1968 Films, Drama, Los Angeles, Psychological Drama, Psychological Thriller, Satire, Thriller

The Legend of Lylah Clare-1968

September 27, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

The Legend of Lylah Clare-1968

Director Robert Aldrich

Starring Kim Novak, Peter Finch

Scott’s Review #1,554

Reviewed September 27, 2026

Grade: B

Kim Novak stars in a 1968 psychological thriller named The Legend of Lylah Clare, a film on the surface similar to her legendary turn in Hitchcock’s Vertigo ten years earlier.

Like Vertigo, she plays two characters, both shrouded in ghostly mystery, as one is dead. Other characters are obsessed with the dead one.

Lylah Clare isn’t as good as Vertigo, so the parallels are limited.

The film has positives and negatives that create an uneven viewer experience. The bizarre environment raises suspicions of story changes or behind-the-scenes conflict, as something feels a bit off.

I much preferred the first half to the second, as what starts as an intriguing, mysterious promise goes off the rails and leads to more confusion than satisfaction.

A renowned German actress who died years earlier, Lylah Clare (Novak) is the subject of a film developed by volatile movie producer Barney Sheean (Ernest Borgnine).

An agent, Bart Langner (Milton Selzer), finds Elsa Brinkmann (also Novak), a beautiful woman who looks just like Lylah, and sets about getting the movie off the ground.

Lylah’s ex-husband, Lewis Zarken (Peter Finch), directs the film and begins to fall in love with Elsa as he coaches her to act just like his late wife.

Director Robert Aldrich has a vast filmography, but Lylah Clare most resembles What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), mostly in terms of a gothic environment and the fear of being made irrelevant.

Zarken’s looming Los Angeles mansion is the backdrop for much of the film. Its illustrious yet stuffy veneer hides dark secrets revealed through flashbacks, and the set is a main highlight.

I was immediately drawn into the story and the ‘legend’ by hints of what’s to come. Enormous portraits of Lylah adorn the estate, the most prominent being a lavish one on the steep staircase in the living room.

Shown to have been attacked by a fan who gained access to the mansion, Lylah was able to make the man fall down the staircase to his death. Afraid of heights, Lylah then fell and died after looking down at the corpse.

Is this the truth? What is Zarken hiding? Does Lylah’s acting coach, Rossella, know secrets? Did the fan have secrets?

The past is shrouded in mystery, and multiple characters’ obsessions with Lylah are very tantalizing.

Additionally, Elsa seems obsessed with Lylah even before she is cast to play her. Are they the same, like in Vertigo?

A deliciously satisfying scene is delivered at a party meant to debut Elsa’s new look as Lylah. Mean journalist Molly Luther (Coral Browne) prods and insults Elsa until Lylah emerges to put the wicked witch in her place.

It’s the first public appearance of Lylah as Elsa, and she quickly pounces on her foe in shocking form.

These elements make The Legend of Lylah Clare so compelling in the first half.

Slowly, the film began to unravel.

As Elsa begins to belt out a perfect German accent and switch into Lylah mode, summoning her wardrobe staff, or refusing to emerge onto the set, it feels terribly uneven and out of character.

I love Novak, but I’m not sure I love her in these roles. Since the characters don’t feel right, it must have been hard for the actress to play them well.

I couldn’t help but wonder whether Elsa couldn’t get into Lylah, or whether Novak couldn’t do the same.

And the obvious dubbing of Lylah’s German accent is very weird.

Zarkan’s back-and-forth personalities are too much. He goes from madly in love and smitten with Lylah to berating her on the movie set, back and forth.

In the final chapter, he basically causes Elsa’s death by coaxing her to look down from a trapeze set for no reason.

The film is billed as a satire and is assumed to examine the shark-like Hollywood world. The number of hateful characters (Molly, Zarkan, Barney) reinforces this.

A seemingly added TV commercial for dog food interrupts the film itself, suggesting that Hollywood is literally a dog-eats-dog world.

The last scene of Rossella drunkenly sitting on the couch watching the commercial and loading a gun, assumed to be to shoot Zarkan, is murky at best.

While confusing, The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968) has enough appeal to be a suggested watch.

1968 Films, Camp, Science Fiction

Barbarella-1968

September 26, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Barbarella-1968

Director Roger Vadim

Starring Jane Fonda

Scott’s Review #1,553

Reviewed September 26, 2026

Grade: A

For film connoisseurs circa 1968, Barbarella must have been a breath of fresh air in cinematic creativity. It took paths not yet forged, especially in feminism and sexuality.

The groovy, psychedelic sets and costumes alone project a level of ‘cool’ and colorful inventiveness perfectly encapsulating the 1960s.

Don’t get me wrong, by the late 1960s, earlier groundbreaking treats like The Naked Kiss (1964), The Graduate (1967), and Bonnie and Clyde (1967) had already been released to thunderous appreciation.

But Barbarella is wilder and more outer-world, especially with its mix of science fiction, progressive, and campy elements.

It’s like a saucer filled with zany art materials thrown into a blender, and out comes Barbarella.

Ironically, it was released the same year as another brilliant science fiction film, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Then and now (2026), the best way to view this wacky masterpiece is late at night, alongside a strong hallucinogen or a lavish cocktail, for film sophisticates who appreciate art in film.

The film stars Jane Fonda as the title character, a futuristic space traveler and representative of the United Earth government sent to the Tau Ceti planetary system to find scientist Dr. Durand Durand (Milo O’Shea), who has created a weapon that could destroy humanity.

Planet Earth’s leaders fear it will cause mass destruction. Until now, they have been a peaceful, loving, non-violent community.

Barbarella roams 41st-century space with her blind and shirtless guardian angel, buff Pygar (John Phillip Law). She encounters a bevy of weird characters like sinister children, mechanical dolls with razor-sharp teeth, and other outcasts and miscreants.

On a more adult level, she meets Mark Hand (Ugo Tognazzi) and the Black Queen (Anita Pallenberg), who both fall madly in love with Barbarella and desire her instantly.

Fonda was a smoldering beauty in 1968 (and still is ravishingly elegant in 2026), so she oozes sexuality combined with a relatability from the moment she graces the screen.

As she wriggles out of an encasement, completely nude, her perfect figure is on display. But this isn’t chauvinistic or exploitative, as the character embraces her femininity.

At the time, the scene must have been shocking, though most of the time her lithe nude figure is only suggested.

Barbarella and Fonda are both strong, opinionated women who want truth and fairness for humanity. Neither is anyone’s patsy, and both control their lives.

Fonda embodies the character seamlessly, and we can’t help but think she brings her own guts to the role.

With a sweetness and sincerity, the audience instantly falls in love with Barbarella as she begins her science fiction journey.

Clearly, Fonda, Hollywood royalty, had some influence on Barbarella since she was married to French director Roger Vadim.

One can immerse themselves in the inventive visuals that Barbarella offers.

Cinematographer Claude Renoir, who also worked on 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, adds a cartoonish, hallucinogenic dreamscape to the set pieces.

Barbarella’s spaceship is lined entirely with shag carpet and pink faux fur, resembling a flying cosmetic case.

The underground city of Sogo features astounding production design and a trippy, throbbing look, using molten wax, oils, and colored liquids to mimic a massive, glowing lava lamp.

The costumes, especially Fonda’s, are iconic: her green-and-black caped bodysuit, high-heeled shiny silver boots, and many more shine and sparkle amid the purple/gray-hued sets.

Costume comparisons to the legendary Princess Leia from the Star Wars films are hard to miss.

The infamous ‘Pleasure Machine’ is a titillating sequence where Barbarella is placed in a contraption designed to kill by way of orgasm. As Barbarella rolls her eyes in ecstasy, the scene is deliciously naughty and groundbreaking.

The scene makes clear it celebrates sexuality and makes no apologies.

That said, the story isn’t the film’s highlight, nor should it be taken too seriously. It’s largely convoluted and nonsensical, but that’s okay since the film offers so much.

Though campy, Barbarella (1968) remains a highly influential film.

1980s new wave band Duran Duran took their name from it, and viewers will notice numerous films like the successful Austin Powers film series patterned after it.

Lesser-known campy science fiction films like Star Crash (1978), Flash Gordon (1980), and Tank Girl (1995) drew inspiration from it.

1980 Films, Comedy, Satire, Screwball Comedy

9 to 5-1980

September 22, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

9 to 5-1980

Director Colin Higgins

Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton

Scott’s Review #1,552

Reviewed September 22, 2026

Grade: B

Pairing two Hollywood stars and one musical icon together to create a satirical, comedic, and feminist film in 1980 was someone’s brilliant idea.

Together, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and country music star Dolly Parton electrify the screen with hijinks and physical comedy that make 9 to 5 a delightful crowd-pleaser.

Their chemistry is delicious and a highlight of the film.

9 to 5 also had an infectiously hummable title pop song that was a number-one hit and earned a Grammy win and an Oscar nomination, increasing the movie’s audience reach.

But while the trio is likable and the film entertaining, the plot is almost too preposterous and lighthearted to convey the feminist message successfully.

Women being taken seriously in the workplace is an important aspect of the world we still live in. It was more so in 1980.

Too often, the film leans toward humor instead of darker tones, which makes the overall content seem less serious than it should be.

Three female secretaries (Fonda, Tomlin, Parton), one of whom has been passed over for promotion because she’s not a man, spend a night together having marijuana-induced fantasies of killing their chauvinist boss, Franklin M. Hart Jr. (nicknamed FHart), played by Dabney Coleman.

A mishap the following day leads one of them to suspect she really has poisoned Hart, who is rushed to the hospital.

The event sets off a series of silly misunderstandings at a hospital that cause the women to abduct their boss and run the business themselves until they can get evidence that he is defrauding the company.

For a Generation X individual who, as a child, occasionally went into the office with his father around 1980, it was fun to see a corporate environment like that.

The typewriters, orange/yellow decor, grey/tan elevators, and cigarette-smoke hue felt like a time capsule.

The hustle and bustle of the workday, the corporate gossip, deals, and alliances also held appeal to what working in the corporate world was like back then.

While Tomlin and Fonda certainly delight with good comic timing and excellent delivery, Dolly Parton proves a natural movie star in her first film role.

Blonde and busty, Doralee (Parton) is initially assumed to be sleeping with Hart, but we quickly learn she is no floozy and has strong morals and feisty intelligence.

Parton was barely on the cusp of transitioning from a country superstar to a capable actor.

The rest of the cast share chemistry and seem to enjoy the preposterous gag comedy situations they play together.

Coleman and Elizabeth Wilson, as the preachy administrative assistant, perform their parts effectively, though they can be over-the-top.

Positively, 9 to 5 makes sharp points about gender roles in the workplace, which wasn’t common in film in 1980; 1988’s Working Girl also examined this.

The film takes a forward-thinking, progressive stance.

For example, Norma Rae (1979) starred Sally Field as a factory worker struggling to form a union. But that film was a heavy drama and not specific to women.

And, 1976’s Network featured a domineering corporate woman, but that was a much darker film.

I would have preferred 9 to 5 to be a bit darker, since the comedy heavily outweighs the drama and makes the gender message less powerful than it should be.

By the film’s conclusion, it teeters way too much into screwball or slapstick fare for my tastes.

Even when the women win in the end and revamp the workplace model, it still alludes to the unfairness of pay between men and women.

A good point, but no mention of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which supposedly helped abolish the wage gap between women and men.

