West Side Story (2021)

 

When I first heard that Steven Spielberg was going to remake West Side Story, my first instinct was, Why? But the more I thought about it, the more I thought maybe that was one that could use a fresh look. As much as the 1961 movie is a classic, some aspects to it have really not aged well. Also, I was just excited at the thought of Spielberg doing a musical. He had flirted with the genre several times throughout his films, with big musical numbers in both 1941 and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But he had yet to make a full blown musical until now. Now having seen it, I can say he absolutely crushed it. 

By now, most people probably know the plot of the film. Set in the West Side of Manhattan which is quickly being demolished to make way for the likes of Lincoln Center and newer and more expensive high-rises, two rival street gangs are fighting for the territory that remains. One gang is the Jets, led by Riff (played by Mike Faist) and the other is the Sharks, led by Bernardo (played by David Alvarez). After their latest scuffle is broken up by Officer Krupke (played by Brian d'Arcy James) and Lieutenant Schrank (played by Corey Stoll), Riff feels it's time the two gangs had a rumble and goes to recruit the newly paroled Tony (played by Ansel Elgort) to join them. Tony refuses, wishing to go straight after his recent stint in prison. Still, he shows up at the neighborhood dance where he encounters Maria (played by Rachel Zegler). Maria came to the dance with Chino (played by Jose Andres Rivera) at the insistence of her brother, Bernardo. It's love at first sight for the two, which angers Bernardo, who is less than thrilled with the match. In the heat of the moment, Bernardo agrees to Riff's call for a rumble so long as Tony attends. Maria and Tony meet again later that night on the fire escape outside her apartment and make plans to meet up for a real date the next day. Meanwhile, tensions continue to grow between the Jets and the Sharks, setting the stage for an ultimate showdown between the two gangs for control of their neighborhoods. 

The film is directed by Steven Spielberg from a script by Tony Kushner and the two throw themselves into the material with a sort of energy and fearlessness that is infectious. This new version of the classic musical has the right amount of reverence for the original stage show and movie, while also carefully fleshing out the story and characters in meaningful ways. The changes they make are small in the grand scheme, yet meaningful. In this version, Doc is replaced with his widow Valentina (played by Rita Moreno), who is a bit of a surrogate parent for Tony. I also appreciated that they made wannabe Jet member Anybodys (played by Iris Menas) canonically transgender in this film, whereas previously he was portrayed as a tomboy girl. They also move around a few of the musical numbers, with "Maria" and "Tonight" once again being back to back with "America" moved to the following morning. Still, the songs remain the same iconic songs Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim originally wrote, so much so that I found myself singing along a couple times without even entirely being aware of it. The musical numbers are wonderfully realized by Spielberg and choreographer Justin Peck, utilizing a bit of Jerome Robbins original choreography from the 1961 film in certain points, but largely breaking free and creating their own for much of the film. There is so much energy and fire behind these numbers it took my breath away to watch. The actors perform it flawlessly as Spielberg captures it all with the help of cinematographer Janusz Kaminski as the camera moves around and throughout it all. I was continuously blown away at the way Kamin shot this movie, the way he and Spielberg use light throughout the movie, with the scope frame and the lens flares. Early in the film, when Tony and Maria first meet under the bleachers at the dance, with the light pouring in between the wooden slats, adding a dream like feel to the sequence. Of course, all this changes once they're discovered and reality intrudes. Kamiński's photography in the film is lush and gorgeous in a way that had me enraptured to the screen. The film clocks in at a whopping 156 minutes, but moves with such passion and the speed of a freight train that I hardly felt it at all.  

The cast of the film is top notch. Rachel Zegler blew me away as Maria, both in her singing and acting. She really captures Maria's aching desire to find her own independence and not rely on Bernardo and Anita. Maria grows a lot over a remarkably short time period the film takes place in and Zegler captures it all perfectly. Ansel Elgort has been getting a fair amount of criticism in his performance as Tony, but I thought he did well in the roll personally. He handled the singing and dancing quite well, to my surprise, and also captured the struggle of Tony quite well, who wants to go legit and break free from the Jets, but still finds himself getting pulled back in. Mike Faist gives us a very different Riff than I was familiar with from Russ Tamblyn's iconic portrayal in the original film and this film is all the better for it. Don't get me wrong, I love Tamblyn's Riff, he was my favorite character in the original film. But Faist breaks free from that and gives us a Riff that feels a bit more on the edge and a bit more dangerous. There is a devil may care attitude and nihilism to Faist's Riff that I find very compelling. Ariana DeBose is great in the role of Anita, who is both Maria's best friend and her brother Bernardo's girlfriend. She is a fantastic singer and dancer as well as handling the more emotional aspects of the role with great care and sincerity. David Alvarez does well with the role of Bernardo, grounding it nicely and capturing that Bernardo is only doing what he thinks is best in the way he looks after Maria and pushing her to date Chino. And of course we have the amazing Rita Moreno as Valentina. It's a supporting role in the film, but a meaningful one. I loved her scenes in the film with Ansel Elgort and the way they played off one another in a surrogate parent-child relationship that worked perfectly. She also gets to perform "Somewhere" this time around, recorded live on set and absolutely crushes it. 

I had been looking forward to this film with anticipation ever since I saw the first trailer for it and I have to say it managed to exceed even my high expectations. Everyone in this film is firing on all cylinders with fire and energy to spare. There is a reverence to the original stage show and 1961 film while also breaking free from it, while also grounding the material with a bit more grittiness. It's smartly updated without removing anything we loved from before. The same themes of racism, gentrification and immigration are all here just as they were in the original. It's every bit as good as the original film if not, dare I say it, maybe even a little better. But then again, why bother remaking something if you're not going to do it as well or even better than before? Either way, Steven Spielberg and his cast and crew definitely understood the assignment. 

Single All the Way

I should preface this review by stating that I am a sucker for Romantic Comedies, especially ones set around the holidays. So naturally, I was excited for Single All the Way, which stacked it's deck in my favor in so many ways that is was practically guaranteed that I would love it and, no surprise, I did. 

Peter (played by Michael Urie) has a successful life living in Los Angeles as a photographer and shares and apartment with his best friend Nick (played by Philemon Chambers) and Nick's dog Emmett. When he breaks up with his boyfriend and finds himself faced with another Christmas home for the holidays as the single guncle, Peter suggests Nick accompany him home and pose as his boyfriend. His family already knows and loves Nick and it would help deflect all the prying from his well meaning family. Nick hesitantly agrees and they're off to Nick's family home in New Hampshire, where they are greeted by his mother, Carole (played by Kathy Najimy) and father, Harold (played by Barry Bostwick). To his surprise, he discovers his mother has set him up on a blind date for the holidays with someone she met at her gym, James (played by Luke Macfarlane). Peter begrudgingly agrees to go through with it and to his surprise, the two hit it off well enough and agree to a second date. On the other hand, Harold always felt Peter was a better match with Nick and admits as much to Nick. Likewise, seeing Peter hit it off with someone has Nick re-evaluating his feelings for Peter. Deciding to do some meddling of their own, Harold, Nick's sister Lisa (played by Jennifer Robertson) and Peter's nieces Sofia and Daniella (played by Alexandra Beaton and Madison Brydges) conspire to get Peter and Nick to spend as much time together, volunteering them both to help with the local Christmas pageant that is put on every year by their eccentric Aunt Sandy (played by Jennifer Coolidge).   

The film was directed by Michael Mayer from a script by Chad Hodge. Like most romantic comedies, the outcome is pretty much a foregone conclusion, so the thrill is in getting to that ending and in that regard, Mayer and Hodge have created a warm and delightful holiday Rom-Com that manages to feel fresh even while operating within a familiar setup. It helps that the film is refreshingly free of any sort of homophobia or angst that usually accompany gay-centric films. Instead, the film focuses on the developing love triangle between Peter, Nick and James as well as Peter finding himself with having to make a decision about his future: does he want to keep working in L.A when the warm embrace of home is suddenly feeling so enticing? And who can blame him when home is such a loving place full of delightfully colorful characters? Still, the film does have an undercurrent the subtly illustrates the complexities of gay life that adds some substance to the film beyond the frothy holiday cheer, perfectly exemplified when early in the film Peter is chewing out his latest boyfriend on the phone after discovering he's married - to a woman - and pausing to say "I won't judge whatever journey you're on, but just hope you don't do this to someone else!" acknowledging that not everyone feels they can be out of the closet. The film also touches on small town gay life versus big city as Peter and James discuss it over their first date.    

