Horrorfest: We're Gonna Need a Bigger Blog!

New watches first...

BLACK SUNDAY

(Mario Bava, 1960)

Hey, this is my first Bava! After being executed for being a witch, a woman returns centuries later to take possession of a young princess. A lot of gothic atmosphere and hot Italian men (some played by Brits), the muscle studs at the beginning can burn me at the stake anytime! Barbara Steele plays dual roles. I've seen her in several things over the past couple of years, quite a distinctive look. GRADE: B

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES

(Michael Chaves, 2025)

Final installment - until the inevitable reboot with younger, sexier stars - in which the Warrens (Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) go to Pennsylvania to get some York Peppermint Patties to expel a demon that attached itself to a family through an antique mirror. The sequels have all been a significant drop off from the original, trying too hard to replicate Insidious and its parade of demons/loud sounds. And the whole mirror angle was done so much better in Oculus. Overlong, but I did enjoy the cameos at the end. GRADE: C

DEEP RED

(Dario Argento, 1975)

A psychic is murdered and its up to a pianist and a journalist to find out who did it. The whodunit aspect ends up being a bit of a letdown (and probably hasn't aged well), and at 126 minutes this is too long. But there is some great directing and cinematography, and I liked the journalist character. She's played well by Daria Nicolodi, who as it turns out co-wrote Suspiria and is Asia Argento's mother. The random humorous gags involving her car work well. With David Hemmings and Gabriele Lavia. GRADE: B- 

DIAL M FOR MURDER

(Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)

If they hadn't remade this in 1998 with A Perfect Murder, would a new version be called "Text M For Murder"? A tennis player arranges the death of his adulterous wife, but the murder doesn't go as planned. The "murder" sequence is Hitchcock at his best, but this was very stagey. It made perfect sense when I found out it was a play, as it's basically a single setting and very talky. It must have been nice to live in a time when you wore evening attire during the seemingly never ending cocktail hour. With Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, and the yummy Robert Cummings. GRADE: B

DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS

(Freddie Francis, 1965)

On a train, five passengers are told their fortunes by a mysterious tarot card reader (Peter Cushing) in this anthology horror. I found the best one to be about the art critic who is haunted by the hand of an artist he killed. I was not aware younger Christopher Lee was such a snack. The one about the musician stealing voodoo music was silly. Overall, though, this was mostly fun with a predictable but eerie ending. Also with Donald Sutherland. Also, a snack. GRADE: B

HIM

(Justin Tipping, 2025)

A young athlete goes to the desert compound of a soon-to-retire NFL player where he goes through nightmarish training from a cult. I guessed from the trailer that this would be an over-the-top mess, and it mostly was. Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans do what they can, but it was rather predictable and the ending was just like "...okay?" Not suspenseful, and the visuals just seem like an ad for a new season of American Horror Story. Can Hollywood please stop it with Julia Fox? GRADE: C

THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 2

(Renny Harlin, 2025)

Probably the worst movie released this year and I'm totally gonna see the last installment when it opens whenever that might be. I'm nothing if not a glutton for punishment. The three masked strangers continue to hunt for Maya, the survivor from Chapter 1. She wakes in a hospital, runs through the small town, steals some vehicles, hides out with people who may or not want to kill her, and...oh boy...wrestles with a wild boar. Because when I think of Strangers films, the one thing lacking was a sequence that ripped off the bear scene in The Revenant. This whole trilogy was so ill-conceived., and I knew from the trailer from the first film that they were gonna explain who "Tamara" was. It worked because it was random! That's the problem with these endless sequels - they have to fill in holes that aren't really holes. Madeline Petsch's acting in these films is obnoxiously Theater Kid 101. GRADE: D

THE TENANT

(Roman Polanski, 1976)

Starring Roman Polanski. No Roman Polanskis were harmed in the making of this film, but some teen girls might have been. (Okay, that was a bit much.) A French bureaucrat rents an apartment in an old building replacing the previous tenant who leapt to her death. Slowly, he begins to psychologically deteriorate. Polanski was so good at this moody, slow burn, paranoid suspense, and he was a capable actor. Not sure what his aversion to city apartments were. With Isabelle Adjani and Shelley Winters. GRADE: B+

WISHMASTER 2: EVIL NEVER DIES

(Jack Sholder, 1999)

I rewatched the first one last year, which I mostly enjoyed. Not sure I'm gonna get to the next 2 this year as this one tried my patience. In particular, Andrew Divoff's performance was just awful. I complained about him in my post about the first film, but he's just goofy grinning through the role. The character could have been semi-iconic. The djinn is released during an art gallery robbery and wreaks havoc on the thief and a hot priest. He also spends a lot of the movie in jail trying to get people to make wishes so he can steal their souls. Gore and makeup effects are decent, so there's that. With Holly Fields, Paul Johansson, and Bokeem Woodbine. GRADE: D

Some anniversary rewatches...

BOOK OF SHADOWS: BLAIR WITCH 2

(Joe Berlinger, 2025)

I mostly liked this when I saw it the day it was released, but this is my first revisit. It's an odd duck, completely different from the original and doing its own thing. (I revisited the first last year, and still loved it. I guess I can rewatch the 2016 sequel next year for its 10th.) The problem is for long stretches it doesn't really work. This was Berlinger's first fiction narrative as he was an acclaimed documentary filmmaker, and it shows. The acting is uneven, the meta aspect becomes a little distracting, though the structure is occasionally compelling. Mostly by accident, the director and the studio had massive disagreements. A local leads a witch, a goth girl, and two writers though the sites of The Blair Witch Project in Maryland where they might be haunted by what they thought was only a fictional presence. I liked Jeffrey Donovan's character's home, that's exactly the type of place I'd like to have. He's got a nice ass, too. With Erica Leerhsen and Kim Director. GRADE: C+

DRACULA 2000

(Patrick Lussier, 2000)

