What I Watched in November - Movie Picks and Pans

[I review the new movie about SNL - "Saturday Night" - as well as the documentary "Child Star" and two comedy specials: "Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny" and "Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval."]

The following isn't really all I watched in November.  I was on a horror kick earlier in the month so in case you missed my post "Giving Some Respect to Horror Films - Some New Ones You Might Enjoy!" - here it is again.

Now on with the rest of the month!

Saturday Night (2024)

Can you believe it's been almost 50 years since "Saturday Night Live" came on the air?  Well, it wasn't called "Saturday Night Live" at the beginning and it almost didn't happen.  Here is the story.

It's October 11, 1975 and producer Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) is worried about the first episode of his show "Saturday Night," which is supposed to air on NBC that night. There is 90 minutes until air time, and there is all kinds of dysfunction behind the scenes. Michael's boss, Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), warns him that NBC executive, Dave Tebet (Willem Defoe), who has no faith in the show and would rather play a "Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" rerun, has brought other executives from across the country to watch the show and there is an NBC censor on hand trying to cut the sketches. But despite the chaos, Michaels is determined to make this show happen because he believes it is historic, the first show created and produced by the first generation of TV watchers.

There is also dysfunction within the cast, The Not Ready for Primetime Players.

Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris), whose background is opera and musical theatre, wonders what he is doing in a comedy show; John Belushi (Matt Wood) hasn't signed his contract, is hard to get along with and storms off, threatening to quit; Jim Henson (Nicholas Braun) doesn't like how he is being treated by the writers; Paul Shaffer (Paul Rust) is getting high; Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith) is already showing signs of his soon-to-be-well-known arrogance and gets into it with Milton Berle (J.K. Simmons); Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O'Brien) tries to be helpful; Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt) is, well, Gilda Radner, though she is downplayed a bit here and Andy Kaufman (also played by Nicholas Braun) is, well, Andy Kaufman; Laraine Newman (Emily Fairn), Jane Curtin (Kim Matula) and Billy Crystal (Nicholas Podany) are hanging about with not a lot to do;  and host George Carlin (Matthew Rhys) just thinks the show is a mess. Thank goodness Lorne's wife, Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott) is on hand to help calm him down (and it's good to see her get some credit for her creative contributions to the show).

Is the show going to be a hit?  Is it even going to get on the air?

For you younger folks out there, early "Saturday Night Live" was very different from today. First of all, it was called "NBC's Saturday Night." I think the show was also much edgier and stranger than it is today. I mean there were killer bees, land sharks, aliens and the dark humor that head writer, Michael O'Donoghue (Tommy Dewey) brought to the show.  In the first episode, he plays an English-language teacher, trying to teach John Belushi's character to speak English by repeating the phrases, "I would like to feed your fingertips to the wolverines. We are out of badgers. Would you accept a wolverine in its place?" and "Hey! Ned exclaimed, Let's boil the wolverines" before suddenly dropping dead of a heart attack. O'Donoghue also cultivated the persona of the grim "Mr. Mike," a coldly decadent figure who told comically dark "Least-Loved Bedtime Stories" such as "The Little Engine that Died."  And later, there was "Mr. Bill," a claymation figure created by Walter Williams, who went through various indignities and torture at the hands of "Mr. Hands" and Bill's "best friend," Sluggo. When Mr. Bill would get dismembered he would cry, "Ooooh, nooooo" in a falsetto voice. Some very strange but fun stuff. 

I have a very fond affection for SNL.

I watched it from the very beginning.  I had just gotten my first professional job as a librarian and was living and working in a very rural area of Northern California, and let's just say, I'm not much of a rural girl. There was no stop light in the town, not even a McDonalds! Watching SNL with it's offbeat, sophisticated humor gave me the bright lights of the big city that I needed. 

