Halloween Movie Kick

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. In order to celebrate the season this year, I have been really wanting to watch some scary movies. So, I have recently filled my Netflix list up with scary movies I have never seen before in an effort to enjoy Halloween for all its worth this year. Here are some mini-reviews of movies I have recently watched:

Slither (4 of 5): This movie is the perfect mix of horror and fun, never taking itself too seriously, but also not diving too deep into B-movie territory either. Slither is a total throw-back to the horror films of the 1980s. It has a lot of good gross outs and some good scares too. Best scene: birth of the slugs.

Night of the Living Dead - 1968 (3 of 5): This is a horror classic. Black and white and very creepy at some points, especially the music. I liked this movie, but it couldn't quite eclipse the impression that the 80s remake left on me. This is the way horror movies should be - the characters should convey a total loss of all hope and forget about happy endings! Best scene: when the zombies are munching on char-broiled human.

Saw II (2 of 5): If you liked the first, the second is pretty much the same, except less personal with more of a funhouse atmosphere. If not for being in the mood to watch this type of movie during Halloween, I probably would give this movie 2 stars instead of 3. The minimal amount of psychological horror present in the first movie is largely gone in the sequel, replaced with more visual horror and gross-outs. I think it was a mistake to delve into the roots of the Jigsaw killer - why do horror movie franchises always do this? It ruins the mystery! Best scene: combing through a pile of used hypodermic needles to find a hidden key.

Well, that is all the scary movies I have gotten a chance to see recently. However, I will have three more to watch very soon. Next up: Dawn of the Dead (1978), High Tension and The Vanishing.

Movie Review: Everything Is Illuminated

Everything Is Illuminated (4 of 5): This is a nice movie about a young Jewish man, played by Elijah Wood, who goes to the Ukraine to uncover the secrets of his grandfather's past and how he escaped the country and fled to American in World War II. In order to figure things out he enlists the help of a Ukrainian escort business that specializes in helping Jewish families trace their roots throughout the region. What he doesn't know though is that his grandfather's past has crossed paths with the Ukrainian family in ways that they will soon both understand.

Like I said, this is a nice movie. It is entertaining and I was happily surprised to find myself laughing quite frequently throughout. I thought this would be a difficult move to get through because of its anti-semitic/holocaust subject matter, however the film is hardly weighed down by these issues. Instead, it is frequently light-hearted, especially the scenes involving the Ukrainian grandson who loves American pop-culture. This is a poignant, funny and sad movie that provides a very good entertainment experience.

Movie Review - Running Scared

Running Scared (3 of 5): You may remember the TV preview for this film always ending with a blacklit glowing hockey puck being slapped right towards a guy whose face is being held against the ice. No? Well, it may not say much for my character, but I thought that looked pretty cool and made a mental note to check this movie out when I could.

Running Scared is a film is about a young boy who gets fed up with his abusive step-father and decides to shoot him with a gun he steals from his friend's dad. The only problem is that the gun was used in a crime conducted by the father and his gang. When the young boy runs away after failing to kill his step-father, and his friend's dad figures out his gun was stolen, the story then follows the boy and his misadventures while running away and the dad in his effort to find the boy and get the gun back.

Yeah, it's not a particularly challenging movie, but there is more than enough action and plot twists to keep you entertained. This is a violent and bloody movie though, so I wouldn't watch it with your mother. Except for a twist ending and a very strange out-of-place sequence in the middle of the movie, you are going to get a good helping of drugs, guns, violence, gangsters, crooked cops, pimps, and double-crosses in this movie. Enjoy.

PS- Make sure you watch the closing credits. The animation is very entertaining.

Television Review - Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5

Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5 (5 of 5): If you have not seen Battlestar Galactica yet, I urge you to go rent season 1 and get started. The show is terrific and highly entertaining. Season 2.5 continues the first and second seasons with more entertaining and thought provoking story lines, cool space ship action sequences and interesting character developments. This show ranks up there with some of the best shows on TV and it constantly re-invents itself to stay fresh and exciting. It is always engaging and definitely "smart" science-fiction.

I know, you're wondering what the heck Season 2.5 is, right? Well, the second season of the show had about a 6 month split in it so they decided to release the first half of the second season on DVD separate from the second half. This is probably my only beef with season 2. I really would have liked to watch everything together instead of having a break. By the time I got my hands on season 2.5 it was about 8 months after I saw season 2.0, and I had forgotten some of the minor story elements by that time.

Thanks to my brother-in-law for introducing me to this incredible show and letting me borrow his Season 2.5 disc. Now I am all caught up. Season 3 just started airing on the Sci-Fi channel a couple of weeks ago and I can't wait to watch it, especially after that season 2 finale, which is totally out of right-field.