Nonetheless, 9 to 5 (1980) is a good romp with at least an intended point. It just plays it way too safe.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Song-“9 to 5”

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Actress-Comedy or Musical-Dolly Parton, Best Original Song-“9 to 5”, New Star of the Year-Actress-Dolly Parton

1970 Films, Art, Best International Film Oscar Winners, Drama, Historical Drama, War

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis-1970

September 21, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis-1970

Director Vittorio De Sica

Starring Lino Capolicchio, Dominique Sanda

Scott’s Review #1,551

Reviewed September 21, 2026

Grade: A

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970) is a powerful film requiring patience and concentration.

The intended audience is a cerebral viewer who appreciates quality cinema and the beauty of fine filmmaking as an art form.

Vittorio De Sica directed it, and it’s based on the book of the same name by Giorgio Bassani.

The film is a slow burn with an amazing build-up and a knockout punch at the end. The view of the calm before the nazi storm that changes the world is explored.

The time period is 1938-1943.

The title refers to a wealthy Jewish family living in Italy amid the dark period. When Jews are banned from the country club, they open their lavish garden on their idyllic estate to the friends of their children, Alberto (Helmut Berger) and Micòl (Dominique Sanda).

As the Fascist movement grows stronger, however, it affects everyone in the family’s orbit, including themselves.

Georgio (Lino Capolicchio) is the central character and in love with Micòl, a girl he has known since childhood. They share a special connection, but she sees him as a friend, while the hunk Giampiero (Fabio Testi), another friend, is in the mix.

The acting is fabulously subdued, especially by Capolicchio and Sanda. Like the film itself, their performances are a slow build and low-key, which is to their credit.

It takes time to fall in love with them.

Sanda, a gorgeous physical specimen, plays Micòl mysteriously and flawlessly as she does in The Conformist (1970). She dazzles the camera whether she stares out into the distance or straight ahead, pondering life and love.

It’s hard to know exactly what she is thinking, but that is a part of her beauty. Her porcelain skin and green eyes express so little and yet so much.

We understand why Georgio is in love with her. Her social status, beauty, and familiarity are evident, and Capolicchio conveys himself carefully.

When he realizes Micòl doesn’t share his affection, he is quietly devastated yet keeps his emotions in check.

His father, played by Romolo Valli in another terrific performance, calmly tells Giorgio how Micòl is out of his league and it’s best he face heartbreak at a young age rather than an old age.

This parallels the harsh, cold realities of the rest of the film, where the characters (adults and young adults) must face deadly consequences for who they are.

In the most emotional scene at the film’s conclusion, Micòl’s elderly grandmother sits in a child’s classroom clutching her granddaughter, painfully realizing her life of privilege is ending, and likely her life.

She and other Jews have been shuffled into what amounts to jail cells while they await their fates.

Some characters escape, and some do not.

The film is about waiting around. The Finzi-Continis know that horror awaits around the corner, but they don’t know what to do. Do they flee? Where would they go? Do they enjoy what they can control while they can?

They sit around a dining room table, eat, celebrate, and move life along. What else can they do?

More restrictions are placed on Jews. They can’t have servants anymore. Soon, they are banned from libraries.

The cinematography is astounding. Noticeably, the earlier parts of the film are sunny and warm, filled with golden summer and shots of the characters playing tennis on the Finzi-Contini estate.

As the political climate darkens and the family faces deportation, the lighting transitions to stark, cold tones, stripping away the garden’s protective illusion.

That’s why the garden is so important to the film’s theme.

This is one of a handful of great Italian films that let us experience the police state through a family’s daily life and the intimate stories of individuals.

The Garden of the Finzi-Contini (1970) is an eloquent, beautiful, deeply moving film.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Screenplay Based on Material From Another Medium, Best Foreign Language Film (won)

1975 Films, Biography, Comedy, Drama, Musical, Musical Comedy, Musical Drama

Funny Lady-1975

September 14, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Funny Lady-1975

Director Herbert Ross

Starring Barbra Streisand, James Caan

Scott’s Review #1,550

Reviewed September 14, 2026

Grade: B-

The 1968 film version of Funny Girl starring Barbra Streisand is such a joy to watch time and time again that I should have known a sequel would inevitably disappoint.

Especially since I had never even heard of the sequel.

But that’s exactly what the 1975 film Funny Lady, with a cutesy title to drum up interest, ultimately does.

It’s a letdown in the highest regard, except for a few choice musical numbers and maybe the costume design.

‘How Lucky Can You Get’ is the prime standout. This powerful anthem is the centerpiece of the movie’s score and allows Streisand to belt it out.

It also shows the most emotion.

Second in line, ‘More Than You Know’ is a lush, beautiful, and deeply emotional ballad delivered with Streisand’s trademark vocal control.

Barbra being Barbra, she does what she can vocally, of course, but the thin script and jarring miscast make for a dull, uneven film experience.

Set in the 1930s, Fanny Brice (Streisand) is now a huge Broadway star whose fortunes, like everyone else’s, have taken a hit from the Great Depression that ravaged the United States.

After a whirlwind romance that finds the couple frequently sparring, Fanny unconvincingly marries songwriter Billy Rose (James Caan), and the two agree to collaborate on a show.

Despite the show’s early flops and errors, Fanny eventually makes it a success, but the sudden pressures of fame put a strain on her marriage.

Events spiral when Fanny’s ex-husband, Nick (Omar Sharif), resurfaces and she realizes she still has strong feelings for him.

The biggest problem is casting the leading man, Billy Rose. The character is supposed to be short, disheveled, unattractive, and awkward.

Supposedly, still in love with Nick, Fanny more or less ‘settles’ for Billy.

James Caan, especially in 1975, coming off a roaring success and career-defining role as the sexy, charismatically aggressive Sonny in The Godfather (1972), has none of Billy Rose’s traits.

Quite the contrary.

Tall, good-looking, with chiseled features, he’s the furthest thing from awkward.

To make matters worse, Caan and Streisand have no chemistry.

Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, or Robert Blake would have been dynamic casting, and Pacino and Blake were even seriously considered.

When later questioned about the casting decision, Streisand revealed that it came down to who the audience would want to see her kiss.

Maybe it’s Caan, but the decision all but ruins the movie.

The banter and romantic sequences come across as boring, tedious, and therefore unfulfilling.

Other irritants like a throwaway role given to Roddy McDowall don’t help the finished product. As Fanny’s gay friend, Bobby Moore is reduced to serving her hot tea and occasionally walking into a scene to see what troubles Miss Fanny.

Granted, it’s the 1930s; his sexuality is only suggested and never clearly stated, but we know almost nothing beyond that of his character’s thoughts and feelings.

A slyly suggested dalliance with another male character would have been nice.

Soon-to-be star Ben Vereen is given essentially nothing to do but dance a bit, yet was laughably given a Golden Globe nomination for Best New Star.

Obviously, they cut scenes, leaving gaping continuity holes.

Despite the limited chemistry, Streisand and Caan do their best to create tense-filled scenes, but the bickering is overdone. It feels more like they really can’t stand each other than a lovers’ disagreement.

I couldn’t shake my perception of Caan as Sonny from The Godfather, which was more than a little distracting. When Nick returns to the scene, I half-expected Billy to have the poor guy whacked or make him an ‘offer he couldn’t refuse’.

I knew I was supposed to be rooting for Fanny and Billy, but instead I championed a Nick and Fanny reunion during one of their limited scenes.

Which begs the question: why did Omar Sharif have barely more than a cameo’s worth of scenes? Surely, a quality romantic triangle would have held more interest.

Despite all the missteps, the musical numbers are the film’s highlight, and if there’s any reason to tune in, that’s it.

For theater fans, enough gorgeous costumes and dance numbers amid the melodrama keep things interesting, too.

With terrible casting and a marginally digestible script, the recommendation is to skip Funny Lady (1975) altogether and instead dust off Funny Girl (1968) every year or so and pretend this movie was never made.

Oscar Nominations: Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, “How Lucky Can You Get”, Best Sound

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Picture- Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical, Best Actor- Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical-James Caan, Best Actress- Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical-Barbra Streisand, Best Original Score, Best Original Song- “How Lucky Can You Get”, New Star of the Year-Actor-Ben Vereen

2026 Films, British, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, LGBTQ+ Drama, LGBTQ+ Films, LGBTQ+ Romance

Pillion-2026

September 6, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Pillion-2026

Director Harry Lighton

Starring Harry Melling, Alexander Skarsgård

Scott’s Review #1,549

Reviewed September 6, 2026

Grade: A

Pillion (2026) is a British, cutting-edge LGBTQ+ film that excites and titillates viewers but is really geared toward a specific target audience.

Gay males either experienced with or possessing knowledge of the BDSM (bondage, discipline, sadism, masochism) hardcore lifestyle will mostly appreciate the film.

Representation in this subculture is shamefully long overdue, so it’s a breath of fresh air to see a film like this released in mainstream markets and on streaming services.

Straight audiences with particular intellect and sexual curiosity may find themselves enveloped by the film and maybe even aroused.

In 2025, the film was a massive critical success, earning an impressive ten nominations at the British Independent Film Awards.

Unfortunately, it has not yet achieved those accolades in the United States, but sometimes an international film has a year-long lag before recognition. Fingers crossed.

The film was released in the U.S. in early 2026.

Colin (Harry Melling) is a shy, introverted gay man who lives with his parents in Bromley, London. He works a menial job assigning parking tickets while pursuing his hobby of singing in a barbershop quartet.

One Christmas Eve at the pub, he is handed a note by Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), a handsome American member of a local biker club, and Colin is swept off his feet when Ray takes him on as his submissive.

As they begin an unorthodox relationship, Colin’s cancer-riddled mother (Lesley Sharp) becomes concerned for her son’s well-being, while Colin’s growing romantic feelings for Ray test the boundaries of their lifestyle.

While some scenes are shocking, like a BDSM themed road trip where Colin finds himself in a line-up of four men wearing chaps, leaning side-by-side over a picnic table, positioned to be penetrated by their doms, there’s also an underlying romanticism and connection between the men.

Other scenes where Ray suggests Colin buy a butt plug because he’s ‘too tight’ or makes him sleep on the floor might run the gamut of making the viewer chuckle nervously or smile naughtily; they indeed have their impact.

But usually, they spend quiet nights at home like a ‘normal’ couple: Ray reads a book or plays with his dog while Colin dutifully makes dinner or runs errands for him.

The relationship is not abusive, and both men are content.

The conflict arises when Colin yearns for a deeper and possibly more conventional relationship. But can Ray give Colin what he needs?

The film wisely parallels the two men. While Colin’s life is an open book and his meddling parents, who only want the best for him, know the ins and outs of his everyday life, even his dates with men, Ray is a complete mystery.

Strikingly handsome and way out of Colin’s league in the gay pecking order of physical attractiveness, Ray is a complete mystery; we wonder why he pursues Colin to begin with.

Tall, blonde, and charismatic, where has he come from? Where is his family? Does he have an ex? Where does he work?

The ambiguity works quite well for delving into the characters.

A tender sequence in which Ray gives Colin the day off from service, and the men share a fun-filled romantic afternoon as a traditional couple, is wonderful, but can it be sustained?

The men share a kiss after some light hilltop wrestling, with Colin sitting on top of Ray in the more dominant position, but something in Ray’s eyes is filled with pain and unease.

A remarkable directorial debut by Harry Lighton, he empathetically examines self-discovery, desire, and conflicting emotions with a nonjudgmental perspective.

Pillion (2016) is not patronizing, played for laughs, or defined by stereotypes.

