Bright Young Things

Captain Jean-Luc Picard's popular quote, "All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun." proved accurate for hipster film maker and Criterion darling Harmony Korine. He gave us Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson committing armed robberies all over Miami in their bikinis in Spring Breakers (2012), the only Harmony Korine film I've ever watched more than once.

Fast forward to today, and a sequel is in the works. Sure, that's no surprise in these money-grubbing and cynical times, but more optimistically, it heralds the long awaited return of Matthew Bright, the writer and director responsible for the highly enjoyable Freeway films, along with the unexpectedly entertaining Ted Bundy (2002). 

Bright quit films shortly after he was fired from his movie Tiptoes (2002), that starred the British actor Gary Oldman playing a dwarf. According to a web interview which might be as old as GeoCities, Bright went to live somewhere exotic and paint pictures; much like Tom Baker in The Vault of Horror (1973).

Spring Breakers 2 could be a potentially worthy sequel, given the original film had some obvious elements with Bright's Freeway movies. Therefore, it's definitely a film to keep a look out for whenever it eventually does get released.

Leave it to the Daily Mail to get Harmony Korine mixed up with Matthew Bright, along with crediting Reese Witherspoon in the wrong Freeway movie. A bit like your host intentionally getting French New Wave directors jumbled up with Star Trek characters. 

Diamonds Aren't Forever

Co-directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, were two of the notable names who helped spearhead the neo-Giallo boom of the late 2000s and early 2010s. Admittedly, both Amer (2009) and The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears (2013) were just as much surreal art house films as they were throwbacks to Italian thrillers of a bygone era. As a result, these two films were either lauded for their beautifully retro aesthetics by gif-making Tumblr bloggers, or heavily criticised for their incoherence by traditional purists. (For the record, I really enjoyed both of these films; despite making neither sense of them.) The duo expanded their appreciation for Italian genre cinema even further with Let the Corpses Tan (2017), which harkened to Spaghetti Westerns and Poliziotteschi films of the Sixties and Seventies.

 

Now they're back with another ode to the past with the bizarrely titled, Reflection in a Dead Diamond (2025). The synopsis reads:

When the mysterious woman in the room next door disappears, a debonair 70-year-old ex-spy living in a luxury hotel on the Côte d’Azur is confronted by the demons and darlings of a lurid past in which moviemaking, memories and madness collide.

Euro-spy films flourished after the success of the Bond franchise, so it's kind of a win for Cattet and Forzani in casting none other than Italy's very own Sean Connery, Fabio Testi, for their latest movie.

 

Reflection in a Dead Diamond | Trailer

Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani | 2025

The trailer looks suitably cinematic and stylish. I'm all in after seeing the rear projected driving scene featuring a masked latex person in a sports car. An obvious homage to Mario Bava's classic comic book caper Danger: Diabolik (1968).

Whether or not Reflection in a Dead Diamond is any good remains to be seen, but given all the awful slop around right now, this is definitely the potential gem to offer some respite.

Youth in Revulsion

The Substance (Trailer)

Coralie Fargeat, 2024

Excited to finally see a proper trailer after that short clip from a few months back for Coralie Fargeat's upcoming film The Substance (2024). The short blurb about it reads: "A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself." With a sixty-something Demi Moore being in it, I'm expecting some satire/commentary on the beauty industry along with the inevitable shock factor.

Seeing a bunch of early reviews mention other famous body horror movies like The Fly (1986), Society (1989) and... The Nutty Professor films in the same breath as The Substance, has me eagerly anticipating its release next month.

Revenge (Trailer)

Coralie Fargeat, 2017

 

Neither anything helmed by acclaimed, femme New French Extremity directors Claire Denis or Julia Ducournau made me rush out to the cinema like Fargeat's captivating debut, the rape revenge thriller Revenge (2017). Ended up having to drive miles away to see it in an art house cinema after Mark Kermode's review. In the wake of the #MeToo movement, the film gained a cult following amongst horror audiences. Personally, I consider it an insult to most people's intelligence (there is no way the protagonist would have survived in the desert), but it's incredibly entertaining, regardless. I'm kind of expecting the same deal with Fargeat's latest film. Bound to be better than the highly overrated and soporific Titane (2021) at least.

