Posted on by bloodlinematt
Welcome back to Rotten Ink and to the first update of 2024 that of course is my movie countdown for all the different genres I have seen in the theater in 2023. There were so many films that were released this year that brought me as well as my movie club friends so much entertainment! I saw movies in such theaters as Cinemark, Regal and Englewood, and really for me nothing beats the theater experience as no matter what some say, streaming new films just does not give you the full movie experience no matter how big your TV Screen in or how loud your sound system gets. And like every year for me the biggest film releases come from the Horror genre as spooky movies have been a big part of my entertainment life since I was a very young kid. To me nothing beats relaxing at one of the local cinemas to watch a good fright flick on the silver screen with family and friends, and this year was very heavy on Horror film releases. I will be breaking up this “Best Of” update by genre so that means Drama, Comedy, Action, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Superhero and of course Horror! So if you are ready, let’s grab some popcorn and a drink and find our seats as it’s time to talk movies! Also if you missed my Best Of 2022, update make sure to give it a read here.
So now that we have found our seats and have eaten a few pieces of popcorn, I think that we will start off by taking a look at the Drama films that I saw in the theater. Sadly I did not see a lot, but the ones I did see I enjoyed so let’s take a look and see what I think was #1!
# 4
June Allen is an 18 year old woman who lost her father and is taking her sadness out on her mother who is trying her best to bond with her daughter and live her life again, even dating again as Kevin Lin has entered the picture and the pair are heading off to Colombia for a romantic vacation. While her mother is away, June parties with her friends, and on the day she is set to pick them up from the airport, they are no where in sight. Now June must uncover this mystery as she follows the clues and uncovers Kevin’s dirty secret of being a conman and that her very own mother has a life changing secret. Can June find her missing mother or will time run out? And she will never be able to patch things up with her? Watch this sequel to “Searching” and find out for yourself. This Drama Thriller was a fun watch as the story unfolds and takes a few twists and turns that many viewers will not see coming. Storm Reid is fantastic as June, and the whole cast truly does a great job. The film did ok for Sony at the US box office bringing in $32,502,025.00 on a budget $7 million budget. This film walks the line between Drama and Horror as it really is a Thriller…but I think it fits better here with the Drama Thriller than the Horror Thriller.
# 3
The Von Erich family was at the top of the wrestling world in Texas, and brothers Kevin, David, Kerry and Mike are being pushed by their father Fritz into becoming the biggest names in the sport as well as capture the NWA World Heavyweight belt. But while they are riding high, the family seems to have a curse as Kevin watches as his brothers pass away, and he learns that family is very important and that his father the man he idolized just might not be the hero he thinks he is. This film is a loose bio-picture of the Von Erich family and showcases the stress of pro wrestling as well as how mental stress, substance abuse and poor parenting can lead down a dark path. The acting is well done with such names as Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Stanley Simons, Holt McCallany and Lily James and also had cameos from such wrestlers as MJF and Chavo Guerrero Jr. playing classic wrestlers. While the story in this film is not 100% accurate and brother Chris Von Erich is missing, it still is a nice tribute to the Von Erich Brothers. The film did well for A24 at the domestic box office bringing in $$18,221,133 (as of this posting) on a budget of $15.9 million. And for those who wonder, yes I grew up being a fan of the Von Erich family and Kerry was my favorite.
# 2
Adonis Creed has retired from boxing and is helping young boxers at the gym, but when Damian Anderson, a friend who ended up being arrested and locked up for a long time, comes back into his life things get guilt ridden. Damian was a good boxer who just wants his shot, and with the help of Adonis, he gets it and ends up winning the Heavyweight Title…in a kind of underhanded cheating way. Now the champion and with lots of built up aggression over the events of the past and being locked up for 18 years, Damian and Adonis’s friendship falls apart and this brooding bad blood sees Adonis come out of retirement in order to fight his childhood friend as a way to let go of guilt and to settle this issue once and for all. This third film in the Creed series is fantastic as the build to the fight between Creed and Anderson is very well done. As the film goes along you get more of the story of why there is some awkward tension between the two that leads to them at odds. And while Damian Anderson has done bad things in his life and even fights dirty to get the title, he also is not that bad of a guy just wanting his chance before time catches up with him. And that is the thing, the story is solid. The casting fantastic with names like Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Florian Munteanu and Tony Bellew returning and Jonathan Majors and Mila Davis-Kent being added. The film was directed by Michael B. Jordan, who did a fantastic job, and he is also talking about a fourth film in the series already, and I for one am down. The film did good for MGM at the American box office bringing in $156,248,615.00 on a $75 million budget. While I would have loved to have seen a cameo from Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, this series is making its own path now to becoming an iconic sports drama franchise.
# 1
Retired detective Hercule Poirot has been invited by his crime novelist friend Ariadne to a Halloween party after which a psychic hold a séance to contact the dead daughter of the party’s host who had committed suicide. The catch is that the home is also said to be haunted by the spirits of deceased children. Poirot is there to try and expose the psychic as a fraud, but when people start dying and he himself starts seeing things, he must try and figure out if the killer is from our world or the other side! This third film in the modern Poirot series is fantastic like the other two, and this time this Mystery Drama film even adds in elements of Horror as it has that classic haunted house feel and has images of shadows, ghosts and murder all around. Kenneth Branagh is fantastic as Hercule Poirot and is the best actor to play the part in my opinion. Other cast members include Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Kelly Reilly, Kyle Allen, Emma Laird and Camille Cottin to name a few and all are great in their roles. The film did okay for 29th Century at the domestic box office bringing in $42,448,749.00 on a budget of $60 million. If you like Murder Mysteries with a dash of Horror, then make sure to check this one out as it hands down the best Drama film I have seen this year, and on a side note, this almost made it to the Horror list…but I settled on placing it in Drama.
While I did not get to see lots of Drama films in the theater in 2023, I would say that the ones I did get to watch were fantastic and all were well worth seeing alongside my friends on the big screen. But next we will be leaving Drama behind and replace it with laughter as next up are the Comedy films I saw on the big screen in 2023!
# 4
Kevin is a father who is working a house cleaning job, creating music beats, is a part time event thrower and needs to raise some money to send his young daughter to a school…but when his best friend Damon gets them fired from the cleaning job, the two decide to throw an epic party in the house of NBA star LeBron James in order to raise the money to send his the daughter to that selected school. The party is massive and Kevin’s childhood friend and crush Venus attends as do celebrities like Mya, Bill Bellamy, Snoop Dog, Kid Cudi, Juvenile, Lil Wayne, Walter Emanuel Jones among many others and the party is a massive hit! But when some of Damon’s enemies show up and steal LeBron’s championship ring, the two friends have to try and get it back and that includes dealing with the illuminati as well as trying to get out of trouble when LeBron James returns home early and wants these home intruders thrown in jail! Can Kevin get the money? Can he not go to jail? Will he win the heart of Venus? Watch this remake of the classic House Party film series and find out for yourself! This was a pretty funny film that brings some belly laughs as well as is packed with enough 90’s Rap and RNB nostalgia to please fans of the original series. Sadly the film did not do good for New Line Cinema at the US box office only bringing in $9,002,247.00 on a unknown budget. I found this film to be really entertaining and it was a great theatrical watch.
# 3
Lawyer Audrey Sullivan is Asian and was adopted by a white family and does not know who her birth mother and father are, but she gets sent to China with the promise of a major promotion if she can lock a deal with a Chinese business man. Along for the trip is her best friend Lolo Chen and her cousin Deadeye, who is an outcast who loves K-Pop music, and when in China Audrey meets up with her old collage roommate Kat who is now a big day time actress on a Chinese soap opera. When the business man insists that he gets to know Audrey’s birth mother after Lolo lies and says the two are close, the friends set out on a big adventure across China in order to find Audrey’s birth mom as well as become closer friends…but this of course is plagued with fighting, crazy people and shocking revelations. This is a pretty dang funny film that brings together four likable friends all with their own personalities that go on a trip that is filled with sleazy and silly fun. The film had me laughing in a few spots and it is well casted with such names as Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu all making up the leads. The film sadly did very poorly for Lionsgate at the domestic box office only bringing in $12,897,789.00 on a budget of around $32million. If you like raunchy comedies make sure to check this one out.
# 2
Barbie lives in Barbie World with all the other Barbies, Kens and Allen, and her life is perfect as all the Barbies have important jobs and the Kens just hang around the beach. But Barbie’s life turns upside down when she gets flat feet, gets cellulite and has thoughts of death! And after visiting Weird Barbie (a Barbie who was played with too rough) she learns that she must travel to the real world and find out why her owner is so sad and along with Ken she does just that. But once in the real world Barbie sees that it’s not perfect and is filled with lots of drama, sadness, crudeness and makes her second guess herself and the world she comes from…but when Ken in the real world learns about being macho, he heads back to Barbie World and corrupts it. Now Barbie must try to do all the right things like bring a mother and daughter back together, reset the Barbie World and find out who she really is. This is a charming fun comedy film that is based on the popular Mattel toy of the same name and truly was a big deal when released in theaters as it broke records and became a massive hit with most critics and fans and proves that if you make films based on toys right, people will come to the theater to watch them! Margot Robbie is great as Barbie and is likable and you find yourself wrapped up in her journey and Ryan Gosling was funny as Ken! Other actors in the film include Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Emma Mackey, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Rhea Perlman and America Ferrera, to name a few. The film did amazing for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office bringing in $635,928,220.00 on a budget of $145 million. Barbie was the biggest film of 2023 and was truly one of those event style films that brought family, friends and even strangers together.
# 1
The small town of Asteroid City is holding Asteroid Day to celebrate when one made contact with the land, and they also showcase bright youngsters who have made amazing inventions in science with the chance of winning prize money. There in this small town is a war photographer and his kids, an actress and her daughter, army soldiers, the smart kids & parents, school kids & their teacher, scientists, a band and a few of the local townies. But all their lives are changed when a u.f.o appears and an alien takes the asteroid away causing the government to quarantine the town and friendships and relationships are made as everyone wonders what the alien wanted. This is a funny Wes Anderson film that is a play within a movie that features an amazing all-star cast that includes names like Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie, Matt Dillon, Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Edward Norton, Live Schreiber, Hope Davis, Willem Dafoe, Steve Carell, Stephan Park, Jeff Goldblum among many others. The humor is what you expect from an Anderson film, and the characters are all likable as is the background set of the small desert town. The film did ok for Focus Features at the domestic box office bringing in $28,153,025.00 on a budget of $25 million. While the humor of this film will not be for everyone, if you enjoyed Wes Anderson’s other films then I am sure you’ll get a laugh out of this one.
While I don’t see many Comedies in the theater I will have to say that I truly enjoyed enjoyed all the ones that I did go to this year as they all brought be a few laughs. But next let’s talk about Action films. Strangely enough, I saw very little of this genre this year and that’s truly is shocking, but let’s not linger as it’s time to chat about and rank the ones I did see.
# 3
It’s New Years, and Captain Brodie Torrance has one last flight before being able to visit his daughter and sister for the holiday. While the crew is small as is the amount of passengers, they do have to escort felon Louis Gaspare who has charges of homicide. But this killer passenger is not the main threat of this plane ride as extreme weather makes them crash land on a island ruled by criminals who take the survivors hostage in order to try and get ransom money. Now Brodie and Louis must fight off these criminals alongside a mercenary group sent in by the airline in order to save the hostages and get off the island safe and sound…but this is as hard as it sounds as the criminals are not the eager to let their prisoners escape and a battle breaks out that will leave many dead and Brodie showing just how great of a pilot he really is. This is a really fun check your brain at the door, popcorn action film that delivers entertainment, as well as some really cool fighting moments with some interesting cast of characters. The film stars Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Yoson An, Evan Dane, Daniella Pineda and Tony Goldwyn to name a few. The film did all right for Lionsgate at the US box office bringing in $32,111,181.00 on a budget of $25 million. A really fun theater watch action flick that is getting a sequel in the future called “Ship” and I for one will see it when it hits theaters.
# 2
John Wick is being hunted down by The Table as his deeds and killings off some of their own has made him a marked man for death, and all John wants is to be left alone and out of The Table’s hold forever. But when Marquis Vincent de Gramont, a high member of the Table, has been assigned to kill John Wick, the snobby Marquis ends up putting a price on his head, brings down the safety Hotels used by The Table that have helped Wick and even brings in high profile hired killers Caine and Mr. Nobody to get this hit done. But John Wick has other plans as he sets up a duel with the Marquis where one man will die and the others wishes will be granted by The Table…but will John find his way to peace or will he find his way to the grave? Watch this amazing action film to find out for yourself. This film is pure action with lots of fights, chases and action from start to finish and also has great characters with John Wick being a true modern day “Man With No Name” style hero. Keanu Reeves is great as John Wick and this series is one of the best action films going in these modern times. Other names in the cast includes Bill Skarsgard, Ian McShane, Donnie Yen, Lance Reddick and Shamier Anderson to name a few. This film did really well for Lionsgate at the American box office bringing in $187,131,806.00 on a budget of $100 million. The John Wick films are fantastic and with rumors of spinoff films, I cannot wait to see how this universe grows.
# 1
It’s 1969 and Indiana Jones is retiring from teaching as his life has gone poorly after a tragic event involving his son as well as his relationship with Marion Ravenwood has crumbled. But Indiana is about to find another adventure when his goddaughter Helena Shaw comes to him with the need to find The Dial Of Destiny, an artifact that is tied with time travel and is what drove her father mad. So now Indiana starts a new adventure and learns that while his age might have slowed him down slightly, it cannot stop a true legend of archaeology as he finds the Dial while helping Helena with her issues as well as dodging a band of Nazi’s who are holding onto the past and want to use the Dial to change to outcome of World War II! And when the Dial is used, the time travel is not what they think and Indiana Jones learns that he means so much to so many people he has built a friendship with over his long legendary career. This was a great film and when at the packed theater to see, it I felt like a kid again watching Indiana Jones on the big screen. The adventure this time around is lots of fun as The Dial Of Destiny is something that could be very dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands and it of course brings back Nazis as the main villains. The film of course had lots of hate before it even was released as many have it out for Disney now and this one was caught up in the storm of anger. The film also not only brings back Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones but other returning faces include John Rhys-Davies as Sallah and Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood. Other actors in the cast are Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook and Shaunette Renee Wilson to name a few. The film did not do so great for Disney at the domestic box office bringing in $174,480,468.00 on a massive over blown budget of $300 million, I hope Disney learned this year that they are putting way too much money into these films. This hands down was my favorite Action film on 2023 and is my third favorite film in the Indiana Jones film series! Don’t listen to the online “critics” and haters as much of what they reported was not even in this film ,and make up your own mind and give it a watch as you might just find yourself enjoying it.
You can never go wrong with watching a good old Action film on the big screen, and this year it was sequels to films that took the top spots as I found both John Wick 4 and Indiana Jones 5 to be highly entertaining films. I did skip a few action films this year like Expendables 4 as I had lots of stuff going on at work as well as had to get many Blood Scream Comics ready for release. But now that we have all the Action out of the way I think that it’s now time we take a look at Sci-Fi and Fantasy Films that I saw this past year at the local cinemas.
# 5
Edgin Darvis is a man whose wife was killed by wizards, and he turned to a life of stealing and this leads to him spending years in jail and his daughter being watched after by one of his former running mates in a life of crime. But once out of jail, he finds that his daughter is safe and that his former friend Forge Fitzwilliam is now a King of a kingdom and is working with an evil Witch to rule over the land and bring death to the city…now Edgin along with female warrior Holga Kilgore, untrained wizard Simon Aumar and shape shifter Doric must come together to save his daughter, bring down the corrupt king, take out the evil Red Wizard and become the unlikely family they have all been looking for. This is a fun fantasy film that is a true popcorn flick that was a great watch on the big screen! The characters make a great team, and it feels like a quest film that would have been perfectly at home during the 80’s when Barbarian and Warrior styles films were being released. The effects are well done, from undead warriors all the way to an obese dragon and such actors as Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant and Daisy Head make up the main cast. Also for those of you wondering the cast from the Dungeon And Dragons cartoon from the 80 do make an appearance. The film did ok for Paramount Pictures at the U.S. box office bringing in $93,277,026.00 on a budget of $150 million. If you like fun Fantasy Films that brings the fun nature of the role playing game it’s based on, make sure to give it a watch as its filled with action, adventure and some humor.
# 4
Japan is being attacked by giant Kaiju monsters and their special defense team the SSSP are doing what they can to destroy these threats, but soon they get help from an alien giant named Ultraman to defeat these terrors! But with Ultraman’s appearance comes new threats as aliens are coming to Earth now with the ideas of either ruling it or destroying it, and he must use all his powers and his newly found respect for mankind in order to protect them as well as be the hero the Earth needs during these unknown times. But can Ultraman survive the attacks of foe after foe and threat after threat or will mankind suffer a terrible fate at the hands of aliens from another dimension? Watch this reboot to the classic TV Series to find out. This is such a fun, silly, cheesy Sci-Fi action film that does a great job of capturing the mood and feel of the 1966 series as it was clear they were definitely playing in that universe. The effects are really fun as some look really good and other very cartoonish by design. And I also have to say that the film feels like several different episodes crammed together as you get tons of monsters and aliens that come and go, with some having no real reason to make their exit. The film was released in limited theaters via a Fathom Event and did ok for them at the American Box Office bringing in $601,490.00 on a budget of 900 million yen. Over all if you like fun films with giant monsters and are a Ultra Man fan like myself, then make sure to checkout this film. I got it when released on home media.
# 3
The planet eater Unicron has eaten the home world of The Maximals but needs a key to get to the next galaxy. Optimus Primal along with his fellow Maximals Airazor, Cheetor and Rhinox take the key to Earth and break the key into two and hide them so that Unicron will forever be stuck where he is at and can not destroy anymore planets. Now in 1994 one part of the key is activated and Unicron’s minions travel to Earth to find both parts of the keys to send the single into space and allow the massive planet eater to arrive to destroy Earth and everyone living on it. The Earth’s only hope is The Maximals, The Autobots lead by Optimus Prime and two earthlings who get caught up in this madness. This is a really fun Transformers film as Optimus Prime in this film learns that not all humans are bad and that The Maximals are still alive and living on Earth in hiding. And as always it’s great hearing Peter Cullen voice Prime, as it gives the film that true Transformers feel and other actors voices heard in this film include Ron Perlman, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage and Pete Davidson. This is one of the better Transformers live action films and did well for Paramount at the domestic box office bringing in $157,066,393.00 on a budget of $200 million. Over all if you are a fan of Transformers or Beast Wars, make sure to give this one a watch.
# 2
Willy Wonka is a young man who is a brilliant inventor, magician and chocolate maker who has shown up in city with big dreams of selling his treats to the people to honor his late mother, but he soon finds that the city is corrupted by three candy makers, a police chief who is on the take as he is paid in candy to do their dirty work, a father who runs the church to hide the makers base of operations and even a sleazy motel owner who forces her guests to big contracts in order to trap them there and make them work for her laundry services. But Wonka has big dreams to bring his treats to the people and finds ways to out move and out smart them and with the help of his fellow trapped laundry workers Noodle, plumber Piper Benz, accountant Abacus Crunch, comedian Larry Chucklesworth, tell phone operator Lottie Bell, giraffe Abigail and the Oompa-Loompa named Lofty he does just that as Wonka Chocolate becomes a reality and along the way the candy maker changes the lives of those who helped him for the better. This is a prequel to the 1974 family musical classic “Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory” and for the most part is a fitting film into the legacy as Wonka is silly, there is catchy songs and lots of strange things all around. The film is well casted with Timothee Chalamet playing Will Wonka and other names like Rowan Atkinson, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Hugh Grant, Rakhee Thakrar, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Olivia Colman making up some of the leads. The humor in the film works on a family entertainment level. The film did ok for Warner Brothers at the American box office bringing in $142,762,717 on a budget of $125 million (as of this posting). While its not as magical or special as the first film, it is a fun family musical that I think will find its audience once the internet outrage fades away.
# 1
Mario and Luigi are two brothers who open a plumbing business in Brooklyn, New York who soon find themselves in the sewers trying to stop a massive water main break, but are sucked into a pipe that takes them into a new world, that of The Mushroom Kingdom! While Mario meets Toad and Princess Peach, poor Luigi is taken prisoner by Bowser and his army of troopers as he has captured the power star and wants to force Peach into marrying him and ruling over the Mushroom Kingdom together…and if she says no, then he will use the star and destroy it all! Now Mario along with Princess Peach, silly mushroom man Toad and Donkey Kong must come together to stop Bowser from destroying the world, and The Mario Brothers must also show the world and most importantly their family that they are not screw-ups and are truly the plumbing heroes the world…no the galaxy needs. This is a really fun film that brings the classic Nintendo characters to the big screen once again as their first adventure was way back in 1993 and was live action with this one being animated. The animation in this film is top notch as are all the Easter Eggs that feature other Nintendo owned properties that include Punch-Out and Pro Wrestling to name a few. Plus it was very cool to see Donkey Kong on a XD Screen! Voice actors for this film include Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Armisen and Seth Rogen to name a few. The film did fantastic for Universal at the American box office bringing in $574,934,330.00 on a budget of $100 million. If you enjoy the past, present and future of Super Mario Bros. make sure to give this one a watch as it’s a heck of a fun time.
In 2023 film studios truly delivered a very fun mix bag of films in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy genres and I will say that I found them all to be very fun in their own ways but really The Super Mario Bros. Movie was the best that those genres had to offer as I really do think it captured the fun nature of the Nintendo game series and it’s box office domestic and worldwide number proves I am not the only one who thought so. Well let’s next take a look at the Super Hero Genre that while did do well also took a beating this year as they seem to be wearing out their welcome at the box office for sure.
# 9
Jamie Reyes returns home after college to find that his family home is up for sale and that his family is poor, but after meeting Jenny Kord, a woman who is on the board of a very rich company, his life is forever changed when by accident he bonds with the Scarab and turns him into superhero the Blue Beetle! But becoming this hero also puts he and his family in danger when Victoria Kord wants the Scarab to help create bio suits to use in wars and sends her bodyguard OMAC to get it back for her. Can the Blue Beetle survive? Will he save his family? Will Victoria get her war machines up and running? Watch this DC Comics based superhero film and find out for yourself. While I did not hate Blue Beetle, the word “generic” just comes to mind as at this point many of these superhero films are just being made paint by numbers style and lack that creative impact that they used to over a decade ago. When seeing this film opening weekend many of the jokes fell flat with the movie goers and many after it was over I could hear say it was boring and just bland…and sadly I agree. The film has a good cast with such names as Xolo Mariduena, George Lopez, Bruna Marquezine, Harvey Guillen, Susan Sarandon and Belissa Escobedo to name a few. The film did ok for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office bringing in $72,488,072.00 on a budget of $125 million. While I am sure this film has its fans and I am glad that there is people who enjoy it…but this one was just way too cheesy and generic for me.
# 8
Aquaman is now not only the King of Atlantis but also a father now as he and Mera have had a son, but the oceans as well as the surface world is in trouble due to pollution that is causing global warming and worse Black Manta as returned and found the Black Trident and is possessed by a former ocean ruler who has frozen in ice by magic and wants to return to not only take over the oceans once more but also destroy Atlantis and go to war with the surface world! Now Aquaman must fight Black Manta and his followers from dooming the world as well as destroying the environment and must get the help of his brother Ocean Master to do so…but can the brothers get along for long enough to be the heroes or will their feud doom us all? This is another very paint by numbers bland superhero film filled with lots of action and epic fights but also the lame humor that James Gunn introduced to the world of superhero films and as always Jason Momoa over acts had hams it up on the screen making for many eye rolling moments. The film is over long and is kind of just very generic over all and once more has a bloated budget that makes you wonder when will Warner Brothers learn. The film also starts Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren, Nicole Kidman, Randall Park and Temuera Morrison. The film did poorly for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office bringing in (as of this posting) $84,670,000 on a $205 million budget. The DCU is getting just as played out as the MCU, and let’s hope that they both cut down on the amount released and make them feel more special for theater goers again.
# 7
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live in the sewer with their father Splinter but want to live among humans and enjoy a normal teenage life, but due to their appearance and a bad experience Splinter had with humans when the turtles were babies, they are forced to live in the shadows. That is until they meet unpopular teenager April O’Neil who they help get her stolen scooter back and they come up with a plane to stop Superfly, a mutated fly who has his own mutant crew that are Mondo Gecko, Bebop, Rocksteady, Leatherhead, Wingnut, Ray Fillet, Scumbug and Genghis Frog! But the will the TMNT stop Superfly once they find out they are sort of all cousins or will they be trapped and captured by TCRI, who is a group that want to create their own mutants? Will April O’Neil over come her nerves for reporting? Will Splinter ever trust humans again? Will Ray Fillet finally be able to sing? All these questions are answered and more in Mutant Mayhem! This is a pretty fun and silly animated film that will surly please viewers of all ages, but I will say that the creative team behind this do make some major changes to characters and their backstories so TMNT classic fans might get a little annoyed. The film is filled with lots of silly comedy as well as some great fights and has the voice acting talents of such actors as Jackie Chan, Maya Rudolph, Ice Cube, John Cena, Seth Rogen, Natasia Demetriou, Paul Rudd, Giancarlo Esposito, Rose Byrne and Post Malone. The film did well for Paramount at the domestic box office bringing in $118,613,586.00 on a budget of $70 million. While I am not so much into animated superhero films, this was an entertaining one and was worth seeing on the big screen.
# 6
The Flash is a member of the Justice League and has been helping Batman with events in Gothom all the while trying to prove that his father was not the one who killed his mother. But when Flash discovers he can run so fast that we can go back in time he comes up with an idea to save his mom, and does so even after being warned by Batman that this could change and destroy everything. Flash does this and ends saving his mom, but also warps the world as he meets a younger version of himself as well as meets a different version of Batman, saves Supergirl but leaves this universe without a way to defeat General Zod and his army as this world is without a Superman! After jumping time over and over to try to fix things the two Flashs are faced with the idea some things just cannot be fixed. Has The Flash doomed a world to be destroyed by Zod or will he find a way to try and set things back to what they are an that means loosing his mother again. This is one of those superhero films that had bad word of mouth mostly due to the behavior of the films star Ezra Miller outside of Hollywood, but while They are scum the film is not as bad as its made out to be. Lots of great cameos from DC Movies of the past and you have to love that Michael Keaton once more plays Batman! The film did poorly for Warner Brothers at the American box office bringing in $108,133,313.00 on a massive budget of $220 million. The film is not groundbreaking but was a fun watch on the big screen and fans of the Zach Snyder Superhero films should give this one a watch. Plus I have to say with this spoiler it was great seeing Christopher Reeve and George Reeves as Superman, Helen Slater as Supergirl and Adam West as Batman again for there brief cameos.
# 5
Gwen Stacy is called to join a group of Spider-Men who are trying to capture baddies that are crossing over into other universes, all thanks to what Miles Morales caused when he saved the world from the Kingpin and created a super villain called The Spot who is causing chaos in order to get the ultimate power and be looked at as a top super villain. When Miles meets back up with Gwen who broke the rules of visiting him, he follows her on her quest to bring down Spot and causes even more bad effects for the different universes even causing some to start to collapse on themselves! And when Miles hears of a big event that is going to be playing out in his universe that effects his father, he knows he can stop this event…but at what cost? This causes him to be tracked down by his fellow Spider-Men in over to try and right all these wrongs Miles has accidentally caused while on a mission himself to also bring an end to Spot. This is a pretty entertaining animated superhero film that explores the different versions of Spider-Man from the different universes and is allowing Miles to find love, have his first mega villain crises and also find out that everything ones does has an outcome that sometimes is not glamorous. The film also features Spider-Man 2099, Scarlet-Spider and even a small cameo from the 1960’s Spider-Man cartoon version. It’s a good film; I am just not into the animated superhero films as much, but I understand that many of you are and that’s cool. The film did well for Columbia Pictures at the American box office bringing in $381,311,319.00 on a budget of $100 million. Check this one out if you enjoyed the first film or just like animated Spider-Man films.
# 4
Dar-Benn is the ruler of the Kree, and she is on a mission to bring their home world back to its glory with the help of a bangle that allows her to open portals that can steal other planets’ resources, and she is targeting planets of people who are loved by Captain Marvel. But something else strange is happening as every time Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and Captain Monica Rambeau use their powers, they switch spots making for lots of chaos as they all try and be the heroes they need to be, and now must work together as a team in order to save the planets and defeat the crazed Dar-Benn for killing millions. They also get help from Nick Fury and must learn to work as a team, find that some heroes have flaws and must also learn how to forgive for past mistakes. Can our heroes The Marvels stop Dar-Benn or are planets doomed to be destroyed? Checkout this superhero film and find out. The Marvels is a mixed bag of humor, drama and action and is over all an ok watch that once more got hit with bad reviews from online “critics” for no reason at all. Is the film the best that the Superhero genre has to offer…no, but was it a fun popcorn movie? Yep. Some of the humor in this film falls flat and at times it suffers the same fate as Blue Beetle of being just kind of generic feeling as to me Dar-Benn might be one of the weakest villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Zawe Ashton, Samuel L. Jackson and Iman Vellani who is Ms. Marvel and truly steals the film away from the other two actresses, but to be honest everyone does a great job in their roles. The film did only ok for Disney at the domestic box office bringing in $84,493,947 on a bloated budget of $270 million, showing that Disney needs to reign in these budgets. Over all if you liked the first Captain Marvel film, enjoyed the Ms. Marvel TV Show or just really like these characters make sure to check it out.
# 3
Ant-Man along with Wasp, Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne and Cassie Long find themselves being sucked into a machine that Cassie created that allowed her to map some of the Quantum Realm and find themselves stuck inside it and worse being hunted down by Kang The Conqueror and his creation, the killing machine known as M.O.D.O.K as Kang wants to return to Earth after being banished in order to conqueror and destroy with his created army in the Realm. And Kang also hates Janet as when she was stuck in the Realm she caused him to not be able to escape by destroying his only way out the Multiversal Power Core. Now Ant-Man finds himself being used as a puppet when Kang forces him to get the Power Core in order to save his daughter’s life…Ant-Man is faced with a hard decision but when his daughter escapes, he and his family are joined by freedom fighters fight against Kang to stop him from time and dimension jumps as well as break his grip on the Quantum Realm. This was a fun Sci-Fi Superhero film that felt like not only did it have elements of typical Marvel Universe films but also a dash of Star Wars with a hint of Tron! I am not sure why this film got so much hate from critics and fans besides the fact it the cool trend to crap on these comics book films now, as I found it to be a fun popcorn film meant to be seen on the big screen! This film did good for Disney at the US box office bringing in $214,504,909.00 on a budget of $200 million. Well worth a watch if you have enjoyed the other two Ant-Man films and want to see Kang The Conqueror be as evil and cold as he should be.
# 2
Billy Batson is about to turn 18 and has a fear that he will be out of the foster system and lose his new family and home. Also, his siblings who all have super powers now seem to want to do things on their own besides doing it as a superhero team, and this is truly bumming him out. But when the three Daughters Of Atlas are able to get their hands on the magical staff, they break the hold on preventing darker magic used on Earth and use their powers to steal the powers back from Batson’s super hero powered family! Now he along with The Wizard (who gave him the powers) must figure out a way to get the staff back and stop these three sisters from destroying our planet as one of the sisters has an idea to turn Earth into their new realm and even brings back monsters and creatures from mythology that are rampaging our streets. And Shazam (Billy) must use all his powers and skills to truly stop the Sisters as well as save mankind from destruction. This was a really fun sequel that was filled with some great action as well as laughs and even brought mythical creatures into the plot, so that was a plus for me seeing minotaurs on the big screen. The film is well casted with Zachary Levi, Grace Caroline Currey, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, Djimon Hounsou and Rachel Zegler making up most of the main cast, and with cameos from Gal Gadoy, Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee this film is stacked with talent. The film did just bad for Warner Brothers at the American box office bringing in $57,638,006.00 on a budget of $125 million, and the film’s poor performance was thanks mostly to online critics, but don’t listen to them and make up your own mind as Shazam 2 was a fun big budget popcorn movie watch.
# 1
The Guardians Of The Galaxy come together when member Rocket Raccoon is dying and his creator The High Evolutionary has placed a self-destruct mechanism in him that will kill him if anyone tries to help him medically, and worse, he wants Rocket back in order to take his brain and use it to help build a new race of animal people. Starlord and the others will not allow their friend to die and set out on a quest to get the code to disarm the mechanism in order to save his life, but along the way they have to fight with High Evolutionary and his army of followers and creations including Adam Warlock. But will they be able to save Rocket? Will the other Guardians fall in battle? And what is their fate as a team after the events of this film? Watch this great third film in the hit series and find out for yourself. This film for now is the swan song for Guardians Of The Galaxy, and James Gunn did a great job of sending them off right, as this film truly shows the love and friendship the characters have for each other and does a great job of making this final all about Rocket and all the terrible things that happened to him. This is one I don’t want to say too much about as I think that its best just watched and seen for yourself, I will warn you there are many of sad moments in this film that have to do with animal cruelty. The film did well for Disney at the domestic box office bringing in $358,995,815.00 on a budget of $250 million making it a hit for the House Of Mouse. If you like the other films in the series of just the films of director James Gunn make sure to give this one a watch as it really was the best Superhero film of 2023.
Like many, I find myself getting a little burnt out by the Super Hero films that have been flooding the cinemas for over the past 10 years as many at this point are all about different dimensions, universes, timelines and so on…but I truly think The Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 is a great film and hands down the best Superhero film of the year. And I know many of you are upset that Spiderverse is not high on my list, and again I have to stress it’s a good movie, I am just not into the animated Superhero Films. Well next is what I consider the Top Draw to get me to the theater and that of course is Horror and ma,n did I see lots of films on the big screen, and I mean a lot! This is truly the genre of film that brings me to the theater every time and with seeing so many this year putting together this list was a little hard as I enjoyed so many of them…but with that, let’s get cozy in our seats and let’s talk Horror!
# 44
Young Kevin and Kaylee wake up to a dark house were strange noises and creepy voice are heard in the darkness, and visions of their mother and father appear as doors, windows, toys and even the toilet seem to disappear. The voice taunts them and tells them to do weird things like look under the bed, go to sleep and even self-harm. Lights go on and off and the youngsters only have flashlights and the glow of the TV that is playing old cartoons. But slowly Kevin finds himself alone in the house looking for help and wanting to find someone to help him out of this nightmarish home of darkness…is this all in the young boys head or are his parents the true monsters? Watch this Experimental Horror film and make up your own mind. This film is not for everyone as it is a very slow burn with lots of white noise and long shots of door frames and Legos mixed with some dialogue, loud noises and cartoons playing and is very much a artsy kind of film that tries to guide the viewer into seeing what they think is truly going on in it. I for one was not a fan as I found it to be kind of bland and not as deep as it was trying to appear to be, and I did not find it that scary and many of the shots linger for way to long and act as filler to pad out the runtime as I feel this would have been better as a short film. The film had a limited release in theaters and did well for IFC at the American box office bringing in $2,052,272.00 on a budget of $15,000.00. This is one that you might want to check out if you think doorframes and flooring are scary. I might try to watch again and see if I like it any better in the future.
# 43
Paul Sturges is a man who works for Nixon Oil who has been sent out to inspect an old oil rig on the Baja Coast to see if it needs to be shutdown, and for this trip he also brings his wife Ines, daughter Audrey and young son Tommy as after they plan to have a fun time in Mexico. But soon Paul and his family find that the oil rig is leaking and most of the crew are gone besides two workers and their pet dog…as you see, that area is now cursed by an Aztec God who protects the land and has set loose The Black Demon, a massive shark that kills anything in its path. With no way off the oil rig and Paul learning that his own employers have sent him there to die, Paul must figure out a way to get his family to safety as well as stop The Black Demon and please the Aztec God by making his wrongs right and making the ultimate sacrifice. This is a pretty fun giant shark film that has a cool setting being in Mexico that sadly just does not have enough of The Black Demon who at times seems like an after thought as the main focus is clearly the damage that mega corporations do to the environment as well as Paul one of the most unlikable “heroes” I have seen in a film for a very long time. The film does have some kills and blood, but it as well is few and far between in the film. The film is well casted with names like Josh Lucas, Fernanda Urrehola, Julio Cesar Ceddillo, Venus Ariel and Jorge A. Jimenez and the music score is well done. The film did ok I would guess for Variance Films at the domestic box office on a very limited releasing bring in a unknown amount on a unknown budget. The Black Demon is not for everyone as it is very much a Horror Film that does not pack a very big bite.
# 42
Jonas Taylor and his crew are searching the ocean not only to discover new species in the trench but are also busting eco terrorist who are polluting the waters, and he is still making time for his step daughter Meiying. But during a dive with his crew and daughter, something goes wrong as they discover a underwater base as well as a illegal metal mining operation that sets off explosions and causes Jonas and the others to have to walk on the ocean floor to enter the base to find shelter as in these waters are all types of man eating creatures and worse of all three Megalodons that are hungry for human flesh! But once Jonas figures a way for them to get back the surface world they must deal with this illegal operation, handle the traitors that work among them, save lives from the approaching Megalodons and a Giant Octopus that was also let loose when the explosion rocked the trench. Can Jonas and his crew beat the odds and save the day…you bet your ass they will…but how they do so I will not say and that means watch this Action based Horror film to find out for yourself. This is yet another letdown in the cinema when it came to giants sharks reeking havoc, as his is another film that at times it seems the sharks take a backseat to the action segments and in fact the whole film really does downplay the Horror aspects. And the action in this one is over the top and super cheesy b-move level stuff. Jason Statham, Cliff Curtis, Shuya Sophia Cai and Page Kennedy return from the first film with names like Jing Wu, Melissanthi Mahut, Skyler Samuels and Sergio Peris-Mencheta being new names to the cast. The film did ok for Warner Brothers at the domestic box office bringing in $82,600,317.00 on a budget of $129million and did much better at the over seas theaters. While not as good as the original film, it still was a great popcorn movie to watch on the big screen if you like water based action films with just sadly a hint of Horror.
# 41
Edward is a man who is about to be executed in the electric chair for committing six murders, but his last psychiatrist committed suicide and now Dr. James Martin has been called in to give his evaluation if Edward is mentally fit to be executed. James soon finds that Edward is claiming that he is Nefarious, a demon that has taken over his body and caused him to do all the evil things, and worse Nefarious knows all of James secrets and things about his life that he shouldn’t. James now must figure out if Edward really does have a demon inside him, how this killer knows so much about his life and if he is going to sign the papers to end this prisoner’s life. The demon Nefarious soon alerts that he wants for Edward to die and that he wants James to release a book about the demons story to help spread the word of The Devil! In the end James makes his choice and must come to terms with his own faith as well as the fact that a demon has his him in his sights. This is a Christian-based Horror Film that mostly takes place in one setting in the prison and has the two main characters going back and fourth trying to get the one up on the other, and Sean Patrick Flanery is fantastic as Edward/Nefarious as he is able to slip between the two characters with a realistic approach. Other names in the cast include Jordan Belfi, Tom Ohmer and Daniel Martin Berkey being the main characters. The film’s frights come from the words of the demon and this was a slow burn and yet entertaining fright film. The film did well for Soli Deo Gloria Releasing at the American box office bringing in $5,433,685.00 on an unknown budget. The film does have a few preachy moments that tries to push is message, but if you look past it the film is ok and one I would watch again.
# 40
Karen starts her new job as an overnight janitor for a furniture factory. She is also a single mom to a sick little girl and her ex-husband was an abusive a-hole. But as her shift goes on five masked me break into the factory with the goal to kill Karen, they have her locked in, the doors chained and the phone lines cut and now she must fight for her life and survive this horrible night to see her daughter again. Who are these masked intruders? Are they robbers, and if not, who sent them? This is a pretty fun Indie Horror Film that is a cat and mouse game as most of the runtime is spent with Karen one step ahead or almost being caught by the masked attackers, and while the suspense is there it does tend to get a little draggy at times. Actress Natalie Terrazzino plays Karen and is fantastic in her role, and I hope to see her casted in more Horror Films soon. The film has some bloody moments and the end will leave you satisfied. The film had a very limited release and did ok for Welcome Villain bringing in a unknown amount on an unknown budget. This film was a blast to watch on the big screen and while it did drag in a few spots it is one I watched again when released on home media.
# 39
Rom takes his girlfriend Bianca to a place called Strawberry Lodge as he has just published his new book, her birthday was just recent, the pandemic had them cooped up and he wanted to propose to her but gets cold feet. All of their close friends have joined them at the lodge and meet the old lady who owns it that leaves them a bottle of wine before making her exit. The friends are all having a great time together, that is until after they drink the wine left for them, and Rom makes the mistake of talking about the legend of the house that includes witches, fear and suicide. Soon their getaway turns into a nightmare of fear as they start seeing things, hearing things and uncovering things that lead many of them to early graves all because of a coven of a evil witches that have a guardian that needs to feed on some souls. Can Rom and Bianca escape the Lodge with whats left of their friends or will they all be undone by their greatest fears. This was a spooky supernatural witch movie that was set during the pandemic times and plays up on peoples fear of the virus as well as how fear in general can lead to your fate. The movie was well cast, with Annie Ilonzeh, Jessica Allain, Tyler Abron and Ruby Modline all being great in their roles. The film did ok for Hidden Empire Film Group at the American box office bringing in $2,090,261.00 on an unknown budget. While not a groundbreaking film about the concept of neither fear nor a virus crisis, it is one that I enjoyed on the big screen and got on home media when released.
# 38
Nasser is a talented cello player who is trying to get his big break playing as part of a big symphony, and his luck he thinks is turning when he gets himself a new cello from a strange man at a pop-up music shop. The more Nasser plays his new cello, the more strange things happen to his family and friends as his new musical instrument is cursed and forces him to play a requiem that causes rage to those who hear it and with their ears bleeding they will attack and kill those around them. After some of his family and friends die, Nasser and his friends Alia and Omar try and find answers as the cello has taken over Nasser’s mind and life and he is having visions of a twisted conductor named Francesco as well as ghostly evil spirits of the creator of the cello who murdered his family and used their bones and blood to create it. But can Nasser stop playing the cello and the evil requiem that is driving the world mad or will Francesco claim another talent for his growing collection of talent to cause mayhem and death all around…watch and find out. This is a horror film that brings supernatural ghosts into the world of classical music and is about a cursed musical instrument as well as a song that will drive people mad when played. The film has some great moments that plays on tension as well as has some interesting ghosts but does suffer from being way to long as it runs 2hrs and should really only be 1hr 25min max as some spots in this movie drags and bogs down some of the chills. The film also has a pretty downbeat ending and is a modern cursed object kind of film, also its cool that it’s a Saudi Arabia release. The films stars Samer Ismail, Jeremy Irons, Tobin Bell, Elham Ali, Mila Al Zahrani and Souad Abdullah as the leads and all are great in their roles with Elham being the standout. The film had a very limited release in America and did $5,314 internationally on an unknown budget for Rozam Media. If you like music based horror, make sure to check this one out.
# 37
A small village is plagued with black magic as one of their temples has been closed down for many years as it is said to have a curse around it…but it is also said to hide treasure! Komari is a man who many think is dead, who is absorbed into black magic and has taken lives and has ruined many of those around him as well as his own, now wandering the country side on a mission to find the treasure and gain more power he is being hunted down by a police captain, his best friend as well as a rich man and his group that want to find the treasures themselves…in other words, there is lots of drama and evil vibes going around and Komari is at the center of it all. This is the sequel to the indie Bollywood Horror film Maa Oori Polimera and brings more twist and turns to that universe, and the end of this second film leaves you on a cliffhanger and the promise of a third film. The film is filled with lots of flashbacks as well as spooky black magic scares…but I will say that the subtitles on the print I saw at the theater were very bad and at times they would just disappear for long periods of time making it a little confusing at times. The film had a very limited release in America and did an unknown amount on an unknown budget. If you like Bollywood Horror like myself, make sure to check this one out.
# 36
Gabbie and her young son Travis move into an old mansion in New Orleans and soon find that it’s haunted by almost a thousand ghosts that are being ruled over by the Hatbox Ghost who needs to collect one more soul in order to bring his terror to the world. Gabbie calls for help from professionals as she learns that once you enter the mansion, a ghost will haunt you until you return! She calls on tour guide and creator of a ghost camera Ben, Harriet a psychic, Father Kent a priest and lastly Professor Davis who kind of forces his way into helping…but they soon find out that the Hatbox Ghost has many terrible tricks up his sleeve and will not stop until one of them dies! But this group is not ready to give up and teaming with some of the more friendly ghosts in the house, they find ways to bring down the Hatbox Ghost and stop his reign of terror on them all as even the other ghost fear him and others obey him not to get on his bad side. This is a very fun kid friendly haunted house film that is based on the popular Disney ride and is fantastically casted with names like LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Own Wilson, Danny DeVito, Tiffany Haddish and Chase W. Dillion making up the main cast with Jamie Lee Curtis, Winona Ryder, Hasan Minhaj having cameos and Jared Leto plays the Hatbox Ghost. The film is filled with lots of kid friendly scares, some good belly laughs, creepy ghosts and characters that go so well together. The film did poorly for Disney at the domestic box office brining in $67,653,287.00 on a budget of $157.8 million. If you like the ride or just silly spooky ghosts in a haunted house film, make sure to check this one out.
