Now Playing #23

Azarath - Praise the Beast

Behemoth fans probably know all about Azarath.  The band features Inferno on drums, and genre aside, he has got to be one of the best drummers alive.  I'm convinced that he was born with secret limbs, as I have no idea how he plays some of this stuff.  Anyway, Azarath traffics in slightly blackened death metal.  It's seared, really.  This was their fourth full-length album, and I pull it out every 10-12 months.  It's full of spasmodic riffs (lots of intermittent squeals) and martial beats that make you feel like you're in Hell's boot camp.  The vocals remind me of the dude from Krisiun, and before you chastise me for not knowing his name, do you even know his name without looking it up?  Sit down.  My favorite tunes would have to be "I Hate Your Kind" and "Queen of the Sabbath."  This record destroys.  Man, I wish Behemoth still played this kind of chiseled, face-removing death metal.  Hail Inferno.

Oskoreien - Hollow Fangs

As per usual, I don't know how I found out about this band.  Maybe Angrymetalguy?  This is their third album, a 2025 release that is determined to climb to the top of my eventual year-end list.  I've seen them listed as "post-black metal," but that's nonsense.  This is just melodic black metal, and off the top of my head, I can't draw any points of comparison.  It's a unique sound that pivots on the interplay between the lead and rhythm guitars.  I absolutely adore the clean, emotionally wrought solos that always seem to emerge at the right time.  It's a minor point, but I'm also a fan of the artwork.  Again, it's unique.  Check out "To Kiss the Viper's Fang" to get a feel for the material, which...I mean, there are only five songs.  You might as well listen to all of them.  I know I said I couldn't compare these guys to anyone, but the music does have the consistency of peach ice cream.  And Grima.

Hold up.  I did some online snooping, and apparently, Oskoreien has been tagged as "Cascadian black metal."  That's news to me.  Personally, I don't hear Panopticon or Wolves in the Throne Room on Hollow Fangs.  Now that I mention it, I don't think Panopticon counts as Cascadian either.  I thought it was a geographical branch of the metal ecosystem.  I don't know.  It has something to do with forests.

Blood Capsule #319

DOGMAN TERRITORY: WEREWOLVES IN THE LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES (2024)

Apparently, this is from a batch of cryptid documentaries produced by Small Town Monsters.  I'm into cryptozoology, but I have to admit that I didn't know squat about the Dogman of Kentucky (or Texas).  This is an engaging concatenation of interviews with experts and locals.  I can appreciate that director Seth Breedlove was pushing this project uphill, as it's hard to present facts in an arena that is built on supposition and hearsay.  As for the topic at hand, I hate to say it, but...I'm not sold on the existence of "dogmen."  A lot of the legend stems from a tragic event referred to as the LBL Massacre.  It's a great campfire story, but there is a dearth of hard evidence.  And that's putting it mildly.  Still, there are books and other films on the subject.  I recommend forming your own opinion.  In other words, don't listen to me.  Keep reading, though?

The root story at the heart of this motion picture is interesting.  I'll listen to any spooky yarn that involves government cover-ups, especially when black helicopters just happen to fly over during key interviews.  That had to be planned, right?  I'm a cynical guy who watches pro-wrestling, so I assume that everything is a work.  Whether Dogman Territory is bogus or not, it's certainly worth checking out, even if it doesn't sway the viewer into loading up on silver bullets.  At the very least, it adds a layer of mysticism to Random Werewolf Month.  Hey, it's readymade material for your next horror marathon.  You bring the moon, and I'll bring the flea repellent.

October will be...

...Random Reptile Month!  If you wanted something different, you only have yourself to blame.  I put it to a vote on Facebook, and while I was pulling for Random Vampire Month, I have to give the people what they want.  Get excited!  Now!

Blood Capsule #318

SKINWALKERS (2006)

Random Werewolf Month has taught me an invaluable lesson: there are way, way too many werewolf movies in the universe, especially on streaming.  I took a chance on Skinwalkers because it was directed by James Isaac.  That name might ring a bell, as he has toiled on oodles of genre films under oodles of different credits.  His main claim to fame - to my target audience anyway - is a certain spacebound slasher.  Yep, he helmed Jason X.  If you had anything to do with Jason X, I feel like I owe you one.  Renting Skinwalkers was the least I could do.  And I didn't even rent it.  That's just leftover 90's parlance that I'll probably never relinquish.  I did stream it, so I'm not a complete caveman.  Skinwalkers deals with a rogue clan of lycanthropes.  They reminded me of the villain's posse in Fright Night Part II.  That's definitely a plus.  Anyway, the bad guys seek to snuff out a 13-year-old.  This kid was prophesized to find a cure for "the curse," but some folks prefer being werewolves.

