Shudder Sunday: Color Out of Space (2019)

 A busy week won't keep me from my obligations.  Here's a look at a reason I first got Shudder...and took until now to finally watch.

I hope you like purple...

A lovely, modern Family- Cage, his Wife, his young Son, his Teenage Son and Daughter- have a normal life until a strange meteorite crashes.

Based on the coloring, I'm going to guess that it was from Planet Prince.

There's some implied drama involving the Mayor (on the right) wanting to own the land and a Hydrologist (on the left) trying to get friendly with the daughter.

They have him wear a Miskatonic University T-Shirt the whole Film, but never draw attention to it.  Nice.

The meteorite vanishes before the News can cover it, but it has actually relocated to the well.

It becomes an egg and...yeah, that's probably not good.

Things start to get really weird around the House.  Nothing major...at first.

Weird smells.
Time seeming to be moving differently for others.
People starting to act differently.
A light coming from the Well...

Things only get worse around the House.  This is not so much a 'slow burn' Thriller as it is a 'slowly glowing more and more' Thriller.

Things escalate when...well, no SPOILERS for that.

It's a Nic Cage Film, so you shouldn't be surprised to see him have a freak out.

To see why AND to see how it all ends, stream the Film now.

A fun, freaky Film that shows that people other than Stuart Gordon can do Lovecraft right.  For obvious reasons, that's a good thing!  We still miss you, Stuart.

The Film does a really good job of introducing a normal(ish) Family with realistic, underlying problems.  It's not that they don't get along or are dysfunctional- they're just a Family.  This is important, since it makes us care for them and want good things to happen to them.

When things go horribly awry (and they do), we are invested.  Simple stuff, but not every Film can manage it.

The big appeal is the titular Color and how it affects everything.  In that regard, the Film really delivers.  It creates freaky effects, some mutations that are nice and gross and just generally makes everything get all warped there.  Good stuff!

If you're willing to stick through the set-up and build-up, it is a really good Film experience for fans of Lovecraft and the bizarre.  Nic Cage, as always, is great as a normal guy who eventually becomes, well, Nic Cage.  Now I just need to decide whether or not to add the "U' to the Title...

A good Movie that shows that Richard Stanley can still deliver.  Can we get more good Lovecraft in the future?

Tubi Thursday: Blood Bite/Blood Shark/Horror Shark (2020)

 So many different names for a pretty nothing Film.

Maybe I'm being too harsh on my latest Chinese Monster Film. 

To find out, read on...

The Film begins In Media Res with a lady being lowered down in a Shark Cage to try and dart a creature.

What kind of Shark?

A Blood Shark.

It's not a real thing, but it is real(ly) silly!

In the actual Plot, it is a mix of Deep Blue Sea (they are experimenting on Sharks in an Ocean Lab right as a big storm is coming in) and Jurassic Park (A Scientist/skeptic is called in to check out an Exhibit before it is opened.

The titular Shark is a Great White who is apparently injected with Redeye Trout (I think they meant Bass, but blame the English Dubbing) DNA to be more fertile.

They go full DBS by having the older Scientist fall into the Tank and used as a battering ram to break the glass (like so)...

They manage to get away from the Blood Shark, but now they need to track it down.

Can they get past all of the melodrama to do the deed?
In lieu of a shot of their subpar CGI, here's a nearly 25-year old FX shot that looks better.

A pretty silly Film that takes quite a while to really get anywhere.  Outside of the Flash Forward, they spend well over 20 minutes just setting things up.

Between that and all of the melodrama (our Hero has PTSD and a past relationship with 2 people at the Base), it is a bit of a slog.  Once the Shark finally turns red (yep- that's a thing), it picks up.

Now you get to enjoy their truly-unimpressive CGI (see the second Cap) and truly horrendous attempts to fake the shots of people being 'underwater.'  Those are trashy fun...for a bit.

Ultimately, it just kind of peters out as far as interesting Scenes go.  You'd think people hunting a big, red shark would never get boring, but it did.  Oh well.  I will always have the great Posters and Promo Art...

A surprisingly-dull Film about a giant, red Shark.  In a way, it is an impressive achievement, really.

Fiction vs. Fiction: Stephen King's Graveyard Shift (1990)

 A long-delayed look at a forgettable Film and a slightly-more forgettable Short Story from Stephen King.

Seeing another Story with a giant rat creature reminded to finally talk about this one.

See what happens when rats and men meet at work...

****VS****

What's the Same?

The core of the Story is the same in both the Film and Short Story.  A group of workers at a Mill have a problem with Rats.  The Boss is also a jerk.

A group of them go down into the Basement to clean it out and find more than just the normal whiskered rodents down there.

One of them is a bat-rat hybrid that is quite a bit too big to just throw a can at.

