#31in31 – “Tarot”

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Denise

“No matter how much it sucks, you can’t change fate.”

Story: A group of college-aged friends rent a cool mansion for their friend Elise’s birthday. But when they run out of beer – THE HORROR – it’s time to kill time by checking out the clearly marked “Private Keep Out” basement. Um, honey-lambs? Has nobody watched Evil Dead? Ah well. At least this old, creepy tarot deck seems fun to play with. Not like you’re not supposed to touch/use someone else’s cards, right? Party!

Scares: Darkness = scary, though the various tarot deck monsters aren’t bad.
Splat Factor: PG-13. So, nothing to speak of.

Subgenre: Stupid College Students Supernatural Scares
Year Released: 2024
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Based on the book Horrorscope, by Nicholas Adams

Trick or Treat?: There’s so much wrong with this film, it’s kind of a fun watch just to pick it apart. Add performances by actors that absolutely know what they’ve signed up for, and some actually fun monsters, and Tarot is the kind of horror movie that’s perfect for Halloween party movie viewing.

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#31in31 – “When Evil Lurks”

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Denise

“Evil knows more about your fears than you do.”

Story: Welcome to a whole new world! Possession by demons is a thing, and it’s turned into a disease you can catch. So when brothers Pedro and Jamie find out that there’s a “Rotten” in their town, they volunteer to move that bloated, disgusting body beyond city limits. Pedro then decides to go visit his ex, his kids, and her new family, to get ’em outta town. What could go wrong? Did I mention this disease is highly, highly contagious?

Scares: An all-encompassing sense of dread, laced with pure horror.
Splat Factor:  Yes. Just…yes. Do NOT prep snacks for this one. Trust me on this.

Subgenre: Evil As Illness Horrors
Year Released: 2023
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Original, though the demonic possession story is vaguely familiar.

Trick or Treat?: This one’s not for the faint of heart, y’all. Lurks fires on all cylinders, delivering a powerhouse of horror that’ll not only freak you out in the moment, but stick with you for a long time. Writer/director Demián Rugna shows that there are creators that can do it all effortlessly, delivering a film that I dare you to watch after midnight on a dark, stormy night.

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“Saturday Night” – rowdy and real

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Denise

“Nick? LET US SEE YOUR FAAAAACE!”

Story: The ninety minutes before the first Saturday Night Live was just as crazy as the ninety minutes that made it on air. Wanna see? Yeah you do.

Genre I’d put it in: Raucous TV Show Biopics
Release Date: 2024
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Based on the creation of the show Saturday Night, now known as Saturday Night Live

Gotta say: Fifty years. Saturday Night Live has been on-air for fifty years. As it’s gone from cast to cast, through decade after decade, the first few seasons and that original “Not Ready For Prime-Time Players” feel legendary. Rightly so. Here in Night, we get to see how what looked like an effortlessly hilarious show came to be. Thanks to an excellent screenplay, whipsmart direction, and a cast that believably echoes the original stars, we get a raucous peek behind the curtain that feels remarkably authentic.

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#31in31 – “The First Omen”

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Denise

“I don’t want to be forgiven. I just want it to be over.” [Honey, same. – eds.]

Story: In 1971, young Margaret travels from the States to Rome, Italy, in order to take her vows as a nun. But there’s something strange going on in the convent school she’s living in, including a teen girl who’s Not Like The Others™. If you’ve ever watched/listened to/read an ZOMG ANTICHRIST horror story? Yeah, you know what’s up.

Scares: A few skillfully done scares early on. Don’t get used to this.
Splat Factor: Effective gore here and there. Could be too much for some, but not enough to satiate gorehounds.

Subgenre: Overlong Prequels Trying To Be Important
Year Released: 2024
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Based on the Omen series of films. A prequel. Duh, it’s got First in the title. Which is a hint at how


Trick or Treat?: Ugh. I hate when a prequel shows promise, but then whiffs it in the second half. Omen has all the hallmarks of a good film; excellent performances, gorgeously ominous cinematography, and a story with tropes that hint at something fun. *cue sad trombone noises* Overlong and frustratingly predictable after the first forty-five minutes, this Omen hints at a breath of fresh air that quickly turns stale due to plodding story structure and a climax you’ve seen over and over again in countless other demon-subgenre films. Part nunsploitation, part antichrist prequel, if you’re looking for a new spin on this classic series, you’ll be disappointed.

