Graveyard Shift (1990) Review:

Working late night hours is not usually anyone’s preference. However, when people either need the money or if their schedule only works within that time frame, then there’s a reason why the 3^rd shift exists. Of course, with that comes the drawbacks like the usual lack of sleep. The one thing that should be taken care of before any of this occurs though is proper safety clearance. A building and or facility must be approved at meeting the standard levels of safety before touting their late night hour opportunities. That doesn’t seem to be the case here, let alone anything else, like calling it the “graveyard shift”. Despite that, this film manages to be entertaining enough for a little fun in the dark. After all, it’s based on a short story from who else; Stephen King. What a surprise.

Written by John Esposito who has worked on the newest incarnation of Creepshow and directed by Ralph S. Singleton, in his only theatrical credit, this monster film is unique to watch mainly for the experience. Not because of how the story is executed.  The story is about a group of mill workers sweating it out during their shifts to make ends meet for their selfish warden Mr. Warwick (Stephen Macht). On top of that, the lot they work in is infested with vermin. When one of the employees dies mysteriously in an “accident”, a new member is brought on board by the name of John Hall (David Andrews). While Singleton only directed this feature he had experience prior being assistant director to Death Wish (1974), an associate producer to Pet Sematary (1989) and a production manager to Harlem Nights (1989).

As mentioned before the execution to the storytelling is its weakest point. There’s nothing about the narrative that makes it different from other creature features or other Stephen King films. Characters are written plain as day from the very beginning, so to expect something new would lead to disappointment. There’s no explanation provided as to how the creature in this film came to be, which can make it tough for some since it takes place in what seems like contemporary times, not the near future. What probably makes the story the most baffling is how unrealistic the working conditions are. Thousands of rats litter the work site and this place is still allowed to run daily operations? There’s even a cleanup crew where they’re literally moving junk from one end of the room to the other. What exactly is being accomplished here?

Aside from these issues though, the actors all do a decent job in their roles. Better known for later playing Robert Brewster in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), David Andrews as the lead is believable. Kelly Wolf as Jane Wisconsky is a good second actress to that of Andrews. Stephen Macht as Mr. Warwick plays an interesting antagonist. He’s definitely different from all the rest. The fact that he harasses his employees makes it all the more unrealistic. This kind of stuff doesn’t stand nowadays. There’s also appearances from Andrew Divoff from the Wishmaster films, Vic Polizos who played a Coroner in Night of the Creeps and even Brad Dourif playing an exterminator. Most of the actors involved, seemed to have gone on to be successful in one way or another.

Visually speaking, the film looks great for its time. Since its budget was low to begin with, it looks like most of that went into the practical effects and set design which are fantastic looking. Viewers will know these actors were handling real props. While gore and blood isn’t always on screen, there is enough to satisfy. This is also thanks to Peter Stein working as the cinematographer, who also worked on Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) and Pet Sematary (1989). Finally, the music composed by Anthony Marinelli and Brian Banks provided a decent effort in their discography. Having composed over one-hour music in their newly released album, the score is very textural and dissonant which resonates very well for this feature. Typically, stronger themes are required to make a film memorable, but they figured this one out surprisingly well. Considering they started with Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, it’s definitely a one up.

The pitfall of this movie is just how highly improbable the situation is and also the narrative being too formulaic for horror fans. This doesn’t mean the other components should be discredited. The performances are fine, along with great looking visuals and eerily creepy music.

Points Earned --> 6:10

Zootopia (2016) Review:

If there are lessons in life people should be crystal clear about when growing up, it’s that no one should determine who you are except yourself and you can’t paint with broad strokes. Everyone’s opinion will have different angles to it because of their own life experiences. With that said, it’s important to try and listen to the other side from where they’re coming from. While this film came out in 2016, it is still just as relevant then as it is now, with so much mislabeling going on in society. People are more disconnected than ever believe it or not and a dialog needs to be had, whether an agreement is made or not. What’s great is that anyone of any reasonable age can watch this movie and take that message away from it.

Written by Jared Bush and Phil Johnston and directed by and Byron Howard, who some of which worked on the popular Wreck-It Ralph (2012), the story is about a small town bunny named Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) making her way to become a police officer in the place called Zootopia. A city where all animals live among each other; predator and prey. However, things are not all fluffy clouds when not everyone is so friendly. Meanwhile, some citizens are going missing and there might be more to it than just it being a strange issue. As Hopps learns this, she teams up with a street fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) to see what she can dig up. The plot itself behind the story is nothing that breaks new ground, but it’s the overall message and themes behind the film which are so poignant.

Judy Hopps is a bunny, an animal considered by many as prey in the animal kingdom. This however does not stop her from becoming what she desires most. Even though her parents were very much satisfied being the status quo. Too each their own per scenario, but the idea of taking a risk and stepping out of the comfort zone to embrace logical positive change should not be something that is feared. Fear is unfortunately one of the strongest emotions and it can wreak havoc among not just a single individual, but a society as well. What’s great about the characters is that focused writing. Even Nick has a backstory that allows audiences to get a better understanding of his perspective as well. This again, all goes back to the getting to know people and not assuming things based on similarities to others.

As for characters and the actors that play them, it is quite interesting to see who plays what. Ginnifer Goodwin who’s known for doing Snow White in the Once Upon a Time series has made a lasting impression as Hopps. Jason Bateman known for being in all kinds of comedies plays a great foil to that of the straight performance from Goodwin. Idris Elba plays Chief Bogo, Hopps’ boss. Jenny Slate plays Assistant Bellwether, as her character would call a glorified secretary position to actual Mayor Lionheart played by J.K. Simmons. There’s also Nate Torrence playing Clawhauser, a donut eating cheetah. There’s Octavia Spencer playing the wife of a missing animal, Alan Tudyk as a weasel, Raymond S. Persi as Flash the slow moving sloth and even Maurice LaMarche in a special role that won’t be disclosed.

The animation is another great component to this movie. Supported by animation supervisors who have worked on Treasure Planet (2002), Big Hero 6 (2014), Paperman (2012) and Frozen (2013), it’s no surprise the visuals are creative, colorful and well detailed. Credit also should be given to Nathan Warner listed as cinematographer for designing the unique layout location that is Zootopia. How that architecture would ever become a reality today is big question. Lastly the musical score composed by Michael Giacchino is an added bonus. Unfortunately, he did not create a main theme for the movie which he easily could’ve done with Shakira’s “Try Everything” pop song. But that doesn’t mean his music isn’t effective. Having worked on The Incredibles (2004) and Star Trek (2009), how could it not be worth a listen?

Plot wise, it’s not something people haven’t seen before. However, it’s the way that it’s worked into the execution and relies heavily on the themes and morals it wants to get across is what makes it special. Everything from the characters, music and animation make this an entertaining family film.

Points Earned --> 8:10

Manhunter (1986) Review:

Crime and cop movies have been around for a long time. The idea of seeing the authorities catch their perp before they commit their next act is always something people want. Of course most people would expect the criminal to be a simple one. It’s when that criminal is more slippery and hard to understand, that it begins to get tough and super stressful. While this particular film did not get many awards or nominations, it is still considered a decent crime film thanks to the material it was based on and the people involved. This was also the third film for director Michael Mann who would later direct The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Heat (1995), Ali (2001) and Public Enemies (2009). Blackhat (2015) is also under his name but let’s forget that one. The only thing is here, for a thriller it doesn’t do much of that, which is kind of surprising.

Based on the book “Red Dragon” by Thomas Harris, with a screenplay written by Michael Mann, the story follows William Graham (William Petersen) a former F.B.I. agent being reeled back in to help solve a crime no one seems to understand. Hoping to make it his final time since his last encounter was with the traumatizing Hannibal Lecktor (Brian Cox), Graham agrees to help with his friend Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina) leading the case. Another reason why Graham will not take another assignment after this one is because he has a wife Molly (Kim Greist) and son Kevin (David Seaman) he’d rather not endanger. The killer who’s being nicknamed the “Tooth Fairy” (Tom Noonan) so far has been getting away with his killings without leaving a trace. Noonan would not long after this role be known as Cain in RoboCop 2 (1990).

Believe it or not though, this film displays many familiar faces on screen before they created their signature characters. William Petersen is best known now as Gill Grissom from the original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation show. Brian Cox has been in all kinds of popular movies like X-2: X-Men United (2003) Trick ‘r Treat (2007), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) and R.E.D. (2010). Joan Allen who plays a film developer assistant in the movie would be in the The Bourne Supremacy (2004). A very young Stephen Lang appears too but would get noticed more in Gods and Generals (2003), Avatar (2009) and Don’t Breathe (2016). There’s Dan Butler known for voicing Mr. Simmons in Nickelodeon’s Hey Arnold! Paul Perri who plays a friend of the main character Will would have a shining moment in Demolition Man (1993).

