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

"...the snozzberries taste like snozzberries."

Quick Look: Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)

People in the Movie: Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger
Director: Ronny Yu
Pigeonhole: Horror / Satire / Slasher / "Comedy"

In a Nutshell: Freddy Krueger (Englund) remains in hell since he was killed by his daughter in 'Freddy's Dead'.  He wants out so he can get back to terrorizing teenagers, however, he has no 'power' as it seems all the people in Springwood, Ohio have forgotten about him.  Freddy decides to scare the town straight by "convincing" Jason Voorhees (Kirzinger), who is also in hell, to go kill teenagers on Elm Street so the people will fear that Freddy is back (since there will be no witnesses to who is actually committing the murders) and thereby giving him back his ability to enter the dream world.  Jason begins his mass murder spree and Freddy gets his powers back - one big problem though: Jason is not going to stop his killings, which is taking away Freddy's potential victims, so inevitably, as the title suggests, the two horror movie icons fight it out.  Caught in the middle of this battle are a glut of horror movie stereotypical numb-skull teens, most of which perish, much to the audience's delight.

Recommendation: If you like or both of these series or characters, you should see this.  It is very tounge-in-cheek and I cannot even really call it scary.  'R' rating is for horror movie violence and splatter, language, sexuality, underage drinking and drug use.

Let's be honest, you do not watch a movie titled 'Freddy vs. Jason' expecting anything other than high quality humor.  Beyond figuring out a way to get these characters on screen together, I really have to compliment the job done to pay homage to many of the previous movies in both the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th series, either with similar scenes, diaglouge, or plot elements.  It is a fun challenge to watch this film and try to remember exactly where, when, and who was involved in the similar previous incident.
The movie does "seem" to focus a little more on Freddy and less on Jason.  I personally had no problem with this, considering that Jason, in general, is more of mindless killer, where Freddy did actually contribute to dialouge and offer a "little more" to the plot development of his respective movies.  But, I do feel that it is worth noting the imbalance towards Freddy, as far plot goes.  On the flip side, Jason is responsible for all but one of the killings - so I guess one could say "things even out".
Playing one of teen victims is Kelly Rowland, of Destiny's Child.  Jason Ritter, (John Ritter's son) is also one of the other characters.

Extras:
- The last film with Robert Englund portraying Freddy Krueger, as of this writing.
- There were at least 18 drafts of this film going back to 1987 before the final product came together.
- There were multiple different endings considered, my favorite of which would have been Freddy and Jason, after a prolonged fight, being snagged with chains, with Pinhead appearing to ask "Now what seems to be the problem?"

Awesome movie quotes: Jason X (2001)

"Guys, it's okay! He just wanted his machete back..."

Review: Underworld: Awakening (2012)

People in the Movie: Kate Beckinsale (Underworld, Van Helsing), Theo James, Stephen Rea (V for Vendetta, The Crying Game), India Eisley (Secret Life of an American Teenager)

Directors: Mans Marlind, Bjorn Stein

Pigeonhole: Fantasy / Action / Thriller

Basics: Shortly after the events of Underworld: Evolution, humans decide to wage war on the vampires and lycans (werewolves) in a move that was called the "Purge".  Selene (Beckinsale), the 'Death Dealer' vampire-warrior and protagonist from the past 2 installments reprises her role.  She is captured and kept in frozen stasis for 12 years at the Antigen Company (a typical "big evil company").  Selene escapes and learns that she and Michael - her half vampire/half lycan lover - had a child (Eisley), and this child is part of a nefarious plot by Antigen.

Recommendation:  Entertaining visuals and decent action sequences make this worth seeing.  As a standalone you would have a diffucult time understanding some plot elements and the history.  'R' rating is for violence, and language.    

