What is the Best Horror Film of the 2010s (so far)?: An In-Depth Look at Critical and Audience Scores
Voting is still open. Make sure you vote for your favorite horror films below!
It is a great time to be a fan of horror. The genre is redefining itself and we’ve been blessed with a lot of original films that have recycled old horror tropes and made them fresh again. For example, within the last few years we’ve been lucky enough to have The Guest, Backcountry, It Follows, Spring, The Conjuring, Creep, We are Still Here, The Babadook, I Saw the Devil, Honeymoon, Housebound,The Taking of Deborah Logan, Cheap Thrills, Under the Skin, Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead, Oculus, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Only Lovers Left Alive, What We Do in the Shadows, Tusk, Hush, Green Room, The Witch and Bone Tomahawk.
There is a new crop of horror directors and older maestros who are taking what they love of horror and creating films that rise above the stock B-movie label. There is a “boutique” vibe to the movies as they’ve become fashionable and wear classic/modern horror influences like accessories. They are told by horror lovers who are very much so part of the modern generation. Digital film making has been embraced and the resulting films look brilliant on tiny budgets. I love that new films like The Witch, Spring and It Follows have sparked a lot of arguments between genre fans and horror hounds and I think anything that shakes up the genre is a good thing.
Last year I figured out the best 21st century horror films according to critic/audience averages. The list and following posts were fun to write, but I kept seeing the same movies over and over. I like this list because it offers the world some new blood and features movies more people need to see.
When looking at the lists below you will see a wide variety of “horror” films. Like my 21st century horror posts I’ve included movies (I looked through hundreds,and collected data on 100) that I consider to be horror or have horror aspects. I compiled data from Rotten Tomatoes (critic, audience), IMDb (users) and Metacritc (critic) and combined them to find out the top horror films of this decade (so far).
Here are my six favorite horror films of this decade (so far). You can see they cover all aspects of the genre.
- I Saw the Devil
- Insidious
- What We Do in the Shadows
- Cheap Thrills
- Hush – I know it is soon but I love this movie.
- The Crazies
The villains in Cheap Thrills are perfect.
These films are fun as well. Under the Skin, Honeymoon, We Are Still Here, Troll Hunter, Spring, Stoker, Interior, Devil, As Above, So Below, Grabbers and Backcountry.
Here are the lists!
Make sure to vote below! I will post the results next week!
Top 20 Critically Rated Horror Films According to Averaged Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic Critic Scores
20. Bone Tomahawk (2015) – 81.5
19. Berberian Sound Studio (2012) – 81.5
18. Under the Skin (2013) – 81.5
17. Cabin in the Woods (2011) – 81.5
16. Attack the Block (2011) – 82.5
15. Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) – 82.5
14. The Guest (2014) – 83
13. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) – 83
12. Black Swan (2010) – 83
11. Creep (2014) – 83.5
10. Hush (2016) – 83.5
9. Let Me In (2010) -83.5
8. The Gift (2105) -84.5
7. Green Room (2016) – 85
6. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) – 86.5
5. Housebound (2014) – 86.5
4. The Witch (2016) – 87
3. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) – 89.5
2. It Follows (2014) – 89.5
- The Babadook (2014) – 92
The Babadook is a visually arresting horror hybrid that proved to be an amazing calling card for director Jennifer Kent. The Babadook is the type of movie that transcends genre and much like Rosemary’s Baby adds class to the horror world. The fact that The Babadook was universally praised by critics while featuring a truly bonkers plot proves that we are in a solid time for horror. I love what Kent said abouthorror filmmaking to New York Magazine.
