Friday, September 5, 2025

EIGHT EYES (2023)

 


Edited & Directed By: Austin Jennings 

Written By: Matthew Frink and Austin Jennings 

Cinematography: Sean Dahlberg


Cast: Emily Sweet, Bradford Thomas, Bruno Velvanovski, Nenad Mijatove, Jovan Ristic, Jovan Stanlovic, Gordana Jovic, Milica Djurickovic 



When Cass begins to hear voices while backpacking with her husband Gav through former Yugoslavia, she attributes it to travel stress and cracks appearing in her new marriage. However, when the couple embarks on an unplanned sight seeing expedition with a mysterious local named Saint Peter, Cass quickly suspects that his promises to give them an "authentic" tour of his homeland conceal a much darker purpose. When Gav goes missing, Cass soon finds herself dragged into an increasingly paranoid web of manipulation and murder from which even death offers no escape.

————————————————————————

I can give this some credit for trying to build an aesthetic of the Giallo’s that it’s obviously modeled after and also it’s obvious modern inspirations such as CABIN FEVER, A SERBIAN FILM and TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE The film seems especially throughout homage to the latter where we have a couple in a foreign land, who want to see the sights and trust the mysterious Stranger, who’s jovial a nice at first, but seems to slowly turn, and they don’t seem to pick up on the signals that somethings strange as a foot


As the film is definitely a two-parter, where the first half is more mysterious, and the second half Kisco’s balls to the wall off its hinges where it becomes more violent and everything is explained. Though the film stays atmospheric. 


The filmmaking is fun and creative. The problem is that while wanting appreciate that it’s not as violent or Gore fest, as it seems to be where it was going it also seems to lack a certain sense.as theoughout the film. It begins to be filled with psychedelic images and different film stocks. Which help give it a true grindhouse feel


here’s what I mean is is that lol it’s perfectly fine and never quite seems to go the places. It either seems headed or quite instill, fear or tension as much as it seems to want to. It always seems to be good enough yet fall short it doesn’t amaze, nor does it have to do but it always just seems to rise to a certain temperature and then go back that I never met maintaining what is the kid 


No, it seems like the filmmaker has to know how to do so even though it would be over the top for Sam it just feels like in a strange way. They are holding themselves back unless it was just cut to be that way. 


I can’t even say that it’s a perfectly good background movie because it’s something you have to pay attention to to fully understand everything as much as you can.


It just seems like the lead of the husband he is seems to have victim written all over him, especially his nerdish demeanor, which he seem to go overboard on, and his way to trusting nature, though Bruno Veljanovski At Saint Peter and Emily Sweet  Are both noteworthy in the cast, especially at they are pretty much the

Leads


Grade: C+

Thursday, September 4, 2025

OUT OF BOUNDS (1986)

 


Directed By: Richard Tuggle 

Written By: Tony Kayden 

Cinematography: Bruce Surtees

Editor: Kent Beyda 


Cast: Anthony Michael Hall, Jenny Wright, Jeff Kober, Glynn Turman, Raymond J. Barry, Pepe Serna, Michele Little, Jerry Levine 


Farm boy Daryl Cage's parents ship him off to the big city to live with his brother, hoping he will have a better life there. After a baggage mixup at the airport, Daryl finds himself in possession of a drug cache, which a ruthless drug dealer wants back. The dealer murders Daryl's brother and the small town boy ends up all alone in the big city, being pursued by both the drug dealer and the police, who suspect him of the murder.

————————————————————————


This comes across as Anthony Michael Hall, trying to be a more serious movie star and more of an action thriller . That works and its own way though ultimately feels typical of the time period


As the film is not asking him to be another Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger here he is more just an innocent kid brought into intrigue and is trying to find his way out of it and luckily for him is adept. As part of the action is watching this kid who no one would Suspects slowly figure things out and become savvy and trying to get himself out of his dangerous situation


The film doesn’t offer anything new. It is vicious and it’s violence, though not gory it just seems mean spirited, especially towards innocent characters and even its criminal characters who don’t exactly deserve their fates at times. 


It’s also a film that shows the glamour of LosAngeles but also the dark underside of the underground of of it at the time. 


What I would really recommend this movie for is the performance of Jenny Wright as just her fashion throughout the film and her looks is so iconic and so of that period. It’s almost like everything stops when she’s on screen and you just wanna keep watching her. She also gives the most believable performance throughout the film.


