Movie Review: Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later

Picking up the pieces of an already broken franchise, Moustapha Akkad once again tries to reclaim the series back what it once was. However, he brought an unlikely star along for the new project. And it turns out it's none other than....Jamie Lee Curtis.
the project would be a love letter to fans, not just some bloody gorefest. It was going to be a slick and more suspense-laden. The creators behind it even took the risk of ignoring parts 4,5, and 6, and to be honest, you guys, this was a GOOD idea, because I never really cared for those sequels that much, especially 5 and 6 which ruined the franchise completely. So now there is a fresh new story with a fresh new concept. And since this came out during the Scream era, it was definitely the right time to show the glory days of the original.
I like this movie. Some people might dismiss it as a scream copycat but that's not the case with me, it was a nice, slick entertaining throwback to the original Halloween and earlier slasher from the decade. It's got a great, charismatic cast, good writing, great story, and brilliant directing. It's a big step up from the last film and I greatly appreciated that. It's by far the more decent Halloween sequel in the franchise.
The Story: It's been 20 years after the disappearance of notorious serial killer Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, the once terrorized 17 year old girl, has now grown older and wiser, changed her name, and moved to another state. But somehow the past keeps coming back to haunt her. She tires to live her life the best way she can, however, a certain person from her demented past has come back and even the score. So Laurie must protect her teenaged son and his friends before Michael strikes again.

The cast was actually likeable and pretty solid, though, there's not much to say about the teen characters but they were cool enough.

Jamie Lee Curtis is back and better than ever! It takes guts for an actress to reprise this kind of roles cause unlike some big stars they would disown the fact of ever starring in a horror movie but Jamie Lee Curtis, she takes it with stride, putting a lot of passion into her character.

Laurie is kickass! this a woman that has been to hell and back and she isn't going to take it anymore. Once victimized and even disturbed by the memory of her long lost brother, she's like screw this and takes charge. And boy does she.

The fight between her and Michael was epic. Sure, it has it's silly moments but it was worth seeing Laurie finally kicking some ass and bring in the pain on Michael.

Alan Arkin was very charismatic as Will Brennan, even though there's not much to say about his character other than the usual love interest for Laurie. To think of it, he kind of reminds of an older version of Jimmy. Particularly because he spends so much time trying to get in Laurie's pants. Overall, He seems like a nice guy with a few funny moments.

Let's see what's interesting about LL Cool J's character....Not that much really. He basically spends half of the movie reading a novel he wrote to his wife. The scenes are amusing enough, but it doesn't add anything to the story. Though he does sneak in John Tate where most of the climax takes place, so he is somewhat useful.
So here are the teen character, though the most important is John Tate and Molly Cartwell. The other two are fine but nothing really too memorable about them:

John Tate is supposed to be a slight contrast to Laurie, who was a quiet, responsible good girl at 17 where as John who is the same age, 20 years later, is more rebellious, outspoken and assertive. Him and Laurie have a sort of complex Mother-Son relationship, if not complicated. Laurie is very overprotective of John, so it makes sense for him to rebel against her. Soon, Laurie becomes more reasonable and lets John go have fun with his friends. But only to find himself in the same position as his mother once was on that same Halloween night.

Josh Hartnett did a really good job. Not to mention, he's really handsome and charming as the mischievous bad boy.

Molly Cartwell, however, signifies the comparison between her and younger Laurie. She's around the same age, she's a good girl/girl scout, she has good grades, is intelligent, caring, nice and all around likeable. There is also an homage to the original where she looks in the window and spots Michael cemented her final girl status next to Laurie.

Future Oscar Nominee Michelle Williams really brought the aura of the Girl Next Door. She was so likeable in fact that it makes you care for her till the end.

There's not much development on Charles and Sarah but they are at least likeable and funny as Annie and Lynda, So I could at least give them some credit other  than being your usual horror movie victims.

Michael Myers is new and improved and I never been more appreciated. What's so great about him is that he's actually scary and seems like an actual threat. This villain who lives of on death and destruction.

So is Michael is back to his roots of being this dark entity, this evil who manifests himself and not some copycat of other horror villians.