# 35
Renfield is still the familiar for Count Dracula after all these centuries, and he is starting to truly hate his life of eating bugs to gain powers in order to capture humans and bring them to Dracula to feed on. But in these modern times Renfield is picking his victims by attending help groups and bringing him those who are abusive. But things turn sour between the two when Renfield meets officer Rebecca Quincy and saves her from a crime family hit that has been placed on her, and this angers Dracula who now is on a mission to not only take over the world by using this crime family now as his army and helpers…but to also kill everyone that Renfield cares about. Can Renfield and Officer Quincy bring down the crime family and stop Dracula, or will they both suffer a fate worse than death at the hands of the vampire king? Watch this Horror Comedy for yourself and find out. Fist thing I have to say is that director Chris McKay must be taking goofy pills when he tried to claim that this film is a direct sequel to the 1931 Universal Monster classic Dracula that starred Bela Lugosi in the title role, and he even adds moments in Renfield to try and connect the two…and this movie is not even close to being a true sequel as everything about it does not fit the first ones moods and setting unless you think CGI Blood, Shaky Cam Fights Scenes, Character That Act Nothing Like They Did In The Original and Goofy Jokes blend well into your classic Universal Monster Universe. And McKay, we had an official sequel in 1936 with “Dracula’s Daughter,” an underrated classic fright flick. Plus zero explanation on how they both are back alive when we see them die in the original film. With all that said it is a fun watch if you remove the “sequel” aspect as it’s filled with over the top gore, lots of Matrix style fights and has a great cast with Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina, Jenna Kanell and even Caroline Williams in a cameo role. Plus the idea of Renfield eating a bug and getting superpowers is an interesting and silly concept that just works. The film did poorly for Universal at the U.S box office bringing in $17,152,625.00 on a budget of $65 million. While I do wish that this was more of a straight up Horror Film, if you are in the mood to watch a modern Horror Comedy with a classic Universal Monster give it a watch. I did buy it when it was released on home media.
# 34
Sadie and her younger sister Sawyer lost their mother in a car accident and their father Will, who is a psychiatrist, has not really dealt with the death well himself and has not fully been their for his daughters. And things get worse when a man shows up to their house and ends up killing himself in one of their closets, as the man has been accused of killing his own kids but he claims is was something else, something evil! Now Sadie must protect her sister Sawyer from the monster of the darkness they call The Boogeyman, make her father believe in the monster they see, accept the loss of her mother as well as find a way to kill this monster from your closet and under your bed. This spooky film is based on the short story from Stephen King and is well cast as both Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair steal the film as they come off as real life caring sisters. The Boogeyman is a cool and strange looking creature that delivers a few good jump scares and in a dark theater I could hear people jump several times. The film did well for 20th Century at the domestic box office bringing in $43,244,282.00 on a budget of $35 million. This is a good PG-13 fright flick that I hope someday will be released on physical media so that I can have it in my collection.
# 33
Karen and Lucy work for a ice cream shop and are rude to a Witch who curses Lucy to become a werewolf, and this causes the friends to head to an abandoned Girl Scouts Camp just in case if she turns into a beast at the full moon…but this gets way out of hand and turns crazy as the two friends discover that the curse is real and have run ins with zombies, cult members and even Bigfoot all in order to find themselves and save Lucy from howling at the moon and ripping her friend into pieces as well as break the witch’s curse. This is a silly Horror Comedy that blends together pretty well, and while some of the humor fell flat for me I still found it to be entertaining as the characters are silly and the use of practical effects gives it a nice touch to the classic days of Indie Horror. The film is well casted with such names as VyVy Nguyen, Brooke Markham, Hershel Sparber, Jimmy Bellinger and Erin Daniels all do a great job in their roles. The film had a limited release for Fathom Events and did ok at the domestic box office with unknown profits on an unknown budget. While not the funniest Horror Comedy I have ever seen, it was cool seeing on the big screen at the theater as the film’s editor’s dad was in the audience with us and is one I will get if released on Home Media.
# 32
The Traveler is a man found in a safe house chained to a dead man filled with over 20 immigrants that have all been shot in the head. Once at the police station The Traveler tells four stories to the investigating officers that are horrific and some humorous in nature, but warns them that he needs to be set free as a death demon is coming for him and will kill everyone in its path…and while he is immortal he has to stay ahead of this demon in order to prevent the return of dark times. But can The Travelers stories scare the officers into believing him or will the Death Demon come for them all…watch this Hispanic Horror Anthology Film and find out. This is a mix bagged as some of the segments are good, others are ok and some are boring, but all of them are well shot and acted and the use of practical effects for the monsters and demons is really cool. The switching from straight up Horror to Horror Comedy can be a little jarring at times as it gives it a little of a odd pacing. Very cool that this small independent film got a very limited showing at the theaters and over all was a pretty dang entertaining watch. The film on its limited release brought in $16,288 at the international box office for Iconic Events Releasing. This is one that I look forward to watching again to see if I missed anything hidden.
# 31
In a small town the corn crops are all dying off and leaving the towns people broke, and their only hope is to make a deal with the government to not grow corn any more. And the town’s kids are not happy about this as teenager Boleyn Williams wants to save the corn and soil to help the land as well as the town grow, while young Eden Edwards wants to protect it as she has made a friend with He Who Walks Behind, a creature who has watched after her and even filled her head with bad thoughts. And when the time comes Eden leads all the kids into an uprising as they kill all the adults for their sins against the corn and she introduces them to He Who Walks Behind with plans to lead the youth uprising around the country! The only ones who try and help the adults are Boleyn and her friends who see what Eden is doing is wrong, but can they stop her plans of death and pleasing her monstrous corn friend…or will they end up dead like all the adults who crossed her…watch this reboot to the Children Of The Corn series and find out for yourself. This was a fun “sequel” of sorts that was a very enjoyable watch on the big screen as I think the character Eden Edwards played by actress Kate Moyer is a sinister youngster who is driven by evil and ego. Plus you can never go wrong with a corn monster! The film has some great deaths and it has a good cast with Elena Kampouris, Callan Mulvey and Bruce Spence all having big rolls. The film had a very limited released and did ok for RLJE Films at the American box office bringing in $325,583.00 on a unknown budget. Harshly judged by “fans” and critics this is one that I enjoyed and got on home media when released.
# 30
Grace is an eye doctor who gets the sad news that her brother Michael, a priest, is dead and is believed to be involved in a murder suicide, but Grace don’t think so and travels to the Isle Of Skye to a convent where this took place and soon finds that the nuns are all very odd and The Mother Superior seems to be the one who claims her brother had a demon in him to commit these crimes. But when Father Romero arrives Grace’s life and her own views seem to be twisted as she learns that she herself might be the cause of all this as she grew up with visions, a abusive father and just might possible be a fallen angel and a religious relic. But is Grace good, evil or something in-between? Watch this creepy Religious based Horror Film and find out yourself. One of the several Religious Horror Films release in 2023 and this one was pretty entertaining as I enjoyed the twists and turns the plot took plus it was well casted with Jena Malone being fantastic as Grace and fellow actors Danny Huston, Eilidh Fisher, Thoren Ferguson and Janet Suzman all being fantastic in their roles. The film had a few creepy moments and they did a good job on not relying on jump scares to try and bring the frights. The film did ok for IFC bringing in $538,551.00 at the American box office on an unknown budget. A fun spooky watch at the theater that I enjoyed and one that I got when released on home media for the Horror Film Collection.
# 29
Emily is a collage student who loves animals and adopts a sloth she names Alpha as her sorority mascot and to become more popular among her sorority sisters as she is running for chapter president against the popular Brianna, but things go wrong when Alpha goes crazy and starts killing off all the ladies in the house on by one as she wants to prove that she is the true Queen of the sorority house. This is a very silly Horror Comedy that features a killer sloth that is like an un-killable slasher killer who murders college women in all types of silly ways and even uses a cellphone and drives a car in order to kill her targets! The film is well casted with names like Lisa Ambalavanar, Sydney Craven, Tiff Stevenson, Olivia Rouyre and Milica Vrzic being the standouts. The film is PG-13 and does have some bloody moments and outrageous kills. The film feels like a “Funny Or Die” skit that is stretched out to be a feature length film…but not saying that in a bad way as it is a fun time. The film had a very limited release and did ok for Iconic Events Releasing at the international box office bringing in $122,542on a unknown budget. It’s one I will get on physical media and will watch again.
# 28
Beau is a man that lives in a dangerous part of town who grew up very sheltered by his rich mother who raised him on her own and filled him with so much fear of falling in love, making decisions and even having sex, all making him think that he could die. And after a tragedy Beau must try and make it to his childhood home but along the way he finds many set back as he is hit by a car and has to spend time with a weird family who are almost keeping him prisoner, avoid a crazed army vet who is hunting him down, meets a weird traveling group that put on plays in the woods and even thinks back to the first girl he ever crushed on. But once he finally makes it home, he finds that his anxiety is worse as things about his life, past and even present come to light and Beau finds out the truth of why he has always been afraid to live his own life. And really this is just the best way I can describe this film without spoiling too many of the twists and reveals that are in its three hour runtime! The film has some very dark moments and even has its fair share of death and blood, but the true horror comes from the bad things Beau has to go through to get back home, and all the while he is trying to be mindful and scared to make the wrong choice to lead him there. The film is well cast with Joaquin Phoenix playing Beau and other actors include Parker Posey, Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Bill Hader, Richard Kind and Dennis Menochet to name a few. The film is a strange one and of very entertaining in its own way but sadly it did not do well at the U.S box office for A24 only bringing in $8,176,562.00 on a $35 million budget. This is a film that is not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it and is one I got on home media when released.
# 27
A group of evil satanic cultist steal the Shroud of Turin with the purpose to clone the DNA of Jesus Christ to grow a new baby in order for Lucifer to take over its being as the ultimate disrespect to God and a way for him to bring Hell to Earth. The cult is lead by Liz, Dr. Laurent and Beast Of The Ground, all of whom will kill, torture and commit the ultimate crimes again mankind to serve their master’s coming. The only thing standing in their way is The Archangel Michael who has taken over the body of a slain priest and Laura, a kidnaped art student, who is being forced to carry the created child…this is a battle between good and evil and will Lucifer and his army be free from their hellish imprisonment or does God have a different plan in place…watch this Horror Action film and see for yourself. What a fun film that kind of reminds me of the Underworld series with a dash of I, Frankenstein just with a smaller budget and features Lucifer and his minions as the main villains. The film is pretty gory in spots as heads are cut off and faces are split in half with The Beast Of The Ground being a very cool and spooky character. The film did very poorly at the American box office for Third Day Productions bringing in only $765,218.00 on an unknown budget. I want to say that Juliet and I had a fun time watching this one and for some reason I kept thinking that if Fangoria Comics was still around that they would have done a comic book series about this. I bought when it was released on home media.
# 26
Winnie The Pooh, Piglet and the rest of the 100 Acre Wood gang end up turning feral after Christopher Robin grows older and leaves them behind. As Pooh and Piglet grow older, they become more wild and start killing and eating humans that wonder into or around their woods. And even kidnap and torture Christopher Robin when he returns to the woods with his wife that they slaughter in front of him. Time passes and Maria along with her friend’s head to a cabin in those woods to get away from the trauma of a peeping tom stalker who broke into her home, but soon they find themselves being hunted and killed by the unstoppable Pooh and violent Piglet who’s hatred for humans knows no bounds. When Maria finds and frees Christopher, can they survive this blood bath or will they find themselves in the belly of Pooh and be just another meal? Watch this creature feature slasher film and find out for yourself! Once Winnie The Pooh fell into the Public Domain director Rhys Frake-Waterfield jumped on turning the classic character into a horror film killer, and for the most part he pulled it off and made an entertaining film. I think that what makes this one work is that it takes an idea that should be very silly and treats it seriously. The film stars Maria Taylor, Nikolai Leon, Craig David Dowsett, Chris Cordell, Natasha Tosini and Amber Doig-Thorne who steals the film, oh and the creature effects are really cool and most of the gore effects work well. The film did ok for Fathom Events at the US box office on a limited release bringing in $1,750,639.00 on a budget of $100,000. A fun silly slasher that I picked up once released on home media for the Horror collection as it’s a fun one for sure.
# 25
Eric and Andrew with their adopted daughter Wen have rented a cabin in the woods of New Jersey to get away from the stresses of the city, but soon Leonard along with three others show up with crudely made weapons and take the family hostage and alert them that they have four chances to save all the lives on Earth, but the price to save everyone is that the family have to pick one of their own to die and every time they are asked to make the choice and say “no” thousands and thousands of people die in horrific events and disasters including one of the four captures dies by the hands of the others. Now Andrew and Eric must make the choice to believe if these four strangers are just an end of the world cult, if the end times are really upon us and if they should save the world and make the biggest sacrifice by ending one of their loved ones lives to do so. How does this Psychological Horror film end and is the world really ending and if so does this family save everyone…watch it and find out for yourself. This is a very creepy and well made film from director M. Night Shyamalan that is based on the novel “The Cabin At The End Of The World” by Paul G. Tremblay and is perfectly casted with such names as Dave Bautista, Kristen Cui, Ben Aldridge, Jonathan Groff, Rupert Grint, Abby Quinn and Nikki Amuka-Bird making up the main cast. The film does a great job of playing with your mind and building up suspense and making you think what you would do if this horrific situation was asked of you. The film did well for Universal at the American box office bringing in $35,397,980.00 on a budget of $20 million. This is one I got on home media when released as it was one I wanted to watch again.
# 24
Meghna grew up without her mother and was raised by her father who before her 21st birthday hangs himself out of pain as in his diary he tells his daughter that his illness was caused by her mother who poisoned him and left them both in order to become rich with a new husband. And weirdly after her father’s death his heart is missing from his body and this causes Meghna want to find her mother to get revenge for his father’s death as well as her poor childhood. So she travels to see her mother and her new family and along with the sprit of her father and a half dead evil monk they set up everyone for revenge, but soon Meghna finds that her Mother, Sister and Step Father are good people who love her and that maybe her past was not fully true but it is to late to stop it as her younger sister is now possessed by an evil spirit and now Meghna must do everything she can to save her family from the evil she brought down on them. This is a spooky fun Bollywood Horror film that is a mix of the sub genres of Possession and Haunted House films that is mixed with songs and green screen backgrounds. The film has lots of strange characters with the oddest being the half rotting faced monk who is working along side the spirit of the father who self harmed himself to get revenge on his wife that left him. The film stars Avika Gor, Barkha Bisht, Rahul Dev and Avtar Gill and had a limited release in America. This is just one of many Horror Films released in 2023 that features possession, and if you like modern Bollywood Horror films you should check this one out, on a side note when seeing this in the theater Juliet and I were the only ones there and that’s a shame as it would have been cool to have seen it with a crowd. And for those wondering 1920 is a film series in India and this is the fifth film in the series.
# 23
Julia lost her husband in a terrible car wreck, and she is now a single mother who has to move her daughter Amy and son Henry to an old church in Spain that was left to them, but soon a demon posses Henry, and the Vatican takes notice and sends in Father Gabriele Amorth to investigate and perform an exorcist if necessary. Once there he finds that this old time church is a true place of evil and that Henry’s life and soul are truly in danger as the demon has his sites on the ultimate prize and that is to posses Gabriele and cause evil to spread in the church by spreading wild theories. But Father Gabriele along with Spanish Father Esquibel have strong faith and with the backing and blessing of The Pope himself go to war with this powerful demon to stop it’s evil quest as well as truly come face to face with their own sins, will good beat out evil…well if you now the story of the real Gabriele Amorth you know the answer. This was a truly enjoyable possession film that had some great creepy moments that was highlighted by the cursed church setting. Russell Crowe is fantastic as Father Gabriele and names like Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, Laurel Marsden, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney and Franco Nero make up the main cast and are all great in their roles. The film also has some bloody moments as in one scene a woman explodes! The film did well for Sony at the American box office bringing in $20,002,746.00 on a budget of $18 million. Very enjoyable exorcist film that I got on home media when released and is one I hope sparks a franchises as this could be Sony’s Conjuring films if they play their cards right. And yes, this is one that I bought on home media when released.
# 22
James Foster is a writer whose first book was six years ago and after some bad reviews he has gotten writers block and is looking for inspiration to start his next, and his wife Em is trying her best to help him. But while at a resort, they meet Gabi and Alban a couple who are fans of James and who take the couple out for a fun time, but after James is driving drunk and kills a farmer his life is turned upside down as he is rich enough to escape punishment for his crime in this resort city, but he must watch a perfect clone of himself die for the crime…and this starts his life spiraling out of control as he gets mixed up with Gabi and Alban’s plus their friends who have all watched themselves die and are running wild on this resort island as they have the money to get out of paying for their horrific crimes. With his wife mad at him and his new friends mocking him and getting him in to very bad things what is James to do to survive this resort nightmare or will he give into the thrill of watching himself die over and over for the bad things he does. Watch this twisted Brandon Cronenberg Horror Mystery Film for yourself and find out. This film is very well casted with names like Alexander Skarsgard, Mia Goth, Cleopatra Coleman and John Ralston to name a few all playing big roles and as always Mia Goth is beautiful and steals the film as she is just a fantastic actress. The film has some bloody moments and a thought provoking plot that will please indie Horror Fans. The film did pretty well for Neon at the US box office brining in $5,078,400.00 on an unknown budget. Worth a watch for sure and one I bought when released on home media.
# 21
When a drug delivery goes wrong and millions of dollars worth of cocaine is dropped out of a plane into the woods of Georgia, a drug dealer sends his son and right hand man to retrieve it, but also on their way to those woods is a local detective trying to bust the dealers, a mom looking for her daughter and her best friend that skipped school, three punk teenagers who like to rob hikers as well as a forest ranger along with an animal rights activist…but unknown to all of them is that a 500 pound black bear has eaten lots of the cocaine and is now super high and on a bloody rampage killing anyone in it’s way in its quest to find more drugs! Can the mother find the kids, will the drug dealers find what is left of his inventory or will Cocaine Bear slaughter them all searching for it’s next high? Watch this fun Horror Comedy loosely based on a true story to find out for yourself. What a fun bloody good time this was, as animal attack Horror has been slacking on the big screen and this one delivered as Cocaine Bear is a violent and sometimes silly creature who can not get enough of the drug and when it kills, it slaughters. The film is well casted with names like Keri Russell, Ray Liotta, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Brooklynn Prince, Christian Convery and Isiah Whitlock Jr. and many others all being perfect in their roles. The film did well for Universal at the American box office bringing in $64,388,510.00 on a budget of $35 million, showing that Universal has been doing Horror right for the past few years. This one is a must see for fans of Horror Comedy and is one I got on home media when released.
# 20
The demon Valak has returned and is killing religious workers at churches across Europe on its quest to find a relic, and this leads to a small French boarding school that hides the item it seeks. Meanwhile the church has sent out Sister Irene who is joined by Sister Debra as they travel around to the rash of bizzare deaths, and this leads them as well to the school. In the end it’s a showdown between good and evil, as Irene once more must face the terror of The Nun and try to send it back to Hell once and for all. The newest film in the Conjuring universe delivers some great jump scares as well as a new demon that joins Valak in scaring the heck out of the kids at the school, but it also has some truly head scratching moments mostly with characters that have no real reason as well as I was not to keen on how Valak was defeated this time around. The plot is good and will remind you of so many other demonic possession films you have watched in the past giving it that classic feel. The film is well acted and casted with such names as Taissa Farmiga, Storm Reid, Jonas Bioquet, Bonnie Aarons, Katelyn Rose Downey and Anna Popplewell making up the main cast with Farmiga, Aarons and Jonas all returning from the first film. The film did well for New Line Cinema at the domestic box office bringing in $86,255,396.00 on a budget of around $40million. While this second film was not as good or creepy as the first film, it still was a bloody good watch on the big screen.
# 19
Josh Lambert is having bad memory issues as the past events of being in The Further and dealing with the lost souls within it have been blocked from his mind, and the same goes for Dalton, his now college-aged son. And all this stress and lack of memory has also taken a toll on Josh’s family as he is separated from his wife and only gets to spend little time with his kids. But when both Josh and Dalton start to slightly remember, the door to The Further is open and The Lipstick-Face Demon along with other lost souls are now looking to be freed and the demon has set his sites on possessing Dalton. And its up to Josh to remember his past and travel back into The Further in order to save his sons soul, close the Red Door for good as well as learn to let go of his own past and forgive. This fifth film in the Insidious series is a little of a slow burn that packs a few jump scares as well as brings back The Lipstick-Face Demon in one more attempt to ruin the Lambert family. The film’s characters mix really well as they come off as a dysfunctional family hiding secrets that are trying to work it all out. The film stars Patrick Wilson (who also directed), Ty Simpkins, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Sinclair Daniel and Joseph Bishara in the main roles and all do a great job. The film has some great scared mixed with family drama and even a dash of humor and makes for another great sequel in the Insidious franchise. The film did good for Sony at the domestic box office bringing in $82,156,962.00 on a budget of $16 million. If you enjoy the Insidious films this fifth film is one you will want to see and is one I got on home media when released.
# 18
It’s the last day of camp for the kids and staff of Briarbrook as the fun days of summer are coming to an end Peter, the grandson of the camp’s owner and son of the camps head counselor throws a party with the staff, and they try to raise the dead as they prick their fingers and draw blood for Nurse Agatha, a nurse who was said to have been banned from the camp as she had cruel ways of “treating” and “curing” patients including blood letting and her own blend of medicines. It is said that she tripped and fell in the woods hitting her head on a rock and bleeding to death after she was chased away from camp. But what was a harmless campfire tale comes true as Nurse Agatha has returned and has gotten the kids under a spell and all those who pricked their fingers have been marked for brutal deaths, but soon Peter finds out there is way more to this legend and his family bloodline is connected to her dark past, can they survive camp or will the lake fill with the blood of these councilors…watch and find out. This is a horror film with a dash of comedy that pays tribute to the slasher films in the 80’s that took place in summer camps. The film is well casted with such names as Cara Buono, William Sadler, Spencer List, Clare Foley, Adam Weppler and Ehad Berisha make up most of the main cast and are great in their roles with Adam Weppler’s character Dylan being such a jerk that you have to laugh. The film has some pretty fun kills and the killer Nurse Agatha is spooky looking and if Fangoria still was making comics I would have loved to seen them do a comic series based on this film! The film had a limited release and did ok for Blue Finch Films at the US box office bringing in unknown profits on an unknown budget. A fun summer camp horror film that was worth a pick up on home media when released.
# 17
A group of old college friends get together for their reunion and to celebrate Juneteenth at a cabin in the woods, but what is supposed to be a fun time of talking, drinking and catching up soon turns into a nightmare after they find a board game called “The Blackening” and make the mistake of starting to play it as when they do a masked killer with a crossbow appears and their choices in the game are a matter of life or death! This game of survival will test their friendships as well as survival skills as the killer makes them play his twisted game and the wrong answers will equal an untimely death, can this group of friends survive? Check out this Horror Comedy and find out for yourself! This is a fun slasher film that is wrapped with humor and is very entertaining as I found all the friend characters to be likable and charming in their own ways. The film has its fair share of crossbow kills and even has a scene of splatter that is done with humor. The film starts names like Grace Byers, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Antoinette Robertson, X Mayo and Dewayne Perkins to name a few and all are great in their roles. The film did well for Lionsgate at the domestic box office bringing in $17,707,207.00 on a budget of only $5 million. Worth a watch for fans who like Horror Comedies and one I got on home media when released.
# 16
A small village in India is being plagued by killings of couples that are committing affairs and the deaths are framed to look like suicides, but the local SI knows that these deaths are not what they seem as they all take place after someone has written about the affairs on the city walls for everyone to see. And while the townspeople are gossiping and pointing fingers out of fear, a masked figure is stalking the woods and his motives is unknown and when the towns doctor sees the ghost of a woman shunned by the village who committed suicide in a well the mystery of who is doing the killing and their motives thickens as the SI must stop these killings masked as suicides and bring the killer or killers to justice. This is a really great Bollywood Horror Films that has lots of twists and turns and even has a few elements of Phantom Of The Opera and Saw thrown in to keep it spooky. As the plot unfolds more and more is explained and the view of the killers is shown more clearly and to be honest you find yourself cheering for them. The film also deals with some social issues really well like women’s rights, the power of those in charge and even dealing with lost love. The film is a blend of Thriller, Slasher and Supernatural and of course done in the style that India has for these types of Horror Films. The film is well casted with such names as Payal Rajput, Nandita Swetha, Divya Pillai, Ravindra Vijay and Priyadarshi Pulikonda making up the lead roles. The film had a limited showing in theaters and did well for Flyhigh at the box office. If you enjoy Bollywood Horror like I do make sure to check out Mangalavaaram as it’s a well made fright flick that starts off slow but builds to a great ending.
# 15
Marty is a man down on his luck as his stepfather thinks he is a loser, he works hard at a fast food burger restaurant and gets no respect and all he has in the world is his Battle Cats toy collection and the want to win a contest that will have his stay at the Satanic magicians Bartok The Great’s mansion to summon an ancient demon and be granted eternal life….and he wins as he is the virgin the ritual needs! Calling himself Onyx The Fortuitous, he meets the four other contest winners and finally has found the friends he has been looking for, but soon this fun time at the mansion turns sinister when he discovers their host Bartok and his female demon Farrah are going to kill them all to rise the demon and turn them all into mindless ghouls! Can Onyx be the true chosen one to save the day or will this burger flipper fumble and cause the end of the world as we know it…watch this silly Horror Comedy and find out for yourself. This was surprisingly good and while a little to long it offered some great laughs and characters that were likeable even if Onyx is one strange guy. The film uses practical effects to showcase ghouls and demons and they look good and remind me of stuff you would have seen in the 80’s. The film also bring actors Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton back together and other actors include Andrew Bowser, Terrence Carson, Rivkah Reyes, Melanie Chandra, Arden Myrin and Olivia Taylor Dudley as the demon Farrah who is just stunning in the film. The film was released limited by Fathom Events and did ok for them at the domestic box office bringing in $182,021.00 on an unknown budget. While the films scares are played more for laughs, this was a fun one that I will own once released on home media.
# 14
Sam and her family come from India to live in America and as she starts becoming a teenager, she starts want to fit in more with her fellow classmates and even drifts away from her childhood friend Tamira who is acting very strange caring around a jar creeping people out and looking like she has not slept for days, but when Sam out of frustration with his former friend’s oddness breaks the jar, she unknowingly unleashes a demon called a Pishach that is now on the loose and has taking Tamira and hidden her away in order to feed on her soul for seven days before finally ending her life, and now Sam must try to rescue her past friend as well as avoid this demon who has now set its twisted sites on her and is attacking those she seeks help from…will Sam be able to save her friend as well as her own life watch this fun demonic creature feature and find out for yourself. What a surprise this film was as it was such a great watch and felt like a Bollywood Horror film with an American touch that was only missing the musical numbers as it dealt with a demonic entity from Hindu lore. The Pishach is a cool and interesting creature, delivered some good scares and the film makes great use of its score music as well as the use of the fall season and rainstorms. The film is well casted with such names as Neeru Bajwa, Megan Suri, Mohana Krishnan, Betty Gabriel, Vik Sahay and Gage Marsh all being great in their roles. The film did pretty well for Neon at the domestic box office bringing in $4,675,092.00 on an unknown budget. This is one I enjoyed very much and bought once released on home media.
# 13
Angela and Katherine are friends who one day after school head into the woods to hold a ritual so that Angela can speak to her mother that passed away when she was born, but instead they invoke a demon who takes over their bodies and causes them to go missing for three days. Once the girls are found they remember nothing and once home the demon comes out to play causing them to harm themselves as well as others their parents come together along side friends, religious figures and even Chris MacNeil who’s daughter Regan was possessed…can they truly exorcise this demon and save the young girls or will their souls be damned to Hell…watch this sixth film in The Exorcist series and find out for yourself. This is another case of a film getting lots of hate for no reason and so many moviegoers listening to crap sites like Rotten Tomatoes and online “Reviewers” and not giving it a chance. The film is well acted and has some great creepy moments and has some great atmosphere as well. The films cast includes Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Lidya Jewett, Olivia Marcum as well as returning to the series Ellen Burtyn &Linda Blair! The film did just ok for Universal at the domestic box office bringing in $65,537,395.00 on a budget of $30million. While I understand its not as great as the original film, it was a good sequel that in my opinion did the series justice.
# 12
All the churches are closed and people are being possessed and if they are killed by gunshot or not by what is called a cleaner, dark times will fall all around the people who are near and that includes possession and death of their loves ones…it will spread like a sickness. And when two brothers make the mistake of helping a neighboring farmer dispose of a young man who is swelled up with infection and is possessed and by doing so they have infected their town. As the sickness spreads and the children become demonic and adults turn into cannibalistic killers, the two brothers must do what they can to survive and try and save as many of their family and friends as they can, but can they stop the possession sickness or is the world doomed? Watch this creepy film and find out for yourself! This is another possession film released to theaters in 2023 and this one is made in Argentina and really brings a creepy atmosphere as well as a mood that is filled with dread as we watch people die all around and the end of society breaking down before our eyes. There are some pretty gruesome deaths as well as gross moments that can turn your stomach if you are grossed out by infections and puss. The film stars such actors as Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demian Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski and Silvia Sabater and all do great in their parts, but I will say the character Pedro makes many decisions in the film that will make you scream at the screen about how dumb he is! The film had a very small limited release but did do well for IFC Films at the domestic box office bringing in $546,626.00 on an unknown budget. This is one of the better possession films released this year and one I bought on home media when released.
# 11
The town of Plymouth, Massachusetts was shaken by a Black Friday sale on Thanksgiving that left many people dead as shoppers rioted and caused mass amounts of death and injures. A year later, Jessica and her friends who were at the riots (as she is the daughter of the store owner) find themselves as well as others at the store during this horrific time on the hit list of a mask wearing killer who is calling himself John Carver who has a score to settle with them all, and is using social media to taunt them all as he deals out death in bloody ways. And when John Carver captures Jessica as well as her family and friends will they become Thanksgiving dinner & entertainment or will she be able to survive and stop this mad man and find out his true motives? This is a fun Holiday slasher film that was created by Eli Roth who made a fake trailer for this film back in 2007 for the film Grindhouse and in 2023 finally made the film into a feature. The film has some great gory kills with good effects and I liked the masked killer John Carver even if I was not a fan of who he turns out to be in the end. The film also has a great cast with such names as Patrick Dempsey, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, Gina Gershon, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Gabriel Davenport and Addison Rae making up some of the lead rolls. The film did well for TriStar Pictures at the domestic box office bringing in a total of $31,806,973 on a budget of $15million. This is a fun spooky film that I will watch from time to time on Thanksgiving and is one I will get once on DVD or Blu-Ray.
# 10
Mike is a young man who is raising his younger sister Abby after both of there parents passed away, and worse Mike is plagued with nightmares of the day his younger brother was kidnapped while the family was camping. Mike has a hard time keeping a job and ends up taking one being a nighttime security officer at a rundown pizza restaurant called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza that has been closed for decades after it was connected to a rash of missing kids. And soon he finds that the animatronics are alive and want to friend and then turn his young sister into one of them and just maybe this pizza place has a connection to his missing brother and when he meets Vanessa, the police officer that has the restaurant on her beat, they must find a way to stop Freddy Fazbear and his animatronic gang as well as the evil man that is controlling them in order to save young Abby’s life and soul. This PG-13 Horror Film is based on the super popular video game series and was a great watch on the big screen as many of the fellow moviegoers even came dressed up as characters from the games adding to the fun nature of the film. This fright flick is packed with some cool scares, cool animatronic monsters and even some truly depressing moments dealing with missing kids and homicides. The film stars such actors as Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, Elizabeth Lail, Matthew Lillard, Mary Stuart Masterson and Kat Conner Sterling make up the main cast and all do a great job in their roles. The film did great for Universal at the domestic box office bringing in $137,275,620.00 on a budget of $20 million. It was a great watch on the big screen for the Halloween season and is one I bought on home media when it was released. I also have to say this is a perfect film to show younger Horror Fans as it has just the right amount of scares and atmosphere to frighten the younger viewers.
# 9
Winnie Carruthers lives in Angel Falls with her parents and brother and a masked serial killer is on the loose and killing one of Winnie’s friends at a Christmas Eve party and attempting to kill her as well as her brother, but she turns the table and is able to kill the killer who turns out to be the towns Mayor Henry Waters. A year passes and Winnie has not dealt well with the death of her friend as well as killing a man, and when she finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her with her friend, she wishes she was never born…and she gets her wish! Now in Angel Falls no one knows her and the killer has been on the loose the whole time as she never killed him and even now has killed her brother causing the whole town to live in fear, and now along with a young woman that the town named Weirdo she must bring down the Mayor again to stop the killings and just possibly return to have been born again. But soon Winnie finds that her being in this alternate Angel Falls might not just be to teach her a lesson but to also maybe make some major changes in another’s life. This is a fun Christmas slasher horror film that does a great job of making a more twisted version of the holiday classic “It’s A Wonderful Life” the killer when masked is really cool looking and the scares are even mixed with a good dash of humor that really works. The film is well casted and everyone does a fantastic job in their roles and actors in the cast include Jane Widdop, Jess McLeod, Justin Long, Katharine Isabelle, Joel McHale and Cassandra Naud to name a few. The film had a very limited release in theaters and did pretty good for RLJE Films at the domestic box office bringing in $811,818.00 on a unknown budget. This was a really fun Holiday Slasher Film and is one I would say you should checkout and is one I bought when released on Home Media.
# 8
John Kramer is dying from brain cancer and travels to Mexico in order to get treated by a doctor and her experimental treatment that is said to cure people up to 90% of the time, but when John pays them a ton of money, he soon finds out that he has been ripped off and is still dying in months from his cancer and this causes him to call on his assistants Amanda Young and Detective Hoffman to help him track down and capture the con artists and make them face his traps to try and help them change their ways or end their lives by their own hands. The 10th Saw film was truly a great trip in nostalgia as not only was it great seeing John, Hoffman and Amanda return but also all the bloody and gory traps that we all love from this series. This film also takes place in the early timeline of the series more important right after the second film. The film stars Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Costas Mandylor, Synnove Mecody Lund, Renata Vaca and Steven Brand. The film did well for Lions Gate at the domestic box office bringing in $53,607,898.00 on a budget of $13 million showing that this series still has some life in it. If you are a fan of Saw, make sure to check this one out if you have not, plus this is one I bought on home media when released.
# 7
Jessica Loren is a second-generation police officer who is fallowing in her fathers footsteps, as he was a hero who saved three woman from being killed by a demonic cult…but also snapped and killed some of his fellow officers before turning the gun on himself. And for her first night on duty she volunteered to spend it at the old station that this massacre took place in and will be there alone until morning. But she soon finds that she is not truly alone, as a homeless man appears who is rambling about his missing daughter, a beat up street walker who witnessed a cult member mass suicide and even a massive pig is in the station…and worse of all Jessica is getting phone calls from cult members who have re-kidnapped the three girls that were slated to be slaughtered and something evil is truly in this rundown police station, as the undead Cult Leader and is deceased followers are back and need to feed The Lower God souls! Will Jessica survive this last shift? Will she find out why her father committed this massacre? And are these Cultist real or just in her head? Watch this creepy reimagining/remake of the 2014 fright flick “The Last Shift” and find out for yourself. This is a very creepy film that is set in a rundown police station that uses jump scares and unsettling images and plots to make the view uneasy, and that is what makes it feel even different from the film is a remake of making it truly feel like its own story of a cult of demon worshipers. The films effects, score and acting are really good with names like Jessica Sula, Clarke Wolfe, Morgan Lennon, Kevin Wayne and Chaney Morrow all being fantastic in their roles. The film did ok for Welcome Villain in the U.S. on a limited release bringing in $221,738.00 on an unknown budget. If you enjoy your horror movies with demons and cults this one is for you, also bought when released on home media.
# 6
Captain Elliot and his crew have been hired to deliver cargo to England and even have to hire extra hands for the ship and that includes Clemens, a Black doctor who is a good hand and who also just wants to get home. But while at sea, things turn really bad for the crew when one of the cargo boxes they were hired to transport busts open and inside is dirt and a young woman who is barely alive and covered by bite marks and must survive by blood transfusions, their pet dog and all the live stock on board are killed with the same bite marks and worse something seems to be killing the crew one by one. When they find out that the vampire Dracula is on the ship those who are remaining must come up with a plan to survive as well as stop him from reaching England…but can they do so or will this truly be the last voyage for the ship the Demeter…watch this amazing Universal Monster movie and find out. This film proves that classic monsters can still be scary and that Dracula is truly a timeless character that can bring the terror to the big screen. The film is well casted with names like Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian and Javier Botet as Dracula. The film also uses practical effects in much of the film given Dracula and the gore that real feel, something lacking in many modern Horror Films. The film very poorly for Universal at the domestic box office bringing in $13,637,189.00 on a budget of only $45 million. This is another film like Invisible Man (2018) that I hope proves to Universal that the classic monsters are still scary and we don’t need huge budget action of comedy films based around them. This is one I bought of course when released on home media and say that if you like classic Horror and have not seen this, you should.
# 5
Gemma is a single woman who works for a toy company creating robotic toys that innovate the market, but after an accident she becomes the caregiver for her niece Cady when her parents die. To deal with the lose Gemma introduces Cady to M3gan, a specialized robotic doll that links up and bonds with her and things are going great even though Cady is becoming too attached to her new robotic friend. But things soon turn deadly as M3gan will do what ever it takes to keep Cady from emotional or physical harm and that includes even killing! Can Gemma break this bond this robotic terror has with her niece and stop her killing rampage…or is Cady’s feature set with M3gan being her friend and support…watch this twisted fun film from the mind of James Wan to find out. This was such a fun and great way to kick off the first Horror Film in theater in 2023 as the film has some great creepy moments, is pretty bloody for a PG-13 film and M3GAN is a great new Horror character that I hope sparks many sequels to come. The film did really well for Universal at the American box office bringing in $95,043,350.00 on a budget of only $12 million. This is a great film and is one that I bought when released on home media and if you have not seen it and like killer doll films like Child’s Play and Dolly Dreariest make sure to check this one out.
# 4
Mia is a young woman who is going through lots of stress and sadness after her mother’s suicide two years ago and her strained relationship with her father. She has been staying with her friend Jade’s family that includes mother Sue and younger brother Riley, and one night the three youths go to a strange party hosted by Joss and Hayley as they have a strange severed hand statue that if you hold and say the words “Talk To Me” you see a dead spirit and if you say “I Let You In” the spirit will take over your body, and the party hosts would allow this for only 90 seconds and then remove the hand from your grasp and blow out a candle to break the connection. But things get really bad when Mia and Jade host a small gathering to mess with the hand and Riley stays under the possession for longer than 2 minutes when Mia thanks the spirit inside him was her mother, and this causes Riley to violently attack himself and be near death in the hospital! Mia is blamed for this horrific event as she kept the connection from being broken and now she becomes obsessed with the hand, wanting to save Riley who has a spirit stuck inside him as well as battle all the visions she is seeing of the lost souls that are trying to drag her down. Can Mia save her friends brother and herself or is all hope lost when she messed with things she should not have, watch this spooky A24 Horror Film and find out for your self! This is a delightfully creepy film that does a great job of building the mood, making you like the characters and delivering scares that are not just from loud noises or jump scares. The effects for the lost spirits is really great as is the “gore” effects and its really well casted with such names as Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Miranda Otto, Zoe Terakes and Chris Alosio making up the main cast. The film did really well for A24 at the domestic box office brining in $48,299,436.00 on a budget of around $4.5 million, once more showing Horror is a hit on the big screen. This is one I got once released on home media.
# 3
The Carpenter sisters Sam and Tara along with their friends and siblings Mindy and Chad have moved away from Woodsboro and to New York to start a new life after being attacked by Ghostface a few years back, but things are not great as Sam is being accused of doing the killing and framing her Ex-Boyfriend by conspiracy theorists while Tara herself is just refusing to deal with it at all. But the Big Apple turns out to not be so safe as a new Ghostface killer is after the sisters and their friends, and this one is more brutal and mean with his kills, and coming along to help them survive is Gail Weathers as well as Kirby Reed (Scream 4) who is now working for the FBI and a cop whose daughter was killed by this slasher! Can the sisters and their allies survive New York? Who is the new Ghostface and why are they doing all this? Watch this sixth film in the Scream series and find out for yourself. This is a really great sequel that does a great job of bringing in all the cannon from the past films into this new storyline that has you always wondering what is next and who is going to die next! This film is well cast with returning names like Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding and Hayden Panettiere returns to the franchise as fan favorite Kirby Reed, with new names like Dermot Mulroney, Liana Liberato, Jack Champion, Josh Segarra and Devyn Nekoda being added into the mix. The film has some bloody kills and lots of chills and spills and makes me really look forward to Scream 7! The film did great for Paramount at the American box office bringing in $108,161,389.00 on a budget of $35 million. Scream 6 proves that sequels to old franchises still have lots of legs and are the way to go over reboots and remakes. It’s one I bought on home media when released.
# 2
Shikishima was a kamikaze pilot during World War II who ended up faking plan issues in order to not fulfill his mission, but while on an island for his plane to be inspected, he witnesses Godzilla arrive and kill most of the mechanics with only he and a man named Tachibana being the only survivors. Once home he learns that his parents have been killed and his life is in ruin as he his plagued with terrible nightmares. But his life starts to change when he meets Noriko, a young woman who is watching over Akkio, an orphaned baby, as they come and stay with him, he also builds up a friendship with his neighbor Sumiko as well as his coworkers Sosaku, Shiro and Yoji all who work together to destroy left behind mines in the waters from the war. Soon Shikishima and his friends must come together along with other former military workers and come up with a way to stop Godzilla once and for all as the giant monster is destroying Tokyo, but will Shikishima find his inner strength or will he allow his past fears and the war haunt him to an early grave? Watch this amazing film in the long running Godzilla series and find out yourself. Toho has done it again as this is a very entertaining film that brings Godzilla back to his Horror roots as well as tells a great human story of the trauma of war and its effects on those who survive it…and that’s the main thing here I found myself invested in Shikishima and his friends as they are all great characters who you root for. And when Godzilla appears, fans of Kaiju cinema will be happy as he stomps around and causes total destruction. The film is well casted with such actors as Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka and Kuranosuke Sasaki making up the main cast. The film did well for Toho at the American box office bringing in $45,671,401 on a budget of around $15million. If you love Godzilla films like I do, make sure to check this one out as it’s a great war drama as well as a giant monster on a rampage film. I bought it when released on home media.
# 1
Ellie is a newly single mother who lives in a high-rise apartment building who gets a visit from her sister Beth who works in the music industry and has just found out she is pregnant and wants to be around her sister, but after an earthquake, Dani, one of the kids, finds some old records and the book of the dead and foolishly takes them home and plays the record freeing the demons and causing his mom to become possessed and for the buildings power to be cut, the elevator to be messed up and for the stairs to collapse causing them to be trapped on their floor with a demon who wants to not only swallow their souls but also posses them adding to the demonic deadite army. Can Beth save not only herself but also the lives of her nephew, nieces and her unborn child or will they all be dead by dawn. Watch this fifth film in the Evil Dead series and find out for yourself. This is a bloody, gross and wicked good watch with likeable characters and a creepy setting that will remind you classic 80’s Horror fans of the film Demons 2…just with less monsters running around. And the film is also packed with some great kills and gruesome deaths from scalps being ripped off to shotgun blasted body parts, making it fit right in for those who like their gore in the Evil Dead films. The actresses Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland are fantastic as sisters Beth an Ellie and Morgan Davies, Gabrielle Echols and Nell Fisher are great in their parts of playing the kids. The film did good for New Line Cinema at the American box office bringing in $67,233,054.00 on a budget of $15 million. This was a fantastic sequel in the Evil Dead series and is one I will watch again and bought on home media when released.
This year was really hard for me to rate the Horror Films I saw in theater as so many of them were really great films, and I am not going to lie, I spent many sleepless nights going over this list and changing spots….plus Godzilla Minus One almost pushed Evil Dead Rise out of the # 1 spot and I am sure depending on the day for me would do so! I love that there was a big boom of Horror Films in the theater in 2023, and I hope that 2024 follows as they truly are my favorite genre of film to see in theater and watch in general. And I have to stress this is only my opinion of what was the best films of 2023 in theater and I am sure much of my rankings are different from yours, and I am sure some are the same but that is what is great about cinema, we all have our different likes and none of us are wrong for what our favorites are. Also please never base the movies you watch on their ratings on such sites as Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, Letterbox, Amazon or any other review or critic site that has a YouTube Channel or a blog as truly you should base it on your own opinion. Well 2024 is here, and the next update will be a sad one as we have reached the end of the Star Trek films featuring the original cast as we will be talking about Star Trek Generations and the DC Comics adaptation of the film! So until next time, read a comic or three, watch a film or two and as always support your local movie theaters. See you next update for one last space adventure with Captain Kirk!
