Tubi Thursday: The Crazies (2010)

 We're covering the Remake first this time, since Tubi is going to drop it by next week.

Will this one set a bar to be topped by the Romero original?

Let's find out...

A small town in Iowa seems nice.

Everyone is happy and having a baseball game when a strange man wanders onto the field.

The Sheriff is forced to shoot him down.

Another crazy person shows up the next day, this one having burned down his House with his family in it.

In the Station, he stands oddly still and silent *the entire time*

A tip sends them out into the nearby Swamp (in Iowa?) and they find a plane crash.

Is this the source of what is going on?

That night, the Military show up and put everyone in a Camp.

Uh oh!

If they turn out to be Giant Rats again, I'm out!

They separate some people for testing, while locking the women up separately.

After chaos at the gate (where most of the people run away), they don't notice a Crazy wandering in to kill them all.

And yes, this guy is the one responsible for the branding of the pitchfork being dragged along the floor.

They eventually run across a Government stooge- played by famous 'That Guy' Actor Glenn Morshower- and find out the secret.

Can our Heroes survive?
To find out, stream it now (just hurry if you want to see it on Tubi).

A Film that is honestly pretty darn good, even if it never elaborates on much.

This one does a decent job of making a nice, normal-looking Town and then having it go into chaos.  I would have done maybe a bit more to establish it though.

Modern Film Producers surely insist on a big Scene like the Shooting to happen early, but maybe be a bit more patient.

The titular infected- again with that term! - aren't anything more than just slightly angrier people that want to kill you with whatever is nearby.

If you're expecting more, it isn't here.

There is also one Scene where 2 Crazies can speak and plan...which seems in contrast to all of the others.

The Crazies doesn't aim for much than a Character focused series of kills and jump scares & it does deliver.  
Is that enough of a ringing endorsement?

A Remake that has all of the modern touches you'd expect.  If you expect more than what the Title promises, you'll be disappointed.

Streaming Standard: Venom- Let There Be Carnage (2021)

 A Film that was locked behind the door of 'Only Streaming on Starz' until quite recently.

Well, let there be a review!

Cletus Kassady (last seen at the end of Venom) is a Serial Killer who agrees only to talk to Eddie Brock.

Our boy Eddie doesn't get much, but Venom spots a massive clue.

So, Eddie does the only natural thing...

He breaks the story and gets all of the glory.

This is all part of a larger Plot where Eddie wants Venom to not eat people, while the symbiote, well, does want to do that thing.

These boys need a Therapist!

Eventually, Kletus and Eddie end up in close proximity and the former bites the latter.

This leads to him getting his own mutated symbiote and breaking free right before he can be executed.

He has good, dramatic timing!

Cassidy is trying to get back to his lost love- a lady based on but not named Shriek.

Can love bloom between a lady who screams sonic blasts and a symbiote/man who can't stand sonic blasts?

Can Venom and Eddie come together (quite literally) to save the day?

Is the Non-Spider-Man Sony Spider-Man Universe in good hands?

To find out, stream it now (currently on Disney +).

A Film with big characters, big moments and a big issue with pacing.

The Film has some great visual effects, with Venom and Carnage both looking quite good.  Freaky, but good.

Tom Hardy really makes himself look vulnerable as both Eddie and Venom (the voice).  It is interesting to see in a Film like this.

The issue I have is the balance of setup to payoff here.

They spend so much time setting up Kassady, Shriek and then getting together that the Film suffers a bit.  

Carnage, despite being in the Title, takes too long to show up.  Shriek suffers as well.

The Plot is just way too convenient, with somehow Eddie, the Cop, Shriek and Carnage all being intertwined in the 17th Most Populated City in the United States!
Bonkers.

In spite of its flaws, the Film has some good moments, strong visuals and, well, I can finally stop looking for it.

A Film full of interesting ideas and execution.  It's just a shame that the Pacing is just so darn weird!

Shudder Day: Ash (2025)

 After a Film that seemed to change Genres as it reached its climax, why not a Film that is consistent.

It is still weird as hell, of course, and it is...

Riya wakes up on a Ship doing Deep Space Colonization.

She remembers her friends and fellow Astronauts...but where are they?!?

As she discovers bodies, she gets flashes of images...memories.

Can she be sure what is going on?

Things escalate when Brion (Aaron Paul) shows up.

