Virgin Sacrifice Review: Fright Night (1985)

Every Halloween, I review a classic horror film I haven’t seen before.  This year, it’s the original Fright Night (1985).  

This movie had been on my to watch list for a long time.  I’m so glad I finally watched it.  It’s a pretty solid vampire movie.  It’s not too scary but it does feature amazing special effects and makeup.  

I love the premise of the film.  Three teenagers enlist a washed up horror TV host to help them defeat a neighborhood vampire.  Imagine Elvira or Svengoolie hunting down a real live monster and you’ve got an idea of how much fun this film is.  In fact, Roddy McDowall’s Peter Vincent is not only my favorite thing about the movie but a new all-time favorite horror character.  He plays an actor who starred as a vampire killer in a string of old movies.  The film honestly suffers every minute he’s not on screen.  

The movie starts out a little slow.  It doesn’t really kick into gear until about thirty minutes in.  The main character isn’t that likeable.  He also has a best friend nicknamed Evil who should have been named Really Annoying instead.  There’s nothing like a good sidekick and he’s nothing like a good sidekick.  The half-hour mark is about when the first major vampire encounter happens and Roddy McDowall really becomes a part of the film.  The other performance that significantly elevates the movie is Chris Sarandon as the vampire Dandridge.  He is casually menacing.  

If you’re a vampire fan who’s looking for something fun and a little creepy that won’t keep you up all night, Fright Night is the film for you.  

Note:  There is a 1988 sequel but it’s not available on DVD or streaming.  It appears that it may be on Youtube.  

Pairs well with:  fellow 1980s vampire flick The Lost Boys.  

Happy Halloween, everyone!  I’m currently working on my monster blog post featuring every possible Oscar contender for 2021.  It’s going to be scary good.  I’m also publishing a post on RunPee soon about current and upcoming Blumhouse releases.  (RunPee is the handy app that lets you know the best time to go to the bathroom during a movie.)  You can find my previous RunPee blog posts here.  To stay up to date with the latest movie news and reviews, subscribe to the mailing list and like the Facebook page.  

Halloween Horror Review: Halloween (2018)

This movie was creepy and a lot of fun.  Halloween (2018) is a direct sequel to the original Halloween (1978).  It opens with two podcasters coming to visit Michael in the asylum in hopes of getting him to speak.  His new psychiatrist is overseeing his transfer to a maximum security prison.  The next stop for the podcasters is Laurie Strode’s house.  She agrees to an interview if they pay her for it.  In the forty years since Michael’s murderous spree, Laurie has become a survivalist with a heavy arsenal and a locked down house.  When Michael escapes and comes looking for her, she’s ready for him.  

Jamie Lee Curtis gives an awesome performance as Laurie.  She is ostracized from her family who have been driven away by her drinking, her paranoia, and her obsession with Michael.  Only her granddaughter Allyson has remained close to her. What I love about this movie and The Conjuring series is that they make you care about the characters. Which just makes the film that much more suspenseful because now you’re emotionally invested and you don’t want to see anything happen to them.  

There were moments the movie could have upped the scares.  A few of the characters feel wasted.  The podcasters are the audience’s entry point into the film.  Arguably, they don’t have much to do once that purpose has been fulfilled.  But their storyline seems to end kind of abruptly.  Overall, though, this is one of the best entries in the series.  There’s a shot I love of Michael peeking into a house from outside a window.  We only see his reflection in the window.  Then suddenly, we see him inside the house from that same viewpoint.  It’s very suspenseful.  

The final battle makes this movie worth the price of admission alone.  I have to revisit my favorite horror movie endings (Scream 3, Poltergeist, Saw, etc.) because this film definitely deserves a place on the list.  

There are two planned sequels.  Halloween Kills comes out on October 15, 2021.  Originally set for release in October 2020, Jason Blum has already promised it won’t be delayed again and will come out next year come hell or high water.  Halloween Ends comes out on October 14, 2022 and will presumably bring an end to the series.  For now.  

Pairs well with:  the original 1978 Halloween.  

Happy Halloween, everyone!  I’m currently working on my monster blog post featuring every possible Oscar contender for 2021.  It’s going to be scary good.  I’m also publishing a post on RunPee soon about current and upcoming Blumhouse releases.  (RunPee is the handy app that lets you know the best time to go to the bathroom during a movie.)  You can find my previous RunPee blog posts here.  To stay up to date with the latest movie news and reviews, subscribe to the mailing list and like the Facebook page.  

Black Films Matter

In the wake of the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, there have been worldwide protests and calls for police reform.  Books like How to Be an Antiracist have been topping the best seller charts.  A lot of people are waking up to the injustices the black community has faced for a long time.  People are also hungry for information, knowledge, and understanding.  If you’re looking for movies that will help give you insight, here are my reccomendations.  These are the movies that have touched me.  Let’s start with two movies that made me want to be a better person. 

