THE MONKEY Business

THE MONKEY (Blu-ray)

2025 / 98 min

Neon/Decal Releasing

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

“The best Stephen King movie in decades,” touts a gushing review quote on the back cover. While I’m not quite sure I concur, The Monkey is arguably one of the best adaptations of one of his short stories, which initially might be considered faint praise. Like most of ‘em, it takes King’s basic concept, pads it out to feature length and slaps the author’s name above the title for marquee value.

But unlike such cinematic swill as Children of the Corn, The Lawnmower Man and Graveyard Shift, this one is the work of a genuinely good filmmaker. Writer-director Osgood Perkins not only knows how to put together a solid horror film, he uses King’s story as an opportunity to step outside his own personal comfort zone by cranking out the goriest, funniest and narratively outrageous movie of his career.

This is certainly no Longlegs, Perkins’ last film, which was an atmospheric, slow-burning piece of 'elevated' horror (and perhaps just a tad overpraised). Theo James plays Hal and Bill Shelburn, twin siblings who’ve been tormented most of their lives by a mysterious drum-playing toy monkey brought home by their absentee father when they were kids. Whenever it’s wound-up and starts playing, someone they know dies in an accident (really violently). 

The first act takes place when the Shelburns are in their early teens (and played by Christian Convery). Bill is the meaner of the two, subjecting Hal to constant verbal abuse. Still, both agree that the monkey might be responsible for the deaths of people close to them. After being subjected to a humiliating prank by his brother, Hal winds-up the monkey hoping it'll kill Bill, but instead their mother dies because monkey kills whomever it chooses and doesn't take requests. Since it can’t be destroyed, the boys drop it into a well.

"Yes, I do like that song...so leave it."

Fast forward 25 years…Hal is a loner with visitation rights to estranged teenage son Petey (Colin O’Brien) for one week a year. Concurrently, the aunt who raised he and Bill suddenly dies. The violent nature of her death has Bill suspecting it might somehow be the work of the monkey. With Petey in tow, he returns to his hometown, where the monkey has been sold in an estate sale. Locals left-and-right are also dying at an alarming rate because somebody keeps winding it up. I won’t reveal who because that’s one of the film’s more amusing plot turns.

Speaking of amusing, The Monkey is primarily played for laughs, mostly through quirky characters, clever dialogue and death scenes that are not-only shocking…they’re shockingly funny. Yet at the same time, the film is atmospheric and occasionally chilling (that monkey really is creepy). It also boasts a great dual performance by James, who looks like he had a ball playing both lead roles. 

While Longlegs garnered Osgood Perkins more mainstream notoriety and critical accolades (deservedly so, to an extent), The Monkey is a lot more fun. It’s a fast-paced, morbidly funny slab of splatstick horror that may not be high art, but never descends into self-aware stupidity either. And if nothing else, you gotta admire the director’s determination not to repeat himself.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - Outrageously Gory and Thoroughly Gratuitous (making-of); The Cast of The Monkey; Becoming Hal and Bill.

TRAILERS

FUNERAL PROGRAMS - Faux-programs commemorating the “passing” of a few of the film’s victims.

Four CLARK GABLES In One

4-FILM COLLECTION: CLARK CABLE (Blu-ray)

1935-1939 / 441 min (4 movies)

Warner Archive Collection

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Mr. Paws😺

Warner Archive has recently released a few 4-film collections showcasing such legendary stars as Elizabeth Taylor, Gary Cooper and (the set we’re reviewing) Clark Gable. The included titles are the same Blu-ray editions that were previously available separately; this is simply a more economical way to grab all four at once. 

The Clark Gable collection features movies he did in the 1930s while under contract at MGM. There’s no Gone with the Wind here (haven’t we seen that one enough anyway?), but it does boast of couple of his all-time best.

1935’s Mutiny on the Bounty is generally considered the definitive adaptation of the oft-told incident, and for good reason. While playing fast and loose with history, the film is a dramatically gripping account of Fletcher Christian (Gable) seizing control of the HMS Bounty from cruel, tyrannical Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton). Though featuring one of Gable’s better early performances, the film is stolen by Laughton, who’s deliciously hateful.

