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  • Commando (1985)

    Commando (1985)

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    In the 1980s, Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the biggest and most iconic action stars of the decade. His first claim to fame was as a bodybuilder in the 60s and 70s, becoming Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia. He first got into acting in the 1969 comedy Hercules in New York, where he was credited as “Arnold Strong.” Unfortunately, the film didn’t do much for his career, and he mostly took smaller roles in the 1970s. However, Arnold soon became a superstar with the release of the 1982 sword and sorcery epic, Conan the Barbarian. While the sequel Conan the Destroyer didn’t go over well, he rebounded with the more well-received The Terminator. Arnold was soon rising to superstardom, even being considered Sylvester Stallone’s rival throughout the rest of the 80s. Then in 1985, Arnold practically became an action movie icon with the release of the action extravaganza, Commando.

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    The film opens on a montage where several guys are being killed off one-by-one by a group of mercenaries. We soon meet former Special Forces Colonel John Matrix (Schwarzenegger) living in the mountains with his daughter Jenny (Alyssa Milano). He’s visited by his former superior, Major General Kirby (James Olson), who comes with some bad news. Turns out the men killed earlier were part of John’s former unit, and Kirby has soldiers placed around Matrix’s home. Unfortunately, things go south fast when the mercenaries storm the house, kidnap Jenny, and knock out John. John wakes up to the mercenaries’ leader Arius (Dan Hedaya) who wants him to kill the president of Val Verde. Realizing that they’ll kills Jenny no matter what, Matrix decides to go after Arius and his men. Along with flight attendant Cindy (Rae Dawn Chong), John fights his way through the mercenaries to rescue his daughter.

    This movie is a blast to watch, so long as you don’t think too hard about the plot. It’s a full-on cavalcade of gunfights, explosions, slimy characters, iconic one-liners, and 80s machismo that just emanates from the screen. Arnold is practically an action movie god here, spouting off one-liners like nobody’s business and just mowing down bad guys. What separates Arnold from other action stars like Stallone and Norris is that he clearly is in on the joke. He knows the movie he’s in is ridiculous, and he’s just having a blast and making the most of it. The rest of the cast does an admirable job, Alyssa Milano and Rae Dawn Chong doing well despite their roles. In any another movie, they would come across as stereotypical and annoying, but here, they hold their own very well. Plus, be sure to look for a small appearance from Bill Paxton.

    But what’s a great action movie without an awesome villain for the hero to go up against? Here, we have a great selection of some of the best working character actors for the villains. There’s Bill Duke, who Schwarzenegger would rejoin in Predator two years later as a member of his team of commandos. Then there’s David Patrick Kelly, who’s just as slimy and sleazy as usual, and gets a great death scene. Dan Hedaya does a decent job as the leader, but it’s really Vernon Wells as Bennet who steals the show. He absolutely dominates the film and his fight scene with Schwarzenegger towards the end is easily the highlight. As I mentioned before, the movie is pretty mindless, but it’s enjoyable mindless as opposed to being just stupidly mindless. In summation, Commando is the kind of action film that’ll put you in a good mood.

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  • Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

    Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)

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    In June of 1997, British author J.K. Rowling released Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone through the publisher Bloomsbury. Retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for American audiences in 1998, the book gained widespread critical acclaim. It was a massive hit, leading to several more books until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows in 2007. This led to the movie version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001, which became a massive success. This led to seven more films, and the franchise has gone on to be the third highest-grossing film series ever. After the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011, a new prequel series was started. Released in 2016, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them received favorable reviews and grossed over $800 billion worldwide. Following its success, we got a sequel entitled Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

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    Following the events of the previous film, dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) is being transported from America to Europe. While being transported, one of his followers, Mr. Abernathy (Kevin Guthrie) helps free Grindelwald, who kills the guards and escapes. Meanwhile, magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) tries to restore his right to travel after losing it in the last film. The Ministry will only allow it if he joins them in tracking down Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller) who has resurfaced. Newt rejects the offer, but is soon summoned by Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) to find Credence in Paris. Newt accepts once he finds out that Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) is in Paris also searching for Credence. Also searching for Credence is Grindelwald and his minions, who believe Credence is the only wizard capable of killing Dumbledore. It’s a race against time to find Credence while he searches for his identity.

