Last movie you watched 2025

Tonight's movie - Apollo 13, in 4K with Dolby Surround Sound and HDR. By coincidence, I was planning to watch this movie this weekend anyway, but the sad news of Jim Lovell this week makes it more poignant. Haven't seen this movie for about 30 years, so was a little unsure as to whether it would have dated. It's scrubbed up really well; fantastic cast (though all looking very young!!), and what a magnificent tribute to Man's pioneering spirit & ingenuity it is. Quite life-affirming.

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I watched the 2025 version of War of the Worlds starring Ice Cube on Prime Video today. I have an interest in War of the Worlds movies, and I figured why not? It was an OK adaptation.

I think Ice Cube did a fair job of portraying the father who works as a security analyst for the US Government. The family drama during the invasion is a pretty good side story, and brings some warmth to the film. It’s a different role for a rapper, and that’s a good thing.

The special effects were pretty good, the Tripods were especially well done. They had a few different tricks to pull, which were refreshing. This movie goes different places with what the aliens want, which is interesting.

However, the hacker tropes were a bit silly, and the product placement for Amazon was a bit too much. This clearly is a made for streaming film, and it shows. It’s pretty watchable though, so long as you don’t expect too much from it.
 
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Today I watched the 2019 version of The Color Out of Space featuring Nicholas Cage as Nathan Gardner. This movie is based on HP Lovecraft’s short story of the same name. It’s definitely the most intense film version I’ve seen. It’s currently on the Tubi streaming service.

The film pays homage to Lovecraft in many subtle ways, including mentions of Arkham and the Miskatonic University, a paperback version of the Necronomicron, and the teenaged daughter being named Lavinia (played by Madeleine Arthur).

The Gardners live on a family farm where they have a horse and some alpacas. One night a meteor comes crashing down in their front yard near the old well. This has a sickening smell, and eventually a strange color begins to be seen. Things begin to go horribly wrong by degrees from this point.

This version of the story has a plethora of horrors for the viewer. There’s body horror, disgusting bloody practical special effects, a creeping dread as the events unfold, and of course cosmic horror. There’s so many tropes that are included, but usually in ways that support the story. Influences from other films such as Poltergeist and The Thing can be seen.

The cast does a good job of portraying a family that is going slowly insane under the influence of the otherworldly “color.” Speaking of which, color is used to good effect throughout the film. From the initial purple streaks in Lavinia’s hair, to odd and brightly colored flowers that appear, then purplish ivy begins to be seen on tree trunks, eventually the whole lawn becomes fuchsia. The reflection of color in the eyes and eyeglasses of the characters is also well done. It becomes more bright and prominent as the movie progresses.

this film was reportedly the first of a trilogy of Lovecraft inspired works that Richard Stanley intended. The next was to have been The Dunwich Horror it’s unclear if this will ever occur, but if so, I’m ready to watch them!
 
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The Thursday Murder Club (2025) dir. Chris Colombus; starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie

Read the book earlier this year. This adaptation sticks pretty close to the main plots, offers some nice views of the ideal retirement home, and could not have cast the main characters better. On the whole, I found it enjoyable with a playful sense of mostly understated humor. Nice turn by David Tennant who seems to relish playing stinkers, and Richard E. Grant who only shows up for a few minutes and is about as intimidating as anyone could be -- an hour or so of him and Helen Mirren facing off would have been even better.

The two police characters probably get the worst of the adaptation's short run time. In the book we get to see their professional relationship develop; again, though, the right actors for the parts. But really, if you're in the mood for a good-natured mystery, read the book.


Inadvertent Giancarlo Esposito double-header:

Abigail (2024) dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett; starring Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kathryn Newton

Action/adventure horror as a ballet trained child vampire takes on her kidnappers. As stupid as that sounds, this develops into a reasonably tense and entertaining movie, with solid performances from the leads -- this and the Scream movies make Barrera a solid choice for future action movies -- and Kevin Durrand as one of the kidnappers. Also showing well, in a brief role, is Giancarlo Esposito as the one who arranges the kidnapping. Special shout out to Weir (as Abigail), who would have been around 14 as this was filmed and who looks younger, and to Kathryn Newton, a former child actress who has developed into a formidable screen presence: There is an impressive sequence in which Abigail has taken over control of Newton's character, and we switch back and forth between them as Abigail dances and Newton mimics the moves. As in Freaky, Newton goes all in on the scene and what could have been over-done becomes effectively chilling.


