Rec (2007)

“I can’t slide down there with the camera.”

Oh, but Pablo does manage to get down there with the camera, and upstairs backwards with the camera, and even gets chased by fast zombies with the camera in 2007’s much loved Rec, a Spanish found footage film starring Manuela Velasco, Pablo Rosso, and Ferran Terraza. As my regular readers know, I’m not a fan of found footage films for the most part, and while Rec is a pretty good film, the whole concept of “found footage” ruined it for me. I’m in the minority on this, however, as the film birthed three sequels and an American remake that also had one sequel.

In the film, Velasco portrays Angela Vidal, the host of a series called While You’re Asleep that follows people around while they are doing their jobs at night. For the episode in the film, Angela and her cameraman, Pablo (Rosso), spend the evening with a crew of firemen and they are assigned to record the duties of Manu and Alex. After a long night of interviewing firefighters, watching them eat, sleep, and play basketball, Manu and Alex finally get a call to assist a woman that has been locked in her apartment and is screaming for help. When they arrive on the scene, two police officers are dealing with the other residents of the apartment complex on the street level. The police, firefighters, and Angela and Pablo make their way up the stairs to the room where the elderly woman is found acting erratically and covered in blood. When one of the officers approaches her, she attacks him, violently biting into his neck. Alex stays behind with the woman while the rest of the group head back downstairs to try and get the injured officer to an ambulance, but when they attempt to leave the building, they find that the doors have been blockaded and authorities tell them that the building has been quarantined. Soon after this, Alex slams into the ground after falling (or being tossed) from the floor on which he was watching the woman. Bleeding profusely but somehow still alive, he and the attacked officer are taken to an area to be patched up by a doctor that lives in the complex. Things escalate as the night goes on, and we watch it all unfold from the lens of Pablo’s camera. What follows is a mix of fast-paced horror blended with science and Catholicism. How does it all end? Watch Rec to find out what happens in the apartment complex from Hell!

This really could have been an excellent zombie film, but the found footage angle totally ruined it for me. Much like Cloverfield and every other found footage film out there, there’s a guy, in this case it’s Pablo, that’s carrying around a camera the entire time and instead of setting it down and helping as much as possible, he only sets it down a couple of times when the Manu and others demand his help. It’s ludicrous for a guy to “keep the film rolling” while being chased by bloodthirsty zombies. Had this element been removed, I would have enjoyed Rec a whole lot more.

The cast is really excellent, especially Velasco, who comes off as a bit of a snob at the beginning of the film and then quickly spirals into a delirious and desperate woman. I also enjoyed the performances of the complex residents, who were all fairly stereotypical citizens that brought humor and heart to the film. The zombie effects were very good as well.

Despite a strong cast, cool zombies, and a solid script, Rec fell flat for me for the same reason that almost all found footage films fail: the annoying guy who won’t put the camera down long enough to really do anything. If you’re okay with this concept, you’ll probably love Rec. If you’re more like me, watch the film for the great performances of the cast.

Thanks for checking out my post.

The Snow Demon (2026)

“Last year, winter brought him…..”

Written by C.M. Wright and directed by Dominic Nutter, The Snow Demon (2026)is an above average creature feature that embraces practical effects, but falls short with its story. It stars Gina Smith, Belle Taylor, Francesca Weir, Jessie Vinning, and Ben Maddocks. It co-stars Renny Mendoza and Jenny Miller, with Jamiyka Jones in the suit as the creature. The film was produced by ChampDog Films, It is currently available to watch for free on Tubi.

In the film, a group of friends return to the place where their friend, Lila, went missing and was never found a year prior, to light candles to guide her spirit home. None of them are particularly spiritual, and it is mentioned that they made fun of Lila about her beliefs, but they do this in order show her respect and to honor her life. There’s also a folklorist (Mendoza) in the same area, doing research for his book. He bumps into Harper (Taylor) while she’s taking a run on the trail near the cabin where the group is staying. He fills Harper in on the legendary beast that supposedly stalks the forest and they go their separate ways. Later that evening, as the group is holding their ceremony for Lila, they hear a blood-curdling cry come from the forest. Thinking it’s the folklorist, Harper and Rowan (Maddocks) go to help him. When they arrive at the scene of the attack, they find that some legends are true.