    Now while I’m not super obsessed with the franchise, I generally do enjoy the Harry Potter movies. While some are better than others, they’re generally well-done and entertaining movies with fun characters, interesting stories, and great action. And while I don’t remember much of the first Fantastic Beasts, I do remember thinking it was quirky and fun. With that in mind, it pains me to say that I honestly did not enjoy this movie much. I will say that this movie, on the whole, isn’t awful, and there are some things to like here. For one, David Yates’ direction is well-done and it has great production design and fun spectacle here and there. Also, the performances are generally strong, with Jude Law easily being the best part as young Dumbledore. And every now and then, there is some of the quirky charm that made the first film enjoyable.

    Aside from that, the biggest issue I had with this movie was just how insanely boring it was. After the opening sequence, which admittedly was entertaining, a majority of the runtime is devoted to exposition dumps. There is so much explaining and backstory given that, after a while, I just stopped caring about what was happening. Plus, it’s one of those sequels that undoes what happened at the end of the first film. For example, the end of the previous film had the memories of the non-magic users erased of what happened. However, we learn here that Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler) had his memory restored with the explanation being “it didn’t work”. Things like this and how much meandering there is really bogs the movie down and ruins whatever potential it had. Overall, hardcore fans might enjoy it, but for me, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is a pass.

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  • Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

    Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

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    Created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger in 1939, Batman was first introduced in Detective Comics #27. For almost 80 years, Batman has remained one of the most popular and iconic comic book characters of all time. Over the years, Batman has been adapted into numerous movies, TV shows, cartoons, and more. Batman first gained mainstream success with the ’60s TV series starring Adam West as the Caped Crusader. While this interpretation was more campy and over-the-top, the show helped bring Batman into pop culture. Batman returned to his darker roots thanks to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke. This culminated in Tim Burton’s 1989 film, a major success that ushered in a new era of comic book movies. Following the movie’s success, Batman: The Animated Series premiered in 1992. The show led to the theatrical film, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm.

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    One night, as Batman (Kevin Conroy) is taking on some gangsters, a mysterious figure known as the Phantasm appears. The Phantasm kills one of the gangsters, and Batman is falsely blamed for the murder. Councilman Arthur Reeves (Hart Bochner) wants Batman taken out thinking him a menace despite Commissioner Gordon’s objections. At the same time, an old flame of Bruce’s named Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delany) reenters his life after several years. As the Phantasm takes out more and more gangsters, we learn more about Bruce and Andrea’s past relationship. Turns out her wealthy father Carl Beaumont (Stacy Keach) had some shady dealings with some gangsters he owed money to. Soon enough, one of the gangsters hires the Joker (Mark Hamill) to eliminate Batman before he gets killed. Eventually, Batman discovers the Phantasm’s true identity, and he must confront the demons of his past to save Gotham.

    What’s interesting about this film is that it was originally intended to be released direct-to-video before being released theatrically. With that in mind, you can somewhat tell given the movie feels like an hour-and-a-half episode with a bigger budget. Even still, much like the show, the animation is very impressive and stylish, even more so given the bigger budget. The movie makes great use of shadows and harsh lighting that really add a dark noir vibe. It’s impressive given this was mostly done using hand-drawn animation in a time when CG animation was becoming the norm. In fact, the only CG-animated sequence is in the opening credits, and it’s phenomenal. Especially in the film’s climax, there are some really amazing set pieces that rival similar sequences from the live-action films. Granted, some of the character movements are somewhat wobbly and a bit cartoonish, but it doesn’t detract from the film.

    The story is also very complex especially for an animated movie, exploring themes of love and loss. There’s also some twists throughout that will catch you off-guard the first time you see it. The voice acting all around is great, Conroy and Hamill of course being amazing in their roles. Dana Delany does a great job as Andrea, which eventually led to her voicing Lois Lane in the Superman cartoon. The score, done by the late Shirley Walker, is amazing, giving the film a very grand and operatic feeling. In fact, there’s one scene towards the end where the score really shines that I don’t want to give away. Honestly, there’s so much more that makes this movie great that I could go for hours discussing it. In summation, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is easily one of the best and most underrated superhero movies ever made.

