MOVIE REVIEW / Kali Karate: The 2nd Beginning

By Anita Wills

From The Blair Witch Project to Best in Show, independent filmmakers have excelled in the genre of Mockumentary film for quite some time. Sean Russel Herman’s experimental mockumentary film Kali Karate: The 2nd Beginning is complete chaos, in a good way. In his feature debut, Herman tells the story of Sensai Houston, a very bizarre martial arts enthusiast who manages to ruin the lives of everyone around him while on his journey to get his ex wife back. 

Not only did Herman write, direct, produce and edit the film, he also took on the lead role as Sensai Houston, a character he created himself that came from his own personal passion for martial arts and comedy. Fans of the Eric Andre Show will appreciate the film’s determination to make the audience uncomfortable and as well as question their own moral compass for laughing. 

Kali Karate is overflowing with different editing and cinematography styles, as well as a comic book transition drawn just for the film. On top of that, there is impressive stunt work and an original “rap” score. That being said, there is little room for the comedy to breathe. Many jokes fell flat due to the fact that there was not enough time to process them before the next one. Several small characters were introduced, but never reached any character development that helped move the story along. 

What really carried the film was the comedic chemistry between Sensai Houston and his roommate Shu played by comedic genius Shu Lan Tuan, as well as the gorgeous but sparse HBO Boxing’s 24/7 inspired shots which was interesting to see in a mockumentary film. 

The artsy dark comedy leaves you wondering, is Kali Karate a love letter to filmmaking, an overflowing introduction of Herman’s talents, or a farewell eulogy to the comedic avant garde?   

Kali Karate: The 2nd Beginning is available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play Movies. 

SOPHIA'S SECOND LOOK: Drop Dead Fred

By Sophia Anita Reyes ( @sophia_toto_girlpower )

I recently rewatched Drop Dead Fred, the 1991 dark comedy/fantasy film for the first time since I was about 11 years old. I am unsure why I had such fond happy memories of this misunderstood box office flop. After watching the film as a 34 year old woman, I was in an immobile physical state of shock. I sat there for about 10 mins alternating from sobbing my eyes out, to staring at the wall with my mouth wide open thinking “What the hell did I just watch?” and “What are these feelings I am feeling?!” 

Drop Dead Fred is about a grown woman named Elizabth whose agent of chaos, childhood imaginary friend Fred, comes back to help her take control of her life. Her life that is very much in the hands of her ultra dominant, power tripping mother who Fred likes to call “the Mega bitch”, and her manipulative weasel like fiancé. The film has many flashbacks of the destruction and ruin that Fred and Elizabth caused, which drove her mother to insanity. 

Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall) and Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Phoebe Cates) in Drop Dead Fred.

I have this gut feeling that there is one important question that no one asked on set or during production, not the producers, the actors, or even the director. The question is, who is this movie for? Is it for kids? The whole family? Or the scariest answer.. is it for me? After I was able to come out of my immobile state of shock, I realized that the film is a grotesque but beautiful guide on how to love your younger self by battling your childhood trauma. That’s when I also realized that yes, this film is for me, someone who has had trouble challenging authority since a young age and staying away from manipulative weasels. Along with being a movie that will completely just fuck with your un-dealt emotions, it is kind of a cinematic masterpiece in itself. The story progression, character development, set design, special effects makeup, et cetera, are all flawless. There are no holes in this film, no dull moments. The most powerful scene is at the very end when Elizabeth becomes so overwhelmed with her trauma that she passes out and takes a trip into her imagination and back to her childhood home with Fred, where it is time to face her biggest fears.

Elizabeth “Lizzie” (Phoebe Cates) and Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall) in Drop Dead Fred.

The inside of the immaculate house is enormous and dark. Menacing shadows looming everywhere and furniture with edges so sharp they look like they could cut you. Elizabeth uses her imagination to navigate the intimidating home. Standing there as a grown woman she puts her hands on her temples, shuts her eyes. Suddenly a giant beautiful tree grows in the middle of the foyer. This particular moment really gutted me. Seeing a grown woman confidently tap into her imagination to solve a problem was a shocking sight to see. Using your imagination is what children do, not adults. We grew up, we are not allowed to be silly or fantastical anymore. Fred and Elizabeth climb the tree, but unfortunately her mother is waiting at the top of the stairs, guarding Elizabeth's childhood bedroom door, not allowing them to pass. 

Elizabeth fearlessly screams “I’m not afraid of you!” in her mother’s face and after hearing this, the mother bursts into epic flames. At this point, my face is soaked with tears, how could this film get under my skin any deeper than it already has? Well you just wait. 