I continue to watch modern horror films, despite the constant disappointment. I don’t think a lot of the filmmakers making horror now know its worth, or realize the potential of the genre. Just because it’s a horror film doesn’t mean it can’t be deep. I think a lot of filmmakers who make horror now go in with dubious motives — money, predominantly. They want to make a film that will feel like a theme-park ride, and ultimately make a lot of money.But horror is a pure form of cinema. I think there are some modern-day filmmakers our there who understand that. The films that will stand the test of time are the ones that have depth
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Top 20 Audience Rated Horror Films According to Averaged IMDb User Scores and Rotten Tomatoes Audience Scores
20. The Babadook (2014) , Housebound (2014), ParaNorman (2012) , World War Z (2013) – 71
19. Cabin in the Woods (2011) – 71.5
18. Hush (2016) – 71.5
17. Enemy (2013) – 72
16. Cold Fish (2010) – 73
15. Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) – 73.5
14. The Gift (2015) – 73.5
13. Bone Tomahawk (2015) – 74
12. Let Me In (2010) – 74
11. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) – 74
10. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) – 77.5
9. Shutter Island (2010) – 78.5
8. The Conjuring (2013) – 78.5
7. Green Room (2016) – 79
6. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) – 80
5. The Skin I live In (2011) – 80
4. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) – 81.5
3. I Saw the Devil (2010) – 82
2. Black Swan (2010) – 82
- The Conjuring 2 (2016) – 83.5
The Conjuring 2 is mainstream horror perfected. It features copious jump scares, legit villains and Patrick Wilson covering Elvis. It is on its way to becoming the top grossing horror film of this decade (already at $188 million) and a spinoff has already been announced.
Get ready for more evil nun action in 2017. Please be better than Annabelle.
Top 20 films according to Averaged Rotten Tomatoes Critics/Users, IMDB Users and Metacritc Critic Scores
I consider these to be the highest rated “horror” films of this decade (so far)! It is a combination of critic and user scores which gives us a solid representation of the multiple scores.
20. Attack the Block (2011) – 76.25
19. Cabin in the Woods (2011) – 76.5
18. Bone Tomahawk (2015) – 76.75
17. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) – 77.25
16. The Conjuring 2 (2016) – 77.25
15. Hush (2016) – 77.5
14. The Skin I Live in (2011) – 77.75
13. The Conjuring (2013) – 77.75
12. I Saw the Devil (2010) – 77.75
11. Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) – 78
10. It Follows (2014) – 78. 75
9. Let Me In (2010) – 78. 75
8. Housebound (2014) – 78. 75
7. The Gift (2015) – 80.75
6. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) – 80.75
5. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) – 81.25
4. The Babadook (2014) – 81.5
3. Green Room (2016) – 82.5
2. Black Swan (2010) – 82.5
- What We Do in the Shadows (2014) – 83.5
The overall winner is the horror comedy What We Do in the Shadows! It is the best vampire mockumentary ever made, and I can’t wait for the sequel We’re Wolves.
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What is your favorite horror film of this decade? Vote Below. You get two picks.
If you don’t see your favorite movies you can write them in.
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The MFF podcast is back and we are talking about the fantastic Hush and Honeymoon. These two horror hybrids bring the goods, and we here at MFF are big fans of them. In this pod you will hear about squishy noises, flaky lizard skin and conversations about aliens enjoying hot tubs. Also, we dive deep into the minutia of the two films and discuss their productions, critical reception and awesome female leads.
You need to watch Hush.
As always, we answer listener questions and remain steadfast in our Maniac Cop defiance. Also, we figure out the cinematic personality of the 2000s can be summed up with the name “JJ Krapatow Jackson.”
Sit back, relax and listen to a whole lot of educated randomness.
You can stream the pod on Blog Talk Radio or download it from Itunes. If you get a chance please rate and review the pod. You are awesome!
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Movienomics: Analyzing the Cheek-Embracing World of Nicholas Sparks Movie Posters (updated)
I love researching movie posters. I’ve already studied Jason Statham posters and explored whether explosions on action movie posters matter. That is why I am excited to bring you this post. Nicholas Spark’s has had an incredibly schmaltzy run throughout the last 16 years and the movie posters for his book adaptations tell a tale.
Nicholas Spark’s book adaptations have become a moneymaking machine that combines well-known actors and a whole lot of melodrama. Sparks has become a brand and when you say it is a “Nicholas Sparks film” people know exactly what to expect. What does it mean to be a Sparks film? The movie needs beaches, mudslides, drowning, ghosts, cancer, untimely death, spunky grandparents, cute kids and some sort of lie. A pattern is afoot and I wanted to check if there is a correlation between the movie posters and box office/critical reception.
