Slasher- The Executioner

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 2016 Canadian TV Show available in Netflix

Creator: Aaron Martin
Running Time: 8 Episodes, 45-55 minutes each

Staring: Katie McGrath, Brandon Jay McLaren, Christopher Jacot, Steve Byers, Patrick Garrow, Dean McDermott and Jefferson Brown

Rating? Unrated, Made for TV

SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS

IMDB: 6.6 of 10

MY RATING: 7

STORYLINE

A young woman returns to the small town where her parents were murdered, only to find the past re-emerging as a new series of murders begin.

MY REVIEW

BINGE-WORTHY tv horror. No, it's not the greatest thing in the world. No, it
s not going to win an Emmy. But, the story is decent, the casting is average and the gore is above board.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• Violent. Not for kids. This was perfect. Just not a great dinner-time watch!
• It was definitely a fun watch. For those of us who enjoy trying to figure out the "real killer" behind the masked ones. This was an enjoyable task over 8 episodes. It was a little obvious close to the middle, but it was good. I guessed wrong for the first half!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• Katie McGrath is Irish and it was pretty obviojs
• It's B-level, Canadian Horror TV. Enough Said.

Jekyll and Hyde

GENERAL INFORMATION

View Date and Location: 3 Mar 2018 and the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach

Director: Jeff Calhoun

REVIEWS

MY RATING: 8

STORYLINE

No need to go into the story. We all know Jekyll and Hyde. Perfect Retelling

CAST

Constantine Maroulis as Dr. Jekyll and his alter ego DrMr. Hyde
Deborah Cox as Lucy
Teal Wicks as Emma Crew

MY REVIEW

My most favorite theater companion is the one who called me on a Sunday morning and said.. Hey, I've got an extra ticket to go see Jekyll and Hyde, wanna go? Basically, Lisa is awesome and I love to hang out with her and I jumped at the chance. Put on my fancy outfit and headed to meet her at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Town Center.

What a spectacular show! This was pretty amazing to watch, I had no idea who the main guy was, (American Idol guy) because I really don't watch  it, but man was his voice something else!

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• DIRECTION- Generally the direction was pretty good. There were a few things that were not quote to my liking, but they were not of real consequence.
• COSTUME DESIGN- This felt like a retelling in a Victorian- Steam Punk
• SET DESIGN- Local set artistry felt pretty spot on. I have to give credit to small theaters when they have to change set so quickly. The multi-use sets and wheels were perfect.

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• COMPOSITION- The only that felt a little off was the music styling of loud rock music as the main theme. It was not exactly what I thought I would hear. Don't get me wrong, it was interesting, but unexpected and not quite right for me. It felt disjointed to the setting for me.

Annihilation

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 23 Feb 2018

Director: Alex Garland
Writer:Alex Garland and Jeff VanderMeer
Running Time: 1 Hour and 55 Minutes

Staring: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson and Oscar Isaac

Rating? R

SPOILERS? NO 

REVIEWS

IMDB: 7.1 of 10

MY RATING: 4

STORYLINE

A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature do not apply.

MY REVIEW

My first thought was that I needed to watch this movie again but I really just don't want to.  I just don't know what this movie thought that it was. It wasn't suspense, horror, sci-fi, action.. It didn't fit into any bucket of common connectivity to a specific genre.  Realistically, at the end I just didn't care.

I understand that they might have been going for artistic license, but this was a tad bit shy of the line, It missed the bar.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• The CGI was pretty good. It's standard at best, but it was a good part of the movie. 
• Production quality. Its sad that the pieces of this movie that I liked the most are the background pieces.

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• I was expecting a mid-bending romp through an alternate reality in the "shimmer" from the trailers. What I for was a hoping for was an existential plot that would make me question my own reality. I mean, Jeff Garland was responsible for Ex Machina {Link to my review}that I found to be absolute perfection. What I got was a slow burn that never quite ignited. 
• Mentioned this already, tonally, this was a hot mess. This movie just didn't know what it wanted to be. The story and delivery were muddy at best. It was as if the writers took a smoke break and let someone else finish.
• This was an R RATED movie. Why the hell did all the flashback sex scenes have little nudity or sex for that matter? 

What QUESTIONS do I now have?

• So a bunch of TRAINED MARINES went in and all dies, so let's send in the lady scientists? Yeah, that made sense.

