absolutebadasses

Director : Leigh Janiak – Cast Includes : Sadie Sink, Kiana Madeira, Benjamin Flores Jr, Ryan Simpkins, Gillian Jacobs, Olivia Scott Welch, Ashley Zukerman, Maya Hawke

As you guys know I love my horror and especially the slasher genre, from the Italian Maestro’s Argento, Bava & Fulci to the American slice and dice Kings in Hitchcock, Carpenter, Craven & Cunningham, this blood lust is my movie jam, I love being scared so when over a week ago I sat down and watched the first in a trilogy of movies that was landing on Netflix based around the work of author R. L. Stine I was bubbling with excitement… for those in the dark Leigh Janiak is an american filmmaker, her only other feature film was 2014’s Honeymoon, she has also directed a few episode’s of Scream the TV series and the underrated Outcast… her latest is the trilogy of weekly movies titled FEAR STREET…

OMG !! firstly let me mention the cool freaking opening to Fear Street: Part One 1994 that took me back in time and kicked off this trilogy, Janiak obviously knows her shit, so the start & finish must rock your socks off right?… the setting is a bookshop in the Shadyside Mall where Heather is working late… the phone rings (the tone gives you chills like the one Casey Becker answers in Scream… you know… “You hang up on me again and I’ll gut you like a fish!”…. that one!!), the person on the end of the line hangs up and Heather continues to work until she notices books on the floor and then behind her a figure rushes past one of the book stands, Heather rounds the corner and… (well I’m not gona tell you what happened next, now am I?) Part One is all played out like a Wes Craven movie and this guy right here is lapping up every single insane minute of it… SHIT that bread slicer and that whole chaotic finale is soooo fucked up right !!

I was to discover that Part One was just the appertiser, what came next BLEW my mind and shook me to the core… in FEAR STREET: Part Two 1978 Leigh Janiak truly captures the essence of summer camp in a horror movie, that Friday the 13th vibe is everywhere, you can smell & taste that rule breaking teen, the thrills of sex and spills of guts as the body count rises, it’s killer 70s score and like the first it’s obvious nods to horror’s of yesteryear… so right from the offset we have a quick recap of what happened in Part One and then it’s over to Deena and Josh travelling to the Berman’s house in hope of finding more answers and tracking down the witches hand… I just love EVERYTHING about this movie, it’s like a big cake with so may layers and a creamy yummy centre… not only are the scares more unforgiving, the violence a darker shade of cruel but it’s story is devilishly good too, entwined with the first and contains a few twists along the road to it’s insane crescendo… and don’t get me started on the wickid young cast such as the magnificent Kiana Madiera as Deena, McCabe Slye as Tommy, Ryan Simpkins as Alice but my pick and scream queen for the day is the incredible Sadie Sink her role as Ziggy will become iconic, from those opening 10 minutes as she’s chased and bullied by some of the other kids to that breathtaking blood splattered show down with the killer, her performance is far removed from that of MAD-Max in Stranger Things, she’s tough, independent and don’t suffer fools gladly, she’s quite the revelation…

And then onto FEAR STREET: Part Three 1666 where the story takes us back to the original settlement before it became Shadyside, when the curse first struck the town folk at a time when it was common to hang or burn someone for being different… the pace of Part Three may be slower but it’s tone is as dark if not darker than than the other two with chilling moments of dread filling it’s narrative including that disturbing chapel scene, Sarah being chased in the tunnels that gave me the feeling of Jack in The Shining, I still can’t shake that moment with the baby pigs, the sight of the rotten food you can almost smell, the removal of body parts and that gut wrenching hanging… the star of Part Three is without question Kiana Madiera she’s like a magnet, sucking you into Fear Street’s conclusion, Sarah’s story is both harrowing yet beautiful, showing us her forbidden love and with the help of some familiar faces Kiana like a ribbon ties everything together…

Leigh Janiak‘s FEAR STREET is a love letter to all us horror fans… Leigh’s given us a trilogy of darkness that not only pays homage to the great’s of yesteryear but she’s also created her own blueprint on a genre that’s been in need of refreshing new material… it’s like an adults only Stranger Things I found myself overecome with nostalgia, I was unnerved by it’s brutality, in love with it’s characters and bewitched by it’s storyline… WOW !! ★★★★★

