Ski School 2

A few years have passed since we last saw Dave Marshak, the intrepid party animal hero of the original Ski School. Having been kicked off the mountain, Dave is living in a trailer park until he receives an invitation to his ex-girlfriend Beth’s wedding. Determined to get both Beth and his mojo back, Dave returns to the mountain to face off against Steve Longwood, Beth’s snooty fiancée. While the original Ski School isn’t, technically, a “good” movie, it has a certain charm to it. Ski School 2, however, is a pretty bland affair. In the first movie, Dave is an unflappable, infallible goofball trickster. In Ski School 2, he’s a beaten down scamp who refuses to grow up. Sadly, the magic of the original Ski School is gone and there’s no amount of nudity that can bring it back.

Rating: 52%

(Image from IMDB)

Elf

Buddy, an orphan raised by Santa’s elves, travels to New York City to meet his biological father. Elf can be somewhat of a polarizing movie, you either love it or you hate it. And, typically, it boils down to whether or not you can tolerate Will Ferrell at his most manic. I love the movie. I think it’s a modern-day Christmas classic. From the homages to Rankin/Bass’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to the incredible supporting cast, which includes Ed Asner, Bob Newhart, Mary Steenburgen and Peter Dinklage. It’s a charming movie that can be enjoyed by anyone from age eight to eighty.

Rating: Twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

Secret Santa Rating: 80%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Pluto's Christmas Tree

Mickey cuts down a Christmas tree and brings it home without realizing that Chip ‘n’ Dale are in it. Hey, these things happen. When Pluto spots the chipmunks, mayhem ensues. It’s basically the same plot as Toy Tinkers, but Pluto comes off way less maniacal than Donald Duck ever did. If you watch this short on Disney+, the colors really pop. It looks great in hi-def.

Rating: Eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Comfort and Joy

After a successful mission, the Justice League part ways for a well-deserved Christmas break. Green Lantern introduces Hawkgirl to snowball fights and she returns the favor by taking him to the Omega Quadrant for a good old fashioned barroom brawl. The Flash heads down to the local orphanage to spread some Christmas cheer. His quest to bring the kids a highly sought after toy, the farting animatronic doll DJ Rubber Duckie, gets complicated after running into the Ultra-Humanite. And Superman takes Martian Manhunter to Smallville for a chance to see what Christmas is all about. “Comfort and Joy” is a beautifully written story that effortlessly showcases several aspects of what makes Christmas great and, also, occasionally frustrating. Maybe it borders on being saccharine, but there’s just enough punching to help it all go down easy.

Rating: Ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

(Image from IMDB)

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree

A family of mice living inside the eccentric Mr. Willowby’s house set out to cut down the perfect Christmas tree. They climb to the top of the perfect tree, only for it to be cut out from under them by a group of lumberjacks. Those lumberjacks bring the tree back to Mr. Willowby’s house, where he declares it to be the most perfect Christmas tree. Except that it’s just a little too big. Mr. Willowby has the top of the tree cut off (which is where the mice are) and gives that portion of the tree to his maid. She declares it to be the most perfect Christmas tree. Except that it’s just a little too big. So she chops the top off (where the mice are) and throws it in the trash. From there it’s picked up a family of bears and then the portion that they discard is picked up by some owls before, finally, the mice are able to claim their portion of the perfect Christmas tree. Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree is a fairly obscure Muppets Christmas special starring Robert Downey Jr, Stockard Channing and Leslie Nielsen. Other than a few moments of physical humor, Leslie Nielsen is stuck playing a stuffy butler. And, while I cannot confirm such things, I suspect Robert Downey Jr. might have been under the influence during the production of this special. His character looks like Robert Smith from The Cure and has the manic energy of Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. If RDJ was actually sober at this time, then he truly is America’s greatest living actor.