The film has an impressive cast led by Michael Urie as Peter. There is something so relatable and endearing about the way Michael Urie portrays Peter as he tries to navigate everything he's feeling and tries to decide what he wants to do. Philemon Chambers is equally charming as Nick, a children's book author who supplements his income working as a handyman. Chambers have a nice, easy-going chemistry that makes sense for two guys who have been friends for a long time. It also fits for two characters that may have deeper feelings for one another that they may not have initially realized. Luke Macfarlane strikes the right note as James. It would be so easy to fall into that common Rom-Com trap where the other potential love interest is so obviously a wrong match but in this case James is a wonderful and charming guy that under any other circumstances might be a great pairing for Peter. Of course, this plays perfectly into the plot of the rest of the movie as this new potential love for Peter finally forces Nick to realize his true feelings. Kathy Najimy is fun as Peter's well meaning mother, who can't help but meddle but always comes from a place of love and support. Likewise, Jennifer Robertson is a delight as Peter's sister Lisa, but then again I may be biased because I love her from her role as Jocelyn on Schitt's Creek. Likewise, gay fave Jennifer Coolidge manages to steal every scene she's in as Peter's crazy Aunt Sandy, who apparently has a similar gay following or so she attests. I also enjoyed Alexandra Beaton and Madison Brydges as Peter's nieces who are clearly Team Nick and actively join the shenanigans to make sure these two end up together.  

Much like last year's delightful The Christmas Setup, Single all the Way is a sweet and charming gay Holiday Rom-Com that is endearing without being cloying and while being a bit predictable finds ways to freshen things up a bit along the way. With a stacked cast of wonderful actors keeping things fun and entertaining and able direction from Michael Mayer and a script from Chad Hodge that knows how to play with genre conventions made this a fun and easy-going Holiday treat. When it comes to Christmas Rom-Coms, I couldn't ask for anything more. Movies like this are cinematic comfort food, best enjoyed cozied up with a mug of hot chocolate.   

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

 

I went into Ghostbusters: Afterlife with pretty high expectations. I had been looking forward to seeing this movie for so long only to have the release repeatedly delayed due to the pandemic. Now that is has finally arrived, I am happy to report it was definitely worth the wait as a worthy follow-up to the first two films. The question is, how does it stack up to the first two films?  

Facing eviction from their apartment, Callie (played by Carrie Coon) is forced to move with her two kids, Phoebe (played by McKenna Grace) and Trevor (played by Finn Wolfhard) are forced to move to the home her estranged and recently deceased father left her in Summerville, Oklahoma. Her father, of course, was former Ghostbuster Egon Spengler. He was a bit of a recluse and lived alone, with no one really knowing what he was up to, known around town as the Dirt Farmer due to his digging around his land, but never growing anything. Soon enough, they settle in for the Summer at least, with Trevor getting a job at the local diner and Phoebe being enrolled in a summer school science course taught by Gary Grooberson (played by Paul Rudd), who passes the time by showing the class old VHS movies. Bored with the movies, Phoebe and her new friend known as Podcast (played by Logan Kim) go to check out what Gary is doing while the class is watching movies. He explains that Summerville has been experiencing earthquakes on an almost daily basis with no earthly reason why. He is researching to try and figure out why when there are no fault lines, no fracking, not even any loud music. Meanwhile, Trevor accompanies his co-worker Lucky (played by Celeste O'Connor) and a bunch of her friends on a ride through the countryside, winding up at an abandoned mine outside of town. The quickly leave when some strange rumblings come from deep within the mine. While exploring the house, Phoebe discovers a hidden panel in the living room floor and upon opening it, discovers a Ghost Trap inside. Further exploring also reveals a PKE meter and Egon's old proton pack. Likewise, Trevor finds in the Barn the old Ecto-1 under a large tarp and begins working on getting it up and running. When Phoebe brings the trap to school to show Podcast, Gary recognizes it immediately. After school, the three power it up and try it out, opening the trap and unwittingly release a ghost trapped inside, which leaves the area immediately and flees directly to the mine. Researching the area, they discover the old Mine was owned by Ivo Shandor, who also was the architect of the building Dana Barrett (played by Sigourney Weaver) lived in and was the head of the cult of Gozer. Realizing that deep in the mine lies a temple for Gozer worship and the same thing that happened in New York in 1984 is about to happen again in Summerville and Egon was trying to stop it. With no other choice, the suit up to face down Gozer once and for all, with some well timed help from their Grandfather's old friends, Peter Venkman (played by Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (played by Dan Aykroyd) and Winston Zeddemore (played by Ernie Hudson). 

The film was directed by Jason Reitman from a script he co-wrote with Gil Kenan. For the most part, this film is a welcome breath of fresh air for the series. With the previous three Ghostbusters movies (yes, I said three!) all taking place in New York, the change of scenery to a small Midwest town makes for an interesting change of pace. There is a bit of a mystery to the film as well, as Egon's grandkids start uncovering what Egon was up to and what he was trying to do with his very unique set-up around his house that keeps the plot pushing forward as they weave in bits and pieces of the Ghostbusters mythos we know and love. There is a certain joy in watching these kids uncover their Grandfather's past that they knew nothing about, especially Phoebe who is in some ways very similar to Egon in her love for science and her intellect. It's heartwarming in the way they show her sort of posthumously bonding with her Grandfather as she uncovers her research and even manages to fix his proton pack. Jason Reitman handles these scenes perfectly and I'll admit, I even found myself getting a bit choked up. Trevor likewise has his own moments as he starts fixing up Ecto-1 and getting it running again. It's pure joy when they have their first field test as Trevor, Phoebe and Podcast find themselves chasing a unique ghost with a taste for metal through the town, and in true Ghostbusters fashion, leaving plenty of destruction in their wake. As a fan of the animated series, it was also a thrill to finally see the gunner seat and remote controlled traps incorporated into Ecto-1 as well. The only place the film begins to falter for me is at about roughly the two-thirds mark when Gozer starts to make her appearance and the plot starts to feel really familiar for anyone who has seen the first film. Still, Reitman and Kenan manage to work in enough surprises to keep things entertaining, even if I knew exactly where it was going.  

The cast for the film is phenomenal. McKenna Grace is a joy to watch as Phoebe. She brings such a unique presence to the film and makes her character so endearing. She is smart and adventurous, not unlike her Grandfather. She loves science and discovering new things. I also loved the little touch that when she gets nervous she tells "Dad Jokes" to try and break the tension, which of course pays off beautifully in the climax. Finn Wolfhard does well as Trevor too. It would have been so easy to play him as this angsty teen who's mad he has to move to the middle of nowhere, but Wolfhard downplays that aspect and while we get a sense of Trevor's displeasure at their situation, it feels genuine rather than forced and it helps that his character does try to make the best of it rather than sulk all the time. Carrie Coon has a trickier role as Callie, Egon's daughter. For much of her life, she's believed her father abandoned her and her mother and resents him for that. Made even worse, she now has to deal with his house and mountain of debt. Still, she's trying desperately to look on the bright side despite it all and Coon manages to balance those two sides of her character quite well. Paul Rudd is a delight as Gary Grooberson, who works as a science teacher at the local high school, but is using his Summer School gig to pay the bills while he does his own research. Rudd plays Gary with plenty of adorkable charm that he has down pat by this point, but I still find a joy to watch. A lot of the exposition about what is going on falls to him but he handles it quite well as he explains what happened back in 1984 New York to the kids and relates it to what is happening in Summerville now. Of course, there is a bit of a blossoming romance between Gary and Callie, which Rudd and Coon make work effortlessly. Logan Kim is a delight as Podcast and makes a great partner in crime for Phoebe as the two bond early on over their own unique interests. Celeste O'Connor gives a fun performance as Lucky, who has a bit of a flirtatious relationship with Trevor and soon gets pulled into the new generation of Ghostbuster antics as well. And last, but certainly not least, it was an a real thrill to see the remaining three Ghostbusters show up on screen again with the return of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson. Of the three, we get to spend the most time with Ray Stantz, who shares with Phoebe during a phone call what had happened to the Ghostbusters since we last saw them. I also appreciated that they finally revealed what had happened to Winston after the Ghostbusters initially disbanded in this film. But all three slip back into their iconic roles with ease. 