Posted on by bloodlinematt
Happy New Year! It’s crazy to think that 2023 is here already and as you can see, we are here again at the Rotten Ink Theater to talk about the films that I saw in the cinema. It was once more a great year of films, and movie studios have been turning up the great amount of Horror films that have graced the silver screen. But while 2022 over all was a great year, it also brought a little sadness for me as early in the year my best friend and lovable cat Leslie passed away at the age of 16…it was hard losing her as she really was a one of a kind cat who grew up watching Horror Films with me and I had her since she was a baby kitten. I really do miss her every day. The year then ended with another big loss, as around the holidays, my cat Streets J passed away at the age of 14. Streets was a lovable goofball who my girlfriend and I rescued as a stray off the streets of downtown Dayton. If you’ve read Sparkle Comics’ Defenders of the Planets series, there’s a character based on Streets. But enough of the sad stuff as we are all here to talk movies! I saw some great films at such theaters as Cinemark Dayton South, Cinemark The Greene, Little Art Theatre and Regal Cinema, and each of these theaters deliver a different watching experience and are all awesome in their own ways. And like before I will be breaking this Best Of List by genre, and please remember that there might be some spoilers, so read on if you don’t mind. So let’s grab some popcorn and a drink and find our seats and sit back and relax and talk some movies!
For me nothing beats seeing a film in the theater and all this Direct To Streaming stuff is not for me as I love the theater experience, so let’s start off with taking a look at the Drama films I saw this year.
# 2
The world’s greatest detective Hercule Poirot finds himself invited to the wedding of Simon Dotle and Linnet Rideway that is taking place in Egypt, but along with the wedding guests is Jackie de Bellefort who was Simon’s ex-fiance and one time best friend of Linnet’s as the two love birds hooked up when Jackie made the mistake of introducing them to each other. And once the wedding party all find themselves guests on a private boat cruise, Jackie is also on board. After a fight with Simon, she shoots and wounds her ex and later that night Linnet is killed in her sleep and now Poirot must uncover the dark secrets of all the guests as Linnet informed him before her death that she did not trust any of them and this makes the world’s greatest detective have to work over time in order to solve this murder case. This movie is fantastic and just like “Murder On The Orient Express” is a great way to get modern moviegoers into Hercule Poirot. The film is very well cast with Kenneth Branagh once more playing Hercule Poirot with other names like Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Russell Brand, Letitia Wright, Emma Mackey and Jennifer Saunders to name a few. The film did okAY at the American box office bringing in $45,630,104.00 on a budget of $90million. This is a great watch, and if you love who-done-it detective films, make sure to give this one a watch.
# 1
Col. Robert Parker was a conman who is blamed by many as the man who killed Elvis as he pushed the classic music legend with a constant flow of drugs in order to get him on the stage so that he could make money. And Elvis’s star grows the more Parker tries to control not only his career but his life, and this film touches on the rise and fall of Elvis from innovator musician to addict, and this perspective comes from the side of Parker as he is the one narrating the movie played by Tom Hanks. This is a very entertaining film for fans of Elvis and while they do bend some truths as well as mix up some dates, this still is one that I truly enjoyed! The film stars Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and he does a fantastic job, also on the cast is Olivia DeJonge, David Wenham and Helen Thomson. This film was directed by Baz Luhrmann and makes great use of Elvis’ music for the soundtrack. The film did really well for Warner Brothers at the American Box Office bringing in $151,040,048 on a $85 million budget. If you like Elvis and want to see a different take on his life and death, give this one a watch.
As you can see I did not get to the theater that much for drama films and for me Elvis took that # 1 top spot as I felt that it was a great film and one that was best I saw on the Silver Screen. So with that, let’s take a look at the Comedies I saw in the theater in 2022 and see what took the # 1 spot and gave me the biggest belly laugh!
# 3
Actor Nicolas Cage is in a slump when it comes to acting roles and worse, his personal life with his wife and teenage daughter is not going good. In order to get some money to help him get out of debt, he takes a booking to be a guest at a millionaire named Javi Gutierrez’s birthday party…and the two quickly become good friends and start working on a film idea. But Cage is also working for the U.S. government as they think that Javi is a crime lord for a weapon and drug group who has kidnapped the daughter of a presidential candidate in Spain…but is he really a criminal or is he really just a fan of Cage and cinema in general? Watch this silly action comedy to find out. This film had some really funny moments and in fact Nicolas Cage, who is playing a parody of himself, was fantastic and shows why the actor has such a big cult following. While I did think the film would be funnier then it was, I still think many of the moments hit the spot and tickled my funny bone. The film is cast well with names like Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, Neil Patrick Harris, Lily Sheen and Sharon Horgan with cameos from Demi Moore and David Gordon Green. The film did okay for Lionsgate at the American box office bringing in $20,300,157.00 on a budget of $30 million. If you are a big fan of Nicolas Cage and enjoy goofy comedy action films, then make sure to check this one out.
# 2
Johnny Knoxville and his goofball cohorts along with newer thrill seekers once more tackle crazy stunts with some being borderline dangerous all to get a laugh from the audience. They run across raging animals like bulls, snakes, scorpions and vultures. They put their private parts through extreme measures, and of course they crash, fall, ram and smack their way through funny moments. Of course they have guest cameos like Tony Hawk and Machine Gun Kelly who get wrapped up in the overall silliness of the pranks and stunts. It was cool seeing the likes of Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Dave England, Preston Lacy, Danger Ehren and even a cameo from Bam Margera doing what made them famous to teens and early 20 somethings of the 2000. It was a little sad not seeing more of Bam and his crew being involved, but being out of control like he is will make you lose jobs. The film is a mixed bag of funny stunts and ones that fall flat and the new cast for the most part are nice additions. The best stunts in my book are called “Silence Of The Lambs” and “The Cup Test;” watch the movie and see what they are about. The film did good for Paramount at the America box office bringing in $57,743,451.00 on a budget of $10 million dollars. A fun raunchy reality stunt comedy film that will surely please the fans of the TV show as well as the other films in the series, plus for those of us who grew up with the show will feel very old.
# 1
Bob and Linda Belcher go to the bank and cannot get an extension on paying back some of their loan for the restaurant and must come up with the money in a short amount of time, but things go terribly wrong for them when a giant sink hole opens up in front and a dead body is found inside it. The murder is blamed on their landlord Mr. Fischoeder and all this causes no one to come in for a burger, making their goal to save the restaurant seem very grim. But their kids Tina, Gene and Louise are on the case to probe that Mr. Fischoeder did not commit the murder while Bob and Linda listen to their friend and best customer Teddy’s idea of doing a Bob’s Burgers food cart in order to get the money. All this comes together as things work out for the Belcher family and the true murderer is found and captured and the restaurant is saved. I should also say that the Belcher kids as well have their own drama going on as Louise wants to prove she is brave, Gene doubts his music ability and Tina struggles with asking Jimmy Pesto Jr. to be her summer boyfriend. This is a fun film and is a must see for fans of the TV show as it fits right in with its silly plot, musical numbers and zany characters. The film did all right for 20th Century at the U.S box office bringing in $31,933,830.00 on an unknown budget. A great attempt to bring Bob’s Burgers from the TV screen to the big screen, and I hope it gets a sequel.
You have to love Bob’s Burgers as it’s a fun animated TV series that made a great leap to being on the big screen with the series’ first feature film. I do have to say also that all three of the comedies I saw on the big screen in 2022 were very funny and fantastic! Now it’s time to take a look at Action Films! And we had some good ones…
# 5
Romance novel writer Loretta Sage is on a book tour when she is kidnapped by billionaire Abigail Fairfax due to her now passed away husband’s knowledge of ancient cultures, and set to save her is Alan Caprison, the cover model for her romance books and while a dimwit he means well….now can the two escape the jungle and avoid being killed? Will Loretta find true love again? And will they really find the lost treasure! Watch this Romancing The Stone style film and find out. This is a fun Action Comedy film as the humor works as do the action moments of their adventures to get away from their captors. The film is well cast with such names as Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Brad Pitt and Da’Vine Joy Randolph all in big roles. The film did well for Paramount Pictures at the US box office bringing in $105,344,029.00 on a $68 million dollar budget. This was a very fun film and a big surprise on just how much I enjoyed it, and I will say that the Brad Pitt cameo as rescuer Jack Trainer was great stuff.
# 4
Nathan Drake has always been good at history and has always wanted to find lost treasure and go on big adventures like his older brother. He gets the chance when he meets Sully, and the pair team up to find the hidden treasure that takes them across the world as well as makes them targets of billionaire Santiago Moncada and his hired hand Jo Braddock. But Nathan and Sully are also joined by Chloe Frazer, a fellow treasure hunter that they might not fully be able to trust. The film then takes the viewer on an action packed adventure filled with twist, turns, backstabs, murder and of course treasure and is of course based on the popular Sony Playstation video game series. This is such a fun thrill ride and for me it was like it took the adventure elements of such films as The Mummy (1999), Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider and rolled them together to deliver a big budget action ride that was a blast to see on the big screen and to be honest it did the game justice. The film stars Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Antonio Banderas and Tati Gabrielle and all do a fantastic job. The film did well for Sony at the American box office bringing in $148,648,820.00 on a $120 million budget. This clearly will become a franchise, and I am very much looking forward to a sequel as this film leaves us on a cliffhanger revel.
# 3
Ladybug is an assassin who has been sent on a mission to get a briefcase off a bullet train. But what should have been an easy mission turns into a very dangerous trip as other killers and assassins are also on the train, and many of them want him dead or want the case as well…and the kicker is at the end of the line The White Death, one of Japan’s most feared crime lords, and his men are waiting for those who are on the train as the briefcase belongs to him and so does a person on the train….and now Ladybug must find away to get off this train alive, finish his mission and possibly trust some of those on the train as a battle with White Death is on the horizon. This movie is awesome as it’s a great mix of action and comedy and was one hell of a great film to watch on the big screen. I took a bunch of friends with me to see this one and we all had such a blast. The comedy moments work really well, and the action as well is fast passed and well done! The film also has an all star cast with Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Bad Bunny, Zazie Beetz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Hiroyuki Sanada and Joey King, and all are fantastic in their rolls. The film did alright for Sony at the American box office bringing in $103,368,602 on a budget $90 million budget. If you have not seen this film and like fast paced action comedies, then make sure to check this one out, as it is truly a blast.
# 2
On Christmas Eve the Lightstone family is gathering at the family mansion, but things get crazy when a man calling himself Mr. Scrooge shows up with heavily armed associates and hold the family hostage to get $3 million that is suppose to be in the family safe. But what these naughty baddies didn’t count on is for Trudy, the youngest of the Lightstone family, to call on Santa Claus for help and he deals out more than coal for these evildoers. Santa, armed with his fleeing Christmas cheer (due to kids only wanting money and video games), his magic and a sledge hammer goes on a rescue mission in the style of John Wick! Can Santa save the Lightsones and find his Christmas Spirit again? Watch this super fun, violent action comedy film and find out. Wow, this is a Christmas classic for sure as it is over the top, lots of fun and showcases Santa Claus as a full fledged action hero who takes down the naughty kidnappers in brutal fashion. The film is well casted with David Harbour as Santa Claus, John Leguizamo as Mr. Scrooge and other cast members including Beverly D’Angelo, Leah Brady, Alex Hassell, Andre Eriksen and Mitra Suri, to name a few. And the film was a big hit with everyone I saw it with in the theater as people were laughing throughout. The film did well for Universal at the American box office bringing in around $48,060,295 (as of this update) on a budget of only $20 million. This is one you have to see if you like over the top action and/or Christmas movies.
# 1
Maverick is working for the Navy as a test pilot, and after breaking orders on flying a super fast test jet, he is sent to be a instructor at Top Gun as his rebellious nature has caused him to almost being fired and if not for Admiral Iceman Kazansky, he would have been! Now he must get a group of top recruits ready for what could be a suicide mission to blow up a reactor core at an enemy base before it can cause serious harm. But these young pilots have a lot to learn and need to work together and not try to be the shining stars as this is very dangerous and will take lots of skill. And for Maverick, this class is even harder as the son (Rooster) of his former wingman Goose is in the class and blames Maverick for the being held back from joining Top Gun and ranking up for years. Can Maverick get these pilots in shape? Can Rooster forgive and find out the truth? Can they make this mission a success? Watch this amazing sequel to find out! Top Gun 2 took many decades to get made, and when it was finally was made and released they hit a home run as this film was well written and felt like it was right in the groove of the original allowing us to catch back up with Maverick, Iceman and even Rooster. The film of course brought back Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer in their famous roles but also in the cast included Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Monica Barbaro, Glen Powell and Ed Harris to name a few. The film did amazing for Paramount at the American box office bringing in $718,732,821 on a budget of $170 million. If you love the original film or just like films about the Navy or military in general that adds a dash of drama, make sure to watch this film. I have to also say that it was great seeing Val Kilmer on the big screen again, and it was great that the production worked around his health limitations.
Really action this year was packed with some great watches and really for me Top Gun: Maverick was just such a fun watch and shows that sequels beat remakes any day. But now I think its time that we see what the world of Sci-Fi and Fantasy had to offer in the theaters in 2022, and I will give you a hint there were lots of great ones.
# 3
Amleth was once a young prince who watched his uncle kill his father The King in order to take the throne, and Amleth ends up running for his life and ends up becoming a part of a Viking tribe with the goal of avenging his father’s death as well as saving his mother from his uncle’s side. As Amleth has gotten older, his skills as a fighter have grown and he is now a unstoppable warrior who along the way back for revenge meets and falls in love with Olga, a sorceress who has been taken as a slave. Once he catches up with his uncle, he finds that he has ruined the kingdom and now he and his people live on farmland in the middle of nowhere. With the help of a magical sword, he takes out those close to his uncle, fathers a child, finds out the truth about his mother and fulfills his destiny of revenge and arriving in Valhalla. This is very much a modern take on the classic Barbarian films of the 80’s and 90’s but done with director Robert Eggers touch as it is filled with weird characters as well as awesome imagery. The film’s cast is great with Alexander Skarsgard as Amleth and Anya Taylor-Joy as Olga being amazing in their roles. Other actors include Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Willem Dafoe, Bjork and Gustav Lindh making up some of the cast. The film sadly did not do well for A24 at the US box office only bringing in $34,233,110.00 on a budget of around $90 million. While not a mega hit at the theater, it really was a great and odd film to see in the theater.
# 2
Dinosaurs are now roaming the world and humans are trying to learn how to live alongside them as the world has truly changed. Claire Dearing and Owen Grady are trying to protect the dinosaurs from poaching and illegal breeding and they both are watching over clone child Maisie Lockwood who ends up getting kidnapped by Dr. Lewis Dodgson of Biosyn who wants to use her genetics for the company’s own gain. They also take the child of Raptor Blue for research. But also in the world, a horde of massive locusts are attacking the world’s crops, and this causes Dr. Ellie Sattler and Dr. Alan Grant to follow the trail to Biosyn as well and now they all must come together along with Dr. Henry Wu, Dr. Ian Malcolm and a few others try their best to save those kidnapped, stop the locusts as well as bring form Biosyn and their evil genetic creations. And this is just a small part of this film’s plot as there is also dinosaur fights, high-speed chases and even more of the evils of Biosyn among much more as this final film in the current Jurassic Park series. And what made this such a great watch for me is the fact that they brought together all the big characters from the series together for one big adventures, and we even get one more look at the T-Rex and we see that he really is the King Of The Dinosaurs! The film stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, BD Wong and many more. The film did great for Universal at the US box office bringing in $376,009,080.00 on an $185million budget. This is a must see film if you love the Jurassic Park series like I do, and is one that I bought on home media when released.
# 1
Evelyn Wang along with her husband Waymond and daughter Joy run a laundromat that is not doing well financially, and she also has the stress of taxes as well as her father Gong Gong is now living with them. But things really turn weird for Evelyn when she meets a different version of her husband who warns her that the fate of the Earth is in her hands. Now Evelyn must fight for the lives of everyone as she gains the powers of other versions of herself to fight off Jodu Tupaki who is the bringer of the destruction of all the multiverse and who is also her daughter in her own reality! Can Evelyn save the multiverse as well as save the fate of her daughter in those worlds…watch this super fun sci-fi comedy action film to find out! And this is just a brief way to try and describe this plot as there is so much more to it. The film is lots of fun, and Michelle Yeoh is amazing as Evelyn Wang as her martial arts skills have not slowed down a bit. It was also great to see Ke Huy Quan back on the big screen as he is best known for playing Data in The Goonies and Short Round in Temple Of Doom. Other actors in the cast include James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu. The film did really well for A24 at the box office here in American bringing in $70,008,593.00 on a budget of $25million. This film deserved all the hype it was getting when released and is one that you should see as I feel it did the multiverse better than most of Marvel’s films and shows…minus Spider-Man: No Way Home. Make sure to give this film a watch if you like artistic sci-fi films with action and comedy.
So as you can see Sci-Fi and Fantasy had some really great films out in 2022, and all of them were such a fun watch with “Every Thing Every Where All At Once” being the big surprise for me on just how well I enjoyed it. But now it’s time that we take a look at the Superhero films that filled the cinemas in 2022 and like always, there was a lot of them.
# 6
Michael Morbius has a rare blood disease as does his childhood friend Milo. Morbius has spent his life trying to find a cure, and after using vampire bats in one of his experiments, Morbius turns into a vampire! And while he tries to find a way to get ride of this curse, his friend Milo wants to as well turn into one as the pain of the blood illness goes away, and after taking the treatment himself Milo turns into a vampire and now he and Morbius are on a one way track to fight and only one of these blood drinkers and leave alive. This superhero film plays more like a B-horror movie that would have been released direct to DVD back in the mid-2010s, and that is not a bad thing for the most part, it’s just the film seems to never truly find its footing or pace. The film, while not terrible, is also not that great and is starting to show that some of these Marvel Comic inspired films are starting to show cracks of having franchise fatigue. Jerrod Leto plays Morbius, and the film also stars Matt Smith, Loxias Crown, Tyrese Gibson and Adia Arjona. The film did poorly for Sony at the box office here in American only bringing in $73,865,530.00 on a budget of around $83million. While I was not a super fan of this film, I did enjoy seeing it on the big screen and would like to at least see the Morbius character in a future Spider-Man film from Sony.
# 5
T’Challa has passed away from an illness, and the kingdom of Wakanda is saddened by the loss of their king and protector. His sister Shuri has taken it the hardest as she was not able to save him with all of her knowledge and technology. Now a year after his passing, the world wants Wakanda to share vibranium, an element that can be used to create weapons, and Queen Ramonda refuses and this causes Wakanda to stand alone in the world. But people go looking for the element other places and find it at the bottom of the ocean, and unbeknownst to them, they have caused Namor and his warriors from the Talokan to attack and defend their Kingdom…and one young woman Riri Williams (Ironheart) is the target for Namor and his people as she has built a machine that can detect the element and this makes her a danger. Namor asks Wakanda for help and to bring Riri to him. When they refuse, the two kingdoms go to war and Shuri must find her inner Black Panther. What kingdom is in the right and who will win the fight Black Panther or Namor? Watch this MCU film to find out. I want to first say that this film pays great respect to the late Chadwick Boseman who passes away from cancer. He was a great actor and he will be missed. Now as for the film itself, it is a fun watch but is way too long and has moments that drag, and I feel that they downplay the power and hatred for mankind that Namor has as he and his people seem to be background players to Shuri fighting tradition as well as becoming the next Black Panther. The film is well acted with Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett and Lupita Nyong’o stealing the show. While I am happy to see the Black Panther legacy continue in the MCU, this film was just a little too long, dragged in spots and I am not sold just yet on Shuri being the new warrior to become the Black Panther. The film did great for Disney at the American box office bringing in $439,645,653 on a budget of $250 million. Over all if you are a fan of the Black Panther or have been enjoying this latest phase of the Marvel films, check this one out.
# 4
Thor has decided to return to Earth after traveling around with The Guardians Of The Galaxy and arrives to find that Gorr The God Butcher has been killing everyone he comes across and even has wounded his friend Sif in battle. He also learns that his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster is now also has the power of Thor and that she is dying from cancer and is living on borrowed time. And with Valkyrie and Korg by their side, they together they must try and warn the other Gods that death is coming as well as use all their powers in order to stop Gorr who is on a rampage to destroy the world as we know it. This is a fun and action packed superhero film that sets the odds against Thor as well as makes him face mortality because even Gods can be destroyed. The film’s humor works well, and the sadness factor of Jane also does its job of toying with your heart-strings. The films is well cast like always as Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster and Jaimie Alexander as Sif with Christen Bale playing Gorr The God Butcher, and all do a fantastic job in their roles as always. The film is also just a fun ride of emotions and also has screaming flying goats! The film did good for Disney at the American box office bringing in $343,253,033.00 on a budget of $250 million. If you liked Thor: Ragnarok and The Guardians Of The Galaxy and that style of superhero humor, you will enjoy this one.
# 3
The people of Kahndaq are being oppressed by a military team that is looking for a crown that contains the powers of demons, and one woman, her son and brother have found it. They have also freed a god-like savior who was given powers by the ancient wizards known as Black Adam who goes around and kills the foreign military invaders, but he is not the hero they think he is and his murderous ways gets the attention of the Justice Society (Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone) who head to Kahndaq to try and bring him in peacefully. This of course is not in Black Adam’s nature. And while the heroes clash with him, a group wants the crown to unleash a demon to claim the throne and rule the land…and they do just that, and it’s now up to the JS who has to team with Black Adam to save lives as well as stop the demon. This is a really fun action superhero film that has cool characters, a big after credits cameo and even a death of a superhero and shows that DC really is trying to claim the top spots of the movie comic universes. The film stars Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam and also on cast is Pierce Bronsan, Aldis Hodge, Quintessa Swindell, Noah Centineo and Sarah Shai to name a few, and all are great in their rolls. To be fair, I almost wish this film was a Justice Society film as I feel they steal this movie away from Black Adam. The film did well for New Line Cinema at the American box office bringing in $167,873,355 on a budget of around $195 million. This is a really fun film and really does shows that DC is spending more time on building their universe as Marvel keeps getting stale in theirs.
# 2
Doctor Strange meets America Chavez, a teenager who has the ability to jump around the multiverse who is on the run from monsters who want to steal her powers. When Doctor Strange tries to help her, he finds that its Scarlet Witch that has sent the monsters as she wants to use America’s powers to live in the reality where her children are real, and she will kill anyone who gets in her way! As Doctor Strange and America Chavez jumps from multiverse to multiverse, they are being hunted down and even meets the fates of other versions of Strange as well as meet heroes like Reed Richards, Black Bolt and Professor X. In the end can Doctor Strange stop Scarlet Witch’s plan for murder and show her that this is not the way for a former hero and Avenger. This is a wild ride that is filled with great cameos, undead spirits, odd ball multiverses and has the Sam Raimi spooky touch as he was the director of the film! That’s right, Raimi returned to superhero films and was even able to kind of add a horror film touch to it. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Xochiyl Gomez, Rachel McAdams and Patrick Stewart to name a few. The film did well for Disney at the US box office bringing in $411,331,607.00 on a budget of $200 million! This is a super fun film and if you want to see Scarlet Witch kill some superheroes as well as a Zombie Doctor Strange, you should really check this one out.
# 1
Gotham City is under attack by a serial killer called The Riddler who is targeting people in power throughout the city leaving riddles for Batman who is going on a crusade to clean up the city from crime. And as the body count rises, Batman also comes across Catwoman, a burglar who is looking for information about her missing friend, as well as comes across Penguin who is a crime lord that runs a club and might have the clues to the missing woman and as well might know more about the true criminal who is running things in Gotham City. And all the while Batman is having to use his great detective work to solve each of these cases and prove that crime truly does not pay. Hands down this was the best Superhero movie to be released in theaters in 2022 and is one of the better Batman films overall! The film takes a more realistic approach and while some elements are pure superhero tropes, the more horror film feeling of a masked serial killer Riddler running around town butchering people and gaining a copycat like following just seems true to life. The film is also well cast with Robert Pattinson doing a great job as Batman with other names like Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, John Turturro, Jeffrey Wright and Colin Farrell making up the rest of the lead cast. The film did great for Warner Brothers at the US box office bringing in $369,345,583.00 on a budget of $200 million. This film bring Batman back to being about great detective work as well as kicking the ass of crime, this is one that you need to see if you have not yet.
Superhero films are still going strong at the Box Office and it’s shocking as I think DC Comics films are truly catching up with Marvel Comics films! But up next is our update’s main event and that is of course the Horror Films of 2022 that I saw in the theater! And before we get too far in, I want to also say that I saw Jaws 3D, Creature From The Black Lagoon, Phantom Of The Opera and my friend Victor’s film Thrust all in the cinema as well!
And now it’s time to talk Horror as this is the genre of film that I have always loved and I try and see every one I can in the theater, so with no further ado let’s dive deep into this countdown.
# 32
Laine and Chase are on a trip together to attend a horror movie party, but after winning a contest at the event they find themselves as well as a YouTube show crew stuck at a house being stalked and killed by The Creeper who has awaken for his 23 days of killing. But things are different this time around as the townspeople are feeding his murderous ways, and Laine is with child and this monster killer wants the baby for his own. Will this couple escape The Creeper or will they find themselves just more victims for his cycle? This is the fourth film in the Jeepers Creepers series and sadly looks very cheap, has a mess of a story and sadly does not follow the three other films in the series as they new creative team behind it has ideas of their own. The film has some kills and oddly is not all that gory, and the use of green screens takes away from the mood and creepiness of the film. The film’s best actors are Sydney Craven and Imran Adams who play Laine and Chase, and some of their dialogue is bad, but you cannot go wrong with Sydney dressing up in costumes to cosplay from a sexy Freddy Kruger to Jennifer from Jennifer’s Body. The film had a limited release as apart of Fathom Events and brought in $2,033,057.00 for Screen Media on an unknown budget. Not a great sequel but worth watching if you enjoy The Jeepers Creepers series…also The Creeper has a new look in this film.
# 31
Amanda and her daughter Chris are beekeepers and are making a living selling the honey, but Amanda has issues as the house does not use electricity and she keeps most people away from her home. This leaves her daughter very sheltered and wanting to see what the world has to offer. You see Amanda was abused by her mother with electricity, and this has made her an odd and protective person, but when her mother’s remains show up to the farm house, her spirit is not done with her torment and wants to once more rule Amanda’s life! Can Amanda break her mother’s spell as well as keep her daughter safe…watch this Sam Raimi produced film to find out. This is a pretty good slow burn horror film that is well acted and has a great small cast with names like Sandra Oh, Fivel Stewart, Dermot Mulroney, Odeya Rush and MeeWha Alana making up the lead roles. The Mother’s evil spirit is cool looking and makes for a good villain in a paranormal fright film, the main issue for me is that the jump scares just did not work and felt very paint by numbers. The film did poorly at the US Box Office for Sony as it only did $2,121,025.00 on an unknown budget, and to be fair this is Sony’s fault who did a terrible job of promoting the film and spent all promotion money at the time to advertise Morbius. Over all, this is not a bad little fright flick, it just seemed to be lacking something to make it stand out from the rest of the paranormal horror films that flood the theaters, home media and streaming sites. I bought it on home media when released as I wanted to see it for a second time.
# 30
Becky is climbing a mountain alongside her husband Dan and her best friend Hunter when an accident happens and Dan falls to his death. Time passes and Becky is deeply depressed and is avoiding her father and even thinks of suicide, but when Hunter comes back into her life the two ladies decide to do something extreme to spread Dan’s ashes and that’s climb a old TV tower that is the 4th tallest structure in America. But things go wrong, and the friends get stuck on top of the tower and must find away to get help! As hours and days pass, Becky and Hunter gets weaker and have to make decisions in order to stay alive. Will the ladies get off the tower alive? Well watch this thriller horror flick to find out! This is one of those thrillers that plays off of the elements and this one is heights and gives you that what if you are stuck high in the sky with no clear way to get down, so in other words think “Open Water” set on a high tower. The film can really mess with the minds of those viewers who hate heights and that is where the horror elements come into play, well also with the vultures who swoop down for the attack. The film is well acted and cast with actress Virginia Gardner who played Hunter stealing the film. The film did okay for Lionsgate at the American box office bringing in $7,240,521.00 on a budget of $3million. This was a fun theater watch and brings some thrills, chills and spills.
# 29
Young Cindy watches a green creature called The Mean One as he tries to steal her family’s Christmas gifts and presents and by accident the creature kills her mom causing it to turn evil and forever ruin the holiday for the small California town. Now as an adult, Cindy returns to town to try to get over the PTSD she has suffered from the event and soon finds that the whole town does not celebrate the holiday. When her father tries to get their old home dressed up for the holiday, he is quickly killed by The Mean One as does anyone in town who happens to have anything to do with Christmas! The sheriff and mayor are no help, and Cindy is looked at as crazy by many of the locals as she is telling them tales of a green furred monster, but soon she finds help with the new Deputy as well as Doc, a drunk old man whose wife was killed by the creature. Will Cindy and her new friends be able to stop the Christmas hating Mean One or will they as well fall victim to his killing ways? Watch this super cheesy creature feature and find out. This holiday horror creature feature flick is a take on the classic “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” but takes a different path to show what if Cindy never touched the heart of The Grinch to turn him into a holiday loving fool, but instead she called him a monster and set him down a path of murder and eating human flesh. While the concept is a fun one, the low budget and execution is just lacking and makes this one feel like a really cheap made-for-TV film complete with laughable digital blood effects. David Howard Thornton plays The Mean One and brings a little Art The Clown to his performance, with other actors including Krystle Martin, John Bingham, Chase Mullins and Amy Schumacher making up the main cast. The film did okay for Atlas at the box office on a limited release as it did around $585,025 on an unknown budget. This is a super cheesy, goofy, low budget fright flick that steals The Grinch and brings some laughs as you will find yourself saying what am I watching!
# 28
Saul Tenser is a man who grows new body organs and alongside his partner Caprice does live performances to remove them as a statement of performance art. The world has changed and this is the new sex as people cannot feel pain and for some growing new body parts is possible. But Saul becomes involved in a strange case that involves a performance autopsy of a murdered young boy who was born with a defect that allows him to eat plastic. People in high power do not want the world to know about these plastic eaters and will do whatever it takes to make sure their existence does not leak out and that means people Saul knows might be involved in this cover up. This is a weird horror sci-fi film from the mind of David Cronenberg and brings all his classic film tropes into a new film that has a message that is left to the minds of the viewers. Viggo Mortensen and Lea Seydoux play Saul and Caprice and are fantastic, but for me Kristen Stewart who plays Timlin, a worker for the National Organ Registry steals the show, as she is delightfully weird. The film was a mix bag of good and bad digital and practical effects and was not one of my favorite Cronenberg films but was a fun watch in the theater. The movie did okay for Neon at the American box office on its limited run brining in $2,452,882.00 on an unknown budget. And I bought this one once it was on home media to give it another watch.
# 27
Years have passed, and Michael Myers has not been spotted. Laurie Strode is trying to move on with her life, buying a nice house in a neighborhood and raising her granddaughter Alyson who herself has found a job working as a nurse and finds a boyfriend in Cory a town outsider who by accident killed a kid that he was babysitting making him the punching bag of the town. But Cory’s inner evil is unleashed when he is tormented and beaten up by some teens and he stumbles onto the hiding place of Michael Myers and wants the killer to teach him how to murder without remorse…and he does! But now Corey is getting too crazed and after getting revenge on those who tormented him, he sets his sights on Laurie who must fight for her life as well as that of her granddaughter from making the biggest mistake of her life by running away with this serial killer in training. And in the end Laurie has to come face to mask with Michael Myers one last time and must also deal with Corey. This third film in the Blumhouse Halloween trilogy is very much a disappointment for me as it has very little to do with Michael Myers and puts most of the focus on Corey and his descent into evil. This makes this final film feel like a lame duck way to end a series, as the final fight between Laurie and Michael seems like an afterthought and only lasts a very short time. The pluses for the film are that I enjoyed the Michael Myers’ kills even if they are few and far, Jamie Lee Curtis gives her best performance in a long time, and the effects are pretty cool. I also should say I do like the idea of Corey being the town’s new Boogeyman, but I feel they went about it the wrong way…as at one point Corey bullies Michael to get his mask…lame. The film did pretty well for Universal at the American box office bringing in $64,079,860 on a $30 million budget. Over all Halloween Ends is a film in the series that has been meet with very mix reviews, and while I did not hate it, I was very disappointed in it and it is very much a middle of the road film.
# 26
Bishop is a preacher whose young daughter was murdered by a sad*stic biker Ram Kady when she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the man of God’s life is turned upside down. But when police officer Jed finds Ram, he offers him a chance to get one minute alone with the killer to make him feel just as much pain as his family does, but things are even more crazy as Bishop finds that Jeb as a underground bunker filled with tortured killers who now act like mindless zombies. Jed is mad at Bishop when he will not take out his hurt on his daughter’s killer. All Hell breaks loose when the tortured killers, bikers looking for Ram and Ram himself all show up to the bunker and Bishop has to fight for his life to survive. This is a fun indie film that gets super bloody in the film’s finale and stars all types of band members from bands like Five Finger Death Punch, Motely Crue and Papa Roach to name a few. The film does have some odd moments as some plot points as well as characters come and go, and I wish the fight between the tortured killers and the bikers would have been a little better and longer. This film had a very limited release and brought in $7,145 for Better Noise Films at the international box office (no domestic figures are available yet) on an unknown budget. This is a film that you should checkout if you like crazy indie films that have a dash of biker crime gangs an tortured zombie like people that were very bad people.
# 25
Bhaskar is sent the jungles of a small town in Arunachal Pradesh to seal a deal for land development that will have much of the trees cut down to make way for a new roadway. Along with him is his cousin Jana, his friend Jomin as well as local Mr. Panda all who are trying to help to seal the deal with the locals, but things change when Bhaskar is bitten by a werewolf that is called The Virus by the locals; After getting treatment from the local vet Anika, our now cursed Bhaskar must hide the fact he is a werewolf from the locals, avoid killing people when the moon is full, find a cure, fight his feeling for Anika and learn that the spirit of the jungle has its own protector to keep it safe from those wanting to cut it down. Will Bhaskar find the cure or will be forever be doomed to howl at the moon? Watch this fun Bollywood comedy horror Film and find out for yourself. This is a pretty fun silly fright flick that has some scares hidden in with the laughs, with Varun Dhawan, Abhishek Banerhee, Paalin Kabak and Deepak Dobriyal making up the group of friends. They all do a fantastic job in their roles, with Kriti Sanon playing Anika and she steals the film with her acting and beauty. The werewolf effects are cool and are done via CGI, we get werewolf attacks and kills and the film does have some blood and violence throughout. And like any good Bollywood film, there are musical numbers and dancing, and I should also say this one has messages as well about saving the environment and treating others better. The film had a limited release here in America and did around $609,551 internationally. This is a fun watch and if you like Bollywood horror comedies and werewolf films, make sure to give this one a watch. I would buy this one on home media if it’s released here in the states.
# 24
Jules is a woman who grew up being able to talk to demons and ghosts, and when she was young and doing so, her sister was killed by a demon that she set free. Now as an adult she hosts a TV Show called Skeleton Crew where she enters haunted houses and they film the strange happenings. But while filming in Malaysia, Jules and her crew enter a home that houses a demon that is very powerful and is protected by the souls of his past victims and now wants a new soul for his growing army. The Demon possesses, torments and injures those in the house and now it is up to Jules to find her inner power and try to save the owners of the house as well as her crew’s souls from damnation and will have get the help of a Monk in order to do so…but will Jules be able to do so or are they all doomed. This is a fun spooky little demonic haunted house film that for an indie film tries to bring the scares as well as some gruesome moments and for the most part does a great job at it. Plus the fact this had a limited release around Halloween time made it even more of a good watch late in the evening. The film stars Fiona Dourif, Jordan Belfi, Malin Crepin, Harris Dickinson and the lovely Thao Nhu Phan and all do a great job in their parts. The Demon is pretty evil and what he has done in the past while alive is pretty sick stuff. The film did ok for Outsider Pictures bringing in $849,299 internationally on an unknown budget and a very limited release. Over all this was a decent demon flick that I will pick up on home media when released, and you should check it out if you like demon films or films that are set with Malaysia ghost stories.
# 23
The Foo Fighters are working on their 10th album and rent out an old house to do so, and unbeknownst to them another band was killed in the house recording an album. And after some strange things around the house including terrible nightmares, dead animals and a phantom gardener, a demon spirit gets inside Dave Grohl and possesses him to make the perfect satanic rock song that will bring back the glory days of the music genre. And as time passes Dave finds his sound and also finds his killer side as he takes out anyone who stands in the song’s way including his own band members, and in the end what is left of the Foo Fighters must save Dave from the demon’s grip and survive the sinister house. This is a very gory horror comedy film that was from the mind of Dave Grohl and delivers a very cheesy and humors return to the days of Rock N Roll Horror films. While the gore is great and over the top some of the humor is a little childish and is just four letter words thrown around and the middle finger given, but other humor bits hit the spot and are pretty funny. The film also stars Kerry King of Slayer, director John Carpenter, Jenna Ortega, Will Forte, Whitney Cummings and even Lionel Richie in a cameo. The film did ok for Open Road Films at the American box office bringing in $2,513,963.00 on an unknown budget. Over all this was a fun fright flick with some cool effects and fans of Foo Fighters will love it. I bought it on home media when it was released.
# 22
Maren Yearly is a young woman who finds herself on a quest to find her mother after her father leaves her on her own. Maren has a serious issue as she eats people, and she cannot help her need to eat human flesh and meat…and her father just cannot keep covering for her deeds. Maren does not want to eat people so she needs answers and as she travels across states to find her mom, she meets Sully another like her in Ohio who teaches her his rules of eating people, and when Maren sneaks away, Sully becomes obsessed with her and follows her in secret just watching. But Maren, while in Kentucky, meets Lee a young man she falls in love with and who as well is a human eater, and together they must find out the history of Maren’s life, deal with the guilt of eating people, avoid Sully and deal with their blooming relationship. This is a very fun romance horror film that is a twisted coming of age tale and has very interesting characters throughout its journey. Taylor Russell and Timothee Chalamet are great as Maren and Lee with Mark Rylance giving a creepy performance as Sully. The film did okay for United Artist at the American box office bringing in $7,834,907 on a budget of around $20 million. If you like your horror with a dash of romance and lots of flesh eating, then make sure to check this one out. I will get this one when released on home media.
# 21
Baron Seamus Laurent is a man who will do anything to protect his family, village and land and when a band of Roma try to claim the land he has them brutally killed and buried in a field, but the Roma are able to place a curse on the village and land and with silver fangs created from the coins Judas got when he turned on Christ the curse of the beast runs through the town and the curse starts with Seamus’s own son Edward! And after a murder of a young boy, pathologist John McBride comes to town and tries to bring peace to the village and end the curse with a silver bullet. This is an atmospheric slow burn werewolf film that blends elements of an A24 horror film with a dash of Hammer horror and delivers a pretty creepy watch. The film has some good bloody moments, and the werewolf design is pretty original and creepy looking. While some viewers may not like the slower pace I found it to be just right and well done to bring that level of spooky and unknown. I like the fact that the werewolf curse is spread by Roma who use silver fangs made from those coins as that adds the old world touch to the story. The film did well for LD Entertainment during its release bringing $4,588,389.00 on an unknown budget at the America box office. Worth the watch if you enjoy the more atmospheric old world style horror films and is one that I got on Home Media when released.
# 20
Art The Clown is back from the dead and is on another rampage of slaughter and butchering anyone he comes across but this time he is not alone as he has a strange little clown girl along for the ride. But Art makes a mistake when he messes with the wrong high school girl with Sienna Shaw who’s battling trauma and who finds her inner warrior thanks to a magical sword her father gave her…yeah. Can Sienna save her and her brother’s life from the psycho Art The Clown or will they both just become another bloody victim to his madness…watch this gore filled slasher film to find out. This film while filled with some amazing kills that are gory as all hell does lack the charm of the first film, its way too long being almost 2hrs and 30min, is a mess in the story department and goes a little off the rails with some of the fantasy elements added into the mix. The film is well cast with Lauren LaVera stealing the film as the Sienna as she is so good I couldn’t keep my eyes off her and cheered for her the whole final fight and David Howard Thornton is great once more as the sad*stic and evil Art The Clown as I don’t think anyone could play that role better. The film also has cameos from Chris Jericho, Felissa Rose and Tamara Glynn with Samantha Scaffidi returning as Victoria Heyes from the first film. The film got a limited release and did well for Bloody Disgusting at the US box office bringing in $10,640,105 on an unknown budget. Over all it was a great mindless bloodbath film that was just lacking the spooky charm of the original.
# 19
David is holding a hurricane party at his mansion and has invited many of his close friends, and a shocker comes when Sophia, who is just out of rehab and her new girlfriend Bee show up to enjoy the party and safety from the storm. But as the party starts and the drugs and alcohol flow tensions start to build and the group decides to play a murder mystery game they created called Bodies Bodies Bodies, but when one of the friends is found dead the fear sweeps the friends who all accuse each other of the murder, and to their horror the bodies of their friends keep being found and the murder is on the loose at this mansion on a very stormy night…or are they in this twisted black comedy horror film. This film has great atmosphere, is well acted and has some chuckle moments…but I also think that it dragged in spots and had characters that were mostly very unlikable people and while that’s the point it can be over bearing at points. Actresses Amandla Stenberg and Maria Bakalova steal the show and the film does have some bloody moments and has that who’s the killer vibe that was made popular in more modern Horror by films like Scream. The film did pretty well for A24 at the American box office bringing in $11,446,602.00 on an unknown budget. If you like Horror Comedies that have a Slasher feel check this one out, and is one I will get on home media when released.
# 18
Charlie McGee is an eleven year old girl who has powers she can not control nor understands as she can not only move things with her mind and make people bend to her will but she can also start fires and that means from big explosions to lighting people on fire. You see Charlie’s parents have powers as well and they have been experimented on by the government before they had her, and have been on the run from them after her birth due to the fact they wanted to use Charlie as a weapon as well as experiment on her to unleash her full power. But they make a big mistake when the send John Rainbird after the family and this leads to Charlie’s mother being killed and her father captured, now all hell breaks loose at the research lab as Charlie is angry and wants revenge for what they have done to her and unleashes her fire powers. This is a fun remake base on the Stephen King story and is well scripted, casted and scored. Ryan Kiera Armstrong is great as Charlie and Zac Efron is also great in the roll of her father other names in the cast include Sydney Lemmon, Michael Greyeyes and John Beasley. And for those wonder John Carpenter and his son Cody did the score. The film did ok at the American box office bringing in $9,589,250.00 on an unknown budget. They foolishly also released this the same day to streaming and I think that hurt its money draw. This is one I got when released on home media.
# 17
Evie Jackson is a woman who works at a catering company who has no family left after the recent passing of her mother, but when she does a DNA test to find out her family tree she meets her cousin Oliver Alexander from England and the two meet up in New York and she finds herself invited to a wedding in England expenses paid by her cousin to meet the rest of her family that will be attending. Also while there she meets the owner of the mansion they are staying in named Walter De Ville who charms her and the two start to have feelings for one another, but thing are not what they seem at this mansion as Evie soon finds that she is the bride to be and Walter his her soon to be husband and her family and the guests are blood drinking vampires…and worse Walter is really Count Dracula! Will Evie be able to escape her fate of damnation or will she have to forever drink blood and be one of the Brides Of Dracula…watch this film to find out. This is a fun slow burn Vampire Horror Film that has elements of Hammer Horror, Anne Rice and A24 all mixed together to deliver a spooky watch. Nathalie Emmanuel is great as Evie and Thomas Doherty was good was Walter, other cast members include Alana Boden, Stephanie Corneliussen, Sean Pertwee and Hugh Skinner. The film does suffer from being a R rated film that was clearly cut down to a PG-13 rating as some of the more bloody moments seem way trimmed down. The film did well for Sony at the US box office bringing in $25,100,080.00 on a budget of only $10million. This is worth a watch if you enjoy vampire tales and is one I got on home media when released.
# 16
Tori Tooms is the owner of a used media store that mostly focuses on vinyl records, and her sales are up during the crazy Christmas season and she just wants to get drunk and laid! But things gets super crazy when a mechanical Santa Claus armed with an axe that was created by the US Military goes rogue and starts a bloody killing spree that leaves Tori’s friends and family dead as well as the town police force! And this leaves Tori fighting for her life and trying to find a way to stop this mechanical murderous Santa. This is a fun splatter film that delivers some over the top kills and punk rocker style characters with Riley Dandy being fantastic as Tori and such names as Sam Delich, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Jonah Ray, Kansas Bowling and Abraham Benrudi played the killer Santa doing great in their roles. The film packs in some great kills as well as uses neon and Christmas lights to bring a strange glow to the town, plus the film started out as a Silent Night Deadly Night remake so that as well is pretty cool. The film had a very limited release and did well for Shudder at the American box office bringing in $251,586 on an unknown budget. If you like Holiday themed Horror Films make sure to give this one a watch, but keep in mind it is also filled to the brim with lots of cussing and characters tend to talk over each other and can be overload for your ears. Will buy once on home media.