The film really isn’t that bad. Taylor gives the best performance in the film in my opinion. The rest of the cast do just fine. I didn’t like the way that the story set up a great subplot with the folklorist and then tossed it entirely too quickly in my opinion. I also didn’t care for the flimsy “final girl” set up that could have been much better. What I really loved about the film is the practical effects. The wolf, while obviously a suit, looked great. I wish that the mouth on the suit worked better and I also wasn’t a fan of how the creature pawed at its victims for what seemed like a very long time before chomping into them. I also really enjoyed the snow effects and gore.

Overall, The Snow Demon isn’t a shabby horror flick. If you like practical effects and traditional creature features, you’ll like this film. I want to see more of Belle Taylor’s work and I’d love to see a sequel to this film. Thanks for checking out my review.

Cult Classic: Cutting Class (1989)

“No cutting class!”

Brad Pitt becomes Suspect #1 in one of his earliest starring roles in 1989’s Cutting Class. The film also starred Jill Schoelen, Donovan Leitch, Brenda Lynn Klemme, and Dirk Blocker. The film also featured Roddy McDowall and Martin Mull in small roles, adding some star power to the production. The movie was written by Steve Slavkin and directed by Rospo Pallenberg. Pallenberg is best known for his screenwriting skills, having penned Excalibur and The Emerald Forest, among other films.

In the movie, Paula Carson (Schoelen) has the house to herself while her father, District Attorney Carson (Mull) is on a hunting trip. Paula’s boyfriend, Dwight (Pitt), has plans for the two of them while her father is away. Problems arise, however, when a returning student, Brian, begins to have feelings for Paula. Brian has been freshly released from a mental hospital and has a history with Dwight. Both of them have difficulties in school. Dwight struggles with his grades and blows a shot at an athletic scholarship. Brian is the “weird” student that can’t make friends. It doesn’t help that the faculty at the school is loaded with perverts, jerks, and tyrants. This sets the stage for a series of murders that occur. Is Brian still insane? Has Dwight cracked? Maybe the janitor is the murderer? Watch Cutting Class to find out what goes down at the high school!

Sadly, the movie struggles to find a rhythm. It has slapstick level comedy at times and then very dark and unhinged moments. It also features a fairly lame slasher. The only real treats in the film were trying to figure out who the killer is and poor Martin Mull. Mull alone seemed to know exactly what this film was, and his performance reflected this. The rest of the cast was okay, but nothing too amazing. Roddy McDowall was absolutely creepy as Mr. Dante. The kills were dull despite being very dramatic at times and the music just okay. Overall, not a “need to see” slasher, but if you like the genre or the history of Brad Pitt’s acting career, you might want to watch this film.

Thanks for checking out my review!

Heretic (2024)

“Religion is just a system of control.”

Hugh Grant plays a man with ill intentions who invites two young female Mormon missionaries into his home in 2024’s Heretic. The two young ladies are portrayed by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, both of whom grew up within the Mormon faith in their real lives. The film was released by A24 and co-written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.

In the film, Sister Paxton (East) and Sister Barnes (Thatcher) are on a missionary trip in Boulder, Colorado and they encounter the warm but odd Mr. Reed (Grant), who invites him into his home where he assures them that his wife is in the kitchen preparing a blueberry pie. The ladies are not allowed to enter a home without a female partner present, so they enter the home with a bit of hesitation. Once inside, things slowly become stranger as Mr. Reed challenges the faith of the young ladies. Soon enough, Srs. Paxton and Barnes become frightened and determine to escape from Mr. Reed’s home. When they realize that they cannot escape due to timed locks and they can’t call out due to the metal in the walls, the missionaries accept the challenge of a game from Mr. Reed. If they succeed, they win their freedom. If they fail, who knows what awaits them? Check out Heretic for a wonderfully nerve-wracking time.