Rating: Nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

(Image from IMDB)

Sabrina Claus

With Christmas on the way, Sabrina develops a case of Egotitis which messes with her magic. Sabrina’s aunts summon Bob to help get Sabrina reacquainted with the true meaning of Christmas. But, when Bob (who’s actually Santa Claus) gets injured, Sabrina is forced to step in and deliver all of Santa’s gifts herself. While I definitely watched Sabrina the Teenage Witch when it was first on, it failed to make much of an impression on me. Other than Salem, the sometimes puppet sometimes live action cat, nothing from this series really stuck with me. Sabrina doesn’t come off very well in this particular episode. Sure, she has to start out in a bad place in order to learn her lesson but her attitude, which was probably period appropriate in 1997, has aged like old eggnog.

Rating: Eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown

Rerun, Linus and Lucy’s little brother, wants to get a dog for Christmas. No one in Rerun’s family think he’s ready for the responsibility of pet ownership. Not even Snoopy or his brother Spike think Rerun can handle getting a dog. And that’s about it. Based on that paltry recap, you might think that I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown isn’t a very good special. But it’s probably the second-best Peanuts Christmas special, right after A Charlie Brown Christmas. And that’s mostly because it tells a straightforward story, rather than cobbling together a series of holiday themed vignettes. Sure, Rerun isn’t a particularly interesting or visually distinct character, but the special is a good introduction to him and to a number of Snoopy’s siblings. Also, spoiler alert, I think it’s commendable that the special doesn’t end with Rerun getting a dog for Christmas. A choice like that must have taken a lot of restraint.

Rating: Seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Home Alone 4

aka Home Alone: Taking Back the House

After fighting with his siblings, Kevin McCallister decides to spend Christmas with his father and his father’s new girlfriend, Natalie. When Kevin uncovers a plot to kidnap an important guest at Natalie’s Holiday party, no one believes him. Despite his track record, everyone chooses to believe that Kevin is acting out over his parent’s impending divorce. So Kevin takes it upon himself to foil the kidnapping plot in the manner he is most accustomed to: violent hijinks. Home Alone 4 stinks. From the amateurish cinematography and lighting to the choice to center the movie around characters from the first two Home Alone films. It just stinks. I mean, are we expected to believe that this brown-haired kid is the same person as the blonde-haired kid from the first two movies? I don’t think so buddy. And the choice to have the parents get back together at the end of the movie, with zero buildup, is disgusting and insane. Also, get this, at no point in the movie is Kevin ever home alone. Seriously. A pox on your house Home Alone 4. A pox on your house.

Rating: Six geese a-laying, FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

Secret Santa Rating: 48%

(Image from Wikipedia)

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

Steve and Carl head out to the woods of Wisconsin to score a free Christmas tree, only to get lost after it starts to snow. Meanwhile, back at the Winslow homestead, Laura must choose between Curtis and Stefan. At this point in the series, Stefan Urquelle was no longer Steve’s cool alter ego and was a fully independent clone of Steve that had been permanently transformed into Stefan. Things like that happened a lot on 90s sitcoms that maybe ran a little too long. Richie is mentioned in the episode but does not appear. And, sadly, by this time my favorite character, Waldo Geraldo Faldo, was no longer a part of the show.

Rating: FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

A Miser Brothers' Christmas

When their power-hungry brother, the North Wind, injures Santa in a plot to take over Christmas, the Miser Brothers are forced to co-operate in order to keep Christmas on track. The Miser Brothers were a relatively minor part of 1974’s The Year Without a Santa Claus, so giving them their own special was a bit of a stretch. There really isn’t a whole lot to them as characters, other than their rivalry and their introductory songs (which are done twice in this special). The plot of A Miser Brothers' Christmas is pretty basic but the animation quality is decent overall, even if I kept expecting a Mad TV parody to break out at any second. Having Mickey Rooney and George S. Irving reprise their roles from the original special was a nice touch. And I genuinely liked that the North Wind’s minions hissed and snarled like little gremlins.

Rating: Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

(Image from Wikipedia)

A Christmas Story

When a storm forces them to cancel their ski trip, the Keatons spend some time reminiscing over an old photo album. Steven and Elyse share the stories behind each of their children’s births. Being made up of fabricated flashbacks, this episode of Family Ties focuses mostly on the Keaton parents rather than their kids. We get a few glimpses into their shared hippie past. I would have liked more time spent with Alex and Mallory but, much like an oversized woolen hat, sometimes you get what you get.

