'80s Class: Little Nikita (1988)

In North America, Spies are your Parents.

Sorry, Yakov Smirnoff- I've failed you.  Sorry that you're stuck in Branson, man.

Anyhow, this Film is 1988's Little Nikita.  The Plot involves a Government Agent- Sydney Poitier- who discovers a secret about a young man- River Phoenix- after he applies to the Air Force Academy.  His Parents are Americans!

Wait- I mean, his Parents are The Americans.  My bad.

Yes, this Film predates that award winning Show but is based on fears from people in this time.  Said fears turned out to have some merit, so that's 1 point for Reagan.
He's down by 1,000,000,005 points for ignoring the AIDS Epidemic, so bear that in mind.

Is this Film- which I got as a gift last Christmas- a hidden gem? 
Will I keep being political in this?
Does anyone actually read this part?

To find out the answers to some of those questions, read on...

Things are looking up for this young man.

He's finished High School.
He's enlisting in the Air Force.
He's not destined to die tragically in the Street 5 years from now.

SPOILER Alert, River.

So why does this guy act really suspicious at the kid's Interview to join the Air Force Academy?

Well, he found an irregularity in the Background Check.

How were his Parents somehow born 150 years ago?!?

As it turns out, his Parents are deep cover Russian Spies.

They've been in the US for over 2 Decades and, well, aren't really reporting to anyone about anything.

Regardless, a killer is on the loose.

Poitier gets close to Phoenix in an attempt to get him to see the truth.

Playing pick-up basketball is truly the only way to connect with a teen...in 1988, before the Internet really took over everything.

If this one gets a Remake in 2028, will he play Call of Duty with him?

He tells him the truth, but Phoenix needs to see it for himself.

Meanwhile, the killer- Richard Lynch- is coming for his Parents, as they are the last remaining Spies on his list.

Can this be stopped?

Well, you know that it won't be easy.

This is a rare case that I won't SPOIL a Film this old.

Just watch it.

The End.

A solid Thriller that is really well anchored by its two Leads.

The Plot is a good one too, feeling just real enough to work.  It is never too crazy.  It is also never boring.

You care about Phoenix as his life seems to unravel.
You connect with Poitier as he tries to avenge the death of his partner from long ago.

The Film also features good performances from Richard Lynch and Richard Jenkins, who happens to be named Richard Grant. 
Is it weird that one Character Actor plays a guy who shares the same name of another Character Actor (Richard E. Grant)?

Yes.

If you're not aware, Phoenix famously died young, and this is a great example of how much we've lost.  Imagine if he could have done performances like this for Decades to come?

What a shame.

This is a bit of a hidden gem, and you can see it in pristine HD on Blu-Ray (even with no Special Features).

Now then, why does this Poster feel so familiar...or is it just me?

Next up, a Film with Demi Moore in it.  Will it have any Substance?  Stay tuned...

Holi-Shudder-Day: Oddity (2024)

In lieu of a Leprechaun Film, let's check out something well-reviewed and Irish instead.

Slainte!

A woman is left alone in a House in the middle of nowhere at night.

A strange, one-eyed man knocks on the door.

He says that he's here to help.

A year later, we meet the Sister of the same Woman- who is blind and can 'read' objects.

Do Stop Signs count?

She wants to know more about what happened to her Sister.

The Husband would be the guy to ask then, wouldn't he?

Why is he so suspicious?
Why does he not listen to anyone when they are worried?

His new beau ends up stuck in the same House from before with the blind Sister and her new....friend?

She gets curious, but what is the real danger here?

Are you ready for the world's most awkward Dinner?

If so, you should be ready for Oddity...but you aren't.

And yes, even this Film has a fake, AI-generated Trailer Image.

That's...not for this Movie.

To find out what *actually* happens, stream this one now.

Better to wear green than suffer in the dark.

This Film isn't quite as Irish as I'd hoped.  Nobody drinks Guiness or anything!

That said, it is really good.

