Moviecritic1990's Movie Commentary

 Ever since the success of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, there have been countless imitations that have tried to ride it's coattails. Some have succeeded and gone on to be successful while others are just cheap imitations. There have been many shark films about teenagers partying and winding up being shark food and are pretty much the same. Dangerous Animals adds something a little different to the shark genre and I enjoyed it quite immensely. Jai Courtney does a fantastic job playing the unhinged bad guy as does Hassie Harrison trying to survive the horror she's in. Script is good, pacing is on point and it's all around fun flick for the summer. I look forward to more countless Jaws knock-offs coming later this month and next year. 3/5   

On May 31 of this year, Netflix released the trailer for Happy Gilmore 2. I must have watched it at least a dozen times just to get an idea of what the sequel was about. Even on IMDB, there was no plot information added so I watched the trailer as much as possible trying to uncover some clues on the plot and I did have some idea on what the story was about but in the end, I got some of it right and the rest wrong. Leading up to the premiere this weekend, I avoided endless reviews and spoilers just so I could go into Happy Gilmore 2 fresh. I will start with the positives and then the negatives of Happy Gilmore 2. Positives: It was great seeing Adam Sandler return to his iconic role. He hasn't lost his edge...yet. A lot of the callbacks to the original were amusing and garnered a chuckle out of me. It was great hearing some of the music from the original film here. But I'm slightly disappointed that they didn't use the same music in the credits which I think would have made i...

After appearing in the first 3 Star Wars films & Blade Runner, Harrison Ford was typecast in the sci-fi genre and it was this film, Witness that got him out of sci-fi and into the action genre. Witness is more than just a action film, it's got romance, it's got some bits of humor, but most of all, it's got action. To be serious, Witness is a good little film with a strong script, has some pacing issues, but it doesn't distract. Witness has been on my watch list for years and I finally got around to checking it out and I'm glad I did.  3/5  

 Every now & then, I'll watch a comedy film for laughs. If you ask me what my favorite type of comedy, it would be slapstick, deadpan stuff.  Heck, I love Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun. When it comes to insult comedy, I enjoy it to a minimum. I've seen a few movies with Rodney Dangerfield, Caddyshack & Back to School which I quite enjoyed as I did like Rodney's one liners. Here in Meet Wally Sparks, Rodney goes all in and the entire film is nothing but one liners, ad-libs, you name it. Forget the plot, because I couldn't find one with all the adlibbing. There are some jokes that I did laugh at and others just flew over my head. I see that according to the poster, Rodney wrote the screenplay, I guess his contribution to the screenplay was the jokes while Harry Basil's contribution to the screenplay was the plot. Meet Wally Sparks is pretty forgettable but for a comedy, you got to have a story to go along with the laughs and I couldn't find one here. 2/5

 This commentary is for my brother who grew up with Happy Gilmore and loves it still to this day. He's able to quote it verbatim and I can recall watched parts of the film growing up, not understanding the little innuendo jokes then. Watching Happy Gilmore today, it is one of Sandler's best films of the 90's. Script is strong, pacing's great and everyone does a great job. It's very quotable and where else are you going to say Sandler and Bob Barker fighting on a golf course. The early Sandler films are classics compared to what he puts out today. They may not be classics nor do they have the charm as his early stuff but you could tell he's having fun. I wish I had it watched Happy Gilmore more like my brother did way back when. Happy Gilmore 2 comes out this Friday on Netflix and you can sure bet I'll be watching it. It may not be a classic like the original, but I can't wait to have fun with it. 3/5

Every once in awhile, there's always a killer clown film that ends up being good, It, Clown... There's a few more but they escape me at the moment. Unfortunately, Clown in a Cornfield isn't a good film. Despite some cool kills and a interesting premise, there are two things that stood out to me when watching the film. The pacing was sluggish which tuned me out at times which is a shame because I really wanted to like Clown in a Cornfield. The script needed work which results in it's clunky pacing and if there's one thing I despise it's social media influencers. Every horror film I've seen has characters that are addicted to social media and all I want to say is a get a job. I can't stand them at all. But I'm trailing off here. Apparently, this is based on a book series and they are coming out with book 4. If they really want to do another film, I suggest writing a strong script to maintain the pacing or *shudder, a soft reboot of the film. I can'...

