Hey film fans, Slick Dungeon here! I’m back to review another film nominated for an Oscar in 2024. This time I watched the biopic about Bayard Rustin who was a notable civil rights intellectual and activist and was instrumental in organizing the March on Washington in 1963. The film is simply titled Rustin and stars Colman Domingo as the title character. Domingo is up for Best Actor for his performance in the film. Be forewarned this review contains spoilers for the film and those who have not read enough history books to know who Bayard Rusin was. If that sort of thing bothers you, give the movie a watch and then march right back here to read the review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
What’s it About?
I’m sure most of us are familiar with the March on Washington in 1963 where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech. Who people may not be as familiar with is one of the most instrumental coordinators of the event, Bayard Rustin.
Rustin was an activist who already had a long history of fighting for civil rights before the idea of the event ever happened. He had worked closely with MLK about nonviolence techniques and helped to protect the property of Japanese-Americans who were interred during World War II. He had a long history of fighting for the rights of people he saw as being treated unjustly.
He was also an out of the closet gay man at a time when there were literally laws against being gay. Add to that the fact that he was at one time a card carrying member of the Communist Party, USA and you can imagine there were plenty of people both within and outside of the civil rights movement who did not like him.
While Rustin had a long and storied career and accomplished more things than I can cover in this blog post, the film focuses in on the most famous of his achievements. At a time when he was more or less shunned from the civil rights movement, he was able to get back into the good graces of Martin Luther King Jr. and organize the most iconic of all of the civil rights marches.
The film portrays some of the relationship troubles Rustin had, along with his professional struggles. Yet, with determination and skill he is able to win people to his side and lay the foundation for what would come next for the fight for civil rights. He has to maneuver through political setbacks, attacks from the press, and his own relationships in order to pull off the event.
It’s no surprise to anyone now that the event was successful but the film does a good job of portraying just how much effort went into it becoming a reality in the first place. If you don’t know the story behind it, the film does a decent job of capturing what was going on at the time but it obviously can’t cover everything.
The performance
If you are already familiar with the story of Rustin’s role in the March on Washington then the reason to watch the film lies in the portrayal of the man by Colman Domingo. It is a powerhouse of a performance and Domingo sells every second of screen time he is in. We can feel his pain and see his determination every time he is in a scene. Domingo is most definitely an actor who is deft enough to play an actual figure from history with believability and aplomb.
While the film overall leaves some things to be desired, for example the mashing together of several of Rustin’s real life relationships into one or two characters, the performance is flat out outstanding.
Bayard Rustin’s tale in the organization of the March on Washington is a story that should be told more often, however, focusing only on this time period leaves so much of the man’s life out of the film that it is almost incorrect to call this a biopic.
I would love to have seen a longer film, starring Colman Domingo, that truly went in depth into the entirety of Bayard Rustin’s life. But I cannot fault the performance one bit.
In conclusion
While this film is not perfect, and the directing and cinematography are nothing exceptional, the acting on the part of Colman Domingo is worth the price of admission. And the film, at least, begins to shine a spotlight on a man who was a true pioneer in the work of civil rights and social justice.
As good as this performance was by Colman Domingo, I think he is still a long shot for winning the Best Actor Oscar this year. He has some incredibly talented competition in the category. But, with a performance such as this one, he’s sure to have another shot in coming years.
Hey film fans! Slick Dungeon here back to review another Oscar nominated movie for you. This one tells the tale of a determined swimmer who achieved the nearly impossible, and did it far later in life than anyone would expect. The movie has two Oscar nominations, one for Annette Benning for Best Actress, and one for Jodie Foster as Best Supporting Actress. Do be warned there will be spoilers below for the film, and a sports event you could easily google. Still, if you hate that sort of thing just keep swimming away until you watch the movie and then swim on back here to read the review.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
What’s it About?
You know how everyone is feeling super hero movie fatigue right about now? Well, I’ve had film fatigue for a different genre of film for a long time. The inspirational sports drama film fatigue. I honestly can’t say I have seen anything new in this kind of movie since Rudy. Typically in these films there is an athlete or a team with the desire to win something or do something that hasn’t been done in sports. The said athlete or team faces adversity and challenges and nearly gives up. But in the end something changes and they become more determined and push on through the obstacles to win said game, medal, record etc. It can be moving and inspiring but it’s nothing unexpected. I wish I could say Nyad pulled me out of this fatigue but far from it.
This is not to say the real life Diana Nyad is anything other than an incredible inspiration with an amazing story. And this is also not to say that there weren’t stand out performances in this film. I’m just saying you aren’t going to find anything you don’t expect here.
The film tells the tale of Diana Nyad (Benning) who tried several times in her life to swim the Straits of Florida unassisted until she accomplished her goal. This swim is one of the most difficult open water swims possible and everything from severe weather to dangerous ocean life, not to mention the currents themselves, could easily derail the best swimmers in history.
When she was young and a star swimmer in her twenties, Nyad attempts the swim. She does the best she can but ultimately she can’t make it.
We then fast forward to Diana in her sixties. She’s had a successful career and is basically troubled by the lack of exceptionalism in the world. Something, to her, is missing. She spends most of her time with her friend, Bonnie Stoll (Foster). Her life is happy enough but she wants more.
Diana decides to once again hit the pool. She’s pushing herself to the limits to see if she could make another attempt at the swim she failed at decades ago. She tells Bonnie about her plan to get back out there and attempt the swim again.
A team is assembled around Diana and soon we have all the pieces for her to make another attempt. In this attempt the ocean currents push her off course far enough she has to quit.
Determined not to give up, Diana tries once again. This time she is injured by a box jellyfish which can be lethal to humans. She nearly dies.
Still determined not to give up, Diana tries again, this time after consulting with an expert on jellyfish who helps her create a protective suit. She goes out once again but this time is defeated by disastrous weather conditions.
By this point, Diana’s team are all pretty tired of making the attempts and try to convince her to give up. It goes so far that several of her key supporters quit, including Bonnie, her coach.
Finally, still determined not to give up, Diana apologizes to some of the members of her team and they all gradually, if reluctantly agree to make one more attempt. This time they face dangers and challenges but luck, weather, and the marine life are all favorable enough that Diana is close to completing the swim. She gets close to giving up, but Bonnie, Nyad’s coach and friend, hops in the water to give Diana one last inspirational speech to push her through. At long last, after four failed attempts at the most difficult swim in the world, Diana does the impossible and completes the swim.
Throughout the film we see flashbacks of Nyad’s childhood and see that her father inspired her to want to do the swim in the first place. We also see the darker side of her life as we get flashbacks of a coach who abused several young female swimmers. It’s not until after this man dies that Diana truly confronts her trauma and it’s not until after this that she completes the swim.
Also throughout the film we see Bonnie inspiring, pushing, consoling, and sometimes angering Diana all in an effort to get Diana to push through and give her all. Diana’s obsession nearly ruins the lives of several people in her orbit but ultimately, through Bonnie’s leadership they prevail.
