MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #27 - 'Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers' (1988)

4/5 Stars!

My brother Jason introduced me to 1978’s “Halloween” when I was young and it instantly became and is, to this day, my favorite horror film of all time. The success of “Halloween” generated a film series that has continued to this day.

Today, my favorite sequels are the trilogy of films made by director David Gordon Green that act as direct sequels to the original film. Yes, that also includes the widely divisive and subversive “Halloween Ends”.

Before that trilogy of films, though, my favorite sequel was 1988’s “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers”. In 1982, Universal Pictures released “Halloween III: Season of the Witch”. The movie intended to take the series into a new direction where the film series would be an anthology film series with each entry containing its own individual story.

Unfortunately, when the movie was released, it had everyone asking, “Where the fuck is Michael Myers?” The third movie did not meet fan expectations and afterwards, producers John Carpenter and Debra Hill sold off their rights to the series and producer Moustapha Akkad took over producing future entries.

After the rights issues were settled, Akkad knew what the fans wanted and set out to bring back Michael Myers.

Only Dr. Loomis knows the truth behind Michael Myers' escape in 'Halloween 4'!

In the fourth film, he quickly put it out with the title itself: “The Return of Michael Myers”. He hired Alan B. McElroy to pen the script and then they were off to the races with director Dwight H. Little helming the film. Original star Jamie Lee Curtis was asked to return as Laurie Strode, but she quickly declined as she had moved away from the horror genre in order to broaden her filmography.

Therefore, the movie follows Laurie’s orphaned daughter, Jamie Lloyd (Danielle Harris). She has been adopted by the Carruthers family. Jamie now has a stepsister Rachel (Ellie Cornell) and Jamie  is not fully aware of her sinister connection to Michael Myers though she is beginning to have visions of the infamous serial killer.

The only real criticism I have for this movie is how bad Michael's mask looks.

For the past ten years since the violent explosion took him out in “Halloween II”, though, Michael Myers has been in a comatose state at the Ridgemont Federal Sanitarium. Now, he is being transferred back to Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. On the way, one of the doctors mentions Michael’s niece which causes him to wake up, escape, and head back to Haddonfield.

Surprisingly, his psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence) also survived the deadly explosion at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital. When he learns of Michael’s escape, he heads to Haddonfield in order to find Jamie and maybe find a way to take out Michael once and for all.

The first thing I like about this movie is its “return to basics” approach to the story. The movie quickly sets up the story and gets the ball rolling right out of the gate. Michael has a niece, he finds out, and then he begins his deadly quest to get to her.

Jamie Lloyd is the new target of Michael Myers in 'Halloween 4'!

The story not only flows, but the kills are pretty good as well. Rachel’s friends and family in addition to several people in Haddonfield are set up to feel Michael’s wrath. He takes out an electrical engineer in order to take out the power in the small town and he also shows how powerful he is when he takes out almost the entire police force.

This leads to a posse being formed by some of the townsfolk due to their memories of the original killing spree from ‘78. Again, more potential victims for Michael’s chopping block.

The performances in the movie are also great as well. Harris is fantastic as the young child Jamie. She is able to show a wide range of emotions in spite of her age and she even puts some of the adult performers to shame.

Cornell is also a good final girl as Rachel. She is strong and resourceful in spite of the fear and she is able to fight like hell in order to protect her adopted sister.

Finally, there is Pleasence as Dr. Loomis. While it is admittedly absurd that he survived the massive explosion in “Halloween II”, you accept it because you’re just glad that he’s back to chase down Michael yet again. This Loomis is more cynical and seems to be the only one who truly knows how evil Michael is and Pleasence plays it perfectly.

The movie successfully brought Michael Myers back to the screen and allowed the series to continue to this day, for better or worse. Today, I have other sequels that I enjoy more than this movie, but this movie still works on its own as a prime example of a 1980s slasher flick.

MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #26 - 'The Fly' (1986)

5/5 Stars!

In 1958, “The Fly” was released into theaters starring David Hedison and Vincent Price. The movie is okay as a 1950s low-budget B movie, but by the ‘80s, the story really needed a revamp. The idea was presented to 20th Century Fox to make a movie that contained a gradual metamorphosis throughout the film rather than just creating a monster instantly.

Fox balked at the idea and backed away from the project. However, Fox made a deal with producer Stuart Cornfeld that they would distribute the movie so long as Cornfeld got the financing for the movie through someone else.

The production company ended up being Brooksfilms, the production company of comedian and director Mel Brooks. Eventually, the script found its way into the hands of director David Cronenberg, but he was working on what would be his unproduced version of “Total Recall” at the time.

Seth Brundle prepares to teleport himself in 'The Fly'!

