Daydreamer's Film Talk

I remember as a 13 year old child staying up late to find programs that would peak my interest besides the content usually spoon fed to me. One of those nights led to my viewing of Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments, something I would see air for a least a few Halloweens after. Many of the films on the countdown stuck out to me, but not as much as number 24, with the opening from its trailer showing a twisted lullaby being sung to a skeleton with a terrible wig and flower, followed by the organ shaped text reading SUSPIRIA. Even after finally seeing the film as a whole, the vibrant colors and brutal kills never left my memory and I understood why it was a classic in horror cinema and of Italian Dario Argento's work. I also understood why most fans (including myself for a time) were horrified at the idea of a remake ever being made of the film, but then again at the time Luca Guadagnino wasn't a household name director like he is now. Guadagnino's version of Suspi...

There is beauty and a semblance of liberation, but there is sadness, so much sadness. Belladonna of Sadness is a 1973 Japanese animated film that had been previously unreleased in the United States, much like Hausu, another Japanese film from 1977. The main focus is that of the female Jeanne (usually referred to as the title Belladonna) and unfortunate life she leads. Despite marrying Jean, the love of her life, she is promptly raped by the local baron and his subjects. Jean unfortunately is thrown out before he can help her and can only advise her later to forget the ordeal so they can start their lives fresh. She is immediately visited by a spirit who promises to help her and her husband become successful in the local village. When the baron's lady becomes jealous of her popularity, she accuses her of being a witch and has her thrown out of the village. In the wilderness, the spirit from before reveals itself as the Devil, who will grant Jeanne powers for her soul so that...

J-Horror's always been an entertaining subgenre for me, but I will admit it's not without its faults. The most prominent fault that comes to mind is pacing, as majority of the films I end up watching always take their time when getting to the horrific elements. The only time I felt a J-Horror film went straight to the point would be Tetsuo: The Iron Man. I bring this up because this will be mentioned more times during this particular film, Sadako vs. Kayako. Sadako vs. Kayako is a 2016 J-Horror film that brings together two of the genre's most iconic characters, Sadako from Ringu and Kayako from Ju-on. In the U.S., they're primarily known as the ghosts from The Ring and The Grudge franchises. The main plot concerns the dilemma of three girls, Yuri, Natsumi and Suzuka. Yuri and Natsumi are close friends who unfortunately come across Sadako's cursed videotape, which is even more unfortunate considering tapes are now a rarity in the modern age of DVDs, Blu-R...

There’s no denying that everyone knows who Santa Claus, or jolly old St. Nicholas, is and what he represents to the Christmas holiday. But only recently has America become fascinated with the folklore of Krampus, said to be the shadow of St. Nicholas who punishes the naughty children. While there are many variations as to how he punishes, it can be said that director Michael Dougherty’s film simply titled Krampus will become a definitive version for fans of his work.              The plot of the film concerns the holiday gathering of two families for Christmas. It’s apparent with their differing lifestyles that they don’t get along, and although Max, the younger child of the hosting family, writes a letter to Santa wishing everyone would get along, his cousins mock his letter in front of everyone. To him, this is the final straw and he renounces Christmas and his family and rips up his letter. As soon as he does this...

Director Kevin Smith has always been known to be three things: a comic book fan, a native of New Jersey, and a filmmaker in the comedy/drama genre. That changed when three years ago he released his first horror film, Red State, devoid of any of the humor he was known for. This year, he’s released his second film to have horror elements, but this time his style of comedy is present, the end product being Tusk. Tusk stars Justin Long as Wallace Bryton, a podcaster who specializes in finding people he deems bizarre and sharing the experience with his co-host and best friend Teddy, played by Haley Joel Osment. His next project brings him to Canada, where after his original interviewer is unavailable, finds a listing for a room that promises interesting stories to listen to. The lister turns out to be Howard Howe, played by Michael Parks, an old man who shares his tale of a walrus that saved his life to Wallace, but then reveals to him that he plans for Wallace to be his new walrus fr...

The Fast and the Furious films already have a reputation for being filled with nonstop action and logic defying car racing. I’ll admit, I wasn’t completely sold on the series when I saw the first film, but back then I was judging the film by itself and how it was made. The quality definitely improved as the franchise continued and I was anticipating the day when it would gain a high level of recognition. I think I can say without a doubt that its achieved that level with Furious 7. Furious 7 is the seventh installment, this time directed by James Wan. Returning to the films are stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in his final film appearance after his death in 2013. The plot consists of rogue assassin Deckard Shaw, played by Jason Statham, going after Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and Walker’s Brian O’Conner and their gang as revenge for the gang defeating his brother Owen Shaw, played by Luke Evans, from the last film. Along the way, a government agent, played by Kurt Russell, offer...