The Itinerant Librarian: Film and Television

Showing posts with label Film and Television. Show all posts

Saturday, August 01, 2026

Media Notes: Roundup for July 2026

Welcome to my somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during July 2026.

Movies and films (links to https://www.themoviedb.org/ for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available).

Watched a good amount of horror, good, bad, and so so for July.

Stupid Games (2024. Horror. Mystery. Thriller). Plot description: "A girl's discreet attempt to assess her one night stand and his friends takes a deadly turn when she and her roommates host a dinner party where they unknowingly unleash a malevolent force." This is one of those movies you never hear off that go straight to video, or in this case straight to streaming. The trailer made me curious enough to take a chance. As the old proverb says, "play stupid games, win stupid prizes." Yea, they made a movie based on that bit. Movie starts a little slow with the awkward dinner scene of the group getting to know each other, and it really is kind of awkward. Soon about a half hour in we get a small first hint of a possible horror to come. Except for Stanley, the last minute guy, they are all pretty vapid folks, the kind for horror fodder you don't care for much. When the power goes out, they light candles and play a new to them tabletop game that seems to soon take turns of its own, and then the mystery thickens. While we get some hints, it is not until an hour in, and this is an hour and 25 minutes or so movie, where we get a sense of what is really happening. The movie works because it builds the suspense very slowly, you get a hint here, a hint there. Once we figure out what is happening, the pace picks up and stays tense and swift to the end. To be honest, it turned out better than I thought it would be from the beginning. It's suspenseful, tense in a slow burn way. Not the kind of movie to watch with the lights out. Could be a good choice for a Halloween marathon. I ended up liking it, so 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 7/4.
Clickbait: Unfollowed (2024. Horror. Thriller. Comedy). Plot description: "A group of influencers are invited to a house for a competition with deadly consequences." Given I have little to no use for influencers, which I view as one of the most low and useless lifeforms out there, the idea of a few getting killed off in some gruesome way sounds good. And so I find myself watching this movie. This is one of TubiTv Originals, which can be hit or miss, but so far I've seen more good than miss on their selections. We start with a diverse group of influencers: a guru woman (think a blonde skinny yoga granola eating woman into woo woo), a make up art influencer, a money schemes guy, a fitness sort of alpha male guy (you know the type), a chubby woman, and a child influencer (who is doing it more because mom makes him do it, again, think a bit Honey Boo Boo here, but a bit more reluctant). The game seems simple, go to the one place, and over the game whoever gets the most followers wins. We get a dinner scene-- their host has not shown yet-- which mostly serves to allow us to know each influencer a bit more. The boy's mom is particularly irritating as in she won't shut up. What we may notice is the MUA may be the only one with a bit of caution sense, and let's know they are the Black person to the group. When the influencers do their first challenge in the game, and the first elimination results in death, they realize the horror of only one of them being able to leave as winner. The comedy for the most part comes from the influencers bickering with each other. Overall, this was, again, better than I expected. Some humor. It also has some serious commentary on influencer culture and social media, and some horror with a twist or two. You may wonder what would you do, if you were an influencer that is, to keep your followers and their likes and comments? I liked it, so I'd say 3 out of 5 here. Watched 7/4.
7 Deadly Sins (2019. Horror). Plot description: "A group of teenagers look to have the best Spring Break party ever before going off to college. However, when party goers start to die, who's to blame? Themselves? Or the demon they summoned? Charlie's evil spirit creeps in and hands out the ultimate test of survival." Movie is a bit similar to Stupid Games, in the sense the group plays a spooky game, "Charlie, Charlie," and it backfires on them. Once it goes wrong, the horror starts building up. Overall, the movie was just OK. The ending leaves an opening for future sequels, but I don't think those will follow. Not as bad as I expected, but not too good either. 2 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 7/5.

The cast includes Tom Sizemore and a small appearance by Eric Roberts, so hey, worth taking a chance watching this I figured. Turns out they are just there briefly and never seen after their scenes again.

Amityville Cop (2021. Horror). Plot description: "A city haunted by a bloody past has led to the emergence of some serious police brutality. As bodies pile up, two detectives seek to stop a demonic force that is terrorizing the neighborhood." Just another of the many spin offs that the original Amityville movie has inspired. The movie is hokey as heck; Detective Miller (Jason Toler) is played as the fast talking Black cop always in trouble and trying to talk his way out of it, making jokes. A bit irritating to be honest. The rest of the acting is pretty average. . . barely. To be honest this had potential. It could have nodded a bit to films like Maniac Cop; it could have done its own horror thing. Instead most of the movie the characters are just talking, and we barely see the monster cop. Note this is a one-hour movie, and if we get about 20 minutes total of any horror, it is a miracle. It could have been a semi-decent cop horror film, but instead it is just boring for most of the film. It feels like wasted potential, even on a low budget. 1 out of 5 stars. ViaTubiTv. Watched 7/5.
Don't Log Off (2025. Horror. Mystery. Thriller). Plot description: "When Sam vanishes mid-video call, her friends race to uncover what happened. As they dig online, they vanish one by one. A sinister force is at play - can they solve the mystery before they're next?" The setting is in 2020, in the midst of the COVID lockdowns, which is why they are all getting together via video. The movie pretty much takes place on their video calling, so you get to see it from their computer and device screens. If you are not into shaky camera work, this may not be for you. There is some suspense as the first two vanish after going to check in on Sam, but to be honest, their social media interactions are more annoying than any suspense from the disappearances. It does not help them that they keep thinking it is one of them pulling a prank rather than realizing there is a serious problem. Naturally, this is a horror movie with some fairly inane people, so they keep doing dumb choices. Oh, and when one of them finally calls the cops, the cops are pretty useless and refuse to come thinking it is a prank. So the movie keeps dragging as they guys just need to figure it out on their own, and they do so with some help from Google, online maps and street views. By the time we get to the end, it just rushes and ends. Not a bad premise, but overall fairly boring, it drags, and the suspense is just not that great. Certainly nothing really horrifying per se. You can probably skip this. 1 out 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 7/11.
Hell Nurse (2023. Horror. Thriller). Plot description: "After a young caretaker is brutally attacked, she offers her soul to the Devil in exchange for the opportunity of revenge." A supernatural revenge plot sounds simple enough, so I am taking a chance here. Movie has a bit of a vibe or nod to slasher films of the 1970s or so. Story itself takes place around the 70s; one way we know is the 8-tracks the crooks listen to and the TV going dark at end of evening after the national anthem. The movie takes a bit to build up to the revenge, but once it starts, it is gruesome and bloody. Special effects are not great, a bit on the cheesy side, and again, reminiscent of old films where blood splattering all over was part of the deal. This was not great, but it was better than some of the other schlock I've been watching this month. You can add that the nurse is quite easy on the eyes even as she is terrifying. Movie was OK, so I'd say 2.5 out of five stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 7/11.
Hellblock 13 (1999. Horror). Plot description: "In a haunted death row cell block, a deranged female serial killer reads a trio of twisted tales to her executioner." The movie is from the Troma team, the folks who brought you fine films like the Toxic Avenger series. The serial killer tells the stories reading from her writings in a notebook. After the last story is told, her time is up. . . or is it? Not too bad for a small horror anthology. You get a bit of the typical Troma special effects. This is the kind of movie you might watch late at night on cable, or I guess on streaming now. I liked this one, so willing to give it 3 out of 5 stars. Watched 7/12.

