Really mixed bag this week; it got off to a shitty start so I had to chase some feel good vibes with Ferris Bueller and followed-up with Matthew Bright's Freeway. It was also fun to revisit the Collector/Collection movies after not seeing them for many years and seeing how they hold up.
Read on, or don't!

Films watched between Monday 16/01/2023 and Sunday 22/01/2023.

Monday 16/01/2023
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Director: John Hughes

I remember in my late teens and early twenties I would randomly call in sick and have a day off here and there. I'd refer to them as my "Ferris Bueller's Days Off". To say certain parts of FBDO deeply resonated with me is an understatement and the quote "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." is still something that hits me and affects how I live my life. Now more than ever with the advent of smartphones, social media; how everything is 24/7, go, go, go! It is good to look up, look elsewhere, to find beauty in every fleeting moment; step back from the routine, the everyday and dedicate time to yourself, your desires, wants, and needs. To milk the last drop from every moment of your life. Broderick is a class act as the carefree Ferris, constantly breaking the fourth wall to address and inform the audience. The supporting cast give extremely memorable performances and really strong personality to their respective characters. It also did the post-credit thing way before Marvel could even dream of it. A timeless classic.



Thursday 19/01/2023
Freeway (1996)

Director: Matthew Bright

Watched this with Emm and I wasn't really sure what she would make of it; I wasn't really sure what I might make of it! Verdict? WOW. I was bowled over by this. Reese Witherspoon is an absolute treasure as the runaway, troubled teen Vanessa Lutz. Kiefer Sutherland gives an intense performance as the serial killer, Bob Wolverton, and holy shit does his character undergo something of a serious transformation! I feel like this movie was made in the wrong era, it's truly exploitation film at heart and it certainly doesn't belong in the '90s, no siree Bob! The plot is a "dark" take on the fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood", I say "dark" because there's a lot of humour in Freeway that underscores the bleak aspects of the narrative. A '90s gem. Peep this!



Friday 20/01/2023
Dixie Ray: Hollywood Star (1983)

Director: Anthony Spinelli

What?! An adult movie featuring Cameron Mitchell? You better believe it! Granted he's in a non-sex role and only crops up every so often, but nonetheless the cojones it takes to dupe Mr. Mitchell into appearing in a hardcore sex flick is most admirable. Anthony Spinelli's ode to the gangster and noir films of yesteryear sports an all star cast including: John Leslie as a Bogart-inspired private eye, Nick Popodopolis; the luscious Lisa De Leeuw as the titular Dixie Ray, supported by Veronica Hart, Kelly Nichols and Samantha Fox. There's also a soft edit of this released under the title It's Called 'Murder', Baby. But alas, I did not watch that version. Super enjoyable movie, Leslie hilariously hams up the private eye role, only downside is the uneven pacing and that some plot points aren't quite as clear as they should be.



Friday 20/01/2023
The Collector (2009)

Director: Marcus Dunstan

I remember being not too impressed when I first caught this on DVD and grew to like it more and more over subsequent rewatches. It suffers from the usual 2000s ultra-saturated colours and post Saw style editing; hell it's even tied to the Saw franchise by Patrick Melton (writer of IV, V, VI, and Saw 3D), but The Collector actually has a lot going for it. Josh Stewart carries most of the movie with his uncanny performance as the would-be burglar, Arkin O'Brien. Who comes up against a sadistic serial killer who's also broken into the same house and set-up a multitude of intricate traps and who sports a neat looking mask. Anybody else think the mask looks like Dr. Philip K. Decker's from Nightbreed (1990)?
Definitely worth checking out if you've been umming and aahing over it.



Friday 20/01/2023
The Collection (2012)

Director: Marcus Dunstan

Talk about wasted opportunities and a sequel that drops the ball. Such a shame, The Collection is basically everything you've seen and experienced in the first movie, but dialled-up to 11 and it's done in such a way that it's detrimental to the overall quality of the movie. The film picks up pretty much where the first one ended and sees Josh Stewart returning as the troubled thief Arkin. Straight off the bat, I loved seeing Lee Tergesen in this, I'm a huge fan of Oz, so whenever I see his face in anything I immediately shout "BEECHER!" But, I can't help but feel he's wasted in this and his character is so hammed up it borders on the ludicrous. The saving grace is the final scene where Arkin has tracked down the Collector and confronts him in his home, it admittedly leaves you wanting more and I hope there's a third film to tie it all up and end the saga on a high note.



Sunday 22/01/2023
We Need To Do Something (2021)

Director: Sean King O'Grady

Watched via Shudder with Emm. We Need To Do Something is a film that takes the "less is more" approach too literally and for me, I could have done with just a little more, a mere smidge would have been enough! A family gets trapped inside their bathroom during what outwardly appears to be a storm, but could be some other catastrophic, or otherworldly event, as there seems to be a presence outside the door that is definitely not human; voiced by none other than Ozzy Osbourne. A very cool concept and I honestly really liked what they were trying to do here, the cast pull off what's necessary to make it a success, but it just comes off a little too stagey and uneventful to earn an elevated rating from me.



Sunday 22/01/2023
The Furies (2019)

Director: Tony D'Aquino

Another one I checked this out on Shudder with Emm. A girl is kidnapped and awakens to find herself part of a vicious game where women are hunted down by masked men, evidently for a paying audience. The masks worn by said men are truly hideous and will be sure to affect those who suffer with "trypophobia". The unveiling of a snuff angle later in the narrative is a good twist. Overall, The Furies is a surprisingly ambitious low-budget affair that sadly doesn't have enough going for it. It has a unique desaturated look, some good gore scenes and a few moments that are admittedly interesting; the snuff angle and the tech aspects to it - the "contestants" have a camera implant behind their eye. I think if they had spent a little more time on character building it would have had more punch, but unfortunately the interesting elements fall quickly by the wayside and the movie veers towards the well-trodden realm of predictability.