Genre: Horror

Director: Sam Raimi

Screenplay: Sam Raimi

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker, and Theresa Tilly

Ash and his friends decide to take a trip to a cabin looking for some fun and relaxation. After arriving, strange things begin to happen, but that’s the warm up. After finding a strange book and recorded tapes in the basement, they decide to play the tapes and evoke an ancient evil.

I had listed in my top 10 favorite Halloween movies Army of Darkness. Well you rightly cannot do a real review without doing one about this film. That is why I chose to do this one instead being that it is the first of the trilogy, Army of Darkness being the last part. This is the brain child of Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Robert Tapert, longtime friends that decided to take the movie business into their own hands. They proved what a strong will and determination can really create, and it doesn’t matter if you live in Hollywood.

The film became successful, but to say that it was good is an entirely different matter alone. I guess it would have been considered alright for the time, and their budget was considered insignificant compared to the studio backed films. The film does have a place of honor as one of the original great scary films of the 80’s. There have been talks of a remake, which would really sadden me, because I don’t think anyone can imagine Ash as anyone else other than Bruce Campbell. The movie and character have spawned two more sequels, video games, and even a feature in comic books. When Marvel Comics decides to go zombie, of course they had to do a special version in which Ash gets thrown in the middle battling the zombie-fied superbeings, a drastic change from his usual “deadites.”

This is the film that started Bruce Campbell’s typecasted career of random horror films and guest appearances of several “weird” television show. I’m not complaining, because I love the guy so much, but I am glad that he has his role on Burn Notice. I would really love to see a guest appearance on Superntatural, especially before time runs out on that show. I would like for him to be given more of a chance with straighter roles, because I think he can more than handle it. He’s actually inspired a story for me that I base a straight character around him. I read about how he would love to handle a role like that, and the story came to me. Not that it will ever come to actual fruition as a movie, but hey, if he can inspire me to do that, he’s got to be a decent actor.

I give this film 2 Buttery Kernals.

Coming Soon: Drag Me to Hell

Genre: Comedy/Horror

Director: Don Coscarelli

Screenplay: Don Coscarelli based on the short story by Joe R. Lansdale

Starring: Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis

After trading lives with an impersonator for a less complicated life, Elvis is now old, worn out, and left to a nursing home. Strange occurrences and deaths ignite a spark of purpose within him that he long thought dead. With the help of a friend, one that believes he is J.F.K., Elvis investigates what exactly is happening to the nursing home and comes face to face with a mummy.

This is probably one of my favorite movies ever. The story is so ridiculous yet so well put together that you’re compelled to watch the movie at every moment. The idea of Elvis in a nursing home fighting a mummy with a walker seems like cheap comedy, but alas, the quality of the film is what actually gets you, not to mention decent acting. The story and characters are so good that I can care less about the mummy. The film is quirky and meant to be entertaining which it exceeds fantastically.

Best of all is the acting. I am a huge fan of Bruce “Don’t Call Me Ash” Campbell, because I am a girl that appreciates sarcasm, an attribute Mr. Campbell perfects. I personally feel that this was his best work yet. Of course the Elvis character is miserable and humor is created through sarcasm and crankiness. Bruce Campbell has got that, but Elvis is also a well rounded, emotional person, a character. This is foreign territory for Campbell, but he made it seem as if he had been doing it for years.

Finally, I have to give a shout out to Ossie Davis. This is the type of film, no one would have ever expected him, a phenomenal actor, to be a part of, especially playing J.F.K. His performance alone is worth seeing this film for. He is fantastic!

I give this film 4 Buttery Kernals.

Coming Soon: Evil Dead

Genre: Musical

Director: Jim Sharman

Screenplay: Richard O’Brian and Jim Sharman

Starring: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O’Brian, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Jonathan Adams, Peter Hinwood, and Meat Loaf

Brad and Janet have no choice but to seek help from a creepy old mansion. They didn’t expect to find a showcase of the strange and free spirited residents. The strangest of all is the leader of the crazy menagerie. How are Brad and Janet going to escape? That is if they really want to.

