Parental Guidance

We have seen this all before. A film playing at every theater that is full of stars wasting their talent and also our money. A film that does not know what it is. We saw it with the Cheaper by the Dozen films, and the Yours, Mines and Our remake. Parental Guidance is a film that closes out 2012 with the worst of the worst of everything.

Parental Guidance has an unoriginal story of grandparents staying temporarily with their grandkids while the parents are out of town and the outcome is not good.

The film has a great cast with Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Gedde Watanabe and Bailey Madison but really there isn't much to like about them here. Mostly, we get dry acting with some very plain writing. There are only about a dozen jokes that are laughable and that is it. After an hour and half with these dry and undeveloped characters, it hard to sit through much more.

There are a few original ideas including a recently fired baseball announcer who doesn't know what to do with himself and speech involving the famed Bobby Thompson home run call but really there is nothing special about this plot. It has the characters running around doing nothing and it is just not interesting. It does build up the idea of the Bailee Madison character going to a party but then the party is never shown.

Parental Guidance is also a film that really does not seem to know much about how the world really is. The film is set in a futuristic house that feels like it was made in Epcot which doesn't seen very real. They also have an X-Games scene which looks like it was shot in a small city park though the X-Games are really of course a very large spectacle. There is also a rain scene that couldn't look more phony.

                               A bright family but all lacking genetics


There really is no point to all of this. You could say that the movie is saying something about parenting but actually it is more about bad parenting.

Actually, I did not hate this movie as you might think and could sit through it again if I had to. That said I found it to be pretty useless and not a very smart movie, like a movie without a brain.

1.5/5

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Chillerama

There are a lot of things going on with Chillerama. It is a film that has four great directors (Adam Rifkin, Adam Green, Tim Sullivan, and Joe Lynch) and it is one of the most interesting films around and also an influential one in the horror genre. Chillerama is no doubt a dumb film that I can see some people not liking but to me it works. It shows heart, pays homage to other films and in the end is a very fun movie from 2011.

Chillerama is the story of drive-in movie theater which is showing four classic films that were never released. The stories includes a killer sperm, werewolves in the gay community, Adolf Hitler and one about zombies. While all these showings are going on, the drive-in is having an outbreak of horror on it's own with some killers on the loose.

The stories are a bit different in terms of perspective and quality but they are all good and work with what they set out to do. It is an original idea with great stories and actors that includes Lin Shaye. There is also some very realistic gore here which I found to be unexpected.

One thing in this film that does not work is the opening. It is confusing from the start and a little hard to explain. It makes you wonder what is going to happen in this film. Luckily, things do pick up later.

There is also some subpar humor in this movie. The movie is made for horror fans who usually can put up with this type of humor. If you are a horror fan and can get by these weaknesses, then this film might be for you.

3/5

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How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I can't lie. I haven't seen the 26 minute 1960's short of the Grinch in close to ten or fourteen years. I know that if I watched it today, it is something that I would like and it is something I liked back in the day. Ron Howard's more recent Grinch movie is one I haven't seen since the early 2000's and has a lot going for it. That said, it seems like it is lacking somewhat and should have been better.

This is the classic story of the chubby green Grinch who tries to destroy the Christmas spirit by stealing the presents and Christmas decorations from the people of a town called Whoville. Throughout this, the Grinch does eventually discover the Christmas spirit and learns to love this holiday.

It was a very interesting idea making the Grinch a live action movie. It works really well with the land of Whoville depicted with beautiful style and imagery. The film beautifully captures snow, a mountain and everything in between with this live action technique.

Considering the earlier version, obviously this is a familiar plot. It has a good setup that does well with it's running time, gives an interesting perspective on Christmas and has some decent music. There is also a cliche-type ending that does include a good message. That said, there is a sleigh concept here that is never really explained. All in all, the plot is kind of a mixed bag.

As the main character in the film, the Grinch sure does provide a lot of everything here. Jim Carrey offers up a very quirky and wild performance and he works well with Taylor Momsen who plays Cindy Lou in the film. The Grinch itself also looks really well put together. On the other hand, the laughs are sometimes a bit lacking and after an hour and a half of Jim Carrey's Grinch, the shtick gets a little old.

What gets lost in the middle is all the soft highlights. Anthony Hopkins does a great job with narration and there is an interesting back story with the Grinch that is original and fun. As with a lot of films, sometimes it is the little things things like this that make or break a film. In this case, they add to the film.

I do think though that there are some missed opportunities in this film. For just one example, there is no explanation of where the police are in this town. The little people in the town are also kind of interesting but not really explained.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a film that has it's heart in the right place but it is somewhat inconsistent and there seem to be things missed in the middle so in the end it is kind of a disappointing ride.