Rating: Three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol

After their latest mission hits a snag, Lanny and Wayne are called into Santa’s office. Wayne, hoping to downplay his mistake, tells Santa about some of the other snafus he’s overcome on recent missions. Where the first two Prep & Landing specials, along with the Operation: Secret Santa short, have played out like mini action movies, The Snowball Protocol comes across more like a Christmas themed sitcom episode. One where the grumpy guy learns a valuable lesson about friendship. And as fun as some of the worldbuilding elements are in The Snowball Protocol, it would have been nicer to have this new special focus on a bigger story. Especially since it’s been over a decade since these characters had a chance to shine.

Rating: Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree%

(Image from Wikipedia)

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

On Christmas Eve, Ralph is excited to give Alice her Christmas present. Only for a neighbor to show up and give Alice the exact same gift. With time running out and limited funds, Ralph has to run out and find a new gift for Alice. I don’t claim to be an expert when it comes to early television shows, but watching this particular episode of The Honeymooners felt like discovering the Rosetta Stone of sitcoms. With every physical gag and wacky plot twist playing out before a live studio audience for what was probably the first time. I was especially surprised to see that the entire episode took place in Ralph and Alice’s kitchen. Twenty-six minutes of old-timey TV taking place in one tiny location. Maybe every episode of the show was like that. A real expert could probably tell you if that was the case or not. As for me, I’ll probably never know.

Rating: A partridge in a pear tree%

(Image from IMDB)

My Soul to Take

On the night that the Riverton Ripper was killed, seven children were born. Sixteen years later, on their collective birthday, the Riverton 7 are stalked by an unseen killer. Has the Riverton Ripper come back from the dead? Or has one of the Riverton 7 become possessed by the killer’s soul? My Soul to Take should have been an easy layup for Wes Craven. It’s a supernatural slasher that borrows from several of his previous films. There are elements from A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, The Serpent and the Rainbow, and Shocker in it. And yet, the film is a bit of a mixed bag. The main problem is the script. Seven characters are too many for the movie to follow. Only four of the Riverton 7 get a decent amount of screen time. The remaining kids, along with the rest of the side characters, float in and out of the movie. Mostly showing up just in time to be killed off. At various points, the script also tries to tackle a couple of serious issues but never takes the time to fully develop them. And the ending feels both unearned and like it could have been replaced by any number of alternate outcomes.

Rating: 61%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Time-Flight

The Doctor and his companions are tasked with finding a Concorde that has gone missing. When they trace the flight path of the Concorde, with another Concorde, they’re whisked back in time approximately 140 million years. They soon find the missing plane and its passengers, but all is not what it seems. A mysterious conjurer named Kalid rules over the area with powerful psychic abilities. But even Kalid is not what he appears to be and, before long, the Doctor and the Master are pitted against each other in a showdown that could leave one of them stuck in the past forever. Time-Flight doesn’t have a great reputation, and I can sort of understand why. It’s not great. It’s not terrible but it’s not very well thought out either. Several times during the story, someone will ask the Doctor to explain what’s going on and all he’ll say is, “I’ll explain later.” There is, however, a pretty good sequence in the second episode where Tegan and Nyssa are confronted by some illusions meant to deter them from finding the citadel’s inner sanctum. One of which is a vision of Adric, seemingly back from the dead.

Rating: I've always found domination such an unattractive prospect%

Red Heat

East meets West when a Russian Police Captain travels to Chicago to extradite a Soviet drug smuggler. After his prisoner escapes, the stoic Captain Danko is paired with Chicago’s least finest, Detective Ridzik. Much like Walter Hill’s 48 Hrs., Red Heat is a buddy cop story featuring two leads who can barely stand one another. Unfortunately for Red Heat, neither Schwarzenegger nor Belushi have the comedic chops of Eddie Murphy. Still, the movie moves at a brisk pace, and the action set pieces all work well. The supporting cast includes performances from Peter Boyle, Laurence Fishburne and Gina Gershon.

