Shudder Day: Bodycam (2025)

 After a busy weekend of work, I didn't watch a Shudder Film until the middle of the week.

As such, here's a Saturday Review before a proper one.

This one is from a Director whose last Film I really enjoyed.
Will this one be as good?

Two Cops are called in on a Domestic Disturbance.

The whole Film will be shot from the POV of their bodycams...and car cameras.

(There may be a few cheats).

The duo split up and their radios suddenly don't work.

That's odd.

The veteran Cop is confronted by a strange man in front of a hole dug into the floor (almost a well) and makes the split second decision to kill him.

He wants to get his partner on the same page.

They will cover this up.

The younger guy- Jackson- reluctantly agrees, but weird stuff starts to happen when they film a symbol found outside.

One of the drug addicts they ran across outside talks about The Under Man.

They ignore him.

As they try to leave the Scene, more of them form a barrier and threaten our duo.

They took something from 'him' and it must be repaid.

No, it's not Bill Oberst Jr.  I checked.

They try to deal with the footage, but that doesn't work out.

They try to get Jackson's Mom to help, but that's a no go.

They soon find out that the Under Man is more real than they could have imagined!

Is the truth to hard to handle?

What is the reality behind this strange force/being?

To find out, stream it.

A Film that has a tough gimmick to nail, but it kind of works.

Having a Film that is (almost entirely) Filmed by stationary, mounted cameras is sure hard to do.  You really need your Actors to almost act as Cinematographers.

The Film really forces you to live in the shared experience of these two men.  It is quite immersive.

That said, the Film's attempt at doing a slow burn effect doesn't quite work.  They give you a crazy setup and slowly explain it all.

It has a few good tricks- like the possessed people or the words on walls messing with the cameras- and really makes the most of them.  At a certain point, however, you've seen them all a few times.

I just wish that were more tricks on display here.  It gets a bit repetitive.

The end game here generally worked for me, even if it was a bit expected.

It's not the best Movie I've seen by this Director, but it is worth a look...

A Film that has a gimmick and fully commits to this.  My only gripe is that the Film only has a few tricks and repeats them many times over.

Tubi Thursday: The Burning (1981)

 After watching the Original Friday the 13th on Svengoolie last weekend, I realized that this other '80s Camp Slasher was on here.

Fate has led me to finally give a proper review to...

In a prolonged flashback, a man named Cropsey is pranked by attendees of the Summer Camp he works at.

Said prank goes awry and, well, you can see what happens!

5 years later, we meet the residents of a different Camp.

Unlike the original Friday, this Camp is actually open and full of campers.

Amongst the group are Fisher Stevens and Jason Alexander!

We get Killer POV for a good half hour before the guy really gets into it.

He kills a girl after she leaves the river and somehow takes SIX Canoes away in a few hours.

The group make a raft and send a few Campers off to get help.

Said Campers- including long-time Law & Order Actor Ned Eisenberg (front left)- do just that until they see one of their canoes.

In the most famous bit, he pops up and hacks the group to bits with his garden shears!

He- apparently- goes back to shore and kills a few more the next night.

The next day, the raft comes back and the bodies are discovered!

Oh, and that is apparently Holly Hunter in the blue blouse there.

It all leads to a finale where Alfred- who was creeping on the couple killed that night- flees from Cropsey and is eventually capture (but not killed).

We find out that Todd- the Lead Male Counselor- was one of the group that accidentally burned Cropsey as he fights off the disfigured killer.

After being POV for about 90 minutes, he goes down to a shears and hatchet to the head combo in a few minutes.

The End.

A Film that is good at gore and somewhat good at suspense.

This one is an odd duck, as it comes very early in the Slasher Craze.  As such, the rules aren't fully set and not everyone can follow them.

For example, this Film has a Final Guy- how odd is that?!?
Especially when you consider that he should be a victim- maybe who dies saving someone else- given his Character History.

So much of this Film is build-up.
They hired Tom Savini and he only got a brief time to show off Cropsey in all of his burnt-up glory.
What a waste.