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  • Overlord (2018)

    Overlord (2018)

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    Love him or hate him, JJ Abrams has become one of the biggest names in Hollywood working today. Abrams first gained traction with his successful TV shows like Felicity, Alias, and especially with Lost. He gained further traction producing and directing films like Cloverfield, Super 8, Star Trek, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While having a hand in some of the biggest franchises, he’s also helped give up-and-coming filmmakers a shot. In 2016, he produced 10 Cloverfield Lane, directed by Dan Trachtenberg after directing the short fan film Portal: No Escape. After that film’s success, Abrams brings us another up-and-coming director, this time Australian-born Julius Avery. Having first gotten attention from his short films, his first feature film was 2014’s Son of a Gun. The film was nominated for Best Film at the London Film Festival, which got Abrams’ attention. Now in 2018, Avery and Abrams bring us Overlord.

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    Synopsis

    It’s June 1944, the day before D-Day, and a paratrooper squad is being sent to destroy a German radio tower. Things immediately go south when their plane is shot down over enemy lines and only some of the paratroopers survive. The survivors include Private Boyce (Jovan Adepo), Corporal Ford (Wyatt Russell), Tibbet (John Magaro), and Chase (Iain De Caestecker). As the troops make their way through enemy lines, they stumble across a young French woman named Chloe (Mathilde Ollivier). She leads them to her village, where the radio tower is located, as well as something more sinister going on. After having to take SS Hauptsturmführer Wafner (Pilou Asbæk) hostage, the soldiers soon learn what the Nazis are up to. Turns out the Nazis have discovered a strange liquid under the village and are using it to perform experiments. Will the soldiers stop their plans, or will the Nazis succeed?

     

    Review

    Going into this, I knew almost nothing about the movie other than the WWII setting and the action/horror tone. With that in mind, I think that is the best way to go into this. First thing I should note is that, despite what the trailers show, this isn’t exactly a Nazi zombie movie. In fact, the horror aspects of the film don’t really come into play until about halfway into the movie. That might disappoint some, but I actually like that they took the first half to develop and humanize the characters. Jovan Adepo is instantly relatable as a regular guy thrust into a dangerous situation trying to do the right thing. Wyatt Russell seems to be taking a page from his father Kurt Russell, since his performance almost echoes Snake Plissken. Pilou Asbæk also makes for a great villain, being very intense and intimidating all throughout.

    The rest of the cast all get their moment to shine, with Mathilde Ollivier as Chloe being the biggest standout. The practical effects used here are pretty top-notch, especially in the design of the creatures and monsters seen later. Admittedly, there is some CGI that really sticks out amongst the practical effects, but it’s not as distracting as others. Once the action kicks in during the second half, it becomes a full on extravaganza of B-movie goodness. But like I said, because they took time out to develop the characters, you actually care about what’s happening. Sure, this probably won’t win any awards come Oscar season, but this is still an enjoyably fun movie. Granted, this is definitely not for everyone, but it’s great for those who enjoy B-movies that mix different genres. Overall, Overlord is bound to be one of the most underrated movies of 2018.

     

    Buy Overlord from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Xw9XbD.

    Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at no additional cost, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and make a purchase.

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    Where to watch Overlord (2018)

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  • Maximum Overdrive (1986)

    Maximum Overdrive (1986)

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    Stephen King is probably one of the most prolific and celebrated horror novelists of the past half century. Since the late ’60s, King has captivated and terrorized readers with his many short stories and novels. He is probably best known for novels such as Carrie, It, The Shining, Christine, Cujo, and The Dead Zone. Many of his works have been adapted either for television or film, many of them ranging in quality. Directors like Brian De Palma, Stanley Kubrick, David Cronenberg, and John Carpenter have made adaptations that’re generally well-regarded. However, for all the Carrie‘s and Christine‘s, there were also adaptations like Children of the Corn and Firestarter as well. Then in 1986, King, who was still a cocaine addict, decided to direct his own movie adaptation of his work. Thus, he adapted his short story Trucks into the infamous coke-fueled and yet fascinating film, Maximum Overdrive.

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    After a comet passes by Earth, all machines start becoming sentient and killing people off one by one. The main action takes place at a truck stop called the Dixie Boy, where things soon start going wrong. A worker gets diesel sprayed in his eyes, blinding him, and a waitress gets cut by an electric knife. Meanwhile, a Little League game goes wrong when a vending machine starts shooting soda cans at the coach and players. One kid named Dene (Holter Graham) manages to escape and soon finds himself at the truck stop. Newlyweds Curtis (John Short) and Connie (Yeardley Smith) soon make their way after getting attacked by a truck. Also joining the truck stop survivors are Bible salesman Camp Loman (Christopher Murney) and hitchhiker Brett Graham (Laura Harrington). Soon, it’s up to truck stop worker and ex-convict William “Bill” Robinson (Emilio Estevez) to help everyone survive.