Corey Feldman joins the 50’s

Posted by absolutebadasses on July 16, 2021

Posted in: Views. Tagged: 80s, 80s movies, 90s, corey feldman, corey feldman 50, edgar frog, films, films stills, gremlins, happy birthday corey feldman, horror movies, icon, love movies, mouth the goonies, movie, photography, stand by me, teddy duchamp, the frog brothers, the goonies, the lost boys. Leave a comment

Can you believe COREY FELDMAN has joined the 50’s club? (well neither can I)… during the 80s this guy freaking rocked, his films and the character’s he brought to life were a huge part of my youth so it’s only right we here at Absolute Badasses say Happy 50th to this ICON… from those early roles playing Tommy in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Billy’s friend Pete in the 1984 gem Gremlins to being part of The Goonies with his character Mouth adding so much humor to the group, he also stole the show as the loose cannon Teddy Duchamp in the coming of age Stand by Me and of course, not forgetting his role as Edgar Frog in one of my favorite cult classic’s The Lost Boys… in the 90s he went on to star in The ‘Burbs with Tom Hanks and voiced one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, had a small cameo in Maverick and also starred in a 1994 episode of Tales from the Crypt… in 2008 he returned as one of the Frog Brothers in Lost Boys: The Tribe and then in 2010 returned once more for Lost Boys: The Thirst and although his career has slowed down a tad over the years Corey is still working with his latest roles coming in the horror anthology The Sunday Night Slaughter and lending his vocals as the Sorcerer Beast in William Cox’s Age of Stone & Sky: The Sorcerer Beast… Happy Birthday Corey Feldman !!

Black Widow (2021) : Movie Thoughts

Posted by absolutebadasses on July 11, 2021

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: black widow, black widow movie, captain america, cate shortland, cinema, david harbour, disney plus, film, florence pugh, hulk, iron man, like, love, marvel comics, marvel movies, MCU, mcu movies, movies, Natasha Romanoff, red guardian, red room, Scarlett Johansson, superhero, theatre, thor, Yelena Belova. Leave a comment

Director : Cate Shortland – Cast Includes : Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh

Since Marvel have treated us to many solo-outings that have involved Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk and Thor to say a BLACK WIDOW picture was long overdue is putting it mildly… I decided to ignore watching the movie at home as it was released on Disney Plus at the time and ventured a little further afield to my local big-screen, and just as I had hoped the wait was worth it and MCU’s latest did not disappoint : Cate Shortland’s movie is set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, and sees Natasha Romanoff on the run and forced to confront an old adversary that is linked to her past : my biggest take from the movie along with it’s darkly written storyline is the films delicious humor and Black Widow is full of great one liners that are smartly written and delivered superbly well by David Harbour’s Red Guardian and Florence Pugh’s assassin Yelena Belova… I loved Natasha’s backstory and the chemistry of those involved in this big cuddly dysfunctional Russian Spy family and along with the injection of humor it was the terrific big scale action scenes that caught the eye, from Black Widow’s first encounter with the Taskmaster in Norway, the epic fight scene between Natasha & Yelena, the prison escape involving Red Guardian and of course that final battle in the film’s last quarter that reminded me so much of a 70s Bond film : needless to say there’s nothing quite like watching any movie on the big screen and although the cinema was only half-full the atmosphere was enough to give Scarlett’s Black Widow the send off she really deserves : CRAZY GOOD FUN ★★★★

The Tomorrow War (2021) : Movie Thoughts

Posted by absolutebadasses on July 7, 2021

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: amazon original movie, bvisuals, cgi, Chris Pratt, chuck tv show, cinephile, edwin hodge, film blog, films, like, love, movie, moviewebsite, new movies, photography, Sam Richardson, special effects, the tomorrow war, the tomorrow war movie, Yvonne Strahovski. Leave a comment

Director : Chris McKay – Cast Includes : Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, Sam Richardson

