- Published on
Holy mother of dragons!
When I was in my teens, there was a string of adult-themed animated fare that made the rounds at the box office. Granted, I wasn't old enough to gain admittance to all of them (well, not legally, anyway), and I don’t recall a few of them hitting the silver screen in my small Midwestern hometown; but entries like Wizards (1978), The Lord Of The Rings (1978), Heavy Metal (1981), Fire And Ice (1983), and Rock & Rule (1983) were a bit phantasmagoric to the minds of those who partook their visual pleasures. I could go on a bit about their creators and/or their particular animation techniques (hello, rotoscoping!), but what really mattered most (so far as this viewer was concerned) was that the films delivered the kind of stories I and many like me were most familiar with in a way that made them entirely relatable. The fact that they were animated was just another creative plus: their makers validated the various books of my youth, and this made me a believer of their collective magic.
Alas, animated films like this disappeared from the cinemas largely because of the increasing demand for product in television. Serialized programs entered the world of genre entertainment in a big way in the 1980’s, as these earlier features paved the way for franchises like He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe, The Transformers, Thundercats, and G.I. Joe. Transitioning from the multiplex to the living not only expanded the possibility of weaving ongoing storylines but also advanced the prospect of what George Lucas had already proven to be any intellectual property’s gold mine: toy marketing. Practically everything animated from the 80’s came with toys-for-sale in stores, and this only helped cement the likelihood that there would be more to come.
What was missing from this evolution were those truly adult-centered tales, the likes of which distinguished those films from much of what had come before. Occasionally, production companies would talk about some kind of return to form, but audiences hungry for more of those true originals have braved a creative drought well into four decades … until just yesterday when a little something something titled The Spine Of Night fell (2021) across my desk.
Can you imagine my fanboy delight?
When I was in my teens, there was a string of adult-themed animated fare that made the rounds at the box office. Granted, I wasn't old enough to gain admittance to all of them (well, not legally, anyway), and I don’t recall a few of them hitting the silver screen in my small Midwestern hometown; but entries like Wizards (1978), The Lord Of The Rings (1978), Heavy Metal (1981), Fire And Ice (1983), and Rock & Rule (1983) were a bit phantasmagoric to the minds of those who partook their visual pleasures. I could go on a bit about their creators and/or their particular animation techniques (hello, rotoscoping!), but what really mattered most (so far as this viewer was concerned) was that the films delivered the kind of stories I and many like me were most familiar with in a way that made them entirely relatable. The fact that they were animated was just another creative plus: their makers validated the various books of my youth, and this made me a believer of their collective magic.
Alas, animated films like this disappeared from the cinemas largely because of the increasing demand for product in television. Serialized programs entered the world of genre entertainment in a big way in the 1980’s, as these earlier features paved the way for franchises like He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe, The Transformers, Thundercats, and G.I. Joe. Transitioning from the multiplex to the living not only expanded the possibility of weaving ongoing storylines but also advanced the prospect of what George Lucas had already proven to be any intellectual property’s gold mine: toy marketing. Practically everything animated from the 80’s came with toys-for-sale in stores, and this only helped cement the likelihood that there would be more to come.
What was missing from this evolution were those truly adult-centered tales, the likes of which distinguished those films from much of what had come before. Occasionally, production companies would talk about some kind of return to form, but audiences hungry for more of those true originals have braved a creative drought well into four decades … until just yesterday when a little something something titled The Spine Of Night fell (2021) across my desk.
Can you imagine my fanboy delight?
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the product packaging:
“This epic fantasy tale, about the history of a land that never was, begins when an ambitious young man steals forbidden knowledge from a sacred plant. He falls to its darker temptations and in so doing, unleashes ages of suffering onto mankind. As his power grows over the years, it falls to people of different ilk and culture to attempt to stop him. Among those who stand against him are a daring tomb-raider, star-crossed lovers, a maniacal necromancer, winged assassins, and an undying guardian.”
Yes, yes, yes! I proudly admit that I illegally snuck into 1981’s Heavy Metal. (Erm … anyone know the statute of limitations on that sort of thing?) The truth is I was sixteen at the time; we bought our tickets for something else but had absolutely no problem slipping in with the crowd to the R-rated animated flick. Sure, we spent the first few moments watching for an usher to perhaps pull us out, but we situated ourselves between some obvious adults so that we likely looked part of a family night at the movies. Ha ha, Mr. Man. Score one for the juvies!
Anyway, we weren’t really all that impressed with the flick. Oh, we had enough fun with it to make for passing entertainment, but the kinda/sorta chop-chop of short stories going from one to the next never really engaged our minds … certainly not the way the animation did. It wasn’t anything flowery or honestly all that flamboyant, but the group I hung out with were never much interested in animation, so this was a modestly new experience for us. What we appreciated was the fact that the stories were geared more for an adult audience, even with the comic relief thrown in for good measure.
From the product packaging:
“This epic fantasy tale, about the history of a land that never was, begins when an ambitious young man steals forbidden knowledge from a sacred plant. He falls to its darker temptations and in so doing, unleashes ages of suffering onto mankind. As his power grows over the years, it falls to people of different ilk and culture to attempt to stop him. Among those who stand against him are a daring tomb-raider, star-crossed lovers, a maniacal necromancer, winged assassins, and an undying guardian.”
Yes, yes, yes! I proudly admit that I illegally snuck into 1981’s Heavy Metal. (Erm … anyone know the statute of limitations on that sort of thing?) The truth is I was sixteen at the time; we bought our tickets for something else but had absolutely no problem slipping in with the crowd to the R-rated animated flick. Sure, we spent the first few moments watching for an usher to perhaps pull us out, but we situated ourselves between some obvious adults so that we likely looked part of a family night at the movies. Ha ha, Mr. Man. Score one for the juvies!
Anyway, we weren’t really all that impressed with the flick. Oh, we had enough fun with it to make for passing entertainment, but the kinda/sorta chop-chop of short stories going from one to the next never really engaged our minds … certainly not the way the animation did. It wasn’t anything flowery or honestly all that flamboyant, but the group I hung out with were never much interested in animation, so this was a modestly new experience for us. What we appreciated was the fact that the stories were geared more for an adult audience, even with the comic relief thrown in for good measure.
This is exactly how I feel – decades later – with The Spine Of Night. Co-written and co-directed by Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King, Spine loosely connects a handful of shorts exploring the rise and fall of warriors in a mythical land all in pursuit of the otherworldly power of The Bloom. This blue flower brings with it both good and evil – dependent largely upon its user – but only a few sacred souls can truly wield its influence in the way best for mankind; thus, their tale presents great stakes and dire straits for those viewers meet along the way.
Like Heavy Metal, Spine’s chief flaw is that there’s never enough investment in its characters for the audience to truly cheer its heroes, hiss its villains, nor honor its victims. It’s almost as if animation here was an afterthought, and the creators believed its audience could be swayed by the known public faces of the gathered vocal talent. Consequently, Gelatt and King’s script largely relies on archetypes here – big-breasted women, sneering evildoers, etc. – to traffic in their mostly violent Fantasy adventure. If all of the animated sequences were rendered with some individualized motifs, then there would perhaps be more to cherish here; sadly, many of the character creations are a bit milquetoast by comparison to their various important quests. In fact, our lead heroine Tzod (voiced by the already proven ‘Warrior Princess’ Lucy Lawless) appears so blandly drawn I can’t tell if that’s a human skull adorning her head or a really thin girl’s pelvic bone.
Sadly, many of these voice performers don’t quite hit their marks. Thankfully, Lawless gives a serviceable reading (given her advanced screen presence) though I honestly expected more. Richard E. Grant does a solid job bringing to life ‘The Guardian,’ an aged knight tasked with protecting the last known sprout of The Bloom. Betty Gabriel brings a bit of focus to her warrior/librarian, though I found that storyline a bit confusing. (Why were all these books sacred? Why were the people denied access? Why was leadership encouraging so much suffering?) Despite a sizable track record in voice work, one would think Patton Oswalt knew all-too-well what was going on here, but his tyrannical overlord Lord Pyrantin sounds less like a force of dastardly evil and more like a disgruntled civil servant here. A big miss … but I cheered his demise.
Still, I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t grinning ear-to-ear with the effort. Granted, some of this is owed to the obvious nostalgia I’ve discussed at lengths, but in all honesty the worlds of epic Fantasy deserve cinematic exposure like the crew musters here, even if the end result is a bit muddled or undercooked. Hopefully, Spine will serve as a harbinger, the powerbrokers will realize this territory needs to be explored, and audiences will be treated to (at least) more of the same or maybe even something better. This was still a great attempt, and I’d like to see them keep at it.
Don’t let fans wait another four decades to try again.
Like Heavy Metal, Spine’s chief flaw is that there’s never enough investment in its characters for the audience to truly cheer its heroes, hiss its villains, nor honor its victims. It’s almost as if animation here was an afterthought, and the creators believed its audience could be swayed by the known public faces of the gathered vocal talent. Consequently, Gelatt and King’s script largely relies on archetypes here – big-breasted women, sneering evildoers, etc. – to traffic in their mostly violent Fantasy adventure. If all of the animated sequences were rendered with some individualized motifs, then there would perhaps be more to cherish here; sadly, many of the character creations are a bit milquetoast by comparison to their various important quests. In fact, our lead heroine Tzod (voiced by the already proven ‘Warrior Princess’ Lucy Lawless) appears so blandly drawn I can’t tell if that’s a human skull adorning her head or a really thin girl’s pelvic bone.
Sadly, many of these voice performers don’t quite hit their marks. Thankfully, Lawless gives a serviceable reading (given her advanced screen presence) though I honestly expected more. Richard E. Grant does a solid job bringing to life ‘The Guardian,’ an aged knight tasked with protecting the last known sprout of The Bloom. Betty Gabriel brings a bit of focus to her warrior/librarian, though I found that storyline a bit confusing. (Why were all these books sacred? Why were the people denied access? Why was leadership encouraging so much suffering?) Despite a sizable track record in voice work, one would think Patton Oswalt knew all-too-well what was going on here, but his tyrannical overlord Lord Pyrantin sounds less like a force of dastardly evil and more like a disgruntled civil servant here. A big miss … but I cheered his demise.
