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.

'90s Class: The Frighteners (1996)

 There's nothing like the feeling of unwrapping a DVD and getting a gem.

Today's Film is The Frighteners, Peter Jackson's first big Studio Film for America.  It's a shame that he never made anymore, right?!?

Jokes aside, the Film is historically significant as his pals over at the WETA Workshop needed to up their game for this Film and its many, MANY VFX shots.  They bought more computers and went to work- never once looking back.

The Plot itself involves a man who can see ghosts and then discovers a true danger.  Too bad he's been a conman so long that nobody believes him!

Can he rise to the occasion or will he fail yet again to save a life?

To find out, read on...

We meet a young Social Worker who checks on a lady at her Mom's House.

The Mom is super paranoid and won't let her leave the House.

At home, she finds out that the woman is connected to a Spree Killing from the 1960s.

She was released to her Mother's care, while the boyfriend was executed.

This sure won't be important, so why am I bringing it up?

Michael J. Fox plays Frank Bannister.

He will show up and get rid of the poltergeists...for a price.

As it turns out, however, he can see ghosts- like John Astin here- and uses them to scare people into paying him for his services.

He also has a dark backstory involving a dead wife, because, of course he does.

He's also been at this for quite a while, which has angered certain ghosts.

R. Lee Ermey plays...well, himself as a ghost here.

He's more than just a fun Cameo, however, as he will be key to the Plot in Act 3.

A series of strange deaths have been occurring in the last several months.

Since Frank's Wife died mysteriously, he's a suspect.

As it turns out, the real culprit is more, well, of a Ring Wraith.

It's actually Death, but jokes.

Of course, it is not that simple.

Frank learns that this is actually connected to that Spree Killing I mentioned at the beginning.  How weird!

He can see the killer spirit, but can't interact with it...unless he temporarily makes himself a ghost first.

Everything builds up to a big showdown at the sight of said killing all of those years ago.

The 'poor' woman was actually his accomplice and the killer is now the aforementioned spirit that is trying to break the record of most killings by one man/duo.

Of course, Pedro Alonso Lopez (who is possibly back at large!!!) set it officially at 110, so he'd need like 3 more Films.

In any event, Frank obviously saves the day.

The End.

A really fun Film that showed where a Director was going to go.

It is fascinating to see Peter Jackson go from a guy who made fake Documentaries and low-budget Zombie Films to a guy who made the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (and definitely none after that!).

This is the key, middle step to it all.

The Film is quite fun, giving you interesting visuals, enjoyable Characters and a quirky Plot.
Some say that it is a bit overlong, and I can't really argue with that.

That said, it is also hard to complain when you get more of, well, this.

Most of the CGI has aged very well here.  A few bits have that lack of texture/sheen that comes with adding a CGI Character/object into a shot.
Nobody is perfect.

Ultimately, The Frighteners is a great Film to enjoy if you're a fan of Jackson, ghosts or both.
Just don't accidentally get the TV Show of the same name by mistake...

Next up, I'll try to squeeze in one more regular Review before the Halloween one.  If so, get ready to howl!  Stay tuned...

New(er) Flix: Pearl (2022)

 I randomly got back to my Room while on Vacation when this started playing on Showtime.

Like earlier trips where I watched Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Green Knight, I made time for a Film that came highly recommended.

This one is the Prequel to X, so maybe this makes up for not being able to do the Texas Chainsaw Massacre Prequel.

Either way, it is definitely better!

This Fan Made Poster is so good!

Pearl is a young woman who life has just decided to make suffer.

She runs a Farm with her Mother, since her Father is pretty much dead from the Spanish Flu.

She married a guy...who promptly enlisted in The Great War and left her.

Is it any wonder that she's a little bit crazy?

Okay, she's very crazy.

If you don't believe me, ask her Scarecrow!

Sadly, for her, he got brains and not, well, you know.

She sneaks off while doing an errand- getting her Dad's Medicine- and meets a guy.

He likes her and talks about going to Europe one day.

Can someone save Pearl?  This looks like a job for Superman....Actor Michael Corenswet!

Can she get her life in balance...or will she just start killing people?

I guess praying couldn't hurt at this point!

Will Pearl achieve her dreams of fame & stardom?

Well, she will get to be in at least one other Movie- two if you count Maxxine.

Either way, it will all end in smiles for one person.

To find out who, watch the Film now.

A Film that is quite odd in its approach, but kind of works well.

The backstory- during the mandatory 2-week quarantine in New Zealand before the start of shooting on X, the Star and Director started thinking more about Pearl's backstory.