Going full circle: what links the notorious rape revenge exploitation film I Spit on Your Grave (1978) with Demi Moore? Answer: Demi Moore is the model posing in that iconic film poster. An interesting tidbit I learned whilst watching a documentary on the film during lockdown.

Walk With Me

In a Violent Nature (Trailer)

Chris Nash, 2024

 

After all these years, why do film release dates still differ depending on country? So much for globalisation. The latest example is In a Violent Nature (2024) not hitting my corner of the world until another month after the U.S.A..

It's as clear as Crystal Lake that slasher fans want another Friday the 13th film, but the film rights seem to be up in the air. Until that mess is sorted out, Chris Nash's In a Violent Nature serves as an adequate alternative.

Other than the obvious Friday the 13th vibes, the other draw of the film is it following in the point of view of its Jason Voorhees styled killer. The downright creepy clip of him observing two potential victims across the otherside of a lake and walking toweard them is what really sold me on the film:

In a Violent Nature (Lake Scene)

Chris Nash, 2024

 

It’s Ya Boi Francis!

Confession: I haven't watched anything helmed by Francis Ford Coppola since Dracula (1992) (incidentally, my mate Larry still owes me £3.50 for the ticket). Despite a series of commercial flops, Coppola's name still carries weight, however. Not many folk can get to brag about directing The Godfather I & II (1972 - 1974), The Conversation (1974) and Apocalypse Now (1979); effectively turning him into a titan in film circles.

Megalopolis (Trailer)

Francis Ford Coppola, 2024

 

Much like Phil Tippett perservering with his decades old insanity-fest, Mad God (2022), Coppola deserves equal respect for finally turning his passion project, Megalopolis (2024), which he started working on back in the early eighties apparently, into a reality. Too early to say whether his sci-fi epic will be a winner or not, but considering the equine looking Adam Driver is starring in the film, and the trailer hasn't made me want to wretch in disgust, it looks like the film might be worth peeping.

"Smash the like button!"

Another admirable aspect about Megalopolis, is the fact that Francis Ford Coppola has set up his own YouTube page to promote his latest artistic endeavour. His sub count has jumped significantly since the release of a preview clip from a few days ago. Fingers crossed he doesn't potentially start yelling, "Please like, comment and subscribe!" or having baked in promo ads for his wine in any future uploads.

After Dinner Snack

Snack Shack (Trailer)

Adam Rehmeier, 2024

 

Things I realised from the latest Severin Cellar video: Director Adam Rehmeier has great taste in grindhouse films; I don't own a copy of the classic Aussie horror Patrick (1978); and lastly, Severin did a better job of letting me know about Rehmeier's new film than the marketing team over at Paramount.

Set in the summer of 1991, Snack Shack (2024) is a teen comedy inspired by Rehemeier's upbringing in Nebraska City about two young entrepreneurs and their various escapades. Hardly sounds like the type of film that scratches that itch for Dada Debaser type films, however, judging by its trailer, it's already looking better than the overrated and unfunny shite that was Bottoms from last year.

Dinner in America (Prayer Scene)

Adam Rehmeier, 2020/2021

 

Rehemeier's previous effort was Dinner in America (2020/2021); a film that can fundamentally be described as a rom-com, which wouldn't be a genre that appeals to me at all. Surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the best movies to come around my way in recent years. It's grown into a cult movie since then, with even YouTuble film bozos RedLetterMedia gushing over it with praise. Therefore, I'm eager to see how potentially great Snack Shack might be, and how it compares to Rehemeir's modern classic.

To the Devil a Trailer

Late Night With the Devil (Trailer)

Cameron Cairnes & Colin Cairnes, 2024

The Phillippou Brothers weren't the only siblings hailing from Australia with a horror film in 2023. Unfortunately, Cameron and Colin Cairnes's Late Night With the Devil (2023/2024) wound up doing the festival route while Talk to Me (2022/2023) found distribuition via wunderlabel A24 and subsequently became one of the highlights that year.

A trailer has recently been unveiled. No doubt the Cairnes Brothers are hoping for similar success with their seventies throwback to late night television. For the Brits out there, the film's premise strikes comparison with the supernatural spectacle of Ghostwatch (1992). The very reason this blipped its way on the blog's radar in the first place. 

