AVENGERS: ENDGAME

Avengers Assemble!

AVENGERS: ENDGAME  (2019). Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo. 

Following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, the nihilistic villain Thanos (Josh Brolin) has destroyed half of earth's inhabitants, including many heroes. Five years afterward Thor (Chris Hemsworth), after the destruction of Asgard, has turned into a bloated drunk, and Hawkeye (Jeremy Rennner), whose children disappeared, has turned into a bloodthirsty vigilante. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) has retired with his wife, Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow), and adorable daughter, where they only want to live in peace. Scott Lang, the Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), turns out to be alive and hits on the idea of somehow manipulating time to bring back all of the vanished millions. Since Thanos used the Infinity gems to destroy those people. perhaps the heroes could go back in time to before Thanos acquired the gems and use them to restore the lost souls? But will the scheme work? 

Josh Brolin as Thanos with a generous helping of CGI

Divided into teams, the heroes go back to various locations -- New York, Asgard, and other planets -- to get the gems, although there are complications, such as Captain America (Chris Evans) having to battle a younger version of himself, which also happens with Thanos' daughter, Nebula (Karen Gillan). Thanos' past self gets wise to the heroes' plan and rushes to the future. Just as the Avengers think they've won, Thanos reappears and wages all-out war on all of the heroes. 

Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans

Avengers: Endgame is better than Infinity War. The lengthy film is never boring, the actors give committed performances, and the battle sequences are generally well-done and exciting. At the climax there is an eye-popping sequence when all of the heroes with their colorful outfits and accoutrements (such as a winged horse) advance en masse on one side of a battlefield while Thanos and his forces, including weird creatures, soldiers, living serpentine spaceships and so on, approach from the other side. With literally thousands of elements in this sequence, it is truly an example of movie magic par excellance. The stirring music by Alan Silvestri adds to the whole stunning effect. 

Other good scenes include one with Hawkeye and the Black Widow (Scarlett Johanssen), one of whom makes the ultimate sacrifice to spare the other. There's an interesting moment when Tony Stark encounters his own father in the past. I liked that in an early scene at a support group one of the members is a gay man, a rare instance of an LGBT person appearing in a Marvel movie, however peripheral (the part is well-played by co-director Joe Russo. Thanos creator Jim Starlin is also in this scene). With the death of a couple of major characters, and the aging of another, I imagine that if there are more Avengers movies they will feature a cast of different and younger actors and completely reboot the series. 

Rocky Raccoon

Other characters in the movie include the alien "raccoon," Rocky (voiced by Bradley Cooper), whose presence shouldn't work but does; the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), whose human brain is now in control of his brutish body; the Ancient One (an effective Tilda Swinton), sorceress supreme; War Machine (Don Cheadle), an associate of Tony Stark's; with cameos by Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Captain Marvel, the Scarlet Witch, the Black Panther, and others. One thing the movie doesn't go into is all the things that might happen when millions of people suddenly pop back into existence after five years (for instance, surely some people might have, say, gotten remarried during that time). A bigger unanswered question occurs after Captain America returns all of the gems to the different times and places where he and his colleagues acquired them. Since Thanos still exists in the past, what's to prevent him from simply getting all of the gems again as he did once before and starting the whole clambake all over again? 

Verdict: If you're not a comic book or super-hero freak don't even bother, but for everyone else this is certainly imperfect but not too shabby. ***. 

CHILD'S PLAY (2019)

Andy and Chucky 

CHILD'S PLAY (2019). Director: Lars Klevburg. 

Karen Barclay (Aubrey Plaza) gives her son Andy (Gabriel Bateman) a technologically sophisticated doll, Buddi, for a present, but she doesn't know that a disgruntled employee of the firm who makes these toys has removed its safety protocols. The "doll." who calls itself Chucky, does everything it can to defend Andy, and gets sinister ideas after Andy and his pals -- along with Chucky-- watch one of the sequels to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It isn't long before the massacre is on ... 

Child's Play is a pretty bad remake of the original 1988 film, and it gets just about everything wrong. The first mistake is turning Chucky into more of a robot that can already walk and talk on its own. Unlike the 1988 film, Chucky is not possessed by a serial killer, and -- although voiced by Mark Hamill -- has absolutely no personality. (It's like stripping Freddy Krueger of everything that made him interesting.) Andy is much older than in the original film, a teen, so the contrast of innocence with utter evil is minimized if not eliminated altogether. In addition the mother in this film is edgier than Catherine Hicks in the original, but both actress and character are unlikable. 

