Worst Films of 2024

Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis is undoubtedly the worst film I've watched this year (and probably the decade thus far), but at least its withdrawn trailer with fabricated quotes managed to provide some entertainment. Can’t say the same the for other wretched releases this year.

Ranging from overrated fart-house darlings, awful remakes, and made for Tubi slop, here's a list of films which were the nadir of 2024 for me:

Apartment 7A (Natalie Erika James)

Borderlands (Eli Roth)

La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher)

The Crow (Rupert Sanders)

Cuckoo (Tilman Singer)

The Fall Guy (David Leitch)

I Saw the TV Glow (Jane Schoenbrun)

The Killer (John Woo)

Lisa Frankenstein (Zelda Williams)

Maid Droid Origins (Rich Mallery)

Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola)

Night Swim (Bryce McGuire)

Thelma (Josh Margolin)

Trap (M. Night Shamalamadingdong)

Uglies (McG)

Under Paris (Xavier Gens)

V/H/S/Beyond (Jay Cheel, Jordan Downey, Christian Long, Justin Long, Justin Martinez, Virat Pal, Kate Siegel)

Did you know the inspiration for Eli Roth's cinematic turd that was Borderlands was inspired by his French bulldog taking a dump? True story.

Best Films of 2024

A good year for folks with an unapologetic love for genre cinema. Quality and variety were more evident compared to the previous year.

Below is a list of the best of 2024  — along with abridged versions of their reviews and their Letterboxd ratings:

Disclaimer: Criteria for eligibility were films released in the UK (theatrical or streaming) this year.

 1. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)

★★★★★

 A loose adapatation of Martin Amis's titular novel, The Zone of Interest is a powerful viewing experience. Horrific atrocities that occur in the film are largely implied, heard, or viewed from afar. Therefore, much of the horror is left to our imagination.

Adjacent to the unseen nightmare, we're privy to the domestic life of  Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel), commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), the self proclaimed "Queen of Auschwitz".

Micha Levi's soundtrack also plays a huge part. It's minimal, and other wordly modern, but complimentary and never out of place.

A tough and harrowing watch, but a monumental accomplishment in contemporary cinema.

2. The Substance (Coralie Fargeat)

★★★★½

Our celebration of beauty and youth is hardly a new concept; they've been well documented in art, literature and music throughout our history. Coralie Fargeat critiques these impossible standards in the satirical body horror that is her sophomore film, The Substance (2024). All this, while waving the tricolore flag as the true queen of New French Extremity.

At its core The Substance has a similar structure to Forgeat's impressive debut, Revenge (2017), as it also features a small cast, along with blending the fantastical with reality.

This is all about satirising both the beauty and entertainment industries in an extreme fashion. For this reason, The Substance comes across as cartoonish on the surface, yet completely fathomable with our assumptions of both fields.

3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (George Miller)

★★★★

One of the best motion pictures released this year, and yet no one bothered to see it in the cinema —including me as I was put off by its run time. Turned out time flew by when I did eventually see it, though..

Anya Taylor Joy does a sterling effort as an earlier incarnation of Charlize Theron's vengeful Vuvalini. In this current era of film making, it's a pleasant relief she wasn't turned into another boring girlboss. Her path of revenge isn't an easy road in the least. Her victories are earned.

However, as previously noted, the real star is Chris Hemsworth relishing the opportunity as the villainous antagonist.

The chances seem to be slim for another entry in the Mad Max universe; which is a massive shame for films in general

4. MadS (David Moreau)

★★★★

David Moreau, the bloke responsible for the utterly compelling home-invasion thriller Them (2006) AKA Ils, achieved a blinding comeback with the electrifying zombie horror, MadS (2024).

Allegedly filmed in one take, you can't help but be impressed with the logistics involved with such an endeavour. The result is an anxiety ridden night for three French teens high on drugs during the beginning of the end for mankind.

The tone might overall be nihilistic, but it's a thoroughly riveting viewing experience, regardless.

A white-knuckle, roller coaster film which is highly recommended, as it's easily one of the greatest horror films of the year.

5. Anora (Sean Baker)

★★★★

Anora's premise is essentially a crash and burn Cinderella story, where Mickey Madison's titular character, largely addressed as Ani in the film, is a spirited New York sex worker of Russian descent, who meets her Prince Charming in the form of the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch, Ivan (Mark Eidelstein), nicknamed Vanya. Her beauty and his money equates to the pair hitting it off and screwing like bunnies. The whirlwind romance eventually leads to them getting hitched in a Las Vegas chapel.

Both wildly funny and tragic at times, Anora's kinetic energy and palpable atmosphere contribute to a fresh paced and deeply engrossing film that make its long arse run time (around two hours and twenty minutes) whizz by.

6. Late Night with the Devil (Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes)

★★★½

The charm of the film is it how it initiates this awkward atmosphere of a live television show going wrong and escalating into a sense of dread and eventual insanity brimming with demonic horror.

