TrailerWatch – “THE BATMAN” gives us a new, noir look at Batman and Catwoman

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Denise

I love Robert Pattinson; he’s proven himself to be a quality actor over the years, so I’ve been stoked about his turn under the Batcowl. I also thought casting Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman was brilliant for the same reason. This trailer made me happy, and also had me thinking “yup, they’re gonna be excellent y’all.”

Add in a brief glimpse of Riddler (Paul Dano), and a maniacal Penguin (an all but unrecognizable Colin Farrell)? Hello there, I want more please.

The Batman comes to your town March 4th, 2022.

Posted in Trailers | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Halloween Horrors – “Halloween Kills”

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Denise
Looking for fun during The Most Wonderful Time of the Year? I’ve got a few ideas this season, and a few clunkers too…

“HE DIES TONIGHT! HE DIES TONIGHT!” (Whatever.)

What it is – In the 2018 Halloween, our favorite plucky paranoid Laurie Strode thought that she, her daughter, and granddaughter, had put Michael six feet under. But we know he’s not that easy. Meanwhile, way too many townsfolk have their own Halloween night filled with too much terror and blood.

Genre – Horrific Sophomore Slumps (in more ways than one)
Splat Factor – As per sequels, gore is amped from the first film in this trilogy. Expect lots of red, and ample insides outside.
Year Released – 2021
Where I Watched – Screener (received midnight this morning. So, hey – boom!)

Why Watch This – Halloween Kills is probably the worst thing that can happen to a horror movie. No, it’s not bad. It’s just immediately forgettable. I could rant about how this sophomore slump was such a letdown, but I’ll try to keep it brief. A taste, you ask? Cool: between the heavy handed “monsters can create monstrous reactions” message and the overabundance of subplots, Kills gets lost in itself.

Continue reading →
Posted in Holiday-ness, In Horror, The Horror! | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Columbia Screening Pass-palooza – “Dune”!

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Denise
Before hitting the multiplex, please consider the health risks involved with participating in group gatherings at this time. Take very good care of yourselves – I wanna see you on the other side.

THE PASSES MUST FLOW

Psyched for the new Dune film? Me too! So without delay, let’s do this… Synopsis!

A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Continue reading →
Posted in Free Screenings | Tagged , | Leave a comment

TrailerWatch – Ethan Hawke chills in “The Black Phone”

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Denise

“Wanna see a magic trick? ‘

Apparently this trailer freaked people all the way out at Fantastic Fest last month. And I can see why; a serial killer that stalks children? Yikes! But this trailer is also giving me big Karma Is A Bitch vibes, something I adore in my horror. Synopsis!

After being abducted by a child killer and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer’s previous victims.

Phone has me super excited, as this film is based on a short story by Joe Hill. Bring on the creepy! Well, bring it on come February, 2022.

Posted in In Horror, Trailers | Tagged | Leave a comment

Halloween Horrors – “Black as Night”

Posted on October 12, 2021 by Denise
Looking for fun during The Most Wonderful Time of the Year? I’ve got a few ideas this season, and a few clunkers too…

“I’m not Buffy. I’m just…I dunno. Shawna?”

Genre – Modern Day Monster Mash
Splat Factor – Vampires. Victims. Yeah. But most vamps go poof ala BtVS, so the messy stuff is mostly from the humans on the scene.
Year Released – 2021
Where I Watched – Amazon Prime

What it is – Shawna is just killing time during summer vacation in her hometown of New Orleans. But killing gets more than figurative when vampires come to town… And Shawna – along with a handful of her friends – decides to take down the bloodsuckers. Easy, right? Maaaaybe? Grab that garlic powder!

Continue reading →
Posted in Amazon Prime, Holiday-ness, In Horror, The Horror! | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Columbia, MD Screening Pass-palooza – “Halloween Kills”!

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Denise
Before hitting the multiplex, please consider the health risks involved with participating in group gatherings at this time. Take very good care of yourselves – I wanna see you on the other side.

IT IS TIME. Time for us to find out what comes next after David Gordon Green’s funtastic Halloween! Synopsis!

Minutes after Laurie Strode (Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie’s basement, Laurie is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, believing she finally killed her lifelong tormentor. 
But when Michael manages to free himself from Laurie’s trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster. 
The Strode women join a group of other survivors of Michael’s first rampage who decide to take matters into their own hands, forming a vigilante mob that sets out to hunt Michael down, once and for all. 
Evil dies tonight.

Ready? Let’s go!

Continue reading →
Posted in Free Screenings, In Horror | Tagged , | Leave a comment

From Letterboxd: “The Many Saints of Newark”

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Denise
Because sometimes I’m lazy and only want to pop up a few sentences.

My ★★★½ review of The Many Saints of Newark on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/2bxjVV

Busy as fuck with too many stories, cluttered as hell with too many characters. Still, Saints kept my attention throughout. Though with so damn many plotlines? This would have made a better limited miniseries.

Posted in HBO, Movie Reviews | Leave a comment

Halloween Jams – the AFan Halloween playlist for 2021! 🦇🎃👻

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Denise

After ten years of crazy pumpki7 fun, I’m not doing 31 in 31 this year, but I am doing random spooky stuff! So enjoy this strange and unusual playlist for the season!

Posted in Holiday-ness, Music | Tagged | Leave a comment

“No Time to Die” is a sublime 00-swan song for Craig

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Denise

“Everyone has their secrets. We just didn’t get to yours yet.”

Story: James Bond has retired. And damn if he doesn’t have the most beautiful house in Jamaica. So when CIA poo-bah Felix Leiter comes calling, asking for help? It better be something really important to pull Bond away from top shelf hootch and thousand count thread sheets. The fate of the entire world would do it, I think. Pity MI6 doesn’t want Bond anywhere near Felix’s mission…

Genre I’d put it in: Thrillers. Spy Thrillers.

Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the Ian Flemming novels, and part of the whole James Bond film thang.

Gotta say: Three hours. THREE. HOURS. (Fine. Two hours and forty five minutes.) I want to get that out there before I start, so you can fully understand my blathering. Because I completely and totally enjoyed the hell out of this movie. Every minute. Typically, here’s the point where I’d say something about how judicious editing could help the story, blah blah. But with Die? Nope. Not a second was wasted. Viewers get gorgeous wide shots, pulse-pounding action, intriguing story progression…and sometimes all three at once. Director Cary Joji Fukunaga knows how to juggle all the cinemating things – witness his excellent work on Beasts of No Nation – and in this film I was absolutely shocked at how the time slipped by. Did I groan when I found out how long this bugger is? You bet. Did I give even a single damn as the credits rolled? Absolutely not.

Continue reading →
Posted in 7 Pieces Of | Tagged , | Leave a comment

TrailerWatch – “The Sandman” tries to capture Death

Posted on September 25, 2021 by Denise

“You’re gonna need all the help you can get.”

Ooh – this looks amazing! The casting we get to see here looks incredible. And c’mon now, who doesn’t love Charles Dance? (#BrotherNumsie)

The Sandman hits Netflix…sometime this year.

Posted in Netflix | Tagged , | Leave a comment