Pallbearers Club

2022 psychological horror novel by Paul Tremblay about a high school loner who starts a club for volunteer pallbearers and forms an intense friendship with a mysterious girl named Mercy. The book is structured as a memoir written by the main character, Art. Mercy gets hold of the manuscript and adds her own notes, challenging his version of events and blurring the lines between reality, memory, and the supernatural. The novel is a genre-bending story that blends horror, humor, and metafiction, with a central mystery revolving around whether Mercy is a vampire.

Plot summary( beginning:) In the late 1980s, awkward high schooler Art Barbara starts the Pallbearers Club to volunteer at poorly attended funerals.

The conflict: Art takes a photo of Mercy and captures a strange creature on film, leading him to suspect she is a vampire.

“Happiness is not an ideal of reason, but imagination“

Memoir or Novel: that is the question.

It reads like a memoir, with notes (editorial?) according to Mercy in red in the margins and end of each chapter. Constantly underlining the ‘memoir’ and nothing “novel” instead. Whichever it is, there I say are touches of fiction within the metaphors, imagination and similies.

I found it to be an interesting read. Sadly as per usual October/November came around which usually seems to be my ‘burn out’ point of reading; plus I was busy getting ready to go away for a week for (Hope you had a happy) Thanksgiving. Because of this I ended up going days without getting to read it, which somewhat into waning interest.

There’s Pop culture references through the years. Plus of course experiences, the following excerpt. that follows had me laughing as it’s more or less….SO me… …… and could be used for a memoir of my own making (should I write one)

My mercurial eating habits were a main topic of discourse. Mom dutifully listed all the things I wouldn’t eat, her sharpness of tone in-creasing with each enumeration as though finally freeing herself of a crushing burden. My mortification is presented below as anexistential-hell play:

LE MANGEUR DIFFICILE
(or french for The Picky Eater)

MOM: He won’t use ketchup-
MERCY: Ketchup, wow.
MOM: Mayo, mustard, relish-
MERCY: Yeah, the no-condiments thing. He says it’s why he never gets
a burger when we go to Micky D’s. He always orders fries and chicken McNuggets.
MOM: What kid won’t eat McDonald’s burgers besides mine?

ART: Okay, Mom. Stop. I eat burgers. Just not those ones.

MOM: No pickles. Doesn’t like the flavor of coffee. The only vegetable heeats is corn-ART: Ma, I eat carrots.

MOM: Only if they’re not cooked. He doesn’t eat anything. It’s why he’s soskinny. He doesn’t even like bread.

ART: I like bread fine. I just won’t eat PB&Js anymore. I overdosed on themas a kid.

MOM: When he was little, I had to trick him into eating fried fish by calling itFried French.

MERCY: Amazing!

ART: All right! That’s enough!

MOM: Art has always been so sensitive. Can’t let anything roll off his back.Art stabs himself in eye with a fork.The others briefly acknowledge his agony with politeyet aloof applause before continuing their discussion.

so what parts of that is me?

I still love peanut butter and the occasional pb & j sandwich, it’s spaghetti sauce on ‘gettis that I ‘ODed’ on when I was little. I’m told that’s what I’d always ask for. And tho’ yes; I eat pizza, I gag when there’s a glob of sauce in one spot. I use ketchup, just not the other condiments mentioned. As a child anytime I ordered a burger at McDonald’s or Burger King, they always would come back with onions and the pickles, and I’d always say no to the salad etc on top. I didn’t like those type of pickles so I’m same with fries and nuggets. raw baby carrots, corn or potatoes if you count the starchy ones as vegetables, those are the only veggies I eat unless I dehydrate spinach for my chick pea salad I came up with. I ate fish sticks as a kid, grew out of it now the only seafood I eat is the occasional fried clams or calamari but if it comes out of breading or batter I just can’t!😂 And I WILL ADMIT I am now a picky ass adult, however I do experiment a bit when I cook )

Hope is believing there’ll be another moment of joy; and despair is knowing there won’t be one more.

The friendship: He recruits the cool and mysterious Mercy Brown, who brings her Polaroid camera and knowledge of New England folklore. They bond over music and a shared interest in the macabre.

I liked that the annotations were included, and you better study for the SATs or get a few word a day calenders before reading this one, as there are a few words or terms I had to look up!

The memoir: Decades later, Art writes a memoir about his life and his friendship with Mercy. The twist: Mercy gets a hold of his manuscript and begins to edit it, adding her own notes and contradicting Art’s memories. This creates a narrative where the reader must decide if Art is a reliable narrator or if Mercy is a supernatural being gaslighting him

Mantid (yes I figured it meant something having to do with insects, but with the English language having parkways you drive on and drive ways you park in, I don’t trust my own language 🤪

kyphotic –excessive forward curvature of the spine, a condition also known as kyphosis. This can appear as a “hunchback” or “slouching” posture

parse –excessive forward curvature of the spine, a condition also known as kyphosis. This can appear as a “hunchback” or “slouching” posture

hagiography – the writing of the lives and f saints

rai·son d’ê·tre /ˌrāzôn ˈdetrə/ french noun: the most important reason or purpose for someone or something’s existence.

permeable, diffuse, wisp, soporific

I’ll be honest, it’s been some time since I came across the words and maybe even had the “need to, want to, have to,” +new ideas hitting me on repeat that I had to look them up

Key themes and style

Unreliable narration: The book plays with the concept of an unreliable narrator, with the reader constantly questioning which version of events is true.

Friendship: It explores the complex and unsettling nature of a lifelong friendship, and how it can be both life-changing and potentially diabolical. Genre-bending: The novel blends multiple genres, including horror, humor, history, memoir, and metafiction.

Metafiction: The structure of the book, with its manuscript and edited notes, is a key part of the story, making the reader an active participant in the narrative.

