Awesome movie quotes: The Breakfast Club (1985)

"Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place."

Tell us about your favorite horror movie ...

October, the month of Halloween, and the unofficial "Month of Horror Films" is right around the corner.

Leave us a comment or send an email about your favorite horror film(s).

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Review: The Pledge (2001)

People in the Movie:  Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright, Aaron Eckhart

Director:  Sean Penn

Pigeonhole:  Drama / Mystery

The Basics: On the night of his retirement, police detective Jerry Black (Nicholson) travels to a crime scene in an adjacent community with a fellow detective, Stan Krolak (Eckhart).  A young girl was murdered and the local police seem helpless.  Notifying the family falls into Jerry’s lap, and he makes a solemn promise the victim’s mother to find the murderer.  Krolak quickly closes the case pinning the murder on a mentally challenged man named Toby Jay Wadenah (Benicio Del Toro) who was seen in the area at the time.  Jerry does not agree Wadenah was the murderer and proceeds to investigate the case on his own, with very costly results.

Recommendation:   I highly recommend this film; it is a great story, it’s well directed, well acted, and is somewhat of a “hidden gem” considering it did not receive a lot of fanfare for a typical Nicholson film.  ‘R’ rating is for language and violence.

 

My Take:  While this film initially has the feel of a typical serial killer/ police procedural, it moves beyond that into something much more, and Penn does an excellent job of not allowing the closure one might normally expect from a movie in this genre.

**spoiler alert** Jerry gathers more information about the murder victim finding that the child supposedly had a friend she called the “Giant”, although no else one seemed to know who this was or had seen him, so it was treated as if the Giant was imaginary.  Jerry then learns that there was another similar murder of a young girl in a nearby community, and comes across information regarding the Giant, and that the Giant drives a dark colored wagon.  Jerry also realizes that Wadenah could not have killed this other girl.  Now convinced a serial killer is still at large, Jerry asks Krolak to re-open the case (since Jerry is now retired), which Krolak refuses to do.

Jerry does a search on the map and decides to move into the vicinity, a semi-rural area, and buys a roadside gas station with a house attached to it.  While it is not explicitly stated, it appears he has done this so he can stakeout dark colored vehicles and possible suspects for these murder cases.  He befriends a woman named Lori (Penn) who is a bartender in an establishment near his gas station.  Lori has a daughter named Chrissy who is the approximate age of the other murder victims.  Lori soon moves in with Jerry because her husband was continually beating her, and Jerry over a short time becomes a father-figure to Chrissy.  Months pass and all seems well, then Jerry meets a local reverend named Gary Jackson (Tom Noonan) who is very tall, and drives a dark colored station wagon – both of these facts, of course, pique Jerry’s interest in him as a possible suspect. 

Chrissy reveals in confidence to Jerry one night that a man gave her candy and wants to meet with her in secret.  Jerry, convinced this person is the murderer, wants to use the “meeting” to finally apprehend the killer.  Jerry pleads with Krolak to set up a SWAT team operation to catch the suspect, to which he reluctantly agrees.  Chrissy heads off to an isolated picnic spot and everyone sits in wait.  The killer never arrives.  Krolak leaves and informs Lori about this police operation which causes her to explode in anger at Jerry for putting Chrissy in possible danger.  Lori speeds off with Chrissy, not to be seen again.  As Krolak and the team are driving back to their station from the picnic stakeout, they pass a fiery car crash, which we see the tall male driver’s body burning.  It is implied, but not stated, this was the killer on his way to the picnic spot.

The last shot of the movie is Jerry standing in front of the gas station, now defunct.  Jerry is disheveled and drunk and talking out loud to himself.    

