2014) for this to work—i.e., fewer characters, fewer spoken explanations, and just enough clues to infer what (may have) happened over a few beers after viewing the film.
It’s hard to recommend this one unless you’re already a fan of Moorhead and Benson. I loved the first part, liked the middle part, and really just spent the third act waiting for it to end. For me, the value in this journey is more about the dynamic between the two brothers—even though that sort of fell apart. Just too many characters and too much “talking” about it all. I expected head-scratching cosmic revelations that would make me stream Neil deGrasse Tyson discussions. Instead, I got “meh.”
Share this post:
Mandy: A Thrilling Experience That Features a Great Performance From Nicolas Cage
Quick Thoughts – Grade A – Mandy is a beautiful experience.
Mandy is so much more than a “Nic Cage freaking out” movie, and I’m certain it will become a cult classic that is celebrated at midnight screenings full of loving fans who celebrate every blood splurt that sprays in Nic Cage’s face. It can best be described as a thrilling experience that bombards your senses with bright colors, loud noises and ultra-violence, that will either make you cheer or cringe. Director Panos Cosmatos has created a movie that feels familiar with its Mad Max, giallo and Clive Barker/Nicolas Winding Refn vibes, and totally alien with its fever dream cinematography, heavy metal score and dedication to anarchy. I love how Cosmatos found a way to combine the grindhouse aesthetic (lots of blood and heightened performances) with an unconventional arthouse style that will alienate the masses and gain a very loyal audience who embrace how niche Mandy is.
At its core Mandy tells a simple story of love, revenge and horrible violence. The central characters Red Miller (Nic Cage) and Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough) live contentedly in the deeps woods of California’s Shadow Mountains, and seem totally happy about their alienation. The two have a gentle relationship that revolves around outdoor activities, reading, and talking about their favorite planets (Jupiter and Galactus). All is good until Mandy is spotted by a cult leader named Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roach), who is equal parts flower child and homicidal maniac. Jeremiah orders his followers to kidnap Mandy, to do this they call forth some motorcycle riding maniacs who look like they just came from a Hellraiser/Mad Max crossover film. The kidnapping plays out with incredible brutality and leaves Red a bloody and broken mess who will make Liam Neeson’s mission in Taken look like a calm afternoon. The revenge mission he embarks on turns absurdity to 11, and involves custom battle axes, vodka, decapitations, anime sequences and a chainsaw fight.
The thing I appreciate most about Mandy is how it doesn’t use Cage’s penchant for “freaking out” crudely. When Cage does have his uncut two-minute long bout of yelling, it is earned, and I’m pretty sure most of us would react in a similar manner after we’ve seen our loved one being hurt by a hippy cult who were aided by seemingly supernatural murderers. The Cage “freak out” is a real thing, but in movies like Mom and Dad, the bouts of yelling seem obligatory and exploitative. After the patented freak out (which is amazing), Cage does an excellent job of portraying a bulked up badass who can jump from the second story windows and not break his legs in seven places (It happens and it’s awesome).
If you are looking for a trippy experience that features bonkers cinematography, lots of blood, and cult leaders who monologue, you will love Mandy.
.
.
Share this post:
The MFF Podcast #145: Resident Evil: Retribution
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The #1 ranked podcast on Ranker’s “Best Movie Podcast” list is back! This week we are talking about Resident Evil: Retribution, the fifth entry in the Resident Evil series and quite possibly the best. Director Paul W.S. Anderson was finally given a decent budget of $65 million and he does a great job of showing every cent of it onscreen. Which means the CGI is better, the sets are legit, and there is more of everything (two Executioners!!!) for Alice and her cohorts to kill.
If you haven’t listened to our other Resident Evil podcasts, make sure to check them out before/after you listen to this podcast. Why? You will never look at the series the same again, and you might enjoy our positive take on Paul W.S. Anderson’s vision, Milla Jovovich kicking butt, and the overall coherence of the story line.
The hallway fight is badass.
As always, we answer random questions and ponder which of Milla Jovovich’s Resident Evil outfits are the best. If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the pod!
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Share this post:
The MFF Podcast #144: The Best Romantic Comedies of 2018 (so far)
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The #1 ranked podcast on Ranker’s “Best Movie Podcast” list is back! This week we’re talking about the fantastic 2018 romantic comedies Crazy Rich Asians, Set it Up, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! 2018 has been loaded with great romantic comedies and we couldn’t wait to talk about the genre revitalizing movies like Set it Up that may or may not feature the greatest scene involving pizza ever. I love these four films, so I did a ton of research and brought my A+ romantic comedy podcast game to make sure these movies get the respect they deserve.
.
As always, we answer random questions and ponder which cinematic pizza scene is the best. If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the pod!
You can download the pod on Itunes, Stitcher, Podbean, or LISTEN TO THE POD ON BLOG TALK RADIO.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Movies, Films & Flix 