Reviews

V/H/S 2 manages to fix the faults of the first. It's shorter and takes the grungy, exploitative snuff film tone of V/H/S and adds more excitement and humor. The quality of the shorts this time around are much more consistent, but they are still a mixed bag. The first short "Phase I: Clinical Trials" is average at best, but it mixed in a bit of humor which I liked. "A Ride in the Park" was fantastic and incredibly unique in it's use of the first person POV. It was my favorite of the four segments. "Safe Haven" is a close second with countless WTF moments. I would have loved a feature length version of this one. The weakest entry was the last, "Slumber Party Alien Abduction". It ineffectively used loud noises and bright lights to generate scares and it just didn't work for me. The wrap around story "Tape 49" was good, but I liked the ambiguity of the first films "Tape 56" better. V/H/S 2 added fun to the series and I hope these films continue.

This is a remake that actually manages to improve upon the original in almost every way. There is a cult following for the 1980 version, but I think it's incredibly gratuitous and boring. This remake doesn't quite justify all of it's brutal violence, but even with all the scalpings director Franck Khalfoun has created a truly elegant film. It's incredibly well directed and one of the best looking horror films out there. The synth soundtrack is also incredible. The first person perspective takes a bit of time to get used to but this is an unflinching and at times incredibly effective approach. Elijha wood is an interesting choice for the lead role but I'm convinced there was a better choice. There's little menace or sadness to his performance and with a better actor I would have called this a modern horror masterpiece. The screenwriters bring in some intelligent ideas to portray this characters madness. Even with Wood's mediocre performance these ideas still come through brilliantly. Maniac is still one of the best horror remake I've ever seen and also the most warranted.

The Wizard of Oz is one of the most magical films of all time and no film that carries the Oz name will ever match it's whimsy. That being said, Oz the Great and Powerful does a serviceable job of transporting us to a place we've only dreamed of going. The visuals are beautiful and I can imagine many children in awe of some of the images on screen. Some of the effects are a bit sugarymbut for the most part they are consistently interesting to look it. James Franco does a fine job of portraying Oz, Rachel Weisz is great as the conniving Evanora and Michelle Williams gives an almost boringly pleasant performance as Glinda. That leaves one performance left, and that's Mila Kunis' awful portrayal of Theodora. The wicked witch is one of the defining characters of Oz and when portrayed with such little menace and verve, it's enough to ruin the entire experience.

This is a film with an identity crisis. It tries to be a horror film complete with jump scares and the usual horror elements, but Mama doesn't generate any chills or thrills. The titular character isn't frightening at all and we see way too much of her. The film should have alluded to her presence more, rather than showing her in all of her CGI glory. The middle hour of this film is incredibly contrived and convoluted and filled with cheap jump scares that overexpose the films villain. Mama also throws in a bit of dark fantasy and actually succeeds more with these moments. The last 10 minutes are beautiful and I wanted the rest of the film to match the finales visual and tonal poetry. I also think the film would have worked better in a period setting, which I felt similarly about in another Guillermo Del Toro production, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark". So, if they tightened up the script, used a more subtle approach to it's monster and embraced it's dark fantasy potential Mama could have been great.

The ABCs of Death is a horror anthology unlike any other. 26 directors of varying notoriety, 26 letters, 26 gruesome, horrifying, funny and vile ways to die. The shorts are so incredibly varied and there's almost no time to reflect on them individually because as one death ends another one instantly begins. Whether they were good or bad doesn't really matter. There's no need to rate the shorts. I let each one effect me in their own unique way. Watching this film brought out the inner child in me. It's like walking through the video store and looking at all the VHS covers in the horror section. It's a continuous flow of creative freedom and energy that I found sort of exhilarating.

Almost every aspect of Struck by Lightning infuriated me. Chris Colpher is a kid wise beyond his years who likes to spout cynical and philosophical dialogue every chance he gets. This is annoying from the get-go. There isn't a single real or likable character in the entire film. They're all caricatures, as Mr. Colpher himself professes. Rebel Wilson has great comedic potential and I was looking forward to comedic relief in an otherwise unfunny black comedy but she's wasted talent here. Not one line of dialogue in the film rings true and I'd be disappointed if a film like this inspires teens. Unless of course it inspires them to blackmail their entire class into submission. I'd be okay with that. Not really...

The Cell starts out beautifully and immediately caught my attention. It's a fantastic opening scene that grazes the surface of the boundless possibilities of the human psyche. It left me more than intrigued. We're than introduced to a rather run of the mill psychopath who likes to torture his victims etc, etc...tedium ensues. Interspersed throughout this bland Law & Order murder mystery are several journeys through the psyche of this schizophrenic madman. Now, this is what I came here to see. Some of these sequences are beautiful, haunting and grotesque and will stick with you for quite some time. Others are visually and symbolically obtuse. The Cell is one of the most unique thrillers out there and I admire the film for it's intriguing premise and unique visuals.

6/10

After Alien 3 took the scares, fun and grotesque visuals out of the franchise Alien: Resurrection brings it all back with a big goopy splat. I really enjoyed what they did with the visuals and the story, turning it into a comic book sci-fi freak show. Unfortunately, Ripley's character takes a peculiar turn. Sigourney Weaver gave great performances in the previous installments, but I never fully understood what they were going for with her character this time around. The film also stumbles in it's final act, revealing a new breed of alien that is more laughable than scary. The film does succeed with it's ideas, mood and visuals making it the most entertaining entry in the series.