Shudder Day: The Taking of Debra Logan (2014)

 After watching that Documentary on Found Footage, I decided to give a few Films from that one a chance.

In this case, it is a much-lauded FF Film from 2014 that blends Story Genres...while still playing all of the hits.

A young woman decides to make her PhD Thesis on the Study of Alzheimer's Disease and how it affects people.

Sarah Logan- in need of money and help- gets her Mother Deborah to agree to the Documentary.

Notably, this one doesn't give us the 'Their Footage Was Found and they were Lost' kind of text.

As such, we can see stuff clearly added in post, like a B-Roll about how said Disease is so deadly.

For instance, it made this lady look like she just saw Samara crawl out of her TV.

This is either fake or someone consented to put this in a Film, so I'm good.

Due to how the Disease is affecting her, Deborah is alternately friendly and wary of the Crew (of 3 people).

Her behavior is unpredictable, but not dangerous...yet.

Since this is a 'Documentary,' we, of course, have to watch them set up Cameras.

That's a key part of every Documentary and not just an excuse for not at all subtle foreshadowing.

As the days go on, Deborah gets stranger and stranger.

Weird stuff happens to her and around her, but, you know, they don't call anyone but Doctors (when she hurts herself).

Windows that are nailed shut just fly open and the lady levitates on camera...but just keep shooting, gang!

Is Deborah going through the sad and often sudden slide from a brain disease/disorder OR is there more at play?

As they learn more about her past (and that of the area), questions are raised.

Is she...possessed?

Things get freakier and freakier.

Deborah seems to mutate and become quite violent.
Secrets about her family's past come to light.

Lots of running around and doing everything at night.

Can they figure out how to fix things or is it too late for everyone involved?

To find out, stream it now (also on Tubi, apparently).

A Film that is actually quite good, when it is not doing all of the usual cliches.

I'm not a fan of the 'Run Around in the Dark with just a Flashlight' bits in any of these Films.
It is a cheat.  A way to not show things.

I won't SPOIL the finale of the Film for you, but I will say that it would have been far less annoying to watch if it happened during the daytime.

So much happens in the dark when it doesn't need to (save for cutting the Budget down).

When you do get to see stuff, it is effective, creepy and usually quite good.

More of that please!

It is a tentative recommendation from me here.

The good stuff is really good.
The annoying stuff is...quite present throughout.

At this point, you're probably sick of me and my big mouth...

A Film that is genuinely upsetting and freaky throughout.  If they had just made this like a normal Film, I'm 100% on board.

Should You Bother?: X-Men- Days of Future Past- The Rogue Cut

Back in 2014, I remember seeing this one in a Theater.  It was great.
It was a big, ridiculous Movie in all of the best ways.

In 2015, Fox put out a second cut which added Rogue into it (besides just her ending Cameo).
I never saw that.

Cut to 10 years after that came out and I got the Blu-Ray (and Digital) at a Goodwill.

Let's get a quick recap in there, since this is not an official Review...

In the year 2023, things are bad.  Not our kind of bad, mind you, but the World is mostly devoid of life, Mutants are in Camps and the Sentinels run everything.

A group of mutants- Storm, Wolverine, Professor X and Magneto- team up with another group- Kitty Pryde, Blink, Sunspot, Bishop, Colossus and Iceman- for a risky gambit (no pun intended).

They can send someone back in time to stop the event that led to the Sentinels being made.

That means sending Wolverine- who can survive the experience- back into his younger body.  He must get a burnt-out Xavier, Beast and Magneto to stop Mystique for accidentally setting things in motion.

Can they do it?

In a nutshell, it's a convoluted way to get the current X-Men Cast- from First Class- and the OG X-Men together in a Film.

As for this Cut...

Should You Bother?

At first, things don't feel that different.

It is a few little things, like Wolverine doing more in his 1973 Intro, a second F-Bomb being dropped and slightly different versions of other Scenes.

We also meet Quicksilver's Sister...but also hear about another Sister?

Is that Polaris?  Who knows?!?

Eventually, we get to the meat of it.

In both Cuts, Kitty is slashed inadvertently by Wolverine and hurt.

In the Theatrical Cut, she gets iced up by Bobby and soldiers on.