Overall, as a life long Ghostbusters fan, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is everything I could have wanted in a belated follow-up. It has plenty of humor, adventure and a surprising amount of heart as well. It's not only a worthy follow-up, but it's also a loving tribute to both Egon Spengler and also Harold Ramis too. They handled both aspects perfectly but I'll leave it to the viewer to discover just how. It will be very interesting to see what the future holds for the Ghostbusters, because if the post-credits scenes are any indication, we're not done yet and I for one can't wait.  

Ghostbusters II

 

It took five years for us to get a sequel to Ghostbusters and once it finally arrived, it may not have been what people expected. With some curious plot choices and a somewhat darker tone, this proved to be a far more divisive film than the original. Still, it's one that I've always enjoyed despite it's flaws. 

The film picks up five years after the events of the first film. The Ghostbusters have since disbanded and pursued other jobs. When Dana Barrett (played by Sigourney Weaver) and her newborn infant Oscar are on the way home from the store, she unwittingly rolls the stroller through some pink slime that has oozed up from below the sidewalk. To her shock, the stroller takes off on it's own racing down the sidewalk and then stopping suddenly in the middle of the street. Frightened and not knowing what else to do, she pays a visit to Egon Spengler (played by Harold Ramis), who agrees to reach out to Ray Stanz (played by Dan Aykroyd) and the two will investigate. Although she requested they not include Peter Venkman (played by Bill Murray), he gets the information out of them when he pays a visit to Ray's occult bookstore and discovers what the two of them are up to. The three of them arrive at Dana's apartment and when they discover nothing unusual about Oscar, his room and toys or the stroller itself, they investigate the street where the stroller stopped where they get PKE readings that are off the charts. Posing as utility workers, Peter, Ray and Egon start digging and discover to their shock that way below the street, in an old subway tunnel there is a huge river of psychokinetic slime running under the city. Meanwhile, Dana is working in a New York museum restoring works of art. One of the works being restored by one of her co-workers, Janosz Poha (played by Peter MacNicol) is a huge portrait of Vigo the Carpathian, who was a 16th century tyrant and magician. Turns out the painting is haunted by Vigo's ghost himself and possesses Janosz, ordering him to bring him a child to be reborn into. Because of his infatuation with Dana, Janosz chooses Oscar. When Dana and Oscar are attacked again, this time in their apartment, they flee to Peter's apartment since they didn't know where else to go. This spurns the Ghostbusters to begin investigating Vigo's portrait after Dana mentions how much it creeps her out. Upon closer examination, they discover the portrait shows the same river of slime they found running under the city. Mounting an expedition underground, they discover the river of slime leads all the way to the museum...and Vigo. 

The film was once again directed by Ivan Reitman from a script by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. This film does tap into some very interesting ideas, especially the idea that the slime running under the city is a physical manifestation of all the anger and hate that is festering in the city and is literally bubbling up to the surface at various parts of the city, as well as feeding directly to this film's big bad, the genuinely creepy Vigo the Carpathian. It is certainly something that reflects the New York City of the 80's. The idea that part of defeating the villain this time around is the Ghostbusters having to figure out a way to turn the tide of all the anger and misery of the city is a unique idea. Where the film stumbles a bit for me is in the beginning, where we discover the Ghostbusters not only are no longer in business but that they were sued for the destruction they caused during the first movie, have a court order preventing them from working as Ghostbusters and the general public seems to think they're frauds. It just doesn't seem to jive with the climax of the first movie as we see thousands of witnesses and plenty of press documenting everything. I'd especially love to know how they think the Ghostbusters faked a 100 foot tall marshmallow man rampaging down Central Park West and climbing a high rise, while on fire, like King Kong. Still, it's not long before the band is back together and on the case again to stop the end of the world...again. Once that happens, the movie picks up significantly. I did appreciate that this film is a bit darker and creepier than the original film, although a lot of that may have to do with Dana's infant son being in jeopardy several times in the movie (the ghost nanny in particular always freaked me out as a kid). Also, in-between the two films there had been the animated cartoon series, The Real Ghostbusters, so the filmmakers do their best to bridge the gap between the movies and the animated show, with an increased presence of Slimer, the little green spud shaped ghost, is notably different and more in line with his character in the show than the first film. Since the first film and animated show had become incredibly popular with kids, there is also an overall softening of some of the coarser elements we saw in the first film (no crazy sex dreams for Ray this time around, for example).  

The film reunites pretty much the entire cast from the original film. Bill Murray slips back into the role of the wise-cracking Peter Venkman with ease. As we catch up with him, he is now hosting his own paranormal talk show, but still remains friends with Egon and Ray. Ray, meanwhile, is living the quiet life and running his own occult bookstore. As always, Aykroyd perfectly captures the wonderfully pure and eccentric Ray Stantz. Likewise, Harold Ramis does great as Egon, although he gets to loosen up and have a bit of fun in this one at times, which is a refreshing change. Sigourney Weaver is given a bit more to play with this time around as Dana is now a new mother, having both been married and subsequently divorced in the five years since we last saw her. Clearly things hadn't worked out with Venkman, and the movie makes it clear he is not Oscar's father. Still it's not long before those same sparks are flying between Dana and Peter again and the two continue to play off each other wonderfully. Ernie Hudson is given a bit more to do this time around as well as he actively participates in investigating this new slime with Egon and Ray. My only complaint is his character shows up at the beginning of the movie to work a birthday party with Ray as Ghostbusters to entertain the kids and then disappears for a large stretch of the movie until the Ghostbusters are back in business. It would have been nice to get a scene where Ray, Egon and Venkman have to talk him into coming back and see what Winston had been up to since the Ghostbuster were largely out of business. Rick Moranis also gets a bit more to do this time around since Louis Tully is working as not only the Ghostbusters' accountant but also their not entirely effective legal representative as well. He also has a bit of a romance going on with the Ghostbusters' receptionist Janine Melnitz, played memorably by Annie Potts. Peter MacNichol is memorably goofy as Dana's boss at the museum, Janosz, who sports a unique and undetermined accent throughout the film that always cracks me up. MacNichol also does well with the creepier side of the role once his character gets possessed by Vigo.      

Overall, Ghostbusters II is not as good as the original but the more times I see it the more I love it. Yes, I do have my nitpicks with it as I detailed above but it also has a lot of heart and charm to it. I do wish we got a third film with all four original Ghostbusters together (Bill Murray was notoriously the lone hold out for a third film) but I am grateful for the two that we do have. It may not be perfect, but it still is a worthy follow-up to the iconic original film. 

Ghostbusters (1984)

 

I was really young the first time I saw Ghostbusters, probably like 1987 or 1988 because I remember being really excited when Ghostbusters II was coming out in theaters in the summer of 1989 (more on that one later). We owned the movie on VHS and I watched it countless times to the point where I had the movie memorized (in fact, I still do). I've just been a huge Ghostbusters fan and I struggle to recall a time in my life when I wasn't. So, naturally, I thought that with the release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, now would be a perfect time to take a look back.   

After being thrown out of their labs on the campus of Columbia University, three paranormal researchers, Peter Venkman (played by Bill Murray), Ray Stanz (played by Dan Aykroyd) and Egon Spengler (played by Harold Ramis) decide to go into business for themselves starting a business offering their services in capturing and removing ghosts. Their efforts start off a little rough as their first real call ends with them causing some serious damage to a posh New York hotel. Their other client is Dana Barrett (played by Sigourney Weaver), who believes her apartment building is haunted when she sees a vision to another dimension in her refrigerator and a dozen eggs she just bought bust open and start frying on her kitchen counter. Business starts booming, leading the group to hire a fourth Ghostbuster, Winston Zeddemore (played by Ernie Hudson). In fact, they get so busy, the guys start to get the feeling all of this increased paranormal activity in the city is leading to something big. With further research, Ray and Egon discover that the Dana's building was designed by a worshipper of Gozer, a Sumerian God of Destruction. Her building was specifically designed to draw in and concentrate spectral energy to allow the return of Gozer and bring about the end of the world. With no other options, the four Ghostbusters have no choice but to suit up and try and stop it.  