The producers then hired a young British director named Robert Bierman to direct the movie. However, a tragic family accident occurred and Bierman’s daughter was killed in South Africa. While the producers waited for Bierman, he eventually decided that he could not direct the movie. Brooks understood and freed him from his contract.

It was at this point that “Total Recall” had fallen through with Cronenberg and he became available for the job. Due to his willingness to put up with the extensive make-up needed for the role, Jeff Goldblum was hired to play Seth Brundle, the film’s lead.

At first, Cornfeld was against casting Geena Davis because she was Goldblum’s real-life girlfriend at the time. Thankfully, all of the other auditions that Cornfeld made Cronenberg sit through were apparently disasters and Cornfeld relented on Davis’ casting.

The movie revolves around Seth Brundle and Davis’ Veronica Quaife. Seth is a scientist that has made an amazing discovery and Veronica is the journalist who is covering its development. Seth has figured out how to teleport inanimate objects from one “telepod” to another, thus inventing teleportation.

Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum star in 'The Fly'.

Unfortunately, Seth is having trouble figuring out how to teleport living beings. Meanwhile, Seth and Veronica form a romantic relationship and one day, she inspires Seth with new information that he can put into the computer in order to teleport the living.

After a successful attempt with a baboon, Seth decides to enter the pod himself and everything seemingly goes right at first. What Seth didn’t realize, though, was that a fly flew into the pod with him and now he is starting to take on the form of a fly. This also means that his mind is slipping as the fly’s mind begins to take over.

The slow metamorphosis of Seth into a fly is a grotesque one as Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis’ special makeup effects are still top notch even by today’s standards. It’s no wonder that the duo won an Academy Award for the movie for Best Makeup.

Even though the effects are great, the movie would still not work if it was not for two things. The first is the story. This is not a traditional horror story with a lot of deaths, but instead it is a genuine body horror story as we feel for what Seth is going through and what Veronica is feeling while trying to figure out a way to save him.

After teleporting himself, Seth begins to feel that something has gone wrong.

The movie is also a tragic love story between Seth and Veronica. This is a loved one that Veronica is trying to save, but all she can really do is sit there and watch as he decays further and further, similar to how a loved one has to watch someone slowly being ripped away from them due to a terrible disease such as cancer.

The final thing that makes the movie work along with the effects and the story are the performances. There are really only three primary performances. Goldblum and Davis have an undeniable chemistry with each other. Goldblum also does amazing bodywork as he slowly transforms into a giant fly and Davis is perfect as the strong yet still distraught Veronica.

I do want to take a second to mention John Getz as Stathis Borans. He’s a former lover of Veronica’s and her editor-in-chief at the magazine she works for. He is a perfect antagonist to Seth and Veronica’s relationship and Getz is great at getting you to both hate and sort of like him at the same time. He’s a creep, to be sure, but he’s not entirely evil, either. Getz understood the assignment.

For me, I feel that this is David Cronenberg’s true masterpiece as the “father of body horror”. It not only contains the award winning special effects, but it has a  genuinely good story and performances which only help to enhance the horror. After almost 40 years, the movie still hits hard!

MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #25 - 'Dogma' (1999)

5/5 Stars!

In 1994, writer and director Kevin Smith hit the scene with his beloved indie classic, “Clerks”. He then followed that up with “Mallrats” in ‘95 and even though it tanked at the box office, the slapstick comedy eventually found its audience on home video. After that, Smith released the critical and commercially successful indie film “Chasing Amy” in ‘97.

For me, though, my introduction to Smith was through his religious themed raunchfest, “Dogma”, which came out 25 years ago in ‘99. When my brother Jason was home on leave from the Air Force, he was excited to rent “Dogma” because not only was it the latest Smith film, but it was the latest film to feature two recurring characters in Smith’s films at the time: Jay and Silent Bob.

After renting and enjoying the hell out of “Dogma”, Jason quickly got me caught up on Smith’s first three films and another lifelong fan of the director was born.

Bethany, along with Rufus, Serendipity, and Jay & Silent Bob in "Dogma".

In “Dogma”, Bethany Sloane (Linda Fiorentino) works as councilor at an abortion clinic and is also a Catholic that is going through a crisis of faith. One night, she is visited by the Metatron (Alan Rickman), an angel that acts as the voice of God. He tells her that she must stop two angels from entering a church where they will receive plenary indulgence for doing so.

The angels, Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck), were banished to Earth by God with God saying that they could never return to Heaven. If they are forgiven their sins and enter Heaven, it will undermine God’s omnipotence and the whole universe will be destroyed.

