Category Archives: Doc’s Movie Reviews

It Came From Outer Space (1953)

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October 11

#6 out of 13

I had thought that I had seen It Came From Outer Space (1953) before, but there was no review on the site. Because of that, I decided to add it on the list for the October 13. After watching it, I think what I was thinking was “The Day the Earth Stood Still” instead of this one. Both of these films were named in the “Science Fiction/Double Feature” song from Rocky Horror Picture Show, which may have led to my confusion as well.

I have definitely not seen this movie before, but it was a really enjoyable. These kind of sci-fi outer space films from the 50s have a tone about them that really sets them apart from other films of the time. They are also great in comparison to the more recent because of their low budget and reliance on practical effects.

According to IMDB, “A spaceship from another world crashes in the Arizona desert and only an amateur stargazer and a schoolteacher suspect alien influence when the local townsfolk begin to act strangely.”

There was some good tension in the film as the aliens moved about taking over humans’ appearances in order to walk freely among them. The interactions between astronomer John Putnam and Sheriff Warren was fun, even if it was unlikely.

I was surprised when the Professor from Gilligan’s Island walked onto the screen. Russell Johnson played George, one of the earliest of the humans to be taken by the aliens and replaced. I have seen Johnson in other roles such as in The Twilight Zone before his most recognizable role on the sitcom.

I liked this a lot and it was fun watching the story develop. This film was not afraid to set the humans in a more aggressive manner when the aliens just wanted to fix their crashed ship and leave.

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

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I thought about using this film in The October 13, but I decided against it. It certainly would have fit. I rented this a few weeks ago at Fandango at Home with the expectation that I would get it watched within the month time frame allowed. However, I was down to seven days this morning, and so I decided that the time was now.

According to IMDB, “A director making a slasher sequel becomes obsessed with casting the original film’s ‘final girl,’ leading both women into psychological and sexual chaos.”

I have to say that this movie was a strange, bizarre, surreal and satirical film that I had a difficult time getting into. The overall story was some kind of amalgam of slasher movies, romantic and dark, dark comedy.

I have been a fan of Gillian Anderson ever since The X-Files, and her performance is one that I enjoyed. It became so weird that it lost me.

At the beginning, when the slasher would kill someone and there would be a massive spurting blood that was so cartoonish that it pulled me out of the film.

I am not sure how to feel about a lot of this film. I liked the performances, especially with Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder. I’m just not sure how I feel about the story being told.

2.75 stars

Other Mommy

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It has been a great year for horror. I spoke about it in a review just a few weeks ago after watching Resident Evil.

Then came Other Mommy.

They can’t all be winners.

Other Mommy was a huge disappointment because the initial trailer for this movie was so good. How could a trailer be so intense, creepy and disturbing while the movie it is from is dull, stupid and downright pathetic.

According to IMDB, “Bela, an 8-year-old girl living in a home with marital problems, confronts a sinister entity which comes out of her closet. The presence, whom she calls “Other Mommy,” becomes increasingly threatening to her and her family.”

Jessica Chastain committed to the role, but I was underwhelmed by the performance. It was funny at times, and that is not what the film wanted.

I will say that the young debuting actor Arabella Olivia Clark as Bela did a good job. She handled a lot of the heavy lifting in the story as she had most of the story on her shoulders.

The problem is the story itself was lacking in too many ways. There is no specific plot involved. What is Other Mommy’s motive? Not really sure. There are moments when the tone of the film is all over the place. It felt like they tried to infuse some humor into the story that just never worked and only served to pull me out of the film.

The biggest problem of Other Mommy is that, outside of the great jump scare that they showed in the trailer, this movie was just not scary. It was nowhere near as creepy or intense for almost the entire run time of the film. The trailer made me think this would be a tense and anxious film. Nope. I actually laughed at several of the scenes that were supposed to be scary.

I thought the acting was fine, but there are just too many problems with the film to add to the list of great 2026 horror films.

1.2 stars

The Social Reckoning

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Aaron Sorkin’s new film is a kind of sequel to the iconic classic, The Social Network. While it is not a bad movie by any stretch, it falls quite short of that first amazing film.

According to IMDB, “Follows Frances Haugen, a young Facebook engineer, who enlisted the help of Jeff Horwitz, a Wall Street Journal reporter, to blow the whistle on the social network’s most guarded secrets.”

The performances of the film are solid. Mikey Madison is Francis an employee inside Facebook who has discovered the questionable choices made by the social network. She recruited Jeremy Allen White, who played Jeff Horwitz, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal.

Jeremy Strong played Mark Zuckerberg, in all his arrogant glory. Strong is a great actor and his work as Zuckerberg was a highlight of the movie. His argument with Bill Barr is a powerful series of scenes.

Now, there are several scenes that dragged on, especially at the beginning of the film, and the ending felt a little too preachy.