It's amusing hearing the house band performing while being obviously rattled by the events going. The awkward laughs and applauses from the audience is another example. It's the kind of stuff I want to witness from a live television show going completely off the rails and Late Night with the Devil achieves that with a chef's kiss.

7. Kneecap (Rich Peppiatt)

★★★½

It might offend some with its colourful language and heavy drug use, but Kneecap contains plenty of boisterous energy and smart social satire to be rollicking entertainment.

 

Set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, this raucous comedy/docu-drama is essentially a semi-fictional origin story of the rap group Kneecap.

 

Whilst dipping its toes in political waters, its irreverent humour manages to educate and shine light on cultural issues, without being in the least bit patronising or condescending about it. Achieving this so effortlessly, makes Kneecap one of this year's gems.

 8. Love Lies Bleeding (Rose Glass)

★★★½

Love Lies Bleeding has a darkly comic sense of humour woven within its tapestry. Despite its explicit sexual scenes, it exudes an archaic and simplistic pulp novel vibe which is welcomingly refreshing in modern cinema's convoluted and bloviated story telling.

Set in a town in New Mexico, during the late 1980s, Love Lies Bleeding centres around the relationship between gym worker Lou (the piranha-jawed Kirsten Stewart) and body-building drifter Jackie (Katy O'Brian).

Whilst artistically surreal at times, Love Lies Bleeding is a welcome throwback to the neo-noir thrillers from the eighties which seem to have made a resurgence this year in the indie scene. Love Lies Bleeding was easily the top film amongst them.

9. Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Soi Cheang)

★★★½

Set during the eighties in Hong Kong's shanty city of Kowloon, the historical region resembles a post-apocalyptic nightmare rather than an actual urban province. The gargantuan ramshackle is the basis for the film's amazing look.

The fight choreography comes somewhere in between Steven Chao's cartoonish action in Kung Fu Hustle (2004) and the brutal grittiness of Gareth Evans' The Raid films. Thus, Twilight Warriors: Walled In does not disappoint with its entertaining action scenes.

Did not expect the emotionally effective drama sequences, either.The film is superior to the average John Wick-core actioner, which has long outstayed its welcome.

10. Azrael (E.L. Katz)

 ★★★½

Post-apocalyptic films are a frequent setting in sci-fi and horror; practically a genre in itself with how common it's become, but there aren't that many out there with a Biblical theme.

Samara Weaving's performance is of someone completely put through the wringer. She’s able to tell a lot just with emotions in her facial expressions. Big blue eyes say a lot when contrasted with all the mud and blood she's covered in.

There are occasional texts that appear on screen that serve as quasi-Biblical like gospel to the proceedings in the film. They're few and infrequent, but lend well to the overall dark and brutal tone of the film.

11. Exhuma (Jang Jae-hyun)

★★★½

Split into several chapters, Jang Jae-hyun's film contains two very distinctive halves. Initially, it focuses on being a supernatural mystery and dealing with bizarre procedures involved in lifting the curse safely.

It also casts doubt on the various mystics. Could they potentially be con artists exploiting people’s superstitions and desperation? 

Exhuma is a lore heavy folk horror; addressing the sins of the past which permeate throughout the film.

The cast, particularly Choi Min-sik's charismatic vape-smoking geomancer, are all solid, and do help buffer the two wildly different tones of the film.

Occasionally convoluted with unnecessary exposition, Exhuma still manages to be a highly mesmerising film.

12. Mars Express (Jérémie Périn)

★★★½

A French, animated, science fiction film that proudly wears its inspirations - notably Blade Runner (1982) and Ghost in the Shell (1995) on its sleeve.

It forgoes the popular, Marvel standard which has infected other sci-fi properties over the years, opting for the type of philosophical themes you would expect from Isaac Assimov's novels.

Set in the year 2200, Périn manages to construct an incredible amount of world building in his debut. Undoubtedly the film's major strength.

Throughout its lean running time Mars Express impresses in marrying future tech in a human society; opening the books on various moral and ethical quandaries.

Shout out to writer and director Jane Giles for compiling the closest to a sensible selection amongst her peers in Sight and Sound's The 50 Best Films of 2024 list. Still need to check out her documentary film Scala!!! (2023).