The Performances
While this type of movie may be a formula I am tired of, I can separate out the performances here. Annette Benning gives an impressive, if stoic performance. Physically this film must have taken a lot out of her as I am sure she had to spend hundreds of hours swimming. As far as the character of Nyad goes, she doesn’t seem to have much character growth. She basically goes from determined to even more determined. And while, in life, this makes for an interesting person, on film it feels rather dull. Annete Benning does transform well into her character but other than be determined enough to win the race, and mildly change her attitude towards her past and her teammates, not much happens here.
On the other hand, Bonnie, played by Jodie Foster, goes through a roller coaster of emotions. She has to deal with an entire team of people, including an athlete that is so obsessive she nearly bankrupts her whole team. Bonnie goes from reluctant coach to cheerleader, to caring friend, to knowing just the right thing to say at the right moment. Foster’s performance here is impressive and brings much needed life to the film. When Foster is encouraging Nyad to walk the few feet of sand she has to in order to ultimately complete the swim, you can feel how emotional it is for her. To be fair, Benning’s face was covered up with lots of prosthetics in this scene so it’s harder to read to begin with. But when the camera looks at Foster, it’s easy to see she is giving her all to the character.
I don’t know if either actress will win in their categories but between the two performances, I think Foster’s is the stronger of the two.
In Conclusion
The story truly is inspirational but I’m not sure the film does it full justice. The performances by the lead and supporting actresses are impressive but may not be the best ones of the year. The directing, cinematography and all the rest of it is fine but not incredible. The reason to watch is definitely for the performances but the rest is just what you would see in any of those inspirational sports films.
If you haven’t seen this movie and you are curious about the performances of the two actresses then give it a watch. But, if you are looking for inventive film making or a different kind of sports film, this is not going to scratch that itch. The most notable part of the story is the actual accomplishments of the real Diana Nyad and I think if you were to watch a documentary or read an article about her, you’ll likely find it more inspirational than the biopic here.
Hey there film fans, it’s Slick Dungeon! I’m back to review another Oscar nominated film. This time I’ll be reviewing the latest entry from powerhouse animation studio Disney/Pixar, Elemental. The film is about a hotheaded element who meets an element fluid enough to go with the flow. Be forewarned there will be spoilers below so if that sort of thing bothers you, watch the movie and then come on back here to read the review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
What’s it about?
While on the surface this is basically a rom-com with most of the trappings you find in that genre, at its core, Elemental is about the immigrant experience. There is a big city where most elements live called Element City. This city has lots of air, earth, and water elements. More rare are fire elements.
Two such elements are Bernie and Cindie Ember. They immigrate to Element City with their daughter Ember and set up a shop called The Fireplace. With them, they also bring their blue flame which represents their traditions and culture.
Things seem to go relatively well at first. Bernie is successful at his business and he promises the store to his daughter once she is ready. Bernie does seem to have a serious dislike for all water elements. And while Ember is good at most things in the store, she does have a tendency to lose her temper at customers. Also, in general, the community is not entirely accepting of fire elements because, well, they can catch things on fire, and that would be bad.
We jump ahead a few years and Ember is grown up. She’s still helping her father with the store most days but he is near retirement. Ember has one last thing to do to prove herself. She has to get through the red dot sale day without losing her temper. The sale starts and things go okay at first but customers are customers and soon Ember heads down to the basement to let off some steam. She heats up and soon a pipe in the shop bursts. It looks like Ember has ruined the day.
But then, a city inspector comes out of the pipe. This is Wade Ripple who is a water element. He is horrified at the state of the shop but sympathizes with Ember. Still, he has to do his job and he writes up some citations that could get the shop closed down.
Ember does everything she can to convince Wade to ditch the citations but she’s too late and it’s out of his hands. But he is again sympathetic to her situation and allows her to meet some of the higher ups who could reverse the ruling.
In the process of all this, Ember ends up lying to her father about what happened to the shop. Wade and Ember also discover that the real problem has to do with the gate of the city.
As you can guess, in any rom-com, the lies pile up, the romance heats up, and it all comes to a head in a disastrous situation. But, in the end, things work out. Ember and her father are still on good terms even though she has decided not to run the family store and even though she is dating a water element.
The Animation
As with any Pixar film, the animation here is incredibly good. The design of the elements themselves is fun and enjoyable and the backgrounds make an entirely fictional setting look basically real.
This type of skill is what has won Pixar plenty of Oscars in the past but I would not say this film is breaking any new ground in animation here. While the style is good and it matches the story well, there isn’t anything we haven’t seen before visually. That’s not to say it is not an impressive feat. To still be this good at making an animated story work is saying something in and of itself. Pixar has nothing to be ashamed about in this film and I am not sure why it didn’t catch on with audiences so well. I think perhaps the marketing is to blame but if you have not seen it, this is worth a watch for the visual experience alone.
The Voice Acting
As far as the voice acting talent goes in this film, it is spot on and perfectly cast. All of the characters sound like you would expect them to and this, combined with the great animation makes for a very engaging viewing experience.
In conclusion
While the animation is great and the story is solid, in a lot of ways this film feels too conventional. It is nice to see the immigrant experience depicted in animation and I think that will resonate with a lot of audiences. The love story is fairly standard and ends the way you most likely guessed it would end. However, the film doesn’t quite push enough envelopes to make it stand out over other Pixar films. It is undoubtedly one of the best animated films of the year but I don’t think it is, in fact, the best one.
As far as whether this film will win an Oscar, my prediction is it is between Elemental and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Either one could win but my money is on Spider-Man. (Please don’t bet on anything based on my predictions because I am often wrong.)
Well, hello there film fans! Slick Dungeon here, back to review a bit of an oddball of a film full of grit, determination, innovation, exaggerations, Cheeto dust, and a potential Oscar winner. I am talking, of course, about the “true” story of Flamin’ Hot, telling the tale of how one of the spiciest snacks in the world came to be. Somehow this film is full of controversy, more inspiring than expected, and an Oscar contender. That’s right, this movie could technically win an Oscar. Fair warning, if you don’t want your eyes tearing up as if you’ve inhaled that famous fiery red orange concoction, this review contains spoilers. You have been warned. Although, can you really spoil a product line? Um, yeah I guess you can. Anyway, if you want to watch the movie first to stay spoiler free, do that and then come on back here for the review.
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
What’s the Story?
Before I get into the review, there is, strangely, a bit of background to cover here. Flamin’ Hot is meant to depict a real life story about a man who goes from janitor at a Frito Lay manufacturing plant to inspirational executive at Frito Lay, opening up a new market with an innovative product line. Only… that may not be the full truth here. There have been multiple articles debunking the story of Flamin’ Hot in places like The New York Times, The LA Times, and NPR.
Regardless of the controversy, the filmmakers charged forward with making this movie, claiming the story was never about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, but actually the story of the life of Richard Montanez. There are some facts here which are not in dispute at all. Montanez was, indeed, a janitor at Frito Lay. And he did become a top executive of PepsiCo. To me, that can be inspirational all on its own and anyone who can claim that sort of accomplishment should be proud.
What’s a little less clear is if he actually had the idea of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or if it was more of a high level executive group idea.
I’m not here to figure out what the truth is. This ain’t that kinda blog. What I am here to do, is review movies. So I’m going to take this from the perspective of a film goer and see if the movie works, if it is worth watching, and how well it was made.
Why Review This?