Andy and his pals

The sequels to the original film became increasingly stupid and gory, and this new version follows in that tradition. The killings in this aren't just grisly, they are sadistic (along the lines of the Saw movies), and even if most of the victims are creeps, I'm not sure they deserve what happens to them. Horror movies are not supposed to be in good taste, but I think the absolute nadir of this film -- if not modern horror films in general -- is when a cute little girl gets splattered and undoubtedly traumatized by a victim's spouting blood. Even the moments of black comedy don't do much to help this waste. 

Verdict: Even Deadly Friend was better than this! *1/2. 

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (2019)

Kyle Chandler

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (2019). Director: Michael Dougherty. 

Dr. Mark Russell (Kyle Chandler), whose son was killed in the war between Godzilla and other creatures (called MUTOs), wants all of these gigantic monsters destroyed. His nutty ex-wife, Emma (Vera Farmiga), believes that humans have become an infestation in the planet and that these ancient creatures will restore a natural balance -- both humans and MUTOs can live in supposed harmony. Emma forms an alliance with eco-terrorist Alan Jonah (Charles Dance) that even has Emma's young daughter, Madison (Millie Bobby Brown), gagging. 

Ghidorah

Meanwhile Russell and the military do their best to deal with the re-emergence of several major MUTOs (aka "Titans"), including Mothra, a big insectoid creature; Rodan, a pterodactyl-type monster; and an extraterrestrial three-headed dragon known as Ghidorah or Monster Zero. An organization called MONARCH tries to monitor all of them. Will Godzilla prove to be the savior of the human race by defeating these creatures or is he just as terrible a menace as the others?

Godzilla and little people on submarine

Once upon a time monster movies were generally looked down upon by the critical establishment. They were also a lot more fun. Whereas the 1998 Godzilla was a little too humorous (although it had stunning FX work), this Godzilla is way too serious and ponderous, with an inappropriate musical score that tries to make you think you're watching something moving and profound. It isn't. 

Godzilla emerges from the sea

I must admit that all of these Japanese monsters have never looked better, and the CGI in this is marvelous. Unfortunately, much of the time the battles are fought against misty, cluttered and foggy backgrounds, often making the action difficult to follow. However, there is a lively battle between Mothra and Rodan, which the former wins, and Rodan's attack on a fighter squadron is effective. (One poor pilot ejects from his plane only to fly right up into Rodan's mouth!) 

Ken Watanabe

The trouble with Godzilla is that after awhile it's just plain tedious. You don't care about the characters or what happens to them, and you don't give a damn about the big lizard, either. Say what you will about the 1998 Godzilla, that had some thrilling sequences in it (baby Godzillas hatch out of eggs in Madison Square Garden; big Godzilla chases the heroes down Manhattan streets) and there's nothing as exciting as those sequences in this movie. 

Ghidorah

Godzilla: King of the Monsters drags in everything from Edgar Rice Burroughs to H. P. Lovecraft, with talk of a hollow earth (which enables Godzilla to get around the world unseen) and intimating that the Titan monsters are "old gods" who once ruled over the earth. There are also some nods to the original fifties Godzilla (Gojira) in this film. Just as an Asian scientist sacrificed his life to kill Godzilla in the original movie, in this Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) sacrifices himself to re-energize the monster. The martial music that plays over these and other scenes sounds very similar to the music at the end of Gojira. 

This is a sequel to the 2014 Godzilla and to Kong: Skull Island. Needless to say, Godzilla vs. Kong comes out next year. 

Verdict: Despite some good FX work, even monster geeks may find this a waste of time. **. 

DARK PHOENIX

Sophie Turner as Jean Grey

DARK PHOENIX (2019). Written and directed by Simon Kinberg. 

Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) sends a team of X-Men out into space on a rescue mission, and telepathic Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) is irradiated by what everyone thinks is a solar flare but is actually a powerful energy source. While this energy affects Jean's mind, some hostile shape-shifting aliens led by one Vuk (Jessica Chastain) come to earth to take this power away from Jean and use it for their own evil purposes. Angered that Prof X has kept secrets from her -- she thinks both of her parents were killed in a car accident but her father, who blames her, is still alive --  Jean lashes out and accidentally kills one of her colleagues, leading Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to declare war on her. But the aliens may prove a bigger threat and the mutants may find themselves in an alliance ...

James McAvoy as Professor X

Dark Phoenix was apparently excoriated by fans and critics alike, even though it is by no means a terrible movie. Unlike other recent X-sagas, Dark Phoenix at least has some well-choreographed battle scenes, and there's an eye-popping sequence on a train that is vivid and exciting. McAvoy and Fassbender offer the most memorable performances, and Turner is professional enough. Nicholas Hoult also makes an impression as the hairy Hank McCoy (better known as the Beast). Jessica Chastain really only has to show up and affect an attitude but she's still a striking presence in the movie. 

Jean Grey turning into "dark phoenix" was one of the best and most beloved storylines in the X-Men comic books, and this is the second time it has been sort of adapted -- and very much changed -- as a movie. (The first was in X-Men: The Last Stand.) In the original stories, Jean is manipulated by a bunch of evil characters called the Hellfire Club. She becomes so drunk with power that she wipes out an entire solar system of living beings, and then is taken to task by extraterrestrials and dies during battle via suicide. (It later developed that the Phoenix was a separate being from Jean, and she returned intact, more or less, in the comic books.) Many X-fans wondered why Fox bothered to do another version of this story if they weren't going to use more elements from the original tales?  

Michael Fassbender as Magneto

Dark Phoenix also creates some continuity problems if you are to take the X-films as being part of the same series of stories, which they obviously can't be. The events in this movie reignite anti-mutant feelings in society, bringing us full circle to the very first X-Men movie, but Jean Grey is very much alive in that film whereas in this she sort of goes off into the ether at the end. In any case, I found Dark Phoenix to be entertaining and better than the last couple of X-Movies, if not as good as the best films in the series. 

Verdict: Colorful X-fun if not all it could have been. ***. 

POLAROID (2019)

POLAROID (2019). Director: Lars Klevberg. 

Bird (Kathryn Prescott), a young high school student, discovers an old polaroid camera in an antique store where she works, and begins taking pictures with it. The first person she photographs is Tyler (Davi Santos), a co-worker, who is attacked and killed. The next person Bird snaps with the polaroid is a party hostess, who is also found dead the next day. Bird comes to realize that whoever she photographs with the camera winds up dying, and that there is an evil entity inside the camera. She and her friends, all of whose images have been captured by the camera, set out to learn the secret of the polaroid so they can save themselves. This brings them to the widow of a demented man who captured, tortured and murdered four teens, but her story may not be the whole truth. Can Bird destroy the entity before she and the others succumb ... 

Polaroid, rated PG-13, is an engaging and interesting horror film that gets its points across without resorting to overly graphic mayhem or sadism. The acting is effective, and that includes Mitch Pileggi as the town sheriff, who has secrets of his own. The camera creature is creepy looking and there are several suspenseful and well-handled sequences. 

Verdict: A satisfying if unspectacular horror film with a premise straight out of EC comics. ***. 

PSYCHO MOTHER-IN-LAW

Romy Rosemont as the psycho mother-in-law

PSYCHO MOTHER-IN-LAW (aka Mad Mom/2019 telefilm). Director: Jean-Francois Rivard. 

Sharon Vickers (Romy Rosemont) works as a nurse for hospice care and thinks nothing of helping her patients along on their journey to the other side. When her daughter, Amber (Victoria Diamond), gets engaged to Luke (Matthew Raudsepp), Sharon travels from Cleveland to Boston to meet Luke and his mother, Jill (Kari Matchett), staying in Jill's stylish and beautiful home. Sharon doesn't mind that the engagement party will take place at Jill's, but is distressed to learn that so will the wedding ceremony and reception, and that Jill has talked Amber out of wearing her mother's old-fashioned wedding dress. Fearing that she is being pushed out of the plans as well as her daughter's life, the paranoid sociopath embarks on a campaign to correct these perceived injustices. Before it all comes to a boil, things will definitely get out of hand ... 

