How ‘Beetlejuice’ Made Horror Comedies More Mainstream

Horror comedies have been around for years before Beetlejuice. Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein was one. Then, you had Young Frankenstein. But actually mixing gruesome horror elements with comedy was still new. George A. Romero had added it as satire to Dawn of the Dead showing zombies lurching around a mall and looking amazed atContinue reading “How ‘Beetlejuice’ Made Horror Comedies More Mainstream”

The 23rd Spring Since ‘Jeepers Creepers’ Has Arrived

I almost didn’t want to do a blog about Jeepers Creepers. Victor Salva, the writer/director is an convicted child molester. Then, again so is Roman Polanski. I’m not too keen on his works either. But I decided to do it anyway mainly because it’s the 23rd Spring since the movie came out in 2001. TheContinue reading “The 23rd Spring Since ‘Jeepers Creepers’ Has Arrived”

‘Memento’ Is Unforgettable

With Christopher Nolan picking up two Oscars this past week for directing and producing Oppenheimer, it’s hard to believe it took him a quarter of a century to finally receive this award. From the get-go, Nolan has proven to be an amazing filmmaker and storyteller. He seems to be one of the few directors nowadaysContinue reading “‘Memento’ Is Unforgettable”

’10 Cloverfield Lane’ Isn’t Your Average Home Sweet Home

When 10 Cloverfield Lane opened in theaters in early March, the buzz had been around for a couple of months since the trailer dropped in early January 2016. How did this movie fly under the radar? John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who was rising along with John Gallager Jr., were in the cast. ItContinue reading “’10 Cloverfield Lane’ Isn’t Your Average Home Sweet Home”

‘Cursed’ Is Just That

In theatre, it’s considered bad luck to say the name of the play MacBeth. I also think it’s bad luck to use certain words or phrases in a movie or TV show. Rumor has it that the filmmakers behind In the Line of Fire tried to turn “That’s not gonna happen” spoken by Clint Eastwood’sContinue reading “‘Cursed’ Is Just That”

‘Blue Velvet’ Is Chilling Look At Horrors Of Small-Town America We Ignore

With the second part of Dune scheduled for theaters on March 1, it’s hard to believe that someone thought an avant-garde director like David Lynch could make a worthy movie that would appeal to the masses and loyal fans. Denis Villeneuve has more of the abilities to do this. The failure of the movie promptedContinue reading “‘Blue Velvet’ Is Chilling Look At Horrors Of Small-Town America We Ignore”

‘Footloose’ At 40: Still Too Outrageous To Be Enjoyed

Footloose was released 40 years ago today. And I have never been able to sit through it. I remember my mom rented it for us to watch one evening and then we all got bored during the chicken race scene with the tractors. I was more fascinated by how Kevin Bacon’s Ren McCormack had theContinue reading “‘Footloose’ At 40: Still Too Outrageous To Be Enjoyed”

‘Tremors’ Shakes Up Horror Genre

A movie like Tremors shouldn’t be as good as it is. Released during the winter of 1990, it was typically reserved for the bottom of the barrel of movies. Tremors boasted a nice cast of Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Reba McEntire and Michael Gross. It had also been scheduled to be released during the FallContinue reading “‘Tremors’ Shakes Up Horror Genre”

’12 Monkeys’ Is Bruce Willis’ Best

Now that he’s retired from acting and retreated from the public following a diagnosis of aphasia and reports from his family and friends that he can’t speak and has memory loss, at one time, Bruce Willis was one of the biggest stars in the world. Even though he didn’t make good movies most of hisContinue reading “’12 Monkeys’ Is Bruce Willis’ Best”

‘Edge Of Tomorrow’ Is ‘Groundhog Day’ Meets ‘War Of The Worlds’

Tom Cruise has grown from a 1980s teen heartthrob to a 1990s acclaimed actor to a 2000s action star to an overall odd celebrity. Maybe it’s the Scientology stuff. The whole Oprah episode didn’t help his reputation. There’s a lot of people who don’t like him even though at 61, he’s still jumping out ofContinue reading “‘Edge Of Tomorrow’ Is ‘Groundhog Day’ Meets ‘War Of The Worlds’”