Why would a serial killer use Betamax? This question is very specific, but “What We Found Out There” answers it! I’m leery to give away the twist on this one because it’s … okay- it’s not amazing, but it’s not bad either. I would describe this short that way too: it’s…okay, not great, but aggressively mediocre. “What We Found Out There” is the six hours of sleep, the two dollar win on a five dollar scratch ticket, the soft cooked bacon, the flat soda, or the tie game of films.
Two friends go hiking and find an injured hiker who has a bag of Betamax tapes. They go straight to the police? Nope. Call in emergency services? Nope, that’s for wimps! The two guys go to their creepy friend’s house who has Betamax capabilities and they watch the tapes and discover that they are films of a man’s murders! Yes, the tapes are the recordings of a prolific serial killer! But whodunit?
The film does answer whodunit, but how? If you were expecting an answer on how, tough cookies! You heard me! Should you watch this? Why not? I mean, it’s not the worst thing I’ve seen. You won’t love it, but it is a solid mid.
A woman hears a noise so she checks out her attic. Then, she finds a mysterious box with a VHS tape inside. Okay lady, that’s enough. Go away from the cursed box and cursed VHS tape. Are you literally the only person who didn’t see “The Ring”. Enough! Stop! Put those evil things away and get a normal hobby. She lacks all survival skills.
She starts watching the film and it has creepy background music. She starts playing peek-a-boo with the girl in the film who did warn her not to cheat. Did she cheat? Yes. Did the girl become an evil ghost? Yes! I have no sympathy for her- at all.
A group of cartoon people are in a room and one lady leaves and now she’s in a tilted home and a person. Yeah, I’m confused too. The story flashes back and forth from cartoon to her as a person. Then, she has multiple hands.
I’m so confused that I’m not scared. I just don’t understand. I feel like I need to do math problems after this to return to some order.
You can watch this if you want to, but why? Who hurt you? You deserve love.
I knew that I had to review an Alex Magana film. Afterall, he makes them … on purpose and I’m sure that I’ve been wrong about things … maybe? But, not these films. This is going to be terrible because you can’t fix this, but we’ll get through this together. Maybe.
A woman is taking the elevator in a parking garage, but all of the buttons are pressed. Every time the door opens, who’s there – yep, Elevator Man. He appears to be Amish. He’s aggressively Amish; for real, check out this Amish vibe. Maybe, Rumspringa took a dark left turn?
I think you can survive Elevator Man, if you just throw a zipper at him; he’ll be confounded for weeks…weeks!
She sees him on every floor. She gets to the 5th floor and he’s waiting for her; so, she goes to the roof and he’s now in the elevator and really slowly grabs her like really slowly. You could’ve just walked to your car and he’d be like “A Car?”. Then, you drive away to safety and he goes back to selling well-made furniture.
Last year during Horrorthon, I reviewed the 80s Hong Kong classic, A CHINESE GHOST STORY. It took me a while, but I finally got around to watching the sequel this week. This was my first viewing of the film, and while I tried to keep my expectations in check, I hoped it would be a worthy follow-up to a film that I thoroughly enjoyed.
A CHINESE GHOST STORY II opens on scholar Ling Choi San (Leslie Cheung) just after the events of the first film. He’s depressed about losing his ghost lover Siu-sin (Joey Wong), but he doesn’t have a lot of time to focus on that, because he immediately finds himself arrested by bounty hunters and thrown in jail. Escaping jail just before his execution, Ling accidentally steals a horse belonging to Taoist priest Chi Chau (Jacky Cheung). This turns out to be a good thing, because Chau is an expert when it comes to fighting demons and ghosts, something that will come in very handy later. That night, while staying in an abandoned house, Ling and Chau are attacked by a gang of rebel warriors disguised as ghosts. Two of the rebels are sisters Moon (Michelle Reis) and Windy (Joey Wong again), a dead ringer for his lost love. Enraptured by this woman, Ling and Chau join the sisters in their quest to rescue their father, Lord Fu (Lau Siu-Ming) from the imperial army led by Swordsman Hu (Waise Lee). But this will not be easy as along the way they will take on a tall drooling demon, an evil sorcerer who’s taken the form of a Golden Buddha, and finally a giant demon that looks like a flying centipede. If they can somehow survive all of this, will Windy still marry the man she is betrothed to, but has never met? Or will she give her heart to Ling, who she has fallen in love with?
