"There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to create a successful sequel. Number one: the body count is always bigger. Number two: the death scenes are always much more elaborate - more blood, more gore - *carnage candy*. And number three: never, ever, under any circumstances, assume the killer is dead. "
Scream 2 is the superb sequel that far outshines its predecessor. True, this is an increasingly rare thing in Hollywood but Scream 2 really does take the cake. It's smarter, funnier, more serious, the returning characters have been gievn added depth, and the big finale is to DIE for (Pun intended).
Scream 2 takes place exactly one year after Scream. It starts out at a theatre showing a sneek peek at "Stab!", The movie based off the book Gale Weathers wrote after the incidents of the first film. It doesn't take long before it is revealed that there is now a copycat killer on the loose and 2 moviegoers are given terrific death scenes in the theatre, one dies right in front of the movie screen as the bemused and shocked crowd watches. It's now up to Sidney, Randy, Gale, and Dewey to find the killer and do whatever it takes to survive this second killer outing.
All of the original cast is back. Jamie Kennedy puts on another inspired performance as determined survivor of the first film Randy. He still knows all the horror movie rules (and all the rules of sequels as well) and is the one who guides the rest of the gang along on their adventure. David Arquette puts on a decidedly different performance than he did in the first one as the rookie cop Dewey. In this one he seems to be more experienced and determined, he makes it clear that this time he won't let the killer get the upper hand. Throughout the film he walks with a limp, his stab wound he received in the first film apparently paralyzing half of his body (poor Dewey). Liev Schrieber also returns as Cotton Weary, the wrongly accused assailant in the first film. In Scream 2 he is given a chance to show that he is indeed a good guy, despite what everybody else may think.
Amang the newcomers are the young Jerry O'Connel as Boyfriend Derek who, despite being the PERFECT guy, is immeadietly targeted as a strong suspect. He does perfect in this role. He's charming, funny, and extremely likeable as the somewhat aloof and niave Derek. It is obvious that he cares for Sidney and would do anything to protect her. Among his highlights is a song and dance he performs in a lunchroom of Sidney. Another fun newcomer is Duane Martin as the toiken black dude. He is the new camera man for Gale and is smart enough to panic when the bodies start to pile up, aware that the black guy never lasts very long. There's also a great cameo for Sarah Michelle Gellar as Sorority Gal Cici. Even though she isn't much to do it is still fun to see her here.
Whereas the finale of the first film took place at a party, the finale of Scream 2 takes place in the inspired setting of a theatre (Not a movie theatre, a stage). The final twist is pretty shocking, throwing me for a complete loop, and the great thing is it kind of makes sense. When Sidney finally turns the tables on her would-be killer is when the real fun begins, using the props, lighting fixtures, and sound effects in the theatre to thoroughly freak out her attacker.
With deeper characters, more suspense, and a smarter script Scream 2 is far superior to its somewhat lackluster predecessor. I'm glad you proved me wrong on this one Wes, I really am, Scream 2 is one of my all time favorite horror films. Give it a try and you'll be sure to see why (yes, I meant for that to rhyme).
4/5 Stars
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
FRIGHT FEST REVIEW: SCREAM
"You sick fucks, you've seen one too many movies!!!!"
Guilty as charged.
Scream is one of Wes Cravens finest films to date, because of how much fun it is. It follows the story of Sidney (Neve Campbell) as she finds herself stuck in a town where a seriel killer is on the loose. It's a fairly typical teen slasher story which becomes not so typical with the help of some characters that constantly spit out the "rules" of horror movies (and yet they still fall into the same old routine ....what up with that?).
The film is full of delightful "surprise" performances, among which are Matthew Lillard as Stuart (A delightfully zany, infectious performance), Jamie Kennedy as Randy (a surprisingly well-done performance on his part as the horror movie buff), Rose McGowan as Tatum (Sidneys Best Friend), David Arquette as Dewey (The bumbling rookie cop assigned to protect Sidney), and the always wonderful Henry Winkler as Mr. Himbry (The school principle, after viewing his performance here all I can say is "Wow, the Fonz don't fuck around.").
