A few days ago, actor Anthony Lemke (Dark Matter's THREE) reached out to me via text.  He's been in town shooting Hardy Boys and wanted to get together for dinner.  I was , of course, delighted at the suggestion and asked him what he felt like eating figuring I could choose from myriad restaurants that…

Byzantium (2012) Residents of a coastal town learn, with deathly consequences, the secret shared by the two mysterious women who have sought shelter at a local resort. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEAGYNhAlSQ My thoughts: An elegant, at times lethargic vampire film that doesn’t really add much to the genre but does look undeniably beautiful not doing it. 3/5 The…

Added a couple of new projects to the rotation including a small town thriller that may or may not pan out but is all sorts of interesting.  Offered my take on the material and am now awaiting word.  In the meantime, delivered the first draft of that android murder master and have switched gears to…

You spot a figure lurking behind your shoji, but when you slide open the door, there is no one there. Chances are you have just encountered a Kage Onna (Shadow Woman) and that your house may be haunted.  Art by @matthewmeyerart  The Iso Onna appears as a beautiful woman with long dark hair, usually found…

Bliss (2019) A brilliant painter facing the worst creative block of her life turns to anything she can to complete her masterpiece, spiraling into a hallucinatory hellscape of drugs, sex and murder in the sleazy underbelly of Los Angeles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CleRVy6mZf8 My thoughts: Like getting super high and then having someone scream at your for an…

Before entering the underworld, souls are met by the Datsue-ba, an elderly woman who strips off their clothes. Those who attempt to avoid this indignity by showing up naked have their skin stripped off instead. Thieves will also have their fingers broken for good measure. The sea-dwelling Umi Bozu are so large that only their…

Whew!  If not for Drea's timely reminder, I may have forgotten yet another blog entry - and been forced to post a double entry tomorrow! Why Don't You Just Die (2018) Andrei, a detective and the world's worst horrible dad, brings together a terrible group of people: his resentful actress daughter, an angry thug, and…

After falling in battle, the leader of the Mononobe clan assumed the ghostly form of a woodpecker and sought revenge on his former rivals by pecking at their wooden temples - until, that is, he was chased away by a magical Late at night, you may hear mysterious creaks and groans, pops and knocks and…

Forgot to post this yesterday... Vivarium (2019) A young couple looking for the perfect home find themselves trapped in a mysterious labyrinth-like neighborhood of identical houses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3Xy2x9NDrw My thoughts: There's a point in this movie when, while digging up their mysterious clay-laced front yard, one of the characters opines: "“This is just pointless. It’s just…

Is your bride evasive about her past? Is she reluctant to let you spend time with her family? Is she a really good swimmer? Well consider the possibility you may have married a Kaeru Nyobuo, a frog that has taken human form in order to get hitched to a man. Art @matthewmeyerart If you forget…

Hellbender (2021) A lonely teen discovers her family's ties to witchcraft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtxPffFiLo8 My thoughts: Like watching an 80 minute music video. An okay movie considering its budgetary constraints, somewhat labored performances and dialogue, but the fact that it sits at #1 in rottentomatoes’ Best of 2022 rankings effectively renders that list pointless. 3/5 Hounds of…