The ensemble cast are mostly unknowns but they channel the original Saturday Night cast well, and the film, written by Gil Kenan and Jason Reitman and directed by Reitman, despite some missteps (there is a strange bit about a brick floor) captures the behind the scenes ups and downs and the stress and excitement of an opening night in real time, until finally, Chevy Chase announces "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night."  The rest is history. Saturday night would never be the same again.

Rosy the Reviewer says...it's a chaotic, often fun romp, but perhaps not for everyone as it might not resonate with those who don't remember the original cast members. But for those of us who were there from the beginning, it brings back memories. (In theatres and for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime)  

Child Star (2024)

What being a child star does to you.

Directed by Nicola Marsh and former child star, Demi Lovato, this documentary examines the trials and tribulations of some of our most famous child stars: Lovato, Drew Barrymore, Raven-Symone, Christina Ricci and others.  I was particularly interested in Kenan Thompson.  I kept wondering what he was doing in the film.  I knew he was a "Saturday Night Live" cast member but didn't realize he had been a child star before that, starring in Nickelodeon's "All That" and "Kenan and Kel" as a teen. 

Many child stars have not fared well.  Shirley Temple, one of the most famous child stars ever, never really made it as an adult actress.  Jackie Coogan was a child star in silent films, often with Charlie Chaplin, and grew up to discover his parents had spent all of his money, resulting in the "California Child Actor's Bill," aka the "Coogan Law," which protects the earnings of child actors.  And several child stars, like Dana Plato who starred on "Diff'rent Strokes" and Rusty Hamer, who starred on "Make Room For Daddy," have had tragic deaths.

This film weaves historical background and interviews with the now adult stars together to paint a picture of the highs and lows of being a child star and, though there are definitely some benefits to fame as a child, the lows can be very low. Some of them had a very rough time, dealing with eating disorders, drug addiction and financial pressures from their families. We hear their personal journeys and experiences in the film industry. Director Chris Columbus, who produced "Home Alone" and the first two Harry Potter movies, also weighs in, sharing details about castings and the impact that fame has on the lives of young actors.

Since this is Lovato's film, she is the focus, sharing her life experiences as a child actor on "Barney & Friends" and on the Disney Channel. Drew Barrymore is also highlighted, and it's good to see she has done well with her talk show, though how she ever got a talk show, I will never know.  For some reason, she has always annoyed me.  Perhaps it's her earnestness which generates a self importance that is off-putting, but I know she had a rough childhood with parents who let her smoke dope with them at 10 and dragged her to clubs.  So I know I shouldn't be so judgmental about her.  But being a child star isn't all bad either. The interview with Christina Ricci is particularly poignant as she shares her story of her abusive home life and how going to the set each day and acting was actually a haven for her.

Written by Dani Sloane, this is an earnest film that perhaps goes on a bit long with no new revelations - I mean, we get it, show business can be brutal, especially for children - and the film can be a bit precious at times - it's obviously a passion project for Lovato who seeks to help others - but all-in-all, some interesting insights about growing up famous and, let's just say that Nickelodeon and Disney don't come out looking very child friendly.

Rosy the Reviewer says...for all of us, who as a child yearned to be a star, perhaps we dodged a bullet! (Hulu)

Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny (2024)

Taped at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston comic Jim Gaffigan gives the "skinny" on everything from his weight loss to raising teens to beards.

Known as a "clean" comic, Jim Gaffigan has been making people laugh for over 25 years with his self-deprecating and observational humor ranging from food to topics of the day to his wife and five kids, and this comedy special is no exception.  It made me laugh. 

Gaffigan addresses his dramatic weight loss at the beginning of the set. “I don’t know if you know, I’m normally a fat guy,” he says. “But since I’ve lost all this weight, now I’m just arrogant.”

Food has always been a hot topic for Gaffigan but now he has lost weight and don't accuse him of being on Ozempic....he's on Mounjaro!  But he is keeping his fat clothes because he says he's not a fool.  He sees the clothes in the closet and they taunt him "You'll be back!"