Dialogue in an Aaron Sorkin movie is always great, and this was as well. However, the story itself seemed to lack a little oomph. While it was a good enough presentation of the true story, it did not stand out like the previous film did. It was perfectly watchable, but it felt underwhelming at times.

In a movie where Facebook seemed to be the villain, I will be posting this review on the social network.

3.1 stars

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

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October 9

#5 out of 13

I remember finding out about this rock opera earlier this year when Anthony Stewart Head passed away. I loved Head as Giles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I knew he could sing so I was curious about this film.

It is one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen.

According to IMDB, “A worldwide epidemic encourages a biotech company to launch an organ-financing program similar in nature to a standard car loan. The repossession clause is a killer, however.”

The film reminded me of Rocky Horror Picture Show, Moulin Rouge, and Heavy Metal. This movie did not make any money on its release, but it has become a cult film, much in the same manner as Rocky Horror. The music throughout was rocking and entertaining.

The story was crazy. Anthony Stewart Head was really solid in the role of Nathan. Paul Sorvino was the lead antagonist in Rotti Largo. I am not sure I liked his voice as much as I did Head’s.

The film had fun comic book-like panels used at times during the film to help with exposition. It was a fun technique to move the story along.

The rock opera was entertaining, but the story was so weird and extremely gory, some times too much so. It was gross at too many moments.

I could listen to Anthony Stewart Head’s voice all day though. This was something else.

Dementia 13 (1963)

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October 8

#4 out of 13

A few months ago, I came across a film called Dementia 13, which interested me. I wanted to save it for the October 13, so I emailed myself the name of the film to remember it.

I added it to the list for The October 13 and chose to watch it tonight. As the opening credits were running, I spotted something that I did not know. This film was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In fact, this was Coppola’s feature film debut. It was intended to be a low-budget film similar to Psycho, and the film would be produced by Roger Corman. I did not know about Coppola’s involvement at the time I emailed myself, but it was a welcome addition.

According to IMDB, “Ax murders follow a heart attack at an Irish castle full of mourners.” This is a fairly simplistic synopsis of the film, which had some decent and unexpected twists in it. The ending was predictable as I kept waiting for a bigger surprise to happen. One that never did arrive.

The film had some good ambiance. It was creepy and filmed well int he style of a gothic horror. You could certainly see what Coppola may have in his future with the directing of this film.

Actors appearing in the film included William Campbell, Luana Anders, Mary Mitchel, Bart Patton, Patrick Magee, Eithne Dunne, Karl Schanzer, and Derry O’Donovan.

You could tell this film was older and not as cleanly preserved as some other 1960s film, but it was still a decent watch, and I am glad to have seen the historic first film directed by an all-timer.

War of the Worlds (2005)

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October 4

#3 out of 13

I adjusted the rules of the October 13 because I wanted to do a rewatch of Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds. Typically, the October 13 is reserved for films that I have never seen before, and I did see this film in the theater back when it came out. However, I decided to include this one in the October 13 as a rewatch this year because I did want to give it a second chance, and I am glad that I did.

I remember not liking this movie at all when I saw it in the theater. I distinctly remember sitting in the Voy Theater and hating this film. I pulled it up today on HBO Max and thought it was much better. I still wouldn’t say that I loved it, but I did enjoy it more than that first time, and I am happy I did the rewatch.

According to IMDB, “An alien invasion threatens the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.”

One of the reasons why I think I liked this more this time than back then was I was not as familiar with HG Wells’ novel War of the Worlds at the time. Since I have read it and taught it at school and I have more of an appreciation for it. While they made many adaptations to it, there are several key scenes that come from the novel, including the scenes involving Ogilvy (Tim Robbins).

I was now familiar with the ending of the story, and how the alien tripods were brought down. I remember being really unhappy with the conclusion when I first saw it, but now it feels much more acceptable, if not even somewhat iconic.

Tom Cruise is solid as well, and we get some great scenes of him running. The two kids (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin) were annoying through much of the film, but they grew on me as the story progressed.

The film looked great with the tripods and the aliens, and the scene where the long tentacle searched through the basement where Cruise and Ogilvy were hidden was very tense and suspenseful.

In the end, this was way better than I had remembered, and, while it is nowhere near the top of my Spielberg list of movies, it is no long near the bottom either.

Wrinkles the Clown (2019)

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October 4

#2 out of 13

I have had this on my Netflix queue for quite awhile, but I have been saving it for the October 13. Wrinkles the Clown was a documentary directed by Michael Beach Nichols. It followed a man in Florida who would offer to be hired by people who want him to scare misbehaving children or pull pranks.

It is a weird doc because it changes from the beginning halfway as something strange happened. I’m not sure if spoilers fit for a doc, but I’m going to play it close to the vest anyway.

I thought the film was interesting but it felt as if it weren’t very cohesive as it could have been and that came from the beginning of the film.