There’s the girl technician from RoboCop 2 (1990), a young Chris Elliot, that one guy who became a thing in John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) and even David Allen Brooks aka Agent Manners from Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman (2000), who’s featured only in an archive video. As for performances go, the actors all do great jobs. William Petersen truly plays his character like a guy who doesn’t want to get involved again but is still determined to catch the killer. Tom Noonan as the “Tooth Fairy” shows even before being in RoboCop 2 (1990) he knew how to act like a mentally unhinged person. Lastly who gets the least screen time but relishes every moment is Brian Cox as Lecktor. Cox plays it smooth but sneaky all the same. It’s an underrated performance considering who would play the character later on.

For cinematography, Dante Spinotti handled the camerawork for this picture. Right from the start viewers should be able to easily enjoy Spinotti’s skill. Because of the wide shots, the camera captures much of the surrounding areas that the story takes place in. Spinotti also later shot for Hudson Hawk (1991), Heat (1995), L.A. Confidential (1997), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Hercules (2014) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). Lastly the music composed by Michel Rubini and The Reds had an interesting sound. Amazingly there is a theme for Graham and the music works for the film. Whether it’s memorable or not is debatable. The music is definitely a sound from the time, but the soundtrack does have other moments that stand out featuring other artists like Shriekback, The Prime Movers and Iron Butterfly.

As the start to making of the Hannibal films, this crime thriller has everything but the thrills. This doesn’t make it bad as a good cop film can entertain without it. But it does feel like something’s missing. The acting is exceptional, the story works well, the camerawork is effective and the music is appropriate for the time.

Points Earned --> 8:10

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001) Review:

Among the 1990s, children’s programming was beginning to ramp up. Once the groundwork was more less laid out, top competing channels like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon were taking up most of the attention. While both were neck and neck for viewers, Cartoon Network always came across more for older kids with its line up in dark humor and edgier characters. Nickelodeon had the impression of being more colorful and oriented at younger kids. Part of what helped solidify that image were popular cartoons like Jimmy Neutron. However, the brand wouldn’t have been able to add this character to its roster if it didn’t launch the franchise with its in-house movie studio. While the franchise creator John A. Davis hasn’t been as active as he once was, to this day people genuinely remember Jimmy Neutron as one of Nickelodeon’s well known mascots.

Headed by Davis as director and co-writing with Steve Oedekerk, this duo who was with the concept since the beginning, made a pilot film that marginally still holds up today. The story is about the title character Jimmy Neutron (Debi Derryberry), a young boy with more brain power than your average college science professor. After indirectly making contact with an alien race known as the “Goobots”, the alien race descends upon Neutron’s home of retroville and captures all the kids’ parents for a ritual sacrifice. Before this, Neutron lived an average social life. He’s not a popular kid despite his intellect, but that’s typical even for your regular smart kid. He has two buddies Carl (Rob Paulsen) and Sheen (Jeffrey Garcia) who appreciate his company, but that’s because they’re not your average youth either. There’s also Cindy Vortex (Carolyn Lawrence) who feels slighted, because before Neutron, she was the smartest kid in school.

This is just some of the characters that appear in the film. Others obviously received more focus in the show but there are moments with Miss Fowl (Andrea Martin), Nick (Candi Milo), Libby (Crystal Scales), Judy Neutron (Megan Cavanagh) and Hugh Neutron (Mark DeCarlo). Playing the main two villains against Jimmy Neutron is King Goobot (Patrick Stewart) and Ooblar (Martin Short). Together, the cast of actors all do a great job performing. Unfortunately, the comedy bits are where it’s hit and miss. It can produce a chuckle here and there, but much of the jokes wouldn’t impress an adult showing this to their kid. Jimmy Neutron is probably one of the few adult jokes to come off humorous. Reason being, the main joke is that he’s talking with adult words no one understands. The interactions between Jimmy and his robotic dog Goddard are more comical because they both understand one another.

The dialog between King Goobot and Jimmy are good too, but the rest is mildly juvenile. Sheen is a hyperactive goofball with zero attention span. While Carl is the exact opposite to that. Especially with these two individuals, there were bound to be some gags that were more childish than necessary. The story does have its moments of humanity in it. Jimmy does have loving parents despite his large cranium and there is a lesson to be learned from at the end of the day. Guessing more of the juvenile humor came from Oedekerk. He is after all also the writer to the Thumb Wars parody films. Another strange thing to incorporate into this feature was cinematography handled by Steve Kolbe and Chris Sherrod. Both named people would not go onto do a whole lot more. And what was the reason for having cinematography again? This is an animated film.

Speaking of which, the animation is quite intriguing to look at. Why; because more than likely it’s the exact opposite one would think compared to what will be said next. The animation is actually not badly done. That’s right. Most would definitely agree by today’s standards that it does not hold up. And in some places, it doesn’t. Several backgrounds feel unfinished and too simple in design. But what helps conceal that are the energized colorful characters and their expressive facial features. If the characters don’t look like hollow shells, that’s one step in the right direction. Lastly, the music composed mainly by John Debney and Brian Causey was efficient at their jobs too. Unfortunately, there’s no main theme for Jimmy instrumentally speaking. However, the soundtrack to the film is a nice throwback to times gone by. Thankfully that’s a datedness that is welcome to hear.

To some now, this kid’s film will feel dated, which in some areas it is. This is mainly in the parts of the jokes. There’s also cinematography…where? Animation may also seem less detailed, but overall the characters are what counts, the voice acting is great and so is the music.

Points Earned --> 6:10

The Grudge (2004) Review:

In horror films, spirits and ghosts are popular creatures used in hauntings and spook fests. Sometimes though, the incarnations featured in the US don’t come across unique or creepy. With that, every now and then international influence helps rejuvenate an industry. Movies are no different when it comes to the US as well. Which is why this film was made, when Sam Raimi saw the original movie released in Japan under the title Ju-On (2002). Usually when a story is adapted into a foreign market, there is a loss in translation due to cultural differences. That doesn’t seem to be the case here though, as this Americanized version of the film seems to be handled with just as much care.

Directed by Takashi Shimizu who also directed the original Japanese film, the story is about transfer student Doug (Jason Behr) and his girlfriend Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar) who moved to Japan to receive caretaker credit. When an assigned caretaker doesn’t report into work for a specific residence, Karen fills in only to discover something isn’t right about the location of the house. Adapted by Stephen Susco in his first theatrical writing credit, the story is clearly disturbing in way that’ll keep its viewer watching with intrigue. The person who lives at the house is Emma (Grace Zabriskie), the mother of Matthew (William Mapother), Susan (KaDee Strickland) and mother in law to Matthew’s wife Jennifer (Clea DuVall). When Karen reveals to local police detective Nakagawa (Ryo Ishibashi) that she saw a creepy child named Toshio (Yuya Ozeki) is when the plot thickens.

Most of the characters depicted in this story are an interesting bunch. Sarah Michelle Gellar best known for her roles in Cruel Intentions (1999), Scooby-Doo (2002) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV Show, plays a likable lead even though she’s not totally the main focus. The reason for this is the slightly disjointed execution from director Shimizu. In order to explain why this residence has a lingering spirit, the movie takes its audience through a series of different flashbacks at different times. They are not hard to follow, but the moments at which they begin and end feels like they’re in the wrong place. Or at the very least could been shown at a different time in the story. Runner up to Gellar’s performance was Ishibashi’s role as detective Nakagawa. Rounding out the cast, the movie also has appearances from Bill Pullman, Rosa Blasi, Ted Raimi, Yôko Maki, and Takako Fuji.

What also makes the story to this horror film entertaining is the inclusion of Japanese mythology. Based loosely on the belief on how it occurs, the title of the film appropriately lends to the nature of the disgruntled antagonist. Perhaps the only other component to the film that won’t please in particular the gore hounds is the level of violence. It’s not much, but considering it’s a PG-13 rated film, that’s rare. Plus, the original Japanese version didn’t have any. Besides, ghostly apparition films are more psychological than they are gory. The effects are also very well put together despite its budget and year that it was made. Very little of it is CGI and the parts that actually show the spirit, look like stop-motion but are indeed the talent of the actor, which is very impressive to say the least.

Camerawork was also skillfully shot for this picture. Hideo Yamamoto served as the cinematographer. Yamamoto also worked on the original One Missed Call (2003), another popular Japanese horror film and a year later would do the same for Tetsujin 28 (2005). As for music, the score was composed by famed gothic composer Christopher Young. Although part of the sound heavily relies on dark brooding soundscapes, Young did compose two main themes which in their own right are memorable for the franchise. Considering Young also composed other great works like Hellraiser (1987) and Species (1995), it’s nice that director Shimizu chose him to provide the music for this film. Thankfully an album exists and has just the right amount of creep factor to it to entertain.

The way the story is told can feel out of place and gore may seem light to those who want it, but that’s not much compared to the entire experience. The plot which includes some Japanese culture is captivating, the visuals are good and the music is entertaining for the genre.

Points Earned --> 7:10

The Muppet Movie (1979) Review:

He’s been known for many things related to television. He made the word “Muppet” a common term. He created Sesame Street, a children’s show everyone has enjoyed for all ages. Most importantly though, he reinvigorated an industry that was seen as old fashioned and viewed as almost laughable. Ventriloquism and puppetry seem like a trivial way of entertainment, but before special effects and CGI were a thing, it has long been a means for that reason. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it no longer has value nor contributed to the evolution of the industry it’s related to. Rightfully so, with the success of The Muppet Show, Jim Henson took the next step in his film career by making a movie about them. What results is a strong first entry in Henson’s theatrical movies.

