B-MOVIE OF THE MONTH - DEAD END (2003)

Made for less than a million dollars, the slightly obscure Dead End is a chilling little indie you don't want to miss. It might just be the best Christmas horror movie no one ever heard of and every dollar is up there on the screen. It's quirky, weird, funny, bizarre, and scary all at once. Black comedy for sure but much more, this would make a nice double feature with The Perfect Host, another movie we're big on around here. So, grab some eggnog and a snack or two and check out the inimitable Ray Wise with legendary Lin Shaye as they take their family down a wrong turn, what's up with this road? Why doesn't it end? After all, they're just trying to make it to Christmas Eve dessert at Frank's mother's house. Tubi, Plex, Freevee, enjoy! 2.75 stars/2.75

Saturday, January 29, 2022

CANADIAN DIRECTOR PETER CARTER OF RITUALS FAME SERVES UP SOME NICE G-RATED FAMILY FARE IN "THE COURAGE OF KAVIK THE WOLFDOG" (TV 1980)

 

Let's get one thing perfectly clear - Kavik is not, I repeat, not a coward. Nor is he a wuss. Capable of travelling two thousand miles by himself to get back home puts him in the wonder-dog category. And that sets the stage for this very G-rated fun TV film, sort of a dog road trip movie directed by the one and only Peter Carter. Carter, who had a real gift for shooting outside (Rituals alone should have proven that) does the same here as all his other films - more exteriors, less interiors. 

Made the same year as his feature Klondike Gold, the two films couldn't be further apart in scope and depth. Kavik The Wolfdog is family fluff, something you could put on for youngsters and leave the room. Klondike Fever is epic and the most underappreciated film in his catalog. But more on that some other time. This is still a good Carter movie, worth one watch for sure. Obscure and hard to find. Look for a young, pre-success John Candy doing a few five-liners. 2.25 stars/2.75

                Suitable for the whole darn family. 


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