They quickly wrote up a Film and shot it right after X.  Neat.

The idea of making an entire Film about the Movie's Villain is interesting.  Making the whole thing about how wronged she's been by life and making you almost feel for her (the murders are a deal breaker) is something else entirely.

The Film moves at a slow and steady pace, definitely picking up once the carnage begins.  It still finds time to slow down though, represented by Pearl's long monologue near the end.

It is something else.

Pearl is a pretty interesting Character Study that you know won't end well, on account of all of the murder that happen in X.

Even so, it is a pretty daring Film to make- whether you like it or not.

Bold filmmaking should be noted and rewarded.  Too bad it will also creep you out for days on end!

Rare Flix: Mesmerized (1986)

 A hidden gem from the VHS Era?  

This is Mesmerized, a Film that I found randomly on VHS.  When I saw it, I was like 'what is this movie and why have I never heard of it?!?'  

Well, you get the results of my searching.  

This is a semi-biographical tale of a woman from New Zealand who faced a murder rap for her husband.  Oops, already SPOILERS.  Oh well.  

Naturally, this Film stars such famous New Zealand Actors as Jodie Foster and...John Lithgow.  Yeah, so this is an RKO Picture- and yes, that was still a thing in 1986.  

There was some local controversy as a number of New Zealand Actors could have gotten such juicy, local-related parts.  

It's kind of like how they made a Film about MLK Jr starring a British Man as him, a British Actress as his Wife AND with a British Director.  

The Film was not much of a big deal at the time, but got a bit more attention (and a new VHS release) after Silence of the Lambs.  So is this a hidden gem?  

Should you find a VHS Player for it like I did?  To find out, read on...

The Film begins with the woman- Foster- on trial.  Will they find her guilty?

I should note that I'm using a Streaming Copy for Caps as my copy is, well, not great.  

It's a VHS Tape from 1986- what do you expect?!?

Said woman is the product of an unmarried couple and not even given a name for a while.

When she comes of age, she's married off to an older man- Lithgow.

It's funny that a 17 year age gap like the one between Lithgow and Foster here is 'bad' in 1986, but a 39 year age gap would be just peachy in 1999 with Entrapment.

After waiting for her to arrive (they married officially when she was 16), the guy has pent up, well, everything and spies on his new-wife while she changes.

I feel like you're doing Marriage wrong there, champ!

After about a Month of marriage, she's really unhappy.  Oh and Lithgow's Brother is a bit younger and actually not an asshole.

Desperate, the pair escape together, but get stopped on the train.

In a scuffle, it seems that Foster has killed the brother...so she returns home, no indebted to Lithgow.

However, it turns out that he isn't dead.  That was a good 5 minutes of tension, Movie.

Lithgow and his Dad hide the proof from Foster, just not going as far as to actually *destroy the evidence.*

Oh and his Dad was one of the Kryptonian Judges in Superman 2.  Neat!

Things seem like they are going better as Foster gets pregnant with Lithgow's child.

Things take a turn for the worse when the baby dies in childbirth.  Yeesh!

The pair continue to live unhappily together when a Doctor teaches the pair about hypnosis right the hell out of nowhere.

This sure won't pay off later!

Lithgow gets really sick and dies, with the Father blaming Foster for his death.  That brings us up to date with the Intro.

The Trial shows that Lithgow died from ingesting chloroform, but wasn't forced to so, clearing Foster.

However, we learn that she had been prepping Lithgow for the hypnosis in his weakened state and 'suggested' that he intake it.

In the aftermath, she leaves New Zealand and meets up with the Brother, whom she learned was alive thanks to the letter that Lithgow didn't think to destroy.

They lived happily ever after together...maybe.  

The Film is coy about whether this is real or fictionalized, so...make up your own ending, I guess.

A Film that isn't quite what it is promised.  

That's a sin by the Producers and Marketing Department though.  

They really want you to think that the Film is a dark Thriller.  Yeah, not so much.  

It's by no means a Comedy, but it is much more of a Character Drama.  The Marketing issues are mostly due to the whole Silence of the Lambs thing.  

If you know that, you can enjoy the Film more.  

Foster doesn't *really* try to do anything other than a soft English accent, while Lithgow goes all-in on the New Zealand accent.  Given the nature of that voice, I'm not sure if he's really good or really bad.  Is he doing an accurate impression of a voice that, well, sounds silly to us Americans?  

Is he doing a bad version of a voice, making it sound extra silly to us Americans?  You decide!  I can't.  

The Plot is alright, but feels like they both rush and run too slowly.  They rush through key times- like all of the pregnancy- and then run  too slowly through other times.  

