IT (2017)

IT (2017)

Dir: Andy Muschietti

Cast: Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Bill Skarsgard, etc.

     Clowns have never really scared me but for some they can be total nightmare fuel.

   The movie IT reinforces that idea. Based on the best selling novel by Stephen King, 

    IT is a re-imagining of the 1990 TV miniseries that starred John Ritter.

       

       It's summer 1989 in the fictional town of Derry, a little boy named Georgie goes

    missing. A group of bullied kids band together to track down something more 

    sinister. They find a shape shifting, demonic clown named Pennywise, who feeds

    on the fears and flesh of young kids every 30 years. 

       The Good: The acting was fantastic and as was Bill Skarsgard's take on the 

   character originated by Tim Curry and made it his own. His performance was

   downright scary. There was some CGI but that was to be expected featuring

   a clown that takes the form of the kids fears. I could really relate to some of

   the problems kids faced as well as 80's references. I liked the fact that every

   time a red balloon showed up, Pennywise was nearby. It made all the more

   creepy.

      The Bad: As with every movie, there were a few plotholes that could be 

  explained but could easily be resolved with the upcoming sequel. The swearing 

  was a little too excessive for their ages but since this movie followed the book
  pretty closely, I'll let it pass.

     Overall: IT  lived up to my expectations. It was funny, creepy and nostalgic

  to the core. Muschietti tried to not make it a carbon copy of the original. There

  had to be lines added in just for the sake of nostalgia. It's hard to remake a 

  movie that's as good as the original and it left me wanting more. It's one of the
  best horror movies this year. Believe me, you'll float too.

Grade: B (8/10)

The Kingsman: The Golden Circle

The Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Dir: Matthew Vaughn

Cast: Taron Edgerton, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Julianne Moore, Halle Berry

 Channing Tatum, Elton John, Jeff Bridges

         This is a bit of a late review since it's been awhile since I've gone out to the theater.

   The Kingsman: Golden Circle is the sequel to the surprise hit that was also directed

   by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class).

         In the sequel, young actor Taron Edgerton is back as Eggsy. the former street

  hoodlum turned secret agent. After his companys headquarters is blown to bits by

  an atomic missile, the world becomes held hostage by an evil woman (Moore) who

  poisons the world's drug supply in exchange for legalizing it. Now it's up to Eggsy

  and his Kingsman pals Gallahad (Firth) and Merlin (Strong) to stop her before it's

  too late. 

   The Good: It like most of the action scenes in the movie as well as the comedy.

   Julianne Moore was devilishly as a nostalgia obsessed sociopath who wanted

  a monopoly on the world's drug cartel. This movie dealt with ethical issues today

  concerning those that use drugs and whether or not it's right to do so. The legend

  Elton John was pretty funny here. 

  The Bad: The overuse of slow motion fight scenes which is prevalent in todays 

  action movies. The use of a small cute dog used as a cheap plot device didn't 

  sit right with me. This movie was quite graphic but that's typical of a Matthew

  Vaughn movie. The talents of Bridges, Berry and Tatum are wasted here and

  contributed nothing to the overall plot. 

  Overall: Although inferior to its predecessor, it's quite an enjoyable sequel. The

  only problems were that it didn't have heart and the creative spirit that the first

  film had. It suffers from the usual uninspired cash grab of a sequel. For a spy

  film franchise, I had expected better than this. 

     Grade: C- (6/10)

6 Favorite Scary Movies

    6 Favorite Scary Movies

       

    Since today is Friday the 13th, I just thought I'd share some of my favorite scary movies.

  

    1). Pet Sematary (1990)- Stephen King's bestselling novel about a sacred Indian 

    burial ground that brings things back to life with evil consequences.

    2). Evil Dead (2013 remake)- Sam Raimi's horror classic gets an updated remake

    featuring a young woman who becomes stranded in a remote cabin with four

    of her friends.

    3). Beetlejuice (1988)- a horror/comedy from the mind of Tim Burton about a 
    wisecracking ghost (Michael Keaton) trying to evict a family from it's former
    home.

    4). Zombieland (2013)- Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenburg fight zombies 
    along with an adorable Emma Stone in this horror/action/comedy. 

    5). Dawn of the Dead (2004 remake)- Zack Snyder makes his directorial debut 
    as a group of survivors from the zombie apocalypse seek refuge in an abandoned
    mall. 

    6). Monster Squad (1987)- a group of kids take on the likes of Dracula, The 
    Wolfman & the Mummy in this childhood favorite. 

Halloween Music Playlist

        With Halloween right around the corner, you need the right kind of music to get 
   you to have a spooky good time. As I did with my 4th of July and Summer Playlists,
   I present to you my top Halloween themed tracks.