Bethany is not alone in her quest, though, as she is soon joined by two “prophets”: Jay & Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Smith). They eventually encounter Rufus (Chris Rock), the 13th Apostle, and the angel Serendipity (Salma Hayek) as they try to stop the two angels and the initially mysterious involvement of a demon named Azrael (Jason Lee).

I was a little afraid before I rewatched this movie as to whether or not it would work for me today. Comedies, in general, don’t always hold up well over time. Thankfully, this one holds up just fine as I found myself laughing almost through the whole thing once again.

Jason Lee as Azrael in "Dogma".

I also like the story that does make one question their religion but you don’t feel like you’re being preached to. Smith gives a satirical take on religion that is not too cynical nor does it completely accept the dogmatic teachings of any one religion, particularly Catholicism, the religion Smith belonged to in his youth.

The performances are also great as Damon and Affleck, real life friends, bring their chemistry to the screen. They’re doing bad things and they are technically the main antagonists of the movie, but they are also pawns in a bigger game as well and they have a devilishly good time along the way.

Fiorentino, Rock, Hayek, Rickman, Smith, and Mewes are also great as our main leads. Jay & Silent Bob are funny as hell and while I’ve enjoyed their own starring vehicles, I’ve always felt that Jay & Silent Bob were better as supporting characters than they are as the true stars of the movie.

Of the supporting characters, Rickman is great as the droll Metatron and Rock is great as Rufus. His character gives a particularly good speech in the movie about having an idea over a belief that is probably one of my favorite scenes in the movie.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck stars as two fallen angels in "Dogma".

Finally, there is Lee as our secondary antagonist and demon Azrael. Lee once again steals the scenes he’s in as he had done in both “Mallrats” and “Chasing Amy” prior to this movie. In fact, my only real criticism of this movie is that I wished I had gotten a little more Azrael in the movie because that’s how much I enjoyed Lee’s performance.

There were rights issues over the past few years that have prevented the movie from being published on home video or made available digitally. Thankfully, I still owned the two-disc special edition DVD and was able to watch the movie. The movie has been uploaded by several people on to YouTube over the years, but eventually they always get taken down for obvious reasons.

Thankfully, Smith recently announced that a company has secured the rights to “Dogma” and they’re planning a big rollout next year that will involve both digital and physical releases. There may even be a new limited theatrical run with Smith touring the movie across the country.

I hope all that ends up happening because I’m still a believer in Smith’s take on religion and I would love to get an updated release for this genuinely great comedy!

MIDDLE-AGED MATIENEE! #24 - 'Back to the Future' (1985)

5/5 Stars

I have been such a huge fan of “Back to the Future” that I honestly can’t remember the first time that I watched it. I’ve seen it dozens of times over the years and I honestly love the whole trilogy. However, even though the second film is great and the third film is better than people tend to remember, the original is easily the best of the three.

Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale wrote the screenplay but had trouble getting it produced. They had already written several films where the writing was praised but the final product failed to produce at the box office. This included two Steven Spielberg produced movies (“I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and “Used Cars”) and Spielberg’s own directorial flop “1941”.

Therefore, they would have to put their wacky time travel film on hold. Zemeckis was jobless in the early 1980s as the various flops had put him and Gale into box office jail for a moment. In ‘84, though, Zemeckis was hired by actor Michael Douglas to direct the romantic adventure film “Romancing the Stone”.

The movie was expected to be such a big flop that the producers at the studio fired Zemeckis from directing “Cocoon” which was still in the works at the time. In a fortunate twist of fate, “Romancing the Stone” became a surprise hit at the box office and suddenly every studio wanted to work with Zemeckis.

Doc Brown shows Marty McFly his time machine in 'Back to the Future'!

Zemeckis reteamed with Gale and they decided to revisit the “Back to the Future” project that everybody now wanted to produce. The pair went back to the one man who had faith in them from the beginning and the one man who supported the story for “Back to the Future”: producer Steven Spielberg.

They got the project off the ground at Universal, got the movie cast, and started filming. Unfortunately, there was one big problem early on. The actor they hired to play Marty McFly, Eric Stoltz, was not working out and they knew a couple of weeks into production that he’d have to be replaced.

The problem with Stoltz was that he was playing the role too seriously and Zemeckis knew he needed to get someone who had better comedic chops. He originally wanted Michael J. Fox but the young actor was busy shooting “Family Ties” at the time.

After getting approval to recast Stoltz and reshoot the scenes that had already been filmed, the producers reached out to the producers of “Family Ties”. Fox agreed that he would work on “Family Ties” mostly during the day while working on “Back to the Future” mostly at night because that was how much Fox wanted the part to begin with.

Marty McFly must make sure his mother Lorraine meets his father in 1955.