It's very 2000. Matrix-y stuff! Vitamin C! Linkin Park end credits song! Dracula (Gerard Butler, pre-beefed up) is unleashed in the modern world after a group of thieves steals his coffin from Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer). This has a bad rep, but I liked it when I first saw it and still enjoy it. It's stupid, for sure, but pretty entertaining. I even dug the biblical twist. Never saw the direct-to-DVD sequels. Butler and Justine Waddell are a little too stiff in their roles, but the supporting cast seems to be having fun. Jonny Lee Miller sure was delicious in that era, I may have been slightly obsessed with him at the time. GRADE: B-

JACOB'S LADDER

(Adrian Lyne, 1990)

I watched this back in 2002. I remember liking it, but I loved it this viewing. Six years after his experience in Vietnam, a veteran (Tim Robbins) begins seeing hallucinations and disturbing visions of the people in his life. Is this the result of a secret chemical exposure from the war or is he losing his sanity? When I initially watched this, I hadn't yet seen Carnival of Souls. I think I watched that in the mid aughts, and now its easy to see that film's influence here. Lyne was really on fire in this era, just a superbly crafted film. Hollywood never did Elizabeth Peña justice. Also with Pruitt Taylor Vince and Ving Rhames. GRADE: A-

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

(Jim Sharman, 1975)

Also watched this in 2002, but didn't care for it. When I shared my opinion with friends, I was told you had to see it live to really experience it. In the two decades (plus) since, I still haven't had that pleasure, but I decided to give it a second chance. Hey, I really liked it this time! Maybe being older, I have a bit more affinity for 70's rock. A young couple (Barry Bostwick & Susan Sarandon) with a flat tire arrive at the mansion of mad scientist Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry). Music and sex ensue. Curry owns this beast, and perhaps no one in film history ever wore fishnets as confidently as he did. I watched Tommy a few months back, and these two would make a great double feature - rock operas of the 70's. GRADE: B+

TREMORS

(Ron Underwood, 1990)

I can't count the number of times I've seen this over the years. I first saw it on TV in, maybe?, '95 and loved it. It follows two repairmen (Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward) in the small desert town of Perfection, Nevada. When a graduate student studying seismology discovers some unusual activity, the town and its various inhabitants are attacked by large underground worm-like monsters. A fast-paced throwback to 50's monsters movies, a first rate cast playing memorable characters, and terrific use of practical effects, this remains an absolute blast. Getting older means acknowledging that Ward was so hot in this. Also with Reba McEntire and Finn Carter. Of the direct-to-home viewing follow-ups and TV series, I've only seen the second from '96. GRADE: A-

The end of Romero's first zombie trilogy and the start of the second...

DAY OF THE DEAD

(George A. Romero, 1985)

I frequently throw this on for a "background movie" when I'm doing other things. It's on almost every free streaming service. Romero's third in his original Dead trilogy is easily the weakest, but still a strong film on its own terms. It follows a group of scientists and military macho men as they attempt to deal with the undead new reality in an underground bunker in Florida. The makeup effects are still amazing 40 years on, and its themes of the militarization of society are still, sadly, relevant. Some of the satire, though, feels a tad like leftovers from the first two. I've not seen the 2005 sequel, which is only a "sequel" because the company had the rights to the original. I have seen the 2008 remake, which was awful. As was it's sequel.  Lori Cardille, Joe Pilato, and, of course, "Bub" co-star. GRADE: B+

GEORGE A. ROMERO'S LAND OF THE DEAD

(George A. Romero, 2005 - Unrated Cut)

20 years after Day and several after the new school of zombies arrived thanks to 28 Days Later, Romero returned with this one. Land follows a group of poor outsiders who run supply missions and security for the wealthy high-rise of Fiddler's Green - located in Pittsburgh - and its corrupt leader (Dennis Hopper). The satire takes aim at the Bush era, but like almost all of Romero's Dead films it's still very relevant. The poor people dream of going to Canada, and we're probably not far off from a world where the uber-rich wall themselves off from civilization and the rest of us are forced to fight for scraps. The first, and best, of Romero's new trilogy is at best when it embraces the pulpiness and not as nimble when the mechanisms of the plot dominate. Love those shots of the zombies marching toward the city. With Simon Baker, Asia Argento, and John Leguizamo. GRADE: B+

The Kathy Bates-Stephen King 90's double feature...

MISERY

(Rob Reiner, 1990)

Bates won the Oscar for her performance as Annie Wilkes, one of only a small handful of horror performances to ever do so. A writer (James Caan) who has just finished his latest novel crashes during a Maine blizzard and is rescued by a former nurse. She takes care of him, initially telling him she's his number one fan, but her psychotic nature eventually takes over. Caan is very good here, too, but Bates owns this. She completely nails this type of character - someone who appears pleasant and helpful at first but slowly reveals their true self. The film proves what I've always known: people who brag about not swearing and hating fowl language are almost always psychos. Stupid fucks. With Lauren Bacall, Richard Farnsworth, and Frances Sternhagen. GRADE: B+

DOLORES CLAIBORNE

(Taylor Hackford, 1995)

Yeah, it's not technically horror, but it's a Stephen King adaptation dealing with presumed murder starring his previous leading lady. Bates is just as good here in King's suspenseful tale of a Maine housewife reunited with her estranged daughter (Jennifer Jason Leigh) after being accused of murdering her wealthy employer (Judy Parfitt). A local journalist (Christopher Plummer) believes Dolores was also responsible for the death of her husband years earlier. A recent roundtable featuring Kathy had her fellow actresses raving how underrated this film is, and they were spot on. Just as good as Misery, with a chilling gothic Maine atmosphere. It can't be said enough that Parfitt should have been in Oscar contention that year - what a great character and performance! That eclipse scene was dazzling. GRADE: B+

The Wes Craven/2005 double feature...