With exceptional acting performances by Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård, the characters are freshly brought to life and make a daring subject matter, taboo for most, into ravishing entertainment and a character study.

1982 Films, Blockbuster, Horror, Supernatural Horror

Poltergeist-1982

September 1, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Poltergeist-1982

Director Tobe Hooper

Starring Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams

Scott’s Review #1,548

Reviewed September 1, 2026

Grade: A

Poltergeist (1982) was an enormous blockbuster hit when it was released. It successfully meshed sunny suburban family living with darker, fantastical horror elements.

And who can ever forget the spine-tingling catchphrase ‘They’re here,’ which went from the mouth of an adorable little blonde girl to the shivering mass audiences frightened beyond belief.

I remember sitting in a crowded movie theater as a ten-year-old boy, mesmerized by the events on the silver screen alongside other enthralled moviegoers.

In a strange pairing, Steven Spielberg, then known for sentimental yet well-made crowd-pleasers like Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), wrote the screenplay for Poltergeist.

Tobe Hooper, best known for directing the brutally raw and horrific The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), directed it.

The partnership worked, with each bringing tremendous assets. Spielberg created a likable, suburban family community and a family-ready marketability; Hooper brought the dark terror and creepiness to more mainstream audiences than would see a film like Chain Saw.

Rated PG, the final product is safe horror and hardly like Hooper’s masterpiece, but the elements mesh to create a memorable 1980s trademark extravaganza.

Steve (Craig T. Nelson), Diane (JoBeth Williams), teenage Dana (Dominique Dunne), eight-year-old Robbie (Oliver Robins), and five-year-old Carol Ann (Heather O’Rourke) make up an ordinary suburban California family.

They busily eat breakfast, rush off to school and work, and do everything that other typical families do. Steve is a real estate agent in their planned community of Cuesta Verde.

One day, bizarre ghosts begin to communicate with them through their television set, mostly via angelic Carol-Ann. A glass of milk spontaneously breaks, silverware bends, and furniture moves on its own

Initially benevolent and playful, the spirits turn unexpectedly menacing, and when Carol Ann goes missing, Steve and Diane turn to a parapsychologist (Beatrice Straight) and eventually an exorcist (Zelda Rubinstein) for help.

At the time, the special effects were jaw-dropping. Highly impressive; one example is the tree standing outside Robbie’s bedroom.

Initially nondescript, especially in the daytime, the limbs become fingerlike with electrifying, clawing movements that eventually reach into the bedroom.

In fact, several lightning-like white swirling patterns are used, especially during the frightening conclusion.

But dizzying effects are only one part of the experience. A film needs a proper story, building tension, and characters to root for to earn high praise.

My favorite parts of Poltergeist are the Freeling family’s relatability and the slow build to a frenetic finish. Most people, especially those living in the suburbs in the early 1980s, could see themselves represented.

Parents would relate best to Steve and Diane, and teenage girls to Dana.

I recall feeling like the little boy. Could there be monsters in my closet? Could a tree come to life and become a monster?

Poltergeist works so well because the audience likes the Freeling family.

In 1982, paranormal activity and poltergeists invading a family home were not the norm in film, especially in a mainstream film.

The film also sends a message of greed and gluttony that defined 1980s consumerism. Steve learns from his boss, Lewis Teague (James Karen), that the Cuesta Verde development was built on a former cemetery and that the graves were moved to a nearby location.

But were the graves moved and not the bodies? Of course, because they stood to make money from the development.

So, the spirits’ malevolence can be understood and even supported.

The ending is clever and even provides a needed dose of humor. The family flees their neighborhood as the house implodes into a portal while stunned neighbors look on.

The family checks into a room at a Holiday Inn, where Steve promptly removes the TV.

Poltergeist (1982) is a horror movie for kids. It’s not as scary for adults, but it’s well-written and still provides enough peril.

Compelling moments, like Carol-Ann’s hands on the snowy television set, remain iconic and disturbing.

The sequels followed the original film, and remakes pale in comparison, making the original all the more memorable.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Score, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects

2026 Films, Horror, Psychological Horror, Supernatural Horror

Obsession-2026

August 31, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Obsession-2026

Director Curry Barker

Starring Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette

Scott’s Review #1,547

Reviewed August 31, 2026

Grade: A-

Thanks largely to tremendous word of mouth about Obsession (2026), I couldn’t wait to see the new film. One reviewer even described it as ‘mind-blowing ‘.

Reported to be shocking, disturbing, and downright freaky, the film’s reviews are refreshing in a modern embrace of the horror genre.

Some recent horror films have even received Oscar nominations!

I loved Obsession, and the strong accolades kept me on my toes throughout, knowing creepiness and shenanigans lurked around every corner.

I worried the buzz might leave me ultimately disappointed, but it didn’t, and I still find myself replaying various sequences in my mind.

However, I also don’t agree that Obsession has changed the world or reshaped the horror genre. It’s not that good.

Patterned after the classic Fatal Attraction (1987), at least in subject matter, though even more warped, it’s a film for a new generation that veterans can also enjoy.

It’s a fantastically disturbing supernatural offering on par with Hereditary (2018) or Midsommar (2019) in terms of modern horror.

I’m already a fan of director Curry Barker, who also writes and edits the project. At a mere twenty-six years old, he’s been influenced by Ari Aster while peppering Obsession with his own unique blend of terror.

The film follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a young music store employee who has feelings for his friend, Nikki (Inde Navarrette). He is kind and a hopeless romantic, but he doesn’t want to risk ruining the friendship.

Unsure if the feelings are mutual and feeling insecure after a botched attempt at revealing his feelings, he buys a supernatural toy called a “One Wish Willow” that grants his wish for Nikki to fall in love with him.

Bear soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price when Nikki’s personality shifts and she becomes obsessed with him.

Bear and Nikki’s other friends, Ian (Cooper Tomlinson) and Sarah (Megan Lawless), are also involved.

Barker does a wonderful job setting the mood, and whether scenes are in the daytime or nighttime, it always feels dark. When the group is working at the music store, dining in a restaurant, or sitting in a car, it’s always dark.

The film has a quiet feel and, blessedly, isn’t ruined by over-the-top or bombastic echoing noise.

In the first scene, Bear sits in a diner across from a woman he is pouring his heart out to. The scene runs long as the viewer sits perplexed about what is going on until we realize the woman is only a waitress helping Bear practice expressing his feelings for Nikki.

Of course, sudden violin sounds of creepy peril surface in the creepiest sequences and at just the right time, like when the audience notices Nikki standing in a corner or hovering in the background watching Bear.

Navarette does a wonderful job as Nikki. Teetering from sociable to a crumbling emotional madwoman, she teeters between emotions seamlessly.

She’s good at subtly playing ‘off’ so we’re not sure if she’s Nikki or the stark raving wackadoo bubbling beneath the surface as the personalities tend to duel.

Her pageant smile as she watches Bear leave the house is both comical and frightening.

Johnston is also impressive as Bear. Sensitive yet realistic, he is the film’s anchor, and it’s easy to want to be friends with a guy like him. Handsome yet not conceited, we want him to be with Nikki the normal and fear for his life with Nikki the psycho.

Disturbing scenes like a character’s head bashed against a steering wheel or a filleted ‘cat sandwich’ provide appropriate gross-out moments.

Teetering with dark comedy, it’s hard not to laugh, if not nervously, when Nikki wets her pants or shrieks at Bear to stay in bed.

Fortunately, the film never dissolves into complete foolishness.

Thankfully, gone are the days of female exploitation in horror films, and there is not a bare breast to be found. The only gratuitous scene is a quick bare-assed shot of Bear, so it’s nice that the males are getting their naked due.

Obsession (2026) delivers a ‘be careful what you wish for’ message and frames the danger of making someone love you above all else.

The only way to do that is to dehumanize them and strip away everything that made them someone you liked in the first place, which is dark territory.

1989 Films, Chick Flicks, Comedy, Drama, Tearjerkers

Steel Magnolias-1989

August 29, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Steel Magnolias-1989

Director Herbert Ross

Starring Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine

Scott’s Review #1,546

Reviewed August 29, 2026

Grade: B+

One of the better chick flicks to emerge from the late 1980s, Steel Magnolias is a 1989 tearjerker with drama and heart, done up in southern style. It has comfort, charm, and a bit of tackiness.

Specifically, Louisiana- the film was shot in that U.S. state, so the authenticity is evident in the vast number of exterior small-town sequences.

The film is reminiscent of Beaches (1988) and Terms of Endearment (1983), stories about female friendships and the trials and tribulations that come with them.

Although it’s geared toward a female audience, there is plenty for men to enjoy, though the male characters take a back seat to the women.

A dose of tissues may be needed since the film is a tearjerker.

Steel Magnolias uses various Louisiana backyards, houses, and the famous Truvy’s Beauty Salon, which the play the film is based on uses as the primary, or only, set.

M’Lynn (Sally Field) is the mother of bride-to-be Shelby Eatenton (Julia Roberts). As friend Truvy Jones (Dolly Parton) fixes the women’s hair for the ceremony, they welcome a helping hand from aspiring beautician Annelle Dupuy DeSoto (Daryl Hannah).

Annelle is new in town and has a secret past which the other townswomen are dying to unravel. The group includes the bitchy Ouiser (Shirley MacLaine) and the wealthy Clairee Belcher (Olympia Dukakis), who is recently widowed.

Diabetic Shelby has a health scare on the morning of her wedding to Jackson (Dylan McDermott), which is averted but doesn’t bode well for her hopes of having children.

Shelby and Jackson desperately want kids, so this is a major hurdle and caveat of the film.

As time passes, the women and their friends face tragedy and good fortune, growing stronger and closer in the process.

For most of the film, the beauty salon serves as the backdrop for gossip and dishing.

Steel Magnolias has a folksy, down-home appeal that viewers can enjoy. Part of the small-town appeal is its warmth and sense a home, and the film succeeds in making the viewer feel a part of this community.

Since the events span a couple of years, we see traditional holidays like Halloween and Christmas celebrated, and we see townspeople who have known each other their entire lives come together.

This is a wonderful feeling for the viewer.

The film is not a perfect 10 score, however. Because of the dramatic situations, it must incorporate some comic elements.

While generally successful, the bickering between Clairee and Ouiser works well; other portions fall flat.

MacLaine gets quick one-liners, which she delivers with gusto and is the hammiest of all the characters. As she marches across her backyard intent on telling someone off, or criticizes a former beau for looking older, her character crackles with life and energy.

However, the feud between Ouiser and M’Lynn’s husband, Drum (Tom Skerritt), is weak and more like screwball comedy. Each time Drum teases Ouiser’s excitable dog to irritate her, I cringed with annoyance.

On the wedding day, he fires a gun loaded with blanks to drive birds out of the trees so they do not interfere with the reception, and Shelby’s brothers cover her honeymoon car with inflated condoms as a prank.

These lighthearted situations seem juvenile and a pale attempt to offset the heavy dramatics, which are the strongest part of the film.

As an aside, I could have used a dose of equality and inclusion. I realize the film is set in the South, but every servant or hired help is black. Given it’s the 1980s, couldn’t this be modified even slightly?

Nonetheless, Steel Magnolias (1989) is a winner because of the connection between the women and the melodrama that takes center stage in the final act.

Roberts, as Shelby, gives a winning dramatic performance and was just on the cusp of superstardom. Parton is the core of the group and the most sensible, while Field, the lead character, also delivers rich drama.

I’d be remiss not to give props to Parton, who instills a trust and sensibility into her role. Oozing kindness, she gently incorporates a new community member as if she’d known her her entire life.

