Category: Movie Review

Our Favorites, Day 2. The Exorcist.

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The Exorcist (movie) Here was are for day 2. This movie is a classic and has had a million and one stories around its filming. But only one holds a special memory for me. Years ago when I was a kid I wanted to watch this when it was on television  and my mom said no. My brother and I being not so good at the listening watched it anyway. By this time we had seen a ton of horror movies. See my mom as a little kid had been scared by this movie. Years later watching it wasn’t scared, changed her mind and told us to watch it. I remember because when we yelled “too late” she was a bit pissed at us.

Well for about 5 minutes. See the movie is a classic, and when it was made was terrifying for a lot of people. Now, despite being allegedly based off a true story we have seen far scarier movies. This one however, is still great. Just don’t eat pea soup while you watch. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Batman Begins

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My dream in life has been to always create a superhero story as well as good horror story. As a kid, I looked up to superheroes but none of there movies ever sparked my soul. I almost gave up on my dream, that was until Batman Begins.

Bruce Wayne, young, angry, and self destructive after watching his parents murdered in front of him as a child. Gotham City is rotting from the corruption within, the streets desperate. Caught in his own pain, he abandons his wealth and ventures to the other side of the world , trying to lose himself and learn how to stop injustice with nothing at all. In a jail cell, a man named Ducard offers him a choice- keep wasting his life or push himself farther than he ever could and become a member of the League of Shadows. He gives his all in training but something is missing. Their leader, the mysterious Ras Al Ghul, commands Wayne to take a life to prove he is ready for there movement to put an end to Gotham’s decadence as to make the world a better place. After a epic battle that seemingly destroys the League, Bruce returns home to his last remaining family, his butler Alfred and a plan to use his skills and the technology from his family’s company to become the hero Gotham needs and the symbol criminals fear. Here is how Batman Begins…

Until Batman Begins, I never felt a superhero’s story could feel like a real story. There had been greats before like X- Men and Spider- man 2 and even Tim  Burton’s Batman was classic but none of them resonated with me like Begins. Christian Bale is perfect as all 3 aspects of the character in this movie. I loved how the movie is grounded but mythic by the philosophy of Batman and the foes he faces. The supporting characters are damn great and are very well written. The movie’s writing, score and cinematography are stunning and the story and pacing flow wonderfully. I have little grips here and there like I think Scarecrow could have had more threat to him and more could have been done with the fear images. Many argue how great the movie was, many more say the sequel was far superior but it will always hold a special place in my heart. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Our Favorites Day 1, Nightmare On Elm Street.

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Nightmare on Elm Street Anyone that has followed the blog long-term knows how much I love the nightmare on else street Movies. This one is on the list because honestly not only did it start the whole thing, it is also one of my first horror movies. I don’t even remember who I saw it with. I just remember that first time seeing Fred Kruger and those claws, and the things he did in people’s dreams. Now I can’t recall if I was scared or not, but considering I laughed when Bambi’s mom got shot I doubt I was, but this movie sent me on a life long love of the genre. It isn’t the best horror movie, and it isn’t even the best movie you will see on the list this month, but it is quite possibly the reason this list even exist. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Chanel Zero Season 4 trailer

First I have to say I’m big fan of Creepypastas and I’ve heard really good things about the Chanel Zero series to date. I’m glad that there is a show that’s putting these creative ideas to use. This season, The Dream Door, looks intriguing and actually pretty creepy. If I found it streaming, I’d be glad to check it out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Hills Have Eyes

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Last House on the Left was legendary horror director Wes Craven’s first big film and the impact it had was huge, pushing boundaries and kicking ass. His second major feature to follow would only solidify his status as a renegade of horror.

The Hills Have Eyes, like Last House, is simple but full of layers. The Carter family is on vacation, driving through the desert after receiving the deed to a silver mine as a anniversary gift ( I know, WTF but let’s go with it.) They come by a grizzly old guy who runs a rundown gas station who gives them a short cut, a short cut that leads to disaster as they break down in the middle of the desert with there RV, miles from anywhere. The oldest men set out for help, leaving 2  women, 2 teenagers, and 2 dogs behind. They aren’t alone however. The hills are inhabited by a group of incestuous cannibals that are watching the Carters and when night falls, they strike on family. The father is burned alive, the mother and oldest daughter are killed and a baby stolen leaving the daughter’s husband alone with the teens and 1 dog left. the husband rushes into the desert to face the cannibals and get his daughter back while the kids are left to fend for themselves. Can they survive?

I have a massive amount for this movie and the influence it had and the boundaries it pushed but I cannot lie, it didn’t age great. Back then, Hills struggled not to have an X rating; in 2018 it could pass for  PG-13  I’d d wager if reevaluated. There is almost no bad language, not much blood and no real nudity. I have a glaring issue with the narrative itself. I feel the beginning and end are too abrupt, especially the ending; I feel there should be more to the beginning to either give the characters more time to develop or develop the situation and the end feels like a car crash, you just slam into it. The cannibals mostly feel like the family from Texas Chainsaw Massacre only with a more deformed, Mad Max twist. Michael Berryman, the iconic face of the film, is great and is a genuinely eerie presence on screen. It’s filmed alright and the score is there but nothing memorable. In the end, by today’s standards the original Hills Have Eyes is an ok horror movie that had some groundbreaking ideas for it’s time but has softened with time but worth a watch. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

X Men: Dark Phoenix trailer 1

The long awaited trailer for X Men: Dark Phoenix has come, after delay upon delay, and what do I think? One word: retread. A lot of the content seems like a rehash of X Men: The Last Stand like I feared. Granted, I think it’s the same direction just done better I hope. I like that the classic suits are back, I like that Magneto doesn’t seem to want to control the Phoenix, and I’m glad there is no Wolverine so we can see this story with Prof X and Cyclops. The effects don’t look bad either. My chief concern is Sophie Turner playing Jean Grey and Phoenix after X-Men: Apocalypse but already I see a tiny bit of improvement. I know this won’t be perfect but I pray for the X men to go out on a good swan song before the MCU. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

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Here we come to the film that made me cover the series, and damn did I have hope for the series…well, apparently we’re getting Jurassic 6 in 2020 so Yay?