 In the beginning of the film, Elizabeth's mother has had enough of her tiny daughter’s rebellion and duct tapes Fred back into his jack in the box so he can never escape again. When grown up Elizabth opens the bedroom door that her mother was guarding, she finds her childhood self duct taped to the bed. Elizabeth tears the duct tape away and gives her younger self a big hug, telling her “we don’t have to be afraid anymore”. The duct tape represents the constricting restraint that the mother had over Elizabeth, and the tearing represents Elizabeth using her voice and taking the power back.  Do you understand now why I was in such a state of vulnerability and shock?

Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall) and Elizabeth’s mother Polly (Marsha Mason) in Drop Dead Fred.

To be honest, I’m not surprised that his film was a giant flop. No one understood it, but most importantly, no one cared to try and understand it. If they did, they would see that it is a beautifully dark film that challenges its audience to be vulnerable, and to not be ashamed of using your imagination. 

MOVIE REVIEW / Cocaine Bear

By DeeDee Baldwin

** This article contains mild spoilers. **

There is a scene at the beginning of director Elizabeth Banks’ Cocaine Bear when a hiker’s bitten-off lower leg is flung into frame, and the viewer thinks, “Should I be laughing at this?” It’s the first of many such moments to come.

Horror-comedy is, of course, nothing new. Cocaine Bear follows in the bloody footsteps of cult classics like the Evil Dead series, Tucker and Dale vs Evil, and even, in some respects, Fargo. “What is it in the human condition,” asks author Bruce G. Hallenbeck in Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914-2008, “that makes us want to laugh at the darkness around us?” If we laugh in horror at a woman’s foot sticking out of a woodchipper or at a man’s dismembered body falling from a tree, is something wrong with us?

Sari (Keri Russell) in Cocaine Bear.

Not at all. "The common misconception about laughter is that laughter is, for the most part, a response to humor," researcher Diana Mahony told ABC’s Joseph Brownstein in 2008. Rather, laughter is more like “a steam gauge, where a buildup of feelings prompts an outburst.” This is why some people smile or laugh at funerals or when they’re around a friend who is crying. They aren’t sadistic, and they don’t suffer from antisocial personality disorder. In the perceived absence of other outlets—especially because so many people are extremely uncomfortable crying around others—laughter might be all they have left. Most of us have watched horror movies, even ones that are meant to be totally serious, and laughed at an intense death scene. Did young people in your movie theater laugh when Boromir wept in Fellowship of the Ring or when Katniss sobbed and screamed at her sister’s cat in Mockingjay – Part 2? Intense emotions like grief and fear can be too overwhelming for some people to process. The more effectively such intensity is conveyed, the more likely you are to hear giggles in your theater.

But laughter in movies like Cocaine Bear or Tucker and Dale isn’t only an outlet for big feelings. It is the intended response. There is obvious humor like Margo Martindale’s “dusty beaver,” the billboard advertising a glory hole, and the coked-out bear collapsing, exhausted, on top of a man. There is an ambulance sequence that ratchets up both tension and absurdity until the viewer is simultaneously hiding her eyes and laughing like a valve releasing steam. In one wry scene, a character mentions his two friends (both dead, unknown to him), and Banks cuts to a shot of their corpses that looks like a macabre Halloween yard display. 

Stache (Aaron Holiday) and Jr. (O’Shea Jackson) in Cocaine Bear.

While most of the movie’s deaths are comedic in their horror, not all are played for laughs. One character’s death is quiet, dignified, and poignant – and it is well-earned. For another towards the end, Banks goes all-in on the gore, but there’s more schadenfreude than humor in it.

Cocaine Bear is a comedy in the most classical definition of the term: a humorous take on flawed humans—Aristotle’s “inferior people”—and their foibles, with the requisite happy ending. It is also a morality play in which each of our heroes must fall and be redeemed. I use the term “heroes” lightly; one of them is, after all, a hired gun for a drug lord. Children learn not to skip school and do drugs, and career criminals ride off with a cute little dog. If it took some decapitations, stray body parts from legs to fingers, and a disemboweling, isn’t the most important thing that we’re all better humans in the end? Dante would say yes.

Oh, and I’m forgetting the most important part of this comedic, horrific morality play: it will leave you cheering for a coked-up bear family. And that’s the best part of all.

FOUR EYES REVIEW / The Batman

Welcome back to another “Four Eyes” review. We take this moment to share 2 opinions on a single geek topic.

Below both Justin and Dave will each dive into what they thought about Matt Reeve’s The Batman. Join us for a “Fan”-tastic, gushing with praise, recap.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on social media using #foureyesreview

MOVIE: The Batman

STARRING: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravits, Paul Dano, Colin Farrell, Jeffrey Wright, Barry Keoghan, Andy Serkis

RELEASE DATE: March 4th, 2022

WHERE TO WATCH (as of March 2022): Theaters (Streaming on HBO Max on April 19th, 2022)

FROM JUSTIN POMERVILLE:

Cue the 60’s Batman theme song, because our favorite caped crusader is back again on the big screen. When The Batman was first announced with Robert Pattison as Bruce Wayne/Batman, I was a little hesitant. It wasn’t Pattison’s acting capabilities, but more or less the direction this film was going to go. As time went on and the more information released, it became clear that Pattison (and director Matt Reeves) had a clear vision of what exactly this Batman story would be and how it would stand out from the rest of the pack. Their story, as well as the overall style and feel, was told in a fantastic way that kept you on the edge of your seat.