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Midsomer Night's Dream

GENERAL INFORMATION

View Date and Location: 

Premiere Date:
Language:
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Director:

REVIEWS

MY RATING: X

STORYLINE

X

MY REVIEW

X

DIRECTION-
COMPOSITION-
COSTUME DESIGN-
SET DESIGN-

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• X
• X
• X

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• X
• X
• X

What QUESTIONS do I now have?

• X

On a more personal note..... 

XX

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 15 December 2017

Director: Rian Johnson
Writer: Rian Johnson based on characters by George Lucas
Running Time: 2 Hours and 32 Minutes

Staring:  Mark Hamill,  Carrie Fisher ,  Adam Driver,  Daisy Ridley,  John Boyega,  Oscar Isaac,  Andy Serkis,  Lupita Nyong'o,   Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels,   Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro

Rating? PG-13

SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS

IMDB: 7.8 of 10

MY RATING: 8

STORYLINE

Rey develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker, who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order.

MY REVIEW

OMG! OMG! OMG! I was waiting for this one to come out for such a long time! I tried to remain spoiler free fro the most part but there were a handful of things that slipped past. Luckily for me, they did not ruin the movie. Since the news that Disney was taking over the Star Wars franchise I had mixed emotions. On one hand, I didn't want them to ruin the legacy that George Lucas created and on the other, I knew that Disney would revive the series and put out a lot more for me to watch. I am still torn.

I wanted to love this movie. I really did. I had the highest of hopes and was ready to write a review and call this movie a 10! I will not be doing so. I left the movie on Friday night with a kind of lack of enthusiasm that I do not expect from a Star Wars movie. It took a day or so and a few more viewings to really let the story sink in and I think that made it go from a strong 6 to a full on 8.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• The Last Jedi proposes a new idea that I absolutely love. YES, the Jedi Order CAN end. The Force does not need to live within a Jedi, but can live independently within us all. This was the strongest of the themes that stuck with me after the movie. I love the idea that each one of us caries some piece that can be awakened into magic!
• JOHN WILLIAMS- THIS IS STAR WARS. The Music off John Williams will always be the glue that hold all of the Star Wars universe together for me. It's classic. Its fun to listen to and it's forever.
• New worlds. New people. New circumstances.
• STAR WARS!!!!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• I will not say too much as this is a spoiler-- Princess Leia. Seriously. Did that really happen? Couldn't they just let that one go and let us move on? No, so, no what? How are you going to deal with that in the next movie Rian Johnson!?
• Holdo? Hold on! I think the addition of new characters into the SW family is awesome. I love seeing new folks get a chance to love out their dreams in this universe! I think the story arch that she was in would have been more poignant if they had let Admiral Akbar or Leia take on that task. It would have left us with a more meaningful idea.
• There was a bit tooo much humor. I did enjoy some of the laughs as it did bring back some of the fun aspects of Episode 4. But it was a bit over the top.
• Kylo Ren's flip flopping. Just be bad or be good. Pick one and move the hell on!
• Benicio del Toro plays himself. Enough said.

What QUESTIONS do I now have?

• Snoke? I get it, he's just Snoke. He's not a different character reborn as Snoke. I know after the Empire fell the First Order took over with the Knights of Ren but they seems to have their shit together a little more than the Empire. I just need to understand Snoke's origin.
• Rey's Parents? Did Kylo Ten lie to her or are her parents "nobody" just like the young Anakin?

On a more personal note..... 

WE WERE ON THE NEWS! Terry and I were interviewed about our love of Star Wars! 

LINK HERE.

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Justice League

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 17 Nov 2017

Director: Zack Snyder
Writer: Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon
Running Time: 120 Minutes

Staring:   Ben Affleck ,  Henry Cavill ,  Amy Adams ,  Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa and Ray Fisher

Rating? PG-13

SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS

IMDB: 7.5 of 10

RT: Critics: 39% Audience: 85%
MY RATING: 6

STORYLINE

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of meta humans to stand against this new threat. Despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes, Batman, WW, AquaMan, Cyborg and The Flash may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

MY REVIEW

First, I'd like to say that this MAY have gotten a lower rating simply for the fact that I was sitting in a theater (Lynnhaven Mall) with the dregs of society, i.e.: tiny humans and their handlers as well as medium humans with little respect for cinema rules such as turn off your cell phone and stop the jibber jabber!

I do give Zack Snyder some credit for a decent movie. I loved some of his previous movies such as Suicide Squad, 300 and Watchmen.