Fruitvale Station

Before Creed and Black Panther, this was director Ryan Coogler’s first collaboration with actor Michael B. Jordan.  The movie dramatizes the last day in the life of Oscar Grant III who was the victim of a police shooting.  The filmmakers avoid the temptation of turning Grant into a saint and instead present him as a flawed, three-dimensional human being.  One that’s in the middle of getting his life together.  Which makes his death all the more tragic. You’ll find yourself wanting to treat people kinder the day after you watch this one.  

The Hate U Give 

Amandla Stenberg plays Starr, a teenage girl who watches her best friend get shot by a police officer.  Afterwards, she struggles with whether to speak up or not.  Russell Hornsby portrays one of the greatest on-screen fathers since Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird.  This underrated film got shut out of all the awards shows, but I think Stenberg and Hornsby should have been nominated.  This was a movie that really made me look at my own prejudices and start to make some changes.  

Just Mercy 

This movie features another stellar Michael B. Jordan performance.  Eventually, the Academy is going to stop ignoring him and give him an Oscar.  Based on a true story, Jordan plays civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson who works to free a wrongly convicted man on death row.  This movie reveals some of the shocking racism currently happening in our judicial system.  For a deeper dive, check out both Stevenson’s book and the book I’m currently reading The New Jim Crow.  

Moonlight

Moonlight is the story of a gay man from childhood to adult told in three episodes.  We see him as a boy, as a teenager, and as a man.   As some critics have pointed out, one of the things that makes this movie unique is the portrayal of tenderness between black men.  Mahershala Ali won Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a drug dealer who takes a shy outcast under his wing.  One of the highlights of the film is Ali teaching the child how to swim.  Janelle Monáe is awesome in one of her first movie roles.  This sweet, touching character study beat out La La Land for Best Picture.  

I Am Not Your Negro

This documentary is based on James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript Remember This House which was to chronicle the lives and assassinations of his close friends Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King.  Samuel L. Jackson narrates Baldwin’s words in between interview clips of the late author.  

Roots (2016) 

The original Roots miniseries debuted in 1977.  Based on Alex Haley’s novel, it was a major pop culture phenomenon.  It featured an all-star cast and told the story of Haley’s family history through many generations.  (I’m still amazed that he was able to trace his family history so far back at a time without all the genealogy websites and tools we have today.). In 2016, the miniseries was remade for modern audiences.  Why do I reccomend the 2016 version?  Well, it’s the one I’ve seen all the way through.  Unfortunately, when I started watching Roots around age 11, I didn’t make it past about the time Ben Vereen’s character shows up.  I blame ADD.  Either version is probably a powerful watch, but I can vouch for the 2016 version as it’s fresh in my head.  It captures the horrors of slavery and racism.  It’s also a story about family, ancestry, and identity.  

12 Years a Slave 

Based on a true story, Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery.  This is another movie that really drives home the horrors of slavery.  It’s not an easy watch but it’s a necessary film.  It won Best Picture and Lupita Nyong’o won Best Supporting Actress. 

If Beale Street Could Talk

Based on the James Baldwin novel, this movie tells the story of a young couple in love.  When Fonny gets falsely arrested, his pregnant girlfriend Tish fights to clear his name.  Regina King won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. This was director Barry Jenkins’ follow up to Moonlight.

BlacKkKlansman 

John David Washington plays Ron Stalworth, a black detective who managed to infiltrate and expose the KKK.  While the movie has darkly comic elements, its portrayal/exposure of racism is disturbing.  The footage at the end is haunting and serves as a reminder that the war against racism is far from over. A masterpiece from director Spike Lee.   

I have tried to avoid feel-good white savior movies like The Help and Green Book in my selection process.  I made an effort to choose films that may challenge the viewer.  

On my to-watch list:

Do the Right Thing

I first saw this movie around age 13 when I was too young to fully comprehend it.  I watched it again several years ago but don’t feel like I got the full effect of it.  I need to rewatch it in light of current events.  Spike Lee just released a short film called “Three Brothers.”  It combines footage of Radio Raheem, Eric Garner, and George Floyd.  

Selma

David Oyelowo gave amazing performances in The Queen of Katwe and A United Kingdom.  Somehow I never saw him as Martin Luther King in Selma though.  He’s another actor who is overdue for an Oscar.  

Black lives matter.  Black stories matter.  Black films matter.  

Here are some more resources if you want to make a difference:

Places to donate to: 

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter is working to eradicate white supremacy and violence inflicted on black communities.  

ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union is fighting to end police brutality and defending the right to protest.  