The main plot focuses on a young Bruce Wayne who has only been Batman for a few years. That is the biggest difference, and because of that, we got a very different kind of Batman. We get a Batman that was still learning what exactly it means to be the hero Gotham needs. His fighting style, detective work, even his gadgets are still being honed and crafted. His interactions with the rest of the characters is fabulous as he learns to form relationships in order to become that better hero. This is the kind of Batman story where we actually get to watch Batman’s growth. With that growth, we learn how it affects Gotham and lays out the beginning rise of his rogue gallery.

Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne in Warner Brother’s 2022 release of The Batman.

Bruce’s relationships with both Selena Kyle (played by Zoë Kravitz) and Jim Gordon (played by Jefferey Wright) were meticulously put together. They all intertwine with each other flawlessly and it never felt forced to move the film forward. We got to see the beginning romance between Bruce and Selena as well as the trust and friendship (which is what I would call it) between Bruce and Jim as they work the murder case. Everyone’s role played out great and left me wanting to see the next step in their evolution.

Everyone’s performance was top-notch, but a couple really stood out. Paul Dano’s portrayal of The Riddler was maybe my favorite because they took such a weird villain in the comic whose whole bit is elaborate traps that can be solved by riddles, and they made him dangerous, smart and gave his whole character a fresh direction. He became visually terrifying in his mask, giving him a Zodiac killer vibe, but with the intelligence that is just as scary. The Riddler has been that character in the comics that in recent years has been taken more seriously, but this representation took it to a new level.

Jim Gordon (played by Jeffrey Wright) and Batman (played by Robert Pattinson) in The Batman.

The overall feel of this film is thrilling, Gotham felt claustrophobic and gave you a real sense of how dangerous the place is. The soundtrack is just insane and fits with the tone. Reeves littered this movie with Easter eggs and Batman lore that could make this a solid franchise going froward (if he so chooses to go in that direction). This wasn’t just a superhero movie. This was a thriller detective film that just so happened to involve Batman. That is something we don’t see very often. You can’t really compare it to the others,. If I had to choose, this may have become my new favorite Batman film.

FROM DAVE CLARK:

For as long as I can remember, my two favorite comic book properties have been the X-Men and Batman. I remember my excitement to see Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989. I would have to wait for the VHS but I was still very excited to see this larger-than-life hero played out in movie form. For me it wasn’t about world building or easter eggs. It was about seeing my favorite superhero take it to his most feared enemy on the big screen. It would then lead to the greatest animated series in the history of Batman cartoons. It would define comic book movies for a very long time and we’d set the scale as to who would portray Batman, The Joker, Alfred, Gordon, and so on. They’d be rated alongside the cast of the original film and even Adam West’s Batman. Here we are. We are in the twenty-first century and I’m getting the seventh actor to portray Batman/Bruce Wayne in live action form.

Robert Pattinson as The Batman.

I was extremely apprehensive when they announced the casting and idea behind this film so soon after Ben Affleck’s portrayal in Justice League. It started when Matt Reeves joined as Writer and Director after Affleck dropped from being the Director. Then Affleck dropped out altogether, opening the door for Robert Pattinson. Pattinson was a man I thought as horrible at acting based solely off the Twilight films alone. For the record, I was wrong and the actors are not to blame fully for those films being so bad. So many of them would go on to have amazing careers, including Pattinson. Recently, I loved him in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. Pattinson taking over the cape and cowl for this potential new take of the story gave me confidence in the capable creative hands of Matt Reeves.

This film is now not only my favorite Batman film, but it may also very well be one of my all-time favorite films ever. It establishes our Batman as a great detective, though not the greatest, not yet at least. He’s still not the polished Dark Knight as it is only his third year on the job. However, right from the title screen, we’re getting a Batman film with narration. We’re treated with an inner monologue from Batman explaining his thoughts and observations, which in turn end up being the vocalization of his ritual of writing in a journal during this Gotham Experiment he calls being the Batman. While there has been Batman narrating before, this felt different. It felt stronger and a more intimate look into the mind of Batman. Without getting too long winded, the portrayal of every character in this film was done with respect and knowledge of the source material.

Robert Pattinson as The Batman.

