The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 394: Trespass, Treasure Hunts, and Bill Paxton
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Mark and Bryce discuss the 1992 film Trespass. Directed by Walter Hill, and starrring Bill Paxton, William Sadler, Ice Cube, and Ice-T, the film focuses on a modern day treasure hunt gone awry. In this episode, they discuss unfortunate release dates, spiked shoes, and the excellence of Bill Paxton. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
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Quick thoughts: Grade – B – Eternals is worth a watch because of the excellent cast, and a few solid action scenes, but it never really feels cohesive, as several characters are far from developed, and Chloé Zhao wasn’t allowed to flex her directorial stylings that could’ve made this film more unique (I understand why Zhao wasn’t allowed to make a $200 million arthouse MCU film, but it would’ve been interesting to watch).
The most interesting thing about Eternals is how it can’t decide whether it’s an MCU movie, or a Chloé Zhao film that’s loaded with wide open vistas, quiet moments, and an occasionally solemn tone. Big questions aren’t allowed to be fully explored, so when they’re asked, and only answered superficially, they lose all weight and feel overly simplistic (you’ll see). The dueling tones aren’t a total hindrance, as the movie features some solid quips, and several standout action sequences that are easy to follow, and full of memorable visuals that include Don Lee punching monsters named Deviants in their faces (somebody watched Train to Busan, and cast him in the punch heavy role).
Zhao didn’t have the luxury of her characters being introduced in a prior film (think Spider-Man and Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War), which means the 153-minute movie is never able to fully focus on any one thing. Which is tough when it’s a movie about a group of immortals, who were sent to earth by Celestials, to protect the populace from Deviants (AKA large CGI monsters – don’t mistake them for Variants), who are eating the denizens of earth. Zhao has to cover thousands of years, create 10+ major roles, and explain why the immortal powerhouses have never involved themselves in any major conflicts around the world. It’s a big ask, and Zhao and co-writers Patrick Burleigh and Ryan Firpo have done a decent job creating a cohesive narrative that explains centuries worth of backstory, and forging a new path for sequels.
The movie mostly focuses on the relationship between Sersei (Gemma Chan – in another MCU role), and Ikarus (Richard Madden), two of the Eternals who have a centuries long romance that has cooled off in the 20th century. The two find themselves reunited in London, when a self-healing Deviant attacks Sersei, her boyfriend Dane Whitman (Kit Harrington – actually allowed to enjoy himself for once) and Sprite (Lia McHugh) a perennial teenager Eternal who can work wonders with illusions. After a very close call, Ikarus chases the Variant away, and this leads to the three Eternals traveling the globe to put the team back together so they can fight whatever CGI “evil” is threatening the world. The team includes Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Druig (Barry Keoghan), Thena (Anjelina Jolie), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Gilgamesh (Don Lee), and leader Ajak (Salma Hayek), who encouraged the team to split up, and find their own way, after they decimated the Deviant population and have to wait around until they are called back to their home planet by the all-powerful Celestials.
Since it’s a Marvel Cinematic Universe film that is loaded with plot twists, and surprise cameos, it wouldn’t be fair to spoil them here. Just know that the rest of the film features monsters being punched, dueling ideologies, and several video cameras being destroyed. It will be interesting to see how the characters are integrated into the larger universe, and if done right, they offer the universe a lot as Nanjiani, Jolie, and the others bring something new and fun. Also, it will be nice to see them move beyond a single character trait (quippy, serious etc..) and become three-dimensional characters with more screen time.
The cinematography by Ben Davis (Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange) is excellent, as his style works well with Zhao, who always stresses wide open vistas. Also, the CGI smack-em-ups are filmed in a way that makes them easy to follow and track. The production and costume design by Eve Stewart (A Cure for Wellness, The King’s Speech) and Sammy Sheldon (Ex Machina, Annihilation) are solid as well, as there are some large set builds, and each character remains distinctive in a crowd. Since it’s a Marvel movie with a $200 million budget, the excellence is to be expected, but there are some truly memorable costumes and sets that stand out and prove to be memorable. Some examples are when Nanjiani takes part in an intricately choreographed dance number inside a cavernous soundstage, and Angelina Jolie’s costume, which makes her look even more badass than normal.
Overall, Eternals is another fun MCU movie that understandably plays it too safe (despite having the first sex scene in an MCU movie), and acts as a solid introduction for a group of characters who will hopefully have bigger roles in the future.
