DEADSTREAM (2022)

Streamer dork Shawn Ruddy runs a YouTube channel were he does self-destructive and suicidal shit like throwing a donut at some cops, freezing himself to death and…watching two Will Smith movies back-to-back. Just kidding.  Nobody is that suicidal!  Shawn’s viewership has dipped lately, so he pulls out the big guns and announces that he’s going to spend the night in a haunted house. That might sound totally lame, but DEADSTREAM won me over by being original, engaging and full of entertaining twists. Yeah, the overall premise is most likely based on THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, but DEADSTREAM easily surpassed that overrated turkey within the first 30 minutes.

Lightning-fast pace, outstanding acting by the small cast, impressive script that takes the ancient haunted house story idea and turns it into something fun and original, awesome camerawork and special effects, numerous small little tidbits that rewards the viewer for paying attention.

I could ramble on about DEADSTREAM for a long time, but nobody gives a fuck about what I think, so just do yourself a favor instead and check it out. It might even make a great double-feature with WITCHING AND BITCHING.

PREDATOR (1987)

A group of seven ultimate military badasses are sent into an unspecified South American jungle to rescue a foreign cabinet minister from a terrorist camp. Things don’t go as planned.

The best way to watch PREDATOR for the very first time would be to erase your memory and time-travel back to the late 1980’s as a 12-year-old boy. I remember watching it back then around that age and it blew my lil’ simpleton mind! A bunch of large badass super soldiers getting their asses kicked out it the deep jungle, lots of cool guns and large knives, wicked Predator-vision that looked like nothing I’d ever seen before, explosions, the word “motherfucker”, getting to the chopper. It’s was awesome! Nowadays, the whole thing is probably pretty tame (to new viewers) and the entire legacy of the film shit on by not just one or two lame additions to the series, but (as of 8/2022) six! I’m not even sure how it’s humanly possible to take a great movie with a cool, original story and then turn in 6 weak ass sequels, prequel and spin-offs, but they did.  You'd think at some point they would accidentally make a good movie...but nope.

Anyway, I’m rambling. The original Predator film is dated, but still badass and totally worth checking out even today. At least for fans of 1980’s action / sci fi.

Minor spoiler...I love the happy character end credit shots, but I really wish they had added one for the Predator himself. And a happy group shot with the Predator and the soldiers all hugging would have been hilarious.

Part 2 – Predator 2 (1990)
Part 3 – Predators (2010)
Part 4 – The Predator (2018)
Prequel - Prey (2022)
Alien crossover 1 - Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Alien crossover 2 - Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)