3/5

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Favorite Christmas movies

As with any holiday, Christmas has it's share of problems. It is a holiday that I liked a lot more when I was younger but is now just another holiday on the calendar. It's the same thing every year for me, which is a lot of busyness and living in Michigan we get a thing called snow which can be a pain. As with every holiday and any time of year, films help with the tough times. Here are my top Christmas films!

Everybody has totally forgotten about this foreign one called Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. Fun, flashy, original, very sappy and not made for the little ones.

 

Not officially credited as a Christmas film but it definitively works as one. Edward Scissorhands is a very dark film from Tim Burton that really got me into him more.

 

Another film from Tim Burton. He again utilizes an original concept using Halloween this time around and mixing it with Christmas. It is another dark film that has a cult following for a very good reason.

 

 

Also a good horror film, Gremlins still holds up no matter what time of year it is. It has a very fun concept and a good film to introduce horror movies to young ones if the right age.

Really along with some other critics' lists, this list would not be complete without this film. This film is a fun ride that made us look at our own families and one of last good films from Chevy Case before they all went downhill.

This one barely made the list but it is not all that bad. A good buddy/cop film from the late 80's that was fun and has some good Christmas vibes to it.

 

This one made the list easily. A very memorable film from the 80's that at times is absolutely hilarious. A very strange film from Bob Clark.

 

 

I've become really tired of this one lately due how much it's on television but this was fun in in the mid 2000's. This really got Will Ferrell to where he is now and it works with a really good cast. I have nice childhood memories of seeing in the theater.

From a reviewing standpoint, it is not a great point to make because it is so obvious but Home Alone is truly a special film. A fun family that is memorable for about a dozen reasons and a film that made people love young Macaulay Culkin.

This one also barely made the list and I didn't love it like some people did but this film still has a lot to it. Tim Burton again brings justice to the world with this and this is the last good Batman movie before Christopher Nolan came along like fifteen years later with Batman Begins.


Well that is my list. I know I missed some classic Christmas movies and some I didn't put on the list as I just have not seen them in a while. These stood out for me anyway.

 

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2012

As the December 21st date comes up, there a lot of questions about this date that the Mayan calendar supposedly predicted would be the day the world ends. So what is going to happen on December 21st? What's up with this Mayan calendar? Will there be a December 22nd? My personal opinion is that nothing much will happen. That said, 2012 is an interesting film about people trying to survive on this day. Frankly, it is one of the most plainest action films I have ever seen and quite disappointing.

It does have a nice cast that includes John Cusack, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson but there are just way too many characters in this film. You can still follow the movie but less characters would have been better here and maybe have caused it to be a little more realistic.

                    Some of the same looks I had watching this film

As a film idea, this is somewhat original and there appears to be a good amount of effort that was put into this film but frankly the screenplay is weak. It's an unrealistic film with characters doing too much and an ending that seems rather impossible. The first act of this film is also very slow without any excitement and it seems dead.

Billed as a big blockbuster, you would really expect some great action scenes. The action here is visually appealing but really the scenes are just ok and could have been better. There isn't much to the action scenes and these should have stood out more considering the subject of the film.

The ending has some worthwhile action to it and it also might be a bit scary for some. While the ending may have some problems, it might be one of the film's few highlights. It does show what this film really could have been and the potential that it had.

As doomsday comes, there are some questions without answers. The film 2012 provides it's answer but I didn't care for it. I see it as a film with bad ideas from 2009 that really missed it's mark.

2/5

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Election

If you know me, you would know that I am a sucker for high school and teen films. I grew up with The Brat Pack and also American Pie characters. Election is one of the last good teen films. It is a flashy film from the late 90's that is as watchable now as it was then.

The title speaks for itself and the film is based off a novel about a high school election that causes revenge issues, many breakups and many problems but at the same time the movie has warmth, heart and the student body that comes together.

The cast is good and includes Chris Klein, Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick and with these actors you would expect fine performances but here their performances and characters are really out of this world. It is hard at first to like Reese Witherspoon's character but she really opens up during Act 2 and
gives one of the best performances of her career in my opinion. Chris Klein and Matthew Broderick both play interesting characters that are somewhat weird and both bring a lot to this film and I enjoyed them.

Comparing this to other teen films, I think Election comes off as one of the smartest and most realistic. There are probably one or two bad plot ideas that could have been avoided, especially one with the Witherspoon character and a teacher having a sexual relationship that really does nothing to the film. That said, you really can't not like this plot. It is smart, heartwarming and also full of sexual antics that work all around. I do think that it is quite an original plot that we are probably never going to see again.

Election is fun film that is full of insight and a movie to watch if you want to relive some old high school memories. It is a film that brings quite a bit to table and a film that probably shouldn't be missed.

