Tubi Thursday: Bad Moon (1996)

 How have I been missing out on this one?

Is it the generic Poster?  The generic Title?  The fact that it came out when I was too young to watch Horror Films (officially)?

Let's find out...

In South America, a creature attacks a camp and kills the people there.

It grabs this woman mid-coitus and kills her, wounding the man with her before being killed with a shotgun blast.

We next meet our Heroine- Meriel Hemmingway- who is a tough Lawyer.  

She reunites with her Brother (Michael Pare) and he's...the guy from the beginning.

He's acting nervous (as the Cops linger about), so...

She gets him to stay with her and her Son.

Their Dog- Thor- is suspicious.

I feel you, boy- the Book this is based on is *literally* named after you.  You deserve more.

The dog goes out into the nearby Woods at night and sees...a Werewolf handcuffed to a tree.

Pare had handcuffs and did wander out into the Woods on a 'walk' earlier.

Oh right- this isn't a real mystery, is it?

The dog acts out, as dogs do, and it ends with the Werewolf Brother alone with the family.

There was, at least, safety in numbers in the book.  There were 4 family members and not 2.

Can Thor save the day like in Age of Ultron or will he fail like in Infinity War?

Will I ever get tired of practical Werewolf effects?

To find out, stream the Film now.

A better Film than, well, Critics said it was.  I don't think that this will ever replace An American Werewolf in London, Silver Bullet or Dog Soldiers, but I still liked it.

To be fair, that is a strong pedigree, no?

Speaking of dogs, they do great work with the Stunt Dog here.  They are up for every task and can look menacing when they need to.  They never *actually* growl, but it is still an Actor- they are never going to be perfect.

The main takeaway here is that you can do a lot with a small Cast.  Outside of the Leads, we get a Reporter for 2 Scenes, a Sheriff for one and a jerk/future victim for another.  If you don't count the Extras from the Introduction, this Cast couldn't even fill out a Jury Pool!

The biggest Pro and Con here is the Werewolf Suit Work.  In many, many shots, it looks great.  It is big and menacing, as you'd hope.  In a few shots, you can really tell when they zoom in close on the 'face' to do more precise movements like ear movement.  They also have blank, soulless eyes in a few close-ups, which is something to avoid.

There's also some morphing- since it was the '90s- and it is...alright.  I still prefer London.

That said, it is a better Eric Red Film than the last one I saw (and also his final film thus far).

Take it away, face that many folks online made when a report of a 2nd Season of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law was (sort of, maybe) announced.

Is it a truly great Werewolf Film?  No.  Is it fun, inventive (at times) and bloody?  Yes.  Give it a look.

'70s Class: Silent Running (1972)

 A '70s Film that inspired a Show that satirized Films- makes sense!  This is Silent Running, a Classic Film for those who think that 2001: A Space Odyssey is too popular.

'I can't like that- people know it.  I like this instead!'

Jokes aside, it has a strong pedigree behind it.  It was Directed by Douglas Trumbull, the man behind Back to the Future: The Ride (I miss it) and did Special Effects for countless Films (including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Trek: The Motion Picture).  One of its Writers was Stephen Bochco (who created L.A. Law and NYPD Blue).  The other two Writers were Deric Washburn (who officially wrote The Deer Hunter) and Michael Cimino (who unofficially wrote it and Directed it).

That enough for you?

The Plot involves a Space Farm/Garden running into some trouble.  Can one man run it?  Will he be able to do it in spite of the fact that he 'used those special parts to make his robot friends?'

Repeat to yourself it is a just a Movie, I should really just read on...

A man- Bruce Dern- is keeping a habitat full of plants, vegetables and animals running.

Aw.

The catch- he's in deep space on a ship with a crew that is transporting them in search of a habitable planet.

Dig those Trumbull Space Effects!

The Crew is informed that the experiment has been cancelled and that they should return home.

That also means disposing of the gardens before they go...for some reason.

He doesn't take it well, as you can see.

He fights one of his friends- getting wounded in the process- and kills him.  
He blows up the other garden to take out the other two...which seems counterintuitive to his plan, no?