The film was directed by Ivan Reitman from a script by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. Dan Aykroyd came up with the initial concept, drawing inspiration from his own beliefs in the paranormal, which in turn came from his family's history of paranormal research dating back to Aykroyd's great-grandfather. When I started getting interested in the Paranormal myself, I was surprised to see the terminology that carried over from actual research, especially with the supposed occurrences of Ectoplasm dates back to the late 19th century). When his initial scope for the project proved too ambitious to film, Harold Ramis was brought in to help refine the story and craft the final shooting script grounding it in a sense of reality. The partnership worked well though as they crafted a dynamite movie that perfectly mixed comedy and chills that suited the film perfectly. Reitman likewise does a great job balancing the two moods of the film with both the comedic and practical special effects blending together seemingly effortlessly. The filmmakers do manage to pull off some pretty impressive effects in the film, with a number of them being completely practical, such as the mayhem the ghosts unleash, such as the aforementioned exploding eggs in Dana's apartment (which was accomplished by carefully inserting air hoses into the bottom of the eggs and disguising a giant griddle to look like her kitchen counter). Not to mention the climactic appearance of the 100ft tall Stay Puft Marshmallow man that remains an iconic element of the movie. Although, not all the effects have aged well, most of them have quite well. Bringing it all together is the fantastic score by Elmer Bernstein that really captures both the fantastical and comedic elements of the film perfectly.  

The film is perfectly cast with Bill Murray leading up the cast as the rascally Peter Venkman who is almost always ready to go with a sarcastic one-liner makes him an easy favorite among the group. There is something so adorably pure about how Dan Aykroyd plays Ray Stanz and the almost childlike excitement he has for every discovery they make, whether it's finding actual ectoplasmic residue or their first encounter with a ghost. You also get the sense there is a slightly more off kilter side to Ray, if a certain dream sequence he has that went right over my head as a kid is any indication. Yet, Aykroyd plays it all perfectly. Harold Ramis is great as the always serious and academic Egon Spengler. He plays the comedy of the role quite well without ever playing Egon like a stereotypical nerd. Sigourney Weaver does well in her role as Dana Barrett, who finds herself in way over her head with the sudden occurrences of supernatural activity in her life. She plays off Murray quite well, as Venkman takes a personal interest in her case. Ernie Hudson makes a nice contrast to the original three Ghostbusters, coming into the group initially as a bit of a skeptic but needing the job regardless. Still, Hudson does great in the role and adds a real everyman realness that helps ground the film. Rick Moranis has an amusing supporting role as Lewis Tully, Dana's accountant neighbor who gets pulled into all the supernatural happenings as well and has a recurring joke of constantly accidentally locking himself out of his apartment. Annie Potts has a memorable supporting role as the Ghostbusters' secretary and receptionist Janine, who also has a bit of a flirtation going with Egon as well. 

Ghostbusters naturally turned out to be a massive hit with all ages, spawning a sequel, two different animated series and a reboot in 2016 that proved to be a bit more...divisive (I, for one, loved it.). Still, it all started here with the 1984 original and it is easy to see why I caught the cultural zeitgeist so well. There have been a number of movies that have attempted to replicate this film's unique blend of the fantastical and comedic but none have quite managed to recapture it the way this film did. There are some films that truly fit the term "lightning in a bottle" and this film definitely is one of those. 

Home Sweet Home Alone

 

When it was initially announced that they were re-booting Home Alone I was a bit apprehensive. Hasn't this film series basically been done to death by this point with just re-hashing the same plot over and over again? Even Macaulay Culkin bowed out after the second one and really there was no more story left to tell. Still, this one is starring the adorable Archie Yates, who I loved in Jojo Rabbit, so I went in with an open mind. What followed only proved by initial fears. 

Jeff and Pam McKenzie (played by Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper) are experiencing financial hardship and are putting their house on the market since Jeff is out of work and they can no longer afford it on Pam's salary alone. Crashing their open house is the mischevious tyke Max Mercer (played by Archie Yates) and his mom Carol (played by Aisling Bea) so Max can use the rest room. While there, Max briefly discusses a box on antique dolls Jeff finds in the closet and Carol mentions those can be worth a lot of money, especially one that was mistakenly produced with the face upside down. When Jeff realizes the doll is missing later, he believes that Max had stolen it. After a search on eBay and realizing similar dolls are going for $200,000 and more, Jeff and Pam set out to retrieve the doll. Meanwhile, Max's house is besieged by relatives on the eve of everyone departing for Tokyo for the holiday. To escape the madness, Max finds solace in the garage as he climbs into the back of the family SUV and eventually dozes off. When he awakes the next morning, he discovers his entire family has already left for the airport and he is now, you guessed it, home alone. Since the family is split between two flights due to a flight cancellation no one notices he's missing until they get to Tokyo. When Jeff and Pam show up initially to retrieve the doll, Max overhears them and misunderstands them, thinking they intend to kidnap and sell him. Afraid that if he calls the cops, they'll put his mother in jail for negligence, he has no choice but to defend himself and his home against the hapless couple. 

The film was directed by Dan Mazer from a script by Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell. The resulting film is a pretty blatant and straight-forward re-hash of the original film almost beat for beat. To their credit, the filmmakers do mix it up a little bit. One interesting choice was to make the robbers, Jeff and Pam in this case, more sympathetic characters who are just trying to overcome their hardship and save their own family home. I also liked that they had their own houseguests for the holidays and therefore had to keep tryin to explain their whereabouts when they were off trying to sneak off to go and get the doll back from Max. However, with this set-up, it makes an already implausible scenario even more implausible because everything could be cleared up with a quick conversation that neither Pam nor Jeff seize the opportunity to have. The weaknesses for the film are many and readily apparent. The biggest one is by making the intruders more sympathetic, they make Max less likable as a result. Much of the time, he comes off as a spoiled brat and is missing the same character arc Kevin went through in the original film and therefore remains somewhat unlikable. Also, if we are sympathizing with the plight of Jeff and Pam, it makes watching them go through Max's house of pain far less satisfying as each fall victim to one booby trap after another, with a couple of them leaving me wondering which Macaulay Culkin movie are they really remaking: Home Alone or The Good Son. They also re-do whole scenes in the film with little difference from the original film which makes this new film just feel like a cheap imitation. The laughs in the film is few and far between while also missing any of the heart or sentiment that made the original the beloved Christmas classic it is. The filmmakers do manage to make this film somewhat a legacy sequel and it was fun to see Devin Ratray return as Buzz McCallister, now working as a police officer. I also got some amusement out of learning through his character that Kevin McAllister now owns a home security company (Macaulay Culkin had the good sense to stay away from this though).  

The film does feature a solid cast and you can tell they are doing their best to try and make the film work. Archie Yates displays the same sort of charm that I enjoyed from him in Jojo Rabbit throughout the film, but the writing does not do his character any favors. Much of the time he comes off as a bit spoiled and entitled and doesn't seem to learn anything from his situation. Still, Yates does his best with a characterization that is seemingly all over the place and only sporadically sympathetic. Rob Delaney is amusing as Jeff, whose bantering with Max is what sets up the whole huge misunderstanding the plot of the film hinges on. He makes his character largely likable, if a bit dumb, who is driven to do some unlikable things out of sheer desperation. Ellie Kemper plays off Rob Delaney quite well as the two become more and more determined to retrieve the doll so they can save their home. Neither one of them come off as particularly unlikable throughout the film and made the movie watchable for me. Devin Ratray makes a cameo appearance as Buzz McCallister from the first two films and manages to recapture the character pretty well. I did find it amusing when he reveals every year Kevin calls in a report of a child left home alone to mess with him. Kenan Thompson makes a few amusing appearances as Jeff and Pam's relator who finds himself in a frequently awkward position since Jeff and Pam don't want the kids to know they're selling the house until after Christmas and has to try and explain why he's there to the kids. 

Overall, there is very little in Home Sweet Home Alone to justify it's existence. The few changes the make to the formula wind up actually hurting the film overall. It's hard to tell what the filmmakers were intending with this one. I can appreciate them trying to mix things up a bit with this entry, but the plot is a mess as I found myself sympathizing with the adult characters more than the kid. For a Home Alone movie, it had me wondering who this was made for. Today's kids are going to be turned off by the fact that much of the focus is not on Max. The adults who grew up with the original films are going to see this as a shallow cash-grab. It left me scratching my head as the disappointment set in. All the more so because the film had potential with a good cast but it all just falls apart with a very ill-thought out script.  

