FRIDAY FAMILY FILM NIGHT

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (2024), from director Jeff Fowler with screenplay credits to Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington.  Team Sonic is back with a vengeance. When a mysterious new hedgehog named Shadow (Keanu Reeves) seeks to avenge himself by destroying the entire planet proves too powerful for Sonic (Ben Schwartz) and his friends, Tail...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing TRADING PLACES (1983), from scriptwriters Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod and directed by John Landis.  In one of the best classic comedies from the 80s, Dan Ackroyd (as Louis Winthorpe III) and Eddie Murphy (as Billy Ray Valentine), put in hilarious performances as the helpless subjects of a wager by two heartless old millionaire brothers, The Dukes...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing THE MERRY GENTLEMEN (2024), from director Peter Sullivan with a screenplay by Jeffrey Schenck, Peter Sullivan and Marla Sokoloff.  In this romantic comedy that seems to closely follow a Hallmark movie formula, a woman named Ashley (Britt Robertson) returns to her small town for the holidays after losing her dream job right before Christmas. The...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing THE BISHOP'S WIFE (1947), from scriptwriters Robert Sherwood and Leonardo Bercovici (uncredited screenplay credit to Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett) from a novel by Robert Nathan and directed by Henry Koster.  In this very strange holiday film, an angel (Cary Grant) is sent from Heaven to help a Bishop (David Niven) understand the true meaning of the ho...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing HOME ALONE (1990), from director Chris Columbus with a screenplay by John Hughes.  After a mistake by his family, a young boy named Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) finds himself home alone for Christmas. While this is initially cause for celebration, he soon finds the holidays just are not the same without a family to share them with. He also hilarious...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing ROBOCOP (1987), from director Paul Verhoeven with a screenplay by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner.  In a city overrun by violent criminals, a newly transferred police officer, Alex Murphy (Peter Weller), is killed in the line of duty only to have his body transformed by a greedy and unscrupulous corporation into a cyborg enforcer of justice -...

