TOP GUN: MAVERICK is More Than Nostalgia

TOP GUN: MAVERICK (Blu-ray Review)

2022 / 130 min

FROM PARAMOUNT

Review by Tiger the Terrible😺

When learning that Top Gun was getting a sequel 36 years later, did any of us honestly anticipate it being anything but another cynically made slab of nostalgia? I know a lot of people still revere that decade, but with a few notable exceptions, the 80s weren't loaded with timeless classics. Typical blockbusters of the time were easy-to-digest, highly-conceptual and obstinately created to sell just as many soundtrack albums as theater tickets. More than any other film released back then, Top Gun was the poster child for everything good and bad about the era…fun in the moment, but certainly disposable. Calling it a classic is more of a statement about the decade's aesthetics than the film itself.

Yet somehow, Top Gun: Maverick works, often brilliantly. It’s a film well-aware of its legacy, generating nostalgic warm fuzzies by opening with a title sequence nearly identical to the original…right down to Kenny Loggins’ stupidly catchy “Danger Zone” booming over the credits. For the most part, the story is similar, too, though perhaps a bit more character driven, with touches of sentimentality largely absent from the first film. Val Kilmer even shows up in a glorified cameo, and as gratuitous as it is, we're happy to see him (especially after all he’s been through).

Tom spots a Starbucks.

But after dealing with nostalgic pleasantries, Top Gun: Maverick takes the next logical step to address modern issues facing its main character (Tom Cruise). He’s still a rebellious hot-shot pilot, but time and technology are threatening to render him obsolete. In a way, Maverick seems just as nostalgic for the 80s as the audience. Cruise plays him with just the right amount of pathos…an older, wiser mentor for a new generation of pilots and somewhat remorseful over some of his choices, especially with regards to keeping Goose’s son, Rooster (Miles Teller), from advancing his own Navy career. When they aren’t training for an upcoming mission, the conflict between these two is the crux of the narrative.

Speaking of the mission, it comprises the last third of the story and is as spectacular as it is thrilling. In fact, all of the flying scenes are pretty incredible, though probably not as awe-inspiring in your living room as they were on the big screen. Even if one still views Top Gun: Maverick as nothing more than nostalgic eye candy, the action sequences alone are worth experiencing (and for the most part, accomplished with practical effects). 

Not everything works. Hangman (Glen Powell) is a ridiculous character obviously created to give the film its own Iceman. As Mav’s ex-lover, Penny, Jennifer Connelly isn’t given much to do besides encourage him (a role just as superfluous as Kelly McGillis’). There are also some moments that try a little too hard to emulate the original, such as another bar sing-along and a new shirtless beach sports scene (to prove Cruise is still ripped, I guess). Still, Top Gun: Maverick is loads of fun, offering enough prerequisite nostalgia while telling a worthwhile story of its own, more than justifying its existence.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - “Cleared for Take Off”; “Breaking New Ground - Filming Top Gun: Maverick”; “A Love Letter to Aviation”; “Forging the Darkstar.”

2 MUSIC VIDEOS - “Hold My Hand,” by Lady Gaga; “I Ain’t Worried,” by OneRepublic.

DIGITAL COPY

MONSIEUR HIRE: A Cinematic Sucker Punch

MONSIEUR HIRE (Blu-ray Review)

1989 / 79 min

FROM COHEN MEDIA GROUP

Review by Fluffy the Fearless😸

Wow! What an ending!

Patrice Leconte’s modern classic, Monsieur Hire, may be over three decades old, but it’s new to me, and as such, the denouement pretty much blew me away. In the context of the story, not only is it perfect, I totally didn’t see it coming. What’s also remarkable is that, for at least half the running time, the protagonist comes across as unpleasant, voyeuristic and flat-out creepy. Yet by the end, we're truly invested in him.

The titular character (Michel Blanc) is a reclusive, introverted tailor who’s the primary suspect in the recent murder of a young woman and mercilessly hounded by a police inspector (Andre Wilms). The audience initially suspects him as well, especially since he’s prone to angry outbursts, verbally abuses the women he visits at a brothel and, most alarmingly, spends every night watching his neighbor, Alice (Sandrine Bonnaire), through her window. 

"I was told it was Ladies Night."

