If you want to listen to my deep dive about both films then click and listen below, but keep in mind: SPOILERS! (I discuss the entire plots for both films)!

The story does follow a paranormal podcaster who's caring for her terminally ill mother and when her and her podcast partner come upon some found audio, then that's when the film takes off. It's a very predictable story for sure, but what really makes this work is all the technical aspects of the film. The edits, the cinematography and especially the sound design! This begs to be seen in a surround sound setting! The better the sound quality, the more you'll enjoy this film!

It's not perfect. It's far from it as some viewers have critiqued the pace of the film, but so far, this is the best horror film of 2026 (so far) and one of the best overall. Again, see this film in the theatres or in a massive surround sound setting! 

Listen to my SPOILER filled talk below!

It's an interesting concept. The ghost or spirit of Mary Shelley (the author of "Frankenstein") finds life & a vessel in a gangster's moll and wants to tell the story after "Frankenstein" but couldn't. So we have some inspiration from the book and the 1935 film, "The Bride Of Frankenstein". You also have Frankenstein's monster (named "Frank" here) trying to convince a re-animator to create a companion because he's been lonely for a century. When the gangster's moll dies, Frank and the re-animator (played by Annette Bening) bring her back to life and make her a living dead monster. I don't want to spoil it for you, but it turns into part "Bonnie & Clyde" gangster film, part gothic romance, part musical? Very interesting mix and blend of genres for sure. 

So what is Maggie trying to say & convey with this film? There's supposed to be a feminist empowerment message, also the theme of belonging and identity. Unfortunately there's too much going on with the plot and the messages that the film's trying to put across are not focused and it ends up being a jumbled mess. It's a beautiful mess for sure. Some brilliant and incredible shots are lost because the film just tries to do too much! If you want to listen to my SPOILER filled talk, then click on the link below!

I encourage you to watch one of his many, incredible, unforgettable performances tonight to honor his legacy! 

"To Kill A Mockingbird" (1962)- Duvall's unforgettable film debut and even though he has only a couple minutes of screentime, he nearly steals the film from the entire cast (who are all superb)! Apparently he did have a line, but it was cut.

"The Godfather films" (1972-1974)-Duvall received his first major award nomination as calm, voice of reason "consigliere", Tom Hagen! 

"Network" (1976)- Duvall has another co-starring role as ruthless network executive Frank Hackett! At this point Duvall was showing how versatile he was and creating a lot of memorable characters. 

"Apocalypse Now" (1979)-Another milestone in Duvall's career was his award worthy performance as Colonel Kilgore (again teaming with Coppola). With only 11 minutes of screen time, again Duvall stole the show and really showed the madness of the Vietnam War. Click here to see his iconic Napalm speech! 

"Tender Mercies" (1983)- Robert Duvall won tons of awards for his amazing performance of a down & out country singer who tries to find himself again. Duvall actually wrote and sang his own music!

"Lonesome Dove" (1989)- Duvall has always been associated with westerns but fans really took to him as "Gus" in this popular mini-series! Audiences and critics have often hailed his performance here as one of the greatest in T.V. History!

"Stalin" (1992)- Speaking of T.V. Movies, one cannot forget how incredible Duvall was as the controversial Russian leader in this award winning film from H.B.O. 

"The Apostle" (1997)- Duvall shines not only acting but directing this story of redemption as a preacher who commits a crime and seeks the road to redemption! Duvall apparently became a born again Christian because of this film!

"Open Range" (2003)- Kevin Costner directed this underrated western and was so adamant about Duvall being in this film that he has said that he had no one else in mind and even gave him top billing!

"The Judge" (2014)- The film was not that great, but watching Duvall out-perform everyone in this top notch cast (including the top-billed Robert Downey Jr.) is worth watching once! 
 

My first Martin Scorsese film experience was "Goodfellas" back in 1992 when I snuck the VHS tape into my parent's house (I got busted and the tape was taken away until my father deemed he was ready to share it with me). After that first viewing, I was hooked and wanted to see more of Scorsese's cinema. I believe "Taxi Driver" was my fourth or fifth Scorsese film! Like many, I saw the iconic: "You Talking To Me?" monologue in various film clips over the years and I was psyched when I was finally able to see it within it's context!

I've seen "Taxi Driver" countless times since and have been fortunate enough to see it on the big screen twice! I consider "Taxi Driver" Scorsese's third masterpiece and it somehow gets better, scarier & more relevant after each viewing! 

If you want to hear some of the crazy inspirations for the film, behind the scenes and more, then click on the link below!

The creepiness of Hitchhiker's is definitely not something new. "The Vanishing Hitchhiker" is an old folk tale, urban legend that may have roots in the medieval Europe or Roman times often appearing in tales of saints, and adapting from horse-drawn carriages to automobiles as transportation changed, becoming a widespread modern urban legend about ghostly figures who vanish after getting a ride, often revealing they died long ago.  The tales would often serves as a caution against picking up strangers and driving at night, sometimes reflecting on purity or "bad" behavior. There's countless stories out there for sure and this cult classic film combines many of the American Hitchhiker urban legend tales and most definitely inspired by film noir classics: notably 1945's "Detour" & "The Hitch-Hiker" from 1953. Interestingly enough, Eric Red, the screenwriter was inspired to write the screenplay after driving cross country and hearing The Doors classic, "Riders On The Storm". The lyrics, " there's a killer on the road" in particular struck him.

If you want to hear my in-depth analysis of the film, click on the link below!

 There are a number of factors: 20th Century Fox didn't market the film well (to say the least) as they didn't seem to know how to sell this movie as the genre combo was unique back in 1986! Because of this, the test screenings were an apparent disaster. Also, this film might've performed better if it was released in the Spring or Fall movie season, instead of 4th of July Weekend!

The true test for any movie is TIME! "Big Trouble In Little China" certainly has thanks not only to HBO but also home video. The film's highly quotable, the "leading man & side-kick" genre stereotype is turned on it's head, there's tons of laugh out loud moments and plenty of action for fans of the genre. 

This is my personal favorite film from John Carpenter. Most choose "Halloween" Or "The Thing", but for me this is the best film Carpenter's ever done! Listen to my analysis and history of the film below!

The novel was purchased by Hollywood as a vehicle for 20th Century Fox star, Tyrone Power! Power had just served in WW2 and was known for his swashbuckling, romantic leading man roles. He got his way and was the star of the film , which had a significant budget which was unusual for a 'film noir". The film unfortunately received mixed reviews and flopped big-time at the box office and wasn't even available on home video until 2005!!!

Fast forward to 2021, award winning filmmaker, Guillermo del Toro released his adaptation with an all-star cast including: Bradley Cooper (in the leading role), Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara & Willem Dafoe! This version didn't have the hopeful Hollywood ending of the original. This adaptation was just as bleak as Gresham's novel!  Like the 1947 film, this one bombed at the box office!

Both film versions released lavish home video releases courtesy of the Criterion Collection! If you want to hear me go deep into the history of the novel and the film versions, then click below!