Other winners this year:

Best Villain: Dementus (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga)

Runner Up: Art the Clown (Terrifier 3)

 

Most Disturbing Film:  The Coffee Table

Runner Up: The Devil's Bath

Best Kill: Shower Scene (Terrifier 3)

Runner Up: Yoga Girl Scene (In A Violent Nature)

 

Best Fight: Good Guys Vs. King (Twilight Warriors: Walled In)

Runner Up: Yakuza (The Shadow Strays)

 

Best Chase: Octoboss Assault Scene (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga)

Runner Up: Orange Walk Scene (Kneecap)

Most Superfluous Opening Text: Strange Darling

Greatest Fashion Statement: Ed Harris's Hair (Love Lies Bleeding)

Runner Up: Eric Cantona's Glasses (The Killer)

 

Best Homage/Tribute Scene: Nightmare Head on a Bed (MaXXXine)

Runner Up: Black Christmas Rocking Chair in the Attic (Terrifier 3)

 

Best Original Soundtrack Choon: Z Berg - Better the Devil (Strange Darling)

Runner Up: Tyler Bates - Video Store Villainy (MaXXXine)

Best Needledrop: De La Soul - Say No Go (Civil War)

Runner Up: Abwärts - Computerstaat (MadS)*

 

Not film related but The Penguin was the best TV I watched this year. Realistically speaking, I hardly watched any other new shows this year, but it's still an amazing series, regardless.

 

* Couldn't find the scene online.

Ani, Are You OK?

Anora (Sean Baker, 2024)

Despite all of its acclaim, Sean Baker's debut film Tangerine (2015) was a disappointmet to me. It was enough to put me off checking out his subsequent films. That was until Anora (2024) came along this year. The change of heart wasn't brought upon by it winning the coveted Palme d'Or this year (who honestly gives a f**k?), nor was it because Baker proved to be a one of us with his visit to the Severin cellar; instead it was largely due to Mickey Madison getting naked in it. Therefore, imagine my surprise when Anora turned out to be a legitimately great film and far more accessible than his debut. 

Anora's premise is essentially a crash and burn Cinderella story, where Mickey Madison's titular character, largely addressed as Ani in the film, is a spirited New York sex worker of Russian descent, who meets her Prince Charming in the form of the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch, Ivan (Mark Eidelstein), nicknamed Vanya. Her beauty and his money equates to the pair hitting it off and banging like bunnies. The whirlwind romance eventually leads to them getting hitched in a Las Vegas chapel. Classy! This in turn leads to Vanya's parents and handlers enforcing their powers over the newly weds.

Structurally, Anora's three acts represent a fantasy romance soured by reality. The first gear change is when Anora is forced to help the oligarch's Armenian goons in tracking down her absconded husband. It's at this point where we're introduced to Igor (Yuriy Borisov), the young Russian heavy, who might be the purest soul in saga. The third act represents Anora coming to terms with what she knew all along about her spoilt man child of a partner, along with the eventual face-off with her domineering, plastic surgery nightmare of a mother-in-law; essentially the film's matriarchal villain. The ordeal is bitter for our young protagonist. Anora is a film where you can predictably guess the final destination, but the journey there is what makes the whole experience so mesmerising.

Mikey Madison's performance is incredible. She paints her character with a battle hardened veneer, but there's a hidden side which fleetingly betrays her fragility within. It's often juxtaposed with her being so sexually confident and carefree on the outside, but there are moments of tenderness and weakness when she's alone on the screen. Which ultimately leads to the film's unforgettable conclusion. Borisov also manages to subvert by initially coming across as the typical Russian heavy you might witness in STV tier actioners, and yet, he is the most sympathetic to Anora's plight. Also, Karren Karagulian's Armenian goon Toros is a major source to much of Anora's second act coming across as a screwball comedy. This is a complete contrast to the more serious nature of the film's plot at that point.

Both wildly funny and tragic at times, Anora's kinetic energy and palpable atmosphere contribute to a fresh paced and deeply engrossing film that make its long arse run time (around two hours and twenty minutes) whizz by. Vanya's super-rich lifestyle and the eventual comedown is reminiscent to the outlier worlds of Martin Scorsese's questionable protagonists; another element to the film's draw. This is all cohesively gelled together via Mickey Madison's outstanding performance; undoubtedly one of the best this year. It's also the only film (out of three appearances) where Madison isn't set on fire.

Glad I gave Sean Baker another chance as Anora proved it wasn't the dreaded tart-with-a-heart rom-com, à la Pretty Woman (1990) that I expected. What I got was essentially a crushing take on the pursuit of the American Dream and those who fall victim to it. Remarkably, Anora also happens to be an unexpectedly entertaining comedy, so think of that what you will. 

A genuinely great film, and probably the final high note of 2024.

Best Old Films Discovered in 2024

Way less golden oldies this year since I felt obligated to review every one I discovered and liked; which in turn, took up some precious film time. However, it was still a productive year for vintage finds considering it gave me some excellent films from around the world; not to mention a genuinely great late era Italian horror I had absolutely no prior knowledge of.

Here are the film gems I discovered this year; along with personal ratings of them over on Letterboxd:

 

1. The Swimmer (Frank Perry, 1968)

★★★★

Frank Perry's psychological drama revolves around Ned Merrill (Burt Lancaster), a middle-aged man with a bizarre obsession to journey home by swimming in their pools; often intruding in the gardens of his friends. Ned calls it "the Lucinda river", after his wife, which in turn becomes a fascinating odyssey for its protagonist and the viewer. 