The one scene I love the most is when Michael and Laurie comes face to face, good vs. evil, all the while she is trying save John and Molly. It's probably one of the most iconic shots of 1990's. How awesome is that? So I definitely like this version of Michael. He's not too bulky, not too powerful, just a guy who happens to be evil and a bit impeccable.
Steve Miner was the perfect choice on the director's chair. Mostly known for his work on Friday The 13th part 2 and 3(connection!), Miner was able to capture the feel of the original. Say what you will about the man, he knows how to craft suspense. He actually worked with Wes Craven and Sean Cunningham once, so I think the man knows what he's doing.

The scenes that I enjoy the most is the climatic fight between Michael and Laurie and the triumphant  ending. It is glorious. You think it's going to end but Laurie is like, "Hell no!", takes a cop's gun, steals the ambulance truck, runs over Michael and chops his head off:

That is one of the best horror movie endings ever! who's with me on that?
Now for some Trivia.

• Janet Leigh makes an appearance and for all of you who don't know, Janet Leigh is Jamie Lee Curtis's mother. Her character in the movie is somewhat based on Marion from Pyscho, the movie which inspired Halloween. She even has the same car the character drives in the film.

• John Carpenter actually was on board to work on the project but financial disagreements caused him to back on it.

• Kevin Williamson was offered to co-wrote the script. So you can sort see a Scream influence on the film.

• The working title of the film was once called Halloween 7: The Revenge Of Laurie Strode. Rightfully so.

• The first Halloween movie that doesn't take place in Haddonfield.

• Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees) once auditioned for the role of Michael but was rejected.

• The movie was supposed to have Michael speak for the first time in the ending but  Moustapha Akkad scrapped it, so he could fill in the continuity for the 8th sequel. A sequel that I wished never happened.

The film came in third at the box office but despite not reaching number 1, it still ranked in 55 million domestically.
Again, I love this movie. THIS is how they should've ended the series. It seems like such a definitive sequel. I mean the filmmakers actually put their full head and heart into this. Some small portion of people don't really care for this but for most people, including myself, think this is by far the best sequel in the franchise. It was definitely refreshing to see Jamie Lee Curtis reprise the role that made her famous. And what I love most about this is that  they actually paid their respects to the franchise including offering their blessing to Donald Pleasance and his character Dr. Loomis for how they both contribute the series. I thought that was pretty cool.
I repeat, this is how the series could've ended. Could've ENDED. I mean how could the series get any better after that? and to be honest this is the best the series could offer. This should've been Halloween 4 and the series would stop there.
THIS is the Halloween sequel everybody waited for and that's how it will always be. Period.
My Last Word: Watch it! It's so worth it.

 

Movie Review: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation(1994, 1995, 1997)

Before I start this review, I would  like to talk about the trend of movie stars starring in horror movies before they were famous. For example: Jesse Esinberg from Camp Hell, Jennifer Lawrence in House At The End Of The Street, and Mila Kunis from American Pyscho 2.
Now I present to you The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation or The Return Of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre starring Oscar Winners Renee Zelwegeer and Matthew McConaughey.
The two actors were publicly embarrassed for ever being in this film. When the movie was re-released in 1997, Matthew McConaughey's agent sued Columbia Pictures for even releasing the movie at all. Renee Zelweger used "I was young and needed the money" excuse instead. So yeah, everybody doesn't like this movie. And you see all those years I listed on my movie review title? Because it had a difficult release history, which I would further in the trivia segment.
Now what do I think of this movie? I don't know. I don't know what to think of this movie. I'm spilt in the middle whether it's so bad, it's good or so bad, it's horrible. It just have so many WTF moments that makes me scratch my head every time. It's over-the-top, outrageous, and just plain notoriously bad.
The Story: Four teenagers, having got back from the prom, are driving off....somewhere. The movie doesn't explain. When suddenly they get into a car wreck with another driver. So once they go find help, they are suddenly attacked by Leatherface and his family. It's a simple story, really, but that's all I can fall back on.

The cast is...strange. Or bad if you want me to say. And let me tell you the performances are BAD but it's just how the actors deliver their line and portray their characters is what makes the experience of watching this movie surreal.
First before I get to the main characters, let's get Jenny's dumb friends out of the way.

First there's Jenny's boyfriend Sean. Um...I got nothin'. I mean what is there to say about the guy? His character is so thin, he's the first one killed off. He's also...kind of slow in the head, kind of like he's on some strong herbal drugs. That's all got really.

