The Houses October Built 2

Just in time for the haunting month!  If you have read any of my reviews, you will know I love horror movies, especially this time of year.  I did review the first installment of this little franchise and loved it.  I thought it was a hidden gem that I came across one day so you can imagine how excited I was to see the sequel.  Lets get down to the nitty gritty of this little fright fest.  #1. I actually liked this, regardless of the awful reviews and the fans of part 1 hating everything about it.  #2. The characters are creepy and the final haunt was great just because of the silence and minimal decor of the rooms.  #3. the other haunts they went through were cool to see and some of the creepy characters were good. #4. The main chick is pretty hot!  #5. The ending was only good if you have seen part 1.  There, did I break it down enough for you?  If not, watch the damn thing!  The whole premise is not unique, a bunch of film makers go across the country to find the most extreme and scary haunt.  Using rumors of underground haunts where they do things no legal and crazy scary to fuel them.  The only real loser part of this film is that they talk the girl into coming back to work with them again, and even after getting spooked to the point of pissing her pants, she still keeps going.  Give this one a shot, let me know what you think!

FYI:  Written and directed by one of the main stars, who was also an All-American Pitcher at UCLA

***1/2

A Gang Story

Well, whats to say about this film streaming on Netflix right now that hasn't already been said?  Oh, wait, everything?  That's likely because no one has ever heard of this movie, or the true events it is supposedly based on.  You may also watch it and say, huh, I have seen this movie before but I cant place when.  I will let you in on a little secret, it was the last time you watched any gangster story ever!  Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad by any means, it actually kept me very interested the entire time, but just didn't quite have the spark it needed to be great and original.  Maybe they were trying to stick a little to close to the actual happenings, but I definitely would have "Holly-wooded" it up for a true great foreign film.  The acting was really good and the main character played by Lanvin was stone cold and awesome.  Don't let me pass over the ever and always creepy Tcheky Karyo who has been spooking me out since the 80's.  Good film about a gang of loyal friends who make it big in the underworld only to be double crossed.  There are a few really bad ass revenge scenes and a cool premise but it was just missing something???  Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

FYI:  Good soundtrack featuring Janis Joplin, Deep Purple, and The Animals.

***

A Message From the King

COngratulations Netflix, you just keep churning out the hits!  I guess when you give you writers and directors complete freedom to express themselves from their own creative mind you get a plethora of greatness (take note Hollywood).   This little gem surprised me from the beginning!  I was ready for another slow burn of a search for a missing person movie and got a whole lot more.  First off, Boseman is a complete bad ass in it, he comes in like a silent storm and gets his answers!  He partners up with an unlikely ally living in a run down hotel.  She is basically the better looking and better acting version of Kristen Stewart.  Then enter about 20 other actors that are pretty well known and do a damn good job.  So the skinny is that Boseman comes to LA from South Africa to find his missing sister.  What he does is strategically look for clues to get a good idea of how she has been living and is not happy!  It all explodes from there and the shit hits the fan!  Great movie, good acting and good plot.  Give this a shot on Netflix now.

FYI:  Twists, deceit, and beatings made this a movie that gets a good ole fashion Grind-House praise!

****

Honeymoon

And another movie titled, "Honeymoon", only the second I have reviewed but one of many.  Not that it wasnt original, well, it wasn't but had some unique aspects that made me sit interested wanting to continue to watch.  This is one that I have decided to bring out the "Wretched Scale" on.  First, there are a few scenes that were truly gag worthy, it was done well enough for you to feel a bit sick and really, really hate the villain!  Second, the true sick and twisted nature of the main character is disturbing and wretched enough for you to sneer up your nose in disgust.  So lets get into the meat of this fun little tale.  A Foreign film made in Mexico about a beautiful young woman who is stalked, and captured by her weirdo neighbor.  He decides to chain her up in his basement and punish her until she succumbs to becoming his woman.  When she doesn't obey, he has some truly terrifying torture techniques, (try saying that 5 times fast).  There is a bit of a twist toward the end, and then another twist on top of that, the latter being a bit dumb, but good for the movie.  I would say give this one a watch, its streaming on Netflix now and may just fill your appetite for a low budget horror film.

