Kybernetická babicka (1962)

Superb stop-motion, in service of a decent story about a girl who wanders through a future both fantastical and quaint, only to find that her loving grandmother has been replaced by a robot.

The title translates as Cybernetic Grandmother, from the original Czech.

The electronic recreation of Grandma plays soccer in her wheelchair, or rather, she is a wheelchair that plays soccer. Another machine plays four violins simultaneously. The music sounds like the score to a silent horror movie, mostly an organ and often off-key. Cool flick, about 30 minutes.

Verdict: YES.

♦ ♦ ♦

Kyôryû kaichô no densetsu (1977)
a/k/a Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds

Couldn’t find this in the original Japanese, so I had to settle for an English dub, and the voice-actors seem bored, even as they’re being eaten. It’s one of those giant reptile movies, with a Jaws riff — everyone out of the water, there are dinosaurs in the lake! And pterodactyls (“Ptero–what?” says the Mayor).

We first see the monster in its unborn form, as Toyota-sized eggs, and then there’s too much talking until our first glimpse of the monster, midway through the flick.

The dialogue is camp, the effects are lackluster, and some of the gruesomeness is enjoyable. The music is sometimes all wrong for the mood, and other stretches sound like outtakes swiped from Enter the Dragon. One of the main characters is dubbed by Robert Wagner, or (more likely) someone doing an excellent Robert Wagner impression.

All cheese, but in a good way.

Verdict: YES.

♦ ♦ ♦

Ghost in the Machine (2026)

This is the origin story of artificial intelligence, with 19th and early 20th century scientists’ attempts to measure intelligence. All those scientists were white and male, and without pausing to ponder, they crafted measurements of intelligence on the assumption that Anglo-Saxons with penises are the smart folks. Basically, if you think my way, you’re smart, and if you don’t, you’re not.

Over the next century of science, these assumptions were rarely really challenged, and now we have computers called ‘artificial intelligence’ (a misnomer). Many of the people designing the machines are openly, loudly, almost evangelically racist and sexist. And guess what? The AI bots they’ve built keep yielding racist and sexist replies.

I’m not sure all the above is the main thrust of this documentary, but it’s what smacked me hardest, so that’s my takeaway.

My only complaint is small but stretches the entire length of the film: It’s a good idea to have the letters “AI” appear on-screen during artificialized moments (actually, it ought to be required everywhere), but some dolt decided to also emblazon “NOT AI” on screen during all the non-artificial shots, which is almost all of the movie. It is, of course, distracting and annoying.

Verdict: YES.

♦ ♦ ♦

Man on a Swing (1974)

A young woman is murdered, her body found in her Volkswagen Beetle in a small town grocery store’s parking lot. When the investigation stalls, a clairvoyant walks into the police station, and offers his services to solve the crime.

The police chief (Cliff Robertson, craggy and low-key) is skeptical, and of course, so was I. The alleged psychic (Joel Grey) is not your typical movie mind-reader or whatever. Fresh from his Oscar for Cabaret, Grey plays him as a man-size collection of twitches, creepy and conceited but convincing. For that matter, Robertson’s police chief isn’t very police chiefy — he usually has an open can of beer at his desk.

The detective work and moviemaking are both likably shaggy around the edges, and he graveyard is beside a busy freeway, so the deceased can never rest in peace.

If you’re hoping for an Agatha Christie moment where the killer is revealed, you’ll be disappointed. More like life and death itself, the ending isn’t that tidy and polished. And anyway, Man on a Swing isn’t really a murder mystery; it’s more concerned with the question of whether the clairvoyant actually has extrasensory perception. And that question is asked and almost answered damned well.

Verdict: YES.

♦ ♦ ♦

Nobody is Steve Buscemier than Steve Buscemi

Scarecrow Video buyer Mark Steiner retires after 34 years

News to me: I hadn’t known about Senator Jon Osoff’s time as an indie filmmaker

10/26/2026

Logo illustration by Jeff Meyer.
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If you can’t find a movie I’ve reviewed, or if you have recommendations, please drop me a note. And I mean it — if you ask, I will get you the movie.
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No talking once the lights dim, and only real butter on the popcorn, not that fake yellow stuff.