Reviews

Okay, first off, let's just all admit that Ridley Scott's Alien has one of the greatest tag-lines for a horror movie?

Now that that is off of my chest, let's get to it, shall we?

Alien is a science-fiction film that is the second film directed by English director Ridley Scott. It has spawned five sequels (including the new one that is in theaters as of writing this review in 2024), two prequels, and two (at the moment) unofficial spin-offs that crossover with the Predator franchise, as well as several video games and a lot of comic books. I have watched it a few times in my life and found it to be quite the top-tier science-fiction horror films.

Alien is very atmospheric with how it does the thrills. It doesn't rely on jump-scares, even though it utilizes them now and then (at least three times, I think), unlike much of the horror films put out nowadays in the theaters. The cast do a great job, especially Sigourney Weaver and Ian Holm, even though some of them could have been more fleshed out story-wise. Actually, when you think about it, there is hardly any backstory designed for the characters which makes it a little harder to like them. Of course, since there are sequels, you know Sigourney lives...one way or another.

The film is very clearly separated into a multiple-act structure. First act is where they land on the planet, second act is where the xenomorph runs rampant and picks off several of the crew, third act starts with a big surprise with Ian Holm, and the concluding act is a surprise conclusion involving the last three survivors. The only problem I had with the story is that, much like the characters having little-to-no backstory, there is little-to-zero explanation given for what the Alien ship is; why the company is obsessed with capturing the alien; what the Space Jockey was; and other important questions are implied, but never fully answered by the time the monster is unleashed. After that moment, it's all about survival and the questions about the Xenomorph are left unanswered...and some are still unanswered, even with recent productions...

Once the xenomorph starts rampaging throughout the Nostromo, the film gets very intense. But, even before the whole nightmare begins, you start to get a feeling of foreboding dread early on into the movie. The scenes with the monster itself are few and far between, but they are well-filmed and the suit and prosthetics on the actor who played the Alien are truly terrifying. There are some scenes that are almost too intense, most prominent is the last dinner scene where John Hurt's chest bursts open in a nightmarish body-horror experience. Another prominent scene is when Parker and Lambert are attacked by the matured Alien in more ways than one if you know what I mean. Finally, the scene that always creeped the crap out of me is the scene with Ripley and Ash near the end of the film with the big twist about Ash. Especially, since if you read up on the story, you find out what Ash is actually trying to do to Ripley with the magazine.

Alien is a classic horror film, and I recommend you watch the director's cut that Ridley put together. It is one of the rare director's cuts I have seen that is actually shorter than the theatrical cut, but it has a scene that is very influential to the sequels and I found it to be quite creepy. (Said newly-added scene also got a homage in Alien vs. Predator.) This is not a film for the faint-of-heart with all the gore and creepiness, but it's not as right-in-your-face horrifying as Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Also, if you intend to watch the sequels, I really recommend you watch Alien first as it sets the story as well as the bar for comparison.

Stay Scared!

I really enjoyed S. S. Rajamouli's two-part film Baahubali. When I heard he had made a supposedly-even bigger and better film about the early days of India's revolt against the British occupation, I was intrigued.

I watched R. R. R. Recently over the course of a weekend on Netflix and really enjoyed it. I sort of imagined it to be like Once Upon A Time in China, since the film's story is about fictional depictions of two historical people in India's history, and true, it has great martial arts and has a good message about how the British Empire caused a lot of trouble for various countries, and fortunately, the similarities end right about there.

The film is one of those films where it has a seemingly simplistic plot that rapidly becomes complex, but fortunately to not the Nolan or Fincher extreme level. Much like Baahubali, this is a musical and there is an odd balance between some of the most spectacular dance and song numbers and strong levels of violence. The movie does also have some grim moments, mainly the scene where Bheem is flogged savagely in public, and there are a lot of bone-crunching noises in some of the fight scenes that may deter people. The fight scenes are quite satisfying throughout, though.

The acting is enjoyable in this film, though I thought Ahktar/Bheem had a slightly child-like personality. The twist with Ram/Raju is an excellent twist, and you can see so much pain and conflict in his character afterwards, because at first you think he's just an ambitious cop but he actually has ulterior motives. The villains are truly despicable characters, but mostly one-dimensional in comparison to the rest of the cast. I did like the casting of Alison Doody as the Governor's cruel wife, and she does a great villain again, but like I said, it seems like the script could have expanded on their characters a little more. Olivia Morris shines as the lovable Jenny Scott, a niece of the Governor, also, and I would have enjoyed some more story with her, as well, especially with her romance with Bheem. Hopefully, the sequel will expand on that aspect with Bheem and Jenny.

