Summer’s been busy and I haven’t had the time to watch the 1,743 movies I was hoping to catch up on. Still, here’s some of the stuff I watched in the last couple of months, in alphabetical order.

Antiviral (2012)

written and directed by Brandon Cronenberg

Writer/director Brandon Cronenberg – son of famed director David Cronenberg – follows in his father’s footsteps with this vague sci-fi/horror film about a near-future in which celebrities sell their sicknesses to their legions of adoring fans (doesn’t sound too far off). Syd (Caleb Landry Jones) uses his body as an incubator to sell viruses on the black market, but when he injects himself with the blood of a world-famous cover girl, he gets entangled in a medical conspiracy. There’s more style than substance in Antiviral, but it’s still an auspicious debut with many of Papa Cronenberg’s icky stylistic touches.

Rating: **½

Attack the Block (2011)

written and directed by Joe Cornish

The other day I listened to a podcast in which writer/director Joe Cornish was talking about his Netflix ghost series Lockwood and Co. (2023). I remembered his film Attack the Block, which was probably one of my favorite sci-fi/horror flicks of 2011. So I went and watched it again, this time with my wife and son. It’s still one badass indie about a London street gang defending its turf against alien creatures, with great special effects, wicked action sequences, and even a dose of social commentary. One wishes all the Marvel and DC stuff was as consistently inventive as this. Subversive and funny in equal measure, Attack the Block is a blast. Believe, bruv.

Rating: ***

The Big Chill (1983)

written by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedek

directed by Lawrence Kasdan

In The Big Chill, seven thirty-something college buddies reunite at the funeral of their friend Alex, who’s inexplicably killed himself. They spend the weekend together at a big summer house, catching up, doing drugs, and having sex. But more than anything, they reminisce about their youth and how they’ve become the type of adults they used to hate back in the 60s and 70s. Interestingly, none of it is spelled out clearly, with just enough details for audiences to piece together that, while this bunch has certainly found success, they are far from happy. It’s an elusive film filled with pretty unlikeable characters, and yet co-writer/director Lawrence Kasdan allows the simpler moments – cleaning after dinner while dancing to The Temptations’ Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, laughing at the cheesy TV show in which one of the friends is the main star – to shine a light on their shared humanity. The Big Chill is a bit… chilly. But maybe that’s the point.

Rating: **½

Black Christmas (1974)

written by A. Roy Moore

directed by Bob Clark

As a horror enthusiast, I feel somewhat ashamed for having never seen this OG of slasher movies and direct influence on Halloween (1978), but there, I’ve corrected that mistake. And I have to say, I never expected it to be this good. Directed by Bob Clark (known for a completely different holiday film, 1983’s A Christmas Story), Black Christmas is one of the first horror flicks to set the tropes imitated by countless imitators since: The moving POV shots; the stalker hiding inside the house; the “final girl” that faces the monster. Yet it rises above most of the drivel that it inspired with stylish shots, better-than-average performances, and an utter refusal to explain or even show the madman. And the twist ending in which the wrong person is killed and two of the victims are still in the attic? Damn. Michael Myers’ got nothing on Billy.

Rating: ***

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)

written by Will Ferrell and Andrew Steele

directed by David Dobkin

If you’ve ever seen the Eurovision Song Contest, you know that it’s one big slice of glorious cheese in which songwriting quality takes a back seat to overblown music, ridiculous lyrics, and bombastic set design, choreography, and fashion. This may sound like criticism, but believe me, it’s quite fun. Whether or not the show itself is aware of its comedic appeal, I have no doubt Will Ferrell does. Yet for some reason, he plays it too safe as actor and co-writer of Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, a film that wants to both make fun of and pay tribute to the competition but ends up not quite accomplishing either. Hey, at least some of the songs are cool. As soon as I get my garage band going, I’m gonna cover Volcano Man.

Rating: **

Carlos I. Cuevas