Poltergeist (2015)

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Felix Vasquez

They left the title but they moved the scares! They left the title but moved the scares! Why?! Why?! Now that I’ve had my little Craig T. Nelson outburst, I’m pretty surprised how ordinary “Poltergeist” is. It’s not the worst remake of all time, but it’s just ordinary. It’s bland, lifeless, vanilla, and feels like what the Lifetime Channel in America would do to a remake of the Tobe Spielberg classic haunting film. I think the only reason Gil Kenan was hired for this movie was because the movie is based around a monster house and he depicted a monster so well in his last film that the job only seemed like a no brainer. The problem is Kenan forgets to produce likable characters and interesting scares during the process of producing an evil possessed house.

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Annabelle (2014)

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

I don’t think we really needed to know the story of “Annabelle” nor did we need a movie about her. And if we had to have one, wouldn’t it have been better to expand on the events from the prologue of “The Conjuring”? What’s sad is that the first five minutes of “The Conjuring” involving Annabelle is more terrifying than the ninety minute bore that is “Annabelle.” It seems like often times the movie can reach the heights of pure terror if it wants to, but pulls back for some odd reason. Either director John R. Leonetti doesn’t know how to hit those highs that “The Conjuring” did, or just didn’t want to, for the sake of a sequel. “Annabelle” sets up the prologue by staging the first five minutes from “The Conjuring” to let audiences know this is a direct sequel, and spin off, and prequel. It’s all three.

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Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime) (1997)

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

I’m very glad to say that “Princess Mononoke” was my first real experience with Hayao Miyazaki’s amazing cinematic contributions. After its Oscar buzz in 1997, I sought out the film, and was shocked at what I’d been missing from the master director. “Princess Mononoke” is probably Miyazaki’s broadest film, but one that also conveys a meaningful alllegory about the sanctity of nature, and how the wars of men can taint the sacred lands. It’s an action packed and incredible morality tale that will win over fantasy buffs instantly. “Princess Mononoke” is set in the Muromachi Period of Japan where a local village is attacked by a vicious amorphous demon. The bow and arrow wielding warrior Ashitaka, comes to the rescue of the village, fending off the demon and defeating it after a horrific battle, but the demon manages to corrupt his body with its vile darkness.

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Grave Encounters (2011)

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

I admit that The Vicious Brothers don’t exactly tap in to a part of the found footage genre that hasn’t been done before. Even before found footage became a popular filming format, the premise of con men looking for something supernatural that get more than they bargained for has been done. In fact one of the best “Tales from the Crypt” episodes tapped this premise. That said, while I did recognize the proceedings, “Grave Encounters” is still a lot of fun, if only for the haunted house spooks and bleak ending that ensue. One of the more amusing pop culture devices has been the satire of ghost hunting shows, and “Grave Encounters” brings it in spades.

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Garfield’s Halloween Adventure (1985)

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

There’s nothing funnier than watching Garfield and Odie prepare for a holiday. There’s something about the holidays that helps Garfield set aside his dislike for the dog, and turns him in to a friend. This time it’s for the sake of a large grab of candy for Halloween, as he figures out he could get more of it if he brings Odie along. I knew I liked Garfield for a reason, because just like me, his favorite holiday is Halloween. No trees, no relatives, just candy. That’s how it’s done.

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Tiny Toons’ Night Ghoulery (1995)

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

One of the many aspects of Warner animation from the nineties is their ability to recall classic television and cinema, while also entertaining their target audience. How can you not love a Tiny Toons Halloween special that includes references to Rod Serling, Abbot and Costello, and “Duel”? “Night Ghoulery” is thankfully about as funny as the “Tiny Toons” has ever been, and when they were on, they could really inspire some raucous laughter. Their brand of wacky and clever comedy set them apart from their Looney Tunes predecessors, allowing them to form their own niche, and it was successful to say the least. “Night Ghoulery” is an anthology of tales involving the Tiny Toons with narration by Babs Bunny, who takes on the visage of Rod Serling. Spoofing “Night Gallery,” the one hour special gives us a ton of really funny gags and in jokes that (even if kids don’t understand them) are still hysterical.

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Mostly Ghostly: Have You Met My Ghoulfriend? (2014)

Posted on October 4, 2014 by Felix Vasquez

“Have you Met My Ghoulfriend?” comes off like it’s the fourth film in a movie series, when it seems to only have come after the somewhat bland “Mostly Ghostly” from 2008. Only Madison Pettis comes back for the follow-up, which involves a pair of ghostly teenagers, their human friend with a ghoul fighting ring, and an evil ghoul named Phears intent on consuming their souls, or possessing them, or–something to that effect.

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