He also riffs on Viagra (it started as a blood pressure medicine until it's...uh...side effects became known); the difficulty of coming up with an acceptable password (he gets writer's block trying to come up with the letters, numbers and symbols that will be accepted passwords); how he doesn't understand the stock market even though he majored in finance in college; and why beards are important (a man looks in the mirror and says "I need to hide this!").  

But his main material is his wife and five children. 

"Children are the only thing we remove from our bodies... and then keep!"

"My kids' friends see me as an Uber driver and they have requested a silent ride."

"Being a Dad is like being a back-up quarterback.  When you are brought into the game people are nervous."

But with Gaffigan, it's not just his jokes. It's also his delivery that makes them funny.

Gaffigan is everywhere these days.  He played Tim Walz on SNL, he has starred in the movie "Unfrosted" and is touring with Jerry Seinfeld.  And he deserves this success. There is a reason he is my favorite comedian. He is a very funny guy.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a fun 60 minutes that will take your mind off of your troubles. Did I say he is a very funny guy? (Hulu)

Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval (2024)

Ellen performing at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, August 2024, in a comedy special that she has stated will be the end of her public career as a comedian...and sadly, this one wasn't funny.

First of all, I have to say I have always been a huge Ellen fan.  I loved her dry, dead-pan humor and her talk show, though I could do without her dancing in the audience. I thought she was hilarious and she always made me laugh.  Not this time. Calling this a comedy special is a huge overstatement. Too bad she isn't going out with a lot of laughs.

Remember how Ellen would always end her show with "Be kind to one another?"  Well, when she was accused of being a bully by members of her talk show staff, it ended her show and, according to her, she was "kicked out of show business." She clearly hasn't gotten over what happened and has a major bone to pick. This is less a comedy stand-up and more of a rant about what she has been through and how unfair it all was.  She spends most of the 70 minutes going over those 2020 bullying accusations and, though she was trying to be funny, there wasn't a laugh to be had. If she hadn't already been "kicked out of show business," after this, she surely would have been.

Don't get me wrong, I feel for her, but you know the old saying, "Where there's smoke, there's fire?"  Though I don't think she is a mean person, she herself admits she is a perfectionist and has OCD, so I think it's fairly likely there were some on her staff who might have felt bullied or at least put upon. 

But you know what, Ellen? The show must go on.  I don't think it's over for you.  Someone who had to do what you did to make it in the world of stand-up isn't likely to sit on the sidelines.  I wish you well and I think we will see you again.

Rosy the Reviewer says...but cringeworthy.  Sorry, Ellen, I didn't approve. (Netflix)

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

Giving Some Respect to Horror Films - Some New Ones You Might Enjoy!

[I review the horror films "The Substance," "Abigail," and "Night Swim"]

I think I have mentioned this before but in case you missed it, I enjoy the occasional horror film, and I don't feel that the horror film genre gets the respect it deserves. 

Did you know that only one horror film has ever won an Oscar for Best Picture and that was "The Silence of the Lambs," way back in 1992, and one could argue that is really not a horror film. Yes, some horrific scenes but not a horror film in the classic sense.  Likewise, few horror films have won awards for acting and only three for visual effects.  Even with wonderful visual effects, horror films are often written off as low art and second-rate, when in fact, they can be thought-provoking, cathartic, funny even, and often explore important themes such as mental health and racism and the sometimes scary thoughts that we have to deal with in our everyday lives, like what if you run into a zombie or your mother-in-law?  I kid.

But horror films fill a niche. Sometimes we just need a few jump scares to get us out of our comfort zones, shake us up a bit, and get us thinking.  Believe it or not, horror films often have a moral to the story that makes us go "Mmm."

So I am here to share with you some horror films that are worth watching for just those reasons.

The Substance (2024)

Not looking as youthful as you would like?  Well, why not make a younger version of yourself? Literally.

I think that Demi Moore has been one of our most underrated actresses.  Yes, she has starred in acclaimed movies like "Ghost" and "A Few Good Men," but no one has really raved about her acting.  And I don't think it helped that she was an early member of "The Brat Pack," a dismissive term coined by a journalist to put those upstart young actors in their place.