Trans Women of Color Survival Fund

All black lives matter.  At least 19 black trans women died due to violence last year according to Vice.com.  The fund assists with food, car fare, hygiene products, clothing, and more.  

Books to read:

How to be an antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi 

As Mashable.com says, being “not racist” isn’t enough.  This book tells you how to become antiracist. 

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander 

This fascinating read talks about what’s wrong with our current prison system and police procedures.  It talks about how certain laws are biased against colored people.  (The war on drugs was really a war on black people.)  If you want to understand why people are talking about defunding the police and what that might look like, check out this book.  

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson 

Stevenson’s autobiographical tale that was the basis for the movie.  

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin 

If you enjoy I Am Not Your Negro, check out this collection of two powerful essays.  One is a letter written to Baldwin’s nephew on the hundredth anniversary of emancipation.  The other deals with race and religion.  

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria: and Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum, PH.D. 

A book about the psycholgy of racism.  

I know I haven’t been posting much lately. I’m hoping to have some new posts in the coming weeks dealing with my first trip back to the movies, what the Oscars might look like this season, and the Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe, To stay in the know, please subscribe to the newsletter and like the Facebook page. You can also find my posts for RunPee here.

So What Now?

All the movie theaters are closed. 

Wow.

If you’re like me, going to the movies is a regular part of your life, a ritual, a welcome escape.  And now it’s gone.  (Temporarily.) 

It’s okay to grieve the loss. 

I had planned to see one last movie at my local art house theater, the only one still open.  It closed the night before I planned to go. 

Emma was the last movie I saw in the theaters.  What was your last theater going experience?  

Courtesy of Focus Features.

Those of us who love film are left with the question:  What now?  The good news is you have a lot of options to keep you entertained until the pandemic is over.  

Several movies which were in theaters when they closed have opted to go straight to streaming.  You can now rent the following titles on multiple platforms: 

—Emma

—The invisible man

—The Hunt

—Birds of Prey

—The Way Back 

—Sonic the Hedgehog 

Disney decided to release several of its titles early on the Disney+ platform including 

Frozen 2, Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and Onward.

On June 12, Artemis Fowl will be coming to Disney+.  

On July 3, a live recording of the original cast of Hamilton will be coming to Disney+.

In a bold move, Universal released Trolls: World Tour directly to streaming sites for rent.  

Courtesy of Universal.

Warner Brothers has released Scoob direct to streaming to own.  I’m hoping it does well as it is supposed to be the forst film in a Hanna-Barbera shared universe.  As an 80s kid, I would love tp see that happen.  

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

You can now watch the movie I missed before theaters closed.  Portrait of a Lady on Fire is showing on Hulu.  Parasite is showing on Hulu too!  If you haven’t seen it yet, now’s your chance. 

The other art house film I had been looking forward to, a Sundance favorite, is now streaming too.  Never Rarely Sometimes Always is for rent on multiple platforms.  It’s an emotional movie but it’s good.  Sidney Flanigan is my early pick for a Best Actress nomination.  

The American Film Institute has started a movie club.  Every day they announce a classic American film, offer some trivia about it, and tell you where you can stream it.  

I’m sure you already know about Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Roku.  If you love independent cinema, art house, and foreign film, though, I have a few reccomendations for you.  One is the Criterion Channel.  You may be familiar with The Criterion Collection DVDs and Blu-rays.  They’re the best print of a film you can get with bonus features that are a film nerd’s dream.  The Criterion Channel is home to a large selection of Criterion films with new themes and new artists spotlighted each month.  Then there’s the app Mubi.  Mubi puts up a new movie every day and you have thirty days to watch it.  They have access to some wonderful out of print and harder to find films too.   With thirty different films always available, something’s bound to grab your interest.  

If you’re into theatre, you have a lot of great options.  National Theatre Live, who usually broadcast their productions from London to movie theaters, are now showing past productions for free.  They release a new one each Thursday and it’s available to watch for a week. 

Andreww Lloyd-Webber is also releasing one of his musicals every Friday for free.  It’s available to watch for 48 hours.  It’s called The Shows Must Go On. 

Also, be sure to look up your local community theater online.  Some are putting past productions online for a price or for donations.  They need your support. 

While most summer movies have postponed their opening date to the fall or next year, Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller is holding fast to a July 16 release date.  If movie theaters have opened by then, it’s the one big movie to look forward to.  It was #1 on my list for this year, so my fingers are crossed. 

#5 on my list, The King of Staten Island, starring Pete Davidson and directed by Judd Apatow is coming to streaming on June 12.

There is one type of movie theater you may be able to attend:  the drive-in.  The bygone American staple is enjoying renewed interest.  Some movie theaters have even managed to turn their parking lots into drive-in theaters.  If you live near one of these, I envy you.  

