Destiny 2 is a game I’ve gotten used to quitting on. For as long as I’ve played it, I’ve always found reasons to put it down. As much as it wants to be a game people keep coming back to, everything about the way it’s been built makes it bristling, thorny, and off-putting. The longest stretch I’ve spent comfortably…
Destiny 2 is a game I’ve gotten used to quitting on. For as long as I’ve played it, I’ve always found reasons to put it down. As much as it wants to be a game people keep coming back to, everything about the way it’s been built makes it bristling, thorny, and off-putting. The longest stretch I’ve spent comfortably…
Folks, I just got done digging through the dustiest, crustiest, mustiest box of 80s schlock that I could get my hands on and… Well, I found something I needed to share with you guys. Now, the art of making an original horror film with unique ideas, clever storytelling, and engaging characters to bounce off a scary antagonist can be damning if not extremely difficult. And this movie is proof that sometimes it can be TOO difficult because it has none of those things. 1980’s The Boogey Man (watch it HERE) is the story of a pair of siblings as they battle with the trauma of their childhood and the return of an evil entity that once possessed them in a blood-soaked trance. The movie was written, directed, and produced by German actor Ulli Lommel and starred his then wife (Suzanna Love) and her brother Nick Love as the film’s main protagonists. It focuses on themes of childhood trauma, suppressed rage, and the power of faith- while somehow managing to say almost nothing about any of those topics. Truly, it’s kind of remarkable how much isn’t resolved by the end of this movie. Stay tuned.
Okay, so if you haven’t heard of this movie- don’t worry- it’s not an original version of the also forgettable 2005 film or the much more memorable 2023 film. This movie is just a one hour and twenty-minute standalone science-fiction slasher which did spawn a couple of sequels that even less people have heard of. Honestly, I can’t really speak to the quality of these movies as I have not seen them. But either way, today we’re going to revisit this movie and see for ourselves whether the past can truly never die.
The Boogey Man opens with what will immediately become an increasingly ridiculous attempt to recreate John Carpenter’s iconic opening sequence from Halloween. We get a long, eerie tracking shot that follows from the exterior of the house into the living room. We see an attractive woman on the couch entertaining a drunk man while her two-young children (Lacy and Willy) watch from the front porch while they’re locked outside in cold. Pretty fucked up. Although, I must say that I quite liked the very late 70s style for the opening score. It’s kind of going hard. The children’s mother is clearly more interested in her guest than the kids, and the movie gives us the harshest possible example of that by showing the mother let her boyfriend tie up and gag her 7-year-old son to stop him from interrupting their private time. Now, mind you this is just the first 10 minutes of the movie, so I was sitting there watching it like “oh, shit! This movie might be kind of intense.” but then by minute 11 I’m back to laughing at the clear attempts to rip off Halloween.
So, here’s the deal. Lacy sees that Willy had been tied up, so she goes to the kitchen and grabs a giant ass knife. She uses the knife to cut Willy out of the ropes but that’s when Willy decides to take that thing into his mom’s room and stab her boyfriend to death while his mother watches in horror from the reflection of a mirror. That mirror comes back into play eventually.
Automatically we’re brought into the present day where Lacy and Willy are in their 20s and Lacy is married with a family of her own. Willy is living with Lacy and the family and working on their farm, but we learn that he hasn’t been able to talk since the murder all those years ago. With the past seemingly behind them, the siblings receive a letter from their mother- who they also haven’t seen in many years. Mom claims that the doctor says she doesn’t have a lot of time left and that’s when Lacy and Willy’s trauma kicks up to haunt them again. What makes it funny though is that in order to show us the trauma of the one night- they just keep flashing back to the same footage we saw literally 10 minutes earlier. They just splice in clips from the previous scene. It’s truly funny.
