The Monster Squad is a 1987 horror comedy film. Monster Squad is produced by Taft Entertainment, Pictures and Keith Barish Productions and distributed by TriStar Pictures. The movie was written by Fred Dekker and Shane Black and directed by Fred Dekker.
The story is five kids who are part of a club devoted to monsters. Everything seems normal for them until Dracula has risen again in search of an amulet powerful enough for him and his partners Frankenstein's monster, Gill Man, and The Wolfman to takeover the world. With the amulet in the kids' hands they must stop them before all of humanity is ruled by monsters.
Why It's Underrated
What makes The Monster Squad underrated is it simply didn't get enough love when it first came out. Despite all the good stuff the film offered it received mixed reviews and sadly didn't do well at the box office. It only grained $3.8 million against a budget of $12 million. What also makes it underrated is it doesn't get enough attention. It's not shown on television as often as say all of the Friday The 13th films nor is it talked about enough.
Why It's Worth Watching
One of the best things about The Monster Squad is the kids. Not only are they the underdogs in this story but their love of monsters can be relatable to anyone who loves the horror genre.
Another thing you'll enjoy about the movie is it's sense of humor. There's a lot of funny moments. My favorite being a fictional movie in the movie called Groundhog Day Part 12. That kind of was a direct shot to the slasher genre.
Now some of the special effects were a little iffy. It mainly showed with anything that wasn't a practical effect. But that's where the film shines. With the practical effects. That transformation for The Wolfman is great.
The other strong aspect of the film is the friendship that Frankenstein formed with the kids. It was a very charming moment in the film.
Monster Squad also contains nice little nods to classic horror films. And I'm not just talking about the main antagonist. For instance there's a plane called "Browning". For any of you want to know why that's clever just watch 1931's Dracula.
The final thing I'll give the movie credit for is the performances. While the child actors did do a good job with their characters I think the best one is Duncan Regehr as Dracula. He was awesome.
Accomplishments
While the movie didn't have a strong start at first it did get a better reception as the years went by. Audiences grew to love the movie, which in return got the film a cult following and is now in cult classic status.
The Monster Squad is one of those horror comedies that really deserves more love and attention. It has very likeable protagonist, funny moments, spectacular practical special effects, a cute moment with Frankenstein & the kids, clever easter eggs to previous horror movies, and strong performances. The only real problem is not very good effects that aren't practical.
My final rating is Great
While that's going to do it for my Halloween themed reviews. I hope you enjoyed it. Come back next Halloween season when I review the Ghostbusters movies. Yes that sadly means the 2016 film.
State of The Project (Oct 15th - Nov 1st)
Oct 15th - Jaws 2 Review
Oct 18th - Explaining The Halloween Timelines
Oct 20th - Halloween (2018) Review
Oct 22nd - Cinematic Disasters - Jaws 3-D
Oct 25th - Cinematic Disasters - Jaws: The Revenge
Oct 29th - Underrated Films - The Monster Squad Review
Nov 1st - Update Regarding The Road to Dark Phoenix
This is the end folks. The end of my Jaws film review series and sadly it ends on the worst film of them all.
Jaws: The Revenge is a 1987 thriller film and is the third sequel to the 1975 classic Jaws and is the fourth and final film in the Jaws series. The film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. Jaws: The Revenge was written by Michael de Guzman and directed by Joseph Sargent.
The story is after Sean Brody has been sadly killed and widow Ellen Brody is absolutely devastated. Her other son Michael decides the Brody family should take a trip to The Bahamas. However while the family is there so is a great white shark.
My Thoughts
Now our movie starts off terribly enough by showing us that the Brody's still live in Amity Island. Why? Ignoring the third movie (much like this one does) they have been attacked not once but twice by sharks on this island. Why would Martian, Ellen or both of them still want to live here with their kids? Clearly living by an ocean was not done their family any favors.
Then we get Sean's terribly edited death scenes. It's best to watch it first then I'll explain.
One you gotta love how there's already blood in the water even though the shark hasn't even bitten off Sean's arm. Two what is up with the camera work?! It looks like there was two camera operators one on the left and the other on the right and they were tossing the camera back and forth. And to think not only was the director looking at this footage but so was the editor. They filmed this, looked at it, and then both said "yeah this looks good". Three at one point the camera makes it look like the shark bit off Sean's head but in the next shot it didn't. Why did they make it look like the shark chomped off his head but then show he was perfectly fine (aside from the missing arm). That was just an weird thing to do.
After that Mike and his family come to visit Ellen. Mike goes to comfort her and I'm not kidding she says this. "It came for him. It waited all these years". Yes Ellen Brody not only believes this is the same shark from the first movie but she actually believes the shark planned to kill Sean. There are so many things wrong here so let's break it down.