FYI:  The main character choose to remain tied up between takes for her to maintain her suffering character.

**1/2

Mother!

Okay haters, I can assume that anyone who reads my review of this is not going to agree and will likely be mad and call me a phony.  Give me a few minutes to explain myself and try to keep an open mind here because as far as I am concerned, Mother! was one of the better movies I have seen.  I will start off by saying this was the most bizarre, over the top, roller coaster of a movie that I have ever seen.  I found myself saying, "what the fuck is going on" in the middle of the film.  My take is the complete metaphoric telling was a glimpse of our society and the narcissistic views we cling to today.  It is said many times in the film that "it's never enough" for a reason.  Humans need for possessions, love, acceptance, to legitimize their own existence is pared with craze and worship of emotions from people that have no direct impact on your life other than your self worth.  None of the characters have names in this movie and I am certain that the metaphor for Bardem's character "Him" is God, the guests are Adam and Eve, their sons Cain and Abel and Lawrence as Mother Nature.  At one point the voice of reason shows up and realizes he can never win over the emotional state of the characters so he gives up and leaves.  That is when the shit really hits the fan.  The movie which starts off as a slow burn becomes an explosion for your senses putting unbelievable scenarios together creating a roller coaster of a movie!  Whew!  Was that pretentious enough for you?  Well it should be!  My guess is that most who watch this movie will absolutely hate it and have no understanding of its undertones, but if you go in with an open mind and let its creative levels sink in, you may just like it.

FYI:  The script was written by Aronofsky in 5 days.

****1/2

It

Well, we all know the story of the creepy clown from Stephen King's insane mind.  remember being in Jr High and watching it on TV for 2-3 nights?  Even that was an interesting take apart from the bad acting, terrible cast and made for TV feel.  Well it doesn't even hold a candle to this new remake, and was was it good.  I will agree with my neighbor that it might possibly be the best re make of all time!  This version had a number of scenes that were very close to the original but with flare, style and a budget.  They nailed the 80's feel of the movie with casting, scenes, and the actions of the main kids.  It was actually so well done that it makes you think, why the hell cant all remakes be this easy to reproduce that well.  And now for the main component and what you have all been waiting for, the Pennywise review.  Creepier, scarier, more slobbery, and absolutely genius!  I do have a love for Tim Curry in the original but Skarsgard rocked it!  There was some great comic relief, especially with the kid from Stranger Things who stole every scene he was in.  The flow of the movie and the extra added scares were awesome (crooked lady from the painting).  This is a must see, even if you werent a fan of the original, this movie was so well made that it will have you wanting more, which is probably why it is set up perfectly for a sequel.

FYI:  Bill Skarsgard admitted that he was so into his character while filming that he had constant nightmares during production.

*****

Okja

You know the old saying, "It's like putting perfume on a Pig"?  Well, its a risk that I think absolutely paid off in this little gem!  If your a fan of the slaughterhouse and throwing meat on animal rights activists, this might not be quite what your looking for.  This is an outstanding little story of a food corporation run by the evil Tilda Swinton, who is trying to gain public acceptance by putting a cute face to the newly created "Super Pig".  There are a few of them given to farmers all over the world raised to become huge, which means more meat for the table in the long run.  Unfortunately when they come around to collect these beasts back, they step on the wrong little girls toes, and her defiance leads her to an adventure of revenge!  The story is excellent and a complete surprise that will have you changing emotions many times throughout.  The acting is incredible including the all out psychotic, crazed Jake Gyllenhaal who brings his "A" game once again.  There are a number of disturbing scenes toward the end that will have you re think your meal choices but it flows well with the undertones of the movie.  This is streaming on Netflix right now so give it a shot, you will not be disappointed.

FYI:  When appearing at Cannes Film Fest, the crowd booed at the Netflix Card on the screen.

*****