The action scenes are, as I previously said, are fantastic, though a little chaotic. The musical numbers and the score are outstanding, also, and several of the numbers truly reached into my soul and awakened something in me, most notably the 'Dosti' sequence.

There are some flaws to this film, but even so, RRR is a great production and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in Indian cinema.

May the Force be with You!

When it comes to Legacy Sequels, Straight-Up Reboots, and Remakes that have been modernized, I am a divided man. The ones from LucasFilm LTD and Disney in general have been, for lack of better terminology, downright awful (with one major exception with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens). There have been a few that are good, though, like Candyman by Nia DaCosta (yes, I actually enjoyed that movie), but for the most part, I think this whole Legacy Sequel concept needs to be dialed back a bit and that Hollywood should do some new material.

Scream 5 is an excellent exception to the Legacy Sequel, too. The Ghostface Killers' motive is much more interesting than that of the killers in Scream 4, and is also an excellent meta-commentary on Toxic Fandom (something I personally understand heavily being a fan of pre-Disney Star Wars as well as the DCEU) as well.

I also like how the story shifts away from Sidney and Gale and Dewey to introduce new main characters who have ties to the original Woodsboro events. Sam and Tara are really cool characters, and I can't wait to see what happens to them in Scream Six, even though we probably won't get a full resolution to that story anymore in light of drama at the studios. On the other hand, the conclusion for Dewey's character is well-done. He goes down swinging and in a most heroic manner, too.

Stay Scared!

The opening sequence to this movie is probably one of the best openings to a scary movie I have seen. It really leans heavily into the Meta-angle of the franchise and helps lower your guard with surprises and yet at the same time help provide some answers to who the Ghostface killers are this time around without actually revealing who they are at all.

I really enjoyed the first three Scream movies by Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson. The original is a total classic, Scream Two was a great sequel, and with Scream Three I am surprised how low-rated it is as it was a satisfying conclusion to the story. So, I was a little surprised when I heard back in the day that there would be a Scream Four and that Wes Craven was returning to direct it. However, with all the scary films I have watched recently and all the remakes done in Hollywood at the time, I can appreciate the commentary of this film.

In this film, there is some more great character development for the main trio (Sidney, Gale, and Riley) while at the same time introducing a new generation of cool and interesting characters. I liked how that the new characters are kind of like the next generation of the original cast, but Wes and Kevin take the characters in a different direction here and there to keep the story fresh. Of course, also, there are a magnificent plethora of horror movie tropes and meta-commentary throughout to make all the fans happy, too.

The film is a little more rigid with the 'rules' of a horror movie, though, which makes it slightly more easier to predict the events here and there. The Ghostface Killers' motivations this time around are kind of stupid this time around, also. But hey, not all horror movie villains can be John Kramer.

Stay Scared!

I did not get to see this movie in theaters, mainly because I am still concerned about catching Covid-19, but also because I had kept up with the details being released about the movie and I was worried that Part Two of Denis Villeneuve's Dune adaptation could live up to the second part of the iconic science-fiction novel that I have truly come to love by Frank Herbert. If you have read my review of Part One of Villeneuve's Dune, you will know that I was (and, yes, I'm going to quote the Last Son of Krypton again from an important scene in the Snyder Cut) 'Not. Impressed.' Besides how Villeneuve handled Part One, I also didn't like the press release from Denis Villeneuve about the possibility of an extended cut and how that he is not doing that idea for the two parts of Dune, mainly because there are a lot scenes and performances on the cutting room floor that will not ever see the light of day. Finally, in comparison to the popular SyFy miniseries adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel done by John Harrison, I found Villeneuve's Dune: Part One lackluster, and therefore my expectations were quite low for Part Two upon its theatrical release.

That all being said, I was blown away by this titanic masterpiece of a cinematic adaptation of a sci-fi classic novel. And what is really cool is that my Expectations were exceeded but in ways that I wasn't anticipating.

The Actors, much like Part One of Dune by Villeneuve, are perfectly cast. The ones returning from the first Part who didn't get as much time get much more screentime and that is quite enjoyable, while the characters who are introduced in Part Two are well-cast and play their roles magnificently.

Greg Fraser's cinematography is breathtaking and the Computer-Generated Imagery used in this film are still near-flawless in comparison to most science-fiction productions in the last five to ten years, especially those from Marvel and LucasFilm LTD.

Hans Zimmer redeemed himself from Part One's flat score. Yes, I know he won a little gold statue for Part One saying it was the best score of the year, but I think the Academy had just given it to him because he was able to construct a techno-score in quarantine through Face-Time and Zoom Conferences. This time around, I really hope he gets another Oscar for his effort, because this time around, the music was perfect. Plus, we didn't have to get that horrible screaming noise in the score all the time like a Yoko Ono performance art piece.