EXTRA KIBBLES - Pitcairn Island Today is a promotional short; 1936 Newsreel features Oscar awards footage; Trailer.

1936’s San Francisco is not the first disaster film. However, it’s the first one with all the elements that would come to define the genre...melodrama, subplots, tumultuous relationships, an all-star cast, epic destruction and a narrative blueprint followed by countless other films since. It’s also the first disaster movie with special effects that are more-or-less convincing. Even today, its depiction of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake is pretty damned impressive. Like some of the soapier entries in the genre, San Francisco dedicates a great deal of its running time to trials and tribulations of its main characters, but once the fight for survival begins, the film is thrilling.

EXTRA KIBBLES - Clark Gable: Tall, Dark and Handsome is an enjoyable 45 minute documentary; Bottles (cartoon short); Cavalcade of San Francisco (short); Night Descends on Treasure Island (short); Alternate ending; Trailer.

"I swear...it was like this when I got here."

Released the same year, Wife vs. Secretary is a romantic comedy co-starring Myrna Loy and Jean Harlow. Gable is Jake, a magazine publisher whose loving wife, Linda (Loy), is led to believe (through gossip and misunderstandings) that his relationship with dedicated secretary ‘Whitey’ (Harlow) might be more than purely professional. Not bad as these things go, but hardly one of Gable’s essential films. It also features James Stewart in one of his earliest roles.

EXTRA KIBBLES - The Public Pays is a short from MGM’s “Crime Doesn’t Pay” series; Trailer.

Finally, 1939’s Idiot’s Delight was Gable’s last film before Gone with the Wind made him Hollywood's dreamiest dreamboat. Based on a popular play, it’s mostly remembered for being the only time Gable performs a musical number in a movie. Elsewhere, there’s plenty of comedy and melodrama, but while the film is held in high regard by some, this writer felt it could have benefited from a little trimming, including that musical number (with all due respect, Mr. Gable, you ain’t much of a singer).

EXTRA KIBBLES - The Good Egg and It’s an Ill Wind are two Looney Tunes shorts; Alternate ending; Trailer.

As with most Warner Archive Blu-ray releases, the picture and sound restorations for these movies are quite good. Contentwise, the set is worth grabbing for Mutiny on the Bounty and San Francisco alone. Though the other two aren’t completely without interest, neither rank among the best of their genre or Clark Gable’s lengthy filmography.

JAWS-FEST with DAVE & STINKY

For years, Stinky and I spent many evenings on the sofa with kibbles & a movie (you can read those adventures HERE). This snarky little furball has graciously returned from the Rainbow Bridge to help celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Jaws.

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD: Inevitability in Action

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD (Blu-ray)

2012 / 101 min

Universal

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Princess Pepper😽

I seem to recall when this was first released and thinking the title was metaphorical. But indeed, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is almost exactly as advertised. The seeking part? No. But finding a friend when you weren’t actually seeking? Sure enough, which kinda makes the whole thing pretty predictable…

…to say nothing of somber, even if that wasn’t entirely writer-director Lorene Scafaria’s intention. It’s hard to mine comedy from the apocalypse, to say nothing of romantic comedy. Not that the movie is never funny, or without its sweet, feel-good moments, but the impending doom that underscores nearly every scene looms large. We already know how this is gonna turn out.

Still, it’s a fairly engaging journey along the way. A 70 mile wide asteroid is heading toward Earth, which of-course will wipe out everyone. But Dodge (Steve Carell) was already miserable before that, trapped in a bad marriage and dull job. That changes when he meets his free-spirited young neighbor, Penny (Keira Knightley) for the first time. She’s sort of a hot mess, too, having just broken up with her shiftless boyfriend. 

They have different agendas for the limited time they have left. Penny wants to go home to her parents. Dodge hopes to reunite with an old high school sweetheart (after reading a months-old letter from her that was put in Penny’s mailbox by mistake). This essentially becomes a road movie as these two opposites (and an abandoned dog) embark on the journey together. Anyone whose seen their share of romantic comedies will know how this turns out, too.

