40 years later, Michael Myers escapes to track down Laurie Strode again. Decent-enough and respectful series reboot (ignoring all the sequels), albeit one which feels too restrained. Some awkward storytelling doesn’t help either, one lovely moment and one great child actor aside.
Category: Uncategorized
House (1986, dir. Steve Miner)
A blocked writer seeks refuge in his deceased aunt’s haunted house. Awkward comedy-horror with neither enough scares or laughs. Some weird moments linger, but the overly-busy screenplay (Vietnam trauma, childhood bereavement, etc) and flat TV-style lighting and direction don’t help.
Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay (2012, dir. Molly Bernstein & Alan Edelstein)
Documentary on the late American magician, his inspirations in magic and his place in contemporary close-up magic. A fine career overview and just enough of a glimpse into the man to reveal his complexities as a person. Highly recommended.
Winchester (2018, dir. The Spierig Brothers)
A widowed doctor is hired to prove that the eccentric owner of a weapons company is insane. Handsomely-mounted jumpscare horror that doesn’t find much to do with its based-on-a-true-story premise, so settles for a few boos and no eews. Disappointing, given the talent involved.
Prometheus (2012, dir. Ridley Scott)
A deep space mission to engage with humanity’s distant ancestors finds more than it bargained. Great-looking but ultimately dumb and pretentious Alien prequel, with a fine cast largely wasted on a grab-bag script of variable ideas. Alien: Covenant followed in 2017,
Once Upon A Time In The West (1968, dir. Sergio Leone)
A revenger, a robber baron, a bandit, and a mail-order bride coincide on the same remote farmhouse. Genius Western, distilling the last three decades of genre filmmaking into a single movie. Elegaic, definitive, and unmissable. Recommended,
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation [AKA The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre] (1994, dir. Kim Henkel)
![Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation [AKA The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre] (1994, dir. Kim Henkel)](https://255review.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/tcmng.jpg?w=354)
Four students leave their senior prom and get lost in the woods, happening across the Sawyer clan. Again, there’s interesting stuff among the scream and chase stuff, not least an odd wider story, and some smart production design. Patchy, though.
