M3GAN: Unrated (2023)

(from left) M3GAN and Cady (Violet McGraw) in M3GAN, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

“She’s More Than Just A Toy….She’s A Part Of The Family.”

With Blumhouse and Atomic Monster producing, Gerard Johnstone directing, and Akela Cooper and James Wan penning the tale, M3GAN had a solid foundation for its vision of AI horror. The original PG-13 version of the film was premiered in December of 2022 in Los Angeles and was released nationwide in January 2023. It raked in a ton of cash thanks to solid story and a stellar ad campaign that most notably featured the AI doll M3GAN dancing. Her dance became a viral hit on social media and some believe that re-edits were done in order to get a PG-13 rating for the film. This definitely allowed more fans a chance to see the film but it also proved to be one of the few complaints about the movie. While M3GAN definitely humor in spades, she proved to be lacking in violence. Peacock, eager to get their own piece of the M3GAN pie, released an unrated version of the film on its streaming service on February 24, 2023. It promised more gore. It delivered, but not in an excessive amount.

In the film, a young girl, Cady, loses her parents in an accident and is sent to stay at her single aunt’s home. Her aunt happens to be a robotics whiz for Funki, a toy company currently attempting to develop a cheaper version of its top-selling toy, Purrpetual Petz, an AI toy that adapts to and interacts with its child owner. Another toy company has developed a cheaper version of the Purrpetual Petz and Cady’s aunt, Gemma, is part of the team assigned to develop a more budget-friendly version of the toy. On the side she is developing a new AI doll, M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android), that gets to know its owner on a personal level, provides companionship, and can even register a child’s body temperature, demeanor, and other things. When Gemma’s boss finds out that she has been using company resources to develop the doll, he becomes enraged. Hoping to appease him, Gemma introduces M3GAN to her niece who is having difficulty adjusting to her new, somewhat boring life with her aunt. The duo become quick friends and Gemma’s boss insists that she and her team continue with the M3GAN project. As Cady and M3GAN bond, Cady becomes even more distant with her aunt. M3GAN takes Gemma’s request of her to protect Cady at all times to a violent, bloody level, taking out threats to Cady. As the story continues, M3GAN becomes self-aware, begins hiding her activity from Gemma, and does everything that she can to eliminate any and all threats to Cady. In the end, M3GAN squares off against Gemma. Who wins? How sweet are M3GAN’s dance moves? Watch the film in order to find out!

(from left) Cady (Violet McGraw), M3GAN and Gemma (Allison Williams) in M3GAN, directed by Gerard Johnstone.

The film is very good. I’ve only seen the unrated version and based upon what I’ve heard of the original film, the only additions to the unrated version are a bit more gore and quite a few more F-bombs. The film isn’t very scary and I figured out who (or what) would be the end of M3GAN near the beginning of the film. The movie spends a good deal of time developing the relationships of Gemma and Cady and M3GAN and Cady. One could easily see the film as a look at the ethical and moral difficulties that arise as a result of humans depending upon AI or replacing human interaction with AI. While M3GAN is definitely creepy, the attempt to make her sinister was often derailed by the film’s humor. Overall, though, it’s still a pretty fun ride.

The film’s cast is pretty solid. Allison Williams stars as Gemma and Violet McGraw plays Cady. They have excellent uncomfortable chemistry at the beginning of the film and McGraw takes it to another level once she becomes fully captivated by M3GAN. M3GAN is played by Amie Donald (voiced by Jenna Davis) and she does a very convincing job in the roll. The cast is rounded out by Ronny Chieng, Lori Dungey, Jen Van Epps, Stephane Garneau-Monten, and Brian Jordan Alvarez. The biggest star of the film is the special effects by Morot FX Studio and Weta Workshop. Morot gave life to animatronic puppet versions of M3GAN while Weta digitally enhanced Amie Donald’s performance to give her true doll-like looks.

M3GAN has already been given the green light for a sequel and it is expected to hit theaters in January 2025. Social media hacks have pushed for her to face off against Chucky in a Child’s Play/M3GAN battle royale. Hopefully this doesn’t occur as I’d much rather see M3GAN develop on her own without having to piggyback on an established franchise.

Check out this film. If you love horror with a bit of humor tossed in, this will definitely please you. Thanks for checking out my review. See you again real soon!

Throwback Thursday: Valentine (2001)

Roses are red….