Penn did an outstanding job, start to finish, of giving the audience a flawed detective character in Nicholson, while taking a basic murder mystery story and keeping it tense at the right moments mixed in with a realistic feel.  We are given hints that Jerry was already engaging in borderline obsessive behaviors and that either his job or his personality lead him to be divorced twice, in the past.  The cherry on top for me was that even though Jerry was “right” throughout the story, that there was a serial killer out there who was on his way to probably murder Chrissy the day of the failed SWAT stakeout, he is seemingly left standing in a purgatory he created, forever questioning himself and his true motives.  And that is a question that Penn left open to interpretation – did Jerry ever really care about Lori and Chrissy, or was he more concerned about stopping a killer that he had made a promise to catch?

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  While I would not call this film an ensemble cast, there were multiple well-established actors with small parts in The Pledge including: Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Clarkson, Tom Noonan, Helen Mirren, Sam Shepherd, Vanessa Redgrave, Harry Dean Stanton, Mickey Rourke, and Michael O’Keefe.

Quick Look: Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)

This is the ninth film using the Hellraiser name (Hellraiser is not a series, hence why I did note it as such).  I suppose I would call it a "re-imagining" of the original theme, and use of some of the original Hellraiser elements, but I would not call it a 'reboot', and definitely not a remake.  The film was allegedly thrown together in a matter of weeks, so Dimension would not lose the Hellraiser rights.  The film's budget was meager and there are no stars of note, although Steven Brand may be recognizable from some TV roles, and The Scorpion King.  'R' rating is for violence, language, nudity and sexual situations.  This movie would probably be best seen and thought of as a stand-alone.
I had no real expectations about this movie, and I did not even watch a trailer for it prior to viewing.  Hellraiser: Revelations had some entertaining moments, and some low-budget horror moments, but overall I would have to say I was pleasantly surprised, which I will now explain.
**spoiler alert**
The Plot: The film is presented as a some flashbacks and point of view video involving two friends named Nico Bradley and Steven Craven, interlaced within a "present" timeline that has Steven and Nico's parents having a dinner party.  Steven's sister Emma is also in the house with the parents.
Nico and Steven head to Mexico from southern California on a hedonistic binge of booze and having sex with prostitutes.  Nico ends up killing a girl and blackmails Steven into keeping it a secret.  A homeless looking man soons shows up in a bar and gives Nico a gold and black puzzle box about the size of a Rubik's cube.  Nico solves the puzzle and opens a gate into a dimension where cenobites, lead by Pinhead, torture pleasure seeking masochists to death.
Flash forward one year.  Steven and Nico are still missing, but the authorities returned a bag with Steven's belongings including the puzzle box and a video camera.  Steven's mom seems to suffering from PTSD, while Emma wants both of the families to talk about the missing boys.  Steven seems to "appear" out of nowhere, and the rest of the movie is spent detailing the horrors in Mexico and witnessing the new horrors Steven has brought to his parents house.  Emma is only one alive by the time the credits roll.

The Bad: Doug Bradley turned down the role of Pinhead.  This would be the first time a new person would assume the iconic horror figure's mantle after the eight prior films.  This fact, in and of itself, was enough to turn many fans against the film.  Clive Barker, after receiving creative credit, denounced it stating Hellraiser: Revelations "..is NO FUCKING CHILD OF MINE!.."; again likely further inflaming long-time Hellraiser fans against this movie.
The acting (and possibly the direction), especially from the actors playing the 4 parents, was very shaky.  Their emotions and fear did not seem to come out at the right moments and came off very much like a low budget horror film. 

The Good: The film is only 75 minutes long, so there is truly no fluff.  (Is it sad that I noted the length of the film being the first positive?)  Despite a small budget, I think that movie did a pretty good job of capturing some good gore/splatter moments, both in number/body count and realistic visuals.  The original Hellraiser mythology was not copied, nor was it bastardized - there was a nice balance of homage to the original Pinhead, but still still clearly different.
The character of Emma, Steven's sister, was the most interesting in the movie.  She touched the puzzle box several times, and we are lead to believe it either transmitted or awakened some "darkness" within her.  I do not find it coincidental that she was dressed to almost look like a cenobite.