Last Night in Soho

I've been a fan of Edgar Wright as a filmmaker ever since I first saw Shaun of the Dead way back when it was first released and my love for his work has only grown with each subsequent film he's made. Naturally, I was looking forward to seeing his latest, Last Night in Soho. However, I went in to this having only seen the first trailer and knew nothing else about the film beyond that. I had only a vague idea of the plot and nothing else and while I intend to fully review the film below, I will say if you are already interested in the film, just go. I went in pretty much blind and had a great time with this one. I fully believe that would be the best way to watch this one.

Ellie Turner (played by Thomasin McKenzie) is an aspiring fashion designer who loves the culture and music of the 1960s. She is also able to see ghosts, especially her recently deceased mother. She has just moved from her countryside home she shared with her grandmother, Peggy (played by Rita Tushingham) to the West Side of London to attend the prestigious London College of Fashion. When she finds herself paired with an obnoxious roommate in the college dorms, she moves out and finds an affordable bedsit in a building owned by the elderly Ms. Collins (played by Diana Rigg). That night, as she sleeps she has a vivid dream where she is transported back to 1960s London and observes as a young aspiring singer, Sandie (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) inquires about becoming a singer at a popular club and in the process meets manager Jack (played by Matt Smith). She awakes the next morning feeling inspired and begins creating a dress inspired by the one Sandie wore in her dream. As she continues to dream, Ellie begins to recognize places in real life that she had only dreamt of previously. She realizes that her dreams are not just dreams but visions of the distant past and as the dreams take a darker turn, she becomes more obsessed with finding out what happened to Sandie, who it turns out had lived at one time in the same bedsit she did. 

The film was directed by Edgar Wright from a script he co-wrote with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Together, they crafted a very unique ghost story that was refreshingly unlike anything I had seen before. Edgar Wright and his crew bring the mid-Sixties London to life in brilliant color with an incredible soundtrack to back it up. Wright and Wilson Cairns were clearly pulling from the horror and thriller films of the era with the sort of dream-like visual palette that recalls the best Italian Giallo films. I loved the way used mirrors to show how Ellie was experiencing what Sandie was throughout each of her dreams, where we would see Sandie, but the reflection would be Ellie. It's a neat trick the re-occurs throughout the film and shows just how connected the two are across time. There also some impressive single takes where Edgar alternates between Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomasin McKenzie as Sandie throughout a single sequence that had to be a challenge to pull of, but was quite visually impressive. Wright and Wilson-Cairns also take the time to really focus on the struggles of their two lead female protagonists go through in a very real and tangible way that is relatable and at times terrifying in a very real way. By taking the time to do this, I felt more connected to them and more invested in what happened to them. I also appreciated the way they built the mystery inherent in the film and it was only when I got to the end that I saw all the pieces that had been there from the beginning start to come together. I love it when a movie can keep me guessing until he very end. The film includes a lot of familiar plot elements that recur throughout Edgar Wright's films, but in a very different and much more serious way with this film. It is a different film than he usually makes and I was thrilled to see a new side of him as a filmmaker.  

The film has an impressive cast led by Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy. Thomasin McKenzie does a fantastic job as Ellie, who at the start of the film is filled with excitement and wonder at starting college and traveling to London, but as her character starts connecting with Sandie in the past her character begins to become more and more obsessed, especially when she begins to suspect something bad happened to Sandie and needs to find out what happened. McKenzie does a great job capturing her character's emotional change throughout the film as she begins to unravel as bit as her visions of the past start to become too much for her. Anya Taylor-Joy is equally great as Sandie, who is a counterpoint of sorts to Ellie, who likewise traveled to London to make her own dreams of being a singer come true and was prepared to do what it took to make those dreams come true. She does a great job not only portraying Sandie's ambition, but also the toll the darker side of London takes on her. Matt Smith, who I will probably always know best as the Eleventh Doctor, does well as the shady manager Jack. It was fun to see him play a character to far removed from his usual type and someone who may be a bit of a bastard. Diana Rigg has a good supporting role as the landlord of Ellie's bedsit. She's strict, but what she does is in what she believes is the best interests of her tenants. Terrance Stamp has an intriguing supporting role as a frequent patron at the local pub who may or may not have had a connection to Sadie in the past. 

Overall, Last Night in Soho is a very unique ghost story that in anchored by a compelling mystery. It's very well written and kept be guessing from beginning to end, which is always good for a movie like this. It's backed with some stunning cinematography and, as can be expected with any Edgar Wright film, a fantastic soundtrack. I really enjoyed this one and it is easily one of my favorites of the year so far.   

Donnie Darko

 

Donnie Darko turned 20 years old last week and remains one of the more enthralling and intriguing movies I have ever seen. Equal parts science fiction, psychological thriller, and satire make this a very unique movie. It's also a movie almost needs to be seen more than once to be fully and completely appreciated. 

Donnie Darko (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) is a troubled teen who regularly sees a psychiatrist, Dr. Lillian Thurman (played by Katherine Ross) and frequently sleepwalks, waking up in all sorts of places. One fateful night, he is awoken by a strange man in a ghoulish rabbit costume named Frank and told to follow him. By doing so, Donnie narrowly misses being killed when a jet engine crashes into his house. He is cryptically informed by Frank that the world will end in 28 Days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds. The family is temporarily put up in a hotel while the FAA try to deal with this freak accident, all the more mysterious because no one seems to be able to figure out where it came from. Frank returns another night and instructs Donnie to break the school water main with an axe, which he does and causes the school to flood. Because of this and school getting cancelled, Donnie gets a chance to talk to the new girl in school, Gretchen (played by Jena Malone). Meanwhile, the authorities are still trying to figure out who vandalized the school. School teacher Kitty Farmer (played by Beth Grant) lays the blame at fellow teacher Karen Pomeroy (played by Drew Barrymore) for assigning the Graham Green story "The Destructors," which featured a similar incident. In response, Kitty brings in a local motivational speaker, Jim Cunningham (played by Patrick Swayze) to speak to the kids. The two hit it off and a relationship begins to form. When Donnie discusses Frank with his psychiatrist, she starts to believe that Donnie is suffering from daylight hallucinations and schizophrenia. Frank asks Donnie if he believes in time travel, which sends him to his science teacher, Kenneth Monnitoff (played by Noah Wyle), who discusses it with him briefly and gives him a book titled "The Philosophy of Time Travel." As Donnie continues to see Frank, his reality begins to spiral as he tries to figure out what is real and what isn't. 

The film was written and directed by Richard Kelly. Over the years, there have been two separate cuts of the film, with the theatrical cut and a longer director's cut that adds in an extra 20 minutes of deleted scenes. Of the two, the general consensus seems to be that the shorter, theatrical cut is the stronger version of the film with the longer director's cut tending to over-explain what is going on in the film. It is certainly my preferred version of the film as oddly enough one of the film's strengths is the ambiguity as to what exactly is going on throughout the story, with the film giving you just enough information to figure it out for yourself. The debates it sparked over the years since the film came out was part of the fun of the film, with each interpretation being just as valid as the last. It is also impressive what Kelly and his crew were able to pull off with the relatively small budget of just over 4 million dollars as they properly brought the more creative and outlandish aspects of the story to life quite well. Yet, what makes the film work so well is the fact that it focuses on the characters and their relationships, and how Donnie impacts each one of them throughout the roughly 28 days the film's story spans across. I also need to single out the very atmospheric synth score by Michael Andrews that perfectly sets the mood throughout the film.

The film has a great cast led by Jake Gyllenhaal who gives a magnificent performance as Donnie Darko. It's a challenging role but Jake really rises to the challenge playing a character whose sense of what is real and what is not is fracturing as he tries to make sense of it. The performance runs the gamut of the highs of calling others out on their bullshit, especially an epic scene as a school assembly where Donnie goes toe to toe with Jim Cunningham that is a joy to watch to the lows as Donnie begins to spiral emotionally. Jena Malone does well as Gretchen and plays off Gyllenhaal quite well as the relationship between the two characters grows. Drew Barrymore plays Karen Pomeroy as basically the English teacher we all wish we had. She is insightful and quite cool. Beth Grant is great as her polar opposite, the very conservative teacher, and school dance team coach, Kitty Farmer, who has gone all in on the swill local motivational speaker Jim Cunningham is selling. Grant really sells her character's conviction though, culminating in a scene late in the film as she, near tears, is trying to convince Donnie's mom to help chaperone the dance team's trip to Nationals with a line that has lived in my head rent free for the last twenty years, and fans of the movie already know what it's going to be, "Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparklemotion!" It is a moment that is genuinely hilarious all because of Grant's performance and just how out of touch her character is. Speaking of Jim Cunningham, Patrick Swayze is great in the role of this hack motivational speaker with some real dark secrets. It's such a departure from the roles he usually played that it was fun to watch, especially in the scene where Donnie calls him out in the middle of a school assembly. 

