Movies were a bit on the lighter side (in number, not genre!) this month thanks to a couple of Netflix docu-series. I'll be making up for it next month when Salem Horror Fest rolls around and I plan on taking in as many flicks as possible.
Streaming
Sure, there's a couple filler/adventure-of-the-week episodes but there's also some really great ones that tie into the greater galactic story. And there's one that was so good that Mrs Dex, knowing nothing about the series, really enjoyed.
This docuseries explores the Malaysian flight that went missing in 2014. It's
more than a little freaky to think with all our tech that a plane full of
people could vanish leaving behind very little evidence as to what happened.
There's
plenty of theories out there
but we may never know.
Don't Pick Up the Phone (2023, Netflix)
Sounds like a horror movie and I'm sure for the victims, it was. I can't
believe this person got managers to strip search employees over the phone
while impersonating a police officer. Mostly, I can't believe people went
along with it. Don't want to watch the documentary? You can
read the wiki page
on it.
Movies
While "serial killer murders women at the behest of voices in his head" is an
accurate summary, this one just gets stranger as the voices get louder and we
see what may or may not be just in his head. Very enjoyable with great performances, worth
it for the visuals alone.
Rating: 8/10
I know the first one is not high art but this just felt extremely juvenile
even though it's basically an hour long requel (remake but in the same
continuity). I have to presume Tubi edited this somewhat because how do you
even make this movie without gratuitous nudity? Original stars Brinke Stevens
(directing!) and Michelle Bauer return in cameo alongside another 80s horror
icon, Kelli Maroney. I haven't checked out much of what Full Moon is doing
these days but what I have seems like it's required to be stoned to watch it.
Stick with the original!
Rating: 3/10
Maybe I'm weird (Maybe?) but I enjoy finding movies that are uncomfortable for
me to watch, but in a good way. I feel like I've seen "Crazy Babysitter Wants
to be the New Mommy" before but not done like this. Each of the main
characters have their own mental issues and it's like watching cars unaware
they're all speeding into the same 4-way intersection with no stop signs.
Rating: 8/10
Starring the little brother from Girl Meets World (who is great!), this may be
an uncomfortable watch for some with its themes of childhood bullying. It's a
little uneven in places but the performances and kid's interactions with
the....thing more than make up for it.
Rating: 7/10
LL Cool J may be goin back to Cali but I'm goin back to Woodsboro for a
refresher.
Also, I really like Pluto's live channels but watching something on demand
there's ads every 10 minutes and it's the same 5 ads over and over and
over. If you lose your place and need to fast forward? It stops you for
every commercial break on the way! Ugh!
This may be very much stuck in the 90s but I still love it. That opening scene
is still one of my top scenes in all of horror. I don't know how many times I
watched this after it came out but coming back to it after 20+ years was like
getting together with old friends. It's smart about how aware/self-referential
it is about itself and doesn't overdo it (see below) I love that the killer is
a regular person that can take hits and gets knocked around.
Rating: 8/10
Unlike the original, I only saw the others once when they came out. They tried
to recapture the magic but if they hadn't rushed it (and had to do rewrites
after the script leaked online) it might have been a better movie for me. It
ups the body count slightly but most of them are forgettable characters. And
when I start thinking about the logic of things, like how did the makers of the Stab movie perfectly recreate Drew's scene when no one was alive to recount it, it means the
movie isn't keeping me entertained. I felt like there was a lot that happened
because it had to in order for the movie to work and not because it was good story telling. I know these are basically slasher movies but as you can
see, I hold the original pretty high.
Rating: 6/10
And this the point where the self-awareness collapses in on itself and it
basically becomes a self parody, PG-13 Scooby-Doo episode. Maybe it's because Williamson didn't write
the finale of his intended trilogy. Casting Drew in the original was genius
but they drop way too many celebs in this one. Not sure which pulled me
out of the movie more: Jay and Silent Bob or Carrie Fisher, at least she was
funny. The "surprise" of how this ties in to the series feels like it was made
up on the spot because they needed something to finish the movie.
Rating: 5/10
Month Total
New: 4 Rewatch: 3
Year to Date Total
New: 24 Rewatch: 3
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