Truvy is just like Dolly herself, which is a big part of the heart that the viewer feels. It almost made me want to reside in Chinquapin Parish!

The film is a fluffy piece of nostalgia that brings the entire family together with warmth and provides a much-needed emotional outlet.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actress-Julia Roberts

1992 Films, Blockbuster, Erotic, LGBTQ+ Films, San Francisco, Thriller

Basic Instinct-1992

August 24, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Basic Instinct-1992

Director Paul Verhoeven

Starring Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone

Scott’s Review #1,545

Reviewed August 24, 2026

Grade: B+

Basic Instinct (1992), starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, is a titillating thriller like Fatal Attraction (1987), both of which set the tone for many films patterned after it well into the 1990s.

It was the must-see film of 1992 and became a slick, stylistic mega blockbuster hit.

Body of Evidence (1993) and Sliver (1993), starring Madonna and Stone, respectively, are quick examples of the film’s influence.

Plus, Douglas starred in Fatal Attraction, so several films are connected.

With Basic Instinct, there is an immediate, sizzling sexual tension at hand, largely due to Stone’s smoldering kinkiness and bisexuality.

The actor was a relative newcomer at the time and moved to the forefront of Hollywood notoriety mainly due to the controversial full-frontal crotch exposure, which made headlines and shocked millions.

Other controversies surrounded Basic Instinct, which I will get to in a moment.

The film also put director Paul Verhoeven on the map. Unfortunately, he followed up Basic Instinct with the dreadful yet similarly veined film, Showgirls (1995).

The mysterious Catherine Tramell (Stone), a beautiful crime novelist, becomes a suspect when she is linked to the brutal death of a rock star. The dangerous and sensual femme fatale confidently struts her stuff as she toys with local police, leading a game of cat and mouse.

Primarily investigated by San Francisco homicide detective Nick Curran (Douglas), Catherine seduces him into an intense and addictive relationship. At the same time, the murder case becomes increasingly complicated when more seemingly connected deaths occur.

Is Nick’s life in danger? What does the mysterious character named Roxy (Leilani Sarelle) have to do with the central plot?

Besides being known for making Stone an A-list star, the film borrows from the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Brian De Palma. This is a marvelous treat for fans of those directors.

In particular, Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960) clearly influenced it.

The brutal ice-pick murder at the very beginning is a direct nod to the famous shower scene in Psycho, but with the gender roles reversed (a man is killed instead of a woman).

For Vertigo, Catherine Tramell echoes the icy, enigmatic, and stylish blonde archetype seen in Kim Novak, and both films use San Francisco as a moody, atmospheric backdrop.

Finally, a lush, suspenseful musical score by Jerry Goldsmith pays homage to Hitchcock’s frequent composer, Bernard Herrmann.

As for De Palma, his thriller Body Double (1984) deals directly with voyeurism, obsession, and dangerous, manipulative femme fatales. It’s a direct stylistic and thematic stepping stone to Basic Instinct.

The film is enthralling and edge-of-your-seat intense for most of the way and has an unexpected, arguably jaw-dropping twist ending, but after a while it becomes a bit too gimmicky to earn a solid A grade.

It’s almost as if it borrows so much from other films that it lacks a real identity of its own, though it’s still an entertaining and shocking film.

I don’t share the repeated accusations of misogyny and homophobia that have gnawed at the film ever since it was released.

Sure, the killer is a female, and the killer is also bisexual, but that actually makes the events erotic and tinged with sexual energy and unpredictability; perhaps I merely wanted to enjoy the film.

On the other hand, one can argue that the film is boldly feminist. Catherine plays by her own rules and confidently, sometimes callously, consumes her prey.

She rejects traditional female passivity and wields total sexual, financial, and intellectual power over men.

Decades later, feeling slightly dated, mostly because similar films have more longevity, Basic Instinct (1992) nonetheless is recommended mostly for the smoldering chemistry between Douglas and Stone and for the creation of a badass female character.

Oscar Nominations: Best Film Editing, Best Original Score

1976 Films, Biography, Political Thriller, Thriller

All the President’s Men-1976

August 17, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

All the President’s Men-1976

Director Alan J. Pakula

Starring Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman

Scott’s Review #1,544

Reviewed August 19, 2026

Grade: A

With the United States political landscape rife with corruption consistently since 2016, All the President’s Men (1976) takes viewers back to a simpler time when dishonesty was considered abhorrent.

It actually meant something in the political spectrum.

This is a sad reality when the truth doesn’t mean what it used to mean, and a sitting president can be a convicted felon, among other heinous actions.

But All the President’s Men does what it does best: remind audiences of journalism’s intended integrity and dedication to the truth.

Sadly, today, the media has become meek and complacent, in stark contrast to the characters in the film.

All the President’s Men is based on a 1974 non-fiction book written by the reporters featured in the film.

Two inexperienced reporters and rivals working for the Washington Post, Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), research the botched 1972 burglary of the Democratic Party Headquarters at the Watergate apartment complex.

With the help of a mysterious source, code-named Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook), the two reporters make a connection between the burglars and a White House staffer.

Despite dire warnings about their safety, the duo follows the money all the way to the top and then to President Richard Nixon.

The film is directed exceptionally well on all levels, from the acting and writing to the mood. Special credit goes to the editing team led by Robert J. Wolfe.

He also edited The Getaway (1972), which probably best exemplifies his exceptional style for viewers familiar with that film. The quick shots of the newsroom, typewriters, Washington, D.C., etc., all mesh together with the sound.

Screenwriter William Goldman crafts a crisp, intelligently nuanced script which takes the stereotypically mundane subject of investigative journalism and turns it into a crackling, enthralling experience.

Director Alan J. Pakula creates a somewhat frenetic pace, driven mainly by the quick clicking of a typewriter keyboard against the characters’ rapid movements.

The chemistry between lead actors Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman is terrific. Actors who appear to be opposites: Redford, suave and charismatic; Hoffman, awkward and mousy; the pair work well together to create a bond based on finding the truth.

Supporting characters flourish as well. Jason Robards as the reporter’s boss, Ben Bradlee, is gruff yet understanding of his journalists’ efforts.

Hal Holbrook, Jack Warden, and Jane Alexander are also key characters in unraveling the political scandal.

Holbrook, in particular, presents a mysterious vibe central to the entire story. As he lurks in the shadows for much of the film, this heightens the dark, secretive domino effect as the scandal comes to light.

In fact, the cinematography’s overwhelming dark atmosphere enhances the film as a whole.

The film is so well structured that numerous films released after 1976 patterned themselves around All the President’s Men.

Arguably, pairing well with Network, made the same year, the film influenced efforts like The Paper (1994), Zodiac (2007), and Spotlight (2015).

Fifty years after its initial release, which brought heaps of praise and accolades, All the President’s Men (1976) holds up exceptionally well as Americans still yearn for justice and the subject matter remains incredibly relevant.

Oscar Nominations: 4 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Alan J. Pakula, Best Supporting Actor-Jason Robards (won), Best Supporting Actress-Jane Alexander, Best Screenplay-Based on Material from Another Medium (won), Best Art Direction (won), Best Film Editing, Best Sound (won)

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Picture- Drama, Best Director-Alan J. Pakula, Best Supporting Actor-Jason Robards, Best Screenplay

2012 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Political Comedy, Satire

God Bless America-2012

August 4, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

God Bless America-2012

Director Bobcat Goldthwait

Starring Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr

Scott’s Review #1,543

Reviewed August 4, 2026

Grade: A-

Made in 2012, God Bless America is a satisfying experience for viewers who enjoy seeing assholes and mean people get their due.

Its central characters (the heroes) blow the brains out of those miserable human beings we meet every so often and can only fantasize about taking to task.

Shrouded in dark humor and satire, not to mention gore, director/comedian Bobcat Goldthwait revels in situations that fulfill a desire for justice.

He thereby makes his two prominent characters extremely likable, and the rest of the cast hated.

Frank Murdoch (Joel Murray), who lives alone in Syracuse, New York, is middle-aged and works as an insurance salesman in a depressing windowless office.

His colleagues are trite and superficial and lead meaningless lives, finding satisfaction only in talking about a reality show or something mindless each morning.

After being fired for sending a colleague flowers after obtaining her address, Frank is told by his doctor that he has an incurable brain tumor. In addition, his ex-wife Alison (Melinda Page Hamilton) has custody of their daughter Ava (Mackenzie Smith), who has become a spoiled brat.

Frank is sick of how America has fallen into a state of depravity based on pop culture, TV, the Internet, and talk radio. He fantasizes about killing his neighbors, whose screaming baby worsens his migraines and keeps him awake all night.

After his string of missteps, he goes off the deep end, fed up with the cruelty and stupidity of American culture. He meets teenage Roxy Harmon (Tara Lynne Barr), who shares his rage, and they team up to whack reality TV stars, bigots, and other repugnant creatures.

While the premise is not meant to be taken seriously, viewers who go along with it, get the jokes, and understand the crazy situations will find much satisfaction in God Bless America.

The characters who are killed are so completely over the top and raucously annoying that not even a shred of decency emits from their pores.

We cheer and celebrate their demise.

Frank’s stupid neighbors who talk about the most uninteresting and superficial subjects, like a reality show or an action movie, are trite and guzzle whatever little pleasure they can muster.

In the husband’s case, it’s a tacky bright yellow sports car.

Later, a self-absorbed reality star named Chloe (Maddie Hasson) and her equally obnoxious parents are offed in appropriate and satisfying form.

These characters are a representation of the idiocy of America, whose attention is caught by American Superstarz, a talent show craze featuring an intellectually disabled man named Steven Clark, whom the judges mock for his attempts at singing.

Watching the film in 2026, fifteen years after it was made, is powerful and telling.

Four years before the terrible reign of Donald Trump, who ruined American politics and the United States as a whole, who knew that the characters in God Bless America would resonate even more years later?

In a 2026 world of MAGA, ICE, and incompetence in the White House, the United States is even worse than God Bless America states!

After all, it’s the stupidity of voters who would actually elect a baffoonish reality star as their national leader.

You might say ‘it served ’em right’ if not for the other sensible and intelligent portion of the United States.

Goldthwait clearly falls into this bucket as he writes a clever and brilliant screenplay crackling with wackiness that sadly holds in real life.

The people who see God Bless America are largely those who get the humor and are intelligent enough to understand what Goldthwait is going for.

The rest won’t have a clue, which is the reason the film was made in the first place.

The film slows a bit when Frank and Roxy suffer from a misunderstanding and a lie about her past life comes to light. There’s also a bit of sentimentality, which is not the strongest part of the film.

These aspects are not as interesting as the scenes of the pair traversing the United States shoot-em-up style or the wonderful hostage standoff finale.

God Bless America (2011) is a satirical, well-written, and well-produced film solely made for smart people.

2026 Films, Action, Adventure, Blockbuster, Epic, Fantasy

The Odyssey-2026

July 23, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

The Odyssey-2026

Director Christopher Nolan

Starring Matt Damon

Scott’s Review #1,542

Reviewed July 23, 2026

Grade: A

Christopher Nolan’s film The Odyssey (2026) is a breathtaking spectacle that feels cinematically invigorating and inspired.

It’s movie magic at its finest.

Fortunate to see this film in an enormous IMAX theater, it’s the perfect and recommended way to see a film of this scale. A crowded and energetic audience is also suggested to connect with the overall moviegoing experience.

My hat goes off to Nolan, who has gotten asses back into empty theater seats in recent years where they belong.

