TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews: Movie review

Showing posts with label Movie review. Show all posts

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Review: "WEREWOLVES" is a Crazy Good Monster Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 of 2026 (No. 2053) by Leroy Douresseaux

Werewolves (2024)

Running time: 93 minutes (1 hour, 33 minutes)

Rating: MPA – R for violence, some gore, and language

DIRECTOR: Steven C. Miller

WRITER: Matthew Kennedy

PRODUCERS: Jim Cardwell, Craig Chapman, Sevier Crespo, James Michael Cummings, Steven C. Miller, Myles Nestel, and Luillo Ruiz

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brandon Cox

EDITOR: Greg MacLennan

COMPOSERS: James Burkholder and The Newton Brothers

SCI-FI/HORROR/ACTION

Starring: Frank Grillo, Katrina Law, Ilfenesh Hadera, Kamdynn Gary, James Michael Cummings, Lou Diamond Phillips, Lydia Styslinger, Daniel Fernandez, Yessenia Medina, Omalik J. Rosado, Travis Johnny Ware, and James Kyson

Werewolves is a 2024 American science fiction, horror, and action film from director Steven C. Miller. Werewolves is set on the day a lunar event that changed the world the previous year is about to happen again, while a small group of scientists attempts an experiment to save humanity.

Werewolves opens as the world prepares for the return of a devastating incident. One year earlier there was a “supermoon” event, but it was unlike any other known supermoon event. Over one billion humans that were exposed to the light from the supermoon were transformed into werewolves after the moonlight triggered a rapid DNA mutation in them.

A year later, Dr. James Aranda (Lou Diamond Phillips) and his Aranda Corp. believe that they have created a cure for the mutation in the form of chemical spray called “Moonscreen.” The spray creates a barrier (of sorts) between moonlight and human DNA. At Aranda's side is Dr. Wesley “Wes” Marshall (Frank Grillo), Aranda's lead molecular biologist and the head of the “Global Rapid Response” team.

As the day winds down, the world prepares for the return of the supermoon, Wes helps his late brother's widow, Lucy Marshall (Ilfenesh Hadera), and daughter, Emma (Kamdynn Gary), fortify their home. Will the home hold? And is “Moonscreen” the salvation that Dr. Aranda hopes? The answer may be behind the howling that will begin as soon as the moon rises.

Artist and illustrator, Carter Allen, my collaborator on the graphic novel, The Wrath of Karapace, likes to say that all movies cannot be hits, which is certainly true. However, director Steven C. Miller's hair-raising, 2024 film, Werewolves, deserved better than it got at the box office.

Werewolves is a true science fiction and horror action movie. It has more in common with sci-fi monster movies like Alien: Romulus (2024) and Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) than it does with most werewolf movies. Miller delivers werewolf action with the same kind of cap-popping audacity and flesh-rending madness as Underworld (2003) and its howling progeny.

With its persistent score, virtuoso editing, and sterling werewolf costumes, make-up, and effects, Werewolves delivers monster madness with the confidence of a major studio big budget event pic while also proudly waving its indie creature feature flag. And I say that as someone who is hella persnickety about werewolf visual effects. Also, I like how this film's script gives the werewolves character and personality. They're shrewd and conniving and move with intelligent purpose like Jurassic Park (1993) and its sequels. It is refreshing that Miller and his collaborators realized that seeing the whole werewolf is cool, but that they could also thrill the audience by focusing on various body parts. They make especially good use of the snout, creating an effect that reminded me of the keen close-ups of the raptors in the original Jurassic Park trilogy.

Werewolves' cast, led by Frank Grillo, Katrina Law, and Ilfenesh Hadera, are all-professional all the time. The cast made me believe that time was indeed running out, that Hell is hot, and that werewolves have brought their hearty appetites to this party.

I have previously stated that 2006's Skinwalkers and 2014's Wolves would have been better off as television series. I think we would be better off with at least a sequel to Werewolves. When it comes to werewolf films, I recommend it without reservation.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, March 7, 2026

Dear readers, you can stream "WEREWOLVES" on Hulu via the Disney+ app. You can also stream it on Amazon Prime Video via rental or purchase.

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Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

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Sunday, March 1, 2026

Review: "SCREAM 7" Will Make You Laugh... and Scream

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 4 of 2026 (No. 2052) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scream 7 (2026)

Running time: 114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)

Rating: MPA – R for strong bloody violence, gore, and language

DIRECTOR: Kevin Williamson

WRITERS: Kevin Williamson and Guy Busick; from a story by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick (based on characters created by Kevin Williamson)

PRODUCERS: Paul Neinstein, William Sherak, and James Vanderbilt

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ramsey Nickell (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Jim Page

COMPOSER: Marco Beltrami

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Joel McHale, Mckenna Grace, Michelle Randolph, Jimmy Tatro, Asa Germann, Celeste O'Connor, Sam Rechner, Ethan Embry, Mark Consuelos, Jeremy Connor, Matthew Lillard, and Roger L. Jackson (voice)

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

“Scream 7” is pure entertainment,a truly scary movie that is also a genuinely funny in all its mayhem and gore.

Neve Campbell makes a welcome return as Sidney Prescott, and dominates the film in a way that recalls that old “Scream” feeling.

I highly recommend “Scream 7” to fans of the franchise and also to people who just want to enjoy a good movie.

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Scream 7 is a 2023 slasher horror film from director Kevin Williamson. It is the seventh film in the Scream film series and is a sequel to Scream VI. In Scream 7, Sidney Prescott is living in a new town, but she cannot escape her past as a new Ghostface killer has emerged to target her teenage daughter.

Scream 7 finds original Woodsboro victim, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), living in Pine Grove, Indiana with her husband, Police Chief Mark Evans (Joel McHale), and their two daughters. Now known as Sidney Prescott-Evans, she has her own small business, tea and coffeehouse, “The Little Latte.”

Despite her new life, Sidney is still vigilante, always expecting “the Ghostface Killer” to invade her life again. Then, it happens; Sidney gets a call from Ghostface, and he is requesting a video call. And right before Sidney's eyes is a ghost from the past, and this time, he declares that he is targeting Sidney's older daughter, teenager Tatum (Isabel May). Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and her new assistants, siblings Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding), come to rescue. Before they can stop this new Ghostface, however, Sidney and company must discover how many Ghostface killers there are and who they are.

Personally, I believe that the previous film, Scream VI (2023), is the best Scream film since the original trilogy of films, and is closest to the original Scream (1996) in terms of entertainment value. So I am surprised by how much I really enjoyed the new film, Scream 7, and I'll say the same for it as I did for the sixth. Director Kevin Williamson, the who created Scream over three decades ago with his original screenplay for the first film, finally got his shot at directing a Scream film. Scream 7 is so good that it makes me think that Williamson should have directed a film in this series long ago.

I saw this film with a predominately Black audience, and we all enjoyed talking to the screen the entire time (Girl, don't put the gun down!) simply because Scream 7 is so freaking entertaining. It is as if Williamson deliberately has his characters do nonsensical things while in the throws of panic and terror in order to give the audience a reason to yell at them. I can't say for certain that Williamson did that, but, if he did, it is like an ultimate meta experience.