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MY CALL: I was really hoping this would be more watchable and enjoyable as a B-movie… but it’s just not. God bless it, it tries. There’s Cenobite-Borg zombies with guns and blades for arms but even still, this just isn’t worth it for me—not even for a bad movie night. MORE MOVIES LIKE Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis: Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993) strikes me as the best of the RotLD sequels.
As if capturing the satirical social commentary of Paul Verhoeven (Starship Troopers, RoboCop), the movie opens with a company infomercial about a toxic waste disposal company that also makes processed food snacks and handles zombie outbreaks… all with a smile! As promising as this gag is, it’s also probably the most inspired part of the movie.
During a business trip to… uhhhh, Chernobyl… Charles (Peter Coyote; The 4400, Sphere) intends to buy the last zombie barrels known to exist (lest we forget this entire movie series enjoys its barrel-stored zombies). But, no surprise, something goes wrong and someone is infected by some leaking goo and starts leaping at people yelling “brains.” It’s pretty crass. It’s also interesting how these zombies so instantly realize and understand exactly what they’re bodies crave: brains. But I readily forgive it when, in proper B-movie form, our fresh zombie disarms its victim of his gun and bites a hole right through the skull of his forehead. It’s kinda dumb in the ways we want in a bad movie, but kinda ill-executed even for that.
So right away it is evident that the writing, acting, and most aspects of the filmmaking are rather weak. The soundtrack is even distinctly annoying, wielded like a weapon in the hands of a teenager intent on aggravating his parents. But the gore and bloodwork are up to snuff for a casual viewing of a lower budget late sequel. So I guess it could be worse.
A group of high school seniors—including Becky (Aimee-Lynn Chadwick), Cody (Cory Hardrict; Warm Bodies, The Day), Julian (John Keefe), Katie (Jana Kramer; Laid to Rest, Prom Night) and Zeke (Elvin Dandel; Pumpkinhead 4) among others—end up getting involved when one of them ends up at a zombie research facility instead of an ER after a dirt-biking accident.
The movie really drags with extended scenes of ‘just driving’ and ‘kids doing kid stuff.’ The number and length of scenes of these kids doing absolutely nothing on their motorcycles is maddeningly stupid. Equally stupid is a kid using nunchucks against a zombie. Surely this is meant to be hilarious, and it should have been—but it wasn’t. Sigh. Perhaps this movie could have been under an hour if we cut these crap scenes. But truth be told, the movie wouldn’t be much improved for it.
Remember the military research facility in Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993)? Well this movie basically does that all over again, except the sets and zombies don’t look as convincing, nor is this sequel nearly as entertaining.
While the gore is good, the zombies are less so. Watching a punk zombie with a somehow immaculate mohawk animate from the dead like a bad actor twitching about is painful. Yeah, that sucked. I’m really not fond of the zombies’ movement style. And most zombies are freshly turned; so no fun effects for decomposition or rot or bones covered in putrefied gobbledygook. When we do see older, more rotten zombies, the effects are sadly quite poor. But on the other hand, the zombified hobo-dinner rotisserie sewer rat was good hokey fun. So there’s that, I guess. It was my favorite zombie scene, able to capture the right level of silly hokiness as well as solid yet laughable execution.
But again, the gore works just enough to keep me from hating my life while watching this movie. Skullcapping head bites are gooey and gross, and bodies are torn apart and disemboweled in classic fashion. There are even two Borg-Cenobite zombies armed with blades and guns. Unfortunately… meh. It’s one of those ‘expected a lot, got a little’ situations that are commonplace in this sequel. Speaking of which, here’s a note to the director: fist fights with street-fighting zombies are stupid; smack-talking zombies are also stupid.
Director Ellory Elkayem (Eight Legged Freaks) does absolutely nothing to incline me to view yet the next sequel (part 5, Rave of the Dead) which he also helmed. Sorry, horror fans, but this one is a hard pass recommendation from me.
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The Beta Test (2021) – Review: Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe Have Crafted an Excellent Stress Comedy
Quick Thoughts – Grade – A – The Beta Test is another nerve-racking film from director/writer/editor/star Jim Cummings. After Thunder Road, The Wolf of Snow Hollow and now The Beta Test, Cummings has perfected the art of the cinematic anxiety attack.
