Saw a Takashi Miike picture called The Great Yokai War. "Yokai" is a Japanese term for monsters from folklore, as opposed to the more familiar kaiju. It's a kids' picture, about a young boy from Tokyo sent out to live in the countryside with his older sister and his intermittently senile grandfather. When a vengeful spirit appears, the boy gets caught up in a war between warring groups of yokai and must find his courage to become the "Kirin Rider", the hero who will set everything to rights. It's not a bad picture - nothing deep, but an amusing story. Some of the yokai are really trippy, Japanese folklore can get pretty "out there", apparently.
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An outer space terrorist from a planet named Arous, a brain-shaped creature named Gor, arrives on Earth and possesses young scientist Steve March. Gor proceeds to use his vast, destructive powers to bend the world to his will, threatening to wipe out the capital city of any nation that dares to defy him.
Meanwhile, Vol, another brain creature from Arous, arrives and eventually inhabits the body of March's fiancee's dog. Vol goes on to explain that Gor is a wanted criminal on their world. His only physical weakness is the human body's fissure of Rolando, and Gor is only vulnerable during the brief period when he needs to exit his host to absorb oxygen.
There is a Rifftrax version, but we were unable to get it to play, so we watched it straight. This will be the last of out "brain" movies for a while. Tracy suggested the theme because she's been studying so hard for her Series 7 license lately her brain is mush. But that over now because today she passed her test!
The Red House (1947): Edward G. Robertson, Judith Anderson, Julie London, and others star in a very strange mystery film that feels at times like a wannabe Hitchcock decided to direct Peyton Place if it were written by Edith Wharton. One scene near the end presages (or may have inspired) a shot in Psycho.
Night Tide (1961): Dennis Hopper has his first starring role in a superior AIP film, shot entirely on locations, in which a sailor meets a woman who poses as a mermaid in a Venice Beach pleasure pier sideshow.
Supergirl (2026): adapted from an actual comics arc, if loosely, this is an okay and entertaining movie, if you don't think too hard. It succeeds at accomplishing what The Marvels failed at doing.
My take:
The Marvels, at its core, was about Captain Marvel fighting space villains, with Ms. Marvel trying to be the sidekick/apprentice hero, and the Captain being more than a little uncertain about putting a minor in danger. The actors even had the necessary chemistry. It started well. Unfortunately, Marvel saddled them with an extraneous hero who was in too many scenes, and the baggage of multiple movies and tv shows. I expected baggage from Captain Marvel and the Ms. Marvel show, but they threw in everything they could and the result was a mess that buried what could have worked.
Supergirl is about the Maid of Might's journey from traumatized hot mess party girl to becoming a hero, while dealing with a superish minor accompanying her, and being really uncomfortable with putting a minor in danger. And these actresses do have the chemistry. Now, DC tries to bury this with too much, but they never quite manage Marvel's level of obfuscation. Yes, it throws quite a bit in: echoes of several comic eras along with Guardians of the Galaxy, the Mad Max franchise, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and a touch of Guardian of the Galaxy and the Mad Max franchise. In all fairness, comics are like that. So long as you don't need to do homework before seeing the movie, you can accept what's going on. It also throws in Lobo, but he's on a parallel quest so he comes and goes without taking over the movie. Lobo adds, like Krypto, currency for various types of comic fans. The villains are out of Mad Max with Guardians of the Galaxy sensibility (did I mention that?) but their language is Russian-coded and their goals bring to mind, say, Boco Haram or Epstein and Friends. Not really subtle, but lack of subtlety in superhero media shouldn't surprise anyone. There are also a couple of plot issues but.... Like I said, if you don't think too much, you should be entertained. Milly Alcock and Eve Ridley are great-- better than this movie, which helps elevate it-- while Jason Momoa understands Lobo.
I expect to watch Supergirl on streaming. This is the closest I've seen to a positive review.