Still, I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t grinning ear-to-ear with the effort. Granted, some of this is owed to the obvious nostalgia I’ve discussed at lengths, but in all honesty the worlds of epic Fantasy deserve cinematic exposure like the crew musters here, even if the end result is a bit muddled or undercooked. Hopefully, Spine will serve as a harbinger, the powerbrokers will realize this territory needs to be explored, and audiences will be treated to (at least) more of the same or maybe even something better. This was still a great attempt, and I’d like to see them keep at it.
Don’t let fans wait another four decades to try again.
The Spine Of Night (2021) was produced by Gorgonaut and Reno Productions. DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being coordinated under RLJE Films and Shudder. As for the technical specifications? I watched this in 4K Ultra HD, and I loved it: the sights and sounds were nothing short of incredible. It’s an animated feature; some of the bits are a bit inline with what you get in Saturday morning shows of old, but it’s all rendered with some decidedly grim edginess that lifts the tales to life. (And death!)
As for the special features? Thankfully, the producers haven’t let you down, and they’ve ponied up the following:
Recommended. As imperfect as The Spine Of Night (2021) may be (and, no, it ain’t perfect), I still had an awful lot of fanboy fun with this entry in pure Fantasy the likes of which we just don’t get to see cinematically all that often. (There’s the real shame here, people. A damn dirty shame!) Though I found the narrative a bit jumbled at times, these interconnected stories drew down to a solid finish; I just wish we could’ve spent a bit more time developing some of these secondary characters. That way, their sacrifices would’ve been much more meaningful than what they’re given here.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at RLJE Films provided me with a complimentary Steelbook 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
As for the special features? Thankfully, the producers haven’t let you down, and they’ve ponied up the following:
- The Making Of The Spine Of Night – short featurette
- Exordium (2013) – short film (8 min.)
- Mongrel – short film
Recommended. As imperfect as The Spine Of Night (2021) may be (and, no, it ain’t perfect), I still had an awful lot of fanboy fun with this entry in pure Fantasy the likes of which we just don’t get to see cinematically all that often. (There’s the real shame here, people. A damn dirty shame!) Though I found the narrative a bit jumbled at times, these interconnected stories drew down to a solid finish; I just wish we could’ve spent a bit more time developing some of these secondary characters. That way, their sacrifices would’ve been much more meaningful than what they’re given here.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at RLJE Films provided me with a complimentary Steelbook 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
- Published on
Argh, people. Argh.
I waited a few days to pen my thoughts on The Book Of Boba Fett’s fifth chapter – “The Return Of The Mandalorian” – largely because I saw a lot of responses online from folks who just couldn’t stop heaping praise on the installment … so, rest assured, my take my end up being a bit controversial with some. It isn’t as if I don’t court a bit of controversy from time-to-time; I realize that my opinion doesn’t often jive with the mainstream of web-critics, but I’d like to think that that’s because I always (always always) stay true to my muse. If I don’t like something, then I need to be free to say it; otherwise, what’s the point in having a platform?
The short skinny is this: “I didn’t dislike the episode, but I didn’t love it, either.”
The long skinny? Well, that’s gonna take a few words …
Honestly, I found much of the Mandalorian’s return a bit boring, to be succinct. I think what few good moments there were in the episode dealt chiefly with Mando confronting the loss of his identity: as everyone knows, true Mandalorians never take off their mask, and Din Djarin did just that in the epic finale to his second season on Disney+. Without recapping the entire storyline, Djarin found refuge for Grogu (aka ‘Baby Yoda’) with Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker; and – in their parting moments – the bounty hunter opted to remove his helmet so that he could share a heartfelt goodbye with the tiny green creature that had become a travelling companion (of sorts).
Here's the question I asked at that time: “Was that the right thing to do?”
Now, I don’t ask that to star a debate or any flame war with fans of any program. Clearly, I think everyone understood exactly why Djarin made the choice he did … but did he anticipate the consequences of that singular action? Did he fully realize he was sacrificing his adopted lineage and all that he had previously stood for? Did he not expect to be taken to task in the way he did upon rejoining the few left of the Mandalorian people? Was that single moment worth the toll now taken on him?
As we were never given any greater examination, it’s natural for this topic to be front-and-center with the Mandalorian’s return to action … but was this the right time and the right place? In someone else’s program?
Therein lies my biggest complaint with what transpired, and I’m inclined to suggest that this was a narrative mistake. That’s obviously difficult to conclude because there’s no way to know whether or not this denouement will play into this series’ full story arch, but I’m still believing that it shouldn’t. This was supposed to be Fett’s show; and – like it or not – Mando’s kinda/sorta pulled the rug right out from under the aging compatriot. (For the record, I’m not blaming the characters; this is just how Jon Favreau plotted out these adventures, so it rests largely on his shoulders.)
Again … to be as specific as I can (in anticipation of any private salvo I’m going to receive as a response) … I don’t have any problem with the episode … I just think it should’ve been an episode of Mando’s show and not Fett’s.
I waited a few days to pen my thoughts on The Book Of Boba Fett’s fifth chapter – “The Return Of The Mandalorian” – largely because I saw a lot of responses online from folks who just couldn’t stop heaping praise on the installment … so, rest assured, my take my end up being a bit controversial with some. It isn’t as if I don’t court a bit of controversy from time-to-time; I realize that my opinion doesn’t often jive with the mainstream of web-critics, but I’d like to think that that’s because I always (always always) stay true to my muse. If I don’t like something, then I need to be free to say it; otherwise, what’s the point in having a platform?
The short skinny is this: “I didn’t dislike the episode, but I didn’t love it, either.”
The long skinny? Well, that’s gonna take a few words …
Honestly, I found much of the Mandalorian’s return a bit boring, to be succinct. I think what few good moments there were in the episode dealt chiefly with Mando confronting the loss of his identity: as everyone knows, true Mandalorians never take off their mask, and Din Djarin did just that in the epic finale to his second season on Disney+. Without recapping the entire storyline, Djarin found refuge for Grogu (aka ‘Baby Yoda’) with Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker; and – in their parting moments – the bounty hunter opted to remove his helmet so that he could share a heartfelt goodbye with the tiny green creature that had become a travelling companion (of sorts).
Here's the question I asked at that time: “Was that the right thing to do?”
Now, I don’t ask that to star a debate or any flame war with fans of any program. Clearly, I think everyone understood exactly why Djarin made the choice he did … but did he anticipate the consequences of that singular action? Did he fully realize he was sacrificing his adopted lineage and all that he had previously stood for? Did he not expect to be taken to task in the way he did upon rejoining the few left of the Mandalorian people? Was that single moment worth the toll now taken on him?
As we were never given any greater examination, it’s natural for this topic to be front-and-center with the Mandalorian’s return to action … but was this the right time and the right place? In someone else’s program?
Therein lies my biggest complaint with what transpired, and I’m inclined to suggest that this was a narrative mistake. That’s obviously difficult to conclude because there’s no way to know whether or not this denouement will play into this series’ full story arch, but I’m still believing that it shouldn’t. This was supposed to be Fett’s show; and – like it or not – Mando’s kinda/sorta pulled the rug right out from under the aging compatriot. (For the record, I’m not blaming the characters; this is just how Jon Favreau plotted out these adventures, so it rests largely on his shoulders.)
Again … to be as specific as I can (in anticipation of any private salvo I’m going to receive as a response) … I don’t have any problem with the episode … I just think it should’ve been an episode of Mando’s show and not Fett’s.
Never steal fortune and glory from a show’s lead. Never. I’m watching The Book Of Boba Fett because I’m intrigued by a character that’s been largely overlooked by the pantheon of stories that have been aired visually. While others have chosen to get bogged down in the minutiae of this and that, I’ve largely enjoyed what’s come before, and I’ve done so because the story has fleshed out a fan favorite in surprising ways. I’m not claiming all of it’s been broadcast gold (because it hasn’t); but I’m still arguing that it’s been far better having the good, the bad, and the ugly as opposed to having N-O-T-H-I-N-G. That’s always been my position as a viewer, and I’ll stick to it until my bitter end.
Setting aside that issue, I had one other quibble that’s kinda/sorta eaten at me a bit both in The Mandalorian and now in Fett’s program: what exactly is the role of the New Republic in peace time?
In The Mandalorian’s second season (“Chapter 10: The Passenger”), Favreau expanded upon ideas he’d previously hinted at in the first season by presenting X-Wing pilots as these kinda/sorta intergalactic patrol officers. When the concept was first dropped (late in Season 1), it felt a bit more organic, almost as if it were only intended as some comic relief for an otherwise fairly serious endeavor. But in The Passenger, these interstellar beat cops played a reasonably bigger role, showing up to hassle Djarin with an almost fully annoying “let’s see your license and registration, pal” mentality. These flatfeet showed up yet again in Return, though thankfully it was back in the mode of servicing a laugh instead of going all Starsky and Hutch.
Does anyone seriously think that X-Wing pilots – characters previously presented as air combat warriors – should be reduced to space patrol? Ignoring the offensiveness of the idea (yeah, that’s a small gripe, but it’s mine), do we honestly want to entertain the idea that in this galaxy far, far away the New Republic will be fully responsible for handing out speeding tickets? Again, YES, I get that it’s supposed to be a bit of a joke, but now that it’s shown up at least three times, Favreau is either beating a dead comedy horse OR there are larger motivations at play, no? I only argue that this is a concept that doesn’t feel authentic to this universe in the slightest.
While I’m in favor of some kind of X-Wing series (I know that Rogue Squadron is something that’s presently back-burnered), I just don’t see these little asides as being all that interesting nor likeable in the greater context of Star Wars. See, Star Wars has always been about big ideas, good vs. evil, galactic battles, and derring-do … but beat cops? Now it’s beat cops, too? It just seems so much like small potatoes, even as comic material.
Again, feel free to disagree. I just ask that you do NOT get me started on how giving Mando a Naboo Starfighter is a stupid idea. Souped up or not.