A few more excerpts

so you know the voices of the book

(Mercy talking to Art)

You need to tell me you won’t continue to hide yourself,
that you’ll try to be who you imagine yourself as being. I want to
know if you’ll take actual fucking risks to be that person and still
like that person when you fail and when you succeed. I want you to
tell me you’re not going to be the same scared, woe-is-me kid who
hides in his head. Please tell me you won’t float along with every-
one else through the drunk and stupid numbing bliss of college and
then zombie into a middle- or upper-class job you won’t care about
because you need to pay student loans and then pay all the other
loans to come. After all we’ve done, tell me you won’t pretend you’re
happy and you won’t pretend you can’t do what you want to do
even if you aren’t entirely sure what that is. Can you tell me that?”
I didn’t answer. How could I make any empty promises about
the opaque future?

‘art’ describes the first time he listened to what would become his favorite band (replacing Def Leppard) however I cannot seem to find the name.

I couldn’t parse the lyrics. There was no heroic guitar soloing.

No chorus with slick background vocals. Zero production value. It
was as though someone broke into their rehearsal space (I imagined
a musty, low-ceilinged basement) and dropped a mono-channel
tape recorder in the middle of the floor, and because of the analog
recording intrusion the band played louder, faster, angrier. Hints of
melody surfaced and imploded, only to ooze back later, and then the
song abruptly finished, crashed, and it was the end of the speakers
and the tape player and the Datsun and maybe the rest of the world
because it was all too much. Then the next song exploded. My initial
response: I didn’t like it. It was too much. The emotion and lack of control was dangerous,too painfully confessional and I wanted to hide from its rawness but I couldn’t stop listening.

one of the pages of Mercy’s comments

-Interpretations of your dead-of-night stagger through mydarkened, suddenly evil apartment: First, the scene could beread as a metaphor for growing older. Stumbling around in thedark with inexplicable/existential threats behind you and within your path ahead including a closed door , and your heedless, bullish rush forward because having what’s behind you catch and
would be worse, knowing that someday-maybe
today-there will be a final door you cannot open. Probably a
stretch. I think a BETTER reading is specific to the career arc
of a musician, especially within the context of the discussion of
your dissatisfaction with music and my emboldening suggestion to
give writing a shot. The old saw, particularly in music -though itapplies toartistic endeavor, given culture’s thirstful lust fornew/young voices-is that a band’s “best” or most popular recordsare almost invariably produced within the early part of theircareer. There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but there’ssizable nugget of truth within the canard, and it correlates toyour terror-walk through my apartment. Check it out: the newband/writer will plow recklessly though the darkened room, ifnot without fear, then putting that fear to use to absorb andignore the stubbed toes and mashed noses accumulated on theirway to findingan original, beautiful path out. With each stumblethrough concurrent rooms, the creator grows wearyand their barking shins and will stay upon the same path they’d worked so hard to forge and hesitate to take chances withother painful maybe even dangerous ways to escape. Or thecreator obsessively returns to the same room over and over. Or, if the creator dares continue to explore new rooms and tread new paths, ones that threaten to become a maze, ones impossible to follow without having to absorb too much of the honest pain new rooms and tread new
follow without having to absorb too much of the honest pain and difficulty of the
experience, and the creator’s listeners/readers-I will not use the word “consumers” as vampirically fitting as it
night be-eventually balk, as they would rather remain on their favored path, the easier one to remember, the one they were originally led down.

-This dead-of-night scene as horror: Creepy for sure,especially the bit about my shifting from Hulk-smashing throughthe debris to lightly walking over it. You intimate I wasfloatingbut I imagined me stretched out and insectlike, psychopomping mybulk in such an expert way that I weighed almost nothing. Chillsdude. Even though it’s written in first person and the readerknows that at this point in the book there’s no way you coulddie within the scene, and even though I know what happened, Iwas worried and scared for Punk Art. Horror at its core remindsof the inevitability of death, even if it doesn’t occur on thepage. However, are you sort of maybe possibly taking the make-everyday-objects-and-scenarios-menacing thing a bit too far withfloating dressers and jackets that become homunculi parasites?Yeah, when I state plainly the supernatural bits like that and without

without any story context it sounds silly, justmake so many other horror stories/movies sound, silly wSimilar manner. *Sigh* Okay, I liked the uncanniness offirst seeing the dresser and then becoming obsessedwith finding exactly where it was rooted to the wallThat’s cool. It’s weird and real at the same time. And,the following night, I liked the juxtaposition of,being scared precisely because the dresser is now on- That bit works because the everyday, normal thing isAnd what happens next? Ehnge and off andcreepy.yourt comes down to personal taste, but I was more movedguity of the dresser, of not knowing what the fuck wasthe dresser, than by it and other objects in the room goneike I’ve told you before, I don’t believe in the supernaturalates to ghosts or demons or beings, be they devils orspite mylove of horror, I have a hard time suspendingin fiction/movies too. I so desperately want to believe,not. Not for a lack of trying, either. I’m not expressing myself very well because there are plenty of books and movies withsupernatural elements that scare and have scared the shit out ofthat bring me to a wait-a-minute precipice of belief. It’s justthe floating thing, man. I’m having a hard time connecting withit. But I’m thinking maybe the vampire me bombards you with akind of pheromone that makes you more receptive and suggestive,makes you hallucinate. I like the idea of a naturalistic vampire,and pheromones messing with your head would be a cool callbackto the classic trope of a vampire hypnotizing victims. Or, how aboutthis: I like the idea of the vampire as some kind of transgressionor transgressor from another dimension or something like that,something that can mess with space/time, can get quantum on you.I haven’t fully worked that out, and maybe that’s fine, we’re notsupposed to know, and maybe even the vampire/being straddlingthe multiverses or multiexistences doesn’t know either. Why wouldknow? Imean, think about it thiswhy or how of your own consciousness?the vamp waybDoyouknow theNo I’m not stoned. you asshole! Anyway, don’t try to over explain- like I am -either.

