A Strange New Year

Everything Ends

I promise that I won’t spoil anything about the series finale of Stranger Things in this post. I still want to give a brief rundown of what I enjoyed about it, however. I thought that the series finale did a great job of bringing the series to a close. Sure, some characters didn’t return and others weren’t mentioned at all, but the core characters (and a few side characters) were given some type of closure in the finale. Heck, one was even given a very open ending that I really appreciated.

The cast has certainly grown, literally and as actors. In particular, Gaten Matarazzo went through a ton of development and changes and handled them well. Noah Schnapp also had some rather heavy scenes and did a fine job of conveying his emotions. Finn Wolfhard and Caleb McLaughlin (Mike and Lucas) seemed to be tied down to their relationships in the series, and this hurt their overall development. Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) seemed to be going through the motions at times, as did David Harbour and Charlie Heaton (Hopper and Jonathan). Joe Keery and Natalia Dyer (Steve and Nancy)were standouts across the entire series, making two fairly one-dimensional characters some of the funniest, strongest, and most caring individuals in Hawkins. Winona Ryder (Joyce) got lost in the shuffle this season, but was given one shining moment of glory that I believe will stick with people more than any other moment in the final season. Sadie Sink’s performance was stellar as Max, but she was often weighed down by extended monologues and bad writing. Maya Hawke’s Rockin’ Robin was a bit heavy handed at times, but she did just fine in the series overall. Sadly, we learned things about Jamie Campbell Bower’s Henry in the final two episodes of the series that made me want to know more about the character, but that may not happen unless the rumors of spinoff shows are true.

The primary thing to know about the Stranger Things series finale is this: It isn’t perfect and some storylines and characters will not be given the resolutions that everyone is hoping for in the series. You’ll all just have to deal with it. I enjoyed the series overall and loved the finale. Watch it if you haven’t had the chance.

Thanks for reading my review.

Throwback Thursday: Hurricane Laura And Ninja Turtles

Hard to believe that it’s been five years….

While looking through some old posts, this one from December 20, 2020, the year that Hurricane Laura destroyed my family’s home, popped up in my search string. Although today is December 11, I decided to reblog this old post. Maybe it’s because I’m turning fifty next year, but I’ve been feeling really nostalgic lately and I have been revisiting good and bad memories. This one is particularly bad, one of my worst memories, but it’s what makes me who I am. We’ve all been broken in different ways, but it is when we are broken that we can mend ourselves into something stronger.

Oh, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ornaments that I mention in this old post actually survived the hurricane. My KISS ornaments, however, have been lost. While I’d love to have my KISS ornaments back, having the silly Ninja Turtles ornaments is fine enough for me.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

A Different Christmas

Throwback Thursday: Wicked (1998)

“Dad, you love me, don’t you?”

Tonight we’re taking a trip all the way back to 1998 when Julia Stiles was still a relatively unknown actress, a mere year before her breakout role in 10 Things I Hate About You and three years before her starring role in Save The Last Dance. Yep, tonight we’re visiting with a relatively unknown gem called Wicked, not to be confused with the recent musical and Disney films which are VERY different from this particular flick. Also, while Wicked premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, it wasn’t accessible to general audiences until its home video release in 2001.

In the film Stiles portrays Ellie, a fourteen-year-old girl who has a very unhealthy relationship with her father. When her mother is brutally murdered in their home, Ellie amps up her affection for her father, going so far as to dress in her mother’s sexy clothing and applying a lot of makeup to make herself more appealing to her father. She also prepares meals and keeps her little sister, Inger, in line with brutal discipline. Her father soon develops a relationship with the family’s former housekeeper, Lena, and when their marriage is announced, Ellie spirals out of control, forming an unlikely bond with her neighbor, Lawson, who also happened to be her mother’s lover behind her father’s back. A persistent detective attempts to hunt down the murderer of Ellie’s mother, but as he gets closer to the truth, things get even more insane. Who killed Ellie’s mom? Why did they kill her? Will anyone else die? Find out in the surprisingly fun and creepy Wicked.

