Tarot (2024), Ghoulies (1985), and Countdown (2019)

Warning: this review has spoilers of Tarot in it.

The common denominator with all 3 of these movies: they're all "not-so bloody/gory" horror-comedies where a group of young adults dies off one-by-one. It's a cliche, but every now and then a new movie comes out with a new twist. 

The most recent is Tarot, which I went to see in the theater and liked. I don't know very much about Tarot cards in general, but I heard they can bring good luck and are not always "evil". In this movie, the cards are cursed and the curse gets placed on a group of young college friends away on a long weekend in an old secluded mansion. 

The opening scenes of the movies gave me vibes of Ghoulies from 1985 which I also went to see in the theater and subsequently watched and enjoyed again later on. (also it's a movie I've mentioned a few times here on the blog, too). In that 80s movie, there's also a dark mansion, a ritual, candles, witchcraft...but also very funny moments with puppet creatures attacking and popping out of the toilet. And it also has Mariska Hargitay in it too but no one knew who she was back then. 

Tarot also has several young actors I never heard of, making me feel a little out of touch because they have impressive credits. The standout in the group in my opinion is Jacob Batalon (Paxton) who really steals the film as the most down-to-earth and comical (if I had seen more Marvel films I would have remembered him from them). His character ends up surviving at the end, which is satisfying because he's so likeable, but also defies logic. The two lovers end up surviving at the end, which I wasn't sure would happen. Anytime a movie like this keeps me guessing and surprises me, I tend to think better of it overall. If the Paxton character ended up being the last one standing, however, that would have really made the film extra-memorable.

Another relatively recent movie that I was reminded me of was Countdown from 2019. Countdown has a really intriguing premise: a new smartphone app can tell you when you are going to die ---- and it actually works. It could even have been more dark and more sinister but like the others it's a PG-13 and also has comical moments. And there's an element of witchcraft, with an evil force attacking a group of friends until the curse of the app is broken. One of these sequences takes place in a hospital which reminded me that anytime a killer/demon/spirit is let loose in a hospital it's definitely a creepy-as-hell situation. But I liked the comical moments of the movie, too. My two favorite characters were the hacker who tries to dismantle the app and the hippie priest who thinks he knows how to break the curse. Those two were very funny, and worth the watch or rewatch.

The Addams Family (1991), Addams Family Values (1993), and The Addams Family (2019)

I watched both when they first came out 30 years ago, but didn't like them very much. 

And then just the other day I watched it again, and enjoyed it more than ever. It's funny how this is a rare movie that gets better for me each time I watch it. 

The entire cast is so good! I love the design of the castle, and the hidden "fortune" and the lore behind the Addams lineage. Such good stuff!

I didn't like the sequel  (Part 2) very much when I first saw it, but rather enjoyed it on a rewatch. Much of the subtle humor was lost on me years ago. 

Part 2 really belongs to Joan Cusack! She really steals the whole movie as Fester's nefarious girlfriend who wants a piece of the Addams fortune. And I liked the summer camp sequences with the crazy hyper-positive-attitude counselors. The ending was bad, though. The whole electrocution deal....doesn't hold up well, and don't love the movie as much as the first one. 

I tried giving the 2019 animated movie a try, since I hadn't seen it yet. Surprisingly, it had a number of the same jokes from the 1991 movie and didn't capture my attention enough to watch the whole thing. 

Going to stick with the 1991 version again if I ever am in an Addams Family mood again! 

Read another review of Addams Family Values from:

Reel Weedgie Midget here

New Releases (Fall/Winter 2019) that look interesting

The following films are ones I am adding to my "To-See" and "Maybe" lists. The ratings and synopsis below are from critics from RogerEbert.com

Drama

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A Hidden Life
4 stars  Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life,” the true story of a World War II conscientious objector, is one of his finest films, and one of his most demanding.

Hala
3 Stars  Directed by Minhal Baig (from Chicago).  It was released in a limited release on November 22, 2019, followed by digital streaming on December 6, 2019, by AppleTV+. Wikipedia  “Hala” possesses something inherently extraordinary by just being about a young, female Muslim-American. It’s an unassuming film that hops on a casual rhythm and shines its wisdom to let its lead character Hala (Geraldine Viswanathan)

Burning Cane
4 stars.  Phillip Youmans’ extraordinary debut feature. A drama about a church, a religious family and a preacher played by Wendell Pierce (Selma).

