OMM2024 - Night 12: They Live (1988)

 Night 12 of the #OctoberMovieMarathon, a movie that Larry's been wanting to see:

They Live (1988)

2/10

A man travels to the city for work and learns the terrible truth- THEY walk among us, controlling us.

 

Bad movie. I expected more from the same director as "The Thing" but this movie was boring. A slow start, hardly any excitement after the reveal, and a mediocre ending. I think Larry summed it up best as "they're trying to bring a muscle head aesthetic to a conspiracy movie." And that just doesn't gel for me. And again, we get very few names/backstories to the characters. Perhaps that's a John Carpenter thing and not an 80's thing after all...

 

Also this movie was not spooky at all. Not Halloweenish or scary at all. It should not have been on this list >.<

 

Clearly my dislike of the film shows that the aliens have gotten to me. xD

SPOILERS BELOW THE POSTER!

SPOILERS START HERE!

Here's what happens: a guy moves for work, gets a construction job, goes to a homeless camp and across the street there's a church that's a front for a resistance because there are aliens controlling the whole world. Our main guy discovers this through sunglasses that let him see through the... illusions? Mind control?

On the way, he shoots up a bank, kidnaps a woman at gunpoint, gets into an entirely unnecessary and drawn out fist fight, gets guns from the resistance, goes to the bunker and kills a bunch of aliens, and takes out the disk sending their signal around the world. We end on a naked woman (full boobs) having sex with an alien who asks "What's wrong babe?"

It's like the movie is trying to be serious, but also is just very silly. There are a bunch of one-liners that do not land at all. Did you know the "I'm here to chew bubblegum and kick some ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum" comes from this movie? Did you know it's delivered like wet cardboard? It's almost like the characters walk into a scene and think "I should say something cool" then blurt out something ridiculous.

It's astounding how good "The Thing" was and this movie came from the same director.

But I can believe it because I also can't get behind the theme of this movie either. A big idea is that all the commercials/shows/magazines/etc are there to keep everyone complacent and docile. And yet, a large majority of the things shown as examples of this are aimed at women. Fashion shows, press on nails, Lamaze class, who served what at dinner. We do see an alien talking to another guy about getting a promotion and just waiting for it to come- but do you see the disparity here?

And our main character (who isn't actually named in the movie) is just... some white guy? Perhaps it worked better in the 80's, but from a 2024 lens, I just can't buy the idea that he's supposed to be the everyman we can all relate to. Especially when he kidnaps Holly- YIKES. I couldn't even get behind his struggle to be unable to tell her what's happening because- you just JUMPED a woman in the parking garage with a GUN and made her drive you to her house after learning that she lives ALONE. That's the start of so many horror stories I cheered when she hit him and threw him out the window. I think maybe I was supposed to intuit that she was under the alien's control and that's why she was so calm about it? But that doesn't translate well, and especially not 40 years later.

Another idea is that it feels like the movie is clinging to the idea that all the problems in the world are "someone else's fault". In this movie, it feels like it's saying if the aliens weren't here things would be great. But if this movie were made today- there would be more about the people "selling out". There'd be something about profiting against your own people. Maybe even an insinuation that systemic problems may have started with aliens- but were perpetuated by people trying to game the system. I don't think the "one boogeyman" works as well as it once did. Or at least, it doesn't work for me. I have been reading a lot of books that challenge the ideas of revenge/getting even and if it's even possible... but that's a different post.

I think the memes that are lifted from this movie are funnier. This movie was terrible. Skip it.

OMM2024 - Night 11: Darkness Falls (2003)

 I was donating platelets today and had a couple hours to kill, so why not take in a movie? Night 11 of the #OctoberMovieMarathon

Darkness Falls (2003)

5/10

Matilda was an old woman would would trade a gold coin for lost baby teeth, but gets disfigured in a fire. Unable to stand the light, she only comes out at night. When 2 children disappear, Matilda is blamed and the town hangs her. She curses the town: "What I took before in kindness, I will take forever in revenge". The next day, the missing children are found and the incident is buried and forgotten.

100 years later, when a child loses their last baby tooth, she appears. Kyle peeked as a child and lost his mother as a result. He is called back to his hometown when his friend's kid brother starts to say he sees her too.