He uses the three drones- played by humans with missing limbs inside- to fix his leg and prepares to make the trip to Saturn.

He can hide there and figure out his next move.

One of the drones is lost- it doesn't go inside before they launch- and he's sad.

He starts to treat the drones like his human companions, even doing 'surgery' on one that he accidentally hits in his little car thing.

In the first Scene, he scolded his companions for driving recklessly, so...irony?

For a while, he manages to run the garden well, using the drones.

He 'bonds' with them as he even plays cards with them like he did his friends.

This all comes to an end, however, when his ship is spotted.

Can he keep the secret?

I guess not.

He finds out why the plants were dying (not enough light) and leaves one drone to take care of them.

He decides to take the other one- which he hit- with him, since it 'can't take care of the plants.'

Instead, he launches the garden away from the main ship...

...and blows himself (and the drone) up!

Sucks to be you, red drone!

As the credits begin, we see the floating garden being tended to.  That's...something, I guess.

Hopefully those batteries never run dry.

A well-made Film- no question.  Will it be for everyone?  Most certainly not.

The Film is very much a Character Study on Bruce Dern's Lead.  The Plot is pretty barebones, essentially just seeing what leads him to turn and then how he handles it.

Dern, for his part, is great here.

The Film is often compared to 2001: A Space Odyssey (which Trumbull worked on).  I can see that, although obviously the antagonist is reversed.

I guess I was just expecting more to happen here...but it doesn't. What you see is good.  The nuance to Dern is there.  I just wanted more actual Plot.

That said, the Film looks great and did, in part, give us this...

Next up, I say a sentence that rarely ends well- 'Let's look at a Remake.'  They aren't all bad, so wish me luck!

Shudder Day: Yokai Monsters- Spook Warfare (1968)

 A Film can sometimes be sold with a summary.

This is the one I read- 'Spook Warfare tells the tale of an evil Babylonian vampire inadvertently awoken by treasure hunters, and a brave samurai that teams with the Yokai to defeat the bloodthirsty demon.'

Sold!  

Let's watch it!

Some narration tells us that a Babylonian Vampire (or Daimon) was locked up centuries ago.

In the Present (of Medieval-ish Japan), Robbers accidentally free him and he flies to Japan and kills a random Master.

He takes the man's place via magic and quickly turns his Apprentice into a Vampire too.

He has plans.
He also has a sweet Pro Wrestling Belt covered in skulls.  This would have been Papa Shango's Custom Belt if he won the WWF Title, right?

So Japan's Mythology involves lots of Yokai (or Apparitions) that represent all of the things around us.

In this case, a Water Sprite (or Kappa) sees through the disguise (as an apparition) and tries to stop him.

It doesn't work.

It gets back up from a bunch of other Yokai.

This includes a 'two-faced woman,' an umbrella Yokai, a snake lady and a clay Yokai.

This doesn't go much better than last time, with two locked up in a jar.

While they manage to stop the Daimon...or so it seems, it leaves behind the 'body' of the Lord, getting the heroic Human fighter blamed for his death.

When the Daimon takes over the new Lord, can it be stopped?

Yes, but have fun seeing how.

A fun and silly Film that also features some really dark bits.  Japan is weird.

Shocking revelation- I know.

Seriously, the Film has people straight up murdered, and people turned into Vampires.  It also has a Kappa doing schtick and a Yokai with a fat, Buddha belly falling over.

Is this a Kid's Film?
Is it a Horror Film?

Yes.

If you're a fan of the weird Films like this, I recommend this one.  It is weird, randomly bloody, funny and pretty brisk at just under 80 minutes.

If you just want straight Horror, look elsewhere.

Now line up for the Best Class Reunion Photo in History...

A weird mishmash of Horror, Comedy and Period Piece.  Japan- keep it up, you crazy bastards!

My Crazy Youth: The Time that Blue Beetle Debuted...on 'Smalliville?'

 At long last, I make use of my purchase.

Smallville's final Season was all about the last bit of worldbuilding/character setup for Superman.

So, naturally, let's squeeze the introduction of TWO MORE DC Characters into it, right near the end to boot (Episode 18 out of 22, to be exact).