First story is a woman who kills her children in order to be with a wealthy man. But getting away with it will not be easy.
Second story is about a young abused housewife living in a trailer home. When she finds out the old woman across the street may be a witch, she eventually gets the nerve to go visit her hoping to find a solution. The witch does give her a spell, and a very specific set of instructions. Will Heidi Mae be able to follow directions?
Third story involves a biker gang on the road to do a drug deal in Mexico. Before crossing the border, they need to stop in some small town to tend to some business or other. Soon there is a mystery when the gang leader tells the new guy they need to stop at a sacred place where other dead bikers rest. and the spirit of Big Rhonda, a now dead biker mama, watches over them. When the new guy turns out to be an undercover cop, which to be honest we can tell early on, Big Rhonda keeps the gang safe once more.

Evangeline (2013. Horror Thriller). Plot description: "The corpse of a college freshman is resurrected by an ancient demon that lets her loose to avenge her murder at the hands of three frat brothers." I am often good for a revenge tale, so here we go with this one. Film opens with the voice of a young girl telling about an ancient evil, which sets up the supernatural angle of the film. By the way. this is one of those movies where they pack most of the credits at the beginning, rarely a good sign. To complicate matters, in addition to the shitty frat brothers, there is a serial killer on campus; we get his flashbacks of victims between other scenes. I initially thought it was a loose end, but he eventually becomes one of Evangeline's victims. Once the frat boys leave her for dead, she sort of moves between this world and the hereafter. We get hints the demon may be in her once she comes back or at least near her. Overall, the film has some pretty surreal moments, which add some suspense and enhance the supernatural elements. The film takes its time building up Evangeline's revenge. There is violence, but not as graphic as it could be for a horror film. The emphasis is on the atmosphere. The frat boys, especially their leader, are truly evil, so we can't wait for Evangeline to lay down her justice on them. Pacing is steady, not too slow. Film could be a good selection for a horror film marathon late at night. I'd say 2.5 out of 5 as I liked it, but no big deal. Via TubiTv. Watched 7/12.
Becoming Evil: Serial Killers of the Old West (2011. Crime. Documentary). Description: "American serial killers are hardly a phenomenon confined to the 20th and 21st centuries. The Old West was a well-known time of lawlessness. A time when serial killers stalked the mountains, prairies and deserts of North America." The documentary defines a serial killer as "someone who kills two or more victims with a cooling off period in between, killing victims for which the killer has no empathy or remorse." Based on that definition, some Old West figures we may not think of as serial killers, at least in the modern sense, would fit the category. Documentary discusses how the time of the Old West may be a bit longer in time frame than many think. Also note that at times the sheriff or lawman could also be a serial killer depending on context, convenience, etc. The narrator has a very monotone voice, but the content overall is pretty interesting. Documentary blends in engravings, photographs, and illustrations of the time with some historical reenactments with actors. We also get some historians speak on the topic. You get both famous and lesser known stories, including at least one cannibal. If you like watching true crime series and/or western stories, you might like this. I liked it, so 3 out of 5 stars. Watched 7/18.
Cinderella's Curse (2024. Horror. Fantasy). Plot description: "Desperate Cinderella summons her fairy godmother from an ancient flesh-bound book, seeking revenge on her evil stepmother and stepsisters who abuse and torment her daily." If all you know about Cinderella is Disney's very sanitized version, well, consider this your warning before you watch this. The opening gruesome scene sets up a bit of how the ancient book works. Once we get to Cinderella and the family, the mom and the sisters are as evil as they come. To be honest, you can't wait until the upcoming revenge starts because they will be highly deserving. Prince Charming, named Levin here, is a serious asshole too by the way. The movie takes a while to the revenge we know is coming, 50 minutes in, out of an hour and 20 minutes movie, and by this point, we are more than ready to see some serious retribution. There are some gruesome moments, but to be honest not as hard as the film may suggest. And her revenge does come at a price, as often revenge does. Special effects were decent enough. Story does seem a bit long since we don't get the revenge until the movie is almost over. I'd say, however, the ending is quite satisfying, and may be worth watching the movie just to get there. 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 7/18.

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes:

Gangsters: America's Most Evil (True crime. Documentary). Plot description: "documentary television series that airs on Reelz which profiles notorious criminals whose crimes involve murder, drug trafficking, racketeering, and human trafficking." Series has 6 seasons out. Tubi has the first two seasons, and I found the rest over at the Roku Channel, so I will likely catch up over there.

This month I managed to watch most of the first season. I will be watching on to the second season next month and see how far I get. The interesting thing about this series is that most of the criminals are not big "celebrities," or at least criminals you often hear about in other documentary series.

The Occult History of the Third Reich (1990. Documentary. Mini series). Plot description: "Documents both the influences of alternative belief systems on the Nazi ideology and Hitler's personal philosophy, and the history and development of the ideas and symbols that would be used along with eugenicist racial politics to perpetrate the murder and oppression of millions during World War II." I found this casually on YouTube, and it seemed interesting. The series has four episodes: Documentary mainly used historical footage and narration to tell the story. It also makes very good use of music at different moments to inspire fear and emphasize the Nazi horrors. This is the kind of old but good documentary the History Channel used to feature before they became a reality TV and pseudohistory dump.

Enigma of the Swastika. Episode focuses a bit closer on the symbol of the swastika and how it went to become the Nazi symbol and associated with evil. Turns out Madame Blavatsky had a role in the early days; her writings about the Aryan race were integrated into Nazi ideology. Turns also out some of the Nazi symbols came from Norse runes which they either used outright or modified. An interesting detail is that the swastika, for a while at least, was used in other places like Great Britain.
The SS: Blood and Soil. This episode looks at the rise of the SS, and how it formed around occult myths and eugenics to be Nazi Germany's Aryan exemplar. Again, Madame Blavatsky gets a mention, in part for her idea of the Great (White) Elect.
Heinrich Himmler. Interesting detail is mention of how the United States in the 1920s or so had put eugenics into practice including compulsory sterilization, in many cases by law. The Germans in that time looked up to the United States regarding eugenics. This episode is supposedly about Himmler, but it is more a look at the eugenic policies of Nazi Germany, focusing on the SS. Kind of feels more like a part two of the SS episode. Himmler is mentioned in terms of policies he put in place or some occult practices, but this is not a biographical piece. Still interesting.
Adolph Hitler. A good part of this episode looks at the German eugenic policies, which were inspired by the United States eugenics movement and practices. The book I am reading as of this post, The Shortest History of Eugenics, looks at these eugenics policies and acceptance by the scientific community. A detail that not many histories of the Nazi regime mention are the eugenic policies of euthanasia for what were considered defective children. The horrifying element, aside from killing children, is how the party got the people to go with it, leading to what became known as the Final Solution.

Saturday, July 04, 2026

Media Notes: Roundup for June 2026

Welcome to my somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during June 2026.

Movies and films (links to themoviedb.org for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available).