Chained For Life
3.5 stars. A film within a film that looks really good.
The movie they're filming is helmed by an autocratic German director (Charlie Korsmo), and rumors swirl that 1.) he is not even German and 2.) he was "raised in a circus." The pretentious fictional film ("it's called 'God's Mistakes' in German" someone is overheard saying) is the story of a mad scientist doctor and his evil nurse sidekick operating on their disabled patients, removing their disabilities so they can re-enter society. I haven't seen Charlie Korsmo in a movie in a long time, maybe not since 1990 when he was in Dick Tracy.

Low Tide
3 stars. Described as an adolescent “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” with echoes of '80s adventure classics like "The Goonies" and "Stand by Me."  I was not a fan of the show Stranger Things but this might be more to my liking.

Waves
4 stars.  It’s about how a series of compounding very bad decisions can ultimately impact good ones. Trey Edward Shults has written and directed an empathetic commentary on the interconnectivity of human nature—a film filled with great, almost unimaginable pain, but also incredible beauty. And it ultimately feels like a call for kindness and forgiveness. Even after the one-two punch of “Krisha” and “It Comes at Night,” “Waves” is unexpectedly ambitious and confident, the work of a filmmaker in complete control of his talents and using them to challenge himself. This is a deeper and more profound film than your average character drama, a masterpiece that’s hard to walk away from without checking your own grievances and grief.  Music by Trent Reznor. With Lucas Hedges.

Dolemite is my Name
3.5 stars. Eddie Murphy plays Rudy Ray Moore, the chameleon-like hustler who parlayed his ability to change and his tenaciousness into a career as a stand-up comedian whose signature character, Dolemite, made him famous. 

Honey Boy
3.5 stars. An autobiographical story written by Shia LaBeouf. Normally I wouldn't care for his work but he impressed me in The Peanut Butter Falcon so I might give this a watch one day.

Seberg
Only received 1.5 star, but still looks interesting with Kristen Stewart playing Jean Seberg.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire
4 Stars. French director Céline Sciamma fourth feature has been called one of the best films of the year.

Comedy

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Jojo Rabbit
2.5 stars. A satirical comedy that looks really interesting from the trailers I've seen.

Greener Grass
3 stars.  DeBoer and Luebbe have created a psychotic suburban world where surface conformity is all, where everyone strives to look and be the same. The smiling faces perch on top of roiling emotions, not even necessarily anti-social emotions, just regular ones, like need, loss, pain. "Keeping up with the Joneses" is pushed to its most surreal extreme. Everyone in the town has braces. Everyone dresses the same, in pinks and light blues and light purples. Everyone drives golf carts. It's like they live in a mini village placed on a country club golf course somewhere. 

Between Two Ferns
3.5 stars.  One of the most amiable comedies of the year.  Starring Zach Galifianakis and based on a skit/web series that I haven't seen but this movie sounds interesting.

Jexi
2.5 stars. This movie sounds alot like Her, which might be a good second feature to pair this movie up with to watch one day.

Horror/Thriller

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Paradise Hills
1.5 stars. But looks like it could be good....a sci-fi thriller follows an unruly young woman of the future who’s sent to a re-education camp for young ladies to become more docile and compliant. Starring Emma Roberts, Mila Jojovich and Awkwafina.

Portals
Only 2 stars given, but sounds like my kind of movie, a horror anthology.

Little Monsters
Only 2 stars, but it sounds like it could be an interesting zombie comedy. Haven't seen a bad film with Lupita Nyong’o so this could be interesting.

Villains
3 stars. There is an inherent level of tonal ambiguity baked into the home invasion thriller-cum-comedy “Villains,” the third feature collaboration of the filmmaking duo Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. Also serving as the co-scribes of a story that tiptoes around notes both absurd and unsettling.
With Maika Monroe (so good in The Guest and It Follows) and Kyra Sedwick.

Girl on the Third Floor
3.5 stars. Looks like it could be a good darkly comic haunted house thriller.


Documentary

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Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project
3.5 stars. A woman leaves behind over 30 years of recorded tv programming.

63 Up
4 Stars. The latest from Michael Apted and his subjects that he has been following for over 50 years.

The Cave
3.5 stars. Feras Fayyad’s follow-up documentary to “Last Men in Aleppo,” “The Cave" about a last resort hospital staffed by dogged professionals underground.

Midnight Traveler
3 stars. Afghan filmmaker Hassan Fazili and his family shot the documentary entirely on three mobile phones while on the run from the Taliban, which had put out a hit on him.