Heretic isn’t a perfect film, but it sure is fun to watch. Hugh Grant’s disarming and eccentric delivery quickly turns into a sinister friendliness, if that makes any sense. Sophie Thatcher’s performance is cold, calculated, and confident. I especially enjoyed her deconstruction of Mr. Reed’s challenges not only to her Mormon faith, but of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. While I am personally not well-versed on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I do know my Catholic faith, and I laughed a bit whenever Mr. Reed offered his comparisons of Christianity to Mithras, Horus, and more. All of these arguments have been snuffed out for some time, so I am curious if the writers simply googled “arguments against Christianity” or they intentionally chose the weak arguments presented in the film. Theology aside, the film is very entertaining and Srs. Paxton and Barnes were easy to cheer for in the film. Chloe East did an especially amazing job as Sister Paxton, with her character becoming the strongest in the film as far as I’m concerned. Also keep an eye out for a wonderful and unexpected cameo from a well-known sitcom star who has had a marvelous career in film as well.

No matter what your status is when it come to faith and religion, I think that you’ll enjoy Heretic. It’s one of my favorite movies from the last few years, and its core story of control and self-empowerment plays out with perfection.

Thanks for checking out my post.

Classic Cinema: Monster From The Ocean Floor (1954)

“It could absorb a man.”

The first film that Roger Corman ever produced, Monster From The Ocean Floor (1954), may not be the best film that Corman was ever part of, but it’s definitely an important film despite its B-movie status. It starred Anne Kimball as Julie Blair, Stuart Wade as Steve Dunning, and Dick Pinner as Dr. Baldwin. Wyott Ordung has a small role as Pablo. Ordung also directed the film and took a cut in his pay for the opportunity to direct the film. Corman also has a small role in the film as Tommy.

In the film, Julie Blair, who is vacationing in Mexico, becomes interested in a local legend about a creature that has been blamed for mysterious deaths in the area since 1946. She has a chance encounter with Steve Dunning, a marine biologist who happens to be in the area with a team doing research off of the coast. He also happens to have a sweet one-man submarine. That may or may not become important later in the film. The two become close rather quickly, but Dunning writes off Blair’s obsession with the sea creature as nothing more than legend. While he and his team move farther down the coast to do their research, Julie tackles the mystery on her own, getting help from a shady local named Pablo (Ordung), who has been told to sacrifice Julie to the beast by Tula (Inez Palange), a local woman who still worships Quetzalcoatl. Pablo tries to sacrifice Julie on a number of occasions, but fails every time. He ultimately agrees to help her discover what the beast truly is, but when she sends a sample tissue from the creature to Steve and his team, they realize that Julie and anybody that gets too close to the creature may get absorbed by it! Will Steve be able to get back in time to save Julie? Watch Monster From The Ocean Floor for the terrifying conclusion of the film!

The film is pretty run-of-the-mill for 1950s science fiction. Like many films of the time, Monster From The Ocean Floor played on the fears of U.S. citizens about nuclear fallout and radiation resulting from tests like those executed on the Bikini Atoll beginning in 1946. The tests triggered the birth or mutation of a gigantic amoeba-like creature that absorbs people in the film. The movie also has a number of audio issues, with some dubbing sounding as if the actors are talking into cans. So why is the movie so significant. For starters, it’s the first film produced by Roger Corman. Secondly, it heralds the beginning of Corman’s habit of getting the most bang for his buck when it comes to a film’s budget. It also features amazing underwater cinematography guided by Floyd Crosby, an Academy Award winner who would continue working with Corman. It is also credited as being one of the few films of the era that featured a woman who was not only intelligent, but took initiative on her own to discover the creature.

Despite a basic plot and slightly above average acting, Monster From The Ocean Floor is worth a look. You get a glimpse at Corman’s earliest work as a producer and you get to see the Aerojet General submarine in action!

Thanks for checking out my post!

Companion (2025)

“I’m free. And all it took was a bullet to the head.”

Sophie Thatcher portrays Iris, a robotic companion that takes things into her own hands in 2025’s Companion. The film co-stars Jack Quaid as Josh, her owner and lover, Lukas Gage as Patrick, Harvey Guillen as Eli, Megan Suri as Kat, and Rupert Friend as Sergey. The film was written and directed by Drew Hancock in his feature film directorial debut. It’s a science fiction thriller with strong callbacks to films like The Stepford Wives, Terminator 2, and, at least in my opinion, Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith.

Spoilers Ahead!!!!!!

