What was the last movie you've seen?

[Michi]

Next write-up for the unofficial "foreign film" month:

Shiver



Santi, a kid with a rare medical diagnosis, and his mother move to a small village along the mountain side in hopes of improving his condition. But when a bizarre string of murders occur, the suspicious locals immediately set their sights on the newly arrived family. But the more Santi tries to clear himself, the more he gets dragged into a deep, dark, local secret.

This is a Spanish horror/mystery/thriller outing from the same producer as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Orphanage. Of the three, I think it's probably the least impressive, but it still manages to be entertaining. It's got an excellent start, and some wonderful visuals and atmosphere, and doesn't feel quite as "intense" as the other two films. But it's also bogged down by some obvious plot issues. For instance, Santi's aversion to the sun is highly emphasized early on, but then pretty much gets forgotten about until it can conveniently be used to make a scene more "dramatic". And the mystery of what's causing the murders gets resolved surprisingly early (and feels pretty hokey), which sucks some of the best tension out of the film. I still really enjoyed it. But I think it's probably better suited for those more interested in tension and atmosphere, rather than horror and gore.

[stickem]

Got bored and watched Thunder Force on netflix. I thought it would be stupid and it is. But I enjoy stupid adam sandler type comedies and it was a little better than I expected, which was trash lol. I love Octavia Spencer, why she keeps choosing these roles is beyond me. Jason Bateman was dead pan funny, as always in a smaller role. I seem to like super hero comedies more than the marvel movies.

[REPO Man]

Last night I rewatched The Devil's Carnival. In their follow up to REPO! The Genetic Opera, Darren Bousman and Terrance Zdunich take us to Hell.

Rejecting the Abrahamic version of Hell, we are shown a Hell where Lucifer runs a stygian carnival where demons are carnies and the damned are forced to relive their sins in the form of retellings of classic Aesop fables.

Due to it's short run time (just under an hour) we get only three damned souls.

The first is a thief named Merryweather (Briana Evigan) whose fate parrallels the story of The Dog and Their Reflection, though here her reflection is a shape shifter named The Twin (played by REPO! alum Nivek Ogre, of Skinny Puppy fame), who goads Merryweather into a rigged carnival game.

The second is Tamara (Jessica Lowndes), an ersatz Frog in this retelling of The Scorpion and the Frog, who befriends a charming greaser named The Scorpion (Marc Senter) who talks her into being the wheel girl for his knife throwing act.

The final story follows John (Sean Patrick Flanery of The Boondock Saints fame), seeking his son but soon finds himself in a version of the story "Grief and His Due".

Many REPO! alumni return, such as Terrance Zdunich (as Lucifer), Paul Sorvino (as God), Alexa Vega (as Wick), J. Larose (as The Major), Bill Moseley (as The Magician) and as I previously mentioned Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy (as The Twin).

Joining the cast is Emilie Autumn (as The Painted Doll), Dayton Callie (as The Ticket Taker), Five Finger Death Punch vocalist Ivan Moody (as The Hobo Clown) and, in his first acting role, Slipknot's Shawn Crahan (as The Tamer).

I was going to follow this up with the sequel but I was feeling hella tired.

[REPO Man]

A few days ago I rewatched Alleluia: The Devil's Carnival. While the first one had a runtime of around 55 minutes, the sequel is now a little over 90 minutes.

Following a brief recap of the first film, we are shown The Devil (Terrance Zdunich) conducting a train full of damned souls as they shovel skeletons into the engine while singing "Shovel and Bone". One of the souls is Briana Evigan's Merryweather from the first film. She grabs a horseshoe pendant that flies past. She then is shown captured by Heaven's forces, including the violent and snarky Translators (Jimmy Urine of Mindless Self Indulgence and Chantal Claret of Morningwood) and God's top dog The Agent (Adam Pascal of RENT fame).

After a glimpse of a now-closed carnival where the carnies are gearing up for war with Heaven, The Ticket-Taker (Dayton Callie) attempts to ask The Devil about his plans. But the arrival of a cloaked figure takes The Devil's attention. He begins to narrate the tale of "The Horse and the Lapdog" (which is a retelling of "The Dog and The Ass").

We're then introduced to Heaven, imagined as a glitzy 1920s Hollywood that Zdunich compared to "Clark Gable on acid". We're introduced to Applicants to Heavenly Productions, including June and Cora (Emilie Autumn and Parenthood's Lyndon Smith, respectively), and soon after to the bombastic Publicist (Ted Neely of Jesus Christ Superstar fame), the flamboyant Designer (David Hasselhoff), the stern Librarian (Tech N9ne) who scolds June for when she asks about a stack of books in the library and reminds all that their place "isn't to question The Author (God), merely to learn from His wisdom," The Watchword (Barry Bostwick of Rocky Horror Picture Show fame), a trio of singers known as His Ladies of Virtue and a host of Heavenly denizens, one played by an uncredited Barry Dennan (Neely's Jesus Christ Superstar costar; it should be noted Dennan originally played Pilate on the JCS album before the film), in what would have been his last role before passing away in 2017.

In Hell, we're also introduced to The Rosy Bayonettes, a trio of buxom windup soldiers played by Brea Grant (known for Heroes and for writing numerous comics and graphic novels), along with Butcher Babies frontwomen Heidi Shephard and Carla Harvey. They each tell of a plan to combat the forces of Heaven, including one where they ride the elevator to Heaven and outright murder God.

It should be worth noting that God is more villainous in this depiction, mirroring maltheistic beliefs.

[PretentiousHipster]

Does a stand-up special count as a film? This is the pinnacle of anti-humour

[Michi]

Third write-up for 'Foreign film' month:

Tumbbad



All young Vinayak wants to do is make a better life for himself and pull himself out of the poor situation he and his mother and brother are in. Fortunately for him, his father is said to be quite wealthy. Unfortunately, no one seems to know, or be willing to tell him, where that wealth comes from. But Vinayak is persistent and 14 years after fleeing the family home he returns and learns the secret of his family's past good fortunes. But unknown to everyone but Vinayak within the secret also lies a terrible curse that, while helpful, has also brought a blight on the family for generations.

Ah ha! An Indian horror movie! I don't think I've ever watched a Bollywood horror flick that wasn't a direct rip-off of something else. Or if I did, I blocked it out. I don't need to block out Tumbbad though. Tumbbad is great. It's a beautiful psychological horror fantasy with striking visuals, a strong, unique story and oodles of atmosphere. It's the kind of movie that makes me think, "Yes. This is something prfsnl_gmr would appreciate." But not just prfsnl_gmr should see it. Everyone should see it.

It is beautiful. It is excellent. Go watch it.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Thanks, Michi! I just added it to my watchlist. I am trying to avoid spoilers; so, I won’t read your movie musings review just yet.

[REPO Man]

I personally recommend Karthik Calling Karthik.

[bmoc]

I just finished the new Mortal Kombat movie. I went in with low expectations and was not disappointed. It was a fun popcorn flick with lots of Easter Eggs and callbacks for MK fans.

[stickem]

fun ride. family man who's had enough turns into like a john wick. also go a little bit of "falling down" vibes. 2 thumbs up!