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[TV Review] “From Dusk Till Dawn” Season Three is a Gory Good Time!

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From Dusk Till Dawn

From Dusk Till Dawn had a rough start during its first season. Constrained to the plot of the first movie, viewers were forced to sit through a 10-hour adaptation of a 108-minute movie. While it started to get interesting in the latter half of the season when it started deviating from the film’s plot, it wasn’t enough to merit a recommendation. Season Two improved on the first, as it was able to fully break away from the film’s narrative, but it wasn’t without its flaws. This brings us to Season Three, which may be the best season of From Dusk Till Dawn yet.

The third season takes a different narrative approach than the previous two, offering up a monster-of-the-week format that works better than it should. It’s a format reminiscent of the early seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and even Smallville. Those shows used the format in their early seasons but outgrew it and moved on to more layered season-long arcs. From Dusk Till Dawn manages to merge both formats to much success.

Each of the four episodes provided for review contained a different Xibalban monster as the antagonist, though not the main antagonist. That role is reserved for Kate (more on that in a bit). From a scorpion man to camouflage motorcycle warriors, there is a wide variety of baddies for our characters to face, each with a unique gimmick that prevents the routine from getting stale.

The writing is still a little shaky (examples being an outdated reference to Britney Spears and some other forced pop culture references), but overall the show has embraced its campy tone without going overboard into parody. The writers know what kind of show this is, and they roll with it.

As you may recall, the second season ended with Santaánico (Eiza González) and the Gecko brothers (D.J. Cotrona and Zane Holt) parting ways, while Kate (Madison Davenport, having a ton of fun this season) was murdered and possessed by the blood in the mysterious blood well. Season 3 picks up with the Gecko brothers, now acting as guardians for the seven remaining culebra lords. Cotrona and Holt have always had a great rapport with each other, and that holds true here. For some reason, González’s role has been trimmed for this season (I believe she only appears in one episode). It is unclear as of now what her role will be in the season, but she hasn’t been given much to do so far. This may be due to budgetary constraints, but it’s regrettable nonetheless.

From Dusk Till Dawn

From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, for El Rey Network and Miramax

Davenport arrives at the tail-end of the first episode, but she really gets to show off her acting chops in the second episode. Now that she has been possessed by the blood of an ancient being named Amaru, she is given her best material yet (and lots of eyeliner). Amaru is set up as the season’s big bad and Davenport is able to have plenty of fun in the role. There are traces of Angel’s Illyria or Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Glory in Amaru, if that gives you any idea of what kind of character she is.

The show still hasn’t figured out what to do with Jesse Garcia or Brandon Soo Hoo. Soo Hoo, as Kate’s culebra brother Scott, doesn’t appear until the fourth episode of the season and feels like he is in a completely different show. Garcia is more integrated into the happenings of the season, but still fails to be a compelling character, even in his new role as the Peacemaker. However, if you were worried that Jake Busey wouldn’t return: fear not. Professor Sex Machine (I swear I’m not making this up) does return this year, and he’s just as funny and ridiculous as ever.

The new characters introduced this season fare slightly better, but their screen time is limited so they don’t make much of an impression. Nicky Whelan pops up in the fourth episode as a mysterious bar patron, though her identity will ring a bell to fans of Grindhouse (and to be clear: everyone should be a fan of Grindhouse). Ana De la Reguera (who was so good as a crazed fan on Jane the Virgin this year) has a brief stint as one of the seven culebra lords and gets to trade barbs with Holt and Cotrona. Even the master of special effects himself, Tom Savini, pops up in the third episode as a pot smoking demon hunter named Burt.

For a show with such a small budget, it certainly makes the most of it. While there is plenty of CGI blood splatter (a forgivable flaw in this type of show), the practical effects do stand out. Heads are ripped off, faces are detached and intestines are spilled. It all looks glorious. Gorehounds will find plenty to

Fans of the first two seasons of From Dusk Till Dawn will find plenty to like about Season 3. I dare say that it might be the most entertaining season yet. Of course this is only based on the first four episodes of the season, but they are extremely promising episodes at that.