Now is probably a good time to mention that the dialogue in this movie, and the writing in general is hilarious. It sounds like it was written with the least amount of detail possible on purpose and there are a lot of examples of this. The mom wrote these kids a letter and she basically says she’s dying soon and she wants to see her kids one last time- and Lacy’s husband thinks it might actually be a good idea because it may help Lacy overcome her past and put it behind her. To which lacy agrees- but then… they never do it. Like they START to do it- Lacy’s husband (whose name is Jake by the way) suggests that they drive back to their hometown and visit their mom as well as visit the house they used to live in- which is now owned by new residents. They do go visit the house, but they never make it to the mom. And they never mention… why? Like, what happened? We never hear another line about the mom again in the whole movie. It is supposed to be the source of their trauma and the movie sets it up to be such, but then they all just forgot about it. Well, I didn’t forget, Ulli. Where is this woman?
While visiting the childhood home, Lacy begins having one of her trauma attacks when she sees the mirror that reflected Willy killing the man. She shatters the mirror out of ear which alarms the family living in the house. Lacy and Jake take off and for some reason Jake decides that he needs to bring the shattered mirror and all of the pieces with him. All but one.
Now, in classic slasher fashion- you got to have one or two scenes where random nothing characters that aren’t connected to the main cast in a big way get picked off. This is meant to entertain us and tide us over on the guts while the main conflict is building up. In this movie… They actually do some pretty interesting things with that tradition. Again, this movie is NOT original. It’s basically Halloween meets The Exorcist with less imagination and significantly less talent behind the scenes. HOWEVER, one piece of the mirror ends up being left at the house which is where we learn (say it with me folks) the mirror is evil. It’s unclear what the entity is as we never see it but it breathes and definitely glows orange. The scene where the entity kills the kids that live in the house is pretty good slasher stuff though. There’s a scene where he makes one girl cut her own throat with scissors, one kid gets this hilariously cartoonified death in the window-
And the other one like… gets slapped by a different mirror. Okay I lied; this isn’t interesting at all. But how about the other random kill scene here the mirror gets stuck to Lacy’s son’s shoe and the reflection causes these random beachgoers to die horrible deaths? Talk about a KISS-KABOB.
I’d like to just see a movie of mysterious final destination style deaths but instead this is just a brief break from the bore-fest we’re meant to be invested in. The problem is that these disposable characters that die to fill runtime are MUCH more interesting than the main characters. They all lack basic motivations and unique attributes which make everyone so 2D that it’s distracting. Also, I don’t know why but the number of times we cut to Jake cutting the same exact piece of chicken is so funny to me that for a second, I almost enjoyed it. They spend most of the movie’s runtime on this chicken getting carved I swear to God. The chicken gets more screentime than the Boogey Man. That is not a joke. Also, I don’t know what the hell is supposed to be going on with Willy in like 90% of this movie. His character has the most hilarious reaction shots to supposed awful things happening just offscreen. This shot is so good.
It all culminates in Jake putting the mirror back together piece by piece (because that’s how it works) and hanging it over their dinner table for some reason? The mirror then reignites the evil and begins picking off the main crew one by one.
Listen, at this point we’re at the end of the movie. Like, there is less than 10 minutes left and we’ve got almost no information as to what the hell thing even is. At first, we think that maybe Willy is just a creepy little freak. He kills his mom’s boyfriend (even though we don’t blame home) but then he like doesn’t talk and he almost kills this neighbor girl for some reason, but then we think it’s the mirror possessing people, but then the mirror has like a mind and being of its own so basically nobody knows what the fuck is going on here and we’ve only got a few minutes to explain this shit.
And wouldn’t ya know it- we get no information. The mirror’s underwhelming killing spree takes out two completely meaningless characters off screen for Jake to find the bodies after the fact. But the crime scene does look awesome. And that’s kind of a perfect example of every aspect of this movie- good ideas, interesting themes, and some inspired visuals that really help it out- but ultimately just adds up to nothing. Lacy and Willy don’t die and neither does Jake, but in the last 3 minutes of the movie- Lacy get’s possessed by a piece of the mirror and as quick as you can scream it’s pretty much over when Lacy pulls the glass off of her and seemingly defeats the evil? It all happens so fast, you guys.