Here's Barry, Heather's cheating boyfriend. He's a douchebag. Though, the actor tries too hard at playing one. There's not much development about him except he complains a lot and he's pretty much a jerk to everybody. That's his character, he's the jerk. Moving on.

And now you have Heather, who is probably the most annoying of the bunch. She is, what I call, the female equivalent of Franklin, she's whiny, she complains, and she also conveys this high-pitched valley girl accent that would make your ears bleed.

She's also self-explanatory, which is unnecessary for a dumb character like this. Apparently, she's a bitch but she's more a ditz if ask me.

But boy! Is this girl put in the ringer. First, she's impaled on a meat hook, gets her tongue bitten off, set on fire, then finally have her head crushed. It made me feel bad for a character who was the most annoying, even more annoying than Leatherface. Even though she's put through a lot of crap, she still is irritating and dumb to me.

Just to get him out of the way, you have W.E. who spouts out quotes from famous people. That's all he does. Do his brother's bidding and speaks famous quotes from historical figures. Guys, I know you think I'm being lazy with this but the characters in this are poorly written, so how far am I gonna go?
Okay, here's the important characters:

Jenny. What can I say about Jenny? She's a typical final girl. There could've been times where she would be a badass but the movie refuses to do that. There also could've been times where she could easily escape or get help but is unable to do so because of her idiotic choices. She gets caught so many times I just didn't care anymore. That's how lousy the suspense is. Though in the scene where she finally stands up to Vilmer, tells him off and demands to leave, everybody else is like, just by the look on their faces, "Okay....you can go if you want to, we won't stop you." It's just too freaking hilarious to be seen. It's like the writers didn't know what to do at that point. You see where this movie is going, people?

Jenny could've been a strong character, however....she's just isn't. Renee Zelweger  did an ALRIGHT job, you certainly can't believe this woman would be nominated or win an Oscar one day. She starts off weak but gets better by the end. I really don't see Renee Zelweger as a scream queen but at least her acting is a bit better than everybody else's.

Matthew McConaughey as Vilmer is outrageously over-the-top to the point of being a cartoon character. In his more quiet moments, there are times where he is really chilling though most of his acting is straight out outlandish that it overshadows the fact that he's a really good actor. But it's just bad direction in my opinion.

I would like to note that there is a strange sort of violent/sexual nature between him and Jenny. He's kind of stuck between whether he wants to kill her or make out with her. It's strange, creepy, and unsettling if you ask me.

What most fans complain about is that Vilmer does most of the killing. So yeah, the character is pretty much the scene stealer of the movie, chewing up every scenery that he can and taking everyone else's spotlight.

Darla was probably the funniest character in the movie. She kind of reminds me of Jennifer Aniston. if she was in family full of cannibal maniacs that is. I like the fact that the actress knew what kind of movie she was in and roll with it.

What's strange is Darla is actually likeable and has a lot more personality than the teen protagonists. That's really saying something. Overall, Toni Peresky was really entertaining and the made the experience of watching this a little more enjoyable.

Ugh, here is Leatherface. I really don't need to give a grand introduction about him because it comes to show that in the 90's, our modern day famous horror icons begin to derail. Throughout the movie, all Leatherface does is whine and scream. WHINE and SCREAM. I can't believe this is the same guy that gave me nightmares as kid. He is such a wimp in this version. And what's even worse, he kills one person, however, it's not out of brutality, it's more out of panic. How lame is that.

Most of the complaints, and there a lot of complaints, is that Leatherface is mostly drag as evident in the poster. That's pretty much the basis of his character is that he's a transvestite. Doesn't really bother me, well only a little, but what most people don't know is that in a deleted scene of the original, he wears a "pretty woman" mask and is seen priming up make up. So yeah, that's all I got to say really. I feel there is no importance to his character anymore. All he does is whine, scream, waves his chainsaw around, and stay in the background most of the time. What more can I say?
Can I add this for a minute? I kept wondering who the hell wrote and directed this movie? I mean the way it shot, the writing, the dialogue, it's all terrible! then to my surprise, it's the same person wrote the 1974 original. Kim Henkel did a good job at conveying a simple plot and turning it into a creepy and effective story. But as the result of this, it's just hard to explain. Okay, there is, you guess it, a twist.

