It can be a startling thing when expectations are upended. You think you’re familiar with something, say, a filmmaker based on a particular film. And you hear about their new film, and it looks like it treads similar ground. And it does, except it doesn’t. And in that thin veil of difference can lay everything. So if you’re a fan of Jon Wright and his alien SF/horror fest Grabbers and saw he has a new film, one that ALSO takes place in Ireland and features a bunch of little goblins terrorizing a family, you might think Ah! This should be right up my alley. And it is, but Unwelcome is tonally a very, very different beast, as are its featured villains, most of whom are all too human…

Reviews

Hooptober 11.0 – Bhoot (2003)

Being Film #19 for Hooptober 2024

It’s always interesting to see another culture’s take on some tried and true storytelling. The haunted house (or apartment in this case) riff has been going on almost as long as film itself, and seeing the variations play out in Japan (The Grudge) and Indonesia (Satan’s Slaves 2) have yielded some terrific results for the genre. Bhoot comes out of India, and while it might play a little more safely with the formula than the previously mentioned films, a terrific lead performance and a couple of fantastic sequences help elevate this ghost (the literal translation of “bhoot”) story above its humble direction and somewhat rote script.

ChrisOctober 2, 2024Leave a comment

Reviews

Hooptober 11.0 – Spontaneous Combustion (1990)

Being Film #18 for Hooptober 2024

I usually save the Tobe Hooper entry for the end of the marathon, but I had a few hours to kill and a pal had Spontaneous Combustion on his Plex server, so off to the races with what looks to be his last original film in terms of story creation. You can probably guess from the title what this film is about, and despite its faults I will tell you this: it lives up to the promise of its title: things do in fact combust. Spontaneously, even.

ChrisSeptember 30, 2024Leave a comment

Reviews

Hooptober 11.0 – Vampire In Brooklyn (1995)

Being Film #17 for Hooptober 2024

You’re one of the biggest comedy stars in the world. You want to branch out, try something different. Horror looks good, so you get one of the masters of the genre who’s also looking to break out of his narrow confines. Sometimes that push-pull relationship can yield gold; other times you get Vampire In Brooklyn, which despite some chilling imagery and the luscious presence of Angela Bassett suffers from some serious identity problems which ultimately dilutes both the comedy and the horror.

ChrisSeptember 29, 2024Leave a comment

Reviews

Hooptober 11.0 – Death Proof (2007)

Being Film #16 for Hooptober 2024

Outside of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood… I don’t think there’s a more personal, more fanboy love letter to movies in Quentin Tarantino’s filmography than Death Proof. With overt callouts and structural similarities to the films he loves, much of this is readily obvious. But in making his Grindhouse genre offering not only working within the exploitation genre but also the car film, Tarantino luxuriates in the fetish of real honest to go stunt work. It’s there where I think this movie really shines the brightest.

ChrisSeptember 28, 2024Leave a comment

Reviews

Hooptober 11.0 – Planet Terror (2007)

Being Film #15 for Hooptober 2024

I wish Grindhouse didn’t fail as bad as it did at the box office. I remember seeing the entire experience in theaters and it was incredible. For every pale imitation (Hobo With a Shotgun, Rodriguez’s own Machete) it spawned, it also remains a singular experience, both taken as a whole and divided into their individual components. Planet Terror, the Rodriguez segment, plays like exploitation through a kid’s eyes, and I think on this watch that’s entirely intentional. It’s way more goofy fun that I remembered, and his stacked cast makes a meal out of every moment. If it doesn’t exactly match the grimy vibe of those films, it definitely matches the sense of fun folks get watching them for pleasure now.

ChrisSeptember 28, 2024Leave a comment

Cinema Dual (TEST SITE)

Examining a life through the media we consume. In other words, I’m reviewing all of my physical music media in alphabetical order, one day at at a time. Except when I don’t, as has been the case for the past few years. Still, we march onwards…Coffee essential, but not mandatory

Tag: hooptober

Hooptober 11.0 – Unwelcome (2023)

Hooptober 11.0 – Bhoot (2003)

Hooptober 11.0 – Spontaneous Combustion (1990)

Hooptober 11.0 – Vampire In Brooklyn (1995)

Hooptober 11.0 – Death Proof (2007)

Hooptober 11.0 – Planet Terror (2007)