Sector 7 (2011. Horror. Science Fiction. Action. Korean film). Plot description: "An oil rig crew working off the southern tip of Jeju Island is suddenly forced to battle a deadly creature it finds 2,500 meters deep under the sea." Movie starts a bit slow, mostly a way for us to get to know the crew. When one of the female workers die, they suspect a guy who may have had a crush on her. However, when the rig's doctor dies shortly after, soon clues emerge it may be more than just a crime of passion. There is something aboard with them, and not only that, but we soon find out someone was messing with nature when they should not have. That last detail makes a twist on what is otherwise a horror film like Alien, but in an oil rig. Overall, movie is good enough. Some thrills, but nothing terribly memorable. The ending seemed to stretch a bit more than needed, but it was OK. Other than Hae-Jun, the main character, other characters are not really memorable, mostly there for the monster to pick them off. I'd give this two out of five stars as it was just OK. Not bad, but not that good either. Watched via TubiTv on 6/6.
Cadaver (2007. Horror. Korean film). Plot description: "Six med students dissect a beautiful cadaver. Now a vengeful spirit is dissecting them one by one. They must solve her murder to survive the class." Movie starts slow in the build up. Initially the students see things, but we can't quite be sure if it is something supernatural, or just the natural nerves, squeamish feelings, and anxieties medical students may have dissecting their first cadaver. Soon things get more tense as another student dies, others start having dreams and seeing visions as the students start realizing the truth of the vengeful spirit. As we go into the backstory of the dead woman, we learn a somewhat complicated story, and one that one of the professors would rather stay hidden. Because it is not just about a dead girl, but there is also a conspiracy to hide. The film is more thriller than horror, and it is seriously slow at times. It is also almost 2 hours long, and you can feel the drag. On a positive some of the handling of flashbacks is well done. Still, the film feels a bit on the long side. Part of it is it feels they are not sure if to lean in on the supernatural or the conspiracy angle, so at times it feels like they just threw everything in and then some more. The deeper you go, the more you want the movie to just end. The premise on this one is good, and it starts well, but then it just keeps going and going. It is barely OK, but I am still willing to give it 2 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 6/7.
One on One (2014. Crime. Drama. Korean film). Plot description: "After the senseless and grisly murder of a high school girl, her seven well-to-do assailants are hunted down and tortured by seven vigilantes." Part of what makes the film interesting is that the vigilantes, who are not exactly pros, are not all united. They have disagreements at times about what they are doing, so you wonder if they will be able to go through with their task. Also, they have different motivations for joining the vigilante group. However, plot gets complicated when someone finds the vigilante group and starts following them. After a while, the film becomes more a drama about the vigilantes and their individual lives than the tale of revenge suggested. After a while, the movie starts feeling long; it is about 2 hours, and after about an hour in it does start feeling long. In the end, it becomes more of a melodrama than a crime film. Again, this was OK at most, so I am charitably giving it 2 out of 5 stars, mostly because some of the performances, especially Don Lee as the vigilante leader, were good, but the film as a whole was a bit of a drag for a not so satisfactory ending. Watched 6/12 on TubiTv.
Amityville in the Hood (2021. Horror.) Plot description: "An Eastside gang uses the Amityville property to grow marijuana when they are attacked by a rival gang and their drugs stolen. Soon, it's unleashed on the Westside streets of Compton, where anyone who smokes it suffers one KILLER buzz." Premise overall is pretty simple: two guys steal pot that was growing inside the sort of abandoned Amityville house (yea, that house), but then they get robbed by another gang, who then takes the pot from them to Compton, California. Who was growing the pot? Does not matter. The house is there just to get this plot going. Once people in Compton start smoking the stolen pot, things go from bad to worse as the smokers turn into monsters. Overall this is one of those seriously low budget films with a bunch of unknown actors barely acting. Sadly even that relatively simple plot they can't keep straight as the story goes from the weed to objects from the house that got auctioned, went to other places, and cause all sorts of evil. Kind of like a flashback. The result is a sort of ridiculous mess that we are not quite sure what is going on. The bad acting, well, not quite amusing, and pretty bad. The effects, when you get any, cheap. Overall, this is pretty awful even with a giggle or two here or there. It's a mess you probably should skip. 1 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 6/12.

In cheap details, a few minutes in, someone in a mask is laying a curse and using a book that has what appears to be a photo of Anton LaVey on the back cover. I could not make out the title of the book. Anyhow, book is likely used as a quick prop of a grimoire or similar.
As often case, a movie that puts all their credits at the beginning is a sign of a bad or cheesy film, and this one does it.
In cheap details, in transition moments, they use a really cheap hip hop soundtrack with lyrics somewhat connected to the Amityville theme.

The Barn (2018. Horror. Crime. Mystery). Plot description: "A journalist sent to cover a serial killer case causes friction in the town as she discovers an ominous barn owned by two troubled brothers." Film starts stating that after 9/11 there was an epidemic in the nation that cause, among other things, violence and necrosis. As film starts, it is 10 years later or so, and while the epidemic is considered contained, the virus is still active and out there. So the film is a bit more so far than just a serial killer story. It is sort of a zombie movie with a serial killer to complicate things. However, the issue is the story does not really tie much together. The serial killer angle is relatively minimal. The zombies mostly is the one guy keeps some infected folks in a barn hoping to keep them under control; we've seen this device in places like The Walking Dead and some other zombie stories of people having a soft side for zombies who are just gone by now. The reporter, aside from being nosy, also not that big a deal. Talking happens here or there. The farm people do chores now and then, and once in a while there is a victim of the serial killer, but no apparent urgency from the local cops, certainly not from the one deputy which is all the law enforcement we see in the movie. This is just a seriously slow drag that does not quite know what it is about. As for the acting, fairly quotidian, but then again, to do a lot of farm chores and some talking here or there does not take that much acting skill. One hour in, for an hour and half movie, and you are still wondering what the heck is this exactly about. Don't expect the ending to make things clearer. 1 out of 5 stars, and that barely. This is one you should skip, and I wish I had. Watched 6/20. Via TubiTv.
Tarot Curse (2025. Horror. Mystery). Plot description: "After a Tarot reading in New Orleans, a group of students are horrified to realize the cards are predicting their gruesome deaths one by one." Before we go on, this is not the Tarot film released in theaters recently; this is one of the Tubi original films. The trailer made it seem pretty cheesy, so I figured why not take a chance? To start, the opening sequence and first death seemed a bit silly, but also fun, so we may be to a good start for this type of movie. Once movie starts, we get a bunch of high school seniors taking a last senior trip to New Orleans, for the most part the usual mostly disposable teens. The card reading scene in New Orleans I thought was pretty good; I'd get a reading from her. The character had that blend of elder witch with a bit of the stereotypes of a card reader. Scene is a bit silly and a bit spooky. The transition to the next scene was interesting, was it a dream or not? Anyhow, we get to them returning from the trip, and this is where things now will start happening. Naturally, we got the one teen, the Black guy in this case, who tries to warn others about the cards and what is happening. Naturally, no one wants to listen, even though the signs are there. To be honest, this was better than I thought it would be. A bit by the numbers: they got a card, and then their fate happens, which ends in death. Deaths were somewhat creative, a bit of gore but not too much. Film had a good pace, and while not great, it was entertaining. This could be a movie you might watch as part of a Halloween marathon. Yes, they take some liberties with the card interpretations, but it is a horror movie. Certainly a lot better than other movies I watched this month so far. Simple, entertaining, it works. 3 out of 5 stars. Watched 6/27.

Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (2018-2020. Reality. Restaurants. Cooking). Plot description: The premise here is Ramsay will attempt to fix a restaurant and get it back on track in 24 hours. To do so, his team and him travel in a giant truck that serves as command center and mobile training kitchen. Before fixing the place, he visits it undercover, wearing a disguise, often with guests, to assess the place. If you liked shows like his Secret Service (see above) or maybe Kitchen Nightmares (I tend to prefer his original British show, but 24 Hours is closer in style to the American version of Kitchen Nightmares), you may like this one. I saw Tubi had it, read a bit about it, took a chance and started it at the end of last month, May 2026. It has three seasons, and I managed to finish the series this month.
Next Level Chef (2022- . Reality. Cooking Competition). Tubi just got in the recently finished 5th season. I commented on the 4th season here. So far I have liked this series, so started watching the 5th season this month. This season has 15 episodes. As before, first three episodes are auditions: one episode each for professional chefs, home chefs, and social media chefs. I zipped through it and finished it this month. I think I tend to like this series because, so far, has a bit less drama and less asshole behavior from the contestants than shows like Hell's Kitchen where there is always at least one arrogant obnoxious asshole competing. I understand the show has been renewed, so I will be watching it sometime next year.
Shipping Wars (2012-2022. Reality TV). Plot description: "The show follows various independent shippers who have discovered that money can be made transporting large/bulky/unusual items that traditional carriers either cannot or will not haul." I remember watching some of the episodes when the show was on the air. For me, what was interesting was the objects and items they hauled from museum pieces to just unusual things. Episodes last about 22 minutes without ads. Tubi has the first four seasons, out of nine in total, which is where I started watching this month.