Mercy goes on how to write the scene in her apartment, starting with Art’s pov then when th dresser rises, cut to her POV and keeping in mind he was blaming her for his health issues. Draining his life-force causing his palpitations,sleep apnea,chest pains, back issues etc.

Now you see me franchise

With the release of the 3rd movie Now you see me Now you don’t I have made this Marathon an unofficial Classic Cuts post. This is a re-publishing of at least the first if not first 2 movies review and was originally published June 30, 2016 11:35 am

Now you see me

2013

Each magician is invited to an address. Inside, they encounter a few tricks. A year later, these four have become The Four Horsemen and are doing a show in Las Vegas. They end the first performance that we see with a bank robbery that doesn’t look like an illusion. An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists and Mentalists who pull off bank heists during their performances, and reward their audiences with the money.

I think the trailers called it ‘The thrill ride of the year” and I think I might have to agree with that. Finally something fresh (different) from all the other “haven’t I seen this movie before (with another title)’ PlotAside from knowing this was all movie magic, I wondered how some of the tricks were (er would be) done, or at least if it were possible. You also have a mystery as to who hired our ‘four horsemen’ and a variety of other elements, besides the did I really see what I think I saw. Also I can’t believe there’s actually a Franco that The kid CAN actually act, The younger bro of James Franco isn’t a Wooden Bore of an actor like his brother and can actually pull off a joke. I predict a sequel. A

Highly entertaining film, interesting concept, and surely not a genre played out much in Hollywood. Not only do they have magic/illusionist shows but the whole movie is one big show full of good performances from the young cast working alongside the likes of Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. The film is entertaining, for young and old. When a film is well done, I say just relax and go along with it. I’m always amazed at how people review a film judging all the same way (not to mention many that do not seem to know HOW to actually write a proper review. If you don’t or do like it, tell us WHY for both!!! Some review movies that are not serious as if its something like Citizen Kane. If you want reality, don’t watch movies.

Overall, this movie is a solid flick with some great actors that you shouldn’t sleep on. It clocks in at just under 2 hours, but it won’t feel that long at all. There should have been more dialog between Eisenberg and Harrelson at least.

Sadly as much as I wanted to type up the story about the secret Egyptian society called The Eye that uses slight of hand for justice. was only able to get down By only taking a leap of faith will their eyes be open to life’s miracles. I’m not ever sure if I quoted that right.

Noble Robin hoods or just thieves?

Now you see me 2

This review is written at 2 separate times. When I originally saw it and added to it when I re-watched it before the release of the 3rd movie on November 14, 2025. Many Apologies if some of my comments/reactions etc are not in order of appearance.

The cast is back with Lizzy Caplan replacing Isla Fisher who almost died during her water trick in the original. And ironically Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe ‘apparates’ into the movie as Walter the villainous science wizard.

Best tricks work on many levels

The easiest ‘preview’ why should I spew a bunch of blather.. when this guy has made my job easy for me?!

We start with a flashback to 1984 New Jersey where a young Dylan is on hand to watch his father Shrike performing a deadly magic trick. I don’t want to give away too much but will say they are all gathered on a bridge.

I like the way they did the opening intro and the scene leading into the laptop.

Whoever the voices are behind the EYE may play a bigger role this time.

Oh my who is this in his apartment, enjoyed the ‘trick’ they set up.

Octa going to sell their social networking info. So they are going to hi-jack the show. Eisenberg’s character walking through the building changing clothes and stuff and in security room had a good laugh at what he did.

Well the horsemen got hosed and sort of literally at that! In through a tube and out…. on the other side of the world in China!!! Was this Thaddeus’ doing revealing some truths during the Octa show?

The new girl is so annoying , talks way too fast and just gives me a headache..

WTF?… how does Thaddeus get that cushy in a cell? Or shall I say get to have that stuff in his cell?

Oh So THAT’S who hi-jacked the show over them and how they got to china!

Need to steal back a computer card or chip for Walter.

In the magic store Dylan finds some of his father’s things. Then the proprietors brought something out that his father a few made.

Wow when Bruce Banner said in the Avengers he’s always mad, he wasn’t kidding! We’ve got a HULK SMASH-up in this! And Avatar Awards nomination for best fight vs. Walter’s minions and then the son surpasses the father.

3 little pop ups to distract from the real trick? (am I looking too closely?) Jack in one area, the girl in another “lets make something small fly”… Check your fly, and Atlas making it rain, love the disappearing act. Its been so long since I’ve seen this I honestly don’t remember where this is going!

Darn I couldn’t get the whole quote “Lies forever shrouded in his fist”

The Fool is the most powerful of the tarot, as the fool is a clean slate”

Of course instead of showing one preview of a trick in the trailers they had to a little too much. For me the end tricks really didn’t top the original movie’s, and isn’t that what a sequel is supposed to do? (and isn’t that one reason why the Fast & the Furious series is so popular?) For me I didn’t feel there was enough meat in the movie. Also I didn’t find the tricks to top the original. Thaddeus, isn’t who you really think he is, but then who do we think he is? I wish I could make Caplan’s character disappear. This wasn’t as magically fun as the original for me, however parts gave me a laugh.

B

Now you see me, Now you don’t

A diamond heist reunites retired Horsemen illusionists with new performers Greenblatt, Smith and Sessa as they target dangerous criminals.