My thoughts: Having seen and enjoyed the the three prior Underworld installments, I was finally able to catch up with this film.  When Awakening was over, I was left for wanting.  The theatrical presentation of Awakening was 3D, and I watched it in 2D, so it possible some minor entertainment value could have been added with the extra visual experience. 
The movie's look of the dark, shadowy perpetual night that we have come to enjoy from the prior Underworlds, is still here.  Selene remains sullen with the forever bitter look on her face, but she still manages to pull off the amazing combat acrobatics, and firing off the seemingly endless supply of bullets at whomever stands in her way.  The plot is seriously lacking, which is very surprising considering that Len Wiseman, the director and/or producer of the prior Underworld installments, was involved in the screenplay for Awakening.
**spoiler alert**
After Selene escapes she has visions through another person's eyes and realizes she has psychic link to "someone", that she initially believes is Michael.  Now encouraged to be reuniting with him and fleeing her pursuers - both Anitgen and the police at this point - she discovers her link is actually with a female child (she is called Eve in the credits, but I do not recall anyone ever referring to her by that name).
A vampire named David (James) comes to their aid as Selene and Eve soon become trapped by lycans and the authorities.  David takes the two to his coven, whom we see are residing in an underground gothic looking dungeon.  Selene, who apparently is now infamous among the vampires, is informed that is 12 years since her initial capture and that vampires are near extinct, while the lycans were supposed to have been eradicated as well (but clearly not being the case since their escape moments ago from lycans).  Selene is also informed that Michael was killed the night of her capture.  We also learn that Eve is a very powerful vampire/lycan hybrid, like her father.  The leader of the coven, and David's father, Thomas (Charles Dance), wants Selene and Eve gone from their crypt so that no unwanted attention is brought to them.  Too late.
A pack of lycans led by an uber-lycan - he is twice the size of his peers, immune to silver, and quickly self heals - launch an attack on the small group of vampires with the intention of capturing Eve, and succeed.  So it is up to Selene, with the assistance of a human rogue cop-who-can't-follow-the-rules, to go back to Anitgen to free her daughter. 
Anitgen is led by a man named Dr. Jacob Lane (Rea) and we soon discover that Anitgen are not militant humans bent on cleansing the world of immortals, but are, in fact, lycans, and Lane is working on a cloning process and "super-serum" that will make all lycans just like the previously mentioned uber-lycan (who also happens to be Lane's son).  The key to the cloning process involves Eve, hence Anitgen's urgent desire to have her back. 
After plenty more gunfire complimented with several explosions, Selene frees Eve, and the evil lycans are dead as the credits roll.  One more item to chew on - we learn that Michael was not dead, he was in stasis and escaped during Selene's attack on Anitgen.  I sense another sequel.

Items of Concern:
- Maybe I just missed it, but it is not explained if Eve was a lab creation of Anitgen using Selene and Michael's DNA, or if Selene actually gave birth to Eve.
- Stephen Rea and Charles Dance are both excellent established actors and it just "seems" like they were either grossly underused, or that their scenes may have hit the cutting room floor.  Especially Charles Dance.
- Building on the prior note about editing/ cuts - the movie, at 88 minutes, did not seem to develop any of the major plot items.  There was nothing done with Selene being a mother or mother figure; no establishment or development of Eve and her place in this world, other than being a test subject for Antigen; only a very minor acknowledgement of the fall from power of the vampires; and only minor interaction with the human race, who in turn seemed vampire sympathetic.
- I am not sure why the director/ producers dangled Michael for about 3 minutes early in the film, only to have him supposedly be dead, only to have him escape at the end without making contact with Selene and Eve.  That made very little sense to me, other than editing his parts out, or a sad attempt to set up a sequel.
- Hiding the reveal about the lycans rising to power through Anitgen was a good idea, but not developed whatsoever.  There was no attempt to bridge their fall starting from from Lucien's death in the original film, until their apparent rise to world power by the begining of this film.  To have these powerful lycans taken down in a matter of minutes by Selene was kind of a reach considering that this group was behind the "Purge" and had supposedly eliminated most of the vampire population already.       

In Conclusion: Seeing Beckinsale back in this action role was fun.  The stunt work and effects in the action sequences will keep you entertained.  As far as the ongoing Underworld mythology, there is no new ground really broken here and the proverbial vampire-lycan war will rage on.  This could have been a great installment if the plot holes had not been so big.