4/5

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Attack the Block

I had some mixed emotions going into this movie. In the 80's, the films Stand by Me, E.T. and The Goonies did a good job of telling stories of rebellious teenagers going on adventures with no parents around but as times went on, those type of films have kind of changed. Since the 80's, we have had films like Super 8 that struggled quite a bit as it was so unrealistic and also Zathura and Jumanji having the same problem. Attack the Block has this type of plot idea and is about a group of British punk teens fighting aliens during the dark hours. Really, I think this film really goes overboard and was a bit different than my expectations. It does bring some very raw power for a film in this genre and in a way it creates it's own unique spot in the movie history books.

What is surprising about this film to me is the cast. Nick Frost is here who we've seen before and is his usual good self but in addition to Frost, there is a cast of new actors that really stood out for me. From John Boyega to Simon Howard, every one of these actors does a phenomenal job. They have a laid back feel making you root for them and I think all these actors have a shot at more work after this film due to their fine performances.

This film had a good deal of action which is where a film like Super 8 faltered. There is also some top level gore mixed in with great effects which compliments the cast. These are gold scenes as I would call them and especially these action scenes are hard to top. Another thing I really liked is how the creature is used here. It is used in an exciting way that fits right into the film's running time and adds to a great finish.

Also, the set-up to the film is a little different. Characters all are doing things in realistic motion. The attack scenes in particular have good motion and this includes the more minor characters too.

One thing that does not surprise me with this film is how little the parents of these kids are used here. I know it was going to be hard enough to add them to the story but at least there maybe could have been an effort. Without the parents, the story feels a little unrealistic and you even wonder if child social services should be involved here.

Attack the Block is a film that comes close to working at everything it tries to do. It is essentially a retro film that really could have worked in the 80's. It is a film that is almost on par with 80's teen classics, The Goonies, E.T. and Stand by Me and that says something in my book.

4.5/5

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Morning Glory

Morning Glory is a film that has a subject matter, breakfast television, that I don't have much interest in. That said, it is kind of interesting because it is not a subject we see very often. Also there is a strong cast in this film so that raises the interest level. Actually, this was not bad film but it still comes up a little short and just by inches.

This is a really straight-forward film about Becky (Rachel McAdams) who gets a new job as a tv director and must deal with some emotions in a television station where people do not get along while at the same time trying get the best ratings for her station of all the premier networks.

The last thing I expected to be wrong with this film would be the lead characters. Diane Keaton and Rachel McAdams both are talented and can be entertaining in their own ways. Here, their acting is really not a problem but they are playing bad characters. McAdams plays her part over-the-top with an outgoing and energetic feel that does not seem to fit the character. Diane Keaton comes into the mix with an unlikable and very negative feel to her. Luckily Harrison Ford and Jeff Goldblum really pick up the slack and carry the film as much as they can.

With characters out of place, this makes the film feel out of place. The film has weird and unfunny scenes throughout, especially some scenes with the weatherman that don't come close to fitting into this movie. In a way, it feels like the film is trying to be a comedy while at the same time being a drama and the mixture does not work or feel right.

The first two acts are kind of a mess but the ending does puts a good closure on the film. It is not original and I could see it was coming but it is lovable and it makes you look at the characters in a good light.

Morning Glory is a film that has a lot of things that are out of place and hard to put into perspective and it seems to struggle with things that it shouldn't so it is not a film I would recommend.

2.5/5

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It's Kind of a Funny Story

I came into this movie with some mixed feelings. Some people I know loved it while others hated it and this film really fell off the radar after being the theaters for a little while in 2010. For me, It's Kind of a Funny Story is not perfect but it does what it needs and I found it to be a a sweet and accurate story.

Based on a novel, the film follows a stressed teen named Craig (Keir Gilchrist) who checks into a hospital to get away from life and along the way, finds love and meets a another patient named Bobby (Zach Galifianakis) who teaches him about the world and also himself.


This has a similar feel to that of the film "Terri" with Jacob Wysocki and John Reilly playing similar roles. Zach Galifianakis and Keir Gilchrist have the same feel playing in this movie. They both have a "down to earth" feel to them combined with fine acting and without them, the film would really be nothing.

Along with two good leads, the other characters are good. They can be very hard to take at times because of  the many unrealistic things they do and also the parents of the characters aren't very helpful either but even with that, you can find a good personality to all them and they provide entertainment even considering their flaws.

Being a teenager myself, the story here is really something I could relate to. It is something that feels right at home and even the parts I couldn't relate to, I still could relate somewhat due to knowing other people involved in similar scenarios. Along with that, this movie is original and told with a lot of insight and that helps the film even more.

In end, the It's Kind of a Funny Story is really about what we want out of this world. It's message to it's teen audience is to keep fighting and do whatever you need to do, and to me that's a brilliant thing.

3.5/5

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Life of Pi

Life of Pi is an Ang Lee film. I remember when Lee made one of the early Hulk films which while flawed is a film I liked as a kid, and still do. Ang Lee is now a famous director and unfortunately I have missed most his films because I was too young to see them. His new film, Life of Pi is a bit unlike the Hulk movie in that there is really nothing not to like here. It is a film that I believe everyone would like and one of the most interesting films of 2012.

