John’s Horror Corner: Evil Dead Rise (2023), a worthy sequel to the distinctly superior Evil Dead (2013).
MY CALL: Yes, I miss the cabin in the woods setting. And yes, Fede Alvarez’ film was much better and captured the meanness of it all so perfectly. But you know what? I still thought this was a well-made, goretastic, brutally insidious delight. So there! MORE MOVIES LIKE Evil Dead Rise: Like a lot of gore and a lot of feistiness? Here’s a stylistic mix for you… The Cabin in the Woods (2012), Final Destination 5 (2011), Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010), Drag Me to Hell (2009),and of course Evil Dead (2013), Evil Dead 2 (1987) and The Evil Dead (1981).
Boldly following in the footsteps of Fede Alvarez’ Evil Dead (2013), writer and director Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground) approaches our belovedly brutal franchise for his second feature film. The cinematography boasts eerie shots of trees converging upon a triangular cabin in an otherwise gorgeous, sunny forest. Possessed vomiting (Anna-Maree Thomas); a brutally abrupt hair-clump-yanking scalping (Mirabai Pease); and an eye-twitching disembodied head (Richard Crouchley) give our cold open the fleshy exposed skulltastic wildfire that the franchise deserves. The director of photography, the scoring, the effects… are all on fire setting the dire yet feisty tone. Even if this sequel leads us to the big city, it naturally had to start with a cabin in the woods.
Horror in the big city SIDEBAR: If you want more confined skyscraper, hotel and apartment building horror, consider Shivers (1975), The Shining (1980), Demons 2 (1986), Dark Tower (1987), Poltergeist III (1988), Shakma (1990), Gremlins 2 (1990), [REC] (2007), 1408 (2007), Devil (2010), The Belko Experiment (2016) and Mayhem (2017).
Cut to the city in California, where Beth (Lily Sullivan; Picnic at Hanging Rock, Monolith, Dark Place) is dropping in on her sister Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland; Blood Vessel, The Mist, Vikings) and her kids Danny, Kassie and Bridget, who live in a condemned building scheduled for implosion. When an earthquake exposes cursed possessions of generations past, the book and recordings of Evil Dead fame are among them. Cue evil!
Much of Evil Dead’s iconography continues through Evil Dead Rise. The Book of the Dead is harrowing as always; we summon a Kandarian demon; the POV of evil forces torpedoes via shaky cam whilst roaring through city streets and hallways; and the infamous “tree scene” is recreated with electrical wires in the elevator… but this time, it’s less of sex crime.
Now with the elevator no longer functioning and the stairs collapsed from the earthquake, Beth and the kids are trapped on the 14th floor with Ellie, who is… just not feeling herself. Once possessed, Ellie becomes a slinky, crawly, contorty fiend capable of vomiting more gobbledygook than any human body could possibly produce. It’s deliciously gross.
From here the horror violence is mean and bloody, and the dialogue is a bit insidious. We enjoy some face-biting madness leads to an eyeball gag reminiscent of Henrietta’s eye-popping from Evil Dead 2; the cheese grater gag was vicious; so much more vomit and blood and mean stabbery; the bloodiest elevator scene I’ve seen in a long while; and an evil-spirited Dead by Dawn chant. Oh, and then there was the many-limbed abomination reminding me of The Church (1989), Zygote (2017) or The Color Out of Space (2019) followed by a groaty meat-grinder finale.
I must admit that having an Evil Dead movie not take place in a remote cabin in the woods feels more than a bit off, and I did rather very much prefer Evil Dead (2013) to Evil Dead Rise. But at the same time, just how many times did we want to see that old yarn reimagined in such confines? Okay, maybe a bunch. And while Rise never really reached the dire OMFG atmosphere of the original or rebooted Evil Dead (2013), it still does an impressive job if you can resist comparing them so directly… which, I know, is hard.
Ultimately this was VERY entertaining, VERY flesh-laceratingly brutal, extremely bloody (as well it should be), and generally well made. It was definitely missing something for me—not a lot, but that extra Evil Dead layer of mean hopelessness that wasn’t gripped as tightly as I wanted. But it also was definitely awesome to watch and it scratched a very itchy Evil Dead itch for me. So having issued my biggest criticism of the film, I hope they keep making more. This was dire and feisty, my favorite combination of horror flavors.