  

Some cool stuff you might (or might not) know about: Aliens (1986)

- Michael Bien replaced James Remar (The Warriors, Dexter) as Cpl. Hicks a few days into principal shooting.

-In the extended edition, Hudson brags to Ripley about the weapons they pack.  One of the weapons he mentions is a “phased plasma pulse rifle.”  This is a reference to James Camerons earlier film, “The Terminator,” where the title character asks for a “phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range.”  The pulse rifles carried by the marines in this film are ballistic, not plasma.

-James Horner was given little time to compose the score for this film, so he was forced to cannibalize several previous scores he had written (including Star Trek 2 and 3) to produce music for Aliens.  Additionally, he scrapped a short movement written for the climax of the movie, and used it later in his score for “Die Hard.”

-After filming was complete, the set for the alien nest was kept intact and used in several other movies, including “Batman” (1989.)

-A line of dialogue during the Marines’ briefing was omitted where Ripley would have described the parasite face-huggers as a “walking sex organ,” to which Hudson would have responded by saying, “sounds like you, Hicks.”  I thought that would have been funny.

-When filming the scene with Newt in the duct. Carrie Henn kept deliberately blowing her scene so she could slide down the vent, which she later called a slide three stories tall. James Cameron finally dissuaded her by saying that if she completed the shot, she could play on it as much as she wanted. She did, and he kept his promise.

-The Marine’s ship, “Sulaco,“ was named after the town in Joseph Conrad’s book, “Nostomo,” which was the name of the ship in the original “Alien.”

-Bishop states that his programming prohibits him from harming or allowing harm to come to a human.  This is a direct reference to Isaac Asimov’s first law of robotics that states "A robot may not injure a human being nor, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm."

-Sigourney Weaver told James Cameron that she wanted to do three things in this film: Not fire a gun, make love to an alien, and die.  While these three things did not happen in this film, they all happened in Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection.

Review: New Nightmare (1994)

People in the Movie: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Miko Hughes
Director: Wes Craven
Pigeonhole: Horror / Thriller

Basics: This is the 7th film of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.  I would not call it a sequel, but more of a creative twist on the whole series, focusing mainly on Heather and Freddy.  Now you may be wondering why I wrote 'Heather' the actor's name instead of 'Nancy' the character's name.  Good question.  This film takes a faux-real-world approach, but that is not to be confused with a mockumentary.  Heather, Wes Craven and Robert are portrayed as themselves, but, in turn, there are actors portraying Heather's family. 
We see on screen Wes is writing a new horror story and producing another Nightmare movie.  He wants Heather to reprise the Nancy character one more time.  Strange things start to happen (as well as some murders) and it appears Heather is also be harassed by someone "who sounds a lot like Freddy".  Wes concedes that he is dreaming parts of the script then writes them down.  He also says that Freddy Krueger is a fictional embodiment of a true evil that exists and that making the fictional Nightmare on Elm Street movies kept the evil held at bay, but now (of course) the evil wants to come into the real world.  The evil sees Nancy, the embodiment of Heather's good, powerful, character - and who defeated Freddy once - as its nemesis, so it begins to lash out Heather's weakness, her family.
Confused yet?   

Recommendation: This is one of the two best sequels/ follow-ups in the Nightmare franchise, to date, in my opinion.  As a stand-alone, you can watch this film without having seen any of the prior films and it will still be entertaining.  'R' rating is for language, violence, and gore.