Chocked full of music, fun, and crazy, this movie is a wild ride. Known for being a cult hit and enjoyed by millions, this may not exactly be the film for everyone. It will immediately take most out of their comfort zone. I wouldn’t dare go near this movie if you like staying in your comfort zone, since the basic theme of the film is sexuality. The merit of the film is encouraging people to be comfortable and not be afraid of being themselves no matter how normal or strange it may seem to other people.

There are several examples of great acting in this film, but I think the one person people always seem to remember from this film is Mr. Tim Curry. This is probably his breakthrough role and the one he is most famous for. In my honest opinion, had this film been made today, Curry probably would have been nominated for an Academy Award. Sadly, that was just not the case for the time period of the film.

If you are willing to keep an open mind, I think that you just might enjoy this film.

I give this film 3 Buttery Kernals.

Coming Soon: Bubba Ho-Tep

Genre: Family

Director: Fred Dekker

Screenplay: Shane Black and Fred Dekker

Starring: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr, Tom Noonan, Brent Chalem, Ryan Lambert, Ashley Bank, Michael Faustino, and Mary Ellen Trainor.

When Sean is given the diary of Van Helsing by his mother, he doesn’t realize just how important it is. He and his friends have created a Monster Club due to their love of the great monsters from stories and film. When they are faced with the challenge to actually fight real monsters, Sean discovers that the diary holds a spell that will rid them of the evil beings. There is just not a lot of time left to complete it.

Basically, this film tries to put The Goonies and Ghostbusters together and hoped that it would be a smash hit. It did not however live up to expectation. What we are left with is an alright movie with a couple of memorable lines and a bad theme song, but it was the 80’s. Theme songs were big in the 80’s as well as creating songs just for the film’s entire soundtrack. I kind of miss that in films these days.

The acting and special effects are not really spectacular, but hey they did what they could. This film has to be put in the nostalgic category, for films that we loved as kids but were too naïve to realize how bad they actually were. That being said there is still some fun, especially involving the relationships between the kids and especially when Frankenstein is invited into their group.

I give this film 2 Buttery Kernals.

Coming Soon: Rocky Horror Picture Show

Genre: Horror

Director: Andrew Douglas

Screenplay: Scott Kosar based on the novel by Jay Anson

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, Jesse James, Jimmy Bennett, and Chloe Moretz

The Lutz Family has just bought a new family home, and they are eager to start their new lives together. They just didn’t realize that the home was already occupied when they moved in. Strange occurrences continue to happen and worsen. Something dark and evil is trying to prey upon the Lutz family, but can they stop it?

This isn’t a terrible remake for starters. I actually liked the subtle changes in this interpretation. They put more of the original murder story into this film by using the victims to haunt as well as the evil that surrounds the place. The original story is mostly psychological toying with the supposed actual truth of the events. Since the technological effects were nowhere near the capabilities available to the remake, one would assume that the new movie would head off more in that direction. This was not the case, though there were obvious advances in the effects. They still chose to use the story as the best asset, which the actors helped out with.

I honestly was a little skeptical of seeing Ryan Reynolds in this film, due to this being the first time he took such a serious leading role. Before this, he was mostly known for his comedic abilities. I was delighted to see that he could handle such a role and be taken seriously. This type of flexibility usually leads to phenomenal performances as an actor. By no means do I ever want him to stop comedy, because his sarcasm is divine. I won’t mind seeing his serious roles either.

I give this film 3 Buttery Kernals.

Coming Soon: Monster Squad

Genre: Horror

Director: Tim Burton

Screenplay: Andrew Kevin Walker based on the story by Washington Irving

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien, and Christopher Walkin

Ichabod Crane is summoned to Sleepy Hallow to solve a string of murders. There is legend and mystery surrounding them, but Ichabod Crane is determined to make scientific sense of it all. Disctraction comes in the form of the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel for Crane, but she also brings more questions and mysteries of her own. How is Ichabod Crane to prove that these murders have been done by man and not the feared headless horseman.