I hope you're not averse to warring factions.  Don't worry; Skinwalkers doesn't approach Twilight territory.  The casting is impressive.  Rhona Mitra and Elias Koteas are rock solid as the emotional anchors of the story.  There is a character twist that didn't make much sense, but I wouldn't want to spoil it.  Suffice to say, any system errors are minor.  Apparently, there is an unrated cut that adds twenty minutes of sex and gore.  In the film's defense, I didn't notice that I was missing out on choice exploitation.  Isaac does a bang-up job with the climax.  It's set at a steel mill, and it was giving me heavy Freddy's Nightmares vibes.  All in all, Skinwalkers is adequate.  Nothing mind-blowing.  I mean, it doesn't compare to Jason X, but what does?

Slumbering Sun or Random Album Alert

Click HERE to listen to Starmony, the new album from Texas doomsters Slumbering Sun.  This probably doesn't require a disclaimer, but I feel like I should mention that I'm not affiliated with the band in any way, shape, or form.  They simply rule.  Imagine something in the vein of Warning and Pallbearer (I'm also hearing a smidgen of Hangman's Chair).  This is just fantastic doom with crystalline vocal harmonies/starmonies and measured arrangements.  And riffs!  Riffs for days.  Listen to it.  Buy it.  Thank me later or not at all.

Blood Capsule #317

HOWLING III (1987)

Technically, this is a "found footage" film.  I'm clinging to that so I can cite it as a favorite whenever I hear someone losing their popcorn over the latest V/H/S venture.  Howling III is an oddity.  When I was a kid, I was spooked by seeing a ballerina transform into a werewolf.  Nowadays, that scene is hysterical.  I do wonder why it was shown on television during school hours in the early 90's.  Childhood rocked, didn't it?  Growing up, I never questioned the sheer audacity of this series.  Grunge was cool, the sky was blue, and there was a boatload of Howling movies.  We took these ridiculous franchises for granted.  How was I to know that it would be so much fun revisiting this Ozploitation lycanthropicture as an adult?  I'm still not sold on it being a high water mark for werewolves in general, but the synopsis alone is entertaining.  A feral girl escapes her rapist uncle and evades a "werewolf cult" by shacking up with a Hollywood producer.  Naturally, she auditions for a role in Shape Shifters Part 8.

It's interesting that Howling III seems to be winking at the viewer.  I don't know if you could call it self-referential in earnest, as it's pretty wacky outside of the movie-within-a-movie trope.  Let's talk about monsters.  I'm forgiving when it comes to creature effects, but these werewolves are just daffy.  Zany even!  I'll admit that the pouch-roving "kid" is ten kinds of cute.  The film almost becomes clever when it spins common thread between lycanthropes and marsupials.  Almost.  It's a nice idea, but it never really goes anywhere.  Honorable mentions must go out to Dagmar Blahova and Imogen Annesley as lady wolves Olga and Jerboa, respectively.  Honestly, their performances are too refined for this flick.  I'm counting that as a compliment.  I would have to rewatch the worst sequels to give my full ranking.  Since that isn't going to happen, I'll say that Howling III falls somewhere in the middle.

Recommended to fans of wombats and bandicoots.  They're marsupials; I checked.

Iron Supplements #3

CROWS

I like all of the bands that I break down here, but if I'm being perfectly honest, this is the first Iron Supplement that has joined my "regular" listening rotation.  That's pretty much on-brand, as this is easily the weirdest one yet.  Crows was a speed/power metal band out of Germany.  I'll talk about the music in a second, but the lyrics take precedence.  For some odd reason, Crows chose the plight of Native Americans as the theme of The Dying Race, their only full-length album.  Yeah.  But whatever.  The songs kill.  They're full of soaring harmonies (check out the chorus of "We Are the Storm"), melodic shredding, and more soaring harmonies.  This isn't straight power metal, which I think is the main reason why I dig it so much.  I'm reminded of Helstar.  And maybe Helloween.  I mean, I'm not into Helloween, but the similarities are there.

Members of Crows went on to play in Sodom and Angel Dust.  I will say, they don't share any common bonds with the Teutonic thrash triumvirate of Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction.  Same sandbox, different sand castle.