So it turns out the family works for the illuminati because once the film leans towards it's climax, all of sudden, a French guy in a suit arrives at the door and would definitely guess he's part of secret government agency. So apparently they're murdering and eating people for money. Oh, let me scratch that, they don't eat people since Darla is shown ordering food at a pizza place. You see how dumb this all is?
But oh no, I haven't even reached the tip of the iceberg. Here I present to you one of the strangest endings in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre film:

I seriously don't know what Kim Henkel or the other creators of this movie was smoking that day but that was one of the funniest out of the blue moments I've seen in a horror film. Hands down.
Now for some trivia.

*The film first screened at the South By Southwest Film And Media Conference in 1995, but only briefly. Columbia Pictures at least tried to distribute the film but it also got released on video a the same time in October. THEN two years later in 1997, the studio did a failed attempt to release the film at limited  time to cash in on the success of Renee Zelweger and Matthew McConaughey. THEN it was released on VHS in September 1998 and only for the DVD to be released in July of 1999. Whew! Can I be honest here? This film had no reason to be released in theaters at all. It just has a cheap direct-to-video feel, why would they even bother giving a crap about this movie?
* There is an extended cut of the film which features Jenny's abusive stepfather in the opening scene, more dialogue between Heather and Barry (ugh!), and a longer conversation between Darla and Jenny. The only known release of the extended cut is the 2009 lionsgate Canadian DVD version.
*Marilyn Burns, John Dugan, and Paul A. Partan all make cameo appearances at the end of the film.
So there's Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. Boy, what a piece of shit. If you read my last review of this, I obviously enjoyed this movie for all the wrong reasons. But what can I say? It's a love it or hate it film. It's really just a time waster, a background movie. And trust me, I've seen even worse crap with even worse writing. So prepare yourself for the next so-called "sequel."
All in all, it's nothing to look back to.
My last word: it's your choice. This IS a bad movie but if you like bad movies, this could definitely fit in with your collection.

 

Movie Review: Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers

After the poor reception of Halloween 5, it took 6 years for Moustapha Akkad to come up with a new concept and since part 5 left with a cliffhanger, there had to be some resolution no matter how dumb it may be.
Boy, this movie was a mess from start to finish. Rewrites, Reshoots, Script changes, recasting, renewal, etc. I mean the list goes on. I can't even fathom on how this movie got made at all. But if it wasn't for that fucking ending from Halloween 5, we would have the contrived piece of crap that is The Curse Of Michael Myers. The curse? really?
I'm sorry but there is no reason I'm suppose to explain the story because of just how confusing and mundane it is. So I'm gonna rant the hell out of this, prepare yourself guys.

Let's see what do I think about the cast? I'll just put it simply.....the acting sucks, that's all I got to say. Probably the only decent performers is Donald Pleasance, even though his presence  is completely wasted, and Marianne Hagan, I guess, she's not the best actress in the world but at least she has some passion into her performance I give her that.

Which leads to Kara Strode. I'm sorry, there is just no purpose to her character and the family for that matter. So they live in the Myers house, so what? But apparently that's a big plot point since it triggers Michael telepathically to know someone is living under his former residence. It's just my theory.

So all I know about Kara is she's an unwed mother going through college, trying to deal with her asshole father, and the fact their family is living under a serial killer's house. That's it. That's all I got. You see how wasted these characters are?
But I'm not done yet, let's focus on her stupid family. I don't know where the start, really but let's get this asshole out of the way:



John Strode. Ugh. By far the worst character in the movie.

 

First, he moves his family in the Myers house without them knowing it. And second, he's just an all around absolute son of a bitch, pretty much  treating his family like crap. This also applies to how he's written. He's just a cold, heartless bastard to almost cartoonish levels. And it's only the result of one of the most over-the-top(yet satisfying) death scene:

 

 

It's not subtle but it's pretty damn worth it.

 

 

Debra Strode can come off as an complete idiot. She's supposed to be this doe-eyed put upon housewife but there is just no sympathy for her. And I would LOVE to know what she ever saw in John but who knows? I don't think she knows either to be honest. It doesn't help matters that she's played by Kim Darby, a once promising actress who's now derailed into playing low-rent roles and now cast in a really shitty slasher film. And the acting? Terrible! A deer caught in a freakin' headlights. Such a shame.