So Isla Nublar, home to the ruins of the original Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, is pretty much a unstable volcano that’s going to erupt and extinct the dinosaurs again. It’s a hot topic, should we let all the dinosaurs again or try to keep them alive. Claire is adamant about keeping alive, so much so she blindly signs up for a expedition to try saving them Noah style but she needs Owen’s help with the raptors. He’s reluctant but he goes. A guy named Lockwood is sending them, a partner of Hammond from the old days ( who we’re just now hearing about 5 movies in) who is dying. A company asshole has other plans however. Instead of freeing the dinosaurs, he wants to sell them Black Market under Lockwood’s manor, while also creating a whole new super dinosaur from the tooth of the Indominous Rex- the Endo Raptor. Can Owen and Claire put a stop to them and save the dinosaurs?

Watching this started to piss me off. The movie is still meh at best, I can’t say I hated it but this is without a doubt the weakest movie in the series. First, I’m going to spoil something just because I know many went to see this because Malcolm returns…he’s in the movie for what you see in the trailers. That’s it. Roughly 5 minutes in total. Claire and Owen’s motivations this time are strange; I don’t get how Claire went from being a tight ass workaholic girly girl into a chill pro-dinosaur activist or how Owen just gave up on dinosaurs and seems kind of mopey. For the first time, the effects got me and I knew it was CGI. During the volcano scenes, I couldn’t feel much real excitement but I was sad to watch so many dinosaurs get burned to death- the Bronnchisaurus scene made me tear a bit. The second half of the movie seriously feels like something I’d see in the Resident Evil (remake) You got a freak experiment chasing people around a mansion that seriously does look like the Spencer Mansion. The subplot of Lockwood’s granddaughter and the reason why him and Hammond cut ties- I yelled bullshit at my TV. I want to spoil it but I can’t. There are some suspenseful scenes with the E Raptor but nothing astounding. The acting isn’t wonderful but not terrible. Score is meh, you don’t get the iconic stuff til the end credits. In the end, I can’t recommend this movie because most of what you probably loved about the series isn’t here or died in a fiery inferno and while the very end has interesting implications, I’m predicting we saw the death of Jurassic Park. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Jurassic World

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There was a huge gap in the Jurassic saga after Jurassic Park 3 , almost 14 years between if I’m not mistaken. I can’t really say I was thrilled when I heard we were getting a fourth movie, by then I lost much of my appeal to the series, but I went and embarked on the journey to Jurassic World…

Over two decades after John Hammond’s first attempt at  bringing dinosaurs to our world, his dream is realized at long last with Jurassic World- think Disneyland with prehistoric monsters, only the clientele are getting bored with the same old dinosaurs. So what do you do when you get bored of the same old dinosaurs? Genetically create a new one, enter the Indominus Rex. Smarter, faster, and meaner, it’s meant to be the perfect predator and that means things go to shit for a raptor trainer named Owen and a big wig at the park named Claire that’s babysitting her nephews. Welcome to Jurassic World folks…

From the synopsis you may think I’m not a fan of this movie but truth be told, this is my second favorite of the series. The premise is wacky and convoluted but it’s mostly done pretty well. Strangely, much of the story feels natural and there is a LOT of nostalgia fun for the kids who grew up with the classic Jurassic Park . Chris Pratt brings his charm to the role of Owen and is a welcome leading man; Bryce Dallas Howard isn’t bad as Claire but I will say I laughed my ass off at the scene where she runs away from a T Rex in high heels. The effects are pretty great and you got a lot of the classic score, as well as some badass fan service. The Indominous Rex is cool  but watching it fight THE T Rex from the original made my inner child jump for joy. The bad guy is flat which sucks but doesn’t hurt the movie too much. In the end, it’s a really fun movie but kind of corny at the same time but definitely worth watching. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Jurassic Park 3

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Ok, here we come to what many consider the low point of the series but I’m going to do as I have quite a few times, and take the high ground. I argue this isn’t the worst of the series, but let’s get into why…

Several years have passed since the events of Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park: The Lost World and we follow up with Dr Alan Grant, ever hounded by the fame he gained from being at the notorious park. He and Ellie have remained close friends, never getting together as the first movie made it seem would happen, and of course he’s broke. Enter the Kirbys, Paul and Amanda, who proposition Grant with a lot of money if he accompanies them on a trip to a place Grant has experience with. He gives in, accompanied by his assistant Billy venture off but the Kirbys true intentions reveal themselves when there plane crashes on Isla Sorna, the island from Lost World. The truth is the Kirby’s aren’t rich and there son got lost there after a parasailing accident and they though Grant could help him. Grant is pissed as you’d imagine, trapped on a island full of flesh eating raptors that keep on there asses- they find the boy, but can they make it out with there lives?

Again as with the previous installment, this is a mixed bag. Again the effects and score are great. I was glad to have Sam Neil return as Grant and the story I though was better, but the movie at some point drops and becomes really forgettable. This is primarily a raptor movie which is cool because we learn more about them. Other than Grant and the kid, Eric, the other characters are either annoying as hell or just fodder. The pacing is better and doesn’t feel as long and there are more action scenes so it’s more entertaining but less thought provoking.  In the end, it’s a solid movie. Not great but bad. May the gaming gods bring you glory.