# 15
A group of poachers kill a pride of lions but the male lion escapes and after killing two of the poachers the lion has a hatred for mankind and is on a quest to kill everyone it sees. Dr. Nate Samuels takes his two daughters Mere and Norah to a trip to Africa to visit a family friend Martin to get away from the sadness of their mother passing away from cancer. The Samuels family is dealing with some issues as Nate’s older daughter blames him for not being around during her mom’s final months. But things get way worse for the family when they are attacked by that rogue lion while far away from any help and must try to fight to stay alive, will this family be able to stay together or will they be hunted and killed one by one…watch this Nature Runs Amok Horror Flick to find out! This was a pretty fun watch as I am a sucker for animal attack Horror films and this one did a great job of making the lion bloodthirsty and yet also sympathetic as he only has this hate due to what man has done to his family. The film as some good thrills, kills and blood spills and is well acted and casted as Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries and Sharlto Copley make up the lead cast. The film did alright for Universal at the US box office bringing in $31,846,530.00 on a budget of $36million, and for me was well worth seeing on the big screen! Worth the watch if you love animal attack films and bought when released on home media.
# 14
OJ Haywood and his sister Emerald are the owners of a Hollywood horse training ranch after their father paces away from a freak accident of items falling from the sky, but the siblings soon find out that it was no freak accident and was the act of an alien creature that lives in a cloud in the sky near their ranch. Along with Angel a tech salesman at a department store and movie cinematographer Antiers they set out to get proof of this being as well as try and find a way to stay alive from it’s rampage of hunger for flesh and blood. Also throw in a former child actor who survived a animal attack on the set of a sitcom who know owns an amusem*nt park as well as a TMZ reporter out for a story and you have this alien monster film set on a ranch. This third Horror film from creator Jordan Peele was kind of a disappointment for me as while I think many parts of the film worked well, I also thought it was over long and lacked the chills that his other films delivered. I really enjoyed the flashback scenes to the sitcom that had a chimpanzee on a rampage as I felt that was way more scary than the silky looking cloth alien in the sky. I also want to say that it was well caste and I loved the chemistry that all the actors had on the screen. The film did well for Universal at the American box office brining in $123,277,080.00 on a budget of $68million. Over all not a bad film but not a great one as I truly feel this is Peele’s weakest Horror film to date, and did buy on home media when released.
# 13
On his travel to a concert Ruhaan Randhawa meets soon to be reluctant bride Reet Thakur on her way to her wedding and convinces her to get off the bus and go to the concert as they can catch the next one and she can still make it on time, and she is glad she does as the bus she was to be on crashes and has no survivors, and now her family thinks she is dead and her cousin is in love with her groom and Reet is ok with them getting together. Now Reet has Ruhaan travel back home with her and act as a psychic in order to tell her wishes to her family, and after the wedding she will revile that she is alive. But Reet makes a big mistake as she hides out in the family’s old mansion that has a room that houses the evil spirit of Manjulika a relative who practiced black magic and has been locked away for 18 years in that room, and when the spirit gets free all hell breaks loose and dark secrets are exposed and Reet finds real love in Ruhaan. This was a very fun Horror Comedy film from Bollywood that was filled with fun music numbers, great characters, beautiful ladies and an awesome ghost that was played amazingly by Tabu who plays duel roles in the film. Other great actors include Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani and Rajpal Yadav and the film opened limited in America and made $18,307,258.00 on a budget of around $9million international. While the film is over 2hrs and some of the comedy moments can fall flat, this was a very entertaining film and glad I was able to catch it in the theater on the big screen…would buy on home media if release in America.
# 12
Margo is on a “date” with food lover Tyler who has paid lots of money to have a meal at the Hawthorns a restaurant on an island ran by Chef Julian Slowik, only the rich can afford the meals and only a limited amount of guests are permitted at a time. The Chef has an army of sous chefs behind him as well as other workers that make up a restaurant with his dinner having a theme this night, and unknown to the people there the theme is death…but poor Margo was not suppose to be there and this throws the Chef’s theme off. Now Margo must find a way to get out off the restaurant, off the island or perish with the rest of the guests on this dinner course straight to the grave. This is a delightfully weird Horror film that showcases a mans rise to fame and mental fall to being suicidal, and how in his twisted mind all those there have wronged him or the world in some ways. The film is well casted with such names as Ralph Fiennes, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, John Leguizamo, Hong Chau and Judith Light to name a few, and each are fantastic in their role with Fiennes as Chef being one hell of a great casting as is Taylor-Joy as Margo. The film did good for Searchlight at the US box office bringing in $38,501,125 on a budget of $35million. If you like slow burn Horror Thrillers that will make you hungry for a cheeseburger give this one a watch. Will own when released on home media.
# 11
Harper Marlow rents an old farmhouse in order to get away as she had a terrible breakup with her husband that lead to his suicide, and she rents the house from Geoffrey who lives a few doors down in order to relax and clear her mind. But Harper’s peaceful get away turns terrifying when a naked man fallows her home from the woods and attempts to break into her home, and even more crazy all the men from town are mostly odd, rude and all look the same! And her time turns worse when the naked man from the town turns out to be a shape shifting creature that has it in it’s mind that he must get to Harper! This is a very strange, creepy and entertaining movie that plays up on the terrors of an abusive relationship, the effects suicide has on loved ones as well as a dash of folk small town kind of horrors. The film is well acted with Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear in the two leads being great casting calls and some of the effects for the creature are very well done. Sadly the film did ok for A24 at the American box office bring in $7,587,853.00 on an unknown budget. This one has some strange moments, creepy atmosphere, great acting, a cool creature, bloody effects and was a great watch in the cinema. Bought when released on home media.
# 10
Sister Ann is a young Nun who has been through some bad things in her younger life and has found her calling working for the church. And she really is interested in exorcisms, as she knows that her mother was possessed by a demon and now she wants to help others, but a female performing them is prohibited. But Ann pushes when she meets a young girl named Natalie who’s very soul is in danger as the demon inside her is the same that was in Ann’s mom and it wants to corrupt and destroy Ann. Now Ann along with the help of a young Father must fight the demon for the young girls soul as well as Ann’s as this demon will not go away until it gets what it wants! Is Ann strong enough to defeat it watch this fun possession film and find out for yourself. This film was released around Halloween and was a pretty creepy and fun PG-13 fright flick that delivered some demonic goodness and brought to the screen a cool female hero with Sister Ann who is very likable. Actress Jacqueline Byers plays Sister Ann and is fantastic in the role and I hope she returns if this film gets a sequel and it should in my opinion. Other actors include Virginia Madesen, Ben Cross, Posy Taylor and Christian Navarro and all are great in their parts. The film did ok for Lionsgate at the US box office bringing in $19,802,293 on an unknown budget. I really had fun with this film and will get once released on home media.
# 9
Julia and her husband Francis move to Bucharest for his job and she is a fish out of the water as she does not speak Romanian. And things get worse for her when she notices an across the street neighbor watching her and following her, all the while women in the area are being killed by a serial killer called The Spider…her fears set in as she thinks maybe her stalker is the killer and while her husband is supportive of believing her the police and most of her neighbors thinks she is crazy. Is the watcher the killer? Is she loosing her mind? Are her fears more about the big move? Watch this Horror Thriller film and find out for yourself. This was a great watch on the big screen and was shot and written very well and almost has a Hitchco*ck feel to it. The film is very well acted with Maika Monroe playing the part of Julia being fantastic and her supporting cast Burn Goreman, Karl Glusman, Madalina Anea and Daniel Nuta all doing great jobs in their rolls. The film does have some bloody moments and plays on your fears of being alone and the feeling of being watched, its very much a slow burn film and if you are looking for a slasher film here its not. The film did ok for IFC at the US box office bringing in $1,961,207.00 on an unknown budget. This is one I bought on home media when released and if you enjoy Horror Thriller films make sure to check this one out.
# 8
Alice and Jack Chambers live in the desert town of Victory as things in this private town is great as the men go to work for Frank on the “Victory Project” as the ladies stay home and take care of the house and make the meals and are told never to go to the edge of town…but this perfect life in this perfect town starts to turn into a nightmare as Alice starts seeing things when she travels to the end of town that makes her question what is going on in this town and what Frank and his Top Secret Project really is, and she is ready to leave it all and go to war with Frank about it! Will Alice find the answers? Is Victory really the perfect town? Or is something more sinister at play…well you will have to watch this Psychological Horror Thriller to find out for yourself! First thing I need to say is that Florence Pugh is an amazing actress and does a great job at playing Alice Chambers and her moments of breaking down as well as combating Frank played by Chris Pine at the dinner table truly drew me into the town of Victory. The film really does play with your mind and I enjoyed the reveal at the end and while the Horror elements are toned down it is one heck of a thriller. The film also stars Olivia Wilde, Harry Styles, Kiki Layne, Gemma Chan and Nick Kroll all who were great in their roles. The film did ok for New Line Cinema at the American box office bringing in $45,309,403.00 on a budget of $35 million. This film had a lot of bad press before and after being released, but I for one really enjoyed it and will buy on home media when released.
# 7
Dr. Rose Cotter is a woman who had a rough childhood and is now working at a hospital in order to help patients with their mental health as well as has a loving fiancé and an older sister who cares about her. But her life changes for the worse when one of her new patients takes her own life in front of her after talking about witnessing a suicide and then seeing and hearing something that is always smiling. Now Rose is hearing the voices and seeing thing and all those around her think she is loosing her mind and with the help of an ex-boyfriend who is a cop they try to figure out a way to stop this curse as something is after her and it wants her dead. This is a really fun and spooky film about a creature that feeds of trauma and fear and those that are infected all have a twisted smile before they take their own lives in order to pass the curse onto another. The effects are well done in the film and is also well casted with names like Sosie Bacon, Caitlin Stasey, Kyle Gallner, Kal Penn, Jessie T. Usher and Robin Weigert making up the main cast. The film did well for Paramount at the American box office bringing in $105,935,048.00 on a budget of $17million. If you like your Horror films with a dash of mental Horror and a pinch of creature feature check this one out for sure. And yes I bought this on home media when released.
# 6
It’s 1918 and Pearl is a young woman who’s husband is away at war and she lives with her strict German mother and her very ill father and spends her days working on the farm and dreaming of being a famous dancer on the movie screens. But Pearl is not like other girls as she has a dark side a murderous side and she wants away from the farm and wants to hunt down fame and fortune…and when she meets the local theater projectionist and learns from her sister in law about a church dance off she will do whatever it takes to because famous and that includes murder! This is the prequel to the film X and is such an great film that is very uncomfortable to watch as actress Mia Goth is amazing as the crazed Pearl and you go along for the ride with her as she slips more and more into her murderous decent into madness. The film while a slow burn builds to the bloody Horror and fans of slashers will not be disappointed. The film also stars Tandi Wright, Emma Jenkins-Purro, Matthew Sunderland and David Corenswet all who do a great job in their roles. The film did well for A24 at the American box office brining in $9,423,445.00 on a unknown budget. If you like indie horror films that have elements of slasher and psychological thriller elements smashed together this is one you will want to see, also had to get it when released on physical media.
# 5
On a stormy night Tess Marshall heads to an Airbnb in a rundown neighborhood in Detroit as she has a job interview the next day to help on an independent documentary film. But once she gets there she meets Keith who also has rented the house for a stay and this makes it that the two strangers have to share the home on the stormy night, but lucky for them they become friends. But on the second day Tess finds a hidden passage and room in the basem*nt that holds a dark secret, and when she and Keith enter deeper into the passage they find that they are not alone! Days pass and the owner of the house disgraced actor AJ Gilbride shows up and he himself finds that someone is in the hidden passage and they are not friendly. And when Tess and AJ find themselves in trouble they must find away to escape the house alive. This is a very twisted and fun film that takes lots of twists and turns and is just the right amount of weirdness and gory to make it a great film for fans who enjoy something different in their Horror Films. The film stars Georgina Campbell, Justin Long, Bill Skarsgard, Richard Brake and Kate Bosworth and all did fantastic in their roles with Long being a scene stealer in parts. The film did well for 20th Century at the American box office bringing in $40,842,944.00 on a budget of $10.5million. This is one that you should checkout as its creepy and the twists are lots of fun and is one I had to get when released on home media.
# 4
The Ghostface killing are happening in Woodsboro again and the first attended victim Tara Carpenter survives the attack that brings her sister Sam and her boyfriend Richie to town to check on her, but the attacks keep happing and even Sam herself is attacked while visiting in the hospital! And with Ghostface returning so does those who have solved and defeated the killers in the past Judy Hicks, Gale Weathers, Dewey Riley and Sidney Prescott…but the rules have changed, motivations have changed and Ghostface has new ideas to freshen up the legacy of the killers before him…in this Scream everyone’s a suspect and the past will always comeback to haunt you. This fifth film in the Scream movie series was a great way to blend in the classic characters we love with new ones that we quickly care about. Seeing Ghostface return to the big screen was a great way to kick off Horror at the cinema for 2022! This film is also very bloody and does a great job of building the “Who” is the killer throughout the film. The film did great for Paramount at the American box office bringing in $81,641,405.00 on a budget of $24 million. A great sequel and its awesome that we are getting a sixth film in the series due to the success of this one.
# 3
Leena Klammer is a thirty year old woman who looks like a 10 year old girl who is super dangerous and after escaping a mental institution in Russia she takes on the identity of missing American child Esther Albright in order to be sent to America, with the goal of robbing the family and escape being locked back up in the Asylum. Once she arrives in America her cover is perfect, but she does slip up and say the wrong things that makes her “Mother” and “Brother” very suspicious. Everything seems to be going well that is until a police officer starts to look into her and her story of being kidnapped and when she goes to silence him once and for all Esther finds herself in a sinister plot that has her murderous rage being used against her, and what this plot is I can not spoil so you will have to see this awesome slasher film for yourself. Isabelle Fuhrman returns in the role of Esther and is fantastic once more as she really does come off like a psycho, also in the cast includes Julia Stiles, Rossif Sutherland and Matthew Finian. The film had a limited release and did pretty well for Paramount at the American theaters bringing in $5,413,227.00 on an unknown budget. This is a film that you should see if you liked the original or just like slasher films with a dash of thriller! This was a must own when released on home media.
# 2
Maxine Minx is an adult film actress who along with friends travel to a small farm house in Texas in 1979 to film a p*rno in order to cash in on the booming home video market and to make money as well as for Maxine to become a big star, but the thing being is the farms owner Howard and his wife Pearl are not the sweet old people they seem as they have a dark side and Maxine and her friends have become their new targets for their sick sexual game. And one by one the crew are murdered and this leaves you wondering how Maxine will survive this farmhouse of terror. This is a great modern slasher film set in the 70’s that has a true grimy and gross feeling to it, and the best part is that Maxine and all the cast and crew are likable making when a character is killed feel more impactful. The film is well casted with Brittany Snow, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Scott Mescudi, Owen Campbell and Stephen Ure all being fantastic in their parts, but its Mia Goth who steals the film playing both Maxine Minx as well as Pearl the old woman. Lots of good kills and bloody gore effects with a great score by Tyler Bates makes this a great watch. The film did good for A24 at the American Box Office bringing in $11,765,309.00 on a unknown budget. With a prequel called “Pearl” in the works this could be a very cool new horror franchise in the making. And bought on home media when released, and if you have not seen it and like the grime feel of 70’s Horror and Adult Films make sure to give this one a watch.
# 1
Young boys are going missing in a Colorado town and the police have no suspect and are dubbing the kidnapper The Grabber, and when Finney is kidnapped his sister Gwen has dreams that she thinks can lead the cops to rescue her brother. Meanwhile Finney is getting help from The Grabber’s past victims who are calling him from a discounted black phone in the basem*nt cell he is being kept in, and giving him tools and advice on how to escape this hell alive. Will the cops save him? Will the voices of those lost guide him to safety? Or will The Grabber take another victim to their grave? Watch this well done and creepy film to find out. This Blumhouse produced film is based on a story by Joe Hill and has some truly spooky and uncomfortable moments that will shock the viewers, Ethan Hawke is great as The Grabber and Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Miguel Cazarez Mora, Tristan Pravong, Brady Hepner and Jacob Moran are great as the kids of the film. The film is dark and mean spirited in spots and creeps up your spine with a “this could really happen” feel to the killer. This film did good at the American box office for Universal bringing in $89,870,280.00 on a $18million budget. A touch of slasher and a touch of supernatural made this one hell of a great spooky watch on the big screen and bought once released on home media.
Posted on by bloodlinematt
The Rotten Ink Theater is open once more, and man, was this a crazy year at the cinema filled with lots of Superhero, Horror and Sequel motion pictures that all lead to great times at all my normal favorite theaters like Rave, Cinemark, Regal and Cranberry. One thing that really made this year a great one is the fact that so many Horror Movies were released as well as many highly anticipated sequels to big franchises making for almost weekly visits to see films I was excited for. Last year really was a busy one for me as I had lots of things to do for Sparkle Comics, Independent B Movie, Rockstar Pro Wrestling, Game Swap, Danberry Cinema and even Rotten Ink so getting away to watch a movie at the cinema was really a great way to relax and put all my stress away for a small time and enjoy the wonders of the silver screen. So if you’re ready, let’s take a look at the movies of 2018, and I’ll share my favorites with you.
So to kick this off right, let’s take a look at the Action Movies of 2018 that I saw in the theater. While we did not get a new Arnold or Sly film, we did have some pretty good ones as you will see below. So get ready to see what Pure Action films made my list!
# 11
12 Strong is based on real events that took place after September 11, 2001 and follows Captain Mitch Nelson and his team of 11 soldiers as they join forces with General Abdul Rashid Dostum of The Northern Alliance in Afghanistan and his horseback soldiers as they take on and defeat the terrorist scum who pulled off that coward attack. This film follows their battles as they defeat the terrorist and push them out of cities they took over in Afghanistan. The film documents the first US battle with the terrorist after 9/11. This was a pretty good war film based mostly on true events and stars Chris Hemsworth as Nelson, who does a great job in the role. The film did okay for Warner Brothers at the US Box Office bringing in $45,500,164.00 on a budget of $35 million. While I am not a War Movie fan, this one was entertaining and delivered a good popcorn film on the big screen.
# 10
The classic 1974 vigilante film Death Wish gets the remake treatment thanks to MGM and director Elli Roth! Dr. Paul Kersey is a man who has it all; a nice house, a beautiful wife and a daughter who is a sport star and about to go to collage. But his perfect world changes when a group of three burglars break into his house while he is at work and attack his daughter, putting her into a coma, and murder his wife. The police have no leads and with this Paul decides to take the law into his own hands and becomes a vigilante, killing criminals and tracking down those who did this to his family. Actor Bruce Willis steps into the role of Paul Kersey, and while he does an okay job, he is by no means as good as Charles Bronson who played the role before him in 5 films. The film is gritty and not too over the top with blood, delivering a solid and entertaining action film that was a fun popcorn film to sit in the theater and watch. The film did poorly for MGM at the US Box Office bringing on only $34,013,419.00 on a $30 million budget. While not a perfect film and a very much unnecessary remake, it packs a small punch, and I was entertained. Check it out via rental or DVD.
# 9
Will Sawyer was a FBI rescue team leader who during a hostage situation has one of his legs blown off and is now a security expert who along with his family are in Hong Kong to check the security of a high rise called The Pearl that becomes the target of a terrorist group. Worse, his family is stuck inside the now burning building with a group of highly armed men who want the building creator’s secrets, and he must find out a way to get inside and save them. This is a like a 2018 version of Die Hard, and The Rock does a great job as Will Sawyer. It was cool to see Neve Campbell again in a blockbuster movie playing his wife. The film did not do that great at the US Box Office for Universal as it only brought in $67,796,355.00 on a budget of $125 million, by all accounts making it a bomb. While it might not have been a massive summer hit, Skyscraper was a fun one to see on the big screen.
# 8
Mary is a tough as nails hit woman for a crime family that feels bad after a hit leaves a young child homeless and having to work the streets as a drug runner for a sleazy drug pusher. But once Mary saves the young kid’s life, she turns her own life upside down and risks it all in order to give him a better life now. This is a really fun action drama that keeps you as the viewer entertained, all the while unwinding the plot that is filled with lies, corruption and greed, and once Mary gets started in the final scene there is no stopping her! This film stars Taraji P. Henson, Billy Brown and Danny Glover, and they are all fantastic in their roles. Sadly this film did just okay at the US Box Office for Sony as it only did $20,877,013.00 on a budget of $14 million. While this might not have been a life changing action drama film, it still was a very entertaining one that sadly slipped under the radar for most of the move going public.
# 7
England is under a cyber attack, and the identities of all the members of M17 have been exposed to the world. The prime minister is in a bad spot when cyber attacks keep happing. So they call in former M17 spy now school teacher Johnny English to find out who is behind the attacks while English government brings in cyber hot shot Jason Volta to try and stop the attacks. Armed with old school spy tech and his trusty assistant Bough, our goofy spy hero uncovers not only a beautiful Russian spy but also who is behind the cyber attacks now threatening the world’s internet! And with his bumbling ways, Johnny once more stumbles his way into saving the day. This third film in the Johnny English series is lots of goofy fun and has some silly moments that will have you chuckling out loud. Rowan Atkinson is master of facial expression comedy and really does a fantastic job of making Johnny English a fun comedic character. This fun action comedy film also stars Emma Thompson, Jake Lacy, Ben Miller and Olga Kurylenko. This film sadly did not do well for Universal in the US as it brought in only $4,285,545.00 on a budget of $25 million. While this third film was not a mega hit, I found it to be a very entertaining film that features one of the world’s best comedians. Check it out if you enjoyed the other two films in the series or just like spy films mixed with childish humor.
# 6
CIA Special Activities Division Officer Matt Graver has been hired to start a war in Mexico that would pit the cartels against each other, and he calls on his crew including Alejandro Gillick as all rules are off the table. But things go wrong when they kidnap a drug lord’s daughter and the local police set up an ambush that leaves Alejandro behind with the daughter in Mexico and Graver getting orders from the Government to kill everyone who can link the U.S. to this war including the young girl and Alejandro! So the film becomes a fight to get over the border and back in America for Alejandro, who refuses to leave the young girl behind and must come face to face with gang members who deal in human trafficking who as well want him dead as one of their own knows he works for our Government. This is a great sequel that adds more thrills and action to the Sicario saga, and once more Benicio del Toro does a fantastic job of being an action star who adds elements of drama and real life feel to his character. The film did just okay for Sony at the US Box Office bringing in $50,072,235.00 on a budget of $35 million. Worth watching if you enjoyed the first film or just want to see Benicio take on drug cartels again.
# 5
Laura Croft is a young woman whose rich father went missing when she was just a young girl, and after years of being a strong minded independent woman she has found a clue to where her father disappeared to and sets out on a adventure to find him, but things are not that simple as she finds that he is on an island with some very bad people who have very bad intentions. Is Laura’s father alive? Will she be able to get off the island alive? Who is the main person behind the bad guys? All these questions are answered in this reboot to the Tomb Raider movie series. This was a fun video game inspired movie and holds true to the route the game series is taking. Sadly the film did not do that great for Warner Brothers at the US Box Office as it only did $57,409,662.00 on a budget of $94 million and the foreign box office is what saved the day and make it profitable. If you enjoy adventure films, this is one you need to check out on DVD, Blu-Ray or Digital.
# 4
Youngblood Priest is a low key drug kingpin in the world of cocaine, and he is so low key that another drug ring has moved in called the Snow Patrol and when things get bad Priest thinks of one final hustle that will leave he and his two girlfriends and friends set for life…all he has to do is out smart his rivals, a Mexican drug cartel and a pair of dirty cops to do it! This is a modern remake of the 1972 movie of the same name, and to my surprise, it was one heck of a good action crime drama film. The film works on so many levels and really brings the classic Blaxploitation film to a modern audience, and while the film is its own, it does justice to the original. Actor Trevor Jackson was a great choice to play Priest as he makes you really care and cheer for a drug seller! Plus actress Andrea Londo is stunning and does fantastic in her role as Cynthia, one of Priest’s girlfriends who is also a fighter when it comes to fight or flight situations. Sadly the film did not do that well for Columbia at the US Box Office as it had a budget of $16 million and only brought in $20,545,116.00. This is one of those films I will own on DVD and hope that it finds a cult following on home media and digital.
# 3
Robert McCall is at it again helping others out in a world filled with injustice and crime that slips under the radar. But things get really personal when someone makes the mistake of killing his best friend, and now they don’t know what they have unleashed on themselves! Along his journey to uncover the truth and get revenge, he befriends a young troubled youth who also becomes a pawn in the sick game of the bad guys who all now have a trained killer on their tail known as Robert McCall. This is a great sequel that delivers some great action and a solid story and is just another chapter in the quest of Robert McCall, and I hope a third film is to come. Denzel Washington is fantastic as Robert, and this film did just okay for Sony at the US Box Office bringing in $102,084,362.00 on a budget of $62 million and was a great summer popcorn film that I enjoyed seeing in the theater.
# 2
Adonis Creed has fought his way to become the boxing heavyweight champion and soon finds himself the target of the son of Ivan Drago who wants to bring honor back to his family’s name. Now a showdown between two families with a long bad history must once more clash to settle scores and for their own pride. And worse for Adonis, he must also come face to face with his love becoming more deaf, becoming a father as well as facing a true butt whooping during their first encounter. This is a great film that, just like the original, captures the magic and feel of the Rocky series and leaves you wanting to see more movies and more of the life of Adonis Creed and his family. Plus seeing Sylvester Stallone as Rocky once more is always a must see on the big screen. Plus for those who don’t know Drago’s son is trained by Ivan who is once more played by Dolph Lundgren! This movie did well for MGM at the US Box Office bringing in a total of $112,148,125 on a budget of $50 million. This is a must see film for fans of Rocky, boxing, Drama, Action and those who just enjoy a great movie…also a must own on home media for me!
# 1
Ethan Hunt and his team are at it again, and this time they have to go undercover to stop a sinister plan that involves nuclear bombs and saving the life of a known terrorist. The bad thing is someone has set them up as well to look like they are working with the bad guys as double agents. Now Ethan must kick it into high gear and clear his name as well as save the world from a terrible bomb. This is hands down for me the best film in the Mission Impossible series as, to be honest, I have never been that big of a fan of the series. The thing about this film is that it has lots of action as well as twists and turns that kept me glued to the edge of my seat. And this is a pure popcorn film that was a great way to enjoy a big budget blockbuster flick on the big screen. Tom Cruise is fantastic as Ethan Hunt and brings a very likable quality to the character as you find yourself cheering for him the whole way. The film did great for Paramount in the US bringing in $220,159,104.00 on a budget of $178 million, and worldwide it did even better bringing in over $500 million more! This action film is worth seeing if you like spies and car chases in your films. Worth owning for sure as well if you are into Mission Impossible movies.
So as you can see, the cinema was packed with some great action films that not only brought the explosions but also brought some laughs and sporting flare. So with that, let’s take a look at Sci-Fi and Fantasy films that entertained me this year in the theater.
# 10
At birth Samson was chosen by God to lead the Hebrews to a better life and is given lots of pure power and strength, but these Godly gifts came with rules like his hands could not touch the dead, he cannot drink wine and must not ever get his hair cut. Samson is a showoff who enjoys his gifts, and when he meets the love of his life Taren, who is a slave girl to the Philistine King and his evil son, he is pushed to break two of the rules in his quest to marry her as he drinks wine and must touch the dead in order to settle a debt. After the murder of his bride at the hands of the King’s Son, a war is waged that leaves Samson alone killing hundreds of soldiers and being left alone to rule his people. That is until he falls in love with Delilah, who is working along side the Philistines and cuts his hair that allows the army remove his eyes and take him prisoner! In the end Samson finds that God is still with him, and he brings the pillars down in the castle before he can be killed and becomes an inspiration to Hebrews to rise up for their God. This religious sword and sandal film was lots of fun to watch on the big screen, and while a little too long, it was entertaining. The film brought in $4,719,928.00 for Pure Flix as the US Box Office on an unknown budget. It was lots of fun to see if you enjoy cheesy sword and sandal films that also pack a religious history lesson in made for TV production levels.
# 8
A science experiment goes horribly wrong in space, and an accident sends canisters to earth that ends up turning a wolf, alligator and a white gorilla into rage filled giant monsters! The gorilla is named George and was living in a zoo, and Davis Okoye was the man saved him from poachers when he was a baby and now wants to find a cure and save his friend from a fate set by the government who want to kill them and the company responsible for the canisters want to cover their tracks. This was a fun and silly film that brought the Midway video games alive to the big screen. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and the movie did poorly for New Line Cinema at the US Boxoffice only bringing in $95,089,209.00 on a budget of $120 million. But the film did do well at the foreign box office, making it a hit over all. Worth seeing if you enjoy giant monsters and like the video game, even if it strays very far away from it.
# 7
Grey Trace is a mechanic who fixes up classic muscles cars as his wife Asha works for a company that develops computers that are to help mankind. But when out to celebrate a car sale, the couple are attacked. Asha is killed, and Grey is shot and paralyzed leaving him to a life in a wheelchair and help from robots and his mother. But Grey gets a second chance at life as well as revenge when one of his clients, a tech genius, designs a chip that will help Grey walk again as well as will talk to him in his mind as well as take over when needed! The chip is called STEM, and together they must find his wife’s murderers as well as dodge the police and the tech maker who wants to stop their quest for just revenge. This is a fun action and sci-fi film that seems like it could fit perfect in the world of Blade Runner if that world had a rich suburbs! Logan Marshall-Green does a fantastic job as Grey and Simon Maiden is great as the voice of STEM, and this once more shows that Blumhouse is one of the best film producing companies going today as they get Horror and Science Fiction and they almost always deliver a entertaining movie. The film did okay for Blumhouse at the US Box Office bringing in $11,916,615.00 on a budget of $5 million. This one is an enjoyable film with some cool surprises and blends action and sci-fi together really well.
# 6
Robin Of Loxley is a rich man who has fallen in love with a thief named Marian who ends up also falling madly in love with him. The pair spend lots of time together until Robin is drafted to fight in the crusade war. Years pass, and he is reported dead and returns to find that he has lost every thing his love, his house and his money all because of the greed of the Sheriff Of Nottingham who has plans to gain power. Working with an Arab Warrior named John, they come up with a plan to rob from the rich and greedy church and help lead an uprising of the people who have been drained dry of their money by the rich and greedy. But when things get really bad, and the poor are being bullied and killed, Robin must make his move and bring down the Sheriff as well as win the heart of Marian once more. This was a very fun and silly film that was not only an adventure film but does also have a message about the poor standing together against the 1% who rule our their lives. The film stars Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Ben Mendelsohn and Eve Hewson who is singer Bono’s daughter! This film did very poorly for Lionsgate at the US Box Office bringing in only $30,637,019.00 on a budget of $100 million. While the critics and reviews will tell you how terrible this movie is, I will tell you it’s a fun watch that you can check your brain at the door and eat some popcorn and enjoy a new adventure for classic hero Robin Hood.
# 5
Christopher Robin is a young boy whose best friend is a small stuff bear named Winnie the Pooh, who is alive as well as other plush dolls that he meets after crawling through a whole in a tree. Grown up Christopher has a family, a demanding job and seems to forget about his youthful friends who all await for his return. But when Pooh comes to visit him in London, Christopher must balance his work as well as his family who have also seemed to be left behind due to work. This is fun family film that brings the classic character to life in a live action film that will warm your heart. All the characters are done so well and will surely please the fans who grew up loving them. The film did just okay for Disney in the US bringing in $99,215.042.00 on a budget of $75 million. If you like Winnie the Pooh and classic Disney family fun, check this one out.
# 4
Cybertron is at war, and the Autobots must leave in order to regroup and gather their troops as they are losing. Bumblebee is sent to Earth in order to set up a base for the Autobots once they are all gathered up. Once on Earth, he is attacked by the army as well as a Decepticon and loses not only his memory but also his voice and turns into a VW Bug before shutting down. Time passes, and young lady Charlie ends up getting the rundown bug from a junkyard and fixes it and discovers that her car is really a robot. They become close friends and must fight when Decepticon bounty hunters team with the army in order to find the reactivated Bumblebee! With the army really wanting to kill all the space robots and the Decepticons wanting to not only kill the Autobots but wanting to take over the Earth, things are really stacked against Bumblebee and Charlie. This is a Transformer film done right and wipes away the bad taste of the Platinum Dunes series that spent more time making the main characters look nothing like they should. This one makes them look like their cartoon counterparts. Over all this is a great fun Transformers film and shows that this series is on the right track and has lots of offer still at the theater. As of this update’s posting, the film has done $67,178,020.00 on a budget of $135 million making it have a fight to meet its budget for Paramount. I would say this is the best live action Transformers movie thus far and is worth a watch.
# 3
Han is a young man living on a terrible planet that forces the orphaned to steal for slimy crime bosses, and he wants to smuggle some coaxium to get his girlfriend Qi’ra and himself off it and away from it all. During their escape, he makes it out, and she is captured. Over the years Han joins the empire and meets a group of smugglers that he ends up joining with the end goal being to get his own ship and take Qi’ra off the planet. But things go wrong as he gets in deep with an evil smuggler ring that wants his group to pull off a crazy heist and finds that his true love Qi’ra is also tied to this dangerous group! Also along the way, he meets Chewbacca, a Wookie, and smuggler Lando Calrissian who become friends of his for life. This Star Wars Story film is filled with action, drama and twists and brings a classic Han Solo legend story to life. The downside is none of the threats are really threats as we all know Han, Chewie and Lando will come out of this film unharmed. The film did blah for Disney at the US Box Office bringing in $213,767,512.00 on a budget of $275 million making it the least profitable in the film series. While not life changing, it was still a very enjoyable film that has that Star Wars charm. I should also note that Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson and Donald Glover all do fantastic work in their roles, and the film does have a really cool cameo from a classic Sith character from the past.
# 2
Clara is a young woman who is an inventor and is having a very hard time dealing with the death of her mother, and this has stressed her relationship with her father. On Christmas, Clara gets a final gift from her mother that’s a locked egg box with no key, and after going to a big Christmas party and talking with her Grandfather, she finds herself following a string to get her gift and ends up in another realm that is at war with itself and finds that she is now the Queen of the land as her mother was before her! Now she must get a key from Mother Ginger who is blamed for the worlds’ issues. But soon Clara along with her new friend, a nutcracker soldier Captain Hoffman, must find a way to bring peace to the world as well as learn who to trust as well as Clara to find answers about her mother. This was a real fun popcorn movie to watch in the theater and was one I had zero expectations for that I ended up really liking as I found it to feel like a classic 80’s style family film. The film sadly did not do that well for Disney at the US Box Office only bringing in $54,509,683.00 on a massive budget of $120 million. While a bomb in the theater, I hope this film finds more success on the home media market. Worth a watch and one I would watch again.
# 1
The dinosaurs of the now defunct Jurassic World theme park are in trouble as the volcano on the island is about to erupt and kill them all off! Many in the government are saying that we should not save the dinosaurs, while a group of protesters lead by Claire Dearing want to save them as they are living creatures. With backing from the former owners of the park, a rescue mission is put into place, and they even are able to get former park trainer Owen Grady. But the rescuers soon find out that their backers really didn’t care about saving the lives of the dinos and really want to engineer them as well as sell them as pets to the rich and powerful. This is such a fun adventure film that adds in lots of horror elements and has some surprises as well as twists that make for a great popcorn film that was a great watch in the theater. In fact, this film sets up another sequel that I am very much looking forward to watching once released in 2020. The film did fantastic for Universal at the US Box Office bringing in a massive $416,769,345.00 on a budget of $170 million showing that this franchise is back and is a powerhouse when getting viewers into the theater. This was hands down my favorite Sci-Fi film of the year and is one that’s a must own for me on home media.
Some pretty great new sequels released this year for Fantasy and Sci-Fi, and as you can also see, some pretty great original ones as well. I mean this year we got movies starring characters like Han Solo, Samson, Robin Hood and Bumblebee and all entertained this moviegoer. But next let’s see what 2018 had to offer in the way of Superheroes!
# 7
Teenager Miles Morales witnesses the death of Spider-Man, but only after he himself has been bitten by a radioactive spider and gained powers. Kinpin has created a dimension portal in hopes of bringing his wife and son back after their deaths, and by accident he brings spider people from other dimensions in like Spider-Gwen and Spider-Ham! Now Miles must find his inner Spider-Man in order to send all his other Spider cohorts back to their dimensions as well as stop the Kingpin and his goons from ever using the world changing machine again. This is a fun animated film that brings the nature of Spider-Man onto the big screen and delivers moviegoers their first real look at Miles Morales, who was shown to comic readers many years back when he took over as Spidey after the “death” of Peter Parker. This film has been a hit with critics and viewers alike and as of this update being posted has brought in $104,148,730.00 on a budget of $90 million for Sony. While many say it’s the best Spider-Man and or Superhero film of all time, I found it to be enjoyable but far from the best. Worth watching for those who like their hero movies animated and silly as it delivers the action.
# 6
Eddie Brock is a hard-hitting TV news reporter who makes the mistake of trying to bring down a high-powered businessman who has the power to ruin Eddie’s life and he does just that as the one time popular reporter looses his job, his fiancé as well as his home. But years later, when one of the scientist who work for the businessman comes to him for help over the company killing homeless people for experiments, he soon finds himself infected with an alien being that turns him into a super-powered monster known as Venom! Now this anti hero must stop the coming invasion of alien beings who want to take over the earth and infect us humans. This is a fun superhero film that is based around one of Spider-Man’s most popular foes and brings him to the cinema in a better light than Spider-Man 3 did. Tom Hardy is fantastic as Eddie Brock/Venom, and the action and humor blend really well together. The film did well for Sony at the US Box Office bringing in a total of $213,205,181.00 on a budget of $100 million. Worth watching for fans of Venom and is one I will own on DVD!
# 5
Deadpool is back and is an X-Men member in training and blows his chances when he kills some doctors and orderlies who work at an orphanage for mutant kids after one of the youths confesses they abused him. Worse, a mercenary from the future named Cable has come to our time in order to kill the youth who in the future brings the end to his family. Now Deadpool must bring together the youth, Cable, the X-Men and his new team of misfits called X-Force in order to stop this coming end of mutants and to right all the wrongs of the past. The film did fantastic for Fox at the Box Office in the US and brought in $318,491,426.00 on a budget of $110 million. If you like your superhero movies crude and rude, this one is for you! Plus Ryan Reynolds is truly the right actor to play Deadpool.
# 4
Ant-Man is under house arrest and his partners the Wasp and Hank Pym are on the run from the authorities, and a super villain named Ghost is trying to steal experiment equipment from Pym as it’s needed as she is dying from an accident that leaves her body uncontrollable and unstable. Now Ant-Man must risk getting off house arrest in order to help Wasp and Pym get the equipment back in order to save Pym’s wife, who has been stuck in a limbo world for decades. This film is packed with action and laughs and brings together the new and old as the original Ant-Man and Wasp are with the current versions and also brings in Ghost and Black Goliath as the baddies who might not be as bad as you think. The acting is great. Paul Rudd is fantastic as Ant-Man, and it’s always great to see Michelle Pfeiffer on the big screen. The film did good for Disney at the Box Office in the US bringing in $216,648,740.00 on a budget of around $170 million. If you liked the first film in the series like I did, then this sequel will surely bring you joy. Also worth owning on home media if you’re wondering.
# 3
Aquaman is saving people in the ocean from not only storms but also pirates who all want to kill him for his good deeds. But while he helps the surface world, Atlantis, the birthplace of his mother, is at war with itself over attacking the land walkers above who have polluted their world for centuries. Now Aquaman must travel to Atlantis as he is the true ruler and must face is stepbrother The Ocean Master, who has plans of being the world’s ruler and has gotten the help of a one time pirate now turned super villain named Black Manta. Can Aquaman bring peace to the two worlds, and can he finally find out what has happened to his mother who has been missing for decades? Between this and Wonder Woman, DC Comics have shown that they are not down for the count when it comes to making big budget superhero movies, and they still have some fight in them to challenge Marvel. This film has some great action moments, and the film’s main villain Ocean Master, while doing bad things, is not a soulless character as he truly thinks what he is doing is right adding to the tension between the two estranged brothers. Jason Momoa is good as Aquaman, and my only complaint about his performance is I hate that he smirks so many times after delivering eye-rolling lines of dialogue. Plus when the actors wore their masks and costumes, both Black Manta and Ocean Master looked great and made me wish they would have kept the costumes on more. The film as of this update is doing okay for Warner Brothers bringing in this far $189,375,000.00 at the US Box Office on a budget of around $160 million. While not the best DC Superhero film from this modern re-launch (that honor goes to Wonder Woman), this is definitely a step in the right direction for their shared hero universe.
# 2
Prince T’Challa has become the King of Wakanda after the death of his father and has been faced with challenges that include Man-Ape who wants to try his hand at claiming the thrown, but after defeating him he must now find a terrorist criminal who is stealing Wakanda tech and has lead his cousin Killmonger to the kingdom where he challenges and wins the thrown. Now Black Panther and his closest friends must regroup and fight to take back the Kingdom and stop Killmonger’s thirst for war and power. Black Panther is a fantastic film that does a great job of bringing in drama into the action superhero movie mold. Adding in classic villains like Man-Ape and Killmonger felt right, and their looks were great updates to dated characters. The action in this movie is great, and the battles between Black Panther and Killmonger will have you on the edge of your seat. The film at the Box Office in the US did amazing for Disney bringing in $700,059,566.00 on a budget of $200 million and making this film the top grossing film in America for 2018! A great watch and one that will please any superhero fan, this one is a must own now that it’s out on home media.
# 1
Thanos wants to collect all the Infinity Gems in order to kill off half of the population in the universe with one thought, and after collecting some, he gets another after killing Loki and many of the Asgardians and leaving the Hulk and Thor defeated. Now the world’s mightiest heroes Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Falcon, War Machine, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Man-Ape, Winter Solider join Thor and Hulk in the battle to stop Thanos and his army from getting the remaining stones and fulfilling his desire. But can the world’s best defeat the odds, or are we all in trouble? This is what a superhero movie is all about, as the stakes are high and the threat to the universe is real! Seeing all of these characters from Marvel films from over the last 10 years in one single film is truly amazing and seeing them battle the likes of Thanos, who is one of the companies best villains, is pure big screen magic. Not mention the film’s climax that leads us to the next sequel will leave you feeling defeated and sad! The sheer amount of talent in this film also boggles ones mind, and this was hands down one amazing popcorn flick that kept me super entertained and wanting more movies from Marvel! The film did top notch in the US Box Office for Disney bringing in $678,815,482.00 on an estimated budget of $350 million, and with overseas money their gross is over $2 billion dollars! If you like superhero movies and want to see one epic fight between the forces of heroes and villains, then check this movie out. And yep I did buy this movie on DVD when it was released
Superheroes films are all the rage when it comes to toping the Box Office here in America, and many of them make up the top grossing films of the year! But while you readers know I am a big comic book reader and superhero movie watching junkie, my top films that I love seeing in the theater are the ones in Horror genre. This year we got some great ones from Slashers to Ghosts to even a giant Shark. 2018 was a great year for Horror Cinema and was a blast for me sitting in the theater listening to fellow movie goers shriek in fear or even nervously laugh at the scares on the silver screen. So here is my ranking of all the Horror Movies I seen in theater this year.
# 20
The Quinn family of New York have became the obsession of evil ventriloquist dummy Slappy who was found in the old house of R.L. Stine as well as the book writer’s unfinished first book called “Haunted Halloween,” and when the family makes a mistake and opens the book and Slappy chooses them to be his new family, the horrors of the book are unleashed and the world is in trouble unless they can stop Slappy who’s plan is to unleash monsters all over the world as they are his true family. This sequel is a little of a letdown and does not have the charm and fun nature of the first film, and to be honest, I found myself a little bored during most of the start of this kid friendly Horror flick. This film stars Jack Black, Madison Iseman, Jeremy Ray Taylor and Ken Jeong among many others and is well acted as the actors all do a good job with this plot holed script. The film did poorly for Sony at the US box office as it only brought in a total of $46,700,633.00 on a budget off $35 million. Over all, this a onetime watch and fans of Goosebumps might want to check it out.
