Tuesday, May 31, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 31, 2022

Housebound (2014) Hapless home-arrestee suspects something is locked in with her. Enjoyable Kiwi horror-comedy where the frights and funny actually both work equally well. TIL: If canonized, Venerable Mother Mary Joseph Aubert will be the first recognized Saint from New Zealand.

Dad Rock Diary: Churchill's - Churchill's (1968) Israeli pop-psych starts out fairly sober, but spirals more and more into the delirious, presumably as the acid kicks in. Laudable Lyrics: Do as you wish, you do anyway. Just don't mess up yourself.

Monday, May 30, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 29, 2022

Hellmaster (1992) John Saxon makes mutants to prove he's the new God. Tries to be Clive Barker writing Freddy Kruger, but can't quite get there. TIL: As Isaiah notes, pridefully proclaiming "I will be like the Most High!" was the very first sin. Not much has changed since then.

Dad Rock Diary: Françoise Hardy - Françoise Hardy in English (1966) Breathy French singer/songwriter tries to jump the pond. Mostly unspectacular, but has a certain coolness factor. Laudable Lyrics: Whatever fortune brings, I'll hope for better things, or life will just be grey.

Saturday, May 28, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 28, 2022

Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues (1984) The search for the mythic beast goes on. So inept it doesn't even know it's the 3rd movie, not the 2nd. TIL: There's a published theory the biblical Esau was hairy because he was a bi-paternal twin fathered by a Bigfoot. No, really.

Dad Rock Diary: John Lennon - Imagine (1971) Skip the title track and there's a few good soft rock tracks on here. They don't all have to be masterpieces. Laudable Lyrics: I've had enough of reading things by neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians. All I want is the truth.

Friday, May 27, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 27, 2022

Stranger in Our House (1978) Linda Blair's witchy cousin moves in and takes over. Not Wes Craven's finest, but made-for-TV horror fans will be satisfied. TIL: Jesus noted we should feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and welcome the stranger. Why's that last one so hard?

Dad Rock Diary: Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain (1984) Lushly orchestrated jangle-pop with just a dash of the Lizard King thrown in for good measure. Good stuff. Laudable Lyrics: You know when heaven and hell collide there are no in-betweens.

Sunday, May 22, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 22, 2022

George Carlin’s American Dream (2022) Disgruntled antiauthoritarian claims to hate the Church then spends most of his life talking about it. Love you, George, hope you made the cut. TIL: Many people reject God based on a false understanding of what God is, not really God Himself.

Warlock Moon (1973) College couple find trouble at a deserted spa. Obscure regional horror plays like a moody supernatural Texas Chainsaw. Worth a look. TIL: Warlock originally meant an oath-breaker, not a male witch. Splitting hairs, really, as the Bible isn't fond of either.

Saturday, May 21, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 21, 2022

Yummy (2019) Experiments at a plastic surgery clinic result in zombies. Nothing new, but plenty humorous and full of imaginative gore. TIL: The Church doesn’t specifically address cosmetic surgery for non-medical purposes but does reject the idolization of physical perfection.

Haunt (2019) Sort of Hostel-lite in which young adults regret visiting an extreme haunted house attraction. Passable if the torture stuff is your bag. TIL: Unsurprisingly, the Church condemns torture, be it to extract confessions, punish, induce fear, or just to be cruel.

Friday, May 20, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 20, 2022

The Adventures of Hercules (1985) Lou Ferrigno returns as the buff demigod of do you even lift bros. Not as crazed as the first flick, but still plenty of goofiness to go around. TIL: As Jesus is considered God Incarnate, fully divine and human, he is not a half-breed demigod.

THIS JUST IN! Poop researchers (job goals!) believe the builders of Stonehenge ate worm-infested raw liver. Forget the literacy, economics, and human rights that Christianity offered, maybe it was the chance at cleaner meals that helped convert the pagans.

Thursday, May 19, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 19, 2022

TeenAlien (1978) Kids decorating an old mill for a Halloween party find something living there. Running time: 88 minutes. Minus aimless walking about: maybe 50-60. TIL: Jesus walked over 3,000 miles during his 3-year ministry. The Bible didn't feel the need to detail every step.

Tail Sting (2001) No snakes, just dog-sized mutant scorpions on a plane. Alas, no Sam Jackson, but kudos for using big goofy puppets instead of CGI. TIL: The power to tread on scorpions in Luke 19 is not literal (mostly), but in context means the ability to stomp spiritual evil.

