Blood Red Sky, Fear Street Trilogy, and American Horror Stories

    THE HORROR OF IT ALL    

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. I just watched Last House on the Left recently and it still holds up as one of Wes Craven's best even since the 70s in my opinion as a raw cringeworthy tale of murder and revenge. I am trying to keep up with all of the recommendations coming from my groups and upcoming trailers. Be sure and catch season 2 of Evil on Paramount + because this season is so well written and continues to surprise with drawn from real life stories.

(1) Blood Red Sky a new Netflix Original is a vampire tale with a twist. A group of terrorists hijack a transatlantic overnight flight get more than they bargain for when it is revealed that one of their passengers is a vampire and they really poked the bear with this one. Nadja is traveling to New York from Germany to visit a specialist for a mysterious illness and she brings her young son. She has been covering a  very dark secret backstory that is revealed in flashbacks, Her unconditional love is what somehow is the heart of this story and I really enjoyed this action/horror hybrid.

2) Fear Street 1994, 1978 and 1666 streaming on Netflix.This trilogy came from the mind of R.L. Stine ( Goosebumps) but this was definitely much more on the adult realm. The films start in 1994 and trace it all the way back to 1666 where the curse for Shadyside began. This town has been cursed for centuries and in 94 a group of teens are targets for undead serial killers who terrorized the town while the neighboring town Sunnyvale is thriving . They discover the witche's curse which has held the town in terror since 66. All three films are good and gory and the talented cast appear in all three but my personal favorite is 1994. A throwback trilogy that is fresh thanks to Netflix releasin close together. What a great concept!

3) American Horror Stories streaming on Hulu is our newest fix from Ryan Murphy and each episode is a standalone episode with the exception of 1 and 2 which center around The Murder House from season 1. The plot revolves around a gay couple (Matt Bomer and Gavin Creel) who bring their teenage daughter Scarlett (Sierra McCormick) to the house to revive it as a haunted bed and breakfast. That seems doomed from the beginning since they don't believe in the spirit world and Scarlett already seems troubled with an obsession with violent porn. This is creepy, gruesome and even hilarious.I enjoyed it and the acting was great. No spoilers but rubber man is back!!

 

Shmigadoon, The White Lotus and Physical

                                                           My Top Three This Week

Greetings to all my semi-constant readers. Even though we are in the midst of Summer, I am already dreaming of the Fall and Pumpkin Spiced goodness. But I digress. Let's get back to Summer programming and Big Brother and all of the available content right now. Don't forget to catch Barb and Star on Hulu!

1)  Shmigadoon! streaming on AppleTV+ is everything you ever wanted but didn't know you needed. Keegan-Midchal Key an Cecily Strong  as Melissa and Josh a couple trying everything to keep their relationship alive including a couples retreat . During a hike, rain soaked and lost, they stumble into the candy coated town of Schmigadoon, A full musical number is already under way when they cross the bridge into a full scale technicolor old school musical. Drawn from Oklahoma, Brigadoon and every other score you can imagine, this story is about true love and Melissa and Josh cannot leave unless they find it together or apart. Presented by Lorne Michaels -this cast is amazing - Alan Cumming, Martin Short, Kristen Chenoweth, Aaron Tveit and Jane Krakowski. The score, choreography and wardrobe make this my summer hit!

2) The White Lotus streaming on HBO Max is a delightful surprise-Fantasy Island with all the quirks that make us human. This mini series from Mike White ( Enlightened, Chuck and Buck) is one of the favorite shows I am watching right now. The story revolves a group of guests staying at a high end Hawaiian resort managed by charming Murray Bartlett as Armond who tries to satisfy every guest's whim. The series covers 1 week and various plot lines for each of the guests. the delightful  Jennifer Coolidge is Tanya who is looking for happiness and a good massage and Connie Britton and Steve Zahn and their two children struggling to connect and a very unhappy newlywed groom who feels entitled and spends a good amount of time chasing Armond around for a room change. White knows how to direct the best performances out of this very talented cast  and a special shout out to Sydney Sweeney as Olivia Mossbacher . I already want another installment.

3) Physical streaming on AppleTV+ is a rainbbow colored 80's treat. A screenshot into the world of aerobics and how it became a staple in everyone's VCR ( I am not explaining what that is!). Rose Byrne is Sheila Rubin who is battling all her own demons in the quiet of a motel room scarfing down bags of fast food and berating herself all the while in a voice over that we can all relate to. While her clueless husband is running for a local office on a "Save the Wave" campaign she discovers the world of aerobic dancing through a drifter dance instructor Bunny (Della Saba). She sees the possibilities of video emergence in the world and finds a way to finance her dream. I loved the snarkiness of it all and Byrne's and Saba's performances were great as well Rory Scoval as her husband. This will find the intended audience I hope and we can see more of it.