Though shocked at first, Alice seems to enjoy being watched, even when her boyfriend, Emile (Luc Thuillier), is there. After she eventually confronts him, an oddly affectionate relationship develops between them. Hire professes to know her every move, yet she’s never scared or even repulsed. In fact, he generally treats her with more respect than Emile does (who’s a self-absorbed douchebag). Meanwhile, the real killer is revealed when Emile hides the victim’s handbag in Alice's apartment. Though Hire witnesses this, he does not go to the police. Doing so would clear his name, but would also implicate Alice. Now in love with her - a feeling which appears to be mutual - he has other ideas.

Blanc is amazing as Hire. Aided by an effectively sparse screenplay by Leconte (adapting Georges Simenon’s novel), he manages to turn this perverted little freak into a sympathetic, emotionally vulnerable character we care about. We may not want a guy like this living next door, but the more we understand Hire, the more he earns our trust. 

Then there’s that ending. Holy shit, what a gut punch. Maybe even a sucker punch. But given the bleak tone established in the very first scene, to say nothing of characters best described as morally questionable, any other conclusion would have somehow rang false. The haunting plot twist is ultimately what makes Monsieur Hire so memorable.

EXTRA KIBBLES

INTERVIEW - With director Patrice Leconte and actor Sandrine Bonnaire.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By critic/podcaster Wade Major.

TRAILERS

E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: Two Iconic Classics on 4K

E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (4K UHD Review)

FROM UNIVERSAL

Review by Mr. Paws😸

For their 40th and 60th anniversaries, Universal has released two undisputed classics on 4K, both of which have stood the test of time. Essentially a reissue, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is one of the 80s’ most beloved family films, while the newly remastered To Kill a Mockingbird has lost none of its relevance in the six decades since its release. 

E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 40th Anniversary Edition

1982 / 115 min

1982 was definitely the summer of Spielberg. First came Poltergeist, and I doubt there’s too many folks left who don’t think he was the actual director. Then E.T. followed just a week later to become such an instant cultural phenomenon that it made Jaws and Raider of the Lost Ark look like sleeper hits. It was the movie everybody just had to see, the movie that made everybody cry…

…even if they didn’t necessarily want to. I saw it with some friends during its opening weekend back then, and being your typical teenage guy, the last thing I wanted was to be caught crying in front of them. Staving off the waterworks was one of the hardest things I ever had to do in a movie theater (even worse than ignoring my Pepsi-filled bladder during the last hour of Avengers Endgame).

"How do you get rid of aphids, kid?"

Like The Wizard of Oz, E.T. has since transcended its decade to become an all-time family classic. Despite advances in special effects technology, E.T. himself remains a wonderfully endearing creation. That, along with John Williams’ heart-rendering score and Melissa Matheson’s perceptive script, deserve as much credit for its success as Steven Spielberg. It’s not his best film (that would be Jaws) and marketing over-exposure has arguably diluted some of its charm over the years, but E.T. is easily his most emotionally manipulative.

E.T. was previously released in 4K only five years ago. Having never seen that version, I can’t give any comparison, but the overall picture and sound quality of this one is predictably excellent (one of the better Universal 4K restorations, actually). Also included is a Blu-ray, which also has good tech-specs. Most of the extras are carried over from previous releases, though two new retrospective features are thrown in to entice fans into double-dipping.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

“40 YEARS OF E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL” - All-new retrospective appreciation featuring interviews with numerous modern directors.

“TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL: AN EVENING WITH STEVEN SPIELBERG” - An enjoyable conversation with Spielberg and TCM host Ben Mankiewicz before a screening audience. 

VINTAGE FEATURES - “Steven Spieberg and E.T.”; “The E.T. Journals” (extensive beyond-the-scenes footage); “A Look Back” (originally made for the 20th Anniversary Edition); “The Evolution and Creation of E.T.” (another behind-the-scenes doc); “The E.T. Reunion”; “The 20th Anniversary Premiere”; “The Music of E.T.” (interview with John Willaims).