Speaking of waste, this was Produced by H. Weinstein.  F**k that guy.

The Burning has a few famous moments, but is mostly just set-up and somewhat underwhelming payoff. 
That said, it did help us get the oddly specific White Guys in Blue Shirts Holding Axes Trend of 1981...

Ash is slightly more iconic than Todd, of course.

I hope you're doing well, Bruce!

A Film that is more of a historical footnote to most people.  That said, it has some good moments and a creepy killer (for a few minutes, at least).

Holiday Flix: Finian's Rainbow (1968)

 A logical, sane man would cover a Film from the Leprechaun Film Series today.
When have I ever been that?

Instead, let me talk about a different Leprechaun movie- Finian's Rainbow!

This 1968 Musical was adapted from the 1947 Musical Play of the same name.  It is Irish and features a Leprechaun as key to its Plot.

It was also Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
No, really.

The Film brought back Fred Astaire to the limelight (his first dancing on Film since 1957) and its Themes of Racial Integration were sadly still topical 20 years later. 

The Play has been revived at various times over the Years, as recently as 2009 and 2017.

To see if the Film (last released on Blu-Ray in 2017) hold up today, read on...

Finian and Sharon (Father and Daughter) travel from Ireland to America...on foot.

The Credits play over shots of them at various landmarks, though you could mistake shots like this for ones from The Lord of the Rings.

They end up in a place called Rainbow Valley in the Deep South.

The residents are trying to keep their land, but Senator Dawkins is trying to buy it all up for various reasons.

Oh, and this lady can only communicate via dance.  Welcome to a Musical.

Sarah falls for a guy named Woody, who is a wandering musician/sharecropper who has returned with talks of great money and success.

He brought none of that.

Finian brought a Pot of Gold he took from a Leprechaun with him as part of his dream.

He buries it in the ground, believing that planting it near Fort Knox will make it multiply.

Did this shot inspire Pulp Fiction?

Said Leprechaun then appears OG (pronounced as OG and not O-G) wants it back.

The longer he doesn't have his gold, he loses his powers and becomes more mortal (shown by him growing taller).

As the Senator tries to take the land, he amends a law that makes it illegal for the white and black residents to intermingle.

Sarah says that she 'wishes that the Senator was black' while standing on the Pot of Gold, making the wish come true.

In his absence, she's now thought to be a Witch.

OG is still looking for his gold as things get worse for everyone in Town.

Elsewhere, the Senator learns a lesson, but is still Black.

OG, who was in love with Sharon (as he's more human) falls for Susan the Silent (the dancing girl) and accidentally wishes for her to be able to speak.

Now he's in love!

OG has to make a big choice- use the third wish to restore the Senator to save Sharon OR take the gold and become a Leprechaun again.

He obviously chooses the former, saving the day.

Also, a B-Plot involving the residents creating Menthol Cigarettes is also resolved.  Yea.

Finian leaves to 'find his rainbow.'

The End.

A fun Film, but do know that this is absolutely a full-on Musical.

Lots of songs.  Lots of dancing.

If you don't like those things, this one won't do it for you.

For those who into that, the Film is definitely for you, from Petula Clark's vocals to the score to Astaire's dancing.

As a Play turned Film, it has a surreal look with technicolor and being mostly shot on a Sound Stage.

I will say that some of the stuff has not aged well.
Mostly it is the fact that the Senator being turned Black was done the way you think it was.

It's not something I'll defend- I will just stop short of attacking it.

Having said all of that, the Film is still pretty fun and it apparently inspired the Cohen Brothers, so I'm not mad.  
Did it also inspire later Werewolf Films too?

A Film that is fun, as long as you can enjoy/endure all of the song & dance.  Slainte, everyone!

'80s Class: Witness (1985)

 As we're in Oscar Season, let's look at a Film that was underrepresented at the Oscars 40 years ago.

This is Witness, a 1985 Drama from Peter Weir.  The Film stars Harrison Ford, who got his first and only Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Seriously, that's the only time.