I wrote the original post before The Longest Ride and The Choice were released and decided it needed an update. Also, news came out recently that Nicholas Sparks was shutting down his production company. The writing was on the wall but this might actually be good news for Sparks fans. Why? Well, his movies do better when he isn’t a producer. Here is the breakdown.
Average Critical Reception (according to Rotten Tomatoes) and average domestic box office (according to box office mojo) of the films he produced (Safe Haven, The Best of Me, The Longest Ride, The Choice) = 15.25% RT and $40,210,150
Average Critical Reception and average domestic box office of the films he didn’t produce (Message in a Bottle, Nights in Rodanthe, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Dear John, The Last Song, The Lucky One) = 30% RT and $75,769,785.
The audiences scores were roughly the same (Sparks produced = 64.75. Did not produce = 66.85) but there was a massive drop in quality in the later films. If you’ve watched all 11 of the films you will realize they are all bonkers, so any of them if done right had the chance to succeed. I actually like The Longest Ride (for a Sparks movie) and felt that is was on par with earlier Sparks films, but audiences were still sour from The Best of Me so it was doomed. The Choice never had a chance because of the watered-down nature of the Sparks name.
So, if bigger studios decide to go back to the Sparks world they should consider having somebody else write the screenplay. If might work!
Here is the revised Nicholas Sparks data!
Here are the movie posters for The Best of Me. The Longest Ride and The Choice
The following post takes a look at the posters and analyzes the box office, critical reception, and audience ratings of Nicholas Sparks films. The average domestic box-office (per Box Office Mojo) is $67,222,736 and the average Rotten Tomatoes critic score is 24.6%. The thing I find most interesting is that these films are critic-proof. The critic score is 24.6% but the audience score is 66% (Per RT). The average budget is $28 million and the average box office is $67 million dollars! However, things are changing and so are the movie posters.
Here is the data from the movie posters
Posters featuring beach cuddles: Message in a bottle, Dear John, The Choice and Walk to Remember have accrued a 24.75% RT (-.25 on average) score and 65.25% (=) Audience score. the box office average is $66,840,500.
When I first collected the data the posters featuring cuddles had a much higher critic and box office average. However, The Choice happened and the numbers plummeted.
The good thing according to EW is they are some of the least ridiculous of Sparks films. Walk to Remember is the least ridiculous at eight while John and Message rank six and three. The posters are more creative as well. The posters are expansive, intimate and most importantly no faces are grabbed. Too bad The Choice dragged the critic and box office numbers down.
Posters featuring head grabs of doom: Nights in Rodanthe, Safe Haven, The Best of Me, The Last Song and The Lucky One and have accrued an 18% (-7) RT score and 62% (-4) Audience score. The average box-office score is $61,307,960.
The Nicholas Spark’s films have taken a serious nosedive as of late. The last six films have an average 16.8% RT score and the posters basically look the same. With the exception of Nights in Rodanthe (2nd most ridiculous Sparks film and my least favorite of the 11) they’ve gotten progressively more soul-crushing and Sparksesque (Safe Haven was ranked the most ridiculous).
Safe Haven (12%), The Lucky One (20%), The Best of Me (8%) and The Last Song (20%) make up four of the five lowest critically rated films and they can get really weird. I don’t want to spoil anything but there are ghosts, the awesome Diane Lane in mom jeans and untimely deaths that are really mean. Also, these movies have the lowest averaged audience score (62%) AND domestic box office.
Cobie Smulders in Safe Haven = A lot of confusion.
Posters featuring something other than beach cuddles or head grabs: The Notebook and The Longest Ride collected a 40.5% RT (+15.9) score and 78%(+12) Audience Score. The box-office is $79,845,400.
The Notebook was incredibly passionate and super bonkers and Rachel McAdam’s character is by far the most three-dimensional of Spark’s ladies (she literally fought for her character) and Ryan Gosling became a megastar overnight because of this movie. The Notebook is by far the most popular of the nine films because of the great acting, passion, and all around care spent on the script. I would rank the poster #1 on the romance scale. They look genuinely involved. If you look at the other posters the people look sorta bored.
Conclusion: The first five films attempted to take Nicholas Spark’s books and do something with them. They tried to work around the schmaltz, contrivances, syrup, mourning, melodrama, and sentiment. However, eventually, they gave up and gave in to Sparks. He started producing the movies, and now they stick to a safe formula and facepalming posters.