From Dusk Till Dawn will have a two-hour premiere on the El Rey Network on Tuesday September 6th, 2016 at 9p ET.

A journalist for Bloody Disgusting since 2015, Trace writes film reviews and editorials, as well as co-hosts Bloody Disgusting's Horror Queers podcast, which looks at horror films through a queer lens. He has since become dedicated to amplifying queer voices in the horror community, while also injecting his own personal flair into film discourse. Trace lives in Austin, TX with his husband and their two dogs. Find him on Twitter @TracedThurman

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‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ Review – Latest Monster Mashup Goes Bigger and Sillier

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GODZILLA X KONG review

The heavyweight championship event that was Godzilla vs. Kong ended in a tenuous truce that saw Godzilla holding dominion over Earth while King Kong claimed Hollow Earth. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire introduces a new Titan-sized threat from the depths of Hollow Earth, one so dangerous that Kong and his human allies will need all the help they can get to defeat it. Director Adam Wingard continues the kaiju spectacle with the latest Legendary Monsterverse crossover event, this time injecting an even greater sense of adventure and silliness. It’s the type of epic-sized popcorn movie that unleashes nonstop monster brawls and tongue-in-cheek humor in equal measure.

Since the events of Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla spends his downtime curling up for naptime in Rome’s Colosseum when not snuffing out rogue Titans that emerge. The kaiju king’s activity is closely monitored by Monarch and Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall). Dr. Andrews also keeps a close eye on Kong through stations established around Hollow Earth access points, and poor Kong is lonely as he still searches for others like him. Then there’s Dr. Andrews’ adoptive daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), the sole survivor of the decimated Iwi tribe from Skull Island. Jia’s struggles to find her place in school and society at large get exacerbated by strange new visions that seem directly tied to Hollow Earth.

Dr. Andrews enlists Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry) to help her navigate Jia’s new plight. Once the new threat makes itself known, all three, along with wisecracking kaiju vet Trapper (Dan Stevens), descend into Hollow Earth for answers. Instead, they find a terrifying new battle heating up for kaiju sovereignty. 

Rebecca Hall and Dan Stevens in Godzilla x Kong

The Monsterverse franchise often struggles with its human characters and how they fit into the kaiju mayhem, but screenwriters Terry RossioSimon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater may have finally cleared this hurdle by trimming down the human cast and keeping it simple. Jia’s heritage creates an emotional conflict between her and her adoptive mother that injects a sweet earnestness, while Brian Tyree Henry’s Bernie brings levity. Then there’s the scene-chewing Dan Stevens, whose Trapper gets introduced in style as he performs a tooth extraction from an aircraft with infectious exuberance. Stevens plays the character with the bravado of an ’80s action star but one that’s fully aware of himself and the absurdity of his unique gig. Trapper’s boisterous personality goes far in demonstrating to audiences just how much we’re meant to be having fun and not take everything seriously, so much so that Godzilla x Kong could stand to see more of him.

Of course, the real stars are the monsters, and this, once again, is Kong’s show. Godzilla remains the undisputed heavyweight champion, but it’s Kong’s pursuit of finding his place in Hollow Earth that drives Godzilla x Kong. The required exposition delivery as Wingard corrals the converging plotlines into an action-heavy final act does slow the momentum in the first two-thirds, despite frequent action set pieces. But the main event delivers the promised team-up and then some, thanks to at least one pivotal surprise up Wingard’s sleeves that brings the wow factor to the final battle. That key surprise is pivotal, not just for fan service, but to offset how underwhelming the new enemy is, a generic mirrored inverse of Kong and his frenemy. 

Angry Kong

Wingard and crew seem fully aware of that and play up the cartoonish quality of the premise to maximize the fun factor. While it does indeed evoke the intended sense of fun, especially when Kong flings a smaller ape around as a weapon or dons a power glove, there’s a weightlessness to the whole thing. There’s no real impact to any of it, even though it often looks cool.

It all amounts to a visually polished Saturday morning cartoon filled with monster brawls and the humans who love them. Beyond the charming entertainment, though, Godzilla x Kong is more hollow than Hollow Earth.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire roars into theaters and IMAX on March 29, 2024.

2.5 out of 5 skulls

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