From Beyond the Grave (1973)

From Beyond the Grave (1973): Based on stories by R. Chetwynd Hayes; screen play by Robin Clarke and Raymond Christodoulou; directed by Kevin Connor; starring Ian Bannen, Peter Cushing, Diana Dors, Margaret Leighton, Donald Pleasence, David Warner, Lesley-Anne Down, and Angela Pleasence: Highly enjoyable anthology movie adapting four stories by English horror writer R. Chetwynd-Hayes, with Peter Cushing as the frame story's owner of a sinister antiques store (called Temptations, nudge nudge). 

There are some nice moments of horror here, along with some bleak humour very appropriate for any adaptation of the often tongue-in-cheek Chetwynd-Hayes. The climax of the segment starring Donald Pleasence and daughter Angela especially reaches a tone of extremely dark whimsy. In any case, the haunted or possibly cursed items in the stories are a mirror, a Distinguished Service Cross, a snuff box, and an ornately carved wooden door. So avoid such items at all costs.

This isn't a Hammer production but rather an Amicus one, for those who know about such distinctions. Cushing seems to be having quite a bit of fun behind some moderately heavy make-up. The moral of the story seems to be that one shouldn't barter to lower prices at an antique shop, and for God's sake, don't steal anything. Recommended.  

Happy Colossus Adventure

Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970): Based on the first novel in a trilogy by D.F. Jones, this film somewhat jarringly stars Eric Braeden, now so much identified as Victor Newman on the long-running soap opera The Young and the Restless. 

Dr. Forbin has somehow convinced the U.S. government to hand over all control of its nuclear stockpile to the super-computer he designed, the eponymous Colossus. And it's surrounded by an impenetrable radiation barrier! So of course nothing can go worng...

It makes for an enjoyably sober piece of near-future science fiction. Look for a young Gordon Pinsent as the President of the United States of America! Recommended.

Happy Death Day 2 U (2019): Unnecessary but entertaining sequel to the more enjoyable Happy Death Day. It's sort of the 2010 of sequels, as it spends a lot of time explaining why the time loop happened in the first movie. Jessica Rothe is as charming and spunky as ever in the lead role. Christopher Landon directs again, this time taking over the writer's credit from Scott Lobdell. Affable might be the best way to describe this. Lightly recommended.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989): Amiable comedy without a huge number of laughs. Keanu Reaves and Alex Winter do a lot of heavy lifting because with the exception of George Carlin in a few scenes, this movie has the most undistinguished supporting cast in movie history. Or at least ostensibly big-budget studio movie history. But there is something admirable about a film the climax of which is an oral presentation on history that has to be delivered in an auditorium to one's entire high school. Now that's weird. Lightly recommended.

 

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

 

BlacKkKlansman (2018): Brilliant, mostly true true story about Colorado Springs police officer Ron Stallworth and his infiltration of the KKK back in the 1970's. The catch? Ron is African-American. So he infiltrates over the telephone while fellow officer Flip Zimmerman (played by Adam Driver) 'plays' the white Ron Stallworth. 

Funny and harrowing by turns, this 2018 film has somehow become MORE relevant than ever in less than two years. Spike Lee is in top form, as is the cast. Highly recommended.

The Knock

I like to say 'Hello," Dmitri... just not right now.

Knocking Etiquette seems to be something that's degrading at a fair clip.

Over the last two years or so, I've noticed that virtually anyone knocking on our door does so with a volume and fervor normally seen only in officers serving warrants and angels announcing the End of Days.

And the person knocking in this fashion (usually but not always male) always wants something from me they're not going to pay for -- permission to take hay off the North field, permission to put 100 beehives on our property, permission to shoot deer on our property, or some other goddam thing.

And these knocks always come either before 9 a.m. or after 8 p.m..

So now I just don't answer the door when some dumbass knocks in this fashion because there's nothing in it for me and in any case, learn how to knock, asshole.