But now Demi gets her moment and what a moment it is, albeit a bit disturbing.

Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore) is an Oscar-winning actress with a star on Hollywood Boulevard.  Her acting career has waned and now she is the star of a long-running aerobics TV show (remind you of anyone?), but that star is also fading, and on her 50th birthday, she is unceremoniously fired from her show and Harvey (Dennis Quaid), her boss, makes no bones about the fact that he is firing her because she is OLD. 

While driving home, Elisabeth is in a major car crash. At the hospital, a young male nurse gives her a flash drive advertising "The Substance," a black market serum that generates a "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of oneself. After some deliberation, Elisabeth orders "The Substance" and injects the single-use activator serum, resulting in a much younger version of herself that emerges from a slit in her back in what I would say was one of the most disturbing film moments since that little creature burst out of John Hurt's chest in "Alien."

So now there is Elisabeth and her younger version, Sue (Margaret Qualley).  For this to work, Elisabeth must transfer her consciousness between the bodies every seven days without exception, while the inactive body remains unconscious. The other self also requires daily injections of a "stabilizer" to prevent deterioration. 

Wouldn't you know, Elisabeth's "other self," Sue, gets Elisabeth's old aerobics TV show and the new TV show skyrockets her to fame, and she is eventually selected to host a major New Year's Eve show. Sue enjoys a confident and hedonistic lifestyle, while Elisabeth becomes more and more reclusive.

And Sue wants to continue her happy life so she is more and more reluctant to play by the rules and one night gives Elisabeth extra stabilizer fluid to keep her asleep longer.  When Elisabeth awakes, she finds that her finger has aged.  When she calls the supplier to complain, she is warned that staying as Sue longer than the seven days will result in rapid aging of her original self.  And even though the two entities are supposed to be one, both personas see themselves as separate and start to resent each other.  

You can see where this is going. All hell breaks loose in what could be described as gut wrenching - again, literally.  If you have a squeamish stomach, the blood and guts that ensue might upset you.  But, hey, it's a horror film.

All kinds of horror films are referenced here from Sue being a sort of Frankenstein's monster to a bloody moment reminiscent of "Carrie" to a long hallway that keeps showing up reminding us of "The Shining" to Elisabeth's body aging as Sue gets stronger, hints of "The Picture of Dorian Gray."

All of this and more is thanks to the gifts of Coralie Fargeat, who wrote the screenplay and directed this in-your-face reminder of how women are objectified and told "Pretty girls should always smile," and when they reach a certain age and are no longer considered "pretty," especially in the world of show business, they are often invisible and discarded. And when I say, in-your-face, the close-ups Fargeat chooses are mesmerizing and add to the horror.  More and more, this kind of camera work is being used to create tension in films and it works.  

As for Demi, I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking making this film as a no-longer-young movie star herself, dealing with the same issues as Elisabeth. Though she still looks great, she is no longer the young in-demand ingenue she once was as fewer and fewer roles are available to women of a certain age in Hollywood. She also lost her much younger husband to a much younger actress, so I couldn't help but wonder if playing this role was liberating or depressing?  But I give Demi credit for letting herself "age" in the film, and I would say her fantastic performance is her revenge, and I hope an Oscar nomination is in the cards for her. Margaret Qualley, the daughter of Andie MacDowell, is also wonderful in this.  She has never looked more beautiful.

I have to say that the film is a bit too long and the ending is horrifically over the top - kind of lost me - and I think I said out loud, "Oh my God!"  But hey, it's a horror film. And speaking of Oscars, the make-up people should get nominations.  When you watch the ending, you will know what I mean.

So what's the moral? There is an obsession with youth and beauty and women are held to a standard they can't live up to and trying to stave off aging by making a deal with the devil can be a horror story.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like psychological horror, this is for you because it will definitely get in your head (but brace yourself for some stomach-churning scenes). (For rent of purchase on Amazon Prime or Apple+)

Abigail (2024)

Be careful who you kidnap!

