Remote Viewing: Blood Relatives (2022)

 Blood Relatives (2022) is available on AMC+ and Shudder. This was nominated for a Chainsaw Award for Best First Feature. Noah Segan (Knives Out, Glass Onion) co-stars with Victoria Morales (Teen Wolf series).

Francis is a Jewish vampire living off the grid, driving around the country in his car. Over a hundred years old, he rarely makes connections. One day, while staying at a motel, a teenage girl knocks on his door and reveals herself to be the daughter of a woman with whom Francis slept about fifteen years before. When her mother passed away, Jane used the stories her mother had told her about this man and she was able to track him down. While Francis and Jane travel to her only surviving relative, they begin to bond.

A horror/comedy, with a growing relationship between father and daughter. Scenes of the killings, some accidental, and Jane learning her abilities are a lot of fun. No real scares, but some blood. Things wrap up, but things remain open that could hint at a sequel.

A pleasant film and only around 90 minutes.

Popcorn for One: Champions (2023)

 Last night's Regal Mystery Movie was Champions (2023) with Woody Harrelson and Kaitlin Olson. This is a remake of the Spanish film, Campeones (2018).

Marcus, a former professional basketball coach, has lost a number of past positions due to his bad temper. He's currently asst. coach for a minor league team but is fired after a DUI arrest. Also, his assault on the head coach has gone viral thanks to an ESPN video. He is given the choice of 18 months in prison or 90 days of community service, coaching a basketball team of intellectually disabled adults.

The young actors all do have disabilities and are wonderful in their roles. Several of them have backstories that are discussed in the film, yet it's the friendships and affection for each other that make us grow fond of them. The movie was made with the cooperation of the Special Olympics.

I haven't seen the original Spanish film, but if you watch the trailer (available on IMDB.com) you'll see that director Bobby Farrelly (both Dumb and Dumber films, There's Something About Mary) has taken some scenes from the original film, with minor changes. Not knocking him, as those scenes are very funny and the audience I was with was laughing.

The ending is a bit different than I had expected, but still a delight. Also, we get to see the cast enjoying themselves during the credits and there is a brief, what appears to be, brief outtake post credit. Plus, while he doesn't have a big role, it's always nice to see Cheech Marin.

 

Remote Viewing: Red Rose (2022, British)

 I've watched the first three episodes of Red Rose (2022) a British TV series that ran for 8 episodes. It's currently available on Netflix. It has elements of horror but is mostly a teen drama of social media bullying and how people are affected by suicide. If that is a trigger, be warned that the series is very intense.

The series starts with the suicide of a young girl, who appears to be having visions. It then changes to a group of friends celebrating the end of the exams and a summer break. Roch is beginning to feel estranged from her friend Wren, so downloads a social media app, Red Rose which promises to change her life. The app begins to change the relationship that Roch is having with all her friends and eventually with tragic results.

Some scares but the real story are how the remaining friends try to deal with the mystery of the app and who/what might be behind it. As I've said, if suicide and bullying are subjects that may be too much for you give this show a pass. Well acted and chilling. 

Review: The Boy Who Conquered a Mountain (Graphic Novel)

 The Boy Who Conquered a Mountain (2021) Written and created by Jonathan Chance with art by Emilio Utrera was published by Virus/Heavy Metal.

In early 17th Century Japan, young Kaleb fails in his attempt to become a student of the Rising Sun ninja school. Ridiculed by the older students he returns home but has dreams of coming danger to his village.  When a volcanic eruption occurs all the members of the school, who defended the village, have failed to return after an earlier mission to the mountain. It is discovered that all the children of the village have also disappeared while the buildings burned. 

With no one in authority left, Kaleb takes his horse and rides to the mountain, despite his fear of heights. There he must try to save the children and fight the creature that came from the volcano, killing everything in the surrounding countryside. 

Done in a style that takes influences from manga, the story deals with coming to grips with your own doubts and fears. Overcoming your faults to protect others and acting as an adult in spite of your age. 

A nice done in one story, that leaves room for possible sequels. 

My recent comic picks 2/19/23

Popcorn for One: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

 Saw Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) today. I think the magic is gone from the MCU, not that the film was bad, but it didn't excite me like so many of the earlier films did.

Scott, Hope, Hank, Janet, and Cassie are drawn into the Quantum realm then Cassie activates a beacon that she and Hank had hoped to use to map the dimension. We learn what happened to Janet during the thirty years she was trapped there and how she met Kang. Now the ruler of the dimension, Kang needs Scott to aid him in escaping.