Side note, I checked Roku Channel, and they got seasons 8 and 9 of the series.

Monday, June 01, 2026

Media notes: Roundup for May 2026

Welcome to my somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during May 2026.

Movies and films (links to themoviedb.org or Wikipedia for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available).

Don't Breathe (2016. Horror. Thriller.Crime). Plot description: "A group of teens break into a blind man's home thinking they'll get away with the perfect crime. They're wrong." I had not heard of this one before until Tubi showed it as a suggestion to watch. The trailer looked good enough. It's one of those in the genre of badass guy minding his own business when outsiders decide to mess with him for some reason, and hell then breaks loose for them. The small gang has specific rules: they mostly steal small valuables, no cash, to avoid charges of grand larceny if they get caught. However, the rumor the blind man has a large amount of money in the house, due to a legal settlement he got, is too much of a temptation for them. We get a bit of background on the thieves, very little, as they plan the heist, but let's be honest; these are not people deserving of sympathy given their crimes. An interesting detail, to me at least, is some of the ways the Blind Man knows or can tell there are people in his home whether from hearing or a good sense of smell. This was an unexpected thriller for me. Good amount of suspense and tension throughout. Plus, just when you think things can't get worse, we get a twist at the middle of the film revealing how far the Blind Man will go. Good performances from Stephen Lang as the Blind Man and Jane Levy as Rocky. The pace moves well, and it keeps going. The ending act may feel a bit drawn, but it still works well. This film keeps you at the edge of the seat, and while I am not sympathetic to the thieves, you do end up wondering if any of them will make it or not. This is pretty good, and I would recommend it. I understand there is a sequel, and I may try to find it. 4 out of 5 stars. Watched 5/2.
2018 (Thriller. Action. Adventure. Indian film. Also known as 2018: Everyone is a hero). Plot description: "A disaster film set during the 2018 Kerala Floods where people from all walks of life faced catastrophic consequences and put in collective efforts to survive the calamity." Watched via TubiTv, which had the film dubbed in Spanish. I did not realize that until I started watching the film. Not an issue for me, though I admit I have not watched a Spanish dub in a while. Film starts introducing the various characters in the story, folks from various walks of life. Soon it starts raining, but initially it is just the usual rain, so life goes on. Until the rain continues, a new low pressure front moves in, and disaster comes with an unprecedented storm. Once the disaster is apparent, the people start rallying to help each other. Overall, a good drama, though the film can feel a bit long at times; it has a 2-hour and 28 minutes run time. Some moving moments, including the ending. We mostly follow the various small stories as people come together in the face of the floods. 3 out of 5 stars. Watched 5/10.

Basis of the film was the 2018 Kerala Floods. Note from the looks of it, flooding in the area seems to happen often, but this year was particularly bad.

The Moon (2023. Science Fiction. Drama. Disaster film. South Korean. Alternate title: Deu Mun). Plot description: "One astronaut, Sun-woo is left stranded in space. Facing another fatal catastrophe, the Naro Space Center turns to its former managing director Kim Jae-guk to help bring Sun-woo back home safely." Tubi recommended this one as similar to something else I watched, but I can't recall similar to what now. Anyhow, sounds pretty good so took a chance on it. I've been happy with many of the Asian films I've been finding and watching on Tubi. The movie is a pretty good drama, though the tension of the United States refusing to help, comes across as just mean. Not just mean but outright mean and petty (though for the U.S. not surprising). Then there is the tension between Kim and the current director, who seems a bit more worried about his ego than doing the right thing and looking good for his superiors. Meanwhile, as for the mission, just when you think Sun-woo can get a break, something else worse happens. This is a reason the movie feels long; the writers kept adding obstacle after obstacle, but it does keep the tension of the film going strong. The suspense is quite good as we all wonder will they manage to get Sun-woo back home. And if that is not enough, there is a twist or two revealed. Overall, a solid thriller that keeps you on the edge to the very end. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Watched 5/16.
Dracula 3000 (2004. Horror. Vampires. Science Fiction). Plot description: "On a routine mission, a salvage ship discovers a transporter vessel that vanished a century ago, unveiling a mystery far greater than they imagined." The movie is OK. A bit of Dracula retelling with a small touch of Alien, but without the horror. This had potential, but it failed to capitalize on it. So we get a cheesy, somewhat slow science fiction film that is barely a thriller. The ending was also a bit abrupt. In the end, it was OK, so 2 out of 5 stars barely. Via TubiTv. Watched 5/24.

To leave no doubt this is a Dracula film, there are nods and details back to the original book. The transporter ship is the Demeter, and its Captain is named Abraham Van Helsing. The intern is named Mina, and of course Count Orlock is Dracula. The system the ship is lost in is the Carpathian system.
The captain of the Demeter, long dead by time the salvage ship finds them, left recordings that we see every so often in the film. This kind of goes back to the letters we get in the novel.

Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service (2025. Reality. Restaurants. Cooking). Plot description: Since often when Ramsay visits, restaurants try to clean themselves up before he gets there, this time he infiltrates restaurants with help of an insider to see what really happens. He enters a place after hours, sees the real messes, then later returns to help them. The insider's identity is not revealed until the end of each episode. This is a short show of only one season with 14 episodes, so I took a chance. If you like other shows where a celebrity expert goes in to fix a business, or you have seen other Ramsay shows, you may like this one. This one is OK. Fairly fast paced, though it takes days in the reality to fix a place. Some drama, as you expect in this kind of show, not as much as other Ramsay shows like say Hell's Kitchen. I thought the nicest episode was the one for the Eritrean restaurant and its very sweet matriarch owner. Overall not a big deal but entertaining enough.

A bit of the fun in watching the show is trying to guess who the insider is before an episode ends.
Also a small fun detail is to see what fake business name they give Ramsay's surveillance truck every week.

Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (2018-2020. Reality. Restaurants. Cooking). Plot description: The premise here is Ramsay will attempt to fix a restaurant and get it back on track in 24 hours. To do so, his team and him travel in a giant truck that serves as command center and mobile training kitchen. Before fixing the place, he visits it undercover, wearing a disguise, often with guests, to assess the place. If you liked shows like his Secret Service (see above) or maybe Kitchen Nightmares (I tend to prefer his original British show, but 24 Hours is closer in style to the American version of Kitchen Nightmares), you may like this one. I saw Tubi had it, read a bit about it, took a chance and started it at the end of the month. It has three seasons, and I finished the first season, then about halfway into the second season by end of May.
Kojak (1973-1978. Action. Crime. Drama). The classic police drama procedural with Telly Savalas in the title role as Lieutenant Detective Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. I continue this month starting with Season 5, episode 3. TubiTv lost the series at the end of April, but I managed to find that the Roku Channel had it on their stream, so I finished the series over on Roku in May. Overall, it is very much a 1970s series, but the stories are good for the most part, and many of the themes still hold up well.

Again, in actors you have seen elsewhere, Armand Assante appears in season 5, episode 6.
In season 5, episode 16, Shelley Winters is the guest star as a not so good con woman who happens to be sister in law to Captain McNeil.
In episode 19 of season 5 we see Jeff Conaway. Some of us know him later as security chief Zack Allen in Babylon 5.

