International Streaming Standard: Troll (2022)

 As someone whose parents use his Netflix Account more than he does, I owed it to myself to clear at least one Film out of my Queue.

A Foreign Creature Feature that reminds me of an underrated Found Footage Movie?
You fit the bill!

Before this gets a Sequel this Year, let me finally check out...

The Film begins by introducing us to a young lady and her Dad.

He tells her folk tales about how the Mountains used to be Trolls.

Aw.

20 years later, she's a Paleontologist working on a dig.

Elsewhere, a mining expedition ends in a big explosion and she ends up working the case.

What does she find?

Well, the Title is kind of a giveaway, no?

It turns out to be a Troll and it broke loose when they dug too far into the mountain.

Without a body to prove it, she's...still pretty sure about things.

She goes to get her Father, who has not done well in the last 2 Decades.

He's living alone in the Mountains, has a Ted Kasinski beard and meets people with a shotgun in hand.

They discover that, yep, a Troll is on the loose.

What does the Military do?

Try to destroy it- duh!

As you can guess, it doesn't work.

Otherwise, the Movie would be less than an hour long!

They have to try a few different things as the truth about the Troll is eventually revealed.

To find out what happens, stream it now.

A strong creature feature that had something really great- heart.

This Film gives you everything you're hoping for.

Strong Characters.
A cool Creature.
A solid Plot.
Big moments.

The Plot and Characters really shine as they get little hints of depth that make them feel real.  Likewise, the Plot helps everyone look better here.

Our Heroine is still kind and caring, even if there's a giant 'monster.'

At worst, I'll say that you'll probably guess some of the Plot beats, as the Film plays a bit into some cliches and conventions.

That said, they are conventions because they work, right?

If you haven't yet, check this one out.  There's sure to be more coming...

A Foreign Film that is sure to impress international audiences.  It never breaks the mold, but, hey, it's a nice mold, after all.

Tubi Thursday: The Flesh and Blood Show (1972)

 Let's jump back to the '70s to see a Film that sort of revolutionized the Genre.

Granted- the Genre didn't exist at the time, but still.

It is...

A man shows up at two ladies' apartment with a knife wound.  He asks for help and works his way inside.

He falls over and...

It was a fake.  Womp womp.

He's an Actor and so are they.

They are part of a makeshift troupe (with Stage Actors and some down on their luck Movie Actors) hired to do a Play.

They have to practice and live together for the next week.

Tensions run a bit high with some of them, with the constant practice not making things better.

One couple is conflicted when the guy won't stop looking at another Actress.

That night, there's a scream and one of the Actresses goes missing.

The Police are called, but the body is missing and the Cops think that it was a prank.

They bring in a new Actress and meet up with an old man in town too.

Lots of wandering around though.

Given that it is the '70s, they just needed a talking dog.

A few of them get picked off, but are thought to be missing.

They eventually figure out that there is a connection between this Theater and the old man from earlier.

A practice with the remaining group is interrupted...

...and we get the prolonged explanation via flashback.

The guy was doing Othello, discovered that his wife was cheating on him with his Co-Star and buried the pair alive in the bowels of the Theater.

Wrong Shakespeare, but you do you!

In the aftermath, the Cops arrest him (as they figured things out), we get everything explained and then we're out on a semi-META line.

The End.

A Film that, while not great, was ahead of its time.

If you didn't spot the connection, the Film is similar to many of the early Slasher Films. Those were all whodunnits (before just being versions of a Jason Voorhees killer for a while).

There's a clear throughline from this 1972 Film to, say, 1980's Prowler (especially with the older, revenge driven killer) or 1981's My Bloody Valentine.

This one doesn't have the style or grace of other Films that would define the early Slasher prototypes, of course. 
This isn't Halloween or Blood and Black Lace.

The Pacing is not great here and it is a bit of a test of one's ability to keep interested at times.  It isn't done badly- it is just not done all that excitingly.

The Film had a unique gimmick- as seen on the Poster- with the Flashback bit being in 3-D.  Of course, the digital print is not in 3-D, but you do still get the notice...

A Film that is notable for doing many things that far more famous Films would do later.  If only it did them more interestingly here, this would be less of a Cult Film.

Streaming Standard: Justice League- Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part One

 It's the end of their world(s) as we know it...and I feel fine.

After many years, some good cartoons and many others, the DCAU ended with a bang...or three.  I figured that it would make sense to see how this Series ended before DC's new Film Series (properly) begins.

Crisis on Infinite Earths was a huge event in the mid-80s, designed to streamline the continuity.  That was needed when it was made up of multiple timelines and Planets.

There was literally a Planet where WWII never ended.  Yikes.

