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
emteem on The Wrecking Crew (2026): “Tarantino is a dick, and seems to be becoming an even bigger dick as he gets older, but he did…” Feb 19, 10:43
Mr. Majestyk on You Can’t Win (2026): “Barry Gifford’s novels are written in a style that seems very similar to this. Vignettes with very little connecting tissue…” Feb 19, 08:51
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burningambulance on You Can’t Win (2026): “I have the book. It’s pretty good; it’s kind of a Depression memoir (though it predates the Depression) – I…” Feb 18, 14:29
daniel on Heart Eyes: “To be fair, I think what Melissa Barrera posted was pretty stupid.” Feb 18, 05:50
deepfriednoir on Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets: “This sounds amazing. Straight to the top of my watchlist, thanks Vern!” Feb 18, 05:01
Noel on Year of the Dragon: “This review perfectly captures the chaotic admixture of elements in this film. Stanley’s relationship with Tracy is really off-putting along…” Feb 18, 01:30
Max K. on Shelter: “I dug this a fair bit. I appreciated that outside of Statham’s earlier career, it’s perhaps the most British movie…” Feb 17, 12:22
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PetrosMT on Shelter: “Me and the girlfriend love the Stath so each of his outings is a cinema experience for us (even Expend4bles…” Feb 16, 16:33
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–