    Now I’m not going to lie to you when I say that this movie is utterly ridiculous and nonsensical. The movie does have some interesting ideas, going off the theme of machines we depend upon going against us. However, whatever ideas the movie has are wasted on an utterly brainless schlockfest of car crashes, explosions, and endless carnage. Also, the story makes no sense when you think about it, especially when it comes to which machines are affected. While most electronics and cars are affected, some aren’t for some reason and the movie seems to contradict itself. The acting is questionable throughout, some being ok, some being average, and others so wildly over-the-top that it’s ridiculous. It doesn’t help that there isn’t much in terms of character development. Admittedly, there are some effectively creepy moments here and there, but there are also plenty of unintentionally hilarious moments too.

    All my bashing aside, I can’t say that this is a completely worthless film and is definitely worth a watch. In the movie’s trailer, King says he directed this to show us the “right” way to do a King adaptation. Granted, he was high on cocaine at the time, but I think there is some truth to that. There’s a part of me that feels like this movie was never meant to be taken seriously or even frightening. I mean, the main threat is a big rig with the face of the Green Goblin on the front. And later on, Emilio Estevez blows it up with a rocket launcher while saying, “Adios, mother f***er!”, action hero style. Now, I’m not saying this is a misunderstood gem, but that this is a movie you can have fun with. As utterly ridiculous and nonsensical as it is, Maximum Overdrive is still worthwhile.

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  • They Live (1988)

    They Live (1988)

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    After the massive success of Halloween in 1978, John Carpenter’s career continued to grow and flourish in commercial success. His next two films, 1980’s The Fog and 1981’s Escape from New York, were both financial hits. However, things came to a halt with 1982’s The Thing which, while now regarded as a classic, was a failure. After the financial failure of The Thing, Carpenter had trouble finding work until he got the job for 1983’s Christine. Despite it doing fairly well commercially and critically, Carpenter wasn’t entirely happy with it and decided to try other genres. While 1984’s Starman did well enough, 1986’s Big Trouble in Little China was yet another financial disaster. Growing ever more frustrated with the studio system, Carpenter decided to go independent with his next film, Prince of Darkness. Finally, to close out the 80s, Carpenter directed the now iconic sci-fi film, 1988’s They Live.

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    A lone drifter credited as Nada (Roddy Piper) wanders into town looking for work and not having much luck. He manages to get a job at a construction site where he meets Frank (Keith David), a fellow blue-collar worker. Nada starts noticing weird things going on, including strange TV broadcasts warning people that we are being controlled by “them”. After the police raid a homeless camp Nada and Frank have been living in, Nada discovers something: mysterious sunglasses. When he puts on the sunglasses, the world turns black-and-white, billboards become subliminal messages, and certain people are actually aliens. Nada soon realizes that these aliens have been controlling us through subliminal messaging and keeping us complacent to their plans. After an alley fight, Nada teams up with Frank and a local resistance group to bring the aliens down. Will our heroes succeed, or will they continue to rule?

    Given the subject matter of the film, this was definitely the best way to cap off the 1980s. John Carpenter made the movie because of how disgusted he was with Reaganomics and the rise in consumerism. This movie perfectly hits captures that with all the subliminal messaging and the aliens representing the rich and powerful. It’s a message that’s just as relevant today as it was back then, perhaps even more so. Aside from the socio-political message, this movie also works as a fun sci-fi action film about taking down evil aliens. Roddy Piper does a great job as the nameless drifter, displaying a real working-class charm and tons of charisma. Keith David is awesome as always, and he and Piper work incredibly well together, almost like a buddy cop duo. On top of that, the two have probably one of the greatest fight scenes in cinematic history.