1. You mean to tell me a shark jammed a log into a channel marker. How? How did the shark accomplish that? Sharks don't have hands. So how the hell did it do that?!
2. This must be one lucky shark considering how the coast guards were busy do something else.
3. How would the shark even know Sean would come? If Sean was in a situation where he could have told someone else to do it, what would have been the sharks plan then? Try again next time and hope for the best?
4. How did the shark even know Sean was on duty? It is the Christmas season in this film. So Sean most likely would have been doing some Christmas shopping or any other Christmas related stuff.
Then came the scene that took me over the top. The scene that really made me hate this movie. While Ellen is convincing Mike to give up his Marine Biologist job (because they had to get him in the water one or another) Ellen says this bit of dialogue when Mike says dad (Sheriff Martian Brody) died of a heart attack. "He died of fear. The fear of it killed him". ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!? Sheriff Brody died of fear of the shark. That's complete bullcrap. This is the guy who fought not one by two sharks. And your trying to convince us that he died of fear from the shark. I really really REALLY hate this movie.
So after that pit of character assassination Mike and his wife Carla are talking then Mike just randomly runs away. Yeah him and Carla were talking about Sean then Mike just runs. I have no idea why he did that. It was a weird moment but not as weird as the next scene I'm going to talk about.
Then we later cut to Sean's funeral and I don't know what the writers were going for with Ellen's reaction. At his funeral she later and out of nowhere starts laughing. I guess maybe she was remembering all the good times with her son? But then later Ellen and her family are on a boat playing with Mike's daughter and then Ellen starts crying. What is going? Did the writers get the emotions mixed up somewhere? It was such an odd and rather uncomfortable sequence of events. And to think it only happened in the spam of like two minutes.
Later the film goes to the Bahamas and we see Michael Caine is playing Hoagie. Yes he's character his named after a sandwich. But my personal favorite thing about him is he's a terrible pilot. The first instance is he's playing with Mike's daughter and goes up and down with his plane. That's a totally responsible thing to do with a family who just lost a loved one. The second time is when he's with Ellen and he lets go of the steering wheel. Just so she could takeover. Why hasn't this guy lost his piloting license?
We cut to Ellen swimming in the water then all of sudden she's attacked by the shark! But wait it turns out that level of suspense was just a dream sequence. Yes, Jaws: The Revenge uses the cheapest trick in any thriller/horror film that being the dream sequence. Okay a dream sequence could work if done such as it serves a purpose for the story. But this one doesn't! It's just a cheap trick. But it gets better because later on in the movie Mike has a dream sequence. That's right we get two dream sequences. But what makes Mike's dream sequence worse than Ellen's is his dream was a scene from the movie that happened a couple minutes ago.
Then we're treated to another conversation with Ellen telling Mike to quit his job then the shark appears. No seriously after their done talking with the snap of a finger we cut to a close up of the shark. No build up or anything just instant shark. But what's funny about that is the shark followed the film from New York to the Bahamas. The shark traveled a total distance of 1,100.49 miles just so he could eat a Brody.
Now I want you to pay close attention to this moment in Jaws: The Revenge. I want you to mainly focus on Ellen.
Now some of you are probably wondering what's Ellen's deal? Well get this and you'll definitely laugh at this. Ellen has a psychic connection to the shark. Let me repeat that. Ellen has a PSYCHIC connection to the shark. Ellen can now sense whenever the shark's around just by using her mind. That is probably the dumbest thing right next to the shark wanting revenge.
Speaking of Ellen. Who's idea was it to have a storyline where her and Hoagie (geez that's still a terrible name for a character) are probably becoming a couple. Seriously who wanted this. It's even worse because it felt like I was watching the same thing with them. They go out, they talk, and then they dance next scene they're together, they talk, and they go dancing again. Because that's what we wanted in a Jaws film right? To elderly folks going on a date.
We later cut back to Mike being attacked by the shark and he just barely escaped it's attack on him. Now any rational person who just survived a near death experience would you know probably not to that again. But nope not Mike. Because what felt like only a couple minutes later he's back at it again. Why?! Mike was inches away from being devoured by this thing and he wants to go back again! Did the writers even bought to read their own script before filming even began?
Then we get the banana boat scene. And tell me is there anything about this scene that gives you chills?
No! There is nothing about this scene that is scary. In matter of fact it's kind of funny for how poorly it's made. So let's break it down.
1. If Ellen has a psychic connection to the shark why did she still let her granddaughter go on the boat?
2. Jesus does the shark look fake! It literally looks like a toy attacking people. How is it that the first movie that came out in 1975 has better special effects than the movie that came out in 1987?