Neve Campbell makes a killer return as the ultimate survivor. Isabel May is good as her daughter, Tatum, but she can't help but be in the fearsome shadow Sidney/Neve casts. Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mason Gooding provide excellent support and comic relief in a film that is, at times, as shockingly gory and gruesome as Final Destination (2000) and its progeny.

I don't want to spoil Scream 7 by talking about all the scenes that held me, thrilled me, kissed me, and killed me. Instead I will tell you, dear readers, that like Scream VI, Scream 7 is easily one of the series' best entries.

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, March 1, 2026

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Thursday, February 26, 2026

Review: "SCREAM VI" Thrills at Will

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 of 2026 (No. 2051) by Leroy Douresseaux

Scream VI (2023)

Running time: 122 minutes (2 hours, 2 minutes)

Rating: MPA – R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and brief drug use

DIRECTORS: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

WRITER: James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick (based on characters created by Kevin Williamson)

PRODUCERS: Paul Neinstein, William Sherak, and James Vanderbilt

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Brett Jutkiewicz (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Jay Prychidny

COMPOSERS: Sven Faulconer and Brian Tyler

HORROR/MYSTERY/THRILLER

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Hayden Panettiere, Dermot Mulroney, Jack Champion, Josh Segarra, Liana Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, Tony Revolori, Samara Weaving, Henry Czerny, Andre Anthony, Skeet Ulrich, Max Laferriere, and Roger L. Jackson (voice)

Scream VI is a 2023 slasher horror film from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. It is the sixth film in the Scream film series and is a direct sequel to Scream (2022). In Scream VI, the survivors of the most recent Woodsboro murders move to New York City for a fresh start only to find that a new Ghostface killer is stalking them.

Scream VI opens one year after the latest Woodsboro murders that were orchestrated by Richie Kirsch and Amber Freeman (as seen in the 2022 film). The survivors of the murders: sisters – Samantha “Sam” Carpenter (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) – and their friends, siblings Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Chad Meeks-Martin (Mason Gooding), have moved to New York City for a fresh start.

Tara, Mindy, and Chad attend Blackmore University and have new roommates and friends: Quinn Bailey (Liana Liberato), Anika Kayoko (Devyn Nekoda), and Ethan Landry (Jack Champion). Sam attends therapy with Dr. Christopher Stone (Henry Czerny), who views her with a skeptical eye. Sam has also become the target of public ire because of an online conspiracy theory that says that she – not Richie and Amber – is the real killer behind the last Woodsboro murders. It doesn't help that many know that Sam is the biological daughter of one of the original Woodsboro killers, Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich).

But “the Ghostface killer” (Max Laferriere and the voice of Roger L. Jackson) has returned, more brutal and vicious than ever. And he intends to pick up where the last Ghostface killer left off.

One then I didn't mention in my synopsis is that that two other franchise characters play a big role in Scream VI. They are Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), who has been with the franchise since the original Scream 1996), and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), a survivor of the Woodsboro murders depicted in Scream 4 (2011).

Personally, I find Scream VI to be the best Scream film since the original trilogy of films. It feels like this film's writers (James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick) and directors (Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett) had a freer hand to be wild and crazy, relentless and merciless, and imaginative and inventive in a way I don't think they did in Scream (2022). From the opening twist killings to the last act, Scream VI is edgy and adventurous. Only the best and most daring film franchises dig into the dysfunction of franchise characters, and Scream VI does that. The result is a slasher film that is as much a family drama and thriller as it is a scary movie, and it is excellent as all three.

I don't want to spoil Scream VI by talking about all the scenes that held me, thrilled me, kissed me, and killed me. Instead I will tell you, dear readers, that I highly recommend Scream VI, which easily one of the series' best entries.

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Thursday, February 26, 2026

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Friday, February 13, 2026

Review: "FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES" Makes for a Happy Friday the 13th

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 of 2026 (No. 2050) by Leroy Douresseaux

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

Running time: 86 minutes (1 hour, 26 minutes)

Rating: MPAA – R

DIRECTOR: Tom McLoughlin

WRITER: Tom McLoughlin (based on characters created by Victor Miller)

PRODUCER: Don Behrns

CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Kranhouse (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Bruce Green

COMPOSER: Harry Manfredini

HORROR

Starring: Thom Matthews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, Renee Jones, Kerry Noonan, Tom Fridley, Vincent Guastaferro, Tony Goldwyn, Nancy McLoughlin, Darcy DeMoss, Ron Palillo, and C.J. Graham

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives is a 1986 slasher horror film from writer-director Tom McLoughlin. It is a sequel to the 1985 film, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, and is the sixth movie in the Friday the 13th movie franchise. In Jason Lives, a former victim decides to cremate the corpse of Jason Voorhees only to inadvertently bring him back to life instead.

Following the events of the last film, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives focuses on Tommy Jarvis (Thom Matthews). As a 12-year-old, Tommy killed Jason Voorhees (as seen in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter). With his friend, Allen Hawes (Ron Palillo), adult Tommy travels to Forest Green County and arrives at Eternal Peace Cemetery where Jason is buried.

Tommy plans to cremate Jason's remains, in order to free himself of the misery that Jason brought into his life. Through a series of unfortunate events, however, Tommy inadvertently brings Jason back to life as a kind of revenant or undead monster with super-human powers.

Tommy flees to Forest Green County Sheriff's Office, where he attempts to warn Sheriff Michael Garris (David Kagen) that Jason is alive. However, the mean-spirited Garris is aware that Tommy is institutionalized and presumes that Tommy is hallucinating that Jason has returned from the grave.

Meanwhile, Camp Crystal Lake (a.k.a. “Camp Blood”) has been remade as “Camp Forest Green,” a camp for middle-school age children – boys and girls. The new camp's teen counselors don't know that Jason is already murdering his way towards them, but Tommy does. Only the Sheriff's daughter, Megan Garris (Jennifer Cooke), believes Tommy's warnings about Jason's return. She is willing to help him stop Jason from turning Camp Forest Green into “Camp Blood,” again, but will that be enough?

In the wake of the box office failure of Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Jason Voorhees returns as the series' villain in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. It may be my favorite film in the series, if not my favorite.

There are so many scenes and set pieces that I find likable, exciting, or even endearing. I won't spoil the film for those of you, dear readers, who have never seen it by mentioning these moments. However, I will say that I think the idea of making Camp Crystal Lake, with its history of brutal murders in and around the area, a camp for middle-school children, is both charming and crazy. Also, the scene of the first of the camp counselors to be Jason's victims is one of my favorite Friday the 13th moments.

I really like actors, Thom Matthews and Jennifer Cooke, as the heroic duo of Tommy and Megan. At the time, Matthews had recently been one of the main characters in 1985's cult, rock 'n' roll horror movie, Return of the Living Dead. Also, I always enjoy seeing now former actress, Renee Jones (as Sissy Baker), in film or television.