Blood Capsules #316

LATE PHASES (2014)

I meant to catch this flick upon its release.  For reasons unknown, I'm only seeing it now.  Let me recommend the hell out of it before I go any further.  It's a clever, point-blank cross-pollination of Silver Bullet and Bubba Ho-Tep.  Why Bubba?  Because our setting is a retirement community, and most of the characters are senior citizens (though I concede that none of them believe themselves to be rock stars).  The main dude is a blind man played - incredibly well, mind you - by Nick Damici.  He has an acerbic personality, which makes it easier to be in his corner.  Within the first twenty minutes, his neighbor is mauled by a hulking werewolf.  The fact that we don't see the beast again until the finale is actually a stroke of brilliance.  The film is forced to rely on the strength of its plot.  I'm not used to watching movies with, y'know, plots, so Late Phases was a breath of fresh air.

I sincerely hope the casting agent was paid handsomely.  Everyone is dialed in, and that includes...Tina Louise?  Yes, Ginger is given a supporting role, as is Tom Noonan.  Again, the acting is nuanced from all involved.  The werewolves are not "the point," but it has to be said that the creature suits are glorious.  I'm sitting here trying to decide if there was anything I didn't like about Late Phases.  I mean, I don't like that it's somewhat obscure.  This is easily one of the best werewolf movies of the 2010's, maybe the best overall since Ginger Snaps.  Why wasn't Tina Louise in Ginger Snaps?  I digress.  The non-lycanthrope drama is written with panache.  Ironically, it's just as affecting as the tender moments of Bubba Ho-Tep.  Check out Late Phases pronto.  Recommended to fans of 1994's Wolf and calcium-rich diets.

Mid-Capsule

I usually have a mid-capsule post ready to go, but at the moment, all I have is a reminder that Random Werewolf Month starts tomorrow.  Also, you can expect new editions of Now Playing and Iron Supplements in the next 7-10 days.  Dig it!

Blood Capsule #315

BOA (2001)

There is something wrong with me.  I just know it.  Feel my forehead.  Feverishly warm, right?  I may need to check myself into the nearest infirmary because I had a blast with Boa.  Maybe Saturn is in retrograde, or the right stars have aligned.  Or something.  I wish I could explain it away, but this direct-to-video claptrap tickled my fancy.  It wasn't content to merely mimic Anaconda.  No, it takes a stab at the "prison" subgenre.  The plot resides on New Alcatraz, a maximum security slammer located a few degrees of longitude (and latitude, I reckon) away from the South Pole.  Eventually, it will house thousands of criminals, but as Boa begins, the prisoner count is in the single digits.  Of course, these murderers and weapon smugglers are tapped to assist paleontologists in wrangling a prehistoric snake.  Enter Dean Cain (I'll wait a minute for the applause to die down).  He plays Scientist Guy, and I have to hand it to him; I believed he was Scientist Guy.  For what it's worth, the acting is presentable across the board.

That's just it.  Everything is presentable, aside from the spotty CGI.  I'm not going to deduct points for, shall we say, dubious special effects, as it comes with the territory.  It's low-budget entertainment, so play ball.  Technically, it's mid-budget, but something tells me that catering consisted of crackers and peanut butter.  That's only if you don't consider Dean Cain to be a square meal.  So yeah, Dean Cain.  Cripes, what happened to this review?  Anyway, the creamiest compliment that I can afford Boa is that it takes its time setting up the exposition without burdening the pace.  There is some semblance of structure here.  If I could offer any constructive criticism, the film is visually barren.  The sets are gray, the snake is gray, and my beard is gray.  Enough is enough.  I can't look you in the eye and proclaim that Boa is the best "killer snake" flick on the market, but it exceeded my expectations.  By, like, a lot.  Plus, Dean Cain.

Content (a gentle reminder)

I don't know how others view this website, if they view it at all.  This is probably just seen as another blog, but I see myself as a content creator.  I'm no different than a YouTuber, which by the way...YouTube is getting clued in on the Patreon model.  You can now "join" a person's YouTube channel and support them monetarily.  I'm hoping this normalizes the whole process because I always feel weird shilling my Patreon.  The truth is, every dollar helps.  Yes, even one dollar helps keep the site going, as it inspires the hell out of me and kicks my keister into overdrive.

So click HERE and maybe one day, I'll write a 1,000-word essay on The Supernaturals, a nifty "war zombie" movie you probably haven't seen.  Maybe one day...