The horsemen are back plus 3 of the next generation joins the team. An underground show in Bushwick with a possession trick…Oh and twist 😁Trip to Belgium Vanderberg (? sorry not sure if I heard it correct or if Auto correct rewrote what I had) company with what is supposed to be the last diamond mine, and owns the heart diamond OMG one trick had me baffled and laughing from shock; dudes head went weird ! Atlas trying to get one of the kids do a card trick then it turns out to a ‘mine is bigger ‘ competition . One of my favorite parts of the movie. I like these movies…I liken them to the Ocean’s heist movies just with the added ‘you just have the added ‘magic’ element to it which to me makes it more fun. Illusion rooms which were a nice touch especially what I call Alice’s Mad hatter room and Not happy with that loss in the movie. You’ll know what I mean when you see it.

‘The witch’ (as she was called) was nice with a site gag or 2, and one of which a bit funny.

For me this one wasn’t as fun as the first 2. I’m not sure if it was cast chemistry being messed up with the kids, If the ‘system’ was some how messed with but that is just 2 of the possibilities that come to mind at the moment.

🎩 Now You See Me: Now You Don’t: 🆕 $21.3M domestic opening, $75.5M global debut, $90M budget. Lionsgate’s magician heist threequel surprised with a #1 finish, with women driving 54% of ticket sales and China delivering a massive $19.2M

Now You See Me 3 Finally Has the Best, Most Obvious Title

and Introduces a Whole New Magic Team

June 30, 2016 11:35 am

The Crow (2024)

When I heard they were making this one (I believe the 3rd or 4th sequel after Brandon Lee’s original), I had already started the posts to boycott it. I knew in no way could they do any better, be it a remake, re-imagining, or reboot.

The only thing that SORT OF was ok with me was that a Skarsgard (Bill aka Pennywise) was playing Eric.

Still pretty much same Plot

Soulmates Eric and Shelly are brutally murdered. Given a chance to save the love of his life, Eric must sacrifice himself and traverse the worlds of the living and the dead, seeking revenge.

Danny Huston plays Vincent Roeg which I have NOT An EFFIN CLUE who or what he is supposed to be. Early in the movie you see something happen with his eyes. I was expecting to see he was supposed to be the devil or some other B.S. that didn’t belong in the story. I don’t think that was even the name of the original villain (which looking up on IMDB I can’t even make out be it actor name or character name…just gives me an excuse to watch it as soon as I’m done here!

Was I wrong in my assumption (after all “assuming makes an ass of you and me”) NOPE! While I normally do not use stats from websites like IMDB or gods help that stupid Rotten Tomatoes …. IMDB’s user rating.. is a lowly 4.7 out of 10! on Rotten the Tomatometer is a 22% while the Popcorn meter is 62% and tho I always say never listen to the critics… this one you MUST

Dreary and poorly paced, this reimagining of The Crow doesn’t have enough personality or pulse to merit the resurrection.

There’s no quotable lines like the original, the music to me doesn’t suit it, and whoever decided (tested) that make up for Billy boy is a no, tho I take it looked better than the original would have. The tattoos are just STUPID, a few maybe like the one I believe was on his chest in a sense could have been the round window from the original. Whatever the EFF the one over his eyebrow was supposed to be he had it before he met Shelly in this one. Many of them just did not make sense to me but I’m not wasting my time on checking out every single one I saw the ones on his knuckles looked like alchemist symbols (as far as at least one or 2 looked like). I do believe there still is a drug thing going on in it, but what was showed in the video in the beginning that one of the girls received…why was it sent, what did they do in it aside from someone slipping a blade in front of them.

Also I get having the purgatory world, however they didn’t need it.

Quite honestly I think it was just to try to make more money off an old franchise (that should have stayed at the ONE movie. I’m glad I didn’t pay any amount of money for this garbage. The story line is so thin and came off as lazy to me, however I did like the use of light (when he was alive and in that prison place and after meeting Shelly it was brightly lit. When they are attacked the lighting is dim and when he’s dead the movie takes on a darker tone as well as lighting.

While I saw it being aired on a cable channel, and finishing off a book I watched HOPING I would be proved wrong. So far my instincts on movies (just by ‘looking at the cover’ as in the trailer) have so far not been wrong.

(So far the only one that comes to mind I HAVE been wrong about was that first 12 Rounds movie with John Cena in it. There may be another, however I can’t recall at the moment what it was. )

D- or a flat out F

Sully Erna’s The Paths We Choose

Serenity

I’m not one to read Biographies and that sort. Hey! I can still count on one hand how many Autobiographies or ‘Memoirs’ I’ve read…

NHL player Jaromir Jagr (formerly of Pittsburgh Penguins), Retired NY Jets player #80 Wayne Chrebet, Martin Brodeur (NHL NJ Devils Goalie), Nikki Sixx’s (of Motley Crue) Heroine Diaries, (you can see more about those at the end) & now Sully’s The Paths we choose.

I love the way its written, as though he’s sitting in a chair or bar stool across from you. Even though it is mostly serious, it knows when to include some wit.

Hells Angels at a Godsmack concert…is like putting gasoline on a fire

That line if not my #1 favorite part of the book would be a close 2nd. However only to a scene described (and the images in my head) of him describing a part in the kitchen where he and his mom were on opposite sides of the kitchen table, which turned into a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

This was a great read . I know it says ‘memoir’ but to me that’s just another term for an Autobiography. It has all the details a biography does, some pictures as well. So what is the difference between the 2? I don’t see one here, other than the words. Some of the autobiographies I’ve read, I’ve liked for one reason or other; however some stand out and others I don’t remember a thing from (not sure if its due to time or the writing) . The Paths We Choose I remember multiple things from.

Besides the above mentioned I believe its time to re-read the book; as a couple other parts I had remembered, seem to have escaped my memory with time (or maybe a distraction).

