Awesome movie quotes: A Nightmare on Elm St (1984)

"He's dead now. He's dead because Mommy killed him. I even took his knives."

Awesome movie quotes: Scary Movie (2000)

"Hey Terry, smell this."

"What is that!?"

"My ass."

Review: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

People in the Movie:  Donald Pleasence, Danielle Harris, Ellie Cornell

Director:  Dwight Little

Pigeonhole:  Horror / Slasher

The Basics: It has been 10 years since the Halloween night massacre in Haddonfield, Illinois, at the hands of Michael Myers, who has remained in a coma since being severely burned in a fiery explosion, ignited by Dr. Sam Loomis (Pleasense) which brought Michael’s bloodbath to an end.  While transferring Michael in between psychiatric facilities, 2 medics converse out loud that Michael has a living relative, a niece, and she lives in Haddonfield.  This somehow awakens Michael from his coma (if he was actually in one), and he begins a new reign of terror trying to kill Jamie Lloyd (Harris), who is revealed to be the daughter of Laurie Strode, Michael’s sister. 

Recommendation:   Fans of the Halloween movies should enjoy it.  Although formulaic and predictable, there are still some decent scares, while Harris and Elle Cornell provide very good acting.  As a standalone (meaning you had not watched the prior Halloween films) this still works reasonably well, all the prior plot elements are explained.  ‘R’ rating is for violence, language, and brief/ partial nudity.

My Take:  The purist in me says “they should have left the Michael Myers character and storyline alone”; both John Carpenter and Debra Hill, the creators of the first 2 Halloween films wanted the Michael storyline ended there.  The horror film fan in me noted “even a semi-successful horror movie (or horror movie character) will spawn multiple sequels, prequels, or reboots, no matter how horrible those films might be.”  Acknowledging this latter fact, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a decent addition to the Halloween series: it creates its own identity while still using 2 of the original characters and at 88 minutes does not get bogged down with too much fluff.

**spoiler alert**

The Bad: I didn’t feel like Dr. Loomis was developed in this installment.  Maybe that was a time constraint or editing choice not to have more about him in the movie, but he has been part of the story all along and didn’t offer as much depth as his character could/ should have.  Remember, Loomis is Michael Myer’s borderline obsessive psychiatrist who set himself and Michael on fire in order to stop Michael’s killings in 1978.  Ten years have passed, yet all Loomis seems to bring with him to this film is his old cliché’s of Michael being pure evil.  I suppose if the intent was to make him seem like a broken down, slightly crazy old man, then it worked – however, I don’t believe that was the intent, and I think it was a disservice to Pleasence, because this series was as much about his pursuit of Michael, as Michael’s murders in Haddonfield.     

The Good: Danielle Harris played her role extremely well.  For being a younger girl in a horror movie, there was not an excessive amount of whining, which can be a huge pet peeve of mine.  She seemed genuinely scared at the right moments, and her behaviors seemed age appropriate, as well.

Ellie Cornell plays Rachel Carruthers, Jamie’s adoptive sister and “protector” as the movie progresses.  She is the somewhat innocent teen; we see shades of the Laurie Strode character, but without being the lead actor, or Michael’s target.  She catches her boyfriend cheating on her Halloween night, but don’t worry – justice will served for him and the cheating girl.  Rachel’s resolve ends up saving Jamie several times, and Rachel also hits Michael with a truck near the end of the film leading up to his demise.  Outside of Harris, she probably had the best role in the film.

Start to finish: Michael awakens from his 10 year coma, proceeds on a stalking and killing spree to get to Jamie Lloyd (his neice), Loomis pursues.  He is eventually shot multiple times by a drunken angry mob and falls down a mine shaft, presumably dead.

The movie ends with Jamie stabbing her adoptive mother while wearing a costume similar to Michael’s the night of his first kill.  Loomis, at the house, see Jamie standing with the still-bloody scissors and screams “no!”, as he seems to realize that Michael’s “evil” has been passed to Jamie – subsequently setting up the next sequel.   
All in all, a nice rekindling of the Halloween franchise.

