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.

Streaming Standard: Wednesday- Season 2 (Part 2)

*Snap Snap*

Might as well talk about this before everyone moves on, as is the short shelf-life of Streaming Hits these days!

After setting up about 16 Subplots in the first 4 Episodes, how do things wrap up in...

New threats.
Old faces.
Fester appearing in 1 Episode and disappearing.

Wednesday is not in a great place as the 2nd half of the Season begins.

Once she recovers, she continues to work the case.

Now there are new angles and she has to work with the Lady from Ab Fab (aka Grandma).

She's not a kooky lady who torments people who ended up at the wrong House.

A familiar Hyde is back on the loose, but he's not alone.

When family gets involved with Monsters, nothing good comes out of it.

Meanwhile, Steve Buscemi- as the new Head of Nevermore Academy- is working his own angle(s).

He's here to fill out the B and C-Plots nicely.

Grandma Addams becomes a key player in the intertwining Plots.

There's a whole thing with Mothers and Daughters not getting along.
It is not the least bit subtle (while also being very effective).

Enid has her own Subplots, what with a romance one (taking the place of Wednesday's love triangle in Season 1) and her Werewolf Heritage coming strongly into play.

Can Billie Piper- who was ironically a Frankenstein creation on Penny Dreadful- help her?

Can she help herself?

This is far too soon for SPOILERS (plus what is TikTok for?), so to find out what happens, Stream the Show now.

A strong conclusion to the Season, quirks, twists and all.

The best thing about the Show is that there is plenty going on.

If you're not interested in Wednesday's main Plot, there's Enid's, the Dean's and others.

The trade-off, however, is that it also means that you may have to take notes to keep track of things, especially if you don't binge it.

I'm that guy- the one who spaces out these Shows to enjoy them in chunks.  Sorry?

If you watch the Episodes with, for instance, a two-day separation, it might take a moment to recap yourself.  The Show does help, to be fair.

A big thing here is that ever-present balance of Wednesday being a smart planner who isn't usually caught off guard with her also being vulnerable.
Ortega really pulls this off with subtle surprise and dismay.

Other than my general concern that people will eventually associate The Addams Family with Tim Burton and not Bary Sonnefeld, I highly recommend the Show- now complete.

As always, there's more of these...

Don't ask why Wednesday and Enid are meeting Groot.

A Show that manages to be creepy, kooky and just really damn good.  Now the long wait until Season 3 begins.

Streaming Standard: Wednesday- Season 2 (Part 1)

 A day away from the mysterious and ooky return of the Show that the Internet loves.

Netflix surely by coincidence split the Show's 2nd Season into 2 Parts- one in August and the other in September.

Two billing cycles, you say?  What a coincidence!

To get this on before Part 2 drops, let's talk about...

I'll spare you the overall recap of Season 1.

If you wanted to know and didn't, you can just watch the actual Intro.

Wednesday returns to Nevermore Academy for a new Year.

She's got new faces to grimace at and a new stalker (or two).

She's very comfortable with her powers, so what happens when they start to fail her?

You never see her outwardly worry, but you know that she is.

Her and Thing have to solve a mystery that hits close to home.

She has to deal with a mysterious stalker, the constant appearance of Ravens and the worst thing of all....

Her Parents are hanging around!

Yes, the full Addams Family is here, including her now-much-taller Brother Pugsley, who is now a Student too.

With new friends, old enemies and all sorts of Subplots going on, can Wednesday stay ahead of things, let alone figure out who wants her dead?

To find out, stream it now.

A very fun, freaky and strange Show.

What does it do differently?  Wednesday is thankfully not in a love triangle (although Enid is).  The family is also a bigger part of things here.

New Cast Members like Steve Buscemi, Thandiwe Newton and Billie Piper really stand out here.  Christopher Lloyd is great too.

The new Plots are really enjoyable too.  They build up nicely and come to a crescendo (for the 1st part, of course).

This is still Jenna Ortega's Show, however, and she doesn't disappoint.  Like with Lisbeth Salander, there's a balance of making them cool, calm and collected...but also in danger.

She also has to be seem cool and dispassionate, but also able to react to new threats.

This 4-Episode section really delivers more of what you want...and also inspires more and more confusing AI 'Art.'

Seriously, WTF is this supposed to be?

A fun Show that feels like a natural expansion of the last Season.  It is bigger, flashier and...I can't wait for it to come back (in like 3 hours).

Streaming Standard: Scream VI (2023)

 A Film that I finally remembered to watch...since it was leaving Netflix on July 24th.
I got there in time!

I know one Reader will be happy to see me finally give my take on...

Sam and Tara are back as a Year has passed since the last Film.

The latter moved to NYC for College and the former followed her.

She has trust issues...that are well warranted!

A new Ghostface is after them.

Is it related to the last killers?

Well, the Film has fun with a twist or two early on...which I won't SPOIL.

The new Ghostface is quite assertive, actively chasing and attacking them in Public.

You'll never safe in a Bodega again.

Old friends and new Characters- including Hayden Panetierre from Scream IV- try to work together to solve the case.

