Tag: 3 stars

  • Into the Black Abyss: Deathstream by Jonny Numb

    Into the Black Abyss: Deathstream Timing is a weird thing. Not too long ago, I raked Rob Savage’s Dashcam over the coals, citing it as the death knell of the Found Footage subgenre. Now I’m here to explain how Daniel Mark Young’s Into the Black Abyss: Deathstream pulls it out of the dirt. Even before…

  • Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) by Jonny Numb

    Texas Chainsaw Massacre: An Unwieldy Franchise Let’s face it: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has been a franchise as sluggish and lumbering as its iconic villain – and as unwieldy as his cherished weapon – for decades now. Since its first sequel (directed by series originator Tobe Hooper) in 1986, the cannibal family has been subjected…

  • The Grudge (2020) by Jonny Numb

    The Grudge: A Deceptive Ordinariness The new Grudge is probably the harshest telling of the tale (originating with Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-onin 2002), and its moments of violence spring from an intimacy manifested in the despair- or hope-stricken hearts of its characters. It’s a film shot in earth tones, underlining a small-town blandness that augments the feelings…

  • The Elevation of THE DARK TOWER (2017) by Jonny Numb

    [95 minutes. PG-13. Director: Nikolaj Arcel] Adaptation is a funny thing. Regardless of what route you take, you will take heat from fans of the source material. Someone – online or elsewhere – will accuse you of “ruining the book(s) forever” (even though that’s total bullshit). One example in particular that galled me – Christ,…

  • Crash Analysis: Attack on Titan Part I and II (Japan, 2015)

      In the wake of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, if you love science fantasy, but want something a bit more horror ridden, check out Shinji Higuchi’s live action two-parter Attack on Titan. The two films are based on the much loved anime series, which is based upon writer/illustrator Hajime Isayama’s renowned manga. The story…