The Scalphunters

The Scalphunters (Tubi) is a 1968 Western film starring Burt Lancaster, Ossie Davis, Shelley Winters, Telly Savalas, and Dabney Coleman (who died earlier this month). It was directed by Sydney Pollack. It's fine, the cast is good, I won't ever watch it again.

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*******

The Frighteners

The Frighteners (Tubi) is a 1996 supernatural comedy horror film directed by Peter Jackson and starring Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin, Dee Wallace Stone, Jeffrey Combs, R. Lee Ermey and Jake Busey. I'm here for Jeffrey Combs. I'm always ready to watch Jeffrey Combs. It gets mostly positive reviews, and I particularly like the comedic elements.

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*******

I, Pastafari

I, Pastafari (Tubi) is a 2019 documentary film featuring members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as they practice and campaign politically, legally and socially to obtain the same privileges and legal exemptions granted to other religions. Tennessee is featured in one section. Fascinating. I remember all this from its 2005 beginnings, and it's interesting to see how the movemwnt has developed. I'm in sympathy with them, as I favor no religious exemptions for any reason. Make rules that apply to everybody.

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*******

The Golem (2018)

The Golem (Amazon Prime) is a 2018 Israeli period supernatural horror film based on the Jewish legend of the same name. The film's creators felt that the legend had not been properly developed into a film since the 1951 version. I enjoy movies based on the folklore of other cultures, and this one is definitely a good addition to that genre. Critics like it.

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The Marvels

The Marvels (Disney+) is a 2023 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics. I am not a fan, though most critics seemed to like this one. Maybe I'm just tiring of the superheroes... It did win a couple of awards.

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*******

Marlowe (2022)

Marlowe (Amazon Prime) is a 2022 neo-noir crime thriller film based on the 2014 novel The Black-Eyed Blonde by John Banville. The film stars Liam Neeson as private detective Philip Marlowe, a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler, and features Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alan Cumming, Francois Arnaud, Ian Hart, Danny Huston, Daniela Melchior and Colm Meaney. Critics weren't kind, but I liked it. That said, it won't go on my re-watch list. Colm Meaney is always the bright spot in any movie he's in.

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*******

Bagdad Cafe

Bagdad Cafe (Amazon Prime) is a 1987 award-winning English-language West German film starring Marianne Sägebrecht, CCH Pounder, and Jack Palance,. It is a comedy-drama set in a remote truck stop and motel in the Mojave Desert in the U.S. state of California. Inspired by Carson McCullers' novella The Ballad of the Sad Café (1951), the film centers on two women who have recently separated from their husbands, and the blossoming friendship that ensues. This is delightful. I can't recommend it enough. See this film!

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*******

The Great Wall (2016)

The Great Wall (Netflix) is a 2016 monster film directed by Zhang Yimou. An American and Chinese co-production starring Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, and Andy Lau, the plot centers on two European mercenary warriors (Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal) imprisoned by imperial Chinese forces within the Great Wall of China after arriving in search of gunpowder, eventually joining forces with the Chinese to help combat an alien threat. The Great Wall is Zhang's first English-language film. And now we know what the Great Wall was really for. Great fun! I'd happily watch this again.

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*******

Day Shift (2022)

Day Shift (Netflix) is a 2022 comedy horror action film starring Jamie Foxx as a blue-collar father whose pool-cleaning job is a cover for his work as a vampire hunter. This was a lot of fun.

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Nobody will ever mistake it for a cinematic masterpiece, but you can't go wrong here for a bit of mindless and lighthearted horror entertainment.

*******

Wonka (2023)

Wonka (Max) is a 2023 musical fantasy comedy film that tells the origin story of Willy Wonka, a character in the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, depicting his early days as a chocolate maker. I was expecting not to like this one and was pleasantly surprised. It gets mostly positive critic reviews.

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*******

South Pacific

South Pacific (Amazon Prime, Tubi) is a 1958 romantic musical film based on the 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, which in turn is loosely based on James A. Michener's 1947 short-story collection Tales of the South Pacific. The film, directed by Joshua Logan, stars Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr and Ray Walston. This movie made a big impression on me when I was young, and I've always loved it. I re-watch it occasionally.