There are a lot of movies out there. Personally, I am not in favor of this trend we have where the movies have started becoming not stories of people but products. Take for example, Air, Blackberry, and Tetris. While these are technically about the people behind the products, one could argue these films are nothing but one giant advertisement for said product. Heck, even Barbie could be considered that but at least it isn’t trying to say it’s based on a true story.
In the case of Flamin’ Hot, we have another, “based on a true story” style film about a product line. But here’s the thing. This year I want to try to review every film that is up for any kind of an Oscar in 2024. (Don’t hold me to that, there are a ton of movies on that list but I will do my best) And guess what? Flamin’ Hot is nominated for an Oscar. Best Picture? Nope. Best Director? Nope. Best Actor? Nope. This movie is nominated for… Best Original Song.
Yeah, so even if the movie itself is embroiled in some controversy, even if the story is pushing one that is more favorable to a whole corporation than to a single movie goer, the song could still be the best one in film from 2023. The song that is nominated is called The Fire Inside with music and lyrics by Diane Warren. Will it win? Never take my predictions as true on Oscar stuff because I have a pretty low percentage of being right. However, my prediction is this will not win best song because it has too much competition from Barbie.
By the way, the song only shows up during the credits so I watched the whole movie just for that. Since I did watch it, I might as well tell you about it. Spoilers follow.
A rough beginning
Richard Montanez is a hard working kid in southern California. He stands out in school where most of his classmates are white and they make fun of him for being Mexican and eating burritos. Not one to overlook an opportunity, Richard has the idea of letting some of the white school kids eat one of his burritos. The kid loves the burrito because, well because burritos are amazing as everyone knows. So Richard decides to sell his burritos for a quarter to the kids at school. Already he has a solid head for business.
Unfortunately for Richard, rumors go around that he is not earning his money but stealing it. He ends up getting arrested and essentially gets caught up in a life of crime. This makes it difficult to get a stable job because he now has a criminal record and no formal education to speak of. However, he has a supportive wife, Judy, his friend from school. Richard is determined to go legitimate and after a bit of convincing and using his powers of networking and persuasion, Richard does land a job at Frito Lay. He’s working as a janitor and he has nothing to be ashamed of as he’s earning a decent paycheck, he’s stable enough although somewhat dependent on government assistance and things might be looking up.
Reaganomics
At first, it looks like Richard is going to make it big. He persistently asks knowledgable people about how the factory works, what the machines do, and it seems like he could be on the rise and able to do more than just clean factory floors. But, the 1980’s hit pretty hard when it came to cutbacks on government subsidies. Trickle down economics did absolutely nothing to help people in need, and inevitably, people began to lose jobs, corporations cut back on production, and Richard knew his job would soon be in jeopardy as well.
He basically stagnates in his role for a while as everyone just tries to hold on. Some of Richard’s friends get fired, no one seems to get promoted, and life, in general, is looking tough.
Video Created the Cheeto Star
Fate, it would seem, decides to step in. Richard watches a corporate video produced by the CEO of the company, Roger Enrico. In it, Enrico tells his workers to, “think like a CEO.” Yes, that’s right, a wealthy CEO is here to save everyone because somehow CEO’s have this magical ability to inspire people. (Insert sarcasm in that last sentence if you did not already)
Anyway, Richard does take this advice to heart. And he realizes a few things. First, Frito-Lay is not actually serving the market of the Latino population. They don’t seem to buy the chips. Second, there are spicy flavors everywhere. True inspiration hits though when Richard is consoling his sons as they eat elotes (Mexican street corn), and his son yelps that it burns. Richard asks if his kid is okay and the kid responds, “I like it. It burns good.”
If you have ever enjoyed a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos you know exactly what that kid is saying.
Between this incident and the video from the CEO, inspiration has struck. Richard is about to change the world. Maybe not the world, he’s about to change food. Maybe not food, he’s about to change snack food. Yeah I think that’s where it lands.
Cue the Flamin’ HOt Montage
We see scenes of Richard and Judy taking unseasoned chips from the factory and trying every kind of hot seasoning they know of until they get their kid to say it, “burns good.” At the same time, some corporate dudes in lab coats are basically trying to do the same thing. In the movie, Richard says he doesn’t really know what was going on with that and this is basically the heart of the real life controversy. Were the spicy chips being produced by lab scientists paid by a corporation or did one guy have the idea to make the spicy powder? Or maybe both happened at sort of the same time. Who knows? Not me. Anyway, back to the review.
Finally, the recipe is perfected and Richard is happy with it. But there’s one huge snag. He’s the lowly janitor. Who is going to listen to him? Well, Richard decides he could call the CEO of the company. He does so, and miraculously ends up on the line with Roger Enrico. Richard has the power of persuasion and he’s able to convince Enrico they need to add a product line and save everyone’s jobs. Enrico is kindly, perceptive, and can relate to his workers. He behaves just like every company would want you to believe their CEO acts. Not in the interest of themselves or their shareholders. No, that would be beneath them. Enrico is a man of the people and he listens to his workers. Well, he supposedly did once at least anyway, according to the movie.
Enrico tells Richard to send him a box of the Flamin’ Hot chips and guess what? Enrico likes them.
Cue the moment our hero overcomes hardship and we all know we can’t live without a specific product
Even with Enrico’s approval it’s still a struggle to launch Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Richard is allowed to make 5,000 bags and put them on shelves. But, at first, they don’t sell. Why not? Lack of advertising! Richard gets friends and family from his neighborhood, factory workers, and basically anyone who will listen to hit the streets, pass out the chips and build buzz for the product. He specifically wants to target the Latino community which is underserved by Frito-Lay at this time.
This all turns out successfully and, as you probably know, there are a metric ton of Flamin’ Hot products flying off the shelves today. Richard moves up in life from janitor and becomes known as the, “Godfather of Latino Marketing.”
And the world becomes a happier place because we can eat Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
In Conclusion
Is this film worth watching? It was certainly entertaining, mostly due to the enjoyable performance of Jesse Garcia as Richard Montanez. The directing was competent on the part of Eva Longoria but nothing spectacular.
In the end Montanez being known for marketing fits really well with the film because this movie is basically marketing a brand. It’s trying to say that the Latino market was not being noticed by PepsiCo and thanks to the vision of one man, the company changed what it was doing which profited both the company and the community. Even if this story were completely true, this is still marketing. It’s trying to show PepsiCo and Montanez in the best light possible. It’s what companies want us to think about both their executives and themselves.
As far as a bit of entertainment, this film is fine. It’s not Flamin’ Hot though. It’s just average.
That being said, will there be Flamin’ Hot Cheeto dust on my fingers this Sunday when I watch the Super Bowl? Absolutely.
Hi there horror fans! Slick Dungeon here back to review another staple in the annals of horror. One of the most notorious and brutal films of all time which does not bury the lead in the title, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This was a slasher before there were many slashers of note and is counted by some critics as the first actual slasher film ever made. I’m going to take a pretty deep dive into this series so if you have not seen the movie and don’t want any spoilers watch first and then come back to read the review where you will find out this movie is about a massacre with a chainsaw that takes place in Texas. Yes, I know it’s my keen and insightful analysis like that which brings you back to this blog over and over again. Anyway, if you don’t want spoilers from a 1974 film basically everyone knows about, watch the movie first!