DELETED SCENES

IMAGE GALLERIES 

TRAILER & TV SPOT

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 60th Anniversary Edition

1962 / 129 min

If you’re of a certain age, you might have been expected to read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird in high school. And if you were like me, you didn’t bother, opting to wait until your teacher inevitably showed the film afterwards. If you were lucky, the film followed the book close rough for you to squeak by on the final. While I still flunked that test, the film was wonderful, and like E.T., I had to force myself to keep from crying around my peers.

While I can’t speak for the novel, my teacher was right about one thing: To Kill a Mockingbird should be required viewing…by everybody. Not just because of the masterful way it introduced themes of systematic racism to an unsuspecting audience 60 years ago, but the fact those same themes remain unfortunately relevant today…perhaps even more so. 

"Yeah, I remember my first hangover."

Weighty messages notwithstanding, To Kill a Mockingbird is essential viewing because it remains a masterclass in storytelling. Charming, intelligent, heartfelt and harrowing, the film jerks our emotions around with stunning ease. Of course, the person we most associate with the film is the great Gregory Peck, and indeed, this is one of his best performances. However, director Robert Mulligan doesn’t get near the credit he deserves, nor does screenwriter Horton Foote. Successfully adapting any book for the screen is a daunting task, let alone one that’s regularly ranked among the greatest American novels ever written (though I wouldn’t know…I still haven’t read it).

Most importantly, To Kill a Mockingbird is simply grand entertainment that doesn’t feel dated in the least. It’s one of those films that you revisit from time to time and always find something new to appreciate that you didn’t before. For instance, it was during this viewing when I came to the conclusion that “Bob” Ewell (James Anderson) deserves mention among cinema’s most hateful movie villains.

To Kill a Mockingbird has previously been issued on Blu-ray numerous times with a pretty damn good transfer. This 60th Anniversary set features a 4K and Blu-ray disc, both of which have been remastered. The result is all-around better resolution and sharpness. Also included are hours worth of substantial bonus features. Most are from older editions, but this set does boast a brand new retrospective doc which doesn’t add much that hasn’t been always said or written, but is enjoyable anyway.

EXTRA KIBBLES

4K, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL COPIES

“TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD: ALL POINTS OF VIEW” - An all-new retrospective appreciation featuring numerous historians and Christopher Peck (Gregory’s grandson, who’s now a teacher).

VINTAGE FEATURES - “Fearful Symmetry” (feature-length retrospective doc); “A Conversation with Gregory Peck” (this feature-length interview was the best bonus feature on previous editions, and it’s the best one here); “Academy Best Actor Acceptance Speech”; “American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award” (excerpt); “Excerpt from Tribute to Gregory Peck”; “Scout Remembers” (charming interview with actor Mary Badham); “100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics”

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By director Robert Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula.

TRAILER

BRAHMASTRA: SHIVA PART 1: Ayan Mukerji’s Hindu Godbuster Will Have You Gasping for Air

BRAHMASTRA, PART ONE (Movie Review)

2022 / 167 min

FROM STAR STUDIOS

Review by Roshan Chandy😸

If billionaire, playboy, philanthropists, Kryptonite heirs and boys bitten by radioactive spiders can become superheroes and own their own franchise, then why can’t Hindu gods? That’s the question that this gigantically OTT, genuinely spectacular and really very silly Bollywood blockbuster attempts to answer with a giant Wizard-like staff and lots of Indian mythology. Its title refers to a series of Hindu guardians tasked with protecting the universe from evil, but is really yet another example of movie studios trying to cash in on the success of the MCU.

Does it work? Well, Brahmastra is just about the stupidest, most stupendous and most spectacular blockbuster of recent times. It doesn’t make sense in any of the conventional senses and features more melodrama than Nic Cage at his method acting worst. But it’s much better than I expected it to be, features some fine performances and some of the best special effects I’ve ever seen…In a Bollywood blockbuster.

Despite the pretensions and pompitude of Hindu mythos, Brahmastra has something for everyone. It’s got a bit of brains in the form of Ranbir Kapoor and indeed Shah Rukh Khan as a scientist (I know I don’t believe it either!). It’s got a beefy hunk for mum in our leading Hindu superhero Shiva whom meek, geeky Ranbir becomes when fulfilling his destiny. Hindu mythos and God action for the kids. And a barely legal aged girl for dad in Alia Bhatt who is a genuinely lovely presence throughout.