Let's give credit where credit is due. Writer-director Tom McLoughlin delivers one of this series' most unique offerings with its humor and self-referential elements. I consider Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives to be a must-see in the Friday the 13th film series.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, February 12, 2026

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Saturday, February 7, 2026

Review: "A HAUNTING IN VENICE" Shuffles Towards Its Happy Ending

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 of 2026 (No. 2049) by Leroy Douresseaux

A Haunting in Venice (2023)

Running time: 103 minutes

Rating: MPA – PG-13 for some strong violence, disturbing images and thematic elements

DIRECTOR: Kenneth Branagh

WRITER: Michael Green (based on the novel by Agatha Christie)

PRODUCERS: Kenneth Branagh, Judy Hofflund, Simon Kinberg, and Ridley Scott

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Haris Zambarloukos (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Lucy Donaldson

COMPOSER: Hildur Gudnadottir

MYSTERY

Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Kyle Allen, Camille Cotton, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Rowan Robinson, Ricardo Scamarcio, and Michelle Yeoh

A Haunting in Venice is a 2023 mystery film directed by Kenneth Branagh. It is based on the 1969 novel, Hallowe'en Party, written by Agatha Christie (1890-1976). Set in post-World War II Venice, A Haunting in Venice finds Hercule Poirot retired and living in exile until he attends a séance where one of the guests is murdered.

A Haunting in Venice opens in Venice, Italy in 1947. There, Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) lives in retirement and in exile, having lost his faith in nearly everything. He employs an ex-Venetian police officer, Vitale Portfoglio (Ricardo Scamarcio), as a bodyguard to keep perspective clients away. On Halloween, novelist Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), a friend of Poirot's, convinces him to attend a séance at the Palazzo Lacrime dei Giovani, the home of retired opera singer, Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly).

The palazzo was once an orphanage, reputed to be haunted. In fact, the building is known for “the children's vendetta,” because the ghosts of the orphanage's murdered children haunt the place and sometimes kill people who visit the palazzo.

Rowena Drake's daughter, Alicia (Rowena Robinson), apparently committed suicide at the palazzo after her fiancé, chef Maxime Gerard (Kyle Allen), broke off their engagement... or was she a victim of “the children's vendetta.” Rowena has hired controversial medium, Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh), to help her commune with Alicia. Ariadne is attending the séance because she wants to expose Reynolds as a fraud – with Poirot's help – and make it the subject of a new book.

However, the séance turns out to be more shocking than anyone expected, and one of the guests ends up murdered. Now, the retired Poirot must once again uncover a killer, but he finds himself with a house full of suspects. And some of them border on the supernatural.

A Haunting in Venice is the third film adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel directed by and starring Oscar-winner, Kenneth Branagh (Belfast, 2021). It follows Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022). I had been planning on seeing this film for some time, but I kept forgetting. It was not until the release of Wake Up Dead Man (2025), director Rian Johnson's third film in his Poirot-like “Benoit Blanc” mystery film series, that I remembered I'd missed A Haunting in Venice.

A Haunting in Venice is a darker spin on Branagh's interpretation of Hercule Poirot, and this new spin also wants to be spookier, which ends up being a mistake for this film. In Michael Green's screenplay for A Haunting in Venice, the ghostly, supernatural, horror-like elements seem tacked-on more than they feel like natural elements. In turn, the whodunit narrative of this film becomes like a car stuck in the mud. Before I even reached the half way mark of this films' runtime, I was already struggling to stay involved in the mystery. I must also must admit that there were times when I was utterly bored with A Haunting in Venice.

However, the film's last act offers a reward for those patient enough to stick around, and that is a happy ending that returns a sense of normalcy to the world of Poirot. Also, I liked the cast because they did their best, even when the screenplay and their characters came across as anemic. I loved Tina Fey as Ariadne Oliver, as she proved once again to be a lovable movie star who makes the characters she plays seem endearing even when they don't deserve it.

I like A Haunting in Venice because I feel like I need to like it. Kenneth Branagh's Hercule Poirot intrigues me, and I can never get enough of him. Still, I can only honestly recommend A Haunting in Venice to dedicated fans of this film series.

6 out of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, February 7, 2026

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Saturday, January 31, 2026

Review: WAITING FOR GUFFMAN (Remembering Catherine O'Hara)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 106 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Waiting for Guffman (1996)

Running time: 84 minutes (1 hour, 24 minutes)

Rating: MPAA – R for brief strong language

DIRECTOR: Christopher Guest

WRITERS: Eugene Levy and Christopher Guest

PRODUCER: Karen Murphy

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Roberto Schaefer

EDITOR: Andy Blumenthal

COMPOSERS: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer

COMEDY

Starring: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, Parker Posey, Matt Keeslar, Lewis Arquette, Larry Miller, Michael Hitchcock, Paul Dooley, Brian Doyle-Murray, Linda Kash, and David Cross

The Canadian and American comedian, actress, and screenwriter, Catherine O'Hara, died Friday, January 30, 2026 at the age of 71. During her prolific 50-year career in film and television, O'Hara appeared in four mock-documentary films (known by the term, “mockumentaries”) directed by Christopher Guest. I have seen three of them: Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), and A Mighty Wind (2003). I wrote reviews for A Mighty Wind and Waiting for Guffman, but only the former is posted on my Negromancer blog. In memory of O'Hara, I am finally posting Waiting for Guffman.

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Waiting for Guffman is a 1996 American mockumentary comedy film from director Christopher Guest. The film's title is a reference to Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting for Godot (1952). The film focuses on an aspiring director and his marginally talented amateur cast who go overboard with their small-town musical production because a prominent Broadway figure will attend the opening night performance.

Waiting for Guffman is seen through the eyes of a documentary filmmaker (who never speaks nor is seen on camera). He records the activities in and around the town of Blaine, Missouri, the “Stool Capitol of the United States” (as in “foot stool”), as the citizens prepare for the town’s 150th birthday celebration.

The town council decides that the best way to celebrate is to top off the day of festivities with an original amateur stage production, entitled “Red, White and Blaine.” The council chooses a transplanted New Yorker, Corky St. Clair (Christopher Guest), to stage the production, but Corky has delusions of making “Red, White and Blaine” a grand production. The cast of his production includes some of the town’s wannabe performers, a collection of eccentrics with more desire than skill, and their lack of theatrical ability is obvious to everyone but them. However, the stakes for the production are raised even higher when a Broadway theatre critic, Mort Guffman, accepts Corky’s invitation to see the opening night of the show.

Waiting for Guffman was the first of Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries. A “mockocumentary” is a term used to describe mock or spoof documentaries. The most famous example of such a film is This is… Spinal Tap, of which Guest was a star and co-writer. Other examples include Bob Roberts, CB4, and Fear of a Black Hat. Whereas documentaries study or take not of real people, real events, and real life, mockumentaries take a look at fiction peoples, places, and things. Since Waiting for Guffman, Guest has directed two other well-received mockumentaries, Best in Show (2000) and A Mighty Wind (2003), and he has another, For Your Consideration, due Fall 2006 (as of this writing).