Blood Capsule #314

QUICKSILVER HIGHWAY (1997)

This is another title I remember seeing on video shelves in the late 90's.  Made for the tube - Fox, to be specific - Quicksilver Highway is a cut above most of the dregs that find their way to the small screen (at least in terms of production design).  It could squirt through on name-dropping alone.  It was directed by Mick Garris.  If you need more names that horror goons will swoon over, how about Stephen King and Clive Barker?  Yes, this is an anthology, a double bill with Christopher Lloyd as toastmaster general.  He spins the yarns, but the two halves aren't actually connected.  He simply regales a bride who is broken down on the side of the road.  Once he finishes with that bit of business, he suddenly appears at a carnival where he spooks a pickpocket.  Er?  Pickpocketer?  That doesn't sound right.  Anyway, the first story is a King adaptation called "Chattery Teeth."  I won't bother with a blow-by-blow synopsis, except to say that it's Stephen King-y as hell.  Also, it's a little light on true horror, but hey, I was entertained.

The second segment stars Matt Frewer as a plastic surgeon who loses control of his hands.  It's...weird.  Fingers literally talk to each other.  They plot to overthrow their host body, and eventually, we see hands running around a hospital causing general mischief.  I realize that my job here is to give my opinion on the movies I watch, but I don't know that I have an opinion on Matt everloving Frewer doing his best Ash impersonation.  It certainly happened.  I'll give it that much.  Quicksilver Highway ends with a resounding kerplunk.  No twist.  No wrap-around gimmick.  Just credits.  Y'know, I've never heard anyone talk about this flick.  It premiered a few weeks after The Shining was revamped, so maybe it was a case of inauspicious timing.  I'm feeling three Z'Dars.

Death

If you live long enough, you'll eventually see the death of your pop culture.  Technically, mine has been dying for awhile now, but the deaths of Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan solidify it for me.  It's a strange feeling.  Plenty of people will point out that no, Hogan was not the superhero that we grew up watching.  I get it.  I'm not jaded enough, however, to act like he didn't mean something, even in 2025.  He's still Hulk friggin' Hogan.  People on social media can dance on his coffin if they want, but I'm choosing to pay my respects.  Of course, everyone loved Ozzy.  My mom loved Ozzy, for crying out loud.  While it's true that he didn't write any of the riffs on the Black Sabbath records, the role he played in the creation of heavy metal cannot be denied.  He was there for all of it.

I'm not sure if I have a point to make with any of this.  Just jotting down my thoughts on a hell of a week.  I'm going to go listen to Master of Reality now.

Iron Supplements #2

DRAGON

Poland!  It's a very metal country.  Typically, it's known for its blasty, stomach-churning death metal, but today, we're taking a look at a thrash band.  Enter (the) Dragon.  They dabbled in technically proficient death/thrash.  I'm using past tense because they also dabbled in industrial rock.  Scream of Death was their third album and it's what I'm currently jamming.  I can also vouch for 1989's Horde of Gog (great title).  The later stuff...it's anyone's best guess.  Seemingly, a lot of the bands that I discover on Metal Archives are currently active, this one being no exception.  My penchant for Dragon (and it's a small penchant, as I just unearthed them) stems from the fact that I prefer thrash from the late 80's and early 90's.  Let's face it; if you were still playing full-tilt thrash in the 90's, you were dead serious.

Comparisons?  I'm hearing the dry tonality of Coroner and maybe the faster bits of Rust-era Megadeth.  Early Dragon is a solid listen.  No word on if they actually wrote songs about dragons.  I haven't gotten that far yet.

Blood Capsule #313 (Special Edition)

What's a Special Edition?  It's a series where I review one of my favorites.  These are films that would appear in my Top 50 or so (if I endeavored to compile such a list).

CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980)

I need to rewatch The Beyond to make it official, but I'm fairly confident that City of the Living Dead is my favorite Lucio Fulci film.  It was my first Fulci experience, and in retrospect, I'm surprised that I took to it as readily as I did.  I was still new to Italian horror.  I could have easily been put off by the haphazard dubbing, though it should be noted that the dubbing isn't that bad.  By the same token, I could have been dismayed by the lack of a linear story.  But no, I didn't have to check my enthusiasm at the door.  I kinda-sorta love the fact that it dares you to dream up a coherent synopsis.  It's almost plotless in the same way that Seinfeld is a "show about nothing."  Of course, things do happen, but Fulci is a miserly chap when it comes to the tendons, the fibrous tissue between the events that transpire.  Out of context, we see a priest commit suicide, we see a fecund zombie tear its way out of the earth, and we see poor Catriona MacColl scrape the lid of her coffin as she is buried alive.