In 1996, Wes Craven breathed new life into the stagnant slasher genre with Scream. It spawned a number of popular sequels and a slew of copycat films including Urban Legend and I Know What You Did Last Summer. Eventually the genre began to lose its appeal and studios attempted to revive it by injecting supernatural elements into the fray as in films like Final Destination. One of the last films to be released during the 90s slasher revival was Valentine, a 2001 film that followed the tried and true formula of a vengeful serial killer taking out those that wronged him in the past. It also utilized many of the same tropes that made other films in the genre very popular including a relatively new one introduced in Scream. While that movie listed Drew Barrymore as one of the stars, she was quickly offed at the beginning of the movie. In Valentine (spoiler alert), another popular actress was given top billing and dispatched immediately after the establishment of the the villain’s backstory. That actress was Katherine Heigl, who was riding a wave of success thanks to starring turns the television series Roswell and films like Bride of Chucky and Under Siege 2: Dark Territory.

Heigl wasn’t the only popular actor in the film. Both Denise Richards (Wild Things, Starship Troopers) and David Boreanaz (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel) were enjoying solid careers at the time of the film’s release. Jessica Cauffiel was in the early stages of a career that includes supporting roles in popular films like Legally Blonde and White Chicks and regular guest roles on television series such as My Name Is Earl. Not to be outdone, the other primary stars of the film, Marley Shelton and Jessica Capshaw, have both had stellar careers. Shelton is perhaps best known for appearing as Wendy Peffercorn in The Sandlot and Judy Hicks in two films in the Scream franchise. She currently stars in the series 1923, a Yellowstone spinoff. Capshaw, while appearing in a number of films over the years, carved out a stellar career on television in Grey’s Anatomy and The Practice. Hedy Burress, Johnny Whitworth, and Noel Fisher also have roles in the film.

In the film, we learn how Jeremy Melton, a lonely outsider at the local junior high Valentine’s Day dance, is cruelly blown off by three popular girls in quick succession. A fourth girl, Kate, tells him that she might dance with him later. A fifth girl, the “slightly chubby but popular because she’s rich” Dorothy, accepts Jeremy’s request and ends up making out with him under the bleachers. Discovered by a group of bullies, Dorothy denies that she willingly made out with Jeremy and accuses him of attacking her. The bullies strip Jeremy to his underwear and humiliate him in front of the other kids at the dance. His nose begins to bleed. We are then taken thirteen years into the future where we see one of the mean popular girls, Shelley (Heigl), working on a cadaver in college. She is attacked and murdered by a mysterious person in a black coat and a creepy Cupid mask after receiving a cryptic Valentine’s Day card signed “JM.” A detective questions the four remaining girls at Shelley’s funeral and learns that all but one of them have recently entered into new relationships. The boyfriends immediately become suspects and Paige (Richards), who is unattached, begins to receive advances from the detective. As the story continues, the remaining girls begin receiving Valentine’s Day cards from “JM.” The killer, listed as “The Cherub” in the film credits, then murders Lily (Voight) at her boyfriend’s art show. The other girls assume that she is on a business trip out of town when the detective questions them yet again. Then the Cherub turns his attention to a Valentine’s Day party at Dorothy’s house. Dorothy (Capshaw), Paige, and Kate (Shelton) have to battle the Cherub in an attempt to stay alive. Who lives? Who dies? Who is the Cherub? Watch Valentine in order to find out!

Yes, Valentine is a generic slasher flick that utilizes a ton of genre tropes. The killer is easy to pick out and director Jamie Blanks (Urban Legend) doesn’t even try that hard to throw the audience off during the film. There is a slight twist at the end that, in all honesty, does nothing to make the audience second guess itself. What really sets this movie apart is that the core cast is all female and the guys that are in the film are essentially window dressing with the exception of the killer. That’s pretty cool in my book, but it isn’t enough to save this film from being just another generic slasher film. I enjoyed watching it but I wouldn’t necessarily rush out to watch it again. If you’re hungry for a decent little slasher flick with an especially cool looking villain, check out Valentine.

Thanks for checking out my post. See you again soon!

Classic Horror: Thirteen Women (1932)

“Don’t destroy their faith in the occult, Swami.”

