Reviews

Flight is one of those movies where the trailer makes you feel like you know what you're in for, only to find out the movie has nothing to do with a plane crash or planes in general.

Sure the plane does crash, and the premise of the film starts off with revolving around what actually happened with the plane. However, even the opening scene starts to fill you in on the main characters intentions and moral standing throughout the film. If it wasn't for Denzel playing Whip, his character would have gone nowhere, since by all accounts he is a very unlikeable guy. Denzel does bring some warmth and a friendly face to the uncomfortable crass moments of Whip. Finding out this screenplay sat around in Hollywood for awhile until Denzel sparked interest is not really a big surprise. Other than Denzel and a few moments of Goodman's always enjoyable on screen moments, this film is flat. It's about a drug/alcohol addict "hero" who never seems to really give us what we want as an audience (a moment to cheer for Whip).

This film is a by-the-book redemption film, but done better by Johnny Depp in "Blow". The cast sort of just deflates around the script, and a lot of unnecessary "Jesus" moments which start to feel like a hidden agenda for the writers. The female lead, a recovering drug/porn star?/lost her way, is also very boring. She offers little to no real connection to the audience, only aiding in predictable "my life is now saved" pictures on Whips jail wall at the end of the film.

The film itself is watchable, it's not a total failure in the technical aspect. There is a rise and fall and entertaining moments. But it is very boring, this is one to watch on Netflix when there is nothing else to do. I would really like to see Denzel in a much more compelling and interesting material. The guy is incredible, hence his nomination, but very obviously under utilized by this material.

I saw Halloween 2 in theaters, despite having LOATHED Rob's previous films, including the original Halloween remake. But I was really glad I gave this one a chance.

For one thing, his wife Sheri has no more than 8-10 lines. It would of been absolutely fantastic had he managed to get her out of the film altogether, but a very limited role is still very positive. So on that note, I will go into the film itself..

This movie is very brutal and realistic, which is a great fresh new element that American horror films are missing. I am tired of death scenes being 'cut away' (IE Hostel) and the actors are just seen covered in blood. I want to see the blade enter and hear the skin pierce! And it was nice to see some of those elements in this film. I was very excited/surprised to even see a boot-smashed in face death scene make it in. The death scenes make this movie by far one of the best American horror films in years, another one that comes to mind is the Hills Have Eyes Remake. Michael's journey to return to Haddonfield is by far the best story line for me. I really liked his unbending and unflinching desire to get home. I didn't care too much to see the development and post traumatic stress of the Laurie character. When I come to see a horror film, I come to see people die, not feel empathy for them. The 'hardcore' element was just a little too much, not unbearable. But by the end of the film, I was definitely cheering for Michael (as I wanted to be). The best part of the film for me by far was the tone of the death scenes as well. It was not the typical 'silly' death scenes that you see in horror films. They really do feel dark and sinister, as they would in reality. There's no cheesy cheering going to be coming from the audience- this is really not your 80's horror films.

On a personal side note, it was also really awesome to see a Moody Blues cameo!

And now the downside to this film- the messy plot and awkward acting. I was very much over the bit about Michael's mother playing such a large role in these remakes. And this film definitely drags that element out. The flashbacks were overdone, and the boy actor as Michael is very uncomfortable on screen with his lines. They really should of replaced him or minimized his role down to a 1 or 2 lines. I also can't say much for the main actress, although she was not a terrible at acting, the F word became uncomfortable to hear because it was very overused. Also I was not a fan of the way Dr. Loomis was portrayed in his new 'egotisical' direction.

Overall, its a great horror flick to watch with friends who also love brutal films. I would recommend this film to people who really love to watch on-screen deaths and lots and lots of fake blood!