Maybe Sparks productions shutting down might be good for future Sparks adaptations.
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The Do-Over is everything you’d expect from 2016 Adam Sandler. It is rife with product placement, celebrity cameos and more product placement. It is overly long and features a plot that is so loose you’d be hard pressed to explain exactly what occurs. You can’t watch a Sandler Netflix movie with critical eyes because Sandler movies don’t really care about critical reception. Basically, you need to rate it in accordance to other Sandler films. Thus, The Do-Over is a solid B+ Adam Sandler movie.
I’ve been an Adam Sandler apologist for a long-time because Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore hit big when I was 14. The movies were crazy dumb but Sandler’s man-child shenanigans appealed to me as a teenager and I’ve watched the rest of his films with a sense of nostalgia and duty. He had a massive 15-year run that saw his movies continuously cross the $100 million mark despite a lack of critical praise (he knows his audience). I’ve watched him be amazing in Punch Drunk Love and play twin sisters in the terrible Jack & Jill. I didn’t hate his Netflix release The Ridiculous 6 and I found the laziness of Grown Ups to be sorta relaxing. Also, I will argue to anybody that You Don’t Mess With the Zohan is actually pretty good.
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The Do-Over is the second release of Sandler’s four-picture Netflix deal. The Ridiculous 6 broke all of Netflix’s records and I’m guessing The Do-Over will do really well. Why? Sandler fans will watch anything he does and Sandler detractors will gladly hate-watch. Thus, the movie will receive a ton of buzz and more people will watch it because they feel like they have too. In the end, the majority of the buzz will be negative but the Sandler train will keep rolling. The only thing I ask is that Sandler gives John Turturro another plum cameo.
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The Do-Over focuses on Adam Sandler and David Spade reuniting at their high school’s 20th reunion. Sandler has become an international man of mystery while Spade is the manager of a bank located inside a supermarket. The two bond over drinks and Sandler fakes their deaths so they can start anew in a tropical paradise (and drink lots of Corona). They live the high life on somebody else’s dime until they are pursued by German killers and the IRS. Along the way they pick up Paula Patton, continuously hit Nick Swardson with cars, and deal with Luis Guzman’s ball sweat (yeah…that happens).
The Do-Over is not a good movie. However, it is a perfectly suitable Sandler movie. There are a few laughs and it is always nice seeing Sean Astin rocking a mustache. It makes an attempt to bring in some heart and I appreciate that David Spade plays the straight man next to Sandler. I might sound crazy here but I think Sandler could make for a solid action hero in a proper action film.
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If you are a Sandler fan you will like The Do-Over, if you are a Sandler detractor it will give you plenty of ammunition to pithily complain about it on the internet. I will leave you with more John Turturro.
If you liked the review make sure to check out our podcast! It is loaded with educated randomness.
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Now You See Me 2 is an absurd film that doubles down on fun and allows its talented cast to further explore the insane world of magic that was created in the original. The NYSM movies remind me a lot of the National Treasure films because they are original properties that feature likable characters, plot twists and convenient bowls of lemons. The films never look back and I love how they are balls of energy that don’t take themselves too seriously. If you were a fan of the first NYSM I guarantee you will dig the sequel.
Now You See Me 2 revolves around the horsemen (Jessie Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, a new Lizzy Caplan) finding themselves in another international caper. They need to steal a microchip that in the wrong hands can achieve total global surveillance (or something like that). Be prepared for creative heists, lots of banter, and twists and turns that get turned and twisted. If I wrote about all the twists and turns this would be a 2,000 word review. Instead, I want you to know that NYSM2 is a breath of fresh air that doesn’t involve superheroes, supernatural villains or loads of property destruction. There are countless new (Sanaa Lathan, Daniel Radcliffe, Jay Chou) and returning (Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, David Warshofsky) faces, and to keep track of every “reveal” you’d need a flow chart the size of an advertising billboard.
All of it is bonkers and I love how the twist explanations are nonsensical and unnecessary. Basically, it is all meant to be a joyous two hours that doesn’t involve deep thought or Prestige level seriousness (great movie though). You will see the twists coming but that doesn’t matter because you are enjoying the ride. The experience is similar to going on an enjoyable roller coaster for a second time. You know the ride, but it is still fun and exhilarating.