Rating: 64%

(Image from Wikipedia)

The Sure Thing

Walter Gibson and Alison Bradbury couldn’t be more different. She’s a studious pragmatist and he’s more of a slacker goofball. But the two become reluctant travel companions over Christmas break when they try to get from their snowy New England college campus to sunny California. The Sure Thing is a romantic comedy in the grand tradition of classic films like It Happened One Night, just with more pork rinds this time around. The leads are charmingly played by Daphne Zuniga and a particularly fresh-faced John Cusack. Anthony Edwards and Tim Robbins also appear in the film in memorable supporting roles.

Rating: 73%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Just Before Dawn

Five young friends head up into the mountains for a camping trip. The forest ranger warns them it's not safe, but they choose to go up anyway. Before long, their weekend of fun turns into a fight for survival. Just Before Dawn isn't exactly an original film. It's got elements of The Hills Have Eyes and just about any other backwoods slasher you could name. However, it's still an entertaining slasher flick. The settings are incredible, the cast is decent and the music is on point. Above all, the movie has a good command of atmosphere. So, even though the pacing slows way down in the middle of the film, it still keeps your attention.

Rating: 70%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Fun Fact: Gregg Henry, who played Warren, was also in Payback and Brian De Palma's Body Double.

The Dorm That Dripped Blood

aka Pranks

Over the holiday break, a small group of students stay behind on campus to help clear out an old dormitory. One by one, they're attacked and killed by an unseen assailant. The Dorm That Dripped Blood is a fairly bog-standard slasher. The setting is pretty good, with lots of creepy old stairwells, steam tunnels, and abandoned rooms. Unfortunately, much like The Prowler, a little too much time is spent exploring these locations. The kills are decent, with plenty of blood and some gnarly gore in the uncensored directors' cut. The pacing is off though. The killer's reveal comes too early, which ends up derailing most of the suspense in the third act. The cast is fairly forgettable, except for Daphne Zuniga, who makes her debut here.

Rating: 54%

(Image from IMDB)

The House That Dripped Blood

An Inspector from Scotland Yard travels to the country to investigate the disappearance of a movie star. The local police believe that the house the movie star was renting might have something to do with his disappearance. Both the police and the house's rental agent tell the inspector stories of the house's previous tenants and all the strange things that befell them. First is the story of a writer who begins to suspect that his characters have come to life and may be plotting to kill those close to him. Second is the story of a retiree who becomes obsessed with a figure at the local wax museum. Then comes the story of a father and his sheltered daughter, who might be more than she appears to be. And finally, the story of the movie star who suspects a cloak he bought from a mysterious costume shop might be turning him into a vampire. The House That Dripped Blood is a pretty good anthology with a great cast, including Denholm Elliott, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Jon Pertwee (aka The Third Doctor) and Hammer hottie Ingrid Pitt.

Rating: 63%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Manhattan Baby

aka Eye of the Evil Dead

On a trip to Egypt with her archaeologist father, a young girl is given an amulet by a strange woman. At the same time, while exploring a mysterious tomb, her father is blinded by some mystical lights. After returning home to New York, the young girl and her brother begin acting odd and people close to the family start to disappear. Lucio Fulci's Manhattan Baby isn't a particularly straightforward movie. The tone is all over the map and it's difficult to follow at times. It's also a little boring. The music is occasionally loud and discordant but will lapse into jazzy saxophone noodling from time to time to remind the audience that the movie is taking place in New York. There's very little blood and gore in the movie, except for a sequence where a man is attacked by some stuffed birds. Yes, you read that correctly, stuffed birds. It's actually kinda cool.

Rating: 52%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Tenebrae

aka Unsane

Everyone loves Peter Neal's new novel, Tenebrae, but someone has taken their love of the book too far. A series of murders, inspired by the novel, leave the police scratching their heads. But, after the killer starts sending notes to him, Peter decides to start looking for the murderer himself. Dario Argento's Tenebrae is a return to straightforward giallo after the supernatural themed films Suspiria and Inferno. The atmosphere and cinematography in Tenebrae are on point, which shouldn't be too surprising. And the score is fantastic. The main theme slaps, as I assume the kids would say.