3. At 0:42 that actress put her leg in the sharks mouth. Come on filmmakers you could have shot that in a way where we the audience couldn't have seen that.
4. I love how when this woman being eaten by the shark, one lady shouts "somebody do something!" Like what? What do want the people do? Go out there and put a beatdown on the shark?
5. Now the shark attack is made even worse because it looks like the actress is holding on to the shark. Also is it me the does the shark look like it has stains on?
6. Oh my god that's hilarious. At 1:03 the lady who shouted "somebody do something!" actually shouted "Ah, I forgot my line!' That's priceless.
7. If Jaws is getting revenge on the Brodys (oh my god that's still stupid) why didn't he eat the Mike's daughter? I know that's a grim thing to ask but remember the shark wants revenge on all of them not just one of them so why didn't eat the daughter? This revenge plan of his isn't making a whole lot of sense?
So after that bit of awfulness, Ellen steals a boat to...I have no idea. It's never explained what her plan is. There's no possible way for her to kill because she didn't being any gear with her. So what's the big plan then? The only explanation we get is this piece of dialogue "I had to do it! There's was nothing else to do!" What is it?! What was Ellen going to do? Was she going to sacrifice herself to the shark?
Now Mike and company have arrived after Hoagie crash lands he's plane into the water and Mike and Jake jump into the water to get to Ellen's boat. Sure that's a brilliant plan. Jump into the water where the man-eating shark that traveled across the country to eat is at. Then the shark pops up to eat Hoagie and his reaction is priceless.
Hahahahahahahaha! Wow round of applause for Michael Caine everyone. I mean I wish my reaction to a shark attacking was like that. But then the brilliant and best part of the movie is ruined when he survives but not only does Hoagie survive he gets on the boat and he's shirt is a dry as it can be. Michael's explanation for this is the filmmakers took so long to set up the next shot that he's shirt dried up. So apparently the filmmakers were so incompetent that they could have just told him to jump back in the water tank that they were filming at. Or just get somebody to get a bucket of water and just dump it on him?
Then Mike and Jake make some short of device that will zap the shark, then Jake dies getting the device into the shark's mouth. But then Mike zaps the shark and then the shark roars. I'm not making up that. The shark roars! How? Sharks don't have vocal cords or lungs. How can the shark possibly be roaring?! This is Jaws 3-D levels of hilarity.
Also while this scene is going on Ellen is having flashbacks to events she never witnessed. Yeah she was flashbacks to when Sheriff Brody killed the shark in the first movie and to when her son Sean was killed. How does she have these flashbacks. Like I said she wasn't there come to think of it nobody but us the audience saw this stuff happened. So how Ellen know about these events. I guess it's one of the benefits to having a psychic abilities.
Then we get the dramatic killing of the shark and well words can not describe this scene as much as showing you does (note: the video repeats a part of the ending. So don't blame the film for that).
How?! How did impaling the shark lead to an explosion? That's not how impaling something or someone works. Also if you pause at just the right moment you'll get this
Would you be surprised if I told the film won a Razzie for "Worst Visual Effects". Well Jaws: The Revenge won a Razzie for "Worst Visual Effects".
But I'm curious why they used this ending when they have this ending.
Granted it's still kind of dumb because the shark would have to be balancing itself on water in order for it to be that high. But it makes sense. The shark gets impaled then it stinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Then later on our heroes somehow get back to dry land even though their boat has destroyed by the shark and the plane was also destroyed. But none the less our heroes leave and the movie finally comes to an end.
So that was Jaws: The Revenge and wow is it awful. The story is horrendous, the shark getting revenge is probably the dumbest part of the movie, Ellen having a psychic powers doesn't make any sense, the special effects are awful, and overall it's just a terrible sequel to one the greatest film ever made. And to think Universal was so proud of this movie they ignored Jaws 3-D because to them Jaws: The Revenge was and I quote " the third film of the remarkable Jaws trilogy".
My final rating is Destroy It!
Now I would end my Halloween themed review series here but instead I want to end it on a more positive note. So come back next time but until then enjoy getting ready for Halloween as it inches closer by.
State of The Project (Oct 13th - Oct 29th)
Oct 13th - Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween Review
Oct 15th - Jaws 2 Review
Oct 18th - Explaining The Halloween Timelines
Oct 20th - Halloween (2018) Review
Oct 22nd - Cinematic Disasters - Jaws 3-D
Oct 25th - Cinematic Disasters - Jaws: The Revenge
Oct 29th - Underrated Films - The Monster Squad Review
We're nearing the end of my Jaws review and sadly after Jaws 2 the quality of these films started to go downhill. So let's review the first bad film in the franchise.