 

I like the idea of this movie. I was scared of the dark as a kid, so I wanted to see how you would bring that fear into a story with adult characters. I love the shot in the beginning where child Kyle is hiding in the bright white bathroom and the camera slowly moves out to show the dark hallway and this... creepy ghostly figure above the doorway. Half-floating and half-clinging to the wall- it's evocative! And I like the idea of an unfair death haunting a town until the once righteous urge for justice twists into a sick sense of revenge on those who don't deserve it.

 

Sadly, nothing else is really that great about this movie. It's honestly, a bit of a let down. If they had gone harder on the execution of light and dark this could have been neat. Overall, just a meh movie, and not even bad enough to really hate watch.

SPOILERS START AFTER THE POSTER!

SPOILERS START HERE!

I think a lot of my problems stem from the story itself and the fact that technically, the story doesn't treat it's light/dark motif well. This review might be a bit wordy...

We get an opening monologue describing Matilda and her curse on the town before cutting to our main character Kyle. He's losing his last baby tooth (so probably a preteen in middle school). That night, he wakes up and catches a glimpse of Matilda. While he tries to escape he finds that if he's in light she cannot get to him. Sadly, his mother goes into his dark room to show him that no one is there and Matilda kills her. Kyle is blamed for his mother's death and is sent into foster care. The police chief is surprisingly cold to him considering the town is labeled a "small town". (Usually, cold police are for cities in movies)

At this point, there's a lot of opportunities. And with the scene with the bathroom/ghost looking cool I had hopes for this movie pulling off it's concept. It would be a technical challenge to be able to communicate the creature in the darkness and the characters needing to be in shafts of light while still allowing the audience to be able to see what you need them to see. This awesome type of shot is sadly, not repeated.

12 years later, Kyle gets a call from his childhood crush Caitlin- who's little brother is so afraid of the dark he won't sleep more than 10 minutes and claims "she" is coming to kill him. Kyle does return and faces a lot of flack from the people in the town who think he murdered his mother.

We now have Kyle, who's maybe 25 at this point. Caitlin, who's Kyle's age, has a little brother (Michael) who's... maybe 10? I'm totally fine with a large age gap between siblings, but Caitlin and Michael are at the hospital dealing with intense treatments. There is no mention of the parents at all. Where is Michael's parents? Why is his sister dealing with this? It almost feels like they wanted Kyle to come back to deal with the Tooth Fairy going after the next generation- but didn't want Caitlin to have a kid by someone else. After all, in the beginning of the film, Kyle and Caitlin are just starting to be an item- about to go to their first boy-girl dance together. And the way Caitlin acts to Michael is much closer to a mother than a sibling. All this could have been solved with a line about the parents being dead or something, but we don't get that. It's just Caitlin making the medical decisions for her brother and the parents just... aren't there.

And this leads me to the other part of the movie that bugged me. Kyle is shown to be taking lots of medications for depression, anxiety, and psychosis. And it's hinted that Michael is on the same path, since the doctor's are treating him the same way. But everyone is so... mean. Kyle reluctantly goes to a bar and is almost immediately physically attacked by a guy who thinks Kyle murdered his own mother. And I don't understand why this man is so upset by it. Is he just angry that murder happens? The way it happens it feels more like school bullying than anger at the justice system or something. It's weird and seems to only be there to excuse that guy's later death at the hand of the Tooth Fairy. Who I guess is after Kyle again now that he's back in town. And there's an interrogation scene where the chief of police pulls out Kyle's pills and says something to the effect of "you take anti-psychotics because you might become psychotic?" Which I'm sure is a real thing that happens to people which is just gross and rude and terrible.

While writing this, I looked at the Wikipedia article for this movie, and apparently there was a plan to have Kyle be more suspicious as a killer and the Tooth Fairy more of a twist reveal. I think that would have helped with how harsh the townspeople are to Kyle. Because from the audience's perspective, everyone is being really mean to someone who's mother was just killed in front of him!

 And poor Michael is not given any comfort at all. At the end of the movie, the doctor suggests they put him in a sensory depravation chamber to "prove there's nothing in the dark"? I guess the idea being he'll face his fears and then be fine afterwards. But this seems like more harm than good because they also think Michael is causing the scratches he gets himself? So they have to strap him to a table?? And this is supposed to make him calm down??? It's much closer to the "cures" 1900s sanitariums had, which seem more like torture than something that would actually help.