Product details

Edition ‏ : ‎ Available both in hardcover and Kindle

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bartleby Press

Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 19, 2016

Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 298 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0910155984
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0910155984
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #266,198 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #881 in Rock Music (Books)
- #2,258 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
- #8,539 in Memoirs (Books)
Customer Reviews: 4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars (434)

I enjoyed the read and kept the book to re-read but then again he is my favorite band’s singer (and fave singer over all)

A Few Minutes with Sully

Strip Mind What’s in Your mouth (Sully’s former band)

The Other bios I’ve read

I read the Jagr & Wayne Chrebet ones so long ago, I don’t even remember. I have yet to read Steven Tyler’s as welll as have Sid Row’s lead singer Sebastian Bach’s to read. Martin Brodeur’s was good, as for Nikki Sixx.. I LOVED the art of the book, it reminded me of what’s the new term they use for ‘Comic’ books now.

Other memoirs I’ve read and 2 more I will read Amazon.com Widgets

This lens was nominated for Best Autobiography Lens on Squidoo

The Running Man-Double Feature

1987 1:41 Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso , Yaphet Kotto

In a future dystopian America, a wrongfully accused and convicted policeman gets his shot at freedom when he’s forced to participate in a TV game show where convicts called Runners must battle killers for their freedom.

By 2017 the economic system has collapsed. (ours I feel did when 9-11 happened, and has gotten worse in the 2020s.)

Arnold ‘s character Richards refuses to fire on Un-armed civilians just trying to get

food. He’s called the ‘Butcher of Bakersfield” when he’s trying to get his collar taken off.

OMG one of the game show hosts from back in the day is in this just can’t think of the name or which and looking at the IMDB cast Richard Dawson but I have yet to find a game show however he’s been in Fantasy Island, Love Boat and all those lovely classic 60s-70s TV series, AH! Family Feud then I see WWE Wrestler Jesse “The Body” Ventura as well, which pops up as some exercise guru.

Time to play one weird game of hockey and OH WOW that is an AWESOME hockey stick! And at least Richards is resourceful..that looked like something out of AEW.

I’m not sure if all 1980’s movies had some cheese from a slice to wheel size, but there is one forgettable pun in this

They paint their own story, in a sense framing Richards showing him doing what he was told to do, instead of what he actually did.

While I appreciate the grittiness and practical effects for whatever there are in this; and while I don’t recall hearing how it did way back when I was in grade school I’m not really sure if this would have done well or not for the time. It also shows at least one reason to destroy ALL A.I.! What reason is that? If I have to tell you then I’m not giving you the idea, and assisting any criminals reading this. (There’s already too many criminals currently making it, and using it and ways I can see it being used )

I wasn’t really into the movie and I am hoping the upcoming movie will be better, faster paced. (Do I like action that makes you breathe like you just ran a Marathon? Yes that’s what action is, slow ‘action’ movies are not action. Even street Fights move at a fast pace so seriously

C-

Alamo Draft House Clip show

Strangest Stephen King movies

Children of the corn
Cats eye
The mangler
Creepshow 2
1408
Maximum overdrive
Sleepwalkers
The rage:Carrie 2
A return to Salem’s lot
The lawnmower man

B/w cartoon of an airplane race

Edgar wright’s top 5 car chases

The driver 1978
Mad max fury road 2015
The blues brothers 1980
Bullitt 1968
The French connection 1971

Some Korean (?) game competition show climbing a soapy ‘slope’

Death race 2000 trailer

Stephen king ad ‘you know what scares me” ad to check out your local library

Rollerballichael cera Pillsbury dough commercial

Trailer for Arnold’s Running Man
Family feud (w/Steve harvey) clips YouTube/vicberger

2025

Glen Powell, Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, William H. Macy, Emilia Jones,

Edgar Wright (BABY DRIVER) adapts the over-the-top Stephen King classic set

One man’s run for freedom begins.
In a future ruled by spectacle, one man
dares to challenge the game that kills for ratings.

🏃‍♂️⚡🎯🔥💀
Be one of the first to see Glen Powell in The Running Man!
In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards (Glen Powell) is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts, and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger, and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.Don’t miss Edgar Wright’s take on the over-the-top Stephen King classic.

The killer futuristic hide and seek game show zeros in on the original 1982 source by Richard Bachman aka Stephen King. While the ‘Arnie’ movie confined the game to a subterranean set, there is a game show set hosted by the flamboyant Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead) who also pulls strings int he background. Josh Brolin plays the show’s producer Dan Killian.

While I read an article that mentioned the original “only had the one setting”, making it sound like its some tiny budget movie, there is more than one setting that he and others move through in the original when the game gets going. The contestant Ben Richards is moving through a range of Environments and needs to survive 30 days in this wild.

The novel is set in the ‘near-future’ Which for us is now ! Its set in 2025 as a dystopian nightmare. This new version with Glen Powell’s Ben Richards (unlike Arnold’s one man army) will be a desperate fugitive using his wits to stay alive so hopefully a lot of action and skin of your teeth escapes…and .so. Much. Running…..

Msg from Ben richards to turn your 🤬 phones off.

( I copied and pasted my notes into post, sorry for any typos or autocorrect screwing something up)

Daughter sick funny cough whooping
Physical and psycho test (“you are angriest man to ever…”

Put in teams of 3

While the other 2 party richards gets his meeting with producer played by Josh Brolin

Network and ‘new money’ (which has Arnold’s face oIt)
3 rules
Hunters

Moosh boosh colman domingo
The ride part is faster

Leaves most of what left for him

Will h Macy plays molly where you want to go for ids and survival

I spotted Powell’s dog brisket on the train
Mail drones

Hello towel!!!!
Htf did the guy find him!?!?

Dude sends him to Derry Maine …are we gonna see Pennywise and it’s about time they show Laughlin

Dressed as a priest the hick sees through the disguise.

Beautiful house, and nicely bo now trapped

Called’ the initiator’
Liberty springs? From book or other story?

Freevee. Lol

🏃‍♂️ The Running Man: 🆕 $17M domestic opening, $28.2M global debut, $110M budget. Glen Powell’s first stumble since achieving movie star status as Edgar Wright’s dystopian reboot fell below tracking, unable to escape its R-rating limitations. 35% of international territories have yet to open (including China, Korea, and Brazil).