The script is very tight this time around, too. One of the complaints that I had with the first part was that they used almost none of the dialogue from the novel, probably save for a handful of scenes. Same for this film, but the script is still pretty darn good. There are some elements from this script that weren't in the novel, such as the two factions of the Fremen introduced in this part (Ones who believe the 'Prophecy' and the ones who figures out that it was the Bene Gesserit's Missionaria Protectiva softening the way to prepare for the Kwisatz Haderach) and that Chani would be one of the non-believers. But it's a subtle nod to the upcoming conflicts going on in the next two books, most notably Children of Dune. I also found it interesting how conflicted Paul is in this movie over his visions.

Finally, I'm hoping that Denis Villeneuve adapts the second book of the series as Part Three, which would be appropriate since Dune Messiah is really the epilogue of the original novel. And since he has said in interviews that he intends to do that, I think that hope is justified. What I really hope for is a certain twist from the expanded universe to be revealed about a certain Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother and the Baron Harkonnen. I also hope that Warner Bros and Legendary will keep the Dune adaptations going, even though Villeneuve has stated that he intends to have Dune Messiah be his last adaptation of the franchise. Personally, I would very much love it if Children of Dune got adapted into a trilogy on the same level as these two films. Let's hope that's not a pipe dream.

Long Live the Fighters!

I've only seen two other slasher horror movies where it goes beyond three films long so far in my life. And with both Friday the 13th and Halloween, the third film is my least favorite of each of the franchises. However, Scream 3 broke that rule big time with me!

At the beginning of Scream Three, Sidney Prescott is living alone and in isolation out in the woods, having been heavily traumatized by the two series of Ghostface killings that took place in her life. Gale and Dewey have broken up...again, and Cotton Weary is a popular talk show host while the Stab movies have begun their third entry in their bloody franchise. But now a new slew of Ghostface killings have begun, but who is the killer this time?

What I enjoyed about this film was how it didn't play exactly by the rules of a horror movie, but instead more by the rules of a traditional trilogy like Star Wars and The Godfather. The acting and characters are great, as usual, and, even though I had researched the plot of the film, there were parts where I wondered what would happen next and who the latest Ghostface Killer was. Plus, I was really glad that Dewey got that hero moment he deserved in the first two movies at the spectacular climax sequence.

Even though this movie is really a solid conclusion to the Scream franchise, I can't wait to start watching the next three movies in the franchise, to say nothing of the TV Series, and I am psyched now that Neve Campbell is returning for Scream 7. I wonder who will be the Ghostface for the seventh film, and I can't help but wonder, since Kevin Williamson is returning to write and direct the film, it might be one of the original intended Ghostface Killers from this film. (If you know, you know. If you don't, well, do some research.)

Plus, I really loved Carrie Fisher's cameo. I truly laughed out loud when I saw it. Seeing McDreamy getting his butt kicked in this film, though, seemed kind of mean. I hope he comes back for Scream 7, also.

Stay Scared!

It's like the Inception trailer says: 'What is the most dangerous parasite? An Idea. An single idea can rewrite all the rules and change the world.' And this is a great idea: A horror sequel that doesn't stink.

There are some good horror sequel films, Halloween Two and Friday the 13th Part Two definitely come to mind. But is there such a thing as a great horror sequel film? Maybe Scream Two can live up to that title.

Set some time after the events of the first movie, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is still pretty traumatized from the Woodsboro Murders, not helped by a dramatized true crime book by Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) and a poorly done movie adaptation called 'Stab'. Now in college, Sidney is trying to move on with her life as an acting student with a new boyfriend and some good friends. But at the premiere of Stab, two bodies drop courtesy of a Ghostface killer copycat. Then come the calls again. And more bodies. But with Billy Loomis and Stu Macher dead, who could be doing the killings? And what is their motive?

Wes Craven does it and does it good with this film. I really enjoyed it and it's got some good thrills and chills. The returning cast is fantastic and I love how they mature and grew from their experiences from the previous film. Most of the comedy revolves around the wacky relationship of Gale and Dewey, though there is some great physical comedy with how the new killer gets his ass kicked again while attempting to kill Sarah Michell Geller. The screenplay is great, too, as it keeps you guessing as to who the murderer(s) are right up to the climax again, and it's a great twist and tribute to another horror movie.

All I can say, really, is this is a fantastic horror sequel. Love it!

Stay Scared!

(Review is based on the Scream Factory blu-ray release of both the theatrical and director's unrated cut.)