Don't worry, Kyle ends up saving everyone and the Tooth Fairy is killed. The climax is not very exciting and felt like going through the motions. By the end of the movie I just didn't care anymore. I couldn't root for anyone. Kyle was boring, the townspeople were all horrible and mean, Caitlin and Michael were just kinda there... even the ghost doesn't get to do anything fun after the opening.

But the worst part is they had this concept of the creature only being in the dark- and the light being safe. But then we get weird moments where people get attacked instantly the moment they're in the dark one minute and being in the dark for awhile but being fine. And the ghost started off going after people who've seen her? But then she just starts killing anyone in the dark at all? There could have been a lot of interesting shots showing people in the light/dark and crossing that line. There is one moment where the ghost starts to reach and gets burned as soon as it's fingertips hit the light. But that's only one scene.

A frustrating movie, but nothing super duper bad. But skippable for sure.

OMM2024 - Night 10: The Thing (1982)

 Night 10 features me facing one of my movie fears- The Thing. I've never seen it, but I heard that it was super gory and scary and I have honestly been avoiding it... But Larry was home tonight and was able to accompany me- so I finally felt brave enough to watch it. #OctoberMovieMarathon

The Thing (1982)

10/10*

Researchers in Antarctica face off with an unknown creature that can imitate anything... or anyone.

 

*This is a great movie, a 10/10 movie- but there is a small asterisk... because I didn't like it. Don't get me wrong, this was scary. Larry and I were both screaming multiple times while watching. The hype is worth it. The effects are fantastic. It doesn't feel incredibly dated. It's a good movie. It's just... not for me. But even saying that, I can't think of a reason to dock it points. Perhaps if I watched it with a fine tooth comb I could find things to complain about? But nothing sticks out to me from this first watch.

 

My only warning to those who are iffy on watching it- there is a lot of gore/body horror, and the movie does not ease you into it at all. But I, squeamish gal that I am, was able to watch the whole thing- just with a lot of screaming.

 

However, I do think it's worth a watch- it's clear why this movie is lauded as such a fantastic horror film. The effects alone are incredible. But unlike, say the original Frankenstein, it still holds up as just a regular movie- not just a historical curiosity.

 

But skip the popcorn, trust me, you won't want it.

 

SPOILERS START BELOW THE POSTER!

 

 

SPOILERS START HERE!

I mentioned that this movie didn't feel dated- and that's true! But there is one thing that I think gives away it's age: the characters.

 

The characters are barely characters in this film. None of them go beyond their basic summaries: MacCready is a pilot, Cooper is a doctor, Garry is the captain?, there are... other guys? The communications guy, the 2 black men (one more stoic, one more comedic), the autopsy/old man character? None of them have any backstory as to why they're here or in the positions they're in. Aside from the doctor and pilot none of them even have official jobs. Were this movie made today- I think the characters would each have something- someone waiting for them at home, a reason why they're on this research team, perhaps a mission that brought them here. They'd have something.  But this was made in 1982, and I think a lot more movies had characters that were just archetypes back then.

Normally, that would be reason enough to dock a few points- but this movie didn't need any character development. Heck, we barely needed characters beyond them being people in the wrong place at the wrong time. The pacing is so tight, any backstory would have just crowded the already tense atmosphere. And the tension in this movie never ever lets up. You never get a break, just like the researchers.

 

It is no wonder this movie has such a reputation for practical effects. Even the still figures the camera lingers on are just freaky to look at. Slimy and bloody and... so so strange. It's hard sometimes to wrap your brain around what exactly you're looking at. And it's wonderful. The sequences where the Thing attacks are viscerally gross. And since we're not attached to anyone in particular- you never know who to root for or who to suspect. There was a point were I was convinced MacCready had been infected and we were going to be watching the other characters. That didn't happen, but I was never sure who was infected or not. Even at the end.

 

Heck I'm not even sure if everything was okay at the end! It leaves you with this sickening sense that the Thing didn't get defeated- or maybe, just like our researchers did, someone will come in spring and reawaken it somehow.

 

I'm pretty sure I'll have nightmares about this one, and it's gonna stick with me for a long time. And even though I don't have anything bad to say about it- I still feel conflicted. It's a great movie and I think it deserves a 10/10. It has really stood the test of time as a fantastic film. But, I don't think I'll ever watch it again. Is it too scary for me? Is it because the characters left me with nothing to hold onto? Are the effects too creepy for me? I can't put my finger on it. Larry's suggested it might be the themes of the movie: isolation, suspicion, being unable to trust anyone, the sheer bleakness of it- that feels like it's getting closer, but I'm not sure.

