Recent Viewings, Part 2

[FatFreddysCat]

"Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III" (1990)
Unlucky travelers on a deserted back road are menaced by Leatherface and his cannibal family. Fast moving but ultimately pretty run-of-the-mill stuff in spite of a cast that includes a pre-"Lord of the Rings" Viggo Mortenson and Ken "Dawn of the Dead" Foree.

"Halloween III: Season of the Witch" (1982)
A small town doctor (Tom Atkins) discovers a Druid plot to kill millions on Halloween night via booby trapped masks and a sinister TV signal. This unsuccessful attempt to pivot the "Halloween" franchise away from Michael Myers and turn it into an annual series of stand alone films tanked when it was first released but it's become a cult item in the years since.

[Rev. Powell]

^I've been interested in that one for years, but never got around to tracking it down.

THE BALTIMORONS: A series of coincidences lead a newly-sober comic to spend Christmas Eve with a grumpy divorcée dentist. The title suggests something far wackier, but believable characterizations drive this romantic dramedy. 3/5.

[FatFreddysCat]

Yesterday I re-watched both parts of the "Bay Area Godfathers" metal documentary.

In part 1, we learn that contrary to popular belief, the San Francisco Bay Area had a pretty healthy metal scene even before Metallica moved up from L.A. and put it on the map. Such long forgotten bands as Steele, Griffin, Stone Vengeance, and Le Mans are mentioned, as well as better known acts like Y&T, Exodus, and Vicious Rumors.

In Part II, Metallica arrives in town, makes themselves at home, and the SF scene goes totally thrash crazy, sparking a musical movement that soon spreads around the world.

Both parts are packed with cool vintage footage, photos, and interviews with musicians, radio DJs, and managers including Lars Ulrich, Steve Souza, Gene Hoglan, Ron Quintana, Eric Peterson, Leather Leone, and tons more. A fun trip down metal memory lane.

[Trevor]

"Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III" (1990)
Unlucky travelers on a deserted back road are menaced by Leatherface and his cannibal family. Fast moving but ultimately pretty run-of-the-mill stuff in spite of a cast that includes a pre-"Lord of the Rings" Viggo Mortenson and Ken "Dawn of the Dead" Foree.

"Halloween III: Season of the Witch" (1982)
A small town doctor (Tom Atkins) discovers a Druid plot to kill millions on Halloween night via booby trapped masks and a sinister TV signal. This unsuccessful attempt to pivot the "Halloween" franchise away from Michael Myers and turn it into an annual series of stand alone films tanked when it was first released but it's become a cult item in the years since.

I liked those two. 🙂🐢

[M.10rda]

I also like those two, Trevor.
LEATHERFACE seemed a lot more intense and gory when I was 13, but it has its moments.
HALLOWEEN III is a pretty good little weird horror movie, barring its lack of connection to MM.

[HappyGilmore]

Hot Take: These later sequels had been highly unnecessary with Arquette, totally unimaginable and pointless without Arquette.

Yeah. Can agree. I feel of the six movies so far, part 4 was the worst, but it wasn'tbad either. Part 7 he's bacj, not alive, but apparently the killers are making use of AI and modern technology to screw with the new victims and Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox.

It's my favorite horror series overall.

I mean, I guess I'm glad  that Arquette is "back" as AI... actually I don't care, I'm never watching another SCREAM movie, so I have no stake in this debate. For the record though, I'm never watching another SCREAM movie because you're telling me about the 7th movie and Campbell and Cox are still around/alive/not just AI. Neither one of them should've survived Part 3. (Actually I'd hoped Campbell would be the killer in Part 3 and they'd off her, ah well.)

Among my big movie pet peeves are cases in which writers/directors/producers inventory their ensemble and then make puzzling/indefensible decisions, vis a vis: "I've got Liev Schreiber and Parker Posey... and Neve Campbell and Courtney Cox in this entry...... let's kill Schreiber and Posey and keep Campbell and Cox around for four more movies! Yeah, that's the ticket!" I mean people like Alison Brie show up in sequels and last two scenes, I'm still reading about Cox and Campbell. Dear Sweet Jesus.

