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Die'ced (2023)
Return of the Scarecrow Trope
Die'ced was an unexpected surprise.
With traces of Terrifier influenced throughout, it seems to be a more soft version of the concept.
(Sorry to those expecting a bedroom type scene.)
Benjamin is enjoyable when he tries to be funny but the blend of "haha" funny and "deadly" serious isn't quitr there yet. Although it has time to blossom and mature.
The characters are a little stiff but you don't watch low budget horror movies expecting an Oppenheimer performance. You know what you're getting into.
As an indie filmmakers myself, I can appreciate and respect anyone who has the time, patience and love to dedicate years of their life to making a movie. So do yourself a favor and go check out Die'ced.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
The Was the 98 Movie We Should Have Had
Although the film is not getting much of a likening from critics and the general public, it's no doubt Godzilla King of the Monsters stomped it's way into the hearts of many fans of the franchise. With the addition of also introducing Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah into an American production for the first time, the movie took notes about what they did wrong with the first movie and corrected 75% of it this time around. This time the movie emphasizes on more of the monster action and less of the character drama, which is honestly what you pay to go see from one of these films. The human characters do a good job and is a step up from the previous family intorduced in 2014's installment. However one of the highlights of the film is King Ghidorah, who's fearsome presence rectified the shallow idea of a planet dominator and cranked it up to 11. A nice new addition to the character involves the concept of each head acting independently, which comes off like brothers fighting amongst one another. Despite critical reception, the movie is wildly astounding and never ceases to skip a beat, especially once the monsters start to rumble (which is surprisingly quick). This is the American film I would have wanted back in 1998 when sour stone Roland Emmerich decided to try his hand at a franchise he had a distain for. All in all, Godzilla King of the Monsters is not worth any G Fan passing up. Just a good old fashioned monster rumble. 2014 did it's job setting up the world, this one did it's job by continuing it with a fun blowout of a film.
Gojira: Kaijû Wakusei (2017)
All Hail The King
As a man who has never gotten into the groove of Anime, Godzilla Monster Planet was one flick I was legitimately excited to see. And it certainly delivered. The plot being simple enough was very well done in it's execution. The characters are very well liked and there are many cameos from monsters that haven't been seen for some time (Orga, Dagarla, Dogora). Yes again, as someone totally uninterested in anime, Godzilla Monster Planet has sparked that interest.
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
They... Sort of Not Really Save the Best... For Last
Freddy's Dead the Final Nightmare had so much potential for being the supposedly last Freddy film of all time. The cast and crew even went as far as to fake a funeral for the burnt boogeyman. But with such a low budget and a stake placed so high on the ghoul's legacy, it was hard to live up to the expectation. Even with the addition of 3D, it falls flat on it's face by the end of the film, which is ironic because of how amazing it's set up at the beginning is, which saves it from being awful. Still, I'm still interested in imagining how Peter Jackson's original concept would have struck a nerve at New Line's box office. For those that don't know, Peter Jackson was hired to pen a script in which he wrote a screenplay where Freddy was weak and deprecated in the dream world and the kids would take sleeping pills to purposely fall asleep and beat him up. Still, Rachel Talalay worked hard to get to that position and did fantastic for what it is. Even if it does seemly painfully dated.
Iron Man (2008)
Here Comes Iron Man!!
The kick off of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe started with this. Now Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige took a chance back then on a B- list superhero, a recovering actor and a comedy director and turned a concept about a man with a tin can suit into a masterpiece. Downey, Jr. makes such an impression as Tony Stark that makes you forget the comic variation was taken semi seriously. He's an jerk. But here's a perfect jerk. The rest of the cast does well too, but Downey really steals the show. It may be a very dark and gritty movie (which kick starts the voice of the MCU) but that doesn't distract from the fact how good of a movie it is. For years to come Marvel would make you fall in love with both the alter ego as well as the everyday character side. And what started as a fan boy dream would turn into a legacy to come.
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963)
The Original Monster Mash!
King Kong vs Godzilla! The east vs the west! Japan vs The United States! This movie even today acts as one of the biggest and most successful Godzilla films of all time. For today's standards though, it is without a doubt considered flawed. First off is the fact that it's release state was so early in it's time. Considering it was only the 3rd for both franchises and made in the early 60s doesn't help at all. I remember when Syfy use to hold their annual Godzilla movie marathons and this premiered right after Godzilla vs. Gigan. I asked my father to Tivo it and when we watched it the next morning when we watched it the next morning and King Kong showed up, I laughed my ass off. He looked like a deformed Elvis. And after reality sunk in, I turned to my Dad and said "are they serious?" Second off, the aspect ratio of the two is miles apart. From what I understand, Kong is 50 feet tall in the original and Godzilla's about 50 METERS TALL! There's a size difference indeed. Now to be fair, this is probably an entirely different take on the monster altogether and by that I mean like in the Godzilla universe how there are multiple Gojiras running around, this is probably either a relative of the '33 Kong or just another one altogether. But when the fight begins, none of that matters because it's highly entertaining on the sheer factor it's just a fun watch. KKVG is a gem that stands it's ground being the original crossover from two different company icons. And despite it's flaws, it will forever be considered a classic.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
An Outstanding Triumph
Captain America: Civil War is the culmination of the Cap legacy (just with a bunch of other heroes thrown in too.) What started with the First Avenger now ends literally 100 years in the making as Cap now finds himself at odds with Stark and a certain division of his team. As usual, life is breathed into the character thanks to the awesome performance of Chris Evans, who turned the disaster of the Fantastic 4 around and made Captain America all his own. Robert Downey, Jr. is always great as Iron Man, but seems to work better when he has other heroes to bounce off of versus doing a solo film. Both have equal opinions about why they're right, which makes it very hard to distinguish who's right and who's wrong, which is great film-making. Anthony and Joe Russo have clearly shown how to handle a Marvel film. Even if Spider- Man hadn't made the final cut, it still would have been a greatly hyped film. Even though the film is not directly adapted from the comic book altogether, Civil War is an outstanding triumph in every way.