Seeking room on the sofa for the end of the world.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World unfolds like a benign variation of conceptually similar - but far more brutal - films like Miracle Mile and These Final Hours (the latter being one of the bleakest movies I’ve ever seen). The funniest moments are during the first act, particularly when Dodge attends a party thrown by friends who plan on going out with a bang. Though different in nearly every way (including their ages), Dodge and Penny’s budding romance is kind of charming, though for me, the most emotionally affecting scene involves Dodge and a spider he spots in his sink, which wordlessly conveys his sudden appreciation for life (no matter how much of it one has left). Maybe I’m just wired wrong.

Carell, Knightley and the supporting cast of recognizable actors (most of whom only appear in a scene or two) all give good performances, while Scafaria’s dialogue often touches on relatable themes and feelings. However, the movie doesn’t hold any real surprises. For the most part, we’re just watching the inevitable unfold, both the love story and humanity’s fate. 

This is a re-issue of a Blu-ray released in 2012.

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTES - A Look Inside Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is your standard promo piece; Music for the End of the World: What’s On Your Playlist features cast members naming your own music choices.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By writer-director Lorene Scafaria (and her mother!), actors Patton Oswalt & Adam Brody, producer Joy Gorman.

OUTTAKES

JAWS at 50: 20 Degrees of JAWSome

20 Degrees of JAWSome!

There are two types of people…those who think Jaws is the greatest movie of all time and those who are wrong. With that in mind, Free Kittens humbly offers a few personal (and very subjective) reasons why the film remains totally Jawsome…even 50 years later.

Jaws features cinema’s greatest happy accident. Because the mechanical shark built for the film kept breaking down, director Steven Spielberg was forced to come up with creative ways to get around actually showing it, which ended up making it scarier.

The movie remains culturally relevant. Its iconic title logo and poster art still inspire gobs of merchandise…T-shirts, games, toys, action figures, models, shoes, coffee cups, wine, blankets, towels, artwork and a really bitchin’ pinball machine.

The two most recognizable notes in soundtrack music history, even if you’ve never seen the movie.

You’d be hard pressed to name another single movie that’s been ripped off more often…and is still being ripped off. 

One of those rare films that’s a lot better than the book it’s based on. Peter Benchley’s novel is terrible, loaded with dull subplots, unlikable characters and a shitty ending. Even Hank Searls’ novelization of Jaws 2 is a better read.

In the scene where Quint (Robert Shaw) and Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) are comparing scars, there’s a brief shot of Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) starting to lift his shirt to share a scar of his own, but then changes his mind. Since he was a New York City cop just before moving his family to comparatively quiet Amity Island, his somber, self-conscious expression suggests the scar might be the result of getting wounded in the line of duty (hence the Brodys’ move to Amity). Or hell, maybe he just had his appendix removed. The point is there’s always been more to Jaws than a ravenous shark, even during the inconsequential, understated moments.

Jaws is so well made that we all happily overlooked the fact that the shark isn’t the actual villain.

The greatest monologue ever filmed (Quint’s account of the ill-fated U.S.S. Indianapolis).

Inspired a stage play, The Shark is Broken, co-written by Ian Shaw, Robert’s son. Ian also played the role of Quint in the play. 

For some of us, it’s the first time we saw a naked lady in a movie! PG was a lot different in those days.

Who cares if you probably can’t blow up a 25-foot shark by shooting a scuba tank lodged in its mouth? This ain’t a documentary!

The “dolly zoom” of Brody’s reaction to the attack on Alex Kintner is one of the greatest single shots I've ever seen. Hitchcock may have done it first (for Vertigo), but Spielberg did it best.

A third of the U.S. population saw Jaws in theaters when it was released. Taking inflation into account, it is still the seventh biggest movie of all time.

While photographing the shark, Hooper trying to coerce Brody to step out onto the boat’s bowsprit in order to give the picture some scale is comedy gold. 

Roy Scheider’s performance was Oscarworthy. So was Robert Shaw's. Fuck the Academy.

Speaking of acting…Despite not being professional actors, Spielberg got really good performances from some the locals of Martha’s Vineyard (where much of Jaws was shot).

Inspired a generation of teenagers to try chugging an entire beer and crushing the can with their hand (this was before cans were made of aluminum).

When Ben Gardner’s head popped out of the hole in his boat with an eye missing, I’m pretty sure I broke the world record for the farthest anyone has ever accidentally thrown a bucket of popcorn.