At first the film does try to show the slow and illness of the farm and seems to brighten up when Anthony Michael Hall‘s character finally gets to LosAngeles and sees all the statue ask beautiful women and flirting on the plane with Jenny Wright character.


The crime angle of the film does offer quite a few double crosses and surprises, though for the season film viewer you will probably see it coming, though it stays entertaining this film isn’t exactly an action extravaganza, which is why it leans more into thriller territory, but it is a fun watch as long as you don’t take any of it to seriously.


This film didn’t push Anthony Michael Hall’s career quite into the stardom that he was hoping for, but it was a nice attempt for the time as he tries to lean away from not only being comedic, but also the more geeky nerdish type rules. 


One can admit this is a film. I remember the posters an advertisement for back in the day and one that I always swore that someday I’m finally gonna watch it. Unfortunately, it seems like it took me 40 years to finally catch up to it though not what I expected, it does capture the time. In all its glory or despair 


Grade: C+


Monday, September 1, 2025

MOVIES WATCHED IN AUGUST (2025)




————————————————————————


FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES (HORROR)(SEQUEL) 7/10 





*THE JERK (COMEDY) 10/10 







VENUS (FOREIGN)(INTERNATIONAL)(HORROR)(SPAIN) 6.5/10 






SMART MONEY (CLASSIC)(COMEDY)(DRAMA)(CRIME) 6.5/10 






*POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING (COMEDY) 7/10 





THE PICK UP (ACTION)(COMEDY)(CRIME) 4/10 






FREELANCE (ACTION)(COMEDY) 6/10 





BORDERLINE (THRILLER)(COMEDY) 5/10 





EENIE MEENIE (ACTION)(CRIME)(COMEDY)(THRILLER) 6/10 





100 YEN LOVE (INTERNATIONAL)(FOREIGN)(COMEDY)(DRAMA)(JAPAN) 7.5/10 





FIGHT OR FLIGHT (ACTION)(COMEDY) 7/10 





HIGH AND LOW (THRILLER)(DRAMA)(CLASSIC)(FOREIGN)(INTERNATIONAL)(JAPAN) 10/10 






THE LAST OF THE FINEST (THRILLER)(DRAMA) 4/10 






SORRY BABY (DRAMA)(COMEDY) 9/10 





HIGHEST 2 LOWEST (THRILLER)(DRAMA)(REMAKE) 7/10 





A NICE INDIAN BOY (ROMANCE)(DRAMA)(COMEDY)(LGBTQ+) 6/10 






SISTER MIDNIGHT (CULT)(FANTASY)(FOREIGN)(INTERNATIONAL)(INDIA) 7/10 





THE TALK OF THE TOWN (CLASSIC)(DRAMA)(COMEDY)(ROMANCE) 6/10 






LOVERS ON THE BRIDGE (INTERNATIONAL)(FOREIGN)(DRAMA)(ROMANCE) 7/10 






WEAPONS (THRILLER)(HORROR) 7/10 






STAGECOACH (WESTERN)(CLASSIC) 8/10 






EQUINOX FLOWER (DRAMA)(FOREIGN)(INTERNATIONAL)(COMEDY)(JAPAN) 7/10 






CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (HORROR)(TEEN) 6.5/10 






CAUGHT STEALING (THRILLER)(CRIME) 7/10 






BOB TREVINO LIKED IT (DRAMA)(COMEDY) 8/10 




SHORTS

Both available on YouTube 


JULIET DANS PARIS (CULT) 7/10


POP MONSTERS (HORROR) 7/10 






TELEVISION SERIES, TELEVISION MOVIES, STAND-UP & SPECIALS


BIG BOYS (SEASON 2) 8/10  (SEASON 3) 8/10 



MARC MARON: PANICKED (STAND-UP) 7/10 



BAD THOUGHTS (SEASON 1) 6/10 



IRONHEART (SEASON 1) 7/10 



DETRIOTERS (SEASON 2) 8/10 



DAMASCUS (SEASON 1) 7/10 



RON TAYLOR: AVALANCHE (STAND-UP) 8/10 



LIFE SUCKS (MINI SERIES) 8/10 



PEE WEE HERMAN AS HIMSELF (MINI SERIES) 8/10 



MEAN GIRLS MURDERS (SEASON 3) 7/10 



FIT FOR TV: THE REALITY OF THE BIGGEST LOSER (MINI SERIES) 7/10 



INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (SEASON 1) 7/10