Kaijû daisensô (1965)
Campiness Galore
Back in the day when the Syfy Channel would host the annual Godzilla movie marathon, AMC TV decided to do the same and host the Classic Media Collection of Godzilla films. I was lucky enough to catch Godzilla vs Monster Zero on TV one night. By that time it was one of the few films I was scouting out for my collection. The idea of Godzilla smashing around some place that isn't Earth had fascinated me in the back of my head, and I was shocked that they pulled this card so early in the series, but now I understand it was to compete with Star Trek and War of the Worlds. As a usual science fiction film would go, aliens request to "borrow" Godzilla and Rodan to fight the vengeful King Ghidorah and rubber suit madness ensues. Such a clunky idea but a great watch. Nick Adams helps with the films pacing and Western audience experience, but is dubbed over for the Japanese release. However, that doesn't decrease from his amazing performance. Godzilla vs Monster Zero is a classic cult among most Toho goodie grabbers but tends to be overlooked by other entries such as Godzilla vs Megalon and Godzilla 2000. However, it definitely needs to be seen to be believed.
Candiland (2016)
The Most Nerve-Wrecking Film of the Year
I attended this years Dubuque Julien Film Festival and got the chance to see this film. First off, it's important to know that I am a huge fan of films such as THE SHINING, YELLOWBRICKROAD, and 1408. Psychological thrillers that push the max of what can be portrayed as the mind being lost to insanity. Being a psychology major, I love these types of films and CANDILAND does not fall far from it. The cast and crew did an amazing job on this film and it really shines through. The editing may be a little sporadic, but it's definitely made up for interesting characters and clever writing. Gary Busey, being the name of the attraction line, does an outstanding performance and even though he is featured as the highlight in the trailer, is not the main focus. His son, however, is. This is an isolation type that doesn't rely on a huge budget to make a good film. It works off of very talented actors, a clever set piece, and a dedicated crew. This is a film that will drive you into submission for weeks without even having to try hard at all. And that is a scary idea.
Gojira vs. Kingu Gidorâ (1991)
The Best Plot in the Entire Franchise. 'Nuff Said.
Let's be honest, the plot makes this one of the best entries in the entire franchise. Aliens come from the future (goddamn, taking it up a notch are we?) and warn Japan about the arrival of Godzilla's demise on Tokyo and offer to help get rid of him. As they proceed, they set a new monster in his place and it becomes King Ghidorah: Godzilla's biggest, baddest foe in the saga. When Godzilla gets reborn, he destroys it but then proceeds to not only destroy the time travelers, but devastate Tokyo too. See where this is going? A vicious pattern. Luckily, King Ghidorah is repaired and sent to kill Godzilla in a giant climatic battle that makes King Kong fighting the snake in 1976 look like a sizzle stick. For a Godzilla movie, this one really pulls out all the stops and goes for an awesome story. Still set within the Heisei era films, it dives deep not only in the origin of Godzilla, but also fascinating ways to bring fantasy within the realm. The idea of time travel meant Toho decided that it was time for new ideas and to integrate a clever story around the concept of how the creation of Ghidorah could be related to Godzilla in a certain aspect. The film does have a controversial view point of the Japanese side of WWII, but it is overlooked by the awesomeness of the movie itself. If I could recommend any Godzilla film to a newcomer to the series, this would definitely be at the top of the list. It represents the franchise as a whole. Cheesy but inventive.
Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
13 Years and Still Kicking
If there was ever a fan induced film to spark 20 years worth of talk, Freddy vs Jason is that film. Straight out of a desire to bring two horror icons together on the big screen meant a lot of patience and a lot of bad scripts. It was the dream of many slasher fans, and it left them saying... "eh. It was okay." It's now 13 years later, and in comparison to modern crossovers such as Alien vs Predator, Batman v Superman and Marvel's The Avengers, Freddy vs Jason has that distinctiveness about it that throws off a vibe that these two have the ability to belong in the same universe, but is highly unnecessary. Every time Freddy says Jason's name, it feels like a breath of fresh air and makes me want to rewind it to see if I've heard the line correctly. With today's modern flicks, it stands as a treasured memory of what can happen if the fans clamor enough to see it happen. This movie did what modern movies should have been doing around that time, which begs the question "why weren't they?" But still, this one is better than both reboots that spawned after it. It's just good. Not great, but just... good.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
The Greatest Gladiator Match in the History of the World.
From what I can see, Batman v Superman has had a lot of controversy within it's time of announcement to it's official release date. And why shouldn't it? It's a pretty silly idea. But somehow Zack Snyder found away to make it work within the boundaries of the fact we can see Batman and Superman clearly don't have enough interest in each other to belong in the same film together. After MAN OF STEEL had mixed reviews, I knew the same would happen for this movie too. Sure both have enough questionable flaws in it you could congregate trivia, but it makes up for clever choreography and the destruction total that makes the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole look like a pansy. When I watched this movie, I saw Ben Affleck as Batman, not "oh that should be Christian Bale." Affleck brought a seasoned, older fighter to the table who doesn't mind killing. He's seen some stuff. I get it. I welcome it. More power to you. And Cavill's Superman is still finding himself. Although the fight reasoning between them seems (for lack of a betterterm) rather childish, it's still nice to see your favorite heroes go up against one another. But to be clear, it's really Jeremy Irons that steals the show with his wit, sarcasm and unnerving charm. The rest of the supporting cast does well but still. Overall, ignore what the critics are saying and check it out for yourself.