    The supporting cast is also great, the stand-outs being Meg Foster, Peter Jason, George “Buck” Flower, and even Al Leong. The aliens, referred to as ghouls, may look slightly crude, but their looks is very iconic and even frightening. There are some scenes where several of them are slowly approaching, and the black-and-white makes it even creepier. If there are any issues with the film, they’re very few and far in between and incredibly minor. For one, at times the pacing can be a bit repetitive, with our hero going from place to place. Also, there are times where the budget limitations creep in, whether it’s the alien masks or some shoddy effects. In spite of these issues, this still remains one of the most iconic and eerily relevant movies of the 1980s. With a great cast, cool action, and a timeless message, They Live is one of Carpenter’s best. 

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  • Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

    Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

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    In the late 1960s, British students Brian May, Tim Staffell, and Roger Taylor formed a small band called Smile. Unfortunately, in 1970, Staffell ended up leaving the group to join the band Humpy Bong. Luckily, a plucky young art student named Farrokh Bulsara was a fan of their music and soon joined the group. Farrokh, preferring to be called Freddy, encouraged them to change their name to Queen and brought on bassist John Deacon. Soon, Farrokh changed his full name to Freddy Mercury, and Queen slowly but surely started to find success. The band released several albums that became major hits, and many of their songs are regarded as the best ever. Even after Freddy Mercury’s death in 1991 from AIDS, Queen is still considered one of the all-time greatest rock bands. Now in 2018, a new Queen biopic has been released named after their most famous song, Bohemian Rhapsody.

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    Synopsis

    The movie more or less tells the story of Queen’s formation, but mostly focuses on Freddy Mercury (Rami Malek). It goes into how the band got started, Freddy’s relationship with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton), and the band’s struggles. The band has their first major success with Bohemian Rhapsody despite objections from EMI executive Ray Foster (Mike Myers). Eventually, Freddy ends up breaking up with Mary once he comes to terms with his homosexuality. As the band continues finding success, tensions start to mount between Freddy and the other band members. Driven largely by ego, Freddy leaves the band to start a solo career only to realize the mistakes he’s made. He also learns that he has contracted AIDS, which leads him to wanting to rejoin Queen and go out strong. Everything ultimately culminates in the band’s iconic performance at Live Aid in 1985.

     

    Review

    Ever since I first heard a Queen biopic was being made, I was excited considering my love of classic rock. I was skeptical going in given how movies based on true stories tend to stretch the truth. That being said, I walked out of this movie fairly entertained and impressed at what they were able to do. The first thing I have to talk about is Rami Malek’s amazing performance as Freddy Mercury. He really dives deep into the role and you can tell that he did his homework in capturing Mercury’s mannerisms. The cast overall does a great job and they really looked like the real-life people they were portraying. Given the subject matter, the music is amazing, using songs recorded by Queen as well as the actors. And in terms of historical accuracy, they got a lot of details right, with a few exceptions.

    Now, anyone who’s been following this knows of its many production problems, and that ties into some problems it has. First, there’s the fact that original director Bryan Singer was fired after some disagreements on set and extended absences. This led to a new director being hired, who did reshoots and additional post-production, which you can tell in. Throughout the first act especially, much of the story is condensed into montages that conveniently advance time over several years. Also, there was concern that the movie would focus more on Freddy Mercury than on Queen as a whole. While Mercury certainly has a major role, the other bandmates are given ample screen time and contribute quite a lot. Lastly, with this being a PG-13, it feels somewhat watered down, and this could’ve benefitted from an R-rating. Problems aside, Bohemian Rhapsody should please fans and even non-fans of Queen.

     

    Buy Bohemian Rhapsody from Amazon: https://amzn.to/49s47zr.

    Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at no additional cost, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and make a purchase.

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    Where to watch Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

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  • 10 Best Horror Films to Watch on Halloween

    10 Best Horror Films to Watch on Halloween

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    Well, it’s that time of year again, the time of ghosts, ghouls, goblins, witches, and all sorts of scary things. October 31st is often referred to as All Hallow’s Eve, Samhain, or as it’s more well-known as, Halloween. This is the night when kids dress in costumes and go trick-or-treating, and adults dress in costumes to get drunk. In addition, there are those of us who like to watch horror films to get us into the Halloween spirit. Many people like to get nostalgic over Hocus Pocus, stick to the classics like Halloween, or just go with whatever. While I generally enjoy watching horror films all year round, there are certain films that I save for Halloween. For Halloween this year, I figured I’d do something different and put together something special, so why not a list? So, here’s my 10 best horror films to watch on Halloween!

