Remote Viewing: Slasher - Season 5: Ripper

 The series Slasher is back with its Fifth season. Originally on Netflix, the fourth and current seasons are now on Shudder. The subtitle for this one is Ripper.

In late 19th Century Toronto, a murder of a young woman reminiscent of the Ripper era crimes is committed. Twelve years later a figure in black widow's garb begins committing a series of brutal murders of individuals who may have had something to do with the earlier crime and the coverup and framing of an innocent man. A young police detective assigned to the case is having difficulty trying to convince his superior that he may have evidence, but he is being blocked by the political and social elite of the city.

As with the previous season streamed on Shudder, which dealt with a family turning on each other to inherit a fortune, this series is more brutal and violent than the earlier Netflix episodes. If blood and gore disturb you then I would pass on this.

One of the interesting things about the series is that like American Horror Story actors often return in later seasons playing completely different characters. A villain in one series might return the next as a suspect or innocent victim. For instance, Christopher Jacot (Eureka, Going the Distance) and Paula Brancati (Being Erica, Dark Oracle) have been in every season.

Gory and realistic practical effects really push this over the top. There are some sexual situations implied in the first two episodes, the only ones I've seen.

 

Remote Viewing: Cunk on Earth (2022) British TV series

 In Cunk on Earth, streaming on Netflix, Actress/Writer Diane Morgan portrays Philomena Cunk the narrator/host of a program on world history. Think of the "journalists" on The Daily Show doing their interviews with unsuspecting subjects, who probably don't get the joke.

If the professors and experts that Cunk interviews are in on the joke they do so with perfectly straight faces. For example, Cunk asks an expert on music how Beethoven could have written his symphonies as he was dead in later life. When she is corrected that she must mean 'deaf' Cunk pulls out a note from her producer which says he was dead.

I have had to pause and go back several times per episode since Morgan is just so funny and her complete lack of knowledge or interest in most topics is a delight. There are several running gags and her referencing friends, family, and ex-boyfriends make me smile.

Given all this, it really is a fascinating quick overview of world history. Fair warning, the show is VERY British and perhaps a bit too Liberal for some folks, as the program does take aim at various political, religious, and social topics. The pokes at early Christianity and Islam might really tick off some folks, but I found them LOL funny.

Morgan has played the character previously and even wrote a book, Cunk on Everything. 

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.