Jaws 3-D (or simply Jaws 3) is a 1983 thriller film as well as the second sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the third film in the Jaws franchise. Jaws 3-D is produced by Alan Landsburg Productions and MCA Theatricals and distributed by Universal Pictures. Jaws 3-D was written by Carl Gottlieb and Richard Matheson and directed by Joe Alves.
The story is a shark has found it's way into SeaWorld Orlando. After some brutal attacks, Mike Brody and Kay Morgan along with other workers set off to capture the beast. However they soon discover that's not the only shark that entered.
My Thoughts
One thing that I thought was absolutely hilarious was the 3-D aspect of the film. Now watching the with actual 3-D glasses does make the film enjoyable but without the 3-D after or the glasses you get a lot of unintentional funny scenes. Like the people are entering SeaWorld and at one point you get a shot of this dragon looking thing direct in front on the camera. It was set up that when you have your 3-D glasses on it's tongue is coming at you but without them you just get an awkwardly funny shot.
Another thing I find hilarious about Jaws 3-D is it's pretty much a commercial for SeaWorld...well a really bad/terrifying commercial for SeaWorld. I mean really think about you run SeaWorld these filmmakers want to make a horror film and you say yes. "Come on down to SeaWorld folks! If your not lucky enough you make get eating by a killer shark that we somehow didn't know was in our park".
Then later on we're reintroduced to the Brody boys, Mike and Sean. Now Mike does have a reason to be here, he works at SeaWorld (although that's still pretty weird because he almost got eaten in Jaws) but why would Sean want to come. In the film it says Sean came to visit Mike but considering everything that happened to him in Jaws 2 you'd think he would want to stay the hell away from the water whether it be a park or ocean. What it really boils down to is for some reason the writers think "well since they were in the first two movies we might as well bring them in for this movie". That's all it pretty much is.
Later on Mike, Sean, and Kathryn (often referred to as "Kay") go to a bar and Sean notices people playing "Standoff". And listen to the way they hype up this game (note the video I found is in poor quality so if you have headphones I recommend you put them on).
Yeah! That's right Sean! Standoff is truly a came where it's a battle of the greatest mastermind. Seriously it's just a game where two players put their hands together then lightly push the other player. I think Sean needs to clam down a bit when playing this game.
Then Sean and Kelly (the girl he has playing Standoff with) go swimming. During this scene we're introduced and I kid you not to coral thieves. And apparently being a coral thief is the same as being a drug dealer because one piece of dialogue from these guys is this "Guy in Miami will give us 200 bucks for the good stuff". I'm serious I didn't make that up. That's an actual line in a Jaws movie. Is it me or is this movie getting more hilarious by the moment.
Later on Mike and Kay going looking for Overman (an employee who was killed earlier in the film). And then the movie displays quite possibly the worst animation I've seen from a film made in the 80's (again the video is in poor quality but I doubt even in HD it would look perfect). Behold the submarine.
Not gonna lie when I saw that on AMC as a kid (yes my parents let me watch a killer shark eat people. Their cool like that) I laughed. I mean that's the best they could do? Also why is there water in the submarine? Isn't the point of those is to keep the water out. Then later we get a chase scene with dolphins. And dear lord it's horrible. Watch the clip then I'll explain.
So now that you watched the clip let's explain why this scene is horrible.
1. At 1:48 we can clearly tell that's a puppet there using. Yes this movie was made in the early 80's so I shouldn't expect much but there were plenty of films back then that had great special effects.
2. Holy stock footage Batman! And you can tell it's stock footage because the damn shark keeps changing it's appearance.
3. They used the same shot of Mike holding on to his dolphin not once not twice but three times! Were the filmmakers so lazy they couldn't have made two other different shots.
So sometime later we finally find Overman's corpse. And get a load of this.
Who's the asshat that pushed the girl? Think about it, this guy sees a dead body then he decides "Hey you know what would be hilarious? If I push this traumatized girl to that corpse. Oh my god! This is going to funny as hell!"
Then we discover the shocking truth. It turns out they shark they captured was just a baby but the shark that killed Overman was actually the mother. In all honesty you can kind of see that coming. Because think about it, this is the third film in the Jaws franchise. Do you really think they would downgrade the size of the shark. I don't think so.
Also when they made this discovery it turns out this shark is about 35 feet long! Now I'm no shark expert but how do you miss something that big? Also where the hell was the baby shark's mother hiding all this time?
So now the shark is on a rampage to get revenge of her baby's death (yes this shark's on a quest for vengeance. But you know what it makes way more sense than it did in Jaws: The Revenge). The shark even runs into Sean and Kelly and despite the shark eating everyone else it just takes a bite out of Kelly's leg. I guess this time around Jaws is on a diet.
