Anyone But You (2023) – Will Gluck

Using Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing as a template (there are quotes and references littered throughout), Will Gluck directs this delightful, and sexy rom-com that stars Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. Ben (Powell) and Bea (Sweeney) have a lovely little meet-cute, and have an amazing first date. One that is brought to an abrupt end,…

Haunted Mansion (2023) – Justin Simien

There’s just a little too much going on in Disney’s Haunted Mansion. It seems to want to dip its toe into as many genres as it can, but doesn’t give any of them enough time to actually pay off. There are some great concepts and the cast is solid, but it just doesn’t fire on…

House (1985) – Steven Miner

Directed by Steve Miner, who gave us Friday the 13th Parts 2 and 3, and Sean S. Cunningham who gave us the first film, and was the producer for its sequels, gives us a different kind of horror (tinged with comedy) starring William Katt and George Wendt, and while there’s an interesting concept here, a…

Explorers (1985) – Joe Dante

The next film in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies, as it guides me through the interstellar reaches of space exploration with its chapter on Alien Monsters, is Joe Dante’s Explorers. Starring River Phoenix, Ethan Hawke, Jason Presson with appearances by Amanda Peterson, and James Cromwell, and featuring Dante regulars Robert Picardo and Dick Miller,…

Forces of Nature (1999) – Bronwen Hughes

Ten Bad Dates With De Niro brings me another title from the list of films that it’s painful to like. In this case the Sandra Bullock, Ben Affleck romantic comedy, Forces of Nature. This list doesn’t have to worry about me liking it. It wasn’t so great. Despite that, it’s got a helluva cast, alongside…

Burnt Offerings (1973) – Robert Marasco

Burnt Offerings is the type of tale that I’m glad I came to at this age as opposed to my early teen years when I first discovered horror novels. I say that because at that time, I would have hated it no matter who recommended it to me. I had discovered King, and The Shining…

V – The Miniseries (1983) – Part One

Writer/director Kenneth Johnson gave us a modern retelling of the Nazi Third Reich in the event mini-series that so impacted me, and countless others, when it first debuted on 1 May, 1983. It was all I talked about in school, finishing up the sixth grade. I didn’t get to see it all when it aired,…