Maximum Overdrive (1986) Dir. Stephen King

The movie Maximum Overdrive is just like the Fast & Furious movies in the same way that The Shining and Hotel for Dogs (2019) are both about hotels.

Folks, I’m gonna be honest, there are a lot of things wrong with Stephen King’s first (and only) directorial attempt….. but it’d also a silly goofy good time like a lot of those other 80s “cult classics” that people love to tell you about.

There’s barely a story— It;s mainly vignettes that follow a large cast of characters over the course of one day, trying to durive the hazards that ensue when a mysterious meteor’s green radioactive waves turn all the cars (and other machines) sentient and vegeful of their bipedal flesh masters. This slice of life format really makes you think about what you’d do a situation like this. In all honesty with the way that I drive, were my car (Courtney Carx) to be sentient for even an afternoon, whatever vengeance its’ motor-car-heart desires would be completely justified.

One of the highlights is a young baby-faced Giancarlo Esposito that makes a brief appearance as a teen that gets killed by rampaging vending machines.

Unrelated, but I love how these cars just fucking hate people, to the point that they have no sense of self preservation and will do whatever it takes to kill this just married Philip J Fry motherfucker. I kinda wish that this was more like Monster House with cars. I have so many questions about sentient car biology.

Oujia Shark (2020) Dir. Scott Patrick

At first glance this movie is compentently made and probably netted a decent grade for whatever group of film students made it. Until it becomes an “everyone perpetually has their shirt off and their tits must be in frame at all times” movie. The transparent layer hand puppet shark is really charming.

The Horrors of Dolores Roach (2020)

Fun Sweeney Todd adaptation with a hot milf masseuse that’s a bit rough around the edges who uses her gorgeous arms to snap necks. Unfortunately it very much feels like an adaptation of a one-woman off broadway play based off of a podcast a man wrote. And it is, but Cyndi Lauper is here too.