He keeps trying to get information from her and she is barely able to remember anything.

They need to know why everyone else died!

She starts to remember more...and it's not great.

Her fellow crewmates being killed...after going crazy.

She learns how one of them died before and things got even worse.

Can she make sense of things?
Can she get the answers and survive?

Are you tired of the color red yet?

In the 3rd Act, the truth finally comes out.

I... obviously won't SPOIL that for you right now.

To find out the crazy, stream it now.

A weird Film that does require a bit of patience.

There's always an Audience for a certain kind of Film.  Finding it is the key aspect here.

In this case, you need to be a fan of Slow Burn Horror and Crazy Sci-Fi.  If you qualify, this is for you!

The Film builds and builds to a strange finale involving multiple fights, fire and elective surgery.  No context for you!

Ash has a nice, synth score and lots of moody lighting.  It always feels *off* and the whole package really works.

Once I just embraced the weirdness- remember that its Director did a strange segment in VHS 99-, I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

The Movie has a weird, Indy sort of feel, which is amplified by having- no offense- a less famous Cast than originally planned.

Ash is definitely for many of you.  Just don't judge it by the, you guessed, Fake AI Trailer Image.

Not even close, Skynet!

A Film that builds in tension, atmosphere and mood lighting.  Once it is all laid out, you get some crazy fun!

Almost Heroes: Doyle (28 Weeks Later)

 As a farewell (at least until The Bone Temple gets covered) to the 28 Series, let me honor a man who almost made it.

In 28 Weeks Later, the small British Colony is watched by a series of US Snipers.
Notably, we meet Doyle...

His name is 'D' for Danny and 'oyle' for Boyle.

Renner's Soldier turns out to be nicer than the rest, refusing to shoot at the crowd when ordered to.

Instead, he breaks ranks to help the survivors.

He manages to get the shrinking group out of the military compound and into the nearby City.

He gets them inside a car when the military releases dangerous gas (apparently trying everything).

However, they still have to escape.

As such, he helps push the car into gear, knowing that the military and their flamethrowers are nearby.
He gets the car to make an exit...but doesn't get out himself.

We salute you, Doyle.
You *almost* saved the day.

In his defense, the kids do make it out thanks to him...only to be ignored entirely in 28 Years Later.
Not your fault, buddy.

Tubi Thursday: Fear Chamber (1968/1971)

 Another look at one of the final Boris Karloff Films.

This is another one of the quartet he filmed his parts for in 1968, but the Film was finally released in 1971.

The Film opens oddly with two people walking around in what's supposed to be a deep, underground cave.  They're looking for...something.

Meanwhile, the Father- Karloff- of the lady down there is on the phone with her the whole time...somehow.

After this, we get a prolonged bit where a woman goes to bed- making sure we see her in her underwear- before strangers turn her room into, well, a Dungeon.

She's scared, chased around and scared some more before coming face to face with Karloff in robes.

What's going on?

Well, here's the silly truth- they found a strange rock and the only thing it feeds on his pineal gland juices from people who are very scared.

How they found that out is anyone's guess.
Why they agree to elaborate rituals to scare, take juices from and then release women is also a good question to ask.

While this is going on, one lady is scheming and willing to do anything to get the creature's secrets.

She mentions once that the property of it is 'like diamonds.'

Now he's obsessed with 'getting diamonds' and becoming 'king of the world.'

This Film will go on.

After a lady dies- in a shorter ceremony- Karloff nearly also dies.

In the aftermath, he gets his Daughter and her boyfriend to stop working on the stuff.

The other two keep it up.

We then randomly get a lecture an hour in from Karloff to camera about how they found the creature.

...um, thanks?

Things go poorly for the scheming duo as the dumb guy 'bonds' with the creature and tries to kill her.
She's fed to the creature, while our...Heroes, I guess, try to stop it.

They manage to freeze the creature- who we still barely see- as the lab nearly burns down.

The happy couple survives with grandpa.

The End.

A Film that is confusing, salacious and just kind of bizarre.

To summarize, Scientists find a living rock and start terrifying random ladies to feed it.
Sure- why not?!?

This is the good kind of ridiculous at times, with the prolonged scare sequence being notable.  Too bad there's only one Scene like it.

The creatures is never fully in frame and just kind of exists in random, scattered closeups.
We only see a limb in the last 10 minutes.