The chemistry between the actors is what makes NYSM2 so enjoyable. You can tell they enjoy each others company and obviously relish in playing characters they helped create. Lizzy Caplan’s addition was a great decision because she fought for her character and ad-libbed some of the best lines. Director Jon M.Chu had nothing but great things to say about Lizzy and the rest of the cast:
She did not skip a beat. As soon as she came in, she was as loud, rambunctious, dirtier than they were, fearless. Woody would always be up for the challenge. Like, you are going to try and out-dirty Woody? It sparked energy. When you work like they did on two movies, the banter can get stale. But when Lizzy was there, the whole thing spiced in an instant. That energy, that fun, the way they love each other on screen is how they are, which made making the movie a pleasure.
NYSM2 is a fun ride that shouldn’t be put under a microscope. Enjoy the world building, lack of pretentiousness and Mark Ruffalo beating people up. Go see it now!
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If you had $1,000,000 and could recruit any director to make a horror film who would you pick? I would go with James Wan (Saw, Insidious, The Conjuring). Ever since Saw exploded in 2004, Wan has constantly reinvented himself and found a way to make horror films that unite mainstream audiences, critics and horror hounds. His world building (or borrowing in the case of the Conjuring films) is second to none, and he and his co-writer Leigh Whannell have found a way to make movies featuring nice people doing what they can to rid the world of evil. Most importantly, his movies are scary and introduce the world to pure nightmare creations (check out Collider’s breakdown of his scariest moments).
The lipstick demon jump scare is perfect in Insidious. It is one of the best moments of 21st century horror.
Starting with Saw, Wan’s films have grossed close to $900,000,000 million worldwide (excluding Furious 7) on budgets that range from $1,500,000 (Insidious) to $40,000,000 (Conjuring 2). There have been some missteps (Dead Silence, Death Warrant), and profitable sidesteps (Furious 7) but since 2011’s Insidious, Wan has been on a horror tear of epic proportions that pushed Blumhouse productions (Sinister, The Purge, Unfriended, Creep) into the stratosphere and opened the door for many horror films. Proof of his great run is evident in the three 21st century horror posts I unleashed last year. I collected audience/critic data from Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb and Metacritic and compiled a list of the horror films with the highest combined critic/audience averages. Then, I took two polls that readers were able to vote on. What I found out is critics, mainstream moviegoers and horror lovers appreciate James Wan.
- Saw and The Conjuring were #2o and #21 according to Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb and Metacritic users. The Conjuring placed at #22 with combined audience/critic scores.
- The Conjuring was voted the 12th best horror film of the 21st century.
- Insidious was voted the #1 21st century horror film that doesn’t appear on “best of” lists
James Wan is interested in having fun, creating likable characters (with help from writers Leigh Whannell, Chad Hayes and Carey Hayes) and scaring audiences. There is a sense of humor to the jump scares and you can tell Wan relishes in absurd moments, cheeky vibes and great cardigans.
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He understands horror, and audiences have flocked to his films because he gives them what they want. The fact that they’ve made so much money is not a fluke. Wan has a winning formula (small budget + good script + solid actors = quality) and that is why his films make money. A great example of giving the audiences what they want while creating a superb scare is in The Conjuring. The “clap” scene works on many levels because it familiarizes you with the house and has fun with the audience. Chad and Carey Hayes wrote a fantastic set piece and Wan directed it expertly.
The success of Wan’s micro-budget movies (Saw, Insidious) got me thinking about the lack of audience support for some of the recent horror hybrids that received theatrical releases (The Witch, It Follows). The horror hybrids have all been solid films but they’ve failed to attract larger audiences because they are a sensitive lot that put emphasis on dreamy moods and realistic settings.They build towards slow burn endings that can alienate the masses while thrilling critics and genre fans (read this great article by Jason Coffman). Mark Harris started the indie horror boom discussion in 2015 when he wrote “Scared Senseless: The Indie Horror Boom and What Frightens Us Now.“ In the article he talks about the lack of scares in recent indie horror films and had this to say about It Follows:
It Follows sometimes becomes an extremely clever glossary of horror, which is not the same thing as being scary.
