Dudley Dursley has certainly grown all the way up!

I recently watched two very good movies, The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) and The Pale Blue Eye. Besides being period pieces adaptations, they both had a different link. Harry Melling, best know as Dudley Dursley from the Harry Potter movies. It was a bit odd to see him as he looks quite different now (understandably as he's grown up from the young man from the Harry Potter films). He still looked familiar to me though so it was easy to look him up find out who he was.

To move on to the movies now. Let's start with The Tragedy of Macbeth. This is an adaptation from Joel Coen, one half of the Coen Brothers, who worked alone for the first time to make this Shakespeare adaptation. Denzel Washington is the titular character and Frances McDormand is the infamous Lady Macbeth. I heard this was a pretty accurate portrayal of Macbeth's fighting prowess and I will say I believe it followed through with that very well. It's a good adaptation of the play and you really feel sympathy and then disgust and hatred for Macbeth in it. All the roles are well cast and the actors do wonderful jobs. It is thoroughly atmospheric and increasingly claustrophobic. While not exactly enjoyable, such as Macbeth is, this is a very good adaptation and makes me want to see more Denzel in Shakespeare roles. Gotta rewatch Much Ado About Nothing now...

8/10

The second Harry Melling film I watch, had him in a significantly larger role. The Pale Blue Eye is a fictional story about a young Poe who was a cadet at  West Point (truthfully!!) getting caught up in the seemingly ritualistic murders of some of his fellow cadets. Harry plays Poe very well and Christian Bale is Augustus Landor, the retired copper who's brought in to solve the crimes. It's a good mystery and the acting is top notch. This is really a good gothic thriller and worth a watch, if not really one that I will really look at watching again. I'm always game for anything Poe and they do try to show where some of the experiences in the movie could have inspired Poe's creativity and works. Fictionally of course as this is nowhere near a true story.

7/10

I did like Harry Melling in both of these films and will not be surprised to see him in more films later or, or be pleased with his performance, he certainly is so much more than that brat from the HP films.

I Consume Things From Some Lands Down Under

Somehow I fell into the world of Kiwi and Aussie crime. I think it started with lockdown and my internet not being the best while I worked from home. So I got DVD's from the library and fell into The Brokenwood Mysteries. It scratched a similar itch to Midsommer Murders and allowed me to work while having the show on to the side mostly listening to it and turning to watch only periodically. I love the way those mystery shows work like that for me. Anyway, Brokenwood is a fantastic little mystery show that has a fun cast of characters, intriguing mysteries and a beautiful setting. 

After this jaunt to New Zealand I searched for more of the like, and landed in Australia and the shows Troppo and Deadloch. While they both are fantastic mysteries, they hit different. Troppo is much more serious and dramatic with characters that aren't easy to love but you end up there anyway. Deadloch is a more comedic opposite partners trying to figure out the crime and how to work together, not to say it's not serious and violent at times, it is, but overall it has a bit of a sense of humor to it.

Then I went to books and found The Echo of Others and The Long Game by Simon Rowell. The first was a very good cold case style mystery that will make you thing about becoming a vegetarian. The second is the first in a series that just doesn't quite hit as well. It's good enough but probably not enough for me to continue the series.

Then I went to Red Dirt Road by S.R. White. This is much more of an isolated in the Outback mystery that really stops to freak you out and build tension with a very small group of suspects. It's in the middle of a series, but I didn't know that at the time and it stands alone very well and I will be reading further in the series for sure.

I then fell into Benjamin Stevenson's Ernest Cunningham Series. This is such an amazing group of books, starting with Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone. While the other 2 that are currently out are not as good, they are still fantastic reads of their own. The third is coming out in a couple weeks and I already have preordered it!

I still have a few more, Mystery Road started a a movie about a Aboriginal copper who fights back against corruption and racism in his town. It's a little slow moving and stylist
ically not what Hollywood would make, but the story is great and the characters you really feel for. The second movie Goldstone isn't as good but it was still enough for me to continue with the TV show shortly.

My bookclub had someone interested in cults and so they had us read Daughter of Gloriavale. This true memoir of a woman's life in the New Zealand religious cult of Gloriavale is a rough read. While the cult isn't as horrible as some you have heard of, there was certainly many abuses of the members, especially women/children, and racism that comes to play as well. It's a sad tale with the happy ending of freedom from the cult by Lilia Tarawa. 

Finally, the wife and I are listening to Michele Prak's The Rush. This is a tension building natural disaster book where the question of what's worse the natural disaster or men? and even though I am one, and I try not to use strong language on here very much, this book makes me want to just say FUCK MEN, they just SUCK!!!!!

I'm sure this is not the end of my expeditions to the other side of the world, and I'll probably be talking about more of them soon!