Then later we get one of my favorite kills in a Jaws movie. FritzRoyce (he was a character introduced earlier in the movie) lure the shark into a filtration pipe so he can kill it. But that doesn't go according to plan and then this is the best part. He gets swallowed whole and then the shark crushes him. What makes this my favorite kill is just how ridiculous it is. I mean this shark had to take one bite at a time to devour everyone else but this one guy nope Jaws can just swallow him whole.
So later on we get our big climatic finale battle with the shark. But not before this glorious moment. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls I present to you the infamous glass scene!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's so terrible! But yet it's so great. And to think both the director and editor looked at this and said "Yep that's perfect and will definitely scare the audience."
I'm just going to end here because why bother explaining the rest of the film after that. So that was Jaws 3-D and I think I've made in no secret that I love this movie. Everything about this film is just pure hilarity. The shark looks really fake this time around, some of the dialogue is hilarious, the 3-D effects when not wearing 3-D glasses just bring awkward moments, the special effects are just comical, and the film overall is just a really bad commercial for SeaWorld.
My final rating is So Bad It's Good
Well I had fun with this Jawsfilm. To bad next time I won't be as much fun with my review of the finale Jaws movie Jaws: The Revenge.
State of The Project (Oct 11th - Oct 25th)
Oct 11th - A Look Back at Goosebumps (2015)
Oct 13th - Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween Review
Oct 15th - Jaws 2 Review
Oct 18th - Explaining The Halloween Timelines
Oct 20th - Halloween (2018) Review
Oct 22nd - Cinematic Disasters - Jaws 3-D
Oct 25th - Cinematic Disasters - Jaws: The Revenge
Halloween is a slasher film as well as the eleventh installment to the Halloween film series. The film is a sequel to 1978's Halloween thus disregarding continuity from the previous sequels from Halloween II to Halloween: Resurrection. Halloween (2018) is produced by Trancas International Films, Blumhouse Productions, Miramax, and Rough House Pictures and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film is written by David Gordon Green, Jeff Fradley, and Danny McBride and directed by David Gordon Green.
The story is it's been 40 years after the events of the 1978 massacre caused by crazed serial killer Michael Myers. Michael has been locked up since then but on Halloween night he escapes and returns to his hometown of Haddonfield. What he doesn't know is Laurie Strode has been waiting for this moment.
Initial Reaction
When I saw the first trailer I was already hyped and I was demanding it to be October right now. What got me most excited for this film was it would be the first time I see a Halloween film in theaters as suppose to the Rob Zombie films where I pussed out (I was just a kid when those came out. So of course I avoid them). Another reason why I was excited was John Carpenter was finally coming back to the franchise. Sure it's for producing but still that was a good sign. My final reason for being on board for this movie was simply enough the trailers really drew me in.
Cons My only real complaint is there are still people who apparently aren't the brightest light bulb. I mean there's a scene where a guy is all broken up about a girl he likes and he sees Michael and he just casually talks to him like it's he's neighbor. And it's not like people don't know who Michael Myers is in this movie. Everyone knows about the massacre that happened on Halloween Night in 1978.
Middle Ground
One thing I was sort in a grey area on with this movie is the new doctor character named Dr. Ranbir Sartain. He has this whole side story arc with Michael. I didn't mind it but at the same time I wasn't all that invested with that part of the story.
Pros
One thing I liked about the film was Laurie Strode's new character. She's what I think is a good example of a strong female character. Yes she's been preparing for this night but at the same time she still has that fear of Michael Myers. But while she has that fear she doesn't allow it to compromise what she sets out to do. What also made Halloween (2018) enjoyable is Michael is back to being a real life serial killer. He's not immortal like he was in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers through Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. He's just a normal psychopathic killer nothing more nothing less. Another thing I'll like about the movie is it doesn't go over the top with the kills. There's not blood and guts all over the place. Sure it does get gory during the third act but that's a long way to go. Hell you don't even see some of the kills you just see the aftermath. The other aspect to enjoy from Halloween (2018) is Jamie Lee Curtis' performance. She has not missed one beat playing Laurie. She has hands down the best performance in the film. The final thing I'll give the film credit for the tense. There's so much great suspense in this movie that it actually will make you feel quite a bit nervous. I got real tensed up during the final showdown between Michael and the Strode's.
Halloween (2018) was a better than I thought it would be. It definitely feels like the proper sequel to Halloween (1978). Laurie is still a great like she was in the 1978 original, Michael is back to being just a normal man, all of the gory is very toned down, Curtis' performance gets two thumbs up, and there's brilliantly played suspense. The new doctor character and his arc are alright. But really my only negative is there are some idiots.