It was thanks to his 2023 film Oppenheimer, which won Best Picture, that cinema became a mandatory part of moviegoing enjoyment again, along with the progressive Barbie (2023).

In the story, Odysseus (Matt Damon), king of Ithaca, embarks on a perilous journey to return home after the Trojan War, after many years away from his land and loved ones.

Crossing the Mediterranean Sea with his fellow soldiers, they soon find themselves battling not only the elements but an array of deadly obstacles and mythical creatures that await the men along the way.

In clever and intriguing form, the story traverses a few different timelines.

It is told in non-linear fashion, from early romantic sequences between Odysseus and his wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), to the backstory of his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), and nemesis, Antinous (Robert Pattinson).

We immediately learn that Odysseus has been away for years, but what happens during those years is mysterious and aching to be slowly unraveled.

Other characters like Menelaus (Jon Bernthal), Helen of Troy/ Clytemnestra (Lupita Nyong’o), Athena (Zendaya), Circe (Samantha Morton), Calypso (Charlize Theron), various nymphs, and others are featured as Odysseus and Telemachus’ stories are explored.

Additionally, lands and worlds like Hades, a distinct realm where individuals go after death, and Aeaea, an island inhabited by the villainous Circe, are featured.

Having some knowledge of Greek Mythology is extremely helpful, as it can be quite difficult to keep track of who everyone is and how their history is part of Odysseus’s.

My two favorite sequences are when Odysseus’s men desperately land on Aeaea, fraught with severe hunger. Circe, who seems motherly and kind, delights in preparing steamy stew and other delicious food for them.

As they greedily chow down, they begin to cough and choke, turning into pigs. Circe turns wicked, vowing revenge on the men for an apparent attack on her sister years earlier.

The final thirty minutes of The Odyssey features a grandiose and daring fight sequence after Penelope declares she will marry whoever can string Odysseus’s bow and shoot an arrow through a row of axe heads.

The suitors all fail, but Odysseus succeeds and reveals his identity to her, culminating in a reunion. The hall erupts in battle, Odysseus slaying the challenging suitors.

The sequence features thunderous sound effects that, to me, sounded like footsteps running along a jogging path increasing in their intensity and momentum as the fight turns darker and bloodier.

Way back to the films The Dark Knight (2008) and Inception (2010), directed by Nolan, I vividly recall being enamored with those similar sound scores.

To say that The Odyssey is a spectacle is an understatement.

It proves with technical precision and grandeur that there’s no filmmaker quite like Nolan to reignite an ancient adventure and that there’s no limit to magnificence and perfection in cinema.

Lush seas, gritty battles, and mythical creatures abound in this opus.

Still, the film also has quality acting and a bit of heart too, so the story is never overwhelmed by the technical stuff, which is always a fear in blockbusters of this nature.

Damon, Hathaway, Holland, and Pattinson get top acting praise from me.

Terrific chemistry exists between Damon and Hathaway, specifically, making their passionate and dedicated love story remarkably believable.

I’ve heard complaints about the film being too ‘woke’, a derogatory term tinged with racism and homophobia. Nolan wisely makes the film inclusive, featuring a trans actor (Page) and several black and brown actors.

The Odyssey (2026) offers action, adventure, battles, and all the other trimmings expected from an epic action film shrouded in fantasy and magic.

But on an entirely different level.

It also offers tenderness, humanity, connection, and heart that exceed expectations all around.

1970 Films, 70's Horror, British, British Horror, Horror, Thriller

And Soon the Darkness-1970

July 19, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

And Soon the Darkness-1970

Director Robert Fuest

Starring Pamela Franklin, Sandor Elès

Scott’s Review #1,541

Reviewed July 19, 2026

Grade: B+

With similarities to Claude Chabrol films, an influential French director who made, among others, Le Boucher (1970), And Soon the Darkness has immeasurable appeal for cinema fans of thrillers and horror to suckle on.

Throwing Alfred Hitchcock components in the mix like proper tension, an enthralling buildup, and an old-fashioned whodunit for good measure, the film largely works well.

While it’s admittedly a slow-build film, I rather like this quality, since the payoff works.

A grown-up Pamela Franklin (the little girl from The Innocents, 1961) stars as Jane, a young British nurse bicycling through the French countryside while on holiday with her friend Cathy (Michele Dotrice).

They encounter a handsome yet mysterious Frenchman who begins to follow them. While Cathy is titillated, Jane is cautious as the girls navigate the lonely roadways miles away from a populated town.

After a row, Jane and Cathy go their separate ways. When Jane returns to the village where they’re staying, her friend is nowhere to be found.

Frantic, she searches for Cathy.

One perplexity with And Soon the Darkness is with its title. There is nary a scene that takes place in darkness or at any time other than bright sunlight.

I expected to see characters fleeing peril under a moonlit sky or cowering in dark, dingy barns, post midnight, but the film’s overall tone is bright and airy.

Instead, frequent scenes show Jane and Cathy casually riding their bikes along sparsely populated side roads or enjoying a relaxing roadside meal at a cafe.

All in the daytime hours.

Despite the light, director Robert Fuest nonetheless successfully creates a sense of eeriness. In horror films, darkness is a key prop and an easy way to create a proper atmosphere.

I’m amazed by the result and the constant tension that abounds.

The best tense scene is when Cathy is left alone on the side of the road, where she sunbathes and naps, intent on enjoying her downtime.

Realizing that Jane is gone and perhaps harboring slight regret over their fight, she begins to hear the crack of twigs, the wind, and a singing bird.

Thanks to some fine camerawork, the audience suspects that someone is watching Cathy through the trees as the camera looks through branches.

The character and viewer slowly realize that she is not imagining things. This is confirmed when a pair of her underpants disappears, and the spokes of her bicycle tire are suddenly damaged.

The scene is lengthy and highly effective.

With Cathy missing in action, the events turn to Jane’s point of view, and a riveting whodunit emerges. She encounters several characters all acting suspiciously, and she learns that a young female tourist about her age was raped and murdered a year ago.

A tense Frenchwoman, Madam Lassal, and her husband, who owns a cafe; a British schoolmistress; a gendarme (police officer); and his ailing father all become suspects.

When the mysterious stranger (Sandor Elès) reappears and claims to be a detective named Paul, Jane is reassured. Should she instead be suspicious?

Whereas Claude Chabrol’s films tend to be psychological and fraught with deep emotional turmoil, And Soon the Darkness sticks with action-oriented themes.

Made in 1970, the film may have influenced other 1970s horror films such as Last House on the Left (1972) and I Spit on Your Grave (1978), as well as later slasher films like Friday the 13th (1980).

The use of remote forests, camps, barns, and other outdoor, lonely places in broad daylight is inspiring.

A straight-up horror thriller with little blood or gore, And Soon the Darkness (1970) chooses not to delve deeply into character motivations but instead presents a tension-infused thrill ride.

1975 Films, 70's Horror, Action, Horror, Satanic, Thriller

Race with the Devil-1975

July 13, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Race with the Devil-1975

Director Jack Starrett

Starring Peter Fonda, Warren Oates

Scott’s Review #1,540

Reviewed July 13, 2026

Grade: A-

The 1970s saw the rise of many mainstream horror films that dealt with the occult. They’ve always been around, but thanks to the sizzling success of movies like The Exorcist (1973), they grew larger audiences and emboldened them to do more daring things.

Race with the Devil (1975) is a surprisingly enthralling piece directed by Jack Starrett. The film never lags and paces well with action and characters in peril that are easy to root for.

In fact, despite classifying it as a horror film, it’s part action, thriller, and horror all rolled into one.

Anyone who enjoys classic car chases and dusty backroads, for example, will enjoy this film.

It stars Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit (television’s M*A*S*H*), and Lara Parker (television’s Dark Shadows), bigger names that undoubtedly led audiences to see it based on star recognition alone.

The film also leverages the recent success of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Deliverance (1972), borrowing their remote locales and the corruption of the local police force and townspeople to heighten the mystique.

Roger (Fonda), his friend Frank (Oates), and their wives (Parker and Swit) embark on a lengthy RV road trip from bustling San Antonio to the wilderness of rural Texas for some off-road motocross and good times.

Their final destination is the ski slopes of Colorado.

While enjoying the deserted landscape late one boozy night, they stumble upon a Satanic cult human sacrifice in the distance, and are unfortunately caught observing the ritual by the assailants.

This catapults the foursome into a cat-and-mouse extravaganza with the cult members as they try to flee the local town after receiving no help from the local authorities.

To say the film has some thrills is an understatement. The most exciting sequence occurs in the claustrophobic RV setting when two deadly snakes pop out from an overhead cabinet, causing the group to go ballistic with fear.

They careen across the highway, trying to keep their footing and avoid being bitten by the angry reptiles.

Minor characters, the group meets as they trek as far away from the incident as possible, are filled with mystery and a hint of the sinister.

Is Sheriff Taylor (R.G. Armstrong), who appears to laugh off the reported incident as a misunderstanding, part of the cult? How about the wacky couple the group has drinks with, Delbert and Ethel?

Finally, the lengthy car chase in the film’s final act is cinematographically impressive. A film with a satanic storyline risks feeling amateurish or hokey, but its technical achievements are as rich as its other qualities.

Proof is by the numerous car crashes and heart-stopping twists and turns that occur amid the barren landscape of northern Texas and the nearly two hundred miles of nothingness they must face before reaching a highway.

And the editing and the somewhat surprising ending are fabulous.

While we know little about the four principal characters, aside from Roger and Frank owning some motorcycle dealership, it hardly matters.

Each seems intelligent and kind, merely victims of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The audience easily feels we could be friends with them.

Therefore, we care about them and their predicament.

When a fan belt breaks or a window is smashed, we feel the peril along with the characters. During a lighter moment, when the wives ‘borrow’ library books after being scolded by a cold library worker, we snicker in victory alongside them.

Race with the Devil (1975) borrows from other horror films, but it doesn’t feel like a carbon copy either.

Fresh ideas, like the snakes and the luxury RV, combined with superior acting and the terrific chemistry among the leads, make the film work.

1967 Films, Drama, Romantic Drama, San Francisco, Social Issues

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner-1967

June 29, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner-1967

Director Stanley Kramer

Starring Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier

Scott’s Review #1,539

Reviewed June 29, 2026

Grade: A

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner is a groundbreaking, socially themed film made in 1967, in the midst of the Civil Rights movement that was sweeping the United States.

The movement aimed to abolish legalized racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement in the country, which most commonly affected African Americans.

So, the time was perfect for a star-studded film of this caliber.

The screenplay by William and Tania Rose is rich with character motivation and development.

Both the characters themselves and audiences can understand the perspectives of each of the six prominent characters as they slowly explain their thoughts and, at times, their underlying unconscious biases.

At the time of release, the film was understandably a commercial and critical hit during a fabulous time in cinema.

On the threshold of increased creative richness in the 1970s, the late 1960s laid the groundwork for expressionism and tremendous cinematic thought.

The film was one of the first to depict an interracial marriage in a positive light.

While a film like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner would be dated if made in 2026, sadly, lots of blatant racism and discrimination still exist in the United States, though we have certainly made progress.

Joey Drayton (Katharine Houghton) is a young, free-thinking white woman from a wealthy family in San Francisco. She and a successful black doctor, John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), become engaged.

Beyond their racial differences, he is much older than she is and has been married once before.

They nervously fly to San Francisco to meet her parents and break the news, and they are to be married two weeks later in Switzerland.

Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) and his wife, Christina (Katharine Hepburn), are open-minded liberals who must confront the many issues and feelings the impending marriage arouses.

Also attending the Draytons’ dinner are Prentice’s parents, John Sr. and Mary (Roy E. Glenn Sr., Beah Richards), who vehemently disapprove of the relationship.

Other supporting characters, like the kindly Monsignor Mike Ryan (Cecil Kellaway), a white male, and the efficient yet unfeeling black housekeeper Tillie (Isabel Sanford), offer differing perspectives on the union.

While the interracial pairing is front and center, the set pieces and artistic design are flawless, offering a looming backdrop of San Francisco.

Frequent scenes occur on the family terrace, lush with bright flowers, images of the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge, and, in one sequence, a rich orange hue amid a dazzling sunset.

To say nothing of the lavish family estate with exquisite art, furniture pieces, and grand rooms all on display during the film.

Director Stanley Kramer deserves praise for these elements and many more, as the film is woven together tremendously well.

The acting is flawless all around, with the top honors going to Hepburn and Poitier.

A poignant scene in which Christina (Hepburn) remembers how happy Joey always was as a child, and how her past happiness pales in comparison to how happy she is now, will bring any viewer to a soggy mess as Hepburn slowly tears up.

Poitier shows his strong range during John’s knockdown, drag-out argument with his father, exclaiming that he owes nothing to his father and that a father’s role is to want the best for his child and let his child make his own choices.

While Mike thinks nothing but beauty from the union, Tillie is outraged at the nerve of John to mix with white wealth. She shockingly calls him ‘boy’ and scolds him for thinking above his ‘station in life’.

With Tillie and John Sr., we see that bias and racism are not always exclusive to the white community. Black people also see color and prejudice.

This is the film’s genius: most characters undergo deep dives and learn about themselves, for better or worse.

Some fun facts are that Houghton is the niece of Hepburn, and the film is Spencer Tracy’s final role, having battled illness throughout shooting, but insisting on finishing the film.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) challenges the norms of the times amazingly well, and the brilliance of the acting holds up decades later.

Oscar Nominations: 2 wins-Best Picture, Best Director-Stanley Kramer, Best Actor-Spencer Tracy, Best Actress-Katharine Hepburn (won), Best Supporting Actor-Cecil Kellaway, Best Supporting Actress-Beah Richards, Best Story and Screenplay-Written Directly for the Screen (won), Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song, Score, or Adaptation Score

Golden Globe Nominations: Best Motion Picture-Drama, Best Director-Stanley Kramer, Best Actress Drama-Katharine Hepburn, Best Supporting Actor-Cecil Kellaway, Best Supporting Actress-Beah Richards, Best Screenplay, New Star of the Year- Actress- Katharine Houghton

2023 Films, Comedy, Dark Comedy, Epic, Independent, Independent Comedy

Beau Is Afraid-2023

June 16, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Beau Is Afraid-2023

Director Ari Aster

Starring Joaquin Phoenix

Scott’s Review #1,538

Reviewed June 16, 2026

Grade: A

As a big fan of young director Ari Aster’s horror works like Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019), which blend horror with surreal dark comedy, I was eager to see his latest effort, Beau is Afraid (2023).

Since Aster writes, directs, and co-produces the film, this equates to creative freedom and usually a better product, with fewer opinions in the mix to ruin the director’s vision.

Production company A24 is one of my favorites since they champion independent and edgy projects and showcase Aster and other creative directors’ work.

Aster shifts gears from horror to dark comedy with the wacky and unsettling Beau Is Afraid, a bizarre telling of one man’s paranoid universe.

In a word, it’s a mindfuck, and the less one knows about it, the better. I knew almost nothing about it, which made me appreciate it more and left me gleefully ambiguous, sharing the main character’s anxiety.

Joaquin Phoenix plays Beau Wassermann, a mild-mannered but paranoia-ridden character, as he embarks on a bizarre odyssey to get home to his mother’s house, battling his greatest fears along the way.

Anything and everything bad happens to Beau. As he prepares to head to the airport for his flight home, he carelessly leaves his key and suitcase outside his dilapidated apartment, giving an unseen thief the chance to steal both.

This sets off a series of events that lead him to use automobile transport to reach his mother.

But are events like a neighbor leaving notes imploring Beau to lower his music and a pair of menacing teenage girls real, or only in his mind?

Once Beau makes it to his mother’s ritzy house, events go completely bonkers as a headless corpse lies in a coffin in his mother’s living room and his female childhood friend, Elaine (Parker Posey), resurfaces.

Following the plot is extremely daunting, though flashback scenes of Beau as a newborn and a teenager offer minimal help in explaining his anxiety. But some clues prevail.

What I enjoyed and admired most about this film is its unpredictability and its unhinged plot.

Sometimes it’s okay not to fully understand a film’s story if there is enough going for it to justify the confusion, and in Beau Is Afraid, there is.

The filmmaking alone is admirable.

The film has a unique look, a cross between muted and glossy, that I also noticed in Hereditary.

During one sequence, Beau scrambles across a street to get home before being bludgeoned by a killer slaughtering a woman. So much happens in the scene, even in the background, with people running around and acting crazy all at a very fast pace.

The glamorous Beau’s mother’s set is brilliantly decorated, complete with a spiral wooden staircase and a pond-like exterior water feature running in the background.

These interesting intricacies make the overall package beyond impressive to the keen viewer.

Phoenix, now a legendary actor, is brilliant in the title role. Handsome and dashing yet an iconoclast and cerebral, he’s the perfect choice to star in something so warped.

Unknown if he wore a ‘fat suit’ or gained weight and became ‘middle-aged looking,’ but the actor is astounding as a regular dude with neurosis.

Rumor has it that Phoenix and Aster got along famously, undoubtedly making the film so dynamic.

Special mentions to Patti LuPone and Parker Posey, who give terrific supporting turns as Beau’s mother and Beau’s childhood friend.

Ari Aster is one of the most extraordinary new voices in modern cinema. He rejects traditional stories and plot devices in favor of unique, macabre storytelling.

At nearly three hours, he even breaks the rules regarding what’s considered an appropriate length for his films.

One can perhaps compare him to Quentin Tarantino of the 1990s for offering a fresh perspective on film and infusing his films with surrealism and thought-provoking themes.

Beau Is Afraid (2023) is an example of how exciting modern cinema can be, with an ingenious, visionary offering.

2024 Films, Horror, Supernatural Horror, Vampire

‘Salem’s Lot-2024

June 13, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

‘Salem’s Lot-2024

Director Gary Dauberman

Starring Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh

Scott’s Review #1,537

Reviewed June 13, 2026

Grade: B-

Another attempt at resurrecting the well-known and scary 1975 Stephen King novel ‘Salem’s Lot results in a mediocre affair.

This is a shame because the novel, as well as Pet Semetary, scared the bejeezus out of me as a nerdy teen craving escapism.

The best ‘revival’ of ‘Salem’s Lot was a wonderful 1979 television miniseries that spanned nearly three hours. It lent credence to delving deeper into the robust and complex characters King created.

For a deep horror extravaganza, this is necessary.

Still, the 2024 offering of ‘Salem’s Lot is a watered-down approach to the original story, which it pairs with repeating glossy elements that were once extremely frightening and imaginative.

There’s little to no character development and a tepid romantic storyline that ultimately goes nowhere.

Overall, Stephen King doesn’t have a whole lot of luck with big-screen adaptations of his works. Carrie (1976) and The Shining (1980) are the two best, in my opinion.

Author Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) returns to his childhood home, Jerusalem’s Lot (or Salem’s Lot), in search of inspiration for his next book, only to discover that his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire.

Gradually, most of the townspeople succumb to vampirism, explained later, because the town has no life anyway.

At the same time, Ben, his burgeoning love interest, Susan (Mackenzie Leigh), Doctor Cody (Alfre Woodard), schoolteacher Mark (Bill Camp), and eleven-year-old Mark Petrie (Jordan Preston Carter) must race against time to stop the madness from overtaking their beloved town.

As with many modern horror films, the first half of ‘Salem’s Lot is better than the second.

Pullman, son of famous actor Bill Pullman, and facially a dead ringer, is compelling in the lead role. An intelligent author, he returns to his hometown for inspiration, also recalling a horrific accident that killed both his parents.

He meets several interesting, on the surface anyway, characters, like the schoolteacher, the sheriff, and Susan, who, despite reading his last novel, doesn’t realize at first that Ben is the author.

Ben and Susan have a potential romance and a cool banter that envelops the audience. But that’s as far as we get with the pairing.

It’s peculiar that director Gary Dauberman keeps the time period in the mid-1970s for the automobiles featured, but little else is reminiscent of fifty years ago.

The characters all look very modern, from the hairstyles to the clothes, especially given the addition of a black female doctor and a prominent black family.

Kudos for the diversity, but it’s highly doubtful this would exist in a small rural town in the 1970s, especially not without a redneck or two around to cause chaos.

A fantastic sequence in the novel and miniseries, when pasty-faced schoolkid Danny (Nicholas Crovetti) is sacrificed, and returns to hover outside his pal Mark’s bedroom window, is neither thrilling nor scary. Instead, Mark casually casts Danny aside and runs to tell on him.

The villains also underwhelm.

Straker (Pilou Asbæk), a strange man from somewhere in Europe who opens an antique store in town and moves into the long-abandoned Marsten House, is scarcely featured and certainly not enough to get to know the character at all.

His vampire master, Kurt Barlow, who plans to create a vampire colony, is featured even less. He waits in a coffin in the basement of the house and snarls once or twice.

Nonetheless, the kills are fun if not unsurprising. Once benevolent characters turn into vampires and attempt to bite others.

The wackiest, probably unintentionally, is watching Susan’s mother bite her and later wield a shotgun to shoot anyone who has not turned.

But we don’t feel sorry for the victims because we never really knew them well enough to begin with. The quiet pacing is something the novel and the miniseries did exceptionally well.

By the conclusion, what started as a film with frightening potential turns into cheesy glowing crosses that sometimes work and sometimes don’t, and the character is reduced to saying a prayer in the hopes that the vampire won’t bite her.

‘Salem’s Lot (2024) is a rather tepid film with little to differentiate it from many other genre films and a weak effort in the many incarnations of King’s excellent book.

2025 Films, Auto Racing, Drama, Sports

F1 The Movie-2025

June 12, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

F1 The Movie-2025

Director Joseph Kosinski

Starring Brad Pitt

Scott’s Review #1,536

Reviewed June 12, 2026

Grade: C

Mysteriously nominated for Best Picture and three technical awards despite being a ‘formulaic’ Hollywood big-budget production, the recognition is the sole reason I decided to see F1 The Movie (2025).

Having heard the film was terrible, I hesitantly settled in to watch a with eleven hours to spare on a flight across the world.

Not a fan of auto racing, nor giving a hoot about FORMULA 1, the film is very similar to recent efforts like Ford v Ferrari (2019) and Rush (2013), both of which are forgettable.

Do we really need at least three major auto racing films in modern times? Apparently, a market still exists for this type of film.

While not downright horrible, and Brad Pitt holds appeal as a laid-back, aging race car driver, the film is too similar to other genre productions to garner much interest or to be remembered for long.

Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) is “the greatest that never was,” a derogatory term for a promising 1990s star whose career nearly ended in a track accident.

He never reached his full potential.

Thirty years later, he makes a living as a nomadic racer-for-hire when he’s approached by his former teammate, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), the owner of a struggling FORMULA 1 team on the verge of collapse.