Sadly, “Return Of The Mandalorian” ended with the impression that the next installment also might be another soiree in Manda-territory, and I, for one, hope that’s not the case. Fett’s healed. Finally. This is his show. I’ve no problem with Mando turning up as a guest star – in fact, I think many of us expected that he might – but let’s keep the spotlight on the guy who previously was the galaxy’s most celebrated bounty hunter.
Give Fett his time in the sun … even if it’s Tatooine’s twin suns for now.
-- EZ
Setting aside that issue, I had one other quibble that’s kinda/sorta eaten at me a bit both in The Mandalorian and now in Fett’s program: what exactly is the role of the New Republic in peace time?
In The Mandalorian’s second season (“Chapter 10: The Passenger”), Favreau expanded upon ideas he’d previously hinted at in the first season by presenting X-Wing pilots as these kinda/sorta intergalactic patrol officers. When the concept was first dropped (late in Season 1), it felt a bit more organic, almost as if it were only intended as some comic relief for an otherwise fairly serious endeavor. But in The Passenger, these interstellar beat cops played a reasonably bigger role, showing up to hassle Djarin with an almost fully annoying “let’s see your license and registration, pal” mentality. These flatfeet showed up yet again in Return, though thankfully it was back in the mode of servicing a laugh instead of going all Starsky and Hutch.
Does anyone seriously think that X-Wing pilots – characters previously presented as air combat warriors – should be reduced to space patrol? Ignoring the offensiveness of the idea (yeah, that’s a small gripe, but it’s mine), do we honestly want to entertain the idea that in this galaxy far, far away the New Republic will be fully responsible for handing out speeding tickets? Again, YES, I get that it’s supposed to be a bit of a joke, but now that it’s shown up at least three times, Favreau is either beating a dead comedy horse OR there are larger motivations at play, no? I only argue that this is a concept that doesn’t feel authentic to this universe in the slightest.
While I’m in favor of some kind of X-Wing series (I know that Rogue Squadron is something that’s presently back-burnered), I just don’t see these little asides as being all that interesting nor likeable in the greater context of Star Wars. See, Star Wars has always been about big ideas, good vs. evil, galactic battles, and derring-do … but beat cops? Now it’s beat cops, too? It just seems so much like small potatoes, even as comic material.
Again, feel free to disagree. I just ask that you do NOT get me started on how giving Mando a Naboo Starfighter is a stupid idea. Souped up or not.
Sadly, “Return Of The Mandalorian” ended with the impression that the next installment also might be another soiree in Manda-territory, and I, for one, hope that’s not the case. Fett’s healed. Finally. This is his show. I’ve no problem with Mando turning up as a guest star – in fact, I think many of us expected that he might – but let’s keep the spotlight on the guy who previously was the galaxy’s most celebrated bounty hunter.
Give Fett his time in the sun … even if it’s Tatooine’s twin suns for now.
-- EZ
- Published on
Though others have argued differently, many agree that the 1950’s truly saw the full-fledged invention of the contemporary Science Fiction feature film. The Atomic Age heralded in a whole new interest in science, and it’s that interest that fueled much of what Hollywood (and beyond) brought to the silver screen at that time.
The stories evolved a bit in the 1960’s. As audiences embraced this new genre, the storytellers decided it was time to loosen things up just a bit; and the studios even introduced a bit of camp sensibilities to some of the wider entries in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Roger Vadim kinda/sorta sexed SciFi up just a bit with his Barbarella (1968), while Kinji Fukasaku’s The Green Slime (1968) delivered a space-based mucus to spell mankind’s doom. Still, the late 1960’s delivered some impressive benchmarks which endure as thoughtful favorites to this day: Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey challenged man’s conception of his role in the universe, while Franklin J. Schaffner’s Planet Of The Apes brought a dark view of mankind’s demise to a blockbuster-hungry audience. The popular Apes franchise delivered a handful of sequels over the next few years, and it even saw a critically and commercially successful rebirth with Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011).
In the 1970’s, Science Fiction took a bit of a dark turn as more and more stories painted a rather bleak future for our planet and those unfortunate enough to be around for those last days. Robert Wise’s adaptation of the Michael Crichton novel The Andromeda Strain (1971) saw a team of scientists racing against time to save our world from a virus threatening our extinction. Richard Fleischer’s Soylent Green (1973) explored a social collapse revolving around our overpopulated world confronting a food crisis with a dark solution. And Michael Anderson’s Logan’s Run (also adapted from a novel) showed audiences a future city-state wherein citizens would be secretly executed – though promised enlightenment – upon their thirtieth birthday. We had seen the future; and, apparently, Mother Nature didn’t want us part of it much longer.
There are many cultural triggers that put us on such a treacherous path in films. I won’t debate them here, but I will say that many of these influences likely played into the decision to reimagine 1956’s Invasion Of The Body Snatchers for this era. Its story deals with the loss of individuality at the hands of a secret, oppressive authority that brings with it no announced agenda, no public game plan for the eventual fate of our souls. While its milieu fits perfectly with the trend of the other films, this incarnation ratchets up the paranoia a bit further by stripping away the hope for any survivability with its grim ending, delivering a final scene that resonates with audiences decades later.
The stories evolved a bit in the 1960’s. As audiences embraced this new genre, the storytellers decided it was time to loosen things up just a bit; and the studios even introduced a bit of camp sensibilities to some of the wider entries in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Roger Vadim kinda/sorta sexed SciFi up just a bit with his Barbarella (1968), while Kinji Fukasaku’s The Green Slime (1968) delivered a space-based mucus to spell mankind’s doom. Still, the late 1960’s delivered some impressive benchmarks which endure as thoughtful favorites to this day: Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey challenged man’s conception of his role in the universe, while Franklin J. Schaffner’s Planet Of The Apes brought a dark view of mankind’s demise to a blockbuster-hungry audience. The popular Apes franchise delivered a handful of sequels over the next few years, and it even saw a critically and commercially successful rebirth with Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011).
In the 1970’s, Science Fiction took a bit of a dark turn as more and more stories painted a rather bleak future for our planet and those unfortunate enough to be around for those last days. Robert Wise’s adaptation of the Michael Crichton novel The Andromeda Strain (1971) saw a team of scientists racing against time to save our world from a virus threatening our extinction. Richard Fleischer’s Soylent Green (1973) explored a social collapse revolving around our overpopulated world confronting a food crisis with a dark solution. And Michael Anderson’s Logan’s Run (also adapted from a novel) showed audiences a future city-state wherein citizens would be secretly executed – though promised enlightenment – upon their thirtieth birthday. We had seen the future; and, apparently, Mother Nature didn’t want us part of it much longer.
There are many cultural triggers that put us on such a treacherous path in films. I won’t debate them here, but I will say that many of these influences likely played into the decision to reimagine 1956’s Invasion Of The Body Snatchers for this era. Its story deals with the loss of individuality at the hands of a secret, oppressive authority that brings with it no announced agenda, no public game plan for the eventual fate of our souls. While its milieu fits perfectly with the trend of the other films, this incarnation ratchets up the paranoia a bit further by stripping away the hope for any survivability with its grim ending, delivering a final scene that resonates with audiences decades later.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the product packaging:
“Filmy spores fall from space over San Francisco, and the city blossoms with beautiful new flora. People take the flowers home and, as they sleep, the plants creep over them, devouring their bodies and stealing their identities – their emotions, their uniqueness, their souls. If you notice an eerie change in someone very close to you, chances are you’re next!”
What makes each of us unique is our separate identities. Each of us has a job to call our own. Each of us has hobbies and interests we explore. Each of us might spend our days with a significant other – or even with a group of family and friends – and we learn along to way to treasure these moments because they’ll likely never come again. But what if there were a single threat that could strip all of that away in the blink of an eye?
That’s the fuel that burns so brightly in director Philip Kaufman’s Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Though it’s a tale that’s loaded with some terrific special effects and great performances from some Hollywood talent near the top of their game, the undercurrent of the central idea – that you are just a few moments away from losing everything you’ve become – propels this version of this story. This isn’t death because – in a sense – you live on. Still, you’re a shell of what you once were, reduced to little more than a meat suit waiting for commands from some unseen alien influence.
There’s a nebulousness to Snatchers that’s always troubled me as a viewer (with this reboot as well as the original). Apparently, there’s no driving intellect behind whatever is happening to all of these victims; we’re just being converted from sentient creatures into little more than plant life – we’re alive, but all we do is grow. Life has no substance – at least, none that we’re shown, as neither film postulate any end game scenario behind all of this. Clearly, some of what we’ve become survives, but this lack of definition has always kept Snatchers from being a franchise of greater study. It’s a chilling narrative, but in the final estimation that’s all there is. While others might find that worthy of extrapolation, I find myself floundering with anything more to make of it.
From the product packaging:
“Filmy spores fall from space over San Francisco, and the city blossoms with beautiful new flora. People take the flowers home and, as they sleep, the plants creep over them, devouring their bodies and stealing their identities – their emotions, their uniqueness, their souls. If you notice an eerie change in someone very close to you, chances are you’re next!”
What makes each of us unique is our separate identities. Each of us has a job to call our own. Each of us has hobbies and interests we explore. Each of us might spend our days with a significant other – or even with a group of family and friends – and we learn along to way to treasure these moments because they’ll likely never come again. But what if there were a single threat that could strip all of that away in the blink of an eye?
That’s the fuel that burns so brightly in director Philip Kaufman’s Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Though it’s a tale that’s loaded with some terrific special effects and great performances from some Hollywood talent near the top of their game, the undercurrent of the central idea – that you are just a few moments away from losing everything you’ve become – propels this version of this story. This isn’t death because – in a sense – you live on. Still, you’re a shell of what you once were, reduced to little more than a meat suit waiting for commands from some unseen alien influence.
There’s a nebulousness to Snatchers that’s always troubled me as a viewer (with this reboot as well as the original). Apparently, there’s no driving intellect behind whatever is happening to all of these victims; we’re just being converted from sentient creatures into little more than plant life – we’re alive, but all we do is grow. Life has no substance – at least, none that we’re shown, as neither film postulate any end game scenario behind all of this. Clearly, some of what we’ve become survives, but this lack of definition has always kept Snatchers from being a franchise of greater study. It’s a chilling narrative, but in the final estimation that’s all there is. While others might find that worthy of extrapolation, I find myself floundering with anything more to make of it.
