Halloween (2018)

Halloween is the latest sequel to 1978's Halloween, but not a sequel to 2007's Halloween. Jamie Lee Curtis is back as Laurie Strode in a film that basically ignores every other sequel in the franchise's long history. To be honest, as far as follow-ups to the original Halloween go, this is one of the better ones.

The movie catches up with Laurie 40 years after that fateful Halloween night in the original film. That traumatic event left her as something of a paranoid recluse; she lives way out in the woods, has a strained relationship with her daughter, she converted her basement into a panic room, and she spends her free time preparing for the day when she'll get the opportunity to kill Michael Myers. As it turns out she's about to get her chance. Michael is set to be transferred from his current rehabilitation facility to a new location, but he escapes en route and just starts killing again.

Overall, I think fans of the Halloween franchise are going to enjoy this one. It's back to basics; there is no ancient Druid curse and no sign of Busta Ryhmes, just a guy in a mask killing people in a small town on October 31st. John Carpenter isn't back in the Director's chair for this film but he did return to do the musical score, and it's one of the true highlights of the film. I don't think this one is going to become one of those staple films that I pop in every October, but it's an entertaining slasher flick and I had fun with it. 
3.5 out of 5

High Anxiety

Though not as well known as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, or Spaceballs, 1977's High Anxiety is actually one of my favorite Mel Brooks films. The movie stars Brooks movie regulars Madeline Khan, Harvey Korman, and Cloris Leachman, as well as Mel Brooks himself. It is a parody of suspense films, particularly those of Alfred Hitchcock and most notably the 1958 classic Vertigo.

(watching these two back-to-back works as a solid double-feature)

In the film Mel Brooks plays Dr. Richard Thorndyke, a psychiatrist that suffers from a condition known as 'High Anxiety' and who has just accepted a job as the new Director at the 'Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous'. The previous Director, Dr. Ashley had recently died, and there are some suspicious goings on at the institute. For example; there is one patient whose family is paying $12,000 a month for his recovery, and yet his file shows that each time he shows signs of getting better he conveniently suffers another psychotic breakdown. Once Thorndyke starts to suspect that Nurse Diesel (played by Cloris Leachman) and Dr. Montague (played by Harvey Korman) are exaggerating the illnesses of wealthy patients to keep them institutionalized longer, the two hatch a scheme to frame him for murder. 

There are a ton of great gags and memorable scenes in this film. All of the actors are on top of their game and each one gets some great lines. Mel Brooks and Alfred Hitchcock are two of my all-time favorite filmmakers so this is a movie that hits the mark for me and it's one I come back to time and time again.

Overall, while I don't think anyone will consider this one Mel Brooks' best, I definitely recommend it.

5 out of 5

The Addams Family

Released in 1991, The Addams Family received mixed reviews from critics but it did very well at the box-office. The film of course is based on the 1960's TV show of the same name, which it itself was based on a cartoon in The New Yorker. The plot here is pretty thin; The Addams family has a lot of money stashed away. The family's lawyer happens to owe a bit of money to a loan-shark, and notices that her son bears a striking resemblance to Gomez Addams' long lost brother Fester. So the lawyer and the loan-shark hatch a plan to pass this man off as Fester and have him steal the money. In the end two con artist get their comeuppance when it turns out that the imposter really is Fester and he just had amnesia for the last 25 years.

Despite the less than complex plot, I think the film works because it features such a watchable cast. Raul Julia as Gomez Addams and Anjelica Huston as Morticia Addams are both terrific, and I'll watch Christopher Lloyd in just about anything. That being said, the real standout, scene-stealer in the film is Wednesday Addams played by Christina Ricci. She has some of the funniest lines and it's obvious why she was given a bigger role in the sequel (1993's Addams Family Values). 

Overall, you get what you'd expect from The Addams Family; a fun comedy about a spooky family living in an ordinary world. It's a solid movie worth going back to from time to time, particularly around Halloween.

3 out of 5

Western Wednesday: The Star Packer

The Star Packer is a 1934 John Wayne film, and was one of NINE films to star 'The Duke' that year (the others being The Lucky Texan, Blue Steel, 'Neath the Arizona Skies, The Lawless Frontier, The Trail Beyond, Randy Rides Alone, West of the Divide, and The Man From Utah). 

In the film Wayne's character, John Travers, becomes sheriff of a small town after the previous sheriff is shot and killed. This town and folks occupying the surrounding outskirts are, as usual, being hassled by some outlaws. What's interesting is that this particular group of outlaws is being given orders by a mysterious man known only as "The Shadow". So it's up to Travers, and his faithful native-american sidekick Yak, to set up a trap and capture "The Shadow" and his gang, thus saving the town.

This is a relatively short film with a runtime of only about an hour and it's pretty easy to find if you want to check it out. You'll frequently see it bundled in John Wayne DVD compilation packs and it's free on Amazon Prime Video. That being said, it definitely isn't one of Wayne's better films, and not a "must-see" unless you're a big John Wayne fan determined to go through his whole filmography.

