FRIDAY FAMILY FILM NIGHT

JoKaGoGe

It's FRIDAY FAMILY FILM NIGHT in which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing and discussing films - we're not experts, just film fans. Please note there will be SPOILERS. Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library All artwork/pictures from IMDb

  1. 4d ago

    Friday Family Film Night: WILDWOOD review

    In which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing WILDWOOD (2026), from a novel by Colin Meloy, a script by Chris Butler, the film is directed by Travis Knight. Headstrong teenager Prue McKeel (Peyton Elizabeth Lee) launches a desperate rescue mission into the Impassable Wilderness - a mysterious, enchanted forest hidden just outside Portland - after a flock of crows abducts her baby brother. Joined by her loyal classmate Curtis (Jacob Tremblay), Prue ventures deep into the enchanted woods, only to stumble straight into an ancient, brewing conflict between warring factions of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures. As the duo navigates the treacherous territory controlled by a vengeful ruler (Carey Mulligan), they must uncover the secret history of the forest to save Prue's brother and prevent a devastating war. The film clocks in at 2 h 10 m, is rated PG-13 and is currently in theaters. Please note there are SPOILERS in this review. #Wildwood #ColinMeloy #CarsonEllis #TravisKnight #ChrisButler #PeytonElizabethLee #Prue #JacobTremblay #Curtis #CareyMulligan #Alexandra #TantooCardinal #Iphigenia #MarcEvanJackson #Lars #RichardEGrant #OwlRex #JakeJohnson #Dad #MayaErskine #Mom #ArthurKnight #Mac #CharlieDay #Dmitri #tomWaits #Maksim #LenCariou #ThePostmaster #AngelaBassett #TheGeneral #AmandlaStenberg #Niamh #MahershalaAli #Brendan #OlafurDarriOlafsson #Seamus #BlytheDanner #TheSeer #RobDelaney #Samuel #RidleyKnight #Angus #JeannieElias #Busybidy #ColleenOShaughnessey #StopMotionAnimation #AdultAnimation #AdventureEpic #DarkFantasy #FantasyEpic #TeenAdventure #TeenFantasy #Animation #Adventure #Fantasy #NewRelease  ⁨@LAIKAStudios⁩  #FridayFamilyFilmNight Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

    Friday Family Film Night: WILDWOOD review
  2. Oct 23

    Friday Family Film Night: EXORCIST 2: THE HERETIC & BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL review

    In which the Mister joins me in reviewing  EXORCIST 2: THE HERETIC (1977 - with writing credits to William Goodhart and Rospo Pallenberg, the film is directed by John Boorman and Rospo Pallenberg) and BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL (2025 - from writer/director David Kittredge).   EXORCIST 2: THE HERETIC (1977): In John Boorman’s sci-fi horror sequel, Father Lamont (Richard Burton) investigates the traumatic past of a now-teenage Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) using a biofeedback device, inadvertently triggering a surreal psychic battle against the ancient demon Pazuzu.BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL (2025): In David Kittredge’s retrospective documentary, director John Boorman, key cast members, and modern genre filmmakers reflect on the bizarre behind-the-scenes chaos, radical creative deviations, and disastrous release that turned Exorcist II into one of cinema's most infamous box-office misfires. While John Boorman’s  EXORCIST 2: THE HERETIC is a narrative piece of avant-garde 1970s studio filmmaking, David Kittredge’s  BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL serves as its analytical meta-companion.  The two films represent vastly different lenses on the exact same creative vision: one is the polarizing artistic product itself, and the other is a historical autopsy exploring how and why that vision came to be.  EXORCIST 2: THE HERETIC operates as a high-concept narrative feature that abandons the grounded visceral horror of the 1973 original in favor of metaphysical melodrama, hypnotic synchronized-brainwave technology, and sweeping African landscapes.  By contrast,  BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL is a non-fiction documentary structured around archive footage and candid interviews - featuring Boorman himself alongside horror luminaries like Mike Flanagan and Joe Dante - that methodically deconstructs the film’s chaotic production.  Where the 1977 film asks audiences to take its spiritual symbolism seriously, the 2025 documentary contextualizes the alienating impact those choices had on theatergoers. Both films are fundamentally centered on John Boorman’s auteur ego and his ambitious refusal to make a standard studio horror cash-grab.  Neither project treats  EXORCIST 2: THE HERETIC as a simple failure; instead, both view the story through a lens of grand artistic risk-taking, framing Boorman's clash with studio expectations as a fascinating, singular moment in Hollywood history.     EXORCIST 2: THE HERETIC clocks in at 1 h 57 m, and is rated R and we watched it on the TCM app but it can also be caught on Howdy, Tubi, YouTube and to buy/rent on Prime Video. BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL clocks in at 1 h 52 m, and is unrated and we watched it on the TCM app but it can also be caught on YouTube and to buy/rent on Prime Video. Please note there are SPOILERS in this review. #Exorcist2TheHeretic #JohnBoorman #BoormanAndTheDevil #DavidKittredge   @TCM  @Howdy  @Tubi  @YouTube  @PrimeVideo   #SpookySeason  #FridayFamilyFilmNight  Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