Filmed on a $250,000 budget, the independent feature by co-directors Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe finds humor and horror in the internet, Hollywood, relationships, masculinity, and paranoia. Cummings’ 2020 movie The Wolf of Snow Hollow successfully combined alcoholism and anger, with lycanthropy. Now, not content with only combining a few elements, he brings the world a tale about a Hollywood agent who has a sexual encounter with a stranger, and slowly begins to meltdown into a paranoid maniac who lies, cheats, drinks, and raises his voice many times. Under the mindful eye of Cummings and McCabe who wrote the script, then recorded the dialogue as a podcast to fine tune the monologues and jokes, the descent into madness feels organically orchestrated and you will find yourself melting into your seat as the lead character Jordan (Cummings) keeps sinking into an endless inferno that he created.
The movie focuses on Jordan, a hotshot Hollywood agent who drives a Tesla, has beautifully tailored suits, and an adoring fiance who puts up with his 24/7 work schedule. Jordan is one of those guys who desperately wants to appear rich, but he’s living outside his means, and realizes that the days of the Hollywood agent won’t last in an era where foulmouthed alpha males and their shenanigans are becoming obsolete. His life is turned upside down when he receives an anonymous letter informing him that he can have a secret sexual rendezvous with a stranger. After some initial trepidation, he has the tryst, and quickly becomes paranoid about every word spoken to him, or look he receives. From there, he starts investigating the letters, and it leads to a world of freakouts, yelling, and hammer attacks. It gets to the point where your body becomes tense when Jordan simply starts talking to someone, because you know he’ll either start lying, or be forcefully removed after attempting to impersonate a cop.
The cinematography by Kenneth Wales does a fine job of maximizing stress, as it knows when to simply focus on Cummings, who is an expert at portraying someone who is falling apart without grace. Also, the editing by Cummings, who on the Empire Podcast said that he has been fine tuning the edit for well over a year, is excellent because it isn’t easy creating such a stressful atmosphere. The entire package (which agents would love) is solid, and if you’re into Cummings very particular brand of stress comedy, you will find a lot to love in The Beta Test.
The biggest issue with The Beta Test is that it tries to blend in too many genres into its 94-minute running time. It’s a Hollywood satire, a dark comedy, an erotic thriller, a meditation on the internet, and a mystery. Throw in some brutal murders (the opening is gnarly), and a whole lot of cringe comedy, and you have a movie that is slightly overwhelming, and doesn’t totally deserve its ending, as it happens so quick. Depsite the overhwelming ingredients, it still deserves the A-rating because it’s a singular vision (mostly singular, PJ McCabe helped a lot), that is wildly unique, and loads of fun to watch.
Final Thoughts: Watch Thunder Road, The Wolf of Snow Hollow and The Beta Test now!
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast – Episode 393: Killer Joe, K Fry C, and Matthew McConaughey
You can download or stream the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere).
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Mark and Jonny Numb (of The Last Knock Podcast) discuss the 2011 dark comedy Killer Joe, Directed by William Friedkin, and starring Matthew McConaughey, Juno Temple, Emile Hirsch, Gina Gershon, Thomas Haden Church, and a chicken wing, the movie focuses on what happens when a couple of idiots hire a hitman to kill a person. In this episode, they discuss the wonderful performances, dark comedy, and stage adaptations. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast, make sure to send in some random listener questions (we love random questions). We thank you for listening, and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker.
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The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021) – Review: A Visually Impressive Biopic By Director Will Sharpe
Quick thoughts: Grade – B – The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is a visually impressive film that goes out of its way to avoid becoming a traditional Oscar-bait biopic. The performances by Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, and Andrea Riseborough are excellent as always, and they help add balance to a narrative whose tone bounces between whimsical, melancholy, and sentimental.
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain focuses on the trials and tribulations of Louis Wain, a prolific artist who drew thousands of anthropomorphized cats during his time on this earth (1860 – 1939), and helped popularize the notion that the rat catchers could actually be pretty great pets. His brightly colored and often surreal works of art circled the globe, and due to him not copyrighting his pictures, he didn’t receive the money or adulation that he deserved. In an interview with Deadline, Cumberbatch, who plays Wain, considers him to be “a quiet hero,” and BAFTA nominated director Will Sharpe made the movie about him because “I think you don’t necessarily have to slay dragons or fly spaceships to be a hero. What drew me to Louis Wain was his humanity, more than anything else, and the challenges that he overcame, whether they were personal or to do with his mind, were huge.” For once, it’s nice to focus on an underdog who didn’t change the world, and instead made many people realize how cute cats are.
