Tubi Thursday: Men (2022)

 It has been a weird week for me Film-wise.

That only gets worse as I decided to watch...

A woman named Harper goes off to a private English Cottage in the wake of some recent trauma.

The Holiday this is not.

Geoffrey (Rory Kinnear) is the Owner and is a bit wonky, but not a threat.

The strange, naked man (who looks like if Rory Kinnear played Baron Harkonen) is slightly more of a threat, seemingly stalking her back to the House.

She tries to enjoy the lovely Cottage and put the strange incident behind her.

However, other people in Town- like the Cop- seem odd and somewhat threatening.

A better biblical allegory than 'Mother!'

Even the Vicar- Rory Kinnear looking like George Washington, sans donkey teeth- tells her that she's 'responsible' for the suicide of her Husband.

That was the inciting incident for her trip and she has been reliving the moments in orange-tinted flashbacks throughout the Film.

A final night at the Cottage gets...weird.

I could say more...but it wouldn't prepare you for it.

Seriously, words don't this one justice.

To see how weird (and somewhat vague) this gets, stream it now.

A visually engaging Film that definitely could have been much less vague.

Seriously, I haven't been as confused by a Film since, well, the last Film I watched for this site.

This is an A24 Film and this is quite evident.  Alex Garland doesn't care if you want clear answers.

If you can accept that this Film is just weird, full of visual metaphors and not going to really answer things all that well, this Film is quite a sight.

The Acting is great.  Rory Kinnear is great.  Jessie Buckley is great.

Is it intriguing that the Film just happens to star a past Frankenstein Actor and a future Bride of Frankenstein Actress?  Yes.

I can only recommend this Film to fans of Arthouse Horror (it gets freaky and gross at times in Act 3) and Alex Garland.

For anyone else, this is your future...

A Film that sure gets weird by the end...and is not exactly easy to decipher.  That said, it looks amazing and is quite enchanting at times.

Tubi Thursday: X (2022)

 After watching a Film famous for being bad (and it delivered!), let me switch things up.

How about a Film that is supposed to be good?
Even better- it's the first part of a Trilogy that I've already seen one part of.

It's...

Mia Goth is Maxine, a woman who really wants to be a Star.

She also does cocaine.
It's the 70s, so, you know, still very illegal.

She goes off with her Fiancée to make a Movie.

This will make her a Star!

Did I mention it was a dirty Movie?
Of course I didn't.

The Crew- including Kid Cudi and Jenna Ortega- are doing this in secret from the Owners of the Farm that they are renting the outsider Lodging from.

As you can see, they don't take the news well.

Fans of Pearl will know why this lady is crazy, of course.
To me, she gives me The Taking of Debra Logan vibes.

Will this Shoot end well for the Cast and Crew?

Who will live?
Who will die?

To find out, stream it now.

A Film that truly delivers as a slow burn, atmospheric Horror Film.

The Plot isn't exactly revolutionary.  Does it need to be though?

Sometimes a simple Plot works if there are more complex motivations for the Characters and that makes it work.

Everyone gets just a little bit extra to note be a one-note cliche.  Some- like Mia Goth in both roles- obviously get more than others.

In theory, you should watch this, then Pearl and finally Maxxxine.  
That said, there's an interesting effect when you watch it chronologically and see Pearl first.

You know things will go bad.  You know why.
In a way, it works even better.

If you're put off by gore, there's not too much- especially compared to stuff like the Terrifier Films.  When you do get it, the effect is so much stronger.

X lives up to the hype.
It also may contain a few bits of foreshadowing.

A slow burn Film about the dangers lurking around corners you don't expect.  Maybe don't lie to old people either.

Tubi Thursday: Sisu (2022)

 Is this the glorious Grindhouse Action Thriller that I was promised?

Let's find out (just in time for a Sequel I'm just now learning about) ...

Sisu is apparently a Finnish word for 'deep, uncontrollable rage.'

So how does it relate to this poor Gold Miner just waiting for WWII to end in 1944?

Well, after striking it rich, he goes back home.

Along the way, he's hassled by a bunch of Nazis who plan to rob him.

It ends...poorly for them.

The other group he passed on the way double back and now he's got lots of enemies, including ones with a tank!

In spite of their best efforts, they can't seem to kill him.

Just like, in spite of everyone's best efforts, it's hard not to get a little bit of Fury Road into your Action Films in the last Decade.

Can they take him down?
Is one man enough to survive a small Platoon of history's greatest henchmen?