 

It's still a great movie. Even better for the fact that I'm still rating it 10/10 even though I wouldn't watch it again. But you should.

OMM2024 - Night 9: Hard Candy (2005)

 And we are now caught up with the #OctoberMovieMarathon. I might have to pull double duty for the end of the month, but I can schedule posts to go day by day. But that's a problem for later- onto the film!

Hard Candy (2005)

7/10

A 14 year old girl decides to meet up with the adult man she's been talking to online. Things do not go the way he expected them to.

 

More of a thriller/action movie than regular horror, maybe a bit of Saw vibes? There's definitely some mystery to be solved and trying to figure out exactly how far things are going to go. 7/10 because it's not really my cup of tea, although it is well done. All the actors were great, the visuals are good, and I'm thankful for how tactful the camera was towards anything that might be too graphic. Very tasteful without feeling like "whoops we can't show this actually".

I'm not sure how much to give away, but if you've got an axe to grind against bad people- you'll enjoy this film.

SPOILERS BELOW THE POSTER!

SPOILERS START HERE!

First off, I was relieved that this movie wasn't NEARLY as graphic as I thought it was going to be with the R rating. I thought for sure it would turn my stomach, but instead we get more psychological thrills than visual. There is some blood and LOTS of gross insinuations about pedophilia though- so watch out if that's a no-go for you.

 This was a fascinating twist on the victim/killer setup. I don't think I've run into another movie where I felt so conflicted on who to root for. Naturally, I'm 100% on the side of our protagonist, Hayley, but also- Jeff are you gonna get out of this one? Is someone going to discover what's going on? Will Hayley get what she wants? What's her endgame? I don't want it to be quick or simple because that would rob me of watching the movie.

And I did enjoy(?) being put in the spot of rooting for our torturer, especially since we're on her side from the start. There's no switch to "oh the torturer is sympathetic after all". Instead we get straight vengeance seeing a bad guy get his comeuppance. The bait and switch on the castration? Masterful. And I guess thinking back, it does track for what an actual (non-sociopathic) teenage might do... however, there is a part of me that thinks Hayley didn't go far enough, although the ending play was great.

In a twisted way, this movie is pure girl power. And if you enjoy that slightly-hopeless feeling that you get from Saw movies, but dislike all the gore- this movie might just scratch that itch.

OMM2024 - Night 8: Pontypool (2008)

 Night 8! Make it a double feature tonight and we're back on track for #OctoberMovieMarathon

Pontypool (2008

7/10

An early morning radio host arrives for the start of the broadcast day. But he and his coworkers start to get reports that something is happening in their small Canadian town- while on the air.

 

I always want these summaries to be as vague as possible, since I do believe that a big part of movies is getting to watch the way the story unfolds. And this movie is one of those. It's not what happens- it's how we discover what happens. It's also a movie that really knows where it's strengths are: mainly tone and delivery. I really enjoyed the acting here. I was invested the whole time and eager to see what would be revealed next. Though the ending was a little... abrupt? And then... out of place? The first 7/8 of the movie are very fun to watch. Give this one a shot- it's a good time.

SPOILERS BELOW THE POSTER

SPOILERS START HERE

The whole thing takes place inside the radio station. Whether this was a specific choice or due to budget- it was such a good decision. The confusion of trying to figure out what is happening when there's no official answer, no other reports- I wonder if this is how actual news people feel when breaking news is developing. There's an extra bit of tension since we never get to see what happens outside. We only hear the eye-witness accounts from the one radio employee who's in the field. I've heard this movie has also been made into a radio-drama, and I can totally see how scary it would be to listen a-la "War of the Worlds".

I think my only complaint is the ending of the movie. I really enjoy how they get stuck in the booth, then leave it and lure the infected away and have a quiet moment in the canteen. It's a nice bit of breathing room and a chance for our leads to show more of their feelings and reactions. The idea of a virus/disease being transmitted though words is such a neat concept. And Canada (since a lot of people speak French) was a great place to set the story. I do wish we had gotten a bit more time with trying to figure out what words to say or how they were going to do it. It almost feels like they had a couple scenes ready but discovered the film was too long and just did the final scene. And then there's a weird post-credits scene that feels completely out of place. I don't know if it's a funny easter egg or tied into the story, in either case I don't get it. Which is why the movie only gets a 7 from me.