1.5 out of 5

The Wolf Man

"Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright."

I love all the classic Universal monster movies but The Wolf Man from 1941 is probably my favorite (with 1931's Frankenstein being a close second). It's a movie I've referenced in numerous blog post, including '10 Movies to Watch in October' but interestingly enough I've never written anything in-depth about it.

 The film stars Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot, a man who returns to his family's estate after learning that his brother has passed away. While back in town Larry becomes interested in a woman named Gwen (played by Evelyn Ankers), who runs an antique shop. One afternoon while visiting her shop, he purchases a walking stick decorated with a silver wolf on the top. Later that night, Larry attempts to rescue Gwen's friend Jenny from what he believes to be an ordinary wolf. He kills the wolf with his new walking stick, but Larry was bitten during the encounter. Soon After, a gypsy tells Larry that the wolf that bit him was actually her son Bela (played by Bela Lugosi) in the form of a wolf. She also tells Larry that since he was bitten by a werewolf and lived, he will turn into one himself. From there Larry struggles to control his condition, occasionally turning into the Wolf Man and lurking in the foggy woods outside the village. In the end he's killed by his own father, with the silver-topped walking stick. 

While so many modern horror films rely on jump-scares and gore, The Wolf Man is engaging because it's a well made film with a good story, and an atmospheric score. Lon Chaney Jr. is great in the movie and every time I watch it I feel bad for Larry Talbot. He was just trying to do the right thing, he didn't ask to become a werewolf and he never turns into a stereotypical evil monster. He's just a regular guy with an unfortunate curse he can't control. 

Overall, it's a pretty short movie, with a runtime of only about an hour and ten minutes, but that doesn't make the story feel any less developed. Film critic Leonard Maltin once called it "One of the finest horror films ever made", and I couldn't agree more. I definitely recommend this film to any one interested in going back to check out some classic horror flicks, and it's a perfect film to pop in if you're looking to for a movie to get yourself into the Halloween spirit. 

5 out of 5

The Conspirator

The Conspirator is a 2010, American Civil War era, courtroom drama Directed by Robert Redford. It follows the trial of Mary Surratt, a widow who owned a boarding house and was accused of being connected to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. There's a lot to like about this movie but it isn't without some notable faults. Now, as always, I'm taking the movie at face value and ignoring any historical inaccuracies because;

 A) This is a movie review.

-and-

B) I don't like doing research.

Where it works: 

I think it's a well made,and mostly well acted film. Even though I'm not a big James McAvoy fan, I though he was solid in this film. Also, this isn't one of those historical stories that's been done a million times. Sure, the death of Lincoln has been done a lot but not so much the trials afterwards (at least not that I've seen) so I was intrigued throughout.

Where it doesn't:

Despite having a solid starring cast and Redford directing, the film did give me a bit of a TV-movie vibe. It's paced a little oddly; slow and methodical overall, but yet breezing though some of the story's more interesting details. Also, even though he's not in it much, whenever Justin Long would enter a scene it would completely take me out of the movie. I just think that was a bad casting choice.

Overall, The Conspirator isn't the best or most tense of courtroom dramas and it isn't a film that I see myself re-watching over and over again, but I still found it entertaining enough. I wouldn't recommend this movie to everyone, but it's worth a watch for any history buffs out there.

2.5 out of 5

Western Wednesday: The Magnificent Seven

"...the graveyards are full of boys who were very young and very proud." 

1960's The Magnificent Seven is one of the all-time great Westerns. In my opinion, it's up in that top-tier alongside classics like True Grit (the 1969 one), The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Once Upon a Time in the West, and The Searchers just to name a few. Yes, the movie is essentially a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film Seven Samurai, just set in the old west, but it still feels like it's own thing.

 The plot involves a small Mexican village that is occasionally raided by bandits. Since the village is primarily populated by farmers, three of the men decide to set out to purchase some guns to protect themselves against the bandits. It isn't long before they come across a gunslinger named Chris (played by Yul Brynner), who convinces them that hiring experienced gunfighters would be cheaper then buying guns. They agree, and Chris recruits five other guys; Vin (played by Steve McQueen), Bernardo (played by Charles Bronson), Harry (played by Brad Dexter), Britt (played by James Coburn), and Lee (played by Robert Vaughn). Shortly after they head off toward the Mexican village, a headstrong, young gunslinger named Chico (played by Horst Buchholz) convinces Chris to let him tag along, bringing the group to seven. All goes pretty well initially, with the group working with the farmers to build some fortifications for the village and training some of them to shoot. A few days later when the bandits return, the seven and the villagers hold their ground fairly well and the town celebrates, believing it's all over and they won. Of course it's not that easy and I won't jot down any more of the plot here in case you've never seen the film.

Overall, this is one I highly recommend. I think it's perfectly cast, incredibly entertaining and rewatchable, and it has one of the best musical scores of any Western. The themes from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and A Fistful of Dollars are probably two of the only pieces of music in a Western as iconic as the main title theme of this film.

If you've never seen it, go watch it. 

5 out of 5

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