My Take: Wes Craven comes back to the franchise, full circle if you will, with a great story, excellent visuals, and bringing back the best protagonist of any of the films in Heather Langenkamp.  Gone are the stupid one-liners, and sad attempts to bring humor and pop culture references to a thriller/ horror feature.  Crossing the lines of supposed reality, fiction, and the dream world seems like it would be a difficult task to put into a script, let alone onto film, but once again Wes Craven pulls it off.
**spoiler alert**
The movie opens with Heather, her husband Chase (David Newsome) and son Dylan (Hughes) wandering around the set of the new Nightmare movie.  Chase is working as a make-up artist.  We see a prop "Freddy claw" come to life and start maiming the crew, but then Heather wakes up from this nightmare to an earthquake.  After the earthquake subsides, Chase discovers his chest has been scratched, as if injured from a Freddy attack.  Heather then tells Chase she has been receiving harassing calls from a man who sounds like Freddy.  Heather soon does an interview on a morning talk show discussing the original film's 10 year anniversary, and Robert comes out dressed as Freddy.  This somewhat disturbs Heather, even though it was supposed to be a fun surprise.  Heather later goes to New Line studios where she is asked if she wants to reprise her Nancy role for newest Nightmare film that is in progress - which she refuses because of the recent suspicious incidents.
Chase is soon killed, supposedly falling asleep in the car on the way home.  Dylan begins going into a trace-like states where it seems he is being possessed or stuck in between a dream and the waking world.  Very concerned about Dylan, Heather takes him to the hospital, but that of course is a huge mistake, because the staff thinks Heather is insane.  A friend of Heather's who is watching Dylan is killed by Freddy who enters the real world, and the nurses and doctor realize that Heather was telling the truth.  Dylan has gone back home (really taken there by Freddy) for the final standoff in the dream world.  Heather and Dylan eventually destroy Freddy by casting him into a furnace.  After waking up, Heather sees that Wes has completed the "new script" which has left for her to read.

With many homages interwoven and even bringing John Saxon (Lt. Thompson) back for some screen time, the links to the original are unmistakable, yet this movie creates its own distinct identity without becoming satirical.  The film holds a creepy, foreboding feel throughout, and the visuals in the final dream sequence are some of the best of the entire Nightmare series.  The movie was tense at the right times and did not bog down with fluff or fall into the trap of using horror movie cliches.  Freddy is slightly redesigned for New Nightmare, the claws coming straight out of his burned hand, rather than it being a glove, and he wears a dark trench coat.


Extras:
- Freddy Krueger is credited as "himself"
- Wes Craven had imagined this plot years ago, pitching it to be Nightmare 3, but the studio rejected it at that time.
- This is not the last of Freddy - he comes back in Freddy Vs. Jason (2003), and the Nightmare on Elm St. reboot (2010), with more sequels for the reboot pending.

Review: Just One of the Guys (1985)

People in the Movie: Joyce Hyser, Clayton Rohner, William Zabka (The Karate Kid)
Director: Lisa Gottlieb
Pigeonhole: Comedy /  High School / Romantic Comedy

Basics: Terri Griffith (Hyser) is an attractive, intelligent high school student with a college aged boyfriend, with seemingly "everything going for her".  She fails to land a summer journalism internship she was really hoping for and is now convinced that her submission (and work in general) is not taken seriously because she is an attractive female.  Terri hatches a plan to transfer to the rival high school under the guise of being a boy to resubmit her work as a "male" to prove her point.  What ensues is series of lighthearted comical moments while Terri befriends the "nerdy" Rick (Rohner); stands up to bully Greg Tolan (Zabka); and has to dodge the unwanted affections of Sandy (Sherilyn Fenn) - all before prom night.  Terri realizes by the end of the film that her feelings for Rick are beyond friendship.

Recommendation: This is a fun 80's high school comedy and holds its own as one of the best of the decade.  Just One of the Guys also has a good message about stereotypes and sexism.  'PG-13' is for language and brief nudity.

Why I Liked It: Hyser absolutely shines as Terri.  She steps into the life of a teenage boy with some comical pointers from her brother Buddy (Billy Jayne), like when he notes that "all balls itch".  Buddy also provide his great comical moments as the horny high school teenager who cannot find love.  While some of Terri's behaviors in her male persona seemed a bit caricaturish, like her surprised reaction being in the boys bathroom (especially in light of the fact she appeared early in the film to be a sexually active female), but otherwise still very entertaining.  Some of other gender-bending antics include: going into the boys restroom; being in the boys locker-room for gym class; having to shrug off sexual advances from Sandy; and going to prom dressed as boy with friend Denise (Toni Hudson).
Rohner was an excellent choice as the friend, soon-to-be love interest, Rick.  He comes off as the quiet, almost forgettable high school kid, but after a quick make-over and ego boost from new friend Terri, Rick's stock rises.  Especially after he decides the confront Greg in the cafeteria one afternoon.
William Zabka, forever typecast after Karate Kid, plays an equally arrogant bully, Greg Tolan.  Zabka fits perfectly in this movie as the contrast to Rick's "good guy" character.