The only really good lead actor is Neve Campbell as Sidney. She is great as she plays a different kind of heroine. I can't say as much for her leading man though. Sure, Skeet Ulrich tries to do good as boyfriend Billy, but I just couldn't fully buy into him. He was much too mysterious and campy for my tastes, he was practically licking every line of the script up like Hannibel Lecter when he talks about Fava Beans. If he showed a little self control he would have gone farther in my book.
Now, Scream is constantly cited as one of Craven's best films...but not for why you might think. As a pure horror film, the movie fails at just about every angle you could imagine. I never once felt any bit of real suspense during the running time (except during the finale...and even then it was pretty toned down for my tastes). I'm sorry Wes, Scream is JUST NOT SCARY. However, It's a perfect party film and I could see myself easily re-watching it during the Halloween season (Speak of the devil). While it may not be much scary, it's still a perfectly fun family horror film that just about anyone twelve and over could handle.
So if you're craven some Craven feel free to give this fun little flick a try. It may not make you scream, but you're sure to have a good time.
3/4 stars
Guilty as charged.
Scream is one of Wes Cravens finest films to date, because of how much fun it is. It follows the story of Sidney (Neve Campbell) as she finds herself stuck in a town where a seriel killer is on the loose. It's a fairly typical teen slasher story which becomes not so typical with the help of some characters that constantly spit out the "rules" of horror movies (and yet they still fall into the same old routine ....what up with that?).
The film is full of delightful "surprise" performances, among which are Matthew Lillard as Stuart (A delightfully zany, infectious performance), Jamie Kennedy as Randy (a surprisingly well-done performance on his part as the horror movie buff), Rose McGowan as Tatum (Sidneys Best Friend), David Arquette as Dewey (The bumbling rookie cop assigned to protect Sidney), and the always wonderful Henry Winkler as Mr. Himbry (The school principle, after viewing his performance here all I can say is "Wow, the Fonz don't fuck around.").
The only really good lead actor is Neve Campbell as Sidney. She is great as she plays a different kind of heroine. I can't say as much for her leading man though. Sure, Skeet Ulrich tries to do good as boyfriend Billy, but I just couldn't fully buy into him. He was much too mysterious and campy for my tastes, he was practically licking every line of the script up like Hannibel Lecter when he talks about Fava Beans. If he showed a little self control he would have gone farther in my book.
Now, Scream is constantly cited as one of Craven's best films...but not for why you might think. As a pure horror film, the movie fails at just about every angle you could imagine. I never once felt any bit of real suspense during the running time (except during the finale...and even then it was pretty toned down for my tastes). I'm sorry Wes, Scream is JUST NOT SCARY. However, It's a perfect party film and I could see myself easily re-watching it during the Halloween season (Speak of the devil). While it may not be much scary, it's still a perfectly fun family horror film that just about anyone twelve and over could handle.
So if you're craven some Craven feel free to give this fun little flick a try. It may not make you scream, but you're sure to have a good time.
3/4 stars
FRIGHT FEST REVIEW: JAWS
"You yell barracuda, everybody says, "Huh? What?" You yell shark, we've got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July."
"This was no boat accident!"
"I think that I am familiar with the fact that you are going to ignore this particular problem until it swims up and BITES YOU ON THE ASS!"
"Beaches Closed - No Swimming. By the Order of the Amity PD".
"You're gonna need a bigger boat"
JAWS!!!!! Looking back it's not hard to imagine why it became the first ever summer blockbuster.
As directed by Steven Spielberg, Jaws is the story of a rogue great White that stakes a claim off the shores of Amity Island during the summer tourist season. As people begin to disapear under bloody waves, the town of Amity panics and turns to Sherrif Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), Salty Sea Dawrg Quint (Robert Shaw), and Marine Biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) in hopes that they can rid the once peaceful town of it's great white sized problem.
For most of the film the shark remains unseen due to an unreliable shark anamatronic (Speilberg dubbed it Bruce, after his Lawyer). This stroke of seemingly bad luck ended up benefiting the film in the long run, rendering the initial shark attacks all the more terrifying as we can only see what is happenning above water, leaving the carnage occurring underneath the waves to the viewers imagination.
Another benefit of Bruce's refusal to work properly was that the film had to rely on a solid soundtrack (done by the amazing John Williams) to let the audience know where the shark was at just about all times. To this day that iconic Dun-Dun score is just as unforgettable and recognizeable as ever.