The Plot involves a young, Amish boy who is the only witness to the killing of a Cop.  When the crime turns out to be part of a bigger Plot, Ford has to keep the boy in hiding.

The Film was up for 8 Oscars in 1986, losing most of their potential statues to the combo of Out of Africa and Kiss of the Spider Woman.

As the Film with the Best Screenplay and Editing of 1985, does it hold up?

To find out, read on...

An Amish Woman- Rachel- is mourning the loss of her Husband.

She has to adjust to a new life without him.

To help her recovery, she goes with her son Samuel to visit her Sister.

At the Train Station, the kid goes into the bathroom.

While he's there, a man (later revealed to be a Cop) is killed by two men.

The kid is the only witness to this crime and Ford (as John Book) tries to get him to ID the man.

Checking out the people whose pictures they have on file doesn't work.

However, the kid sees a picture of a Lieutenant (Danny Glover) and IDs him.

Ford goes up the chain as high as he can, explaining that it likely has to do with some drugs recovered by Vice under Glover's supervision.

He hopes that he can get the help he need to go after someone in the Department.

The next day, Glover shoots at him in a Car Park, proving that the Boss is in on it too.

He covers his tracks until he can approach the case in a new way.

He drives the two of them back home, but he passes out from a wound he got from Glover.

They take him in- because why wouldn't you?- and he recovers amongst the Community as an outsider.

He also starts to fall for Rachel, getting into a soft conflict with Eli (the Elder) and Daniel, who clearly has a thing for the woman.

He finds out that things back home are not getting better, as his partner died 'in the line of duty.'

He also can't help but really fall for Rachel, coming across her one night and barely resisting his natural urge to go to her.

How did he not get the Oscar again?!?

Things take a turn for Act 3 as Ford- stressed out already- strikes a jerk who was actively trying to provoke the Amish when they came to Town.

He feels bad (sort of) and this gets the attention of the local Cop (working with the bad guy) to help them find Ford.

And yes, that is Viggo Mortensen.

The three bad guys come to Town (in a shot that proves that this should have won Best Cinematography) and Ford is not ready for it.

He manages to take out one guy with a ton of corn in the silo and Glover with a shotgun.

The corrupt Captain is finally guilted when he's surrouned by the community of Witnesses and surrenders.

In the aftermath, Ford knows that he can't stay, passing by Daniel on his way to see Rachel.
The End.

A strong Film that really holds up after 4 Decades- no questions.

A Critic praises a Peter Weir Film- shocking!

This one is not talked about nearly as mcuh as Weir's other Films, be it Dead Poets Society (the one I own on Laserdisc) or The Truman Show.

This was at the time when we started to get the so-called Buddy Cop Films, so it is interesting to see a Film that seems to set this up with Ford's Partner...and 

Focusing equally on Ford trying to fit in and how it is effecting Rachel's Character is a good one.  This is her Story too, after all.

So many tender moments, subtle things and even the lack of a big speech at the end between the two is what you get when you trust Weir on this.

If you haven't seen Witness, do it.  If you have seen it, watch it again.  It's great.

Plus, you get to see a sort-of Star Wars reunion in 1985 as Harrison Ford shares a brief moment with James Earl Jones...'s Father.

He shares more screen time with Vader's Dad than the voice of Vader!

Next up, a return to James Bond.  This time, it is another Classic involving Scaramanga and his golden gun!  Stay tuned...

Holiday TV: Evil Druids on 'Friday the 13th: The Series!'

 Another Friday the 13th in the year 2026 is here.

Let's see if there's a properly Irish Episode to cover.

***

We're at the 2nd to last ever Episode and it is...

A woman is about to give birth at a Private Center.

The Nurse says that the Father-to-be needs to go outside with a candle for a ritual...and he's grabbed by roots and pulled into the base of a tree!

Johnny- the new Male Lead for Season 3- meets the woman from earlier.

She was told that only her Son survived, but she doesn't buy it.

Johnny looks into her story and, well, she's right.
This would be a bad Episode if she was just crazy.

