Import/Export: The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009)

 The Sequel that we never got in America!

This is The Girl Who Played with Fire, the 2009 Sequel to, well, the 2009 Film.  They rushed these ones out in quick succession for whatever reason.

It is at least better than the time that Ringu (aka The Ring) and Rasen were in Theaters simultaneously!

This time, Lisbeth is the one in trouble and Michael is trying to save her.  Of course, she's all about saving herself, so it is more of a team effort...even if they don't meet for most the Movie.

She's framed for murder, while the Millenium group (not from the Fox Show, mind you) are also working a case involving sex workers.
Are they related?  Nah!  Surely not!

To see how the Story continues on Film away from American shores, read on...

The Plot involves the return of Mr. Burman, aka the guy put in charge of Lisbeth who, well, you know what happened.

Who is this giant man?
Why isn't he Dolph Lundgren (which nearly happened)?

Lisbeth has been jotting around the World with the money she stole from the bad guys.

In a bit that sort of showed up in the Remake, she confronts Burman about seeking to have his tattoo removed.

Her holding this gun, as you can imagine, proves to be a bad idea.

She also reunites with her sort-of girlfriend, who you may remember from that one Scene in the last Film where she's woken up in bed by the arrival of Michael.

She has a name, a backstory and...she's in trouble, isn't she?

Elsewhere, Michael and the Millenium team are investigating a sex trafficking ring, which is somehow not the darkest part of this Film.

Their young Reporter/Researcher and his girlfriend are killed at home, however, and the murder weapon is Burman's gun.

Did he do it?  Yeah...no.

Instead, Lisbeth is framed for the murders, since her prints are on the gun.

Of course, there's zero motive for her to kill the reporters and the Cops know it.  They also don't care, since they're Cops.

Lisbeth- who had a hidden apartment bought with stolen money- works the case, even stopping to do her best Dead Presidents cosplay to interrogate this guy.

Dead Presidents?  Anyone?

This guy named Paolo is approached by Michael, since he used to be friends with Lisbeth.  He asks her to keep an eye on the girlfriend and his timing is impeccable.

She's kidnapped and he follows.

He fights the giant guy- since he's a Boxer- but loses when the guy won't go down.  He narrowly escapes the burning building with Lisbeth's lady.

Michael keeps working the case, but he gets a lead when Lisbeth accidentally leaves a key when she visits her girlfriend.

He finds her place- since he's a researcher- and she lets him stay.

He finds out about her past with Burman and just who the bad guy behind this whole thing is.

It's Lisbeth's Dad aka the guy she burned (apparently) not to death when she was a kid.

Burman approached him- not knowing his identity- about killing Lisbeth and things fell into place.

The dude looks like old Biff Tannen and is actually more evil!

He has captured Lisbeth- as his henchman literally feels no pain- and buries her alive after shooting her.

It doesn't stick.

She nearly dies, but also maims him as Michael finally arrives.
The (oh, that's it) End.

A solid, intense Film that takes a while to eventually tie together.

Taking the Plot in this direction is an interesting one, as it becomes a personal tale this early.  You wonder what inspired Larsson to go this direction.

Obviously, we won't ever know.

This Story really fleshes out Lisbeth's backstory and makes it more interesting.  It's a risk doing this, as we've seen with The Joker and other Origin Stories for iconic characters surrounded by mystery.

It's also risky to make the villain end up being her Father.  It's easy to make it feel like a Soap Opera.

It works here with her backstory and the guy playing the Father does a good, subtle job at being evil.  He's not full on 'stroking a cat in a spinning chair' evil, but he's clearly a bad guy!

Rapace does a great job with limited screentime here, maximizing every minute.  Nyquist as Michael is also great here, getting more to do and getting into his personal life as well.

I'd say that this one is on par with the first one.  The difference- the first Film surprised everyone and this one has to live up to that.

Remember that Paolo guy? 
He is a real Boxer playing a fictional version of himself...and he apparently didn't know that 'he' was in the Book until he was approached to be in this Film!

Next up, the final Film in the Trilogy.  Will it come to a major head...or leave you wondering why the Story is so well-regarded?  Stay tuned...

Forgotten TV: 'The Outer Limits' and the Perils of Revenge!

 This week, we look back at a 1997 Episode of The Outer Limits.

In this one, a scientific breakthrough, tragedy and the least subtle moral of all time are on the menu.

This is...

In the (very) Cold Open, two men bring a man back to life after he was frozen!

A bold start- let's see where it goes from here.

The man- Twin Peaks' Michael Ontkean and Stephen Lang (below)- tell the man what they have done, but also break the other news.

He's only going to live for a few days (but it's a start).

As they expected, he doesn't last as long as they would hope for.

Meanwhile, Lang has been largely absent from his family's life and so the Wife talks to Ontkean about this, finding a friendly ear.

While he's figuring out what to do about the process and how to improve it, Lang is robbed by a stranger (Jason Priestly) and killed by him when he struggles to take the gun from him.

Naturally, his pal takes him back inside and uses the machine on him.