There are several ways to support your favorite movie theaters during the pandemic.  Some theaters are selling popcorn for curbside pick-up.  You can buy giftcards for yourself or others to use after the pandemic.  Some theaters have fundraisers/donation options.  Some art house theaters have the option to watch independent films from their website and they get a percentage of the profits.  Check to see if your local theater is participating in this.  

Don’t feel overwhelmed by options.  It’s okay to watch all of these things or to watch none of them.  Or to find a healthy balance in-between.  

It’s also okay to be productive or not.  Whether you’re writing the great American novel or just managing to maintain self-care, you’re doing fine.  

On a spiritual note, this is teaching us patience.  Not that patience is fun to learn.  Not that patience is an easy lesson.  But it is considered a virtue on most spiritual paths.  As I’ve been forced to wait for things during circumstances outside my control, I have thought that the next three hour flight delay or traffic jam or whatever won’t feel nearly so long.  Let the lessons from this time make you stronger.  

Stay tuned for future posts on my first trip back to the movies (coming in June, hopefully) and the postponed release dates for upcoming movies.  To stay up to date on all the latest movie news, please subscribe to the newsletter and like the Facebook page.

Can We Talk About Last Christmas?

Courtesy of Universal.

Friends don’t let friends watch Last Christmas.

Warning: Unlike most of my posts, this article contains SPOILERS.  You may not want to read it unless you’ve seen the movie already.

Last weekend, I went to see Last Christmas.  It looked like a fun romantic comedy.  It’s fairly rare to find a good love story on the screen anymore.  And I’ve been in a romantic mood ever since Taylor Swift dropped her new album Lover a few months back.  Plus, I have a crush on Mother of Dragons Emilia Clarke.  So I bought my ticket a few days in advance.  Then I started getting bad vibes.  I noticed a headline on IMDB about Clarke getting upset that people were spoiling the movie.  One online review for the film was titled, “When Christmas Movies Go Very, Very Wrong.”  I tried to put these things out of my head.  I’ve enjoyed plenty of movies the critics hated. 

I went to see the movie and Clarke was good in it.  I was mostly enjoying it.  I was digging the love story and the vibe between Clarke and Henry Golding.  Then things took a turn and he gave her the “Don’t come to depend on me” speech.  And I started trying to put pieces together Sixth Sense style.  I’d already played this game a little bit before the movie, trying to figure out what plot point was so awful that people felt like spoiling it for others.  Was the title literal?  Was this THE last Christmas for one of the two main characters?   Surely the movie wouldn’t go that dark.  What my brain did put together was that Clarke’s character was the only person who we’d ever seen interact with Golding’s manic pixie dream boy.  So something was up.  He was definitely a ghost or a figment of her imagination.  Or else supernatural in some other way. 

So I wasn’t completely surprised when it turned out that he was the ghost of her heart donor.  But I was greatly disappointed.  This movie was sold as a romantic comedy.  But it isn’t.  It’s a redemption story about Clarke’s character.  Which is all well and good.  But there’s another way to tell that story without being emotionally manipulative.  By saving the secret about Golding’s character until the final act, this rom-com becomes a non-rom.  There is no longer a love story because she can’t be with the guy she was falling in love with.  Andshe seems to accept that rather quickly.  The entire romantic aspect of the film just falls away with the reveal of Golding’ s identity.  Clarke isn’t even given a romantic subplot with the other shelter worker who shows an interest in her and seems to have some chemistry with her.  The movie simply stops being a love story at all.  Clarke never really grieves or processes the loss of Golding.  She just continues her redemption arc a la Bill Murry in Groundhogs Day until the final group singalong of the title song. 

Here’s the thing:  This movie didn’t need a twist.  Dream boy helps girl become a better person as they fall in love is a perfectly good plot.  It doesn’t need to be tweaked.  Was Last Christmas the best movie ever before the plot twist?  No.  But it was pretty decent.  Clarke is a lot of fun spouting sarcastic dialogue in her elf costume.  The movie was well on its way to a place in the second tier of Christmas semi-classics if it could have just stuck the landing.  Which it failed to do on all accounts.  It is now a movie I never want to sit through again.  Unless Rifftrax gets their hands on it. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I grew up on Twilight Zone re-runs.  So I love a good plot twist.  But I can’t stand  manipulation dressed up like a plot twist. 

The other thing that troubles me is that this is the second depressing romance that Emilia Clarke has starred in.  While she certainly had no knowledge of where Daenerys’ story arc would go in Game of Thrones or how the show would end, one presumes she had a chance to read completed scripts for Last Christmas and Me Before You.  I just realized I’m forgetting Solo.  You know what?  Shame on me for walking into this movie expecting a typical romance.  Emilia Clarke is obviously the kiss of death to a romantic plotline.  All kidding aside, though.  This was her first project after Game of Thrones which is another reason I was excited for it and all the more reason I was let down by it.  Clarke deserves better material  than this.  I know there isn’t necessarily a great wealth of quality roles for actresses to choose from these days.  Still, I hope she’ll be more discerning in the future.  She deserves better and so do we. 