It's still such a cool concept and setting. I'd love to see more movies that really tie into disasters/scary things happening somewhere away from our main cast. Letting them get trapped wherever they are and try to figure out what's happening and what's going on. It's very refreshing to see a movie lean into a lack of information- especially since we live in such a connected world. But it makes sense for Pontypool, a small rural town in Canada, to not have instant access to what's happening even in their own town. If something happens, someone has to report it to the police/news/something before you can search it elsewhere- and if those contacts aren't able to get information out (or are waiting for it to be confirmed before they spread possible misinformation)... well you're gonna have to make due.

 

Though the ending feels a bit abrupt and I wish we could have gotten more between our quiet scene and the finale- I still say this movie is worth a watch. Very fun!

OMM2024 - Night 7: Dave Made a Maze (2017)

Triple feature! We're gonna finish 31 movies this year- heck yeah. We've reached Night (and movie) 7 for the #OctoberMovieMarathon

Dave Made A Maze (2017)

8/10

Dave makes a cardboard maze that's bigger on the inside.

I watched this one with Larry. It was super fun! It's definitely a comedy-horror movie, and how funny it is will depend on how much the concept/themes make you feel uncomfortable. I thought it was just spooky enough to keep you hooked and tense, but not actually scare you. And, Oh!, the set design is so cool! Everything looked so good and so detailed. I'd watch this again just to pay closer attention to the backgrounds and the subtle changes that happen in them.

 

Fun characters, fun concept, spooky enough, and the only gore I can get behind! (and I hate gore, how they did it was incredibly creative)

SPOILERS BELOW THE POSTER!

SPOILERS START HERE!

Can I just gush some more about how they handled the gore? Ribbons, confetti, and yarn?? Hilarious! There were so many funny parts in this movie. I loved the paper bag section, I loved how the rooms were so varied, I loved that one scene where everyone came in and reacted to the room... and though the characters were all pretty one-note they filled those roles well.

All in all, a very fun movie- and for sure one I recommend for a scary movie night where you don't want to be completely freaked out.

OMM2024 - Night 6: Antrum (2018)

 Night 6! A double feature today for #OctoberMovieMarathon (maybe a triple feature even... we'll see!)

Antrum (2018)

7/10

A cursed, lost movie from the 70s, about a brother and sister venturing into the woods to save their dog's soul by digging a hole into Hell, has been found. It is the world's deadliest film.

 

I had heard of this one- a different kind of found footage flick, one where the "found footage" is literally a movie made in the past, lost media style. I did not expect the movie-within-a-movie to actually be scary. I honestly think the story is really scary- it got really freaky at the end. The opening/closing narration was a bit hit or miss though.

 

The child actors were amazing considering they were the whole movie. I'd say it's worth a watch, and knowing less about it is better. If you love watching something and then combing it for clues and lore- you'll really like this. If not, it's still worth a watch.

SPOILERS BELOW THE POSTER!

 

SPOILERS START HERE!

I've recently been looking into more found footage films, and this one has been listed as both a mockumentary and a found footage film. But it's really more of a movie with a mockumentary around it. And, at least for me, the opening and closing narrations/interviews were only kind of interesting. Perhaps if I had gone into it believing the cursed movie I was going to watch was real it might have hit better?

The actual movie itself (the one that is supposedly cursed) was actually a very cool story. I think it was well shot and had lots of tidbits for sharp eyed viewers. It was a bit trippy and I believed the characters. I had been spoiled on the fact that the sister was making everything up- but I did get to enjoy seeing all the little hints they leave to show you this. Oh! And when we first hear the trumpets I literally thought it was like a brass bull thing- and it was! *shudder* a terrible way to go, no thanks.

 It was good! I really can't get over how spooky the film was and how much I really don't care about the added lore for the "cursed movie" aspect. I don't think this film needed that at all. But I do appreciate trying to figure out what is part of the movie and what was "added later". Though the story for the movie is solid enough. Fun, spooky movie.

OMM2024 - Night 5: Speak No Evil (2022)

It's catchup time! After a performance on Saturday and rehearsal Monday night, I've got to watch a couple movies to get back on track for this October Movie Marathon!

 

Night 5

Speak No Evil (2022)

8/10

A Danish family and a Dutch family meet while in Italy, the Dutch family invites the Danes to visit them at their house for a weekend.