This is The Flash.
He's the Fastest Man Alive.

He's just run so fast that he's broken out of time.

What does that mean exactly?

Well, simply put, he jumps around the entire Movie between a number of places and times.

One moment, he's on Earth-3 with evil Justice League Members.
The next, he's meeting up to form his own Justice League.

Is this confusing?  Yes.
Is this clever?  Eh...I'll let you decide that.

The team is formed when a robot is released that is far too powerful and dangerous for one (or two or three) of them to take down alone.

During all of this, Flash meets, falls in love with and marries Iris West.

She's pretty chill with all of this.

The whole thing builds up to a wave of matter that seems to be striking all of the different worlds in the DC Multiverse.

Heroes from all over are united by a being known as The Monitor.

This all leads up to a very old Flash (alongside Iris and Amazo's head) building a device that can stop the wave.

He dies peacefully...but there's still two more of these...so guess how well this all works out.

To be continued...

A very experimental attempt to adapt a classic tale...that only sort of works.

Look- Christopher Nolan has done a confusing Film about time travel.

It was Tenet.
It wasn't The Dark Knight.

This whole thing is just needlessly complicated and just kind of confusing.

Does a time-hopping Barry work to flesh out the Story better?  No.
Could you have told this in order?  Yes.

This one has some good action in it- the Amazo fight, for instance- but is just too annoying for me.

Despite how things might look, I'm not a Marvel Fanboy who hates or generally dislikes DC.
I want something like this to be fun, epic and amazing.

It...wasn't.
It had moments, but is otherwise just a build up for two more Animated Films that will hopefully make me feel better than this.

A needless complication for, let's be honest, an already complicated Story.  I wanted to love this so much more.

Impossibly-Cool Cover Art: The Thaw (2009)

 I doubt I'll make an excuse to talk about this one again anytime soon, so why not highlight 2 Posters I found it?

Why not?!?

This first one is very cool, but also highly misleading! 

Neat.

That said, 'From the Makers of The Evil Dead'

That means the 1981 Film, since the Remake came out later.
So, which 'Makers' worked on this one?  Raimi?  Campbell?

NOBODY!
NOT ONE!

You know that I spent way too long checking this, figuring that it would be a Best Boy or a Gaffer.
NOTHING!

*

The next one is pretty cool too, featuring a similar visual...

I like the bleak contrast with the black and white...and then the reddish body in front.

It reminds me of The Thing, which that font choice might be aping a little bit.

That said, great stuff and not really a sell for THIS Movie.
Good Movie though.

Animondo: Suicide Squad Isekai (2024)

 Anime has been in short supply on this site in recent memory.

Let me fix that, with a Review of a very, very weird Show I saw on Hulu...

Amanda Waller has a new assignment for her 'team.'

A Portal to a strange new world has opened.

So, naturally, she sends the worst of the worst criminals in there.

I guess it is more about them being disposable and less about diplomacy.

It turns out that the Kingdom is under conflict.

The Elves are the ruling class, thanks to their magic.

The Monsters- Orcs, Lizardmen and the like- are rebelling...thanks to the help of some outside forces.

What is Ratcatcher I (II is the daughter) doing here?

It turns out that a previous trip into the Portal ended in Colonel Flagg being stuck there and his Squad- which included Ratcatcher and others- messed things up by their presence.

Time for our 'heroes' to take out some bad guys...even if the Elves don't respect them.

Can they stop the magical people in this land?

The presence of other villains- like The Thinker, Killer Croc and Enchantress- is not helping matters!

Of course, it wouldn't be an Anime without a crazy villain.

They've got one.

Crazy power-up sequence?  Check as well.

To find out how things work out (and set up a Season 2), stream it now!

A Show that I grew to like the more it went on.  By the finale, I was hooked...and now I'm out of Episodes.

Dang!

The Show is certainly odd, especially for someone who doesn't watch nearly as much Anime as some people I know.  I've always liked it, but never as much as more traditional American Cartoons.

That said, this one is really fun.

It plays with the Meta aspects here, as Clayface is aware that he's 'acting' in an Isekai Story.  
If you don't know, it means 'Other World' and they all involve a guy (usually) being sent to a strange land...and being super-powerful.

Somehow a normal person is nearly a God, so it is a bit of a power fantasy.

This one works by giving you a very diverse Cast of crazy Characters, making the world even crazier and watching them react.

If you're more of an Anime fan, you may be more numb/used to the silly stuff.  That said, you might also get more of the jokes about Anime Tropes, so...win-win?

A nice win for DC when it comes to this group, because, well, they needed one!

Come for the DC Characters you know (and somewhat like).  Stay for the Japanese insanity and Meta jokes.

