Blink Twice - The scoop and digest

Zoë Kravitz co-writes her directorial debut with E.T. Feigenbaum.

Naomi Ackie - Frida

Channing Tatum - Slater King

Alia Shawkat - Jess

Christian Slater - Vic

Simon Rex - Cody

Adria Arjona - Sarah

Haley Joel Osment - Tom

Liz Caribel - Camilla

Levon Hawke - Lucas

Summary

At a charity gala, billionaire tech mogul Slater King befriends cocktail waitress Frida.

He invites Frida and her bestie Jess to his private island for a dream holiday, which they accept.

Amidst the delicious food, tsunami of champagne and late-night parties, Frida begins to suspect that Slater and his business associates are harbouring dark secrets.

Making memories

First off, I'm so glad working title was changed from Pussy Island.

Smacking of Infinity Pool and Get Out, psychological horror is easily one of the most impressive debuts in recent years.

I'd also suggest the striking red and white colour scheme may stem from The Shining.

Ackie sparkles, but Tatum is hardly dull, memorably shouting "I'M SORRY!" multiple times.

Throughout the film, we cut to flashbacks and/or hallucinations, leading us to question what's real.

Here's the deal.

The men (less Lucas) have been sexually assaulting the women every night, using indigenous red flower's scent to wipe their memories.  Frida discovers drinking snake venom is an antidote.

When Jess's memories couldn't be erased, they killed her.

It's also revealed that Frida was actually at the island a year prior, with maid calling her red rabbit because of the designs painted on her fingernails.

During the final 20 minutes, females go ape shit, stabbing and bludgeoning respective rapists to death.

Some time later at another gala, Frida is now married to Slater and the new CEO of King-Tech, keeping him obedient by lacing his vape with flower.

On this evidence, I hope Kravitz's next project happens sooner rather than later.

The Crow (2024) - The scoop and digest

Rupert Sanders' reboot/second adaptation of James O'Barr's original comic is written by Zach Baylin and William Schneider.

Easily forgotten, but this version of Eric first appeared as a playable character in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023).

Bill Skarsgård - Eric/The Crow

FKA Twigs - Shelly

Danny Huston - Vincent Roeg

Josette Simon - Sophia

Laura Birn - Marian

Sami Bouajila - Kronos

Summary

A young Eric endured a troubled childhood.  His horse died and relationship with alcoholic mother was far from rosy.

Present day.

Eric lives in a drug detox centre and befriends fellow patient Shelly, who is hiding from crime lord Vincent Roeg, who made a deal with the devil in exchange for supernatural powers.

When Roeg's cronies come sniffing around, Eric and Shelly escape facility.

However, they're later caught and suffocated with plastic bags.

Eric awakens in the afterlife and told by Kronos (based on The Skull Cowboy) that a crow will guide him to put the wrong things right.

Laugh now, cry later

What nobody wanted is everything we feared and more.

This was sooo BORING, sooo BADLY acted, sooo BRILLIANTLY crafted, it's beyond fucking words.

Does Lionsgate want to go bankrupt?

Apparently so.

After about 90m, the main action sequence is set inside an opera house.

But they couldn't even get that right, as amidst Eric stabbing and shooting enemies, shit awkwardly cuts to dancers performing on stage.

Rather incredibly, the door is open for a sequel.

HA HA HA!

Sharks - The De'fin'itive Return

These had plenty of bite:

https://nukesandknives.blogspot.com/2022/09/sharks-definitive-collection.html

https://nukesandknives.blogspot.com/2022/09/sharks-definitive-conclusion.html

But this son of a bitch will swallow ya' whole.

Miscellany

Into the Deep vs Great White (2021) vs Great White Death¹

¹1981 documentary/mondo film.

The Last Breath² DVD vs Blind Waters

²Julian Sands' final film.

Shark Bait³ (2022) vs Shark Week aka Shark Assault vs Shark Night 3D

³ntbcw 2006 film of same name.

No Gold for a Dead Diver (1974)

Apart from stock footage, treasure hunting yarn has NOTHING to do with sharks.

To cash in on the success of a certain Spielberg blockbuster, it was released stateside as Deadly Jaws.

Shark (2000) aka Great White, was for some fucking reason called Jaws '98 in Japan.

Amusingly, they stole the above shark for VHS cover.

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Poster vs Jaws 2

Viewtiful Joe (2003)
The ending of Capcom's overlooked gem expertly spoofs numerous film posters.
2,000,000 Leagues Under the Sea is an obvious play on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Shark Attack 2 is obviously exploiting Deep Blue Sea.

More, more, more.

Meg 2: The Trench and Malibu Shark Attack

Jurassic Shark German boxset and The Last Breath poster

Night of the Sharks (1988) was released as Jaws Attack in Japan at some point in the 90s.

Things get weirder.

Despite having fuck all to do with Night of the Sharks, Devil Fish (1984) was released as Jaws Attack 2 in the same country.

Cover art uses the same colour scheme as the alternative poster for Jaws 2.

Clever.

For shiggles.

Topps No. 58 - Monarch of the Ocean!

Deep Blue Sea 2 (2018)

From the Depths and Bull Shark

Jurassic Shark 2: Aquapocalypse and Ghost Shark

Something in the Water, Jurassic Shark 3 - German and The Meg graphic novel

And.

Marvel Super Special #6

The Meg (2018)

Poster 1 vs Attack of the Jurassic Shark aka Jurassic Shark vs Jaws in Japan

Same principle, right?

Red Water vs Poster 2

The following were released years before The Meg, but redone for obvious reasons.

Shark Attack 3: Megalodon and Malibu Shark Attack

One more.

Megalodon Rising⁴

⁴Sequel to Megalodon (2018), ntbcw 2002 film of same name, later retitled Sharkzilla in the UK.

Finally.

This brilliant shot of beastie in Jaws feels somewhat relevant.

Meg 2: The Trench (2023)

Shit kicks off 65 million years ago in the Cretaceous Period, where a Meg devours a T-rex.

Not that it makes any sense, but sequence depicts the opening of Steve Alten's original novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror.

But wait.

Sharkasaurus

As obscure 2018 comic was released five years before film sequel, shit either plagiarizes novel or is complete coincidence.

Elsewhere in other media.

Jurassic World (2015)
The Mosasaurus drags the Indominus underwater.

Which is strikingly similar to:

Jurassic Park: Redemption - issue 5 (November 2010)
The Mosasaurus drags a Giganotosaurus underwater.

(Rolls eyes).

Mouth POV

Meg munching on human fodder is undeniably cool.

Presenting the deliciously bizarre.

Malibu Shark Attack

4K Ultra HD editions of Jaws 2 (2023), Jaws 3 and The Revenge (both 2024), employ the same principle.

Jaws (2020) is contrary to the rule.

Title in Jaws?

How incredibly DUMB.

As Quint, Brody and Hooper depart on the Orca, camera pans through jaws.

Lots of luck you crazy kids.

But most importantly, did the Chief enjoy the show?

YAHA YAHA HA HA HA!!!

Guess so.