The story although not credited at all to Henson, is an allegory to Henson being able to make his Muppet movie. Even with the success of The Muppet Show, Henson had trouble finding someone to support his first theatrical film. Kermit the frog (Jim Henson) is enjoying his life in the swamp when he’s visited by a Hollywood agent telling him he could be a star. Feeling he could make an impact, Kermit sets out on the road and meets all his other friends people come to love and know so well. In a sense, it’s an origin story. The script was written by Jerry Juhl and Jack Burns, both who had worked on The Muppet Show as well. Directing the feature was James Frawley who had more experience heading TV shows like The Monkees and Magnum, P.I.

For those who enjoy the Muppets, the film gives the viewer a good idea as to how Kermit hit it big with Hollywood and was able to gather his group of diverse and colorful friends. Characters like Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, Animal, Scooter, Beaker, Bunsen and more get their introductions one way or another. The script also loves to break the fourth wall with the audience, letting them know the Muppets know it’s a movie. The puppeteers and voice actors all do a great job making these characters feel like they are their own individual. Not to mention as expected, the movie also contains several cameos from big name actors at the time like Charles Durning, Austin Pendleton, Edgar Bergen, Mel Brooks, James Coburn, Dom DeLuise, Bob Hope, Carol Kane, Richard Pryor, Orson Welles and Caroll Spinney playing who else but Big Bird.

Perhaps the only thing that suffers in the movie is pacing. It’s not a bad thing, but it’s most likely the weakest link in the production. At times, audiences may feel the story is kind of taking a wacky detour. This comes down to the incidents Kermit and his friends get involved with, some of which don’t make a lot of sense. Perhaps that was a part of the comedy? It’s a bit hard to tell, but that doesn’t mean the movie isn’t funny. There are plenty of moments where the characters get involved in over the top antics. The effects used in this movie are also commendable. There are a number of illusions used in the movie that are mind blowing for the time that show a puppet can fully exist on screen without being attached to a puppeteer. It’s very creative.

These camera tricks were caught by Albert Einstein lookalike cinematographer Isidore Mankofsky. From what is shown, Mankofsky filmed several nice countryside backdrops along with varying streets of California. Lastly, the music composed by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams is notably an important piece. Having worked very famously on the second A Star is Born (1976) remake, it’s no shocker they created memorable music here too. Songs like the “Rainbow Connection”, “Movin’ Right Along”, and “I’m Going to Go Back There Someday” are all songs that bring out the proper emotions for the scene. Making it all the more enjoyable are the small snippets of score that they composed throughout the film. Thankfully the album exists and has been reissued. Definitely something worth adding to a collection.

Pacing is probably the only thing that falters from time to time. That should not be too bad though because the acting, guest appearances, story, songs and cinematography all make this an enjoyable family picture.

Points Earned --> 8:10

Underworld (2003) Review:

Universal Studios’ classic monster movies from the early days of cinema continues to be one of those milestones that filmmakers look to inspiration for. Whether it’s creating new horror figures or working with already existing ones, werewolves and vampires have remained as one of those top types of monster classes. And while these creatures had their fair share of separate features, they did not often cross paths. But of course, once The Matrix (1999) came out along with “bullet time”, everyone wanted to try a film with this. Leave it to newcomer director Len Wiseman to make this happen by combining these two horror classes in one picture. With that, came the franchise fans couldn’t seem to get enough of, despite critics panning it. In order to like it though, one kind of has to be into the style and story.

The story penned originally by Kevin Grevioux and scripted by Danny McBride in his first theatrical credit is about a lengthy ongoing war between Lycans (Werewolves) and Vampires. While hunting Lycans led by Lucian (Michael Sheen), one of the vampires named Selene (Kate Beckinsale) sees them following a human named Michael (Scott Speedman). Curious as to why, she makes it her mission to find out what their plans are. Concurrently, Selene’s superior Kraven (Shane Brolly) tries to keep her from overstepping her place for soon the lead vampire Viktor (Bill Nighy) will awaken to finally crush the Lycans. For a premise, it seems entertaining enough but that’s pretty much where it stops, because there are equally bad parts for the good. It’s another surprise seeing that the film was successful, yet fails to impress all completely.

The acting in this film is acceptable. All actors give performances probably one would expect. The characters themselves though are the ones that come off odd. Beckinsale’s Selene has an interesting history, but why does it seem like she’s the only one hunting Lycans? All the other vampires under Kraven dwell in a fancy mansion sitting in fancy chairs. Is that all they do? They don’t seem to be in any centuries long war. The character who stands out as the most intriguing is Lucian. He seems the most enthusiastic about fighting the war between the factions and for good reason. That’s it though. Not even Scott Speedman playing the macguffin of the plot lends for any strong attention. He also plays a predictably written subplot to that of Beckinsale’s character.

Adding to these story clichés is the padded run time. The film just breaks two hours and somehow feels longer than that. If the film trimmed off at least twenty minutes, it would have been reasonably paced. Instead, scenes feel longer than necessary. Not to mention the decently shot action sequences matching very close to the slow motion shots filmed in other action movies. All those slow moving frames add up. The picture also ravishes in showing its viewers the set design, which is built very authentically. However, there’s a lack of variety. Much of the set pieces are of same locations over and over again. Let’s also not forget that there are no daylight scenes. The setting is always dark and rainy. Is this Earth this story takes place in or some other planet?

Camerawork was handled like it needed to be however. Tony Pierce-Roberts served as the director of photography and had also worked The Remains of the Day (1993) and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2001). Roberts also makes sure to show the audience a good amount of gore in case anyone was worried the R rating wasn’t fortified. Lastly, the score was composed by Paul Haslinger, who had scored films before, but would breakout here with this effort. While much of the work is more atmospheric, there are moments of thematic music that pops in every now and then. Perhaps the more standout components to Haslinger’s score is during the action scenes where the music kicks into gear with heavy percussion and synthetic clicks. It’s not a great score and works in some places, but overall not impressive.

Acting and camerawork are the best parts to this franchise starter. The premise itself is an idea, but the execution is slow in a number of places. Very few characters will get a viewer’s attention, the settings are majority singular and the music is more of a product of its time.

Points Earned --> 5:10

The Pink Panther (1963) Review:

Typically, single movies or franchises find success because of the initial impression they leave on their audience. Majority of the time it’s because the viewing experience was undoubtedly positive and was unlike any other movie seen before. This movie itself is no stranger to that kind of response when it comes to its history. Yet looking at it now can make a viewer wonder, “How did this launch a franchise of several more sequels”? It really is rather baffling after seeing this film because apparently it was a big hit and launched Peter Sellers, one of the co-stars into Hollywood stardom. Somehow though this film is hardly the laughing riot it’s declared to be, as it is remarkably tedious in its execution from veteran filmmaker Blake Edwards.

The story is about a rare pink diamond called the pink panther, which is in the possession of a princess (Claudia Cardinale), who plans on having a party. Due to recent robberies though from an elusive thief who goes by the name of “the phantom”, Inspector Clouseau (Peter Sellers) is hoping to nab them once and for all. The screenplay was written by Maurice Richlin and co-written by Blake Edwards and somehow doesn’t make much of a difference. Sadly, for whatever positive there is to mention about the film, there’s an equal negative about it. Blake Edwards’ direction on the story is very slow a for crime comedy. There are numerous scenes that drag on for what seems like more than needed. This extended time with certain characters leaves others feeling neglected and mostly disconnected from the main plot. Unfortunately, this leads to probably the biggest surprise.

The comedic elements are just not that funny. Maybe at the time they were, but as time has passed only some parts may induce a laugh here or there. That’s jaw dropping when this is supposedly the entry that started it all. Considering Peter Sellers wasn’t universally found to be nearly as funny until after this movie; it’s amazing anyone did! Peter Sellers as clueless Clouseau can do physical comedy, but he’s barely in the movie. Understandably so, since he was not ultimately the main star until after the release, but still. How did anyone find Seller’s performance hilarious if he was barely in it? That’s not to say the acting isn’t good. Far from it. All thespians involved act appropriately for their characters. There’s numerous veteran actors that have roles in the story.

There are appearances from David Niven as Sir Charles Lytton, Robert Wagner plays his son George Lytton, Capucine plays Clouseau’s wife Simone and Colin Gordon plays Clouseau’s assistant Tucker. The unbalanced focus though is what throws these performances off. Characters tend to have contradicting motives that get revealed as the run time continues. While some may see the comedy in this, to others it may not make sense. The only actor who in its purest sense is attempting real comedy is Peter Sellers with his physical slapstick. As mentioned before, while he may not be as prevalent as one would expect, Sellers does make his character do things that can produce a laugh. Whether it’s tripping over things or misusing objects, it’s humorous. It’s just disappointing he’s not there all the time.