Maxxxine (2024) dir. Ty West; starring Mia Goth (really, could a horror actress have a better last name?), Elizabeth Debicki, Simon Prast

Final movie in trilogy starting with X and Pearl. Set in 1985, this one isn't really on a par with those two, but even being a notch down, it's still a well-filmed engrossing movie (trigger warning: there is gore). I also suppose it's arguable, but Mia Goth should just be in every movie from here on in. Goth is the titular Maxxxine (real name, Maxine), a porn star looking to cross over into the mainstream. She has the chops, but only a B-level horror movie director (Debicki) is willing to take a chance on her given Hollywood prejudices against the porn industry. Memories of what she went through in the first movie traumatize Maxine and there seems to be someone aware of what she did (dubbed by one newspaper as, The Texas Porn Star Massacre), using it to blackmail her while also killing her friends.

The movie is helped a lot by Kevin Bacon as a sleazy Louisiana P.I. (somewhat over the top, but it fits the movie), Halsey as a stripper, Giancarlo Esposito as Maxine's surprisingly supportive lawyer/agent, and Bobby Canavale and Michelle Monaghan as detectives investigating murders of Maxine's friends.

If you want to set a movie in the 1980s, give it to Ty West to direct. This has sequences that could easily have come out of 1980s thrillers.
 
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I recently watched Let Me In which is a 2010 vampire film written and directed by Matt Reeves. It is close remake of the 2008 Swedish film Let the Right One In, which in turn was based on the 2004 novel of the same name by John Ajvide Lindqvist. I had perviously watched Let the Right One In and was curious as to what they changed.

In general, the main thing was that Let Me In was set in Los Alamos New Mexico, and was filmed in English. This contrasts with Let the Right One In, which was set in Sweden and was filmed in Swedish (I had to watch the English subtitled version). The basics of the story of the bullied and lonely boy who meets a mysterious and strange girl who moves in next door remains the same. It’s still a coming of age horror love story.

I found that while both films were great, Let Me In was easier for me to relate with as an English speaking viewer. Another difference in the films is that while the girl in Let Me In claims not to be a girl, she was one before she became a vampire. She is played by Chloe Grace Moretz. who is known in the film as Abby.

Both films are currently available on the Kanopy streaming service in the US. I watched it courtesy of my local library system.


Some details follow…


Particularly effective aspects of Let Me In are the rare special effects that are shown when Abby loses control. She is shown leaping off the walls of a tunnel when she first attacks a young man to feed. These are very inhuman movements, being much faster and more forceful than a young girl could be expected to do. Likewise, when her white eyes and feral face are shown after she licks drops of Owen’s blood which has fallen on the floor are particularly frightening. It’s easy to believe Abby is a girl until you see scenes like these. These remind you that she is not a girl (as she says herself). Then there are the other suggested scenes of her flying, and scrabbling across ledges that wouldn’t be humanly possible…

It is a very chilling and effective film, as was the original. It ends in a similar way with it being suggested that Owen becomes Abby’s boyfriend and protector. It leaves it to interpretation if Abby has feelings for Owen, or is just selfishly using him. I want to believe she does reciprocate his feelings…
 
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The Blackening (2022) dir. Tim Story; starring Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg, Dewayne Perkins

Not great, but intermittently funny comedy/horror drawing on Scream among others, in which several college friends have a reunion at a cabin (a really nice house-like cabin) in the woods. What could possibly go wrong? I mean, besides the hosts not being there to greet them, finding a creepy basement "game room" featuring a board game called, "The Blackening" and then all the doors locking down. Pretty much a normal reunion, right? That's why I avoid reunions.

First 20 minutes was a bit of a trudge setting up the dominoes of the premise, then the dominoes start falling and it picks up the pace. Good cast with an assist from Diedrich Bader, and Yvonne Orji and Jay Pharoah.
 
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Watched the horror/mystery movie Weapons - wow this was surprisingly good (went into it knowing nothing about it) - very well made and told from different characters POV that made the outcome even more impactful.

One of the best movies of this genre I've seen for sometime, recommended.
 
How to Kill Monsters (2023) dir. Stewart Sparke; starring Lyndsey Craine, Arron Dennis, Fenfen Huang

Prime keeps suggesting I'd like this, so ... It helps prove a notion I've had: Given a choice between old, bad movies, and new, bad movies, I'm more entertained by old, bad movies. Here blatant and cheap CGI plus unconvincing practical effects plus a script that needed more time in the oven, undermine okay direction, some okay dialog, and a group of game and, I think, capable actors who may be the only reason for watching this. The ending suggests this was intended as first in a series, but if we're lucky, no.