Final Thought: I think Barker's condemnation of the film, as well as the lack of Doug Bradley automatically soured many Hellraiser (and horror) fans, who never gave it a chance.  But I could respectfully argue that this film, as far as story and visuals, might be better than many of the prior Hellraiser installments.  I enjoyed it.  It is not my favorite Hellraiser, but it is certainly not the worst of the nine.  And let's be honest, this is not James Bond; when you are at the ninth film of a horror franchise you are usually not talking about award winning blockbusters.  
  

4 Little Known Facts: The Breakfast Club (1985)

- Ally Sheedy does not speak for the first 33 minutes of the film

- Emilio Estevez was originally cast as Bender, but John Hughes couldn't find anyone to play Andrew

- Brian's mother license plate is EMC 2 ... Andrew's dad's license plate is OHIOST

- Other suggested titles of the film were "The Lunch Bunch" and "Library Revolution"

Awesome movie quotes: Ferris Buellers Day Off (1986)

"..if I was bleeding my eyes out, you guys would make me go to school..."

Another Mummy reboot?

I like Len Wiseman, he has directed some great films... but maybe this one should be left alone?

If someone can pull it off, I will have faith in Len.


http://www.deadline.com/2012/09/len-wiseman-wrapping-up-deal-to-helm-universal-reboot-of-the-mummy/

Awesome movie quotes: Groundhog Day (1993)

"Morons, your bus is leaving... "

Happy Birthday: Joan Jett

Rock n' roll star... her rise to fame with the band The Runaways is portrayed in a movie, of the same name

Movie Trivia: Poltergeist (1982)

- The skeletons in the pool near the end of the film were real human skeletons.  JoBeth Williams was not told about this until after the scene was shot.

- Despite being a horror film, no people die (a true rarity)

- Dominique Dunne who played the teenage daughter was strangled and killed by her boyfriend just months after the films release in 1982.

- Steven Spielberg filmed E.T. literally weeks after Poltergeist was done, and edited them simultaneously.  The films were released one week apart.  June 4th, 1982 for Poltergeist, and June 11th for E.T.

Happy Birthday: George R.R. Martin

author of the book series A Song of Fire and Ice - the basis for the HBO TV series Game of Thrones

Review: Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995)

People in the Movie: Tony Todd, Kelly Rowan

Director: Bill Condon

Pigeonhole: Horror / Slasher

The Basics: The Candyman (Todd) has been summoned in New Orleans and a murderous spree ensues.  We learn that Candyman is more than an urban legend; he was a real person who lived in the area and that his demise is related to why he has returned.  Annie Tarrant (Rowan) is the main protagonist and learns that her family is tied very closely to Candyman’s prior life, more than anyone could know.  Annie also learns what she may be able to do to stop Candyman’s reign of terror forever. 

Recommendation: Fans of the original should enjoy this, and fans of Tony Todd should definitely check it out.  The movie can stand alone, as story elements from the prior movie are clearly explained right at the beginning of this one.  ‘R’ rating is for violence, gore, and language. 

My Take: With the story and setting, this movie could have actually matched the original for entertainment, unfortunately it got sidetracked at moments and for a 93 minute horror film that usually means it’s brought down a few notches.  Todd shines in his time on screen, but there are no new scares of note.  It is difficult for me reconcile the potential of the plot versus what showed up on screen.    

**spoiler alert**

The Good: New Orleans is a great setting for movies; it is a historic haunted city and the French Quarter lends itself easily to a horror film’s backdrop.  It takes place during Mardi Gras, so the festivities provide a fun, colorful contrast to the horror which is unfolding.  Candyman’s mythology is built on and expanded from the original story which the audience is shown through the movie in different flashbacks.  His name was Daniel Robitaille and was he raised in the area of New Orleans.  Daniel was a talented painter, and his last job was creating a portrait of a wealthy plantation owner’s daughter named Caroline.  The two, of course, had an affair and she became pregnant.  Caroline’s father, as a result of this, hired men to attack and kill Daniel, and we learn that the pain and torment he felt at the hands of his attackers, as well as taunts from the townsfolk who were witnessing it, is what helped to create the “monster”.  Candyman’s bloodline survived and Annie is Daniel’s great-great granddaughter, which I thought was fun element to use, and lended itself well to the story.   