This sequel finds us back in the world of scholars, priests, warriors, sorcerers, demons and ghosts, but it takes a different approach than its predecessor. While the original presented many outrageous fantasy and horror elements, it never lost sight of the romance at its center. With the sequel, director Ching Siu-tung goes balls-to-the-wall with the fantasy action, horrific demon creatures, and silly comedy, so much so, that it barely slows down long enough for any meaningful romance until near the end. The film is filled with the kind of wirework, acrobatics, and supernatural mayhem that made Hong Kong fantasy action cinema so much fun during this period. The 80s monster special effects are somewhat goofy, but that’s part of the charm, and there’s so much energy and imagination on-screen that I found myself marveling at what I was watching. You just don’t see movies like this anywhere in the world these days. There’s no way to predict what insane image might show up on screen next.
It’s fun seeing Leslie Cheung return as scholar Ling. He’s not cool like some of my favorite Hong Kong film heroes played by actors like Chow Yun-fat and Lau Ching-wan. He’s actually a bit of a goofball, but that’s a part of his appeal. He’s not a fearless action hero, but he’s very brave in the way that he always puts the safety of others in front of himself. Joey Wong is still so beautiful, and even though she’s playing a different character this time around, she and Cheung still have a strong chemistry when the movie slows down long enough to focus on their relationship. Jacky Cheung is an excellent addition to the cast as Chi Chau. He brings real determination and likability to the role, while also being very funny. I’m not always a big fan of Jacky’s over-the-top performances, but he nails this one. And after he was so good in the original, it brought a big smile to my face when Wu Ma showed back up for the big climax with the flying demon centipede.
While the movie has a lot going for it, I personally didn’t enjoy A CHINESE GHOST STORY II quite as much as the original. While I still liked the characters and the fantastic action, my favorite part of the first one was the beautiful romance at its core that made me truly care about what happens to the characters. This sequel ups the ante with action, comedy and spectacle, but skimps on the more intimate character relationships that made the first film so special. They do try harder near the end, but it was a case of too little too late. Without the same emotional impact as the original, you could say that the film brings amazing sizzle, but just not as much steak.
Still, I’m not going to complain too much about a movie that gives me golden age Hong Kong fantasy fun, and ultimately, A CHINESE GHOST STORY II is a worthy follow-up to a Hong Kong classic. I enjoyed spending another couple of hours in this world. It may not be as romantic or emotionally satisfying as the original, but it still delivers wild, inventive entertainment in spades. And after all this fun, you never know, I may not wait an entire year before diving into A CHINESE GHOST STORY III!
I was not able to relate too much to this film because I don’t spend a lot of time in bathrooms. In this film, women are in the bathroom, try to leave, and are confronted by a demon; so, they hide in the stall, which works … I guess?
All I can write is that this was a film that was made…on purpose. You must have better things to do than watch this.
I describe True Fiction Pictures as sort of Christian. The production company is not explicitly Christian, but they have Christian themes. They swear a lot and have jokes that are based in edgy things, but there is a moral lesson in these comedies. In fact, they quote the bible at the end of the film.
This film depicts a motivation speaker who makes a hard left turn, accuses one of the attendees of being a Hellbound sinner, and the sinner vows to repent. It was funny and kind of scary, trust me.
I put this in the Christian film camp. If you think about it, – it had bad language and adult humor that might be a great vehicle to get a lot of people to watch a Christian film and learn a lesson who would never seek out a Christian film. I do not claim to fully understand this production company, but the film had humor, a clear Christian message, and I was thoroughly entertained.
If you’ve ever spent any time on the political side of X, formerly known as Twitter, you know that it can be an ugly and hateful place. Writers Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof have certainly spent some time in that part of Twitter, because they’ve created a story that understands its absurdity and then uses that silliness as the basis for a bloody and funny action thriller. THE HUNT was quite controversial when it was released back in 2020, so I decided to finally check it out for myself.
