Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

 'Wes Craven's New Nightmare' is a sort of "dry run" for the kind of self referential meta horror the writer/director would more or less perfect with 'Scream' (and some of) it's sequels. Heather Langenkamp, the final girl from the 1st Nightmare on Elm street movie, plays a version of herself, 10 years after the first film she is persued by the fictional Freddy Kruger  somehow trying to physically incarnet himself. Robert England, John Saxon and Wes Craven all appear as themselves (and sometimes their characters). The creepy little boy from 'Pet Semitary' is in this as well. The film would have resonated stronger 30 years ago when it was breaking new ground, but is still pretty solid. ***

The Tarnished Angels (1957)

Deciding to take a break from the color melodramas that had made him a force in American film making of the 1950's, Douglas Sirk decided do a black and white adaptation from William Faulkner's novel Pylon, which turns out is also a melodrama. Taking 3 of the 4 stars of his previous years hit 'Written on the Wind', substituting Jack Carson for Lauren Bacall.

Set in 1930's Louisiana, Rock Hudson plays a newspaper reporter trying to do a feature story on husband and wife daredevils Robert Stack and Dorothy Malone, only to be dragged into the dysfunctional three way relationship between them and their mechanic Jack Carson, who might be the real father of the couples son.

While there are good things in the movie, especially a couple of legitimately unnerving flight sequences, I couldn't tell how earnest I was supposed to take this whole thing. That is an issue I've encountered before with Sirk's films, sometimes a second viewing imparts a totally different reading then the initial watch. So in time it would probably be worth taking a second look, I may end up loving it, but on first brush I found it rather overdone in some places and undercooked in others. **1/2

Pirahana 3DD (2012)

 'Pirahana 3DD' is the sequel to the 2010 film 'Pirhana 3D', which I have not seen and frankly forget about until mid way into this movie. Both films were part of a low level 3D craze active at the time, gimmicky shots intended to be seen in 3D lose something in flate presentation. Despite being hacky, curvey is still a better descriptor of this movie then flat, plentiful boob's are on display as the films title implies.

Christopher Lloyd, Ving Rhames and Paul Scheer play carry over characters from the first film, survivors of a pirahana attack on a spring break resort. In this movie the pirahana get to terrorizing David Koechner's water park, after he cuts corners by piping in water from a underground lake, home to a species of agressive cold water pirahana thought extinct for 2 million years. 

The films eye candy includes Megan Tandy, Katrina Bowden and Danielle Panabaker, the latter involved in a love triangle with shallow cop Chris Zylka and nice guy water park employee Matt Bush. The film at times gets surprisingly surreal and includes an extended cameo of David Hasselhoff as himself, ultimately tickled by the chance to be a real life guard. *1/2

Pirahana (1995)

 This 'Pirahna' is a dull remak of the much more entertaining 1978 Roger Corman production of the same name. I was surprised by just how lifeless this movie felt. A pre pubescent Mila Kunis plays lead character Willam Kitt's daughter. *

Maximum Overdrive (1986)

 While I'd watched good chunks of this before I had never seen it in full; I think I'd have enjoyed this most had I watched it around the age of 12. Stephen King wrote and directed this adaptation of one of his short stories, though I've read one critic describe the film as having been directed by Cocaine, something which King would own up to now.

The films gimmick concerns the radiation from a rouge comet bringing diesel trucks and other man made machines to homocidel life. The story centers on a group of folks including Emilio Estevez and Yardley Smith, taking shelter in a road side North Carolina truck stop (what no Maine?). The movie is best remembered for its moderately graphic carnage and a diesel truck sporting a sort of large hood ornament that looks like The Green Goblin.

More interesting then the film its self is contemplating the effects this week of mechanical terror would have on humanity. A good percentage of the population dead; universal PTSD; major damage to the manufacturering sector and mass conversions to the Amish. *1/2

Please Stand By (2017)

 An autistic woman (Dakota Fanning) runs away from her San Fransico group home to deliver a Star Trek script to Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles. Fanning's good but the movie is nothing special. Toni Collette is Fanning's councilor, Alice Eve her sister and Patton Oswalt a policeman who speaks Klingon. **

My Tutor (1983)

 From Crown International Pictures, the studio you went to when your project was a little too questionable for AIP or Roger Corman, comes 'My Tutor'. Teenager Matt Lattanzi (later the first Mr. Olivia Newton-John) has two goals for his summer, pass that make up French exam and loss his virginity, tutor Caren Kaye may be the answer to both problems.