Diamond, Raudsepp, Matchett

Psycho Mother-in-Law is essentially a fun, easy to take, Lifetime movie that is all too reminiscent of similar pictures. The two lead actors are more than competent, but let's face it, this kind of movie really cooks if you've got two very strong presences in the film, but obviously Bette Davis and Joan Crawford weren't available. The other cast members are all okay, with Salvatore Antonio making the best impression as Jill's gallery partner, Evan. When Sharon nurses Jill after an "accident," Jill seems to take forever to finally ask the unpleasant woman to leave, and while this may not be a slasher film, it's ridiculous that a sequence in which someone gets their throat cut displays virtually no blood. The musical score gives the film the energy that the direction lacks, but the closing theme is a little too Psycho-like to suit me. 

Verdict: At least the ending is neat! **1/2. 

"TWICE THE THRILLS! TWICE THE CHILLS!"

"TWICE THE THRILLS! TWICE THE CHILLS!" Horror and Science Fiction Double Features, 1955 - 1974. Bryan Senn. McFarland; 2019. 

In this genuinely thrilling and well-written -- and humongous -- tome, author Senn covers all of the famous and infamous double-bills from various production companies (including AIP and Hammer Studios) throughout the fifties, sixties and early seventies. Senn writes with flair and intelligence about these mostly "B" horror/sci-fi/exploitation flicks, and it may make you want to revisit some of these gems or search out any movies that you have yet to see. They're all here, starting with Revenge of the Creature and Cult of the Cobra, continuing on with The Wasp Woman and Beast from Haunted Cave as well as Joan Crawford in Berserk and Torture Garden and winding up with Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell and Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter. Senn doesn't condescend to these movies, no matter how low the budget, and thank goodness he sticks to accurate and informative analysis instead of pretentious psycho-twaddle. Of course you're not going to agree with his estimation of every movie, some of which he likes way better than I do (and vice versa), but that's just part of the fun. A minor complaint is that Senn perhaps spends too much space on those atrocious Andy Milligan films -- even reading about them is a bit tiresome -- but he is nothing if not complete. Oversized trade paperback that is packed with illustrations. 

Verdict: If you love these kinds of movies, this book is a rare treat! ***1/2.

BATMAN: HUSH

BATMAN: HUSH (2019). Director: Justin Copeland. 

Batman/Bruce Wayne (Jason O'Mara) finds himself with an unknown and deadly adversary in the form of "Hush," who not only tries to kill him but attacks his associates, killing a very dear friend of Bruce Wayne's, Thomas Elliot (Maury Sterling). Batman wonders if any of a number of villains -- Joker, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Riddler, Bane -- could be the face behind the mask of Hush. Lady Shiva is an early casualty. Others in the cast include Amanda Waller of Suicide Squad, young Damian Wayne, Nightwing, Batgirl, Catwoman (Jennifer Morrison), and Poison Ivy (Peyton List), who hypnotizes Superman by kissing him with her special lipstick and orders him to attack the Bat and the Cat, leading to some perilous moments. 

In the original comic book stories this film is based on (which were probably better) there was some initial suggestion that Jason Todd, the Robin who was murdered by the Joker, had come back to life, a notion that years later proved to be true. Damian Wayne did not appear in the original stories because he didn't exist. In addition, the ending of the story and the ultimate identity of Hush has been changed. In the movie Batman reveals his true identity to Selina Kyle/Catwoman. There are some colorful and exciting sequences, especially when Superman takes after the Caped Crusader.

Verdict: Entertaining if not outstanding animated feature. **1/2.  

SHAZAM

Zachary Levi as Captain Marvel/Shazam

SHAZAM (2019). Director: David F. Sandberg. 

Young trouble maker Billy Batson (Asher Angel) has been searching for his birth mother ever since she lost him at a fairground years before. Now age 14. he is in foster care. Running from a couple of bullies, he winds up in a cavern off of the subway, and encounters an elderly wizard (originally called Shazam), who tells him he is pure of heart and can attain great power by saying the magic word, "Shazam." When he does so Billy transforms into a grown man (Zachary Levi) who still has the mind of a boy. His foster brother, Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), councils him and helps him catalog his super-powers, but he is appalled that Billy seems more interested in getting attention and autographs than anything else. Then Billy has to face a real challenge in the form of Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong), who grew up bitter and warped due to the bullying of both his father (John Glover) and brother and being told by Shazam that "you will never be worthy." Now Sivana has great powers himself and Billy -- who is not certain what to call himself as a hero -- may find himself in for the fight of his young life.