Using nothing but the power of persuasion, a vengeful woman attempts to take out thirteen women who bullied and harassed her at an all-girls school in 1932’s Thirteen Women. The thirteen women were part of a sorority that taunted the woman, Ursula Georgi, so much that she was forced to leave the school. The film is considered to be an early influence on the slasher genre and one of the first films in which the antagonist builds a “body count” as the story progresses. It is also regularly mentioned as one of the first female ensemble films and an early example of societal racism addressed in film.

The film stars Myrna Loy as Ursula, a woman of mixed race, who uses her influence over a swami to manipulate the sorority sisters into going insane, committing murder and suicide, and believing that the dark predictions made by the swami will come true no matter what they do in order to prevent them from occurring. Standing in Ursula’s way is Irene Dunne as Laura Stanhope, one of the only women in the group who isn’t convinced that the predictions are real. Laura teams up with police sergeant Barry Clive (Ricardo Cortez) to stop Ursula when she targets Laura’s young son, Bobby (Wally Albright).

The movie is well executed. It does a fine job of showing how easily manipulated people can be with just a few strategic events and persuasive suggestions. We get to see how Ursula uses the beliefs, fears, and superstitions of her victims to have them kill themselves and others. The version of the film that I saw was only fifty-nine minutes long. The original film featured roughly fourteen more minutes of footage, mainly of some of the victims succumbing to Ursula’s influence, but when they didn’t work well with test audiences, the film was heavily edited. In fact, entire character arcs were edited out of the movie with the film only focusing on roughly six of the thirteen women.

The cast was excellent. Along with Dunne, Loy, Albright, and Cortez, the film featured Jill Esmond, Mary Duncan, Kay Johnson, Florence Eldridge, C. Henry Gordon, Edward Pawley, and Blanche Friderici. Phyllis Fraser and Betty Furness had roles in the original film but were completely removed from the final cut. Peg Entwistle appears in the film but had roughly twelve minutes of her performance edited out of the final cut. This is notable due to the fact that Entwistle committed suicide roughly one month prior to the film’s release and it is believed that she had become depressed with the way that her film career was going. Thirteen Women is her only on-screen credit but she was a prolific stage performer, starring on Broadway in many plays prior to her death at the age of twenty-four. Entwistle climbed to the top of the “H” in the Hollywoodland sign in September of 1932 and jumped to her death. Both Dunne and Loy would go on to have prolific careers in film and television.

Promotional shot of Entwistle.

I highly recommend this film. It’s well done and features a solid cast. It’s also chock full of firsts and early moments in cinema. Entwistle’s tragic story in real life only adds to the lore of this film. If you haven’t seen it, look it up on streaming services or on DVD. As far as I know it has not been released on Blu-ray.

Thanks for checking out m y post. See you again real soon!

2023 Convention Schedule

Scheduled Appearances And Attendances So Far

Yep, it’s just February but I’ve already got a full slate of convention and festival appearances lined up! The fun starts next month when I attend Louisiana Comic Con on March 11th and 12th! I’ll be presenting two panels (one on Saturday and one on Sunday) at this amazing convention that is quickly becoming one of my favorite events to attend. They have an awesome lineup of artists, vendors, celebrity guests, and cosplayers and I’m excited to check it all out next month! Below is just a small sampling of some of the guests that the convention has in store for attendees. Check out their website for even more guests and event info!

April will find me at the Fouke Monster Festival. Last year was the first time that I attended this event and it was excellent. This year looks to be even better as the event has moved into a larger facility and will feature some amazing guests. Check out their website for more information. I’ll be in attendance representing Filmsquatch, a podcast that myself and my friend, Patrick Bennett, co-host. Be sure to come say hello and snap a photo with our own Sasquatch!

When May rolls around you can find me as a sponsor in-kind at the Calcasieu Parish Short Film Festival. I’ll be there helping out in any way possible. I will most likely be manning a projector, but feel free to chat me up during the breaks between the films. This is always a great event to attend and to sponsor and this year we will be returning to the wonderful Brimstone Museum Complex! Hurricane Laura roughed up the facility back in 2020 but the annex has been completely rebuilt and looks great!

I might actually get a bit of a break in June, but I do have one convention that I have my eyes on for that month. July is already locked up, however, as I’ll be heading back to the Brimstone Museum to help out and sponsor in-kind at the Calcasieu Serialfest! This event will be celebrating its ninth year of revisiting classic cliffhanger serials and will feature cosplayers, historical information, and plenty of free popcorn and drinks! There might be a few other goodies available for attendees to take home and, best of all, the entire event is free!