Gay Chorus Deep South
3 stars. When chorus member Jimmy White admits how painful it will be if his long-estranged father fails to show up to their concert in Jackson, Mississippi—which just so happens to be his parents’ hometown—Seelig stresses the importance of White telling his folks how important their presence will be, rather than assuming they already know.

Varda by Agnes
3 stars. A combination autobiography and career survey overseen by the filmmaker

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael
3 stars. Looks good.

Where's My Roy Cohn
3 stars.  We get the impression from this film that, right up to the bitter, agonized end, he was engaged in an internal battle to justify himself to himself, and to the world.  There was also a television movie about Cohn from years ago that I've been wanting to see. One day when I'm in the mood to learn more about his life I might pair up these two films.

The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash
3 stars. Available on demand from YouTube Originals.

The Disappearance of My Mother
3 stars. Looks like a really thought provoking film about a former fashion model now in her late 70s.

International/Non-English language

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Chinese Portrait (China) - Documentary
4 Stars. Comprised of about 60 vignettes.

I Lost My Body (France) - Animated
3 stars. Jérémy Clapin’s “I Lost My Body,” a surprise winner of the Critics’ Week Grand Prize this year at Cannes (the first animated movie to do so), is a visually sumptuous slice of macabre storytelling that works best when it uses its director’s magical sense of composition and less when it feels weighed down by narrative. 

Atlantics/Atlantique (France-Senegal)
4 Stars. Thrills throughout its runtime, matches its gorgeous imagery with a compelling story, and defies easy categorization. Mati Diop’s haunting narrative feature debut “Atlantics” is one such movie. It’s unlike few other movies you’ll see this year or possibly this decade. 

Britt-Marie Was Here (Sweden)
3 stars. Based on a novel by Fredrik Backman (A Man Called Ove), whose themes often include cranky people who isolate themselves and community sports that bring people together. Thankfully, he and director Tuva Novotny keep the characters astringent and his tone wry, so it never gets cuddly or cloying. This sounds depressing but still looks like it could be a very good character study.

Monos (South American)
3 stars. Alejandro Landes’ third feature, a fascinating and sometimes frustrating film. These kids—maybe orphans or street kids, maybe kidnapped or pressed into service—and then brutalized by military discipline and indoctrination—are left totally alone, no adults in sight, to create their own world.

In My Room (German)
3.5 stars  The German lo-fi sci-fi character study “In My Room” is for anybody who’s dreamed and/or panicked about the existential terror and romantic solitude that attends a classic doomsday scenario: what if you were the last person on Earth? 

Synonyms (France)
2.5 stars. Sounds like a really good film.

The Devil's Backbone (2001) and The Boy (2016)

I first saw The Devil's Backbone in 2012. It was the first Guillermo del Toro movie I had seen, and I really liked it. I liked how the film's supernatural element blends with the political story. It's not just a ghost story, but a ghost does lurks in an all-boy's orphanage/school during the Spanish Civil War. At the center of the story is a young boy who befriends other classmates. The adults in the film have differing political loyalties, which adds further tension. Pan's Labyrinth was similar in some ways but I like this film better. 

I watched The Boy in January of 2016, and I was reminded of The Devil's Backbone. There were some similarities that really stood out to me. In this movie, a woman is hired to be a nanny to a porcelain doll. The elderly owners of the house treat it like a real doll. It's a very creepy situation. Sometimes the doll moves on its own - or does it? Sometimes we hear strange noises. Sometimes other things move on its own - or do they? Is it a ghost? Is the doll possessed? It's pretty creepy. Directed by William Brent Bell. There's been some talk of a sequel but it hasn't happened yet.

The Conjuring (2013) and Poltergeist (1983)

Last weekend I went to see The Conjuring, a new thriller now in theaters. I was curious about it because I heard good things from other bloggers and reviewers, and was intrigued that it was inspired by true events surrounding a real haunted house and the ghost hunters (a real-life couple) who investigated it in the 1970s.

This is a well-made motion picture that I'm highly recommending. It's the kind of movie that gets scarier and scarier as it progresses, and might not be everyone's cup of tea. But every now and then some of us are in the mood for a good "haunted house movie", and this film really raises the bar. I'd say it's destined to become something of a memorable classic in years to come. There are terrific performances by Vera Farminga and Lili Taylor, who deserve some sort of recognition come awards time next year. Especially Lili Taylor - what her character has to endure in this film is gut wrenching.