Visually speaking the movie is competent looking. Handling the camera was Philip H. Lathrop who knew Blake Edwards as well. What perhaps came to be the most recognizable aspect of this film though was the music composed by Henry Mancini. The sound of the score is probably one of the most fitting lounge about melody types one could hear. Not only does it juxtapose the complete opposite that is Inspector Clouseau, but its themes are probably the most memorable. Mancini’s orchestrations are highlighted with piano, saxophone and what appears to be accordion which is rare for film music. Too bad the rest of the film couldn’t be as unique.

Either it’s just that time hasn’t been nice to the jokes in this film or clearly no one had ever seen a comedy before, when the film first came out. It’s astonishing that this was the movie that created the franchise fans enjoy so much. While the slapstick from Sellers is enjoyable, he’s not a huge spotlight to the experience. The pacing drags for far too long in varying spots, many of the jokes don’t produce laughter and character motives are confusing. Music is really the only thing a viewer can count on 100%.

Points Earned --> 5:10

Resident Evil (2002) Review:

Video game movies have been around since the video game industry boomed after its initial crash. Considered to be a guilty pleasure and one of the more accurate adaptations was the original Mortal Kombat (1995). Yes, it was cheesy and it didn’t gain high reviews, but people still enjoy it today. Since then video game movie adaptations have been a thing for the last couple decades and probably will continue onward. The level of interest movie studios has had though seemed to have gone in waves. By the end of the 1990s it wasn’t as profitable until this movie came out. The weird thing is how it started. Reason for this is that this movie was directed by Paul W. S. Anderson…the same director of Mortal Kombat (1995). What are the odds he reinvigorates a genre once every decade or so?

The plot of the film is that sometime in the future, a national conglomerate company called The Umbrella Corporation is the sole provider for all consumers of basic needs. However, behind the scenes they also produce high weapons grade items and bio-hazards. When a deadly mutagen is released inside the company’s facility and goes into lockdown, a taskforce is sent in to fix the issue. Tagging along with them are what seem to be three ordinary civilians. Two of which, Spence (James Purefoy) and Alice (Milla Jovovich) have a case of memory loss and don’t recall how they were involved to begin with. The premise is the most intriguing part of the movie, story wise. As for the rest, there’s not a whole lot to get behind.

There are plot holes that turn up later on that don’t make sense when looking at the full story. Employees of the umbrella corporation work in a facility underground and are not allowed to be above ground. Yet, the initiation of this whole plot happens above ground involving employees of said company. That’s not to say Paul W. S. Anderson did not do his research on the brand though. To be able to write and direct this feature, he made sure to dive deep into the games. With that said, there are several references throughout the movie to the video game itself. To that, fans of the video game series must have been marginally happy with those nods of nostalgia. Despite those clever callbacks, charming characters are hard to find among all that’s on screen.

Coming out on top of the cast as not only the lead actor, not only as an action star but also meeting her future husband (the director); Milla Jovovich plays the only character a viewer might root for. The other cast members like Colin Salmon, James Purefoy, Eric Mabius, Michelle Rodriguez and Martin Crewes act their way through the movie just fine, but their characters just aren’t written with anything special. The same could be said for the special effects, more specifically the CGI. Being that CGI had been shown to blend fairly well with physical backgrounds by this point, it makes no sense why some of the visuals look like they were still from the era of Mortal Kombat (1995). Maybe these aspects were also homage to the original Resident Evil video game since the visuals and characters weren’t Oscar material either.

The gore on the other hand is pretty good looking as well as the practical effects. Credit to cinematographer David Johnson for helping with getting good looking shots. The set design also helps in the look of the film. Lastly for music, the score was composed by Marco Beltrami and Marilyn Manson. While there has been no clear official release of the score itself, the music to the film is a mix of electronic pulses and brooding synthesizers. The idea was to have edgy music and while it feels that way in some places, other times it matches the more tactical depiction used by the military unit. It’s worth a listen if possible because it is not the classic sounding orchestral score one would expect.

Director Paul W. S. Anderson seems to have had a knack for jump starting video game movie trends early on in his career by doing the same thing twice. While it’s not by any means high end in performances, this video game movie is fairly faithful to its source material even if the special effect qualities are subpar in certain places even for 2002. Music also provides an interesting listen.

Points Earned --> 6:10

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Review:

The names Sergio Leone and Spaghetti Westerns have become practically one and the same. Most filmmakers who end up making period piece films credit Mr. Leone for their inspiration. The films he worked on were that influential. Despite him having only eight head director credits, Leone had written scripts and operated as assistant director to many other pictures. The three films that would make him a household name were A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). The last official western though Leone would end with, was this movie even though he tried getting Clint Eastwood to appear in it somewhere, one last time. Instead, he got a different lead star but it propelled them to stardom all the same.

Jill McBain, an heiress to a man’s fortune (Claudia Cardinale) discovers she’s a widow when her family is gunned down by Frank (Henry Fonda) a deadly mercenary. Hoping to keep himself away from the law, Frank frames Cheyenne the bandit (Jason Robards). At the same time, searching for Frank is an unnamed gunman who plays the harmonica (Charles Bronson) who has his own mysterious intentions. The script was written by frequent partner Sergio Donati and Sergio Leone himself. Rarely are there times where a screenplay ties up all loose ends for characters with little to no question. It’s not easy to do and sometimes things are left ambiguous. But for this feature the Sergio duo made sure to the audience saw each character cross paths in a way that felt natural as well as explaining the backstory. This can be difficult seeing that Leone also directed this feature as mentioned before.

What’s nice to see though are characters who are fleshed out and have charisma to them. The acting is performed very well and immerses the audience in the setting. The dialog feels appropriate and uses only words that felt like they came from that time period. Even for a rated PG-13 film, the curses are not what one would typically hear…if any for that matter. Being that the story revolves around Jill McBain, Claudia Cardinale portrays her character with strength that perhaps was not seen very often. Especially for the time period of the film, but also the story. It’s also a much more serious character opposed to her role as the princess in The Pink Panther (1963). Playing another serious character is Henry Fonda as Frank. Seen mostly as good guy characters, it was quite a shock to discover Fonda playing the antagonist, and a pretty heartless one at that.

Jason Robards as Cheyenne the bandit is a peculiar character as he gets caught in the mess, but doesn’t play to either side. If anything, he’s kind of there for comic relief but not all the way. It’s strange though because there is one thing about his character that comes about which doesn’t add up and can’t be explained in this review. There’s railroad baron by the name of Mr. Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) who also gets tangled up in these various characters. He too plays to neither side really and comes across as a slightly sympathetic character. Lastly though is the harmonica player played by Charles Bronson. While Bronson had been in films before, this was one of his later pictures that brought him to the forefront of tough men. Bronson’s performance is stoic yet charming simultaneously. That’s scarce in most of those roles. The only thing that works against this movie at times is its pacing.

The film lavishes taking in the scenery and set designs which are well crafted. To some, it feels like a drawn out setup. The intro credits alone take ten minutes to get through. It may just seem excessive. That’s not a discredit to Tonino Delli Colli as the cinematographer. Having worked on many projects, Delli Colli captures lots of details and makes them jaw dropping. His last picture famously was Life Is Beautiful (1997). Finally, the film score composed by another frequent Leone extension Ennio Morricone is nothing to scoff at either. Morricone created themes for many characters, more specifically Jill and Bronson’s role. There’s even guitar that kicks in elevating the tension to unheard of heights considering the time period this movie was made. Way before 1980s rock. Well done.

If extended long shots and meticulous world building is something seen as boring, best to stay away. But that’s the only real thing seen as an issue. The music is flawless for the time, the cinematography is magnificent including the set design and the actors are great in their roles.

Points Earned --> 8:10

Alien (1979) Review:

If there was a setting science fiction films used abundantly, it was outer space. Or, the final frontier as Star Trek would often call it. The reason for this perhaps is because aside from humanity not knowing much about what lies in the Earth’s oceans, we know probably even less what’s out in the vast miles of space. It was popular in the 1960s and got a big enthusiastic injection with George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977). One thing that hadn’t been popularized yet during the 1970s was science fiction horror, until this movie. Now regarded as one of the best science fiction horror films out there, Alien (1979) is a must see for fans of the genre. Keep in mind though, if one is already desensitized to the genre, it’s better to appreciate the craft more than the feeling.

The script, written by Dan O'Bannon having only written once before this in John Carpenter’s Dark Star (1974) is impressive. A crew of workers are headed home from a long time doing their jobs and resting. On their journey, they receive a distress signal from a nearby planet and investigate. When they return, they realize something else has returned with them. The crew consists of Tom Skerritt as Dallas, Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, Veronica Cartwright as Lambert, Harry Dean Stanton as Brett, John Hurt as Kane, Ian Holm as Ash and Yaphet Kotto as Parker. This is also only the second credit to director Ridley Scott having no experience in the horror genre before this. Of course, the actor coming out with the most notoriety was Sigourney Weaver as the lead.

