Ough hello, hi! I've been binging a lot of movies over the past month or so, and some of them brought a slew of thoughts that keep running through my brain. I need to share them or my head might explode lmao I hope you enjoy!

Oh and I will be spoiling plots btw I cannot do spoilerless reviews to save my life xP

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blade runner (1982)

This movie's been described to me as a must watch for a long time, but never in a way that describes what the film is. So it never became an urgent, "I need to watch this movie like, right now" kinda suggestion. It only crossed my mind when I was hanging out with my dad, and he scrolled past it on one of his streaming services. I still had some of that curiosity around it's fame, so he put it on. And wow. Just fucking kicking myself for not watching it sooner.

It's such an atmospheric watch. The amount of effort put into the environmental design and sets is probably one of the most detailed I've seen for practical effects. It feels like you could pause the movie at any time and spend a few minutes mulling over all the little things they put in the cars, streets, windows, screens and so on. That kind of detail in your scenes is one on the things that makes movies re-watchable, because you can feel the passion put into the piece.

Plus the jumping between cramped spaces and crowds to wide open, spiraling sets adds to the sets and really makes them come alive. The diversity of people in the crowds; everything feeling like a blended soup of humanity. Where everyone could catch your eye but at the same time they lack their own distinction, because everyone looks like somebody that would stand out in the crowd. Yada yada insert Syndrome quote here. But I really admire the effort put towards making all the filler crowds and small moments with background actors feel immersed into this world alongside the characters we follow.

Speaking of, even though the main character we follow around this movie is that detective Deckard, I personally love Rachael the most. She deserved more screen time to explore her feelings around suddenly being told she's a replicant. Because what she got makes me feel like she was sidelined for a more Deckard focused plot. Their relationship together feels like it has more depth than her, and it bothers me a lot. Especially since it's a very one-sided, abusive situation she's found herself in. I've read after the fact that there's speculations (and maybe a confirmation from the director/writers themselves) that Deckard is also a replicant and doesn't know he is. I feel that Rachael mirrors his situation, and that mirroring wasn't really explored to the depths that I would have liked to see.

The plot itself was sidelined a little for the sake of the environmental shots. And I don't hate it one bit. Honestly, the focus on the environment fills in what little plot and dialogue we're given. Some of the shots, albeit it may seem like they're just reusing similar shots of buildings and screens that we've seen before. But how they're shot and placed inbetween the scenes with actual plot development, in my mind, adds a little extra subtle detail towards the plot progression.

Take for instance the pyramid building. There's three different lingering shots of it in the movie (from what I can remember lmao): one before the interview right at the beginning, one where Deckard goes to see Eldon and meets Rachael for the first time, and lastly Sebastian leading Roy to see Eldon. The first shot feels like an introduction, establishing us into the world of Blade Runner alongside with the interview scene. When Deckard goes to investigate Eldon, it feels more warm and familiar, like we've been here before. Then as Sebastian leads Roy up to see Eldon, it's nighttime. The establishment feels more still and lifeless unlike the previous shots beforehand. Adding to the underlining sinisterness of the upcoming scene. These subtle changes, to me, fills in the gaps of what little spoken dialogue we get in the film.

Even so, the fact that there isn't a lot of dialogue is what makes the movie so good in my eyes. It forces you to critically think about what it gives you, and doesn't do any hand holding like a lot of newer movies do today. It honestly feels like how this movie was made is like how an author writes a novel. An author that loves to indulge in the small details of the setting, which tie into the greater part of the story. It's inspired me to pick up the book sometime and read it, to get an even better understanding of the tale its trying to convey.

Overall, this movie was an amazing watch and I NEED it on my shelf RIGHT NOW. I won't pay more than five dollars for it, though. Older movie dvd's aren't worth that much used lmao

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the lost boys

Hehehe, it's been a while since I've seen this film and OOO boy I forgot how passionate I am for it. Everything about it is just pure horror fun that I can't get enough of. Seriously, I watch this every monday now. It's apart of my schedule and it'll take A LOT for me to re-schedule this weekly watch.