The children in The Conjuring have demanding roles, too. There are 5 young girls and each has a unique "encounter" in the house. Needless to say, there is alot of screaming.

The investigators in The Conjuring are played by Vera Farminga and Patrick Wilson, a husband-and-wife team. At the start of the movie, they are giving a lecture, and we immediately understand that they are always "in demand". As the movie progresses we learn about their history investigating paranormal events, and about their relationship together.  And they make a lovely couple on screen; the movie is just as much about their love and endurance as it is about the family in the house. If you like investigator "couples" like the ones on "The X-Files" or "Bones", then you might like this movie.

I found The Conjuring to be an impressive film and highly recommend it.

I was also in the mood to rewatch Poltergeist on DVD the same weekend. I saw that movie on television when I was about 10 and will never forget how much it scared me, and how much fun it was to talk about with my classmates the next day. I don't remember the scene with the parents smoking marijuana, though - that part must have been edited for television or flown over my head back then.  A couple of take-aways from my rewatch: I really liked how the cemetery fitted in with the whole haunting situation. And I liked how technology was used to record the ghosts - that was very creepy.  (The Conjuring features innovative audio and video recording techniques, too). I forgot how integral Beatrice Staight's character was in the movie; she plays a scientist at a local college who visits the house. I really like the scene she has when she consoles the young boy.  And her campus office looked like the same one that the paranormal investigators played by Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd had in Ghostbusters. 

The children in Poltergeist are memorable - who can forget Carol Anne and how she "talks" to the ghosts in the static on the TV. By the way, seeing all that "TV static" made me nostalgic for that again; I guess we'll only see that in old movies now. By the way, there is even a quick shot of television static in The Conjuring, which may or may not be an homage to Poltergiest. (Conjuring is set in the early 1970s, and we also see the children watching Brady Bunch, too).

The clairvoyant in Poltergiest is played by Zelda Rubenstein, who passed away a few years ago. Her character in this film has to be one of the most memorable characters in the history of horror cinema, if not cinema. As soon as she comes on the screen, you know the ghosts are going to get their asses kicked.

I also rewatched Poltergiest II: The Other Side (1986) and Poltergiest III  (1988) for the first time. I don't have much to say about them except that they are both inferior sequels. The last time I saw Part II was in the theaters more than 25 years ago and the only scene I remembered was the part where the boy's braces attack him; that scene is ingrained in my brain for life. Everything else about the film is pretty awful, especially the preacher ghost who's something of a ripoff of the Robert Mitchum character in Night of the Hunter. Part III is even worse; the name "Carol Ann" is screamed or yelled over 100 times and is totally annoying unless you are playing a drinking game.

Guilty pleasure movies

OK, So I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but some of my favorite "guilty pleasure" movies are the Police Academy series, the Problem Child movies, and Nothing But Trouble.

I know some of you like these films too. LOL

Police Academy series (but I like parts 3-4 the best)



Problem Child 1 and 2



Nothing But Trouble

The Ghost Breakers (1940)

Before there were Ghostbusters, there were Ghost Breakers, paranormal investigators in George Steven's 1940 comedy, played by Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard.

In this comedy, Hope plays Lawrence L. Lawerence, an actor who only plays a P.I. on the radio. He gets mixed up in a scheme involving a haunted mansion in Cuba, and becomes a "ghost Breaker" by accident.

Co-starring Anthony Quinn and Willie Best, who plays Hope's assistant. There are so many zombies in the haunted mansion that Hope and Co. start calling them "Zom". It inspired both the 1970s television show "The Ghostbusters" as well as Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis when they wrote the 1984 film "Ghostbusters". Another note of trivia: Bob Hope starred in a radio version of "The Ghost Breakers" the same year the film came out.

The Black Cat (1934)

A creepy film! Also a rare screen pairing of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff (billed only as "KARLOFF" for some reason).

As the film opens, Bela is on his way to Karloff's mansion for a visit. On the train he meets a young couple and invites them to come along with him, which may be a mistake.

When we meet Karloff, we learn that is a creepy dude. First of all, he's a Satanist who reads "The Rites of Lucifer", and is preparing for a black moon ritual which may or not involve Bela and the couple, who try to escape.

Bela plays a good guy in this and wants to escape too, especially when he learns that Karloff  has been keeping  corpses in his basement, including one of his dead wife. Creepy! That's enough for anyone to want to get out of there. Bela is terrified of black cats, though and gets freaked out whenever one walks into the room, making it tough for him to leave.

According to my research, this was one of the top box office hits in 1934.