The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 524: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Edgar Wright and Garbage Trucks
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Mark and Niall (@elniallo on X) discuss the 2010 action comedy Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Directed by Edgar Wright, and starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Brie Larson and about 3,000 other cool actors, the movie focuses on what happens when a slacker learns something. In this episode, they also talk about movie soundtracks, gold coins, and Toronto. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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John’s Horror Corner: Subspecies V: Bloodrise (2023), the franchise prequel I never wanted.
MY CALL: I really loved the Subspecies franchise. Yet this sequel just left a bad taste in my mouth. The budget limitations are woefully apparent, and the movie forces this bad budget upon viewers with poor judgment. It hurt me writing this review. MORE MOVIES LIKE Subspecies V: Hopefully you saw Subspecies (1991), Subspecies II (1993), and perhaps Subspecies III: Bloodlust (1994; aka, Awakening). You could probably skip Subspecies 4: Bloodstorm (1998) altogether.
The child of a demoness and a vampire stolen by the church’s knights at birth, Radu (Anders Hove; Subspecies I-IV, Critters 4) has lived his life a crusader charged with dispatching the world of evils that may threaten the church. His missions deliver him, now an aged holy knight, to the castle of his infernal parents where he rescues Helena (Denice Duff; Subspecies II-IV, Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation) and her cursed halfbreed son. Amid his efforts to save Helena, Radu gives in to her fiendish temptations and finds himself a vampire. Now tormented with eternity, he learns to use the shadows and sorcery to his benefit.
The budget limitations of this prequel are woefully apparent. 1) Swordplay choreography is limited to one-take techniques combined into a choppy fight scene of quick cuts. But Anders Hove is getting old and no stuntman was used—so I say bravo for the effort. 2) The demoness mother’s mystical teleportation lacks any grace as she just blips in and out of sight. Truly, that’s just plain annoying. 3) The vampire Vladislav’s makeup leaves much to be desired. 4) The shadow-walking effects are very rough—not as good as in earlier movies. Really, if you’re going to do the exact same gag/effect as a previous franchise installment, it needs to be of at least comparable quality. Otherwise, just don’t do it! You’re “asking” the franchise fans to be disappointed. Feels like a rookie mistake.
As a huge fan of the franchise, I wanted to forgive these limitations and choose to celebrate that this movie was able to happen. But alas, the shortcomings are just too numerous, and too blaring. I kinda’ wish this movie never happened at all.
Moreover, the hunting (vampire prey) is totally phoned-in, the vampire attacks and bite scenes are also quite weak, the blood baptisms are sloppy and lack any impact or gravity, and the “training” of Radu’s servant vampires felt like empty peer pressure with added blood. This felt so empty. There was even a bloodless multi-stab vampire slaying. What gives? Why even make this movie?
Eventually Radu is reunited with his creator Helena and we suffer some lame “Queen of the Vampires” spiel as she tries to powerplay Radu and his offspring. Power struggles and vengeance ensue, but nothing satisfying comes of it beyond a momentary twisted neck gag which is not really shown to us enough on screen (i.e., the “twisting” is more implied than shown, we just get the hokey result).
I really loved the Subspecies franchise and director Ted Nicolaou (Subspecies I-IV, Terror Vision, Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys, Vampire Journals). Yet this sequel just left a bad taste in my mouth. It hurt me writing this review.
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John’s Horror Corner: Kids vs Aliens (2022), a fesity indie Sci-Horror-Comedy featuring delightfully likeable kid protagonists.
MY CALL: Not a broad recommendation, but I enjoyed it for what it was and appreciated its efforts to hit above its weight class. This fun and feisty movie is best recommended more for younger viewers newer to the genre, but who still want to see some really gross shenanigans. MORE MOVIES LIKE Kids vs Aliens: For more slimy, bloody and feisty Sci-Horror, consider Extraterrestrial (2014), Psycho Goreman (2020), Snatchers (2019) and Grabbers (2012).