Based on a novel, Life of Pi follows Piscine Molitor (Irfan Khan), who later changed his name to Pi (Irhan Khan) who tells a story to a writer (Rafe Spall) about his younger self and a journey that had him shipwrecked and stranded at sea with a tiger as his only friend and as his enemy.

The opening act is really the most interesting part of this film and but also contains the film's main flaws. The film tells us a interesting story about Pie's childhood that provides some laughs, but also a sad side to the characters while also adding a lot of depth to the film. The problem with the opening is all these plot elements seem to drag along the film with too many things going on, and the film is not stylized to it's time period so it is a little hard to follow. During this portion of the movie, I was wondering where this film was going.

Later on, there are some flaws including some unrealistic rafts used in the water that seems way too complicated for the circumstances. During this part of the film, there are parts where the film drags before it really ends up taking off and becomes a solid film. The latter part of the movie is entirely set in water and Lee depicts this very well.

What is really consistent and done well in this film is the acting and the use of the animals. I have never seen a film that uses a tiger so realistically while including a lot other good animals though the others were depicted in zoo scenes. In addition, the acting here is first-rate. The character of Pi is told through many actors as he ages through the story and all the various Pi characters are well played with intelligence and likability. Lee seems to easily convey some difficult parts of this story that other directors may not have handled so well.

Life of Pi also stands out due to it's style and beauty. There are many beautiful dark (night) shots and also action shots in the water that feel surreal and unlike anything I've ever seen before. Ang Lee has done an excellent job with this. Here are some examples of this beautiful imagery,

 

 

                                       
Once we reach the end, Life of Pi come across as a kind of a strange whole. It is a film that is hard to figure as a whole and I am not seeing that is really has a point or a greater meaning. That said, so much here stands out and the film is as memorable as they come.

Life of Pi is a film that some people might not like as it might be too "out there"and not their type of film, but to me this is a movie can't be not missed. It is also one that separates the good directors from truly great which Ang Lee now has become in my book.

4/5

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Favorite Thanksgiving films

To me the holiday of Thanksgiving has always seemed different for a holiday. Not much happens for me anyway, but I get a day off and spend time with my family. Well anyway, here are my favorite Thanksgiving films.

A top Thanksgiving movie list really would not be complete without the classic Trains, Planes and Automobiles. One of the more realistic road trips of all-time and another great film from John Hughes.

I don't remember too much about the 2009 Judd Apatow film Funny People but it did have some good Thanksgiving plot elements to it and I do remember that it was a decent film overall.

It really should be on a  tv list but Charlie Brown's A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is really fun film to watch ever year at this time even if it's not really a film. This got me into Peanuts when I was young.


It is a little hard to put together a Thanksgiving movie list because there are not that many of them I probably missed some but for now this is my list and maybe it will change as the years go by..

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Christine

                                                                          
As a Stephen King fan, I have high expectations for every one of the films inspired by his books. Christine is no exception and overall I think it is a good movie but also one that is missing some stuff.

Christine is the story of a nerd named Arine (Keith Gordon) who buys a car which he names Christine that as it turns out has a mind of it's own and goes on a killing spree. Christine even starts to take over and begins affecting Arine who is mysteriously attached to the car.

In many ways, this is kind of a hard film to put together but John Carpenter does a good job with it. Maybe he could put more a bit more detail into this but for the most part he offers up a quite convincing killer car that feels real through some of the characters are a little unrealistic and for example you see some of them walk away unhurt from what should be major injures in incidents with Christine. In short, Chrsitine is really a unique killer and Carpenter develops and presents Christine very well.

Some of the plot elements are a bit difficult. Also some of the characters really seem to run on a lot of emotions while working with Christine but at the same time, they are still good scenes. There are some great actors including Harry Dean Stanton, Keith Gordon and John Stockwell and Carpenter uses them well to develop some very fine characters.

Christine is not the best Stephen King book adaptation out there nor is it Carpenter's best work, but it is still a well-made 80's horror film that I enjoyed and would recommend.

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Red Riding Hood

Back in 2009, I do remember when the film Twilight directed by Catherine Hardwicke came out and thought it was pretty decent when I saw it at the theater. With Hardwicke's new film, Red Red Hood I was hoping it would be turn out the same but when it reached it's end, the film really turned out to be the exact opposite of the high hopes I had for it. Not only is it not very good but it feels like too much like Twilight and in the end it is a film that just doesn't work at all.

Red Riding Hood is centered around a character named Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) and is set in the distant past in a village where people are dying due to a killer wolf. Valerie becomes involved in this conflict and at the same time must choose between two men, one which she is in love with and the other whom she is being forced to marry by her parents.