Extras/For Fun:  Harris’ character Jamie was named paying homage to Jamie Lee Curtis… Upon viewing the original edit, it was decided the film was too “soft”, so a special effects guru was brought in to bloody it up… This is the third Michael Myers film, Halloween III was not about the Michael Myers storyline…

So tell me what you meant by once and done...

So I used the phrase "once and done" to describe my viewing of The Grey.  "Once and done" is actually meant in a complimentary way, describing a film that affected me in a such way - usually being something melancholy - that I would not have much desire to watch again.  The impression was already left burned into my brain.

Here are some movies I would consider "once and done" (and I may add more titles later):

Saving Private Ryan - so powerful, yet highly depressing.

Monster - a very sympathetic and humanizing look at the serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

Night and Fog - a 1955 french film looking at the horror of the concentration camps in Poland.

Schindler's List - again dealing with WWII concentration camps...

Leaving Las Vegas - ok, so you will never want to drink or be a prostitute after seeing this one...

My brother will be writing about this topic as well.

Awesome movie quotes: RoboCop (1987)

"I'd buy that for a dollar .... haaaaaaaaaaa!"

Quick Look: The Grey (2012)

Liam Neeson is one of several actors which will draw me to watch a movie without even knowing much about the plot - and this was the case with The Grey.  It stars Neeson and Dermot Mulroney (although Dermot is hardly recognizable compared to most of his other films, in my opinion), and is directed by Joe Carnahan.  'R' rating is for language, violence (specifically animal attacks), and gore (related to said animal attacks, and a plane crash).

The Basics: Ottway (Neeson) is a "hunter"; he shoots wolves who might otherwise injure or kill the mechanics working on the Alaskan pipeline.  Ottway and a group of the workers are flying "home" from working the fields and their plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness.  The few crash survivors have to battle the harsh elements as well as a viscous pack of gray wolves who are stalking them in a seemingly futile fight to survive.
 
**spoiler alert** This is a movie that falls in a category I like to refer to "once and done".  It's a very good movie, but the journey and conclusion are so melancholy, it would be depressing to want to watch it again.
The Grey, in my opinion, is mostly about the acceptance of death.  Ottway is seen in the first few minutes ready to commit suicide, but his gun misfires.  We learn, through a series of flashbacks throughout that his wife has passed away from some illness, and that he is now ready to be dead (with her?), as well.  Interestingly, after the crash, it is Ottway who wants to lead the survivors, not resigning to this twist of fate.
Moments after the plane crash, Ottway very calmly talks a man through his dying moments, very humanely, like a grief counselor.  There was no begging or pleading, like one might expect from a disaster-type movie, and it worked very, very well.
Right after the crash, the wolves emerge from the woods begin to attack the survivors, so the decision is made to flee into the woods and attempt to hike to "somewhere" to give the few men remaining a chance to survive.  Between the weather, the wolves, and the landscape no one survives.  In several of the scenes the different men seem at peace with their passing.  While I could say there are religious overtones, again different characters accepting their deaths peacefully, as if moving onto something better, as well as Neeson's character asking God for a sign near the end of the film, I personally would not call religion a central element.  I note this because I understand where some people could make the inference.
The movie is very much worth seeing for Neeson's performance, as well as the cinematography.  It literally chilled me to watch the snow fall, and see these guys try to survive in these blizzard-like conditions, not to mention 2 of them later falling into an icy river.  The deadly weather was contrasted very well with some of the more serene visuals of landscape.  This movie wrapped up well, yet, I am not sure if we were supposed to feel at peace with the outcomes, or if we were supposed to feel sorrow that these men died in the wilderness in the manners each of them did.

Extras:
- The film was actually shot in British Columbia, not Alaska    

Awesome movie quotes: Halloween (1978)

"..I met this 6 year old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and the blackest eyes... the Devil's eyes. I spent 8 years trying to reach him and then another 8 trying to keep him locked up, because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply - evil."

(more than a) Quick Look: Wrong Turn (2003)

A group of six 20-something, good looking men and women, are stalked by three in-bred, deformed, cannibalistic hill-people in the West Virginia woods.  Wrong Turn stars Desmond Harrington and Eliza Dushku, and it's directed by Rob Schmidt.  'R' rating is for language, violence, and gore.
With several fairly intense sequences; the make-up on the 3 "bad guys" being definitely cringe-worthy; the gore and on-screen fear of the actors being almost believable, Wrong Turn is nice little 84 minute thrill fest.