The character of Ripley defined what it meant to be a horror girl but with the biggest package rivaling almost all the male characters in the movie. Dallas as the most senior of the group shows how much he’s invested in his job. Brett is one of the nonchalant engineers on board and Parker is the other who does his best to follow orders. Ash is the science officer who plays things very straight and blank faced, about as objective as his profession. The only two characters who don’t add a whole lot are Kane and Lambert. They just don’t do a whole lot that stands out. However, the actors who play them are credible. John Hurt and Veronica Cartwright had been in horror films before this. Hurt was in The Ghoul (1975) and The Shout (1978), while Cartwright was in The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978).

Then there’s also Bolaji Badejo, the actor who plays the alien itself. Documented in being almost seven feet tall, this was the guy who gave the alien its towering height and look. The way Badejo moves in the costume gives it a very animalistic personality. Part of the credit should go to effects artists as well. The set designs are miraculous for the time this movie was made and the detail that went into them. The one everyone remembers the most is the space jockey monument. Honestly, the set surrounding it is even more mind blowing. Plus, with the help from miniatures and matte paintings the scope to this film feels massive despite it having a very short cast of actors. The only thing that doesn’t work in this film’s favor is the horror gore aspect. For beginners this film may scare, but for avid viewers, one might be enjoying more of the visuals than actually experiencing thrills.

Derek Vanlint was the director of cinematography for this picture. Surprisingly Vanlint would only go to shoot for two other movies. That being Dragonslayer (1981) and The Spreading Ground (2000). For what’s put on screen, Vanlint’s work looks good. The way the angles are shot really help give the viewer a sense of isolation. Lastly the film score composed by Jerry Goldsmith had an interesting approach. To the behest of Ridley Scott, Goldsmith had to make his score much more subdued and atmospheric. That’s different for Goldsmith as he was used to producing more developed music, even for horror films like The Omen (1976), The Swarm (1978) and Magic (1978). Despite him doing this though, the music is adequate and has a few themes that will remind the viewer of the bleakness in the situation.

For newcomers and people who don’t watch horror often, this should be scary. Those who aren’t phased may just enjoy it for its technical prowess and performances. That’s its only flaw, but it depends on the viewer. Ultimately all aspects work to its benefit, from the acting, to the visuals and the music.

Points Earned --> 8:10

The Love Bug (1968) Review:

Whether it be in person or the TV screen, race cars have captured many attention for their noisy antics. No matter if it’s the speed these cars pass by at or the wrecks they get involved with, racing can be an exhilarating sport. The people who obviously get the most out of it though are the racers themselves. Even then though, they can hit slumps especially if their season isn’t going as planned. Pick me ups are possible, but sometimes it’s difficult getting back in the ring. But what are those pick me ups? Surely not getting a completely new car. Well, this movie happens to feature something like that with a very unlikely added feature for a fun ride. This is also the film that began a franchise favorite for many people who love racing and classic cars.

Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) is a struggling driver trying to make something of his profession. Unfortunately for him, he’s just making ends meet by participating in demolition derbies with his partner Tennessee (Buddy Hackett). That is until he takes a stroll and happens to meet Carole Bennett (Michele Lee) an assistant to Peter Thorndyke (David Tomlinson) the owner of a car dealer. While perusing, he crosses paths with a white Volkswagen beetle. Feeling the car is an eyesore, Thorndyke offers it to Douglas. What nobody seems to know is that the car has a mind of its own except Tennessee, which leads to all kinds of shenanigans. Written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi from Mary Poppins (1964) fame, this story is a cute little racing movie, although highly unrealistic. Robert Stevenson serves as director who also helmed other Disney pictures like Mary Poppins (1964) and Old Yeller (1957).

As for stories go, there’s a decent amount of family entertainment to be had. While the character of Jim Douglas is a bit stubborn at times, he does have a character arc which makes him an amicable protagonist. It’s a little questionable why Michele Lee’s character would warm up to him rather quickly, but perhaps this writing is more of a product of the time. Both Tomlinson and Hackett are the actors who have the more comedic characters. Tomlinson plays Thorndyke as an overly confident man in his abilities to persuade others. His development is interesting seeing that he became more and more unstable as the story progressed. Hackett as Tennessee is fairly consistent throughout, but it’s never explained how he could tell that Herbie was a sentient motor vehicle or how it became sentient.

However, audiences do get to learn how Herbie gets his name. As for the car itself, Herbie is a charming little car that shows just how much energy it really has. While the vehicle may not be able to make faces, through a series of actions, audiences will be able to tell what mood the car is in. There’s also appearances from Joe Flynn playing Havershaw, Thorndyke’s sniveling partner, and Benson Fong playing Tang Wu, another shop owner who gets entangled with the bug. Since this is a family adventure fantasy film and the premise is about a sentient car, expectations should be low for realism. Reason for this being not even the racing segments are exactly believable. Which is kind of surprising, considering one would think that would be something to keep authentic if takes place in the human world.

When a car is operating only on ¾ of its base and the rest is being balanced by the crew, how is a race functioning properly with that? The cinematography shot by Edward Colman was well done for its time. Having also done cinematography for Mary Poppins (1964), the quality remains the same. Before that, he also worked on Dragnet (1954). This would however be Colman’s last credit as a cinematographer. Finally, the film score composed by George Bruns, a frequent composer for Disney films at the time, did a nice job. Unfortunately, there never was an officially released score, but Bruns does have a cute little jingle for Herbie. In a way it sounds like it took inspiration from Vic Mizzy’s Addams Family theme with the same instruments.

The realism in the racing aspects are far from plausible and the origins of Herbie’s existence isn’t given much explanation. Despite that though, it’s easy to ignore since it’s a fantasy film with goofy likable characters, cute music and skilled camerawork.

Points Earned --> 7:10

It (2017) Review:

Of all the works written by horror novelist Stephen King, none of his creations were fully recognized until the late 1980s to 1990s. Yes, Carrie (1976) and The Shining (1980) had come out way earlier than that, if anything though, they were the launch pad for King’s properties into the film industry. Yet, the one creation a generation would remember most was not even from a theatrical film, but a mini-series. Stephen King’s It (1990) with Tim Curry was successful at leaving an impression on viewers. It had a likeable cast of characters, a memorable villain and an interesting way of telling the story. Despite the fondness though people have for the whole series, it wasn’t perfect and suffered from a datedness that the 1990s only had. This new reimaging of the story not only updates it but raises the bar slightly, which is rare. Thankfully it stands out enough that it does nothing to harm the reputation of the first effort.

Instead of book ending the story with two different settings simultaneously, this entry just covers the early years. This is definitely a better way to approach this since it’s a theatrical film. Credit to writers Cary Joji Fukunaga, Chase Palmer and Gary Dauberman for having the foresight to do this along with director Andy Muschietti. When a group of ragtag children join forces for being considered outcasts, they also realize that the town they live in has something to hide. For some reason people, especially children go missing. As they continue to search for answers, they realize a dark force has been creeping on them, only known as It. While the premise is the same, it’s quite surprising how well things are handled considering Fukunaga and Palmer had no previous writing credits to a horror film before it. Dauberman does have experience, but his best known credits to this point was Annabelle (2014) and most recently Annabelle: Creation (2017).

No main characters featured in this project are adults, except It.  Jaeden Martell plays Bill, the stuttering leader of the group, who also lost his brother Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) to the mysterious force. Ben (Jeremy Ray Taylor) is the new kid on the block who enjoys reading and has the biggest heart. Beverly (Sophia Lillis) is the only girl of the group, but is able to stand her own even to them, mostly because of her abusive father. Richie (Finn Wolfhard) is the jokester and seeks to be the grounder of the group. Mike (Chosen Jacobs) is the farm boy who lost his parents in a house fire, but does his best to stand out. Eddie (Jack Dylan Grazer) the germophobe is a smart kid who has the clearest common sense from anyone else, but also has asthma. Then there’s Stanley (Wyatt Oleff), the kid of religion who has other things he needs to accomplish but is just as much an outcast like his friends.

There’s also the Bowers gang, led by Henry (Nicholas Hamilton) and his cronies Belch (Jake Sim), Victor (Logan Thompson) and Patrick (Owen Teague). All of these actors perform well off each other and their chemistries feel natural in every situation. Lastly there’s Bill Skarsgård as It. Taking the form of his best known character as Pennywise the dancing clown. His performance as Pennywise is definitely one in itself. Skarsgård made it clear from the beginning he had to make his performance different from that of Tim Curry because he knew how many people regarded the original incarnation. Skarsgård as Pennywise is ravenous and quite sadistic, yet has moments of dark comedy for good measure. And unlike the mini-series where Pennywise looked like the mainstream clown, here he looks like a clown from another century. The only thing that could’ve been changed was not having the child actors dropping F bombs so frequently. It seemed like almost every sentence they used.

For a film that came out in the late 2010s, the look of it is praiseworthy. The cinematography shot by Chung-hoon Chung is beautiful to look at either during the day time or in dark settings. Chung was also the cinematographer for the original Oldboy (2003). The sets built for the film also look great. Whether it be the sewers the kids go searching in or the old abandoned house. The interiors look amazing. Finally, the film score composed by Benjamin Wallfisch is unique to listen to. The score is a mix of orchestra and heavy synthesizers but still manages a balance between dark themes and the lighter ones. There’s also the use of a creepy organ and a children’s choir for Pennywise, which makes it all the more unsettling. All around though, a great work from this up and coming composer.