Donnie Darko is one of those films the defines the term "cult film". It is a film that didn't do well initially at the box office, but was discovered once it hit video and whose popularity slowly grew over the years. It is especially true of a movie like this that people naturally want to talk about and analyze. I could present my own theories about the film, but it would be far more fun to encourage others to check it out, experience it for themselves, and form their own theories.         

Halloween Horrorfest: Freaky

 

Every once and awhile, a movie will come along with a clever premise that hits just the right note. One of those movies for me was Freaky, which mashes up a body swap comedy with a slasher horror flick. With a deft blend of comedy and horror, this is one fun flick perfect for the Halloween season. 

Millie Kessler (played by Kathryn Newton) is a bit of an outcast at school and lives with her widowed, alcoholic mother, Coral (played by Katie Finneran) and her police officer sister, Char (played by Dana Drori). She has two close knit friends in Nyla Chones (played by Celeste O'Connor) and Josh Detmer (played by Misha Osherovich). Among her problems is her abusive and unsympathetic shop teacher Mr. Bernardi (played by Alan Ruck). After the Homecoming football game, where Millie participated as the school mascot, she is waiting alone for her mom to come pick her up when she encounters the Blissfield Butcher (played by Vince Vaughn), a killer who according to local legend terrorizes area teens around Homecoming. She attempts to flee but is still in her mascot costume so he quickly catches up and manages to stab Millie in the shoulder with a dagger he stole from a previous victim's house. The weird thing is when he stabs her, the exact same wound appears on his shoulder. He's about to stab her again when Char, having come to pick up Millie since their mom was passed out on the couch, shows up and scares him off. Things take a turn for the strange when the next morning Millie wakes up in the hulking, 6ft 4in and very male body of the Blissfield Butcher while at the same time he wakes up in her body. Horrified, she quickly seeks out Nyla and Josh and after eventually convincing them he is indeed their friend Millie, they have to try and figure out what happened and try to get the two switched back before the switch becomes permanent as well as stop the Blissfield Butcher from carving up their classmates, especially Millie's crush Booker Strode (played by Uriah Shelton). 

The film was directed by Christopher Landon from a script he wrote with Michael Kennedy. They manage to craft a film that balances the comedy and horror elements well even as the film leans harder on the comedic side. But it works because the premise of the film allows for the silliness as Millie gets used to her new body as well as the Butcher finding himself in the body of a teenage girl. The film does get pretty gruesome but much of it is played with an over the top quality that only adds to the crazy fun of the film. They also work in some clever nods to classic slasher movies of the past, especially Halloween, Scream, and especially Friday the 13th. In fact, I got a good laugh out of the fact that the bulk of the movie takes place on Friday, October 13th which would make this, you guessed it, Freaky Friday the 13th (which was even the original title of the movie until they had to change it, for obvious reasons). Yet, they also manage to make the more heartfelt moments work in the film as well, which helps ground things amongst all the mayhem and shenanigans and give the film some real stakes. 

The film has a fantastic cast starting off with the two leads. Kathryn Newton does really well as both the quiet and more reserved Millie capturing her lack of confidence and trouble with confrontation. Yet, she also nails the role of the mostly quiet and exceptionally lethal Blissfield Butcher after the switch has been made. There is also a clear difference in how her character walks and acts in each case depending on if it's Millie or the Butcher. Likewise Vince Vaughn captures each role quite well, really capturing the danger and evil of the Butcher but then on the other side clearly having a ball playing Millie and is a blast to watch him play a teenage girl stuck in the body of a middle age man is endlessly amusing to me, especially with how Vince Vaughn plays her. Misha Osherovich is a hoot as Mille's openly gay friend Josh. He really captures the bitchy best friend perfectly and yet remains quite lovable throughout the film. Celeste O'Connor likewise does well as Nyla, clearly the more even handed of the trio. Alan Ruck plays against type as the downright mean shop teacher who loves to antagonize Millie. It's clear he is relishing the role and is downright detestable, yet really effective in the role. It's always fun to watch a well-known actor play a role different than their usual type, as is the case here.

Overall, Freaky is one of the best comedy-horror films to come out in quite awhile. The jokes land and the horror aspects work well too. The film keeps a brisk pace as our intrepid characters deal with their very unusual predicament. It's just a blast to watch from beginning to end and never takes itself too seriously. If you're looking for a fun horror movie to watch with friends over Halloween weekend, this one would be an great choice.  

Halloween Horrorfest: Arachnophobia

 

Scary movies can be a subjective thing. What creeps one person out may not faze another person at all. One thing that has always given me the heebie jeebies has been bugs, especially large swarms of them all over the place. Anytime I see that in a movie or T.V show I start squirming and feeling very uncomfortable. I'm not exactly sure where this particular aversion comes from, perhaps seeing Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom at an impressionable age. Regardless of why, I bring this up because beyond all reason, one of my favorite creature features is Arachnophobia.  

While working as a photographer on a remote expedition in Venezuela, Jerry Manley (played by Mark L. Taylor) is killed by a particularly rare spider they discovered in a remote area being studied by entomologist James Atherton (played by Julian Sands). When his body is shipped home to the small town of Canaima, California, the same lethal spider hitches a ride along in the coffin. Upon arrival, the spider is able to sneak out of the morticians office and winds up in the yard of the newly arrived Jennings family. They have just moved to town because Ross Jennings (played by Jeff Daniels) is set to take over the medical practice of retiring town physician Sam Metcalf (played by Henry Jones), except Metcalf has decided he's not retiring leaving Ross without any patients. Meanwhile, in Ross' barn, the new Venezuelan spider has mated with a local spider, creating a horde of exceptionally deadly spiders that begin making their way throughout the town. While the first couple of deaths are chalked up to natural causes, when an exam of another victim by Ross shows the spider bite and the toxicology report confirms it, he realizes what they are dealing with. Only after they call in James Atherton and his colleague Chris Collins (played by Brian McNamara) do they put all the pieces together and realize they are dealing with an exceptionally lethal new breed of spider. With help from a quirky local exterminator Delbert McClintock (played by John Goodman), it falls to them to find and take out these spiders before they kill anyone else. The problem is Ross suffers from Arachnophobia - the debilitating fear of spiders. 

The film was directed by Frank Marshall from a script by Don Jakoby and Wesley Strick. The film strikes a perfect balance between cringe inducing horror and comedy. This was Frank Marshall's feature debut after being Steven Spielberg's producing partner for a number of years and I felt he did quite well his first time out. He balances the tense moments with the more humorous moments to craft a very entertaining film. They waste no time in setting up the main villain of the film, a large spider referred to as the General, who is discovered in a remote part of the Venezuela jungle who then proceeds to hitch a ride back to camp in a backpack. It's not long after they get back to camp that we get the first attack and see just how deadly the spider venom is. They handle each of the spider attacks quite well, tracking each of the spiders as they move in and expertly building suspense. They used a mix of real spiders for the soldier spiders and an animatronic spider for the much larger General, designed and created by a pre-Mythbusters Jamie Hyneman no less. The film is shot very well by Mikael Salomon capturing the majesty of the remote wilds of Venezuela as well as the almost idyllic charms of the small town, which contrasts nicely with the intensity and fun of the film itself. Topping things off is a fun score by Trevor Jones. I loved the music and the diversity of themes throughout, especially the one he crafts for exterminator Delbert McClintock that stands out as much as the character does. 

