The above has been one of my favorite sayings for decades. I thought it was a Chinese proverb, and I thought it had different levels of meaning.
Well … I learned tonight that it is a misquote; it was originally written as “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” It is also not Chinese — it was written by Alexander Pope in his “Essay on Criticism” in 1711. (And the “essay” is actually a book-length poem.)
I’m sorry to report that this year’s “XX” doesn’t quite live up to the great horror anthology that its trailer promises. This quartet of female-directed horror shorts is actually quite average, when considered together, and I’d give it a 6 out of 10.
Only the first segment is truly memorable — “The Box,” adapted from a short story by Jack Ketchum. The directing and scoring is superb. (Seriously, the music is quite good.) The acting is also good throughout this segment, most especially by “The Strain’s” Natalie Brown. She’s a good actress and she’s starting to grow on me. (And her memorable last lines here, which I assume come from the text of Ketchum’s story, are weird and haunting.) This quarter of “XX” gets under your skin.
Despite “The Box” being capably developed and unnerving, however, there were no conventional scares at all. It hardly felt like a horror short; it was more like a particularly macabre and ambiguous parable. Nor is the story’s mystery solved — it’s left open-ended.
The second segment is largely a waste of time, despite being stylishly shot and scored. (Hint: it’s got the same story device as “Weekend at Bernie’s.”)
The remaining two tales are more standard horror stories. I’d suggest they are somewhat fair at best.
I think I would recommend this only to the most well rounded horror fans who are in the mood for something different. And, even then, it might only be for the peculiar elements of “The Box.”
I’ve always had mixed feeling about this classic cover. The composition is excellent. Bane and his victims look great. (I’ve actually got a copy of this autographed by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan; they were among my favorite creators when I was fervently collecting comics at college.)
But that’s got to be one of the ugliest Batmans I’ve ever seen, and I don’t think the cowl should look so much like a skull cap.
This year, I’m giving Lent up for cigarettes.
They’re like undead Ents or something.
Why is that?
Also, I’ve come to learn that the bamboo I keep seeing is “golden bamboo,” a non-native, invasive species.
“I have learnt through bitter experience the one supreme lesson — to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmuted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmuted into a power which can move the world.”
— Mahatma Gandhi
“Don’t Hang Up” (2017) is an absolutely derivative horror movie that nevertheless manages to be halfway decent. I’d rate it a 7 out of 10.
We follow a handful of older teenage boys whose favorite avocation is perpetrating cruel prank phone calls and then posting them on the Internet. The horror genre’s penchant for vengeance should make their comeuppance predictable. “Don’t Hang Up” seems to borrow in equal (large) measure from the “Saw” and “Scream” film franchises, with touches of “Unfriended” (2014) and even “Silence of the Lambs” (1991).
Still, this was a halfway serviceable scary movie. There were nice moments of tension, and it held my interest.
This doesn’t belong on anyone’s must-see list, but it’s a fun enough time-waster if you can’t find a better movie.
Eric Robert Nolan, Author 