Kelly Macdonald and how Princess Merida walked to Gosford Park, solved a Puzzle went back to Dept. Q then looked in a Black Mirror and became a Radley

 

For many years now I've been a fan of Kelly Macdonald. She's been pretty amazing in everything I've seen her in. I recently watched Dept Q and it started me on the path to watch several of her productions. This is a brief review of several of these.

Dept. Q: This is a Scottish police procedural with some crossing of lines and some serious implications. It's tough not to root for the damaged main character as, even though he's an ass and he breaks the law as an entitled copper, he's also pretty good at solving crimes and getting to the root of things. This is a found family group of misfits that come together to be truly greater than their parts. Kelly plays a headshrinker in this one, and although she's not in it very much, she does make a lasting impression. Although everyone does a great job, Leah Byrne as DC Rose Dickson is the true standout for me. She's kinda like Tilly in Star Trek Discovery, and it's not just because of the hair.

7/10 because I'm tired of police not following the rules and getting away with it

Brave: How can you mention Ms. Macdonald and not acknowledge her amazing voicework as Merida. She's just the best in this role and her emotion and strength really come through with just her voice. A everlasting tale about family, expectations, and familial love.

9/10 Almost freaking perfect!

Puzzle: There's a whole movie about jigsaw puzzles and the competitive world they inspire?!?!? Yup. And it's a tough one for me to decide how I feel about it. There's a borderline sweet love story here, but it also deals with infidelity and I'm not forgiving about that. The actors do a great job, but it's tough to root for people that are cheaters.

3/10 Not a bad movie, but not for me.

Black Mirror - Hated in the Nation: A longer episode of the provocative series, Kelly is the focus here. As a detective that investigates how new technology is leading to/causing deaths. We really need to take care of the bees! I wish we saw more of these types of episodes from the series, but I'll take what we got and enjoy.

8/10 sadly predictive of where it feels like things are headed in many ways.

The Radleys: This is based on a book, of the same name, and is about Vampires who don't drink blood, dealing with their teenagers who do not have the same level of self control. It's an interesting take on vampires and the family dynamic. Has another cheating scene in it which made it less enjoyable for me. If people (vampires) just talked there would probably be less cheating and more happy marriages. Well acted and tense but with some parts that keep me from completely enjoying it.

4/10 darn it. I just can't enjoy a movie where cheating plays a big role.

Gosford Park: I originally saw this Robert Altman directed beauty all by my lonesome in theatres. Man was I glad I did. It's a combination of Upstairs Downstairs and the traditional English whodunit, with the bumbling copper and the intelligent downstairs help that truly knows what's going on. Altman had a magic touch with figuring out how to make overlapping conversations sound natural and still allow us the audience to focus on particular parts of them to pull out the messages. This movie deserves multiple viewings, like all of Altman's work, and I'm glad I watched it again.

8/10 maybe a little dry for some, but as a lover of many British tv shows and movies it's great!

I Scream 7 times for Burnt Offerings

 

So this weekend was a crazy one. The youngest had a Sadie's dance and her and her friend wanted to go together, they decided to make a whole event out of it and wanted to go see Scream 7 first then go to the dance. As my wife hates slashers in general, and those with teens as victims in particular, it was decided that I would be the chauffer (foreshadowing?) for the pair and watch the movie as well. Nothing like going with two teens dressed to the 9's to a horror movie on opening weekend!

*Spoilers will abound from here on out, so be warned*

Scream 7 plays into nostalgia so much! It opens at the original final house from Scream. It's been turned into a tacky museum/air B&B. The open couple are, of course, slaughtered with some throw back to that original. Then, you have Sidney and Gail in it, and the new focus is Sidney's daughter so it brings it back to teens as a focus. The soundtrack is reminiscent of the original Scream, as are the periodic shots of fall leaves blowing in the wind, and the signs of the main street of the town closing down and people rushing home to seal themselves in. It made me look up the soundtrack for listening to later, and it really felt like Wes was back in town for this one.

There's a new killer around, and this time it's Stu, back from the dead! I dug this as I'm a fan of Matthew Lillard, but the obvious part here is knowing if it's real or a deepfake. Don't you hate that it's such a thing. Not only in movies but the real world. Dumb. Anyway, Stu(?) is facetiming Sidney to threaten her and her daughter. Ghostface then proceeds to stalk the kids at the high school theater and it results in a gruesome death of McKenna Grace, much to the dismay of my kids friend, who loves her so much and legitimately cried at her death. Sidney then takes her daughter home to her husband, Joel McHale, the Sherriff of the town. Of course Ghostface knew this would happen and was in the attack, avoiding the police search and waiting for them to leave before attacking the family. Sidney puts on her survivor and Mom superpowers and between her, and her husband they are able to beat up, while getting hurt of course, Ghostface, making him run into the street where he is struck by Gail's speeding news van, killing him.