In the year 2051 the human race is at war with an Alien race known and the Whitespikes, the only way to prevent total extinction is for the Earth in 2022 to send troops and scientists through a wormhole to the future in hope of stopping annihilation by creating a toxin to rid the world of these fierce creatures : Jurassic World star Chris Pratt plays James Forester a family man & biology teacher who gets called up to join the fight in THE TOMORROW WAR : heads up before watching… if your not a fan of science fiction action movies then don’t both pressing play… leave your cynical side at the door, pour yourself a drink and get ready to to be entertained : along with it’s original concept the film also borrows ideas from others in it’s genre with filmmaker Chris McKay managing to create an exciting landscape for his Alien invasion pic to inhabit, the film’s pace is electric and is action packed, with it’s visuals, the design & movement of those Whitespikes really creeping me out as the 2hr plus runtime wizzes by… I really dug the wormhole execution, I was scared just watching the newbies get transported and that was before I saw those words on the computer screen come up in red “System Error”… as I was a big fan of Chuck and Sarah Walker it was nice seeing Yvonne Strahovski in another piece of action, the scene in which her character helps contain one of the Aliens in a cage under the ground is superb : with his recent Marvel outings and fighting Dinosaurs in Jurassic World Chris Pratt has become quite the action star so it was easy in believing in his character, Edwin Hodge has a terrific role as Dorian who’s had three tours through the wormhole and looked every part of the war torn combat vet and it was fab seeing Sam Richardson again so soon after his hilarious turn in the horror comedy Werewolves Within : so if your looking for a few hours of escapism then Chris McKay’s The Tomorrow War is just the ticket : I HAD A BLAST ★★★½

Richard Donner (1930-2021)

Posted by absolutebadasses on July 6, 2021

Posted in: Views. Tagged: cinephile, classic 80s movies, Danny Glover, film, film blog, jodie foster, lethal weapon, love movies, Mel Gibson, movie website, richard donner, steven spielberg, the goonies. Leave a comment

Heartbreaking… Richard Donner’s films have been on repeat in my house for over the last three decades, his body of work have brought tears of laughter, smiles of joy and and you know something? they still seem as fresh today as they did back then… he was a Maverick of his time with movies such as Superman, The Goonies, the Lethal Weapon movies and so many more… he was loved by his peers, adored by his fans and although he’s no longer with us his legacy will continue to shine… “Hey, you guuuys!”

Tom Cruise : Absolute Top Four

Posted by absolutebadasses on July 3, 2021

Posted in: Views. Tagged: 80s, born on the fourth of july, boxoffice, cinephile, collateral, edge of tomorrow, endless love, ethan hunt, film geek, film website, films, happy birthday tom cruise, jerry maguire, like, love, magnolia, maverick, mission impossible, movie blog, movies, photography, taps, tom cruise, tom cruise action star, top gun. Leave a comment

“Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby….” whether it be Maverick soaring through the skies in Top Gun, on a spy mission with Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible, fighting Aliens in Edge of Tomorrow or playing a contract killer in Collateral there’s nothing quite like watching TOM CRUISE project his passion, commitment and overall love for his craft onto our movie screens… he’s INFECTIOUS : born on this day in 1962, Syracuse New York, Tom Cruise made his film debut playing Billy in 1981’s Endless Love, six more movies followed before Tom took on his iconic role of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell alongside Val Kilmer and Kelly McGillis in Tony Scott’s 1986 action masterpiece Top Gun, he became a box office sensation, his career boomed and he’s never looked back… of course along with his well know action movies Tom can also act with the best of them, he’s won three Golden Globes and been nominated by the Academy in three pictures… Oliver Stone’s 1989 true story Born on the Fourth of July, Cameron Crowe’s 1996 comedy Jerry Maguire and Paul Thomas Anderson’s brilliant 1999 movie Magnolia : aged 59 Tom’s currently filming Mission Impossible 7 and yep he’s still doing those crazy stunts and his new movie Top Gun : Maverick hits the big screen later this year… what an ABSOLUTE BADASS !!