Michael Madsen passed away a few weeks ago and as a tribute to him, I thought it would be appropriate to rewatch Reservoir Dogs with old eyes. I've seen the film a few times back in my high school days. I also played the video game when it first came out. I really enjoyed the film then and I really enjoyed it now. Everything about Reservoir Dogs is great from the acting, script, location, etc. What I love about Tarantino's film is the dialogue. Characters will speak about something random even though it doesn't do anything to advance the plot, it just shows that Tarantino is good at what he does.  5/5

I don't think I've ever been angry or repulsed at a film like Girl in the Basement. The wife kept telling me about this film she saw on YouTube and so after the trash that was I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, we watched Girl in the Basement and as I said at the start of this commentary, I don't think I've ever been angry or repulsed at a character in the film. Judd Nelson's performance as the father really made me hate his character so much that I couldn't believe that this was based on a true story. You really feel for these main characters and the turmoil they're going through. The script isn't bad but my only complaint of the film is the make-up job on the actors. They're supposed to be older by the end of the flick and yet the make up makes them look like crap. Maybe it's just me invested in this film and how much I hated Judd Nelson's character. 3/5

In 2000, a script was made for a third installment in the I Know What You Did Last Summer series and the original cast was slated to return. For some reason, the script was rejected and that version never got made. It's a shame though as it probably would have been a better film then this. Almost 20 years, I avoided I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer after seeing the first two mainly because I found the plot to be dumb. So, I finally caved in and watched it and my thoughts are I should have continued to avoid it. The script is lousy, the acting sucks. A few times, I fell asleep, that tells you I really enjoyed it. The only thing that saves it is the kills which aren't bad but could have been better. One thing I found kind of dumb is the supernatural aspect of the film. Out of the blue after two films, we suddenly get a supernatural twist? I'm sorry, but who came up with that idea?  I should have continued to avoid this one. Oh well, off to check out the legacy se...

I Know What You Did Last Summer was a huge hit thanks to the slasher resurgence of the 90's. It seemed inevitable that a sequel would happen Similar thing happened to The Blair Witch Project a year later, the film comes out, is a smashing success and a sequel is ordered for the following year. The difference between The Blair Witch Project 2 and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is one is good and the other is bad. My stance on sequels are that if the original film is a success, there's no need for a sequel, leave it be, don't ruin a good thing. But should it happen, wait a couple of years until the hype dies down. In the case of I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, it's rare for a sequel to be good and I can't believe I said that. The film is cheesy at times but it wastes no time in getting to the meat of the story.  Script is good, has a couple of flaws, pacing isn't bad and the story is decent. A great worthy sequel. Let's hope it sticks to 2 films....

 After 1989, the slasher film genre had run it's course. The box office receipts were dry and no one was interested in them anymore. 1993 saw the release of Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday from New Line Cinema and that bombed at the box office, but later on got a cult following and in 1995, Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers was released and that also bombed at the box office. The Producer's cut of the film is an overall better version of the film, but that's a story for another time. It was until 1996 when Wes Craven revitalized the slasher film with Scream  which resulted in huge success in theaters and on home video that the slasher craze was reborn. So, right away, studios were looking to cash in on the craze again and one of the first to show up was I Know What You Did Last Summer. You can compare Scream to I Know What You Did Last Summer whereas yes, they are slashers but they're fun films. Sure, it has it's moments of cheese, but every slasher film ...

 The third and hopefully final installment in The Mangler series is just as bad as part 2. In fact, I will say that The Mangler 2: Graduation Day is slightly better and that's saying a lot. I thought the pacing was terrible in part 2. The pacing here in The Mangler: Reborn is just as bad. After the opening sequence, it just got lost and couldn't find itself and don't get me started on the script. Horrible just...horrible and if we want to talk acting, oh my god. I couldn't find anything here to impress me except for Reggie Bannister of the Phantasm series which was the only thing that gets a pass from me. There's a few scenes in The Mangler: Reborn where my wife noticed that there was no music in it's scary moments and I thought that was pretty interesting as I didn't notice that in my first viewing of the film years ago. The only reason I got this back then was for Reggie Bannister. Like Lance Henriksen, Reggie does his best despite the scripts being horrib...

In my 3,000+ movie collection, I have everything you could possibly imagine. I have sequels to a lot of films and back then, I wasn't as strict on sequels as I am now, so either way, I collected them if I liked the original film. In the case of The Mangler 2: Graduation Day which was a direct to video sequel to the original film, The Mangler is now changed from a possessed laundry folding machine to a computer virus which seems like it's an interesting idea but with this script it's not. Now, the biggest problem in The Mangler 2: Graduation Day is not the acting which is subpar except for Lance Henriksen who even in the baddest of scripts, he still does his best. The problem with the film is the pacing and it's a chore to get through especially in the first half despite the promising opening. We spend more time interacting with the characters listening to their tales of woe that I was waiting for something to happen. When we get to the meat of the story, it gets a littl...

 Going through the first set of my 3,000+ movie collection is a task all in itself. I have plans to go through and see what other films I have in my collection, be it horror, action, you name it. the first set I came across is the Mangler trilogy. The Mangler is a good little horror flick. The idea of a possessed laundry pressing machine isn't all that original, but for the time it may have well been. The first time I watched The Mangler was back in my 20's. I've said many times, that I searched for and found a bunch of horror flicks to add to my collection and always had to make sure they were uncut and not a cut print from overseas. I remember being impressed by Robert Englund's performance as the villain. Just the character, his background, a fantastic job from him. He may very well be known as Freddy Krueger, but he's more than that. Ted Levine, a good character actor in the few films I've seen of his. Though at times in The Mangler, I couldn't understan...