This was not anyone known and it leads to the search of the mental hospital where the man was recently at. There we meet, a very much older looking than I remember, Ethan Embry as a Orderly who tells Sidney and Gail that Stu was the friend and neighbor of this guy. Of course, Ethan is the killer, saw that coming a mile away. But Gail and Sidney don't figure that out until the reveal. Randy's twins, who came with Gail, then join with Tatum (Sidney's daughter, not another comeback to life from the original) and the rest of her friends, breaking curfew and hanging out at a bar that one of their families owns. This leads to Sherriff Jeff Winger getting killed at home without anyone knowing and the kids all getting attacked at the bar. Sidney gives Gail her interview finally, which makes Tatum leave the bar with her boyfriend, to go find her mom. She sees her boyfriend's computer and the mock-ups he has as himself as Stu doing deepfakes. He says he's just trying to see if it was possible but Tatum knocks him out with the laptop and gets out of the car, only to be chased by Ghostface. The teens at the bar are all slaughtered by Ghostface, but Randy's twins somehow were only hurt and knocked out?

Tatum runs through downtown, Sidney finds out that her daughter is at the bar and instead of finding her lost car keys, taking what 5-10 minutes, runs down the street for 20-30 minutes? Tatum is stalked, her boyfriend shows up and she apologies right before he's killed by Ghostface. Yup, all of Tatum's friends are dead. Didn't see that coming. Tatum runs to Sidney's coffee house and Sidney gets the notification so she gets on the camera's and guides Tatum into the office where there's a gun. Tatum barricades herself in the office, and eventually shoots Ghostface through the wall with Sidney's guidance. But she makes the fatal mistake, she doesn't listen to Sidney and doesn't shoot him in the head. Ghostface gets up, Tatum runs, right into another Ghostface (there were 3!?!?! shocked...). 

Sidney gets a call leading her back home so she can rescue Tatum. We then se a video montage of several current day actors playing "aged" killers from the past of the series (no Emma Roberts though!!!! the most disappointing part of the film!). It was a fun little tribute to fans of the series. 

The killer tell Sidney her daughter is tied to a chair outside, let's go back to the roots here! Sidney goes outside to see two Ghostface threatening her daughter. She drops her gun but we see another in her belt, of course. Ghostface then reveals himself to be the orderly, to no one's surprise but Sidney. The second Ghostface shows up drags the unkillable host of The Soup out in front of his wife and daughter and the most surprising part of the whole movie happens, he's actually still alive! Stabbed all to hell but alive!
 

The resulting reveal is that Anna Camp, Sidney's neighbor, is the other Ghostface and the architect of it all. For "Reasons." Didn't make a whole lot of sense, and honestly one of the worst Scream villain combos of them all. Of course, Frank from Animal Control, has enough strength and his luck pocket knife and is able to get Tatum free. She then is able to get away enough that Sidney shoots Ethan Embry in the head so it's just Anna Camp left. Aca-scuse me? The ensuing battle between Anna and Sidney finally ends with Tatum also there and Sidney and Tatum shooting Anna in the head so much her face was literally gone.

If it wasn't for the Stu angle the villains would be laughably bad. The motivations were illogical and convoluted. The kills were a bit over the top for me, but that seems to be the way slasher are going.

Overall this was a top 3-4 of the franchise for me. Good enough to watch, but not enough to say you should go out of your way for it.

6.5/10

My friends Marshal and Rish reviewed Burnt Offerings for The Outfield Excursions, part of the Journey Into Podcast. As a Patron I get early access to it, and while I'm a fan of all their episodes, and can recommend all of them, pay special attention once this one drops to everyone! Or become a Patron like me and listen to it now!

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I'm not going to say much about this 1976 gem, but I had never heard of it before they brought it up. This is now one of my top 5 scariest horror films I've seen. It is a true masterclass in tension, insanity, losing oneself, horror, and the scariest of all, the Chauffer!!!

Oliver Reed puts Jack Nicolson to shame in showing how a father can be corrupted and become a danger to his family. The pool scene alone is terrifying and had to be awful for the poor child actor to have been a part of! Betty Davis her hammy best, and while she doesn't have a ton to do, she does it all so well. Karen Black walks that line between Shelley Duvall, Norman Bates, and Mommy Dearest perfectly. 

Honestly, I'm glad I didn't see this as a kid. It would have given me nightmares, just as much a Something Wicked This Way Comes did. I cannot recommend this movie enough. While Good, Luck Have Fun, Don't Die and Send Help may be fighting for my favorite movie of this year, Burnt Offerings has easily taken the lead as my favorite movie I've been introduced to this year!

Do yourself a favor and watch it!!!

9/10