My final rating is Great State of The Project (Oct 8th - Oct 22nd)
Oct 8th - Classic Film Night - Jaws Review
So originally I was going to do a What You Probably Didn't Know About Halloween (1978) but I decided I wanted to do something different. Now yes explaining the Halloween timelines is something almost every Halloween fan has done but I want to it mainly because I thought it would be fun. Now before we get into this I just want to explain a few things. One, I'll only be discussing Michael Myers and Laurie Strode and no other characters (okay I briefly bring up Sam Loomis). I've only choose them because will there pretty much the poster children of the franchise. Two, some of these continuities had some comic tie-ins but I want to skim over those mainly cause I don't really think they effected the movies that much. Three, I also won't be giving too many details about each of these films mainly because I would be spoiling them. Yes a lot of these have been around for decades now but it's just best if you check them out for yourself. So enough of this opening let's get to it.
Remake Timeline
Films That Are Canon: Halloween (2007) & Halloween II (2009)
The first one I'll do is the 'Remake Timeline". These films are completely separated from the original 1978 film meaning they exist in their own universe. The original film Michael Myers was born on Oct 19, 1957 in the remake timeline Michael was born on Oct 19, 1980. Also unlike his original film counterpart we learn more about his family. Such as his mom was a stripper who had a boyfriend named Ronnie who was an ill-tempered alcoholic asshole. Another thing we learned about him, unlike his original film counterpart we're shown how he escapes from the mental asylum and how he got his mask. In this timeline Laurie Strode's original name was Angel Myers as suppose to her 1978 counterpart were her name was Cynthia Myers. Also unlike her original counterpart, she was born somewhere in 1990 where the Laurie Strode of the 1978 film was born somewhere in 1961.
Season of the Witch Timeline
Films That Are Canon: None
This one probably goes without saying but let's talk about it anyways. So Halloween III: Season of the Witch exist in it's own little world. The only time we see Michael Myers is when there's a commercial for Halloween (1978). Which tells us, the audience, that he only exist as a fictional character not as a real serial killer like all of the other films.
The Curse of Thorn Timeline
Films That Are Canon: Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Now we move on to what some people call the "Curse of Thorn Timeline" or the "4-6 Timeline" for me I'm calling it by the Curse of Thorn timeline. Basically what happens here is after Halloween II, Michael has been in a coma for 10 years. He doesn't wake up until he overhears that he has niece named Jaime Lloyd. This Michael's life is almost the same as his original counterpart the only real differences being he has more family members and the reason for his immortality is based on supernatural elements (aka The Curse of Thorn cult). As for Laurie Strode, she eventually married and her and her husband had a child together. The reason why Laurie isn't around in these movies is because both her and Mr. Lloyd died in an accident somewhere in November of 1987.
The H20 Timeline
Films That Are Cannon: Halloween (1978), Halloween II (1981), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, and Halloween: Resurrection
Now we have the H20 timeline. The bases for this continuity is it ignores the events that happened in Halloween 4-6. In doing so this leaves Michael's immortality a mystery or it's just people believing he's so evil he can't be killed. Also in this timeline as suppose to Michael being in a coma for 10 years he's simply been gone for 20 years. As for Laurie Strode she faked her death, relocated to Summer Glen, California, and changed her name to Keri Tate. During her 20 years without Michael she eventually married someone (the husband's name was never giving in any of the films) and somewhere in 1981 they had a son named John. Now Dr. Loomis is brought up in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later but that was to tell us that he passed away in 1995.
Old Man Michael Myers Timeline
Films That Are Canon: Halloween (1978) & Halloween (2018)
Given how this is a new timeline there's not much to explain but I'll still give you details. Also some people have referred to this as the "Final Timeline" what with John Carpenter saying that this is the final Halloween film but one of the writers (Danny McBride to be more specific) have said they do want to make more films but only if the new one does well. So since this isn't technically the final timeline I will be referring to it as the "Old Man Michael Myers Timeline". So enough about the name let's explain bits of this continuity. The bases is, this series ignores any of the sequels. That means Halloween II through Halloween: Resurrection never happened and only the first film is acknowledged. Also, once again Dr. Loomis has died somewhere in the 90's. As for Laurie Strode she stayed in Haddonfield and would go on to have a daughter and a granddaughter. Also the whole thing about her being Michael's sister is just a rumor people made up. Michael was arrested following the 1978 massacre and was put back in Smith Grove's Sanitarium where he would remain there for forty years.
So I hoped I explained all of these well enough for you guys to understand. Anyways that's going to do it for me. Come back Saturday when I review Halloween (2018).