Getting back to whole reason why Terri went to the other school in drag- to get the journalism internship.  She submits her previous article as her male persona, but is informed by the new school's staff member it is not good enough to win, crushing her gender bias theory about her writing.  Terri then decides to use her current experience of being a teenage boy as her new article topic. 
While Rick initially seems to be just part of the "experiment", we see that Terri begins to have feelings for him.  Rick, on the heels of the lunchroom confrontation, finds the courage to ask out his "dream girl" Deborah - who coincidentally is Greg's now former girlfriend, which nicely sets up the final showdown on prom night.  With Greg now taking Deborah to prom, Terri must resort to taking her friend Denise.  The festivities commence, but predictably Greg and Rick get into a fight, with Rick winning.  Terri's real boyfriend shows up causing a scene, because he is still unaware that Terri has been living this double life.  Terri decides to pull Rick aside to reveal her true feelings for him, and proving she is actually female by exposing her breasts.  Rick appears to be in shock from the confession of his now-former-friend, and leaves with Deborah.  Terri is later seen tearfully completing her article 'I Was a Teenage Boy', which wins her the internship, her ultimate prize, but at the cost of her own heartbreak.
Sometime in the summer Rick shows up at Terri's workplace and they leave together, happy ending.

In Conclusion: Hyser will forever be linked to the 80's and to this movie, which could have been a plus or minus, looking back almost 30 years later.  Just One of the Guys skillfully broached the sexism topic in a safe way (using humor), while filling up the other minutes with comical high school moments.

Being an 80's movie, I must say I was disappointed with the soundtrack.

 

What if? Ferris Beuller had been played by...

The title role of the all-time great 80's flick Ferris Beuller's Day Off, about the best ever senior skip day, had several people considered.
Here's my take on the following persons considered for the role, had any been cast as Ferris instead of Matthew Broderick:

Johnny Depp - he had not yet adopted the dark/ morose Tim Burtonesque persona that seems to dominate his best roles in the proceeding years.  He is an excellent actor that could have pulled something off, but I still think the role would not have appeared as "fun".  Who knows, maybe Johnny would have become a comedic actor later in life...

Tom Cruise - even in his early 80's roles Tom's demeanor was way too uptight to have pulled off Ferris' character in a believable way.  Had he been cast the tone would have come off more like Risky Business - entertaining, yes;  "fun", no.

Rob Lowe - the 'Brat-Pack' alum might have actually been able to pull it off had he been cast.  He has proven he can handle comedy (at least in a supporting role), so who knows?  I think of this list, he would have been the best alternate, personally.

Michael J Fox - with Family Ties, Teen Wolf, and Back to the Future already under his belt, he may have been a good choice.  However, seeing Alex P Keaton or Marty McFly take a 'day off' just would not have been as fun.  Could he have really pulled off Twist and Shout after doing Johnny B Goode, and it not seem cliche at that point?  I think not.

Jim Carrey - the only noticeable role he done prior to this movie's release was Once Bitten which was hardly a crowning comedic achievement.  Who knows maybe a slapstick physical comedy style could have suited the role?  I think the movie would have flopped with Jim Carrey in the lead.

John Cusack - a John Hughes alum from Sixteen Candles and lead character in the high school comedy Better Off Dead may have lent itself to John being a decent pick for Ferris.  Maybe.  I picture can easily John pulling off some scenes - like convincing his parents he was ill and the opening 15 minutes at home, but then I cannot picture him pulling off the restaurant sequence downtown at lunch or the parade...