Levi with Grace Caroline Currey

Shazam is based on the golden age character of Captain Marvel, who was published by Fawcett comics. DC and Fawcett were entangled in a lawsuit over the alleged similarity between Cap and Superman for many years until Fawcett went out of business and DC bought the rights to the character. Meanwhile Marvel Comics created their own Captain Marvel (apparently the name had fallen into the public domain for a spell), an alien actually named Mar-Vell. (Captain Marvel is now a female who had a long history at Marvel comics, originally being known as Ms. Marvel). Although DC still uses the name Captain Marvel in its comic books, the name is never used in this movie, probably because at the time Marvel was developing its own Captain Marvel movie. Although he never refers to himself that way, our hero is apparently named Shazam, and the old wizard is just the Old Wizard.

Mark Strong and John Glover with demons

Shazam, which is rated PG-13, has a light tone throughout the movie, but one sequence is completely at odds with the rest. Dr. Sivana uses demonic creatures to slaughter not only his father and brother, but every terrified and innocent person in the board room. One man has his head bitten off and his body thrown out of the skyscraper (the brother is also thrown through a window). This sequence would be perfectly okay in a horror/monster movie, but it's out of sync and disturbing in a near-comedy like this. It also makes such a sentimental sequence as Billy being reunited (in a very disappointing way) with his mother seem a touch hypocritical. However, both Levi, Angel, Grazer and others give good performances -- Faithe Herman is adorable as little Darla -- although Mark Strong, while competent and not campy, is a little disappointing as the head villain. As the old wizard, Djimon Hounsou comes off more like a witch doctor from the South Bronx than any kind of magical sorcerer. At the end Billy's foster siblings all temporarily transform into adult heroes in similar costumes. The FX throughout are very good and a scene when Shazam causes a bus accident but manages to save everyone afterward is well-done. 

Verdict: Okay DC super-hero movie with some out-of-sync sequences. Stick with The Adventures of Captain Marvel serial. **1/2. 

GEORGETOWN

Waltz, Redgrave, Bening

GEORGETOWN (2019). Director: Christoph Waltz. 

Ulrich Mott (Christoph Waltz), a hustler in Washington D.C., marries a much older woman, Elsa ( Vanessa Redgrave), a wealthy widow, socialite and author who lives in a beautiful Georgetown townhouse. One night Elsa is found dead, and Elsa's daughter, Amanda (Annette Bening), who wasn't crazy about Ulrich, waits until the autopsy report -- it was homicide -- before going ballistic. A series of flashbacks show how Ulrich met and wooed Elsa, his life of lies and delusions, his secret gay activities, and his forming a snooty non-governmental agency with Elsa's help so he can mingle with the movers and shakers of political society. But did he kill Elsa, and if he did will he get away with it?

Wedded bliss? Waltz with Redgrave

This engaging, totally absorbing, and very well-acted movie -- Redgrave is especially marvelous but everyone is wonderful -- is based on the true story of Albrecht Gero Muth and his wife Viola Drath. The highlights of the film include the operatic quarrels engaged in by husband and wife, especially when she catches him in bed with a man in their hotel room, and when she confronts him with the truth of what he's been doing for the past two years when he was supposedly being heroic in Iraq. Because Waltz was 65 when he made the film -- although he looks and plays younger -- it isn't clear what a huge age gap there was between the couple who met when Muth was only in his twenties and she was about 70. 

Verdict: Okay, hardly a B movie and not noir, but decidedly a kind of murder mystery with class. ***. 

TRICK

Omar Epps and Ellen Adair

TRICK (2019). Directed and co-written by Patrick Lussier. 