Young ballet dancer Abigail's (Alisha Weir) father is Kristof Lazaar (Matthew Goode), a powerful crime lord.  She is abducted by a band of baddies consisting of Joey (Melissa Barrera), a former Army medic and recovering drug addict; Frank (Dan Stevens), a former NYPD detective; Sammy (Kathryn Newton), a hacker born into money who is just into crime for the thrills; Rickles (William Catlett), a former Marine; the not-too-bright Peter (Kevin Durand); and psychopath, Dean (Angus Cloud).  They take Abigail to a creepy, secluded mansion where they meet Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), the mastermind behind the plan to ransom Abigail for $50 million.  You might make the connection between the baddies names. No one is supposed to know each other's real names so Lambert names each of them after members of Sinatra's Rat Pack.

Joey is chosen to watch over Abigail. She feels sorry for Abigail and bonds with her, promising Abigail that she will protect her. Abigail shares that her father doesn't really care about her and will not pay the ransom. Joey no longer likes the kidnapping plan because she didn't realize that Abigail was a child.  Uh-oh. There is also something else about Abigail she didn't realize.

When Dean is attacked and Sammy finds Dean's decapitated corpse (and it's not pretty), the group realizes that their hiding place has been discovered and they think that Lazaar's famed enforcer, Valdez, is inside the house (he was famous for mutilation and decapitation). Rickles decides he is outta there but when he tries to leave, they realize they are trapped.  

And then Abigail reveals her real self and her revenge plot.

Let the vampire violence and mutilation begin!

Alisha Weir's face is soulful and poignant until it's not. Each member of the ensemble cast has a different role that provides drama as well as comic relief and you mostly care as each one is killed off in a creative way a la Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" plot device.  Well, almost all of them are killed off.  It's fun to see Dan Stevens who was my favorite "Downton Abbey" character (he was Matthew Crawley). He seems to have made a career for himself playing villains and in this - geez - he is about as far from Matthew Crawley as one could get.

Written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the film is slow to get going by horror movie standards, but once it does get going, it's non-stop scary moments and over-the-top blood and gore for the next hour. Though the plot gets very convoluted, the ballet theme mixed in with the blood and guts is fun and the film provides tense moments and solid production values that make for a satisfying, if grisly, experience that fans of vampire horror films will enjoy. But it was intense. I actually put my hands over my face a couple of times and when the first body blew up into blood and guts, I said "Ick" and when the second one did the same thing I said, "Oh my God" out loud, and I was all by myself. But I definitely had a bit of catharsis!

So what's the moral?  Sometimes good deeds are rewarded and some exploding bodies can provide catharsis, especially in these challenging times.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like your horror with some blood and gore as well as funny banter, this is for you! (Peacock)

Night Swim (2024)

A new thing to worry about.  Murderous pools!

In 1992, a young girl, Rebecca Summers (Ayazhan), goes out to her family pool one night to retrieve a toy boat belonging to her sick little brother. While she tries to get the boat, something in the pool pulls her underwater.

Flash forward to the present day, the Waller family—Ray (Wyatt Russell), Eve (Kerry Condon), and children Izzy (Amelie Hoeferle) and Elliot (Gavin Warren)—move to a new neighborhood after Ray has been forced to retire from his baseball career due to MS. They decide to purchase a house with a swimming pool in the backyard, especially after hearing that the pool would be good for Ray’s condition. Gee. Do you think it's the same pool where little Rebecca was pulled under the water and died?

Duh.  

As he spends more time in the pool as part of his therapy, Ray seems to be getting better, but at the same time, Ray's personality is changing and he is acting strangely and there also seems to be something scary in the pool attacking the children. At this point, I would think Ray and Eve should have a conversation about moving. Instead, they have a pool party, that, well, doesn't go well. And then they learn about little Rebecca. 