Robert Downey, Jr - also a John Hughes alum from Weird Science.  I just cannot see Robert being able to pull off this role.  In his best comedic roles, he has been a supporting actor, not the lead.  Just my two cents.  The movie would have likely flopped with Robert playing Ferris.  

Every one of these men has established their place in Hollywood and has multiple excellent films to their credits.  But Ferris Beuller was "meant" for just one person, and he captured a moment in time one sunny afternoon in Chicago that will live on a long, long time.

Awesome movie quote: House of 1000 Corpses (2003)

"Boy, I bet you'd stick your head in fire if I told ya you could see Hell. Meanwhile you're too stupid to realize you got a demon stickin' out of your ass singing, "Holy miss molly, got me a live one!"

Look at a Classic: Roman Holiday (1953)

I had a chance to watch this movie over the holidays, and I must say that it was very enjoyable.  The movie stars Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn and is directed by William Wyler.  It is not rated, but I would treat like a 'PG'.
Hepburn plays Ann, a princess from an unknown European country, who is currently in Rome living at her embassy.  Peck plays Joe Bradley, a down-on-his luck American reporter living in Rome covering fluff stories for the 'Daily American'.  Princess Ann has become tired of the continued tedium of her daily life putting on a show for the press but with little other substance to speak of.  Her doctor gives her a sedative to help her relax, but shortly after taking it that night she decides to sneak out of the embassy to see Rome on her own.  After walking a few blocks, she soon passes out a public bench.
Joe, walking by at this moment, but not realizing she is the Princess, attempts to assist by offering her some money so she can catch a cab home.  Still woozy from her meds Ann - identifying herself as Anya Smith to Joe - is unable to tell Joe where she is living.  Being a gentleman, Joe takes her back to his small apartment so she can rest for the night.  Joe wakes up the next morning and heads off to work, leaving 'Anya' sleeping.  While in the newspaper office, Joe sees a picture of Princess Ann and realizes who the woman in his apartment actually is.  Joe, now invigorated by this discovery, promises his boss an exclusive interview for the paper with the Princess.
Joe heads back to his apartment to wake Ann, but not letting her know that he knows that she is the Princess, still calling her Anya.  She leaves on her own with some money from Joe, but with Joe secretly following behind.  She wanders around Rome for a bit, and decides to get her hair cut short at a salon.  On her way out Joe "bumps into her" and they agree to spend the rest of the day together taking in the sites of the city.  Joe also contacts a photographer friend of his named Irving Radovich (Eddie Baker) to come with Joe and Ann to document their day "out on the town".  The three venture to different parts of Rome through the afternoon and eventually end up at a dance by the river in the evening, where hijinks ensue.  We see a crescendo that Joe and Ann are falling in love, but as the day is coming to close she realizes "this cannot happen", so they part ways with Ann headed back to the embassy. 
The next day Princess Ann is doing a press conference that Joe and Irving show up to, standing in the front row.  Now realizing that Joe is a member of the press, she becomes tense because a princess would not have been cavorting around town in the manner which she did, and being photographed to boot.  Joe, however, keeps their secret, even handing her an envelope full of the days prior photos (indicating he did not publish them or write an exploitive story because he was in love with her).

Roman Holiday represents the best of a different age of Hollywood.  Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn were both cast perfectly and filled the screen with their charm and beauty.  The plot is very light, but the physical actions and facial nuances of both actors we see on screen brings a believability to this romantic development.  Rome was an excellent backdrop and provided a perfect location for both daytime and nighttime shots.  It is cliche to write, but the fact is there 'are not movies made like this any more'.  Roman Holiday looks and feels like a fun romp, plus we can believe a genuine romantic blossoming in a 24 hour period.  With the type of sarcasm, cynicism, and sexuality that domintes today's film landscape in this genre, I do not honestly beleive Roman Holiday could be made in 2013 and be believable and entertaining.     

Recommendation: A true classic that was well directed and perfectly performed by two of the great actors of the prior generation.

More:
- It won 3 Oscars; Hepburn winning Best Actress. 
- This is the first American film to be shot entirely in Italy.
- Gregory Peck wisely told the films producers to put Audrey Hepburn's name above the title for billing - unheard of  for a non-established actor - because he (correctly) believed she would win an Oscar for her role.
   