Thankfully, it worked out and Fox became Marty McFly, arguably the most famous character of his film career. Already cast in the picture was Christopher Lloyd as the eccentric scientist and inventor Emmett “Doc” Brown.

When we meet Marty at the beginning of the film, he is an aspiring musician but a bit of a “slacker”. At least, that’s what his principal thinks. He wishes to leave Hill Valley and make it big and not turn out like his parents George and Lorraine McFly, played by Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson.

One night, he is summoned to a mall by his friend Doc Brown. The crazy inventor has developed time travel using a DeLorean as his time travel vehicle. In order to get powered, though, Doc Brown needs plutonium which he stole from Libyan terrorists.

The Libyans attack and kill Doc Brown. Marty gets into the DeLorean, cranks that sucker up to 88 miles per hour, and ends up in 1955! With no extra plutonium to use to get home, he enlists the aid of a younger Doc Brown, but he also has to fix another problem.

Doc Brown and Marty McFly witness the time traveling DeLorean's first successful test!

Before getting in touch with Doc, he encounters his father and interferes with the first time his dad was supposed to meet his mother. Therefore, he must fix their relationship to ensure that he’s born before he fades out of existence… oh, and he has to help his parents get around the town bully known as Biff (Thomas F. Wilson).

That may seem like I spoiled quite a bit, but that’s just the setup for one of the best sci-fi comedies ever made. This is one of those movies where I have a hard time finding something bad to say about it.

The performances are great. Thompson, Glover, and Wilson are great in the supporting roles and help fill the story with colorful and memorable characters. Even the bit parts such as James Tolkan as Principal Skinner don’t go by unnoticed.

Of course, the real reason this works is thanks to our two leads. There’s not too many screen duos that work as well as Fox and Lloyd as Marty and Doc Brown. They have an undeniable chemistry and more than enough comedic experience between them to make you feel like these are genuine friends.

Marty is more of the straight man to Doc’s more eccentric personality, but Marty himself has plenty of physical comedy to do himself. Fox’s wide-eyed expressions and interactions help sell Marty’s confusing time travel dilemma.

Marty McFly must figure out a way to get back to the future!

Another thing that helps is the setting. Hill Valley was built on the Universal Studios lot and the production designers did a great job creating a more pristine Hill Valley for 1955 while providing a more rundown version of the town for 1985.

Zemeckis and Gale’s fantastic script helped get this movie off the ground. Fox, Lloyd, and company helped sell the story on the screen. While making “Romancing the Stone”, Zemeckis met the person that would send the whole thing home.

Alan Silvestri is one of the best film composers of all time and his score for “Back to the Future” is still one of his best. When you hear the powerful theme song come on, it immediately brings you into this wacky sci-fi action comedy.

The score is quirky enough to sell the comedy while also being epic enough to sell the genuine action pieces. You don’t have this iconic score, then you don’t have what is perhaps one of the best films ever made.

Finally, there is one of the coolest film vehicles of all time! The decked out, time traveling DeLorean looks both like a sleek piece of machinery while the added on parts give the impression successfully that this was a machine built by a mad scientist in his garage. This prop is up there with the likes of the Millennium Falcon and the Batmobile as one of the most iconic film vehicles ever produced.

At the end of the day, this movie still rocks hard! From start to finish, you feel like you’re on a wild cinematic ride. If by chance, you’ve never seen this movie, you need to correct that mistake as soon as possible and if you have, then maybe it’s time for a second, third, or hundredth viewing of one of the best sci-fi comedies ever made!

MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #23 - 'Tommy Boy' (1995)

4/5 Stars

One day, my parents came into the house and told me that they had rented a film for me to watch in my room. It was a comedy called “Tommy Boy” and after I watched it, I rewound the tape and watched it again. Then, I rewound the tape and watched it one more time.

My parents were surprised by how much I loved this movie about a dimwit son who must sell enough brake pads in order to save his recently deceased father’s factory. The biggest reason for this movie’s success is easily due to two things: the genius of the late and great Chris Farley and his undeniable chemistry with David Spade.

Tommy Callahan III (Farley) is expected to take over Callahan Auto from his father, “Big Tom” Callahan (Brian Dennehy). No one really believes that Tommy can do the job, especially Richard Hayden (Spade), Big Tom’s cynical assistant who Tommy terrorized when they were younger.

Chris Farley and David Spade star in 'Tommy Boy'!

After Big Tom unexpectedly dies, Tommy puts up his shares to the bank in exchange for time to sell over 500,000 brake pads to show that the new division of the plant that his father threw all the money into is a viable investment. Tommy then recruits Richard to accompany him on a road trip across America to sell the pads and this unlikeliest of duos must come through or Callahan Auto will go under for good.

