Josh Bell

I've seen a couple of posts about that one, with the release of the latest sequel to the slightly more famous other slasher with the same title. I'll add it to the list!

Terror at Tenkiller movie poster

I've gotten to the point in my comfort viewing of obscure 1980s slasher movies where I find these extravagantly boring films to be the horror equivalent of that meme about the Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea bear.

Ghostface in Scream 7

My hot take on the 'Scream' movies is that every installment is good (yes, even the new one). Some quick thoughts on the perfectly solid 'Scream 7' in this week's Highway Radio segment: highwayradio.com/josh-bell-ha...

The Prolific Peoples This local couple of Las Vegas filmmakers has no shortage of inspo, ideas, and time to get them to a screen near you

I'm fascinated by the alternative ecosystem of indie filmmakers who make a living churning out micro-budget films for services like Tubi. For @knpr.org, I talked to local Las Vegas filmmakers Bobby and Renee Peoples, who released eight(!) feature films last year.

I guess, but they could easily just say "hasn't been released yet" or something equally bland. It almost reads like they are trying to direct users' anger toward the studio.

"This film’s ratings and reviews are unavailable because the film has not premiered yet."

What I don't get is why they have this specific wording about embargoes that seems designed to enrage people. They've clearly decided to crack down on any advance reviews, but other movies that haven't been released have more generalized notices (like this one from IFC/Shudder's 'Forbidden Fruits').

"This film’s ratings and reviews are unavailable due to a studio-imposed embargo, and will be visible once the embargo is lifted."

FWIW this appears to be an overall Letterboxd policy for upcoming studio releases, not limited to Paramount. This is from the page for 'The Bride!' (a Warner Bros. release).

Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985 First Feature) - Awesome Movie Year Our first feature episode for 1985 is the debut of Tim Burton and the big screen debut of the classic comedy presence Pee-wee!

'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' is a childhood favorite of mine that still holds up, as we discuss in this week's 1985 episode of Awesome Movie Year.

Sad loss of one of the all-time only-in-Vegas characters. I was always happy to spot his leopard-print car while driving around town.

Made the mistake of noting to a friend yesterday that my workload was remarkably stable, so of course today one of my key outlets cuts its entire freelance budget.

Updated ranking of Tina Fey/Robert Carlock shows:

1. '30 Rock'
2. 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'
3. 'Girls5eva'
4. 'Great News'
5. 'The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins'
6. 'Mr. Mayor'
7. 'Mulligan'

'The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins' is the latest hilarious sitcom from the team behind '30 Rock' Tracy Morgan stars as a disgraced football player in the newest show from producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock

I know nothing about football but still really enjoyed Tracy Morgan sports sitcom 'The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins' (premiering tonight on NBC), which uses the sport as a hook for another absurdist pop-culture riff from producers Tina Fey and Robert Carlock. My @tomsguide.com review:

This is basically everything I love to eat. I moderate my diet well enough to stay reasonably healthy, but the only food I truly love is junk food.

I don't mind long lists (sometimes I find them useful), but maybe some additional sorting mechanism rather than just chronological, alphabetical and popular?

One frustrating thing on Letterboxd is when I click on lists related to a movie and they're all like "Every movie ever made" and I have to scroll through dozens of those before getting to something relevant to the content of the actual movie.

I offer these in contrast to Netflix's animated comedy 'Strip Law,' which premieres today and is just a parade of lazy Vegas stereotypes, in the TV equivalent of parachute journalism. I found nothing in the largely unfunny first episode that would entice me to watch further.

Since I don't get to write for many local publications anymore, it was gratifying to cover Las Vegas-related figures (Elvis Presley, Rhonda Fleming) in two pieces this week that speak to their larger pop-culture resonance. So much rich, fascinating history here that's worth exploring further.

Noir With Heart: Rhonda Fleming in Cry Danger and Slightly Scarlet — Crooked Marquee In two 1950s noirs celebrating their anniversaries this month, underrated star Rhonda Fleming brings warmth and vulnerability to the femme fatale.

For @crooked-marquee.bsky.social I celebrated the anniversaries of two noir gems featuring underappreciated actress (and Las Vegas icon) Rhonda Fleming.

Baz Luhrmann does better with his second look at the King in documentary EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert The phony, emotionally vacant artifice of Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic Elvis doesn’t make him seem like the ideal filmmaker for a documentary about the King of Rock and Roll. But

I'm not a Baz Luhrmann fan, and I thought his 2022 'Elvis' biopic was atrocious, but his new documentary 'EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert' (in IMAX theaters starting tonight) is a solid showcase for the King. My @inlander.com review:

This isn't necessarily the fault of the movie (which is still bad), but I got stuck in a 4DX screening of 'Red One' and halfway through I was so annoyed that I got up and watched the rest of the movie while standing in the vestibule.

Back To The Future (1985 Box Office Champ) - Awesome Movie Year We kick off the awesome movie year of 1985 with the sci-fi comedy classic Back To The Future!

I loved 'Back to the Future' as a kid, although not as much as I loved the soundtrack. I was slightly less enamored when revisiting it for this week's 1985 season premiere of Awesome Movie Year, but still mostly had fun watching it.

Just watched the season premiere of a Netflix show and I'm embarrassed to say that the characters restating their names and functions in the plot actually helped me a lot with my fuzzy memories of what happened in the previous season.

The best Marvel show you've never seen is finally streaming for free on Tubi 'Runaways' has been forgotten and mistreated, but it's a perfect watch for Marvel fans who missed it the first time

For @tomsguide.com I wrote about forgotten and discarded Marvel series 'Runaways,' which has recently resurfaced on Tubi and is worth another look.

YouTube video by Milton DeLugg - Topic Hooray for Santa Claus

This song still gets stuck in my head at random times, but the movie is only good for MST3K mockery.

VODepths: What to See (and Avoid) on Demand This Week — Crooked Marquee Our mini-reviews of “Ted Bunny,” “Hellfire,” “Last Ride,” and more new under-the-radar on-demand offerings.

Somehow the Ted Bundysploitation horror movie is not the worst release in this week's rough-looking VODepths.

I am woefully unacquainted with Frederick Wiseman's documentary films, but I love that late in life he just made cameos in random French indie movies like strip club drama 'My Sole Desire' and rom-com 'Jane Austen Wrecked My Life' (both of which I saw before any of his own movies).

Chris Hemsworth in Crime 101

Some quick thoughts on Mann-ly thriller 'Crime 101' in this week's Highway Radio segment: highwayradio.com/josh-bell-ha...

The ’Burbs turns a forgettable movie into a forgettable TV series The 1989 dark comedy The ’Burbs isn’t exactly a career highlight for either director Joe Dante or star Tom Hanks, but it’s built up a minor cult following over the

Have you always wished a mediocre 1980s comedy was three times as long and not particularly funny? Then 'The 'Burbs' (now streaming on Peacock) is for you. My @inlander.com review:

Awesome Movie Year 2014 bonus episode: Boyhood

Before we start our new season of Awesome Movie Year next week, we have our 2014 bonus episode on Richard Linklater's 'Boyhood' now available for all listeners, after previously being a Patreon exclusive: awesome-movie-year.captivate.fm/episode/boyh...

I have seen two 'Werthering Heights' jokes on here today, so clearly I am following the right people.