Ghoulish Grin Films

 In 2013 I went to see James Wan's supernatural horror film "The Conjuring," based on the cases of Ed and Lorraine Warren, based on real life events. Wan had made waves with 2004's "Saw," creating a whole new level of gore in horror. Though it was filled with it, the story wasn't just gore for the sake of gore. It was a very intriguing mystery film about the search for the Jigsaw killer. He would follow this modern horror classic with "Dead Silence" and "Death Sentence" before releasing 2010's "Insidious." This film would ultimately create a James Wan Universe, connecting characters and themes. What intrigued me about this film was that he was following up the ultra gory debut of "Saw" with a PG-13 supernatural film. This was rather exciting, since I grew up with classic horror that never really relied on blood and guts but on scares. It was a fantastic film that spawned some great sequels. So going into "...

 On June 20th 1975, audiences were treated to the cinematic adaptation of Peter Benchley's 1974's page turner "Jaws." As is the legend, a young Steven Spielberg (who only had a handful of films on his filmography) had a torturous time getting the mechanical shark to obey his directions. A troubled production that went over budget, he had thought that he would never make another film again. But the film was released to great acclaim and box office dollars and, as they say, the rest is history. This film celebrates 50 years. It's only one year older than I am. I grew up with not only this film but it's rather silly sequels. I have fantastic memories of the Universal Studios tram tour and the Jaws theme park 'ride' where you pass by the waters as Jaws jumps out at you. It's quite thrilling to experience in person. Sadly my baby brother was frightened by this mechanical beast. (It's okay, he's old enough to laugh now) As a guy born one year aft...

 I grew up loving the original Leslie Nielsen "Naked Gun" trilogy. They still are the pinnacle of stupid humor. Back in the '80's and '90's there were films like "Airplane" and "Hot Shots" that were so incredibly stupid that they will always bring a smile to your face. Later on there would be more spoof films that were good but they would end up dying off like any other genre of film. So what better franchise to resurrect in the modern age than the great Naked Gun trilogy. And what better actor to fill in the big clown shoes of the great Leslie Nielsen than the amazing Liam Neeson.  This film follows Neeson's Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr., son of the original Frank Drebin. His questionable actions as a member of the Police Squad have endangered its existence and he needs a win, as he investigates an evil software engineer who has his P.L.O.T. Device intent on restarting the world in his image.  The jokes are indeed silly and absurd. It...

 The MCU seems to be in a period of transition. After the undisputed success of "Avengers: Endgame" and the way it completed its Thanos Infinity Gauntlet storyline, it felt a bit anticlimactic to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe continue on. With offerings like "Black Widow," which followed the DCEU's "Wonder Woman" as the second female led superhero film (of course we all forget about "Electra" and "Catwoman," for good reason), they had a chance long ago to give her her own solo film and ended up making one after her characters death in "Endgame." And following films were hit or miss. But fans weren't feeling the new multiverse setup with Kang The Conqueror (though they used the multiverse to great effect with "Spiderman: No Way Home"). So bringing in The Fantastic Four into the MCU after four films ranging from cheesy to bad, and bringing them into this version of the MCU that seems to be struggling to fin...

 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....