Waiting for Guffman is mildly entertaining, and is meant to spoof local theatre and the desire of small town folks to be in the spotlight. However, other than for a spot here and there, the characters aren’t nearly as interesting as real people. In fact, a real documentary about local and small town theaters would be much more interesting. Guest reportedly filmed over 60 hours of film from which he cut into an 84 minute movie, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find that some of the funniest (if not funniest) scenes and material were left out of the movie for the sake of time and the narrative. Almost all the dialogue is adlibbed, so what the film basically has topnotch sketch comedy actors misusing their talent to create comedy on the spur of the moment. I was surprised how unfunny or only slightly funny I found some of my favorite comic actors to be in this flick. I generally enjoy the work of actors and comedians: Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, and Catherine O’Hara, but, here, they come across as too flat to me.

What makes Guffman worth watching is Christopher Guest himself. He’s mesmerizing and hilarious in his portrayal of Corky St. Clair’s artistic pretensions and self-importance. Guest is deliciously sly in his droll delivery, and he makes us believe that Corky certainly takes himself seriously – all the time. As comedies go, it would be hard to forget Corky, and even if I did, I’d be instantly delighted once I’d encounter him again. Waiting for Guffman is certainly worth watching, especially for those who want something different in their comedies. It has moments of inspired brilliance, and the theatrical production, “Red, White and Blaine,” is a must-see.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Re-edited: Saturday, January 31, 2026

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Saturday, December 6, 2025

Review: He Probably Thinks "GLASS ONION" is About Him

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 42 of 2025 (No. 2048) by Leroy Douresseaux

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Running time: 139 minutes (2 hours, 19 minutes)

Rating: MPA – PG-13 for strong language, some violence, sexual material, and drug content

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Rian Johnson

PRODUCERS: Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Steve Yedlin (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Bob Ducsay

COMPOSER: Nathan Johnson

Academy Award nominee

MYSTERY/COMEDY

Starring: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom, Jr., Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Noah Segan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ethan Hawke, Hugh Grant, and Serena Williams

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a 2022 mystery film written and directed by Rian Johnson. It is the sequel to the 2019 film, Knives Out. The film is a “Netflix Original,” which began streaming on the service December 23, 2022, after a brief and limited theatrical release in November 2022. Glass Onion finds Detective Benoit Blanc on the case of a tech billionaire who invites his cronies to his private Greek island to play a murder mystery game that results in an actual murder.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery takes place in May 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Miles Bron (Edward Norton), the co-founder of the technology company, “Alpha,” is hosting a murder mystery game at “the Glass Onion,” his mansion on a private island in Greece. He sends invitations via intricate puzzle boxes to his friends, a group he called “the Disruptors.” They are a diverse group: Alpha head scientist, Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom, Jr.), Connecticut governor, Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn); controversial model-turned-fashion designer, Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson); and men's rights streamer and podcaster, Duke Cody (Dave Bautista).

There are two surprise guests to the island. The first is ousted Alpha co-founder, Cassandra “Andi” Brand (Janelle Monae), who is estranged from Miles and the other Disruptors. The second is world-famous private detective, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). In Miles murder mystery, he is the victim, and his guests have two days to solve his murder, but the arrival of Andi and Benoit are unexpected complications. Things really get crazy when someone really ends up dead. Can Benoit Blanc solve a murder when not everyone is who he or she is supposed to be?

Rian Johnson's 2019 whodunit, Knives Out, starts out with an excellent screenplay. It offers an exercise in private eye genre elements and mystery fiction trappings played out with wild twists and turns and with a cast of lovably eccentric characters. Knives Out is similar to and inspired by the works of the grand dame of mystery fiction, the late Agatha Christie (1890-1976), who also offered assemblages of intriguing outlandish and unconventional characters. Knives Out's gold is in the characters, the type that character actors can use to chew up movie scenery.

Glass Onion does the same, but not to the extent of its predecessor. Glass Onion offers unconventional characters, but Glass Onion's treasure is in Daniel Craig's Mr. Blanc and Janelle Monae's Ms. Bland. Glass Onion is a process of the team of Blanc and Bland sneaking and snooping around Miles Bron's paradise lost island. Blanc's supernatural attentiveness and Bland's unforgiving relentlessness are the spine of Glass Onion. They pick apart the secrets and lies of the other characters until the liars are exposed and shamed and their guilt laid bare.

Both Craig and Monae should have received more award nominations than they did during the 2022-23 movie award season. Still, this movie is a testament to their talents at creating endearing characters. Kate Hudson also chews up quite a bit of scenery as the firecracker Birdie Jay, a character who deserves another spin at the cinematic wheel. As Miles Bron, Edward Norton does the best allegorical skewering of Elon Musk outside of comedian Alex Biron.

I really enjoyed Glass Onion, although it is probably at least 10 minutes too long. I laughed a lot, and the cathartic ending was a sweet sensation. I watched Glass Onion in anticipation of the December 12, 2025 Netflix debut of the third Benoit Blanc film, Wake Up Dead Man. However, I got more than I expected from this film because overall Rian Johnson created a superb mystery film series that is its own thing in spite of what inspired it. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is like fine crystal. As a whodunit, it sparkles brilliantly.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Saturday, December 6, 2025

NOTES:

2023 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Adapted Screenplay” (Rian Johnson)

2023 Golden Globes, USA: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Daniel Craig)

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Sunday, November 23, 2025

Review: "JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH" Hugs Up on "Jurassic Park"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 41 of 2025 (No. 2047) by Leroy Douresseaux

Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)

Running time: 133 minutes (2 hours, 13 minutes)

Rating: MPA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, bloody images, some suggestive references, language and a drug reference

DIRECTOR: Gareth Edwards

WRITER: David Koepp (based on characters created by Michael Crichton)

PRODUCERS: Patrick Crowley and Frank Marshall

CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Mathieson (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Jabez Olssen

COMPOSER: Alexandre Desplat

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Philippine Velge, Bechir Sylvain, and Ed Skrein

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

-- Spiritually, “Jurassic World Rebirth” is closer to the original, 1993 “Jurassic Park” film than it is to any other “Jurassic World” film

-- Writer David Koepp humanizes the characters giving us their hopes, dreams, conflicts, and grief that helps us connect us with the characters. Director Gareth Edwards uses this to deliver an monster movie that is as dramatic as it is adventurous

-- I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoyed any “Jurassic World” film and especially to anyone who hasn't approached this franchise since the original trilogy

Jurassic World Rebirth is a 2025 American science fiction, action-adventure, and dinosaur film from director Gareth Edwards. It is the fourth film in the Jurassic World movie franchise and is a standalone sequel to Jurassic World Dominion (2022). This film is also the seventh entry overall in the Jurassic Park franchise. Rebirth focuses on a group of people stranded on a former island research facility where three types of massive dinosaurs and their monstrous mutant brethren reside.

Jurassic World Rebirth finds formerly extinct dinosaurs in trouble. By 2025, most of Earth's climate is unsuitable for them, and most of the new dinosaurs have died. The remaining animals survive in a tropical band around the equator that is similar to the climates in which dinosaurs lived tens of millions ago. The governments of the world have turned these areas into “exclusion zones,” to which humans are forbidden to travel. Thus, the “Neo-Jurassic Age” has begun. However, there are always people who want their way...

