Cinema Dispatch: Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

August 30, 2026August 30, 2026 ~ Matt Vetrano ~ Leave a comment

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and all the images you see in this review are owned by Mubi

Directed by Jane Schoenbrun

I can’t say I was the biggest fan of I Saw the TV Glow, but it definitely left me with the impression that Jane Schoenbrun was a talented filmmaker to keep an eye on. Perhaps it was an issue of subject matter as I’ve never been much of a fan of Buffy which their previous film took a lot of inspiration from, and am much more of a slasher geek which is what their newest feature is mostly about. Well, that and a bunch of other ideas about identity, sexuality, and the terrifying reality of being yourself, but I think the slasher stuff is what’s gonna clinch it for me. Is this another masterpiece from an up and coming star director, or will this struggle to capture the same lightning in a bottle success of their last feature? Let’s find out!!

Kris Williams (Hannah Einbinder) is an up and coming indie filmmaker who has been tapped by a bunch of studio suits to modernize the long running Camp Miasma franchise; a series of slasher films with a problematic past that could use one of those woke adaptations that the kids are all talking about these days. In the hopes of making a truly authentic reboot, Kris goes to see the reclusive star of the original film, Billy Presley (Gillian Anderson) who just so happens to live on the campgrounds that the film was shot on long ago. With the hopes of a young artist and the cynicism of a young adult, Kris tries to sell Billy on her new ideas for the franchise, but she’s gonna need to impress her with more than just meta-commentary and a more diverse cast if she hopes to get her endorsement. Kris is gonna have to delve not just into the nitty gritty of the venerable franchise, but into the depths of her own soul if she’s going to find any way to connect with Billy and get this project off the ground. Will Kris open herself up to the Billy’s eccentric world view and the mysterious nature of this camp? Why does she chose to live here, and is there more to this old set than memories and gaffers tape? I mean, if I was gonna be toyed by a potentially malevolent diva who may or may not be planning a ritualistic murder… yeah, I’d go with Agent Scully too.

“I can tell that this is gonna be good.” “What, the chicken?” “No. I mean… it’s KFC. It’s fine, but no.”

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Cinema Dispatch: Rules Don’t Apply

December 3, 2016September 8, 2020 ~ Matt Vetrano ~ 1 Comment

rdacd0

Rules Don’t Apply and all the images you see in this review are owned by 20th Century Fox

Directed by Warren Beatty

Oh wow! THAT’S a guy we haven’t heard from in a while! I certainly have no idea what the hell he’s been up to for the last two decades, but the guy is finally back from what looked to be retirement to make this film about one of Hollywood’s most iconic names, though in fairness I really don’t know about Howard Hughes besides the name. Does the triumphant return of Warren Beatty prove to be one of the high points of the year, or is his latest film evidence that he’s gonna need a bit more time before he can truly get back into the film making game? Let’s find out!!

The movie begins with Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich) who’s working as a driver for the one and only Howard Hughes (Warren Beatty) in order to possibly get him to invest in some housing project that Frank is trying to get off the ground. The problem is that he’s not driving Mr. Hughes himself; rather he’s assigned to drive around Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins) who’s been brought to Hollywood in order to do a screen test for a movie that Hughes is producing. Marla along with at least twenty other women are all vying for the same part… as far as I could tell, and eventually she gets called in to meet Howard Hughes. At this point, things get a bit confusing as it’s not clear exactly if Marla ever gets the part (or any parts in any movies for that matter), but in the process Frank gets the attention of Howard who makes him one of his personal assistants as the movie is now about following the both of them along with another assistant Levar Mathis (Matthew Broderick) as they do whatever the hell Howard Hughes wants to do during the declining years of his life. In the background, there’s a romance brewing between Marla and Frank, though Howard forbids any “hanky-panky” between his employees, and things start to go further and further south as Howard’s mental state gets worse and worse. Will Frank ever get Howard’s attention long enough to bring his plans to life, or is Howard just stringing him along? Will Marla and Frank get together despite the rules that are keeping them apart? Just… what the hell was this movie about? Can someone explain that to me please?

rdacd1 — “Now just sit back, relax, and I’ll go fly this sucker right to the alien mother ship.” “The hell did he just say?”

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