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    Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

    While Halloween is the more popular film to watch, I personally think the third entry is the best Halloween film. By that, I don’t mean it’s the best film in the franchise, but that it’s the best film about Halloween. If you think about it, the original could take place at anytime of the year, and it wouldn’t change things. This, however, is a film set on Halloween that takes advantage of the holiday and explores its lore and mythology. Originally intended to be the start of a new anthology series, the film sadly failed when it was released. Over the years, it got a critical reevaluation with many defending it and has since gained a major cult following. With a story that combines witchcraft with technology, great cast, awesome score, and memorable set pieces, this film is fantastic. This is essential viewing for Halloween and get my highest recommendation!

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    Creepshow (1982)

    George A. Romero is a name that has become synonymous with zombies, thanks to his classic Dead series. Stephen King is a name that I think need no real introduction, given his massive body of work. So what happens when these two titans of terror come together to make a movie? You get Creepshow, a horror anthology made of five stories that pays homage to the EC Comics of the ’50s. With Romero directing and the stories being written by King, this movie is filled with so much creativity and imagination. While most anthologies usually have one or two good segments amongst several bad ones, all five segments here really work. Even if there’s one segment that you don’t like as much as the others, you’ll still enjoy it nonetheless. Combining horror and dark comedy, Creepshow is, as the tagline reads, “the most full you’ll ever have being scared!”

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    Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

    If Halloween III is the best movie about Halloween, then 2007’s Trick ‘r Treat is one of the best. Much like Creepshow, this is another horror anthology, but here, each of the segments is interconnected and flow together. Originally conceived from a short film called Season’s Greetings, the film has had a somewhat troubled release history. The film was screened at various film festivals and conventions with the intent of it being released theatrically. Sadly, the film went direct-to-DVD, but it received tons of critical appraisal and soon became an instant cult hit. Just like Halloween III, this film perfectly captures the spirit of the holiday and reminds us why we celebrate it. Each of the stories revolve around someone not appreciating the holiday and being tormented by the mysterious and childlike Sam. If you’re a huge fan of the holiday, Trick ‘r Treat is a must-watch.

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    Beetlejuice (1988)

    Tim Burton is a name that’s been associated with the weird and macabre, at least in his early days. While much of his work nowadays fluctuates in quality, his ’80s and early ’90s work was on point. One that especially stands out as a great watch for Halloween is his 1988 horror-comedy, Beetlejuice. Featuring Michael Keaton as the titular ghost with the most, this film is a delightful mix of scares and fun. While not particularly scary save for a few scenes, this really captures the fun dark spirit Halloween is known for. Not only is Keaton phenomenal, but you’ve also got Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, and Winona Ryder to root for. The only unfortunate thing now is that the film features Jeffrey Jones, but that shouldn’t detract from its enjoyability. With a great style, iconic score, fun characters, and imaginative filmmaking, Beetlejuice makes the dark look fun.

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    Young Frankenstein (1974)

    In the ’30s and ’40s, Universal Studious were the kings of horror with their now iconic monster movies. Amongst them were classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. Then, in the ’70s, following the success of Blazing Saddles, Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder decided to pay their respects. Of course, while Young Frankenstein is a comedy, the film also works as a tribute to the Universal monster movies. From the black-and-white cinematography and old school set design, to the familiar archetypes and tropes, this film is spot on. While the jokes aren’t as risqué as those in Blazing Saddles, nearly all the jokes in this film land. You know it’s especially funny when even the cast and crew couldn’t stop laughing between takes. Even if you’re not a fan of the Universal monsters, Young Frankenstein is a comedy anyone can enjoy.

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    Night of the Living Dead (1968)

    Speaking of George A. Romero, many of today’s horror creators owe a great debt to this master of horror. While there had been zombie movies before, it was Night of the Living Dead that started the modern zombie genre. Made on a small budget with unknown actors, the film became an instant hit and is regarded as a classic. Much like The Rocky Horror Picture Show, this film has become a staple of the Halloween season. No matter what time of the year it is, watching this feels like it’s late at night on Halloween. Even taking away its historical significance, Night of the Living Dead is still a fantastic film. For a 1968 film, it’s much more graphic than most would think, and it has tons of disturbing imagery. If you consider yourself a fan of zombie movies or horror in general, Night of the Living Dead is essential.