# 19
Matias is a young man whose girlfriend is deaf and his lack of sign langue is causing issues in their relationship. So he steals a laptop from his work at a cyber café to add an app that will run smoother on this better computer. While having a Skype game night with friends, he soon learns that the computer he stole belongs to a very bad man who works on the deep web as a murderer for hire as people pay him to torture and kill people for their pleasure. Now Matias and his friends must play a game of life and death as the killer wants his laptop back and his employers want blood. This second film in the Unfriended series removes the supernatural aspects of the first film and adds in the real life spookiness of the Dark Web. It’s a fun watch and is a solid follow up to the first film and takes the same style and makes it feel like its own. The film did pretty well for Blumhouse at the US Box Office bringing in $8,783,985.00 on a budget of $1 million dollars. Worth seeing if you enjoy the world of the net mixed with Horror.
# 18
A group of four friends decide one night during a sleepover to try and contact the Creepypasta legend Slender Man by watching a video. And after doing so, one of the friends go missing and the rest are now being haunted and driven crazy by Slender Man who wants to also take them. The film has gotten the worst hate from fans and critics on the web for any Horror Movie released this year, and I found the hate to be a little over done as the film is nothing special and is not nearly as bad as many want you to think. The films pluses are it has some cool creepy moments. Slender Man, when not CGI, looks pretty good, the music score is top notch, some shots are really cool and actress Joey King who played character Wren is great and makes me want to see her in more Horror Movies. The downside of this film is its pacing, terrible side storylines that go nowhere and Slender Man is never scary in the film. The film has done okay for Sony at the US Box Office bringing in $30,569,484.00 on a budget of $10 million. Over all worth seeing if you like the Creepypasta or movies that take inspiration from The Ring.
# 17
A batch of drafted newly out of boot camp soldiers are being sent on a mission to bring down a communication scrambler set up by the Nazi’s at a church in a small French town in order to help our side to receive messages to do air raids! But when they are forced to jump from a damaged plane, they find themselves surrounded by Nazi’s with many of their own being killed off. But things get worse when they discover that the church is also being used for experiments to create the ultimate soldiers, and now our group of heroes must not only complete their mission but also survive and stop these cruel and brutal experiments that are also on the loose. This is a Horror Movie that is mixed with a War Movie that delivers some good intense moments as well as a few scares along the way. The main cast of our good guys are all likable, and the bad guys come off like very terrible people, making it work. The one downside for me was that the experimented zombie soldiers are not in the film much and many of the good guys make dumb decisions causing more issues for them down the line. This film was an enjoyable watch on the big screen and did very poorly for Paramount at the US Box Office bringing in only $21,704,844.00 on a budget of $38 million. While not a groundbreaking Horror War Movie, it was an entertaining one worth a watch when out on home media.
# 16
Jonas Taylor is one of the best deep-sea rescue divers who has been labeled crazy after he claims something attacked a sub that left two of his crew dead. Now when his ex-wife and her crew get stuck at the bottom of the ocean, he must come out of retirement and face his haters in order to save her, but while doing so he unleashes a massive Megalodon Shark who is now on a killing and eating rampage! Proving he’s not crazy, he and a research group must try all they can to stop the Megalodon before its body count of victims rises! This is a fun Action Horror Movie that was a great popcorn summer film that tried to be this generation’s version of JAWS. The film stars Li Bingbing and Jason Statham, and sadly did not do so well for Warner Brothers at the US Box Office only bringing in $145,443,742.00 on a budget of $130 million. While not a groundbreaking ocean terror film, it was sure an entertaining one! Worth watching on Blu-Ray and DVD and even worth having in your collection to go along side your other shark themed Horror Movies.
# 15
The Purge movie series gets a prequel! The New Founding Fathers have just taken office and have a wild idea to make America great again and that’s to have one night that for 12 hours all types of crimes are legal including murder. They are testing it in New York on Staten Island. They also are offering payouts to residents who stay in town for the night as well as those who kill, and the more you kill, the more money you will make. This experiment is called The Purge and was created by Dr. Updale in order for people to lash out and unleash their inner beasts. We follow those who are protesting it lead by Nya who gather in a local church. We also follow Dmitri, a local drug lord and his crew who decided to protect the people as well as we follow the militant gangs sent in my the Government plus the local scared up nut job Skeletor who is killing anyone who gets in his way. This movie is a time bomb of violence and people standing up for each other and human rights and is a good sequel to a great series of films. The main characters are likable and you find yourself cheering them on to make it through the night. The downside for me is I felt it offered nothing really new to the series and just kind of felt like a sequel made to promote the USA Network TV show that is as well a prequel to the rest of the films in this series. The film did well for Universal at the US Box Office bringing in $69,086,325.00 on a budget of $13 million making it a hit for them. While my least favorite in the series, this is one I own on DVD and recommend to fans of the other films. I also want to say that I do hope Blumhouse and Universal do make another in this series as I do really enjoy them.
# 14
Olivia and her friends go to Mexico for spring break and meet a young man who tricks them to going to an old monastery and play a game of Truth Or Dare that is being run by a demon, who, once you’re in the game, forces you to play. Now one by one, the group of friends is forced to tell hurtful truths and dangerous and murderous dares! With time running out and her friends dropping like flies, Olivia must find away to stop the game once and for all and return the demon to captivity. This Universal and Blumhouse team up was a fun silly film that had moments of thrills and horror that delivered an enjoyable watch at the cinema. While the film and its plot was nothing special, it was very cool to hear moviegoers after the film ask their friends Truth Or Dare. The characters, while generic, do have a likable quality, and I really liked how the demon disfigured people’s mouths to ask them truth or dare. The film did okay for Universal at the US Box Office bringing in only $40,531,430.00 on a budget of only $3.5 million. While not one I would say is a must see, I would watch again once out on DVD.
# 13
Doctor Eric Price is hired by Winchester Gun Company to evaluate their majority share owners mental state as Sarah Winchester has suffered great loss as her husband and child have both passed on. She herself is spending tons of money on building new rooms to her mansion as she claims the ghosts of those killed by the Winchester rifles have told her to do so in order for forgiveness. At first Eric thinks that the aging widow has lost her connection with reality due to her grief of the death of her loved ones, but soon he himself must face the facts that maybe the ghosts of those killed by the rifles are indeed in the house looking for a place to stay and be set free. This is a pretty solid ghost film that packs lots of atmosphere and holds a true classic Hammer Horror feel to it as they were the original company to release this before selling off the script rights. The film is a slow burn and plays up on fears of the unknown and plays with what we think we see and hear, and then turns right into a vengeful ghost story complete with a very mean disfigured ghost who is the main one causing problems. The film did alright for Lionsgate at the US Box Office as it did about $25,091,816.00 on an undisclosed budget. This was a pretty cool Horror Flick and was the second one released in theaters in 2018 and was a spooky little popcorn flick.
# 12
Susie Bannion, a young woman from Ohio, moves to Berlin after the death of her mother and wants to join the Markos Dance Academy under the teaching of Madame Blanc. But while she is a skillful dancer, there is more to this dance school that meets the eye as young women keep going missing and rumors of a cult of witches running it travels around. With one dancer named Sara wanting to get to the bottom of it and find her missing friend and an old doctor as well looking into the disappearances, Susie must find her own inner dancer and come face to face with a clan of witches who have sinister plans for her as well as the other dancers. This film is a remake of the Dario Argento film of the same name and while it holds some elements from the original, it is really its own thing and brings in a very strong art house feel. While the film is a slow burn and has a long runtime of over two and a half hours, it does pack in some pretty cool chills as well as bloody deaths that reminds you that you are watching a Horror Movie. The film has a great cast with such names as Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton, Chloe Grace Moretz and Mia Goth who steals the show with a great performance. The film had a limited release and but did help bring in $2,483,472.00 for Amazon Studios who had a $20 million dollar budget in this film. While I do not find it as spooky or haunting as the original, this remake still was a fun one to see in the theater and did have some cool and creepy moments. Worth owning on home media for those who like slower paced art house Horror flicks.
# 11
While on a sniper mission, Quinn McKenna is the only survivor when a spacecraft crashes and a Predator is once more loose on the Earth. Before he flees, Quinn is able to steal the alien’s helmet and arm guard and sends it home, but this causes the Predator to as well track the package that’s been opened by his autistic son and worse for everyone, a super genetically engineered 11 foot tall Predator wants stolen cargo that’s on the crashed ship and will kill anyone and anything that gets in his way. So it’s up to Quinn and a rag tag bunch of mentally unstable soldiers to save his son, dodge the government and stop the Predators from their hunts. This fourth film in the Predator series is a fun Sci-Fi, Action and Horror hybrid film that delivers some good kills and over the top moments. But while enjoyable, the film does have its flaws. For one, some of the editing leaves plot holes and the character of Quinn McKenna is just a very unlikable hero character…or at least he was for me. While I did enjoy this film I do need to say that of the main Predator film series this is my least favorite. The film did okay for Fox at the US Box Office bringing in $51,024,708.00 on a budget of $88 million dollars. With this film leaving the door wide open for Shane Black to continue with another sequel, I for one would like to see Predator continue as I want the see the suit in action…watch the film and you’ll see what I am talking about.
# 10
Ashley has just picked up her husband Max from jail, and they are traveling home through the woods of the Pacific North West when they have an accident by striking a pedestrian who seems to have been attacked by a wild animal. Things get worse when Max is struck by a thrown rock that knocks him out and into the river below, leaving Ashley to go in after him. Now the couple is alone in the woods with something stalking them and even when finding help from a group of asshole hunters, they all soon realize that Bigfoot is real and he is pissed and enjoys hunting humans! Throw in a Native American Sheriff and an old witch that lives in the woods, and you have yourself this fun horror film that takes elements from the Predator films and turns them more primal and laced with folklore. This film had great practical effects with many of the kills being brutal, an amazing Bigfoot who was part wild primate and part Rambo, stunning lead actress Casey Gagliardi and one heck of a fun ride of a plot. This film was shown in theaters for one night only as part of the Fathom Events and was one heck of a fun time. The film brought in a total of $21,903.00 for its one night showing in the US for Fathom. This one was lots of fun and worth owning on DVD, Digital or Blu-Ray.
# 9
Blood Fest is an event that celebrates all things horror, and Dax, a mega horror movie fan, disobeys his fathers wishes and along with two of his best friends heads to the event only to find that the events organizer is a crazy man and all the killers and ghouls of the event are there to kill all attendees and create the ultimate Horror Movie from the footage. This is a really fun and gory Horror Comedy that blends the two genres together so well and delivers a highly entertaining watch. The film has killer clowns, zombies, a puppet, masked killers and vampires and has some over the top and brutal kills. The film was shown at a Fathom Event and has a great cast lead by Robbie Kay and Seychelle Gabriel and did pretty well for Cinedigm at the US Box Office bringing in a total of $82,744.00 on a budget of unknown. This is a must see film for fans of Horror Comedies and is one I bought on DVD/Blu-Ray when released.
# 8
Megan Reed is a former cop who was let go from the force when she became an addict after an accident left her partner shot. She now is recovering and has taken a graveyard shift job at the city morgue. But when the mutilated and burned body of a young woman named Hannah Grace is brought in, things start to get real weird as a person breaks in to the morgue to burn the body and staff from the hospital above are going missing. And things get even scarier for her when she notices that Hannah seems to be alive and moving around, and worse when she does some research on the dead girl, she finds out she died during an exorcism! When the demon inside Hannah fully wakes up, Megan must fight for not only her life but her soul. This is a possession film that is set in a morgue that is very cold in look and this helps add the over all vibe of this creepy little film as most of the movie takes place in the morgue and the parking garage that leads to the drop off area. Actress Shay Mitchell plays Megan and is very likable. Her performance has you cheering for her to make it out alive. Plus, it was great to see Stana Katic, who played Kate Beckett on TV Show Castle, in a small role. Over all while this is just another standard demon possession film, its setting and creepy demon woman Hannah made it an entertaining watch for me, even if the people I went with did not really enjoy it. The film did ok for Sony at the Box Office here in America bringing in $14,560,796.00 on a budget of $9.5 million. While this film was trashed by critics and Horror Fans across the board, I found it a fun watch on a late night at the cinema and is one I plan on buying on DVD when released.
# 7
The grandma of the Graham family has passed away, and young 13 year old Charlie takes it the worst as she was close to her strange grandma. But when an accident also leaves Charlie deceased, her family is left heartbroken and looking for answers as strange things start to happen all around them and mother Annie seems to be losing her mind…but things are very sinister as friends are not what the seem and forces are in play to get what they need from the Graham family. This film was a great slow burn horror movie that built the feelings of sadness, dread and anxiety as I watched to see how the story played out. No joke, when the character Charlie played by Milly Shapiro dies in the film, I really did find myself filled with sadness, and that’s crazy for me as most kids in movies annoy me! The film has done well for A24 at the US Box Office as it brought in $44,069,456.00 on a budget of $10 million. Well worth watching and one I bought on DVD when it was released. And will also say it’s the best A24 Horror Movie release I have seen this far.
# 6
A group of friends head out to the area’s biggest Halloween event and soon find themselves being stalked by a masked killer who enjoys turning the horrors of the haunted houses real. And during Hell Fest, a massive Halloween attraction he sets his site on Natalie and her group of friends. One by one, he stalks and kills them for his own twisted reasons, until the survivors and the killer have a showdown. This was a fun modern slasher film set in great background of a massive haunted attraction and adds a layer of shock. The film also has a great soundtrack and really is a sadly over looked film as it did okay for Lions Gate at the US Box Office bringing in only $11,107,431.00 on a budget of $5.5 million. With the film being left open for a part 2, I hope that Lions Gate takes a chance and allows it to be made. Worth seeing, and I even made sure to buy the film on DVD when it was released. Oh and I have to say I am becoming a fan of actress Bex Taylor-Klaus who plays Taylor in the film and is also known for being on MTV’s Scream show.
# 5
The Abbott family are living in a world where they must always remain quiet as monsters are roaming around that are blind but attack and kill any noise they hear. The family is struggling not to make a noise in a world where it means death, plus the family is having some issues over the loss of one of them, and worse, the mother is about to have a baby! This movie uses sign langue for almost all the dialogue and really plays up the tension of a family struggling with the loss of a loved one making the horror of the monsters outside even more intense as every little sound made me as a viewer feel nervous. A Quiet Place is a really good indie horror movie that was a great watch in the theater and with a fellow movie goers who were all silent during the film. The movie did really well for Paramount at the US Box Office bringing in $188,024,361.00 on a budget of $17 million. This is one that when released I bought the DVD and would recommend to Horror fans who enjoy their scary films with a touch of arty and emotions.
# 4
Insidious: The Last Key was the first Horror Movie released in theaters in 2018 and it was a great way to kick off a great year of Horror cinema. Elise Rainier has had a hard life as she can talk and see ghosts and uses her gift to help others who are being haunted. And her next case takes her to her old family home where she must help the new owner and come face to face with the sinister spirit called Key Face who can steal the souls of the living and force the living to also do his bidding when living in that house. Elise along with her team must enter the house, face her fears and torment of the past, patch things up with her estranged brother, meet her nieces and help save them and stop Key Face from unlocking the doors of the spirit world. This movie takes lots of twists and turns and packs some great jump scares. It’s shocking that this Blumhouse series just seems to be solid throughout its sequels, and I for one can not wait to see what Chapter 5 brings to the story. The film did well for Universal at the USA Box Office bringing in $67,347,895.00 on a budget of $10 million making it yet another hit for Blumhouse! If you enjoyed the first three movies in the series, you will surely enjoy this one as well. Also this is one I bought on DVD when released.
# 3
Kinsey is a troubled teenage girl who is being driven by her parents and brother to a small vacation to their family’s seasonal trailer park before she is sent to a boarding school. But while the family tries to spend time with each other and heal hurt feelings, they soon find out they are not alone as The Strangers are also in the trailer park and have set their sights on the family being their next victims. One by one they stalk and kill the family, but soon find out that this family is not going to go down without a fight. This sequel was 10 years in the making and it lived up to the wait as this was one heck of a spooky ride filled with cool kills, amazing score and some eerie shots. This film feels like a classic 80’s slasher film and does a great job of ending the story of The Strangers but also leaves the door cracked if they ever want to revisit this series for a third film. The film did great for Aviron at the US Box Office bringing in $24,431,472.00 on a budget of $5 million! Really enjoyed this film and was a solid follow up and was a great film to see on the big screen, worth buying on DVD, Blu-Ray of Digital. And in fact I did buy the DVD when released.
# 2
The body of a nun who hanged herself is found at an old monastery in the hills of Romania, and the Vatican sends in a priest and a nun in order to find out why. While there, they find that the locals think it’s haunted as well as the land around it…and when night comes they soon learn that it is indeed, as the demon Valak has claimed it and is looking to enter our world for good and cause fear and chaos. In order to stop the evil spirit, they must truly have faith and risk everything to stop its coming of power. This creepy film in the Conjuring expanded universe is a fun watch with some creepy moments that felt to me as if it had a dash of Italian Horror mixed into a demonic ghost American fright flick. Valak is a great horror monster and the film’s downbeat atmosphere truly made for a great late night watch at the theater. The film did great for New Line Cinema at the US Box Office bringing in $117,450,119.00 on a budget of $22 million showing that The Conjuring films are here to stay for awhile. This movie is worth owning on DVD or Blu-Ray and I in fact did buy the DVD when it was released. If you like demonic ghost movies, you should check this one out.
# 1
It’s been 40 years after Michael Myers went on a killing spree, and Laurie Strode was one of the only survivors. Spending this whole time in an asylum, on Halloween 2018 he breaks free and once more goes on a killing rampage in Haddonfield, Illinois that leads him to cross paths again with Laurie Strode as well as her daughter and granddaughter. Will Michael be able to finish what he started in 1978, or will Laurie finally get her revenge for that night of terror he put her through? This sequel to the hugely popular Halloween film series takes place after the original film and is the start of a new batch of sequels being done by Blumhouse and Universal that have been bringing us Horror Fans a bunch of great scare flicks. This sequel brings Michael Myers back to the core of who what he is, a cold blooded killer and wipes out the family connection between he and Laurie and just plays up on the fact the two hate each other. It was great to see Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode as well as that the original Michael Myers actor Nick Castle got to also be apart of this film. The kills are great and some are pretty brutal, and the score is done by John Carpenter and brings that true Halloween feel to it. Another plus is that almost all of the main characters are likable and are pretty well developed. The one major downside for me was some of the Danny McBride written humor just seemed out of place and really dumb and that was mostly spewing out of the mouth of Laurie’s son in law. Over all I think that Halloween series is in good hands with Universal and Blumhouse, and I am very much looking forward to see what’s next. The film did amazing for Universal at the Box Office here in America bringing in $159,326.595.00 on a small budget of $10 million. This really was hands down my favorite Horror Movie I saw in theater in 2018 and lived up to what I wanted from it.
So as you can see, this was a great year in movies in all genres and for this movie goer, I got to watch film is all kinds of cool theaters from Neon Movies to Cinemark and got to spend time with some amazing friends like Natalie Claude, Theresa Daniels, Stephen Alexander and Josh Weinberg plus as always got to see many with my gal Juliet. Well I can see the clean up crew is here and are ready to clean up the Rotten Ink Theater, so we should probably clear our, but before we go I would like to say that our next update is going to be about those 80’s toy The Popples! So until next time, watch a movie or three and as always support your local Horror Host! See ya for a Popple good time next update!
Posted on by bloodlinematt
Welcome once more readers and friends to my look at the movies that hit cinemas last year as I count them down for your reading pleasure. 2017 was a pretty solid year with many films that I was very much looking forward to watching, some films that I didn’t know much about but found myself really liking, and even ones that lived up to the hype I created in my mind. This year I was lucky to watch many of these films in multiple theaters as I saw many at Cinemark at The Greene as well as Cinemark Dayton South, and I also went to Regal Cinema in Beavercreek and Cranberry Cinema in PA. For the most part, they were all great experiences with Regal being the worst as every time I see a horror movie there something goes wrong from kids running up and down the stairs to grown men yelling at people for asking them to stop talking during the movie…in other words, the Regal is my least favorite place to watch movies. I also was lucky to see many of these films with friends and family as this year I watched many of them with the likes of Juliet, my brother Bryan and his family, Josh Weinberg, Stephen Alexander, Theresa Daniels, Jeremy Hoyt, Garrison Kane and Eric Shonborn to name a few. I also ate lots of popcorn and drank lots of bottle water and ICEE’s! So I can see on the marquee that they are seating here at The Rotten Ink Theater so let’s find our seats and chat about what Hollywood brought us in 2017.
Once more this year I was super lucky and did not see any majorly terrible movies so once more this year the “Worst” film countdown will not be present, and we will move onto our first countdown, Action Films!!! So get ready to run from the explosions and hear some one liners as this is one genre of films that is lots of fun on the big silver screen.
# 3
Xander Cage walked away from being a member of the secret extreme team XxX many years ago, but is tracked down and brought back into action when terrorists steal a black box that brings satellites down from space to crash into selected locations killing many. And worse the terrorist have killed Augustus Gibbons, the main brain behind the XxX team with one of these attacks! Now Xander, with a team of fellow XxX members, goes on a quest to stop these attacks and get revenge for their fallen friend and boss. But things are not what they seem, and this film takes lots of twists and turns as they find out a former XxX member might be the brain behind the attacks and things start to get really extreme as it’s a war to get the black box and stop this once and for all. This was a fun and silly action film, and it was nice to see Vin Diesel return as Xander Cage as he hams his way through the cheesy dialogue and over the top action moments. The film had a budget of $85 million and did not do to great for Paramount at the US Box Office as it only brought in $44,898,413.00 and made its money overseas. While not a groundbreaking action film, this was a fun check your brain at the door popcorn flick.
# 2
Restaurant owner Quan Ngoc Minh watches as his daughter and several other innocent people die in a terrorist attack in London. He is hurt and his spirit broken after his only child is gone. Quan sets out for answers as he wants revenge on the group who did this terrible act as he was once in the special forces and has the means and tools to get his revenge served dead cold. He sets his sights on government worker who once had ties to the group who has taken credit for the attack and won’t stop till he gets the answers he seeks. This is a fantastic action/drama film that stars Jackie Chan in a very dark and brooding film, but this lovable action star pulls it off so well as does co-star Pierce Bronson, who plays the government official. The film is well acted, the score is fantastic, and it’s an overall outstanding film that has some great action from the aging Jackie Chan who, while a little slower, still don’t seem to be missing a beat when it comes to delivering action and fights. The film was a hit for STX Entertainment overseas and did okat at the US Box Office as it brought in $34,216,587.00 on the budget of $35 million making the US dollars just the icing on the cake as it brought in $101,300,000.00 estimated from foreign markets. This is a film that’s worth checking out on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital if you get the chance.
# 1
Hitman John Wick, also known as The Boogey Man, is forced back into the world of assassination when he must do a favor for a fellow hitman who he owes before he can 100% retire. When he at first refuses, his fellow hitman blows up his house and forces him back to accept and hires him to kill his sister who is going to be the head of the family business now that their father is dead. After John conducts the hit, he soon finds out his “friend” and fellow hitman has now placed a price on his head and hitmen from around the world are coming around to cash in! With very little friends and very little safe places, John must kill his one time friend and hope the hit goes away…but this action film has lots of twists and turns and leaves the door wide open for a part 3! This is a great sequel to the first film and adds more badass nature to the character of John Wick. Once more I must say I am not a Keanu Reeves fan but he is perfect as this character, and I could not see any other action star pulling this off. The film did well for Lionsgate at the US Box Office bringing in $92,029,184.00 on a budget of $40 million. If you enjoyed the first film, this second film will also deliver the goods!
It was a solid year for Action fans, and really for me, hands down the best was John Wick 2 as that is a series I hope they continue for a while now. But let’s move away from action and into the world of Fantasy and Sci-Fi. It was also a great year for fans of those two genres.
# 8
Weird animals have been found in an underwater lake, and the oil company who found them are keeping it quite as the lake stands between them and lots of oil they need to make lots of money! Tripp is a high school student who works on cars and also works at the town junkyard, and when one of the creatures decides to hide and turns a broken down monster truck into a true monster truck, Tripp is the one who befriends the creature whose parents have been taken away by the bad guys! Tripp and his new creature become close friends and each help each other in a quest to save the day from the evil oil company and the scientist who works for them. This is a silly kids science fiction fantasy film that was a fun watch on a boring Wednesday at the theater and is nothing special but also not a total waste. This film tanked at the US Box Office for Paramount as it only brought in $33,370,166.00 on a budget of $125 million! Not much to say about this film besides it’s a goofy kids film that stars Lucas Till, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover and Thomas Lennon and worth a watch if you’re bored.
# 7
The war between humans and robots is raging on, and when Optimus Prime is taken over and turned evil, the humans and what’s left of the Autobots must team up to save the world from becoming the new Cybertron as the evil robots of space are trying to take over our world. But you can never keep a good robot down as Prime returns to the good side and joins the fight to save the world wide. Throw in Merlin The Magician, medieval robots, and an over acting hammy Anthony Hopkins, and you have this 5th film in a movie franchise based on a 80’s toy line that is clearly running out of steam and is chugging along on fumes. Now with that said, I really did have a blast watching this over blown action film on the big screen as it was clearly made to be a summer popcorn family flick. The film over all did well for Paramount worldwide and just at the US Box Office, it brought in $130,168,683.00 on a budget of $217 million. At this point with the Transformers movies I must say that if the series ended here with this sequel, it would be a good thing, but if they decide to try a milk another film or two out of Optimus Prime and his friends, I am sure I will travel to the cinema to watch. Worth a watching via a rental for fans of the past film or for those who wanna see a chubby old Anthony Hopkins get blown up….yeah, I laughed out loud at the theater watching that scene.
# 6
The Earth is being protected from terrible storms and natural disasters by a massive satellite base called Dutch Boy that was created by Jake Lawson who later gets banned and fired from the station for not playing ball with the government. Some time passes, and Jake’s brother Max is now in charge and has to try and bring his brother back after someone has hacked the system and is causing massive storms and climate changes to parts of the world. Once together, the brothers and only a few selected friends must figure out why this protection machine has been turned into a weapon of mass destruction and who’s behind it. The was a pretty cool disaster film that was well acted with most of the drama and scenes taking place in outer space. It also does a good job of keeping you always guessing as to who is behind this highjack and why they want to cause death and chaos. The film stars Gerard Butler as Jake Lawson, who is our film’s unlikely hero, and he does a great job no matter where the plot and twists of this film takes him. The film was supposed to have been a big blockbuster film for Warner Brothers but did not do that well at the US box office only bringing in a total of $33,424,531.00 on a budget of $120 million making it a bomb for them. But if you like films like Armageddon, Earthquake, 2012 and Twister, this film is one you will want to check out worth watch on DVD, Blu-Ray or Digital.
# 5
The Great Wall follows a group of mercenaries from Europe who travel to China in order to steal the secrets of gun powder and soon find themselves prisoners at the Great Wall of China after much of their party has been killed by an unknown monster! And things get worse as they must fight for their lives alongside their captors against a horde of monsters as it’s clear that the Great Wall was created to protect the people of China from the hordes of monsters that want to enter and eat all of mankind! With lives on the line and gun powder to be stolen, they stick around for awhile with a sinister plan in motion. But soon with a change of heart and many lives on the line as the monsters get past the wall, it’s a fight for survival as the monsters want flesh, and our heroes want to be just that, heroes. This film was lots of fun and is a fantasy adventure film that blends well the beauty of Chinese Fantasy and European Goth Fantasy and mixes in American style Knight films and all together it creates a Fantasy, Action, Science Fiction, Martial Arts film with a dash of Horror. The film stars Matt Damon, Jing Tain and Willem Dafoe and is a great watch for fans who enjoy monster hordes and folklore of China. The film sadly did terrible for Universal here at the US Box Office as it only brought in $45,157,105.00 on a massive budget of $150 million! Thanks to the foreign box office, this film ended up not being totally in the red. For those who have not seen it, The Great Wall is a great watch and should have done better at the box office here in America, worth picking it up on DVD or Blu-Ray.
# 4
Luke Skywalker the Jedi Master has been found by Rey, and she has a message for him that the rebels need his help in their fight against the First Order who have risen in the place of the Empire. As Luke fights with his inner self, not wanting to get involved in another galactic battle, Princess Leia and the rebels are being stalked by Snoke and his First Order army as their ship is running out of fuel and could be blown to bits! It’s up to Poe, Finn and Rose to try and save the day and get their friends to safety and out of the grip of Snoke’s battleships blasting power. Rey thinks she can help turn Kylo Ren good and leaves Luke, who she deems a coward for not helping. In the end Luke makes his return, and the Rebels, who seemed to be on their last leg, get new hope as Rey is learning her force powers, and on the other side Kylo Ren has taken over the First Order. This new episode in the Star Wars saga is kind of a mess as the film seems to spin its wheels with plots that seem pointless and characters who change for no reason….and not to mention many of the deaths of classic characters seem really cheesy and not well thought out. But while this is a flawed movie and the worst of the Disney made Star Wars films, it was by no means a terrible movie and did have some great moments with the new and classic characters. I enjoyed the inner drama and madness of Kylo Ren, the growth of hot shot Poe Dameron as well as new Jedi Rey! It was great seeing classic characters like Chewbacca, Leia, C3PO, R2-D2, Admiral Ackbar and of course Luke. This film has fans very split as many love it, while others hated it to the extreme…myself, I found it okay and enjoyed seeing it on the big screen in 3-D. Did the film’s script stink bad in spots…yes, but in the end it’s just a weak sequel in a franchise that’s going to be around for a long, long time. The film did amazing for Disney at the US Box Office bringing in $548,962,602 on a budget of $200 million. Don’t listen to what the critics and internet keyboard reviewers have to say, check it out for yourself and see what side you’re on.
# 3
Captain Jack Sparrow is at it again as he and his crew lead a botched robbery of a safe that ends up leaving Jack in jail and about to be hanged for his crimes. Henry Turner is the son of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan, and he wants to find the location of an item he thinks will save his father from the curse of Davey Jones as well as will lift all the curses of the sea and to do so he saves Jack Sparrow as well as Carina Smyth, a young female astronomer who has been accused of being a witch. Together they hit the sea for adventure but soon find they are not alone as an evil ghost named Captain Armndo Salazar is out for revenge and is forcing the likes of Captain Barbossa to help him capture Captain Jack so that he can kill him like Jack killed him many years back and caused he and his old crew to been cursed for many decades. And of course our hero Jack Sparrow is only out for one thing, to save his own butt and try and get drunk and rich while doing it! This fifth Pirates film was lots of fun and was a great watch on the big screen! Johnny Depp is fantastic as the goofy Captain Jack Sparrow who is a hero of sorts who you find yourself cheering for even though he is a terrible and selfish person. The film’s villain Captain Salazar is cold blooded and murders anyone who gets in his way of revenge and only has one mission, to kill Jack Sparrow, and is also a very self centered person who worries about his legacy and name. This film also delivers cameos from long time fan favorite characters Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann and offers the possibility of a sequel that could have them once more joining Jack on an adventure on the high sea. The film over all did well for Disney with it bringing in $172,558,876.00 on a budget of $230 million with it doing well worldwide doing a total of $794,861,794.00! I really enjoyed this film and am a fan of the series, and I can’t wait to see the next film in the series as this is one of Disney’s franchises that I look forward to seeing in the theaters. Check it out if you’re a fan of the series, and I even have bought the film on DVD so I can watch it again.
# 2
K is a Blade Runner who has been hired to kill older rogue models of androids who have all gone into hiding. But after one of his hits, he uncovers a mystery that intrigues him enough that he breaks the rules and stumbles onto a secret that will reshape the world and change lives forever. I don’t want to spoil too much of the plot of this film as I think fans of the original as well as fans of classic feeling science fiction films should really check this one out. The film was well cast as Ryan Gosling is fantastic as K, and the supporting cast of Jared Leto, Dave Bautista, Sylvia Hoeks, Ana De Armas and Harrison Ford are all fantastic. I enjoyed this film so much that after watching it in the theater, both Juliet and I sat in our seats for a few moments and just talked about how much we both enjoyed it. The film sadly did not do well for Warner Brothers at the US Box Office as it only brought in $91,524,557.00 on a budget of $150 million. I am not sure why the moviegoing public decided not to get off the couch and see this film, but it’s a shame as this one was a perfect watch in the theater. Great acting, great story and amazing score, I will for sure buy this one on DVD when released.
# 1
Caesar and his fellow apes are at war with the humans who are sending soldiers into sneak attack battles. The humans are being lead by The Colonel who, during a raid, kills Caesar’s wife and teenage son, and this sparks the lead ape on a quest for revenge. As Caesar and his closest friends set out to kill The Colonel, they come across a young mute human girl as well as another talking ape named Bad Ape. And this quest for revenge comes to a head when Caesar and many of the apes are taken prisoner, and they must get strong in order to escape and become stronger as the world’s new race. This film is a great Science Fiction film that is filled with lots of action, drama and even some funny moments. No joke, this film is the only film in the theater that I felt myself tearing up at the end. The plot of this film even has many surprises and some sad shocking moments and is one that really must be seen, and if you have not seen it yet, go get it on DVD, Blu-Ray or even rent if from you local Video Rental Store. The film did good worldwide, and at the US Box Office alone it made $146,880.162.00 for Fox on a budget of $150 million. This film is my # 1 Sci-Fi/Fantasy film, and I think it is also one of my favorite films of 2017!
Hollywood really did deliver some amazing films this year and like always, they flooded the market with films based on comic book characters. So my next list is a ranking of them! At this point I will wait for you to go get a refill of popcorn or soda….go on….for those who are waiting with me for them to get back, I also want to say that “Murder On The Orient Express” was a fantastic film and a must see but sadly did not fit an any of these categories. Well they are back with their refills, so let’s look at theses Superheroes!
# 6
Steppenwolf from Apokolips, along with his army of Parademons, are on Earth and want to bring the end of the world. What stands in his way is Batman and his newly formed together team of heroes like Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman that are calling themselves The Justice League. But when our heroes find out that the odds are against them and Steppenwolf is closer to bringing the Earth down, they make a choice to try and bring Superman back from the dead. After doing so, is the Man of Steel the same hero the world lost or will he return and be something evil? In the end The Justice League, under the pressure of the world’s end, must fight to try to stop Steppenwolf once and for all. This was a great popcorn movie that was flawed in spots with the story and editing at times seeming like they were disjointed, but even with those flaws, I really found it to be fun and some moments even had me laughing out loud as The Flash steals the show in many scenes. The film did not do that great for Warner Brothers at the US Box Office as it only brought in $225,627,455.00 on a massive budget of $300 million! But thanks to worldwide box office dollars, the film was not a total bomb. While not a perfect superhero film, I would say it’s a very enjoyable one that was unfairly prejudged by the internet critics who judged before they even seen it.
# 5
Star-Lord and the rest of his Guardians are on a hired mission when Rocket Raccoon steals from their employer, and they now have a price on their heads that has been taken by Yondu and his pirate crew. Meanwhile Star-Lord and his friends crash land on a planet and meet Ego, who is a god-like being who happens to also be Star-Lord’s long lost father! As the Guardians Of The Galaxy stay with Ego on his planet, they meet Mantis and soon find that they, along with Yondu and his outlaws, must team up to stop Ego who is in fact a very evil being who wants to rule the galaxy and even steals the life energy from fellow living beings to gain power. This is a fun space adventure and was filled with action and lots of laughs with Dave Bautista as Drax stealing the show. While this film was very good, I did find it a little weaker than the first film, and it seemed a little too long. But with that said, this was a great popcorn movie in the theater and was worth buying on DVD like I did when released. The film did fantastic for Disney at the US Box Office as it brought in $389,813,101.00 on a budget of $200 million. Not the best Marvel Superhero movie this year, but a really good one that showcases why Marvel Comics rules the Box Office for the most part.
# 4
Thor returns to Asgard after defeating Surtur and thinking by doing so he prevented Ragnarok! Back home he finds that Loki has taken the look of Odin and has been running things after he left their father on Earth in a retirement home. When traveling to Earth to get their father, they are meet by Doctor Strange who takes the brothers to the location of their father who is dying and tells them that their older sister Hela is on her way to Asgard and with her comes death! The brothers soon find that their sister is powerful, and she defeats them with ease and this causes them to become lost in space and stranded on a war planets where Thor is forced to be a gladiator and compete against The Hulk, who crashed there after leaving Earth behind. But Thor wants to save his home from the true Ragnarok, and along with Loki, The Hulk and female warrior Valkyrie, they escape the War planet ruled by Grandmaster and travel to Asgard for a final battle with Hela. This was one heck of a fun Superhero film that brought laughs, action and drama together perfectly and plus it had The Hulk in it, who happens to be one of my all time favorite superheroes! The film is well acted and had a great score and was a perfect way to set up Thor for the next Avengers movie. Disney did well with this film at the US Box Office as it brought in $311,621,239.00 on a budget of $180 million! Fans of Thor and Marvel Comic movies should check this one out if they have not.
# 3
After the events of Captain America: Civil War,Peter Parker aka Spider-Man is swinging around New York stopping small crimes and waiting for the call from Iron Man when he is needed for Avengers business. But he soon learns that the call is not coming anytime soon and that he must not only deal with his High School life but also try and stop a new villain called The Vulture who is selling high powered weapons to criminals. But not listening to Iron Man and finding out who the man behind the helmet of The Vulture is leaves Spidey in a bad situation that forces him to truly be the hero he is meant to be. This was a perfect Spider-Man film and showcases why the world of comic book readers and movie goers love Spidey! Tom Holland was perfectly casted as Peter Parker and makes the perfect Spider-Man, and I hope he sticks with the part for many movies to come. Michael Keaton was wonderfully sinister as The Vulture and plus seeing Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man again was really cool. The film did really well for Sony at the US Box Office as it did $334,201,140.00 on a budget of $175 million. Make sure if you enjoy Spider-Man as a character to check this film Spider-Man Homecoming out as it really is the best film that has been made featuring Spidey.
# 2
The X-Men are gone, and Wolverine and Professor X are on the run as they are wanted by the government and are being hunted by a group lead by Donald Pierce. Logan himself is very sick, and Professor X has a brain disease. While trying to escape, they come across and save a young girl named Laura (X-23) who is in fact also a mutant with the same powers as Logan! After fighting and always staying ahead of the bad guys, things come to a head when Professor X is murdered. Laura and fellow young mutants are being hunted down, and Logan must force himself to be the hero he once was and uses all he has in order to save the young Mutants. This is unlike any X-Men and Superhero movie I have ever seen. While it is packed with action, it is also very heavy on drama and tries to very much tug at your heart strings as this is the final film from Hugh Jackman to play Wolverine as well as Patrick Stewart as Professor X. While sick, Logan still has what it takes to brutally kill his enemies and save those he cares about. The film did great for Fox at the US Box Office and brought in a massive $226,277,068.00 on a budget of $97 million and shows that the movie going public still love Wolverine as a character. If you want to see a Superhero film that is more than that, make sure to give this one a watch.
# 1
Amazon Princess Diana Prince left the safety of her island of Themyscira in order to help American pilot Steve Trevor and his fellow soldiers during World War I as she has discovered that Ares The God Of War has a sinister plan in order to cause world destruction. And as Wonder Woman lives among men, she discovers that she is a symbol of hope and will not stop until she puts an end to Ares and helps turn the tides of the war. Gal Gadot is fantastic as Wonder Woman, and I can’t think of any other actress who could have played the part better! Hands down this was the best over all entertaining Superhero film of the year as when watching, it felt very special. This film did fantastic for Warner Brothers at the US Box Office bringing in a whopping $412,563,408.00 on a budget of $149 million. This truly is a fantastic Superhero film and makes me have faith that DC could make a comeback in the world of cinema and capture the same magic that the Christopher Reeve Superman films did and even the Tim Burton Batman films did years later. Own it on DVD, and I can’t recommend it enough.
So the superheroes took the cinema by storm and once more showed that Marvel Comics and DC Comics heroes have lots to offer from the pages of comics to the big screen for fans. But now we are at the point of this review that I always look the most forward to, the countdown of Horror Movies that made it to theaters in 2017 that I was able to catch! This year in Horror was filled with lots of sequels as well as a good mix of arty style films and just plan cheesy ones, and as always, I enjoyed them all and am looking forward to what 2018 has in store for us! So take a drink of your soda and prepare for the Horrors Of The Cinema 2017!
# 20
It Comes At Night is about Paul and Sarah, along with their teenage son Travis, who are all hiding out in their farm house as the world around them is being filled with a sickness that is very contagious. After taking in another family, they must decide between life and death when the sickness comes close to home. This is a very artsy horror film that burns at a very slow pace and plays on the viewer’s fears of sickness, loneliness and family first morals and even a little fear of the unknown as something in the woods around the house could be causing this rash sickness and death. But while the concept and atmosphere of this film is good, the rest of it I found to be a bore as it was not as “Deep” nor “Brilliant” as many viewers want you to think. In fact when this film came out, I had to chuckle when seeing friends who enjoyed it trying to say that those who didn’t like it “Just Didn’t Get It” when sad to say there is just not much to get in this bore fest! The film had a budget of $2.4 million and at the US Box Office brought in $13,985,117.00 for A24 Films making it a hit for them. While some love it and others hate it, I found myself almost putting it in my Worst film list as I wanted so much to like it but just couldn’t.
# 19
The Creeper is back and on another killing spree in this third film in the Jeepers Creepers series that takes place after the first film and before the second film. The Creeper is on the loose and is stock piling bodies when the local Sheriff as well as fellow law enforcement officers have taken The Creeper’s truck and soon learn his 23 days of killing is still going strong as he gets his truck back and continues his killing spree. The Creeper then sets his sights on a young woman whose uncle had a run-in with him 23 years ago and was able to take the killer’s severed hand. This has marked her as a victim of his rampage. Now her crazy grandma and the cops set out to stop The Creeper and save the young girls life as well as others that are yet to have been gotten. This third film in the Jeepers Creepers series by all accounts feels cheap and almost feels half assed by all involved. While the story is okay and it’s nice to see The Creeper back in bloody action, the acting by almost the whole cast is bad with Meg Foster who plays the crazed Grandma being really over the top and bad in spots. The film’s blood and gore as well is lacking, and over all this film was just average. Jeepers Creepers 3 had a limited theatrical run and brought in a total of $2,335,162.00 at the US Box Office for Screen Media. Over all fans of the series should check it out; other horror fans might want to skip it.
# 18
Alice is back in a world that is overrun by zombies and controlled by the Umbrella Corporation, and she gets the shock of her life when she is contacted by the Red Queen who wants to help her bring down her creators and spread the airborne cure that will kill off zombies world wide once released. So Alice, along with some fellow survivors including Claire Redfield, enter the Hive (Umbrella’s main hub) and must find the cure in time before all human life is gone. Can Alice stop the zombie t-virus plague? Can she find out who she really is? And will she be able to trust the Red Queen? All these questions are answered in what is supposed to be the final film in the series. I must say that this film was lots of fun but also was total nonsense as the fights scenes are a quick edited mess and scene by scene, it played out as very paint by numbers. The film did poorly at the US Box Office for Sony as it only did $26,830,068.00 on a budget of $40 million, but worldwide it made lots more showing that this tired series still has drawing power at the theater. Worth watching for fans of the Resident Evil film series and those who enjoy cheesy polished zombie films.
# 17
A college teacher buys an old VCR from a flea market and stuck inside it is the cursed tape of Samara Morgan. As he tries to repair the VCR, he ends up watching the tape and being cursed himself. In order not to die in 7 days, he tricks his students into watching the tape that he has now turned into a internet video! Julia is a student who gets stuck in the curse as she watches the video after looking for her boyfriend who as well has become the target of Samara and her tape thanks to this professor. Now it’s up to Julia to find a way to stop Samara once and for all and truly find her body and give it a proper burial, but will this free the world of Samara or is this what she wants to unleash more of her evil in the world? This third film in the Ring series was an average sequel that added nothing new to the legend of Samara and is packed with normal paranormal scares. The acting in the film is okay as are the kills, and while not overly scary, I will say that it shows that Samara is one evil spirit who enjoys causing the deaths of any human stupid enough to watch his tape. The film did not do all that great for Paramount at the Box Office in the USA as it only brought in $27,793,018.00 on a budget or $25 million. This film also was the reason that Paramount cancelled the 13th film in the Friday The 13th series as they were mad at Horror fans for not supporting this sequel to their Rings series. While Rings might not be an amazing film, it still was enjoyable in the theater.
# 16
Colonists have landed on a planet that is perfect for them to harvest the embryos their ship is carrying and create a new colony, but they soon find that they are not alone on this planet as it’s over run by Xenomorphs who are killing them off one by one. They also run into android David who is creating the aliens as he wants to play God and thinks what he is creating is the top of the food chain. After what’s left of the survivors escape, they soon find that they have an unwanted visitor as an alien is loose on the ship, and this could be the end of life as they all know it. This sequel in the Alien series is not very good and is hands down the weakest in the series as director and creator Ridley Scott thinks that fans of the series really just want to see actor Michael Fassbender acting with himself and make the focus only be his character David who was a carry over from the film Prometheus. He also seems to forget that fans of the alien series like to see the Aliens and have scary moments not over played cliché science fiction moments. Also fans of his film Prometheus seem to get the shaft as he downplays all the characters from that series besides David! Over all this film was very mediocre and offers some great moments filled in between moments of Fassbender! The film bombed for Fox at the US Box office as it had a budget of $97 million and only brought in $74,262,031.00! This film is for diehard Alien fans only and worth getting on DVD if you’re a completist like myself.
