DEAD & BURIED (1981): I'm a little behind in my review writing, so forgive me if some of the details are no longer completely fresh in my mind. I'd been meaning to watch this one for some time, and seeing the trailer every week at Cinematic Void's Horror by the Water screenings really pushed it to the top of my list. I would say this movie is similar in tone to other early '80s horror movies set in cemeteries/morgues -- specifically moves like One Dark Night, Mortuary and Mausoleum. I imagine that little trend was kind of kicked off by Phantasm, and has its modern-day equivalent in something like The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Anyhow, if you like the really specific vibe of very early '80s funereal horror, this fits in nicely and would make an excellent double feature with any of the aforementioned titles.
JUBILEE (1978): This is a movie that I've been meaning to watch forever, since I dig '70s British punk rock, but it kind of fell flat for me. It has the same sort of filthy British punk vibes of Sid and Nancy or The Young Ones, like where everything is gray and dirty and gross. I was happy to see Little Nell in something other than Rocky Horror, and Adam Ant was maybe at the peak of his cuteness. Overall though I found the nihilistic punk characters more irritating than provocative, and kind of just came away feeling vaguely annoyed. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind.
I WANT YOU BACK (2022): Jenny Slate has proven to be a pretty good bet when it comes to contemporary rom coms, and here she and Charlie Day from It's Always Sunny star as two people whose despair at being broken up with leads them to form an unusual bond. This was a throwback -- predictable, pleasant, funny, not too mean-spirited. I don't have much to say but I did enjoy watching it. I chuckled.
THRASHIN' (1986): Josh Brolin is a James Dean on four wheels in this fun and silly skatesploitation flick. Just remember, if anyone ever asks you what you thrash, the correct answer is, "Whaddya got?"
THE FOG (1980): One of my very favorite John Carpenter movies since I was a child. I love everything about this movie: The seaside setting, the backstory of the leper ghosts (they're not pirates!), the quintessentially Carpenter synth score, Jamie Lee Curtis' overwhelming attraction to a mustache-less Tom Atkins, the cameos from Debra Hill and JC himself. I was so excited to finally see it in a theater, again thanks to Cinematic Void, and in a beautiful 4K restoration, no less. When you're enjoying your next stomach pounder and a Coke, don't forget to pour a little out for Mrs. Kobritz -- RIP to a real one.
MARS ATTACKS! (1996): You ever take so long to see a movie that it starts to feel like a matter of your personal identity? Like, people are always like, "Oh, you've never seen Mars Attacks?" I mean, my own husband has been saying this to me for years. Finally he was like, "Why haven't you seen Mars Attacks?" and I was like, "Because it's just never come up! Do you feel like we should watch Mars Attacks together?" And that, my friends, is how I came to finally watch Mars Attacks. What's that? What did I think? Oh yeah, it was fine! I neither liked nor disliked it. I feel like one was the appropriate amount of viewings. That being said, I may have missed the cultural moment attendant to this particular film. But I did spend a lot of time watching and rewatching Drew Barrymore lose her shit in Mad Love around this time, so if you want to talk about mid-'90s cinema with me, I'd suggest you start there. (P.S. I have also never seen Independence Day all the way through.)
THEY LIVE INSIDE US (2020): I watched this because I absolutely adore the little Halloween tone poems, called "Halloween Atmospheres," that Witching Season Films put on their YouTube channel. They are like the opening credits to Halloween 4 but for like 15 minutes each. Anyhow, I thought there were some cool shots in this, but it didn't completely come together for me as a narrative. Still, they have a great eye (eyes?) and I look forward to checking out their next feature soon.
Okay, well, I have 36 more reviews in the pipeline. So, uh...stick around, or don't. Either way, you know what to expect!