This in no way diminishes the power of what Kaufman accomplishes with his film. Big city life was thought to be peeling away some layers of our humanity, so setting this incarnation there was a great change of place from the original. Each of these characters were cogs in the great urban machine, and they were forced to confront this expanding menace while also racing for their lives against the loss of safe havens. The urban sprawl was a perfect visual metaphor for these worlds in collision, and the film is staged perfectly to reflect the increasing angst of those fighting for their existence.
Also, I’d be remiss if I failed to heap a bit of praise on Kaufman’s incredible cast. Snatchers gets great work out of lead Donald Sutherland: he plays the somewhat righteous city-crusader Matthew Bennell fighting to keep restaurants safe from disease and infection. In the hands of a lesser actor, the small moments of a man slowly coming to realization that all is not what it seems could’ve been lost, but Sutherland angles gracefully between casual charm and dire concern to great effect. A young Jeff Goldblum is also deliciously cast as Jack Bellicec, a struggling writer who battles low self-esteem whilst trying to prove his worth to those around him. Leonard Nimoy turns in high marks as a pop culture psychologist who believes his feel-good mentality can solve whatever ails his patients, though he might be hiding a secret from those who know him best. The comely Brooke Adams quickly eventually proves more than the damsel-in-distress set-up she’s given in W.D. Richter’s script as hers is the first voice of reason pushing for authorities to do something before it’s all too late. And poor, poor Veronica Cartwright! She goes from being the last man standing in this film to being raped by the Xenomorph in Ridley Scott’s seminal Alien (1979). This actress definitely deserved better from Science Fiction!
Certainly, it’s worth noting that the film received ample attention from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films. At their 1979 Saturn Awards, Snatchers received an incredible eight nominations but only went home with trophies in the categories of ‘Best Sound’ and ‘Best Director.’ Additionally, the motion picture received a nomination for ‘Best Dramatic Presentation’ from the 1979 Hugo Awards. If that isn’t enough to catch your eye and encourage you to see this one, then perhaps you’re the one that’s been snatched, and your now vegetable, pod-hatched brain is having trouble keeping up with reality.
Also, I’d be remiss if I failed to heap a bit of praise on Kaufman’s incredible cast. Snatchers gets great work out of lead Donald Sutherland: he plays the somewhat righteous city-crusader Matthew Bennell fighting to keep restaurants safe from disease and infection. In the hands of a lesser actor, the small moments of a man slowly coming to realization that all is not what it seems could’ve been lost, but Sutherland angles gracefully between casual charm and dire concern to great effect. A young Jeff Goldblum is also deliciously cast as Jack Bellicec, a struggling writer who battles low self-esteem whilst trying to prove his worth to those around him. Leonard Nimoy turns in high marks as a pop culture psychologist who believes his feel-good mentality can solve whatever ails his patients, though he might be hiding a secret from those who know him best. The comely Brooke Adams quickly eventually proves more than the damsel-in-distress set-up she’s given in W.D. Richter’s script as hers is the first voice of reason pushing for authorities to do something before it’s all too late. And poor, poor Veronica Cartwright! She goes from being the last man standing in this film to being raped by the Xenomorph in Ridley Scott’s seminal Alien (1979). This actress definitely deserved better from Science Fiction!
Certainly, it’s worth noting that the film received ample attention from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films. At their 1979 Saturn Awards, Snatchers received an incredible eight nominations but only went home with trophies in the categories of ‘Best Sound’ and ‘Best Director.’ Additionally, the motion picture received a nomination for ‘Best Dramatic Presentation’ from the 1979 Hugo Awards. If that isn’t enough to catch your eye and encourage you to see this one, then perhaps you’re the one that’s been snatched, and your now vegetable, pod-hatched brain is having trouble keeping up with reality.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978) was produced by Solofilm. DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being handled via Kino Lorber. As for the technical specifications? This all-new 4K restoration looks and sounds brilliant. As for the special features? This is nothing short of incredible as Kino Lorber has pulled together something that’ll keep fans busy for hours:
Highly recommended. With the overall tone of Science Fiction from the 1970’s being fairly downbeat, it should come as no surprise that a studio got the bright idea to remake the 1956 SciFi Cold War Classic Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. The loss of identity and oppressive authority themes definitely go hand-in-hand with the era, and director Kaufman points everyone in the direction that assures all good things will end … whether we like it or not. It’s an incredible cast – Sutherland, Nimoy, and Goldblum – giving it their best; though a few sequences are obviously a bit dated, it’s dystopian feel is thankfully never out of style.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Kino Lorber provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
- Audio commentary from Director Philip Kaufman
- Audio commentary by Author/Film Historian Steve Haberman
- Star-Crossed In The Invasion: Interview with actress Brooke Adams
- Re-Creating The Invasion: Interview with Screenwriter W.D. Richter
- Scoring The Invasion: Interview With Composer Denny Zeitlin
- Leading The Invasion: Interview with Actor Art Hindle
- Writing The Pod: Interview with Jack Finney Expert Jack Seabrook
- Re-Visitors From Outer Space, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Pod – Featurette
- Practical Magic: The Special Effects Pod – Featurette
- The Man Behind The Scream: The Sound Effects Pod – Featurette
- The Invasion Will Be Televised: The Cinematography Pod – Featurette
- And even more shorts, spots, and trailers.
Highly recommended. With the overall tone of Science Fiction from the 1970’s being fairly downbeat, it should come as no surprise that a studio got the bright idea to remake the 1956 SciFi Cold War Classic Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. The loss of identity and oppressive authority themes definitely go hand-in-hand with the era, and director Kaufman points everyone in the direction that assures all good things will end … whether we like it or not. It’s an incredible cast – Sutherland, Nimoy, and Goldblum – giving it their best; though a few sequences are obviously a bit dated, it’s dystopian feel is thankfully never out of style.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Kino Lorber provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
- Published on
Yes, it's true: you could probably line a thimble with all that yours truly knows about the wider universe of the Halo franchise.
I vaguely recall being taken to task in the past over an interview I did regarding one of those direct-to-DVD Halo movie releases. In short, I found the movie entertaining, but a reader responded that -- because I liked it -- I demonstrated my ignorance of the Halo property because the film had very little to do with the game. I explained that -- as a reviewer -- it isn't necessarily my responsibility to know all that is knowable about any particular franchise; rather, I'm tasked with evaluating each and every item independently because, otherwise, how are the uninitiated ever to come to Halo without someone who can see their side of things? Of course it escalated with me being called all kinds of names in the book, and such is the state of fandom these days. Treacherous, indeed.
But my blissful stupidity with all things Halo won't stop me from sharing the trailer that dropped for the TV serial this morning. It looks like this thing will be screening on Paramount+ -- behind that dreaded pay wall that's absconding Star Trek from unleashing its lessons on mankind -- so I'm unlikely to see this one in the near future. It is the kind of thing I'd be inclined to pick up on home video, and that'll be a long way off as this hasn't even streamed for subscribers yet.
Trailer is below. You folks know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
I vaguely recall being taken to task in the past over an interview I did regarding one of those direct-to-DVD Halo movie releases. In short, I found the movie entertaining, but a reader responded that -- because I liked it -- I demonstrated my ignorance of the Halo property because the film had very little to do with the game. I explained that -- as a reviewer -- it isn't necessarily my responsibility to know all that is knowable about any particular franchise; rather, I'm tasked with evaluating each and every item independently because, otherwise, how are the uninitiated ever to come to Halo without someone who can see their side of things? Of course it escalated with me being called all kinds of names in the book, and such is the state of fandom these days. Treacherous, indeed.
But my blissful stupidity with all things Halo won't stop me from sharing the trailer that dropped for the TV serial this morning. It looks like this thing will be screening on Paramount+ -- behind that dreaded pay wall that's absconding Star Trek from unleashing its lessons on mankind -- so I'm unlikely to see this one in the near future. It is the kind of thing I'd be inclined to pick up on home video, and that'll be a long way off as this hasn't even streamed for subscribers yet.
Trailer is below. You folks know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
- Published on
If you've never experienced a film from Troma, then you're certainly missing something ... erm ... special?
I kid, I kid. Troma's library of cinema shlock offers up some decidedly bizarre film inspirations that definitely push the bounds of good taste in a fun way. Though I know quite a few folks who pass up something from their catalogue because it isn't their tastes, I have no problem watching damn near anything, and some of it ends up being very good-natured stuff. I will concede that some of their 1980's stuff is a bit bizarre, but I'd still say it's mostly harmful.
In any event, Troma and Alle Films teamed up for a release in 2018 titled Mutant Blast which appears to have won over an all-new legion of fans. IMDB.com shows it billed as an Action/Horror/Comedy (usually a decent combination and definitely makes it sound like something in Troma's sphere of influence), and the flick maintains a 6+ score (out of ten) with interested viewers. That's a very decent number (scroll through any other Troma title, and you'll see what I mean), and it's definitely earned its sea legs from a helluva round-up of film festival appearances and the like. Dare I also mention that Mutant Blast has brought home a respectable number of trophies as well as a few additional nominations that fell a bit short? Trust me when I saw that's great for anything Troma!
I mention this because I read yesterday that this quirky film has finally found its release date, and it'll be coming to home video in May, 2022. Those of you who wish to pre-order can follow the link below (for Amazon.com). Since I haven't seen it, I can't tell you whether or not it's worth a blind buy or not, but a 6+ fan rating has to be for something, does it not?
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
I kid, I kid. Troma's library of cinema shlock offers up some decidedly bizarre film inspirations that definitely push the bounds of good taste in a fun way. Though I know quite a few folks who pass up something from their catalogue because it isn't their tastes, I have no problem watching damn near anything, and some of it ends up being very good-natured stuff. I will concede that some of their 1980's stuff is a bit bizarre, but I'd still say it's mostly harmful.