This film features an amazing cast and the story itself makes you uncomfortable and queasy. Julia Stiles outdoes herself as Ellie, who becomes increasingly vicious as the story rolls along. Her father, portrayed by William R. Moses, is just as creepy and unlikable as you’d expect him to be and is quite hard to feel any emotions for in the film. Vanessa Zima portrays young Inger with sugary sweetness at first, but even her character takes a dark turn in the movie. The rest of the cast includes Michael Parks as Detective Boland, Linda Hart as Ms. Potter, and Chelsea Field in a brief role as Ellie’s much despised mother, Karen. Of special note is the performance of Patrick Muldoon as Lawson Smith, Karen’s dimwitted lover and the eventual cohort of Ellie.

I highly recommend this film. The cast do a wonderful job of making you feel sick, creeped out, and generally not willing to like any of them. The story moves along at a nice pace and is definitely worth a look. It’s available currently on a number of streaming services including Amazon Prime and Plex.

Thanks for checking out my look back at a truly creepy gem of a film.

Spin Master Batcycle RC

“There is no stopping the Batman.”

Yes, I ripped that quote from Teen Titans GO! To The Movies because that series is geared towards children (and adult-sized kids like myself) just like Spin Master’s Batcycle RC is aimed at the same demographic. This is a very simple RC motorcycle that fits the included 12″ Batman figure. It’s pretty cool-looking as well. It is the perfect gift for a youngster or a Batman enthusiast of any age.

The Batman figure can be placed directly on the bike. It’s a pretty tight fit and can be a tad difficult to get Batman in place, but once you figure out his positioning, he stays put. His arms have loose joints which allow Batman’s arms to shift with the turning of the bike. The bike will also hold other twelve inch figures, but without loose arms, it will be difficult to turn the bike.

The controller is very easy to use. One knob makes the bike go forward and backward and the other knob turns the bike left and right. The bike’s speed is controlled by how hard you push the forward/backward knob. With just a little practice, it’s easy to master this controller.

If you like Batman or just want a simple RC bike to play with, Spin Master’s Batcycle RC is definitely a good option.

Thanks for checking out my review.

Focus On: Ace Frehley

April 27, 1951-October 16, 2025

I know that I’m a little late posting about the tragic death of the legendary Ace Frehley, but I wanted to post about him after Thirty-One Days O’Horror so that I could give his death my full attention. As many of my readers know, I’m a massive KISS fan and have been for a very long time. Back in 2022, I spent an entire year celebrating all of KISS’ studio albums including the four solo albums. The first solo album that I reviewed was Ace’s album. It has long been considered the best album out of the four. There have been theories abound about why the band decided to release the four solo projects in 1978. One theory is that they were released in an attempt to bring the band closer together after a number of years of backstage fighting amongst the members of the group. Others believe that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley came up with the solo albums idea in order to put Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in their place, expecting both of them to flop tremendously with their albums while Gene and Paul’s albums would be massive successes. Ace’s album proved to be the most popular one and over time, has become the most successful of the solo albums.

One thing Ace’s solo album did do was prove that he could write and perform music without the help of his KISS bandmates. It may or may not have been the catalyst that eventually lead to Ace leaving the band in 1982, but in any case, he did just that. This would lead to a string of solo albums, the first two being released under the moniker of Frehley’s Comet. His fourth album, Trouble Walkin’, and the six releases after it, were all released under Ace Frehley’s name.

While Ace didn’t achieve the massive success as a solo artist that he experienced while in KISS, he remained a relevant rock star throughout the 80s and, much like KISS, began to fade as the decade came to a close. In 1996, Ace rejoined Gene, Paul, and Peter and embarked on a successful reunion tour. Ace remained with the band until 2002 when he made his second exit. He would experience something of a renaissance with a string of six amazing solo projects beginning with Anomaly in 2009 and ending with 10,000 Volts in 2024.