CURSED

(Wes Craven, 2005)

If you knew me at this period of my life, you knew how much I was looking forward to this. The project was announced in summer of 2002, a reteaming of Craven and Scream collaborator Kevin Williamson with a new take on the werewolf film. It went into production. And then it was re-filmed. And re-filmed yet again. Numerous actors (including Mandy Moore, Illeana Douglas, and Skeet Ulrich, among half a dozen others) filmed footage that ended up on the cutting room floor. Then, 2.5 years later, right before it was finally set to be released, the studio announced it was trimming it from an R to a PG-13. Despite being one of my most anticipated in years, I ended up not seeing it theatrically and waiting for the "unrated" DVD. It's messy, sure, and the cinematography so closely resembles what could have been Scream 4 before that movie was actualized. A brother and sister are attacked in the Hollywood Hills by an animal, and find themselves turning into werewolves. Numerous plot holes, wildly inconsistent creature effects, dated cameos, and a final showdown that is very unearned... and yet, I just can't dislike it. I watched an interview with the editor where he said he had the original workprint minus an ending. The deleted footage is now owned by Spyglass, apparently. After 20 years, I doubt we'll ever see it. With Christina Ricci, Jesse Eisenberg, Joshua Jackson, Milo Ventimiglia, and Judy Greer. GRADE: B-

RED EYE

(Wes Craven, 2005)

Half a year after the disastrous release of Cursed, Craven directed this thriller in which a hotel manager  (Rachel McAdams) is held hostage on a plane by a mysterious man (Cillian Murphy) using her to help in a terrorist attack. It's a much better, more consistent film than Cursed. A few critics said the film was like something Hitchcock would have made in a post-9/11 world. However, at just under 80 minutes without credits, its very fast paced and slight. A good genre exercise, but not much more. Murphy and McAdams worked well together, they were stars from the beginning. With Brian Cox. GRADE: B

And, lastly, the Jaws franchise...

JAWS

(Steven Spielberg, 1975)

Happy 50th! I took the opportunity to see this on the big screen for the first time. Jaws has to be one of the top 5 most watched films in my life. I was probably too young to see it when I first did. Probably 5 or so. I'm not saying it fucked me up for life, but sometimes in the shower I have to turn around to make sure a shark isn't going to eat me. I also haven't been to the ocean in 25 years. In the small island town of Amity, a shark is killing swimmers right at the height of vacation season. Its up to the police chief, a marine biologist, and a fisherman to kill the shark before he kills the town's tourism. Iconic scenes, lines, characters, one of the best the genre has ever delivered. Thanks for the thalassophobia, Spielberg! With Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfus, and Robert Shaw. GRADE: A

JAWS 2

(Jeannot Szwarc, 1978)

And so we get to the Jaws sequels, some of the most notorious sequels in film history. Sheriff Brody is still running things in Amity when a series of shark attacks threaten to shut down the town yet again. Part 2 adheres to the formula of the first half of the first film for most of its runtime, until the final act where the shark attacks a sailing competition. The last act isn't bad, but the rest is just too much of a retread lacking Spielberg's graceful touch. He knew how to make the shark terrifying whereas here the shark is just a big dud. Roy Scheider returns. GRADE: C-

JAWS 3-D

(Joe Alves, 1983)

I didn't get to view it in 3D sadly, but that's still what the opening credits refer to it as. There are a lot of 3D gags, probably the most amusing parts of the film. At SeaWorld, the sons of Brody capture a shark and keep it in the facility. Very smart thinking as the mother shark comes looking for her baby. At least this has a slightly different formula, with two decent sequences: one involves stunt performers in a water show, and the other involves an attack in an underwater tunnel. The shark is even faker looking than ever, particularly in 3D. With Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, and Louis Gossett Jr. GRADE: C

JAWS: THE REVENGE

(Joseph Sargent, 1987)

This is the sequel I've seen the most. No idea why this was on television so much in my childhood.  Sheriff Brody died since the last installment, so his wife (played by Lorraine Gary) must now destroy a shark that followed her to the Bahamas. From New York. I don't thinks shar...eh, nevermind. Gary is solid, probably the saving grace of the film. The shark, after 12 years, has gotten even faker looking. Apparently, the theatrical ending was different. They reshot it after release? What? I think this has happened for some other films I've watched during Horrofest. Hard to believe they used to do that. Also with Michael Caine. GRADE: C-

Horrorfest 2025!

I'm dealing with a laptop where the "A" key doesn't function very well, so I might need to keep these entries short. Anyways...

THE ADDICTION

(Abel Ferrara, 1995)

Lili Taylor stars an NYC doctorate student who is randomly bitten by a vampire (Annabella Sciorra) in this short, but moody black and white drama. The cast features a who's who of then-up-and-coming New York based actors (Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Kathryn Erbe). This might have been mumblecore before that was a thing as it was hard to hear some of the dialogue. Taylor was, as always, a mesmerizing talent. GRADE: B

BLACK DEATH

(Christopher Smith, 2010)

I believe this is the fourth film from Smith I've watched during these fests. I did enjoy his film Severance, but the rest were mediocre. Eddie Redmayne plays a young monk who teams up with a knight (Sean Bean) to find out if rumors are true that a small town is bringing it's bubonic plague victims back from the dead. I appreciate the moral ambiguities of the film, but most of it is a slog. With Carice von Hauten. GRADE: C

THE CELL

(Tarsem Singh, 2000)

Haven't seen this since I saw it theatrically in August of that year, so I was looking forward to a revisit. The reviews were mostly negative when it came out, except Ebert who gave it 4 stars. Stylistically, it's still impressive - cinematography, costumes, production, makeup are all top notch. Storywise, eh... A child psychologist goes into the mind of a comatose serial killer to help police find the whereabouts of a missing woman. It's music video style is even more apparently years late, and the notion that every serial killer was just a child who needed a hug was always questionable. With Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, and Vincent D'Onofrio. GRADE: B-