Oh god, I seriously do not want to talk about Kara's annoying younger brother and his even more annoying girlfriend, who is a totally bad actress by the way. Oh yeah, I did mention the acting in this movie is bad about three times already but you see where I'm going with this, right? that's all I got to say about them. Just an annoying pair to have sex and be killed.

Okay, it's time to talk about Jamie, who is now played by J.C. Brandy, a completely new actress. Do I like this change? hell no! And not only is the character wasted but she is unceremoniously killed off. Danielle Harris was pretty psyched to play the Jamie character again but once she read the script, she's like "what the hell is this?" and backed out of the project because of how Jamie was treated, not so much a money issue as some rumors claimed to be. What they should've done was made Jamie an important main character again, drop the whole thorn cult bullshit (I'll still get to that) and just focus on Jamie struggling with her demons and facing Michael again, which they would eventually do with Laurie Strode in the next film but it had more potential in this movie which all went downhill sadly. If that would've come into play, Danielle Harris could've went on board with it.

Oh god, Tommy Doyle.....Do I? Do I really have to say anything about this character and why the hell he has any relevance to the story at all? Sure it's cool to bring back characters from the first movie but now he has grown to be a creepy weirdo. It just the things he does like peeping in on Kara while she's getting undressed, breaking into her house, they way he stares into space like he's on drugs, etc. I question why is this guy the hero of the movie. Not only the writing of the character bad but Paul Rudd's acting is just terrible. This was back in his Clueless heyday and he's usually a good actor but oh my god, was he trying to go shakesphere on us? you just got to see it to believe it. It's a truly laughably bad performance. But it only stem from the fact that Paul Rudd didn't give a shit and rightfully so. When you read a script as awful as this, you can't help but bring in a bad performance.

Poor, Poor, Poor Donald Pleasance. A truly great actor that was the heart and soul of the franchise is sidelined to what seems to be a glorified cameo at this point. To make matters worse, this was his last film before his death. I hate to even think he died with this film in his name. Ugh, there is just no point.

What's even more frustrating with tis is that you  have interesting characters like Jamie and Dr. Loomis, only to  have them sidelined to focus on minor characters we don't even know at all. Like Dr. Wynn. So what? Is he like the new villain of the movie? I don't get it. But apparently, he is revealed to be the Man In Black from Part 5. Wow, what a stupid twist. You see where the writing is going right now? seriously? But it gets even stupider. It turns out that he is the leader of organization called The Thorn Cult who would recruit a chosen one to sacrifice their siblings for....whatever. So that makes Michael the chosen one.

Which leads us to Michael. Okay, here is the biggest main problem I have with this movie, there shouldn't be some mystical exposition  of his murderous rampage. What made the first film so great was that there was no rhyme or reason for the things he does. It wasn't magical or supernatural, it was psychological. This is how this sequel misses the point. I understand writer Daniel Farrands was passionate about this but the whole thorn revelation doesn't make any sense but how the director approaches this terrible concept makes it even worse by the climax. The whole thorn subplot is completely dropped, each member is killed, including Dr. Wynn, and Michael trollies along trying to hack at his last victims. And by the way, that's all Michael does really. He is a generic slasher villain. through the course of part 4, part 5, and this movie, I can't help but compare him to Jason Voorhees. The way he murders people are over-the-top and extremely brutal. There is just no suspense at all. And the way he's used as a tool for this stupid thorn organization is also a downer. Lastly, the mask is....alright I guess. It's nothing special but it's at least better than the masks used for Part 4 and 5.
Let me just crack this all down, the director didn't give a crap. nobody did actually. Which is why this movie fell apart. But the juiciest part of the behind the scenes mishaps is the notorious Producer's Cut. Some fans praised it but maybe because of the filled-in plot holes, however, it still doesn't make the movie any better. If you ever get a chance to see this version of the film, look out for the ridiculous climax and a plot twist  where it turns out that MICHAEL was the one who impregnated his teenage niece! how fucking disgusting. Whoever wrote that should be slapped. It baffles me that this version should get this much praise when it should've much of the backlash as the final cut of the film.
What else can I say? it's a mess of a film. There was no reason for that  shitty ending in Part 5, nor the Man In Black, or The Thorn Cult concept. It all adds up into a pile of shit. with shitty acting, shitty directing, and shitty writing.
Just a waste of time.
My Last Word: All I can say is.....Garbage.