In any event, Troma and Alle Films teamed up for a release in 2018 titled Mutant Blast which appears to have won over an all-new legion of fans. IMDB.com shows it billed as an Action/Horror/Comedy (usually a decent combination and definitely makes it sound like something in Troma's sphere of influence), and the flick maintains a 6+ score (out of ten) with interested viewers. That's a very decent number (scroll through any other Troma title, and you'll see what I mean), and it's definitely earned its sea legs from a helluva round-up of film festival appearances and the like. Dare I also mention that Mutant Blast has brought home a respectable number of trophies as well as a few additional nominations that fell a bit short? Trust me when I saw that's great for anything Troma!
I mention this because I read yesterday that this quirky film has finally found its release date, and it'll be coming to home video in May, 2022. Those of you who wish to pre-order can follow the link below (for Amazon.com). Since I haven't seen it, I can't tell you whether or not it's worth a blind buy or not, but a 6+ fan rating has to be for something, does it not?
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
- Published on
They still make monster movies, don't they?
I don't know what your childhood was like (FYI: I'm likely a bit older than most of you who read SciFiHistory.Net), but my young life was just time spent between one monster movie and the next. I'd gravitate toward anything remotely monster-like on TV -- this was way back in the day when our only entertainment avenue was a handful of channels playing old movies in syndicated rotation -- so anything that even closely fit the bill I'd watch. Werewolves. Vampires. Sea creatures. Godzilla. Mummies. You name it. If it was in the title, then I'd definitely be there, and even if there was the promise of something creature-like I was happy.
Sigh.
It would seem that -- to a degree -- monster movies aren't as stylish with the Hollywood elite as they used to be. Granted, everything gets 'fixed in post' these days, so the prospect of suiting someone up in prosthetics, giving him some claws, scars, or the like may not be as easily cast, actors and actresses being ones more inclined to preserve the beauty of their appearances as opposed to hiding under all that make-up. Still, when it's done right, I think audiences find it and appeciate it for the work that goes into crafting something legitimate and tangible as creatures go.
All of this springs to mind basically as I just watched the trailer for The Cursed (2021), a little something something which appears to have been conceived and shot in the United Kingdom. Some of the scenery is definitely practical effects work, though I've no doubt there'll be more scars russled up in CGI or post-trickery as seems to be the case these days. IMDB.com reports that the film has had a few festival airings and that it's also been the recipient of some praise. A little bit of Googling will show you that it's been reviewed largely favorably; and the coming attraction definitely looks a bit Gothic and inspired. It springs from the mind of Sean Ellis (a fairly slim resume on the web) and stars the likes of Boyd Holbrook (Logan, The Predator), Kelly Reilly (True Detective, Yellowstone), and Alistair Petrie (Rogue One, Hellboy).
Trailer is below. You know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
I don't know what your childhood was like (FYI: I'm likely a bit older than most of you who read SciFiHistory.Net), but my young life was just time spent between one monster movie and the next. I'd gravitate toward anything remotely monster-like on TV -- this was way back in the day when our only entertainment avenue was a handful of channels playing old movies in syndicated rotation -- so anything that even closely fit the bill I'd watch. Werewolves. Vampires. Sea creatures. Godzilla. Mummies. You name it. If it was in the title, then I'd definitely be there, and even if there was the promise of something creature-like I was happy.
Sigh.
It would seem that -- to a degree -- monster movies aren't as stylish with the Hollywood elite as they used to be. Granted, everything gets 'fixed in post' these days, so the prospect of suiting someone up in prosthetics, giving him some claws, scars, or the like may not be as easily cast, actors and actresses being ones more inclined to preserve the beauty of their appearances as opposed to hiding under all that make-up. Still, when it's done right, I think audiences find it and appeciate it for the work that goes into crafting something legitimate and tangible as creatures go.
All of this springs to mind basically as I just watched the trailer for The Cursed (2021), a little something something which appears to have been conceived and shot in the United Kingdom. Some of the scenery is definitely practical effects work, though I've no doubt there'll be more scars russled up in CGI or post-trickery as seems to be the case these days. IMDB.com reports that the film has had a few festival airings and that it's also been the recipient of some praise. A little bit of Googling will show you that it's been reviewed largely favorably; and the coming attraction definitely looks a bit Gothic and inspired. It springs from the mind of Sean Ellis (a fairly slim resume on the web) and stars the likes of Boyd Holbrook (Logan, The Predator), Kelly Reilly (True Detective, Yellowstone), and Alistair Petrie (Rogue One, Hellboy).
Trailer is below. You know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
- Published on
Kino Lorber has quickly become one of my favorite outlets for movies new and old. As a distributor, they have an incredible catalogue of prospects -- many of which I've never seen -- and they continue to roll out project after project to the delight of genre fans everywhere. Though some of their prospects might seem a bit artsy or highbrow at times, I'm always willing to work my way through the treacherous fare in hopes of finding something that delights ... and I'm rarely disappointed.
As I've mentioned previously on SciFiHistory.Net's MainPage, Kino Lorber has followed suit with so many other outlets and have expanded into the streaming business: I mentioned their first assortment of movies thick and thin right here, for those who might wanna travel back in time a few weeks to check out what you've missed. Well, just yesterday I received an update on some of what's in store for their subscribers in February, so I thought it appropriate to provide some promotion.
Again: folks, I have no dog in this fight. Unlike other outlets, I'm not a paid shill on behalf of any outlet, studio, filmmaker, or storyteller. All I'm doing here is facilitating some information from them to you, and I'm doing it because of my love of filmdom. If you're looking for something a bit offbeat, quirky, and mystifying, then I'd encourage you to check out Kino Lorber at your leisure. Who knows? We just might make a film lover out of you yet!
I'll be copying and pasting below. You folks know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
As I've mentioned previously on SciFiHistory.Net's MainPage, Kino Lorber has followed suit with so many other outlets and have expanded into the streaming business: I mentioned their first assortment of movies thick and thin right here, for those who might wanna travel back in time a few weeks to check out what you've missed. Well, just yesterday I received an update on some of what's in store for their subscribers in February, so I thought it appropriate to provide some promotion.
Again: folks, I have no dog in this fight. Unlike other outlets, I'm not a paid shill on behalf of any outlet, studio, filmmaker, or storyteller. All I'm doing here is facilitating some information from them to you, and I'm doing it because of my love of filmdom. If you're looking for something a bit offbeat, quirky, and mystifying, then I'd encourage you to check out Kino Lorber at your leisure. Who knows? We just might make a film lover out of you yet!
I'll be copying and pasting below. You folks know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
KINO LORBER ANNOUNCES NEW TITLES COMING TO VOD IN FEBRUARY
THE BRONZE BUCKAROO
dir. Richard C. Kahn, 58m, 1939
In this delightful Western/musical/comedy, cowboy Bob Blake (singer Herbert Jeffries) and four friends ride to Arizona to help Betty Jackson (Artie Young) solve the mystery of her missing brother (Rollie Hardin). Costarring African American cinema pioneer Spencer Williams at Pete.
THE FLYING ACE
dir. Richard E. Norman, 65m, 1926
A rural crime drama revolving around a pair of rival aviators, The Flying Ace illuminates the fact that many films made for African American audiences were less concerned with race than with making popular entertainment in the traditional Hollywood style, offering matinee audiences the chance to see African Americans in heroic and romantic roles. Filmed in the Arlington area of Jacksonville, Florida, The Flying Ace is a unique aviation melodrama in that no airplanes actually leave the ground (the spectacular flight scenes are performed on terra firma, in front of neutral backdrops). A veteran World War I fighter pilot returns home a war hero and immediately regains his former job as a railroad company detective. His first case: recover a stolen satchel filled with $25,000 of company payroll, locate a missing employee, and capture a gang of railroad thieves.
dir. Richard C. Kahn, 58m, 1939
In this delightful Western/musical/comedy, cowboy Bob Blake (singer Herbert Jeffries) and four friends ride to Arizona to help Betty Jackson (Artie Young) solve the mystery of her missing brother (Rollie Hardin). Costarring African American cinema pioneer Spencer Williams at Pete.
THE FLYING ACE
dir. Richard E. Norman, 65m, 1926
A rural crime drama revolving around a pair of rival aviators, The Flying Ace illuminates the fact that many films made for African American audiences were less concerned with race than with making popular entertainment in the traditional Hollywood style, offering matinee audiences the chance to see African Americans in heroic and romantic roles. Filmed in the Arlington area of Jacksonville, Florida, The Flying Ace is a unique aviation melodrama in that no airplanes actually leave the ground (the spectacular flight scenes are performed on terra firma, in front of neutral backdrops). A veteran World War I fighter pilot returns home a war hero and immediately regains his former job as a railroad company detective. His first case: recover a stolen satchel filled with $25,000 of company payroll, locate a missing employee, and capture a gang of railroad thieves.
THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI
dir. Robert Wiene, 75m, 1920
In 1920, one brilliant movie jolted the postwar masses and catapulted the movement known as German Expressionism into film history. That movie was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world. Director Robert Wiene and a visionary team of designers crafted a nightmare realm in which light, shadow and substance are abstracted, a world in which a demented doctor and a carnival sleepwalker perpetrate a series of ghastly murders in a small community.
dir. Robert Wiene, 75m, 1920
In 1920, one brilliant movie jolted the postwar masses and catapulted the movement known as German Expressionism into film history. That movie was The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world. Director Robert Wiene and a visionary team of designers crafted a nightmare realm in which light, shadow and substance are abstracted, a world in which a demented doctor and a carnival sleepwalker perpetrate a series of ghastly murders in a small community.