The Film is similar to stuff like Hereditary with its slow burn, freaky moments and sudden scares.  This isn't like the Conjuring Films- thank Patrick!

Oddity is a Film that does alot with very little.  Simple setups, long shots and payoffs are the name of the game.

If you're looking for big Action or amazing VFX, look elsewhere.
If you're looking for Character Drama, tension and scares, this is for you.

Also it sure is nice to see the Brother of the guy from The Fear getting work.

A genuinely-unsettling, strange and scary Film.  Just know that you'll have to wait for every payoff - they're worth it!

Tubi Thursday: Beyond Evil (1980)

 Another scary Movie from 1980 that nobody talks about.

Mind you, this movie is distributed by Troma, so...a bit of a drop from Disney.

This is...

A newly-married couple (John Saxon and Lynda Day George) move into a new place set up by her former beau.

This isn't awkward- you're awkward!

They are set up in a fancy House that- like Watcher in the Woods- has no obvious downside.

Oh, I guess some lady turned to Witchcraft, killed her husband and has considered an evil force by the island for the 100 years.

Other than that, sweet gift, bro!

Lynda seems of two minds here.

Sometimes, she's upset or feeling 'claustrophobic' in the house.

Other times, she's romantic and beyond words.

I think that is just a long-term Manic Episode, no?

No, she's actually slowly succumbing to the whims of Alma, the aforementioned evil lady who did the Witchcraft.

Everything just makes her look crazy to her Husband, for, well, Act 1 and 2.

In Act 3, he finally seeks proper help from a Faith Healer.

Given that multiple people- including the guy who set them up in the House- are now dead, it might be a bit late.

The fully possessed Linda tries to kill John and the Healer.

It goes badly for the latter.

The former manages to separate the pair and then take out the Witch, causing her to turn into dust via Film Cliche #25.

The End.

A pretty solid Film all around, but does it really do anything that unique.

In a word, no.

Just off the top of my head, this reminds me of Films like Masoleum (which I won't link, out of fear of realizing how long ago I saw it) and Daughters of Satan (with Tom Selleck).

Never mind other Films about possessions or ancient Witches and the like.

So why recommend something generic?

Like Store Brand Cereal, this one still satisfies and has a certain charm.  I'm a sucker for John Saxon- what can I say? - and Lynda Day George, I guess.

Honestly, the silly effects are a nice bonus here and the Pacing is good.  Plus, I'm getting a spare induction out of this.

If nothing else, it's got something for the ladies (and men- to each their own) out there...

A fairly basic Horror Film that still works pretty well.  If you're less of a Film Nerd, you may also not see all of the twists coming.

Disney Minus: The Watcher in the Woods (1980)

 In an age where 'everything' can be streamed, why not this Film?

In spite of this being a Film made by Disney, who let you stream anything from A Bug's Life to Zootopia, is NOT available on their Streaming Platform.

What is The Watcher in the Woods, the 1980 Film in question?

It is based on a Book called A Watcher in the Woods that, while not reviewed well, was a hit.  This Film, however, had an abruptly cancelled release in 1980, only to be recut and have new footage shot for an October 1981 release.

This Film came out 3 days before my Brother did?  Wild!

The Plot involves a young family moving into a fancy House belonging to an old lady with a secret.  The kids have a preternatural connection to the titular spirit in the Woods though.

Will they find out the truth?  Will it be deadly?

If you think you know every Disney Film, read on...

A family moves into a fancy House that is conspicuously cheap.

Murder House or Ghost House?

Place your bets now, folks!

The Owner- Bette Davis (of those eponymous eyes)- is hesitant to let anyone stay there, because reasons.

She changes her mind when she sees the oldest Daughter.

Said Daughter is seeing strange things and also experiencing them.

A window breaks after she sees a blue light.

ANOTHER piece of glass- a mirror this time- breaks after she sees a strange figure in it.

Uli Lommel's Boogeyman also came out in 1980.  Bad year for mirrors and glass in general.