The film is well cast, starting with Jeff Daniels in the lead role. He is great in the role of everyman hero who has to conquer his fears to save the day, made all that much harder since spiders leave his frozen in fear. So much so that he has to call his wife, Molly (played by Harley Jane Kozak) to come take care of one they find as they move in early in the film. Harley Jane Kozak plays off Daniels well as Molly, showing support for their decision to move and is far more into embracing small town life than Ross is. They have an easy rapport and feel like a couple that has been married for quite awhile. Henry Jones plays his role as the cranky Dr. Metcalf with great relish, making it easy for the audience to hate him as he not only leaves Ross high and dry when he changes his mind about retiring but then proceeds to bad mouth him to other residents in town when Ross' patients start dropping dead. Julian Sands does well in the role of the driven entomologist James Atherton, who is driven by his curiosity at perhaps the expense of common sense. Still, he handles the expositional dialogue explaining the nature of this new breed of spider quite well. This is contrasted nicely with Brian McNamara's far more practical and careful Chris Collins. And then there was John Goodman as Delbert. Goodman effortlessly steals every scene he is in as the slightly eccentric but affable local exterminator who takes his job very seriously. I just couldn't help but smile every time he was on screen. He brings a lot of the comic relief to the movie which Goodman handles quite easily.     

Overall, despite my aversion to movies featuring large swarms of bugs, or in this case arachnids, Arachnophobia still remains a favorite of mine. It captures a perfect balance between scares and humor making the film just straight up fun to watch from beginning to end. In the end, that's all I would want from a movie like this and it delivers it well.

Halloween Horrorfest: Doctor Sleep

 

One of my favorite scary movies has always been Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, so when I first heard Stephen King had written a sequel to the novel that film was based on, I couldn't help but wonder what approach the inevitable movie adaptation would take since the movie and book of The Shining are in many ways quite different. Yet, Director Mike Flanagan set out to do the impossible and craft a faithful adaptation of King's novel while also making a satisfying sequel to Kubrick's film. 

Dan Torrance (played by Ewan McGregor) is still traumatized by the events he experienced as a child at The Overlook Hotel. To try and numb the effects and suppress his Shining ability, he has become an alcoholic. After reaching rock bottom, he relocates to a small town in New Hampshire and soon meets Billy Freeman (played by Cliff Curtis). Billy recognizes Dan's troubles all too well and helps Dan secure lodging and introduces him to the local chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. There, Dan meets Dr. John Dalton (played by Bruce Greenwood) who helps Dan get a job at the local hospice as a overnight orderly. At the same time, Dan is surprised to find himself connecting through his Shining ability to a young girl named Abra (played by Kyliegh Curran), whose Shining ability may be even more powerful than Dan's. Things take a dark turn when her abilities are also picked up by a group of psychic vampires known as the True Knot that feed on the "steam," the Shining ability of others, especially kids. Their leader, Rose the Hat (played by Rebecca Ferguson), picks up on Abra first when Abra finds herself connected to the True Knot's latest victim, a young boy named Bradley Trevor (played by Jacob Tremblay). Since the shining ability has become increasingly rare, someone as powerful as Abra makes for an enticing target for the starving True Knot. Dan becomes Abra's best hope of not only saving her from their clutches but also destroying the True Knot once and for all, leading to a showdown at the condemned and boarded up Overlook Hotel. 

Director Mike Flanagan, who also wrote the screenplay, manages to walk a fine line with this movie, at once crafting a largely faithful adaptation of Stephen King's original novel while also functioning as a genuine sequel to Stanley Kubrick's iconic original film. Yet, the film works brilliantly. It helps that much of the story of this film is so different and separate from the first film so it really only required minor tweaks for much of the film. For example, Dick Halloran survived in the original novel and died in Kubrick's film and therefore appears in this as a ghost to Dan or in the novel the Overlook burned down and therefore the climax took place at the lot where the hotel once stood, whereas in this film we actually get to see the Hotel still standing, although abandoned and showing worn down. The other hurdle was the film does feature a number of flashbacks to Dan's childhood shortly after his time at the Overlook. Since almost 40 years had passed since the original film, reuniting the cast was not a realistic option and instead wisely recast the roles with actors that could make the roles their own, while also remaining familiar to fans of the first film. Also, since he re-cast the roles of Wendy, Danny, and Dick Halloran, he and his talented crew methodically re-create certain iconic moments from the first film for this one as flashbacks, which actually works for quite well in the film. Flanagan does a good job streamlining the book's narrative, trimming a few extraneous details from the novel but otherwise remaining reasonably faithful to the story, with the biggest change being the ending (which I will not spoil here). It is clear Flanagan is a fan of Kubrick's original film too, as he sneaks in little nods to the first film throughout this one for his fellow fans to enjoy throughout and even strategically re-uses some iconic music cues from the first film as well which helps bridge between the two films.        

Ewan McGregor does quite well as Dan Torrance. He really captures Dan's struggles, both with his shining ability as well as his substance abuse. He really captures Dan's arc from hitting rock bottom to putting his life together to his growing bond with Abra and need to help protect her from the True Knot. Rebecca Ferguson is magnificent as Rose the Hat (named as such because she compulsively wears a top hat as a signature of sorts), creating a formidable villain for Dan and Abra to go up against, along with her fellow members of the True Knot. She is vicious and nasty, yet so cool and seductive, which she needs to be to lure her victims into her trap. She has no qualms about killing kids and consuming their "Steam" to prolong her life. From her first greeting with her catchphrase of "Well, hi there," I was fascinated by her character. She is absolutely terrifying, but Ferguson really brings her to three dimensional life. Rose has needs and wants, the primary one being finding those with the Shining to keep her group fed. Kyliegh Curran is great as Abra, giving her character a real strength and cunning all her own. At the tender age of thirteen, she shows a great resourcefulness and skill with her power, even using it to trap Rose the Hat on her own on two separate occasions when Rose was using her own psychic abilities to try and track Abra and managing to inflict real, actual physical damage in the process. Kyliegh is fantastic in the role and reals shows just how clever and capable Abra is on her own. Cliff Curtis does well in the role of Billy Freeman, who takes Dan under his wing and helps him get his life together. It's a warm and sensitive performance that hits just the right note. I also have to single out Jacob Tremblay as Bradley Trevor. He may only be in a couple scenes, generally agreed upon as the hardest scenes in the movie to watch, but he absolutely sells those moments when he is in the clutches of the True Knot. 

Overall, Doctor Sleep was, for me at least, a worthy follow-up to Kubrick's original film. It helps that it has it's own separate story to tell rather than re-hashing the original film, adding such magnificent characters as Rose the Hat and Abra. We do get to see the Overlook Hotel again though as Dan weaponizes it's evil to try and fight the True Knot and I will admit I did get chills seeing that iconic setting again. Yet, the film stands on it's own as well as a genuinely satisfying film from beginning to end. I loved every minute, even if it does have a lengthy run-time of two and a half hours (and a director's cut that clocks in at a full three hours!). I never felt that it ran long and loved every minute of the film. But with such an engaging plot and compelling characters, how could I not?

Halloween Horrorfest: Death Becomes Her

Until I re-watched it again for this review, it had been ages since I had last seen Death Becomes Her. I remember seeing it as a kid several times and really enjoying it for the humor and impressive Special Effects while other aspects of it went a bit over my head. Seeing it again as an adult, the themes and humor hit all that much more. Then again, my sense of humor has frequently drifted towards a darker side, so one's mileage may vary. 

Madeline Ashton (played by Meryl Streep) is a narcissistic and selfish actress performing on Broadway when she meets her friend Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn) and her fiancé, reknowned plastic surgeon Ernest Menville (played by Bruce Willis) backstage. Madeline and Ernest hit it off and before Helen knows it, the two have run off together and gotten married, leaving her behind. Helen naturally sinks into a deep depression over the next seven years, growing more and more obsessed with getting even with Madeline, even going so far as watching an old movie she did where her character dies and rewinding the death scene over and over again. She even winds up in a mental hospital for a time. Meanwhile, married life has taken it's toll on Madeline and Ernest. Her career has faded and she is constantly worried about how much she is aging. Ernest has lost his ability to practice and has been relegated to becoming a mortician, sending him spiraling into alcoholism. To their surprise, they get invited to a book launch party for the release of a book written by Helen. They are both even more surprised to see Helen, now looking gorgeous and youthful. This inspires Madeline to follow up on a mysterious business card she got at a spa for Lisle von Rhuman (played by Isabella Rossellini). Lisle offers Madeline a potion promising rejuvenation along with eternal life and beauty. She purchases the potion and takes it, almost immediately regaining her youth. Meanwhile, Helen meets up with Ernest and seduces him. She convinces him to help her kill Madeline and then the two can be together again. When Madeline returns home and gets into a fight that results in Madeline falling down the stairs and breaking her neck. While Ernest calls Helen to tell her what happened, he doesn't notice that Madeline magically revives and in his shock considers her resurrection a miracle. When Helen shows up to find out what has been going on, Madeline discovers what Helen and Ernest had been plotting and greets Helen with a shotgun blast to the abdomen. Of course, they quickly discover Helen also took their potion, leaving Ernest in quite the predicament with two undead women who are going to need his unique talents as an undertaker.  

