Outtakes

One of the Living

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Possible Love

by George Wolf

Director Lee Chang-dong opens his latest with a text reminder that “Thou Shalt Not Covet.” He then spends the better part of three hours on a clinically intimate dissection of coveting in the modern world.

Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu, Memoir of a Murderer) is a Korean factory worker who lost his job after private equity restructuring brought layoffs. An organized labor strike turned violent, and Ho-seok’s continued trauma has strained his family life with wife Mi-ok (Lee favorite Jeon Do-yeon) and their young son. Mi-ok continues a sympathetic devotion to her husband, but he remains emotionally distant.

Their lives change when documentary filmmaker Ye-ji (Parasite‘s Cho Yeo-jeong) begins including them in a film about the effect of the layoffs on the displaced workers and their families. Mi-ok and Ye-ji become fast friends, but as the two couples spend more time together, the wealth and privilege of Ye-ji’s husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung from Hope) simmers the tension between boundaries of class, compassion and exploitation.

Lee (Burning, Peppermint Candy, Secret Sunshine), again co-writing with Jungmi Oh, confidently builds a patient, spellbinding and wonderfully acted drama through multiple layers of socioeconomic anxiety. Souls feel dead without the purpose of employment, unable to bear even random meetings with former friends still working and cast as one of “the living.”

And, as things must be today, the suffering is preserved thanks to the camera of Ye-ji, sometimes with questionable consent. Lee and the stellar cast make sure these moments stand on their own, but anyone who has recently been transfixed by You Can See Everything will find more fuel for a conversation about authenticity, the performative, and manipulation.

Possible Love (Ganeunghan sarang) is a time-consuming but richly rewarding human drama. The layers are plentiful and deep, ultimately laying bare a graceful, in-the-moment encapsulation carrying valuable insight that should only increase over time.

Shudder Premiere

Compliance Formation

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New Group

by Hope Madden

In 2023, Yûta Shimotsu took a queasying look into obedience with Best Wishes to All. As the smalltown folk horror morphed from one subgenre to the next, the audience felt the same bewilderment facing the beleaguered heroine.

Disobey, that’s the theme of Best Wishes to All, as well as Shimotsu’s second feature, New Group. Quiet high school student Ai (Anna Yamada) doesn’t rock the boat. She wants to go unnoticed, not get left behind.

But conformity in Ai’s high school amplifies. Soon, bullies and cliques make way for absurd compliance with authority manifesting as giant gymnastic formations including a human pyramid 20 people high.

Though the symbolism in New Group is far tidier and more heavy handed than in Shimotsu’s previous effort, the film offers an alarming take on the loss of individuality. It begins with Ai’s nightmares of mindlessly violent behavior in an attempt for a viral video. Though the group think and desensitization of the digital age has its place in New Group, Shimotsu’s aim seems more trained on larger ideas concerning Japanese culture.

Fitting, then, that it’s Yu (Aoki Yuzu), a new student who’s been studying in America before being dumped back home by inattentive parents, whose introduction sparks Ai’s burgeoning courage. His entrance also corresponds with news of a sound being emitted from deep space.

Shimotsu’s imagery is arresting. The human pyramid composed of identically dressed students is alarmingly precise and almost beautiful. The other gymnastic formations tend to be wilder and darkly comical. Comedic, too, is the figure of the school principal (Pierre Taki). Though the veteran has few scenes, he relishes the authority figure’s power trip.

There are additional layers and wild turns, but New Group‘s theme is clear and the climax inevitable. Best Wishes for All delivered a creepier and certainly less predictable outcome, but Shimotsu’s second feature is a reminder that Japanese horror has never stopped being vital.

Outtakes

Blood and Ben Gay

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Silver Screamers

by Hope Madden

Sean Cisterna has made a lot of movies, most of them cheesy TV crime dramas. But his best work (The Long Rider, From the Vine) have been documentaries. For Silver Screamers, the filmmaker combines the best of both worlds.

Silver Screamers is Cisterna’s documentary about making the short horror film The Rug. Like a lot of BTS filmmaking docs, Silver Screamers offers a fly-on-the-wall observation of the craft and crap that goes into making a movie. What sets this documentary apart and gives it endless appeal is its cast.

Cisterna put out a call to retirement homes looking for crew for his horror short. Though it took some doing, and some taming of the language in the want ad, the filmmaker found his volunteers: an 80-year-old former softball coach, a ninety-something grandmother for on-set sound, a recent widow for blood FX, a long-retired teacher for practical creature FX. Nobody involved likes horror. Indeed, once they sign on with Cisterna, they all watch The Exorcist together, some of them holding folders in front of their eyes while others grimace.

So, why take the job?

Though the answer is obvious and potentially cloying, Cisterna’s approach is respectful and full of compassion. Yes, the seniors are cute. They’re also genuinely proud of themselves, and with good reason.