THE IRON ROSE
dir. Jean Rollin, 80m, 1973
The Iron Rose is a haunting experience - a macabre tone poem about youth and age, love and nihilism, nostalgia and superstition, and, above all, life and death. Francoise Pascal (There's a Girl in My Soup) and Hugues Quester (Three Colors: Blue) go on a metaphysical, Orpheus-like journey inside an ancient, all-but-abandoned graveyard but, as night falls, they cannot find their way out. As Quester's nihilism crumbles to impatience and terror, Pascal transfers her disappointed passion for him to the cemetery itself and becomes jubilantly (and dangerously) attuned to its dead. If Orson Welles was correct when he estimated that a film could only be considered good to the extent it represented the artist who made it, The Iron Rose is Jean Rollin's first authentic masterpiece.
dir. Jean Rollin, 80m, 1973
The Iron Rose is a haunting experience - a macabre tone poem about youth and age, love and nihilism, nostalgia and superstition, and, above all, life and death. Francoise Pascal (There's a Girl in My Soup) and Hugues Quester (Three Colors: Blue) go on a metaphysical, Orpheus-like journey inside an ancient, all-but-abandoned graveyard but, as night falls, they cannot find their way out. As Quester's nihilism crumbles to impatience and terror, Pascal transfers her disappointed passion for him to the cemetery itself and becomes jubilantly (and dangerously) attuned to its dead. If Orson Welles was correct when he estimated that a film could only be considered good to the extent it represented the artist who made it, The Iron Rose is Jean Rollin's first authentic masterpiece.
THE COMEBACK
dir. Pete Walker, 100m, 1978
Pop star Jack Jones (best remembered for the theme from The Love Boat) plays a singer who is haunted by the death of his estranged wife, and led into a confrontation with the killer, in The Comeback. A sleek and entertaining slasher film from director Pete Walker, it is a bloody illustration of the costs of fame.
While recording an album he hopes will vault him back up the charts, singer Nick Cooper (Jones) begins suffering from hallucinations, pushing him to the brink of a nervous breakdown. When those close to him start dying in brutal murders, his connection to reality frays even more, until he himself is staring death in the face.
Rounding out the cast are cult movie and TV favorites David Doyle (Charlie's Angels), Pamela Stephenson (Superman III, Saturday Night Live) and Holly Palance (The Omen).
dir. Pete Walker, 100m, 1978
Pop star Jack Jones (best remembered for the theme from The Love Boat) plays a singer who is haunted by the death of his estranged wife, and led into a confrontation with the killer, in The Comeback. A sleek and entertaining slasher film from director Pete Walker, it is a bloody illustration of the costs of fame.
While recording an album he hopes will vault him back up the charts, singer Nick Cooper (Jones) begins suffering from hallucinations, pushing him to the brink of a nervous breakdown. When those close to him start dying in brutal murders, his connection to reality frays even more, until he himself is staring death in the face.
Rounding out the cast are cult movie and TV favorites David Doyle (Charlie's Angels), Pamela Stephenson (Superman III, Saturday Night Live) and Holly Palance (The Omen).
HORSEHEAD
dir. Romain Basset, 92m, 2014
Haunting and horrific, surreal and shocking, Horsehead is a new horror-fantasy that pays tribute to the classic European shockers of Dario Argento and Mario Bava, while also remaining a unique film with its own vision, delivering unforgettable images that both disturb and enchant. Director Romain Basset's tale follows beautiful young Jessica (Lilly-Fleur Pointeaux) as she returns to her family's countryside estate for her grandmother's funeral. Haunted by recurring nightmares of a horse-headed monster, Jessica attempts to put her studies of "lucid dreaming" to good use, as she semi-consciously navigates through this dream landscape, trying to discover the secrets behind this sinister apparition. But Jessica must also cope with a hostile mother (The Beyond's Catriona MacColl), and the growing realization that the death of her grandmother was actually a suicide triggered by the woman's past traumas and visions. Horsehead is a feverish, ethereal journey through the world of nightmares.
dir. Romain Basset, 92m, 2014
Haunting and horrific, surreal and shocking, Horsehead is a new horror-fantasy that pays tribute to the classic European shockers of Dario Argento and Mario Bava, while also remaining a unique film with its own vision, delivering unforgettable images that both disturb and enchant. Director Romain Basset's tale follows beautiful young Jessica (Lilly-Fleur Pointeaux) as she returns to her family's countryside estate for her grandmother's funeral. Haunted by recurring nightmares of a horse-headed monster, Jessica attempts to put her studies of "lucid dreaming" to good use, as she semi-consciously navigates through this dream landscape, trying to discover the secrets behind this sinister apparition. But Jessica must also cope with a hostile mother (The Beyond's Catriona MacColl), and the growing realization that the death of her grandmother was actually a suicide triggered by the woman's past traumas and visions. Horsehead is a feverish, ethereal journey through the world of nightmares.
OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES
dir. Jess Franco, 85m, 1982
Once established as a master of the Euro-erotic horror film, Jess Franco continued to explore more traditional modes of filmmaking, setting familiar genres on their ears with his singular brand of reckless creativity. Made during the living dead craze of the early 1980s, Oasis of the Zombies is one of only a handful of motion pictures to explore a most peculiar subgenre of the movement: the Nazi zombie film.
In telling the story of a cache of German gold—lost in the desert, sought by a group of teenagers, protected by the walking dead—Franco demonstrated his characteristic lack of restraint, shamelessly inserting stock footage from a bigger-budget war picture, allowing his camera to dwell on the worm-eaten orifices of the shriveled undead and, of course, lacing the action with his trademark style of lyrical eroticism. The resulting film is a decadent exercise in grindhouse filmmaking that is more audacious than frightening, illuminating one of the more peculiar facets of Jess Franco's uniquely warped cinema.
About Kino Lorber
With a library of over 4,000 titles, Kino Lorber Inc. has been a leader in independent art house distribution for 35 years, releasing 30 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Repertory and Alive Mind Cinema banners, garnering seven Academy Award® nominations in nine years. In addition, the company brings over 350 titles yearly to the home entertainment and educational markets through physical and digital media releases. With an expanding family of distributed labels, Kino Lorber handles releases in ancillary media for Zeitgeist Films, Milestone Films, Cohen Media Group, Greenwich Entertainment, Artsploitation, Palisades Tartan, Menemsha Films, Raro Video, and others, placing physical titles through all wholesale, retail, and direct-to-consumer channels, as well as direct digital distribution through over 40 OTT services including all major TVOD and SVOD platforms. In 2019, the company launched its new art house digital channel Kino Now which features over 1300 titles from the acclaimed Kino Lorber library. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kino Marquee initiative was launched pioneering "virtual cinema" releases of art house films with revenue shares that allow audiences to support almost 500 local independent theaters. Kino Lorber was honored with a Special Award from the New York Film Critics Circle for this effort. In 2021, the company launched Kino Cult, an AVOD channel specializing in new and rare, acclaimed genre films.
dir. Jess Franco, 85m, 1982
Once established as a master of the Euro-erotic horror film, Jess Franco continued to explore more traditional modes of filmmaking, setting familiar genres on their ears with his singular brand of reckless creativity. Made during the living dead craze of the early 1980s, Oasis of the Zombies is one of only a handful of motion pictures to explore a most peculiar subgenre of the movement: the Nazi zombie film.
In telling the story of a cache of German gold—lost in the desert, sought by a group of teenagers, protected by the walking dead—Franco demonstrated his characteristic lack of restraint, shamelessly inserting stock footage from a bigger-budget war picture, allowing his camera to dwell on the worm-eaten orifices of the shriveled undead and, of course, lacing the action with his trademark style of lyrical eroticism. The resulting film is a decadent exercise in grindhouse filmmaking that is more audacious than frightening, illuminating one of the more peculiar facets of Jess Franco's uniquely warped cinema.
About Kino Lorber
With a library of over 4,000 titles, Kino Lorber Inc. has been a leader in independent art house distribution for 35 years, releasing 30 films per year theatrically under its Kino Lorber, Kino Repertory and Alive Mind Cinema banners, garnering seven Academy Award® nominations in nine years. In addition, the company brings over 350 titles yearly to the home entertainment and educational markets through physical and digital media releases. With an expanding family of distributed labels, Kino Lorber handles releases in ancillary media for Zeitgeist Films, Milestone Films, Cohen Media Group, Greenwich Entertainment, Artsploitation, Palisades Tartan, Menemsha Films, Raro Video, and others, placing physical titles through all wholesale, retail, and direct-to-consumer channels, as well as direct digital distribution through over 40 OTT services including all major TVOD and SVOD platforms. In 2019, the company launched its new art house digital channel Kino Now which features over 1300 titles from the acclaimed Kino Lorber library. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kino Marquee initiative was launched pioneering "virtual cinema" releases of art house films with revenue shares that allow audiences to support almost 500 local independent theaters. Kino Lorber was honored with a Special Award from the New York Film Critics Circle for this effort. In 2021, the company launched Kino Cult, an AVOD channel specializing in new and rare, acclaimed genre films.
- Published on
Faithful readers: back in January 13th I waxed on just a little bit about the forthcoming release of The Sword And The Sorcerer (1982). (Link) I won't revisit the point suffice it to say that I'm not as big a fan of the film as are many of my contemporaries, but it's a nice little B-Movie, at best. Essentially, I just wanted to let folks know that there would finally be a good release of the film that's deserved much better than what's been available before ... and now it looks like Scream Factory has answered that call.
I found the specs for their March 15th release this afternoon published on Bluray.com, and it's nothing short of spectacular. Though this isn't a favorite of mine by any estimation, I might just have to pick this one up (since I can't get the folks at Scream to answer any of my email requests, not even to put on their mailing list for promotions it would seem). It's an incredible package ("that's what she said"), and I've no doubt that fans might be lining up to purchase a copy of this one.
Details will be copied and pasted below. You know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
I found the specs for their March 15th release this afternoon published on Bluray.com, and it's nothing short of spectacular. Though this isn't a favorite of mine by any estimation, I might just have to pick this one up (since I can't get the folks at Scream to answer any of my email requests, not even to put on their mailing list for promotions it would seem). It's an incredible package ("that's what she said"), and I've no doubt that fans might be lining up to purchase a copy of this one.
Details will be copied and pasted below. You know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
Scream Factory has detailed its upcoming Collector's Edition 4K Blu-ray release of Albert Pyun's The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), starring Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, George Maharis, and Richard Lynch. The release will be available for purchase on March 15.
The Sword and the Sorcerer will be available on Blu-ray as well.