This is the kind of crazy that had potential, but just kind of disappoints.
I wanted to love it- if only for Karloff- but I can't.  
Just like I can't love this terrible AI created image used on Tubi.

I nearly didn't watch it because of this.

A Film that starts out crazy and then just kind of peters out.  Oh well, Karloff didn't have to ever see it!

2025 Catch Up: 28 Years Later (2025)

 A Zombie Franchise that refuses to die?  Yeah- that tracks.

Danny Boyle is back after years of rights issues and rewrites.

This is...

A Cold Open introduces us to Jimmy, who has to flee from his town and family when the Infected strike.

Who is this kid?
Well...wait and see...for a while.

In 2030, the infection is somehow only in Britain (just pretend that Paris nuked itself like Boyle has suggested, I guess) and the Islands are locked off.

A family man (Quicksilver Meets Kraven) is raising his kid in a Village on one of those Islands.

They cross a small land bridge to hunt.

Their trip doesn't go too well, as the kid- Spike- doesn't like the killing of Infected.

They are also chased by a new Infected- an Alpha!

They already did this in Zombieland: Double Tap and the whole Alpha thing is not...a thing, but intensity.

Spike is unhappy that his Mom is getting worse health-wise and there's no Doctor.

He decides to break out of the Village with her to find a Doctor...that he was only told might be out there...from a story 15 years ago.

Kids r smart.

They eventually meet the strange Doctor, after being chased by more Infected and meeting a random Soldier.

Will this end well?

Speaking of ending well, this...is a bit divisive.

To find out how this all goes, stream it now.

A tale of two Films...or is it 3...or 4?

The first half of this Film works pretty darn well.
We get immersed in Island life, see the family and get the gist of things.

When they go Hunting, some interesting stuff happens.  It builds nicely.

...then we get a strange turn where the Film becomes all about Spike being, if I'm honest, kind of a jerk.  He's a kid, yes, but I can still judge his action, since they were written by smart adults.

His plan is not great.  His attitude is terrible.  His life skills...are lacking.

Ralph Fiennes is thankfully quite good in this, bringing some life and nuance to the 2nd half.  Does he also bring many not fully explained Plot Points and possible Plot Holes?  Also, yes.

Without full SPOILERS, the Movie is a blatant setup for The Bone Temple (and possibly more).  It just kind...of...stops.

Like the heads of random people in this Film, I'm torn.
I liked part of it.  I didn't really 'vibe' with the rest of it.

I'm a bit annoyed that they just ignored all of 28 Weeks Later, but, again, I'm not mad.

A Film with so much promise and lots of time 'in the oven.'  That said, it is all over the place in Pacing, Tone and Story.

Shudder Day: Marshmallow (2025)

 A Film getting really mixed reactions on Shudder.

Let me be the one to see where the truth lies!

This is...

A sad kid named Morgan is not doing well.

On top of his shyness, he watches a family member die.

Oh, and he also has freaky nightmares that involve drowning.

That's probably nothing, right?

Well, time to go to Summer Camp!

This one is not as bad as Sleepaway Camp, but the Counselors are only slightly better than Camp Crystal Lake's ones.

They tell the kids the tale of a Doctor who used to own a Cabin where the Camp now is.  He did freaky Dr. Frankenstein stuff.

Well, anyways, go to sleep, kids!

Morgan is recovering an accident and doesn't drink his hot cocoa.

He sees a strange person in a mask wandering around.

Is that the Doctor from the story?
Is it...real?!?

The kids must gather together and figure out what is going on.

Can the save themselves and the other kids?

To find out, stream it now.

A Film that starts out strange, gets pretty cliche and then goes pretty insane.

For starters, why is it called Marshmallow?  I think it relates to a Plot Point involving hot cocoa...maybe.

Getting past the Title issue, the Film does a good job of feeling real.  The kids feel real and the Counselors are relatable.
Is the Film full of cliches?
Well, yes...but so is life.  Boom!

Anyhow, the Film takes quite a few strange turns- that I won't SPOIL- and really makes you go 'Oh...interesting.'
I'm not 100% sure I follow it- and I get Tenet- but I appreciate the ideas.

If you're looking for a normal, Summer Camp Horror Film, look elsewhere.
If you want something odd, this is for you.

A Film that builds and builds to something strange.  How you feel about the direction it goes will vary.