Jaws also has superb performances all around. Murray Hamilton is great as the money-hungry mayor that willingly serves up the islanders as snack food, Roy Scheider is perfect as the concerned Sherrif of Amity that spends the first half of the film trying (unsuccessfully) to warn the town of the impending danger, Robert Shaw is also perfect as the salty shark hunter Quint, and Richard Dreyfuss does a wonderful performance as the nerdy shark enthusiast that is called on for some extra help.
Although it has been only 35 years since the film was released, it has not aged a bit. The terror created in the film is just as strong today as it was the day the film was released, probably because the fear of not knowing what is swimming with you when you step into the big blue is a universal one.
Aided by a great score, amazing performances, a pretty darned cool shark (when it was working), and some smart character development ( one example: Brody is terrified of water)... it isn't hard to see why JAWS has becoime the beloved classic it is known as today. And after all these years, it still carries the power to make you think twice before running carelessly into those waves.
5/5 Stars: BETTER THAN SEX
"This was no boat accident!"
"I think that I am familiar with the fact that you are going to ignore this particular problem until it swims up and BITES YOU ON THE ASS!"
"Beaches Closed - No Swimming. By the Order of the Amity PD".
"You're gonna need a bigger boat"
JAWS!!!!! Looking back it's not hard to imagine why it became the first ever summer blockbuster.
As directed by Steven Spielberg, Jaws is the story of a rogue great White that stakes a claim off the shores of Amity Island during the summer tourist season. As people begin to disapear under bloody waves, the town of Amity panics and turns to Sherrif Martin Brody (Roy Scheider), Salty Sea Dawrg Quint (Robert Shaw), and Marine Biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) in hopes that they can rid the once peaceful town of it's great white sized problem.
For most of the film the shark remains unseen due to an unreliable shark anamatronic (Speilberg dubbed it Bruce, after his Lawyer). This stroke of seemingly bad luck ended up benefiting the film in the long run, rendering the initial shark attacks all the more terrifying as we can only see what is happenning above water, leaving the carnage occurring underneath the waves to the viewers imagination.
Another benefit of Bruce's refusal to work properly was that the film had to rely on a solid soundtrack (done by the amazing John Williams) to let the audience know where the shark was at just about all times. To this day that iconic Dun-Dun score is just as unforgettable and recognizeable as ever.
Jaws also has superb performances all around. Murray Hamilton is great as the money-hungry mayor that willingly serves up the islanders as snack food, Roy Scheider is perfect as the concerned Sherrif of Amity that spends the first half of the film trying (unsuccessfully) to warn the town of the impending danger, Robert Shaw is also perfect as the salty shark hunter Quint, and Richard Dreyfuss does a wonderful performance as the nerdy shark enthusiast that is called on for some extra help.
Although it has been only 35 years since the film was released, it has not aged a bit. The terror created in the film is just as strong today as it was the day the film was released, probably because the fear of not knowing what is swimming with you when you step into the big blue is a universal one.
Aided by a great score, amazing performances, a pretty darned cool shark (when it was working), and some smart character development ( one example: Brody is terrified of water)... it isn't hard to see why JAWS has becoime the beloved classic it is known as today. And after all these years, it still carries the power to make you think twice before running carelessly into those waves.
5/5 Stars: BETTER THAN SEX
Monday, October 11, 2010
FRIGHT FEST REVIEW: HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES
I feel that there is no better way to kick off my Fright fest than with a review of one of the best atmospheric Halloween films you can find, House of 1000 Corpses.
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"Howdy Folks! You like blood? Violence? Freaks of nature? Well then, come on down to Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Mad-Men."
This is one of those films where you're either going to LOVE IT or HATE IT....there's no in-between. Me???? I LOVE IT!!!!
House of 1000 Corpses is Rob Zombies sick love letter to the joys of Halloween and Tobe Hooper. It also happens to be his directorial debut. It takes place in the era that Rob apparently pines for (since every single one of his films seems to be inspired by it) the 1970s, 1977 to be exact. There's not much story to the film, in it we follow a group of typically dumb college kids on a road trip to the seediest roadside attractions out there. They eventually wind up at Captain Spauldings Museum of Monsters and Mad-Men, owned by crazed clown Captain Spaulding. Intrigued by Spauldings tale of local legend Dr. Satan they set off to find the mysterious legends grave, only to be sidetracked by a flat tire and wind up in the one place they do NOT want to be stuck in.