Shot in a striking 4:3 aspect ratio, which creates the feeling that you’re looking at a painting in a museum, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is wonderful to look at as cinematographer Erik Wilson showcases every trick he learned from his experiences working on Submarine, Tyrannosaur, Paddington 1 & 2, and several Pumpkinhead horror films. There are impressive dolly shots that must’ve kept the grips busy as they needed to lay hundreds of feet of dolly track, and static shots that know when to let the inherent silliness of a nonplussed bathroom goer wash his hands whilst Wain kisses his future wife Emily (Claire Foy), tell the story. The production and costume design are sumptuous as well, as Oscar nominee Suzie Davies (Mr. Turner, The Courier), and Oscar winner Michael O’Connor (Dredd, Jane Eyre, Ammonite) load the film with vibrant blue, orange, and red set decorations and costumes that become more muted as Wain loses his wife, deals with mental illness, and finds himself alone in a nursing home later in life.
Based on Wain’s illustrations, it’s understandable that the film starts off very whimsically, as Wilson’s camera follows Wain as he goes about his daily life that involves boxing (he basically just gets punched a lot), dealing with his five sisters, and drawing portraits in the blink of an eye, as he’s able to use both hands for his illustrations. His initial meeting with Emily is cuter-than-cute, as she’s hiding in a closet to get away from the insanity of the Wain home, and they immediately bond, and eventually get married. After moving to the country, and adopting a cute cat, things go south quickly as Emily is diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, and the film loses its whimsy, and focuses on Wain’s mental downfall. It’s a jaring switch in tone, which once again makes sense considering the artist, but it makes the film feel unevenly structured and disjointed as the mood changes immediately. What follows is Wain’s extremely good-looking decline into dementia, and several beautiful looking moments involving running in the rain and massive storms that sink the biggest of ships.
In the end, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is worth a watch because of the beautiful visuals and its desire to not come across as another stock biopic. There is beauty to behold, and if you handle the film’s decline into sadness, it’s worth a watch.
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John’s Horror Corner: No One Gets Out Alive (2021), a creepy haunting movie wandering into a rather unique conclusion.
MY CALL: For real, this was different; not great, but good and different. I don’t get to say that very often any more about movies. It’s occasionally brutal and jumpy, but its main ingredient is the creepy unknown into which the story wades. Oh, and by the way, this review is spoiler-free, and that’s frustratingly hard to do with a film like this. MORE MOVIES LIKE No One Gets Out Alive: Well, for another strange immigrant-centric horror there’s His House (2020). For generally more pleasing films utilizing mystery and/or creep factor, then We Are Still Here (2015; for more serious) and Lights Out (2016; for more fun) should do the trick.
An undocumented immigrant from Mexico Ambar (Cristina Rodlo; The Terror) moves into a boardinghouse for women furnished in timeworn décor, vintage lamps, and old wooden architecture appealing to a gothic atmosphere.
Everyone Ambar meets is a bit strange, whether her loner landlord (Marc Menchaca; Ozark, The Outsider, The Sinner) or the occasional transient tenant. We are left to assume everyone may have a secret or a possible dark connection to the strange goings-on of the perpetually dimly lit hallways. Wandering into her landlord’s office she finds books on indigenous rituals and the occult, an old insect collection, skulls and other curios—not the typical Cleveland, Ohio landlord office, if you ask me.
This film is relentlessly creepy and provokes some good scares. There’s something of a We Are Still Here (2015) vibe as we are introduced to the haunting of the building. Unseen apparitions linger and watch ominously. Likewise, the camera’s gaze often implies the ominous view of a watcher of sorts. That, along with the use of light and dark toying with the audience, reminds me of Lights Out (2016). But despite these soft comparisons to other films, this is clearly doing something all its own and this something doesn’t feel so familiar nor is it presented in a such a way that one could predict where it’s heading.
While we’re patiently waiting to learn exactly what’s going on here, Ambar suffers much misfortune, grief, and increased frightful contact with whatever spirits inhabit the building. She is internally every bit as haunted by the loss of her mother as she is by whatever ethereally skulks the hallways beyond her room.
First time feature director Santiago Menghini creates gripping atmosphere as we view the characters from the darkest recesses of their apartment building, whose photography magnifies the harrowing dark halls. There are some brutal moments, including grisly head-smashing and bone-breaking scenes. But “brutal” does not typify this film. Creepy is its game.
This film was very well-made, unnerving, jumpy, and intense at times—clearly entertaining. It also seemed to go in a different direction than I’ve seen before, and that’s nice. Not sure this is a strong recommendation, but it is definitely watchable and unique. For many of you, I’m sure that’s enough.