The Bad: Annie is teacher in an elementary school, and one of her students is dreaming of Candyman.  (There is another horror character who already “owns” the bad dreams genre.)  To prove a point, Annie calls Candyman in the mirror, saying his name five times, to pacify her student – not because of her father learning of the family ties to Daniel Robitaille, and subsequently dying as a result, or her brother being implicated in a Candyman murder.  Her character being a teacher was not a bad thing, it is a nice innocent contrast to the family legacy, however, the kid dreaming of Candyman was a complete waste of time.

The writer and director also could not seem to resolve whether we see Daniel as a sympathetic character, a man who was tortured and murdered for the color of his skin, or a murderous supernatural being.  The direction also moved away from Candyman’s “power” being tied to the power of rumor or urban legend, which I did not like.  Again, this is New Orleans during Mardi Gras – the power of rumor on the streets and intoxicated persons making poor decisions is a proverbial buffet for horror movie victims.  I also remain a little unclear as to why Candyman would want to harm his descendants, other than to punish their dismay of being related to him.  That did not make much sense to me. 

On the Fence: The ending was somewhat bittersweet for me; Annie finds the mirror Caroline was holding the day Daniel was killed, that supposedly has his soul trapped (hence his ability to be called while looking into mirror and saying his name), and she destroys it – we see Candyman splinter and crumble like broken glass.  Annie also gives birth to her daughter, whom she names Caroline, potentially setting up another sequel (there is a third movie with her character).  My feeling with this film is that something more ambiguous should have happened at the end, because the film spent too much time developing Candyman’s human side – almost like a character who could have been redeemed or chosen himself to stop his killings, but instead was eliminated as most horror movie monsters are.    

Final Thoughts/ Extras/ For Fun: This is the second of three Candyman films…

Awesome movie quotes: Sixteen Candles (1984)

"Don't be such a poop..."

Awesome movie quotes: Hellraiser (1987)

"Who are you?"

"Explorers in the further regions of experience. Demons to some. Angels to others."

Happy Birthday: to 3

Mickey Rourke - best roles in 9 and 1/2 Weeks, Angel Heart, and Wild Orchid

Alexis Bledel - best known for her role on TV's Gilmore Girls

Peter Falk - best know for his on TV's Columbo

(More than a) Quick Look: Winter's Bone (2010)

I watched this movie on DVD recently, and not having heard or read anything about it prior to my viewing, I was surprised what a great work of American independent film this is. It stars Jennifer Lawrence (of recent fame for The Hunger Games) and John Hawkes. Winter’s Bone is written and directed by Debra Granik, and based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell. ‘R’ rating is for language, drug use, and implied violence. It was nominated for, and won dozens of awards for acting, writing, and direction.

**spoiler alert** The movie takes place in the rural Ozarks and centers on Ree Dolly (Lawrence), a 17 year old girl who is raising her 2 younger siblings and taking care of her mentally ill mother.  They are extremely poor, and are struggling to even put food on the table.  Her father Jessup is “missing”, he is currently out on bail after being arrested for cooking methamphetamine, but he has not been seen in several weeks. The local sheriff informs Ree that her father’s court date is coming up, and if he no-shows, they will lose their house, as Jessup used it as collateral on his bail bond. Ree heads out on foot (they don't own a car) to see her uncle Teardrop (Hawkes) who tells her that he doesn’t know where Jessup is, although it seems clear he does know “something”, but she is explicitly told to "leave this alone".  Ree is handed some cash and told to leave.  Ree continues to make her way around to a few more members of her extended family, but with no luck gathering any better information to track down her father.  After questioning the wife of the local "boss" named Thump Milton, again with no results, Ree seems to be running out of options.  And through this whole trek, Ree never becomes discouraged, nor does she stop caring for her brother and sister and teaching them both how to fend for themselves.  We see her chopping wood, and showing her brother how to shoot and skin squirrels.

