Lesbian Space Princess (2025)

Space Princess Saira is heartbroken when her girlfriend of two weeks, bountyhunter Kiki, leaves her for being too needy and refusing to go out and party.  However when Kiki is kidnapped by the Straight White Maliens who need her to lure Saira to their man cave so they can steal her labrys which they need to power their chick magnet.

Allowing that I am not in the demographic for this film, I have to say that I liked LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS. It's a genuinely funny film with solid characters, who, while very much cartoony, are ones we can pull for. We like them. The characters are well drawn enough that they lift the film up from being just an extended comedy sketch into a funny adult joy. 

I shouldn't have to say this, but this is not for kids. The violence is gory, the talk is frank, and it doesn't shy away from sex. Don't take the kiddies.

On the other hand if you want to see a funny adults only scifi comedy give LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS a try.

Bring Me The Vampire (1963)

Odd horror comedy has a rich man cutting his family out in favor of seven random strangers. Everyone must live in a house for a month, leaving only for 48 hours if there is an emergency. The family is annoyed and seek to drive out or kill the interlopers.

The family is played by straight actors while the interlopers are played by comedians and the resulting mix of styles doesn’t always work. Part of the problem is that the straight scenes seem to exist simply to set up the comedy bits. While I have had the DVD for years I never sat down until recently to watch it- and I was disappointed since the spooky cover to the disc didn’t clue me in to the “laughfest” contained their in.

A miss

Unfolding Faith (2025)

Elyse Bouvier’s UNFOLDING FAITH is a look at the changing place of religion in her life and the life of her family. When she was young her father was a minister who traveled across the country preaching. However, that didn't pay the bills, and her dad became a teacher. Eventually he stepped away from the church. This sent shock waves through the family, Elyse after all viewed Jesus as her best friend. However, several decades later she found herself making the same move. 

I loved this film a great deal. As someone who has been trying to figure out what I believe and feel this film really hit home. This is a film that presents a very real and very personal discussion about how we believe. By turning the camera on her family Bouvier gives us a discussion that is closer to home than almost every other similar film. The path to God is not high and mighty but closer to home, it's in a diner booth with her dad or at a table with her mom.

There is so much emotion and so many ideas that instead of sitting down and writing about the film I let it sit with me awhile. As much as I wanted to watch it again, I didn't because I had to figure out what I felt before I went back.

This is a great film. 

The film is currently streaming via the National Film Board of Canada website (for those of you in Canada and the US) and is highly recommended.

My Father the BTK Killer (2025)

This is a dual portrait of Dennis Rader,the BTK killer, and his daughter Kerri Rawson.

This is one of the best Netflix true crime docs that I have seen this year. The film is a dual look at the BTK killer and the terrible crimes he committed and the story of his daughter Kerri who was set adrift by the actions of her father. It's a film that will grab you and pull you in.

This film has a lot to unpack.  First there is everything to do wi8th the horrible crimes of father. It's a weird trip since beyond the police and media laying everything out, Rader is eeriely forth coming about his crimes. While we only see him in video footage from after he was caught, he hangs over everything like a black cloud. His words where hen calmly lays everything out in ways that are really bad. It will chill you.

We also have the life of Kerri. She is a broken soul. While she didn't entirely like her dad, he could be violent, he did love him and what he did destroyed her world. She did turn things around in unexpected ways. Watching her we come to understand that killers like BTK also kill their families. (An aside Kerri reached out to the family of the Gilgo Beach killer to help them cope.) There is a lot here we haven't seen in a film like this.

I loved this film a great deal. Its a well told tale that gives us a great deal to think about.

Stitch Head (2025) is Glorious

STITCH HEAD lives in my soul. Like many of the films that are now part of me it came into my life unexpectedly and just took over. 

God, I love when that happens.

The film is the story a creation called Stitch Head. He lives in a castle where a mad scientist is making monsters. Since the scientist is making monsters so fast he end up ignoring the things he makes, but Stitch Head doesn't, and he takes care of all the monsters. Down below the castle is a town where the people are afraid of what is in the castle, even though they don't know what is there. When a traveling circus comes to town the two worlds end up on a collision course as the head of the circus decides to go to the castle to get a monster for his show. He ends up with Stitch Head.... and well a monster named Creature decides to go to the town to rescue his best friend.

And I left a great deal out because this is a densely packed film where a lot is going on...trust me. This is a film that doesn't stop moving and expanding it's story from first frame to the last. Its a film with real characters, witty dialog and real emotions. Its a film that feels not so much like a meal but a whole banquet.

What I love about the film are the characters. We have wonderfully drawn characters who are just like the best people we know. Stitch Head is lovely person with father issues. His father ignores him and how that affects him drives what happens. His arc of chasing a surrogate father only to realize that he has a found family is deeply moving. The love that Creature feels for his best friend, Stitch Head, is in its way goofy, but it speaks volumes about how we feel about the people we love. His drive to save Stitch Head is wonderfully charming. No one is one note, there is good and bad in everyone, and they are all broken but find strength in their "families" or friends. We are not moving in a movie but among real people.

The writing is wonderful. The dialog is witty and spot on. There are no false notes. The progression of the narrative never feels cliche. Even if we think we are in familiar territory, we quickly learn we are not. The writing makes what could be WTF moments in a couple of places things that are note perfect (looking at you needle drop).

As for the character designs, they are wonderful. They are goofy and charming. They may look off at first, we quickly fall in love with them. By the end you will want to hug them.