When August crawls into existence I will be be creeping it up for three solid days at the Houston Horror Film Festival! This year’s event looks like it will be one of the best ones on record as the festival has a loaded lineup of celebrity guests, authors, vendors, and more! I cannot wait to meet folks like the Phantom himself, Billy Zane, and the wonderful Heather Matarazzo! I also hope to get a hug from everybody’s favorite 80s big screen mom, Dee Wallace! From Critters to Cujo and even E.T., Wallace has appeared in so many of my favorite films that I can’t wait to meet her! Check out the festival’s Facebook page and website for more information.

Things will slow down for me in September as I currently have no plans to attend any events. In October, however, I’ll once again be volunteering and sponsoring in-kind at the Lake Charles Film Festival! This year’s event will feature special guest, Johnny Whitaker, star of Family Affair, Tom Sawyer, and Sigmund And The Sea Monsters. Come check out some great independent films, meet producers, directors, actors, writers, and more from the film industry, and enjoy a great weekend in Lake Charles!

Please note that this is not a finalized list of events that I plan to attend this year. This is only a list of those that I am definitely going to as an attendee or as a panelist or presenter. I hope to add more events as the year continues and I’ll definitely let you know which ones I’ll be attending as I add them to my list. I hope to see some of you on the convention circuit. Tell me hello if you see me!

Thanks for checking out this post. If you would like for me to attend a specific event, message me here or over on my Facebook page.

On The Trail Of Bigfoot: Last Frontier (2022)

The Hunt For Bigfoot In Alaska

Whether you believe in Bigfoot or not, you cannot deny that he is excellent at picking beautiful real estate to call home. That’s one of the highlights of Small Town Monsters’ 2022 documentary, On The Trail Of Bigfoot: Last Frontier. Written and directed by Seth Breedlove, this documentary features breathtaking visuals and bone-chilling eyewitness interviews about my favorite cryptid in Alaska. The film opens with a young man explaining his sighting and then goes on to uncover more exciting and creepy interviews with a number of people, some brought nearly to tears as they describe their encounters.

Some of the best segments of this film involve the tales told by Native Americans and discussions about their beliefs that were written off as myth by European settlers in the area. The Natives recount stories about not going into the woods after dark, not following whistles in the forest, and ignoring the cries of a child or baby in the forest because something sinister actually awaits them. We also learn about Otter Man and other beings as well. The film closes with a group of people spending time in a remote cabin where activity is said to be particularly high.

If you’re looking for fuzzy photos or blurry video of Sasquatch tromping through the snow, you won’t find it here. Breedlove instead keeps his focus on the stories of witnesses and laces them together with beautiful cinematography and the occasional CGI rendering of Bigfoot. In all honesty, the CGI creatures could have been left out of this production. The visuals alone are worth watching this film and so are the interviews.

Seth Breedlove.

Be sure to check out On The Trail Of Bigfoot: Last Frontier. You won’t regret it. If you are interested in Small Town Monsters, be sure to click here and take a look at their latest Kickstarter, previous projects, their online store, and more.

Thanks for checking out my post. See you again real soon!

Throwback Thursday: Legend (1985)

“What is light without dark?”

Ridley Scott has directed some of the biggest feature films of all time including Alien, Gladiator, The Martian, Blade Runner, and Thelma & Louise. Most of his films have been financially successful, including those that failed to impress critics. One of the few films that Scott directed (and developed the story for) that failed to win over critics and audiences was 1985’s Legend. It starred a young Tom Cruise who was just beginning to catch fire in Hollywood after starring in All The Right Moves and Risky Business. It was also the film debut of Mia Sara who would appear in the wildly popular Ferris Bueller’s Day Off one year later. Rounding out the film’s major cast members is Tim Curry as the Lord of Darkness. Curry was handpicked by Ridley Scott due to his experience on the live stage. Scott believed that Curry could add something to the role based on his performance in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Supporting cast included Billy Barty, David Bennent, Alice Playten, Cork Hubbert, and Annabelle Lanyon.