The main difference between Wan’s films and the critically loved recent horror films are the usage of likable characters, jump scares and set pieces. It Follows fills you with a constant state of dread while The Conjuring and Insidious films feel like a roller coaster ride built on top of an active volcano. Wan makes good films that also appeal to people looking to be scared. I liked The Witch, but I feel terrible for the random first daters who casually strolled into it. I can only imagine the people’s faces as that poor baby is smooshed into goo and used as a moisturizer. Wan’s films have a warmth to the terror whereas art-house horror keeps you in the cold.
Recent horror films have kept you at a distance and you haven’t been able to connect with the characters. When looking at the The Witch, The Babadook or It Follows you don’t bond with the characters and that is why they won’t be considered classics (please don’t go crazy, I like these movies a lot). When looking back at horror classics like Frankenstein, Rosemary’s Baby, Alien, Dawn of the Dead, The Thing and Silence of the Lambs the story was built around the characters and not vice versa. In many horror films the characters are moot points and simply created so they can die (Final Destination) or be a pawn in the story (Unfriended). In an interview with Den of Geek, Wan discussed his world building and characters.
Well, I mean you know you kind of fantasize about building a world and having the opportunity to expand down the line, if the first movie works but you know, I try not to think about stuff like that too much because it’s almost like saying to the universe to screw things up for you! But I definitely always plan and think hopefully that we’ll have the opportunity that we could expand on it more and it gives us, gives me as a film maker, places to grow and, like the characters, grow and expand and just leave more stories and places to take it. I always say, what is cool for me with The Conjuring, is it’s not just another scary set piece, or another scary case, it’s more about what I can do with the characters of Ed and Lorraine Warren
In The Conjuring and Insidious you begin to genuinely like the characters because the films are built around them. There are copious scares, but they revolve around good people doing what they can to help others. Audiences have somebody to root for and that makes the scares exciting. I love Elise in the Insidious series because she is so kind, brave and different (listen to our podcast. We love her).
I always say, bottom line, the most important thing for me is the script. If it’s a good script, it doesn’t matter what genre it is. James Wan to Indiewire.
James Wan has conquered the horror genre because he knows and respects it. He creates likable characters and bases worlds (or their true stories) around them. Thus, there are endless possibilities because the world’s are rife with stories to tell.
If you liked this post make sure to check out our podcast where we wax poetic about a whole lot of horror.
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The Conjuring 2 is a fantastic sequel and very good film. Director James Wan knows how to manipulate audiences like none other and his gliding camera and funhouse vibe will stress you out while putting a smile on your face. The film is overly long (134 minutes) but it is miles ahead of all other mainstream horror. If you are looking for likable characters, truly evil villains and scary set-pieces you will love The Conjuring 2.
What I love about James Wan’s horror films are his characters are always in over their heads. They are smart people who makes wise decisions (they run away from the house!), but they cannot escape their hauntings. Normally, these people would fall prey to the evil, but they are aided by good people who go out of their way to put themselves in danger. Whether it be Elise, Tucker and Specs in the Insidious films or the Warrens in The Conjuring, you know that the plagued families will be in good hands. What really gets me is that Elise and the Warrens don’t have to hunt ghosts. They were given extraordinary powers and every time they help somebody they endanger themselves. They are true heroes who give the horror films heart.
The Conjuring 2 revolves around the much publicized Hodgson haunting in London, England. A poor family was terrorized by a massive jerk of a demon and and their story was collaborated by neighbors, cops and priests. Due to housing regulations and lack of money they couldn’t move and the single mother and four children were plagued by constant hauntings and sleepless nights. The story became so big the Catholic church asked the Warren’s (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga) to head over the England to search for proof. The problem is worse than expected (of course) and it leads to a lot whole of jump scares and fingers over the eyes.
James Wan (Insidious. The Conjuring) uses space perfectly and understands the logistics of scaring the shit out of people. The camera constantly moves, and because of this the space is well-defined and you know every inch of the infested house. Thus, when all hell breaks loose you know where the action is headed and the scenes never become jumbled or confusing. A neat example of Wan familiarizing you with the surrounding is during the clapping scene in The Conjuring.