Aside from a slight overuse of the F word by children like it’s their favorite word, this updated version of Stephen King’s popular novel is a worthy addition. The performances from the actors, unique music and beautiful cinematography all elevate the experience of watching this movie.

Points Earned --> 8:10

Dune (1984) Review:

Prior to George Lucas and the release of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), the genre of space related films had been out and about before. It just so happened that Lucas’ film brought it back by popular demand. While Lucas’ story was a culmination of ideas, it was still his original concept. There was however a popular story already written that was waiting to be adapted and that was Dune by Frank Herbert. With that said, who knows how it would have turned out if Lucas was in charge. For David Lynch who only directed Eraserhead (1977) and The Elephant Man (1980) before this, it seems to be clear perhaps he was not the strongest choice. That’s not to say Lynch isn’t a good director, but his previous projects were not in the same genre nor were they as big a production as this one. He also admits to not fighting for his vision.

Having written and directed this feature probably took a toll on Lynch as well. The plot for this feature is about a planet named Arrakis AKA Dune, which has a precious commodity called “spice”, everyone in the universe loves. On Dune where this good is sourced, are the natives who believe in a prophecy of someone freeing them and their planet from authoritarian control. The person whose plan is to inherit the current occupation of Dune is Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) the son of the Duke Leto Atreides (Jürgen Prochnow). They are not the only ones though seeking to control Dune. There’s also Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (José Ferrer) who’s competing with the Atreides dynasty and hopes to overthrow them with the help from Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Kenneth McMillan) and his nephews Feyd Rautha (Sting) and The Beast Rabban (Paul L. Smith). That’s about as condensed as it can get.

Sadly, the characters and writing suffer the worst in this science-fiction story. The characters and their respective actors mentioned above are only a small handful of those to appear in this film. There’s also appearances from Brad Dourif, Richard Jordan, Virginia Madsen, Everett McGill, Dean Stockwell, Max von Sydow, Sean Young, Linda Hunt, Silvana Mangano and Patrick Stewart. The value their characters add to the picture though is average at best. With that said, it doesn’t give the audience much more for the main characters. Very few of them have any kind of charm to them. It’s like the tone was to take it very seriously, as the amount of light hearted moments come far and few between. As the lead star, one would think Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides would be someone to rally behind…not exactly.

Really, it’s the villains who expel the most energy on screen. Kenneth McMillan as the pus oozing floating fat man, as he’s referenced in this film by another character, looks to be enjoying every scene that he’s in. Paul L. Smith best known for his role in Robert Altman’s live-action version of Popeye (1980) comes in a close second here. Sting is also grinning in several shots…whether he needs to be or not. Why are they having a good time but no one else looks like they are? The worst offense this film commits is having in almost every scene having characters perform inner monologue whispering. To its credit, it works in some cases for context purposes. However, this movie just over does it; audiences don’t have to be told everything a character is thinking.

Visually speaking for 1984, the film looks good. The practical effects and small assortments of digital effects are unique for their time. The greatest prop of this feature everyone remembers are the gigantic sand worms. Wonder if that helped inspire the demonic ones from Beetlejuice (1988). Helping with the visuals was Freddie Francis who also shot for Lynch’s The Elephant Man (1980) and would later shoot for Glory (1989). Lastly the film score was composed by 80s icon band TOTO. While it seems to have been their only film to score by, TOTO deserves credit for creating and mixing a competent sounding tone for this futuristic movie. There are mixes of orchestra and electric guitar some would be surprised to hear actually work well off each other. Not to mention there’s a main theme for the film.

As grand as the look of the movie is, the stuffed screenplay, over serious tone and constant inner monologues make the experience long and boring. The special effects and music is crafted expertly, but that doesn’t add much when most of the characters are bland.

Points Earned --> 5:10

Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) Review:

The 1980s was the decade of many things. For the film industry, more specifically the genre of horror, Freddy Krueger was one of the top icons. While he emerged almost half way through the decade, his name stuck and the fans couldn’t get enough of the series. Of course that is until the character became campier and campier therefore viewers not taking him as seriously. It was also obvious to director Wes Craven after leaving the franchise from the first film that his creation wasn’t the same several sequels down the road. It was because of this realization that Craven returned to helm this film. Although, what some people might be expecting is not what they should be expecting, if that makes any sense. This is exactly why the title is called Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.

The plot is one the most absurdly meta stories to a franchise. After taking part in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), Heather Langenkamp is now married with a son Dylan (Miko Hughes). Producers from New Line Cinema want her to return for one more Elm Street sequel, but she’s currently being stalked by someone imitating Freddy Krueger…or is it? Once people she knows starts showing up dead in familiar ways to that of the films, it’s up to Langenkamp to stop the evil force. Written and directed by Wes Craven, this pseudo-sequel which in a way, rounds out the two trilogy of films rather well. What’s crazy is just how self-aware the script is. There nods to how fans have seen the franchise through the years, how Freddy has been perceived and what parents have thought of the films.

The script also has people who played characters in past films playing themselves this time. Rob LaBelle from Jack Frost (1997) has a small role as a special effects technician. Jsu Garcia who played Rod in the first film has a cameo, as well as Tuesday Knight from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), John Saxon and Lin Shaye. It’s just weird, but cool at the same time. This also seems to be the template for what Craven would use in Scream (1996) and maybe even Bride of Chucky (1998). All the actors entertain and are convincing in their roles as themselves and their characters of this movie of a movie within a movie. Also as a child actor, Miko Hughes is believable and would later have roles in Apollo 13 (1995), Mercury Rising (1998), Escape to Grizzly Mountain (2000) and Clockstoppers (2002).

But of course, what would the film be without Robert Englund playing Fred Krueger? Well that’s kind of the thing about this movie. First off, Englund not only plays himself, but also Krueger again. That’s a plus. The problem is, Krueger doesn’t seem to appear as much in the film as one would hope. There’s a balance and sometimes less is more. However, even the very first film had more appearances that what seems to be this one. The same could be said for gore as well. This doesn’t take away the performance or look of the new Krueger design though. The criticism of Krueger being too campy cannot be made here. He is very much what he was from early on; serious, dark and has just right number of one-liners. Kudos to Englund.

The cinematography was shot well for this movie. Behind the camera was Mark Irwin, the same guy who worked on Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983), The Fly (1986), The Blob (1988), RoboCop 2 (1990), Dark Angel (1990) and Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991). Probably the only weak visual component was CGI effects since it was the early 90s, which is forgivable to a degree and not much of it exists in the movie. Lastly the film score was composed by J. Peter Robinson, who during the same year scored Highlander: The Final Dimension (1994). Surprisingly, the music for this film pays respects to Charles Bernstein’s original theme while incorporating some of his own style in various tracks. Thankfully there aren’t too many stings if at all.

As the seventh entry in the series, although it may not be considered depending on who you ask, this film is bizarrely clever in its execution paving the way for other self-aware horror films. The actors all put in good performances, the music and camerawork are all nicely done too. Only issue is, the main villain may not be as prevalent as some might hope him to be.

Points Earned --> 7:10

Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) Review:

Ten years ago from the release of this entry, Transformers (2007) was never considered a deep film nor did it gain all around glowing reviews. Yet it made an impact on audiences and people loved it. Its visuals were eye popping, the action was gigantic and the music was fun. Sure, characters were a bit exaggerated and seen as annoyances, but there was some likability to them. Five entries later and it looks like mainstream audiences still enjoyed that familiar formula. People still came out to see it, despite this being the lowest earning entry in the series and that should mean something. Perhaps viewers want a little more in their robotic action romps? It's truly unfortunate when the only redeemable aspects to a film are it's visual and audible components.

Picking up some time after the events of Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), where Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) left Earth to find the autobots' creator(s), Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) and the rest have been hiding from government authorities. Kind of strange considering like in every film, they've saved the planet from being taken over. Nevertheless, Prime returns to his home planet and is captured by his creator Quintessa (Gemma Chan). Her plan is turning Prime against his allies in search of an old artifact given from the autobots to the humans during medieval times. Surprisingly the one writer not involved with this sequel was Ehren Kruger, who was credited in the last three films and felt more like a burden than contributor.

This time, the script was penned by Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down (2001)), Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (Iron Man (2008), Punisher: War Zone (2008)). Unfortunately, these changes did not improve on the story. The only thing the story properly gets correct is referencing the events from prior films, while occasionally using characters from those films. This is not enough though to prove itself to be a cohesive narrative. The fact that each entry has had to somehow retroactively fix the history of the autobots and how they played a part in the Earth's history is moronic. This kind of lunacy doesn't permit even continuity and makes characters feel far less unique. While the run time to this feature is much shorter than the last film, the delivery of the story is just a slog. Nobody seems to remember how many times Bumblebee's real voice has been heard.