The Green Sea (2021) : Movie Thoughts

Posted by absolutebadasses on July 1, 2021

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: cinephile, dermot ward, Dunsany Productions, film geek, filmed in ireland, films, ginger snaps, hazel doupe, irish movies, Katharine Isabelle, like, love, movies, photography, randal plunkett, the green sea, the green sea movie. Leave a comment

Director : Randal Plunkett – Cast Includes : Katharine Isabelle, Hazel Doupe, Dermot Ward

THE GREEN SEA is the directorial debut of filmmaker Randal Plunkett and stars Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps) as a once famous rock singer turned isolated writer : whenever I come across an independent/low budget movie that I no very little about I always look for that small something that will keep me interested enough to keep watching it, whether it be a good performance, interesting premise or some scenery that’s too beautiful to disgard, the movie I’m watching needs to show me something… well Plunkett’s debut had me hooked from it’s moody angry beginnings, I loved it’s deliberately slow pace, haunting score, photogenic Irish landscape, an intriguing narrative that had me searching for answers, asking myself questions like “is the Kid real?” or “why is Katharine’s character so hell bent on destruction?” and that leads me to mention a compelling performance by Katharine Isabelle who in my opinion has rarely been better, Simone may be her most interesting, unlikeable and layered character since playing the surgery loving Mary in the Soska Sisters crazy horror American Mary, it really is terrific stuff from Isabelle, giving life to Simone a character with this mysterious past, soaked in self loathing, drinking to oblivion and tired of the world until that is she runs over a young girl whilst driving home drunk one night, the girl we only get to know as the Kid is played by Hazel Doupe who I last seen in the fantastic Float Like a Butterfly, it’s the Kid’s reveal and dynamic between the two actresses that gives Plunkett’s film it’s core… I really loved the way The Green Sea uses it’s many flashback scenario’s played out in a sort of dreamscape that give you a passenger seat into Simone’s past and whether or not you understand some of the innuendo’s shown you can’t help but feel some sort of redemption for the film’s characters during it’s painful climax : A SLOW BURNING GEM ★★★★

Following the Abbott family who are forced to venture into pastures new as they quickly realise that the alien creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path : A QUIET PLACE Part II opens up with a flashback… Day 1 starts with happier times where we get to see the the small American town where the Abbott’s lived right before the Alien invasion took place, there’s smiles aplenty as the kids are playing baseball, we get to see Brody’s Pizzeria an obvious nod to Spielberg’s Jaws and we get our first look at a new character Emmett played by Cillian Murphy, a family man watching the baseball when his and everyone’s life changes forever : if your a horror fan then the darkness of the Cinema is the best place to watch A Quiet Place Part II as Polly Morgan’s imaginative camera work, the muted sound with flashes of screeching, screaming Alien attacks and the tension with each scene as the family attempt to navigate their now crushed world without making a sound is unbearable : I know I touched on this after 2018’s first movie but I have to say how impressed I am with Millie Simmonds who’s easily the star of this sequel, her character Regan is fearless & clever and the train and boat yard scenes with Cillian are terrific to watch, Emily Blunt of course is superb, the pain Evelyn feels in defending her children & insurmountable loss is the backbone of the movie, from heartfelt moments such as leaving her wedding ring on the cross and her fight with the creature whilst carrying two oxygen tanks is formidable, Peaky Blinder Cillian Murphy is a welcome additon to the cast, his character Emmett plays a pivotel role in the Abbott families survival and The Undoing’s young star Noah Jupe is once again fabulous, that scene where Marcus is running out of air in the safe had my pulse racing and my knuckles turning white as I gripped the arms of the chair, nearly knocking my popcorn all over the place : it’s no mean feat to direct a sequel that stands up well alongside it’s original yet somehow John Krasinksi has managed just that… yes if I was being slightly picky the film finishes rather abruptly and could have benefitted with an extra thirty minutes… but since a third film in the franchise has been green lit with no other than Jeff “Midnight Special” Nichols directing then I’ll let this one pass and look forward to another chapter where being quiet is the new norm : TERRIFYING ★★★★