While the story may not be elaborate the characters and atmosphere sure are. The sadistic killers in this film are the halloween obsessed Firefly clan/family. There's super-sexy Baby (Sheri Moon), who has an obsession with the movie stars of old, Otis (Bill Moseley), a sadist who hates women and pretentious teens, Mother Firefly (Karen Black), the sex-obsessed matriarch of the family who considers herself a M.I.L.F (She's NOT), and there's Tiny (Matthew McGory), a mentally challenged man that seems to have a fondeness for girls. Rounding out this wonderfully deranged cast of characters is Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig), a crazed clown that flies into a fit of rage when he belives someone to be insulting him or clowns in general. All put on truly memorable performances here as sick people who's idea of a fun night out is brutally torturing and killing a bunch of innocently stupid kids.
As if the colorful cast of characters weren't enough to warrant this film a viewing, the atmosphere created here is top notch. the whole film has a VERY Halloween feel to it. It helps that the film takes place on Halloween, the Firefly clan are strong Halloween enthusiasts, and that the cast resemble a bunch of crazed carnies. This is a world I wouldn't mind stepping into for a while.
The kills witnessed here are nothing to shake a stick at. While it's not too hard to enjoy all the blood-letting to be found in the film, in the end it's sure to leave most with a bad aftertaste. After all, the audiences role in the big picture is that of Voyeurs and aren't we just as guilty as the sadists in the film if we revel in their acts of violence?
In the end, I love how unapologetic this film is, the atmosphere created here, and the sick characters that are put on display. The films not afraid to be what it wants to be, critics and general audiences be damned. It's refreshing to see such an original take on the Halloween film, and while it is obviously inspired by Tobe Hoopers Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it's still much more fun than the former. So, if you're into blood, violence, and freaks of nature...the House of 1000 Corpses is just about guaranteed to be the film for you.
4.5/5 Stars
Be sure to keep an eye out for Rainn Wilson, who got his start here.
BEETLE'S HALLOWEEN FRIGHT FEST HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!!!! BE SURE TO KEEP A WEATHER EYE OUT FOR MORE SCARY GOOD REVIEWS.
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"Howdy Folks! You like blood? Violence? Freaks of nature? Well then, come on down to Captain Spaulding's Museum of Monsters and Mad-Men."
This is one of those films where you're either going to LOVE IT or HATE IT....there's no in-between. Me???? I LOVE IT!!!!
House of 1000 Corpses is Rob Zombies sick love letter to the joys of Halloween and Tobe Hooper. It also happens to be his directorial debut. It takes place in the era that Rob apparently pines for (since every single one of his films seems to be inspired by it) the 1970s, 1977 to be exact. There's not much story to the film, in it we follow a group of typically dumb college kids on a road trip to the seediest roadside attractions out there. They eventually wind up at Captain Spauldings Museum of Monsters and Mad-Men, owned by crazed clown Captain Spaulding. Intrigued by Spauldings tale of local legend Dr. Satan they set off to find the mysterious legends grave, only to be sidetracked by a flat tire and wind up in the one place they do NOT want to be stuck in.
While the story may not be elaborate the characters and atmosphere sure are. The sadistic killers in this film are the halloween obsessed Firefly clan/family. There's super-sexy Baby (Sheri Moon), who has an obsession with the movie stars of old, Otis (Bill Moseley), a sadist who hates women and pretentious teens, Mother Firefly (Karen Black), the sex-obsessed matriarch of the family who considers herself a M.I.L.F (She's NOT), and there's Tiny (Matthew McGory), a mentally challenged man that seems to have a fondeness for girls. Rounding out this wonderfully deranged cast of characters is Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig), a crazed clown that flies into a fit of rage when he belives someone to be insulting him or clowns in general. All put on truly memorable performances here as sick people who's idea of a fun night out is brutally torturing and killing a bunch of innocently stupid kids.
As if the colorful cast of characters weren't enough to warrant this film a viewing, the atmosphere created here is top notch. the whole film has a VERY Halloween feel to it. It helps that the film takes place on Halloween, the Firefly clan are strong Halloween enthusiasts, and that the cast resemble a bunch of crazed carnies. This is a world I wouldn't mind stepping into for a while.