If you know me, I am a bit of a Zack Snyder fan. I enjoyed his DCEU films and his Netflix productions I found to be quite enjoyable, also. I've followed his career with interest since hearing his name in this film's production credits.

By the way, I have not seen the original Romero masterpiece of Zombie gore and horror that this directorial debut is technically a remake of. I am aware that this film helped revitalize serious zombie productions and influence things like The Walking Dead Universe, 28 Days Later, World War Z, the Resident Evil series, and even Romero himself with his Land of the Dead film, and I appreciate that big time.

This film is very different than all of the Zack Snyder productions I have watched, though. There's very little slow-motion action scenes and little-to-none heavy CGI sequences. It also just feels different than a typical Snyder flick in 2024. I'm not sure how to explain it, but I had a lot of trouble getting into this film.

True, the opening sequence is great and the title sequence set to 'When the Man comes Around' is a great choice. After the survivors hole up in the Mall, it gets a little dull, until they decide to escape to Steve's boat after the Zombie Baby scene. The story gets a quite a bit more intense then, especially when they put their escape plan into action. The last 20 minutes or so are horrifyingly intense and, of course, the mid-and-post-credit sequence is chillingly grim, but it also kills really any chance of rewatchability.

The characters are okay. Most are likable, but Ty Burrell's performance as the thoroughly detestable smart-aleck known as Steve is about as bad as Joaquin Phoenix's atrocious performance as Napoleon Bonaparte. To me, it was a deal breaker for me with this film and I was quite satisfied when he gets killed off.

The score by Tyler Bates has some good parts, but it's Zack Snyder's choices of songs that make this film great. It's not just the use of Johnny Cash for the title sequence, it was the whole use of Richard Cheese's spoof of Disturbed's 'Down with the Sickness' that is brilliant for a montage, then using the actual song for the credits was great, too. Hearing those raw lyrics against the end credits just lends a new feeling of nightmarishness to the film.

One thing I found interesting, also, was the depiction of the Zombies. Instead of having them being shuffling slow ghouls, they are almost demonic in their snarling and feral in their attacking people. The practical effects and makeup they used for the zombies is gruesome and brilliant and lends a great level of horror to the film.

All in all, this was a solid directorial debut for Zack Snyder, who has had a lot of great (albeit controversial and polarizing) films afterwards. Nevertheless, despite this film being such, I think this is my least favorite Zack Snyder film, so far.

Stay Scared!

(Review is for the version from Scream Factory's deluxe boxed set edition of Friday the 13th movies.)

Okay, I know a lot of people like to compare Friday the 13th to Halloween, but we need to realize that Halloween is a masterpiece and its sequels are actually pretty good in various aspects. On the other hand, Friday the 13th is basically a rip off of Halloween and not a very good one, and the sequels so far are not really good. These are basically the straight-to-video versions of Halloween.

Now for the actual movie. First off, the kills in this movie are gruesome, yeah, yeah, and Jason gets his iconic hockey mask, too. Big fat hairy deal. Now for the stuff I didn't like about this movie:

• The utter stupidity of the characters is back. These characters are absolute morons and not very likable morons, too. I'm almost glad that Jason slaughters them like pigs. At least in Part Two there was some character development outside of the character of Jason, not to mention some good acting.

• Depiction of Jason as a deformed and potentially mentally handicapped individual with little-to-no rudimentary understanding of life and death. As a man with Autism, I think depicting killers with severe mental problems is a bit of an insult.

• Harry Manfredini's score sounds like a rip-off of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' background music.

This was a really stupid movie. Much like Blumhouse's 'The Hunt', it will gather dust on my shelf for the majority of my life. I will probably show it off on movie nights, but not routinely watch it. I mean, I have my sanity to think of, people.

Stay Scared!

Interesting, I found this a bit more enjoyable than the first one.

I knew most of the twists, mainly that Jason would become the main killer of the franchise in this installment (Thanks to Wes Craven and Scream: The Original), but there were some nice pleasant surprises throughout.

The score from Harry Manfredini is a bit more interesting than the main theme from the first movie. It has a more creepier set of themes, but it still it has the traditional Friday the 13th theme in it.

The cast are all actors I have never seen before, but I seemed to care more about the characters than the ones that were in the first installment. It was nice to see Alice, but I was pretty bummed she got killed off in the first scene. I really liked the couple of counselors who consisted of a nice girl and a cool guy in a wheelchair, and I thought they both died poorly. Also, if you factor in the fact that the final scene reveals that Ginny was the only other survivor of Part Two's massacre, then a cute dog got killed off, too.

The kills are pretty inventive and, at times, rather hilarious and crazy. The part where the guy in the wheelchair got killed and was rolled down a flight of stairs in a rainstorm was pretty cruel. Also, the ending jump-scare scene was a bit more cheesier than the first part (and Carrie).