Not a lot of people know that I'm a fan of the Canadian film Cube. The idea of people trapped in a building or some sort of area and have to figure a way out is an interesting premise in my mind. Now in regards to Brick, I found this film to be good, not great but good. The acting isn't bad, but there's a little bit of it over the top in some spots.  Forgive me if I don't have much to say on Brick as I hadn't my morning coffee yet and usually with a coffee, I'm able to write down more about the film I've seen. All in all, if you like containment type films, then check out Brick on Netflix. 3/5  

Back in the day, I used to watch a lot of old SNL and I came across the 10th season of the show which was called the all-star season that consisted of Billy Crystal, Martin Short, James Belushi, and Christopher Guest. It was coming close to the point where the show would have been cancelled had they not stepped in. That season alone had some good sketches, but there was the occasional dud sketch. I found Christopher Guest to be funny at times  on the show. But when it comes to movies especially when watching Waiting for Guffman, I found his humor to be too dry for my liking. My comedy is more slapstick/playing it straight. Waiting for Guffman has poor pacing at times but without Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard, I don't think the film command the 2 star rating I'm giving it. The comedy in Waiting for Guffman isn't for me but I won't discourage other people from checking it out. 2/5  

Between 1992-1994, Pauly Shore was making hit movie after movie but when it came time to do In The Army Now, that's when his comedy films started to go down at the box office. I've seen a few of his other films like Jury Duty & Bio-Dome and while I enjoyed Bio-Dome for what it was, a stupid comedy and Jury Duty, decent but not great. Just for whatever reason, I don't find Pauly Shore funny. That's not to say I didn't enjoy In The Army Now. It isn't a bad film. There were a few sequences that garnered some laughs, but, Pauly Shore isn't funny to me. Maybe it's because I'm old and I take my comedy films serious or I'm just the wrong demographic.  2/5  

 Ever since the release of Taken (2008), it completely transformed Liam Neeson's career from serious dramatic actor to action star and since then, he's gone on to do two more films in the Taken series and getting script after script playing the same type of character with the same plot but in a different environment. Here in The Ice Road, it's more of a thriller then an action film because there are no villains with guns who've kidnapped a member of the family or taken over the world etc etc. Here, we have Liam Neeson as a truck driver saving miners in a cave while at the same time battling corporate big wigs. The plot sounds original don't you think? As I've said before, any action flick with Neeson, Seagal or Van Damme, the plot may sound ridiculous, but I'll still continue to watch them because I'm just that guy who has to watch anything, despite it's redundance. All this talk about action, I forgot to mention what I thought of The Ice Road... Wel...

Last night, I'm surfing through Tubi & came across this film titled Hellblock 13. Reading the plot itself, It was an anthology film. Now, I haven't seen an anthology film in awhile so I decided to check it out. The only recognizable name in this film is Gunnar Hansen the original Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. From the get-go, it's a low budget film and I don't have any issues with that. The biggest issue I had is the writing and the acting. In a low budget film, you'd come to expect bad acting, but the acting in this is terrible. I'll go through the 3 stories one by one and give my opinion on it. Story 1 - A woman drowns her kids because her boyfriend doesn't like kids and the kids come back for revenge. It would have been a good story if the acting was a little better, and don't get me started on the costumes for the kids. I shook my head at how bad it was. For a guy who claims to not like kids, he seemed more concerned about them th...

Anything from The Asylum is hit or miss in my opinion. Every time a big budget Hollywood movie would come out. The Asylum would follow suit with a mockbuster of their own. Sometimes, their films would be better than Hollywood's film. Often times, the films from The Asylum are terrible but they have a certain cheesiness to them that I enjoy. Now in the case of King of the Ants, you look at this poster and you think it's some kind of horror film. It is not. It is a revenge flick with some of the most hammiest acting out there and the award for biggest ham goes to Daniel Baldwin. Yes, Alec's brother Daniel. When it comes to his death scene, I laughed and laughed at his acting. A little slow in some parts, but once we get to the revenge aspect of the plot. That's when we get to the meat of the story. King of the Ants is a decent little flick that could have been better if it's pacing was a little tighter. 2 1/2/5  

When Prey originally came out, there were people complaining of the fact that Amber Midthunder, a small woman was fighting the Predator, a tall creature in this movie. When it comes to online backlash, I couldn't care less because all I want is to be entertained and Prey did entertain indeed. This is exactly what I wanted in a Predator movie. A different time period where people are up against something not of this world and have to figure out how to kill the Predator. An added bonus was watching it in Comanche. I rather watch a film in it's original native tongue than an English dub as it's nothing more than a distraction. 4/5  

 The Predator is a decent sequel to the franchise. It has a bit of a vibe with the first film whereas instead of a group of soldiers in the jungle, it's now ex-soldiers with PTSD battling the predator.  There's enough action in The Predator for action & Predator fans to enjoy but the story itself is a bit weak. I personally want to see Predator in other time periods then modern day. That's just my opinion on the series, but if they continue to make them, I'll continue to watch them. 2/5