At a high school Halloween party one of the guests, Patrick Weaver (Thom Niemann), suddenly goes berserk, hacking and slashing at everyone and killing several people. Cheryl (Kristina Reyes) manages to subdue him and he is brought to the hospital, where he escapes after falling out of a window. Detective Mike Denver (Omar Epps) is convinced that Patrick -- known as "Trick" -- managed to survive a hail of bullets and a three-story fall, but Sheriff Lisa Jayne (Ellen Adair) isn't so certain. The police determine that "Patrick Weaver" never existed but have no clue as to who he really is. Each year on Halloween more murders occur, with Denver assuming "Trick" is behind them and Jayne thinking it has to be a copycat. After the grisly death of two FBI agents at the hands of Trick, Epps loses his job. but on the next Halloween night he is importuned to get involved again with the maniac he has now been pursuing for several years. Will he survive long enough to get the answers he seeks?

Trick at first seems to be an attempt to duplicate the success of Halloween and Michael Myers, with suggestions of the supernatural, but instead comes up with a reasonably clever -- if rather far-fetched -- explanation for the gruesome goings-on. The trouble with Trick isn't necessarily the screenplay but the mediocre direction, with the film at times seeming disjointed, a slow pace, and moments that are genuinely boring when you should actually be at the edge of your seat. The acting is okay, but my favorite performance is by little Melody Hurd as a cute black girl who quite sensibly wants to get out of a scary Halloween maze that her big sister keeps dragging her into. The only name actors in the film are Jamie Kennedy as a doctor and Tom Atkins as the owner of the local diner. The film goes on too long with a silly coda that adds nothing to the picture but tries to set up an unlikely sequel. The movie could have been an excellent thriller but its sensibilities turn it into just another mediocre slasher film. 

Verdict: Another hoary Halloween horror with some tricks if not treats. **1/4. 

AMERICAN PREDATOR

AMERICAN PREDATOR. Maureen Callahan. Viking; 2019. 

While you've heard of Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy, you may not have heard of serial killer Israel Keyes, whose career was ended after he kidnapped a young woman from a coffee kiosk in Alaska before murdering her. After Keyes was caught, it developed that he had been responsible for other deaths and disappearances in previous years, including a middle-aged couple that he raped (both of them) and slaughtered. Author Callahan looks at the investigation into Keyes activities, focusing on how a prosecutor named Feldis insisted on doing the interviewing of Keyes even though this was a serious breach of professional conduct and that he was not very adept at it.

Two portraits of Israel Keyes

Callahan looks into the bisexual (as he described himself) Keyes' background, as well as into his bizarre early family life, which might have driven anyone crazy (not that his actions were in any way justified). Keyes had a relationship and a child with a woman named Tammie, then became engaged and lived with another woman who had no idea of what he was up to. He kept "kill kits" hidden in various places that he might use when the proper circumstances and victims presented themselves and he was in a sadistic mood. Callahan suggests that Keyes might have been allowed to kill himself in prison. 

Verdict: Horrifying story of one sick individual, but somehow this is not a classic true crime book and probably not the last word on Keyes. **1/2. 

I SEE YOU

Helen Hunt

I SEE YOU (2019). Director: Adam Randall. 

Jackie Harper (Helen Hunt) has caused problems in her marriage to cop-husband Greg (Jon Tenney) by having an affair, also alienating her teenage son, Connor (Judah Lewis). Greg is assigned to the case of a missing ten-year-old who was snatched out of the woods. But he also has to reckon with two other teens, "phroggers," who sneak into other people's homes and stay out of sight for days (Libe Barer, Owen Teague). But these kids get more than they bargain for when Jackie's former paramour (Sam Trammell) is murdered in the basement ... 

Jon Tenney

I See You is a stylish thriller, too stylish, with an off-putting, overdone and pretentious scare-score by William Arcane, but it does boast some striking and gorgeous cinematography by Philipp Blaubach. The movie is haphazardly constructed, as halfway through it jumps back in time to the beginning to show the same events through different characters' eyes. The plot throws in all sorts of twists, some of which seem illogical, and with all its loose ends one can't say it has a satisfactory conclusion. Still, the movie is never boring, is quite unpredictable by overturning expectations, and manages to be entertaining in spite of itself. But it doesn't hold up to close inspection. All of the characters are essentially one-dimensional as well. The performances are good, although virtually every critic commented on how awful poor Helen Hunt looks. 

Verdict: Some arresting stuff in this but not highly recommended. **1/2. 