I’m glad I watched this, but I think it could have been a better viewing experience.

Digger

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Digger was the wildest, absurd, most bat-sh*t film I have seen all year.

And I think I loved it.

I went to Digger, the new film starring Tom Cruise, with the knowledge that it had been very divisive. Honestly, I went in with the expectation of not liking it.

Then, about halfway through the film, I realized that I was really enjoying Digger and I had no idea of what kind of movie this was.

Speaking of that, it is nearly impossible to talk about the plot of this movie without spoiling things, so I am going to have to be very cautious with what I say.

Tom Cruise, who played Digger Rockwell, is spectacular in this movie. He is clearly game for anything that the film brings to him, as he is doing a bunch of crazy stuff. This character is played so over-the-top, but for a specific reason, that I do believe that Cruise may be a contender for an Oscar, even if the divisiveness of the film hurts its other potentials.

John Goodman played President Compson, and he was extremely funny. Goodman’s performance played off Cruise well and was every bit as impressive as the lead. Riz Ahmed was also great in the film as Dr. Ganesh. The acting was superb.

I have heard a lot of people comparing this to the iconic Dr. Strangelove, but that is only partially correct. Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu does a wonderful job with this bizarre, satirical, oddball film. I can understand why many people come out of this with such negative feelings. It is a big swing. I just found it to be such a remarkably creative and original idea.

4.2 stars

Resident Evil (2002)

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October 2

#1 of 13

The first film of The October 13 this year is the first film of a franchise based on a video game from 2002. The video game? Resident Evil.

I had kind of wanted to watch this before I went to the rebooted Resident Evil from Zach Cregger, but it was out in September and I did not want to wait. I really enjoyed that movie starring Austin Abrams. Unfortunately, the original film, starring Milla Jovovich and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, was nowhere a good as the 2026 film.

This was tremendously bad. The acting was just atrocious. Milla Jovovich, who starred in one of my favorite movies The Fifth Element as Leelo, was just going through the motions, and sadly, she was the best actor of the crew.

There was LOST’s own Michelle Rodriguez, but she was just not bringing the goods. The rest of the cast was as wooden as one could be.

There were some moments that made me laugh loudly, even though they were not intended to. One example was when Milla made an acrobatic kick after bouncing off the wall, into the face of a monster dog. It was so ridiculous that it was embarrassing even for a video game.

The film did not look good. It was 2002, but it still lacked what I would have hoped for from the day. It was predictable and, while at the time it might have been more than just another zombie flick, since I am watching this is 2026, this is just another zombie flick.

Milla Jovovich is gorgeous and definitely stands out among the images of the violence and the gore, but there just is nothing else here. I am so happy the new film took a different direction, because it was heads and shoulders above this mess.

The October 13 is not starting off strong.

Unabomber

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I have always had a fascination with serial killers, and I remember when the chase for the Unabomber was going down in the 1990s and the capture and arrest of the Unabomber, Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski. When I saw the new film on Netflix entitled Unabomber, I put it on my queue. I saw some big named actors involved, including Russell Crowe, Jacob Trembley and Shailene Woodley. I was surprised to find out that it was Jacob Trembley who was playing Ted Kaczynski.

The film was told in two time periods. Jacob Trembley was playing Ted during his time as a 16-year old Harvard student and his involvement in a debate club led by Russell Crowe’s Professor Henry Murray. The second time period is the time period of the Unabomber Manifesto and the subsequent capture of Kaczynski, led by FBI Agent Joanne Miller, played by Shailene Woodley.

I thought that the casting of Trembley was Kaczynski was odd, but Trembley did a solid job in the role. His interactions with Russell Crowe were strong and both of their performances elevated the material.

Sadly, the basic idea of the film felt fairly low level and lacking some of the key components of the character. The psychological aspect of the film was questionable, and it even went as far as to imply that Crowe’s Murray helped turn Kaczynski into what he would become. I am not sure the writing of the film was to the level it needed to be, despite a couple of actors bringing the work to a higher level.

The present day storyline felt fairly typical of the true crime genre, without a ton of depth. Shailene Woodley was decent, but there just was nothing more to add to the story that hadn’t been covered before. The final scene of the capture of Kaczynski had some tension to it, but it was filmed straight up and simple when it could have had more layers.

There just was not much to the overall story, and that is a shame as the Unabomber was one of the 20th centuries biggest criminal cases.

2.8 stars

Avengers Endgame: Encore

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Are the new scenes that were added to the end of Avengers Endgame: Encore necessary to see to understand Avengers: Doomsday coming in December? Maybe not… but I don’t care.

It was freakin’ epic.

Would I have gone to the theater had there not been new scenes? Damn straight. Avengers: Endgame is my favorite movie of all time (right up there with Princess Bride) and I loved watching this movie on the big screen. I was in the same IMAX theater where I saw this movie the first time.