In said Basement, the Boss is killed and...

What's Different?

...so is our Hero.  Only the two of them actually go down there in the original Story.

In the Film, we get a few of them to fill up the kill quota.
There's also a Love Interest, who tragically dies down there with them.   
She has no equivalent in the Short Story.

In the Film, our Hero is the lone survivor and makes it to the surface...so he can have a big face-off with the rat-bat monster.

In the Short Story, the others stay up on the surface and are blissfully-unaware of the Monsters as they prepare to go down to look for the 2, ending the Story on a downer.

To pad the runtime out, the Film has a few set-up kills- including a man who our Hero is hired to replace- and one of them is pretty cruel (a woman who rejects the Boss' advances is killed).

They also add a fun- but unnecessary- Character in the form of Brad Dourif's Exterminator.
He has a few Scenes and dies, not really impacting the Plot as a whole.

Thanks for...being in the Film, I guess.

Final Thoughts

The Film is...alright.  It is a pretty basic Creature Feature that I watched last year, kind of remember and didn't keep.  It was worth the $2 I paid for it at Goodwill though.

The Short Story is less fleshed out- since, you know, it is like 30 pages long- and gives you a good taste of a bigger Story.

If the Film had been changed less (and done better), it would be a great segment in a Stephen King Anthology like Cat's Eye or a Creepshow-style Film.  As a stand-alone, it's...not that impressive.

Night Shift has a bunch of fun, crazy Short Stories in it to enjoy. 
Stick with that for now.

My Crazy Youth: The Time That 'Godzilla' Traveled to the Dark Future of...2022?!?

 A Show I remember from back in the day is Godzilla: The Series.  Even as a teen, I didn't love the American version of the Japanese Monster.  As an Adult, I learned why.

That said, the Show is way more in line with the premise of the Series than that big-budget Film.  It was also part of a slew of '90s Films with mostly-forgotten Shows- Men in Black, The Mask, Jumanji, Wing Commander, Ace Ventura, etc.

Now that I own the Complete Series Set (which has 2 Unaired Episodes), I can cover it better.

To begin, we go late in the Series for Future Shock.

The HEAT Team chases a Monster out into the Ocean alongside Godzilla, but a strange storm strikes the ship!

They return back to NYC and find their home all smashed up.  Insert 'Guns & Roses smashing Hotel Rooms' joke to be properly-'90s here.

What is the Story?

They find NYC wrecked as well- thankfully, the Disc has no Subtitle Track, so you're spared a line about someone 'playing Ping Pong with the World Trade Center' visible here- and something else is strange.

What's up with this Marquee?

They are in the dark Future of 2022, where their normally-asthmatic/hypochondriac Scientist buddy is now a buff John Connor-esque resistance fighter.

The source of this peril- DARMAs, a group of hard to kill (except when it is dramatic) monsters that in the last 23 years killed Godzilla and most of the world's population.

In a rare Plot Device, their absence had *no* effect on this timeline happening, so they go back into the Storm (that waited politely all day for them) and return to 1999.

Aside from a DARMA chasing them, there's no issue.

Back in the Present, they track down the guy who is working on said creatures now and stop him.

Thankfully, they have 2022's laser weapons (good thing we don't have those now!) and Godzilla (absent since the first few minutes) to set things right.  The End.

A fun, if obviously silly premise for an Episode.  

As a Cartoon Show, you'd better believe that they checked all of the boxes for Story ideas in 40 Episodes.  They go to every climate, every Continent, travel inside of Godzilla to cure him from the inside and, as you just read, went to the Future.

The future stuff is fun- a relative statement given that it is supposed to be bleak, of course.  They give you a good reason for it and really revel in all of the 'Future has gone bad' Tropes/Visuals.  One gripe though- they don't show Godzilla battling the DARMAs at all.  Nope, they just say he saved a bunch of people and died.

Was it too dramatic for a Kid's Show?  You can just describe it?

The Pacing of this was not what I expected as usually the 'come back to fix things' part is pretty short.  It's not quite half the Episode, but it is longer than a few minutes.  

They do make the most of that time, of course, paying off a setup earlier and continuing to tease a long-term story of romance.  I'm not sure if those ever properly paid off, of course.

Future Shock is a fun Episode that breaks the normal setup of 'Go here, find Monster and defeat Monster.'  It plays with that a bit in a nice way.  

As for the dark Future, at least they got Cyborgs in THEIR 2022!

Godzilla: The Series is not exactly the most complex Show of its time, but it sure is fun.  I've got more highlights in the near future (also of 2022).

Shudder Sunday: Popcorn (1991)

 As a Feature on Joe Bob Briggs' Drive In, I missed this originally.  