I have liked Amanda Seyfrield in just about everything I have seen her in but here I found her performance weak. She seems to project a vibe that she really did not want to be there and with her being in the lead role, this does takes down the film quite a bit.

I think, the whole Red Riding tale is very interesting and also daring but this version really fails in some key aspects. The wolf idea is interesting but the wolf looks uneven and not at all realistic. The "two lovers" motif is a sour idea that make the film feels more romantic then it should be. The characters and actors (Max Irons and Shiloh Fernandez) are really uninteresting and these characters do not feel very real especially with the movie being set in a different time frame and both feel like Jacob and Edward from Twilight. These flaws take down the movie to the point where at times you just don't care at all about this film and that was last thing I was expecting from this work.

Along with the plot idea, I think one highlight to the film is the sets which are pretty cool to look at and they fit into the time period pretty well. That said, the sets should not be the main highlight of a film.

I liked Red Riding Hood more than some others I know and it not one the worst films of 2011, but it is a very disappointing film that should have been much better than it is.

2/5

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The Roommate

                                           

Going into the film, I knew that it was not going to be the greatest movie ever and that there would be some flaws but I had some hope for it. While the film tries somewhat and there might be a few minor highlights, The Roommate is  really a mess of a film that in the end falls flat completely.

The Roommate is pretty much an unofficial remake of the 1992 film, Single White Female. It is the story of a lady named Rebecca (Leighton Meester) who lives with Sara (Minka Kelly) and as times goes on, Sara learns that Rebecca is more than we might think and also not the innocent person we might think she is.

One main problem with this film is the acting of Leighton Meester. She is certainly attractive but her acting here needs a lot of work. She is not scary as she should be in this role and the character often moves the film in the absolute wrong direction at the wrong time.

There is a lot of talk of fashion in this movie for some reason. I am not much into fashion and maybe I am not the one to judge it's role here but this movie really needed more plot. I am also not sure what audience the director Christian E. Christiansen was looking to appeal to here. The last time I checked, people that are into fashion are usually not much into horror films.

Along with the bad lead, overall the movie has a terrible cast. All of them are uninteresting and frankly slow down the film. Rebecca's parents are terrible and at times don't see to know anything about the world.

Even through I think this was one of the worst movies of 2011, I guess I give give it some credit for trying. Even if a remake, it is kind of an interesting idea and the only action scene in the film is pretty good so that is something. Not much though.

In the end, The Roommate is a poorly structured film that does not have a lot going for it and is a movie that I think will be long forgotten years down the road.

1.5/5

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Presidential movies

I am not a real big political guy and a frankly I find politics to be more annoying than anything. As time goes by though, I do find more political stuff that I can relate to and I have started to lean towards one party over the last year. As always though, I am more interested in the movie side of politics and as Election Day approaches, here are my top Presidential movies.

Long forgotten and no doubt not a perfect film but Dave has a different and interesting take on the Presidency. It also has a nice love story to it.

Of these films, Dick is no doubt the funniest. It tells the story of the Watergate scandal in a really cool way and is a good early performance by Kirsten Dunst.

Not a lot of people liked this film but I did. Vantage Point is a political action thriller about the attempted assassination of a President seen in of lot of different and interesting ways (vantage points). This is a very original film and again I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Obviously Independence Day is a pretty good sc-fi film but the Presidential angle of this film is really good too. I think it stood out more than maybe it should have and the movie made me like Bill Pullman even more than before.

While this is not a real big list of Presidential films, all of them depict the Presidency in unique and different ways and all of them are quite watchable. Check some of these out instead of election returns Tuesday if you want.

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Dogtooth

Dogtooth is a Greek film that a lot of people are going to overlook and even avoid because of it's subject matter. It is no doubt a somewhat disturbing film that is certainly not for everyone. I found it to be a strange film that I got very involved in and is an example of how foreign films can sometimes be so much better than America films.

The film is set only in a house and large complex. It is about parents who won't let their three kids leave the house and because of this the kids are not allowed to learn about the outside world.

Dogtooth has a neat plot that really works well but unfortunately by the end, it just kind of falls apart. The ending in particular does not put things in perspective very well. The film is also somewhat unrealstic in that you wonder when Child Services are going to step in and stop all of this.

One theme of the plot is games and punishment. These are frankly sick and twisted with kids being forced into sexual activity and also kids playing games with toys that are not age appropriate. The movie has a sad side to it in that the parents are allowing things to happen to the children and in fact think they are good things for them. It is very sad that the kids don't know any better. This is a plot that you will probably never see again and  quite original in almost every way.

Due to this disturbing plot, we do kind of forget about the setting and the actors. The setting of the house is really unique and has a claustrophobic feel to it. The actors' performances are great across the board playing some difficult characters and roles.

Dogtooth is not perfect but it is a film with a lot of power to it and also a movie that you won't soon forget.