Description: Meet Talon, a daring mercenary who conquers castles and dungeons alike with his lethal three-bladed sword. But when Talon learns that he is the prince of a kingdom controlled by an evil sorcerer, he is thrust into the wildest fight of his life. Can Talon rescue the beautiful princess and slay the warlock, or will he fall prey to the black magic of medieval mayhem? Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale and Richard Moll star in this action-packed adventure saga, filled with brutal battles, luscious maidens, savage monsters and more!
Special Features and Technical Specs:
DISC ONE - 4K BLU-RAY
The Sword and the Sorcerer will be available on Blu-ray as well.
Description: Meet Talon, a daring mercenary who conquers castles and dungeons alike with his lethal three-bladed sword. But when Talon learns that he is the prince of a kingdom controlled by an evil sorcerer, he is thrust into the wildest fight of his life. Can Talon rescue the beautiful princess and slay the warlock, or will he fall prey to the black magic of medieval mayhem? Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale and Richard Moll star in this action-packed adventure saga, filled with brutal battles, luscious maidens, savage monsters and more!
Special Features and Technical Specs:
DISC ONE - 4K BLU-RAY
- NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
- NEW Audio Commentary with director Albert Pyun
- Audio/Subtitles:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- NEW Audio Commentary with director Albert Pyun
- NEW Tales of the Ancient Empire – an interview with director Albert Pyun
- NEW A Princess' Tale – an interview with actress Kathleen Beller
- NEW Mightier Than the Sword – an interview with co-writer/co-producer John Stuckmeyer
- NEW Master of the Blade - an interview with editor Marshall Harvey
- NEW The Specialist and the Effects - an interview with special makeup effects artist Allan Apone
- NEW Brothers in Arms – an interview with special effects artists the Chiodo Brothers – Charles, Edward and Stephen
- NEW Dedicated to Jack Tyree, Stuntman – the cast and crew remember stuntman Jack Tyree
- Trailers from Hell – editor Marshall Harvey on The Sword and the Sorcerer
- Theatrical Trailers
- TV Spot
- Still Gallery
- Audio/Subtitles:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature
- Published on
Argh.
One of the things that's truly frustrating about being on the cusp of most entertainment news is that I learn a little bit about a lot of films that, sadly, I've no way of seeing ... well, until they drop onto either a streaming platform I'm familiar with or a distributor I have a relationship with comes calling with a DVD or Bluray. So many of these smaller releases really do look like they might have something to offer audiences; while I'd love to cover them in greater detail, I just don't (yet) have the access to the movers and the shakers who can line me up with some connections. I do work pretty hard at keeping my name and SciFiHistory.Net's presence out there these days, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that I'll eventually make it over that hump.
But -- in any event -- I saw the trailer for 2019's The Long Walk on a competitor's website, and I thought it worthy of sharing here. Apparently, this is a Laotian film that tinkers in some very creative ways with the conventions of the traditional Horror/Ghost Story while also dipping just a bit into the possibilities of time travel. (Haven't I been telling you folks for so long that these genres overlap like you wouldn't believe?) Looking at its IMDB.com citations, the flick has garnered some praise on the festival circuit (sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not so much); and while I didn't find the coming attraction anything Earth-shattering, it still managed to pique my interest just a bit.
So ... trailer is below. You folks know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
One of the things that's truly frustrating about being on the cusp of most entertainment news is that I learn a little bit about a lot of films that, sadly, I've no way of seeing ... well, until they drop onto either a streaming platform I'm familiar with or a distributor I have a relationship with comes calling with a DVD or Bluray. So many of these smaller releases really do look like they might have something to offer audiences; while I'd love to cover them in greater detail, I just don't (yet) have the access to the movers and the shakers who can line me up with some connections. I do work pretty hard at keeping my name and SciFiHistory.Net's presence out there these days, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that I'll eventually make it over that hump.
But -- in any event -- I saw the trailer for 2019's The Long Walk on a competitor's website, and I thought it worthy of sharing here. Apparently, this is a Laotian film that tinkers in some very creative ways with the conventions of the traditional Horror/Ghost Story while also dipping just a bit into the possibilities of time travel. (Haven't I been telling you folks for so long that these genres overlap like you wouldn't believe?) Looking at its IMDB.com citations, the flick has garnered some praise on the festival circuit (sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes not so much); and while I didn't find the coming attraction anything Earth-shattering, it still managed to pique my interest just a bit.
So ... trailer is below. You folks know what to do.
As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
- Published on
Many in academia have credited Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) as the first Horror film of the modern era.
Far be it from me to dispute the status of the legendary film, but what has always impressed me about that singular tale is its setting: the quaint, rural, and roadside Bates Motel. In the era of its production, such destinations rich in off-the-beaten-path Americana weren’t regarded as being locations involving such horrific circumstance. Certainly, there were press accounts of seedy dealings that no doubt took place in such spots, but these road stops were largely considered safe havens from the evils of the big city or the sprawling interstate. The average individual likely considered himself safe spending the night there, and it’s this narrative juxtaposition that gives Psycho its enduring punch.
Since those days, our society has evolved. While hotels and motels are still out there for the traveling consumer, venues like bread-and-breakfast’s (BnB’s) have popped up with local homeowners renting out a room (or three) to weary tourists wishing for a more homegrown event. Just this past year the wifey and I reached well outside our comfort zone and booked our first Airbnb – an entire (small) residence for our use on a holiday season excursion. I’ll admit that it felt a bit odd, at first, staying in what clearly was someone else’s dwelling (when they were in town), but it was infinitely more relaxing having that kind of leg room to call your own … for a few days, at least.
Because such places are becoming a favorite amongst diehard travelers, there’s been an incredible sub-economy grow out of the hospitality industry, one taking advantage of the technology available to all of us via social media. Lodgers will travel to these stops, they’ll spend a few days, and then they’ll share their review publicly for all to see. Lo and behold, these influencers (as they’re called) have been able to turn that singular passion of theirs into their day jobs as Silicon Valley has given every reviewer and storyteller a means to monetize these videos for profit. Yes, I’m oversimplifying the amount of work required to be successful, but rest assured that – right now – there are people doing this for a living … and many of them have never been happier.
Well, 2021’s Superhost cleverly meshes the new (Airbnb) with the old (Hitchcock’s film) to come up with a dynamic renovation on the old formula. This Old House? Meet MTV Cribs! With blood! It has thrills, chills, and spills aplenty; and it all comes together with three great performances of some young leads with even a little bit extra thrown in by way by a fourth performer who just happens to be one of the vanguard performers of modern horror.
Are you ready to check in?
Far be it from me to dispute the status of the legendary film, but what has always impressed me about that singular tale is its setting: the quaint, rural, and roadside Bates Motel. In the era of its production, such destinations rich in off-the-beaten-path Americana weren’t regarded as being locations involving such horrific circumstance. Certainly, there were press accounts of seedy dealings that no doubt took place in such spots, but these road stops were largely considered safe havens from the evils of the big city or the sprawling interstate. The average individual likely considered himself safe spending the night there, and it’s this narrative juxtaposition that gives Psycho its enduring punch.
Since those days, our society has evolved. While hotels and motels are still out there for the traveling consumer, venues like bread-and-breakfast’s (BnB’s) have popped up with local homeowners renting out a room (or three) to weary tourists wishing for a more homegrown event. Just this past year the wifey and I reached well outside our comfort zone and booked our first Airbnb – an entire (small) residence for our use on a holiday season excursion. I’ll admit that it felt a bit odd, at first, staying in what clearly was someone else’s dwelling (when they were in town), but it was infinitely more relaxing having that kind of leg room to call your own … for a few days, at least.
Because such places are becoming a favorite amongst diehard travelers, there’s been an incredible sub-economy grow out of the hospitality industry, one taking advantage of the technology available to all of us via social media. Lodgers will travel to these stops, they’ll spend a few days, and then they’ll share their review publicly for all to see. Lo and behold, these influencers (as they’re called) have been able to turn that singular passion of theirs into their day jobs as Silicon Valley has given every reviewer and storyteller a means to monetize these videos for profit. Yes, I’m oversimplifying the amount of work required to be successful, but rest assured that – right now – there are people doing this for a living … and many of them have never been happier.
Well, 2021’s Superhost cleverly meshes the new (Airbnb) with the old (Hitchcock’s film) to come up with a dynamic renovation on the old formula. This Old House? Meet MTV Cribs! With blood! It has thrills, chills, and spills aplenty; and it all comes together with three great performances of some young leads with even a little bit extra thrown in by way by a fourth performer who just happens to be one of the vanguard performers of modern horror.
Are you ready to check in?
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s promotional materials:
“Teddy and Claire are travel vloggers who run a channel called ‘SUPERHOST’ where they travel and share their experiences in and around vacation homes, and until recently, had become successful doing it. With a dwindling subscriber count, they find the perfect opportunity to create content that people want to see when they meet Rebecca, the host of their most recent trip. Slowly they start to realize that something isn’t right with Rebecca, and as they investigate it further, they unlock a horrifying truth. She doesn’t just want a great review, she wants something far worse.”
On its most basic level, Superhost is little more than a Psycho re-imaging. (I don’t say that as an insult; if you’re gonna steal, then steal from the best.) It may not have the depth or the nuance dating back to the work of Anthony Perkins in a role he became known for, but it does cleverly update the story to the modern age by framing it through the eyes of its two narrators: Teddy (played by Osric Chau) and Claire (Sara Canning) star as vloggers racing against time to save both their professional and personal relationships from collapse. Before you know it, they’re joined in a race for their lives, as well, when host Rebecca (Gracie Gillam) turns out to have a thirst for murder if she doesn’t get the attention she feels she and her isolated home deserve.
There’s a bit more of a big reveal surrounding Rebecca and her past (I won’t spoil it) but suffice it to say that she’s clearly disturbed. At first, she appears to be harmlessly quirky, and audiences might think of her perfectly at home as any of the secondary players in either David Lynch’s Twin Peaks or the Coen Brothers’ Fargo. She’s a bit slow on the uptake, taking a few extra seconds to consider what she’s heard. Perhaps she’s even a bit overly dramatic in the manner in which she speaks casually. Indeed, we’ve all likely known someone like dear Rebecca … let’s just hope they weren’t secretly as homicidal as this ‘Superhost’ turns out to be.