TRIGGER WARNING: In which the Mister joins me in reviewing SILENT NIGHT (2021), from writer/director Camille Griffin.  In what is allegedly a dark comedy, old friends decide to get together at a remote English country mansion to celebrate their last Christmas ever.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 32 m, is not rated but be aware of language and talk of suicide in the story.  This is currently stream...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing THAT CHRISTMAS (2024), from director Simon Otto with a screenplay by Richard Curtis, Peter Souter and Andrew Dawson.  In this animated feature, several characters' stories become somewhat entwined as a blizzard hits a small English town of Wellington-on-Sea during Christmas with Santa (Brian Cox) narrating. The film clocks in at 1 h and 31 m, i...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing LOGAN'S RUN (1976), from the novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson and a screenplay by David Zelag Goodman, the film is directed by Michael Anderson.  In a futuristic society where everyone is assigned a lifespan of 30 years, a Sandman named Logan 5 (Michael York) is tasked with hunting down "Runners" who defy this mandate. During an investi...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing THE FATHER  (2020), from a play from Florian Zeller, the film has a screenplay from Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller and is directed by Zeller.  Presented through the diminishing and confused perspective of an elderly man, Anthony (an absolutely heartbreakingly beautiful Sir Anthony Hopkins) suffering from dementia, this film tells the story of a fat...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing WICKED LITTLE LETTERS (2023), from director Thea Sharrock with a screenplay by Jonny Sweet.  Scandal and outrage tear the small English town of Littlehampton apart as extremely vulgar letters begin first appearing and targeting the Swan household, and in particular, Edith (Olivia Colman), and rowdy Rose (Jessie Buckley) is soon charged.  But on...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing ORIGIN (2023), from writer/director Ava DuVernay.  This film is a biographical dramatization based on the life and writings of American journalist and author, Isabel Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), dealing with multiple familial deaths while researching the origins behind systemic racism after the death of Trayvon Martin rocks the nation.  This research...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing EMILIA PÉREZ (2024), from director Jacques Audiard with a screenplay by Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain and Léa Mysius.  After a dangerous drug lord presents a young lawyer, Rita, (Zoe Saldana)  with an offer she can't refuse, she finds herself in the center of an intriguing story that transforms the lives of everyone involved. The film clocks...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing THEY LIVE (1988), from writer/director John Carpenter from the short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning" by Ray Nelson.  After donning a pair of seemingly ordinary sunglasses, a homeless drifter named Nada (wrestling legend, Roddy Piper) finds his eyes literally opened to a reality that is far more twisted and terrifying than what They want you to believe...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing POLTERGEIST (1982), from director Tobe Hoopers with a screenplay by Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais and Mark Victor.  In this classic 80's horror film, the Freeling family face their worst nightmare when the youngest among them, Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) is abducted into the spirit world by the lost souls that haunt their suburban home.  Cr...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing ARTHUR (1981), from writer/director Steve Gordon. An alcoholic playboy (Dudley Moore) must choose between an arranged marriage which would allow him to continue his life of hedonistic debauchery or the only woman (Liza Minnelli) he was ever truly loved. The film clocks in at 1 h and 37 m, is rated PG and is available to buy/rent from Prime Video.  Please n...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing MADAME (2017), from director Amanda Sthers with a screenplay by Amanda Sthers and Matthew Robbins. After filling a seat at a dinner party for her pretentious employer, a maid, Maria (Rossy de Palma), finds herself swept up in an unexpected romance that threatens to break the norms of the social hierarchy. The film clocks in at 1 h and 31 m, is...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL (2023), from writers/directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes. The last episode of a would-be late night talk show king is finally unearthed showing the deadly consequence of summoning the supernatural on live television.  The film has a run time of 1 h and 41 m, and is rated R.  It is streaming on AMC+ and Hulu but also to buy/rent on...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1983), from director Jack Clayton and a screenplay by Ray Bradbury, from the novel by the same name, written by Ray Bradbury. When a mysterious carnival comes to a small town two young boys, Will Halloway (Vidal Peterson) and Jim Nightshade (Shawn Carson) find themselves the target of an ancient evil. The film c...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing LIFEFORCE (1985), from director Tobe Hooper, and screenplay credit to Colin Wilson, Dan O'Bannon and Don Jakoby.  Horror from beyond the stars is unleashed upon the UK as space-vampires threaten to turn the entire populace into exploding zombies. Humanity's only hope is an American astronaut who is somehow psychically bonded to one of the alien/vampires. ...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing BEETLEJUICE (1988), from director Tim Burton and a screenplay by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson and Warren Skaaren. A recently deceased couple, the Maitlands (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin) do their best to rid their home of it's obnoxious new residents, the Deetzs (Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara and Jeffrey Jones) but in doing so, will all of t...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY (2022), from director Luis Javier Henaine, and screenplay credit to Ricardo Aguado-Fentanes and Luis Javier Henaine.  In a race against time, a crime scene photographer, Santiago (Harold Torres) desperately hunts for a cure after he is inflicted with a crippling supernatural curse.  The film has a run time of 1 h and 40 m, and is rated...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (2024), from director Tim Burton and a screenplay by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson and Alfred Gough.  The self proclaimed "ghost with the most", Beetlejuice returns to haunt three generations of the Deetz family in this sequel to the 1988 film.  The film clocks in at 1 h and 45 m, is rated PG-13 and currently in theater...

In which the Mister joins me in reviewing ABIGAIL (2024), from directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and screenplay credit to Stephen Shields and Guy Busick.  A kidnapping takes an unexpected and horrific turn for a group of criminals when the child they abducted turns out to be a bloodthirsty vampire.  The film has a run time of 1 h and 49 m, and is rated R.  It is streaming on Peaco...

In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing IT'S WHAT'S INSIDE (2024), from writer/director Greg Jardin.  Former friends reunite after a long absence to celebrate and reconnect with one another at a secluded country mansion. But when one brings a new party game he's invented they are all forced into a mind bending experience that will change their lives forever.  The film clocks in at 1...