YES YOU MAE

Check out my review, online at Phoenix Magazine, of the 1933 pre-code Mae West comedy I'm No Angel...

...playing at the Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, as part of that venue's 96th Anniversary, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, January 4.

YULE LAUGH, YULE CRY...

A safe and Merry Christmas to all!

Check out my quick reviews, online at Phoenix Magazine, of Babygirl...

...the new remake of Nosferatu...

...and The Fire Inside, all opening on Christmas.

Also, I was among the recipients of this charming card from Gints Zilbalodis, the young director of the wondrous Latvian animated feature Flow. I share his sentiments.

HEDGEHOGGING OUR BETS

Check out my reviews, online on Phoenix Magazine, of Sonic the Hedgehog 3...

...and of Arizona Theatre Company's Scrooge! with Shuler Hensley in the title role...

...running through December 28 at Tempe Center for the Arts.

PRO AND CONCLAVE

This week Phoenix Film Critics Society, of which I am a proud founding member--the last remaining founding member, I think!--announced our 2024 awards.

Brady Corbet's The Brutalist took Best Picture, but numerically the big winner was Conclave, with five awards. As usual, some of the honorees reflect my voting, some don't, but there are a lot of worthwhile movies on the list.

My own Top Ten list is still in progress, and is slated to post after the New Year.

KAIJU; GESUNDHEIT

A few odds and ends: First, check out my review, on Geek News Network, of the Jeffery Angles translation of Shigeru Kayama's original Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again novelizations from 1955...

...as well as my review, online at Phoenix Magazine, of Kraven the Hunter...

And here's one of the odder pieces of "For Your Consideration" movie schwag I've ever recieved; a View-Master with images of Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain's Maria:

WHY ASK Y2K?

Check out my review, online at Phoenix Magazine, of Kyle Mooney's comedy Y2K...

...now playing in the multiplexes.

PAWS FOR REFLECTION

Check out my review of the sublime Latvian animated feature Flow, now a Golden Globe winner, online at Phoenix Magazine...

It's one of the best movies of the year.

From the sublime to the, well, not so sublime; now on VOD...

The Invisible Raptor--In this horror comedy, an invisible predatory dinosaur escapes from a laboratory manned by Sean Astin, makes its way to a dinosaur theme park and raises bloody mayhem in the neighborhood. A down-on-his-luck paleontologist (Mike Capes) reluctantly teams up with an imbecilic security guard (David Shackelford) to battle the creature; eventually the paleontologist's gorgeous ex (Caitlin McHugh) and a local chicken farmer (Sandy Martin) join the fight.

This very crass, deliberately lowbrow but occasionally funny film is not only gory but scatological; the raptor may be invisible, but its poop, once excreted, certainly isn't. It's a polished production, directed by Mike Hermosa from a script by Capes and Johnny Wickham. The special effects are good, and the object of its spoof/homage is unmistakable: Steven Spielberg. From the look and sound of the movie to the names of the characters, not just the obvious references to Jurassic Park but also to Jaws and E.T., it's a striking testament to the master's influence.

I wonder if anyone connected to this film is old enough to remember Sound of Horror (El Sonido de la Muerte)...

...a riotous Spanish shocker from 1966, also, believe it or not, about an invisible dinosaur who makes the truly awful, squalling sound of the title. It has several elements in common with The Invisible Raptor, but I think I prefer the earlier film, if only because the cast includes the glorious Ingrid Pitt.