It looks like you can watch it here via YouTube:

*******

Frightmare (1981)

Frightmare (Tubi) is a 1983 American supernatural slasher film notable for being Jeffrey Combs' horror film acting debut. He is a favorite here. The film's plot follows a group of drama students who decide to kidnap the corpse of a recently deceased horror movie star. By disrupting his tomb, they unwittingly release an ancient black magic that begins consuming them one by one. This is a fun low-budget horror flick. And you can't go wrong with Jeffrey Combs!

You can watch it here via YouTube:

*******

Sister Act

Sister Act (Disney+) is a 1992 musical crime comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer forced to join a convent after being placed in a witness protection program. It also features Maggie Smith and Harvey Keitel. I re-watch this one every once in a while and get a kick out of it every time.

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*******

El Conde

El Conde (Netflix) is a 2023 Chilean black comedy horror film, a satire that portrays Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet as a 250-year-old vampire seeking death. This one is great fun. Definitely different.

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*******

Wolf (1994)

Wolf is a 1994 romantic horror film directed by Mike Nichols and starring Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Spader, Kate Nelligan, Richard Jenkins, Christopher Plummer, Eileen Atkins, David Hyde Pierce, and Om Puri. The music was composed by Ennio Morricone. If you like werewolf movies, which I do, this is a good one. Not currently available free that I can find.

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*******

Tales from the Crypt (1972)

Tales from the Crypt is a 1972 horror anthology film based on short stories from the EC Comics series Tales from the Crypt. Five strangers in a crypt encounter the mysterious Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson), who makes each person in turn foresee the manner of their death. It gets good reviews and is fun to watch.

You can watch it online here via YouTube:

*******

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Little Shop of Horrors is a 1986 American horror comedy musical film directed by Frank Oz. It is an adaptation of the 1982 off-Broadway musical of the same name, which is itself an adaptation of the 1960 film The Little Shop of Horrors by director Roger Corman. I don't see this free anywhere. That's a real shame. It gets positive reviews, and I got a kick out of it. It's hilarious!

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*******

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)

The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (Amazon Prime) is a 1976 cross-genre film directed by Nicolas Gessner and starring Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith, Mort Shuman, and Scott Jacoby. The plot focuses on 13-year-old Rynn Jacobs (Foster), a child whose absent poet father and secretive behaviours prod the suspicions of her conservative small-town neighbours, and her busy-body landlady's creepy son (Sheen). This one is worth watching, though because there are sooo many movies I probably won't ever watch it again.

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Viking Wolf

Viking Wolf (Netflix) is a 2022 Norwegian horror/thriller film about a teenage girl who is bitten by a werewolf. It got mixed reviews. I liked it but probably won't watch it again.

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*******

Happy Mother's Day!

It's been a very strange year for me, and I haven't been active on my blog for months. (My Facebook life is busier, as I can do that on my phone. Note to CJ: I can access FB messenger now 😜)

My daughter, her husband, and their wonderful baby are all doing well. This baby is, of course, the best baby ever ❤️. Being a granny would be a lot more fun if i weren't sooo far away, but she's giving me daily updates with photos and videos and that helps. We're planning to drive up there and spend a week late this summer or maybe in September. 

I crashed and burned self-care-wise this year, and my recent doctor visit illustrated that fact. I haven't exercised at all, haven't eaten right, haven't taken any of my supplements, haven't worn my weight vest... You get the idea. I've turned over a new leaf now, though, and hope to see improvements. My doctor wants one of my lab tests re-done this week and all the others in six months. We'll see. I would really love to avoid prescription medications.

That said, I hope to get back to my blog and y'all's. I've missed everybody.

*******

Jacob's Ladder

Jacob's Ladder (Amazon Prime) is a 1990 psychological horror film starring Tim Robbins as Jacob Singer, an American infantryman whose experiences before and during his service in Vietnam result in strange, fragmentary visions and bizarre hallucinations that continue to haunt him. As his ordeal worsens, Jacob desperately attempts to figure out the truth. A powerful film. I couldn't look away.

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Reviews were mostly positive, including that of Roger Ebert.