So, in short, I kind of enjoyed this one.

Stay Scared!

Well, when we last left the FBI team investigating with Will Graham, we had just learned of the disappearance and presumed death at the hands of the Chesapeake Ripper the trainee known as Miriam Lass and found a severed arm of hers.

The story continues talking about the Chesapeake Ripper, who we now know (as the audience, not the characters) is Doctor Hannibal Lecter. A body missing a kidney is found and Will seems convinced that it was neither the Ripper who killed the poor man nor a copycat killer from earlier in the show. But more bodies begin to drop and these ones seem more likely to be victims who have run afoul of the Ripper. Meanwhile, whilst planning an elaborate and delicious dinner party, Hannibal meets with several people in his life to discuss their relationships with him.

As usual, Mass and Hugh do a fantastic job and the script is nicely written. Fishburne and Dhavernas take a backseat in this story, but they have good scenes. I fast forward over the scenes with the guy who plays pitiful Franklyn but I can tell his buddy Tobias is a bit more interesting.

The music in this episode really shines, too, with a stunning solo opera piece done on camera by a magnificent singer, but also fine choices of recorded music, too. The harpsichord piece that plays to the opera piece in this episode is haunting, too.

Stay Scared!

Okay, let me start right off and say that if you know me, then you know I am a born-again Zack Snyder diehard fan and I enjoyed the majority of the films in the DC Extended Cinematic Universe. I was definitely looking forward to Ben Affleck's Batman solo trilogy of films, the first of which would have had Batman squaring off against Deathstroke, played by Joe Manganiello, and probably also would have explained some of the details that were left unexplained in BvS and The Snyder Cut, mainly about what happened to Robin and why Wayne Manor is a dilapidated burned out shell of a house.

When I heard that Affleck was walking away from making the movie and that Matt Reeves was directing, I was a little apprehensive, even though Reeves has shown he is an exceptional movie director having done two of the Planet of the Apes prequel movies with Andy Serkis. Then I heard that Reeves had his own plans for The Batman movie and he threw out Affleck's amazing script (which I hope someday could get made into a Graphic Novel by DC Black in the future) to write his own script, and I was a little more apprehensive. Then I heard that Reeves was making his own separate universe aside from the DCEU/DCU, and I gave little thought to the movie. After hearing some good things about it, I checked it out on HBO Max and, to be honest, it took a little time for me to warm up to it, about one or two viewings, at least.

But, you know what, this movie is definitely a great Batman movie.

The movie itself draws heavily on the detective aspect of Batman, and shows him as a street-level vigilante who has been active for about two years. His character is full of rage and he makes an occasional mistake or two, but he learns from his mistakes throughout the film and grows from it. Robert Pattinson does a fine job as both Bruce and Batman, and I find the reclusive persona of Bruce is an interesting persona to portray for this character. It makes sense, too, since Bruce has just started out as Batman and is more focused on that part of his life than balancing his dual identities. However, when the action and violence comes, Pattinson plays that part of Batman to the hilt. Much like Bale and Affleck, he depicts Batman as an unstoppable force that no criminal should mess with.

Zoe Kravitz is also amazing as Selina Kyle, and draws heavily off her normal origin story from the majority of the comics. She is sensual and beautiful, but also is able to deliver some kick-@$$ scenes of butt-kicking. Zoe and Robert have great chemistry together, and I hope she returns for Part Two, if it gets made.

Jeffrey Wright's depiction of James Gordon is basically how he was depicted in The Dark Knight trilogy, but he still manages to do it well. He plays a good-hearted tough-guy cop, though we don't see anything of his family life, and I hope we get to see what that is like in the sequels.

Andy Serkis also does a great job as Alfred Pennyworth. There are some scenes that show how great of a father figure his character is to Bruce, especially one mid-way through the film that had me tearing up as a result of the interaction between him and Bruce. I also like how they reveal that Alfred was originally a member of the Circus (Not Ringling Brothers. John Le Carre fans know what I'm talking about), giving him a similar backstory to his character from the shows Gotham and Pennyworth.

Paul Dano is savage also as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, for the most part. He shows unbridled rage and anger for the people he is hurting, and the way he is depicted invokes imagery of not just the Zodiac Killer from our world, but also John Kramer from the Saw franchise (albeit not as twisted). Ironically, David Fincher was one of the choices to direct Batman Begins, and instead he did a movie about the Zodiac murders investigation.

The other villains shown in this movie are pretty well-cast also. Colin Farrell is literally unrecognizable as Oswald Cobblepott III and John Tuturro plays the role of Carmine Falcone to the hilt. I just wish that they had more time in the movie, especially Tuturro given how his character ends up. However, Farrell is getting a spin-off miniseries and will no doubt return for Part Two, also.