It was definitely not a BAD movie. There were a few things that I really enjoyed however, there were not enough to get the rating for me past a six. Let's discuss.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• Jason Momoa- Dear Mr. Momoa- Can you please just leave your shirt off forever? K-Thanks!
• The comedic interjection from The Flash. I can see the Joss Wheedon humor in this. Love me some Joss!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• Length!- This movie was really just too long. Between the 22 minutes of previews and the 2 hour movie. I was twisting and turning in my seat. Seriously, next time, I need to go to Strawbridge, where I can at least sit in a recliner!
• The League Itself- Not saying too much here, but Batman just got everyone together and they are all good to go? I mean is there some sort of Superhero Monthly Mixer so no one is really a stranger? I didn't think the movie gave me enough to feel the group is a team other than a mishmash of meta-heroes working together. They were stiff and plainly one-dimensional. Didn't really see much to talk about.
• Theme and Cohesion of Story- This is a patchwork of stories and themes that are all muted together into a movie that is FAR TOO long!
• The Villain- What a downer! I just felt like there was nothing there. His plot line was so weak

On a more personal note..... Had a lovely brunch this morning with my friend Melissa and then off to finish grocery shopping and finally to the movies! Bonus- Here's the K2SO head that we printed on the 3-D printer last week!

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Girl fo the Golden West

GENERAL INFORMATION

View Date and Location: 

Premiere Date:
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Director:

REVIEWS

MY RATING: X

STORYLINE

X

MY REVIEW

X

DIRECTION-
COMPOSITION-
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What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• X
• X
• X

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• X
• X
• X

What QUESTIONS do I now have?

• X

On a more personal note..... 

XX

Samson and Delilah

GENERAL INFORMATION

View Date and Location: 

Premiere Date:
Language:
Composer:
Dir
ector:

REVIEWS

MY RATING: X

STORYLINE

X

MY REVIEW

X

DIRECTION-
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Beauty and the Beast

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 17 March 2017
     9 September 2017 

Director: Bill Condon
Writer: Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos
Running Time: 129 Minutes

Staring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans and Josh Gad

Rating? PG

SPOILERS? Yeah, but it's not a new story

REVIEWS

IMDB: 7.3 of 10

MY RATING: 3 (3 for the Movie, 0 for the Story itself)

STORYLINE

"A tale as old as time..." An adaptation of the fairy tale about a monstrous prince and a young woman who fall in love...

MY REVIEW

I obviously didn't go see this in the theaters.. I will NOT go see a kids movie with actual kids near me. Not my thing. I did however, watch it at my friend Melissa's house on her comfy couch.  I was not expecting to like this movie but I did, to some extent.  Yes, I know I gave it a 3 and that's pretty low, but it was the story that could not let me go any higher.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• I actually appreciated the musical interludes.
• CGI had its moments of being pretty great with the Beast. He had some pretty well done hair movement that I was not really expecting.
• Josh Gad! I think he was my favorite part of the movie. He was amazing!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie: Point to be made, it's not the MOVIE that I didn't like, it's the actual story. I have NEVER liked Disney movies or stories much due to the fact that most are sexist, racist and just plain inappropriate for modern society.

• Well, what I didn't like is STILL the same thing that I didn't like when I first read this book and saw the movie as a kid. It's freaking Stockholm Syndrome! (No, I didn't know that word as a kid, but when I realized what it was, I knew!)
• Unmarried women who can't feed themselves are begging in the streets and there is no compassion. A "beast" lives in the area and has an opulent home while the townspeople have little or nothing. It's the 99%! 
• Belle seems to be an entitled bitch! She is always seen making comments about the small town and showing her contempt for provincial life. She is willingly taken as a prisoner but decides to allow the 'slaves' of the Beast to serve her. Basically, marry for money. Terrible message.

On a more personal note..... Took a quick selfie on the way to Chad and Melissa's and of course a few of the kids! Isabella, Jinx and Rocket.

IT (2017)

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 7 September 2017

Director: Andy Muschietti
Writer: Chase Palmer and Cary Fukunaga
Running Time: 135 Minutes

Staring:  Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Lieberher, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer and Wyatt Oleff

Rating? R

SPOILERS? NO for the most part but if you DON'T want SPOILERS, stop reading when I say SPOILERS!!