Here’s the trailer for HALLOWEEN KILLS… I’m a huge fan of Michael Myers and the film franchise that was started back in ’78 by Carpenter spawning numerous sequels and remakes, so the thought of visiting the cinema this October for another dose of Haddonfield has me all excited… I know what your thinking… you just can’t beat the originals and yep you would be right, but there was something fresh I took away from David Gordon Green’s Halloween back in 2018, I didn’t think it was as atmospheric as Carpenter’s masterpiece or as nasty as the Rob Zombie remake but I did love it’s story by Green & Mcbride, the film was well shot with it’s scares coming thick and fast and Myers was in devilishly good form, I really enjoyed the Judy Greer casting and of course seeing Jamie Lee return as Laurie Strode was the icing… so after you’ve watched the trailer for the sequel below why not (like I’m about to do) revisit the Halloween franchise, and see which ones are you favorite… Halloween Kills scares this October…

The Ice Road (2021) : Movie Thoughts

Posted by absolutebadasses on June 26, 2021

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: Amber Midthunder, canada, filmed in canada, films, Holt McCallany, Jonathan Hensleigh, Laurence Fishburne, Liam Neeson, like, love, Marcus Thomas, movies, photography, the ice road, the ice road movie, truck drivers. Leave a comment

After a remote mine collapses in north Canada, a team is sent on a rescue mission to save them : with writing credits that include Armageddon, The Saint, Jumanji, Die Hard with a Vengeance and directing credits on 2004’s The Punisher and mob thriller Kill the Irishman in 2011 Jonathan Hensleigh is behind the wheel again & it sure is fun to have him back… THE ICE ROAD stars Liam Neeson as Mike, a hard working no nonsence truck driver who along with his brother Gurty a war veteran who suffers from aphasia takes on a well paid job (some would say a suicide mission) to drive a rig across icy terrain in a bid to save a whole bunch of trapped miners who are slowly running out of air… I really loved the concept behind The Ice Road and like the majority of Neeson’s action romps it’s kept simple, the action and pace is exciting, the effects and photography are effective without being too much in your face and it’s support cast including Legion’s Amber Midthunder, Marcus Thomas who plays Gurty, the always reliable Holt McCallany, The Matrix star Laurence Fishburne and Benjamin Walker all do well in their respective roles : my only slight negative is I felt Hensleigh missed a trick in not capatalising on Gurty’s mechanical talent, maybe he should have fleshed out the story a tad to give his character and others a little more depth, since he also wrote the story I wonder if there was more available but was left on the cutting room floor? this being said the Icy road scenes involving the three resuce trucks, the drama of the miners trapped fighting for their lives, that insane bridge finale and Neeson’s reliable match stick chewing presence certainly makes up for any shortcomings and I finished the movie with a smile on my face, enjoying what I had seen and would certainly recommend The Ice Road to others ★★★½

Today marks the 67th Birthday of Kathleen Turner, she’s not only one of my favorite all time actresses and a lady of immense talent but during my hey day back in the good old 80s she really did own the words SCREEN BEAUTY with sizzling turns in the likes of Body Heat, Crimes of Passion, The Man with Two Brains and of course Romancing the Stone and it’s sequel The Jewel of the Nile : but Kathleen is no one trick pony, she’s a superb theatre actress with two TONY nominations for her performances in Broadway roles as Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and as Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and PLEASE people we need to talk more about Kathleen’s imense comedy work she’s incredibly FUNNY, check out The War of the Roses, Serial Mom, Prizzi’s Honor and Switching Channels and wasn’t it BLISS watching her reunite with Michael Douglas recently in the third and final series of the The Kominsky Method : Kathleen is someone who’s brought so much happiness to my movie loving bubble and yes I know she’s a tad older now but I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for the movie gods to sanction a third Jack & Joan outing and of course bringing Ralph back would be the icing… but until then… Happy Birthday Kathleen 🙂