Aside from the fantastic casting, let's take a moment to talk about Michael Giacchino's score. Until recently, I've really only heard his works for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and mostly dismissed them as one-hit-wonders or forgettable pieces, most notably his work for the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies. However, his work on this film is utterly mind-blowing. Much like in the Dark Knight Trilogy, he uses two themes for the titular character, one for Batman, one for Bruce, and both are awesome. The rest of the score, including the inclusion of Franz Schubert's 'Ave Maria' as the Riddler's theme, is great too.

This is definitely one of the best Batman films ever made. Am I bummed it wasn't the Batfleck movie? Yes. But did I enjoy this movie and am eagerly awaiting the sequels? Yes to that, too.

Stay Scared!

The episode introduces one of Batman's oddest villains: The Clock King, who is motivated into criminal activity after one bad coffee break causes him to descend into madness and seek revenge seven years later against the man who ruined him.

Okay, first off, this is a fairly comedic filler episode, but it has a couple of dramatic moments to add some tension.

The villain, the appropriately named Temple Fugate a.k.a. The Clock King, (instead of the traditional normal name of the Clock King as William Tockman), is excellently voiced and plays his role as a comedic Silver Age-style villain to the hilt as a punctual and clock-themed villain.

Really, the episode could have been longer, maybe a two-parter like Cat and Claw or Feat of Clay, because it ends very abruptly. However, it is able to establish the entire character of Temple Fugate fully as an interesting villain. They definitely draw inspiration from the concept established in Alan Moore's 'The Killing Joke', that supposedly one truly awful day can mess you up big time and drive you insane.

It's a classic silver age story with a little modern age ideas to butch it up. I really enjoyed it.

(This review will be for the extended cut of The Punisher)

In these frustrating days of happy and funny superhero films where all the problems are tied up with a neat little bow, where there is over-indulgence in heavy CGI explosions and expositions, and where there is ridiculous over-use of comedic situations that water down dramatic stories, it's really great to know that there are some quite darker comic book action movies that still exist. Jonathan Hensleigh's 'The Punisher' with Thomas Jane is high on that list.

The movie moves quite solidly for the most part. There's the opening act where Frank Castle's undercover op of an illegal gun purchase causes a mobster's son to be killed, causing the paranoid mobster Howard Saint to lash out in revenge by slaughtering the entire family of Frank's and leaving him to slowly die. Then comes the parts where Castle tears apart all of Howard Saint's organization, pushing the mobster to the limits financially and to the edge of his sanity, and finally there is the chilling climax (made even more bleaker when you watch the extended cut that includes the subplot with Jimmy Weeks) which still makes my jaw drop. The Extended cut doesn't bring extra violence, though, but it does expand the story very nicely.

Aside from the excellent acting from pretty much the entire cast, one aspect that really sells this film is the music. The score is an instant classic, invoking imagery of classic spaghetti westerns by Sergio Leone with Clint Eastwood starring.

Don't get me wrong, though, this movie is DARK. While Frank Castle's actions are heroic to a point, you know he has basically become the villain as well by the end of the film. Thomas Jane does an exceptional job as Frank, playing him with professional military tactical skills that invoke imagery of various films from the eighties with Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Willis, and Bronson. You almost feel sorry for his victims, but then you are reminded of who they are and you get a satisfying feeling when Castle puts them down.

Sadly, this is the only official performance of Thomas Jane as the Punisher. We'll probably never see him reprise the role, even after the excellent 'Dirty Laundry' short, even with the immense meta-multiversal route that Marvel is insisting on going down with its cinematic universe. Fortunately, I hear that Jon Bernthal does a magnificent job filling that black and white t-Shirt of Jane's, but I have yet to watch it on streaming.

Excelsior!

Well, given that the Arrowverse is officially over with the final season of 'The Flash' airing a few weeks ago, I figured (after some deliberation) that it wouldn't hurt watching the entire Arrowverse and related DCTV Properties show by show. Since I have already also watched Seasons One and Two of Arrow and didn't want to rewatch them on DVD again, I decided ultimately to start by watching Season Three of the popular action/superhero show.

The action is pretty excellent. I've always enjoyed how Green Arrow/Oliver doesn't fight like other archers I've seen in media, like Legolas or Clint Barton, he uses his fists and martial arts and even the bow itself as a melee weapon, which I think greatly expands his character.