This will be the second film I am to review concerning this legendary story. I am happy to admit that this film succeeds the last crappy film by several giant leaps and bounds for several reasons. The major reason being:

1. Tim Burton
He is an eccentric film making, and we may not always understand his visions. Though, the man knows how to display one magical and imaginative movie. He has a wonderful use of color in his all of his films, and this one is no different. His uses of the colors red and blue vary by being gorgeous and then frightening the next moment.
2. Johnny Depp
It is never a bad thing to have this man in a movie period, but when he does a Burton, which he does a lot, it is a combination that is difficult to top. His acting skills are pretty decent also. Yeah, that was an understatement.
3. Christopher Walken
I think that man’s name is more than plenty.

I give this film 3 Buttery Kernals.

Coming Soon: Amityville Horror

Genre: Horror

Director: Mikael Håfström

Screenplay: Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski based on the short story by Stephen King

Starring: John Cusak and Samuel L. Jackson

Mike Enslin has made a career of going to famous haunted places and debunking their paranormal attributes. He gets a strange opportunity to check out the infamous room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel. This being a major step in his career, he immediately agrees. What he finds in room 1408, may actually be true and terrifying.

I really enjoyed this film. I am a huge fan of John Cusak, so I was going to watch it no matter what. I was not disappointed. The fear generated in this film is more psychological and easier to believe as audience and possibly be frightened by, so in easier words, bigger creep factor. These films are always driven by the story, and the better the story, the better the movie. This film certainly held up.

Since this film mostly focuses around one character and his experiences, the merit of the actor has to be high. John Cusak is a wonderful actor that could easily handle the weight of this film. The man could probably do a one man show, and I could sit there completely enthralled. Why he has yet to win an Oscar is a mystery to me. The writing alone in the movie is enough to watch, but to have Cusak drive, who wouldn’t want to take that trip.

I give this film 3 Buttery Kernals.

Coming Soon: Sleepy Hallow

Genre: Horror/Comedy

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Screenplay: Robert Rodriguez

Starring: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Mary Shelton, Jeff Fahey, Naveen Andrews, and Bruce Willis

When bio-weapon is released into the air of a small town, infection spreads turning the people and dead into mutant zombies hungry for flesh. Only a small group of survivors are left to take on the hoard coming to eat them. They can only hope to survive long enough to make it out of town.

So this film is a parody, a bloody and ridiculous parody, but that’s the point. The film is filled with bloody gore upon bloody gore, but in a ridiculous manner that is supposed to make you laugh. It is all in the fun of making you uncomfortable and then asking you to believe that what you’re seeing could be somewhat real. Okay, so maybe turning a missing appendage into a lethal weapon is a little hard to swallow.

There is also a kind of finesse with how the effects of the film make it feel as if it is something from the seventies. The look of the film, the music, and even some of the editing are blended together to give this appearance. It also adds to the ridiculousness, considering many films of that time had the campy humor to it.

If you’re not into laughing at this kind of grotesque blood and gore, then I don’t recommend this one for you.

I give this film 3 Buttery Kernals.

Coming Soon: 1408

The Strangers

Directed by Bryan Bertino

Starring Liv Tyler(Aerosmith’s daughter) Scott Speedman(Underworlds)

A couple spends time together at the family cabin. They have just left a wedding and he thought that he would ask her to marry him. She said no. So they decided to spend time together alone at a cabin. So alone out in the middle nowhere, they are tortured by three crazy psycho killers.

This movie was a pretty good. It is based on a true story and the killers are in awesome masks.

3 bloody hand prints

The Children

Directed by Tom Shankland

Starring some crazy Brits

Two couples get together for the Holidays. The kids and the parents enjoy spending time with family, with the exception of the teenage rebel and the sick kid. They share stories, laughs, and everything is like a British Norman Rockwell painting. They then discover that the sick kid may have more than just the flu. As the hours go by, things become scary. The children turn into evil murderous demons. Will the adults survive?

This story has it all. Teenage angst. Vomiting children. Sledding injuries. Even sexual tension between an underage goth and her uncle. It is British, but that is all it has going for it. The kids aren’t even creepy, which is what you would ask for in a creepy kid movie.

I give this 1 bloody hand print