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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜

@outlawvern.bsky.social

5.5K followers 540 following 2.2K posts

A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a critic who does not exist. Movie reviews: outlawvern.com. Books I wrote: http://amzn.to/2om4NPP. Patreon: patreon.com/outlawvern

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · Oct 31

Happy Halloween, here is your treat: my new essay on A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, the movie that made me a horror fan, and what it says to me about how to live today.
🎥

A Nightmare On Elm Street (revisit) | VERN'S REVIEWS on the FILMS of CINEMA

Every Halloween if I'm able to I like to write an essay on one of the great horror movies. This particular one is very important to me in part because it's

outlawvern.com

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 2m

Unfortunately this is the only thing I've reviewed with Irwin Allen's name on the credits. :(

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 2h

Some of their best work.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 9h

In SIGNIFICANT OTHER (2022), Maika Monroe and Jake Lacy play a couple who are already experiencing enough tension on their hiking trip *before* they run into the extra-terrestrial shapeshifter.

Significant Other | VERN'S REVIEWS on the FILMS of CINEMA

When I was writing about VILLAINS the other day I looked up its writing/directing team of Dan Berk & Robert Olsen, and realized I’d already seen 3/5 of

outlawvern.com

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bort @crushbort.bsky.social · 10h

is it not weird that every day there’s a new video of anonymous masked men having the time of their lives beating/shooting/disappearing people and the dem response from the top down is “republicans want to double your health insurance premiums”

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

In 2018 I was going through some stuff and I wrote a very personal essay interpreting what was then the entire HALLOWEEN franchise. I think it's pretty good so check it out some time.

The Shape of Evil: Confronting darkness through the ‘Halloween’ series | VERN'S REVIEWS on the FILMS of CINEMA

Two years ago, but it seems closer to ten, a nice deputy editor for a new publication approached me to write a piece. He had been reading me forever and was

outlawvern.com

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

A scene from THE THOUSAND FACES OF DUNJIA with seven kung fu warriors looking at Chris Cilliza with a skepticism bordering on contempt bordering on feeling a responsibility to have him committed for his own safety

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

I'm aching all over after booster shots yesterday but I know it means my body is armoring up.

a man in a blue shirt is standing in front of a rocky cliff .

Alt: a man in a blue shirt is standing in front of a rocky cliff . He jumps off and before he lands he has armored up into The Guyver and it's the coolest shit you have ever heard described, believe me.

media.tenor.com

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

In VILLAINS (2019), Maika Monroe and Bill Skarsgård play dirtbag sweethearts who try to do the right thing after breaking into a house and discovering the owners (Jeffrey Donovan and Kyra Sedgwick) have a little girl chained up in the basement.

Villains | VERN'S REVIEWS on the FILMS of CINEMA

VILLAINS is a 2019 indie movie I’ve wondered about for a while. It uses the reliable formula “somebody tries to rob a house and discovers a horrific thing

outlawvern.com

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

Unfortunately nobody present knows it's wrong so they also keep making fun of it for sounding (they think) like puss.

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

That part is grating but it's interesting. The short version is that he was (allegedly) a corrupt gangster of a cop whose cover story after murdering his wife was turned into a popular motion picture franchise.

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

I'm enjoying the Behind the Bastards two-parter on Buford Pusser (I didn't know all this) while alternating by being amused by his lack of pop culture knowledge and being tortured by it. (He definitely hasn't seen WALKING TALL because he pronounces Pusser wrong over four hundred thousand times.)

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

Unfortunately not available digitally and the DVD is unaffordable on ebay. People have suggested they might be intentionally burying it, which seems paranoid, but I don't know why else they wouldn't at least have it on VOD right now.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

I also recommend Hyams' bullriding doc RANK (2006), which would be much harder for The Rock to re-enact.

Rank | VERN'S REVIEWS on the FILMS of CINEMA

Okay, my last two reviews brought out everybody's expertise of mixed martial arts competitions and professional wrestling. Let's see how you guys do with this

outlawvern.com

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

I had to watch it after UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION knocked me on my ass.

Vern is shocked how good UNIVERSAL SOLDIER REGENERATION is!!! | VERN'S REVIEWS on the FILMS of CINEMA

"Why me Lord? What have I ever done / That was worth even one / Of the pleasures I've known / Tell me Lord, what did I ever do / That was worth loving you /

outlawvern.com

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

And here's when I reviewed the original documentary 15 years ago.