THE CITY OF LOST CHILDREN

(Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 1995)

I have to admit I was half-zoinked out on medication when viewing this, so I'm not sure that was the best way to view it. Or given the visual nature of the film, it may have been. A mad scientist steals the dreams of children in an attempt to live forever. A visual dazzler, but the story didn't quite engage me. Maybe it the meds? Might need to rewatch this in the future to find out. With Ron Perlman and Dominique Pinon. GRADE: B

THE HEARSE

(George Bowers, 1980)

A recently divorced teacher moves to a new town for the summer where she plans to get her deceased aunt's estate in order. There, she finds herself given the cold shoulder by the townsfolk. Oh, and there's a hearse stalking her. I think the concept of someone being stalked by a hearse could really work in better hands (do it, James Wan!), but this just feels like a predictable 80's TV-movie. Not in a fun campy way, unfortunately. With Trish Van Devere. GRADE: C+

HOWLING 2: YOUR SISTER IS A WEREWOLF

(Philippe Mora, 1985)

Shouldn't every movie have that as a subtitle? The world would be a better place. This is the first Howling sequel I've seen. Not sure how many there are or how good/bad they are supposed to be, I've seen the original several times. The film follows Ben, the sister of Karen from the original, as he teams up with Karen's co-worker and a werewolf slayer and go to Transylvania to kill the werewolf queen. Outside of a hairy werewolf threeway, there's not much of note here. Sybil Danning is amusing as the queen. With Christopher Lee and Reb Brown. GRADE: C

HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP

(Barbara Peeters, 1980)

Very much a Roger Corman-produced creature feature with sex/nudity, but quite entertaining. Humanoids come up from the deep ocean and attack a California town. And that's about it. The running time - just 80 minutes - is too scant to offer much beyond its 50's monster movie meets 70/80's sleeze. Fun time, though. I vividly remember seeing the video box at the video store when I was a kid. Yes, first post this season and I've already mentioned video stores. With Vic Morrow and Ann Turkel. GRADE: B

LIFEFORCE

(Tobe Hooper, 1985)

After a strange encounter in outer space, astronauts return to London with an alien that turns everyone into vampires. I watched the theatrical version, which is just over 100 minutes. It does not waste a second of that, so it wasn't shocking to learn the director's cut runs almost half an hour longer. Definitely needed some breathing room as this version runs way too fast, no down time at all. I'll check the longer version out someday, as I wasn't too enamored with this hundred minute preview. With Mathilda May, Peter Firth, and Patrick Stewart. GRADE: C+

THE LONG WALK

(Francis Lawrence, 2025)

In an alternate American timeline where a new Civil War changed civilization, a bunch of Junior Character Actors volunteer for The Long Walk - a days-long walkathon that will yield riches to whomever wins and death to those who can't make it. Fittingly, from the director of 3 of the 4 Hunger Games films. I like that this resembled a 90's Stephen King prestige film, but I could have done without all the headshots and shitting. So much shitting. Some potent moments thanks to superstar-in-the-making David Jonsson, but still a little far fetched. I don't buy they could go that long without sleeping or passing out. With Cooper Hoffman, Charlie Plummer, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill. GRADE: B

MONKEY SHINES

(George Romero, 1988)

I only have a few Romero films left to see. This one follows a recently paralyzed law student who gets  a helper monkey, a capuchin named Ella, and the two develop a violent link to each other. It must be said that Jason Beghe was an absolute snack in this era. Oof. Romero goes with a serious tone, which surprisingly works. It could have easily just been a campy gorefest, but it feels grounded. That said, it still runs a little long and the monkey effects are a mixed bag. With John Pankow and Kate McNeil. GRADE: B-

PITCH BLACK 

(David Twohy, 2000)

Happy 25th to this fun science fiction action-fest that I first watched in 2002 during my Graduation Summer Film Festival. Ah, to go back to those days again! After all these years, it's still a fun time. Vin Diesel plays Riddick, a criminal on a spacecraft that crashes on a planet about to experience an eclipse. Unfortunately for the crew (including Radha Mitchell and Cole Hauser), the planet has creatures that come out to hunt in the darkness. It does a lot with its modest budget, even if the creatures now look a little dated. I remember someone once saying that this film was one of the few genre films to embrace the rave era in a unique way. I immensely disliked the other adventures of Riddick. Diesel really did have a unique star quality here, though. GRADE: B+

PSYCHO BEACH PARTY

(Robert Lee King, 2000)

Adapted from a play, this parody of beach movies from the 50's follows Chicklet, a teenager with a split personality that might be murdering the popular beach kids she desperately wants to be friends with. Intentionally campy cult-wannabe films rarely work and this is no exception. Kinda feels like an inside joke stretched out to feature length and none of it is amusing. With a few tweaks, it could have been something fun. Lauren Ambrose, Nicholas Brendan, and Thomas Gibson star. And Amy Adams in her second role! GRADE: C-

SHIVERS

(David Cronenberg, 1975)

Denizens of a luxury Montreal apartment complex are turned into nymphomaniacs thanks to a slug creature made by a mad scientist. It's early Cronenberg, of course! He hadn't quite developed his touch just yet as this was rough around the edges and not as thrilling as it could have been. I actually think he should redo this now just to see what he could do with it. Rabid was quite superior. With Lynn Lowry and Barbara Steele. GRADE: C

THE STUFF

(Larry Cohen, 1985)

I watched Cohen's It's Alive last year and enjoyed it. This one follows a private detective investigating a new food phenomenon called The Stuff. It's not quite ice cream, not quite yogurt, but everyone is addicted and it's turning them into mindless zombies. Far more of a comedy with some slight horror elements, the 80's was ripe for this type of consumerist satire. Feels like something that's been done and redone many times since, so the age may have hurt it a tad. With Michael Moriarty and Andrea Marcovicci. GRADE: C+

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE NEXT GENERATION

(Kim Henkel, 1995ish)

