I’ll start with the biggest release coming out this week, The Exorcist: Believer. It’s been 50 years since The Exorcist was released and changed the face of horror. Since then there have been countless clones of the William Friedkin classic and despite The Exorcist: Believer being a sequel to that Mount Rushmore of Horror films, it feels more like a clone than instant classic. It comes across as just the latest demon/possession flick and not a horror film we’ll be talking about for decades. The biggest issue is that we want the exorcism scenes quickly and this takes forever to get there. Two girls go missing in the beginning and you can tell there’s something off with them, but there’s too much build up to the exorcism. The second act is talking and people second guessing doctors and at that point I’m already bored. The third act, the actual exorcism, is solid, but other than surprise cameos, it’s too little too late. If this is where the franchise is heading I’m not all that interested. The 4K looks fantastic though so if you missed it at the theater, it’s worth the price.
Sticking with horror next we have The Ghost Station. This Korean film feels similar to The Grudge and The Ring, but overall I liked it. A journalist is investigating a train station with a shady past after a man dies there. The station has ties to an old orphanage and people are getting mysterious scratches and saying numbers before dying. I don’t believe in ghosts so paranormal films don’t scare me, but this is well made and well acted. There’s a well ala The Ring and a grudge that can be passed on to others ala The Grudge so if you liked those films especially their Asian originals, then you will like this one. I found it good for a watch and can see Hollywood remaking it for an American audience.
Third we have The Wandering Earth II. I can’t tell you if I’ve seen the first film, but I don’t think you need to in order to watch this one. I’m not sure if any characters or plots carried over, but I didn’t have a hard time following along to this story. It reminds me of something Roland Emmerich would have put out like Moonfall or The Day After Tomorrow. It’s the latest global disaster flick filled with CGI and sees the world, lead by China, trying to get people into space because of all the damage and issues climate change and humanity are causing. At first there are teams of people going to the moon, but when that goes wrong, they decide to push the Earth with rockets. Yep, the entire planet must be moved in order to survive. It’s quite ridiculous, but also watchable. It’s very heavy on CGI and doesn’t have a ton of character development, but you aren’t watching it for characters or a love story. I can’t tell you how similar it is to the first one or if it’s even connected, but this is good for a watch if you like over-the-top disaster flicks.
Fourth we have Into the Weeds, a documentary about one of the lawsuits again Monsanto for its Round-Up weed killer causing cancer. My best friend and fellow Nerd Templar has been dealing with cancer and its after effects for almost 3 years now so this one was a difficult watch. Monsanto knew a chemical in their popular weed killer could be harmful, but sold it anyways. But that’s not the worst part, the level of corruption and slander they used to cover it all up is disgusting. A black man got cancer because he was a groundskeeper and the product spilled all over him despite taking precautions with it. The documentary dives into how Monsanto paid off people including the EPA and other government employees, corrupted statistics and even used PR firms to slander scientists that spoke out against the chemical. They knew for 40 years that the chemical caused tumors in mice, but proceeded to sell the product because it was popular. Farmers in Canada were also interviewed and you saw families devastated by the product. If you’ve ever seen the tort lawsuit commercials for Round-Up causing cancer then this documentary will explain everything. Even after they were found liable they still fought it to lower what they had to pay. Even if I didn’t have a personal connection I can’t see how people don’t get mad and frustrated watching this and seeing what Monsanto did.
Last we have Battle Kaiju Series 02: Ultraman vs. Alien Baltan from Mill Creek Entertainment. This is a collection of 11 episodes and 2 movies featuring the Space Ninjas going all the way back to the original Ultraman series. I like the older stuff better than the newer series so seeing the older episodes is worth the price to me. If you’ve collected Mill Creek’s previous Ultraman releases you might have all of these already, but this is a nice grouping for when you want to watch specific monsters and villains. It’s a great way to introduce newcomers to Ultraman by showing them different versions and adventures throughout the decades. It comes with a cool guide booklet and fun packaging. Makes a great addition to your Ultraman collection.
The Nerds Templar 