The film opens with Iris and Josh meeting in a supermarket. Josh flubs his attempt to approach Iris whenever he sends oranges flying across the grocery store floor, but his goofy charm shines through and the two fall in love. We are then taken to the duo in Josh’s self-driving car, where they are heading out to meet some friends for a nice getaway. When they arrive, Iris is worried that Josh’s friends won’t like her. After he reassures her that everything will be fine, we are introduced to a friendly couple, Patrick and Eli, and Kat, Josh’s abrasive friend, and her lover, Sergey.

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Sophie Thatcher in a scene from “Companion.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

The first night goes off with only minor issues for Iris. Kat seems to dislike her, but tolerates her enough to keep the mood mild. We also learn that Kat is Sergey’s mistress and “property,” which will be a constant theme throughout the film. We find out that Patrick and Eli have a strong bond between themselves as well. Things start to go south when, on the next morning, Sergey attempts to sexually assault Iris and she kills him. The problem is that as a robotic companion, Iris is forbidden and programmed not to kill. It’s at this moment we find out that Josh and Kat have orchestrated the murder of Sergey in order to claim the twelve million dollars that is stashed in the cabin. They agree to split the money with Eli whenever they are forced to tell him what is really going on with Sergey’s murder. It is then revealed that Patrick is a robotic companion as well, which leads to Eli demanding that the money be split four ways. Iris eventually escapes from Josh and his friends, disarms Josh’s ability to control her, and tries to find a way back to civilization and freedom. The friends split up to try and find Iris. This results in a number of bloody deaths, questions about bodily autonomy, and, if you dig deeper, tackles subjects like sex trafficking and the ethics of robotics.

Thankfully, the film doesn’t dive too deeply into any of the subjects in touches upon, leaving that up to the audience instead. It could have jumped head first into bodily autonomy or any other themes, but I believe that this would have killed the pacing of the film and taken it to a dark place where this style of film doesn’t do well. What it does do, however, is give us some excellent action, a real hero to cheer on in the film, and the aforementioned callbacks that I mentioned. From the way that Iris is dressed throughout the film to that iconic wave in the mid-credits scene, I saw influences from quite a few movies including those already mentioned and M3GAN, which Drew Hancock swears he didn’t watch in order to steal from it. There were also quite a few funny moments in the film as well, some perhaps not intentional but I laughed just the same.

The cast did a great job with their roles. Quaid was instantly unlikeable as Josh, and he played the character very well. Megan Suri was excellent as Kat, a character that was in a similar position as Iris, but had human emotions as well. She was one of the more tragic characters in this movie. Guillen was fun and enjoyable as Eli, even when he goes on the hunt for Iris. His relationship with Lukas Gage’s Patrick made his character a bit more sympathetic in my eyes. Both Patrick and Thatcher’s Iris were sad characters, and despite Patrick being weaponized against Iris, I felt terrible for him. Thatcher nailed Iris. I haven’t cheered on a character like her in a long time. I was pulling for her right away and I believe that most other folks were as well.

Companion is a really good film. It has clearly defined heroes and villains that wade through some heavy subjects, keeping the story light enough that it doesn’t get dull. I highly recommend this film and appreciate you for reading my post. Thank you.

The Substance (2024)

“The balance must be respected.”

We all age. We get wrinkles. Our bodies begin hurting in ways we never dreamed of when we were young. Eventually we become senior citizens and, like it or not, society looks down its nose at a lot of us. In the glitzy world of film and television, getting old comes with potentially deep losses. Actors are almost always expected to be young and attractive and when that first crack of the skin appears on an actor’s face, especially on an actress’ face, the role offers and callbacks start to dwindle. Such is the situation that fifty year old Elisabeth (Demi Moore) finds herself in in 2024’s The Substance. The film is written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, who is known for Revenge (2017) and Reality+ (2014).

Spoilers ahead!!!!

In the film, former award-winning film actress Elisabeth finds herself unceremoniously dumped by the studio that produces her workout show due to the fact that she’s too old in the eyes of Harvey (Dennis Quaid) and he wants a younger, prettier “girl” to replace her. After getting in a car accident on the way home, Elisabeth is offered the substance by a nurse. When she arrives at home, she stands in the mirror, completely nude, and looks at her aging body. She ultimately contacts the producer of the substance and injects it into her body, resulting in the “birth” of Sue (Margaret Qualley), a younger version of Elisabeth who is catapulted into the spotlight by Harvey.