While out on the Street with Lois (who is trying to get Clark to act more hidden), a young man is about to be hit by a truck!

He's saved by...Booster Gold?

Since Metropolis (yes, they're not even in Smallville on Smallville at this point) is the world's smallest City, Lois runs into the young man AGAIN and tries to help him act more confident.

This is clearly just the Warner Bros Backlot, by the way.

He leaves but has a passenger in his bag.

An artifact escaped the wrecked truck when Booster stopped it and is now on him.

To what end though?

Of course, the Episode is named 'Booster' and not 'Blue Beetle,' so she's not the main focus.

What is the main focus?
Well, it is the following subplots. 
Deep breath now...

1) Lois wants Clark to blend in before he reveals himself as Superman

2) Cat Grant wants the promotion that she and Lois are up for.

3) Booster Gold trying to coop Superman's eventual reveal and Superhero Career

4) I guess Blue Beetle, if we have time.

Is that enough Plot for 40ish minutes?

The device was found by Ted Kord (who at least appears in this Jaime Reyes Origin Story) and they manage to name drop the original Blue Beetle.

Oh, that's nice.  

What did he...oh...yikes.

Thanks for that.

Anyhow, Jaime meets Booster, who blows him off.  He doesn't know what is going to happen, since his appearance in the timeline changes things.

Reyes meets him again, only now the suit is controlling him...to kill!

Clark shows up as the Blur to save Cat Grant (see Subplot #2) and Booster uses Clark's inspirational speech to make Jaime confident enough to take control of the suit.

In the aftermath, Kord shows up- he's actually not evil, despite the last Scene implying that he was- and Jaime says that he wants to master the suit.  

Booster offers to help out training him.
They never show up again in the Series.

The End.

A good Episode, even if it was in dying need of a Story Editor.  There's just too much going on here for anything to get enough time.

The Lois-Clark Plot squeezes its way in and at least wraps up nicely.  They manage to tie it into the Cat Grant Plot, to be fair.

That said, her Plot didn't add much, other than an excuse to have her in a bikini top.  Mind you, this Show already did that with Lois in Season 5.

Bonus- this is Cat's last appearance on the Show!

I'm here for the Blue Beetle stuff and it sure gets shortchanged.  The bit with him and Lois happens right before the initial change, so that's really just one Scene.  Should we care about him as more than just a put upon teen?  Oh well.

I did like Booster here, even if it is the more cynical take on him that happened around this time.  Why can't he be fun loving and not terrible/only in it for the money?

The BB suit does look good, albeit very bulky.  That thing had to weigh over 50 lbs, unless it was all carbon fiber or something.  Kudos for doing it on a TV Budget though.

It is a bold, if badly paced and randomly timed attempt at introducing more DC Heroes.  Does it help that a famous DC Writer wrote the Script AND that Superman himself Directed it?

***And, of course***

As a little bonus, I should mention that the last one of these was from Season 1 with Amy Adams.
What could connect these 2 Episodes besides Tom Welling and the Show itself?

It is this Film...

I couldn't have planned a more random coincidence!

Tubi Thursday: 10 to Midnight (1983)

 After watching an '80s Film last week (with Rifftrax), let me stay in that Decade.

It's a completely different feel, however, as it is a Cannon Film...

The late '70s to mid '80s were all about vigilantes...who are also Cops.  This is no exception.

A man acts like a complete jerk to some ladies in a Movie Theater...    

...but sneaks out to kill a lady.

He does so while nude- save for rubber gloves- to leave no clues.

Yep, nothing could come off of a body at a crime scene.  Certainly not hair or nails.

A Cop- Charles Bronson- has a new partner- Andrew Stevens, from The Terror Within Films- know that this murder is related to a previous one.

Mind you, we are just told this, so between this and abruptly following the killer, I feel like I missed a Film.

Is there a 9 to Midnight that I have to see first?

The killer went to the Funeral and knows to look for the Diary, which has his name in it.

Of course, we saw the Cops go to look at the victim's stuff.  Is it then a surprise when they have it?

Well, it is to the killer...and the roommate, who decided to cook eggs in her '80s lingerie.  

Wait, what?

