michaelRokeefe Reviews

Longlegs (2024)

Haphazard haunt

[8/10 · 9 April 2025]

Director/writer Osgood Perkins is making a name for himself. And this over hyped fright flick helps build his reputation. Layered sinister imagery makes for a very watchable unconventional mixed bag of moody vibes.

A young "half-psychic" FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) along with her mentor Agent Carter (Blair Underwood) is heavy on the trail of a mysterious serial killer known as Longlegs (Nicolas Cage), a natty suited, stringy haired allusive menace accused of murdering the families of children born on the 14th of the month. He has been leaving Zodiac-style clues for a couple of decades. This must stop. Haunting is a soundtrack featuring the glam-rock sounds of T. Rex of "Bang a Gong" fame!

Holland (2025)

Can you keep a secret?

[5/10 · 8 April 2025]

Holland, Michigan is a quaint Dutch-inspired town with little need of pity, but room for little secrets. Nancy Vandergroot (Nicole Kidman) teaches home economics, bakes Dutch Apple Pies, and dotes on her husband, Fred (Matthew Macfadyen) , the town's optometrist.

Holland is in the middle of its annual Tulip Festival when Nancy's charmed life is disturbed. Her husband's behavior becomes suspect when he takes a trip out of town and he fails to answer phone calls to his hotel room. He comes home with a parking ticket from a state he wasn't supposed to be in.

Paranoia is too strong and Nancy asks for some help of another teacher, Mr. Delgado (Gael Garcia) to investigate he husband' s possible infidelity. Thus opens a dark secretive path not common in Holland, Michigan.

Bloody Axe Wound (2024)

Will meet expectations

[8/10 · 7 April 2025]

Yes, real slashers are right at home in the tiny town of Clover Falls. Roger Bladecut (Billy Burke), an undead killer, owns a video store and generates new movies to rent that rapidly leave the shelves. But when business starts to slack off, he employs his daughter Abbie (Sari Arambulo) to take over killing young teens from the high school for sequel movies.

Abbie stalks her prey by going back to school. A problem arises as she gets too close to a future victim, Sam Crane (Molly Brown). Abbie may be falling in love with Sam and this makes daddy Bladecut furious.

Unexplainable is how no camera crews are seen doing the filming. But the slashing exploits make it to editing and packaging. Some disturbing scenes and jump scares make this flick very worthwhile.

Arambulo and Brown's moments together are very interesting. Also in the cast are Angel Theory, Margot Anderson-Song, Taylor Seupel and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

Jesus Revolution (2023)

Preaching or charisma?

[9/10 · 27 March 2025]

Where did the term "Jesus Freak" originate? This movie depicts the Jesus Movement era. Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer) is a longtime pastor in Orange County, California, leading a small flock in a dwindling church of an older generation congregation.

Chuck's daughter, Janette (Ally Loannides), leaves in a huff and meets a hippie named Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), who gives a powerful message tying to garner a young following of Jesus Christ.

Chuck was finally convinced to let the hippie preach at his small church. Lonnie and a folk band, Lovesong, brought an unorthodox, casual message like no other to the old guard.

This movie really reached me. Also in the cast are Anna Grace Barlow, Nicolas Cirillo, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Sidney Floyd. A strong soundtrack featuring "Lonely People" by America, "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac, "Jesus Is Just Alright" by The Doobie Brothers and "Carry It With You" by The Smithfields.

Hideout (2021)

Think twice about where you hide!

[5/10 · 19 March 2025]

Kris Rozelli writes and directs. A criminal minded foursome take part in a robbery of a liquor store that is noisy and far from perfect. One is shot and the others are troubled finding help and a place to hide. The robbers search for a place to lie low and the remote house in the woods they choose is not exactly perfect. The owner Bee (Janice LaFlam) and her fetching granddaughter Rose (Audrey Kovar) welcome the strangers in and doctors the injured criminal. There is an air of mistrust for more than the obvious reasons. Rose seems to have a special way about her. The first hour is pretty slow; but then some wild little twists turns HIDEOUT oddly weird!

The Electric State (2025)

An orphaned teen makes a strange trek.