The movie is a classic screwball comedy with a great comedy duo at the center of it. Spade’s more sarcastic wit pairs well with Farley’s playfully dumb performance as Tommy. There are also stakes as not only is the factory under the gun, but Tommy and Richard must also thwart the plans of con artist Beverly Burns-Barrish (Bo Derek), Tommy’s stepmom who wants to sell her inherited shares to a rival company while her son Paul (Rob Lowe) tries to sabotage Tommy’s efforts to sell more brake pads.

To put it simply, this is one of my favorite comedies and I feel it has earned its cult classic status. Farley and Spade would go on to make another film together, “Black Sheep”, in 1996 and they were talking about making a third film together when Farely sadly passed away in ‘97.

I would have loved to have seen the universe where Farley is still alive and he and Spade had become one of the best comedy duos in films. Thankfully, we did get “Tommy Boy”, a film that Spade can be proud that he made, but it is also a movie where Farley gave a great comedic performance in a movie where, in a way, he can live on forever.

MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #22 - '12 Monkeys' (1995)

4/5 Stars

Director Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys” is the definition of a “cult film”. Yes, the movie was a modest box office hit, but it is also one of those movies where you happen to love it or hate it due to its bleak storyline. I happened to love it back in ‘96 when I watched it for the first time with my dad, but I do remember my dad not enjoying it all that much.

The story follows James Cole (Bruce Willis), a disturbed man from the year 2035 who is sent back in time by the scientists of his time to trace the path of a virus that nearly wiped out humanity and sent the survivors underground. At first, he is sent to 1990 where he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) and a psychiatric patient named Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt).

Eventually, Cole is ripped back to his time where he informs the scientists that he was sent to the wrong time. He was supposed to be sent to 1996 when the virus is about to be unleashed. They attempt to send him back again where he reunites with Railly and they attempt to investigate a terrorist group known as the Army of the 12 Monkeys as this is supposedly the group that unleashed the virus.

James Cole searches for specimens on the surface in "12 Monkeys".

The first thing to note is that Gilliam gives this movie a very bleak tone befitting the story itself. In addition to the time travel stuff, there is also a psychological element to the movie. It is established early on that time travel messes with the time traveler’s mind and Cole even meets someone in a psychiatric hospital that sets up the idea of someone being mentally divergent.

Someone who is mentally divergent accepts a reality that isn’t really there. This makes Cole, and at times the audience, question whether or not Cole is actually a time traveler or just a very disturbed individual. It is an interesting idea on the time travel formula.

Another thing that I’m thankful for with this movie is that it doesn’t try to stop and explain how its time travel device works. We’re not bogged down by discussions of paradoxes or their ramifications. It’s simply a plot device to move the story along and that’s all it has to be.

Beyond the story, there are the performances. There is not much humor in the movie, but most of the film’s more humorous moments definitely comes from Pitt’s Jeffrey, the son of a prominent scientist and Jeffrey is most definitely disturbed. Pitt chews the scenery in the best way possible and is the breakout character of the movie as he rants and raves about society while constantly giving it the bird.

James Cole meets the disturbed Jeffrey Goines in '12 Monkeys'.

Then there is Willis as Cole, a character that has been through quite a lot. He was only a boy when the virus took down the world and often dreams about a particular moment that affected him just before the world falls apart. Cole is haunted not only by this dream but by his present time and he is prone to violence if the need arises.

Willis gives a good yet tragic performance of a man who is trying to figure out what is real and what isn’t while also carrying the burden of trying to save the world. He has great chemistry with Stowe’s Reilly, a woman who genuinely wants to help Cole figure out what is going on, whether it is simply in Cole’s head or not.

Not only is the tone of the movie bleak, but so is the future Cole is from. It is a wet, dark, mechanical world where most people are “volunteered” to travel to the surface to get specimens such as spiders and frogs for the scientists underground to study. Gilliam does indeed give us a future that we would want to either avoid or cure and that helps the audience support Cole even more.

I’ve watched this movie a few times since I was a kid. I will say that the movie features twists and turns that I thought were quite good back in the day. Today, though, I think if you’re watching this for the first time and you pay close enough attention, you’ll be able to see where things are going but it’s still a fun ride to take.

Again, based on how the movie looks and how the story plays out, you either love or hate the movie. For me, the movie is an engaging psychological thriller in addition to its sci-fi trappings as it is a good study of the human condition and the nature of the realities we see around us.

MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #21 - 'Jurassic Park' (1993)

5/5 Stars!

When my dad and I saw a TV spot for “Jurassic Park” in 1993, we knew we had to go see it. The footage they showed looked cool, it was going to be about people trying to get away from dinosaurs, and it was from Steven Spielberg, the genius behind “Jaws” and the Indiana Jones movies.