JD DeLuzio > Richard WillisJuly 10, 2026 at 7:19am
At present, at Rotten Tomatoes, it's 54% fresh according to the film critics and 75% fresh according to the audiences. That's not super-impressive, but it's not terrible, either.
I concur, J.D. I saw Supergirl over the weekend and liked it just fine. Some of the criticisms I saw in other reviews seemed either out of left field, like the lighting being so dark you can't tell what's going on (not true, at least not to my eyes) or seemed to come from the He-Man Womun Haters Club.
I understand that the filmmakers set out to do a movie about a female superhero that is not a love story, and I am glad of that. I never saw True Grit (either version), so the parallel is lost on me (grizzled lawman takes righteous youngster who is on a mission under his/her wing). I could have done without Lobo -- I have NO use for Lobo -- but I expect he was added to get more butts into seats for the crowd from the He-Man Womun Haters Club.
I also liked the characterization, that Kara's and Clark's (not once did anyone refer to him as "Kal-El") relationship is a bit strained. Clark isn't going to condemn Kara for being a traumatized hot mess party girl because she is traumatized, but David Corenswet got across that he wished things were better for her. So did Milly Alcock, but from not from the sweetness-and-light perspective.
Being a reader of the earliest Supergirl stories from way way back in the day, I appreciated the way things were modernized from Silver Age silliness, like Argo City surviving Krypton's destruction in an air bubble that enveloped the entirety of the municipality, or the citizens protecting themselves when the ground turned to kryptonite by conveniently having enough sheets of lead foil to be able to cover every square inch of ground. That stuff can't fly today, and I really don't know how it did then. I wasn't a reader of the comics this movie is famously based on, so I can't speak to how well it adapted those.
But I say give Supergirl a chance. Don't listen to the He-Men Womun Haters!
A couple of years ago (some of you may remember), I bought a box of 200 "Drive-In Cult Cinema" movies. I was well on my way to finishing up by the end of the calendar year (2023, I think it was), when I decided to take a little break. I never intended to stay away so long, but I still have 76 left. Next up is...
ALIEN CONTAMINATION (1981): "A cargo ship from South America drifts into New York City harbor and the police board the vessel to discover what happened to the crew. Finding the crew dead, apparently from their internal organs bursting out of their torso, the police discover the reason for the crews deaths was some mysterious eggs in the cargo bay. Hoping to find the source of the eggs, the police officer heading up the investigation tracks down a former astronaut, who was part of a Mars mission that went horribly wrong."
This movie is such a blatant rip-off of Ridley Scott's Alien, right down to the title (which was originally simply "Contamination") it's not even funny. It may not be funny, but it is laughable, right down to the copious amounts of viscous red fluid every time a body explodes from within. One shower scene, but zero nudity.
ALIEN SPECIES (1996): "A fleet of UFOs is circling the Earth and a top scientist races to discover their true intentions for the planet. When the UFOs begin to attack on Earth, the scientist finds himself thrown in with a sheriff and his deputies transporting some prisoners to jail. The unlikely group is forced to seek shelter from the attack in a nearby cave, not knowing how significant the location is the the alien's plans."
This is like two movies smooshed together, neither one of them very good. On the one hand, there are two guards transporting two criminals who are forced by circustances to pick up a man and two women who have had a car accident. On the other, aliens in spaceships are attacking a nearby town. The two plots don't seem to have much in common, until the guards, killers and civilians take shelter in a cave that happens to be filled with aliens. But it's not even really clear the aliens in the cave are even related to the aliens attacking the city. There are at least two different alien species in the cave, and that's not even counting the aliens in the spaceships, who are never shown. The cave aliens are transforming captured humans into zombies to serve as... foos? slave labor? It's not really clear. There's one good guard and one bad guard, just as there is one good prisoner and one bad prisoner. The group is being picked off one by one. When they finally escape the cave, the reamining members of the group meet up with a young scientist kid from the beginning of the movie. Both Tracy and I have the vague feeling that we've seen this before (MST3K perhaps?), but neither one of us can remember for sure. The movie ends on a cliffhanger, setting up a sequel.