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James Wan is the biggest name in horror right now because he found a way to unite the critics, horror hounds and mainstream audiences. When we had our big 21st century horror vote and critic/audience breakdown Insidious and The Conjuring appeared in every list (list links are below). This isn’t surprising because James Wan can work an audience like none other and I think he always has us in mind. Also, he brings in fantastic talent that like their characters and sell every moment of the insanity. In a perfect world I’d love for the Insidious and Conjuring worlds to meet and spawn an Elise/Tucker/Specs/Warren movie.
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The Conjuring 2 is proof that James Wan is the best 21st century horror movie director. Did you like The Conjuring 2?
Here are the links:
The top 21 horror films of the 21st century.
The best 21st century horror films that don’t appear on “best of” lists.
The highest critic/audience rated horror films of the 21st century.
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I love the idea of Kindergarten Cop 2 because it came out of nowhere. It is a much delayed/unnecessary sequel that swaps Dolph Lundgren for Arnold Schwarzenegger and has about 1/10 of the budget. If done right, Kindergarten Cop 2 could’ve been a springboard for Lundgren’s career and boosted him to mainstream fare (in my dreams). However, it is a underwritten mess that will certainly disappoint Lundgren fans and anybody else looking for something fun.
The biggest problem with Kindergarten Cop 2 is that it doesn’t try to rise above the direct-to-DVD shlock. The score is bad, and the banter feels written by somebody who only watches DTDVD films. If there was a bad sequel conveyor belt this film would’ve rolled off the assembly line. I understand that expectations shouldn’t be high, and I’ve been burnt before by promising Lundgren films (Shark Lake, In the Name of the King 2) but I was really excited for the weird sequel.
The film revolves around laid-back FBI Agent Dolph Lundgren (always wearing henley shirts) and his partner Bill Bellamy going undercover in a progressive elementary school to find a flash drive. The difference between the two KC films is Dolph has to teach at an extremely liberal school that teaches the benefits of no gluten and liberal values. Thus, you have a large Swedish man teaching young kids while being annoyed that he can’t eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
This is what happens when you feed little children loads of cookies.
I kept hoping that Dolph would freak out and actually have some fun with the kids. This never happens and he is pretty much always laid-back and nonplussed about the whole process. It doesn’t help that KC2 gets bogged down by a lame crime story and a stock relationship involving a much younger teacher. I’d love to see a film where Dolph loses his shit and lets little kindergartners shake him to the core. What I appreciated about the original Kindergarten Cop is how Arnold would absolutely freak out. The dude was out of his league and resorted to shouting “shut up” to tiny children.
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Kindergarten Cop 2 isn’t good enough to be enjoyable and isn’t bad enough to be fun. The movie is a wasted opportunity that could’ve been a fun romp involving a large Swedish man teaching children. If you are looking for other direct-to-DVD Dolph Lundgren films I recommend Command Performance and Universal Soldier: Regeneration.
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The MFF podcast is back, and we are talking about random buddy cop pairings. In anticipation of the intergalactic buddy film Thor: Ragnarok, we put together some weird duos that rival the pairing of Hulk and Thor. In this pod, we pair off Joe Dirt, James Bond, Alonzo Harris, Captain Ron and Zoolander’s Hansel. A lot of these people may not be cops, but your jaw will drop as we skillfully pair off random people and give them movies that are most likely better than Zoolander 2.
Who will Ron team up with?
As always, we answer listener questions and learn that host Lasavath loves Captain America: Civil War. Enjoy the pod!
You can stream the pod on Blog Talk Radio or download it from Itunes. If you get a chance please rate and review the pod. You are awesome!
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Do you want to become a lean, mean, cinematic loving machine? These 13 exercises will get you 100% ripped, 100% of the time (based on zero instances of this happening). These moments of exercise worked for fictional heroes so they must be perfect for everybody else.
MFF is not responsible for any injuries that are the result of this workout system. Be smart people!
If you aren’t into working out check out the cinematic walking piece I wrote. There are many great examples of walking.