The Good: Interestingly there was kind of a cool montage while the opening credits were rolling where the audience sees flashes of old newspaper clips with stories of inbred "mountain men" with deformities.  The director took great care to not let the audience see any of the three hill-folk (referred to in the credits as Three-Finger, Saw Tooth, and One-Eye) until over 30 minutes into the film.  This was a nice touch to build up the tension for the "eww's and ahh's" upon their physical disclosure.  The reveal scene was made twice as exciting because Chris (Harrington), Jessie (Dushku), Carly, and Scott (Jeremy Sisto) were investigating a cabin, looking for help; unknowingly inside the cannibals' home.  The 3 bad guys return with the body of Francine (one of the other friends), which they proceed to partially eat, while the four would-be victims, hiding (still) inside the cabin can only watch and attempt to stifle their screams at the sight of their dead friend's body being consumed.  In my opinion, it's the best scene in the movie.
The whole section of the movie focused on Chris, Jessie, Carly and Scott was intense, well shot, and pretty well acted, and really makes the movie worth seeing.

The Bad: Most of the material, story, and plot are recycled.  The "inbred deformed cannibal" theme was done in 1977's The Hills Have Eyes.  The antagonists stalking a bunch of white, middle-class, attractive 20-somethings is horror movie cliche.  Eliza Dushku was very good at points, but her emotions seemed "off" at other times.  I actually put that discontinuity on the director, not her.
After Carly is killed, the 3 bad guys capture Jessie and take her back to the cabin.  This did not hold with the whole prior movie plot - to capture instead of killing a victim.  Chris, predictably, rescues her with a "slam-bang" ending, fiery explosion included.  However, as the movie is coming to a close, we see Three-Finger emerge, almost defiantly, ready for a sequel.         

Final Thoughts: I suppose, in general, most horror films are all recycled in one form or another, so that fact is not really one of huge criticism, for me.  We are never really given any indication as to why the 3 cannibals are, in fact, cannibals - unless being inbred and deformed automatically drives a person to that lifestyle.
If these bad guys killed as many people as we are lead to think, how is it that the local and state law officials are seemingly blind to it?  As with most entertainment, sometimes it is best to just suspend your disbelief and enjoy.

Extras:
- There are 3 direct-to-video sequel and prequels to this film, with a 4th in production now
- Eliza Dushku did many of her own stunts

Review: Running Scared (1986)

People in the Movie:  Billy Crystal, Gregory Hines, Jimmy Smits

Director:  Peter Hyams

Pigeonhole:  Comedy / Buddy Cop / Action

The Basics: Two wise-cracking Chicago detectives, Danny Costanzo (Crystal) and Ray Hughes (Hines) take on local drug boss Julio Gonzales (Smits) in this mid- 80’s buddy cop film.  After almost being killed while arresting Gonzales the two head to Key West for a vacation, where they decide to retire and open a bar.  Upon their return to Chicago they find out Gonzales is out on bail, and has now made it a personal fight.    

Recommendation:  A fun, predictable ride that highlights some of Billy Crystal’s comic abilities on the big screen.  ‘R’ rating is for language, violence, and brief nudity.

My Take:  The formula is typical, and there are no big surprises waiting, but this movie works well because of Crystal and Hines’ on screen chemistry, truly embodying the phrase “buddy cop”.  Their comic dialogue throughout the film does not get tired.  The soundtrack is 80’s awesome featuring New Edition, Patti LaBelle, Michael McDonald and Kim Wilde. 

Making even more 80’s references here – it’s easy to see with the success of Beverly Hills Cop and Miami Vice, why the simple cop versus drug dealer plot was so popular.  For Running Scared, it was nice to see Chicago used as a backdrop, as opposed to New York, Los Angeles, or Miami.  It has a more urban feel to it, and is a lot less glamorous – contrasted perfectly when Danny and Ray vacation in Key West.