The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script by David Koepp and Martin Donovan. The film plays out as a black comedy with horror elements that I frequently found hilarious. There is a certain exaggerated quality to the film that adds to the humor of the film. When I found out that they had originally been toying with this film being a spin-off from the then current HBO series Tales from the Crypt, which was co-produced by Robert Zemeckis, I was not surprised. The film strikes a very similar tone as many of the episodes from that series did, especially with the ongoing theme of scheming and selfish people getting their due comeuppance. Much like the series, this movie very much has a certain tongue in cheek sensibility to it that I love. There is a lot of humor derived between the two bickering frenemies which only escalates when they both discover the other is effectively immortal, leading to such comedic bouts of violence as sword fighting with shovels with Ernest just wandering off resigned to having to patch them both up later. The filmmakers utilized pretty cutting edge special effects for the film to depict some of the injuries sustained throughout the film, including Madeline's head being twisted all the way around or a large, perfectly round hole in Helen's stomach that the other actors can see right through. Even now, almost 30 years later, the special effects still hold up reasonably well except for a couple, all done with CGI effects done by Industrial Light and Magic. I also have to give credit to the fantastic score by Alan Silvestri that sets the campy mood for the film perfectly. 

The film has an fantastic cast, especially the main trio of stars. Meryl Streep is clearly having a lot of fun playing the vain Madeline Ashton as she obsesses over her looks and even insists her maid compliment her on her looks every morning. It's a very entertaining performance as Meryl hits just the right notes with the character. Helen Sharp is a departure of sorts for Goldie Hawn from her usual bubbly and warm characters and I really enjoy it. Helen Sharp has her own obsession with getting even with Madeline Ashton and is clearly willing to do whatever it takes, including a rather elaborate murder plot (that needs to be seen to be believed). Bruce Willis likewise is playing against type as this sort of nebbish, neurotic and beaten down man who has more or less given up and is hiding from life in a bottle. It remains a refreshingly different performance from the actor and really shows his skills as a comedic actor. 

Overall, revisiting Death Becomes Her reminded me of what a fun movie it is, especially in the intervening years after I discovered and became a fan of the Tales from the Crypt horror anthology series. It is a slice of wicked fun that is perfect for the Halloween season and perhaps a bit more unique than the usual seasonal fare. It is a film that has gone on to become a bit of a cult classic, especially with LGBT audiences with Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp in particular being favorite characters for drag queens to portray. It is certainly one I enjoyed just as much as when it came out, perhaps even more so now.          

No Time to Die

 

No Time to Die marks Daniel Craig's fifth and final outing as James Bond and I can say with great relief that he is going out on a high note. The film fires on all cylinders to give us one last, epic outing with Craig as James Bond, with an intriguing plot that brings the era full circle, spectacular stunts and just the right amount of humor to make this a very satisfying film. 

James Bond (played by Daniel Craig) is vacationing in Southern Italy with Madeleine Swann (played by Lea Seydoux) when they are ambushed by Spectre assassins. Realizing there was no one else who knew they were there besides him and Madeleine, he leaves her at a train station and the two part ways. Five years later, Bond is pulled back into action when an MI-6 scientist Valdo Obruchev (played by David Dencik) is kidnapped. He was working on a cutting edge bio-weapon called Project Heracles, which contains Nanobots and is spread like a virus but is harmless except to the person or people that strain is specifically programmed to kill. Bond meets up with Felix Leiter (played by Jeffrey Wright) and his associate Logan Ash (played by Billy Magnusson) who ask for Bond to help them to try and retrieve Obruchev and the weapon.  They track them to a SPECTRE meeting in Cuba for Blofeld's (played by Christoph Waltz) birthday, where Bond meets up with another CIA agent, Paloma (played by Ana de Armas). Blofeld leads the meeting using a remote "bionic eye" device and orders his agents to kill Bond with the bionic mist from Project Heracles. However, to everyone's surprise, the mist kills the SPECTRE agents instead. Turns out Obruchev was working with a mysterious new villain who has his own vendetta against SPECTRE, Lyutsifer Safin (played by Rami Malek), and reprogrammed the virus. Pulled back into MI6 duty by M (played by Ralph Fiennes) and Moneypenny (played by Naomie Harris) sets out to stop Safin and destroy this dangerous new weapon with the new 007, Nomi (played by Lashana Lynch) only to find his path once again crossing with Madeleine, who has her own connections to both Safin and Blofeld.

The film was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga from a script he co-wrote with Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The film is a wonderful return to form for Bond and a fitting final outing for the Daniel Craig era. Fukunaga and his crew create a epic film, filled with globe trotting adventure, just the right amount of humor, genuinely impressive action sequences and some genuinely shocking plot twists too. The film is a long one, clocking in at roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes, but they keep the pace up so I didn't really feel that it was that long. The filmmakers manage to pull off some inventive action sequences, including a truly impressive motorcycle jump and a sequence of people repelling down a elevator shaft not using ropes but rather a special harness and intricately placed electromagnets. Who knows if that's actually possible but it was very cool and certainly something I had never seen before. Still, the filmmakers give the film room to breathe, giving us such wonderful character moments throughout the film. Not only does it give time to properly play out the complicated relationship between James and Madeleine, but we also get some wonderful character moments with the other series mainstays, including a glimpse of Q's home life when Bond and Moneypenny accidentally interrupt him at home as Q (played by Ben Whishaw) is getting ready for a dinner date. For all the humorous moments and all the action sequences, it's the fact that they took the time for scenes like this, while also being integral to the plot that really made this entry shine for me. It's all capped off nicely with a fantastic Hans Zimmer score. I loved the way that he not only integrated the classic Bond theme, but also some pieces of John Barry's score from one of my favorite Bond movies, On Her Majesty's Secret Service.  

Daniel Craig gives it his all for his final outing as Bond. This is an older James Bond, begrudgingly dragged back into service after thinking he had retired. It's a fantastic performance and you can really get a sense that all the events of the previous films have really taken their toll on him. Lea Seydoux does well again in the role Madeleine Swann and has more to play in this outing as the film reveals far more about her character's past as well as her connections to both SPECTRE and our new villain Safin. She does a magnificent job showing her character's inner turmoil without saying a word. Rami Malek makes for a very interesting Bond villain. He's not physically imposing but he is very smart and cunning which he uses to great effect against Bond. Malek hits the right note to make Safin a very creepy villain who you can tell is always thinking, always several steps ahead of everyone else. Lashana Lynch really impresses as Nomi and I wouldn't mind seeing her get a spin-off series of her own. She plays off Daniel Craig quite well as there is some animosity between the two since she inherited his 007 moniker. Christoph Waltz makes the most of his near cameo appearance in the film, giving the character the same charming menace he did in SPECTRE. Ben Whishaw continues to be a joy to watch as Q and it was fun to see him outside the lab and see a little bit of his personal life. Likewise, as someone who enjoyed her turn with Daniel Craig in Knives Out, it was fun to see Ana de Armas show up to briefly assist James Bond in Cuba and participate in a surprisingly amusing gunfight. Ralph Fiennes is reliably good as M, who we get a sense all these years later is feeling the toll the job has had on him and the countless hard decisions he has made are having their effect, especially since one of them sets the plot in motion.

Overall, No Time to Die is a worthy finale for the Daniel Craig era and is certainly one of the best of his series of films. It is epic and scope, but thrilling, exciting, and frequently actually pretty humorous too. Craig finishes his time as James Bond on a high note and that's all I could have hoped for. Still, at the end of the film as that ever present final credit, "James Bond Will Return" comes up I found myself wondering where will they go from here? I, for one, can't wait to find out.