I am fighting the urge to tell you everything because I think this film is so magical. It's a film that will restore your connection to life and make you feel glorious.

See this film it's one of 2025's very best films

(And I'm sorry for using wonderful too many times but this film sapped my vocabulary in the best way)

Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets

Gilgo Beach Killer House of Secrets is the best of the Gilgo documentaries that I’ve seen.  An up to date presentation the series cuts through the BS and presents the story is a concise way. It also scores points by taking a look at the perspective from the Huberman family as they try and figure out what the hell their patriarch was doing. It’s the only doc that I’ve run across that actually shows all the damage that Huberman did.

This was originally run on Paramount + but I stumbled on it on Oxygen on Labor Day. I thought it was going to be an old rehash of the case and instead found it was full of details going back to a couple of weeks before it was produced. While the film doesn’t go into as much detail about some aspects of the case, the film instead focuses on the bullet points of the case telling us everything we need to know to get a handle on what we know happened up till now.  Surprisingly the series has the participation of the Huberman family.  They are here trying to sort out what happened in their home by the man they loved. It’s an intriguing choice. What I find interesting is that they are still wrestling with trying to sort out what really happened themselves. You can see them believing it and not. I’m further shocked in that the film has the daughter of the BTK Killer appear to try and help the family to come to terms with what happened. It is not some TV trick since she had reached out not long after the arrest.

I really liked this and if you want a good look at the case, this is the place to go.

Jackie Quinones and Andre Royo talk MILES AWAY

Andre and Jackie 

After watching MILES AWAY a couple of time I reached out about doing an interview with writer director and star Jackie Quinones and star and executive producer Andre Royo. Because I couldn’t fit in something on their press day, we arranged to do the interview the next day. We arranged a time and a couple of minutes before the scheduled time, right before I could park the car the call came in.  I parked and we began to talk. Since the film is about a ride share driver over the course of a day the fact that the interview was happening while I was in my car seemed appropriate.

I don’t know about Ms. Quinones and Mr. Royo, but I had a blast. Rarely have I smiled as much doing an interview. They we warm and charming. They made me feel as if I had been their best friend for years. We spoke for 25 minutes but I could have and wanted to continue speaking with them.  Amazingly we pretty much stayed locked on the film, with the result the almost all of the interview follows.

The interview was done on the speaker as I sat in my car in an empty parking lot while Ms Quinones and Mr Royo were in Austin for the weekend premiere of the film.

I want to thank Linda Brown for arranging this interview. I also must thank Ms. Quinones and Mr. Royo for taking the time to speak with me.

JACKIE: As soon as you're parked and ready, I'll merge him in. 

STEVE: I'm parked, I'm ready. 

JACKIE: All right, let me merge him in. Andre? 

ANDRE: Yeah, what's up? 

JACKIE: Hey, we're on with Steve Kopian.

 ANDRE: Hey, what's up my man?

 STEVE: How are you?

 ANDRE: I'm all right.

 STEVE:I heard that you were wild on Zoom.

 ANDRE: I was wild on Zoom? Yeah, I don't know. Now you'll never know. You'll never know my man.

 STEVE:  When I was trying to set this up and Linda was insisting that I had to do it on Zoom. But where I am I couldn’t do it.

 ANDRE: Next time, next time my boy, next time.

STEVE: Absolutely. How did you, I don't know where to start. You're an executive producer of the film. How did end up as an executive producer as well as in the film?

 ANDRE: I just helped out as much as I could creatively and she felt that, you know, she wanted to bless me and make me an executive producer. But it was really on this huge support and huge belief that this filmmaker has something to say if she's going to execute it the right way.

 JACKIE: Yeah, Andre is kind of downplaying his expertise in storytelling. He is definitely downplaying it. He is like an encyclopedia of film knowledge and just incredible with story, worked with the Independent Spirit Awards selecting the films that were going to be up for awards for about five or six years?

 ANDRE: Probably, yeah.

 JACKIE: So he is really, really great with story,. Really, really great with character development. Just a fantastic actor, as you know. And so incredibly supportive that it just, without him, this film wouldn't be where it is. He was so instrumental in the post-production process and just really a champion throughout. And I'm so grateful. I should tell you more often. I think I tell you pretty often. But I'm very grateful to have him on this team.

 ANDRE: I believe in you, I love you, so yes. It was the perfect combination and it was a joy to be a part of.

 STEVE: When you wrote the script  did you know who you were going to get for all the parts or did e have the basic script and then l I'm doing this film, do you want to be in it and we'll write you a role or did you write all the roles?

 JACKIE: The way that I usually write is I write around a theme and each character becomes a different sort of mouthpiece of a different part of the, the argument for that theme. I didn't do that with this one. This one, it was more about plot first, so it was about the Uber driver and the different rides. 

And then once I had the rides in mind, I knew that there were probably some actors that would suit other roles better, but I kind of gave them a choice. Andre,  I think I asked you which one you wanted to play, didn't I?

 ANDRE: I believe so. I believe the first time you sent me the script, you were like, you know, if there's any character that speaks to you, let me know.

 JACKIE: Right. So I wasn't really married to any one particular person and I knew as long as I had great actors, which thank the Lord I do, that they would be able to perform and bring something to the role that wasn't already on the page, which they all did.

 STEVE:I find it interesting because  you have actually the hardest role in the film, which is you have to allow all these crazy people to act around you and you have to hold the center. It's a brilliant. It's a brilliant performance  you get these towering performances hapening around you, Andre, Luis Guzman, everybody else and you have to stay normal, you have to stay a regular person. Was that hard?