[7/10 · 18 March 2025]

Anthony and Joe Russo co-direct this action drama. In an alternate reality of the 1990's, humans and robots have been fighting over robot rights. Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) is a teen orphan despondent over her missing brother Christopher (Woody Norman) , when a robot shows up giving her hope that her genius brother could very well be alive. Michelle will set out on a cross country search and is joined by Keats (Chris Pratt), a smuggler of nostalgic objects.

Multiple storylines meld into a bright conclusion. Evil tech giants and equal rights issues are dealt with. As final credits roll you will shake your head wondering where was the expected passion and heart. Still a darn good watch.

Also in the cast are Stanley Tucci, Holly Hunter, Ann Russo and Jason Alexander. Plus you'll recognize voices of Woody Harrelson, Ron Gronkowski, Hank Azaria and Ke Huy Quan.

Trap (I) (2024)

Perfect...hide in the middle of a concert.

[7/10 · 17 March 2025]

Let me consider this a winner for writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. Intrigue with twists and turns. Cooper (Josh Hartnett) is taking his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a sold out concert performed by Lady Raven (Shyamalan's daughter, Saleka). The awkward, but charming dad managed to get super seats ground level row ten at the Philadelphia stadium. Mostly loud screaming teenage girls and major event; but unknown to the massive audience...this is a trap.

There has been enough information that the local police and FBI, led by Dr. Grant (Hayley Mills) a serial killer dubbed The Butcher, will be in attendance. By the time the concert begins, the stadium is completely surrounded and all employees are on the lookout.

When Cooper realizes that he is in a well fortified trap, his behavior goes into a bizarre, but thoughtful manic plan of escape. The Saleka concert tunes are perfect glue for this chaotic drama.

Insectula! (2015)

Can these invaders be stopped?

[5/10 · 16 March 2025]

Director Michael Peterson gives us a 2015 piece of weirdness evocative of a 1950's B scifi flick. Relax and enjoy. An asteroid from an unknown planet transports a huge monster, with tentacles and resembling a giant mosquito to earth that immediately hugs to death a beautiful bikini clad Hanna Hudson. Her fiance, Del Debiando (Pasquale Pilla), a drunkard womanizer, is so saddened he swears revenge. The monster continues to ravage buxom gals. Meanwhile EPA scientists Dr. Kempler (Harrison Matthews) and Brittany Sax (Arielle Cezanne) in a home lab are creating their own tentacled monster. Kempler wants to offer his own creation to the interloping monster that keeps cutting in half, shredding and dismembering sultry women. Eye candy keeps your attention!

What Still Remains (2018)

When the world leaves you behind.

[6/10 · 14 March 2025]

The world population is dwindling after decades of disease. One has to gather self strength and defensive tactics to survive. This post-apocalyptic drama follows Anna (Lulu Atariksa) living on her own in the wilderness until she befriends a hopeful man named Peter (Colin O'Donoghue) who invites her to his community of escape and solitude.

Anna has an untrusting nature and tough exterior hiding inner lonliness and fear of loss of control. She has her own developed grittiness, but is unsatisfied with the hard-boiled building of community and the overbearing command of Peter. She must breakaway and head west toward an ocean she has only read about.

Also in the cast are Mimi Rogers, Jeff Kober, Peter O'Brien, Chris Ellis and Makayla Lysiak.

Chaos: The Manson Murders (2025)

Challenging common acceptence

[6/10 · 13 March 2025]

So many versions of the story most people think they know. Director Errol Morris brings us a documentary that gives a deeper glance into the Charles Manson Murders. Based on a 2019 non-fiction page turner written by Tom O'Neill aided by Dan Piepenbring. Just as chaotic and thrilling as the case and trial that captivated the world. Interest of many conspiracy lovers galore will be expanded. True crime just keeps getting better the deeper theorists run down the tragic rabbit hole. This documentary actually brings forth some new info years after the fact. Some viewers will feel this to be too far fetched to be taken seriously. Something most will agree, Charlie Manson is the second most hated man in world history.