(beyond a) Quick Look: Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)

I had a chance to see this movie in the theater Monday, and I was mildly entertained.  This horror franchise has kind of gone all over the map plot-wise and character-wise with sequels and prequels; '3D' being no exception.
The leads in this installment are Alexandra Daddario, Trey Songz, Tania Raymonde, and Dan Yeager.  It is directed by John Luessenhop; 'R' rating is for violence (involving said chainsaw), and language.

Texas Chainsaw 3D begins by showing clips from the 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and picks up right after that plot so this should be considered a direct sequel to the original.  The local sheriff named Hooper (Thom Barry) shows up at the Sawyer family farm to make an arrest after the attack on Sally, the murder of her friends and brother.  The Sawyer's kin have all shown up to provide family solidarity, but after some verbal sparring with Hooper, they reluctantly decide to allow the simple minded Jed Sawyer (aka Leatherface) to be taken into custody.  Unfortunately an angry lynch mob also arrives, led by mayor Burt Hartman (Paul Rae) and they want "justice served".  The mob opens fire on the Sawyer house killing several of them, and then the house is set ablaze to take care of the rest.  During the commotion a young Sawyer woman attempts to escape carrying a newborn baby girl, however, a member of the mob named Gavin Miller kills her and takes the baby.  This mob of thugs are subsequently celebrated as heroes of the community.

Fast forward a few decades - Heather Miller (Daddario) learns she just inherited a mansion in Newt, Texas from her grandmother Verna Carson, whom Heather was previously unaware even existed.  Heather, her boyfriend Ryan (Songz), her friend Nikki (Raymonde), and Ryan's friend Kenny hop into a van and head for Texas (does this sound familiar?).  Verna's lawyer meets Heather at the house with a set of keys, some paperwork, and a letter from Verna to Heather.  The attorney quickly leaves while the friends head inside Heather's new place, with Heather failing to read to the letter.
Locked in the basement of the mansion is Leatherface (Yeager), who is soon let out to begin a new round of killings - in 3D, no less.  Heather's friends are all dispatched following typical horror movie cliche behaviors; wandering off alone into a dark basement, doing drugs, and having sex.  Heather escapes the mansion after some tense moments and hiding, to eventually make her way to the sheriff's office where we see that Hooper is still in charge.  Heather, going through an old police file learns of her true identity - she is a Sawyer who was kidnapped by the Millers the night her kin were slaughtered by the lynch mob.  Mayor Hartman shows up to administer another round of "justice" realizing that Jed Sawyer survived the arson in 1974, and Hartman also figures out that Heather is a Sawyer, so she is marked for death and disposal at the old slaughterhouse.  Leatherface shows up at the slaughterhouse, and ultimately working together, Heather and he survive the night with Hooper turning the blind eye to Hartman's painful demise, since he believes the lynch mob has now reaped what it sowed.
Back at the house, Heather finally reads her grandmother's letter explaining that Jed lives in the basement and he will protect her because they are Sawyers and that is what families do, and it falls to Heather to take care of him, as well.  Credits roll.  There is a 20 second scene after the credits of a surprise waiting for the Millers for the kidnapping.
Highs, lows, and everything else:
- The 3D did very little to increase the experience of this movie.  I did not jump or twist in my seat at things "coming out of the screen", which is what I want when seeing a horror movie in 3D.  On a postive note the director / producer did not attempt to rely on special effects or the 3D to drive the movie.
- Heather would now be 28 years old based on the movie timeline, but she and her friends come off more like younger 20-somethings in their behaviors and dress.  A minor detail, but worth noting.
- The plot unfolds predictably but does manage to build several reasonably tense moments, mostly set up as some individual wanders the mansion basement alone, and in one case that person even knowing that a killer lies in wait.  Beyond the banality, some supporting characters also garnered no sympathy. Nikki was the scantily clad, drug-using type, who had sex with Ryan, a black male (and sure horror movie target), just prior to both of them being killed.  As far as the main character, I will state that Daddario did a serviceable job as Heather.  The director even went so far as to show the audience early in the film that deep inside she was 'different' or 'conflicted' about her current station in life, and that we could expect a possible transformation or awakening moment from her in the proceeding minutes.  No other character really shined, but Yeager as Leatherface, standing 6 foot 6 tall, dominated the screen when part of the action. 
- The ending might lead us to think we are now supposed to see Leatherface in a more sympathetic light, that somehow he could be thought of as a misunderstood child trapped in an adult body.  I understand why the plot had to go in this direction, basically to facilitate Heather's survival (another sequel, anyone?), but somehow this just did not feel right based on his actions to this point, especially considering the savagery he unleashed on Heather's friends. 
- I did not personally find this movie overly gory considering this is a "chainsaw splatter" film, however, I did read that several cuts (ha,ha) had to be made for "gore" to bring it down from an initial NC-17 rating.