There are two other movies in this trilogy, Tribe and Thirst, but those won't be covered here since I've rambled quite a bit already for the OG. Just know that The Tribe is hot garbage and The Thirst wants to be Blade sooo baddd that I personally kinda like it? xD ANYWAYS-

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The OG Lost Boys™ (1987)

Probably the first thing you think about for this movie is those four punks on bikes. I read that a lot of people wish that Marko, Paul and Dwayne had more speaking lines since The Boys™ presence is very David-centric. Now I agree with that for the most part, specifically with Paul and Dwayne. Those Two Boys™ barely have any lines nor focus directed on them, save for the last scene of the movie. Like, I can count on one finger how many times Those Boys'™ names are said: Paul once and Dwayne NEVER. These Boys™ do deserve a bit more wiggle room to show off their character a bit more. But, I do feel the lack of dialogue speaks volumes to the bond that These Boys™ have with each other.

It shows the audience that they've been around each other for so long that they really don't need to say much, or anything at all, in order to communicate with each other. That might be because of the whole vampirism thing, but I know that people have these kinds of relationships in real life. It's not impossible. Like you can clearly see this connection when their teasing Michael on the train tracks, and when they're slaughtering the surf nazi's on the beach. They move like a collective, almost, with the remains of their individuality still present enough to not be some sort of hivemind scenario. I understand the desire some people may have to see The Boys™ have a central scene outside of the context of Michael. Smaller moments, like for example Paul and Marko whispering to each other in the video store, or seeing the four of them chat on the boardwalk before Michael confronts David about Star.

But I do understand why they might've made this choice. I mean, this is a horror movie about a vampire biker gang stalking a carnival boardwalk attraction. They're meant to be antagonists, and not knowing much or anything at all about These Boys™ adds that unknown factor to them. The sinisterness behind not knowing how powerful they can be. It feels intentional. How one-note some of them can be at times, and how that choice to focus on their vampirism takes away from some of their characterization.

And yet, I feel saying that all The Boys™ are a flat, antagonist character isn't right. There are moments that showcase their humanity. Dwayne comforting Laddie on his bike, Paul's carefree and almost child-like giddy attitude, Marko's eagerness to be as much of a little shit as he's allowed to get away with. The way that man smirks and bites his nails is so telling, he LOVES being a vampire. And it's those little things that they already do that bring that extra level of depth that a lot of people seem to miss. Especially with the subtle relationship that David and Marko have.

I didn't include Makro in the name count earlier because his name is said just as much as David's. David's mentioned by name eight times, and Marko's seven: which told me that his role within the Lost Boys™ is more important than people might infer. Take into consideration every time David needs something done, or when he needs another person to bounce off of when teasing Michael: he always defaults to Marko. The other two are expected to just do things for him, like Paul handing him a joint without being asked. Consider Marko's attitude I mentioned earlier, and how that behaviour is similar to a typical little brother personality, like Sammy. Consider when Michael starts throwing hands at David: Marko is the one standing closest to Michael, immediately. He's more than eager to restrain him or continue the fight Micheal's instigating with David.

Consider, if you will, the scene in which Michael, Sammy and the Frog Brothers infiltrate the hotel cavern to rescue Star and Laddie, where the Frog Brothers and Sammy go off to find The Boys™. Sammy's doing all of this because he loves his brother, and he'll do anything to protect him, even face the impossibility of real life vampires. And that same sense of perceived protection, or seething anger and distraught, David expresses as he chases after these three boys, right after one of the Frog Brothers staked Marko. CONSIDER HOW DAVID FUCKING TEARS UP AFTER THOSE BOYS GET AWAY, AND THE REALITY OF LOSING MARKO SINKS IN. And during the final confrontation between David and Michael, with Michael rejecting the fact that he's anything like David WHEN HONESTLY? They're more alike than he realizes. He just doesn't want to confront the fact that, if the circumstances were different: he could've been just like David, and vise versa. The case I can make for Michael and Sammy mirroring David and Marko in terms of brother theming is more than palpable, and it's one of the strongest pieces of evidence I have that shows the last remains of their humanity. Y'know, other than the fact that These Boys™ are all assholes LMAO

ANYWAYS, that's enough spotlight hogging from The Boys™. This movie wouldn't be such an amazing watch if it weren't for the chemistry this whole cast has.

