The Thing (dir. John Carpenter, 1982) “First goddamn week of winter.” Somehow in all the times I have seen John Carpenter’s The Thing, this is the first time I’ve noticed that line from R. J. MacReady (Kurt Russell). The personnel of US Outpost 31 have only begun their season on the ice. They have months … Continue reading The Thing (1982)

Jack’s Back (dir. Rowdy Harrington, 1988) John Wesford (James Spader) is a medical student who doesn’t play by the rules. He works in an Echo Park free clinic and treats patients in a homeless camp. He eschews a white coat for a white suede jacket. You know he values the tired and weary because he … Continue reading Jack’s Back (1988)

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (dir. Sonny Laguna and Tommy Wiklund, 2018) More sequels should have Barbara Crampton explain in detail what happened previously in the franchise, so that I can just watch the semi-ironic reboot version and not worry about the rest. It would be great if she could have a role in the … Continue reading Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich (2018)

Awakening the Zodiac (dir. Jonathan Wright, 2017) Speaking of David Fincher’s Zodiac, what about last year’s Canadian schlockfest starring that guy from A Walk to Remember and an actress who’s played a recurring character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe just like Robert Downey, Jr. and Mark Ruffalo? Does it equal Fincher’s crowning achievement as a … Continue reading Awakening the Zodiac (2017)

Zodiac (dir. David Fincher, 2007) Unsolved serial murders are grist to the meal for a certain type of horror and suspense film. The bulk of them are based on the Whitechapel killings in 1888. Who can resist a story that gives an identity to Jack the Ripper? The Lodger, Pandora’s Box, Hands of the Ripper, … Continue reading Zodiac (2007)

Mulholland Drive (dir. David Lynch, 2001) There has been much debate as to what exactly happens in Mulholland Drive. The most common interpretation is that the first two-thirds of the film are a fantasy of one of the characters, and the final act is the their reality. It’s the one that makes the most sense, … Continue reading Mulholland Drive (2001)

The Witch (dir. Robert Eggers, 2015) A family is exiled from their seventeenth century Puritan community in this New England fable after the father William (Ralph Ineson, better known as Chris Finch from The Office) apparently thought that things were getting a little too lax for his standards. He, his wife Katherine (Kate Dickie) and … Continue reading The Witch (2015)

Green Room (dir. Jeremy Saulnier, 2015) Well, this film became unexpectedly relevant, didn’t it? I remember when I first realized the so-called alt-right were something that I would need to know about. I was sitting in a corner booth of a Waffle House, having a sad breakfast and looking at my phone. I clicked onto … Continue reading Green Room (2015)

Dance of the Damned (dir. Katt Shea, 1989) A vampire with a fashion mullet and blue contact lenses hires a suicidal depressed stripper with a young son she can’t see to be his victim. They will spend the night together, talking before he kills and drains her. What happens over the long night provides insight … Continue reading Dance of the Damned (1989)

Halloween (dir. David Gordon Green, 2018) I’ve liked many things that David Gordon Green has done in his almost comically varied career. George Washington was a promising debut, and while people were taken aback by his move into studio stoner comedies, Pineapple Express works just as well as an action film as it does a … Continue reading Halloween (2018)