This Netflix project is faulted for leaving out some passages from the book, but is supported by archive Footage featuring the likes of Vincent Bugliosi, Tom O'Neill, Louis Jolyon West, Stephen Kay, Errol Morris, Charles Manson, 'Tex' Watson, Susan Atkins, Sandra Good, Bobby Beausoleil, 'Squeaky' Fromme and Diane Sawyer.

Despicable Me 4 (2024)

Gru and family is on the run.

[6/10 · 10 March 2025]

This franchise is starting to sputter, but not yet dead. Is episode four more pertinent than funny? Gru (Steve Carell) , a former villain, is a proud family man now with a brand new baby boy that proves to be a tormentor. The villain this time around is a French fiend, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), who Gru upstaged at a school talent show. The family is forced to go in hiding and changing names.

The characters are still charming and those Minions always seem to be a riot. Several subplots have Edith rivaling a karate teacher, Lucy posing as a hairdresser and Margo's fitting in at school. What I enjoyed the best was Gru being blackmailed by the new neighbor's daughter Poppy (Joey King), who knows Grue's true id. I watched this in a theater full of 8 to 10 year olds and the laughter was thunderous.

Also lending voices are Pierre Coffin, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig, Stephen Colbert, Sofia Vergara and the co-director Chris Renaud.

The Beach Boys (2024)

Positive documentary!

[8/10 · 9 March 2025]

Out of the many documentaries featuring The Beach Boys, this may just be the most positive I've seen. From humble beginnings to superstardom. Brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson along with cousin Mike Love and close friend Al Jardine were not wrong thinking that when they harmonized vocally they were on to something big.

The story of The Beach Boys is presented as well as it could be. Not exactly sugar coated and just skimming over the warts. This film is filled with some down notes. We have Brian's conflicts with the rest of the band, especially Mike Love, the unofficial rivalry with The Beatles, the production clashes with Capitol Records and even the bad blood between father Murry Wilson's misdealing with music publishing rights.

Barely skimming over the real importance of Brian's poor mental health strife, dealings with Brian's doctor, Dennis' involvement with the Charlie Manson Family and no deep dealings with Dennis' death.

One favorable thing is this documentary examines and explains why the group was so unique and popular and why Brian Wilson earned and deserves being called a genius.

The Dead Don't Die (2019)

This might not end well!

[7/10 · 4 March 2025]

Centerville is a sleepy, quirky little town protected by stone-cold faced Police Chief Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray) and his observant deputy Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver). The two stop one day for coffee and doughnuts to find blood-soaked carnage at the town's diner.

A large number of local residents dimly realize that daylight is lasting longer, animals are running away, birds are hiding, radio signals are scrambled and the moon glows green. Something is just not right. Deputy Peterson has the answer. The two residents found ravaged had to be victims of flesh eating zombies. Actually the globe is off its axis and polar fracking has caused the town's dead to become "the undead". The climax is entertaining and pretty hard to forget.

An all-star cast also features Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Selena Gomez, Austin Butler, Caleb Landry Jones, Rosie Perez and Tom Waits.

Can't Take It Back (2017)

Vengeful social media posts

[5/10 · 28 February 2025]

Supernatural horror brings 'em in, but a flick that has trouble after getting started good...leads to let down.

Kristen Shaw (Ana Coto) joins her friend Morgan (Ivanna Sakhno) in posting unfavorable, even hateful, comments on someone's Facebook profile. This is done all in fun. Morgan knows of the target, Kristen however doesn't. This not so innocent deed starts a chain reaction of unexpected fear, madness and death. Plenty of the usual cliches and jump scares sharing time with the predicable lackluster plot spins.

Coto carries the movie that also features Noah Centineo, Lexi Atkins, Keith Pillow and Brenna Bloom.

Humane (2024)

Complying with the government

[6/10 · 28 February 2025]

Governments across the world create a plan to deal with overpopulation by forcing humanity to shed 20% of its numbers.

A well known news anchor, Charles York (Peter Gallagher), invites his children and grandchildren to dinner to announce that he is volunteering to enlist in the global plan. A medical team will come to the house and collect official papers, inject the lethal meds and give the remaining family cash money for the sacrifice, before taking the body away.