Acting-wise, the Oliver/Felicity romance takes a typical cliche bump in the road to happiness in this episode, but they make it seem not so cheesy. I'm also glad that Diggle and Lyla have a kid, now, and that I find it interesting that Diggle decides to take Oliver's advice at the end of the episode. The new Count Vertigo, played by Peter Stormare, is woefully underused and is essentially a rehash of Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow. Roy is also sadly underused in this episode, only really providing plot advancement when they need to handle a serious threat to Starling City. The new owner of Queen Consolidated seems interesting and the actor choice to play him is a great choice. For the flashbacks, I thought the Yamashiros were interesting people, but Amanda Waller is pure ice. She seems a little more openly nasty and sadistic than Viola Davis' cold performance in the soon-to-be dead DCEU.

Oh, and that ending with Sara and Laurel? Yikes.

I'm a supporter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that has become one of the biggest franchises out there. The first three phases were great, but there were some flaws. Most notably the performance of Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk/Bruce Banner in Endgame turning the Hulk into a calmer personality seemingly permanently and diminishing his power and rage.

Let's be honest, you think of The Hulk, you think a rage-filled goliath-monster, and if you have read comics like World War Hulk and related material, you expect Hulk to do some massive collateral damages to populated areas.

And in this movie, he did that damage.

Ang Lee's Hulk movie was terribly received when it came out with people claiming it was just too dark, too grim, and too artistic in comparison to the then-usual superhero fare. When it first came out and I watched it on DVD, it was hard to watch. I didn't have the appreciation nor the understanding of Superheroes that I do now, sadly. This is definitely a film that aged well, at least in terms of story and a few other elements.

The acting in this film is pretty impressive. Eric Bana does a incredible (yes, pun intended) job as Bruce and portrays him as an introverted guy with serious trauma issues. Jennifer Connelly wonderfully portrays Betty Ross with compassion and warmth. Sam Elliott is perfectly cast as General Ross, a role he really deserves to reprise in the official Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nick Nolte's unhinged and deranged performance as the bad guy is jaw-dropping. It's about on the same level as unhinged as Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor or Heath Ledger as The Joker. Why can't Marvel do villains that psychotic anymore?

Also, Danny Elfman's music is magnificently underrated. It's as good as his Spider-Man and Batman scores. Really good stuff. However, the cinematography of this film takes a little getting used to. The Computer Animation didn't age well in comparison to recent films, also.

Still, this is a much better Hulk movie than the majority of his performances in the MCU (well, minus the first Avengers performance). I only hope that one day we'll see a Hulk like this one on the big screen in the MCU.

Excelsior!

(This review will be for both the Theatrical and the Producer's Cuts of Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers Expect the occasional spoiler here and there.)

Following the disappointing experience of 'The Revenge of Michael Myers', and knowing that this is the sixth film in the series as well as how poorly rated it was, my expectations were not incredibly high for this film. I had done my research and read the majority of the plot, so I knew most of the twists involved in the film, so I didn't expect the film to be too good.

I first watched the Theatrical Cut, which is very much a typical Halloween gore-fest at first with a sci-fi twist at the climax. Then, about two days later, I watched the semi-ultra-rare Producer's Cut, which is pretty much the same movie until the third act. It expands a bit more on the characters, potentially giving us more information about who Danny's father is if you use a little imagination to fill in the blanks, but the real fun begins when the third act begins at Smith's Grove Penitentiary, which basically turns the film into Rosemary's Baby and The Omen meets Stephen King. Throw in that chilling ending, and it's a much more satisfying production.

The acting is pretty impressive for most of the characters, especially in the Producer's Cut, though the kid who played little Danny was basically less emotional than Danny in The Shining. Donald Pleasance is, as usual, a solid performance with a few surprises as Dr. Sam Loomis. Paul Rudd plays a slightly creepy and obsessed adult version of one of Michael's early surviving victims from the iconic first film by John Carpenter, but when you watch the full movie, you will see that his creepiness is a bit of a coping mechanism and he's just as heroic as Ant-Man. The actor who plays Kara Strode is a good final girl, much more interesting than Tina in Halloween 5 (I know Tina died in Halloween 5, but she's basically the Final Girl of that film) and more like Rachel Carruthers and Laurie Strode mixed together. The man who plays The Shape this time around does a good imposing and scary performance, though not as good as the Blumhouse Halloween Michael Myers or the original movie's Michael Myers. The scene-stealer of this movie for the bad guys is the guy who plays the mysterious man in black from Halloween 5. I won't reveal who it is, but it's a nice twist. The sad thing though is that Jamie Lloyd's character arc is resolved with this production, and not in a good way. I felt bad for her, since I really loved Danielle Harris' character in the first two films and the girl who played her in this movie did a not-too-shabby job either.

The music and cinematography does a good job, still, though certainly not as good as the original.