State of The Project (Oct 6th - Oct 20th)
Oct 6th - Venom Review
Welcome back everyone to my Jaws review series. I reviewed the first film now it's time for the sequel.
Jaws 2 is a 1978 thriller film and the sequel to 1975's Jaws and the second film the Jaws franchise. The film was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. Jaws 2 is written by Carl Gottlieb and Howard Sackler and directed by Jeannot Szwarc.
The story is it's been years after the first shark attack on Amity Island. Everything seems to be at peace until people start noticing some strange deaths/disappearances popping up. Sheriff Brody believes it's another shark attack but the town folk thinks it's just him suffering from PTSD. Could it be just that or is Sheriff Brody in the right?
Negatives
The one thing I really didn't like was how the people Amity were doubting Sheriff Brody. Now yes maybe he could have been suffering from PTSD, but the people in Jaws 2 were acting like it was next to impossible for another shark to appear. Why? You all live by an ocean it's not uncommon for another shark to appear after a previous one showed up years ago.
Another problem the movie has is subplots that go nowhere. We subplot #1 which is Mike needs to get a job and subplot #2 being the nerdy guy likes the hot chick. Subplot #1 is brought up but never mentioned again and subplot #2 is resolved after 63 minutes go by and wrapped up quickly just as fast as it was introduced.
Mix
The only thing that striked me as odd is the movie's tone. While at times it does feel like a Jaws film there are other times it comes off as a slasher flick. It's not necessarily a bad thing it's just weird.
Positives
One part of the movie you'll like is Roy Scheider's performance. It's just as good here as much as it was in the first film.
The other aspect of Jaws 2 I liked was the filmmakers hype the shark up as if it's bigger than the previous shark. In doing so it gives you a reason to fear this shark other than it's just another great white shark.
My final praise to this movie I'll give is Jeannot Szwarc made quite a few great shots. The best one being these one chilling shot where the shark is just bearly above the surface. Kind of makes me wonder how Szwarc went from this to 1984's Supergirl.
Jaws 2 will never be regraded as a classic when compared to it's predecessor but it's still enjoyable. Scheider's performance is great, alluding to the shark being bigger is good move, and Szwarc provided some amazing shots. One thing that's not bad but rather odd is the film's tone. The worst things about the movie were people questioning Sheriff Brody and unnecessary subplots.
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is a horror comedy based the children's book series Goosebumps as well as the sequel to 2015's Goosebumps. The movie is produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Original Film, Scholastic Entertainment, and Silvertongue Films and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is written by Darren Lemke and Rob Lieber and directed by Ari Sandel.
The story is two boys named Sonny and Sam enter and explore an abandoned house. In there they find a manuscript titled Haunted Halloween. They later open the script and release Slappy. Now the boys along with Sonny's sister Sarah & the returning R.L. Stine must stop Slappy or the world will suffer his Halloween Apocalypse.
Intital Reaction
Now I really liked the first movie and was definitely excited when I saw trailers for the sequel. However despite that excitement I was still a little worried that the movie would be an exact repeat of the first film but I still remained optimistic and hoped we get if not a great sequel then hopefully a decent one.
Cons
The only complaint I have with Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is R.L. Stine. He's not in the movie as often as he was in the first film. It makes me wonder if this time around he was a last minute addition. Because that's what it felt like.
Middle Ground
Once again the CGI pretty much remains the same. It's good in some parts but then you have those other scenes were it's not so good. The latter of which really shows during a gummy bear attack scene.
The other grey area in this movie is our three main leads those being Jeremy Ray Taylor, Madison Iseman, and Caleel Harris as Sonny, Sarah, and Sam. Their performance are alright but not as strong as the three previous leads.
Pros
One thing I enjoyed from the film is the humor. Much like the first it is quite funny and can get a laugh out of you. My favorite joke is a shot at Stephen King.
Another thing I liked about the film is our main antagonist himself Slappy. This time he was a little more scarier here than the first Goosebumps. Almost Chucky from Child's Play like. Only for a PG audience.
The final thing I'll give the film is more monsters. Both from the first movie and the new for this movie.
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is weak compared to the first movie. However there still is somethings to enjoy. Such as the humor, Slappy, and the newer and older monsters. The only things that needed more work are our new protagonist and the CGI. The absolutely worst part of the film was a glorified cameo appearance by Jack Black as R.L. Stine.
My final rating is Okay State of The Project (Sept 24th - Oct 15th)
Sept 24th - Road to Dark Phoenix - X-Men Review
Goosebumps is a 2015 horror comedy based on the children's book series of the same name by R.L. Stine. The movie is produced by Sony Pictures Animation, LStar Capital, Village Roadshow Pictures, Original Film, and Scholastic Entertainment and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Goosebumps was written by Darren Lemke, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski and directed by Rob Letterman.