The family reluctantly seems proactive for the cause. As long as it doesn't apply to them. Charles advises his children everything will be alright. He will be seen as a hero and those remaining can split the cash. But one more needs to follow his lead...now all hell breaks loose. Mayhem will have to decide who makes the next exit.

The Open House (2018)

Potential wasted

[3/10 · 27 February 2025]

You really want to give this a chance; but the more minutes go by, you start feeling this will more than likely end up a waste of time. It takes more than some nice scenery to make a movie.

A typical family is shattered by a heart attack, causing teenager Logan (Dylan Minnette) and his mother Naomi (Piercey Dalton) , moving to Naomi's sister's home way out in the woods. The home has been on the market to be sold for quite a time. They are greeted by the nearest neighbor Martha (Pat Bathune) that was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Soon strange things begin to happen, like pounding on the door at night; objects moving room to room, not exactly "horror" material. Odd banging from the basement and flashing lights outside the home are annoying, but not scary. The last half hour progresses from scary to murderous. Has someone been hiding in this large house all along? Who, what, why or a waste?

The Canterville Ghost (1996 TV Movie)

Noises in the mansion

[6/10 · 21 February 2025]

After her physicist father receives a grant at a British university, Ginny Otis (Neve Campbell) dreads moving with the family to a centuries-old mansion in an English countryside. For sure, boredom ahead and the missing of friends back home. Almost at the onset, Ginny and her two rowdy brothers hear mysterious noises about the mansion. Plus they witness strange happenings like a reappearing bloodstain on a antiquated fireplace. Eerie. Soon they discover Sir Simon de Canterville (Patrick Stewart)...a supernatural being only the kids can see.

This adaptation is an energetic take on the Oscar Wilde classic short story. Stewart takes on a Shakespearean type role with touches of humor. Miss Campbell is charming proving a future to be reckoned with.

Dark Match (2024)

Satanic wrestling

[5/10 · 20 February 2025]

Brutal and bloody. Rusty (Jonathan Cherry) is a wrestling promoter in financial dire straits. His organization is hired by the Prophet (Chris Jericho) for an out-of-town gig for some serious money. When his group arrives for the event, one of his stars Miss Behave (Ayisha Issa) gets the suspicion something sinister is in the works. Nobody realizes that they are to be part of a Satanic ritual and will be killed in the ring. The whole event will be made into a snuff film with unlimited copies made for sale. Plenty of violence, sadistic wrestling and images of desperation.

Featured in the cast are Steven Ogg, Sara Canning, Jonathan Lepine, Stephanie Wolfe, Mo Adan, Adam Keefe and Emersen Ziffle as Satan.

The Blackwell Ghost (2017 Video)

Trying to prove ghosts are real

[7/10 · 20 February 2025]

I may be a little generous in my rating, but this is what it is. You may think mockumentary; but your viewpoint is what matters. Turner Clay is a skeptical version of himself, a film-maker who decides to expand his career by setting out to prove the existence of ghosts. He gets his hands on footage of something that sure resembles a scary presence. He gets permission to stay at the home that may or may not be haunted.

Clay with his wife (Terri Czapleski) in tow arrives at the home and begins setting up cameras. The owner of the house gives him an explanation of the tragedy that had happened in the structure. Clay confirmed by local library archives.

Strange noises and evidence proves spooky things are happening during the nights he is there. What happens in the last few minutes of this film should have anyone running for the front door as if their hair was on fire.

The Watchers (I) (2024)

Atmospheric chiller!

[7/10 · 19 February 2025]

Written and directed by Ishana Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, tension, foreboding and fear leading toward your own personal trauma...mild may it be. Story line sustains interest and some concern for the characters.

A young Irish woman Mina (Dakota Fanning) has the task of delivering a valuable bird for a pet shop. On her way to Belfast, her car breaks down in a strange forest with scary noises; she finds refuge in a remote building with three strangers led by Madeline (Olwen Fouere). The group is at the mercy of giant creatures called Watchers, that observe them every evening, all evening, through a large window. The trapped humans must find a way out through the forest without being snatched by the Watchers.

The Menu (2022)

Tonight's dinner...exotic and dangerous.