Friday, May 01, 2026

Media Notes: Roundup for April 2026

Welcome to my somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during April 2026.

Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise. I am trying out the movie database as an alternative as IMDB is getting more restrictive and paywalling more features. If it becomes a problem, I may just use Wikipedia). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available).

Event Horizon (1997. Horror. Science Fiction). I commented on this one back in the April 2019 roundup. It is one of those favorites that if I see it come up on a channel, I will stop to watch it. It came in April again, so yea, I watched it. Via TubiTv, though I also own it on DVD. Watched 4/4.
Airplane! (1980. Comedy. Spoof. Parody). Plot description: "After the crew becomes sick with food poisoning, a neurotic ex-fighter pilot must safely land a commercial airplane full of passengers." This is a spoof of the airline disaster films of the mid-1970s or so. I remember watching some of those, and I also remember watching this close to the time it came out. Part of the reason we watch films like these is the cast, which here includes: Robert Hays, Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Robert Stack among others. If you ever watch the Airport movies, you will notice the various cliches parodied here. Even if you have not seen those movies, you'll recognize some of the cliches used in later disaster films. Still, despite some dated details, the humor overall holds up pretty well. For recent viewers, there may be a gag or two that may not be as "politically correct," so there is your heads up. Otherwise, a pretty good spoof that still works. The pacing is pretty good as we get joke after joke at a steady clip. 4 out of 5 stars. Viat TubiTv. Watched 4/4.
The Knock Knock Man (2025. Horror). Plot description: "A group of friends summon an urban legend as a dare, but when someone breaks a rule, the entity becomes real. As it hunts them down, they must discover its origins and banish it before they're all killed." Opening has a brief text explaining the origin of the legend, a neglected child that dies and becomes the lost spirit of the Knock Knock Man; it is a pretty good premise for a horror film. We start with the usual cast of somewhat spoiled teens that we can't wait to see dead, you know, superficial people we could not care less. Once they get to the lake house, and evening hits, they start the game, and initially it works. When one of the players breaks the rule, that is when the trouble starts. This was an OK suspense movie. The horror when you look at it is relatively minimal, it is more suspense that outright horror: will the Knock Knock Man get them or not, and we can all guess the answer. Pacing is OK; it manages to maintain a sense of tension throughout, but aside from that, a passable slasher film, except the deaths are relatively minimal. There is some gore, but no big deal. The acting is average at best. Thing is this character could have potential for a series along the lines of urban legend movies or similar horror, but it stays at a basic level. Decent enough movie to watch late at night, but it is mostly a watch once and move on. The twist at the end with the Black guy did not quite make sense if you consider the rules the movie set out for the Knock Knock Man, but then again, it is horror and sometimes rules get broken. 2 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 4/10,
Your Host (2025. Horror). Plot description: "Four friends get trapped in a sadistic game show, forced to outwit a twisted serial killer while racing against time. Every move brings them closer to freedom or a gruesome fate." After we get a somewhat gruesome opening where a "contestant" chose poorly and gets killed, we moved to our four friends coming to some luxury country house one of their parents own. Again, as happens in these kind of movies, your usual vapid shallow characters you won't care about much. The one rich kid is an asshole, the two girls are a bit on the obnoxious side, though one of them is because she is worried over a sick parent, and the remaining guy is sort of meh. 15 minutes into the movie they get captured by a stranger and taken to the unknown game show location. The host puts them through a series of torture games. Once the "show" starts, it keeps going. At one point in the game, they have to confess the worst thing they did, which in a way confirms they are all assholes. Is that reason why they were picked for the game? Anyhow, we do not get much about the host or reason why the youth are chosen initially. Late into the film we get, via flashbacks, the host's background and a bit of why they were chosen. Overall, it is a decent thriller with a variety of fairly gruesome deaths. Reminiscent of the Saw films? Yes, it is. Still, the actor portraying the host does pretty well. The rest of the acting was OK. While not great, it is pretty good. I watched it in part because Tubi suggested it as having similar appeal to The Knock Knock Man. It was a bit better though not by much. There is some gore, but not as much as other more known horror films. Still, it is watchable. 2.5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 4/10.
The Witch: Part 1: The Subversion. (2018. Action. Mystery, Science Fiction. Korean film. Original title: Manyeo). Plot description: "When a bright high school student with memory loss enters a national talent show to help her struggling family, she finds her ordinary life flipped upside down by the sudden arrival of mysterious strangers seemingly connected to her past." Initially I thought this could be a horror film given the title, but the trailer conveyed it was a different concept, so I decided to take a chance. For starters, the opening credits with the various medical and pseudomedical images was interesting, adds a bit to the movie's initial mystery. The protagonist is a girl that escapes some kind of institution at 8 years old. She finds herself adopted by a cattle farmer and his wife. Time passes, and she is 19 now, the economy is bad, and her adoptive parents' health is frail, which motivates her to enter the contest. However, the contest brings exposure she did not want nor need. The story builds gradually as we get hints and bits of the girl's past and those who want to capture her. About halfway into the movie things really start to escalate, and the hunt is on. To be honest, this is not a new idea: some special child or youth kept in an unknown agency and raised to be an assassin or such. So the movie hinges on the intrigue, which it keeps very vague at times, and the action, which for at least first part of the film is minimal. We get some clues the program, whatever it is, is not just in Korea but other parts of the world as we get references of some kids being made in America (the U.S.). That part I find intriguing, but we do not get much of that background. As for the girl, it is the case of guy or gal with mysterious past living a peaceful life until they come after them. You know, stirring the nest of hornets they should've left alone. On a side note, for some reason, the dialogue in brief times uses English phrases but it is otherwise in Korean with subtitles. Not sure why they made that choice, but it is a bit weird to hear. As interesting as the film is, there is a bit more talking than anything else which kills the pacing. When the scientist is just talking out exposition later in the film, it just drags as you wait for the confrontation we all know is coming. The twist at the end, where we find out who baited who, is a nice detail. Yet in the end, some excessive dialogue ruins what can be a great action film. This is Also it leans a bit much into melodrama for what it is. a two-hour film, but it probably could have worked just fine in an hour and forty minutes or so. Still, in the end, story and execution are decent. Protagonist performance is pretty good too. It is good visually, and the action scenes are done well. I'd say it is one worth watching despite some flaws. I like it enough to give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 4/25.
The Witch: Part 2: The Other One (2022. Action. Mystery. Science Fiction. Korean film. Original title: Manyeo Part 2: the Other One). Plot description: "After escaping from a secluded laboratory, a young girl with overwhelming power finds herself on the run from several mysterious organizations, seeking refuge with a woman and her younger brother." Turns out there was a sequel to the previous movie, this time with a new girl. Tubi has it this month, so I just went right away to watch and see if it is worth it. The plot starts now about 10 years later from the original. Turns out in all that time the scientist's sister, who is also a researcher, has been doing some research of her own along with others. Some of the gifted children are out in the wild, and of course the organization, or rather organizations because there are factions it seems, wants them eliminated. Meanwhile, the new girl manages initially to stay out of sight with the woman and her brother. This movie is a lot slower than the previous one, and the added subplots, such as a gang trying to take over the woman's land for some development, does not help the film. Again, too much talking at times just slows down the film. Then we get annoying characters like the farm woman's brother, who is a typical annoying teenager. The attempts at humor, such as the grocery store scene, do not help much either. Bottom line is various folks are after the girl, but we need to get through other subplots to get there. The overall concept of the films is good enough, but this sequel we probably could have done without. By the way, this one includes a post-credits scene, so it looks like they are leaving an opening for yet another sequel. However, if we go by this one, I am not expecting a third installment to be any better. This one in the end was a bit of a mess with the subplots, and it felt slow for most of it. For this one, it could have been so much better if it was better focused, shorter length. 1.5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 4/25.

