Another week, another storm.... of Blogger-in-mind mini-reviews! 🙄🤨
Paul Feig's THE HOUSEMAID (2025, STILL IN THEATERS) is the type of mid-size Hollywood production ($35 million budget) most of us lament Hollywood doesn't make regularly anymore. But this one has roared into a sequel-coming-soon, quarter-of-a-billion dollars worldwide box office success. Why? Having seen it twice (2nd time with a friend) it's clear to discerning viewers this is a dark comedy trafficking on Lifetime-movie-of-the-week, women-in-peril clihés to earn winking laughter. It's Paul Feig finessing his 2018 "A Simple Favor" formula/template, helped immensely by Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried committing to the stereotypes they portray while retaining enough humanity to make us care about their plights. My friend came away from "The Housemaid" thinking it was a tense and gripping psycho-sexual thriller, and was mad at me for laughing. 😁 Don't sleep on this one for what it appears to be, and appreciate it for the slick trope-busting fun ride it actually is.
Nia DaCosta's 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE (2026, THEATER) benefits from more conventional, less-artsy direction than Danny Boyle brought to last year's franchise revival. Still written by Alex Garland and continuing some of the stories/characters previously introduced, "The Bone Temple" alternates between savage/depraved violence (Jack O'Connell's 'Jimmy' cult leader presiding over a hard-to-watch family massacre) and flashes of humanity (Alfie Williams' Spike struggling to keep his soul, Ralph Fiennes' doctor befriending hulking Samson, etc.) to ultimately end... setting up a third movie. Acting is good across the board (Fiennes steals the movie with THAT SCENE... you know which one 🤘😎), but understanding now that "28 Years Later" was meant to be the start of a new franchise trilogy robs it and "The Bone Temple" of proper appraisal until the next chapter comes out. For what it's worth as a stand-alone horror/zombie flick, 'it's okay.'
Rewatched Larry Cohen's THE STUFF (1985, ARROW 4K UHD) twice, first the 87-minute theatrical version (for a Discord watchalong with Mac M. and fellow DVDVerdict.com ex-pats) and afterwards the 4K-exclusive pre-release version with 30 additional minutes and a different music score. Neither cut of the film explains what The Stuff is or where it came from, and other than trimming some fat or spending more time with Michael Moriarty (who is just as wacky here as in Cohen's "Q") the theatrical cut is the way to go for most normal people. Average-to-mediocre Larry Cohen is still more fun/interesting to watch than most filmmakers' best work. 😉😍
Woot! always can count on JM for some in-theater reviews. Thanks sir! My wife read the Housemaid novel and the premise very much sounded like it'd make a fun 90s esque marital thriller. Looking forward to checking it out.
As for The Stuff...that movie has realllly grown on me (or in me? hahaha). I originally cast it off as a cheezy blob rip off. And it certainly is that, but each revisit i find more to enjoy. As with the recent TV show Pluribus, i think its more of a spin on the Invasion of the Bodysnatchers trope combined with some interesting commentary on consumerism/advertising/food-fads/and more. Plus Moriarty is awesome. Great pick!
My son is going to see The Bone Temple movie today (not with me, but with friends). He hasn't seen any of the previous iterations. I really liked the last Danny Boyle one and was surprised to realise a new one was already here. When I first started hearing about "The Bone Temple", I thought they were talking about Boyle's one.
I still haven't gotten around to seeing those Maniac Cop movies. Could be a fun Junesploitation project.
Mashke, didn't know "Housemaid" was a novel. Hope you and Mrs. Mashke enjoy it when you get around to it. 😃👽
Paul, only the 2nd "Maniac Cop" is a stone-cold classic. The first is good but feels like it should be better than the sum of its great cast. "MC3" has been disowned by its director but l think it's a decent exploitation sequel. YMMV, but at least watch "Maniac Cop 2." 😎👍
Thanks to winter time, I had another awesome week watching movies.
Death Becomes Her (1992): I got lucky and found the 4k at the used dvd store. Time for an unplanned upgrade again. The movie's so good, I really don't care. It's funny how David Koepp is capable of the best (this) and the worst (Secret Window).