The pharmaceutical company, ParkerGenix, wants to collect blood samples from three colossus dinosaur specimens: the Mosasaurus, the Titanosaurus, and the Quetzalcoatlus, in order to develop a revolutionary new cardiovascular disease treatment for humans. These animals can be found on the Atlantic Ocean island of Ile Saint Hubert, which is 260 miles from French Guiana (South America).

One of the company's executive, Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend), enlists Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), former black ops who specializes in retrieval missions and “situational security and reaction.” Zora will accompany Krebs and paleontologist, Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), in order to collect the samples from the dinosaurs. Zora recruits longtime associate, Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), to lead the expedition with the aid of a group of security experts and mercenaries.

As the mission gets underway, there is a complication. A civilian father, Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), is sailing in nearby waters with his daughters, Teresa (Luna Blaise) and Isabella (Audrina Miranda), and Teresa's boyfriend, Xavier Dobbs (David Iacono), whom Reuben openly disdains. Fate will find both groups shipwrecked on an island of mutants and monsters. First, they must survive. Then, they must escape.

I didn't expect much from Jurassic World Rebirth, especially as it arrived only three years after the final film in the original Jurassic World film trilogy, Jurassic World Dominion. I assumed that it would be a few more years before we'd see a new film in the series. However, Universal Pictures and executive producer Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment hired the right people. First, this film's screenwriter is David Koepp, who co-wrote Jurassic Park (1993) with author Michael Crichton, whose 1990 book, Jurassic Park, was the basis for the film. Koepp's screenwriting in Rebirth recalls the tone of the first Jurassic Park trilogy by focusing on the characters and delving into the underlying desires and doubt of the characters. In the case of Rebirth, it makes it easier to embrace the characters and actually see them as people rather than as character types waiting to be dinosaur food.

Gareth Edwards is also a great choice as the director for a dinosaur movie that emphasizes the personality of the human characters. His 2010 film, Monsters, and his 2014 film, Godzilla (the opening salvo in the Legendary Entertainment's “Monsterverse”), showed his deft touch with enticing characters and breathtaking monster movie action. Edwards helms hot dinosaur action in the scenes involving the Mosasaurus, the Titanosaurus, and the Quetzalcoatlus, and especially so in the breathtaking scenes featuring a romantic Titanosuarus couple. Also, race-with-the-devil scenes featuring the mutant dinosaurs froze me to my seat.

This film's cast genuinely conveys the interpersonal relationships of these characters, but Scarlett Johansson as Zora and Mahershala Ali as Duncan are the stars here. They make a great team, so I hope to see them doing the Jurassic thing again. I don't think that I've supported Jurassic lead actors this much since Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), and Jurassic Park III (2001).

Jurassic World Rebirth made me appreciate what the original Jurassic Park films brought to the world of cinema more than I have in a long time. As a standalone film, Rebirth stands on its own very strongly. I found myself thrilled and chilled and appreciative of each character's arc (at least the ones that lived). If Gareth Edwards and David Koepp don't return for the next film, I hope that the newcomers can capture Edwards and Koepp's lighting in a bottle that is Jurassic World Rebirth, which is a true rebirth of the best elements of this film franchise.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Sunday, November 23, 2025

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Thursday, November 13, 2025

Review: "THE RUNNING MAN" is Still Running Like it's 1987

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 of 2025 (No. 2046) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Running Man (1987)

Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)

Rating: MPAA – R

DIRECTOR: Paul Michael Glaser

WRITER: Steven E. de Souza (based on the novel by Richard Bachman)

PRODUCERS: George Linder and Tim Zinnemann

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Thomas Del Ruth (D.o.P.)

EDITORS: Mark Roy Warner, Edward A. Warschilka, and John Wright

COMPOSER: Harold Faltermeyer

SCI-FI/ACTION

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Richard Dawson, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto, Jim Brown, Jesse Venura, Erland van Lidth, Marvin J. McIntyre, Mick Fleetwood, Professor Toru Tanaka, Dweezil Zappa, and Sven-Ole Thorsen

The Running Man is a 1987 American dystopian science fiction-action film and black comedy directed by Paul Michael Glaser and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film is based on the 1982 novel, The Running Man, from author Richard Bachman (a pen name of Stephen King). The Running Man the movie focuses on a wrongfully convicted policeman who gets a shot a freedom if he participates in television game show where he must avoid death at the hands of professional killers.

The Running Man is set in a world where the United States has become a totalitarian police state following a worldwide economic collapse in the year 2017. The U.S. government now maintains control of the population through state television propaganda and through sanctioned entertainment such as the TV show, “The Running Man,” the nation's most popular show. Hosted by the slick-talking Damon Killian (Richard Dawson), “the Running Man” features convicted criminals who are “runners” and who must avoid death at the hands of lethal professional killers known as the “stalkers.”

One of the latest runners is Benjamin A “Ben” Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger). He was a police officer, and he was wrongfully accused and convicted for an incident called the “Bakersfield Massacre,” in which Ben allegedly killed 60 men, women, and children during a “food riot.”

Now known as “the Bakersfield Butcher,” Ben is joined by two comrades, Laughlin (Yaphet Kotto) and Weiss (Marvin J. McIntyre), and the trio has three hours to escape to freedom by running through four quadrants. Standing in their way are such stalkers as “Professor Subzero” (Professor Toru Tanaka), “Dynamo” (Erland van Lidth), and “Fireball” (Jim Brown). And the stalkers have weapons, while Ben and his fellow “running men” don't.

I remember not liking whatever amount of The Running Man I had seen in the past. I decided to watch it in its entirety in anticipation of the director Edgar Wright's remake, The Running Man (2025), starring Glen Powell. I was shocked to find out how much I really enjoyed watching the 1987 film. Truthfully, The Running Man can still pop its 80s action movie coochie, and it's still running strong. Also, the extent to which the authoritarian U.S. government in the world of this film goes to maintain control is comical. In its bid to watch and to control everything and everyone, They inevitably miss something and some people – with comical results. The Running Man is genuinely a funny black comedy.

There are also a number of things that make The Running Man charming and likable. Before she became a right wing harpie, actress Maria Conchita Alonso, who plays Ben's sidekick (more or less), “Amber Mendez,” hit her peak in the mid to late 1980s. I find her to be a delight in The Running Man, and her star quality, though short-lived as it turned out to be, is obvious.

The late, great film and television actor, Yaphet Kotto (1939-2021), gave the films and TV series in which he appeared a little more credibility, which he also does in The Running Man as “Laughlin.” However, actors and pop culture figures, Jesse Ventura and the late NFL legend, Jim Brown (1936-2023), make appearances in this film, in which they are woefully underutilized.

The late actor Richard Dawson (1932 to 2012) was best known for two things. First, there was his role as con man, safe cracker, and thief, “Corporal Peter Newkirk” in the former CBS sitcom, “Hogan's Heroes” (1965-71). Next, was his stint hosting the American game show, “Family Feud,” from 1976 to 1981 and again from 1994 to 1995. Dawson brings the best of those two performances to his role as the host of “The Running Man,” Damon Killian. It is standout performance mixing the charming rogue that was Corporal Newkirk with the roguish charm Dawson showed on “Family Feud.”