Background
When I was a kid in the dark days before common use of the internet we liked to watch horror movies when we would have sleep overs at our friends’ houses. One of our favorite things to do at these sleepovers was to watch a super scary movie series and then stay awake all night from fear. Somehow, when I went to these sleepovers (or had them at my house) one film series that we never picked up was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I’m not exactly sure why this one never came up for me but I suspect it has to do with the background of the film.
The movie was released in 1974 and was produced, co-composed and directed by Tobe Hooper. This film was somewhat inspired by the crimes of an actual murderer named Ed Gein, although the plot is basically fiction. While that is the truth of how the movie came to be, the rumors about this movie were wild. Much in the same way The Blair Witch Project would later cause people to believe actual crimes were committed in the making of the movie, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was rumored to have used real skeletons, actually have killed people in the production and be based on real events. This lead to many of our parents banning the VHS copy of the film from ever being played at a sleepover.
Of course, the movie is just fiction, it was made on a low budget in Texas and by the standards of almost any horror movie today is fairly tame for a lot of it. That’s not to say there isn’t blood here or that it is not disturbing. It very much is, even now, but it’s really not much more over the top than any of the Halloween, Friday the 13th, or Scream films, with the notable exception that a chainsaw features prominently here. I should also point out that obviously no one was actually killed in the making of the movie.
Even before the film caught on, it had trouble getting distributed due to the violent nature of the content. Hooper had been hoping for a PG rating (remember this was before there was a PG-13 category) so he reduced the amount of blood shown. Still, this earned an R rating and it was tough to find a distributor willing to take it on. Eventually the Bryanston Distributing Company took on the challenge and in 1974 the film hit theaters in the United States and internationally. It was banned in several countries and even in the U.S. several theaters pulled it after audiences complained about the content of the movie.
Critics were basically mixed here at the opening but Hooper got the last laugh. The movie was made for $140,000 which would be just under about a million today if you adjust for inflation. The movie sold a whopping 16.5 million tickets earning over $30 Million in domestic box office alone. Thus Hooper proved for a low budget, with unknown actors, and plenty of scares and gore, audiences will come out to be scared. Not only that, they’ll keep coming back and love it. The slasher genre was truly born.
Sure, there had been a few movies one could argue would be slashers before this, Peeping Tom and Psycho being the most notable examples. But in those films, they were more psychological thrillers than anything else. While they had lots of shocking moments and a good amount of violence, that was never the point of those movies. But when you name a film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre there are three and only three things the audience demands to see. One, a massacre. Two, a chainsaw. And three the setting of Texas. Check, check and check. The fear is the point of this movie, no matter how you look at it.
This caused such a sensation that even if you didn’t watch it, you knew about the movie. It was not ashamed of what it was and made no apologies. The film inspired sequels, spin offs, books, comics, and video games as well. There are, in fact, nine films in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise with a tenth that was never released.
So the question is, how did a low budget movie featuring unknown actors and an unashamed acknowledgement of what it was right in the title spark an entire sub-genre and how does it hold up today?
Let’s dive in and find out!
Spoilers follow!
That’s an Odd Start
The beginning of the film starts with a text crawl and voice over. It talks about the tragedy which befalls five youths and in particular it mentions Sally Hardesty and her “invalid” brother. The voice over and text laments that these youths, even had they lived long lives could not have imagined nor wanted to see as much of the mad and macabre as they would that day. It mentions this was one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
This never says the film was based on true events or that the story was inspired by a particular news item but the implication is there. This gives the film more weight without actually lying about anything and it primes the audience for what will indeed be bizarre and macabre.
We then see a date on the screen, August 18, 1973. Again this gives an inference this is something that happened on a particular day. Much like Psycho the date is fairly meaningless so why would the filmmakers put it there unless something actually happened that day? It was a brilliant tactic when Psycho did this and I have to imagine Tobe Hooper was well aware of that when he decided to put a date at the start of this film. It makes you feel like you are peering into a window of time into something more akin to true crime than just a bloody horror film.
Next we hear the sound of digging, along with some grunting. There are camera flashes. It’s difficult at first to tell what is being lit up in the flashes but after a few times of this, it becomes clear we are looking at images of a rotting corpse, or perhaps corpses. The effects here don’t quite hold up to today’s standards but they are convincing enough to be off putting right from the start.
When we finally get a full picture, we see the face of the corpse as a news story plays in the background which talks about a grave robbing in the area of Newt, Muerto County Texas recently. Whoever dug up the graves also displayed the corpses on a monument in a grotesque manner. And as the camera pulls out to a wide shot, it is apparent that whoever they are talking about in the story has to be the one who was taking pictures. And we see the corpse we were looking at is set up in a strange manner so clearly this person has not been caught.
Road SAfety Tips
More news stories play in voice over as we watch the credits overlayed on images of red which could be just about anything but might possibly be blood or lava. Next we see a dead armadillo lying in the road. A van pulls over and we see the first of our living human characters get out.
The person gets out and lays a couple of sturdy boards out from the side door of the van. For those of us living in the current era this is pretty confusing but it makes sense once we see a man in a wheelchair being rolled out of the van on the boards. This was long before ADA compliance was a big thing and it’s a standard van so there is no ramp.
The person in the wheelchair is Franklin Hardesty and he is one of five people out on the trip here. He goes off to the side of the road to do what most men do when they pull over on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately for Franklin, he gets startled and rolls down the side of a hill. If only that would be the worst thing to happen to poor Franklin that day.
Back on the road, everyone is sweating in the van because, well, Texas in summer has a lot of heat. Franklin is complaining about the heat as a woman in the van talks about astrology.
The group gets out of the van a bit later and we get a glimpse of our full party here. This consists of Sally and Franklin Hardesty, Jerry, Kirk and Pam. Those last three don’t get last names. Apparently Sally is looking for the gravesite of her grandfather at a local cemetery. She goes off to find the sheriff but Franklin is left in the van.
An old man who is sitting on a tire lies back and looks up at Franklin and we get the first real feeling of something being wrong for this group. The man says to Franklin, “Things happen here abouts, they don’t tell about. I see things. You see, they say it’s just an old man. Talkin’. You laugh at an old man. There’s them that laughs and knows better.”
It’s not at all clear what this guy is talking about but it feels wrong. And it’s one of those tropes that ends up becoming adopted in so many slasher films. There is a warning before the group is truly in danger, often from someone who would be considered elderly or mentally ill or in some other way a person whose warnings could be easily dismissed or ignored by the rest of the community.
They get back on the road and Sally tells Franklin it didn’t look like their grandfather’s grave had been dug up. Soon everyone in the van starts complaining about a bad smell. Franklin points out this is where an old slaughterhouse was where their grandfather used to sell cattle.
And then Franklin goes into relentless detail about how the cows are killed, including descriptions of their heads being bashed in with a sledge hammer. And then he describes the modern way they kill the cows, still in graphic detail.
Someone in the van points out a hitchhiker and they decide to stop and pick him up.
Here’s a road safety tip from your old uncle Slick, don’t pick up hitchhikers! Seriously, it is a bad idea, so please do not do it. Trust me.