To find out, stream it now.

A Film that just plain works.

It's a simple tale.  Man meets Nazis.  Man kills Nazis.

What more do you need?

Our Hero is built up nicely, with you seeing that there is clearly more going on with him before the action starts.
He turns out to be as creative as he is unwilling to die.  He doesn't overpower his foes with ease.

The Film is full of visceral gore and violence.  If you heard anything about how violent this can be, they didn't warn you enough.

If you're willing to embrace the whole experience- the mud, the vengeance and the gore-, the Film works very well.

I had legit forgot about this one after its original release and my desire to see it was renewed when I saw it on here.
I'm glad that I did.

Take us out, Japan and, as always, a kick ass cover.

A bloody good time, provided you give it time to build.  It's a mix of John Wick and Rambo in Finland which hits just right.

Tubi Thursday: The Brain That Wouldn't Die (2020)

 One of the most famous B-Movies got a Remake...and I didn't know about it?!?

I'm late here, but it is still free on Tubi, so let's check it out...

This Film is sometimes a Shot-for-Shot, Line-for-Line Remake.

We ger the cheesy dialogue setting up our Hero/Villain and poor Jan.

Other times, we get a random sight gag with lots of blood shooting onto the guy's face.
Weird.

He drives very fast and dangerously to his Dad's Summer Home, missing signs literally warning him to slow down.

He doesn't and the crash somehow doesn't injure him, but does cleanly decapitate Jan.

He takes it there and pumps her full of science and now she can survive as a head...for now.

And yes, it still bugs me after all of these years that it is called The BRAIN That Wouldn't Die and not The HEAD That Wouldn't Die.

The Doctor is now going to find a body for his lady and...he's just the creepiest creep there is.

Enjoy the 'wacky' hijinks as his plan to *check notes* decapitate a stranger doesn't go right.

L-l-adies.

The Film mostly plays out beat for beat with, again, the actual Dialog reused verbatim.
As someone who still owns the MST3K Episode on VHS, I'm sure of this.

That said, this Remake has a few expansions, turns and a neat coda to end things one.

You won't hear me complaining too much.

A Film that I'm of two heads...I mean, minds about.

On one head...hand, it is a pretty good version of the same Film with a satirical tone.  The creepy dialog is not changed much.

On the other hand...head, why just do the Film again?  It is a Cult Classic after all.

It's a tricky thing because the market for this is people like me who know the Film.  You're just mostly doing it again.
A much smaller demographic is those that may have heard of the Film, but never seen.  That, for instance, 10% of the 6% of people will be pleased.

There is a Bill Cosby joke that is perhaps not in good taste though.

At its best, this feels like a loving homage to this kind of bizarre cinema a la The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra.  It's much less of a bad attempt to recreate the style a la House of the Wolfman.

This one- like the original Film itself- walks a fine line between being cheesy fun and genuinely-disturbing at times.
If you're a fan of the original, give it a try...but don't get too upset please.

A Film that has genuine moments of adding silly levity to a strange, dark Film.  At other times, it is just the same...so what's the point here?

New(er) Flix: The Black Phone (2022)

 A Film that is Strange in many good ways.

That and there's a Sequel currently out in Theaters.

Do you dare pick up...

It is 1978 in North Denver and the Town is being wracked with fear.

Kids are going missing and nobody knows why.

The Film follows a Brother and Sister who are a strong unit- which will be very helpful later.

It is the '70s, so *that* outfit.

Finney has to deal with 2 of his friends being taken by the stranger- colloquially known as The Grabber.

Unfortunately, he's next on the list!

The strange, masked man keeps him locked up down in the Basement.

He doesn't kill him...yet, but is definitely a danger.

Finney's saving grace turns out to be the titular Phone, which gives him messages and warns him of what to do vs. what not to do.

Who is calling though?

Can Finney escape from the Basement alive?
Can his Sister make the most of her ability to get prophetic dreams to help him?

Will you get this visual out of your head anytime soon?

To find out, stream or rent the Film now.

A Film that builds genuine tension, fright and horror...without showing all that much.

Credit where credit is due- you can do lots without showing eyeballs gouged out, people cut open and the like.

The trick- strong writing, Direction and atmosphere.

Technically, the Film has a pretty big body count (by normal Film standards, at least), but you really only see two of them.
I obviously won't SPOIL who they are.

Hawke is very good here, playing a sometimes subtle, often outright scary menace.  He walks that tight line while, helped by the many masks (designed by Tom Savini!).