# 15
In 1997, weird lights were seen in the sky of Phoenix, Arizona and a group of friends went out to the desert in order to find the UFO and sadly they are not seen again. Years later, one of the friend’s younger sister along with her boyfriend trying to find what happened to her brother and his friends and uncovers that things are being covered up by our government and that a tape of the events had been found. This found footage film was really well done, and I found myself drawn in to the story that is really based on unknown lights seen in the skies of Phoenix in 1997. The film has some great moments that showcase that some missing people might just have gone missing because of aliens. The film had a limited release and did pretty well for Cinelou Films at the US Box Office bringing in $3,600,146.00 on a budget of $2.8 million. If you enjoy found footage horror films and films about aliens and UFOs, this is a film you might want to check out.
# 14
Laura is the most popular girls at college, has lots of friends, and is very active on social media. She makes the mistake of accepting a friend request from weird loner goth girl Marina Mills, who has no friends and animates weird creepy videos. While Laura was just being nice, Marina thinks their friendship is real and starts to become obsessed with the popular girl, and this makes Laura get annoyed and unfriend her after a scene is made in the school cafeteria. This makes Marina super sad and leads to her killing herself live on social media and also shows that this weird girl has weird powers as she puts a curse on Laura that causes her close friends to die and her popularity to disappear. Now Laura and her boyfriend must try and find the place that Marina killed herself to retrieve her body and find the mirror she used for the curse. But can they stop this curse or is Marina’s power to strong for them?! This was a great little horror shocker that for the most part had likable characters and made you feel bad for both Laura and Marina as both girls just wanted friendships, but they both had different ways to show it. Liesl Ahlers who plays Marina was fantastic, and I hope she stars in more horror films in the future. This film also had some great spooky moments, but sadly when seeing this film, I was the only person in the theater so I could not judge how the scares effected the audience. The film brought in $3,759,078.00 for Entertainment Studios at the US Box Office on a budget of $9.9 million. This film is worth watching if you enjoy supernatural horror films, and I for one pre-ordered it on DVD.
# 13
17 year old Clare Shannon is a young girl who is unpopular at school but has a group of tight friends, is embarrassed by her father who is a hoarder dumpster diver and is deeply affected by the suicide of her mother. But her life changes when her father finds a Chinese music box in the trash and gives it to her as a gift and out of sadness she makes a wish around it and finds that her wishes come true with it. But each wish comes with a price that ends up affecting those close to her. But Clare is addicted to her wish fulfilling music box, and she can’t stop even though she is causing harm to her family and friends. Can Clare break the hold the music box has on her or will it be too late to save her soul and those whose it has already claimed? This was a really good PG-13 horror film that showcases a new twist on the Monkey Paw legend and is well acted and has some really cool twisted deaths and a very mean spirited ending. The film at the good old Box Office in the USA brought in $14,301,505.00 for Board Green Pictures on a budget of $12 million making it a semi hit for them. This film was a limited release and was worth seeing in the theater as I really did enjoy it over all. While some parts are a little cheesy and predictable, it still was a good popcorn scary picture. Worth watching on DVD, Blu-Ray or rental, and I for one bought it on DVD.
# 12
Sisters Lisa and Kate are on vacation in Mexico, and this get away is hard on Lisa as it was supposed to be her and her boyfriend but they broke up. To do something fun the sisters meet some guys at a bar that tell them about a boat that will take them out to the ocean and allow them to enter a cage and see sharks up close and personal! But when the sisters get into the cage and start to have fun, the boat’s crane fails, the cable snaps, and the sisters sink to the bottom of the ocean with no help in sight as the boat is not equipped for this kind of trouble, and they must leave in order to get help. The sisters are stuck in a cage in the dark water with oxygen tanks that are running low and one large hungry shark that is stalking them. Can the sisters survive while they wait for help or will they meet their deaths in the cold dark water? The film is super dark in nature and is filled with dread almost from the start as the gloomy nature of the water makes for some creepy moments as does a shark who wants nothing more than to take a bite out of human flesh. This film stars Mandy Moore and Claire Holt as the sisters. They are super likable, and you find yourself cheering for them to be rescued and feel nervous for them when all looks lost. The film had a budget of $5.5 million and at the US Box Office brought in $44,307,191.00 making it a hit for Entertainment Studios. While this might not be the next JAWS, it still is a solid killer shark movie that will make you think twice before going into the water. This film is worth the watch and is one you might want to own if you like Jaws or Open Water.
# 11
The fifth film in the Underworld series was lots of Horror Action fun and had Selene being targeted by vampire council member Semira and werewolf pack leader Marius, both of whom want the location of her daughter whose blood could bring power to the one who drinks it. She however does not even know where her daughter is and along with her vampire friend David must fight to protect their vampire brethren from the werewolf hordes all the while exposing the corruption within the vampire hierarchy and bringing a new breed of vampires into power who can lead them into the final war with the werewolves. This film was not only filled with over the top action that included guns and swords, but also had a good amount of blood and gore including a werewolf who is cut in half from head to butt! Selene is as likable as ever as a vampire antihero who just wants to be left alone, but when pushed will kick your butt! Selene is played once more by the lovely Kate Beckinsale who brings a touch of class to this cheesy Action Horror hybrid film series. Evil werewolf leader Marius is played by Tobias Pulver and is one sinister and mean spirited werewolf hiding behind the guise of being a peace bringer. The film also stars Theo James, Lara Pulver and Daisy Head and did poorly for Sony at the US Box Office bringing in only $30,353,973.00 on a budget of $35 million. The film is left open for another sequel, and I for one hope that it does come to light as this was lots of silly bloody fun and was the first Horror Film of 2017 to hit theaters and was a great way to kick off the year.
# 10
Sergeant Nick Morton and his friend Corporal Chris Veil are fighting in the war in Iraq and are stealing art to sell on the black market when they accidentally find an ancient tomb that houses the body of the Princess Ahmanet who many decades before sold her soul to Set in order to gain unworldly powers. But they now are busted by the Army and have to show their findings to archaeologist Jennifer Halsey whom Nick had a one night stand with in order to steal locations to ancient art. But things get worse when they take the body of Ahmanet out of the tomb and they unleash a curse that leaves many of them dead. Ahmanet marks Nick who she has selected him to be the human vessel for the returning god Set. While Ahmanet claims victims who she turns into her zombie slaves, Nick and Jennifer must find a way to stop her path of destruction that includes teaming with Dr. Henry Jekyll and his team of monster collectors. In the end Nick must decided if his life is worth that of the many and if he can bring down Ahmanet and her undead army. This Universal Monster film was the start of the now already dead Dark Universe of films that was supposed to bring back the classic monsters to cinemas, and after this film, that idea quickly fell apart. The film is a mix of Adventure and Horror and confused many movie goers as they for some reason downplayed the fact it was a Horror film. The other major issue this film had with movie goers is the casting and highjacking of the production of Tom Cruise who turned the whole movie into one about himself and even downplayed the threat of The Mummy. The pluses to this film are the fact it was a new Universal Monster Movie that brought a classic monster back to movie screens, the fact that actress Sofia Boutella is fantastic as The Mummy Ahmanet and let’s not forget the zombies! While the story is a mess and is very much flawed, I am not ashamed to say that I enjoyed this film and wish Universal would continue the Dark Universe! The film did poorly for Universal at the US Box Office only doing $80,101,125.00 on a massive budget of $125 million sadly showing that the budget for this Mummy film was way too high. While not perfect, this was a fun popcorn film that entertained me and is worth at least checking out with low expectations.
# 9
College students Eliot, Sasha and John move into a old house off campus and after having a friend over who conducts a séance, she finds something evil is in the house and things start to get weird when they notice coins appearing and weird nosies. And when Eliot finds a note in a drawer that says the words “Don’t Think It, Don’t Say It, Bye Bye Man” they unleash The Bye Bye Man who inflicts them with madness and hallucinations and causes murder and death, and one by one the friends start to die and must find a way to stop The Bye Bye Man once and for all. This was a cheesy and 90’s feeling horror film that brings a creepy new supernatural killer to the movie screens and showcases that not all horror films in the theaters need to be ghost movies! The film is PG-13 and stills packs some cool kills, and the killer Bye Bye Man looks great and is played by Doug Jones. The film did pretty good for STX Entertainment at the US Box Office and brought in $22,395,806.00 on a small budget of $7.4 million and hopefully this becomes a franchise as the world could use another supernatural slasher. Check this film out if you like cheesy horror films and like killers with monster dogs!
# 8
Lockhart is a man who is hired to go to a wellness center located in the Swiss Alps in order to bring back a CEO of a major company who went to this spa and never returned. At the spa he finds that the man is happy and don’t want to return to work. As Lockhart is leaving, he also sees a young woman named Hannah and becomes intrigued by her. As he is being driven back to the train station, he and the driver get into a major wreck that leaves Lockhart with a broken leg and forced to stay at the spa and forced to drink lots of water. Soon Lockhart gets to meet Hannah in person and starts to realize that this wellness spa is not what it seems as people act weird, the workers do some cruel things and a sinister feeling is all around. Lockhart along with Hannah must figure out what is the dark secret of the spa and why is it that people check in and never check out. This is a delightfully weird horror film that is filled with great atmosphere and in the end takes an almost House Of Wax type shock to spook the viewer. The film has a great score, is well acted and again have to praise the atmosphere as it has a real gothic horror feel. The film stars Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth and Jason Isaacs and all do fantastic jobs in their roles. While the film does have some gross moments, it’s not a bloodbath and plays on the fear of being taken and forced to stay in a place beyond your control. The film sadly tanked for Fox at the US Box Office only doing $8,106,986.00 on a budget of $40 million, and it’s a shame as it really is a good classic feeling horror film. Check it out via rental or give it a buy on Blu-Ray or DVD.
# 7
Bodies are being found with the mark of Jigsaw Killer John Kramer on them and weirdly enough, small tapes are also found that have Jigsaw talking to the victims, and this has cops and doctors puzzled as Kramer has been dead for a very long time. They try to figure out how this is possible and when digging up Kramer’s grave they find him not inside. A game is being played that is killing off people who have bad secrets from their past. But like all good SAW movies, not all is what it seems and lots of twists and turns leave the viewer with some answers as well as new questions. This film is the eighth film in the SAW series, and while it does not offer anything new to this long running series, it was very cool to see a new sequel this past Halloween season in the theater and see Tobin Bell return as Jigsaw. The film has some twists that work really well but also had some really bad over actors making up major characters with actor Matt Passmore as Logan Nelson being the worst offender. Like all good SAW movies, this film has some gruesome deaths and doesn’t skimp on the blood. The film did okay for Lionsgate at the American Box Office taking in $ 38,052,832.00 on the small budget of $10 million. But while it made money, Lionsgate looked at it as a bomb, and I doubt if we get a another sequel anytime soon. While this is not a groundbreaking Horror film, it sure was a fun one to watch in the theater, and I have always been a sucker for sequels. So if you like the SAW films, give this one a watch.
# 6
Married couple Samuel and Esther lose their daughter Annabelle after she is struck by a car after church. Samuel, who is a doll maker, quits working on his dolls, and it’s not until years later that he and his wife decide to open their massive home to house six orphaned young girls as well as Sister Charlotte. Things look good until until young Janice is tormented by a demon who is in fact hidden in a doll after tricking the parents into thinking it was the spirit of their daughter. The demon possesses Janice, and it’s up to her friend Linda and Sister Charlotte to save the young woman’s soul. This was a pretty cool creepy little film that is the second in the Annabelle film series as well as the second spin off from The Conjuring series that showcases the demon and his doll he hides in. The film is not a blood bath and relies on atmosphere and the fear of the unknown to get the scares from the audience. The film did great for New Line Cinema at the US Box Office and brought in $102,092,201.00 on the small budget of $15 million and shows that ghost and possession movies are here to stay for a while longer and The Conjuring and its spinoffs will be leading the pack. Worth watching and owning for sure!
# 5
Casey Cooke and her friends Claire and Marcia are kidnapped by a man named Kevin Wendell Crumb who suffers from an identity disorder and decides that he is going to keep the women as his prisoners. Things get really bad when Casey figures out that as Kevin’s identity changes, so does his personality and even appearance. But she soon learns that she needs to fear and fight for her life when The Beast personality takes over Kevin. This is a very cool horror thriller that has lots of shocking and creepy moments, and The Beast is a true monster among men. The film does not use blood and gore to deliver scares and does deliver with class and atmosphere. M. Night Shyamalan directed the film, and James McAvoy stars as James. This shows that Shyamalan is back delivering high quality horror films. The film did great for Universal at the Box Office here in the US as it did $138,141,585.00 on a budget of $9 million showing the modest budget horror films bring in money for production companies. It’s worth a watch and has a nice ending that ties into another film and leads to a future sequel that I will for sure be in line to see.
# 4
Chris Washington is a young black man who is meeting his white girlfriends family for the first time and is nervous about it. When he gets there, he notices that everything seems great and this puts his nerves at ease, that is until he notices that this perfect little town is not so perfect and all the rich people seem to have a weird vibe to them and something just is not right with the other black residents who all seem to be in a trance. And for poor Chris things get worse when he finds out her parents are as well not as nice as they seem and he uncovers the town and families dirty little secret. This is a great Horror Thriller that blends in the tension of race and does so really well. The film is well acted, well written and has a great score and showcases that horror films can have a message and can be entertaining doing so. The film was written and directed by Jordan Peele, who has a bright future in the world of Horror. The film did fantastic for Universal at the Box Office in America bringing in a massive $175,484,140.00 on a budget of only $4.5 million. I should also note that this was produced by Blumhouse, who is truly the new top of the line when it comes to modest budget horror films. This is a great watch and is one that I bought on DVD when released after seeing in the theater.
# 3
College student Theresa Gelbman wakes up in the bed of Carter Davis after a night of heavy drinking. She rushes out and is rude to everyone she comes across and at night when heading to a party, she is murdered by a killer in a baby face mask. And after being killed, she wakes up again in Carter’s bed and repeats the day over and over and over and must figure out who her murder is! This film is like Groundhog Day if it was a horror film and is a true modern day slasher film as the killer wears a big mask that would fit perfectly in a 80’s horror film. The film does have some blood and some cool kills. What really works for this film is that Theresa grows as a character as she starts off as a terrible person and by the end she learns that being a snotty brat will get her nowhere. My favorite side character from this movie is Danielle, who is so bratty and snobby that she made me laugh almost every time she was on the screen. She is played by actress Rachel Matthews, who I hope to see in more horror films soon. This film as well is produced by Blumhouse and like almost all their movies, this one did great at the US Box Office bringing in $55,683,845.00 for Universal on a budget of $4.8 million. If you like slasher films and or the film Groundhog Day then give this fun slasher film a watch. Also this was a fun one to watch in theaters as the audience seemed to be having lots of fun with it.
# 2
In 1988 during a rain storm, young 7 year old Georgie goes missing and is pulled into the sewer by Pennywise The Dancing Clown unbeknownst to everyone in the town that the young boy’s fate was to be eaten by this demonic clown. Bill is Georgie’s older brother, and he feels bad for his missing brother and becomes obsessed with finding out where his brother is and even brings his misfit friends on his quest to find the truth. But the kids soon find out about Pennywise, who in turn uses the kids own fears in order to keep them away and all the while is still collecting and killing the kids of the town. Bill and his friends won’t be scared away and travel to the underground and track down this killer clown who lives on fear, and they must have a showdown with him in order to save their lives and others. This is a great adaptation of the classic Stephen King horror novel and takes a different route than the original made for TV movie mini series and adds more scares and a new era to the mix. The film has some great creepy moments, and Bill Skarsgard is amazing as Pennywise and makes this character his own. Viewers who have a fear of clowns will be terrified of Pennywise as he is one sinister grease painted killer monster. The film did amazing for New Line Cinema at the US Box Office as it only had a budget of $35 million and brought in an amazing $327,481,748.00 making it a Box Office hit. While watching this in the theater, the moviegoers around were all jumping in their seats and to me that’s a great sign of a good Horror Movie.
# 1
The year is 1973, and the government has hired tracker James Conrad to lead a military and scientist group to explore a newly found island that is called Skull Island! When they find it, they are meet by a massive monster gorilla called King Kong who brings down their helicopters and splits the group up who soon find that Skull Island is filled with all types of giant animals and monster that include the Skullcrawlers who kill and eat whatever they can catch. While on the island, they also meet stranded World War II veteran Hank Marlow who tells them the way of the land and takes them into the village of the island’s tribe. They soon find out that King Kong is the ruler of the land and has a good heart and only fights when he has to, and as James and crew try to leave the island they must get help and help King Kong as he battles the granddaddy of all Skullcrawlers who wants to kill Kong once and for all and rule Skull Island itself! In the end with Kong’s help, they all escape the Island and they help Kong in his final fight with his mortal enemy. This was an amazing Adventure Horror Monster film, and I really did feel like a kid again sitting in the theater and watching King Kong in this film. The film is stacked with great actors like Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John Goodman and John C. Reilly all who make their characters come alive and not to mention the score by Henry Jackman is top notch. King Kong in the film looks fantastic and watching him smash Skullcrawlers and helicopters is pure popcorn movie stuff. This film did well at the US Box Office for Warner Brothers as it did $168,052,812.00 on a massive budget of $185 million with most of the film’s profits being brought in from overseas. While this film is not pure horror, it is a monster movie and is hands down my favorite Horror flick of 2017 that I saw in the theaters! Worth a buy on DVD or Blu-Ray for fans of King Kong and giant monster movies.
So as you can see, 2017 was filled with lots of great movies from all types of genres, and it really makes me look forward to seeing what Hollywood and the theater going experience has in store for me in 2018! But the clean up crew is here at the Rotten Ink Theater, and they are wanting us to leave so they can do their job, so let’s not be rude and let them work. Before we leave, I need to let you know that my next update will be about the film “Muppets Take Manhatten”! That’s right, we are going to talk Muppets! So until then make sure to see a movie or three at your local theater and support independent filmmakers any chance you can. See you next time around as Kermit The Frog hits the Big Apple!
Posted on by bloodlinematt
The year of 2016 was a crazy one for me as much of my time was spent working on comic books for Sparkle Comics, the company I co-own with Jason Young as well as trying to film Baron Von Porkchop episodes among many other things like helping on films and of course working on updates for here at Rotten Ink. One thing I didn’t get to do as much as I wanted to this year was go to the movie theater so I want to apologies for the lack of depth to this list. 2016 was a pretty big year for cinema as we got many sequels to big budget movies like “Star Trek Beyond” and “Rougue One: A Star Wars Story.” We got classic books turned into big summer blockbusters like “Jungle Book” and “The Legend Of Tarzan,” not to mention lots of horror films from “The Conjuring 2” all the way to “Blair Witch,” the third film in that cult series. Hittingthe cinemas this year, I filled my tummy with lots of popcorn and blue Icee’s and saw films in theaters like Regal, Cinemark, Danberry Huber Heights and Cranberry Cinema and had a blast watching the silver screen with friends like Juliet Fromholt, Jeremy Hoyt, Josh Weinberg, Stephen Alexander, Theresa Lopez, Thomas “Maurice” Smith and many more all who made the experience more fun. A weird thing about this year in movies is that while it was filled with many blockbusters, it also had many flops that expressed moviegoers lack of interest in sequels and reboots to films of the past, but this year also proved that Disney knows how to pack them into the theater with superhero films as well as family friendly adventures. Plus, it proved to Hollywood that horror films make money and bring profits on smaller budgets. So let’s find our seats here at Rotten Ink Theater and chat a little about the films of 2016!
Normally I would start with my “Worst” list, but since I wasn’t at the cinema as much this year, I didn’t get to see the that many films, and lucky for me, none of the ones I did get to see were what I would call a worst film. So this time around we are going to start with science fiction and fantasy, two genres that are near and dear to my heart. So let’s sit here for a moment and chat about them, shall we?
# 5
High school student Cassie Sullivan is stuck in a world of chaos as aliens are attacking the Earth, killing off the human race. When her younger brother is taken, she along with some other survivors go to war to try and survive and bring back the world they once knew. This fun science fiction film was based on the book of the same name written by Rick Yancey and was filled with lots of action as well as aliens and their waves of attacks that included flooding and spreading a sickness. The film, while not groundbreaking, was a fun film to see in the theater and actress Chloe Grace Moretz is fantastic in the role of Cassie. You definitely find yourself cheering for her to kick some alien butt. The film did poorly at the US box office for Sony and brought in $34,912,982.00 on a $38 million dollar budget, but was a hit overseas making the film semi profitable. I would say the film is worth checking out on DVD if you skipped it at the theater or even maybe a rental from a local video store.
# 4
While a third Ghostbusters sequel with the original cast was just not in the cards, we did get a reboot to the series that featured a whole new female cast gearing up with their protonpacks and tackling a whole new group of ghosts as well as some returning favorites like Slimer! This go around we follow Dr. Erin Gilbert who lost her tenure at Columbia University after a video shows up online of her on a paranormal research. Along with friends Dr. Abby Yates, Dr. Jillian Holtzmann and Patty Tolan, Erin opens The Ghostbusters, a business that is set to rid the city of ghosts thanks to equipment they make in house. But when the city of New York comes under attack by a powerful evil spirit, they are the only hope….but are they ready to be the heroes? The film was directed by Paul Feig and starred Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth and even has cameos from many of the actors from the original films. I found the film to be lots of fun, and the characters were well portrayed with Holtzmann being the silliest and funniest! The film had some funny moments, and I find the fact that many fanboys got butt hurt over the film being made with all females comedians as The Ghostbusters was just silly and showed that many of these types of “fans” ruin things for others as sadly the film did poorly for Sony at the US Boxoffice bringing in $128,350,574.00 on a $144 million dollar budget. By the look of it, a sequel is not in the works. I would say if you skipped this at the theater make sure to give it a chance and watch it on DVD or Blu-Ray and make up your own mind about it.
# 3
Disney has done another great job of turning one of their classic animated features into a live action film, and they made one heck of a great film with The Jungle Book! The film is about young human boy Mowgli who is raised by wolves in India, but when he becomes the target of the evil tiger Shere Khan, they are forced to send him away to rejoin the human race. Along his journey he is protected by black panther Bagheera and bear Baloo from not only Khan, but also giant python Kaa and King Louie, who is the king of the monkeys. But in the end Mowgli must face his fears of Shere Khan to save his animal friends and family from his terror as well as a fire that spreading across the jungle. The film was a great family adventure film and when sitting in the theater I felt like a kid again as Baloo sang “Bear Necessities.” Everyone did a great job voicing the animals; I mean you cant go wrong with the talents of Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Kingsley and Christopher Walken. Director Jon Favreau did a fantastic job of making this film come alive and helps bring out the personality of the animals more by treating them as if they were real actors on set. The film did great for Disney at the US Box Office bringing in $364,001,123.00 on a $175 million budget making it a hit for sure! This was worth a watch and even a buy on home media if you enjoy the story of The Jungle Book as this is only slightly under the animated feature as being the best adaptation of the book.
# 2
Captain Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S Enterprise are in major trouble when they travel into an uncharted nebula on a set up mission that leaves them at the mercy of Krall and his men who want to kill as many federation members as possible and have chaos throughout the galaxy. Can Kirk and his crew along, with their new alley Jaylah, escape the nebula and save lives in time before Krall and his fleet attacks? Watch this science fiction adventure film and find out. This was such a fun film to watch in the theater in Imax 3-D, and the addition of over the top action made it not your standard Strek Trek fare yet still kept the charm of what makes Star Trek Star Trek! This was the third in the reboot series, and after a very lackluster teaser trailer, the internet started the bashing and hating on the film before it was released. This caused the film to perform poorly at the US Box Office for Paramount only bringing in $ 158,848,340.00 on a $185 million dollar budget. While this is not the best Star Trek film in the long running film series, I would say it’s a solid sequel that offers enough sci-fi tech talk and action to make it a fun summer popcorn movie. Make sure to check it out on DVD as it’s well worth the watch.
# 1
Jyn Erso is the daughter of Galen, the man who lead the construction of the Empire’s newest and most deadly weapon, the Death Star! She was left behind at a young age to be raised by Rebel extremist fighter Saw Gerrera as her father was forced into labor by Orson Kernnic, the director of the Empire’s weapons research. Now older and on her own, Jyn must track down her father who has the secrets to destroy the Death Star from the inside. She is joined by a rag tag group made up of Rebel soldiersand supporters who go on a suicide mission in order to get the plans into the hands of the Rebels. Add in tension between Kernnic and Grand Moff Tarkin, who both want credit for the Death Star, and in a annoyed Darth Vader as well as cameos from classic Star Wars characters, and you have one well made and entertaining science fiction film! The film’s main characters have amazing chemistry with each other and the friendships that are formed make sense and just add even more layers to their personalities. My favorite character was Jyn Erso as she proved that this new crop of Star Wars films are in the right hands as they clearly care about character development and story. Seeing Darth Vader back in full badass action was something to behold in IMAX 3-D as it made me feel like a kid again, seeing Return Of The Jedi in the theater. Plus the digital Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin made my Monster Kid heart grow three sizes, and I would say that I would love to see Hammer do this and make a new Frankenstein Movie. This film is still in theaters and as of January 1st has brought in a total of $393,554,705.00 for Disney on a $200 million dollar budget and is showing no signs of slowing down. If you have not seen this film yet, do yourself a favor and do so as its well worth the 2 hours of your time.
So as you can see, Hollywood delivered some great sci-fi and fantasy films all that were fantastic watches at my local cinema, not to mention we got a new Star Wars and Star Trek film last year. But another genre of films that rocked the box office this year is my second favorite kind of films, right behind horror, and thats super hero flicks! So grab a refill on your large popcorn, and let’s talk heroes from the comic books who have made the leap to the big screen in 2016.
# 7
The moviegoing public seemed to not be able to get enough of Batman on the big screen, and after the last Superman movie, someone at Warner Brothers and DC Comics decided that the world needed a vs. film that pitted their top two superheroes against each other. So Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice was created and unleashed on the masses. The film has Bruce Wayne being very angry over the fight between Superman and General Zob that left some of his employees dead and others injured, and now, as Batman, he sets his sights on stopping Superman once and for all as he feels the government has not done their job well of keeping this superhuman alien in check. Throw in Wonder Woman, Lex Luther Jr. and Doomsday, and you have this epic battle film that will test the strength and mental fortitude of our heroes. The film was a little too long and for the most part, much of the hate that Batman had for Superman was weak. In fact half way through, you wonder just why he has projected all the hate he has in his heart toward the Man of Steel and with that, the film kind of falls apart. Other flaws for this comic book fan and movie lover were: the birth of Doomsday was just dumb and pointless and Lex Luther Jr. was a turd and acted more like he was the son of The Joker. While it sounds like I didn’t like it, I really did enjoy it as it was a fun popcorn flick that showcased that superhero films are just enjoyable on the big screen no matter how flawed they are. The film was directed by Zack Snyder and starred Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck and Amy Adams and did pretty dang well for WB at the US Box Office bringing a total of $330,360,194.00 on a $250 million dollar budget. It’s worth watching on home media or even on cable as it at least will be sure to please during the fight scenes.
# 6
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back at it again as they target The Shredder and the footclan who are again attacking New York with the idea of taking over the world. This time with the help of scientist Baxter Stockman, the foot create two mutants of their own, the warthog Bebop and rhino Rocksteady, to finally put up a fight against the turtles. But they also have help in their battle with Casey Jones, a vigilante cop who has had enough of crime ruining his streets. Things get worst when Shredder gets help from Krang, an alien from Dimension X! This sequel is hard hitting and is packed with not only action but also lots of comedic moments that bring out the Turtles’ personalities that made them the popular characters that kids of yesterday and today know and love. This was a fun theater watch and seeingthe Turtles battle Bebop and Rocksteady was something I, as a long time turtle fan, have wanted to see in a live action movie. The flaws of the movie for me was that actor Stephen Amell, who played Casey Jones was terrible and super weak in his portrayal that had him hardly wearing the character’s trademark hockey mask. Another lackluster thing was that Shredder played by Brain Lee also did not wear the character’s trademark helmet…when will Hollywood learn that people wanna see the character appear like they should and not just the actor’s face….we get what actor is playing the part! The film was directed by Dave Green and also stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Tyler Perry and Sheamus and sadly did very poorly for Paramount at the US Box Office only bringing in a small $82,051,601.00 on a $135 million dollar budget. While the film was judged pretty harshly by movie goers, I for one enjoyed it for the most part and found it a good summer popcorn flick based on characters I grew up loving.
# 5
Dr. Stephen Strange is a genius surgeon who is co*cky and ego driven, but after a major wreck, the nerves in his hands are shot and his career as a surgeon is over. He tries all types of ways to get better that finally leaves him going to Kathmandu to seek out The Ancient One who teaches him that magic and other dimensions are the path to truly heal. But Dr. Strange gets more than he bargained for as he is forced to use his newly learned magic to fight a rogue group of dark magic students lead by Kaecilius who wants to bring the Dark Dimension ruler Dormammu into our world and bring life as we know it to an end. When the odds are against him, how can Doctor Strange out magic Dormammu in order to save us all? This was a superhero film that I was not fully looking forward to as I have never been a big fan of the comic series and for the most part find the character very boring, but this film stepped it up and made him very interesting for me. The film was directed by Scott Derrickson and actor Benedict Cumberbatch was a great choice to play Doctor Strange as he brings the character to life. This superhero popcorn film also stars Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams and Chiwetel Ejiofor all of whom are fantastic in their roles of various characters from the Marvel Universe. The film has done pretty solid for Disney at the US Box Office bringing in a total this far of $230,323,048.00 on a $165 million dollar budget. It was well worth watching in the theater, and I will for sure buy it on DVD when released.
# 4
The government is in big trouble when it comes to world affairs, and after Superman is no longer around, they create a task force of criminals who they will send on mission that could lead to death. The team is made up of Deadshot, El Diablo, Killer Croc, Captain Boomerang, Enchantress, Katana, Slipnot and Harley Quinn and is lead by Colonel Rick Flag who informs them that if they break the rules and try to escape, they will be killed on the spot via a tiny bomb in their brains. When the Enchantress turns rogue and, along with her brother, wants to bring the world to an end, it’s up to The Suicide Squad to stop them and prove that not every bad guy is un-savable. To make things worse, The Joker has entered the combat zone as he wants his girlfriend Harley Quinn back by his side and not doing the work of government. The film also has cameos from DC Heroes like The Flash and Batman and was a really fun watch at the theater while munching on popcorn and drinking a blue icee, as I found it to be a fun ride filled with fun characters and enough action to please most fans. But for some reason like most modern DC Movies, this flick was meet with lots of internet hate even before it was released as fanboys decided they hated the casting of Jared Leto as The Joker and just over all wanted to hate on it. I know lots of friends who joined the hate who never even saw the film but wanted to tell others not to watch it. The film as a great cast with Will Smith playing Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harely both stealing the show and making the characters their own while still holding onto elements from the comics they come from. The film did good for Warner Brothers, despite all the internet trash talking, at the US Box Office bringing in $325,100,054.00 on a budget of $175 million. This is another movie I was glad I watched in theaters and going in with low expectations and no pre-judging in my mind found it to be a great watch and one I will own on DVD very soon.
# 3
The Apocalypse is the world’s first mutant and is godlike in nature. In 1983, he is awakened and does not like what he sees of modern times and goes on a quest to get disciples that will act as his horsem*n of the apocalypse. He gets Magneto, Storm, Angel and Psylocke to join his cause of allowing mutants to rule and for him to lead them to a new world. Charles Xavier and his X-Men that include Beast, Havok and Quicksilver along with new members Nightcrawler, Jean Grey and Cyclops must come together and trust Mystique and try to stop the destruction of the world as we know it and stop the next age of Apocalypse. This was a really fun and action packed film in the X-Men series and was a great watch in the theater. The film brought most of the returning cast from X-Men: First Class and continued the awkward relationship between Charles and Mystique. Apocalypse, played by Oscar Isaac was a great narcissistic villain who would manipulate his followers with ego boosting words, but clearly he does not care if they live or die as long as he is once more in power. I also like how they showed Apocalypse past in Egypt and that’s what starts the movie off. One down side is the film focuses way too much on Mystique played by Jennifer Lawrence, and she does not rock her blue scaled skin most of the film. It was clear she didn’t want to wear all that make up and body suit, and Fox wanted to showcase they had Lawrence still on board. This film also stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner and Olivia Munn, oh and it also has a cool cameo from Hugh Jackman as Wolverine! The film did poorly for Fox at the US Box Office bringing in $155,442,489.00 on a budget of $178 million. While this film was met with mixed reviews from fans and critics alike, I for one found it to be a great super hero film and in fact bought it on DVD when it was released. I suggest if you like the X-Men films and have not seen this one yet, do yourself a favor and check it out.
# 2
Wade Wilson was a member of a special force team who has fallen in love with a woman named Venessa and all is well until Wade gets cancer and is dying. When they cannot cure it, he decides to seek alternative help that leaves him being turned into a burnt up looking freak who cannot die! This sets Wade off who becomes the costumed anti-hero Deadpool who lurks in the shadows afraid to let Vanessa know he is alive all the while tracking down Ajax, the man who he thinks can cure him of his disfigurement. But things get bad when Ajax and his team of enhanced mutants kidnap Vanessa, and Deadpool, along with X-Men members Colossus and Warhead, must get her back! This film is rated R and is packed to the brim with crude humor and brutal kills all done with tongue in cheek one liners and grace. Ryan Reynolds returns to the role of Deadpool, with his first appearance as the character being in the 2009 film “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” and owns it with his wise cracking delivery. Also starring in this over the top super hero action film is Morena Baccarin, Gina Carano, Stan Lee and Ed Skrein, all who do great things in the roles they were cast, no matter how big or small. The film did fantastic for Fox bringing in a total of $363,070,709.00 in the US on a budget of only $58 million! This is a Marvel super hero movie that is not for kids as it really is packed with blood, cussing and very crude humor but it made for one fun and enjoyable watch for this old comic book reader. I must also say that I have never been a super fan of Deadpool as even reading comics back in the day I never paid him that much attention, but I think it’s really cool that this film as well as good solid comics being made by Marvel has made him into one of the industry’s top selling heroes. Own it on DVD now, and it’s worth watching for sure!
# 1
Captain America and Iron Man clash in this third film in the series about everyones favorite red, white and blue Avenger. What starts the war is that Captain America, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow and Falcon are on a mission to stop Crossbones and his band of mercenaries that leaves humanitarian workers of Wakanda dead, and the government now wants The Avengers and other superheroes to register with them and only work when the government tells them to. Worse, when the King of Wakanda is killed and everyone blames The Winter Solider, Captain America along with his team Ant Man, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Falcon turn on the registration act and try to protect Winter Solider who claims he is innocent. This sparks the new King of Wakanda, The Black Panther, to join Iron Man, Vision, Black Widow, War Machine and Spider-Man to all do to war and little does anyone know this is all a big set up game by the sinister Baron Zemo who wants to ruin The Avengers and all the good they stand for. This film has so many more layers than what I am sharing here as it would take awhile to explain it all, and you should have or need to see it to understand why it’s my top super hero film of 2016. Chris Evans is truly Captain America come to life, and I could not imagine these films going on without him, so here is hoping he sticks around for awhile. What is great about this film, besides the solid script and amazing actors that bring their parts to life, is the fact you get some many heroes for the price of one and this includes Spider-Man as Sony and Marvel have come to an agreement that allows the hero to now take part in the Marvel Universe films and let alone one that has them all in a fight much like the WWE Survivor Series! The film did outstanding for Disney at the US Box Office bringing in a total of $408,084,349.00 on the massive budget of $250 million. I don’t want to go on too much about this film as I think it speaks better for itself, and all I can say is Spider-Man and Black Panther are great new additionsto this amazing film universe that Disney and Marvel are delivering to all us movie goers.
So as you can see, 2016 had some really great super hero films that delivered action and adventure and entertained the movie going masses. Another genre that delivered this year was horror, and while the theater was packed with more ghost and possession movies that seem to be the life blood of horror for the last few years, it also had some slashers and iconic characters returning to the silver screen that included The Tall Man of Phantasm and Godzilla! Blumhouse once more proved that there is money in horror films as many films they produced hit and scared the crowds. They have quickly become a production team that I look forward to seeing what they release next. So let’s dim these theater lights a little more and let’s take a look at the top horror films that I saw in the theater in 2016!
# 17
Dana is a woman who is haunted by the accidental death of her baby daughter, and alongside her husband David and son Lucas she moves out of the city and into a giant old house in the country that was once owned by the town’s top judge. But after finding a closed off room in the attic that was not on the house’s blueprints, she soon starts to see ghosts of the judge and his dog and finds that the room held a family secret that left a young girl murdered. Now she must solve the mystery or lose her own mind doing so. This film is yet another ghost/possession film and suffers from a paper thin story mostly dealing with Dana’s mental breakdown and is by all accounts very boring in its delivery to try to scare us in the theater. When seeing this film, only one other guy was in the theater and he seemed to be bored as he kept checking his phone and even after it was done looked over at me and talked about just how lame the film was and how the characters did things that lead to nowhere. Sad to say, the phone checker was right, the film’s characters just seemed like shells of people doing silly things that had no real outcome. The actors in this boring horror film include Kate Beckinsale, Mel Raido, Gerald McRaney and Lucas Till and while they are all great actors in other films, what they are given to do here is very weak, and this was one that I would suggest that most skip unless you have a free rental or is on cable TV. The film did poorly for Rogue Pictures only bringing in the small amount of $2,423,468.00 at the US box office on a $15 million dollar budget. Over all, while I love seeing horror films in the theater, this one almost put me to sleep even after drinking a large blue Icee, this is hands down the worst horror film I saw in theaters this year!
# 16
Peter Taylor and his wife Bronny are having issues in their marriage, and their children also have their issues as daughter Stephanie has a eating disorder and son Michael is autistic. The last happy moment of their life together was a family vacation they took with friends at the Grand Canyon where, unknown to them all, Michael removes and takes home stones that were placed to keep Native American demon spirits trapped. Now with the stones moved and at the Taylor’s home, they must find out the clues to why mystery animals are appearing, why Michael is talking to the walls that he calls The Sky People and acting up. In the end they must call a healer to try and clear the house of the spirits ,but is it enough and can the love of a family be enough to send the demons back? While the film was not terrible it, was nothing new and seemed like just a watered down version of Amityville Horror and or even Poltergeist, and yep, marks yet another possession/ghost film to be released this year that seems to still be the flavor of the decade for horror film makers. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, Paul Reiser and Llza Rosario and was directed by Greg McLean who is known for directing the Wolf Creek series. The film turned a profit for High Top Releasing at the US Box Office bringing in a total of $10,753,574.00 on a $4 Million Dollar budget. Not recommended for those looking for horror films that showcase the bad guys more than a total of maybe a minute the whole film or ones who don’t like slow burn horror
# 15
Rocky is a young woman with a daughter who lives in Detroit with her rude and crude mother and in order to get money, she robs houses with her boyfriend Money and friend Alex who’s father works for a home security company. Rocky needs one last big score in order to move away with her daughter, and they select the house of a blind vet named Norman Nordstrom who was awarded money after his daughter was killed in a drunk driver auto accident. But once inside, they find out that this blind man is not helpless and has his own dirty secrets to hide away! Norman along with his dog hunt down the burglars and make them pay for entering his home and finding out his dark twisted secret that is worth killing for. Don’t Breathe is a horror thriller that has elements of being a slasher film as Norman is brutal in his ways of killing and seems to feel what he is doing is right! While I did enjoy this film and had a good time watching it in the theater with Juliet, the film had some flaws that were pretty outstanding to me. The fact NONE of the characters are likable people. From Rocky all the way to Norman, they are all bad people who do bad things! The fact that by the end Norman who is a normal man seems to not be able to be killed like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees as he seems to be superhuman and shrug off killing blows is dumb. Another thing that annoyed me is the fact that Rocky and Alex, during their time of trying to escape the house of this madman, never have the idea of using a weapon until toward the end of the film. The film does have some amazing actors who do fantastic in their roles as Stephen Lang is great as the blind Norman and Jane Levy is amazing as Rocky and the supporting cast as well hold their own. At the US box Office this film brought in a total of $89,059,699.00 for Sony on a budget of only $9.9 million making it a hit for the studio. Over all this Sam Raimi produced film was not terrible but also was nothing special and some of the flaws made it very annoying to this horror fan. I would say worth the watch on DVD and Blu-Ray. Also I should note that this film was one I was super hyped for after seeing the trailer and was a tad bit of a letdown.
# 14
Rob Zombie strikes again with a foul language horror film packed with lots of blood and some weird yet fascinating characters with his film 31. The film follows a group of carnival workers who have been kidnapped and forced to play a game of life and death on Halloween Night by some rich people who have employed killers like chainsaw brothers Sick-Head & Psycho-Head as well as other killers Schizo-Head, Sex-Head, Death-Head and the all time kill champion Doom-Head to hunt them down and kill them as they beat on their survival. The film is packed with some brutal kills and for the most part the carnival workers are likable people who you want to see make it out alive and survive the killers attacks as well as you root for them to deliver justice to the psychos! The downside to the film, like most Rob Zombie films, is the dialogue is terrible in spots and so over the top its laughable as he tries to use almost every cuss word he can think of! The other flaw the film has was that in spots he uses shaky camera techniques in order to mask some of the film’s lower budget special effects. But while it has flaws it also had things I really liked about it as I found the killers odd and memorable, I loved the fact that the carnival workers fight back and are not just helpless victims, his use of classic rock songs also was pretty well done and the acting was good for what terrible lines they were given. The film has an all star cast with names like Malcolm McDowell, Meg Foster, Lew Temple, Ginger Lynn, Sheri Moon Zombie and a stunning E.G. Daily from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure as Sex-Head. Richard Brake who plays Doom-Head does great and the character is not only sad*stic but also gross and just a foul human being. The film at the US box office brought in a total of $779,820.00 for Saban Films, and I must say while Rob Zombie films are not perfect, they at least have heart and are entertaining in some way or another. Oh yeah and I have to say I hated the ending – those who have seen this film will know what I am talking about.
# 13
The Forest is a supernatural horror film based on the Aokigahara Forest that follows Sara who travels to Japan and journeys into the forest to find her missing identical twin sister Jess whom people believe went into the forest to commit suicide. She is joined by Michi a park ranger and Aiden, a reporter. But she soon finds out that the forest has plans of its own and that the dead don’t rest in these haunted woods. So does she find Jess? Is she alive or dead? Why do people say not to stay in the woods at night? Watch this film to find those answers! The film is packed with jump scares, some creepy ghosts and a great atmosphere, but also has a cheesy hole filled plot as well as some paint by number horror clichés that make it an average supernatural horror romp. Natalie Dormer best known from the HBO show Game Of Thrones plays the twins Sara and Jess and looks fantastic, and the music done by Bear McCreary is well done and makes scenes pop. The film brought in a total of $26,594,261.00 for Gramercy Pictures at the US Box Office on a $10 million dollar budget. Not amazing and not bad, The Forest is one you might want to rent or check out on DVD.
# 12
The Other Side Of The Door was a horror film that was orignaly supposed to be a wide release that then turned into a limited release, and I was lucky enough to catch it at Regal Cinema. The film is about Maria who is living the perfect life in India along with her husband Michael, son Oliver, young daughter Lucy and maid Myrtu, but that perfect life comes to an end when an accident leaves Oliver dead and Maria heartbroken and not able to get over the accident and the loss of her son. Six years after the accident, Maria gets her chance to tell her deceased son goodbye thanks to Myrtu who tells her of a ritual and place that will allow her to speak to him from the other side of a door. The only catch is you can’t open the door…and of course Maria does and by doing so free’s something sinister. The film is another ghost/possession film and had a few good chills and had a great setting being in India, not your typical American or England backdrop. The film’s cast was good with Sarah Wayne Callies and Jeremy Sisto heading the pack and each doing well in their roles. The film did not perform great for Fox at the US Box Office bringing in a total of $3,000,342.00 due to them making it a limited release. Not groundbreaking but very entertaining and was worth the theater watch for me as well as Josh Weinberg who tagged along.