 JACKIE: It was definitely intimidating acting with both Andre and Luis for sure. It's like, you know, Luis and I had worked together in the past, but ve worked in different capacities. I don't think we had been on screen together since the first time we met, which was almost 20 years ago now. So, it was very intimidating to work with two people that I just admire so much and I don't, I don't know that you know this, Andre, but I was so nervous.  I just tried my best to be in the moment with them and Andre's so grounded and Luis so grounded that immediately they kind of, they changed the energy, you know, so they made me feel comfortable.

 ANDRE: Yes, and I think Jackie is downplaying her theatrical, her background as an artist and an actor. She's very talented, she's very trained. Thank you. 

And listen, this is what you do when you're in New York and you're doing theater and you're doing movies, you make the other person better. We share the experience and we share the storytelling together so one can't overpower, if it's done correctly, one can't overpower the other one or it doesn't balance. She's good enough to know when to give, when not to give because she's receiving, she's in the moment. She's not something orchestrated. Right.

 And if you stand truthful and grounded, you know, you're going to meld and you're going to blend. You know, if you go outside of that, that's when you're starting to push and try too hard because you're not, you're not in the moment, you're trying to make a moment.

 STEVE: Well, it's one of the things that I love about the film is that you've got these moments, even when you're on the phone or in these wonderful two-handed pieces everything is grounded, you're together, you're in the moment. It remains real, nobody steals the scene. 

 ANDRE: Not if it's done correctly. Nobody steals the scene. I mean, the moment they steal the scene is the person, the lead, we're following.

 She's bringing us in and out of this world by sharing her car. Like, she's sharing her car with us and we're watching her, you know, play with these other artists and experience, you know, what you wanted to, you know, emotionally what you wanted to put in your scene.

 STEVE: I'm curious. I watched the film a couple of times because there was a point where I'm watching it and I'm going, okay, this is a great scene and this is a great scene and this is a great scene and then, and then all of a sudden you get to the end of the, towards the end of the film and suddenly you realize that there's a through line, there's more of a through line than you realize. It's not these great scenes. You have your phone conversations with your mother or whomever and everybody on the phone and what everybody's saying to you lfeeds into your journey, your arc, over the course of your day driving.

 JACKIE: Right. It's kind of hidden in there.

STEVE: And it's, there's this moment where I realized that  you've got all these great actors and you've got all these crazy things and then, as I got to the end and I knew have to watch this again. I have to see this again because I missed all these little things that were said.

 JACKIE: The little hints, yeah, yeah. I've heard that before. Thank you for watching it more than once. That's like a huge compliment. Really appreciate that.

 STEVE: I generally don't, but when when you get the "aha moment" and  I have to go back and rewatch the film. And I did, it was leven before I had said that I had wanted to do the interview. And  when I'm watching the film, the second time and part of a third time and it was like, wait, no, I have to talk to you because I had to know how you constructed it. Because you've got this perfect through line and it's almost like you clicked in pieces that amplify it. Does that make any sense? Does that make any sense?

 JACKIE: No, no, no, it does, absolutely. I think, honestly, I'm not sure. That's a bad answer, but I think, ultimately.

 STEVE: No, it's an honest answer.

 JACKIE: I think, ultimately, like, a lot, a lot of what was on the page didn't actually make it to screen and we had to figure out ways to work around that because in the original script, we realized maybe we had too much on screen with phone calls and things like that. Originally we were going to have an anxiety meter for the character to kind of give us more of a through line and we realized that wasn't going to work because it was a little too gimmicky and we wanted the film to be more grounded. I had to kind of go back through the script and just make sure that there were moments that would feed back to the end. It's, it's writing and rewriting and trying new things and trying different things and then, of course, you're also always rewriting in the post process and, like I said, Andre was super instrumental in the post process. The amount of notes he gave us and such great notes, too. For example there were some really cool shots and we had to get rid of those because, you know, they were artsy-fartsy and they didn't really work for the film. It was just really kind of like finessing the story as I went and, and as we went along and not staying married to anything and making sure that we made something that, that made sense and that was great, that wasn't just my vision, but our vision, if that makes sense.

 STEVE: How changed is the script compared to the finished film? Did you, did you lose a lot?

JACKIE: We did drop one scene and we dropped the, anxiety meter in place of her anxious tics, um, and then maybe some changes to scenes here and there with dialogue if something was a bit more fun on the day, you know, to make it more comedic or more dramatic, but ultimately, most of that stuff was there before we shot.

 STEVE: How, much, did you, did you improvise  or was it all just, was all on the page?

 JACKIE: I like to work with different actors however they work and if they choose to improvise, I improvise with them, but I like to make sure that we come back to the script as well, so if we do go off a bit, we come back to the original. For instance, Andre and I rehearsed. And Andre stayed very true to the material and what was on the page and brought something to it that was so grounded and beautiful because in my head, this character was kind of a jerk, but Andre made him so relatable and, and honest and it made him, I was like, dang, he's making me look like the bad guy.

 ANDRE:  As  the girl who left me, you were the jerk,  and it was my job to make it clear that it was your fault, we didn't make it. 

 STEVE: Andre, how much were you on the set?

ANDRE: I was on the set for one day. They call me one take Dre, baby.  

I Was there for a day but I'm the red phone you call me You need me you call me. When you want to talk it out, you call me. We were able to stay connected throughout the whole process But as far as shooting and being, you know hands-on on set, you know she had a great crew. And s I believe in her.