The story begins with a group of strangers waking up in the middle of nowhere, confused, gagged, and wondering how in the hell they ended up that way. The field they’re in has a large crate that contains a sharply dressed pig, as well as a variety of guns and knives. Once they’ve helped themselves to the weapons, all hell breaks loose, with several of them being immediately killed in brutal ways. We soon learn that they’re being hunted by a group of wealthy elites who are sick and tired of dealing with these conspiracy-spreading, climate-denying deplorables and have decided to do something about them. One thing they didn’t account for was the amazing fighting and survival skills of Crystal May Creasey, played by Betty Gilpin. Before long, Crystal has turned the tables and the hunters have become the hunted.
I’m just going to say it right off, Gilpin is incredible as Crystal. I had not really seen her before, but I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for some of her other work. She plays Crystal with a confident coolness, which makes her reactions to the madness around her that much more effective. Hilary Swank, who plays the leader of the elites, knows her way around a fight scene, and their showdown delivers big time. Think of the fight between Uma Thurman and Vivica A. Fox in KILL BILL, and you’ll get an idea of their fight’s intensity, but this one lasts longer. The cast is sprinkled with some well-known actors like Amy Madigan, Justin Hartley, Macon Blair and Emma Roberts. I’ll just say that this isn’t the kind of film where you want to get too attached to the characters and leave it at that!
Did I mention earlier that THE HUNT is graphically violent? We know we’re in for a bloody ride when a guy’s eyeball is ripped from its socket in the second scene. The film will go on to present a wide array of impalings, blown up bodies, close-range shotgun blasts, long-distance rifle splatters, and many other creative deaths. While the violence is shown in graphic detail, it’s also played with an exaggerated sense of humor that made it easier for me to watch. It’s also presented in a way that matches the tone of the story.
What really sets this movie apart for me, though, is its political satire. I spent quite a bit of time on Twitter during Donald Trump’s first term, and this movie does an outstanding job of painting both sides in the broadest of strokes that are instantly recognizable for those in the know. The deplorables consist of a variety of conspiracy theorists, gun rights absolutists, big game hunters, and rednecks. The conspiracy theorists get it the worst, with something ridiculous to say for every occasion, even though a couple of times they’re revealed to be right! On the other hand, the elites have a hard time carrying on a conversation because they’re always correcting each other’s word usage, and they’re constantly lecturing everyone around them. And for a group of people who are never wrong, the elites make a crucial factual error that threatens to upend their entire plan. I’ll leave all of those details for you to discover, but I like that director Craig Zobel and his writers take aim at the absurdity of the entire online political spectrum, with no one getting a free pass. For me, that’s a big part of what makes THE HUNT so much fun. Beneath all the blood and guts is a recognizable version of the silly social media politics that I watched play out online just a few years ago.
I think those who understand the toxicity of American politics in the time of Donald Trump will get the most out of this film, but I still think it can work as entertainment for those who don’t. The action is energetic, the violence is outrageous, and it has a wonderfully twisted sense of humor. And it has Betty Gilpin, who plays one of the toughest, most badass female characters I’ve seen in a movie in a long time. Hell, she was worth the watch for me!
Like New is another short film from High Low productions, which specializes in terrible short films. I can only imagine the business plan! They also made The Call … on purpose.
The protagonist is dressing up his mannequin and then taking photos. Out of nowhere, she now has her arms up. Oh No! The mannequin is also now moving on her own or at least sliding. Then, the mannequin puts the Whammy on him; so, he becomes a mannequin! The ending is fair because he did not say, No Whammies!
Uh Oh, she forgot to say, No Whammies!
Like New will hopefully get us to a world without Whammy-related tragedy!
As of now, this micro short has only been viewed 71 times. I haven’t seen this yet, but I am slightly hopeful that it won’t be hot garbage. Here we go!
This short is only 2 minutes and 18 seconds and he starts with…exposition. UGHHGH.
The protagonist, who I will refer to as Mr. Exposition-pants, is walking in the woods on his phone and explaining in great detail why he is there. Apparently, Mr. Exposition-pants took a photography class and is now taking pictures in the woods. Got all that? If not, please rewind and he’ll go over it again for 25% of the film’s total length!
Mr. Exposition-pants finds a severed hand and calls the police? No, he takes a photo and sees another hand that has a note that reads – “Delete that photo”. He does eventually call the police and it’s a demon on the other end. Then, I couldn’t understand what was happening.
You could watch this film or literally do ANYTHING else.