In this Cut, Iceman leads a mission- with Xavier and Magneto- to rescue Rogue and bring her there.

Unfortunately, that ends in Iceman's death- in footage repurposed for later in the Theatrical Cut- and the X-Mansion being destroyed.

The Rescue is crosscut with 1973 Magneto breaking into a Government Building to get his helmet.
This Film loves crosscutting.

We also get more Mystique, as she goes from the Airport to the Mansion.
She gets a nice moment with Beast, but has ulterior motives.

She breaks into the basement and destroys Cerebro.

She's thorough.

I honestly wonder why they cut this at all.

As for Rogue- who this Cut is named after- she drains Kitty and takes over.
We get a line of dialogue from 1973 Wolverine (a great car!) where he knows this...somehow.

Other than that, her role is just to be there.
That's it.

It does lead to a change- Kitty pulls Magneto into the Base, as opposed to Blink doing it in the Theatrical Cut.

Yea?

Otherwise, it is still mostly the same Movie.

Verdict: Yes

While not as notable as other Director's Cuts I've covered, this one adds many good moments.

The main selling point- Rogue is in this- doesn't amount to too much in the grand scheme of things.
I enjoyed rewatching this one for the first time in years (I must have rented it at some point between 2014 and 2024!).

Even so, I joked to myself about how long it was until Rogue was even mentioned (about 90 minutes).  The way her stuff is added was well done- it just wasn't like she suddenly got a Character Arc or anything.

The changes improve the Movie.
The changes don't drag the Pacing down.

Plus, if you get the standard release of this like I did, you have both Cuts anyhow.

Don't worry- they didn't cut the 'Time in a Bottle' Scene.

A Fun, adventurous Film that gets lots of minor, but also substantial changes.  The Film is still good though.

Disaster Flix: Into the Storm (2014)

After Twister.
Before Twisters.

This is Into the Storm, a 2014 Film about, well, a storm.
This one doesn't seem to be that well remembered and that's a shame.  I remember renting this- probably around 2015- and enjoying it.

Smash cut to me spotting it this Year and realizing that I somehow didn't review it.

The Plot involves a small Town, a Cast of Characters living in or entering said Town and a massive Storm.
What it does well is make a small Cast matter with backstories, motivations and all that stuff.

When the disaster happens, you root for them and hope for the best.

Can a future Dwarf from The Hobbit and a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade survive?
To find out, read on...

In the Cold Open, a group of teens driving down a road at night run across a tornado.

It doesn't end well for them.

A group of Storm Chasers and a Docunentary Crew are trying to catch some action on Film, but it's been a dry 3 months.

With funding drying up, will a nearby Town (from said accident) bear fruit?

The key Story here is a widowed Father (Richard Armitage) and his two teenage Sons.

He has them shooting a Time Capsule video for the Town and there's tension, ever since the Mother's death.

There's also a pair of wannabe Jackass Cast Members.

They seem willing to do anything dangerous for YouTube views.

Insert Mr. Beast Joke Here.

The older Brother has a thing for this girl in School and takes his chance to get close to her.

He helps her document a factory that polluted the Town, which means missing the filming of the Graduation Ceremony.

Dad isn't happy.

The Crew is getting ready to leave Town when it starts to suddenly hail.

Now a real Storm is breaking out and they are ready to cover it.

The Brother is at the Factory when it hits the nearby area, trapping them.

Meanwhile, the Storm gets worse and worse for those outside.

Can our Heroes get the shots they need?

Can our Family survive?

Will these two guys somehow not win The Darwin Award?

To find out, watch it now.

A Film that, for as loud as it can be, came and went pretty quietly.
Its Director- Steven Quale- has only made one other Film since this, in 2017.

I remember seeing this about 10 years ago and being really impressed.  Thankfully, I feel the same way in 2024.

I should also mention that this is *mostly* a Found Footage Film.  I still like it allot!

The Film works so well because you get just enough Character Work to make you really care about the random Characters.  They are fleshed out enough without the Film being bogged down with personal drama.

The Special Effects here are great.  Even with a scrutinizing eye and 10 years later, they look amazing.  Really good work here.

