We watched the remake of The Fly tonight. I absolutely hated it the first time I saw it about a decade ago as not only did I find it beyond boring, but it relied on gross horror rather than actual suspense. While it still was just gross horror, and the movie takes forever to get moving (or rather, it starts off too quickly without any build up and then slows down in the middle), I enjoyed it for the most part this time around. It's a very creative take and does something different despite being inferior to the original film. Nevertheless, the actors were good, especially Goldblum, but I really feel like the news editor should have died due to how unlikable he was. He did not deserve to live.
Candyman: Day of the Dead: A slight improvement over Farewell to the Flesh. They didn't abuse the fake jump scares, Candyman is portrayed a little better without the love thing of last time (at least not as much as getting incestuous), there was more psychological horror in attempting to fight Candyman, some of the kills were memorable despite being the same hook stabs. The side characters could've used more depth into them. For example the cultists felt very last minute, and the "good cup" needed more screen time as a supporting character. Also, why is there another Caroline when the last film did the same thing? Glad this did not end up as a running thing if the series was longer. 6.5/10
I remember those when they were first doing that stuff and thought they were so much better htan the actual BWP when I finally saw that borefest.
Halloween (2018) This is my favorite of the Halloween sequels. A back to basics that forgets all that cult or familicide shtick and returns Michael to what he is: an indiscriminate killer. While he scarred Laurie for life and destroyed her interpersonal relationships, to Myers she is just another would-be victim. This is what I find most discomforting of this sequel. 8/10 Books of Blood The first story of this Trick r Treat style anthology is the strongest and probably could have easily made a movie on its own. Honestly, it kind of did but with some Hellraiser-knockoff filler and boring invincible villains. It just comes across as unfocused and a little cliché but I can't mark it down too much for the performances and aesthetic. 6/10
Stephen King's Sleepwalkers. I saw this at a 35mm screening attended by the director a few years back, and it has since had a new restoration with a bluray release. I really like it, but it can't be denied that there are certain aspects that don't exactly work. A very 90s film with morphing effects. It's a bit goofy around the edges. The imagery of cats running through the streets makes a strong visual that belongs in a better film. There are also animatronic catsuits that are used sparingly, and it's not hard to see why. It's one of those movies that starts quite strong with an intriguing premise and some unique ideas, but in delivering the goods falls short. Once all the mystery and intrigue is out of the way, you're left with a movie that's kinda silly. But still fun. Cat People. This is a solid little film. Better than most Universal Horror of the same period. There are certain mundane aspects of the storyline that seem a bit ridiculous, even for the 1940s, but the film has a charm where you just go along with it. Mesmerizing. The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll Quite a good, but not top tier Hammer film. This film flips the script on the typical Jekyll/Hyde situation in that it features a dapper clean-shaven Hyde, and a fusty bearded Dr Jeckyl. Perhaps the highlight of the film is Christopher Lee cast against type as an almost romantic lead who is carrying on an extramarital affair with Mrs Jekyll. Hyde learns of this and essentially makes an indecent proposition towards his own wife. I've watched enough films of the era to know what to expect, but was taken aback by how racy this turned out to be. Turns out they've reinserted all of the edits called for by the censor. Oliver Reed turns up in a very minor role. The actor in the lead role does alright, but I felt like you could put either Christopher Lee or Oliver Reed in the part and instantly have a more compelling movie. The other criticism I had was the use of a can-can club in the movie. They try to milk those scenes for entertainment value, and it just seems a bit twee and low rent. Not the most impressive spectacle. Not remotely sexy or titillating, not impressively skilful. If they'd had bigger sets, better camera angles, a higher calibre of performer, it could've worked. Go big or go home. Without that kind of showmanship available, they would've done better to just move things along and not dwell on it. Maybe I'm blowing it out of proportion. I would've either minimized that stuff or really gone to town. The best thing in the movie is Christopher Lee as the charismatic, decadent, largely amoral lover. The Thing from another world. I think I liked this even better than the groundbreaking John Carpenter remake. It doesn't just have the horror aspect going for it, it has strong 1950s sci-fi, presented with conviction in confident 1950s terms. It's great. Of course there's the climactic monster rampage, and it's dramatic, I don't think I've seen this sort of thing done better. There's a warmth and a camaraderie that offsets nicely against the bleakness of the location. There are two groups that encounter the thing in an arctic research station. There's the military types, and the scientists. The film presents the military as heroes, although if you ask me they clearly bungled the situation. It was the 1950s I suppose. The Mad Magician. This is one of the great classic 3-D films. You wouldn't know it from the packaging, but the recent Indicator release is a 3D-Bluray. If you have the facilities to play it in that format, it's an absolutely essential title. I think it's every bit as good as House of Wax and Creature from the Black Lagoon, and they really make the most of 3-D and have fun with it. Vincent Price plays "Gallico the Great", magician, inventor, master of disguise, whose ambitions are cruelly thwarted by his rivals. Naturally, revenge is in order. The magic tricks are inventive, Vincent Price is in top form, and it's all staged in that classic oldschool Hollywood way with skillful lighting and composition that rivals the best film noir. 3-D scenes with Gallico's buzz-saw illusion are actually kinda terrifying.
My Amazon Prime selection is on hold, my Fire Stick seems to have bricked itself (black screen with white logo) for days straight. After doing my own troubleshooting and 45 minutes of Troubleshooting with a customer service rep, they're just sending a replacement, so Doctor Phibes might have to wait till after Halloween.
Q: The Winged Serpent: Wasn't that good. The monster barely got a presence or acknowledged by the characters and instead it focuses on an unlikable protagonist with an evil cult side-plot. The effects weren't that great either. 4/10
Well since that post I been watching all the Universal Monsters films (including Abbott and Costello meet some of the monsters), along with Toho's Kaiju films, all the Gamera Showa films, and ever some King Kong films.
The Fly II - Jesus, what the freaking hell did I just sit through? That was bad, really bad. Actually scratch that, I could have dealt with bad, but this was absolutely boring as fucking hell. None of the characters were the least likable, even Optimus Primal, and therefore, all got what they deserved. It took over 75 minutes before something actually happened. There's also the fact that a grown woman screwed what is essentially a 5 year old, but because he's aging at an excellerated rate, it's okay. That was quite gross, but the least the of the movie's problems. The only thing I did like was I guess the monster design even though it didn't look anything like a fly. Since I just watched this entire string of films, here is my ranking of The Fly series: 1. Original 2. Cronenberg remake 3. Return of the Fly 4. Curse of the Fly 5. The Fly II Though honestly, both Curse and II can go straight to hell.
I’ve been watching a lot of Halloween specials with the kids. Paw Patrol, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Zombizou on Miraculous Ladybug. Oh, and Garfield’s Halloween Adventure. They frickin loved it. It was all smiles and laughing during the first half. And then when things got spooky, they were peeking out from under their blankets. It was awesome.
Started watching Trick 'R Treat. Normally, this would the very last thing to watch on my annual Halloween marathon but I feel like doing something a little bit different this year.
Let's celebrate Halloween with my review for the latest Halloween movie: Next year is going to be weird as I won't have any Halloween movies to review. Well shit!