They even comment on how odd looking the guy is before they let him into the van. The guy talks about how his family worked in the slaughterhouse and he just gives off a real creepy vibe. The man also has a quite distinctive red mark on his face which could be a scar or blood or even a birthmark. Before you know it, this guy is doing really disturbing stuff. He’s handing out pictures of what look like polaroids of bloody masses of something. The characters in the van seem to take it to be cattle but it’s a little hard to tell what it is at all.
Then Franklin takes out a knife and starts playing with it. The hitchhiker takes the knife from Franklin and cuts deeply into his own palm with it. Road safety tip number two, if the hitchhiker you pick up seems a bit off, don’t flash a knife in front of him. Road safety trip number three, if the hitchhiker who you picked up seems a little off and he cuts into his own palm, make sure you let him out right then and there.
The hitchhiker then takes out a beat up old polaroid camera and takes a picture of Franklin. The hitchiker tells the group they could drop him off at his house up the road but the group says they are in a hurry. That’s the first smart move they’ve made so far here.
The hitchhiker even offers them dinner, saying his brother makes head cheese real good, but the group is not tempted. The guy then takes a picture of Franklin and demands two dollars for the picture. Franklin doesn’t want it so the guy takes the picture back, places it in foil, and lights it on fire. Everyone in the van starts to freak out but the hitchhiker grabs Franklin and cuts pretty deep into Franklin’s arm.
Only at this point do they finally kick the guy out of the van. The driver then says, “That’s the last goddamned hitchhiker I ever pick up.” One would hope so. Not that he’ll have much choice by the end of the movie here.
They patch Franklin up as Pam reads Franklin’s horoscope which seems like nothing but bad news.
We’ve now set up for a disturbing ride for the rest of the film and by the end, this group will be wishing they were just still on the road with an odd hitchhiker.
More Road Safety Tips
The van pulls up to a gas station. Everyone is a bit rattled from the day they’ve had. They are told the gas station has no gas, the tanks are all empty. This is odd but not impossible in a remote area like this. Franklin then asks about an old house they are looking for. The gas station attendant says they shouldn’t go poking around other people’s property because there are people who don’t like it and they’re willing to show you. In other words, poking around in deserted houses in the area is probably a bad idea. Franklin says it’s his father’s place though. The attendant offers them barbeque and says they should stick around a while and wait for the tanker to come fill up the gas tanks.
Another road safety tip here, if the gas station you pull up to has no gas, find the next one with gas as soon as humanly possible. Instead of go straight to the gas station, they drive out to Franklin’s grandfather’s place. This is a seriously bad idea.
Sally mentions the hitchhiker smeared blood all over the outside of the van.
They get over to the house they are trying to see, which is abandoned and look at the van to see that not only is there a blood smear, but it looks like a symbol of some kind.
Franklin seems rather paranoid about the hitchhiker following them and is real concerned about his knife.
There’s a pretty long sequence where the characters just kind of wander around the empty house for a bit as some ominous music plays.
Eventually Pam and Kirk decide they want to go swimming in a creek Franklin had mentioned and they take off. Franklin then notices some odd decorations made out of what look like bones.
That’s not a chainsaw
Kirk and Pam make it down the road and they see a house that seems to have a generator. Kirk figures he could go and get some gas if he leaves his guitar with these people as collateral until he can come back and pick it up. When they get close to the house there are a bunch of old broken down cars.
They wander around a bit and finally end up entering the house. This is when it starts to get real.
Kirk kicks a tooth on the ground and scares Pam with it. Rather than just leave, Kirk opens the unlocked door but Pam walks away. Kirk makes the mistake of walking in deeper and he starts to hear strange sounds like a person making pig noises.
We get our first view of Leatherface here as he pops out and bashes Kirk in the head with a sledgehammer. Wait, what? That’s not a chainsaw! Yep, that’s right, we’re saving that for later.
You’ve probably seen pictures of Leatherface before so I won’t go into too much detail but he wears a mask that is supposed to be made of human skin, and is wearing a butcher’s apron at this point in the movie.
Pam gives up waiting and goes to the door of the house and walks in after Kirk. She stumbles into a room just filled with bones. These are distinctly human bones and set up in all kinds of weird ways. Plus there is a chicken hanging in a cage for some reason. Pam starts freaking out and tries to leave. Leatherface pops out and grabs her.
He hangs her on a meathook as she is still screaming.
Oh, There is a Chainsaw
As poor Pam hangs there, Leatherface pulls out a chainsaw and starts to cut up Kirk’s body. We don’t really see too much blood here but the scene is still utterly disturbing.
Back at the van Franklin and Sally argue about who had his knife last. Jerry decides to go down to the creek and find Pam and Kirk.
Sally and Franklin continue to argue as Jerry goes to meet his doom.
Jerry finds the same house Pam and Jerry did and goes inside. He hears banging from a locked freezer and goes and opens it. A frozen Pam pops out for a minute.
Leatherface comes up from behind and guess what? Yep, sledge hammer to ol’ Jerry as well.
You really shoulda got that gas
By now it’s dark and Sally and Franklin are starting to wonder what has happened to their friends. There’s a bit of a long conversation where Franklin and Sally argue about whether they should go back to the gas station or go look for their friends. Turns out Jerry took the keys anyway so they can’t drive back to the gas station.
Finally the pair head down the path where their friends went and make all kinds of noise hollering for their friends.
When they are half way down the path they hear a noise and see a light at a house ahead of them. They go a bit farther and Leatherface shows up with his chainsaw. Franklin is no more but Sally runs away.
Leatherface runs through the forest after her swinging his chainsaw every which way. Sally makes it to the house where her friends died and runs up the stairs. She encounters an elderly man in a rocking chair. He looks like he might be dead but we’ll later find out this is the living grandfather of Leatherface. Sally runs down the hall.
Leatherface is close behind but Sally does what will become a signature move for her. She jumps out of the window to escape.
There is another chase through the forest until Sally finds herself all the way back at the gas station that had no gas.
I’ll pass on the Barbeque, thanks
In the gas station the attendant is there and he tries to calm Sally down. She tries to ask the guy to call the police but he says there is no phone. Again, odd but not impossible in those days. The guy says he’ll drive her over to the next town and leaves to get his truck.
And that’s when Sally notices the meat cooking in some kind of pit. That is definitely not beef. And another report about the desecration of graves plays in the background.
The gas station attendant comes back with a sack and Sally realizes she is still in some serious trouble. She tries to defend herself but gets beaten with a broom and knocked out. The attendant ties her up and gags her.
He tosses her in the truck and weirdly seems to be trying to reassure her that things will be okay as he keeps hitting her with the broomstick.
On the way, the gas station attendant picks up the hitchhiker from the beginning of the movie and yells at the guy. As if needed any more confirmation he tells the guy he was supposed to stay away from the graveyard. And we find out this guy is the brother of Leatherface.
The worst family dinner of all time
When Sally has the bag removed from her head, she sees the hitchhiker and she’s back in the house she escaped from. Things are not looking good.
Next, the gas station attendant tells the killers to go get their grandpa. He also tells Sally to take it easy and they’ll have something for her to eat right away.