Despite mouthing a basket of deplorable one-liners and quips, Arnold Schwarzenegger is still Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Running Man. What can I say? He truly is a real Hollywood movie star and is really a true cinematic icon. I believe there are other actors who could have played Ben Richards in a contextually different version of The Running Man. However, in The Running Man that we did get in 1987, only Arnold Schwarzenegger could have saved this film from becoming straight-to-cable, late night trash. Only Arnold could have made it an 80s action movie that won't go away.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, November 13, 2025

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Saturday, November 8, 2025

Review: "WEAPONS" is a Brilliant, Crazy-Ass Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 39 of 2025 (No. 2045) by Leroy Douresseaux

Weapons (2025)

Running time: 128 minutes (2 hour, 8 minutes)

Rating: MPA – R for strong bloody violence and grisly images, language throughout, some sexual content and drug use

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Zach Cregger

PRODUCERS: Zach Cregger, Roy Lee, J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules, and Miri Yoon

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Larkin Seiple (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Joe Murphy

COMPOSERS: Zach Cregger and Hays Holladay & Ray Holladay

HORROR/THRILLER/MYSTERY

Starring: Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Wong, Austin Abrams, Amy Madigan, Whitmer Thomas, Callie Schuttera, June Diane Raphael, Toby Huss, Justin Long, and Scarlett Sher (narrator)

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

Weapons is one of the best horror movies I have ever seen. Thrilling and chilling, it actually gets scarier and crazier the deeper we get into the story

It features a number of strong performances, led by Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, Josh Brolin, and Amy Madigan, which an unusual film story needs

Weapons has an exhilarating, cathartic ending for the ages. I get that some people did not like the ending, but I can't stop thinking about it or most of the rest of this film.

Weapons is a 2025 American horror thriller and mystery film from writer-director Zach Cregger. The film focuses on a community mystery in which every child except one from the same elementary school class disappears on the same night at the same time.

Weapons is set in fictional McCarren County, which is the location of a terrible mystery centered at Maybrook Elementary School. Seventeen of the 18 children in the fifth grade class of Justine Gandy (Julia Garner) all disappeared one Wednesday morning at 2:17 am. All 17 children ran from their homes into the darkness of the early morning.

One month later, not one of the children has been found. The community and the parents – led Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), one of the parents of the missing children – are blaming Justine for the disappearances. Justine believes that Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher), the child from her class who did not disappear, may know something. The key to unraveling the mystery of the disappearances is something people don't discover. It's something they stumble onto... if they don't end up dead first.

Like writer-director Zach Cregger's second feature film and breakthrough movie, Barbarian (2022), Weapons is presented as a nonlinear narrative. What Cregger's screenplays for Barbarian and Weapons do well is to give each major character his or her own chapter within the films. Both films are like anthologies or short story collections that eventually reunite the surviving characters for a hellified final act, and Weapons' final act is a helluva thing. For me, Weapons may the most cathartic ending since Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019).

As much as I want to praise Cregger, I also have to throw it up to his film editor, Joe Murphy, for his contributions to the wicked flow of this film's narrative. This review would be remiss if I did not shout out Cregger's cinematographer, Larkin Seiple, for this film's haunting atmosphere and for the way Seiple makes the night in Weapons seem like another character in the film.

Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Benedict Austin Abrams, and Amy Madigan give stellar performances. Julia Garner brings steadiness to the craziness and weirdness of Weapons, continuing her stellar 2025 after performances in Wolf Man (2025) and in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025).

By now, many people know the secrets and lies of Weapons, but still, I am loathe to spoil things. I think Weapons is one of the greatest horror films that I have ever seen, and it has given me Weapons-themed nightmares. It is a crazy-ass work of film-storytelling brilliance. I could not believe what I was seeing in this film's last act, but Weapons has me laughing and cheering, even as it is chilling me.

10 of 10

Saturday, November 8, 2025

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Saturday, October 25, 2025

Review: "KPOP DEMON HUNTERS" - They Will, They Will Rock You!

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 of 2025 (No. 2044) by Leroy Douresseaux

KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

Running time: 95 minutes (1 hour, 35 minutes)

Rating: MPA – PG for action/violence, scary images, thematic elements, some suggestive material and brief language

DIRECTORS: Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang

WRITERS: Danya Jimenez & Hannah McMechan and Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kanga; from a story by Maggie Kang

PRODUCER: Michelle L.M. Wong

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Gary H. Lee

EDITOR: Nathan Schauf

COMPOSER: Marcelo Zarvas

ANIMATION/MUSICAL/FANTASY

Starring: (voices) Adren Cho, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Ahn Hyo-seop, Yunjin Kim, Ken Jeong, Daniel Dae Kim,Liza Koshy, Ejae, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, Andrew Choi, and Lee Byung-hun

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

KPop Demon Hunters is one of the best and most unusual animated musical films I have ever seen

Sterling characters, jukebox rocking music, and stellar animation make it a winner

KPop Demon Hunters will not only entertain its target audience – young viewers, but it will also capture that imaginations of older folk (like me) as well

KPop Demon Hunters is a 2025 American animated musical fantasy film from directors Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang and produced by Sony Pictures Animation. The film is a “Netflix Original” and began streaming on the service June 20, 2025. It also received two-day limited theatrical release on August 23rd and 24th. KPop Demon Hunters focuses on the members of a world-renowned K-Pop girl group, who are also secret demon hunters, as they confront the rising popularity of a new boy band whose members are also demons.

KPop Demon Hunters is set in a world, where long ago, demons preyed on humans and fed the souls of humans to their ruler, Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun). Eventually, three women became demon hunters and sealed the demons away with a magical barrier called the "Honmoon." The legacy of these women warriors continued across the generations. With each new generation, three new women arose and used their singing voices to maintain the Honmoon. The goal was and is to eventually strengthen the Honmoon into the “Golden Honmoon.” which is the final seal that would banish demons from the human world permanently. Also, when demons masquerade as humans, they can be identified by marks known as “demonic patterns.”

In the present day, the new generation of demon-hunting young women are the members of the K-pop girl group, “Huntrix” (stylized as “Huntr/x”). Huntrix is comprised of three young singers. Rumi (Arden Cho with Ejae providing Rumi's singing voice) is the lead singer, and her hunter's weapon is a “saingeom” sword. Mira (May Hong with Audrey Nuna providing Mira's singing voice) is the dancer and rapper, and her hunter's weapon is a “gokdo” polearm. Zoey (Ji-young Yoo with Rei Ami providing Zoey's singing voice) is the singer-songwriter, and her hunter's weapons are “shinkal” throwing knives.

One of the members of Huntrix has a dark secret. Rumi has a secret demon heritage, and she has demonic patterns that are slowing spreading over her body. Rumi's foster mother, Celine (Yunjin Kim), has told her that turning the Honmoon gold (the Golden Honmoon) would cause the erasure of her demonic patterns.