 

A cutting critique on the American Dream and the the mental state of its protagonist. An unconventional role one for Lancaster, but a superb performance, regardless.

 

A strange and enthralling social commentary, presented as an offbeat drama with a lot of depth to it. Highly recommended.

2. The Spider Labyrinth (Gianfranco Giagni, 1988)

★★★★

Nino Celeste's cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and a major highlight of the film; the Argento-esque scenes are particularly breathtaking. Its aesthetic beauty is definitely a reason why I'm smitten by this film.

The Lovecraftian horror really takes the film into vintage Fulci territory and succeeds with a suitably oppressively foreboding atmosphere.

Definitely deserves a spot as one of the best late game Italian horror films, out there. So glad it's been rescued from relative obscurity. Makes me wonder if there are any other lost Italian horror gems out there awaiting discovery.

3. The Appointment (Lindsey C. Vickers, 1981)

★★★★

Considering The Appointment was released during the hayday of the video nasty, it's a virtually a bloodless affair. Foreboding, atmospheric dread is its main objective.

Edward Woodward is great at playing authoritarian figures who’ve bitten off more than they can chew in horror films.

For fans of British horror, it's a winner. Effective as a slow burn chiller that doesn't abuse one's patience with a long arse run time; and rewarding to the observant who can spot hidden clues and symbolism within.

4. Dementia (John Parker, 1955)

★★★½

A curious oddity from the 1950s. Dementia's production history is just as strangely fascinating as the contents of the film. A weird anomaly which ought to be recognised by both film historians and genre heads as genuinely being ahead of its time.

Although not quite on the same tier as the movies that it inspired, Dementia is unquestionably a remarkable effort given the talents involved, along with it being such a mind blowing discovery.

An anachronistic film which should appeal to armchair shrinks and anyone interested in surrealist films and vintage B-movies.

5. Door (Banmei Takhashi, 1988)

★★★½

Yasuko Honda (Keiko Takahashi - Banmei's other half) is a young, yuppie housewife living in an apartment block, faced with daily harrassment by aggressive traders.

Door is fundamentally a stalker thriller; a popular theme for its time. However, Door possesses idiosyncratic features which distinguishes it from its peers. There's a distinct European aesthetic throughout the film; for instance, Yasuko's appartment is decorated with western style art and sculptures such as Greek statues.

Its cinematography, courtesy of Yasushi Sasakibara, lends a distinctive De Palma/Argento flavour to it, too.

6. The Hunting Party (Don Medford, 1971)

★★★½

You're in for a tough and unapologetic Western when it cold opens with a real life scene of a cow having its throat cut. If that isn't shocking enough, it's intercut with Candice Bergen being raped by her sadistic husband played by Gene Hackman. Calamity Jane this ain't.

While Hackman is away on a hunting trip (which involves torturing an Asian prostitute) with his rich pals, Bergen is kidnapped by a permanently perspiring Oliver Reed (still rocking the Urbain Grandier look) and his gang of outlaws, where she's also raped by him.

There really are no good guys in this film, in case you were wondering. Downbeat film, but riveting, regardless.

7. The Night Visitor (László Benedek, 1971)

★★★½

Framed by his relatives and forced to take a plea of insanity by his corrupt lawyer, Salem (Max Von Sydow) is condemned to a life in a remote, medieval-style asylum for the criminally insane somewhere in the Scandanavian frozen tundra.

László Benedek spends much of The Night Visitor's running time on Salem’s ingenious jailbreak. Taking account that it's a revenge plot, Salem is almost portrayed as an anti-hero.

It isn't until the final act, where the film goes into more horror territory that Salem exhibits his villainous tendencies. Ironically becoming the very villain he was accused of  being.

8. The Sniper (Edward Dmytryk, 1952)  

 

★★★½

Genuinely surprised a film with such a dark subject matter would ever be released by a Hollywood studio — particularly Columbia Pictures. What would have been more fitting as a low-budget exploitation film produced by the likes of B-movie legend, George Weiss back in the day, is a highly polished and thoroughly thrilling Stanley Kramer production.

The Sniper is not only an excellent film noir, but a serial killer film which might have been ahead of its time.

9. Shanty Tramp (Joseph G. Prieto, 1967)

 

★★★½

Unsurprisingly, Shanty Tramp never earned any plaudits for its handling of social political issues; especially ones engrained in America's turbulent racial history.

Realistically speaking, the film was made to court controversy in the aid of getting bums on seats. Almost sixty years on, and it still packs some punch to the easily offended today. 

However, for those of a less sensitive disposition, Shanty Tramp excels at weaving an entertaining exploitation romp; comparable to such Southern trash masterpieces Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964) and Mudhoney (1965). For this reason alone, Shanty Tramp is an uncouth, yet beguiling film that is definitely worth seeking out.