The Smashing Machine | VERN'S REVIEWS on the FILMS of CINEMA

THE SMASHING MACHINE is a documentary about Mark Kerr, at the time an undefeated fighter in UFC, Pride and other mixed martial arts competitions. The director

outlawvern.com

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

Oh, sorry, I missed the "living" part. So it's Ghostface.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 1d

My favorites are Ghostface Killah and MF Doom. They're like Cormac McCarthy to me where just the sound of the words is beautiful before I figure out what they mean. They have phrasings that sound perfectly natural but that I can't imagine anyone else using. Incredible imagery, funny dialogue.

Emily, a Two-Shoes-Gooder @rebelmusicteach.bsky.social · 5d

I also need to know: I am fairly middle-of-the-road on Taylor Swift but someone I know called her the Greatest Living Lyricist. She is not.

Who is yours? Either the greatest or your favorite?

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 2d

Oh damn, I already used my IMMACULATE/FIRST OMEN review for a different topic. You know what's a really interesting and thoughtful (but flawed) religious horror movie? Paul Schrader's DOMINION: PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST.

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priscilla page @priscillapage.bsky.social · 2d

a terrific interview with Shane Black about Play Dirty from preeminent Richard Stark/Donald Westlake/Parker scholars @alissadmc.bsky.social & @lilyslabo.bsky.social

shay d. @lilyslabo.bsky.social · 2d

We have another exciting and exclusive interview up on Tough Business— this time with acclaimed director Shane Black! @alissadmc.bsky.social and I sat down to chat with him about Play Dirty and his thoughts on Westlake’s work.

Check it out here: toughbusiness.neocities.org/shaneblackin...

"We don't compromise Parker's code" - An Exclusive Interview with Shane Black

A week after the highly-anticipated release of Play Dirty, Tough Business had the pleasure of sitting down for a chat on all things Parker with acclaimed director Shane Black. Best known for neo-noir hits like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys, Shane spoke about his new film, his thoughts on Parker and Grofield's dynamic, and a glimpse behind-the-scenes of this latest Richard Stark adaptation.

TB: You've talked about discovering Parker at a young age, but what drew you to the books? Do they still hold the same appeal years later?

SB: That's a good question. Thave encountered Parker at various points in my life, and also not just him but the Dortmunder books as well - and the standalones. Westlake tended to be a writer of comic caper novels. My first introduction was The Hot Rock, and then I moved on to Parker. Like I said, I went through the years with him, and the novels don't lose anything at all. They have this sort of readability about them, and the fact that they're each sort of little gems; they're not huge novels, even Butcher's Moon slides past.

The prose holds up, the attitude holds up. These evolved over the years - the first one was written when there were rotary telephones and the last was written when there were handheld Samsungs - so along the way, he managed to proceed with this character without compromising even an iota of the punch and the style and the grace of the books. I refer to Westlake as the mystery writers' mystery writer. It seems to me that if you would ask any of the ones in the business who sold more books than him, they'd say, “yeah, well, he's still the guy that takes you to school, he's still the guy that I go back to when I want the real stuff."

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 2d

The Rock is genuinely great in THE SMASHING MACHINE (2025), a movie I find pretty fascinating even though (or because?) I have no idea why writer/director Benny Safdie stuck so closely to the style and content of John Hyams' excellent 2002 documentary of the same name.

The Smashing Machine (2025) | VERN'S REVIEWS on the FILMS of CINEMA

THE SMASHING MACHINE (2025) is one of those movies that comes along every once in a while that’s so geared toward my niche interests that it seems like a

outlawvern.com

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Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 2d

In some ways this is the government now

r/Lollapalooza 3 yr. ago
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I'm excited for Limp Bizkit, but I'm a little worried about Antifa...
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I'm sick and tired of seeing these thugs terrorize big events and am worried that they will try to interrupt Limp Bizkit's set. My gf (F19) and I (M31) are going to our first Lollapalooza and are concerned about the growing threat around the city

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matt lynch @colonelmortimer.bsky.social · 2d

This appears to be a Region B German blu of RICOCHET in, at long last, correct OAR. Thanks to @mattmccrac.bsky.social for the heads up. www.blu-ray.com/movies/Ricoc...

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𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 2d

Those who follow John Hyams movies may remember that Van Damme wanted to star in a SMASHING MACHINE remake. That was before UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION if I remember right. That would've been a different movie.

𝙹𝚘𝚑𝚗 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛'𝚜 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚜 @outlawvern.bsky.social · 2d

Good for Reptar speaking out while so many celebrities are silent.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2d

#WarRavagedPortland

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👻 Pablo Hidalghost 👻 @infinata.bsky.social · 2d

❇️ Abbott and Costello discuss and clarify the players in various positions on a baseball team.

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