If you loved Twisters, you really need to see (or revisit) this forgotten 'missing link' between Twister (which I will revisit on Blu-Ray soon) and it.

It literally has Twisters in it!

Next up, let me look one half a very specific trend from 2007.  Chomp chomp, folks!

Tubi Thursday: Wolves (2014)

 With all this talk of Jason Momoa and his DC future, why not look at a Film with him in it?

It has more DC connections than this, but I'll get to that later.

A young man- Lucas Till- is briefly our Narrator as we learn that he has some control issues, including attacking an asshole Football Player and getting too excited with his girl...and slashing her.

He awakens from a daze to find his Parents mauled and himself covered in blood, so he flees!

Not so SPOILER Alert- he's a Werewolf.

After meeting a stranger (That Guy Actor John Pyper-Ferguson), he goes to Lupine Valley.  I guess We're Werewolves, You Moron is too long to put on a Map, eh?

In a second Bar, he's watched by...Jason Momoa.

He's the big bad wolf (although that Title was taken by a 2006 Film) who runs the place.

We learn that he's one of the few Pure Blood Werewolves out there, who came over here on the Mayflower.

Werewolves vs Pilgrims?  That's a Film that needs to be made!

He decides that he needs to maintain the line and have a kid with Angelina, another Pure Blood.  The problem- she's in love with our Hero.

Oh, and it turns out that Momoa is his Dad!

There's LOTS to unpack there, no?

Can he fight off Momoa and his crew (who aren't full Werewolves, since Suits are expensive)?

Can he find true love?
Did everyone forget about that Stranger?

To find out, stream the Film now.

This one is pretty darn good, even if the Pacing and Setup is weird.

Basically, we get our Hero narrating a rush through the key parts of his life...and then he stops narrating and none of that really matters in the long run.  Oh well.

The Plot itself is good, introducing Characters at a good clip and setting things in motion nicely.  It does a nice job of actually making the payoff worth the wait too.  The Characters are fairly fleshed out, well, other than 'I'm a Drunk' Sister that is.

The big draws are Momoa and the Werewolf Suits.  Both look nice.  Weirdly, this Film got attention for the former last year when its Star appeared 'out of shape' (read: just fine) one day.  The Director referred to a conversation they had before Shooting where Jason asked if he 'needed abs and shit.'

With his bad ass presence and even more bad ass suit (see above), the answer is no.  Both look good here.  Besides, Lucas Till has the 'abs' covered in the prerequisite Beefcake Shot.  He was an X-Men after all...even if it was Havok.

Speaking of X-Men, the Writer-Director is the main Screenwriter for X-Men and X-2.  He also co-wrote Watchmen (weirdly enough, also with Stephen McHattie in it).  He also might know a thing or two about Action Films with guys in big, rubber suits...

A fun Film with some nice depth to it.  Hayter has not Directed a Film since, but they sure did leave things open for a Sequel...

Rip-Off Cover Art?: The Sand (2014)

 After just covering the 'Killer Sand Film,' I was, of course, reminded of a Film with a somewhat similar premise.

Well, I've already covered that Film and its variant Covers.

How similar are the Posters/Covers though?

Let's see...

In that one, it's one bikini girl being pulled in, while 2 more look on.

What does Blood Beach have?

It has one bikini girl with lots of people in the background, seemingly a mile away.

Similar?  Yes.
Copycat?  No.
Homage?  Maybe, but it also might be accidental.

As a bonus, here's a more gory version of the Poster made for, I'm guessing, less squeamish viewers (aka gore hounds).

I'm not judging, of course.

Ouch.

Too bad that Movie couldn't pull off any effect that dramatic.

Tubi Thursday: The Sand (2014)

 Just when you thought it was safe to NOT go back into the Water!  This 2014 Film sounds like a Parody, but it is 100% real.  

This is...

After a long night of a Graduation Party (it's supposed to be College, but...come on), our Heroes wake up hungover.  We see the first part in Video Flashbacks a la Cloverfield.

They quickly discover that the sand is deadly though.

Call Mitch!

Everyone is spread out on the Beach, one of whom, as you can see, has it far worse than anyone else.