Are there flaws? Yes, about a billion. The action is non-stop and quite disorientating, giving KGF: Chapter 2 (2022) a run for incomprehensibility. I don’t doubt many will be put off and slightly offended at the concept of taking great Hindu gods like Shiva and turning them into superheroes. The movie has already caused controversy 'cos Kapoor ate beef. The plot is preposterous nonsense with less realism and every bit as much baloney as peroxide blonde American footballer Flash Gordon becoming savior of the universe.

Yet what makes this movie so terrible in Bolly skeptics’ eyes is precisely what makes it so brilliant to enthusiasts like me. For the masses and billions of India, cinema is a source of escapism and magical realism from the woes of poverty, casteism and communalism. For the poor, being transported to other worlds at the cinema is about the greatest escape they can get from barely having enough food on the table. For lower castes, it’s a dream of a better life where they are more accepted by society. For non-Hindus, it’s a paean to a more inclusive India that is so out of step with Modi’s increasingly divided and retrogressive country.

Brahmastra is bonkers, beautiful and brilliant all at the same time the way the best of Bollywood always is. It’s India’s shot at delivering a Game of Thrones, a Lord of the Rings or an Avengers Assemble. Of course, it doesn’t make a bit of sense and the idea of using Gods for superheroes is so stupid, but actually makes hell of a lot of sense given their superpowers and inhuman abilities. It’s dumb, but honestly kind of genius. I really wish us Brits had the backstory to build a franchise like this.

Extreme high-five.

The first thing to say is that Ranbir Kapoor makes a great god of war and intergalactic superhero. I’ve always thought he had something of Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) about him. He’s got that quivering bottom lip and those edgy eyebrows that are so perfect for playing a shy, sheepish social outcast. But he’s also so, so handsome when shedding the shyness and social awkwardness and transforming into a fully fledged superhero. No actor in the world other than Andrew Garfield does a geek-to-superhuman transformation quite as good as Ranbir. He’s the classic case of geek gone bad in the best kind of way.

Alia Bhatt’s role is a little more thankless in that she essentially fills the Gwen Stacy love interest part. She’s beautiful, though, and utterly lovely in person - a quite literal Meg Ryan-cum-Emma Stone manifestation of girl next door magic. I loved her chemistry with Ranbir. They are a cute couple to rival Peter and Gwen when played by Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. I loved their chemistry and found Alia oh so fanciable in the best possible way.

It appears Brahmastra is perhaps the latest Bollywood blockbuster to be lacking on the feminist front. Alia Bhatt’s love interest is, in many ways, a damsel in distress waiting to be rescued from the hands of the bad guys by Ranbir’s Shiva. She doesn’t get the chance to kick ass like Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman or Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. And no matter how lovely she is, her choice of attire is hardly the most empowering given she spends a good portion of Ranbir’s rather cute chaste flirtations in a rather short skirt.

But then you look at the pedigree of the main villain. I loved Mouni Ray’s performance as Junoon. She was absolutely brilliant and clearly channeled some of the dark crimson energy of Elizabeth Olesen as Dark Wanda in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) as the metaphorical demon of the East. Junoon is a horror character scarier than Wanda and I really felt Ray was channeling the most demonic elements of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz (1939). It’s a truly horrifying performance and a great female supervillainess. She’s actually one of the most well-rounded female villains of all time - not sexualized like Harley Quinn in the 2016 Suicide Squad and the special effects are far better than those applied to Cheetah in ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ (2022). This is one of those blockbusters that isn’t content with having a female superhero, but wants a woman baddie too and good for it! Ray’s performance could have been pantomime boo-hiss camp, but it’s not, it’s really well-done and properly creepy in the best horror kind of way.

There are cameos from many of Bollywood’s biggest actors. Admittedly, I found Shah Rukh Khan as a scientist in spectacles a little cringey. But then, as much as it’s easy to laugh at Shah Rukh Khan, you can’t deny the man is the definition of Tom Cruise cool and a sex symbol worthy of Brad Pitt and, in this film, a thinking person’s Johnny Depp. I much preferred the performances of Amitabh Bachchan and Dimple Kapadia who are both national treasures and deliver two of their very best performances. See, Brahmastra is the surprisingly feminist beast. Not only does it have a male wise old mentor like Amitabh Bachchan, but a female mentor too in Dimple Kapadia.

