Remote Viewing: Skyman (2019)

 Watched Skyman (2013), directed and written by Daniel Myrick, writer of the original Blair Witch Project (1999).

Filmmakers are making a documentary on Carl Merryweather (played by Michael Selle: Get Shorty TV series) who claims to have encountered an alien during a famous UFO sighting 30 years earlier. Carl called the alien Skyman and has been ridiculed by neighbors since. He now believes that he had been recently contacted and told that he will have a second visit on his 40th birthday.

His survivalist father had purchased the location where the sighting occurred when he returned from active duty in Vietnam. He returns there on his birthday weekend with his younger sister and best friend, both of whom have doubts but continue to support him.

Not found footage, but made up of 'archival' news reports, home movies, and the video the 'filmmakers' took in the months leading up to the fateful day.

Well acted for such a low-budget project, if perhaps a bit long at just over 90 minutes. A couple of jump scares, but it's Carl's growing paranoia and events that happen at the campground that keeps you interested.

 

Popcorn For One: Paint (2023)

 Last night's Regal Mystery Movie was Paint (2023) with Owen Wilson. It's not the Bob Ross biopic you might think of when you see the trailers. Obviously, the well-known artist, who had an amazing TV career, was an obvious influence. The film is a sweet Rom-Com with gentle humor.

Carl Nargle (Wilson) had been the #1 figure and best-known feature of a small Vermont PBS station for decades. His landscapes and walks made him a popular personality in the area. However, Carl is also a bit of a womanizer and has slept with almost every woman working at the station. He's also caught in a rut and a new younger artist appears to be taking his place.

Probably not a blockbuster, but this is a nice film that will appeal to an audience looking for light humor and a solid cast. I was surprised to see Ciara Renee (Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow) as Ambrosia, the artist who might be replacing Carl in both his professional and personal life.

Don't get up when the credits start, as there is a funny segment that you may or not get depending on your familiarity with another artist.

Also, I broke down and got a trial sub to Peacock, just so I could binge Poker Face with Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll, Orange is the New Black). Seen the first four episodes and absolutely love it. Lyonne is as good as ever and there are cameos by some actors you just might recognize. A decent mystery series, with Lyonne on the run from gangsters, using her ability to tell when people are lying to solve mysteries along the way across the country.

Remote viewing: Followed (2018)

 Followed (2018) is an American Found Footage film, which takes inspiration from the Hotel Cecil in LA and the story of Elisa Lam who was reputed to have been playing the "Elevator Game" prior to her disappearance and death.

Mike is a well-known vlogger, who is attempting to get a sponsorship for his channel by live streaming in a hotel with a reputation for suicides and at one time being the residence of a serial killer over Halloween weekend. He brings along three friends who have experience with cameras, sound equipment, and editing. Mysterious events begin taking place over the next few days, and some secrets are eventually revealed.

We see the video that Mike and his crew took over the weekend which reveals some things of which they are initially unaware.

As usual, with these types of films, the leader is unlikable and badgers their companions to continue even after things begin to turn and others wish to leave. An unnecessary twist is revealed toward the end and it's actually easy to miss it if you aren't using subtitles.

Better acted than many of this subgenre, but the unlikeability of the main character doesn't make it easy to sympathize with him, even toward the end. I'd only recommend it to folks like me who really enjoy Found Footage. Some violence and gore, with practical effects for the most part.

Remote Viewing: Perry Mason (2020) First Season

 I saw that a new season of Perry Mason, with Matthew Rhys, is starting on HBO Max, so I felt it was time to binge the first season. I'd only watched the first episode and forgot about it, so I returned. You can also see the first season on Freevee.

Forget the previous TV series and made-for-TV movies, as this goes back to the original books by Earl Stanley Gardner as inspiration. Liberties have been taken with some of the characters we were familiar with from the Raymond Burr era as well as earlier films and radio dramas.