Ruben convinces Sonny to return to FORMULA 1 for one last shot at saving the team and becoming the best in the world. He’ll drive alongside Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), the team’s hotshot rookie, intent on making a name for himself.

This has a Rocky (1976) sports setup in which we root for the underdog to win the day.

As likable as Pitt is as the ‘star,’ even he can’t save this film from a myriad of cliches and easy setups.

There is little doubt that Sonny will finally become the ‘greatest of all time’ (GOAT) before the credits roll, but not before facing animosity, accidents, setbacks, and all the other situations that always occur in a sports film before the hero enjoys the spoils.

Naturally, Sonny and cocky Joshua will become rivals and eventually friends. Laughably, after a fiery accident that nearly kills Joshua, his mother, Bernadette (Sarah Niles), blames Sonny for changing the strategy and causing her son harm.

The beautiful Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon), technical director for the team, predictably serves as a love interest of Sonny, despite in one scene insisting she never mixes work with romance, cut to Kate and Sonny passionately falling into bed for sex.

Finally, there are standard subplots of a rival of Ruben’s attempting to steal Sonny away for profit, and Kate scolding Sonny for being a lone wolf and encouraging him to be a team player.

The cliches and predictability are off the charts, which is exactly what I expected from F1 The Movie.

So, I don’t get the Best Picture nomination at all. My hunch is that, with the required 10 Best Picture nominees, F1 The Movie squeaked in because of its technical achievements, earning a solid 10th out of 10.

It didn’t make it in for a great screenplay.

On the other hand, the editing is solid, and the numerous racing scenes are shot with high-quality sound and quick cuts, which pair well.

Director Joseph Kosinski impresses with a single scene that offers a sliver of emotion. During a fiery crash scene, the sound is completely muted as Sonny runs over to the fireball encircling the racecar.

And with a black and Hispanic character in major roles and female characters in a ‘man’s world’ film, there is some diversity to celebrate.

As for the overall assessment for F1 The Movie (2025), I watched it in its entirety for two hours and thirty minutes during my long flight, and it passed the time.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Sound (won), Best Visual Effects

2025 Films, Drama, Historical Drama, Period Drama

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale-2025

June 11, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale-2025

Director Simon Curtis

Starring Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern

Scott’s Review #1,535

Reviewed June 11, 2026

Grade: B

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025) is like comfort television set on a big screen.

The third in a planned film trilogy based on the popular television series that ran from 2010 to 2015, the film is satisfying while remaining safe and warm.

It concludes in the early 1930s, nearly a generation after the series debuted in 1912.

From a historical perspective, it’s compelling to see how world events progressed from the sinking of the Titanic when the series began to the begrudging acceptance of a divorced woman as the head of a household in the 1930s.

Separating an evaluation of the television series itself, and honing in on the three films, The Grande Finale ends at just the right time, feeling ever so stale at this point.

The absence of Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess of Grantham is noticed, as her trademark wit and bitchiness cannot be replaced by any other character.

Let’s hope that creator Julian Fellows doesn’t go down the path that the slasher franchise Friday the 13th did in the 1980s and birth Downton Abbey: A New Beginning.

In this installment, the Crawley family and their staff enter the 1930s with the typical trials, tribulations, scandals, and drama they have overcome.

When Mary (Michelle Dockery) finds herself at the center of a public scandal over her divorce, the family also faces financial trouble, the threat of losing everything, and social disgrace.

The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future, which is at the heart of the finale.

The storylines, though modernized for the times, follow a familiar pattern, which is comforting for audiences. The soothing, methodical pace, lovely musical score, and familiar characters we have come to know and love over the years all return.

Even though there are problems for the Crawleys to tackle, nothing too heavy or startling emerges, maintaining a safe bubble for viewers to nestle in, keeping their security blanket intact.

Of course, lead actors like Dockery, Hugh Bonneville, and Elizabeth McGovern, joined by Paul Giamatti, are given the meaty storylines since they best represent the Crawley family.

Dockery as Mary, frequently known as being uptight, loosens up a bit amid her scandalous divorce, even giving in to desire and having a steamy one-night stand with a handsome stranger.

Meanwhile, Robert and Cora (Bonneville and McGovern) must grapple with the 1929 Wall Street stock market crash and the subsequent Great Depression.

The real-life world events the fictional stories are based on make the events more interesting than if writers had invented them.

A major positive is that nearly every character in the ensemble is given something to do, even if it’s only a crumb or two to chomp on.

For example, Carson (Jim Parsons) copes with retirement, while the cook, Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol), embraces it and hands the reins to the young assistant, Daisy (Sophie McShera).

Popular couple John (Brendan Coyle) and Anna (Joanne Froggatt) Bates, eternally loyal to Robert and Mary, have a touching send-off.

Finally, the same-sex romance between Guy Dexter (Dominic West) and Thomas, a former butler at Downton Abbey (Robert James Collier), is explored as the men slowly become more comfortable admitting their relationship to friends.

Still taboo, the notion shows the progress that has occurred in the world over the decades.

The film ends perfectly, a wonderful tribute seen through Mary’s eyes as she takes over the Crawley estate. She sees those deceased family members she was once close to as she ponders the vast estate and the years gone by.

Violet, Matthew Crawley, and Lady Sybil Crawley all appear in archival cameos, making for a sweet and teary wrap-up.

Amid the comfort factor, the film doesn’t offer much that is new or different from the other installments. The new storylines aren’t particularly dangerous, and it’s clear things will be wrapped up in short order.

As nice as Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2026) is, let’s hope it truly is the finale. There’s something to be said about going out on top before the gas runs out of the tank.

1968 Films, British, British Horror, Circus, Hag Horror, Horror, Thriller

Berserk! -1968

May 25, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Berserk! -1968

Director Jim O’Connolly

Starring Joan Crawford

Scott’s Review #1,534

Reviewed May 25, 2026

Grade: B

Joan Crawford, legendary Hollywood screen star, appears in Berserk! (1968), a British horror-thriller vehicle that was one of her last roles.

Trog (1970) was her final film role.

She portrays Monica Rivers, a ringmistress of a traveling circus in the London area. Monica is no-nonsense and man-hungry, known to bed some of the talent as she confidently hunts her prey.

As the co-owner of the circus, Monica is always preoccupied with filling seats and making money, a bottom-line gal.

Following the suspicious ‘accidental’ death of a tightrope walker, Rivers is pleased to see her profits increase because of the drama. She soon hires handsome Frank Hawkins (Ty Hardin) to replace him.

But when performers start to meet gruesome deaths, it becomes apparent that a killer is on the loose. Monica must juggle pesky detectives lurking around with accusations that she may be the killer.

While I enjoyed the film, which serves as a compelling whodunit first and foremost, not to mention Crawford’s appeal, it is only moderately above mediocre.

As expected, Crawford leads the charge and gives the project her best effort. Deliciously callous and self-serving, the role of Monica is one Crawford can sink her teeth into as unsympathetic as she is.

Her many outfits are glamorous, especially given the circus setting, and her cigarette smoking, nearly a trademark, makes her look powerful.

An aging star, her romantic pairing with Hardin, young and muscular, is borderline silly since she could easily be his grandmother. Weirdly, in a couple of scenes with him, Crawford looks much older and more ragged than in other scenes, while Hardin is bare-chested and buff.

There is little chemistry between the two.

The whodunit works well, as a myriad of suspects have both the cause and the motivation for the killings.

Monica, Frank, performer Matilda (Diana Dors), and others are suspects.

A colorful yet dark circus setting is wonderful in any horror film. The peculiar yet stereotypical characters, such as the strongman, the bearded lady, and others, are incorporated, as are scenes of characters following one another or lurking in the shadows.

The mostly nighttime scenes work well.

The final reveal of the killer is startling and surprising, which greatly improves the film. There is satisfaction when a viewer is genuinely surprised by a whodunit rather than having guessed the killer from the start.

However, the killer’s motivations are lackluster and hard to believe. The sequence is also very rushed and wrapped within five minutes of screentime.

Rather than systematically kill victims off one by one, the killer might have had a sit-down conversation over tea to flesh out the issues that are the motivation for the murders.

Another perplexity is Crawford’s lack of a British accent. Having grown up in England and with the circus in her family for 50 years, Monica wouldn’t be American.

While a real circus was used for the myriad scenes involving elephants, dog performers, and others, director Jim O’Connell overdoes it to the detriment of the action.

The scenes are cute, but they slow down the plot.

Berserk! (1968) is a watchable effort largely due to Crawford’s stunning screen presence and a solid whodunit. It is hardly on her greatest-hits film reel, but it is not disastrous either.

2026 Films, Comedy, Drama

The Devil Wears Prada 2-2026

May 11, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

The Devil Wears Prada 2-2026

Director David Frankel

Starring Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep

Scott’s Review #1,533

Reviewed May 11, 2026

Grade: B+

Twenty years after the box-office smash The Devil Wears Prada (2006), an entertaining and satisfying follow-up, The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026), will please fans of the original and even garner a fresh audience.

The experience is fun and largely what one would expect from a sequel. Besides a light plot twist or two, there is nothing too surprising about the film. One could almost accuse it of being a money grab or a nostalgic throwback, and they’d be right in a way.

But with the return of the original cast, and with director David Frankel and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna at the helm, the formula works well, and consistency and truth to the characters are maintained.

And film audiences can rest easy with legendary icon Meryl Streep leading the pack of quality actors.

Doubtful if Streep would accept a role merely for a paycheck and without a good script at hand. This lends to security for cinema fans looking for more than a mediocre sequel. As I settled into my seat, I felt confident I would enjoy the film.

It’s delightful to see Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci back at the helm.

Miranda (Streep), Andy (Hathaway), Emily (Blunt), and Nigel (Tucci) return to the fashionable streets of New York City and the sleek offices of Runway Magazine.

Stalwarts Miranda and Nigel remain at the company, while former assistants Andy and Emily, now in their 40s, have branched out into other industries (Andy) or an advertising company (Emily).

When Andy loses her job, she is offered a role with Runway, uniting with the others, much to the bitchy Miranda’s chagrin. The women playfully spar while an obvious respect is showcased.

Mixed with the humor is a dramatic storyline involving corporate takeovers, backstabbing, a struggle for control, and an interesting generational age angle.

Hathaway and Streep, in particular, have lost none of their original chemistry despite Andy now being a grown woman and an equal and no longer a minion to be chewed up and spit out.

The most fun is the knowledge that the women don’t really hate each other but share mutual admiration. They have their unique way of expressing that.

Laugh-out-loud moments occur mostly at Miranda’s expense as the rigid superstar is forced to endure an international flight in crowded coach seating and eating lunch in the building’s cafeteria, where she has never set foot.

Even though all the principal actors are wonderful, Streep is unsurprisingly the best part. The actor has a gift for flawlessly making any scene she is in something special.

As Miranda, she uses her eyes to her advantage, meshing wickedness, humor, and a burgeoning sentimentality. She’s a character audiences have previously loved to hate and now love to love.

Thankfully, since the setting is the fashion world, New York City is prominently featured and oozes sophistication, style, and a coolness. Many scenes of the characters walking down the crowded streets occur, enhancing a fresh, metropolitan Big Apple.

Impressively, the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria, Hudson Yards, and the former McGraw-Hill building are used.

Gorgeous locales in Milan, Italy, the fashion capital of the world, are featured at a swanky gala and as the film’s high point. da Vinci’s The Last Supper, The Palazzo Parigi & Grand Spa Milano, and Lake Como are featured, which provides a sizzling, sophisticated feeling.