There are some fantastic special effects. It really shows how much Indian technology has advanced as the country opens up to the rest of the world. You won’t find better CGI even in the biggest MCU blockbusters. The crimson red effects applied to Junoon were a real Raimi-esque creation that looked far more menacing and spectacular than anything in Multiverse of Madness and this movie is bloody crazier than anything in that not-“strange” enough Marvel movie.

I should hate Brahmastra. It’s big, it’s brash and boasts more melodrama than Douglas Sirk on a wet day. Everything is overblown in the measure and manner of James Cameron’s Titanic (1997) or Avatar (2009). But it’s also proof of the escapist magic of Bollywood cinema. Where a trip to the cinema can mean the matter between life and death for an Indian citizen who will love being transported to another world for the next 3 hours.

I hope this spawns a great franchise. Ranbir Kapoor is a fine superhero. There’s great action here, big romance and bit parts from India’s acting greats with a real passion for Indian mythology even as the plot extends to stretching incredulity. Go with it, though, and you’ll be gasping for air in the best possible way!

THE POOP SCOOP: Upcoming Kibbles!

😺DON’T WORRY DARLING Now on digital, arrives on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on November 29 from Warner Bros.

In “Don’t Worry Darling,” Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) are lucky to be living in the idealized community of Victory, the experimental company town housing the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project and their families. The 1950’s societal optimism espoused by their CEO, Frank (Chris Pine)—equal parts corporate visionary and motivational life coach—anchors every aspect of daily life in the tight-knit desert utopia. While the husbands spend every day inside the Victory Project Headquarters, working on the “development of progressive materials,” their wives—including Frank’s elegant partner, Shelley (Gemma Chan)—get to spend their time enjoying the beauty, luxury and debauchery of their community. Life is perfect, with every resident’s needs met by the company. All they ask in return is discretion and unquestioning commitment to the Victory cause. But when cracks in their idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something much more sinister lurking beneath the attractive façade, Alice can’t help questioning exactly what they’re doing in Victory, and why. Just how much is Alice willing to lose to expose what’s really going on in this paradise?

😺THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING on 4K, Blu-ray & DVD November 22 from Warner Bros.

Dr. Alithea Binnie (Tilda Swinton) is an academic...a creature of reason. While in Istanbul, she happens to encounter a Djinn (Idris Elba) who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. At first, she doubts that he is real and she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes gone wrong. But the Djinn pleads his case, and eventually she is beguiled and makes a wish that surprises them both! Directed by George Miller from a screenplay by Miller and Augusta Gore, the film is based on the short story “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye “by A.S. Byatt. The film stars Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton and is produced by Miller and Doug Mitchell. Three Thousand Years of Longing will be available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on 11/15. The 4K UHD Blu-ray disc features the film in 4K with HDR. The Blu-ray disc features the film in hi-definition and the DVD features the film in standard definition.

🙀SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT COLLECTION arrives December 13 on Blu-ray and Digital from Lionsgate.

Killer Santa Claus comes to town for the first time on Blu-ray as the Silent Night, Deadly Night Collection arrives December 13 on Blu-ray™ and Digital from Lionsgate. Featuring all-new special features and starring Academy Award nominee Mickey Rooney. Prepare for a trilogy of pure terror with this collection of films from the Silent Night, Deadly Night series. In Better Watch Out!, it’s a very bloody Christmas after Ricky Caldwell, the notorious “Killer Santa Claus,” awakens from a six-year coma with one thing on his mind: murder. In Initiation, a reporter’s investigation into a mysterious death leads her into the clutches of a cult that’s chosen her as its new queen, and The Toy Maker stars entertainment legend Mickey Rooney as a toy maker whose creations display some very human – and deadly – tendencies.

 

😺EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY arrives November 8 on Blu-ray and Digital from Lionsgate.