 

Honestly I feel that. I was just telling my one aunt that by like 2040 they'll be making Scream 10 or something and it'll just be Courtney Cox and Neve Campbell in a nursing home with one of the nurses being a Ghostface chasing them around on wheelchairs. And parts 5 & 6 were really well done and had the perfect opportunity to kill Cox and Campbell after they offed Arquette. They had great characters/actresses with Melissa Barerra and Jenna Ortega to move forward with. Melissa playing the daughter of Skeet Ulrich from part 1 and having mental issues and finding his mask in 6 they could've had it moving forward with her potentially being a killer in 7 and any moving forward. But neither are back in this and we get Courtney Cox and Campbell again.

Granted Jamie Lee Curtis just did a few new Halloween's and she's up there in age, but that whole series is just all over the place in terms of sequels, remake, remake sequel, then a reboot "Let's just ignore everything after the movie from 1978" sequel a few years back.

[M.10rda]

I wouldn't say I'm the world's biggest Jamie Lee Curtis fan, but I do consider her a real actress...   

Hey, taste is subjective, if you like the movies and like Campbell and Cox, then  .

I guess beyond my subjective opinions on the SCREAM franchise's perpetual leads, it surprises me that the producers are convinced that those two are indispensable. You, an avowed SCREAM superfan, just acknowledged that you would have been fine with seeing them replaced with different recurring leads. Yet they appear unkillable. I am sure you're right, we will get a sequel with them in a retirement community. I just saw ANYTHING FOR JACKSON and the Reverend recently reviewed THE RULE OF JENNY PEN - oldsploitation is back with a vengeance!

[HappyGilmore]

"Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III" (1990)
Unlucky travelers on a deserted back road are menaced by Leatherface and his cannibal family. Fast moving but ultimately pretty run-of-the-mill stuff in spite of a cast that includes a pre-"Lord of the Rings" Viggo Mortenson and Ken "Dawn of the Dead" Foree.

"Halloween III: Season of the Witch" (1982)
A small town doctor (Tom Atkins) discovers a Druid plot to kill millions on Halloween night via booby trapped masks and a sinister TV signal. This unsuccessful attempt to pivot the "Halloween" franchise away from Michael Myers and turn it into an annual series of stand alone films tanked when it was first released but it's become a cult item in the years since.

Both are great. I've an affinity for the TCM series though. H3 was a good change. Wish more in the series did this.

[HappyGilmore]

I wouldn't say I'm the world's biggest Jamie Lee Curtis fan, but I do consider her a real actress...   

Hey, taste is subjective, if you like the movies and like Campbell and Cox, then  .

I guess beyond my subjective opinions on the SCREAM franchise's perpetual leads, it surprises me that the producers are convinced that those two are indispensable. You, an avowed SCREAM superfan, just acknowledged that you would have been fine with seeing them replaced with different recurring leads. Yet they appear unkillable. I am sure you're right, we will get a sequel with them in a retirement community. I just saw ANYTHING FOR JACKSON and the Reverend recently reviewed THE RULE OF JENNY PEN - oldsploitation is back with a vengeance!

I do like both actresses well enough. Not the greatest, but did their characters well enough. Objectively, in a 'real world' scenario, there's no way both could've or should've been caught in this scenario 7 times, with 9 killers overall, and they don't die. 5&6 were a great tribute to the first 3, and the best way to keep it going forward. If you don't even kill them off, it makes sense to retire them a bit and maybe have a cameo in a "final" film.

I also think that's where the Friday the 13th series backfired a bit. Part 5 was decent, and had a fake Jason in Roy. There's so much more they could've done having different killers there on out. But they brought Jason back as this zombie like creature who's head could be blown up in a microwave but he ends up just walking around the next sequel.