The kills witnessed here are nothing to shake a stick at. While it's not too hard to enjoy all the blood-letting to be found in the film, in the end it's sure to leave most with a bad aftertaste. After all, the audiences role in the big picture is that of Voyeurs and aren't we just as guilty as the sadists in the film if we revel in their acts of violence?
In the end, I love how unapologetic this film is, the atmosphere created here, and the sick characters that are put on display. The films not afraid to be what it wants to be, critics and general audiences be damned. It's refreshing to see such an original take on the Halloween film, and while it is obviously inspired by Tobe Hoopers Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it's still much more fun than the former. So, if you're into blood, violence, and freaks of nature...the House of 1000 Corpses is just about guaranteed to be the film for you.
4.5/5 Stars
Be sure to keep an eye out for Rainn Wilson, who got his start here.
BEETLE'S HALLOWEEN FRIGHT FEST HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!!!! BE SURE TO KEEP A WEATHER EYE OUT FOR MORE SCARY GOOD REVIEWS.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
DEAD POETS SOCIETY
I'm sorry to say that Beetle's Halloween Fright Fest has been momentarily delayed for the time being, so instead of bringing you all the first Halloween themed review I will instead review one of my all time favorite films: Dead Poets Society.
Dead Poets Society takes place in a prestigious Prepatory School during the 1950's. It follows the lives of seven students as; inspired by their new english teacher and his unorthadox methods; they each take measures to make their lives extraordinary. They each start out as fairly happy students, but like all human beings deep down inside they are unsatisfied with the unfulfilling lives they are living without even realizing it. When their Prep school; Welton Academy; hires a new english teacher in the form of John Keating (Robin Williams) their lives change forever as Keating urges the students to Carpe Diem-Seize The Day.
Williams delivers an inspired performance in the unforgettable role of John Keating, the inspired mentor, muse, and teacher of the students. Recognizing how unsatisfied the students are with their lives and how important it is that they each find their own voice before it is too late, he employs a variety of unique teaching methods to get them to begin thinking for themselves for a change (Including an inspired sequence where he encourages the students to stand on their desk which comes back into play later on in the film). His famous mantra: "Cape Diem- Seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary", his first lecture about the ultimate mortality of men, and the closing scene will forever go down in movie history as some of the most memorable moments in film ever.
Not to be overlooked are the students themselves. There's Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), a young man crushed by the strong hold his father has over his life. There's Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), The quiet Freshman who's struggling to find his own voice and who fears that if he makes an effort to try and stand out it could end with him being branded a failure. There's Charlie Dalton aka Nuwanda (Gale Hansen), a lively boy that is the first to take Keatings words a little too litterally. There's Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles), a starry eyed hopeful who sets his eyes on a young girl and decides to attempt to steal her away from her jerkish jock boyfriend. There's also Richard Cameron (Dylan Kussman), a weasly kid that is reluctant to follow Keatings new teaching methods. Let's not forget about the rest of the students: Steven Meeks (Allelon Ruggiero), and Gerard Pitts (James Waterston). Together, this group of students are so inspired by Keating that they decide to re-form Keatings old club, The Dead Poets Society. When tragedy ultimately befalls this new club, the head of Welton Academy takes charge to disasterous effect.
Dead Poets Society is about as perfect as it can get, the films stunning cinematography including landscape shots of the Academy and it's surrounding environment is sure to drop a few jaws. It's themes about individuality and non-conformist beliefs left a permanent mark on my psyche when I first viewed it at the young age of sixteen. Ever since then it has remained one of my favorite films of all time, Carpe Diem, Oh Captain My Captain, and that unforgettable closing scene forever entwined in my memory.
With a well rounded cast lead by Robin Williams at his best, a beautiful story, a great setting, and several inspiring themes; Dead Poets Society isn't just strongly recomended viewing, it's absolutley required that this film be seen because it's ultimate message could change your life IF you let it.
5/5 STRONG BETTER THAN SEX
BEETLE'S HALLOWEEN FRIGHTFEST WILL RESUME LATER THIS WEEK WITH A REVIEW OF MY SOUL TO TAKE.