The Shadow (1994): Speaking of Koepp, he also c-wrote this. I saw it when it came out on video, so I pretty much forgot everything about it. One of those early comic book movies clearly influenced by Batman (Bob Kane citing the original Shadow as an influence), but a cheaper IP. The movie's fun enough, but has some issues. Alec Baldwin sometimes feels like he's over this, but it might be because of the writing too. The supporting cast is good, but is a bit underused. Now that I got the blu-ray, I expect Shout to upgrade it to 4k in a couple of months. Directed by the dude who did Ricochet.
The Phantom (1996): After The Shadow, why not this one, which I've never seen before, but always wanted to. There's a lot of similarities with The Shadow, same type of comic strip hero with mythic powers, same period, but this one has a touch of Indiana Jones mixed into it (if he was a bad guy). Another decent supporting cast, and I'll never say no to Kristy Swanson. And oh yeah, Kino just announced the official release date for the 4k. F** me!
Darkman (1990): I was on a roll, I clearly miss the 90s. The best non-comic comic book movie, it's just missing the panel cuts like Ang Lee's Hulk. You can see a lot of Spider-Man in this. I never saw the sequels, and I never will, they look very bad. Raimi actually wanted to direct The Shadow, which would've been a good idea, it didn't happen, and a few years later we got this.
The Lost Boys (1987): I found the 4k at the used dvd store and since I never saw it, it was time to fix this. Joel Schumacher had a lot of ups and downs in his career, but they were always interesting, often misunderstood. I'll put this one in the 'ups' category. It's definitely a young man's movie, it's all about counter culture, rebellion and becoming a man. But really, it's about being gay, right?
Lastly, I want to talk about I Swear, from 2025. A beautiful biopic about a Scottish man, John Davidson, a man with Tourette's played by Robert Aramayo (Elrond, from The Rings of Power) who gives a great performance. The guy was lucky enough to be surrounded by understanding people, but still got in troubles from time to time. The movie doesn't overexplain the situation, just a small bit at the beginning and some vague explanations to a new character from time to time. The only part I liked a little less is the last act. He's older and it's almost a montage of how he did conferences, trials for research on his 'disease', stuff like that. It's not bad, it's just less interesting to me. The movie is funny, is sad, it's everything you'd expect from such story. No wheel is reinvented here, just very well done.
"Darkman," "The Shadownd yorAND "The Phantom" on the same week??!! Kunider, you madman! 😅 l personally like the first, haven't seen the second and have a soft spot for "Phantom" because l grew up reading Lee Falk's comic strip up until l was 16. Treat Williams steals the movie, never seen a villain enjoy being a bastard as much as Xander Drax does.😁
I only buy used 4K if l really like the movie ("Invasion USA") AND it's priced low-enough to be a bargain. Glad you found your "DBH." 🤑
RIP to Catherine O'Hara. An absolutely brilliant actor with an amazing body of work. Comic timing on a level so few possess and yet she can tear at the heart strings with just a look.
Unintentional Double Feature: IP reboot/requel after long time
Running Man (2025)
I had a lot of fun with Edgar Wrights updated take on, and closer adaptation of, the original King/Bachman source. Expanding the playfield from an arena to the open world changes the scope nicely. I suppose my only "dig" as a lover of the original is I miss the flair and comic book evilness of the schwarzenegger Stalkers. But you cant go wrong with smarmy Brolin (who's just killing it lately!). Might be Wrights most straight forward flick but he did it with love and craft.
speaking of smary
Now You See Me Now You Dont (2025)
Quick question: does the trope of taking a previously successful IP and revisiting years later with original cast BUT trying to shoehorn in a new cast EVER work? i cant think of one good example. Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Halloween, Scream and so on. I mean i know they occasionally make something entertaining but more often than not it feels desperate, unoriginal, and flailing. So...as for NYSMNYD, meh, its got the same group of smarmy cocky secret society magicians, and a new younger group of smarmy cocky magicians, and a paper thin super evil villain. Plus heists and magic! In the end i didnt hate it, its alot more of what came before, but falls into the inevitable hole that the aforementioned titles do. Its almost as if, gasp, sometimes we dont need sequels/reboots?!?