Not sure what year we could technically assign this to. It had small releases in '94 & '95, but wasn't properly released until '97 - the year after its future Oscar-winning stars broke out. There were rumors their agents tried to bury the film, but both stars have spoken very fondly of the experience making it in recent years. Renée Zellweger stars as a high school senior who, on her prom night, gets lost in the woods of Texas with some friends and must fend off a murderous clan of rednecks led by Matthew McConaughey. Henkel co-wrote the original, but this is the only film he ever directed and it shows. Scenes are ineptly staged, and most the horror and humor fall flat. Still a little worth seeing for its two leads, both had charisma from the beginning. If I recall, I may have seen this a year or two before I saw the original so I missed the cameo at the end on first watch. GRADE: C-

THE THING

(John Carpenter, 1982)

Hey, this is my first viewing of this during a horrorfest. I had the opportunity to see this in theaters for the very first time and couldn't turn it down. Lots of views on DVD and cable, of course, but wow did it look great on the big screen. Cundey's cinematography and that Morricone score! Those practical effects! A team of scientists in Antarctica comes face to face with an otherworldly evil that can take human form. I still haven't seen the original, might need to get cracking on that. We need more arctic-set horror. With Kurt Russell, Keith David, and Wilford Brimley. GRADE: A

THE TOXIC AVENGER

(Macon Blair, 2025)

The title card refers to this as The Toxic Avenger Unrated. I watched the original for last year's fest and wasn't really a fan of it. Wasn't really a fan of this, either, but I laughed during both. It is kinda crazy something this gonzo played in multiplexes across the country, I will admit. Peter Dinklage plays the terminally ill janitor of a chemical factory who after being transformed into a mutant seeks revenge against a corrupt CEO (Kevin Bacon). With Jacob Tremblay and Taylor Paige. GRADE: C

THE WATCHER

(Joe Charbanic, 2000)

James Spader plays a stressed former detective seeking a fresh start in a new city when a serial killer (Keanu Reeves) starts stalking and killing young women. Very much leftovers from the 90's serial killer craze with nothing new to offer. There's so much of the plot of this that just wouldn't work in the age of cell phones. Not to be confused with the much superior film from 2022. Marisa Tomei is wasted as a psychologist. GRADE: C-

WEAPONS

(Zach Cregger, 2025)

All the children but one boy from a teacher's classroom disappear late into the night causing the members of a small town to clash with each other in deadly ways. A sinister force might be pulling the strings in Cregger's blockbuster follow-up to 2022's terrific Barbarian. The last act probably made me laugh harder than any other movie in recent memory - intentionally, of course. Just an exhilarating final act. I know a lot of people are crazy about Amy Madigan here (when is she not great?), but I was really impressed with Austin Abrams as the town junkie. With Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, and a pornstached Alden Ehrenreich. GRADE: B+

WOLF CREEK

(Greg McLaen, 2005)

Happy 20th to this Ozploitation slasher released amidst the torture porn trend of the mid aughts. While I think that genre label was very reductive, there's no doubt it was a thing. Looking back, perhaps it was the last stand of the slasher genre as no one has really figured out what to do with it since. Anyways, I've seen this several times since watching it in a theater alone back during the Christmas holidays of that year where it infamously earned an "F" Cinemascore. Equal parts slow burn horror and Aussie travelogue, it follows three young twentysomethings who take a long road trip to a meteor site. After some car trouble, they're rescued by a redneck (John Jarratt) who has bloody plans for them. I know I've made this joke before, but I will again: it proves that no matter where you are, lunatic rednecks will kill you. Great cinematography, but those characters made such stupid decisions. Oof. Nathan Phillips - what a cutie! I saw the sequel and don't remember anything from it other than the dick getting cut off. Apparently, there's a third one in development. GRADE: B+

Recently Watched Movies (July 2025 - )