The kind of sex comedy that has no problem with ripping off a woman's dress and showing plenty of both boob's and gyrating aerobics students. As they say 'The kind of movie you can't make today', and maybe that's for the best. This is very much the male fantasy vehical with the 30 year old Caren telling the newly deflowered 18 year old Matt thats he's a 9 1/2 out of 10 in the sack. 

A young Crispin Glover in probably the most "normal" role I've seen him in is Matt's nerdy friend, whose own quest to get laid proves less successful. The movie pretends to have a moral when Matt's tutelage under Caren finally gives him the courage to stand up to his father Kevin McCarthy and ask out his high-school crush Amber Denyse Austin. **

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Medium Spoilers

'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' is the 4th in Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silvers reboot of the 1960's and 70's film franchise about a future Earth ruled over by talking apes. Conceived as a trilogy of trilogies following human and ape characters over the course of generations, 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' begins its second trilogy, though given its underperformance at the box office its an open question whether we'll ever see the conclusion of this Saga.

Set "many generation"s" after the events of the first trilogy, which saw apes get smart and humans get dumb as the result of a mutating virus. Our lead characters is Noah (Owen Teague) a young ape living in a village of apes who train hawks to hunt for them, located not far from the ruins of Los Angeles, California. There is a lot of plot here but surfice it to say a tribe of agreesive apes decimate and carry away the survivors of Noah's villiage, he alone escaping. On his quest to free his family and friends Noah runs across an orangutan monk named Raka (Peter Macon, who at first I thought was Samuel L. Jackson) and an unusually bright young human woman they name Nova (Freya Allen, who was born 5 days before 9/11, thus making me feel old). The pair of apes are really surprised when they learn that this mere human can talk, her name is Mae and that she is not the only human capable of speech.

The rest of the movie revolves around Noah's quest to free his people from Proximus Ceaser (Kevin Durand), a nefarious ape trying to build his Kingdom, and Mae's mysterious mission to recovery a valuable remnant from human civilization. 

This film is VERY good. Well paced, interesting characters, intriguing ideas, engaging action sequences. There are also alot of Easter eggs to previous Planet of the Apes films spread throughout. Of course we have alegorucal  comments on human short comings, these films both old and new are good at bringing those out. Such as how the original Ceaser's (Andy Serkis) teachings of love and co existence have been perverted by later "followers" into an ideological of conquest and hate; more then a  little on the nose, but I still like it.

Each of the films in this current series keeps improving on the others and I think 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' is the best done and most intriguing of these films since the 1968 original. A near flawless screenplay where everything pays off, and a engrossing movie watching experience. I'm going there and giving 'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' ****

Leprechaun 2 (1994)

 Warwick Davis is back, while identical looking he seems to be a different character, in the first film the Leprechaun was 600 years old in 1993, in this film he is 2000 years old in 1994. While still possessive of "me gold", in this film his focus is on securing a bride from the descendents of a man who tricked him a thousand years prior. 

He focuses on Bridget (Shevonne Durkin) a teenager living in Los Angeles, California. Her orphaned boyfriend Cody (Charlie Heath) and his conman guardian (Sandy Baron) think they can con the Leprechaun and save Bridget, one guess who dies in the process.

More gruesome and mildly more clever then the first film, the movie just kind of ends before resolving some major plot threads. Cody's probably going to prison for murders committed by the Leprechaun. *1/2

Leprechaun (1993)

 The first in a surprising prolific franchise, 'Leprechaun ' stars Warwick Davis as the title character and he is fucking serious when it comes to his gold. A pre star Jennifer Aniston is famously in this, I thought she probably had a minor part that was pumped up in advertising subsequent to her becoming a star, however she is second billed behind Davis and is essentially the lead. 

24 year old Aniston plays spoiled Cali girl Tory, reluctantly spending the summer in North Dakota at the run down house her father bought and is remodeling. It's the paint crew pops hired that end up aiding Tory in the fight against the Leprechaun, 10 years boxed up and pissed at the properties previous owner who stole and hid his gold. Said gold is found by 2 of the paint crew, a boy of about twelve and a mentally slow man of intellect less then 12, this paring reminded me of 'Critters'.