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Halloween Horror Review: Videodrome

Part Terry Gilliam head trip, part Thomas Pynchon novel, this intelligent horror film is one hell of a mindfuck. I wish I’d discovered it in my twenties when I had the time to watch this kind of thing three or four times in a week and really dissect it. As it is, this is a film I’ll eventually revisit knowing it will pay off with multiple viewings.

While the technology might be outdated, the themes Cronenberg explores are as relevant as ever. Media’s effect on both society and the individual, identity in the modern world, and religion and fanaticism among them. Professor Bryan O’Blivion’s prediction that everyone will have “television names” practically foretells our current online usernames/personas. Max’s wake up videos are a primitive jury-rigged version of our smart devices like Alexa.

Videodrome is the name of a mysterious torture porn program that sleazy TV producer Max Renn (an excellent James Woods) wants to acquire for his station. But the more he pursues this program, the deeper the mystery grows. And because this is Cronenberg, things are going to get visually interesting and gory. One of my favorite surreal moments is a mission that provides television time to the homeless.

Although I haven’t seen it for years, this movie obviously prepared Cronenberg for its spiritual cousin The Naked Lunch. If you like puzzles and trippy films, you’ll have fun with this one.

Pairs well with: The Naked Lunch

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Halloween Horror Review: Rabid

When Gavin Rossdale sang, “There’s no sex in your violence,” he wasn’t talking about the films of David Cronenberg. From the S&M in Videodrome to the vaginal, cavernous wounds that characters suffer in his films, there are often sexual overtones to the violence in Cronenberg’s films. In Rabid, Marilyn Chambers’ body begins craving blood after an experimental plastic surgery procedure. The way she attacks her victims is rather sexual in nature with them relaxing in a post-orgasmic sort of bliss afterwards. Chambers strokes their hair soothingly. Her victims become zombies, causing an epidemic. Chambers is torn between her humanity and her desire to feed.

I’m still deciding whether this movie is feminist (a female penetrates men and has all the power) or misogynistic (a woman is responsible for all the trouble). Either way, it’s a worthwhile ride and and would make an interesting introduction to Cronenberg if you’ve never seen one of his films. Suspense builds as you worry for both Chambers and her boyfriend as they get closer to reuniting. The ending is devastating and really got to me. The final images are emotionally brutal.

Pairs well with: Under the Skin (2013)

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Virgin Sacrifice Review: Black Christmas (1974)

Every Halloween, I’m going to review a classic horror film I haven’t seen before. This year, it’s the original Black Christmas. (It’s being remade in December by Blumhouse.)

Black Christmas is one of the first slasher films. It paved the way for flicks like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Sleepaway Camp. It waa made for a meager budget of $620,000 and at times it shows.

The movie moves kind of slowly until after the second kill. The killer’s POV tantrum got to me.

Part of the fun of the movie is its subversiveness. Settting a horror film at Christmas time. Having a cursing Santa Claus. Juxtaposing a murder with a scene of kids singing carols.

What makes the film creepy is that we can sometimes see the killer’s POV but we never see the killer himself. He talks in three distinct creepy voices including one of a child.

The movie features performances by a scenery-chewing Margot Kidder and a young Andrea Martin (sadly in a non-comedic role).

I found the movie a little slow compared to today’s faster paced horror films. However, it does have a decent twist ending. If you’re curious about the roots of the slasher film genre or just want to brush up before the remake, you should give it a shot.

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Midsommar: Know Before You Go

Courtesy of A24.

Midsommar has recently opened with some deafening buzz. Even director Jordan Peele (Us, Get Out) says it features "some of the most atrociously disturbing imagery I’ve ever seen on film." It's safe to say Midsommar is the prestige horror movie event of this summer (see The Blair Witch Project, The Witch, It Follows, and even director Ari Aster's own Hereditary). If you plan on seeing it, here are some tips that might help increase your enjoyment of the film.

1) While it's billed as a horror film, don't expect major frights. This isn't a James Wan film full of jump scares. Instead, it's an artistic psychological horror film with a lot of tension. In other words, it's a slow burn.

2) Let it be an experience. The movie is less a conventional horror film and more of a spellbinding fever dream. Try to let it wash over you and enjoy the surreality.

3) It's two and a half hours long. Plan accordingly. I suggest using the RunPee app. (runpee.com)

4) Take in the rich imagery. It's unique for a horror film to create its own visual language like this one does.

