HEY, ITS THAT DUDE TOMS BLOG!: Movies Watched The Week of 9/21

Welcome gang. The time of year is coming where the blood flows free and every white girl in the world remembers they like shit with a pumpkin flavor to it. Yes, that time is October and horror movies dominate the proceedings. As the week goes along, it gets horror bound and it may be very horror dominated for a while. So sit back and relax, here comes the show.

Firestarter (September 21st, 2014)

Director: Mark L. Lester

Starring: Drew Barrymore, David Keith, Martin Sheen, and George C. Scott

This isn't the best Stephen King adaptation in the world. Hell, it wasn't even the best of the early 80s. That honor falls to either The Shining or Christine. And the fact that John Carpenter was supposed to do this only makes it hurt even more that it isn't great, because he coulda did something special at the height of his run. But the movie we have may not be great. Hell, it's barely even good. But it has the King tone pretty right, and the story itself is pretty solid. Although, it feels like a much longer story cut to pieces to make a short movie. Some of the acting is very low budget 80s acting. Sheen is Sheen and Scott is amazing. But Barrymore does her best but she's still a kid. And Keith is pretty solid actually, but is sidelined for most of the second half. The most interesting thing about this movie is that it is in line with other 80s sci movies (Scanners being another) that feel like precursors to superhero movies, more specifically X Men. It has a lot of cool material to work with, but it short cuts itself to get to an admittedly cool ending with Barrymore blowing a lot of shit up, and killing a fuck ton of people. The movie is good but has a middle stretch that introduces some cool ideas but doesn't execute them well enough. It's sad but it isn't Dreamcatcher or Thinner. A decent little 80s sci fi movie, its recommended if one is a King fan.

Rating: 7/10

Filth (September 21st, 2014)
Director: Jon S. Baird
Starring: James McAvoy, Eddie Marsan, Imogen Poots, and Jamie Bell

A quick review of this movie would simply say that it's McAvoy doing Bad Lieutenant. But the movie is a lot more interesting that that derivative summary, and McAvoy is much more interesting. Right off the bat, this may be McAvoys crowning achievement as an actor. He goes through pretty much every emotion out there, and he makes it all feel real and earned to make a real man. Which is kinda crazy, cause his character seems like a one note asshole in the beginning. But throughout, we see real pain in the man. It's not surprising that a movie about such awful people has a heart, since its based on a book by the author of Trainspotting. This is a total surprise of a movie and I don't wanna talk too much about it, to keep some of the surprises in tact. I'll just say give it a spin, cause even if you can't work with the filthy world this movie shows, you'll wanna see McAvoy show off some serious skills.

Rating: 8.5/10

Halloween 6: The Producers Cut (September 23rd, 2014)
Director: Joe Chappelle
Starring: Donald Pleasance, Paul Rudd, Kim Darby, and Mitch Ryan

This movie has been like the holy grail for horror fans. Only being available as crappy bootlegs for close to 20 years, the movie is now finally available for legal consumption. So, is it really good? No. It's still a mess, like the one released in theaters all those years ago. It's the 6th movie in a slasher franchise. But this time out, it's an interesting mess. So big and bold, it's kinda insane it was released. It tries to put an explanation onto Michael Myers. Like all the horror sequels that tried to explain the slashers evil, it is stupid and takes away from the mystique of the character. But at the same time, it kinda works for this one and is better than most. The biggest issue with the movie is it has some interesting ideas to shake things up, but its all half assed and looks like a DTV movie so it plays like a knockoff. It's a shame but this is what we got. It's better than the theatrical cut by a little, even though it's essentially a different movie. It's Halloween, so I'll still watch and enjoy it. But there's no denying that it's kinda crap.

Rating: 5/10

Halloween III: Season of The Witch (August 24th, 2014)
Director: Tommy Lee Wallace
Starring: Tom Atkins, Dan O'Herlihy, Nancy Loomis, and Stacey Nelkin

Now, this movie is the red headed step child of the Halloween franchise and 80s horror in general. Made after Michael Myers was "killed" in the 2nd movie, Carpenter thought to make a movie a year that is set around Halloween but aren't connected to each other outside the holiday. So this movie came together, but the lack of Michael threw people and they turned on it. Which is a shame, because it's a pretty solid little horror flick with some pretty big balls. Dealing with an evil corporation trying to sacrifice a shit ton of kids for a pagan ritual, the movie has a real sense of danger to it. It's a brutal movie with some cool kills and a real sense of tension running through it. It still feels in line with Carpenters sensibility, helped due to Carpenter co writing it and his usual DP Dean Cundey shooting it. But the real reason this movie works and has a sense of danger is because it kills kids. It gives you that premise and you think they won't go through with it and everything will be fine. But no. It goes full bore and no one is safe. It isn't perfect, with some campy acting and some really insane ideas peppered throughout, like cyborgs and an absolutely confusing scene with a piece of Stonehenge. But the commitment to the story and going for broke really sells this movie. If you wanna see a solid 80s horror movie, this is a good pick.