Rating: 73%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Munchies

While on an archeological expedition in Peru with his father, aspiring comedian Paul Watterman discovers a small alien creature. At first, the alien appears to be friendly, so the pair bring it back to the US. But after being kidnapped and mistreated by Paul's uncle, the alien's violent side emerges. And, as is soon discovered, any attempts to kill the alien are either ineffective or cause it to multiply. With a growing gaggle of would-be Gremlins causing havoc all over town, the race is on to stop the Munchies before it's too late. Produced by Roger Corman, Munchies is an unabashed Gremlins rip-off. It's very cheap looking and not nearly as funny as it thinks it is. The Munchie puppets aren't particularly expressive or impressive, much closer to a Ghoulie than a Gremlin.

Rating: 53%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Fun Fact: Robert Picardo and Wendy Schaal, who played the ice cream shop owners that got attacked by the Munchies, were both in The 'Burbs as well as a number of other Joe Dante films.

Piranha (1995)

In the 1990s, Roger Corman produced more than two dozen movies for the premium cable network Showtime. A number of which were remakes of films that he had either produced or directed himself. The remake of Joe Dante's Piranha is notable because it reuses most of the special effects footage from the original film. While watching the remake, it's pretty clear that most of the footage filmed above water is new, while almost all of the footage underwater is from the original. A lot of the script has also been taken verbatim from the original as well. The plot is virtually the same, hitting all of the same beats. There's actually more nudity in the remake, which surprised me. The cast is full of TV veterans like William Katt, Alexandra Paul, Soleil Moon Frye and an impossibly young Mila Kunis. There are even a few notable character actors like James Karen and Leland Orser among the cast. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to see Piranha (1995), but there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes.

Rating: 59%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Fun Fact: Alexandra Paul, who was on Baywatch when Piranha (1995) came out, was also in Dragnet and John Carpenter's Christine.

The Ghost Ship

Tom Merriam, on his first assignment, joins the crew of the Altair as Third Officer. Initially, Tom seems impressed by Captain Stone and believes there is much he could learn from the Captain. But, slowly, Tom begins to suspect that Stone is losing his mind and has taken his authority over the crew to a homicidal extreme. With no one to turn to, Tom is left trapped on the ship with a madman. While not as visually stylish as Val Lewton's previous horror films, The Ghost Ship is still atmospheric and does a good job of ratcheting up the tension as the movie goes on. Also, there's a pretty sweet knife fight towards the end of the film that is surprisingly violent for a movie from the 1940s.

Rating: 61%

(Image from Wikipedia)

The Haunted Palace

Convinced that he is a warlock, the townspeople of Arkham drag Joseph Curwen from his palatial estate and burn him alive. Before he dies, Curwen puts a curse on Arkham and vows to come back from the dead to take his revenge on the descendants of those who killed him. One hundred and ten years later, Charles Dexter Ward, the great-great-grandson of Joseph Curwen, comes to Arkham to claim the property that he has inherited. The people of Arkham are immediately suspicious of Ward, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Curwen. Is it just a coincidence or has Joseph Curwen finally come back to take his revenge? Despite AIP's marketing, The Haunted Palace is primarily based on H. P. Lovecraft's novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Surprisingly, it is the also the very first movie to be based on one of Lovecraft's works. The sets and the performances are all very good, especially Vincent Price's dual/dueling roles. The only thing that isn't great in the film is the makeup design, everything just looks a little off-color. Despite that, The Haunted Palace is easily one of Corman's best "Poe" films.

Rating: 68%

(Image from Wikipedia)

House of Dracula

Dr. Edelmann is a very busy man. First, Count Dracula arrives at his door hoping to be cured of his vampirism. Then, Larry Talbot (aka The Wolf Man) comes a'knocking, hoping to be cured of his lycanthropy. Dr. Edelmann takes on both patients but starts to get a little sidetracked after finding the body of Frankenstein's Monster. After Edelmann tries to stop Dracula from turning one of his assistants into a vampire, the Count infects Edelmann's blood which begins to turn Edelmann into a madman. The local villagers start to get pissed off at all of the monsters running around town, which leads to a big confrontation at Dr. Edelmann's castle. House of Dracula, much like House of Frankenstein, tries to pack way too much stuff into a 67 minute movie. None of the characters ever really feel like they get a complete story arc and the continuity between the two films makes little to no sense. John Carradine still doesn't really do it for me as Dracula. Lon Chaney Jr. does a great job, as per usual. And Jane Adams' character Nina, Dr. Edelmann's hunchbacked assistant, is fantastic despite being underserved by the script. I would put House of Dracula over House of Frankenstein, mostly because I felt that the cinematography in House of Dracula was far more impressive.