Mason, a veteran of WWI, is working as an investigator for a defense lawyer, E.B. Jonathan. They have taken the case of a woman, accused of being involved in the alleged kidnapping of her own child, who was murdered during the crime. It becomes apparent that there is more to the case, especially when a well-known Evangelist preacher and her congregation appear to become involved.

Besides Mason, the show's creators (Executive Produced by Robert Downey, Jr. and his wife, who purchased the film rights to the character several years ago), also take inspiration in this first season from the Depression-era faith healer and media celebrity Aimee Semple McPherson.

One delightful part is when Hamilton Burger, here Asst. DA, who is helping Mason tells him that people never confess while on the stand. That is a dig at the way that trick was used in the Burr series, becoming something of a joke.

Well acted with great cinematography. For me, the series really captured the feel of LA in that era, both the good and bad aspects of that period.

 

Remote Viewing: Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022)

 Watched Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022) the fourth film featuring the Creeper character. A lawsuit was filed against the producers of this film as they never received the permission of the original creators to make this "sequel". While there are some scares and plenty of gore, we don't learn enough about the characters, except for Chase & Laine to care.

Chase convinces his girlfriend, Laine, to join him in traveling to the Horror Hound festival in Louisiana. Chase is a horror fan and enjoys watching paranormal videos and films, while Laine is a skeptic, going along to be with him. We learn that this is the twenty-third year since the Creeper's last appearance, and Chase knows about the films based on his murders. We discover that some people living in the area have formed a cult around him.

This is a stinker, not good enough to succeed on its own and not bad enough to be fun. The original three films, especially IMO the first two deserve the cult status they have earned. This follows the Scream idea that the murders were turned into films and the characters are familiar with them.

In the end, there is no reason for the cult to be included and they really serve no purpose except to manipulate the main character to visit the site of the Creepers' home. Also, I was initially confused as this film recreates the original film's opening, but then we learn that it was part of a 'true crime' video that Chase is watching on his phone. Oh, and check out the sunlight streaming through the boarded windows during the scenes taking place after midnight.

Horror Hound is an actual film festival and convention that moves around to various locations in the Midwest, but here is relocated to Louisiana to put into the area where the previous films were located. Also, instead of how the actual event is held in large venues, here it is in the middle of a field and looks more like a poorly maintained carnival attraction.

One fun element is seeing how many folks, including Laine, cosplaying as better-known horror icons.

Remote Viewing: The Belko Experiment (2016)

 Finally watched The Belko Experiment (2016) currently available on Netflix. One of those films inspired by Battle Royale, with this taking place in a corporate office.

One day the employees of the Columbian office of the Belko Corporation are told that they must begin killing each other, with only one survivor allowed. Initially thinking this is a joke, they learn that they have all had small bombs inserted into the backs of their heads. If they don't obey the rules then random people will be killed.

Written by James Gunn. Interesting to see both Michael Rooker and David Dastmalchian years before they appeared together in The Suicide Squad (2021), which was written and directed by Gunn.

Super gory, so be forewarned. The violence is hardcore and graphic. It is easy to guess who the final survivor will be, but otherwise don't get too attached to anyone.

Remote Viewing: The Witch: Part 1, The Subversion ( 2018, South Korean)

 The Witch: Part 1, The Subversion (2018, South Korean)is currently on several streaming services (Peacock, Freevee, and Shutter) Being on Shutter I expected something different from what I got, this is not a straight horror film, but more an action thriller.

A young girl escapes from a mysterious institution where it appears she was brutalized. Found by a farm couple who raise her as their own, after she is released from the hospital. As a teenager, she is talked into auditioning for a televised talent show, where she is seen by the organization that has been seeking her for over a decade. As the mystery unwinds, it appears that there is more to the events than we had thought.

A lot of brutal violence as the story builds. At a bit over two hours there are some slow moments and we are never really sure who we can trust or what their objectives may be. Perhaps a little too much plot as it gets hard to keep things straight. Might have been better served as a limited series.

There is a sequel, The Witch: Part 2, The Other One (2022) which I hope to watch later this week. We get a hint of what it is at the end of the original film.