(Editors Note: I DID come up with one reboot movie that disproves my theorem above. Top Gun Maverick. Against all odds that movie absolute crushes it. And i say that as someone who doesnt have super high levels of love/nostalgia for the original).
I would agree with Maverick. The first one was good, but over-hyped. But I really loved Top Gun Maverick. I've only seen it once in theatres, so it remains to be seen if it'll hold up. It might just be I left on a super high note after the 3rd act set piece.
The newest Halloween movies were fine, as was the Scream one (I only watched the 1st reboot). But horror is a little different. Pointless sequels are the bread and butter of horror. I loved the new Star Wars (2/3), but they could have been better if they weren't sequels and actually created something new.
Jurassic anything, bleh. Ghostbusters, I didn't even like the original. Transformers? We all know how that went, and they're due to reboot it any time now. Or are they still making them?
I've been so tired after work, I've mostly been watching Star Trek Voyager and promptly falling asleep midway through the 2nd episode. Did watch a few movies though:
The Last Hard Men (1976). Charlton Heston is chasing James Coburn across the west, but it's actually Coburn who wants revenge. Coburn is really lighting up the screen with his swagger. He's becoming one of my favourite actors. Heston is already one of my favourites, but he's playing an old man, and he seems stiff and not quite great in this. It's partially the writing not giving him much to go with.
Dangerous Animals (2025). SPOILERS!!! Was expecting a shark movie, but got something entirely else. With sharks. I liked a lot about this, but seeing women chained up and tortured is just not my jam. It really affects me and I don't care for it. It kind of hearkens back to the torture porn era (era). I did really like how they did a Scream opening, but then brought back one of the characters afterwards. Good movie, but not for me.
Another week, another storm.... of Blogger-in-mind mini-reviews! 🙄🤨
ReplyDeletePaul Feig's THE HOUSEMAID (2025, STILL IN THEATERS) is the type of mid-size Hollywood production ($35 million budget) most of us lament Hollywood doesn't make regularly anymore. But this one has roared into a sequel-coming-soon, quarter-of-a-billion dollars worldwide box office success. Why? Having seen it twice (2nd time with a friend) it's clear to discerning viewers this is a dark comedy trafficking on Lifetime-movie-of-the-week, women-in-peril clihés to earn winking laughter. It's Paul Feig finessing his 2018 "A Simple Favor" formula/template, helped immensely by Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried committing to the stereotypes they portray while retaining enough humanity to make us care about their plights. My friend came away from "The Housemaid" thinking it was a tense and gripping psycho-sexual thriller, and was mad at me for laughing. 😁 Don't sleep on this one for what it appears to be, and appreciate it for the slick trope-busting fun ride it actually is.
Nia DaCosta's 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE (2026, THEATER) benefits from more conventional, less-artsy direction than Danny Boyle brought to last year's franchise revival. Still written by Alex Garland and continuing some of the stories/characters previously introduced, "The Bone Temple" alternates between savage/depraved violence (Jack O'Connell's 'Jimmy' cult leader presiding over a hard-to-watch family massacre) and flashes of humanity (Alfie Williams' Spike struggling to keep his soul, Ralph Fiennes' doctor befriending hulking Samson, etc.) to ultimately end... setting up a third movie. Acting is good across the board (Fiennes steals the movie with THAT SCENE... you know which one 🤘😎), but understanding now that "28 Years Later" was meant to be the start of a new franchise trilogy robs it and "The Bone Temple" of proper appraisal until the next chapter comes out. For what it's worth as a stand-alone horror/zombie flick, 'it's okay.'
Rewatched Larry Cohen's THE STUFF (1985, ARROW 4K UHD) twice, first the 87-minute theatrical version (for a Discord watchalong with Mac M. and fellow DVDVerdict.com ex-pats) and afterwards the 4K-exclusive pre-release version with 30 additional minutes and a different music score. Neither cut of the film explains what The Stuff is or where it came from, and other than trimming some fat or spending more time with Michael Moriarty (who is just as wacky here as in Cohen's "Q") the theatrical cut is the way to go for most normal people. Average-to-mediocre Larry Cohen is still more fun/interesting to watch than most filmmakers' best work. 😉😍
Woot! always can count on JM for some in-theater reviews. Thanks sir! My wife read the Housemaid novel and the premise very much sounded like it'd make a fun 90s esque marital thriller. Looking forward to checking it out.