Tracking down the Summers family, Eve meets with Lucy (Jodi Long), Rebecca's mother. Lucy reveals the pool's malevolent history.  

So what will happen? 

This is your typical "family in jeopardy" horror film, but it's also a sort of "Jaws" but for pools.  And I thought I was afraid of water because I couldn't swim. Never worried about murderous pools.

Written and directed by Bryce McGuire and produced by my favorite horror producer, Jason Blum and his crew at Blumhouse Productions, whose films run the gamut from glossy, high budget scary films starring big names ("Get Out") to comedy horror ("Happy Death Day") to low-budget films starring relative unknowns like this one (though Russell is Goldie Hawn's and Kurt Russell's son and Condon was an Oscar nominee for her performance in "The Banshees of Inisherin"), this one is 99 minutes of suspense, fun jump scare moments (you might never want to play Marco Polo again) and great underwater photography. Blum is a genius at producing films that turn the normal, everyday lives of people into horror stories.

So what's the moral?  Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for those you love...big ones.

Rosy the Reviewer says... if you can't stomach children in jeopardy, this one might be a difficult one for you, but hey...it's a horror film...you are supposed to be creeped out!  And now here is something new to be scared of.  Demon pools! (Amazon Prime)

See you next time!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

 

"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" and the Month in Movie Reviews

[I review the new movie "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" as well as "Woman of the Hour" and "Jackpot!"]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

After 36 years, Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz are back!

I don't know why I keep doing this to myself. Einstein supposedly said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."  I guess I am insane because I keep watching movie sequels thinking they will be good and they never are.  And this one is no exception.

Yes, it's fun to see Michael Keaton chewing the scenery again, and yes, Tim Burton is a fine director, and yes, Winona Ryder is aging well, and yes, the production values are first rate as is Danny Elfman's music. You would think all of that would make for a fine movie, right? Wrong.  Even though I saw the first film, it's been 36 years, and with little exposition to remind me what went on that long ago, I didn't know what the hell was going on most of the time. It was a mess.

But here is what I think was going on.

Michael Keaton is back as Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder is back as Lydia Deetz and Catherine O'Hara is back as Delia Deetz, Lydia's stepmother. Winona is no longer the goth teen that the demon, Beetlejuice (Keaton), was obsessed with.

Lydia now hosts a supernatural TV talk show called Ghost House. While taping an episode, Lydia hallucinates seeing Beetlejuice in the audience.  He was not just obsessed with her 36 years ago, he tried to marry her and it looks like he is back. (If I have already lost you, best to see the first Beetlejuice movie).

Then Lydia's stepmother, Delia, informs Lydia that her father, Charles, has died in a gruesome accident. They and Lydia's daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), return to Winter River, Connecticut, the site of the first film, to attend the funeral. Sadly, Astrid and Lydia are not getting along, reprising the same mother/daughter theme in the first film. At the wake, Rory (Justin Theroux), Lydia's boyfriend and producer, pressures her to marry him on Halloween and she reluctantly agrees. Meanwhile, Astrid meets a local boy named Jeremy Frazier (Arthur Conti), who invites her to spend Halloween with him but Jeremy is not all he seems.

Meanwhile, Beetlejuice is still obsessed with Lydia.  He currently runs an office filled with shrunken-headed ghosts, most particularly his assistant, the overworked and disrespected, Bob (one of my favorite characters, by the way).

Then there is a murderous woman on the loose who turns out to be Delores (Monica Bellucci), Beetlejuice's former wife, who sucks the souls of the dead as she searches for Beetlejuice for revenge.  She supposedly tried to kill him back in the day, but he killed her first, but if that was ever explained in the film, I certainly missed it.  I didn't know what that was all about and her character seemed an unnecessary distraction. Willem Dafoe is also on hand as Wolf Jackson, a ghost detective who is another character trying to track down Beetlejuice and was also an unnecessary distraction.

