Category: 3.0 stars
It was fine.
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Repossessed (1990)
Surprise! A special extra post for Halloween! Regular readers know I do something like this every year. I started in 2020 with The Descent–my favorite horror movie–and followed it up the next year with the subpar The Descent: Part 2 (which was also my 400th review, hot damn). In 2022 I kept it somewhat on theme with October of the Living Dead and covered FleshEater, then the next year had Repo! The Genetic Opera to tie into Saw-mhain. So what to do this year? I could do a horror movie I love, a horror movie I hate, or theme it…
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The Exorcist III (1990)
I hold a special soft spot in my heart for The Exorcist III (my doctor is very worried, but there it remains). I can’t say it’s better than the original The Exorcist, but it’s miles beyond whatever the fuck Exorcist II: The Heretic was. But through some warts I can see the movie III wanted to be and might’ve been. Which is a roundabout way of saying I watched the theatrical cut, not the director’s Legion cut. Come on, I’m not going to watch the same Exorcist franchise movie twice for Paranormal Octoberty! That would be crazy.
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Dark Star (1974)
Did you know that sci-fi as a genre existed before Star Wars? I’m as shocked as you are. Or I would be if I wasn’t being facetious and also had previously seen Dark Star years ago. It’s a strange little film that’s really only noteworthy because of who made it; it’s certainly not remembered for it’s plot, and maybe only I half-remembered its soundtrack.
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Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
So we’ve got this Palpatine guy, right? Upstanding Senator and now Chancellor of the Galactic Republic, but you and I both know he’s also secretly Darth Sidious, dark lord of the Sith and the true enemy of the prequel Star Wars movies. And the original trilogy. And apparently the sequel trilogy, too. But like… what is his plan? I get that he’s consolidating political power and will soon take over the galaxy, but all his Sith shenanigans have me scratching my head. Let’s examine that after I summarize Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
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Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t absolutely sure that I’d be reviewing Return of the Jedi right here. Mr. George Lucas clearly wants people to watch his Star Wars movies in episode order, but I didn’t want to go that route. And sure, release order–4, 5, 6, 1, 2, and 3–is what I’m apparently leaning towards, but I was really tempted to do flashback mode–4, 5, 1, 2, 3, and 6–,the logic is flashing back to Anakin Skywalker’s past after the revelation that no, he is Luke’s father. But at just about the last minute I decided at the very…
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The Making of Star Wars (1977)
Oh ho! You expected me to cover Stars Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back immediately after talking about Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, didn’t you? But surprise! In between rewatching the two films I checked out an old documentary on the Star Wars phenomenon, and I thought it was interesting enough to cover. While many documentaries cover their subjects long after the fact, this one stands out for coming out in September of 1977, four months after the film’s debut. So this is not only informative, but it’s a look into a world where the…
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Jigsaw (2017)
We’re officially done with Hostel movies, so it’s all Saw from here on out for Saw-mhain! Saw 3D was billed as “The Final Chapter,” and that was a laugh. I mean, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter is the fourth movie out of tenish, so it’s no surprise that another Saw entry was made. Granted there’s a 7 year gap between the movies, but still. Was a pause all it took to make these movies good again? I mean, not really, but improvements have been made!
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Hostel: Part II (2007)
I’ve been reviewing the various Saw and Hostel movies more-or-less chronologically for Saw-mhain. Granted, Hostel came out before Saw II, but they were the same year and I didn’t want the second entry in a month focusing more on the Saw franchise to be something else. But we’re in the area of 2007, so it’s time for Hostel: Part II, a continuation of Mr. Eli Roth’s vision of decadence and ultraviolence. And like the first film, it was better than expected! Not a masterpiece, but still.
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Saw III (2006)
After that brief interlude with Hostel, the main event of Saw-mhain returns with Saw III, a movie I may have seen before? Lot of half-formed memories, which means either I picked up details through osmosis or I had watched it and it just didn’t stick. And after watching/rewatching, it honestly could be either. This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t super.
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Antlers (2021)
Anticipation makes the heart grow fonder, or something like that. Back in 2020 when the plan was to go to a movie theater each week–you know, before the world ended–Antlers was a movie I was pumped to see. It’s a mainstream wendigo movie! That’s a cryptid I am inordinately fond of! And thankfully, the anticipation paid off better than The Lodge, because this movie is certainly passable.
Chwineka Watches 