He's back to life, but knows that he has very little time to spend with his family.

As such, he tries to spend his final 48 hours with them.

However, he lives in a very small town (apparently) and spots Priestly going into a Gym.
He tracks the guy down and kills him on the streets.

Don't feel bad for Jason, he got to Direct the Episode too.

Good news- Ontkean tells him that the process is working better on him (since he wasn't frozen) and he'll live!

Bad news- he was seen killing the guy and his story (as the research is secret) is hard to believe.  Will he spend the rest of his newfound life in jail?

This is where we end and there's no Sequel Episode, so...yes?

The best Sci-Fi Morality Tales really make you smack your head in frustration, don't they?

The Story is a good one, if very focused.  I suppose that helped keep the budget low to compensate for what I assume was a very expensive prop in the form of the SMR (revival) machine.

Speaking of that, they just kind of hand wave how it works (and apparently misspell a medical term) here.  Oh, well- the device itself is not the focus.

They do a good job with both Leads, showing the (somewhat understandable) focus of the one guy over everything else.
To be fair, we don't find out much about the other guy, so maybe he's single and has no attachments.

The moral is clear- revenge doesn't do anyone any good.
On the plus side, they will presumably have to then present their fully functional device that can restore the dead (who aren't inhabited by alien ghosts)!

With this Show ending up on various Streaming Platforms (like Prime) over the last few Decades, I wonder if anyone has pulled an Episode and said 'Hey- that's my butt on TV!'

Is that you, David?

An Episode that uses a Sci-Fi premise to tell a pretty simple Morality Tale.  That said, it was still pretty darn good.

Shudder Day: Sea Fever (2019)

 In spite of living on a peninsula, I'm not much of a 'go on a boat' guy.

That said, Films like this remind me that maybe it is for the best.

This is...

Siobhan is a Marine Biologist who is studying for her Education.

As part of that, she must work on a boat to get firsthand experience.

Things are awkward enough- a tightknit crew welcoming in a stranger- but she's also a redhead.

They go out to Sea, but there's clearly some tension already.  Money is tight and they need this haul to go well.

This leads the Captain- almost Wolverine once Dougray Scott- to go into an area that's off-limits, hoping to catch more.

Instead, they are caught by...something!

They send Siobhan down to check the water around the ship, thinking that it is barnacles.

As you can tell, she's thrilled about this.

It turns out to be the tendril of some sort of strange creature, like a jellyfish or a squid.

She spots a ship nearby and goes to it with two of the crew.

In case you didn't know, we are in full The Thing territory, so the nearby group are all dead.

Things get bad on the ship as one of the crew gets infected and acts strange.

He dies and the risk of infection is now clear.

Siobhan wants them to wait 36 hours to make sure that nobody is infected.

The trip back to the mainland is slowed down and now we go full The Thing with the group testing the others.

Who is infected?
Who will die?

To find out, stream it now.

A slow burn Horror Film, which is ironic given how much water is always on screen.

The Film does a nice job of setting up the 'world' of the Film with its characters, setting and intrigue.
You get why people make the choices that they do.

Things happen really organically, as well.  It is nice to see.

The creature of the Film (teased on every other Poster than the one I picked) is an interesting one.  This is another case of an animal as the 'villain' by way of it just doing what it does naturally (pun fully intended).

There's no evil monologue or big reveal- it is just a creature.

The conflict comes from how the people react to it, the situation and each other.
And yes, it does somewhat borrow that from The Thing as well.

All of that said, this one is a recommendation for those looking for a more nuanced and less visceral Film.
And no, it's not about this thing...

Seriously, who made this?!?

A Film about what happens when everyone starts to make bad choices.  Nature is not always there to help you out either.

Tubi Thursday: Godzilla vs Space Godzilla (1994)

 After a disappointing (but not terrible) Film last week, I wanted someone more reliable.

As such, let's jump back one Film from my last Godzilla Review and see how he battles a threat...from SPACE...Space...space...

This is Godzilla.

He's living on an Island, but G-Force wants to take him down.

A man named Yuki is really wanting him dead, even going so far as to make a 'magic bullet' to stop him!

This is Space Godzilla.

He's a crazy monster formed from Godzilla's cells exposed to radiation in space and combined with space cyrstals.

I have no follow-up questions.

After spending a bit of time setting up Yuki and Godzilla's rivalry (and the other Characters, I guess), the first match-up takes place.

Due to Space Godzilla's high reaction rolls, it injures Big G with his own blasts!

He also takes Little Goczilla (or Jr) away for maximum pathos.

Why it has a tractor beam is never quite explained.

Things are so bad that they bring out MOGERA, a Mech last seen in 1957's The Mysterians to battle it.

If you know the Band that based its name on said Movie, I hope you're enjoying your Medicare Part B Plans.

It all leads up to a prolonged showdown between the two creatures in a crystal-filled Tokyo.

Godzilla needs help, so Yuki and the others use MOGERA (split and together) to help turn the tide and the creature is defeated.

Yuki is (mostly) over his hatred now.
The End.