Her continued determination to locate Jessup does soon earn her a severe beating at the hands of Thump's wife and two other women. Even faced with own possible demise, Ree does not wither as she stares into Thump's eyes explaining her desire to find her father to insure he gets to court so they do not lose the family house, in what is truly a memorable scene.  Her uncle Teardrop steps in to save her that night, but it is Ree's resolve that earns the needed respect of the community, and with that "key" she is led to the truth of her father's whereabouts.  Jessup was killed by someone (likely on Thump's orders, although we are never told) because he was going to rat out some of the others involved in the meth business in the area.  His body was left at the bottom of a pond.  Ree is taken to his body and allowed to gather some "items" needed to prove he is, in fact, dead to the sheriff so she does not lose her family's house, in another very memorable scene.

There are cultural and social elements littered throughout Winter's Bone that are subtle, yet really give this film the depth beyond just a script and images on film.  For example, no person enters another person's home without being specifically invited to do so.  Despite being poor, none of the characters ever complain about their station or lament about being entitled to something.  The men have the final word in all situations.  Ree asking questions, or making requests of people, even her kin, is not initally taken with the same weight as a man.  Despite the obvious patriarchal slant, there is strange code of respect that dictates the men will not hit women; conversely we note that the women will brutally assault other women.  Methamphetamine is part of the culture - everyone in the community either uses it, cooks its, sells it, or is under the same roof as people in the previous three categories.  The law seems pretty powerless compared to the power the locals have over one another.  Gossip is rampant and "minding the family business" by keeping your mouth shut is a must.

The production, as far as scenery, costumes, and camera work was very minimal, yet so effective I felt absorbed into the story.  If you were not otherwise aware, you would believe some, if not most of the people in the film were actually residents in this rural area.  The scenes outside were either at night, or shown as overcast, giving it a somewhat foreboding feel throughout.  Even with all of the subject matter in mind, I would still say the ending of this story was positive, and certainly not a Hollywood ending, either.  I have not, as of this writing read the novel, which I am now certain to do in the near future.
I really cannot say enough good things about this film, other than to add it is a "must see" and one of the best films of the 2000's.

Extras:
- Jennifer Lawrence had to learn to chop wood, fight, and skin squirrels for her role
- A favorite actor of mine, Sheryl Lee from Twin Peaks fame, makes a brief appearance

Kathy Bates - wishing you well

We've recently learned that Kathy Bates has undergone a double mastectomy to combat breast cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her for a swift recovery.

Awesome movie quotes: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

"Brave Clarice... You will let me know when those lambs stop screaming, won't you?"

Happy Birthday: Ian Holm

best roles in Alien, The Fifth Element, and Lord of the Rings: FOTR

Awesome movie quotes: Better Off Dead (1985)

"Now that's a real shame when folks be throwin' away a perfectly good white boy like that."

The resemblance is uncanny: Lincoln (2012)

I do not know how much these photos were touched up or how much make up Daniel Day-Lewis is wearing, but he looks like Abraham Lincoln ... not resembles, looks like.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm316319744/tt0443272

Little Known Facts: Basic Instinct (1992)

- No body doubles were used in the sex scenes

- Michael Douglas did most of his own stunt driving (his is a former race car driver)

- Over 50 actresses were considered for the role of Catherine

Happy Birthday: Ryan Phillippe

Best roles in Cruel Intentions and I Know What You Did Last Summer

Awesome movie quotes: Falling Down (1993)

"I'm not economically viable."

