GhoulieJoe

‘Villains’: Thought-Provoking and Funny as Hell

Jules (Maika Monroe) and Mickey (Bill Skarsgård) are inept but resourceful thieves who have just robbed a gas station. Ironically running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere, they break into an empty well-appointed home. All is well until they stumble onto a little girl chained up in the basement. As they scramble toContinue reading “‘Villains’: Thought-Provoking and Funny as Hell”

Nostalgia Tiiiiiiime! REM’s “Losing My Religion”

God I miss music videos! As an ’80s baby, I grew up in a time when if you wanted to hear the latest music you had to either turn on the radio or turn on the MTV. You had the songs you loved set to what basically amounted to short films. “Losing My Religion,” aContinue reading “Nostalgia Tiiiiiiime! REM’s “Losing My Religion””

Christopher Denham’s ‘Home Movie’ is a Winner

The film documents the Poe family: father David (Adrian Pasdar), a pastor, mother Clare (Cady McClain), the chief resident of the child psychiatry unit at a hospital, and children, ten-year-old twins Emily (Amber Joy Williams) and Jack (Austin Williams). David and Clare have an inkling of how abnormal and cruel the kids are, but whenContinue reading “Christopher Denham’s ‘Home Movie’ is a Winner”

5 Ridiculously Horrifying Childrens’ Books

When I’m not reviewing horror movies, I am employed as library support staff (NOT everyone who works at the public library is a volunteer or a librarian). I recently wrote about some terrifying fairy tale and folklore books (which you can read here) when I was inspired at work, and I was recently motivated againContinue reading “5 Ridiculously Horrifying Childrens’ Books”

‘Mary’: More Like ‘Meh-ry’

We open with a title card about a witch coming to steal kids at sea, and move on to Sarah (Emily Mortimer) being held by the police, who speculate “God only knows what happened out there.” Sarah is dehydrated and bruised, and her husband David (Gary Oldman) is conspicuously absent, though their daughters Lindsey (StefanieContinue reading “‘Mary’: More Like ‘Meh-ry’”

‘Play or Die’: Ignore the Haters, it’s Actually Quite Enjoyable

Belgian movie, but in English. Lucas (Charley Palmer Rothwell) is a bored cashier whose ennui is interrupted by the sudden return of his ex, Chloé (Roxane Mesquida). She convinces him to enter the final round of Paranoia, a game of wits and riddle-solving, with a prize of a million Euros (roughly a million dollars U.S.).Continue reading “‘Play or Die’: Ignore the Haters, it’s Actually Quite Enjoyable”

Takashi Miike Challenge!

It’s a federal holiday, my children are with their abuelos, and I am sick with a disgusting cold. It’s the perfect storm for a movie day! I’ve had a growing pile of Takashi Miike must-sees, and today’s challenge is to discover whether I can stomach them all in one day: Ichi the Killer, The HappinessContinue reading “Takashi Miike Challenge!”

‘Trick’ is a Bizarre but Enjoyable Experience

The film opens at a Halloween party in 2015. A group of teens, including Cheryl (Kristina Reyes), Nicky (Kya Brickhouse), Troy (Max Miller), and the eponymous (Pa)Trick (Thom Niemann) are playing spin the bottle. When Trick lands on a dude, he inexplicably starts murdering people. Detective Denver (Omar Epps) and Sheriff Jayne (Ellen Adair) shootContinue reading “‘Trick’ is a Bizarre but Enjoyable Experience”

‘Reborn’ is Shockingly Watchable

Ken (Chaz Bono) is a sexy but deranged diener (the technical term for an employee at a morgue–not a lazy pun, I googled it) who inadvertently reanimates a baby that died in the womb. He decides to take the infant home and raise her as his sister, naming her Tess. (Don’t expect logic here, justContinue reading “‘Reborn’ is Shockingly Watchable”

‘Polaroid’ is an Average but Amusing Teen-Centered Romp

Bird (Kathryn Prescott) is your typical vanilla final girl whose friend Tyler (Davi Santos) gives her an old Polaroid camera from a yard sale. Unfortunately it’s a haunted camera–that’s bad. But it comes with film–that’s good! It also dooms everyone who has their picture taken–that’s bad. Can Bird solve the riddle of why the cameraContinue reading “‘Polaroid’ is an Average but Amusing Teen-Centered Romp”