REVIEWS

IMDB: 8.3 of 10

RT: Critics: 88% Audience: 91%
MY RATING: 7

STORYLINE

In the town of Derry, the local kids are disappearing one by one, leaving behind bloody remains. In a place known as the Barrens, a group of seven kids are united by their horrifying and strange encounters with an evil clown and their determination to kill IT.

MY REVIEW

This was one of my favorite re-adaptations I've seen in a while. This was a good blend of Horror and Comedy with just enough to keep your eyes interested and your head engaged in the story. 

Thanks to my friend Joe for the SPOILER LADEN review after mine!!

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• Acting- I RARELY like movies that star massive amounts of children. I am not a fan of them (kids) in general and  that's just a thing for me. But this worked! The child actors acted their little black hearts out for this movie! 
• Cinematography- There was some amazing framing in this movie. There were a few times when the camera would pan out and around to show one of the characters and then a larger empty hall or open field that left an uneasy feeling of emptiness that was unsettling. After I realizing it was Chung-hoon Chung, the same cinematographer as Oldboy and The Handmaiden, I was not surprised
• Score and again, this was not a surprise as Benjamin Wallfisch was the same genius behind Hidden Figures, 12 Years a Slave and V for Vendetta.
• Bill Skarsgård, just like your awesome brother, Alexander Skarsgård, you sir, awe amazing. This was a truly terrifying and entertaining performance.

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• MIKE HANLON's part was not what I wanted to see at all. He was such a large part of the book and the first movie. His role was parsed out to various people in the new film and I just missed that person!
• It did feel rushed at times. I wanted more of the story and purely more of the 

SPOILERS- SPOLIERS- SPOLIERS

JOE'S REVIEW 

So having recently (within 3 months) reabsorbed the novel, a few things in the movie seemed off. Mainly, that a lot of Mike Hanlon's status and use to the loser's club was absorbed by Ben Hanscom. Mike was the historian of the team. He was the one that made them aware of It as a constant entity and it felt like they intentionally cut him down to a farmer from his original place.

He was also Henry Bowers' biggest target due to racism passed through the family. In the book, Henry Bowers kills Mike's dog in childhood. His family has a running hatred of the Hanlons because they are black and the Bowers blame them for all their failings. The movie skirted this entire subplot. Richie in the books is afraid of werewolves because of a movie he watches with Ben and Bev. This was also skirted in the movie for a fear of clowns, which seems like it was done for convenience. Most notable absence was the "everyone on the team has a purpose" aspect of the losers club. In the book, Bev is the fighter, Mike is the brain, Richie is the support, Stan is highly organized, Bill is the leader, and Eddie is the cautious hypochondriac. They all also take abuse which helps bond them.

Bill is alienated from his family after Georgie's death. Stan gets a lot of anti-Semitic abuse. Eddie is a Munchausen syndrome by proxy child that is constantly watched by his mother who hates the losers. Bev has a similar home life to the film but her mother is present and largely supporting the family on wait staff jobs. Mike gets Henry Bowers' abuse. His aunt, cousins, and Henry pick on Ben. Richie is a large target of Bowers because he talks back. Lastly, Mike does not kill Henry in the book. Henry is traumatized by IT and sent to an asylum after It kills Belch and Criss.

Patrick Hocksteader and Belch Huggins are bigger characters in the book with Patrick being a "rich kid playing with the wrong side of the tracks kids" is a psycho who also has homosexual urges (including jacking Henry off at one point). Some of the gang was written out, Moose Sadler and Vic Criss mainly.

The film did get a lot of things right. The kids are left on their own a lot, except Eddie who has to sneak out most of the time. Stan is the most hesitant of the group in the book because the chaos of It messes with his ordered mind the most. Bill does have a form of PTSD in the book from Georgie's death. Bev's abused home life is more implied than shown in the book. The bond of the losers club is more solid in the book but still captured well. The house on Neibolt Street is almost exactly as pictured in the book. The movie could not really capture a lot of the book because there is a LOT of history and world building in the book. There is more discussion of what IT is and why the town ignores it, leaving the "intentional or accidental" part up for debate.

I would also be remiss if I didn't point out some Easter eggs from the movie. There are multiple references to other King properties in the movie ranging from images on shirts (a car with teeth referencing Christine, multiple turtles referencing both the book and the Dark Tower, the Ford Pinto Eddie's mom drives is the same as the car from Cujo). Another deviation: In the book, the Bowers gang breaks Eddie's arm in retaliation for the rock fight, rather the Neibolt Street house. 

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