The substance comes with a strict set of rules. Elisabeth and Sue must switch between one another every seven days. One remains in a comatose-like state while the other gets seven days of freedom. Sue embraces her newfound popularity while Elisabeth grows more and more jealous of her popularity. Sue begins to push the limits of the rules, taking more and more time from Elisabeth and accelerating the aging process. Problems begin to ramp up for Elisabeth, as her aging gets out of control and Sue’s popularity continues to skyrocket. The big issue here, though, is that Elisabeth and Sue are the same person in two very different bodies. As Sue falls in love with her new life, Elisabeth begins to make Sue’s life miserable. The duo ultimately have a massive face-off, resulting in a new version of them, Monstro Elisasue, to be born. The creature lurches onto the stage on New Year’s Eve, a night that was supposed to shoot Sue into greater stardom, and blasts the crowd with blood, crying for acceptance. In the end, Elisabeth is reduced to a gooey face that is squashed on her own star on the walk of fame.

While the film definitely has its highlights, for the most part, The Substance lacks…..substance. The story is nothing new and something that has been around since films have been around. Actors get older and begin losing roles to younger actors. Older actors will go to great lengths to maintain their youthful appearance. The film highlights this, especially the toll it takes on actresses, and the way that many corporate sleazeballs objectify women. On the other hand, it shows how actors will turn on others in order to get what they want. There are no real heroes in this film. Everyone is tragic and/or unlikeable. Fargeat’s direction and shots are all taken from other films and directors. You don’t need a very sharp eye to see influences from films like The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, and more. It also draws influence from works such as The Picture Of Dorian Gray and Carrie. The film also has very limited dialogue and sluggish pacing as well, making it a tough watch.

One thing that the film does get right is the practical effects. Almost all of the film’s effects are realized using makeup, prosthetics, puppets, and appliances. The Elisasue creature looks great and appears to draw influence from The Thing, Basket Case, and other gruesome creatures. I also want to applaud the performance of Demi Moore. Although she was portraying a character that just turned fifty, Moore was actually sixty-one at the time of filming. She still looks great, and much like her character in the film, she’s had enhancements over the years to retain her youth. That said, she appears completely nude multiple times in the film and she does show her age. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to say anything derogatory about her, it’s just that in one particular scene, perhaps the best scene in the film, her character is looking in the mirror at all of her imperfections. The camera pans around her entire body, revealing every wrinkle and crease. It’s sad and beautiful at the same time. Elisabeth is sad that she is aging, but it is beautiful that Moore is willing to bare her own aging to the world.

Ultimately, The Substance is just one more in a long line of body horror films that has flashes of brilliance, amazing effects, but ultimately falls under the weight of its own story. The ending completely derails any momentum built earlier in the film and brings a ho-hum experience to a brutal halt.

I don’t necessarily recommend this film, but if you grew up watching Moore on the big screen like I did, it might be worth your time. Thanks for reading my review.

Cult Classic: The Crater Lake Monster (1977)

“My first responsibility is to save human lives, not sea serpents!”

It might be a terrible film, but 1977’s The Crater Lake Monster has something about it that makes it difficult to dislike. The film was written by William R. Stromberg (who also directed) and Richard Cardella (who starred in the film as Sheriff Steve Hanson). It was distributed by Crown International Pictures, who apparently took over the film, forcing their ideas about what the film should be and butchering the movie into its final product without Stromberg or Cardella’s approval.

L to R: Richard Garrison as Dan Turner, Bob Hyman as Dr. Calkins, and Richard Cardella as Sheriff Hanson. In the foreground is Kacey Cobb as Susan Patterson.