**spoiler alert** Ray and Danny arrest a street dealer named Snake (Joe Pantoliano) who is carrying a briefcase full of cash.  Snake reveals that is working for Gonzales, so Ray and Danny try to set up a sting to take Gonzales down.  The meeting goes wrong, and as Danny and Ray are about to be shot, two other undercover detectives “rescue” them.  Gonzales is arrested, but Danny and Ray’s captain is furious at them for being so unprofessional and almost getting killed so he insists the two take a hiatus.

Appreciating the relaxed, not-so-dangerous lifestyle of south Florida, Danny and Ray decide it is time to call it quits in Chicago.  They inform their captain of their retirement, but then learn Gonzales is no longer in custody.  To get him out of hiding, Ray and Danny seize a shipment of his cocaine, and impound his Mercedes, in two very funny scenes.  Gonzales, of course, retaliates setting up the ending.

The one plot item of Running Scared that I felt was just a little too cliché, is the final standoff.  Gonzales kidnaps Danny’s ex-wife to use her as trade bait to recover his confiscated cocaine.  I did not feel that her character was developed in such a way that lended itself for the conclusion to unfold in the manner it did.  But that point aside, the two have their shoot-out with Gonzales, Danny and Ray are the heroes, and big surprise – decide not to retire.

With some entertaining action scenes, a pretty good car chase, and numerous comedic moments this is one worth seeing.  I wonder how many people remember that Billy Crystal was one of the funniest people in Hollywood during this period.    

Final Thought/Extras/For Fun:  Several scripts were written to be sequels to this film, but Hines and Crystal didn’t think any of them were good enough and subsequently turned them all down… The leads were originally written for Gene Hackman and Paul Newman, but the decision was made to go “younger”… I was not aware how many films there were titled 'Running Scared' until I did the search to write this...

Bob's Review: Pumpkinhead (1988)

Review: Pumpkinhead (1988)
Principal Cast: Lance Henriksen, Florence Schauffler, Brian Bremer, George “Buck” Flower, Matthew Hurley
Director: Stan Winston
Genre: Horror/Demonic

The Basics 
Ed Harley, a local store keeper in rural America, suffers a tragedy when a group of young dirt bikers from the city cause the death of his young son and leave the scene of the accident. Enraged by the death of his son and the indifference of those involved, Harley seeks the help of an old backwoods witch who raises the demon of vengeance, locally known as Pumpkinhead, to make the city kids pay for their crime. 

Recommendation
Outside of fans of 80’s horror, I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Lance Henriksen. The r-rating is for violence, occult images and language (although there is little in the way of gore.)
My Take
This is one of the movies that I pull out and watch every Halloween season and it makes me miss the 80’s, where the horror movies were the brainchild of a writer with an idea rather than a producer with a desire to sell a product for the season.
 *Spoiler Alert* In this film, there are many elements of horror stories working together: Revenge horror, the scary bedtime story come to life, psychological horror, occultism/witchcraft, and the city kids who go to the country and get killed. All these elements are there and do come together very well, but to look at the story in this way is somewhat missing the point. This is a story of personal tragedy and what that madness of grief will drive a man to do, and the consequences of giving in to this personal demon. The creature effects might not have been top of the line, and this is not the goriest of horror movies even with an R rating, but for me, the story along with Henriksen’s performance are what makes this movie a horror classic.
What we have is a character driven story. It’s not a story about random people and a demon, it’s about a man and his vengeful sin, and how that sin effects the world around him. Only one of the “city folk” actually hit Billy Harley with his dirt bike, but since Ed Harley’s rage is directed at the group as a whole, Pumpkinhead seeks to kill the entire group, not just the one who killed his boy. His lust for revenge also effects the rural farmers, as they fear for their safety and the safety of their livestock, which is their livelihood. And in the end, Harley learns the hard truth of the cost of his vengeance, not only for himself, which causes him to attempt to hunt down the creature.
The connection between Harley and the demon is made clear from the first killing, but it’s nature is not fully revealed until the end, when the demon’s face becomes that of Ed Harley and he has to kill himself to end the demon’s onslaught. This is an aspect of the story that has been the subject of debate for some time since it is somewhat up to interpretation on why this is so. Here’s my take. The obvious answer is Harley had to “sell his soul” to pay for his revenge, but I think it goes a little deeper. Not only did he have to forfeit his soul, the witch gave it directly to the demon, along with his anger and his pain. And this would explain why the demon had Harley’s necklace around it’s neck as he was being buried. This could have led to some interesting story elements such as shots showing Pumpkinhead growing angry when he sees the city kids in the woods or having a story element about Harley having an aversion to the church which would have given more meaning to the scene where the demon destroys the cross in the church. That’s my opinion anyway.
One thing I would have like to have seen in this movie was a little more difference between campfire horror story the kids know of Pumpkinhead, and the true nature of the demon itself. In other words, have the story told to the kids be something a little, not much, but a little different than what we see happen in the movie. It would make sense that Bunt the farm boy would know the true story since we are led to believe his grandfather told it to him seeing as how the demon was on the killing path. But what about the story he heard before the night it became a reality? Was it the same or different? I did like how “Pumpkinhead” was a local folk name for the true beast; the demon of vengeance. The other thing I wanted to see more of was the demon’s intelligence. This is not a brainless monster. We see him take the chain off a motorbike and show it to his victim before picking up bike and rider and throwing them across the woods. I wanted to see more of that, along with more of his relationship with the old witch.
I say that the creature effects are not top of the line, but given the budget of $3.5 million, I thought Stan Winston produced a demon that was almost as nightmarishly slick as his most famous creature; the xenomorph from Alien, which is a movie that was made nearly ten years earlier on a budget of $11. So this film, for me, is another example of what can be done with a little dough and a lot of creativity.
I will admit that I do get a kick out of horror movies that use a very basic story as an excuse for 90 minutes of gore and naughtiness. But, none of these would make my list of best horror movies ever made. This one does because it tells a story, not a series of events happening to generic characters.