Sure enough the guy in the chair from earlier is brought downstairs as Sally struggles the best she can to get away. Eventually she passes out and when she wakes up she’s at the family dinner table.
We also find out that the gas station attendant doesn’t like killing people and he lets the two brothers do all of that. Turns out the gas station attendant is, “just the cook.”
The whole room is decorated with bones and body parts and feels extremely uncomfortable to the viewer.
There’s kind of a long sequence here where they threaten and torture Sally and explain to her that their grandfather was the best killer they had ever seen. They make the mistake of trying to get Grandpa to kill Sally but he’s so old and weak that he keeps missing.
Fortunately for Sally she’s untied and able to escape the house. She once again jumps out of a window to get away. Leatherface and the hithchhiker run after Sally. Leatherface, of course, has his chainsaw with him.
Even More Road Safety Tips
Sally makes it to the road with the hitchhiker grabbing onto her. A semi-truck comes out of nowhere and basically flattens the hitchhiker. Look before you cross, people. And yeah, if you see a guy covered in blood grabbing a woman who is screaming for dear life as you drive your truck down the street, I can’t say I blame you if you hit the gas here.
The truck pulls over after this and the driver lets Sally into the cab of the truck. Leatherface comes with his chainsaw and saws the door a bit.
If I was the driver here, I woulda hit the gas so hard to get outta there but that’s not what he does. Instead, he and Sally run out the other side as Leatherface chases after them. But the driver grabbed a wrench on the way out and tosses it at Leatherface’s head. It connects and Leatherface falls, causing him to drop his chainsaw onto his own leg. It cuts him but it doesn’t sever the leg or anything.
A pickup truck comes by and pulls over. The driver of the semi-truck runs into the woods so who knows what happens to him? But Sally is able to get into the back of the pickup, she’s smeared in blood and laughing and screaming like she has lost her mind.
The film ends with a shot of Leatherface swinging his chainsaw around in the air as the sun rises behind him.
In Conclusion
There were a lot of factors that made this a successful horror film. One is the ominous soundtrack which plays in the background. The cinematography here is nothing special but it’s competent. The set design is completely off putting to the audience and with each watch through you are bound to notice yet another disturbing thing in the background you might have missed. Gunnar Hansen, who plays Leatherface is an imposing figure and you can’t take your eyes off of him whenever he is on screen.
But most importantly, this film was willing to cross boundaries and take risks where other horror films up to this point had not. There is not a larger story here other than people in danger and the end is not conclusive. The bad guys are not caught and punished for their misdeeds so one can presume they will be free to continue their horrific crimes into the future. The only one who seems like they might be out of the picture is the hitchhiker since he was hit by a truck.
It can’t be underestimated how influential this film is in the annals of horror. Most slasher films owe something to this one, whether it is a mysterious figure under a mask, a thoroughly creepy soundtrack, warnings from the community before the danger starts, or a collection of people going about everyday activities who find themselves confronted with a horror they can barely comprehend.
While there are definitely slasher films which I would say are better, this movie undoubtedly laid the groundwork for those. Since I have not yet seen all of the films in the franchise, I can’t say if the rest improve on the quality here but this first film is the one everyone knows about and for good reason.
Well Happy New Year out there all you dungeon crawlers! It’s officially 2024 but before we start off the new year for real, I thought I would give a little wrap up about what happened here on my blog this year. I’ll also give you a little peek into a few of the things you might see on here in 2024. If you can’t stand this kind of a post, don’t feel like you need to read it, I just like to do a little reflection now and then. I’m just going to be talking about what happened on my blog more or less, not big news stories (for the most part) or anything like that. Let’s see what happened in the categories I covered.
film
I started off the year wanting to review every movie I saw. I failed on that goal because, well, you know, life and stuff. But I started out reviewing one of the oddest movies I have ever seen called Adult Swim Yule Log (AKA The Fireplace). It’s not for everyone but it’s definitely memorable. In January I also reviewed Prey which is best entry the Predator series has had in decades. Horror films in theaters started off fairly strong in the form of M3GAN about an android doll who does what android dolls do and tries to kill everyone. January also had a Friday the 13th in it so I reviewed the last of the Friday the 13th movies I can, Freddy vs. Jason. I’m still hopeful for a 13th movie in the series but we’ll see if that ever actually happens.
In February they rereleased Titanic for a limited time and made me ugly cry as always. On Valentine’s day I watched Picnic at Hanging Rock which is a quiet horror movie with a decidedly creepy vibe which also happens to take place on Valentine’s day. I also watched Tom Hanks be a grumpy old man in A Man Called Otto. February brought with it more Ant-Man in the form of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It was sort of okay but certainly not Marvel’s best.
In May it was the anniversary of Return of the Jedi so I wanted to give everyone a guide on how to go about watching, reading, playing etc. in the universe of Star Wars. I’ve got a lot left to review on that so stay tuned if you like Star Wars. Also in May I reviewed the entire Fast & Furious franchise starting with the very first movie, The Fast & The Furious. It’s mind boggling how far into ridiculousness these films get.
I didn’t really watch any movies in July actually so nothing to report here.
In August there was a refreshingly independent horror movie called Talk to Me. And a couple of box office juggernauts were launched with Oppenheimer and Barbie. I watched them both but only got around to reviewing the first one. They’re both worth watching though!
In October I reviewed the whole Psycho franchise (excluding the TV series Bates Motel) starting with the first film. I also reviewed the double feature slashers of X and Pearl.
I was a little burned out on movies so didn’t review any others until December when I watched what might have been my favorite film of 2023 and an absolute mastery of storytelling with Godzilla Minus One.
So, what’s coming up on this blog for film for 2024? Well, I can’t say I am overly excited about what is coming to theaters but I’m sure I will review a few things here. I’ll almost certainly review the Oscar picks for best picture. As far as film series to review I think I am going to go with the whole Halloween franchise and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies. We’ll see if I end up doing any others.
Books
It was a busy year in books for me. In February I read the second volume of the Time Corrector series, The Movement by Avi Datta. It’s a fantastic series and a beautiful book. And I am very excited that I have the third volume which I will be reviewing in early February. I also started reviewing the Empire series by Tim Goff.
In November I read Illyadra by Adriel Wallaker and Drakomunda by Guy Quarterly.
December I read The Badlander by Tom Golden which has an utterly unforgettable ending. I also read To the Solemn Graves which is a solid ghost story anthology by Kim Idynne.
In 2024 you can expect more reviews of independent author’s books from Reedsy. I’m also hoping to but in a few more Star Wars book reviews and couple of reviews for bigger name authors, especially in fantasy and science fiction. I am a slow reader so we’ll see how far I get.
Marvel
I continue my quest to review every Marvel 616 comic in order and I made some progress this year. There is still a ton to go.
I could link every post I did on these this year but my series of reviews is meant to be read from the beginning so I am going to cheat a little and just link you to that first post here. If you read through it, you can link to the next one at the bottom and go in order.
I love Marvel comics and for 2024 I plan to continue with these reviews. I have to take breaks from it here and there because as much as I do love them, these early issues can seem a bit repetitive. Once you’ve seen Thor beat up a bunch of communists you don’t really need to see it again but that just keeps happening. Anyway, as far as Marvel goes on this blog just watch for more of it!