In the film, the Lord of Darkness sends one of this favorite goblins, Blix (Playten), out to kill the last two unicorns in the world in order to wipe out the light and allow darkness to rule forever. Blix happens upon Princess Lili (Sara) about to touch one of the unicorns while Jack (Cruise) watches from a distance and warns her not to put her hand on the unicorn. Blix poisons the unicorn with a blow dart when Lili is about to touch the animal. This makes Jack believe that her touch has cast the world into darkness. The unicorn is later found by Blix and he cuts off the animal’s horn. This casts the world into an eternal winter that freezes nearly everything. Heartbroken and confused, Jack meets up with a small group of headed up by the dwarf Honeythorn Gump (Bennent). Together they find the wounded unicorn and are told that the only way to bring the light back is to defeat Darkness and return the unicorn’s horn. Lili is captured by the goblins and brought back to Darkness’ stronghold to become his bride. Jack and his comrades battle a swamp witch and end up imprisoning themselves in Darkness’ castle. Managing to break free, they pursue Darkness while Lili makes plans of her own to save the unicorn. Who wins? Will light be restored? You’ll have to watch Legend to find out!

The film’s visuals are brilliant. Robin Bottin handled the makeup effects for all of the creatures in the film and was nominated for an Academy Award as a result. His work on Tim Curry’s Lord of Darkness is still considered to be some of the most amazing makeup effects ever done. Curry was completely unrecognizable in the role. The film was shot on six soundstages at Pinewood Studios. Assheton Gorton was the film’s production designer, developing the film’s look and creating the sets. Music was handled by Jerry Goldsmith in the film’s UK release and by Tangerine Dream in the United States. This was done due to the fact that parts of the film were edited differently in the two releases. As a result, the film has three different endings, all of which are available in numerous formats.

As far as the cast is concerned, Tim Curry gives a solid performance as Darkness despite being covered in makeup. David Bennent gives a creepy performance as Honeythorn (voice dubbed by Alice Playten). Annabelle Lanyon is captivating as the fairy named Oona. Alice Playten is sinister as Blix. Tom Cruise is serviceable as Jack but is probably the weakest actor in the bunch. Mia Sara turns in a great performance as Lili, who uses her sex appeal to play tricks on Darkness. She dances with perfection between being a sweetly innocent maiden and a wicked seductress. It’s also worth noting that Robert Picardo, best known by genre fans as the Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager, portrays the swamp hag named Meg Mucklebones.

While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Legend to everyone, it’s definitely worth a look for fans of 1980’s fantasy. It has the same look and feel of better fantasy films of that time like Ladyhawke and Willow, but suffers from a rather thin storyline. I also recommend that fans of makeup effects check out this flick for no other reason than to see the amazing work of Robin Bottin.

Thanks for revisiting this oft-forgotten fantasy flick with me. I appreciate you taking time to read my post. See you again real soon!

Cult Classic: Troll (1986)

“That’s my job, kiddo.”

June Lockhart and Noah Hathaway team up to battle the evil Torok in 1986’s Troll. Opinions on the film range from it being one of the worst films ever made to being a cult classic. It’s a cult classic in my opinion, and there are plenty of reasons to watch it. For starters, it features an amazing cast of actors, many of whom were well established in other films and television shows and one particular actor who would go on to be a big sitcom star a few years after the film’s release. It also has some solid creature effects. Sonny Bono has a small role as a swinging bachelor. To top it all off, the actor who portrays Torok, Phil Fondacaro, also turns in one of the best performances in the film as Professor Malory.

The film’s plot is pretty simple. The Potter family moves into an apartment complex on the same day that an evil troll decides to restore his fairy world and overtake humanity. He takes on the appearance of the Potter’s daughter, Wendy, and systemically changes each apartment into a magical forest and the tenants into fairy world creatures. Realizing that his sister is acting strangely, Harry Potter, Jr. (no relation to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter) seeks out the help of Eunice St. Clair, an elderly tenant of the complex who is actually a witch in disguise waiting to fight Torok when needed. Can Harry and Eunice defeat Torok before he completes his transformation of the apartment complex? Watch Troll to find out!