 STEVE: How big was the crew It almost feels like you were alone. It doesn't feel you like there was any crew theree. It's like you in the car and it's just like there's nobody around

 JACKIE: We wanted that, to feel we wanted it to feel like there's there is no camera. We did everything with natural lighting . We didn't use any artificial lighting except for, obviously, some of the night stuff. I would say it depended on the day but sometimes we would have six people, sometimes we would have 15 to 20 That was the most that we had on set any given day But yeah, we went from small to big depending on what we were shooting and what we needed people for

 STEVE: How long did it take you to shoot?

 JACKIE: We shot for 14 days, then we did 2 pickup days and we did a couple of days of extra B roll. So I'd say about 16 total if  because it wasn't full days.

 STEVE: Not full days? Were you doing other projects and shooting around them?

 JACKIE: So, we had a really cool schedule which allowed me to prepare. There were so many things that happened on this film that were kismet, that created an atmosphere where we were able to put things together in a way that you wouldn't normally. We were shooting on weekends only which allowed us every week before the shoot to put together whatever else we might need. And it gave us time in between to rehearse if we needed to. And then on those weekends we would usually shoot one to two scenes per day and because the scenes are you know, one-off.  They don't crossover. 

It was really kind of a blessing that we were able to kind to have the actors in for half a day or a day and then move on to the next actor. This is opposed to the typical film where you're kind of trying to track every day and track every character and figure out where in the story. They are the only character. I really had to do worry about on a bigger scale was my own, so it made it a lot easier for the production process.

 STEVE: How meticulously was this planned?  I've got a friend who does independent films and he shoots on ultra micro budgets, but every detail everything is planned down to the final detail. There's a little bit of room for improve but mostly it's what is planned. Did you have everything planned for every shot?

 JACKIE: But you know, obviously when you get on set there are things that go awry sometimes and you have to be able to pivot. Filmmaking is all about problem-solving because you have a plan, but it doesn't always work out So there was a lot of pivoting. There was a lot of meticulous planning that didn't pan out like on any film set 

STEVE: It premieres when?

 JACKIE: Premieres Sunday Sunday the 26th at 6 30 p.m at the galaxy theater 6 and then we have an encore screening on the 29th at 4 10 p.m. 

We're going to Urban World in New York right after that for an East Coast premiere on the 30th and then after that we have we've heard back from a few places I can't mention.

Borscht Belt Film Fest runs October 31 until November 2

The Second Annual Borscht Belt Film Festival starts Friday. This is a festival set in and highlighting the place where so many people used to go for vacation and see all the big stars of the day. (It was the entertainment capital of the world before Vegas stole the title).

While this isn't the biggest film festival in the world, it is a wonderfully programmed one. I've seen a bunch of films, though I haven't reviewed them ( some of the films are before Unseen was created and you don't need my words on DIRTY DANCING), and I can say the selection of films is excellent (The shorts that I've seen are really good). You need to buy tickets and go.

While I can't say much more I do want to say a couple things about two films. 

CASA SUSANNA is glorious. Its about a place where people could go to be themselves. I've seen it a couple of times and it has moved me each time.

Not that anyone cares but I am in Martin Ritt's THE FRONT . I'm an extra so unless you know where to look you won't see me, but I am there. Personal connection aside the film is an excellent one. It is one of the rare films that Woody Allen was in in which he didn't write and direct it. Set during the Red Scare, the film follows Allen's character who acts as a front for black listed writers. He becomes friends with a comic who was big on the Borscht Belt played by Zero Mostel. It's not a funny film, and some of what hqappens will break your heart. It's a great film and if you've never seen it you should go.

And for now that's all I have to say other than to say if you can go, do so.

For more details and tickets go here

I Was Born This Way (2025)

Portrait of Archbishop Carl Bean who recorded the song I was Born This Way in 1977 for Motown. The disco hit became the first gay anthem. Bean later moved from music into activism and the church. The film also charts the importance of the song, Lady Gaga's reimagining of it for today and Billy Porter's efforts to try and find the tapes of the recording where there is supposed to be a "lost" B-side.

I was moved to tears frequently. This film is just a wonderful portrait of one man, scarred by his early life who pushed through to change the world for the better. Its a film that reveals how one man who most people don't know did wondrous things.

It's a hell of a story and one that surprises at every turn.

I can't recommend this film enough.

This is one of the best films at Tribeca 2025.

Coexistence My Ass (2025)

Portrait of Noam Shuster Eliassi who grew up in a Israeli/Palestinian community and who wants to bring people together through humor.

This film has a great deal going on. Nominally the story of Noam's creation of her one woman show the film, shot over five years, casts it's net bigger and wider. We watch as she truly wades in and confronts all of the insanity over the period the film was shot. It's a film that is very funny but also incredibly heart breaking, with her final words before the end credits roll acting as a sledgehammer.

This film is going to move you. Several weeks on I keep pondering the film and what happens. I will say that Noam has a clearer view of the way things should be than most politicians. 

This is a great film. See it.

(This film will be playing at DOC NYC as part of the Contenders section)

Whitehouse Effect (2024)hits Netflix Friday

Archival footage is used to show the time when the White House seemed  to care about climate change and actually tried to do something about it.

An intriguing look back at the Carter, Reagan and George Bush Sr years when the government actually seemed to care about rising temperatures. At the same time because the film relies entirely on TV news casts the view is skewed toward what we saw in the media. We don't see some of the end runs around the rules because it may not have been covered on the evening news. There is more to the story than we are seeing here.