The Theater alibi holds- since they don't check into it- and the Cops won't do more, angering Bronson.

He plants the 2nd victims' blood on the guy's clothes and they arrest him.

Shockingly, his deceit is revealed and...

Bronson confesses, ending the Trial before it starts and losing his job.

Now the killer really wants Bronson's Daughter dead, so things come to a head.

The Ending is kind of forced and abrupt.

This is the big, scary Film that my Mother was freaked out by.  Weird.  And yes, that was why I added it to my Queue months ago.

It is a Cannon Film, so you know what to expect.  It thankfully has more depth than you might think.  Bronson isn't just the cliche of him that many people have based on Films he made around this time.  He doesn't deliver any monologues or anything, but he plays a real-feeling person.

The killer, likewise, gets alot of attention.  We don't really know why he kills, which is a shame.  There's a really despicable part that focuses on him getting advice to 'act crazy to escape punishment.'  His Lawyer- Character Actor Geoffrey Lewis- tells him to act like he is both Schizophrenic AND has Dissociative Identity Disorder.

In a Film with about a dozen murders in it, this is the part that bugs me the most!

The Soundtrack is great, so I can ignore the dated aspects mostly.  

Honestly, the fact that Bronson does something bad and faces consequences for it helps this one a bit for me.  

That ending though...I mean, did you have to do it?
He was naked and covered in blood, screaming about how he was going to lie and then come back for revenge.  Would that have held up in Court?

Regardless, I was expecting worse here...although now I need to check my closet for Yuppies.

Bronson was in far worse Cannon Films- by the same Director no less- after this.  If you can put on your blinders a bit, this is actually pretty good.

DVR Theater: Telepathic (?!?) Time Travel with Ricardo Montalban in 'The Wild, Wild West'

 Another Episode already?  It's only the second one ever, so, why not?

In this Episode, we see a famous Guest Star, a silly bit of 'science' and the inspiration for the Movie.

This is...

A Magician- Montalban- gets Artemus on Stage for his act and makes him disappear!

He leaves behind a sword, which West uses to track him down.

As it turns out, he was a Confederate Commander who was wounded in the War, but saved by West.  

He lost his legs, however, and hates the guy...for saving him.

He casually drops into conversation the fact that he can warp time with his mind.  That old chestnut. 

He demonstrates this by sending Jim to see Artemus in the past, where he thinks that he is someone else.

They have a fight- since Artemus doesn't 'know him' and ultimately everyone but Jim gets killed.

This guy below especially gets it.

Jim and Artemus are brought back and, apparently, death there won't kill them.  Alright.

Now that he knows that his powers work on others, he takes all of them back to the Battle of Vicksburg- where he was injured- and he's now restored.

Time to change the War...or it would be if they had more than 5 minutes left in the Episode.

Quick- have a big fist fight, get Montalban injured again and have him send our Heroes back.

The End.

It's an insane, but fun premise.  It is just too bad that the execution is so damn, well, bad.

A story like this is all about priorities.  What do you need to happen?  What don't you need to happen?
For instance, do you need 2 Scenes of the (I think) Wife acting nervous before Montalban reveals his plan?  No. 
Do you *really* need the fist fight West has before he meets Montalban?  Probably not.

As it stands, they set up Montalban for most of the Episode, reveal his Plot and simply leave no time to do it justice.  It's a shame.

In a way, it reminds me of The Final Countdown (The Film, not the Song).  They spend the whole time deciding whether or not to change history...and run out of, well, time.  They were the good guys talking about- in theory- making things better, as opposed to Montalban's plan, of course.

Complaints aside, Montalban is, as always, great.  He gets a great monologue in about his condition and how he blames West for it.  You get to see him restored (again- how that works is anyone's guess) to boot.

The main reason I watched this, however, was because they mostly based the Villain in the 1999 Film off of Montalban here (angry Confederate Commander with no legs and a plan to kill General Grant).  So, in a way, it is his fault that we got this...

I kid, I kid.  We know whose fault this was.

Next time, let's jump back to the Bottom of the Sea for an odd version of a Bottle Episode.  It shows how strange the Show can be without aliens or leprechauns.  See you then...