It’s been a while, ladies and gentlemen. Been busy with life and stuff. I’m going to make this intro short and sweet. As always, when I buy 4 or more movies on physical media, I will do one of these posts. It’s my way of sharing with you guys what I’ve been watching and collecting as of late. Well, I’ve picked up quite a few things on the way, so let’s get right to it, shall we?
And Soon The Darkness – Anchor Bay
This is my most recent one pick-up. And Soon The Darkness follows two beautiful women who are on vacation in Argentina. After missing the bus, they get into a fight and Amber Heard’s character storms off, leaving Odette Yustman’s character alone. Stephanie(Heard)goes back to check on Ellie(Odette Yustman) only to find that she’s vanished. She enlists the aid of an American ex-pat, Mike(Karl Urban)to help find her friend. I love a good kidnapping thriller. And Soon The Darkness isn’t a bad example, but if you’ve seen one kidnapping thriller, you’ve seen this. It also doesn’t offer much in the way of twists. It’s as straight-forward a thriller as one can get, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This is also a remake of a 1970s thriller of the same name, but I haven’t seen that one, yet. Still, this isn’t a bad way to waste 90 minutes. It’s well-paced.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – Kino Lorber
Most vampire movies are about a dime a dozen these days. But it’s rare to see a vampire movie from Iranian film-makers. It’s even more rare to see a vampire movie that is equal parts spaghetti western, boy-meets-girl romance, and horror movie all-in-one. The film is also in black-and-white. The best part about all of this? It works. It’s a good story, and it’s got some really great acting especially from Sheila Vand who plays The Girl. It’s unique in so many ways. It’s charming, it’s funny at times, and it’s incredibly heart-felt. I was taken by surprise with this film, and I absolutely recommend it to anybody who happens to be a fan of vampire movies. These are the kinds of movies the cinema was made for.
Holy Spider – Utopia
The second Iranian film on my list, Holy Spider tells the story of the notorious Spider Killer, who murdered 16 sex workers in the holy city of Mashhad. A female journalist, Rahimi(Zar Amir Ebrahimi)is on the case, despite direct opposition from the local government. Fighting against a misogynistic system, Rahimi tries to find and trap the serial killer who claims to be murdering in the name of God(don’t they all?). Holy Spider is a phenomenal crime thriller that was banned in Iran because of its…views on Iran’s theocracy. The movie was filmed in Jordan, since Iran refused(shocking, I know). It’s an incredibly revealing look at a system that doesn’t value women at all and how that system inadvertantly creates monsters like the Spider Killer. It’s a rough watch, but it’s really good. I can’t wait to see more from these folks.
Babylon 5: The Road Home – Warner Bros.
Babylon 5 has been regarded as one of the greatest science fiction shows of all time. Spanning 5 seasons, a spin-off show, and several DTV movies, Babylon 5 remains etched in the imaginations of many a sci-fi nerd. It was one of those rare shows during the 90s that was serialized, not episodic. That means each episode in each season led somewhere to a larger overall story-line. It was brilliantly written with excellent characters and decent visual effects at the time. Well, we’ve got ourselves a new animated movie set in the Babylon 5 universe. You want to know something? It’s really good. Most of the original cast return to voice their characters, although some of the original actors have since passed away, but the people taking over for them do a fantastic job. It’s a great combination of 2D and 3D animation that works for the story being told. I’m kind of over the whole multi-verse/alternate timeline deal, but this little flick does an amazing job keeping everything going and telling the story in a way that you can follow. If you’re a fan of science fiction and/or Babylon 5, this is one you should keep your eyes out for. Highly recommended.
Trade – Lionsgate Studios
Human trafficking is about the ugliest thing that people can do to each other. Movies and TV shows have been trying to convey that over the past 40 years. Most of them make the mistake of focusing on the bigger picture when that image is made up of much smaller pictures, and that’s where Trade gets it right. It focuses on 4 people: Adrianna, who was kidnapped along with Veronica to be sold off in the sex trade; Jorge, who is Adrianna’s brother, and Ray, a Texas cop searching for HIS daughter who was taken over a decade ago. The film allows the audience to get to know these characters and how they forge bonds beneath horrifying circumstances. It’s told in a personal way, and that is far more effective a story-telling tactic than just blurting out numbers of how many people are trafficked each year. It’s a powerful film. Do yourselves a favor, skip Sound of Freedom and watch this instead.
Justice League: Warworld
DC’s been a spot of trouble with their live-action movies lately. They’ve been performing extraordinarily poorly. Well, at least the ones that were connected to the old DCEU. The animated movies have been equally bizarre. Justice League Warworld tells three stories that follow each of the three main DC heroes: Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman. I w0n’t spoil the overall plot, but it’s actually pretty interesting. The art style is interesting, but not my favorite style. That said, there’s plenty of action involved. The first story is actually a Western, and you don’t see that in an animated DC movie. The second is a Conan-style story, while the final one is a black-and-white detective story with a twist. It’s all pretty good.
The Pope’s Exorcist – Sony Pictures
When it comes to horror movies, I have a passion for the supernatural. Anything that deals with demons and angels gets my attention. Possession stories are not easy to tell, especially when you’re trying to capitalize on the success of The Exorcist, the greatest of all exorcism movies. That said, The Pope’s Exorcist is a lot of fun. Most of that has to do with Russell Crowe playing the real life Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, Father Gabriele Amorth. Crowe’s clearly having a blast with this, and it’s just a bonkers ride from beginning to end.
Fast X – Universal Pictures
Look, it goes without saying that the Fast and Furious movies have always been silly. F9 took that silliness to beyond absurd levels and ended up being one of the worst movies in the franchise. Now, I’m not saying that Fast X is believable, but it pulls back enough on the ridiculous to make it an enjoyable ride(pun intended). What really makes this movie so much fun is Jason Momoa as Dante Reyes. His character’s flamboyant style makes him incredibly fun to watch. I also like this movie, because Dante is multiple steps ahead of Vin Diesel’s Dom for most of the movie. It even ends on a cliffhanger. I honestly can’t wait to see how silly the final movie’s going to be. Vin wanted two more movies, but Fast X didn’t do well enough domestically to warrant a final trilogy, just enough for an eleventh. Still, if you put yourself into a certain mode, this movie can be a lot of fun.
Scream 6 – Paramount Pictures
I’m not going to lie. I didn’t like the last Scream movie at all. I felt it was too identical to Wes Craven’s movie from 1996. Thankfully, this new movie shakes things up quite a bit. First of all, the movie takes place in New York City. Secondly, the killers in this movie don’t play be the rules. It doesn’t follow the standard slasher formula, which the series has been known to riff on. There’s a scene in a subway car where a lot of people are wearing the Ghostface mask, You had no idea who the killer was, but you knew that they were there. That’s masterclass tension right there. Also, the kills in this movie are the most brutal the series has seen yet. I dug this movie because it changed things up and it’s all the better for it.
The Birds – Universal Pictures
Alfred Hitchcock was a master story-teller. Whether it was North by Northwest, Rear Window, Vertigo, or Psycho, Hitchcock knew how build tension and keep it nice and tight. The Birds is HIS monster movie. There’s no explanation for why the birds attack people in the movie, just that they do. It’s a surprisingly intense little thriller that gets pretty gruesome at times. The acting is top-notch across the board. It’s one of the most iconic movies ever made. Hitchcock never disappoints.
And with THAT, we come to the end of another glorious haul of movies on physical media. Hope you folks enjoyed reading this, and maybe you find something interesting here. That’s the idea, really.