Glen Powell and Edgar Wright take a novel approach to The Running Man in first look (exclusive)
Glen Powell on how Tom Cruise made sure he ‘survived’ grueling The Running Man shoot

croll down for an Article from Entertainment Weekly (included as reference)

The following is an article from Entertainment Weekly all rites belong to them and the writer I take no credit just including for reference as I know they eventually clear out old articles.

Stephen King reveals his thoughts on the big ending change in The Running Man (exclusive)

The dystopian thriller, which is based on King’s 1982 novel of the same name, is now playing in theaters.

Lauren Huff

November 14, 2025 12:00 p.m. ET

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Glen Powell stars in Paramount Pictures' "THE RUNNING MAN." — Glen Powell stars in Paramount Pictures’ The Running Man’.Credit: Ross Ferguson/Paramount Pictures

This article contains spoilers for The Running Man.

The Running Man film is an incredibly faithful adaptation of Stephen King‘s 1982 novel of the same name — until it isn’t.

Both book and film are high-octane dystopian thrillers set in a future, alternate version of America. They both follow Ben Richards (played by Glen Powell in the film), an out-of-work father in desperate need of money for his sick child’s treatment, who joins a murderous game show — The Running Man — in which contestants are pursued by “hunters” hired to take them out.

The rules of the game, Ben’s journey, the people he meets along the way, and the things he learns about the corrupt and morally bankrupt society in which he lives remain mostly unchanged from page to screen. But the film’s final act is where things differ.

Ahead of the film’s release this weekend, Entertainment Weekly reached out to King to get his thoughts on the big change. “I like the ending of Edgar’s version of The Running Man very much,” he said. “Can’t say too much — spoilers — but I think readers of the novel will be satisfied because they get to have it both ways. If you see what I mean, and I’m betting you do.”

Now, with the movie out in theaters, we can break down what the horror maestro was hinting at.

In the book, which King wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, Ben carjacks a wealthy woman named Amelia (played by Emilia Jones), taking her hostage and getting the press’s attention in the process. Together, they head to an airport, where he bluffs his way past the media, police, and lead hunter Evan McCone (Lee Pace), onto a plane, by pretending he has a powerful bomb hidden in Amelia’s bag.

With McCone and Amelia on board, he continues the ruse, directing the plane to fly low over highly populated cities so it won’t be shot down by a defense missile. The head of the game show network, Killian (Josh Brolin), calls Ben and tells him that he knows he’s bluffing — the plane has x-ray tech that shows he’s not actually carrying an explosive. He then attempts to bargain with Ben, now the show’s most successful contestant, by offering him McCone’s job.

Inside Glen Powell’s action-packed turn as ‘The Running Man’ — and why he’s happy ‘chasing the danger’

EW Digital Cover Story Tout - Running Man

Glen Powell on how Tom Cruise made sure he ‘survived’ grueling ‘The Running Man’ shoot

When Ben refuses, Killian tells him that his wife and child are dead, murdered 10 days earlier by intruders. Irate and with nothing left to lose, Ben accepts the offer before killing McCone and the flight crew and forcing Amelia to parachute to safety. Mortally wounded after his fight with McCone, Ben uses his remaining strength to program the plane to fly directly into the network building where it all started, killing Killian and himself in the process. The novel ends simply: “The explosion was tremendous, lighting up the night like the wrath of God, and it rained fire twenty blocks away.”

However, in the film, the plane never reaches the building. It’s shot down before it gets there, and the network announces that Ben died in the crash. But some of his fans aren’t so convinced, including one amateur sleuth, who argues that Ben could have used an escape pod feature on the plane.

We then see Ben’s wife and daughter alive and well in a grocery store, where a masked man — later revealed to be Ben — has paid for their groceries. The family shares a sweet reunion before Ben, now a full-on vigilante, heads to the Running Man set where his journey began. At the head of an angry mob, he walks into the studio and confronts Killian, ultimately shooting him in front of the cameras as the crowd tears apart the set.

Running Man BTS Stephen King and Edgar Wright — Stephen King and Edgar Wright finally meet.Edgar Wright/Instagram

Though wildly different than the book, King was on board with the change from the beginning. According to the film’s director and co-writer, Edgar Wright, the acclaimed horror writer was sent the script before the film’s production began. “Stephen King read the screenplay before we started filming, and so I was kind of most nervous about what he would think, but he loved it,” Wright told EW of the script.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.

King was similarly pleased with the finished product as a whole. “He watched the film recently, and one thing he said that I really liked, he said, ‘It’s much more faithful to the book, but different enough to keep it exciting for me,'” Wright says. “I thought that that was the best answer, is that it’s more faithful to the book than the previous adaptation [the 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger], but it does have changes and twists. So I think like Ben Richards, you want to keep readers of the book on the back foot as well.”

Mission accomplished, we’d say.

M3gan 2.0

Everyone deserves a second chance, hers just comes with a killer upgrade…
Witness the “catty cousin of the T-800 vs T-1000 showdown as M3GAN 2.0 faces off with her arch-nemesis, Amelia.

Unleash the future of fright with M3GAN 2.0, where the line between innovation and danger blurs. As Gemma resurrects the beloved AI with enhanced power and precision to take down Amelia, a military-grade weapon born from stolen technology, she must put her trust and life into the hands of the sassy AI doll who threatened to put her in a wheelchair.

Your killer bestie is back! When an autonomous android built as the ultimate weapon threatens her beloved Cady, M3GAN convinces her creator, Gemma, to give her a glow-up that makes the original A.I. diva even deadlier. Armed with wild new upgrades and her same iconic attitude, M3GAN claps back against the wannabe techno-terror in a fierce faceoff to crown the baddest bot built for maximum mayhem.