Star Wars
As far as Star Wars goes, as I mentioned above I have a lot left to review. I did come up with a guide for how to get started here. And I managed to review The Light of the Jedi.
For 2024 I’ll be reviewing Into the Dark which is the next book in phase 1 of the High Republic series. I will also probably start reviewing the movies but those are going to be a super deep dive so I’m not sure if I will complete that this year. I’ll be consuming tons of Star Wars stuff as I always to but how much I review basically remains to be seen.
Role Playing Games
Oh boy did a lot happen in the world of TTRPGs this year! There were too many crazy things to cover but the year did not start off well for Wizards of the Coast who makes Dungeons & Dragons. They had a huge debacle in what came to be knows as the OGL well.. debacle. And a ton of other stuff happened too. At the end of 2023 I basically feel better about TTRPGs as a hobby as a whole but D&D really needs to figure itself out as soon as possible if it wants to stay the most popular TTRPG of all time.
In January I gave my recommendations for the Top 5 TTRPGs to play in 2023. Also in January things started happening with the OGL (Open Gaming License) which allows creators to make third party stuff for D&D. But you know what? There are other rules systems and companies out there and people who want to make stuff for TTRPGs can use them. One of my favorites is the Basic Role Playing system by Chaosium. January just went crazy with the whole OGL thing and another company who I would say proved to be one of the best in 2023 was Paizo who makes Pathfinder. I wrote about that here.
In February I gave my picks for great gifts for any game master here. I know, it’s not romantic or whatever but hey, everyone can use dice and stuff like that. There were also a lot of play tests of new games happening in 2023. In particular in February there was the first play test of what was called Project Black Flag but will be known as Tales of the Valiant. It’s got the potential to be a D&D rival but it remains to be seen how popular it ends up becoming.
One of the things I find most difficult about TTRPGs is just finding a group to play consistently. A great way around that is to play solo TTRPG games which is why I cam up with my list of Top 5 Solo TTRPGs in April.
In August I got my hot little hands on a game I am super excited about which combines my love of Marvel comics with my love of TTRPGs. That’s right, I wrote about everything you need to know about the Marvel Multiverse Tabletop Role Playing Game. I also did a review of the core rulebook here and did a breakdown of the first chapter here. I’ll be doing a lot more with this book and this game in 2024 so if you are into Marvel TTRPGs watch for that.
In October I did one of the two things I am most proud of for 2023. I wrote my first scenario for Call of Cthulhu 7th edition called Fantastic Light Display. I worked for more than a month on it and I’m still just really excited to have published anything TTRPG related. This is definitely not for everyone but I had an absolute blast making it.
Also, because it was October, I couldn’t resist giving my recommendations for the Top 5 Monster TTRPGs to play.
In December, the MCDM TTRPG had a crowdfunding kick off and I have to say this is the game I am most excited for coming out in 2024 so expect a lot more written about it right here on this blog.
I had such a great time making my first Call of Cthulhu 7th edition scenario that I decided to do it again. This one is called Trouble on the Rock and is set on Alcatraz island just as the military prison is about to become a federal penitentiary. This is also just the first part as I intend to do two more in the On the Rock series. In February watch for the second in the series called Terror on the Rock. Just to be clear, these are related but stand alone scenarios so you don’t have to play one to enjoy the other. If you are into TTRPGs and like Call of Cthulhu it would be awesome if you could spread the word about it!
In 2024 you can expect more posts about how to play TTRPGs, more Top 5 lists, and definitely more scenarios, adventures etc written by yours truly!
Stories by Me
I definitely didn’t write as many short stories in 2023 as I intended to but I still got a few out.
In January I wrote Resolutions. Never try to grow tomatoes is my advice.
In February I wrote about Twenty Years of Walking Away and a story called Invasion. I also posted a story called Space Walk. That story actually first appeared in a collection called Flashbang! Volume II featuring a bunch of independent authors. I just wanted everyone to enjoy my story for free as well if they wished to.
In September I had another story featured in a collection called In a Flash. Again, it features a whole lot of independent authors and they are all flash fiction stories so it’s a nice small bite of fiction for when you don’t have a lot of time.
And as I said in the section above, I published my first two Call of Cthulhu 7th edition scenarios. These are not technically stories but they are written by me and I hope people enjoy them. I’m not trying to make anyone spend a dime on anything I write unless they want to but if you do, buying those scenarios is the best way currently to show your support for this blog.
In 2024 I definitely want to bring back my Flash Fiction Friday series and hopefully have a few good stories for you to read. I absolutely am not going to have one for every Friday of the year but I’ll do what I can!
I’m also working on a novel, but I’ll tell you more about that once I get to a point where I think it’s really worth sharing something. I’m not sure what all else I will get up to as far as writing goes this year but you can definitely expect more blog posts!
Heading into 2024
There are a lot of things I am excited for in the coming year and I hope you’ll decide to keep reading some of my posts whether you enjoy my fiction, my reviews of books and movies, my nerding out about Star Wars and Marvel and TTRPGs or all of the above. I hope everyone has an incredible 2024 and I wish all of you a Happy New Year!
Hello horror fans, Slick Dungeon here! I’m back to review another horror film and this one is my pick for not just one of the best horror films, but one of the best films of 2023. I am talking, of course, about Godzilla Minus One. Despite the title making me think there should be zero Godzillas, there is in fact an epic Godzilla in this movie. There will be some spoilers in this review but I will try to keep them light enough you should be able to see it without worry. Still, if things like knowing there is a Godzilla in this movie is too much of a spoiler for you, go see the movie and come back to read the review!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
To KNow Before You go
There are a few things to know before you watch this film. First, this is not directly related to the most recent Godzilla movies set in the so called Monarch Monsterverse. Those films kicked off with Bryan Cranston in 2014 and there are so far four movies with another slated to come out next year and a television series. In addition all of those are American productions while Godzilla Minus One is the first Godzilla movie to come out of Japan for quite some time. You absolutely do not have to have ever seen any Godzilla movie to enjoy Godzilla Minus One. This is the rare case where knowing too much about the previous films might even bog you down a bit.
What’s with that title?
Before I get too far into the review, I am going to touch upon the title for a moment because it is kind of an odd title. Some people have theorized the minus one is because this is a sort of prequel film to the original Godzilla of 1954. That is, in fact not true. This is more of a reimagining of the original Godzilla, however Minus One tells a much more moving story.
The reason the title is Godzilla Minus One has to do with where Japan was as a country and culture following the events of World War II. Having lost a war, been devastated by two nuclear blasts and struggling to come back from its lowest point in history, Japan was at zero. But in Godzilla Minus One, the idea is, what if they could sink lower. On top of all of the devastation, destruction and heartbreak, there is now an unstoppable monster set out to devastate everything Japan has started to rebuild.
But How about the Movie Itself?
If that was the only idea, this might make for a decent film. But the movie follows the central character of pilot Kōichi Shikishima. Shikishima has committed an act he and many other people feel is unforgivable when he happens upon the impossible. A legendary monster so large and powerful it could level cities in an instant. Godzilla.