Rating: 66%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed

After another one of his clandestine laboratories is discovered, Baron Frankenstein skips town and holds up in a boarding house under an alias. When he finds out that his young landlady's fiancé is stealing drugs from the nearby insane asylum, he blackmails the couple into helping him kidnap one of the asylum's patients. That patient, a former collaborator who might have information that could help with the Baron's experiments. One thing that I really enjoy about Hammer's Frankenstein films is that Baron Frankenstein is often more villainous than the monsters he creates. However, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed takes that element just a little bit too far. There is a scene in the film where the Baron rapes his landlady. It's an unpleasant scene that has no real bearing on the plot. Apparently, executives at Hammer at the time felt that the scene was necessary to appease international distributors because of the lack of sex in the movie. Ultimately, the scene was cut from some of the film's original releases but is currently available on the home video version of the movie.

Rating: 61%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Halloween (2007) - Director's Cut

The director's cut of Rob Zombie's Halloween doesn't differ all that much from the theatrical cut. Mostly, it's just a few additional lines of dialogue sprinkled in here and there. The two main differences between the cuts have to do with Michael's escape from Smith's Grove and the fate of Dr. Loomis. In the theatrical cut, Michael escapes from the sanitarium during a prison transfer gone wrong. In the director's cut, in a scene more or less stolen from Kill Bill Vol. 1, Michael escapes from Smith's Grove after some of the sanitarium's employees choose to do some very unsavory things in Michael's room. As for Loomis, the theatrical cut implies that Michael kills Loomis in the Myers' House. While the director's cut includes a scene that makes it clear that Dr. Loomis survives the attack. Even though some of the additional material in the director's cut helps flesh out the characters and the story, I personally think the theatrical cut is the superior version of the film.

 
Rating: 58%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Halloween (2007)

The first 35 minutes of Rob Zombie's Halloween offers up an extended origin story for Michael Myers and the killings that led to his incarceration. It paints a very grim picture of a young boy in a terrible living situation that quickly escalates from killing small animals to multiple homicide. Given the soundtrack, clothing and cars showcased during this sequence, you could reasonably assume that it takes place in the late 70s, but no, apparently it takes place in 1990. What? Anyway, eventually the movie skips ahead to the present, which at the time was 2007, and we get to see a version of the Halloween story we're much more familiar with. Now, Rob Zombie's Halloween has its detractors. And they have some valid arguments. Be it the over-the-top dialogue, ridiculous needle drop moments, gaps in logic and continuity and whatnot and so forth. But, it's not all bad. To give the man some credit, Rob Zombie did manage to cram the cast full of genre movie veterans. From big names like Brad Dourif and Malcolm McDowell all the way down to left field picks like Micky Dolenz and Leslie Easterbrook. So, it's got that going for it.

Rating: 60%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood

aka Leprechaun 6: Back 2 tha Hood

A group of friends find a chest full of gold underneath an abandoned construction site. What begins as a dream come true quickly turns into a nightmare after the group are targeted by an evil Leprechaun. For the first five minutes of Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood, I found myself thinking, "Wow, this movie looks pretty good. It might be the best looking film in the Leprechaun series." And then after a character got killed by the Leprechaun, the fakest pool of CGI blood you've ever seen emerged from the character's body. Which turned out to be pretty representative of the movie overall because any time I started to think, "Well, this isn't so bad," the movie would drop in some of the worst CGI imaginable. Back 2 tha Hood might not be as corny or horny as other entries in the series, but it's still a Leprechaun movie through and through.

Rating: 57%

 
(Image from IMDB)