However, trouble arrives in the form of a new rivals in the world k-pop for Huntrix. In the demon world, Gwi-Ma has grown enraged at the failure of his minions to defeat Huntrix. He creates his own K-pop boy band, the “Saja Boys,” featuring four demons and a lead singer who is a former human named Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop with Andrew Choi providing Jinu's sing voice). The Saja Boys begin to steal Huntrix's fans, but it is Jinu's affect on Rumi that could turn the fate of the world over to Gwi-Ma. And the “International Idol Awards” is where the final showdown will occur and where Rumi, Mira, and Zoey's fates will be decided.

Korean popular music or “K-pop” emerged in the 1990s in Korea and was heavenly influenced by American music, especially R&B, dance music, rock music, and, of course, rap and hip-hop. [In the 1980s, many white people insisted that rap was a fad, and now, hip-hop and rap, specifically, are omnipresent and influence music and culture all over the world.] I like K-pop, but I am really not a fan... yet. However, after watching the deliriously entertaining KPop Demon Hunters, I could become something of a fan.

The film's characters are an utter delight, and I found myself mesmerized by Huntrix's trio and by Juni. Juni's Saja Boys mates are also quite fetching – in their human forms. If fiction needs interesting characters, then, KPop Demon Hunters has that in an embarrassment of riches, thanks to sparkling voice performances and sterling singing voices.

Sony Pictures Animation basically always turns out high-quality computer-animated films. KPop Demon Hunters may be Sony's best animated film outside of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). In terms of character movement, backgrounds and environments, colors, and special effects, KPop Demon Hunters rivals the films of DreamWorks Animation, which is also known for vibrant and their visually rich worlds and for their expressive and emotional characters.

KPop Demon Hunters is a winner. I love it. Its unexpected and breakout success apparently made it Netflix's most-watched title ever. I highly recommend that you feel the music.

9 of 10

A+

Saturday, October 25, 2025

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Friday, October 3, 2025

Review: In "THE GRUDGE," That Ghost Bitch is Really Mad

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 216 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Road to Halloween 2025

The Grudge (2004)

Running time: 91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic material, disturbing images/terror/violence, and some sensuality

DIRECTOR: Takashi Shimizu

WRITER: Stephen Susco (based upon the Japanese film Ju-On: The Grudge, written and directed by Takashi Shimizu)

PRODUCERS: Taka Ichise, Sam Raimi, and Robert G. Tapert

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Hideo Yamamoto (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Jeff Betancourt

COMPOSER: Christopher Young

HORROR with elements of thriller and mystery

Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, William Mapother, Clea DuVall, KaDee Strickland, Grace Zabriskie, Bill Pullman, Rosa Blasi, Ted Raimi, Ryo Ishibashi, Yoko Maki, Yuya Ozeki, Takako Fuji, and Takashi Matsunaga

The Grudge is a 2004 American supernatural horror film directed by Takashi Shimizu. The film is a remake of Shimizu's 2002 Japanese horror film Ju-On: The Grudge, and it is the first installment in The Grudge film series. The Grudge focuses on an American nurse living and working in Tokyo who is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse.

When a person dies in the grip of a powerful rage, a curse is born. If that person dies in his house, then, the curse stays in the house like a stain making the house death itself. Any person who goes into the house is touched by death and will be killed by the curse, usually in the form of an angry spirit. So goes The Grudge, the latest American remake of a Japanese horror film, but unlike 2002’s The Ring, the writer/director of the original Japanese film, Ju-On: The Grudge, Takashi Shimizu helms the remake. Does that make a difference? Very likely, it does.

The Ring and its forefather, Ringu, were similar, but The Ring clearly showed American sensibilities, as well as being set in the U.S. The Grudge, like the original, is set in Japan, and Shimizu apparently treats the film as a sequel rather than as a remake. And The Grudge certainly comes across as a kooky, as weird, and as very, very creepy horror movie, fitting right in with other Japanese horror films.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is Kare Davis, an American exchange student who somewhat reluctantly moved to Japan with her boyfriend Doug (Jason Behr), also a student. When a fellow student who is working as a nurse doesn’t show up for work, Kare gets the fill-in assignment of going to a home in a Tokyo suburb to care for an invalid older woman. What she doesn’t know, nor apparently does anyone else, is that the house has a horrible curse on it due to a double murder and suicide committed within its walls. The curse touches anyone who enters the house, and Kare unwittingly unleashes a diabolical supernatural killing machine.

The Grudge is one of the scariest pure horror films that I’ve seen in awhile. It’s unabashedly about the evil dead, wicked spirits, and mysterious supernatural curses that come and go with no explanation. Some audiences may be put off by the fact that the curse doesn’t really follow the rules. That’s because humans are explaining something they only halfway understand; like explaining the unknown and unknowable in human terms. The may not be steadfast rules to how the curse in The Grudge works, and Japanese filmmakers seem to understand that capricious nature of the supernatural, or at least they aren’t always trying to order it like Western filmmakers.

There’s almost zero characterization in this film, and the fact that the audience doesn’t really get to know the characters keeps this from being a great horror movie. Ms. Gellar, however, is now without a doubt, a great screen star of horror and thriller genres. She centers this film and keeps the kookiness from getting out of hand.

The Grudge is certainly peculiar. As frightening as I found it, I can easily see where some people might find the concept of the curse and the film itself farcical and utterly hilarious. Be warned; it could be your cup of tea or have you rolling your eyes in disgust.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

RE-EDITED: Thursday, October 2, 2025

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Sunday, August 24, 2025

Review: "FINAL DESTINATION BLOODLINES" is a Deathly Frightener

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 37 of 2025 (No. 2043) by Leroy Douresseaux

Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)

Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)

Rating: MPA – R for strong violent/grisly accidents, and language

DIRECTORS: Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein

WRITERS: Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor; from a story by Jon Watts and Guy Busick & Lori Evans Taylor (based on characters created by Jeffrey Reddick)

PRODUCERS: Craig Perry, Toby Emmerich, Dianne McGunigle, Sheila Hanahan Taylor, and Jon Watts

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Christian Sebaldt

EDITOR: Sabrina Pitre

COMPOSER: Tim Wynn

HORROR/THRILLER/MYSTERY

Starring: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Rya Kihlstedt, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Alex Zahara, April Amber Telek, Tinpo Lee, Gabriel Rose, Brec Bassinger, Max Lloyd-Jones, and Tony Todd

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

-- “Final Destination Bloodlines” is the best “Final Destination” film in over 20 years. It has a great opening, a 19-minute prologue, and the rest of film takes on a race against time as Death stalks a bloodline.

-- The film gets two solid scream queen performances from Kaitlyn Santa Juana and Brec Bassinger, good enough to make us feel sad about their ultimate fates...

Final Destination Bloodlines is a 2025 supernatural horror film from directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B Stein. It is the sixth entry in the Final Destination film series. Bloodlines follows a young woman whose recurring nightmares are warnings of the horrific fate that awaits her family.