 

This movie was uncomfortable, in a good way. Perhaps a little heavy handed in the music scoring- but they never let you have stable footing in this movie. You're always watching for the shoe to drop. The movie really takes it's time before letting you in on exactly what's happening- though you feel like something's amiss the whole time.

 

I only knew this was a movie where bad things would happen and that it was playing with the stereotypes of Danish and Dutch culture. Things like level of politeness, being a guest vs host, etc etc. And though I think I probably missed some more subtle things that were cultural based- this is still incredibly solid and comes across even if you're not familiar with these particular cultures.

 

Heads up for full frontal nudity (it's negative% sexy but it is there, and gets points for equal opportunity nudity).

SPOILERS BELOW THE POSTER!

SPOILERS START HERE

 

So this movie started off almost... goofy? The long drive in the dark with the loud scary music felt out of place, but then it got good. The characters felt stiff but real- like socially awkward people might be. the atmosphere was so tense I was actually yelling at the screen at some points because I KNEW something bad was going to happen. They had so many opportunities to leave! And they didn't!!

 

But let me tell you, I haven't seen a horror movie with such a bleak ending in awhile. I've seen movies where our protagonists don't get away and the bad guy is left to cause more problems, but this... this hit different. Maybe it's because it felt so... real. We don't get an explanation why, or even exactly how the Dutch couple gets away with everything. I mean, the kids getting being literally silenced is one thing, but they don't even hide the bodies? Or at least they didn't hide these ones. And they have an accomplice? We don't get to know the ins and outs of why they do what they do- but we get a drawn out, almost real time sequence of how the parents die. The stripping and walk down the hill... the stoning?? Ugh it made me shudder the whole time. Creepy and disturbing. Thank goodness I watched this alone- cause I was screaming at the movie at the end "Oh my God! No! Why? AHH!" And then we get that horrible last drive revealing that it's all going to happen again. *shudders* Big nope from me.

 

(As an aside, I think there might be a cultural touchstone with how the couple were laying at the end? The music and the ending painting over the credits makes me think I was supposed to relate that to something else, but I don't know). It was a good movie. That ending is going to stick with me for while, cause geeze... that's not okay.

OMM2024 - Night 4: The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

Every day is a new movie, and I've reached Night 4 of the October Movie Marathon!

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

9/10

Two people are found dead in their home along with the body of an unidentified woman. Her body is taken to the local father and son funeral home to be examined to discover what happened to this Jane Doe.

Very spooky! I love the build up and the subtle storytelling, there's a lot of show don't tell that I appreciate. And I think if I watched it again I'd pick up on a few more things. And boy that ending... I'm still thinking about it.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW POSTER

 

 

SPOILERS START HERE

I really really loved this movie! I love the premise of a strange corpse and trying to piece together what happened through clues from the body. And there's this eerie atmosphere throughout. I think my favorite part is everything that's left unsaid between our father-son duo. It felt like a very realistic portrayal of two men navigating difficult feelings about taking over the family business. I think that watching this you could focus on the father-son dynamic, the corpse's story, or the overall mystery. But honestly, tying those together is what really makes the story stand out to me.

I think the only reason this isn't getting a perfect score is because I wish the female characters had been more than just fridge material. Aside from our Jane Doe (who is more of an object, let's be honest, she literally doesn't move or speak through the whole thing) the only other women in the story are dead or end up dead and it feels like they're only there to service the main character's growth. It is a slight nitpick, because I think the story focusing on the men was intentional. The culture of masculinity and what is/isn't acceptable to display is very much a theme in this movie. So it makes sense there wouldn't be places for women to exist in the story. It's just a shame that the women we do get are fridged. A simple solution to this is to simply make more of the cops women. But then again, a very very small nitpick. Especially since our Jane Doe, even though she very much acts as an object, still feels like she has such an impact on the story.

I highly recommend this one. The tone is creepy, it draws you in and keeps you there the whole time. And though a bit gross (this is an autopsy after all) it's done very well. Very spooky, would watch again!

OMM2024 - Night 3: The Borderlands (2013)

 Night 3 of the #OctoberMovieMarathon and we've hit gold!

The Borderlands (2013)

9/10

 

A group of investigators from the Vatican have been sent to a small town church to verify or debunk a recent video showing a "miracle" during a christening. (This movie is also known as "The Final Prayer")

I may be a sucker for found footage films, but this one was very very good. The camera angles were consistent and useful. No angles that felt tacky, very little shaky cams, and it was a good choice to use both headcams on our characters and static cams in the rooms. The setting was great, the people all felt extremely real. I feel like if this was released a few years ago, it could have fooled some people into thinking it was real. I do want to see if I can go to the church featured in this one... or maybe not 😅

Dare I say, this is a good movie to watch if you want try something in the found footage genre. I'd watch this one again gladly! This one gets my recommendation!