DeleteAs for The Stuff...that movie has realllly grown on me (or in me? hahaha). I originally cast it off as a cheezy blob rip off. And it certainly is that, but each revisit i find more to enjoy. As with the recent TV show Pluribus, i think its more of a spin on the Invasion of the Bodysnatchers trope combined with some interesting commentary on consumerism/advertising/food-fads/and more. Plus Moriarty is awesome. Great pick!
My son is going to see The Bone Temple movie today (not with me, but with friends). He hasn't seen any of the previous iterations. I really liked the last Danny Boyle one and was surprised to realise a new one was already here. When I first started hearing about "The Bone Temple", I thought they were talking about Boyle's one.
DeleteI still haven't gotten around to seeing those Maniac Cop movies. Could be a fun Junesploitation project.
Mashke, didn't know "Housemaid" was a novel. Hope you and Mrs. Mashke enjoy it when you get around to it. 😃👽
DeletePaul, only the 2nd "Maniac Cop" is a stone-cold classic. The first is good but feels like it should be better than the sum of its great cast. "MC3" has been disowned by its director but l think it's a decent exploitation sequel. YMMV, but at least watch "Maniac Cop 2." 😎👍
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThanks to winter time, I had another awesome week watching movies.
ReplyDeleteDeath Becomes Her (1992): I got lucky and found the 4k at the used dvd store. Time for an unplanned upgrade again. The movie's so good, I really don't care. It's funny how David Koepp is capable of the best (this) and the worst (Secret Window).
The Shadow (1994): Speaking of Koepp, he also c-wrote this. I saw it when it came out on video, so I pretty much forgot everything about it. One of those early comic book movies clearly influenced by Batman (Bob Kane citing the original Shadow as an influence), but a cheaper IP. The movie's fun enough, but has some issues. Alec Baldwin sometimes feels like he's over this, but it might be because of the writing too. The supporting cast is good, but is a bit underused. Now that I got the blu-ray, I expect Shout to upgrade it to 4k in a couple of months. Directed by the dude who did Ricochet.
The Phantom (1996): After The Shadow, why not this one, which I've never seen before, but always wanted to. There's a lot of similarities with The Shadow, same type of comic strip hero with mythic powers, same period, but this one has a touch of Indiana Jones mixed into it (if he was a bad guy). Another decent supporting cast, and I'll never say no to Kristy Swanson. And oh yeah, Kino just announced the official release date for the 4k. F** me!
Darkman (1990): I was on a roll, I clearly miss the 90s. The best non-comic comic book movie, it's just missing the panel cuts like Ang Lee's Hulk. You can see a lot of Spider-Man in this. I never saw the sequels, and I never will, they look very bad. Raimi actually wanted to direct The Shadow, which would've been a good idea, it didn't happen, and a few years later we got this.
The Lost Boys (1987): I found the 4k at the used dvd store and since I never saw it, it was time to fix this. Joel Schumacher had a lot of ups and downs in his career, but they were always interesting, often misunderstood. I'll put this one in the 'ups' category. It's definitely a young man's movie, it's all about counter culture, rebellion and becoming a man. But really, it's about being gay, right?
Lastly, I want to talk about I Swear, from 2025. A beautiful biopic about a Scottish man, John Davidson, a man with Tourette's played by Robert Aramayo (Elrond, from The Rings of Power) who gives a great performance. The guy was lucky enough to be surrounded by understanding people, but still got in troubles from time to time. The movie doesn't overexplain the situation, just a small bit at the beginning and some vague explanations to a new character from time to time. The only part I liked a little less is the last act. He's older and it's almost a montage of how he did conferences, trials for research on his 'disease', stuff like that. It's not bad, it's just less interesting to me. The movie is funny, is sad, it's everything you'd expect from such story. No wheel is reinvented here, just very well done.
