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, April 1, 2023

UNDERRATED WOODY ALLEN - SCARLETT JOHANSSON IS LOOKING FOR THE "SCOOP" (2006) ON AN INFAMOUS TAROT CARD SERIAL KILLER

 

2005's Matchpoint is undeniably one of the high points in a rollercoaster Woody Allen filmography. I think even Allen himself might not have seen that film's success coming. Ironically, one of Scoop's biggest problems is it came too soon after Matchpoint and with all it's similarities in location, cast, and so on, whether he liked it or not, Scoop was perceived as a follow-up. Which, of course, wasn't his intention, he was just making his one movie per year, Scoop was next. 

A who-dun-it mystery comedy, Scoop falls neither into his best category nor his total misses. It is, simply put, an adequate and mostly fun picture. Allen certainly isn't spoiled for choice with these types of films in his filmography. 

Many of Allen's regular themes are present, especially death and magic. Here he depicts the afterlife as a big ship with black sails and a grim reaper with it's occupants on deck all talking about how they died back on earth. These are some of the movie's funniest scenes. 

Scoop is available on all the VOD outlets.  3.0 stars/5

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