Kojak (1973-1978. Action. Crime. Drama). The classic police drama procedural with Telly Savalas in the title role as Lieutenant Detective Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Went on with season 4, which I finished, and into the 5th and final season of the series. Overall, I've been enjoying this series very much. Good writing, good drama, and of course, Telly Savalas had some serious charm. Rest of the cast perform well too. Via TubiTv.

In season 4, episode 15, suddenly we see Brian Dennehy as a security company officer.

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Media Notes: Roundup for March 2026

Welcome to my somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during February 2026.

Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available).

Final Prayer (2013. Horror. Thriller.) Plot description: "A team of Vatican investigators descend upon a church in a remote area to demystify the unusual happenings, but what they discover is more disturbing than they had first imagined." I am not usually a fan of the "found footage" horror variety, but what the heck I am taking a chance on this one. The events starr in Brazil, and at the opening, when they find the cameras, the cops are speaking in Portuguese, and no subtitles. I wish filmmakers would bother to translate those foreign language segments as needed. The start of the film is pretty slow as the team sets itself up, then eventually decide to go over to the site, which is a fairly typical small church built in the Middle Ages. We get to about halfway in the movie, and not much of anything other than a small noise here or there really happens. Seems a lot of fuss for a small paranormal moment from a video, what they are investigating, which may or not be fake. They spend more time talking than actually investigating or doing anything. Result is fairly slow and boring movie with little thrills. Oh, and filming big chunks in the dark where you can barely see anything does not automatically make for thrills. It is just slow, dragging, and it really does not offer much of anything in way of a thriller nor horror. By time it gets to the last ten minutes or so, you pretty much don't give much of a fuck, and you just want it to be over. The acting is not that good either by the way. This is one to definitely skip, so be glad I watched it so you don't have to. 0 out of 5 stars because a 1 would be charity. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/7.
The Apprentice (2024. Docudrama. Biography). Plot description: "A young man took over his father's real-estate business in 1970s and '80s New York, and got the helping hand of an infamous closeted gay lawyer who helped him turn this young man into a notorious legend. Based on true events." The young man here is Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) in his early days, and the lawyer is the infamous by now Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). A reason I am watching this is one of my students who saw it recommended it. As stated in the movie opening, film is based on real events and characters, but some events and characters were fictionalized for dramatic effect. So keep that small detail in mind. The film opens with Nixon giving part of his "I am not a crook speech." This serves as a nice note given that, unlike Nixon, well, Trump as we know did not exactly earn what he got and avoids scrutiny to this day. We all know Donald Trump is awful, but if you wonder where he got it from, his father Fred is truly awful, even with his family. In this film, Donald is the "apprentice" as he comes under Roy's wing. Donald was already ambitious, but it is Roy who really begins to teach him the ways of money, greed, power, so on. He also teaches him the rules Donald lives by to this day, always attack, never admit wrongdoing, and always claim victory, even if defeated. The film does portray Donald a bit more innocent than he may have been in reality at the time. Still, the performances by Stan and Strong are great, especially Strong as Roy Cohn. In the end, perhaps Cohn did a great job mentoring and teaching Trump, maybe too well. Heck, you might feel sorry for Cohn, asshole as he was, once Trump turns against him. It is an intense scene when they confront each other over Russell, Cohn's gay lover. The movie does have a lot going for it. It captures the time period very well including the music and ambiance. It is a movie that looks good overall, and it is a good drama. Powerful at times, especially in the last act. I can see why Trump wanted the movie suppressed. They do not embellish him or those around him in any way. Film takes us from 1973 to the later half of the 1980s; Cohn dies in 1986, so a bit after that. A lot of Trump's rise was him, but the 80s were also a serious time of greed, which eased a lot of Trump's initial success. Film manages to catch that balance and show in the end it was not just him; this is very much American culture where there is justice for some, and the rich are the real owners, to borrow George Carlin's phrase. I am willing to give 5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/13.

On a curious note, to me at least, in the very last scene when Donald is talking to the ghost writer of the book that will become The Art of the Deal, some of the music echoes or sounds similar to some of the music at the end of the film Scarface, the one with Al Pacino. I am not sure if that was intentional or not, but it is a bit of powerful music and it does a great job highlighting Donald's evil and ruthlessness.

The Witch: Revenge (2024. Horror. War. Ukrainian film. also known as The Witch of Knotop). Plot description: "The tale unfolds around an ancient witch from the Ukrainian town of Konotop, who long ago abandoned her extraordinary powers after falling in love with a mortal man. However, tragedy strikes when her beloved is brutally murdered by the Russian soldiers as they occupy Konotop in February 2022. Fueled by grief and a thirst for revenge, she reclaims her supernatural abilities, embarking on a blood-soaked quest to mete out justice to her fiancé's killers." The description caught my eye given how timely it is to current events, so I took a chance on this. The movie gradually builds up as it focuses in part on the group of Russian invaders who killed the witch's fiance, and they are pretty much evil assholes who we will not miss once the witch begins her revenge. The movie is a bit of a slow burner as the witch, calling on dark powers, slowly but surely targets the Russian soldiers one at a time using various violent methods, some slower than others. The film falls well within folk witchcraft. They basically called the wrath of a peaceful witch upon themselves. If you expect a lot of gore and horror, this is not that kind of film. It is more slow horror building up, and a good amount of suspense. But you also feel for the witch as she loses herself in the dark powers she has summoned to aid her revenge. We get a complex tale of folk terror. Acting is good, not spectacular. The soldiers are pretty much bad Russians, not too much depth. The witch on the other hand has some character. To be honest, this was better than I thought it might be. The ending felt a bit of a stretch, but it works well enough to wrap the film up. Giving it 4 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/13.

Interesting detail. One of the Russian soldiers in the squad is Buryat, a native indigenous man from Siberia. He may be the only one with some semblance of head on his shoulders, less vicious than the actual Russians.
A small technical note: the closed caption text at times varies from the speaking in the movie. Movie is in English.

Boiling Point (2021. Drama). Plot description: "A chef must deal with pressures in and out of the kitchen of a high end restaurant in the Christmas rush." The gimmick in this film is that is was filmed in one shot, yes, the whole thing. It is a restaurant and workplace drama where at times it is a miracle anything gets done: workers arriving late, workers not really caring and just going through the motions, personal dramas, so on. And then there are the prima donna customers. Andy, our chef protagonist, barely has his act together given various personal issues and distractions. And it all comes down on Christmas, including some celebrity chef visiting the restaurant that Andy worked with previously. Oh. and don't forget the useless influencer assholes, because in a fancy restaurant you need to have some too. Once the movie starts it moves at a quick pace, and since it is a restaurant shift on a busy evening, we have lots of things going on the viewer gets to see. Aside from the single shot technique, there is not much in this film. If you've read books like Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, or you worked in a high end restaurant, then you have an idea how the drill goes. It does have some infuriating moments in the ways the lower workers are often abused by their superiors, including superiors that are barely competent. Also included is Andy who due to his distractions, and drinking, makes mistakes and blames his inferiors. We also see a measure of corruption, games, so on that are more infuriating than anything else. And the more you see, the more infuriating at times it can get. In the end, story as a whole is just not terribly deep. Story is pretty much any high end restaurant shift in a seasonal rush. Acting is good enough, especially Andy (Stephen Graham, the protagonist) and Carly, the other main chef (Vinette Robinson). As it progresses, it just gets tiring, kind of like the shift depicted. The drama is solid, but it is a basic story, nothing spectacular. If you've been in food service, you will likely relate to a lot, but even if not, some of the evils of workplaces may resonate. Ending is a bit abrupt, but not surprising. If this was a real restaurant, it would be one to avoid. 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/20.
Aliens in the Hood (2023. Science Fiction. Drama. Crime. Made for TV). Plot description: "A long-running struggle for control over the local drug trade becomes even more complicated when aliens touch down in the neighborhood." That title and plot sounded seriously silly, so I said what the heck, let's have a look. About 12 minutes in, nothing really happens other than meeting some of the characters. The UFOs are in the sky, but since they just stay there, silent, most people after a while just ignore them and go on with life, crimes, etc. The aliens in the end are barely in the background; the characters just move on with their plots and various crimes. Some people get shot, but even that is kind of meh. To be honest, if they wanted to film a crime drama from the hood they could have done it just fine without any aliens. Movie moves from scene from scene with no central plot. The acting is to be honest barely on par, fairly bad. Pacing is slow. And for some reason, the sound editing is pretty bad too. Overall, slow, boring, not much of anything happens to make this worth watching, and the small attempt at the end is just nowhere near enough. About only good thing about the movie is the title. 0 out of 5 stars as this is one to skip. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/28.