Which one(s) will be dead meat?

Hmm...I don't like her chances.

The finale takes them to a Scream/Stab Museum built into a Movie Theater.

Quick pitch- Horror Film set in the Tampa Theater!

Can they figure out who they can trust and who they can't?

Personally, I'd be wary of that guy behind you.

Never mind that the guy on your left is Prometheus from Arrow!

To find out, stream it now.... just not on Netflix (unless of course it is back on at the time you read this).

Can we all agree that Streaming is confusing to follow?

A Film that wisely mixes things up, even if it still doesn't want to take too many risks.

For starters, it works as a continuation of the last Film and its focus on the Sisters.  That's certainly not going to backfire in the long run, right?  Right?!?

It also still relies a certain bit on nostalgia, bringing Gail back and mentioning Dewie.  Sydney wanted- I assume- more than scale for a Cameo, so she's definitely interested in helping (but not really).

The kills are still brutal.  This is what you come to these for, right?

I will also say that the Bodega Scene was built up heavily to me online and doesn't really show much.  How was that too extreme?

In summary, I thought that this was an enjoyable Sequel and I'm curious what the actual plans for the Sisters was going to be in Scream 7.  I guess, in the end, it doesn't matter if we were Ready or Not...

The last one was also just 'Scream.'  Shouldn't this be 'Scream 2?'

A Film that amps things up and plays with the conventions nicely.  That said, it is still another Scream Film- for better or worse.

New(er) Flix: Scream (2022) [aka Scream 5]

 A Review delayed due to a Holiday and a round trip flight.

I noted before how the Thanksgiving Poster looked like Scream's and with good reason.

I'm reviewing it now- what a coincidence!

The Film begins with a modern riff on the very famous Intro to the 1st Film.

Be honest- it is the most famous part of that Film.

Of course, things play out a little bit differently....

The attack brings Jenna Ortega's Sister back to Town.

She left when she was 18 due to various reasons that I wouldn't dare SPOIL for you.

Let's just say that familiar faces show up.

A new Ghostface- not related to the noncanonical one from the TV Show, I'd imagine- shows up.

This time, he's targeting people who are related to those from the original Woodsboro Case.

Of course, how some of these people have relatives when they were, you know, killed by Ghostface is a bit of stretch sometimes.

They give us the 4th version of the 'Here are the Rules' bit, explanation.

This time, it is a Legacy Sequel (or a Requel) and the Rules, say it with me, are different.

We get Dewey, Gale and Sydney back.
Will all of them be back for Scream 6 (which is thankfully not called Scream 2)?

To find out who lives, who dies and who is the killer, watch the Film now!

It's on Netflix (for now), so take a Stab at it.

A bloody whodunnit!

Admittedly, I had this one passively SPOILed a bit for me at some point in the past.  I didn't look for them, mind you, but people love to put up images like 'All of the Scream Killers' online.

Who cares if this Film is only 2 years old?!?

So, my first viewing is more of a 2nd viewing, which makes the bits of evidence really stand out.  Don't let it SPOIL you if you're safe so far.

The Film itself is SUPER META, with a Plot involving a series of killings based on Movies based on real killings from a Book...written about said killings.  It also involves people hating the last Stab Film, which is the fictional Film within-a-Film Series.

In this world, Rian Johnson did the Reboot.  WTF?!?  It was also just called Stab like how this one is just called Scream.  Double WTF?!?

It hits all of the usual beats that you get from these Legacy Sequels, while also referencing that too.  That said, the META aspects don't take away from the stakes, as you get genuinely real people in the Film in peril.

It's a nice return to form that I hope carried over to Scream 6.  Granted- that's on a *different* Streaming platform and nobody can make me get on yet another one right now- no matter how hard they try!

A nice love-letter to the Series while also serving as a good entry.  I've never been a Scream fanboy, so hopefully my praise rings true.

Immediate Response: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

 The Film is doing quite well.  Let's see how it was...

The Good
The Good

* This is a Tim Burton Film.  No question about it.

* Keaton and company shine in their return to their Roles here.  Everyone gets a bit of an Arc.

* The new Players- like Ortega, Thoreaux, Bellucci and Dafoe- are welcome additions.  They each bring something interesting and fun to the role.

* The Film feels like a more polished version technically, while not losing the visual aesthetic of the original.  This Beetlejuice is able to be much more of a Cartoon Character thanks to newer visual FX available.

* The Plot is a fun one, playing with the idea of the Afterlife and its rules.

* A fun Climax feels like a callback to, but not redo of, the Original.

The Bad

The Bad

* The Pacing of the Film is odd.  They spend lots of buildup on many Characters and the Arcs end abruptly.

* Burton spends a big chunk of time showing pictures of and referencing Jeffrey Jones here.  Why?!?

* The offhand way some Plot Points are explained is not bad, but quite silly.

* More Dafoe.  More Bellucci. 

* Poor Bob. :-)

A fun Film that works as a Sequel to a Classic.  It is a nice return to form for Tim Burton and company.