Anthony Hopkins plays Sir Edmond Burton with Cogman (Jim Carter), a robot (transformer?) butler who does nothing but provide exposition dumps. It is a complete phone-in from Hopkins. Speaking of phone-ins, Peter Cullen does the same for Optimus Prime. Laura Haddock plays Vivian Wembley who also has a past she isn't aware of. Want to guess how she interacts with Cade Yeager? Everything is forced. Even new characters like Izabella (Isabela Merced) and her robot (transformer?) sqweeks (Reno Wilson) get sidelined further in the story. There's just too much to handle for this sequel. Actors like Josh Duhamel, Jerrod Carmichael and John Turturro try, but they're forgettable because of all that's going on. Voice actors Frank Welker, John Goodman, Ken Watanabe, Omar Sy, John DiMaggio and Jess Harnell also deserve better for their characters’ development wise.

From a visual standpoint, this is the one element to this franchise that maintains its consistency. The CGI special effects blend well with the physical backgrounds and the attention to detail on the robotic characters are as good as they've always been. While the cinematography has changed throughout the series, that too has remained competent. This time, the director of photography was Jonathan Sela, who also worked on Max Payne (2008), Law Abiding Citizen (2009) and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013). Lastly, the music composed by Steve Jablonsky who has worked on the franchise since the beginning has remained true to his form. Also with producing the most music for this film, those who enjoy the music will have plenty of tracks to listen to.

The technical fundamentals of this final film in the franchise have been as solid as they have ever been. The problem is, it does not make a movie by itself. The screenplay, while written by different people, does nothing to close plot holes, maintain continuity or make any of the characters interesting. Most performances are either boring or underutilized. It's sad because so much better could have come from it.

Points Earned --> 5:10

Misery (1990) Review:

With every plus there's a minus. Life comes with scales and scales require balance. People want success but don't know how to handle it once they do. Being rich is great unless one doesn't know how to be fiscally responsible. The same goes for fame. It's great being the center of attention, but sometimes it's not so great. This film is a great example of that, despite the actual story being an allusion to the author's alcohol addiction. Ordinary people are capable of extraordinary things. Sometimes those things are of no benefit to anyone. So how could being a famous writer lead to such a situation? Try meeting a deranged fan who won't let up on the harassment.

The plot is about famous author Paul Sheldon (James Caan) who just finished a new book he's ready to publish. On his travels he has a car accident and is rescued by a devoted fan named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates). At her place she nurses him back to health, only for Sheldon to realize Wilkes is more than a fervent fan. Her desire is to be Sheldon's next character of focus. Meanwhile, Sheldon's family and agent Marcia Sindell (Lauren Bacall) are concerned about his disappearance. For help, they contact the local sheriff Buster (Richard Farnsworth) and wife Virginia (Frances Sternhagen) to see what they can do. Based on the novel by Stephen King and written by William Goldman who'd later pen Chaplin (1992) and Maverick (1994), makes this quite a watch.

It's interesting that viewers get to know quite a lot about the main characters just by the trailer alone. Even with all that being revealed, there's still much to see that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. With Rob Reiner directing in this genre for the first time, it's all the more captivating. Before this Reiner had also directed Stand By Me (1986) and The Princess Bride (1987). Like mentioned before, the film has a balance between the high strung and more pleasing moments believe it or not. Seeing Paul Sheldon trying to find a way to escape his captor's home is beyond nerve racking because of how unhinged Annie Wilkes is. But then there's also the scenes involving Buster where his deductive skills play a major part in the story.

However, a weak point in the story occurs when a plot device is used to tie two different plot threads together. These two plot threads share the plot device, but when looking at it from a bigger point of view, it seems very convenient. Almost like the probability of such a thing happening is completely unlikely. This doesn’t take away the performances from the cast members. While Kathy Bates had been acting prior to this feature, it was here she made her breakout role. She plays her character well alongside veteran actor James Caan who was in hits like The Godfather (1972) and Rollerball (1975). The more intriguing scenes are delivered through Sternhagen and Farnsworth’s characters. Farnsworth is also known for starring in The Grey Fox (1982).

The camerawork is also well done. Shot by Barry Sonnenfeld, who would later on direct The Addams Family (1991) and Men in Black (1997), the camerawork here is shot competently for the film. The viewer truly gets to see how mentally unhealthy Annie Wilkes is in her home and the stress that Paul Sheldon develops because of it. The music was another great component. Composed by Marc Shaiman, the film score again has a stable mix of tones in different areas of the story. There are unsettling cues with piano and strings for Sheldon’s hardship, as well as softer easy going motifs using horns for Buster’s investigative scenes. Unfortunately, the score is a bit short in material but still captures the feel of the movie.

Taking out one convenient particular part of the story that helps move the plot, this thriller will hold its viewers’ attention. The tension only cranks up as time goes on thanks to the acting, camerawork and music.

Points Earned --> 8:10

Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (1987) Review:

Once Walt Disney and his film studio made a name for themselves after making several animated movies, it's no surprise that other people wanted to capitalize on those properties by either making their own version or creating cheap knock offs. For Filmation Studios, the company had even more ambitious plans which was to make sequels to Disney's popular films. However, due to the massive legal advantage Disney probably had at the time, Filmation didn't get far in this. Despite this though, the studio did release two of the fifteen they had in their lineup. One of which was this movie. Some won't likely see this a legit movie to bother watching, yet there are components to this feature that make it worth at least one viewing. Of course the things that may make it worth watching could be for the wrong reasons.

The plot takes place after the events of the original Pinocchio story. Now that he's a real boy, Pinocchio's birthday has come and wants to help his father Geppetto (Tom Bosley) deliver a special package. On his travels though he comes across several obstacles in the forms of bandits Scalawag (Edward Asner) and Igor (Frank Welker), the carnival ran by Puppetino (William Windom) who has a more sinister boss known as the Emperor of the night (James Earl Jones). The script was written by Robby London, Barry O'Brien and Dennis O'Flaherty, who had credits to shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the less popular Ghost Busters show. Directing for the last time for this feature was Hal Sutherland, known for also working on Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Star Trek: The Animated Series.

For the story that's presented, it's not strong at all, but it's not terrible either. Due to Pinocchio's innocence, one could argue he's still very gullible. But after going through his first adventure before becoming a boy, you'd think he'd remember some things. The narrative just seems to have a number of useless characters. Most of which these characters have a parallel side plot that feel unnecessary as well. Aside from Pinocchio's fairy god mother (Rickie Lee Jones), there's Grumblebee (Jonathan Harris) and Gee Willikers (Don Knotts) who help, but it feels so small by comparison, no pun intended. The bandit characters Scalawag and Igor are also not that likeable. This is most likely due to them being able to persuade Pinocchio more than once to make a bad decision. It's cases like these that make the thin development of the characters feel that much more flimsy.

The same could be said for the villains and their motivations. Despite this though, the voice acting is performed well by everyone. Scott Grimes the voice of Pinocchio sounds good and would later go on to be voices for Steve Smith in American Dad and Kevin Swanson in Family Guy. Edward Asner would go on to voice J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: The Animated Series and Carl Fredricksen in Up (2009). But the fact that this production was able to nab James Earl Jones and Frank Welker is amazing. Just considering how many credits Welker has and what Jones would best be known for less than a decade later under the actual Disney banner. The actor who steals the show was William Windom as Puppetino, this is due to the nightmare inducing design of the character and the memorable voice he was given.

For an animated film, the movie is decently produced. With supervising animators like Kamoon Song, Chuck Harvey and John Celestri, majority of the scenes have fluid and expressive movements. Unfortunately, some of the character designs are what gave young viewers such scarred memories. There are some fairly dark moments in this feature. Specifically, the first scene of the film and when Pinocchio first meets Puppetino. The music sadly is also largely forgettable despite having talents like Rickie Lee Jones doing a song. The score composed by Brian Banks and Anthony Marinelli who would a year later score for Young Guns, make adequate music. The problem is, the film itself isn't completely memorable and that's because of how stock the music felt. That's not to say it's boring, it's just not memorable.

This animated film hits straight down the middle. The story isn't very strong, the characters themselves don't develop much and the music is marginally forgettable. However, this film does deserve a view out of curiosity because of its decent voice cast, acceptable animation and uniquely disturbing character designs.

Points Earned --> 5:10

Maniac (1980) Review:

Horror films, no matter what the focus can be scary. Perhaps what makes people more frightened is when they realize what they're watching is more likely to happen in real life. Supernatural entities, other worldly creatures or scientific abominations are all monstrous by design, but the likelihood of coming across something like that is slim to none. Maybe the person who just walked by is your average citizen. They also could very well not be the average citizen one would expect them to be. Sometimes people have alternative activities when no one's looking. This is the feeling a viewer can have after watching this flick, because it does feel very grounded. One never knows what another person does behind closed doors.