Bob's Look: 1st film of the Halloween season 2012: The Possession

During the Halloween season, which for horror hounds like me starts Sept. 1st, I try to catch most, if not all, horror films in theaters before Oct. 31st. The first film of the season for me is The Possession.
A young girl dealing with the divorce of her parents buys an antique wood box at a yard sale, and after she succeeds in cracking the puzzle to open it, her behavior and demeanor begin to change in a violently malevolent way. The girl’s father seeks to answer the question “what’s wrong with my daughter?” and soon learns that the box is at the center of her transformation. He learns that what his daughter bought was called a dybbuk box and it was built to contain a demon, and opening the box released the dybbuk who now possesses the young girl. The father calls upon his ex wife and a jewish spirituallist in order to save his daughter from the evil spirit.

This is a pretty basic demon possession movie with the added twist of Jewish demon lore taking the place of the usual Catholic demon lore. The film has a decent scare factor with minimal bloodshed (it’s rated PG-13) and the characters are well developed without relying too heavily on horror movie family clichés, such as feuding siblings, one good sister and the other is a raging slut, dad’s a drunk, or mom is dead. But they did use the cliché of the broken home. Special effects are kept to a minimum relying more on ambiance and atmosphere to scare the audience, which has it’s ups and downs. Overall, this is a decent horror film for fans of the demon possession sub-genre.
There were several things that went through my head while watching this film as a horror fan. First of all, this was supposedly based upon a true story. There was a television show that documented a case involving a dybbuk box, but it had nothing to do with a family or anyone becoming possessed by the demon. That’s not to say that there wasn’t such a case, but I haven’t seen anything resembling the plot of this film. “The Amityville Horror” turned out to be based on a gigantic hoax, and “The Fourth Kind” was quickly debunked, so I tend to look at the phrase “based on a true story” with a skeptical eye. Of all the things in horror to bring up disbelief, I know.
Maybe I’m nitpicking here, but one of my problems with Hollywood horror is that they apparently do not know the difference between disturbing and annoying. For example, there are a couple of scenes in the movie involving the possessed girl eating food; one where she is eating pancakes and is stuffing them like there is no tomorrow, and another where she is in a diner eating french fries. In both scenes, the sound of her chewing the food is greatly augmented, and it the pancake scene, here open mouth is stuffed with chewed food while she stabs her father’s hand. I did not find these scenes scary or disturbing, I found them annoying. There was a similar scene in the remake of “The Omen” a few years ago where the nanny is feeding Damien strawberries (at least I think they were strawberries) and the sound of his chewing was greatly augmented in an attempt to unsettle the audience. A word to Hollywood film makers, this is not scary, disturbing, or unsettling. It is just plain irritating, and it is just plain insulting to horror hounds.
Okay, I admit, I like the horror films that are hard to find outside of online shops. So you would think that I would hate Hollywood horror films. Well, it’s true that they don’t do as much for me as more obscure titles. And I am a little sad that Columbus, Ohio doesn’t get some of the smaller run horror films. But, I’m open minded enough to give any movie a fair chance. Like I said, this film was pretty decent, and I’ll probably grab it when it comes out on disc. But horror hounds are, believe it or not, picky about our movies. We know where to suspend disbelief for our entertainment and when to say “what kind of an idiot pulls this shit?” As a horror hound, I would recommend this movie for fans of demon possession films and people who want to watch a scary movie but are easily frightened.

Awesome movie quotes: Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971)

"A Wang-Doodle would eat 10 of them for breakfast, and not think anything of it..."

Quick Look: The Secret of My Success (1987)

