Archive for October, 2019

IT CHAPTER 2 wears out its welcome

Posted by Greg Butler On October - 31 - 2019

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Whatever the flaws the first IT movie made, it is amplified again by director Andy Muscutti inability to improve Stephen king’s second half of the novel. The main characters are grownup in the form of James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, and Bill Hader. All the adults return after twenty-seven years to again confront the evil Pennywise, reawaken once more to terrorize kids in Derry. The actors are serviceable in their roles with Bader being the stand out as a comedian who hides a bitter secret from his childhood.

The storyline is no different than the first, only bigger, louder and annoyingly longer in its running time. Muscutti must have thought he was doing his own horror version of Endgame. Whereas at least with that behemoth there were some poignant moments that were earned after so many years. Here the past and present are piled on top of each other, flip-flopping between the entire cast having nightmarish visions, with that much abundance it drags toward the three-hour mark as if this warrants a clunky showdown that was done slightly better in chapter 1.

Bill Skargards as the antagonist Pennywise keeps the film on track as well as Hader whenever they’re on screen but their absences call attention to the structure that sinks it whenever their not. Mention should be made of the very noticeable CGI in making the kids young as they were in the original, The overused jump scares scattered about or the odd scene in the restaurant where the adult characters are smashing chairs over tables fending off Phantasmal images, with barely a reaction from the hostess/ patrons on the vandalizing carnage.

The beginning of the film starts promisingly enough, a horrendous hate attack shows the indifferent decline of empathy in Derry as Pennywise’s evil expands emotionally beyond and just not simply gobbling little children. Had the film dealt a bit more with the town, it would have given a little much-needed gravitas to the situation instead of cheap scares.

Admittedly the first IT wasn’t that impressive, but the kids dealing with their adolescent problems and Pennywise at least afforded some emotional connections. Here IT 2 is just a pretend horror epic with no substance.

 

I give it a quick domestic beer with very little taste.

 

Top Ten Halloween movies to binge (at least for that night.) Vol.5

Posted by Greg Butler On October - 31 - 2019

It’s that time of year again, so as you remove the razor blades from the apples and wonder why certain candies taste funny, check these flicks out.

BLACULA  ( 1972)

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Despite the black exploitation nature, it really isn’t a bad vampire picture with William Marshall giving a very commanding performance, A Nubian prince is bitten by Dracula himself,  reawakens to the present day to seek out his lost love now reincarnated again.

Nightlife will never be the same.

SCARY FUN

 

What keeps you alive  (2018)

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Two women in love realize they’re really not cut out for each other. See what I did there?

CHILLER SUSPENSE

 

Wishmaster  (1997)

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This movie doesn’t get enough recognition. An evil djinn grants your most desirous of wishes, with the results of getting more than you bargained for. Plenty of cameos of horror icons like Robert England and Tony Todd passing through to give it a bit of class. There is a good deal of humor but the horror is played straight.

SCARY FUN

 

Crawl  (2019)

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In the tradition of JAWS, comes this triple down feature with Crocodiles munching their way through a river soaked town. Mangia everybody.

SCARY FUN

 

The Void  (2016)

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Possibly the most Lovecraftian story that Lovecraft didn’t write.  This throwback gives a nod toward old school practical effects and delivers in spades. Throw in killer cults, failed experiments and a doorway to wherever and you got a party going on. Sit tight, the gore is going to hit the fan.

SCARY FUN

 

Beyond the Door  (1974)

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Not remotely in the same class as The Exorcist,  but in an odd way it certainly sits at the back of the room. A young mother pregnant with her third child behaves erratically, which may be due to the unborn child being the antichrist. Expect the usual tropes that were already cliche even at that time. Still there’s a few creepiness to be mined here.

SCARY FUN

 

The girl with all the Gifts  (2016)

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Zombie films are such a tired genre, but along comes Train to Busan to give us a new perspective.  The Girl with all the gifts offers up another unique approach. The world is already ravaged by hordes of infected zombies because of a fungal disease, but hope lies with an intelligent but curious little girl imprisoned by a military/ science facility. Suffering from the same affliction, and being a hybrid may hold the key in finding a cure, only things don’t go as planned in this dystopian landscape.

SCARY FUN

 

The Body Snatchers (1945)

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Why get your hands all dirty digging up cadavers when they’re are live victims about. Mood period piece courtesy of Robert Wise and Val Newton. They don’t come better than this.

OLD SCHOOL CLASSIC

 

 

Overlord  (2018)

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What’s a world war 2 movies without a few nazi soldiers and inhuman creatures trying to obliterate our American GIs, Hey…would I be mistaken if somehow this seems like an adaptation of the video game Wolfenstein…no;  Nevermind.

SCARY FUN

 

 

Zodiac  (2007)

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If you’re ever wondering what inspired  Netflix’s  Manhunter series, look no further than David Fincher’s crime thriller, based on a true story on the procedural hunt for the real-life serial killer Zodiac. Not technically a horror film but the eeriness may have you looking over your shoulder now and then.

CHILLER SUSPENSE

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Thoughts on Cinema is dedicated to film reviews. An uncompromising opinion on the intellectual, artistic, and entertainment value to the consumer. With rising ticket prices, we dedicate ourselves to present to you content regarding what you should or should not be viewing. -Ronald H. Pollock Founder and Editor in Chief

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