With more time, I've checked it out properly...

As a Film Class in L.A. needs money, they need to do a Fundraiser.

How do they do it?

They hire a Film Memorabilia Collector to help them do a '50s Movie Marathon, of course.

The Films all have gimmicks inspired by William Castle, including a prop creature that 'flies out' during the Climax, shocking prods in seats and emitting real (smelly) gas.

I'd...pay to go to this.

While the planning is going on, our Heroine/Final Girl is experiencing weird dreams that her Mom (Dee Wallace) is nervous about.

She gets a freaky call, goes to the Theater...and never returns.

The Marathon takes place, bringing all of the crazies out.  It's like a Comic Con, but with slightly-weirder people in a smaller Building.

And no, that's not Seth Green.

As the Features play, someone is killing people behind the Scenes.

Does it have to our Heroine, her freaky stalker and/or the man who made a freaky Film called Possessor?

I'm going with Yes.

To find out more, stream the Film now.

A weird and creative Film, to be sure.  The Plot is a love letter to 1950s B-Movies and also a classic '80s style Slasher Film.  It is 1991- the '80s stuff still carried over.

I do enjoy how well made the fake Films are here.  As a regular watcher of those Films, they did a nice job.  The only issue- of course- is how crisp they look.  It's a trade-off, of course, to make a third of your Film look low-definition.  I can see why they made the choice.

The contrast of people enjoying cheesy Movies with a man acting like a cross between Freddy Krueger and Pinhead is noticeable.  Your love of it may vary.

All in all, Popcorn has some fun moments, some freaky kills and impressive make-up work.  Now why is there an alternate version of the Box Art on VHS with the wrong face on it?

Enjoy this Cult Classic.  It is a crazy blend of fake Movie, Psychological Thriller and Comedy that sure...is a thing.

Immediate Response: Black Adam (2022)

 I went to a Theater at peak times- Thursday at 9pm- in Week 3.

So let's see if a Decade or so of Dwayne Johnson's life was worth this Film getting made.

The Good

* The Film sets things up nicely in big, dramatic fashion.

* Love it or hate it, Johnson commits to this Character, playing him a weird mix of violent, aloof and serious.

* The Film introduces lots of new Characters who get their moments to shine, although some get more than others.

* They give Adam a whole Arc here, which I appreciate.

* The Film looks nice, only letting some obvious Green Screening be seen towards the end.

* The Film has some very good, dynamic Action Scenes throughout, which helps keep the pace strong.

The Bad

* There are LOTS of unanswered questions about the Plot here, which make it feel like it was meant to be made in a DCEU where Justice League was a hit and none of the other Films were cancelled/delayed.

Short version- Who is the JSA?  Why does Waller call them?  Where is the Suicide Squad?  Which of those 2 Films is canon?

* That random lady from THE Suicide Squad/Peacemaker fell pretty flat.  'Oh...it's...her?'

* While I like the JSA here, they are 1,000% just a re-skin of the X-Men.  Fate is the Professor, Hawkman is Wolverine, Cyclone is Storm and Atom Smasher is just Deadpool.  Seriously, don't make Atom Smasher into Deadpool!

* They do a 'it is totally over' thing that rings hollow.  Nice try.

* The Marketing and the Film are out of sync here as a key part of the Ad Campaign talks about his wife and son dying.  So, when we see no Wife or Son, that's a giveaway.  So, I guess, don't watch any of the Ads (or read this) to get the Ending as planned.

For all of my complaints, it is a good start and could revitalize the DCEU.  Prove me wrong about the DCEU's future, Mr. Gunn.

Tubi Thursday: Snow Monster vs. Ice Shark (2019)

 With Halloween no passed, I can go back to the sheer insanity of the random non-Horror Films on Tubi.

For instance, another Chinese Monster Movie that looks like it was made for a slightly-fancier version of the Syfy Channel.  Now with an English Dub, someone added the 'vs. Ice Shark' part to the Title.

Is it good?  Is it at least fun to watch?  Let's see...

Right off the bat, those ladies aren't in this Film.  I guess adding fake Characters to Film Posters is not just an American thing.

Anyhow, some people go to the North Pole and find some trouble due to the weird magnetism and...

…this cute little fella.  Oh, is he the little Brother of the angry guy on the Posters?

In typical Kaiju fashion, he alternates between being an unconvincing Man In Suit and an unconvincing CGI Giant.

With the group missing, the funder is able to call in the Lead Woman's ex-Husband to help.  Did they crib Plot Points from The Meg?

He- along with the same fat guy from Land Shark- do some brief Indiana Jones stuff before running from a sward of CGI birds that eat your brains!

They somehow exit the Cave into the North Pole- just go with it!- and things seem great on the Green Screen Set...I mean, Arctic Plains.