What we’ve got here is a swing-and-a-miss attempt to capitalize on the unprecedented success of John Carpenter’s Halloween but with a crew that didn’t have the experience, the talent, or the money to pull it off. There are some moments that I can have some fun with particularly if I’m leaning into the “So bad it’s good” perspective- But overall, this movie is just Halloween and The Exorcist‘s less interesting and kind of smelly lovechild. 3/10 I would not waste your time.
Two previous episodes of Revisited can be seen below. To see more of our shows, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals channel – and subscribe while you’re at it!
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Shortly after denying Nelson Peltz a seat on the Disney board, the House of Mouse is sharing first looks at two of their upcoming films, Moana 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King. The Hollywood Handle was the first to share the Mufasa image, which Disney debuted as part of the studio’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The picture for Mufasa: The Lion King depicts a young Mufasa standing at the edge of a cliff while staring out at a desaturated Pride Land. The Barry Jenkins-directed sequel to Jon Favreau’s 2019 live-action hybrid focuses on Simba, having become king of the Pride Lands, and is determined for his cub to follow in his paw prints while the origins of his late father Mufasa are explored.
First look at ‘MUFASA: THE LION KING.’
Releasing in theaters on December 20. pic.twitter.com/O902KU3K66
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) April 3, 2024
Mufasa: The Lion King pads into theaters on December 24, 2024, to get a piece of that sweet holiday box office. Linda Woolverton, Irene Mecchi, and Jonathan Roberts wrote the screenplay, with Seth Rogen, Kelvin Harris Jr., Billy Eichner, Aaron Pierre, and John Kani leading the cast.
Meanwhile, Disney officially confirmed that Dwayne Johnson and Auli’i Cravalho will return for Moana 2, celebrating the news with a new image from the forthcoming animated sequel. The still features an older, more confident Moana setting off into the water while holding an oar with Maui’s fish hook and a heart carved into it. If you look carefully, you’ll see an island cliff face with what looks like a multi-eyes sea creature emerging from the waters below.
New look at ‘MOANA 2.’
Releasing in theaters on November 27.
pic.twitter.com/XG5MCzcbt7
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) April 3, 2024
“Walt Disney Animation Studios’ epic animated musical Moana 2 takes audiences on an expansive new voyage with Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers,” the official description reads. “After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced. Directed by Dave Derrick Jr. with music by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa’i, and three-time Grammy winner Mark Mancina, Moana 2 opens in theaters on November 27, 2024.”
Disney fans can expect more information about both films to surface in the coming months as Disney prepares to dominate the holiday box office charts. Are you excited about Mufasa: The Lion King or Moana 2? Let us know in the comments section below.
The post First looks at Moana 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King tease big adventures for beloved Disney icons appeared first on JoBlo.
Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion, Dawntrail, releases on June 28 (for those who pre-order). I’m looking forward to it. There is just one problem—I still haven’t finished the last expansion, Endwalker. Yes, I know it came out at the end of 2021, but time just got away from me and I fell off in the middle of the…
Final Fantasy XIV’s next expansion, Dawntrail, releases on June 28 (for those who pre-order). I’m looking forward to it. There is just one problem—I still haven’t finished the last expansion, Endwalker. Yes, I know it came out at the end of 2021, but time just got away from me and I fell off in the middle of the…
In an increasingly digital age, owning media outright has become less and less possible. Whether it’s movies, music, books, or video games, the pivot to digital has made it harder for consumers to own permanent, physical copies of their favorite pieces of media. In video games, myriad titles that players have spent…
In an increasingly digital age, owning media outright has become less and less possible. Whether it’s movies, music, books, or video games, the pivot to digital has made it harder for consumers to own permanent, physical copies of their favorite pieces of media. In video games, myriad titles that players have spent…
Uncork the champagne and prep the Disney yacht because the Walt Disney Company and CEO Bob Iger have reasons to celebrate after activist investor Nelson Peltz failed to secure a seat on the board for himself and former Disney CEO Jay Rasulo.
Peltz aimed to kick Disney directors Maria Elena Lagomasino and Michael Froman from their prominent positions, replacing them with Peltz and Rasulo. Peltz failed after launching an aggressive campaign in January via his Trian Partners. Still, the effort petered out in February after Iger announced a studio-wide reboot, causing Disney’s share prices to skyrocket.