Ace’s relationship with KISS has always been a bit tense, but just months before his death he talked about his close friendship with Gene on a podcast. He also addressed a number of his experiences, good and band, with KISS in his memoir, No Regrets (2011), a book that I highly recommend. He was also very open about his battle with alcoholism and took great joy in hearing of fans who won their own battles with alcoholism after being inspired by him.

Ace fell in his home studio on September 25, 2025 and ended up on life support due to a brain bleed. The life support was turned off on October 16, ending the life and career of Ace Frehley.

Ace’s death hit me hard. I cried on a number of occasions as I watched old interviews, listened to his music and the music of KISS, and just sat alone thinking about him and his work. I’m no musician, but I always describe his playing style as drunk, sloppy, yet clean. He always sounded, in my opinion, as if he was about to lose all control of his hands on the guitar, but he played so ridiculously well. His style sounded sloppy, but it was beautiful and much more intricate than he was ever credited for it being. Ace was the coolest guy in KISS and he was cool with zero effort. He just WAS cool. It didn’t matter if he was ripping out a solo or telling jokes or laughing his ridiculous laugh, he was cool the entire time. That’s a rare quality in people, especially rock stars. Most of them try very hard to be cool by changing their image, acting a certain way in interviews, or doing things for attention. Ace wasn’t like that, Ace was just Ace twenty-four seven. The guy would literally stroll into a Walmart and buy the five and ten dollar tees that average folks would buy and then wear them to meet-and-greets. Ace is credited with designing KISS’ iconic logo. He’s the reason so many guitar players have a lightning bolt guitar strap. He was Ace Freakin’ Frehley, the Space Ace, a “plumber,” and one of the greatest guitar players of all time.

Rest amongst the stars, Space Ace. You will never be forgotten.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror 2026!

Thirty-One Favorite Horror Films!

You’ve survived 2025’s heaping helping of horror films, but are you ready for 2026! You’ve got less than a year to prepare as next year’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror will be personal! Ken of Ken’s Alternate Universe will be reviewing (and in some cases, re-reviewing) thirty-one of his favorite horror films! Some of them won’t shock you, but a few of them just might take you by surprise!

See if you can pick out any of my favorite film’s before October 1, 2026. If you pick five or more (minus the ones in this post), I’ll give you a shout out in 2026’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror!

Feel free to send me a list of your favorite horror films as well. Who knows? Maybe I’ll fall in love with one of your favorites and it’ll make my list next year!

Thanks for all of your support!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Christine (1983)

Let’s Ride #31!

Happy Halloween! You’ve successfully made it to the FINAL day of Thirty-One Days O’Horror! For today, yours truly decided to take a quick look at the granddaddy of all killer car/highway horror films, 1983’s Christine! I can honestly say that this film is in the top ten of all of my favorite horror films. It’s definitely my favorite killer car flick, so let’s take a look at the movie!

Based upon Stephen King’s novel, the film tells the story of a 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine that develops a possessive relationship with anyone that owns her and takes care of her. The poor chap that purchases her in the movie is Arnie Cunningham, an insecure nerd who just started his senior year of high school. His best friend, Dennis, a popular jock who is protective of Arnie, tags along with him whenever he buys Christine from George Lebay, the brother of Christine’s previous deceased owner. Arnie takes Christine to a local do-it-yourself body shop and parks her there, where he begins bringing her back to life.

Christine is quickly restored, primarily by fixing herself, and Arnie’s confidence level and attitude go through the roof. He begins dating the beautiful new girl at school, Leigh. As their relationship grows stronger, Christine becomes jealous. A group of bullies that tormented Arnie are systematically murdered, as are a few other people that get into Christine’s way. This draws the attention of a local detective who is trying to uncover who is committing the murders in the town. The body count rises and Arnie descends into a deep relationship with Christine. What happens next? Watch Christine to find out the conclusion to the film.

