Nut Shell Halloween II Review
First, I want to say thanks to the people who sent me a private message to get better. I am getting a little better, but not by much. Still recovering, but I think I’ll be 100 percent soon. Now, to my review of Halloween II. This movie stunk. If anyone could have desecrated John Carpenter’s masterpiece, you would think it would’ve been Uwe Boll. Nope. Rob Zombie takes the cake and then some. The movie had no sense and there were loopholes so big you could drive a truck through them (sounds cliche, but the movie had LOTS of them). Rob Zombie’s Halloween retelling was actually decent, prompting me to see the second one. By the end of the movie, you hoped everyone would die, especially Malcolm McDowell’s character. Also, what was deal with the nudity? There’s a place for it, but in this movie, I think Zombie just wanted to see naked women. It made no sense. The story arc was unbelievably naive and the plot does not fit into Zombie’s own universe of the movie. This movie should be avoided at all costs. Is it worth a dollar movie? No. Red Box? No. On television when it’s free? Maybe. My biggest regret was paying for this movie. On a scale of 1-10? 2.
The Wolfman, Fearnet and Other Things
My apologies for not posting sooner. Life derails you after you’ve been a car accident the size of the Rhode Island. I’m back now and still recovering, but that’s not going to stop me from posting.
As the summer is ending, we move into a new season of scifi and horror. The Wolfman and Avatar highlight the next wave of “must-see” movies while Christopher Nolan’s newest flick, Inception, which looks like a mix between The Matrix and Equilibrium (starring Christian Bale if you didn’t know) and Book of Eli bring up the rear. Let’s not forget about 2012. This summer’s blockbusters were lackluster with Transformers 2 , Harry Potter and District 9 being the best of the bunch. There are some promising movies coming out over the next few months so it should make up for a summer where the blockbusters were supposed to be abundant.
Speaking of movies that have promise, I must talk about Wolfman. This movie has perhaps been redone at least twice, but this one will have a bit of a spin in it. Bencicio Del Toro, uncharacteristically, has signed on to be the lead and the ever cute Emily Blunt co-stars. If you’ve seen the trailer, you know Del Toro turns into the wolf man, but obviously there’s something more sinister that’s going on. Those who have seen the original know that the 2010 version should realistically be called a reimaging, not a remake. There’s lots to be excited about this movie. I highlight this one because, quite frankly, I’m a huge fan of the Wolf Man because the original did a lot for the werewolf genre, but also to filmmaking. I only hope this movie is a good homage to the original. Most importantly, I’m anxious to see if Del Toro can pull off a creature. Make no mistake, it will be hit or miss with him in the role. The Wolf Man also stars Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving. Read more
Avatar Teaser Now Available
A lot of people are eagerly awaiting this masterpiece by James Cameron. Avatar will star Sam Wothington (Terminator: Salvation) and Sigourney Weaver (Alien Trilogy) and will revolve around a war between aliens and humans. This movie is set for a December release and judging by the other movies set to come out around that time frame, Avatar should crush Christmas-time box office sales. For a look at the teaser trailer, click here.
District 9: Innovative Storytelling, Original and Refreshing
If you haven’t seen it, make an effort to see it. This is about as original of an alien story you’ll find. Shot in the vain of the Blair Witch Project and most recently, Cloverfield, District 9 follows the storyline of aliens who have found their way onto earth and being treated like second rate citizens. One of the members of a “team” evicting the aliens to a new section of town is exposed to some of their technology. As in my typical fashion, I will not divulge anything spoiler related. I will say that this movie is a unique look at the alien culture. If you want to go deeper and explore the movie’s social and political implications, go right ahead. There is plenty of that. The ending is something to behold and doesn’t hold to the normal science fiction cliche. Though many expect the ending a mile away, you just hope that it doesn’t happen. But I will say the thing that captured me the most is that, while we are all humans (I hope), we found ourselves believing that there is a true alien culture out there. We felt for them or we hated them. You’ll see when you see it. On a scale of 1-10, this movie gets my first 10.
Syfy Channel Not Impressing
The newly redefined, reimaged Syfy Channel thus far has not impressed me. Much of the lineup has not changed, the movies are just as bad as before and the new shows are mildly interesting (the exception is Eureeka which is pretty awesome). Other than that, what has been redefined, reimaged? The Friday lineup seems to change every week, Ghost Hunters for whatever reason is still on air (have they found any substantial evidence yet?) and ECW? It’s early, I know, but I’m quickly losing faith in the channel. The genre will still be near and dear to me, but there should be a better representation of all things Science Fiction and Horror. The Chill channel is better than SyFY and that’s not saying much. At least Chill is a little edgier with their movies.
GI Joe: Rise of Cobra — A Franchised Ruined
There was much advertising and marketing for the movie since the Super Bowl. That hype very well should have turned into despair. GI Joe, a beloved remnant of American society was revived for the first time ever on the big screen. What’s not to love? The classic battles between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow, the behind the scenes love story of Duke and Anna/Baroness and the stone cold demeanor of General Hawk. All these things are great–but not as a live action movie. It should have stayed in the cartoon series. Don’t get me wrong, there were some good parts, but not enough to warrant an overly excited review. The story arc was a great premise to work with and incorporating modern technology and future technology was a great touch, but you keep getting the sense that the movie is going to go somewhere with those elements. Instead it merely introduces a few things and then quickly carries on to the action and drama. This movie seemed more like an excuse to display explosions and high octane action sequences. There was little development, little script and little great acting. Channing Tatum as Duke was not a good choice and Marlon Wayans as Ripcord is laughable. On a scale of 1-10, this movie is deserving of a 4.
A Different Kind of Convention
With the New York and San Diego Comic-cons concluded, there leaves much to be desired for next year’s conventions. However, for those who can’t get enough of their science fiction fix, there is one that’s available, albeit more of a literary kind, of convention. One of the main focuses of ArmadilloCon is the literary focus on science fiction and horror. While you won’t see many masked individuals or major Hollywood actors here, you will see a number of science fiction authors (like George RR Martin) and aspring authors. You can’t go wrong with what they have to offer. For you who absolutely love science fiction novels, graphic novels or anything and everything literary in the scifi world, this is the convention to attend. Dates for this convention are from August 14-16. Check out their website here: www.armadillocon.org.