POSSIBLE SPOILERS UNDER THE POSTER 

 

 

POSSIBLE SPOILERS HERE 

 

I really enjoy seeing movies from other countries, it's so cool to see the different cultures on display- especially in something like movies. Visual shorthand can be so specific and seeing how people/places/ideas are signified for a story is just so fascinating to me.

There were a few moments in the film that were very very quiet, and the captions on the version I watched sometimes included lines that I did not hear but the characters reacted to it. I think that's really my only big critique, and the reason it's not getting a perfect score. I also wish there was a little more haunting/spookiness before the climax, though I do feel like this movie is plenty creepy enough.

My goodness I was scanning the rooms every scene! I was so drawn into this one- especially the characters. It was refreshing to have the tech guy be the one who is excited about the miracle being real, and the church men being certain it's not real. I also enjoyed that of the 2 skeptic characters, one was sure it was faked but still seemed excited to investigate everything. I've always wondered why someone convinced it's all fake would spend hours in a dark house on a ghost hunt, spite can only take you so far before you start becoming an unpleasant person to be around. But Deacon (our skeptic) seems to be genuinely excited to see what's happening and reveal the truth- for better or for worse.

That's the other great thing about this movie, the characters! We don't get an in-depth character drama or anything, but their conflicts and hesitations seemed so solid. Even Mark (the jerk) seems like the boss who's just too stuck in protocol and not just a mean character to drive drama. The guys are all pretty simple characters, but they have just enough to them to make me feel like they are three-dimensional.

I don't want to spoil anything about this movie, cause the ending is good. Perhaps a bit... abrupt? But it left me just sitting on my couch watching the credits- frozen and trying to figure out what I just witnessed- in the best way possible. I also feel like if I watched it again, I'd pick up on some more foreshadowing and maybe even catch a few more things in the camera views.

Very glad to have been able to watch such a good film today. I think my movie list is a bit more hit and miss this year- but I'm glad that there's some good ones in there.

OMM2024 - Night 2: Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)

 Night 2! #OctoberMovieMarathon

Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)
8/10 7/10*
This movie really hits that silly spooky vibe to get you into the spirit of the season! Were it any other group it would be a 7- but the Muppets alone bump this up a whole number.

*EDIT 10/8: Sorry Muppets, but after a few more movies, I just can't give and 8/10 to a special that's under an hour. It was still great so you're keeping the 7- but when I see some other movies I want to rate at an 8- they're just a bit better than this...*

Gonzo gets an invite to a Halloween Challenge celebrating the 100th year anniversary of his favorite magician's disappearance at the mansion where he vanished. Pepe gets to come as Gonzo's plus one in the hopes of it being a party with lots of famous people.

This is a short one, not even an hour- but a lot of fun. Especially if you're a Muppets fan (like me) and I bet there were a lot of easter eggs for Haunted Mansion fans too. It was a tad too heavy on the "explainy jokes" especially at the beginning. A lot of "oh I get it", "what do you mean? oh it's this pun". But the cameos were all a lot of fun and I got to see a few background Muppets get some highlighted roles! (Really Old Tom and Dead Tom? I didn't know you'd come back!) Plus the music was very catchy. I didn't know I needed an Electric Mayhem cover of "Dancin' in the Moonlight" but I'm so glad I have it now.

The visuals are also great. There's a mix of practical effects and CGI and it's done very well- exactly what you'd expect of the Muppets. I especially liked the costuming changes for the climax- that sequence looked pretty scary!

Not quite a perfect score due to the explainy jokes mentioned before and because the plot seemed a little light. I could have used a little more background since I don't know the Haunted Mansion very well. Though I expect you wouldn't need any background if you did. But I really liked the conclusion and the interactions between everybody. Plus, I'm a sucker for Gonzo focused stories- I love that blue hook-nosed whatever!

My only question is why was Pepe chosen to be the side character instead of Rizzo? Typically it's Gonzo and Rizzo as a duo, though Pepe and Gonzo do have a fun dynamic.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one and very much recommend it. This could be a yearly watch to get into the spooky season. And who doesn't want more Muppets in their life? Can't believe I missed this one for 3 years. Very happy I saw it

OMM2024 - Night 1: Shimmer (2021)

 It's Halloween #OctoberMovieMarathon 2024!