# 11
The Witch was a Horror Film that had lots of buzz around it on the internet and among fans before it even hit theaters. Stephen King even said The Witch scared the hell out of him, but could it live up to that for movie goers? The film is about William and his family leaving the safety of a plantation in New England and making a farm in the middle of nowhere surrounded by woods and something sinister that steals and kills their youngest child. Quickly the family starts falling apart as oldest daughter Thomasin is blamed for the wrong doings by her mother, while all along The Witch of the woods and the mysterious goat named Black Phillip are the chaos makers at hand. The film is well acted with stand out performances from Ralph Ineson who played William and Anya Taylor-Joy who played Thomasin, and the atmosphere is great and has a feeling of dread all around the farm as we witness the breakdown of a God-fearing family. But the Witch character herself who takes two forms, one being old and the other glamor p*rn star, is just not really scary and is not really used throughout the hour and a half shocker. Much of the film, the characters spend time praying or chatting about God and religion, and I hate to say this, at some points I became very bored at drawn out moments. While this was not a bad movie, it was not as scary, spooky nor bone chilling as I hoped for. The only part that got me was when The Witch killed the young baby and mashed its body up and covered herself with its blood, and keep in mind this description is more graphic than what you see on the screen. It was also great to hear how split the group of friends and family I went with were on this film, and I had to laugh when one young lady at the end of the film let out a loud “This Movie Sucked” announcement. The film did okay for A24 at the US Box Office bringing in a total of $25,138,705.00 on a budget of $3.5 million, showing that lower budget horror films can make studios extra cash. While I didn’t hate this film, in no way am I a super fan of this film…I might check it out again once on DVD.
# 10
The final Phantasm film and the fifth film in the series was released this year, and it was bitter sweet to see it in the big screen thanks to Horrorama as it was the end of the franchise and sadly just an okay entry in the series. The film follows Ice Cream Man Reggie as he is trying to track down his missing friend Mike and along the way fight off The Tall Man and his evil spheres and henchmen. But this is the world of Phantasm, so nothing and no one are what they seem, and Reggie must try and use his wits to figure out the real world from the other dimension. Reggie is joined by fellow Tall Man hunters and together they must team up against his horde of followers and crack the code and stop the coming end of times. The film was produced by Don Coscarelli the series creator and was directed by David Hartman and stars Reggie Bannister, Angus Scrimm and A. Michael Baldwin and sadly had its premiere on Video On Demand but lucky for me it was a film that had it’s Dayton area first movie theater showing at Horrorama allowing me to watch the film from the projection window. While I enjoyed the film, I also saw that it had lots of flaws and for the most part is just a showcase of Reggie with very little Tall Man surrounded by low budget digital effects. The film has been meet with mixed reviews and really does mark the end of the series as Angus “Tall Man” Scrimm sadly passed away in early 2016. Fans of the series should for sure check it out on DVD or streaming rental.
# 9
Alice Zander and her two young daughters Lina and Doris are living in a Los Angeles suburban house in 1967 and charge people for giving them spiritual readings. But when Alice buys a Ouija Board as a new prop to use, she soon finds out that Doris has a real gift and can communicate with the dead including her dead father…or can she as soon it’s clear something evil has came through and is using the young girl as a vessel and its up to Lina and her mother to save their loved one from a terrible possessed fate. This sequel was leaps and bounds better than its predecessor and is filled with some creepy moments and is well acted with Elizabeth Reaser who played Alice Zander stealing the show, not to mention this film brings to life the events of the first film as it acts as a prequel. The film did pretty well for Universal at the US Box Office bringing in a total of $34,992,970.00 on a $9 million budget showing that movie goers still want to see possession and ghost films. Worth watching for sure and like I said, way better than the first film.
# 8
James Donahue, the brother of missing person Heather Donahue, along with some friends go to the woods near Burkittsville when a tape is found in a tree that appears to show Heather alive and running through a house in the woods. Once there, they hook up with some local YouTube ghost hunters and soon find out that they are not alone as The Blair Witch is back and looking for more young adults to kill. Does James find his missing sister? Does the house in the woods really exist? And can James and his friends get out of the woods alive? All this is answered in this third film in the series that was original being advertised as The Woods. The film was one I was super hyped to see as I was a fan of the 1999 original film The Blair Witch Project and it had been over 16 years between sequels. While I enjoyed the film, I was slightly disappointed by the lack of scares and some times unmotivated actions of the friends who make some really terrible decisions. One very cool thing is that in some shots you get a quick glimpse of what the Witch looks like, and I have a theory that she just might be an alien or even a interdenominational being! The film did good for Lionsgate at the US Box Office even though its was below what they expected as it brought in $20,777,061.00 on a $5 million budget! While not an amazing sequel, it’s way better than part two and was a fun watch in the theater, check it out on DVD.
# 7
What was originally a short film made for the internet, Lights Out made its way to being a feature length that hit theaters this year. Rebecca is a young woman who is into drawing dark pictures who moved away from home when her mother had a series of mental breakdowns. After her stepfather is killed and her Mother begins acting crazy again, she takes her young brother Martin in who is not sleeping after being tormented by a shadow woman! Rebecca along with her boyfriend Bret and Martin are forced to stay at their mother’s house when the government forces Martin to be with his mother. The group soon learns that the shadow lady is indeed real and her name is Diana, and she was an odd child who was “friends” with their mother after they meet in a mental asylum and after being killed in a treatment gone wrong she lives on as a sinister shadow that lives on thanks to the weakness of their mothers mental state! Now Diana is mad and wants to live on and will kill whom ever tries to get in her way. Now it’s up to Rebecca to save her family and rid the world of the sinister demonic Diana. This film is a jump scare fest filled with some creepy effects and a really cool monster as Diana could easily become a new horror icon that could spark sequels for years to come. The film was rated PG-13 and while not a bloodbath, it does have some gruesome moments that I am sure will scare the wits out of many viewers. Another cool fact is that this was released by Warner Brothers under New Line Cinema, and it made me miss when New Line was its own company and would embrace the world of horror films. The film did great for WB at the US Box Office delivering $67,268,835.00 on a small $4.9 million budget showing that horror films are very profitable and also sparked talks of a sequel! While not groundbreaking and pretty much another ghost/possession film, it was a fun watch in the theater and is one I now own on DVD and would suggest fans of these types of films to watch.
# 6
Dr. Seth Ember is a man who lost his family in a terrible car accident that was caused by a demon named Maggie. This accident also left him in a wheelchair and put his faith and will to live for anything besides revenge to the test. You see Ember spends his time in a trance near death’s door that allows him to enter the subconscious of possessed people and exorcize the demon from within by giving the person’s own will a choice to expel the demon from their own bodies. But when Maggie shows back up inside a young 11 year old boy, he must come face to face with his family’s killer and will put his very own life and soul on the line as a warzone has been set that will leave everyone around to never be the same again. This film, while a possession film, is done differently from most as it downplays the religious elements and up plays the scientific and psychic way to defeat a demon, and our hero is wheelchair bound and not a saint of a person at all as he is only doing this for his own quest for revenge making him not your typical hero. The film stars Aaron Eckhart as Seth Ember and co-stars Carice Van Houten, Catalina Sandino Moreno and even has WWE wrestler Mark Henry in a cameo role. The film was a team up of WWE Studios and Blumhouse Productions and was a solid entertaining PG-13 horror film that was super enjoyable in the theater even if Juliet and I were the only people their to see it. The film has some blood and violence with some chilling moments and sadly did very poorly for High Top Releasing at the Box Office in the US only bringing in $4,777,253.00 on a budget of $5 million and for some reason had very poor word of mouth among horror fans. While this film was not perfect, I did find it pretty original for a genre of horror that is getting very stale, worth watching on cable or renting from your local video store and for me, I am sure I will pick it up on DVD when released.
# 5
Japan is under attack by a giant lizard monster who keeps evolving and is being called Godzilla. The prime minister of Japan and his cabinet must find a way to keep the giant monster at bay or even better yet kill it and even get the help of America but all military attempts fail as Godzilla has his own tricks that include fire breath and fire blasts from his tail. Finally after many human deaths, lots of destruction and many failed attempts Godzilla is stopped thanks to a team effort that leaves him frozen from the inside out and like a statue, but not all is as it seems as Godzilla’s tail may have its own living race of creatures ready to come alive. This film is very slow moving and mixes elements of horror, science fiction and drama to deliver a very new and unique re-telling of the origin of Godzilla as many options are hinted at yet never confirmed, and some how this odd combination works really well! Godzilla looks like he has never looked before, and this new generation of films looks like it might be one that evolves with each new installment. This is a real hard movie to explain as it has lots of political moments and is less about Godzilla and more about the state of Japan. The film had a very limited theatrical release here in America, and I was lucky enough to catch it at the Regal Cinema in Beavercreek along with my friends Jeremy Hoyt, Erin R. Ryan and Sean Leo. Shin Godzilla brought in $1,918,403.00 in the US for FUNimation on a budget of $15 million and this was just icing on the cake as the film made way more in Japan. Worth watching and one I will own when on DVD, but I must also say this film is not for everyone and would probably bore many younger Godzilla fans.
# 4
Michelle leaves her fiance after an argument and during her drive out of town, she gets into a terrible accident when a truck smashes into her and wakes up in chains in a fall out bunker owned by a man named Howard. Michelle thinks she’s being kept captive but soon learns from her host Howard that an attack has taken place that has left the outside air poisonous, and his story is backed up by Emmett another man taking shelter in the bunker. But after Howard’s odd and some time anger filled moods as well as witnessing a woman die from the air outside, the mystery of who did this attack as well as Howard really is unfolds. The film has so many twists and turns and delivers suspense with a horror vibe so well that I found myself glued to the movie screen watching it, and that’s saying something as the film this loose sequel spawned off of Cloverfield, which was not very good in my opinion. The acting is top notch with John Goodman as Howard stealing the show as well as other actors Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Gallagher Jr. delivering solid performances. The film is packed with some suspenseful and sinister moments, and I don’t want to spoil anything on what is really outside as I think it’s something you need to just see for yourself. The film did good for Paramount at the US Box Office bringing in $72,082,998.00 on a budget of $15 million causing talks of a sequel. Worth watch and was leaps and bounds better than the original and does away with the shaky came found footage style and delivers a solid spooky and well done movie.
# 3
The Boy was one of those films that when my cousin Stephen and I saw the trailer at work when it was released into the world wide web, we knew we had to see it the weekend it came out, as growing up Stephen was scared of creepy dolls, and it’s our thing when we talk horror films. The film follows Greta, a young American woman who is getting away from her abusive boyfriend and takes a nanny job in England for the Heelshire family. When the parents go on a holiday she is to watch after their son Brahms. But things are very odd as Brahms is nothing more than a doll who the Heelshire’s treat as a living child, and worse she learns from grocery delivery man Malcolm that Brahms died in a fire after an “accident” happened to a young girl near the house. Brahms has rules that must be followed, and Greta soon finds out that things are not as they seem as The Doll seems to have ideas of its own or does it? This is the kind of film that takes twists and turns and keeps a spooky gothic/haunting pace and then turns it up a notch with a surprise ending that some fans might see coming, but others might not…so I will not spoil it for you here. The film stars Lauren Cohan as Greta who is best known for playing Maggie Greene on the hits TV Show The Walking Dead, and she does a great job and is truly a stunning actress. During the film my girlfriend Juliet leaned over in pure joy and said the film reminded her of a cult classic “Tourist Trap,” and the rest of our viewing party seemed to get a kick out of this weird little horror gem. The film did pretty good for STX Entertainment at the US Box Office Bringing in a total of $35,819,556.00, if you like horror films set in a spooky old castle home and like creepy dolls check this one out on DVD or Blu-Ray.
# 2
Leo Barnes is now working as a security chief for Senator Charlie Roan, a woman who had her family killed on a purge night many years back and wants to get rid of the day that she finds barbaric and wrong. But when she ruffles the feathers of the New Founding Fathers, they lift the band on not being able to kill a government official and hire a group of mercenaries to take her life! Leo, along with cornerstore workers and a group of protesters, must keep her safe throughout the night so she can make it to election day and rid America of this terrible yearly event. This is the third film in this amazing series and blends horror really well with action, drama and most surprisingly, a message, as all the films thus far have been not just about brutal killings but more about how society is going and how the 1% truly do call the shots. Leo and Senator Charlie are both very likable characters that you find yourself cheering for as are the workers of the small corner store who show that community and friends need to watch out for each other during the good and bad times. Another aspect of this film I liked is how America has turned the Purge into a tourist attraction where rich people from all over the world come to kill the weak and poor. The film stars Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell and Berry Gabriel and did really well for Universal at the US Box Office as if brought them in $79,042,440.00 on a small budget of $10 million and once more this was produced by Blumhouse proving these guys know horror! Own it on DVD and if you have not seen it and have enjoyed the other two films in the series, make sure you check this one out as it was a easy pick for my # 2! I want to also note that I saw this film at the Cranberry Cinema with Juliet during a Monsterbash vacation.
# 1
In 1976, Lorraine and Ed Warren were looking into the haunting at the house in Amityville and during this investigation Lorraine gets a vision of her husband’s death as well sees a evil demonic Nun who haunts her dreams as well as her family’s even after leaving the home. Now in 1977, single mother Peggy and her children are living in a home in England when an evil spirit comes out to play and possesses young Janet who can speak with the voice of a 77 year old man as well as other creepy stuff happens around the house. The church asks Ed and Lorraine to look into the case, and they soon find that there is more evil at play than just the ghost of the house’s former owner as the Nun is there and wants to make Lorraine’s vision of her husband’s death a reality! Can Ed and Lorraine save the family from the torment of the evil spirits and can they prove the vision wrong? Watch this creepy ghost film to find out! This sequel is as good as the original, and Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson who play Lorraine and Ed Warren are fantastic and truly are what make these films work so well as you find yourself bonding with them. The films villain is Valak a demon who takes the appearance of the Demon Nun and who is just pure evil and is sure to scare many viewers with her sinister looks. Director James Wan knows how to take the true case files of the Warrens and along with his writers created a spooky film that does not suffer from being only PG-13 as it uses mood and jump scares to fill the audience with fright and when seeing this in the theater I can tell you I heard many of my fellow movie goers gasp and shriek with terror and to me that shows this flick did what it was suppose to do. The film was put out by Warner Brothers via New Line Cinema and did great at the Box Office here in the US as on a budget of $40 million it brought in $102,470,008.00 proving as I have said many times in this update that horror is profitable. I own this film on DVD and watched it again, and it still holds up and won easily my # 1 spot for best theater-viewed horror film of 2016! So if you like your horror films filled with demon nuns, jump scares, cool and creepy soundtrack and likable characters this one is for you!
So there it is. my best of 2016 in films I got to see in the theater, and I must say while I didn’t get to go as much as I wanted, the times I did get to go I had a blast! And I will make this promise that next year I will make sure to make more time to get my butt to the theater so that my Best of 2017 will be epic! Plus with rumors next year of new Friday The 13th, Saw, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Amityville films, the horror competition will be high and dare I say cutthroat! But the Rotten Ink Theater clean up crew is here to sweep out all the popcorn so we should wrap this up. I hope you enjoyed this update as much as I did writing it and our next update we are headed to Africa to spend some time with The Phantom! So until then, go see a movie or four and support your local movie theater!
Posted on by bloodlinematt
This past year was pretty solid for the movies as fans of all genres had something to look forward to with three of the top choices being The Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Jurassic World and Star Wars: Force Awakens! But while many movie goers were waiting for those three films, I was silently waiting for the new Mad Max, Rockyand Terminator sequels as well as all of the horror films that were released last year. This time, I didn’t just see movies at my favorite theater Cinemark at the Greene but also watched flicks at Regal, Cinemark Dayton South and Cranberry Cinema and watched films along side the likes of Juliet Fromholt, Josh Weinberg, Jeremy Hoyt, Stephen Alexander II, Anne Rotolante, Patrick Steele and my brother Bryan and his family! I ate many bags of popcorn and drank many Icee’s and loved the cinema experiences…well for the most part! This year was flooded with lots of other moviegoers who brought rowdy kids to the films, morons on cell phones and of course the loud talkers, but even these pesky people couldn’t bring down the mood and feel of the cinema. The ones who annoyed me the most were the loud talkers and kids during horror films, as their behavior took away from the atmosphere of films like Woman In Black 2, Green Inferno and Insidious Chapter 3! But let’s not waste too much time on cell phone zombies and talkers; let’s get to the Rotten Ink Theater and discuss the films I saw! Be sure to readon with caution as some write ups might have spoilers!
As always, we are going to take out the trash first as I present to you the worst films of the year…and oddly enough, I didn’t see too many bad films this year. Only one film has made the list and while it was not terrible, I found it to be a major letdown. So let’s get to the worst!
# 1
Rusty Griswald decides to take his family on a trip, not to Europe, but to Wally World, the same place his father Clark took him to so many years back. So Rusty hits the road with his wife and two sons, and along the way, they run into all types of crazy and crude adventures till they reach their goal of Wally World. Throw in cameos from Clark and Ellen Griswald, and you have Vacation. The things that work for the film is some moments will make you flash back to the other films in the series, the downside are the moments that reminded me of the crude humor of American Pie and The Hangover. While I didn’t hate this film, I was just very much disappointed with it as I was really looking forward to a true National Lapoon’s Vacation sequel, not a crude humor cash in. The film did just okay for New Line Cinema at the US Box Office bringing in a total off $58,863,141.00 on a $31 Million Dollar budget. Again, if you have not seen this yet, skip it and just pop in the DVD of the original and enjoy a comedy classic.
So now that the stinky worst film has been taken out, let’s take a look at action…and oddly enough, this year I didn’t see too many action films and that’s a shame as it’s a genre I enjoy seeing in the theater! I missed the new Fast And The Furious film as well as several others, but here is the list of the ones I did get to see! I even added a sports drama in the action section to help add depth.
# 2
“No Escape” was a fun action thrill ride that has Owen Wilson playing a father who took a job overseas in the water service and soon finds that who he works for forced themselves into the market. Now a group of rebels have risen up and are killing anyone who they think is ruining their county. So Wilson has to save his wife and two daughters and get them to safety before they become victims in a bloodbath of anger. This was a fun edge of your seat movie that had many moments that made you wonder how the family was going to survive this riot uprising! The film also adds in Pierce Bronson as a man who is trying to help the family out but also has his own reasons for being there. Really, this was a good action flick that mixed in just the right amount of a thriller to make it work. The film did pretty good for the Weinstein Company and brought in $27,079,507.00 just in the US Box Office on a $5 million dollar budget. Well worth the watch in the theater, even if the person I went with was Josh Weinberg and he kept texting throughout it!
# 1
Creed was hands down one of the best films of the year for me and was one that I was most looking forward to as I have been a fan of the Rocky franchise since I was a youngster. This movie lived up to everything I wanted from it, from drama to sports action, it had it all. Adonis Johnson-Creed is the son of Apollo Creed from a woman he had an affair with. He fought his whole life to prove something to himself and thanks to the guidance of Rocky Balboa, he stands a chance at becoming a famed fighter like his father. Adonis must learn not only to fight as a trained boxer but also balance his life with his mom (Apollo’s wife), girlfriend Bianca and learning that Rocky is sick. I don’t want to spoil too much of the film’s plot nor the ending but fans of Rocky and Rocky II will eat it up. Sylvester Stallone is fantastic as the aging Rocky and gave the performance of a lifetime, and Michael B. Jordan is amazing and makes Adonis Creed a likable character and delivers the “Rocky” of this generation. The film had a great showing for Warner Brothers bringing in a total in the U.S of $98,756,653 on a $35 million dollar budget as of Dec 30th 2015. Again, I can’t stress enough how great this film is and when seeing it in the theater with my girl Juliet, she teared up at moments of well written and acted drama. Do yourself a favor, and check it out on DVD or Blu-Ray.
Yeah, I really was slacking in the action department. I mean I had to add a sports drama film to the list, but it counts because it has Sylvester Stallone and boxing action in it, right? But what I did not slack on is science fiction and fantasy films that had some major heavyweights duking it out, not just at the box office but also for my # 1 spot! So let’s take an epic journey and see who won the pick to be the best 2015 had to offer.
# 8
Aliens have sent Earth a challenge and are using our classic video game characters like Frogger, Pac-Man and Space Invaders as their warriors to battle our top arcade players of the past in a best of three match that pits the humans against real life pixel characters. This film got a lot of hate for no reason and many judged it because it starred Adam Sandler who for some reason is now the kiss of death for a film. But while it’s no masterpiece of cinema, it is a fun space invader comedy film with cool retro video game characters like Donkey Kong, Space Invaders & Q*Bert and some fun chuckles. Pixels failed at the US Box Office only bringing in $66,412,189.00 for Columbia Pictures on a $88 million production budget. If you watch this film on DVD or Blu-Ray, go in with a clear mind and all the pre-online hate washed from your brain. You might find yourself having a good time.
# 7
The evil witch Mother Malkin has escaped and is causing death and terror. The only hope is Master Gregory, a monster hunter who captured her many years back. But when his ward dies in battle, he must find a new one who has to be the seventh son of a seventh son and finds him in a young farmer named Tom who he trains to become a killer of witches. Things get tricky when Tom falls in love with a witch and Malkin has called some of the top generals in the world of supernatural. Gregory must face massive odds to save the world as we all know it. This is a cool fantasy film set in the age of knights that has many monsters and over the top battles that are sure to please most fantasy film viewers. The film was panned by critics, and sadly it tanked at the box office. I feel like this is yet another of those films that got unfairly judged due to all the delays this production was plagued with. With that said, though the film does have some goofy moments like the over the top accent Jeff Bridges uses while playing Master Gregory, but for the stuff like that there is a dragon, attractive women and a foul troll like monster to make up for it. The film only grossed in $17,223,265.00 at the US Box Office for Universal on a $95 million dollar budget, but luckily it did a little better overseas.
# 6
Jupiter Ascending is one of those films I think was unfairly judged before it even opened in the theaters, due to delays, and the so called internet “press” before it came out was very negative. Many moviegoers listened to these “critics” who said it was no good before even seeing it…this is what I call The Lone Ranger Effect. Juliet and I happened to enjoy this sci-fi flick that seemed like a mixture of many genre classics of the past thrown together. It felt like Star Trek, Star Wars, Flash Gordon and Masters Of The Universe had a child that was filled with lots of explosions and air chases. The story follows a young woman named Jupiter who works as a maid for a cleaning service run by her family, but she soon finds out she is much more as she has the soul of a reincarnated galaxy queen in her genes. The Queen’s two sons and daughter want to manipulate and kill her to retain all she left them when she died in the past! But one lone bounty hunter along with his allies want to keep her safe and allow her to rule without the harm of her children’s greed. How can one woman change the fate of the world, and how will a simple maid deal with all the power and drama? This film’s plot has so much more to it but I don’t want to spoil too much as I think it’s worth a watch for sure. The film stars Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum and Sean Bean, and all of them do a good job pulling off their characters. The film was directed by The Wachowski’s who are known for The Matrix films. Itdid poorly for Warner Brother only bringing in $47,387,723.00 at the US Box Office, but while it did poorly in theaters I can see this film gaining a cult following on the home video market.
# 5
Disney has been doing a great job of making live action versions of their classic cartoon films, and Cinderella, much like Maleficent, is a perfect example of that. The story follows Ella, the daughter of a traveling merchant who sadly loses both her parents but not before her father remarries and she has to take care of her stepmom and two step sisters. They treat her not as a family member but more like a slave as they make her cook, clean and wait on them hand and foot. Poor Ella is even made fun of, and they start calling her Cinderella as they tease her looks after she cleaned the fireplaces and had ashes on her. The Prince of the kingdom is having a ball and with the help of her fairy godmother, she is able to attend and steals the Prince’s heart. After she leaves before the magic of her glamorous life runs out, she leaves behind a glass slipper that is used in finding her. The classic story has never looked this good on the big screen, and I really liked all the actors casted as Lily James is perfect as Cinderella and Helena Bonham Carter is fantastic as The Fairy Godmother and Cate Blanchett is sinisterly good as the Step Mother. The film did pretty well for Disney at the U.S boxoffice bringing in a total of $200,025,513.00 proving that the classic stories never go out of style.
# 4
The fifth film in the Terminator series was one of the films I was looking forward to this year as I heard that it was a film that would change the series timeline as we know it. After viewing it, the film lived up to what I wanted it to be. In the future John Conner sends Kyle Reese back in time to protect his mother Sarah, but when he gets there he finds things are not like they should be as Sarah alongside a Terminator she calls Pops are hunting down and killing every attempt that’s made by Skynet to take her life! They travel through time and soon find out that John Connor himself has been compromised by Skynet and he is the ultimate Terminator! Can Sarah, Kyle and Pops stop the coming of judgement day or is all hope really lost for mankind? The film has lots of action and some cool twists that made it a solid sci-fi action adventure, and while Juliet and I both liked it, it appears that the moviegoers in America were not as hip to the idea of a 5th Terminator film and would rather have spent money on such classic 2015 films like “50 Shades Of Grey”, “Get Hard”, “Spy” and “Trainwreck”! The film did very poorly at the US Box Office, only bringing in $89,760,956.00 on a $155 million dollar budget. While this film was suppose to be the lead in to another trilogy of films, it appears Paramount has pulled the plug on that idea ending the threat of Skynet once and for all…or until they remake it…ugh!
# 3
Finally, after 14 years of being closed, Jurassic Park reopens with the fourth film in the series called Jurassic World, and it was amazing and well worth the wait! The film is packed with the charm of the original series but also brings in a touch of horrorto make the dinosaurs a little more scary. The plot has the park opening and becoming a huge attraction for families around the world to come and see living dinosaurs, but like all big business comes the want and need to bring in more visitors. So in come genetic hybrid dinos, but they make a mistake with one that becomes the ultimate killing machine and worse it escapes and is on a killing warpath! Throw into the mix a park big wig and her nephews as well as a trainer who has bonded with a pack of raptors, and you have one fun rampage film! The film stars Vincent D’Onofrio, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt and B.D. Wong, who fans of this series will know as Henry Wu. The film was a mega hit all over the world and brought in $651,519,326.00 for Universal at the U.S. Box Office, and by doing so, left itself open for many sequels in the coming years.
# 2
Star Wars: The Force Awakens shattered box office records and washed the bitter taste of the prequels out of the mouths of fans with a solid and well done sequel directed by J.J Abrams, the man who also rebuilt the Star Trek movie franchise. The story has Luke Skywalker missing and in the shadow of the Empire arose The First Order who is also trying their best for galaxy domination! Scavenger Rey alongside one time stormtrooper Finn must deliver a droid called BB-8 to the rebels lead by Leia Organa and get help from some familiar faces, namely Han Solo and Chewbacca! Throw in a new sith named Kylo Ren and add in some drama, action and heartbreaking moments and you have one hell of a great space war movie! Plus the new characters of Rey and Finn are likeable and great additions to the Star Wars universe. I saw this in IMAX 3-D opening weekend, and the place was packed. It was amazing seeing how many grown men and women cried during this movie and how many got swept up in nostalgia when the opening credits popped up or when Han and Chewie first appeared. The score was fantastic and done by John Williams once more, and I can’t stress how amazing after all these years it was for me to see iconic characters like Luke Skywalker, C3PO and R2D2 on the big screen again. The film is doing fantastic for Disney bringing in an amazing $629,034,583.00 as of the day this update went up just at the US Box Office! If you enjoy Star Wars movies, video games, comics, novels, cartoons or toys then check this out for sure as major things happen, some that just leave you stunned and heartbroken. It’s worth owning on DVD or Blu-Ray when released.
# 1
Mad Max Fury Road was one of the films that I was the most hyped for in 2015, and it lived up to everything I wanted and more! The film follows Max who is kidnapped by a group of wasteland warriors known as War Boys and is used as a human blood bag for their ill warriors. Furiosa is a driver for the War Boys and their leader Immortan Joe. On a run to get gas, she steals some things that mean a lot to Joe, and he will do whatever it takes to get them back! Max ends up free and tags along for a wild and furious ride with Furiosa that pits them against Immortan Joe and his War Boys! This movie is filled with lots of amazing car action and lives up to what a Mad Max fan would want from a new film in the series. While I did miss Mel Gibson as Mad Max, Tom Hardy does a pretty good job filling his boots. Immortan Joe who is played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played Toe Cutter in the first Mad Max film, is fantastic and is one screwed up false idol! The film is not so much about gas as it’s about the shortage of water and how one crazy person/company in the future could control it all…cough: Nestle. The film also stars Charlize Theron as Furiosa who has become a very popular character and is a cool strong female character. The film did okay at the U.S Box Office for Warner Brothers as it brought in $153,636,354.00. Here is hoping that this film did well enough to make another sequel as I am ready to travel in that wasteland again in my favorite local theater.
There were somany sci-fi and fantasy films this year and to boot, so many great ones! But sorry, Star Wars and Jurassic Park, while you both were great, you’re just no match for Mad Max on the Fury Road! Next up, we move to the topic of comic books as we once more were treated to many super hero films in 2015. So grab your cape and let’s take a wild ride to see what hero took the # 1 spot for me!
# 3
Fantastic Four was another movie that suffered from being judged before it even hit theaters, all based on a poorly put together trailer and the fact they changed the Human Torch Johnny Storm’s race. Like Pixels, I think people were way too hard on this movie. Now I must say that this film does have lots of flaws and at times it felt as if the actors had no real direction or motive to put in a powerful performance. The film’s plot has Reed Richards being offered college tuition as he has mastered sending objects to another realm and along with Victor Doom and brother and sister Sue and Johnny Storm, they make a machine to send humans to that dimension. An accident leaves them all with super powers and turns them into freaks of nature, even his best friend Ben Grimm is suckered in to this mess and transformed. Reed gets the power to stretch his body, Sue can turn invisible and create forcefields, Johnny can turn into a walking talking fireball, Ben turns into a living rock creature and Doom becomes something more and builds a godlike complex that leave the four having to battle Doom in the other dimension to stop his takeover of Earth. The film is silly, and the characters at time seem lost or as if they are bored, but over all I had fun seeing it at the theater. The film did poorly for Fox and is considered one of the biggest bombs of the year as it only brought in $56,117.548.00 at the US Box Office on a budget of $120 million! Love it or hate it, the film entertained me so it did its job.
# 2
The Avengers came swinging back into action in 2015 and was an entertaining summer popcorn film that combined two of my favorite things: movies and comics. Iron Man wants to save the world, and by accident, he creates a living robotic being named Ultron who wants to clean the world of humans and start over! Tensions mount as The Avengers are defeated for the first time by Ultron and his two new mutant helpers Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver! But in the end, the team comes back stronger than ever and gets the help of the twinsas well as a clone of Ultron named Visionwho all soon learn Ultron is a menace. Together they save the Earth and defeat the robot armageddon. The film was a lot of fun, but I didn’t feel as it was as strongly as the first film and some subplots seemed out of place and were too Wheadon “Buffy” for me as now Black Widow and Bruce Banner have a forbidden love..silly. With this said, I enjoyed this superhero mega budget action movie and am looking forward to Avengers 3! Avengers 2 did amazing for Disney bringing in a total of $459,005,868.00 at the US box office showing that these heroes still pack a punch for movie watchers.
# 1
When I first heard they were making a movie based on Ant-Man, I chuckled and thought who is going to play Hank Pym! Then when I heard Hank Pym was being played my Michael Douglas and he was not the focus of being Ant-Man as that was going to Scott Lang played by Paul Rudd, I thought Marvel had lost their minds putting an actor who’s been in a bunch of cheesy comedies as the title hero. But when I saw the trailer, all those doubts flew out the window and I became even more hyped to see this film based on a B-grade Marvel Comic character. The plot has Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, having to trust a master cat burglar named Scott in order to stop his one time company from getting the shrinking human technology. So Scott becomes Ant-Man, and along side Hank and his daughter Hope, must stop this from happening as well as defeat the sinister Yellowjacket! This film is not only a superhero one but also part heist with a dash of comedy. Paul Rudd surprised me and turned in a great performance, and everything from the acting to the soundtrack worked. In my opinion, hands down this was the best superhero film of the year! The film did well for Diseny at the US Box Office bringing in a total of $178,780,134.00 on a budget of $130 million and at the foreign Box Office add on another $275,900,000.00! Say what you will, but Ant-Man packed a big punch for movie fans.
Never in my life would I think a film about Ant-Man would beat out a film that had Captain America and Hulk in it. Crazy, but it did and took my # 1 spot! Up next is my favorite genre of films and one I look most forward to writing about for this Best Of update, horror! Once more this year was filled with lots of ghost and possession films as Hollywood thinks that’s all we horror fans want to see at the theater, but I think they are starting to learn as many of these titles did good but not great at the box office. Give me Slashers and classic monsters backand keep the ghost films away for awhile. I would like to see more Halloween, Friday The 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre films in the theaters. But let’s waste no more time and jump into my top 15 list of horror films I saw inthe theater this year!
# 15
Jennifer Lopez looks fantastic in this horror thriller that has her playing a single mom who is a high school teacher that is trying to move on past her ex-husband who is trying everything in his power to get her back! Her neighbor is a sick old man whose nephew has come to live with them after his parents died in an accident. This young man befriends J-Lo’s son. After a bad date and a few glasses of wine, she is seduced by the young man next door and they have sex. This starts her downward spiral as the young man is unstable and becomes so obsessed with her that it leads to possibilities of losing her job, her husband and possibly her life! This film was a fun cheesy thriller that has some moments of suspense and even violence that help it along to be entertaining. While the plot is mostly predictable,it was still very much worth watching. I saw the film with Josh Weinberg, and he also thought the film was okay. The film at the US Box office has brought in $35,423,380.00 for Universal on a lower budget making it a good solid hit for them.
# 14
Is there a afterlife? And what if science could find away to bring you back after death? This is the plot for The Lazarus Effect. Zoe is the leader of a research team that includes her fiancee Frank. They are being filmed by a student as they embark on using a serum they created to bring the dead back to life and have success in bringing back a dog. But things go wrong when the college pulls funding and their research becomes property of a major drug company! Zoe and her crew sneak into the lab for one last test, and an accident leaves Zoe dead and her team using the drug on her. But when she comes back, something is different, and their beloved co-worker is now an evil killer who is out for blood and can’t get past the major sin of her past. The film was a fun watch, and on the day we saw it, Juliet and I were the only people in the theater watching. The film has some cool yet cliched spooky moments, and Olivia Wilde who plays Zoe does a great job of being the sweet doctor who turns into a black eyed demon. But the film does have some major plot flaws and characters who make some of the dumbest decisions in any movie I have seen this year, with Frank being one of the most annoying characters I have seen in a long time who seems to be as dumb as a box of rocks when it comes to the fact his mate is not his sweet girl anymore. The film was not a huge hit at the US Box Office but did well for Relativity bringing in $25,784,902.00. While not a great film, it was worth watching for sure.
# 13
The Gallows was one of those lower budget horror films that when I heard about it piqued my interest and was one that I wanted to see if it could be the next franchise in the genre. Sadly, while I had a good time watching it in the theater, it was a letdown for the most part. When I saw the name New Line Cinema attached and the trailer dropped the names of Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees and compared them to this film’s villain, named Charlie, I thought for sure we would get a supernatural slasher film, but instead we got another Paranormal Activity clone with a killer that is hardly seen. The film is about a young man who is hanged by accident during a play in 1983, and in 2013, the school is trying the play again. A group of teens get trapped in the school at night and are hunted down by the ghost of the dead actor who wears an executioner’s mask and carries a noose. The film is bloodless and is of the found footage nature, making for lots of moments of shaky camera work and jump scares but has no really bloody moments. The film’s main attraction for me was actress Pfeifer Brown, who plays the character Pfeifer, the queen of the drama department who was easy on the eyes, as well as the setting of an old creepy school at night which worked in spots. The film did okay for its low budget for New Line and brought in a total of $22,764,410.00 for them at the US Box Office. It could have been better and could have been worse. This is a film I might watch one more time when it hits DVD to see if I missed anything that might have made this scary.
# 12
Laura Barns was a girl in highschool who was filmed passed out at a party after she had an “accident.” Someone posted the video to Youtube, and so Laura’s harassment and bullying began, which leads to Laura killing herself. On the anniversary of her death, a group of friends meet up for a Skype chat that is hijacked by the account of the dead Laura wanting answers about who posted the video, and if it doesn’t get the real answers people begin to die! One by one the friends drop off but not before each person’s dirty little secrets are shared. In the end does the spirit of Laura get the answers she seeks? Check out this horror film that takes place almost solely from the view of a computer screen. While silly in parts, it at least tries to have a message about thinking before you put something on the world wide web that could be hurtful to others. The film’s murders are a little cheesy and amateurish, but they at least get an A for effort in having the guts to murder someone with a curling iron. The only major downside to the film is the ending that felt tacked on and takes away from a more powerful ending that it could have had by having one of the characters have to live with her mistake and secrets out in the world, but instead they went the route of spooky ghost coming to get you. The film made some money for Universal bringing in a total of $32,482,090.00 at the US Box Office.Whilenot a fantastic horror film by any means, I still was entertained by this modern digital way to showcase horror by adding in social media and the cruel nature of high school drama.
# 11
This is one of those cases when you look at a film that been remade by Hollywood and ask yourself why would they do that? The original Poltergeist is a perfect rated-PG horror film that scared kids and parents alike and was a team up between Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg that was just a good scary flick. Sam Raimi and his Ghost House Pictures decided that they needed to remake it, and while they believed in their remake, moviegoers didn’t as the film performed very poorly at the theater. The film follows the Bowen family who are down on their luck and must move into a house in a not so nice neighborhood that seems to have some odd issues with the lighting and static electricity. After they learn that the house was built on top of a graveyard, their young daughter Maddy is taken away by spirits, and the family along with paranormal investigators must find a way to save her before it’s too late! The film adds some changes that help make it different from the original, and by all accounts Raimi should have made a sequel and not a remake. Over all it was okay and was a nice summer popcorn film. The film only brought in $47,425,125.00 for MGM and shows that maybe movie goers are getting tired of remakes of classic horror films. I should also note that I am not a fan of kid actors, but the ones in this film do a good job!
# 10
The Cannibal gerne was alive and well in 2015 thanks to Eli Roth, the director of Hostel and Cabin Fever. The film follows Justine, a young college girl who gets wrapped up in helping an activism group try and stop the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. After they help slow it down, their small plane crashes and they become captives of a tribe of cannibals who kill not only to eat but also for ritual. Justine must muster up the inner strength to make it out alive. This really gives a new meaning to who will survive and what will be left of them! The film is brutal, but not as brutal as one would think of when watching a cannibal film of the 70’s as only one scene really pushes the envelope on the splatter. Lorenza Izzo plays Justine and is fantastic as she is likeable and you find that you don’t want her to end up as dinner for the tribe. The film was supposed to be released last year but was pushed to this year and made High Top Releasing $7,105,595.00 on a $5 million dollar budget in the US. So while this leaves itself open for a sequel, it was by no means a hit at the box office.
# 9
The Engel family have gathered for Christmas but when young Max looses faith in Santa Claus, he unleashes the sinister Krampus and his helpers who are out to ruin his Christmas or is that save it? One by one Max watches as his family disapear by the hands of Krampus and his minions. As they fight back, the odds seem grim. Can Max take back his Christmas and save his family…watch and find out! This film is one part horror and one part comedy and is brought to you by Michael Dougherty, who also did the holiday themed film “Trick r Treat” and made for a fun watch in early December when it was released in theaters. The film had a good atmosphere as the family is stuck at home with their neighborhood deserted during a freak snow storm with no power and no cellphone reception, and one pissed off shadow of Santa Claus looking for some new souls to take! The creature effects are pretty cool with twisted elves wearing human masks being the most freaky and killer gingerbread men being the silliest and dumbest. Over all the film was okay and nothing too special. I found other Christmas themed horror films like the original Black Christmas and Silent Night Deadly Night to be way better to chill the holiday season. The film did okay for Universal at the US Box Office bringing in this far $41,333,325.00. If you like Christmas themed horror films or are looking for a fun watch, check it out.
# 8
Goosebumps was a popular book series and TV showwhen I was a youngster, and it’s still popular with today’s youth. When I heard a film was being made I was pretty hyped, but when I heard Jack Black was in it playing the series creator R.L. Stine, I lost some steam on wanting to see it. But all that changed when I saw the first trailer and all the classic Goosebump monsters on the prowl – I was sold on the idea of seeing it! The film follows a young man who is new in town andin next door to a strange man and his daughter. You soon find out the man is R.L Stine and that when one of his Goosebumps manuscripts is opened, it frees the monster from within its pages. Worse, the books are in the hands of that evil ventriloquist dummy Slappy all thanks to the young man accidentally opened one and caused a panic. Can R.L. and the teens stop this monster invasion of their town or will they end up being the monster capital of the world! This is “The Monster Squad” for this generation and was lots of fun, even for me at the age of 36. It’s well worth seeing in the theater and was a nice change of pace to see a family friendly horror film in the theater! The film made $78,121,323.00 at the US Box Office for Sony, making it not as big of a hit as they were hoping but still one heck of a fun watch for those who wanted to see zombies, a yeti, a werewolf, gnomes and so many others ghouls and monsters at their local theaters.
# 7
Edith Cushing is the daughter of a wealthy New York businessman who can see the souls of the dead. As a child she gets a visit from her mother, who had passed away, warning her to stay away from Crimson Peak. Grown up and after the death of her father, Edith moves away to England with Sir Thomas and his sister Lucilleand soon finds that their crumbling mansion is filled with not just red clay but also ghosts, all disfigured and haunting. Once Edith figures out she is at Crimson Peak, can she not only survive but also solve the mystery of this dreaded family and their home? This film is a gothic romantic horror film that embraces the ghost genre but also tries to add its own charm and atmosphere the way only director Guillermo del Toro can. The film has lots of twists and some surprises that sadly I could see coming 5 miles away. While this did make the movie slightly less enjoyable for me, it did not take me out of it and I will not spoil the surprises and twists for you here. What kept this movie entertaining for me was not only the set designs and the gruesome ghost effects, but the acting that was top notch with Mia Wasikowska who played Edith being the stand out. She is fantastic, and I found myself cheering for her to escape Crimson Peak! The film was not a US Box Office winner, only bringing in $31,090,320.00 for Universal on a $55 million dollar budget. While this is not del Toro’s best horror film, it was at least entertaining and had some great moments mixed in with the predictable ones. It’s worth checking out if you like gothic horror.
# 6
Insidious Chapter 3 is not so much a sequel as it’s a prequel to this new popular horror series. Quinn is a young woman who lost her mother to cancer and wants to have one last chat with her. She goes to talk to a retired Elise, a former medium who had to give it up after her husband died and an evil spirt tries to attack her whenever she now does a reading. Her mistake is that she tries to do one for Quinn and by doing so, has a spirit called The Man Who Can Not Breath (an old looking ghost with a oxygen mask on) start to follow Quinn! A bad accident happens that leaves Quinn in a wheel chair with broken bones and even had her flatline in the hospital. The spirit claims half of her soul when this happens, and it’s up to Elise and Quinn’s father to save her from its evil grips! The film once more is filled with pop up frights as well as a cameo from the series original evil ghost The Black Bride, and adds more to this series back story and shows that while a horror film is slow, it can still back many good scares as Juliet, who I saw this with, jumped out of her seat many times! The film did okay at the U.S Box Office for Focus Features, bringing in a total of $52,218,558.00. The film ends with a possibility of an Insidious Chapter 4, and it will be interesting to see what they did with the new spirit thats introduced at the end.
# 5
Hammer Horror has cranking out films about ghosts and possession since their comeback and don’t skip a beat with this sequel to The Woman In Black. The film takes place in England during World War II and follows a group of children and their teachers leaving the city for the safety of the country. One little boy is targeted by the spirit of a vengeful mother who is The Woman in Black, and she wants him to die like her child did so many years back. It’s up to one brave school teacher and an air force pilot to save the child and find out the secret of this evil spirit. The film has some great atmosphere with the old house and ocean scenery and a chilling soundtrack but is plagued with cheap loud jump scares and a predictable story. Over all The Woman In Black 2 is a fun PG-13 rated horror film that was a nice way to kick off the horror films of 2015 as it was the first to be released to theaters. The film brought in $26,501,323.00 for Relativity and sadly was not a big money maker, but will hopefully do so on home media and digital.
# 4
Paula has been at odds with her parents for years after a big blow up causing them never to meet their grandchildren until one weekend that has Rebecca and Tyler meeting them and staying with them after a train ride. Rebecca brings along some cameras and wants to make a documentary for her mother about the trip, but what seems like a fun time with the grandparents turns into a bizarre creepy one as they act odd, complete with good old Grandma running around the house like a wild woman late at nights! This film has a twist ending like all M. Night Shyamalan films, and this one works better than most. The film is not a blood bath and has none of the red stuff flowing. What it does pack is spooky elements and creepy old people doing odd things that makes you as the viewer uneasy. I don’t want to spoil the ending and twist so I will just say check it out on DVD or Blu-Ray and have a creepy good time with a film set out in the middle of nowhere! The film did okay for Universal and brought in $63,882.720.00 at the US Box Office on a small $5 million dollar budget! Check it out if you want to see a cool film with great atmosphere.