This film is amazing. It takes the ludicrous idea of a possessive vehicle falling in love with its driver and murdering to protect the relationship and makes it work on the big screen. Kudos to director John Carpenter for taking Bill Phillips’ screenplay of King’s novel and making it ridiculously cool, funny, and emotionally draining all at the same time. The film features a great cast including Keith Gordon (Arnie), John Stockwell (Dennis), Alexandra Paul (Leigh), and Harry Dean Stanton as Detective Jenkins. Kelly Preston has a small role as Roseanne, a girl that has a crush on Dennis. Roberts Blossom, perhaps most recognized for portraying Mr. Marley in Home Alone, appears as George Lebay. Steven Tash, who Ghostbusters fans will recognize for his role as one of the students in Dr. Venkman’s parapsychology studies, also has a role in the film as one of Arnie’s bullies.

The story is bridged between a number of amazing action and practical effects scenes involving Christine. One of my favorite scenes in the film is when Arnie witnesses Christine repair herself. I also love the sequences involving a flaming Christine barreling down the road. The music is also amazing.

I won’t give away anything more about this film. Just go watch it if you have seen it yet. You will not regret watching this movie.

Thanks for checking out my post and Happy Halloween!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Monster (2016)

Let’s Ride #30!

Today’s Let’s Ride entry is the surprisingly enjoyable The Monster from 2016. The film has a very small cast including its two stars, Zoe Kazan and Ella Ballentine, and Aaron Douglas, Christine Ebadi, Marc Hickox, and Scott Speedman. Keira Knightley narrates the film as the adult version of Lizzy, Ballentine’s character. The movie was written and directed by Bryan Bertino, perhaps best known for his work on both films in the The Strangers franchise.

The film tells the story of Kathy (Kazan) and her estranged daughter, Lizzy (Ballentine), as they are driving back to Lizzy’s father’s house. Kathy is struggling with alcoholism and Lizzy hopes that her father, Roy (Speedman), gains full custody of her since her mother is terribly abusive towards her. The pair find themselves on a lonely stretch of road and are in an accident whenever a wolf jumps out in front of them and they spin out of control. Kathy hurts her wrist and is scratched up by the wreck. The car is banged up and has a flat. They call 911 and wait for an ambulance and tow truck to arrive.

They get out of the vehicle to check on the wolf and discover wounds on the wolf’s body that were not a result of the wreck. They also find a massive fang in the wolf’s flesh. They go back to the car and wait inside while waiting for help. When the tow truck arrives, the driver, Jesse (Douglas), is brutally attacked by a creature. The same thing happens to the ambulance crew. Lizzy and Kathy have to get beyond their differences to figure out how to stop the monster that is terrorizing them. Do they survive? Do they mend their broken relationship? Watch The Monster and see for yourself!

Bertino does a great job of lacing past struggles between Lizzy and her mother throughout the entire film while the beast is on the prowl. We see Kathy struggle with her alcoholism and Lizzy coping with her mother and father’s behavior. We also see that despite the fact that they have major issues between them, Lizzy and Kathy truly love one another. The monster is slowly revealed in the film, with a full reveal towards the climax of the movie. The beast, created by a team headed up by Jennifer Stroud, looks amazing, especially considering the budget. Bertino uses light, shadows, and focus to let the viewers see the creature. The action is excellent as well.

The Monster is a really good film. It’s a bit of a slow burner that does a brilliant job of letting the viewer get to know the two leads and then throws them into a chaotic situation that has a shocking result. Give this film a look. I think that you’ll like it.

As always, thanks for checking out my post.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Sadist (1963)

Let’s Ride #29!

Three teachers en route to an L.A. Dodgers game have car trouble and wind up face-to-face with a sadistic killer and his young girlfriend in 1963’s tense The Sadist. The film was inspired by a real life duo of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, who went on a killing spree across Nebraska and Wyoming. Arch Hall, Jr. stars as the primary antagonist, Charlie, and Marilyn Manning as Judy, his girlfriend. The film also stars Richard Alden as Ed, Helen Hovey as Doris, and Don Russell as Carl, the three teachers that Charlie and Judy terrorize at a junkyard where the owners have already been murdered.