Anthony Garramone is a beloved figure in their small town of Aurora, often referred to as the town’s ambassador, so he’s elected to sweet talk townsfolk out of the props the production will need. He indeed obtains the titular rug at a deep discount.

David Swift uses his old art lessons on puppetry to figure out how to make the rug seem to crawl up a narrow set of steps.

Diane Ament throws herself into the make-up role, even keeping the severed body parts looking freshly gnawed. Ament took the position because her husband had recently passed away. Like everyone else who volunteered, Ament needed something to fill her time, to keep her mind busy.

Though slight and to a degree predictable, Silver Screamers is as endearing a peek behind the filmmaking curtain as you are likely to find.

New In Theaters

Fighting Nazis Since 2020

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The Last Temptation of Becky

by Hope Madden

One of the best things about The Last Temptation of Becky is that it will introduce a lot of people to a very fun action/horror/comedy series.

Since 2020, Lulu Wilson has portrayed the angry—really, really angry—Becky. In the first episode, an unhinged 13-year-old lays waste to the skinheads who break into her family’s vacation rental. Three years later, a local group of white supremacists runs afoul of the violent teen. Indeed, so effective was Becky with the carnage that the CIA decided they had a spot for her.

Which brings us to Episode 3. Becky, still weak at reining in her temper, is sent undercover into Poland to check out what’s going on at the Wolf’s Lair, an inn and museum that was once Hitler’s base of operations.

Jenn Wexler co-writes and directs the third installment with the same punk rock energy that made her 2018 feature The Ranger such fun. Wexler amplifies the chaotic violence and campy humor of the franchise with a throwback B-movie vibe that suits it.

Neil Patrick Harris is General Wilhelm Reuss, and he’s been waiting a long time for the key Kevin James tried to steal from Becky’s family back in 2020. What does it do? I’m not spilling the kraut, but it’s an over-the-top riot that leads to several triumphs of horror comedy.

Harris delivers the contemptible arrogance you’ve come to expect, and Catherine Walker is an icy delight as his wife, Helga. The Reuss children (Noah Leggott and Aoife Hughes) give our young heroine more age-appropriate foes, and Wexler takes advantage with some of the film’s funniest and bloodiest fight choreography.

The Last Temptation of Becky delivers laughs aplenty but the film is unapologetically violent as well. It doesn’t seek to teach or tame Becky, just to point her in the direction where doing harm will do the most good.

Wexler and her game ensemble lean hard into everything the previous two efforts did so well: kill Nazis. It’s possible that nothing is more cathartic to watch on screen. The result is a wild, unpredictable, lawless pleasure.

New In Theaters

History Shows Again and Again

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Godzilla Minus Zero

by Hope Madden

Three years ago, Toho and filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki took an oft told kaiju tale back to its roots to produce the best Godzilla movie since Ishirō Honda’s 1954 original. Godzilla Minus One balanced destruction with reflection, boasted inspired visuals, and became one of the best films of 2023.

So, most of us were pretty geeked to find that Yamazaki planned a sequel. Godzilla Minus Zero revisits the hard-scrabble gang that finally put the old lizard to rest just in time to figure out how to deal with a new threat. Oh, plus Godzilla, because what fun would be a new giant monster if we didn’t also get a visit from the OG?

Minami Hamabe and Ryûnosuke Kamika, so dramatically reunited in the final moments of Minus One, are living a simple but happy life as a family with little Akiko (Sae Negatani). But will each be willing to sacrifice that happiness when monsters again come calling?

Yamazaki’s bolder in his depiction of a conniving war machine and more overt in the acknowledgment that not all is actually fair in war, which, his films point out, the Japanese know better than most. As with the previous effort, Godzilla Minus Zero ensures that the living memory of WWII exists within Godzilla, as it did when he first reared his ugly head.

Yamazaki, who is again also credited with VFX work, is not afraid to show you your monsters. I like this about him. Crisp, beautifully detailed, clearly articulated kaiju run amok in his sequel, and they look great.

The film itself can’t conjure the destructive beauty of Minus One, though. There were scenes in that film—the boat chase, the train car window—that took your breath away. Minus Zero looks good, but there’s no such wonderment this go-round.

The human drama, which gave the previous installment its emotional pull, feels more forced this time, with characters making decisions that seem out of step with the people we witnessed just a couple of years ago.

The storyline and its internal logic are weaker for Minus Zero as well, and as contrivances begin to pile up, it’s tough not to feel disappointed with the sequel.

Outtakes

Villain Diaries: Pumpkin Lady

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For some of you, nothing beats a good pumpkin pie.

But not me. Good is not good enough. I require perfection. Do you know what it takes to make a perfect pumpkin pie? Perfect pumpkins.

There’s nothing more important – not to me! And there is nowhere on earth – there’s no earth anywhere – more ideal for spawning those perfect pumpkins than right here, in our little hometown! 