Anyway, in summary: college reunion, wicked ritual, demon raised by Eldritch (hmmmm ... where have I heard that word before?) Blade, slaughter, one survivor, no one believes, locked up, Blade in custody, Blade reactivated, demons, large teeth, tentacles, different dimension, more slaughter, heroic last stand, twist ending. Yup. The usual recipe.
 
THE DIABOLICAL DR Z
d . Jess Franco

On blu ray from Eureka UK .


A daughter seeks revenge on the doctors she holds responsible for her father's death .

A ridiculously entertaining gothic thriller from 1966 charged through with an eroticism rather risqué for the time .

Moody black and white photography . Excellent set pieces and camerawork with a fantastic punch up which is uniquely shot .

Recommended . Probably one of Franco's better efforts .
 
SOLARIS ( Tartovsky ) on UK blu , can't remember the label .

Wonderful work . Beautiful shots and sets which have an organic " lived in " look .

Even before we leave Earth there's an amazing scene of city traffic on flyovers , motorways and tunnels and the suggestion vehicles are driverless . It's all lights and shades .

On the space station some camerawork is deliberately disorientating reflecting the mental disintegration of the astronauts .

And , mostly all done with an absence of musical accompaniment .

Hugely influential and an absolute joy .
Perhaps a masterpiece .
 
The Call of Cthulhu (2005) dir. Andrew Leman; starring Matt Foyer, John Bolen, Ralph Lucus

Finally thought to look for this on Prime. Conceived and executed by the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society this short (47 minute) silent movie is beautifully rendered; supported by a fine old-school music score and an intelligent application of German Expressionist techniques to suggest the mind-warping power of Cthulhu inexpensively. And I don't mean that as a put down, but as a tribute to ingenuity and how relative simplicity can put over a scene that would seem overblown with something like CGI. Later in the movie the stop-motion sequences mostly work and something about the close shots of a ship on the ocean with a backdrop of Cthulhu's island, R'lyeh, effectively capture the feel of those old silent movies and Lovecraft's story. Framing Lovecraft's story as a silent movie is brilliant: From the opening with a dirigible airship passing over cloud shrouded world (echoing Universal Studios productions), this is as sure-footed as any attempt I've seen to replicate the silents.

As for the story, the filmmakers apply Lovecraft's mode, using hints and innuendoes, glimpses of odd things and an accumulation of newspaper articles, reports of atrocities and disturbing events, and a diary to piece together the story around the investigations of Professor Angell and later his nephew. Matt Foyer as the nephew is especially effective here, his darkening eyes reminiscent of Cesare's in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as the enormity of what his uncle had stumbled on affects him.

If you're even a little interested in silents or HPL, this is a must see. I have the same group's "The Whisperer in Darkness" lined up for next weekend.
 
Randy M. said:
The Call of Cthulhu (2005) dir. Andrew Leman; starring Matt Foyer, John Bolen, Ralph Lucus

Finally thought to look for this on Prime. Conceived and executed by the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society this short (47 minute) silent movie is beautifully rendered; supported by a fine old-school music score and an intelligent application of German Expressionist techniques to suggest the mind-warping power of Cthulhu inexpensively. And I don't mean that as a put down, but as a tribute to ingenuity and how relative simplicity can put over a scene that would seem overblown with something like CGI. Later in the movie the stop-motion sequences mostly work and something about the close shots of a ship on the ocean with a backdrop of Cthulhu's island, R'lyeh, effectively capture the feel of those old silent movies and Lovecraft's story. Framing Lovecraft's story as a silent movie is brilliant: From the opening with a dirigible airship passing over cloud shrouded world (echoing Universal Studios productions), this is as sure-footed as any attempt I've seen to replicate the silents.

As for the story, the filmmakers apply Lovecraft's mode, using hints and innuendoes, glimpses of odd things and an accumulation of newspaper articles, reports of atrocities and disturbing events, and a diary to piece together the story around the investigations of Professor Angell and later his nephew. Matt Foyer as the nephew is especially effective here, his darkening eyes reminiscent of Cesare's in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as the enormity of what his uncle had stumbled on affects him.

If you're even a little interested in silents or HPL, this is a must see. I have the same group's "The Whisperer in Darkness" lined up for next weekend.
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I also really liked this movie! I think you’ll appreciate their film version of The Whisperer in Darkness!
 
ALL DAY HORROR MADNESS

This was a horror Film Festival at Glasgow Film Theatre ( Glasgow , Scotland )

Living Dead at Manchester Morgue ( 35mm )

Demons ( 35mm )

Candyman - original ( 35mm )

Sleepaway Camp

The Return of the Living Dead ( 35mm )



It was great fun . First time seeing Sleepaway Camp and Return of the Living Dead .
 
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