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#31in31 – “Victor Frankenstein”

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Denise

“History will bury you, Frankenstein. And no man will remember your name.”

Story: There once was a poor, abused hunchback who lived with a circus. But his mind was hale and healthy, and one day a man came to the circus and saw that. And decided to take him in…to help with experiments. *cue the Strickfaden machines*

Scares: Very few. Mostly suspense.
Splat Factor: Again, very few. Body parts, obviously. In various stages of life and un-life.

Subgenre: Action-heavy Re-imagining Of Classic Horrors
Year Released: 2015
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Based on the novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

Trick or Treat?: I never got to see this film when it hit theaters. I meant to. Just as I’d been meaning to catch it “one of these days”. So now that I’ve seen it? Well, it’s fun. Think of a blending of blockbuster and B-movie, and you’ll get the gist. This Frankenstein is an easy watch on a day when you’re in the mood for a big bowl of popcorn, a bit of horror, and lots of histrionics.

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TrailerWatch – Robert Eggers “NOSFERATU” (2024) hews closely to the original

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Denise

And by that, I mean the 1922 silent film Nosferaru, though the story that film “borrowed” – Dracula – can be seen here too. With blue filters that would excite Twilight fan, and Eggers’  signature dour fairytale  aesthetic, this is sure to scoop up all the art and costuming award nominations. Synopsis!

Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.

Nosferatu hits theaters on Christmas Day.

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“Food and Country” – why and how is food?

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Denise

“COVID was the wake-up call…. Our broken food system was exposed.”

Story: a documentary about the food system in the United States, and how the 2020 pandemic brought the problems into focus. By talking with restauranteurs, farmers, and others in the food supply chain all over the US? We get a look at how our country thinks about food in general, and meet a handful of folks who are bucking the system in ways that bring more inclusive, healthier, sustainable ideas to the process of feeding us all.

Genre I’d put it in: Important Documentaries
Release Date: 2024
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Original

Gotta say: As a University of Maryland, College Park grad, I fondly remember the school’s Food Co-op. A place to grab something healthy, delicious, inexpensive (very important for my undergrad wallet), all with a heaping helping of social consciousness. But as the years flew by, my knowledge of our modern day food system became hazy at best. Country seeks to rectify the gaps in my knowledge of food production, and to crib from a fast food joint? I’m loving it. From growers, ranchers, restauranteurs, servers, and more, this doc sheds light on what’s going on, grassroot changes, and more. It’s a re-up on the education I received back then, and one that everyone can benefit from.

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Baltimore Screening Pass-palooza – “Saturday Night”!

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Denise

SNL hit it’s 50th season two days ago, so why not hark back to it’s first episode? Synopsis!

At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…

Ready? Let’s go!

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“Megalopolis” is mega-baffling

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Denise

“When does an empire die?”

Story: Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe better. Probably better. Something something Rome, something something America, something something LSD trip.

Genre I’d put it in:
Release Date: 2024
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: From Coppola’s brainpan

Gotta say: Francis Ford Coppola had the idea of this film since at least the 80s. He’d worked on it for decades. And Megalopolis is the textbook example of a creator being too close to their creation, and not seeing it with a critical eye. Don’t worry though, that’s what I’m here for. Because Megalopolis, to crib from Shakespeare – hey, this film repeatedly does – is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

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In Queue Review – “Uglies”

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Denise

“I don’t wanna be free, I wanna be Pretty!”

Genre: YA Utopia As Dystopia
Release Date: 2024
Where I Watched: Netflix

Gist: In the probably distant future, children are raised away from their parents while they wait for their 16th birthday. At that milestone, they become “Pretty”, by having a absolute boatload of plastic surgery. Y’know, because if you’re pretty, you don’t have a single problem in the world? Yeah. Obviously, there’s a counter-culture on the down-low, hiding from this city’s influence. What will 15 year-old Tally choose for herself? Um, you know how this works, y’all.

Gotta say: Based on the series of novels by Scott Westerfeld, Uglies is your typical futuristic YA science fiction joint. It’s not bad, it’s not good, it’s just empty. Think the hollowness of Divergent with the possibilities of Maze Runner, but with characters so run of the mill it’s hard to care what happens to them, and a world that sounds intriguing, but is dumbed down by Pretty Is Good. (There are big ol’ hints at a more nefarious reason why the Pretties are created, but that tasty tidbit is pushed aside so hard I felt it slam into next week.)

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