5) There is a lot of full frontal nudity in the last third of the film, male and female. Some of it you may enjoy. Some of it you won't.

6) Try to be mature. If you're not digging the vibe of the film, don't ruin it for those who are by mocking it. Watch quietly or leave.

7) Have an aftercare plan. This is a film that's so dark, the cast sat in silence for about ten minutes after they screened it. Plan a happy activity for afterwards or have a friend on standby you can talk to.

Courtesy of A24.

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The Trailers I Love

Late Night

Late Night was one of the biggest comedies to come out of Sundance.  Mindy Kaling’s smart, fresh writing is definitely on display in this trailer.  This looks like The Devil Wears Prada set in the world of late night television and I’m totally here for it.  I can’t remember when I’ve been so excited to see an Emma Thompson film.  She looks amazing in this.  One of the things on my summer movie checklist every year is an indie comedy like Little Miss Sunshine or The Big Sick.  I get to check this one off my list early when it comes out on June 6.

Good Boys

On the other side of the spectrum and the other side of summer (August 16) is Good Boys.  This is goofy, raunchy, lowbrow comedy about bad behavior.  It’s basically the new Superbad and it makes me so happy.  I watched this trailer twice in a row when it came out.  The movie features Jacob Tremblay from Room and Wonder and Keith L. Williams from the TV show The Last Man on Earth.  This will be the perfect film to beat those end of summer blues I always get around mid-to-late August.  Please note:  this is a red band trailer and it is NSFW. 

There should be plenty of laughs this summer. Sundance favorites Brittany Runs a Marathon and dramedy The Farewell starring Awkwafina haven’t released trailers yet but should also be a lot of fun.

If you like trailers, be sure to follow my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/EtchedInGold/) where I share trailers and articles about upcoming films.

Trailer Watch: Kids Movies

There are several fun trailers out for upcoming kid flicks.  Let's take a closer look at them. 

UglyDolls  

Based on the popular stuffed animals, the trailer features some rather odd looking creatures that live in Uglyville and one day discover a place called The Institute of Perfection.  

I know, I know.  I've already gone on record complaining about animated movies that overwhelm you with their celebrity voice cast and a catchy pop tune (Smallfoot, Angry Birds, Rio 2).  But I really LIKE this voice cast and catchy pop tune.  How can you not be excited about a new Janelle Monáe performance?  Or Pitbull playing a pitbull named Pitbull?  Okay, technically his character is called Ugly Dog but still...When he belts out, "It doesn't get better than this!", you kind of wanna dance.  

The Secret Life of Pets 2  

The Secret Life of Pets had a trailer with more promise than the actual movie.  It was one of the best trailers of that year.  So it's no surprise the trailers for the sequel are a lot of fun, each one focusing on a different character. The best ones so far are the the Snowball trailer and the Daisy trailer. Both ads give us a glimpse at Snowball the rabbit’s reformed life as a tamed pet with his new owner Molly from the end of the first movie. No longer a villain, he has done a 180 and is now a self-proclaimed superhero. Daisy is a new character voiced by Tiffany Haddish who had good chemistry with Kevin Hart in Night School.

Sean the Sheep 2: Farmageddon

The first Sean the Sheep was hilarious.  My girlfriend and I laughed all the way through it.  In the teaser trailer for the sequel, the sheep play a prank on the farmer by creating crop circles before one of them is beamed up into an actual UFO.  Is Sean going where no Sheep has gone before?  No matter what the sequel has in store, it should be a good time.  

The Kid Who Would Be King

I've seen two different trailers for this movie and I think it has a lot of potential.  It's not going to be The Lord of the Rings.  But it looks like a truly enjoyable, well-made adventure for middle schoolers with plenty of humor.  I'm not sure Hollywood produces enough of that kind of film anymore. I'm hoping this is as much fun as The House with a Clock in Its Walls. Writer-director Joe Cornish was a writer on Ant-Man and wrote and directed Attack the Block. These trailers makes me nostalgic for some of the movies I watched in middle school like The Mighty Ducks or the 1980s classic Explorers.

Keep your eye out for these upcoming films. Stay tuned for future editions of Trailer Watch. Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page for more trailers. And sign up for the newsletter to stay up to date on all the latest articles.

The Trailer I Hate: Spies in Disguise

I really liked this trailer...until the true concept of the movie kicked in. The trailer opens with a smooth black spy. My first thought was that someone had done something genius. Since the studio won't make a James Bond movie with Idris Elba, another studio has made an animated spy film starting a badass Elba lookalike. It blew my mind. It looked fun. And I love the idea that Hollywood is taking a cue from Black Panther's success and making more movies with black heroes.