The story is a boy has become suspicious of his new neighbor. One day him and his friend Champ break into his house and find a whole collection of Goosebumps books then accidentally release all of the franchise's monsters. Now the boys along with their other friend Hannah & R.L. Stine must stop the monsters and put them back into the stories they came out of.
Negatives
My only real complaint is one of the character's fate. I won't go into anymore details just in case none of you saw this movie. I'll give you this one hint. This character is a love interest.
Mix
One thing this film is stuck in a grey area is the CGI. Some moments have pretty good CG other times it's not bad CG but it still could have been better.
Positives
One thing I didn't expect to get from this movie both now and when it first came out was some fast paced action. This movie is definitely a thrill ride the moment everything goes crazy.
Another aspect from Goosebumps you'll enjoy is the humor. There were quite a lot of funny moments in this. My favorite is when the monsters escape the kids are freaking out but all R.L. Stine could think of was the title to a book.
The biggest surprise for me from this movie was Jack Black as R.L. Stine. He had a good performance. He was mystery when he needed to be and funny when he needed to be.
The last thing I'll give Goosebumps credit for is Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, and Ryan Lee as Zach, Hannah, and Champ. They really had good chemistry together and I definitely liked their characters. I was especially surprised to the main characters friend wasn't an annoying unfunny comic relief.
Goosebumps is very much enjoyable movie. It has awesome action sequences that go by fast, a lot of funny moments, Jack Black played R.L. Stine perfectly, and our three main leads were also good. The CGI could have used some work in some places but the most part it's decent. The only real downside is a predictable outcome for one of the characters.
My final rating is Good
So that's going to do it for me. Until next time look out for my review of Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween and next week I'll return to my Jaws series reviews with my review of Jaws 2.
Hello everyone. Well it's that time of year again, that being the Halloween season. Now last year I reviewed films that didn't have a theme to them it was just whatever I felt like reviewing. You can check those reviews outbyclickinganythinghighlightedinorange. So this time around I thought of reviewing all four of the Jaws movies. So let's begin.
Jaws is a 1975 thriller film based on the Peter Benchley's 1974 novel of the same name. The movie was both produced and distributed by Universal Studios. Jaws was written by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb and directed by Steven Spielberg.
The story is after a woman's dead body is found Police Chief Martin Brody wants to close the beach. However the Mayor of Amity Island doesn't want to do that in fear of tourist revenue dropping. After more shark attacks happen Martin teams up with Ichthyologist Matt Hooper and grizzled ship captain Quint to stop the man-eating beast.
My Thoughts
One thing that Jaws deserves praise for is the suspense. I've seen this film at least five times but I get chills whenever there's going to be a shark attack. That's a great testament to the movie when you've seen multiple times but yet still get scared.
What also made the film great were the characters. The one thing I've seen many shark films is they always focus on the shark and it's attack but in doing so character development gets shoved in the back. Jaws on the other wanted to focus on the characters more and in doing so we come to care for them when their in a dangerous spot with the shark.
Another aspect that made Jaws such a great and memorable film is John Williams' score. Now yes the shark's theme song (or the Jaws theme as it's commonly called) is a classic score. There was also another piece of music that I loved that I sometimes don't hear get talked about enough and that's the music when all three men are warping rope around the barrels that way it will be easier to track the shark. That score is the definition of excitement. It really made your heart race when that scene was playing.
The other thing Jaws needed to be praised for was the performances. Everyone played their character to perfection. The actors did such a great job that to me there's no way if you were to remake Jaws (which is one of the few remakes that BETTER not happen by the way) with these same characters but with different actors that you can convince that a new guy playing Sheriff Brody is Sheriff Brody.
The final thing I want to praise Jaws is the lack of the shark. Steven Spielberg said that he would make the movie if you can show less of the shark. Which would later turn out to be a good choice on his part because with the lack of the shark you'll never truly no when it's coming. So the less is more approach was definitely a great movie.
Jaws is without a shadow of doubt one the greats when it comes to well crafted filmmaking. The suspense is done perfectly, the characters are great and you'll definitely care for them throughout the whole movie, John Williams' score will always hold up, the performances are great, and the lack of the shark was a smart move.
My final rating is A Must Watch
So that's one Jaws film down and three more to go. Only I'm definitely not looking forward to the fourth one but it wouldn't be a good retrospective if I skipped the other movies no matter how bad they are. Until then looking for my next review and enjoy getting everything set up for Halloween.
State of The Project (Sept 13th - Oct 11th)
Sept 13th - Is It True? - The Scooby-Doo Gang Are Escaping The Draft
