Let's Cee a Movie

The Not-a-Wolf Man

Not a big W, but not a L either (Spoilers)

Blake Lovell (Christopher Abbott) is a man whose writing career has stalled, leading to his current occupation as a stay-at-home dad. After his own father, Grady (Sam Jaeger), is finally declared dead after disappearing, Blake decides to take his family up to his old house. The dual purpose of the trip is for him to reconnect with his wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and for Charlotte to connect with their daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth).

Symphony of Horror

A remake with bite (Spoilers)

Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens was a 1922 film and unofficial adaptation of Dracula by Bram Stoker. Writer/director Robert Eggers has been trying to remake it for almost a decade. That is not a hyperbole. Development on Nosferatu (2024) began in 2015. It was initially the follow-up to Eggers’ feature debut, The VVitch. At one point, it was even going to star recurring collaborator Anya Taylor-Joy, but she backed out due to scheduling conflicts.

Defying Gravity

A wonderful adaptation (Spoilers)

I’m late to the party, but I’ve finally seen the film adaptation of a musical I love, kind of. It’s just Act One. Anyway, much like the novel and stage show it’s based on, Wicked: Part 1 tells the tale of the Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo, Karis Musongole). During the first song, we learn that Elphaba Thropp, the aforementioned witch, was conceived after her mom (Courtney-Mae Briggs) had an affair with a guy with a mysterious green bottle.

Die Harder

A good movie for a happy Christmas

Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) is a TSA worker at LAX who’s recently learned that his girlfriend Nora Parisi (Sofia Carson), who works as a manager at the same airport, is pregnant. Working the baggage-scanning area during a Christmas Eve shift, Ethan starts getting orders from a mysterious traveler, who tells him to let a piece of carry-on luggage go through or else they’ll kill Nora. This premise sounds familiar.

A Family Movie

A funny thriller that’s well done (Spoilers)

We’ve got another really spoilery review on our hands, so, as usual, let me start with my conclusion. I would highly recommend watching Lowlifes. The cast’s performances were great, as was the way the movie keeps you guessing. And the best part is that since it’s a Tubi Original, it’s free for anyone to watch. Of course, that means there’s ads, but that’s a relatively small price to pay.

Halloween IIs

Both are good follow-ups (Spoilers)

Halloween II (1981) occurs on the same night as the previous film. Halloween II (2009) initially seems like it’s going to follow the same path, but after a lengthy bait-and-switch nightmare sequence, it picks up two years later. For clarity, I’ve reviewed the theatrical cut of ’81, but the director’s cut of ’09. The latter is much closer to the director’s vision after he got jerked around a lot by the Weinsteins.

A Quiet Rapture

A Nice, Near Silent Horror (Spoilers)

Azrael takes place in one of those apocalyptic worlds where gasoline has a much longer shelf life than in reality because the characters can still drive “Many years after the Rapture.” The title character (Samara Weaving) is a young woman on the run from her former congregation – a cult muted themselves due to the “sin of Speech.” Azrael has to avoid them and the Burned Ones, these Clicker-like monsters.

Sanguis et Mel

A noticeable improvement (Spoilers)

A slasher movie that earned a lot of buzz last year was Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. It kicked off a new phase of turning beloved children’s characters and turning them into slasher villains, typically after they’ve entered the public domain. Despite abysmal reviews, it grossed a lot of money and created yet another cinematic universe. So, let’s see if the Twisted Childhood Universe is off to a good start.

‘Salem’s Lot Missing A Whole Lot

Though it isn’t totally sucked dry (Spoilers)

‘Salem’s Lot (1975) was Stephen King’s second published novel and the first of his work to be adapted to television. That would be the 1979 miniseries. It was adapted for television again in 2004. The film version, which I’ll be covering, was originally supposed to have a theatrical release on September 9, 2022, but after a long delay, it was finally released in theaters…in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It went straight to Max for American viewers.

TSC1

At least it’s not shot-for-shot (Spoilers)

Maya Lucas (Madelaine Petsch) is on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) when their car breaks down, and they decide to stay the night at an isolated Airbnb. There, they are menaced by three masked strangers in an almost beat-for-beat retelling of the 2008 film. To be fair, the filmmakers made it clear ahead of this movie’s release that that would be the case, while the other two chapters of the trilogy would be bolder.