The film is not scary and parts of it play almost like a family adventure film. Warwick is committed however and seems to be having fun. Mostly the movie is kind of blah, nothing to write home to Ireland about. *1/2

Furiosa (2024)

 'Furiosa' aka 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' is a prequel/origin story film for Furiosa, the breakout character from the 2015 movie 'Mad Max: Fury Road'. In the earler film Furiosa was played by Charlize Theron, in this film she is played chiefly by Anya Taylor-Joy. The 2015 film was an anarchic feast of cinema strangeness and 80% a prolonged gonzo car chase through the desert, comparatively speaking 'Furiosa' is reflective.

Which is not to say 'Furiosa' lacks hyperactive set pieces, but that it is more concerned with character and world building then it's forebear. We learn much of the triangle of waste land trade (the franchise is set in a post apocalyptic Australia for those who didn't know) between the food producing Citadel and the straight forward products of Gas Town and Bullit Town.

Furiosa is abducted as a child from a relatively functional place of green and plenty and ends up at The Citdal, her captures having all died before they could reveal the location of her home. She grows up in The Citdal disguising her self as a boy before her skills on the convoy circuit are discovered. Through the years she dreams of two things, returning home and killing Dr. Dementus, the leader of the gang whose members kidnapped her as a child. While Taylor-Joy gives a strong performance with minimal dialogue, Chris Hemsworth chews the scenery and MVP's the movie as Dementus, almost unrecognizable in a prosthetic Roman nose.

This took a bit to get going but I was throughly enjoying it by the end, though it can't compete with 'Fury Road' in spectical. It also can't compete with 'Fury Road' in box office, 'Furiosa' has been a fiscal disappointment. This means we likely won't get a backstory film for Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke) the breakout character of this film. So much the pity. ***

The Lusty Men (1952)

 Despite its awkward title, Nicholas Ray's 1952 neo western 'The Lusty Men' is well respected, boasting a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film tells the story of a has-been rodeo rider (Robert Mitchum) coaching an up and commer  (Arthur Kennedy) and in the process falling in love with his pupils wife (Susan Hayward).

Done in a semi-documentary style and filmed on location in eight different western states, the film is all in on authenticity. The three central players are supported by a small host of vivid character parts, including the memorable Burt Mustin in the biggest feature film part I'd ever seen him play. Also of note on that front are Frank Faylon and Maria Hart.

Of the central three Arthur Kennedy is by far the weakest, though he's still good and has a charming smile. Mitchum has an admirable subtily in this, you immediately sympathize with him, but he comes to show a more manipulative side and I went back and forth on what I thought of his character several times, which is much of the point of the movie. Susan Hayward gives the movies stand out performance however as a practical minded girl doing her best to support her husband's passion, against her better judgment. She conveys real substance, a quite thinker who is still subject to her own strong emotions. They keep Hayward dressed down for most of the picture so when you see her in finery and makeup near the end of the movie the effect is extra stunning. I find it amusing that the advertisements for this black and white picture make such a point of Miss Hayward's being a redhead. 

I confess this movie took me awhile to get into, I remember at about the half way point admiring the film but wondering why people loved it so much, by the end I understood. A film of some subtlety and a world worn artistry seldom seen in a studio picture of its time. ***1/2

I Want You (1951)

 As it's name would seem to imply 'I Want You' is a recruiting poster of a movie. Concerning its self with the extended Greer family and their associates in Non Specific Town U.S.A. The general subject matter and the  presence of Dana Andrews in the cast ties the film thematically with 'The Best Years of Our Lives' (1946). While the earler film was about the end of one war (the second world) this one is about the beginning of another (Korea).

It is the specture of WWII hanging over the precedings that gives the film it's more powerful moments. Sarah Greer (Mildred Dunnock) having lost one son in war fears for her draft elegable youngest (Farley Granger), as does Walter Baldwin, a widower whose only child Martin Milner joined the army days before the war broke out. There is also the war bride next door neighbor whose descriptions of life during the blitz are lost on Dana Andrews 5 year old son.

All the characters in this film, save maybe Dana's Andrews old war buddy turned Colonel Jim Bakus, are flawed. The film does a good job of conveying its characters mixed reactions to the new war with some nuance. Again the spector of 'Another war? Already?' is keenly felt. So when the film bulldozes over all this for the pat ending I was disappointed, though it probably couldn't have ended any other way. Kudos though for trying to get some legit drama through the propaganda. **1/2

Burn (2019)

An unstable clerk named Melinda (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) is the wild card in an attempted gas station robbery along the Ohio interstate. Fargo-esque, low budget indie goes in some unexpected directions; though I found the first half stronger then the second.  **1/2