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Escape From Mogadishu (2021) – Review: An Ambitious and Compelling Thriller From Director Seung-wan Ryoo
Quick Thoughts: Grade – B – Based on a true story, Escape From Mogadishu is a thrilling film that features solid performances and a believable atmosphere loaded with sweat, bullets, and important compromises between North and South Korean embassy workers. It’s currently the official submission of South Korea for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category and the highest grossing South Korean film of 2021.
Escape From Mogadishu focuses on embassy workers from North and South Korea teaming up to escape the violence of the Somali Civil War, which rocked the country in 1991. While it’s taken liberties with the story to make it more exciting, it’s still a fun example of extraordinary compromise and teamwork during a wildly violent time. Director Seung-wan Ryoo (The Battleship Island, The Berlin File) has crafted a fun film which breezes by and stretches its $20 million (24 billion KRW) budget expertly, as there are hundreds of extras, big set pieces, and excellent production design. It’s nice knowing that it was shot in Morocco (and not a backlot), and that was a wise decision as it adds authenticity to the proceedings that make the film much more believable. Also, the cinematography by Ryoo regular Young-hwan Choi (The Berlin File) is the MVP of the film, and his work during the climatic car chase is worth the price of admission (you might never look at books the same way again).
The best moments belong to Huh Joon-ho (Kingdom) and Kim Yoon-seok (The Chaser) who play the North and South Korean ambassadors. Watching them figure out how to trust each other, and team up in a way that won’t get them in trouble with their governments is a lot of fun. The two go from sabotaging each other’s attempts to be accepted into the United Nations, to equals who momentarily team up to keep their families and coworkers safe. Some of the best moments in the movie happen when they discuss how to not become pariahs when they return home after teaming up, as neither want to seem like defectors or spies when they arrive back in their countries.
The biggest issue with the film is how it never fleshes out the characters, or gives the female characters anything to do. The acting is solid, and the cast is game, but there’s a heroic shining light on the characters which never totally feels organic. Since it’s an action film, character development isn’t totally necessary, but there’s just something off about how wholesome the characters are. It would have been nice to give the characters a few more wrinkles and moments to make us care more about them. For instance, one of the most memorable scenes happens during a shared dinner between the two groups. The North Koreans hold off on eating until Kim Yon-seok’s character eats first to prove the dinner his group provided isn’t poisoned. It’s a 10-second moment, but it shows the dynamics between the countries, and makes things a little more human.
Final thoughts – Escape From Mogadishu is an ambitious and fun film that’s worth a watch.
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MY CALL: With better writing and more honed direction, this could have been much better. But as it is, this is a mildly thrilling thriller aiming all its attention at Megan Fox… who accordingly seems to be the punching bag of all this film’s criticism. MORE MOVIES LIKE Till Death: Gerald’s Game (2017) and You’re Next (2013), which both did it better.
Having been a while since I’ve seen Megan Fox in horror or anything serious, I was nervous yet optimistic for her. As we meet our protagonist Emma (Megan Fox; Jennifer’s Body), she is caught between two men. One an affair with Tom (Aml Ameen; The Maze Runner, Evidence) that she breaks off the eve of her anniversary; the other her strained, cold marriage to Mark (Eoin Macken; The Hole in the Ground, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter). But when her anniversary weekend at their remote lake house in the winter leaves her handcuffed to her now dead husband, her love life is ever more complicated than before.
Watching Emma drag her dead husband around the house with his massive headwound while wearing his bloody clothes is not as awkwardly amusing as I’d hoped. It’s cheeky, sure. But it needs help to carry the scenes. Emma talking to herself throughout the process could also be funnier, but it’s not bad. If anything, what I find truly funny here is how unreasonably elaborate this revenge plot is. You’d think Mark was a disciple of Jigsaw in one of the later Saw sequels with all his little posthumous recordings and notes and how he rigged the lake house so extensively in such a short period of time.
Not only is Emma condemned to lugging around her dead husband, but the phones are out, and her terrifying past arrives for its pound of flesh in the form of someone she sent to jail years ago—Bobby Ray (Callan Mulvey; Shadow in the Cloud) and Jimmy (Jack Roth; Rogue One). Now that her hunters have arrived, the stakes are raised and I’m enjoying her now-more-urgent spouse-dragging more. Moreover, the filmmakers do a good job of creating a convincing cat and mouse chase in such a small venue with some clever timing and hide and seek shenanigans. When Emma is forced to fight back, what little we get is generally well-done and very credible. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very exciting and I wanted something more shocking to come of it.