But then Astrid becomes endangered and Lydia must summon Beetlejuice to help her save Astrid. There is an ascent into the Afterlife with a funny bit regarding "The Soul Train" - get it?  In the Afterlife you get on the Soul Train?  Yuck, yuck.  (but does anyone remember that show?), but that was actually a highlight.  But then it all went to hell, literally. 

Still with me?

Rory also turns out to be something other than what we thought; Beetlejuice coerces Lydia into a marriage ceremony; Delores arrives to seek revenge and, then, what? A huge sandworm shows up. Sigh. And there is a sort of a cliffhanger at the end of the film, which could spell another sequel?  Please stop.

Like I said, Tim Burton is a wonderful director and the film has great special effects and a wonderful fantasy look to it. Keaton is fun to watch but he doesn't appear as much in the film as you think he would since it's Beetlejuice times two (though he is in it more than he was in the first one). But the screenplay by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar is a chaotic mish-mash that is often hard to follow, even if you could remember the first film. Remember, it's been 36 years since the first film, and for those who missed that one (some potential viewers weren't even born yet), there was really little explanation about who Beetlejuice actually was and why he was obsessed with Lydia. Add to that all kinds of plot elements, there was so much going on, I found myself saying "Huh?" a lot. 

Here is my final word on sequels (or let's hope it's my final word. You never know).  

For a sequel to work, the audience needs some exposition about what happened before, if necessary, and then the story should be able to stand on its own. I should be able to enjoy the film and know what is going on even if I had not seen the earlier film(s)?  But that said, god save me from the insanity of watching another sequel expecting it to work!

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you are a huge Michael Keaton fan or you need a Halloween distraction, you might enjoy this, but better yet, save your money, skip this one and watch the first one again. (For rent or purchase on Amazon Prime and Apple+)

Woman of the Hour (2023)

Who knew you could meet a serial killer on a dating show?

This may come as a shock to you but many of the contestants on dating shows and other "reality" TV shows are often aspiring actors.  Duh.  I am being sarcastic.  Of course you know that.

Well, Cheryl Bradshaw (Anna Kendrick) was just such a woman, living in L.A. in the 1970's trying to make it as an actress but with little success. She could barely pay her rent and had a creepy neighbor, her only friend in L.A., sniffing around. So when her agent booked her to make a little money and get some exposure on "The Dating Game," she jumped at the chance. 

Now you young-uns out there have probably never heard of that show but during the 60's and 70's it was a big prime time hit. It was the first of many shows created by Chuck Barris (who was probably more famous for "The Gong Show") and possibly the beginning of the wave of dating shows we now have such as "Love is Blind" and "Love Island (I could go on and on because I watch them all)." 

On "The Dating Game," a young attractive woman would question three eligible bachelors who were hidden from her view.  She would ask silly questions like "If I were a flavor of ice cream, what flavor would I be?" -  and the guys would answer provocatively. At the end of the questioning period, she would choose one to accompany her on an all expenses paid date. Occasionally, the roles would be reversed with a guy questioning three women.  Believe it or not, Sally Field, Farrah Fawcett, Burt Reynolds and many other famous folks appeared on the show before they became famous.

And then along came Rodney Alcala, a real life serial killer.

In 1978, Alcala, played here by Daniel Zovatto, was a contestant on "The Dating Game" and host Jim Lange introduced him as a "successful photographer...Between takes you might find him skydiving or motorcycling." No mention that he had already murdered a couple of women. He was Bachelor #3. Little did Lange know that Alcala used his photography persona to lure young women and kill them. Alcala was already on the road to become one of our most famous serial killers, eventually convicted of seven murders but believed to have been responsible for the deaths of over 100 women. Guess game shows didn't do background checks in those days.

During the show, Cheryl isn't taken seriously and encouraged to be sexy and brainless.  In the audience is Laura (Nicolette Robinson) who recognizes Alcala as the last man to see her friend alive before she was murdered.  She tries to report Alcala but, like Cheryl, isn't taken seriously.

