Recent Viewings, Part 2

[Rev. Powell]

I really liked INFINITY POOL. My favorite 2023 release so far. Dripping in evil and sophisticated sleaze.

LETTER TO JANE (1972): Using only stills and narration, Jean-Luc Goddard and Jean-Pierre Gorin dissect the infamous photo of Jane Fonda in Hanoi, tying it to their latest release (TOUT VA BIEN, featuring Fonda) and to their musings about the role of the intellectual in supporting Leftist revolutions. A playful and intelligent, if heavily propagandistic, hour-long essay in the form of a "letter." More straightforward and interesting than the feature it supports. 3/5.

[Alex]

Hellraiser.

A curious little remake. It is not (in my view), a bad movie but it did feel like a watered-down version of the original. The voice of Pinhead was a nice touch, but I found Doug Bradley's performance in that role to be a much more menacing take on the character. I didn't feel that casting a female (or trans) person in the role added or took anything away/ I might be desensitized I guess, but the torture scenes didn't quite match the first two movies (or even Hellraiser: Inferno, which I think is a very underrated movie).

A worthy addition to the series, but certainly not the best it has had to offer. Then again, it is also very far from the worst one (for me Bloodline and Hellworld battle it out for which one gets that title, although I believe there are one or two other movies in the series I have not yet watched.

Where I think the film falls down a little is that, originally Julia Cotton rather than the Cenobites was the main villain. You kind of have something along those lines here, but the real bad guy doesn't turn up until quite near the end of the film. When he does, he is a bit lackluster and the Cenobites aren't front and centre enough to fill the gap. Their presence is certainly felt throughout the film. Depending on my mood, I'd give it somewhere between a 3 to a 4 out of 5, but I couldn't settle on exactly where I'd place it. I would be willing to give any sequels a go though (although I'd again watch them on a streaming service rather than pay to see it in a cinema).

[lester1/2jr]

Echoes in The Darkness (made for tv 1987) - note: this is not the fan fiction Star Wars story Echoes of Darkness

The basic story comes from a murder case that was in the headlines in 1979: a teacher and his boss the principal were accused of killing a fellow teacher and her two children in brutal fashion, the motive being a life insurance payout one of them was the beneficiary of.

I'm hesitant to review it because the running time listed is 4 hours and tubi's is only about 3. Thats the length of the one on youtube though, so who knows. If it ran on prime time with ads it might be 4 hours. Whatever, I'll review what I saw...


Kind of a tough one here. The problem is the acting of the main guy but moreso the writing in general. This was made before cop shows /movies really kicked into high gear in the US and it just doesn't cut it as far as believability and how it's organized. Right off the bat, the guy just doesn't come off as a charismatic cult leader type. He seems like he's LYING which ruins the whole vibe. It's more of a wikipedia entry come to life than a movie. And yet, I did watch the whole thing. The case is interesting and they clearly put a lot of work into it with tons of detail.


I'd guess some of you saw or have seen this so maybe you can relate. It's good... but it's not good. It has sex and violence.... but it doesn't. It hooks you...but too softly

3/ 5

[Rev. Powell]

THE DREAMS OF RENE SENDAM (2022): A socially awkward poetry student pursues relationships with classmates which mix up in his mind with his dreams. Well-meaning and kind of sweet, but unfocused, like meandering poetry. The lack of budget shows in uneven acting and low production value. On Tubi. 2/5.

[M.10rda]

Hellraiser.

A curious little remake. It is not (in my view), a bad movie but it did feel like a watered-down version of the original.

I think at 85 minutes this would've been a stronger film. At 2 full hours it's entirely too laborious. 35 years on, many viewers are familiar w/ and need no elaborate introduction to cenobites, right? Although this film provides some new mythos about the boxes, it comes after extensive introduction of new human characters who are really just present to provide torture-fodder and little else. (Oddly, I wanted to know MORE about a couple of the victims - poor time management to provide so little character development at such length.)

The original was 94 minutes and (I think) was almost perfect. We knew Julia, Frank, Kirsty, and Larry really well. The cenobites are onscreen for less than 10 minutes but they're terrifying. Actually, the new cenobites in this one are terrifying as well - until we have to watch them standing around staring at potential victims for long minutes on end. Less is more.

[FatFreddysCat]

"They Live" (1988)
A drifter ("Rowdy" Roddy Piper) arrives in Los Angeles looking for work. He comes into possession of a pair of sunglasses that allow him to see the world as it really is: run by skull-faced, bug eyed aliens who keep humanity asleep and docile through subliminal messaging. Once he sees the light, Roddy joins a resistance movement to help take back the planet.
John Carpenter's so-80s-it-hurts sci-fi satire has aged better than expected.