Kojak (1973-1978. Action. Crime. Drama). The classic police drama procedural with Telly Savalas in the title role as Lieutenant Detective Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. I continue with Season 2, starting this month with episode 20. I finished seasons 2 and 3, on to Season 4.

In interesting details. In season 2, episode 25, last of the second season, we get a medium who dreams of murders before they happen. She does call the police, who naturally are skeptical, but soon her dreams manifest. Andrew Robinson, who you may know from films like Dirty Harry where he portrayed the killer, plays the killer in this one.
Again, actors seen elsewhere: In season 3, episode 1, Michael V. Gazzo, a shady loan shark and parking lots owner. You may better know him as Frankie Pentangeli from The Godfather Part II. So are Eli Wallach. who you may know from various films, and Jerry Orbach, often known from Law and Order series.
And in season 3, episode 3, Sylvester Stallone makes a guest appearance as a somewhat gung ho cop who accidentally shoots a child, or was it accidental?
Again, actors seen elsewhere. Vincent Gardenia appears as a former NYPD detective now working in Las Vegas in season 3, episode 14. I remember him as the detective in the early Death Wish films.
In Season 4, episode 1 we see a young Richard Gere.

The Amish Dilemma (Documentary. PBS. 2019). Description: "Three generations of Amish make a rare decision to tell their stories after months of reflection and debate with their pastors. How can they live between an ancestral ideology and a civilization of consumption pushed to the extreme? This documentary raises questions about the notion of individual freedom, belonging to a minority, economic and social norms, as well as the place of women." An interesting detail to me is that over time the Amish make small concessions to technology, often to be better able to run a farm and/or compete as a business in the modern world. They are small concessions, for example, in one farm, the farmer has a small generator, made from an old car engine, for electricity to run the dairy farm, but he is not connected in any way to the local grid. Connecting to the grid is forbidden. So they adapt in small ways but still work hard to hold on to their simple life. This is not all Amish; there are still some who are very conservative and really refuse any modern technology. Documentary was basic. It was interesting, well done. They managed to find some Amish willing to be filmed, though shading their faces, and talk about their beliefs. Via TubiTv. Watched 3/6.

Monday, March 02, 2026

Media Notes: Roundup for February 2026

Welcome to my somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during February 2026.

Destruction Force (1977. Crime. Police Procedural. Italian film, also known as La banda del Trucido). Plot description: "A shoot out after a robbery ends with the death of the Chief of Police. Police detective Ghini goes in search of a suspect, Lanza, to avenge the death of his boss." The action pretty much starts right away with a hostage situation the cops need to defuse. The movie has a decent pace and action, but the plot is a bit all over. One moment the crooks are planning a heist, the next another crook takes a cop's girl hostage to ambush him, but he manages to overcome the situation, and then on to something else. Entertaining as it can be in moments, the plot goes from one moment to another with little apparent connection. Main case is some jewel thieves and the fallout of their robbery. "Trashy," the restaurant owner who is sort of a middle man for criminals and leads a group of thieves, also has a child and at times has to baby sit. A couple of moments with him and the baby can be amusing. Trashy, as much as possible, avoids violence and teaches his thieves to work without violence. However, his clients who get a driver from him do not hesitate to be violent in their crimes. Note also that, at least on this edition, some parts of the Italian dialogue did not get dubbed, mostly some domestic scenes such as Trashy with his wife. By the way, movie does have a somewhat catchy soundtrack. Note the revenge plot is not as the movie's description states: Trashy is the one who goes to seek vengeance when the driver he provided gets killed. By the way, the English movie title does nothing for the movie. As typical in these films, there is plenty of action, violence, and shooting. The ending is, well, a bit on the light side after all that went before, but it works. Overall, the film does keep your attention as we want to see how it all comes down. I liked the movie, though I wish the dub was complete. Willing to give it 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 2/7.

Film also listed in Grindhouse Cinema Database.

Mortal Game (2024. Horror. Made for television film). Plot description: "A group of hunters travel to a mysterious island to track down a legendary forest creature. They soon realize their guide has set them up as bait, forcing them to confront a highly intelligent predator that terrorizes them one by one." This is pretty clearly a knock off of other films featuring some kind of specially skilled group of warriors (soldiers, commandos, hunters, etc.) taking on some monster in the middle of nowhere. We get three hunters, and one photographer, which I am curious why he is there as he does not seem as well trained nor skilled as others, plus the guide. Turns out the photographer has a show, one of those influencers on social media, so yes, fairly useless and a bit cowardly to boot. While the character development is not great, we eventually get hints why they are all there. One for a last thrill, another for the reward money, and another because it is a hunt. The monster effects are not that good, basic furry monster kind of thing. Once they figure out their situation, it becomes a matter of surviving long enough to get off the island, killing the monster if they can. The movie is pretty much by the numbers. Terror is not that much to be honest, little gore. Not that much suspense either, just a matter of seeing the final girl survive. Hey, it is a horror movie, and it keeps that trope of the last girl. In the end it was OK, not bad, so 2 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 2/7.
Weapons of Death (1977. Action. Crime. Drama. Italian movie aka Napoli Spara!). Plot description: "A police commissioner tries to bring a gangster to justice as the kingpin's out-of-control crimes set even his own underworld allies against him." The movie starts at a fast pace, and it keeps a steady pace of action throughout as the detective has to deal with various crimes. He knows who the gangster is, but as often the case knowing and proving it are different things. The gangster is quite resourceful to stay ahead of the law. The movie does keep your attention from beginning to end, and it adds some light humor here or there thanks to a street urchin the detective deals with now and then. Overall a good drama with plenty of action, a bit gritty, and intense at the end. I will note there is at least one pretty disturbing prison yard scene. I'd say 4 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 2/13.

Film is also listed in the Grindhouse Cinema Database.

Hell's Kitchen (2005-). Description: "Twelve aspiring restaurateurs compete before chef Gordon Ramsay." I commented on this show last in May 2024 for season 21. This month I am watching season 22. Theme for this season is "The American Dream" and has 16 episodes. Contestants are either immigrants or may be from outside the U.S. Via TubiTv, which is running a bit behind, but for me, I watch it when I get to it

Prize is to become head chef to Hell's Kitchen restaurant in Las Vegas and a $250,000.
On this season, they start the drama early on. By second episode they're already at each other's heads, and the one asshole (there is always one) pretty much comes in right at the start of the show.
Among the celebrity guests in the dinners are Paula Abdul and Dolph Lundgren.
The formula for the most part remains the same. This season they added some challenges to reinforce the American Dream theme, but otherwise pretty much the same in terms of format.

