Some Dude Reviews Movies

Capitalism kills creativity.  Let's say you have a passing-clever independent horror film that proves to be profitable and critically lauded. What's to do? Fast track a sequel and squeeze that cash cow for everything it's worth until no more dollars can be be squeezed, of course! There will be no time for clever writing; there will only be time to retread elements from the first film. There will be no character depth; there will only be cardboard standees where characters used to be. We don't have time for nuance, the sequel needs to be out next year! Anyway, I saw Happy Death Day 2 U (2019).  I. What Is It? Did you see the first one? It's like that, but with a time machine. Yes. A time machine. II. Much Ado You wouldn't think a movie would need to try this hard to justify its own existence, but here we are. The first film, Happy Death Day (2017), was a unique spin on the horror-comedy, subverting elements of the slasher sub-ge

Hulu decided to get into the Anthology Show craze in an interesting way. They partnered with Blumhouse to create Into the Dark , a series of mini horror features themed around holidays. I was interested, but never enough to really give it a shot. And then October rolled around and I needed to fill a slot on my Spooky Movie Month playlist. So, after perusing the selection of episodes, there are currently 12, I decided on "Culture Shock." I. What Is It? This is the story of Marisol Ramirez (Martha Higareda) and her attempt to cross the American border. This is the story of people looking for the American Dream. It's also the story of those trying to keep others from finding it. II. Horror is Political The best horror is horror with an agenda. It's horror with something to say. Blood and guts are dressing: real horror comes from reflecting our anxieties and fears back to us. "Culture Shock" is about the border. It uses a bit of

Jack Nicholson's Joker was iconic. Mark Hamill's Joker haunted my childhood. I was in college when Heath Ledger played the part and changed the standard we have for performances in comic book movies. I remember the hubbub when he was cast, and I remember warming to the development with curiosity. And being blown away in the theater when I finally saw the finished product. We don't talk about Jared Leto. When WB announced they'd be making a Joker origin story movie, a lot of people groaned. But I was quietly hopeful. Hopeful that they'd allow it to go as deep and dark as some of Snyder and Azzarello and Moore's writing has gone in the comics. Then they cast Joaquin Phoenix, and the hype was palpable. And then came the controversy about incels and violence and mental health. I tried to stay away from those discussions and approach the film with a blank slate. With zero expectations. So, here we go.  I. What Is It? This is

Apparently there is a movie based on the Ouija board game. It's called Ouija (2014). I did not watch it. But a couple years after THAT movie, a sequel was released, because, ya know, why not? I didn't see that one, either. But the reviews were fairly positive. Better-than-the-original positive. Actually-a-decent-movie positive. I took note, but quickly forgot all about it. And then a few years ago I found the works of Mike Flanagan. And I fell in love with his style and his brand of spooky. I watched as many of his films as I could get my hands on. And ya know what? That Ouija board sequel movie? It was co-written, edited and directed by one Mike Flanagan. So of course I watched it.  Just in time to kick off my October Spooky Movie Marathon. I. What Is It? This is the story of a single mother and her two daughters, trying to make a living in 1967 Los Angeles. But then a game of Ouija awakens a slumbering evil, and the family will be thrust