In context, these images still manage to stand independently of one another.  Fulci initiates a volley of "greatest hits" that refuse to be shaped into a traditional three-act structure.  All of this mysterious merrymaking (??) is wrapped in gobs of atmosphere.  I rate atmosphere as City's best quality.  It's certainly Fulci's strong suit.  The climax is a carousel of headstones, festered flesh, and enough mist to dress the sets of two Hammer films.  And yet, I can't award this rotting epic a perfect rating.  In terms of characters, I'm really only partial to MacColl.  Then you have the ending, which no one can seem to rationalize.  I still rank City of the Living Dead above Zombie and House by the Cemetery.  No one is asking, but my second favorite Fulci dish has got to be Don't Torture a Duckling.  How did I get this far without mentioning the entrail regurgitation or the industrial drill lobotomy?

Truly, this movie is a gift that keeps on giving.

Now Playing #22

A-Z - A2Z²

This is a progressive metal supergroup of sorts.  Are supergroups passé?  If so, don't tell A-Z.  These guys crush Velvet Revolver anyway.  So this project's moniker is derived from the names of the vocalist and the drummer, respectively.  Fates Warning frontman Ray Alder takes the microphone, while Mark Zonder (formerly of Fates Warning and Warlord, I believe) sits behind the kit.  I sound like a complete moron when I try to talk about drumming.  Likewise, it's my suspicion that most metal journalists wouldn't know a hi-hat from a bowler hat, but for what it's worth, Zonder's work here is exceptional.  Personally, I was hooked because of Alder's involvement.  I just love the guy's voice.  If you listen to "I Am Numb" or "A Wordless Prison," he sounds younger than his years suggest.  If you're not into prog, you probably won't dig this stuff, although the songwriting prioritizes earworm melodies over herky-jerky time signatures.

Of course, some of A2Z² is herky-jerky.  It comes with the territory.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention the contributions of guitarist Nick van Dyke (see Retribution, which also boasted the talents of Ray Alder).  The guitar solos are virtuosic without being Yngwie-able, if you catch my drift.  This record is exceedingly listenable.  What does that mean?  It means I've listened to it quite a bit, and I wish that "Fire Away" was played at every sports stadium.  It would drastically improve a seventh inning stretch.

Darkthrone - Under a Funeral Moon

Ordinarily, I would attempt to spotlight an obscure band that doesn't darken your browser that often, but what can I say?  I'm on a(nother) Darkthrone kick.  By this point in 1993, everyone's favorite Scandinavian hobgoblins had settled on black metal as their main vocation.  Any and all traces of death metal had been flushed from their kidneys.  Or mountain oysters, if you prefer.  Maybe I'm mistaken, but it seems as if Under a Funeral Moon gets brushed aside, at least where Darkthrone's 90's output is concerned.  That could be a miscalculation on my part.  Either way, it goes hard.  Check out the massive breakdown that bisects "Summer of the Diabolical Holocaust."  So tasty.  And I love the cacophonous leads that crop up here and there.  The production is obviously abrasive, but from where I'm sitting, it never becomes too strident.  You can still hear the riffs.

The riffs, man.  "To Walk the Infernal Fields" is chock-full of them.  That's probably my favorite track, but ask me tomorrow, and I might go with closer "Crossing the Triangle of Flames."  I bet it's a scalene triangle.  Shapes are pretty metal.

Blood Capsule #312

SCARED TO DEATH (1980)

Recently on Facebook, I posed a challenge to my like-minded peers.  Feel free to play along.  Name a great monster in a not-so-great movie.  There are endless options, and I received some excellent answers (like the hideous sun demon in - you guessed it - The Hideous Sun Demon), but I did have a movie in mind.  I first encountered Scared to Death at our local video store in the late 90's.  Cool cover, although I never took the bait.  And while I'm sure I could stream it somewhere, I insisted on grabbing a grubby, begrimed VHS copy for the purposes of this review.  It just felt right.  Could I see every detail during scenes set in the sewer system?  No.  Hell, I couldn't see every detail when the action was in broad daylight.  That's not the point!  The point is...um, give me a second.  The monster in this flick is swell, so swell that producers bankrolled a quasi-sequel just so they could use the monster in a subjectively "better" setting.  The result was Syngenor, a term used here.  It stands for SYNthetic GENetic ORganism.  I might review Syngenor, but hey, one thing at a time.