Speaking of other Horror Films from 1980, the younger Sister begins to write messages backwards on glass.

It isn't 'Murder,' but something far worse- 'Karen!'

More strange things happen as the Dad- David McCallum- is nowhere to be seen.  He pretty much 'peaces out' from the Movie after about 40 minutes.

The older Sister sees lights and warnings, but still nearly drowns in a small body of water.

She eventually figures out that 'Karen' (which is the name of the Dog- Nerak- in reverse) was Davis' Daughter.

She recounts a story of seeing four other young people with her, running away and then the Church they were in burns up.

She, understandably, thinks that Karen is dead.

The older Sister works the case, however, and learns that Karen apparently vanished before the Church bell fell.

She eventually guilts the now-middle-aged people into redoing the Ceremony during the Solar Eclipse, since there's was done under a Lunar Eclipse.

As you can see, it results in her powering up like a Dragon Ball Z Character.

No, that's not it.  Silly me.

The blue energy reveals that it is an interdimensional alien and accidentally switched places with Karen during the Ceremony.

Much less silly than what I wrote.

In the End, the Boyfriend saves the Sister and Karen is now back...as a middle-aged lady who lived outside of Earth for the last 30+ years with no life skills and lots of trauma.

The...happy End?

A Film with really great build-up, a unique Story...and a really weird ending.

If you don't know, the Film's Ending and beginning were the two issues Disney had.  The latter was restored for an on-demand DVD release in recent years, while the 'too bleak, scary and black' ending is not around as freely.

See it here while you can.

The issue is that the Story is just plain weird.  That does give it a certain charm.

I do like lots of the really interesting Shot Choices and weird moments in this one.  There are many cool Scenes in this one, like the one with the Motorbike Race or the Scene at the Bridge.

It's kind of a shame that this Film is so obscure, as it has lots to offer. 
Why not Stream this one Disney?  Too many residuals to its 82-year-old Director?

This weird, moody and very charming Film could be seen on so many Screens at once if you just put it out there...

Next up, let's stick with the '80s and a Film that touches upon a current subject.  What happens when people are revealed to be Russian assets?!?  Stay tuned...

Streaming Standard: Daredevil- Born Again (Episodes 1 and 2)

 Well, another two Episode premiere to cover.

That's a very specific trend these days, so I guess I might as well embrace it.

Matt's big return starts now...

This Show reunites Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil), Karen Page and 'Foggy' Nelson.

In the previous Seasons of Daredevil (made for Netflix), they ended up forming a Law Firm that helped the poor and less fortunate together.

Aw.

Another face from their past appears in the form of Bullseye, the Villain of Season 3 (which, full disclosure, I never finished).

He strikes close to home (literally and metaphorically), which pushes Daredevil over the edge.

To be fair, he's lived near said edge for the last 20 years.

The Kingpin (aka Wilson Fisk) is also back in the picture.

To catch you up, he debuted in/returned to the MCU in Hawkeye, in which he got shot in the face by his protege Echo.

On her titular Show, we learn that he survived and didn't take things well.
She used her powers on him and 'cured him' of his childhood trauma.

He fled after that and has now reappeared to run for Mayor of NYC!

Episode 2 begins with a man trying to save a person from being attacked in the Subway.

In the melee, he accidentally kills the one man by tossing him away *right* as a subway train goes by.

He's now being tried for murder...since it was Cop!

As Mayor, Fisk tries to do good, trying to stick to his pledge to 'cure the City.'

That proves harder than he thoughts, so he resorts to his old tactics a bit.

Matt is busy with the aforementioned murder case, but has vowed to keep an eye on Fisk.

To find out more, stream the Series now.

More Episodes to come, obviously.

A return that is well deserved and so far quite good.

I've always been of two minds on the Netflix version of Daredevil.

Part of me says that the gritty realism helps to ground the Stories.
Part of me says that it is often edgy just to be seen as adult and somewhat clashes with the fantastical elements.

Perhaps both can be true.

