Beware! The Blob (aka Son of the Blob) (1972)
Hilariously awful “sequel” to the classic film. Directed by Larry “J.R. Ewing” Hagman. You’ll know within ten minutes if it’s a movie for you. The same basic plot as the original: meddling kids discover goo, no one believes them, things get real bad, a small victory, then humanity’s hubris gets the best of us.
A Bell from Hell (1973)
A surprisingly fantastic Spanish film. A story of madness and inheritance, a kind of updated gothic tale. John leaves an asylum and is harboring vengeful thoughts towards his aunt and three nieces who may have been using his fortune to keep him locked up. Will he take revenge if he needs to? A clue: The first thing he does after leaving the asylum is work at a slaughterhouse. When asked why he’s quitting, he says he’s learned enough. Creepy. Awesome. The film uses some real slaughterhouse footage. Gross, but it works. This was the director’s last film as he fell from the bell tower under construction in the movie. (Thanks to Derek for suggesting this and Possession!)
I heard so many bad things about this one I was leery, especially after watching The Thing (2011). A crew, including a few archaeologists, are attempting to find “The Engineers” of human life. I think some viewers may not have liked the lack of aliens, but that didn’t bother me. What we see for the most part is effective. I think some folks may not have liked that the movie in no way attempts to answer all of the questions it presents. I like that, too, but it does make the plotting messy at times and did leave me indifferent to the Engineers, who were unsatisfying. The overall look and design elements of the movie are incredible, with the exception of a few bothersome CGI creature moments.
I’m usually years behind on television shows, and honestly, I’m not one for TV drama. I’m more likely to watch Tim and Eric or Monty Python. I haven’t seen The Wire, Breaking Bad, or The Walking Dead. Well, I tried to watch those last two and I had to stop–not because the shows were bad, but because I simply couldn’t deal with the constant tension. Yeah, I know, I will purposely put myself in front of something like that aforementioned Blob movie, but I can’t watch some of the best shows in this “New Golden Age” of television.
I started reading The King In Yellow, not knowing the connection to True Detective. When I did some reading about Chambers, the author, I came across his influence on the show and decided to check it out. I mainlined it. I loved the setting, the acting, the story, pretty much everything about it. I might get this book, too. I’ve recently read some articles critical of the finale and I concur. What’s interesting is that the writers say that they love the show, but feel unsatisfied with the last episode. Still, I’d watch the entire first season again.
Stephen McClurg 