Replies
When the discussion turns to "so bad, it is good", I always think of The Brain That Wouldn't Die.
THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS (1957):
An outer space terrorist from a planet named Arous, a brain-shaped creature named Gor, arrives on Earth and possesses young scientist Steve March. Gor proceeds to use his vast, destructive powers to bend the world to his will, threatening to wipe out the capital city of any nation that dares to defy him.
Meanwhile, Vol, another brain creature from Arous, arrives and eventually inhabits the body of March's fiancee's dog. Vol goes on to explain that Gor is a wanted criminal on their world. His only physical weakness is the human body's fissure of Rolando, and Gor is only vulnerable during the brief period when he needs to exit his host to absorb oxygen.
There is a Rifftrax version, but we were unable to get it to play, so we watched it straight. This will be the last of out "brain" movies for a while. Tracy suggested the theme because she's been studying so hard for her Series 7 license lately her brain is mush. But that over now because today she passed her test!
TRAILER
RIFFTRAX TRAILER
The Red House (1947): Edward G. Robertson, Judith Anderson, Julie London, and others star in a very strange mystery film that feels at times like a wannabe Hitchcock decided to direct Peyton Place if it were written by Edith Wharton. One scene near the end presages (or may have inspired) a shot in Psycho.
Night Tide (1961): Dennis Hopper has his first starring role in a superior AIP film, shot entirely on locations, in which a sailor meets a woman who poses as a mermaid in a Venice Beach pleasure pier sideshow.
We also saw a live production of Waiting for Godot a few days ago and then drove into one of the worst storms of the season.
Supergirl (2026): adapted from an actual comics arc, if loosely, this is an okay and entertaining movie, if you don't think too hard. It succeeds at accomplishing what The Marvels failed at doing.
My take:
The Marvels, at its core, was about Captain Marvel fighting space villains, with Ms. Marvel trying to be the sidekick/apprentice hero, and the Captain being more than a little uncertain about putting a minor in danger. The actors even had the necessary chemistry. It started well. Unfortunately, Marvel saddled them with an extraneous hero who was in too many scenes, and the baggage of multiple movies and tv shows. I expected baggage from Captain Marvel and the Ms. Marvel show, but they threw in everything they could and the result was a mess that buried what could have worked.
Supergirl is about the Maid of Might's journey from traumatized hot mess party girl to becoming a hero, while dealing with a superish minor accompanying her, and being really uncomfortable with putting a minor in danger. And these actresses do have the chemistry. Now, DC tries to bury this with too much, but they never quite manage Marvel's level of obfuscation. Yes, it throws quite a bit in: echoes of several comic eras along with Guardians of the Galaxy, the Mad Max franchise, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and a touch of Guardian of the Galaxy and the Mad Max franchise. In all fairness, comics are like that. So long as you don't need to do homework before seeing the movie, you can accept what's going on. It also throws in Lobo, but he's on a parallel quest so he comes and goes without taking over the movie. Lobo adds, like Krypto, currency for various types of comic fans. The villains are out of Mad Max with Guardians of the Galaxy sensibility (did I mention that?) but their language is Russian-coded and their goals bring to mind, say, Boco Haram or Epstein and Friends. Not really subtle, but lack of subtlety in superhero media shouldn't surprise anyone. There are also a couple of plot issues but.... Like I said, if you don't think too much, you should be entertained. Milly Alcock and Eve Ridley are great-- better than this movie, which helps elevate it-- while Jason Momoa understands Lobo.
I expect to watch Supergirl on streaming. This is the closest I've seen to a positive review.
At present, at Rotten Tomatoes, it's 54% fresh according to the film critics and 75% fresh according to the audiences. That's not super-impressive, but it's not terrible, either.