Director Jason Eisener (The ABCs of Death, V/H/S 2) has proven in the past that he knows how to please his gorehound fans. Obviously cheap, decidedly silly, yet still also thoughtfully executed and ambitious for its budget, KvA hits above its weight class… sometimes. Yeah, the script is choppy and erratic. But we didn’t choose to watch KvA for the story development, did we? Rather we chose this movie hoping for something zany. And zany it most certainly is.
Our cast of protagonist preteens are aspiring filmmakers working on their own Sci-Action-Schlock flick riding Power Wheels, wearing dinosaur masks and foam-spiked football pads, wrestling (in-costume and in a barn wrestling ring!) and firing Nerf guns. Don’t knock it. When I was 12, this would have been the best day ever! Gary (Dominic Mariche; Are You Afraid of the Dark?), Jack (Asher Grayson; The Dogs) and Miles (Ben Tector) are sweet, likable kids and enjoy their schlock filming escapades with Gary’s teen sister Sam (Phoebe Rex; The Last Divide).
The neighborhood teen jerk Billy (Calem MacDonald; The Umbrella Academy) has a thing for Sam and talks her into having a raging Halloween party in her barn… which occurs during an alien invasion. The party rages, things get way out of hand, and kids get abducted by aliens.
It takes a while for the aliens to play a significant role in the movie. They look like classic “greys” with huge hands. Abducted kids are melted with pink goopy acidic slime, dowsed in green goopy alien vomit, and transformed into a gangly clawed Baraka-Freddy Krueger monster. These effects aren’t top shelf, but they are trying their best. As long as you wanted something silly and gross, this works.
The production shortcomings are most apparent in the writing, party scenes, and the aliens’ ship whose interior is like a cheap cavern set from 1960s-era Doctor Who. The movie shines brightest when the kids are having fun filmmaking, and goopy gross things are happening. Most of the action was pretty weak, but the movie definitely has spirit and tries hard for us.
The big downer is that the better-quality fun, gross, goopy gore is very limited to a couple scenes—not that there aren’t numerous minor bloody gore gags to be enjoyed as well. And sure, the movie has its silly charm to make up for some of its faults. But it’s really not enough to recommend this unless the recommendation is more for younger viewers newer to the genre.
As such, I may not broadly recommend this movie. But I enjoyed it for what it was and appreciated its efforts. Moreover, I’d really like to see what Eisener could do with a more workable budget!
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 523: The Bad Times in Elevators Draft
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.
Mark and Zanandi (@ZaNandi on X) draft their favorite movie moments that involve someone having a terrible time in an elevator. In this episode, you’ll hear them talk about the elevator scenes in The Shining, North by Northwest, Evil Dead Rise, Resident Evil and Final Destination 2. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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The Creator (2023) – Review
Poster courtesy of Getty Images
Quick thoughts – Grade – B+ – The Creator is bursting with life and features some of the best visuals of 2023. Between Monsters, Godzilla, Rogue One and The Creator, Gareth Edwards is a master of scale and I love his commitment to creating larger than life visuals that linger in your memory.
My favorite thing about Gareth Edwards is that he understands scale and knows how to make big things look really big on screen. There are moments in Godzilla (Godzilla swimming with the aircraft carriers), Rogue One (the Star Destroyer over Jedha City) and Monsters (the creatures appear next to the gas station) that put a big smile on my face, and the same thing happens in The Creator. Writing about the plot is tough because it’s a movie littered with moments that shouldn’t be mentioned here. However, I do love that Edwards shot on location in Thailand, and according to him they filmed on “the eighth highest mountain in the world in the Himalayas.” It’s because of the on location work that everything looks real and lived in. He may have only made this film to keep himself safe during a hypothetical AI attack (a joke he makes), but you can see all of his influences and he has no problem calling them out. What Edwards wants to do with The Creator is bring back the sweeping sci-fi epic that he used to watch as a kid.