We even get to see Lady Gaga perform!

The film has laughs, heart, and a timely message about technology, journalism, and the treatment of people as aging, disposable objects rather than human beings.

In a 2026 world filled with corruption, lies, and coldness, the film gives a much-needed slice of escapism and an uplifting message of unity.

A box office hit, it also reaffirms the importance of audience connection, and I happily enjoyed the film in a full theatre.

The consensus about The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) is that while not as good as the original, it’s a quality slice of popcorn nostalgia with a terrific message.

I agree 100% with this sentiment.

2025 Films, Horror, Independent, Independent Horror, Slasher

Dolly-2025

May 3, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Dolly-2025

Director Rod Blackhurst

Starring Max the Impaler, Fabianne Therese, Seann William Scott

Scott’s Review #1,532

Reviewed May 3, 2026

Grade: B+

Dolly (2025) is a disturbing yet effective slasher film patterned after the 1974 horror masterpiece The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. With grainy filmmaking, a remote, woodsy locale, and hints of inbred country folk living a secret, macabre existence, the parallels are clear.

Following the film’s viewing, it’s almost a necessity that a prequel is in the works, as many questions remain, especially among the family.

While following a standard slasher film in terms of a masked, unknown assailant, jump out of your seat scares, and characters making inane decisions, Dolly has a uniqueness all its own.

Since Dolly is an independent horror film, the low-budget nature works in its favor.

The opening sequence features a hulking woman wearing a porcelain doll mask, clutching a decapitated body. In her bedroom, she sobs with grief and appears emotionally wounded as she utters wounded, animalistic sounds.

The room is infested with buzzing flies, creating a hot summer atmosphere.

The plot then follows Macy (Fabianne Therese) and Chase (Seann William Scott), a happy couple on their way to a remote mountain-top getaway where Chase nervously intends to propose marriage.

A silly and superfluous add-on about Chase having a young daughter from a previous relationship and Macy’s uncertainty about being a stepmother, since her own mother was a shitty parent, is discussed via FaceTime with her sister.

This has nothing to do with the main story.

Chase and Macy briefly hike and enjoy the picturesque views before noticing an array of doll figures strewn across the forest and an eerie music box lullaby barely within earshot.

Naturally, since Dolly is a horror film, the couple separates as Chase goes to figure out what the mystery is all about, leaving Macy alone and both of them vulnerable.

Why they don’t go together is beyond me.

Eventually, Macy is abducted by the hulking mask-clad woman and dragged to a dilapidated house in the woods. She fights for survival after she realizes the woman intends to raise her as her infantile child.

Dolly is never a boring experience; it is divided into six chapters aptly named Mother, Father, Daughter, and so on. While the film is ambiguous, the chapters at least help the viewer ascertain that something weird is going on in the house, involving a family.

But is the hulking woman, assumed to be named ‘Dolly’, a victim herself? Why does she put Macy in a baby dress and give her a pacifier? Did she kill the decapitated body or did someone else?

Dolly is certainly nuts, but why is she nuts?

Eventually, another character is introduced who provides a shred of clarity but also raises even more questions. Why is the character bound and tied, and can they be trusted?

To offset the gruesome physical suffering and emotional trauma the characters endure, the audience can have some good, clean, slasher fun. Macy, in particular, makes one dumb decision after another, which may make the viewer scream out to the screen in comical frustration.

Seemingly countless times, Macy foregoes escape to either pause and ponder the situation, wasting precious time, or merely wounds her assailant instead of decapitating them to ensure she is safe.

There are also clichés like a character wearing headphones and blasting music, not hearing a victim’s pleas for help, a barricaded door, tripping and falling in the forest, curiously yelling out ‘hello?’, and various other devices to keep the character trapped and in peril.

It also makes Dolly seem predictable, especially as the conclusion draws near.

I wouldn’t say I was glad Dolly ended when it did, but it felt like it went as far as it could with what might be ‘Act 1’ of a multiple-film experience.

Dolly (2025) has an excellent horror vibe, great elements, and decent acting, but provides few answers to a myriad of questions.

While riddled with clichés from many past horror films, the setup is there, and the film successfully intrigues its audience enough, prompting a follow-up.

1972 Films, Horror

You’ll Like My Mother-1972

April 29, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

You’ll Like My Mother-1972

Director Lamont Johnson

Starring Patty Duke, Rosemary Murphy

Scott’s Review #1,531

Reviewed April 29, 2026

Grade: A-

A largely forgotten 1972 horror film, You’ll Like My Mother, is a diamond in the rough.

It’s a perfect offering for a frigid wintry night since several days’ worth of activity occur amid a blustery Minnesota blizzard.

Additionally, a foreboding remote mansion with warm fireplaces, howling wind, and passageways is where most of the action takes place.

Is there any better atmosphere for a horror film?

Influenced by films like Psycho (1960), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and even What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and undoubtedly others, its themes are ‘mommy horror’ and being incapacitated, gaslit, and trapped in an isolated locale.

When her husband, Matthew, is killed in Vietnam, newlywed Francesca Kinsolving (Patty Duke) finds herself pregnant and alone. She travels from sunny Los Angeles to visit her in-laws in snowy Minnesota, believing, based on her late husband’s encouragement, that she’ll be welcomed with open arms.

She is mortified at what she actually finds when she arrives.

Mrs. Kinsolving (Rosemary Murphy) is an uncaring woman who refuses to accept Francesca as her daughter-in-law. Upon an introduction, she casually mentions having just drowned some kittens as a result of the family cat mating with an alleycat.

Matthew’s mentally disabled sister, Kathleen (Sian Barbara Allen), whom he never thought to mention, is kind, and Francesca forms an immediate connection with her.

Much to her displeasure, Francesca sticks around because of the blizzard, and events take a peculiar turn with the discovery of a family Bible, a mysterious resident of the mansion, and questions about the family fortune.

Patty Duke, best known for Valley of the Dolls in 1967, reportedly sought more mature roles and delivered a fantastic lead performance in You’ll Like My Mother.

The best part about Francesca is that she is a strong character and matches wits with Mrs. Kinsolving. When she is given a sleeping pill in her hot cocoa, causing her to sleep for fifteen hours, she scolds the mother and demands the hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast that she missed.

She also doesn’t mince words about her disappointment in Mrs. Kinsolving’s demeanor, admitting she expected someone a bit nicer and stating she doubts they’ll see each other again.

I wanted more scenes between the two and more bitchy sparring as the ladies play cat and mouse, dangling leverage in front of each other.

Rosemary Murphy is a standout as Mrs. Kinsolving, lending the character a cold, abrupt quality. As the onion is peeled and uncertainty about her identity is unleashed, she boldly keeps her cool.

The pacing of the film is excellent, and events never lag. At merely one hour and thirty-two minutes, the director Lamont Johnson makes the most of it, immediately showing Francesca on a bus towards snow country.

The rest is contained in and around the vast mansion and its grounds. While not haunted, the estate is a major player with long hallways, staircases, cabinets, and the attic and garage being important components.

A few plot holes are evident, such as no one realizing a newborn baby is being kept in the attic, and horror standards like Francesca’s near escapes being thwarted, but the film’s tension never wanes.

The final act is juicy as a wild chase and game of hide and seek around the mansion’s grounds ensues, which results in a shocking death. The audience will bite their nails in hopes that Francesca and the baby escape with their lives.

There is no gore, making the film more intellectual and haunting than in-your-face violence would be. Often, the danger is unseen, and shadows and noises are common.

A chilling thrill ride makes You’ll Like My Mother (1972) a delicious effort, a perfect companion for a dark, stormy night.

1997 Films, Animated, Fantasy, Kids, Musical

Anastasia-1997

April 27, 2026 scottmet99 Leave a comment

Anastasia-1997

Director Don Bluth, Gary Goldman

Voices Meg Ryan, John Cusack

Scott’s Review #1,530

Reviewed April 27, 2026

Grade: B

Anastasia (1997) is an animated film that explores emperors, duchesses, and the Romanov royal family of Russia, offering an important early-twentieth-century history lesson.

Surprisingly, not a Disney film, it’s the first release from Fox Animation Studios, resulting in an overall decent effort. It has potency but lacks the magic of other darling animated creations of the past.

An evil and vengeful wizard named Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd) casts a curse on the royal family as a dazzling ball commences in 1916, and young Anastasia disappears as their palace is overrun by killers, leaving most of the family dead.

She and her grandmother, whom she eventually is separated from when the Dowager Empress Marie (Angela Lansbury) flees on a train, are saved by a mysterious servant boy who whisks them to a secret room.

Years later, the Grand Duchess offers a reward for Anastasia’s return, but finally gives up amid a legion of imitators and attempted schemers, leaving her flustered and hopeless.

Two Russians, Dimitri (John Cusack) and Vlad (Kelsey Grammer), initially plan to pawn off a phony discovered through auditions, but are shocked to learn that an orphan girl named Anya (Meg Ryan) is the real Anastasia.

Dimitri, who has fallen in love with Anya, is torn between his feelings and a potentially lucrative payday.

The film’s wintry backdrop is visually exquisite, with snow, lights, and the glitz and glamour associated with Paris, setting the story in Saint Petersburg and launching the action amid fabulous costumes and palace trimmings at the ball.

A dangerous train ride from Saint Petersburg to the east, winding up in Paris, is also a high point of the film.

The central characters, Anya, Dimitri, and Vlad, escape terrible fates that the evil Rasputin is plotting against them. They slink from first class to the luggage car to finally leap from the train itself in a daring escape.

They then stowaway on a ship bound for Paris.

The trio’s adventures make the film enjoyable and edge-of-your-seat at times.

Another highlight is a compelling sequence in which Rasputin gets Anya to sleepwalk to the edge of the ship, attempting to make her jump to her death. She sees her dead siblings in a sunny pool of warmth as they invite her to dive in and join them.

The glowing, hallucinogenic interplay of summer sun and winter-driving rain aboard the ship is both majestic and frightening. It also shows the connection between her and her siblings, as well as feelings of loss.

I wasn’t entralled with the characters of Rasputin or the hapless Bartok (Hank Azaria), a minuscule albino bat sidekick, who eventually ‘turns good’.

Rasputin, stuck in a mysterious limbo until he kills off the remaining Romanov (Anya), is portrayed as cartoonish and over-the-top. His threats become redundant, as does his one-note nature.

The characters’ situation is complicated by a weird situation in which, because of foiled attempts on the lives of Dimitri, Vlad, and Anya, they are forced to return to the ‘real world’ and kill Anya there.

It makes little sense, feels juvenile, and the characters were wisely omitted from the stage version.

The musical numbers are charming, but they do not knock it out of the park. Tepidly nominated for an Oscar nomination, “Journey to the Past” is okay, but nothing memorable either.

What works best is the romance between Anya and Dimitri, who have tremendous chemistry. Since he is immediately smitten with her, it is interesting to see how the film handles the eventual revelation of his villainy and his subsequent redemption.

Since it’s clear the film will have a ‘happily ever after’ ending, the anticipation of a final showdown reduces some of the predictability.

The reunion between Anya and her grandmother is touching and sentimental without being too mushy. Even in an animated film, powerful performances can be achieved, and the characters can touch their audience as much as a live-action film.

An entertaining film with heart and a intellectually stimulating backdrop, it has enough to recommend to children and adults alike. I could have done with a better villain or perhaps no villain at all, which makes Anastasia (1997) feel more juvenile and less sophisticated than it should have been.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Musical or Comedy Score, Best Original Song-“Journey to the Past”

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