This was my tenth time seeing this movie in a theater, and it was every bit as awesome as the first time. The big moments still brought tears to my eyes despite having seen it as many times as I have (including multiple times on Disney +).

No spoilers for the new scenes at the end, but I found all of them extremely amazing. They were short. There were four bits that were added in a way or another.

The film is very long, but I have to say that I never felt its length. Each aspect of the film worked so well and flowed beautifully. That third act is one of the best third acts in all of movies. Yet I believe the first two acts are as great as any as well.

Watching this movie, I am amazed at the cast that they brought back for this movie. We had the Avengers and Thanos, of course, but also actors such as Robert Redford, Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas, Tilda Swinton, Frank Grillo, Rene Russo, John Slattery, Hayley Atwell, Jon Favreau, Angela Bassett, William Hurt, Hiroyuki Sanada, James D’Arcy, Jacob Batalon, Ken Jeong, and several surprise appearances in the new scenes.

I loved this experience again and the new scenes only helped but make me even more excited for Doomsday. Endgame remains at the top of my list of films.

5 stars, of course.

Primetime

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I have been excited about this movie from A24 for awhile now. I did watch How to Catch a Predator at times, though not regularly (as the film tells us… it was up against LOST) and this sounded interesting.

I have to say that I did like this movie, and I think that Robert Pattinson did a great job as Chris Hansen. There was something about the film that just felt off. I am not sure what it is about Primetime that did not work as well as I would have liked it, but it was an interesting film.

The behind the scenes aspects of How to Catch a Predator was weird and strange. I am not sure what was happening with Chris Hansen. He was extremely creepy in the story as well. The film split the difference between Chris Hansen and Dan Plum (Skyler Gisondo) as what felt like the co-protagonists.

I had some issues with Skyler Gisondo. I think he is a great actor and he does an admirable job in this movie, but I just had a hard time thinking of him as a 13-year old. That might be just my own problem, but it was in my head the whole time.

The third act took all of the bizarre parts of the film and made it compelling during this over-the-top ending.

I think the film was not as strong as I thought it was going to be, but there were some great performances from both Robert Pattinson and Skyler Gisondo (and also Merrit Wever, whose Andie Bender was a real fascinating addition). The film felt psychedelic at times, which was both intriguing and weird.

I think I enjoyed the film more than what bothered me. It is a strange film but I liked it in the long run.

3.4 stars

Forgotten Island

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I had heard about this movie from several online pundits and I was looking forward to this animated movie from DreamWorks. Forgotten Island did not disappoint.

According to IMDB, “Two best friends become stranded on the mystical world of Nakali, where their only escape might cost them their shared lifetime of memories.“

There were so many amazing things about this movie. Let’s start with the animation. It is one of the most original animated styles that I have ever seen. It blends the 3D computer graphics with 2D hand drawn effects. It reminded me much about The Spider-Verse animated movies, the last Puss in Boots film, and anime films from Japan. It is so chaotic and energetic that it was awesome to watch. It is a visual masterpiece and a bright colored image.

Our two main characters, Jo and Raissa, are fully relatable and engaging. I was hooked with these two characters the minute they met outside of the principal’s office. The voice work of these two characters were great from the performers H.E.R. and Liza Soberano, respectfully.

Other voices in the film included Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Lea Salonga, Dolly DeLeon, Jo Koy, Ronnie Chieng, Kevin McCann, and Kailey Crawford.

Forgotten Island is full of imagination and creativity. It is a sensational animated movie and I loved watching it. Everything about the film was amazing and it was enjoyable the entire time I was in the theater. One of the best animated movies of the year.

5 stars

Tony

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I rented the biopic of Anthony Bourdain in the film Tony, which I watched off Fandango at Home tonight.

According to IMDB, “A 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain travels to Provincetown and stumbles into the chaotic world of a restaurant kitchen, setting off a summer that will shape the course of his life.”

I know very little about Anthony Bourdain. I found this biopic very intriguing. The character of “Tony” was very charismatic, but such a liar and a selfish person. I liked though that he was able to make some better decisions as the movie moved along.

Dominic Sessa does a good job in the titular role, but there is no doubt that Antonio Banderas stole the show as Chef. In a film where we never learn his character’s name (yes, it does appear in a letter, but that is the only moment), he is the most interesting and engaging character. He has so many little intricacies that make this man so outstanding and whom better to play him than Antonio Banderas?

There are some questions for me as to why Tony made some of the choices that he made in the film. I think the film could have gone into more details with the character at the beginning of the film. Leo Woodall’s character, Sal, is one of my least favorite in the movie. I just had a difficult time relating to him and his flip out midway.

I liked this film, especially for performances. I think it was an interesting period of Anthony Bourdain’s life to look at and focus on. It was worth a rental.

3.5 stars