So Scared to Death (not to be confused with the 1947 thriller of the same name starring Bela Lugosi and George Zucco).  The upside?  I've used the word "monster" eighty-seven times in an effort to delineate the appeal of this creature feature.  The suit has an H.R. Giger vibe to it, and man, it cuts an imposing silhouette.  The downside?  Scared to Death will bore you to death.  Trivial moments drag on and on for no actual reason.  An illustration, if I may...instead of simply showing us a hospital, we have to see the main character write a note explaining that he's heading to the hospital.  And then we see the hospital.  Guess what?  Nothing happens at the hospital.  It's a frustrating situation, mainly because director William Malone is seriously talented.  There are red arrows in Scared to Death that point to a top-shelf spookshow.  Unfortunately, the viewer is denied access to such a spookshow.  I forgot to write a synopsis.  Um, a laboratory experiment does what laboratory experiments do in these budget pictures.  The plot reminded me of The Kindred.

Watch The Kindred.

Iron Supplements #1

CREMATORY

I don't remember how I clicked onto this band, but they were the impetus for this column.  I'm sure that the members of Crematory are super proud and stuff.  So what we have here is gothic doom metal from Germany.  I'm currently blasting the 1993 debut (Transmigration, pictured above) through my earbuds, and I have to say, I really dig it.  It's not too dissimilar from what Paradise Lost were doing in the early 90's.  Maybe the keyboards are a little more pronounced.  And how about that album cover?  Seemingly, Crematory lost interest in plodding death metal as they ripened.  They would soon espouse electronic music, which, erm, no thanks?  They did release an album earlier this year, but there are no reviews for it yet.  If you decide to check it out, be sure to report back.

Dude, the riffs on "Hall of Torment" are astoundingly heavy.  Yeah, I'd call the maiden voyage for this column a success.  Crematory ruled...at one point anyway.

Blood Capsule #311

COLOSSAL (2016)

It's time to switch things up a bit.  I don't remember seeing any advertisements for Colossal upon its release.  If I had, it's a safe bet that I would have checked it out.  On the surface, it's a romantic comedy starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis.  Boring "normie" stuff, right?  Well, hold on a second.  The trailer - should you ever watch it - reveals an inner core, a creamy nougat center contrived to placate kaiju fans.  Yes, kaiju.  Colossal falls somewhere in between Cloverfield and...name a modern romantic comedy.  Hathaway plays Gloria, an alcoholic struggling to scrape by after breaking up with her boyfriend.  She finds a new social circle (along with a new job tending bar), but right as her life begins to approach normalcy, a disaster hits South Korea.  To be specific, a monster hits South Korea.  A giant monster.  Gloria inundates herself with news updates, both online and on television.  Everyone does, but for whatever reason, she's an empath when it comes to South Korea.  I'll be honest; it could use some explaining.

There is a twist.  And it's the crux of the trailer, so I wouldn't call it a spoiler.  Gloria walks home from work every night, and as she nears her house, she crosses a desolate playground.  Every move she makes on this playground is mimicked by the monster in South Korea.  If she falls down, the monster falls down.  If she scratches her head, the monster...et cetera, et cetera.  Cool concept, no?  The characters are reasonably fleshed out, so you want to see how they handle such an extraordinary situation.  I was on board for most of the running time until the last leg where one of the main players turns heel, to use wrestling jargon.  It seems out of step for this person to act and react the way they do.  Everyone else comes off as natural, which compounds the problem.  I can only say so much, as I'm trying to circumvent actual spoilers.  I can, however, comment on the monster.  It's a 100% digital creation, but I dug the smooth design.  We also get a giant robot.  So there's that.  Obviously, this isn't strictly a horror film, but I think it will appeal to nerdy genre enthusiasts (ask me how I know).

Rasslin'

Good Lord.  That main event was so over-the-top ridiculous, I liked it.  I'm not proud of the fact that I watched so much wrestling yesterday, but I am proud of the fact that I didn't pay for any of it.  That's a win, no matter how you slice it.  And yet, I have more wrestling in my near future.  Evolution starts soon.  I know that it's going to be boring, but I can't help it.  Iyo Sky is in the main event.  I have to tune in, don't I?  I wish I had a witch friend who could manifest A.J. Lee into reality for me.  Witches can do that, right?  I'm asking too many questions for what is essentially filler.  Apologies.

I really don't like Nikki Bella.