THE TELEVISION HORRORS OF DAN CURTIS

THE TELEVISION HORRORS OF DAN CURTIS: Dark Shadows, the Night Stalker, and Other Productions. Jeff Thompson. McFarland; second edition 2019. 

Although producer/director Dan Curtis was also responsible for the mammoth and critically acclaimed mini-series The Winds of War and its sequel War and Remembrance,  he will always be primarily remembered for his prodigious output in the horror field. This includes Dark Shadows and its reboot as well as the big-screen adaptations; The Night Stalker, which introduced Carl Kolchek (Darren McGavin); the notable theatrical film Burnt Offerings; videotaped adaptations of literary classics such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dorian Gray, Frankenstein etc.; and numerous horror telefilms, some of which were quite effective (Scream of the Wolf) and others which were merely mediocre (the over-rated Trilogy of Terror and others). Author Jeff Thompson provides lots of behind-the-scenes details in several chapters that explore these various projects, as well as a chapter on projected projects that never came to be. Although at times Thompson writes as if Curtis can do no wrong -- and despite some good work I'm not necessarily convinced Curtis was some kind of horror genius -- the book is still well-written and very entertaining.

Verdict: If you love the work of Dan Curtis, this is the book for you. ***.

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019). Director: Jon Watts.

"No one listens to you unless you've got a cape or lasers shooting from your fingers." -- Mysterio. 

While on a class trip to Europe, Peter Parker (Tom Holland), better-known as Spider-Man, encounters a do-gooder who calls himself Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), and helps him and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) stop attacks by elemental creatures. However, Mysterio -- always a bad guy in the comic  books -- turns out to be behind the attacks and now Spider-Man has to stop his deadly plans while managing to stay alive and protecting his classmates. As with the last Spider-Man film, this is very much a Disney-type movie, and doesn't bear that much resemblance to the comic books, just as the multi-cultural supporting cast -- Maryjane is now Eurasian and so on -- are barely related to the originals, even in personality, which is a much bigger problem than their diversity. Long-time Spider-Man fans may find this all disconcerting although I imagine people who are new to the character won't give a damn. There are some good FX and a few exciting scenes as well as a certain degree of tedium. Holland is okay as Peter; Gyllenhaal is uneven as Mysterio; Jackson's overly gruff Nick Fury is merely tiresome. Jon Favreau shows up as "Happy" Hogan from the Iron Man films; you can miss him. Although he does look like a teenager, Holland is actually in his twenties. 

Verdict: Cutesy super-hero flick with some good moments. **1/2. 

THE INTRUDER (2019)

Dennis Quaid

THE INTRUDER (2019). Director: Deon Taylor. 

An affluent young couple, Scott (Michael Ealy) and Annie (Meagan Good) buy a beautiful estate from the previous owner, a widower named Charlie (Dennis Quaid). Charlie seems more than  helpful at first, but although he was supposed to have moved to Florida, he is always hanging around his old house. Annie feels compassion for the lonely man, but Scott is creeped out by Charlie's actions and is sure he is attracted in an unhealthy fashion to his wife. Then before you can say Cold Creek Manor (a film with a very similar plot in which Quaid played the new owner), violent things begin to happen ... 

Michael Ealy

The Intruder is entertaining enough in a minor fashion and it holds the attention. There are some disquieting moments as well. Ealy, Good and Joseph Sikora as the couple's friend Mike are all effective, but the film is stolen by a dynamic, mesmerizing performance by Dennis Quaid, who slowly unveils the madness while retaining much of the character's casual charm. If there's any problem with the film it's that it holds no surprises and is fairly predictable. Deon Taylor's direction is adequate but the film is by no means a brilliant or sharp suspense film. And let me make it clear that I don't believe there was any political or racist intent in making the main couple black and the villain white, as these characters could have been played by actors of any race. 

Verdict: Perfectly okay for a rainy afternoon but no classic. **1/2. 

US

Lupita Nyong'o

US (2019). Writer/director: Jordan Peele. NOTE: This review gives away important plot points of the movie.

When she's a child Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) is temporarily lost in a fun house and has an unnerving experience. Many years later she is married with children and returns to the same vacation spot that has the carnival and the fun house -- and strange things begin to happen. When they return to their home, her husband, Gabe (Winston Duke), looks out the door and sees four strangers standing stock still in their driveway. When he confronts them, he realizes that they look just like us ... 

