The Old Guard (Netflix original)

Charlize Theron stars as Andi, an immortal warrior who has existed since before the dark ages. As the film begins, she wonders "if this will be the last time" before introducing us to her world. She leads a group of four immortals who are being tracked by a pharmaceutical company looking to exploit their genes.

The film is filled with action, lots of gun-play and sword fighting. Theron has remained one of Hollywood's great action stars over the past few years and this one is another notch in her belt. She gives a multilayered performance, at times gruff, bitter, and angry- but also very fragile. A warrior at the end of a very difficult journey through centuries of heartache.
 
Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Copley, a former CIA agent currently employed by a pharmaceutical company to track down and capture the four immortals. Formerly a man of honor who is now broken by the passing of his wife to a disease that he believes can be cured by examining the immortals.
In a normal year, this should be a major Hollywood release. Delivered straight to Netflix, I feel something is missed by not having it screened on a large screen. As a streaming film, it probably shouldn't be missed by action fans.

The Beach House (2020, on Shudder)

I am a huge fan of Lovecraftian Horror. And many social media accounts were promoting Shudders newest acquisition as inspired by Lovecraft (Quickly becoming a buzz word), leading me to sit and give this one a quick spin on the ol' Roku device. I settled in for a fun ride...

Emily and Randall are a troubled couple on a romantic vacation for the weekend. They are staying in Randall's family beach house, but their time away is interrupted by an older couple who had made plans through Randall's father (unaware his son was staying in the house). The two couples make the best of it, but there is something strange about their environment and an infection begins to spread and transform the people around the lake.

I can see why people saw influences from Lovecraft, with similarities to "The Color out of Space" and "Annihilation", but there is much more in common with Cronenberg "body horror" here and the psychedelic horror of "Altered States". The transformations are gut churning, but ultimately feel less driven by an unknowable terror and much more based on the random chance of biological science. The movie even has a character who explains everything that is about to happen in a brief discussion regarding her college studies.

Otherwise, the film was an enjoyable middle of the road picture with some good gory bits. Mild recommendation

Ju-On Origins : Netflix Series

Six episodes in to the first season, the series somewhat abruptly ends with far more questions then there are answers. If this is really the entirety of the first season, then I feel less than satisfied with the conclusion. But I was pleasantly freaked out throughout most of the runtime- the series begins by stating it is "based on the events that inspired" the original film series. That, on the surface, feels like a load of trash unless you are actually paying attention to the background.

The series begins in 1988 and the most alarming story on the news is that of the discovery of a body found sealed in an oil drum. This is regarding the well publicized Junko Furuta story. We fast forward about one third through the series and find ourselves in 1992 when the news is dominated by the Sarin Gas attack from the Aum Shinrikyo cult. We end the series in 1997 and the news is once again covering the Kobe Child murders that took place at that time. These horrifying moments were the inspiration for the horrifying ghost tale that reflects the rage of on the Ju-on series.
 
What unfolds is the usual terrifying story of terrifying and angry ghosts who have died so horribly that they are trapped in their rage, grief, and horror. We follow the story of a paranormal researcher, a working class actress, and a teen girl as they encounter the famous house in a period of time that supposedly takes place before the deaths of Kayako, Toshio, and Takeo Saeki. The house is a location for other deaths, grief, pain, and suffering stretching back through several decades and several characters.

This is a slow burn horror and each episode leads up to various horrific moments. It also addresses issues of rape, addiction, and trauma in ways that many will find uncomfortable (especially with America's current political climate) so viewer beware. But it's a brutal reimagining of the series and it's origins while taking into account various other moments that have haunted Japan in the past.