Tag: thriller

Really Awful Movies: Ep 349 – Black Summer and Adoration

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Back in business! This week, after a bit of a summer hiatus, The Really Awful Movies Podcast is back.

On this episode: Black Summer, a Walking Dead-like US TV series currently streaming on Netflix, and also Adoration, a small, quirky, Belgian-lensed and French language thriller.

Black Summer, filmed in the Calgary, Alberta area, has all the hallmarks of a zombie series: the macho alpha leader, the meek/hesitant sidekick, the concerned mother, the practical nerd, the gutsy do-it-yourself. And of course, the breakdown of social cohesion, not to mention the rampaging undead, make this must-see material if you’re into that kinda thing. There are tonnes of characters, lots of running, hissing zombies, militia men, evildoing civilians, the works.

By stark, stark contrast, Adoration is as small and character-driven as you can get. It’s slow, meandering, and psychologically-driven and muted in parts. A teen helps another escape a remote sanitorium.

The theme for both vehicles: running away from things! I guess there is a connective thread.

Really Awful Movies: Ep 348 – Alone

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Alone is a thriller / survivalist horror set in Oregon.

A widow is on the move. She’s packing a U-Haul and heading to Washington State.

Before too long, she’s being tailed by a creep out on a deserted mountain underpass. The jeep is on her, lead footing around dangerous twists and turns. She manages to extricate herself from the road menace, only to meet up with him again at the local rest stop.

Before too long, the creepy stranger has inserted himself into her life, and things morph into a tale of rugged wilderness survival.

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Really Awful Movies: Ep 262 – Raising Cain

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This John Lithgow-starring, Brian De Palma-directed thriller is set around Valentine’s day. On this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, a take on this “demented, deranged, deceptive” De Palma flick, Raising Cain.

Lithgow portrays multiple characters/multiple personalities. He is a child psychologist, Dr. Carter Nix, who is kidnapping kids to use for nefarious purposes (not explained, adding to the air of mystery here).

Against this backdrop, a hell of a lot of family infidelity drama, worthy of a Woody Allen film.

Nix’s wife is an oncologist, Jenny (Lolita Davidovich). Jenny is two-timing Nix, having an affair with (of all people) the widower of a cancer patient she’s treating! It’s an insane premise, and if you are a fan of the equally cheesy Netflix series, You, you won’t be put off by the Lifetime Movie fromage on display at times here.

Raising Cain winds an interesting narrative, as Nix is painted into a corner and has to plot schemes to extricate himself, while the police try to get a handle on what’s going on with the missing kids, as well as missing moms.

While hardly peak De Palma (that would be The Phantom of the Paradise, Carrie and The Untouchables(On the podcast, we have yet to talk De Palma, although we did reference The Phantom of the Paradise on several occasions).

Lithgow really embraces the different roles, and shows off considerable acting chops, despite falling into the odd embarrassing / laughable scene.

Raising Cain definitely stands apart as a worthy, intriguing little misfire.

On this episode of the Really Awful Movies Podcast, we watched different versions of the film (there are two, both of which were released on Blu-ray. One was a fan re-cut, and the other was the more incoherent theatrical release).

Do yourself a favor and watch the re-cut. It’s far far superior.

And don’t forgot to subscribe to the podcast, uploaded for your listening pleasure every Friday.