Category: Reviews (Page 2 of 2)

Two Movies, One Monster, Merry Christmas

 

Krampus vs A Christmas Horror Story

Krampus vs. A Christmas Horror Story
By Christopher Ouellette

 

I have always found it interesting when Hollywood comes out with an original idea, and then I find out that there are two films with the same idea at the same time. (Twin Films) The Addams Family, The Munsters, and Bewitched all started and ended at the same time. Antz and A Bug’s Life. Babe and Gordy. After Earth and Oblivion. And this Christmas, there are both Krampus and A Christmas Horror Story, which advertises a fight between Santa and Krampus. Both were pre-released as VOD, but only Krampus made it to theaters.

 

First off, they both really live up to their names. A Christmas Horror Story is just that. It’s a horror flick with blood, killing, monsters, psychos, and ghosts. Krampus is a straight monster flick. Family trapped in the house with a creature coming for them. It seemed very appropriate that Universal was the distributor.

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Kick Down Some Skyscrapers with Godzilla

A review of the Godzilla: Rulers of Earth
comic book series

By Kane Gilmour

 

Godzilla_Rulers_of_Earth_Volume_1IDW recently wrapped up their Godzilla: Rulers of Earth comic book series, which followed a 12-issue Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters series and a 13-issue Godzilla series. While I did not read either of those two series, Rulers caught my eye because at 25 issues, it was the longest-ever Godzilla series, and because the art by Matt Frank (with the occasional assist or relief issue by Jeff Zornow*) was simply gorgeous. The question is, at 25 issues (or 6 trade paperbacks), is the series worth it? Read on.

I realize there are bound to be three categories of readers for this series.

  • Cat 1 are casual readers with little to no knowledge about Godzilla or the 30(!) films for the character.
  • Cat 2 readers will be like me, those who have watched many or even all of the films, but may not have read all the comics and might not be able to tell the difference at a glance between Battra and Megaguirus—but they at least know it’s not Mothra.
  • Cat 3 readers can probably tell you the issue, page, and panel number (from memory) of the first time King Ghidorah appeared in a comic book. I’ll try to address how each audience will react to the series.

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THE MARTIAN – Science Fiction’s New Hope

A review of The Martian
by Jeremy Robinson

martian2015-2When I went to see The Martian, I had no idea what to expect. I’ve heard wonderful things about the novel, and it’s been on my to-read list for a very long time. (It’s a long list that gets very little time, and I’m a slow reader.) But, this was the movie. And it was the opening weekend, so Facebook and Twitter hadn’t yet given away the entire plot, which I will attempt to not do as well.

I saw the trailer once, so I knew I was going to see a story about Mark Watney (Matt Damon), an astronaut left behind on Mars when the mission goes FUBAR. I also knew from the trailer that at some point, the crew that left him behind would be heading back to rescue him. What I didn’t know was if he would survive, and if so, how. Once I decided I was going to see it, I ignored everything about it, and even missed the fact that it was directed by Ridley Scott. And I’m glad I didn’t know, because even knowing that would have given me some expectations, and I often find those to be toxic to my enjoyment of a movie.

I got to the theater a half hour early, got a prime spot in one of the theater’s new recliners, and chowed down on a hotdog. When the movie started after twenty minutes of trailers, I was eager to get started, but I wasn’t prepared for it.

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M. Night comes for a Visit. Should I care?

The_Visit_(2015_film)_poster

a review of M. Night Shymalan’s The Visit
By Christopher Ouellette

I want to just start off by acknowledging my estranged relationship with Mr. Shyamalan. I saw Signs not knowing anything about it. (This was before Mel had melted down and long before I knew how to pronounce Jacqueline or Shyamalan.) I had not seen the previews, so I was not among the throngs who thought they were going to a wall-to-wall alien invasion horror film. So as the Family Drama in a haunted house vibe rolled out, I was on board, and I was hooked.

Of course, where do you go after that? IMDB tells you that this is the same guy who gave you The Sixth Sense, and you now have to rent Unbreakable (from a ma and pa video store). Do you remember that time period? People were getting all hyperbolic on him: ‘The second coming of Hitchcock!’ ‘The next Spielberg!’ (This was two years before War of the Worlds, so that was still a compliment.)

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