I caught this movie on cable recently, and realized it had been years since my last viewing.  This is a light 80's comedy starring Michael J. Fox, Helen Slater, Richard Jordan, and Margaret Whitton.  It is directed by Herbert Ross and rated 'PG-13' for language, and sexual situations.
The Secret of My Success can best be described as Alex P. Keaton (from TV's Family Ties) moves to New York and becomes a corporate executive.  While I would call it dated, specifically because of the clothing, hairstyles, and soundtrack - all of which are very "80's fabulous", it still holds up as an entertaining little romp, and a fun look back at the type of comedies that were prevalent in Hollywood at the time, as well as highlighting the Wall Street yuppie-type of lifestyle.
**spolier alert** Michael J Fox plays a recent graduate from Kansas State named Brantley Foster who moves to New York City for a job, but his new company has been recently taken over, so instead he ends up having to take a job in the mail room of another company run by his uncle Howard Prescott (Jordan).  Brantley quickly realizes his uncle and most of the other executives are mismanaging the company, so one afternoon in a vacant office, Brantley creates a fake corporate identity for himself using the pseudonym Carlton Whitfield, and begins to build a good reputation for himself.  Christy Wills (Slater) is the one seemingly competent executive who becomes the romantic interest for Brantley, but of course being an 80's comedy, she is also the object of desire for Howard.  Brantley must juggle his job in the mail room, his "pretend" executive responsibilities, all while dodging his uncle while is in his Carlton role, and still trying to win the affections of Christy.  Throw in the fact that he accidentally has sex with his aunt Vera (Whitton) who is still hot-to-trot for him even after finding out Brantley is her nephew (not blood related, I must note) and the stage is set for many comic moments.
As I noted above, this movie feels like a slightly more edgy Family Ties re-run, which is not a bad thing, more that it unfolds very predictably.  Michael J Fox does not stray from the Alex P Keaton/Marty McFly persona very much, and Helen Slater plays the attractive, non-aggressive female lead.  Probably the best scene in the movie is a room to room chase through a mansion at night; Brantley going to Christy's room, Howard going to Christy's room, Vera going to Brantley's room, and Christy going to Brantley's room all of them having to take detours as they hear other people in the hallways - with Yello's "Oh,Yeah" playing throughout hi-jinks.  It's maybe just a little long at almost 2 hours, but the 10-15 minutes of fluff are not too distracting.  It's worth a rainy afternoon viewing.        

Happy Birthday: David Arquette

best known for his role in the Scream movies ... is the youngest sibling of the Arquette family of actors (Rosanna, Patrcia, Richmond, Alexis)

Review: Candyman (1992)

People in the Movie: Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd

Director: Bernard Rose

Pigeonhole: Horror / Slasher

The Basics: Helen Lyle (Madsen) is a graduate student in Chicago writing a thesis on local urban legends.  One night while interviewing an undergrad, she learns about the tale of Candyman (Todd), a killer who can supposedly be summoned by looking into a mirror and saying his name five times.  Helen finds the story almost humorous, but soon learns that a murder occurred at the Cabrini-Green housing projects and is being blamed on Candyman by the residents there.  As Helen’s research deepens, a child is kidnapped, a murder occurs, and it seems that Candyman may not just be a myth. 

Recommendation: Horror fans should really enjoy this film.  While Candyman is not to Jason Voorhees’ or Freddy Krueger’s level in the horror genre, he is a very memorable, and a scary on-screen presence created mainly by Todd’s physical stature and voice.  ‘R’ rating is for violence, gore, language, and brief nudity.

My Take:  Candyman plays out like a typical slasher flick, but what makes it worth seeing is for Madsen’s and Todd’s performances, as well as a great score done by Phillip Glass.  The scenes were shot very effectively, felt very real, and the atmosphere was creepy throughout the film.  Like many horror films the title character does not have many minutes on screen, yet Todd completely dominates the moments he is in.  It doesn’t hurt that he is 6 feet 5 inches tall, and has a very distinguished, rich voice that is absolutely unmistakable.  Candyman is based on a short story called The Forbidden by master horror writer Clive Barker.

**spoiler alert** “Look into the mirror, say his name five times, and he’ll appear behind you breathing down your neck.”  What sounds like a typical ‘dare’ heard at a sleepover party is how a person can summon Candyman – and if he does appear, he will eviscerate you with his hook for hand.  It seems that Candyman’s power comes from spoken rumor; the strength of belief and fear from a person or community is what feeds him.  It is an entertaining concept, very much in the mold of another horror film character that terrorizes people in their dreams, but Candyman has no particular killing agenda and is not seeking revenge; his only desire is to keep the power of his rumor alive and well. 