You know you missed her,

Two years after M3GAN’s rampage, her creator, Gemma, resorts to resurrecting her infamous creation in order to take down Amelia, the military-grade weapon who was built by a defense contractor who stole M3GAN’s underlying tech.

ah now the beginning of this I agree with. Need to limit A.I.and stupid phones (yes they’re called smart phones but people have become stupid and common sensless with them compared to regular cell phones pre-‘smart’ phones.

Cady still going to therapy and with the law of limiting devices use, she takes martial arts… Bullies be damned!!

while working on something Cady her aunt or one of her associates notice they’ve been hacked. In comes some competitor, who I. His weird wheelchair that looks more like livingroom decor and knocks something over with it. The fool put a chip in his head not to mention some mechanical spine.

Though not laugh out loud funny; I did like the break-in part, could have been better but still amusing.

I don’t know if the robots are people with a mask on or what but both Megan and the other one are disturbing looking.

oh good gods WHY is Megan singing!?!

The Megan face in The first movie looked better, here something seems off. Later I swear whoever made Chucky made this Megan

The moment I saw him, I knew you couldn’t trust him!!!

oh did people not go to this or give it bad reviews because it’s anti-a.i.?

yes if not all then parts are bad, but good for one watch just to see what happens.

Allison Williams worked with Marvel trainer for M3GAN 2.0 fight scene: ‘Samara from The Ring meets Drunken Master‘

🪓 Blumhouse laid off six staffers across film, television and casting last week, including junior-level executives and support staff. The cuts come two weeks after ‘M3GAN 2.0’ flopped at the box office, though none of the fired employees actually worked on the film.

Predator: Badlands

A PREDATOR MOVIE FROM THE PREDATOR’S POINT OF VIEW
2025 • PG-13 • 1 h 47 m

The director of PREY, Dan Trachtenberg, delves further into Predator lore in this film set on a remote planet, where a young Predator, outcast from his clan, finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Elle Fanning) and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
A young Predator outcast from his clan finds an unlikely ally on his journey in search of the ultimate adversary.

Forget what you know about the previous Predator movies: this one takes the franchise in a totally different direction. Gone are the claustrophobic horror vibes and the jungle dread; instead, we get a full-on adventure movie that feels almost… uplifting?

Yajutia prey to none predator codex

Kwei is preparing Dek his smaller brother, for hunting ritual to become part of clan and earn his cloak. Dek is a runt which in the clan and races eyes, equals weak. Dek chooses the Kalisk creature that’s

on the planet Genna. Kwei tells him even their father fears it, so because he is smallest, he will kill it and become the strongest. If he doesn’t kill it and come back with a trophy then he’s never aloud to go home.

That blood is a cool color. It’s like a glowing green.

The father kills kwei for releasing dek and launches the ship to the Genna .

So now that we get a better look at the predators they look like they are some sort of lizards, I’m curious what kind they are based on?

Getting the lay of the land and yeah just these 2 things really make it Badlands
Talk about a bug bomb
porcupinecones

A synthetic … Is that the same company from.the Alien movies?

Exploring the Yautja (Predator) society, customs, etc. Elle Fanning really shines in the dual roles of Thia & Tessa. I wish we could’ve seen more of the Predator bow & arrow weapon he had the beginning, but he lost that pretty fast. Oh well.

A cute Monkey thing, I love the big eyes. ,elephant thing with an exo head that sort of looks like an axe. I forget what they called or something Bison.

luna bug… There’s nothing about it that looks like a moon to me.

Oh help is the synthetic is so 🤬 annoying.
The movie is Mildly funny with dark humor “that was a toy for children!?”

Oh the synthetic tried to get it’s legs back, and 😜 when Dek is gathering weapons; usimg what he learned about the land as parts of it as his weapons. Quite resourceful.

The hunter learns the true trophy is not only the journey but making friends (sometimes with it’s target) 😁

Uh no😭 indigestion

loved Dek’s evolution once he arrived on this hostile planet. He was able to adapt perfectly to his environment and build a new clan with Thia and Bud.They all have in common the fact that they have lost a loved one, and they have turned this into their strength.I can’t wait to see what happens next ! best Predator movie action-wise and also the only one that was funny.. which was unexpectedThe whole thing gave me major Avatar energy at times — from the exploration of a new planet to the vibrant, almost magical fauna that’s more wondrous than terrifying. Even the final showdown, with an android piloting a giant mech suit, feels like a wild crossover between sci-fi spectacle and mythic showdown.

In short: Predator: Badlands is a fresh, bold, and visually stunning entry that dares to change the game. It’s adventurous, heartfelt, and spectacular. I just hope it gets the sequel it’s teasing — even if the box office doesn’t quite match the ambition behind it. Because honestly? I’m already ready to go back to the Badlands.

c+ – B

Predator: Badlands director reveals the Alien and Predator Easter eggs you might have missed

Plus, a surprising connection to “Stranger Things.”

By Lauren Huff November 8, 2025 10:00 a.m. ET

Although Predator: Badlands is a standalone entry in the Predator cineverse, eagle-eyed fans will notice some nods to previous Predator and Alien shows and films. Director Dan Trachtenberg breaks it down for us.

Badlands is set in the future on a remote alien planet, where Dek, a young Predator (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), outcast from his clan and desperate to prove himself with his first official hunt, finds an unlikely ally in a robot named Thia (Elle Fanning).

Right off the bat, Thia and the other androids, or synths as they’re called in the film, provide the most obvious link to the Alien franchise. We learn they were sent to this planet by their makers, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, which was first introduced in 1979’s Alien. The ruthless conglomerate’s logo, base, ships, and equipment are featured throughout the film, in addition to the synths themselves.