10. Eyes of Fire (Avery Crounse, 1983)

 

 ★★★½

Robert Eggers's The Witch (2015) is Dada Debaser's pick for the best horror film of the 2010s. Therefore, when Avery Crounse's obscure eighties folk horror, Eyes of Fire (1983) is referenced by various film buffs as an ancestral forerunner, it becomes worthy of my time.

Set in the hostile American wilderness during the colonial era, Crounse's low budget effort comes across as Arthur Miller's The Crucible pollinated with David Lynch's weirdisms; in particular Twin Peaks (1990). It's equal parts a historical tale and also a surreal, trippy nightmare.

11. Guest House Paradiso (Adrian Edmondson, 1999)

★★★½

Guest House Paradiso is loud, crude and unapologetically juvenile. Witnessing Eddie and Richie administering Looney Toons level of violence to one another is like watching Laurel and Hardy ramped up to eleven.

The film isn't only reliant on its cartoonish violence, it also possesses some truly idiotic dialogue, like the Richie having to repeat 'it's pronounced "Thwaite"' whenever trying to correct anyone from saying his surname as Twat. Much like Hyacinth Bucket has to endure.

Very much in the immature spirit of Peter Jackson's early gross out films.

There were some other notable films I discovered this year, which I didn't rate as high as the picks above, but felt a positive appreciation for.

The Camp on Blood Island (Val Guest, 1958)

Hammer's very own The Bridge Over the River Kwai (1957). Offensively un-PC by today's standards, but Val Guest really manages to turn a fairly straightforward tale about British PoWs planning a revolt against a sadistic Japanese commandant to avoid being massacred into a riveting film.

Guns, Girls and Gangsters (Edward L. Cahn, 1959)

B-movie noir where released con Gerald Mohr plans to rob an armoured van, along with stealing his ex-cellmate's wife, played by blonde bombshell Mamie Van Doren. The clincher is her hubby is the mean and trigger happy Lee Van Cleef, and he's just broken out of jail. Great pacing and witty fast-talking noir speak make this a fun watch.

The Possessed (Luigi Bazzoni, Franco Rossellini, 1965)

Mystery thriller set in an out of season tourist resort. Both the film's cinematography and overall atmosphere reminded me of Antonioni's Decadence trilogy, although this is far less up its own arse than those films.

 

The Secret Cinema (Paul Bartel, 1966/1968)

Quirky and surreal short where a woman discovers her life is being filmed and secretly screened amongst her social circle. A spiritual predecessor to the likes of The Truman Show (1998).

Tony Arzenta (Duccio Tessari, 1973)

The plot about a hitman planning to retire going awry is hardly new, but it's worth a watch when it's Alain Delon as the lead. Despite the usual plot beats, there are some nice action set pieces involving the hellbent assassin taking on the European crime syndicate. 

 

Gleaming the Cube (Graeme Clifford, 1989)

Convinced the film's script could have been applied to any popular eighties trend without needing to be changed much. It's a showcase for skate boarding, and it includes Tony Hawk driving a Pizza Hut delivery truck, so that should set the tone of the film. Christian Slater changing his usual clobber to get close to his dead brother's girlfriend is absolutely hilarious. I also really liked his best mate's bunker crib.

Run and Kill (Billy Tang, 1993)

This Cat. III thriller goes in a completely wild direction that I was never able to predict. It includes one of the most horrifying scenes that I might have watched in Hong Kong cinema.

Shredder (Greg Huson, 2001)

Expected to find this ski resort slasher to be dire, but it turned out to be surprisingly decent. Lots of obvious stereotypes from the noughties era and unashamedly low brow, but Shredder wound up having some unexpected charm for me.

Project Wolf Hunting (Kim Hong-sun, 2022)

The super soldier plot is undercooked and could have been a shorter film. However, it's hard to be too critical with the all the gory violence on-screen.

 

 

Not film related, but vintage TV I enjoyed this year were Children of the Stones (1977), Blake's 7: Season One (1978), old episodes of Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer, and the few episodes of Sapphire and Steel (1979-1982) I managed to catch on Rewind TV.

Servizio Fanatico: Part 2

Not only wasn't Michael Mohan's Immaculate (2024) the only film to feature a pregnant nun this year, but it also wasn't alone in recycling Bruno Nicolai's score from The Red Queen Kill's Seven Times (1972), either. Netflix's It's What's Inside (2024) is the latest film to reuse three tracks from the classic giallo soundtrack; including the most recognisable of the lot, Servizio Fotografico.

Regarding It's What's Inside, it's essentially Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) with body swapping. Did I hate it like that insufferable turd? Well, no. It's somewhat bearable, surprisingly. However, it's still plagued with some horrible character writing. Having to endure late twentysomethings talk and behave so idiotically and selfishly, it's a total surprise they even made it into adulthood. Only in the movies, right?