Party like it’s 1989 with a hilarious extraterrestrial trio when the cult classic Earth Girls Are Easy arrives for the first time on Blu-ray™ in the US on November 8 from Lionsgate. Directed by Julien Temple, this next release in the acclaimed Vestron Video Collector’s Series features a critically acclaimed cast including Academy Award® winner Geena Davis (Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own, The Fly), Academy Award nominee Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park, The Fly, Independence Day), and Primetime Emmy Award nominee Jim Carrey (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Mask, The Truman Show). If you’re searching for an irresistibly fun cult classic with an out-of-this-world cast, you’ve found it! Now available for the first time on Blu-ray, Earth Girls Are Easy follows the misadventures of three furry aliens whose spaceship crash-lands into a pool owned by Valerie, a valley-girl manicurist. Befriended by Valerie and given human makeovers, the extraterrestrial trio embarks on a wild weekend filled with partying, police pursuits, and, yes, interplanetary love.  

 

😺MEDIEVAL on Digital Now and DVD & Blu-ray December 6th from Paramount.

Ben Foster (Hell or High Water) and Academy Award® Winner Michael Caine (The Cider House Rules) star in the action-packed historical epic inspired by the true story of daring mercenary leader Jan Žižka, one of greatest warriors in history. After the death of its emperor, the Holy Roman Empire plummets into chaos while corrupt kings battle for control of the empty throne. To battle the tyranny and greed of those clawing for power, Jan must lead a rebel army in this sweeping saga of war and betrayal.

SATAN'S LITTLE HELPER is a Halloween Treat

SATAN’S LITTLE HELPER (Blu-ray Review)

2004 / 100 min

FROM SYNAPSE FILMS

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Not the most prolific guy on Earth, writer-director Jeff Lieberman has nevertheless cranked out his fair share of horror films which eventually became minor cult classics. His best-known is probably Squirm, which oozed into theaters in the mid ‘70s. While not a great film, it remains undeniably effective, arguably due more to the icky special effects than anything else.

While Lieberman’s work will never be mistaken for John Carpenter’s, he’s always been quite adept at putting together pretty decent films with limited resources (better than Sean S. Cunningham, anyway). 2004’s Satan Little Helper was his first feature film in 16 years and remains his last one to-date. Watching it now, I have to wonder what devilish force keeps him from directing more often, especially since this one is the most entertaining movie he’s ever done.

Satan’s Little Helper is a horror comedy that takes place on Halloween. Nine-year-old Dougie (Alexander Brickel) is almost autistically obsessed with a violent video game called “Satan’s Little Helper.” At the same time, a serial killer (Joshua Annex) in a devil costume is slaughtering locals, then hiding them in plain sight as Halloween decor. When Dougie spots him, he thinks it’s Satan himself and offers to be…well, his little helper. Their ‘adventures’ together are morbidly amusing, such as ‘Satan Man’ getting rid of Alex (Stephen Graham), the boyfriend of Dougie’s sister, Jenna (Katheryn Winnick). The most uproarious scene has Satan Man pushing Dougie around in a shopping cart - after robbing the store of candy and murder supplies - to mow people down (including a pregnant woman and a baby in a carriage!).

"You always manage to grab one with a wonky wheel."

Also amusing is Amanda Plummer and her indelible brand of kookiness as Dougie’s mom, who generally takes a blind eye to her kid’s weird behavior. Speaking of which, one of the film’s few liabilities is that Dougie isn’t a particularly likable character, nor is Brickel all that great in the role. Conversely, Annex is alternately funny and menacing as Satan Man, which is kinda remarkable when one considers he never speaks, nor do we ever see his face. Elsewhere, Lieberman makes the most of his twisted premise with amusing characters, funny situations, clever plot turns and a few nifty kills. 

Though occasionally gory, the overall tone of Satan's Little Helper is surprisingly light until the final act, which culminates in denouement that’s genuinely creepy. In other words, it’s perfect viewing for the spooky season…not always subtle or in good taste, but a lot of disreputable fun.

EXTRA KIBBLES

“THE DEVIL AND THE DETAILS: MAKING SATAN’S LITTLE HELPER” - An enjoyable new documentary, featuring interviews with writer-director Jeff Lieberman, actor Alexander Brickel and others.

“MISTER SATAN’S NEIGHBORHOOD” - Writer-director Jeff Lieberman hosts a tour of various filming locations as they look today.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By writer-director Jeff Lieberman.

VINTAGE FEATURETTE

TRAILER