For instance, we get a line where Matt refers to a client not 'having his mystical talisman with him' and he says it 100% straight.

This Show I think does a good balance, even if it leans on the dark stuff early on.

These Episode also walk a fine line with past continuity, with Fisk being coy about what happened to him in Hawkeye and then Echo.
Likewise, Bullseye just kind of shows up and they don't name him until much later.  It's just 'yeah, Bullseye is here.'

If you can get past the possible tonal issues and the hurdle of continuity, this is still a really good Show so far and I want to *see* how it goes from here.  Hopefully, it brings the Heat.

A good Show so far.  Hopefully this pleases the fans of the Netflix Show that maybe have missed out on recent MCU content.

Aquatic Killers: Rogue (2007)

 The long-awaited look at the OTHER Crocodile Film from 2007.  Back in...December (?!?), I looked at Primeval and planned to jump right to this one.

Here we are with me finally covering Rogue, a 2007 Film about a Crocodile...in Australia.

This one is also based on real events...in a very loose manner.  A rogue crocodile was loose in the '70s, but didn't attack anyone on record.

This Film is set in the Present (of 18 years ago) and has it doing just that.

Will the fact that water runs down the sink in the opposite direction there make a difference?
Will people realize that I'm joking and know that isn't a real thing?

To find out, read on...

Our Cold Open has a creature in the Outback killed by a Crocodile.

I guess this was made for the 6 people who went to see this and DID NOT KNOW WHAT A CROCODILE WAS.

Was I too sarcastic there?

The actual Story involves a man- Alias' Michael Vartan- who is temporarily stuck in rural Australia.

He's a travel writer without a ride and sees all about how crocodiles in the area are dangerous.

So, naturally, he goes on a Wildlife River Cruise.

I mean, obviously.

What could go wrong?

The Cruise goes alright for the random group of Tourists and Townies.

We get a family with a young Daughter, a snooty guy and an older couple.

They are also bothered by some locals...and Sam Worthington?!?

They go off on a side route when they spot a flare.

Their boat is attacked by an unseen creature (what could it be?) and stranded.

The group freaks out over their new situation.

Things get worse when one of the men is grabbed off-screen (and silently) by a creature.

Joined by Worthington (whose boat was also crushed), they work a plan to cross the lake.

It goes poorly and they finally see the creature- it's a giant crocodile!

Vartan comes up with a plan to anchor the crocodile with some bait.

It works long enough for the main group to get away, but the Guide- Radha Mitchell- gets grabbed.

She's surely dead, right?

Well, no.

Despite eating everyone (and everything) so far, it dragged the wounded lady to its den.

Vartan is lead to her by the dog- thank goodness they didn't use it as bait- and now has to sneak away from the apex predator!

After a serious struggle, he sets a dangerous trap for the crocodile.

It manages to stake itself through the head while trying to eat him.

In the aftermath, he takes her to be rescued and we see that he made the wall of the bar for his heroics.
The End.

A pretty good Film that maximizes the small amount of creature FX it actually has.

In total, the crocodile appears for just about 6 minutes on-screen.

This is no Jaws- that's a hard bar to reach- but they do a good job with it.

The human drama is decent enough, with all of the characters feeling pretty real. Most of them eventually get a moment or two to stand out as more than just really simple characters.

Hell, even Sam Worthington gets an arc!

The pacing of this one is interesting as it gets past the initial setup- stuck on the inlet- by about the hour mark and spends the right of the time with Vartan in the den.

My own critique is that Radha Mitchell is basically nothing but a prop after the attack.  I'm not sure how I'd have her help, but she's essentially the same as if he had to lug a briefcase out of the den.

Do something.

In any event, this one is a more balanced Film to me than Primeval, despite it making far, far less money.

Speaking of money, Worthington is not the only supporting player in this one who would go on to star in a Film that made over a billion dollars...

Next up, I go to my 'Digital Vault' for a Disney Film that is somehow not streaming.  What secret is hiding in The Woods?  Stay tuned...