Pumpkins this robust, this meaty, this plentiful and bountiful, well, they require rich soil, sacred soil. They need nutrients!

Does it take sacrifice? A little. But honestly, when you love what you do, it hardly feels like sacrifice. And heck, pumpkins as special as ours almost take on a life of their own. Sometimes it’s like my pumpkins are my best friends. Sometimes it’s like they feed themselves. 

What’s that? You say you don’t have the time to nurture and grow the most fantastic pumpkins the world has ever seen? That’s OK. That doesn’t mean you have to settle for store bought. Heck, silly, that’s what I’m here for!

No one wants to think about all that goes into a perfect pie, so don’t. Don’t let it spoil your appetite. Let me take care of those sacrifices and you just keep enjoying the best pumpkin pies you’ve ever tasted. Tastes like perfection! 

Just stay clear of my pumpkin patch at night.

Happy Halloween!

*by Hope Madden. Video by George Wolf with Hope Madden. Art by Michael Anthony Carroll.

Outtakes

Villain Diaries: Patrick Bateman

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*by Hope Madden. Starring Donovan Riley Wolfington. Video produced by Mills James, edited by Tim Baldwin. Art by Michael Anthony Carroll.

Disclaimer: Villain Diaries is a non-commercial work of fan fiction and parody. All characters, names, and elements from the film belong to their respective copyright and trademark holders. I don’t own them and I’m not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the creators, studios, or rights holders. This piece is an original creative commentary inspired by their work. It is shared for free, for entertainment and critical purposes, and earns me no money. If you’re a rights holder and have concerns, please contact me at maddwolf95@gmail.com and I’ll respond promptly.

Outtakes

Villain Diaries: Valek

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My Dark Lord,

Patience. I request patience as I manipulate this rotting meat from site to site, spilling blood, burning flesh, corrupting souls and boring closer and closer to the treasure – those bits of a carcass, that dead flesh ripped from an innocent’s still living skull. What they will see when I possess them! The terror, the unholy misery. Our glory. Its beauty and stench and chaos. 

It’s nearly time. 

Patience.

Valek

*by Hope Madden. Voiceover by Hope Madden. Audio production by George Wolf. Art by Michael Anthony Carroll.

Disclaimer: Villain Diaries is a non-commercial work of fan fiction and parody. All characters, names, and elements from the film belong to their respective copyright and trademark holders. I don’t own them and I’m not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the creators, studios, or rights holders. This piece is an original creative commentary inspired by their work. It is shared for free, for entertainment and critical purposes, and earns me no money. If you’re a rights holder and have concerns, please contact me at maddwolf95@gmail.com and I’ll respond promptly.

New In Theaters

Eight Million and One

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The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

by George Wolf

If you remember that seventies disco chestnut “Native New Yorker,” you’ll get an extra kick out of the first few minutes of The Last Pickpocket in New York, a delightful mash note to the Big Apple and a wonderfully engaging vehicle for John Turturro.

Turturro’s Harry cues up the vinyl and dances for his wife, Rosie (Karina Arroyave), who is bedridden and catatonic. He cares for her sweetly, showing a tender side that seems at odds with his chosen profession as a pickpocket.

Harry is quite good at his job, taking cash from wallets and fencing watches and other valuables at his buddy Ben’s (Steve Buscemi) corner pawnshop. Even a kindred spirit detective (Giancarlo Esposito) does Harry a solid now and then. But after snatching a duffle bag from the car of a young dumbass named Dylan (Will Price), Harry’s analog ways catch up to him.

Dumbass Dylan is part of a local crime family, and there was something very valuable in the bag that Harry threw away moments after pocketing a fat wad of cash he found inside. Easily tracking Harry down from city surveillance cameras, Dylan and his crew let Harry know that his wife’s wellbeing depends on the return of what he tossed aside.

Harry is still a bit haunted by some other things he’s left behind in life, and Turturro clearly relishes the chance to dig into the character. Yes, we’ve seen an aging man grapple with regret and possible redemption countless times now, but Turturro finds an identity, and a humanity in Harry that gets under our skin and captivates in every frame. He make us root for Harry despite some things we learn on his quest through the boroughs, and writer/director Noah Segan (Blood Relatives, Scare Package) adds a layer of caper for extra fun.

Segan’s first non-horror feature casts his native NYC as Turturro’s leading lady, and the city’s pulse is evident throughout every subway ride, diner visit and needle drop. Even minor characters are shaped through organic, lived in dialog, and by Act Three, Segan’s skill at reframing the familiar is on full display, along with a chemistry-filled cameo from a recent Oscar winner.

And speaking of…expect to hear Turturro’s name plenty this award season. He deserves it. Even if Harry’s story is number eight million and one in the naked city, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York makes it worth sharing.

Hope Madden and George Wolf … get it?