Ghoulish Grin Films

 I've posted this many times, but as this is the return of an icon I have to post it again. I was but a small child, practically a baby, when my parents went and took me to see the magical 1978 Christopher Reeves film "Superman The Movie." Since I didn't remember I was told that I was a bit of an energetic kid that had a hard time staying still. My folks didn't know if I would sit still or not. But as that majestic John Williams score hit I was frozen in my chair at full attention. Since that day I had Superman comics, toys, birthday parties, clothes...all of it. He is to this day my favorite superhero. I have had that same excitement whenever Superman made an appearance on the silver screen. I had that same excitement for 2006's "Superman Returns" and for 2013's "Man Of Steel" and his continued appearances in the 'SnyderVerse.' But that final appearance in "Justice League" didn't bode well for Superman, as at the ...

 As of today, the consensus is that nothing has topped the original 1993 Steven Spielberg classic "Jurassic Park." Based on the Michael Crichton novel, it ushered in a new age of digital effects that changed the game for cinema. Many top filmmakers followed in Spielberg's footsteps and adopted CGI, and soon after that they became the industry standard. The sequels that followed have not lived up to the original, but as the box office for these films have proved, is that the fans will continue to buy tickets to see this magical genre of living dinosaurs regardless of the eroding quality. So going in to see this new installment, "Jurassic World: Rebirth," only confirmed that these films are becoming 'old reliable.' Whether or not they come close to the quality of the original doesn't matter. It's a cinematic roller coaster ride and people will pay to get on the ride. The film stars Scarlett Johansson as a covert operations expert hired by pharmaceu...

 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...