I miss the '90s too
Delete"Darkman," "The Shadownd yorAND "The Phantom" on the same week??!! Kunider, you madman! 😅 l personally like the first, haven't seen the second and have a soft spot for "Phantom" because l grew up reading Lee Falk's comic strip up until l was 16. Treat Williams steals the movie, never seen a villain enjoy being a bastard as much as Xander Drax does.😁
DeleteI only buy used 4K if l really like the movie ("Invasion USA") AND it's priced low-enough to be a bargain. Glad you found your "DBH." 🤑
Actually, Shadow and Phantom was the same night. That's how I roll baby...
DeleteRIP to Catherine O'Hara. An absolutely brilliant actor with an amazing body of work. Comic timing on a level so few possess and yet she can tear at the heart strings with just a look.
ReplyDeleteUnintentional Double Feature: IP reboot/requel after long time
Running Man (2025)
I had a lot of fun with Edgar Wrights updated take on, and closer adaptation of, the original King/Bachman source. Expanding the playfield from an arena to the open world changes the scope nicely. I suppose my only "dig" as a lover of the original is I miss the flair and comic book evilness of the schwarzenegger Stalkers. But you cant go wrong with smarmy Brolin (who's just killing it lately!). Might be Wrights most straight forward flick but he did it with love and craft.
speaking of smary
Now You See Me Now You Dont (2025)
Quick question: does the trope of taking a previously successful IP and revisiting years later with original cast BUT trying to shoehorn in a new cast EVER work? i cant think of one good example. Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Halloween, Scream and so on. I mean i know they occasionally make something entertaining but more often than not it feels desperate, unoriginal, and flailing. So...as for NYSMNYD, meh, its got the same group of smarmy cocky secret society magicians, and a new younger group of smarmy cocky magicians, and a paper thin super evil villain. Plus heists and magic! In the end i didnt hate it, its alot more of what came before, but falls into the inevitable hole that the aforementioned titles do. Its almost as if, gasp, sometimes we dont need sequels/reboots?!?
(Editors Note: I DID come up with one reboot movie that disproves my theorem above. Top Gun Maverick. Against all odds that movie absolute crushes it. And i say that as someone who doesnt have super high levels of love/nostalgia for the original).
I disagree on Top Gun Maverick. The only saving grace of that movie to me, is the 3rd act, which is an awesome action setpiece.
DeleteI would agree with Maverick. The first one was good, but over-hyped. But I really loved Top Gun Maverick. I've only seen it once in theatres, so it remains to be seen if it'll hold up. It might just be I left on a super high note after the 3rd act set piece.
DeleteThe newest Halloween movies were fine, as was the Scream one (I only watched the 1st reboot). But horror is a little different. Pointless sequels are the bread and butter of horror. I loved the new Star Wars (2/3), but they could have been better if they weren't sequels and actually created something new.
Jurassic anything, bleh. Ghostbusters, I didn't even like the original. Transformers? We all know how that went, and they're due to reboot it any time now. Or are they still making them?
I've been so tired after work, I've mostly been watching Star Trek Voyager and promptly falling asleep midway through the 2nd episode. Did watch a few movies though:
ReplyDeleteThe Last Hard Men (1976). Charlton Heston is chasing James Coburn across the west, but it's actually Coburn who wants revenge. Coburn is really lighting up the screen with his swagger. He's becoming one of my favourite actors. Heston is already one of my favourites, but he's playing an old man, and he seems stiff and not quite great in this. It's partially the writing not giving him much to go with.
Dangerous Animals (2025). SPOILERS!!! Was expecting a shark movie, but got something entirely else. With sharks. I liked a lot about this, but seeing women chained up and tortured is just not my jam. It really affects me and I don't care for it. It kind of hearkens back to the torture porn era (era). I did really like how they did a Scream opening, but then brought back one of the characters afterwards. Good movie, but not for me.
Just got through Voyager a month or two ago. We're almost through the second season of Enterprise now.
DeleteI can't defend it but I really like Enterprise. I even like the theme song because it reminds me of watching Enterprise.
DeleteArcher & T'pol 4evah! 🖖🤓💘
Delete