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
Mr. Majestyk on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “Hardly. Third or fourth at best. Whenever anyone make these kind of pronouncements, I always assume these are people who…” Dec 19, 08:40
emteem on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “I was going to see this anyway, but all of these comments and Vern’s review has bumped it up my…” Dec 19, 08:26
Mr. Majestyk on Knives Out: “The second one, while a little bloated compared to the first one, has probably my favorite scene in the series.…” Dec 19, 08:13
Bill Reed on Knives Out: “Love the THIN MAN films. The first one is perfect. The second one is somehow better. It’s probably diminishing returns…” Dec 19, 05:54
Danger Mouse on Influencers: “I love this series, and I have an incredibly unhealthy crush on Cassandra Naud. My head canon for how she…” Dec 18, 17:37
Skani on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “Thinking about it now, aside from my comparisons to IN A VIOLENT NATURE and THANKSGIVING, another obvious comparison is SILENT…” Dec 18, 09:35
Mr. Majestyk on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “At first, I got Richard Kind from him, but then I started getting notes of Tom Berenger. A confusing but…” Dec 18, 08:58
pegsman on Knives Out: “I have seen a couple of the THIN MAN movies. But after this I just HAVE to get hold of…” Dec 17, 21:59
Acid Burn on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “I really don’t understand why Hollywood cloned Richard Kind, introduced this younger version as “Rohan Campbell,” and positioned him exclusively…” Dec 17, 20:49
Skani on Silent Night, Deadly Night (2025): “Misc Thoughts 1. Whether or not this film is “great,” it is definitely better than “not great.” It’s a solid…” Dec 17, 17:11
Skani on Silent Night: “Hear, hear!!” Dec 17, 14:47
Mr. Majestyk on Silent Night: “I agree. Fun story, likable characters, satisfying conclusion. I have zero complaints. It’s a Christmas miracle!” Dec 17, 13:02
JTS on Life of Crime / The Burnt Orange Heresy: “I did end up seeing THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY and I’m pretty sure I think this review is probably accurate…” Dec 16, 18:21
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–