Miles Away (2025) Austin FIlm Festival

Jackie Quinones writes directs and stars in MILES AWAY about a ride share driver named Jess' day as she deals with passenger, friends and family.

When you see MILES AWAY you need to stay with it to the end. The reason I say that is because the film is not a perfectly flowing narrative. It's made up of moments from Jess'] day that are seemingly random.  They are linked by Jess and the phone calls to the people close to her. Actually, it isn't until we are deep into the film that the pieces begin to knit together, and we see what Quinones is getting at, a wonderful portrait of a young woman at an important moment in her life (though she doesn't realize it.)

This is a super film. It's a film that plays better the more you see it because you see how things link up. That's the power of Quinones construction, but it isn't clear immediately. The first time through you see the film as little episodes. The later trips through you do not, it's not episodes but a well-constructed whole that grows on you.

The cast sells the film. Yes, the various passengers, including Luis Guzman and Andre Royo who executive produced, are wonderful. They create actual people and not characters. But holding it all together is Quinones. We like her and we feel for her plight. If she weren't as good as she is this would never have worked. It's a tricky role since she is at the film's center, she has to remain real, and kind of underplay things because everyone around her has to shine. She has to be the normal one and yet be unique. She pulls it off perfectly.

I really like this film a great deal. While I have seen it a couple of times I need to see it again away from the festival crush, when I can see it for itself and when I don't have to write about it or worry about taking notes for an interview.

This is a small gem of a film.

Recommended.

I interviewed star/writer/director Jackie Quinones and executive producer Andre Royo, that interview can be found here

MILES AWAY plays October 30 at the Urban World Film Festival in NYC.

"The Scariest Movie I Ever Saw"-- A Selection by the Friends and Family of Unseen Films

The Inerasable

Over the last few years I stumbled into discussions on social media where Ted Geoghagen argued that people need to go beyond the Freddy, Jason, Michael, and other series films.  I felt obliged to throw together lists of films of great films you should see (25 Horror Films, 25 More Horror Films, 15 Horror Films with GreatPerformances). This year I asked the Unseen Films family and some friends who love horror films what the scariest horror film they ever saw that no one talks about.  They could pick any film so long as it wasn’t a super hit that people still talk about or from a long running series. What follows are their picks. The idea was to keep the films ones that you probably haven't seen before. 

What follows is a loose collection of titles and some comments by those friends and family who responded:

I’m going to start with my pick, (and my brother Joe’s pick) which is INERASABLE. This Japanese horror film is about haunting of a piece of property, not a building but a piece of land. It’s a slowly building film that left me so disturbed I literally slept with the lights on.

I also want to add Olivier Assayas’ PERSONAL SHOPPER. While it isn’t a horror movie, it is perhaps the greatest ghost story ever put on film (or in the top 5). When I saw it at the New York Film Festival there were moments where the whole audience levitated.

I would put as Honorable Mention both the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and CARNIVAL OF SOULS which some people see as jokes. Yes, they are well known and have Criterion releases, but at the same time they have been used as fodder for Riff Trax and other riffers, which while funny, lstill left you feeling bummed out because the horror of the films’ themselves is so strong there is ultimately nothing funny about them. If you've never seen them at night in a dark room do so.

Matt Schulman- (Overdue Rentals Podcast, Clutch Points, Den of Geek, Cinema Daily US) said "I'm more of a creepy fan than scary fan, so I'll do with DON'T LOOK NOW,  and DEAD OF NIGHT (1945), which has the creepiest (and possibly first?) ventriloquist dummy story.And PONTYPOOL"

Ed Douglas (Weekend Warrior on Substack and numerous other outlets) SESSION 9 (It's the story of an abandoned asylum, that isn't)

Robert Grimes- ALONE IN THE DARK(1982) An all-star cast slasher (Jack Palance, Donald Pleasence, Martin Landau) with a bit more layers than the typical offering of the time. Some genuine creepy moments, and twists make this an enjoyable watch. Not to be confused with the '05 Uwe Boll "film", of the same name.

Hubert Vigilla:Punishment Park (1971) (The original story of people being forced to try and survive by dystopian government), Kisapmata (1981) ( a fact based family drama from hell, and The Reflecting Skin (1990) (a nightmarish coming of age film with things that will livin in your head rent free) 

Liz Whittmore-(Reel News Daily) THE HOST (2020) Her thoughts can be found here.

Steven Tsapelas (director of UFO CLUB and BIGFOOT CLUB) "I have always been partial to Lucky McKee's MAY ( about a woman trying to connect with people) but the movie that scared me the most is the 1985 Alice in Wonderland TV movie, where Alice is stuck in the mirror and can't communicate with her parents. "

Mr C: "I don’t know if it counts as it was billed as a soap opera back in the day but I’ve always found the whole series of DARK SHADOWS to be very scary & creepy. Everything they depicted in that fictitious weird town in Maine was strange & revolting. Of course, the Vampire villain character himself Barnabas Collins was frightening & mysterious."

Eden Miller- THE HAUNTING (1963) still remains one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. Based on Shirley Jackson's novel, it follows the timid Nell (Julie Harris) during an experiment in a purportedly haunted house. The ambiguity of it -- is it in Nell's head or is the house truly haunted -- adds to the frights, as well as the claustrophobic feeling of the grand house. I also love horror where the dread builds until the end is inevitable. Nell just wanted to find a place to belong, even if that place was an evil house. 

BC Wallin (Writer, friend and mad man behind the upcoming monograph on the STEVE JOBS film)  MERIDIAN (2016) A Netflix experimental film that literally just exists to test compression on stuff like smoke, fans, freckles. Horror short. 

