Recent Viewings, Part 2

[lester1/2jr]

Robot Girlfriend: Revenge (2025) - I enjoyed this, mostly because it's just a camera taking in an the aura of an attractive woman, but it doesn't have the magic of Chupacabra vs La Llorona. A guy works at a place that makes robot companions. He brings one home to test it out...with unexpected results.

It's a woman pretending to be a robot. Occasionally, he pretends to push buttons on the back of her neck, but you can see there are none there. When the robot girlfriend freaks out, she wields a hunting knife that clearly has the sheath still on. It's all very real time and minimal. My real score would be like 4.25, but I'm too embarrassed to give it that.

3.99/ 5


nice stupid painting



(not the best shot of the woman...excuse me: robot prototype)

[M.10rda]

In case you're interested in the real life Soviet mutiny (which was a lot more chaotic), some shameless self promotion: https://order-of-the-jackalope.com/mutiny-on-the-storozhevoy/

 

[M.10rda]

FRAGMENTS OF SEEKING (1947):
Wow, this hit the spot this month amidst a lot of mediocre and terrible films: an early short from Curtis Harrington, who went on to make a lot of middling-to-very good (and odd) horror movies in the 60s and 70s, that demonstrates succinctly and compellingly that Harrington was capable of greatness he otherwise never quite achieved. (I haven't seen all of his features but I'd be surprised if any were This only full-length!)

An overdressed bespectacled man roams the sunny exterior of a hotel resort as well as its deeply shadowy interiors. He seems to be following/spying on an elusive young woman - or, is he actually gravitating around a hunky dude? In classic Greek fashion, our protagonist eventually Gets Too Close and Sees Too Much - about himself! - in a very surrealist fashion. If you don't like Art School Student Art Films (tm), you may be less impressed w/ FRAGMENTS OF SEEKING than I was. As a former Art School Student who made lots of Art School Student Art Films and saw a whole lot more during undergrad, I know good ones from bad ones. If this played during an end-of-semester screening, I would've given it a standing ovation.

Harrington is remembered warmly by horror movie fans and queer scholars, yet FRAGMENTS OF SEEKING feels a lot more seminal than his other works - and, for its time, nearly unique. The precedents for FRAGMENTS OF SEEKING are Cocteau's BLOOD OF A POET and Deren's MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON but that's about it. The films that seem to necessarily follow FRAGMENTS OF SEEKING are legion, whether the filmmakers had seen it or not. Clearly these include Wood's FINAL CURTAIN and GLEN OR GLENDA (we might assume Wood hadn't seen this, but who knows), Cronenberg's NAKED LUNCH, ERASERHEAD and BARTON FINK, some Gaspar Noe (a hallway is identical to the infamous one from IRREVERSIBLE), and likely many more. The film's resolution precedes a crucial Escher-like visual motif in FIRE WALK WITH ME - not the one that Lynch borrowed from Bava, but the other one. For what it's worth I bet Emerald Fennell also likes FRAGMENTS OF SEEKING.

4.5/5    Historical.

[Dr. Whom]

In case you're interested in the real life Soviet mutiny (which was a lot more chaotic), some shameless self promotion: https://order-of-the-jackalope.com/mutiny-on-the-storozhevoy/

 

thanks!

[indianasmith]

AXES AND O'S  (2025) - Saw a trailer for this one and watched it on Tubi last night.  It's a story of four girlfriends - one of whom is recovering from a nasty breakup - who are getting away for a "Galentine's Weekend at Lake Valentine!"
Of course, there is a serial axe killer who lurks around the lake killing victims every year, and he has his sights set on our four lady friends - but one of them is harboring a secret that makes her more than a match for the Axeman!
This is a silly slasher film that makes little sense - I mean, their cabin is too remote for them to get help, even though it's a short walk from a crowded beach, and sits right on a main road? But it was a fun watch, and the girls were cute. 3/5