Statistics
Story: Excellent. Well developed character driven tragedy.

Cast Performance: Excellent. Special nods go to Lance Henriksen, Florence Schauffler, and George “Buck” Flower.

Violence/Gore: Moderate. The bloodiest scene in the film is the witch drawing blood from the hands of Harley and his son to use to wake the demon.

Nudity: None. The story did not call for any.

Ambiance/Music: Good. The music was fairly generic, but the cinematography and sound effects were done very well and provided an aptly eerie atmosphere. I like the use of the cicada sound effect when in the presence of the demon.

Overall rating: 4.2/5

Interesting stuff
-Look for a young Mayim Bialik (Blossom, The Big Bang Theory) early in the movie as one of the rural farm children.
-The story is based on a poem by Ed Justin, and it is recited by the farm kids early in the film.
-Lance Henriksen provided much for his character. This includes the clothes and cap he wears throughout the film, props such as his WWII era shotgun and the silver dollars he uses to pay the witch, and a set of dentures to make him look more rural.

Awesome movie quotes: Friday the 13th (1980)

"Did you know a young boy drowned the year before those two others were killed?  The counselors weren't paying any attention... they were making love while that young boy drowned... His name was Jason."

Response to favorite horror movie 2: Friday the 13th

My take: The teen slasher film has been around, but few have been able to capture the magic, bottle it, and turn it into the franchise that became Friday the 13th.
A simple premise, a setting which most people have some relation or attachment to (summer camp), a group of helpless teens who get eliminated one by one, and a nice twist at the end equals success.  The final body count is 10 - for anyone wondering right now.
 
Since May of 1980, Friday the 13th has embedded itself into the world horror culture, and will hold a special place in movie history.

 

Response to favorite horror movie 1: Scream

My take: Scream very much embodied the mid- 90's.  The use of cell phones was available, but still seemingly limited; no large scale use of social networks; and the characters all held a pop culture laden cynicism about them.  I think of Scream as an almost satiric ha-ha to the late 70's and 80's horror genre.
 
Some great lines, and a great hook at the end (2 killers) make Scream a horror film for the ages.

Awesome movie quotes: The Sixth Sense (1999)

"I see dead people...  All the time.  They're everywhere."

Awesome movie quotes: A Nightmare on Elm St (1984)

One, two, Freddy's coming for you.
Three, four, better lock your door.
Five, six, grab your crucifix.
Seven, eight, gonna stay up late.
Nine, ten. Never. Sleep. Again.