Dream House

Very rarely do I find a hidden gem on my Netflix cue that moves me enough to write a review. Dream House is such a film. Written by David Loucka and directed by Jim Sheridan  (Brothers - 2009) it's a film that likes to think of itself as a psychological thriller, but it has these sleeper elements of the supernatural that had me on the edge of my bed. With a strong cast of Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Naomi Watts, we're introduced to a family moving into what appears to be their dream home. However, all things aren't as they appear. Shadows lurk outside, echoed whispers haunt Mr. Will Atenton (Craig), and there are bullet holes on the walls. Everyone seems to know about the home's past and is unwilling to help. Who's crazy? The family or the neighborhood?

Follow and question everything you see in this film. It is a twist on the haunted house story and I fell for it. If you are looking for something scary to watch, this has a few moments. In this day and age where everything is redundant or comes off as a film trope, I definitely jumped out of my skin a couple times. This is more of a cerebral film and combines moments of Shining's 'redrum' and Kidman's 'Others' or Willis' 'Sixth Sense' to some success. Once the truth is revealed (kudos to the make up artists) the movie shifts gears and things flow in the way they should, albeit a tad cliche, but the ride was enjoyable to be on. I felt deeply for the main characters. Craig, whose previous roles has been this hyper macho character, has never appeared so vulnerable to me than he did in this film as Will Atenton.

I don't recall Dream House in theatres. It should've made more waves than it did if it had been. Regardless, it's streaming on Netflix right now and it gets my stamp of approval.

THE GRUDGE 3

I remember watching the American remake (The Grudge) with scream queen Sarah Michelle Gellar (Prince). It was atmospheric and spooky. The gore was just right. I barely remember watching it's sequel. I forced myself and my girlfriend to endure the completion of this trilogy.

The film was 'meh' by all horror standards. It expands the universe, but the characters are very weak and the plot holes are plenty. What made the remake so strong comes off as lackluster and forced. In the remake and even in it's sequel (Grudge 2) there was this sense of following the curse and it's time line. In this film, they threw all that out. They got very lazy.

If you are like me however and you must follow series like these to there end no matter how terrible it's become (Saw.....), then this film is for you.

The Grudge 3 is streaming on most all VODs.

The True Amercan Horror

I apologize in advance for my disorganized thoughts. I don't know how to approach this topic without pain. There is no greater horror to me in this world than the maltreatment and injustices endured by the marginalized and the powerless in our society. No amount of my privileged education can make this feeling go away. I can list off the many reasons why systemic abuses exist but it it won't even reach that thorn of anger in me, lodged deep into my psyche after all the things I've witnessed in this life. Last night was no exception.

As I watched a white DA summarize his grand jury's finding not to indict, and I went numb. Of course this was how it was going to go, but I held out hope. It's a flickering hope that gets blown out every single time something like this happens. I've grown immune to it I thought. I recall all the other names and faces, known and unknown to media, of gun violence and police overreach/overreaction and I have to hold myself up.

What followed was a fanatic sensationalization of the protest and the products of rebels and pent up rage. It couldn't have been played any better. It was like watching The Purge. Buildings and cars aflame. Police in riot gears yelling into loud speakers. Protesters screaming expletives. Our President struggling to find words to create calm.

It happens time and time again. History repeating itself. This is the true American Horror Story. Surviving on what you have left and praying that you make it back home. Add to that any layer of difference that sends you steps back from those who have power over you.

It gets very grim, and then in the night, drums echo and voices rise in unison, "Black Lives Matter! Black Lives Matter!" They are the voices of a generation desperate and exhausted, but filled with hope.

I won't argue why they got it wrong. I won't list the many that have come before or how our system is still broken. I will speak of hope, like those few in the night did outside my window, and I will pray that one day we will get it right. That actions will align with words. That we will come to value ourselves and each other enough to know we are meant for better.

She (Excerpt) by M.J. Cross

            She sat in the passenger seat, glowing and pregnant, smiling out the window, and Nico Requeña felt numb to it all. A cold had settled deep in him, in a place where no medication or counseling could reach.

            He was driving. His attention should’ve been held by the road, but he was haunted by thoughts of the past few months. His world was falling apart. He had seen things. He went to too many funerals. He even had his own encounter with death. His life was spiraling out of control.

            Then she entered it, willing to submit to him, and to give him the control he so desperately needed. He always held back and felt less than, until her. He unleashed himself on her in a way he couldn’t do in any other area of his life. She brought the beast out of him.

            But she wasn’t what she appeared to be.

            “I think tonight’s gonna be a good night,” She said with a beautiful smile. Strands of her dark hair touched her lips. She was incredibly enticing though she barely did anything. That was the power she had over him. To get him to submit without even trying.

            He squeezed the steering wheel with both hands, until his knuckles itched with pain. Anything to keep his hands from going to her.

            “Almost there,” he said as if he were made of tin and lacked a heart.

            “Why hurry?” She asked, reached across the armrest, and grabbed between of his thighs. “Maybe we have time to pull over somewhere?”