Of course, you read the other half of the Title, so- thanks to Magnetism- we have giant Ice Sharks.
Yes, Sharks plural.

They get away- no SPOILERS as to how- and our Heroes are reunited.

It turns out that- in Film Cliche #524- there's a Tribe of people that worship the Snow Monster.

While they are willing to welcome our Heroes, there's another threat out there.  To see how it plays out, stream the Film now.

A fun Film- at least in short bursts.  As a full-length Film, it's kind of meh.

The parts with the Ice Sharks the first time- silly fun.
The Snow Monster showing up- fun.
The Action Scenes- sometimes fun.

The actual Plot- eh....alright, I guess.

It is all very stock and not that interesting.  The fact that I'm watching this Dubbed adds a somewhat ironic joy, as a few of the choices they made are...dubious, at best.  Most of the Dubbing Actors are fine, but one sounds like a cartoon bear.

Snow Monster vs. Ice Shark is about as complex as you'd expect.  It holds no surprises to liven things up either.  If you want to know what to expect at every moment- I was literally counting down to the Attack to set off Act 3- and like silly CGI monsters, it's worth a free stream.

Instead of another Poster, how about some Concept Art that sure doesn't match the Film?  Let's go with that...

It is exactly what you'd expect.  I was hoping for more...but I wasn't expecting it.  Oh well.

Halloween Hangover: Ghostwatch (1992)

 Life gets in the way of your plans, but there is always time for Ghosts!

To bookend October, I started with a fake TV Special on Halloween that was made in 2012.  Let's properly end the month with the far-more-infamous one from 1992 that *actually* traumatized people.

In 1992, BBC-1 ran Ghostwatch as a Halloween Special.  The Station insisted that it have Opening Credits for a Writer, so nobody would get *too* scared and think this was real.  Given the deluge of calls and complaints, it seems that people just missed that- likely by tuning in a few minutes late since they were watching *google search* reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The Special is a 'Documentary' Investigation into a Haunted House.  They have everyone on board- a Presenter, an In-The-Field Reporter, a Skeptic, an Expert and...the guy from Red Dwarf.  Can they get proof of what is supposedly-happening?

To find out why 1,000,000 called in to to the Studio after this ran its one and only Broadcast, read on...

A lovely little home on Foxhill Drive is experiencing some weird phenomena.

Let's send in TV Personalities to help them.  Why not?

Long before your Blair Witches and Paranormal Activity Films, you'd get this harrowing footage of strange banging, objects being knocked around and children scared in their own room.

We are also shown Photos that supposedly prove that weird things were going on.  

Sure is a good thing that someone was calm enough to get a clear shot.

                    *Below is the real Enfield Haunting Bedroom that inspired this Special*

Our Lady-in-the-Field is in the House with the Family as things escalate.

It all seems normal at first, but then it slowly, but surely gets worse to be in there.

Back in the Studio, Mr. Parkinson- who is/was a real Presenter- is continually-skeptical, especially after one moment gives him good reason.

In spite of his comments, the incidents increase in frequency and ferocity.

Callers talk about seeing a figure in the curtains.  The girls call him 'Pipes,' due to the sounds 'he' makes always coming from there.

In a clever bit, they alternate between takes with no obvious figure and ones like this all of the time.  They just love to mess with you.

Things build and build as 'Pipes' seems to get more daring and the effect of the Show seems to be spreading, based on the callers.

Why was there never a second Ghostwatch?  To find out, watch it now.  It's around, so find it!

A classic bit of sneaky, but fun TV- back when you could do that.  Could something like this work in 2022?  Would you believe that, for instance, NBC News was doing this?  In the Internet Age, this seems impossible, if not very, VERY hard to do.  The most we can get now is the occasional surprise Movie Announcement- like Blair Witch or The Cloverfield Paradox.

With that said, this is quite enjoyable and well-done.  They really make it feel like a TV Special that isn't a hoax.  To accomplish this, they shot all of the stuff at the House weeks earlier and the stuff in-Studio was live.  I can't imagine how much practice they needed to get that right!  The effect is seamless, as I didn't notice any difference myself.

Given the limitations of the time, they do some really great work.  CGI was barely a thing in Movies at this point, so a BBC-1 Special sure isn't going to use it.  That gives this a very fun, old-school feel.  They cheat a couple of times, to be fair, but it is still quite great.

It's hard to watch this in 2022 and put yourself in the mindset of a Viewer who didn't realize that this was fake and saw it for the first time.  With that caveat, Ghostwatch is a very effective Special that even manages to include an 'Ugly American' in the form of this skeptic, who is just the worst.

A Special that lives up to its reputation. It makes for a great Halloween viewing, but is also good any other night of the year.