First up: Shimmer (2021)
4/10
Not starting strong this year, but maybe this is a nice way to ease into it?

Shimmer is a thriller where a Forensics Investigator, Thea Kait, is called to a crime scene where a man has been shattered into glasslike shards. As more people start to suffer the same fate, Thea must find out what is happening and how to stop it.

All in all, mediocre and a bit dull. I did get a couple laughs, but the execution did not to justice to the potential storyline. If you enjoy the first 2 scenes that's pretty much what the rest of the movie feels like, so you might enjoy the whole thing.

Sadly, the production value just isn't there. I think there could have been more of an effort to hide the lackluster effects (different angles, showing others' reactions to what's happening instead of the thing itself, etc) as that really took any fear away. Then again, perhaps they were going for more of a character driven drama instead of a mystery-thriller? If so, they should have told the actors, since the delivery felt more like a cop comedy. Which wasn't too bad at the start, but really took away from any emotional punch the climax could have had.

And I gotta ask, why is the kid there? He's not needed for the story at all and is supposed to be in "preschool" but clearly looks 10? Why?

POSSIBLE SPOILERS START HERE!

I'm not sure if the cops were supposed to seem incompetent or if the direction was confusing. The cops initially arrive to the wife of a man who was just glassified (my term, they just say he's dead). And she valiantly tried to deliver some cryptic foreshadowing- which is immediately (and I mean .5sec after her line was done) is dismissed by the cops as "clearly out of her f**ing mind". And everyone on the cop team is almost... annoyed? at this lady being distraught that her husband JUST died mysteriously. Very rude, you'd think she called them because she threw a hat in the trash and needed them to crawl in a dumpster to get it.

Plus, later on at the station, all the cops are very loose with any sort of procedure. Which is odd when we're introduced to our leading lady as the forensics scientist trying to puzzle out this strange death. Why aren't they wearing gloves? Why is one's mask just upside down? Why are they all so nonchalant when a coworker's body is brought in cause he was shot? "Aw... he was my secret santa last year " Are we a serious forensics team? Or are we just playing around with the alien/supernatural/whatever lights just for funsies?

I actually thought for awhile that the ending twist was going to be that the lights were aliens, or were controlling one/multiple of the cops via body snatching, or that one of our characters was controlling the lights themselves...

Instead, our twist is completely focused on interpersonal drama between these barely-there characters and the killer lights aren't even involved. Imagine building up the horror of zombies coming down on your family- and then the climax is all about how Igor wasn't moonlighting and cheating on the Doctor and the Mayor is actually embezzling funds.

The focus is all over the place. There's some fun ideas, but it goes either too fast (we immediately accept the glass shards as a body no issue), are ignored (why was that one guy saying the lights were "happy"? Was he being controlled or something? 4 people are dead dude, why are you so excited?), or it comes out of nowhere (surprise roofie time I guess?).

I did enjoy our lead actress, Nicole Galicia, she really did her best TV drama slightly-cold scientist despite the stilted dialogue and strange pacing. I also enjoyed the bartender, Gillian Visco, thanks for really going all in on your one scene! But they just weren't enough to hold my attention. Maybe I was just enjoying seeing a movie without any huge stars chewing the scenery.

I can't recommend this movie. It wasn't "so bad it's good", nor was it bad enough to induce a rage watch. I can see where the character drama could have been interesting, or the mystery could have been interesting, but neither made it across the finish line. I don't think they made it halfway. Oh well, they can't all be winners.

October Movie Marathon 2024

 

It's October! Time for my annual scary movie marathon! 1 movie a day for all of October. I've got about 20 movies on a list so far but I'm lacking classic horror. Most of my choices are from the past 20 years... anyone got any suggestions of some older movies?

 

I'm down for anything except for extreme gore/body horror.

 

And for this year I'm just looking for anything that's a horror/thriller/scary movie that I haven't seen. I'll be watching most of them by myself. We'll have to see if I actually make it all the way through- as the last week of October this year is the Sweet Adeline's Internationals competition! And I don't think my roomies will want to stay up late to watch scary movies every night... guess we'll see!

And after counting up, I've got about 51 movies that have been suggested... so I gotta whittle this list down!