The music throughout set the tone and was perfectly fit for a Gotham that no person would choose to live in unless they had no other choice. Each character had their own theme and they worked well to establish the tone of their character in the scene. The music and sound production was stellar. You felt every punch, every footfall from Batman as he emerged from the darkness. You felt the car chase with every crash and explosion.

I really could gush about this movie for thousands of words but I’m going to cut myself short and direct you to our podcast we’ll be releasing this week (link to come) with our more detailed review of The Batman. This was a strong Batman movie, and best of all - it’s simply just a great movie overall. It’s a crime thriller about a desperate chase of a maniacal serial killer who has a political agenda to expose the city’s corruption at its core. The inspiration for this film from Zodiac, Seven, and Chinatown can be noticed even after the credits have rolled. It’s safe to say, we’re in good hands for the future of Batman and his Rogues Gallery and perhaps his extended Bat-family. The future is bright in a dark dank Gotham.

REVIEW / Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

There has been great success lately with old horror franchises like Halloween, Candyman, and to an extent, Scream. Each movie getting a new film that is a direct sequel to the original. This direction brings fresh life to the films and an easy introduction to those who have never seen the original. Also, they have added a nice bit of legacy by bringing back past characters (ie: Laurie Strode return in Halloween Kills). This helps for both nostalgia and story purposes. This trend has been a great success but I was curious if they could keep the momentum going with this new Texas Chainsaw Massacre?

As a horror fan, I love it all. I enjoy the good and the bad, the suspense and the gore. Sadly, Texas Chainsaw Massacre suffers from a lot of problems. I am not confident I was the target audience. The only real positive for this film is the gore aspect. An audience that thrives on butchery over plot, this update would most likely be a blast. There are a couple fun kills, but beyond that, this film did nothing to make the franchise and Leatherface stand out for me. It comes down to the story. The whole narrative is a group of entrepreneurs selling off the properties of the town of Harlow (the town that the original story was based). They are ironically looking to build a new, safe community. However, Leatherface has other plans and begins to murder every single person in sight.

Lila (Elsie Fisher), Melody (Sarah Yarkin), Ruth (Nell Hudson and Dante (Jacob Latimore) in Netflix’s 2022 Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The script is barely held together with characters that are unlikeable and hard to get behind. The main protagonist is Lila (played by Elsie Fisher). She has an updated and poignant backstory of being a victim of a school shooting. This film really wants you to remember this group's disdain for guns. We don’t know the reason for the shooting until we are halfway through the film. Even after the revolution, it had very little impact to the plot. Everyone else just has cookie-cutter attributes despite having a competent cast. You get the overbearing sister who is obnoxious (for me), but also a local that you are supposed to hate yet end up liking. On top of those characters, they also brought back a legacy character, Sally (played by Olwen Fouéré) from the original film. I was very excited to see the flashback and how a veteran of the original mayhem would handle things today. Unfortunately, she brought nothing substantial to the film. She is misused and under appreciated. She is just another body on the pile. I feel cheated that she was not allowed even a proper showdown with Leatherface.

Sally Hardesty (played by Olwen Fouéré) in Netflix’s 2022 Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

I believe the other problem with this film is it never felt like a big deal in horror. Halloween, Scream, and Candyman all had huge budgets and theatrical releases (including months of planning and ads) building excitement for their releases. They embraced promoting the return of past characters. As far as Texas Chainsaw Massacre, all I saw in terms of advertisements was one trailer when it was first announced and then forgotten about until the release date. It felt more like an afterthought. After great success with Fear Street and Army of th Dead, I had just expected more from Netflix. I am curious if that impacted the reviews? It appeared everyone online completely forgot this film was coming and thus its reception was lackluster, to say the least.

Leatherface (Mark Burnham) in Netflix’s 2022 Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

I wish they had put more into this film to give it more substance. As it stands, it is near the bottom of the pile of the Texas Chainsaw franchise, and rightfully so in my opinion. As noted, I know others have enjoyed it, which is appreciable. Woefully, I am not one of them.

Movie Review / Black Friday

MOVIE: Black Friday

STARRING: Devon Sawa, Ivana Baquero, Ryan Lee, Stephen Peck, Michael Jai White, Bruce Campbell, Louie Kurtzman

RELEASE DATE: November 19th, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH: Theaters / VOD Rental (Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Vudo)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

As we get into the holiday spirit, it’s only fitting that I watch a new “festive” film to get me into the holiday spirit. As someone who works in retail, one of the more horrific days that basically rings in the Christmas season for me is Black Friday. So, it almost felt necessary to watch the new horror/comedy film starring Bruce Campbell that has the same name.

This film feels like a mash-up of Night of the Comet and Night of the Living Dead but with a Christmas theme. The plot is very, very simple; comets crash land inside toy stores and start turning people into undead aliens. They then merge together to become a giant monstrosity. We follow a small group of retail workers and their horrible manager as they try to survive the invasion.