            He kept his head forward, afraid to look her in the eyes.

            Her nails etched a course from his knee to his crotch. The closer she got, the faster his breathing became. She massaged his throbbing desire, until he trembled, and despite his best efforts, moaned. Her nimble white fingers teased at his hard flesh under his jeans.

            She knew how to get his blood boiling.

            He imagined himself pulling over to the side of the road and giving her what she wanted. He’d punish her relentlessly, and he wouldn’t stop until he was too exhausted to continue. She would lap all of it up like bread to oil. What did she have to worry about? She was already pregnant.

           Her hand in his lap felt right, but the desire she expressed wasn’t real. The life growing in her stomach wasn’t real either. He had to keep reminding himself that she didn’t deserve to be addressed by name, because she wasn’t human. She was a predator fighting to survive.

            Everything in his life was wrong because of her.

            He wouldn’t dare let go of the steering wheel, and said, “Maybe another time.”

            He could feel her frown as she pulled her hand away. A part of him frowned with her.

            The momentary warmth that threatened to evaporate his inner cold receded, and the numbing chill returned with a venenge. It hardened him further.

            She buckled up, and with arms crossed, she asked, “Where are we going?”

            To your death, he thought.

            She had to die.

            How Nico: a man who worked with people for a living; a man who believed in God; a man who witnessed the death of the only people he cared about; achieved the right amount of apathy where he was prepared to take another’s life was a tragedy; a tragedy that began long before he met her.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

I know this will rattle some, but I don't particularly care for baseball. And to upset you more, I could care even less about the Red Sox.

Growing up my favorite pastime was watching basketball and hearing my grandfather (R.I.P.) cheering on the home team (Boston Celtics) or grumbling when they lost. All sports seem to have that emotionality to it, and it's why I was so able to connect to and enjoy this short novel by Stephen King.

King found a way to make Trisha McFarland, the heart wrenching and gutsy 9 year old at the center of the Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, almost an everyman/everywomen character. She is lost in the woods, separated from her bickering and broken family. And as our heroine bravely fights the elements of the forests, something imagined or real is after her. It's goal: to be her demise.

Never a dull moment in this King novel. I couldn't put it down. It has King's trademark for suspense mixed with poignant moments outside the forest as Trisha struggles to find a way out.

Though I'm not as fanatical as Trisha with her love of all things Red Sox and Tom Gordon, I can relate to the passion she expressed for the sport she loved even at her darkest hours. No matter what sport you choose, at the end of it all, we all bleed red.

Who's Watching American Horror Story

Who's watching American Horror Story: Freakshow?


I've been following the American Horror Story (AHS) anthology series for about three years now. Basically after the acclaim Season 1 received, I found myself drawn to give the series a chance. I'm glad I did.

If you haven't caught up, I recommend you do. It could be found streaming on most VOD sites. AHS: Murder House is hands-down some great storytelling and revives the ol' haunted house story with some twists. AHS: Asylum felt weaker to me, but others loved the concept. In my opinion, there was too much going on (serial killers, alien abductions, Nazis, angels, just to name a few), and I wished they trimmed the fat. AHS: Coven was a joy to watch for it focus on gender, diversity, and the ultimate merger of the two: witches. Though the focus on characterization and story telling were sharper that season, I had wished for more magicktry and exploration of the horrors females and people of color face. There is nothing more horrifying than being/feeling different and ostracized. Add to that you're a witch and possibly the greatest witch of them all.

This season is back to form with a great cast of characters and a host of spooky scenes that'll have you cover your eyes. We are six episodes in. I apologize for not reviewing it sooner. I could review each episode, but that is rather tedious. I will give you some highlights, themes, and things to look forward too as you take the plunge into this circus.

1) Freaks: So many to pick from. Bring on the freaks. All the lobster-clawed, chicken-eating hermaphrodites you can handle. Such a kaleidoscope of perfect characters that represent the unwanted and untouchables and their desire to be treated like humans. But freaks come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them can blend in like you or I. If we're all freaks, what makes anyone special?

2) Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange) is a heart-breaking character limited by her prosthesis, her vocal talent (lack there of) and her desire to be famous. How far is she willing to go for that desire? How far did she go to achieve that?

3) Twisty the Clown: Not since Pennywise the Clown (It) has a clown been fascinating to watch. The scenes where he is glaring at your murderously but his toothy mask is forever smiling at you won't leave your mind. In the latest episode, "Edward Mordrake (Part 2)" we saw Twisty exit. I'm sure he'll be back however.

4) Gloria Mott and Dandy, the refrigerator mother and over indulged son are quite a pair to watch on tv. I failed to mention before that AHS recycles its actors by giving them new characters in different settings/eras. Next to show headliner Jessica Lange in the category of most chameleon actress is Frances Conroy. She eats up scenes like it's breakfast, and her dynamic with her son is fascinating. The greatest mystery of them all is how Gloria will keep her son's serial killer rage in check and what lengths will she go to help him.

These are just a few themes that stuck out to me and some plots that are worthy of following.

Catch up on the series on FX Wednesday at 10p. EST.