Revisiting a Murder: The Crow: Wicked Prayer

By the time The Crow: Wicked Prayer arrived in 2005, the franchise was already on life support. The movie had a brief one-week theatrical premiere before being unceremoniously dumped to the video market. To be fair, the movie really isn’t that good, it looks bad even next to the prior outing, the also direct to video The Crow: Salvation. With that said, as I revisit the film now, I still see it as a bad movie, but there are things that I have come to like about it. It is like there are good elements in spite of its efforts to be a bad movie. Overall, the feel is not unlike that of the latter Hellraiser sequels, made as a reason to hang on to the license.

Revisiting a Murder: The Crow: City of Angels

If you know me, you know that my favorite movie is The Crow. I am not saying it is the best movie, but it is the movie I can return to time and time again and walk away satisfied. It is a movie that just strikes all the right chords for this fan. It was one of the first movies that I saw more than once in the theater. I can go on and on about The Crow, but this piece isn’t about that movie. It is about the first of the trio of sequels that were produced, and the only one to that made it to theaters. The Crow: City of Angels was released in 1996, a late August release where it won its opening weekend, but faded pretty quickly. It ended its run with a box office gross just shy of $18 million.

Critical Capsule: Slender Man (2018)

Using Moviepass of late has turned into a sad game of Whack-A-Mole. I had intended to see The BlackkKlansman, but since those showtimes disappeared from the app, I turned towards the next available film. I was sent down the rabbit hole of Slender Man. I guess it should be said that I never cared about Slender Man, never looked into the modern viral phenomenon that gave birth to the guy, I also feel like the golden time for a movie is long since passed. In any case, I went to the movie and swear I found a cure for insomnia.

Slender Man crawls at a snail’s pace, relies on jump scares, and aside from a couple of neat camera tricks feels like a crappy version of The Ring mixed with a touch of Sinister. I never felt interested in the creature or the characters, the characters never really felt genuine. I think I would have been better served reading on the spawning of modern legend. The movie has nothing to say and gives the characters very little to do other than go through the motions of a mainstream, teen-targeted horror film. I would love to see more theatrical horror films let go and not be afraid af getting truly bizarre and scary. I think that might be asking too much. Slender Man is a hard pass.

Critical Capsule: Blumhouse's Truth or Dare?

Sometimes you hear bad things about a movie, but you have to see it for yourself. That is what happened in the case of Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare? It is a movie that looked to be all right while also feeling familiar in a Final Destination sort of way. The movie was a big waste of time. Soulless, heartless, and pointless, a product designed to separate you from your money. It centered on a group of unlikable college kids who get suckered into a possessed game of truth or dare that doesn’t end until everyone is dead. Best part had to be the fart face the people make when under the influence of the game. It really was annoying he way it played out, and then that ending…. Can’t get much worse. Funny thing, I think the idea has promise, sadly, this was made as a product, not a movie.

Movie Review: Blade of the Immortal (2017)

There are some movies that don’t grab me on the surface. There are times that I see a title and it just doesn’t sound like it would be that interesting to me. This is generally very early on, usually before I know who made it, starred in it, and even before I see a trailer. I doesn’t mean I won’t see it or won’t like it, just that i am not sure I would go out of my way to find out anything about it. Of course, some movies do not like being ignored like that, as it turns out, Blade of the Immortal is one those that refuses to be ignored. I was at the theater to see a 35mm screening of the crazy Hausu and one of the pre show trailers was, you guessed it, Blade of the Immortal. The trailer told me everything I needed to know and it was now on my must see list.

Movie Review: The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Movies that come with a considerable amount of hype always run the risk of disappointing, of letting someone down after the buildup. It is always a fear of mine, I may listen to some of it, but I try not to get too wrapped up in said hype for fear of letting it sway my actual feelings about any given film. The Autopsy of Jane Doe is the latest film to arrive with a lot of hype and positive buzz around it. Friends messaged me asking if I’d seen it, positive comments on social media, even Stephen King is singing its praises. So, while I was anxious to see it, I went in trying to keep myself in check, just in case.

Movie Review: The Bye Bye Man

You know, there are movies every year that I know I should not see. Movies that look terrible and do not deserve to be seen. Sometimes I am successful at avoiding the temptation, but other times I am not so good at staying away. In the case of The Bye Bye Man, I saw the trailer and immediately put it on the avoid list. I have to be honest, it looked horrible, suffers from a terrible title, and what looked to be a ridiculous premise. Somehow, I found myself with some time to kill and that movie fitting right into the time available. Can you guess what I did? Of course you can. I sat by myself in a theater being bored for 90-minutes.

Blu-ray Review: Phantasm

In the late 1970's the slasher film was getting ready to explode, riding on the shoulders of movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Black Christmas, and the genre defining Halloween. There was also the growing zombie world with Dawn of the Dead, the man versus nature of Jaws, and sci-fi monsters of Alien. Then there was Phantasm, released in 1979 and not really being like anything that had come before it. While it may not be a personal favorite, it is, indeed an original horror film made on a tight budget that has withstood the test of time, has grown on me, and is still, to this day, straight up creepy. It also has to be said that this newly remastered Blu-ray is gorgeous and the best the movie has ever looked.

"If this one doesn't scare you.... You're already dead."

Movie Review: Doctor Strange (2016)

I have to admit to feeling a little burned out on superhero films over the past year or two. There are just so many out there that they are hard to escape. Besides that, Marvel has planned so far ahead that it seems to sap a lot of the potential drama surrounding the heroes being defeated or perhaps dying. Then there is the problem that as impressive as the Marvel cinematic universe is, it has become studio driven more than creator driven giving everything a sense of sameness. This is why I like it when characters a little out of the mainstream arrive, like Antman last year. The fact we have a Doctor Strange movie adds some knew elements to the mix, shakes things up somewhat.