And wouldn't you know.  Alcala wins the date with Cheryl and the date is a visit to Carmel (my local friends will appreciate that). So does Cheryl go on the date?  Was she Alcala's next victim?

Written by Ian McDonald, in addition to starring in the film, this is Anna Kendrick's directorial debut, and it is Cheryl Bradshaw's true story. The film begins with Alcala's murderous path before making it on the show and then the aftermath. There is some scary insight as to how these serial killers lure young women. They can appear normal, charming even. 

Kendrick is a wonderful actress, but she also shows promise as a director. Her directorial choices were very interesting with dramatically framed close-ups and interspersing Cheryl's journey with Alcala's until they connected on the show produced a taut, engrossing drama. Other performances were also great, especially Daniel Zovatto creepily perfect as Alcala, showing that serial killers often have a certain charm that allows them to lure their victims. And the 70's retro vibe will bring back memories to Baby Boomers. 

Where most true crime thrillers focus on the killer, and we learn little about his victims, this film focuses on some of the women.  It is a comment on how young women, especially back in the day, were/are often discounted, surrounded by misogyny, even potential violence and made to shut-up and play nice.

Rosy the Reviewer says...the dark side of a game show and here it's a metaphor for the often scary world women have to "play nice" in. True crime aficionados and those who just like good movies will enjoy this fast-moving inside look into the mind of a real-life serial killer. Recommended. (Netflix)

Jackpot (2024)

It's 2030 and California is having money problems so the government initiates a "Grand Lottery" that allows losing ticket holders to go after the winner and if they kill the winner before sundown they get the jackpot!

So this is a sort of comedy version of "The Purge," but I wish it had been more of a comedy.  You know, a comedy is supposed to be funny.  But to be fair, after the first hour, it got better. Not really funnier, but better. 

So like I said, it's 2030, California is in financial trouble so the government creates the Grand Lottery, where each Lottery Day, the winner must survive until sundown to win the prize while anyone with a losing ticket can kill that person to claim the prize.  But no guns!

Former child actor Katie Kim (Awkwafina) is not doing well making it in show biz and inadvertently enters and wins the lottery. Suddenly she is being attacked everywhere she goes until she meets Noel Cassidy (John Cena), a freelance Lottery protection agent, who offers his services in exchange for ten percent of her winnings. Noel is actually a good guy.  He gives what he earns away to victims. This is how Katie describes him: "He looks like a bulldog a witch put a spell on and turned him into a human against his will." Okay, that was kind of funny. Cena does kind of look like that.

But then Noel and Katie run into some problems, so Noel calls a fellow lottery winner protector, Louis Lewis (Simu Liu), who has a very big company and who agrees to protect Katie in exchange for him and Noel each receiving 30% of Katie's winnings.

But as happens in these kinds of films, Lewis is not what he appears.  He is a bad guy and the rest of the movie involves Katie and Noel trying to extricate themselves from Lewis while at the same time keeping Katie alive from the hoards of people trying to kill her for her prize money. 

Written by Rob Yescombe and directed by Paul Feig ("Bridesmaids"), what I thought was a funny premise proved to be a one note idea that was too weak to carry a 103 minute film, but because I was an Awkwafina fan ever since she made a big splash in "Crazy Rich Asians," and I was happy she got a starring gig, I decided to suspend disbelief and go with it. The film meant well, and even though the first hour was non-stop violence, mayhem and wisecracks (and did I say, not funny?), the second part of the film got better and there was actually a bit of character development, but not enough to save this movie. And I got weary of the butt jokes. Likewise, if you hang for the credits, there are bloopers that also get wearying.

Rosy the Reviewer says...there is a moral here: there are good people in the world who don't just care about money (good to know in this divisive era), but there is also a moral here when it comes to comedies.  They should be funny. I was disappointed, but if you like silly violence, this is for you, but otherwise, make a run for it! (Amazon Prime)

Thanks for reading!

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