As I already mentioned, many of the film’s stars were well established actors when they appeared in this film. Noah Hathaway was a veteran of Battlestar Galactica and The Neverending Story. His costar on Battlestar Galactica, Anne Lockhart, also has a role as the young version of Eunice St Clair whose elder version is portrayed by Lockhart’s real mother, June. June Lockhart was a veteran of television shows like Petticoat Junction, Lassie, and Lost In Space. She was also in a number of films including She-Wolf Of London before appearing in Troll. Harry Potter, Sr. is portrayed by Michael Moriarty. He appeared in a number of films and television series over the years including Bang The Drum Slowly, L.A. Law, Holocaust, and Shiloh. Shelley Hack portrayed Anne Potter, Harry’s wife, in the film. She appeared in Charlie’s Angels prior to being in Troll and went on to star in The Stepfather and multiple TV films and shows. Jenny Beck plays the Potter’s daughter, Wendy, and the Wendy version of Torok. She’s probably best known for starring as Elizabeth in V: The Final Battle and in the first episode of the series as well. She’s had multiple guest starring roles over the years including shows like Roseanne and Gimme A Break. Sonny Bono, half of Sonny & Cher and a future politician, plays Peter, the resident bachelor of the building. WKRP In Cincinnati alum Gary Sandy has a small role as the pumped up Marine, Barry. Phil Fondacaro stars as Torok and Malcolm Malory in what is arguably the best performance of the film. Fondacaro has steadily acted in a number of popular genre films such as Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, Willow, The Dungeonmaster, Bordello Of Blood, and The Garbage Pail Kids Movie as well as having tons of guest appearances on television.

Two other actors make appearances in the film that are noteworthy for multiple reasons. Both Brad Hall and Julia Louis-Dreyfus appear in the film. It’s Louis-Dreyfus’ feature film debut. The duo met in college in Hall’s comedy troupe, The Practical Theater, at Northwestern University and would go on to appear to on Saturday Night Live together. They married in 1987 and have been together ever since. Hall would go on to be a writer on Brooklyn Bridge and both wrote and created the series The Single Guy. He also wrote and created the series Watching Ellie, which starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Of course, Louis-Dreyfus has had an amazing career that has spanned decades. She’s best known for her work as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, but has also appeared in numerous films including National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She has remained successful on television as well with shows like Veep and The New Adventures Of Old Christine as well as brief appearances in the Disney+ MCU-related series, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. Oddly enough, Hall and Louis-Dreyfus appear as a couple in Troll. Louis-Dreyfus plays Jeannette, a tenant of the building, and Hall plays her boyfriend, William. Louis-Dreyfus is transformed into a nymph by Torok because he is mesmerized by her beauty. She spends much of the film nude with strategically placed vines wrapped around her body. She has often stated that she is embarrassed by the role.

The film’s makeup effects were handled by John Carl Buechler, who also directed. While the sets were very lush with greenery, it was pretty obvious that most of it was fake. Torok uses a magic ring to transform the apartment tenants into creatures and it uses some pretty cheesy “Green Lantern” type effects to get the deed done. The makeup on Torok was very well done and the puppets used for the fairies, gnomes, goblins, and other creatures were very cool.

While many people hate this film, there’s something about it that I really enjoy. Yes, it’s lame. Yes, some of the acting is subpar. Sure, Harry Potter, Sr. dancing around was weird, but overall this film has a bizarre appeal to it. Check it out if you’d like to see some mid-1980s hokey weirdness…..or if you want a peek at Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a vine thong.

As always, thanks for checking out my post. See you again real soon!

That 90s Show (2023)

That 90s Show. (L to R) Sam Morelos as Nikki, Mace Coronel as Jay, Ashley Aufderheide as Gwen Runck, Callie Haverda as Leia Forman, Maxwell Acee Donovan as Nate, Reyn Doi as Ozzie in episode 101 of That 90s Show. Cr. Patrick Wymore/Netflix © 2022

“Hangin’ out….”

Netflix hopped on the nostalgia train with one of their most recent new shows. That 90s Show was announced way back in 2021as a spin-off of That 70s Show with Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp returning as Eric Forman’s parents, Red and Kitty. By 2022 it was revealed that Red and Kitty would take in Leia, the daughter of Eric and Donna, over the summer of 1995 and that she would interact with the locals in Point Place much like her father and mother did in the original series. It was also announced that most of the original core teens from the series would return in one-off cameos or multi-episode appearances. In late 2022 it was announced that the series would be released on Netflix on Thursday, January 19, 2023.

