The Argyle Atrocity... Easterseals Mystery, Alaska... Omicron Killer Bleeding Love... Gods of the Deep Dune... There is a Monster?

​February went by so fast I sped through most of March before slowing down. Pausing to catch a breath, seems time to compile another round up of releases. Although fiction remains in production not much has made it to print. That said, past pieces found in anthologies such as Dead Letters, Thicker than Water, and No Trouble at All are still readily available for purchase. As for other writings, the film work dominates a lot of my attention, though I’ve nothing to complain about for the most part. So, let’s dive into the pile. 

The month kicked off with a Romancing the Stone knock-off called Argyle. I’ve never been so disappointed by a film. It should not only top many lists for the worst movie of 2024, and I think there’s a fair case for making Argyle one of the worst films ever made. Without hyperbole, I honestly felt physical pain watching portions of this picture. Worse, it’s not even comedically bad. Argyle is simply awful, but I will say that gave me fuel for a few choice sentences because at least the review should be entertaining.

Argylle Is Atrocious | Film Obsessive

Not long after, I got the privilege of interviewing a wonderful individual by the name of Nic Novicki. He’s a standup comedian, actor, writer, director, and we discussed the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge. This is a project he founded over a decade ago that involves giving filmmaking opportunities to differently abled individuals. Nic himself is a little person and well aware of how people with disabilities don’t often get a fair shot in Hollywood, he conceived the Disability Film Challenge.

The article has more details about the challenge itself. Suffice it to say, it’s a marvelous opportunity that’s more of a hand up than a handout. The video interview is also illuminating thanks to Nic. He’s been answering questions about it for so long he has a ready set of responses that’re concise, engaging, and informative. 

Nic Novicki Talks about the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge | Film Obsessive

Diving back into films I scored screeners for two horror flicks. I always like getting the indie fright films. Although there’s a high probability they won’t be good, the chance they might be means having an opportunity to tell others about a film they might not otherwise discover. To that end, I mostly enjoyed Gods of the Deep.

This horror movie wears its Lovecraftian influences loud and proud. Embracing a low budget, the script actually finds some smart workarounds to keep the film compelling. In many ways, I think a few clever alterations could turn Gods of the Deep into a captivating audio drama. As a film, though, it’s mostly for fans of Lovecraft stories. The ways in which it falls apart towards the end make the movie a bit ridiculous, yet it could also mean Gods of the Deep is ideal for a beer and a pizza movie night with friends.

​Gods of the Deep Lacks Depth | Film Obsessive

After that I watched something called There is a Monster. This is one of those instances where a solid idea falls apart because of the low budget. Instead of finding ways to shoot around the limitations, the filmmakers plowed forward. Consequently, terrible effects undermine a potentially powerful story. In addition, the point of the narrative is so obvious it begins to hammer viewers over the head. 

There is a Monster Yet No Terror | Film Obsessive

Around then I took a break from horror to visit an indie film called Bleeding Love. It stars Ewan McGregor and his daughter Clara. The story is old hat, especially by indie standards. In many ways this movie felt like a demo reel for Clara McGregor’s next audition. Still, I’m sure some angsty teens living sheltered lives in suburbia would absorb this as if gaining insight into something safely grim. That isn’t to say Bleeding Love is a bad movie, but it does nothing remarkable enough to make it stand out. 

Bleeding Love Is Nothing New | Film Obsessive

Time for another retrospective, I penned a piece about Mystery, Alaska. This hockey picture came out in 1999. Originally, I intended to do an article about how few hockey films there are. However, I quickly discovered way more than I imagined. There’s even a John Wayne movie where he plays a hockey star coming back to the game in order to make money for his chicken farm – Idol of the Crowds (1937). With my primary thesis proven wrong, I pivoted to simply exploring the film as is, a lighthearted drama containing a couple of laughs. That led me to the realization sports films are rarely about their sports. The games within become metaphorical tools for examining life. More than anything, Mystery, Alaska is the kind of flick we don’t see too often. And it faded from public consciousness so quickly back in 1999, I liked the idea of reminding people this lovely little village comedy exists.

​On a side note, trying not to spend money I don’t have, I tried to watch the movie online for free. However, the site I found it on turned out to be a Russian dubbed version, edited for time. This chopped up rendition actually amused me for a bit because I did rent the full flick from Amazon, but jumping between the two I noticed strange cuts. A lot of the traveling shots, characters motoring around town on snowmobiles, I get why those got sliced out. Yet, there’re these abrupt jumps between scenes that made me wonder how tight are the time constraints on Russian television? One millisecond over your allotted time and they make you drink Putin’s polonium tea.

Revisiting Mystery, Alaska: Where Hockey is All | Film Obsessive

Dune 2 finally arrived in theaters. I was fortunate enough to get a chance to review the next chapter in Denis Villeneuve’s epic space opera. Initially, the assignment slated me as a backup. Fortunately, free space in my schedule allowed me to see the film at a press screener ahead of the other reviewers at Film Obsessive. As such, editors decided to go with my review.

I found the film to be fabulous. However, I understand some complaints about the picture. The movie tends to blow through its main themes with a hurried bullet point delivery rather than an in-depth exploration. As far as I’m concerned, a melodramatic space opera can be forgiven for such things. Others disagree, but I cannot imagine we aren’t on the same page that Dune 2 looks absolutely amazing. Whatever complaints one has about the narrative, the movie is a stellar visual achievement.

Dune: Part 2 Delivers | Film Obsessive

February closed with a final horror film, The Omicron Killer. This movie is straight up garbage. I think it wants to be comedic, but the efforts are piss poor. Even when clever the horror and gore get repetitive to the point of dull. I hoped it might be good-bad, but such expectations died a quick death. I tried to be respectful of the filmmakers because I do think they made an honest effort. Still, the review has some sweet fiery lines burning this picture down.

The Omicron Killer Is No Lethal Variant | Film Obsessive

And that pretty much summarizes February. The only thing left to report is that the next Beerfinger album is roughly two songs from completion. Most of the tracks have been mastered. Doing so made me realize one tune needed adjusting; however, that quickly led to the fact the song wouldn’t work as is. Attempting to modify the music produced an entirely different tune. But things are progressing faster than I expected. Lessens is just around the corner so stay tuned.