Then the spy gets turned into a bird. Which is how he'll spend most of the movie. Just like Tiana, the only Disney princess who has to spend most of her movie as a frog instead of as a beautiful human woman. What is wrong with Hollywood?! What was wrong with the idea of an animated spy film? Why did it need a “twist”?

We are having a year with an amazing crop of movies by black filmmakers. I hope it's not a fluke. I'd rather see the screens at my local cineplex populated with movies like Sorry to Bother You, BlacKkKlansman, The Hate U Give, If Beale Street Could Talk, Black Panther, and Creed II than Spies in Disguise.

All MY Questions Answered About the New Godzilla Movie

The trailers for the new Godzilla: King of the Monsters look amazing. But is this related to the last Godzilla movie? Or is this a standalone Godzilla film like how there have been two Jungle Book movies in the past several years? And is this the sequel hinted at in the post-credit scene of Kong: Skull Island? The ad campaign has made this all as clear as mud. so I did some research on the new movie to get some answers.

Is it a sequel to Godzilla (2014)?  Yes.  Even though the ads don’t hint at this AT ALL, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is indeed a sequel to the box office hit Godzilla from four years ago.  My biggest clue in sussing this out was that Ken Watanabe plays the same character in both movies according to IMDB.  While director Gareth Edwards had warned audiences at the time that it would take him years to make a sequel, I’m not sure anyone expected to wait four years.  Or for Edwards to drop out from the series. He stepped down when he get the offer to direct Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the production for the Godzilla sequel needed to proceed without him.

Who’s directing this one? Michael Dougherty who directed Krampus and Trick ‘r Treat.

Why didn’t they call it Godzilla 2? They did. For a while. But they ultimately changed the name to the much cooler King of the Monsters. I have not been able to find an explanation why. Perhaps they did not want the baggage associated with sequels. For instance, occasionally they make less than the original. Perhaps they feel the storyline did not necessitate needing to be familiar with the first film. If I were a studio exec, I would want people to go out and buy, rent, stream the first movie. I would want that extra money coming in. But maybe they figure people will do that anyway with or without a number 2 attached to the title. With multiple monsters and a Stranger Things cast member, who needs to bank on nostalgia for the first film?

Which monsters are in this movie? Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah.

Is it a sequel to Kong: Skull Island?  Yes.  Sort of.  It’s in the same universe.  It has characters that were hinted at in a cut scene at the end of the credits for Kong: Skull Island in the style of Marvel movies. It reintroduces the Monarch organization. The main characters are told Kong is not the only monster and then shown archival footage of ancient cave drawings of Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and a battle between King Ghidorah and Godzilla .  According to Wikipedia, Legendary Pictures production company and Warner Brothers have created what they are calling the Monsterverse.  Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island were the first two movies in the series.  Godzilla: King of the Monsters will be the third.  A fourth one has been announced for 2020. 

Are Godzilla and King Kong going to be in a movie together?  Yes.  Godzilla vs. Kong has been announced for spring of 2020.  Millie Bobby Brown is returning for this movie according to IMDB. 

Can it be 2020 yet? Not unless you’re a time lord.  But don’t worry.  There’s plenty of movie goodness to keep you occupied until then including Avengers: Endgame, Toy Story 4, Spiderman: Far From Home, Frozen 2, Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and Bond 25. And we’ll keep you updated on all the upcoming movie awesomeness here at Meanwhile at the Multiplex!   

Thanksgiving Movies That Aren’t Turkeys

Let’s face it.  When it comes to holidays, Christmas gets all the love.  There are more movies about Christmas than any other holiday.  This year alone, Hallmark is set to release an unprecedented 37 Christmas movies and they began airing them before Halloween.  Meanwhile, the only movie about Purim that I know of is Home For Purim, the movie within a movie in For Your Consideration.  Even though some of the best movies of the year often come out on or around Thanksgiving (Toy Story, Home Alone, Frozen, The Muppets reboot, An American Tail), there are few movies dedicated to this annual American holiday.  I present you with three Thanksgiving movies well worth your time.

First up is the most well-known of the three, 1987’s Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.  In a departure from his usual teen fare, John Hughes wrote and directed this dark comedy about the frustrations of traveling during a holiday weekend.  I feel lucky to have been a kid when John Candy was alive and making movies.  Seeing this in the theater with my Dad is one of my favorite movie memories.  Steve Martin and John Candy are both at the top of their game here and it’s a shame they never partnered up for another film like this.  If you like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, you’ll probably enjoy this less celebrated gem as well.

Our second movie is Home for the Holidays starring Holly Hunter and directed by Jodie Foster.  Hunter’s character flies home for Thanksgiving after a series of unfortunate events and braces herself for a dysfunctional family holiday.  Anne Bancroft plays the critical mother.  Charles Durning, a Christmas movie MVP, plays the lovable bumbling dad.  Robert Downey Jr plays the gay brother in one of his most underrated roles with his usual mix of charm and snark.  If you want to feel better about your family’s Thanksgiving, put this one on.   