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    The Monster Squad (1987)

    Recently, Fred Dekker got some attention for co-writing the new Predator film alongside his former writing partner Shane Black. For those who were somewhat disappointed by that film, I’ve got a film the two worked on that’s much better. That film is The Monster Squad, an ’80s youth film about kids going up against the Universal monsters. It’s easy to compare this with The Goonies since it’s an adventure film with children, but this one stands out. Even with its lead child actors and somewhat family-friendly tone, this film is definitely unlike any kids movie ever made. This was back when PG-13 meant something, so you’ve got scenes of kids cursing and being threatened by hideous monsters. It also reminds us how awesome and scary the Universal monsters can be and are all fantastic. Given its massive cult fanbase, The Monster Squad should become a staple of everyone’s Halloween season.

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    The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

    Yeah, I know, a ton of other lists of Halloween movies are going to have this one included. I know this is the obvious choice, but there’s a reason why this film is still celebrated 40+ years later. Not only is this film a ton of fun, but it also works as a send-up of B-movies of yesteryear. You’ve got a mad scientist, aliens, a creature made with science, a spooky mansion, and all around weirdness mixed together. This film is very ridiculous and aware of itself, but it doesn’t feel like it’s forcing it down your throat. With it being a musical, many of the songs are insanely catchy and have become iconic in their own right. This practically defined the midnight movie with showings going on even to this day with tons of people attending. Final note: while I love this film, Shock Treatment also deserves some attention.

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    Night of the Demons (1988)

    And now for something that is much lesser-known, but still should be widely remembered as a must-watch for Halloween. Night of the Demons feels like the ideal Halloween party, full of drinking, drugs, and sex, as well as demons. This film would make a great double-feature with The Evil Dead given its sense of fun and over-the-top gore. Not only do you get some fun kills and top-notch gore, but also some fun characters and a great story. Here, we get a simple story of young people having a Halloween party at an abandoned house, as you do. One thing leads to another, and they start getting taken over by demonic forces and killing each other off. This is a film that, while scary, still has a sense of humor and doesn’t take itself seriously. If you can get some friends and drinks, Night of the Demons is great fun.

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    The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

    Ordinarily, I wouldn’t add two zombie movies here, but given it’s Return of the Living Dead, I just had too. While not necessarily a sequel to Romero’s Night, it does act as a sort of spin-off to that film. However, this one not only plays with zombie movie rules, but it’s also more of a comedy. Much like Night of the Demons, this also has a lot of the elements that make ’80s horror great. You’ve got fun and likable characters, amazing effects work, tons of gore and nudity, a good story, great atmosphere. While the movie has its fun moments, it can also be pretty heartbreaking, especially given how the movie ends. There are some genuinely sad moments throughout, between the fate of our two leads and how worse things gets. Much like with Night, Return of the Living Dead is essential viewing for zombie and horror fans.

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  • Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

    Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

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    While not a household name, writer Lee Israel had a very interesting life, to say the least. She started as a freelance writer for The New York Times and Soap Opera Digest in the 1960s. Her first taste of success came in the 70s and 80s when she became famous for writing biographies. She wrote biographies on people like Tallulah Bankhead and Dorothy Kilgallen, the latter of which becoming a bestseller. Unfortunately, as time went along, her career started to decline and she was struggling to make ends meet. However, after selling a stolen letter from Fanny Brice, she decided to forge and sell letters from prominent writers. She made enough to pay the bills, but she was eventually caught by the FBI. She wrote a memoir about her criminal activities before passing away in 2014. In 2018, the memoir was adapted into the biopic Can You Ever Forgive Me?

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    After having a successful career writing biographies, writer Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) has fallen on hard times. No one’s interested in her work anymore, and she’s more or less gone broke, barely able to make ends meet. She soon decides to start writing a biography on Fanny Brice when she stumbles across one of her letters. Lee steals the letter and sells it, but not before adding content to the letter to make it more interesting. This begins her cycle of forging letters, posing as famous literary figures, and selling them for large sums of money. Along with her gay friend Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant), they go to various dealers to sell her forged letters. While things promising at first, it soon starts crashing down when the FBI starts investigating her for forgery and impersonation. As the threat of the FBI starts looming, everything in Lee’s life starts crumbling.