Believing that the owners simply aren’t around, Ed decides to take a fuel pump from a vehicle in the junkyard to replace his own damaged one. While he begins repairing the vehicle, Carl and Doris look around for the owners. Soon enough, Charlie and Judy reveal themselves to the trio. Charlie holds them at gunpoint and forces Ed to finish replacing the fuel pump. He also threatens the trio. He gropes Doris, plays sadistic games with the group, and tells Carl that once he’s finished drinking his soda, he’ll kill him. I won’t spoil that particular scene for you, as I believe that this film is a must see thriller.

Hall is brilliant in the role of Charlie. Charlie truly is a sadist and thrives on fear. Manning does a great job as Judy. Her face shows the viewer that she’s somewhat threatened by Doris’ beauty. Speaking of Doris, Helen Hovey, in her only role, is amazing. Her character arguably has the most growth of all of the characters in the film. Don Russell is good as Carl, but his character is somewhat resigned to being the hopeful optimist that may or may not make it out of the film alive. Richard Alden does a fine job as Ed, the “every man” that knows his way around a vehicle, is brave, and is ready to risk anything to protect Doris.

Written and directed by James Landis, this bare bones, independent production has everything that I love about my favorite independent films. It punches above its weight class, relies on the strength of the cast and the plot to rise above its production budget, and tells a great story.

I love this film. It’s a great movie that holds your attention, develops its characters and plot at a great pace, and features a cast that simply blows you away. I highly recommend this film and am glad that I found this gem during Thirty-One Days O’Horror. I promise that it will be a perfect addition to your thriller collection.

As always, thanks for checking out my post! The Sadist is available on a number of streaming formats. The first version that I watched was a colorized version available, as of this writing, on Tubi. I don’t recommend this version, as the colorization is poor. I prefer the original black-and-white version available on multiple streamers.

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Dark Country (2009)

Let’s Ride #28!

Thomas Jane stars in 2009’s Dark Country, a film in which he also makes his directorial debut. The film was written by Tab Murphy and and features Lauren German and Ron Perlman in supporting roles. The movie was shot in 3D which, in my opinion, heavily limits the film’s style and also shows the limitations of the film’s CGI. Jane appears to have drawn heavy influence from The Twilight Zone, pulp novels, and film noir.

The film opens with Jane (as Dick) and German (as Gina), freshly wed and barely acquaintances, heading out on the road from Las Vegas on their honeymoon. Traveling by night, they quickly find themselves lost on a highway that seemingly goes nowhere. They soon come upon a one vehicle accident and place the lone survivor, a man with wounds so bad that his face is disfigured, in their backseat with the intention of bringing him to a hospital. As they rack up miles on the lonesome road, however, the survivor becomes agitated with the couple, Dick in particular, and Dick ends up killing him in self defense. They bury his body out in the desert, but when they come upon a rest stop and clean themselves up from the struggle with the stranger, Dick realizes that he lost his watch in the desert and must go back for it. From this point on, the film attempts to goes full Twilight Zone and attempts to drum up confusion, fear, and desperation. It fails. Watch the film for yourself to find out what happens.

I applaud Jane for making this film. He definitely has film noir down to a science. From the heavy narration at the beginning of the film to the different shot perspectives, Jane knows the genre well. That said, shooting the film in 3D was a mistake in my opinion. As I stated before, it revealed the limitations of the special effects and CGI with glaring clarity. A lot of the scenes look very fake, and jar the viewer out of the story. As far as the story is concerned, it doesn’t explore any new territory and, unfortunately, doesn’t add anything to the dark genre, either. It’s a serviceable enough film, but I don’t necessarily recommend it.

Dark Country had potential, it was just executed poorly. If you enjoy film noir, you may want to check this flick out for yourself. Ron Perlman’s role is small and comes close to the end of the film, but even his acting chops can’t save Dark Country from being a disappointment.

Thanks for checking out my review!