3.5/5

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Top ten favorite horror films

October is really when we see a lot of horror films released and talked about obviously because of Halloween. This is good for me but actually I watch horror films all the time. Every week. Every month. I thought it might be a good time to list my top ten horror films. Here they are!

Long forgotten and could also be described as psychological horror. Brad Anderson's Session 9 is just great. Really creepy, great atmosphere and it has a great ending, Session 9 works on every level and is one you won't forget.

Even though most people that I know didn't like it and the sequels are really getting old, Paranormal Activity is a movie I have always liked a lot. It can be really creepy at times especially the ending. This low budget movie really works with it's claustrophobic feel.

In a lot of ways, Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street are kind of all the same thing. Even through most of sequels are not very good to their franchise, the originals are all very good and memorable. They also include young actors like Jamie Lee Curtis, Johnny Depp and Kevin Bacon. Frankly, I could watch each one of these over and over again.

I have seen all of Geroge Romero "Dead"  films and loved every one but Night of the Living Dead is my favorite of these. For the 60's, it was quite different and obviously scary for a movie from that time period. The ending is great as well. This is a film that brings back a lot of good memories from my younger teen years when I was just getting into horror movies.

Only die-hard horror fans know about this one called Let the Right One In. Really good stuff and it is one of the few horror films where kids are the lead characters. Oh and they are vampires!

I know the sequels are not so great and  most people didn't care for them and even the original got only a mixed reaction but Saw has always stood out for me. An orginal story with a very creepy concept. Count me as a fan.

This might more properly be in the science-fiction or comedy category but I will include Gremilns here. A real fun movie from the 80's with a great cast and strange killers. What more could you want? I still watch it.

No way can I leave off The Blair Witch Project. This film that has a lot of raw power and may have the greatest movie endings of all time. One of the best found footage movies ever.


I know I missed some great films but these are my top ten and are a must-see for horror movie fans.

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Chloe

Even through I am a big movie fan, erotic films are something I have never really been into. There is nothing specific that I don't like about the genre and nothing I can't sit through; but it is just not appealing to me and usually nothing I can relate to. That said, while it is still not my type of film, I found the movie, Chloe to be enjoyable in a dark and lovable way, and it did made me look at the genre slightly differently.

Chloe is a remake of a French film called Nathalie. It is the story of a relationship between a husband and wife which is close to being finished due to some cheating. An outcast named Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) steps into the picture to help and to try and save the couple's marriage. As time goes by however, Chloe really does the exact opposite of what the couple wants and we learn that she might not be who we think she is.

This is kind of a well worn plot that we have seen before but this film throws in quite a few new elements that includes the supporting character named Micheal (Max Thieriot) and the lead character Chloe who provides a lot more than you would think. There is also a lesbian angle to the plot that is strong and daring. Amanda Seyfried and Julianne Moore do well playing difficult characters with Liam Neeson adding to the the mix. The film does well with the development of the plot and putting a lot of things into the proper perceptive.

This movie does have some surreal settings including the main house. It also has scenes where parenting of the Julianne Moore character seems a little off but that is just a minor complaint. All in all, Chloe is a sexy film that does a good job for what it is trying to accomplish. I found it to be a memorable film because of the subject matter and due to the film's many highlights.

4/5

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American Graffiti

Even though I grew up in and was born in the late 90's, I really am an 80's kid. I have sat through  many films from the 80's and also listen to 80's music a lot. Even though American Graffiti is set in the 60's and made in the 70's, it is close enough to the 80's for me that I might like it. It has a lot of car stuff and kind of a silly plot and music that I have never been into and in the end, I kind of liked the movie . I know and appreciate that this movie really turned Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas into what they are today.


Again set in the 60's, the film centers around a bunch California kids on their last day before college who spend the day causing trouble, hanging out with friends and then a night of  partying. It is a very silly plot that you would never see now but it is original and works pretty well for what they the filmmakers are trying to do.


The one thing that keeps this film in line is no doubt the characters and actors. It has a good young cast with Harrison Ford in particular putting in a really good performance. There is also a nerd character named Terri ( Charles Martin Smith) who provides a lot of good laughs and brings a heart and a good message to the film. The characters really make this film.

That said, the characters don't really seem to do much. For the most, you really only see them driving around which might not be a great plot element. This also doesn't help develop the characters or make them feel real.

The film really started to drag for me in the third act. It seemed to go on and on with no ending in sight. I don't think that George Lucas knew how to end this movie and it does have a big effect on the film for all the wrong reasons.

I don't love American Graffiti like a lot of people do and it is not a classic to me but it is a good take on the 60's. Considering that the time period of this film is not up my alley, I am surprised how much I liked it.

4/5

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Terri

Most movie fans know that Hollywood has been lacking in originally for years now. If you want to see something new, you really have go to see some independent films like this movie, Terri. This is a film that has a lot going for it and is yet another film that really deserves more attention.