Note to other Hollywood film makers: if you're gonna reuse Bruno Nicolai's The Red Queen Kills Seven Times score, can it be Terzo Delitto, my fave deep cut off the soundtrack? It's the theme that plays when Leonora (Dolores Calò) gets locked in a van after turning snitch during a photoshoot. Witnessing her being whisked away from the hustle and bustle of Würzburg City before her murder in the countryside is a scene that I find comical, but more and more disturbing whenever I rewatch it. Largely because no one in that whole city can hear her cries for help.

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (Leonora's Death)

Emilio Miraglia, 1972 

Late for Dinner (in America)

John + Jane Q. Public - Watermelon

Dinner in America OST, 2020/2021

 

via · Watermelon - John + Jane Q. Public

"Wake up, cat f@@kers!" Apparently, Dinner in America (2020/2021) has been trending over on TikTok recently.

Watermelon, the grungy pop song featured in the film was what kicked off the film's renewed interest, as it led to people checking the film out, and it's now hitting the cinemas again. 

Dinner in America tragically fell victim to the lockdowns during its initial release, so it's great to see what's arguably one of the best films in recent years finally getting some much deserved recognition.

Grave Encounters

Exhuma (Jang Jae-hyun, 2024)

A wealthy Korean American family hire Lee Hwa-rim (Kim Go-eun), a renowned shaman, to vanquish a family curse which takes the life of every firstborn. This endeavour turns out to be too big a job for the mystic and her apprentice Yoo Bong-gil (Lee Do-hyun), and so undertaker Go Yeong-geun (Yoo Hae-jin) and geomancer Kim Sang-deok (Choi Min-sik) are thrown into the mix. Effectively, a Korean Ghostbusters squad. Superstitious rituals are performed at an ancestor's grave, to remove the life threatening curse, and finally rid it permanently. If all else fails, the remains must be exhumed and then cremated. Given the film's title Exhuma (2024), this isn’t going to go to plan.

Split into several chapters, Jang Jae-hyun's film contains two very distinctive halves. Initially, it focuses on being a supernatural mystery and dealing with bizarre procedures involved in lifting the curse safely. It also casts doubt on the various mystics. Could they potentially be con artists exploiting people’s superstitions and desperation? Meanwhile, the legacy of Japan's occupation of Korea is brought under the spotlight —much like The Wailing (2016). Once a major plot revelation is literally unearthed, the slow burn mystery is substituted with an all out possession folk horror. It's where the film absolutely excels.

Jang Jae-hyun's Korean box office hit can feel a little bloviated during the first half of the film. Excessive fat, like convoluted dialogue and unnecessary exposition, ought to have been trimmed off in the cutting room. Given he wrote Exhuma, it might explain why a script editor wasn't so effective. For instance, as great as the second half of the film is, the victimised family are unceremoniously written out and forgotten. Thankfully, the awesome showdown with the film's demonic antagonist and the stakes involved manage to sidetrack these obvious shortcomings.

Goes without saying, Korean cinema tends be blessed with some marvellous visuals, and Exhuma is no exception. Shot by Lee Mo-gae, the same cinematographer responsible for A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) and I Saw the Devil (2010) (Choi Min-sik also stars in the latter) he competently changes styles to match the two distinctly obvious parts of the film.

Great to see foreign films like Exhuma highlight unique superstitions from around the world. Offering a cultural break from the various clichés borrowed from European folklore. A major reason why the Senegalese genre-bender Saloum (2022) was so refreshing. Hopefully, more foreign films follow in Exhuma's footsteps.

Bottom line: Exhuma is a lore heavy folk horror; addressing sins of the past which permeate throughout the film. The cast, particularly Choi Min-sik's charismatic vape-smoking geomancer, are all solid, and do help buffer the two wildly different tones of the film. Occasionally convoluted with unnecessary exposition, Exhuma still manages to be a highly mesmerising film.

Viewings: November 2024

November’s darling is the crossover of surrealist and psychotronic film in the Venn diagram of cinema. Dementia is a strange anomaly from its era where overtly serious cinephiles and degenerate fans of exploitation can find common ground. Recommended viewing for anyone with a taste for oddball films.

Regarding the small screen, The Penguin threw its top hat in the ring as the most enjoyable new show I’ve watched in a long while.