Really, aside from Jamie Lloyd's story ending, the only thing about this movie I didn't like is that both cuts of the movie end pretty openly and since Halloween 7 is a soft reboot that negates Halloween Four, Five, and Six, I don't know how it will be resolved, especially after watching the Producer's Cut. It would have been cool if the next Halloween production (now that Blumhouse's trilogy is done) would do a continuation from this one. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

At any rate, this was a solid and enjoyable Halloween production. I'm going to keep watching the rest of the series, too.

Stay Scared!

I enjoyed the Halloween productions that came before this, with one exception.

The original by John Carpenter is a true masterpiece.

The first sequel written by Carpenter and Hill is a good follow-up to the original.

The Return of Michael Myers I thought was quite enjoyable and lived up to the first two Halloween productions.

So, naturally, I had some relatively good hopes for The Revenge of Michael Myers. And unfortunately, those hopes were dashed within minutes.

As I state on the title of this review, this is an incredibly uneven sequel that truly makes its mind up on narrative.

The costume design for Michael is really unrealistic looking this time around, even more so that the Return of Michael Myers. He is almost un-intimidating in his appearance in comparison to earlier (or later) productions. Also, the infamous Captain Kirk mask of his in this film just looks...kind of blah. Like the costume team wasn't even trying.

The camerawork is pretty bad too. You can clearly see that the production team didn't have a big budget in comparison to the first three Michael Myers productions. It just screams 'late eighties' and 'made-for-TV-movie' to the point where it almost resembles shots from Mick Garris's adaptation of The Stand, only much less impressive.

The acting from most of the characters are good. The guy who plays Michael this time around tries, despite the bad costume design and the blah-looking mask. Donald Pleasence, as usual, steals his scenes as does Danielle Harris with hers. Rachel Carruthers is tragically killed off and her party-girl BFF, Tina, attempts to take up the torch of Jamie's protector and fails miserably well before her final scene.

The climax at the Myers house between Jamie and Michael is really the only creepy part of the movie, but even that gets kind of ridiculous, especially after Michael is trapped in a chain-link net trap that just happens to be there.

Alan Howarth's score is also pretty pathetic in comparison to the original film's hair-raising score. The music is pretty bland and does little to enhance scenes, and actually kind of wrecks some scenes.

The ending was interesting, though. The Man in Black with the Steel-Tipped Shoes was a creepy antagonist and I wonder how the story goes with Curse of Michael Myers, which I will have to sit through twice as I have both cuts of it.

Stay Scared!

Since the beginning of 2022, I've been watching more and more horror films. Probably one of the best classics I saw over this year was John Carpenter's Halloween, which I have recently learned came out well before Friday the 13th. John Carpenter's Halloween is much better.

The first shot alone is a heavy rip-off of Halloween's iconic opening. And from there, it just gets weird instead of really scary. Finally, when the killer is revealed as, yeah, I'm just going to pull a Gene Siskel and say who the killer is (besides, anyone who has watched the original Scream by Wes Craven knows that twist anyway!), the psychotic Pamela Voorhees, there are some other Halloween rips like the reveals of all the dead bodies, much like the infamous reveal in Halloween with the tombstone on the bed.

Unlike Halloween, there is much left to the imagination outside of the killings. There's almost zero character development, plus the scenes with Mrs. Voorhees attacking Alice and Mrs. Voorhees being possessed by Jason's vengeful spirit is pretty contradictory in comparison to his silent monster portrayal in the rest of the franchise. I really felt nothing for the characters as they met their ends.

That ending twist is a nice touch, though...too bad that Brian de Palma thought it up first for Carrie!

This is probably the point of the Show where it becomes less of a contained episodic production and more of a inter-linked episodic production.

The plot is seemingly simple with Eddie Izzard's character of Dr. Gideon , a psychopathic killer who is incarcerated at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, killing a night nurse in a gruesome manner similar to that of the notorious serial killer known as the Chesapeake Ripper, causing the press to start wondering if Gideon IS the Ripper. However, the plot rapidly grows complex as it is steadily revealed that Gideon is lying and the Real Ripper is still out there, and he's tormenting Jack Crawford with his failure to catch him.

This is an important episode, not just because of the plot, but also it introduces two key characters in the series: Dr. Frederick Chilton and Miriam Lass, an FBI trainee who gets to close to the Ripper case. Chilton, who many of the movie fans will remember as being one of the biggest slime-bags out there, is just as slimy in this production, if not more so. Miriam Lass is a clear composite of Clarice Starling, but with a different fate at the moment.

Great atmospheric episode that doesn't rely too heavily on the gore-art as the previous ones.

#stayscared!