Marq Evans (Director of THE GLAMOUR & THE SQUALOR, CLAYDREAM, THE DIAMOND KING)  JESUS CAMP (2006) (a documentary about a Christian summer camp) or FREAKS (1932) (Tod Brownings classic film-which many still haven't seen) 

Leslie Dodge:WAXWORK(1988) Have you ever wondered what it would be like to enter a wax museum where the exhibits come to life? Wax Work starring Zach Galligan (Gremlins) and Deborah Foreman (April Fool’s Day) is one of the most criminally underrated horror films of the 1980’s. It’s the perfect combination of unique story telling and 80’s cheese that’s to die for. Add Wax Work to your yearly Halloween movie marathon and experience the creatures that turn a harmless fantasy into your worst nightmare. 

Life Is A Film Fest (Film Twitter information source) Eskil Vogt’s THE INNOCENTS (some children discover they have dark powers)

Before I go I want to leave you with a thought and a scary film

Why doesn't anyone talk about Julian Beck in POLTERGEIST 2 any more? I would argue its one of the great cinematic performances of any sort. When the film came out Beck was hailed as the next great horror villain but he faded from view rather quickly. I'm guessing the reasons were because the movie beyond his creepy being the film is fair and it was coupled with the fact that Beck died before the film came out so he could never build on his chilling scenes with more work. (this was essentially Beck's last cinematic work).  While POLTERGEIST 2 is just okay - Beck will haunt your nightmares see it. (But forget POLTERGEIST 3 where the character returns but is nowhere near as chilling)

Lastly I want to leave you with the frightening short LABORATORY CONDITIONS. I know some of you have seen it- but some of you haven't so here it is-  It is one of the best horror films ever made.

Borderland (2007)

Nasty film based on the killings in Matamoros Mexico where the search for a missing student turned up a drug running operation using black magic as a cover and to empower its members.

The plot of the film has three buddies going to Mexico for spring break. One goes missing, kidnapped by the cult and the other two go looking for him and end up in a world of trouble.

Violent nasty and at times down right ugly horror film that is extremely unpleasant. Graphic to the point of unpleasantness this is one to keep away from the kiddies. There is a real tension created in the film that manages to make you feel very uneasy. The performances are all fine, including Sean Astin playing against type as an American member of the cult. Its a sobering wake up call to anyone who goes wandering in foreign lands on spring break.

As films of this sort (Turistas, Hostel, etc) go this one is one of the best. I know it could be considered faint praise for a genre that is for the most part little more than death porn, but there is a real gravitas that other films don't have. I don't think its the "based on true events" (which it really is despite what some people say) because this film is far enough removed that it based on the events and not a dramatization. Its a good nasty little film-if you like that sort of thing.

I have only one real reservation and that the pacing is, for a good portion of the film, while okay, still makes you wish they would get on with things.

Recommended for those who like graphic nastiness in a fact based story. If you can't stand graphic violence look elsewhere.

(I Don't Know) How to Be aka (No Se) Como Ser (2025) Austin Film Fest 2025

There is a story here.

I was in the middle of covering the September film festivals and I was being offered a number of films but because of the way things were falling I was having to say no to a number of things. As part of it I was going back and forth with a certain PR guy about a dark thriller, and then out of the blue he sent me the screener for this film saying it was after the fests and that I should try it. I said I would try and fit it in. 

Then the NYFF wave started to go away so I decided to watch the film... which I thought was a dark thriller... and instead I got something else, something wonderfully unexpected

The film is the story of a young woman who goes home with her boyfriend and things happen.

I was kind of blown away by this film. A comedy drama that doesn't go as you expected, this is something special.  Told in long scenes that play out way beyond the normal cinematic ones this film is closer to theater except that its actually closer to life because many of  the discussions are real and not forved drama. Films don't play out this way and it is enlightening because this is a film that gives us a real sense of people.

While the film isn't perfect, some of the turns are a bit odd, there is a wonderful sense of life in it. There is a realness to the relationships that feels closer to the people we meet in real life as opposed to the carefully constructed people we normally see in films.

This film is a gem. See it.(I've watched it a couple of times now)

Workout (2025) hits vod tuesday

A merging of traditional action film with found footage, the film has a man who is slowly losing is memory going after the gangsters responsible for the death of his wife. He films his revenge as way of showing his infant daughter what he did.

This James Cullen Bresseck action film, is for the most part, a solid action film and testiment that budget isn't required to make a good action film. Its a well acted film with some great action sequences.

The issue at hand is that Bresseck has decided to intercut body cam footage along with CCTV into the fights. It might have  sounded okay in the planning, but the problem is that it doesn't work as well as the non-POV footage, because the sudden shiftog POV pulls us out of the fights because we notice them, and because, as I said, it isn't always well done.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the film and understand why Bresseck is talked about reverently in some circles.

Depeche Mode: M (2025) plays IMAX and regular theaters on October 28

This is a document of the Mexico City Memento Mori shows from the group Depeche Mode.  The tour was their return to performing after the death of member Andrew Fletcher (whose presence hangs over the film and the concerts)

The first screening at the Tribeca Festival was crazy. A cock up at BMCC caused the film to start late since they failed to mark or make clear that some seats were reserved. Trying to sort that out resulted in a lot of yelling and screaming and for eveything to start about 25 minutes late.

Watching the film was a trip. The place was full of Depeche Mode die hards, many of who came great distances to be there. When the film started they interacted with it much like a concert, singing along and waving their arms with cues on screen. It was a one of kind experience....