As the film’s villain, Gillam cuts from a cloth different than Perkins did in Psycho. Though both had their respective emotional hang-ups, Perkin’s Norman Bates was never effuse, brusque, or loud in any way; he was tall, prim, and exceedingly proper at every opportunity. (Exactly how mother would’ve wanted it, dare I say?) In Gillam’s hands, Rebecca ticks and tocks like a clock on the wall that might be slowly failing. Though her eyes give the impression of one occasionally lost in thought, you’re never quite sure she even heard the question you asked much less is processing the information needed. It’s this coolly calculated unpredictability that makes her character a delight to behold.
From the film’s promotional materials:
“Teddy and Claire are travel vloggers who run a channel called ‘SUPERHOST’ where they travel and share their experiences in and around vacation homes, and until recently, had become successful doing it. With a dwindling subscriber count, they find the perfect opportunity to create content that people want to see when they meet Rebecca, the host of their most recent trip. Slowly they start to realize that something isn’t right with Rebecca, and as they investigate it further, they unlock a horrifying truth. She doesn’t just want a great review, she wants something far worse.”
On its most basic level, Superhost is little more than a Psycho re-imaging. (I don’t say that as an insult; if you’re gonna steal, then steal from the best.) It may not have the depth or the nuance dating back to the work of Anthony Perkins in a role he became known for, but it does cleverly update the story to the modern age by framing it through the eyes of its two narrators: Teddy (played by Osric Chau) and Claire (Sara Canning) star as vloggers racing against time to save both their professional and personal relationships from collapse. Before you know it, they’re joined in a race for their lives, as well, when host Rebecca (Gracie Gillam) turns out to have a thirst for murder if she doesn’t get the attention she feels she and her isolated home deserve.
There’s a bit more of a big reveal surrounding Rebecca and her past (I won’t spoil it) but suffice it to say that she’s clearly disturbed. At first, she appears to be harmlessly quirky, and audiences might think of her perfectly at home as any of the secondary players in either David Lynch’s Twin Peaks or the Coen Brothers’ Fargo. She’s a bit slow on the uptake, taking a few extra seconds to consider what she’s heard. Perhaps she’s even a bit overly dramatic in the manner in which she speaks casually. Indeed, we’ve all likely known someone like dear Rebecca … let’s just hope they weren’t secretly as homicidal as this ‘Superhost’ turns out to be.
As the film’s villain, Gillam cuts from a cloth different than Perkins did in Psycho. Though both had their respective emotional hang-ups, Perkin’s Norman Bates was never effuse, brusque, or loud in any way; he was tall, prim, and exceedingly proper at every opportunity. (Exactly how mother would’ve wanted it, dare I say?) In Gillam’s hands, Rebecca ticks and tocks like a clock on the wall that might be slowly failing. Though her eyes give the impression of one occasionally lost in thought, you’re never quite sure she even heard the question you asked much less is processing the information needed. It’s this coolly calculated unpredictability that makes her character a delight to behold.
As you can guess, writer/director Brandon Christensen puts these three players eventually at odds with one another, and it’s a process that takes some reasonable screen time. Claire sees Rebecca’s eccentricities as something she and Teddy can exploit for their vlog: perhaps this confused young homeowner can generate some increased traffic to their website, thus pushing the couple back into the internet limelight they’ve previously enjoyed. Begrudgingly, Teddy concedes, but he does so largely because he’s intent on making Claire happy again. She’s fallen on bad spirits, much of it tied to the results of their internet show, and he’s intent on saving their partnership before that falls apart as well. In fact, he has big plans for this trip – ones that include a ring and a proposal – and he’s learned well in advance the truth in that old saying, “happy wife, happy life.”
All of that said, Superhost is no complicated character study. I think Teddy, Claire, and Rebecca intersect in exactly the way anyone watching expects, and Christensen utilizes an effective blue-color approach to knowing what to reveal when and how much tension to ratchet as a result. Essentially, what audiences get here is everything one expects from a visual and vicarious thrill ride: you know it won’t be long before blood is spilled, and the excitement is trying to figure out which ill-timed decision is going to be the one that causes Rebecca’s psyche to finally crack so that she can show her true colors. Though I left the film with a few small questions, none of these open ends impeded me from enjoying the story whatsoever. Sure, a bit more may’ve been nice, but you get what you get when you purchase your ticket.
Like Psycho, Superhost also makes the best of its storied location. Rebecca’s house is an idyllic cottage in the forest – the perfect romantic escape for a young couple – one that could’ve easily been ripped from the pages of any travel magazine promoting storied destinations. Though it isn’t a haunted house, the lodge gradually becomes another character as its various corners slowly reveal state-of-the-art in-home video surveillance, a door with an ever benign ‘do not enter’ sign, and a main bathroom’s toilet with the grimmest clog imaginable. Its sparsely decorated walls and its perfectly clean floors are veritable canvasses just waiting to be filled by something. Rarely has emptiness felt so sterile yet oppressive.
Also, I’d be remiss if I failed to point out that Superhost brings in one of Horror’s more celebrated players in a small role: scream queen Barbara Crampton shows up as a homeowner with an axe to grind (well, not literally, bad choices of words?) against Teddy and Claire. It would seem their internet expose into her lodging has left her in dire straits, and she shows up seeking to extract her own form of retribution on the young couple. It’s a fabulous misdirect on Christensen’s part: casting Crampton (a pretty big name in Horror, mind you) served up a great curveball. I was honestly watching closely for this story to go in a completely different direction once I saw her onscreen, but can you guess my surprise when she … oh, wait … I won’t spoil that, either.
Lastly, I’d also be remiss if I failed to report that the picture has been the recipient of some great praise while appearing on the festival circuit. In 2021, the flick scored the ‘Best Feature Film’ award from Miami’s Popcorn Frights Film Festival. Also in 2021, Christensen took home the ‘Best Director’ award and Clayton Moore snagged the ‘Best Cinematography’ trophy from the Sin City Horror Fest. Hats off to a job well done.
All of that said, Superhost is no complicated character study. I think Teddy, Claire, and Rebecca intersect in exactly the way anyone watching expects, and Christensen utilizes an effective blue-color approach to knowing what to reveal when and how much tension to ratchet as a result. Essentially, what audiences get here is everything one expects from a visual and vicarious thrill ride: you know it won’t be long before blood is spilled, and the excitement is trying to figure out which ill-timed decision is going to be the one that causes Rebecca’s psyche to finally crack so that she can show her true colors. Though I left the film with a few small questions, none of these open ends impeded me from enjoying the story whatsoever. Sure, a bit more may’ve been nice, but you get what you get when you purchase your ticket.
Like Psycho, Superhost also makes the best of its storied location. Rebecca’s house is an idyllic cottage in the forest – the perfect romantic escape for a young couple – one that could’ve easily been ripped from the pages of any travel magazine promoting storied destinations. Though it isn’t a haunted house, the lodge gradually becomes another character as its various corners slowly reveal state-of-the-art in-home video surveillance, a door with an ever benign ‘do not enter’ sign, and a main bathroom’s toilet with the grimmest clog imaginable. Its sparsely decorated walls and its perfectly clean floors are veritable canvasses just waiting to be filled by something. Rarely has emptiness felt so sterile yet oppressive.
Also, I’d be remiss if I failed to point out that Superhost brings in one of Horror’s more celebrated players in a small role: scream queen Barbara Crampton shows up as a homeowner with an axe to grind (well, not literally, bad choices of words?) against Teddy and Claire. It would seem their internet expose into her lodging has left her in dire straits, and she shows up seeking to extract her own form of retribution on the young couple. It’s a fabulous misdirect on Christensen’s part: casting Crampton (a pretty big name in Horror, mind you) served up a great curveball. I was honestly watching closely for this story to go in a completely different direction once I saw her onscreen, but can you guess my surprise when she … oh, wait … I won’t spoil that, either.
Lastly, I’d also be remiss if I failed to report that the picture has been the recipient of some great praise while appearing on the festival circuit. In 2021, the flick scored the ‘Best Feature Film’ award from Miami’s Popcorn Frights Film Festival. Also in 2021, Christensen took home the ‘Best Director’ award and Clayton Moore snagged the ‘Best Cinematography’ trophy from the Sin City Horror Fest. Hats off to a job well done.
Superhost (2021) was produced by Superchill. DVD distribution (for this particular release) is being coordinated by Shudder and RLJE Films. As for the technical specifications, I watched this one via streaming, and I experienced no loss of image or sound from start-to-finish. As for the special features? Again, my access was only for the film, but the promotional materials list that the Bluray will be loaded with a director’s commentary, some behind-the-scenes shorts, bloopers, and a few other niceties. A nice collection, if you can get your hands on them!
Highly recommended.
I find it refreshing when films deliver on the promises they make, and – in that respect – I suppose one might argue that Superhost played it a bit too safe, a bit too conventional, and maybe even a bit too predictable. Still, all of this works well because it’s pure showmanship exquisitely crafted from start-to-finish. It’s concocted with just enough panache from its creative ensemble. I didn’t sweat such small stuff. I’m came for the weekend, and I – unlike others – got out with my life. Sometimes, that’s enough. Plus, I guess I’m a sucker for good cynicism and am thankfully still young enough to enjoy a classic movie line like, “I’m not a hero. I’m a vlogger.” Well delivered, Osric Chau. Well done.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at RLJE Films provided me with a complimentary streaming link for Superhost (2021) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Highly recommended.
I find it refreshing when films deliver on the promises they make, and – in that respect – I suppose one might argue that Superhost played it a bit too safe, a bit too conventional, and maybe even a bit too predictable. Still, all of this works well because it’s pure showmanship exquisitely crafted from start-to-finish. It’s concocted with just enough panache from its creative ensemble. I didn’t sweat such small stuff. I’m came for the weekend, and I – unlike others – got out with my life. Sometimes, that’s enough. Plus, I guess I’m a sucker for good cynicism and am thankfully still young enough to enjoy a classic movie line like, “I’m not a hero. I’m a vlogger.” Well delivered, Osric Chau. Well done.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at RLJE Films provided me with a complimentary streaming link for Superhost (2021) by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review; and their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