Final Destination Bloodline introduces college student Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana). Recently, she has been plagued by recurring nightmares about a disaster from some time in the past. It involves her maternal grandmother, Iris Campbell (Brec Bassinger), and her then-boyfriend and later husband, Paul (Max Lloyd-Jones). Almost six decades ago, Iris and Paul attended the grand opening of the Sky View Tower (which is similar to the real-life “Space Needle” in Seattle Washington).

Stefani's nightmares usually end in tragedy with Iris, Paul, and the others at the opening dying horrible deaths. However, Iris and Paul did attend the grand opening of the Sky View Tower and lived. Now, Stefani wants to find Iris, her grandmother, whom she has never met, but her father, Marty Reyes (Tinpo Lee), is resistant to the idea. He barely even wants to speak about Stefani and her brother, Charlie's (Teo Briones), estranged mother, Darlene Campbell (Rya Kihlstedt), who is both Iris' daughter and Marty's wife; Darlene abandoned the family long ago. Dysfunctional family aside, Stefani knows that she must find the now elderly Iris (Gabrielle Rose) if she is going to discover the cause of her nightmares. Stefani will have to hurry, as Death is already stalking her family.

Final Destination Bloodlines is set about a decade and a half after the events depicted in the series' fourth film, The Final Destination (2009). The fifth film, Final Destination 5 (2011), actually takes place around the same time as the events depicted in the original film, Final Destination (2000).

I did not realize how long it had been between the fifth film and the arrival of Final Destination Bloodlines. The Final Destination franchise is one of the few horror film franchises that have been consistently good, with only 2006's Final Destination 3 being a slight misstep. The first 19 minutes of Final Destination Bloodlines had me mesmerized, and I can call this prologue (of sorts) heart-pounding because it certainly had my aging ticker pounding in my chest.

The rest of the film does not have the same edge-of-your-seat thrills, but its focus on death stalking one particular family and bloodline makes the entire film seem crazy, surreal, and creepy. The entire film is braced by two pitch perfect horror film performances. Brec Bassinger as young Iris Campbell in the first 19 minutes and Kaitlyn Santa Juana as the heroine in the film's present day turn in tight and riveting “scream queen” performances.

As a side note, Final Destination Bloodlines is dedicated to the late actor, Tony Todd (1954-2024). Although best known for playing the lead role the 1992 horror film, Candyman, and its two sequels, Todd is also known for playing the recurring role of “William Bludworth” in the Final Destination franchise. Todd died of stomach cancer in 2024, but he was able to film all his scenes for Bloodlines before his passing. He appears gaunt in this film, likely due to the ravages of his cancer, but I was happy to see him. Todd got a good send off for his character. Also, as movie fans, we have been gifted one of the series' best entries in Final Destination Bloodlines.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, August 24, 2025

There is a six-film Blu-ray and DVD collection of the six "FINAL DESTINATION" films available at Amazon.

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Thursday, August 21, 2025

Review: "THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP" is a Pure "Looney Tunes" Movie

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 of 2025 (No. 2042) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2025) – animated

Running time: 91 minutes (1 hour, 31 minutes)

Rated: MPA – PG for cartoon violence/action and rude/suggestive humor

DIRECTOR: Pete Browngardt

WRITERS: Darrick Bachman, Pete Browngardt, Kevin Costello, Andrew Dickman, David Gemmill, Alex Kirwan, Ryan Kramer, Jason Reicher, Michael Ruocco, Johnny Ryan, and Eddie Trigueros

PRODUCERS: Michael Baum (line); Alex Kirwan (supervising)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Sam Register and Pete Browngardt

EDITOR: Nick Simotas

COMPOSER: Joshua Moshier

ANIMATION/SCI-FI and COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Fred Tatasciore, Carlos Alazraqui, Kimberly Brooks, Laraine Newman, and Wayne Knight

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

-- Fans of traditional, hand-drawn animation and fans of the “Looney Tunes” will want to give “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie” a try for the simple fact that it is a traditional, hand-drawn, Looney Tunes animated film

-- However, it is good, not great, but it goes down like nostalgia-infused hot cocoa.

-- Eric Bauza's voice performances as both Porky Pig and Daffy Duck are so pitch perfect that I would swear that Looney Tunes voice legend, Mel Blanc, had performed the roles

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is a 2025 American animated science fiction comedy from director Peter Browngardt. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Ketchup Entertainment, the film stars two classic “Looney Tunes” characters, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck. In The Day the Earth Blew Up, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig try to save the Earth from an alien invasion involving a creepy new flavor of chewing gum.

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie opens in the town of Grandview. There, The Scientist (Fred Tatasciore) discovers an asteroid heading towards Earth, and then, he discovers a UFO hurtling alongside the asteroid. When the UFO crashes onto Earth, The Scientist goes to investigate the crash site, where he vanishes.

The story moves to Daffy Duck (Eric Bauza) and Porky Pig (Eric Bauza), and the story of how they were raised by Farmer Jim (Fred Tatasciore). When Daffy and Porky become adults, Farmer Jim leaves everything to the duo under the promise that they would learn the power of responsibility through relying on each other. Now, however, Daffy and Porky are in danger of losing the home Farmer Jim left them because they fail a city home inspection.

In need of cash for home repairs, the duo gets a job at the “Goodie Gum” factory, where they meet Petunia Pig (Candi Milo), a Goodie Gum scientist who is trying to develop the perfect chewing gum flavor. Porky falls in love with Petunia, while Daffy keeps causing disasters. That is all interrupted when the trio discovers that their is an alien conspiracy, initiated by “The Invader” (Peter MacNicol), and assisted by The Scientist, who is now possessed. The Invader seemingly wants to control the world, using the launch of Goodie Gum's new flavor, “Super Strongberry.” Are Daffy, Porky, and their new pal, Petunia, up to the challenge of saving the Earth from being... blown up?

There have been Looney Tunes films for several decades. Those include The Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), Daffy Ducks Quackbusters (1988), and the live-action animation hybrid, Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003). However, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie is the first fully animated and theatrically released Looney Tunes film that consists of entirely original material. I hope that it is not the last, but The Day the Earth Blew Up isn't a great film.

Don't get me wrong. It is entertaining, visually inventive, full of clever sight gags, and energetic. The voice performances are exceptional, and Canadian voice actor, Eric Bauza, matches the sound and spirit of classic Looney Tunes voice actor, the late Mel Blanc (1908-89). Two of Bauza's three Emmy Award wins are for his Looney Tunes work, and he should win some awards for his work in this film.

The Day the Earth Blew Up is charming and also respectful of its Warner Bros. animation roots and cartoon legacy. For all its energy (mostly in the second half) and novel story elements, this film feels a bit too long. Too much of the movie feels forced, and I get why Warner Bros. Pictures passed on distributing this movie itself. The Day the Earth Blew Up is niche entertainment, and its limited box office appeal probably wasn't worth the time and costs of distributing it theatrically.

Luckily, Ketchup Entertainment didn't feel that way, and it gave this film a theatrical release, both domestically and internationally. The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie deserved that, because despite my reservations, I believe it can start something. Maybe, Looney Tunes can again be a really big thing with the youngest generations the way it once was with the oldest generations.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

"THE DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP" is available on Blu-ray and DVD at Amazon.

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