On the surface the film is obviously about how to stop a Kaiju from wreaking havoc upon a civilization. But, the film goes far deeper than that to touch on themes of loss, hope, redemption, power structures, and who should be held responsible for decisions that cost lives. Is it courageous to do something reckless, just because those in authority want you to? Are you a coward if you freeze at a particular moment in time? And what would the effect be on a war torn civilization if it had to face a new threat after such loss?
The action here is excellent and Godzilla himself has never looked better. All the big Kaiju pieces you want in a movie like this are there but this one shines because it was so well thought through. Godzilla Minus One is not just a good lesson in how to create an action film but an excellent lesson in how to tell a story. More film makers should take note.
I won’t spoil much but I will say there is one line in this movie that just shows how well thought out the approach to a disaster film is here. There is a moment with my favorite line in an Godzilla film I have seen when a character says, “To have never gone to war is something to be proud of.” It’s extremely moving and nearly pitch perfect. I never thought a Kaiju film would make me think about the deeper meaning of life but if any film pulls it off, this one does.
Have you seen this one? Do you think it stands up to the original? Let me know in the comments!
Mia Goth is Pearl in the 2022 film of the same name
Hello horror fans! October may be over but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of great horror films and shows to watch. I recently watched the prequel to Ti West’s excellent slasher X. While Pearl is a prequel to X, you can watch these in either order. Do be forewarned there will be some mild spoilers for both Pearl and X below. You’ve been warned so if that sort of thing bothers you, go out back, make sure your pet gator is fed, then go on back to the barn, plug in the old cable television and watch the movies before you head back here for the review.
Mia Goth Delivers again
One of the best parts of X was easily Mia Goth in her performance as Maxxxine. In Pearl she gets the title role and delivers an excellent performance, able to balance a naive innocence with a burgeoning madness.
Pearl tells the story of a young woman who is stuck on a rural farm, waiting for her young husband to come home from the war in 1918. She’s under the strict supervision of her parents but she yearns for more. Pearl wants to dance and see the world. But with the way things are for women at the time, she’s not likely to get her chance.
To add to her struggles, the influenza pandemic is raging at the time, and her mother is more than a little paranoid about contracting the disease. At the time, it was certainly a valid concern, but the way Pearl’s mother acts is on the more extreme end of things.
Pearl meets a young man who is a bit on the wild side and she finds out about a chance to dance for a show that is going on the road. The man and the opportunity give Pearl the chance to live a little on the edge and find out more about what the world is about. Yet, it’s no surprise things will not end well here.
Things get Dangerous
Pearl, on top of her hopes and dreams, has some clearly violent tendencies. She seems to take great pleasure in killing small animals and feeding them to the alligator that lives near her farm. There are times she flies off the handle with no warning and again, Mia Goth does a fantastic job of giving the character enough edge without making it unbelievable.
She has a supportive sister in law and a domineering mother. Her father is wheel chair bound but Pearl seems to like him the most out of the people in her family. Things come to a head when Pearl goes to try out for the dance show against her mother’s wishes.
I won’t spoil what comes next since what happens is pretty extreme but this is a horror film so you can probably guess it’s something rather horrible.
In Conclusion
Overall, the film is a bit quieter than X but I’d say it’s more unsettling. The tone plays more of a part here and leaves the audience just enough off balance to make it worth watching. Even if you have seen X and have a pretty good idea what’s up with Pearl, you’ll still find some stand out performances and an unforgettable ending. If you haven’t given this a watch and you like a good slasher or an unsettling horror period piece, this is definitely worth checking out.
A Friday the 13th in October?! You know what that means! You gotta watch a Friday the 13th movie tonight. But where do you begin? What’s the best one? Do I have to watch these things in order? How many movies are there? Good news! I have already done reviews of all 12, yes one less than 13, films. Check them out below to find out which ones are worth watching. Honestly, I think they all are but each one will give you a different sort of experience. If you want the scariest ones, go with the first three. If you want the best of them go with the fourth one and if you want the most ridiculous experience watch the one where Jason goes to space. Yes, you read that right! Jason goes to space.
Anyway, check out my reviews below. There are spoilers here so be forewarned.
And because I really want there to be 13 things on this list, here’s a bonus. A fantastic documentary about the whole Friday the 13th series. It’s a long watch but for a big fan, totally worth it.
Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittney Snow, Kid Codi, and Owen Campbell star in X
Hello Halloween pals and gals, and everyone in between! Slick Dungeon here and I’m back to review another spooky film for my favorite horror movie month. This time I watched a surprisingly decent film with a small cast just called X. No, not the artist formerly known as Twitter, the movie called X. There are going to be some spoilers below but they will be fairly mild. Still, if you are averse to spoilers watch the movie first. It’s a good one so it’s worth your time.
It’s Art
Still with me? Okay good. X is a movie about a group of filmmakers trying to break into the adult film industry in the 1970’s. This rag tag bunch of eccentric folks who cut against the mainstream want to capture the success of the famous adult film Debbie Does Dallas. Our heroes in X are also from Texas so it makes sense they might want to capitalize on this trend. They have a cast, a producer, and a director and they’re all ready to go. The group even has a location. The plan is to shoot the film on a little farm out in the middle of nowhere. The farm lets people rent rooms on the property for a fee. The only catch? Our movie makers have chosen the wrong farm. Also, they haven’t told the farm owners what they’re up to.
If there is any one particular protagonist here it’s Mia Goth’s Maxine (spelled with three X’s in her stage name version). She wants to be a sex symbol and rich and famous and this movie is supposed to be her start.
I don’t want to spoil the movie too much but as this is a slasher film, well, let’s just say things start happening and bodies start dropping. As the audience we have a pretty good idea of who is doing it although how believable that is can definitely be up for debate.
The movie knows what it is and makes reference to Psycho more than once, acknowledging and subverting its predecessor in several ways. The movie is superbly acted with great performances from everyone in the cast but Mia Goth stands out here. It’s rare that anyone can outshine Jenna Ortega in a horror film so that’s saying something.
The movie also has some great cinematography and is very well directed. There are definitely some moments that stretch the imagination but when you get right down to it, this movie knows it’s just dumb fun. And that usually makes for the best of slasher films.
Why the 1970’s?
Did this have to be set in the 70’s? Not at all. But putting it there actually does a lot for the film. First, the 70’s and early 80’s is when a lot of the greatest horror films were made. Second, we don’t have to deal with cell phones and the internet which make a serial slasher killer going around for hours without being caught much less believable. And with such a small cast and low budget, the time period really works. They did a fantastic job mimicking the look and feel of the fashions from the decade.
More to Come
One thing to note is there is a prequel movie to X called Pearl. I happened to watch this in release order but this is a rare instance where I really think it does not matter which movie you watch first. I’ll have a separate review for Pearl soon.
However, there is apparently a third film coming. To give you the name of it would actually spoil something from this film so I’m not going to say the title but if it is as good as both X and Pearl are, I’ll be watching for sure.
In conclusion
If you want a fun slasher flick that doesn’t talk down to the audience, is smart enough to keep things tight and short, and has excellent performances, X is a great choice. If want a great double feature experience, throw on Pearl as well. And truly, it doesn’t matter which one you watch first. I’ll say I am slightly more partial to X but it’s a really close call.