For me, the first two Ant-Man films were novel in that they dealt with smaller events, with the characters active in our world. While there were some amazing effects and exciting battles, it felt like it was too grand for the characters we got to know in the previous films.

The movie wasn't boring, but it just didn't pull me in except for a few scenes. I watched the film in regular 2-D, and don't feel I missed much.

There is a mid-credit scene, that I think you'd need to be a real Marvel fan of the old school to be excited by when two characters, really capture the look of the Kirby style. The end-credit scene is more of a teaser of an upcoming Marvel/Disney + series.

Popcorn for One: Missing (2023)

 I skipped the Super Bowl, as I didn't care about either team and went to the movies instead.

Missing (2023) stars Storm Reid (Euphoria, A Wrinkle in Time) as June, a young woman trying to find her mother who appears to have been abducted.

June, raised by a single mother, resents the fact that her mother seems overly controlling and would rather spend time on social media than have a mother/daughter relationship. Her mother and her new boyfriend go to Columbia for several days and when she doesn't return as scheduled June begins a frantic search for her, when authorities in the States and Columbia seem unwilling or unable to help her. Using her social media skills and with the assistance of a Columbian man, she begins to fear that this may have been part of a scam and abduction.

Not the first film to do this, much of the screen is filled with the various windows June has open on her computer and phone, as her investigation continues. There is also a twist at the end that I didn't see coming, but maybe a smarter viewer would have picked up on it earlier.

June starts out as rather unlikable at the start, but we see her grow and adapt as the various plots come together and the mystery begins to unravel. A decent mystery that had me interested throughout, with a very tense ending.

 

Remote Viewing: Death of a Vlogger (2019, United Kingdom)

 Death of a Vlogger (2019, UK) is streaming on several services, with or without ads depending. A 'found footage' film, with "interviews" with those involved in the case.

Graham is a popular vlogger, with thousands of followers. Most of his stuff involves pranks or just stories of his life. One day, following eye surgery, his recording seems to pick up some unusual events which quickly go viral. After several more incidents, he is approached by another vlogger who does supernatural investigations. Things seem to get stranger and then doubts begin to grow when a skeptic investigator looks into the situation.

Some jump scares and the tension does build, even when you begin to wonder if Graham and his friends are pulling off a scam.

In some ways, it is really an examination of how easily some people can be fooled and the spread of disinformation on social media. The legitimate topic of online addiction is also addressed.

No spoilers but the end can be taken several ways.

 

Remote Viewing: The Devil's Doorway (2018, Ireland)

 The Devil's Doorway (2018, Ireland) is streaming on Tubi. A Found Footage horror film, that has as its center the Catholic institutions/ asylums known as, Magdalene Laundries. Here mentally ill women, girls pregnant out of wedlock, and "fallen women" were sent and had to work the laundries to pay for their food and board. These operated from the 18th through the late 20th Century. Stories of the treatment of the women finally led to their being closed.

In 1960, two priests are sent by the Vatican to document and investigate a possible 'miracle' that may have occurred in one of these institutions in Northern Ireland. The older of the priests freely admits to his skepticism and even spiritual doubts to the younger one, who eagerly hopes for proof of his faith. The younger priest begins to hear sounds and sees things during the night, while it is also discovered that one pregnant girl is being held prisoner in the basement.

A couple of jump scares, but the film really spends more time talking about the ethics of the institution and how the church allows its practices. Cut out the supernatural elements and it's more a political/social examination of how the Catholic church covered up much of the abuse happening at the time.

I enjoy the film for the growing foreboding but also for a realistic look at how the church maintains an almost medieval set of principles as the world changes around it.

 

Remote Viewing: Savageland (2015, US) a mockumentary/horror film

 Savageland (2015, US) is currently free on Tubi, with ads. It is listed on Tubi as a 'mockumentary'. While that might give you the impression that it is a comedy, that's not the case. Whether it uses the tropes of True Crime programs and undead horror to look at social and political issues along the US border, as well as racial prejudice and unequal criminal justice.

One night, over 50+ people, men, women, and children are savagely killed in a small Arizona-Mexico border town. The only survivor, a non-documented Mexican handyman, Carlos Olivares, is arrested and convicted on circumstantial evidence for the entire event. No other suspects were considered by local law enforcement. A short time later, before the trial a roll of film, taken by Carlos the night of the event. It appears to show in the often motion-blurred photos of other individuals attacking the residents and perhaps eating them. The photos were not allowed to be admitted by Defense counsel and claimed by the local sheriff that they were doctored by someone to clear the suspect.