Since it’s a film by Edwards, the movie focuses on a dangerous road trip that involves lots of explosions, gun fights, and AI creations that explode during gunfights. At the center of everything is Joshua (John David Washington) a former soldier who is recruited by the mysterious Colonel Howell (Allison Janney) to destroy a secret weapon created by an elusive architect named the Creator. The assignment goes awry, and it leads to Joshua and a young AI nicknamed Alphie (Madeleine Yuna Voyles – very good) being chased by seemingly everyone on the planet. The neat thing about The Creator is that the AI is somewhere between Terminator and Her, it can be violent, but it is also capable of love. To write more would spoil the experience, just know that solid actors like Gemma Chan, Sturgill Simpson, Amar Chadha-Patel, and Ken Watanabe make the best of their screen time.
On top of the cool location work and gorgeous VFX, the cinematography by Greig Fraser (The Batman, Dune) and Oren Soffer is excellent. Soffer’s handheld work is inspired and it creates a 360-degree atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re in the action. Shot on a Sony FX3, the 2.76:1 ultra-wide aspect ratio gives the movie an epic feel and the high ISO allowed it to capture a lot of light while on location – which must’ve helped Soffer shoot later into the day. It’s a neat idea and it probably helped keep the budget down to a relatively low $80 million. Knowing that this movie only cost $80 million makes me like it more because it looks epic and feels epic. All of the money is seen on screen, and I really hope that people will turn out to watch the ambitious movie.
Final Thoughts – Watch it. Enjoy it. It’s an original film that feels familiar but is well worth your time.
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The Story of Film: A New Generation (2021) – Review
If you are a fan of Mark Cousins and his documentaries, make sure to pick up The Complete Story of Film which was just released from Music Box Films. I received a copy for review and it’s wonderful. I’ve recommended The Story of Film: An Odyssey to all of my film students and I think it’s a must watch for movie lovers. This review is for The Story of Film: A New Generation (2021), which focuses on movies released between 2010 and 2021.
Quick Thoughts – Grade – A – What I love most about this documentary is its dedication to finding and recommending films that offer something new and exciting. I’d never heard of many of these films and now my watchlist has been vastly expanded.
Opening up with a discussion about Joker (2019) and Frozen (2013), Cousins the director, writer and narrator of this documentary lets the audience know that no movie is too big or small to be discussed in this update to his beloved The Story of Film: An Odyssey. Throughout the 167-minute documentary Cousins references Under the Skin, It Follows, Black Panther, Holy Motors, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Song of the Sea, High Life, The Act of Killing and dozens of other films and documentaries that gave audiences something new. Whether it’s offering something new to the comedy genre (Booksmart, Deadpool, PK), or showcasing bodies in a unique way (Hustlers, XXY, High Life), Cousins is obsessed with finding cinema that excites him and makes him say “I’ve never seen that before.”
Most importantly, Cousins realizes that interesting movies and documentaries are made in every corner of the world and they offer important looks into other cultures and people. Growing up I never really watched international films and it wasn’t until a film studies class in college when my world was opened up to the cinema of South Korea, India, China, Japan, Sweden, and Brazil. It was a big moment for me and for someone who had never traveled outside of the United States, these films and documentaries offered me a look into places that seemed very far away from Florida. I love showing The Story of Film: An Odyssey to my students because it does an excellent job of expanding their cinema vocabulary and lets them know how worldwide cinema has been formed and molded into what it is now.
You really need to watch these documentaries and I hope you add some cool movies to your watchlist.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 522: The Town, Ben Affleck and Heist Movies
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.
Mark and Phil discuss the 2010 crime thriller The Town. Directed and written by Ben Affleck, and starring Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively and Ben Affleck, the movie showcases excellent performances (Renner was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar) and reignited Affleck’s acting career. In this episode, they also talk about Affleck’s comeback, flower shops, and their favorite supporting characters in heist movies. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 521: Yes, Madam (1985), Michelle Yeoh, and Microfilm
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.
Mark and Norbert (@eddiecaine on X) discuss the 1985 action classic Yes, Madam. Directed by Corey Yuen, and starring Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock, and Dick Wei, the movie focuses on the hunt for a microfilm MacGuffin. In this episode, they also talk about spin kicks, overalls, and the greatness of Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rockrock. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 520: Oldsmobile Henry, Barbenheimer, and Dark Mama
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome.