The Smashing Machine (Safdie, 2025) - C+

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (Berlinger, 2000) - C+

Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies (Sholder, 1999) - D

Cursed (Craven, 2005) - B-

Dracula 2000 (Lussier, 2000) - B-

Dial M For Murder (Hitchcock, 1954) - B

Jacob's Ladder (Lyne, 1990) - A-

Dolores Claiborne (Hackford, 1995) - B+

Black Sunday (Bava, 1960) - B

The Conjuring: Last Rites (Chaves, 2025) - C

The Strangers: Chapter 2 (Harlin, 2025) - D

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Kogonada, 2025) - B-

George A Romero's Land of the Dead (Romero, 2005) - B+

Tremors (Underwood, 1990) - A-

Misery (Reiner, 1990) - B+

Day of the Dead (Romero, 1985) - B+

The Tenant (Polanski, 1976) - B+

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Sharman, 1975) - B+

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (Francis, 1965) - B

Deep Red (Argento, 1975) - B-

The Senior (Lurie, 2025) - C

Him (Tipping, 2025) - C

The Long Walk (Lawrence, 2025) - B

Toy Story (Lasseter, 1995) - B+

The City of Lost Children (Caro & Jeunet, 1995) - B

The Watcher (Charbanic, 2000) - C-

The Addiction (Ferrara, 1995) - B

Jaws: The Revenge (Sargent, 1987) - C-

Howling 2: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (Mora, 1985) - C

Humanoids From the Deep (Peeters, 1980) - B

Weapons (Cregger, 2025) - B+

Sunset Boulevard (Wilder, 1950) - A

The Stuff (Cohen, 1985) - C+

Lifeforce (Hooper, 1985) - C+

The Cell (Singh, 2000) - B-

Shivers (Cronenberg, 1975) - C

Monkey Shines (Romero, 1988) - B-

Jaws 3-D (Alves, 1983) - C

Psycho Beach Party (King, 2000) - C-

The Roses (Roach, 2025) - C-

The Thing (Carpenter, 1982) - A

Splitsville (Covino, 2025) - B+

Lurker (Russell, 2025) - B+

Jaws 2 (Szwarc, 1978) - C-

Nixon (Stone, 1995) - B

The Hearse (Bowers, 1980) - C+

Black Death (Smith, 2010) - C

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (Henkel, 1995) - C-

Wolf Creek (McLaen, 2005) - B+

Caught Stealing (Aronofsky, 2025) - C+

The Toxic Avenger (Blair, 2025) - C

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Kubrick, 1964) - A-

Jaws (Spielberg, 1975) - A

Red Eye (Craven, 2005) - B

Pitch Black (Twohy, 2000) - B+

Doctor Zhivago (Lean, 1965) - B

Clueless (Heckerling, 1995) - A

Miller's Crossing (Coen, 1990) - B+

After Hours (Scorsese, 1985) - B+

Wild at Heart (Lynch, 1990) - B

Barry Lyndon (Kubrick, 1975) - A-

Nurse Betty (LaBute, 2000) - B+

Before Sunrise (Linklater, 1995) - A

Honey Don't! (Coen, 2025) - C-

Americana (Tost, 2025) - C

Congo (Marshall, 1995) - B

Batman Forever (Schumacher, 1995) - C

The Two Jakes (Nicholson, 1990) - B-

The Crossing Guard (Penn, 1995) - C

Love & Basketball (Prince-Blythewood, 2000) - B

Fletch (Ritchie, 1985) - B

Clockers (Lee, 1995) - C+

Reversal of Fortune (Schroeder, 1990) - B+

Snatch (Ritchie, 2000) - C

Eli Roth Presents: Jimmy & Stiggs (Begos, 2025) - C-

East of Wall (Beecroft, 2025) - B

Tron: Legacy (Kosinski, 2010) - C+

My Brilliant Career (Armstrong, 1980) - A-

Miami Rhapsody (Frankel, 1995) - C+

Restoration (Hoffman, 1995) - C

Final Destination (Wong, 2000) - B+

Fame (Parker, 1980) - B

Nobody 2 (Tjahjanto, 2025) - B-

Freakier Friday (Ganatra, 2025) - B-

Strange Harvest (Ortiz, 2025) - C+

Tron (Lisberger, 1982) - C+

Smoke (Wang, 1995) - B

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (Dante, 1990) - B+

Rob Roy (Caton-Jones, 1995) - C+

Rebecca (Hitchcock, 1940) - A-

The Naked Gun (Schaffer, 2025) - B+

Sketch (Worley, 2025) - C+

The Bad Guys 2 (Perifel, 2025) - C+

The Elephant Man (Lynch, 1980) - A-

Leaving Las Vegas (Figgis, 1995) - B

Space Cowboys (Eastwood, 2000) - B

St. Elmo's Fire (Schumacher, 1985) - D+

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Morris, 2025) - B-

Together (Shanks, 2025) - B

The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Shakman, 2025) - C

Eddington (Aster, 2025) - C+

The Postman (Radford, 1995) - B

Performance (Cammell & Roeg, 1970) - B

Melvin and Howard (Demme, 1980) - B+

Winchester '73 (Mann, 1950) - A-

Before Night Falls (Schnabel, 2000) - A-

The Blues Brothers (Landis, 1980) - B

But I'm a Cheerleader (Babbit, 2000) - B

House on Eden (Collins, 2025) - C

Smurfs (Miller, 2025) - C

I Know What You Did Last Summer (Robinson, 2025) - C+

Dead Man Walking (Robbins, 1995) - B+

All About Eve (Mankiewicz, 1950) - A

Total Eclipse (Holland, 1995) - C-

Weird Science (Hughes, 1985) - B-

Real Genius (Coolidge, 1985) - B

Tommy (Russell, 1975) - B+

Elio (Molina, Sharafian & Shi, 2025) - C+

Superman (Gunn, 2025) - B-

Avalon (Levinson, 1990) - C+

Prizzi's Honor (Huston, 1985) - B-

Toni (Renoir, 1935) - B

Strange Days (Bigelow, 1995) - A-

Dead Man (Jarmusch, 1996) - B+

M3GAN 2.0 (Johnstone, 2025) - C+

Paranthu Po (Raw, 2025) - C

Metropolitan (Stillman, 1990) - B+

The Contender (Lurie, 2000) - B-

Biutiful (Iñárritu, 2010) - C

9 to 5 (Higgins, 1980) - B+

Spartacus (Kubrick, 1960) - A-

Jurassic World: Rebirth (Edwards, 2025) - C

F1 (Kosinski, 2025) - C

Recently Watched Movies (Jan - June 2025)

187 for the first half. One more than last year.