The underrated David Dastmalchian as the late night talk show host, Jack Delroy, is a major plus as he's always been a "that guy" in his scene stealing minor roles. Dastmalchian's Polka-Dot Man was also one of the reasons The Suicide Squad (2021) proved be one of the few good comic books movies in recent years. This all makes Late Night With the Devil something of a must watch for your host, hopefully it lives up to its potential.

Minus One + 14 = Unlucky for Some

Some old crooner once sang about this being the most wonderful time of the year; I vehemently disagree. This isn't a rant about the woes related to the festive period, but a simple question from an aging film junkie: why is Godzilla Minus One (2023) being released in the UK a fortnight after countries like Tajikstan and Uzbekistan?

A two week wait might not be a big deal to some, but juggling the chance of catching a niche movie* with limited screenings (based on my local theatre's dates) during the annual Christmas rush is a mission and a half for folks like me this time of the year.

Truth be told, I'm a King Kong man myself, but the chance of rounding off a disappointing film year with what potentially could be a final act of redemption for 2023 has me attracted to the film like a Mothra to a flame.

* Kaiju movie or not, if it's a foreign film with English subtitles, then it's niche according to my local multiplex.

Mad with Joy

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Trailer)

George Miller, 2024

One of the most trimphant film making comebacks has to be George Miller's return to the Mad Max franchise after several decades. The troubled production history of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) was quickly forgotten once it hit movie theatres and made every typical Hollywood actioner look like they were from the dark ages thanks to its breathtaking stunts, spectacular vehicles and rampant mayhem – all set in what's arguably, the most beautiful realisation of a post-apocalyptic world ever seen on film.

Fast forward to the present day and George Miller is once more gearing up to release his latest chapter in the dystopian world of the road warrior next year. The new film is a prequel of sorts as it revolves around the origin of Mad Max: Fury Road's amazon(ian) driver Furiosa, originally played by Charlize Theron. The versatile Anya Taylor-Joy plays a younger version of the titular heroine this time around, and judging by its impressive trailer featuring a bent-nosed Chris Hemsworth as the villain and the return of Immortan Joe, this has me hyped for it already.

Brief Thoughts on the New Thanksgiving Trailer

The O.G. Thanksgiving trailer featured in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's spectacularly indulgent Grindhouse (2007) double-bill (and later split into two separate films; Planet Terror and Death Proof, respectively) was perhaps the best thing helmed by Eli Roth, in my opinion. Evidentally, I wasn't alone in thinking this way as calls for Thanksgiving to be made into an actual movie like Machete has eventually winded up a reality after sixteen years.

Sadly, this new Thanksgiving trailer lacks the saturated and scratchy charm of the original trailer (along with John Harrison's classic Creepshow score). The replacement of vintage filters for a more contemporary and generic look are the least of my concerns, however. What it truly lacks are the humour and mean spirited nastiness from the original. Hopefully, the feature film will prove me wrong.

This has always been the proverbial ace up the sleeve in Roth's career; no matter how lacklustre the 2010s and early 2020s have been for him, Thankgiving has always been considered his potential comeback film.

Time will tell whether Thanksgiving is a turkey or not, but Damien Leone's Terrifier 2 already set the benchmark in what brutal, holiday themed slashers ought to be like today, and Thanksgiving really needs to serve all the trimmings in sharing a spot with Art at the table.

Thanks for introducing me to Ana de Armas, though!

My Name is Pearl

Pearl (Trailer)

(Ti West, 2022)

 

Ti West's X was a welcome return to horror earlier this year. It didn't just mark his comeback to the genre that made him, but it signalled the first great movie of 2022 for this blog.

 

Had mixed feelings over the announcement of a second West film Pearl, the prequel to X, coming out later this September: on one hand, prequels don't exactly have a good track record; while on the other, even a lesser West film, such as his Jonestown flick, The Sacrament (2013), was still entertaining.

The latest trailer, for Mia Goth's character Pearl, who happens to be the creepiest geriatric since The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014), has me feeling way more confindent about the film. Genuinely want to find out about how that big old crocodile got there.