I hit the toy aisle at Target about once a week, sometimes there's new stock but it's not what I'm looking for. Shockingly, my local Target got in zero Guardians Legends figures, like there isn't even a hint that they got anything. But, I did have a little squee moment when I spotted this on an endcap.
Dr. Strange is one of my all time favorite comic characters and while I do have the set from his first movie, I couldn't pass up this little set to have another LEGO Strange that I can keep on my desk.
After it opening about two years ago, I finally stopped in to Had That, a toys/collectibles shop in Salem. It's not like it's out of the way, it's only about a 15 minute drive from my house but it became one of those things where you drive by and say "Oh yeah, have to check that out some time" and then you don't. Mrs Dex and I had a day off during the week and were in the area so we decided that was the day.
It's not a large place but it is packed with all kinds of nostalgia! While it's mostly toys, they do have a few short boxes of comics and a display case with the latest Pokemon cards.
For the past five years, Salem has been hosting an annual Horror Fest that's
two weekends of independent horror films and shorts along with a few special
events and celebrity appearances. They get hundreds of submissions from around
the world, somehow narrow them down, and squeeze them into two weekends.
The festival organizer is an amazing trans
woman and Salem is super LGBTQ+ friendly so a lot of the selections feature themes and/or creators that are LGBTQ+. Part of what I love about SHF
is that it gives me the chance to see things that wouldn't usually hit my
radar and that are usually very different from what the big studios are putting out.
Prior years have been virtual which is great because you can watch the movies
on demand on your own schedule. It's not as easy to sit in a theater for
several movies a day, especially when the movies you want to see are back to
back and don't leave time to duck out for a bite. But I have to say, it's so
much more fun to see these movies with an actual audience and to have the chance to chat with other like minded folk!
Welcome the to the first ever two-part Monthly Media Recap! With Salem Horror Fest at the end of April, I had to break up my "regular" viewing and the stuff I saw at the Fest to keep this post from being way too long. I'll chat more about that event next time, so stay tuned.
Streaming
The Mandalorian S3 (2023, Disney+)
If online reactions are anything to go by, it seems people were down on this
season because "Andor ruined Star Wars" for them. To me, that's like biting
into an apple and saying it's a terrible orange. This show has always been
more inline with the original movie where it's a fun space adventure. And it
definitely delivered for me on that level.
I feel like this is the Scream sequel I always wanted sprinkled with a little Se7en and Silence of the Lambs for good measure. It's a good mystery with plenty of red herrings and grisly murders. My only complaint is the opening credits are trying too hard to be American Horror Story. If you enjoy slasher flicks, highly recommend this series!
Murduagh Murders: A Southern Scandal (2023, Netflix)
A scary documentary that shows just how much you can get away with if you know
the right people, or if you are the right people. I watch the occasional crime
documentary and I have never felt as bad for anyone as for the boating
accident victim and her family.
This was so much fun! While it feels like a Marvel movie, I'm okay with it.
Anyone that tells you this isn't serious enough is not someone I want to play
D&D with. It was a real treat to see places I've only read about or
visited in video games on the big screen. And I'm definitely in favor of
cinematic license being taken over strict adherence to the game rules. There's
a cool cameo with some familiar heroes that I'd be shocked if was still a
spoiler to anyone online but won't say anymore. I'm all for more of these even
if it's new characters/stories. I may check out the prequel comic and
novels that are
out.
Spun out of a segment from V/H/S 2, this was a lot of fun! It blends 80s-style kids on an adventure and teen
coming of age with a definitely not for kids alien attack. While the aliens
feel like people in suits, it just adds a little something for me. The
practical effects are pretty well done and definitely gross (in a good way)
Close encounters of the slime kind!
Last month, I mentioned part 3 had too many celebs that took me out of it.
There are some here but when this came out the only one I knew was Hayden
Panettiere so it was fun to see Emma Roberts and Allison Brie popup before I
knew them. This one felt more in line with the original, I liked the cast and
it gave us more blood. Unfortunately, the series is just going on too long.
How many times can you have a copycat killer trying to kill the same person?
Maybe that's part of the joke?
This seems like it took a few pages from the recent Halloween but it works
really well. We finally get some worthy slasher violence! It was a nice
breath of fresh air after the last couple. While I'm interested to see where
it goes from here, I also feel like it's time to hang up the mask. I did enjoy the modern meta movie commentary.
Yep, it's time to hang up the mask and this would be a great place to do it. I liked it a lot up until the killer reveal. This is why the series needs to move on from Sydney/Westboro. I felt it was kind of silly how they had to jump through hoops to tie it to the last one. Also, I know the final girl has to beat the killer but this one feels less of a hero the way she does it. Maybe that will get explored more in a sequel. Otherwise, there were some good kills and a few really great, tense moments.
This was stuck in development hell in the 80s and it feels like something Full
Moon might have done when they were still decent. If you like exposition in
movies, you are in for a treat! The background story feels a little over complicated
and if not for Peter Weller, I think this would be one for the scrap pile.
It's not terrible but it's not great either.
I had a theory as to what this was about and I was way, way off! I'm a little
sad I didn't get to see this in the theater. It's that rare kind of movie that
delivers that ol' movie magic. It had some Shyamalan and King vibes to it but
in the best ways.
I'd like to thank blame the folks at the Halloween is Forever podcast for getting me to watch this so I could listen to them talk about it. The lead actress gave a good performance and I hope she goes on to do something better than this. I'm not sure if I didn't get the plot or if the movie is just that bad. I guess it could be both?
How do you remake a fun creature feature with a bigger budget and ruin it? Take out what made the original fun and re-use as many effects shots as possible from the 17 year old original. Not even the Greatest American Hero and Mila Kunis' screen debut can keep this afloat very long.
Now, this is how you do a remake! Good nods to the original, satisfying kills and some surprises along the way to keep it fresh. It did feel like it cut to credits a little quick at the end but I can forgive it that because I had a good time watching it.