1. Exaggeration Curls – Anchorman
Do you not want to workout because you are afraid what people will think? If you answered “yes” you should pull a Ron Burgundy and confuse everybody by doing exaggeration curls. The trick is to exaggerate your numbers every time people walk by. People will know you are lying, but they won’t know you only did four curls.
You can use this system for all the workouts below.
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2. Corona Curls – The Fast and the Furious films
Everybody in the Fast movies are ripped. How do they stay so svelte? The short answer is Corona curls. Basically, drink Corona bottles constantly and fling them at your face like you’ve never drank corona before. The trick is to ignore all drinking logic and invent new ways to make beer explode in your face.
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3. Wear a Knee Brace – The Dark Knight Rises
Have you been out of action for a while and need to get back in shape quickly? Wear a knee brace. It worked in The Dark Knight Rises. I have no idea how the knee brace cured all of Batman’s physical woes but movies never lie.
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4. Master the Ben Affleck Gratuitous Pull-Up – The Town & Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Ben Affleck loves to show off his pull-up skills. In The Town and BvS he had no problem lifting himself up on metal bars. If you have a door frame or bat cave, I recommend you put up a pull-up bar and get to work. An added bonus is all the gratuitous pull-ups you can do at parties you host.
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5. Become an Actor and Get Cast as Wolverine – Way too Many X-Men Movies
Hugh Jackman has been ripped for a long time. The guy always has a Wolverine movie around the corner so he needs to be in fighting shape 24/7. Start acting now!
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6. Have Somebody Forcefully Make You Do the Splits – Bloodsport
JCVD is always doing the splits. They’ve aided him in many films and gotten him out of trouble on several occasions. If you watch JCVD movies you know the splits make you invincible.
The splits happen at 3:33 in the video.
Disclaimer: work your way up slowly. Don’t jump into tree branch splits immediately.
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7. Master Movie Trailer Yoga – Edge of Tomorrow
Rita Vrataski was absolutely shredded in Edge of Tomorrow. Her major workout was movie trailer yoga. What is movie trailer yoga? It features moves that look really cool and show off all the muscles. There is no need to learn anything intricate, just do what looks cool.
Here is a great example and clip.
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A close runner up is in Roadhouse. I call it “creepy Tai Chi”
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8. Carry Logs Around – Commando & Rocky IV
You don’t need to buy weights when you have tree trucks and logs lying around. They are nature’s bar bells and you can do anything with them. Whether you want to improve endurance or show off your biceps these dead trees are perfect for you. An added bonus is you can use them for fire’s later on.
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When done with the log you can become like Captain America in Avengers: Age of Ultron and break them apart!
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9. Run in Sand, Mud or Snow – Rocky IV, Rocky III, Chariots of Fire, 10, Best of the Best and Naked Gun
The trick is to run on surfaces that aren’t concrete. Movies have taught me that beach/snow/mud running is the greatest exercises of all. Get outside and run on the beach or tundra.
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10. Master the one-arm pushup – G.I. Jane
It worked for Demi Moore in G.I. Jane and it can work for you. I don’t recommend you do the majority of these exercises in this video because you will 100% hurt yourself (chair pushups?). Start with regular pushups and work your way up to being a one-arm pushup master. It will take some time but if you’ve been doing the above exercises they will be easy.
Sidenote: You don’t have to shave your head.
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11. Carry around a little Jedi or broken android on your back – The Empire Strikes Back
If you are planning on hiking the Appalachian trail or being pretentious on a mountain in Nepal I recommend you train for it by carrying something on your back. In The Empire Strikes Back, Chewbacca and Luke Skywalker both have the opportunity to carry things on their back. It worked out well for them!
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12. Sprint like you just robbed a bank or grocery store – Run Lola Run
Lola runs a lot in Run Lola Run. If you planning on getting into Spartan Races you will need to learn the art of interval training. Simple jogging won’t cut it. You will need to be able to sprint, jump, dodge, duck and dip. When you sprint like you just robbed a bank everything becomes a hurdle.
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13. When your neighbors are out of town, break into their house and pretend that it is being attacked by zombies – Night of the Living Dead
Keeping zombies out of an unprepared home is a lot of work. You need to board up everything and think two steps ahead. I guarantee you will be exhausted by the time you zombie-proof the home.
Movies, Films & Flix 