Movie Review: Halloween 2

This is the sequal to the Rob Zombie remake of the original horror classic, Halloween. I know that there are a lot of people who think Zombie has an amazing and original vision in all of his work, but, most of the time I just don't see it. I liked his version of the first movie, but this one, it just had little to no story. It was basically just two hours of gratuitous violence, half of which served no purpose to "the story." It honestly felt like I was watching one of those Faces of Death movies. I have nothing against a "slasher movie," nothing at all, but you have to give me something other than blood and guts. Two hours of slaying is just too much when there isn't an enticing story to go along with it.

The little story that the movie did have made absolutely no sense at all. I was trying really hard to follow it, no offense, but, I shouldn't have to try so hard to follow the storyline of a "slasher movie."

The acting was average(at best). Special effects were decent enough. The killings looked pretty gruesome, which is a good thing considering the type of movie it is.

Last thing I will mention is how annoyed I am at how often and blatantly we see Michael Myers's(Tyler Mane) face. In the original films we never see him without the mask on, which gave those movies more mystery and higher fear factors because you didn't know what was behind the mask. It also drove the audience to want to know, which heightens our intrigue. Zombie lost this, and it was a shame.

Rating: 2 Stars

Spartacus: Blood and Sand Ep1 Review

This one is going to be short and sweet. I liked the show, I thought it could be better, but it was entertaining enough. I was really expecting a show similar to HBO's Rome, which it really is not. If I had to compare it, I would say it is a mix between Gladiator and 300. It has a very similar storyline to Gladiator and the special effects are the same type used in movies like 300 and Sin City. Almost the entire show is shot in front of a blue screen, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but again, I was expecting a show like Rome with huge gorgeous sets. So to me, all the SE kind of took away from the show. I will still watch the coming episodes because I did enjoy the story of it and I am a fan of shows and movies of that era. Check it out if you like those kinds of shows. Lastly, Lucy Lawless (Xena) is in the cast as well as John Hannah (The Mummy). This was a surprise to me because I really wasn't expecting to see anyone I recognized.


Rating: 3 1/2

Movie Review: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

It's not Pixar, it's not Dreamworks, it's Sony Pictures Animation. To be honest, I just always assumed all animated movies were either Pixar or Dreamworks...who knew? This isn't even Sony's first endeavor into animation (Open Season, Surf's Up, Monster House). It is, however, their best. Surf's Up was good, but I liked this one a little bit more. It had a decent story, not very believable, but who cares about believable stories in a cartoon movie? More importantly this movie actually gave me some laughs. The characters were enjoyable and there was even a talking monkey! Having a talking monkey is always a good idea.

Mr. T had a pretty big part, playing the police officer of the town, he was funny, and it was good to see him working in something other than a Worlds of Warcraft commercial. Other voices included Bill Hader(Adventureland, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Anna Faris(Scary Movie, Just Friends), Bruce Campbell(Evil Dead, Burn Notice), and Neil Patrick Harris(you know who he is!).

So check it. It's a cute movie, good for the whole family, and don't forget...talking monkey! (voiced by Harris)

PS - This is the company that will be bringing us the upcoming movie, The Smurfs(2011).

Rating: 3 Stars

Movie Review: Extract

Mike Judge, the creator of Beavis and Butthead, Office Space, and King of the Hill, wrote and directed this film, Extract, about Joel (Jason Bateman), the owner of extract (as in vanilla) company. Basically, Joel is a middle aged man who's wife stopped putting out, his company is doing decent but is stressful, and he is being sued by an employee who got his testicles blown off while on the job (not as funny as it should have been). Joel's best friend (Ben Affleck) talks him into doing drugs which causes him to make a few bad decisions, leading his wife to cheat on him, and his business to go south.

Mila Kunis plays a con artist grifter. She is the one who talks the "testicularlly challenged" employee to sue the company, pretending to like him in hopes of stealing the money from his settlement. Eventually she gets caught and she feels bad, blah blah blah. Her role really was just pointless (as was most other characters)

All in all the movie was boring and seemed way longer than it should have been. I am a fan of Mike Judge, but this movie was no Office Space. The only bright spot in the movie was moronic gigolo played by Dustin Milligan, he was kinda funny. I think I laughed twice during the movie, both times at his character. I would not recommend seeing this movie, it would be a waste of your time. If you haven't seen Office Space, just watch that instead, hell even if you have seen it, watch it again. Plus Ben Affleck isn't in Office Space which is always a plus.

Rating: 1 star