In the film, a pair of researchers, Dan Turner (Richard Garrison) and Susan Patterson (Kacey Cobb), discover ancient cave drawings depicting a prehistoric creature battling men, which proves that dinosaurs and humans coexisted at one point in time. Turner brings Dr. Calkins to the site and they, along with Susan, are almost killed when a meteorite crashes into nearby Crater Lake. Months later, Sheriff Steve Hanson (Cardella) starts dealing with a number of missing person cases and then the strange death of a local senator. He teams up with Dr. Calkins to determine who or what is causing these disappearances. What they find surprises them. After consulting with Dan and Susan (who are mysteriously absent for ninety percent of the movie), the group determines that the creature is a plesiosaur. The sheriff gives Dan and Susan twenty-four hours to capture the creature before calling for help from the government. Before they can put their plan into action, however, the plesiosaur attacks the town, forcing the sheriff and two local boat renters, Arnie and Mitch (Glenn Roberts and Mark Siegel), to fight the beast. Who lives? Who dies? Watch The Crater Lake Monster to find out if our heroes survive!

Three of the best reasons to watch this film, L to R: Richard Cardella, Glen Roberts, and Mark Siegel.

The film is so bad that most people write it off as a forgettable mess. For a small following of fans, however, the movie falls under the so-bad-its-good umbrella. For me, the bad outweighs the good, but the good is so awesome that I’m willing to suffer through the bad parts in order to see the good things. For starters, Richard Cardella, Glen Roberts, and Mark Siegel do pretty good jobs in their roles. Cardella hams it up as Sheriff Hanson and sports the sweetest moustache and sideburns you’ll ever see on an alpha male. Roberts, credited as Glenn Roberts, and Siegel provide almost all of the intended laughs in the film and a few non-intentional ones as well. The stop-motion creature effects, headed up by David Allen and including Phil Tippett, are excellent, but lighting and editing make the creature look terrible. Allen and Tippett both went on to bigger and better things. Allen worked on the Puppet Master films, Willow, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, The Howling, and tons of other big films. Tippett worked on some of the biggest films of all time including the original Star Wars trilogy, Jurassic Park, Dragonheart, the Twilight films, and many, many more.

Alpha Male!

The bad things in the film are plentiful, but I’ll just highlight a few of them. For starters, Dan and Susan get things going at the beginning of the film and then aren’t seen again until the final minutes before the credits roll. On top of that, they take over the situation despite being MIA the entire time that people die and/or go missing. A lot of the movie takes place at night, but almost all of the scenes were shot during the daytime and NOT edited as day-for-night to give the illusion of happening after the sun goes down. The editing is atrocious and there’s an entire subplot with a liquor store robbery that takes up a good portion of the film, only to have the robber get eaten by the beast.

Susan (Kacey Cobb) and her boy toy, Dan (Richard Garrison), aren’t in the film much, but their decision to try and capture the monster may or may not cause the death of one of the better characters in the film.

If you want to see some cool stop-motion effects from two of the greatest effects artists of all time, check out The Crater Lake Monster. If you want a nonsensical plot, bad acting, and worse editing, watch this movie. If you prefer your cinema experience to be a tad more high brow, skip this film altogether!

Thanks for checking out my review. This film really isn’t that good, but it’s pretty cool to check out at least one time.

Throwback Thursday: River’s Edge (1986)

“Did the sight of this dead girl move you in any particular way?”

River’s Edge is a brutal film to watch. It’s blunt, emotional and emotionless at the same time, and will make you feel uneasy. That’s what makes this film so brilliant and weird. The 1986 film focuses on the aftermath of the murder of a teenaged girl by her boyfriend, and the complete lack of emotional response from their friends. It was written by Neal Jimenez (The Waterdance, For The Boys) and inspired by the real life murder of Marcy Renee Conrad. It was directed by Tim Hunter (Breaking Bad, Twin Peaks, Dexter).

The film opens with young Tim (Joshua John Miller) witnessing his older brother’s friend, Samson (Daniel Roebuck), screaming out loud while standing at the river’s edge near the nude, dead body of his girlfriend, Jamie (Danyi Deats). The film moves on to the pair interacting at a local quick stop where Tim steals beer for Samson, who is also called John. They stop off at Feck’s (Dennis Hopper) house to score some weed before going to school. At school, Samson/John walks up to his friends and casually admits that he murdered Jamie. The members of the group react in different ways, primarily believing that it’s a joke, but Matt (Keanu Reeves), is the only member of the group that seems to be bothered by the whole admission.