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Mark and Zanandi (@ZaNandi on Twitter) found an interesting question about the Scream franchise on Reddit and they had to answer it. Which Ghostface killer from the Scream franchise would be better off on their own? Is it Jill? Is it Mickey? It definitely isn’t Stu.
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Asteroid City (2023) – Review
Quick Thoughts – Grade – A – Asteroid City is my favorite Wes Anderson film since The Darjeeling Limited. Anderson’s idea to build a film around a televised production of a play was a smart idea as he’s able to keep his trademark production and costume design while putting a renewed focus on meaningful character interactions. I really hope that Scarlett Johansson and Jason Schwartzman are remembered when the awards season rolls around because they have excellent chemistry and their interactions are the strongest part of the film.
When I first heard that Asteroid City would feature 20+ well known A-list actors stuffed into a film that is essentially three movies in one, I was a bit worried, because it’s a lot. My worries were almost instantly assuaged as everything fits seamlessly as Anderson found ways to give all the A-list actors meaningful roles and he even found time to include gags about martini vending machines, ramps that go nowhere, and a thieving alien.
Set in 1955, Asteroid City tells the story about a group of students, parents, traveling musicians, and scientists being quarantined in a small town after an alien encounter. The twist is we are watching actors playing the roles of the students, parents, traveling musicians and scientists in a play written by Conrad Earp (Edward Norton), a famous playwright who adores the American west. In an added wrinkle, Anderson creates another narrative in which the characters go behind the scenes of the play as it’s being created. In other words, Jason Schwartzmen plays a character named Augie Steenbeck in the play, but his real name is Jones Halls, an actor who occasionally leaves the stage (where the play is happening) to talk about his motivation with director Schubert Green (Adrian Brody). Once again, it’s a lot, but it works, and it also allows Wes and cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman to set up beautiful looking shots that take place in the meticulously designed buildings created by production designer Adam Stockhausen (Both Yeoman and Stockhausen are Anderson regulars).
My favorite interactions are between divorced A-list actor Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson) and widowed combat photographer Augie Steenbeck (Jason Scwartzmen) who are in Asteroid City to attend a Junior Stargazer convention with their children. The two meet inside the only diner in the town (which was inspired by Ace in the Hole and Bad Day at Black Rock) and quickly become friends as their lodgings are right next to each other. Both are drawn to each other because of shared melancholy, severe bluntness and the fact that Augie loves photographing Midge. Their conversations feel a bit dangerous, and they brought me back to the days of The Royal Tenenbaums which features some beautiful character interactions (the “I’m worried about you Richie” scene is an all-timer) and some very unsettling violence.
Going all the way back to Bottle Rocket, Anderson has always been interested in sadness, quirkiness and intimate interactions that typically involve intricate paintings, symmetry, and booze. By sticking a group of interesting teenagers and their parents in a picturesque small town that has a martini vending machine and adorable pastel cottages, he’s able to create some very memorable moments that I really connected with.
Final thoughts – I love Asteroid City. Watch it.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 503: Inception, Christopher Nolan and Snowmobile Henchmen
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Mark and Phil discuss the 2010 blockbuster action film Inception. Directed by Christopher Nolan, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Dileep Rao, Marion Cotillard and a spinning top, the movie focuses on what happens when a group of well-dressed thieves try to plant an idea in Cillian Murphy’s head. In this episode, they also talk about snowmobile henchmen, paradoxes, and the films of Christopher Nolan.
If you enjoyed this episode make sure to listen to The Prestige (ep 412) and Memento (ep 445) episodes that Phil and Mark recorded.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 502 – The Bad Times at Movie Hotels Draft
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Mark and Zanandi (@ZaNandi on Twitter) talk about their favorite movie moments that feature someone having a terrible time at a hotel. In this episode, they discuss painful scenes from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Barton Fink, Identity, The Devil’s Rejects and more! Enjoy!
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 501: Blind Fury, Parking Lots, and Memorable Thugs
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Mark and Adam Hodgins (of the GoFigure YouTube show) discuss the 1989 action comedy Blind Fury. Directed by Phillip Noyce, and starring Rutger Hauer, Brandon Call, Terry O’Quinn and several memorable henchmen, the movie focuses on what happens when gangsters mess with the wrong blind swordsman. In this episode, they also talk about cornfields, casinos and Rutger Hauer’s committed performance. Enjoy!