When we finally watched it on opening night, we were blown away by the CGI special-effects. Never before had dinosaurs looked this real on film. In other movies, they had used stop-motion or models and they always looked somewhat fake. These dinosaurs were real!

For those who have somehow missed this movie, the story is simple. A wealthy man named John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) has created a new theme park and is getting ready to open it. There is something different about this park, though.

Laura Dern and Sam Neill star as Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant in 'Jurassic Park'!

Using his genetics company, InGen, Hammond has managed to clone real-life dinosaurs! The only problem is that there have been a few onsite accidents and Hammond must now prove that the park is safe to open. Therefore, he recruits chaos theorist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) and two archeologists named Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) to be the park’s first guests and get their sign of approval that it is safe.

Of course, it isn’t always going to be safe, is it? A greedy technician sets out to steal the dino embryos for a rival company and shuts the park down while the guests are in the park. This also means that the defenses are down and the dinos are loose! Now, our cast of characters must survive until they can find a way off the island where the park is located.

In its original theatrical run, “Jurassic Park” made over $914 million dollars and easily became the highest grossing film of all time. The move it dethroned was Spielberg’s own film, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”. It would remain the highest grossing film until the release of “Titanic” in 1997.

The dinosaurs are very real as Alan Grant tries to ward off a T-Rex!

So, the movie is over 30 years old now and what impresses me the most while rewatching it for this review is how well the special-effects hold up even by today’s standards. Granted, there are some signs of aging but that’s no real surprise. I still got sucked up into the movie today just as much as I did back in ‘93.

Not only are the special-effects great, but I love the characters and the simple story as well. The movie is one of those “when man decides to play God” movies where someone tries to change nature itself only for there to be dire consequences for all of the cast. In this case, sure we’ve made bold scientific breakthroughs but are they all for the better of humanity or the planet we live on?

Beyond its moral questions, the movie’s story is just a pure and fun action adventure from start to finish. Thankfully, we have characters we like to go on this journey with us as well. Goldblum is a scene-stealer as Ian Malcolm and Neill is fantastic as Alan, a man who is not only trapped out in the wide-open park but a man who also finds himself trying to protect both Tim Murphy (Joseph Mazzello) and Lex Murphy (Ariana Richards), Hammond’s two grandkids who he also brought out to enjoy the park.

Dern and Attenborough also give exceptional performances. What I love about Hammond’s character is that they could have made him a sleazy character who doesn’t want to own up to what happens at the park. Instead, he assists Ellie as she decides to head out and try to rescue Alan and the grandkids. There is one point where he tries to justify his decisions. After all, he just wanted to make something that everyone could enjoy, but he soon realizes that his dream has died with the incident at the park and that they are in very real danger.

Welcome to Jurassic Park!

Ellie Sattler is one of our more underrated movie heroines. Dern gives the character strength and you realize just how much of a badass she is when she decides to head out on a mission to try and restore power to the park.

The action in the movie is unparalleled. From the first T-Rex attack to the frightening encounters with the Velociraptors, the movie’s action makes the most out of their computer generated dinos. I will say, even though the movie used state-of-the-art computer effects at the time, they also used a fair amount of believable animatronics courtesy of the legendary Stan Winston and his amazing effects company.

Now, how can I leave before mentioning the master composer himself, Mr. John Williams. Once again with this movie, he created an epic score. When you hear the main “Jurassic Park” theme, you’re immediately transported into the fantastical and action packed world. Spielberg always gives credit to Williams and says that without his legendary scores, his movies wouldn’t be half as good and the famed director might be right on that score.

It goes without saying, “Jurassic Park” is not just good. It’s a classic that has stood the test of time. It’s an action adventure sci-fi movie that everyone in the family can enjoy. I won’t debate whether or not this is Spielberg’s best movie. He’s had too many classics to have that debate.

I will say, though, that it is definitely one of my top ten favorite films of all time and while I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it, I can say that if I’m allowed to stay on this planet for a little while longer, there are plenty of rewatches in the future.

MY FIRST REVIEW EVER! - 'Friday the 13th' (2009)

0/5 Stars

This review became my first officially published film review when in appeared in The Oracle, the former school newspaper at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, AR. Thankfully, it was the first of many reviews over the next 15 years. As I plan on ending my written reviews in December, I’ve been very reflective about this aspect of my life.

So, while I am still writing reviews at the moment, I decided to repost this review from all those years ago. As always, I hope you enjoy the review!