# 3
Victor Frankenstein suffered from bad marketing and a trailer that made it look more like a dark comedy than a sci-fi, horror drama film that it really is. The film follows Victor Frankenstein and his assistant who he names Igor after rescuing him from a life of being a hunched back clown for the circus and their scientific journey into creating life! The pair build a primate creature, and this leads to the main goal of bringing a man back to life. Along the journey Igor wins the heart of his dream girl and the pair do business with a rich cut throat scientist and must dodge a police officer who is obsessed with stopping them from messing with God’s nature. This was a fun classic monster film that showed that done right the classics will never go out of style…well at least for fans of the classic monsters. The acting is well done with James McAvoy playing Victor and Daniel Radcliffe playing Igor. The pair blend the horror, sci-fi, comedy and drama elements perfectly together, and they make the characters seem like legit friends. The moving going public once more did not come out and support this film making it a bomb for Fox and bringing in a very small $5,747,301.00 in at the US Box Office, showing that Americans would rather spend their money at the theater seeing Kevin Hart or Melissa McCarthy play the same roles over and over again. The Frankenstein Monster shows up at the end of the film and is a pretty cool design and the action that takes place in the final battle is pretty fun and packed with fantasy epic moments. Do yourself a favor, and check this film out when it comes to DVD and Blu-Ray.
# 2
Sinister II is yet another film this year that I feel was unfairly judged by critics and fans that caused it to strike out at the box office when it was a solid follow up to the original that was packed with creepy moments and some brutal deaths. The film follows Courtney Collins and her two sons Dylan and Zach who live in a old farmhouse hiding out from their father who is abusive. Meanwhile Deputy So & So is on the hunt to figure out who has been killing families that leaves one child always missing. But we all know that Mr. Boogie and his ghost kids are to blame, and when one of the kids is targeted to watch 8mm films of brutal deaths the cycle continues! This film was lots of fun and have some really disturbing deaths as well as some jump scare moments, I for one really like the Mr. Boogie character and would like to see a part 3 sometime in the future. This film does not just rely on gruesome deaths to chill the bones of the viewer it also uses lots of cult and paranormal elements to add more shivers. The film has some great surprises and elements that are sure to shock and scare. The film didn’t do that well at the US Box Office for Focus Features only bringing in $27, 714,992.00, sadly not sure if this will ger a sequel but here is hopping it does as it was the closest thing I got to a Slasher film this year overrun by films about ghosts and possessions.
# 1
It Follows is one of those independent horror films that shakes up the world of horror and shows that not every film this generation needs to be a ghost or possession story. The film is about Jay, a college co-ed who goes on a date with a young man. After they make love, he knocks her out and when she awakens, she is tied up and he tells her that she will now be followed by It, a shapeshifting walking thing that if she is touched by she will die! The only way to save yourself is to sleep with someone else and pass it along. The film follows Jay as she comes to terms with a thing that follows that her friends cannot see, just so desperately want to help defeat. The movie is filled with surprises and twists that will sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. I saw this film at the Regal Cinema in Beavercreek with Jeremy Hoyt, and we both agreed that this was a top notch thriller with an original and entertaining plot and is worth watching for sure. While this was a hit at filmm festivals and art house theaters when it opened wide, it brought in only $14,674,076.00 in the US for Radius, and thats a shame as I would have hoped horror fans would have went to the theater and supported this great film.
It was a great year for movies at the cinema, and it was made better by all my friends and family that came with me to the theater. It was amazing seeing sequels to films like Star Wars, Mad Max, Terimator, Rocky, Jurassic Park, Sinister and others that didn’t take the cheesy remake or reboot route. The Horror Films of the year did a pretty good job of scaring viewers when they were suppose to. This year is also filled wall to wall with great films and will be another year of films that will make me nerd out! So up next we are going to take a look at the mini comic based on the Atari 2600 game called YARS’ REVENGE so all you old school gamers and comic readers make sure to come back for that one! In the comments below make sure to let me know what you favorite film of 2015 was as I would love to see what you my friends and readers are enjoying these days. So until then watch a movie or two and support your local movie theater.
Posted on by bloodlinematt
2014 was a pretty good year for movies, and while I didn’t get to visit the theater just about every week like last year, I still was able to catch many great films at my favorite theaters. It’s odd that after all these years I still feel the excitement of watching a film in the theater with some popcorn and an Icee. But before we get into my lists, I should say that my favorite theater is Cinemark at the Greene in Beavercreek, but man since they bought the theater from The Rave that place has had some issue and cutbacks that have really taken away from the place. The first thing you will notice is that on many days they are understaffed and many of the faces from last year are no longer working there, although my friend Chris still does so that’s a plus. Plus they did away with the flavor powder to put on your popcorn….so no more cheese popcorn for this movie goer. Others issues I have had is that during John Wick they left the lights on. When my pal Jeremy Hoyt went and told them they turned off all the lights besides the center one that sadly we were sitting under…I felt like I was being interrogated by Dick Tracy! During November Man almost all the speakers besides the front two didn’t work, and worse, they had the front two cranked and it sounded like crap. During some movies, due to them going all digital with no projectionist when the film would start it would have no sound or no picture. Plus one of the most annoying things is the fact that they cram so many co*ka-Cola and Microsoft ads at the start of every movie that it feels like your watching network TV! But to be fair for every bad experience, I have had way more good and that’s why it’s still my favorite theater. So let’s take a seat here at the Rotten Ink Theater lobby and let’s talk films of 2014!
Let’s get those bad films out of the way first, the ones that I left the theater wondering why film or even digital pixels were wasted on making them! So let’s take out this stinky trash before it smells up the joint! This year since I didn’t go and see one or two films a week, I was lucky enough to miss many stinkers but here are at least two that left a fowl smell in the theater.
# 2
A direct follow up to 300 takes place at the same time and after the events of the first film, and instead of land battles, it’s mostly all about water warfare. Themistocles and his brave warriors go to war at sea with Xerxes and his evil sister Artemisia all for the glory of Greece. The film has some fun over the top boat battles and even a few sword to sword fights, but many times the action is pure cheese and some of the green screen effects look as if it was a made for the Sy-Fy Channel film. The scene that has Themistocles riding a horse from boat to boat and throwing fire is down right silly and mind numbingly bad. Highlights include a naked Eva Green who plays Artemisia. Over all, it’s a very poor follow up to the original and was a bland sword and sandal film. The film grossed $106,580,051.00 at the US Box Office for Warner Brothers.
# 1
This film just plan sucked! I saw it with my pal Jeremy Hoyt with a theater semi-full of people, and hardly no one laughed and many groans were heard at the poor attempts at humor. The film follows sheep farmer Albert Stark, who is a weak man with no backbone and no shooting skills, that is until he meets Anna, the wife of a gunslinger outlaw who has set his sights on killing Albert who has fallen in love with his wife! It’s up to Anna to help Albert get a backbone and survive not only a fight with her husband but that also with his ex-girlfriend’s mustachioed boyfriend. The film was written, directed and starred Seth McFarlane, who is a one trick pony with his gross and pop culture humor. So in other words, if you think fart jokes are top of the line comedy than Seth wrote this one for you. The film’s only real highlights are cameos from celebrities playing famous characters they have played in past Western films like Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown from Back To The Future Part III! At the US box office, this film brought in $43,139,300 for Universal. I hope they don’t make a sequel to this film…as the thought makes my brain hurt.
Those were the only bad films I saw in theater, but I should also note that I saw two really bad ones that went direct to video like Wolf Creek 2 and Dario Argento’s Dracula 3-D. But let’s not inhale any more of this stinky trash!
Up second, we are going to take a look at action. While last year we called it 80’s action, this year we are going to add more into it besides films starring aging action stars; plus I am going to add action thrillers into this category. So get your Rambo headband ready because I am about to tell you my top 6 action packed films of 2014!
# 6
Arnold Schwarzenegger geared up in this action thriller film that was pretty solid even though it had many plot holes. Breacher is the leader of an elite DEA team. His wife wasmurdered by drug lords in Mexico, and he has his team steal money from their busts. When $10 million goes missing from one of their heists, the DEA turns up the heat and disbands the team. But when members of the team are starting to be murdered off, the team must figure out who is killing them and what happened to the money they stole that went missing. The film takes many twists and turns; it also has a solid line up of supporting actors like Joe Manganiello, Terrence Howard and Mireille Enos and some great gun play that all help add to the over all action film feel. The film sadly did very poorly at the box office grossing only $10,508,518.00 in the US for Open House Films, but both Juliet and I enjoyed it.
# 5
Who doesn’t like seeing Denzel Washington kicking ass and taking names? This action drama follows Robert McCall, a retired black ops agent who is now working at a home improvement store after his wife’s passing. He comes out of retirement and takes on the Russian Mafia when his young friend Alina is beaten badly by her pimp who happens to be a Mafia member. The bodies pile up as Robert takes the war to the streets and to crime that he witnesses. It’s a fun action flick based on the old 80’s TV show on CBS, that has Robert killing scum bags with all types of weapons from guns to hammers. Denzel is fantastic as is Chloe Grace Moretz who plays Alina. In fact I think Chloe is an actress to keep an eye on because if Hollywood gives her the roles, she will pull them off. If you want to see scum bags get what they deserve at the hands of a man who knows no fear, then check this one out! The film did pretty well at the US box office and grossed $99,306,000.00 for Sony. I saw this film with pal David J. Getz, who was way too hard on it and took the stand of Denzel being to old to be an action star, and to that I say he’s wrong!
# 4
The November Man is an action thriller that stars former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan who plays Peter Devereaux, a retired CIA agent who must go head to head with his former protege David Mason when a large plot involving a Russian general and a young female witness to crimes he has committed’s life is in danger. Throw in a hit woman who has been hired to kill her and you have a race to find out the truth and who is the real bad guy! One thing I like about the film is the good guy Devereaux is not a real nice guy as he lies and even hurts innocent people to make things go his way, but with that said he has his reasons and over all he truly is a “good” guy. Pierce Brosnan is fantastic in the role of Devereaux, and that’s what makes this over all average film a heck of a lot better. Sadly this is the movie that when Jeremy and I saw it at the theater, only the front speakers were working and to “fix” it when Jeremy told them, they turned up the front ones louder…doh! The film grossed $25,018,119.00 for Relativity via the US box office.
# 3
This was the surprise action hit of the year for me as I can safely say that I really enjoyed every bullet riddled moment! Keanu Reeves plays John Wick, a one time enforcer for a crime family who has retired to spend time with his wife who passes away from an illness. After her death, she leaves John a puppy and together they morn the loss. But when the son of the crime lord makes the mistake of stealing John’s car and killing his dog, they awaken “The Boogeyman” who will not stop till the son is dead. What follows next is nonstop action that felt like a video game come to life as bullets and fights break out in clubs and hotels, all ending in deaths! Plus it was funny to see WWF Superstar Kevin Nash in a small role, not to mention the supporting cast was also fantastic with names like William Dafoe, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki and John Leguizamo all doing great performances for an over the top action film like this. The film did pretty well for Lionsgate at the US box office, grossing in $40,649,000.00 and bringing them in a profit. This is a movie I will buy on DVD when it’s released to show to Juliet and my parents.
# 2
My favorite action star of all time, Sylvester Stallone, returns as Barney Ross for The Expendables 3. The film has Barney disbanding his old crew when he finds out that Conrad Stonebanks, an old teammate turned enemy, is still alive when Hale Caesar is injured by him in a raid. Barney turns to his pal Bonaparte to get a younger crew that consist of such actors as Kellan Lutz, Rhonda Rousey, Victor Ortiz and Glen Powell, and when they go after Conrad and fail and become his prisoners, it’s up to Barney and his old crew to save them and stop Conrad once and for all. This film has a paper thin plot but is heavy on the action! It was nice to see Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Jet Li and Arnold Schwarzenegger all return for a third time. Plus the addition of other classic action stars like Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes and Antonio Banderas (who steals the movie) was a nice way to spice up the cast. The new crew sadly are all forgettable besides Rhonda Rousey, who is a great looking tough UFC chick who can rock a red dress and bash a head in and look fantastic doing it. Not as great as the other two films in the series, but still a solid action flick that sadly did poorly at the US box office for Lionsgate only bringing in $39,322,544.00, but thank God the overseas viewers loved it where it brought in $166,850,000.00! Here is to hoping Sly will give this franchise a break and focus on a new Rambo film…or a sequel to Cobra.
# 1
A Walk Among The Tombstones is a film that mixes many genres together and does so really well; it takes elements from Action, Horror, Thriller and Drama and sprinkles in elements like Noir, Detective and Serial Killer. The film follows former cop now unlicensed private detective Matthew Scudder, who takes a case that involves kidnapping, ransom and murder, and once he’s involved he becomes a player in this sick and twisted game set up by a group of killers. Along the way he meets a young boy on the streets who becomes his somewhat partner and helps him stop the killings and expose the identities of the killers. I really dug this film and enjoyed the fact that it was a Noir Action film that kept me on the edge of my seat. Plus the film’s killers are true scum of the earth! I saw this film with a pretty packed house and with my friend Jeremy, and you could hear many people talking at the end about how much they liked it. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, and the story has some surprises that are best left for you to discover when you watch it. The film did pretty bad at the US box office bringing in a total of $26,307,600.00 for Universal on a budget of $28 Million, and that’s a shame cause this film was pretty badass!
Liam beating Sly on my top action films, I would have NEVER seen that coming! So we whooped some ass with action now let’s get our nerd minds a good workout as we take a look at my top four Sci-Fi and Fantasy films! So charge up your Lightsaber and set you phasers to stun, we are talking Science Fiction now.
# 4
I hate to say it, but I really enjoyed Transformers: Age Of Extinction in the theater while eating popcorn, drinking a blue Icee with my gal Juliet. That says a lot for me because I was by no means a fan of the other three films in this series directed by Michael Bay. This one’s plot is simple; the people of Earth have turned on the Autobots and have ruled it open season on killing them and taking the bodies away to be studied to see if we could create ones that would become weapons of war. When the Yeager family find and help Optimus Prime, they become the target of the CIA, and worse, Megatron is back in the form of Galvatron! Can Optimus and the remaining Autobots stop them from ruining the world..well of course they can! The film is packed with stupid robot one liners, wall to wall over the top action and the worst cameos for the Dinobots ever, who only have a few minutes on screen and are a waste of film as they really add nothing to the story. The film scored big for Paramount at the US box office bringing in $245,439,076.00 and when adding in foreign gross, it did over a billion dollars! So if you don’t mind checking your brain in at the door and want to see Mark Wahlberg team up with Optimus Prime, then this Sci-Fi Action film is for you.
# 3
I generally dislike remakes of classic films, and when I heard Sony was remaking Robocop, my eyes rolled and I thought here we go again another heartless retelling all for the sake of a quick buck. But after seeing Robocop the week it came out, I must admit I was wrong and I think the people who made this film really tried to capture the feel of the original and update it all at the same time. This time around Alex Murphy is a cop on a mission, and when going after a crime boss he is blown up via a car bomb. OmniCorp, who create robots to fight wars, wants to make a super cop and use Murphy as the test subject and create Robocop! And once he gets revenge on those who originally set him up, he also soon finds that Raymond Sellars, the CEO of OmniCorp, is not a very nice man and wants Robocop shutdown for good when he finds he can’t control his mind and looks at him as nothing more than a computer. Can Robocop stop the evil corporation? Will his wife and son accept him? Will Raymond succeed in pulling the plug? All these questions are answered in this fun PG-13 action romp. Joel Kinnaman plays Robocop/Alex and does a pretty good job, but he is no Peter Weller. The supporting cast is also fantastic with such names as Michael Keaton, Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson and Jackie Earle Haley. The film did weak in the USA box office grossing $58,607,007.00 making the film a miss for Sony. It’s a shame; I would have liked to have seen a part two.
# 2
Maleficent was fantastic ,and when seeing it in IMAX 3D, I felt like a kid again watching a Disney take on a fairy tale unfold before my eyes. My favorite animated Disney film has always been Sleeping Beauty so when I heard they were doing a live action film based around the villain Maleficent my interest was peeked. The film follows Maleficent, who is a fairy, and when a human boy misleads her and cuts off her wings to gain power in the nearby kingdom, she turns mean and waits for her revenge on the day the boy is now King and is going to have his first child. Maleficent places a curse on the child to sleep forever until true loves kiss awakens her on her 16th birthday. But the film takes a twist as we see that Maleficent ends up befriending the young Princess and wants to try and undue the curse but can she do it? And worse the King has sent his whole army to kill her. This family fun flick was amazing and added so much more depth to the Maleficent character. Plus Angelina Jolie does a top notch job as the “evil” fairy Maleficent. The special effects are top of the line with the fairy moors being breathtaking, as is the dragon that appears to help her in her fight against the army. The film did really well for Disney at the US box office, grossing in $241,381,217.00 and proving that the classic characters never go out of style. If you have not seen this film, you should check it out.
# 1
The Planet of the Apes films have always been some of my favorite Sci-Fi films to watch, and these new films being made by Fox are just as great as the originals! This second film in the rebooted series follows Caesar, the leader of the ape population trying to work alongside the remaining humans who have survived a mass sickness that killed off most of the population. This team up pisses off primate Koba who was abused by man many years back, and he sets a plan in motion where he makes an attempt at Caesar’s life sparking a war with the humans and apes. But can an injured Caesar stop the war or is it too late? The film’s special effects are top notch and throughout the whole movie, you forget that the apes are CGI! Plus with actors like Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell and Kirk Acevedo playing the humans, you know you’re getting sold acting. My favorite ape in the film has to be Koba; he is so bad yet somehow I think he really thought he was doing good by starting the war and killing any man or ape that got in his way! This was one of the films I was most looking forward to this year, and it was by no means a letdown as I loved every minute of it! The film was a hit for Fox and grossed $208,532,326.00 here in the United States showing that people still love seeing a world run by primates!
I saw a few other films that fit this genre this year that were entertaining but just couldn’t make the cut for this list:“Lucy” starring Scarlett Johansson, a film about a drug that allows a woman to use 100% of her brain after she is used as a mule to smuggle it to the USA when it’s surgically placed into her body. When the bag leaks she becomes less and lesshuman. “Pompeii” is about the town that was covered in lava and ash via an erupting volcano and follows a gladiator who has fallen in love with a young woman of power, and it turns into a tragic love story starring the likes of Kit Harington, Kiefer Sutherland and Emily Browning. “Legend of Hercules” is about a clean cut son of Zeus who is more of a gladiator than the hero we all know and love. All are entertaining movies in their own right but none were strong enough to make the list.
So let’s trade our phasers in for capes as we now take a look at my top 7 Superhero films of 2014, and man I must say that films based on comics are dominating the box office and shows that comics are more powerful money makers then any company could have ever imagined.
# 7
This follow up to Sin City was laced with all the same techniques that wowed audiences upon it’s release in 2005 and even brought back many of the actors from the first film. Sadly it tanked at the box office and put the nail in the coffin for this series. The film follows many stories from Marv, who can’t remember why he killed a bunch of rich brats, to Dwight McCarthy falling for a woman who is using him and many others to get what she wants. There is also a story line of a lucky gambler named Johnny who tests his luck against corrupt Senator Roark and stripper Nancy who wants to kill Roark for crimes he committed in the first film. All the stories come together in the end and all ends well for some, while others end up dead. The film was a lot of fun and not nearly as bad as many critics would have you think, but as I said it bombed and only did $13,757,804.00 at the box office for Dimension Films. The film also has an all star cast like Josh Brolin, Micky Rourke, Bruce Willis, Eva Green, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Powers Boothe, Rosario Dawson, Christopher Lloyd and Jessica Alba to name a few.
# 6
I was very lukewarm on the idea of a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie that was a reboot to the series done by those masters of butchering of childhood memories, Platinum Dunes. But I must say the film was way better than I could ever expect it to be, and while it is flawed with a cheesy script and a Shredder who looks more like he should be in Transformers, the Turtles’ banter is well done even if they look like steroid goofy faced mutants. The film follows the Turtles who are going up against the foot clan who are tormenting New York and even have a plan in motion that will poison and kill many thanks to a gas they will be pumping into the air. Alongside April O’Neil, the Turtles clash with the foot and their leader The Shredder, and of course along the way we learn about Master Splinter as well as a connection they all have to April. Again the film is flawed, but I enjoyed checking my brain at the door and watching a comic book/cartoon inspired film that tried to keep some of the basics of source material and also tried to add more of an update to it for modern fans. For me I would put it on par with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III and say while bad, it was fun to watch. The film did pretty solid numbers at the US box office for Paramount bringing in $191,204,754.00!
# 5
I am pretty sure many people who went to seen Hercules had no idea that it was based on a comic book from Radical Comics and to be honest, much like my cousin Steve Alexander said, this is truly one of the year’s most underrated films. The film stars WWF Superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Hercules, a mercenary who alongside his friends are creating the legend of Hercules, the son of Zeus. But when he finds out that he was hired to help the wrong side in a conflict, he and his friends stand against the odds and leave everyone wondering if he truly is the son of a God. The film is filled with great Sword and Sandal action as well as likable characters; this is one film I would have loved to seen sequels made about. The Rock as well does a fantastic job as Hercules and pulls off the role of being maybe a con man yet maybe not, making the character tough when needed and light hearted when the mood is right. The film sadly did not do as well as it should have and grossed only $72,688,614.00 for Paramount at the US box office. With the film being out on DVD and Blu-Ray, do yourself a favor and check it out.
# 4
I feel like Amazing Spider-Man 2 was judged way too hard by critics and fans who seemed to want to try and nitpick it to death. I for one really enjoyed it and found it better than the overblown Spider-Man 2 made by Sam Raimi that I think was praised way too much by fans and critics. This time around Spider-Man is locking horns with three super villains who are all gunning to take Spidey down for the count! You have the Rhino, a man in mechanical suit who feels as if he has been wronged by Spider-Man; you have Electro, a man who was a one time Spider-Man fan who after an accident finds that he has the power of electricity; and Green Goblin, who is really his long time friend Harry Osborne who is slipping into madness! And worse as Peter Parker is having issues coming to terms with the death of his girlfriend’s father to whom he made a promise that has him staying away from her. Action, Drama and Spider-Man one liners help make this one a good Super Hero film! Andrew Garfield is fantastic as Spider-Man, and Emma Stone makes one hell of a Gwen Stacy. The strangest casting had to be Paul Giamatti as The Rhino…his performance is down right silly! The film did pretty well for Sony at the US box office grossing in $202,853,933.00 even though they try and act as if it wasn’t a hit for them. I for one am looking forward to Amazing Spider-Man 3 as well as the spin off Sinister Six movie.
# 3
Guardians Of The Galaxy is the Marvel Comic team that showed the world that you don’t have to be a triple A team to have a hit movie! The film is about Starlord, a goofball outlaw who teams up with other misfits of space like the living tree Groot, talking raccoon Rocket, psycho brute Drax The Destroyer and green skinned female assassin Gamora to protect a infinity stone from getting into the hands of Ronan The Accuser, who is an evil Kree alien who is back stabbing the powerful Thanos in order to collect the jewel and become all powerful. The movie has lots of sci-fi action, drama and comedy and has some of the most likeable characters of any movie this year! Plus I really liked Ronan as a bad guy, and he is a prime example of a cold blooded super villain who will kill whomever gets in his way. When Juliet and I went to see this movie in the theater, it was a pretty packed house and it was clear that everyone in that theater that day had a blast watching it. The overly positive remarks of people leaving their seats when it was over was a clear sign that Disney and Marvel Studios did something very right. The film did fantastic for Disney at the US box office grossing in an impressive $332,309,276.00 making this a huge hit. If you have not seen this film yet, do yourself a favor and check it out!
# 2
Captain America is one of my favorite Super Hereos of all time and has been ever since I was a kid. This second film from Disney and Marvel Studios was a fun kick butt action film laced with enough drama to make the film feel very important in the over all movie universe they are creating. This time around Captain America, Black Widow and Nick Fury have became a target by a group controlled by a very high official in America, and they even bring Cap’s old World War II buddy Bucky Barns back from the “dead” and call him Winter Solider, a well trained killing machine. Can Captain America stop this evil group and talk sense into his one time friend? Watch and find out! While the original film was set during World War II, this second film takes place in modern times right after the events of The Avengers and trades in Red Skull for The Winter Solider and does a nice job of making the odds looking against Cap at every twist and turn. I must say Christ Evans makes the perfect Captain America/Steve Rogers and who would have thought that was possible? The film did great for Disney grossing in a massive $259,766,572.00 at the US box office. If your a fan of the star spangled Avenger like myself, make sure to give this film a watch.
# 1
The X-Men films, as well as the spin offs like “First Class” and “Wolverine,” are fun comic book action films that make for some amazing popcorn munching theater watches, and “X-Men: Days Of The Future Past” was just that and more as I found it to be my favorite Comic Book film of 2014! I know what those of you who know me are saying, the X-Men beat Captain America? But let me tell you, while Cap was amazing, X-Men was a fun thrill ride filled with some great faces from the franchise’s past. The film follows the future where mutants are being hunted and killed by Sentinels made by Bolivar Trask, and their only hope is to send Wolverine to the past to unite the mutants and stop an event that triggered the mutants’ death sentence. The whole mess is started by the younger Mystique, so can Professor X and Magneto put aside their differences and stop the terrible events to happen in the future…watch and find out. The film is based on one of Marvel Comics’ top story lines for the X-Men and FOX did a fantastic job of making it come alive on the big screen. The film stars all the classic characters from the series rich history with many actors returning such as Patrick Stewart (Professor X), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Ian McKellen (Magneto), Halle Berry (Storm), Shawn Ashmore (Ice Man), Daniel Cudmore (Colossus) and Ellen Page (Kitty Pryde) all returning from the first three films as well as actors who played the younger characters in First Class like James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique) and Nicholas Hoult as Beast. Not to mention the addition of new characters like Bishop, Quicksilver, Blink, Sunspot and Warpath. I don’t want to ruin the end but let’s just say it feels like a High School Reunion, and all the faces you see are ones that make you smile and feel good about the journey you made to get there. The film did pretty well for Fox at the USA Box Office grossing in $233,921,534.00 and even more overseas! While I like the First Class actors, I am hoping that the next film based on The Age of Apocalypse story will feature more of the originals.
So now that we are retiring the cape, let me talk a little about some cool things Game Swap Kettering did this year for me. They allowed us to have private screenings of Baron Von Porkchop specials. The first one was near Halloween, and we set up a projector, screen and big speaker as well as a buffet of wings, pizza, chips and cookies. Friends in attendance included Juliet, Stephen Alexander, Maurice, Joe G, Garrison, Todd The Fox and V and we all watched Baron host White Zombie as he tried to enjoy a peaceful Halloween that’s interrupted by an ax murdering zombie named Fulci! They also got a sneak peak at an episode for season three that has Baron hosting the film Face Of The Screaming Werewolf. Then around Thanksgiving we did it again, and they got a sneak peek at the new Baron Von Porkchop Black Friday special where he hosted the Independent B Movie film Razor as well as the First Black Friday special whose film was Farmer Joe. Those specials has his feud with a Chicken Man he made that has become a thorn in the Baron’s side. But a big thank you goes to Game Swap in Kettering for allowing us to do these fun screenings. Whenever I get a bigger place to live with a basem*nt I would love to start a Horror Host Fan Club that has meetings once every two months and we project and watch host shows…who knows maybe 2015 will be that year! Below is a cellphone pic from the Halloween episode screening.
So while doing a rundown of the films of 2014, I figured I would take a brief moment to give you my top three best Survival Horror Games of 2014 as well as the worst, because those of you who know me understand that I love to play a good solid Survival Horror game! Now I need to state that of the “modern” game systems, I have a PS3 and will soon get a PS4 so all games on the list are ones I got for PS3. I also want to say that the games I buy are on physical disc, and I do not download games so while many horror themed games did come out as digital only games, I have not played them and won’t unless a disc is released. I like to own what I pay for. So let’s start off with what I found to be the worst of the horror games that came out in 2014 that I have played. And I won’t ramble much I promise…okay, maybe a little rambling.
# 1
Escape Dead Island is one of those games that just reeks of a quick cash in with boring fighting mechanics as well as a storyline that is a little weak. This game follows Cliff, a party boy who wants to get his dad’s respect so he goes to the island of a zombie outbreak along with his friends Linda and Devan and finds out that the stories are true and zombies are running wild on the island! Along the way he also meets Xian, a woman who is looking for her friend Rob who went missing while getting intel on the corporation responsible for the outbreak. While the other two games in the series “Dead Island” and “Dead Island Riptide” are first person shooters, this game changed to a third person game. In the two games that came before you could customize your weapons multiple ways, and in this game your weapons are very limited and barely upgradeable. Plus I can’t help but notice the style of animation is clearly trying to rip off Tell Tale Games’s style with the more cartoonish look. Over all this is not a bottom of the barrel game, but it’s close.
So now that I spoke about the “worst” Horror Game this year that I would more label at “weakest,” let’s move onto what I considered the three best games that helped make 2014 a pretty good year for horror themed games!
# 3
After the complete mess that was “Aliens: Colonial Marians,” Sega redeemed themselves with this fun moody game that allows the player to take control of Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen who travels to a space station that has been sending out distress signals. Once she gets there, things go wrong as she is separated from her small crew and finds that Xenomorphs are on the prowl and hungry for a human host! The game stacks the odds against you, and the player must use their wits in order to survive this terror in space. The downside to the game is that I felt it took forever for the story to really kick in and that slowed the scares from coming in. The game is a first person shooter and plays much like Call of Duty and so many other shooters like this. I must also say that some of the cut scene graphics are really ugly on PS3, and it’s clear that the development team spent more time on the newer generation consoles versions. A major plus for this game comes via DLC that allows you to play as Ellen and has many of the original characters from the first film like Dallas and Ash back, and they are voiced by the actors who played them in the film! While not a perfect game, it was a fun game that helped make 2014 in gaming a little spookier!
# 2
The Walking Dead Season Two is a great follow up to Season One and helps add more to the story it created. This is a point and click adventure game made by one of the best independent game companies, Tell Tale Games, who have made some of my top favorite games of the past 4 years and this game adds another hit to the list. This time around we follow Clementine (who was a major character in the first game), a young girl who is trying to survive this zombie outbreak. Along the way she meets people and she loses people all of whom are running from Carver, a man that use to lead them in a group. All comes to a head when she meets Carver herself, a jerk of a man who runs a camp that is held up in a home improvement center and who takes Clem and her friends hostage and makes them work for the group’s needs putting them in danger. Your choices impact the story so when playing make sure to choose wisely. One cool aspect of this game is some returning faces from the first game as well as references to choices you made. The downside is the new characters seem to have less development then those from the original and the settings are a little less impactful as in the first game I truly felt like I could be zombie food at any moment. But with that said, this is a great game and one hell of a fun play. So if you liked the first or just want to play a fun story driven point and click adventure horror game, then this one is for you.
# 1
Take video games Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Clock Tower and mix them with Horror films like As Above So Below, and you have the new Survival Horror Game by Shinji Mikami, the mastermind behind the original Resident Evil series as well as Dino Crisis! This game is about Sebastian Castellanos, a detective who along with his partners Juli and Joseph, go to a distress call at the Beacon Mental Hospital. When they get there, everything is in chaos and the world as they know it has changed and infected people and monsters are wandering the world above as well as below. Can Sebastion get to the bottom of what’s going on as well as unearth the truth of why and who is responsible! The game is packed with great atmosphere and at all times I feel as if the odds are against me as ammo comes in only ones and twos and most the time it’s better to run than to fight. So if you’re not too scared, get this game and beware of Safehead!
It was very hard to pick between Evil Within and The Walking Dead Season Two for the # 1 spot as both are solid and super fun games, but in the end I had to go with Evil Within as I felt that it truly captured what a Survival Horror Game is all about and at all times I felt as if the odds of survival were against me. One game that came out that while I bought I have not played yet is Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2, so who knows where it would have placed.
So we talked a little about screenings of Horror Host Baron Von Porkchop as well as Survival Horror Video Games, now let’s get to the bloody meat of this update and take a look at the Horror Films of Hollywood!
# 11
Tusk was so close to being on my worst films of the year list as once more Kevin Smith smoked a bunch of pot and unleashed another over the top film onto the small masses who still watch his films. But then I read some interviews with Smith and he explained that he wanted to make this film because he wanted to and not for a studio or for quick cash. I began to see that the film is labor of love much like the film The Wolf Hunter is to Matt Hoffman. It’s about a podcast host who travels to Canada for an interview with a kid who is a Youtube sensation after cutting off his own leg with a samurai sword. When he gets there, he finds the kid has committed suicide, and he then travels to an old mansion to talk to an old man who has a story to tell or so the letter left in a mens room says. The rest of this film has the old man turning the podcaster into a human walrus as his co-host and his girlfriend try to find and save him. Oh yeah and throw in a dimwitted investigator, and you have the film. When the podcaster is turned into full Walrus, I laughed out loud in the theater and thought to myself what and why am I watching this! I should also note that Juliet and I were the only people at the theater watching this film at the time. It stars Justin Long, Johnny Depp, Haley Joel Osment and Michael Parks and all do fantastic with the silly parts they are given. Again when you see Long, who plays the podcaster, as a walrus you can’t help but to laugh as he swims and grunts around. The film did poorly for A24 and only grossed $1,826,705.00 and didn’t even get a foreign release. If you are to watch this cheesy thriller/comedy horror film check your brain at the door and be prepared for long goofy dialogue and unlikable characters.
# 10
Hollywood horror films are lacking mummies, and when The Pyramid was announced I was hyped believing that we got a mummy film in 2014…I was sadly wrong. I first need to say that I was hyped to see this film and was ready for a creepy Egyptian found footage film taking place in an old pyramid where the viewer was not sure what was stalking our characters. So when this film was a disappointment, I think it’s because of my own hype I made for it. The hype I made for it was the fact it was the last theatrical horror film of the year and again the setting and the possibility of it being about a Mummy. The film is about a father and daughter team as well as her boyfriend being followed by a documentary crew who are in Egypt during stressful times who find a pyramid that could be the oldest one ever found. When they are told to leave due to the outbreak of civil uprising, they send in a robot real quick to get a sneak peek and when the bot looses contact, they go in to retrieve it and soon find the pyramid was a place to keep something in and not things out! One by one, they fall victim to the hunter who is a jackal headed god who has been placed there because it went mad after the death of its father. Can any of them survive and can they also dodge the evil cats that are roaming around…yeah the film has evil cats. The characters all seem brain dead with the cameraman and father being the worst two. The CGI for the cats and jackal god are downright eye rolling, and the film was just kind of boring. I was not the only one who felt this as Juliet and several others in the theater also expressed these feelings. The film was pulled from wide release to limited, and we had to see it at the Regal Cinema in Beavercreek. Doing this made the film only gross a small $ 2,638,300.00 for FOX at the US box office. No Mummy but a heck of a lot of CGI Cats is what I got in The Pyramid.
# 9
Ouija is a film based on the Hasbro board game and produced by those masters of crap Platinum Dunes. It’s your typical paint by number ghost story. When a young woman commits suicide, her friends don’t believe it and soon find that she was messing with a Ouija Board on her own and had unleashed something terrible, but they only learn this after they themselves use the board to try and speak to her. Now the evil is after them, can they find the answers on how to stop the spirit or will they all become victims? No major gore, some cool spirit effects, some good creepy shots, pretty actresses, released at Halloween time and a fun film to torment my friend Jeremy with as he had to be dragged to this film kicking and screaming! The film did $50,856,010.00 for Universal and is clearly a teen PG-13 horror film that was nothing special and not fully terrible.
# 8
The Quiet Ones is a Hammer Horror Film that follows a camera man who takes the job of documenting a college professor who, along with his helpers, are trying to cure a sick and possessed young woman named Jane whom they have locked in a room and wont allow her to sleep for any long period of time as well as keep her human interaction to a minimum. But when her treatments become more and more cruel, the camera man must come to a decision on whether to help Jane escape who he has fallen for or stay true to his assignment as the Professor thinks she can be cured. So is she possessed or being abused…watch and find out. The film is a little slow and while well acted for the most part, many decisions characters make are annoying and add to frustration as a viewer. Olivia Cooke plays Jane, the sick girl, and she is fantastic and probably the best actor in the film. I saw the film with Stephen, Garrison, Todd and Josh, and all of us felt the same way about it and that’s it was okay but way too slow and a little too long as a good 15 minutes could easily be cut out of the 1 Hour 38 minute run time. The film at the US box office brought in $8,509.867.00 for Lionsgate. All I can say was much like Ouija, it was just okay.
# 7
A group of soldiers from Iraq have come back and are acting very aggressive and all have strange behavior. New York cop Ralph Sarchie is called in to investigate the crimes and soon learns the truth that demons are real and want to teach him a lesson for butting into their plans. Along with a Castilian priest, he must find faith and save the souls of the infected as well as save his wife who has been kidnapped by the possessed. It also shows that Sarchie is gifted and can spot evil. The film is said to be based on a real case and the real life of Sarchie. The film stars Eric Bana as Sarchie as well as the likes of Olivua Munn, Sean Harris and Edgar Ramirez with music by Christopher Young. The film was nothing special and for the most part is a run of the mill possession film with no surprises and a few gross moments. I watched the film with Jeremy and watching him go crazy with the overly religious tone of the movie made me laugh. The film didn’t do so hot at the box office only grossing in $30,577,122.00 for Sony on a 30 million dollar budget in the US. Not much more to say about this one, besides if you’ve seen one modern possession movie, ya pretty much have seen em all. It’s not bad and has some good creepy moments – worth a watch to fans of this horror film topic boom.
# 6
I have been a fan of Godzilla since I was a kid and can remember watching the films all the time on TBS on Super Scary Saturday hosted by Grandpa Munster. But when Godzilla is made by Americans, it tends to not be so good; I mean just look at the over blown 1998 film that Hollywood spewed out to the fans that seemed like it was made more to sell toys and Taco Bell Cups than to entertain the movie goers. So when Warner Brothers said they were releasing a Godzilla film, I was stand offish even though in the back of my mind I was scream YES, a new Godzilla film on the big screen, The more time passed and after seeing the trailer I became very hyped to watch it! The film has an accident that happens at a power planet in Japan that’s caused by a giant monster who is looking for its mate and when it wakes up it causes havoc and destruction. As this is going on a US Solider is trying to get home to his family, and Godzilla has come from the sea and is on a path to clash with the other two monsters. You see Godzilla is acting as Earth’s protector! The human parts are what they always are in my opinion in giant monster films, and that’s filler. The major flaw I had with the film is more time is spent on the boring solider trying to get home and less on Godzilla who is why we all went to see this film in the theater. I must also say the shaky camera and pull away shots of the early monster fights was annoying and didn’t add suspense for me as much as it added frustration. Even with those small flaws I really enjoyed the film for the most part and am looking forward to part two as well as the announced Japanese Godzilla film in the works. The film did great for WB at the US box office bringing in a whooping $200,676,069.00, making it a hit for them this year.
# 5
Frankenstein’s Monster was back on the silver screen this year with an Action Horror film called I, Frankenstein that followed The Monster who was a pawn in a war between Heaven and Hell who need him to find the secrets of life created by man and not God. The good side is gargoyles who at first want to protect or kill The Monster, and the Demons who are working for evil and they want him to study and make soulless husks so demons straight from hell can take over the bodies of the newly made soulless bodies. But what none of them counted on is that The Monster is a fighter, and he will be pawn to no man or creature! The film has a real Underworld feel to it, and the action is fun and over the top, plus for the most part is well acted. I think this film is pretty underrated and was judged way too much just by the trailer, the fact it’s PG-13 and that Aaron Eckhart plays The Monster. The film did terrible at the US box office and only grossed $19,075,290.00 for Lionsgate on a $65 Million Dollar budget, and it’s a shame as it’s not at all that bad of a film.
# 4
As Above So Below is a “found footage” style film that follows Scarlett, an alchemy scholar who wants to find the famed philosopher’s stone that is said to be able to heal the sick and dying among other amazing things. She follows clues and finds that the entrance to achieving her goal is inside the catacombs below Paris, and along with her camera man and friend they hire some local urban explorers and find that this quest is more then they bargained for as they face sins of their past and find the gateway to Hell. This film was packed with some solid acting and atmosphere that was downright spooky and well done unlike The Pyramid that had a very similar type of feel. All the characters are likable and while they do make some dumb decisions, I still found myself hoping they all make it out okay. The film is by no means a bloodbath but what it lacks in the red stuff, it makes up for with heart and mood. I saw this film with Juliet, Todd The Fox and V, and we all left the theater thinking the film worked and was okay. Universal released this film and at the US box office it grossed in $21,321,100.00 on a $5 million budget. If you are a fan of the found footage horror genre then make sure to check this one out, oh yeah liked this one so much even bought the DVD when it was released.
# 3
The first Purge film was my # 9 horror film of 2013 out of thirteen and while I enjoyed it, I found it lost among many other solid horror pictures. The sequel The Purge: Anarchy in my opinion is a way better film and that’s why it’s locked itself as the 3rd best Horror film I saw in theaters in 2014! The film follows a man named Leo who is going out to purge a man who killed his son in a drinking and driving accident, but he gets side tracked from his task when he saves a mother and daughter as well as a young couple all of whom are being targeted by what seems like a government elite team hired to reduce the population not to mention a rag tag bunch of mask and makeup wearing youngsters who have set their eyes on them as well. Leo does his best to keep them all alive as well as get to his goal. The film is filled with surprises as well as a positive message in the end and that’s why I think I enjoyed it so much. It was not your typical modern downbeat horror flick. The film is also well acted with actors like Frank Grillo, Cameron Ejogo and Zach Gilford. The film did great for Universal at the box office here in America grossing in $71,962,800.00 and making it that a part 3 is in the works. More action and suspense then the original and a solid good sequel,check it out if you liked the first one. I saw itwith Juliet who also really liked it!
# 2
The Conjuring was my # 1 Horror film of 2013, and this off shoot titled Annabelle is my # 2 for 2014 showing you that the makers of this film series are doing something right. It’s the 1960’s and satanic cults are all the rage, and a young couple is attacked in their home by cult members that leave the would be attackers dead. When the female attacker dies in the baby’s room holding the Annabelle doll the odd events start happening. It gets so bad that something seems to be trying to hurt the woman and her unborn baby, even at one point setting the house on fire! After the baby is born, they move and find that whatever it is followed as the doll the cult woman held when dying is possessed by a demon who wants to take a soul real bad! Can they get rid of the demon before it’s too late? The Annabelle doll is the same one used to open The Conjuring and is over all creepy looking. That’s one thing I really liked about the film, the longer it went on, the more sinister looking the doll became. And while the doll is never seen moving on its own, the dead eyed stare of its porcelain face is what terrified the audience. The demon who is the real baddie of the film is not seen too much, but when he is, it’s effective. This is supposed to be based on a true story and is a nice appetizer for the next Conjuring film that should be out in 2016. The film did well for New Line Cinema at the US box office bringing in $84,273,813.00 making it a hit for them. For some reason the film also seemed to get a lot of hate from Horror fans, but most of the ones I knew who trashed it, I question their taste anyway as they go to see Seth Rogen movies! I saw the film with Juliet, who loved it.
# 1
Universal is trying to breath new life into their classic Monsters, and the first on the list was Dracula. This film, Dracula Untold, is about how Prince Vlad became a vampire! I was really hyped for this film that was set to release in October…yeah finally Hollywood gets that Horror Films and Halloween go hand and hand. The film follows Prince Vlad whose people are being bullied by the Turks and the sultan who want all the male kids to be given to them to become soldiers in the large Turkish army. So Vlad makes a deal with a Vampire that lives in a cave to gain powers to stop the Turks. By doing so, he is puttinghis own soul at risk, but he gains the powers to single handedly kick the butt of his enemies. But when things go wrong Vlad goes full vampire, and once he does that, there is no going back. This film is filled with horror and a heck of a lot of action and is really well done. Luke Evans plays Dracula and does so with grace and it’s the first time that I can remember that you find yourself cheering for Dracula as he is not the bad guy and only takes the curse to save his son as well as the sons of all his people. I saw this with Juliet and Jeremy Hoyt, and both of them really enjoyed it as well did all the others in the IMAX Theater as praises were being said as people left. This film ends as well with a lead up to a sequel or to link to another Universal Monster film, and this makes this Monster Kid happy. The film did okay for Universal at the US box office bringing in $55,991,880.00 and did more overseas. If you like your horror mixed with action and enjoy classic monsters, then check this one out, because I really enjoyed it locking it in as my # 1 Horror Film of 2014.
2014 in Horror Films was filled with lots of ghost/possession films, and I have a feeling this trend will continue for awhile as they seem to be films that can be cheaply made and return a big profit. While sitting in the theater this year the two films that I noticed seem to have the audience in it’s grip were Annabelle, that had a few people gasp and jump when the evil things would happen on the silver screen, and As Above So Below where the audience had an eerie hush as the characters went deeper into the catacombs. Ouija had the worse response as people laughed at many of the scares and many of the younger people in the audience seemed to be having a fun time teasing the young ladies with them. 2014 was an okay year for Horror in the theaters, and I for one am looking forward to seeing what 2015 has in store to send shivers up my spine. Well the next update is something terrifying as we take a look at another Draculina Photo Comic based on a film of Jess Franco called Tender Flesh! So until then, support your local theaters, read a comic or two and always support your local Horror Host and see you next update.
