Ghoulish Grin Films

 The original "Beetlejuice" was only the second film from visionary Tim Burton, but it laid out the style that would be his signature. Led with a magnificent, otherworldly performance from the legendary Michael Keaton and showcasing the future IT girl Winona Ryder (also her second film), the film would use many genres yet belong to none of them. It is a BEETLEJUICE movie. This film would also spawn a cartoon show and toys, giving even more '80's nostalgia to the franchise, though it doesn't have an '80's vibe. Again...a BEETLEJUICE movie. So to the delight of Beetlejuice fans, Tim Burton fans, and all around weirdos (in the most loving way possible), 2024 would see the return of 'The Ghost With The Most' in movie theaters. And after 36 years, there indeed would be expectations. After seeing the film I was eager to see what other people thought and I quickly went online to see the reviews. And social media did not disappoint. However, some moviegoer

 I went to see the new Alien film "Alien: Romulus" at the movie theaters on opening day and was pretty surprised to have received a film that returns the franchise to its horror glory. It's thrilling, gory, suspenseful, beautifully shot, directed, and acted.  I actually enjoyed the philosophical leanings of  "Prometheus" and "Covenant" but the fans seemed to have rejected that film (though it does have its admirers).  And the sequels following the practically perfect first film "Alien" and "Aliens," one of the greatest sequels of all time, weren't up to the standard of those sci-fi classics. Thus...here we are. It was looking as if the Alien Franchise would end up going the way of the Terminator Franchise. Two undeniable classics followed by films that seemed more like cash grabs rather than adding to the worlds created.  I'm not naive. This is how Hollywood works. If something is a hit and successful the powers that be will

 I went to the movie theaters to see "Deadpool & Wolverine," knowing full well that this was going to be the biggest blockbuster of the movie season. In fact, the week before had seen the release of "Twisters," an unlikely sequel to the '90's hit disaster flick and that seemed to bring a good crowd. But before that? Sadly it's been a VERY lackluster movie year. Movies projected to be hits weren't and others just died a quiet, lonely death at the box office. All those that projected the end of the movie theaters seemed to be speaking the truth. And as someone whose pastime is going to see first run movies in the theaters, these predictions are a hard pill to swallow. I can be as optimistic as anyone, but I can also see the writing on the wall. Streaming is all the rage. Cord cutters have taken to streaming services like Netflix, Disney +, Hulu, Max, and even free platforms like YouTube and Tubi to get their abundant amount of film and television c

 Okay. Hear me out. Right after the 4th Of July festivities, on the 5th a good amount of social media posts were about 'now that THAT is over with, it is officially spooky season time!' Granted, these are the Halloween Year Round people, but considering that Independence Day is the last big holiday before Halloween they MAY HAVE A POINT? Okay...this may be a stretch. The normies are going to consider this overkill. I get it. And there's still great summer activities to be had. I don't hate summer. I love seeing people out and about, enjoying themselves. I love my county fair. It's a good time. But I've always been a fan of Halloween and spook season, and I get the stretch. Anything to get back to that ghoulish delight. So IS July too early to get hyped for spooky season? Maybe. For those who live and breathe spooky? Never! So maybe there's a middle ground... If you on occasion check out this blog you probably are a spooky ghoul. So welcome to you...and to yo

Shop Godzilla v Kong Collectibles! Don't be fooled by the title of this piece. I had fun watching "Godzilla Minus One." But the film was going for something more than just popcorn munching fare. It was a brilliant piece of filmmaking and I was over the moon happy to have seen it (check out my review of the film on this website). I had campaigned for the film "Godzilla Minus One" to get a Best Picture nomination for the Oscar nominees of 2023. And though it didn't get the nomination, it ended up winning a Best Visual Effects Oscar. And I happily cheered for the team involved.  Pre-Order Monsterverse 5-Film Collection! And as the Oscars came to a close, I knew that I would get even more sweet, sweet Godzilla. Though my expectations for this one to be an Oscar contender dropped dramatically. The film is "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire." The follow-up to the 2021 blockbuster smash 'em up "Godzilla vs. Kong."  Yes...THIS time King Kong an

 I came into investing by accident.  As a retail worker, I would randomly come across a customer asking me if our store was going out of business (funny enough, this would happen more than once, at at more than one business). Not knowing if these questions were true or not I would head over to finance channels on television, like Bloomberg or CNBC, and get the financials of the stores I was working at. And usually our stores would be fine. A store I worked at long ago, Mervyn's, did end up going out of business, but the Great Financial Crisis of 2008 was the one event that eventually took a bankrupt and limping business to the edge. Later on in life as major news networks like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC featured warring, partisan bickering and profited from it with the ratings, I returned to business news. They covered the important events going on in the world but through the lens of finance. I could see how these events affected my personal and work life and the best part was not h

 I'm a huge fan of horror, as some may have picked up on. Classic horror has always been my jam. From the great Universal Monsters era of the 1930's and '40's to the Hammer Studios horror of the late '50's. And, of course the movie monster giants like King Kong and Godzilla. The films never really frightened me but I was riveted by the characters and spooky ambience. And even though modern moviemakers don't seem to know what to do with these legendary characters, they still seem to have some juice in them. Which is impressive in this social media led, short attention span generation that consumes content these days. But with current releases like "The Last Voyage of the Demeter," which I thought was fantastic but didn't light the box office on fire, I was wondering if these classic properties had the same kind of relevance that they had back in the day. They've been trying for years now to resurrect the Universal Monsters Universe to no ava

 2024 is a fantastic year for new possibilities.  The pandemic is lingering, but it's more of a potent cold these days. The masses have come out to shop, drop, and pop as we all return to normality. Even with a stubborn bout of inflation and high interest rates, the consumer still came out to consume. So if they came out during these restrictive conditions, what's stopping them from an all out boom of activity this year when rates will get cut and people can afford goods and services? The Roaring '20's I thought would arrive earlier but got the Spanish Flu pandemic instead may just actually happen... And with a new year comes new public domain works ready to be reused and reimagined by artists. The most notable being Walt Disney's legendary "Steamboat Willie" featuring the first appearance of the iconic Mickey Mouse. We've already seen a drop of a trailer for a horror game called "Infestation." It really doesn't take long with these talen