Tubi Thursday: The Thaw (2009)

The late Val Kilmer was in many great Films.

Is this 2009 Film one of them?

Let's find out...

Up in the Arctic, a group of Scientist is studying the affects of Global Warming.

They go to study a Polar Bear and make a great discovery...or is it a dangerous one?

After the Credits, they are all freaking out, the bear is dead and the Guides are gone.

What is going on?

A group of Students- and the Pilot- come up to the Site.

So why did Kilmer tell the Pilot not to bring his Daughter?

They find the dead bear and the Pilot gets bit.

Still think taking Selfies in front of dead bears is cool?!?

As tensions grow and questions mount (with the crew not back at base), things only get worse.

One of the ladies gets bitten and then the lady from the dig shows up...and dies.

Does it relate to this strange and (hopefully) miraculous discovery of a thawed out wooly mammoth in the ice?

What dangers lie inside?

Can our Heroes figure out what the danger is?
Can they stop it?

To find out, stream this bleak Film now.

A Film that sure isn't a fun watch.  That's not to say that it is bad.

The Plot is just bleak, dark and nobody is happy.

In many ways, the Film is similar in tone and setting to The Thing (the 1982 original- to be clear).

I should note that Val Kilmer isn't in this Film much.  He's definitely the face used to sell this one.
He's good in what he does, but he just has very limited screen time.

Aaron Ashmore- the older twin - is good here though.  He's mostly just reacting to stuff, but he's good.

The limited showing of the creatures is a wise one, as you never get too used to them.  Plus they are more freaky than scary, so this was the right call.

All in all, Thaw is a darn good Thriller that builds up nicely.  It's worth a look if you like these bleaker, more 'realistic' Thrillers.

It also inspired a unique form of 'Fan Art...'

A Film that isn't going to make you happy, but it will make you think.  It's not super-inventive, but very solid.

5,200nd Post Celebration: The Time That 'Smallville' Had TWO Superman Actors Together

 Another number achieved and something special to cover.

I thought long and hard about this one, considering a number of ideas.
Then I remembered my recent purchase of Smallville's 2nd Season.

Oh right- that Episodes to cover.

Clark has dreams of exploring this cave full of strange writing.

It was the main Plot this Season, setting up the answers of his past.

His dreams are a distraction.

You see, this High School Student (yeah, sure) has to put together his Family Tree.

I wonder if this Plot will parallel the other one.

Thanks for blocking my shot, Extra.

He's drawn to a 'key' (a metal piece) that will reveal the truth.

The last time someone did that, they got shot into space with Ryan Reynolds (albeit briefly).

This time- he's zapped with knowledge right though the, well, everything.

There's a B-Plot with Lana and Chloe.

Even ignoring the whole NXIUM thing with the latter Actress, do you care if I skip it?

I didn't think so.

Now why is the Restaurant made up like an Egyptian tomb?!?

After Chloe writes a story about the strange marking on their barn (burned in by a mind-influenced Clark), a mysterious man invites him to meet him.

He promises to share truth with him.

Dr. Virgil Swann (named after legendary Writer Curt Swann) is played by Christopher Reeve.

He would make one more appearance in Season 3, which I'll likely cover later.

Besides Fan Service, what does he share?

He has the message sent with Clark's pod, telling him his real name and that of Krypton itself.

Swann just wants to help and he surely does.

This inspires Clark to work with his Dad to reactivate the pod.

The automated message tells him that he'll be 'a God' on this Planet and it is his job to rule it.

Clark rejects it and Dad agrees...but both are still nervous, setting up the rest of Season 2.

The End.

A really strong Episode by a really great Cameo at the end.

It's crazy to think just how long Reeve has been gone.  I still remember when we lost him.

Seeing him here is obviously not the same as if his life hadn't turned out the way it did.  That said, he didn't feel pity for himself, so I shouldn't either.

In a way, this appearance is stronger for how well he did.  He's obviously unable to move around, so he has to emote everything with his face and voice.

The man was a good Actor and this proved it.

The rest of the Episode is honestly still pretty good as well, with the usual melodrama, angst and B-Plot.  It's a rare one without a villain or a ticking clock.

The most you get is a Scientist being 'data blasted' into a coma by a space rock.  Have I mentioned that Comics (and Comic Book Shows) can be weird sometimes?

In closing, it was really great to revisit this one.  Plus, the DVD version didn't cut out the (not cheap, for a change) plug for his Foundation.  It is still running and helping out others in 2025.

An Episode that is arguably most famous for one Scene near the end.  Even so, it is a great Scene and, honestly, a pretty good Episode of TV otherwise.