And I also think my kid sister broke that short-lived record when she came with me the second time I went to see it.

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Who doesn’t know that line?

THE POOP SCOOP: Blood & Bullets Edition

🙀FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES on Digital June 17, 4K, Blu-ray and DVD July 22 from Warner Bros. Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefani heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle - her grandmother, Iris - and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all. “Final Destination Bloodlines” is the newest chapter (and the great Tony Todd’s final role) in New Line Cinema’s bloody successful franchise which takes audiences back to the very beginning of Death’s twisted sense of justice.

😺THE AMATEUR on Digital NOW, 4K and Blu-ray July 8 from 20th Century Studios. There’s no need to decrypt any intel to watch 20th Century Studios’ The Amateur starting June 10 via digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home, and on 4K UHD and Blu-ray beginning July 8. Fans of smart, high-stakes action thrillers will be drawn into the gripping journey of CIA codebreaker Charlie Heller (Rami Malek), who channels his intellect into a relentless pursuit of justice after his wife is killed in a terrorist attack. Under the tactical guidance of seasoned CIA operative Henderson (Laurence Fishburne), Heller evolves from analyst to avenger in a riveting story of love, loss, and retribution. 

🚨COBRA Limited Edition 4K Coming July/22 from Arrow Video. The ‘80s cop thriller, Cobra, starring Sylvester Stallone, makes its global debut on 4K UHD. The Limited Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration of the film from the original 35mm negative, and is packed with bonus content, including commentaries by film critics Kim Newman and Nick de Semlyen and film scholars Josh Nelson and Martyn Pedler, an archive commentary by director George P. Cosmatos, a TV version of the film, an interview with composer Sylvester Levay, a visual essay by film critic Abbey Bender, a visual essay by film critic Martyn Conterio, archival interviews with actors Brian Thompson, Marco Rodriguez, Andrew Robinson, Lee Garlington, and Art LaFleur, The Making of Cobra featurette, trailers, TV spots, image gallery, an illustrated collector’s booklet with essays, and a double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork. 

🧛SINNERS on Digital June 3 and 4K, Blu-ray and DVD July 8 from Warner Bros. From Warner Bros. Pictures and Ryan Coogler, director of “Black Panther” and “Creed” and starring Michael B. Jordan, the critically acclaimed film has a “certified fresh” 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and is among the highest grossing horror movies of all time with a global box office of more than $316 million. “Sinners” will be presented with expanded aspect ratio sequences, allowing consumers to see both 1.78:1 and 2.76:1 aspect ratios.

😺THE WES ANDERSON ARCHIVE: 10 FILMS, 25 YEARS Coming to 4K & Blu-ray September 30 from Criterion Collection. This momentous twenty-disc collector’s set includes new 4K masters of the films, over twenty-five hours of special features, and ten illustrated books, presented in a deluxe clothbound edition..

🐵THE MONKEY on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD June 24 from NEON/Decal Releasing. Based on the Stephen King short story, and produced by James Wan (The Conjuring, Saw), The Monkey is a new trip from Longlegs writer/director, Osgood Perkins.

 

👮The Original LETHAL WEAPON on 4K and Digital June 24 from Warner Bros. Mel The Digital and 4K UHD disc release includes both the 1987 theatrical version of the film and the 2000 Director’s Cut which features an additional 7 minutes of footage not seen in theaters.

🎮A MINECRAFT MOVIE on Digital May 13 and 4K, Blu-ray & DVD June 24 from Warner Bros. This is the first-ever big screen, live-action adaptation of Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time. This release also features an hour of bonus behind the scenes content.

 

🦈JAWS 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION Coming To Disc and Digital June 17 from Universal. This Combo Pack features the never-before-seen documentary, JAWS @ 50: THE DEFINITIVE INSIDE STORY, a brand-new look at the making and legacy of the film. The disc and digital include over five hours of additional bonus features! JAWS will also be available in an all-new limited edition SteelBook..

😺NOVOCAINE on Digital April 8 and 4K/Blu-ray June 24 from Paramount. Fans who purchase NOVOCAINE on Digital or 4K Ultra HD will have access to over 35 minutes of action-packed bonus content.