A pretty enjoyable Godzilla Film all around.

To be fair, some of the digital effects and use of a green/blue screen are...not always great.  Most work fine though.

Watching Space Godzilla fly around like a kite was unintentionally funny too.

I like the design of Space Godzilla.  How did he miss out on a return in Final Wars?
The bad guys were literally Space Aliens, after all!

The Human Plot was pretty interesting as well, with a newer focus on the lady having mental powers like telekinesis and Yuki's whole Arc.  It's not a letdown and it doesn't leave you wanting an immediate return to the Kaiju Action.

My only real critique, I guess, is that the fight between the two title Characters is mostly just blasting and standing still surrounded by crystals.  There must have been a way to make that more dynamic.

I think that maybe Godzilla's suit was getting worn out though, as shown by the tail in many Scenes.

Regardless, I still enjoyed this one a lot and now I need it on the best format ever- Laser MFing Disc!

The semi-finale to the middle run of Godzilla Films still holds up.  We need more of this two-horned Godzilla foe!

Shudder Day: Intruder (1989)

 As I near the middle of a long week of work, how about a Slasher set in a Store?

I've somehow never seen this Cult Classic, so let's check out...

In a small California town, a Grocery Store is engrossed in drama as one of their Employees has an ex-boyfriend show up and he's violent.

He's forced to leave and surely the drama ends there. 

They find out that the Store is going to be sold at the end of the Month.

The Staff isn't happy.
The Co-Owner (middle) is also not on board, but he has no choice.

What happens for the next hour or so is that the Staff all split up to do their jobs (like marking down all of the items).

As someone who has done 2 Store Closings, I get this.

I like Ted Raimi's chances of survival here.

Meanwhile, the ex-boyfriend (Craig) lingers about and seems to make his way in.

Oh, so he's the Intruder (not this one, Joe Bob) then.

The body count finally starts to rise.

If you've found this Movie in any form of physical media, you'll see it listed as Starring Bruce Campbell (who plays a Cop in the last Scene) and Sam Raimi.

The latter is the Butcher, who does not much until getting hung up on his own petard...I mean, meat hook.

Can our Final Girl stop the crazed killer?
Will you find a version that doesn't SPOIL who that is?

Well, here's one.

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

An enjoyable Slasher Film that checks all of the boxes.

Technically, Joe Bob doesn't quite agree, but that's all good.

The Film doesn't feature a bunch of big names.  It doesn't break the mold plot-wise.
The Title is also generic, but that was by design from the Distributor.

Given the setting and tone, I'd have gone with 10 Kills or Less.  Just saying.

Intruder, however, hits all of the right beats and has its own little quirks.

At worst, it is a bit cliche.
At best, however, it gives you everything you'd want out of a Slasher Film that is not part of a Franchise.

That and weird ass shots like the POV of...a Phone Receiver?!?

A fun Slasher Film that takes a bit to get going.  If you go into it looking for all of the tropes and a good time, they are both here.

Forgotten TV: 'The Outer Limits' Inspired Amazon's 'Upload?'

 Another Episode of this classic 1990s Show is up.

This time, it is an Episode about a man trying to help those suffering from various levels of brain death.
Can he help his 'Sleepers' as he goes to...

In the Cold Open, a man goes into a Coma and then leaves his room after waking up in the Hospital.

He goes down a hallway, but then sinks into quicksand!

A Scientist- Ralph Macchio- is studying people who are suffering from brain damage and aren't 'awake' in the conventional sense.

He thinks that he's making headway, but he needs another Patient.

A woman who is brought in meets the man in the strange Hallway.

She goes through the door- which he was afraid to- and discovers a small world made out of a combination of her memories and his.

I mean, he's not actually dead, but...this is a bit like 'Upload,' no?

Desperate to get results, Macchio drugs himself into a state where he can sync up with them.

After a few attempts, he's able to communicate with them and offer to bring them back.

He brings one man back...but then he dies.

He turned out to have a heart condition, but still.

He's told not to go near the patients- in the wake of a lawsuit- but he doesn't.

He goes back 'in' and guides the other Patients out 'the door' and they wake up.

Unfortunately, he's not able to get out.

He's all alone (provided you ignore the Crew Member in the background), but is determined to find his own way out.

The End.

A strong and endearing Episode really anchored by Macchio.

The idea is pretty simple- a guy is trying to save people in a strange environment.  He uses science that sounds close enough to ours to not be hard sci-fi (so no warp drives, etc), but also with enough leeway to be something plausible for the story.

As noted, there have been many Shows and Movies that have touched upon/sounded like this one.  Even so, the simple explanation here works.

You don't get too deep into lore and anyone can follow this.

There's just enough here for the hour long runtime to hook you, but not be so dense that it might lose you.

All in all, this is a simple, yet effective tale that never got a Sequel (which a few of these did).

I should also mention that the Lead Guy in the, well, coma group was once a very young Superman in 1978...

Next time, some people manage to find a workaround for death.  I'm sure that there's no danger there!  See you then.