2024, like most years, has been a mixed bag. Here are some quick comments on my theatrical screenings so far this year:
NEW:
POOR THINGS (2023): Finally caught this controversial feature right before it won some Oscars. It's an interesting take on the FRANKENSTEIN thing, and another winner from director Yorgos Lanthimos. Even if this isn't your cup of tea the cinematography (and especially the odd soundtrack) are fantastic.
AMERICAN FICTION (2023) is yet another '23 release I caught up with, and found it quite funny. Jeffrey Wright is excellent here, but the ending left me wanting.
LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL (2024) is a wonderful take on found footage/70s talk shows. I loved every second of it and watched it again on Shudder a month after this screening. How some critics found this dull baffles me. Star David Dastmalchian is so good in this role it's ridiculous.
IMMACULATE (2024): FINALLY! A modern nunsploitation film with balls. Star Sydney Sweeney delivers a killer performance, especially during the finale, which will surely piss off most Catholics/pro lifers. Liked it more than the similar THE FIRST OMEN, which I caught on pay per view (although OMEN was fine, too).
FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA (2024) is pretty much more of the same as the previous 2015 MAD MAX FURY ROAD, but highly enjoyable. Could've easily been 40 minutes shorter, and Chris Hemsworth is hilarious.
KINDS OF KINDNESS (2024): Director Yorgos Lathimos strikes again with this 3-story anthology, featuring most of the same actors in each segment (Dafoe plays different types of cult leaders in a couple and is top notch). I loved it, and despite enjoying Lathimos' films for years, I now consider him one of the best in the business. The nearly 3 hours fly by.
LONGLEGS (2024): Like a satanic version of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, Nicolas Cage is pitch perfect as the title serial killer/occult doll maker. Creepy, disturbing, this proves you can be familiar yet still make things feel fresh.
MAXXXINE (2024): I liked the first in the trilogy, X, and thought second film PEARL was so-so despite featuring star Mia Goth's best performance. This time, porn star Maxine is trying to break into mainstream films, but a satanic cult is killing her colleagues and coming after her. Goth's performance is overshadowed by two great supporting roles (one by a great, sleazy Kevin Bacon, the other by Giancarlo "Breaking Bad" Esposito as Maxine's agent). Not bad, but highly forgettable. Goth simply isn't the major scream queen everyone is proclaiming. And for a film set in the 80s, they could've picked a much better soundtrack. This one is terrible.
RETRO:
ZOMBIES: THE BEGINNING (2007): The last film of late cult director Bruno Mattei is like ALIENS on crack. Lots of fun with a lively crowd at Brooklyn's Nitehawk Theater.
REPO MAN (1983): Was great to see this punk rock classic on the big screen once again where it belongs: at midnight.
DAWN OF THE DEAD (1979): WAS SO GOOD to see this classic on the big screen for its 45th anniversary.
PULP FICTION (1994): Finally got to see this on the big screen. Still one of Tarantino's top 3 best.
HARDCORE (1979): Can now cross this off my "must see in a theater" list (saw it on Father's Day!), and the great Paul Schrader was in attendance afterwards to answer q&a and share some very funny stories about star George C. Scott.
FINAL DESTINATION 3 (2006): Saw this at a heavy metal bar called LUCKY 13, and found it a lot of fun (it's the first film in the series I've seen). Was surpisigly gory! Like a more violent version of the 70s film ROLLERCOASTER.
BLACK ROSES (1988) Another screening at heavy metal bar LUCKY 13, this is a goofy heavy metal/possession film. The only notable thing about it is Vincent "Big Pussy" Pastore, who plays an Italian father 11 years before he starred on THE SOPRANOS. He gets whacked by a demon who pops out of his son's stereo speaker! Gotta love the 80s...
(And some 2024/note worthy films I caught on streaming):
THE FIRST OMEN (2024) is decent, has a couple of disturbing/creepy sequences, but it's pretty much more of the same. As mentioned above, the similar IMMACULATE did it much better.
DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS (2024) is a straight to SHUDDER original, and was a pretty good horror comedy starring that other guy from the BILL & TED film. He's unrecognizable in some hilarious make up.
INFESTED (2024) is a kick ass spider-attack film from France. Makers of those shitty animal-attack quickies on the SyFy channel should watch this as a lesson how to do it right.
GHOSTWATCH (1992): Finally caught this infamous UK found-footage film and the hype was true: its as creepy as it gets and very well done. Easy to see how the Brits thought this was real the night it originally aired.
QUEEN OF THE DEUCE (2022-4) is a great documentary about a woman who ran the porn theaters in Times Square during the 70s and 80s, starting out before that showing regular films. Highly enlightening and entertaining, it was nice to see this after two years playing only on the film fest circuit.
AN ANGRY BOY (2024) is a superior indie horror film. This came out of nowhere and takes the cult-leader thing to a different level. Excellent.
BRATS (2024) is a documentary about the "Brat Pack," made by Andrew McCarthy, and it's kind of disappointing. Way too much time is spent talking with an actress who wasn't really a part of that group (Demi Moore), and not having Judd Nelson was a bummer. McCarthy comes off as a real whiney bitch! Emilio Estevez, in an early interview, looks so much like his late father it's scary.
IN A VIOLENT NATURE (2024): after a year of hype, I found this a total letdown with plot holes galore, and a style that leaves ZERO room any kind of suspense. Some are hailing this as a new slasher classic, but I'm betting even so-called fans will be using the fast forward button to get to the kill scenes upon future viewings. The kill scenes, however, are quite insane and gory, but that's not enough to save an entire feature length film.