Stephen Peck as Brian and Bruce Campbell as Jonathan in Black Friday

With a very straightforward plot, I was hoping that the main focus would be in solving the mystery of where the aliens came from and the best way to deal with the threat. To an extent, that is what happens. They did seem to focus a little too much on the side plots of the lives of the retail workers which is fine, except the plots don’t feel like they ever have a resolution of some sort.

You have Kevin (played by Devon Sawa) who is a divorcee that got the short end of the stick when it comes to seeing his kids. Marnie (played by Ivana Baqeuro) is Kevin’s love interest. We also have Chris (played by Ryan Lee) who is a germaphobe whose father is not proud of him. Although we have these storylines, it really focuses on Kevin and how everything just keeps coming up short for him. It never really hits, mainly because of how the whole invasion plays out.

Marnie played by Ivana Baquero and Devon Sawa as Ken in Black Friday

Practical monster effects and gory were pretty decent in this film. There is one monster that kind of looks like The Blob from the 1988 remake, but these aliens felt like cannon fodder overall and second fiddle throughout the film. In my opinion, there wasn’t even a scary scene throughout the film. That’s why this was geared more as a comedy/horror, right? Unfortunately, the comedy feel pretty short as well. The majority of the comedy comes from Johnathan (played by Bruce Campbell), the terrible manager. Bruce plays the role like most of his roles; cocky and dumb. That works in some roles, but in this movie, it feels he was just a name to get people to run to the theater.

With all that said, it was exactly what I needed to recover from the real retail Black Friday (which isn’t too far off sometimes to the movie Black Friday). It’s a mindless fun popcorn movie. Enjoy!

Practical Effects in Black Friday

Movie Review / Lamb

MOVIE: Lamb

STARRING: Noomi Rapace, Hilmir Snær Guðnason, Björn Hlynur Haraldsson, Ingvar Sigurdsson

RELEASE DATE: October 8th, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH: Theaters / VOD Rental (Amazon Prime, Apple, Google Play, YouTube, AMC On Demand)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

I have been watching a good amount of A24 films and have shared my praises for films like “Midsommar”, “The Lighthouse”, and most recently, “The Green Knight” (Go read that review HERE if you haven’t yet). This company has a very successful track record of making some of the most interesting films in the last couple of years. However, I do recognize that they are not all great films. Examples that come to mind are The Death of Dick Long and Slice.

Unfortunately, “Lamb” falls into that category.

Noomi Rapace n LAMB

Directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson, Lamb is the story of a childless couple on rural island that come across the weirdest discovery in their sheep barn, a sheep giving birth to a hybrid lamb/human child. They decide to raise her as their own. They give her the name Ada. In all honesty, that’s 90% of the film. Just a couple raising their “child”. This film is labeled as a horror/fantasy piece and I’m sure that someone out there might find the horror of this story, but it doesn’t actually set in till the last 15 minutes of the film.

This film has a run time of 1 hour and 46 minutes and the majority of that time is literally this couple going about their daily lives, while also caring for Ada. From the get go, they recognize her as different for a total of about 10 minutes. The movie only takes a moment before it turns it around as “this is our child now” and they go back to their normal lives. To me, this just doesn’t work. How are these guys not freaking out over it? How come they are not calling anyone? It doesn’t feel natural.

There is a scene where the mother visits a grave that has the name “Ada” on it, so I assume that maybe they did have a child at one point so this new Ada is a coping mechanism. It’s not addressed at all, so the whole act feels hollow and forced. They add some drama as the husband’s brother comes to visit and there is an implication that he had an affair with the wife. However, the problem seems to solve itself in a matter of 20 minutes.

Scene from LAMB

I said this film is labeled as a horror film, and honestly, the trailers made it feel way more horror than what it actually was. Like I said before, the only “horror” comes at the end of the film. It’s an interesting twist for sure, but overall, feels weirdly thrown in.

Overall, this film had an interesting idea, but fell short on what it was trying to accomplish. I give it praise for its interesting usage of making Ada come to life, but beyond that, this film felt like it needed more substance than what was delivered. All the problems felt like after thoughts to the main story of a grieving family that were giving this “gift”, but was it really a gift?

I give this film a 2 out of 5.

Movie Review / Prisoners of the Ghostland

MOVIE: Prisoners Of The Ghostlands

STARRING: Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella, Bill Moseley, Teresa Ruiz, Imogen PottsNick Cassavetes, Takato Yonemoto, Kanon Nawata, Tak Sakaguchi, Lorena Kotô

RELEASE DATE: September 17th, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH: Theaters / VOD Rental ( Amazon Prime, Apple, Google Play )

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

Nick Cassavetes and Nicolas Cage in PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND, Courtesy of Mongrel Media

Back again with the newest Nic Cage film, Prisoners of the Ghostland. The last two films I have reviewed of his had been 50/50 so far, with Willy's Wonderland being less than great, and Pig being one of the best films he has put out since Mandy. So, where will Prisoners of the Ghostland sit upon Justin's self-made "Nic Gauge"?