Dead Poets Society takes place in a prestigious Prepatory School during the 1950's. It follows the lives of seven students as; inspired by their new english teacher and his unorthadox methods; they each take measures to make their lives extraordinary. They each start out as fairly happy students, but like all human beings deep down inside they are unsatisfied with the unfulfilling lives they are living without even realizing it. When their Prep school; Welton Academy; hires a new english teacher in the form of John Keating (Robin Williams) their lives change forever as Keating urges the students to Carpe Diem-Seize The Day.
Williams delivers an inspired performance in the unforgettable role of John Keating, the inspired mentor, muse, and teacher of the students. Recognizing how unsatisfied the students are with their lives and how important it is that they each find their own voice before it is too late, he employs a variety of unique teaching methods to get them to begin thinking for themselves for a change (Including an inspired sequence where he encourages the students to stand on their desk which comes back into play later on in the film). His famous mantra: "Cape Diem- Seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary", his first lecture about the ultimate mortality of men, and the closing scene will forever go down in movie history as some of the most memorable moments in film ever.
Not to be overlooked are the students themselves. There's Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), a young man crushed by the strong hold his father has over his life. There's Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), The quiet Freshman who's struggling to find his own voice and who fears that if he makes an effort to try and stand out it could end with him being branded a failure. There's Charlie Dalton aka Nuwanda (Gale Hansen), a lively boy that is the first to take Keatings words a little too litterally. There's Knox Overstreet (Josh Charles), a starry eyed hopeful who sets his eyes on a young girl and decides to attempt to steal her away from her jerkish jock boyfriend. There's also Richard Cameron (Dylan Kussman), a weasly kid that is reluctant to follow Keatings new teaching methods. Let's not forget about the rest of the students: Steven Meeks (Allelon Ruggiero), and Gerard Pitts (James Waterston). Together, this group of students are so inspired by Keating that they decide to re-form Keatings old club, The Dead Poets Society. When tragedy ultimately befalls this new club, the head of Welton Academy takes charge to disasterous effect.
Dead Poets Society is about as perfect as it can get, the films stunning cinematography including landscape shots of the Academy and it's surrounding environment is sure to drop a few jaws. It's themes about individuality and non-conformist beliefs left a permanent mark on my psyche when I first viewed it at the young age of sixteen. Ever since then it has remained one of my favorite films of all time, Carpe Diem, Oh Captain My Captain, and that unforgettable closing scene forever entwined in my memory.
With a well rounded cast lead by Robin Williams at his best, a beautiful story, a great setting, and several inspiring themes; Dead Poets Society isn't just strongly recomended viewing, it's absolutley required that this film be seen because it's ultimate message could change your life IF you let it.
5/5 STRONG BETTER THAN SEX
BEETLE'S HALLOWEEN FRIGHTFEST WILL RESUME LATER THIS WEEK WITH A REVIEW OF MY SOUL TO TAKE.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
BEETLE CONJOURS UP SOME SCARES THIS HALLOWEEN
WELCOME MY CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT...TO BEETLEJUICE'S HALLOWEEN FRIGHT FEST
I'm sure you've all noticed that vibe that begins to creep up on you at this time of year. It's that feeling you get when you feel that someone is watching you, It's why you hesitate to turn your lights off at night, it's what makes you hug your covers closer to your shivering body. IT IS OFFICIALLY OCTOBER...THE SEASON OF FEAR!!!! When the clock strickes Midnight on All Hallows Eve my friends will be unleasehed unto this Earth to wreak their own special brand of Havoc.
To prepare for this momentous occasion I'm going to attempt to see every Horror themed film that comes out this month, review more halloween films of the past, bring you all the details from my HHN Trip Report (The Icon for this year is FEAR HIMSELF...sounds promising), and possibly post a list of the best Horror films of ALL TIME!!!!
So Stay tuned for more halloween themed updates...trust me...you WON'T want to miss this one.
LET BEETLE'S HALLOWEEN FRIGHT FEST BEGIN!!!!
I'm sure you've all noticed that vibe that begins to creep up on you at this time of year. It's that feeling you get when you feel that someone is watching you, It's why you hesitate to turn your lights off at night, it's what makes you hug your covers closer to your shivering body. IT IS OFFICIALLY OCTOBER...THE SEASON OF FEAR!!!! When the clock strickes Midnight on All Hallows Eve my friends will be unleasehed unto this Earth to wreak their own special brand of Havoc.