Sunday, May 15, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 15, 2022

Dark August (1976) Grieving gramps curses the man who accidentally ran over his granddaughter. Another boring-to-some, eerie-to-others 70's oddity. TIL: Scripture imposes the responsibility to leave grandchildren an inheritance if possible and a heritage of faith no matter what.

Dad Rock Diary: Steppenwolf - Monster (1969) Old school leftist politics from the days liberalism was all peace and understanding rather than a hate-filled death cult. Laudable Lyrics: We don't know how to mind our own business 'cause the whole world's got to be just like us.

Saturday, May 14, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 14, 2022

A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969) Perennial loser has a shot at winning the national spelling bee. In theory. Brutal, yet philosophical, much like real childhood. TIL: St. Ambrose speculated children are eligible for the kingdom of heaven because, ordinarily, they have no malice.

Deadly Dreams (1988) A wolf-masked killer from his dreams suddenly begins stalking a man in real life. Or does he? Soooo close to being a nice hidden gem, but not quite. TIL: The Malleus Maleficarum claimed wolves were sent to punish sinners and test the faith of true believers.

Friday, May 13, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 13, 2022

For this Friday the 13th we’re taking a little look back.

First up, a little something from the archives contemplating the victims of Jason Voorhees and willful ignorance. LIFE’S LIKE A MOVIE: FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER

And then, here's something else from the archives on the superstition surrounding the date. SHORT FEATURE: SCOOBY DOO & THE CURSE OF CRYSTAL LAKE

Sunday, May 08, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 8, 2022

Horror High (1973) Nerd uses chemistry set to punish his tormentors. It's I was a teenage Mr. Hyde with a killer gerbil thrown in. TIL: Chemist priest Fr. Julius Nieuwland developed the process that led to the first synthetic rubber. Because the Church hates science (eyeroll).

Tales from the Quadead Zone (1987) Anthology from the auteur behind Black Devil Doll From Hell. Astoundingly amateur, but weird enough to earn cult status. TIL: In auteur theory directors are to movies what God is to all creation. Creators leave an indelible identifiable mark.

Friday, May 06, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 6, 2022

Duck Soup (1933) The Marx Brothers savage kneejerk nationalism and politics in general. Almost 100 years old and still one of the funniest movies ever made. TIL: Pope St. Paul VI condemned nationalism that leads to isolation, but approved of pride in national history and culture.

The Innkeepers (2011) Closing night at a historic hotel gets a bit creepy for the staff. Not much happens until the end, but the quirky characters make the wait worthwhile. TIL: St. Julian the Hospitaler is the patron saint of innkeepers and those seeking safe lodging.

Wednesday, May 04, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 4, 2022

Willy’s Wonderland (2021) A silent Nic Cage must survive one night in a possessed Chuck E. Cheese knockoff. Some movies are just for fun and that's enough. TIL: While there is an animatronic Buddhist priest named Mindar, Catholic priests must be human to administer sacraments.

Offerings (1989) Bullied boy grows up to dismember those who did him wrong. Blatant dollar-bin Halloween ripoff, but passable as comfort food for slasher fans. TIL: The command to love your enemies includes bullies. Of course, figuring out how to do that isn't too easy.

Tuesday, May 03, 2022

DAILY CALL SHET: MAY 3, 2022

Voodoo Dolls (1991) Weird mumbo-jumbo at an all-girls school. Nice vibe, though it doesn't make a lot of sense and the dolls look like something off Etsy. TIL: Voodoo only co-opted Catholic imagery to avoid trouble, so whatever intercedes when use a voodoo doll, it ain't a Saint.

Censor (2021) A job editing video nasties triggers trauma in a sensitive censor. Ultimately predictable ending, but the creepy ride there is worth it. TIL: The defunct Index Librorum Prohibitorum (1560-1966) was a list of prohibited books the Vatican deemed contrary to morality.

Sunday, May 01, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 1, 2022

Cast a Deadly Spell (1991) Fred Ward is a private dick in an alternate universe 40's where magic is commonplace. Would've made a great Kolchak-type series. TIL: Non-fictional 'magic' aspires to impose one's will on individuals and human events, and is therefore immoral.

Death Warrant (1990) JCVD is a cop who goes undercover in prison. You can pretty much write the rest of the movie on your own, can't you? TIL: Because of the inalienable dignity of each person, the Church argues that prison environments must uphold and respect human dignity.