Helen does say his name five times looking into a mirror (due mostly to her own disbelief), and the proverbial plot dominos begin to fall.  Helen is soon attacked outside of the Cabrini-Green apartments by a gang leader calling himself the Candyman, and the police quickly arrest him for the assault, so everyone seems to breathe a sigh of relief with the bad guy in custody.  But the “real” Candyman – clearly upset at his power being usurped – kidnaps a baby, and Helen is implicated as she is at the scene of the crime when the police arrive.  Helen blames Candyman, but, of course, no one believes her because there no evidence to support her claims and frankly, she doesn’t even seem to believe what is happening, either.   The one other person to lay eyes on Candyman is Helen’s friend Bernie (Kasi Lemmons), who is quickly killed moments later.  Helen is blamed for Bernie’s murder, again being the only person at the scene of the crime, and is then hauled off to the psychiatric ward.  She does manage to escape the ward, with Candyman’s intervention and more bloodshed, so with seemingly no one left to help her Helen decides to confront Candyman one last time.  Helen is able to eventually rescue the baby and etch her own name into local urban legend.     

What brings Candyman to the “next level” of horror films, is that the director attempts to leave open the possibility that Helen Lyle was a person having a mental breakdown and the crimes committed could have actually been her doing, and even though the audience knows the “truth” about who the killer is, it is like being part of a fun secret.  The ending is also absolutely brilliant, and honestly could not have been any better.

Final Thoughts/ Extras/ For Fun: The Cabrini-Green scenes were actually shot at the infamous housing projects, and the local drug dealers were bribed with money and screen time so the cast and crew would not get “hurt”… Virginia Madsen states she was hypnotized for parts of the movie… There are 2 sequels to this film… Specially bred, immature bees were used for the scenes where we see them crawling all over people, and Tony Todd had a special mouth-guard in so the bees would not crawl down his throat in the scene where his face and head are covered in the bees…  

Happy Birthday: Idris Elba

my favorite roles of his are in The Reaping and Prometheus

Little Known Facts: Candyman (1992)

- The director, while researching the film, actually discovered that there were murders committed using the architectural flaw design we see in the film where medicine cabinets were placed back to back in between two apartments

- Eddie Murphy was considered for the title role.  (Thank goodness he did not get the part.)

- "Sweets to the sweet", a message attributed to Candyman in two different locations at Cabrini Green in the film, is actually from Shakespeare's Hamlet

7 Little Known Facts: Scream (1996)

- Reese Witherspoon turned down the lead role

- The film had to be cut and resent to the MPAA 9 times so it did not receive an NC-17 rating

- There are 7 killings in the movie

- The opening sequence with Drew Barrymore is 12 minutes long

- Dewey was originally supposed to die in the movie.  In several of the shots you cannot see him breathing.  Craven left the option open to having him live, and test audiences loved his character... +

- Freddie Prinze Jr. auditioned for the role of Stu

- The killer is based on a real serial killer, the "Gainesville Ripper"

Happy Birthday: Michael & Rose

Michael Keaton - best roles in Beetlejuice, Johnny Dangerously, and Batman

Rose McGowan - best roles are in Scream, and TV's Charmed

Awesome movie quotes: The Last Boyscout (1991)

"Danger's my middle name."

"Mine's Cornelius. You tell anybody, I'll kill you."

Happy Birthday : Damon Wayans

best roles were on TV's In Living Color, and the movie The Last Boyscout

Awesome movie quotes: Candyman (1992)

"If you look in the mirror and you say his name 5 times, he'll appear behind you breathing down your neck..."

Awesome movie quotes: WarGames (1983)

"Alright, Lightman. Maybe you could tell us who first suggested the idea of reproduction without sex." 

"Umm...your wife?"

Happy Birthday: Scott Speedman

his best roles to date are in Underworld, Underworld Evolution, and The Strangers