To prepare for this momentous occasion I'm going to attempt to see every Horror themed film that comes out this month, review more halloween films of the past, bring you all the details from my HHN Trip Report (The Icon for this year is FEAR HIMSELF...sounds promising), and possibly post a list of the best Horror films of ALL TIME!!!!
So Stay tuned for more halloween themed updates...trust me...you WON'T want to miss this one.
LET BEETLE'S HALLOWEEN FRIGHT FEST BEGIN!!!!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
BEETLE GETS SUCKED INTO THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Who ever thought that a movie about the creation of Facebook and the proceeding lawsuits concerning it would be so surprisingly great? Certainly not me. When word got out that a Facebook movie was being made most scoffed at the idea of it and mourned the death of creativity in the movie biz. Well, now those who do see this underated masterpiece will find themselves eating their own words.
The Social Network (or as I call it The Facebook Network) follows the story of college aged genius Mark Zuckerberg (Played brilliantly by Jesse Eisenberg, who appears to finally have broken out of his role as the other Michael Cera) and his lone friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield, who is also the new Peter Parker in the Spider-man reboot) as they both create the network we now know as Facebook. Justin Timberlake also makes a superb performance as the slimey Sean Parker, the broke creator of Napster that smells money to be made with Facebook and quickly befriends Mark and becomes a collaborater of the hit social site. Of course Mark ends up making quite a few mistakes as he bumbles his way through his new-found popularity, making decisions that angers his classmates and friends resulting in several lawsuits, which the film dutifully follows for the duration of its running time.
The Social Network (or as I call it The Facebook Network) follows the story of college aged genius Mark Zuckerberg (Played brilliantly by Jesse Eisenberg, who appears to finally have broken out of his role as the other Michael Cera) and his lone friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield, who is also the new Peter Parker in the Spider-man reboot) as they both create the network we now know as Facebook. Justin Timberlake also makes a superb performance as the slimey Sean Parker, the broke creator of Napster that smells money to be made with Facebook and quickly befriends Mark and becomes a collaborater of the hit social site. Of course Mark ends up making quite a few mistakes as he bumbles his way through his new-found popularity, making decisions that angers his classmates and friends resulting in several lawsuits, which the film dutifully follows for the duration of its running time.
The Social Network is surprisingly more focused on the lawsuits than it is on the actual creation of Facebook. The film spends a good portion of its first half going into detail on how Facebook was conceptualized and how the different aspects of Facebook (The name, the relationship status, The Likes and Interests page) were thought up. For the rest of its 2 hr running time (The film moves at a surprisingly swift pace though) it focuses mainly on the 2 lawsuits that resulted from Facebook and features a number of lengthy flashbacks which explain how our characters got into this situation we see them in now.
Just about every performance found in this film is a strong one. Eisenberg is a vision as Mark Zuckerberg. He easily dissapears into the role. For once his character found here is not a pure funny guy. Mark is a well-meaning but flawed individual who can't understand why everyone is angry at him. He has several sarcastic quips throughout the film and it isn't hard to imagine why almost everyone dislikes him. Andrew Garfield is great as Marks best friend, Eduardo Saverin. Mark makes him the CFO of Facebook. Eduardo continually fights for his friend and tries to steer him onto the right path until, finally even he can't take it anymore leading to one of the best scenes in the entire film. Justin Timberlake also puts on the great performance; probably the best one of his career; as Sean Parker. He slithers into Marks life like the snake in the Garden of Eden, planting ideas into Marks head which eventually will make for problems that are addressed later on in the film. Timberlake is perfectly slimey, but also surprisingly likeable as the ultra-cool but also troublesome Parker.
Helping the actors with their roles is the superb script by Aaron Orkin. The lines whip by at a speedy pace and are so painfully witty that it left my head spinning every now and then at their grandeur. Their are some outstanding lines throughout the film, and some fantastic scenes as well, more than any film like this has a right to have. I can almost guarentee you that The Social Network will most likely run away with the Oscar for best Screenplay this year.
While most quickly assumed The Social Network to be a lame duck in the movie options of this fall, I am happy to report that against all odds the film has repeadetly proven itself to be quite the opposite. It's a beautiful work of art that any fan or member of Facebook should run out to see as soon as they can, because in a wierd way this is our story too.
4/5 stars FULL PRICE
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