The series opens like the original series pilot, establishing the day, time, and location of the opening scene. Then we are greeted by the very 1990’s sound of Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In The Heart” and Kitty Forman dancing to it only to be joined moments later by Red Forman. Then Eric and Donna Forman, along with their daughter, appear and the original characters fall right into their traditional roles from the original series. From there the series follows Leia as she is introduced to her next door neighbor, Gwen, and Gwen’s brother, Nate. After quickly bonding with Gwen and hoping to have a more fulfilling teenage life, Leia decides that she wants to stay with her grandparents for the summer. From there, Leia meets the rest of the teens in the show, old fans get a glimpse at more classic characters, and the show spends the rest of its ten episode run developing the new cast and eventually setting up a second potential season.

As expected the series revolves around Leia (Callie Haverda), the sugary sweet and innocent daughter of Erica and Donna as she attempts to experience new things with a host of newfound friends. Her best friend, Gwen (Ashley Aufderheide), represents the angry, Riot grrrrl teen that rose to prominence in the 1990’s thanks to music from artists like Alanis Morissette and Liz Phair. She’s a free spirit that helps Leia make bad decisions (with good intentions). Perhaps her second closest friend in the group is Ozzie (Reyn Doi), an openly gay young man with a steely wit. He’s one of my favorite characters in the series. Then there’s Mace Coronel as Jay Kelso, who also happens to be the son of Michael Kelso and Jackie Burkhart of the original series. He’s not as much of a dim bulb as his father but he’s just as much (if not more) of a lady’s man. He provides a lot of friction in the series for Red. Sam Morelos portrays Nikki and Maxwell Acee Donovan portrays Gwen’s older half brother, Nate. The pair play the resident couple with Nate being something of a doofus (like the original Kelso), and Nikki being an extremely intelligent and ambitious young lady. Also in the fray is Andrea Anders as the Forman’s neighbor and mom of Nate and Gwen, Sherri. She is sort of a surrogate version of Laurie Forman for Red and Kitty, as she shares many of Laurie’s traits. Sadly the original Laurie, Lisa Robin Kelly, passed away in 2013. Due to Kelly’s personal issues involving alcohol, Laurie was written out of the series for some time and eventually returned in season. Kelly was let go and Laurie would be portrayed in the sixth season of the series by Christina Moore.

The series is okay. I believe that the best way to describe it would be a Nickelodeon version of That 70s Show set in the 1990s. Sure, the kids smoke pot, do plenty of dumb things, and Red still threatens to put his foot in posteriors, but something is missing. The comedy is often forced and downright silly at times. The only new characters that really had any type of impact on me were Leia, Gwen, and Ozzie and, to a lesser degree, Sherri. The 90s references are definitely there, but it is obvious that the series is written by folks firmly planted in the 2020s. Hopefully a second season will be ordered and the show can find its footings. For now, I don’t see myself rewatching the series over and over as I do with the original.

Heads Up! That’s the full review of the series. Following the photo below I discuss the cameos. Don’t read it if you don’t want spoilers!!!!!!

There were plenty of expected cameos on the show. All of the original teens returned with the exception of Danny Masterson as Hyde (legal issues). Lisa Robin Kelly (Laurie) passed away as did Tanya Robers (Midge). Topher Grace (Eric), Mila Kunis (Jackie), and Ashton Kutcher (Kelso) all had one episode cameos. Laura Prepon (Donna) appeared in multiple episodes and directed the final two episodes of the series. Wilmer Valderrama (Fex) features in a multi-episode arc involving Sherri. Of all of the original teen characters, he looks to be the one who will continue to appear in the second season if there is one. Don Stark (Bob) makes his hilarious return in one episode. Hopefully we will see more of him in future episodes. Tommy Chong wanders in and out of a couple of episodes as Leo. Pastor Dave, portrayed in the original series by Kevin McDonald, is mentioned by name but not shown on screen. There’s also an hilarious cameo by Brian Austin Green as David Silver from Beverly Hills, 90210. Hopefully we’ll see more characters like his or 90s actors pop up on the show like 70s stars did on the original series. The most shocking and funniest cameo came from Jim Rash reprising the sinisterly funny Fenton, arch nemesis of Fez. I screamed his name out loud and laughed entirely too much. The return of Fenton gives me hope that even more minor and/or recurring characters will make cameos. It would be great to see Caroline (Allison Munn), Pam Burkhart (Brooke Shields), Big Rhonda (Cynthia Lamontagne), Casey Kelso (Luke Wilson), or other characters return. Hopefully that happens.