So, Michael is kind of the middle man in the web of interactions within the plot. Now that wouldn't be the case if some deleted scenes were in the final cut of the film, which I would've loved to see inserted. But what we have is a semi-Michael woven plot. And that choice kinda feels like he's what ties the comedy and the horror together in the film. He participates in both sides; his relationship with Sam being the biggest connection to laughs and his situationship with Star is his other strong connection to the terror of The Boys™. And he plays into both sides really well, which brings these two sides of the film together nicely.

But there is a secret third side to this film that webs into the plot. Which is the subtle coming-of-age/family theming which ties him and his mother Lucy together the most. Now I say secret because a lot of the scenes that solidify this theme were cut from the final film, and are only shown in the deleted scenes. There are a few throwaway lines within the film that hint towards his teenagerisms, and the strong family theming has its place in the first scenes of the movie. But some context that was left out in the deleted scenes would've set up their circumstances of moving to Santa Carla a bit better. Like Michael's plans for school, or lack there of that was left out. Or Lucy's conversation with her dad (Grandpa; he's just called by this and Dad from Lucy) about her worries about this new change in her and her boys lives.

And I understand why they left this part of the overall plot on the back burner: to leave room for the vampire situation happening at the boardwalk. But it's something I wanted to point out because of the director describing this movie as a teen horror movie. A huge part of the cast are depicted as older teens(that look like they're in their early to mid 20's lmao) and kids. The problems they experience and try to explain to the adults, or avoid talking about, are seen as that teenage/child issues most coming-of-age movies have. The theming is there, it just wasn't explored as much as the main genres of the film.

But speaking of those deleted scenes comes another thing with them. Being that the vast majority of them, even outside the context of Michael, are scenes that feature Lucy. She's the other middle man/protagonist in this movie, but less so on the comedy front. Honestly if her deleted scenes were included in the final cut: Michael would be connected to the comedy side of the movie more than the horror side, and vise versa with Lucy. She weaves herself into the horror of everything by way of being left in the dark about everything. Which, arguably, is the worst kind of horror that someone can experience. Especially since she and Michael are the two people that the vampires use to infiltrate the Emerson household.

Like, lets take a moment to really map out her situation here. She's recently divorced, and on the bad side of it too, since she has to move in with her father at the beginning of the movie. Having no job, no house of her own, nothing other than the implied custody of her sons. She's starting off the movie with the stress of having to start her life over again after her divorce. Already a really shitty start for her. Then, over the course of the movie her two sons start acting up. Michael stepping out of the house more and more, staying up all night and not acting like his usual self. Which could be because of the sudden change of his life regarding the divorce, she might think (or I infer, but that might've not crossed her mind), but she doesn't even get a clear answer as to why because he doesn't talk to her like he used to either. Which understandably frustrates her to no end.

And Sammy is no better, because he develops this sudden obsession with vampires, and terrorizes her and others with his ramblings and accusations with being one. Which mostly singles her out, because he keeps interfering with her personal life with what she sees as childish fits. Even though she obviously loves them dearly and wishes this wasn't happening with them: at the same time she's utterly frustrated and upset with them acting so inconsiderately of her and her personal life and feelings. Even her father is complicit by his own negligence of her current situation and weird, almost lax way of disciplining the boys.

So when she meets Max, who is seemingly willing to help her and listen to her worries: she finds refuge in him. Since no one else in her current life seems to give her that time of day. And that, mixed with the fact that they begin to date over the course of the film, makes Max's reveal as the twist/secret vampire all the more horrifying to Lucy. Imagine you just got out of a messy divorce, and the next man you take interest in because of his kinder, understanding qualities turns out to be a vampire who desires to make you his undead housewife in his image of a "happy family". 1950's style. And the way he planned to go about this was to turn her sons into vampires without her knowledge of vampires even existing, so when he decides to reveal the fact that he is a vampire: SHE WON'T SAY NO TO WHATEVER DEMANDS HE MAKES BECAUSE HE'S USING HER SONS AS LEVERAGE OVER HER. LIKE??? That's arguably more horrifying than anything David and The Boys™ did throughout this entire movie. She cannot escape her motherhood from all angles. Even though she loves her sons: she's more than just a mother, and that being so clearly pushed onto her this entire movie just goes to show how debilitating it is to escape the per-consieved, patriarchal vision of a woman, is what I infer from Lucy's situation and plot development.