Finally, we have Pieces of April.  This independent film used to be required viewing for me every November.  I still try to watch at least part of it around Thanksgiving every year.  Katie Holmes plays black sheep April who is hosting her family for Thanksgiving at her apartment.  She desperately wants everything to go off without a hitch.  It isn’t going to.  This bittersweet movie about community and family always touches me and the message of hope and reconciliation always gets to me.  I always tear up at the end.  Plus the soundtrack by the Magnetic Fields is amazing.  The way the characters love each other is deeply moving. 

There you have it.  Three quality films that Christmas doesn’t own.  I hope you’ll check them out and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do

The Trailers I Hate

The Sisters Brothers

 While I’m very much looking forward to this movie, the trailer for it is tone deaf.  It has the rhythms of a comedy trailer and even seems to pause for laughs (like when Phoenix falls off his horse) but doesn’t seem to understand what a joke is.  I’ve watched this trailer several times in theaters and it never gets a laugh.  The moment when John C. Reilly punches Joaquin Phoenix instead of slapping him should get a big laugh and instead it always gets silence.  The damn thing opens with them terrorizing a woman who we sympathize with more than them then triumphant music plays as they burn her house down.  How are we supposed to side with them?  This doesn’t make them fun bad boys in the way the trailer thinks it does.  There is a fun, off-beat western somewhere buried underneath all this.  This particular ad does a poor job of explaining or selling it however.

Smallfoot

At least this trailer nails its concept.  A yeti goes in search of the mystical “Smallfoot.”  Unfunny jokes and a saccharine song about freedom make this one hard to sit through repeatedly.  At least there is original music in this movie and not just the rehashed jukebox of oldies the constantly get repackaged and sold to kids in so many movies (Sing, Ella Enchanted, Strange Magic).  This is another movie where the trailer overwhelms you with the voice cast as if the sheer number of celebrities will somehow cover up a substandard plot.  If you want a cast of thousands, rent It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.

The Trailer I Love: The Old Man and the Gun

This feels like an old ‘70s movie that already exists.  If you didn’t know Robert Redford was a dashing young man in the 1970s, you’d swear that it was.  There’s a comforting sense of déjà vu at the end of the trailer with that great piece of dialogue (“…I’m just talking about living.”) and the easy listening song playing.  Every time this trailer starts up at the art house, I groan inside a little because I’ve seen it so many times but then I easily get swept up in its spell.  The montage of bank robberies.  Watching Redford sweet talk Sissy Spacek.  He’s still so damn charming.  She’s so radiant. It’s easy to get excited about this movie even when the trailer is wearing a little thin. 

The Guilty Pleasure of A Star Is Born

A Star Is Born has some of the biggest buzz so far this Oscar season. Lady Gaga has a strong shot at a Best Actress nomination and Bradley Cooper may get a Best Director nod his first time out of the gate. However, let's not lose sight of the fact that this movie is a good old-fashioned guilty pleasure.  

Let's count the ways. (SPOILERS AHEAD)

1) Bradley Cooper in a gay bar 
It's just as fun for us the audience to see Bradley Cooper drinking in a gay bar as it is for the patrons in the movie to see Jackson Maine drinking there. Talk about meta! It's a humorous, surreal moment. 

2) Gaga getting in a fist fight. 
Is this maybe your second favorite fight scene this year? (#1 being the one where every Marvel hero fights Thanos) Who else can turn a bar brawl into a romantic gesture? 

3) Gaga pretending she's never sung live before. It's amazing that she can look so vulnerable onstage and stay in character when you know in real life she has done this a million times. The vulnerability she displays in this scene feels so authentic. 

4) Getting to fall in love with Gaga 
The movie nails that first 24 hours. The parking lot scene, her first time onstage, that exhilaration of new love. We fall in love with her as Bradley Cooper does.  

5) The "bromance" between Sam and Bradley
Sam Elliott has quietly been doing amazing work in movies like Grandma, The Last Dinosaur, and I'll See You In My Dreams over the past several years. Now that he's in a movie getting a lot of buzz, maybe he'll get his Best Supporting Actor nomination. He's the tough love brother who never got to be in the spotlight. He's perfect in every scene. Try not to tear up during their last scene together.  

6) All the sappy songs 
I have had "Maybe it's time to let the old ways die x 2/It takes a lot to change a man/ Hell, it takes a lot to try..." stuck in my head since before the damn movie opened.  

7) It's a tear jerker.  
The movie isn't afraid to pull on your heartstrings and have you reaching for the tissues. Alcoholism, sibling rivalry, love gone bad, and suicide are all part of the feel-bad mix that feels a little bit good.