    Friday Family Film Night: EXORCIST 2: THE HERETIC & BOORMAN AND THE DEVIL review
  3. Oct 17

    Friday Family Film Night: YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN review

    In which the Mister and Kid 2 join me in reviewing YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974), based on the novel "Frankenstein" by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, from a script by Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks, the film is directed by Mel Brooks. In this iconic horror comedy, a respected American brain surgeon named Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) - who insists on pronouncing his name "Fronk-en-steen" to distance himself from his notorious grandfather - travels to Transylvania after inheriting the family estate. Though initially skeptical of his ancestor's reanimation experiments, Frederick discovers his grandfather's secret journals and, with the help of his hunchbacked assistant Igor (Marty Feldman) and lab assistant Inga (Teri Garr), sets out to bring his own creature (Peter Boyle) to life. Chaos rapidly ensues as the towering, misunderstood monster escapes into the surrounding countryside, forcing Frederick to prove that his creation is capable of intellect and emotion before angry townspeople intervene. The film clocks in at 1 h 46 m, and is rated PG. Please note there are SPOILERS in this review. #YoungFrankenstein #Frankenstein #MaryShelley #MaryWollstonecrafShelley #MelBrooks #GeneWilder #DrFrederickFrankenstein #PeterBoyle #TheMonster #MartyFeldman #Igor #MadelineKahn #Elizabeth #ClorisLeachman #FrauBlucher #TeriGarr #Inga #KennethMars #InspectorKemp #GeneHackman #BlindMan #Farce #Parody #Slapstick #Comedy #SpookySeason #FridayFamilyFilmNight Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

    Friday Family Film Night: YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN review
  4. Oct 10

    Friday Family Film Night : THE MONKEY review

    In which the Mister and Kid 2 join me in reviewing THE MONKEY (2025), from a short story by the legendary Stephen King, the film is written and directed by Osgood Perkins.    In this dark comedy horror, estranged twin brothers Hal and Bill (Theo James) are forced to reunite decades after discovering a vintage, drum-playing toy monkey in their childhood attic that unleashed a trail of horrific, inexplicable deaths.  Though the brothers tossed the cursed object away years ago to escape its gruesome influence, a new wave of bizarre and fatal freak accidents began erupting around them, proving the entity has returned to finish what it started. Driven by trauma and desperate to protect what remains of their family, the brothers embark on a frantic race against time to permanently destroy the toy before its deadly mechanism claims their own lives.  The film clocks in at 1 h 38 m, is rated R and is currently streaming on Hulu but is also available to buy/rent on Prime Video.  Please note there are SPOILERS in this review.#TheMonkey #OsgoodPerkins #StephenKing #TheoJames #Hal #Bill #TatianaMaslany #Lois #ChristianConvery #YoungHal #YoungBill #ColinOBrien #Petey #AdamScott #CaptainPetey #ElijahWppd #Ted #RohanCampbell#Thrasher #Ricky #SarahLevy #AuntIda #OsgoodPerkins #UncleChip #TessDegenstein #Barbara #DanicaDreyer #BabysitterAnnie #BeaPerkins #Florence #BodyHorror #DarkComedy #FolkHorror #MonsterHorror #PsychologicalHorror #SupernaturalHorror #SplatterHorror #Horror  @Hulu  @PrimeVideo  #FridayFamilyFilmNightOpening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library

    Friday Family Film Night : THE MONKEY review

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

It's FRIDAY FAMILY FILM NIGHT in which the Mister and Monsters join me in reviewing and discussing films - we're not experts, just film fans. Please note there will be SPOILERS. Opening intro music: GOAT by Wayne Jones, courtesy of YouTube Audio Library All artwork/pictures from IMDb