Why do they rush right to her trying to leave with the Brother (which is a month or so in)?  

Why do they linger on Lithgow having his teeth removed to (not) save him?  Oh right- schadenfreude.  

The Film is fine, but pretty banal.  It's also very dreary, given the subject matter.  

I was hoping for something more scandalous for an obscure VHS discovery...but at least I got to see a young Billy the Kid.  

Next up, I prepare to watch an Oscar-winning Film by watching one that probably didn't even get a Saturn Award.  That's my style!  Stay tuned...

Quick Reviews: The Devil's Rock (2011)

Another Film involving WWII, Nazis and the supernatural?   Alright then...

The Movie tries really hard to sell you as being historically-accurate.

It kind of blows that by the Lead being a New Zealander in England...leading to them having to explain why he's even there.

It is all about 2 Soldiers leading a Commando Raid on a small Base on the eve of D-Day.

If nothing else, it makes for a good Tourism Video.

After hearing a woman's cries, the Lead goes in, while the other man is hesitant to stick around.

The latter's wariness is validated when he finds a Book on the occult and a bunch of bodies!

It all goes sour as a surviving Nazi captures them and reveals a strange prisoner.

She's, well, a Demon.

Can she be destroyed?  Can he work with the Nazi?  Should he?  To find out, watch the Film.

A Film with a little Budget, but big potential.  Here's what you need to know- the Film was originally going to be solely-funded by the Director mortgaging his House!  They thankfully got some money from the New Zealand Film Board, but this isn't exactly a big-Budget blockbuster.  That means that they only use about 5 people, stay inside for 90% of the Film and use limited make-up work.  You have to know that to judge the Film properly.  With that out of the way, the Film is nice and atmospheric, giving you long bits where the Actors play off each other well.  It is far less about the big moments than building and building dread.  There isn't *that* much Story and the Characters could really be fleshed out sooner.  The Lead, in particular, is pretty unremarkable until they finally give him some backstory to flesh him out.  The pay-off is eventually worth it, although you do have to slog through some drawn out bits in the First Act especially.  It still doesn't *quite* reach 90 minutes either, so bear that in mind.  All in all, Rock is an interesting Film that could have been truly great.  I know that it is sacrilege to say this online, but it could do with a Remake that treats it with the same care...but also has a few more Million behind it.  No matter what, it does feature a man with a name so great that it must be fake...

A decent-enough Thriller.  It has a pretty damn-small Budget though, which allows it to only go so far.

New Flix: Deathgasm

Loud, proud and dumb.  Today's Film is Deathgasm and...need I say anymore?  I mean, I'm going to, but...do I need to?  This New Zealand-based Comedy is in the vein of Rock & Roll Nightmare, Black Roses and...well, every John Fasano Film of note.  By the way, Fasano apparently still has a Film in Pre-Production...despite him being dead since 2014.  Good job, IMDB!  From the guy who does Digital Painting for WETA comes a Movie about a Demon-summoning Rock Song.  Makes sense to me!  This one is all sorts of crazy and ridiculous.  Is it good though?  To find out (without SPOILERS), read on...

This dude loves Metal, but his life sucks right now.  Can it get any better?

Well, he manages to form a band called Dethgasm (why no 'A' in the Band Title?) and find a girl he likes.

There is some sort of conspiracy involving this Cult and some magic words...which now is in the hands of, well, guess.

Unfortunately, the magic words on the sheet get turned into a Song that mutates everyone else in Town!

So now the Town is full of Demons and Demon-like Zombies.  On the plus side, they have fashion sense.

Can our heroes be competent, well, heroes?

Or is everyone pretty much doomed?  The Town is 99% Deadite, so...probably not.  The End.

Silly, bloody fun.  This one is pretty clear about what it wants to be.  The Action involves blood vomiting, head explosions and a dildo or two.  Figured it out yet?  As per usual, I won't judge a Movie too badly for being what it wants to be.  It sure is convenient that all of the big Action takes place at night though, right?  The big thing here is whether or not you find the Characters endearing or not.  If you don't, this is pretty much just a dumb, shallow Action Film with lots of wacky moments.  If you give a shit about them, you at least get emotionally-invested in this dumb, shallow Action Film with lots of wacky moments.  The Film is exactly what you expect to get with a Title like Deathgasm.  Is it too much at times?  Sure.  Regardless, it is what it is and it ain't no more.  Be warned- not everyone will take to it like I did.  There may be, well, some side-effects...

Next up, a Holiday Film in time for a Holiday!  Why pick one Story when 10 will do?  Stay uned...