...and completely unlike the press screening (yes I saw some of the film twice) where the audience sat their like lumps of wet noodles.

For me the film works best in the final third (from WORLD IN MY EYES to the end) because at that point the film does away with the medative sequences about life and death. Yes those sequences reflect the soul searching nature of the Memento Mori album, but thet also take away the momentum the concert sequences should have (and which we truly see in the final third). For me that final third is some of the best sequences I've seen in any film all year. That section of the film made me feel like I was seeing the group again in person. Honestly that sequence of songs is emotionally exactly like being there.

I really liked this film a great deal, though I will say this is going to play best for fans.

Play it loud and big.

LAST STOP: ROCAFORT ST (2025)

 

Young woman gets a nw job working at the lonely and supposedly haunted Rocafort St reet subway station in Madrid.

As long as you don't try and sort out all thr plot threads this is a good little horror film. It's a film that is full of suspense and tension and a truly wicked Spanish edge. On it's own terms the film is a neat little scare machine.

At the same time the plotting doesn't always work. There are a few too many scary threads, serial killer, ghosts, an evil force and some other things that don't knit together correctly.  While there is nothing wrong with any of the threads, having all of them in one film is simply too much to ask because they result in too many things conflicting with each other.

Then again the film is creepy.

Worth a look for horror fans, escpecially if you want something new for Halloween.

Tenement (2024)

Cambodia's entry for the upcoming Oscar's is a supernatural horror film that mixes traditional Asian ghost stories awith J-Horror sensibilities.

The film has a Cambodian manga artist returning to Cambodia from Japan after the death of her mother. She is looking to find some connection to her mom and the life in the building where she grew up.

Following a narrative thread that is very close to the J-horror tales that horror fans are familiar with, the film has our heroine trying to deal with the weird things that are happening around her while also dealing with the various people in the building.

I can't really say much more than that without giving anything away. It's not that the film is bad, it is not, it actually has several truly frighterning sequences, rather it is simply that if you have seen a good amount of Asian horror you are going to piece this out well before the people on screen do.

Again- it isn't bad- its just not traveling down any new roads.

A solid film on its own terms TENAMENT is worth a look especially in this spooky season.

Queens Of the Dead (2025)

It took me four months to discover that Tina Romero’s QUEENS OF THE DEAD is truly great. My major mistake of the Tribeca Film Festival was to skip the film because I didn’t realize who the director was.  I thought it was just going to be another attempt at Tribeca to be edgy in their horror selections and not a film that not only stands on its own feet as a great horror comedy but also fits in beautifully with the Dead series of films that Tina’s dad made.

Before I get started  talking about the film I am going to make one more reference the George A Romero films and that is simply to say that George would be very proud of his daughter since she very clearly understood the assignment and made a film that is all about the characters and their humanity and not the zombies.

The film is set in a warehouse in Brooklyn that has been turned into an event space. A giant party is going to be happening, and the various characters are preparing for the event. Things go south very quickly as the zombie apocalypse happens, and the party people are trapped in the warehouse with very little in the way of weapons.

This is just a great film. Full of great characters, genuine laughs and some wonderful music, QUEENS OF THE DEAD kicks ass. I was hooked from the first as a drag performance is crosscut with Jello being delivered in the hospital. It’s one of the best musical moments I’ve seen all year, and it made me run out and get some popcorn because I knew the film had me hooked. I wanted to see what happened to these people and see how it all played out.

And yes, the film is set in a LGBTQ world. And yes, the film assumes you know the references, but don’t worry you won’t be lost, nor will you care because you will be too invested in all the characters. Yes, the film is set in a queer world, but it isn’t really about being queer, it’s about being a human being and dealing with unbelievable circumstances and trying to survive. This could have been set anywhere (a community theater in London or a boardroom in Berlin)  and it wouldn’t have made a difference; you’d just have different references. This is not to sell the LGBTQ specificity short, it’s simply to state that if you are getting hung up on that then you are missing one of the most wonderful horror/comedies in years, and you are missing the coming out party for a new feature director who is going to be doing wonderful things (Tine, please make more movies – maybe with Margaret Cho as an action hero)

Is QUEENS perfect, no. There is a slow part toward the middle as we must bridge the great opening with the zombie madness, but it isn’t fatal, it’s just the moving of pieces.

Ultimately, I loved this film. I laughed, I winced, I found a bunch of new friends.

Highly recommended.

In Our Blood(2025)

After a documentary filmmaker gets a letter from her estranged mother, she and her cinematographer go to see her. However not long afer she reconnects her mother disappears. As she tries to find her, fearing that she relapsed into her addictions, she discovers that there is something much worse going on.

As a rule I hate found footage films. They are always full of things that no one would ever film and moments that never could be filmed. The plots also almost always jump the shark at some point as they require a weird twist.  However in the case if IN OUR BLOOD, the first narrative by Oscar nominated documentarian Pedro Kos this film plays out as found footage film that doesn't feel like a found footage film.

I really loved this film a great deal. It's a film that grabs us early with its story of substance abuse and the terrible things that happen to those touched by it, both addicts and their families. I love the construction which drags us along and makes the twist and turns completely believable. Where and how it ended up was unexpected and absolutely wonderful. Its a film that doesn't quite go as expected and we are better for it.

Honestly I don't want to say more because this film has some great stuff I don't want to ruin.

Very recommended

THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN" Coming Oct. 24th

This is a look at the town of St. Helens Oregon where the Disney film HALLOWEENTOWN.

