Ghoulish Grin Films

 Joseph Kosinski has quickly become a blockbuster director on the rise. Whether it's with the underrated "Tron: Legacy" or with the box office smash "Top Gun: Maverick," he is making movies that the general audience is flocking to see and he's making films with respected stars who trust his hand. After the massive success of "Top Gun: Maverick," many filmgoers (including myself) were eagerly awaiting his new entry, "F1 the Movie," which would star international star Brad Pitt as the lead character. An absolute no brainer.  After seeing the film, which I had a great time seeing, I still acknowledge that it's a basic, by-the-books story of race car driving, much like it's spiritual predecessor, 1990's "Days Of Thunder" ("F1" even uses Hans Zimmer for the score). People going to see this film won't be surprised by how this film unfolds and may even see its twists and turns ahead of them actually happening....

 I thought the original "John Wick" film was an instant classic. It was a very simple premise. A man takes revenge on a group of very dangerous men who killed his dog, and these men realized very quickly that they messed with the wrong guy. The action sequences were absolutely brilliant. The single shots panning the action (which was dubbed 'gun fu') as the choreography played out. It was so well executed that the film became a hit and expanded into a whole new cinematic universe. Now I didn't really think it should've expanded beyond that first film, but anyone who knows a bit about Hollywood knows that if they have a hit on their hands, they will capitalize on it and beat it to death until the moviegoing audience doesn't want it anymore. But so far, the World of John Wick has become quite profitable. So why not five follow up films, one television series, and potential new film on the way? Having said all of that, my thoughts on this new John Wick spin-o...

 When I saw the soft reboot of "The Karate Kid" back in 2010, I figured like 1994's "The Next Karate Kid" it would be a film that would be part of the overall lore, but mostly forgotten. I have a passing memory of liking the film, but honestly it never had the iconic moments of the first two films. The original is an honest to goodness '80's classic, as is the second part, which continues the story without being a derivative copy of the original. The third film may not have been up to the level of the first two films, but it's a nice capping of the original trilogy.  I'm very fond of the franchise as a whole though, so when I saw that there would be a crossover film with Jackie Chan's Mr. Han and the original films protagonist Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso, I was quite intrigued and very excited.  Going into the film and seeing the way the film connects the original film's Mr. Miyagi and the reboot's Mr. Han, I was very happy to ...

 Many that are fans of the Mission Impossible franchise consider "M:i-2" (or "Mission Impossible 2") as the worst film of the bunch. I, however, remember the film and the moviegoing experience fondly. Mainly because one of my favorite bands, Metallica, released a single ("I Disappear") for the film. And this may be a bit of a pessimistic take, but as a child of the '80's and '90's, the year 2000 was the final hurrah. I don't want to believe that it was all downhill from there, but it's really been one thing after another. 9/11. The Great Financial Crisis. The division of Americans. Covid. The New Gilded Age. I'm trying my absolute best to see a silver lining and hope for brighter days, and I still think there will be. But sometimes I do feel like it's an unachievable dream. So going to the theaters, pre 9/11, entering a new digital age but not the noisy social media craziness that exists today, and going to see a blockbuster...

 I still insist that the first "Final Destination" film is the best of them all. It opened with what was perhaps the most realistic of the classic Final Destination premonitions and it still gives me chills when I see it. Once the sequels started to pop out, they seemed intent to outdo the previous kills. It makes sense. Most horror films are like that. Even if the elaborate disasters seem contrived it keeps the audience coming for more. And let's just face it...these are fun movies. I've seen a handful of the sequels and they do seem to be cookie cutter, but because they're trying to top the previous films, it's undoubtedly fun to see. And one of them was in 3D, and that was quite a blast! So as this new Final Destination film opened in theaters (titled "Final Destination: Bloodlines"), I wasn't sure I was going to get anything different from the previous films other that even MORE elaborate premonition setups and kills. The real reason I went t...

 Ryan Coogler has officially entered that rarefied group of directors who can sell a film just on their name alone, much like Chris Nolan, Spielberg, or Scorsese. His debut film "Fruitvale Station" showed the promise, and taking on popular IPs like "Creed," part of the Rocky Saga, and Marvel with the Black Panther films, he is a bankable director who will deliver the goods and get people into the theaters. So as the rave reviews were piling in, I had confidence that I would be experiencing another fantastic offering from Coogler. What I wasn't expecting was a brand new folk tale rooted in American history, dealings with the devil as told by classic blues music, and a new take on the old vampire mythology, which is hard to do. What came out was a tale as classic as any, but mixed and mashed into a fresh new tale. Absolutely brilliant. The tale centers around a young blues musician Sammie (played by newcomer Miles Caton), whose playing is so good that it summons t...

 This year marks the 20th anniversary of the final installment of the Star Wars prequels and the final Star Wars film directed by The Maker Himself George Lucas, "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith." Being that the Prequel Trilogy was critically panned when they came out, many Star Wars fans regard this final film as the best of the prequels. And an important film in Star Wars canon.  So as it returns to the movie theaters in 2025, it brought back wonderful memories of this period of my life, starting in 1999 with "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace." It brought back memories of my childhood and that childhood was essentially extended into my 20s. I didn't know how to deal with it at first, being I was the last generation that followed tradition of leaving childish things behind. We didn't have a geek culture yet, and it was mostly off to work and becoming a young adult. But I was also the first generation to keep those childhood fires burning. ...