Two years after being left for dead, a retired hitman sets in motion a carefully crafted revenge plan against the killer : I remember watching Daniel Benmayor‘s Tracers back in 2015 and being a little underwhelmed, it was an average movie with very little to write home about apart from some promising action sequences, roll on 6 years and we have the latest from the Spanish filmmaker XTREMO and HOLY BALLS this movie totally gave me a white knuckle ride, it’s pure guilt free entertainment and although the story is similar to those that’s come before there’s just something about the films star Teo García who plays Máximo that gives Xtremo that extra bite, the intensity and cruel nature of those bone crunchin, sword fighting, nail gun tooting action scenes are reminiscent of John Wick and The Raid but stamped with Benmayor‘s own filmmaking flare and so much fun to watch : along with Garcia’s Maximo Xtremo has a whole bunch of badass characters including Sergio Peris-Mencheta’s Finito a real nasty son of a bitch who gives us the audience someone to hate during those early parts of the movie, Óscar Jaenada’s Lucero who grew up with Maximo but turns all power hungry by attempting to kill everyone in his path, and then we have the kickass Maria played by the beautiful spaniard Andrea Duro who works for Lucero, that scene with Maria and Maximo on the training matt is a delight, we get to witness their undoubted connection, their passion & energy burns through the screen : so if your a fan of these high tempo, high body count action movies that are well choreographed & filmed in the most beautiful of places (in this case Barcelona), even containing bits of humor in the midst of all the violence (such as Lucero handing a delicious looking cake to one of his henchman and returning 5mins later to find it’s been eaten) then Xtremo will fit the bill and may give you a new hero to root for…. let’s hope the movie’s a success and Benmayor gets to film a sequel : EXPLOSIVE FUN ★★★★

A criminal mastermind unleashes a form of justice that will terrify in a new chapter from the book of Saw : Let’s dive straight in and get to the nitty gritty… DON’T listen to anybody who says that SPIRAL is like Fincher’s Se7en or that the movie is shifting in a new direction NO it is not : Darren Lynn Bousman’s movie is NOT a new beginning it’s just a pure and evil continuation of the dark & gory horror franchise that I love with every insane horror bone in my body : Bousman himself is a veteran of the SAW movies directing Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, so let’s be honest Lionsgate wasn’t about to change the formula were they? and can you blame them…. yes Spiral is a tad predictable, but the writing is sharp with it’s focus on police corruption, it’s pace is quick and it’s creativity in setting up those grizzly murders is top draw and kept my butt clenched throughout… the cast ain’t too shabby either with stand out roles from Chris Rock who actually suits playing a lead detective, Samuel L Jackson, Max Minghella and Marisol Nichols who all fuel to this well oiled horror franchise : so if you’ve been a fan since 2004 and love your horror to contain plenty of blood and twisted carnage then SPIRAL will fill that 90min void with it’s own cruel blend of sick entertainment ★★★½

Nick Bannister, a private investigator of the mind, navigates the darkly alluring world of the past by helping his clients access lost memories. Living on the fringes of the sunken Miami coast, his life is forever changed when he takes on a new client, Mae. A simple matter of lost and found becomes a dangerous obsession. As Bannister fights to find the truth about Mae’s disappearance, he uncovers a violent conspiracy and must ultimately answer the question: how far would you go to hold on to the ones you love?

From the co-creator of Westworld and directorial debut of the Lisa Joy comes Reminiscence a movie that looks insanely familiar yet mind blowingly cool in a Christopher Nolan kinda way : I love the imagery, futuristic film noir setting and love story vibes and the cast is not too shabby either with Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton taking central roles : check out the trailer below, the movie lands on August 20th 2021

Clint Eastwood : 91 Today

Posted by absolutebadasses on May 31, 2021

Posted in: Views. Tagged: actor, bluray, cinema, cinephile, clint eastwood, cop thrillers, director, dirty harry, dollars trilogy, dvd, eastwood movies, film star, happy birthday clint eastwood, harry callaghan, high plains drifter, hollywood, movies, photography, the stranger, western. Leave a comment

“I love every aspect of the creation of motion pictures and I guess I am committed to it for life”

Born in San Francisco, California in 1930 and with over 50 acting roles, 40 directorial credits, a whole bunch of original music and 4 Academy Awards CLINT EASTWOOD is the epitome of the word LEGEND : he’s 91 today, he’s still working & his latest film Cry Macho lands in October……… (Happy Birthday Clint)