Film:

Dementia (John Parker, 1953/1955)*

Bad Girls Do Cry (Sid Melton, 1954/1965)*

Tales from the Crypt (Roy Ward Baker, 1972)

Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (Ted Kotcheff, 1978)*

Bloodbath at the House of Death (Ray Cameron, 1984)*

Entrails of a Virgin AKA Guts of a Virgin (Kazuo Komizu, 1986)

Entrails of a Beautiful Woman AKA Guts of a Beauty (Kazuo Komizu, 1986)

Rusted Body: Guts of a Virgin III AKA Female Inquisitor (Kazuo Komizu, 1987)*

Evil Dead Trap (Toshiharu Ikeda, 1988)

The Reflecting Skin (Philip Ridley, 1990)*

Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki (Izô Hashimoto, 1992)*

Serial Mom (John Waters, 1994)

Welcome to the Dollhouse (Todd Solondz, 1995)*

Black Cab (Bruce Goodison, 2024)*

La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher, 2023/2024)*

The Contestant (Clair Titley, 2023/2024)*

Cuckoo (Tilman Singer, 2024)*

The Demon Disorder (Steven Boyle, 2024)*

The Last Stop in Yuma County (Francis Galuppi, 2023/2024)*

Maid Droid Origins (Rich Mallery, 2024)*

Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola, 2024)*

A Quiet Place: Day One (Michael Sarnoski, 2024)*

Red Rooms (Pascal Plante, 2023/2024)*

Smile 2 (Parker Finn, 2024)*

V/H/S/Beyond (Jay Cheel, Jordan Downey, Christian Long, Justin Long, Justin Martinez, Virat Pal, Kate Siegel, 2024)*

Television:

Doctor Who - 'The War Games' (Sydney Newman, 1969)*

Blake’s 7 - Season One (Terry Nation, 1978)*

Mastermind - Episodes 11-14 (Bill Wright, 2024/2025)*

The Penguin - Season One (Lauren LeFranc, 2024)*

*First time viewings.

Dada Debaser Notes:

• Managed to fulfil some notable titles from past wish lists this month. Most of them turned out to be major letdowns, sadly.
  
• Nick Frost was perfectly cast as a psychotic taxi driver in Black Cab. The muddled supernatural elements felt terribly shoehorned in and really hurt the film.
  
• Heard great things about La Chimera. My brain automatically checked out once it became immediately clear this was some wannabe Fellini film. A rancid looking Josh O'Connor being insufferable and a predictable plot made this boring shite an endurance test. Ought to have called it La Douchebag Vita!
• Naomi Scott deserves an award for her performance being too good for the film. Still, Smile 2 was a significant improvement over its predecessor.
• Enjoyed Red Rooms, but in terms of quality, it's little different from the average TV drama made for water cooler chatter. Essentially a tech thriller about serial killer groupies and the dark web, with a soulless protagonist being utterly great at everything.
• First found out about Nasubi, the real life equivalent of Truman Burbank after reading about it in Cinema Sewer (RIP!). Fascinating subject matter, but The Contestant, the documentary about it, ought to have been more in depth. 
• Curiosity got the better of me, I wrote about the worst film of the year and potentially, the decade.
  

Franco Pops

Franco Micalizzi - Stridulum Theme

Stridulum AKA The Visitor OST, 1979

Forget what the cinephiles watching it ironically say, Giulio Paradisi's sci-fi horror The Visitor (1979) is dreadful. Despite the A-list cast, it's a train wreck cursed with a nonsensical plot (and not in the Lucio Fulci fever dream kind of way) that takes obvious inspiration from The Omen (1976) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and still manages to be a perplexing bore. Not even an uncredited Franco Nero as Space Jesus can save it.

Fortunately, it does have one redeeming feature: its soundtrack. Franco Micalizzi blessed the film with a score way better than it deserved. The tracks themselves serve as a great time capsule of Bork jazz funk and traditional orchestral sounds that mimicked American composers in the Seventies.

Pick of the bunch for your host is Stridulum Theme. Sounds like the perfect musical accompaniment to an over-the-hill, pudgy boxer walking towards the ring. More importantly, it's an absolute head nodder. Genuinely surprised it hasn't been sampled that much.

Izzy Wizzy, lets go Micalizzi! Other soundtrack gems from the composer:

Trinity (Main Title) / They Call Me Trinity (1970)

Suspicion (Opening Titles) / The Two Faces of Fear (1972)

Without Fear / You're Unlucky Friend, You Met Sacramento (1972)

Bargain with the Devil / Beyond the Door (1974)

Seq. 14 / Syndicate Sadists (1975)

Manile / Laure (1976)

Seq. 6 / Rome Armed to the Teeth AKA The Tough Ones (1976)

The No-Peace Pursuit / Italy at Gunpoint AKA A Special Cop in Action (1976)

Breathlessness / The Cynic, the Rat and the Fist (1977)

Main Title / Brothers Till We Die (1977)

Running Away from Jerzy / Stridulum AKA The Visitor (1979)

Blake's Lively

British science fiction series Blake's 7 (1978-1981) was already nearing the end of its lifespan when I was first aware of it. The vaguest of memories exist in my memory banks, thus it was only later on when I became aware of the show's cult following.