THE ORIGINAL REVIEW FROM 2009

Naked girls? Yes. Cheesy Dialogue? Yes. Great “Friday the 13th” film? Far from it. Jason Voorhees returns in a remake of the 1980s classic. The cast is a bunch of original characters but they are influenced by characters seen in the past eleven films and the film acts as a remake to the first four films in the series.

The film takes a while to get to the point. Clay is the protagonist of the film and he is looking for his sister that disappeared six weeks ago. Along the way he meets the characters that will inevitably become fodder for the hockey masked psychopath.

When I walked into this film, I expected the bad dialogue and the 2-D characters that are a tradition of the series and I was fine with that. Jason looks great and the make-up team deserves major credit for their work. Beyond that, the film falls hard on its face.

The film starts with a quick scene of Jason’s mother (the killer in the original film) and how she got her head cut off. This acts more like a scene from a film that should have preceded this one. We then follow a group of characters that start to get hacked up right away and this makes you think the film is going to end in fifteen minutes.

If only wishing made it so.

Jason does start off with the burlap sack like in the second film.

It turns out that this is just the intro to the film before a big “Friday the 13th” title card hits the screen. We then follow a new set of teenagers and finally get introduced to Clay. The teenagers are your basic Voorhees prey. You have the funny guy, the asshole, the promiscuous women, and the pot heads.

Bad dialogue has always been a part of the series but the dialogue here is so bad that it does not even work for this series. An example of this is when one of the characters drops a gun in a small puddle and cannot seem to find it. He then shouts like a kid, “Where are you, gun,” as if the gun a living thing from “Blue’s Clues” that is just going to pop up out of the water and reply, “Here I am, you fucking idiot. Let’s go to work, friend!” And then they skip away together to find Jason. Anyway, it’s just horrible.

Another thing that bothers me is the two things that piss me off in modern day films. Director Marcus Nispel (the director of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” remake) decides to utilize the shaky handi-cam technique. This has become the most clichéd thing to do in film and Nispel does not utilize it well as the camera shakes all over the damn place.

Of course, Jason eventually ends up in his iconic hockey mask.

You end up getting angry that the camera won’t stay still for five fucking minutes. The other problem is that they shoot so close to the actors when they are struggling with Jason that you can’t see what the hell is going on. This style is used in many of today’s action films during fight sequences and, in my opinion, it is a lazy way to get around actually choreographing a fight or, in this case, a kill.

Then there is another problem. The kills. The ones that are seen are the lamest in the whole film and the ones not seen are not all that special either. One example of kills seen off-screen is a remake of the classic moment where Mrs. Voorhees gets her head cut off. For those who may not have seen the original film, they actually show the head getting sliced off and her hands automatically reaching for the severed head. In this film, the camp counselor decapitates her off-screen and I feel cheated out of the moment.

The thing that made up for all of the bad dialogue and two dimensional characters in the past films was seeing how Jason would dispatch of his prey. This film does not even try to bring anything new to the table. The kills are either really shitty or they’re some cheap knock-off of something done in earlier films.

The final thing that pisses me off about this film is that I felt like I had watched a compact version of the first four “Friday the 13th” films. This is why I hate remakes in general. If the filmmakers are not going to try anything original to update the series for modern audiences, then they should not have even tried to do it in the first place.

I felt like I should have just saved my money and watched the original series at home for free. Remakes can work only if something new is tried. “Casino Royale” breathed new life into the Bond series by giving us a more serious and realistic Bond while “Batman Begins” made up for the travesty that is “Batman and Robin”. Here, I got nothing.

The only reason this film gets any points is the nostalgia factor. It was good to see that the writers at least referenced Mrs. Voorhees and remembered the potato sack mask from the second film. However, in the end, this is another useless and unnecessary remake that does not deserve to be a part of this series.

MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #20 - 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991)

5/5 Stars

My brother Jason had a poster up on his wall that was the iconic poster for “The Silence of the Lambs”. When Jason left for college and I inherited his room, I kept the poster up and at some point in the mid-90s, my dad asked if I wanted to check the movie out as he knew I liked horror flicks and thrillers.

Well, the poster stayed up in my room after that as I loved the first movie featuring Anthony Hopkins as everyone’s favorite cannibal, Hannibal Lector.

The movie begins with a young FBI trainee named Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as she is completing an exercise course. She is called into the office of agent Jack Crawford (Scott Glen), the head of the Behavioral Science division. Crawford seemingly wants Clarice to interview Hannibal Lector, who is incarcerated at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

Starling jumps at the opportunity to interview Lector, but when she arrives, the initially nice Lector quickly turns on Starling. Lector quickly understands that what Crawford really wants is information for Buffalo Bill, a serial killer at large that has some sort of connection to Lector, and Crawford is using Clarice to get said information.