Elle Fanning as a Weyland-Yutani synth in ‘Predator: Badlands’.20th Century Studios

The AI computer mainframe in the Alien movie franchise, MU/TH/UR, referred to as “mother,” is also featured in Badlands.

There are more subtle links between the franchises as well, like the casting of Cameron Brown as the Drone Synth in the film. Though you couldn’t tell it by looking at him, the stunt performer and actor plays one of the xenomorphs in the FX series, Alien: Earth. This link was completely unintentional, Trachtenberg tells Entertainment Weekly. “Cam, we did not realize had come to us from Alien: Earth, and I can’t imagine his first day, because everything’s so secretive, to go from the set of Alien: Earth onto this other movie that he knew was a Predator movie,” he says. “He shows up, and he’s looking at his wardrobe, and it says Weyland-Yutani. I mean, he must have been like, What is happening right now?”

How ‘Predator: Badlands’ director made a predator to ‘fall in love’ with, hints at ‘Alien’ connection

Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) in 20th Century Studios' PREDATOR: BADLANDS film.

‘Predator: Badlands’ producer teases potential Arnold Schwarzenegger return to franchise

Another more intentional homage involves the Predator prequel film, Prey, which Trachtenberg also directed. “I will say there is a glimpse of Naru from Prey which is visible somewhere in the movie,” he teases.

The massive Back Biter creature, which appears at the end of Trachtenberg’s 2025 animated film Predator: Killer of Killers, is “somewhere in the movie as well,” he adds. “And of course Alien: Romulus had the gag where the synth’s eyes roll back and you see the Weyland-Yutani in the whites of the eyes. So we took that as well and ran with it.”

Cameron Brown as a Xenomorph in Alien: Earth — Cameron Brown in the xenomorph suit on set of ‘Alien: Earth’; Cameron Brown.FX/Youtube

If that wasn’t enough, there’s even a fun nod to another sci-fi franchise that is neither Alien nor Predator. The film’s end credits reveal that the AI computer on the ship belonging to Dek’s brother, Kwei, is voiced by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, who created the Netflix hit Stranger Things.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.

As for other links, Trachtenberg hopes that the potential for more sightings will encourage repeat viewings of Badlands. “Yeah, there’s some other Easter eggs,” he says. “Sometimes it’s fun to let the internet discover them.”

Predator: Badlands director reveals what that ‘ironic’ ending twist means for a potential sequel

Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) in 20th Century Studios' PREDATOR: BADLANDS — Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Predator: Badlands’.Credit: Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

This article contains spoilers for Predator: Badlands.

Could a second hunt be on the horizon for the Predator: Badlands clan? The ending of the film certainly leaves it open to the possibility.

To recap, the Dan Trachtenberg-directed actioner follows a young Predator named Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), who is cast out from his family by his own murderous father, who killed Dek’s brother, Kwei, when he refused to kill Dek for being the clan’s weak link. Dek then goes on a quest to prove himself and get back in the Yautja’s good graces, with a treacherous first hunt on a remote alien planet, where he chooses the “unkillable” creature known as the Kalisk as his target.

On his journey, he finds an unlikely ally in Thia (Elle Fanning), a friendly synthetic android sent to the planet by the dastardly Weyland-Yutani corporation (of Alien franchise fame), and Bud, an adorable pug-like creature later revealed to be a baby Kalisk.

Dan Trachtenberg attends the premiere of Predator: Badlands at TCL Chinese Theater on November 03, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. — Dan Trachtenberg attends the premiere of ‘Predator: Badlands’ on Nov. 3, 2025.Jesse Grant/Getty

When Dek finally meets the dreaded Kalisk, an epic battle ensues, which gets interrupted by the other Weyland-Yutani synths, who take Dek and the beast hostage. Turns out, these androids have been sent to the planet to capture the Kalisk for the Weyland-Yutani corporation’s nefarious secret research purposes. And, Dek isn’t the only outcast here: Thia, who we learn has higher sensitivity settings than her fellow bots, decides to disobey orders by letting the Kalisk out, saving Dek, and stopping her fellow synths.

In the end, Dek doesn’t have the Kalisk, but decides to prove himself as a Yautja in a different way. He, Thia, and Bud return to his home planet, where he kills his father, and the three decide to become their own unlikely clan. But, just as the trio is about to leave and embark on journeys unknown, a new ship touches down on Yautja Prime. When Thia asks Dek who it is, he says, “My mother,” as the screen fades to black.

Elle Fanning freaked out ‘Predator: Badlands’ costar with this unique talent: ‘Did she just break her arms?’

Thia (Elle Fanning) in Predator: Badlands

How ‘Predator: Badlands’ director made a predator to ‘fall in love’ with, hints at ‘Alien’ connection

So, what does this mean for a second Badlands entry? Entertainment Weekly posed this question to Trachtenberg, and while he’s quick to say there are no official green lights for a sequel, he does believe the ending scene sets one up nicely, should it happen.

“It’s definitely, I think, an awesome ending in that it is an ironic conclusion,” he explains. “After we’ve just been dealing with this crazy father the whole movie, that it asks what else Dek might have to go through, and how much worse that could be in the hands of mom, but also because, of course, it means that should we get to see that realized, it would be a whole lot of fun.”

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.

American Primeval

I felt some trepidation when I started watching this. I’m not into ‘Westerns’. I figured my dad would like this so I put it on.

Peter Berg is the director and executive producer behind the story. AGAIN he teams up with actor Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) so at least one of my favorite actors is in it.

So what did I think of it? I don’t recall a time I was bored. The story was good, enough action, and plenty of Taylor’s intense stare! I was surprised I liked it. I didn’t ‘Binge’ it though you can easily do so. Definitely add to your recommended list.

WHO’S WHO
Meet the Cast of American Primeval
Taylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Dane DeHaan, Shea Whigham, and more set out to explore the American West.

Taylor Kitsch Went to “Cowboy Camp” for American Primeval | W Magazine