The brainchild of Terry Nation (the creator of Doctor Who's infamous Daleks), curiosity had me keen to in check out Blake's 7. Thankfully, the recent high definition release of the first season came out earlier this month.

A few notes on Blake's 7 season one:

Dark Star

Right off the bat, Blake's 7 is the complete antithesis of Gene Roddenberry's progressively optimism from Star Trek (1965-1969). It's dark, nihilistic, and perfectly captures the doom and gloom of notable seventies science fiction media. This downbeat tone is more than evident in the first episode when the show's amnesiac protagonist, Roj Blake (Gareth Thomas), finds out his family were executed, witnesses a massacre and is also framed as a nonce.

 

Baker's Dozen

Terry Nation wrote all thirteen of Blake's 7 first season. Given that the show was about a band of fugitives fighting back against a vastly superior and ubiquitous enemy, most of the episodes were driven with small victories in mind to a greater outcome. Along the way, some details pertaining to a main cast member's backstory would be revealed. In the case of Cally (Jan Chappell) and Olag Gan (David Jackson), they're written quite poorly and feel like dead weight. This is despite each of them having a dedicated episode which focuses on them. Also, Blake and his flight navigator Jenna Stannis (Sally Knyvette) gradually morph into the show's very own Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo in later episodes. Definitely a mixed bag here.

 

Avon Calling

The computer wizard, Kerr Avon (Paul Darrow) elevates himself from being just one of Blake's recruits to the show's biggest star. The acerbically tongued anti-hero whose witty put downs, usually aimed at his cowardly crew mate Vila Restal (Michael Keeting), is a major factor to the show's appeal. This is a character who possesses the vibe of a potential double crosser, which makes him a tough person to second guess. Evidently, the show's writers felt the same way about Avon as he would eventually lead the crew in the last two seasons. Sadly some of the other characters are far less interesting.

The Villains in Black & White

Like all good sci-fi adventures, there's always a big bad; Blake's 7 features the Terran Federation. Much like Terry Nation's pepperpot baddies, the Daleks, the Terran Federation is the equivalent of space Nazis. Really like the design aesthetics of the villains:

• Federation Troopers: The lowly grunts look particularly sinister dressed in black overalls and gas masks. They look similar to SAS soldiers, but with fluorescent green rings around their heads; making them effectively sinister looking.
• Mutoids: The design aesthetic forerunners to the Hellraiser cenobites and Star Trek: The Next Generation's The Borg. Mutoids were mainly women whose memories were wiped and made to serve the Terran Federation as augmented elite guards. Despite the ridiculous, black wisdom tooth looking helmet and their pale grey complexions, these killer bondage femmes were cool in action; particularly the season one episode Duel.
  
• Space Commander Travis: Another highlight is the one-eyed psychopath Travis (Peter Greif), the agent hell bent on finding Blake and the Liberator. Really dig how he interacts with the rest of his circle. It's too bad Greif left after the first season as he was one of the most intense characters on the show and looked like he could have been from a Mad Max film.
  
• Supreme Commander Servalan: In striking contrast to all the black attire, the show's major villain, the vampish Servalan (Jacquelin Pearce) is the iron lady in angelic white. As far as fascist villains go, Servalan is the Margaret Thatcher to Travis's Michael Heseltine.

Low Budget

Much of the charm of the show definitely stems from it being low budget. It does lend to the run down and oppressive tone for its depiction of a galaxy ruled by tyrannical fascists. It also means the show's creative writing needs to do much of the leg work; and for the most part, it largely succeeds. Although, there's definitely room for improvement

• The lack of a modest budget is very evident with its production sets. Creased metallic foil on the walls of some sets and the recurring use of the English countryside and a quarry for outdoor locations. The bridge of the Liberator has more in common with a DFS showroom, thanks to its leather sofas, than one would imagine within an extraterrestrial starship.
  
• Some of Blake's crew are dressed like they shop from Millets or have just walked off from a Robin Hood production. The Terran Federation scores much better, on the other hand. They could easily be mistaken for early New Romantics; especially Servalan. 
• Big fan of the tribe of creatures known as the Decima from the episode The Web. They're the type of creations which could have been from an episode of Doctor Who which appeals to me.
  

Updated VFX

The modern visual effects of various starships or monitor screens are tastefully done and feel complimentary to the show. The Liberator and the Terran Federation pursuit ships look great on screen. These effects are not overused and definitely help with the general galaxy building.

TL; DR

Did not expect Blake's 7 to be so dark from the jump. It's all the more surprising that this was meant for prime time TV. 

 

By far the best character on this show is Avon. It's just a shame that his comrades aren't written with the same depth or quality; even Blake feels like a supporting character at times.

 

There's definitely major room for improvement. Terry Nation no longer being burdened as the only writer, does spell a possible correction. However, the show's charm and surprising subversiveness has me eager to check out what the rest of the seasons have to offer.