[Alex]

"They Live" (1988)
A drifter ("Rowdy" Roddy Piper) arrives in Los Angeles looking for work. He comes into possession of a pair of sunglasses that allow him to see the world as it really is: run by skull-faced, bug eyed aliens who keep humanity asleep and docile through subliminal messaging. Once he sees the light, Roddy joins a resistance movement to help take back the planet.
John Carpenter's so-80s-it-hurts sci-fi satire has aged better than expected.

I just backed a Kickstarter for a game based on this movie.

[lester1/2jr]

"John Carpenter's so-80s-it-hurts sci-fi satire has aged better than expected." it certainly has


I'm watching a series on FX about Hillsong, a megachurch that was founded in Australia but took root in of all places New York City. The idea of young,multicultural hip people who would never go to church in a million years suddenly doing so sounds almost too good to be true and in the end it was. The main pastor guy hung out with Justin Bieber and the New York Knicks, then he had an affair. As far as scandals go, it's not exactly Jeffrey Epstein or something but it was part of an intractable problem with the church: how do you make millions of dollars and not become a disgusting corporation? answer: you can't apparently.

The first two parts ran on Friday with I don't know how many more to come. I get that modern churches need to keep up with the times to fill the seats, in the northeast they do it was all sorts of LGBT stuff rather than megachurch glitz, but it's all a little disconcerting.

[Alex]

Black Phone.

A young boy kidnapped by a serial killer is contacted by the spirits of his other victims via a broken phone in the basement he is being kept in. What got me most about this film was that 5 children had disappeared in pretty short order (some of them seemed to be on consecutive days) and the parents weren't being super protective and escorting their kids everywhere. I know it is what I'd be doing in that situation. Anyway, a decent enough thriller/horror.

[JakeO]

Air

A story about Nike signing Michael Jordan and their rivalry at the time with Converse and Adidas.

Okay movie, but it tries way too hard in some moments in my opinion, cast kinda tickled my nostalgy, but not enough to really drag me in.

3/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

"The Dungeonmaster" (aka "Ragewar," 1984)
A computer programmer is drawn into another dimension by an evil wizard (Richard "Night Court" Moll), and has to battle his way through a variety of creatures and perils to win the "game" and rescue his girlfriend.
Entertaining B-movie that falls somewhere between "Tron" and "Dungeons and Dragons," with charmingly cheap sets, costumes and FX. Plus an unexpected cameo by W.A.S.P.!

"Star Slammer" (aka "Prison Ship," 1988)
A group of lady prisoners on board a futuristic prison ship endure the usual series of indignities (beatings, abuse, etc.) until they devise a plan to escape.
You'd think that a "Women in Prison" movie set in outer space would be a home run, but nothing really happens in this cheap, cheesy, slow-moving slog till the last half. I had more fun picking out which movies certain props, set pieces, and special effects shots were borrowed from. Skip this.

[Rev. Powell]

"The Dungeonmaster" (aka "Ragewar," 1984)
A computer programmer is drawn into another dimension by an evil wizard (Richard "Night Court" Moll), and has to battle his way through a variety of creatures and perils to win the "game" and rescue his girlfriend.
Entertaining B-movie that falls somewhere between "Tron" and "Dungeons and Dragons," with charmingly cheap sets, costumes and FX. Plus an unexpected cameo by W.A.S.P.!

"Star Slammer" (aka "Prison Ship," 1988)
A group of lady prisoners on board a futuristic prison ship endure the usual series of indignities (beatings, abuse, etc.) until they devise a plan to escape.
You'd think that a "Women in Prison" movie set in outer space would be a home run, but nothing really happens in this cheap, cheesy, slow-moving slog till the last half. I had more fun picking out which movies certain props, set pieces, and special effects shots were borrowed from. Skip this.

Agreed. DUNGEONMASTER is fantastic unintentional camp. STAR SLAMMER is failed intentional camp.

[lester1/2jr]

Something in the woods (2023) - The director/ main actor works up a decent head of steam but the ending is entirely disappointing. I guess he ran OUT of steam because it doesn't get more cheap and phoned in than what you see here. It was headed for a solid 4.25 or more if he'd at least TRIED

1.5 /5

[RCMerchant]

Something in the woods (2023) - The director/ main actor works up a decent head of steam but the ending is entirely disappointing. I guess he ran OUT of steam because it doesn't get more cheap and phoned in than what you see here. It was headed for a solid 4.25 or more if he'd at least TRIED

1.5 /5

I started to watch that last night on Tubi- but turned it off.

[lester1/2jr]

He was going for minimal and subtle but it was too minimal and subtle.

in the end he basically just filmed himself going camping.