     1). Dead Man's Party- Oingo Boingo
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iypUpv9xelg

     2). Thriller- Michael Jackson
       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEHsIcsjtdI

     3). Don't Fear the Reaper- Blue Oyster Cult
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy4HA3vUv2c

     4). Bark at the Moon- Ozzy Osbourne
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F89-MOy7Xfg

     5). Warren Zevon- Werewolves of London
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhSc8qVMjKM

     6). Ghostbusters Theme- Ray Parker Jr. 
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKbg7CfG7i4

     7). I'm in Love with a Monster- Fifth Harmony 
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAsKIvRH2ds

    8). Nightmare on My Street- DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J-e2bS0PCw

    9). The Season of the Witch- Donovan
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OUpuMIVu3c

   10). Somebody's Watchin Me- Rockwell
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKcIOszATn8

   11). Monster Mash- Bobby Pickett
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNuVifA7DSU

   12). Pet Semetary- The Ramones 
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP4uTN6CXo8

Tom Petty RIP (1950-2017)

Tom Petty

    The world of rock n'roll lost another legend when musician Tom Petty passed away at

  the ripe age of 66. He was found unconscious at his home where he was immediately 

  rushed to the hospital. Tom had suffered cardiac arrest before put on life support.

      His laid back demeanor and hippie like image made him one of the most likeable

  rockers this generation. He formed The Heartbreakers in the late 70's but rose to

  prominence during the 80's when his videos were in heavy rotation on the fledgling

  MTV network.

      He had a string of hits that included Free Falling, Runnin' Down a Dream &

  Mary Jane's Last Dance. While making hit songs, he helped form the supergroup

  The Travelling Wilburys with George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne (ELO).

      Tom Petty may be gone but his songs should inspire future musicians to come.

    Top Tom Petty songs :

  1). Running Down a Dream                 6). Into the Great Wide Open

  2). Free Fallin'                                      7). Don't Do Me Like That

  3). Learning to Fly                                8). You Got Lucky 

  4). I Won't Back Down                         9). You Don't Know How it Feels

  5). Mary Jane's Last Dance                 10). You Wreck Me Baby
      

Baby Driver

Baby Driver

Dir: Edgar Wright

Cast: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Lily James

Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzalez, Flea

       When I first heard about this movie, I thought it was a sequel to Baby Boss but I was 

  half wrong. Baby Driver is the latest from acclaimed director Edgar Wright whose hits

  include Shaun of the Dead & Scott Pilgrim vs the World.

        It stars teen idol Ansel Elgort, as Baby, a young getaway driver who has hearing

   problems. To help him cope, he blares music on his Ipod while outrunning the police.
   When he's not driving around criminals, he meets Debora (James), a pretty, young
   waitress stuck in a dead end job whom he falls for. Together they dream of skipping
   town and ride off into the sunset.

       But before he can do that, he's coerced into pulling one last job for his boss 
   played by the devilishly Kevin Spacey. When things don't go as planned, the 
   doomed heist falls apart and must survive with the girl of his dreams.

   The Good: The music along with cinematography was stellar. The editing and pacing

   are buttery smooth for its runtime. Some of the scenes reminded me of the video game

   GTA where Baby constantly changes in and out of cars. 

   The Bad: The acting isn't all that great and became a little tedious to watch towards 

   the end. To keep the story moving, it leaned too heavily on its retro soundtrack.
   I had expected more out of it but was satisfied with how it turned out. There was
   one particular character that was introduced but never seen or heard from again. 

   Overall: Edgar Wright hits another home run in this heist movie that disguises itself

   as a coming of age story. If I want to sit and watch a movie with lots of car chases 

   this is the top of my list. The opening chase alone is worth the price of admission.

   Grade: C (7/10)

Annabelle: Creation

Annabelle: Creation

Dir: David F. Sandberg

Cast: Talitha Bateman, Anthony LaPaglia, Miranda Otto, Stephanie Sigman

      If you haven't been keeping track, Annabelle Creation is the prequel of the prequel 

  of The Conjuring 2 with a third Conjuring movie in development. 

      

      This is the latest from Swedish director David F. Sandberg (Lights Out). It tells
  the story of a grieving dollmaker (LaPaglia) and his wife (Otto) who open their
  doors to a small group of orphaned girls and their caretaker (Sigman). Creepy
  things start happening centering around a doll. They soon realize the house is
  haunted by the dollmaker's dead daughter.

      Talitha Bateman plays Janice, a polio stricken girl who investigates the house
 and finds that the spirit is after her. The girls team up to fight the demon that
 resides in the house.

  The Good : This film had a lot of effective jump scares that gave me a jolt out of
  my comfy chair. The sound effects that accompanied those creaking house parts
  made it all the more scarier.

  The Bad : Some of the scare scenes seemed predictable and the plot felt non-
  existent that caused it to drag on. It relied too heavily on some of the horror 
  movie tropes such as flickering lights, closing doors and creaky floorboards.
  It tried too hard to emulate the same religious theme that made The Exorcist
  so scary. 

  Overall : Annabelle: Creation is a step up from the first one and a decent horror
  flick to end the summer. It's an unnecessary entry to an unnecessary franchise.
  This film nods itself to The Conjuring Universe that has been established and 
  hints at another time jump to a new place: Romania. Until then, A:C will do 
  just fine for the time being. 

 Grade: B-