I don’t know why I never got around to seeing the THE CROW sequel from the director of SIX-STRING SAMURAI. Always was curious. Still took me 19 years. Lance Mungia’s THE CROW: WICKED PRAYER, just like the previous one, was meant for theaters, but I think it only played somewhere around here? Wiki(dprayer)pedia says its theatrical run was only in Seattle and only for one week, and I do remember seeing an ad for it and being confused, but I was thinking it was in Eastern Washington. Anyway, I didn’t go.
Two Halloweens ago we discussed Tobe Hooper’s first masterpiece. This is his second. He didn’t even want to direct it at first, sort of got pushed into it, but damn did he rally. In many ways THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 is the Tobe Hooperest movie ever made.
I don’t blame you if you’re skeptical during the opening scene where two obnoxious “senior boys at Wheeler High” calling themselves “Buzz and Rick the Prick” drunkenly drive a Porsche, fire guns, and harass the K-OKLA request line until they receive a drive-by chainsawing on a bridge that must’ve been built by the same people who made that endless runway from the climactic chase in FURIOUS 6. (read the rest of this shit…)
I gotta confess coming to this one from a place of cinematic ignorance. I’ve seen the original Godard movie, but I don’t remember jack shit about it. I thought it was pretty good, I believe. That’s about all I got. Still, I’m sure less people could tell you anything about the remake than everything about the original. So this makes me smart. (read the rest of this shit…)
These last couple weeks have been tough on my mental facilities. I reviewed that great new “ULTIMATE” edition of the original TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE, I also revisited parts 3 and 4 in that original series, then on Thursday I reviewed the new prequel to the remake. So by that point I’d studied and written about pretty much every angle to the whole Texas Chainsaw deal. You’d think I’d be done with it by now, but there is one final chapter: the one spinoff of the original movie that achieves its own level of True Greatness. I am talking about Tobe Hooper’s 1986 sequel, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2. It’s been available on DVD for a couple years in a bare bones edition (get it, that is a pun because of all the skeletons they have) but Tuesday it comes out in a much deserved special edition with new commentaries, featurettes and deleted scenes. (read the rest of this shit…)
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Recent commentary and jibber-jabber
Curt on Materialists: “Regarding the title, I think “materialist” or at least “materialistic” are familiar terms in our cultural discourse, but usually in…” Nov 8, 02:18
Franchise Fred on Materialists: “Maj you are absolutely right they don’t know how to sell movies anymore. They make movies then dump em in…” Nov 8, 00:25
so-and-so on Materialists: “@Mr. Majestyk I like the title; it’s anchoring for me – this is a film made by someone who seems…” Nov 7, 20:11
KayKay on Americana: “Ms Sweeney has been a lightning rod for both sides. As Vern mentioned, the right wing grifters (those nimrods who…” Nov 7, 17:22
Aktion Figure on Materialists: “Fucked that up. “Wheels on Meals”, of course. But I think most here get my lament.” Nov 7, 16:44
Aktion Figure on Materialists: “Waking up at 8AM on a Saturday morning sucked until you opened the channel guide and, what-the-hey, some movie called…” Nov 7, 16:42
Aktion Figure on Materialists: “Y’know, I’d never watch this nowadays, just not really my cuppa. However, teenage me in the 90’s stuck at home…” Nov 7, 16:19
VERN on Materialists: “I think a movie like this exists outside of our bubbles. I meant to see it at the little indie…” Nov 7, 13:11
Charles on The Smashing Machine (2025): “I finally watched this and while it’s feels unnecessary I thought it was well done. One thing that dawned on…” Nov 7, 12:56
MaggieMayPie on Materialists: “I wanted to like this movie. I wish I could see the movie Vern likes. I like pieces of it,…” Nov 7, 10:26
Mr. Majestyk on Materialists: “I am not knocking this movie, which seems pretty good. But goddamn, what a terrible title. You got three hot…” Nov 7, 06:10
CJ Holden on Materialists: “I have never heard of these matchmaking services. Might be an American thing. Us Germans get our souls crushed on…” Nov 7, 00:35
Inspector Hammer Boudreaux on Materialists: “I also liked PAST LIVES A LOT. My problem with this one is simply Dakota Johnson. Maybe she’s the coolest…” Nov 6, 20:41
Franchise Fred on Materialists: “I have been a client of 3 matchmaking services in my life, none as high end as Adore, but I…” Nov 6, 14:50
burningambulance on Cronos: “About 10 years ago the Criterion Collection boxed this up with Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone in a nice…” Nov 6, 08:41
Two Halloweens ago we discussed Tobe Hooper’s first masterpiece. This is his second. He didn’t even want to direct it at first, sort of got pushed into it, but damn did he rally. In many ways THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 is the Tobe Hooperest movie ever made.
Boys, boys, boys–