The plot of the film is fairly simple when it's described to you; Nic Cage (whose character's name is Hero in the cast list) is imprisoned for robbing a bank and being a part of a shooting in the bank. The Governor (played by Bill Mosely) makes a deal with Cage; go and save The Governor's adopted granddaughter, Bernice (played by Sofia Boutella), from The Ghostland. If so, Cage will be set free. To ensure that she is returned safely and unharmed, Cage has to wear a leather onesie that has bombs attached to each wrist, the neck, and one on each testicle. Yup, you read that right.

Sofia Boutella in PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND, Courtesy of Mongrel Media

The overall package of this movie is interesting. There are two locations within the entire film, Samuari Town and The Ghostland. Both look really interesting, but the story provides extremely little information about the places. Samurai Town is a small town that not only has samurai running around, but also cowboys and geishas. The Ghostland seems to be a wasteland in a junkyard that everyone else lives in. Why do they people live there? I'm not sure.

Scene from PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND, Courtesy of Mongrel Media

This film feels like there is a lot of plot that was cut out for unknown reasons. It felt disjointed and everything kind of just happens too easily for Hero. Even when some of his costume bombs explode (I'll let you guess which ones), they just feel like a minor inconvenience for him. Bernice is supposed to have her own path of redemption when you meet her, but it does not actually come across very well.

I commend this film for being pretty insane. I have not seen any other film from director Sion Sono, but I have heard these violent and bizarre films are his kind of thing. But this film felt very empty in terms of dialogue and character development. Was it better than Willy's Wonderland? Yes, but only by a small margin because of how insane Cage acts in this film. He goes nuts.

So, if you want to hear Cage yell "Hiya" and "My Testicle", then this is the movie for you.

Check out Justin’s other “Cage” reviews at www.atomicgeekdom.com and stay tuned for his next “Nic Gauge”.

Movie Review / The Green Knight

MOVIE: The Green Knight

STARRING: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Erin Kellyman, Barry Keoghan, Ralph Ineson, Sean Harris, Joel Edgerton

RELEASE DATE: July 30th, 2021 (Theaters) / August 19th, 2021 (VOD)

WHERE TO WATCH: Theaters / VOD Rental (Amazon Prime, Apple, Google Play, FandangoNow)

By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)

The Green Knight is the latest film by David Lowery, whose other films up to this point have included 2016’s “Pete’s Dragon” and 2017’s “A Ghost Story”. This film is also an adaptation of the poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In short, this film is probably one of the best films that have come out of A24’s library, in my honest opinion.

"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", from the Cotton Nero A.x manuscript

As the title of the poem states, the film is about King Arthur’s nephew, Gawain (played by Dev Patel), who accepts to play a game by The Green Knight on Christmas Day.  The game is simple, strike a blow to the Green Knight and then you claim his ax. However, Gawain must return to the Knight’s castle in one calendar year's time and give the knight the same courtesy in letting him strike an equal blow to Gawain. 

Gawain played by Dev Patel

After Gawain beheads the Green Knight, Gawain waits almost the entire year until he decides to go on the adventure. Along the way, Gawain finds himself meeting interesting characters, each one being a test of the 5 virtues of what it means to be a knight; friendship, generosity, chastity, courtesy, and piety.

This film is very beautiful in every way. Although it is a slow-moving film, it never feels like you are waiting for the next scene to happen. They give you time to take in the splendor of the scenery. They pull you in with the great score from Daniel Hart that accompanies the film. I don’t want to spoil too much about the film because I want everyone to go check it out. So, I highly recommend you check it out and see what you think.

Movie Review / Guilt, Grief and Self-Hatred: How three new female-directed horror films intersect

1 ) Saint Maud

DIRECTOR: Rose Glass

STARRING: Morfydd Clark, Caoilfhionn Dunne, Jennifer Ehle, Marcus Hutton, Carl Prekopp, Lily Frazer, Lily Knight

RELEASE DATE: January 29th, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH (as of August 2021): Hulu

2 ) Censor

DIRECTOR: Prano Bailey Bond

STARRING: Niamh Algar, Michael Smiley, Nicholas Burns, Vincent franklin, SophiaLa Porta, Adrian Schiller

RELEASE DATE: June 11th, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH (as of August 2021): Amazon Prime Video (rental)

3 ) The Stylist

DIRECTOR: Jill Gevargizian

STARRING: Najarra Townsend, Jennifer Seward, Lindsay Solomon, Angela Dupuie, Brea Grant, Davis DeRock

RELEASE DATE: February 21st, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH (as of August 2021): Amazon Prime Video (rental)

by Dave Palamaro

The protagonist as the outcast/anti-hero used to be mostly the realm of male film directors (think Taxi Driver, Joker, Fight Club, Goodfellas etc.). But three new female horror directors are showing audiences that complex, emotionally damaged main characters need not be gender specific. Thank God for that because their films (Saint Maud, Censor and The Stylist) are a revelation.

***SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SAINT MAUD, CENSOR AND THE STYLIST***

Disturbed Heroes

Saint Maud, Censor and The Stylist all have one major element in common: they showcase female lead characters that are emotionally damaged, socially distant and possibly a danger to themselves or others. Where these characters differ, however, is why each of them reached such a state.

(Morfyd Clark plays Maud in Saint Maud)

In Saint Maud, directed by Rose Glass, Maud (played by Morfyd Clark) is a young nurse who experienced a traumatic event in her past that cost a patient their life. She blames herself for this death since the patient was in her care at the time. The shock and guilt she feels spins Maud out of her normal orbit and into a self-imposed extreme form of catholicism.

(Julie Ehle in Saint Maud)

She finds a new patient to save in terminal cancer victim Amanda (played by Julie Ehle). Saving Amanda’s soul soon becomes Maud’s mission. She believes that converting Amanda to catholicism before she succumbs to her cancer will make up for her failing to save the life of her previous patient. But Maud’s methods for this would-be salvation turn out to be...well, extreme.

(Niamh Algar as Enid in Censor)

Prano Bailey Bond’s Censor, Enid (Niamh Algar) is a seemingly emotionally healthy young woman. She works as a film censor in 1980’s England and spends her days watching endless “video nasties” (British horror films from the 1980’s). Her job is to determine which of these horror films are fit for public consumption, and if they are, which parts of the movies to cut out.

All seems normal until we meet her parents. We discover that Enid’s sister went missing years ago. It turns out that Enid blames herself for the disappearance of her sibling because she was with her sister when it happened. Enid’s parents want to move on and forget about their lost child (even presenting their missing daughter’s death certificate to Enid at dinner).

But Enid, not so much. She believes that her sister is out there somewhere and nothing her parents do will shake her from this belief.

(Niamh Algar in Censor)

Clearly, Enid’s personal mission is to find her lost sister. At some point she thinks she sees her sister (now an adult) in one of the “video nasties” she’s evaluating for work.

From that point on, any good intentions Enid has to locate her lost sibling quickly turns into an unhealthy obsession.

(Najarra Townsend plays Claire the stylist in The Stylist)

Unlike Maud or Enid, Claire (Najarra Townsend) in The Stylist isn’t given a reason (at least on-screen) as to why she is so damaged.

Director/writer Jill Gevargizian shows us who Claire really is in the very first scene.

Claire is a hair stylist who drugs and surgically scalps her clients. She then uses their hair as a macabre wig to act out her fantasies of being other people. In this way, Claire can be anyone she chooses. Anyone but herself. Why does she do this?

In several scenes it is very clear that Claire hates herself to an almost unimaginable degree. She puts up a good front to those in her public life but in private, she brings self-loathing to a whole new level.

(Najarra Townsend and Brea Grant in The Stylist)

When Claire is hired to do her friend Olivia’s (Brea Grant) wedding hair, it seems that she might finally be making a real connection with another human being. It appears that this just might be enough to break the murderous hamster wheel she’s trapped in. But director Gevargizian doesn’t give us such an easy way out of Claire’s psychosis.

Does anybody ever really get what they want?

So does Maud (Saint Maud), Enid (Censor) and Claire (The Stylist) get what they want by the end of their respective stories? Well, yes and no.

Directors Rose, Bailey-Bond and Gevargizian leave it up to the audience to decide if their damaged female protagonists achieve their goals by the end of their respective journeys.

Which is only fitting, as these films are as complex as their main characters. These three talented directors have shown audiences that mentally and emotionally challenging characters are not just for men anymore.

Ratings:

Saint Maud: 9.5/10

Censor: 8.5/10

The Stylist: 8/10

Dave Palamaro is a filmmaker known for Murder Made Easy (2019) and In Heaven There Is No Beer (2014).

Movie Review / JOLT

MOVIE: Jolt (Amazon Original)

STARRING: Kate Beckinsale, Jai Courtney, Laverne Cox, Stanley Tucci, Lili Rich, Bobby Cannavale, David Bradley, Susan Sarandon

RELEASE DATE: July 23rd, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH: Amazon Prime

By Animated Annie @hessian_hellcat

Jolt is my 2nd favorite action movie of 2021, seconded only to Nobody. The movie kicks off with our heroine, Lindy, as a child unlike any other. She’s overly triggered by mean people, and has some solid super strength and anger to boot. After some traumatizing years being experimented on and tortured, she finally finds a bandaid type treatment with the help of her shrink, Dr. Munchin, played by Stanley Tucci. 