This is a look at a small town and how over time a film that has become a holiday staple for many has also transformed the town. We watch as the town talk about how the film has changed their lives and how they handle the new influx of visitors who want to see the real Halloweentown.

This is a very good look at how one film changed the life of a town and it's residents. It's a story that we don't ever see really covered except in a quick clip on the odd TV news program. We get a look at the changing face of Halloween and how what was once a big holiday for kids now is a big holiday for a lot of people.

I had a really good time with this film. In a weird way I can see it becoming just as big a hit as the film that transformed St. Helens.  If I have any quibble with the film is that not having seen Halloweentown in decades, and never being a big fan I wasn't as invested in the film. That isn't the fault of the filmmakers, but it is simply an indication of my own failing as a human being. 

Recommended.

Suspicious Minds (2025)

SUSPICIOUS MINDS is a docuseries/podcast mix focusing on the rise of AI and how it is affecting the way we live. The series began releasing on October 17^th and a new episode will be released every Friday.

I was not going to watch this series. As I rule, I don’t like doing series, more so when I don’t have all the episodes, so I was going to pass. However, on Monday night my must watch films for the night collapsed. Two screeners would not play, so with time to go before Monday Night Football I bumped over and decided to take a chance on something off the board.

SUSPICIOUS MINDS is really good. The two episodes that I was allowed to see each ran about 45 minutes and are jammed packed with information.  The first episode deals with AI companions and how they affect people. The second is an exploration of how technology is altering our brains. There is a lot to unpack here so it’s a series that you are going to want to revisit-I say that because I know that after I got to the middle of the second episode I realized I was going to have to rewatch the whole series once its done so I can see how all the bits tie together.

What makes SUSPICIOUS MINDS so good is that the series digs deep into the AI/technology issues. We have talking heads who aren’t reduced to sound bites really explaining things and not talking down to the audience. There are too many AI docs and series out there who aren’t deep and who end up covering the same points as every other doc. Additionally where other docs hypnotize the audience with pretty visuals, much of the series is just people talking at a microphone. It may not be the most visually exciting thing ever, but it allows the words and the ideas that they are expressing to shine, thus giving the audience a better understanding of things.

While I don’t normally review series, I will do so when one is as great as SUSPICIOUS MINDS.

Highly Recommended.

 Suspicious Minds is a weekly video documentary series and podcast premiering October 17, 2025.

Platforms include YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Substack, and more. Series One will be released weekly for a total of 8 video and podcast episodes.

I Am Frankelda (2025) Opens on the 22nd in Mexico

Please excuse me I am about to gush uncontrolablly.  This film had me staring at the screen wondering what I had gotten myself into. When it finished I was emailing friends and aquintances to see if they had seen it yet.

Simply Arturo and Roy's Ambriz I AM FRANKELDA (Soy Frankelda) is a cinematic masterpiece. This is a film whose visual wonders are going to make your brain explode.

Billed as the first stop motion film from Mexico, this is light years beyond what most studios are doing. There is so much detail in so many of the frames you are going to need multiple viewings just to catch everything. I completely understand why this film is on so many people's must see lists. 

The plot of the film is about Francisca, a young woman who writes fiction that can open the walls between worlds.  Her words attract the attention of Herneval, a owl prince. As the pair move in their worlds there is a plot afoot in Herneval's world would cause chaos for both worlds. 

While you may sense a similarity to other fantastical tales, what the Ambriz Brother do is to expand the material found elsewhere including their series FRANKELD'S BOOK OF SPOOKS and make it something new and wonderful. With the canvas of a feature film they were able to let things play out and not have to worry about having to end every couple of minutes. Characters are more fleshed out and themes hit home. Everything is allowed to fill out as fully as possible.

I'm going to be honest and say it isn't perfect, there are some clunky moments. There are a couple of times where the Ambrizs don't quite hit their target, but at the same time they are aiming to do infinitely more than any animation studio in America. I will gladly take a film like that this that is full of wonders, heart and idea, but has a couple of burps,  instead of a slick mindless distraction I'm going to forget.  I say this as someone who has been wrestling with how to write this up for a week, while other film have come and gone.

Honestly you don't need me talking about this film, pulling it apart and saying what I think you should see. What you need to do is go out and buy a ticket and find your own wonder and magic.

Recommended.

The Naples Film Festival starts this week

Naples International Film Festival starts Thursday and if you are near Naple Florida you should go.

While we have only covered the festival a couple times over the years, we have wanted to cover it a few more times, however the festival is scheduled in such a way that it conflicts with things in our home base. The reason we want to cover the film is that the festival runs some great films.  There are a lot of titles that we would love to cover.

Because we can't do more, we've put a a pointer together. If you want a full run down of the slate and tickets go here.  If something looks good buy tickets and go.

If you want word on the films I've seen below, here are reviews of the films we've reviewed previously:

WILLOW AND WU

ON A STRING
CORONER TO THE STARS
 JIMMY AND THE DEMONS
ANXIETY CLUB
SILVER SCREAMERS

For more information and tickets go here.

Mistress Dispeller (2024) opens Wednesday

A woman hires a woman to break up her husbands affair 

This plays less like a documentary then a formal narrative which messes with your head because the film doesn't play as a documentary. It also plays more like an art house film. I'm not certain that's a good thing because the film's formal structure keeps us distant.

My one question with this film is how did they get the husband to agree to being filmed?

To be honest this didn't really work for me - though a lot of my friends loved it.