The Center is run by Druids- all Ladies- is helping couples give birth to fraternal twins and then keeping the girl child.

They're also sacrificing the Husbands, because Cults.

The girls are all part of a plan to form new Druidic Covens across the World!

Step 1: Make A Bunch of Covens
Step 2: ????
Step 3: Profit!

The group finally believes Johnny as he finds out more about the group.

It all revolves around an artifact- a Cernunnos Idol.

It makes magic fruit or something as long as you do the rituals correctly.

The Mom, of course, doesn't wait for help and is left to die by the evil Druids.

They do what Dr. Phibes did to Terry Thomas, but slower and less efficiently.

The trio try to stop it, but things don't go well at first.

Jack is nearly sacrificed, while Johnny attacks the tree at the roots.

Lightning strikes and the ritual is ruined.

The tree falls on the evil Doctor and the day is saved.
The End.

A strong Episode, even if the promise of a Wicker Man isn't delivered.

The idea of evil, lady Druids is a good one.  It only took 71 Episodes to get there!

Granted- in a real-world situation, this evil plan has about 100 holes in it.  This is the Show about magical artifacts though, so...

While watching the Episode, I was making Wicker Man jokes to myself (jokes about bear suits and bees, etc.).  Seconds later, they say that they are preparing a Wicker Man!

Well, it is actually just a Wicker Coffin to burn.  Boo.

Regardless, this one has an evil villain with a lovely Irish brogue and Jack speaking Gaelic.
Oh well, time to check out this Show in...8 months.

Sorry, Jack.

An Episode with good villains and an interesting Artifact.  Just don't promise me a Wicker Man and then give me nothing!

Tubi Thursday: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

 We're at an interesting point in time for the Godzilla Franchise.

We have a Sequel to Minus One, another MonsterVerse Film and about 70 crossover Comics.

Let's take a trip back to 1995 and see how the Heisei Era ended...

Godzilla is on the rampage and he looks quite different.

It turns out that his heart/nuclear generator is working towards a meltdown!

The Japanese Government knows that this is trouble and seeks out a young Scientist (the brother of the one from Godzilla vs Biollante).

He initially says 'no,' but quickly says 'yes' when he hears who is working there.

Elsewhere, a Scientist has created something called Micro-Oxygen.

It can be a helpful too, but the Widow of Dr. Serizawa (the Creator of the Oxygen Destroyer in the OG Godzilla) is nervous.

Her fears turn out to be somewhat founded as small creatures exposed to remnants of the Oxygen Destroyer and the new Micro-Oxygen form.

They become walking crabs/tanks for a while and wreaking havoc.

The Government is desperate to stop Godzilla, fearing that his meltdown will destroy the World.

From inside of what looks like Gizmonic Institute, they come up with a plan to freeze him and stall for time.

Despite seemingly being dead/missing, Little Godzilla (aka Little) appears and is unharmed.

He's grown to look like his Dad, only much smaller.

He's the key to getting the melting down Godzilla to Tokyo.

Why?

Because the big crabs/tanks have now formed Destoroyah (often called Destroyer).

Can Little and the soon-to-blow Godzilla save Tokyo?

Yes, but at what cost?!?

To find out, stream it now.

A dramatic, powerful and exciting conclusion to the Heisei Era.

It was actually meant to let the Series rest until 2004, but Roland Emmerich's work changed plans.

The Plot works well in isolation, but even better as a Series Finale.  Characters and Actors from the Past return here, from a Psychic to Momoko Koichi returning as Serizawa's Wife from the 1954 Film.

That said, if you don't watch these in order, it is still quite good.  You just lose some subtext and pathos.

Godzilla has a unique look here with his meltdown appearance.  When you see things get worse and his fins actually melt, it is a sight to behold.

Like most of these Films, the usual things come up- miniatures not always looking real, Godzilla disappearing in the middle of the Film and some technical limitations.

Knowing all that, the Film is great.
It only actually ended the Series for about 4 years, but it is still straight fire!

A Film that is full of finality, even behind the Scenes.  If you enjoy these for what they are, this is a real delight!