The film uses interviews, "news reports" and a walkthrough of the crime scene, along with some crime scene photos and videos. The thirty-six photos taken by Carlos are also shown. Some of the crime scene photos and photos taken by Carlos are graphic, so be warned

Not your typical horror film, but rather it uses that as a way to look at the history of racism, including the Klan, in Arizona and the attitudes of many in the local area to the border issue. Easy to tell when this was filmed, as we see several photos of the Wall as it then existed.

An interesting film, if perhaps a bit too long over an hour and twenty minutes.

By the way, I didn't recognize him at the time, but the late comics writer Len Wein (Swamp Thing, X-Men, etc.) appears as a character interviewed in the film, according to IMDB.com. Love to know more about that. 

Remote Viewing: Physical: 100 (2023, South Korea)

 Looking for something different from the horror films/series and cooking shows that I spend hours binging I decided to check out the trailer for Physical: 100 a South Korean competition series on Netflix. That convinced me I had to at least catch the first episode. I've just finished binging the first four.

I never got into shows like American Gladiators and similar shows, but this one is amazing. One hundred of the top athletes (pro & amateur) from South Korea were invited to compete to demonstrate the "perfect body type". You've got military personnel, MMA fighters, gymnasts, and bodybuilders all competing in various feats of strength.

Not only do they have to perform physical feats, but in one competition they must go one on one in a 'death match'. They use skill, athletic abilities, and wrestling (in at least one match I've seen two MMA fighters were allowed to follow the rules of that sport). In some cases, men and women compete against each other as the top 50 competitors are allowed to challenge anyone, whether from the top or bottom group.

It's interesting that some of the competitors in the first episode, compare this to Squid Games since they are all competing for a prize of millions of Korean won (their money). The initial qualification challenge, to decide their place in the competition, even reminded me of one of the games in Squid Games, just not as lethal. Add to that the referees, basically there to ensure contestants are following the rules (but never speaking) and as safety folks in some challenges, are masked, looking like ninjas.

The first episode introduces all the competitors and it was fascinating to see how star-struck some were to meet Olympic athletes and World Champions in various sports.

If the first episode doesn't appeal to you then I'm not sure if the rest of the series will be of interest. Just not sure if the 'Death Match' would be something American networks would allow, as these folks literally pull no punches.

The Koreans do it again!

Remote Viewing: Skinamarink (2022, USA)

 I watched the controversial horror film Skinamarink (2022) on Saturday, now streaming on Shudder. Weird is putting it mildly and I had to eventually put on subtitles, as the limited dialogue is often whispered or distorted. This is his first feature-length film, written and directed by Kyle Edward Ball.

Taking place in 1995, two small children decide to sleep downstairs in the living room after their parents go to sleep. The older boy, around 8 yrs old, puts in a VHS tape of old (public domain) cartoons which plays throughout, often you'll hear the soundtrack in the background. They begin hearing sounds and voices, but their parents act oddly and seem to disappear. The voices begin to ask the children to follow them into areas of the house, as windows, doors, and other objects begin to disappear.

Most of the film shows the children only from the back or from the knees down as they walk about the house. We never see the faces of the parents even when they appear in a couple of scenes. Scenes are very dark with light mostly coming from nightlights or flashlights in many scenes. The camera often shoots up toward the ceiling, upper corners, or walls.

I've never seen anything like this, other than some experimental shorts. It's very disturbing, especially as we discover the intentions the voices (spirits?) have toward the children. You never actually see violence but the implications are there.

I actually watched this during the day. I can only imagine that it would be even more effective viewed in a dark room at night or in a theater. I can only recommend this to horror fans who don't need graphic gore or fans of more experimental cinema.

Read reviews from some folks who absolutely hate this film. I'm giving it a 4 out of 5. You will remember it.

 

Popcorn for One: Knock At the Cabin (2023)

 Knock at the Cabin (2023) is directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and is an adaptation of the novel The Cabin at the End of the World' by Paul Tremblay. Talking to a friend who read the novel, Shyamalan changed the ending of the book and also the fate of at least one of the characters.

A gay couple and their young daughter have rented a cabin by a lake to enjoy for a holiday. While there a group of four people breaks into their home demanding that the family must sacrifice themselves to save the world from God's wrath. Events outside the cabin, seen on television seem to prove the visions of the quartet but the two men have their doubts.

Well acted, but with the usual dialogue from the director that doesn't really sound like the way people speak to each other. It's almost a stage play as most of the film, except for the flashbacks and a flash forward, primarily take place in the cabin.

Apparently, the movie goes with a more upbeat ending, while the novel is more open to interpretation with the final pages.

Not the worst from M. Night, but nothing memorable as far as I'm concerned.  

Catching up with my comic picks