Brazil (Gilliam, 1985) - B+

Plenty (Schepisi, 1985) - C

Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead (Fleder, 1995) - C-

Heat (Mann, 1995) - B+

Priest (Bird, 1995) - B-

Pump Up the Volume (Moyle, 1990) - B

Dancer In the Dark (von Trier, 2000) - B+

Kiss of the Spider Woman (Babenco, 1985) - B+

28 Years Later (Boyle, 2025) - B+

Materialists (Song, 2025) - B

Small Time Crooks (Allen, 2000) - B

George Washington (Green, 2000) - A-

The Friend (McGehee & Siegel, 2025) - C+

This Is Spinal Tap (Reiner, 1984) - B+

The Beach (Boyle, 2000) - C

How To Train Your Dragon (DeBlois, 2025) - C

Dangerous Animals (Byrne, 2025) - B

The Life of Chuck (Flanagan, 2025) - C+

Europa Europa (Holland, 1990) - B+

Casino (Scorsese, 1995) - B+

Rebel Without a Cause (Ray, 1955) - A-

The Phoenician Scheme (Anderson, 2025) - B-

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (Wiseman, 2025) - B-

Bring Her Back (Danny and Michael Philippou, 2025) - C+

Raging Bull (Scorsese, 1980) - A

Breathless (Godard, 1960) - A-

28 Weeks Later (Fresndillo, 2007) - B+

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (McQuarrie, 2025) - C+

Karate Kid: Legends (Entwistle, 2025) - C

Tornado (Maclean, 2025) - B

Lilo & Stitch (Fleischer-Camp, 2025) - C

Friendship (DeYoung, 2025) - B

The Last Rodeo (Avnet, 2025) - C-

28 Days Later (Boyle, 2003) - A-

The New World (Malick, 2005 - Theatrical Cut) - A

The Underneath (Soderbergh, 1995) - B+

Hackers (Softley, 1995) - C

Cinderella (Geronimi, Jackson & Luske, 1950) - A

The Aristocats (Reitherman, 1970) - B

La Femme Nikita (Besson, 1990) - B

Sense and Sensibility (Lee, 1995) - B+

Pocahontas (Gabriel & Goldberg, 1995) - B

American Gigolo (Schrader, 1980) - B

Apollo 13 (Howard, 1995) - B+

Virtuosity (Leonard, 1995) - D+

Final Destination: Bloodlines (Lipovsky & Stein, 2025) - B

Hurry Up Tomorrow (Shults, 2025) - C-

Lady and the Tramp (Geronimi, Jackson & Luske, 1955) - A-

The Hunt For Red October (McTiernan, 1990) - B-

Carrington (Hampton, 1995) - C

Shadow Force (Carnahan, 2025) - C-

Clown in a Cornfield (Craig, 2025) - B

Thirteen Days (Donaldson, 2000) - C

How To Make an American Quilt (Moorhouse, 1995) - C

The Surfer (Finnegan, 2025) - C+

Sinners (Coogler, 2025) - B+

Until Dawn (Sandberg, 2025) - C-

Rosario (Vargas, 2025) - C-

Thunderbolts* (Schreier, 2025) - B-

Patton (Schaffner, 1970) - B+

Lilo & Stitch (DeBlois & Sanders, 2002) - B

Caddyshack (Ramis, 1980) - B

On Swift Horses (Minahan, 2025) - C+

The Accountant 2 (O'Connor, 2025) - C

In the Mood for Love (Wong, 2001) - A-

To Catch a Thief (Hitchcock, 1955) - A-

The Order (Kurzel, 2024) - B+

The Running Man (Glaser, 1987) - B

The Legend of Ochi (Saxon, 2025) - B

Warfare (Garland & Mendoza, 2025) - B

The Wedding Banquet (Ahn, 2025) - B-

The King of Kings (Jang, 2025) - C

Night Moves (Penn, 1975) - A-

Juror No. 2 (Eastwood, 2024) - B

Maximum Overdrive (King, 1986) - C

Blow Out (De Palma, 1981) - B+

Drop (Landon, 2025) - B-

The Amateur (Hawes, 2025) - C+

Empire Records (Moyle, 1995) - B

A Minecraft Movie (Hess, 2025) - C-

A Working Man (Ayer, 2025) - C-

Death of a Unicorn (Scharfman, 2025) - C

Leave the World Behind (Esmail, 2023) - B-

The Forty-Year-Old Version (Blank, 2020) - B

Airplane! (Abrahams, Zucker & Zucker, 1980) - B+

How To Have Sex (Manning-Walker, 2024) - B+

The Penguin Lessons (Cattaneo, 2025) - B-

The Woman In the Yard (Collet-Serra, 2025) - C-

The Alto Knights (Levinson, 2025) - C-

La Haine (Kassovitz, 1995) - C+

Nowhere (Araki, 1997) - C-

Alphaville (Godard, 1965) - B+

Memphis Belle (Caton-Jones, 1990) - C

Le Cercle Rouge (Melville, 1970) - A-

Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000) - B+

Witness (Weir, 1985) - B

Snow White (Webb, 2025) - C+

Magazine Dreams (Bynum, 2025) - B

Black Bag (Soderbergh, 2025) - B+

The Doom Generation (Araki, 1995) - B

Used Cars (Zemeckis, 1980) - B+

Goodfellas (Scorsese, 1990) - A-

Mickey 17 (Bong, 2025) - C+

Opus (Green, 2025) - C-

Friday (Gray, 1995) - B-

Bamboozled (Lee, 2000) - B+

Rule Breakers (Guttentag, 2025) - B-

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (Browngardt, 2025) - B-

The Rule of Jenny Pen (Ashcroft, 2025) - C+

The Monkey (Perkins, 2025) - C

In the Lost Lands (Anderson, 2025) - C-

Nashville (Altman, 1975) - A

Oddity (McCarthy, 2024) - B+

Boys on the Side (Ross, 1995) - B-

Dog Day Afternoon (Lumet, 1975) - A

The Way Back (Weir, 2010) - B-

Your Lucky Day (Brown, 2023) - B-

The Apartment (Wilder, 1960) - A-

Kids (Clark, 1995) - B-

Last Breath (Parkinson, 2025) - B-

The Unbreakable Boy (Gunn, 2025) - C

Heart Eyes (Ruben, 2025) - C+

The Six Triple Eight (Perry, 2024) - C-

September 5 (Fehlbaum, 2024) - B-

Cry-Baby (Waters, 1990) - B-

The Trouble With Harry (Hitchcock, 1955) - B

Paddington In Peru (Wilson, 2025) - B-

Captain America: Brave New World (Onah, 2025) - C-

I'm Still Here (Salles, 2024) - B+

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Forman, 1975) - A-

Queer (Guadagnino, 2024) - C+

Hard Truths (Leigh, 2024) - B

The Outrun (Fingscheidt, 2024) - B-

I Saw the TV Glow (Schoenbrun, 2024) - B

Bring Them Down (Andrews, 2025) - B-

Love Hurts (Eusebio, 2025) - C-

Your Monster (Lindy, 2024) - B-

Eating Raoul (Bartel, 1982) - B+