That's why, in my eyes, she's a main protagonist alongside Michael. He arguably gets the more comedic side of horror, whereas she just gets straight cut horror. WHICH ISN'T FAIR, TO ME!!!!! She deserves to have silly horror like the rest of them... She's also my favourite character in this film, too, btw. I love Lucy Emerson <222

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I would get a bit more into the other characters and complexities that I see in this film, because when I say there are layers of theming and intertwining character plots and ideas I MEANT IT. Every time I rewatch this movie I find another little piece of the puzzle I didn't notice before. And I love it. But for the sake of putting this review out I'm gonna cut it short here. But do not get me wrong: I LOVE THIS FILM. GO WATCH IT IF YOU HAVEN'T PLEAAASE IT'S SO GOOD!! Even if you do not care about all the weird intricacies that I'm inferring from this film: it is a great turn-your-brain-off watch too. Just a well-rounded, amazing vampire comedy horror that I can't recommend enough xP

Also did yall know that there was suppose to be a sequel soon after this movie called The Lost Girls? And that David was gonna come back as a character? I want to live in a timeline where The Lost Girls exists so bad... listen... imagine hot vampire women like the ogs... I'm begging...

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other misc movies

Now, I wanted to do more than just two reviews, but I'm gonna be so honest that just these two are occupying my mind lately. So instead, I'm just gonna list a few more movies with wayyy shorter blurbs. That doesn't mean that I adore them any less, just that I do not have much to say about them at this time. My mind is pre-occupied with a miniature vampire menace lmao

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The Outsiders (1983)

It's been a while since I saw this movie, but its impact is still felt on my psyche from time to time. The struggles many of the characters went through, and the dynamic of the main group stands out to me in a way that I can only describe as being authentically real. I also need to pick up the book for this one(and the movie, lmao).

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The Breakfast Club (1985)

I had to watch this movie in highschool and do a few assignments on it. It's such a fascinating watch; seeing the main five characters slowly open up as the movie progresses until they're on more or less positive terms with one another at the end. Loved the focus on different styles/attitudes of the time presented through each character, too. Definitely a dvd I need to get my hands on...

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The Howling (1981)

SUCH AN AWESOME TAKE ON WEREWOLVES I SWEAR TO FUCK! It's a similar situation to Lost Boys in that regard, plus the full werewolf costume is such a sick design. And that transformation scene... so iconic. I love that they gave them a more occult, structured community system, that detail alone made the feeling of them being ingrained and hidden from modern society more realistic and believable. Plus they introduced the idea of different werewolf dog breeds from the main final girls transformation, it's such an interesting twist!

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The Thing (1982)

I fucking love how the tension is built up in this movie. The way it keeps you guessing on who possibly could be the wolf in sheeps clothing keeps me on the edge of my seat for the whole film. The chaos, the confusion, the characters being killed off one by one either from the thing itself or from each other. Such a stunning film. I've watched the original The Thing from the 30's, and they did an amazing job re-imagining the plot in this movie. Love it to death. (Just an aside, R. J. MacReady is Amy Rose coded, to me. No further comments.)

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Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1988)

This is one of the most feel-good movies I've ever watched. I don't know why confident, eloquently spoken, well-meaning idiots as a plot point interests me to this degree, but the way it's done in this movie tickles me pink. I love it! Bill and Ted are amazing, all the historical figures are amazing, the comedic bits are excellent (heheh) and it's just... awesome wrapped up in the finest perfection sauce. It's a simple movie, but done extremely well. I can't wait to watch the other two in the trilogy!

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Gremlins (1984)

Ough. I didn't know what I was expecting from this movie, but it's definitely an odd pick. I wasn't informed beforehand that it was a christmas horror/comedy flick, and honestly that kind of took me out of it. Don't get me wrong, the slapstick of the gremlins in general is amazing, and their designs is fucking sick. Plus horror/comedy genre fusions have some amazing flicks (case in point: Lost Boys™)! But with the christmas setting and some other small little details that rubbed me the wrong way, like the asian stereotyping: it just didn't hold up for me. Probably one of the films I wouldn't want on my shelf from this entire list.

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And I think I'll cap it off there, since this is already a really long read lmao There's a lot more movies I could rant and rave about when I'm not currently haunted by four vampire bikers. And honestly, this post being accidentally 80's themed is kinda funny so I don't wanna change it by adding more.

That's it that's all from me,

pacdevil