[8/10 · 18 February 2025]

This is a dark comedy concerning a group of elite guests invited to an exclusive restaurant on a remote island to eat a sequence of dishes prepared by a famed celebrity chef Julian Slowick (Ralph Fiennes).

Among the quests are a Slowik super fan Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) and his date Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), who gets the most attention for not being impressed with being there. Within the other guests are a food critic and her editor, a trio of men that work close with Slowik's investor and a has-been movie star (John Leguizamo).

The evening has Slowik and his chefs presenting abstract dishes that have most of the guests enthused or pretending to understand. The ensemble of guests have no clue of Slowik's ill intentions or horrific climax planned for the evening. For art's sake...don't eat, taste!

Fiennes is ingenious and Taylor-Joy practically steals the show. Also in the cast are Aimee Carrero, Judith Light, Mark St. Cyr, Paul Adelstein and Hong Chau.

Ghoulies (1984)

Black Magic becomes an obsession

[4/10 · 12 February 2025]

Jonathan Graves (Peter Liapis) inherits his father's old mansion where he dabbled in Black Magic rituals. Jonathan not into getting a normal education and realizing he is well past his school years decides to make home renovations and refurbish his inherited mansion to suit himself. Soon he follows in his father's footsteps and inherits shocking powers of a satanic wizard. Jonathan's faithful girlfriend Rebecca (Lisa Pelikan) can no longer put up with the new chaos in the home. Wizard Jonathan has summoned little monsters called Ghoulies serving as his minions.

A fun and interesting flick. Acting is all way over the top. Some serious effects for a low budget creature feature. Impossible to be taken seriously.

Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story (2025)

Surviving a nightmare

[7/10 · 10 February 2025]

Marcela Borges (Dascha Polanco) and her husband Ruben leave the doctor's office after watching their baby's heartbeat. The pregnant Marcela will leave to go to her son Ryan's graduation. Rueben heads to the cake shop. Friends and neighbors help celebrate the graduation.

As the family goes to bed, three masked men with guns come to the door. The intruders tie up the Borgeses and ransack the house and demand Ruben's money that totals a few thousand dollars, but not the amount the robber's desire. The family is gathered and taken to a trailer park and shoved to the floor. The Borgeses are told if they can't provide another $200,000, they will be slaughtered one by one.

Marcela must rethink and consider daring forms of escape. Brutal violence will make you cringe as Ruben's lack of wealth proves life is not fair.

Pieces (1982)

Will the pieces all fit?

[7/10 · 7 February 2025]

This is a well filmed low budget project that is helping put horror flicks from Spain on the map. Director J. Piquer Simon and writers Dick Randal and John Shadow are pretty successful at taking the best bits of Spanish horror and giving the viewer "the goods".

After police officials mistakenly think that a 10-year old boy had nothing to do with his mother's bloody murder; fast forward about forty years and a rash of beautiful college co-eds are part of a series of gruesome killings involving their body parts being removed via chainsaw.

Investigators Lt. Bracken (Christopher George) and Sgt. Holden (Frank Brana) suspect the killer to be one of three people on campus: the college dean, an anatomy teacher and grounds keeper. Nevertheless, someone is killing young women to collect body parts.

PIECES can be called trashy, gross and contains full frontal nudity. Also in the cast are Edmund Purdom, Jack Taylor, Lynda Day (George), Roxana Nieto, Silvia Gambino and Gerald Tichy.

Eraserhead (1977)

Cult classic extraordinaire

[8/10 · 29 January 2025]

Early effort of director, writer, producer David Lynch is a unique piece of fantasy and horror. Henry Spenser (Jack Nance) is a young factory worker, lacking social graces living alongside grotesque and bizarre characters in a rundown factory section of Philadelphia. Minus any personality returns from vacation to living in a wasteland.

Henry finds out that his life-partner (Judith Anna Roberts) has had a muted deformed baby while he was away. The freakish infant that constantly cries could easily be described as a monster, thus it's mother leaves Henry to take care of it.

In spite of being touched by some brilliance, this disturbed film has an emphasis on sexuality and sperm imagery. Strongly touched with a blend of horror and comedy; it is probably a favor to the viewer that ERASERHEAD is filmed in black & white.