Demon duplicates? 

Now what's going on here, you may wonder. Impoverished, angry duplicates of this nice middle-class black family are threatening Adelaide, her husband and two children. Do these strangers represent the black inner city underclass who are jealous of blacks who are upwardly mobile and have gotten their piece of the American Dream? The haves vs the have-nots?  But then the white family next door (who are depicted as vapid, stupid, and not nearly as nice as Adelaide's family) are also targeted by murderous duplicates. Then a whole host of  disenfranchised people living underground come up from below to terrorize the city, killing their own duplicates and others. The revenge of the poor and homeless? 

Boo!

Perhaps Jordan Peele should have just let the audience take the movie as an allegory of some sort and not tried to come up with an explanation, some nonsense about a scientific experiment that is abandoned, leaving the people  -- known as "The Tethered" -- in their underground habitats (which are surprisingly clean and sterile after all these years) to go insane. This only insures that the audience will have far more questions than answers as they walk out of the movie theater in a confused semi-stupor. In spite of this, far too many people have seen Us as being profound, when it's more along the lines of gobbledygook, and even Peele himself probably knows it. The movie is not nearly as original as some people claim. 

So what we're left with are some striking images and good performances, especially from Nyong'o. The movie temporarily becomes tense and interesting about the time the duplicates show up at the front door, but the tension is not sustained (anymore than it was in Peele's previous film, Get Out) and flippant remarks and dumb jokes from a family undergoing an incredible nightmare only make things worse. Ultimately Us winds up as tedious and pretentious twaddle that could have been a major film but instead is a major misfire. You can also see the twist ending from a mile away, but this only makes the plot even more ludicrous. 

Verdict: By no means "the greatest horror movie ever made." **. 

THE PRODIGY

Jackson Robert Scott

THE PRODIGY (2019). Director: Nicholas McCarthy.

Sarah (Taylor Schilling) and John Blume (Peter Mooney) are raising a young boy, Miles (Jackson Robert Scott), who seems extremely smart and a bit different from his schoolmates. None of that is especially disturbing, until Miles starts committing decidedly anti-social acts, playing a cruel trick on a babysitter and killing the family dog. Under the influence of a man named Arthur Jacobson (Colm Feore), Sarah becomes convinced that her son is the reincarnation of a notorious serial killer, Edward Skarka (Paul Fauteux), who died the day that Miles was born, and worse, that the killer is slowly taking over Miles' consciousness. Sarah figures that Skarka has come back because he wants to finally kill Margaret St. James (Brittany Allen), the only one of his victims to get away from him. But how far will Sarah go to protect her child? 

Taylor Schilling

It's a bit surprising that The Prodigy deals with reincarnation, as it is a concept that was much more popular many years ago, with such movies as The Search for Bridey Murphy (based on a true if discredited case), Audrey Rose, and The Reincarnation of Peter Proud. I wish that the movie had, perhaps, added a few twists to the formula, but on its own terms it is well-acted, suspenseful, and well-made. Young Jackson Robert Scott gives an outstanding performance as the affected child. You don't have to believe in reincarnation to enjoy the movie. 

Verdict: Absorbing and ultimately quite depressing horror-thriller. ***. 

THE BEST OF "THE SCREAM FACTORY"

THE BEST OF THE SCREAM FACTORY (2019/Cemetery Dance Publishers.)

HORROR FANS: Cemetery Dance publishers has just released this huge, magnificent coffee table book called THE BEST OF "THE SCREAM FACTORY."

The Scream Factory was a terrific magazine published some years ago which featured stories and articles covering all aspects of the horror genre (books, films, comics, TV etc.) and various columns. I wrote a column called "Hidden Horrors" about horror where you might not expect it. This collection includes two of my pieces, a stand-alone article on giant monster novels and the other a column on the Fu Manchu books by Sax Rohmer. This book is full of fascinating stuff by a variety of authors and artists. Edited by Peter Enfantino, Robert Morrish, and John Scoleri.

Apparently the limited signed edition has already sold out (!!!) although there are copies available on Amazon. Quite a collection for the horror fan and I was very happy to be included in it!