    I was pretty excited to see this film despite the fact that I had only seen one trailer for it. Once I saw the amazing critical reception it was getting, it made me curious and definitely interested in seeing it. While I’m not necessarily a fan of Melissa McCarthy, I’ve never disliked her either, having not seen her in much. She’s mostly known for being in comedies, so it was pretty remarkable to see her giving a dramatic performance. That said, she does inject some dry humor in her performance, and it really works for her character. She and Richard E. Grant are fantastic together, and it’s fun to see them play off each other. Another highlight here is Jane Curtin as Lee’s agent Marjorie, who clearly is sad to see how far she’s fallen. For McCarthy, this is definitely a career-defining performance.

    The film was directed by Marielle Heller, who also directed 2015’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl. While I haven’t seen that movie, I am curious to see it if it’s as good as this film was. In many ways, I related to this movie in its depiction of someone who wants to do what they love. It’s easy to root for her since she’s fallen on hard times and is struggling to get by. Even though she is committing fraud and clearly lying to people, Lee is still a character you can get behind. I’m not sure how historically accurate this is, but regardless, this is still a fantastic movie. The actors are superb, it’s well-filmed, the writing is great, and it feels almost uplifting at points. Given its title, Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a film that doesn’t need forgiveness because it’s so good.

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  • Halloween (1978)

    Halloween (1978)

    [et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” column_structure=”2_3,1_3″][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]Of the many subgenres in horror cinema, one of the most popular and longest lasting is the slasher film. Essentially, a slasher film involves a single killer going after a group of people one-by-one in an isolated area. There’s been debate as to what the first true slasher film was, some pointing to Psycho and Peeping Tom. Some even argue that Italian giallos from directors Mario Bava and Dario Argento laid the foundation for the slasher genre. Of course, most agree that the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Black Christmas are two definite examples of early slashers. Granted, while these films certainly were popular, there weren’t exactly tons of slashers that followed immediately afterwards. That is until 1978, when John Carpenter introduced the world to The Shape, aka Michael Myers. Originally titled The Babysitter Murders, the film that ultimately popularized the slasher genre was Halloween.
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    Synopsis

    On Halloween night 1963, young Michael Myers stabs his older sister Judith to death for seemingly no reason. 15 years later, Michael is now interred at Smith’s Grove Sanitarium and is awaiting trial for his sister’s murder. The day before Halloween, Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) and nurse Marion Chambers (Nancy Stephens) come to escort Michael. Upon arrival, they find that the patients have been let loose and Michael ends up escaping using Loomis’ car. Michael targets high schoolers Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), Annie Bracket (Nancy Kyes), and Lynda Van der Klok (PJ Soles). At the same time, Dr. Loomis teams up with Sheriff Leigh Bracket (Charles Cyphers) to track down and stop Michael. Loomis explains that Michael is not a person to be reasoned with and is the personification of pure evil. Will Dr. Loomis be able to stop Michael, and who will survive Michael’s rampage?

     

    Review

    As I mentioned in the intro, there were plenty of slasher films that predate this one. But while movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Black Christmas came first, Halloween was the more popular film. That being said, it’s very easy to see why as, while those two are fantastic, this one is phenomenal. What makes this film work so well, amongst other things, is just how simple of a story it is. At its core, it’s about an escaped madman stalking teenage babysitters while his doctor tries to bring him down. In addition, we’re never given much of a reason why Michael is killing these girls, which makes it more terrifying. It also helps that the characters are likable, the cast is great, and the soundtrack is amazing. While many other horror films focused on cheap jump scares and thrills, this film effectively builds suspense and tension throughout.

    If there are any issues with the film, it’s hard to find them and many are simply just nitpicks. For one, it’s set in Illinois, but is clearly shot in California, especially with the palm trees and license plates. Considering this was made on a budget of around $300,000, I think that can be excused as it’s very minor. Also, like many films at the time, it can be a bit slow at parts and some scenes drag slightly. And while the film certainly has blood and nudity, don’t expect the copious amounts you’d see in 80s slashers. But minor issues aside, this is still an incredible film that absolutely deserves all the acclaim it gets. Not only was it a game changer, but it also launched Jamie Lee Curtis’ and John Carpenter’s careers. With great cinematography, a great cast, and an iconic score, Halloween is essential for horror fans.

     

    Buy Halloween from Amazon: https://amzn.to/4ef9vV2.

    Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

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