Terri is centered around the character named Terri (Jacob Wysocki) who is a loner in school and has an uncle for a guardian who can't provide everything that he should due to an illness. As time goes on time, Terri learns about the world a little more, meets new friends and beings to bond with the new school  assistant principal Mr. Fitzerald (John C. Reilly).


The main highlight of the film is no doubt the interaction between John C. Reilly and Jacob Wysocki. As with his other films, Reilly puts out a very good and likable performance. For a first time actor, Wysocki really does well playing a somewhat difficult character. The movie is about bonding and Reilly and Wysocki do this very well.

About the plot, it does have some Max Keeble-like silly character elements in it but however you look at it, it is a good plot with some fun stuff. Maybe because I can relate to some of these school problems, I found the story to be enjoyable and told in a way that shows that the people around this film really understand these things. There are quite a few interesting characters here with the Terri character being best out of them all and the most original too.

Even though almost everything works in this film, there are some minor flaws. For one, the characters seem to have too many privileges and that doesn't seem realistic. There is a bad funeral and restaurant scene that seems to break school rules and take down characters in the wrong way. There is also a lengthy scene in a shed that takes too long to develop but it is still a nice scene that shows teen life in an interesting way.  Again these are minor flaws but they could have been easily avoided.

Once this character study film reaches it's end, we see that this is a smart film that has a lot of confidence to it. In short, Terri is a fun independent film that I liked quite a bit and really touched me.

4/5

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Hobo with a Shotgun

If you didn't already know, I have been a fan of grindhouse films and the idea of  fake trailers for years. All of these films bring a unique style to the table and which makes these films very interesting. Hobo with a Shotgun is a spin-off film and while it is not the greatest film, it is still pretty good and I liked it a lot.


Set in a town called Hope Town, the film centers around a hobo (Rutger Hauer) who lives in this town which is very different as it has drug dealers on every corner, killings by the hour and a leader named Drake (Brian Downey). Along with a prostitute named Abby ( Molly Dunsworth), the Hobo get really tired of living life like this and he decides it is time to take over Drake with a shotgun as his only weapon.

The hobo character is really good. The only way this film could work is for the hobo character to be strong and he is. Rutger Hauer puts out a very strange performance that I really liked. He is very believable in a rather difficult role and his character is really a one of a kind.

Like most grindhouse films, this spin-off can really get strange at times. The whole Hope Town thing is a really good idea. It sets up the film perfectly with a good atmosphere and provides the setting for some great graphic kill scenes. It is unique and probably nothing you are ever going to see again.

No doubt the strangeness of the film is fun stuff but unfortunately some of the characters do some unrealistic things like walking away unhurt after sustaining serious injures. You also wonder where the national and state governments are to control this town.

For a grindhouse film, this really a heart. There is a nice friendship in this film which really stands out and  makes the film more special.

Hobo with a Shotgun is not for everyone and it probably does not have a big target audience but I found it to be a memorable film that most people probably missed. Even if you are not a fan of this type of film, I still a recommend it. I know that it made me like grindhouse films even more.

3.5/5

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Open Water

                                                                                           
In some ways, I am having a hard time explaining this movie. Open Water is a film that you could look at in a lot of different ways and come to many conclusions but regardless it is an excellent film that is a great addition to the horror genre and it is also a really good shark film.

Based on a true story, this movie is about a couple who are on a vacation to get rid of some stress and they go scuba-diving during the trip. As the diving expedition goes on, they get accidentally left out in the middle of the ocean when the boat full of other tourists leaves without them and they face a life or death scenario with things looking not good at all.

There are quite a few things here that make Open Water an effective movie but the first is the two leads, Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis. They really are the main parts that makes this film work. They are very effective and believable and they both bring a good package to the film.

Also the cinematography really is better here than I thought it would be. The film is shot differently by moving the camera in interesting way. There are really good water scenes and some great close-ups and the cinematography makes the film more realistic and believable.

I have never felt more claustrophobic watching a film as I did with this one. The movie is really only shot in water with the camera going up and down a lot, and you really feel like you are in the water and in danger of drowning. The film also has some good eerie music and a nice ending.

Like many Hollywood films, the film has some nudity and frankly there seems to be no point to it here. Blanchard Ryan is a no doubt a pretty lady but there seems to be absolutely no purpose to her nude scene. Her character also has a bad vomit scene that's not believable and not fully shown. These are really the only serious flaws in an otherwise great film.

Open Water really impressed me more than I thought it would and is one of the more beautiful films out there. This movie provides a lot for everything and is a must-see even for non-horror fans.

4.5/5

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ParaNorman

In so many ways, ParaNorman is a film that I can relate to. It has a lead character named Norman who really feels like a lot like me and has many of my interests. It also has a supporting cast that feels like some of my own friends and a plot that has elements of one of favorite films of all time, The Blair Witch Project. Overall, ParaNorman is just great film that really deserves more attention then it is getting.