Everything seems to finally be coming together for Lindy (played by Kate Beckinsale, who looks amazing as always), until it isn’t. She absolutely slayed every one of her action scenes. With every imagined & actual fight, I was grinning ear to ear, and fully engulfed. Some of her triggers had me cackling, and were very relatable. I’ve definitely dreamed of doing some of the same things.

Laverne Cox was my 2nd favorite character, as Detective Nevin. Knocking out some solid humor as a brutally honest, by the book detective partnered with the endearing Detective Vicars (Bobby Canavale).

I did have the story figured out less than halfway through, but that didn’t take any of the fun out of the movie for me. Jolt is witty, action packed, solidly casted, and well written. Hopefully we will be getting a sequel/franchise. The ending gave us our first onscreen view of the movies narrator (no spoilers), and a quick bonus scene in the credits with a character I really enjoyed that we only got a few minutes of. All of this makes me think we will, so I’ll be crossing my fingers!

Movie Review / Blood Red Sky

MOVIE: Blood Red Sky (A Netflix Film)

STARRING: Peri Baumeister, Carl Anton Koch, Alexander Scheer, Kais Setti, Gordon Brown, Dominic Purcell, Graham McTavish

RELEASE DATE: July 23rd, 2021

WHERE TO WATCH: Netflix

By Patrick Nagy

Let me preface this review by stating, I’m not very into horror movies in general. Then again, I don’t know if I would categorize this film as “horror”. It’s more like an action flick with a supernatural twist. There will be a few spoilers, but trust me, there is still plenty of surprises to see.

The Netflix original film Blood Red Sky revolves around Nadja (played by German actress Peri Baumeister) and her son Elias (Carl Anton Koch) traveling from abroad to New York to seek treatment for Nadja’s “condition”. It isn’t fully explained yet what her issue may be as she sneaks off to the bathroom mid-flight to inject herself with some sort of serum, which appears to cause her much pain. The entire experience and journey seem to be very desperate for Nadja.

Somewhere over the Atlantic tragedy strikes when it is revealed some of the passengers and crew aren’t what they appear. In a very gruesome and violent takeover of the plane’s cabin and cockpit, this group of terrorists make their intensions clear that this plane is theirs, and there will be no shenanigans or heroes. The leader of the terrorist group is Berg (played by Prison Break actor Dominic Purcell) and they do an all right job of fleshing out his character, even though he’s a little two dimensional with your classic tropes. For example, forcing prisoners to read a written statement condemning a government or political group, planning to crash the plane in a populated area…you know…terrorist stuff. The more interesting part is his merry band of mercenaries. You have the sensible one, the angry one, the violent one, and then there’s Eightball (played by Alexander Scheer). He’s a real problem. The wild card. The psychotic killer that seems to enjoy inflicting pain and chaos. Unfortunately one of Eightball’s random targets is Nadja’s son Elias. During a scuffle for Elias, Nadja is injured and forced to reveal her secret she’s been fighting so hard to conceal.

Without giving away too much, you can picture the madness that ensues after a full blown Nosferatu style vampire is thrown into your classic hostage film! Picture the 1996 Kurt Russell film Executive Decision meets The Strain.

What I liked most about this movie and the character of Nadja, is the pain she’s going through to save her son and the plane. With every drop of blood, every kill, she’s loses herself a little. She’s afraid of Elias seeing her this way. No hair, fangs, pointed ears, and covered in blood…a monster. Her greater fear is losing him to the disaster that is unfurling.

We do get some flashbacks from time to time of a car break down and an old farm house in the German wilderness. Piece by piece these memories explain how Nadja became this way. They also reveal an ominous warning from an old farmer that she must end this vampire disease for good. This foreshadowing really helps explain who Nadja is (or at least was), and why she is fighting so hard to get back to some sort of normal. It adds a lot of sympathy and strife to her character. Imagine going through an uncertain future not even knowing what you’re becoming or how to stop it. Would you do anything and everything to just feel normal again?

During the battle it becomes very apparent everyone Nadja takes down or consumes her blood will also be infected. She does her best to stop the spread, but you can imagine what happens next. Now our anti-heroine has one more HUGE thing to worry about! How will Nadja save her son (without scaring the living daylights out of him), save the plane, and stop a vampire outbreak! This really takes anyone’s fear of flying to a ridiculous level.

Blood Red Sky may not be for the squeamish, but if you are looking for Action / Thriller plus Vampires, this is the film for you! It was done very well which is saying a lot because you can just picture how badly it could have gone from the pitch meeting to screen.

Shot in English and German overdub, Blood Red Sky is available on Netflix streaming now.