Sing Sing (Kwedar, 2024) - B+

Tuesday (Pusić, 2024) - C+

Dog Man (Hastings, 2025) - B

Companion (Hancock, 2025) - B

Janet Planet (Baker, 2024) - B

Problemista (Torres, 2024) - B

Scarlet Street (Lang, 1945) - B+

Apartment 7A (James, 2024) - C-

The Return (Pasolini, 2024) - C+

Elevation (Nolfi, 2024) - C+

The Ladykillers (Mackendrick, 1955) - B

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (Gudegast, 2025) - B-

The Brutalist (Corbet, 2024) - A-

Nickel Boys (Ross, 2024) - B+

Presence (Soderbergh, 2025) - C+

Flight Risk (Gibson, 2025) - C-

Drive, He Said (Nicholson, 1971) - C+

The Yards (Gray, 2000) - B-

Five Easy Pieces (Rafelson, 1970) - B+

Sugarcane (Kassie & NoiceCat, 2024) - B+

One Of Them Days (Lamont, 2025) - B-

Wolf Man (Whannell, 2025) - C

The Room Next Door (Almodóvar, 2024) - C+

Girlfight (Kusama, 2000) - B

The Claim (Winterbottom, 2000) - B

Cutthroat Island (Harlin, 1995) - C

The End We Start From (Belo, 2024) - B+

Out of Africa (Pollack, 1985) - B+

Flow (Zilbalodis, 2024) - B

The Last Showgirl (Coppola, 2024) - B-

Nosferatu (Eggers, 2024) - B-

Better Man (Gracey, 2024) - C

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (Hyde, 2022) - B+

Silent Bite (Martin, 2024) - D

Den of Thieves (Gudegast, 2018) - B

Fresh (Cave, 2022) - B-

Femme (Freeman & Ping, 2024) - B+

The Damned (Palsson, 2025) - B

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Fowler, 2024) - C

The Piano Lesson (Washington, 2024) - C+

The Substance (Fargeat, 2024) - B+

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Crossingham & Park, 2024) - B-

The Virgin Suicides (Coppola, 2000) - B+

A Different Man (Schimberg, 2024) - B+

The Fire Inside (Morrison, 2024) - C

A Complete Unknown (Mangold, 2024) - B-

Kneecap (Peppiatt, 2024) - B

Lee (Kuras, 2024) - C

A Love Song (Walker-Silverman, 2022) - B+

Last year I focused on a revisit of 1999. I think this year I'm gonna try as many from 1995 as I can. That's really the year that my movie watching took off.

Ranking the Last 10 Oscar Winners...

I've wanted to do this for awhile...

Best Picture:

1. Parasite

2. Moonlight

3. Nomadland

4. The Shape of Water

5. Everything Everywhere All At Once

6. Oppenheimer

7. Anora

8. Spotlight

9. CODA

10. Green Book

Best Directing:

1. Bong Joon Ho - Parasite

2. Chloé Zhao - Nomadland

3. Jane Campion - The Power of the Dog

4. Damien Chazelle - La La Land

5. Guillermo del Toro - The Shape of Water

6. The Daniels - Everything Everywhere All At Once

7. Christopher Nolan - Oppenheimer

8. Alfonso Cuarón - Roma

9. Sean Baker - Anora

10. Alejandro González Iñárritu - The Revenant

Best Actor In a Leading Role:

1. Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea

2. Anthony Hopkins - The Father

3. Adrien Brody - The Brutalist

4. Joaquin Phoenix - Joker

5. Cillian Murphy - Oppenheimer

6. Gary Oldman - Darkest Hour

7. Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant

8. Will Smith - King Richard

9. Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody

10. Brendan Fraser - The Whale

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

1. Olivia Colman - The Favourite

2. Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All At Once

3. Emma Stone - Poor Things

4. Frances McDormand - Nomadland

5. Mikey Madison - Anora

6. Renée Zellweger - Judy

7. Brie Larson - Room

8. Emma Stone - La La Land

9. Jessica Chastain - The Eyes of Tammy Faye

10. Frances McDormand - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

1. Daniel Kaluuya - Judas and the Black Messiah

2. Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain

3. Mahershala Ali - Moonlight

4. Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies

5. Ke Huy Quan - Everything Everywhere All At Once

6. Robert Downey Jr - Oppenheimer

7. Troy Kotsur - CODA

8. Brad Pitt - Once Upon a Time In Hollywood...

9. Mahershala Ali - Green Book

10. Sam Rockwell - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

1. Viola Davis - Fences

2. Da'Vine Joy Randolph - The Holdovers

3. Youn Yuh-jung - Minari

4. Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk

5. Zoe Saldaña - Emilia Pérez

6. Ariana DeBose - West Side Story

7. Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl

8. Laura Dern - Marriage Story

9. Allison Janney - I, Tonya

10. Jamie Lee Curtis - Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Original Screenplay:

1. Parasite

2. Everything Everywhere All At Once

3. Get Out

4. Promising Young Woman

5. Anatomy of a Fall

6. Anora

7. Manchester By the Sea

8. Belfast

9. Spotlight

10. Green Book

Best Adapted Screenplay:

1. Moonlight

2. Call Me By Your Name

3. Blackkklansman

4. Women Talking

5. Conclave

6. The Father

7. American Fiction

8. The Big Short

9. Jojo Rabbit

10. CODA

Best International Feature:

1. Parasite

2. Drive My Car

3. The Zone of Interest

4. I'm Still Here

5. A Fantastic Woman

6. Roma

7. All Quiet on the Western Front

8. Son of Saul

9. The Salesman

10. Another Round

Best Animated Feature:

1. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

3. Inside Out

4. Soul

5. Coco

6. Flow

7. The Boy and the Heron

8. Zootopia

9. Encanto

10. Toy Story 4

I've only seen 4 of the recent Best Documentary nominees, sadly.