I concur, J.D. I saw Supergirl over the weekend and liked it just fine. Some of the criticisms I saw in other reviews seemed either out of left field, like the lighting being so dark you can't tell what's going on (not true, at least not to my eyes) or seemed to come from the He-Man Womun Haters Club.
I understand that the filmmakers set out to do a movie about a female superhero that is not a love story, and I am glad of that. I never saw True Grit (either version), so the parallel is lost on me (grizzled lawman takes righteous youngster who is on a mission under his/her wing). I could have done without Lobo -- I have NO use for Lobo -- but I expect he was added to get more butts into seats for the crowd from the He-Man Womun Haters Club.
I also liked the characterization, that Kara's and Clark's (not once did anyone refer to him as "Kal-El") relationship is a bit strained. Clark isn't going to condemn Kara for being a traumatized hot mess party girl because she is traumatized, but David Corenswet got across that he wished things were better for her. So did Milly Alcock, but from not from the sweetness-and-light perspective.
Being a reader of the earliest Supergirl stories from way way back in the day, I appreciated the way things were modernized from Silver Age silliness, like Argo City surviving Krypton's destruction in an air bubble that enveloped the entirety of the municipality, or the citizens protecting themselves when the ground turned to kryptonite by conveniently having enough sheets of lead foil to be able to cover every square inch of ground. That stuff can't fly today, and I really don't know how it did then. I wasn't a reader of the comics this movie is famously based on, so I can't speak to how well it adapted those.
But I say give Supergirl a chance. Don't listen to the He-Men Womun Haters!
Apparently, one of the members is currently our Secretary of Defense.
A couple of years ago (some of you may remember), I bought a box of 200 "Drive-In Cult Cinema" movies. I was well on my way to finishing up by the end of the calendar year (2023, I think it was), when I decided to take a little break. I never intended to stay away so long, but I still have 76 left. Next up is...
ALIEN CONTAMINATION (1981): "A cargo ship from South America drifts into New York City harbor and the police board the vessel to discover what happened to the crew. Finding the crew dead, apparently from their internal organs bursting out of their torso, the police discover the reason for the crews deaths was some mysterious eggs in the cargo bay. Hoping to find the source of the eggs, the police officer heading up the investigation tracks down a former astronaut, who was part of a Mars mission that went horribly wrong."
This movie is such a blatant rip-off of Ridley Scott's Alien, right down to the title (which was originally simply "Contamination") it's not even funny. It may not be funny, but it is laughable, right down to the copious amounts of viscous red fluid every time a body explodes from within. One shower scene, but zero nudity.
TRAILER
Continuing the theme...
ALIEN SPECIES (1996): "A fleet of UFOs is circling the Earth and a top scientist races to discover their true intentions for the planet. When the UFOs begin to attack on Earth, the scientist finds himself thrown in with a sheriff and his deputies transporting some prisoners to jail. The unlikely group is forced to seek shelter from the attack in a nearby cave, not knowing how significant the location is the the alien's plans."
This is like two movies smooshed together, neither one of them very good. On the one hand, there are two guards transporting two criminals who are forced by circustances to pick up a man and two women who have had a car accident. On the other, aliens in spaceships are attacking a nearby town. The two plots don't seem to have much in common, until the guards, killers and civilians take shelter in a cave that happens to be filled with aliens. But it's not even really clear the aliens in the cave are even related to the aliens attacking the city. There are at least two different alien species in the cave, and that's not even counting the aliens in the spaceships, who are never shown. The cave aliens are transforming captured humans into zombies to serve as... foos? slave labor? It's not really clear. There's one good guard and one bad guard, just as there is one good prisoner and one bad prisoner. The group is being picked off one by one. When they finally escape the cave, the reamining members of the group meet up with a young scientist kid from the beginning of the movie. Both Tracy and I have the vague feeling that we've seen this before (MST3K perhaps?), but neither one of us can remember for sure. The movie ends on a cliffhanger, setting up a sequel.
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