What would have been my idea of a great Twilight Zone movie? How about grabbing excellent writers and telling your own stories with twists and commentary. Instead, what we received were remakes of the best episodes of the series regurgitated in to mediocre installments with semi-horror bookends that seemed awfully shoe horned into the script. That’s not what I would have preferred as someone who absolutely loves the series with all his heart. And it’s simply not in keeping with Serling’s brilliant storytelling that’s painfully missed during the run time.
Return to House on Haunted Hill (2007)
I just wasn’t a fan of “House on Haunted Hill.” William Castle’s utter masterpiece was turned into a Nine Inch Nails video with rapid fire editing, goofy atmosphere, CGI overload, and terrible acting even from Geoffrey Rush. “Return to House on Haunted Hill” was something I really wanted to give a chance. Thankfully, this is not a sequel in name only. This new installment takes place shortly after the ending of the first film where Sara’s (Ali Larter) sister Ariel discovers she’s killed herself after a mental breakdown, and learns of the house where Stephen Price held his party and allegedly went on a murder spree. Cue plot catalyst. Ariel discovers by a professor that there’s an ancient statue of a satanic cult somewhere in the hill house and he wants it. Lo and behold we have a rival group of relic hunters who also want it and will kill anyone for it.
Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007)
Hell, I liked “Wrong Turn.” It was, by my book, an underrated and sadly obscure little horror flick that really deserved to be looked at from a different perspective. Yes, I bitch about movies being recycled, and cliché, and awfully rehashed, but when it’s done with enough entertainment value as “Wrong Turn” was, I can be forgiving. “Wrong Turn” has been done before and better, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a blast. Suffice it to say, I was excited for “Dead End.” Would it be a direct take off from the original, or would it be a name only sequel? Is “Dead End” the original title before Lion’s Gate slapped on “Wrong Turn 2”? That was the only horrific element of this viewing experience: the anticipation and the guessing. The only truly good thing to look forward to was the presence of Henry Rollins.
Justice League of America (1997)
The nineties were filled with an almost endless stream of pretty bad comic book adaptations. From the awfully boring “Generation X” that featured a goofy Matt Frewer doing his best Joker impression to a bunch of interchangeable teen superheroes, the ridiculous “Fantastic Four” which while strictly a cult movie in the comic underground, was a pure travesty, to the utterly abysmal “Batman Forever” and “Batman and Robin,” we saw it all, and most of it was things we wish we wouldn’t have. And then there’s “Justice League of America.” Boy oh boy. The problem with this product is that it’s not awful as it is unintentionally ridiculous, and while the cast tries their damndest, we can never get past the horrible costumes, and the terrible special effects.
KillerKiller (2007)
Karma is a bitch and many times the manifestation of payback can provide some truly blood drenched results. “KillerKiller” is not a horror film that started off on the right foot with me. The audio was pretty crummy and the story began like a typical slasher film, but as the story progressed, “KillerKiller” won me over. Not only is it a great little horror film, it’s a great survival film, and a very good branch off the “strangers in a house” sub-genre tree that soon becomes a fascinating glimpse at predator and prey formulas. In Higgins’ slasher mystery, the victim is the murderer and soon the killers will make for the body count. A horror movie of this gamut with such a low budget would usually fall flat on its head, but thankfully it doesn’t.
Knocked Up (Unrated Widescreen Edition) (DVD) (2007)
I love Seth Rogen, I’ve loved Seth Rogen since the days of “Freaks and Geeks” when he was the often difficult supporting character Ken, who popped wisecracks, I loved Seth Rogen when he was in “Undeclared” as almost the same character, and now he’s finally leading a film that’s a much deserved turn the man. “Freaks and Geeks” fans know the man can headline a movie and Apatow proves that. As the character Ben, he’s probably one of the many complex characters that Apatow has such a talent for concocting.
Josie and the Pussycats – The Complete Series (1970) (DVD)
Out of all the Hanna Barbera series to stem from the sixties and seventies, I’d have to say that “Josie and the Pussycats.” Sure, it was in essence a pure “Scooby Doo” rip off, with a Shaggy character voiced by Casey Kasem, a Freddy character with an ascot, goofy animal sidekicks, and even re-using its chase music on many occasions, but it’s just so much better than “Scooby-Doo” which I’ve always considered an overrated franchise to begin with.