Mason Thames as Finney is a really good Actor here as well, portraying multiple, complex emotions throughout and really making the most of his Arc.

From what I can tell from the Trailers, he gets another chance to do even more in the Sequel.  Thankfully, they don't seem to be doing the 'Kill Off the last Lead' Trope from older Slasher Films.

If you only know Scott Derrickson from Doctor Strange, his Horror/Thriller Films are worth a good look.

Plus, it only took a couple of minor tweaks to turn Hawke into Svengoolie...

If you- like me- heard good things about this, but haven't seen it yet- do.  It is a strong Film with a good gimmick and great atmosphere.

Tubi Thursday: Shin Ultraman (2022)

 Have things ever lined up so well that you can't ignore them?

I got a bag of Chips with Ultraman on it and a can of Ramune with him on it too.

In that case, let's check out...

Japan is under near constant siege from Kaiju (aka Giant Monsters).

What else is new, right?

Well, hope is on the way.

The Film follows the SSSP (or S-Class Species Suppression Protocol)- a group of Government Agents and Experts that try to deal with the S-Class creatures (aka the Kaiju).

An attack by an electricity-feasting beast is stopped by the arrival of a silver giant (aka Ultraman!).

It shows off some impressive skills, like absorbing dangerous blasts and being able to fire them right back!

It destroys the creature and flies off.

It returns when a second one appears!

The SSSP is still not sure who or what it is.

Regardless, it saves the day...and is actually one of their teammates (sort of- it is complicated).

The Monsters are just the tip of the iceberg.

It turns out that many Aliens are behind the Monsters and present big, humanoid threats to Ultraman.

When one menace is too big and dangerous for even Ultraman, all hope seems lost!

Can he rise to the challenge?
Can the SSSP rise to the occasion?

To find out, stream it now!

A Film that is both fun and very, very quirky.

I'm not that familiar with Ultraman, having not seen the 603 Films that they've made in the last 20 years.  I'm only exaggerating a little bit.

Despite being an Ultraman Film, the Film really does focus on the weird folks at the SSSP.  It also uses all sorts of weird, static camera angles.

It is kind of like if you mixed The Office (or The Thick of It) with an Ultraman Film.

So, you get to follow guys sitting at a Computer and then they cut to a Kaiju.  Why not?

For me, the Film hit the same beats a few too many times and was a bit too long.

I still enjoyed the overall Film and want more Shin content.

Shin Mothra in 2027?  Please!

Now I just need to get some space.  He's a bit of a Helicopter Parent...

A very Japanese Film that focuses on the people in the Kaiju Film.  It is just weird enough to work, but your mileage may vary.

Streaming Standard: M3GAN (2022)

 Yes, I was the one Online Film Critic who never saw M3GAN.

Well, that is in the past now...

A young girl tragically loses her Parents in a car accident.

She ends up with her Aunt, who is a Scientist who makes robotics.

When they fail to bond, she is inspired to finish creating Megan.

The highly advanced robot becomes the girl's companion.

They share stories, secrets and everything is looking up!

Of course, this is a Horror Film and this is a possibly-evil Doll.

Things take a turn when the Neighbor's Dog attacks Megan and the girl.

Revenge is nigh!

Megan was also made with no digital barriers for how she would learn and how she could act on them.

Will she get too powerful...and smart?

It's certainly not a SPOILER to say that Megan kills some people.

The question is who she kills.

And yes, there is 'That Dance.'

It is funny to finally see that bit in context.

To find out how exactly you solve a problem like a Megan, stream it now (on Peacock at time of writing).

A Film that is honestly better- and quite different- than promised.

Killer Dolls and their ilk have been a thing for many, many Decades.  You can track evil Dolls back to the 1940s!

Hell, we got a girl Chucky as the 1990s began.

What this Film does well is honestly work as a Drama if you just cut out all of the murder.  Like The Bababook, it is a Film known for Horror, but it does so much more.

The little girl is far more tolerable than the kid in the other Film though.

You really feel for the people involved, save for the obvious 'Dead Meat' Characters.  Every Horror Film has them, after all.

Did this one live up to the hype?  Yes.

As a total package, the Film doesn't break new ground per se, but makes the most of its premise all the same.

Leave it to Japan to tweak the Poster ever so slightly...

It's probably not their change, but just go with it.

A killer Doll/Robot Film that is actually more than what was promised.  Maybe I'll have to check out the Sequel sooner rather than later.