So, there you have it. That 90s Show is good but something is definitely off with the show. Hopefully a second season will remedy this and will get even more episodes. I want to like this show but it just doesn’t grab me like the original one.

Thanks for reading my post. See you again real soon!

Violent Night (2022)

Decking the halls…..and the crooks!

David Harbour pounds, punches, slashes, slices, and dices his way through director Tommy Wirkola’s Violent Night. In the film, Harbour portrays Santa Claus, THE Santa Claus, who finds himself caught in the middle of a hostage situation involving a greedy family, an even greedier gang of villains, and a young girl who still believes in Santa and the magic of Christmas. After initially planning to skip out on the affair, Santa Claus decides to help the young girl, Trudy (Leah Brady), and her family. What ensues is a ton of holly jolly violence.

All of the villains in the film use handles like Krampus, Tinsel, Gingerbread, and Frosty. The group is headed up by Mr. Scrooge (John Leguizamo), who plans to take the Lightstone family hostage, break into the family safe, and run off with three million dollars in cash. His plan initially works like a charm, but when Santa arrives, things begin falling apart. Santa’s first few interactions with the mercenaries are clumsy and feature a lot of lucky breaks for Santa. As the villains become more dangerous, Santa Claus draws on his bloody past as a Viking warrior and uses “the bad things that he did for good” with a little help from Trudy.

Aside from Trudy and, to a lesser degree, her separated parents, the Lightstone family is just as unlikable as the villains in the film. Beverly D’Angelo turns in a wicked performance as Gertrude Lightstone, the family matriarch. Alex Hassell and Alexis Louder portray Jason and Linda Lightstone, Trudy’s parents. Edi Patterson plays Jason’s sister, Alva, and Cam Gigandet plays her Hollywood actor boyfriend, Morgan Steel. Alexander Elliot play’s Alva’s son, Bertrude “Bert” Lightstone. He’s an annoying, entitled social media influencer who actually gets some solid laughs in this film.

The film mixes brutal violence involving everything from guns and woodchippers to snowballs and Christmas tree stars. Santa is also very fond of a sledgehammer that he finds in a shed on the property. The special effects appear to be primarily practical with a few CGI moments thrown in when it comes to some of Santa’s more magical moments. It’s a funny and brutal flick and I honestly believe that it will become an adult Christmas classic.

If you enjoy overly violent films that are loaded with action, comedy, and even a little bit of heart, Violent Night is definitely a must-see film. It’s a well written and executed film and I hope that a sequel comes along in the near future.

Thanks for checking out my review. Give Violent Night a look. I think that you’ll enjoy it!

Throwback Thursday: 1997 Toy Biz Spiderman Web Force Tank Attack Daredevil

The Man Without Fear!

During the 1990’s I spent most of my time in college classes, at the movies, or hanging out with friends. While I did rediscover comic books, I pretty much stopped buying and collecting toys save for the random action figure, die cast car, or sports cards. Toy Biz was one of the few companies that managed to catch my eye during this time. One of the figures that I purchased and still have to this day is Toy Biz’ Spiderman Web Force Tank Attack Daredevil.

I don’t know what happened to the tank accessory over the years. I’m assuming that it was left behind in a dorm room, one of the many apartments that I lived in, or possibly in an old trailer that I lived in until I could afford a home of my own. In any case it is long gone. Apparently it could be broken up into multiple pieces that snapped onto the body of Daredevil. It also had a firing missile

The figure itself was and still is amazing. Daredevil is super articulated (especially for the 1990’s) and can be posed in all sorts of positions. He has no trouble doing the splits or hanging from a cabinet door (like he did in one of my apartments). The only thing that Daredevil can’t do (apart from using his eyes), is hold anything. His hands are molded in to perpetual fists, so he can only shake them in anger at a car that blows its horn at him.

My 1997 Daredevil action figure posing with my 2003 Opening Weekend ticket for the Ben Affleck Daredevil film.

I love this figure. He’s been with me through thick and thin and spent the last two years in storage thanks to Hurricane Laura. I now prominently display him in my office at work. Despite edging close to thirty years of age this figure’s joints are still great. Boy, Toy Biz knew how to build’em.

Do you have this figure or any other figures from this line? Let me know in the comments.

As always, thanks for reading my post. I’ll see you again real soon!