Kojak (1973-1978. Action. Crime. Drama). The classic police drama procedural with Telly Savalas in the title role as Lieutenant Detective Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. I continued with Season 2 starting with episode 9 and made it to Season 2 episode 19.

In actors you've seen elsewhere. In Season 2, Episode 9, Abe Vigoda makes an appearance as a jailed mobster.
Daniel J. Travanti appears in Season 2, Episode 10 as a rival detective.
In season 2, episode 11, an interesting detail. The wife of a private eye reads horoscopes for clients. She gets their charts from a friend who uses a computer to enter the data like birthday, so on to get the astrological chart of a person, which she then would interpret for clients. This was before now where you can get your own birth chard online in various places, some even free. Also, this was early days of computers, so they are not universally everywhere yet.
Leslie Nielsen makes an appearance in season 2, episode 15. He is one half of an illicit love affair trying to do a diamond heist, and he is pretty ruthless. On what may be an interesting detail, to some, the female partner is a Black woman.
In season 2, episode 16, we get a young Erik Estrada, initially a suspect of an arson but soon the cops realize it was not him.

Sunday, February 01, 2026

Media Notes: Roundup for January 2026

Welcome to my somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during January 2026.

Battle Royale (2000. Dystopian. Action. Thriller. Japanese). Plot description: "In a dystopian future, a group of students from a Japanese high school are forced by the government to compete in a battle, killing one another until only one is left standing." I have been meaning to watch this for a while now since I did read the manga. I finally decided to do it now. This particular edition has English dub. The movie is seriously intense in terms of the violence, but it is also a very good drama with suspense and action throughout. Once it gets started, you keep on watching until the very end. This is the classic story that other later dystopian works of fiction wish they could be or try to keep up with it. If you have not seen it, worth a watch. Sure, it takes some liberties from the novel, but still worth it. 5 out of 5 stars. Saw it on Tubi 1/3, but went on and got the DVD a bit later.

The film is based on the novel of the same title. The novel has also been serialized in a manga, and as noted I did I read the manga some time ago, which I highly recommend. I probably should reread it to review here on the blog down the road.
On actors you may have seen elsewhere, Takeshi Kitano, who portrays the teacher/host, is also the protagonist and director of the Outrage yakuza films, which I did watch and review in this blog. He is also the Takeshi of Takeshi's Castle the game show. You may have seen footage of that show in the American spoof game show Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, which I have also watched and commented on in the blog previously.
Speaking of similarities between this story and later works, in the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man, the one with Arnold, Richard Dawson is the host. Both films basically employed an actor known as a game show host for their host roles.

Execution Squad (1972. Crime. Italian. Drama. Also known as La polizia ringrazia). Plot description: "An inspector pursues a secret society of former police officers who go beyond the law by killing notorious criminals without trial." If I recall, I saw someone on social media mention this, and I got curious enough to go look. On first impression, it brought to mind Magnum Force, the Dirty Harry film where he has to go after a group of rogue cops who go vigilante and start killing criminals. Magnum Force was released a year later in 1973. The movie does take a bit to get to the main plot of the secret executioners. We get a picture of a corrupt city with rampant crime, the inspector under siege from criminals and a hostile press while investigating a homicide and trying to keep order. It is 40 minutes into the film when the first execution happens. So now, the inspector has to investigate this crime along with the other crimes. After the first execution, the pace picks up as the squad gets to work, so to speak. The inspector soon figures out what is happening but naturally his superiors don't believe, or want to believe, there is a vigilante group out there. The film is a fairly straightforward police drama, but it does have a twist at the end that I admit caught my attention fully as we see how deep the police corruption goes. Good performance from Enrico Maria Salerno as the honest inspector in a corrupt police department and by Mario Adorf as the shady assistant district attorney. Overall it is a pretty good drama that goes dark fast in the last act. I liked it so willing to give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Watched on TubiTv on 1/10.

Film is also listed in the Grindhouse Cinema Database.
Film is an example of the Poliziotesschi genre. This is the first film in this Italian genre I've seen, and based on it I am curious enough to seek out others. GCBD has a decent list of these films.

Alienator (1990. Science Fiction. Action). Plot description: "Kol, an alien escapee, lands in American woods. The commander sends The Alienator to terminate him. Kol joins teens and Ward Armstrong, evading The Alienator's relentless hunt." For starters, it does open with a small scrolling text to set up context and somewhat cheesy musical score. Jan-Michael Vincent is in this one as the commander, and he hams it up as the sadistic executioner. Teagan Clive is the Alienator, and I'll say she is easy on the eyes. Sadly she does not get much to do other than walk around being fierce, mostly silent, and shooting lasers. The alien has the bad luck after landing to get hit by Rick's family RV, and they end up in a ranger station. To be honest, the family are a fairly typical bunch of obnoxious people, the kind you would not mind if they get eliminated sooner rather than later. Overall, it is a somewhat cheesy science fiction movie. A bit slow in some spots, the acting is so so, and as I mentioned, some of the characters like Rick are seriously irritating. This could have been better. It is nowhere near great, but it is watchable. I've seen much worse. As it is it is mostly OK, so 2 out of 5 atars. Via TubiTv. Watched 1/10.

You may have seen Clive in films like Armed and Dangerous and Jumpin' Jack Flash.

Rampant (2018. Horror. Action. Drama. South Korean film). Plot description: "Lee Chung is a Prince of Joseon, but he has been taken hostage to the Qing Dynasty. He enjoys boozing, womanizing and gambling. He is also an excellent swordsman. His older brother Lee Young will succeed to the throne and brings Lee Chung to Joseon. He returns after more than 10 years. Soon, Lee Chung faces monsters that run rampant in the night." A zombie invasion in the Korean feudal era. Just for that I decided to take a chance on this one. I tend to like Asian films, so this seemed a good bet. Film opening is simple yet horrifying as we see how the outbreak begins. If you are expecting a full blown zombie apocalypse style film, this is not quite it. While one of the village of Joseon has fallen to the zombie plague, in the royal palace conspiracies are happening to depose the king as well as get rid of Lee Chung, all the while the zombie danger grows but no one in the royal palace really wants to believe it nor worry about it. Much of the film is more a political intrigue and suspense film with the threat of the zombies hanging over their heads. Things then get complicated when an infected concubine bites the king, just before envoys of the Qing Emperor are due to arrive to collect tribute. Then the horror really breaks out. Overall, the movie is pretty good. It does have some slow moments, but the drama and action are pretty good, and it keeps you watching to the end. Pretty solid if you like a blend of political intrigue, plotting, and some zombies to complicate things. It certainly is better than a lot of the dreck Hollywood puts out these days. I really liked it despite a slow moment here or there. I'd say 4 out of 5 stars. Watched 1/17. Via TubiTv.

Some folks compare this to the South Korean film Train to Busan, so I need to check that out sooner rather than later.

I finished my current rewatch of Iron Chef (Japan. 1993-1999) this month and watched the 7th season via TubiTv. As I have written before, this is a comfort watch for me I enjoy watching every so often. I've commented and reviewed the series previously on this blog.
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (2004-2007. Reality. Cooking). I also did a rewatch of the original British version of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant rescue show that ran before the U.S. version. Via TubiTv. I do like the original as it does not have the excessive drama the American version adds, and as I have commented before, I do enjoy seeing the different places he visits.