The friends eventually go to see Jamie’s body and, after seeing her laying there, react with indifference and nervousness, with only Layne’s (Crispin Glover) brother showing any real type of emotion. As the day wears on, Layne begins to devise a plan to protect John, collecting money from the group and ultimately dumping Jamie’s body into the river. One of the group, I won’t say who, finally caves in to their conscious and calls the police, which leads to them picking up Layne for questioning. John goes into hiding at Feck’s house, and Tim, who has grown loyal to Layne and John, goes on a revenge run against Matt. What happens next? Take a trip back to 1986 and watch River’s Edge to find out for yourself!

This movie is dark and depressing. It is not a fun film to watch, although there are a few minor humorous moments, most of which are provided by Layne as he slowly becomes more and more unhinged. The indifference by the kids and, to a lesser degree, some of the adults in the film, is rather disturbing. It shows you a very bleak side of humanity, one which I was lucky enough to not experience for myself while growing up in rural Louisiana.

The film is loaded with brilliant actors, almost all of which would go on to bigger careers. Dennis Hopper was the obvious big name in this film. He was well-established as an amazing actor at the time of this film’s release. Crispin Glover was fresh off of his turn as George McFly in Back To The Future, and would continue to have a brilliant career in both lead and supporting roles. Keanu Reeves would go on to become a massive star, appearing in Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure, The Matrix, John Wick, and tons of other hit films. Ione Skye (Clarissa) debuted in this film and has managed to have a very long and successful career, appearing in a number of popular films including Say Anything…, A Night In The Life Of Jimmy Reardon, and Wayne’s World. Daniel Roebuck (Samson/John) has also had a massively successful career as both a leading man and a supporting actor in film and television. He’s had roles in films and TV series like The Fugitive, The Munsters, Matlock, Final Destination, and Nash Bridges. Taylor Negron, who has made a career out of bit parts and supporting roles has a, surprise, surprise, bit part as a clerk at a convenience store. Joshua John Miller was a successful child actor, appearing in movies like Near Dark and Teen Witch, and had guest roles on a number of television shows as well. He has gone on to become an amazing writer and producer with works that include Queen Of The South and The Final Girls. Josh Richman (Tony) had a solid acting career, but turned to directing, working on videos for Guns N’ Roses, and currently has a promotional group. Roxana Zal (Maggie) had a long acting career but eventually became a fashion designer. Danyi Deats (Jamie) has thrived as a producer of music videos and television commercials, with projects that included the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Ed Sheeran, the Backstreet Boys, and Lana Del Rey.

I highly recommend checking out this film. It’s wonderful, but not necessarily a fun watch. The cast and direction are brilliant, and the story is chilling. Be sure to watch this movie if you haven’t seen it yet. You won’t regret seeing it.

Thanks for checking out my review!

Classic Cinema: A Night In The Show (1915)

“Get in line and wait your turn!”

Charlie Chaplin works double duty in front of and behind the camera in the 1915 silent classic A Night In The Show. Chaplin wrote and directed the film, basing it upon Mumming Birds, a stage play that Chaplin worked on while with the Karno Company in London. In the film, Chaplin portrays Mr. Pest and Mr. Rowdy. The film is also the debut of Edna Purviance, who would go on to appear in over thirty films with him and remain a loyal friend.

In the film, Mr. Pest has a number of comedic encounters. He makes getting a seat in the theater a laugh-out-loud moment, and goes on to attempt to woo a female patron (Purviance), battles it out with the stage manager, has run-ins with other attendees, and interacts with the performers on the stage. Up in the balcony, Chaplin makes pratfalls and gags as the slightly drunk Mr. Rowdy. His biggest moment in the film is when a fire eater appears on the stage and Mr. Rowdy “saves” everyone by extinguishing the flames and soaking everyone around and beneath him.

The film features a number of notable silent film actors. Paddy McGuire, Dee Lampton, Charlotte Mineau, and Charles Inslee are just a few of the cast members that appear in the film. The film runs just over twenty-four minutes, so it’s an easy silent film to watch if you’re new to the genre. It’s a very funny film and I highly recommend it.

Thanks for checking out my post! A Night In The Show is available through a number of streaming services, many of which are free.