Mark and David Cross (@ItsMeDavidCross on X) talk about Barbenheimer and discuss other weekends in which two excellent films were released. In this episode, they talk about Boyz n the Hood, Point Break, Titane, Old Henry, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Poltergeist. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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John’s Horror Corner: Shadowzone (1990), a solid B-movie with a great cast including Academy Award winner Louise Fletcher!
MY CALL: Solid B-movie fun. By no means an epic bad movie, but a bad movie worthy of your deliberate bad movie night, for sure. Great and recognizable cast, decent pacing and storytelling, awful writing, and all the money went into the monster effects and gore! MORE MOVIES LIKE Shadowzone: From Beyond (1986) and Blue Monkey (1987) will scratch the same itch, but with much more effective, much more frequent, and much more gooey creature effects and gore.
Investigating a death in a research bunker, Captain Hickock (David Beecroft; Creepshow 2) stumbles across an interdimensional experiment gone horribly wrong. Dr. Van Fleet (James Hong; The Vineyard, Big Trouble in Little China) has been researching deep dream states using the subconscious as a radio beacon to contact other dimensions. What crosses over this interdimensional dream bridge is a shapeshifting monster from another world. This sounds a bit like From Beyond (1986), and it plays out like a lower budget version of it… but not without some cheerful B-movie charm courtesy of director J. S. Cardone (Wicked Little Things, The Slayer). People get picked off in this research bunker in a pattern strongly reminiscent of Alien (1979), a model adopted by numerous 80s and 90s Sci-Horror.
We really feel the budget limitations as we watch this low budget flick. But every effort was made to make this a fun movie, which means most of the budget went to gore and creature effects. The autopsy and surgery scenes are really gory, well done, and give you plenty of time to soak in the bloody bones and exposed organs on camera. Then the first monster effects are over the top with chonky latex mutations and I simply love it. Other effects wander into wild shenanigans, like a giant rat head breaking through a wall, a mutant monkey monster, or other mutilated, wet, disfigured creatures.
Except for the lengthy autopsy and surgery scenes, most of the effects are pretty brief. But we always see enough to be very satisfied with the monstrous fleshiness of what’s on screen. These effects could definitely have been more abundant. But I didn’t find myself getting frustrated with the lulls in horror action. And not that this was well written, but that says something about the storytelling.
Oh, and don’t watch this with your grandmother… there’s a lot of nudity. A lot! Boy, does the camera linger on some of these full-frontal shots. This may have been inspired by Lifeforce (1985). The movie doesn’t need this at all. But I understand that the genre thrives on such titillating raciness, and in my youth I would have lodged zero complaints. Maybe not really today either—I’m just more critical of it. A lot of the set pieces are very cheap—just keep your eye on the boobs, right? No one will notice. Still, in many ways, I feel like this movie was swinging for the fences with the effects and story.
The cast is pretty impressive. Fleet’s assistants Dr. Erhardt (Louise Fletcher; Firestarter, Exorcist II, Virtuosity, Invaders from Mars, Grizzly II) and Dr. Kidwell (Shawn Weatherly; Amityville 1992, Love in the Time of Monsters), and Fleet’s technician Wiley (Miguel A. Núñez, Jr.; Return of the Living Dead, Friday the 13th part V, Leprechaun 4: In Space) are all played by actors familiar to the genre. But the writing and acting is… well, it’s pretty terrible. Even Academy Award winner Louise Fletcher (for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) couldn’t act her way through the haphazardly clunky dialogue. Maybe she just stopped caring the moment her check cleared.
In the finale, our slimy humanoid creature is not of top-notch effects caliber. But I assure you it is satisfyingly slimy and grimy and gnarly and gross. More importantly, we see plenty of it! It looks completely ridiculous… in a fun way. And that’s what this movie is: solid B-movie fun. You almost want to high-five the effects team for this deliciously bad monster design. Great cast, decent enough pacing and storytelling despite the awful writing, and all the money went into the monster effects and gore… as they should!
Movies, Films & Flix 