Movie Review: Lights Out

I don’t remember how long ago it was, a year, maybe two (three?), I don’t think it’s been that long, but I am too lazy to check; anyway, there was a short that made the rounds on social media that was an effectively creepy film that only lasted a couple of minutes. Well, that short caught the attention of Hollywood and it was green lit to be turned into a full length feature film. That movie bears the same name as the short, Lights Out, and while not perfect, proves to be a highly effective movie. Sure, it feels like a stretched out short at times and there is precious little exposition, but it still manages to unsettle and delivers a nice emotional punch at the end.

Movie Review: The Darkness (2016)

Have you heard of this movie The Darkness? I saw the trailer for it a few times, but it is not a movie that ever stuck in my head. Every time it played, it was like I was seeing it for the first time. That is not really a good thing. In any case, it is now in theaters all over the country and I did go and see it. While it is far from the worst thing I have ever seen, I feel like my time may have been better served elsewhere. This is a movie made on a low budget where very little happens by a studio hoping to squeeze out a little money from the unsuspecting audience. I am sure the creative believe in it, but the finished product is just not very good.

Movie Review: Paranormal Activity - The Ghost Dimension

We have certainly come a long way, but it is finally over. Well, that could mean the end of the franchise or it could just mean the end of this story cycle. While I can be counted among the fans of this series, I honestly hope this is the end of it. Period. I always felt like the Paranormal Activity had a limited shelf life. I haven't even gone back and rewatched any of the series, never really felt the need to. Now it is over as Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension has graced theater screens.

Movie Review: The Last Witch Hunter

Well, it is 2015, that means we are due for another Breck Eisner movie. Why, you ask? It seems he is on a five year cycle. His first film was 2005’s Sahara, he followed that with 2010’s remake of The Crazies, and now, in 2015, we get The Last Witch Hunter. It is also notable for being Vin Diesel’s first new character since 2008’s Babylon A.D. (I don’t count Guardians of the Galaxy). Knowing the big two names involved will lead you to the next question: is it any good? This is where things get decidedly fuzzier. It is not a simple answer, at least not for me.

Movie Review: Sinister 2

Three years ago Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill brought us Sinister. It was a horror movie that drew me and unsettled my core. It was a movie that, like Insidious, proved there is life and quality in mainstream horror. It was a haunted house tale, it was a demonic tale, it was a missing person mystery, and it succeeded in making skin crawl. It was a movie that took a different angle on the idea of found footage, having the main character find film that pertains to the mystery at hand. It was quite effective. Sadly, the sequel did not live up to its predecessors promise.

Blu-ray Review: It Follows

Do you ever feel like someone is following you? Get that creepy feeling up the back of your spine? I would be really surprised if you haven't. After watching It Follows, you will likely experience that sensation. It is not really a pleasant one, a sense of dread that you cannot shake. It is not unlike the spectre of death. It is inevitable, there is no escaping it, no talking to it, no bargaining, it just keeps coming. With It Follows, you get a visual representation of death, a metaphor for STDs. It is creepy and you have no escape. That creepy feeling has followed it right out of the theater and into your home.

Screening Report: The Beyond (6/16/15 Alamo Drafthouse, NY)

Comparatively speaking, I have not been a horror aficionado for very long. I have covered a lot of ground, but always feel like I am playing catch up. Still, in that time I have come to love a fellow named Lucio Fulci. I may have only seen a handful of his movies to this point, but there is no denying that he has risen through the ranks of favorite directors. Among that handful, one has become one of my all time favorites, The Beyond. A masterpiece of surrealistic, gory horror, so any chance to see it on the big screen must be taken, of this there is no question.

Movie Review: Back from Hell (1993)

Some movies beg to be skewered. Some movies fail on pretty much every level and are made with an astounding level of incompetence. However, not all movies can be judged the same way. You cannot just parse the elements, you have to put them into some manner of context. The thing is, it may be easy to rip into a bad movie, but you have to ask if it is truly deserving of the ire you can bring to the table. This is where a movie like Back from Hell enters the picture. It is not a good movie, but I found it incredibly entertaining.

Movie Review: Insidious - Chapter 3

Four years ago director James Wan re-teamed with his Saw co-creator, writer Leigh Whannell, to give us his first take on the haunted house story. The resulting film was called Insidious, and it was really quite good. Two years later, they gave us another go around with Insidious: Chapter 2, which proved to be another successful stab at involving mainstream horror. Of course, both films being successful at the box office, it was not that much of a stretch to see a third film in the franchise to hit theaters. However, with James Wan off making Furious 7, writer Leigh Whannell decided to pull double duty and make his directorial debut.

Movie Review: Poltergeist (2015)

As soon as it was learned that a remake of Poltergeist was in the works, the interwebs caught fire with the usual chorus of ruining our childhood, and no original ideas, and why can't they just leave things alone. On one hand, they aren't wrong on some counts, but wrong on others (I never got on the childhood ruining aspect). I generally just wait and see if the movie proves to be good or bad. The final judgment is in the product. I had some hope going in based on the cast and Raimi's Ghost House imprint. Sadly, hope faded fast as the movie began to play.

Movie Review: It Follows (2015)

Do you ever feel like someone is following you? Get that creepy feeling up the back of your spine? I would be really surprised if you haven't. After watching It Follows, you will likely experience that sensation. It is not really a pleasant one, it is like someone is after you, a sense of dread that you cannot shake, cannot escape. It is not unlike the spectre of death. It is inevitable, there is no escaping it, no talking to it, no deals to be struck, it just keeps coming after you. Sure, you can take care of yourself, but in the end, death will be there. With It Follows, you get a visual representation of death, a metaphor for STDs. It is creepy, has no escape, and is not graphic.