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 500: 3000 Miles to Graceland, Franchise Pictures and Kurt Russell
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Mark and John (@MFFHorrorCorner on Twitter) celebrate 500 episodes by talking about the 2001 heist film 3000 Miles to Graceland. Directed by Demian Lichtenstein, and starring Kurt Russell, Kevin Coster, Bokeem Woodbine, Courteney Cox and Christian Slater, the film focuses on a group of Elvis impersonators who successfully rob a casino and then unsuccessfully survive the aftermath as greed runs rampant. Most importantly, this film was produced by Franchise Pictures, the company responsible for movies like Battlefield Earth, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, and A Sound of Thunder. The story of Franchise Pictures is just as interesting as the shenanigans in 3000 Miles to Graceland, and in this episode they discuss how the two are tied together. Enjoy!
Thank you for listening! If you’re bored please rate, review and subscribe.
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To celebrate our 500th podcast episode, we recorded a weeks worth of episodes that celebrate all the things that we here at MFF love (Bloodshot, Keith David, The Night Comes for Us, Doctor Sleep, and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar).
To kick off the celebration Megan and I drafted our favorite films released since 2018. It’s a fun episode that covers movies like The Night Comes for Us, Test Pattern, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Crawl and more!
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 499 – Manhunter, Michael Mann and Gorgeous Sunset Shots
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Mark and Nick (@TheRehak on Twitter) discuss the beautiful 1986 crime thriller Manhunter. Directed by Michael Mann, and starring William Peterson, Brian Cox, Tom Noonan, and Joan Allen, the movie focuses on the manhunt for a serial killer called The Tooth Fairy. In this episode, they also talk about excellent cinematography, home movies, and the excellence of Michael Mann. Enjoy!
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MY CALL: This begins charmingly bad, but ends up perhaps a bit wildly, or even exhausting and annoyingly bad… which can also be really “fun bad” if you’re in the right mood. If this is for you, I think you know who you are. MORE MOVIES LIKE The Vagrant: Things like The Dentist 1-2 (1996, 1998) and Dr. Giggles (1992) come to mind.
Immediately after purchasing his fixer-upper first house, young businessman Graham (Bill Paxton; Frailty, Aliens, Near Dark, Mortuary) walks in on a wheezing vagrant who has somehow wandered into his kitchen. Perpetually sounding his presence with some bodily function, our vagrant (Marshall Bell; Tales from the Crypt, Virus, A Nightmare on Elm Street, part 2) is covered in sores and scars, and utterly terrifies Graham.
Obsessed with keeping this gross vagrant off his property, yuppy Graham financially leverages himself beyond his means for a gated fence and security system. His girlfriend Edie (Mitzi Kapture; House II) makes things worse by bleeding his credit cards to redecorate his humble abode, and defending the hungry homeless man. So as Graham’s stress mounts to madness, his finances are collapsing in this hobo-infested money pit.
Director Chris Walas (a special effects guy who directed The Fly II) comes from a special effects background, and this is the strongest suit of the movie. This lower budget flick does well on Bell’s wounds and disfigurement. His swollen scarred hand, burnt face and dead eye make him an unnerving presence. So when he behaves like a rabid Muppet, it comically fits very well. But the cartoonishness is not limited to Marshall Bell’s performance or even Paxton’s paranoid reactions. Graham’s relationship with his boss and interactions with homicide detective Lt. Barfuss (Michael Ironside; Prom Night II, Still/Born, Extraterrestrial, Scanners, Turbo Kid) are likewise wacky. Leaning into the surreal, Graham’s sexual nightmare with the vagrant is just bizarre.
This vagrant even begins to deliberately terrorize Graham. Continually tortured by this vagrant who keeps sneaking into his home, Graham is being driven mad. He finds the contents of his refrigerator hanging from the ceiling, all of the doors in his house removed, and a local murder victim’s severed fingers in his basement. Eventually, we even find severed body parts in his fridge. I was constantly wondering if these were Graham’s stress-induced delusions, or if the vagrant was actually doing these highly elaborate things to sabotage his life.
The comical tone, budget and execution comes off like a long episode of Tales from the Crypt (1989-1996) or, again, something of a cartoon. The highlight was when someone was stabbed with a chair—like, with all the legs of the chair. There’s also a “death by cactus.” And like the zany deaths and hobo antics, the plot takes a few really weird turns.
It’s not great, never reaching the comic relief of The Dentist 1-2 (1996, 1998), to which I would most closely compare The Vagrant. But it would be a very worthy Bad Movie Tuesday for those delighting in silly bad movie fare.
Movies, Films & Flix 