Set in the small town of Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts, ParaNorman is story of a nerd and a big horror fan named Norman (Kodi Smit - McPhee) who can speak to the dead and along with his friend Neil (Tucker Albrizzi), Neil's brother Mitch (Casey Affleck), the town bully Alvin (Christiopher Mintz - Plasse) and Norman's sister, Courtney (Anna Kendrick), they all try to stop an old witch curse that is seriously affecting their town.

The plot really works well here. It can be confusing and hard to follow at many times but it is original for an animation film, quite entertaining and provides plenty of interesting scenes including a pretty cool ending.

What is also interesting about the film is how the entire film has an adult feel to it even though it seems to be geared towards kids and teenagers. The movie has quite a few adult references and uses the Halloween movie theme song which most kids won't get. It also has a great grindhouse opening which really worked and added to the film.

ParaNorman also has stop motion animation which obviously has been done many times before but here it is done in a really different way that is both strange and original. I think this was a brilliant choice for the film.

Along with an adult feel, it also has a lot of strange moments that I can't quite figure out where it is coming from. There is also one scene that involves the character Mitch that can't make you look at the character the same way but it definitely adds to the film, I can tell you that.

ParaNorman also has really good characters and voice actors. The characters have a lot of personality to them that makes them likable and fun to watch. The voice work is great and this stands out even more because the film has some smart writing to it.

The humor in the film is sometimes good and sometimes hilarious and again the scene with Mitch is great because it is so strange and it is one my favorite parts of the film.

Out of all the films I have seen in 2012, ParaNorman is no doubt one of strangest and in many ways one of the dumbest films of the year, but it is still a great motion capture film that along with the The Avengers ranks as one of the top films of the year for me.

4/5.5

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Mother

The director of this film Bong Joon-ho is one of those directors that struck me as a pretty good director the first time I saw one of his films, The Host. It is a great monster film and memorable for a lot of reasons. This film, Mother, is not as good or memorable but it is still an impressive thriller that I quite enjoyed.


Mother is set in South Korea in a small town and is the story of mentally unstable kid in his late teens or early twenties who is charged with a local town murder. His mother is one those mothers that will do anything to support her son and the film is about her trying to assist him and do whatever is necessary to have him found "not guilty" in the criminal proceedings.

The best part of this film is doubt the storytelling. Bong Joon-ho really takes a rather simple story and turns it into a story with many sub-plots that goes in many directions. The material is very good and the plot is compelling. This is very original and quite interesting and in some ways, it can be shocking.

Most of the characters are complex and take some time to be put together that takes work but the mother character played by Kim Hye-je is in my opinion the most complex character. The character is done in a way that is not very common, and it has to be acted just right for it to be believable and Kim Hye-ja succeeds with this. The supporting cast is good and that helps the character. This lead character is really done up well in a kind of  lovely way and Kim Hye-ja really wins you over.

Won Bin plays a kid who is charged with murder. This is another difficult character to play and Bong Joon-ho executes it very well and this helps the film even more than the Mother character.

Even with a good plot and characters, the film does kind of have a rather pointless opening. I don't think it really adds to the film. The ending is not really what I would have wanted either and the scenes, especially the opening scene just seem to lengthen the film by at least twenty minutes.

Aside from some very small flaws, Mother is a quite interesting thriller that has a great twist and is pretty likable in a lot of ways. I think it is one of my favorite foreign films ever for a lot of reasons.

4/5

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Swingers

I didn't know too much about this movie, Swingers before seeing it. In a lot of ways, I liked it and found it to be a hip comedy but at the same time, I think not knowing much about the film beforehand helped me like it even more and it is probably one my favorite comedies of all-time.

The plot is something we have seen before but the film puts it in a new and original way by adding fresh characters into place and putting in some good writing. The film is about a guy named Mike Peters (John Favreau) who lives in Los Angeles and is struggling with life. He just broke up with his girlfriend after six years so he and his best friend Trent Walker (Vince Vaughn) start hanging out and helping each other out with dating and trying to be happy.

The plot here would probably not work without good leads and Favreau and Vaughn both do well. The acting is excellent, and these actors work well together. The Favreau and Vaughn characters are great, original, funny and lovable in every single act. The supporting cast is excellent as well with some good ideas to them and we root for them every step of the way. Every character we learn about in a unique way and they all have good style to them. This is a film that you could watch again just for the characters and it's one of the best character study films your ever going to find.

The ending also really works and the film is so good even in it's final moments. It shows how the characters have developed and what we as viewers have learned.

The film does have minor flaws. Some scenes are just overdone and too long with just filler stuff, but it does show that the film is trying.

I found Swingers to be a fun ride of a film and even though personally I could not relate to the plot, I still loved every minute. Unfortunately, it is a film that has become somewhat forgotten fifteen years later.

4.5/5

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