This movie steadily gets better as you watch it. Sure, the opening scenes spinning all the relationship drama was very dry. But with each 15-20 minutes that passed I noticeably found myself enjoying this more, while also seeing more interesting writing and filmmaking decisions realized before me. Still, I feel sharper writing would have helped this movie a lot.
Megan Fox did well enough with what she had, and the story comes to a satisfying ending. I feel like most people who didn’t care for this movie readily and unfairly blame Fox—but I’d argue that no one in the film gave a “better” performance than she did. And sure, she had some rough line deliveries in the opening scenes (which felt very, very, very forced by the writer and director)… but they were also rigidly performed by her co-stars who simply had less screen time and fewer lines. The writing and directorial experience just wasn’t there.
I had hoped that director S. K. Dale’s first feature film would be Gerald’s Game (2017) meets You’re Next (2013). But to think that would nurse greater expectations than anyone should have. This movie is just good enough to not regret watching it. I wouldn’t really recommend this. But it’s a perfectly “just good enough” popcorn evening of entertainment.
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Halloween Kills (2021) – Review: A Misguided Sequel That Kills The Momentum Built From the 2018 Rebootquel
Quick Thoughts – Grade – D – The opening credits of Halloween (2018) feature a pumpkin becoming fresh again. The opening credits of Halloween Kills should’ve featured the fresh pumpkin being overwhelmed by mold and collapsing into a pile of mush.
The David Gordon Green directed Halloween Kills is a classic example of what happens when sequels lose focus, and choose to go big. Instead of keeping it small and dealing with the aftermath of Michael Myers surviving the trap that Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) set for him, David Gordon Green and fellow writers Danny McBride and Scott Teems expand the world, and focus on what happens when a mob forms, and some familiar residents of Haddonfield starting hunting down Myers. What follows is a total waste of time, as nothing is resolved, time is wasted, and the kills become unnecessarily bloody. The worst thing about Halloween Kills, is that it has no idea of who Michael Myers is. Is he the bogeyman? Is he some dude who decided to kill one night? Is he some guy who just wanders around and wants to go home? Is he some immortal monster who just keeps getting stronger and stronger?
Halloween Kills focuses on the aftermath of Michael surviving the trap that Laurie had been planning for 40 years. Thinking Michael has burnt to death, Laurie, her daughter Karen (Judy Greer), and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak), head to the local hospital to get their wounds taken care of, and try to start coping with a horrible night that saw their friends and loved ones killed. The problem is, Michael survived the fire, killed several firefighters, and his presence has riled up the locals into a murderous frenzy. From there, a plethora of former Halloween franchise characters have major roles (and most are killed), and they spend their return to the franchise trying and failing to kill the local bogeyman. None of it matters as it all seems like a time wasting middle chapter, that will make a lot of money, and lead to another battle between Laurie and Michael that will close out the trilogy.
The majority of the reviews and trailers have focused on the violence found in this sequel, which is fair considering Halloween II (1981) and Halloween II (2009) both stepped up their violence. However, both sequels made less money, and have lower critical scores, which means the ultra-violence (the hot tub death…) doesn’t always mean a step up in quality. 1980’s slasher fans will appreciate the various ways in which Michael kills, but, people expecting Michael to be interesting or layered will be disappointed (watch the 1978 original again, you’ll see Michael is a complex murderer). The idea of mob justice is nothing new to the Halloween world, but mob justice took place on the periphery in movies like Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. Halloween Kills is overwhelmed by a screaming group of extras led by the grown up Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall taking over for Paul Rudd), a baseball bat wielding badass who is still dealing with the trauma that occurred in 1978. The focus on the mob takes screen time away from Laurie and her family, who made a big impact in the 2018 film, and are a big reason why the film became a blockbuster smash. Why spend so much time creating a believable family dynamic, and then abandon it with a group of pointless townsfolk who are suppossed to be subverting the trend of dangeous mobs?
The best part of Halloween Kills is the opening flashback that features Jim Cummings (The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Thunder Road) punching Myers in the stomach. I had no clue that Cummings was in the film, and seeing him scrap with a horror legend was worth the price of admission.
Final thoughts – Halloween Kills is a waste of time, that kills any goodwill built up by the 2018 rebootquel.
Movies, Films & Flix 