The proxy battle between the mouse-eared company, Iger and Peltz, got nasty as both parties vowed to control the Walt Disney Company empire. Disney even went so far as to release a political-style ad framing Trian in a less-than-favorable light. Trian clapped back with a statement saying they were not targeting Iger but the board overall. However, in a two-faced move, leaks indicate Trian voted against Iger in the board vote.
Elsewhere, Blackwells Capital proposed its own group of directors, though its humble shareholdings and attacks on Peltz weakened the organization’s position, rendering them a non-entity in the matter.
In his bid for a place on the board, Peltz highlighted Disney’s dwindling stock price and released a 130-page whitepaper outlining changes he’d make to the company if he were to gain influence. Peltz’s ideas include “right-sizing” the film and linear TV businesses and achieving Netflix-level margins promptly. Trian also floated the idea of reducing ESPN’s direct-to-consumer ambitions.
Peltz ruffled some feathers in March when he criticized Disney for its “woke” film agenda with movies like Black Panther and those featuring female heroes like Black Widow and Captain Marvel. “Why do I have to have a Marvel that’s all women? Not that I have anything against women, but why do I have to do that? Why can’t I have Marvels that are both? Why do I need an all-Black cast?”
While Peltz recognizes that Disney’s stock price is in better shape than when the battle for the board began, he thinks he can do better. “All we want is for Disney to get back to making great content and delighting consumers and for Disney to create sustainable long term value for all of its shareholders,” Peltz said. “We believe the board needs to continue to improve its focus alignment and accountability. And we hope it will.” He added that Trian “will be watching the company’s performance.”
While the battle for the board was heated, Disney had some help from its friends, like George Lucas, Michael Eisner, and Laurene Powell Jobs, who all went to bat for the studio, saying they had confidence in Disney’s ability to right the ship.
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Henry Cavill’s days of playing our hero Geralt of Rivia on the Netflix series The Witcher are over – but the streamer is taking the risk of continuing the show without him. Liam Hemsworth is taking over the role of Geralt as of The Witcher season 4, and while we wait to see how Hemsworth is going to do in the role (and whether or not fans are going to accept someone else playing Geralt), Variety has revealed the names of three more season 4 cast members. They are Sharlto Copley (District 9), James Purefoy (The Following), and Danny Woodburn (Seinfeld). They note that “Copley will play the infamous bounty hunter Leo Bonhart from The Witcher novels. Purefoy will play Skellen, a high-ranking spy and court advisor to Emhyr who is also a prominent figure in the novels. Woodburn will play Zoltan, a fan favorite dwarf character from the novels and Witcher video games.”
Inspired by a series of novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, The Witcher is an epic tale of fate and family — the story of the intertwined destinies of three individuals in the vast world of The Continent, where humans, elves, witchers, gnomes, and monsters battle to survive and thrive, and where good and evil is not easily identified.
Hemsworth, Copley, Purefoy, and Woodburn will be sharing the screen with returning Witcher stars Freya Allan, Anya Chalotra, and Joey Batey. We’ve previously heard that another new addition to the cast is Laurence Fishburne of The Matrix and the John Wick franchise. He will be playing Regis, a character who was introduced in Sapkowski’s novel Baptism of Fire. Regis is “a world-wise barber / surgeon with a mysterious past who joins Geralt on his journey in season 4.”
After the shocking, Continent-altering events that close out season three, the new season follows Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri who are faced with traversing the war-ravaged Continent and its many demons apart from each other. If they can embrace and lead the groups of misfits they find themselves in, they have a chance of surviving the baptism of fire — and finding one another again.
The Witcher is executive produced by Steve Gaub, Matt O’Toole, Mike Ostrowski, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Tomek Baginski and Jarek Sawko of Platige Films, and Jason Brown and Sean Daniel of Hivemind Content.
What do you think of Sharlto Copley, James Purefoy, and Danny Woodburn joining the cast of The Witcher season 4? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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