The story is about what seems to be an ordinary person by the name of Frank Zito (Joe Spinell). From the outside, he's not the classiest looking person, but he's not a slob. That is until viewers see what he does for a hobby, which is murdering random women and scalping them after. Written by C.A. Rosenberg and Joe Spinell himself, the script gives its viewers a twisted look at a disturbed person. This feature would also be what director William Lustig was best known for until he created the Maniac Cop (1988) franchise. While that horror film was unique its own way, it is completely unrealistic. However, the possibility of this scenario happening is much higher.

Think of it this way. What's more popular for the execution of horror films? Most of the set ups require a bunch of random characters that don't receive proper development and end up becoming fodder to the villain. This feature though, focuses on the villain as the main character. This allows the viewers to see Frank Zito when he's the killer, when he's playing a regular guy other people and how he is when he’s by himself. It's definitely a different way of showing the audience the story and not blatantly exposition dumping everything at key plot points. That doesn't mean the script doesn't have its problems. One thing that's missed is explaining why Frank scalps his victims. What's the purpose? What does it represent?

Then there's also the supporting cast which is very small but understandable since it is a low budget flick. Unfortunately there, one of the characters that begins to get development is abruptly dropped. But that's where the issues end. The supporting cast has very few recognizable names but they all act decently. Spinell gives a creepy performance as Frank, considering he also played Rocky Balboa's boss Gazzo in Sylvester Stallone's franchise. There's also Anna (Caroline Munro), a professional photographer. Munro was also in Dracula A.D. (1972) and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Even Dawn of the Dead (1974) makeup effects artist Tom Savini has a brief role to play.

Visually speaking, the film has a very raw feeling to it. This is most likely due to the film equipment at the time but it's because of that realistic feel to the movie that helps make the story that much more frightening. Shooting for this feature was Robert Lindsay as cinematographer. Prior to this Lindsay had worked on adult films, which is as far as I'm going to go there. Special effects were also handled by Tom Savini so the violence is definitely credible. As for the film score, this would be the first debut for Jay Chattaway who would also later be known for his compositions to Maniac Cop (1988) and Maniac Cop 2 (1990). Here, Chattaway's music is just as creepy and provides interesting cues using synthesizers.

Something this horror film does right is changing the focus of the story to the villain. This allows the viewers to get a better understanding of who they are. While the cast is bare bones and a true reason as to why the killer kills the way he does goes unexplained, the music is appropriately unsettling, the acting is good and the gore effects are noteworthy for the time.

Points Earned --> 7:10

RED 2 (2013) Review:

The inevitable curse of sequels coming with a diminishing return is more or less expected by familiar moviegoers. For some reason, capturing lightning in a bottle can be as hard as it physically sounds. The original RED (2010) was a unique action comedy that was very much a lighter toned version of Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables (2010). A dangerous mission involving lethally trained old people who still pack a punch. Based on an obscure DC Comic of the same name, the film managed to be successful either way thanks to its leads and execution of the story. While three years is about average for sequel output, it is no surprise that RED 2 (2013) doesn't meet its original in the same way. However, considering the changes in crewmembers, the decline was not profound.

Continuing roughly where the last film ended, Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) and Sarah Ross (Mary-Louise Parker) are now together trying to live a normal life as intended. Until they are visited once again by their past, this time being Marvin Boggs (John Malkovich). It is there they are pursued by Jack Horton (Neal McDonough) looking to lock them down over a missing nuclear device. Apparently, the device was reported during an earlier time in Frank's career trying to protect a physicist named Dr. Bailey (Anthony Hopkins). Written again by Jon and Erich Hoeber, the screenplay is probably why the experience of watching this sequel doesn't feel like such a misfire; since they worked on the first entry. Directing this time though was Dean Parisot, known for his work on Galaxy Quest (1999), Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) and most recently after this film Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020).

For what it’s worth, the overall execution is fine. Willis, Malkovich, and Parker as the main three still work well off each other. What feels to be one of the drawbacks to this entry, is the relationship between Frank and Sarah. Even for the first film, old man Moses paired up with Ms. Ross just seemed like a mismatch in age. Here, Sarah continues to try and connect with her ex-CIA partner, which comes with very common tropes seen in other rom-com sub-genre movies. When traveling the world, it is revealed that Frank was swooned over by another field agent by the name of Major General Katja Petrokovich (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Want to guess where that subplot goes? Another problem with the story is that more characters were thrown in as well. There's also appearances from David Thewlis, Byung-hun Lee, as well as returns from Brian Cox and Helen Mirren. It just feels very cramped.

And with the amount of characters put into play, there's one scene that seems be edited in the wrong order. This actually messes with the execution when realized and it’s unfortunate. Instead of one character chasing the protagonists like in the first film, now there's almost three times as many. It's unfortunate when Neal McDonough is pretty much a copy of Karl Urban's character in the first film. Aside from this though, the actors still play off each other well. Some of the comedic lines are delivered adequately, while other times it falls flat. This is mainly due to the relationship plotline. Anything outside of that thread though tends to work better. The action still entertains though, featuring similar things that have been shown before such as gunfights, explosions and other goofy antics. There's a scene with a helicopter that's pretty hilarious.

As for visuals, this time camerawork was shot by Enrique Chediak. Sadly, this crewmember has well-known credits to this name like 28 Weeks Later (2007), 127 Hours (2010), Intruders (2011), The Maze Runner (2014), Deepwater Horizon (2016), Bumblebee (2018) and the Lady and the Tramp (2019) remake, but this sequel is not really one of them. Not to say it's shot badly,...by no means. But it's just nothing out of the ordinary, just like the first film's cinematography. Music though was an acceptable element to this sequel. Again, this also had a change in hands. Instead of Christophe Beck's clicky synthetic percussion based score from the first film, comes Alan Silvestri doing his best to mimic that style. While the sound is more organic using more classic orchestra, there are still jazzy motifs viewers will hear that keeps to the tone of the first movie. Not bad considering Silvestri isn't really cut from the same cloth as Beck.

For a sequel, it's okay. It's not an average follow up since the actors still have the chemistry, the music still fits the tone and action comedy elements still entertain; to an extent. Like the first film though, camerawork is still nothing to talk about, the romcom elements feel too familiar and the amount of characters packs the story more than necessary.

Points Earned --> 6:10

The Fly (1986) Review:

The 1980s was known for many things. It cranked up several avenues of which people were not used to. Music became fiercer. Hairstyles became more wild. Clothing became more over the top. Violence seemed more like trend than an event. The movies also experienced similar traits. However, the one thing people tend to remember the 80s film industry for, were the horror films. More specifically the remakes of older ones. While many enjoy an original like The Fly (1958) with Vincent Price, many people cannot deny just how much the 80s remake truly helped define horror. Despite is critical success and the imprint it left, it does have one thing viewers may find obnoxious.

Adapted from George Langelaan's short story with writer Charles Edward Pogue and director David Cronenberg, this horror remake has several things going for it. The story is about a scientist who is in the process of completing a breakthrough that could change the future. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) has managed to discover the possibility of matter transportation using uniquely designed teleportation pods. Showing this to his new found journalist friend Veronica (Geena Davis), viewers learn along with her that the process has one flaw - transporting living matter doesn't work. Meanwhile, Veronica's on and off again boss Stathis (John Getz) fiddles between professional and personal flirtations. On the whole, the story is very simple and that's good.

The fact that the plot only has three main characters to focus on really helps viewers give them something to care about. The issue with it is that while the internal conflicts are what help drive the plot forward, some of the decisions made by certain characters come off questionable. For example, Veronica gave her apartment key to Stathis, but now she wants him out. For him though, he says he'll hold onto the key for "old times sake". That's already a red flag. So what does Veronica do? Nothing. Really? Either change your apartment lock or get that key back! It's strange because during the 1980s maybe people were laxer in their privacy, but nowadays, that kind of crap don't fly. Why take the risk? These kinds of moments don't happen too often though.

Despite the point above, the acting is still well performed. John Getz as Stathis shows just how self-centered he really is, even though there are points where he sort of redeems himself. Geena Davis as Veronica is exceptional aside from one of her decisions making no sense. Whether she's happy or horrified, her expressions look very genuine. As for Goldblum, who went from a nobody to very quickly a somebody gives an interesting performance. The reason for calling it an interesting performance is that counter to what you'd think, the progression of Brundle is a mixture of disturbing behavior that comes across awkward and comical at the same time. Perhaps that's just the Goldblum charm.

The visuals to this picture are top quality too. The practical effects and gore are pretty much what Cronenberg is well known for as well as for this remake in general. Cinematography was handled by Mark Irwin and it looked good. There are some neat camera tricks used for Brundle's transformation. Irwin would also shoot for Dark Angel (1990), RoboCop 2 (1990) and Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991). Lastly the film score composed by Howard Shore is unique. As a horror film, a fan would expect creepy supernatural themes. Here, Shore provides a much more grounded approach giving the experience a human aspect, which also cranks up the dread. While the motif itself is slow, it is memorable.

The one thing viewers may wonder is why some of the main characters don't act on things that require immediate closure. It doesn't happen a lot, but it does seem silly. However, one cannot dismiss the prowess of the crew behind this movie. From the effects, to acting, music and cinematography - it is a remake that has been hailed as one of the best.

Points Earned --> 8:10