"Good news- I'm in a Film.  Bad news- I spend the whole runtime stuck in a barrel with a dick drawn on my face."

Can our Heroes get past their personal issues to move *sigh* across 20-30 feet of sand?

Will this melodrama be worth your time?

Can they just stay off the damn sand already?!?

I'd have more to say, but...I mean, it's the Killer Sand Film.

Is this the worst trip to the beach ever?

Is this, in fact, a real Film and not a FunnyOrDie Video?

Yes and yes.  

The End.

A weird idea for a Film- no question.  Granted, I have seen Blood Beach (holy s#%t- that was 12 years ago!).  I've also seen Sand Sharks, as much as I try to forget it.

As I've said at least twice though, this feels like it can't be a real Film.  Like that clip where a Bus- and all but one rider- are decapitated by an invisible wall, you almost can't believe that there's an actual Film.  This is just, like, a clip made for a joke, right?

Nope.  Still real.

To be fair, the Actors- mostly- do try pretty hard here.  Some of them manage to cry on cue- good on ya!  The CGI is good...in small doses.  The final parts with it are...less so.  The glowing tentacles are just kind of silly.  Like I said with Blood Beach, it's almost better without a full reveal.

The Film could easily be shorter and more interesting.  I will applaud the Film for not trying to be funny and falling into the trap of adding random 'comic' victims here.  It's played 100% straight, like it or not.

At least they had a good time, even if they shot it in less than 2 weeks...

A silly-sounding Film that tries hard to be taken seriously.  Ultimately, you can only do so much in 12 days as 'The Killer Sand Film' though.

Ranking ALL of the Captain America Films!

 America has a rich history.  We've been making Films about Captain America since the 1970s, with various breaks in between.

What is the best one?

Well, a life-long fanboy with free time and a Blog is here to answer that question!

Honorable Mention: There's a Serial, but it was licensed for free (with the President of the Company at the time figuring that the Publicity was enough) to make.

It has nothing to do with the Comics, save for the name.

Now then, on with the List!

6. Captain America II- Death Too Soon: A Sequel that should have improved things.  This is the 2nd (of two) Reb Brown Films as Cap.  Now that the Origin is done, they can go all out, right?

Nope- let's spend what feels like 5 hours having him hang around a small Town to uncover the hidden bad guy (Christopher Lee).

What's with 2nd Films that pair these two?  It's this and Howling II!

5. Captain America (The Reb Brown One): Arguably worse, but also arguably better than the Sequel.

With this being an Origin (and a Backdoor Pilot), I can excuse many of the issues that also plague the Sequel.

That said, you get a more serious threat (with a letdown final fight) and the promise of him in costume doing cool stuff.  As you saw above, it doesn't deliver.

4.Captain America (1990): While it sucks in many ways, it *feels* like a promising start, at least in theory.

The Canon Films Version has many things going for it.  A good (all things considered) suit.  A good Plot (again- in theory).  The Red Skull.

It just muddies all of that up (Skull is an Italian War Victim?!?), strips away the cool stuff (Red Skull gets his face fixed for Act 2-3) and doesn't live up to what it could be.

3. Captain America- Civil War: The top 3 is a real tough call and this one might move from 2-3 depending on the day.

Without an Origin Story to tell, they deliver a big-scale MCU Showdown, moral gray areas and a pitch perfect Cap.

It's biggest draw- the Avengers vs. Avengers Plot- is arguably its greatest flaw, however, as so much happens in a condensed run-time.  It's alot, for better or for worse.

2. Captain America- The First Avenger: An Origin Story done right!

As a life long fan, I had to wait a LONG time for this.  It was worth it.

Chris Evans is a perfect Cap, Red Skull is evil and it all works.

1. Captain America- The Winter Soldier: They take everything and get 'real' with it.

Taking nothing away from the #2 Film, this one feels especially-grounded and shows that the MCU can evolve with its Films.

This is a clear attempt to be an action-packed version of a '70s Political Intrigue Film.  They even got the Star of many of those- Robert Redford- to be in it!

Is there a better Cap Film than this?

Is your List different than mine?

I can't imagine that the bottom 3 take the top 3 spots though.

Happy 4th of July.

Take us away, foreign Captain America II Poster!

USA.