Conclusion: Too many plot holes keep it from being great, but '3D' is worth seeing for some mindless horror movie fun.  As far as its place in Texas Chainsaw mythology, I do actually think this one of the best additions.    
           

Awesome movie quotes: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

"This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption. Let us give praise to our maker and glory to his bounty by learning about... beer."

Last Look: I Spit on Your Grave aka Day of the Woman (1978)

There are many adjectives that can be used to describe I Spit on Your Grave: shocking, disgusting, brutal, realistic, controversial, horrific - to name a few... The film stars Camille Keaton and is directed by Meir Zarchi.  It is rated 'R', but I would actually consider it more NC-17 or unrated due to the continual brutal violence, rape, and nudity.
Jennifer Hills (Keaton) is a writer who rents a cottage by a lake in the countryside.  She is attacked and raped by 4 men in several locations over the course of a day, for about half of the film.  She then goes to church to "pray" - more like informing the audience - of her intent to take action against these men, and her revenge sequence fills the remainder of the film.  She lures one of the men into the woods whom she hangs.  She lures another of the attackers back to the cottage and into a bath where she severs his genitals with a knife in a particularly bloody scene.  Jennifer then lures the remaining 2 out onto the lake where she kills one with an ax, and the other with an outboard motor on a boat.  Credits roll.
So what is there to say about this movie, exactly...  First, there is very little in the way of meaningful dialogue, and there is no music or sound effects in the background.  I applaud Ms. Keaton for taking on and performing a role like this one, where she spent the majority of the movie acting out scenes of some of the lowest acts of human depravity that can be committed against another.  The 4 attackers came off exactly as the appeared, low-lives who reaped what they sowed.  The setting was more or less irrelevant.
I am divided in my thoughts about the content.  I do not find the movie entertaining.  There are movies which have used sexual assault as a plot element successfully without being overly vulgar, which is where I believe this movie has gone.  Some of these "better example" films Deliverance, Irreversible, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and The Accused.  I will not say I Spit on Your Grave glorified rape in any way, shape, or form, but I personally do not understand why Zarchi chose to make Hills' attack a little over half of the film.  I would have thought that the 'revenge' factor would have driven the movie more, but it did not.  It seemed there was more focus on Jennifer being a victim than her completing her revenge.
I will say that metaphorically, if Zarchi's desire was to make the audience uncomfortable about the rape sequence and putting forth the idea of "wanting it to end" very much like a real rape, then he was successful.  While I do not condone vigilantism, I also the think the punishments fit the crime in the case of this movie.  What was lacking, however, was any "reckoning" by Jennifer at the completion of her 4 kills, and this seemed unfulfilling - on the other hand it was still probably the best way to tie off this mess.
Final Thought: I will not watch the movie again, and do not recommend it.
If you desire to see a movie that has been banned for periods of time in many countries and still remains "controversial" for its depiction/ portrayal of sexual violence (and subsequent revenge), then this movie may interest you.    
      

Awesome movie quotes: Spaceballs (1987)

"What the hell are you doing?"

"The Vulcan neck pinch?"

"No, no, no, stupid, you've got it much too high ... it's down here, where the shoulder meets the neck"