Clarice Starling faces off against Hannibal Lector in 'The Silence of the Lambs'!

After initially turning Starling away, Lector decides to give her a clue that will help with the investigation. After this, he wants a back-and-forth with Starling where he shares information that could help with capturing Buffalo Bill and she shares personal details of her life. Starling agrees and we’re off to the races.

This movie is a timeless thriller and it is just as effective today as it was back in 1991 when it came out. When I rewatch the movie, it is one of those rare times where I feel like I’m watching it for the first time because it’s just that damn good.

Director Jonathan Demme, along with cinematographer Tak Fujimoto, give the movie a timeless feel. Yes, it is a ‘90s movie, but the tone of the movie does not invoke any one time period. This is also helped by costume designer Colleen Atwood, who also designed the costumes for 1986’s “Manhunter”, the first movie to feature the character of Hannibal Lector, played brilliantly by Brian Cox.

Atwood intentionally chose clothes that would not necessarily be tied to the early ‘90s. I think this is one of the reasons that it always feels like I’m watching it for the first time.

The sets are another highlight of the movie. The famous “dungeon” set that houses Hannibal invokes a gothic vibe and makes Hannibal feel even more menacing even though he is imprisoned. It feels like he’s this thing that everyone is afraid might escape one day so they put him in the deepest, darkest hole they could find.

Anthony Hopkins plays the deranged Hannibal Lector in 'The Silence of the Lambs'!

For the first 15 minutes or so of the movie, we’re only hearing about Hannibal and how dangerous he is. On the way to see the mad doctor, the Hospital’s warden Dr. Frederick Chilton (Anthony Heald) shows Starling a photo of a nurse that Hannibal assaulted and the look on Starling’s face says it all: we’re about to meet a monster.

Then, when we finally do encounter Hannibal, there he is standing in the middle of the cell, seemingly waiting for Starling with a slight smile and wild eyes on his face. He’s very gentlemanly at first before he realizes Crawford’s true motives for sending Starling his way.

After that, he breaks down Starling mentally and shows the psychological monster that he can be. Then, he turns the charm back on and is impressed with Starling’s bravery in spite of her fear of him. They form a relationship of sorts when they begin giving information back and forth.

Hopkins won the Academy Award for Best Actor in this movie and for good reason. There are times where we get glimpses of a charming doctor, a mask that hides the true monster that lies just underneath. His unblinking stare and firm stance reveal that this is not a normal man. As they say in the film… they don’t know what to call him.

It was this film that truly solidified my fandom for Hopkins and he quickly became one of my favorite actors.

Ted Levine plays Buffalo Bill in 'The Silence of the Lambs'!

He’s not alone, though. I do feel like Hopkins’ performance and status today as Hannibal Lector did overshadow Foster as Clarice Starling. Foster is fantastic as Clarice, a confident FBI agent in training who also has a vulnerability due to her being a new agent and due to some of the things we discover that she reveals to Hannibal. There is a motive and backstory for why she wants to work for the FBI and it is just as engaging as the present day story being told.

The chemistry between Foster and Hannibal is undeniable and though this is most definitely not a love story, there is a relationship that forms out of their time together that feels genuine. I think this is what also helped Foster win the Academy Award for Best Actress.

In fact, this is the third and most recent film to win all five major categories at the Academy. In addition to Best Actor and Actress, the movie also won for Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. It is also considered the first horror film to win the coveted Best Picture. This is one of those rare times where I can say that a film earned all of its awards.

Hannibal Lector is no less terrifying simply because he's locked up.

The movie is a timeless classic gothic horror thriller. It is one of those rare movies where everything came together to create a truly engaging thriller with great direction, cinematography, and performances.

If by some chance you’ve never seen it, you need to correct that oversight. If you have seen it, it may be time for a revisit to a particular hospital for the criminally insane.

P.S. - Of course, the movie generated a film series. The movie was followed in 2001 by a sequel named “Hannibal” and a prequel in 2002 called “Red Dragon”, both based on novels by Thomas Harris. I actually do recommend these films as “Hannibal” has its own style and interesting scenes and “Red Dragon” serves as a great prequel to the events of this film.

Also, in 1986, director Michael Mann directed “Manhunter”, the first attempt at adapting “Red Dragon”. While it is not as solid of an adaptation of the source material, I absolutely love this movie and may actually prefer it over the 2002 film though I like both. As I mentioned above, it stars Brian Cox as the first actor to ever play Hannibal on screen and he does a great job while William Peterson is fantastic as FBI Agent Will Graham.

There is a prequel film called “Hannibal Rising”, but I’ve since deleted it from my brain as it should be left in the dustbin of film history. Everything else, though, I say give ‘em a chance!